Something strange was happening on the battlefield.

The unit that was supposed to be attacking the enemy plant was now, for some reason, fighting a defensive battle.

The very enemy base they had invaded.

The gun emplacements were destroyed, and smoke rose from various places.

With no decent defensive facilities, they were forced to intercept the enemy's mass-produced machines, called Zorks.

"Recall the ground forces!"

"No good. Even if they return, they'll be shot down if they try to escape into the sky!"

The Nevans piloted by her subordinates were using weapons scavenged from fallen Zorks.

Claudia's Nevan was also destroying approaching enemy units with a Gatling gun held in its right arm.

Inside the cockpit, she was confirming the situation with the ground forces' commander.

"It's rough out there. We've managed to detain several of their executives over here."

"Then you and your men should retreat alone. Deliver the captured executives to Lady Christiana."

"I'd love to, but we'll be shot down in this situation."

Zooming in on a part of the monitor, she could see several self-propelled guns mounted with optical weapon turrets, meant for shooting down small crafts.

Claudia felt a bitter resentment towards the enemy, who had prepared for this in advance.

"The Mobile Knight unit will eliminate the threat."

"Are you serious?"

They would charge with their Nevans and destroy the enemy's self-propelled guns.

That would allow the ground forces to escape in their small crafts, but the Nevans would likely be destroyed by the sheer force of numbers.

As she riddled a Zork that had carelessly jumped up to try and cross the plant's wall and infiltrate with her Gatling gun, Claudia made her decision.

"I'm serious. Besides, I have no intention of dying. If we defeat them all, we win."

Claudia and her subordinates, understanding what it meant to be captured by pirates, would rather die than be taken.

In that case, they planned to take as many enemies with them as possible.

The ground forces' commander, though exasperated, was about to accept Claudia's offer to prioritize the mission when...

"If we meet again alive, I'll treat you to my private stock of liquor."

"Sorry. I'm a teetotaler."

"Hahaha! In that case, I'll have enough candy delivered to the Colonel to fill her arms—!"

The communication cut off with a 'pfft' sound, and the words 'Forcibly Disconnected' flashed on the monitor.

"Hey!"

She called out, but the ground forces didn't answer.

Immediately after, a crack appeared in the plaza in the central part of the plant.

The spot, which was a hidden hatch, opened to reveal a cylindrical hole.

"An underground facility?"

She knew about the pre-prepared underground facility, but what was supposed to be below it was a facility related to the plant's power supply.

As Claudia watched cautiously, wondering what would happen next, a massive weapon appeared, lifted by an elevator.

It had a rounded form.

Like a small mountain, it had numerous 'eyes' on its armor plating.

They were lenses for firing optical weapons, and high-output ones at that.

An allied electronic warfare unit scanned the enemy's information and was astonished.

"Captain, that thing is connected to the generator. Those lenses we're seeing are battleship-grade optical weapons."

Beams, lasers—all of its optical weapons were the kind installed on battleships.

"They went to the trouble of preparing something like that?"

Claudia didn't even think to say that bringing a pirate ship would have been enough.

In the first place, if it had been a pirate ship, Claudia's unit would have shot it down.

The enemy was the base itself.

It was integrated with the base, in a state of constant energy supply.

The analysis from the electronic warfare unit brought more bad news.

"It's deploying a field for optical weapons. As for its armor... there's no way the pirates' shoddy weapons could penetrate it."

Outside, the Zorks.

Inside, a massive weapon.

Caught in a pincer attack, trapped from both front and back, Claudia looked down.

"...So I was incompetent after all."

"Captain?"

She felt like she'd been lured into a trap.

A voice mocking them could be heard.

"Welcome, members of the Banfield family! How do you find my hospitality?"

The owner of the laughing voice seemed to be inside the large weapon.

While that person was speaking, the pirates eased their attack.

"Are you the one in charge here?"

When Claudia tried to extract information from him, he dutifully answered.

He must have been that confident.

"I'm an advisor. You may call me Mr. River."

"You've gone to quite elaborate lengths."

Trying her best not to show any sign of frustration, Claudia continued the conversation with River.

It was unusual for a knight of the Banfield family, who normally never negotiated with pirates, to engage in conversation.

It was proof of just how critical the situation was.

River, perhaps understanding this, clapped his hands in delight.

"To hear that from you, who are renowned as pirate hunters, is quite a pleasure. However... you all went too far. If you had only hunted pirates, there would have been no need to go to these lengths."

"What are you trying to say?"

"The Barkley family, which was destroyed two years ago, was a valuable client of ours. You may have thought you were only dealing with pirates, but... you made other enemies as well. That's why you've fallen into this trap."

He explained that the Banfield family, ruthless towards pirates, had unknowingly made enemies of various organizations.

But Claudia just scoffed at that.

"Hah! So we killed some idiots playing at being pirates? ...So what?"

What's the problem? River's mood soured slightly at Claudia's attitude.

"...You're quite bold in this situation. Just as expected of that detestable Liam's knight. But this is the end. That brat's reputation will fall to the ground today."

"What do you mean?"

Claudia was recording her conversation with the enemy while trying to figure out his objective.

River, perhaps in a good mood, talked on and on.

He was in an overwhelmingly advantageous position, yet he seemed to have no sense of caution.

(What is this guy? There's an eeriness about him, as if something is missing.)

Claudia sensed instinctively that River was not a normal human.

"You, who could be called that brat's elite, will be defeated by mere frontier pirates. The rumor will soon reach the capital planet, and Liam will be recognized as nothing special."

"...You mean, you did all this just for that?"

"Oh? You think it's 'just for that'? You shouldn't. This fact will later cause a great loss for the Banfield family. That's why we're willing to lose one of our plants prepared in the frontier."

He had gone to such elaborate lengths just to tarnish her lord's reputation. Hearing that, Claudia felt ashamed of her own failure.

The large weapon moved slightly, seemingly entering a combat stance.

The surrounding Zorks also resumed their attack.

Claudia called out to her subordinates.

"...All units, prepare yourselves."

(So I was incompetent after all.)

◇

A location far from the plant.

The light carrier Lemea was preparing to leave the atmosphere.

On the bridge, the commander adjusted his cap.

"One trick after another... is the enemy a magician?"

An operator hesitantly asked the commander.

"Is it really okay for us to leave on our own?"

"We weren't part of the main force to begin with. Besides, the communication interference is terrible. Fleeing quickly is the wise decision."

"This time, you'll surely be fired from the military."

"...Yeah."

Desertion in the face of the enemy could even lead to a firing squad, but the commander had made his resolve.

As long as his subordinates survived, he didn't care if he was executed.

He sank deep into his seat and muttered to himself.

"I clung to the military for hundreds of years, but the end was so anticlimactic."

There were times he fought for his life, but now he was just in the military because he was tired of everything.

Thinking this was the end, the commander felt strangely relieved—or not.

(Why am I doing this?)

He remembered the days when he despised superior officers who abandoned their allies and fled.

The fact that he was now doing the same thing felt empty.

As the commander contemplated his life, he heard the panicked voice of an operator.

"I told you, we're heading out to space! What? The adjustments are done? So what!"

"Hey, what's all the commotion?"

When the commander asked the cause of the noise, the operator turned to him with a troubled expression.

"Our knight is being a pain, demanding to be launched because her adjustments are finished."

"It's a defective machine, isn't it? What is she thinking?"

The commander had also heard about the defective machine sent from above.

He'd thought it was a cruel thing to do, but the knight—Emma—seemed serious.

She was looking at the commander through the monitor.

"Ah, Commander! The adjustments are done, so I'm launching!"

"...Time's up. They're probably all wiped out by now anyway."

"Larry confirmed it for me. The battle is still going on."

"That little brat."

The commander, calling Larry a little brat, tried to persuade Emma.

"Missy. You have some history with that knight Claudia, don't you?"

On the other side of the monitor, Emma lowered her head.

"It's fine to abandon them. I'm the one who decided to retreat. It's not your responsibility, missy. Besides, you won't have to launch in a defective machine. No matter how much of a failure of a knight you are, the higher-ups are cruel for sending you a defective unit. You've done nothing wrong, missy. So there's no need to push yourself."

"I'm—"

◇

The cockpit of the experimental unit.

Emma, gripping the control stick, saw herself in the machine called defective.

"I've... always been called a failure."

"So, here—"

What was the commander trying to say? It didn't matter to Emma.

"But I'm a knight! And this unit isn't defective either. I'll prove it!"

Sensing her resolve was unshakable, the commander seemed to give up.

"Is that so. Then do as you please. ...We're getting out of here."

"...Thank you."

When the communication ended, Molly poked her head out of an open hatch.

"Are you serious?"

"I-It's okay. I feel like I can do my best with this unit. Besides... with [Atalante], I can do it."

The unit's name appeared on the experimental machine's monitor, displaying 'Atalante'.

Nevan Custom—Atalante.

As she called its given name, the twin eyes under Atalante's mask began to glow.

"Then I won't stop you anymore. But don't you die!"

Molly moved away, and the hatch closed.

Once outside, Molly operated a terminal, and the lift securing Atalante moved, releasing the unit from the Lemea's open hatch.

Suspended in the air, Atalante moved the nozzles on its various parts, checking its systems.

Molly signaled that it was ready for launch.

"Anytime you're ready!"

"Emma Rodman... launching in Atalante."

Muttering, she stomped on the pedal. The lift securing Atalante released, and it was thrown into the air.

As it fell, the boosters on its back ignited, and it began to accelerate.

Emma's body was pressed into her seat.

"Ngh! ...Not yetttttt!!"

The defective machine launched from the Lemea and headed for the enemy plant.