Mob No. 138: [“But I don’t hate it. Changing the tide of battle has always been the job of big damn fools (heroes) anyway!”]
The battle in the Neott sector, ignited by the enemy commander’s rage, could only be described as brutal and chaotic.
Our mercenary guild’s Yttz branch, operating under the command of the 4th Fleet, initially found itself in a tangled mess of allied and enemy fighters—so dense that even with functioning IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) systems, it was impossible to tell who was who at a glance.
But as fleet fire whittled down the numbers, both sides began holding back to avoid hitting their own, making full-scale combat impossible.
When we tried to pull our fighters back or scatter them, the enemy would swarm the gap, forcing us to hastily regroup—a frustrating stalemate that left both sides locked in a vicious cycle.
To break it, we’d either need to push forward as one or send a small force to disrupt the enemy’s rear. But since both sides knew this, defenses were tight, making the whole affair a tedious headache.
This back-and-forth had been dragging on for over an hour.
The 5th and 7th Fleets, though facing similar conditions, were holding the upper hand, while the 6th Fleet was slightly on the defensive.
Then, an open comms channel crackled to life:
[“You spineless Imperial dogs! If you’ve got the guts, come and face me—Sharla Atvère, the No. 1 pilot of the Nekirelma Star Kingdom!”]
A woman’s voice, delivering a textbook taunt aimed squarely at the 4th Fleet.
Sure, it was an attempt to shake up the stalemate, but no one with half a brain would fall for it.
The enemy probably didn’t expect it to work either.
Yet—
[“Oh, I’ll take you up on that!”]
Someone did take the bait.
Tenon Karalema and her crew.
Charging headfirst into an obvious trap was beyond reckless, but luckily for them, Rosweisse—fed up with the stalemate—joined the charge.
For Rosweisse, this sluggish battle must’ve been unbearable. She’d clearly hit her limit.
Thanks to that, the battlefield finally began to shift.
☆☆☆
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[Side: Nekirelma Star Kingdom Military]
Among the Nekirelma Star Kingdom’s fighter squadrons, one unit stood above the rest—the so-called “Platinum Unit” by the Empire, their fighters adorned with white hulls and a single golden wing. This was the [156th Fighter Squadron—aka “The Golden Wing”], the kingdom’s undisputed elite.
And at its helm was her—Sharla Atvère, the kingdom’s strongest pilot, a woman whose solo achievements defied belief.
Frustrated by the stagnant battle, she opened a comms channel
[“You spineless Imperial dogs! If you’ve got the guts, come and face me—Sharla Atvère, the No. 1 pilot of the Nekirelma Star Kingdom!”]
and delivered that clichéd taunt
[“What’s she thinking? Trying to get court-martialed?”]
Cassandra Lilisha, her short-haired blonde subordinate, grimaced at her commander’s antics.
[“Eh, the stalemate’s got everyone itching for action. Can’t blame her for tossing out a taunt,”]
said Geils Schneider, the pompadour-sporting man, shrugging.
[“Still, no one’s dumb enough to fall for that. At best, they’ll just—oh. Guess they are pissed off.”]
Karlton Lennartz, the scarred man, nodded solemnly as enemy fighters surged toward them.
[“Looks like they’ve got a few hotheads of their own,”]
remarked Jack Tridal, the lanky man, watching the approaching fighters with a wry smile.
[“But I don’t hate it. Changing the tide of battle has always been the job of big damn fools anyway!”]
With that, Jack throttled up and shot toward the enemy.
Three wingmen followed—leaving their commander behind.
[“Hey! You bastards! Where do you think you’re going without your captain!?”]
Atvère flusteredly tried to call them back.
[“Just intercepting the idiots who took your bait, Commander. You are the No. 1 pilot—you’ll be fine alone, right?”]
Her squad dodged her reprimand with ease, even teasing her.
[“O-Of course! That’s why I’m No. 1!”]
Rising to the challenge,
[“I’ll handle that winged one ! The rest are yours!”]
she pointed at an approaching fighter—silver with lime-green stripes.
[“That ‘winged one’ is their ace, apparently. But I’ll swat her down easy!”]
Sharla Atvère had absolute confidence.
As the daughter of House Atvère—a lineage of prodigies that has produced outstanding individuals in various fields for generations
she’d aced the military academy and now stood as the kingdom’s top pilot. No one dared question her taunt because no one could match her.
Certain of victory, she charged—
only for her vision to blur as a white light engulfed her fighter.
☆☆☆
[Side: Tenon Karalema]
One down already? That’s my “Winged Helmet” for you!
I can’t fall behind either!
Then again, these are the same losers who couldn’t take me four-on-one last time. Easy pickings!
[“Team! They’re weaklings—let’s mop them up and cause some chaos!”]
[[[[[“Roger that!”]]]]]
My mercenary pals weren’t quite as skilled as me, but they were no pushovers. No way they’d lose to these clowns.
Wish Shiora were here, but hey, personal choices and all.
Once we crush these guys and throw the enemy into disarray, my promotion to Bishop rank is guaranteed!
As we closed in, the enemy suddenly scattered.”Running scared already?”
Then—one of my allies exploded.
The “scattered” enemies had reversed course and attacked.
What the—?
Last time, these four couldn’t land a single hit on me! How are they tagging us now!?
Wait—maybe the one I killed was just weak. Or a different pilot’s in that same fighter now!
Even so, no way I’m losing!
I throttled up to gain distance, then wheeled around to counterattack,
locking onto one fighter and firing.
My beam should’ve hit—but the enemy slipped past it and vanished.
I jerked the throttle to evade—
—only for my hull to shudder. The ejection system’s alarm blared— —then everything went black.
★★★
Thanks to Karalema’s crew and Rosweisse taking the bait and charging in:
—Karalema’s 11 fighters fell to the Platinum Unit’s 4.
—Rosweisse instantly obliterated one Platinum fighter before assaulting the enemy fleet, finally breaking the deadlock.
[“All ships, advance while firing! We’re breaking through!”]
Admiral Veskores wouldn’t waste this chance. The order went out fleetwide.
Our fighters surged forward—but the Platinum Unit still had four left. This wouldn’t be easy.
Well, time to steel myself.
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