Episode 1: Space Battleship “Amur Adonis”
“Change the Magic Core of the bow Magic Cannon to a diffusion type. Prepare to fire as soon as the replacement is complete.”
“Roger that. Commencing the replacement of the Diffusion Magic Cannon’s Magic Core.”
As I raised my voice, the operator, Red, repeated the order.
“The remaining number of Diffusion Magic Cannon Magic Cores is five. Is that acceptable?”
“Acceptable or not, we should use what we have. Rouge, lock on. No need to hit the big ones.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll need to recharge our Magical Power at another base… I wonder if there are any planets left that will accept us.”
“Red, we’re fighting to protect those planets. Well, anyway… let’s hope for Commodore Credos’s skill.”
““““Not that again.”””
Three female Androids with identical faces and red hair. The three operators, Red, Rouge, and Aka, voiced their dissatisfaction. Hey, don’t tell me that, I’m the one in trouble here.
“Either way, if they break through here, the Crast Earldom Solar System will be ravaged. If that happens, the number of star systems humanity can return to will decrease again.”
If the enemy were human like us, an invasion that corroded the star itself wouldn’t happen. But this time, the enemy is a mysterious monster called a Space Sea Beast.
It’s like a Monster from a planet rich in Magical Power, but it’s come out into space.
What’s troublesome is its size and hardness.
The most numerous enemy, called Space Squid by our military personnel, has a total length of about one kilometer.
Its outer skin is like a cross between rock and metal. Furthermore, it has overwhelming defense against mass weaponry, so we have to deal with it with Magical Power-dependent Magical Attacks such as Magic Cannons, making it a troublesome enemy.
Next is the Space Dolphin, a leader-like existence that leads the Space Squid groups. There’s only one of these in a group of Space Squid, but it’s about ten kilometers in size. Like the Space Squid, it has overwhelming defense against mass weaponry, and unlike the Space Squid, it has a long-range attack that sends out shockwaves.
And then there’s the existence that has only been sighted three times in the past, but causes overwhelming damage when it appears: the Space Whale. I don’t know what kind of joke it is, but its size is a staggering five hundred kilometers. This one is clearly out of the ordinary.
Because of its size, our normal weapons can’t damage it at all. The largest of the human battleships is only about fifteen kilometers, and the average battleship is about five kilometers. We can’t deal with such an out-of-the-ordinary size.
There’s nothing we can do about this one, so the principle is to report and evacuate as soon as it’s discovered.
“It’s there… the Kujira.”
Yes, it’s there. We found it.
Moreover, an existence with that much mass suddenly appeared. Some kind of warp, maybe? It’s a joke.
Of course, as a soldier, as a person’s duty, I’ve already reported it to the military. The military has also begun issuing evacuation orders to all human-inhabited areas in the vicinity and in the direction of the Space Whale’s advance.
However, the military gave us one wonderful order there.
“Special Mission: Major Takeo Brooklyn is to conduct delaying actions to suppress the advance of the Space Sea Beast as much as possible.”
By the way, the period is until the evacuation of the area is completed.
In other words, the order is to hold back the enemy at the very end. Moreover, until humanity evacuates from so many planets that even the largest monitor can’t display them all at once.
Yeah, impossible.
“Takeo Brooklyn, Captain, reporting!”
“Permission to enter granted.”
“Excuse me.”
I received permission and entered the room. There was Commodore Credos, who had called me, and… Vice Admiral Falm?
First, a salute.
“Takeo Brooklyn, Captain, reporting! Long time no see, Vice Admiral Falm-kakka!”
“Good to see you, Captain Brooklyn. Please, have a seat.”
“Yes, sir! Excuse me!”
This person has quite radical ideas, even within the Space Integration Army. His faction is large, and he has connections with weapons companies… in other words, if you’re liked by this person, you can suck up the sweet nectar even after retirement.
“A cigar?”
“…I appreciate the offer, but I don’t know how to enjoy it or the etiquette…”
I was at a loss for an answer to the sudden offer. A failure.
“I see, if you don’t know how to enjoy it, let alone the etiquette, then it can’t be helped.”
“I would be grateful if you could teach me.”
Commodore Credos, please don’t glare at me.
“Fuhahaha, you’re an interesting man after all. Then we should get to the main topic first. Commodore.”
“Yes. Captain Brooklyn, here’s your letter of appointment.”
The Commodore said so and handed me a letter of appointment.
“Let me see… This is! Is it me!?”
“It’s no wonder you’re surprised. But it’s the truth. I guarantee it. And if you accept this appointment, your rank will be Lieutenant Colonel. Any complaints?”
“No! I would definitely like to accept… but I haven’t obtained the qualifications to become a captain.”
What was written there was a letter of appointment to the captaincy of the new space battleship “Amur Adonis.” Only a complete idiot would refuse this. Hey, Commodore Credos, don’t make such a painful expression.
“We believe you have enough experience as a vice-captain. Take the exam tomorrow, and as long as you pass, we’ll take care of the rest.”
Wow, he said he’d take care of it. And don’t hold your head, Commodore.
“Yes, sir! Thank you!”
“Hmm. Then next is an overview of the ship you’ll be riding. I’ll put the data on the terminal. The actual ship is at the Seventh Stop. There’s a dedicated launch in the Eighth Dock, so feel free to use it. We’re planning a escort and transport mission next week, so do the initial setup and test operation this week. Oh, and please confirm the armament on Friday afternoon. I’ll be there too, and my secretary will let you know the time later.”
“Understood.”
The exam is tomorrow, and the initial setup is the day after tomorrow, huh? No good, there’s not enough time. After taking the exam tomorrow, I’ll take care of the setup right away.
“Will there be a crew meeting for the operation?”
“Crew? Ah, you weren’t involved in this project. This is a combat ship designed for solo operation. Other than you, the captain, the crew are all Androids. You should have heard rumors about it, right?”
“I’ve heard about it a few times… so this was about that ship. The long-term solo operation project that uses Time-Space Magic instead of enhancement magic for the maintenance of the machine…”
“That’s right. It’s a new type of ship that has been treated with delay preservation processing using Time Delay Magic on the ship itself, the internal storage, and even some consumable supplies, and it’s said to have a hundred times the preservation maintenance ability of a normal ship… theoretically.”
While a normal combat ship can be operated for about fifty years, this one can be operated a hundred times that long. A hundred times is five thousand years? I don’t understand. Technology is constantly evolving, so even if you make it last that long, it will only become an outdated product. In the first place, after thirty years, that ship will be completely among the old ships.
Vice Admiral Falm seems to understand that, and he’s somewhat skeptical.
“That’s… well, it’s a new type of ship operation.”
“That’s right. We put a lot of effort into the VIP room.”
Isn’t that because you’re the one who uses it the most?
“The first mission is also in the data, so please take a look. As I said earlier, it’s escorting and transporting cargo. The escort targets are me, my adjutant, and my secretaries.”
“Yes, I’ll take a look.”
“And the cargo for transport has already been brought in. Military equipment and food, etc. And please don’t leave this star system during the test operation.”
“Then I can’t do the Spatial Jump test… has it already been done?”
“Yes. That’s also in the data.”
“Understood. Are there any other precautions?”
“Well, there are some minor things, but it would interfere with the Commodore’s duties any further. What’s the Lieutenant Colonel’s schedule for today?”
“Mainly paperwork, but since I received the ship operation appointment, I have to prioritize that.”
“Then join me in the salon. I’ll teach you about cigars.”
“Thank you.”
“Then let’s go. I have high expectations for your magic.”
“Magic? Ah, understood.”
When you say my magic, are you talking about Spatial Storage? I have a lot of Magical Power, but my aptitude is limited, and I can’t learn many spells. That’s because I only have aptitude for non-attribute magic and Spatial Magic, and many Spatial Magic spells are restricted.