I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Single Flower Blooming Ephemerally in Space is Romantic, But I Don’t Want to Become One
[space_man][space_man]Even after the smoke from the anti-beam defense explosives enveloped and dispersed the enemy ship’s beam, the undiffused impact of the beam struck their battleship. A sound like a crack echoed deep in his stomach, but Jowain’s knowledge seemed to be screaming that this level of damage was nothing.
[space_man][space_man]It’s a battleship, after all, even if it’s a bit worn out. It’s protected by thick armor. As long as the explosives that reduce the power of the beam are functioning, it will only take damage equivalent to being hit by pebbles.
[space_man][space_man]However, the knowledge that these explosives will only last a few minutes also comes flooding in. Moreover, they are quite valuable. If they are overused, it will be troublesome in later battles.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”W-we’re finally in actual combat…… I-I have to command, don’t I?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He muttered involuntarily. Fortunately, his murmuring was drowned out by the other roaring sounds and couldn’t be heard.
[space_man][space_man]If possible, he wished they could avoid fighting.
[space_man][space_man]But it was bound to happen eventually.
[space_man][space_man]He braces himself. Even though he had decided to do this, scary things are still scary. However, there’s no point in saying that now.
[space_man][space_man]The battle has already begun.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Alright, everyone. Here, we sever ties with the current New Balance. Survive, survive, and leave your names as true heroes. Justice is on our side. Survive, no matter what, survive! If we don’t get through this, there’s no future for us!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo shouted, as if to shake off his fear and confusion.
[space_man][space_man]The Mirandora completed a rapid turn and transitioned to an intercepting maneuver while retreating. Even when the battleship made a 180-degree turn, he didn’t feel much G-force. He couldn’t help but admire the technology of the anime and the future world.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”All main cannons, missiles, fire at will! Teurugia squad, deliver the armed container to Lieutenant Mark and then follow his instructions! Main cannons, don’t hit our allies!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Survive. Fight to survive. Become part of the Rebel Army to survive.
[space_man][space_man]If that’s the case, then this was inevitable. But when it actually happens in front of him, scary things are still scary. He really wants to run away, but he can’t. He can’t escape. Then, all he can do is fight.
[space_man][space_man]Jowain was a military man. Shougo, who inherited his body and knowledge, also has the bare minimum. The problem is that he lacks the experience to know when to apply it, but he has to manage that part somehow.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『L-Lieutenant Commander Jowain! What in the world is going on?』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Despite the situation, Adamant’s bewildered voice echoed from a separate monitor.
[space_man][space_man]Although it was annoying, this was necessary. It was the quickest way to convey the situation to him.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”What’s going on is, this is my answer! Because I’m a traitor! I’ve been eliminated!”
[space_man][space_man]『What!? A-are you planning to drag us into this!?』
[space_man][space_man]”What are you talking about!? What are you saying after drawing the Rebel Army in!? Just shut up and watch! If possible, I’d like some support too!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]This is truly a God’s-eye view. The viewer’s perspective.
[space_man][space_man]The Rebel Army is hiding on Byblos. Shougo knows that this is not a suspicion but a fact. He also knows that there is a new model called Trismegistus there and that there is a scientist who is adjusting it.
[space_man][space_man]It’s reassuring to be able to act with conviction rather than suspicion.
[space_man][space_man]The rest depends on the actions of the Rebel Army in question.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Teurugia squad, engage in combat!”
[space_man][space_man]”All units, normal status.”
[space_man][space_man]”Enemy units, twelve, same number!”
[space_man][space_man]”Sharing gun camera information! Enemy Rabi Reivu is standard specification!”
[space_man][space_man]”Lieutenant Mark, armed container arrived! From now on, full authority is delegated to you. All operators, switch to support.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The situation is changing rapidly.
[space_man][space_man]Information footage from cameras mounted on each unit is randomly displayed on the sub-monitor. Each unit has its own operator. In this case, twelve units, twelve dedicated operators. The operators read the information from each part of the unit and report on remaining ammunition, damage status, propellant, etc., while also warning of enemy attacks that the pilots cannot handle.
[space_man][space_man]A battleship is essentially a giant information terminal, even more so than a mothership. If it is sunk, mobile weapons such as Teurugia will lose 80% of their performance. This is because they will not be able to receive any other support.
[space_man][space_man]”I see the light of the battlefield……!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It’s not the optical light of beams or the like. It’s the light of flames from explosives. If the abnormal situation of flames rising in outer space occurs right before his eyes, he can’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
[space_man][space_man]Because it’s outer space, the flames will disappear immediately once the combustion of the active oxygen and detonators inside the unit is over. Still, the feeling of light and flames was different.
[space_man][space_man]A flower that scatters as soon as it blooms. Was it in some anime or novel? He feels like he’s often seen space battles described that way. Shougo understood that now.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Inform the Teurugia squad. Draw the enemy units away. Lead them away, push them back, I don’t care how. Get them out of our ship’s firing axis quickly.”
[space_man][space_man]”Y-yes…… E-eh, the s-squad, sir!?”
[space_man][space_man]”That’s right!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]His subordinate cried out as if screaming.
[space_man][space_man]Because his order was saying something terrifying.
[space_man][space_man]In fact, placing mobile weapons between ships is actually using them as shields. If you place enemy units in front of you, it will obstruct enemy fire. You want to avoid killing your allies, friendly fire.
[space_man][space_man]However, Jowain in the original story was the kind of man who would ignore that and fire at his allies, and the hawkish faction of New Balance would do that kind of thing.
[space_man][space_man]Still, it’s the beginning of the battle. It’s still the stage of assessing the situation, and Shougo’s instructions were out of the ordinary. However, let me add that the person himself has no such intention.
[space_man][space_man]Shougo has his own strategy. If it fails, it’s over, but……
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Hurry up! And prepare to launch the Planet Killer!”
[space_man][space_man]”E-eh!? The Planet Killer, sir!?”
[space_man][space_man]”The best offense is a good defense. Besides, we need to show the Byblos side that we’re serious! We have three of them anyway, it won’t matter if we use one!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He is aware that he is killing people with his orders. However, it was also true that he didn’t have time to worry about that in such an abnormal situation.
[space_man][space_man]Or rather, the situation where he could leisurely worry about such things had long since passed.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Think about which is better: to wipe out the lives of millions of people on a civilian planet or to kill the enemy that has come to wipe us out, and the answer will be clear!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He knows he’s saying terrible things.
[space_man][space_man]At least he’s aware of it, which is an excuse.
[space_man][space_man]Shougo just doesn’t want to die. If they come to kill him, he will resist. Thoroughly. Because if he doesn’t, this character won’t survive.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Tell the Teurugia squad!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]***
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]When the instructions from Shougo…… Lieutenant Commander Jowain came through, Mark Casey burst out laughing.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ha, hahaha! Even though it’s his former allies, he’s going to hit them with the Planet Killer!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mark’s dedicated Teurugia pierced the fuselage of an enemy unit with its equipped lance, used it as a shield to block the machine gun fire from another unit, and destroyed the head and armed right hand with a counterattacking rifle. The enemy unit, having lost its combat ability, was shot down by sniper fire from the Mirandora squad behind it.
[space_man][space_man]He kicked away the pierced enemy unit, pulled out his lance, and aimed for his next prey.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Looks like you’re serious, Lieutenant Commander!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mark gave the order to each unit to follow the Lieutenant Commander’s instructions while skewering a new enemy unit.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I thought it was strange, strange when you said you were going to stage a coup, but I see, this is interesting. I thought you were a boring man, but……!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He’s a man who could be said to be completely different from the Lieutenant Commander Jowain he knew.
[space_man][space_man]Just when he thought he knew what he was going to say, he rebelled against the military and immediately ordered a ridiculous operation to fire a weapon of mass destruction at his former allies.
[space_man][space_man]If he had said he was going to fire it at a civilian planet or at us while we were fighting, he would have considered making him pay the price, but Mark found the current operation amusing.
[space_man][space_man]He understood that the man was that serious.
[space_man][space_man]He wasn’t very interested in the talk about correcting New Balance, but if he thought about being able to give that annoying Anferu a taste of his own medicine, there was no more amusing story than this.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Firing the Planet Killer at the military. It’s a perfect signal of defiance. Lieutenant Commander. Well, if the Colonel came to kill us, it’s only natural to return the favor.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]For Mark, as long as he could fight, that was all that mattered. However, he had shown a certain amount of loyalty to the military and had made contributions.
[space_man][space_man]He felt that he was being alienated by the top brass because of his personality, but he didn’t really care. Because he was producing results.
[space_man][space_man]But if his own army was going to try to eliminate them, it was only natural to resist.
[space_man][space_man]Because kindness is being repaid with enmity. There’s no need to show loyalty to such rude opponents.
[space_man][space_man]Besides, he was starting to look forward to what that Jowain guy would do next.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Lieutenant! Is the order from the Captain for real!?』
[space_man][space_man]”You idiot! The military has launched an unprovoked attack on us! That means the Captain, Lieutenant Commander’s words were true, right!? If you don’t want to die, get through this for now!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mark shouted at his allies on an open channel.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”If you don’t want to get caught up in the Planet Killer, follow the instructions! We’re rebels now! Hahaha!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He destroys another enemy unit that knows nothing.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Now, the question is, what and how far is that Lieutenant Commander reading? Even if it’s just improvisation, it’s fun, isn’t it?”