Escape from Hyperspace

At the same time that Shinnosuke and the others were wandering through hyperspace, Admiral Allenval of the Second Fleet of the Solaris Province Central Colony's Space Navy was meeting in secret with Lieutenant Selica Cruze of the Intelligence Department at the Second Fleet's command headquarters.

According to the intelligence gathered by my unit within the Intelligence Department, Lieutenant Colonel Langlitt, the Second Fleet's Supply Commander, is not only diverting and misappropriating supplies, but is also suspected of having connections to the Rimlia Galactic Empire through his protege, a space pirate. While no confirmed leaks of critical information have been detected, this is likely because the colonel has not yet commodified intelligence. However, there is a possibility that the colonel is indirectly involved in human trafficking.

General Arrenval frowned upon Lieutenant Colonel Cruise's report.

"If what you say is true, this is a grave matter. But do we have sufficient evidence to prosecute Lieutenant General Langlitt?"

"No, we only have evidence to hold the on-site commander accountable. We have not yet secured proof that the lieutenant general is the mastermind."

"Indeed, the investigation by the military police follows the same pattern. Up until now, we've failed to secure clear evidence linking the major, leaving only subordinates to bear the blame. Moreover, publicly, the major appears to have fulfilled his duties impeccably, with no blemish on his record. If any misconduct by his subordinates comes to light, he claims he would punish himself accordingly. Of course, this is merely for public image—so it's a painless gesture for the major."

The colonel has a genius-level talent and luck when it comes to self-preservation. We in Intelligence have been driven to despair countless times over this. Sometimes, we've even wished we could activate a special-case investigation within Intelligence just to discipline the colonel.

"That won't do, Lieutenant. While it's true that your Intelligence Division, by its very nature, may sometimes resort to extraordinary measures, using such tactics to condemn a high-ranking officer is unacceptable. To apprehend those who break the law, one must do so by upholding the law and regulations."

A judgment befitting the noble General Arrenbal.

Unlike the Intelligence Division, which is known for its covert operations, a fleet commander must uphold the law and regulations—there is no room for ignoring them.

However, the Intelligence Division, to which Lieutenant Cruise belongs, sometimes resorts to any means necessary, unhesitatingly burying matters in secrecy.

"Then, shall we incite that certain free merchant?"

"Free merchant? You mean Captain Kasimura?"

"Yes. Captain Kasimura has a long-standing grudge against the rear admiral and has repeatedly thwarted his schemes, regardless of whether that was his intention. His achievements are undeniable. I am confident that utilizing Captain Kasimura will lead to favorable outcomes."

Upon hearing Lieutenant Cruze's proposal, Admiral Allenbar's expression changed.

No longer the dignified look he had maintained before, but rather a mischievous, naughty-boy grin.

"Hmph, that's not a recommended strategy. Lieutenant, I'll give you one piece of advice. Captain Kasimura is like a gentle, well-hidden venomous snake. If we don't provoke him, he won't attack us. But if we push him too far, he'll bite—delivering a powerful, deadly strike. It's better not to poke around in the thicket recklessly."

"Does that mean we should avoid involving Captain Kasimura?"

"No, you're not under the command of the Fleet. This is just a piece of advice from someone who knew Captain Kasimura."

Lieutenant Cruise smiled.

"I'll take your advice to heart."

Lieutenant Cruise saluted and exited.

Fubuki moving through hyperspace, guided by a school of space whales.

"Should we really follow them like this?"

In the midst of not knowing his current location, direction, or even where he was headed, Shinosuke murmured.

That said, it was Master who made the choice.

Even so, I interpreted it as you telling me to follow you, didn't I?

The master made the decision despite that.

Shin nosuke drags the ship forward, idly chatting with Marx in a futile conversation.

No matter how far I go, no matter which way I turn, it's all the same endless expanse.

Even as she was exposed to intense gravitational waves, Fubuki continued steadily forward.

Sinnosuke, having mastered the technique of maintaining orientation within the gravitational waves, lightly rested his hand on the steering yoke and skillfully guided Fubuki through the waves by subtly adjusting the throttle.

"But where are we heading... wait, what's this?"

As Fubuki followed the pod, the mother whale from the mother-calf pair suddenly veered away from the group and headed off in another direction.

...Kakak... Kakak...

"Master, an individual that has separated from the group is repeatedly sending a follow signal. It must mean 'come with us.'"

"Is that so?...Well, we don't have any other choice. Let's go ahead."

Shin nosuke turns the pod to follow the mother whale.

After following the mother whale for several minutes,

"Shin nosuke-san, spatial distortion detected!"

As Merry-sa (I assume) said, a distortion in space was observed ahead of the mother whale's path.

"Master, while we can't confirm any spatial rift, attempting a spatial leap toward that distortion might allow us to escape this hyperspace."

"That's a possibility, but we can't calculate the jump coordinates. We have no idea where we'd end up."

Even if we escape, we might emerge right in the middle of a star, buried deep within a planet's surface, or worse—land right in the heart of a densely populated city, causing a catastrophe.

"Since cosmic whales are guiding us between normal space and hyperspace, the risk should be low."

Alisa and Merisa nod in agreement with Marks's words, and Shinnosuke understands there's no other choice.

"We have no choice but to proceed. Marks, I can't calculate coordinates, so the jump escape point will be random. Be extremely vigilant around the destination!"

"Understood."

"Alright, initiating spatial jump for hyperspace escape. Accelerating to jump speed... 5, 4, 3, 2, jump—wait, no, wrong—wait..."

"............"

Fubuki executed a spatial jump, aiming for exit from hyperspace.

"......Returned to normal space. No anomalies detected in surrounding space."

Fubuki had successfully escaped hyperspace, and it seemed the worst-case scenario had been avoided.

"Good, quickly check for any anomalies and confirm our current location."

"Understood... No damage detected on the hull. Determining current position. We are near the central colony of the Sirius Stellar Region."

Although Fubuki had exited the controlled space zone, she was in the vicinity of the Sirius Stellar Region's central colony.

"Ah, that was fortunate. Or perhaps it was the space whale that guided us. Good, let's head back quickly."

"Understood."

Fubuki swiftly returns to the normal route and hurries back to the Sirius Stellar Region's central colony.

She is soon expected to enter the communication range with the central colony.

"Good, you've made it back safely."

Shin nosuke, relieved to see her return unharmed, looks down at the radar monitor.

Then he notices the signal from one large vessel among those traveling along the route.

"…Huh? Hey, Marks, what about that ship?"

"Yes, it's the Aquarius. No mistake."

Upon hearing the name of the large vessel, Aquarius, Shinnosuke's expression changed.

"Rapid reversal! Detach from the main space zone!"

"…Eh?!"

Shinosuke's sudden change left Alisa and Merisa stunned, their voices barely escaping in disbelief.