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Mob No. 15: [All personnel rapidly retreat towards the colony!]
100 medium and larger combat ships of various sizes.
Add to that the small crafts and drones they launched, it was like the massive swarms of locusts that occasionally occur on planets.
But that’s exactly why there’s a chance of winning.
If you try to chase someone charging in like that arrogant guy, allies will get in the way, or if you shoot to get them out of the way you’ll hit allies.
Plus, the pirates don’t have as much control as the military.
They also seem to care a lot about their comrades.
If you don’t move considering things like that… As I was thinking that,
[I’m going ahead!]
Ms. Noswile rushed out.
Why does she have to rush out!
Doesn’t she realize she’s popular?
No, that’s probably just her combat style.
Anyway I should follow and support her.
But that wasn’t necessary.
Her movements were so amazing I thought that.
Not at the level of inhuman movements like Ms. Rossweisse, but she was moving like the [Jet Black Devil].
Her machine spun and rolled around, the light trail accompanied by explosions of enemy crafts.
Still, it’s only a matter of time before she’s surrounded.
So I decided to use the tactics I considered first.
I got close to the nearest medium combat ship and took out one of its cannons.
Then keeping close, I went around the medium combat ship taking out its cannons, gun turrets, and exhaust ports.
That way, if the other ships shoot at me they’ll hit their ally ship, and if small combat crafts or drones come at me, I purposefully get right next to the medium combat ship to provoke its fire then barely dodge so it hits the medium ship instead.
I occasionally attack around it to provoke, make it attack, and hit its ally ships.
The ship I’m stuck to has a hard time evading because there’s a lot of allies around it, and even if it fires cannons I just have to dodge and it’ll hit the ships around it.
So its attacks are bound to decrease.
Furthermore, them being focused on attacking me means openings are created.
In other words, the ships around will be open to attack from the other mercenaries.
Using the pirates’ camaraderie against them.
It’s an extremely dirty tactic but necessary to survive and decrease their focus on attacking Ms. Noswile even a little.
Meanwhile Ms. Noswile kept taking down enemies, even sinking large combat ships.
As expected her firepower is on a completely different level from my secondhand ship.
With my ship’s firepower it’s hard to take down large combat ships.
Of course the other mercenaries were steadily decreasing the enemies’ numbers using tactics taking advantage of their greater numbers.
Only that arrogant guy kept attacking what looked like their flagship super large combat ship but was hindered by small crafts and drones.
Well I’m grateful those small crafts and drones went over to him at least.
But the enemy still has overwhelming numbers.
No one on our side has been shot down yet but it feels like we’re gradually getting pushed overall.
[This isn’t good. My beam ammo and fuel reserves are worrying.]
That’s probably true for all the allies, but no one can return to resupply without getting broken through, so no one can go back to resupply easily.
“Ms. Noswile, please fall back! You’ve contributed enough!”
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While stuck to my second medium combat ship after getting Ms. Noswile to drop my first one, they were dealing with me decently so it was frustrating.
At worst, I have to at least get Ms. Noswile and the [Crystal Weed] people and management colony people to escape safely, it’ll be bad.
I was thinking about such things when a simultaneous transmission came to all of us mercenaries including Ms. Noswile.
[All personnel rapidly retreat towards the colony!]
A man who looked to be in his mid 30s with a strong will appeared on the monitor, urging retreat.
Everyone understood it as reinforcements and in the next moment everyone started retreating. Except that arrogant guy shouting [Don’t order me around!].
And the instant everyone except the arrogant guy pulled back, a beam rain poured down on the pirates from [above] and [left].
The so-called crossfire.
It was the imperial navy’s fleet and assembled mercenary unit reinforcements.
I don’t know the exact number but there’s no doubt a considerable force.
With that one strike, 50% of the remaining pirate ships were heavily damaged or sunk, and the tide turned in an instant.
Then the handsome guy immediately called for the pirates to surrender over open channel.
[This is Vice Admiral Salamas Thorncheed of the imperial 7th fleet! I declare to the Grimm Reap pirates! If you surrender, stop your engines and retract small crafts and drones! If not done within 3 minutes, we will rain fire on you again!]
The fleet closest by must have come but for the 7th fleet to come is especially unlucky for [Blackbeard].
This 7th fleet commander, Vice Admiral Salamas Thorncheed, is from the Thorncheed Viscount family but had a tough upbringing as his mother was a commoner. He entered the military at 15, and achieved merits rising to vice admiral in the exceptionally short time of 15 years.
It’s said that no one in the imperial military matches him in fleet command, tactics, strategy, and talent development.
His subordinates are mostly commoners and washouts looked down on or hated by nobles, but their abilities are top class in the imperial military.
It’s said that the former Cadees pirates and these Grimm Reap pirates moved and worked to avoid encountering the 7th fleet.
Frankly, if Ms. Rossweisse was here she’d immediately try to pick him up, he’s a real elite.
And 3 minutes after the warning,
[With the [Devil] coming at us like this, there’s nothing left we can do… We surrender. You bastards! Disarm! We’re the Grimm Reap pirates! Don’t embarrass us!]
The Grimm Reap pirates surrendered.
“Phew… Somehow I survived again this time…”
I can see the pirates surrendering through the cockpit window.
If things had gone even a little wrong, we could have easily ended up like that.
Thinking about that, a sigh of relief naturally comes out.
I didn’t know Vice Admiral Thorncheed was called the [Devil] by pirates though.
Then a transmission came from Ms. Noswile.
[Uzos, you alive?]
Ms. Noswile who appeared on screen had a very tired expression.
I probably look like that too.
“I’m alive. Thanks to you shooting down enemy crafts left and right.”
Forgetting the honorifics, I send Ms. Noswile words of praise and thanks.
[From my view, it’s thanks to you pulling aggro.]
“Even if so, you were the one shooting them down.”
Shoot downs are calculated by who actually took them out.
So there’s no mistake she shot down more.
“Now then, shall we head back? My fuel’s screwed.”
I really want to explain until she understands, but my fuel is seriously dangerously low so I prioritized that.
[Ah, you’re right. We gotta get back while we can move!]
It seems to be the same for her, as she immediately prioritized returning.
The military is right there so we can probably get helped even if we run out while moving.
Having fuel left to reach the colony but not being able to move in space would be quite embarrassing.
So the sense of accomplishment from successfully reaching the colony using the last of my thrust and inertia was quite pleasant.
Oh, that arrogant guy Fideek Raultandan somehow avoided the direct hit from the crossfire, ran out of fuel, and got towed by a 7th fleet ship.
And it seems the girl who got shaken around in that ship during combat, Ms. Fino Fordeth, wasn’t on it.
Then I should’ve shot it from behind…
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