After getting more work from Van, we successfully got a frigate, two small combat ships, and a medium one.
Contrary to my expectations, the empire isn’t sending destroyers or anything like that. But from what I hear from Sumire, the space pirates are a different kind.
“They have a lot of proper combat ships?”
“<Yes, unlike space pirates using armed transport ships. In fact, I would say they are disguised foreign ships.>”
In this galaxy, it’s hard to take a star system by force. That happened before the Galactic Credit Union Alliance was formed, but it was so fruitless that the organization created by mechanical intelligence made them put a stop to major wars.
But it still happens. This is evident in Van’s case, where he is the sole ruler and has vassals. If Van is killed, the rights will be up for grabs.
The giant ring structure Huang we defended was also like this. If Yue and the managing mechanical intelligence were killed, the rights would be up for grabs, so the empire sent five destroyers.
Basically, this means the Federation of Star Systems, star system nations not affiliated with it, and other countries have been invading in secrecy. The imperial noble is actually more honorable, since he’s at least not hiding his invasion.
“So suddenly, it could turn out the space pirate bases are not space pirates after all…?”
“Mishy Prime is in the Federation of Star Systems, so if such a thing is exposed, it will turn the Federation of Star Systems into their enemy.”
“<Thus, even if they suddenly raise a flag and ask for a truce, we can kill them all or sell into into slavery. We may even use them as sexual slaves. The Alliance allows it.>”
“Can you not be so cruel? I mean, killing them all is cruel too, but… And Iris, don’t abbreviate it.”
“<It is long and hard to pronounce, Mishyltia.”
You’re saying that, Sumire?
“<That said, they rarely send their own citizens. They mostly hire pirates or use violent criminals. Please think of them as pirate bases you attack.>”
“I understand. So we can do what we want and attack them without mercy.”
“That is cruel.”
“We have a cruel one here~.”
To the Galactic Credit Union Alliance, anyone not under some sort of protection basically has no human rights. I’m okay because I’m under the Mercenary Guild.
“So firing at them because we didn’t notice the white flag and splitting that small asteroid that was a pirate base in two is okay!!!”
“I feel like firing when they’re surrendering really is not.”
There are a few ways to surrender in this galaxy. Sending a message and disarming, escaping via pod… Various things, but disarming is generally the way to show intent.
And sometimes people don’t notice and shoot.
Honestly, how am I supposed to see a white flag on this ship!!? Actually stands out more than you’d think.
“Wouldn’t it be a pain if the Mercenary Guild launched an inquiry?”
“What is done is done. Let us salvage whatever is valuable.”
“Oh~. There’s lots of stuff~! We’ll make some nice money~~!!”
“As for survivors… They can be shot to conceal evidence, they are pirates after all. If that is what they call themselves, that is what they are.”
When I hear about concealing evidence, I really don’t feel like killing them all. I know it’s a weird way of thinking.
“<I have confirmed the footage, and the timing meant there was nothing you could do. You were being attacked with lasers, and two other mechanical intelligence deemed you not guilty. You may salvage whatever you like and sell weapons and transport ships to us. We would be happy to take power armors as well.>”
That said, ships and armors don’t fit in the cargo bay, so the issue is having to attach them to the hull with wires.
After about three hours of salvaging, we get twelve power armors, one small transport ship, one repaired medium turret, a lot of chuzoku rare metal ingots, and more metal and titanium ingots as a by-product. Their base split in two, so all the mechanical facilities were destroyed. We don’t find any survivors.
“So where is this flag from? Do you know, Iris?”
“Viscount Tino Ragnoli Celeca of the Livaceno empire. A noble who owns one star system and has a relatively shallow history.”
“The empire again…”
“It can’t be helped Suzuri, I’m sure there are people out there willing to pay ten quadrillion puni for a planet where they could live without working on it.”
“And even if they paid that much, they would be profitable within a generation~.”
“And if you can get that by killing one person, assassins are going to be sent one after the other.”
Then again, this base only had a corvette and ten combat ships, so it wasn’t that big of a problem. We targeted the smallest one.
“I wonder if there’s information in the armors and small transport ship. I’d like to know the location of treasure that hasn’t been raided yet.”
“You have a bad habit of calling space pirates and their bases treasure.”
“The navigation system of the small transport ship has been wiped, so there’s nothing there.”
“And I assume the information devices were blown away by the impact of the explosion.”
That can’t be helped… We got enough scrap from this small base to fill one space expansion container, and that’s more than we could ask for.
“Suzuri, pilot the small transport ship. Once we’re done loading the armors, Iris will assist you, and just in case, take a device capable of interstellar communications, one month worth of food and water, and a laser cannon.”
“U-understood!”
“Leave it to me.”
A small transport ship doesn’t have an expensive hyperdrive, so we’ll tie it tightly with a tow rope and enter hyperspace at the same time.
It should take less than an hour, and this way we can transport more of the loot.
▽▽▽
“This is Tortilla Double~. Requesting permission to dock~! The small transport ship is with us~.”
“<Understood Tortilla Double, we have confirmed the transport ship. Take it to number four dock, and Tortilla Double to number five.>”
We’re back in the Mishyltia station, so we’re taking a break… Four and five? It’s usually one or two. Do they have guests?
“The numbers went up. Do they have guests?”
“Well, it’s a station.”
“<They mentionedthey wanted to sell slaves but no transport ships came here. Did they perhaps come?>”
“<Oh, they appear to be VIP. I will enlarge the image.>”
I see someone with one head, a torso, two arms, and two legs pointing this way. It appears to be a walker.
“Tortilla Double is a strange ship, but is it worth pointing?”
“Dunno~. You should be used to this sort of thing when dealing with mercenaries~.”
“Why did you call them VIP anyway?”
“<I heard that is a space to welcome VIP.>”
They have that? I think as the small transport ship’s auto-pilot docks it in the fourth dock. We don’t want any trouble, so we dock in number five.
“I want to sell the armors and transport ship if they’re willing to buy them. What do you think? They look kind of busy.”
“<They have apologized for not being able to speak with us, since they are dealing with the VIP. They want to see the transport ship and power armors, and ask that we wait.>”
Okay then. I don’t know what rank this VIP is, but I guess it’s kind of a miracle for us to meet with the ruler of a planet directly anyway… Is someone in the dock?
It looks like Van, and a person that has black hair and beige skin that gives off a Japanese feel. It feels like this person has chiseled features, but it’s hard to see just from the camera.
“<Genma, sorry, but can you come down? The ninth prince of the Kingdom of Nyenyabinsk wants to talk to you.>”
This guy brings me nothing but trouble!
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