The Imperial Shadow
The Galactic Empire's military. The most powerful military force in the universe. Just the number of them exceeds two billion.
And the warship floating in orbit flew the Empire's flag.
What did that mean?
It was the sound of countless people falling into panic.
“Kyaaaaak!”
“I have to get off this planet right now! Prepare a ship! A ship!”
“Orbital bombardment! It’s orbital bombardment!”
“How can we win against the Imperial military! We have to retreat immediately!”
People, especially Imperial citizens, were in a frenzy, shouting anything and everything.
The natives who knew nothing were relatively calm, but the Imperial citizens who knew how terrifying the Imperial military was were noisy.
One scholar grabbed my shoulder and shook me.
“Hey, Baron! Take me back to Brontes planet! I can’t die in a place like this!”
Then am I the one who can die?
A hundred swear words came to mind. But I held them back and said,
“Rest assured, Dr. Fabian. I will act with the safety of the planet’s inhabitants as my top priority. I will make sure Dr. Fabian doesn’t get hurt, so please wait here.”
“But Baron…!”
I forcibly sat him in a chair nearby and looked at Balibali. Balibali brought his subordinates so he couldn’t cause a ruckus.
And I immediately headed to the Umbamba Falls. In the cave next to the falls was Hilde. As always, she was naked, and as always, she was under the waterfall water.
“Hilde.”
“You’re here?”
“It’s bad. An Imperial warship is floating in orbit. They said if we don’t leave the wheat field right away, they’ll do orbital bombardment.”
“How many warships?”
“One.”
“If we fire the Petron Cannon, it will be over in five minutes?”
“At that moment, they will become the Empire’s enemy. Then, hundreds of warships will come, and we will be ground to dust by that fleet.”
She smiled.
“You know well.”
“It’s not the time to laugh. It seems like we might end up becoming primitives again. I know what it means to be a primitive in this universe. A weakling who can be hunted and killed without a single place to complain, unilaterally by self-proclaimed civilized people! I won’t give moral lectures. I also grew my power through conquest wars, and in terms of morality, I’m not that different from these imperialists. But my subordinates are following me because they trust only me. I can’t put them in a position worse than animals!”
“Due to my subordinates?”
“…Let’s be honest. Honestly, it’s more due to my ambition. My subordinates? They’re precious. They’re like family. But I am more precious than my family. My ambition is precious too. That ambition to one day become an Imperial noble and live lavishly. That’s for that. Subordinates are second.”
“Good that you’re honest.”
“Does it clear your mind by digging into my heart?”
“It feels quite refreshing.”
“…!”
I got annoyed. I thought about quitting everything and going to Brontes planet to live as a rich man. But I quickly stopped. No matter how bad I am, I can’t abandon all the things I built to survive.
“So what are you going to do?”
“…Save it.”
“Save who?”
“This planet.”
“70 points.”
“…This planet, and me.”
“Good. That’s enough to pass.”
She got up from her seat and walked leisurely towards where the clothes were. For some reason, the water on her body dried up instantly. She put on her underwear and said.
“What do you think we should do about this matter?”
“Fighting is out of the question. Even if we win today, we’ll lose tomorrow. Striking first against the Imperial military is like suicide. We have to find their logical flaws somehow and turn public opinion against them. Luckily, I’ve already made a name for myself among the public on Brontes planet. It might not be the worst situation.”
“Public opinion. Good. Then one more question. Do you think the Imperial warship floating in the sky represents the will of 11 billion Imperial citizens?”
“…No way?”
“Yes. That Imperial warship didn’t come to represent all 11 billion Imperial citizens, but to represent someone’s interests. Who do you think that someone is?”
How could I know that?
I just… a primitive with modern knowledge.
“Who is it?”
When I asked that, Hilde, who was buttoning up the uniform, chuckled.
“I don’t know either.”
“… ”
“Don’t make that face. I’m not joking with you. To win this fight, we first need to know who the enemy is. Who gave the order for that warship to come here. What rank does the mastermind have in the Imperial military. Depending on that, our response will change.”
“…!”
Fortunately, no matter how much of a primitive you are, they need a 90-day grace period for a withdrawal request. They can’t touch you for 90 days. In those 90 days, we can find the mastermind, build up our military, and prepare for the war that will come.”
Now I understood. The Imperial military isn’t of one mind. I’m not facing all 11 billion Imperial citizens. I’m facing one Imperial military officer or several who are greedy for our planet. If I remember that part, saving the planet isn’t a dream.
---
The next day, I immediately sent a telegram to Baron Rettenberg. Baron Rettenberg, I am very sorry for contacting you again in this situation where I’ve been relying on you so much, but we are in a difficult situation due to this incident, and I would like you to investigate from which level of the Imperial military this incident occurred. Something like that.
And Baron Rettenberg soon sent a reply.
[What is currently patrolling around there is Baron Wagner’s fleet. Baron Wagner is a man ruling a small territory called the Stein Baronate on Arges planet, and he is a person who has been investing a lot in planetary development recently.]
Investing a lot in planetary development.
That increases the possibility. The mastermind is likely this Baron Wagner.
[Thank you, Baron Rettenberg. I will offer a lower price for the next transaction.]
[I have noted the date and content, so please don’t change it later.]
Baron Rettenberg probably thought that the Zakum tribe would survive until the next transaction.
Other than that, I was grateful for this. Next time, I really need to cut the price.
I chuckled and immediately started looking up information about the Stein Baronate.
Fortunately, some of the doctors I hired knew about it.
“The Stein Baronate is a very small country even in Arges planet. Because the area is small, they pour most of the national budget into colonial development. However, it’s also famous for its poor treatment of the natives within the colony. If they can’t meet the plantation harvest quota, they cut off hands and feet…”
I know there are such bastards on Earth too.
We got unlucky with the bad guy.
“The Stein Baronate is much larger than the mainland. The mainland’s population is about 500,000 small territory, but if we add the colonial population, it’s over 10 million.”
500,000 is small, what are we with 40,000… I was about to say that but held back.
“By the way, why are you asking about Baron Wagner… Could it be that Baron Wagner is involved in this incident?”
It was a sharp question, and it was true. I nodded my head.
“It’s not confirmed, but it’s likely he’s involved.”
“…”
“…”
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet. I put my hand on my head.
“They say the population is 500,000.”
“Yes.”
“Adding the colonial population, it’s 10 million.”
“Yes.”
“We don’t have a way to win, do we?”
“Well… I’m sure Edwin knows about that.”
Oh, I forgot about that person.
Edwin Neville. Our mercenary commander.
I sent a telegram to Edwin.
[There’s this situation, can we win?]
Edwin is currently earning foreign currency through mercenary business on a planet called Atron.
And soon, a reply from Edwin came.
[Impossible]
Just two words.
That’s it.
But 10 minutes later, another telegram came.
[Need 5 million ducats and 2 years]
5 million ducats.
No.
Even if I combine all the money I have, it’s barely 200,000 ducats, and even if I sell wheat during harvest, it’s barely 1.5 million.
2 years.
No.
In 90 days, the warship in orbit will start bombardment.
“Wow…”
It’s screwed.
At that moment.
*Knock knock*
A knocking sound came from outside the door.
“Come in.”
My subordinates opened the door.
And who came in…
Philia Joanne. A genius who speaks 8 languages fluently.
That woman had come.
“Philia, what’s going on?”
“Just in case it helps a little…”
“Want to enlist?”
“Well, would that be…”
“It’s a joke! Phila, there are places more necessary than the army, so don’t enlist. Most importantly, we don’t have any female soldiers yet.”
“…I was joking too.”
Since it was absurd, I chuckled, and she laughed too.
“I can’t enlist, but… I was thinking of making a video.”
“A video?”
“Producing content criticizing Baron Wagner’s unilateral invasion in multiple languages and distributing it to each planet, how about that?”
“… ”
Good idea. Public opinion is a very important element in war. But will that solve it?
Baron Wagner is a guy obsessed with colonial plunder. Colonialism is legally recognized even in the Empire. If they just eat a little criticism, they won’t back down with military… Wait?
“Philia, can you go to Brontes planet for a bit?”
“To Brontes planet?”
“Actually, I want to go myself, but if the Baron leaves his seat empty, people might panic thinking they’ve fled, so I was worried. It’s really important…”
“Well, if it’s that important, I’ll go! But why?”
If asking why Phila… First, Phila has a cute appearance that appeals to many people, good diction, and is smart. She will handle it well no matter what.
If asking why Brontes…
“To earn some foreign currency.”
I don’t know if it will reach 5 million ducats, but sending Phila will bring money.