“Exchange complete.”
“Lock-on complete.”
“Diffusion Magic Cannon, fire!”
“Firing.”
Magical energy is released from the main cannon at the bow. A thick beam of energy.
The beam splits mid-flight, each fragment homing in on and striking the Space Squid Rouge locked onto.
Excellent guidance and sufficient power. Wonderful.
“Successfully annihilated approximately 0.02% of enemy forces.”
“Thank you for the less-than-thrilling report. Exchange the Magic Core. More diffusion.”
“Roger.”
“Deploy all secondary cannons, target the Squid with retreating fire.”
“All of them? We have physical ammunition as well.”
“Even if it’s ineffective, it can at least alter their trajectory. No holding back. Prioritize protecting the ship.”
“Roger.”
The main computer, receiving instructions from the operators, is processing information frantically.
Even as it does, I can see allied battleships gradually dwindling in number. Damn, there are too many of them.
“Coral Leader has been destroyed! Multiple distress signals!”
“Escape pods? How many?”
“Twenty have launched, half are heading this way.”
“Accept them if they make it. We can’t afford to go out to meet them.”
The Squid only ram, but sheer numbers make them a threat.
“We’ll have to drop the barrier.”
“I know! But we can’t abandon our allies.”
We should save those we can.
“…Confirmed destruction of three escape pods from Coral Leader. Seven remaining.”
“Damn it! Support the escape pods. Prioritize eliminating the Squid and Dolphins heading their way! Coral 12, fill the gap they left!”
I wish we could go and meet them. However, changing my ship’s position would affect the other ships. In fact, the hole left by the Coral Leader, which was also a base ship, is quite large.
“First escape pod arriving in forty seconds.”
“Barrier down in twenty seconds. From then until the last escape pod is recovered, the barrier will be offline! Increase the barrage!”
“Understood.”
Before I knew it, the escape pods arrived. I redeployed the barrier and took a breather. Then, the person in charge of the escape pods appeared on the monitor.
“This is Major Takeo Brooklyn from Coral 52. Who is the highest-ranking officer there?”
“This is Brigadier General Junpei Sakata. Major Brooklyn, thank you for your assistance.”
“Glad to see you’re safe, Brigadier General Sakata. However, please remain in your escape pods. We don’t know when our ship will be shot down. We must continue fighting until the battle turns or a retreat order is issued.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. Maintaining the front line any longer is impossible. Retreat immediately.”
“I’d love to, but my orders for delaying the enemy come directly from General Orlando, and I can’t disobey them, Brigadier General Sakata.”
I’m in the bad graces of the higher-ups. If I blatantly disobey orders here, who knows what kind of punishment I’ll receive.
It’s hell if I retreat, and hell if I advance. Well, if things get desperate, I’ll disobey orders and evacuate, but I’ll need a good excuse.
“The battle is already decided with the Coral Base Ship, the operation’s center, destroyed!”
“I agree, but it seems a replacement for the Coral Base Ship has arrived.”
A massive Spatial Jump reaction had been detected earlier, and now it was appearing.
“A twenty-kilometer-class base ship… humanity’s trump card has arrived.”
“Hmm, I didn’t expect Kaguya to deploy to the front lines.”
A massive battleship, a twin-hulled ship known as a base ship. With a total length of about twenty kilometers and capable of operating over a hundred battleships, it is humanity’s greatest asset.
“To Coral Team from Kaguya, we have prepared a new combat plan based on the current battle situation. Upon confirmation, deploy to your assigned area and continue interception operations. Call signs remain unchanged.”
“One-sided communication. No mention of the Coral Base Ship being destroyed. I see, join Kaguya’s escort fleet. Coral 52 will transition from delaying action to escort duty. Oh, we can retreat a little.”
This positioning is lucky. If we can reach it, that is.
“Is that safe?”
“It depends on Kaguya’s attack power. Do you think it will work against the Kujira?”
At the very least, it’s an opponent that would destroy the entire solar system upon appearing. I can’t imagine humanity’s attacks doing any significant damage.
“Either a gravitational wave cannon or a nuclear attack with the limiters removed. I’d at least like them to inflict some damage.”
“Maybe both? The enemy is massive, after all. I can’t escort you, but if you want to transfer to Kaguya, I’ll authorize launch.”
“…I can’t ask the crew who barely escaped with their lives to go back into space.”
Ah, that’s right. I guess they’d be worried.
“Understood. Then, I’m sorry, but please stand by.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll announce the current situation to all escape pods. I’ll report any major changes.”
After ending the communication with the Brigadier General, it’s time for an internal announcement.
“To everyone who came from the Coral Base Ship, this is the three-kilometer-class test ship ‘Amur Adonis’, Captain Takeo Brooklyn, call sign Coral 52. Combat operations are currently ongoing, but the twenty-kilometer-class base ship ‘Kaguya’ has arrived and is taking command in place of the Coral Base Ship. We will send you to Kaguya as soon as the situation calms down, so please wait in your escape pods until then.”
The Dolphins monitoring us all lit up their eyes at once!? Something’s wrong!?
“Deploy electromagnetic and magic shields to maximum! Brace for impact! Stay low! Escape pods, don’t extinguish your fires!”
I gripped the armrest of the seat as hard as I could. Just as I thought the external monitor was enveloped in light, a strong impact ran through the ship.
“…Everyone alright? Damage report!”
“Checking, the barrier suppressed all attacks. No problems with the hull.”
“Checking, some of the arms securing the escape pods from the Coral Base Ship are damaged. Escape pods that came loose from the arms collided with adjacent escape pods, causing an accident.”
Seriously! We need to deal with that quickly.
“…This is Major Brooklyn. I want to confirm your damage situation.”
“Yes! No one has visible injuries.”
“Same here! But the escape pods…”
No injuries, I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words. It seems they had secured themselves firmly in their seats, knowing they would have to go back into space if the Amur Adonis fell.
“I understand. For now, I’m glad no one was injured. The crew of those two escape pods should move to the other escape pods, and then get a check-up just in case. I authorize docking for the transfer. Once the transfer is complete, we will eject the collided escape pods, so don’t leave any luggage behind. We’ll send Drones to take care of the luggage.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Yes, please hurry.”
“Major Brooklyn, are you alright?”
“Brigadier General, I’m currently checking the situation inside the ship. I don’t know the situation outside due to the enemy’s attack earlier… I’ll check the situation, so please wait a moment.”
However, I know the situation on the monitor.
The Dolphins, along with the Squid that were attacking us, launched a simultaneous attack. I don’t know exactly what kind of attack it was, but I’m glad we were able to defend with the barrier.
But the Red is looking at us. Is there a problem with the navigation system? I’ll cut off communication for now.
“The barrier was under considerable strain from the previous attack, and it seems the main engine output has dropped to 30% due to the excessive output to protect the hull.”
“How’s the Magic Drive Engine?”
“We’re rushing the Magic Core exchange. But if we use energy for movement, we won’t be able to deploy the magic barrier.”
“If we’re using it to replace the main engine’s output, that’s what’s going to happen.”
“Restoring the main engine’s output is currently impossible. A large-scale replacement is required.”
I don’t have a spare main engine, after all.
“I see. For now, deploy the magic barrier and check the surrounding situation.”
Even the Amur Adonis, a test ship that’s three years old, and developed with ‘that’ Vice Admiral pouring (military) funds into it for my sake, has taken this much damage.
The survival of the old, unwieldy five-kilometer-class ships and base ships with only partial barriers is hopeless.
“Ah, they’re heading this way quite a bit.”
“Escape pods… Fortunately, there are no Squid, and the Dolphins seem to have stopped their attacks, so we should be able to recover most of them.”
“…Beginning rescue operations. After that, we’d like to retreat… but it seems there’s no escape.”
We were attacked while changing position on Kaguya’s orders. Thanks to the barrier, the ship itself is intact, but we’ve been pushed off course quite a bit.
And not just pushed back, but sideways.
We managed to get out of the Kujira’s path, but a large number of Space Squid and Space Dolphin are drifting around us. Were there this many?
“Ejection pods are being recovered sequentially.”
“Roger. Also, call each person in charge, one at a time. I want to explain the situation and get their input.”
Even though it’s a single-command ship, it’s a three-kilometer-class battleship. It’s big enough to recover about a hundred escape pods. Although, this is the most cargo we’ve ever carried.
We recovered all the escape pods, redeployed the Magic Barrier, and reduced all other energy output as much as possible. I don’t know if it will work on Space Sea Beasts, but we’ll try to lie low for now.
And the people in charge from the escape pods, a total of 15 people, are on the monitor. Brigadier General Sakata has the highest rank.
“Well then, everyone who barely escaped with their lives. I regret to inform you that our ship is in a critical situation. The ship’s main engine was moderately damaged in the previous attack, and it can’t generate enough power for Spatial Jump navigation, and even normal navigation is only about half its original speed. Well, since it’s space, it can still go pretty fast in a straight line. And here’s the layout of our enemies, the ‘Space Squid,’ ‘Space Dolphin,’ and ‘Space Whale.’ We can’t perform a Spatial Jump, and we can only move at a speed that the Squid can keep up with. We could huddle up like a turtle with the Magic Barrier, but if we keep getting attacked, the Magic Drive Engine will eventually reach its limit.”
『『『！！！！』』』
The expressions of the people in charge on each monitor disappeared or changed to expressions of terror. They seem to have grasped the situation.
“In addition, we haven’t been able to confirm any other friendly ships that are intact besides this one. It seems Kaguya has fallen as well.”
If anything, the people who escaped from Kaguya are the most numerous.
“…Honestly, we’re in a dead-end situation. Any opinion, any idea is welcome. Is there anyone who has something that can break the current situation, a way to survive, any option other than giving up?”
My brain can’t think of a way to survive from here. In this case, I have no choice but to take in other people’s opinions.
『…Former Coral 33 here. I’d like to know the armaments of this ship.』
“I see, that’s right. Red, transfer the armament data.”
“Acknowledged.”
We transferred the specs of our armaments and the current output we can produce to all the rescue pods. Everyone is glued to the monitor. It’s reassuring that they’re all able to grasp the situation.
However, almost everyone’s expression is dead. The more they read the data, the more they realize how desperate the situation is.
『Honestly, I can only say that we’re done for.』
『Maybe we’d be overlooked if we just drifted in the Space Sea in the escape pods.』
『Indeed.』
『They’re small boats, only about ten meters long. They’re less likely to catch the Squid’s attention.』
“…If you wish, I can issue a launch permit immediately? There’s no guarantee of rescue after that, though.”
『『『That’s the problem…』』』
Please be serious.
『Um, excuse me?』
“Yes, is that me?”
『Yes, is this ship the Amur Adonis?』
That’s quite a drawn-out way of speaking. Is this person not a soldier?
“I don’t know what ‘that’ refers to, but this ship is indeed the Amur Adonis.”
『Then, you have it, right? The special equipment warehouse. You still have it loaded, don’t you? The Graviton Flare.』
“…You’re well-informed.”
『Well, you see, I was in charge of some of the design of that ship, and I was also involved in the armaments. Ah, I’m Won, dispatched from ES Union. I’m called Dr. Won.』
“Dr. Won, the Graviton Flare is a powerful weapon on its own, but it’s useless in the current situation where we’re surrounded.”
『Indeed, it might be able to open a hole in the enemy’s defenses.』
『But we’re too slow, and we’ll be caught and shot down by the Squid and Dolphin.』
As expected, everyone understands.
“That’s what they say.”
『No, no, I know that.』
Won’s atmosphere changes completely.
『The Graviton Flare is a powerful weapon that disrupts the gravitational field and destroys planets and satellites, but it doesn’t act on matter, but on the gravitational field. In other words, it’s a weapon that acts on space. If you hit it with the Magic energy for Spatial Jump, it will create a large crack in space itself. In other words, a large-scale Spacetime Quake will occur.』
『You’re saying we should intentionally cause that? Are you serious?』
『That’s too dangerous!』
『It’s a Spacetime Quake!』
『That’s right! A Spacetime Quake! Intentionally! A large-scale one! I don’t know how the Space Sea Beasts live in space, but! You all know what will happen if they get caught in a Spacetime Quake!』
…!? The Elbrad Spacetime Quake Incident!
『If we’re lucky, we’ll be transferred to another space, and… we can involve the Space Sea Beasts as well.』
『That’s right! The Kujira is that big! It will definitely get caught in the Spacetime Quake! Everyone! This is your chance to leave your name in history!』
We don’t know when, in what era, or in what Spacetime Sea area we’ll end up in.
『However, isn’t Spatial Jump impossible?』
『We just can’t reach the minimum speed to perform a Spatial Jump, but the Magic energy to perform the jump is sealed in the Magic Core, right? Isn’t that right, Captain Brooklyn?』
“…Yes, of course.”
The mechanism of Spatial Jump is to increase the speed of the ship itself, release the jump energy from the main gun at the bow in the direction of travel, open a hole in space, and jump into it to reach the destination.
This time, we’re going to release the Graviton Flare into the Space Sea, hit it with jump energy, and cause a Spacetime Quake.
『…Major Brooklyn. We’ll be annihilated if we stay like this. If we’re going to die anyway, let’s at least take the Kujira with us. And if we happen to survive, let’s have a good laugh.』
“Brigadier General.”
『As long as we’re on the Amur Adonis, you, as the captain, are the highest authority. Of course, I understand that. But if it’s okay with you, I’ll give the orders to everyone.』
“…No, please don’t take my job. Dr. Won, I authorize your docking. Please calculate how to create the largest Spacetime Quake possible with our main computer.”
『Understood!』
“If you wish, I will authorize the launch of the escape pods. If you escape now, you may be able to escape the Spacetime Quake. Of course, depending on the scale, you may be caught in the Spacetime Quake, but it will be safer than staying on this ship.”
『Understood. I’ll check with the crew. If there are any who wish to stay here, will you accept them?』
“In that case, they will have to move to another escape pod. We want them to escape if this ship falls.”
『…If we survive, I promise to spread the name of the Amur Adonis to the world.』
“Dr. Won is the one who came up with the plan. Please leave the name of the genius from ES Union as well.”
『It’s a natural disaster that’s going to happen… I said something stupid. I’ll start checking with the crew right away.』
“I don’t want any problems on board, so please don’t force the crew.”
『I understand. Goodbye.』
“Yes.”
As soon as Dr. Won arrived in the control room, he began calculations.
“I’d like to ask you to calculate not how to defeat the Kujira, but how to make sure we don’t die even if we get caught in the Spacetime Quake.”
“Oh, you’re a soldier, but that’s unexpected.”
“I don’t want to die, but it’s the captain’s job to protect the ship and the crew.”
“…Don’t worry. I don’t want to die either.”
It seems he was serious from the beginning.
He says he’s calculating, but Dr. Won, with the support of our Red and Rouge, was creating a Spacetime Quake simulator. This guy is a genius after all.