The Requiem soared, cutting through the sea.
The machine glided a few meters above the water's surface. Gravity seemed to grasp its ankles, pulling the entire craft downwards. Yet, there was no strain.
I gently pulled the control stick.
The response was immediate. As if a nerve had been touched. Before I could even imagine it, the Requiem reacted first.
'Amazing.'
Lilian instantly came to mind. Not only did she overhaul the entire machine, but she also encompassed systems and even medicine.
'She might be a little crazy, but she's a talent worth coveting.'
I pulled the control stick deeper. The machine hugged closer to the sea surface.
"And she's hot too."
The Requiem's legs skimmed over the waves, splitting the spray thinly. I pressed the left vernier. The machine carved a curve across the surface, then sharply veered to the opposite side.
The Requiem ascended. As if tearing through gravity itself, it ripped through the sky and rose.
The entire cockpit lightly shook. My whole body was pressed by the speed, simultaneously feeling a close connection with the machine. This was the movement I desired.
Beep-
[How is it?]
Lilian's voice. Still steeped in exhaustion, yet filled with anticipation.
"It's great."
[Are there any points of strain?]
"None. In fact, it's so familiar it's almost scary."
The Requiem was perfect. There was no sense of incongruity between my body holding the control stick and the machine.
As I savored that sensation, sirens began to wail across the entire city. A low, long emergency alarm echoed. A state of alert was issued throughout Erutus.
Immediately, a communication channel opened. Even through the static-filled transmission, I could hear rough breathing.
[This is bad. The Arsenos military is approaching us.]
I took my hands off the control stick. The Requiem automatically stabilized its posture, smoothly dissipating the recoil. Sensors scanned the surrounding airspace, and red flags began to appear one by one on the HUD.
"Why suddenly?"
[Just now, they sent an unilateral notification. They claim this is a strategic stronghold and that they will conscript the resources and troops of this area in accordance with military obligations.]
"Ha, a plausible excuse."
As I said with a scoff, Brol curtly replied.
[The conclusion is forced conscription.]
"So?"
[We intend to fight. However-]
"You want help, right?"
[That's right. But I won't force you. If you refuse, I've also prepared a plan to help you, including yourself, escape.]
At his words, I let out a short laugh.
"It's fine. I'm not interested in escaping. I'll help. My body was itching for a fight anyway."
Brol chuckled from beyond the channel.
[Thank you.]
"What's the enemy's scale?"
[Two high-speed cruisers, one assault landing ship. They are currently waiting in Erutus orbit.]
"It's not a full-scale battle formation."
[That's right. According to information brought by mercenaries who just came in from the outskirts, their main force is much further away. They probably just intend to scrape resources while passing by.]
"I'll return to your location for now."
I gripped the control stick again. The Requiem responded. The cockpit compressed, and the sensors aligned horizontally, calculating an automatic flight path.
***
The central district meeting room of Erutus.
An emergency strategy meeting was being held, with representatives from each faction gathered.
"This is information that just came in."
The middle-aged man seated in the center spoke with a grim expression.
"The Arsenos fleet has deployed additional forces in orbit. Among them is an orbital bombardment battleship."
At that moment, the air inside the meeting room grew heavy.
"......It means they'll blow us up if we resist."
A woman said quietly. Her face was calm, but her eyes trembled sharply.
"Originally, this area was classified as ruins, and surveillance was sparse. But it seems they judged the remaining forces to be greater than expected after seeing our development."
"Is that why they haven't entered the atmosphere and haven't moved from orbit for days?"
"More precisely, it's both a threat and a reprieve."
I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed. Slowly, I spoke.
"Is there no way to intercept orbital ships from within the planet?"
On the opposite side of the meeting room, a technician with deep dark circles under his eyes replied quietly.
"...We don't have a bombardment system for the stratosphere. That's high-grade military equipment, impossible for civilian procurement."
"In that case,"
I said, rolling my shoulders.
"We'll have no choice but to go up to orbit ourselves and hit them."
"...That's close to impossible. Even if we go up to orbit ourselves, we'll immediately be riddled with holes."
I nodded.
"You don't need to worry about that. How many available troops do we have?"
Brol sighed and replied.
"...20 D-class mass-produced units. 8 C-class, and 2 B-class units.
Even combined, it's nowhere near enough."
"Hmm. It's more dismal than expected."
Someone chuckled bitterly.
"Well, this planet was originally where refugees and mercenaries gathered. We do have a few old battleships, but most of their parts are outdated... Even if we use them for defense, it's uncertain how long they'll last."
A heavy silence descended upon the meeting room. Reality was cold, and their power was meager.
I opened my mouth again.
"Any thoughts of surrender?"
The planet's representative kicked his chair back and stood up.
"There is no such option. This is the home we've built. If we retreat from here, all that remains is plunder. For the sake of our children and the next generation... we fight."
At his words, I let out a short laugh.
"Good. In that case, I'll take care of the enemy fleet."
Everyone stared at me as if I were a madman.
Someone gritted their teeth and spat out.
"This is no time for jokes! Haven't you properly grasped the enemy's strength?! Two cruisers, an assault landing ship. It's a combat squadron with even support bombers-!"
Panic, fear, and shallow anger. But before those words could finish, a quiet voice cut through the commotion.
"Don't speak so carelessly if you don't know who that person is."
The speaker was Kala. Leaning against the wall, she slowly walked to the center of the meeting room.
"Those forces you speak of. He's someone who has faced worse than that."
Instantly, gazes turned towards Kala. Elena also quietly spoke.
"He is an elite pilot belonging to the Federal Third Fleet. And he is the man who neutralized 50 Arsenos units with a single machine in the Nemesis campaign."
The meeting room buzzed. At first, doubt and confusion arose, but soon admiration and exclamations followed.
"Everyone, you can trust that man."
It was Lilian. On one side of the meeting room, she slowly raised her head from in front of a monitor terminal.
"...If you, Lilian, are that confident, then he must truly be amazing."
Lilian said firmly, without even smiling.
"Yes. So, from now on, you will operate centered around that man."
At her words, the meeting room fell silent again. But it was different from the previous silence. The air had changed. Distrust subsided, and a weighty trust slowly began to emerge.
Brol, who had been quietly nodding in a corner of the meeting room, spoke.
"Then, let's start formulating a proper strategy now."
***
As the short strategy meeting concluded, we began preparations to head for Erutus orbit aboard Brol's battleship.
A pre-battle silence hung over the hangar. Dozens of maintenance personnel moved busily, and cables sparked as they were connected between the machines.
In the midst of it all, Lilian stood. Sweat streamed from beneath her work clothes, her eyes soaked in concentration. She was performing the final check on the Requiem's abdominal plates.
I looked at the machine I was about to board and put the communicator to my ear.
[Darling, everything on the ground side is ready.]
"Alright. Kala, try not to risk your life unnecessarily."
[Hehe... Understood. Don't worry.]
As the short communication ended, another channel immediately came in.
It was Elena. This time, a direct connection from the bridge.
[One Arsenos assault landing ship. It just entered the orbital descent trajectory.]
I raised my head and looked at the Requiem.
"Lilian."
She stood up. She put down her tools and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her palm.
"Maintenance is all complete."
I nodded and headed for the cockpit. The moment I stepped onto the machine and climbed in, the cockpit hatch closed, and the internal monitors began to light up sequentially.
"Requiem, ready."
At that moment, Elena's voice echoed across all allied forces.
[I am Major Elena Eisenhart of the Earth Federal Army. As of this moment, I will take command of all units.]
[All units, prepare for launch at your designated positions from now on.]
Training and real combat. A woman who had survived countless battles since her Federal Army days. In terms of fleet operation and tactical judgment, she was faster and more accurate than anyone else.
Her history as the former Vice-Commander of the 7th Mobile Fleet Armeo of the Third Federal Fleet was not just a mere title on a business card.
Her becoming the supreme commander of this operation was not because someone ordered her to. Everyone knew who was needed on the battlefield, and no one raised any objections.
And then, the Delphaios-class Cruiser Crimson Pike began its orbital ascent.
[Seoyun, come back safely.]
Elena's voice was heard once more. This time, not as a commander, but as a lover. A quiet, simple, yet heartfelt word.
I took a deep breath, pressing my body against the cockpit. The pressure of the machine transmitted through my spine. The familiar sensation returned the moment the pilot's seat and my body became one.
"Requiem, ready for launch."
KWAANG-!!
The hangar hatch burst open with a roar. Pressure defying gravity surged in like an explosion, and the impact against the machine's outer wall returned as vibrations within the cockpit.
All readings normal. Air pressure, orbital departure angle, thrust.
On the HUD, the ascent curve to the target orbit was cleanly drawn.
I placed my hand on the control stick.
All preparations were complete.
"Let's go."
The thrusters ignited, and the jet-black Requiem shot out of the hangar. In the vacuum where even sound was meaningless, the machine entered orbit, leaving a black trajectory.
The boundary between space and atmosphere blurred. The decompression warning light on the right side of the cockpit blinked a long red line, and external pressure changes quietly shook the machine.
Starlight filled my vision. And within it, silhouettes slowly emerged.
Six Arsenos mobile weapons.
At an altitude of 120 kilometers in orbit. They were currently preparing for atmospheric descent.
The verniers instantly shifted, and the Requiem's central axis smoothly rotated.
I quickly brought up three heat signatures in front.
I let out a short, scoffing laugh.
"First... shall I move lightly?"
KWAANG-!
The Requiem lightly aimed at them first, and a beam of light was unleashed in a straight trajectory. The beam, fired without a targeting reticle, accurately pierced the cockpits of the three units in front.
-KWA KWA KWAANG!!
The three units exploded sequentially, scattering debris.
I lightly turned my head.
"Three."
Immediately after, the remaining Arsenos weapons simultaneously launched a counterattack. Artillery fire, beam shots, bullet barrages.
The Requiem only changed direction; its movements were invisible.
It pierced through the enemy lines like a bullet.
A blade cut across its abdomen, and the unit folded in half.
As the Requiem spun from behind and sliced with its arms crossed, the enemy unit's sensor array was split apart.
More than half of them were already destroyed before they could even react. The Arsenos battleship floating in front attempted to shell the Requiem, but I was already exploiting its blind spot.
The Requiem flew along the gun barrel. And then, it plunged its blade directly into the propulsion unit.
-KWAANG!!
The blade slid along the armor, and the battleship's rear was completely torn off.
Flames erupted, and explosions successively engulfed the internal compartments.
"Next."