I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Let’s Win Over Public Opinion. It’s Better to Have More Allies. Justice is on Our Side. Even Though We’re Pirates
  Around the same time the Mirandora fleet launched its surprise attack.
  The commotion inside the base meant something was happening.
  Janet was astonished.
  
  ‘Could it be they actually launched an attack?’
  
  Wouldn’t they just run away?
  It wasn’t that she didn’t have any anxiety about being offered as a sacrifice.
  The audio recording data would be a perfect threat, and there was also the fear that it would be released without her knowledge.
  However, now was not the time to be thinking about that.
  She was already in a state where she had plunged not just one foot, but her entire body into this as an accomplice.
  
  ‘But…… I think I understand that the current military trend is strange. Besides, if New Balance’s evil deeds are true, then they must be corrected.’
  
  Janet pushed forward, as if to justify her current actions.
  Her goal was the base commander’s private room. It was unlikely that he would be commanding on the scene. To begin with, there was no way such a situation would occur when he was assigned here.
  Most of the time, it was just expeditions like errands. Since that was his job, he had been diligently carrying it out, but now that they were being attacked like this, the fact that he wasn’t going to the command room made her wonder if he was actually quite bold.
  Janet proceeded, going against the flow of people.
  
  “Excuse me!”
  
  Without even bothering to knock, Janet flung open the door to the commander’s private room.
  The stout man inside hurriedly shoved a receiver or something into his pocket and shouted angrily, as if spitting.
  
  “You! What is it!”
  “What is it? It’s an enemy attack.”
  
  Janet declared firmly.
  
  “I-I know that! So why aren’t you sortieing!”
  “I have judged that my ship has suffered severe damage and it’s impossible to transition to combat operations. Therefore, I thought I would go to the command room for instructions, but the base commander is not there. I found this situation questionable and decided to come here.”
  “I-I was just about to head there!”
  
  She knew it was an excuse.
  
  “……Where were you making a call to?”
  “It’s none of your business!”
  “……”
  
  Janet clenched her fists.
  
  “Was it a request for reinforcements? There are a few candidate bases if it’s close to this base, but even then it will take twelve hours. This base is in the frontier, so……”
  “So you’re saying we should just wait to be annihilated? That won’t do.”
  
  She thought only that part of what he said was right.
  However, if words and actual actions didn’t match, it was nothing but comical.
  
  “Commander. It may not be the time to ask this, but there’s something that bothers me. I went to the prisoner detention area earlier. I stopped by to interrogate the rebels I captured, but the technicians, Phoenix and Percy, who were among the captured, were gone. I haven’t received any report about that. I was told they were transported……”
  “Is this the time to be talking about such things!”
  “Yes, it’s an emergency, and it’s certainly not the time to be insensitive. However, the fact that they disappeared and this attack…… The timing is just too good. I wonder if a spy has infiltrated and planned this surprise attack on the fortress base……”
  “That’s impossible! Those two are former members of New Balance’s technical department! If that’s the case, it would be appropriate for New Balance to conduct the investigation and punishment!”
  “New Balance is just a department of the military! Moreover, those people are the ones who leaked new weapons to the rebels!”
  
  At this point, Janet was convinced that there was no need to trust the man in front of her.
  But at the same time, there was also an element of unease. She was worried about who this man had been contacting. It would be fine if he had been requesting reinforcements from units in other sectors. But he probably wasn’t such a noble man.
  In that case, escape…… or perhaps……
  She didn’t think he would open his mouth even if she asked. Janet switched to her next question.
  
  “Then, Commander, take command……”
  “T-The enemy’s numbers are only four ships! We can just push them back, right！?”
  “The central defense force has been taken by surprise and is in chaos. The enemy deliberately broke through the heavily guarded area. There’s a risk of friendly fire.”
  “I-I don’t care! Can’t you s*oot them down!”
  “Of course, I care. Do you intend to abandon the soldiers who are unable to move on the battlefield?”
  “F-First of all! Why are the enemies here! Didn’t you annihilate them！”
  “It must be enemy reinforcements.”
  
  You’re only realizing that now, you fool.
  Janet wanted to shout that at him.
  But she couldn’t. There was the sound of people running from the other side of the corridor.
  They were members of the base command.
  
  “Commander! Your orders!”
  “Our forces are in a state of chaos!”
  “There’s a risk of further enemy reinforcements……!”
  
  They were the ones Janet had called in advance.
  If the commander didn’t come after waiting for a while, they were to gather in his private room.
  They must have come here clutching at straws.
  Now, the base commander wouldn’t be able to escape either.
  At the same time, Janet whispered instructions into the intercom attached to her collar.
  
  ‘Main target, secured. Commence operation.’
  “S-Start the attack! It’s an enemy attack! Why did you let them get so close!”
  
  The base commander, seemingly unaware of her movements, shouted in a self-important tone.
  However, he didn’t give any specific instructions.
  
  “The fact that the enemy has pointed their main guns and our defense fleet can’t move is terrifying! But it’s also a chance! If the enemy has stopped moving, we should be able to destroy them! Fire, s*oot them down! The defense force, your job is to defend!”
  
  At that moment.
  Janet walked towards the base commander without a word.
  Her face was expressionless.
  
  “Commander. In other words, what you’re saying is……”
  
✼✼✼
  
  『……Are you saying to fire at our own allies?』
  
  A voice other than the base commander’s mixed into the open channel.
  It was Janet’s.
  
  『W-Well, you need that kind of spirit to annihilate the enemy! Besides, to have been cornered at such close range, you incompetent fools!』
  
  Did he still not understand that his voice was leaking to everyone? The base commander’s pathetic voice must have been echoing everywhere.
  Shougo and the others couldn’t help but smile wryly.
  
  “Hello, hello, this is the Space Pirates Hermes. We have some things we’d like to discuss with your base commander.”
  
  Even though they had incapacitated the surrounding units, there was still a high risk of counterattack.
  Nevertheless, Shougo attempted communication. The base commander, unaware that his words were leaking to everyone on the open channel, let out an idiotic scream at the sudden communication.
  
  『Waaaaah! What, an interrupting communication!? I will not yield to pirates!』
  “That attitude is admirable. However, I wouldn’t recommend s*ooting us down along with your allies. First of all, to utter such words on an open channel……”
  『Huh? W-What……』
  『Commander. I’ve made arrangements to notify all units of your true intentions. Your words from earlier, every single one. They’re being broadcast to all units.』
  
  Were those the finishing words?
  Clearly, there was a disruption in the enemy’s movements. Other warships that had been rushing to the center for support also stopped and listened to the broadcast.
  
  “Oh my, were we interrupting? However, I’d like to negotiate. I have no intention of slaughtering everyone in this base. I just want to correct New Balance’s tyranny and normalize the organization. You all must have seen that broadcast. It’s not fabricated. It’s the truth. No, before that, I’d like to ask if you want to work under a man who would give orders to abandon you.”
  『W-What are you talking about! This is, well, life-threatening. It’s a show of determination to face this with your life! I intend to defend this place to the death until my body decays──』
  
  Immediately after. A dull thud echoed.
  
  “Whoa, that sounded painful.”
  
  Ensign Clart couldn’t help but exclaim.
  
  『……The base commander has lost his mind. Due to this emergency, I will take command from now on and assume responsibility. All units, disarm yourselves. Those pirates possess a Planet Killer. If it’s fired here, this base will be annihilated. To ensure the safety of all crew members, I will allow this base to be seized.』
  
✼✼✼
  
  She had impulsively punched the commander.
  But it felt surprisingly good. A refreshing feeling.
  Janet, with a satisfied and refreshed look on her face, as if she had gained confidence in her fist, took the microphone and made an announcement.
  Behind her were the members of the command center who were buzzing, but she didn’t care.
  Janet turned around and gave them natural-sounding instructions.
  
  “What’s wrong? Do you want to d*e? If you want to be crushed to death by the gravity field, go ahead and make a suicide attack or whatever. But if you want to survive and know the truth, follow me. If anything happens, just say it was all my fault.”
  
  With that, Janet threw the microphone and walked through them.
  
  “Restrain that man lying there. He’s the kind of man who would s*oot his allies in the back.”
  
  Leaving only those words, Janet headed to the command room.
  On the way, most of the officers stared at her in astonishment. But at the same time, members of her own fleet joined her, weapons in hand.
  And then.
  
  “From now on, I will take command of this base. If you have any objections, speak up. If you don’t want to obey, you are free to leave. But let me tell you this. You will learn the truth. As a result, we will probably be eliminated from above. From now on, everything we bring is the truth. That the previous pirate broadcast was all true. Our duty is to protect the citizens, not to k*ll them. We cannot accept an organization that destroys planets as our superiors. Moreover, we cannot acknowledge a leader who would even sacrifice his own family!”
  
  As soon as Janet arrived at the occupied command room, she started broadcasting again.
  
  “I’ll say it again. If you don’t want to obey, you are free to leave. But I won’t guarantee what will happen to you after that. I repeat. If you want to leave, do it. I won’t guarantee what happens after that.”
  
  Following Janet’s words, the pirate broadcast from before once again flowed into the battlefield.
  
  “You all must know this broadcast. If you think this is just fake news, then go ahead and think that! But I saw with my own eyes an unidentified warship self-destructing with a Planet Killer during the expedition to Planet Byblos! The wise among you should understand what the fact that no report has been made about this means!”
  
  Janet was almost at her wit’s end.
  
  “Starting with the deployment of unidentified combat units and expedition orders as if to cover up blemishes! It’s as if they’re giving us work to get us killed. You may think I’m a woman who has sold her soul, but I’m not. I’m still Janet, a Lieutenant Commander in the Earth Forces. I want you to understand that there’s a reason why I did this.”
  
  In the middle of her speech, several of Janet’s subordinates entered and whispered to her.
  
  “Lieutenant Commander. We’ve confirmed an escape shuttle at Gate 8. Warp drive included, the engines have started up. We’ve captured the pilot.”
  “Hmm, good work. That b*stard, he was planning to destroy this base and escape.”
  
  Later, telling them about this would be a major point of attack.
  But it wasn’t over yet. Shougo had told Janet that there was something he definitely wanted to do if they took control of the base.
  To keep that promise, she instructed the operator to make the connection.
  
  “Hey, connect me to that cruiser, the Mirandora. You can put it on the public frequency too.”
  
  The operator had no choice but to obey.
  The formal communication, connected in this way, displayed clearer images and voices than the interrupting open channel.
  What appeared on the screen was the Mirandora’s b*idge. But it wasn’t Shougo and the others who were there.
  Standing in front of the captain’s seat was a single girl.
  Yes, it was Franny.
  
  『I’m addressing the Earth Forces, those of New Balance. I am Franny, Franny Fauden. I am alive. Please tell me why you spread the lie that I am dead. I repeat. I am Franny Fauden. Why was my life targeted? Please tell me, Otou-sama. I am here, alive like this. I am currently seeking protection at an Earth Forces base, but it was also members of the military who attacked me.』
  
  Along with Franny’s words, the footage of the shuttle attack from before was also released.
  
  『I am alive. I am alive. I am not dead. Why did they try to k*ll me? Please tell me.』
  
  That communication was directed towards Earth.