Chapter 42

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When interstellar nations go to war, hundreds of millions of people are mobilized.

The number of warships prepared is in the millions.

The scale is so vast that even generals cannot grasp the entire situation in a war between interstellar nations.

If it were a war between nobles within a nation, the scale would be smaller and a resolution easier to find.

However, wars with foreign nations were often difficult to end properly.

Sometimes wars would last for decades, and during that time, both countries would become exhausted and collapse from within—there were even cases where the reason for the war disappeared by the time they realized it.

Even when there was a clear winner, it was often the case that both sides were left exhausted.

Therefore, interstellar nations usually try to resolve conflicts with small-scale skirmishes.

In the briefing room for the mobile knight unit in Merea, the pilots were gathered.

Emma, standing in front of the screen, was relaying the orders from the central command regarding Merea's future.

The central command—located on Hydra, the home planet of the Banfield family—was the military headquarters.

Emma, experiencing her first external war, was nervous but tried to maintain a calm demeanor in front of her subordinates.

She calmly stated the contents of the order.

"Merea, a technical test unit, will be integrated into the Banfield family's guerrilla fleet. The fleet is expected to be in the hundreds, but the exact number will not be confirmed until we arrive on site."

Kurimoto, a lieutenant, crossed his arms, his expression as usual, but he seemed slightly irritated.

"The order is rather vague. Can we assume that the central command is in a panic?"

Could it be that the Banfield family's mobilization for the external war was so sudden that the organization was not ready? Aine's question caused a stir among the others.

If they were just being gathered to make up the numbers, it was uncertain how they would be treated on the battlefield.

To prevent unease from spreading among the unit, Emma deliberately took a cold attitude.

"Unknown. Lieutenant Kurimoto, please refrain from speculation."

Aine adjusted his glasses with his right middle finger, sizing Emma up.

"…I apologize, Captain."

Beside Aine, Rick, who had his hands clasped behind his head, leaned back in his chair, balancing it skillfully.

"Besides, we're a technical test unit, not a combat unit, right? I'd appreciate it if we could be spared from actual combat."

Emma gave Rick a stern look.

"Merea will participate in combat if deemed necessary. Originally, your development team agreed to this."

When the team was assigned to Merea, the situation was explained to the development team.

Rick scratched his cheek with his fingertips, looking troubled.

"Well, we were expecting small-scale battles against space pirates. We didn't expect to be caught up in such a large-scale war."

Emma silently agreed with this.

(I didn't expect an external war either. But if we're ordered to participate, we have no choice but to follow.)

Hiding her thoughts, Emma took a strict stance with Rick.

"None of us can predict the future."

Rick clapped his hands dramatically, seemingly pleased with Emma's response.

"That's true, Captain! You got me there."

The other pilots were exasperated by Rick's cheerful attitude.

Lally, who seemed to have a grudge against Rick and the knights, raised his hand to speak.

"Captain, may I ask a question?"

"What is it, Lieutenant Lally?"

"I understand we're being assigned to the guerrilla fleet, but what will our mission be?"

Lally's question reflected the concerns of the others, and the pilots in the briefing room turned their attention to Emma.

Emma took a few seconds to respond.

The reason was simple.

"…Unknown."

There had been no instructions from the central command.

Dissatisfied with Emma's answer, Aine spoke up.

"What do you mean by 'unknown'? If we're being assigned to the guerrilla fleet, there must be a reason. Hasn't there been any communication from the central command?"

Emma, feeling the pressure from her dissatisfied subordinates, lost her composure and raised her voice.

"B-because! We were just told to gather, and no other orders have been given! I checked, and the central command insisted we follow the on-site instructions!"

As Emma's facade crumbled, the pilots began to voice their concerns.

"This is ridiculous, you're the squadron leader! Get a grip!"

"See, I told you it was too early for a girl like her."

"I'm starting to feel uneasy about fighting under the current squadron leader."

Emma shouted at her subordinates.

"Quiet! We will follow the central command's orders. Everyone, prepare your mobile knights for deployment. That's all!"

As Emma forcibly ended the briefing, Aine and the Valona team stood up.

Aine gave Emma a harsh look.

"I had heard you were a capable knight, but you're not as good as the rumors suggested."

A pilot from the Valona team confirmed with Aine.

"We are in the evaluation phase, so we can refuse to participate, Captain."

Aine shook his head.

"We can refuse to participate, but we can't leave the ship. We can't just sit and watch on the battlefield. —But we will fight according to our own judgment."

As the Valona team left the briefing room, the pilots who had been on Merea longer looked disgruntled.

"Newcomers acting all high and mighty."

"Who's going to ask us to use the old models?"

Apparently annoyed by the Valona team's reaction, Rick also stood up.

"Sorry, but… my Armored Nevan is still in adjustment. It's not ready for immediate deployment, so please bear with us! I'll be off, then."

Rick left the briefing room as if fleeing.

Seeing the reactions of the new arrivals, Emma's face twitched.

If this were a regular unit, it would be a major problem, but Emma's team was a technical test unit.

The mobile knights they handled were assigned for technical testing, so forcing them to deploy would be futile if the development team refused.

Due to their special position, Emma found herself in a difficult situation.

Doug, who had been listening, sighed and propped his cheek with his hand.

"Few have experience in external wars. It's natural to find the central command's orders unusual, but at this scale, it's to be expected."

With the briefing over, Emma tilted her head and asked Doug.

"Have you had experience, Doug?"

"A long time ago. I was assigned, but luckily, I wasn't involved in any combat."

Hearing Doug's words, the veterans nodded nostalgically.

"The nearby battlefield was a hot zone, but we were left alone."

"We didn't know why we were gathered."

"The scale was so large that even the higher-ups couldn't grasp the whole situation. Apparently, both sides had amateur commanders, and it was a mess."

Lally put his hand to his forehead.

"What the hell? Is an external war that sloppy?"

Doug stood up and placed his hands on his hips.

"It depends on the higher-ups, but the scale is so large that it's impossible to grasp the whole situation. If you're lucky, you can return without doing anything."

Lally looked relieved.

"I was tense for nothing."

"Idiot."

However, the expressions of Doug and the veterans were grim.

"If you're unlucky, you'll be sent to a high-casualty hot zone, and everyone here could end up in the afterlife. Depending on the scale, you could be detained for years or decades. External wars are incredibly troublesome."

The chances of surviving for decades are not high.

Hearing this, Emma worried about the fate of her team, who were being thrown into this large-scale war.

(This is my first experience with a war of this scale, but I have to do my best to ensure this unit gets through it safely.)

◇

In space, the ships were lining up in front of the long-distance warp gate.

These were the Banfield family's ships heading to the battlefield with the Oxysean Union Kingdom.

Merea was also waiting in line, and in the bridge, Tim was yawning.

"Our lord loves war to the point of being annoying. If he didn't come to the front lines, we could call him a coward for staying in the rear."

Unfortunately, the current head of the Banfield family was a strong warrior who had participated in many battles.

An operator turned to look at Tim, slightly confused.

"Commander, a small craft is requesting to dock with Merea."

"At a time like this, who could it be?"

Tim stood up and, with a burst of energy, flew to the operator's station.

The bridge was in a zero-gravity state.

Tim had not been informed about any small craft.

"Is it a lost soul seeking help?"

The operator, who had been communicating with the small craft, looked surprised.

"They say they are personnel dispatched from the fleet's headquarters and need to be received."

"Headquarters?"

Tim confirmed the order and found that they were indeed instructed to receive personnel dispatched from the Banfield family's fleet headquarters.

"Why are additional personnel being sent now?"

The operator was also confused.

"I don't know."

Since they had to follow the order from the fleet headquarters, Tim decided to prepare for the reception of the small craft.

"Anyway, receive the small craft. Tell our people to behave. Now, I wonder who has been dispatched—!?"

When Tim checked the additional personnel, he was surprised to find that the name was "Captain Allison Baker."

If it were just the same last name, he wouldn't have been surprised, but her face closely resembled his wife's.

Checking her information, he found that her father's name was the same as his grandson's.

"Could it be… that this is happening?"

Tim took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.

Captain Allison Baker… she was Tim's great-granddaughter.

The first volume of "Fairy Bullet - The Mechanized Maiden and the Beast Soldier" is scheduled for release on October 19th. A prototype version is being serialized on Shousetsuka ni Narou. You can find it by tapping the author's name or searching for "Fairy Bullet." If you're curious about the work, please check it out.