A Core Ship From The Start-Chapter 853 - 597: Enemies Everywhere

The plan was already set, so the next steps were clear. Before long, the Exelion had received supplies from the fleet city and rendezvoused with the Tribunal’s fleet.

"...Perhaps I’ve really become old,"

Sitting in his chair, and gazing at the enormous warship before him, Captain Tashiro let out a faint sigh.

"Captain?"

"The Exelion, our Earth Cosmic Military’s fourth generation of warship, is the strongest in its class, capable of standing up to Cosmic Monsters. Relying on this ship, we’re confident in taking them on in battle. But..."

At this juncture, Captain Tashiro looked up.

"To the Tribunal, our warship is no different than an airplane..."

His sentiment wasn’t without reason. After all, the Exelion was about to enter the flagship hangar of the Tribunal’s Expeditionary Fleet and would be released again after the jump. While this operation was normal for Duanmu Huai, it was somewhat complicated for Captain Tashiro. This was one of Earth’s largest warships... and now it was being stashed away in a hangar.

"By the way, Captain, what is that?"

Facing the old captain’s reflection, the executive officer found it difficult to respond to the sentiment and instead changed the subject, looking towards a peculiar ornament hanging in the bridge. It was a pendant with a symbol of the War Hammer and skull, looking quite disconcerting.

"A gift from the Tribunal, they said it’s to wish us a smooth journey. You see, just like when people are driving, they hang amulets for safe travels, don’t they? I hope this thing can bless us."

"Uh..."

The executive officer broke out into a cold sweat upon hearing the old captain’s reply.

While hanging something is a personal choice, this item... hardly seemed to correlate with good wishes for smooth sailing.

Noticing the executive officer’s odd expression, the old captain had his own unspoken difficulties. In fact, after meeting with Duanmu Huai before, he had plucked up the courage to ask why they had to scan their warship, questioning if the Tribunal was searching for something on board?

In response, Duanmu Huai simply told him there was a problem with the way his warship operated – subspace travel was not something to be trifled with; beware of subspace contamination.

As for what subspace contamination was, Duanmu Huai did not explicitely say, only hinting at it profoundly. One cannot expect to travel by the expressways forever without incident... and once an accident happens, that’s the end.

Then, Duanmu Huai had given him this object, saying it was a gift, and that it might bring good luck to his warship.

After all, it didn’t cost anything. Might as well believe in it a little.

So the old captain accepted it.

After all, with his advancing age, he had his superstitions, and hanging this item on the warship for some peace of mind... wasn’t such a bad idea.

Right?

After the Exelion entered the connecting bridge, the old captain met with Duanmu Huai again.

"Welcome to the Tribunal. Well... there’s no need for superfluous words, I believe you’re all prepared."

"Indeed,"

The old captain nodded and then made a gesture.

"Permit me to introduce, Sir Judge, this is Roy Focker, captain of the Skull Squadron from the united fleet. He will lead the VF Fighter Fleet to assist us in this operation."

"Nice to meet you,"

Confronting the man before him, whose hairstyle resembled a blond Kusanagi Kyō, Duanmu Huai’s mouth twitched slightly as he nodded without saying much else. He then quickly shifted his gaze to beside the Exelion. There stood a massive black Mecha, its arms folded across its chest, exuding an air of "I’m just that awesome" – and indeed, it was quite impressive.

"Is that the Steel Bastar?"

"Yes,"

Looking at the giant Mecha in the hangar, nearly as large as the Exelion, a look of satisfaction appeared in the captain’s eyes.

"This is our trump card, the Steel Bastar. Oh, and let me introduce the pilot."

As he spoke, the old captain gestured, and soon, two young women stepped forward. One sported shoulder-length brown hair with a blue headband, exuding vibrancy. The other blue-haired girl seemed a bit older.

"They are the pilots of the Steel Bastar, Takano Fuji and Amano Kazumi."

"Nice to meet you,"

Duanmu Huai greeted the two, looking curiously at Takano Fuji – this girl was very famous among players, mainly because she possessed a coveted psychic ability.

Miracle.

[Miracle: Spirit - Triple Concentration, Acceleration, Luck, Sure Hit, Sure Dodge, and Soul used simultaneously]

This spirit skill was deemed overpowered by players, and just to mention, obtaining this skill was exceptionally difficult. Even for Takano Fuji herself, it wasn’t "because of this spirit that she created miracles," but "because she created miracles that she had this spirit."

For players to acquire this spirit skill, they would have to achieve feats as grand as Takano Fuji’s.