Chapter 72

Command Bridge of the destroyer.

A young man dressed in a clean officer’s uniform walks into the bridge and gives a sharp salute toward the captain’s chair.

“Commander, all preparations are complete for-”

His voice trails off and cuts out, then clears his throat before addressing Freya seated in the captain’s chair.

“Excuse me, Supreme Commander. Where is the commander?”

“She’s stepped out briefly on personal matters. I’m filling in for now. What is it?”

“All preparations and supply transports for sortie are complete. The jammer installation is also finished.”

“Is that so? Then let’s go.”

Saying this, Freya rises swiftly from the captain’s chair and approaches the communications equipment. She picks up the microphone there.

“This is your temporary captain proxy speaking. As of this moment, this vessel will begin operational maneuvers. All crew members and personnel are to standby in designated areas.”

…

Meanwhile, inside the destroyer.

“… standby in designated areas.”

Freya’s voice can be heard outside the captain’s cabin. Looks like we’ll be setting out soon.

“Hmm.”

Sitting astride the bed and looking around the room.

The walls and ceilings, still made of gold and gray tiles, give off an alien feel.

However, the purple and gold colors symbolizing Uustansha that used to be at its center have been completely painted over with blue and white, leaving no trace.

Though it’s just a small change, it feels refreshingly different.

After scanning the surroundings for a moment, I address the alien kneeling before me.

“So then, Captain… or should I say, former captain?”

“…”

This former captain of the destroyer, Toric.

Without any retort to my words, he simply bowed his head and stared at the floor.

On his outstretched arms, thick gray restraints have been fastened.

Beads of cold sweat glistened on his fish-like, glossy skin, and his protruding eyes clearly showed fear.

“Excuse me? Can you hear me?”

“M-my lord, speak your command.”

When asked again, Toric replied humbly.

Having been dragged to the forward base and suffering for a week, his attitude was more submissive than any alien I’d seen before.

A pitiful sight for someone who used to command a vessel.

I supposed this was what a defeated commander looked like when they’d lost their ship and crew, left with nothing.

But it would be more conducive to a smooth conversation having him subdued rather than him being overly proud or full of bluster.

“So then, Mr. Toric. How about we have a productive conversation commander to commander?”

“Y-yes… a productive conversation?”

“Yes.”

Toric looked at me with an expression of confusion at this unexpected kindness.

“Isn’t it better to just give orders if you need something?”

“That’s true.”

From the outset, Toric is our prisoner, so he has no choice but to follow our orders.

“But there’s a big difference between doing something when ordered and doing it willingly. I would like you to cooperate with me voluntarily, Mr. Toric.”

“…I will never betray the Empire.”

Seems even his last ounce of pride remains as he answers calmly.

“Even if your own Empire abandons you?”

“…That will never happen! Our Empire always treats all its members equally-”

“Tch.”

Toric flares up at the painful jab, but I cut him off coldly.

“That’s only the case as long as you haven’t disgraced the glorious Empire you speak of, right?”

“…!”

Struck at the heart of the matter, Toric is finally silenced.

The Uustansha Galactic Empire.

Worthy of their dominance over countless planets and galaxies, the pride and self-respect of their members are formidable indeed.

This characteristic is even more pronounced among higher-ranking members.

And in a group bound together by honor and pride, there is one absolute unchanging rule.

That is, they are extremely sensitive to any actions that tarnish the group’s honor.

Put simply, when things are going well, it’s a harmonious community. But when someone causes trouble for the community, they become the public enemy of all its members.

And that public enemy right now is…

“All your forces have been wiped out, your ship seized, and all arms and supplies confiscated by the enemy.”

“Urgh…”

“You’re the definition of an incompetent and defeated commander, this is your reality, Mr. Toric. Right?”

Listing the facts clearly.

In 200 fights, if you lost 200 times but won the 201st, you’re still the winner.

Hey! You guys fight really poorly!

“…Did you summon me just to mock me? If so-”

Shaking violently, but I shake my head at his words.

“What are you talking about? I said from the start that I wanted to have a productive conversation.”

As if remembering something he’d forgotten, Toric goes “Ah” and closes his mouth.

“Alright then, Mr. Toric, let’s start again. You’re a defeated commander, and you’ve suffered a tremendous failure. Correct?”

“…”

“Isn’t that right?”

“…Correct.”

Toric answers with great difficulty.

“And Mr. Toric, didn’t you just say that the Empire treats everyone equally?”

Tapping lightly on the bed, I continue speaking.

“Be honest now, don’t you know better than anyone that the Empire shows absolutely no mercy to failed commanders?”

“…”

Toric’s dry lips moved slightly.

These guys are imperialists who expanded their power through invading other planets. How noble could their characters possibly be?

And to me, who knows all the settings of AOE, Toric’s excuses are nothing but meaningless chatter.

“And Mr. Toric. There’s something you seem to be forgetting. Do you realize just how dangerous your current situation is?”

“…? How could it get any worse here?”

“Yes, the Third Fleet has lost many of its forces, hasn’t it? And conveniently, you’ve just suffered a major defeat, so wouldn’t it make sense for you to be blamed for others’ mistakes too?”

At my words, Toric sneers.

“What nonsense, even if we’re in the same Imperial Navy, they wouldn’t possibly-”

As he answers, his voice slowly gets quieter, and I quietly observe his expression.

“No, surely…? Even so, they wouldn’t possibly…”

Toric’s muttering continues.

The serious defeat and the fleet’s poor situation combined with the unease gradually fanned by our conversation shake Toric’s heart.

“Do you understand now? You could end up taking responsibility not just for your own failure, but for the entire fleet’s failures.”

“…That’s not necessarily-”

“Mr. Toric, don’t avert your eyes from reality.”

Saying this, I press my index finger firmly onto his head.

“You know very well that the dead don’t talk, don’t you?”

“…!!”

Toric’s complexion turns pale.

“Well. If the Admiral of the Third Fleet is someone who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters, then it might be fine. But isn’t it a painful situation where he might take on unnecessary blame?”

“…”

Toric’s trembling body at the thought of the worst-case scenario.

“And usually, higher-ranking officials avoid taking responsibility more often than not, don’t they?”

Which is why someone like Ryuje or Freya is truly remarkable.

People who aren’t bound by their status and move as they see fit, doing what’s right.

“…So then, what exactly do you want to say to me?”

“Mr. Toric.”

“…Yes.”

“Mr. Toric, I have a way for you not to take the blame. Would you like to hear it?”

At my words, Toric’s eyes widen.

On the contrary, I smirked.

“Is such a method available?”

“Yes, if we consider your mistakes as 10, then we just need to create someone who made mistakes worth 100.”

In short, a scapegoat operation.

To cover up a mistake, all you need to do is find someone who made a bigger mistake.

“?!?”

Toric is astonished.

“Such a dirty trick-”

“Then would you prefer to shoulder all the blame alone?”

“!!”

Only now does Toric realize the reality.

The choice between shouldering all the blame alone and dying versus not dying alone.

At that moment, the door opens and Nisia rushes in.

“Edu, we’ve detected enemies descending in orbit!”

As she says this, Nisia manipulates the hologram floating above her wrist.

[Sender Nisia, video received from Edu. Shall I play it now?]

“Play it.”

[Code confirmed, playing video.]

The hologram appears with a beep.

The screen shows three glowing white bodies breaking through the atmosphere.

Judging by their size and shape, they aren’t battleship-class vessels. Among the Third Fleet’s ships, only the medium-sized Jiheld-class landing cruisers fit this description.

“That’s a cruiser. I’ll head to the bridge shortly.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for you!”

Nisia leaves the room.

And Toric looks at me.

His eyes were filled with restlessness and fear.

“Alright Mr. Toric, we don’t have much time. What do you want to do?”

“I… I…”

…

Like shooting stars falling, the three ships descend toward the ground.

The engines of the vertically-aligned cruisers continuously spew flames to adjust their speed.

And thus, the cruiser squadron slowly reaches the airspace they are targeting after passing through the atmosphere.

With fire spewing from the side engines of the vertically-aligned ships, the hulls straighten up, and all parts folded or stored for atmospheric entry return to their original positions.

The destroyer located at the rear of the three cruisers.

In its command bridge, numerous aliens busily operate the installed equipment.

“External hull temperature recovering to normal levels.”

“Checking for abnormalities within ship compartments. No abnormalities detected.”

“Gravity field generator OFF, switching to atmospheric navigation mode.”

Consecutive reports come in.

After checking all the information, the alien commander resembling a bony fish shifts their body and gives an order.

“Good, relay this to all ships. Descending process completed without incident. Effective immediately, all ships enter operational status.”

Following the captain’s orders, the communications officer nods and relays the information to the other ships.

“Flagship Grüdel transmitting to all ships. Descending process completed without incident. Effective immediately, all ships enter operational status.”

[Phesblitz, receiving clearly.]

[Nudelran, receiving clearly.]

The responses from the individual ships transmitted via the communications network.

As the communications officer turns their body backward and looks at the captain’s chair, the captain also nods.

“Good, we’ll head to the city where our ships were located first. Activate all armaments and ensure combat personnel are ready for battle at any time.”

“Understood, Captain. Weapons crew to designated positions, combat personnel to gather in the arsenal fully armed!”

The first officer repeats the captain’s words verbatim.

“Broadcasting from the command bridge. Weapons crew to designated positions, combat personnel to gather in the arsenal fully armed. Broadcasting from the command bridge…”

The communications officer spreads the captain’s words throughout the ship.

Within the ship, alien soldiers move busily amid the commotion, and the artillery units stored inside gradually unfold, revealing their imposing presence.

The battle preparations are proceeding smoothly.

At that moment, the communications officer receives a transmission, frowns, then widens their eyes and turns back to look at the captain.

“Captain!”

“What is it?”

“A transmission has been received from the missing Destroyer 44!”

“What did you say?”

The atmosphere in the command bridge ripples.

The captain briefly falls into thought at the communications officer’s words.

A ship that had been silent up until now making contact at this timing? Isn’t it too coincidental?

But such doubts quickly subside when they consider their overwhelming power.

The captain makes a decision.

The captain rises from their seat and approaches the communications officer.

“Connect it and transfer it to me.”

“Yes!”

The communications officer immediately operates the equipment, and the captain puts the round headset handed over by them to their ear.

“This is the Third Cruiser Squadron, flagship Grüdel. State your business.”

A brief silence.

Then a voice from the other side is heard.

“This is Captain Toric of Destroyer 44, Ground Operations Corps.”