A huge loss with life still intact

"Make it in time!"

Shin nosuke skids the Cerberus sideways.

"Coming from the front!"

A blinding flash from the cruiser's barrage grazes the right side of the Cerberus.

"…Crap…! The third engine took damage. Damage is minor, but thrust has dropped."

"Damn it! The second and third engines stick out sideways. How much has the thrust dropped?"

"Thrust from the third engine alone has dropped by thirty percent. Um, total thrust... is down by approximately forty percent."

At this rate, they won't even be able to escape from a cruiser.

The enemy numbers six ships.

In this situation, being unable to maintain thrust is fatal.

Moreover, three unidentified vessels are approaching from behind.

It looks hopeless at first glance, but it's not quite time to give up yet.

Though overwhelmingly disadvantaged, Shinnosuke still has a strategy to escape.

"Break into the six ships ahead and plunge into chaos."

This tactic—deliberately diving into the enemy forces despite being outnumbered and surrounded—is Shinnosuke's specialty.

Just as Shinnosuke tried to push the throttle lever to unleash Kerberos's roar, Marks stopped him.

"Communication from the high-speed vessel behind! Connecting!"

Marks connects the communication audio to the speaker.

"...Made it in time? We're here to help!"

It's Zany's voice.

"An Falcón-class missile boat approaching rapidly from behind—Zany, the Pirate Killer, from the Salius Free Merchant Alliance. Further behind, Dag's shield ship. And another one..."

"Shinnosuke, we're here to rescue you. Leave the rest to us."

The voice belongs to Ira, and the vessel shown on the monitor is Ira's escort frigate, the A884-class frigate.

Larger than the heavy corvette Cerberus, this frigate was a military vessel used by the 6325 Star Union's space fleet and coastal defense forces.

Although retired from active duty, its armament remains formidable—while it has fewer beam cannons than the Cerberus, it possesses more missile launchers and greater firepower, making its overall combat capability comparable to that of the Cerberus.

Although less maneuverable than the Cerberus, it has a higher speed.

"Pyrate Killer and the A884-class frigate will engage the target vessel ahead."

The escort ships of Zany and Ira passed on either side of the Cerberus and surged forward.

"Leave the rest to me!"

"What are you talking about? You should give it to me! This job's on a commission basis—winner takes the kill!"

"If it's commission, then we're not giving up either! We've come all this way, after all!"

"Then it's first come, first served!"

The Pirate Killer and the A884-class frigate simultaneously unleashed their missile launchers.

This was nothing like the single Kelberos's missile launcher.

Missiles launched from the two escort ships surpassed twenty in number.

The storm of missiles rained down upon the six enemy vessels.

Even if they were an elite unit, it was impossible to dodge every missile when sudden reinforcements appeared and unleashed a barrage of over twenty missiles upon their target. Two of the enemy vessels were obliterated, reduced to cosmic dust.

Seizing the moment when the enemy ships were thrown off guard by the surprise attack, Zanny and Ira's ships surged forward, closing to point-blank range before unleashing a torrent of beam and rapid-fire cannons.

This was exactly what Shinosuke had been aiming for.

"Enemy ships C and E were destroyed by the escort vessels of Zanny and Ira. The remaining enemy ships became entangled in the chaos alongside Zanny and her group, their pursuit faltering."

Following Seira's report, a transmission came in from Dag.

'Leave the rest to us.'

Dag's shield ship began providing cover for Zanny and her group, using long-range artillery fire while serving as a shield for the Cerberus.

"Shin nosuke, now's your chance! You can escape now."

Shin nosuke nodded, turning the Cerberus around.

"Understood. I'll leave the rest to the three of you. This ship is pulling out from this region. Cerberus, Zanny, Dag, Ira, this ship is departing now. Thank you for the rescue."

The Cerberus accelerated toward the Akeria Galactic Federation's territory.

We have disengaged from the combat zone. No enemy ships are following us.

After receiving Seira's report, Shinosuke looked at Miliena.

Mireina was bowing her head, her shoulders shaking.

We were in a tight spot, but managed to pull through. Now that we've reached this point, there's no need to worry about the unofficial military regulations of the Cosmic Fleet—safety is assured. Marcelus, please check on the three people in the quarters. They've been secured to their seats in each room, so they should be fine even during maneuvers, but they're probably anxious since they don't know what's happening. Let them know they've safely passed the crisis. After that, we simply need to head toward Sirius.

Understood.

Even after Marcelus left the bridge, Milena kept her head lowered.

"Milena-san, are you alright?"

Milena suddenly looked up at Shinosuke's question.

Her face was clearly exhilarated.

"I was absolutely thrilled! The calm judgment and actions under crisis, and the brilliant navigation despite overwhelming odds. I was terrified, of course, but even more excited—this is the first time I've ever experienced something so thrilling!"

Mireena, as she herself admits, speaks in a rush without even catching her breath—overwhelmed by excitement.

Her trembling seemed to stem from the thrill of witnessing such intense combat firsthand.

Mireena appears to be fine, but how about Celia?

Celia, too, had experienced her first real battle since first boarding Cerberus as an apprentice.

And she’d been entrusted with combat control in the middle of it.

"Serah, are you okay?"

Looking at the operator seat where Celia was sitting, Celia was staring at the monitor with a dazed expression.

He doesn't seem to hear Shinosuke's voice either.

"Mark, check the damage status."

Since Seira seemed unreliable, I checked with Marks to confirm the damages.

Engine two has been severely damaged by the enemy's beam, resulting in complete failure. Engine three is moderately damaged, with reduced output, but navigation is unaffected.

Shin nosuke nodded, letting out a deep sigh.

"Two engines... How much will the repairs cost? And not to mention eighteen missiles and three space torpedoes... This is a massive loss..."

Shin nosuke slumped his shoulders, but despite the heavy damage, he had managed to protect Millina and no lives were lost.

Truly, a massive loss with lives still intact.