Panjandrums are More than Enough for the Likes of You part 1
Outis spoke with unwavering resolve.
「It would be ideal to have the assistance of my friends the Familia. But even without their help, I will fight. Not just with the defense systems. With the machinery. The maintenance bots. The signal controllers. The work machines. With all those entities that lend me their aid, I will stand side by side with them and fight against you.」
The man standing before him was genuinely intent on waging war, backed by an army of industrial and maintenance machines.
With his declaration, the Silhouette Base, Fortress Area P336, and Fortress Area R001’s control towers immediately entered combat readiness. No one issued orders. The system, connected with Astraea and began assessing strategies and preparations for victory—even without a manned military force.
「How laughable.」
Oedipus sneered, though he had suspected his opponent wielded some form of mysterious power. Still, he couldn’t help but think the enemy had no real plan. With such a haphazard approach, surely overwhelming them with battleships would suffice. Confidence gleamed in his eyes.
Outis countered the derision with a smirk of his own.
「That’s my line. For the likes of you, Panjandrums are more than enough.」
He delivered the words with a gaze of utter contempt aimed at Oedipus, practically spitting them out.
「Pa… Pan…?」
Outis had invoked the Panjandrums for provocation, but it seemed Oedipus didn’t know about them. How can he not know the name of the weapon that contributed so much to the last war’s victory? Kou felt a faint twinge of disappointment.
「You don’t know? The Great Panjandrum? A legendary, unpredictable weapon created by the British, pioneers of advanced weaponry in their time. You’ll regret underestimating it.」
While Oedipus didn’t grasp the specifics, the condescending tone made it clear he was being insulted.
「The Great… what? An unpredictable weapon, you say?」
Unpredictable indeed, you never know where they will roll once you start them after all…
Ko thought to himself, suppressing a smirk.
Just imagining what sort of Panjandrum he would unleash stirred an almost sadistic delight in Outis. Still, he decided to save that particular joy for later.
「I don’t know what kind of weapon it is, but your confidence is… extraordinary. Are you not underestimating our forces?」
「Far from it. I’m not foolish enough to belittle your arsenal of ancient relic weapons acquired thanks to the vast funds you obtained from stealing the planet’s resources and your dictatorial policies.」
「Then I can only conclude you’re mad. I suggest you surrender while you still can.」
「You’re all possessed by hubristic arrogance.」
「Silence! This is your final warning. Hostilities begin in twenty-four hours. Factions must declare allegiance within twelve hours. Those who don’t make their allegiance clear in time or remain silent will be treated as neutral. To all mercenaries and corporations involved, I trust you’ll make the wise choice.」
Oedipus, now satisfied, had finally succeeded in steering the situation to his advantage. He had secured favorable terms for the endgame. All that remained was to analyze the situation over the next six hours and fine-tune his strategy accordingly.
「Hand over Asia and the Silhouette Base now. If you comply now, I might be willing to pardon your life at least.」
Outis had 3 powerful Hora class spaceships, but the rest of his forces were a handful of construction machines. Oedipus and the Mercenary Association on the other hand had a massive fleet of over ten warships, complemented by a vast fleet of antique Silhouettes and cutting-edge high-performance units. The disparity in forces was overwhelming.
With newfound confidence, Oedipus issued one final offer of mercy, now able to afford such magnanimity.
「Persistent, aren’t you? But don’t think victory will come easily to you. We have some strength left of our own.」
Ko was deadly serious. The three HorA rank ships were his property, so he had counted them as part of Trireme from the start, and their combat prowess and logistics support abilities shouldn’t be underestimated. He didn’t count the Cimon-class and Aristides-class assault landing ships as part of his forces because he had already handed them over to Metal Iris and in his mind, those ships belonged to Metal Iris already. Even so, Ko was prepared to fight without them.
Asia glanced up at Outis with unease.
Asia was starting to worry about Kou, his actions right now were a dangerous sign. She understood Kou’s mixed feelings— he wanted to avoid dragging Metal Iris into the fray, but at the same time he was showing glimpses of deep distrust of humans and reliance on machines, dangerous signs were surfacing strongly. It was a pattern she had pointed out to him in the past.
Perhaps this behavior was influenced by the entity that had been whispering to Kou lately.
Kou still needed allies among humans too.
As Asia began to delve into her thoughts about how best to handle the situation, a sudden shift occurred—
「Outis, that is not entirely accurate. You possess the Aubade Force.」
「Okeanos?」
Okeanos spoke, as if perfectly timed to respond to Asia’s inner turmoil. The name of an unfamiliar concept slipped from its lips.
「Ah, that’s right, I forgot to include them.」
Kou, startled by the unfamiliar term, tried to feign understanding. After all, a final boss must never show weakness.
His gaze flickered around, but no one in sight seemed to know what it meant either. Although suspicious, he maintained a composed facade.
「What is that? Are you suggesting there’s an army not registered with the Mercenary Association?」
「Hmph. Ignorant fool. How could you not know the Aubade Force? I can’t be bothered to explain something so obvious. Someone, enlighten him.」
Their conversation was currently being broadcast to the entire world. Surely, someone out there would respond. Or so Outis hoped.
In truth, he had no concrete plan. It was entirely improvised.
「Allow me to explain!」
A cheerful voice suddenly interjected.
An image was projected, revealing a masked man holding a teacup and saucer with an air of elegance.
The members of Metal Iris were stunned, while those affiliated with the Argoforce displayed grim expressions. The man in the image was the embodiment of the Panjandrum on the planet Asia that Outis had alluded to moments ago.
「Not him again. That damn Lord Panjandrum.」
「The name of that guy is Marujin.」
「Oh, right.」
Vasa bitterly corrected, as Albert, still traumatized by the iconic British rolling bomb, fumbled the name.
「People of the world, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Marujin. I am an emissary of the Aubade Force.」
The masked man declared with a theatrical bow.
Abel-san?! What is he doing here?!
Ko’s internal scream echoed his disbelief at the unexpected figure’s appearance.
「We, the Aubade Force, are the army bringing the Aubade (dawn) to this planet. We are not mercenaries but a corporate coalition army directly authorized by Okeanos as Outis’s personal organization.」
Ko fervently wished they’d at least consulted him before making him the leader of an entire army.
「I’ve already approved it. This is not a new development. Aubade Force has existed for quite some time.」
Okeanos’s words and calm demeanor dispelled any suspicion the audience of the broadcast could hold that the Aubade Force was merely an improvised army cobbled together for this moment.
In a low voice, Kou muttered to Asia,
「When did this even happen…? I didn’t hear anything of this.」
「Neither do I! I wasn’t consulted about this.」
「Same here, It’s likely Eirene’s doing…」
Astraea had already deduced the mastermind. Few AIs had enough privileges to submit a direct application to Okeanos and even fewer would be so bold to do it without consulting anyone.
「A corporate army that exists as Outis’s direct organization?」
「Precisely! We, the Aubade Force, are a coalition of corporations acting under Outis’ name, inspired by his liberation of the super-AI Asia. We stood up to establish a new order on this planet. We stand for the freedom and dignity of all sentient beings. Our cause is just. Justice is with us!」
Marujin’s smile was serene, while Kou stood frozen in disbelief.
Comment (0)