Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!

Inside the Del Pravvio, moments before their hyperspace jump.

"Reporting! The Detonids attached to the ship’s hull have all been eliminated! All personnel assigned to clearing have returned onboard!"

"Engines and thrusters are ready for the hyperspace jump, Officer Fardin! Awaiting further instructions!"

"All ships in the last batch are cleared for the jump!"

The Del Pravvio’s bridge buzzed with a flurry of reports. The air was thick with urgency and a hint of lingering anxiety as the officers coordinated their final preparations. Standing at the center of it all was Officer Fardin, the acting commander of the fleet and second-in-command to Major Terrence Greenwood. His eyes briefly flickered toward the Range Falcon—still being chased by the gigantic Detonid—where their leader rested in critical condition, and let out a quiet sigh.

"To all units, initiate space jump!" he commanded.

His voice carried weight, echoing through the communication channels to every ship in the final batch. The fleet—seven ships in total—responded without hesitation, charging their jump drives to maximum output and pushing their thrusters to over 1000%.

Seconds passed as the fleet remained acutely aware of the looming threat. Yet, their orders were clear: They couldn’t engage. Escape was the only priority now, which meant trusting Arthur to protect Major Terrence aboard the Range Falcon.

"Gerard Astoria..." Fardin muttered under his breath, his voice laced with an unreadable mix of frustration and hopefulness.

Finally, the jump drives finished charging. One by one, the ships began the hyperspace transition. Relief started to spread across the bridge—until disaster struck.

"—Good heavens! Battleship Schneider fired at the Range Falcon! Their main thrusters are down!"

The sudden report jolted through the cabin like a thunderclap. Fardin’s expression darkened, his fists clenching. "Damn it! We missed a traitor’s ship?!"

Stopping the hyperspace jump now was impossible—it would only cause more chaos, and it wouldn’t help the Range Falcon. His jaw tightened as he made a decision. "The moment we exit hyperspace, neutralize the Schneider. We can’t let them get away with this!"

Turning his gaze toward the last known location of the Range Falcon, Fardin’s voice softened into a murmur, almost as if offering a prayer. "Major Terrence... please be safe."

---

The Range Falcon had been drifting for what felt like an eternity, carried by the shockwave from the Detonid’s chain explosion. The solar sail, despite being filled with holes, provided continuous propulsion—but it was an uncontrollable force, taking us wherever the shockwave decided. If there was one word to describe our situation, it was helpless.

"Where are we right now?" I asked Eva.

She was sitting across from me, unusually calm, her fingers deftly working over her calculations.

"Based on current drift patterns, we’re roughly 150,000 kilometers from the entrance... and 146,000 kilometers from the alien swarm." She looked up, her expression unreadable. "If we don’t cut off the sail soon, we’re going to drift farther and farther away."

I leaned back in my chair, sighing. "The folding mechanism is a goner, and the CNW tether is too strong to cut with any weapon we have onboard. We’d need an industrial-grade plasma cutter to sever it, and guess what? We don’t have one~!"

For now, all we could do was ride the shockwave until its energy dissipated. Eva estimated that it would take around 12 hours for the sail to lose momentum completely. But by then, we’d be over 20 astronomical units away from the entrance. Even if we managed to repair the thrusters, it would take us at least a week of constant travel just to make it back.

Eva’s composure was admirable—calm, collected, and methodical. But for some reason, her calm demeanor felt like the quiet before a storm. My gut told me that the storm would hit sooner rather than later if I didn’t act fast.

’The only weapon capable of cutting the CNW tether is...’

I tapped a few buttons on the console, pulling up the live status of the Brionac, our once-mighty turret. After two high-power shots, the system was nearly inoperable. Half of its internal components were fried. At this point, it was nothing more than dead weight attached to the hull.

"The only weapon capable of cutting the tether is out of commission. Great," I muttered.

My fingers danced across the controls as I brought up a schematic of the ship. I ignored the red zones indicating the 20% of the hull that was battered and focused on the CNW tether. The ejector for the tether was located at the back, where we released the sail. However, the actual tether connection point was attached to a structural beam at the ship’s front—a reinforced part of the core frame.

Sturdy and reliable... but not indestructible.

"...It’s not as tough as the tether itself," I whispered, an idea forming in my head.

I stood abruptly, causing Eva to glance up in alarm. "Where are you going?"

"It’s nothing," I replied, waving my hand dismissively. "I’ll just try to disconnect the tether from the hull itself."

"Disconnect...?" Eva muttered before her eyes widened in realization. "You bastard! Are you planning to tear the ship apart?!"

"What? No..."

I sighed, exasperated. Whatever dramatic idea she imagined wasn’t even close to what I had in mind. "I’m just going to remove a section of the core beam. It might undermine the frame’s integrity a little, but at least it’ll stop our uncontrolled drift."

Eva’s eyes narrowed, her glare hot enough it could’ve melted steel. "If you’re serious about this, I’m coming along. Someone has to make sure you don’t do anything reckless!"

"Suit yourself," I said with a shrug, already predicting her response.

---

The Range Falcon is a massive ship—400 meters long and 80 meters wide, a titan compared to most other battle cruisers on the market. Normally, its size is a source of pride. Right now, though, it’s just a pain.

The bridge is near the front, but due to the extensive damage to areas A-6 through D-8, all access to the lower deck was sealed. The only remaining route was at the farthest rear of the ship, near the engine block. Which meant...

"We have to walk 800 meters just to get to the tether," I muttered bitterly, legs already aching at the thought.

As we were moving, following complicated paths and avoiding the destroyed sections, I couldn’t help but grumble under my breath, "I should’ve turned off the artificial gravity first..."

Eva, of course, looked completely unaffected. In fact, she shot me a sideways glance so sharp it could’ve cut through the ship’s hull. "You should work on your stamina," she scoffed, stepping ahead as though mocking my pace.

Eventually, we reached the object of interest: a five-meter-thick metal pillar—the ship’s spine. At its tip, the CNW tether was secured with a knot reinforced by carbon-fiber materials, designed to handle immense strain. This "lock" was even sturdier than the tether itself, making it untouchable with our current tools.

Eva crossed her arms, her curiosity finally breaking through. "Alright, genius, what’s the plan? Don’t tell me you’re planning to untie that knot."

"That’s even more impossible than cutting the tether," I said, shaking my head.

The tether was under extreme tension as it was pulling the Range Falcon, which weighs over 100,000 tons. Messing with the knot was out of the question. I let out a breath, regaining some strength after the long trek, and tapped the metal spine.

"This is what we’re dealing with," I explained, pointing to the section of the core beam holding the tether.

Eva stared at the spine, then back at me, her expression a mix of genuine worry and disbelief. "Are you... alright in the head? Should I escort you to the medical pod?"

"Bitch, I’m still sane," I growled. "Listen. The tether is practically indestructible for us, but this frame? It’s just thick metal. Cutting it off is easier, right?"

To prove my point, I powered up the plasma cutter on my suit and drove it into the metal. The blade sank in like a knife through butter, effortlessly piercing as deep as my entire arm.

"See?" I said, gesturing to the glowing cut.

Eva didn’t look impressed. She raised an eyebrow and sneered, "And after you cut it, the ship snaps in half. Brilliant plan."

Hearing this comment, I finally understood her initial concern. I smiled, hoping to ease her doubt. "Relax. This section is specifically designed for tethering. Cutting it won’t compromise the ship’s backbone and cause a collapse."

This protruding part of the spine was meant for towing or solar sailing, perfectly aligned with the ship’s center of gravity. It wasn’t structurally vital—at least, not in theory.

But before I could celebrate my supposed ingenuity, a faint sound reached my ears.

*Creaaaak...*

"Huh?" I froze, my blood running cold. That sound wasn’t normal. I looked around in panic, looking for the source, but my eyes widened as I realized what was happening.

"Shit! Eva, grab onto something!"

My warning came too late. Eva hesitated for a split second, and I didn’t have time to explain. I lunged toward her, slamming her helmet shut and wrapping my arms around her body. Using my suit’s anchoring system, I latched onto the wall just as the unthinkable happened.

The plasma cutter’s initial incision acted like a fault line, and under the tension of 0.1 Megatons, the metal spine tore like paper!

A massive chunk of the frame, along with the tether, was wrenched away by the solar sail. The violent separation caused the entire front section of the ship to shudder. Panels buckled and burst as the pressurized air inside rushed out in a deafening roar.

"Ugh...!"

I held on for dear life, gritting my teeth against the pull of the vacuum. If we were dragged out into the void, it would be game over.

Fortunately, the bulkheads automatically sealed behind us, cutting off the air loss. The relentless pull subsided, leaving behind only silence. I let out a shaky breath, my muscles trembling from the effort.

"Damn... I didn’t expect that," I muttered, my voice tinged with exhaustion.

Eva, still clinging to me, finally found her voice. Her helmet’s comm crackled as she spoke, her tone a dangerous mix of fury and disbelief.

{You... fucking idiot!}

I winced. Yeah, I deserved that one.