"Woooow—"
At the North Arican Starship Launch Base, Setsuna landed with a group of wide-eyed girls in front of a massive school entrance.
On the signboard were a few dark, gilded characters:
[Imperial Starship Academy]
The academy's grounds spanned an area rivaling a small European nation.
Docked within were all manner of spacecraft—from enormous warships to shuttles and cargo vessels.
Walking inside the campus...
In an open area, shipgirls were guiding little girls as they practiced piloting starships.
"This school was built by Bulin earlier, originally for lolis studying astronomy. Turns out... it suits you all pretty well too."
Setsuna smiled as he explained.
"Tankery isn't suitable for the space age. Here, you can study more advanced subjects."
"Of course, everything is voluntary. If you'd prefer to return to your world and live a normal life, I won't force you."
He had always believed in voluntary choices. Forcing girls to stay here was possible, but pointless.
"..."
Arisu, the Nishizumi sisters, and the others were dazzled by everything around them.
They were nervous—but more than that, they were curious.
If strange, terrifying aliens had abducted them, they would definitely be plotting an escape.
But these were all pretty girls and adorable lolis. That put them sowhat at ease.
The lolis ran around Setsuna, shouting "Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" happily. He didn't look like a bad guy at all.
So they decided to observe for now.
"Starship Academy? You an we can learn to pilot spaceships here?"
Maho asked, intrigued.
She had never heard of such a high-tech school on Earth.
"Yes. Not just piloting. There's astronomy, space warfare theory, fleet command tactics—a wide range."
"Depending on your chosen field, your future path will be different."
Setsuna led them into the academic building.
Inside, Hai Tien and Hai Chi were teaching lolis.
"Today we'll continue learning about starship weapon configurations. Take the space escort ship as an example: it's equipped with super-graviton cannons and firestorm rotary guns..."
Maho listened in for a mont.
The terms made her head spin.
Kinetic weapons vs. energy shields, armor-penetrating lasers, arc-piercing beams...
"These are the theoretical classes. Just like how you learned about tank specs and systems in Tankery."
Setsuna opened a holo-interface and showed them the curriculum.
Courses on weapon loadouts, tactics, strategy—you na it.
"Ah, so it's like tank research, but for space."
Yukari had a flash of understanding.
They moved on to the starship launch grounds.
The vast area had a blonde, green-eyed shipgirl in a white navy uniform teaching lolis to pilot small ships.
Each little girl sat inside a shuttle, following Aurora's instructions.
"First, activate the anti-gravity system. Then engage the thrusters. Set acceleration and flight altitude..."
"Rember, don't start with too much speed..."
Aurora gently coached them.
BOOM—
The shuttles began to rise, tail flas trailing behind.
Occasionally, a loli would wobble or spin due to incorrect operation. Aurora would imdiately summon her rigging and fly over to guide them personally.
"??!"
"Even kids that young can fly starships?!"
The girls from Girls und Panzer were stunned.
They were real high schoolers still driving WWII-era tanks on the ground. Starsea Empire's elentary kids could solo-pilot spacecraft.
"They've undergone genetic ascension. Very bright. Physically and ntally superior to you lot."
Setsuna chuckled.
He gave Miho, Maho, and the others a brief explanation of how the academy worked.
"Students start by learning to pilot small shuttles. Then they move on to escort ships, destroyers, cruisers..."
"If you perform well, it's even possible to beco captains of battleships or carriers."
Aside from the shipgirls, the naval base had also produced a large number of standard starships.
Setsuna didn't need ordinary people to fight wars in these ships, but they could handle low-intensity missions like patrols and law enforcent.
"Whoa..."
Staring at the cold, futuristic vessels, Maho was entranced.
Compared to Tankery, learning to pilot starships seed much more exciting.
The battlefield expanded from land to space, multiplying its scope.
Thinking back to her Tiger I now felt a bit... quaint.
A few hours later—
They had toured the academy grounds, sat in on theoretical and practical classes, and even got to touch a starship.
The shipgirls even took them on a short cruise into space.
Everyone was awestruck.
It was all just too advanced, too high-tech.
Beyond Tankery, there was sothing more—Starshipery.
More prestigious. More useful.
By the ti they returned to the administration center, the girls were filled with wonder and curiosity.
"Well?"
"If you enroll now, you'll beco citizens of the Starsea Empire, with full genetic ascension benefits."
Setsuna extended the invitation.
"I'll provide your lodging here, and your daily needs will be handled by the universal angels and Bulins."
"Top-performing students may get the chance to follow on expeditions to other worlds. If you ever miss ho, you can use the anchor teleporter to return to the Girls und Panzer world."
"..."
The girls looked at each other.
With perks maxed out, no downsides, and total freedom—there really was no reason to say no.
Katyusha and Nonna had already bonded with the Northern Parliant shipgirls. Their strange but strong camaraderie made them accept imdiately.
After a mont's thought, Maho opened a communication window on the holo-interface—and made a decision that went against the Nishizumi tradition.
"Mom, I'm done with Tankery."
...
Three days later—
The Imperial Starship Academy welcod a new batch of students.
The Nishizumi sisters, Darjeeling, Mika, Katyusha, and other Girls und Panzer girls completed enrollnt and officially began classes.
Setsuna checked the reports from the Girls und Panzer world. It had been fully pacified.
A joint governnt modeled after other vassal worlds had been established to reform its economic and political systems.
Several tankery schools were now restructured as affiliated institutions under the Starship Academy.
The new curriculum focused on space-era subjects, and each year, top students would be selected to advance to the Imperial Starship Academy.
"Alright, that wraps up the conquest of the Girls und Panzer world."
Setsuna crossed the na off his mo list.
Conquer the world. Recruit the girls. One down.
Imagining Miho and Maho commanding starships in battle one day was an exciting thought.
With their natural talent, he believed they'd make excellent fleet commanders soday.
Hopefully the hot-headed girls from Chi-Ha-Tan would llow out a bit at the academy.
"Commander, Formidable and the others completed the mission very quickly this ti."
"So what next? Conquer another world? Explore new realms? Or focus on developnt here?"
Richelieu asked.
"Hmm..."
Setsuna opened the star map and thought for a mont.
"What about the remaining worlds... anyone feel like fighting goblins, Autobots, or the undead next?"
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