311: Toward the Siltrilichi Star System

"Remaining one hour until faster-than-light travel concludes. All hands, assume combat readiness. Anything could happen from here onward."

The fleet, including the Taima Mazed Kawa, had one hour left until reaching the Siltrilichi star system—more precisely, the outermost edge of the Sw region of the Siltrilichi star system—where they would conclude their faster-than-light travel and transition from hyperspace to real space.

"Sat. The communication link with the commanders of each ship has been successfully established, so please provide your report."

As such, the 'Shake Border' has already departed from the 'Taima Mazed Kaw', and is currently following along.

If necessary, the entire 'Shake Border' can be moved into the Ether Space, connected to the greenhouse, and transferred there.

Also, since my main body has already arrived near the Siltrilichis system in Ether Space, I'm conducting reconnaissance by observing the Real Space from Ether Space.

Currently, Virijanira is connecting communications with each ship to share this report.

Now then, here's the report.

"The Siltrilich system... There are Imperial Navy正规 ships and space pirate vessels lined up neatly, all pointing their cannons at the spot where we were expected to emerge. If we had come out of hyperspace without noticing, we'd have taken serious damage."

"Indeed, as expected."

"Well, given how many traitors there were, this was inevitable."

"Individually, they might not have leaked much, but when combined, their information becomes accurate."

First, the current state of the Siltrilichi system.

Yeah, the number of ships neatly lined up, visible even from a distance, is quite imposing.

However, by this point, there's no doubt that the Siltrilichi system is completely black—normally, this would mean the system's destruction was already sealed.

Still, it's fewer than the maximum number we'd expected.

Moreover, the term "traitor" refers to the doctor who managed the medical pods used to grow Imperial soldiers, as mentioned in the Tamaimazekawa records.

Slight signs of suspicious behavior have been detected among soldiers on other ships as well. It seems the enemy has accurately pinpointed our location—perhaps, as expected from Funa ka, they’ve done so based on only a small amount of information.

"The reactions from different operating systems... there's nothing particularly 'obvious' or 'standout' about them at first glance."

"Same reaction is observed with our 'Hetero-Fluid Mirror.' The same would likely apply to similar devices installed on several ships."

"I see. So we can't detect any new hostile cosmic monsters then."

"Still, we must remain vigilant. They likely possess something capable of masking their detection, just like that box did."

"Even if that weren't the case, cosmic monsters are beings capable of turning the impossible into reality. We should all be careful not to show any weakness."

I couldn't sense any reaction from the cosmic monsters other than myself.

Yet, as someone has already pointed out, it's already common knowledge that Funaka possesses the means to bypass detection—just like the box that contained the insectoid cosmic monster.

We should remain vigilant, just in case FuNaka is using it themselves.

To be honest, there's a more pressing issue that makes other cosmic monsters seem irrelevant.

As for the crucial part—the Sw of the Siltrilich Star System... it's running a different OS, quite similar to 'Vanilla OS.' Specifically, it's the Fnakha=Conplarex OS.

"What do you mean?"

Entering the Siltrilich Star System without a plan is like diving into Fnakha's belly. If you're unprepared, I reckon you'll be on the other side within a few hours.

『『『……』』』

The Siltrilich Star System is entirely under Fnakha's control.

That's far more problematic for us.

'Being on the other side... does that mean being brainwashed?'

And now that I see it right in front of me, it finally makes sense why information about the Siltrilich Star System isn't surfacing, and why it's become a nest for criminals.

"That's exactly it. The system appears to be designed to interfere with human thought and moral values."

Fnakha's OS closely resembles the 'Vanilla OS.'

This is likely because Chirarizumu = Konpuraeks, Fnakha's former superior, is the one who originally created the 'Vanilla OS.'

The difference lies in interference with human thought.

Essentially, it makes reason more prone to breaking free—but judging by the state of the enemy ship waiting in ambush, it's conceivable that they could be brainwashed and controlled at will.

But to repaint an entire star system with one's own OS... While theoretically possible, and understandable given their knowledge of superior compatibility, it's impossible not to think that this must have required immense effort and time.

If there's some core maintaining the OS somewhere, destroying this while keeping the core intact... or destroying the core and then breaking it... either way, it would certainly take considerable time.

And that's something we don't need to worry about right now.

"I see. Understood. Thanks to Sata, it's clear we won't achieve anything by continuing as planned, so let's proceed with our revised schedule."

With Vilijaniira's words, the fleet's movement shifted ever so slightly.

Just seconds after the scheduled hyperspace departure, the fleet came under a barrage of countless ship-mounted blaster mods.