Chapter 5: Even if I choose any means necessary to survive, it’s only natural to want comrades, right?
  “To all crew members. We will now begin an emergency briefing. B*idge crew and combat personnel, please proceed to the conference room in ten minutes. Other navigation staff, remain at your posts but listen in. This is important.”
  
  I think I managed to speak in a tone that matches the original character as much as possible.
  
  “Excuse me, Lieutenant, please go ahead. I have some preparations to make.”
  
  After making a brief ship-wide announcement using his authority as captain, Shougo crossed his arms and pondered for a while.
  
  “Yes, I understand that, but……”
  
  Mark, too, couldn’t understand what the man in front of him was thinking.
  However, for now, he was still following orders. He wasn’t the kind of man Mark had imagined, and he felt it was essential to assess him further.
  As instructed, Mark left the captain’s office.
  Seeing him off, Shougo slapped his own cheeks. It was a way to pump himself up.
  
  “I’ve done it, I’ve finally done it.”
  
  His heart was pounding. There was no turning back.
  Ultimately, Shougo only wanted to survive. He had no lofty ideals or goals like cherishing the original work or doing anything with the characters. It was a truly mundane way of thinking, but it was only natural for Shougo, who until just a while ago was an ordinary person.
  Just because he was reborn, it didn’t mean he could immediately switch his mindset to realizing some kind of mission and working towards it.
  What bothered Shougo the most was that, even if he was going to be reborn, instead of becoming a handsome or dandy man, he ended up as an unremarkable middle-aged man.
  Was there any greater torture than being older than he was before his reincarnation?
  
  ‘The meaning of reincarnation? My role? A happy life in an anime world? As if I could do that. It’s too late. It’s all over.’
  
  He had asked himself this question over and over again.
  The character Jowain had a life that was too messed up. In the end, the only way to fix this was to take actions that would destroy the original story.
  Fortunately, it was a canceled anime. Since he didn’t know what would happen in the future, he had no choice but to make sure the protagonists won.
  He would have to think of various justifications for siding with them.
  
  ‘Before that, I have to convince the crew of this battleship……’
  
  And that’s what he was about to do.
  To be honest, the chances of success were low. However, Shougo couldn’t think of anything else, and there were no other means he could carry out.
  Relying on Jowain’s memories, Shougo opened the communication line and entered the code.
  The recipient was the encrypted line of his superior, the Colonel. It was a direct line.
  
  『──What is it?』
  
  A habitually grumpy voice. As soon as he heard a voice like a hoarse old man, the video was displayed after a pause. There was a bald, gigantic man dressed in a military uniform.
  It was Colonel Anferu.
  
  『What’s up, Lieutenant Commander?』
  “No, it’s eleven hours before the operation, but we’re about to enter a radio silence, so I thought I’d give you a brief report before that.”
  『What? You could have used the regular line for that.』
  “Well, that’s true, but I have something very confidential to discuss.”
  『What is it?』
  
  This is where it gets important. Focus, Shougo told himself.
  
  “It’s about the Planet Killer. I still think that using it against a single stolen new model is excessive, or rather……”
  『Listen, Lieutenant Commander. Leaving it alone will eventually cost us our lives. That Trismegistus will disrupt the balance of this world. Imagine the Rebel Army using something like that. Our position would be obliterated. That’s why we need to destroy it quickly.』
  “Y-yes…… But if we fire the Planet Killer at a civilian planet……”
  『We can make up any story. We can just say that the Rebel Army fired it in a fit of rage.』
  “Yes, that might be true, but…… the fact that we fired it will remain in the ship’s data……”
  『We’ll sink it.』
  “Huh?”
  『At the next rendezvous point, we’ll sink that ship. You can just escape on a shuttle or something. We’ll get rid of anyone who knows the truth.』
  “W-well, that’s……”
  
  Shougo’s heart skipped a beat. He almost coughed, and the shock was enough to make his heart jump out of his chest.
  What a terrifying thing to say.
  
  『Ah, is that what you want to say? About what happens before the rendezvous? You coward.』
  “Yes, I apologize.”
  『We can just silence them. In exchange for pinning the blame for the civilian massacre on the terrorists, they won’t be able to disobey any orders in the future. They’ll understand what will happen if they betray us, right? I’m sure most of them don’t want this to be made public, do they? A warship firing a Planet Killer at a civilian planet and committing a massacre? It would be sensational. Our New Balance’s reputation would be ruined, and I guarantee your families would become targets of criticism as well. So, what are you going to do? Hmm?』
  “……Understood. Then, as planned…… Colonel. One last thing.”
  『What is it? You’re asking a lot of questions today, aren’t you?』
  “I apologize. But I’m curious…… about the Trismegistus. What kind of new model is it?”
  『Ah, that. It’s incredible. I don’t know the technical details, but it can manipulate gravity and stuff. It can also manipulate the geomagnetic field and electrons, but I don’t know the specifics. But the Doctor said it can replace the Planet Killer on its own. It can even destroy entire fleets, but who knows how powerful it really is. However, I saw the test myself, and it shattered an asteroid, didn’t it? I don’t care if you can defeat it head-on, but there’s also the matter of the data. Erase it all. That’s what the Planet Killer is for. Without a pilot, it’s just a piece of scrap metal.』
  “Something that powerful……”
  
  At the same time, Shougo wanted to scream.
  
  ‘I don’t know! I don’t know about those settings! What’s with those added superpowers!? Are you sure it’s in the right show?’
  
  『Besides, it can neutralize the Planet Killer. If that happens, the military balance will be disrupted. It’s not good if our one-hit k*ll weapon becomes useless.』
  ‘Oh, oh…… That’s some amazing classified information, isn’t it?’
  
  If it weren’t for this situation, he would have wanted to shout about the unexpected specs that would have made him feel like he’d gained something if he knew about them. But he couldn’t.
  
  『Anyway, destroy the Trismegistus at all costs. Got it?』
  “Yes…… Now, it’s about time for the radio silence……”
  
  With that, Shougo ended the communication.
  He sighed and looked up for a while.
  One second, two seconds…… After looking up at the white ceiling for a full ten seconds, Shougo stood up and operated the console. He adjusted the microphone settings and slowly opened his mouth.
  
  “……That’s what he said, everyone. Let’s discuss on the b*idge whether there’s anyone who wants to follow the Colonel.”