Chapter 125

"Alright, we’re here—whoa, talk about a total cluster!"

Teiro clicked his tongue as he stared at the blizzard of incoming transmissions and the chaotic spray of Drive Particles lighting up his screens. Communication logs were scrolling past faster than a speed-reader on espresso, and Drive Particle signatures were popping off everywhere like popcorn in a microwave.

"Report from EAP 1, Mr. Teiro," Koume announced. "The enemy appears to be engaging in deception maneuvers using Overdrive Space Reservations."

"Yeah, I can see that. It’s hard to miss. But man, what a pain in the neck."

The Radar Screen was a mess—a jittering swarm of ripples that looked like a lake surface during a monsoon. Ghostly Space Reservations were flickering into existence behind the fleet, only to vanish and reappear right under their noses. Teiro stood there, scratching his head and looking pensive, until Marl chimed in.

"Can’t we just, you know, ignore them?"

"In a perfect world, sure. But if even one of those blips turns out to be a real ship, we’re toast. It’d be a repeat of that disastrous withdrawal battle from before." And I am really not in the mood for a sequel.

"Oh, right. And this time, it’s not like we can just keep running forever."

"Exactly. Besides, even if they didn't chase us, why would they bother? If I were them, I wouldn't risk a scrap; I'd just slip past us and make a beeline for the Alpha Star System. Much less paperwork that way."

Teiro grumbled as he began prepping for the inevitable chaos. He triggered a sequence of automated BISHOP functions, and within seconds, the ship hummed with murderous intent. You couldn't pull this off in a brand-new vessel, but the Plum II was like a well-worn pair of boots. Teiro had coded optimized functions for every one of the ship's weird quirks and hardware hiccups.

"Alright, let's merge with the main force, soak up some of this pressure, and drift toward the rear. No need to be heroes and push back. All ships, start blasting!"

On Teiro’s mark, the RS1 fleet unleashed a synchronized Beam barrage. Nearly a hundred lances of light tore through the void toward the distant enemy, resulting in a series of satisfying, destructive flickers.

"Like some wise guy probably said: if you throw enough at the wall, some of it’s gonna stick. All ships, free fire! Koume, send out the 'Who To Kill First' list."

"Understood, Mr. Teiro. [DATA LINK: UPDATING]."

"Teiro! Some of the Space Reservations just went solid!" Marl shouted.

"Dammit. I knew this wasn't just a giant game of peek-a-boo."

Several of the fluctuations on the Radar Screen flared with intense light, hardening into fixed points.

"They dropped out of Drive way out in the boonies... What’s the angle here?"

The new signatures were miles away—well beyond the effective range of their Beams.

"And there’s only three of them... that’s creepy. Be careful, Teiro."

"Yeah, I hear ya. I’ll tag ‘em in red. If they so much as sneeze in our direction, I want the alarm going off... there."

Teiro tweaked the radar settings so the suspicious blips glowed a menacing crimson, then went back to monitoring the enemy ships that were warping in piece-meal. They were scattered all over the place at extreme distances, showing absolutely no interest in actually joining the fight. Twelve ships had dropped in so far, but their plan was about as clear as mud.

"Mr. Teiro, I’ve detected a massive fleet Driving in directly ahead at long range. Count exceeds one hundred units. Likely the enemy’s main force."

Teiro practically pressed his nose against the monitor. The enemy was moving in a long, thin vertical column—an "arrow" formation. It was a tactician's nightmare; they were practically begging to be shot. Only the first few ships in their line could actually fire back, while Teiro’s side could bring every single gun to bear.

"Did they botch their link warp? I don’t get these guys. Like I said, no need to push. Let's just see how—wait, what?"

Teiro’s voice trailed off as he watched the Radar Screen.

"We’re winning..." he muttered.

"We really are winning," Marl added, sounding just as confused.

The allied bombardment was chewing through the lead enemy ships like a chainsaw through butter. The enemy kept charging straight ahead with a sort of suicidal honesty, seemingly paralyzed by the concentrated firepower.

"Transmission from EAP 1, Mr. Teiro," Koume reported. "They are switching to Plan D."

"Plan D? As in 'Decisive' or 'Dumb'? Are they going on the offensive?"

"Looks like it. EAP 1 and 2 are spooling up their Drives. They’re leaving EAP 3 behind to guard the base."

"I mean, I guess this is the 'big moment,' but... doesn't this feel a little too easy?"

Teiro scratched his chin, his brain gears grinding. This enemy Expeditionary Force has been in the thick of it since the war started. They're veterans. They’ve managed to win even when outnumbered. Would a bunch of pros really screw up a warp this badly? Especially when they’ve got enough Electronic Warfare Craft to fake a whole fleet?

"Marl, can we get Sakura on the horn?"

"One sec... and, you're on."

Sakura’s face popped up on the monitor.

『"Ah, son-in-law! How goes the skirmish? I heard you’ve finally bumped into the riff-raff."』

She was trying to look relaxed, but her smile was twitching. It was her "I am a very serious Commander" face.

"Hey, Sakura. For the hundredth time, let's lose the 'son-in-law' bit. But listen—can you and EAP 3 stay put for a while?"

『"Hmm? But Rin tells me the front line is practically a victory parade!"』

"Maybe, but it smells fishy. I’ve got a bad feeling they’re about to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and I’d rather keep our eggs in separate baskets."

『"I see... Very well, I shall follow your lead. I’ll let Rin know, though perhaps you should tell her yourself? She tends to be quite... compliant... where you are concerned."』

"Nah, Rin might agree, but her fan club won't. It’ll stick better if it comes from a heavyweight like you rather than some random guy with a spaceship."

『"Ho ho! Is that so? Well, I suppose I am a pillar of the EAP. Leave it to me!"』

Sakura puffed out her chest, looking immensely proud of herself. Teiro ended the call with a wry smile and turned back to the radar.

"Man, if I’m wrong about this, they’re gonna have my head on a spike after the war."

"Look on the bright side, Mr. Teiro," Koume said. "If we lose, you won't have to worry about the executioner at all."

"Heh, efficiency! I love it. Alright, looks like EAP 2 aborted their jump. Let’s get to work."

---

On the bridge of the Battleship Inferno, Lorenzo’s hand shook as he slammed back a drink. He focused on the liquid fire burning its way down to his stomach. He wasn't trying to get hammered, but if he didn't dull the edge of this soul-crushing tension, he was going to snap. Losing here didn't just mean a bad performance review; it meant a casket.

"Status of the Sunflower Squad?"

"Sir! Approximately fifty percent are in position."

"Has the enemy noticed?"

"No, sir. They’re alert, but haven't made a move toward them. Wait—"

Lorenzo whipped his head toward the subordinate.

"The enemy's second fleet has cancelled their Drive! The Space Reservation has been cleared."

Lorenzo’s eyes went wide for a split second. He clicked his tongue and glared at the holographic tactical screen.

"Was I too obvious? No, as long as their main fleet keeps coming, it’s fine."

He tried to soothe his own nerves. He thought of the ships currently being vaporized—his own men. They were pure bait, sacrifices for the greater good. He couldn't afford to let their deaths be meaningless.

"They’re good, I'll give them that. Especially this one. 'Rising Sun,' was it?"

He narrowed his eyes at the fleet marked 'RS1,' which was pulling off maneuvers that were frankly insulting to the laws of physics. He pulled up the BISHOP data bank.

"I see. This is the one... Any sign of the live-ammunition weapons or the unidentified attacks from the reports?"

"No, sir. Nothing like that yet."

"Keeping their cards close to their chest, eh?"

Lorenzo crossed his arms, his leg bouncing irritably. He didn't think a single warship could flip the script on a whole war, but he’d seen enough "unlucky" flagship snipings to be paranoid. What if they targeted his Electronic Warfare Craft? What if they—

"It would be a disaster if they noticed the Sunflower Squad... Crank up the pressure! Push them! But don't let them retreat!"

He needed RS1 stuck in the middle of the board. Lorenzo barked orders into the comms and fed commands directly through BISHOP. His fleet responded, throwing themselves at the front line with renewed, desperate aggression.

"Enemy EAP 1 has Driven in! The front line is about to buckle!"

Lorenzo nodded grimly. He’d already lost over thirty ships—half of them confirmed as "Sunk." Cold sweat matted his hair. It was a bloodbath, but it was his bloodbath. He’d planned for this. But if the line broke too early, the EAP would swarm his main force before they could even finish forming up. The casualties would be... unspeakable.

"Sunflower Squad! Why aren't they ready!?"

"Seventy percent deployment, sir!"

"Tell them to move it! We’re running out of time!"

The battle was mostly going his way, but the EAP main force had arrived way ahead of schedule. His carefully crafted lure was falling apart, and his "lethal blow" wasn't fully charged.

"Sunflower Squad at eighty percent!"

"Fleet B, Battleship Littorio reports Moderate Damage!"

"The enemy main fleet is punching through the center! The line has collapsed!"

Lorenzo felt a hysterical urge to rip his own hair out as the bad news piled up.

"What do I do... what do I do..."

He clutched his chest, staring at a single flashing function on his BISHOP interface. The Sunflower Squad wasn't fully deployed. He didn't know if it would even work.

"Battleship Littorio is gone! They’re pouring through the gap!"

"To hell with it! Activate Operation Drive Storm! DO IT NOW!"