Chapter 321: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield [R-18] (39)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 321: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield [R-18] (39)
The recipient of the communication was the Supreme Chairman of Arsenos.
[Connection established. Encrypted channel codename: VESTA]
[...What is it, Aaron?]
A low, weighty voice came through. Blake took a slow breath before speaking.
“Are you… truly planning to break away from the Earth Federation?”
[Hahaha. Still worried about that, are you?]
The Chairman’s words were laced with a light laugh.
“No matter how weakened they’ve become, their military is still capable of wiping Arsenos off the map overnight.”
[You’re not wrong, Aaron. But look at those foolish Federation councilors. They’ve been using the war as a tool for ‘internal management,’ all to protect their positions while passing power amongst themselves. You know how much wealth and influence they’ve amassed in the process.]
The Chairman’s voice was low, but it resonated with certainty.
[The very men who sought to protect their power are now beginning to lose the ‘strength to protect it.’ The prolonged war has depleted their resources, and their internal structure is fracturing. The military is split into factions, and even the neutral nations are turning their backs on them.]
The Chairman paused to catch his breath before continuing.
[This Elbaite incident… do you really think the neutral nations are unaware of the Federation’s internal situation? And this is new information I received today. There are movements being detected within the Federation itself.]
“…A rebellion?”
[Hehehe, yes. The Federation councilors who were never part of the Royal Faction. I tossed a small piece of information to those outcasts, and they immediately started stirring.]
“……You are truly diabolical.”
[I’ll take that as a compliment.]
He paused for a moment. Only the faint sound of breathing could be heard over the comms.
[Aaron. The time has come.]
Blake’s eyes narrowed.
“If we make our move now, there will be no turning back.”
[There is no reason to turn back. The time has come for us to stop being the Federation’s lackeys and become the true ‘masters’.]
A long silence followed. Then, Blake asked in a low voice.
“…So. Instead of eliminating Adele Licencia as the Federation requested, we’re to abduct her?”
[That’s right. If we can get our hands on Adele Licencia, the tide of this war will turn in an instant. She is the core of the Licencia Group. If we can secure that bloodline, that authority, that technology… we will be the final victors.]
The Chairman’s voice was low and cold.
[Therefore, you must not fail. Adele Licencia must not die.]
“Yes, I understand.”
—Click.
The communication ended. The bridge fell silent once more. Aaron Blake slowly lowered the terminal. He then muttered quietly to himself.
“The Federation… and Arsenos…”
The corner of his mouth twisted almost imperceptibly.
“…It’s all over now.”
Aaron Blake quietly reached into the inner pocket of his uniform. What he slowly pulled out was a small, old photograph.
It was faded, its edges worn.
Two people were in the picture. A much younger Aaron, and a woman whose smiling eyes were exceptionally warm.
“…It won’t be long now.”
He murmured to himself, leaning back in his chair.
Fifteen years ago.
The Elysion Redevelopment Zone 26 Collapse. That day was the beginning of everything.
It was an urban expansion project led by the Earth Federation. But in reality, it was a shoddy construction project riddled with lobbying and corruption. A predictable catastrophe. Distress signals were ignored, and those responsible walked away smiling. All that was left was a piece of a collapsed city and the thousands of civilians crushed to death within it.
“…They were poor, useless. So they were quietly abandoned, without a word.”
His wife had been among them. And their young child, who couldn't even speak yet, had been with her.
Was a rescue possible? Yes. But on the grounds that it would exceed the budget, they crunched the numbers and came to the conclusion to ‘give up.’
That day, Aaron Blake had crawled through the rubble for ten days straight. With a sliver of hope, with his bare hands. But all he found was the torn identification tag of his child.
He stared down at the photograph. In it, his wife was smiling. His child was holding his hand.
Back then, when he knew nothing.
“……That’s why I chose Arsenos.”
At the time, he believed it was justice. A resistance fighting for the freedom of the colonial populace against the corruption of the Earth Federation.
But now he knew.
“The Federation… Arsenos… they pretend to be victims on the outside, but inside, they’re both rotten with the same greed and hypocrisy.”
Aaron quietly opened his terminal and accessed a folder.
Athena Zero_Protocol.vkx
A subtle smile touched his lips.
“Now then… I shall watch with great interest to see how you all use this.”
*
I was in the hangar. Inside the cockpit, the tactical HUD was already on standby, and battlefield data was streaming across the main screen in real-time.
“First time in a large-scale battle… This is getting me a little excited.”
I muttered to myself. This feeling was similar to the first time I ever played a shooting game.
The main screen switched automatically, displaying the orbital insertion path above Nemesis. Dozens of enemy icons appeared on the tactical map, which was rendered based on topographical data.
“Arsenos’s defense line…”
Inside the cockpit, the forward HUD displayed the massive defensive line surrounding Nemesis. Ship cannons, defensive emplacements, and countless unit signals. The red icons were all situated within engagement range.
[This is the Armeo bridge. All units, report readiness.]
Major Elena Eisenhardt’s cool voice echoed through the comms network.
[This is Captain Lionel Vasquez, 7th Mobile Squadron Leader. Ready and waiting, no issues.]
[Ensign Carla Stren. Ready.]
[Ensign Lucian Kane. All clear.]
[Ron Brandt. Ready.]
[Lieutenant Mina Yuhara. Ready.]
Elena made her final call.
[Lieutenant Jin Seo-yun.]
I responded curtly.
“No issues.”
A low hum vibrated through the cockpit.
The Requiem’s systems were entering combat mode.
[All squadrons, advance to the forward standby route. Maintain unit spacing.]
At the top of the HUD, a counter began to blink.
[D-60]
[D-59]
[D-58]…
I stared straight ahead. In the distance, the Arsenos units hovered. They weren’t moving yet, but they would react to our arrival soon enough.
Just then, Elena’s voice came through the comms channel.
It was as cool and dry as ever.
[Lieutenant, you have a freerole in this operation. There is no set route. Do as you wish, and raise as much hell as you want.]
Elena Eisenhardt’s voice remained calm. As always, she said only what was necessary, her tone devoid of emotion.
I let out a short laugh.
“That’s good news.”
[But do not let your guard down for a second.]
“Are you worried about me, Major?”
A brief silence. The reply that came back was dry.
[I am not particularly worried about you. I am merely concerned about the risk of losing a valuable military asset.]
“Spoken just like you, Major.”
[Well then, good luck.]
The comms cut out with a kssht. The countdown at the top of the cockpit’s HUD was rapidly decreasing.
[D-3]
[D-2]
[D-1]
[D-0]
WHOOSH—!!
The unit shot off the ship’s launch track. The Requiem’s engines roared to life, and as the gravitational accelerator disengaged, a brief tremor of weightlessness spread through the cockpit.
“It’s even more magnificent seeing it out here.”
The Requiem took the lead, a black trajectory cutting through the blackness of space. Behind it, the units of the 7th Mobile Squadron launched in unison.
The formation of large mobile weapons spread out to the left and right. Gunports opened as they formed up in a high-speed arrowhead formation. Shortly after, the main force of the 3rd Fleet followed from the rear.
Hundreds of medium-sized weapons, bomber-type units, and ships carrying long-range support turrets formed a procession, slicing through the darkness.
My vision was filled with the immense power of our forces. And opposite us, the defense line of Arsenos was arrayed in silence.
[Warning: Cannon fire signals detected at 11, 3, and 5 o’clock defensive angles.]
In that instant—
—FWOOM-FWOOM-FWOOM-FWOOM-FWOOM!!
A storm of beams rained down from the enemy’s front line. The rays of light formed a lattice that tore through the void of space.
“Heh… now this is a real space war.”
I stomped on the pedal. The Requiem spun at high speed, twisting to evade the barrage from the right. Multiple targeting reticles flashed red on the cockpit HUD.
“So I’m the first target, huh?”
I yanked the control stick, and the unit shot up diagonally. I accelerated straight toward the center of the enemy formation.
My current loadout was focused on long-range combat. In a large-scale battle, attack range was more crucial than close-quarters fighting.
On the forward display, red targeting reticles layered over one another on the HUD.
Ten enemy units moved simultaneously. Five of them were charging, two were moving at high speed on the left flank, and three support-types were providing suppressive fire from the rear.
“Congratulations on being chosen for the opening salvo.”
I manually operated the Requiem’s targeting system.
Kchak, kch-chak—!
The composite beam rifle, HELR-C3, rotated and began to charge with energy. The two large beam pods fixed to its back activated at the same time.
[HELR-C3 overheat warning. Heat dissipation ready.]
[Multi Lock-on: Activated]
Aiming for the cockpits of the enemy units caught in my sights, I pulled the trigger.
—BOOOOM!!
—K-K-K-K-BOOOOM!!!
The high-output beam split into multiple shots, and its trajectory rained down on the enemy units like a volley of cannon fire. In an instant, three units exploded, their cockpits blown out simultaneously.
Their exteriors were intact, but their cores had been pierced clean through. I swerved, changed trajectory, and fired again.
“One, two, three… four.”
With each hit confirmation tone, a targeting reticle vanished. Where the coordinates had disappeared, there was no longer any life.
I locked onto a new target.
Aim, fire.
Aim, fire.
It was a simple, mechanical repetition. But within it, a literal massacre was taking place.
It was then that a warning popped up on my right sensor: Carla’s unit was moving into a dangerous trajectory.
An enemy was rapidly closing in on her blind spot.
I didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
—FWOOSH!!
A red beam cut through the void, precisely piercing the cockpit of the enemy unit that had been chasing Carla.
[Honey~ Thanks~ I’ll help you get off real good later~♡]
[Hey! We’re in the middle of an operation! What are you saying on the open channel!]
[Sigh… Carla, how many times have I told you to say things like that on a private channel?]
[Hmph~ You’re all so mean. Always picking on me~]
[Rookie! Leave some for us! I can’t even get a single kill mark, seriously!]
I smirked, scanning the new targeting reticle that had appeared above the cockpit. It was the enemy unit Lionel Vasquez had been aiming for.
“Captain Vasquez. Things like that… you should take care of them yourself.”
—BOOM!!
As I pulled the trigger, the enemy unit’s cockpit vanished cleanly.
[Hey, that one was mine!!]
“Then you should have shot it faster.”
[You little bastard…]
A brief moment of levity in the heat of battle. But the red targeting reticles filling my vision were still plentiful.