Interrogation

Shinosuke, upon arrest, was taken not to the main headquarters of the Military Police Corps, but to a branch office.

The Military Police Corps, like the Intelligence Division, is a directly subordinate organization of the Cosmic Fleet General Command and is not part of the 2nd Fleet, which is headquartered in the Salius Stellar District.

Nevertheless, it is formally assigned to the fleet and part of the 2nd Fleet deployment, with the 2nd Fleet's detachment also headquartered under the 2nd Fleet Command. However, the branch office to which Shinosuke was taken serves as a dangerous, hidden location—beyond the reach of the fleet command—used only when the unique nature of the Military Police's duties requires covert investigations.

Though brought to such a dangerous, hidden location and now facing dire circumstances, Shinnosuke was only subjected to a brief, routine questioning on the first day—about his identity and status—before being locked in solitary confinement.

He stared at the meal placed before him.

A meager meal: bread, vegetable soup, two sausages, a single slice of cheese, and water—plain and simple. Yet Shinnosuke made no move to touch it.

(…Probably the water is safe, but the rest could be dangerous.)

Shinnosuke was wary that his meal might be poisoned.

And that suspicion was indeed true.

Under the charges brought against Shinnosuke this time, there was simply no way to legally punish him.

Even if they tried to fabricate a charge, the accusation of unlawfully attacking and sinking a space warship, resulting in the deaths of its crew, was too severe to be handled through formal judicial proceedings—something both the military police and the shadowy mastermind behind the scenes would prefer to avoid.

In that case, the enemy's options were severely limited.

Not only was food out of the question, but even water was forbidden.

"If you don't eat, I'll take it away!"

Whether he knows the truth or not, the guard calls out to Shinosuke, who isn't touching his meal.

It's fine, but be careful how you handle it. Don't just snack on it out of respect—don't waste it.

"What are you talking about?"

The guard took the meal away from Shinosuke.

It seems this guard is unaware that his meal has been poisoned.

He’s probably just a disposable pawn, framed as the murderer after poisoning Shinosuke, made to bear the blame.

(He’ll need to settle this within three days at most.)

Though a person can survive four or five days without water, they may lose their sanity before then.

To preserve his strength and protect both his own life and the guard—who knows nothing of the situation—Shinosuke wrapped himself in a blanket and closed his eyes.

Even sleeping will be hard tonight, not to mention eating.

The next day, formal interrogation began.

He was forced to sit in a chair, handcuffed, subjected to an illegal interrogation.

"Is it true that the escort vessel Fukibuki, under your command, sank a military spacecraft, resulting in the deaths of 15 crew members? Is there any error in this fact?"

I deny it. I only carried out a legitimate act of self-defense after being attacked without warning by an unidentified vessel emitting no identification signal in international airspace, which constitutes no violation of any law.

What I meant by "unidentified vessel" was a military spacecraft belonging to the Space Force. I discovered an armed vessel attempting to track down and attack a civilian ship, and I had no choice but to launch a counterattack.

Shinosuke shrugged after hearing the investigator's words.

"That is entirely false. At that time, the escort vessel Fubuki, under my command, was transmitting a distress signal while tracking Angel V, but had not yet assumed an offensive posture. This is clearly recorded in Fubuki's navigation data, which has been submitted to relevant authorities, including the Coast Guard. Considering the subsequent outcome—namely, that Angel V was indeed a criminal vessel and its crew and personnel were apprehended—the legitimacy of my actions is evident."

Shin nosuke answers calmly, but inside he is utterly dismayed.

The interrogation isn't even a proper interrogation—it's dangerous in a way.

Colonel Langlitt watched Shin nosuke's interrogation through a monitor in a separate room at the precinct.

"So, you're not even eating or drinking anything..."

"Yes. Given enough time, he'll eventually succumb to hunger and thirst. But we can't afford to wait that long. As he said himself, his actions have no flaws, and he's already submitted crucial data to the Coast Guard and the Merchant Ship Association. If we're going to eliminate him, we must act quickly—otherwise, we'll be left playing catch-up."

Langlitt sighed, arms crossed, as he received the report from one of his subordinates in the military police.

"But we can't just kill them outright—must appear as natural death. That's why we've prepared valuable pharmaceuticals for that purpose."

"Yes. In the worst case, suicide is an option, but we'd prefer to avoid it if possible."

"Indeed. Though it's just a farce, the interrogation buys us time. Continue it as is."

"Understood."

At that moment, Langlitt did indeed feel anxious, yet he still believed he could proceed as planned and bury everything in darkness.

The interrogation of Shinnosuke had reached its second day.

Though refusing food was still manageable, Shinnosuke had not consumed any water, and his body was beginning to show signs of distress. Shinnosuke himself was clearly being pushed to his limits.

Still, he couldn't afford to let his deteriorating condition show.

The ship you sank was a specialized task vessel under active operational testing by a military division. It didn't transmit a recognition signal for that reason.

Still, there's no justification for attacking without warning. Moreover, I find it hard to believe that vessel belonged to the space fleet. There's no way a ship like that could exist within the space fleet.

"Details are classified, but as previously explained, that vessel is a specialized mission ship. It's only natural you wouldn't know about it."

At this point, Shinnosuke shifted to counterattack.

"I'm not saying I don't know—it's simply impossible for such a ship to be deployed within the space fleet. Its design closely resembles that of the E.Z.25 heavy electronics corporation's military vessel, produced for the 6325 Stellar Federation."

The space fleet deploys numerous military vessels produced by the 6325 Stellar Federation. Even if the ships are made by other nations, there's nothing unnatural about it.

"That still doesn't make sense. EZ25 Heavy Electronics is a company owned by the 6325 Stellar Federation, but it's also a joint venture with capital from the Rimulia Galaxy Empire. It's impossible for the space fleet to operate ships from a company influenced by the Empire. If the fleet were using such ships, it would mean that someone—possibly a high-ranking officer—was colluding with a foreign company they should never have been dealing with. Shouldn't the military police be investigating this matter?"

Shin nosuke glared at the interrogator.

The interrogator from the military police was overwhelmed by his intensity.

Seeing that, Langlitt stood up.

"Something's wrong... This doesn't look like a situation where we can afford to be picky about procedure."

Langlitt held a blaster in his hand.