"I heard there was a commotion, and this is what I find…?" Allison stared at Emma, her arm in a sling, a look of utter exasperation on her face. Emma, looking miserable with her newly acquired cast, had just received a stern warning from the fortress authorities thanks to the incident with Selena.
"The fortress commander takes this matter very seriously," Allison informed her. “As punishment, the resupply and maintenance for the raiding fleet has been postponed.”
"What?! …I'm so sorry," Emma blurted out before remembering her role in the incident and apologizing. Allison, however, barely registered her apology.
"They're probably just low on supplies," she mused. “Stalling for time until the next shipment arrives from Central Command, perhaps?”
A flicker of relief crossed Emma’s face, only to be met with Allison’s hardening gaze. “It doesn’t change the fact that you gave them an excuse,” she said sharply.
"I… I'm sorry," Emma mumbled, dejected. Allison, seeing her remorse, explained the consequences. While the raiding fleet had anticipated the supply issues within the fortress, Emma's actions had provided the perfect justification for further delays. As a result, the Melea had been assigned a new mission.
"The Melea has been chosen for a reconnaissance mission in the surrounding sector," Allison announced. “The Mobile Knight squadron is to expedite their preparations for departure.”
“Understood,” Emma replied. Allison, satisfied that she had made her point, turned and walked away. They were supposed to be resting at the fortress, but Emma’s outburst had cost the Melea that opportunity. What am I even doing? Emma thought, mortified by her loss of composure in front of Selena. The reality that she was still far from the ideal Knight she aspired to be weighed heavily on her.
The Melea, having sustained minimal damage during the siege, was now on reconnaissance duty, effectively cleaning up Emma's mess. On the bridge, there were some grumbles of discontent, primarily from Tim.
“That Knight is a real nuisance,” he complained. “I thought we were finally going to get some rest, and now we’re stuck on a reconnaissance mission.” Most of the bridge crew silently agreed but refrained from voicing their opinions.
An operator, however, responded with a chuckle. “She hasn’t changed a bit, even after getting stronger. Well…it’s mostly the Imperials’ fault for using it as an excuse. Let’s just let it go.” They all knew the Empire was simply using Emma’s actions as a pretext. Tim knew it too, but he couldn’t resist complaining.
“She should have just kept quiet,” he grumbled. “She got a little stronger and went charging off to complain about the delayed resupply and maintenance. So high and mighty now.”
Allison, who had been silent until now, spoke up, her expression grim. “That’s usually the Captain's job… which would be you.” She was clearly exasperated with Tim's constant complaining.
“Well, then she should have consulted me first,” Tim retorted. “That Knight completely ignored me and went off to complain to the fortress commander.”
“Perhaps she deemed you unreliable?” Allison suggested pointedly.
Tim pulled his cap lower over his eyes. “…That’s… also true.” He lapsed into silence, defeated. The bridge crew exchanged weary glances, wondering how long this awkward atmosphere would last. Suddenly, a series of reports broke the tension.
“A distress call?”
“It’s not Imperial. And it’s not Oxis either.”
“Starting identification… Allied Nations? Mystearia? What planet is that?”
They had picked up a distress signal, but the source wasn’t the Empire or the United Kingdom of Oxis. The operators, puzzled, checked the message contents.
“Commander, we’ve intercepted a distress call. It appears to be from an unregistered inhabited planet. They’re under attack and requesting assistance.”
Tim frowned. “An unregistered inhabited planet? Some squatters looking for a handout?”
“Seems like it.” A group of unauthorized settlers on a potentially habitable planet had sent out a distress call. Allison, too, looked displeased. These unregistered inhabitants weren’t paying taxes to the Empire; they weren't under their protection.
“We’re under no obligation to help them if they’re unregistered,” she said dismissively.
Tim, however, looked troubled. “I’m more concerned about who’s attacking them. What’s the enemy’s strength?”
“They claim it’s a Mobile Knight company, but the details are unclear.”
Tim made his decision. “We’ll respond to the distress call. Set a course for the Melea.”
Allison immediately objected. “They’re not our allies. Going out of our way to help some unregistered planet—”
“What if it’s the United Kingdom attacking them? The space pirates have retreated. If it’s a state actor—”
“It’s more likely to be mercenaries. We can safely ignore it.” Allison was clearly unwilling to expend their limited resources on an unregistered planet.
But Tim persisted. “There’s no harm in investigating. If the enemy force is too large, we can always withdraw. Besides, our mission is reconnaissance, Supervisor.” His unexpected insistence surprised Allison. She was also curious about the situation. Finally, she relented.
“Let’s send the Mobile Knight squadron ahead.”
“Launching? But the Raccoons aren't ready yet!” Molly exclaimed in the hangar, throwing her hands up in exasperation. The Mobile Knight squadron had been ordered to investigate the distress call, but many of the Raccoons were still undergoing repairs after the previous battle. Emma’s reckless tactics had taken a toll, leaving some mechs with internal damage despite their outward appearance.
Emma looked up at her own Mobile Knight. “I’m glad the Atalante is so tough. If worst comes to worst, I’ll go alone.”
Molly, arms crossed, pondered the situation, trying to figure out a way to deploy at least some of the Raccoons. Just then, Ain of the Varona team arrived.
"The latest Mobile Knights always show their weaknesses in situations like this," he observed.
“Lieutenant Kimura?” Emma turned to see Ain land lightly, grabbing onto a nearby pillar.
“The Varona squadron is ready to deploy,” he announced. “We can accompany you on this mission.”
“You’ll help us—?”
“Of course. This is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of the current generation's superior maintainability. The new Raccoons are decent machines, but their maintenance requirements are problematic. That will likely improve as more data is collected, but they're still in the troubleshooting phase, aren’t they? The Varona, however, is different. We’ve worked out the kinks, and its reliability has been proven in numerous battles.”
Emma, her cheek twitching slightly at his lengthy explanation that overshadowed her own words, gratefully accepted his offer. "Th-Thank you. We appreciate it."
“You’re welcome,” Ain replied.
Rick watched from the hangar as the Atalante and the Varona team prepared for launch. “Reconnaissance duty, huh? They should just make up an excuse and rest. They’re such overachievers,” he commented. His Armored Nevan was stripped of its additional armor, undergoing a thorough inspection. The development team was analyzing the stress it had endured during the fortress siege. One of the mechanics gave Rick a disapproving look.
"Perhaps you could learn a thing or two about their dedication, Ensign Martin.”
Rick just grinned. “Not a chance. Besides, I don’t have a mech to launch anyway.” The Armored Nevan, while powerful, required significantly more maintenance than other Mobile Knights after each deployment. Ease of maintenance had clearly not been a priority in its design.
"If you were more diligent, you might have earned a promotion by now," the mechanic sighed.
"I’m happy just being able to pilot a Mobile Knight,” Rick shrugged. “Everything else is just… extra.”
Emma, leading the Varona team, arrived at their destination and stared in disbelief. “What are Imperial ships doing here?!” Instead of finding a planet under attack, they found Imperial ships descending through the atmosphere. Mobile Knights and ground troops were deployed, attacking a small city on the desolate planet. Watching from orbit, Emma hailed the Imperial forces.
"This is Captain Emma Rodman of the light aircraft carrier Melea, part of the raiding fleet. Are you insane?! Are you plundering Imperial territory?!"
A response came back immediately. “Are you insane?! This is a warzone! Confiscation of resources is authorized by the military. Besides, these people aren't Imperial citizens. They're squatters. There's nothing wrong with using their stockpiled resources to benefit the fortress.”
Emma was speechless. The Varona team’s footage, displayed on the Atalante's monitor, showed Mobile Knights trampling over people trying to defend themselves with construction equipment. Ground troops were loading supplies onto Imperial transport ships. This is… no different from space piracy. She gripped the controls, her jaw clenched tight.
Ain, noticing her distress, tried to reason with her. “Captain, I know it’s the same disgusting justification we always hear, but this is war. Besides, these squatters…if they can’t defend themselves, they were destined to be destroyed eventually.” They weren't part of the Empire, so the Empire wouldn't protect them. Even within the Empire, there was always the risk of being plundered and destroyed. If they couldn’t defend themselves, their destruction was inevitable. Ain wasn’t happy about it either, but he clearly believed confronting the Imperial forces was futile.
Emma, feeling the phantom pain in her still-healing arm, asked herself, “…I am a Knight of justice. I decided to become a Knight of justice.”
“Captain?”
Emma looked up, her expression resolute. "Varona team, you are released from my command. Return to the Melea. You tried to stop me... With Lieutenant Kimura’s testimony and the video evidence, you won’t be held responsible.”
“Don’t do this, Captain! Are you throwing everything away?! Are you really going to confront the Imperial Army?! We’re at war with the United Kingdom! This isn't the only battlefield! If you start a fight here, it could affect the entire war!” News of the Banfield family attacking Imperial forces—regardless of the details—could have serious repercussions on the war effort.
“This is my decision,” Emma stated firmly. “I… I can’t ignore this. If I do, I’ll never be able to respect myself.” The Atalante accelerated and plunged into the planet's atmosphere.