15 Head-on collision

First of the two updates.

Simulation program concludes. Unit debriefing.

As usual, Jin instructs the trainees on the points for reflection from this exercise, establishing guidelines for future training.

That said, in this instance, the exercise proceeded smoothly until the unexpected emergence of the Unicorn—specifically, in terms of group combat.

The subsequent charge was not unfavorable either.

What remained was simply ensuring immediate responsiveness while maintaining formation.

In other words, coordination between units needed strengthening.

Extend the range of effective coordination without relying solely on computer-generated randomness avoidance.

Both require sustained, deliberate effort.

"Overall, this exercise was successful. I expect the same level of efficiency during the upcoming expedition training."

He ended with that, leaping into the vehicle he had prepared.

Next was the debriefing for the entire exercise.

He hurried toward a room in the headquarters of the Third Fleet Defense Force.

"Yo. Ace."

"Ah. It's been a while."

"Last time you saved my ass. Glad to see you again."

The commander of the escort unit he had shared a mining mission with greeted him casually.

As he listened to the apology for not being able to visit during the delay, he glanced around.

"The Second Fleet's deployment unit… still hasn't arrived, huh?"

"Yeah. Their simulator assignment was Ship Forty-Five. It'd take time."

Assigned to a base far from Ship One, the remark carried an unmistakable undercurrent of malice, but it was an abrupt order—there was nothing to be done about it.

Still, he thought, a little under-the-surface foot-dragging was almost endearing.

“Say, you know about this, Ace. Rumor’s been circulating among the patrols lately.”

“No, probably haven’t heard it. What kind of rumor?”

“Says something invisible’s been skulking around. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”

“…Yes. Feels like something I’ve heard before.”

No unit has actually captured it, apparently.

Still, there were faint traces—evidence something had been there.

“Can’t be coincidence. Whatever it is, it’s been sneaking around. And that drone’s range isn’t that far.”

“Yes. Even if we send it out via overlight, the margin of error is significant.”

Human overlight drifts tens, even hundreds of kilometers.

Still, it shortcuts distances measured in light-years—its utility is incalculable.

For humanoid ASIDs, the margin of error is said to be on the order of meters.

Jin finds it not entirely incomprehensible why some humans are fixated on capturing humanoid ASIDs.

Regardless, even if they send a drone straight through, it will travel hundreds of kilometers before beginning observation.

Carrying additional fuel for further movement is impractical.

"Surely, overlighting from another fleet would be too wasteful. There’s no reason to do that within the Third Fleet. Which means..."

The commander of the escort unit snorted, clearly displeased.

"Likely the Second Fleet’s dispatched unit. Only they could manage that."

"Agreed, though..."

"Seriously. You planning on fighting us?"

"Of course not... not that far."

"Forgot what happened last time? That thing locked onto your fleet."

Indeed, the trigger pulled by that Gryphon had also ignited the chain of fleet warfare.

It was quite dangerous.

"Well... that. In the end, it was personal reasons."

"Come on. You're telling me a war broke out over an ace's romantic entanglement? That's not funny."

"Ah, probably fine, though."

"Seriously, please..."

As they exchanged casual remarks, the other units appeared to have assembled.

Scanning the area, Grace's form was visible.

Another figure, one he had been searching for, was nowhere to be found.

What should he say now?

No, even if he had met her earlier, what could he possibly say?

Everything she said was correct.

Jin could not argue.

Whatever he said would only sound like an excuse.

"Proceeding to the joint exercise debriefing."

Jin recognized the lieutenant's face, one he knew well, overseeing the proceedings.

A slightly weary expression. Jin thought. No surprise. The preparations for this exercise must have been exhausting.

"The current simulation program is based on the recent humanoid ASID attack that targeted our fleet. Therefore, please note that the evaluation criteria differ from those of previous simulations."

The lieutenant spoke without inflection, listing the number of units participating, the number of enemy kills, and the number of losses.

After a series of figures—evasion rate, hit rate—remarkably well compiled in such a short time—the report shifted to performance by sector and unit.

"Alpha Sector, First Fleet Selected Unit. Participating units: 98. Enemy kills: 79. Losses: 32."

"Ah. Damn. Guess we took a real beating here."

The squadron commander beside him muttered, clearly recalling his own unit's involvement in that sector.

Jin spoke quietly, soothing the other.

"During actual combat, the kill ratio was 1:1. These numbers are quite good, I’d say."

"Sure, but those were standard ASID routines. The unpredictability of real combat—there’s no way to measure that..."

That was likely the feeling only someone who had fought on that day could understand.

The data collected was sparse, but the behavior patterns were too uniform.

The true danger of humanoid ASID lay in their ability to think and act like humans.

Yet replicating that meant creating artificial intelligence with human-level judgment—...

"It’s impossible, really."

"Impossible, yeah..."

If such a thing were possible, pilots wouldn’t be needed.

Or rather, what would distinguish an assault frame loaded with such AI from an ASID itself?

"Delta Sector, Training School Unit. Participating units: 107. Enemy destroyed: 58. Lost: 61. Additionally, a strategic target—Unicorn—was deployed in the Delta Sector."

"That one who fired the cannon at Ship 1, huh? Without him, the numbers would've been better, wouldn't they?"

"Hard to say..."

Kill ratio was nearly one-to-one. One might think that was acceptable for trainees, yet also feel it could have been better.

Still six months before commissioning.

In those six months, this ratio must improve.

No one dies in exercises.

But in actual combat, these numbers become actual fatalities.

He could not stand by and watch his pupils fall into that.

"Still, this year's trainees are higher-level than usual. Look—ε Sector, their kill count nearly matches that of regulars."

"Indeed."

If asked the reason, the trainees might reply their instructor was perverted. Fortunately, Jin did not think so.

"They're all putting in effort."

"Ah... some slack off once they become regulars."

And finally.

"Ω Sector Duty, Second Fleet Deployment Force Selection. Number of participating units: 103. Enemy destroyed: 129. Units destroyed—"

The lieutenant paused for a moment.

"Units destroyed: five. Black Knight, strategic objective, was again deployed in the Ω Sector."

The room stirred.

"Wait. You're kidding."

"...Only five."

There was variation in unit performance. But even so, this number was abnormal.

Jin checked the data on his terminal.

Among the records, combat logs against the Black Knight.

"Is this the one the Ace took down in a one-on-one?"

"More likely a draw, at best."

Indeed, the elusive nature of that unit was invisible in drills.

The evidence Jin sensed—his intuition that the opponent was the Ace. No movement suggesting foresight beyond a single second.

Still, the Black Knight remained an exceptional adversary, clearly distinct from all others.

Twelve machines defeated. Elite among the elite, even within the elite unit.

Two of the five that were shot down appear to have fallen in combat against the Black Knight.

"...Strong."

The unit's level of cohesion. No other unit in the entire fleet could match it.

He considers. If this unit were engaged in a simulation battle, could he truly win?

The answer is no. He could not win alone. Even if joined with another unit, victory would remain out of reach.

Only by coordinating precisely with another ace, one who fully understands their movements, could there be any chance, Jin grits his teeth.

Meanwhile, Grace also observes the Δ-space zone—the recorded combat data of Jin and his team.

"...Strong."

A coincidence, yet the same assessment forms.

Under identical conditions, the contrast becomes stark.

The engagement between Unicorn and Jin. Though a ranged combat type, it proves a formidable opponent in close quarters.

Let alone facing him as a unit—alone, that is.

Nothing can anticipate the next move.

Even if such a confrontation were to occur, could anyone in the cybernetic squadron match him?

No one. Anyone facing Jin Tōgō one-on-one would fall.

Even in a group engagement, complacency is impossible.

A single opening could shatter coordination—triggering a chain reaction where all are struck.

"Still… I’d prefer to draw him in, if possible…"

The muttered words vanished without reaching anyone’s ears.