I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary

The Anti-Thief Independent fleet has departed the Windus system and has made its way to the periphery via the gateway. This neighborhood is a little different from the Tarmaine system where I met Mimi and Elma.

"What's the difference, my lord?"

Krishna's cockpit. Kugi, sitting on the sub-pilot's seat, asks.

The Edge World is approaching, so we are prepared for emergency launch while we are traveling at super-light speed in the system.

"From here onwards, it's Edgeworld, also known as the outermost region, and beyond that, the unexplored region. The perimeter isn't near the border, either. I mean...."

What do you mean?

"It's the countryside."

"Ahahah... you don't have a lid, do you?"

Mimi smiles bitterly at my explanation. Well, somehow, it's a rural area with very few places to see. Currently, national strategies are not important, and no particularly useful resources have been discovered. It also means that there is no planet where humans can live without hands. Unless there are any special reasons why there are fewer habitable planets in the near future, this system - indeed, the Boss Tork system - will continue to be a modest rural system.

Well, from what I've seen in the system, I don't think we can extract any resources at all. However, it is not competitive with the usual mineral resources and gases that can be extracted anywhere in the system. There is no doubt that if we continue to explore Edge World in the future, this system will have a good chance of becoming a relay.

Actually, this kind of system is unexpectedly targeted as a cosmic bandit hunting mercenary.

Is that so?

"It's not close to the border, so physically speaking, the number and quality of the system's troops are poor, this kind of system." That's why it's easy to operate as a space bandit. It's a common pattern for cosmic thieves to set up bases in these inconspicuous systems in order to undermine the security of the surrounding systems. ”

I see.

Kugi listens to my explanation with great interest. However, this kind of system is a bit inconvenient for mercenaries because Roque can't even build a plane. Since the Turmain system was a border system, there were many deployed Starfleet and Imperial Space Force forces, and there were weapons, ammunition, and maintenance facilities to resupply those ships, but none of these existed in colonies in rural systems. Well, in my case, I have a black lotus, so I don't have any trouble with Krishna.

But the problem is Antrion. When it comes to a ship with a medium-sized holding dock, it becomes a class of ship called a Capital Ship or a Main Ship. Even the Destroyer in the Imperial Air and Space Force is large, or a small cruiser, or something like that.

Mercenaries operate ships of that class, usually in the form of a large mercenary corps of nearly a dozen small and medium ships. With only one small and one medium-sized ship in operation, it's a little too expensive for us to use.

"Is the outermost region a place where there is nothing more?"

"Oh, no, that's not really the case."

Is that so?

I answer Kugi's questions, and Mimi repeats the answers.

“I haven't actually seen the destination yet, so I can't say for sure, but it's well equipped to accommodate a fleet of this size. The merchants immediately gathered in such a place. It's safe. This brings together mercenaries and adventurers exploring unexplored areas. That way, more merchants will gather."

I see, that's how a trading colony is created.

"Well, that's right." Maybe it's not finished yet. "

Then how are the merchants trading?

"I think it might be, but it's probably more interesting to look at it with your own eyes." I think you'll be surprised. "

I've never seen the Gracchan Empire solo either, so I'm looking forward to it.

While we were talking, the fleet re-entered the Hyperlane. The next system is the destination system, and the travel time within the hyperlane is short, so we will stay inside Krishna. Meanwhile, Mimi and Kugi decided to study the handling of the subsystems together. I keep listening to the two of them side by side. There were a few parts I could add or explain in more detail, but it's important that we learn these things ourselves. As long as you don't try to remember the obvious mistake, it would be a good idea to listen in silence.

Even so, Mimi and Kugi seemed to be getting along very well. At first, Mimi was a little alert, so I was worried, but as far as I can see, she seems to be getting along. At least from my eyes. I thought I'd have to keep an eye out for the two of us in the future... and I got a message from May waiting on the Black Lotus bridge.

Master, we will be arriving in the objective system soon.

"Roger that. I don't think there will ever be a time for crystalline life, but be prepared." Will you tell Elma too? "

I understand.

We're losing communication with May. Soon, I received a notification that Black Lotus had left the hyperlane and returned to normal space.

“We've arrived. There's no ruckus for now.”

Murmuring while manipulating the console and looking at the information picked up by the Black Lotus sensors. I didn't see any raid alarms or anything like that coming. May will be able to analyze the contents of the hyper-optical communication picked up by the subspace sensor and make a more definite decision, but it's too heavy for me because I'm a human.

With this fleet in formation, we synchronized our hyperlight drives, and the entire fleet began moving faster than light in the direction of the center of the system - the direction of the stars.

"The hyperspace is too flashy and uneasy, but it's interesting to watch the outside when sailing at super-light speed, isn't it?"

I think this scene, where the glittering stars seem to flow backwards as a line, is simply beautiful. This feeling of swimming in a stream of stars gives you a sense of versatility, or perhaps immense freedom.

Well? I think it's beautiful in hyperspace, too.

Mimi's sensitivity is sometimes a little off, isn't it?

It's terrible.

Mimi gave her a stunned expression.

No, Mimi is a basic common sense person, but I think the sense of the artistic or visual aspect is quite uneven.

"Oops, it looks like we're almost at our destination." Come on, focus, focus. "

"You've strayed from the conversation, Hiro-sama... let's talk about this later"

"If only I remembered."

I'm sure you'll be surprised when you think about what you're going to see. When the ate came off, it turned into a pinch. Come on, Gracchan Empire. I want you to deploy exactly what I thought you would.

Five, four, three, two, one... until the hyper-optical drive stops.

Simultaneously with Mimi's count, the video sent from the Black Lotus sensor is switched. The ship switched from ultra-light speed voyage to normal voyage. The shimmer of the stars flowing backwards returned from the line to the point.

"Wow, what is it?"

"It's huge... right?"

After confirming his return to normal voyage, the Black Lotus external optical sensor switched between the images several times, and a gigantic object was projected on the main screen.

It was a giant ship with two carcasses. I haven't done any research on this class of ships, so at first glance I don't even know which manufacturer it is, but it's definitely the type of ship I predicted would be "there." In terms of appearance, it is not a new ship, or as far as the exterior is concerned, it seems to be quite old.

"That idiot is a big one called the Military Supply Mothership." It's like a mobile base that can carry a lot of supplies, equipment, and troops, and can supply and maintain everything from small ships to battleships. "

It's an incredible giant, but it has both super-light speed and interstellar navigation. It seems like it would be too difficult to take a course to navigate the system because it's too big.

"It's bigger than the immigrant ships we saw in the Cormat system."

Well, there must have been about five ships at that time, so I think there were more of them at that time in terms of the total population.

"I wonder how many people live in there..."

Mimi had seen an immigrant ship before, so the impact seemed to have been reduced, but Kugi was impressed to see a mega ship for the first time. It's cute to have your mouth open a bit.

"I'm sure we'll be moving to a base on that ship for a while." I'll pray that you get used to it. "

That's right.

The name of the supply ship was "Dawn Torres". I think I'll be looking after you for a while. Let's pray so we can get used to it.