Tiberius had no time to rest after the skirmish.
“If that was a destroyer, we must assume the main fleet knows our location. I’d love to examine the wreckage, but evacuation takes priority.”
Weltall’s judgment was sound.
Whether the enemy was unmanned or not, an attacker would’ve relayed their position.
Worse, Tiberius couldn’t warp away—they needed distance.
That’s precisely it is necessary to get away as quickly as possible. If the ship accelerate at maximum thrust, it won’t reach light speed… but it can achieve considerable velocity.
“Captain, I suggest launching decoys as a precaution when we depart.”
There are two types of decoys: one resembling a giant balloon and another made of metal chunks. The balloon type can inflate to nearly 100 meters in size, while the metal type is roughly the same size as a torpedo. Both are equipped with small propulsion systems and can generate a certain amount of heat, deliberately allowing them to be detected as heat sources.
“It won’t be much of a distraction, but…”
“No, it’s necessary. We’ll use everything available to us.”
After the battle ended, the exhaustion from tension seemed greater than expected. Except for Lillian and Weltall, everyone on the first bridge visibly looked pale. While there was also relief from being released from combat, the impact of mental fatigue on the body is immeasurable.
Debonair sat cross-legged in her seat, sobbing, clearly unable to perform her communication duties, while Cowen was in a state of complete exhaustion, utterly drained.
Normally, there would be at least some reprimand from a superior officer, but they weren’t officially military personnel yet, and in this situation, they were survivors and victims.
No one rebuked them for it.
Among them, the one who regained some energy and composure was Mirei.
“Um… may I offer a suggestion?”
Mirei timidly raised her hand.
Weltall acknowledged and encouraged her.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Well, if we just continue straight ahead, I think… the enemy will detect us. So, I believe we should partially change our course and deliberately take a roundabout route.”
“Hmm…”
“We could send one decoy straight ahead. Prepare another to take a wide detour. Then our ship could proceed between those two paths.”
“That’s probably our best option. Permission granted. Navigation Officer Mirei, can you calculate each course? If it’s too difficult, I can have someone replace you.”
“No, I can do it. But, to the third bridge…”
“Granted. Have one person from the third bridge’s navigation department take over… no, everyone except myself will be relieved.”
Weltall understood that their fatigue was greater than he had thought.
In this state of exhaustion, forcing them would only lead to more mistakes. Besides, they were currently cruising at maximum speed. That should be sufficient for making their escape.
“Wel, you should rest too.”
Richard, serving as the vice-captain, offered to take over, but Weltall shook his head with a wry smile.
“No, I was just sitting here giving permissions. Everyone else was doing the actual work. Arrange relief personnel and take breaks when appropriate. Food is necessary, and so is sleep. And… Stella, you should return to the hangar soon. I’ll hear the details from you later. Richard, sorry, but could you go with her? She’s, well, one of our heroes. Please look after her.”
“Understood. Shall we go, Stella?”
“E-excuse me… but could I have a moment before that?”
Richard extended his hand to Stella as if he were some prince, but she bowed slightly and hurried over to Lillian.
“I’ve been rejected.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Richard could only exchange wry smiles with Weltall as they faced each other.
As for Stella, she was at a loss for words after rushing over to Lillian.
“Um… well…”
“That was a good strategy. If you make it back alive, I might ask my father to recommend you for a good position.”
“Eh? Well, that’s…”
It seemed Stella had taken the joke more seriously than intended.
“Haha! It’s fine, there seems to be others who want you anyway. More importantly, never leave your post without permission. What was it called again? Right, Frim. You’ll get scolded by her again, you know?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“But I’ll remember. You’ll definitely make a good commander someday.”
Those words were genuine.
In fact, it would be problematic if she didn’t become one. Not just a commander, but a marshal.
“Well then. I need to take that girl with me.”
“Is something wrong?”
Lillian glanced at Debonair, who was crouching at the communications station.
Stella seemed to notice something as well and quickly averted her gaze. That was probably her way of showing kindness.
Afterward, Stella gave a small bow and left the bridge, escorted by Richard.
After seeing them off, Lillian decided to attend to her own duties.
“Come on, let’s go. You don’t want to stay until the relief personnel arrive, right?”
Though Debonair didn’t respond verbally, she nodded slightly and finally got up from her seat, letting Lillian lead her by the hand.
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Afterward, Lillian proceeded through the corridor without saying anything. Along the way, she caught a medical student who was rushing around dealing with those feeling unwell and obtained a thin blanket, which she draped over Debonair.
The condition of the ship’s interior was neither good nor bad. Though the battle had ended, a slight state of tension remained. Even so, the fact that many people could move relatively energetically might be because they were military academy students.
Still, some found it difficult to adapt to the situation and couldn’t move. In that context, Debonair was better off than most, at least able to walk while crying.
“Well, you should take a shower soon. Being selected as a squad leader means you have a private room, right?”
Debonair nodded. Though her face was tearful and her eyelids somewhat swollen, she seemed more embarrassed now, slightly turning her face away.
While moving to the living quarters, Debonair appeared a bit frightened, but others were too preoccupied to pay attention to them.
“Also, Imperial military uniforms are generally treated for that, so don’t worry about it.”
Lillian was deliberately vague about the “treatment” to avoid upsetting Debonair.
In battle situations, one often can’t leave their post for extended periods. Food can be handled with portable rations, but waste elimination is a different matter.
In that sense, all types of Imperial military clothing are fully equipped to handle such care, and that point is undoubtedly praiseworthy, perhaps even the greatest invention.
However, that’s something only experienced soldiers would say comfortably. For a girl who until recently was just a student, the shock would be greater.
“After showering, get some proper sleep. Even just closing your eyes would help. Get your own meals. You can manage that much, right?”
What seemed like a short journey to Lillian felt like an endless trek to Debonair, who finally reached her private room and rushed inside.
The automatic door closed with a whoosh.
But immediately, as if switched to manual control, the door opened slightly, and Debonair peeked out from inside.
“Thank you…”
Debonair expressed her gratitude in a small voice.
Lillian merely gave a small nod in return. As she turned to leave, Debonair called out to her again from behind.
“Hey! About… that thing, I’m sorry.”
“That thing?”
“You know, before the battle, that…”
Ah, Lillian remembered.
She must mean when she joined Mirei’s questioning.
“Well, it was the truth, so it’s fine, isn’t it? I don’t worry about such things. I understand how I’m perceived.”
“But… the atmosphere is different. You’re more…”
“Of course it is. I want to enjoy myself while I’m still a student, don’t I?”
It was an excuse she had just thought of.
She felt it was a weak excuse, but couldn’t think of a better one.
“Well then. I want to rest too.”
With that, Lillian finally left. Debonair looked like she wanted to say something more, but no words came.
Walking through the corridor toward her room,
(We’ve safely overcome the first battle.)
Lillian observed the students passing by and thought the situation wasn’t too bad.
(The real problem starts now. I’m afraid of what might happen when people start to feel comfortable due to battle victory and the passage of time. That’s how it was for me.)
As one gets used to the situation, they gain composure.
That composure can cause unnecessary problems.
There’s no guarantee someone else won’t repeat the foolish actions of her past self.
(Well… anything I say now won’t sink in, so I might as well rest.)
Upon reaching her room, Lillian removed all her clothing and headed straight for the shower room. Just for this moment, she could rest her body like in her carefree younger days.
Rest is also part of the job. After taking a lukewarm shower to wash away the sweat, Lillian changed into her underwear, put on a thin shirt, and sprawled out on the bed.
(Now… when was the next attack? Not immediately. There was some time in between. But I wonder why. They could have just attacked continuously. Was there some reason? Or… perhaps the enemy lacked resources at that time too?)
That part, no matter how much she thought about it, had no answer.
There’s no point in contemplating things without answers.
Lillian closed her eyes and focused on resting.
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