The Starfighter-type outer space fighters led by Lord Carfman slipped through the gaps in the minefield.
Software technology had undergone a revolution, all thanks to Lady Luna.
Response speeds had improved dramatically with the aid of her programming.
Now, even retired veterans could operate at the level of former ace pilots.
The fact that Lady Luna had not turned against us was likely due to my brother-in-law’s character.
...If she, the physical manifestation of the Mother AI, had truly intended to destroy the Empire, it would have been as easy as snapping a twig.
In a sense, she had already saved the world once.
"Lord Thomas, the Imperial Guard is ready."
My guard had finished their preparations for the sortie.
"Launch!"
It was a pity.
I couldn't join them this time.
Even though I was an invaluable humanoid fighter pilot myself.
"You look disappointed, Lord Thomas."
Cyrus gave a small chuckle.
Ever since he’d laid hands on our father, Cyrus had stopped calling me his brother.
There was no way those who had served us long-term wouldn't recognize his face.
It was an open secret that "Cyrus" was actually Prince Cyrus.
Our father must have been truly hated for such a thing to be overlooked.
It was a sad reality, but he had brought it upon himself.
"Yeah, it’s frustrating, Cyrus. I’m a first-class pilot, regardless of my title."
My results in the simulator were second only to Leo Kamishiro’s team.
I wanted to be out there on the front lines, not stuck playing the role of commander.
"Only you can lead us, Lord Thomas."
"I know."
A transmission came in from Lord Carfman.
"Commencing attack."
The Starfighter-type outer space fighter.
It was the craft recently designated as the new Imperial standard machine.
They were equipped with missiles and anti-Zork Vulcan cannons.
We weren't fools.
If they were resistant to plasma, we simply had to develop different weapons.
The pilots closed the distance with the Zork.
First, they launched their missiles.
They slammed them into the Zork targets acquired by the 32-unit multi-lock-on system.
Though the missiles were small, they were designed to penetrate the shells of the crab-type Zork and explode from within.
Thanks to the miniaturization of the warheads, each craft could carry a high volume of ammunition.
We could still fight them on equal footing.
The crabs were blown apart before they even had a chance to fire their own plasma cannons.
Unlike the humanoid-types, they lacked close-quarters combat capabilities. Once they had fired, the pilots pulled back to maintain distance.
"Enemy counterattack. Commencing evasive maneuvers!"
A simultaneous barrage of plasma fire began from the surviving crabs.
However, our conventional fighters were smaller and faster.
The computer-assisted flight programs allowed them to dance through the plasma fire.
If anything blocked their path, they riddled it with holes using their Vulcans.
Good. We could fight the Zork.
At least the crabs.
Following the Imperial Capital Invasion Incident, the Empire had overhauled its entire military doctrine.
We had shifted our focus from human-on-human warfare to human-versus-Zork strategy.
Perhaps the Zork had poured so much effort into countering my brother-in-law that their response to us had been delayed.
This outcome was the proof.
They had grown conceited after nullifying our primary weapons... or perhaps we simply hadn't been in their data yet. No, that couldn't be it.
They were trying to understand us in their own way.
While their understanding had been crude initially, it was better to assume it had become far more precise once they’d incorporated the Grand Chamberlain.
Wait, if that was the case...
"Lord Carfman! This is too easy! It's a trap!!!"
I shouted before I could stop myself.
"Reinforcements detected!!!"
Just as I feared.
Reinforcements arrived.
They weren't crabs.
They looked like bees.
The bee-type Zork closed in at the same speed as our fighters.
Meanwhile, in the minefield, the crabs were blindly charging into mines and blowing themselves up.
I see!
They were clearing the mines for the sake of the new models!
"Fuhahaha! How clever! I, Lord Carfman, shall take revenge for my son this day!!!"
Carfman declared over the comms.
Damn it! He intended to die!
"Carfman! Pull back! That's an order!!!"
"Lord Thomas... please, step over my corpse. Even if I fall, my combat data will be preserved! My death will not be in vain!!!"
"Stop it, Carfman!!!"
Carfman's machine locked onto a bee-type Zork.
Missiles streaked out.
The bee didn't even try to dodge.
It was blown to pieces instantly, followed by others in quick succession.
Why weren't they evading?
...It was deliberate!!!
"Carfman! Get out of there! It’s a trap!!!"
"I refuse!!!"
"Imperial Guard! Rescue Carfman!"
"Sir!"
The Imperial Guard accelerated toward Carfman’s unit, passing the retreating fighters.
Carfman tore into the bees with his Vulcan.
The cannons were effective—but a moment later, a bee detonated.
"Hmph! Naive!"
Carfman rolled his craft away from the bee's explosion.
"We already know some Zork are prone to self-destruction! I won't fall for that!"
I had a sickening feeling in my gut.
"...No. It's not just a simple self-destruction! Run, Carfman!!!"
"...Ejecting!!!"
Perhaps Carfman had sensed the anomaly as well; he triggered the separation sequence. The cockpit detached, transforming into a rescue capsule as it was shot away from the frame.
The moment Carfman ejected, every bee in the vicinity began to glow red.
An instant later, they detonated simultaneously, merging into a single, colossal fireball.
The blast rippled outward, swallowing the mines we’d laid and incinerating their own kind in a wave of fire.
Gods...
The entire swarm itself was a massive bomb.
"Carfman!!! Carfman!!! Are you alive? Respond!!!"
No one believed he could have survived that.
The scale of the explosion was just too great.
The Zork were willing to expend any amount of resources just to kill us.
The Imperial Guard reached the site.
"Lord Thomas! We’ll hold the line!!!"
"Don't be reckless!"
"Understood!"
I couldn't allow any more casualties.
I was on the verge of calling off the rescue for Carfman.
"Enough, you lot, fall back—"
Just as my patience snapped, a transmission cut through the static.
"We have secured Lord Carfman’s rescue capsule!"
He was alive.
In that case...!
"Fleet! All main cannons, fire at will!!! Don't let those bees get anywhere near us!!!"
I saw it clearly now.
The Zork were playing for keeps.
We couldn't afford to worry about resource management anymore either.
The main cannons had also been upgraded using the combat data obtained from Veronica.
"Targeting complete! Weapon systems ready!"
"Fire!!!"
The battleship main cannons unleashed their fury.