309: Worries never end

"Ugh..."

I let out a groan from my room within the 'Shake Border.'

The current time, according to Imperial standard, is 9 a.m.

The Imperial fleet, including the 'Taima Mazedzeka' where the 'Shake Border' is currently docked, should reach its destination—the Siltrilich Star System—in about 100 hours.

"We don't have time. We've had to make compromises, focusing only on specific areas, but even then, time is running out."

What will happen after we arrive at the Siltrilich Star System remains uncertain.

The smoothest scenario would be if there's no local presence of Funaqa, no alien monsters allied with Funaqa, and we can simply suppress the local criminal organization.

In this case, to be honest, neither I nor Vilijaniira would even get a chance to do anything.

A regular human group wouldn't stand a chance against such a fleet.

As for the next scenario—Funaqa absent, but insectoid alien monsters present—then we'd have to rely on Vilijaniira's eyes to avoid danger while I quickly analyze and respond.

If the cosmic monster is within Funaqa's control, then Magatsuki, Shuu, and yesterday's insectoid type should be manageable—probably fine.

But if something like the cosmic monster Blackfallshark shows up, we're completely out of luck. In that case, Vilijaniira's eyes would react strongly enough to call for mission abort, and since even Funaqa couldn't handle something at that level, there's no point in worrying about it in advance.

The next tricky scenario is when there's only Funaqa present, but no space monsters... In that case, there's really nothing to do but deal with Funaqa with everything we've got.

There will undoubtedly be massive damage, but even with all the resources available—including the mod I'm currently developing—we'll just have to make do and handle it somehow.

The most troublesome situation, though... is when Funaqa is aided by cooperative space monsters.

It wouldn't be just a simple matter if both showed up at once—there'd be no way to handle it casually.

In that case, the best chance of survival might be to quickly eliminate one, then focus all efforts on the other.

Even if we consider these four patterns, we won't know what actually happens until we're on the scene.

That's why I want to prepare as much as possible... but even with the limited time available to respond, it still feels insufficient.

Since the other side is undoubtedly superior, it's inevitable that some aspects will be beyond our capacity to handle. Yet, I can't shake the lingering doubt: is this really going to be enough?

I'm considering the possibility that Funaka isn't here, but given that we're all present at this location and taking into account Chirarizumu's personality and abilities, it's overwhelmingly more likely that she is.

Truly troubling.

Shall we take a break for a moment?

Feeling stuck in my thoughts, I stepped outside the room and headed toward the kitchen.

"Sat. Break time?"

"Yeah... no matter how much I push it, it still feels like it's not enough. I'm honestly worn out from the mental strain..."

"I see."

In the kitchen and the living room adjacent to it were Vilijiani and Mekoshi.

From the state of their information terminals, it seemed Vilijiani was also on a break.

"By the way, how did the discussion with the fleet commanders go?"

"Overall, things went smoothly. Given that these are the ones entrusted with this mission, they seem trustworthy and reliable. At the very least, any pirates capable of being handled by thoroughly patrolling the Siltrilich System and its surrounding uncharted regions wouldn't pose a serious threat."

"I see. But when it comes to Funaqa, and especially an unknown cosmic beast..."

"Of course, there's concern. Even if we take the lead outright, the fleet won't come out unscathed."

Since receiving her one-time authority, Virijanira has been attending daily meetings with the fleet's captains.

As for results... well, it doesn't seem too bad.

It's only natural that facing Funaqa and an unknown cosmic beast would be extremely difficult.

"Captain. We've received reports from all ships that the installation and setup of the specified mod has been completed."

"I understand. But just so you know, don't treat the mod's effects as anything more than a temporary relief. There are drawbacks significant enough to not be ignored."

"That one, yes. But I believe it's a necessary measure."

A routine update from Memokushi.

It's reassuring that the implementation went smoothly.

Moreover, the mod in question is one developed based on reverse-engineering combat data from the vanilla Sid System, specifically designed to counter Funaqa. It should offer some resistance against Funaqa's disintegration abilities.

Yes, it was prioritized as essential, but it's essentially a make-or-break solution—highly uncertain and nerve-wracking to rely on.

Theoretically, it should work fine. But since the operating systems differ, theoretical assumptions don't always hold true...

As a downside, the accuracy of the entire Blaster mod becomes extremely poor while it's in use.

"Oh, it's been about two days since everyone was all together."

"Joharis, how's the 'Shake Border' doing?"

The 'Shake Border' isn't an issue. I also checked the fighter jets and main cannons equipped on the 'Tama Mazed Kawara,' and they're fine too. Since no strange information has come in, I think nothing's been set up since the proliferation incident.

Joharis returned from outside the Shaking Border.

It seems he was also handling information gathering—on a smaller scale, not reaching even the network or upper levels.

And that, as things stand, there's no new attack coming from the Funaka side.

Hmm, still, I can't shake the feeling that they're about to launch a large-scale assault right from the front lines.

"Is that so? Sata, since you're here, why don't we have some tea?"

"Good idea. Let's do that."

I started heating water in the kitchen.

06/10 Correction of typo