Chapter 128: The Orbiting Junk Showdown

“Bwahahaha! Now this is what I call a party!”

As the enemy fleet unleashed a tidal wave of Warp Jammers, Teiro couldn't help but let out a cackle. Marl, on the other hand, looked like she was agreeing with him strictly under protest.

“They really aren't going to let us walk away, are they? It’s so over-the-top that I guess laughing is the only sane reaction left,” she grumbled.

Nearby, the gauges measuring Drive Particle stability were spasming like they’d just discovered electricity, and the Overdrive Device was screaming a never-ending chorus of warnings.

[WARNING: DRIVE PARTICLE INSTABILITY DETECTED. OVERDRIVE FUNCTIONALITY COMPROMISED.]

While Teiro doubted every ship in the vicinity was getting hit this hard, the primary Warships were definitely being pinned to the mat.

“The probability of the Overdrive actually engaging in an emergency is fifty-fifty at best,” Koume noted, her voice as cool as a cucumber. “This appears to be quite the high-stakes gamble.”

Teiro took the news with a weary shrug. “It’s been a gamble since we woke up this morning, hasn't it?” he quipped. “So, how do you think they’ll play it? I’ll bet ten thousand Credits they come charging straight at us. They’re terrified of us slipping away toward the station, so they’ve got to be in a rush.”

“Really?” Marl countered. “Then I’ll bet they split their forces in two. I agree they’re in a hurry, but they’ll want to end this even faster. They’re going to try to surround us.”

“In that case, Koume shall also participate,” the ship’s AI announced. “Koume predicts the enemy will not move at all, and she bets her entire life savings on this outcome.”

Two pairs of eyes blinked in surprise at Koume’s bold declaration. “And why do you think that?” Marl asked.

“The disparity in Large-scale Ships,” Koume replied matter-of-factly. “The Enzio Expeditionary Force still has four intact Kilometer-class Battleships. The EAP side has only two. In a long-range bombardment, that is a crushing advantage. From their perspective, it is only logical to avoid the risk of a close-quarters engagement.”

“But if they stay back, we can just reach the home base... oh. I see...” Marl’s voice trailed off as she glanced back at the particle gauges.

Teiro’s expression soured. Right, forgot about that. “Since the jamming is going to stop half of us from escaping anyway, they probably figure that if we run, they’ve already won. In fact, us retreating might actually play right into their hands.”

“And if we try to force an Overdrive, they’ll probably take that as their cue to finish us off,” Marl added. “So... what’s the plan?”

“Hmm. What to do indeed...” Teiro rubbed his chin, closing his eyes for a moment of intense, possibly absurd, contemplation.

Truth be told, the defense facilities at Katsushika were about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. They were built for Anti-WIND operations, making them woefully inadequate for actual Fleet Combat.

“The absolute worst-case scenario is exactly what Koume said,” Teiro muttered.

If the enemy sealed off their Overdrives and picked them apart from beyond their reach, it was game over. It was a boring, solid tactic with zero risk for Enzio. In a chaotic melee, luck and skill could flip the script, but in a long-range slugfest? The EAP’s tiny chance of victory would shrink to zero.

“However, they’re a bit too far away for that to work... which means there’s only one thing left to do.”

Teiro grabbed the comms and hailed Sakura aboard the Cherry Blossom.

“We’ll be shot in the back! What on earth are you thinking!?”

Sakura’s Adjutant was practically vibrating with confusion as he cornered her. Sakura suppressed the urge to flinch away from the stern-faced old man and stood her ground, her voice ringing with authority.

“We will draw them in. I am prepared for the sacrifices this entails. If necessary, be ready to use the Cherry Blossom as a decoy... Rapid Turn, Steering Squad! Did you not hear me!?”

The helmsmen shrunk into their seats, casting nervous glances at the Adjutant. Everyone on the bridge looked at Sakura like she’d finally lost her mind.

“Lady Sakura... do you really trust that man that much?” the Adjutant whispered. He had clearly sensed the secret pact between Teiro and his commander, and now his suspicions had turned into a grim certainty.

“Of course I trust him. But it’s more than that,” Sakura said, her gaze drifting toward the viewscreen. “I cannot share the details due to the risk of information leaks, but I have a very sound reason for this... even if it sounds like madness.”

She stared out into the void where the enemy fleet lurked. They were too far to see, but their oppressive presence felt like a weight on her chest.

“Listen, Jiiya. Don’t trust the Son-in-law. Trust me. The fate of the EAP and Takasaki is riding on this. I’m perfectly capable of keeping my romantic life and reality in separate boxes.”

The Adjutant stared at her for a long beat. Finally, he turned on his heel and barked at the crew.

“Steering! What are you waiting for!? The Commander ordered a Rapid Turn!”

“The enemy is turning!”

At his subordinate's report, Lorenzo finally gave in to the urge to tear his hair out.

“What are they thinking!? There’s a limit to how much common sense you can ignore!”

He had their Overdrives locked down with enough jamming to stop a sun. Fleeing wouldn't help them. Their only prayer should have been a desperate, all-out charge.

“Perhaps they intend to fight within the planet’s gravity well?” the Adjutant suggested, looking worriedly at his boss. “With a planet that size, it would make a formidable shield.”

“Maybe,” Lorenzo grunted, though he wasn't convinced. “But that’s too passive. It’s a delaying tactic, not a path to victory. This is a decisive battle! If they lose, they lose everything. There’s no point in trying to minimize damage now.”

He clutched his stomach, his ulcers screaming. If a hole opened up in his gut right now, he wouldn't even be surprised. It was just that kind of day.

“All Large-scale Ships ready to fire,” the communication operator announced.

Lorenzo fell into a deep, silent brooding. Eventually, he nodded. “Fine. The plan stands. Whittle them down from long range. But stay sharp. If they aren't complete idiots, they’ve got something up their sleeves.”

“A trap?”

“Who knows? If nothing happens, all the better... Give me more data on Planet Katsushika IV.”

“I’m afraid it’s a remote system, sir. What’s in the data bank is all we have. I believe someone in the Maintenance Squad is from around here, though. Shall I summon them?”

“...No, forget it. I was just bothered by the amount of debris. Open fire!”

Lorenzo squinted at the clouds of junk in the satellite orbit on his radar. He tried to shake the feeling that something was wrong. It was just small-scale debris. It shouldn't be an obstacle.

“Enemy Battleships are returning fire. Total of eight gun ports active. That’s eight fewer than projected.”

Lorenzo nodded, feeling a rare moment of satisfaction. The enemy ships were designed for forward-facing fire; they could only bring half their guns to bear when retreating.

“Focus everything on the Bulkhorn and the Cherry Blossom. Once those two are scrap, the rest are just a headless mob.”

He drained his glass, wondering when the wine had started tasting like copper.

Thanks to the four-to-two advantage, the slaughter was entirely one-sided. The EAP managed to land one hit on an Enzio ship early on, but that was their only highlight. An hour into the exchange, a massive explosion rocked the flagship Bulkhorn.

“Don’t let up! No need to rush! Finish them off slowly and surely! And stay alert!”

Enzio’s fleet followed his orders to the letter. Despite their overwhelming lead, they scanned the void like a cornered animal, terrified of missing a single twitch. They lost one Battleship to damage, but it stayed afloat.

“Acting as a shield... Admirable, for an enemy,” Lorenzo muttered.

The Cherry Blossom had thrown itself in front of the burning Bulkhorn. Lorenzo ordered all three of his remaining ships to concentrate fire on the newcomer. With the Bulkhorn screened off, it was a three-on-one execution. He kept his fleet at a distance, maintaining the perfect range for the execution.

“Seven enemy ships have confirmed Drive-out!” a subordinate shouted joyfully.

Lorenzo pumped a fist. Without any hope of a favorable rematch, that wasn't a tactical retreat—it was a rout. And if seven had made it out, it meant at least fourteen had tried. His jamming was holding at a fifty percent success rate. It was over.

“Finally... I’ve won,” he whispered to himself.

The radar showed escape pods and small craft launching from the Bulkhorn. The ship was dead in the water. Even the Cherry Blossom had stopped firing. Any moment now, the surrender would come.

“If they offer to surrender, do not—I repeat, do not—kill them. If the leadership dies, the post-war reparations will be a nightmare to process. If there’s no one to bill—”

Lorenzo froze. A strange sensation of wrongness washed over him. He squinted at the tactical screen, searching for the source of his unease.

“...What is this debris doing? Why is it there?”

The massive cloud of junk that had been whipping around Planet Katsushika IV at high speed had suddenly broken orbit. It was now moving in a massive, sweeping ellipse.

“......No way.”

He frantically opened the BISHOP interface to calculate the trajectory.

“No way! No way!”

The debris wasn't just drifting. It was carving a giant arc through space—a route that pierced directly through the heart of his fleet.

“Cease fire! All ships, target the debris! Dammit! This is—”

The points of light accelerated, screaming toward his fleet. As they closed in, the 'debris' began to scatter as if each piece had a mind of its own. His fleet scrambled to intercept, but the three hundred-plus objects began to writhe and weave, dodging the incoming Beams with impossible agility.

“They aren't rocks! They’re live-ammunition weapons!”