036 Idol Arc 12: Defense Operation

In the Personal Ship CIC cockpit, I open a virtual screen and display external visuals.

The viewpoint is a camera mounted on the station’s control tower, looking forward toward the Dimensional Jump Gate.

The fiery exhaust trails from frontline vessels streak across the space just before the Dimensional Jump Gate like a meteor shower.

I’m stunned by the sheer number. Full-scale deployment, maybe?

Between the Dimensional Jump Gate and the station lies an asteroid belt.

It’s meant to act as a shield—if enemies break through the Dimensional Jump Gate at high speed.

You don’t want to suddenly have a rock slamming into your viewport the second you exit the gate.

So it's standard procedure for ships emerging from the Dimensional Jump Gate to pause briefly in the subspace just before the gate exit, then proceed at low speed.

That’s why the vanguard fleet lies in wait right before the Dimensional Jump Gate—ambushing incoming enemies.

Once they break through, the main fleet intercepts them within the asteroid belt.

And then, those ships that make it past the asteroid belt? We rear guard and the station’s Fortress Cannon take them out.

Our rear guard fleet was just given the order to prepare for launch.

Some enemy force so overwhelming even that many ships couldn’t handle it… that’s the prediction.

I opened the access hatch to my Personal Ship’s hangar, prepping for departure.

“Can’t see the full battlefield from here… there’s no way to get a full view of the combat zone…?”

My voice activates the Tactical Weapon Integration Control System.

Connected to the station’s tactical brain—peeking in, peeking in, peeking in.

Current status: enemy fleet breaching through the Dimensional Jump Gate is locked in combat with the vanguard fleet.

External feed shows explosions blooming like flowers in the far distance.

Is that the light of enemy ships sinking—or ours?

I feel death creeping close, right beside me.

"So that's it. If I'd stayed back there, I’d have died. The 'stay in the rear and rejoice' line was actually true."

I remember the forward area leader’s words.

Combat readiness issued to the main fleet.

Simultaneously, launch order comes through for us, the rear fleet.

Confirm enemy/friend ID signal. Confirm the identification icon is blue.

I launch my Personal Ship from the hangar. Emergency launch—straight out, no fancy maneuvers.

The hangar exit opens outward from the station’s outer rim, so going straight ahead means no risk of collision.

I proceed directly to my assigned sector and go on standby.

The enemy ships that broke through the vanguard fleet are being finished off by the main fleet.

Our job is to pick off any stragglers the main fleet missed.

We’re drifting aimlessly, waiting for enemies we can’t predict the origin of.

Better to guess where they might be weak than just stand around doing nothing, right?

I gather intelligence on enemy positions and sensor data—only forward of my sector.

Anti-Ship Radar and Tactical Weapon Integration Control System sync up, building a precise situational picture.

Linking with friendly ships, multi-angle data piles on—even the blind spots behind asteroids.

There was a hole there.

I maneuver my Personal Ship directly in front of it.

Even if it’s unlikely, I activate the targeting assist system—prepare the shielding field too.

Oh right, even if I could track the enemy ship, I still had no way to bring it down.

The G-Bullet is only for emergencies—life-or-death situations.

And unlike in the simulation, it’s currently out of charge and can’t fire.

The G-Bullet converts the gravity it generates into impact energy.

To generate that gravity, you needed an energy charge equal to the output.

I hadn’t charged even one shot yet.

So all I can fire are two missiles and the special ammo—Erosion Bullets.

I wish I had access to the Secondary Gun.

The interception battle with the central fleet was nearly over—just waiting for the signal to end the operation.

The enemy ship had vanished from radar.

Transitioning to the tedious task of scouring for any remaining ships hidden behind shielding fields.

Our rear fleet had nothing left to do but wait to withdraw.

The operation was declared over.

We began pulling back, one by one.

At that moment, my Personal Ship detected a gravitational anomaly.

The spot we’d assumed was the intercept gap.

I fired an Erosion Bullet from the Railgun.

The enemy ship’s shielding field peeled away, the Stasis Field shattered, and the Erosion Bullet struck home.

Nothing happened. No massive explosion. No erosion field tearing through armor. Nothing.

If this keeps up, I’m the one who’s going to be the target. I hastily ordered evasive maneuvers from my Personal Ship.

Identification signal: red. Definitely enemy. But the enemy ship isn’t moving.

“What the hell’s going on?”

A message popped up on the virtual screen right in front of me.

[Capture complete. Data link established. Shall I take control?]

I grabbed the YES icon.

[Nav-crack initiated. Five, four, three, two, one. Completion. Enemy vessel secured.]

The enemy ship’s identification signal turned green. I frantically sent a transmission.

"Hey, that ship’s mine! Don’t shoot!"

My first mission aboard my Personal Ship ended with the capture of an enemy vessel.

Speaking of captures—wasn’t the ship fused with RIO also a capture?

The joke about Jinra’s mistaken first mission now feels like an authorial error. Should’ve fixed that.

Was supposed to be a laugh, you know.