129 Expedition Arc 14 Re-Invade 5
‘All ships, attention! Prince Akira here. I’ve been given command of the operation to annihilate the enemy, Naihume. Follow my orders.
Open the virtual screen. The data I just sent marks the predicted exit point for the enemy flagship-class vessel’s dimensional jump (warp).’
At my command, a virtual screen materializes before every officer aboard the imperial fleet, overlaying a simplified graphic of the enemy flagship-class vessel onto a real-time image of the cosmos.
‘And this line represents the predicted trajectory of the antimatter particle beam.’
From the graphic of my Personal Ship on the virtual screen, thirteen lines extend out, converging on the predicted dimensional jump (warp) exit point of the enemy flagship-class vessel.
‘If any ship is caught on this line, get clear immediately. Touch it, and you’ll disintegrate in an instant.’
A graphic shows a ship touching the line exploding into fragments, dragging nearby vessels into the blast.
‘Keep in mind it’ll take out allies too. Make sure the unmanned ships retreat responsibly.’
Thirteen lines appear in 3D, rotating around the screen, moving up, down, left, and right.
A warning flashes on any ship touching the line.
‘Your mission is to guard my Personal Ship. Protect me from enemy carrier-class vessels launched from the enemy flagship.
We can fire only one antimatter particle cannon shot per flagship-class target. Clearing out the flagship and its launched vessels after the shot is also your responsibility.
Each flagship-class target is assigned according to the color coding displayed on the virtual screen.’
Each ship’s assigned sector is color-coded and shown on the virtual screen.
The auxiliary brain handles the distribution. It switches and displays the visuals based on each person’s line of sight.
Would’ve been a nightmare without the auxiliary brain.
‘The enemy flagship-class vessel hit directly by the antimatter particle cannon will explode violently. Keep your distance—don’t get caught in the blast.’
A safe-zone line appears on the virtual screen. Any ship breaking it gets a warning.
‘The antimatter particle cannon is scheduled to fire at enemy flagship-class vessels in the order of their dimension jump (warp) out. If multiple appear simultaneously, target them in order from the center outward.’
Temporary numbers are assigned and displayed on the enemy flagship-class vessels on the virtual screen.
‘If the firing order changes, the numbers will update accordingly—double-check them.
For god’s sake, don’t block the firing line. One misfire and five thousand enemies will be on you before you can blink.’
Operation start in approximately five hours and thirty minutes. Countdown displayed on the virtual screen.
Alter formation and clear firing lines before then. That’s all.’
The countdown to operation start appears on the virtual screen.
A fleet of 1.2 million ships adjusts formation according to the instructions displayed on the virtual screen.
‘Akira… can I talk to you for a sec?’
A transmission from the Emperor.
‘Yes?’
‘How the hell is this info even showing up on the virtual screen? I’ve never seen anything like this.’
‘Huh? It’s just the Tactical Weapon Integration Control System standard on fleet flagship vessels.’
‘Hold on. Your Personal Ship… is it actually a fleet flagship?’
‘Yes. Fleet command vessel. Commonly known as a fleet flagship.’
‘That’s a rare ship class!’
‘Huh?’
‘Now I get why your Personal Ship’s so damn weird.’
‘Not giving it up.’
Sure, it's freaking insane—but I'm not giving it up.
Countdown: 100 remaining.
I've got thirteen antimatter cartridges ready for the antimatter particle cannon.
The Dimensional Storage Vault's sub-annihilation reactor is going full blast—giving it everything.
If these cartridges' seals break... half a radius of fifty kilometers just vanishes. Poof.
I'm locking onto the center point where the enemy flagship-class is predicted to warp out.
The Dimensional Radar shows the enemy flagship-class, predicted to emerge at maximum speed, right at the center.
On the holographic display, the antimatter particle cannon's firing sequence is being numbered off.
Looks like the enemy flagship-class is coming out in a spindle formation.
Can't line up a shot on the one in the back.
The enemy’s being reckless. If the jump-out point slips even a hair, we’re both gone. Poof.
Countdown zero.
Beam clear. I slam the antimatter pulse into flagship-class one.
“First hit. Keep going—second!”
Second shot aimed at flagship-class two. Then three, four—spiral pattern.
“Five. Can’t lock. Six—fire!”
Five’s blocked by debris from one. Switch target on the fly—six fires. Hit.
“Seven. Eight. Nine—fire!”
Keep firing. All rounds hit.
Explosion hides the rear—ten through thirteen. Can’t target them.
“Five. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen—missed. Eliminate enemy carriers.”
I hand off the carrier wipe to the main fleet and shift position to maintain targeting on the flagship-class.
Ten minutes. Hold on!
Dimensional jump—warp—can't be used consecutively. Need a ten-minute cooldown.
1.2 million main fleet ships collide with 250,000 enemy carriers plus surviving vessels.
If we let the flagship-class escape, up to 200,000 reinforcements could arrive.
We’ve got to force it into warp-inoperable range—no exceptions.
"Alright, time’s up. Warp to enemy rear-overview position. Don’t misfire."
I jump through dimensional warp, repositioning to target the flagship-class.
The enemy flagship-class is launching carriers and beginning to retreat.
Probably those four are heading back to collect the rear fleet.
That’s why they were holding that defensive position—covering the rear.
We’ve got to hit it before it warps out.
"Fire antimatter particle cannon!"
I send a warning to the escort ships.
No one’s gonna deliberately walk into a beam line—still, necessary.
‘Target! Number ten! Fire!’
‘Eleven! Fire! Twelve! Fire! Thirteen! Fire!’
Four shots in rapid succession.
The enemy capital ships all detonate in fragments.
‘Enemy fleet approaching!’
A warning comes through the cybernetic link.
Enemy-mounted ships are swarming toward my Personal Ship—around twenty thousand.
Clumsy. Ten-minute intervals. Still can’t warp away yet.
Enemy ships are beam-heavy. Occasionally fire missiles.
Missiles get shot down by anti-space lasers and the 5cm Railgun.
Beams are absorbed by the Beam Canceller and Beam-Resistant Coating armor—but Defense is chipping away fast.
Can’t trade back for belly. Deploy unmanned ships from the Dimensional Storage Vault as shields.
That’s when hope flickered.
I spotted a friendly fleet approaching my Personal Ship.
A portion of the fleet had broken off to cover me.
I turned my Personal Ship toward the friendly fleet and fell back.
‘Took your time. But I’m here now—no way I’m letting you die!’
It was Kyle’s fleet. Kyle had come to save me.
‘Kyle! I’m saved.’
I passed through Kyle’s fleet and slipped into safety.
Kyle’s fleet totaled 20,000 ships. Even factoring in performance differences, it was a fifty-fifty split in numbers.
I flipped my Personal Ship around and headed toward Kyle’s fleet for support.
I activated three Long Barrel 5cm Railguns and fired G-Bullets into enemy ships.
We cleared roughly 5,000 ships together—then the main fleet of 100,000 arrived and wiped out the enemy.
The fiercest battle zone this time was the fleet assigned to the fifth-class enemy mothership we’d managed to evade.
Debris colliding with antimatter shells causes instant detonation. That’s why we couldn’t fire at it.
Still, compared to the last engagement, the damage was overwhelmingly light. Imperial forces secured a decisive victory.
But my Personal Ship took noticeable damage—payback for fighting solo too much.
It’s because I’d been overused last time. Now they’re treating me like a disposable asset.
Gotta do something before they wear me out completely.
“Half the enemy fleet was mine. Should I start demanding compensation now?”
Reached 6,500 pts. Thanks for the rating and bookmark.
Made it to 4th place in the genre annual rankings.
Means a lot.
Fixed the messed-up serial numbering.