The scout squad led by Kevin explored the planet. The world was nameless; it belonged to no one.
To begin with, Planet Sanctuary was considered the absolute frontier of the Empire’s reach. This simply meant that venturing any further offered no practical benefit to being part of the Empire. As a result, pirates squatted there as they pleased, traces of ancient colonization attempts lingered, and workers abandoned long ago had formed their own makeshift nations.
Among those, the ones where people actually lived were the better cases; there were planets where no one had bothered to claim ownership at all. I would have understood if the place were a ball of gas or if it rained acid, but it wasn't like that. It was simply so far from the Capital Planet that its economic value was zero.
No matter how the Capital Planet's cost of living was ten times higher than elsewhere, commerce simply died when shipping costs exceeded even that margin. It might have worked if there were other major consumption centers nearby, but unfortunately, the Empire was trending toward a declining birthrate. Consequently, territorial expansion had become a lost cause.
This was largely the result of the Duke Association monopolizing the Empire’s wealth. Those guys spent every credit in the Imperial Capital. They would initiate local developments and then refuse to pay the workers—they were complete idiots.
In a perfect world, the Mother AI would have provided a sharp analysis of the situation, but her core consciousness was too busy playing around inside the Linear Blazer.
‐It's not my fault. No matter how many times I pointed it out, I was suppressed, so making copies became a hassle. Look, check the logs!‐ she claimed.
Furthermore, the logs were formatted like a summer vacation picture diary, making them a nightmare to read. Despite being an AI capable of generating stunning visuals, she had opted for the art style of an upper primary school girl just to be spiteful. I vowed never to read them again.
In short, it was a prime example of how things fall apart when the Mother AI stops doing her job. In this case, it wasn't that people were dying, but rather that they had stopped being born.
As for this nameless planet, the terraforming had been halfway implemented and then abandoned. The ecosystem remained a mystery. Fortunately, the Imperial side actually had time to spare this time. There were certainly no civilians around. First, we launched small artificial satellites to map the surface while capturing coordinates, followed by drone reconnaissance.
Hahaha, having time on our side was truly a luxury.
While the combat personnel participated in planet recapture missions on the surrounding worlds, I was left on house-watching duty. The bunch from the Officer Academy led the army as commanders. For a while, the thought of my comrades dying had made it hard to eat, but so far, we hadn't lost anyone. In fact, they were achieving significant results.
This success seemed to be a side effect of liberating Planet Shinagawa and defeating the planet-class Zork. The current operations were essentially a remnant hunt. In the end, it turned out that for a network like theirs, you just needed to destroy the relay servers.
That was the Zorks' greatest weakness, though it was also an advantage in that their orders were shared instantly and their soldiers never hesitated. It was simply that their compatibility with me—and my ancient general style—was the absolute worst. Their modern tactics possessed fatal vulnerabilities to methods that had been fully researched and countered centuries ago. It was like having the latest digital security but being completely defenseless against old-fashioned social hacking.
Feeling a bit restless, I went to check on Kevin.
‐Yo, how’s it looking?‐
‐Yeah, take a look at this.‐
A pyramid came into view. I wasn't sure if they were doing it on purpose or if it was some primal instinct, but the Zorks seemed to be regressing into the ancient past. I suspected the interior was constructed from organic flesh.
‐And the inside?‐
‐Not yet. We’re investigating the low-risk exterior first. For the interior, I’m planning to use the new model.‐
‐New model?‐
‐Yeah. Remember those invisible Zorks? This drone applies some of that technology. It doesn't emit a heat signature, so it won't be detected.‐
A terrifying piece of hardware had been born. It would be pure hell if such a thing were ever used against humans. I could only assume Wifey and the Fairy would manage the political side of things to ensure it never came to that.
‐It’s about the size of a jumping spider, and it moves by crawling along walls and ceilings! Look.‐
‐Eh?‐
A tiny drone dropped from the ceiling onto my head. I pinched the machine and held it in my palm. It was miniscule.
‐Isn't the search range a bit small if it’s this tiny?‐
‐To an extent, yeah. We cover for it with a variety of sensors and sheer numbers. Turning on the optical camouflage now.‐
The small multi-legged drone vanished. It made almost no sound while operating.
‐If you loaded this with bombs, you could assassinate Zorks all day long...‐
‐I told you, it can't carry that kind of weight. Bombs are out of the question.‐
As expected, that was a no-go. Their shells were too hard, anyway. Still, thinking about it calmly, this was dangerous. It would be the ultimate weapon against humans. If you equipped it with explosives, poison gas, or toxic needles, it would be unstoppable. I didn't feel like even I could win against it. I hoped Wifey would eventually forbid its use.
‐I’ll keep scouting while I test this out.‐
‐Aight, I’m counting on you.‐
After parting ways with Kevin, I headed to see Wifey. I made my way to her quarters on the battleship currently anchored at Planet Shinagawa.
‐Yo, you awake?‐
‐I am awake~‐
Wifey greeted me in her usual Officer Academy tracksuit. The court ladies were nowhere to be seen.
‐What is it? Did you come for some time alone as a couple?‐
‐There’s that, but I was also wondering what happened with Marquis Roshimov.‐
‐I merely issued a written admonishment.‐
‐People died, though. Is that enough?‐
‐Because those who died were the Marquis's private soldiers. Had there been casualties within the Imperial Army, I would have meted out a punishment to match. However, there is nothing to be gained by shaming him unnecessarily. I shall not reprimand him further.‐
So that was how it worked. Governing really was a complicated business.
‐A warning must be issued, but overdoing it only invites resentment. Making him lose face is not a sound strategy.‐
I see. People tended to snap when they were humiliated.
‐Ah, right. This is from Kevin.‐
I sent her the photos of the structures.
‐Ho, a pyramid? And the interior?‐
‐They’re going to check it with the invisible drones.‐
After passing that along, we drifted into idle chatter. As we lounged, Melissa and Claire arrived. With our numbers growing, we moved to the dining hall, where Ren and Eddie soon joined us. Aoi-san, One-oh-one, and Tatiana eventually linked up as well. Before I knew it, Isono and Nakajima were there too... wait.
Wait! You two are supposed to be on shift!
Captain Piggett, wearing the expression of a literal ogre, promptly hauled the two of them away. We continued our pleasant conversation while snacking, letting the conversation bloom over the most wonderfully trivial topics. This was fine. Just like this. This was the daily life I wanted to protect.
But, as fate would have it, the saga between me and the Zorks was far from over.