I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Those Who Have Done the Irreparable Are Invincible, For They Have Nothing Left to Fear
[space_man][space_man]The Mirandora, having completed its refitting, was renamed 『Mirandora Dignity』, but the crew continued to call her simply Mirandora.
[space_man][space_man]Without the luxury of a launch ceremony, the Mirandora departed the fortress base, accompanied by the destroyer Savona, three other cruisers, and five destroyers.
[space_man][space_man]Their objective was to engage Commander Fauden, the leader of New Balance, who was heading towards the Al Minar Sector under the banner of the Noah Project, and to rendezvous with the Rebel fleet.
[space_man][space_man]It was said that one of the leaders of the Rebel Army would be coming to take command.
[space_man][space_man]Initially, a meeting at the fortress base had been planned, but this was a sudden change.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Furthermore, this operation prioritized mobility over striking power, resulting in the selection of numerous destroyers. The other battleships and cruisers chosen were also relatively high-speed vessels.
[space_man][space_man]Meanwhile, the Mirandora, classified as a cruiser, had its firepower increased to battleship levels and its maximum speed made comparable to that of a destroyer, transforming it into a kind of all-purpose battleship.
[space_man][space_man]The refitting plan presented by Thoth had seamlessly enhanced its capabilities.
[space_man][space_man]Nevertheless, going into actual combat without even a proper shakedown cruise was a terrifying prospect.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Well, we’re always short on personnel and resources. This kind of jumping right into the fray is business as usual for us. Sorry, but we need you to do it. Stay sharp.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The Savona, proceeding ahead of the formation. A transmission from Lopes, who was in command.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Since the moment we started the rebellion, we’ve been in a constant state of emergency, so we’re rather used to it. Besides, I feel this ship has become stronger. We won’t be a drag. And I believe Captain Lopes is trustworthy. Because she knows the enemy.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Lopes’ shocking confession surprised not only Shougo but many of the crew. Apparently, even the Savona’s crew hadn’t known, and Lopes told them with a laugh that it had caused a minor commotion.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Let it go. It was decades ago. Back when I was a rookie. He was an elite, a rich kid. And even before the difference in our social status, I couldn’t keep up with him.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Lopes seemed genuinely unconcerned and ready to reveal everything openly.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”……Does that mean you could have been my mother?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Naturally, it was Franny, Fauden’s daughter, who was most curious and eager to hear about this.
[space_man][space_man]As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Franny was perched on a newly added guest seat right next to the captain’s chair, leaning forward slightly.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『That’s impossible. Seriously, we’re not blood-related. Besides, I couldn’t keep up with that man. No, I couldn’t understand him, so I ran away. A woman like that could never be a mother.』
[space_man][space_man]”I suppose that’s true. Then, Captain Lopes, you certainly knew my father in his younger days. Would you please tell me about him? My father never speaks about his past. About his meeting with my mother, about the time I was born, about the great achievements he made in human history…… He talks about the surface level things, but there’s no substance to it.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo understood that Franny’s questions weren’t merely out of idle curiosity.
[space_man][space_man]Lopes seemed to understand this as well, nodding slightly and beginning to speak in a halting manner.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『He was a serious and sensitive man. I can say that for sure. And he was smart. Too smart, probably. He could understand many things. He was the kind of man who would consider even things he didn’t need to understand, exploring all the possibilities. From the moment we met, he was worried about the future of humanity. When I was young, I found that incredibly attractive. I was head over heels for him. But I couldn’t stand it when he was always acting based on his own self-contained vision of humanity’s future.』
[space_man][space_man]”Vision?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo couldn’t help but interject.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Yeah, vision is my way of putting it. Well, it’s hard to explain, but he had something self-contained within him. He thought a lot about Earth’s resource depletion and population growth, and he dreamed of securing resources through planetary development.』
[space_man][space_man]”My father in his younger days was proud of space development?”
[space_man][space_man]『Oh, there’s no doubt about that. He said he’d been developing the concept of the light-concentrating lens colony in the Al Minar Sector since his student days. He talked about it all the time when we were dating. His face was bright back then.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Now, he had become an opponent of development projects, going so far as to oppress and massacre colonists. The change was astounding.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Well, if it was just that, he would have been a boy with big dreams…… But like I said, he was the kind of man who thought of too many things. He often talked about what would happen if the development wasn’t successful. And that was…… Thorough control and an absolute ruler to manage it.』
[space_man][space_man]”That’s quite a wild idea……?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.
[space_man][space_man]If you only heard the beginning, he was a boy with big dreams. But with those last words, the scale suddenly flew off in a completely different direction. He had far too much duality.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Was my father thinking about organizations like New Balance even back then?”
[space_man][space_man]『Maybe. I don’t know if it was a military organization like it is now, or a political one, but his two extreme sides seemed eerie to me. I’m sorry to say this in front of his daughter, but I thought he was a monster.』
[space_man][space_man]”No, it’s alright. My father’s current rampage is certainly monstrous. And this just adds more facts to question him about.”
[space_man][space_man]『I wish I could have met the woman who gave birth to you…… I heard she died in an accident.』
[space_man][space_man]”It’s a famous story. It’s been told as a beautiful anecdote.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo didn’t know the details of their conversation, but Jowain did. As the memories flooded back, Shougo understood the situation.
[space_man][space_man]Franny’s mother was an engineer, just like her husband. They worked together to develop the light-concentrating lens colony, made it a success, and became the first woman to give birth on a planet in the environmentally stable Al Minar Sector.
[space_man][space_man]However, she lost her life in an accident during maintenance work on the lens colony.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”So…… the Al Minar Sector is a significant place for the Commander in many ways.”
[space_man][space_man]『A special place that holds both beautiful and bitter memories. He’s going to do something there. I think it’s going to be something big. But……』
[space_man][space_man]”What is it, Captain Lopes?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Lopes fell silent, a grave expression on her face.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Well…… Call it a woman’s intuition, but I have a bad feeling…… It’s an important place for him. Why is he gathering his forces there? The Noah Project…… The word ‘Noah’ has many meanings. I’m not smart enough to pinpoint what it is. Still, I feel like something bad is going to happen. To be blunt, I don’t want to go on this surprise attack.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Certainly, her words lacked accuracy and persuasiveness.
[space_man][space_man]But when it came to having a bad feeling, Shougo felt the same way. Unlike Lopes, his feeling stemmed from a speculation he had formed during his conversations with Yuuki.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Fauden was trying to make the Trismegistus into a god. Noah, if you mix it with God, it brings to mind Noah’s Ark from the Bible…… An ark? In Al Minar? No, it doesn’t add up. Is he preparing a massive battleship? But that feels different.’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Many elements were emerging, but the fact that they weren’t connecting into a clear picture was unsettling.
[space_man][space_man]There was probably no other human whose inner thoughts and actions were so unreadable. If he had extreme duality, with each side being excessively sharp, it would be extremely troublesome.
[space_man][space_man]Prediction would be impossible.
[space_man][space_man]That’s why they were launching a surprise attack on the Al Minar Sector, to confirm their suspicions.
[space_man][space_man]He felt that everything would become clear there.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’……And this is such a large-scale operation. Anferu will probably come, and Phoenix will likely try to interfere, anticipating our movements. All our targets will be gathered in one place…… It might be better to be cautious here. There’s even a difficult saying about chasing two rabbits and catching none…… In that case, our priority should be……’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]While he was lost in thought, Mark, who should have been in the hangar, interrupted the main monitor.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Captain, that monkey is making a racket.』
[space_man][space_man]”Racket? What do you mean?”
[space_man][space_man]『Yuuki’s trying to calm it down now, but it seems to be scared of something.』
[space_man][space_man]”Scared? Percy said Thoth learned fear, but…… Could it be Phoenix’s attack?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]As he spoke, Shougo looked at the operators. The operators in the detection team, who had been listening to their conversation, shook their heads.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Currently, no abnormalities on the radar. No jamming detected either.”
[space_man][space_man]『Goetia! Goetia!』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Then, Thoth’s electronic voice screamed something frantically.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”What is that?”
[space_man][space_man]『I don’t know. It’s been agitated like this the whole time. Hey, Yuuki, can you shove it into the Trismegistus and make it shut up?』
[space_man][space_man]『I’ll try! Anish, help me – Ouch!』
[space_man][space_man]『It scratched me!』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Assuming they would manage the commotion in the hangar somehow, Shougo couldn’t help but think that Thoth’s sudden malfunction wasn’t just a coincidence.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Damn it, I’m not familiar with religious terms or anything. What’s Goetia?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo looked at Clart, Kes, and then Franny, but they couldn’t answer either.
[space_man][space_man]Lopes also looked puzzled.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『It seems like the Trismegistus’ core is agitated about something, but come to think of it, that thing is a mystery in itself.』
[space_man][space_man]”Indeed, it is. We still only understand it through its superficial specifications. And even that’s not complete……”
[space_man][space_man]『If we can use it, that’s all that matters, right? Besides, we still have time. The Al Minar Sector is three to four days from here. It’ll take longer for the Earth side to get there. Even if they rush and make continuous warps, it’ll take them at least a week. We have an overwhelming amount of preparation time. There’s no such thing as being overprepared.』
[space_man][space_man]”I hope so……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]For now, Shougo gave the order to heighten their vigilance.
[space_man][space_man]It was better to be safe than sorry. There was no guarantee that an agitated Thoth wouldn’t suddenly initiate a warp like it had before.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Um, excuse me, Captain Jowain. It’s a transmission from above us…… Priority code?』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Lopes’ expression became blank as she opened the communication.
[space_man][space_man]It seemed to be a one-way transmission, and the Mirandora couldn’t pick up much information. However, the look of astonishment that crossed Lopes’ face told him that something unpleasant had happened.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”What is it, Captain Lopes?”
[space_man][space_man]『……It seems that the New Balance fleet has arrived in the Al Minar Sector.』
[space_man][space_man]”Huh?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]That was impossible.
[space_man][space_man]Lopes had said it herself. It should have taken them over a week to arrive. Jowain’s knowledge also confirmed this.
[space_man][space_man]Then, there was movement on the Mirandora’s side as well.
[space_man][space_man]Clart relayed information with a sense of urgency.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Captain! We’ve intercepted a broadcast from the New Balance fleet! It’s a speech from the Commander……? There’s video too…… This is!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The main monitor displayed the video. It was clear that it was a live feed. It showed ships warping out one after another. The number of ships gradually increased, and then…… A particularly large warp-out light appeared.
[space_man][space_man]It looked like a giant tower. A massive structure that seemed to have toppled over. It was difficult to tell from the visual alone, but if a typical space battleship was 200 to 300 meters long, it could easily be over 2,000 meters.
[space_man][space_man]And…… It seemed to have an ominous light at its tip.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”No way……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]At that moment.
[space_man][space_man]Shougo cursed his own intuition.
[space_man][space_man]Things like that were often seen in anime. Weapons of mass destruction. Super-sized fortresses. A staple in robot anime. And it was emitting light. The only possibility was the firing of its main cannon. But where? They weren’t there yet. Neither were the Rebels.
[space_man][space_man]All that was there were the planets known as resort destinations, and……
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Is that his goal?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]A dazzling light filled the monitor.
[space_man][space_man]Everyone was stunned.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Goetia!』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He thought he heard Thoth’s voice.
[space_man][space_man]Shougo stared at the light that seemed to sear his retinas, dumbfounded.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Does he even realize what he’s done…… That bastard!”