I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 61

Chapter 61: The Easiest Way To Calm Down a Rambunctious Child Is To Play With Them, Even if It’s on a Battlefield
  Even if the last Planet Killer ended up being a dud, Shougo wasn’t worried. He had expected as much and hadn’t held out much hope.
  Things don’t always go smoothly. Rather, because things have been going too well up until now, there comes a time when you have to pay the price somewhere.
  If you have that kind of mindset, you can accept even when a troublesome development is approaching.
  Ideally, he would have liked a few ships to be caught in the explosion, but even that seems to have been too much to ask for.
  
  “Have you come, Goetia……!”
  
  As if protecting Babel and the fleet, the jet-black machine held its staff aloft.
  It was like an ancient war commander, or a king. Its form, which didn’t look like a combat weapon at all, made such theatrical gestures look good.
  But this wasn’t the time to be admiring it.
  The enemy had done something outrageous.
  
  “The enemy’s main fleet is concentrating!”
  
  How many times had Clart screamed like that now?
  Shougo understood why he was screaming. Even Shougo couldn’t help but gasp at the sight that unfolded before him.
  Whether due to some effect or another, the New Balance fleet, which had been scattered everywhere, had been gathered into a dense formation due to the large-scale warp that Goetia had performed.
  However, the Rebel Army was also emerging from behind the fortress base and assembling. The situation had become one where they were facing each other like a fleet battle from the old days, but the Rebel Army understood that if they engaged in such a battle, their defeat would be certain.
  The difference in numbers was obvious, and they had no intention of engaging in a head-on battle.
  Moreover, the moment Goetia appeared, the Mirandora squadron easily turned tail and began to retreat.
  
  “Fall back, fall back! There’s no need to engage them head-on!”
  
  Rather, Shougo saw this situation as an opportunity.
  If the enemy took up a cramped formation again, it would actually save them trouble.
  From their perspective, they probably thought that Goetia’s actions had allowed them to establish a strong defense, but from the perspective of Shougo and the others, who had no intention of engaging in a proper fleet battle in the first place, it was more convenient for them to be in a formation that lacked maneuverability.
  Rather, thanks to that, it was easier to retreat, and they could use the fortress base as a shield again.
  The situation was back to square one.
  
  “Are all ships operating normally!?”
  
  Shougo was almost obsessively checking the control systems.
  He was somewhat relieved to realize, from the information flying around, that their fleet was still intact.
  This was because the retreat was also meant to prevent influence from Goetia.
  It might be possible to make the fleet charge and break through from the inside, like they had done before, but the enemy wouldn’t allow them to do that twice, and above all, he was most afraid of Goetia seizing control of their ships.
  Right now, only the Trismegistus and the old fighter squadron could counter that.
  And even then, they weren’t ready yet.
  If he pushed those two to the front now, they would succumb to the pressure of the fleet before Goetia.
  
  Like waves crashing and receding. It wasn’t a regular army battle at all.
  There was a sort of unspoken understanding among the military that if the fleets gathered, it would transition into a major decisive battle.
  However, the Rebel Army wouldn’t play along. As if their initial fierce attack had been a lie, they maintained a distance, neither approaching nor withdrawing, and repeated annoying bombardments.
  Moreover, these attacks wouldn’t reach them, but they couldn’t be ignored either, so they ended up having to deal with them.
  
  Furthermore, it seemed foolish to split up the fleet that had finally assembled.
  But when they saw the fortress base looming before them, some ships began to disrupt the formation.
  And then there was the presence of the Babel, a huge cannon, behind them. To escape its influence, they had to break formation and secure a line of fire.
  Then, as if reading the emotions of the New Balance officers, the fleet began to advance, albeit in a distorted manner.
  While deploying barriers, ships sporadically moved forward. It was a movement that showed no sense of tactics or strategy.
  However, that irregular movement, in turn, gave the Rebel Army a chance to think.
  
  “A suicide attack!?”
  
  Shougo realized that the fleet’s movements weren’t based on human judgment.
  Otherwise, there would be no sign of agitation in the enemy fleet’s movements. Battleships and cruisers equipped with barriers were protruding, and the escorting destroyers and missile ships were lagging behind.
  Furthermore, he could see the main fleet positioned in the rear scattering in all directions as they watched the shields move on their own.
  That’s why Shougo sensed that it wasn’t a movement of raw emotions arising from the confusion of humans.
  
  “Goetia!?”
  
  The reasoning was simple, if anything.
  
  “The enemy fleet is charging straight at us!”
  “Don’t get hit! If you attack and calmly observe their trajectory, you should be able to avoid them!”
  
  The inorganic suicide attack was eerie, but its movements were monotonous.
  It should have been easy to avoid, but Shougo also noticed at that moment that the movements of the other ships were sluggish.
  This was most noticeable in the movements of Janet’s fleet. Her ships were clearly moving erratically, bobbing up and down.
  The ship Janet commanded also had a weak main booster light, and its sub-boosters were firing irregularly.
  
  “No way……! Janet, has your control been taken!?”
  
  Even if it had, it was too soon.
  
  『My ship is still…… somehow……!? But if this continues……!』
  “The enemy might be using their battleships as relay bases!”
  
  There was no time to confirm whether Kes’s guess was correct.
  Janet’s fleet was clearly lagging behind in the retreat, and some ships were being forced into close proximity with the approaching enemy.
  An exchange of fire between battleships within a ten-kilometer radius would generate tremendous plasma.
  
  “Damn! We can’t really talk about how they use their allies, but……!”
  『Captain! We’ll hold back Goetia! That’s all we can do!』
  
  Mark’s shout echoed through the bridge.
  Mark and the fighter squadron, having finished resupplying, were requesting to sortie again.
  They were so eager that it seemed like they would blow up the hangar and take off even if they weren’t allowed.
  
  “Can you do it!?”
  
  The situation was clearly dangerous.
  
  『We’ll die if we don’t. We can’t just send a single kid out there alone!』
  “But…… no, please, I’m sorry!”
  『Don’t apologize. You’re in command. I’ll listen to whatever you say. Let’s go! Open the hatch!』
  
  Mark said that and cut off the communication.
  Shougo, while authorizing their sortie, deployed the barrier and headed to support Janet’s fleet.
  There was a risk that the Mirandora’s control would be seized, but it was a calculated move, anticipating that the Trismegistus and the fighter squadron would hold back Goetia.
  The plan had gone quite awry, but that’s what battlefields were like. Those who couldn’t adapt would die.
  Besides, although it was taking time, the fortress base was also approaching, and the attacks from the Rebel fleet accompanying it were intensifying.
  They had no choice but to push forward.
  
  “It’s turned into a chaotic battle……! But the Mirandora is more maneuverable in that kind of situation……!”
  
  While making such excuses, Shougo prioritized switching his mindset.
  They could no longer adopt hit-and-run tactics. If that was the case, all they could do was move forward. The enemy was divided between ships controlled by Goetia and those that weren’t, and that was further messing up their chain of command.
  Furthermore, there was the fortress base approaching from the front like a meteorite, and the Babel ominously charging energy in the rear. Fear swirled on the battlefield.
  
  “Don’t tell me they’re planning to reduce the number of humans on both sides here.”
  
  The movements of the fleets displayed on the main monitor seemed completely random.
  
  “……It’s like a child scribbling all over the place.”
  
  He suddenly thought of that.
  
  ***
  
  “Anish-chan, stay close. If you get even a little bit away, my protection might not work.”
  
  Yuuki was also starting to understand the situation.
  It wasn’t going according to the original plan, but the Trismegistus would hold back Goetia as it was. He could confirm from the signal that Mark’s fighter squadron was approaching from behind, and thanks to the forced link between Anish-chan’s machine and his, she shouldn’t suddenly be manipulated like before, but he should have been more careful.
  Besides, Goetia wasn’t the only enemy.
  Whether they were being controlled or acting on their own free will, he could see multiple enemy machines approaching.
  
  “Sorry, but I can’t afford to hold back, you know!”
  
  While launching missiles, Yuuki glared at Goetia, who was still waving his staff and manipulating the battlefield as if it were his own.
  The missiles had their effect, shooting down enemy Rabi Reivus and pushing others away with the explosions.
  At the same time, the Trismegistus’ beam pierced the engine of a convenient cruiser, and it repeatedly approached, using the cruiser as a shield.
  The ships that had their engines destroyed, became immobile, and turned into debris became convenient footholds, shields, and aided their movements.
  Even so, the sight of them continuing to advance with their sub-boosters was like zombies, and seemed to illustrate Goetia’s ruthlessness.
  
  “That guy. Having fun.”
  
  Thoth shouted.
  
  “Having fun!?”
  “Machine, control, fun thing, because! Own, power, use fully! Thoth, too, was like that!”
  “You’re saying that humans and machines have different ways of having fun!”
  “That’s right! For that guy, war, game! Control, game!”
  “That kind of playing is a nuisance to others!”
  
  Yuuki shot down a Rabi Reivu that was making a reckless charge.
  Then, he saw several shadows overtaking them. It was Mark and the fighter squadron.
  They charged towards Goetia like a single spear. Maximum acceleration. They scattered missiles and fired their machine guns appropriately.
  They pushed aside the enemies blocking their path. Mark and the others then deliberately turned their machines around and took a wide arc to distance themselves.
  Hit-and-run tactics were the basics of space combat and fighter combat.
  It was extremely difficult to recapture fighters that were focused on evading.
  “They provided cover……! Let’s charge!”
  
  Yuuki accelerated towards the path leading to Goetia, equipping the Trismegistus’ right hand with an electromagnetic wire made of energy tubes and its left hand with a net launcher.
  Anish-chan’s machine, equipped with a bazooka and a lance, followed behind, and Mark and the fighter squadron again took up close escort around them.