In short, it was still outrageously heretical in a way that perfectly fit the captain's character, but what he said made sense. Setting aside the faint underlying quality of a ragtag mob, if Sobeck could truly absorb and digest this fleet properly, he would control the Outer Ring Theater—the strongest strategic mobile force there, apart from the units directly under Duke Barryen.
Of course, since they were building a new strategic force, things couldn't always be good news.
Sobeck's planned new flagship, the Grand Duke Atoll, one of the three Barbarossa-class vessels, subsequently showed signs of a safety issue. Some of the energy pipelines laid in the rear compartment had been damaged, allowing uncontrolled current to leak out. It ignited a rear galley and burned down two induction cookers, a refrigerator, and three roast ducks.
The fire was then discovered by the firefighting robots, which put it out completely.
Fire-related accidents were unavoidable, but this might indicate the possibility of safety hazards in the dreadnought's crucial energy systems. If one broke out suddenly during an intense pursuit or battle, it could easily become a nightmare for everyone aboard.
At least, when Duke Barryen made an issue of it, they had no grounds to object.
"With such a safety hazard, it can't carry out extended pursuit missions. Lieutenant General Sobeck, you'll continue using the Demon-Subduing Jade Rabbit as your flagship for this operation," Duke Barryen said.
Miss Seluru and the other subordinates were deeply dissatisfied, believing that the duke was using the incident as an excuse to keep their dreadnought. The person involved, however, didn't mind at all.
Sobeck also had an official residence assigned to him in the Celestial Domain, but he spent far more time aboard the Jade Rabbit than in that luxurious little orbital villa. One could say