“…So, to sum up, Raptures are mechanical lifeforms from space, and you’re a Nikke—a last-resort puppet weapon designed to fight Raptures?”
“Yes. That’s exactly it.”
As we made our way to the Rendezvous Point, Marian filled me in on the details of Nikke and the Raptures.
It’s strange. In speech and behavior, she’s indistinguishable from a real human.
If Marian hadn’t told me she was a Nikke and not human, I’d have assumed she was human for quite a while.
It’s impossible to imagine she has a mechanical body; every emotion is conveyed perfectly, down to the slightest expression.
This side of humanity—no, the Central Government, was it? Impressive.
I have to admit, I was impressed.
I haven’t seen many cyborgs made by the Great Federation, but the Central Government’s Nikke manufacturing technology is on par with theirs.
“She’s so human-like... but on The Ark, they treat her like a piece of equipment?”
“...Well, somehow it ended up that way.”
Marian forced a bitter smile at the undeniable reality.
One thing that bothered me during the explanation was that Nikkes are regarded by humanity as weapons.
When I first learned that, I couldn’t hide my sorrow.
They sacrifice themselves for humanity, yet instead of being rewarded for their noble efforts, they’re treated as tools.
…It’s like looking at myself right before I died.
As a soldier of the Great Federation, I fought with everything I had for the freedom and future of humanity.
I became a new kind of humanity, hailed as a hero, proud of the name and shouldering the great mission of protecting mankind.
Yet in return for that pride and sense of duty, we only received the stain of being called traitors and a gruesome death.
Goddamn bastards…!!
A surge of rage welled up inside me. The Great Federation that used us as disposable pieces, and the Predaking that butchered my comrades—every last one.
I can never forgive them. Whenever the opportunity arises, I will return to the Great Federation.
The moment I return, I’ll kill every key figure who took part in disposing our unit—including Supreme Commander Howard—and expose their dirty crimes to the world.
After finishing business with the Great Federation, the next target is the Predaking. In my past life I never managed to kill the beast, but this life is different. No matter what it takes, I will sever that stubborn lifeline.
If I do that, it’ll bring at least some comfort to my squad, who died unjustly.
Whew... calm down first. Act rationally.
I forced myself to think clearly.
Even if I lost my cool in a fit of anger, it’s uncertain when I’ll get my chance. Before returning, I need to build my strength.
Even if I’m just an ordinary human with zero energy… I’ll think through plans step by step. There’s bound to be a way.
As I set this new goal and walked alongside Marian at the front, she suddenly stopped.
“Marian? Are we here?”
“Uh… this should be the spot, but… strangely, there’s no one here…?”
I had to double-check my ears. Marian was the only one who knew the location of the Rendezvous Point, and now she was confused herself.
“Are you sure?”
“By location, it’s correct. Strange… Could the plan have changed because the transport crashed..?”
I moved to her side to get clarity when suddenly…
rat-a-tat-tat—!!!
“!!”
“Gunfire...?”
The unexpected shots seized our attention.
At eleven o’clock, and it’s not that far away.
If we sprint over, we could reach the source in no time. We couldn’t just stand still.
“Marian, move quickly!”
“Ah, yes!”
Without hesitation, Marian and I ran toward the gunfire.
*
We closed the distance fast. A cloud of dust from the skirmish blurred our vision.
“No, how long are we supposed to wait here!”
“Until they join up.”
“Not until we die?”
“Until they join up.”
“You saw it! That crash! What chance is there they’d still be alive after that explosion?”
Just as we closed in, voices drifted from the battlefield, where two figures were trading fire with Raptures.
There were two of them—girls who looked like teenagers, wearing berets: one with short hair, the other with long.
“No death report yet.”
“So we just wait here until that report comes in?”
“This is the Rendezvous Point. If we leave, the operation could be compromised.”
“It seems it’s already messed up to hell!”
“I’m going to link up!”
“Eek! You scared me!”
Startled by Marian’s sudden appearance, the short-haired girl yelped.
“I’m Marian. I have safely linked up with the Commander at the Rendezvous Point.”
“What, seriously? You survived that explosion? I get that Nikkes are tough, but you’re human, right?”
The short-haired Nikke’s eyes snapped to me, as if she’d seen something other than a human commander.
“I’m obviously human.”
In my past life, I was a superhuman beyond any limit, but defining my current self, I am, without a doubt, human.
“Suspicious. Are you really the Commander?”
“Well, yes, I am the Commander.”
“Excuse me a moment.”
The long-haired Nikke with red eyes approached.
“Commander identification code, access… Command authority transfer for Squad 04-F complete.”
The short-haired Nikke frowned in surprise.
“Rapi! You can’t just do that to a human you don’t even know!”
“This is an emergency. There are Raptures in front of us.”
“That may be… but…!”
She wasn’t wrong. We were in the middle of a live battlefield. Arguing here would be a waste of time.
“From this moment, you are our commanding officer. The previous Commander is unable to give orders, so there is no separate transfer-of-command protocol. The situation is urgent; I’ll explain in detail after the battle.”
“Alright. Let’s take care of the Raptures first, and talk afterward.”
That was the right call. Priority one was handling the Raptures ahead.
“Marian, right? What’s your unit and role?”
“I’m with Silvergun Squad. My specialty is machine gunner.”
As Marian answered, I glanced at Rapi’s and Anis’s weapons.
This looks good.
Rapi was armed with an assault rifle and Anis with a grenade launcher. Add Marian’s machine gun, and we had a versatile setup ready for any variable.
“Funny how the roles worked out perfectly… Eh, can’t help it. Commander, what’s the plan?”
With determination, Anis looked to me. In this situation, there was only one course of action.
“From now on, engage the Raptures ahead under my command. Eliminate them all.”
“Yes!”
“Roger.”
“Okay, let’s do this!”
We opened fire on the Raptures ahead.
*
After a brief but intense fight, the skirmish ended in our overwhelming victory.
“Situation clear. Good job, everyone.”
“Phew, Commander, you did well too.”
Anis exhaled a relieved sigh now that the tension was gone.
Fortunately, all three followed my orders flawlessly.
“By the way, I didn’t expect us to win so overwhelmingly. I thought you were a rookie Commander, but you’re quite a veteran, huh?”
“Well, it’s my specialty.”
My strength may have vanished, but my knowledge and experience remain intact.
In other words, the command skills I honed on countless missions are still my own.
“I’m Rapi, and this is Anis. Thank you for answering our emergency request.”
“Ah, no need for thanks.”
As I thought that, Rapi suddenly approached and bowed her head.
I hurriedly waved my hand to stop her—I was just a reincarnated body who happened to become Commander and rescue them, not someone deserving of such deep gratitude.
“By the way, why did you suddenly ask to have the Commander brought to the Surface? Could it be…”
Marian’s question hinted at her suspicions, and Anis nodded in confirmation.
“Yeah. The previous Commander is dead.”
“Dead?”
“She grabbed a heavy weapon and started blasting Raptures, shouting ‘Rapture! Enemy of humanity!’ Even though small-caliber gunfire shouldn’t faze them, she did it.”
“…I see.”
I got the picture of what drove her and felt only regret.
“You couldn’t protect them, could you? Both of you.”
“No. We protect our Commander. No matter what, we protect him, even at the cost of our lives. But you can’t guard someone who insists on sacrificing themselves, right?”
“…”
“Well, that’s what I’m saying.”
The mood turned heavy until Rapi spoke up again.
“Excuse me, but what is your name?”
“…Ethan. Ethan from the Nikke Management Division of the Central Government.”
I told Rapi the name and affiliation I’d learned beforehand. At first, they didn’t even know my name or origin, but thanks to Marian, they confirmed both—otherwise, this could’ve gotten really awkward.
It was a bit surprising that I share the same name as the original owner of this body, but I shrugged it off as coincidence.
“Anis.”
“Right. Let me look you up. Let’s see…”
“…Huh?”
Anis’s expression turned blank, and Rapi asked her what was wrong.
“What’s wrong?”
“This Commander… he’s a total rookie, right?”
“What?”
“?”
A rookie? Me? Well, the original owner of this body, that is.
“Apparently he just graduated from the officer academy yesterday.”
Wow… I never expected it, but he really is just fresh out of the academy.
I stared blankly into the open sky, lost in thought.
In my past life, I was humanity’s hero and the leader of an elite unit.
Now, I’m just a green Commander with the Central Government.
The gap in rank is so extreme it’s already making my head spin.
“…First, let’s move to the nearby urban area. It’s too dangerous here.”
Standing in this battlefield for any longer was out of the question, so we moved toward the nearby cityscapes.
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