Unconditional Surrender with Conditions Part 2

 

「This is Barry, acting representative of Trireme. Can you hear me, Mercenary Association Headquarters?」

「This is Sans, captain of the battleship Nabis and acting representative of Roche Phalanx.」

The response came immediately. They had been expecting the call.

A middle-aged man with a thick mustache appeared on the screen—likely around the same age as Barry.

「To all combat units directly under Mercenary Association Headquarters—I order you to surface immediately and disarm. Once confirmed, we will proceed with the formal surrender negotiations.」

「I’d love nothing more than to surrender, but we’re under exclusive contracts with Mercenary Association Headquarters. We can’t just ignore that and negotiate on our own.」

Sans put on a troubled expression. And from the sound of it, he was genuinely telling the truth.

「The Gorgias, which housed Headquarters, has already been destroyed.」

「That’s correct. Which means none of us technically have the authority to surrender. For mercenaries, trust is everything. We can’t just betray our contracts.」

「We have Raimund in our custody. If the Gorgias has lost its status as Headquarters, then by default, authority transfers to Roche Phalanx—the main group under contract with Headquarters—and its leader, Raimund. He is now the rightful acting representative. You don’t have the firepower to challenge that.」

「What did you say?」

「The logical choice for Headquarters’ new flagship is Nabis, the very ship Raimund belongs to.」

Sans visibly tensed at the unexpected declaration.

「…Give me a moment. Roche Phalanx has multiple space vessels. We need to consult with the other Underground Forces as well.」

「Of course. Roche Phalanx is the most powerful Underground Force on Planet Asia. Everyone knows you command multiple space fleets. It’s entirely up to you which ship becomes the new flagship.」

Not only was Raimund still alive—something Sans had never expected—but the idea of Roche Phalanx becoming the de facto Mercenary Association Headquarters was a complete shock.

He had considered Nabis as a possible flagship, but in terms of combat capability, it was indeed the strongest vessel they had. Trireme’s assessment was spot on.

「We’ve already confirmed this proxy arrangement with Okeanos. You’ll act as the interim Headquarters, and the formal transition will be up to you. But we need someone to negotiate with—without that, we’re getting nowhere.」

Sans suppressed the urge to say that, at this point, Trireme was more of a Mercenary Association Headquarters than the original ever was.

If they recognized Raimund as the representative of Headquarters, he would eventually gain direct access to Okeanos as well.

「Once you disarm, your fleet and the structure of the Mercenary Association Headquarters will be guaranteed. However, you will follow our directives regarding future governance and reparations.」

「…So, it’s an unconditional surrender with conditions, then.」

Sans understood Trireme’s intent.

Before rendering them completely powerless, Trireme was leveraging the mercenaries’ space fleets as collateral to facilitate the Headquarters’ reorganization.

「The details will be left to Raimund, but know this—your physical assets as the direct forces of the Mercenary Association Headquarters will be protected, including your current weapons and warships. However, forget about any ships or equipment we’ve already seized. The same goes for reparations. I’ll say it again—you’re the ones who started this. It was Roche Phalanx that instigated the conflict.」

「…From our perspective, this is an offer we desperately want to accept. But we are not just one Underground Force…No, the other Underground Forces will agree as well. We accept the disarmament and ceasefire.」

It was an obvious conclusion.

So long as their lifeblood, the space vessels, weren’t confiscated, there was no reason not to comply. Every Underground Force that owned warships agreed to disarm and cease hostilities.

If they wanted to keep being mercenaries they needed the ships. Money could be recovered over time. But a well-maintained spaceship could never be replaced.

Surrendering and preserving their fleets was a far better outcome than continuing to fight and losing everything.

「This is Jill Monet, leader of the Underground Force Highlander. Are you telling me to give up the Aglaonice?! That ship is a one-of-a-kind space carrier, even among those from the Interplanetary War era!」

「You’re lucky enough to keep all your ships except that one. Think of it as part of reparations and let it go. You’re getting your people back, aren’t you?」

Sans expression soured. His expression clearly said: Doesn’t he realize he’s lucky to get away with just losing one ship?

Sans didn’t try to blame the captain of the captured vessel. He knew that was a dangerous path—it could stir further resistance. He had to frame it as prioritizing human lives over material losses.

Unexpectedly, a leader from another Underground Force chimed in, siding with Sans.

「We accept the conditions. Will Highlander be the only one insisting on a last stand?」

「You all still have other warships! Our ship was split in half!」

Other Underground Force leaders started voicing their opinions. The outcome had already been decided, and the opinion among them had turned decidedly against continuing to fight.

「If you refuse the ceasefire, then you’ll be fighting that mass destruction weapon alone. Jill, think this through. Your current vessels will be guaranteed, intact. And all your members will be returned unconditionally.」

Trireme had proven they could deploy those devastating mass weapons at any time. Even if their forces were underwater, those weapons would still be just as devastating.

「…Fine. I relinquish ownership of Aglaonice.」

At last, Jill Monet gave in. There was no time to negotiate a ransom, and more importantly, he wasn’t the only one who had lost a spaceship. If he continued to resist, he wouldn’t just be branded the villain—he could end up taking the fall for everything.

Sans let out a relieved sigh. Roche Phalanx still had reserve smaller space vessels. They were nowhere near as rare as Aglaonice, but they could be used to placate Monet if necessary.

「…My apologies, Barry-dono. We formally accept the conditions.」

「A wise decision. If only that wisdom had been shown from the start, this situation might have been avoided. But the blame doesn’t fall on you—it falls on the old Headquarters. We’ll treat this surrender as theirs, not yours.」

Sans was likely the person with the best leadership qualities among the enemy Underground Forces. The loss of a rare vessel should have sparked far more controversy, yet he had managed to contain it.

Or perhaps it was the terror of the Star that had driven them to accept the ceasefire.

If that was Kou’s plan all along, he and the mastermind behind him were truly masterful actors.

「That’s helpful… but are you expecting us to be grateful?」

The Underground Forces under the former Headquarters were beginning to re-evaluate modern silhouettes. The current weapons in Asia were approaching the level of the Interplanetary War era Silhouettes. They could no longer be dismissed as inferior weapons created by primitive Transferees.

With nowhere left to go but the ocean floor, total resistance was meaningless. Sans could feel the mounting sense of desperation among the other Underground Forces.

「Even Raimund is being released unconditionally. A little gratitude wouldn’t hurt.」

「Of course. We appreciate your consideration with our leader.」

「The reconstruction of the Mercenary Association Headquarters will be assisted by Trireme as well. We’ve both become organizations responsible for Asia’s governance now. However, we’d like to see a bit more fairness, so we’ll be providing some… guidance.」

「…Understood.」

Guidance.

That was the real crux of this entire maneuver.

Only now did Sans begin to realize—they had just been saddled with an incredibly troublesome burden. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

 

AN:

With Oedipus’ tragic demise, the war has reached its turning point and is now concluding.

Some of you might be wondering, How can a surrender be ‘unconditional’ if conditions are involved? Let me clarify.

As stated in the story, in modern warfare, an unconditional surrender is essentially a pledge to accept all conditions before the defeated side undergoes reorganization. Complete annihilation would render that process useless.

In other words, ‘unconditional’ surrender often comes with immensely strict conditions. Historically, in ancient Greece, such surrender could mean the execution of all men and the enslavement of women and children.

However, modern warfare—especially in this specific scenario—is quite different. If the Mercenary Association Headquarters were completely destroyed, the mercenary system itself would eventually collapse, only strengthening the influence of the Stones.

Likewise, Roche Phalanx would never accept its new role in Headquarters’ reformation if it didn’t receive guarantees for its assets. That’s why, officially, it was the old Headquarters that surrendered unconditionally, not the successor organizations.

But that still leaves a critical question—what will happen to the remaining space fleets, including Roche Phalanx’s forces?

That will be the focus of the next chapter! Stay tuned!

The Regime Change Arc, which serves as the final resolution of the Asia War, will wrap up in the next chapter. The pacing shift was intentional—battle durations naturally vary!

And don’t worry—there’s still much more to come!