Chapter 191
Translator: uly
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: The Long Vigil
Silence flowed through the ship.
Aside from the low vibration of the engines straining at full power, nothing stimulated the ears.
I stepped out of the captain's quarters and scanned the empty passageway.
The reason the ship was so quiet was because of the AD Drive. To avoid any unexpected shocks inside causing errors in navigation.
You might think how much impact a few people talking could have, but when you're traveling several light-years in a straight line, even the smallest things become sensitive.
Still, today it felt unusually quiet, and that wasn't just my imagination.
*It's eerily still.*
Out of the nine superhumans deployed to Defense Point 12, four had died, and two bore wounds they could never recover from.
Moreover, Teams 3 and 4, where the sacrifices occurred, consisted entirely of academy classmates, and one of the retired pair was Shephyn, who'd been with the unit since its early days.
But getting sentimental now over comrades' sacrifices would be strange.
I'd seen plenty of comrades die up to this point.
Excluding the six we parted with yesterday, four more had fallen on the battlefield over the past year or so.
And the number of combat crew who'd gone into the hatchery with me and died was nearing four figures.
War inevitably comes hand in hand with death.
*Has it already been four years?*
My pre-arrival self in this world still felt vivid.
Maybe because the time here had been so densely packed, four years ago felt incredibly faint.
Back in my original world, even a year barely seemed like an accomplishment.
*No time to dwell on this.*
I shook my head.
In this Space Crawler assault, the main force was the Union fleet.
Our role was just to stand by in case of contingencies.
If things went smoothly, we'd assist with cleanup; if not, we'd join the fray. But with the prepared forces, I figured there wouldn't be major issues.
*Add the defense fleet, and that's five regiment-level forces total. Even assigning two per enemy leaves room to spare.*
I entered the bridge.
The crew who'd spotted me saluted without their usual greetings.
I returned them casually and sat in the captain's chair, receiving a report from Frederick.
"No anomalies worth your attention during your absence, Captain."
"Has the vice captain gotten some rest?"
"Yes. More than enough."
Frederick, always standing firm in his spot, showed no sign of wavering.
Why had someone with such talent retired early to start a training institute?
*Thanks to that, I snagged a capable recruit.*
My gaze drifted a bit lower.
The teenage boy who'd insisted on being called Hayreddin had become a sturdy young man in less than a year.
He still retained some of his lively nature, as if his true self hadn't fully faded, but he didn't come off as frivolous.
In just three months, he'd shed his apprentice badge and, with remarkable performance, risen to gunnery control chief despite being a regular crew rank.
Senior crewman status wasn't far off.
Even accounting for the unit's newness, it was an incredibly rapid promotion.
"But are we really just spectators?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"We finally get a shot at those beauties, so shouldn't we at least oil up the launchers for some fun?"
"Pull any nonsense, and I'll stuff you in the launcher instead of a missile."
"I'd miss even one alien if I fired!"
"With that mouth, even a Space Crawler without ears would want to plug them. Excellent psychological warfare potential."
Jim and his senior crewman traded barbs for a while.
The senior's attitude seemed curt, but he'd been acting like an uncle to Jim back at the training institute.
"Full of energy as always."
"Jim ensures the bridge is never quiet."
"That's why you made him senior crewman?"
"He executes his assigned role flawlessly. Never steps out of line."
Even a hint of doubt, and Frederick jumps to his defense.
That's why it's hard to get an objective take from him.
*He's got him all to himself.*
A twinge of envy hit me.
Being at an age where you can still rely on someone's protection is nice.
In an era where you can live to 200 if you can afford medical care, twenties to thirties shouldn't matter much.
Of course, Jim was still a boy far from twenty.
"Ten minutes until drive out."
"Run a final system check."
"Yes, sir!"
We completed the AD Drive without issue.
To do it in one go, we'd traveled quite the distance, but the error margin was only two million kilometers.
With a couple of ships already ahead of us, we exchanged comms and slowly entered Arcstar's orbit.
"How's it looking?"
"As expected. The two Space Crawlers from Tethys opened rifts and vanished three hours ago."
"Then estimated arrival..."
"Within the next seven to eight hours."
"Better pray hard."
Time passed slowly.
Three hours after our arrival, the ships pulled from the Styx front all made it in, and the HQ support fleet arrived before five hours were up.
Combat prep had been finished before departure.
Aside from evacuating Arcstar's residents, we could've fought right then.
In the prevailing silence, time flowed smoothly.
The mood shifted thirty minutes past our expected emergence window.
*...Why haven't they come?*
"We still don't fully understand Space Crawler interstellar navigation capabilities. A thirty-minute margin is nothing to worry about."
"True, but..."
Something felt slightly off.
Lately, these hunches had been spot-on, so I couldn't relax easily.
But after three more hours in that state, even I had to ease up.
"No reports of them showing elsewhere?"
"None, sir."
What was going on?
Holding this tension indefinitely wasn't sustainable.
I pondered options, then scanned the comm channel opened by the fleet commanders.
*They're getting restless.*
This order to assemble at Arcstar had basis but was largely a gamble.
There were seven inhabited planets adjacent to Tethys.
Normally, you'd pick one of the eight including Tethys as rally point, or split forces.
But Arcstar wasn't even on that list and was quite distant.
*If it flops, it'll hurt bad.*
No signs of anyone peeling off from Arcstar yet.
But most couldn't hide their doubts about the choice.
-Still just lurking?
Then, a private message from Brigadier Loengen.
I chuckled at his word choice and replied.
-Uncharacteristically cheap phrasing.
-Back in the day, I dreamed of being a messenger. If my home planet hadn't been swallowed by war, I never would've enlisted.
Loengen's "messenger" differed from our messaging app.
More like a postal worker or courier.
They ferried info between planets without Drive Gates or real-time comms.
Easy work but risky, with steady demand—if careful, you could live well.
Anyway, picturing Loengen as one didn't fit his bandit-like mug.
-So, what's up?
-Figured you might be overthinking it.
Among Styx front commanders, he'd become the closest.
Antharogia's defense commander treated me warmly too, but it felt more professional than personal.
His words came easy regardless.
-I'm fine.
-Even if we're wrong, don't sweat it. The call was Colonel Libel's.
Could I dodge responsibility by deferring to someone else?
Grateful for the concern, but I wasn't that fragile.
I'd coldly forecasted the aftermath already.
*But I doubt my prediction's off.*
Space Crawlers were definitely coming.
The question was when.
-Anyway, we'll watch at least a day. Adjust as needed, even if nothing happens.
I thanked him and closed chat.
Three hours later, with no incidents, I ordered Frederick to rotate shifts and held the captain's chair.
Another day passed like that.
"Captain!"
Frederick's voice pulled me from a nap in the chair.
I blinked awake as he zoomed in on a scene for me.
"What's that?"
"Suspected alien swarm."
*...Swarm?*
I snapped alert and examined it closely.
Low res made ID tough, but analysis pegged alien probability at over 99%.
"Where'd we spot it?"
"Forty million kilometers out."
"Scale?"
"At least three million small flyers minimum, plus mid-to-large units visible. And..."
Frederick pointed to a spot.
Among them, one massive standout: definitely a Space Crawler.
"I see that much. Just the one?"
"Yes. Only one observed so far."
A flying legion out of nowhere.
Mid-to-large space-capable units were all tough customers.
Produced only in six-plus hatcheries, with long-range attack capabilities.
This wasn't just "three million aliens" firepower.
"Our forces' response?"
"They're sending interceptors to spare the planet damage. Departing in thirty minutes."
"We and the defense fleet hold?"
"Yes, sir."
One still unaccounted for was the worry.
And if flyers breached the line toward the planet, we'd have to stop them.
*But where the hell did that come from?*
Space Crawlers couldn't carry that many aliens.
Meant they'd airlifted from nearby.
Scanning the map, I muttered.
"Bengal Asteroid Belt?"
"Distance matches. Probably hiding there."
Less "hiding," more "dormant," but we knew zilch about alien sleep.
Still, dormant units around here weren't odd.
Humanity's expansion had maxed out.
Think of the place as littered with landmines.
*They woke up sleepers? This close?*
Good thing it stayed hidden.
Bengal Belt was probably dismissed as worthless rubble.
No economic value, so untouched.
"They're off."
I sent good-luck messages to the departing Union fleet commanders.
Factoring speeds, combat in seven hours.
Even with three million flyers joining, no Space Crawler meant Union advantage.
They'd unload their packed arsenals and seize momentum.
My job now: pray nothing happened here while the fleet won and returned.
"Shame. Chance to show off to Union HQ brass."
"Show off for what?"
"HQ types have noses in the stars. Strutting like experts without ever seeing frontline."
"It's the junior officers. Captains and commanders all cut their teeth once."
"That's my point. Why act like they've seen action when they haven't, like me?"
Jim's voice lightened the bridge mood.
We waited again.
But the prior unease was minimal.
Four regiments strong, victory near-certain. Nothing beat spectating that.
If only time flowed that way, but as the fleet reached position and formed defenses, the bridge buzzed anew.
"Rift energy detected! Dead ahead!"
*...It came after all.*
The rift began to open slowly.