Episode 74 SU Fleet, Arrival

As per the information from the corporation, the SU Fleet appeared near the Chicken Ball.

The orbit of the Chicken Ball, circling the planet. The SU Fleet positioned outside this orbit, gathering its forces.

Watching the scene, Dawson exhaled from the captain's chair aboard the battleship Sparrow Hawk.

"This will be an uninteresting war."

"Uninteresting?"

Dawson leaned on the armrest of the captain's chair in response to Oine's question.

"The enemy has gathered outside the combat range of the Chicken Ball, then will challenge us by chasing the Chicken Ball as it orbits the planet."

"Exactly the method you described earlier, as a prolonged conflict. Why did you assume the enemy would adopt this tactic?"

"Simple. If the opposing side adopts the blocking strategy, enemy fleet formations will gather slightly ahead of Chicken Ball's orbital path. They complete their positioning while orbiting, then gradually close the relative distance to Chicken Ball. Once within engagement range, they launch a sudden close-range assault."

"Because they are assembling outside the orbital path, we can conclude they are using the pursuing strategy."

"Exactly. And since they are using the pursuing strategy, Chicken Ball won't attempt forced landings. We'll face sustained fire from a distance. That's why I deemed it uninteresting."

After deducing the enemy's strategy, Dawson considered what tactics his own forces should employ.

Keep the fleet away from Chicken Ball, strike behind the enemy fleet. Or hide within the planet’s orbit, attack from the flank. Engage head-on while luring the enemy toward Chicken Ball’s kill zone.

Various tactics were considered. Dawson chose the safest option.

“Attacking alongside Chicken Ball is stable.”

“Stable?”

Oine’s question drew a half-lidded glance from Dawson.

“You sound surprised I’d pick a stable tactic?”

“Isn’t that right? You always used unorthodox methods at the Officer Academy. The data is still logged.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve always chosen tactics with high success rates. Calling them unorthodox is a misjudgment.”

"Hey, but all the tactics in the data are unconventional, aren't they?"

"There's no choice. You had to pick those strategies or end up in the instructor's trap."

The instructor, a noble's heir, had begun assigning Dawson—always ranked first alongside his cohort Akatsuki—unusually difficult tasks, as if anticipating his performance.

Dawson had no option but to devise unconventional methods to overcome challenges that could not be solved through standard means. He probed for blind spots, exploited flaws in the task design—anything that worked.

Looking at the data from those moments, it was understandable that Dawson appeared to avoid conventional tactics.

Yet beneath the surface of those unconventional methods was a fact: they were the most likely to succeed in overcoming the deliberately difficult challenges imposed by the instructor.

Dawson was a commander who chose conventional tactics when they offered the highest probability of success, and considered unconventional tactics when they also offered a chance of success.

In this case, however, the conflict with the SU Space Fleet and Chicken Ball presented no such opponent, and no such scenario was likely to arise.

"First, attempt standard tactics. Observe the enemy fleet's movements. If the intelligence provided by the corporation is accurate, defense will be effortless."

Dawson decided to position his forces above the north and south poles of Chicken Ball, should the enemy fleet choose to engage while pursuing Chicken Ball.

The SU Space Fleet completed its assembly and launched its attack on Chicken Ball.

As Dawson had anticipated, the enemy fleet continued to pursue Chicken Ball along its orbital path.

At the moment combat was imminent, a communication arrived at the Sparrow Hawk’s bridge.

The transmission originated from Goud, who had been entrusted with overall command of Chicken Ball’s defensive weaponry.

‘N-nah, Special Lieutenant Dawson. Really… is it alright for me to take on this role? Honestly, I’m not skilled in combat.’

Dawson replied with a neutral expression.

‘I’ve provided the defense manual. Just follow it. That’s all. You can do it, right?’

‘If it’s just following the guidebook, then it’s not impossible. I’ll act according to its instructions. If the defense fails, I won’t accept complaints.’

‘Failure is not possible. Don’t worry. Follow the manual.’

‘…That confidence… I envy it.’

Goudo muttered with a shrug, then severed the comms.

Immediately, the defensive turrets mounted across the entire surface of Chicken Ball began to move slowly. The barrels gradually turned toward the approaching enemy fleet, closer now to Chicken Ball.

Dawson observed this with satisfaction.

Others aboard the Sparrow Hawks, however, wore anxious expressions.

"Are we really sure we should have trusted him?"

Kiwaka spoke this criticism, eyes fixed on the radar display showing the enemy fleet's relative distance.

"I reviewed Goudo's service record and performance. Honestly, combat capability is low."

An unusually harsh assessment from Kiwaka.

The tone carried clear resentment toward an incompetent superior, likely linked to a female officer who had harassed him in the past.

Dawson made no comment on that point. He adjusted his evaluation of Goudo instead.

"Even if combat capability is low, that applies only to battlefields or opponents requiring improvisation. Given how precisely the supply fleet was managed, he excels at executing assigned tasks as directed."

"But war does not always proceed exactly as planned."

"True. However, defensive operations within a fortress offer little variation. When the enemy approaches, activate defensive weapons. When the enemy breaches the fortress, engage in close combat with comrades. In essence, that is all there is."

"Could the enemy employ unconventional tactics?"

"Possible. But to counter such tactics, fleets outside the fortress, including those of Chicken Ball, are positioned for that purpose. Even with limited combat ability, Commander Goudo is fully capable of defensive operations using the fortress."

While the explanation continued, the distance between the enemy fleet and Chicken Ball diminished.

Still beyond effective range—yet, at this moment, defensive weaponry on Chicken Ball’s surface initiated fire.

Misjudged engagement distance, or perhaps an overeager discharge.

Dawson smiled faintly, seeing Kiyaka’s expression as if to say, ‘You see?’

‘If Kiyaka looks like that, the S.U. Space Force probably shares the same thought.’

Kiyaka’s expression shifted to surprise.

‘You mean... you deliberately ordered Chicken Ball to open fire, even though the range was still too great?’

"Commander Goud is acting exactly as per the manual I provided. This is the established protocol. The fleet is reacting to the approaching enemy without regard for distance, attempting to drive them off prematurely. Does that not strike you as a foolish, pirate-like maneuver?"

Hearing Dawson's plan, Kiyaka and Oine's expressions turned to disbelief.

"A calculated move to provoke their complacency. Well prepared, indeed."

"Truly. You just declared you'd fight fairly, and the words haven't dried on your tongue yet, and now you're bringing deception into battle. Typical of Dawson."

Dawson grimaced, unamused by the implied criticism from the two.

Yet aboard the bridge, the crew—Bera and Cori wore expressions of 'that's just like Dawson,' while Hitokane nodded, approving. No one stepped forward to defend Dawson.