I confirmed the operations while reading through the manual.
Hmm. A drone diversion followed by a charge... Can I really do this?
Then again, the ship’s internal roles were already fully staffed. I didn’t exactly have a choice.
As I was convincing myself of my path, my wife—looking a bit pale—and Piggett approached me.
“L-Lord Groom! Is it true that you have zero experience in fleet warfare?!”
“Well, yeah. Fleet battles are part of the Officer Academy University Division curriculum. In my class, we mostly just studied historical tactics. Oh, and I did some simulations.”
“But you were acting as captain when we first met! It was right there in the reports!”
“Sure, but the goal there was just to see if students could operate the ship by themselves.”
My wife let out a heavy sigh. Piggett’s face withered into a mess of wrinkles.
What? Did I say something wrong?
“I assumed you’d have some knowledge of fleet command, since you’re usually so capable at... everything,” she muttered.
“Not really. I just watched videos and messed around with simulations.”
“What about fighters that aren't humanoid? Any experience there?”
“None.”
“Then why can you pilot a transport craft?!”
“Well, transports are cheap. As long as you have the license, you can fly them whenever you want. If you log two hundred hours, you get a Basic Badge. That little badge adds a hundred credits to your hourly wage.”
It was basically the same as getting a hazardous materials certification so you could earn more at a part-time job at a gas station. Even a hundred-credit bump made a massive difference when you were stuck at the Officer Academy twenty-four hours a day. Hahaha! Suckers!
The initial investment was steep, but the pay boosts from certifications in boilers, electrical work, and welding were way better! Not to mention the certifications for forklifts and military humanoid heavy machinery! At that rate, I calculated I’d break even in just one year.
“...Special training,” my wife declared.
“Huh?”
“We are starting special training immediately!!!”
And so, a crash course began, dragging in university students and even graduate students.
“Naturally, the university and graduate students can already do this... right?”
My dear wife exerted a crushing amount of pressure. All the seniors immediately looked away.
“Your Highness... My own perception has been warped lately, but I think the Lord Groom and his classmates are just outliers. They’re the strange ones for being able to do everything.”
“I almost screamed, ‘What was the point of you even going to university?’ at them... Everyone, I apologize. The fault lies with the Lord Groom.”
“Hey, why is this suddenly my fault?”
“Because you can do everything.”
It was the height of absurdity. Regardless, we started our fleet battle drills while in transit. It was a joint operation between the Ohno Local Noble Fleet and the pirate fleet.
“Normally, these operations are designed to crush pirates. To think we’d be forming a united front with them...” My wife looked genuinely moved.
Even as pirates, Lily’s group mostly stuck to charging tolls and smuggling. They weren’t really worth a full subjugation force. If anything, they were the ones policing the idiots who escalated from robbery to murder. They were practically a provincial lord’s army.
While my wife already had overwhelming support from the military, she was now winning over the lower-ranking nobility as well. After seeing how they lived, she had started advocating for “infrastructure development for lower-ranking noble planets.” It was a message that resonated with everyone from Viscounts down, and even half the Counts supported it.
In the end, Sergeant Huma was put in charge of our instruction.
“Huma-sensei! Please take care of us!” I greeted him energetically.
“Captain, please stop that! I’m serious!”
“But I’ve never used a fighter in real combat.”
“The only thing that isn’t ‘normal’ here is a bunch of amateurs surviving on the front lines in humanoid fighters!”
That was the voice of common sense. It was a power that had been sorely lacking from my life lately.
“Listen up. This is the Shark Tornado, a fighter-type fighter. It uses ‘mature’ technology that hasn’t seen more than minor tweaks in a hundred years. In the industrial world, ‘mature’ is a high compliment.”
Essentially, it was the kind of machine where if you had one, you didn't need anything else. The core tech was ancient, but the onboard computers, OS, and sensors were constantly being updated.
“This machine’s strengths are its incredible fuel efficiency, low cost, and the abundance of generic parts. If it gets damaged, you can fix it instantly. You’re unlikely to die from fuel exhaustion, and it rarely malfunctions. In short, it’s extremely safe.”
“Sergeant! Question!”
“What is it, Captain?”
“I heard Prince Thomas’s fleet took the latest models.”
“They probably just picked them based on the catalog specs. I bet the guys on the ground are living in hell. If it were me, I’d desert.”
He didn't mince words. A true veteran of the field.
“Alright, enough preamble. You’ll be sortieing in these along with drones. Your job is to assist the drone operators. On the ground, you’d be called spotters. The manual says to ‘charge with the drones,’ but that’s a lie. The standard move is to stick to spotting from a safe zone. You’re the assistant, not the sniper. Got it? Delete that manual file.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Look, an Officer Academy cadet’s life is worth way more than a drone or a fighter. Crunching numbers isn't a non-commissioned officer's job, but even I know that as long as you’re alive, we have a chance to counterattack. Promise me you’ll survive, even if you have to crawl through the dirt.”
“Yes, sir!!!”
And so, we launched. Flying a fighter was basically the same as flying a transport. Everyone was actually quite good at it, with Claire being the standout. As for me, I was firmly in the 'I can fly it, I guess' category. Though, I suspected the others weren't much better.
“Alright, spotting on the asteroid.”
When I performed the spotting, a drone fired a missile. I see, I see.
“Captain Leo! You’re too close!” Huma barked over the comms.
It was hard to break away.
“Fight at the very edge of your range!”
I’d accidentally closed the distance out of habit.
“Listen, don’t you ever fight within plasma cannon range. You won’t be any help there.”
“Roger.”
Uncle Huma’s tone was getting rougher. Good, that meant he was loosening up. Everyone else seemed to be having a hard time coordinating with the drones, too.
“If an enemy gets on your tail, use an EMP Flash Grenade.”
Flash grenade, check. I saw a brilliant burst from the rear of the craft.
“I’m explaining this just in case, but with the current state of sensors, you’re dead the second someone gets behind you.”
“Doesn’t that make the grenade pointless?”
“That’s why I’m telling you to stay out of the enemy’s reach!”
I could see it now—Huma had clearly been put through the wringer in the Space Marines.
“Alright, spot one more time and then head back.”
Okay... I think I’m starting to get the hang of this!
...Just kidding.