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Mob No.14: [Planet races get obstructed too. It’s not like there’s no fighting. And I have experience with [real combat].]
After taking a nap and eating breakfast, I finished maintenance on the ship, refueled, and was cleaning inside when the emergency alarm blared.
[Emergency alert! Emergency alert! An unidentified fleet is approaching. They are refusing to provide ship ID codes so they are judged to be pirates. Combat personnel immediately prepare to sortie. Non-combatants evacuate then prepare to escape. I repeat…]
Huh? Why here at some backwater gate?
And there’s no ships worth anything since it’s under replacement work!
Anyway I interrupted cleaning, launched the ship, and readied it to intercept.
When all the mercenary ships that were participating came out, I could see the enemy fleet.
Around 100 ships large and small mixed together, with pirate flags on them – skulls with crossed scythes behind them.
That mark was definitely the mark of the Grimm Reap pirate group if I remember right.
They’re pretty vicious and also famous for being obsessive.
Why would guys like that be in a place like this?
Their territory should be much farther out.
While thinking about why, unbelievable muttering came over the open channel.
[Damn! Even though I thought there’d only be two ships who could do nothing but run away, why are there so many?!]
Hey hey. What did that arrogant guy just say?
The Grimm Reap pirate group has a massive scale, to the point that the military has to mobilize, just like the Cadees pirates whose base was annihilated before.
And their main base still hasn’t been discovered.
So the mercenary guild rule is to leave them be and report them if attacked or encountering a raid, and tail them if possible to find their base.
And from the muttering, it seems like he chased their scouting unit or something.
[Well, they’re all cowards anyway so like the guys from yesterday, I’ll make them into beautiful fireworks and turn them to space dust!]
And it doesn’t seem like he stopped the ships and bought them off the pirates.
He probably blew out their engines with high output lasers or something, causing huge explosions.
While that may be unavoidable in certain situations, it probably wasn’t the right judgement in that situation.
By the way, the reason he’s still here is apparently because the girl asked him to somehow handle the fuel, food, and lodging costs since she would be doing all the security and debris cleanup for the remaining time.
I heard that at breakfast.
Considering all that, the Grimm Reap pirates came here for revenge against that arrogant guy.
He doesn’t realize it himself, but it seems the others understood, and started hurling abuse at the arrogant guy, and they dissolved into a shouting match.
I want to yell at him too but contacting the guild for rescue takes priority.
“Yo, uncle Roans?”
[Oh Uzos. It’s rescue for the Sadal sector gate huh?]
Uncle Roans had a smug look on as soon as he responded.
“Yeah, but how’d you know?”
[Someone who happened to find and was monitoring the Grimm Reap pirates reported to me. Don’t know who but including sighting of the idiot who attacked them.]
I don’t know who it was but I’m grateful for the report.
“So what’s it looking like?”
[We got other notifications too, and it seems a request went to the military so, one hour.]
Giving me the answer I wanted to know in response to my question, I feel our long association.
But there’s no helping our overwhelming disadvantage here.
“That’s rough… Maybe use that arrogant guy as a sacrifice if needed.”
[It’d be nice if they withdrew after that.]
Frankly the possibility is low.
Anyway one hour until rescue comes.
We have to survive somehow until then.
I want to blast that original culprit’s ship but can’t because I’d feel bad for that Fino girl.
Hey, that arrogant guy. You didn’t bring her along as staff just to take advantage right?
If that’s the case it’s seriously the worst…
While thinking about that, a transmission unexpectedly came in.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
When I opened it wondering who it was,
[It’s been a while since I sortied like this.]
“Ms. Noswile?!”
The caller was none other than Ms. Noswile!
And she had on what looked like a dedicated orange pilot suit, sitting in what looked like a cockpit.
And she uttered a shocking statement.
[I’ll be joining the battle too.]
I was stunned speechless for a moment.
“No no no! You aren’t a mercenary so don’t sortie! “
[Planet races get obstructed too. It’s not like there’s no fighting. And I have experience with [real combat].]
“But there’s still a blank period right?”
[It’s just a civilian who got caught up, protecting themselves using their own judgement to fight as they please. There’s no issue.]
No use saying anything more to her.
Besides, the combat boat she’s in is Triair Industries’ latest machine, the [Storm Zero].
Compared to my [Patchwork], it has incomparably higher specs in firepower, speed, defense, and maneuverability.
And with her piloting skills, average joes wouldn’t stand a chance.
But the problem is, if she gets injured, or if by some mistake she gets shot down, I would undoubtedly get blamed and killed, no, suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of her fans across the empire, no, the entire universe!
So I immediately decided to confirm with her.
“Have you told your team members?”
[If you guys lose, we’ll definitely be treated as spoils of war. So they understand it’s better if I contribute to victory. I’m the only one who came out because the other ships are under maintenance.]
I’m extremely doubtful whether that’s true or not, but it’s difficult to probe further.
“Anyway, don’t do anything reckless alright… “
I sincerely hope at least that much.
For my life too.
And then the pirates called out on the open channel.
[Found you, you piece of shit! Nice work killing my subordinates!]
The man who appeared on screen as the Grimm Reap pirate leader looked around 40 years old, with the appearance of a pirate captain – dress shirt, eyepatch, beard covering his face, captain’s hat.
The era when pirates looking like that existed is now just legend and myth.
But he’s probably doing it to make an impression and conceal his identity.
Incidentally this leader is called [Blackbeard] because of that appearance.
In response to that dangerous individual, the arrogant guy fearlessly snapped back.
[Heh! Don’t get cocky, small fry pirates! I’ll take care of you and your underlings and turn you into space dust!]
Hey hey.
Don’t conveniently say what suits you in the confusion.
[Don’t mess around, newbie! What underlings of yours?!]
[Causing unnecessary trouble!]
[So cheeky for a newbie! We’ll kill you!]
Of course the other mercenaries erupted in anger and were shouted down in rebuttal.
Seeing that situation, the pirate leader sneered at the arrogant guy and
[I see, so it’s some idiot newbie getting ahead of himself huh. If you hand over that idiot, we’ll withdraw. How about it?]
he made an offer to us.
Of course he has no intention of actually withdrawing.
He probably wants to sell all our ships for money, and the No. 1 empire planet race team that’s famous for being all handsome guys and beauties is here.
He’d sell them off or make them his own concubines, or in some cases make them participate in races and suck up the prize money and other profits.
The other mercenaries surely understand that as well.
However,
[Oh sure, take him with our compliments!]
[No returns!]
[Take responsibility yourself!]
[Get his partner girl back to the colony first!]
statements filled with intention to hand over the arrogant guy poured down on the pirates and arrogant guy like solar winds.
[…Hey you… You should reconsider your actions…]
Even the pirate leader advised him in exasperation at the momentum.
[Shut up! Don’t act big, small fry pirates!]
The arrogant guy, his voice choking up a little, went in full throttle at ramming speed, blowing up some small craft and drones.
[Take that, you bastards! I’ll teach you to fear us!]
Taking that as a signal, the battle finally began!
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