It had been several years since I became a woman.
Right... so it had already been that long.
Life has a way of throwing curveballs.
Near the end of the Zork War, I collapsed with a high fever. In a pressurized environment, the flu would spread in a heartbeat, and I had no intention of becoming a burden to my unit. I reported it to the medical officer and was immediately quarantined in the infirmary.
My entire body throbbed with pain.
By morning, this was the body I woke up in.
I learned later that the Zork Mother, sensing that defeat was imminent, had forcibly awakened everyone carrying the Zork factor all at once. We weren't like Lady Kevin—carefully selected, brainwashed female Zorks cultivated over a long period. No, we were the ones who had been weeded out of that selection process precisely because we couldn't be brainwashed.
It was a desperate move on her part, but it was highly effective.
Chaos was kept to a minimum in the central regions because Lady One-O-One and Lady Kevin were there. Most importantly, the Emperor and His Majesty Leo—who was still a Grand Duke back then—protected the female Zorks who hadn't succumbed to brainwashing.
But things were different in the provinces.
Paranoia took hold. Suspicion turned to violence, and there was a string of executions targeting soldiers and civilians who had transformed. I was one of those who volunteered for my own execution.
"C-Captain! What the hell are you talking about?!"
My Vice Captain at the time screamed at me through his tears.
"I don't know when I might turn traitor," I told him. "This is for the sake of the territory. Execute me outside. Use a self-destruct drone so there won't even be evidence left. I’m counting on you. And sorry, but handle the applications for the Regional Army Mutual Aid Association and the widow's pension for me. My kids are already in the Officer Academy, so they’ll be fine, but I have to make sure my wife is provided for."
"Do you even realize what you're saying?!"
"I do. I’ve eaten the Ushigome clan’s bread; I’m one of them. The time has simply come for me to commit seppuku for the sake of my family."
"Damn it!"
"Tell my wife and kids I died in battle. I don't need any flowery stories about being a hero. Just tell them I blew up and there was nothing left of my body. And whatever you do, block the cloning process. I don’t want to risk coming back as a Zork again. I’m counting on you."
"Captain! You... you bastard!"
The Vice Captain’s shoulders shook with sobs.
...I’d tried so hard to go out looking cool, but the war ended almost immediately after that.
My family cut ties with me, and I was officially expelled from the Ushigome house. My timing has always been absolute garbage.
Still, it couldn't be helped. The Zork were the enemies of the Galactic Empire. Even if they swore fealty, a purge was inevitable. In a way, I was lucky. The female Zorks were granted new identities, and on paper, we had died once. My former family received the death benefit from the Regional Army Mutual Aid Association.
With that, my final duty as Gou Ushigome was complete. I would never see my former family again.
"Disgusting! Don't you ever show your face here again!"
I lived with the memory of my ex-wife’s final words. She was right. I was someone who should disappear from their lives. There was no way I could ever be accepted.
Eventually, I was taken into Lady One-O-One’s household and settled on a former Duke-class planet governed by Lady Kevin. Unfortunately, I was far too old to start life over as a woman. Lady Kevin was probably at the absolute age limit for that kind of transition.
Naturally, I joined the military there. It was the only way of life I knew.
Later, while I was training drone units under Lady Kevin, it was decided that I would become a doctor. I didn't understand the logic at first, but apparently, female Zorks—specifically relay machines—have a high aptitude for medical work.
Medical school via correspondence at forty-five years old...
It sounded impossible. I told them to consider my age.
...Or so I thought, but perhaps because of this teenage brain, complex academic theories that should have been a struggle seemed to slide right into my head. Life is truly unpredictable.
Once my life stabilized, I decided to take in some children. Three little ones who had been disowned by their own families. Soldiers need a home to return to and responsibilities to keep them grounded.
Most of the people on Lady Kevin's planet are in the same boat. Everyone is raising orphans from the Zork War or Zork children abandoned by their parents. People are kind here.
Even so, only a tiny handful of us can truly embrace and enjoy life as women. You need a formidable amount of mental strength for that. The little ones, likely because they were so young when it happened, have developed identities as women.
But me? I can't quite cast aside the man I was. I still want to get my hair cut into a military buzz.
Why does everyone object?! Let me do what I want with my hair!
You brats! Why are you kids objecting too?!
...Regardless, I’ve grown accustomed to this new life. No one knows what the future holds, so I just handle the task right in front of me.
"Drone unit, begin the operation!"
Our role was to drive the Corpse Eaters into further chaos.
His Majesty Leo’s strategy was simple yet vicious. The Corpse Eaters are a collective of simple organisms—simpler even than the Zork. Their decision-making is fast, but individual will is practically non-existent.
We were going to ram more information into their network than they could possibly process. We would disrupt them, confuse them, and keep them reeling.
Of course, the Corpse Eaters would try to do the same to us. But in terms of total processing power, the human side held the advantage. If we could force this type of battle on them, our victory was guaranteed. It would be a dream if they started killing each other, but even if they didn't, their movements were already becoming sluggish.
Once their processing capacity saturated, we expected the enemy's main body to emerge.
We prioritized destroying the enemy relay machines. While we picked off the nodes, we bombarded the surviving relay machines with a deluge of data to overflow their systems. We would paralyze them and hit them unilaterally.
...His Majesty Leo was supposed to be a pampered son of a prestigious house, wasn't he? How the hell is he this good at a scrap?
And what is he talking about, saying he's "bad at tactics"? He managed to pull the entire front back together after a total collapse caused by a subordinate's violation of orders. How many commanders could actually pull that off?
I suppose heroes loved by the era really do exist.
"Let's go, drone squad! It’s time to repay our debts to the Emperor, His Majesty Leo, and Lady Kevin!"
"Understood!"
We tore through the relay machines with self-destruct drones, advancing in an encircling maneuver. His Majesty Leo had called it a Territory Game. We carried out our advance exactly as he had envisioned.
But the Corpse Eaters weren't going down without a fight. The drones that had been proceeding smoothly suddenly vanished from the monitors.
"Signal lost! Detecting a massive energy reaction!"
"Turn tail and run! Here it comes!"
We finally lured it out. It actually showed up.
There, looming before us, was... the Gatekeeper.
The massive Corpse Eater that had been guarding the planet had finally committed to the front.
His Majesty Leo... the man actually did it! He broke the enemy's formation! He finally forced an opponent that overwhelmingly outnumbers us to blink!
"Crush them with the Planet-class Fortress and the new models! Drone squad, provide support!"
"Haha! His Majesty Leo is the best!"
"Latania Fleet! Seize the planet in this opening! Once it’s secured, attack from the rear!"
"Roger that!"
Hey, look at that!
That is Leo Kamishiro Chronos!
The Military Strategist hailed as the Empire's Strongest and the Friendly Devil!