Episode 210

Taro sat buried deep in the Captain’s Seat of the Battleship Plum, as still as a man waiting for a root canal. The ship was currently screaming toward Zayed to intercept a massive fleet of Mercenaries. If the math held up, they’d be trading blows in a matter of days.

[THE BLOCKADE OF THE ALPHA STAR SYSTEM HAS CONCLUDED ACCORDING TO PLAN, MR. TEIRO. SURROUNDING SYSTEMS ARE ON STANDBY FOR A MULTI-LAYERED LOCKDOWN. CHANCES OF AN ENEMY INCURSION FROM THE ALPHA ROUTE ARE CURRENTLY SITTING AT A COMFORTING ZERO.]

Koume’s inorganic voice rattled around the Bridge. Instead of a verbal reply, Taro gave a single, solemn nod and sucked in a breath deep enough to deplete the oxygen scrubbers.

“Good. Now we can throw everything we’ve got at Zayed… How are the other fleets holding up?”

He peeled his eyes open and glanced at Marl. Her expression was currently stuck on ‘gloomy.’

“They’re exactly the same as they were five minutes ago, Teiro. I know you’re vibrating with anxiety, but you literally just asked me that.”

“Ah… right. Did I? Okay, good. That’s… fine.”

“………………”

Marl stared at him with a look of profound concern before turning back to the consoles in silence.

“My head is killing me,” Taro muttered. “Where’s the medicine… No, wait. I can’t. It might dull my tactical edge. Or whatever’s left of it.”

Taro’s hand hovered over his medical bag before he snatched it back and gripped the armrests. He began to squirm in his seat like he was trying to find a comfortable spot on a bed of nails.

[IF SOMETHING IS INDEED GRINDING YOUR GEARS, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND CONSULTING MISS MARL BEFORE THE SHOOTING STARTS, MR. TEIRO.]

“I’m fine, really… Wait, where are you going?”

Taro called out as Koume marched toward the exit. The android stopped, pivoting her head just enough to give him a sideways glance.

[SOME CONVERSATIONS ARE BETTER SUITED FOR TWO. EVEN IF SHE CANNOT PROVIDE A LOGICAL SOLUTION, VOMITING YOUR INNER TURMOIL ONTO ANOTHER HUMAN IS CRITICAL FOR MENTAL STABILITY. UNFORTUNATELY, KOUME DOES NOT HAVE THE ‘HEAL BROKEN HUMAN SPIRITS’ MODULE INSTALLED. THEREFORE, MISS MARL IS THE SUPERIOR CANDIDATE FOR THIS TASK. PLEASE EXCUSE ME.]

Koume gave a crisp, efficient bow and vanished through the sliding doors.

“Teiro, are you actually okay?”

Marl’s voice snapped Taro out of his Koume-induced daze. He blinked, a giant mental question mark hovering over his head, only to find Marl leaning in close with a worried frown.

“Am I okay? Of course I’m okay! We’ve survived this long, haven't we? You and Koume are being weird.”

Taro shook his head, insisting nothing was wrong. Marl’s expression softened into something almost pitying as she gently placed her hand over his.

“The only one being weird is you, Teiro. You’re shaking.”

Taro looked down. His arms were vibrating so hard they were a blur.

“It’s… uh… pre-battle jitters. Big shootout coming up. Standard stuff.”

“Right… Look, spill it. It’s a bit late for us to be keeping secrets, don’t you think?”

Marl hopped onto the edge of his command chair, crossing her arms and peering up into his face. Despite her sharp words, she was wearing a soft, encouraging smile.

“It’s nothing major, it’s just… this time… it’s my own selfishness…”

His voice crumbled into a mumble. Taro fell silent, clutching his chest as if his lungs had suddenly decided to stop working.

“You kept whining about that ‘selfishness’ in front of the Doctor, too,” Marl said, tilting her head. “From where I’m sitting, you don’t look selfish at all.”

“No,” Taro snapped, shaking his head and glaring at the Bridge wall like he wanted to see through the hull. “This time… I’m not using it.”

“Not using what?”

“The… you know.”

“Sorry, I’m not a mind reader. Using what—?”

“THE OVERRIDE!! If I just used the Override Device, we wouldn't be in this mess! There’s probably a mountain of evidence inside that thing that could fix everything!”

Taro screamed the words, venting a week's worth of suppressed bile. Then, horrified by his own outburst, he shook his head in a panicked blur.

“Sorry… God, I’m sorry. I’m just taking it out on you. Damn it, I’m losing my mind.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was running on fumes, and he knew it. He ground his teeth, waiting for the lecture.

Silence stretched out, filled only by the low hum of the engines and the sound of Taro’s ragged breathing.

“Well, you’re right. You aren’t using it this time.”

Marl broke the silence, her eyes locked onto his. Taro tried to look away, but she wouldn't let him.

“Since we’re fighting this war by the book—Imperial Law and all that—I guess the body count will be lower than the mess with Enzio,” Taro whispered. “But that’s just statistics. In absolute numbers? I don’t know. What if a thousand people die because I was too ‘noble’ to use that device?”

He looked at Marl, practically begging for an out. Marl nodded slowly, her expression hardening.

“So? What of it?”

She grabbed his hand and leaned in, invading his personal space. Taro tried to recoil, but she yanked him back.

“That’s called being normal, Teiro! Being normal! Everyone else has to live without magic buttons, and so do you. Not having a miracle cure-all is the default setting for the universe! Your ‘selfishness’ doesn’t enter into it!”

She looked somewhere between heartbroken and ready to punch him. When Taro tried to protest, she shut him down instantly.

“No ‘buts’! There are plenty of people who want to help others, but nobody throws their entire soul into the meat grinder to do it. Leave that to the saints. You’re just a guy. You don’t get to feel guilty for being human! …KOUME! I know you’re eavesdropping! Say something useful!”

Marl barked toward the door. The panel hissed open, revealing Koume lurking in the shadows in a suspiciously dramatic pose.

[MY WORD, I HAVE BEEN SPOTTED. IMPRESSIVE, MISS MARL. TO DETECT KOUME—WHO HAS BEEN DUBBED A MASTER OF HIDE-AND-SEEK FOLLOWING RIGOROUS TRAINING WITH MISS ETTA—IS TRULY A FEAT. YOUR INTUITION BORDERS ON THE SOCIOPATHIC.]

Koume marched back in, puffing out her chest. She stopped next to Taro and peered down at him.

[MISS MARL IS CORRECT. MR. TEIRO, VERY FEW PEOPLE ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF YOUR GRAND PLAN. HOWEVER, THOSE WHO FOLLOW YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO DO SO OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL. THAT CHOICE IS THEIRS TO MAKE, AND YOU MUST RESPECT IT.]

Koume’s gaze was clinical but heavy.

[A QUESTION, MR. TEIRO: DO THESE PEOPLE EXPECT YOU TO ACTIVATE A MAGIC DEVICE AND SOLVE EVERY CONCEIVABLE PROBLEM? DO THEY VIEW THEMSELVES AS BRAINLESS CATTLE, UTTERLY POWERLESS AND ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON YOU AND YOUR OVERRIDE DEVICE?]

“Well… no…”

Taro choked on his words. Only a tiny handful of people even knew the Override Device existed. And he’d never once thought his crew were idiots.

[THEN YOU SHOULD ONLY CARRY THE WEIGHT YOU WERE ASSIGNED. ANYTHING ELSE IS UNNECESSARY BAGGAGE. FURTHERMORE, YOUR CREW EXPECTS ONE THING ABOVE ALL ELSE: YOUR OWN WELL-BEING. SACRIFICING YOURSELF UNNECESSARILY ISN’T HEROIC; IT IS AN INSULT TO THE PEOPLE WORKING BENEATH YOU.]

“You think so? But before—”

[IT IS NOT A MATTER OF THINKING; IT IS A MATTER OF FACT, MR. TEIRO.]

Koume cut him off with a sharp gesture, thrusting a mechanical finger inches from his nose.

[PAST SUCCESS DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RESULTS. TO PUT IT BLUNTLY: THINGS HAVE CHANGED. DEMOCRACY HAS GRANTED THESE PEOPLE FREEDOM AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, SELF-RESPONSIBILITY. THE ERA WHERE YOU AND MISS MARL MAKE ARBITRARY DECISIONS FOR THE MASSES IS OVER. DECISIONS ARE NOW MADE BY CONSENSUS. THEREFORE, THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHATEVER HAPPENS NEXT IS SHARED.]

Koume was on a roll now, her voice ringing out like she was addressing a packed stadium.

[THIS IS THE CORE OF DEMOCRACY. IT IS A DUTY. THE COLLAPSE OF A SOCIETY BEGINS WHEN THE PEOPLE ABANDON THEIR SHARE OF RESPONSIBILITY. TO ALLOW ONE PERSON TO SHOULDER EVERYTHING IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD TYRANNY. THAT IS HOW DICTATORS AND KINGS ARE BORN.]

Koume dropped her arm and stared him down.

[IF YOU WISH TO BE A RESPONSIBLE LEADER, YOU MUST FIRST FULFILL YOUR DUTY AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF A FREE PEOPLE—AS THE FIRST CITIZEN. YOUR JOB ISN’T JUST TO WIN; IT IS TO LEAD. A GOOD PARENT SCOLDS A CHILD RATHER THAN SPOILING THEM. IF YOU WANT A BETTER FUTURE, START ACTING LIKE A HUMAN, NOT A GOD.]

The Bridge went silent. Koume finished her lecture with a graceful bow. Taro sat there, mouth agape, before a weak, wry smile broke across his face. He began to clap slowly.

“Koume… you’d make a terrifyingly good politician. And… yeah. You’re probably right.”

Taro leaned back, letting their words sink in. The crushing weight on his chest didn't vanish, but it definitely felt like someone had taken a few bricks off the pile.

“Sorry guys. I guess I was just feeling weak.”

Marl shook her head. “Everyone feels weak in this mess, Teiro. You’re responsible for the lives of thousands of employees. If you weren’t freaking out, you’d be a psychopath. That ‘stoic hero’ crap only happens in Light Novels. We’re just side characters, so let’s act like it and bustle about in a panic like we’re supposed to.”

“Side characters acting like side characters, huh?” Taro chuckled. “Heh. Yeah. That sounds more like us.”

“Exactly. And if everything goes to hell and everyone blames you, then we’ll just go back to square one. Just the three of us against the world again.”

Marl beamed at him. Taro blinked. “The three of us?”

“Yeah. The three of us. That’s how it was two years ago, remember? It was a disaster, and it was exhausting, but I had the time of my life. Didn't you?”

Marl’s expression said she already knew the answer. Next to her, Koume looked equally smug. A lump formed in Taro’s throat, and he had to scrub his eyes to keep from making a scene.

“Of course it was fun… Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Taro sniffed, showing them a face that was half-sobbing, half-grinning. The three of them held hands in the middle of the Bridge, staying that way for a long, quiet moment.

In that moment, Taro was profoundly grateful that the battle was about to start.

Because if they’d had this talk any sooner, he probably would have gone straight back to that device.

Cheating definitely tastes like the very best drugs.