Well then, about Ozen...
I was leading a massive fleet, advancing toward Chronos from the Magellan sector.
First, let me talk about our failure.
To be honest, even without dedicated reconnaissance, we could have spotted the anomaly if we had just looked properly through a telescope or a satellite.
The city lights had simply vanished.
I mean, the reports were there. Documents flagging the issue had been submitted.
But the people of Chronos had no experience using their observatories for military intelligence, so the reports ended up buried at the bottom of a low-priority pile.
Fairy-san only dug them up a few moments ago.
It was a stroke of luck, really...
I knew about the concept of satellite and telescope recon, of course.
But in the Galactic Empire, that wasn't a method we used—not even when hunting for pirate dens.
Bad luck on our part.
The process itself is simple.
You just take photos at night. That alone tells you which cities are thriving.
You can also measure surface heat to estimate the population.
Thermodynamics dictates that there’s always heat leaking out somewhere.
At a certain scale, it’s proof of human life and activity.
Now, if you mechanize an entire city, you’d think it would get hotter because of the increased output. But it’s the opposite. Because the daily rhythm—cooking, cleaning, using climate control—vanishes, the overall heat signature actually drops.
Eventually, they don't even feel heat or cold anymore.
Factories stop producing daily necessities, further reducing the thermal output.
Through a lens, it’s glaringly obvious. The society's total thermal energy plummets.
We use that method to find pirate hideouts, but it didn't occur to me right away.
Current doctrine says drones are easier for scouting.
Tinkering with telescopes and satellites is a strategy from several generations ago.
Yet, this time, it was exactly what we needed.
The lack of lights was one thing, but zero heating usage in a snowy region? That's impossible.
I knew something was wrong.
The real question was: was everyone dead?
If there were survivors, we’d rescue them.
If not, we’d blow up the warships and factories, then ignore the rest.
A planet with no people to rule has no value.
If we just left it alone for a few years, the mechanized residents would eventually grind to a halt.
All we had to do was smash the factories to stop the maintenance.
Once the machinery degrades, the biological components won't last. Life support fails, and that's it.
After that, we could move in and develop the planet ourselves.
You might think they’d just use robots, but drones are cheaper and more effective. And even drones need AI maintenance.
The Galactic Empire is only an outlier because Fairy-san keeps everything running without needing repairs.
In the end, raw humans are cheaper. They require no maintenance for long periods, they’re smart, and they’re versatile.
Humans really are tragic creatures.
So, I took a look.
As I thought, no humans left, right?
"It appears the human population has died out."
I received the report from a man in his mid-thirties, recently promoted to Colonel in the Chronos Space Marines. He was the operational head of the Reconnaissance Department.
"So, those people we talked to before they went silent..."
"High probability they were AIs, sir."
"Ugh, that’s creepy!"
No wonder talking to them was impossible. They stopped responding because they knew they couldn't keep up the act.
What I don't get is why. The enemy isn't exactly subtle about their atrocities. Why bother hiding it?
Maybe I’m overthinking things.
Anyway, Ozen was...
Depressing. So, I went to see Daifuku-chan.
She was at the Chronos Palace.
While we were working, she stayed in the kindergarten we built next to the palace’s Zashiki-warashi-chan Branch Shrine.
It’s the one in the palace wing, not the shrine where Himorogi-chan is.
We modeled it after the one on Wifey's ship.
As I got closer, Daifuku-chan spotted me.
"Pikyu! Pikyu! Pikyu!"
She was bouncing with excitement.
"Hey there, Daifuku-chan."
I held out my hand, and she scrambled up onto my head.
"Pukyu!"
Surprisingly, Melissa was the one handling the care at the kindergarten.
"I used to take care of animals back home," she claimed.
And she was actually doing a great job—very diligent.
It turned out her stance on not keeping pets was just talk.
Melissa walked over.
"Here to pick up your kid, Captain?"
"Yep. Look at you, Melissa. You’re a natural."
"I just hate it when things die."
Ever the pragmatist.
Fair enough.
As I nodded, something approached from behind.
"Nyaan."
Ah, it was the cat who had recently 'enlisted.'
Daifuku offered a greeting and hopped onto the cat's back.
"Kyu."
"Nyaan."
They shared a conversation I couldn't understand.
They seemed like best friends.
"Dora-san is like a big sister to these kids."
"Dora-san?"
"Yeah, the cat's name."
Emon? Mi? Or was it Dragon?!
"Why Dora?"
I had to know.
"Heh... I wonder."
Melissa gave me a smirk.
Seriously, don't leave me hanging!
In the end, she didn't tell me.
After playing with the cat for a bit, Daifuku climbed back onto my head.
After a while, Tatiana and One-oh-one showed up.
Must be the end of their shift.
"Ah, Big Bro! You’re here for Daifuku!"
"Yeah."
"We’re here to pick ours up too, sir!"
The blue one was Tatiana's Berry-chan.
The red one was One-oh-one's Apple-chan.
Blueberry and Apple...
Simple and sweet.
I gave both of them a belly rub.
"They certainly know who the boss is."
"Did you have fun with the Captain, sir?"
"Pikyu!"
"Pupupupupu!"
The two of them chirped their greetings.
Shiyun arrived a moment later.
Tatiana, One-oh-one, and Shiyun were all currently buried in political science studies, covering everything from the Galactic Empire to Latarnia.
All three of them were future rulers. Tatiana was a Count, and there was even talk of the Chronos Religion setting up a Saint's Territory for her.
I mean, they have help with the animals. One-oh-one has Despair-san.
Tatiana has a Court Lady Dispatched from the Chronos Religion.
Shiyun has her own specialists too.
They were all being pampered alongside the cat.
Actually, the cats were treated like palace royalty.
In places I didn't see, professionals were being paid to groom them.
That’s why the palace cats had such incredibly fluffy fur.
Since the Chronos Mice aren't seen as prey, they coexist peacefully.
While we were gathering our Jester power like this, the day arrived when we engaged in battle with the Ozen fleet.