Chapter 78: The Men Left Out of the Loop
"What on earth is going on, General Xenon? When I heard the report, I nearly had a heart attack. My wife has been so stressed lately that she’s stopped eating dessert. Look at me—my cheeks have sunken in from the strain."
"I understand your distress, Chief of Staff Pignard. But this has caught me completely off guard as well."
In General Xenon’s office on the lunar base, an unusual conversation was taking place.
On the communication screen, Pignard appeared perfectly healthy, yet he was visibly agitated, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Xenon, on the other hand, maintained his usual calm and composed demeanor, though those who knew him well could see the tension in his forced smile.
Both men were clearly under immense stress.
"Why does this keep happening? Ever since the Moonlight Fleet was established, there hasn’t been a moment of peace... I thought I was doing all this for Lilian’s sake, but... there’s just been too much going on."
"Indeed... I’ve been just as surprised by all these unexpected developments."
Pignard, as the Moonlight Fleet’s patron, was in close contact with Xenon, the fleet’s commander. Normally, this wouldn’t be unusual.
However, the past few months had been so chaotic that they hadn’t had the chance for such conversations.
First, there was the groundwork for forming the fleet, updating equipment, and arranging ships—none of which could be done with a single piece of paper. Whether you were a major general or a chief of staff, you had to negotiate with various departments and sign countless documents.
Add to that budget adjustments and personnel allocations, and even sitting in a chair became exhausting.
But that was fine. That wasn’t the problem.
It was necessary work, and their positions demanded it. They couldn’t complain.
Still, when incidents from outside their jurisdiction came crashing down on them, it was hard not to sigh.
"Ever since the pirate incident, it’s been one strange thing after another. The Sixth Fleet was annihilated. Titan’s security forces were wiped out. The young master of the Hauroy family was taken hostage, and my dear Lilian was kidnapped... Thankfully, both were unharmed, but now we have lost technology to deal with! The existence of photon torpedoes, lost ships—it’s impossible to keep any of it hidden anymore. And then, just when I thought they were accompanying the imperial princesses, they stumble upon another lost ship! And Lilian gets registered as its owner!"
"Yes, it’s been one headache after another. I’m just as confused. This is a bit too heavy for a vacation souvenir..."
The discovery of the lost ship, the near-resurfacing of the underwater city, and the resulting crisis that nearly destroyed Leonel. On top of that, Lilian Luzor had been registered as the captain of the lost ship, and it wasn’t something that could be easily undone.
Then, out of nowhere, one of the imperial princesses, Refina, dropped a bombshell: "You handle it. I give you permission."
True, the words of the emperor’s relatives carried weight. They could easily influence personnel decisions.
But this was different. The scale was different. This was a lost ship—a terrifying weapon from a thousand years ago, a relic of a civilization that had brought about its own destruction. Finding it was one thing, but how on earth did someone end up as its owner?
The only silver lining was that Pignard didn’t know about the unfortunate fact that his beloved daughter’s private data had been shared.
"However, the fact remains that the lost ship has been found, and Miss Lilian has become its master. If we could have handled it discreetly, that would have been one thing, but the commotion has grown too large. With Princess Refina’s words added to the mix, we have no choice but to deal with it."
Xenon’s words were accurate.
If the lost ship on Leonel had simply been discovered, they could have managed it.
They could have reported it, handed it over to the military, and been done with it. Pass it off to another department and call it a day.
But the moment Lilian was registered as its captain and an imperial relative gave her approval, it became a major issue.
And the fact that it all happened without their knowledge made it even worse.
Of course, the inquiries started pouring in. "What’s going on?" they asked.
If it were just military personnel, they could explain the situation and say, "It’s related to the imperial princesses."
But the general media was another story. They would sensationalize it, and they were always hungry for a juicy topic.
"However, on the flip side, this is an opportunity we can use. Regardless of how it happened, ownership has been granted to us, and it’s not something that can be easily revoked. We have no choice but to accept it. Besides, the search for lost technology is a direct order from His Majesty the Emperor. We’ve followed his command and produced results... People will be surprised, but they have no right to criticize us..."
"But bringing such a troublesome matter into our fold will only complicate things further, won’t it?"
"Yes. It’s extremely risky. Bringing that ship to the lunar base is likely out of the question for the foreseeable future... So, we’ll just have to create a place for it."
"Create... What do you mean...?"
Pignard quickly understood what Xenon was suggesting.
"No, no, no, that’s a terrible idea. A very bad idea. Even if you’re the son of the Kyusaka family and I’m the chief of staff, that’s pushing it too far. Even forming the Moonlight Fleet was a stretch..."
"Yes, it’s an outrageous suggestion. But unfortunately, the public sentiment won’t accept bringing that ship to the lunar base. It’s a mysterious weapon, and after the pirate incident, people are on edge. So... we’ll prepare a replacement for the destroyed Sixth Fleet and station it there... It’ll be a fleet directly under His Majesty’s command, closest to the Supreme Commander’s authority. It’ll cause a stir, but it’ll redirect public attention."
The reorganization of the annihilated Sixth Fleet had been put on the back burner.
Xenon was suggesting they use this opportunity. As he said, it would be a big topic, but diverting attention with another major story was a common tactic.
If they couldn’t hide it, they might as well flaunt it.
"Miss Lilian will take command of the Sixth Fleet. Of course, its scale will be smaller than before. We can’t do it immediately. But the fact that we’re preparing for it and taking action will be enough."
"But what about the Moonlight Fleet? This was also made possible with the Crown Prince’s support."
"We’ll frame it as a temporary assignment. In other words, the Moonlight Fleet will conduct joint operations with the Sixth Fleet to support its incomplete state... That’ll work. So, if the assigned ships come to the lunar base, well, it can’t be helped. They’re not my property. We’re acting under His Majesty’s authority for the greater good. That’s the excuse we’ll use."
Xenon understood that this was still a stretch.
But it was better than leaving things in limbo.
(Still, this has strayed quite far from my original plans. Or rather, it’s accelerated far beyond what I expected.)
The reorganization and reform of the Imperial Navy.
That was also Xenon’s goal. He wanted to create opportunities for capable young officers like Weltall to rise through the ranks and, eventually, bring about legal reforms without resorting to coups.
That required a long-term plan, and he had expected results to come in his thirties or forties.
But look at what had happened. He had gained a small, independent fleet and achieved results.
And now, he was even getting involved in the reorganization of the Sixth Fleet.
That was supposed to be something far in the future.
(I feel like I’m doing something outrageous.)
Unbeknownst to him, in another timeline, Xenon had also been involved in the empire’s reorganization. Whether that had been a happy outcome for him was another story.
Regardless, this current flow was, in a way, desirable. Even if it was almost frighteningly convenient.
(Still, considering the threat of hostile aliens, this is necessary. And also...)
Xenon hadn’t forgotten for a moment.
The existence of spies.
(Is it His Majesty, or the Supreme Commander...? The spies undoubtedly know about Earth’s technology. And the capabilities of the battleship excavated on Leonel. It would be naive to think that’s the only one. They must have lost technology too... To investigate that...)
They would need the ship that had miraculously returned.
The Tiberius.
(We’ll form a fleet directly under the Supreme Commander’s command. They’ll have to spare at least one battleship.)