Chapter 10

I followed Captain Dusty without knowing why, just as he had told me to. After we left the administration building, we got into one of the carts parked nearby, and with the captain driving, we headed towards the far end of the parking area.

This is a joint civilian and military spaceport.

It's vast.

After riding in the cart for about twenty minutes, two rather old space frigates came into view.

The one in front must be the ship of the Third Patrol Squadron.

The captain headed towards the older of the two frigates.

Well, I had heard it was the Third Patrol Squadron, and since there are only three patrol squadrons, I had expected it to be the lowest-ranked ship, but it's quite old.

The cart stopped near the middle of the ship without any concern for my feelings.

Around the space frigate *Akeshi*, busy loading operations were underway.

People who noticed the captain's presence called out.

"Salute the captain!"

Those around them paused their work to salute.

Captain Dusty returned the salute and then encouraged them to continue their work.

After confirming that everyone had returned to their tasks, the captain walked towards the hangar at the rear of the frigate.

Right now, a large amount of cargo is being loaded onto the ship in preparation for departure.

The rear hangar hatch is the entrance for these loading operations.

Various work vehicles are moving one after another towards the hatch, but this hatch is primarily for the armed internal fireboats commanded by Naoto. During loading, the internal fireboats are moved out of the hangar to avoid getting in the way.

Around the internal fireboats that have been moved out, many women are working.

Some are maintaining the internal fireboats, some are cleaning their weapons, and others are training.

The captain was heading towards these women.

"Members of the Second Boarding Team.

I'm sorry, but please stop your work and gather here."

One of the women called out after hearing the captain's words.

"Hey, gather up.

Form a line.

Salute the captain."

"Ah, at ease."

"Stand down."

"Lieutenant Bruce.

Over here."

"Yes, Captain."

"I'll introduce you to everyone.

The Second Boarding Team has been without a leader for a long time, and now a new leader has arrived.

This is your new team leader.

Lieutenant, introduce yourself."

"I'm Lieutenant Naoto Bruce, assigned from the military.

I may lack experience compared to you, but I will serve as your team leader.

Please take care of me."

After my introduction, there was a slight murmur from the crowd, but it quickly settled down after the captain cleared his throat.

"That's the situation.

From now on, follow Lieutenant's orders.

By the way, our departure the day after tomorrow has been officially confirmed.

So, please complete your preparations by tomorrow.

Understood?

Dismissed."

"Lieutenant, I'll introduce you to the other officers tonight, but for now, please supervise your subordinates."

"Understood, Captain."

That's when I was left alone for the first time.

But I was at a loss. What should I do next?

Not knowing what to do, I decided to observe my surroundings.

Once the ship is in space, the rear hatch will serve as the entry and exit point for the internal fireboats and the storage area for the escort fighters.

The escort fighters, due to their mission, launch from the ship using the catapults on both sides, but they return and are stored through this rear hatch.

Because of this, the boarding team, fighter pilots, and their maintenance crews share the rear hangar, and they generally get along well. Currently, two fighters are being maintained by the pilots and maintenance crews near the boarding team members.

I had only been introduced to the boarding team members by the captain, but since we are neighbors, I decided to greet the fighter-related personnel.

One of the maintenance crew members noticed me approaching, stopped his work, and saluted.

"Lieutenant, is there something you need?"

I don't need anything.

As I was wondering what to do, the woman who had called out the commands when I was introduced by the captain came over to me and spoke.

"Phew, this won't get us anywhere.

Hey, everyone, gather here."

"What's up, what's up?"

"Lieutenant America, is something interesting happening?"

"Yeah, we have a new team leader.

This is Lieutenant Naoto Bruce.

Please take care of him."

It seems that Lieutenant America, who had been in charge of the boarding team, was also a kind of boss or face of the rear hangar. When she called out, everyone gathered without complaint.

She seems to be quite popular among the crew, possibly due to her seniority and reputation.

"Thank you, Lieutenant.

I'm sorry to interrupt your work.

As Lieutenant America just explained, I'm Naoto Bruce, the new leader of the Second Boarding Team.

I hold the rank of lieutenant in the Capital Space Defense Force.

As you can see, I'm a complete novice, fresh out of school, but I have received some training, so I'll do my best not to be a burden.

Please take care of me."

My greeting to the new faces might have been a bit too humble for a superior officer, but it was the truth. Putting on a false front here would only lead to it being stripped away quickly, so it was better not to pretend.

After my greeting, I looked around, and the atmosphere didn't seem too bad.

"Wow, that's a good one, Captain.

I like it."

"Lieutenant America is right.

I thought a pompous guy would come from the military, but you seem nice."

"Are you the rumored lieutenant?"

"Rumor?

What's that about?"

"Huh?

You don't know.

You're the one they say is a problem even in the military and here at Coast Guard."

"What?

What did you do?

You must be quite a catch, Captain."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but what kind of rumors are there?"

"Well, I don't know much more, but I heard that it was quite a challenge to decide where to assign you."

"Why do you know this?"

"My cousin works as a clerk at the Capital Police Headquarters, and he heard it there.

The bigwigs at Coast Guard were also complaining, 'Why are you sending us someone the military can't handle?'

They say the upper management was at a loss."

"So that's why.

I'm relieved.

Welcome to the gathering of unwanted children at Coast Guard."

"Lieutenant, what do you mean by 'unwanted children'?"

"Huh?

You don't know?

What this ship is called by everyone else?

This ship is known as the 'broom closet' or the 'gathering of unwanted children' of Coast Guard."

"Well, given the age of this ship, I can kind of see why, but if there's a reason, I'd like to hear it."

"What?

You're asking us?"

"Is it hard to say?"

"Not too loud, but come with me."

Following the lieutenant, I moved to a less conspicuous spot near the ship.

The story I heard there was, well, as expected or something.

This is a well-known story in the country, similar to what Mark had said about not hearing good rumors about me. Coast Guard is a place where people who are pushed out of the military are sent, but the number is relatively small.

Most of them end up in administrative positions on the ground.

Only a few are assigned to field units like ships, and most of them hold ranks above squadron commander, so they are mostly figureheads in practical terms, causing no real harm to the field operations.

However, there are always exceptions, and the lowest-ranked person to be assigned until now was Captain Dusty, the captain of this ship.

He was transferred here three years ago due to an incident involving a noble within the military.

Until then, he was part of a noble family that had considerable influence within the military, and he himself had been quite free to do as he pleased.

The incident three years ago led to the fall of the noble, and Captain Dusty, who was then a major, lost his backing.

There had been persistent rumors about him, mainly involving embezzlement and bribery, but there was no evidence to punish him.

Even so, Coast Guard, known as a 'broom closet,' couldn't assign him to an administrative position, so this ship, which has mostly had captains who worked their way up, was the only one to accept a military transfer as captain.

I would have said it's dangerous to have such a person as captain, but it seems Coast Guard has thought about it.

It's said that the current squadron commander, Commander Potter, was also transferred here at the same time, as a result of the incident three years ago.

Because of this, the relationship between the captain and the commander is reportedly the worst.

They are closely monitored, so I heard they can't cause trouble here.