Chapter 1

Every year, for some reason, when spring comes around, I seem to start imagining new stories, and this year, a new imagination has begun...

This is my fourth work, including the one published on Shousetsuka ni Narou and the works on Nocturne, but I couldn't hold back and decided to publish it. If you count the short story, this would be my fifth work, but excluding the short story, all of them are still in serialization. Currently, I am updating three works weekly, but if I take on more, it will become a burden...

I fully understand that it will only lead to self-destruction, so for this work, I have adopted a new method. I will complete the index on a chapter-by-chapter basis and update daily. Therefore, I will update the 17 episodes of Chapter 1 consecutively, but there will be a gap until the next chapter is ready. If you are okay with that, please enjoy it.

Humans are creatures of deep karma. No matter what era it is, people never stop fighting. A certain historian has even said that history is nothing more than a record of human conflicts.

From the time when people wielded stones and sticks, weapons have never stopped evolving. The places of conflict have also expanded from land to sea, then to the depths of the ocean, and into the sky, eventually extending beyond the planet where humans were born and into the vast universe.

There have been several movements to stop the fighting, and rules have been made to minimize the brutality of conflicts, but they were ultimately like pouring water on a burning stone.

And even now...

Even after nearly 2000 years since humans left their home planet, the fighting has not stopped.

In the history of such a relentless human race, it is unbelievable, but just 200 years ago, there was a peaceful era that could be called a miracle of history. A great empire unified the vast universe, and for a brief moment, there was an era without wars between countries. However, when countries were forcibly united, the distortions only became the source of future conflicts. People eventually began to fight again, and even more brutally.

Perhaps future generations will call this era the Age of Cosmic Turmoil. And even now, people continue to kill each other without rest.

Here, there is a young man. He, too, cannot escape the fate of his time and is caught in the midst of conflict. He is now facing a critical and life-threatening situation.

He is in the hangar of a space destroyer floating in the vastness of space.

"Of course, they were lying in wait."

The young man muttered to himself and then calmly analyzed his situation.

His name is Naoto Bruce. He graduated from an elite officer training school on the capital planet Diamond just two weeks ago and was supposed to turn 21 tomorrow.

Currently, he is a squad leader in the Capital Space Guard, known as the Coast Guard by the people of this country.

Just a moment ago, he received orders from his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Dusty, the captain of the space frigate "Akeshi," to suppress space pirates. The higher-ups of the Coast Guard in this region, recognizing their disadvantageous position, decided to retreat at a speed exceeding the speed of light. To ensure the safety of the fleet, they ordered the space frigate "Akeshi" to act as the rearguard and quickly retreated themselves. The captain of the space frigate "Akeshi" had no intention of being used as a sacrificial pawn for such irresponsible superiors and, for his own safety, issued the following order to Naoto, who had just been assigned a few days ago:

"Board the enemy ship with the internal fireboat and suppress the pirates."

Anyone would think it was an impossible task, but without any hesitation, Naoto led about 30 of his subordinates, operated the internal fireboat under his command, and boarded the destroyer at the rear of the pirate fleet.

Naturally, the pirates were waiting for Naoto and his team at the entrance of the hangar.

Naoto's current opponent is the pirate group led by Carbone, which is part of the famous "Hishiyama Family," known for their formidable strength in this region. The total strength of the "Hishiyama Family" is equivalent to half a regular fleet of a country. In this era, even a country with above-average power can have at most two fleets. Larger countries may have a bit more, but many cannot have more than that. This kingdom, for example, has only two regular fleets. Considering this, it is clear how formidable the strength of the "Hishiyama Family" is. While there are no precise statistics, it is said that the "Hishiyama Family" is the largest pirate group in the entire universe.

Even with the full strength of the Coast Guard, they would be no match for the "Hishiyama Family," and a regular space fleet would be required. However, this time, it was only a part of their force, so the Coast Guard came to suppress the pirates.

However, when they faced the pirates, Carbone alone was a formidable opponent, and the on-site commander, recognizing the disadvantage, quickly chose to retreat, leading to a tragic outcome.

However, the pirates are pirates. They do not necessarily have to fight against official forces. The pirate profession is full of danger, so they are inherently cowardly. If they see even a slight disadvantage, they will not hesitate to flee. They are even willing to use their fellow pirates as decoys to escape.

In this case, the pirates also chose to flee when they saw an equal force. The pirates' strategy is nothing but cowardly. They sacrificed an old, dilapidated ship to quickly escape. Naoto, unaware of this, boarded the ship. Seeing the Coast Guard's response, the pirates decided to confront Naoto to ensure their safe escape and waited inside the ship.

Why don't the armed ships in this region use their weapons, such as laser cannons, to fight each other? This is because this region is in a special situation. In detail, I will explain later, but here, all radar and similar devices are useless. Additionally, laser weapons cannot be used. This applies not only to the region but also to the ships within it. This kind of situation is common in various regions, so even with the advanced technology of this era, old-fashioned combat methods are effective. In this case, the battle will be a close-quarters combat on board the ship. Since even personal laser guns cannot be used, it will be a battle of strength using axes.

The pirates are fully armed with power suits and battle axes, reminiscent of the pre-age of sail. This is the standard equipment of this era, and they are ready to confront Naoto with this gear. Naoto and his team of about 30 people, all women, are about to jump into a place where about 100 such rough men are waiting.

It is a truly desperate situation. Naoto's team consists of about 30 soldiers, all women. This personnel assignment was influenced by various considerations of the Coast Guard, but Naoto is the captain responsible for their lives.

In a situation where most would despair, for Naoto, this is the moment he has been waiting for.

"Without worrying about me, run. I will hold them off. You must survive and return. This is my order. Go!"

Naoto immediately ordered his subordinates to leave the scene.

A deeply rooted "middle school second-year syndrome" in Naoto whispered to him. "Hm, it's decided. This is the perfect moment. This is what a hero is. Risking my life to protect my subordinates. This is the best way for a man to die. Hahaha..." The line he just said was one he had been thinking about for a year.

He had always longed for death due to a deep wound in his heart. Joining the military was his way of seeking death in battle since he couldn't commit suicide. However, reality did not go as he had imagined. After a series of twists and turns, he was assigned to the Coast Guard just two weeks ago. Initially, he was quite disappointed and depressed, but the situation he now finds himself in is far from his expectations and has given him a chance to achieve his goal much sooner.

He was quite depressed when he was assigned to the Coast Guard, but in the end, it turned out to be for the best. The situation is unfolding almost exactly as he had hoped. Although it might seem insensitive, he was quite pleased.

Thank you for reading my clumsy work. I have thoroughly checked this work, but if you find any typos, please let me know. Also, your feedback on the work directly affects my motivation, so I would be very happy to receive it. I am a beginner, so I look forward to your evaluations.

By the way, I have already written up to 17 episodes of this work, so it will be difficult to make major changes to the story. If you have any feedback, I will try to incorporate it into the work as much as possible, but it will take some time. Please understand that it will be reflected in the subsequent chapters.

Additionally, I am currently publishing other works on Shousetsuka ni Narou. If you are interested, I would be grateful if you could enjoy them as well.

I am also publishing works of different genres on Nocturne, including reincarnation historical fiction, reincarnation military fiction (modern era?), and a bit of modern economic fiction with a hint of romance. I would be grateful if you could take a look.