“Now that I think about it… they must have already written us off. We were only recovered because we survived.”
 
Though they had escaped in a lifeboat, they weren’t retrieved until after the battle. Looking back, she couldn’t shake the feeling they were used as decoys. At the time, she had managed to evade enemy pursuit with some godlike piloting skills, but… the more she remembered, the more embarrassed she felt.
 
At least that didn’t happen this time.
 
“Why was I such an idiot back then?”
 
Thinking too much about the past made her whole body crawl. So she tried … Read the rest

“Captain, detecting enemy warp distortion!”
 
A short-range warp. They’d likely emerge at the last possible distance to avoid collision.
 
A warp right into the heart of the enemy fleet—like in the simulation with Delan and Ares—was unthinkable for a manned vessel. Failure wouldn’t just mean a head-on crash; overlapping spatial coordinates would annihilate both ships.
 
That tactic only worked in simulations, with no lives at stake.
 
And the enemy destroyer last time was unmanned—that’s why it could pull off such reckless maneuvers and rapid short-range warps.
 
But what if the enemy was suicidal? The dark … Read the rest

Eleven remaining fighters launched simultaneously from Tiberius. Forming squads of five and six, they split left and right, taking up positions before entering standby.
 
Tiberius advanced, effectively leaving the fighters behind.
 
(But this is fine. The fighters will high-boost for two seconds, then hold at a distance. We’ll retrieve the scouts, exchange some fire, then fall back… Now, let’s see how you move, Horsehead Nebula Fleet.)
 
From the enemy’s point of view, the move must seem inexplicable.
 
Tiberius’ actions would seem erratic—almost incoherent.
 
“Long-range radar contact! Scouts detected!”
 
“Prepare for retrieval. The moment it’s done, inform Ares to begin the … Read the rest

The scout team had already begun their retreat from the sector.
 
If an anomaly occurred in Observation Drone No. 3, there was a 90% chance the enemy was present.
 
In that case, lingering there served no purpose. Their squadron consisted of five units, one of which was unarmed. No matter how agile their fighters were, lacking firepower made them useless. And they still didn’t know the enemy’s exact composition.
 
“Delan. Tell Albero—just fire all the space torpedoes they have left into Drone No. 3’s sector. But set them for timed detonations to maximize the shockwave spread. The … Read the rest

This [“surprise attack”] relied heavily on luck.
 
While recon was the stated goal, Lillian had weaponized a foolish memory from her past.
 
The area Delan’s team scouted was where she’d once fled in an escape pod.
 
She’d kept this hidden, feeding Navigation Chief Mirei a plausible lie about “Tiberius detecting threats along this course” to set the route.
 
Whether the enemy still lurked there was unknown. The arrangement may change just as history changes.
 
But no matter—no recon was wasted. If the zone was clear, it became an escape route.
 
(Spies aboard Tiberius or not, it changes nothing. If they … Read the rest

 
“Plotting something again?”
 
“N-no! The maintenance team had something to discuss, so I came to—”
 
Stella’s eyes darted around, pleading for backup.
 
“Fine. I’ll hear you out. But keep your voice down.”
 
“Sorry… Anyway, here’s the thing—”
 
After a quick bow to the others, Stella turned to Lillian and launched into her pitch.
 
“She’s way too carefree, isn’t she?”
 
Debonair watched, baffled.
 
“Always like this…”
 
Frim buried her face in her hands.
 
Ignoring them, Stella pressed on.
 
“So, the fighter corps and I had a meeting. We think … Read the rest

“Still, it’s not heading in a bad direction. Not a dramatically good one either. Just… slightly better, I guess.”
 
The provisional disciplinary rules within the ship seemed to be working—at least to some extent. The students were trying to behave themselves.
 
A big reason for that was probably the example set by Cowen, the class clown. He had run himself into near unconsciousness with a punishment marathon. It had demonstrated how serious the consequences really were.
 
“A spacewalk with just one hour of oxygen and a single tether isn’t exactly a joke… But hey, if someone really does something dangerous, … Read the rest

“Relax, if you’d like. Something to drink? Though all I have here is coffee.”
 
The location was the captain’s quarters—temporarily assigned to Acting Captain Weltall.
 
Though used for training, Tiberius was a battleship designed for combat. The captain’s room was spacious and comfortable.
 
“Is this a date invitation?”
 
They were alone together.
 
But the current Lillian knew better. Still, she teased him lightly—only to receive an unexpected reaction.
 
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
 
Weltall let out a small snort, displaying a boyish demeanor rarely seen in his past life.
 
(Well, that’s unexpected.)
 
She found the thought genuinely amusing.
 
“Mmm. No, nothing like … Read the rest

Chapter 5: Surprise attack

Three full days had passed since they sank the enemy destroyer. To avoid losing track of time, the spaceship adjusted its lighting to match Earth’s day-night cycle. When night fell, the lights dimmed; when morning came, they brightened along with music.
 
Just three days. Yet even that short span was enough to ease the tension and allow some breathing room. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. A moderate amount of tension might be necessary, but humans fundamentally crave relaxation. And considering efficiency, this was for the better.
 
Moreover, Weltall had fully opened recreational facilities. … Read the rest

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 … Read the rest