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Aubade Force Part 1

 

Eirene descended from the sky, landing gracefully on the ocean’s surface.

「Thanks for waiting, everyone!」

Eirene’s cheerful, carefree voice resonated across the battlefield, reaching her allies engaged in the naval skirmish.

The fleets began to stir, each shifting into position.

At the forefront stood the Gracious Queen, a knightly figure belonging to BAS Corporation.
At the center was the unsinkable carrier, General Arms’ Enterprise.
Flanking its sides were the Junyo of Gogyou Heavy Industries and the Jeanne d’Arc of Atou Group.
Eirene took up the rear, protecting the formation as its guardian.

Surrounding these flagship vessels were escort fleets, forming a magnificent and imposing armada.

「The prophecy has been fulfilled. The Dawn Army—Aubade Force—is finally complete!」

Atou’s Kiefel murmured, reflecting on the name Aubade, which originates from French. It means ‘dawn’ and derives from a poetic tradition about lovers parting at daybreak.

A prophecy had passed around the companies reunited on this battlefield. The prophecy told that when the fleets owned by the American, British, and French corporations joined forces under Eirene, they would amass the power necessary to save the planet Asia. Dawn brings hope—this was the message even Marujin had foretold.

 

「Exactly. The Dawn Army, here to save Planet Asia from the Murder invasion across the great ocean Okeanos. It’s a tale we all dismissed as nothing more than a fairy tale. When we were on the bottom of the ocean, unable to even launch a proper fighter, no one dared to believe it could be real. Oh, how I wish Jack could see this.」

Robin on the Enterprise spoke with deep emotion, lamenting the absence of Jack from General Arms—the man who had created the basis to make the Aubade Force a reality.

 

「With this, the fleets of the great maritime nations—England, America, France, and Japan—have united. The likes of Stones are nothing to us now.」

George muttered as he puffed on his pipe. He, too, had long awaited this day.

 

「I just wonder… is it really okay for me to be here?」

Eri murmured anxiously. Her ship had somehow ended up close to the starboard side of the Enterprise and through sheer luck, she now found herself in the middle of the formation. Though it had been a simple coincidence she was there, her inclusion as part of Aubade Force was being treated as entirely natural—something she found puzzling, even as everyone else acted like it was the most obvious thing.

「Of course it’s fine! Though, it might be a problem if I claim to be a Japanese deity. I want to wear shrine maiden outfits or sweet lolita dresses someday!」

「Why sweet lolita, of all things?!」

Eri was taken aback by the odd and overly enthusiastic knowledge of the bubbly AI, Eirene.

「A pink-haired goddess doesn’t exist in Japan, does it?」

「There’s a deity named Konohana Sakuya. She’s said to represent cherry blossoms, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to have sakura-pink hair. She’s a goddess of prosperity and trees—and also a guardian of ships.」

「Let’s go with that! Checking database… She’s totally goddess-material! I can pull this off!」

「Eirene, save that for later.」

Abel interjected with a wry smile.

That Abel, serving as the voice of reason, was itself a shocking development for George, who could only watch in amazement at the turn of events.

「Oh no, this isn’t the time for this,」

Eri quickly realized the situation and scolded herself for losing focus on the battlefield.

「Having Gogyou Heavy Industries and its expertise in naval weaponry with us is such a boon! It makes the Aubade Force plan even more flawless. The role of this fleet is securing maritime dominance to cut the rear of the Murders’ terrestrial invasion force and take the fight back to them after all!」

「You led us toward this goal, even with technology tightly restricted, you persevered, proposing resources and techniques, guiding us at every turn. It’s because of your determination that this has been made possible.」

Kiefel was known as a capable commander of coastal defense ships back on Earth. Never had he imagined he would once again command a naval fleet so far away from Earth. Surely, the other captains shared the same sentiment.

「Ulysses may be a corporate mutual aid organization, but we are different.  Our purpose is to reclaim Planet Asia from the Stones. That objective may even put us at odds with the mercenary structures.」

George’s words carried weight, cutting to the heart of their mission.

「We want the Aubade Force to be able to coordinate independently from Ulysses. Miss Eri, wouldn’t Gogyou consider joining us?」

Robin showed is agreement with George, his distrust of the mercenary system was palpable, as if it had reached its peak.

「Huh? Is that really okay?」

「If you don’t come, I might cry!」

「As you can see, our goddess is very pleased with you, please join us.」

Abel added with a wry smile. He had fought alongside Gogyou Heavy Industries during the R001 Orbital Elevator reclamation operation and held their advanced technology in high regard.

「Yes! Understood! I think headquarters will approve soon anyway. Oh, it’s already in! Gogyou will join the Aubade Force!」

And just like that, Gogyou became a part of Aubade Force, almost as if it had been a foregone conclusion.

The headquarters of Gogyou Heavy Industries was monitoring the conversation in real-time. The concept of forming a massive fleet alliance separate from Ulysses to counter the Stones was one they too had long desired. Without hesitation, they instructed Eri to accept the proposal immediately.

Securing maritime dominance to save Asia was a vision they had already entertained. Moreover, the potential to receive support from Eirene, a weapon development AI of the highest order, made joining the alliance an irresistible opportunity. As a corporation boasting a vast number of Development Engineers, this was an alliance they absolutely needed to be part of.

For Eirene, everything was going as planned. Gogyou had managed to build A-Carbuncle’s carriers, drill ships, and various prototypes using limited technology and resources. Their ingenuity, despite the restrictions, was something she admired. While BAS often created wild and outlandish weaponry, Gogyou had achieved their innovations independently. Although much of their work remained hidden, Eirene suspected they had countless prototypes tucked away. They were, in a way, a company of eccentric geniuses, which she found personally thrilling.

「We, the Aubade Force, will operate under the direct authority of Big Boss Mozuya Kou and Admiral Aimer. Does anyone have objections?」

Abel asked everyone for confirmation. Ownership of Eirene rested with Kou, and both Asia’s future and Aimer’s leadership were tied to him.

「Of course not, without him, we wouldn’t even have the ability to develop carrier-based fighters.」

Robin agreed readily and the other captains voiced their agreement as well. Quietly, and without Kou’s knowledge, a mysterious and formidable force was taking shape.

「Is it really okay to form such a massive organization without him even knowing?」

Eri couldn’t help but feel uneasy. It seemed neither Kou nor Aimer had been informed about any of this.

「We are devoted fans of Eirene, our goddess. Think of us as her honor guard. Naturally, we extend that same support and protection to her owner, the Big Boss, and Asia’s priestess, Admiral Aimer.」

Abel winked as he said this while sporting a radiant smile.

「In the first place, Big Boss owns us three sisters already, and the Stones also see him as Asia’s knight. He’s the perfect leader for our alliance.」

Eirene chimed in, nodding enthusiastically.

「Then let’s proceed with this plan! I’ve submitted the registration request to Okeanos and… he has already approved. Now, let’s focus on intercepting the Argonautai fleet right in front of us.」

With remarkable nonchalance, Eirene secured the approval of Okeanos—the entity overseeing the whole Nemesis system—to formalize the alliance’s existence.

「Understood. Then, Great Self-Propelled Mine Carrier Eirene will transition to resupply duties.」

「The Triton Squadron can resupply here! Since ammunition standards are nearly unified across the four corporations, there shouldn’t be any issues. However, we don’t have Worker Silhouettes onboard, so keep that in mind.」

「We’ll dispatch Worker Silhouettes from our side. Around 200 units should suffice.」

Robin responded, issuing commands immediately.

At this moment, Eri’s report came in.

「The enemy fleet appears to be scattering. They’re retreating.」

「They’re wary of the possibility of me being equipped with a heavy laser cannon like my sisters! Not that I can actually make one myself, but… oh well!」

「That’s clearly why they regrouped, my goddess.」

Abel remarked knowingly, having spent enough time with Eirene to understand her intentions.

The Argonautai were likely considering the possibility that the Eirene was equipped with lasers capable of instantly annihilating an A-Carbuncle powered vessel. For them, there was no reason to stand their ground against mere reinforcements when such a threat loomed.

「Aubade, the parting at dawn, is it? Well, we’ll meet again soon enough—for another encounter, another battle.」

「Captain Kiefel, your phrasing is a bit undignified in the presence of our goddess. Still, the enemy seems to have realized the importance of naval dominance. A rematch is inevitable.」

Abel said with a faint smile.

「Should give their retreating tails a good kick?」

George laughed loudly without a hint of decorum, he clearly was itching for a fight.

「This is the Aubade Force’s first battle, let’s decorate it with a grand victory. All ships transition to pursuit.」

Hearin Robin’s command, the other captains nodded ordering their ships to pursue the enemy. The chase had begun.

The massive fleet Aubade Force launched its ferocious assault.