Episode 27: The Price of Heroism

Flames erupted. An ignited oxygen tank detached from the Plum, drifting a short distance before detonating in a spectacular fireball.

Haven’t we done enough already? The Plum is at her limit.

Taro stole a glance at the blue, glowing square of the Overdrive activation function.

Saving some brats I don’t even know... what’s the point?

He tried to justify it to himself. Even with just the kids they had currently stuffed on board, they had done more than enough to earn a standing ovation. Even if he turned tail and ran right now, who the hell would have the right to blame him?

"Ah, damn it all!! It hurts and I’m terrified!! You've got to be kidding me!!"

Taro roared, blood streaming from a gash on his forehead. The shockwave from the second turret’s destruction had been more than enough to slam his face into the display, splitting his skin open.

[HULL DAMAGE: 60% – RED ALERT]

The final warning blared, bathing the bridge in the sickly yellow glow of emergency lights. Taro fought back the overwhelming urge to curl into a ball and scream, instead lunging at his console.

"ALAN!!!!"

"Teiro, fly!! The rescue is complete!! Every last one of them is on board!!"

The report he’d been dying to hear finally came. His BISHOP interface, hardwired directly into his brain, trembled with the sheer tension of the moment. The blue-tinted HUD bled into a stark, monochrome void. Like a man sliding off a cliff reaching for a ledge, Taro extended an invisible hand toward the Function Group labeled HYPERSPACE CRUISE.

"Eat shit!! We win!!"

Space around the Plum severed, plunging the world into a sudden, vacuum-like silence. Extended space-time locked onto the destination coordinates, and the ship’s hull stretched into a singular, kilometer-long arrow of light.

[OVERDRIVE SYSTEM: ACTIVATED]

A piercing, high-pitched whine tore through the ship, seemingly stripping the crew of their very ability to think.

"Haa... haa..."

In the ensuing silence, only Taro’s ragged breathing echoed through the command room. Marl, her eyes bloodshot, slowly scanned the room, looking up at the walls and ceiling as if confirming they were still there.

"Haha... hahaha..."

A dry, hollow laugh escaped Taro’s throat. He fumbled with his seatbelt, undid it, and slumped onto the hard floor.

"Ahaha... Ah-hah-hah-hah!!!!"

Taro began to laugh like a complete lunatic. Soon Marl joined in, and finally, even Koume added her voice to the chorus. The three of them simply sat there, howling.

"Uhehe!! We’re alive! We’re actually alive, damn it!! We did it!! Uheha!! Why the hell did I try so hard!?"

"Ahaha, we’re alive. Seriously. That was so stupid. Why did we do that?"

"Fufu, quite. Did you perhaps have a fellow Iceman comrade on that station, Mr. Teiro?"

"Gehaha!! As if! Koume-chi, you know better than anyone that I’m totally alone in this universe!"

"Ehehe, that’s right. But me too! I’m all alone too!!"

"What a coincidence. Actually, Koume does not have a family either. It seems we are quite the trio of lonely comrades."

To any outside observer, they would have looked like three people who had finally snapped. The massive surge of adrenaline from the battle was still coursing through their veins, and as it began to ebb, it left behind a manic high.

"...Alan. Hey, Alan. Are the runts okay?" Taro muttered into a blood-smeared communicator.

"Yeah, all 112 are safe and sound. A few are in bad shape from malnutrition, but nothing a good meal and some rest won't fix. I'll send the video feed over once we finish the jump."

"I see... that’s... that’s good. Make sure you tell 'em to use Rising Sun services when they grow up."

Taro rolled over on the reinforced titanium floor, lying flat on his stomach. Marl, hugging her knees, gave a small, weary chuckle. "What kind of sales pitch is that?"

"Saving lives on a whim is a terrible business model. Honestly, I’ve had my fill."

"True... but, I feel pretty great right now."

"Miss Marl as well? Koume feels the same. This suggests our efforts were worthwhile."

Taro and Marl shared a smug smirk at Koume’s mechanical input.

"Right, we’re almost there. Teiro, get back in your seat before that wound opens up again."

[OVERDRIVE: TERMINATED. ARRIVED AT DESTINATION.]

Upon receiving the notification from BISHOP, Taro checked the external cameras that were still functioning. The display showed a massive, cylindrical Stargate, with a swarm of ships floating in the vicinity.

"Hmm... Something looks weird."

Beyond the ships clustered haphazardly near the Stargate, Taro noticed something in the distance. Thousands of vessels were aligned in a perfect, terrifyingly precise grid. A chill ran down his spine.

"Is that... a Grid Defense Formation? The Imperial Military?"

Memories overridden into his brain surged, identifying the fleet instantly.

"Mr. Teiro. I am detecting an extremely powerful Warp Jammer from the fleet ahead. We are at Status RED."

Taro checked BISHOP the moment he heard Koume’s warning. He was stunned by the data scrolling across his mind.

[OVERDRIVE SYSTEM: JAMMING RED] [LOCK-ON SYSTEM: JAMMING RED] [ENGINE PROPULSION: JAMMING RED] [SCAN SYSTEM: JAMMING RED] [SHIELD SUPPLEMENT: JAMMING RED] [ATTITUDE CONTROL: JAMMING RED]

The faint hum and vibration of the engines that had been comforting the bridge suddenly died. Total silence returned to the room.

[OVERDRIVE SYSTEM: HACKED] [LOCK-ON SYSTEM: HACKED] [ENGINE PROPULSION: HACKED] [SCAN SYSTEM: HACKED] [SHIELD SUPPLEMENT: HACKED] [ATTITUDE CONTROL: HACKED]

It took exactly two seconds for the entire display to flip. The ship’s engines flared back to life, but the vessel began moving toward a destination Taro hadn't chosen. He sat there with his mouth agape; control of his ship had been snatched away completely.

"This is Imperial Military Detachment CC-110. We have seized total control of your vessel. Imperial Citizen Registration Number 25314312326869, Teiro Ichijo, Representative of Rising Sun Corp. Ship: Alba DD-4649 Plum. Do you confirm?"

A deep, masculine voice boomed from the communicator. Taro didn't remember turning the comms on, which meant the military had already burrowed into the ship’s core systems.

"Yeah, yeah, that’s us. What can I do for you, officers? Our company motto is 'Pure, Righteous, and Lewd.' We haven't done anything to deserve a military escort."

Marl gave him a flat, judgmental look at the "lewd" part, but Taro ignored her.

"Teiro. I am not interested in your report. I am accessing your ship’s logs now."

The cold dismissal made Taro lean back in his seat. "Ah, right. That’s faster, I guess."

"He seems charming," Marl deadpanned. Taro nodded in fervent agreement. The three of them, including the uncharacteristically quiet Koume, waited in silence for the military's next move.

"...They're taking their sweet time. What's the holdup?"

Taro grumbled, his patience fraying. Nearly ten minutes had passed on the internal clock, and the tension was giving him a stomach ache.

"They've hijacked the comms, so we can't even initiate a call... or is it the other way around? Are they listening to us right now?"

"Ugh, if they are, do you think they heard me call him 'charming'?"

"Of course I heard you, but let’s pretend I didn’t. Apologies for the delay. A provisional decision has been reached regarding your status. Mr. Teiro, Miss Marl, Koume-dono... please allow me to apologize for my earlier rudeness. You are heroes."

The three of them swapped bewildered glances as the voice on the communicator suddenly did a total 180.

"I have sent the military’s formal requests and your compensation terms to your BISHOP. I should warn you that depending on your answer, this could end poorly, but I am looking forward to a favorable response."

"Now that is a hell of a threat," Taro muttered as he began scrolling through the military report.

"Let’s see... First, the transfer of the rescued children. Well, that’s a given. Next is... a non-disclosure agreement? Wow, that's simple. They want us to stay silent about everything? We can't talk about this incident at all?"

"That’s what the contract says," Marl noted. She looked toward the ceiling. "Hey, Mr. Soldier. I don't have a hobby of bragging about charity work, but it’s a bit of a blow to the company if we can't use this for PR. I'd appreciate it if you could take that into account."

A moment later, the response came: "Give me a moment."

"I have increased the reward amount. Sending the updated contract now."

Marl silently gave a thumbs-up. On the BISHOP display, the new contract appeared with the updated figures highlighted in red.

"As expected of our glorious Ministry of Finance. Let’s see how much they added... units, tens, hundreds..."

Taro began counting the digits of the total reward out loud.

The moment he realized the figure had reached into the hundreds of millions, his brain short-circuited from the sheer shock.