Two Dolls

At the very moment Shinnosuke was being restrained and interrogated, someone was walking toward the military police branch office.

One was a doll with a mechanical, rigid body, wearing a military jacket and work pants.

The other was a female-type doll in an apron dress, wearing ear-shaped sensors on her head—commonly known as a maid outfit.

Marks and Madelia.

The two were heading toward the military police branch office to rescue Shinnosuke.

When news spread that Shinnosuke had been arrested by the military police, not only members of the商会 such as Milena and Seira, but also Linha from the Free Merchant Fleet, and independent traders like Zani and Dag, and even miners such as Glen, all felt outrage and began taking action to rescue Shinnosuke.

However, aware of ShinnoSuke's decision to quietly accept arrest alone to protect everyone, recognizing the overwhelming power of the Space Military Police, and firmly believing that ShinnoSuke himself would never wish for such a sacrifice, all others chose to hold back and refrain from action.

But Marks and Madelia, being dolls, were different.

As dolls, the two generally do not disobey the owner, who is also their supervisor, but there are rare exceptions where they may act against orders if they need to protect the owner.

That will end up protecting the owner, and ultimately the doll herself.

Above all, neither Marx nor Madeira had received specific instructions from Shinnosuke to "not rescue Shinnosuke" or "not oppose the Space Military Police Force."

Taking it upon themselves, the two decided on their own initiative to go and welcome their 'Master,' their 'Lord,' as they saw fit.

Of course, intending to approach peacefully, they wouldn't go strolling through the city armed to the teeth.

Markus carries a large blaster and a knife for close combat, while Madeira has concealed numerous deadly weapons, including combat knives, within her maid uniform.

Even without heavy weaponry, these two were quite dangerous.

Milena alone sensed that the two were heading off to rescue Shinnosuke, yet she neither tried to stop them nor offered to join them.

Instead, she simply sent them off with a single warning:

"Be careful, you two. Don't do anything reckless."

Just as they were about to arrive at the precinct, Lieutenant Selica Cruze from Intelligence appeared before them.

"Where are you going?"

"You don't need to answer me."

Major Shultz shrugged slightly, smiling in response to Marks's words.

Indeed, as Marks said, there was no need to answer.

He already knew the two of them were here for the same purpose, even without asking.

Still, the Major deliberately spoke up.

"Planning to confront the Space Force?"

"We have no such intention. We're simply here to request a meeting with the Master and to retrieve the suspect."

"Same thing, really."

"There's no point in trying to stop us. If you interfere..."

"I won't interfere at all. Do as you please. But I'll give you one piece of advice."

"Advice?"

"Yes. I don't care what you do, but I'd advise you to stop killing your opponents."

"That depends on the situation. We intend to make our request peacefully, but if that's not accepted, we won't hesitate to take more forceful measures."

Lieutenant glared at Marks.

"Still, be careful not to go too far! It's nothing much, facing around fifteen people at the branch office, is it? I'll manage things afterward as long as no one dies."

"…Understood. I'll handle it appropriately."

With that, Marks and Maderia resumed walking.

"Well, as long as you don't kill anyone, anything goes really. Even chopping off a couple of arms wouldn't matter."

"I don't know of any species with more than three arms. Limit it to one or two at most."

After saying this, the lieutenant watched the two men depart, then left the scene to begin handling the aftermath that would be needed in the future.

Upon arriving at the branch office, Marks and Maderia greeted the two officers on duty at the entrance.

"We've come to request a meeting with Shinosuke Kasimura, currently detained here, and to ask for his release. Please relay our request."

One of the guards reaches for his blaster at Marks' offer, but Marks is faster.

A punch, held back to the maximum, strikes the guard's jaw, sending him collapsing in agony.

The other guard, before he can even reach for his weapon, feels the combat knife of Madelia pressed against his neck—so paralyzed he can't move, not even speak.

The path to a peaceful resolution had already crumbled from the very beginning.

At the very moment Marks and the others were about to process the visit, Lieutenant Colonel Langlitt stormed into the interrogation room where Shinnosuke was being questioned.

"You've learned too much!"

"？... Are you Lieutenant Colonel Langlitt? It's my first time meeting you in person."

Shinnosuke remained calm, not flinching even as a blaster was pointed at him.

Though handcuffed, weaponless, and seemingly out of options, he was internally terrified.

How many times have you interfered since you were in the Space Fleet—truly unbearable. Not only did you disrupt our plan this time, but you even sank that precious ship of ours.

I didn't mean to interfere with the brigadier's plans. Isn't it your fault for interfering with him on your own?

Ranglitt, speaking as if following a clichéd villain’s script, spouting off without being asked, and Shinnosuke, trying to buy time amidst overwhelming odds, shouting back with defiance.

"Well, I could finish you right here. It's troublesome, but I'll kill you and start over from scratch."

"Start over, you say... Will that really work so smoothly? Commander, aren't you already finished?"

Don't talk about pointless bravado.

No, it's not bravado. That stealth vessel I sank—it was made by EZ25 Heavy Electronics, a company under the 6325 Stellar Alliance, wasn't it? Doing business with a corporation backed by imperial capital is a serious breach of discipline, punishable by a military tribunal.

Langlitt scoffed at Shinosuke's words.

"Hmph, without evidence, anything can be twisted. The evidence has turned to cosmic dust, and the witnesses will vanish shortly."

"I suppose that's true, but I think you're in for something far worse than a military tribunal."

"What are you talking about?"

"No, after I sank that stealth vessel, my merchant fleet recovered debris from the ship I destroyed. According to law and regulations, ownership of those fragments belongs to me—the one who was lawfully attacked and sank the ship in self-defense. We managed to recover all sorts of things, including the stealth material hull, the engine, and data on the master system."

Langlitt’s face turned pale.

"What... what are you saying?"

"Well, I didn't realize just how valuable and important this ship was, so besides turning it over to the coast guard as evidence, I'd already sold off parts of it all over the place. That was a big mistake, wasn't it? The stealth hull, the engine, the master data—those are all classified secrets. If they ended up in the hands of foreign companies, it could mean nothing short of massive damages, or even worse, someone trying to eliminate us. Of course, that includes the major's life as well."

"Y-you—!"

At the exact moment Langlitt pulled the trigger of his blaster toward Shinnosuke, Shinnosuke kicked the desk directly in front of him straight at Langlitt.