Available Pieces Part 1
More than two hours had passed since the battle began.
「They’re not going down easily, are they?」
「The combat capability of a single ship is astonishing. We’ve been keeping our distance while dealing measured strikes.」
「It’s almost cruel, like tormenting them to death. But with minimal damage on our side, things are progressing smoothly.」
「This isn’t something as simple as that. The defensive systems in each Fortress Area have shown no signs of letting up, maintaining continuous attacks.」
The seriousness of Aki’s statement reflected the gravity of the situation. The full might of the automated systems of the Fortress Areas that were helping Kou, was nothing short of extraordinary. The advance of the enemy space fleet was clearly being delayed by the relentless barrage.
The battle report continued.
「It seems the fighter squadrons are holding their own. The Pleiades Squadron and the Type-0 squads from Gogyou have reportedly seized an enemy spacecraft.」
「They managed that against a battleship?」
Among those most furious against the Mercenary Association Headquarters was Kinukawa, an A-rank Development Engineer who was also directly involved in the skirmish that led to this battle. He had boarded the Junyou, to accompany the Aubade Force—the Trireme’s forces expected to first make contact with the enemy. Kinukawa was currently working hard on the front lines alongside Gogyou Heavy Industries.
「The Artillery Birds II eliminated the ship’s Angel escort squadron, allowing Gogyou’s Type-0 units and Misumaru’s Pleiades Squadron to storm the enemy vessel. They essentially took control from within. Aside from destroying the anti-aircraft weaponry, they captured it almost entirely intact.」
「Everyone really gave it their all.」
「It seems it was a special type of carrier. This could become a valuable asset for us as well.」
The Pleiades Squadron echoed Kinukawa’s fiery resolve, driven by anger, while the Gogyou allied forces, inspired by Outis’ speech, fought with conviction. Meanwhile, the Artillery Birds II, under Haino’s command, demonstrated unparalleled combat strength. Under the direction of Kurose, who quickly identified the unique space carrier and devised an immediate capture plan, they had successfully seized it.
「The enemy is scattering in fear of Star. Even so, to breach their anti-aircraft fire and board an enemy ship like that—it’s absurdly reckless. And yet, they pulled it off.」
It was a remarkable achievement that even Aimer found astonishing.
「What about the Star?」
「Moments ago, the enemy’s space assault landing craft was annihilated by Star. It was destroyed in a single blow, but the explosives were expended, so there won’t be a third use.」
「It served as an effective warning, at least.」
Aki provided a detailed update on the battle’s progress. While air power alone couldn’t take down spacecraft, the Skyhook-type Panjandrum, Star, was capable of obliterating smaller vessels with a single strike. Indeed, the footage confirmed this—the four-hundred-meter-class assault landing ship, roughly the same size as the Aristeides, had been completely shattered and sunk. Even with reduced output, its destructive capability was undeniable.
「It’s more than enough. The enemy has no way of knowing that we don’t have a spare Star.」
「They’re waiting for us to issue a surrender demand now.」
The Mercenary Association Headquarters’ space fleet had received terrible damage in less than two hours, two vessels had been destroyed, one had been captured, and another rendered inoperable. Among the destroyed ships was the Gorgias, their flagship. Their will to fight had undoubtedly been shattered.
「If they want to surrender, they should be the ones to say it.」
Kou smirked faintly. Relying on the enemy to ask for mercy was an absurd notion.
「What could they possibly offer? Surely they won’t come with something like ‘We will retreat for now so spare us’ or something like that. If they do they are terrible naïve. Their cheap lives aren’t worth bargaining over. Outis would say the same.」
「Hey Kou, why don’t you become Outis again? I’m sure things would go much more smoothly…」
Aimer suggested, speaking for all the women in the group. They were already missing the confident sex-appeal that overflowed from Kou when he acted as Outis. Confident leaders were much more appealing for the females present.
「Playing the role of the final boss is exhausting. It doesn’t suit me.」
To Kou, becoming Outis was a nightmare, he felt as if he was possessed by something unfathomable. He was content with the farce they had created—Outis disappearing amidst destruction and explosions. After all, that was what a final boss was supposed to do.
「What a waste…」
「Waste? What do you mean by that?」
Kou, surprised by the unexpected remark, turned to Aimer. He couldn’t comprehend why anyone would consider his persona as Outis something to be missed.
「Hmm, nothing. Ah! Look, the enemy fleet is advancing, they’re clearly keeping their distance from one another, but they are nevertheless advancing. Why is that?」
「Their supplies are probably at their limit. Sure, they might have food at the bottom of the ocean, but it’s probably just rations. Returning to facilities with only drinking water and nutrient supplements hardly counts as resupplying. They have no choice but to capture a Fortress Area at all costs.」
「That’s true. The food they can produce in those underwater Defense Domes is extremely limited. At best, they’re surviving on basic nutrition rations. Even their plant and animal farming facilities are restricted.」
Asia nodded and supported Kou’s opinion.
「Without corporate backers, the Mercenary Association Headquarters probably doesn’t even have a proper metallic hydrogen generation furnace. They’ve been relying on their stockpile of well-maintained Antique Silhouettes, so maybe they didn’t feel the need for one.」
「They’ve been living underwater in those Defense Domes for so long, they’ve been left behind by time… they must feel like Urashima Tarō.」
「Exactly.」
Aimer smirked knowingly, fully understanding the analogy. There was no better description than Urashima Tarō for that feeling that she herself also suffered when she woke up from cold sleep. Kou couldn’t help but find the irony amusing: instead of the victory feast the enemy was so confident in, all they had left were rations.
「They assumed they could take control of our Fortress Areas easily. They didn’t plan for failure, and now they’ve lost their main leaders. At this point, all they can do is follow the script and push forward.」
「The closer they get to land, the more they’ll be easy prey for our excessively motivated defense systems and railguns trains, nya」
「The enemy’s position is hopeless. The war is essentially over.」
Aimer turned to Kou with a question.
「If you were still Outis, what kind of future would you envision for the Mercenary Association Headquarters?」
「The Mercenary Association Headquarters has consistently shown a disregard for corporate cooperation. They never understood why the Transferees came to Planet Asia. They probably thought that we wouldn’t be able to do anything with 21st- and 22nd-century technologies. Instead, they focused on hoarding artifact weapons to create a deterrent against the Stones. You can see this in how they ignored aiding corporations in need and prioritized amassing wealth for themselves.」
「Exactly.」
「We’ll reduce the influence of Headquarters while ensuring the Mercenary Association focuses solely on their core roles—mercenary dispatch and administrative governance on this planet. Meanwhile, we’ll continue strengthening Trireme and all its affiliated mercenaries and corporate partnerships to defend Asia.」
「They’ve already abandoned administrative duties.」
「We’ll negotiate to ensure they resume them. The mercenary system itself is necessary; dismantling it would force us to rebuild Asia’s governance structure from scratch.」
「The real issue is whether the Gorgias‘ headquarters functions are still operational.」
Astraea assessed the situation. With the Gorgias sunk, she judged the likelihood of its re-emergence as minimal. No distress signals had been sent out either.
「No response at all. The destruction of the Mercenary Association isn’t what I want. If they collapse, it only benefits the Stones. If we’re at a checkmate stage, this is the time to use our remaining pieces.」
Infighting and betrayal among human factions only served to strengthen the Stones. It was vital to remember who the true enemy was.
「Remaining pieces?」
「In a game called shogi, you can reuse captured pieces from your opponent, placing them back on the board within the rules and restrictions. It’s a way to strategically repurpose resources.」
Among board games throughout history, both East and West, shogi is said to be the only one where captured pieces can be reintroduced into play as ‘available pieces’.
「In shogi terms, it’s hisshi. A state where the opponent has no choice but to concede.」
Hisshi, meaning ‘inescapable checkmate’, left the opponent with no way out. The Underground Forces affiliated with the Mercenary Association Headquarters were similarly cornered, unable to act. The worst-case scenario at this point would be for them to advance recklessly and face total annihilation—a result Kou didn’t wish for. They were, after all, still part of humanity’s forces.
「You’re quite charming when you’re being Outis.」
「Wha—what are you even saying?」
Kou stammered, caught off guard. He wasn’t used to receiving compliments, and the unexpected praise made him feel self-conscious.
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