The Master of the Hounds
"We're basically screwed, aren't we?"
My unintentional mutter drew every eye in the command center toward me.
Arva, Noah, and Pomen just looked puzzled, but the problem was the Cerberus Squad.
"...Ah, aah."
"Gulp."
From the words I'd let slip moments ago, they seemed to feel like they'd brought disaster upon Ark 69. Despair was plain on their faces.
Especially Helena, the squad leader—she looked pale as a prisoner awaiting the death sentence, biting her lower lip.
My mistake.
Her shoulders trembled faintly, but it was enough for me to notice.
Whew, calm down. This isn't the worst-case scenario yet.
I kept my composure, sorting through the tangle in my head.
The Carapace Lord was alive, breeding humans and ECHOs as spawn to build its forces. That was undeniably a massive headache.
But it was also an opportunity.
In the original story, the ally squad Cerberus—which you wouldn't meet for another 30 years—had walked right into my lap.
And the Carapace Lord wasn't charging in with a massive horde right this second.
"Anyway, I heard the full report. Good work, everyone. Cerberus Squad... you'll need to regroup first. Noah."
"Yes, Commander."
"Show them to their quarters."
I spoke as softly and warmly as I could.
The moment I finished, Helena's shoulders twitched.
Even as original ECHOs, they knew how ECHOs were treated in this world.
Tools to use up and toss when broken—nothing more, nothing less.
But I had no intention of using them that way.
"Meals..."
I paused, glancing around the Ark as if surveying it, then shrugged.
"The Ark's in such rough shape, there’s nothing fancy to offer. But we've got plenty of concentrated nutrient packs—grab as much as you need. Can't vouch for the taste, though."
I tossed in a light joke, but their faces stiffened instead.
So I quickly pressed on.
"And..."
My gaze lingered briefly on Helena and the other injured Cerberus Squad members.
"Get those wounds treated. Noah will help. Noah."
"Pardon? Yes, Commander. As ordered."
"Supply them with spare titanium alloy and power packs too."
"Ah, we..."
Helena started to protest my orders, but I waved her off.
She was no doubt about to say something pointless like not wanting to impose on the Ark, or that they'd just rearm and head back to Ark 74.
"No refusals."
"...Pardon?"
But I had no intention of sending this goldmine I'd caught back out into the wild.
"Noah, take them now."
"Understood, Commander. This way, everyone—follow me."
I shot Noah a quick look, and the Cerberus Squad shuffled awkwardly after her out of the command center.
As I watched them head to quarters, I turned to Arva and Karen.
"You two, sort the loot from this expedition and report to me. Prioritize anything we can apply to Ark upgrades right away and bring me the list."
"Yes? Yes! Commander!"
Bringing them here was great, but we couldn't neglect the Ark's own progress.
With the situation settled for now, I returned to my office, and the Central AI Wanderer's mechanical voice rang out.
[Commander. Per regulations, we must attempt communication with Ark 74.]
"Hmm, why's that? Because of that squad that just arrived?"
I played dumb, feigning ignorance.
[Correct. Cerberus Squad is a valuable asset of Ark 74. Per Ark Regulations Article 3, Section 9, we must immediately notify them of their survival and discuss repatriation procedures.]
"I had no idea such a rule existed..."
I rubbed my forehead, acting troubled while racking my brain.
It was true—I really hadn't known about that rule.
But that didn't mean I was handing Cerberus Squad back without a fight.
[Initiating connection to Ark 74.]
"...Fine."
As I pondered how to swallow them whole, Wanderer broke the silence.
[...]
[Communication with Ark 74 has failed. Suspected heavy radio interference nearby or complete destruction of their comms system.]
"Not easy, huh."
I sighed inwardly with relief, then feigned regret.
"So what's the next protocol? There must be a manual for failed comms."
[Affirmative. Return Cerberus Squad to Ark 74 as swiftly as possible.]
"In our Ark's condition? We'd collapse sending them back."
[...Acknowledged.]
At Wanderer's curt reply, I jumped right in as if I'd been waiting.
"How about temporarily reassigning Cerberus Squad to our roster? They can't get back to Ark 74 anyway. Better to put them to work for the Ark's progress than have them just burn through our nutrients here, right?"
[Impossible, Commander. Arbitrarily incorporating another Ark's clearly owned assets is a blatant regulations violation.]
"So we just kick them out? With comms down? You think they can make it back to Ark 74 like that?"
[......]
"You heard it yourself. The Carapace Lord's rampaging out there."
[Even so...]
I sat up straight in my chair and leaned toward the speaker with authority in my voice.
"Kicking them out like that is as good as scrapping them. Even if they're ECHOs, I won't tolerate that as Commander."
As Wanderer hesitated, I pressed harder.
"Until Ark 74 makes a direct request, Cerberus Squad is temporarily under Ark 69's command. We'll handle their supplies and maintenance, of course. This is a rational measure to avoid wasting ECHOs wandering the battlefield. Any issues?"
[......]
Wanderer fell silent for a long stretch.
Seemed like it was weighing regulations against principles.
Finally, after what felt like ages, Wanderer spoke.
[...Commander's logic accepted. Registering Cerberus Squad as a temporary squad of Ark 69.]
"Good call."
I smiled in satisfaction at Wanderer's response.
A happy coincidence, sure, but the outcome was solid.
Anyway, I'd snagged Cerberus Squad way ahead of the original timeline.
In our ECHO shortage, their addition would be a huge boost.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
💬Arclight Squad Tactical Link Chat
[Arva: Recon of Hongwei-7 went smoothly. Noah, how's the Commander's condition?]
[Pomen: Commander's condition? Looked like the purification was pretty intense. Didn't you see how glossy her face is?]
[Arva: ??? What's the correlation between purification and Noah's skin?]
[Pomen: You know, sucking up the Commander's semen makes your skin glow. It’s common knowledge.]
[Arva: No basis for that, Pomen. Database says sleep, diet, hydration, and UV protection are far more reliable for skin health.]
[Pomen: ...Sigh. My fault for chatting with someone who's never even held a human guy's hand.]
[Noah: Hee hee hee. Ensuring the Commander's mental and physical well-being is my key duty. I took good care of him, so no worries.]
[Pomen: Did you stabilize his mind and body... or just wear him out?]
[Noah: I get that you crave the Commander's blessing, Pomen. But no need to rush, is there?]
[Pomen: You get it? While you hogged him all to yourself?]
[Arva: Pomen, the Commander isn't an object. And definitely not for eating.]
[Pomen: Right, Arva. You're spot on. I'm not eating the Commander—he's the one eating me.]
[Arva: ???]
[Noah: Anyway. What's the deal with the Cerberus Squad you two brought? And a Carapace Lord? Didn't it flee north?]
[Arva: As reported to the Commander. Big trouble on the Ark 74 side.]
[Noah: But wasn't that a pretty big Ark?]
[Arva: Ark itself seems fine, but who knows.]
[Pomen: Just picked up an annoying tagalong. Hope they don't draw that monster our way.]
[Noah: Even so, protecting the Commander is our mission and calling.]
[Pomen: I know. Anyway, I'm heading to see the Commander. You two?]
[Arva: We'll be sorting materials from Hongwei-7 with Karen, and then prepare a report on it for the Commander by evening.]
[Pomen: How long?]
[Arva: Hmm... an hour and a half?]
[Pomen: OK. Plenty of time. Should get two rounds in.]
Pomen has disconnected.
[Arva: ??? What's plenty?]
[Noah: Hee hee hee. Pomen seemed in a hurry. You'll get it too eventually, won’t you, Arva?]
[Arva: ...Fine, got it. And Cerberus Squad?]
[Noah: Resting for now. Karen's handling maintenance starting tomorrow.]
[Arva: Good thing we have Karen.]
[Noah: Tell me about it. Oh, you brought back Lena's genes this time?]
[Arva: Karen found them by luck. But... not sure if we can revive her.]
[Noah: If it's the Commander, he'll find a way.]
While the Arclight Squad chatted over their tactical link, the newly quartered Cerberus Squad was buzzing in their own comms.
💬Cerberus Squad Tactical Link Chat - Encrypted Channel
[Helena: Status report. Luna, Silva. All clear?]
[Luna: Yes, yes! The shower water's so warm. First time with water this hot...]
[Silva: Got heaps of high-concentration nutrients. Lots of varieties—must be scavenged from outside. Back home, we’d only get these as special mission rewards.]
[Helena: Yeah, I got some too.]
[Luna: D-Does this mean... we won't get scrapped?]
[Silva: Who knows. Could be our last supper.]
[Luna: Still... this Ark's Commander didn't seem scary.]
[Helena: Don't let your guard down, Luna. No telling what humans are scheming. We could just get disbanded by dinner time.]
[Luna: ......]
Luna's sullen reaction came through the link, but there was no reason to be optimistic.
Of course, Ark 69's Commander did give off a unique vibe.
No yelling or kicks or slaps for mission failure, or for retreating without rescuing the human commanders.
"...Feels nice."
How long had it been since she'd lain in a bed like this?
She could barely remember.
Then—
[This is Ark 69's Central AI, Wanderer.]
A flat, emotionless mechanical tone.
At the voice of the Ark's Central AI, Helena jolted upright and responded slowly.
"Cerberus Squad Leader, Helena."
[Confirmed. Per Ark Regulations, as of this moment, Cerberus Squad is temporarily reassigned to Ark 69. ID codes and comm protocols will be reset. You now fall under Ark 69 Command Center authority.]
"Huh? What does that mean?"
[Per regulations, we should return you to Ark 74.]
"......"
[But comms with Ark 74 are severed. Unknown if it's a simple system fault or a major issue there.]
"Then?"
[Normally, we'd scout to confirm Ark 74's status, but Ark 69's condition prevents external recon. Thus, Cerberus Squad is temporarily incorporated into Ark 69 for management.]
"......Understood."
Helena nodded at the Central AI's words.
Looked like the master of the Hounds had changed without their input.
"Ha... better than scrapping, I guess."
Helena lay back a moment longer, then sat up.
Silva and Luna were deep in chatter on the squad's encrypted channel about the situation.
Meanwhile, she figured since things had turned out this way, she should at least greet the new Commander.