The Dawn of the Nation-Formation War Era Part 1
As soon as negotiations were concluded, the various Underground Forces affiliated with the Mercenary Association Headquarters began disarming. In a unanimous decision, Navis’ captain, Sans, was selected as the acting representative.
The battleship Navis arrived alone at the designated sea zone. Opposing it, the Trireme fleet, led by Barry, formed a tight perimeter with several ships including the Cimon class and the Enterprise at the core. Meanwhile, the Astraea remained on standby beneath the ocean’s surface.
The sheer size of the Enterprise was staggering. Countless silhouettes stood on its deck. Even a glance at the other ships revealed that every single Silhouette present was either a transformable unit or one capable of flight. This realization struck deep—Headquarters’ direct mercenaries felt in their own flesh that they had been left behind by the times.
The Navis swayed at the arrival of the four-kilometer-class fortress carrier. By comparison, the Navis itself was merely a 1.5-kilometer-class battleship—not nearly as formidable as the Megareus, with which Metal Iris had once fought a brutal battle, but still classified as a medium-sized warship. However, the sheer number of Trireme’s fighter jets patrolling the skies left the Navis heavily outnumbered.
The overwhelming disparity in both the quality and quantity of firepower was now on full display.
Two antique Silhouettes landed aboard the Enterprise— an Archangel and an Aratron. The meeting was set to take place inside the Enterprise. In the rear seat of the Aratron sat Captain Sans, while the Archangel had accompanied him as an escort and to carry Raimund back.
Sans and the two pilots were escorted by Familias, not to a lounge, but directly to the Captain’s state room.
It was clear—they were being treated as official guests.
The three visitors, still visibly uneasy, found themselves facing Barry and Jenny from Metal Iris. Seated beside them were Kelly from Ulysses and Robin, the captain of the Enterprise and representative of General Arms Corporation.
A short distance away, a young man stood against the wall, observing the meeting. His black hair and dark eyes concealed much of his expression beneath his bangs.
「They should be here any moment now.」
Just as those words were spoken, Raimund entered the room, escorted by a Therianthrope. His wounds had been treated, and he appeared to be in good health.
「Take a seat. Let’s begin the negotiations. Outis is still missing, and the search continues. Until we find him, I will act as his proxy.」
Barry let out a small chuckle.
「Honestly, I’m relieved that you decided to negotiate. That thing that fell from space… well, we have two more ships of the same class capable of equipping it. We have no desire to use them against our fellow humans, but…」
The members of Roche Phalanx turned pale, falling into a heavy silence.
It was one of Barry’s signature bluffs, but it wasn’t entirely untrue. There were indeed three ships of the Hora-class, all of which could be outfitted with the same weaponry.
At that moment, the Roche Phalanx members fully realized that they had never stood a chance in the first place.
「Seriously. Even I think that was a bit much. Somehow, the Panjandrum ended up becoming a strategic weapon.」
Jenny smirked, clearly amused by the Roche Phalanx members’ pale expressions.
「The Panjandrum wasn’t supposed to be that kind of weapon, was it?」
Raimund blurted out his disbelief. The Panjandrum he knew was nothing more than an infamous failure—one of the most notorious blunders of British military history.
「It evolved—during the Asia War. Which brings us to the main point. That weapon isn’t meant for battles between mercenaries. It’s for fighting the Stones. Don’t you agree?」
「Yeah…」
Sans squeezed out his response. If Trireme had three ships capable of launching that, their entire space fleet could be wiped out with ease.
「Exactly. That’s why we, Trireme, will not sign a treaty with the new Mercenary Association Headquarters.」
「What?! That’s—」
「There was never a reason for us to fight in the first place. So why bother with peace talks or treaties? Those are for warring factions. Groups that are engulfed in a kill-or-be-killed conflict. Treaties exist only to establish the bare minimum rules between factions that will eventually either annihilate each other or, in some distant future, reconcile.」
It was clear that this was a demand—Don’t make us use that weapon. But it could just as easily be interpreted as a threat—We can use it against you anytime.
This left open the possibility for the Mercenary Association Headquarters to develop and use the weapon themselves. However developing and constructing a Skyhook-type Panjandrum required Kou’s proprietary technology, a manufacturing plant on the level of the underground manufacturing plant of the Silhouette Base, and a Hora-class vessel—all of which were exclusively under Asia’s control.
No faction in the entire Nemesis System—other than Trireme—possessed the means to build one.
「If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear. Your current assets—your space fleet and Silhouettes—will be guaranteed. Any pilots taken as prisoners will be released. However, all captured weapons will remain in our possession.」
「The problem lies beyond that.」
「First, as a matter of negotiation, the authority of the Mercenary Association Headquarters will be transferred to Roche Phalanx and Raimund. Without this, we have nothing to discuss.」
「The real issue is whether Okeanos will recognize me as the leader of the Mercenary Association. Only the Director of Headquarters or a Super AI can contact him. If Asia is willing to act as the intermediary with Okeanos, I might consider it.」
Raimund scowled as if he had swallowed something bitter. He wanted no part of this responsibility, but more than that, contacting Okeanos was near impossible. He briefly considered pushing the matter onto Sans, but that could easily escalate into a full-blown bloodbath.
Just then, the young man leaning against the wall called out, without shifting his posture.
「Okeanos. The Mercenary Association Headquarters is no longer functional. Can we transfer representation to Roche Phalanx and its commander, Raimund?」
A voice resonated—calm, authoritative.
「Approved.」
The members of Roche Phalanx stared at the young man in shock. Before them was someone capable of addressing Okeanos directly, without a terminal. They had never imagined such a thing was possible.
Raimund’s gaze sharpened. Could this man be Outis? The earlier claim of his ‘disappearance’ was something that none of the Roche Phalanx members had truly believed.
The young man remained impassive.
「What are you staring at? The problem is solved, Raimund. Now, the rest is up to you.」
「Ah… yeah.」
Raimund responded absentmindedly, his gaze still filled with doubt as he stared at the black-haired young man.
「We’ll go over the details later. For now, let’s cover the broad terms. First, the Mercenary Association Headquarters will pay compensation of 100 billion Mina. We’ll provide a repayment plan later—pick whichever suits you best. Next, restrictions on the Mercenary Association Headquarters’ United Fleet. Any fleet deployment requires joint approval from both the Headquarters and Trireme. If approval isn’t granted, the Headquarters’ forces will be prohibited from forming fleets altogether.」
100 billion Mina—roughly 100 trillion yen. A sum 100 times greater than what Aimer had paid.
「W-wait! This isn’t something we can answer immediately.」
「Take too long, and you’ll see another Rolling Bomb falling from space.」
Kelly smirked. The idea that the Panjandrum had become a strategic deterrent was almost laughable—yet, here they were.
「We’re not asking for a lump sum payment. If you’re inheriting the total assets of the Mercenary Association, it’s not an impossible amount to pay.」
「Trireme is a newly formed organization. Think of this as an investment in the future.」
「Wh-what are you…? Wait… if we’re inheriting the total assets of the Mercenary Association… then maybe it’s not entirely impossible.」
「Besides, 100 billion Mina isn’t nearly enough to rebuild a fleet of that scale.」
Robin’s words described a painful truth for Raimund. No matter how much money they had, well-maintained space battleships weren’t readily available. The mighty vessel they were in right now—the Enterprise—was merely a repurposed fortress carrier, still incapable of space travel.
Simply put—money alone wasn’t enough to restore their former strength.
「What exactly do you want from us?」
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