Episode 35 – Multiple Traps

“The front line of the enemy fleet will soon be in effective range of our main guns.”

There was the report I had been waiting for.

“Saito”

Settsu dared to command, feeling slightly uplifted.

At last.

The material trap of a body-attack by an asteroid has been broken through.

Now we need to hit the Federation fleet in front of us and destroy the accumulation point behind it.

“Roger that. We’re ready to fire the main guns.”

A situation diagram on the monitor showed the fortress inching closer to the Federation fleet.

We’re in range.

“Simultaneous fire.”
“Understood”

The fortress main turret group fired a beam.

The beam released flew through the air at sublight speed and extended towards the Federation fleet.

But.

A large explosion occurred in the seemingly empty space that the beam was about to pass through.

The energy released by the explosion interfered with the beam, blocking its path.

Many of the beams were caught and less than a third of them made it to the Federation fleet. Even in that third, much of it had been dampened, and the damage to the Federation fleet was minimal.

“I’ll examine the cause. Please wait a moment.”

Mitsuki hurriedly tried to determine the cause of the problem.

The conclusion came quickly.

“It’s a mine. From the observation data, it appears to be a mixture of antimatter and beam disruptor particles. There are many of them in front of the Federation fleet, tens of thousands of them, though they are too small to get a good reading.”
“Tens of Thousands”

Again, a mass operation.

“I hate superpowers.”

Settsu couldn’t help but murmur.

“Sir, we’re getting a frontal assault.”

Just then, a bombardment from the Federation fleet shook the fortress.

It’s a barrage with enough offensive power to penetrate the defensive shields. It’s not coming from a warship.

“Minor damage. Armor can handle it.”
“Where did the attack come from?”
“From the asteroid where the supply depot is. We’ve identified the firing point.”
“We’re being blocked by mines. ……”

This was probably because they had data on where the mines were placed and what trajectory they were taking.

“Do you think we can clear the mines?”
“It’s just a gunshot, if we have time.”
“All right.”

Setsuko felt that the pace of the battle was being controlled by the Federals. He had expected this to some extent, since they would be jumping into a place where they would be prepared for anything, but it was as expected.

We’re not going to let them do what they’re good at, bombardment.

The only card Settsu has, after all, is artillery fire.

A single dragoon and a single pirate ship is nothing in a fleet battle.

“Energy signature behind us. Incoming artillery fire.”

Then, a new beam came from behind the fortress.

There was an ambush.

The fortress took a bigger hit than before. The back of the fortress was weakened by the asteroid debris that had hit it earlier.

“How many are back there?”
“Thirty thousand ships. We think they were mixed in with the asteroid.”

There’s 50,000 in front, for a total of 80,000.

“That’s ridiculous.”

The numbers don’t add up. You can’t possibly gather that kind of strength here.

“What’s the configuration?”

“Most of them appear to be battleships, but we’ve observed some large diameter beams that we haven’t seen in previous data.”

Is it a beam cannon for use against bases?

It seemed that the Federation was bringing out anything and everything that might be effective against the fortress.

“We’ll fight back.”
“Understood”

The rear main turret took aim at the ambush fleet and fired a beam.

This one was not hampered by mines. Even though the number of available turrets had been reduced, they still seemed to have caused some damage.

The ambush fleet returned fire.

The impact shook the fortress.

To Settsu, who was in the command center, it felt like an earth tremor.

“They’re targeting the damaged areas. Some of the external armor has been breached in all layers.”

Bad news.

Even if we try to rotate the fortress, there are large caliber guns of the accumulation center in front of us. No, it would still be better to rotate it and repel the ambush fleet. It is not necessarily the end of the Federation’s countermeasures against fortresses with mines. It would be better to repel the ambushers first and ensure their safety.

The options went round and round in Settsu’s head.

“Mitski, can we defeat the enemy fleet behind us at this rate?”

To get a better idea of what to expect, Settsu asked Mitsuki about the results of the simulation.

“I assume from the results that you’ve just seen that it’s difficult.”
“What if I flip it?”
“It’s possible. We can expect some damage from a frontal assault, but we can repel it before it does any serious damage.”

Okay, that’s a reversal.

Settsu decided.

Just as I was about to tell Mitsuki about it.

“Warp out signs. The Federation fleet behind us is heading for the zenith.”

The situation moved again.

“What’s the number?”
“Fifteen hundred ships. Estimated to be frigate class based on the scale of the warning. Warping out.”

Could it be a federal frigate?

“Data cross-referenced, identified. Pirate fleet.”
“What?”

Settsu was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected appearance.

“Do you want to stay with us?”
“Pirate fleet.”

Of course, Mitsuki was unfazed even in this situation.

“What are you doing here?”
“Why don’t you ask him? I just got the message.”

Vee’s image appeared on the monitor in the command center.

“Hello, Set. I hope you’re surprised.”

He has a bad smile on his face. It was a hateful, happy smile.

“Vee, what are you doing here?”
“Why, we’re pirates. Of course we’re here to push mercenaries.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Trade destruction in the vicinity.

Isn’t that what you were talking about?

“That’s an entirely unlike you question. Did you really think that pirates would behave as reason dictates, after having the irrationality of Kitty so close at hand?
“Ha, ha.”

I started to laugh.

“We couldn’t stand to be outdone by the Federation fleet, either. We’re here to slap them on the side. Now, let me ask you, if we were to enter the fray right now, what would be our reward?”

It’s a terrible sales pitch. In this situation, I had no choice but to buy.

“I’ll give you a full restoration and refit of your ship, and I’ll turn your sunk ship into a new one.”
“Can you put on a big party for me, too?”
“I’ll give you three days and three nights of all-you-can-drink-and-eat.”
“All right, sold! You hear that, boys? If we take enough damage to get out in time and win, we’ll be rich!”

Vee raised his spirits and cut the transmission.

The pirate fleet is heading towards the ambush fleet at full speed.

The ambush fleet hurriedly began to move to form up against the pirate fleet.

“Sir, this time it’s the irrationalist we’re talking about.”

Before Settsu could say anything, the communication was connected to the Glory of Black Silver inside the fortress.

“Set, can we go out and take them out too?”
“Oh, you heard me, head.”
“Of course. Aside from the modifications, we’d be doing ourselves a huge disservice if we didn’t participate in the three-day, three-night extravaganza.”
“All right. Please go. Good luck.”
“Of course. I’ll let you take care of the back, so you can get on with your job. Come on you guys, let’s show those fleet-footed soft pirates what a lone wolf can do!”

I heard a cheer go up on the bridge of the Black and Silver Glory.

Communication was lost.

“Where do we start next?”

Settsu asked half-jokingly.

“It’s Viscount Rich.”

There really was another one.

“This is a telegram. If you are hiding in a safe place before the battle, you will lose your noble name. In order to repay you for your righteousness, I will help you. In addition, I will attend the grand banquet.”
“I don’t know what to say.”

They can do whatever they want.

It wasn’t unpleasant.

It felt so good that I was jealous.

“Well, sir. What shall we do?”

Mitsuki asked.

“The one behind us is a battle cruiser. I think we can manage, but what do you think?”
“That’s right. In the long run, though, we’ll be more than evenly matched for a while.”
“I’ll leave the back to them then. Let’s get rid of the front as soon as possible.”
“Understood”

Even so, there are still mines in front of us.

What are we going to do?

Settsu had already made up his mind.

“I was going to hold off on using it so as not to give away any information, but Mitski, let’s use it.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll use the thing.”

Mitsuki responded with the “thing” so matter-of-factly that Settsu felt a little uneasy.

“…… You know what I’m talking about, right?”
“Of course, the V’Lasskyrv fortress will now begin to transform.”, she said.