The Colonel was the officer in charge of the base we were currently using.
Only a few minutes after he had requested sortie orders, his link to the Military General Headquarters went dead. They were likely wiped out.
Just as the regulations allowed the Colonel to act on his own authority, the Locusts struck. With his back against the wall, he prioritized the rescue of civilians.
Chronos had never fought Zork, so they lacked weapons like lightning. Just as they were bracing for the end, we—the self-appointed rescue squad that happened to be passing through—liberated the planet.
Our work had become much easier thanks to the electromagnetic fences. The process was so optimized that we could wrap up a job in just a few hours.
We would deploy the barriers, and the Taikyoku Nation and Latarnia would handle the actual rescue operations. Thanks to that, we were now saving about three planets a day. Basically, we were moving so fast I’d find myself asking, "Wait, when did we save this one again?"
Since we never actually made contact with the Chronosians, they had apparently started deifying us. That was probably why that City Council Member had tried to approach me earlier. What a moron!
And get this—those council members aren't even from the local area! Ugh! This is exactly why you can’t rule multiple planets without an aristocratic system! You have to make the lord and the planet share a common destiny! Otherwise, they’ll just cut and run when things get ugly.
Take my home, Planet Kamishiro, for example. My older brother and father have zero loyalty to the Empire, but they still came back. A lord lives and dies with his planet. I’m in the same boat, sharing a destiny with the Kamishiro Main House.
The reason I split the Zork remnants into female-types and those from the Republic—and put Kevin and One-oh-one in charge—wasn't just because they were my friends!
As I vented my frustrations, the Chronos rescue operation suddenly became much smoother. Having the local military join the effort meant we didn't have to stay on high alert. In a tribal society, they’d treat everyone like outsiders and start killing each other... but thankfully, that wasn't a problem here. The Chronosians were surprisingly civilized.
The Colonel managed to recapture several bases, turning his group into quite a large force. By securing enough repairable warships to maintain some dignity, he managed to preserve the Chronos Nation's standing as a sovereign state. That sort of thing is actually very important.
We also recovered the data for their humanoid fighters, so they were being manufactured at Latarnia and Taikyoku factories. Our side took charge of repairing the salvageable units.
Back during the Zork War, we used Zork shells for armor and developed our own weapons. As a result, Veronica’s fleet has an absurdly high level of technical proficiency. Mechanical repairs are child's play for us.
We provided functional units and repaired the heavy machinery, vehicles, and machine tools left at the bases. Since we were short on hands, I even jumped back into the rotation as a combat engineer for the first time in a while.
The Colonel came by on urgent business. "Where is the Brigadier General?" he asked, only to be told, "He's doing construction work again! I'll go get him!" He was left waiting until I showed up in my electrical work clothes, leaving him standing there with his mouth wide open.
Look, I know I'm a Brigadier General and I'm not supposed to do dangerous work anymore. But I can still handle something like swapping out a battleship's lighting panel.
"T-That... Your Excellency the Brigadier General. Um... are you actually performing construction work?"
"This was originally my job," I replied. "I just happened to survive the Zork War and got promoted by accident."
And it was true. I was essentially just an Idiot Lord whose Wifey happened to be powerful. The fact that I was a Brigadier General was the weird part.
Suddenly, the look in the Colonel's eyes changed. His face, which had been that of an exhausted middle-aged man, turned remarkably sharp and focused.
"Your Excellency... I am truly humbled. To think how much hardship such a young man like yourself has endured... sniff..."
For some reason, the man started weeping. There stood a victim of responsibility—someone who thought his skills didn't merit a promotion, yet was forced to take command anyway. Yes, we shared the bond of fellow victims.
"I have made up my mind as well," he declared. "I will rebuild Chronos."
We shook hands, though I wasn't entirely sure why.
Finally, the Chronos Capital Planet came into view. We were forced to halt just outside it. Unsurprisingly, the Corpse Eaters had established a rock-solid defense.
On our side, we had the Chronos Regular Army and the Militia aiming to retake their home. We had the furious Huanglong-class battleships of the Taikyoku Nation. We had the Latarnia fleet, bristling with missiles and radiating pure killing intent. We had the warriors of the Ogre God Nation, who wanted to start a fight as soon as possible. And then we had our Galactic Empire Fleet, which wasn't even sure why it was there anymore.
Thus, we held a strategy meeting.
"Command my people? Absolutely not!" Saria complained while shoveling Imoni into his mouth.
We had bought a massive amount of potatoes from Chronos that the Locusts hadn't managed to eat. They were similar to taro. A huge argument had broken out over the flavoring: Beef Soy Sauce Flavor, Pork Soy Sauce Flavor, Chicken Sukiyaki, Yosenabe-style, or Miso Flavor. I got so annoyed that I threw all the meat in and went with soy sauce.
Shut up, all of you! The person who cooks gets the final word!!! You lot are just going to turn the leftovers into curry anyway! And you, Mr. Miso Faction... if you don't like it, cook it yourself!
So, it was Imoni for everyone. We also bought some burdock-like vegetables... honestly, because of the Locusts, root vegetables were the only things left. As with anything, you can't just give handouts. If people work, they can forget their despair and anxiety for a little while. I had gone out of my way to make it look like legitimate commerce.
I’d asked the Taikyoku Nation to do the same. They traded staple foods for root vegetables, and the Kamishiro Group sold them on the market. We also ran a campaign to get Latarnia and the Ogre God Nation to buy them.
"Where's the curry powder?" Melissa asked while eating a potato.
"Using a curry roux makes it taste the best."
"True. I love the Captain's curry."
Ren was eating the meat. She had the eyes of a true predator. It seemed Wifey had never attended an Imoni Party before.
"Hey, Lord Groom. I've heard there is something in this world called a Mystery Hot Pot."
"Wifey... that is a forbidden taboo among us."
Yes. Leaving food uneaten means death. That is the creed of the Galactic Empire Army. Wasting ingredients is unforgivable. Especially when there are two idiots who would try to throw chocolate or durian into the pot. I will never allow it.
"Right, Isono? Nakajima?"
"Your Excellency! You are absolutely correct!"
Both of their wives were from military families. To them, wasting food was a capital offense. Sure, there are times you can't eat—like when you're sick, injured, or in surgery. Or when it's just plain inedible, like when it's burnt to a crisp. But intentional waste is a sin.
"O-Oh... I see." Even Wifey seemed a bit put off by the intensity of our conviction.
Now, how to deal with those Corpse Eaters... Corpse Eaters, Corpse Eaters, man-eaters... Should I mix the spicy roux with the rich-flavored one...?
My head was already completely full of thoughts about food.