06 The Most Happy Nightmare 1

When does a person shed tears?

When the purpose that has defined their life is taken from them?

When comrades-in-arms are all destroyed?

Or when a fiancé is lost?

If one cannot weep at any of these moments, is there something missing in their humanity?

He questions himself in sleep.

And again, he sees the same dream.

The final time before loss.

The worst dream—the moment of total loss.

◆ ◆ ◆

“…Bored.”

Jin mutters inside the cockpit of his machine.

The greatest enemy of this mission is boredom.

A fleet of colonist vessels scattered across the galaxy.

Their task: escorting communication ships between the fleets.

That is their current assignment.

His face, ordinarily quite composed, now shows no trace of sharpness—slackened, lifeless.

He removes his helmet, runs a hand through his short hair, adjusting it briefly.

The universe is vast, after all.

Human habitation has expanded considerably, yet still occupies no more than 0.0x percent of the galaxy.

The enemy's range of habitation remains unknown, but the likelihood of encountering it is low.

If the main fleet were involved, with its large size and difficulty in evasion, that would be another matter. But for a supply vessel like this, they can navigate toward locations where enemies are unlikely to be.

Thus, for the past two decades or so.

Encounters with the enemy have totaled zero.

Yet they remain prepared, just in case.

They know preparation is necessary. Still, Jin felt himself being consumed by boredom.

"Hey, Commander. Since you're free, why don't you chat with me?"

『Jin… you really are something』

Eventually, driven by sheer boredom, he connects his communication to a cabin aboard a nearby supply vessel.

She, referred to as Commander, responds with a sigh.

『Shouldn't you be in standby mode right now? Why are you contacting me?』

『I already said— I'm bored.』

"Someone'll notice it's still on record. I don't care if I get yelled at later."

"Don't worry. I know how to erase it properly."

Making a peace sign toward the camera, the expression on the communication screen deepened into exasperation.

"…Honestly, you're impossible."

Rei slightly lowered her expression.

A gesture meant to conceal the faint smile tugging at her lips.

Her brown hair, neatly aligned at the shoulder, swayed slightly.

"Then you'll be furious if I get punished and my leave gets canceled over there, right?"

"...No, it's fine. It won't come to that."

He had learned this method of deleting communication logs from a habitual offender in command.

Such a person wouldn't suddenly raise a fuss over something a subordinate did.

"…You're really sure about this?"

A skeptical gaze. Jin quickly nodded.

Then it’s fine. It’s rare for Jin to be assigned to a different fleet. Your mother and the others are looking forward to seeing you.

I know. I’ll make sure to reserve that time.

She’s been excited about feeding you until you’re full.

Given Jin’s position in the Fleet Defense Corps, taking extended leave is difficult.

Traveling to another fleet is complicated by time constraints.

That’s why, for this mission, they hastily scheduled a meeting with Jin and Rei.

The reason—.

Hey, have you already discussed marriage? What was her reaction?

It was normal. My sister was quite surprised.

That’s right.

Rei Higashi. That’s what’s planned for half a year from now.

Actually, I’ve got something to surprise you with.

A skeptical glance.

Eh? Jin’s surprises are always bad for the heart— worry about that one.

"No, no, this time it’s fine! I’ve got something I want to hand over—"

The gift held close to the body. The firm texture of the case inside the pilot suit.

Jin’s words faltered as he tried to continue, confirming the sensation.

『Jin, this—』

"Rei. Put on the standard suit. Head to the evacuation capsule. Enemy contact."

Empty interstellar space. No stars.

Yet they are here.

『Spatial vibration detected. Estimated number… thirty! Overload! Six-two-six-zero-zero!』

"From behind."

Overload. A form of warp navigation used by humanity as well.

Supposedly based on quantum properties, though only a few physicists fully comprehend the theory.

Kotaro Higashi, assigned to the Third Colonial Fleet Defense Force. Unfortunately, not a scholar.

To them, it was merely a means of travel to distant places—nothing more was required.

"Siegfried Squadron. Commencing launch sequence. Following that, Brünnhilde Squadron, prepare for launch."

Jin's squadron was first in line.

Naturally, given they had been waiting in the cockpit for precisely such a situation.

Over twenty meters tall, humanoid machines leapt one after another from the escort vessel’s hatch into the vacuum.

Type Eleven Ravens.

Bodies predominantly shaped by ink-black curves, blending into interstellar space. Twelve in number.

Accelerating in the opposite direction of the escort vessel’s course, drawing light across the void.

"Enemy: thirty units, as usual."

Life beyond humanity existed in this cosmos.

And unfortunately, the only species confirmed thus far had chosen hostility toward humankind.

"Enemy."

There was one entity to whom that single word conveyed everything.

"Targets per individual are two to three, roughly."

The squad leader says this, and a joking squad member retorts.

"Captain, Jin’s eating too much—cut him down to one, or our quotas’ll be impossible."

"Fine. Let everyone else be zero. I’ll eat it all."

Jin grins, teeth bared.

A savage, canid smile.

"Operation as usual. Diamond formation, with the Tōgō unit on top. Move out!"

In the frictionless void, acceleration translates directly into velocity.

A world of two kilometers per second.

Without inertia control, the resulting g-force would be lethal to humans.

Feeling the acceleration through every fiber of his body, Jin deepens his grin.

"Come on, come on, come on..."

Relative speed exceeds four kilometers per second.

Six hundred kilometers of space vanish in under three minutes.

Visual confirmation through camera feed.

As always, the "enemy."

Legless, worm-like metallic monsters.

ASID. The designation given to these inorganic lifeforms.

They surge through the void, writhing with elongated bodies.

"Here they come!"

Jin's Raven takes the lead.

Rifle in hand. Ether charged, blazing into light.

A released beam of light pierces what appears to be the head of the worm-like ASID.

Two more shots in quick succession.

Each one, a head blown apart.

『Contact imminent!』

Approaching each other directly—avoidance is inevitable.

The high-speed crossing happens in an instant.

By the time they begin to separate—twenty-seven ASID remain, reduced to twenty-five.

In an instant, a blade formed of ether, the Ether Dagger, appears in hand.

Swung during the passing, it cleaves two bodies in half.

"Five down!"

Rotating the frame while screaming.

The limit of inertial control. Jin smiled, enduring the G-force hammering his body.

While the other frames executed a gentle turn, Jin’s frame reversed direction like a wound spring.

Before him, an unguarded enemy appeared.

The enemy’s turn could not match Jin’s speed.

“Six, seven, eight!”

Accelerating further. Holding the ether dagger while firing the rifle.

“Nine!”

Impaling the enemy from behind, a cry of joy rising.

Only then did the other frames catch up.

Support fire from comrades in the squadron.

And interception from the ASID.

Evading all of it.

With the ease of breathing.

For Jin, dodging enemy attacks or striking them was not difficult.

“Just see one second ahead,”

was his answer when asked about the secret of piloting.

Those called aces typically leave behind remarks of such poor quality.

Despite his youth, Jin already occupies that境界.

Top rank in enemy squadron downed.

The current top ace—there is no other.

Closing the distance.

Plunging into the center of the enemy formation, firing the rifle without pause.

Shots that appear aimless pierce enemy heads as if by deception.

Those who approach recklessly are severed with the ether dagger.

"Thirteen, fourteen... ten, five!"

Only a brief time since combat began.

Less than five minutes, yet Jin has downed half of the ASID.

His voracious efficiency evokes images of wolves long extinct.

Fenrir. That was the name given to him.

After consuming four more targets, the battle ends.

The remaining eleven units were destroyed by the Siegfried Unit.

"See, I told you earlier—just one each was perfect."

A ripple of laughter, like Mio’s, spread through the unit’s internal comms.

"Seriously, nineteen units in one fight? Real cocky."

"We were giving it our all, you know."

The Siegfried Unit was no assembly of weaklings.

Even without Jin, they were all capable.

Jin simply stood out. That was all.

"Alright, return to base. Oh, and tell the Brünhilde Unit we said thanks for the support."

The last part was directed at the controller. A missed prep sequence.

"Copy. Initiating landing sequence... wait, what?"

The controller’s half-smile froze.

"Detecting spatial vibrations... this is..."

"What is it!?"

"Wait—confirming massive object override! Bearing 0-0-2000... but that’s impossible! Estimated size—three hundred kilometers!"

Two thousand kilometers ahead, along the flight path, something emerged in the interstellar void—visible even from Jin’s position.