Newbie destroyer crew members

This time, the two individuals undergoing destroyer training are Andy, who has gained experience as a destroyer crew member and has recently become independent, and Elen, who has followed Andy since his independence.

Both are 24 and still young—Andy, who graduated from maritime school with a dream of becoming a sailor and immediately joined the escort ship crew to gain experience, and Elen, who also graduated from maritime school and worked as a crew member on a cargo ship.

The two childhood friends decided to start their own business together, taking advantage of Andy's newly acquired escort ship operation certification and his acquisition of a used escort ship, making them rookie escort ship operators.

Speaking of rookies, in a sense, Shinosuke is also a rookie escort ship operator, but his experience prior to becoming an escort ship operator vastly surpasses Andy's.

Andy's ship, the Beetle, was technically a destroyer, but it was actually a converted cargo ship. Its armament consisted of only a single laser cannon at the bow, a single small-caliber laser cannon at the stern, one anti-aircraft machine gun, and one missile launcher capable of carrying six small missiles—no more.

While this level of equipment is below average for a destroyer, it's all Andy can afford, even with a loan, since he's only recently become independent.

"Ahh, even though it's just training, I can't help but get nervous."

Andy, gripping the helm on the Beetle's bridge as they headed toward the training zone, was visibly uneasy.

In this exercise, no information about the opposing force—such as formation or numbers—was provided, creating a realistic scenario where Andy and his crew had no idea when or where the unknown enemy might strike.

"You shouldn't be this nervous during training. Pull yourself together."

Eileen, seated at the operator's station, tries to calm Andy, who is tense and agitated, though she too cannot stop her hands from trembling.

"Relax your shoulders. There's no better experience than a real training exercise where you don't fear failure. Don't try to perfect it—just do it as naturally as you feel. If you fail, learn from it and carry that forward next time."

The escort vessel accompanying the Beetle is Ayla's A884-class frigate.

Next to Andy's Beetle, it's hard to tell which one is the target of protection.

"Understood. I'll give it a try."

As Ayla said, practical training without fear of failure is invaluable.

In a world where naval crew members often don't return home after their first assignment, undergoing such training would surely improve their chances of survival in actual work.

Andy made an effort to calm himself, taking a deep breath.

Ira watched over Andy and the others.

Ira, who usually avoids such work as troublesome, gladly accepted this job, as it was a convenient assignment—simply accompanying a guard ship undergoing training, with a reward to be paid for the virtual protection target.

Ira was originally a lone guard ship pilot by nature, and her A884-class frigate was normally operated solely by her.

Ira's ship, though usually operated solely by her, had several passengers this time.

First, there was Lina, a staff member from the merchant union observing the training for performance evaluation, and Iris, who was reevaluating her approach to her job after the recent mission abandonment incident, accompanied by her two supervisors, Darcis.

Then there was Celia, who was ostensibly visiting as a spectator.

Under the first scenario, Celia was supposed to observe from the perspective of the protected target.

"Really, even if she's inexperienced, she's unreliable."

"Well, it's only natural they'd seem unreliable when compared to Ira-san's ship."

"It's not just about ship performance. Even with training, it's about the mindset when taking on a protective mission."

"True, Ira-san did shine remarkably in her first assignment three years ago."

"I've served in the 6325 Stellar Federation Navy for twenty-five years. Commanding a task force of two cruisers and eight destroyers isn't just for show."

Listening to Ira and Lina's conversation, Seira tilted her head.

(What? Twenty-five years of military experience?)

Ira's apparent age didn't match her years of military service, but I decided not to voice any questions about Ira's actual age and kept silent.

The ability to read the air, unique to teenage girls, is no mere coincidence.

In the training zone where Andy and Ira's ship was heading, Dag's shield vessel lay in wait, holding its breath for prey to arrive.

Inside the shield vessel's hangar are Zanny's Falcon-class missile boat, the Pirate Killer, and the SRF-102 combat craft that Shinosuke will be piloting this time.

The SRF-102 combat craft served dual roles within the Aknelia Galactic Federation Space Force: as an advanced training aircraft and a frontline combat deployment model.

Although already outdated and fully retired from the space force, the SRF-102 remains in service with certain coastal patrol units and merchant shipping cooperatives.

Having also served as a high-level training aircraft, its handling characteristics are best described as straightforward and easy to pilot.

"Well, even if we're told not to hold back, if we go all out against a rookie escort vessel, it'd be over in an instant. We'll have to hold back a bit, otherwise the training won't mean anything."

Zany, still speaking in his rough manner, said something surprisingly thoughtful.

"You're right. It's not too late to go all out once we've assessed our opponent's strength."

Shin nosuke, too, shared the same thought while wearing his pilot suit.

The Pirate Killer, Zany's missile vessel, normally operates like a fighter aircraft from Dag's shield ship, so it's perfectly natural for Zany to be aboard the shield ship.

Moreover, since the fighter craft has a shorter range and operational time compared to the missile vessel, and requires the pilot to wear a pilot suit and a sealed helmet just to enter the cockpit, it cannot reach the training zone. Therefore, this time, Dag's shield ship is also serving as the mothership for Shinnosuke's fighter craft, and Shinnosuke is aboard Dag's shield ship.

"Both of you, the target will arrive at the designated space zone shortly."

Hearing Dag's voice, Shinnosuke and Zany stood up.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Understood....By the way, do you have a plan in mind?"

According to the rules of this training, Shinnosuke must follow Zany's and Dag's instructions.

Since Zany is responsible for the main assault, Shinnosuke must follow whatever strategy Zany devises.

"Operation? We don't need that. This time, we're pirates. So let's go about things the pirate way—freely and as we please!"

Whether thoughtful or reckless, Zany was hard to read, but if "do as you please" was Zany's strategy, Shinnosuke would follow it.

Shinnosuke and Zany boarded the Pirate Killer and the combat vessel, respectively.

"Alright, time to get to work! Raise the pirate flag!"

Zany's Pirate Killer shot out into the vastness of space.