Grey Nightmare (2)
I suppose we had our mindless nano-machines to thank for acting so thoroughly like slaughter machines.
After the Warlord’s death, the coalition fleet that had naturally dissolved reformed once more. And of course, the role of its leader fell to our Holy Sevelian Empire.
Not that the process was particularly smooth.
“Why should the Sevelian Empire take the lead again?”
“That’s right. It’s always Sevelia on top. Doesn’t sit right, does it?”
During the previous Warlord Incident, our Holy Sevelian Empire had somehow ended up leading the Southern Coalition as well… but the idea of repeating that arrangement drew complaints from Kar-Du, Mis-Pel, and various lesser nations.
“Is there really any need to fuss over something like that? What matters is saving lives.”
Zutrakfor—whose most wicked members were often said to be no better than the most virtuous of other races—told them to cut out the idiotic political games. Meanwhile, the Loi-Rakan, already next in line after the dying Rixi and with fire at their heels, gave their tacit consent.
“The nano-machine fleets are multiplying in a zone uncomfortably close to our borders.”
“We must keep those mad slaughter weapons out of our territory at all costs.”
With that backing, I took a deliberately brazen stance.
“If you don’t like the coalition’s composition, you’re free to leave. Just don’t expect any supply support from us afterward.”
Faced with that open “do as you please” attitude, even the most stubborn finally grasped their position and fell in line with the war effort.
After that chaotic back-and-forth, the coalition fleet finally crossed the Rixi border—where the nano-machine fleets had been thrashing them into tears.
“Kyaaaaah!! Loi-Rakan!! Zutrakfor!! Sevelia!!”
It took longer than expected.
Even once the coalition fleet had assembled, it was not as if we could simply steamroll the nano-machine fleets.
—Ziiiiing… KWA-BOOM!!!
“Aaaaaagh!!! Our flagship!!!!!!”
The ultra-high-output charged particle cannons mounted on the nano-machine flagships packed enough punch to sink a battleship in a single shot.
“Our… our nation’s battleship…”
“H-hey, pull yourself together!”
Commanders from the smaller nations who had only tagged along hoping to ride the coattails of the great powers watched the few battleships their countries possessed turn into cosmic dust and promptly fainted on the spot.
What the coalition fleet held over the nano-machines, however, was sheer overwhelming numbers—every neighboring nation had piled in.
No matter how powerful those ultra-high-output cannons were, they could only sink one ship at a time. And each nano-machine fleet possessed only a single battleship armed with such a main gun. The coalition, by contrast, had fielded hundreds of battleships.
“We’re not dead yet, you worthless bastards!!!!”
There was the Rixi, whose main fleet had survived despite the separatists’ early blunders that cost countless lives, assets, and troops…
“To the entire Grand Fleet: today is the moment of a sacred crusade for every race and every living being!”
…Zutrakfor’s Grand Fleet, which had taken a wrong route during the Warlord War and never gotten a proper chance to shine…
“If we leave those things alone, we’ll be next.”
“Even if the Fuxviet are our allies, they won’t hesitate to strike while our forces are weakened.”
…the Loi-Rakan, who had calculated carefully before joining…
“I hear that if we distinguish ourselves this time, the Galactic League will forgive part of our war reparations.”
…the suspiciously well-equipped volunteer fleet of Uko-Praknar, desperate to save their debt-ridden homeland…
“Countermeasures against the nano-machines are progressing smoothly.”
“While we’re at it, let’s push all the way back to the original point of origin and search for Ash inside.”
…our Holy Sevelian Empire, somehow elected leader through a series of events…
…and the loyal vassals who willingly joined us—Sevan Administration and the Nurval Republic—along with every minor nation that could spare the strength, including the chronically uncooperative Mis-Pel.
“We’re not really cut out for joining a war…”
“Get over here.”
With every available nation flooding in, the Grey Nightmare fleets were, as expected, gradually forced back under the sheer weight of numbers.
Perhaps because their fleets were being defeated in detail, the nano-machines halted the massacres they had been spreading across the Rixi theater. Scattered fleets then gathered into a new grand armada and prepared for a head-on clash with the coalition.
The scale rivaled the Waterloo Campaign of the late Warlord War, when the Warlord himself had taken the field. This time, however, we had the additional fleets of Zutrakfor, Kar-Du, and Nurval.
After seven straight days and nights of battle, the coalition fleet succeeded in crushing the nano-machine armada with fewer losses than anticipated…
If only it had ended there.
“At last, victory is ours!”
“Viva!”
“Waaaaaah!!!”
Watching them already spinning happy circuits, I shook my head and spoke.
“Riel, connect me to fleet command.”
“Yes, but are you planning to talk looking like that?”
“Ah. Just a moment.”
I nodded at Riel’s point, rose from the throne—no, the “control apparatus”—I had been sitting in, and opened the line she had prepared. Through it I warned them that optimistic speculation about the current situation should be avoided.
Most of the personnel in coalition fleet command showed little interest in listening.
—“Minister Arto seems rather anxious.”
—“He’s riding an ancient super-ship that modern technology can’t even destroy, yet he’s being far too cautious, don’t you think?”
If anything, they treated the moment as a perfect chance to snipe and sneer at me. I nodded once and cut the transmission.
—Beep!
The instant the call ended, Riel—unusually hesitant—approached with the core manager who had been assisting with ship operations, the one known as Levia.
“Um… are you all right, Minister?”
“Minister, there is no need to pay excessive attention to their words.”
They offered continuous words of comfort as I sat on the throne without reconnecting, merely sighing.
“Levia’s right. They’re all idiots, so you don’t need to take it to heart, Minister!”
I felt a quiet warmth at their genuine concern, yet raised a hand to indicate that further consolation was unnecessary. Not because I was some soft-hearted fool who simply let things slide.
“Thank you, both of you. But those people are already drunk on victory. I doubt a few words from me now would even make them pretend to listen.”
Exactly as I had said: with the entire coalition fleet riding a wave of positivity, anything I said first would be meaningless.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“We wait a little. In cases like this, they only come to their senses after they see a nano-machine fleet reinforced with numbers equal to everything they just fought.”
Riel expressed a measure of faith that the coalition wouldn’t be that foolish…
About a week later.
Event: Nano-Machine Fleet Reinforcement
With the previously accumulated nano-machine fleets annihilated, the rear central processing unit has determined that additional nano-machine fleets must be deployed.
Additional nano-machine fleets will spawn in the star system where the gate opened.
Additional fleets will be generated from planets already consumed by the nano-machines.
—Ziiiiiiing… KWA-BOOM!!!
“N-no! That was our nation’s last remaining battleship!!!”
From the original gate onward, additional nano-machine fleets began emerging from every planet the Rixi theater had lost to the infestation…
“Ghhhk… zzt… hnnngh…”
Every happy thought that had been floating through people’s heads vanished, replaced by pessimism and grim seriousness… aaaaaah…