I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse: Volume 15 Page 8

  “Ealim Nekram!”

  Harissa then cast her invisibility spell on the seven of us, Lea included. Once Fam’s crew was sure we were out of the hangar, they closed up and fled the scene. That was partly for their safety, and partly for ours. If they stayed in range and continued to volley with Iris’s fleet, we might get caught in the crossfire. We were small enough that, out in open space, we were practically undetectable by radar. And thanks to Harissa’s magic, we couldn’t be seen either. That was a dangerous situation to be in on the battlefield when we were completely undefended.

  Once Fam’s ship had taken off and we were safely on our way to the fleet, Lea telepathically asked for further direction.

  “Which one is Iris’s ship?”

  It was Fam that answered her.

  “It’s the giant battleship with the extra-large cannons installed on the front.”

  A giant battleship with big cannons, huh? With that hint, I began scanning for it too. Using the equipped enhancement functions in the helmet of the space suit that someone had shown me how to use earlier, I zoomed in on the fleet. And hey, there it was! It was easy enough to spot the battleship with the huge guns on the front... Like Fam had said, it really was massive. If something like that fired a beam at Earth, it would turn the planet into a donut. That’s just how big this thing was.

  And Iris is in there somewhere...

  I tightened my grip on Lea’s back as we flew towards the flagship. The rest of the fleet was still firing here and there, but only at the fleeing pirate ship. They hadn’t noticed us. High-powered battleship radars just weren’t made to detect small living beings, it seemed.

  “This sure would look stupid to any third-party observer!”

  “Damn right!”

  L agreed with me with a sigh. Nobody else ever would have come up with such a foolish plan. The six of us were clinging to the back of a legendary beast, charging into what was basically a suicide attack... But as foolish as it was, we were slowly getting closer to Iris.

  “Almost there.”

  No sooner had Lea said something than Iris’s flagship came into plain view. It was close enough to see without the zoom function in the helmet anymore.

  “Search for any boarding hatch you can find.”

  “Got it.”

  Lea flew around the flagship and found a passenger boarding door.

  “All right, just give me a quick moment.”

  The doctor untethered herself from Lea and floated over to the door. She secured herself in place and took a small tablet out of the backpack she was carrying. She then ran a small cable from the tablet to the console beside the door.

  “Could you give me a hand, L?”

  “What? For hacking? You can do that much yourself.”

  Despite her griping, L floated over to the doctor and pulled a cable from her sleeve that she plugged into the same console to assist the doctor. Between the two of them, it took about a minute for the red light on the console to turn green.

  “It’s open now, but the door itself is quite heavy. Would you mind opening it, Lea?”

  “Certainly. The rest of you should hop off first, though.”

  Lea pulled up next to the door, and we all switched out tethers over from her to the uneven exterior of the ship the same way the doctor had. Once we were all in place, Lea returned to her human form and approached the door. She put one hand on the handle and wrenched the whole thing open with her superhuman strength, unleashing an incredible torrent of air that came flooding out from the ship’s interior.

  “Get inside! Quick!”

  “Easier said than done!”

  The force of the wind was so strong, it was hard to move through it.

  “I’ll help.”

  Lea gave each of us a hand, basically pushing us into the ship one by one. There were a few close calls with a couple of us almost getting sucked back out into space, but we managed to hold on to each other. Once we were all in, Lea brought up the rear and closed the door behind her. We finally had a second to catch our breath.

  “Hang here for a minute. I need to raise the partitions L and I just adjusted.”

  To more or less jury-rig an airlock, the doctor had closed partitions in the ship to isolate the passageway we’d be entering before Lea opened the door. Now that we were safely inside, she’d have to put things back the way she found them.

  “I cut the emergency alarm beforehand, but there’s no hiding the pressure drop we just caused within the spaceship. That’s undoubtedly gotten some attention, so we should be careful going forward.”

  “Got it. All right, everyone, let’s quietly stick to the plan.”

  We changed out of our space suits to make it easier to move around stealthily. The hallways of the spaceship didn’t have their own gravity. That basically meant we were floating along, kicking off the walls for momentum. Thankfully, however, the hallways were rather wide, and we could move past other people without bumping into them. While we were invisible, we still had physical forms to be conscious of. Running into someone or otherwise accidentally touching them would give us away, so we had to be especially careful on that front. The extra-wide hallways made that much easier.

  But just like the doctor had predicted, it seemed the ship’s crew had detected the pressure abnormality. There were people running around in a fluster trying to figure out what was going on, so we had plenty of targets to dodge. Progress was slow. We still had some time yet before the fleet was set to attack the agency’s headquarters, but being stuck in a traffic jam like this really made me feel the pressure.

  “Calm down, Rekka.”

  “Yeah...”

  Fortunately, I had good friends with me who were helping me keep my cool. Being able to communicate telepathically on a stealth mission like this was exceedingly useful. Not to mention Harissa’s invisibility magic. We made a great team for this. And so, bolstered by my allies’ strength, I continued to move forward until we reached our destination: the command center of the flagship. The only catch was that there seemed to be no end to the stream of people coming and going.

  “There’s no real break in the foot traffic.”

  “We’ll likely bump into someone if we proceed carelessly. Let’s retreat to the corner for now.”

  “Good idea.”

  We followed the doctor’s suggestion and moved to a corner of the hallway and observed things for the time being. As the nerve center of the entire flagship, the command room was constantly abuzz with activity. Reports were coming in, information was going out... There was no end to it. It seemed a bit over the top to me, but I guess that’s just how things run on giant ships like this. To be fair, they’d just been taunted by a rogue pirate ship, and a boarding door had seemingly opened and closed for no reason. The latter was especially suspicious since it might mean intruders... Wait, who am I kidding? It did mean intruders. We were right here!

  We’d actually passed several security teams combing the ship for intruders on our way to the command room. Moreover, this flagship was about to lead an all-out attack against the agency. There was an incredible amount of data coordinating going on without the trouble we’d caused. We’d only added to it, leaving the entire ship in a rather hectic state. It didn’t seem like things were ever going to calm down, which meant we’d never be able to sneak our way into the command room.

  “Hmm... Should we whittle down our numbers to the bare minimum for the plan to work and force our way in?”

  “If we force our way in there, it’ll be chaos. It would be terrible to get split up like that. Besides, if we get too far apart, Harissa’s spell might not hold up.”

  “Ugh, good point.”

  Unable to come up with a good plan, our only option was to wait and see if an opportunity would arise. But after a little while...

  “Hey, guys?”

  “What is it, Fam?”

  Fam held up a finger and tapped it against her forehead twice... No, she wasn’t pointing to her forehead. She
was pointing to her horn.

  “If chaos won’t do, why don’t we kick it up to pandemonium?”

  ▽

  The plan Fam had suggested would indeed be pandemonium. It was a risky bet, but I couldn’t deny that it had its advantages. If we caused enough chaos at the flagship command center, it could slow down the entire fleet. And the longer we did that, the longer we could keep them away from the agency. Moreover, it would buy us time to negotiate with Iris. Granted, that would only be if things went our way... But even that flash of optimism was enough to break us out of our current deadlock.

  “All right, let’s do this! Is everyone ready?”

  Everyone nodded in response to Fam’s rally, and when they did, an electromagnetic wave surged forth from Fam’s forehead. Not a moment later...

  Bzzt!

  All the lights in the hallway went out.

  “What?!”

  “What’s going on?!”

  “The lights!”

  The crew members milling about were all taken by surprise. But while they were panicking, we kicked off the wall and slipped past them.

  “Come in! Come in! Damn it... The comms terminal is out too!”

  We could hear various curses in the darkness coming from the crew. Be it transmitters or terminals, nothing was working for them right now. And there was a reason for that—Fam. As a gremlin, her most notable feature was the horn on her forehead capable of releasing electromagnetic waves primed for messing up all kinds of electronics. The young Fam I knew had yet to learn to control it properly, but it seemed future Fam could use it on command without any issues. When I asked her why she still wore her wave-blocking headband if that were the case, she told me it was a fashion statement. But I also knew it was important to her. Squallow had given it to her, after all.

  At any rate, things quickly deteriorated into absolute chaos. A spaceship was basically a giant hunk of sensitive electronics, after all. Communication systems, alarms, security devices... The entire ship was practically paralyzed, leaving it defenseless against intruders like us. The crew was mostly armed with optical weapons like laser guns, which were also rendered useless right now. That was another benefit to Fam’s plan as it significantly reduced the risk of us, y’know, getting shot. And thanks to that, we finally arrived at the command center door safely.

  “Hmph!”

  The door was an auto-open model. Its sensors were down thanks to Fam, but Lea didn’t have any trouble forcing it open. And once we had the chance, we all charged inside.

  “What’s going on?!”

  “I don’t know! Thirty percent of the ship’s control systems are down! The cause is unknown!”

  “Did the pirates just now do something?!”

  “It’s more likely to be the intruders! We found the space suits they discarded, so why haven’t we found them yet?!”

  It seemed the inside of the command center was just as chaotic as the hallway outside. All sorts of angry shouting was flying back and forth. It wasn’t completely dark in here thanks to some emergency lighting, but it was still quite dim. The brightest source of light was several monitors that still appeared to be working.

  “Where’s Iris?”

  “I can see in the dark just fine, but there are so many people...”

  Apparently Lea couldn’t spot her immediately either. But just as we were all starting to wonder...

  “Silence!”

  A woman’s voice roared overtop all the ongoing yelling. It silenced the room and got even our attention. And when we turned to look... There she was. She’d given up her twin tails and had her hair down, but there was no mistaking it.

  “Iris!”

  “Use whatever transmitters are still functioning to notify the rest of the fleet: we are temporarily suspending the march! Confirm the other ships aren’t suffering the same issues! Leave the weapons check until later; prioritize regaining control!”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  “Next, confirm the safety of all crew members! Send personnel to areas communication has been cut to!”

  “Right away! We’ll send someone immediately!”

  “As for the intruders, give all crew members the green light to use force! Let them know they are authorized for combat, but prioritizing the checks comes first! We’ll comb the ship afterward!”

  “Understood!”

  Iris fired off order after order in rapid succession, and the men beneath her responded immediately. They were intent to carry her wishes out to the letter, which kept them quite busy. That gave us a golden opportunity. While they were distracted, we could snatch Iris without anyone noticing. And in order to do that...

  “Harissa! Lea! Let’s do it!”

  “I’m with you!”

  “Likewise.”

  At that, the three of us split up from the doctor and the others. We left them behind for now, carefully approaching Iris while avoiding the crew members in the command center. And once we were close enough...

  “All right, Harissa! Work your magic!”

  “Okay!” she replied, raising her staff. “Ealim Nekram!”

  “!”

  The moment Harissa cast her invisibility spell on Iris, Iris’s expression changed immediately. While the magic made her invisible to everyone outside of the spell, it also allowed her to see those of us who were already invisible under the spell’s power. That meant she could now see us.

  “Harissa?! And you—”

  Before Iris could say anything else, Lea moved around behind her and put a hand over her mouth. Iris struggled a bit, but not even her strength was any match for Lea’s.

  “Lady Iris?!”

  “Where is Lady Iris?!”

  “Did anyone see where she went?!”

  Without their commander, the command center fell into further chaos. But that was only fair. From their point of view, Iris had just vanished into thin air. However, even invisible, we’d eventually be discovered if we stayed in the command center. We’d have to get out of here before they stumbled upon us. First things first, I approached the still-thrashing Iris.

  “Lea. Connect Iris to the telepathy too, please.”

  Lea nodded and complied, all while continuing to restrain Iris.

  “Iris?”

  “!”

  When I called out to her telepathically, Iris responded with a flinch. Whether she was surprised by me speaking directly into her mind or whether she was surprised because she finally realized who I was, I couldn’t say. But either way, she looked at me with wide eyes.

  “What? No way...”

  “Iris, there’s something I must talk to you about, but I can’t reveal myself to anyone other than you. Would you come with us so we can talk? Please?”

  “...”

  Iris hesitated for a moment, but then nodded silently.

  “Okay, then let’s go somewhere quieter. Follow me.”

  The rest of us all nodded at each other before sneaking out of the command center with Iris in tow.

  ▽

  We then made our way to a reserve storage room in the depths of the ship. It was a low-priority and low-population area, so the crew wouldn’t come to search here until much later. Iris informed us it would be the perfect place to have a discussion, and we agreed.

  “We’ll leave the invisibility up just in case anyone walks in on us, but I think it’s safe to talk normally for now.”

  “That’s fine.”

  We were hiding in the back of the storage room, so I doubted anyone would see us even if they did walk in. Keeping Harissa’s spell going was just a precaution.

  “So... what did you want to talk about?” Iris asked, a little unhappily.

  I guess she was in a pretty sour mood after hearing all that... And by “all that,” I mean about how I wasn’t really her Rekka, but my past self from a different time line. We’d already been through the established ritual where a heroine hugs me, thinking she’s been reunited with future Rekka. Iris for one had embraced me so tightly that
I had difficulty breathing, but that made it all the more important for me to explain that I wasn’t really who she thought I was. This was the result... which was perfectly fair, really. I’d been lucky the other heroines had accepted me so readily thus far.

  “Well, you see, Iris...”

  “Don’t talk to me like you know me.”

  “Okay then, um... Miss Cyphercall?”

  I’d only ever called her Iris, so I had to think for a moment to remember her last name. But when I said it out loud...

  “Never mind. Just call me Iris after all... Hearing your voice address me like that is just too sad,” Iris said with a sulky face, averting her eyes.

  Seeing her melancholy like this made her seem so mature. Her calm demeanor and her untied hair only enhanced that impression... Wait, no. Now’s not the time to be thinking about that. I scolded myself and refocused.

  Honestly, I knew that I hadn’t made a good first impression on Iris, but I still needed to explain to her what was going on. At the very least, I needed to persuade her to call off the attack on the agency. That seemed within reach now. All I had to do was tell her the truth.

  “Iris, the Rekka Namidare that the Galactic Federation heard was hiding at the agency is actually me. In other words... not the real Rekka Namidare that you’re looking for.”

  It felt weird to be talking about myself like I was a fake, but phrasing it that way made things crystal clear. Iris was a member of the militant hawk faction, meaning she probably didn’t care what the agency was up to. Her goal in coming here was only to find the Rekka Namidare that was the linchpin of the War of All. Once she found out he wasn’t really around, I was hoping she’d simply retreat. I was really hoping, but...

  “Well, I figured that was the case the moment I saw Satsuki with you.”

  “Then—”

  “But I can’t pull my fleet back so disgracefully at this point.”

  Iris predicted what I was about to ask her and cut me off with her answer—a decisive “no.” Hearing it, I sat there agape for a long moment.