I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I

Became a Space Mercenary (LightNovelPDF.com)

1. Cover
1. About It
2. Chapters
1. Pr
2. CH 1
3. CH 2
4. CH 3
5. CH 4
6. CH 5
7. CH 6
8. CH 7
9. CH 8
10. CH 9
11. CH 10
12. CH 11
13. CH 12
14. CH 13
15. CH 14
16. CH 15
17. CH 16
18. CH 17
19. CH 18
20. CH 19
21. CH 20
22. CH 21
23. CH 22
24. CH 25
25. CH 26
26. CH 27
27. CH 28
28. CH 29
29. CH 30
 30. CH 31
31. CH 32
32. CH 33
33. CH 34
34. CH 35
35. CH 36
36. CH 37
37. CH 38
38. CH 39
39. CH 40
40. CH 41
41. CH 42
42. CH 43
43. CH 44
44. CH 45
45. CH 46
46. CH 47
47. CH 48
48. CH 49
49. CH 50
50. CH 51
51. CH 52
52. CH 53
53. CH 54
54. CH 55
55. CH 56
56. CH 57
57. CH 58
58. CH 59
3. Chapters
1. CH 60
2. CH 61
Cover
Prologue
Prologue
*Author’s note: This isn’t straight Sci-fi but is instead Space-Fantasy.

*TL note: Whatever, Author-san. It’s got spaceships, so this WN is fair

game

I woke up to freezing coldness.

It was dark and cold. Where is this place? I opened my eyes and looked
around, only to find a veritable ocean of stars before me. It was my first
time seeing such an amazingly grand starry sky. There were bright and dim
stars, a colorful nebula and an asteroid field which seemed surprisingly
close by.

“What the hell?!”

Asteroids, which looked like a bunch of scattered floating rocky debris,

were practically right before my very eyes. The heck! I’m sure there’s no
place on Earth where you can actually see these things from this up close.
It’s quite common to see this type of scenery in games and movies though.
But it’s absolutely impossible to see them from a distance which made
them visible to the naked eye for real.

“A dream…? No, this biting cold—”

The bone piercing coldness just felt way too real. The feeling of being
lightheaded right after waking up and this rising sense of uneasiness also
seemed eerily real.

“Just where is this place anyway…?”

The place where I’m currently at doesn’t seem to be very big. Am I sitting
on some sort of chair? There’s something like a seatbelt installed……
Wait up. Instead of that, what is this weird floaty sensation? Just what the
hell is going on here?!
Because I was suddenly thrown into an unknown situation, I was close to
having a panic attack, but my eyes gradually got used to the darkness.

“This is……”

A familiar interface came before my eyes. Yeah, this room… No, this
cockpit was really familiar.

“This was the game’s… Krishna’s cockpit? Is this actually a dream after
all?”

No matter how I look at it, this seems to be the cockpit of the custom ship
I had in a game I’ve been playing for a couple years now— the Krishna.

The game was an MMO called [Stella Online].

It was a game designed with a lot of freedom afforded to the players. It

was set in a vast universe where you could go on grand adventures, enlist
yourself as a mercenary and make your mark on the battlefield, purchase a
fully armed spaceship and engage in interstellar escort missions and the
like. It was a game where a lot of players with different play styles
gathered and interacted.

I played a standard Mercenary style. In order to purchase a high spec

battleship with strong combat ability, I did any and every possible job
which could earn me in-game currency, such as becoming a transporter-
for-hire.

I generally played with the goal of earning enough to get a ship with a
certain level of combat ability, followed by farming credits once again by
undertaking mercenary work with said ship and then finally replacing my
current ship with a newer, better one. Ad nauseum. That kind of thing.

My current ship, the Krishna, was something which got released from an
in-game event a few months back. Players had to bring their A-game in
order to get one for themselves. It was still relatively new.
Its official model name was the [ASX-08 Krishna]. It was quite a unique
ship and I simply just called it Krishna.

It was a dangerous machine which combined the maneuverability and

speed of a small craft and the firepower of a heavy cruiser. Depending on
the situation, even shooting down a full-fledged battleship was doable.

“Anyways…”

I operated the touch panel interface of the ship’s controls and brought the
life support systems online. Warm air soon permeated throughout the
cockpit.

“That was close… If I lost consciousness again in that situation, I

would’ve suffocated to death!”

Evidence of oxygen depletion inside the ship was still present on a small
screen which displayed the temperature and oxygen levels. It indicated the
average temperature within the whole ship was now slightly below minus
10 degrees.

For now, I’ve managed to avert a life-threatening situation, even if I still

don’t have any idea about what’s going on.

“Really now. What’s with all this shit?”

I crossed my arms and sank in thought while gazing at the bright cockpit
controls before me. No matter how I look at it, this really is inside the
cockpit of my personal starship in the game Stella Online.

I’ve heard of guys dreaming about being inside the games they’ve been
playing sometimes. Things like playing horror games and ending up
dreaming of being chased by terrifying creatures or playing sword and
sorcery RPGs and dreaming of slaying monsters with ones own sword in
hand. It was a common enough story.

“But am I currently having a lucid dream or something?”

A lucid dream is a dream during which the dreamer is aware that they’re
dreaming.

But I also heard one often wakes up after realizing they were just having a
lucid dream… The problem is, there’s no sign of me waking up at all.
Moreover, the gradually increasing warmth inside this cockpit and the
other sensations I’m experiencing all over my body felt nothing like a
dream as well.

“Hmm…?”

Even after mulling over my current situation over and over again, no
definite answer came to mind. I tried pinching my cheeks and poking my
head. They were definitely painful. Is this not a dream after all?

No, that can’t be. Right?

I thought it seemed surprisingly easily to operate, so I tried it and

managed to maneuver Krishna just fine. I had a little trouble with the foot
pedals and the control stick because I was so used to controlling the ship
with a keyboard and mouse, but I managed to get the hang of them after a
while. Since I was now controlling the ship directly, it became possible to
perform more detailed maneuvers.

“There really isn’t no sign of me waking up huh?”

I repeatedly accelerated and decelerated and genuinely felt my body

pressing onto the seat due to the constant shifts in speed and the seatbelt
digging into me due to inertia. But my stubborn head still refused to wake
up from this absurd dream.

“Alrighty, let’s try firing off some weapons then.”

I’m actually starting to get into this shit. I brought the weapon systems
online and activated the ship’s ordnance. Afterwards, a part of the ship’s
hull transformed and four manipulator arms came out.
The manipulator arms each had a military grade pulse laser cannon
equipped. They were considered to be the weapons sporting the most
firepower in Stella Online, and were sometimes called Heavy Lasers. And
I had four of these bad boys with me.

In addition, two gun barrels extended out from both sides of the cockpit.
These were large caliber canister-shot cannons, and were called shotgun
cannons in the game. They fire off powerful canister rounds which scatter
highly destructive shards, and were optimal during close combat. Most
small warships would get wrecked from two well placed shots.

I had another ‘trump card’ on hand, but I don’t plan on firing it at all.
That’s because its ammo was way too expensive.

“Alright, here we go!”

I locked on to a large asteroid nearby and fired the four laser cannons.

“Whoah!?”

The azure energy beams fired by the four cannons directly hit the asteroid
in question and utterly destroyed it in one shot. Its fragments scattered and
hit the energy shield deployed around Krishna and caused the shield to
flux.

“That was quite the firepower…”

So this was the power of a heavy laser that’s able to deplete a warship’s
energy shield in seconds and completely destroy it after directly piercing
its hull… It sure wasn’t half-assed.

And with this, I can’t keep running away from the issue any longer.

I gotta acknowledge this situation as ‘reality’.

This was no dream. It was as real as it gets.

# 001- First Battle

# 001- First Battle

I couldn’t wake up even after repeatedly pinching my cheeks, which hurt
as expected . The resulting Gs from speeding up and slowing down made
me suffer, and I managed to completely wreck an asteroid using heavy
laser cannons . Its fragments rained down on the ship but were blocked by
an energy shield . From all these crazy things that happened to me so far,
it seems I have no choice but to acknowledge my present situation .

But once I do, It’ll bring a whole host of other problems . Just why did all
this happen to someone like me? I don’t understand at all . I can’t think of
any possible reason how I managed to get myself wrapped up in this kind
of crazy situation .

“Just what did I do yesterday anyway?”

I should have gone to work like usual, came back from work like usual, ate
my meal like usual, took a shower, played some games and went straight
to sleep .

I didn’t get hit by the ever omnipresent truck-san or receive a mysterious

message on the computer I use to play games .

“I really don’t get this . ”

But there’s really no use complaining . Let’s think positive . If all this is
true, then it seems I managed to get myself transported to the world of
Stella Online .

So wouldn’t it be possible for me to live freely as a mercenary just like

when I was playing the game? To not be tied down by anything and only
relying on ones own power . Yep, sounds pretty good . It sounds a hundred
times better than a network management job with next to no prospects of
promotion . Seems I can make pretty good use of my gaming skills too .
Great, I’m feeling much better already . Sometimes, you just gotta enjoy
whatever jam you find yourself in . Yup . Let’s do just that . I’m a bit
uneasy, but let’s try ignoring that feeling as much as possible . Ignorance is
bliss .

Well then, since that’s decided… where the heck am I anyway? I tried to
confirm my coordinates on the Galaxy Map only to find the words NO
DATA being displayed . I totally have no clue about where I am and what’s
out there . Man, this is real bad .

Anyways, the universe is quite vast . It wasn’t a place where you could
simply wander around while expecting things to somehow go your way
without any definite info on hand .

In the Stella Online MMO, players still haven’t managed to reach the
center of the galaxy even though four years have passed since the game
went live . I don’t know if the situation was the same in this universe, but I
think it would be safer to assume it had the same scale .

I temporarily gave up on confirming my current location and proceeded to

check on the status of the ship . I didn’t really have any bounties put up
against me . Guess that’s a good thing, considering my current
circumstances . I won’t be suddenly caught by Sector Patrol and forced to
eat rotten food in jail or anything of the sort .

Next, I checked my current registered affiliation and available funds . I

was apparently unaffiliated . I was an out and out civilian who doesn’t
even belong to the Mercenary Guild . My registered Captain Name seems
to be the same with the one I used in-game .

And my total wealth was a whopping 0 Enel . What the heck? I sure am
one dirt poor sob . “All that money I painstakingly saved…” I muttered in
despair as I proceeded to check the ship’s cargo .

“Let’s see how much food there is available…”

When I operated the touch panel display, I was able to confirm that the
minimum amount of food and water have been safely stored inside the
cargo hold . How conscientious . Just who prepared this for me, I wonder?
I had no idea .

There were also a few rounds of scattershot shells and two spare energy
packs for the ship .

“And there’s also some rare metals huh… That’s quite a lot . This is bad . ”

What’s wrong with this stuff, you ask? Well, first I’ll have to explain about
Stella Online’s in-game currency .

In the world of Stella Online, physical banknotes and coins have been long
obsolete, and an electronic currency called Enel was the trading medium
widely used all throughout the galaxy . Enel exchange was pretty simple
and convenient, but since it’s an e-currency, there was a need to keep track
and regulate all transaction records involving it .

Let’s go back to the topic of rare metals . Rare metals were, as the name
implied, valuable resource materials which were extremely scarce in
amount across the galaxy . They could be exchanged for lots of Enel at
almost any colony or space station .

In short, they were just like gold, silver or precious jewels on Earth . Since
trading directly with materials involved a whole lot of trouble, this method
was only used by shady folk who wished to avoid being traced back
through conventional Enel exchanges .

So I think you guys already have an idea after me telling this much, but let
me spell it out for you anyway . Carrying this much rare metal would
make me a pretty tempting target for folks engaged in a particular line of
‘work’ . In game terms, the encounter rate for hostile NPCs would shoot
through the roof .

[Warning . We are being scanned by an unidentified ship . ]

The support AI installed on Krishna gave out a warning .

“Well, that was fast…”

Just because I was scanned without warning didn’t mean the other party
were definitely space pirates . It may be that it was a mistake due to my
ship having a malfunction . Or maybe the other party was just someone
who’s passing by and just happened to scan me .

Right . Let’s not kid ourselves . I’m most probably being scanned because
I was hella suspicious .

An unknown ship containing a boatload of valuable and difficult to acquire

materials moored in the middle of a desolate space sector was definitely
suspicious as heck . They were probably suspecting me of being in the
middle an illegal trade with criminal elements using rare metals or
something .

[The unknown ship has brought its weapon systems online . ]

Ah, how heartless Lady Luck is . Looks like she wasn’t inclined to bless
me with her smile this time . The odds of suddenly getting threatened with
weapons at the ready by an opponent who doesn’t even seem to be a
bounty hunter right in the middle of nowhere was supposed to be a low 1
in 10 chance, yet here we were .

“Hey there, brotha . You taking a nap in a place like this?”

“Ha- Ahahaha . There’s actually nothing of interest here folks . Now please
don’t mind me and hurry along . ”

“Huh? Don’t say that brotha . Isn’t it a good thing that we’ve luckily
managed to meet each other within this vast universe? How bout ya share
some of the cargo ya have there with us poor folk . Ya do that and we
won’t give ya much trouble, kay?”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse . How about I sell some off to you for a
good price?”

In the middle of our negotiations, three other unidentified ships suddenly

warped out and arrived at the sector we were located on . All of their
weapons were already deployed and were primed for firing at a moments
notice .

When they closed in enough, info on the three unknowns appeared on my

monitor’s screen . Their overall build was a great, heaping mess of
haphazard modules forcefully joined together . All of them had moderate
cargo capacity and were fairly capable of fielding weapons . It was just
that their maintenance seemed severely lacking . There were lots of
scratches and dents on them . They really looked like your typical pirate
ships .

“Hm? Now that’s quite an unfamiliar ship model . Where’d the ship come
from, kid?”

“No comment . ”

I scanned the unknown enemy ships as well while thinking they were most
probably bona fide space pirates . Yep, that’s a hit alright . Every ship had
a bounty of 5,000 to 8,000 Enel .

“Hah, you’ve scanned us huh? Well, can’t be helped . Just hand over all
yer cargo . Ya do that kid and I’ll at least leave ya with yer life intact . ”

“Hah… Guess I really gotta do this huh?”

I started to harden my resolve while gradually raising the energy output of

the main generator from normal level to battle level . What am I resolving
myself for? Well, for massacring some unfortunate folks of course .

This rare metal was extremely important to me . People can’t live without
money after all . If I were to get threatened with weapons in order to
forcefully take these babies away from me, then I’ll have to respond in
kind, in virtue of self defense . In other words, that means thoroughly
crushing these fucking space pirates .

“Yep . Atta boy . Ya don’t wanna kick the bucket just yet right?”

“Yeah . Guess so . ”
It’s obvious what would happen if humans were to lose the protection of
ships within the vacuum of space . In the first place, they’d get done in
once they get caught up in a ship’s explosion .

Even though I was undoubtedly going to engage in a battle to the death

moments away from now, there was no sense of fear within me . Maybe
because the ship I’m helming right now was Krishna .

The ships the pirates sported used civilian general purpose models as
bases and were several generations old . The output of their main
generators, shield strength and weaponry were all horribly lacking . They
weren’t properly maintained and their armor was brittle as fuck . On the
other hand, my Krishna was a bona fide military model which has been
modified to peak performance by yours truly .

The shield output and weapon firepower were lightyears beyond their
trashy models, and its armor was also military grade .

Let me put this bluntly . There wasn’t even a tiny sliver of a chance that
I’ll lose . This wasn’t going to be a battle, but a one sided hunt . Or rather,
a deathtrap .

The generator output finally reached battle level .

“If you guys don’t want to die, then I suggest you surrender . I think I’d
probably end up killing you anyway, so don’t hold a grudge, alright?”

“Ya sure bark hard for someone facing three opponents huh? Ya better not
regret this kid!”

The pirate ships surrounding me turned their bows toward me all at once .
In that instant, I fired up Krishna’s throttle to maximum .

“Gah!”

“What the—!?”

“That’s fast!?”
While being assaulted by Gs, I operated the touch panel and brought my
ship’s weapons online .

The shape of Krishna’s streamlined hull transformed and four manipulator

arms equipped with pulse laser cannons appeared from within . Weapon
bays on each side of the cockpit opened up, and two gleaming large caliber
cannon barrels stretched forward .

The auxiliary thrusters blasted out, allowing the ship to make a sudden
reverse turn while preserving all its built up momentum . In mere
moments, all four pulse laser cannons were aimed straight at the space
pirate’s ships .

“The bastard just transformed!!!”

The military grade pulse laser cannons fired in succession and easily
pierced the shield and physical armor of a pirate ship, causing a series of
explosions within its hull . Its cockpit seems to have been burnt to a crisp
as well .

“With just one attack!?”

I wordlessly accelerated and took the rear of a fleeing pirate ship . The
heavy Gs caused my field of vision to darken . I fired the pulse laser
cannons again once I felt a bit better .

“N— No! I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna die! I don’t—!!!”

The four pulse laser cannon energy beams effortlessly smashed through
the shield and ruthlessly pierced through the main boosters of the pirate
ship whose pilot was crying desperately for dear life . When the beams
reached the main generator, the second ship also exploded to bits .

“Ya fucking bastaaard! I’ll fucking kill ya!”

The third ship didn’t choose to flee, but challenged me to a dogfight

instead . Does he want to get even after seeing his friends get killed?
There’s almost no way to effectively avoid laser cannon fire launching out
at the speed of light . So what does one do instead? Move erratically so
your opponent couln’t get a proper lock .

“Guh!? Arrgh…!”

I controlled Krishna to make random maneuvers by using the various

auxiliary thrusters while interchangeably accelerating and decelerating
constantly . I might throw up from this .

“Shit! Ya sure are one slippery bastard!”

The space pirate adjusted his firing angle accordingly and launched off
some shots towards me . It was an action I’d never encountered in the
game . As I thought, this really wasn’t a dream, and the one riding inside
that thing was a human just like me . It honestly made me feel like
vomiting .

Perhaps my urge to vomit had an influence on my handling of Krishna, or

maybe the pirate’s aiming adjustments managed to catch up to my evasive
maneuvers, but laser cannon fire finally managed to hit Krishna dead on .

“It— It didn’t even flinch!?”

The red laser fired off by the pirate ship was completely blocked by
Krishna’s energy shield, and could not even leave any burn marks on its
armor . Guess that settles it huh?

I started to accelerate towards the pirate ship with its bow pointing
towards me . The pirate ship also rushed towards me . It was like a chicken
race .

The pirate ship frantically fired off its laser cannons in a last ditch effort,
but it was ultimately futile . Even if the shots managed to hit Krishna, they
couldn’t even get past its energy shield .

“S— Stooop! Mommy—!”

Before I crashed into it, I maneuvered out of the opposing ship’s way, and
fired off two canister rounds straight at it the moment our units passed
each other by . The shards shot out at super-high speed and broke through
the pirate ship’s energy shield, punching its hull full of holes .

Swiss cheese is ready to be served .

“Hah! Haaah, ha…”

I rapidly brought the ship around and adjusted my messy breathing while
gazing at the exploding pirate ship, decreased the generator output back to
normal levels and turned the weapon systems offline .

The feeling of wanting to throw up had settled down before I knew it .

Were my insides just shaken up from all those reckless maneuvers? It
wasn’t something caused by any sort of psychological aversion? Hm, I
seem to be made of tougher stuff than I gave myself credit for .

“I didn’t manage to wake up even after experiencing all this stuff . Guess
this truly is ‘reality’ huh…”

I can’t sink into negative thoughts . Let’s think positively . Positive .

Otherwise, I’d die . Mentally, that is .
# 002 – Battle’s Aftermath

# 002 – Battle’s Aftermath

“Well, this sure is troublesome . ”

Alright, I’ll admit it . This isn’t some dream . But it’ll be really
troublesome moving forward . As for why it’s troublesome, that’s because
I have absolutely no clue what to do from now on .

Before I had a handle on what was going on, I found myself all alone
inside a spaceship smack dab in the middle of space . I don’t know how I
got here . I don’t even know if there was any method to go back home .

“Maybe there was a cutting-edge VR device capable of full immersion

being developed in secret and I somehow got involved and am now in full-
dive or something?”

I tried messing around with the console and pulled up the menu . “Log
out!” I screamed, but there was nothing resembling a logout menu that
came up . There was nothing which could take me away from this present
version of reality . How heartless .

In this situation which I can only describe as annoying, I can do little else
apart from trying to adapt as much as possible . Humans are adaptable
creatures . I’m sure it’ll work out somehow .

“If I change my line of thinking, things may not be so bad after all . ”

I have my personal machine with me, and my piloting skills don’t seem to
be half bad as well . Most of all, I’ve personally confirmed that this ship
has enough firepower to crush any random space pirate ship which comes
my way . If so, then living as a mercenary, like in the game Stella Online
was quite doable .
Fortunately, I have enough supplies inside the cargo hold, so I should be
able to earn some money hunting down pirates with this ship and my
piloting skills .

Furthermore, the total bounty for the pirates I managed to scan and destroy
earlier amounts to 19,000 Enel . I don’t have a grasp of the general market
prices in this world yet, but the bounty for fully armed pirate ships
shouldn’t be too bad .

Considering the market prices in the Stella Online game, 19,000 Enel
wasn’t nearly enough to purchase a spaceship . But replenishing this ship’s
energy, ammo, supplies and paying for maintenance should all be within
budget, with some room to spare .

“Oh yeah . I gotta retrieve some data and supplies first . ”

In Stella Online, you could plunder the wreckage of the pirate ships you
destroyed for supplies and data caches . You usually won’t get a lot of
money, but there were surprising finds sometimes .

By analyzing the data caches, it’s possible to obtain info about the
surrounding space sector . If you’re lucky, you might even get to obtain the
coordinates of the pirate’s main base .

Once you obtain the coordinates of the pirate base, you could initiate an
attack and destroy them in order to plunder all the treasures they’ve
managed to save up . Alternatively, you can sell the info to the Sector
Guards stationed in the system in exchange for a hefty reward . Both are
quite profitable prospects .

I piloted Krishna and stripped away all supplies, data caches and relatively
undamaged weaponry from the pirate ship wreckages . Stella Online
spacecraft came standard with drones for collecting materials . Naturally,
my Krishna also came equipped with them .

“There’s nothing particularly valuable huh . ”

The pirate’s supplies mainly consisted of low-quality junk food and
brewed liquor . Although brewed liquor sells at a reasonable value,
depending on the local space empire governing the star system, there were
times when they were deemed illegal goods . This item was quite the hot-
potato .

Well, even if they’re illegal goods, the worst that could happen if I get
caught with them was the liquor getting confiscated and me getting an
earful from the local authorities . It would have been quite dangerous if
they had illegally captured slaves or drugs on-board instead . On top of
them getting confiscated, you’d get slapped with hefty fines, get banished
from the star system or worse, get attacked by the Sector Guards on sight .

“Oh . ”

The data cache was a hit . In addition to the coordinates of the main space
stations in this star system, I also got the location of the pirate base . Even
if I just decided to sell this info, it’ll net me a considerable amount more
than the total bounty of those three pirate ships I shot down earlier .

Apparently, there were no habitable planets in this particular star system

based on the data I’ve obtained . There seem to be a lot of asteroid belts
rich in mineral resources, and it looks like mining bases and space prisons
(where they force prisoners to mine in a harsh environments) and trading
colonies were scattered throughout the system instead .

“There’s no data for the other neighboring star systems huh…”

Unfortunately, only the data for this particular star system was available,
and I couldn’t find any map data for the ones surrounding it .

I still don’t know where exactly in the galaxy this star system was located
. In order to find that out, I’d have to connect to an information network on
a station or colony nearby .

“If I have to go to one, then it’ll definitely have to be a trading colony . ”

For the time being, I inputted a course for the largest trading colony
nearby . According to the info I just obtained, there was a Sector Guard
base located there too . It would be convenient if I managed to claim the
bounty money and sell off the info regarding the pirate headquarters there
.

I set the main generator output to cruise mode and pointed the bow
towards the direction of the trading colony . The throttle gradually
increased, and after sufficient acceleration was reached, the FTL Drive
was activated .

“Whoah!…”

The scenery before my eyes suddenly stretched out, and the stars, which
looked like spots of light earlier, turned into shining lines which flowed
backwards . I wasn’t knowledgeable about the technical details regarding
the FTL Drive, and Stella Online also didn’t elaborate on it much, but this
function was mainly used for travelling between distant coordinates within
star systems .

I confirmed that the scenery I was gazing at from inside the cockpit was
actually moving, so I think it simply was something like moving at
extremely tremendous speeds . Since the ship didn’t crash into space
debris or asteroid fields along the way, I’m guessing it also makes use of a
special evasion program or technology as well .

By the way, this Krishna is also equipped with the function to navigate
between different star systems themselves . It’s called Hyperdrive, and it
makes use of a subspace corridor as a shortcut to travel at speeds much
faster than light in order to reach other star systems . Of course, I have no
idea about the theories involved either .

It’s important for both the game and the players to have a method to travel
between different star systems, so don’t ask about how it works cause it
just does dude! It was that kind of thing . I don’t really care either way
since I’m not a Sci-fi otaku or anything…
There’s also a hyper long distance travelling method which makes use of
wormhole gates . These are usually managed by NPC-run space empires,
and its use was oftentimes severely restricted . Some players seemed to
have gained access by increasing their contributions to the local space
empires in their respective spheres of activity, but a solo-play mercenary
like me didn’t have access to that particular method .

I passed by a gas giant while thinking about the wonders of space travel . I
suddenly had the urge to stop the FTL drive to take in the magnificent
cosmic sights, but I managed to hold myself back and continued to rush
towards the trading colony . If I dicked around like that, there was a good
chance I’d be attacked by space pirates again .

What’s needed to be prioritized right now was not satisfying my

intellectual curiosity, but reaching the trading colony within a safe zone as
soon as possible and obtaining more information . Afterwards, I’ll have
plenty of time to observe giant gas planets, asteroid fields and any other
mysterious cosmic sight I’d never had the opportunity to see in person
before . Yeah, that’ll be the case . At least, I hope it would be .

I didn’t have any particular fixation towards things involving sci-fi or

space, but even I would feel like sightseeing when presented with such
magnificent sceneries . Space is actually quite a lonely place . I should
treasure this newfound sense of curiosity from now on .

While I was busy mulling over my feelings towards the greater universe,
Krishna’s support AI informed me that we were nearing the trading colony
. I tried to brace myself for the moment when the FTL Drive gets
deactivated, but it went smoother than expected . What about the effects of
inertia? Perhaps the ship is equipped with a system which effectively
nullifies it or something .

I operated the cockpit’s side display like usual and sent a docking request
to the hangar bay of the trading colony .

[This is the Port Administration Department of Colony – Termaine Prime .

We’ve received your docking request . Um, Captain…? I’m sorry, but the
data about your identification seems to be corrupted . ]
“Eh? Ah… this ship’s official designation is the Krishna . My name is—”

Name . Name, huh? My real name’s something so common you’d find a

hundred others named like me if you bothered to look so…

…I’ll just use the in-game name I confirmed earlier instead .

“It’s Hiro . I’m Captain Hiro . ”

Thus, a mercenary named Captain Hiro was born in this galaxy . It was
August 10, 2397 of the Graccan Imperial Calendar .

*TL note – Regarding Hiro’s name choice: The raws have his in-game
name in katakana, which is usually used to write loan words from English
and other foreign languages . So, it may seem that Hiro is just your typical
Japanese name, but the context is that he’s using a foreign sounding name
and not your normal Japanese one . Still confused? Don’t worry and just
roll with it lol
# 003 – Interrogation and Serena-sama

# 003 – Interrogation and Serena-

sama
Well then, I guess it’s about time to talk a little bit about me, a guy
formerly named Takahiro Satou .

Japanese . Born and bred in Hokkaido . Twenty-seven years old . Single .

After finishing high school, studied and graduated from a local technical
university and worked for a local company soon after . I dated a woman I
managed to hook up with on the net in my college days, but it was a long
distance relationship and we soon broke up . I was hired as an in-house
network administrator just because I could use a PC fairly well, but I had
no specialized knowledge so I had to learn everything from scratch as I
went about work .

I spent my days cracking down on employees accessing news sites, mail

order sites and suspicious browser games and ero-sites during working
hours .

My hobby is gaming . Just gaming . I had broad tastes, and I played just
about every genre from both Japanese and Western titles . I became
addicted to a certain FPS game and managed to become the Scoring King
and a Single Digit Ranker after piling up copious amounts of effort for a
considerable amount of time .

There wasn’t enough leeway to take the overall number 1 spot, but I was in
the running for number 1 or 2 in Japan at the time . I spent my days
fragging mooks so much that my gaze turned into something my co-
workers described as “super sharp and way too scary” .

But those days were eventually replaced by times spent adventuring all
over the vast universe when Stella Online went live . I also got into it quite
a lot .

That’s about all I can say about me… Oh, and my favorite food is
carbonated drinks . I can’t get enough of that feeling when the bubbly
goodness goes down my throat .

Well then, I’ve been talking a lot of nonsense, but what really is my
current situation right now?

“So tell me sir, just where did you get a hold of this large amount of rare
metals?”

“Like I told you, they’re something I acquired from the pirates I managed
to shoot down earlier . What other explanation do you want?”

I was now being grilled by the port authorities .

It was great that brewed alcohol wasn’t an illegal item on this particular
colony, but my stash of rare metals was being thoroughly investigated .
And honestly, no matter how much they questioned me about how I
managed to get them, I actually had absolutely no idea myself, so I had no
other choice but to downplay the matter and hope for the best .

My current identity was that of a self-proclaimed mercenary without any

official affiliation . I had nothing on me which could confirm my identity .
What if such a blatantly shady guy suddenly turned up and brought in a
large amount of rare metals? Utterly suspicious . It was a matter totally
reeking of suspiciousness . The officer in charge of port security strictly
interrogating such a guy was definitely within reason .

“……Do you really have no intention of telling me where the heck they’re
from sir?”

“I’ve already told you about how I got this stuff way earlier man . I’m
really starting to get tired of this meaningless back-and-forth convo
officer . ”
It really feels like this guy’s deliberately talking in circles . Is he waiting
for me to get pissed off and slip out some useful info or something? Or is
he after something else entirely? Like hush money maybe .

The heck? When I made a gesture implying that I’m willing to fork
something out under the table, the reaction I got was “Are you trying to
drag me down with you by offering that huh? You’re thinking of either
threatening me or begging me to let you off by using that as leverage
aren’t you?” Seems like trying to make a deal with this kind of straight
laced fellow was just a waste of time .

So what should I do now…?

While I was in the middle of mulling over my options, the door of the
interrogation room suddenly opened without so much as a knock and
someone walked straight in .

It was a young woman . No, it would also be appropriate to call her a

young girl . And she was totally hot too . She held a dignified posture, had
lustrous blonde hair and ruby red eyes . She was clad in a crisp white
military uniform wrapped by a red mantle and sported a sheathed sword on
her dainty waist . Her visage looked very much like an ideal female knight
or a beautiful warmaiden .

She gave an impression if being a lady of few words, but I managed to

notice a sharp, predatory glint flash within the depths of her eyes for a
moment . Looks like she was a lady who can’t be judged solely on her
appearance .

“Serena-sama! Why are you in a place such as this my lady?”

“I saw an unfamiliar ship parked on the Hangar Bay . Is he the ship

owner?”

“Uh- Err-“

The port officer, who suddenly became all jittery, handed over something
which looked like a tablet terminal to the female soldier named Serena .
Her gaze then turned towards me after looking over the contents displayed
by the terminal .

“This is quite a large amount of rare metals . You didn’t happen to procure
all of this illegally now, did you?”

“I swear on my life I didn’t . ”

“Hmm… A self-styled mercenary unregistered with the Mercenary Guild

who just managed to shoot down some pirates huh . Do you have anything
else you wish to report perhaps?”

“I have some data regarding the coordinates of their main base on my ship
. I obtained it from analyzing the data caches of the pirates I shot down . I
was originally planning on handing over this info along with claiming the
bounty rewards for those pirate ships, but when our dear officer got a look
at my cargo items, I was suddenly pulled into here . ”

I spoke in a way that emphasized how troublesome my current

circumstances were while shrugging my shoulders at the female soldier in
front of me .

I guess she’s someone directly affiliated with the Sector Military Police .
It seemed like her rank’s way above our dear port officer here, so I planned
on showing her a fully cooperative attitude so she would consider letting
me off .

“There’s no evidence indicating that his cargo is stolen goods, correct?”

“Y- Yes, that’s right . But still-“

“Well then, it should be fine to let him go . I believe he plans to unload all
his cargo on this colony, correct? Considering the difficulty of procuring
rare metal supplies nowadays, I don’t think this poses any issues to be
particularly concerned about, right?”

“H- However……”
“However? Do you have any other opinion you wish to share with me, the
daughter of Marquis Horuz?”

“No, but my lady…”

“Speaking of which, I’ve recently received some reports about a port

officer who has been making it difficult for ships to unload their cargo
inside this colony without handing over some sort of bribe first . ”

The female soldier named Serena smiled beatifically at the port officer .
The port officer who was being smiled to was trembling in trepidation . I
was also trembling involuntarily . This was the first time I felt a smile was
actually scary .

“I- I would never do such a thing!”

“We are going to acquire some rare metals at a reasonable price, this self-
styled mercenary who has managed to shoot down pirates will claim his
reward and receive some Enel, and he is going to use that Enel to purchase
things from our colony afterwards . With this, everyone will stand to
benefit; do you not think so?”

“Y- Yes, ma’am! You’re absolutely correct! I shall process the required
documents immediately!”

The port officer hurriedly stood up from his seat and went out of the
interrogation room . Nah, it looked more like he was escaping for dear life
. I ended up all alone in the room with the female soldier he called as
Serena-sama . Serena gazed at the fleeing figure of the port officer for a
few moments and then turned her attention back to me .

“My apologies . He’s a little too serious regarding his job . ”

“No, well… I admit I actually seem quite suspicious so I guess it couldn’t

be helped . ”

Yeah, I was definitely suspicious so it was inevitable . I don’t have activity

records stored in any mercenary guild within the area . Actually, there
won’t even be records of my ship in any of the neighboring star systems as
well .

Moreover, the name data portion of the ship registry was corrupted . They
did manage to match my biometric data with those recorded on the ship
for authentication, so I somehow managed to keep it from being
confiscated, but one small mistake and it would have been taken away .

“Yes, so much so that it wouldn’t surprise me if you said you strayed from
another far away galaxy into this one . How exactly did you manage to
arrive on this star system?”

“There seems to have been an accident while my ship was on Hyperdrive .

I’m not sure if the accident was what caused it, but I think I’ve lost most
of my memories .

While I was still confused about what happened, I was suddenly attacked
by pirates . I somehow managed to beat them, looted their cargo and data
caches and managed to arrive at this station after analyzing the data .

Fortunately, I managed to remember my own name and the fact that I was
a mercenary . ”

I talked about myself while mixing truths and lies . I thought about this
particular background setting while in the middle of being interrogated by
that port officer earlier . There were no parts to retort over in particular,
but it was a story which can be considered a bit over the top from another
person’s perspective .

“You’ve lost your memory, you say? Are you actually not a spy from the
Vereverem Federation, perhaps?”

“Now that’s something impossible . But let’s say I really am a spy for
that… err… Berebere Federation…?”

“It’s the Vereverem Federation . ”

“Right . As a spy for that Vereverem Federation, would it make sense for
me to take a shipment of rare metals of unknown origin, board an
unidentified ship and casually waltz right inside this Colony? And as an
unregistered self-proclaimed mercenary at that . It’s just too conspicuous .
If I were a spymaster, I’d immediately recall that spy after reading up on
his absurd mission plan and give him a thorough beating . ”

You could also say this was all part of an elaborate ruse, but that’s just
pushing it .

“I think I’d also do the same if I were that spymaster . ”

The lady soldier let out a soft peal of laughter . She’s pretty cute when she
laughs like that . But she seems to be the really assertive type, and I’m
actually no good with those .

“Well, I guess this is good enough . I’m going to get in touch with the
Sector Guard headquarters, so please go ahead and feel free to collect your
rewards and turn in those data caches . ”

“Thank you . ”

She seemed to leave the room sporting a satisfied expression after I bowed
to her in honest gratitude… but turned around before she actually made it
outside .

“You’re one interesting fellow . We will devise a mop up operation using

the information you have as reference, so be sure to participate, alright?”

She gave me a mesmerizing smile and promptly left . It didn’t have that
overwhelming aura of coercion like earlier, but I instinctively felt some
sort of danger from that beautiful visage .

Pirate extermination missions were definitely profitable… but I felt

getting involved with her was bad news for some reason .

The port officer came back a little bit later and I was finally released from
the interrogation room . I’ve gotten quite hungry from the whole ordeal .
“Well then, we will proceed with the rare metal exchange . The total price
is 2,500,000 Enel . Please confirm . ”

“Yep . ”

I activated a smartphone shaped information terminal and confirmed that

2 . 5 million Enel has been indeed transferred over to my personal account
. This miniature information device was usually placed inside Krishna’s
living quarters and was widely popular all throughout the galaxy . This
baby can function as a portable communicator, space navigator, e-wallet
and do many other cool stuff .

There were a lot of other useful stuff inside the living quarters, but what I
brought out this time were only this information terminal and a laser gun
for self-defense . The laser gun along with its holster was confiscated
when I was taken to the interrogation room, so I had them return it earlier .

“There’s nothing else right? I’d like to go to the Sector Guard headquarters
to claim my prize now so I can go back to my ship and rest soon . ”

“Yes . There is nothing else . We are sorry for taking up your time . ”

“That so . Later then . ”

There’s nothing more to gain by dawdling in this place, so I finally left the
Port Security Department office behind . Next stop would be the Sector
Guard headquarters, but thanks to that lady soldier named Serena, the
process went relatively smoothly when I arrived .

The bounty for those pirates totalling 19,000 Enel and the information
reward of 150,000 Enel were given to me without much fuss . My net
worth now totals 2,669,000 Enel! That’s a lot man!

I inquired about the prices of commodities on this Colony next and this
was the general gist of things: about 5 Enel for food . 10 to 15 Enels if you
want them a bit more fancy . 3 Enels for a liter of clean water . The ship
berthing fee was 150 Enel per 24 hours . Hm, so an Enel is roughly
equivalent to 100 Yen huh? Basing on that, the water seems kinda
expensive . The berthing fee being 15,000 Yen a day also seems quite
costly as well .

Well, considering this is a Colony and all, even the air I’m breathing
should cost quite a lot . And water’s an equally important resource . If you
look at it that way, these prices seem to be quite reasonable, given the
circumstances .

So, if I don’t rent out a room inside the Colony and just sleep on the ship,
the cost of living in this Colony per day should total about 15 Enels for
three meals, 12 Enels for 4 liters of water and the berthing fee of 150
Enels . All in all, it’s a total of 177 Enels .

Hey, I can actually live here for 40 years fairly easily . Well, if I do stay
here for that long, I’m sure I’ll encounter another set of problems . It
would be better if I can find some place to convert into a base and settle
down there .

Anyway, I got more than enough cash to spend for daily living as long as I
don’t splurge like crazy . When people manage to get a lot of money, it’s
like all their worries just disappear into thin air . I walked back to my ship
with an evident spring in my steps .
# 004 – Time to Make Like a Shut-in and Gather Some Intel

# 004 – Time to Make Like a Shut-

in and Gather Some Intel
The moment I got back to the ship, I immediately connected to the
Colony’s network and gathered some useful intel . I went at it for a few
days .

Naturally, it wasn’t through honest means, but an (il)legal one . I hacked

into the network channel used by the Port Security Department to monitor
the Colony and gather vital information . I particularly aimed for the
access records of the Security Department’s network manager and
gathered intel from that .

The first thing I looked up was info regarding the surrounding star systems
and the interstellar empires which govern each of them . I prioritized
getting myself familiar with my current location .

First, the star system I was staying at right now was apparently called the
Termaine Star System . It was centered on the Type B star Termaine, and
housed four planets . Termaine I, which was closest to this system’s parent
star, sported extremely high surface temperatures and held practically no
value . The next planet after it, Termaine II, was a gas planet whose
atmosphere was mainly made up of hydrogen and helium . It seems that
Helium-3 was harvested from this planet as an energy resource

An asteroid belt was situated near the three celestial bodies, and materials
and resources such as rare metals were mined from it . Further out were
two planets named Termaine III and Termaine IV respectively – a
testament to the people of this system’s exquisite naming sense .

Termaine III was a planet with a toxic atmosphere frequented by deadly

acidic downpours, but the rain in question seems to have value as a
naturally occurring chemical compound and there were valuable metal
alloy deposits either formed on its surface or buried under its crust . A
mining station was located on the planet’s satellite orbit, which apparently
doubles as a space prison where convicts were subjected to harsh labor in
an unforgiving environment .

It seems Termaine IV was a gas planet like its sibling Termaine II . But its
location was far from the Trading Colony, and Termaine II was closer to
the asteroid belt and offered easier access, so Termaine IV remains largely
untouched .

To some things up, it appears that this was a very resource-rich star system
. Due to this fact, a lot of commercial and mining starships of all shapes
and sizes frequent the system on a regular basis . But there were also a lot
of space pirates lurking about the system as a result . In other words,
there’s no shortage of mercenary work .

There’s also another factor which contributes to the proliferation of the

mercenary industry, but let’s talk about the interstellar empire in charge of
this star system first .

The name of the empire governing a significant portion of this system was
the Graccan Empire . All the vital functions of the state were completely
controlled by the Emperor and the aristocratic families under him, so it
was a place brimming with a domineering atmosphere .

They have been locked in conflict with the neighboring Vereverem

Federation for years, and border skirmishes were a frequent occurrence .
This is the other element which contributes to the proliferation of
mercenary work which I mentioned earlier . The sector where the main
star of the Termaine System was located actually serves as the said border
between the Graccan Empire and the Vereverem Federation .

“The longer I stay in this particular star system, the higher the chances of
me getting caught up in the conflict . ”

Yeah . I’ll get caught up in it for sure . Even if it does present countless
opportunities to make money as a merc-for-hire, getting involved in a war
between two powers while remaining clueless about the overall situation
was way too risky for my tastes .

Getting involved in a war means fighting against the regular troops of a

proper Interstellar Army . It’s a whole different thing from fighting pirates
sporting outdated, rickety ships .

“Should I try moving to another star system? But that lady…”

It really seems like that lady named Serena’s got her sights locked on to
me after the earlier fiasco . They’ve never made contact directly, but I’ve
noticed people who look like members of the Sector Guards keeping their
eyes on my ship .

If I really went and left this star system, I have a strong gut feeling that
I’ll get in deep trouble with these guys . Guess I’ll just go and destroy
some pirates like a proper mercenary while waiting for things to cool
down or something .

“Anyway…”

I moved my gaze to the Galaxy Map . I tried to input the names of several
star systems I’m familiar with from playing Stella Online, but none of
them appeared on the search results .

I tried investigating some more and found some things quite odd . For
example, the starship models and specs published by various shipbuilding
companies as well as the optional equipment inventories and item lists
available on the market contain many parallels with the things available in
Stella Online . The info I have on them from the game seems to be mostly
applicable .

But on the other hand, there seems to be a lot of unfamiliar ships, items
and equipment present as well .

And the biggest problem was about the various powers controlling each
region . For example, the Graccan Empire ruling this system seems to be
an interstellar empire boasting a considerable scale . But as far as I
remember, there was no interstellar power named Graccan Empire in
Stella Online . At least, there wasn’t within the areas the players have
managed to reach .

The scale of the galaxy presented in Stella Online was quite grand, and
players had yet to reach its central areas . Maybe this was an empire not
yet discovered in Stella Online — in other words, an empire located on the
other side of the galaxy . But still, the presence of shipbuilding companies
and ship models I’m familiar with in this system poses a contradiction to
this particular theory .

“Hmm… is this the same galaxy or not?”

The obvious advantages I held in these strange circumstances were

Krishna and the experiences and knowledge I gained from playing Stella
Online . But I don’t know just how far these advantages would be able to
take me .

It’s quite possible for the knowledge I have to cause me to misread a

situation, leading to me making a fatal mistake . From now on, I should
make it a point not to trust in my gaming knowledge too much and
constantly analyze if it would be effective or not in this world . Having
mistaken impressions in these circumstances was dangerous .

“…I really should get to replenishing my supplies soon huh . ”

I’ve almost eaten up all the food stored on the ship after the last few days .
There were various items like granola bars, jerky, canned food and auto-
cook food cartridges .

This food cartridge thing uses specially cultured algae for automatic food
creation… Simply put, it’s a machine which produces food items akin to a
3D printer .

The recent models are capable of producing meat-like or fish-like food

which I can’t, for the life of me, associate with the algae they’re made out
of at all . They’re not exactly delicious, but you could definitely eat them .
As expected of a sci-fi cooking gadget thingy .
Speaking of which, all the garbage and biological waste products get
recycling treatments inside Krishna and get processed into compact
blocks, which are later collected by colony laborers . Their service fees are
included in the berthing costs .

I was actually wholly unfamiliar with such a system, so the guy assigned
to collect the processed waste products made a strange expression when I
asked about the details regarding how to go about it . He gave a ‘this dumb
idiot doesn’t even know this kind of thing?’ sort of face . Sorry man . I’m
really sorry about that . It’s just that Stella Online didn’t have this
particular detail y’know .

As a result, I scoured the network for types of information this world

regarded as common sense . My knowledge was still a bit shaky, but I
think I’ll be mostly fine .

Also, I’ve only managed to find this out after spending some time
inspecting Krishna from the inside out, but this ship’s living environment
really was top of the line . Krishna was a small-scale craft which was
capable of housing five passengers, but it had a Single room and two
Double rooms inside . It also sported a shower room, laundry room,
kitchen and med bay .

Krishna was originally a military model .

These facilities may be installed for the purpose of allowing the crew to
live inside the ship for extended periods during military missions . It’s
because travelling throughout the vast reaches of outer space could take a
fairly long amount of time .

I think the reason Krishna’s livability was really high was mainly due to
this consideration .

Anyway, I’ll have to enter the central areas of the Colony in order to by
some supplies . I fixed myself up a bit and got off the ship with portable
information terminal and laser gun in hand .
I placed the laser gun inside a conspicuous looking shoulder holster . It’ll
serve to give others the impression that I’m not someone they could afford
to easily mess with . It’s much like those bright warning colors and marks
sported by wild animals and insects .

But honestly, I’m not sure how reliable this thing is because it’s practically
my first time wielding it for real . But I’ve read its manual properly, so I
should be fine . Probably . The manual didn’t include info about gun
maintenance, so I had no clue how to go about it . Maybe I’ll need to visit
a gun shop soon .

Stella Online also featured a Melee Mode where pilots directly engaged in
firefights using laser guns and rifles . This particular model was
something I got from winning a Melee Battle tournament in the game . I
like both its performance and overall design .

There were also Melee Mode types where you could fight with weaponry
which sported heavy defense and substantial offense such as tanks and
power armors . My ship also has a power armor stationed inside . And of
course, it was a thoroughly optimized custom model .

“Well then, shall we?”

I’ve never once lost in a firefight inside the game, but I don’t know if that
would continue to be the case now that I’m in this strange world . I better
watch out and try not to do anything too reckless .
#005 – Elf!? Why an Elf!?

#005 – Elf!? Why an Elf!?

“Whoah…”

The Trading Colony [Termaine Prime] I was currently at was a Torus-

type… nah, it would be easier to picture if I described it as a Doughnut-
type . Anyways, it’s a Doughnut-type space colony .

The colony was designed to continuously rotate, and the resulting

centrifugal force, in turn, generates artificial gravity . Since the gravity
was generated by centrifugal force, the outer areas of the “doughnut” serve
as the main living zone of the colony .

“Hm . This is certainly an impressive sight . ”

When you move your gaze towards a certain direction, you’d be able to
witness the ground going upwards; seemingly without end . If you look
towards the “sky”, you could see a ceiling made of glass-like material and
part of the colony’s central hub showing in the distance . Sprouting from
the colony’s surface were several elevators . Their appearance was akin to
the spokes of a bicycle tire .

Considering the existence of these elevator “spokes” connected to the

central hub of this space colony, it may be more appropriate to call it a
bicycle tire-type rather than a doughnut-type .

“Mm . Alright . ”

After thoroughly enjoying the sight of the colony’s interior, I started to

casually stroll about . Most of the people around me were giving me
strange looks, but I can’t help it man . I’m seeing all of these for the first
time in person after all .
But, in any case, it wasn’t good to be too laid back . The state of public
order within this colony can be considered “normal” . If I take the public
order situation of my former home, in other words Japan, and apply it as a
standard, it would be considered “ideal” in this world . Well, you’d get a
sense for the state of public security in this place if you consider the fact
that an outsider like me was allowed to carry a laser gun and show it off
without any trouble .

Moreover, the only area an outsider like me was allowed to visit was an
area called the 3rd Block . You couldn’t exactly call it a slum, but the
security was apparently the worst . I really don’t want to stay here too long
.

All of the guys who took glances at me here had this sort of “rough”
atmosphere about them . They seemed to be some small-time thugs, and
quickly disappeared into the back alleys sporting somewhat regretful
expressions the moment they spotted my laser gun . Guess this laser gun
really was an effective deterrent .

“Hey there, newbie . You got a pretty good gun on you huh?”

The moment my nerves somewhat settled down after experiencing the

intimidation effect of my laser gun, I was suddenly called out to from
behind .

When I turned around, I saw a beautiful silver-haired girl staring back at

me .

She sported a level of beauty I’ve never experienced before . She had even
facial features and a short bob composed of extremely thin strands of
silvery hair . She had a slim but shapely build, with not a single ounce of
extra fat on .

But her most striking feature was the pair of pointy ears poking out of her
silver hair . Elf? An elf in Space? I thought this was a sci-fi setting?
Why’d you suddenly spring Fantasy out on me man? Stella Online didn’t
have a race like this, as far as I remember…
But, come to think of it, pointy eared aliens in sci-fi worlds was kinda a
standard thing too huh? It’s actually nothing to get so worked up about
after all .

And her clothes… how should I put this? They look pretty soldier-like and
seemed quite rugged .

Although she looked like an elf, she didn’t have much skin exposure and
didn’t wear a fluttery outfit . She wore pants which looked pretty sturdy
and practical and a plain white shirt enveloped by a tough looking jacket .
She also sported a hip holster which held a laser gun of a smaller model
compared to mine .

“What’s with you? You’ve been staring me down for quite a while . ”

“Uh, if you were suddenly called out to by a stranger, you’d normally be

wary right? It’s sort of common sense . ”

“I suppose so . But I’m not some suspicious person . You can tell just from
looking, right? I’m a mercenary just like you!”

The merc-style silver haired elf girl then raised her chest while sporting a
cheery grin . Her chest size… doesn’t seem so special huh . That said, it
wasn’t like she was completely flat or anything . Was this a world which
denied the rights of elves to sport substantial frontal assets? Nah, I can’t
just generalize by taking this unfortunate looking space elf as a standard .

“Hey, just where do you think you’re looking at?”

The unfortunate looking space elf noticed the direction of my gaze and
covered up her meager chest with her hands while sporting a grumpy
expression .

“I was just looking at those lacking breasts you seem to be so proud of

Miss . What of it?”

“‘What of it?’, he says . You’ve got quite some guts there, don’t you
newbie,” the unfortunate space elf glared menacingly at me and made a
dangerous looking smile . Oh boy . Looks like making her angry was a bad
idea . She’s got a laser gun with her and all .

“At any rate, how did you determine that I was a newcomer? Do I have
something on me which indicates such a status?”

“Well first, stop it with your fake polite language . It’s making me have
goosebumps . ”

“Kay . So?”

“Well, that laser gun you have on your shoulder pegs you right away as a
mercenary . ”

“I see . ”

She’s right . Looking closely, there didn’t seem to be anyone else wearing
rugged pants and stuffy jackets like me and the disappointing elf .
Everybody else was wearing thin, refreshing looking clothes . We really
did stand out from the rest of the crowd because of our outfits .

“And also, you were strangely taken by the appearance of the colony’s
interior right? It’s standard behaviour by bumpkins who’d just started
travelling away from their hometowns . ”

“I see . This disappointing space elf-san sure is smart . ”

“What did you just say?”

“Oh, nothing really . So, what’s my smart mercenary-senpai want from

me?”

For just an instant, I got assaulted by overflowing killing intent . Guess it’s
truly dangerous to point out the cruel truth to people with smallish breasts
. I better be more careful next time .

“……Hmm . Well, no matter . I actually have too much free time on my

hands right now, you see . ”
“Ha~ah?”

“I noticed the Sector Defense Forces making some suspicious movements

lately, but I don’t have any definite info, so I ended up quite free . It really
looks like something’s up, so leaving the colony isn’t an option . But this
colony doesn’t have anything interesting in it . So I’m really bored out of
my mind . ”

“……And so?”

“So I just happened to notice a newbie-looking boy loitering around

without a care . I just went over to tease you a bit . ”

“I see . ”

Guess I kinda understood but kinda didn’t at the same time . Well, since
she’s the one who came over to me, let’s make the most out of it . I’ll get
to obtain some more info . The other person could kill some time . It’s a
win-win relationship .

“Okay then . Let’s kill some time by taking me to a place where we can
buy some grub senpai . ”

“Eh, what should I do? The food shops here don’t have any alcohol so
they’re not interesting . ”

Alcohol? Booze huh…

That reminds me, don’t I still have the containers with the brewed liquor I
got from those pirates inside my cargo bay? They won’t sell for much
anyway, and I don’t particularly like drinking myself… Guess I’ll use that
.

“I have one container full of brewed liquor I plundered from some pirates
inside my ship’s cargo bay . ”

“He~e . So?”
“I’ll give it to you . Just take me to a convenience store or something in
exchange . Also, I’d be happy if you could answer my questions and give
me some appropriate advice as a senpai . ”

“Fumu…”

The disappointing space elf tilted her head sideways in thought, and
finally nodded after a few moments .

“I suppose that will be fine . I’d be able to stave off some boredom, and
getting to drink some alcohol is definitely a tempting proposal . Agreed .
In return, I shall tell you all about the ins and outs of being a mercenary .
I, your ‘Senpai’, will do so for you!”

This disappointing space elf strangely emphasized that “senpai” part huh .
Oh well . I don’t really mind her putting on airs as a great senior or
something . Her looks weren’t half-bad and her reactions were pretty
interesting, so it’s all good .

“OK, then it’s a deal . Uh, we do exchanges through terminals right? I’ll
register you on mine, so give me your I . D . ”

“Alright . But if you use it for something bad, I’ll immediately block you .
”

We took out our portable data terminals and exchanged contact I . D . info
. Looks like this girl’s name was Elma . Since we’ve exchanged I . D . s,
it’s now possible to trade goods between ships using the terminals .

“Hm . So you’re Hiro . Such a simple sounding name . ”

“Get off my case . And Elma’s a pretty simple sounding name too y’know .
”

“Mine’s got one more character than yours . ” (refer to TL notes)

“Yup . You’re right, huh . ”

Why do I seem to enjoy teasing this girl so much? I actually have a smug
grin plastered on my face right now . Maybe I was feeling a bit more
lonely than I thought and relished her company .

I immediately operated my terminal and sent the container with the

alcohol to Elma’s ship . The transaction was immediately approved and the
booze was successfully transferred .

“Just how exactly do goods get transferred over with this?”

“You didn’t know? You can access the material transport system via
connecting to the hangar network . You can freely exchange goods by
making use of this material transport system . ”

“Hm . I see . ”

Looks like the process of unloading goods and cargo in this era is
completely automated huh . The use of human labor in order to unload
things from ships has been abolished .

“How long have you been an active mercenary Elma?”

“Five years . If you remain active for five years, you’re already considered
a veteran in our circles . ”

“Hm, that so . ”

If she’s been active as a mercenary for five years, then she’d started her
career before Stella Online went live . In a certain sense, she really was
my senior .

“I see . You’re really my senpai huh . I’ll be in your care then . ”

“Well, aren’t you suddenly all nice and proper? Ma~a, it’s certainly good
to give appropriate respect to your elders . ”

“Elder?”

“Even though I look like this, I’m already 53 years old this year . ”
“……You’re purposely making yourself look young!?”

I can only see a young girl not even twenty before me .

“We only live a little longer than you humans . No matter how long lived a
person from your race is, they’d only reach about 150 years old . We,
however, live for at least 500 . ”

“I see . So it’s the difference between races… It’s been five years since
you began your mercenary career, so you would have been 48 years old
when you first started out . Just what kind of lifestyle did you lead before
becoming one?”

“D- Does that even matter!? Trying to dig up a mercenary’s past is a great
breach of manners, I’ll have you know!”

Elma seems to have lost her cool after hearing my question . She kept
scolding away while jabbing her index finger in my direction . Looks like I
poked the hornets nest . I raised both hands to indicate my surrender .

“I get it . I won’t ask about it, alright? I’m sorry for letting my curiosity
get the better of me . But, considering how strongly you reacted, I’m
guessing there’s something about your past which would spell trouble if it
gets found out huh?”

“Uuuh… We- Well, it’s good that you understand . ”

Looks like it was something really troublesome . I don’t want to get overly
involved in something like that, so I’ll try not to bring it up again .

I lined myself up beside Elma, who just recovered her composure and
started walking, and asked about things related to mercenary work . I had
this earlier impression of her as a disappointing space elf so I was a little
concerned about what she would discuss with me, but the contents turned
out to be quite informative .

“If you want to take a request, be sure to run it through the Mercenary
Guild first . More so if you don’t want to get into any sort of trouble . ”
“The Mercenary Guild huh . Oh yeah . Guess I’ll have to get myself
registered soon . ”

“Ha~a! Apart from being a complete newbie, you’re also unregistered?

Get yourself registered properly before concerning yourself with supplies,
you idiot!”

“Ah, yes . I’m sorry . ”

My jacket was grabbed with surprising force, and I was dragged back to
the area we were at before . Looks like the office of the Mercenary Guild
was located near the elevator leading to the hangar bay . Elma angrily
explained just how dangerous the standing of an unregistered mercenary
was on the way .

It seems that an unregistered mercenary unaffiliated with a guild would be

treated no better than a criminal if one messes up, apart from being unable
to claim any mission rewards . In some cases, one might even be refused
port entry .

“Man, that’s harsh . ”

“Well of course it is! Unknown individuals unaffiliated with any

organization wandering around with a ship powerful enough to seriously
damage or destroy a space colony or station would of course be treated
with maximum caution! That’s just common sense! How in the world did
you manage to not get in trouble until now!?”

“Weell, there’s sort of a story worthy of a bucket-full of tears behind my

current circumstances y’see . ”

I continued to be dragged away by Elma while I talked about some stupid

stuff, and we finally reached the Mercenary Guild office . Guess I’ll have
to explain my circumstances all over again .

Still, this place was a hundred times more beautiful than the image of a
Mercenary Guild I had in my head .
The floor was made of some unknown, glossy material . There were a
number of seats with comfy looking cushions lined up in what seems to be
a waiting area . Beyond them were several counters .

Each counter had an information display on top of them . The number of

people inside was quite sparse . Is business not doing so hot perhaps?

“Doesn’t this seem more like a government office than a mercenary guild
office?”

“It’s somewhat similar . C’mon . Let’s go to the reception counter . ”

“Understood, big sis . ”

I was dragged by Elma all the way to the reception counter .

TL Note: Hiro’s name in katakana: ヒロ (hiro) / 2 characters . Elma’s

name in katakana: エルマ (eruma) / 3 characters . It’s a joke you won’t get
unless you know your Japanese characters .
# 006 – Mercenary Guild

# 006 – Mercenary Guild

After I arrived in front of the reception counter, I found myself facing a
guy sporting numerous old battle scars on his body . His left arm also
seemed like a mechanical prosthetic . How should I put this? It felt like I
finally encountered something mercenary guild-like .

“Ahn? The hell do you guys want?”

“He’s a newbie . This guy’s going around Underground without registering

with the Guild . ”

“Huh? Underground? I sometimes hear about guys like that, but it’s my
first time seeing one in person . C’mon over and take a seat bro . ”

“Ah, yes . ”

I sat down in front of the counter like I was told . This guy was pretty
intense man . If I met someone like him back home in Japan, I’d never
want to get involved with the guy at all . He really looks like someone
from a rather “dangerous and illegal” profession .

“Even if you’re unregistered, you do own a ship right? Tell me your ship
name and I . D . It’s parked in the hangar bay right?”

“Yes . ”

“Pfft . You seem like a frightened little kitten you know . So interesting . ”

“Shut up . ”

I glared at Elma, who had one hand over her mouth while trying to stifle
her laughter, but didn’t seem to be able to . Dammit! I can’t help it okay!
This uncle’s just hella scary man!
The receptionist uncle with a terrifying face inputted the ship name and I .
D . I gave him on a tablet terminal and fiddled with it for some moments .

“The hell? What’s up with your ship kid? I’ve never seen a model like this
before . ”

“Although I can’t exactly disclose the source, I guarantee I didn’t get her
illegally . ”

“Nah, y’know… Well, it’s a breach of manners to ask about a mercenary’s

past . It says here you engaged three pirate ships in battle four days ago
and managed to win, but that’s about it . Rather, you don’t have any other
activity records kid . ”

“I seem to have gotten involved in an accident while my ship was on

Hyperdrive and got thrown out somewhere near this colony . Because of
that accident, I seem to have lost most of my memories, and I currently
have absolutely no idea where I am . ”

“You serious? Ah… Well, that’s fine . You don’t have a bounty on your
head anyway . Oh yeah, could you stop it with that polite language thing?
If the other guys hear you talkin like that, you’d get looked down on
y’know . ”

“Y- Yeah . ”

Man, it sure takes some serious balls to talk in a casual manner with this
grim faced uncle…

“That’s true . It’s more or less over for a merc who’s underestimated, so
watch how you act from now on . However, you’re still as lax as ever,
aren’t you?”

“You’re also aware of the rules, right missy? There’s no merit for probing
about a merc’s past . If they’ve got no bounty on their heads and properly
earn their keep, then there’s absolutely no problem . ”
A question suddenly popped into my head while the two were having their
conversation . So I decided to just blurt it out right away .

“Um, a starship’s not exactly cheap right? So I’m sure there aren’t that
many guys who go like [I got myself one, so I’ll be a mercenary starting
today!] just like that yeah? How do you even manage to recruit enough
members then?”

I think my question does have some merit . I’ve investigated about the
general market prices in this world these past few days, and in order to
purchase a properly armed ship, you’d need to fork out at least 50,000
Enel . If you convert that to Japanese Yen, you’d end up with 5,000,000 . I
haven’t managed to investigate the average income of people in this
world, but I’m sure that’s still an astronomical amount of money for the
average joe .

“Well, there’s actually lots of guys who’re formerly from the military
active in this business y’see . They’re pretty high levelled and have great
skills . There are also some who just plain love fighting and chose to
become mercenaries as a result . There’s also them extremely greedy,
money-obsessed types . ”

“There are also those who graduated from the Mercenary Training
Institute right?”

“Yeah . But there’s none of those types in this particular star system . ”

“Those still seems to be a bit lacking as sources of ‘fresh blood’ though . ”

“Guess so . But the galaxy’s a friggin huge place kid . We’ve managed to
get enough members to fulfill most of the requests sent to us . ”

Hm . In other words, there are lots of prerequisites, so they’ve managed to

gather up only the folks who fulfill those conditions . Or maybe there just
isn’t a lot of mercenary work in this world? Hm . I don’t get it . I don’t get
it, but I’ll just go with the flow anyway .
“I’ve finished setting up your registration . The only thing left is the test .
”

“Test?”

“Yeah . If we don’t know how skilled you are, won’t we have no idea what
type of jobs you’d be able to take up?”

“That’s reasonable . But how are you gonna test me?”

“Training course . There’s a simulator here for that purpose . I’ll have you
undergo that . ”

“OK . ”

The receptionist uncle stood up from his seat, called out towards the back
of the office and guided Elma and me to another room . Why’d Elma
follow me anyway? Elma grinned mischievously at me when she noticed
my gaze .

“Don’t you think I have the right to see just how skilled the rookie I
brought with me is?”

“You do?”

Well, I did manage to smoothly proceed with my mercenary registration

thanks to Elma, so I don’t really mind if she observes my moves .
Moreover, the opinions of a veteran merc with five years of experience
under her belt would be valuable . If I have her evaluate me, I’ll be able to
more properly judge my overall skill level .

“It’s right here . ”

The room with the simulator was surprisingly bigger than I expected .
Lined up within it were simulator machines which looked a bit like small
sized trucks . Or rather, they seem to be mimicking just the cockpit block
of a ship .
“Chose something which resembles the cockpit model of your ship and get
in . ”

“Gocha . ”

The overall look of a ship’s cockpit is largely influenced by its

manufacturer . That also goes for the cockpit controls . So most ships are
made to be compatible with most cockpit blocks available on the market .
This essentially means that it’s possible to detach a cockpit block and
install it onto another ship . This function was also available on Stella
Online, so I’m quite used to it .

“Guess it’s this one . ”

“Hoh . Ain’t that a high-end military model? Alright . I’ll have it prepped
straight away . ”

The uncle, who seemed a somehow impressed when I chose my cockpit

block, went away somewhere . I’m sure he’s going to the control room for
the simulators . Elma’s figure was also gone . Guess she’s spectating from
somewhere else .

★★★

“Well then, let’s start the evaluation test . ”

“Roger that . What about the operating data of this test unit?”

“I’ll upload your ship’s data on it . You should be able to control it like
you usually do after…… Oi, oi . What the heck is this?”

“What’s up?”

“You really askin me? This unit’s data… Can you really use this thing?”

“I think I’ll be okay if it’s Krishna’s data . ”

Was there something strange about the data . Well, I don’t really know
how Krishna would be evaluated in this world . It was a pretty strong unit
back in Stella Online though .

“Oh well . This is a test to evaluate your skills after all . The objective of
the test is pretty basic . Destroy all enemy units . All ships except for you
are enemies . They’ll be few in number at first, but they’ll be coming at
you in waves . The difficulty will increase as their numbers go up . ”

“Got it . ”

“Then let’s start the test . Activating the unit . ”

The cockpit interior dimmed; only a minimal amount of illumination

remained . So it accurately simulates even a ship’s dormant state . I fired
up the main generator with practiced motions and brought it up to battle
level . In response to that, the simulated Krishna activated, and a space
environment gradually unveiled itself before me . It was a pretty realistic
view . This simulator’s extremely detailed .

[Unidentified ship detected . Its weapon systems are online]

I also activated my weapon systems and quickly set course for the location
of the enemy ship displayed on the radar . I accelerated all at once . I felt
my body being strongly pressed down onto the seat .

“Whoah . This thing even simulates the Gs . ”

What kind of tech did they use to make this thing? Well, if this world
really was the same as Stella Online, then a gravity generating device
should have been developed . This machine must be using something like
that .

A figure that seemed to be the enemy ship was cruising in the distance and
carefully approaching me in order to mount a surprise attack . I’ve already
managed to get a lock on the slowpoke . The four manipulator arms
deployed from the hull and immediately aimed at the enemy ship . The
moment I pulled the control stick’s trigger, four beams of light fired
straight at the enemy and tore it open . I managed to shoot down the
enemy in one attack .
“How fragile . ”

Not to mention slow as heck . Judging from its appearance, it was a small
transport ship with a high carrying capacity . Just this huh?

More enemy ships appeared after that, but all of them were pretty weak .
Slow . Fragile . They’re no different from live targets . I don’t think they
would be able to properly gauge my abilities with these .

“Ah, looks like the evaluation program for new recruits just won’t cut it . ”

“Hey . Isn’t the difference in unit specs too lopsided?”

“Well, you’re right but… Let me change to a different test program . ”

“Roger . ”

I tried out the new program . It was definitely better than the first, but the
enemies were still quite slow . Damn weak . They’re no different from
those suckers I shot down a few days ago .

“They’re so weak . I can’t feel any sort of pressure . ”

“The hell kid… This is an evaluation program for veterans y’know . ”

“Wha— You’re joking right? Isn’t there anything more difficult?”

“There is… But I think this one’s a bit of an overkill . ”

I finally felt some pressure this time . More than ten pirate ships attacked
all at once, and their weapons were also quite powerful . But if I keep a
close eye and take timely evasive actions whenever they fired their high-
powered ballistic weaponry, I’d be fine . Their laser cannons can’t even
penetrate my shield, so they’re practically no threat . The light cruiser
model that came out at the end was pretty tough . But once I managed to
get to its blind spot, it became a done deal .

“That did make me sweat a little . ”

“You can’t be serious kid!?” the uncle cried out in exasperation . Huh?
Was that actually the highest difficulty?

“Uh… Well . Damn . Test’s over kid . ”

“Roger that . ”

That was easier than I thought . I wonder how they’ll evaluate me…? Well,
judging from that uncle’s reaction, it’ll probably be alright . I cut the
power flow from the generator, stopped the simulator and stepped out of
the cockpit . When I went out of the simulator hatch, I found the
receptionist uncle and Elma staring at me with hard to describe looks on
their faces . They could probably be described as disbelieving expressions
.

“Um, what’s my evaluation results?”

“Ah, let’s get back to the counter and talk there . ”

They sure are acting strange . I think it would’ve been fine even if they
told me the result here . For some reason, Elma also kept staring at my
face . Just what’s with all this man?

I followed the two of them back to the lobby with my head tilted in
puzzlement .

“Uh… First, about the exam result . ”

“Yeah . ”

“You passed . ”

“That’s great . But what’s with those strange expressions?”

“Well y’see, we mercenaries have a ranking system in place . ”

“Hm?”
Was it something similar to that adventurer ranking thing used in a lot of
those isekai themed webnovels? Would this lead to a development where I
suddenly get promoted to A or S rank?

“It’s called a Combat Rank, and it serves to objectively represent a merc’s

combat capabilities . The five ranks are as follows: Iron, Bronze, Silver,
Gold and Platinum . Iron’s the lowest and Platinum’s the highest . ”

“I see . So?”

“The last test you tackled was the one for promotion to Gold Rank . ”

“Okay?”

“But y’see, even though you did pass the Gold Rank promotion exam, I
can’t just suddenly promote you to Gold right from the start . ”

“I understand . ”

I’m not too hot on the idea of getting promoted to the second highest rank
just like that either anyway . This was something not present in Stella
Online after all . I want to savor the pleasure of ranking up step by step .

“You don’t have a solid track record yet . You understand, right?”

“Yeah, I do . ”

“So for now, you’ll be ranked Bronze . Temporarily, of course . I’ll pass
the data from the simulation you took earlier to the higher-ups and have
them confirm your ranking . ”

“Spare me from suddenly ranking up to Gold, will you? I’d miss out on the
fun of steadily raising my rank . ”

“I— Is that so?”

It somehow felt like I’m drawing too much attention . Elma kept painfully
staring at me from the side while sporting a specially grumpy expression .
What? Please stop that . I’m just a newbie here, y’know . Please cut me a
little slack ma’am .

“For now, the rank’s tentative, but you’re already officially registered as a
mercenary . You’ll have the backing of the Mercenary Guild from now on .
And at the same time, you’ll also be carrying the name and reputation of
the Mercenary Guild with you . Please try not to forget this fact . ”

“Aren’t you supposed to explain the rules and regulations for new
members or something?”

“It’s a pain, so just read the manual yourself . I’ll send it you via e-mail . ”

“Now that’s just plain lazy . ”

“It’s not like you need to read it right away . Just run through it slowly
tonight or something . ”

“Now then, why is my great Elma-senpai so upset, I wonder?”

“Silver . ”

“Eh?”

“I’ve just managed to reach Silver after five years worth of effort y’know .
”

“Ah . Eh . Um…”

When I looked towards the receptionist uncle for help, he quickly turned
his gaze away from mine .

“You’ll probably make it to Silver yourself soon kid . ”

“Ah… Mmm . ”

“Grrr…”
“No matter what my rank turns out to be, Elma-senpai will always be my
senpai! Look, if I didn’t meet Elma-senpai, I’d probably remain
unregistered until now . I still don’t know left from right and need your
help . I’m the pathetic scrub who doesn’t even know where the
convenience store is . I’ll always be counting on Elma-senpai . It’s true!”

“I— Is that so? T— That’s fine then . Let’s go to the convenience store
next . This ‘senpai’ will properly guide you . ”

This disappointing space elf quickly regained her mood after my

unrestrained bootlicking spree . How easy .

“Amazing~ How admirable~”

“As for this colony’s map……”

“We’ll be going ahead then!”

The receptionist uncle looked like he kinda wanted to say something but I
stopped him with my gaze . Just stop uncle . It’ll be troublesome if her
mood drops again okay .

Hold on? Y’know, I probably wouldn’t have any trouble going around this
place if I managed to obtain a map . But let’s just stop that train of
thought, shall we? Yeah .
# 007 – A Grocery Store in the Space Age

# 007 – A Grocery Store in the

Space Age
As we headed to the convenience store, Elma talked about the ins and outs
of the Termaine System she managed to gain from her activities as a
mercenary . This place was a hotbed for mercenary work due to the
proliferation of pirates aiming at the large numbers of trading and
resource mining ships coming and going from the star system . They also
went for the main planetary system in close proximity to the border with
the Vereverem Federation .

“That’s why this particular planetary system has a lot or mercenaries

hanging around . Or rather, you came to this star system without even
knowing that much?”

“Nah, I already talked about my circumstances earlier . I got into an

accident and ended up getting forcibly thrown into this sector . It might be
due to the life support system malfunctioning or something, but my
memory’s quite hazy as a result . Thankfully, the ship remained intact . ”

Of course the part about losing my memory was a complete lie . If I

plainly told them I came from another dimension, they’d just probably
treat me as someone crazy, so I made up a plausible sounding excuse while
considering the fact that I knew next to nothing about the common sense
in this other world .

“Are you alright then? There’s some cases where people caught up in those
types of accidents suddenly collapsed after some time passed . I think it
would be better if you went and got yourself a thorough medical check-up
at this colony’s medical ward, just in case . ”

“You serious?! Yeah, that might be a good idea . ”

If my memory really did get messed up due to an error in the life support
system of my ship, Elma’s suggestion made absolute sense . Even though
it wasn’t actually the case, I felt like I should get myself checked anyway .
There may have been some hidden adverse effects I failed to notice after
being inexplicably transported to another dimension . Let’s put getting a
medical examination on my to-do list . While I was busy thinking about
this matter, Elma pointed towards the front and called out to me .

“Look, that’s the place . That’s the convenience store . ”

“There, huh?”

I saw a large signboard with the words [Oishii Mart] written in bold letters
in the distance . Oishii (Delicious) Mart, huh? Uh… What an easy to
understand name .

“What a damn straightforward store name . ”

“Really? I think it sounds kind of exotic though . ”

“It does?”

(Which part is?)

I wanted to retort like that, but I held it in . Was it that “Oishii” word
perhaps? Well, she isn’t really speaking in Japanese, so I guess it… Hold
on . But I’M speaking in Japanese, right? How the heck am I managing to
have a proper conversation with the people in this world anyway?

When I asked Elma about it, she explained that most advanced space
faring civilizations have a “device” to communicate their wills with other
advanced civilizations installed into their bodies . It was apparently
common sense .

“You even forgot about this?”

“Looks like it . ”

“Are you really fine? That’s honestly worrying you know . ”

The disappointing elf gave me a pitying gaze . How humiliating .

“Oh well . Come on . Let’s get inside . ”

“Kay . ”

We finally entered the store and surveyed its interior . There were lots of
products lined up on the shelves – cereal bars, canned food, food
cartridges, and tube-packed nutrient gels . There were even mystery goods
which you couldn’t tell if they were food or not and creepy creatures
immersed in a formalin-like substance .

“There sure are a lot of stuff huh?”

“Yes . What do you want to buy?”

“What’s good? Any recommendations?”

“If you have an Auto-cooker, I suggest buying some food cartridges . If

you have enough funds, you could go for artificial meat products . ”

“Artificial meat?”

“Yes . Do you not know of them? Artificially cultivated high quality

protein . It costs a lot more than ordinary foodstuffs, but tastes a lot better
.”

“What about natural meat and vegetables?”

“Those things are only eaten by the richest men and women in the entire
galaxy . We mercenaries won’t be able to buy those things no matter how
much we earn . ”

“Really?”

So I guess meat procured from livestock and naturally grown veggies were
treated as ultra-luxury items in this world . Guess it does make sense
though . Farming inside a space colony doesn’t seem to be so efficient .
While I was absorbed in my thoughts, Elma peered at my face with a
suspicious expression .

“Are you actually some sort of rich young master who takes eating natural
meat and vegetables as something normal?”

“I- I have no idea . I lost most of my memories, remember? Does it really

look like that though?”

She raised both her arms and shook her head, although she still seemed a
bit doubtful .

“Not really . I still have some reservations though . ”

“Let’s just leave it at that then . ”

We proceeded to get other food items recommended by Elma . It also

looks like you could buy water here . Although they’re a bit pricey, I ended
up buying some artificial meat . Other than that, I also bought some food
cartridges, cereal bars and tube-packed nutrient gels . She also
recommended some jerky-like stuff .

“How about some canned food?”

“I don’t really recommend those . They would definitely cause a mess if

you opened them in a Zero-G environment . ”

She pointed out that the liquid soup or sauce in canned food would
immediately float up once you opened them . Solid food like jerky and
cereal bars or semi-liquid food like nutrient gels were more suitable for
space travel .

“Okay… Are there some carbonated drinks?”

“Carbonated drinks? What are those?”

“Well, uh… stuff like cola or sodas . They’re sweet and refreshing drinks .
”
“???”

Elma tilted her head in confusion . She really looked like she had no idea .

“They have juice here, right?”

“Y- Yes . They come in various flavors . ”

“They’re sort of like those – but are infused with dissolved carbon dioxide
. They fizzle inside your mouth the moment you drink them and taste
really good . ”

“I haven’t really heard of anything like that though?”

“Say… what…!?”

Does this world really not have carbonated drinks!? I tried asking the
cashier about them, but all I got was some words of apology in return .

“God is dead……!”

“Why are you suddenly saying things like a devout believer who has
completely lost his faith and is about to die because of it?”

To think that there really were no carbonated drinks in this world… No,
wait up? I seem to remember reading something about not being able to
properly drink carbonated stuff inside a spacecraft on the net once . I don’t
know if it’s due to the absence of gravity or the difference in atmospheric
pressure, but wasn’t it excluded because of this?

If this was truly the case, then it would be fine to have them in an
environment with gravity and normal atmospheric pressure… Was it not
possible even inside a colony? Perhaps because the artificial gravity is
gained from centrifugal force? I- I have no idea . I can’t wrap my head
around it .

But maybe I’ll be able to drink them if I stay on a residential planet or

something? They might be normally sold over there too .
“I’ve decided to buy a detached house with a garden on a residential planet
in the future!”

“Now that’s abrupt… How did you decide on that just by hearing about
that carbonated drink thing? A house on a residential planet is way too
expensive, I’ll have you know . The only ones permitted to own homes on
residential planets in the Graccan Empire are only those who have the
status of 1st Class imperial citizens . And it apparently costs hundreds of
millions of Enel to purchase the land title and obtain citizenship . ”

“You serious!? You could buy a Whale Class Heavy Cruiser with that kind
of money!”

“It’s true . I’ve heard this info from imperial soldiers before . ”

Hundreds of millions of Enel huh…? Argh! That’s way too expensive!

However… However…!

I . WANT . TO . DRINK . SOME . SODA~A!!!

“A lofty goal is a great source of motivation . ”

“Do whatever you want then . ”

Elma shrugged her shoulders in exasperation, but this was an issue of life
and death for me! After I bought some water and food, I asked the cashier
to send them directly to my ship and exited the store with some food and
drink I got for take-out . I also gave Elma her share, of course . Just a
bottle of juice though .
#008 – Young Girl

#008 – Young Girl

“You had this Elma-san guide you for today, so treating me to this much
can be considered cheap, right?”

The disappointing elf grinned happily as she stuck a straw inside a bottle
made of unknown material .

“Yup . It’s a steal . ”

But right when I left the store and looked around, I ended up seeing
something unexpected .

“……Haah . Gah . Ugh . ”

“Stay still, you damn bitch!”

“Gehehe… We finally caught ya . ”

“She ended up getting a bit dirty, but she’ll do just fine . ”

“Let’s just get to it man! I can’t stand it anymore!”

A young girl was being dragged into a back alley by seedy guys who
looked like delinquents . They seemed to have chased her down . Judging
from their earlier convo, it was easy to imagine just what they’ll do to the
girl .

“Hold it right there . ”

I reached out for the grip of my laser gun and was about to step forward
when my belt was suddenly grabbed . It was naturally Elma who stopped
me .
“Are you just going to let that slide?”

“Is she your acquaintance?”

“Not really . But…”

The girl desperately resisted her captors, but was gradually cornered
deeper inside the alley . Our eyes met . Her pleading gaze struck me .

“If so, then it’s not our business . Leave it be . ”

“You…”

“Now look here mister . That kind of thing happens all the time in this
galaxy . Don’t tell me you’re going to stick your neck in everytime you
encounter that sort of stuff? It won’t be enough, no matter how many lives
you’ve got . Those who can’t even protect themselves are just prey . Even
if you help her out now, she’ll just end up getting into the same sort of
trouble later . ”

This woman’s point was blunt and practical . I’m neither a god nor some
sort of superhero . I was just a half-baked, wet-behind-the-ears mercenary
wannabe .

“You aren’t some protagonist of a heroic saga . You’re just one guy with a
starship . ”

As Elma lectured me, the girl was finally completely subdued and
disappeared inside the alley on one of the thugs shoulders . Her gaze was
still directed at me and her hands kept reaching out to plead for help . But
those outstretched hands were simply unable to reach me .

“Yeah, that’s true…”

What Elma’s saying has some truth to it . But was it “true” for me as well?

“You really think I’d say that!? You cold-hearted disappointing elf!”
I can’t just allow this shit! If I abandoned that girl now, I won’t be able to
get any proper sleep from guilt . Everytime I’d remember that girl’s
helpless expression, I’m sure my morale would be shaved off until there’s
nothing left . Just spare me from that .

“Wai-“

I swept Elma’s hand which was holding onto my belt away, threw my
baggage down and ran inside the alley . I removed the laser gun from its
holster and gripped it tight . I set the power output to the minimum .

“Just give up already bitch!”

“Don’t struggle . Won’t ya learn until ya get to feel some pain?”

“Nooo! Noooooo!”

“Guess I need to hit you good so you’d stay still—”

One of the thugs surrounding the girl inside the alley raised his fist . I
aimed the muzzle of the laser gun at his arm in one smooth motion and
pulled the trigger .

A sound akin to rushing electricity rang out, and a bright flash dyed the
narrow alleyway in crimson . Moments after, the thug cried out in a pained
voice .

“Gyaaaaa~”

The laser shot I fired hit his raised fist dead on . I’ve never fired a real gun
before this, but I luckily managed to hit my target for some reason . I
don’t think my experience playing FPS games would help much in this
situation, but I’m glad it worked out anyway .

“Wha—!?”

I aimed my gun at the remaining confused thugs and pulled the trigger . I
pulled it repeatedly .
Each time a crimson flash ran through the alley, the men miserably
screamed . As expected, the minimum power setting doesn’t pack enough
punch to kill people .

“That huuuuurts!”

“Ow! Oooow!?”

“Aieeeeee~!?”

It won’t kill but it seems to be really painful . It would be a bit of a

problem if I went any further than this, so after torturing them for a bit
more, I screamed threateningly at the thugs .

“Get lost punks! You won’t end up with just burns next time!”

The thugs hurriedly disappeared deeper inside the alley while sporting
terrified expressions . The only ones who remained in the area was the
laser gun toting me and the young girl who was leaning against the wall
with disheveled clothes and staring intently onto my face .

I walked past her in the direction those thugs fled towards while still
holding up my gun . I called out to her .

“I’m gonna keep watch, so hurry and fix your clothes . We have to get out
of here soon . ”

“…Ah! Yes!”

The young girl answered in a voice which seemed close to tears, and
rustling sounds of clothes being fixed came from behind me . I checked
how the girl was doing while still pointing my gun towards the back of the
alleyway . This would end up a lame joke if, by any chance, this girl was
actually an accomplice of those thugs and stabs me in the back or
something .

Thankfully, nothing like that happened and the girl who finished tidying
herself turned towards me . When I urged her to run back to the entrance
of the alleyway with my gaze, the girl whose eyes turned puffy and red
rimmed tearfully nodded and rushed out right away . I followed soon after
.

“Welcome back . ”

When I got out of the alley, Elma greeted me while carrying the baggage I
threw down earlier . Her face clearly displayed an exasperated expression .

“So what are you going to do about that girl?”

“What do you mean…?”

When I turned towards the girl, she also turned towards me . We kept
staring at each other .

Now that I got a good look at her, she was actually a really pretty girl,
although she got herself a little dirty from that earlier scuffle . Her height
was on the smaller side . I was about a head taller than her . But in contrast
to her height, her pair of womanly assets were of a size incomparable with
those sported by the cold-hearted disappointing elf . I thought big breasted
lolis only existed in the world of 2D, but to think they actually existed in
reality as well .

Her eyes and hair were of the same reddish brown color; akin to tea . Her
face was of the cuter variety . Yup, instead of describing her as a beauty, it
would be more appropriate to call her a cute girl . The clothes she was
wearing were a bit soiled and damaged in some places due to the incident
with those thugs earlier .

“Stop staring at her and answer me . ”

“I didn’t really think it through when I rescued her . What would be the
best course of action senpai?”

“That’s right, isn’t it? You didn’t think it through huh . I was a fool for
asking . Here . I’m going now . ”

Elma sighed as she handed back my things and started walking away . I
see . So that’s how you wanna play it huh .
“Ee~h… Was Elma-senpai actually a half-baked person who would
abandon her kouhai after getting her reward?”

After hearing my words, Elma paused her steps as her long ears trembled .

“Can’t be helped then . It’s my fault for not realizing what kind of person
she was anyway . And I thought she was such a great senpai and
everything . ”

As I continued to goad her, Elma’s ears trembled even more . Just one
more push left .

“I guess the uncle from the Mercenary Guild was way more reliable than a
cold-blooded, small chested disappointing elf huh? I can’t believe she’d
just abandon a kouhai like that . ”

“I’m gonna murder you, bastard!”

She finally couldn’t take it anymore and rushed back with tremendous
momentum . She grabbed me by the chest while fuming . Oh, scary .

“As expected of Elma-senpai! Like I thought, Elma-senpai wasn’t the kind

to leave her kouhai and a poor young girl in the lurch like that after all .
Amazing~! How admirable~!”

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you…? Ha~ah . Why do I even

bother to take care of this kind of stuff…?”

“It’s a good way to kill time right? Do your best♡ Do your best♡”

“If you don’t shut that cheeky mouth of yours soon, I’ll pull your tongue
out boy . ”

“Roger!”

When I offered my apologies, Elma sighed and closed her eyes in defeat .
Wahahaha! It’s your fault for calling me out to kill some time . Just give
up already .
“You already ignored my warning earlier . Are you telling me you’re still
willing to listen?”

“That depends on what you’re gonna tell me . Please say something which
would put smiles on both my and this girl’s faces . ”

“……”

Elma made a really disgusted face . Don’t make that kind of expression
lady . Your beautiful looks would be ruined .

“So what exactly do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking of having her board my ship as a crew member . Maybe I

could entrust her with guard duty or gathering intel?”

“Guard duty huh…? Do you like this type of girl, perhaps?”

“Like…? Well, I do think she’s a cute girl . ”

I couldn’t really say it out loud, but her future looked really promising,
with those heavyweight knockers and all . When I moved my gaze towards
the girl, she looked up at me with her two hands clasping each other like
she was in prayer . Her face looked red, and her body was trembling .

“Anyway, let’s get out of this place first . Let’s go somewhere we can rest
up and calm down a bit . ”

“…It’ll be your treat . ”

“Aye aye, ma’am! Come on then . We won’t do anything bad to you . If

you’re having difficulty walking, you can grab onto me . ”

“……Yes . ”

The girl timidly nodded and lightly grasped the hem of my jacket . You
could grab on more firmly y’know . My jacket’s quite sturdy, so it won’t
get stretched out that easily .
#009 – Bill Bundle Binta

#009 – Bill Bundle Binta

Elma took us to a cafe-like shop adjacent to the Mercenary Guild building
. It somehow resembled San*ku Cafe .

I ordered something like cafe au lait and something resembling a sandwich

. Elma also ordered cafe au lait . The young girl refrained from ordering
anything, but I got her a cafe au lait and sandwich anyway .

“So what’s your name?”

“Um… I’m Mimi . ”

“Oh yeah . We haven’t introduced ourselves yet huh . The name’s Hiro . ”

“Shut it you . So you’re Mimi . So what can you do? Do you have any
skills useful when boarding a starship?”

Telling me to shut up was kinda cruel lady… Self-introductions are

important y’know .

“Um… What exactly would you have me do?”

“……I already have a rough idea after hearing you say that, but I’ll lay it
out for you anyway . This guy doesn’t need any support when it comes to
combat, so anything other than that . Things like supply procurement,
organizing information, negotiations with clients, liaising with the
Mercenary Guild, contacting port security for take-off and landing
requests and other such procedures . ”

“I don’t have any experience in any of them…”

“I thought so . I guess you can only be entrusted with looking after the
ship then . Cooking and laundry work… And since you’re a lady, please
take care of this guy’s ‘physical needs’ as well . ”

“Puhaaah!”

I involuntarily spat out the contents of my mouth . Physical needs!?

You’re being a little too straightforward there lady!

“Ew . That’s gross!”

Elma, who was sitting just in front of me, angrily glared at me . My bad .
But you’re partly to blame too y’know!

“You— Whaddya mean ‘take care of his physical needs’!?”

“What’s wrong? I thought you already had that intention when you decided
to let this girl board your ship . Isn’t that right?” Elma matter-of-factly
stated with a nonplussed expression .

“I admit I thought she was really cute and I want to get along with her
more if possible, but I wasn’t thinking of taking it that far right off the bat,
you idiot!”

“What’s up with that? You’re surprisingly pure aren’t you? Are you really
a pampered young master or something?”

“That’s not it… But what’s with this shit anyway? Is ‘doing it’ with a girl
the moment she gets onto ones private ship taken as common sense here or
something?!”

“That’s not the case if both parties are engaged in an equal relationship .
But your relationship with this girl is anything but equal . So it’s not
surprising to consider something like that at all . ”

What the hell? I don’t even know how to retort . There wasn’t anything
about this sort of stuff in Stella Online .

“No, no . I ain’t thinking about doing something that low . I’m not that
much of a jerkass y’now . ”
“Hmm . Well, it doesn’t really matter to me in any case . It’s enough that
you’re aware this sort of thing is taken as something normal here . ”

“Ugh……”

When I glanced towards Mimi, she shyly avoided my gaze with a bright
red face . No, no . You don’t have to react like that okay! I won’t do any
such thing . I didn’t rescue you with such a goal in mind!

I was screaming those retorts inside my head . But they’ll sound like
flimsy excuses if I say them out loud . So I decided to keep them to myself
.

“What do you want to do Mimi? Or rather, what were you doing walking
around that sort of place anyway? If a defenseless girl like you wanders
around in those sorts of areas, things like that are bound to happen . ”

“T- That’s……”

“Did you commit some sort of crime and escaped into the 3rd Block
perhaps? What about your guardians?”

“……”

The moment she heard the word ‘guardians’, tears started to fall from
Mimi’s eyes . Oh c’mon . Now you made her cry…

Mimi started telling us about her story as she cried . It was a typical
tragedy .

Mimi grew up happily in a normal household on the 2nd Block . But one
day, all the related personnel responsible for maintaining the colony’s
oxygen plant died in an accident – including her parents .

Somehow, Mimi’s parents ended up taking all the blame for the said
accident, and almost all of their properties were confiscated . Mimi, who
was still a student without any proper source of income, was expelled to
the 3rd Block due to her inability to pay taxes in order to stay in the 2nd
Block .
“The hell . Is that okay? There’s no safety net or something?”

“I have no idea . The important thing is that this girl literally has nowhere
else to go . ”

“Yeah, I guess… She’s got no more other options left huh . ”

If Mimi doesn’t chose to board my ship, the only place she could come
back to was the 3rd Block . If something similar to the incident earlier
happens once more, there would be next to no chance of her escaping
again .

“Um, please… I’ll do anything . So please let me board big brother’s ship .
” Mimi desperately pleaded while bowing her head .

“Alright, I understand . I’ll do something about it, so don’t worry and

leave it to me . So go ahead and eat your sandwich, okay . I think you
haven’t had a decent meal yet, right?”

“Yes……”

Perhaps she finally felt reassured due to my words . Mimi gingerly

reached out for her sandwich . When I turned towards Elma, I found her
making a really disgusted face .

“Well, that’s the case . So would the nice and considerate Elma-senpai
please guide Mimi through the proper procedures for officially boarding
my ship as a crew member?”

“Are you serious?”

“Very . ”

“It’s going to cost you . A lot . ”

“A lot? It’s that expensive?”

✩★✩
“The payment for head tax and 2nd Block residential tax plus accumulated
late penalties, all remaining unpaid indemnity fees for the bereaved
worker’s families due to the incident involving her parents and the fees in
order to grant her the right to freely move to any sector amounts to a total
of 500,000 Enel . ”

“You serious? Like, totally serious?!”

A man with an uptight atmosphere wearing a suit and had hair parted in a
7:3 ratio looked at me with a serious face and charged me an exorbitant
price . If you convert 500,000 Enel to Japanese Yen, it’ll be 50 million! 50
million Yen! What’s up with this absurd price?

We were currently at the main office of the Population Management

Bureau of the trading colony Termaine Prime; in other words, a
government office . We came here in order to go through the proper
procedures for Mimi to be officially recognized as a crew member of my
ship . But when they checked Mimi’s information on their database, we
were led to a backroom and billed outrageously .

By the way, Elma said she disliked the atmosphere inside a government
office and took the opportunity to disappear somewhere when they called
us to the backroom . Mimi went together with me, but when she heard the
price, her face turned blue and was now trembling like a small animal .

“Yes . I’ve actually already rounded the amount off for you sir . Would you
like to confirm the details?”

“Yes, please . ”

And so, the guy showed me the details . I saw them, but I couldn’t judge if
the price they told us was the proper amount or not even though I could
read the numbers .

Just the fee for securing an unrestricted moving rights pass was already
200,000 Enel man! Are they seriously not trying to rip us off?
“…What’s up with burdening a minor with the debt incurred by her
parents? Don’t you have a policy which would allow her to decline that
kind of negative inheritance by filing for bankruptcy or something?”

“Well, there actually is one in place . But the other party should have
applied for it within three months after knowing the existence of the debt .
It’s already way past the grace period . It can be said that making her move
to the 3rd Block in order to exempt her from paying the debt is a so called
safety net,” the government official declared without a change in his
expression .

What kind of shitty ‘safety net’ is that? Sure, you wouldn’t have to pay the
debt if you move to the slums, but you’d also be losing any form of
support from the government as a result .

In the first place, they should have known that forcing an underage girl
without any skills to support herself to live in the slums was a recipe for
disaster . It’s not some damn safety net but just plain abandonment . Are
the heads of the folks administrating this colony screwed on right?

“I’ve heard that mercenaries do earn quite a bit, but I can’t imagine you
being able to pay 500,000 Enel sir . I think any further discussion is a
waste of time . I’m not too familiar with the place, but I’m sure there
would be a suitable playground for you to unleash your desires in the 3rd
Block . Can’t you just be satisfied with that and stop reaching for things
beyond your station?”

The bastard with the 7:3 parted hair smiled in contempt . Hah! You sure
about that? I really wasn’t planning on doing any of that stuff to Mimi
once I take her in, like what this bastard is obviously thinking .

But… fine . You bastard . You’re looking down on me huh? I’ll take you
on fucker .

“Alright, that’s fine . 500,000 Enel, correct? I can pay that kind of money
in a heartbeat . ”

“Huh!?”
After hearing my words, the 7:3 hair bastard’s expression turned ugly right
away . Yeah, that’s what I wanted to see .

“What? So it’s not just your personality that’s bad but even your ears?
500,000 Enel . I’m gonna settle that amount right now . Go and process it
already . ”

“…Are you trying to make some sort of joke sir?”

“Annoying . I’m telling you to process it already . ”

When I took out my portable data terminal and showed my willingness to

pay, the man with 7:3 parted hair finally proceeded without hesitation . His
personality was the absolute worst, but he sure works fast . The entire
process was finished in no time .

The payment of 500,000 Enel to Termaine Prime was debited from my

account, and a certificate stating Mimi’s debt was fully cleared and her
unrestricted moving rights pass were both issued .

This unrestricted moving rights thing seemed to be some special pass

which would exempt you from paying taxes unless you decide to settle
down somewhere in the future . It’s really expensive . This alone was
200,000 Enel . It’s like paying taxes in advance .

After listening to some detailed explanations from the 7:3 guy, we took all
the documents we managed to acquire and left the government office .
When we came out, my info terminal’s ring tone went off . It was a
message from Elma . She was apparently inside a nearby clothing store .
She even sent some navigation info .

“Are you alright?”

“Y- Yes, I’m fine . ”

Mimi’s mood had obviously fallen after I paid off her debt . I have no way
of knowing what’s going on inside her mind, but after getting chased
around by hoodlums and subsequently rescued, spilling out her grievances
in a cafe, and getting shocked by the astronomical amount of debt in the
government office, her heart may need some time to settle down a bit .

I actually wanted to hurry and have her board the ship so she could rest up,
but we still had to buy some new clothes for her so she’ll have some stuff
to change into daily .

It’s unfortunate, but I had to take her to the clothing store to buy some new
clothes before we could return to the ship .

“So what happened?”

“I hit their faces with a thick wad of cash… err, Enel . ”

“Great . That’s more like how us mercs do things . Anyway, I’ve managed
to pick out some clothes for Mimi to change into . Here . ”

Elma pressed a bag apparently filled with clothes onto me along with the
bill . The price… wasn’t that expensive . It doesn’t seem to be that big an
amount . Looks like she only bought ordinary clothes .

“For the time being, I bought some clothes, underwear and some other
necessary things for daily use . I’m sure it isn’t enough for the two of you,
so try to look around yourselves and buy the things you need here in the
next few days . ”

“Sorry for the trouble . And thanks . ”

“It won’t hurt if you express your gratitude more you know?”

“I think I’ve given you the appropriate rewards already, see . And it was a
great time waster, right?”

“It wasn’t enough for all that trouble… Honestly . Well, it did serve to kill
some time though . This should be fine, right? I’m going back to my ship .
”

“We’re going back too . I want to have Mimi rest up soon . ”

“That’s good . Try not to get yourself caught up in this guy’s pace . And
also, make sure to properly look after him . If you leave him alone for a
bit, I’m sure he’ll stick his neck into something troublesome again and get
himself killed . ”

“Y- Yes!”

Mimi responded with enthusiasm to Elma’s lecture . Perhaps Mimi sees

Elma as an elder sister figure she can rely on .

“You too . Take care of yourself, alright? If you went and got yourself
involved in something troublesome again and get killed in the process, this
kid would be forced to roam the back alleys once more . Stop being so
reckless . ”

“I get it . Elma-senpai is unexpectedly good at taking care of others huh?”

“It’s the wisdom that comes with age boy . You seem to have forgotten, but
I’m actually far older than you are . ”

“Oh yeah . You’re right . ”

It doesn’t really seem like it because she just looks so damn young, but
Elma really was older than me by more than a dozen years . She was way
too peppy for an old lady though, so I tended to forget .

TL Note: Binta means face-slap . Hiro figuratively face-slapped the

government official with Enels lol . Hence, the chapter title .
# 010 – Mimi

# 010 – Mimi
When we got back to the ship, the first thing I did was guide Mimi to her
room . I was using the single room as my bedroom, so she’ll have to
choose from the two double rooms . They’re literally just across from each
other along the hallway, so it didn’t really matter which one she chooses .

“I’ll take this room . Um… Would that be alright?”

“Of course . Once you arrange your luggage, you can take a shower .
Afterwards, I’ll have you undergo a simple vital check on the med-pod . ”

“It even has such equipment… T- This ship is amazing! It’s comparable to
a first class residential unit . ”

“Really?”

I’m not really a good judge for these things, since I lack this world’s
common sense . Afterwards, I toured her to the laundry room, kitchen,
medical bay, training room, cockpit and cargo hold . It was more efficient
to show them to her all at once after all .

“Please don’t enter the cockpit unless I expressly allow it . ”

“I understand . ”

“What else should I… Ah! We’ll have to buy you a portable data terminal
too Mimi . ”

It would be better for her to have a personal terminal so I can contact her
anytime . She could also use it to gather info . Guess a tablet type would
be a good choice .

“But such an expensive thing is…”

“It’s a necessary expense after all . ”

There’s not much work to do inside the ship . Let’s buy one tomorrow to
pass some time . And didn’t we only manage to buy the minimum amount
of clothes and living essentials? Let’s buy some more clothes and
household items too .

“Anyway, you must be exhausted so take a shower first and rest up . Let’s
talk about vital checks and other business afterwards . ”

“Yes . I’m sorry . ”

“I’d like to hear a ‘thank you’ rather than ‘I’m sorry’ though . You’re
familiar with how to operate the shower right?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine . Thank you very much . ”

“That’s more like it . I’ll either be in the cockpit or my own room, so just
tell me if you need something okay . Don’t hesitate to say if you’re hungry
. We’re going to be living together from now on, so there’s no need to be
reserved alright . ”

“I understand . ”

Mimi nodded obediently . Great . It’ll be troublesome if you hold back

even if you feel hungry after all . This is good .

I can’t just watch a girl as she takes a shower, so I left the room and
moved to the cockpit . I haven’t asked Mimi about her exact age yet, but
she doesn’t seem to be at an age where she still needed adults to supervise
her . I wonder how old she is? Judging from her earlier story, she seemed
to still be a student in the middle of adolescence . Her height’s on the
smaller end, but some other aspects have grown splendidly… Hm . About
17 years old, give or take? I’ll just ask her later .

I didn’t have much to do, so I decided to research about the layout of the
3rd Block in order to prepare for tomorrow . We’ll have to buy some more
daily necessities and clothes for Mimi . Speaking of which, should I also
buy some medicine just in case? Yeah, I’ll get some too . We’ll also need
to buy an information terminal . There’s a lot of stores listed huh?

Well, since that’s the case, all the more need to research each shop and
read reviews about all of them . When I did so, I was surprised with the
results: things like shops selling illegally procured goods, selling
medicines long past their expiration dates or coming home with your
purchase only to find nothing inside the package except for scrap materials
.

When I excluded those from the search results, the number of relatively
“decent” stores inside the 3rd Block turned out to be quite few . Oh, and
the convenience store and clothing shop Elma led us to were actually some
of those few “decent” ones .

I’ve always mocked her as a disappointing space elf, but she really was
quite reliable .

While I was busy doing some research, Mimi’s face peeked out from
outside the open cockpit hatch . She really was quite the cutie; specially
after taking a shower and getting refreshed . But her clothes seemed a little
thin . The temperature regulation system inside the ship was pretty high-
end, so she won’t end up getting uncomfortable from being cold anyway .

“Are you hungry?”

Mimi’s cheeks turned red from my question, and she gingerly nodded her
head .

“Alrighty then . Let’s eat go eat some grub . Feel free to tell me if you’re
hungry, just like now okay . ”

“Yes…”

She still seemed embarrassed about being hungry . It’s alright . I

understand . I led the embarrassed Mimi to the kitchen . Well, even though
I called it a kitchen, there were actually no kitchen equipment inside apart
from the Auto-cooker . The said device basically handles all food
preparation, so it may be more appropriate to call it a dining area instead
of a kitchen .

“You can eat whatever you like . I bought some artificial meat earlier . I
actually feel like trying it now . Do you want to try it too Mimi?”

“I’ll try it . ”

I set the Auto-cooker to prepare a menu using artificial meat and activated
it . I selected the large serving for myself and the normal amount for Mimi
. After a few moments, the Auto-cooker let out a ping which indicated that
the meals were ready .

“Hm . So this is the so called artificial meat dish… It’s white colored, but
it does seem fairly delicious huh?”

“Yes, it does . ”

What appeared on our plates were meat resembling fish fillets covered in
sauce, with pilaf and potato salad on the side . The amount on my plate
was quite a lot since I ordered a large serving .

“Muh… This really is pretty good stuff . ”

“It’s delicious . ”

This artificial meat things was delicious . It was sweet and juicy, non-
greasy and with just the right texture . And the sauce used was also quite
exquisite . The pilaf had also soaked up the artificial meat’s juices, which
served to enhance its umami flavor . The potato salad? It tasted like your
normal potato salad .

“You don’t have to force yourself to finish it all, okay?”

“I’m fine…”

Mimi’s stomach was already bulging a bit . It seems like she’s forcing
herself to finish her food . Let’s order a smaller serving for her next time .
Yep . Mimi peered at my face as I put the plates inside the dishwasher .
What’s up? I tilted my head in puzzlement .

“W- What are you going to do after this?”

“After this, huh? Hm . Well, if you sleep after eating, you’re more likely to
get fat . I guess I’ll head to the training room to move my body a bit or
something?”

Krishna also had a well stocked training room . The various exercise
equipment are all designed for preventing muscular degeneration while
out in space . I’ve also basically spent most of my time since coming to
this world holed up inside my ship, so I need to exercise inside the training
room to avoid putting on weight .

“It’s fine if you went and rested up some more Mimi . You must be pretty
exhausted right?”

There really were a lot of eventful stuff today . I already feel kind of worn
out because of them . I’m sure Mimi feels more exhausted than me .

“U- Um… Okay, I’ll do so . ”

Mimi seemed to want to deny it first, but thought a bit and changed her
mind . Yup, it’s better if you rest up obediently . After bidding her good
night, I headed for the training room .

I don’t really intend to become a bodybuilder or anything, so I just

exercised moderately . I completed each exercise in a menu set by an AI
instructor . This AI instructor created an optimized exercise routine based
on the data about my calorie intake gathered from my information
terminal and the Auto-cooker .

The workout was quite intense, but having a definite goal displayed helped
motivate me to complete the menu .

After sufficiently exercising, I went and took a shower next . I sort of just
went with the flow earlier today, but I ended up having to live with a
young girl under one roof from now on . I want to avoid being seen as
some sort of creep while we’re living together . My heart won’t be able to
take it .

After washing up a little more than usual, I finally went to bed . After
coming to this world, I kinda felt the urge to live a healthier lifestyle . I
planned to exercise regularly, eat a well-balanced diet and get adequate
sleep . Yep, how healthy .

“Nnn… Haa . ”

I took off my jacket and pants and laid down on the bed in just my
underwear . A lot of stuff happened to me today . Why the heck did it turn
out like this even though I just went out to buy some food? It felt like my
meeting with Elma was the trigger that started it all . Did that space elf
have a quality that attracts trouble or something? It might be better to keep
some distance from now on .

“Um……”

While I was absorbed in thought, Mimi’s face peeked out from outside the
open door . For some reason, her face was bright red and she seemed quite
tense .

Man, I messed up . I ended up leaving the door open due to habit . And I
was even just in my underwear .

“What’s wrong? Uh, hold that thought . I’m in my underwear, so let me

change into something decent first . ”

“……”

“Wait up a bit oka— Eeh!?”

Why’d you suddenly come in when I told you to wait? Rather, why the
heck are you wearing a transparent negligee!? You aren’t even wearing bra
and panties oi! That’s bad! Really bad!

“Stop, stooop! What the heck!?”

I reflexively covered my eyes with my hands . But I’d like you folks to
forgive me for peeking through the gaps of my fingers . It’s a man’s
natural instinct .

“I’ve come to fulfill my nightly duties……” Mimi whispered in a small

voice as she slowly drew near the bed I was lying on . The only thing she’s
wearing was a transparent negligee . She doesn’t even have slippers on .

“Uh, well… Don’t we do this kind of thing after getting to know each
other better or something?”

“Um, this is the only thing I can offer you… And I don’t hate it if it’s with
Hiro-sama……”

She called me by name for the first time just now . No, wait . Now’s not
the time for thinking about that . Aa~ah! You mustn’t dear customer! You
really mustn’t! While I was busy panicking, Mimi finally reached the bed
and snuggled up to me . Uooh! Two soft things are touching me! It was
Mimi-san’s large caliber chest missiles! Critical! Critical hit! This is bad!

“Um…… I already drank some medicine, so it should be fine . ”

“Me- Medicine!? What medicine!?”

“Um, contraceptives… and some that would prevent it from hurting on my

first time… Elma-san gave them to me… Even this underwear is from her
.”

Nanii!? So it was that damn elf! Does she expect me to thank her for this!?

“Um…… Do you not like me? Do you prefer someone beautiful like
Elma-san…”

“I can’t . I really can’t, okay . I didn’t really help you out aiming for this
sort of stuff!”

“But this is the only thing I can do… And, well… I’m scared… So
please…”
Scared? Of what exactly? What does she mean?

“I have nothing else… so this is to make sure . If I do this… then big

brother won’t… abandon me…”

Mimi’s voice gradually lowered to nothing more than a whisper . I see . So

she thinks she’s no good for anything else other than ‘this’ . So she’s
worried I’ll suddenly change my mind and throw her out . That’s why she
wanted for us to have a sort of connection through our bodies . So that’s it .
That’s it huh? Does she really think I’m that kind of lecherous guy? It
kinda hurts man .

“Big brother… Hiro-sama won’t do anything like that . So please don’t

worry, alright?”

“But… Um . ”

In other words, if I don’t deal with Mimi’s doubts about my character, she
won’t feel relieved . While I was thinking about how to deal with this
matter, the information terminal’s ring tone rang out . I saw the message
‘Take responsibility and properly embrace her . ’ when I looked at the
screen .

There was only one person who would send me such a message in this
situation . In other words, it was that disappointing space elf who planned
all of this .

“Please… Don’t leave me…” Mimi cried out with a sorrowful voice while
hugging me . She was probably worried about this sort of stuff because of
the things Elma said earlier . I’m gonna give her a good armlock when I
see her next time . Absolutely .

“Fine, I get it . ”

“……!”

Ah, what the hell should I say at this point? This stuff was way over my
head so I ended up mostly speechless .
I don’t really have any clever words on hand to say in this situation . It
was a bit too special . For the meantime, I pulled Mimi closer to me and
lightly returned her hug . I gently patted her back in order to reassure her a
bit .

“I’ll be as gentle as possible . ”

Mimi wordlessly nodded her head and relaxed her body . What the heck is
with this eroge-like development?

TL Note: I know some folks won’t be too happy with this sort of
development . But don’t blame me . Blame the author lol .

And here’s what said author had to say in this chapter’s Author’s Note –

Author: (´·ω·`) [So jealous . ]

Me: Riiight…
# 011 – My Destined Person

# 011 – My Destined Person

*Mimi’s POV

What should I do?

I’ve constantly repeated these same few words inside my mind for the past
six months . They have been echoing inside my head ever since mom and
dad got caught up in an accident and died .

There was a large amount of debt that was next to impossible to repay .
The savings my parents left me were constantly decreasing day by day .
The inevitable bankruptcy which couldn’t be avoided even when I dropped
out of school and lived extremely frugally . I couldn’t take it anymore .

Just three days ago, I was finally kicked out of my home along with the
revocation of my status as a 2nd Class citizen . I was then forced to live in
the 3rd Block instead .

The 3rd Block . It was a place that was synonymous with the term
‘underworld’ – a place where 3rd Class citizens who couldn’t properly pay
taxes were banished to . It was an area of this colony ruled by violence and
vice . I was thrown out into such a place .

I’ve long heard of the rumors regarding what happens to women thrown
here from the 2nd Block . After being caught by bad men, they are made
into prostitutes and forced to sell their bodies to customers until the drugs
they are made to take crippled them and made them useless . Once that
happens, they are mercilessly thrown back into the dirty alleyways to fend
for themselves .

There seem to be some lucky women who end up getting fancied by

mercenaries or merchants who visit from outside, but those cases are few
and far between . Most are destined to be miserable while suffering from
withdrawal symptoms from the drugs, and finally incinerated along with
the trash once their lives come to an end . That’s what I heard . I’m so
scared . I don’t want that .

So I fled and hid . But I didn’t have any Enel to buy water . Rather, even
the terminals necessary for Enel transactions were confiscated by the
people from the Colony Government Bureau .

“Stay still, you damn bitch!”

“Gehehe… We finally caught ya . ”

I eventually exhausted my stamina, became unable to move and was

caught by some men . They looked at me with disgusting grins on their
faces .

“She ended up getting a bit dirty, but she’ll do just fine . ”

“Let’s just get to it man! I can’t stand it anymore!”

I was forcibly dragged into a dark alley while being unable to mount any
sort of resistance . The hands of the men unreservedly groped my body all
over and violently ripped my clothes apart .

“Just give up already bitch!”

“Don’t struggle . Won’t ya learn until ya get to feel some pain?”

I finally managed to resist them . I was surprised I still had some strength
to do so left in me .

“Guess I need to hit you good so you’d stay still—”

The man raised his fist . Once it was swung down, I will surely become
completely helpless before them . It’s all over . The moment I thought
that, a blinding red light flashed past .

“Giiiih!?”
The men screamed whenever a red flash dyed the back alley crimson .

“Get lost punks! You won’t end up with just burns next time!”

A fierce voice suddenly rang out, and the men who were assaulting me
miserably fled away . I leaned powerlessly against the wall and moved my
gaze towards the source of the voice .

It was a young man . He wore rugged looking clothes . …Maybe he’s a

mercenary?

He had a laser gun and sported a tense expression, but I somehow felt that
his eyes looked kind . He had black hair . His age… seemed to be similar
to mine, or maybe just a bit older .

This ‘big brother’ glanced back at me and opened his mouth to speak
while pointing the laser gun towards the direction the men from earlier
fled to .

“I’m gonna keep watch, so hurry and fix your clothes . We have to get out
of here soon . ”

He was apparently here to help me . I fixed my appearance as much as

possible and hurriedly escaped from the alley . I finally managed to reach
a well lit area once more .

“Welcome back . ”

When I got out of the alley, an elf lady dressed similarly to that big brother
called out . She’s probably also a mercenary . I wonder what their
relationship is? I couldn’t help thinking about that .

“So what are you gonna do about that girl?”

“What do you mean…?”

Big brother looks at me with a troubled expression . His eyes really do

seem kind . I somehow felt relieved just by gazing back at them . But my
heart also pounded furiously .
“Stop staring at her and answer me . ”

The elf lady started talking freely with the big brother who rescued me . I
somehow felt pain inside my chest while watching them .

“So what exactly do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking of having her board my ship as a crewmember . Maybe I

could entrust her with guard duty or gathering intel?”

An intense shock just ran throughout my entire body . Me, boarding big
brother’s ship? But that means I’d… My cheeks felt hot . We’ve just met
too . But, if it’s with this person—

“Guard duty huh…? Do you like this type of girl, perhaps?”

The elf lady turned her face towards me . She was a very beautiful person .
Her skin was milky smooth, without any wrinkles or blemishes . Her
eyelashes were also elegant and long . Although I was also a girl, I was
still charmed by her .

“Like…? Well, I do think she’s a cute girl . ”

The man who rescued me gazed at me as well, but quickly averted his eyes
. I think he just looked at my chest for a few moments . These big breasts
always attracted too much attention and made my shoulders stiff, but right
now I kind of wanted to praise myself for successfully nurturing such
large assets .

“Anyway, let’s get out of this place first . Let’s go somewhere we can rest
up and calm down a bit . ”

As I thought, this person was kind . But I was worried about the fact that I
haven’t managed to take a bath for days . My clothes were also in tatters,
so I was embarrassed about being seen by this person in this sorry state .

“…It’ll be your treat . ”

“Aye aye, ma’am! Come on then . We won’t do anything bad to you . If
you’re having difficulty walking, you can grab onto me . ”

I obediently nodded to the man and grabbed on to the hem of his clothes . I
didn’t want to get too close to him and turn him off with how I currently
smell . I’m a girl, so I didn’t want to be thought of as smelly .

When the implications of letting a girl aboard a ship was explained to him,
big brother’s face turned bright red from embarrassment . It looks like he
really didn’t know what it usually meant for a woman to board a man’s
private ship .

That is to say, big brother – Hiro-san didn’t rescue me with that sort of
purpose in mind right from the start . He helped me out of pure kindness .
He really was such a nice person . Things developed rapidly after that .

Hiro-san brought me to a government office, threw a lot of money at a

mean government official and settled my debts in full . When I heard
about the amount of debt at first, I was devastated . But Hiro-san… no,
Hiro-sama paid for all of it . In order to obtain me . I was born for the
purpose of fully dedicating myself to Hiro-sama . I strongly felt that way
in that moment .

While I was preoccupied with those thoughts and had my head in the
clouds, the elf lady – Elma-san handed me a shopping bag filled with
clothes . It was thanks to Elma-san that I was finally able to be with Hiro-
sama . I was really indebted to Elma-san as well .

And so, I was brought away by Hiro-sama and taken to his ship . I was
really surprised . I thought the ship of a mercenary would be more…
cramped and stifling . The interior of Hiro-sama’s was wide, clean and
looked on par with a 1st Class residence . It was probably even better than
the house I formerly lived in .

I took a shower following Hiro-sama’s suggestion . It was a long awaited

shower . After thoroughly cleaning every inch of my body, I finished
showering and checked the contents of the shopping bag containing
clothes which Elma-san gave me .
It’s contents were three shorts and three sets of clothes . One was thin and
looked comfy . Another looked practical and suited for everyday use . And
the last one was a sheer, see-through negligee . There was also a bottle
containing some sort of liquid substance . There were two pill cases as
well . Lastly, there was a small note tucked inside too .

I wonder what these are? When I read the note, it appeared to be a message
from Elma-san . The liquid in the bottle was apparently perfume . There
were instructions on how use it written as well . I’ve never put on perfume
before, so I was thankful for the notes .

The two pill cases contained contraceptives and painkillers so it would

feel better when I have my first time taken by Hiro-sama . I was grateful
for this as well, because I heard that the first was usually painful . There
was a classmate from school who said her first time was a failure and that
things got awkward between her partner and her afterwards .

I sprinkled just the right amount of perfume on me . I’ve never used

perfume before, so I suddenly felt like I’ve become more of an adult .

I plucked up some courage and chose to put the thin clothes on . And when
I appeared in front of Hiro-sama wearing it, his face reddened and he
became flustered . That’s good . He seems conscious of me . I wouldn’t
know what I would do if he didn’t have eyes for me at all and just treated
me as a sister or daughter . I was a little relieved .

After eating a delicious meal with me, Hiro-sama went to the training
room to exercise and then went straight to bed .

I watched the timing, drank the medicine, put on the negligee and barged
into Hiro-sama’s room . That was the plan, at least . But I couldn’t manage
to do it . Fortunately, the door of Hiro-sama’s room was open, so I
managed to peek inside while staying in front of his room .

Hiro-sama was just in his underwear . My gaze was drawn to his well
sculpted silhouette . My entire body started feeling hot . The medicine’s
effects may have started to kick in .
“What’s wrong? Uh, hold that thought . I’m in my underwear, so let me
change into something decent first . ”

My and Hiro-sama’s gazes met, and he started panicking with a bright red
face . I boldly stepped inside Hiro-sama’s room while being mostly driven
by instinct . There were lot of sad and painful things that happened to me .
But now, I’m within Hiro-sama’s arms . Right now, I am truly happy
# 012 – Shopping with Mimi

# 012 – Shopping with Mimi

Doing “the act” with Mimi went relatively smoothly; no doubt all thanks
to the “medicine” Elma gave her . Still, it’s good that her first time was
virtually painless . Mimi was already mentally exhausted from all that
commotion yesterday, and right now I’ve caused her to be physically
exhausted as well . Now, she was sleeping soundly right next to me .

I, on the other hand, was busy thinking about the future . It’s necessary to
have a concrete goal in mind after all . It’s kinda depressing if you pass
each day simply for the sake of living .

First of all, it’s become even more necessary to purchase a detached house
with a garden on a residential planet . I’ll make this my biggest long-term
goal for now . I was initially all gung-ho about it for the purpose of
drinking carbonated beverages, but now that Mimi and I have progressed
to this type of relationship, things have changed . We need somewhere we
can call home .

Of course, we never know what the future holds, so there was still a
possibility that I and Mimi might not end up together . I don’t have any
idea about what exactly Mimi thinks about all this too, so I can’t conclude
anything .

Wether I do end up with Mimi or with someone else instead, having a

place to call home was still absolutely essential . That is, if I wanted to
live a proper life .

Eh? Don’t I want to go back to my previous world? Well of course I do – if

the chance presents itself anyway . I don’t even have any idea how to go
back . First of all, I don’t know the exact reason why I was transferred
over to this world . I also don’t have any concrete leads about finding a
possible method for going back as of now .
In the first place, it seems I can actually have an easier time making a
living in this world . I think I got really lucky by having such a powerful
ship, successfully registering as a mercenary and obtaining a considerable
amount of funds .

But I don’t intend to just blindly focus on this world’s positives either .
The mercenary profession was, by its very nature, a truly dangerous job .
You’ll always be closely brushing with death . This was no longer a game,
so you can’t just respawn whenever you get your ass handed to you . Once
you kick the bucket, it’ll be permanent .

If the ship gets badly damaged, I’d likely have to fork out a considerable
sum to get it fixed up . It was possible that I’d be forced to sortie in a less-
than-ideal condition . If I don’t scrape up enough for maintenance, it was
also possible for me to die from going bankrupt as well .

The dangers I needed to face aren’t limited to the times I’m onboard the
ship either . I would probably have to get out of the ship from time to time
just like yesterday in order to take care of some business . Once I do, there
was a danger of getting ambushed and killed present . If I continue to hold
on to the same sense of security I had during my time in Japan, I’d
probably get done in real quick . And if I do die like that, Mimi would
probably have no other choice but to follow suit .

“Hrmm…”

So this is what it means to shoulder someone else’s life huh . It’s quite the
heavy responsibility . I have to think of some proper countermeasures .
Guess I’ll head over to the Mercenary Guild tomorrow or the next day in
order to get some advice from the receptionist uncle .

I’ll be heading out for some shopping with Mimi tomorrow after checking
her vitals . I actually forgot to check it tonight because of what happened .
Will the medicine she took have any effects…?

Guess I’ll know for sure once I check her up tomorrow . For now, I’ll also
get some shut-eye . Once we wake up tomorrow, we’ll first take a shower,
eat up and then proceed with checking up Mimi’s vitals afterwards .
After finalizing tomorrow’s schedule, I closed my eyes while relishing
Mimi’s warmth . Looks like it’ll be a good night’s sleep .

✩★✩

“Huh?”

I woke up due to being assaulted by a ticklish sensation . Wondering just

what caused it, I opened my eyes and found a head full of vibrant, reddish
brown hair snuggling up on top of my chest .

“What’re you up to there, Miss?”

“Fuwaah!?”

The head with vibrant, reddish brown hair trembled after hearing my voice
. Her brown eyes met mine . We stared at each other blankly for a few
moments .

When I placed my hand on the ticklish spot – in other words, the center of
my chest – I found a smaller, softer, more delicate hand groping around on
top of it . Looks like this hand was busy doing naughty things .

“Hm? What’s this, I wonder? What were you up to?”

“Fue~e… U-Um… T- This is, uh…”

“You know Mimi, when you do naughty stuff to someone else, you better
be prepared to be on the receiving end as well . ”

“Eh? Eeeh?!”

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth y’know…”

“Eh? A- Ahn…”

We played around first thing in the morning . It felt really good .

“Okay then, for today’s schedule…”

“Yes . ”

I talked about the day’s itinerary after having breakfast with Mimi .
Because of the little “incident” earlier, we ended up running a bit behind
schedule . Well, it wasn’t as if we were in any particular hurry anyway .
We had more than enough funds . And after running the safety check
protocols, the ship turned out to be in tip-top condition . There wasn’t any
particular need for some extra maintenance .

Of course we couldn’t afford to deplete our assets, so we needed to find a

way to earn some cash soon . But it wasn’t that urgent of a priority .

After the meal Mimi would undergo a full check up of her vitals . We’ll
shop for some daily essentials next . Then we’ll buy a portable data
terminal for her as well . Finally, we’ll head to the Mercenary Guild to ask
that receptionist uncle for advice about Mimi’s future training regimen
and other stuff . It’s best to ask the Mercenary Guild about anything
concerning mercenary work after all .

“We’ll go around today following this schedule . ”

“Yes . Understood . ”

After finishing our meals, I finally took Mimi’s vitals using the med-pod
after a quick thirty minute break . The results of the vital check was good .
She was a bit fatigued, but there was no indication of catching any
illnesses .

I was relieved with the results . Mimi also seemed glad . Taking care of
ones body is important after all . Health is wealth, and all that .

“Alright then . Let’s get going . Wear some clothes with as less skin
exposure as possible please . ”

“Yes . ”

“Let’s meet up at the dining area after you get changed . ”

I already got changed earlier, so I just waited for Mimi – who currently
wore thin, revealing clothes for the vital check – to change her outfit .
We’re going to live together from now on, so it’s best to set up some basic
house rules as well . I’ll talk about it with Mimi when we get back .

“Sorry to keep you waiting . ”

“Well that was quick . ”

“I just needed to change clothes after all . ”

And here I thought women took a while to get dressed . Oh well . It

doesn’t hurt that she’s quick . Yep .

We went to one of the stores I researched about yesterday in order to buy

daily necessities . It was quite convenient that we could buy a lot of the
things we needed in a drugstore in the area . They sold various things –
from food, sweets, cosmetics, clothing and underwear to daily necessities
for women . And of course, they sold medicine as well .

“When you need to buy things a woman particularly needs, be sure to

consult with a female clerk . Tell them you’re boarding a starship and buy
as many items you think are important . ”

“Um, okay…”

“Listen up . When we depart from this colony on the ship, we may not be
able to go to port for at least a few months . If our luck’s particularly bad,
we would not be able to replenish our stock for up to half a year . If you
mess up and buy too little due to feeling some restraint, it’ll eventually
return to bite us back in the ass . Always keep that in mind, alright?”

“Yes!”

Mimi nodded with a serious expression . Actually, I was also a bona fide
newbie, so it really wasn’t my place to talk man!

In any case, I talked to a male store clerk and started stocking up on things
needed for a long space voyage .
Basing on the clerk’s suggestions, I ended up purchasing three sets of
emergency kits for injuries and illnesses and stuff used by the med-pod to
treat said injuries and illnesses . I also purchased some spare underwear
and shirts, soap and shampoo for bathing and replacement water filters .

“Sorry to keep you waiting . ”

While I was having the items I bought confirmed by the male clerk, Mimi
came back with the female clerk in tow . Her face was a bit flushed . Was
she okay? The female clerk was also grinning mischievously… I have a
bad feeling about this .

“Well, isn’t she such a nice girl . Go enjoy each other’s company as much
as you like later on, kay . ”

“……”

“……”

I looked straight at Mimi, but she kept trying to avoid my gaze with a beet
red face . Yeah, I’m not that much of a dense bastard, so I could already
sort of imagine what kind of things she ended up buying . I’ll ask the
female clerk, just in case .

“It’s safe to use right? It won’t be funny if that stuff has some serious side
effects such as causing addiction or dependency y’know . ”

“Rest assured . The safety of our products is guaranteed . ”

“So it’s something necessary for her then?”

“Yes, you could say so . It would greatly help her feel better whenever her
period comes as well . ”

“I see . Well, it’s something we guys don’t get to experience after all . If
you say it’s okay, then I’ll take your word for it . ”

I was told it was different for each person, but I heard that some would
feel so terrible that they would be unable to move around much as a result
. Just imagining the fact that you’d suffer from its effects for a few days to
more than a week was quite distressing . Looks like we really need
something to prevent that from happening after all .

Or rather, if it hits her while in the middle of operating the ship and caused
me to make a piloting error as a result, we’d probably be turned into space
debris . Well, since this world is a lot more technologically advanced, this
stuff should be more safe and effective than the ones I’m familiar with
from back in my world .

“Alright then . Please transfer all of them to my ship . ”

“Thank you for your purchase dear customer . ”

I paid with my portable terminal and completed the necessary procedures .

With this, the supplies should already be in the cargo bay when we come
back to the ship . I then went to the shop which sells electronics together
with the blushing Mimi .

“We’ll get you a terminal and a tablet model . ”

“W- We’re buying two of them?”

“Hm, I want a tablet myself, so we’ll buy three . ”

The portable terminal would be used for basic communications and

monetary transactions . The tablet would be for training, work and
entertainment . I’m planning to let Mimi train in the basics of being a ship
operator, and the tablet would be one of the tools she would use for that .

For work, she’ll learn about basic asset management and contact
procedures with the Mercenary Guild and other important institutions .

As for entertainment, it would be more convenient to watch videos and

play games on a bigger screen . And yeah, I’m buying a tablet of my own
to use mainly for entertainment purposes . I could actually just borrow
Mimi’s, but that would be too much of a hassle .

“It’s so expensive…!”
It seems Mimi was hesitant about buying the high end models, but
skimping on quality just because you want to save some cash might
backfire in the long run . The cheaper ones may malfunction or break
down easier after all, so it’s better to be safe than sorry .

Next stop should be a women’s clothing store . I bought my spare

underwear and clothes in the drugstore, but it wasn’t the case for Mimi . I
actually wanted to have Mimi go to the clothing store by herself while I
head on over to the Mercenary Guild . But, considering our circumstances,
it wasn’t that advisable . It’s better if I tag along with her after all .
However, it’s a women’s clothing store y’know…

“……”

“Um, what’s the matter?”

“No, uh… Isn’t the clothing selection kinda… y’know… unusual?”

The stuff lined up on the window displays were mostly things like nurse,
maid, magical-girl and bunny girl costumes – among other clothing
catering to certain *ehem fetishes . All of them have this sort of cyberpunk
feel incorporated in their designs .

“Is that so? I think they all look very beautiful . But they seem pretty
expensive . ”

“Eh? That’s all?”

“Um, yes . What’s wrong?”

“No, uh… Anyway, do you want to have a look around?”

“Yes please . ”

Looks like girls really do enjoy shopping for clothes . Mimi seemed quite
excited about the prospect anyway .

Mimi seemed to hold no doubts about the clothing sold in the store . But to
me, they look like kinky cosplay costumes no matter how you slice it .
Were these types of oddball clothes the latest trend in fashion in this
world? I entered the store feeling a little uneasy, but the shop interior
actually looked surprisingly normal…

“Nope . I spoke too soon . ”

“???”

Mimi curiously tilted her head when she heard me . Cosplay costumes
here . Cosplay costumes there . Cosplay costumes freaking everywhere!
Sure, they were designed in a futuristic fashion, but they were still cosplay
costumes man! No, maybe this was just a specialty area in this store . I’m
sure they have normal-looking clothes for sale in the back . Probably . I
hope .

Or rather, I couldn’t spot anyone walking around wearing these kinds of

clothes . Maybe they simply aren’t able to sell this stuff?

“Welcome!”

A female shop clerk wearing a futuristic bunny ear headband appeared

from within the store sporting her best business smile . Her uniform
offered little skin exposure, but it really resembled a bunny suit
nonetheless .

“We came to buy some clothes for her but… do you sell any normal
clothes not catering to any sort of strange hobby in this store?”

“Of course we do dear costumer . ”

“Alright then . Go ahead and buy all the clothes and underwear you need
Mimi . As for me…”

“We have some seats over there sir . You can rest there if you like . ”

“Got it . ”

“Uh, um…”
“Don’t worry about the prices . Buy as much as you need . Okay?”

“Yes . ”

Mimi nodded obediently . That’s more like it . It’s way better than her
holding back .

“You’re quite the generous one, aren’t you dear customer . ”

“This girl is an apprentice merc . Nah, she’s an apprentice ship operator .

You can pretty much tell my occupation from my outfit right?”

“You’re a registered mercenary right? So that means this girl will be

boarding your ship huh?”

“Yeah, that’s right . ”

“Hmmm…?”

The shop clerk kept glancing back and forth between me and Mimi .

“We have a considerable selection here – ranging from the prim and
proper to the bold and daring . You’ve really done well for yourself,
haven’t you oniisan?”

“……Please choose some clothes fit for a mercenary ship operator . As for
other clothes, just pick out what this girl likes best . ”

“Understood . Sa~a, sa~a . Please come with me dear customer . ”

“Eh… Uh… Okay . ”

The shop clerk dragged the flustered Mimi further inside the store .

“Now then…”

I’m sure it’ll take some time for them to finish shopping . It seems there’s
only women’s clothing as merchandise in this store . Since that’s the case,
it’ll be awkward if I try to wander around here on my own . I took out my
mobile data terminal and opened the messaging app . Of course the only
registered contact was a certain disappointing space elf .

“You’ve really done it this time . Way to go with egging her on lady . ”

“I did it for the sake of the two of you okay . You seem like an
inexperienced young master, so if I didn’t go that far you two would never
have progressed,” came the quick reply .

Was she languishing in boredom again? She did say the System armed
forces were making preparations for subjugating the pirates or something
yesterday . Looks like she’s staying on standby today as well due to it .

“Well? Did you go and do it?”

“To think I’d actually experience a lady asking me if I went and did it with
another girl… Well, that ended up being the case, yeah . ”

“If you actually said you didn’t do anything after all that, I was planning
on heading over to your ship right away and giving you a piece of my
mind mister . ”

“Ooh, scary . ”

An animated image of a cartoonish cat-creature punching a mouse-

creature was sent to my terminal . So this messaging app had this kind of
function huh?

“So what’s your business with me? Don’t tell me you messaged me just to
air out your grievances?”

“Nah . Y’see I kinda want Mimi to learn about how to be a ship operator,
so I was wondering if you knew wether or not the Mercenary Guild has
some learning materials, technical manuals or educational apps for the job
.”

“Isn’t it better if you asked the Mercenary Guild directly…? Well, I did
hear they had some of those though . ”
“So they do have them then . Can I get some personal copies at the branch
office?”

“That I don’t know . But I did hear that the Mercenary Training Institute
run by the Guild makes use of that sort of stuff . You better ask at the
Guild directly for more details . ”

“Aye ma’am!”

I selected an animated image of a penguin giving a crisp salute from the

menu and sent it to Elma . I ended up killing time with the messaging app,
talking about things like the results for Mimi’s vitals check-up and the fact
that I was free because Mimi was busy choosing clothes .

Mimi and the store clerk finally returned after some time . Since they
don’t seem to be carrying anything on them, the clothes were probably
already sent to the ship .

“All finished?”

“Y- Yes!”

When I turned towards the clerk, she gave me an ambiguous smile in

return . Oh boy . Everything’s fine right…?

“How much is it?”

“This is the total price of the goods sir . ”

The clerk handed me a tablet terminal . There was a 3D image of Mimi

wearing what looked like a futuristic bunny girl outfit on the screen . The
image was composed by an app which combines the data of a person’s
body shape and the clothes to create a realistic approximation of how they
would look when worn .

Umu . Mimi’s chest assets certainly possessed extreme offensive power .

Rather, they’re on the verge of spilling out oi! Ah, how indecent!

“I’m sorry . I seem to have made a mistake sir . ”

“Can you delete that?”

The store clerk nodded in reply, but came closer and whispered something
to me .

“If you register as an official VIP member, we can give you

recommendations regarding the most suitable clothes to purchase by
collating the data from all our chain stores . You can also make purchases
online and get updates once new products get released . ”

“…Can I get that clothing trial thing installed on my terminal too?”

“Of course dear customer . If you install our exclusive app, you’ll be able
to use that feature freely . ”

“You got yourself a deal lady . ”

I paid for the clothes and got myself registered as a VIP member as well .
The price was reasonable too . It was way cheaper compared to the price of
ammo for my ship’s cannons and my ultimate “trump card” in any case .
This is considering my total assets as well .

After paying up, we headed to the main destination for today; the
Mercenary Guild .

“We’re going to the Mercenary Guild next . ”

“Yes . ”

“Actually, there’s an uncle with a really scary face over there . He’s kinda a
perfect fit for the image of a Mercenary Guild . ”

“I- I see . ”

“But he’s actually quite a nice guy once you get to know him . And the
place really looks like your usual government office, so you don’t have to
feel so nervous okay . ”

“Yes!”
Man . Just looking at Mimi’s smiling face heals my poor, little heart . You
may have other opinions, but I say cute is justice!

But Mimi’s such a cute girl after all… I think it would be better if she
learned some self defense techniques or had a weapon for protecting
herself on her . Guess I’ll ask the receptionist uncle about this sort of stuff
as well .
# 013 – Again at the Mercenary Guild and the Large-scale
Subjugation Operation

# 013 – Again at the Mercenary

Guild and the Large-scale
Subjugation Operation
“Ou . If it ain’t the lad from yester… day…”

The moment the receptionist uncle saw Mimi’s cute visage peeking over
from behind me, his expression stiffened .

“A lot of stuff happened yesterday and this girl ended up boarding my ship
as a result . I’d like for her to train in the basics of being a ship operator so
we came here to see if you had any resource materials or training apps we
could use . ”

“P- Pleased to make your acquaintance sir…”

The uncle’s hands grabbed me by the shirt with incredible momentum and
forcefully raised me up . You’re expression looks hella terrifying uncle!

“The hell d’ya mean by this huuh…!?”

“I get it! I get it! I’ll tell you everything so please let me go uncle! You’re
face looks really scary man!”

“What about my face!?”

“But it really is scary uncle! Look, even Mimi’s terrified . ”

“Ku~h…”
The receptionist uncle released me while sporting a deadly serious
expression . He plopped down on his seat, closed his eyes and took deep,
long breaths in order to calm down . I also let out a sigh of relief . I was
about to piss my pants there man .

“It’ll take quite a while if I start from the beginning . ”

“Just start from the beginning kid . ”

“Yes!”

I ended up telling every detail about how Mimi came to board my ship
while being glared at by the uncle with a terrifying scowl on his face .

“This guy just started out as a merc and managed to land himself such a
wonderful encounter in the span of a day while I’ve been slugging it out
for fifteen years in this business and have absolutely nothing to show for
it!? Isn’t this unfair!?”

“Is this the gap between our destinies!?” the receptionist uncle lamented
towards the heavens and slumped powerlessly on top of his desk right
afterwards . He then began crying buckets of tears . They were manly tears
filled with the bitterness of defeat . Mimi and I could certainly feel the
intensity of uncle’s emotions .

Another staff member of the Mercenary Guild came out in order to ask
what the fuss was all about . When she found out the situation, she had the
uncle escorted back inside the staff room . Farewell uncle .

“E~tto, I apologize for our staff’s rude conduct earlier sir,” the female
receptionist said with a troubled smile on her face as she cleaned up the
tear stains uncle left on the desk . I bet I’d also have the same expression
if I were in her shoes . Bet anyone would actually .

“Uh, I better explain the reason why we came here again I guess . ”

“I’m sorry to trouble you sir, but I’d appreciate it if you did so,” the lady
replied as she bowed her head apologetically towards me . I started going
over our circumstances .

“Understood . So you came in order to register this girl as an official

crewmember and to obtain training materials and apps for ship operators,
correct?”

“That’s about it . ”

“Thank you for your help ma’am . ”

The new receptionist lady efficiently took care of all the related
procedures and prepared the training materials . The training app was
installed on Mimi’s tablet terminal so she could use it right away . It was a
great program where an AI training instructor would impart the know-how
of being a ship operator starting with the basics . It was also bundled with
an app which would display the ship’s status and the total available assets
in an easy to understand way .

“I’ve also included an info gathering app, so please do your best okay . ”

“Y- Yes!”

“It would greatly help me if Mimi gets to learn all this stuff . Give it your
all kay . ”

“I understand . ”

Mimi immediately began to go over all the installed apps with a serious
demeanor . Yep, go for it girl . It’ll make my life easier too . Different
from the game, it seems you have to go through a lot of complicated
procedures as you go around this world .

“Oh yeah . I was wondering if it would be better if this girl can also train
in some self-defense techniques, or maybe get a self-defense weapon for
her personal use . ”

“Hm . That would be a bit difficult sir . You can’t really master self-
defense techniques in just a few days after all . It’s the same for handling
weapons . ”
“So that’s the case huh . ”

“That’s the case sir . But it would be good to let her have a laser gun in any
case, even if she doesn’t actually use it . It will serve as an effective
deterrent and prevent most shady folk from getting any ideas . ”

“I see . ”

“Shall I prepare one sir?”

“Please do . ”

So the Mercenary Guild also distributes weapons huh? Come to think of it,
I didn’t manage to find a gun shop when I was doing some research
yesterday . So things like this were regulated by the Guild or related
government organizations huh .

The laser gun for Mimi’s use was soon prepared, and we were then guided
to the Mercenary Guild’s shooting range in order to perform test shots .

How good is Mimi with a gun? Well, if she doesn’t stop closing her eyes
whenever she shoots, she wouldn’t be able to hit anything .

After the shooting practice, we returned to the ship and decided to take it
slow for a few days . Mimi was still fatigued from her time in the back
alleys, so she had to take ample rest . Fortunately, we wouldn’t run out of
funds anytime soon even if we don’t work for some time .

I was also interested in the major pirate subjugation operation Elma

mentioned . It would result in a pretty large-scale battle once they attacked
the pirate’s main base, and those kinds of events in the game would
provide a great amount of rewards proportionate to the number of enemies
you manage to defeat .

I honestly didn’t want to miss such a golden opportunity .

And so I spent my days working up a sweat in the training room in the

mornings and taking a quick shower afterwards . I studied together with
Mimi in the afternoon (There were lessons useful for mercenary work
available on the training app as well), searched the net for useful info,
exchanged messages with the disappointing space elf and sometimes
flirted around with Mimi as well .

Finally, the long anticipated pirate subjugation operation was officially

announced by the Termaine System Armed Forces . The Mercenary Guild
was solicited for assistance as well .

“It’s real convenient that briefings can be done remotely no matter where
you are without the need to gather in one particular place . ”

“Yes it is . ”

I sat on the pilot seat inside the cockpit while Mimi sat on the operator
seat behind me . We were both waiting for the briefing to start .

I think it’s great that we didn’t actually need to come to the army base or
the guild office for this briefing . You can even order food from inside the
ship anytime, so you really didn’t have to take one step out of your
starship if you wanted to . The starship interior may actually be the
ultimate hikikomori paradise .

Multiple window screens popped up on the cockpit display right on

schedule with the briefing start time . The names of each participating
party was displayed on top of each window . Among them were the
disappointing space elf Elma as well as Serena – the lady soldier I met
soon after I arrived at this Termaine Prime Colony .

“Huh!?”

I suddenly felt cold sweat run down my back the moment my gaze met
with Serena’s for some reason . What the heck? Weirdly enough, it
somehow felt like an unpleasant premonition but at the same time not .
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be more careful of this lady from now on .

While I was thinking such things, Serena’s window widened and moved to
the center of the cockpit display .
“Well then, let us start the briefing . I am Captain Serena Holz, the
designated commander of this entire operation . Please address me as
Captain Serena . ”

“Understood, Captain Serena . ”

Each participant expressed their agreement .

“I will now explain the overall outline of this operation . That said, it’s
actually not that complicated . The place the pirates are using as their base
of operations is located on an asteroid field in the Gamma Sector,” Serena
began as a map of the sector popped on screen with a part of the asteroid
field highlighted in red .

“The strategy for this operation is simple . Our System Armed Forces’
starship fleet will sortie first and then proceed to destroy their base
through naval bombardment . Even if it’s their main base, the ones
manning it are only mere pirates after all . I assume they’ll get routed
without putting up much of a fight . ”

A number of the mercs participating in the briefing nodded in agreement

with Serena’s statement . There was no way for bootleg pirate ships to
oppose the Military model heavy cruisers and battleships of the armed
forces . They’re outclassed in both defensive strength and overall
firepower .

Mercenary starships may be able to take on a military warship under

certain conditions . But it’s not usually something that can be done using a
single unit . In addition, the military has both the numbers and a superior
level of training to their advantage .

In other words, if you were forced to go head to head with a proper

military interstellar naval fleet, it wouldn’t even be a battle . You’d get
your ass handed to you without a doubt .

“However, as you well know, our fleet’s bombardment is quite powerful

but a little lacking in precision . If they come at us head-on, we would
certainly be able to obliterate the lot of them . But if they decide to scatter
and flee using their small and medium-sized ships, we would be hard
pressed to stop quite a number of them from escaping . That’s where you
all come in . ”

Although it’s true that destroying their main base of operations and larger
ships would do great damage to the pirates, their main forces are actually
made up of highly mobile small and medium-sized craft . If a number of
them ended up escaping, they would eventually gather together again to
revive their organization . They wanted us mercs to prevent this from
happening . In other words, we were tasked with remnant hunting .

No, that might not be the case at all . Since the pirate’s main forces are
composed of these aforementioned small and medium-sized ships, aren’t
we actually serving as this operation’s main attack force? Meh, doesn’t
really matter either way .

“How about compensation?”

“Yes, about that . There will be no advanced payment . The participation

reward will be 5,000 Enel, which will be given to each of you after the
operation concludes . ”

Man, how cheap . The fixed salary’s dirt cheap . I expect the confirmed
kill rewards to be a different story though .

“As for kill rewards, small ships are worth 5,000 Enel per kill . Medium
ones are 20,000 Enel per kill . The large ones are worth 100,000 each . The
bounty rewards already placed on the pirate ships will also be paid
separately . We’ll also give you free reign to plunder their ships for goods .
”

“We plan to eliminate all of the large sized ships ourselves anyway . ”
Serena probably thought to herself, judging from that confident smile on
her lips .

There were varied reactions from the participating mercenaries, but the
collective response seemed to be generally positive .
“The overall strategy is simple and straightforward . You mercenaries will
be deployed in advance and hide within the outer areas of the Gamma
Sector . We will directly attack the pirate’s main base and destroy all
major facilities and as much of their forces as possible . You will stage an
ambush and destroy the small and medium-sized craft which try to escape
from the battle . We shall then mop up any remaining ships who will
manage to slip away from the ambush . ”

It was a simple but efficient plan of attack . They will destroy all the high-
priority targets with the first hit and prevent the enemies from escaping
with a “net” of mercenaries . The military forces will take advantage of
the enemy’s confusion due to the ambush to form an iron tight “cage” .

Afterwards, all that’s left was to gradually tighten the cage until all the
pirates are wiped out to the last ship . While I was mulling over the
operation details, the hem of my clothes was suddenly pulled . I looked
over to find Mimi who moved from the operator’s seat and stood beside
me .

“Hiro-sama, what if the pirates forcefully activated their FTL Drives in

order to escape?”

“Don’t worry about that . If there are ships incapable of FTL nearby, the
safety devices would prevent the other ships from activating their own
FTL Drives . ”

“But if they took out the safety devices, wouldn’t they be able to
forcefully activate their Drives?”

“They could, but I don’t think there would be anyone willing to try that
kind of stunt . If they deactivated their safety devices, they wouldn’t be
able to avoid space debris and asteroids large enough not to be repelled by
their energy shields . If they do hit something under those conditions,
they’d be turned to space dust in moments, or so I’ve heard . I’m not too
sure about the particulars either . ”

“I see . ”
The game did mention that the safety devices were coupled with the
obstacle evasion system, but didn’t go into much detail about the related
theories . Or rather, the game was pretty vague regarding these sorts of
sci-fi tech stuff . Well, it’s fine if we don’t know how these things exactly
work as long as we can use them with no trouble . One didn’t have to know
the exact details regarding how a microwave or cellphone works in order
to use them right? It’s the same thing with starships .

While I and Mimi were discussing, the other mercenaries continued to ask
Serena some questions . They were basically about the reward acquisition
details, which didn’t interest me as much . For example, if multiple mercs
ended up shooting down a single pirate ship, how would the rewards be
distributed?

In case of a dispute, the military will determine the deserving party by

going over the recorded battle logs . And in order to ensure transparency
and fairness, the results will be publicly announced and handed over to the
Mercenary Guild .

If there are mercs found to be deliberately stealing kills, they may be

punished with rank demotion or, in the worst case, be expelled from the
Guild . If one wants to continue being a merc, one should behave
appropriately . I don’t feel like doing anything like that anyway, so it’s not
my problem .

However, there was no one who asked about the thing I wanted to know
the most . Is it because it’s considered common sense, or do they not care
about this sort of stuff in the first place? Guess I’ll have to ask about it
myself .

“Uh, I also have a question ma’am . ”

All attention gathered towards me from the windows on the cockpit screen
. Elma looked over as well . She was giving me a “You’re going to ask
something outrageous aren’t you?” kind of glare . Haha . I’ll try to answer
your expectations ma’am .

“Yes, sir mercenary?”

“It’s my first time participating in this kind of large scale operation y’see .
But if, by any circumstance, I judged further combat to be impossible due
to factors like the ship’s energy shield failing due to malfunction or
damage, is it alright to withdraw from the battle?”

The other mercenaries were dumbfounded after hearing my question .

Elma facepalmed while Serena displayed a calm smile .

“You could choose to do so, yes . I understand that mercenaries value their
lives as much as their reward money . It’s in your nature . However, it’ll be
troublesome if one turns tail and flees even before the start of the battle .
Our main objective is to completely annihilate the pirates after all . ”

“Guess that’s reasonable . But I’m a rookie y’see . And it’s a rookie-like
thing to think about securing a path of retreat . And it wouldn’t be a joke if
I was suddenly told something like ‘Fight to the bitter end, or you will be
treated as a deserter and shot down . ’ y’know . ”

“You can’t possibly think we would do such a thing?”

“It’s not about implementing or not implementing such a policy . It’s

because our battle formation makes it possible for such a situation to be
enforced . I have a crewmember onboard my ship, so I have to be
particular about this sort of thing . ”

After all, we would be deploying in a two layer formation during this

operation . The mercs would handle close-range engagements, which the
large-scale military warships aren’t suitable for . The military ships would
take care of shooting down escaping pirates from long range instead .

In other words, us mercs are the hunting dogs while the Termaine System
Military forces are the hunters who peer through a scope in order to bring
down prey . The hunter’s role is originally to shoot down prey being
chased down by the hunting dogs out into the open . But the scope can also
be turned toward the dogs who try to flee . It won’t be funny if we were
suddenly told that retreating from battle was not allowed and we would be
treated as deserters who would be promptly shot down once the fighting
starts after all .
“Fufu . I guess you’re right . Yes, the battle formation allows for it . But
rest assured that we won’t do something of the sort . ”

“Glad to hear it . That’ll be all for me ma’am . ”

The reactions from the other mercenaries were varied . About a third of
them looked at me with disdain evident on their expressions . Twenty
percent looked somewhat impressed or curious . The remaining half were
all indifferent .

“Are there any other questions? If there are none, then we will proceed
with the operation . We shall sortie after an hour . Once your preparations
are complete, launch out from the hangar bay and stand by for further
orders . ”

“Roger!”

The briefing’s finally finished . Now, it’s time for battle .

TL Notes: I changed Serena’s surname from “Horuz” to “Holz” . It’s a

German word . And RIP receptionist ossan… We know your pain all too
well…
# 014 – Unfortunate Accident Flag is Raised

# 014 – Unfortunate Accident Flag

is Raised
“Uh, you alright girl…?”

“I- I’m f- f- fine sir…”

“Looks like it’s no good huh . ”

Did I just say it was time for battle earlier? That’s kinda not the case . Not
yet anyway . There was still an hour left until we sortie . I had the onboard
AI do a routine maintenance check on the entire ship and went to the
dining area with Mimi in order to try and relax a bit before the big battle,
but it isn’t going so well, apparently .

“T- T- The- There’s absolutely no p- problem y’know . ”

“It really doesn’t look like that’s the case though . ”

It kinda felt awkward to see Mimi fretting about like a newborn fawn or
chihuahua . Well, we’re diving headfirst into a dangerous, life-threatening
battle soon, so I guess being nervous and terrified like her would normally
be how most folks would react . Mimi’s current state is understandable .

On the contrary, I seem to be the abnormal one for not feeling the least bit
nervous or afraid . Later on I’d surely be taking a lot of lives . It’s a bit
unsettling that I feel practically nothing from the prospect of participating
in a dangerous battle where there was a real danger of dying .

But why am I not nervous or pressured anyway? There’s a few factors I’m
considering to be the reasons for this .
One major reason should be because, based on my research, I’ve surmised
that my trusty ship, Krishna, was of a different league altogether compared
with the ships of most other mercs and possessed uncommonly high
combat capabilities .

I managed to come to this conclusion after reviewing the performance

specs of other ships out on the market along with the overall firepower of
their weapons, the latest weapons and equipment issued to the military and
compiling various other data about this world’s standard warships .

Of course, the latest military warships employed by the Graccan Empire

and the Vereverem Federation were of entirely different size classes . But
even so, I surmised that we still had a fair chance of matching them in
battle .

The other factors I considered were my performance against the pirates I

fought soon after being transported to this world and the shocked reactions
of the receptionist uncle and Elma after watching my mock battles via the
simulator . Judging from their reactions, I surmised that my piloting
ability using the Krishna was somewhat out of the norm and unexpected .
Of course, a major factor for my performance can be attributed to
Krishna’s considerably high specs . However, no matter how high ones
ship’s specs were, if you couldn’t pilot it properly, then it would just be a
fancy moving coffin . At the very least, my piloting skills could ensure
that Krishna won’t end up being an aforementioned moving coffin .

Considering all these, I concluded that this upcoming pirate subjugation

mission won’t pose that much of a threat to us . I ended up thinking as
such . So I managed to remain cool as a cucumber as a result . Or maybe I
was simply just a born daredevil who didn’t feel much when faced with
this sort of dangerous stuff .

Y’see, I still couldn’t shake the impression that this world really
resembled Stella Online . In other words, it might be that I still
subconsciously saw all this under the lens of a “gamer” .

There was practically no danger of dying in battle . As a result, the sense

of reality was next to non-existent . That’s why feeling the fear of death in
this situation didn’t come naturally to me . I understood the fact that I’d
die for real if I got shot down . At least, I tried hard to internalize this fact
. However, the only times I was shot down in Stella Online happened
during my newbie days, when I wasn’t all that familiar with the gameplay
and controls yet . The repair costs after getting shot down were
astronomical after all . Insurance would help cover some of the expenses,
but you’ll end up losing all your cargo anyway, so the resulting deficit
would still be enormous . That’s why I always ensured that I acted with
enough of a safety margin .

If you misread the timing for retreat, you’d likely pay a steep price .

This much still won’t cut it . That’s what I always reminded myself back
in the day . As a result, Krishna ended up equipped with three layers of
energy shields and military grade armor apart from its considerably tough
main hull .

Furthermore, it’s also equipped with shield cells which could instantly
recharge the energy shields quickly . Once used, the shields could be
brought back up to full capacity after just a slight time lag . But the shield
cells would be useless if the energy shields ever became completely
depleted though .

Now then, about these shield cells – one or two would usually be equipped
on standard ships, but Krishna actually has a whopping five of these babies
. This practically meant that the ship’s main body was fully protected until
all five shield cells were used up if you managed it well .

Whenever I engaged in battles in Stella Online, my rule of thumb was

making a retreat once the number of active shield cells was reduced to one
. As long as I had one active cell left, the odds of successfully escaping
from my enemies was rather high .

Naturally however, if I attempted a retreat in a sloppy manner, then I’d

just get my ass handed to me . So I really had to be careful when making
my escape . Basically, if I cut the power from the ship’s weapon systems
and rerouted the generator output to the thrusters and shield, then it won’t
be that difficult to shake off an enemy who had to keep supplying power to
their weapons instead .

“Um, Hiro-sama…?”

“Hm? Ah, sorry . I was just thinking about some things . ”

Mimi hesitantly called out to me in a worried tone after noticing that I’ve
clammed up . I smiled at her and shook my head to show that nothing was
wrong .

“You don’t really need to worry all that much y’know . I’m fairly
confident in my piloting skills and this ship packs quite the punch . And
I’ve also made things clear in the briefing earlier right? I’ll promptly
high-tail it if I feel that it’s getting a bit too dangerous . I operate with
enough of a safety margin . Plus, I’ll have to consider you now too Mimi .
”

“Oh, no . I really am okay . ”

“Right . Just please do something about that pale, bluish face before
saying something like that . But I guess this is just how it is . You’ll have
to get used to it soon though . Oh, and before I forget, it’s best if you don’t
eat much right before a battle . It’ll be a disaster-in-the-making otherwise .
”

“Uhh… I’ll keep that in mind . ”

I didn’t want to see the cute Mimi throwing up y’know . I probably won’t
mind it much if that disappointing space elf did it though . And well, if we
really ended up vomiting inside the cockpit, the odor might cause my
concentration to drop or cause the equipment to malfunction . Nah, maybe
not . This stuff’s military grade after all .

“Looks like the routine check’s just about done… Uh, Mimi, if you’re
really feeling scared, would you like to stay behind in the colony instead?”
“N- No! I’ll definitely go! I still haven’t done anything useful for Hiro-
sama . And if I run away here, I don’t think I’ll have the right to be by
Hiro-sama’s side anymore . ”

Mimi squeezed both her hands into fists and made a guts pose . Her ample
chest assets jiggled from her actions . Today, Mimi looked the part of a
regular mercenary . She wore tight fitting spats and a durable-looking shirt
. She also wore a jacket over her other clothes . Personally, I can’t help but
feel that she was pushing it with the merc get-up, but I’ll get used to it
soon . Probably .

Looks like Mimi’s more or less okay now, so we moved to the cockpit and
started preparing for launch . The routine maintenance check’s finished
and the results are green . Looks like we’re in the clear .

“Mimi, we’re initiating launch procedures . Please contact the hangar

control center . ”

“Y- Yes!”

Mimi plopped down on the Operator seat and clumsily fiddled with the
console in front of her in order to obtain launch clearance . After a few
moments, the main monitor displayed the launch count down . Unlike the
docking procedure, the entire thing was apparently handled automatically
by an A . I .

I activated Krishna’s thrusters after the countdown finished and launched

out from the hangar bay . The landing gears were retracted back inside the
hull, and the ship finally exited from the Termaine Prime Colony back into
outer space .

“Amazing…”

“The scenery out here in space is great huh . There’s an ocean of stars
anywhere you look . ”

“Ah! So the colony… actually looked like that . ”

“It looks a lot like a bicycle wheel right?”

“Bicycle?”

“Uh, well, it’s a vehicle which used wheels that kinda looked like that . ”

“Is that so . ”

Mimi doesn’t seem familiar with a bike . But it’s quite eco-friendly
y’know . I think it’ll do great as a mode of transport inside colonies .
Maybe it didn’t function well under artificial gravity or something? It’s a
mystery . When I checked the sensors, I found several other mercenary
ships already on standby outside the colony .

The ships piloted by mercenaries were quite varied, and there were no two
ships which looked exactly alike . Strictly speaking, some were of the
same models, but their details were drastically different because each of
them was heavily customized according to personal taste .

“Wow, there’s a lot of colorful ships!”

“They look like that in order to stand out . Gotta make an impression on
potential clients and all that . ”

By the way, Krishna’s paint job was matte dark blue which doubled as
camouflage . In Stella Online, there was a high degree of freedom when it
comes to customizing a ship’s coloring and decals . There were quite a few
quirky looking ones such as a transport ship which had anime characters
plastered all over its hull . I honestly didn’t subscribe to the idea all that
much .

“What the- ? Now that’s quite the rare article…”

There was a conspicuous-looking pure white ship among the mercenaries .

It had an elegant and streamlined frame reminiscent of a swan . Its large
rear thruster gave it the impression of being considerably fast . In fact, it
really was a unit geared for speed .
This ship’s official model name was [SSC-16 Galactic Swan] – among the
Stella Online players, it was otherwise known as “White Meteor” (in the
sense that it’ll eventually turn into a shooting star), “Fe***ri” (since it was
akin to a disgustingly expensive luxury sports car), “Runaway Super
Express” (to Hell) and so on .

“Wow, what a beautiful ship!”

“You think so?”

“What’s the matter?”

“No, uh, well…”

Fastest top speed and mobility, decent firepower and powerful shield
output – judging solely from these, you’d think it was an excellent model .
But the problem lies with its aforementioned mobility .

Plainly speaking, it was just too lopsided of a design . Its handling was so
wonky to the point that it could only go in a straight line most of the time
and was an absolute nightmare to control when executing complex
maneuvers . A friend of mine let me try it out a while back, and I couldn’t
pilot it properly no matter how I tried . Another bad thing about it was its
price-performance ratio . In order to achieve its insane acceleration, it
utilizes a lot of high end parts which are quite expensive and the purchase
and repair costs are ridiculously high as a result . Heck, its repair cost even
trumps that of a full-fledged battleship .

And the final and arguably worst thing about it was its tendency to go
“berserk” under certain conditions . And it going berserk doesn’t mean
that you’ll curbstomp all opposition . No sir . It won’t accept any control
inputs and would just keep going straight with tremendous speed until the
fuel runs out . And finally, it explodes .

When this feature was first discovered, people were screaming “Is this a
Bug devs!?” and made quite a ruckus in-game . But when the said crazy
devs investigated it, they found that it only occurred on this particular unit
and won’t happen with any other ship . So they wrapped it up as a kind of
quirky hidden feature and left it at that .

Its tendency to go out of control coupled with its bad handling, high
purchase cost and repair fees eventually made players treat it as some sort
of joke unit… And there was actually a merc who’d take such a machine
to a life-and-death battle . But I guess if they could handle the thing
properly, it wasn’t actually a bad machine to use . Both its speed and
maneuverability exceeded Krishna’s after all . Then again, it did have this
tendency to go berserk and explode to bits afterwards . That’s a huge
demerit .

“Is it a bad ship?”

“Well, not really . If you can use it well, it’s a formidable machine . But
it’s handling leaves a lot to be desired… If I were to say it straight, it’s a
defective machine . ”

“Defective machine?”

“If some conditions are met, it’ll go wild and fly straight ahead until it
explodes . Well, as long as you don’t push its speed past a certain point
during combat maneuvers and don’t fire off a barrage of high density
optical weapons, the conditions for it going berserk won’t be met . ”

“Isn’t that plenty dangerous though?”

“Really dangerous . So the one piloting that thing either has to be a very
experienced veteran who’s aware of the dangers or a fool who chose it
merely due to its specs . ”

“I see . ”

I tapped the display to bring up that ship’s info and the owners name
was… Captain Elma .

“Oh…”

“What is it?”
“Um, it seems that’s Elma’s ship . ”

“Eeeh!?”

Well she did say she was an experienced veteran, so I guess it’s alright?”

It won’t go bonkers unless it’s armed to the teeth with laser weapons .
Maybe . Probably . I hope…

Oh who am I kidding? Of all things, it was that disappointing space elf

who appeared piloting that kind of joke machine . Looks like the incident
flag was already standing tall .

“Let’s pray for her safety… It’s your first sortie after all Mimi . ”

“Yes, lets . I’m sure Elma-san will be fine . ”

I didn’t really want to see any of my acquaintances kick the bucket, but I
guess there would be more of that coming as long as I continue to work as
a mercenary . The moment you board a starship, you’ll be responsible for
your own wellbeing . As much as I’d like to help out, I really couldn’t
afford to right now . There’s not much I can do at this stage anyway .
There’s no other choice but to simply pray for her safety .

“Thirty minutes until the start of the operation . The coordinates of the
target point have been sent to each starship . Please move out once the
mission countdown finishes . ”

The Operator of the System Armed Forces transmitted the coordinates of

the target point to each ship . Looks like recon drones have been deployed
earlier and the enemies overall strength and composition was quite
detailed .

“The heck…”

“What’s the matter?’

“Nothing . It’s just a bit troublesome, that’s all . ”

The coordinates we ended up getting assigned to was one of the points
where the enemy units were densest . Was this assigned randomly? Or
maybe… Captain Serena’s fox-like smile appeared in my head . It felt
strangely lifelike .

“Well, it’ll work out . ”

I could always just escape when it things got dangerous anyway . Though I
doubt I’d have to, in any case .
# 015 – Battle Phase

# 015 – Battle Phase

“Confirm synchronization with allied ships . ”

“Synchronization confirmed . ”

“Initiate the FTL Drive charging sequence . ”

“FTL Drive charging initiated . Charging complete . Drive activation in 5,

4, 3, 2, 1… FTL Drive start-up!”

The FTL Drive activated; accompanied by a booming, thunderous sound .

This time, the Drive was initiated in sync with the surrounding allied
ships, so we basically didn’t need to handle anything on our end . All we
needed to watch out for was making sure that we and our friendlies don’t
veer off-course .

And it seems that Elma was sent to the ambush point opposite from us
instead . Let’s pray that she stays safe .

“Now then, we’re about to enter battle…”

“…Yes!”

“In this engagement, I’ll have Mimi handle both radar observation and the
comms . ”

“Understood!”

“What’s the job of a radar observer?”

“Keep track of the movements of both friendlies and enemy ships

displayed on the radar and alert the pilot whenever danger presents itself .
”
“That’s right . How about the comms officer?”

“Yes . Intercepting enemy communications, collecting info and responding

to communications sent by allies to this ship . ”

“Looks like you’re good to go . When I was piloting this ship alone, I was
responsible for doing all of that stuff . So my aim is for Mimi to take over
some of the work in order to reduce my burden a bit . The more things you
can handle, the easier it will be for me . I know it’ll take some more time
for you to get the hang of all this stuff, but please do your best okay?”

“Yes! Please leave it to me Hiro-sama!” Mimi cheerfully responded .

“Yeah . I’m counting on you . ”

I made a final check of the ship’s weapon systems while we were still in
the middle of the FTL Drive sequence .

Our main weapons were four heavy pulse laser cannons mounted on
manipulator arms . There were two large calibre live ordnance cannons
directly mounted on the ship as well . We also had two “trump cards”
loaded with two shots each – for a total of four shots . The ammo for these
things was hella expensive, so I didn’t want to resort to using them if
possible . But they’re “trump cards” after all . If push comes to shove, we
should fire them without hesitation . Indefinitely holding off on using
these things is just stupid .

“How beautiful…” Mimi uttered while looking at the scenery outside the
ship – the light of the stars streaking past like countless meteors in the far
distance, the nebulae which brightly glowed in orange and green hues, and
the sparkling trails of light scattered by our ship in its wake . The sight of
them was so breathtakingly beautiful that even I, who was familiar with
them from my time in the game, was captivated .

“That’s right . It’s a great privilege for us to be able to move freely in this
beautiful ocean of stars . ”

“Yes . ”
We finally arrived at the designated coordinates after a few minutes .

“Deactivate the FTL Drive . Brace for possible shock and vibration . ”

“Yes . ”

We exited the FTL Drive sequence and switched to normal navigation . A

thunderous din rang out once again and Krishna finally returned to normal
space . The allied mercenary ships scattered in groups of four or five and
headed out to each of their assigned posts . We also followed suit .

“We’ve reached the target point . ”

“It’s really quiet . ”

“Well, space is basically a quiet and lonely place after all . But I don’t feel
so lonely now because I have you with me, Mimi . ”

“…Eeeh . W- Well, I’m not lonely either then . ”

We reduced the output of the main generator to the bare minimum and
entered a state of comm silence while having a light-hearted exchange .

“Are you feeling cold?”

“No, I’m okay . ”

Since the power supply to the life support system was also dialled down to
the minimum, the temperature inside the cockpit dropped quite a bit . I
didn’t really mind because I wore thick clothes, but Mimi looked a little
too lightly dressed .

“These clothes are made from a thin but warm material . ”

“Really? I kinda had some misgivings, but it really was a good clothing
store huh?”

“Yes . ”
It’s a truly great pleasure to see a cute girl wearing cute clothes everyday .
For the past few days, Mimi has been dazzling my eyes by wearing various
types of cyberpunk-flavored cos-play outfits . She looked particularly
wonderful as a big-breasted cyberpunk maid… While I was thinking about
such inane stuff, countless light streaks penetrated the area in front of us .
Immediately afterwards, we intercepted communications which seemed to
be from the rattled pirates .

[Wha- What’s going on? What the heck is that?!]

[Michael just got done in! Enemy attack–]

[Uwaaaah!?]

[It’s the damn Star System Military!]

[They hit our main base and our large ships! Fires have broken out
everywhere!]

[Close the third to seventh bulkheads now!]

[B- But there’s still people inside!?]

[You fucking idiot! We’ll all get killed if you don’t close them right now!
Do it!]

[U- Understood!]

It was absolute chaos . Meanwhile, the bombardment from the System

Military’s Star-class Battleships and Heavy Cruisers continued to destroy
the base facilities and large-sized starships of the pirates . It’s just not
possible to do that kind of stuff with my Krishna . The overall firepower
and range of military battleship weaponry far outstrips the medium-sized
ships used by us mercs . The outputs of their defensive weapons aren’t
anything to sneeze at either… If one carelessly went against them right
from the front, they’d be ripped into shreds before they can even get the
military battleship into weapon range . Well, going toe-to-toe with them
by your lonesome head-on is ill-advised to begin with .
[No! It’s no use! Let’s get outta here!]

[Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Dammit! All our accumulated treasure’s as

good as gone!]

Oh, looks like they’re finally escaping . There were a few daring pirate
ships which charged at the military battleships with abandon, but they all
turned into space dust in the end . Well, this is the expected outcome if you
go against a military battleship head-on . That’s just how it is for any non-
military ship .

[Drop comm silence . Operation start . ]

[GO! GO! GO!]

[Don’t let a single one of them get away!]

[Hyahaaa! Just look at those big, fat preys! You’re mine bitches!]

Once the order to commence the operation was given, the Krishna’s
generator output was raised to battle level in one go and we began
accelerating .

“Mimi, we’re entering the battle! Brace yourself for the impacts and Gs . ”

“U- Understood!”

I felt my entire body get strongly pressed against the pilot seat from the
sudden acceleration . A feeling of tension welled up from deep within me .
My hands began sweating lightly . I proceeded to deploy the manipulator
arms and the large calibre live projectile cannons . The battle’s finally
begun .

[An unknown ship’s closing in fast! What the heck is that?! There are arms
growing out of that thing!]

[It’s an unknown model! Keep your guard up boys!]

[Take it head-on! Shoot it down!]

[We greatly outnumber it . Surround that ship and fire at will . Tear down
its energy shields and shoot it to pieces!]

There were a total of four enemy pirate ships in front – two transport ships
and two fighters . They’re going after me head-on – right from the front .
All their weapons were deployed .

“Looks like they want a frontal shoot-out huh . Let’s oblige . ”

I aimed the pulse laser cannons at one of the fighter crafts in front and the
large calibre live ordnance cannons at another . The enemies seem to plan
on concentrating their firepower, but my Krishna’s laser cannons have
longer range compared to all their weapons .

[What the– !? Our shield–]

The energy shield of the fighter craft immediately went down after being
pelted by simultaneous fire from my laser cannons . A second barrage
punched through its now-unprotected hull and put the fighter out of
commission .

[You gotta be kidding me!?]

[This guy’s way dangerous! Let’s get outta here, you lot! Escape–]

The other fighter craft my live ordnance cannons had a lock on tried to get
away, but it was too late . I fired two canister shots on its vulnerable guts
in succession .

A great number of destructive projectiles rained down on its shield and

brought it down in an instant . Its hull was then mercilessly punched
through with countless holes . Another serving of Swiss cheese is served .
The two fighter ships were swiftly shot down in mere moments .

[Gyaaaah!? That’s a goddamn monster!]

[No! Re- Retreat– ]

The remaining two transport ships tried to escape as well, but these types
were generally a lot slower compared to fighter ships . On the other hand,
my favourite unit, Krishna, was a full-fledged fighter ship sporting high
speed specs . Escaping from me was impossible .

[Hurry the fuck up!!!]

[I can’t shake em!]

[No, no, no! I can’t possibly die in a place like this!]

“Nah, you’ll die here man . You’re a pirate, and we were ordered to
eliminate every single one of you . No mercy for you guys . ”

I pointed the stern towards the escaping transport ships and brought them
down with laser cannon fire . They tried to escape by going in different
directions, but there was no way I’d let them go . If they manage to get
away, chances are, they’d target and attack innocent folks again . Once one
falls into a life of piracy, it’s difficult to wash oneself clean again after all .

As I proceeded to head for the next target point, I turned back to see how
Mimi was doing . She was shivering uncontrollably on top of her seat . Her
gaze was glued to the radar screen, but I’m not sure if her attention was
truly focused on it or not . Well, I guess it’s too much to expect a stellar
performance from her on her first sortie, so it can’t be helped .

I turned away from her and looked the next target shown on the screen .
What greeted my eyes was a scene of bright laser projectiles cutting
through space, smoke trails from the live rounds fired off from the other
ships, the flaming tails of missiles and the blooming explosions of
destroyed ships . The myriad colors brightly lit up this corner of space in a
chaotic cacophony of light .

These sights were strangely beautiful, but exceedingly deadly for humans .
Even a shot from the lowest calibre laser cannon would vaporize a human
without a trace, and they’d be turned to minced meat if hit with live
rounds . Missiles would obliterate them just the same . Once a ship’s shot
down, you’ll be thrown out into outer space and wouldn’t escape death
either .

But what about escape pods, right? Although the cockpit block could
function as an escape pod, it’d usually end up as a priority target in live
battle after all . Plus, it’s hard to survive getting caught up in the explosion
made worse by the detonation of your ship’s ammo reserves . In the end,
one’s survival heavily depended on luck .

“Mimi, we’re heading to the next battlefield . ”

“…Eh? Ah! Y- Yes, understood!”

Mimi responded in a trembling voice after she heard me call out to her .
Looks like it’ll take some more time for her to get used to this sort of
work .

[Chi, there’s too many of em!]

[Surround it! Besso, cut him out from the front!]

[Here ya go!]

[You fuckers!]

Five pirate ships were ganging up on one allied mercenary ship . The merc
was managing to hold on due to the difference in ship specs, but it’ll get
cornered before long if left alone . Its energy shield would gradually be
shaved down and its armor would be penetrated by enemy fire . But that’s
if I don’t interfere . Seems the call sign of the merc ship is “Quiet” .

“This is Captain Hiro . My callsign’s Krishna . I’m moving in to assist,

Quiet . ”

[Ou! Thanks for the help man!]

[Chi! Another one’s here . Lang! Cummer! Hold him down!]

[Gotcha!]
[Leave it to me boss!]

Of the five ships that were chasing down Quiet, two disengaged and
headed straight for me . One seems to be a fighter ship while one’s a
missile cruiser modified from a regular transport ship . Missile support
ships are really troublesome . Missiles are difficult to avoid and are quite
destructive . Quiet did a really good job surviving being ganged up on by
five ships which included a missile support ship .

[Seeker!]

[Roger that boss!]

The support cruiser fired a barrage of missiles which headed straight for
me . A seeker’s probably a type of heat seeking missile . Though their
range is relatively short, they’re not radar-guided so they won’t trigger a
lock-on alarm and were a type most effective when used for surprise
attacks . But I don’t know what the deal is with those guys firing them off
right from the front . They even shouted out the exact missile type . They
have no idea how to make use of their weaponry effectively, don’t they?

There’s roughly two ways to deal with this type of missile . Either shake it
off with superior manueverability or confuse its sensors by launching out a
decoy emitting high heat . But I’d rather take a third option .

The ship vibrates from the recoil resulting from the launch of live rounds .
Soon after, countless projectiles swarmed at the seeker missiles and
successfully detonated all of them before they could even reach my ship .
We punched through the resulting explosion at maximum acceleration,
brushing past a pirate transport ship, straight towards the missile cruiser
guarding it at the back .

[Geeh!? This guy just slipped right through– ]

“One . ”

I blasted the missile cruiser with canister shots at point blank range and
shot it down . A relatively large explosion soon followed, probably due to
all the missiles detonating at the same time .

[What the– !?]

“Two . ”

I quickly turned the ship around using the auxiliary thrusters and fired at
the pirate transport ship with the laser cannons . Large calibre pulse laser
cannon fire can easily deplete a ship’s energy shields . The small, sub-
standard reactors of the pirate ships can’t withstand the simultaneous fire
of four pulse laser cannons at all .

As expected, the shield fails in mere moments and laser fire penetrated the
defenceless hull, resulting in a scarlet explosion . After putting them out
of their misery, I checked the radar to see how the Quiet was doing . Seems
he just shot down one of the remaining three ships and was now chasing
down another . He was really skilled .

“I’m going to bring down that other ship . ”

[Yeah . Sorry bout this man . And thanks . ]

[Wha– Godammit! Things aren’t supposed to be like this…!]

[W- Whadda we do Raizo!?]

[Shut up you idiots! We obviously need to give it to em then get the fuck
away!]

The captain of the lead ship scathingly replied to his other remaining
comrade, who asked him what to do in a pathetic-sounding voice . In my
humble opinion guys, you have next to no chance of surviving, so just
obediently hand your asses over and get shot down to save us all from the
trouble . I downed the pirate ship giving its all to escape moments after,
and the Quiet successfully shot down the lead ship as well . We cleaned
both of them up in a relatively short time .

[Thanks for the help Krishna . It was pretty hard having five ships on my
tail . ]
“Nah, don’t worry about it . I got me some prey as a result anyway . Later
man . ”

[Yeah . Be careful . ]

The Quiet then retreated from the frontlines – probably for emergency
repairs and shield replenishment . I collected the scattered loot from the
downed pirate ships and proceeded to move to the next point to hunt some
more .
# 016 – Shooting Star

# 016 – Shooting Star

“Mimi, what’s the battlefield’s current state?”

I called out to Mimi after the drones finished collecting all the loot from
the ship wreckages .

“Eh? Um, err… it looks like our allied forces have the advantage for the
time being . ”

“Can you pinpoint the spots where our allies aren’t doing so hot?”

“U- Um… I’m sorry . I can’t . ”

Yeah, I figured as much . I also mostly rely on my intuition when

searching for those particular trouble spots, so her answer’s not all that
surprising…

“Generally, there’s a one-on-three or one-on-four ratio between merc and

pirate forces scattered all throughout the battlefield . Spots where the
pirate numbers are a bit too many for comfort are the ones which require
some support . But if the pirate numbers exceed ten, going in to act as
reinforcement poses quite a bit of risk, if not outright suicidal . I think
we’ll be fine even with those numbers though . ”

“I see… Um, so, it should be this particular spot then, on the lower left
portion of the battlefield map . It’s close to the position of the Star System
fleet, but they still seem to be struggling due to three medium-sized pirate
battleships participating in the battle . ”

I checked the coordinates Mimi pointed out, and it did look like our allies
were having a tough time . Four mercenary ships were surrounded by over
twenty small pirate craft . They also faced the aforementioned three
medium-sized pirate ships . They were still managing somehow due to
support fire from the military fleet, but it looks like they won’t be able to
keep it up if the current situation continues .

“Alright then, we’re going to help them out Mimi . But keep your eyes on
the radar so we won’t be taken by surprise . Also, make sure to hail our
allies before we engage the enemies to avoid confusion . ”

“Yes, I’ll do my best!”

I checked the weaponry and equipment of the hostile medium-sized pirate

ships after hearing Mimi’s energetic reply .

They were also heavily modified civilian-use starships, just like the
missile support cruiser we fought earlier . Pirates commonly used these
types of retrofitted ships . They would attack civilian ships, disable their
main thrusters, dispose of all the passengers and crew and would then take
the ships for themselves .

They would then equip these ships with weaponry and defense systems
plundered from mercenary and escort ships they managed to shoot down,
and the result would be the patchwork pirate battleships they often used .
At least, that’s how they were said to operate in Stella Online . Looks like
things are pretty much the same in this world . I don’t even want to
imagine what happened to the original crew of those ships .

Anyway… those modified medium-sized pirate battle ships are equipped

with rapid fire multi-cannons for close range defensive fire and a medium
caliber laser cannon for support bombardment . They probably operate by
supporting the small attack crafts from behind through long range laser
cannon fire . The multicannons are most likely of the auto-targeting turret
cannon type .

They’ve mainly concentrated their weapon batteries on the front end of the
ship, on top and on each side . They look pretty solid, at least . I’m pretty
confident Krishna’s energy shields, powered by a top of the line, high
performance shield generator, would be able to tank hits from these
weapon batteries even if they attack simultaneously, but there’s no reason
I’d go at em right from the front to begin with .
Judging from their weapon battery arrangement, their bottoms and rears
are complete blind spots . They’re all modified from civilian cargo ships,
so they should have large cargo holds located below deck . The chance of
the pirates reinforcing their armor is pretty low, so they should be
relatively defenseless in that particular area . I reckon there won’t be any
unexpected nasty surprises popping out from there .

I decided on my course of action after determining their capabilities and

powered down the Krishna’s reactor to minimum output, turned the
weapon systems offline and activated the rapid cooling system .

“It’ll get a little cold, so bear with it for a bit, alright?”

“Understood . Um, what are you planning?”

“Hm? Oh, well, us mercs don’t just fight battles head-on Mimi . ”

When the temperature of the hull cooled down, the temperature inside the
cockpit also started to rapidly decline . After three minutes, the air inside
the cockpit turned cold to a point where my breaths expelled white vapor .
I checked if Mimi was okay, but it seems her clothing really did provide
ample cold-resistance . She was also breathing out white vapor, but at least
she doesn’t seem too bothered by the cold .

“Alright, let’s do this . ”

When I judged that the ship has cooled down sufficiently, I started to head
towards the blind spot of the enemy ships using minimum thrust . The
small craft and the medium-sized ships remained completely unaware of
our existence .

“Why couldn’t they detect us Hiro-sama?”

“Ships engaging in active combat usually give off high heat signatures .
Therefore, most folks rely on heat sensors to detect other ships during
battle . There’s a lot of ship wreckages littered all over the place in battles
like this, so ordinary radars just won’t cut it . That’s why it’s possible to
fool the heat sensors by lowering the ship’s temperature and slipping in
amongst the debris . ”

This was a strategy called “Thermal Stealth” in Stella Online .

The rapid cooling system was originally intended for cooling down the
ship’s temperature whenever the hull gets too heated up due to continuous
laser cannon use, but the players managed to create another use for it
outside its intended purpose .

“I see… So there are actually a lot of different strategies you can use . ”

“It’s not something that’ll work each and every time, but it happens to be
an effective strategy in our current situation . ”

“Yes!”

Once I’ve confirmed that we were completely positioned in the blind spot
of the medium-sized pirate ships, I reactivated the weapon systems and
aimed the pulse laser and live projectile cannons on their defenseless
stomachs .

[Eh!? There’s a hostile enemy ship signature right below us! Shit, it’s
completely in our blind spot!]

[What!? What the heck were you doing!? Were you actually sleeping the
whole time!?]

[I was properly keeping watch boss! But it suddenly appeared out of

nowhere like a goddamn ghost!]

[Don’t give me that crap! Dammit, evade! Evade you fucking idiots! Fuck,
are we even gonna make it on time?!]

I fired my four pulse laser cannons simultaneously and quickly saturated

their energy shields .

[Hiii! The shield!]

[Oh my fucking god! Evasive action! Get those boosters up! Get the fuck
outta our way bastards!!!]

The live projectile cannons followed suit, pelting the wide open bellies of
the ships with countless destructive pellets, piercing through their thin
armor and peppering them full of holes . Their armor really was quite
weak . The projectiles seemed to have savaged their power reactors, life
support modules, power conduits and ammunition caches .

[It’s no use! We’re losing power!]

[Abandon ship! Abandon shiiip!]

Lots of small explosions occurred inside the damaged hulls of all three
medium sized pirate ships . After a final large explosion went off on each
of them, they completely shut down . Three down .

“Mimi, contact the allied ships and declare our intention to reinforce
them!”

“R- Right away! This is Captain Hiro’s ship, call sign Krishna . I’m his
Ship Operator, Mimi . We will now proceed to aid you all as
reinforcements!”

[We’re grateful for your help . It was honestly getting pretty bad earlier . ]

[Chiih! We can’t let any more prey get away! We’re going all out ya
bastards!]

[Nuwaaah! He’s actually with a cute female Operator!? I won’t lose

godfuckingdammit!!!]

[Hey now, you can’t just judge if she’s cute from her voice man . ]

[No brah . Her voice is cute . Therefore, there’s no mistake that she’s a
cute girl . Girls with cute voices definitely have cute faces too . It’s a
universal truth . ]
The heck . Wouldn’t these guys be fine even if I didn’t butt in to help?
They sounded pretty chill, considering the situation .

“Let’s go . ”

“Y- yes!”

I proceeded to deplete the enemy ship’s shields with the pulse laser
cannons equipped on Krishna’s manipulator arms and finished them off
with live rounds . The remaining pirates, who’ve lost the support of the
three medium-sized ships, had their morale brought to rock-bottom and
messed up their coordination . Their actions were a mess . It was an all
you can eat pirate buffet .

[Hiiih!? This thing’s a four-armed monster!]

[Dammit! Stop that freak! Hold it down!]

[Damn you! We’ll just be torn to pieces by canister rounds if we go head-

to-head with it! You do it, fucking smartass!]

[Run away! Run away! There’s no fucking way we’ll defeat that thing!]

[What the- ?! Hey! Don’t run dammit! You’ll just be gunned down by the
military battleships idiot!]

The pirate ship which tried to run away was pierced by a thick pillar of
light and exploded . It was support bombardment from the System military
fleet . The “cage” was finally completed and sealed shut .

“There’s no escape . You’ll all die here . ”

[You die, you fucking four-armed bastaaard!]

All the remaining pirate ships turned towards Krishna and started
attacking . It looks like they wanted to concentrate fire on my ship in order
to bring me down . I evaded the projectiles which drew bright arcs in space
with my ship’s superb maneuverability and shook off the attacking pirate
ships .
*Vueeen!

After detecting hostile enemy fire, the ship AI issued a warning and
displayed the ship’s overall condition through a hologram projection . The
total shield depletion rate was displayed in real time . It seems I didn’t
manage to come out of that completely unscathed and the ship took a
direct hit .

Mimi let out a distressed scream after seeing the projection, but I kept my
cool .

We did take a direct hit . But only the first three shield layers were brought
down . There are still two layers left . The shield cells would also
completely replenish them in time, even if enemy fire does manage to
bring the last two layers down . And even if they do manage to bring them
all down, we’re still protected by layers of tough, military-grade armor .
It’s definitely not cause for panic .

I’m currently unable to attack because I’m concentrating on evading

enemy fire, but as a result, all the pirate’s attentions are focused on me .
Any half-decent merc would definitely capitalize on this opportunity .

[Hyahaaa! It’s an all-you-can-eat ya bastards!]

[Hmph! They’ve completely ignored us . Looks like we’re being severely

underestimated here . ]

[Typhoon! Fox 2! Fox 2!]

[Hurricane! Fox 2! Fox 2!]

The mercenary ships, which have been driven on the defensive earlier, got
their bearings together and started to shoot down the enemy pirate ships
one after another . I also didn’t fancy always being a moving target, so I
aimed for an opening and started fighting back by firing off my laser
cannons; successfully bringing down pirate ships myself .
The large caliber live projectile cannons were powerful, but had limited,
not to mention expensive, ammo . So I can’t exactly fire em without a care
. The pulse laser cannons however, are quite cost-effective . So if I wanted
to make a tidy profit, these babies are a must .

And after less than five minutes, the situation was completely reversed,
and we managed to clean up all pirate ships in the immediate area .

[Area cleared . It’s our win . ]

[Man, I actually thought we were goners for a bit earlier . But we managed
to turn things around when Four-arms came . ]

[Nice going, Four-arms!]

Apparently, they slapped me with the nickname “Four-arms” . It kinda

sounds weird though… Well, maybe it depends on personal taste .

“I’m heading out to another part of the battlefield . Good luck guys . ”

[Yeah, you too . And the Operator girl as well . ]

“U- Um, thank you very much . ”

[Dammit! She really has a cute voice! She’s definitely a cute girl guys!
I’m sure of it!]

[You’re always like that man . That’s why you’re still a damn virgin . ]

[I- I’m no virgin brah!]

Man . Looks like these kinds of skits are also prevalent even in another
world . Hm… How mysterious .

I turned up the throttle and proceeded to head out to a new portion of the
battlefield . But in the middle of doing so, a particular unit zoomed past
my field of vision .

“A white ship… Elma, huh?”

“Is Elma-san fighting here?”

“Yeah . We’re going after her . ”

I then witnessed an intense light beam firing out from the pirate ship Elma
was chasing . Oh boy . That’s not good . Elma was up against a medium-
sized pirate battleship and her escort units . And it was equipped with an
irradiation-type laser cannon nicknamed “Gerobi” by Stella Online players
.

The pulse laser cannons equipped on my Krishna were designed to fire off
laser projectiles in consecutive short bursts . The “Gerobi” cannon,
however, was an irradiation-type which would continue to fire off an
intense high-heat laser blast until it eventually stops due to overheating .
The nickname “Gerobi” had a lot of different interpretations, but the most
basic one was gero(vomit) + beam = “Gerobi” . In other words, it was a
cannon which vomits out high output laser beams . But all of that stuff
doesn’t matter right now . If I don’t hurry and help Elma, something
absolutely awful would likely happen . I gunned the thrusters to try and
make it in time .

[Eh? Why?! The controls aren’t working– Kyaaaaaaah!!!?]

I gave up and took some distance instead . Unfortunately, I was too late .

[Uwaah! What’s with that white ship?! It’s heading straight for us– Evade
it!]

Elma’s ship started flying straight at an unreasonable speed . Once that

happens, it’s too late to do anything .

“H- Hiro-sama, is that fine?”

“Nope . It ain’t . It’s completely gone on a rampage . ”

[Nooooooo!? Wh- what’s happening– Iyaaaaaaaah!!!]

Judging from her reaction, it seems like she really didn’t know about the
Fe***ri’s tendency to go out of control…… So Elma wasn’t a veteran who
knew the inherent risks, but an idiot who got her ship just by looking at the
specs .

“U– Um, shouldn’t we help her?”

“We can’t do anything to help… If we try to approach her carelessly at

that kind of speed, chances are we’ll just crash into her and go boom
together . ”

“B– But Elma-san… Elma-san is…!”

“Uh, well… That ship’s cockpit is unexpectedly tough . We’ll just have to
recover her cockpit once she crashes and– “

Elma’s ship blasted through the pirate encirclement and headed towards a
completely different direction . It really looked like a shooting star
streaking past .

At first, I thought she was heading in our direction . But it didn’t seem to
be the case… Whoah, wait up! She’s heading straight for the military
fleet…!

[Kyaaah! Get out of the waaay!]

[Uwaah! It’s gonna ram us! Shoot it do… No, wait . That’s a mercenary…!
Nuwaaaah!]

Elma’s ship crashed against a military battleship and completely stopped

moving afterward . It looks like the cockpit block made it out okay, so if
her luck was good, she would probably not get injured all that much . The
problem was the battleship which she crashed into was also wrecked…
Just how much would it cost to repair that thing?

“Um, what should we do?”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do . Let’s just concentrate on our

current task . ”

“U– Understood . ”
Due to Elma’s rampage, the previously tightly wound formation collapsed
. I went straight for a cluster of confused pirate ships and opened fire with
my pulse laser and live projectile cannons . Sure it was a bit cold of me,
but I really can’t do anything about it y’know . I’ll just concentrate on
doing my job while praying for Elma’s safety . Yep, let’s do just that .

TL Note: Looks like the rampage is primarily triggered by overheating;

either by internal or external factors . That’s one hell of a flaw . That
Fe***ri model needs to be recalled asap!
# 017 – Operation Over

# 017 – Operation Over

“What’s the status of the operation?”

“Yes, Captain!! Apart from a little accident earlier, everything is

proceeding as planned . ”

“Ah, that huh…? Well, it’s fine to not pin her with a crime, but be sure to
charge her for the repair fees . ”

“Aye, ma’am!”

“How are the mercenaries faring, I wonder? Let’s see…”

Serena switched tabs on her info terminal and looked at the current
accumulated rewards earned by each mercenary . Her eyes widened when
she saw the data displayed on screen .

There was one particular individual who had already defeated four
medium-sized pirate battleships . The number of small ships shot down
was also quite impressive . It seems that this mercenary was still fighting,
and the prize money earned was rapidly increasing .

“Was there such a skilled mercenary in our System?”

“Eh? Whoah! Judging from his performance, he seems to be a Gold rank…

no, Platinum rank mercenary . But I’ve never heard of his name before . ”

The Operator hasn’t heard the mercenary’s name, but it was a different
case for Serena . It was a name she was quite familiar with .

“Display his data on screen . ”

“Yes!”
After checking his data, Serena confirmed his identity . He was a self-
proclaimed mercenary who piloted an unidentified ship . It looks like he’s
formally registered as a mercenary now .

“…Bronze rank?”

“That isn’t a result a Bronze rank can attain . He’s just been registered as a
Bronze rank mercenary recently – a week to be exact . He’s just registered
but has already displayed such an impressive performance… Is he perhaps
a former military pilot? He’s undoubtedly an Ace-class . ”

“Most likely ma’am…”

She looked back on her impressions of the self-proclaimed merc . He

seemed to be just a little older than her . He didn’t seem to be a retired
military pilot . He should be a little older in age for that assumption to
stick .

And he didn’t have an air of someone from the military at all either .
Instead of a soldier, he sort of… felt more like an ordinary civilian . He
didn’t seem like a mercenary either .

It certainly was unusual . Judging from the battle results, his ship should
be a first-class military grade battleship . However, no matter how high-
performance one’s ship is, one can’t fully take advantage of its specs if
one didn’t have the appropriate skills . In addition, skilfully piloting such
a battleship requires an impressive amount of concentration .

It’s quite difficult to maintain ones concentration in an environment where

one is constantly exposed to danger . Some people may even resort to
measures such as drugs or hypnotic suggestion .

In other words, he seemed to be an ordinary civilian with no connection to

the military, but he has the skills and abilities to pilot such a high-
performance military grade battleship . It was highly abnormal .

Just who is he…? Serena was getting more and more interested in him .
“His kill count is rapidly increasing… At the rate he’s going, he’ll achieve
a triple score multiplier pretty soon . ”

“Will it really end with him achieving a triple score multiplier? Judging
from his pace, it truly doesn’t seem to be his limit” Serena thought .

“Keep monitoring the situation carefully . Record all the data you can get .
”

“Aye, ma’am!”

After hearing her subordinate’s response, Serena turned her gaze back to
the battlefield map . It looks like the battle would be ending soon .

***

The operation finally ended . The pirate forces have been totally wiped
out, and now we were in the middle of searching for survivors from both
sides, as well as securing loot and re-useable debris scattered across the
former battlefield . That said, our ship isn’t equipped with sensors suitable
for searching out survivors, so I’ll leave that up to the military and
concentrate on securing some sweet loot .

“Um, Hiro-sama, isn’t there a chance we’ll get into a conflict with others
for the spoils?”

“When it comes to cargo thrown out into space, it’s first come, first served
after all . And the enemy ships a merc shoots down gets automatically
tagged to them, so we don’t really need to worry about something like that
anyway . ”

It’s just that we’ve been moving all over the place earlier, so my kills were
scattered all over the battlefield as well . It was a bit of a pain, to be honest
.

But even so, I won’t dare skip this part . There’s no doubt the subjugation
rewards from the military would be considerable . But the amount we’d be
making from selling off the salvaged parts and cargo from the destroyed
ships would also be nothing to sneeze at .

This is especially the case for base raids . In these situations, the pirates
usually try to escape while bringing along as much supplies and rare
metals they could afford to carry .

“That said, let’s get to work!”

“You look like you’re having fun, Hiro-sama . ”

“Course it’s fun . It’s more fun than killing people with a battleship
anyway . We might even find some unexpected treasures or something .
Don’t you think this is fun Mimi?”

“B– But, I’m worried about Elma’san . ”

“You’re a really kind girl, Mimi… Well, her ship did crash, but it’s kinda
fortunate that she rammed a military battleship . I bet she’s safe now . ”

“Really?”

“Yup . Military ships are equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities

after all . They also have really skilled doctors on-board . So don’t worry .
”

“I see… That’s great . ”

Mimi made a relieved expression .

Well, there really was no danger to her life, but I can’t say the same for her
finances . After all, in addition to the hefty repair costs for her ship, she’ll
also have to shoulder the expenses for the military battleship she managed
to wreck… Just thinking about it is kinda scary .

It may seem cold of me to ignore her plight, but I don’t really have any
obligation to help her out . She did help in my and Mimi’s registration
procedures, but I’ve already paid her with a large amount of brewed liquor
as compensation, so that sort of evens the score already .
It’s not that I don’t feel any gratitude towards her . However, considering
the huge amount of debt she’s about to be slapped with following that
accident, gratitude’s a bit of a weak reason for me to shoulder that with her
.

In the first place, she’s called herself a veteran mercenary . I bet she won’t
appreciate me butting in on her problems anyway . But, well, I’d consider
helping her out within allowable limits if she did ask for help though .

“Alrighty then, let’s get ourselves some treasure! Watch me work and try
to remember the procedures Mimi . It’s not that difficult anyway . ”

“Y– Yes!”

I ordered the drones to collect the wreckages and scanned their contents .
Mmhm . Supplies, liquor and ammunition huh? Basic stuff . There’s also
some industrial use metals . These should sell for quite a bit . The rest
are… air purifier spare parts, water purifier filters and other colony
maintenance supplies . These should also sell well . These items are used
for maintaining colonies and space stations, so they should fetch
reasonable prices just about anywhere . However, the real treasures are the
rare metals . I didn’t manage to collect a lot of the stuff, but what I got
would still sell for a considerable sum .

“There sure are a lot of stuff, Hiro-sama . ”

“Yep, you’re right . I’m glad we managed to secure some rare metals . ”

“Yes . Huh? What’s this?”

“Hm?”

There was an unusual item among the things the drones salvaged, so I
began a detailed scan . A jewel? It was sealed tight inside a tough-looking
container too . This is… To think they had something like this…

“Oh boy… It’s that thing huh?”

“What is it?”
“This thing’s called a Singing Crystal… It’s quite a dangerous item . ”

“Is that so? Should we really bring it with us then?”

“Y– Yeah . We’ll take it . ”

My policy is not to miss any item which would amount to lots of dough .
Anyway, this Singing Crystal is a special item which could call out a lot of
space-dwelling monsters if you destroy it in outer space . It’s a very
dangerous item which would summon a swarm of dangerous monsters
from out of nowhere .

The monsters aren’t all that tough, but they were pretty numerous .
Thousands of them would come at you all at once, so it’s impossible to
manage with just a single ship . In Stella Online, at least ten squads were
needed in order to attempt a challenge . It’s something which could
generate raid bosses; or rather, a raid mission .

Actually, there’s a trick to using this thing… Well, considering our current
situation, it may be a good idea to keep this thing as a form of insurance .
The situation with the neighbouring Federation kinda smells fishy after all
.

“Yep, let’s take this thing . Secretly, that is . ”

“Secretly?”

“Uhuh . Secretly . ”

It’s not exactly an illegal item, but it’ll be messy if we were found holding
on to it . The ship has a compartment which can block out external
scanning, so let’s store it there .

Eh? What am I planning to do with it, you ask? Hahaha, well I just thought
something like this would come handy, that’s all . Besides, collecting all
sorts of illegal stuff is kinda a mercenary thing, so it can’t be helped
y’know . We salvaged items until the cargo hold was filled to bursting and
returned with the other mercenary and military ships to Termaine Prime .
Elma’s white Fe***ri was also being towed back… but can that thing still
be repaired? It looked pretty busted up . More like, even if their size
classes were worlds apart, it still managed to wreck a military battleship to
an amazing degree . Just how fast did this thing go anyway…? Even I’m
getting worried about Elma’s safety .

While I was thinking such things, the ship’s comms received a message . It
seems to have been sent to all ships, including the mercenaries .

[With this, we declare this operation over . Good work everyone . The
pirate main base was completely destroyed and most of their ships were
shot down . This will make this Star System safe for a while at least . ]

Just for a while huh? Well, this star sector is rich in mineral resources and
raw materials after all . It’s pretty close to the border to boot . After a
while, new pirate groups would eventually spring out again . It’s not like
they’re cockroaches, but pirates are really troublesome because of this
nature of theirs . No matter how many you eliminate, others would
eventually take their place .

[The rewards will be deposited to each of your accounts once we’ve

finished tabulating the results . It will be sent after at least two days . ]

Two days huh? In the game, the rewards were sent immediately after
returning to base, but this is reality after all . Well, two days seem fast
enough for a government organization like the military to consolidate the
results and give out the rewards .

It looks like the designated time frame was normal since none of the other
mercs raised any complaints . I don’t really mind it taking a few days,
since I’m not worried they’ll do something shady with the reward money .
It’s the military after all . They’ll surely keep their word so as to not lose
face and trust . I don’t have any complaints either . It’s not like we can’t
afford the delay anyway . We have enough finances to last us for quite
some time .

“Alright, Mimi . Please send out a docking request . ”

“Yes, right away!”

Mimi worked on the Operator console and sent out a formal docking
request to Termaine Prime’s hangar bay . Permission was issued out a few
moments later . It was her first time to handle a docking request
procedure, but Mimi seems to be doing just fine .

In order to avoid accidents, I docked the ship carefully according to the

guide markers . The ship was finally fixed to the hangar bay with a
*gashan sound, and the airlock gate was closed .

Whew . I let out a sigh of relief . The sense of security you feel when you
successfully dock inside a hangar bay was the same in real life as it was in
the game .

“What are you going to do after this, Hiro-sama?”

“Hm? Well, I was thinking of having a nice, long rest after we get paid
with the reward money . I’m quite tired actually; both mentally and
physically . ”

I unlatched my seat belt, got up from the cockpit seat and stretched my
limbs . I was feeling surprisingly exhausted . I got hit with a lot of Gs
while I was performing combat maneuvers earlier, so it felt like I worked
out a ton even if I was just sitting on the pilot seat the whole time .

While I stood next to the main console, I operated it and ran the ship’s
self-diagnostic routines . It was a fairly rough battle, and I’m sure there
would be some areas in need of maintenance . I’ll also have to restock
ammo and fuel .

“Um, that’s not what I meant . Um, I was asking where you plan to go after
this and your goal, Hiro-sama . ”

Oh . Those are quite the philosophical questions, my dear Mimi . Where

do we come from, where are we going, what is our goal and what would
we leave behind huh…? Uh, I guess not . I doubt she meant something that
complicated and heavy anyway .
“Well, first, I’ll tell you about the reason for my journey – my ultimate
goal so to speak . ”

“Yes!”

“My goal… is to live on a residential planet somewhere after purchasing a

detached house with a garden on a prime location in said planet!”

“That’s… quite a grand goal, Hiro-sama . ”

“Really? I wonder…”

I want to eat whatever food I like as much as I want, sleep as much as I

want and have fun as much as I like . Something like that, I guess . I didn’t
say it out loud because it seemed I’d be looked down on if I ever voiced
these kinds of goals out y’see . They did seem kinda half-assed .

“It would be good if you could also think a goal for yourself Mimi . Just
living for the sake of living seems pretty depressing after all . ”

“Yes, you’re right… I honestly haven’t thought of things like that all that
much . ”

“Anything’s good . Things like tasting all the gourmet foods in the galaxy
or seeing all the magnificent and mysterious sights space has to offer are
pretty fine goals too .

Hmm . A gourmet food tasting trip cum sightseeing tour huh? You know
what? That actually sounds pretty good . Yosh! I’ll save it as one of my
sub-goals then .

“A gourmet food tasting trip across the galaxy . It sure does sounds nice .
Let’s do it then . ”

“Yeah, sounds great . Guess I’ll tag along with you too . ”

“Okay . Let’s do it . My goal is to taste gourmet food all throughout the

galaxy together with Hiro-sama!”
“Yeah!”

Mimi and I clasped hands while getting all excited . In this moment, two
gluttonous monsters intending to devour all gourmet food in the galaxy
were born!

“I don’t really want to get fat, but I’ll do my best!”

“I actually think you need to fill out a little more Mimi . ”

“…Really?”

Mimi touched her stomach to check her figure, but paused all of a sudden .
She was slightly shaking . What? What happened?

“Um, uh, I think I sweated a lot, so I’m going to take a shower, okay?”

“Uh, okay . Go right ahead . ”

Mimi walked out of the cockpit awkwardly; it was as if she was trying to
cover her lower body . Just what happened to her?

“…Don’t tell me she actually took a leak here?”

Even if the ship wasn’t particularly damaged, we did take a few direct hits
. Although the shields held up, it might have been a bit too much of a
shock for Mimi, who had just experienced her first live combat sortie . I
scrunched my nose and tried to pick up a particular kind of scent inside the
cockpit, but came up empty . Did it get absorbed by her pad or something?

“…Geez man! I sound like damn a pervert, so let’s stop thinking about this
stuff . ”

I decided not to let my thoughts stray away any further and headed to the
kitchen . I suppose I’ll also take a quick shower after taking in much
needed water and calories .
# 018 – Shopping with Mimi Returns

# 018 – Shopping with

Mimi Returns
I and Mimi spent the next few days following the end of the pirate
subjugation operation relaxing and discussing about our future plans . I
also taught her about how to perform equipment replacement procedures .
We were finally going to receive our reward from the military today, so I
planned to bring Mimi along to the dealer who sells ship equipment and
spare parts .

“Ehehe . ”

“Well, someone sure looks happy . ”

“Hehe, I’m really looking forward to our future travels . ”

After making eating all sorts of gourmet food in the galaxy as a future
goal, Mimi immediately made preparations with unexpected zeal . She
researched all kinds of trivia about gourmet food on her info terminal in
her room as soon as we got back from the operation . She’s actually found
a deluxe auto-cooker model which promised to pump out all sorts of
delicious gourmet dishes, and found a local dealer of said auto-cooker on
Termaine Prime .

She persuaded me to buy it yesterday, and we made a decision to upgrade

Krishna’s on-board equipment . Yep, the new equipment we’re going to
install this time is just the aforementioned deluxe auto-cooker . Of course,
we also planned to upgrade the living facilities and equipment such as the
bathrooms with full-featured washlets, water and air purification modules
and high-performance air conditioning devices . The costs are reasonable
and cheaper compared to the price of a new reactor and energy shield
emitters .
We’re going to the dealer today to test out the new equipment and see if it
really fits our needs . I’m wearing my usual mercenary get-up, but Mimi
was in casual clothes which made her seem somewhat more mature .

“Yep, you look really cute today . Or should I say pretty?”

“I– I s that so?”

“Uhuh . You look great . You look like the perfect example of a beautiful
lady . ”

“Eeeeh…”

Mimi, who just got praised by me, fidgets while holding her blushing
cheeks . How cute . If this keeps up, I’m afraid I’d be tempted to disregard
today’s schedule and dote on Mimi all day, so I decided to immediately
disembark from the ship and head out to the equipment dealer .

“The shop seems close to the Mercenary Guild building . ”

“Yes . There are a number of government offices, major shipmaker outlets

and equipment dealers in that area, so public security seems to be quite
good . ”

“I see . It seems you really do have talent for being a ship operator, Mimi .
”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah . At this rate, I’m sure you’ll soon get the hang of information
gathering and navigation as well . ”

“U– Um, I hope so too . ”

Mimi flashes me a cute smile while holding her personal tablet terminal .
By the way, my policy when it comes to tutoring is mostly a hands-off
approach . If you meddle too much while teaching, it would be counter-
productive . I don’t think building a sort of relationship where one
unilaterally pushes one’s standards on another is ideal . You can’t develop
trust between people with that sort of approach . It’s impossible for me at
least .

I and Mimi are partners who entrust each other with our lives . We may
have started out on unequal grounds in our relationship as a captain and
his crewmember or a guy who paid off a massive amount of debt and a girl
who owes said guy her life and newfound freedom . But whenever we go to
a battlefield, we’d be partners in the truest sense of the word . At least,
Mimi and I are trying to build that sort of rapport between us .

In order to build a relationship of absolute trust, I have to respond to her as

seriously, honestly and caringly as possible . But y’know, maybe I just
can’t bring myself to be strict with her because she’s completely won me
over . It can’t be helped guys . Mimi’s just so utterly cute! There’s always
a risk that overly indulging myself with Mimi’s cuteness might dull my
edge, but I honestly try not to think of it that much .

We got on an elevator which leads out of the hangar bay and managed to
get a nice view of the scenery out in space . The elevator shaft was made
of metal frames which supported transparent panels, so one can peer
through it and see the scenery outside .

“I’ll really never get tired of seeing this view . ”

“Aren’t you already used to this sort of scenery, Hiro-sama?”

“Nah, not really . I’ve actually just started seeing this sort of stuff in
person quite recently . ”

“Is that so… Where did you stay before coming to this colony then, Hiro-
sama?”

“Before coming to the colony huh…?”

I was indulging in my memories of my former world, but remembered my

cover story about losing my memory . That was close man . I was
seriously about to answer her honestly for a sec .
“Well, truth is, I don’t really remember much . I seem to have been blown
over to this star system due to an accident or something during hyperdrive
. But my memory’s kinda vague when it comes to the kind of life I was
leading before or where I actually come from . ”

“Eh!? Truly? Isn’t that difficult for you?”

“Is it? I don’t really care much because I’m getting by just fine anyway . ”

And I actually don’t have any amnesia, but am just forced by the
circumstances to lie about it .

“I actually plan to go to a space station specialized in healthcare one of

these days so I can get a detailed check-up . ”

“That would be for the best . When we get back, I’ll search up the nearest
station with the best medical facilities for you . ”

“Thanks . ”

It seems Mimi was really concerned about my health . How kind of her . I
also have to be mindful about it myself because Mimi would lose her
backing if I do kick the bucket .

I comforted Mimi who was worrying about my wellbeing as we continued

to head towards the equipment dealer’s shop . She implored me to have my
vitals checked daily, which honestly seemed kind of a hassle, but if it
would allow Mimi to feel secure, I won’t fuss about it . It doesn’t take
much time to have my vitals checked through the ship’s med pod anyway .

Mimi was finally somewhat relieved when I agreed to having my vitals

examined daily . But she still seemed to be a bit worried and hugged my
arm tightly… Whoah, this soft sensation is amazing . To think having
someone worry about you would feel this great!

The dealer was really located in the place Mimi researched in advance,
and the two of us, who made an early appointment, were guided through
the store with impeccable service .
“This is our latest high-performance auto-cooker model, the Tetsujin V
produced by Mushashino Tech Ltd . The Tetsujin series continues to
maintain the top share in the industry as the longest selling high-
performance auto-cooker . This model is the latest one, only released two
months ago . ”

“Two months ago huh . How long has this brand been in the market?”

“It’s been out for about eight years or so . The Tetsujin line has continued
to improve in quality with each subsequent release owing to the
meticulous response regarding the feedback the company has received on
various instances of accidents and breakdowns due to being subjected to
different harsh environments . As a result, the brand’s reliability continues
to rise with each subsequent model . In fact, the overall failure rate of the
previous model, Tetsujin IV, was an astonishing 0 . 004% all throughout its
run, and was able to provide delicious meals in any environment one
might find oneself in . And of course, Tetsujin V has inherited this
outstanding quality and even improved upon it . ”

“What’s its power consumption and projected maintenance costs?”

“The overall power consumption is a little on the high side, but

maintenance costs are minimized due to it having an auto-maintenance
function utilizing nanomachine technology . It’s virtually maintenance-
free . The filters and internal mechanisms are all cleaned when it’s
switched to standby mode . It’s all done automatically . ”

“I see . That’s a nice feature huh . ”

“You’re right . It won’t do no matter how high its performance if

maintenance is a hassle . Are you okay with its power consumption rate
though, Hiro-sama?”

“That won’t be a problem . Our ship’s power reactor has plenty of power to
spare . ”

The reactor installed on Krishna is the highest-grade military model . It’s

got plenty of juice under the hood .
“Now let’s move on to an actual demonstration . Let’s start with a standard
hamburger recipe from a common food cartridge available on the market .
”

As he said, the store clerk activated Tetsujin V and started having it make
burgers . Hamburgers are actually the most common food template all
auto-cookers are able to make . In the first place, auto-cookers are 3D food
printers which create meals by adding water and seasonings to the contents
of food cartridges filled with dehydrated foodstuffs made from a certain
type of special algae . No matter how unique its features, this thing’s still
making this stuff from said food cartridges, so the resulting product
shouldn’t be that tasty… but…

“That’s friggin delicious dammit! What the heck!?”

“It really is delicious…”

Mimi and I couldn’t help but react . Is this thing really using the same
food cartridges as the ones on my ship? The taste is delicious enough to
make you doubt otherwise . Compared to this masterpiece of a burger, all
the ones I’ve eaten before seem to be at the level of cold burgers you can
buy in the street for a hundred Yen . There’s no comparison .

“Food texture and taste would vary greatly depending on the method of
mixing ingredients, heating and adding seasonings . The patented AI
installed in the Tetsujin series is capable of utilizing these factors to great
effect, in order to recreate this sort of sublime flavour . ”

“I see… Mimi, we’re buying this thing!”

“It’s expensive though . ”

“The regular retail price is 48,000 Enel . But if you buy now, we’ll give it
to you for a special introductory price of 45,000 Enel! That’s a 3,000 Enel
discount folks . And we’ll also throw in various accessories . All for the
low, low price of 45,000 Enel! It also comes with a free three year
warranty!”
“Wow! Alright then, we’re definitely buying this . ”

“Thank you very much for your patronage . ”

We then proceeded with the rest of our business, and finally, everything
from the auto-cooker to the air filters and other equipment related to
raising the living standards inside the ship were replaced by luxury
products from Musashino Tech Ltd .

The total price reached 300,000 Enel, but a comfortable living

environment would directly affect the overall wellbeing of the crew .
Since that’s the case, we decided not to skimp on the costs and bought the
finest equipment the store had to offer . And besides, 300,000 Enel is
cheaper than Mimi’s debt plus her unrestricted moving rights pass . My
wallet won’t budge from just this amount of expense . Even after including
the cost of Mimi’s clothes, we still have about two million Enel saved up .

Also, we’re set to receive the pirate subjugation rewards today as well .
The number of ships I managed to take down during the operation a few
days ago amount to 42 small craft and five medium ones . The military
kill rewards alone would be 310,000 Enel . That’s already enough to cover
for today’s purchases . The separate bounty rewards posted for the medium
warships would net me a total of 480,000 Enel as well . Plus, there’s the
goods we managed to plunder from the pirates too . Since there were some
rare metals among the supplies, I imagine the profits would be quite
substantial . I roughly estimate it to be about 800,000 Enel or so .

In other words, I managed to earn roughly about 1,600,000 Enel through

the pirate subjugation mission . Honestly, it’s on a level which makes me
smile involuntarily every time I think about it . I can’t help myself from
laughing as well . So, considering this, 300,000 Enel used for home
improvement and clothes is truly cheap .

We also had the beds replaced . The bed in my room was changed to one
big enough to accommodate two people . I don’t really need to spell out
the reason right?
Oh, and while we were purchasing the bed, Mimi’s face flushed bright red
and seemed to be ready to let out steam from her head . To be honest, I
also felt kinda embarrassed, but seeing Mimi in such a state was worth all
the trouble .

After completing all the orders for the ship’s equipment, we decided to
head to the Mercenary Guild in order to receive our rewards for the large-
scale subjugation mission .
# 019 – Claiming Rewards

# 019 – Claiming Rewards

“Oi, oi! So you brought your woman with you again pal . You’re trying to
get on my nerves aren’t you bub? Huuuh!?”

The moment we entered the mercenary guild, I was immediately pestered

by the receptionist uncle .

“Time for a shift change . ”

“Whaddya mean shift change– Guwaaah!?”

The guild staff oneesan from before saw the commotion and hit the
receptionist uncle on the head with a thick looking file holder . Lengthwise
. Ouch . The receptionist uncle immediately passed out and was tossed
towards the back . The staff oneesan then sat on the now vacant seat .

“I’ve just taken over his shift, sir . Are you here to claim the mission
rewards and the bounty money?”

“Uh, yeah . ”

I silently promised myself never to go against this person . She even easily
threw a beefy uncle aside with one hand . I don’t think she’s replaced any
part of her body with machines or anything . It’s possible that she’s had her
strength enhanced directly through this world’s advanced technology…
But, in any case, she’s hella scary man .

The guild oneesan checked my records and the subjugation mission

rewards and bounty money turned out just as I expected . All in all, the
total reward is just a little over 790,000 Enel . It ain’t an exact figure
because the bounty rewards managed to net me a little extra cash – 8,123
Enel to be exact .
“I’d also like to request for my ship’s maintenance check and ammo
resupply . ”

“Yes, certainly . I believe you’d want canister shells for your shot cannons,
chaff, flares and the shield cell re-charging service, correct?”

“Yes . I’ll leave them to the guild’s capable hands . ”

“Please rest assured and leave the rest to us . ”

The receptionist oneesan displayed her best business smile . Services such
as ship maintenance and ammo replenishment are some of the main
sources of income for the guild .

“But you sure performed quite splendidly in this time’s operation sir . ”

“Yeah, I guess . I would’ve wanted to face some tougher characters though

. Bet I’d earn more if I did . ”

And, for the record, I’m being serious here . Sure, there was a lot of small
pirate craft . But they were worth pitifully little . Bet their bounties would
have been worth more if they’d had actual skills, but every pirate I fought
were of the “shoot-first-think-later” variety – small fries, basically . I
would’ve earned better if there were more mid-sized warships among
them .

“Well, this star system is actually one with relatively good public order
you know . Things like the pirate subjugation mission directly headed by
the military this time happen quite rarely here . ”

“I see . So you’re saying I should head to a more lawless sector if I want to

earn more from the bounty rewards right?”

“Huh? But isn’t that really dangerous Hiro-sama?”

“Well of course it is . Those sectors house some pretty nasty characters

after all . But the bounty rewards would be much higher . If one has the
skills, they’d definitely be able to make quite a killing in those areas . ”
The receptionist oneesan answered Mimi’s question .

Yup . Those kinds of places were really filled with danger . But with my
skills and firepower, the pirates in this sector barely posed a threat
anymore . Of course, my aim’s not to travel in search of stronger foes to
pit my skills against like a battle junkie, but I did want to earn more
money if possible .

“But with Hiro-san’s skills, I think you really would be able to earn better
if you moved to a more dangerous sector . ”

“And I’m sure this sector’s gonna be relatively peaceful for a while after
that subjugation mission, right?”

“Well, yes, you’re right . But the missions offered by the guild aren’t
limited to just hunting down pirates you know . You can also accept escort
and cargo transport missions as well . ”

“My ship isn’t suited for transporting cargo . And escort missions are a bit
of a pain, so no thanks . ”

“To tell you honestly sir, the guild would really like it if you accepted
some of these missions . ”

“You’d be better off assigning them to the guys who have proper
mercenary fleets working under them . ”

Mercenary fleets are composed of several mercenary ships that opted to

form into a close-knit group in order to accomplish a larger variety of
missions . They were sort of akin to parties in that regard . It was kinda
impossible to do an escort mission with just a single ship after all . There
was the possibility of the ship you’re escorting getting shot down while
you’re busy chasing around enemy pirate ships . And even if you stuck
close to the ship you’re escorting, there was still the danger of being
unilaterally bombarded by enemy fire from long range .

If there are multiple ships in an escort mission, they would at least be able
to divide their roles in order to guard their clients more effectively . But
this was impossible if you’re all by your lonesome . So accepting escort
missions is impossible for us .

“Don’t you want to form a fleet? I think it would be possible for you Hiro-
san . You’ve made quite an impressive showing after all . Some guys
would definitely be interested . ”

“Nah, I don’t really have any intention of doing that for the time being .
We’ve already made some other plans after all . ”

I moved my gaze towards Mimi and she responded with a cute smile while
blushing slightly . Yep, there’s a lot on our plate right now . We had plans
to go to a medical space station . And there’s also the matter of earning
enough money in order to purchase a detached house with a beautiful
garden .

“…I see . ”

The receptionist oneesan looked at the two of us with a meaningful smirk

on her lips and nodded lightly . I think she might have misunderstood
something here man .

“Hiro-san looks like he would be able to earn a lot and the two of you
seem quite passionate with each other as well . Hiro-san does seem
somewhat unreliable at times, but I find that trait of his rather endearing .
Are you two going on a honeymoon trip after this? I hope you two enjoy
yourselves . ”

“Eeeh! Uh, um… Thank you very much!”

Mimi responded to the neesan’s words with an exceedingly dazzling smile

. Eh? You’re not gonna deny it? Is it okay for our trip to be called a
honeymoon? Eh? Eeh!?

“Well, uh… We’re really not going on a honeymoon y’see…”

“You’re not?”

“We aren’t…?”
The receptionist oneesan displayed a surprised expression and Mimi gazed
at me with watery eyes .

“Well, uh… Maybe we are… It’s something like that, I guess . ”

Mimi’s sad expression turned lively once more . The receptionist oneesan
looked at the two of us curiously .

“I don’t mean to pry, but what exactly is the relationship between the two
of you?”

“Our relationship? It’s kinda complicated . A ship captain and his crew
member? You could also call us a guardian and his charge . ”

“That’s right… And Hiro-sama is my life’s saviour and also my… master,
I guess . ”

“Hiro-san!?”

Oneesan’s gaze suddenly turned hostile . Oh crap! I have to explain things

to her properly or I’d be at the receiving end of her ridiculous brute
strength! I’ll have to choose my words carefully .

“She was about to be roughed up by some thugs in the 3rd Block, so I went
and saved her from them, ma’am . Since she turned out to have nowhere
else to go, I ended up letting her stay with me instead . ”

I unknowingly gave my explanations in a respectful tone . I didn’t want to

get done in by this scary oneesan after all .

“I was banished into the 3rd Block because of a 300,000 Enel debt my
papa and mama left me . Hiro-sama not only took me in but also settled
the entire debt along with getting me an unrestricted traveling pass which
totaled 500,000 Enel… That’s why I decided to offer my all to Hiro-sama .
”

Mimi followed up with an explanation of her own while displaying a

determined expression . After the receptionist oneesan heard her, she
closed her eyes and nodded deeply .
“Well now, I guess you’re safe mister . ”

“Yeah!”

I just received a royal pardon! I went and made a small guts pose . I
managed to avoid fatal danger… . !

“A young girl who lost everything encounters a wandering mercenary and

the two of them fell in love huh? It’s just like a story from a romance
novel . ”

“Uh, it’s not really something all that grand y’know . ”

Well, I guess this all started when Mimi ended up giving her chastity to
me . Luckily, Mimi doesn’t seem to dislike me and was even proactively
trying to get closer to me . If things didn’t turn out like that, I probably
wouldn’t have the mind to pursue a relationship with a younger girl .

“That’s not true at all . Ever since I met Hiro-sama, my days have been
filled with nothing but happiness . Hiro-sama is really nice, and you
always spoil me too . ”

“Oh? How exactly does he spoil you?”

“He just spent 300,000 Enel so we could buy the equipment I wanted to
install on the ship . ”

“Hey, it’s not like I didn’t benefit from buying those stuff too y’know .
You don’t have to mind it so much Mimi . ”

Seeing our interactions, the receptionist oneesan made a delighted smile as

she placed one hand over her cheek .

“It’s good that you two get along so well . Maybe I should just quit being a
guild receptionist and tag along on Hiro-san’s ship as a crew member?”

“Y– You can’t!”

After hearing the receptionist oneesan’s declaration, Mimi suddenly
hugged my arm tightly . My arm was wrapped by two soft hills . It felt
amazing!

After seeing Mimi’s actions, the receptionist uncle who was tossed
towards the back glared at us with eyes that seemed ready to spill tears of
blood while biting a handkerchief in chagrin . Furthermore, most of the
mercenaries inside the guild building gave me deadly stares .

What? You guys jelly? Keep dreaming folks . I won’t give Mimi to anyone
else .

“That’s unfortunate . ”

“Uh, guess we’ll be going then… Oh, right! There’s something else I want
to ask . ”

I was just about to turn around and leave but stopped in my tracks after
remembering about a certain matter .

“Um, do you happen to know what Elma’s situation is? She was a big help
when I and Mimi registered as mercenaries but she suffered an accident in
the operation, so I’m a bit worried about her . ”

“Ah… Elma-san huh?”

The receptionist oneesan’s expression turned grim as she made a troubled

smile .

“Is she hurt bad or something…?”

“No, she’s fine for the most part… However, as for the penalties imposed
by the military…”

With that, I got a good idea about Elma’s situation . It looks like she was
slapped with quite the heavy fines .

“…Can she bounce back?”

“It’s a bit… No, it’ll be quite difficult for her . ”

“Oh…”

“……?”

Mimi tilted her head in puzzlement after seeing my exchange with the
guild oneesan . Well, guess I’ll just explain what’s going on to her… But
how will Mimi react?

“Y’see Mimi, Elma’s currently in quite a pinch because of the repair costs
for both her ship and the military warship she crashed onto . ”

“That’s terrible! Uh, but…”

Mimi raised her voice in surprise at first, but her mood quickly deflated
like a balloon leaking air and she lapsed into silence .

“Uh, well, this sure is difficult…”

It’s not like I don’t have any intention of helping her, but she still hasn’t
asked for my help, so she might find me meddlesome if I suddenly butt in
on her problems . I’ve also just met her a few days prior and she and I
were only casual acquaintances, but… I guess it can’t be helped huh . I
have no idea just how bad she has it though .

“Where’s Elma anyway?”

“She’s currently trying to find a way to at least pay off the penalties
imposed by the military . ”

“If she can’t pay it, it’ll be [this], right?”

“Yes, it would seem so . ”

I made a gesture of cutting off my neck with my hand and the receptionist
neesan nodded in the affirmative . Thought so . I don’t exactly know if
she’ll get sent there, but this star system has an orbital prison station
where criminals are sent to and forced to engage in harsh mining
operations .

“Will she be sent to the orbital prison?”

“Yes . But the ratio of male to female criminals over there is quite
lopsided in favor of the males . The female inmates seem to have it quite
hard, to say the least…”

“I see…”

I don’t even want to imagine how a female inmate would be treated in a

prison filled to the brim with male convicts . I want to do something to
prevent Elma from going through that… Yeah . Or rather, don’t they
separate the inmates by gender over there? This country’s scary .

“Can I ask you to inform me if Elma finds herself unable to settle her
problem?”

“…Are you fine with that?”

“Yeah . Guess this is fate or something . I still don’t know if I’ll be able to
help though . ”

There’s a good chance I won’t be able to help her much as well . The only
thing required of me in order to help her was forking out a little bit of
money anyway . She’d just have to pay me with her body afterward . Wait,
I didn’t mean literally . I meant taking her in as a crew member . Elma
would do nicely as Mimi’s tutor .

I’ll just take a cut from her designated mission rewards in order for her to
gradually pay back her debt .

“Speaking of which, what’s the standard reward rate for crew members?”

“It’s often based on which roles they’re assigned to while on-board . ”

“What about Mimi?”

“Mimi-san? You’re the owner of the ship, aren’t you Hiro-san? You
automatically get 100% . ”

“Guess so huh . ”

“We can evaluate it based on her skills then… By the way, pardon me for
asking, but are you and him really in that sort of relationship Mimi-san?”

“Huh? Ah, um, yes . ”

“I’ll include that in the assessment then . So you’re an apprentice crew

member with close to zero skills who didn’t contribute much in this time’s
operation and also your captain’s lover . Your cut would be about 0 . 1 to 0
. 5% give or take . ”

“0 . 5%… Isn’t that a little too low?”

I tilted my head in thought after hearing Mimi’s reward rate . The total
amount of reward money this time is 790,000 Enel . If Mimi’s
remuneration rate is just 0 . 5%, she’d just get 3950 Enel . If we convert
that to Yen, the reward Mimi will get from this operation would just be
395,000 Yen . Ain’t that a little too cheap a price for willingly heading into
danger and giving up her chastity…? Well, I guess things would look a
little better if we consider that I’m shouldering her food, clothing and
providing her with a place to stay, but still…

“This is just how it is . If she improves her skills as a ship operator, her cut
would increase . But right now, she’s getting a cut solely based on her
being your lover . Even so, it looks like you’re earning quite a bit of
money, aren’t you Hiro-san? If I stay with you, I bet I’d earn more than my
current monthly salary . ”

Looks like she’s really starting to consider becoming my crew member .

Please let me off Miss . I mean, sure you’re absolutely gorgeous, but you
can casually toss around a grown man with just one arm . You seem a bit
dangerous ma’am, so I’ll have to pass .

“T– Three thou– I can’t take this much money!?”

“It’s your proper remuneration, so don’t worry and just accept it Mimi . ”

“Eeeh…!”

It seems Mimi sees that amount as a lot of money, but for me, it isn’t even
enough to cover for our bills . The costs for ship maintenance and supply
replenishment easily dwarfs Mimi’s current reward rate . In the first place,
considering how expensive it is to park a ship in the hangar bay and if we
include the cost of food, you won’t be able to stay inside this colony for
twenty days without having at least 4,000 Enel . It really was just a paltry
sum .

“We’re not really wanting for cash right now Mimi . In fact, we have
plenty . If you think you’re getting too much, wouldn’t it be fine if you
just saved up the rest of the money?”

“R– Really?”

Mimi doesn’t seem to be convinced quite yet, but she did receive her
rewards properly . I don’t mind the fact that I’m providing her food,
clothing and shelter for free . Not only is she taking care of me properly
every day, but she also always manages to put a smile on my face and
brighten my mood . In fact, I don’t think 0 . 5% is enough . 5% or even
10% would be fine . But it’s not really my call, so let’s follow the
stipulated rates for now . And judging from Mimi’s earlier reaction, she
won’t take it very well if she suddenly receives an even bigger amount .

Hmm . Should I open a new savings account for Mimi then? Let’s consider
it . After we finished receiving our rewards, I got a copy of the standard
crew remuneration chart from the guild oneesan and left the guild building
with Mimi . We had no more plans for today, so we just walked around
some of the shops in the vicinity and then headed back to the ship .

The new ship equipment will be installed by tomorrow . It will also

undergo a full maintenance check and get a resupply . These would
probably take a few days . Let’s do our best!
# 020 – Waking Up in Bliss

# 020 – Waking Up in Bliss

I woke up while feeling a firm but soft sensation all throughout my body .
The feel of a new bed is the best .

“Unn… Mmm…”

Mimi was sleeping quite comfortably beside me . Yep, we also enjoyed

each other’s company last night . Man, I’m already fully captivated by
Mimi . No doubt about it . She’s just too cute and loveable y’know . I don’t
think any normal man would be able to resist her charms .

I carefully got off the bed and gathered the clothes and underwear which
got taken off last night . I then tossed them inside the washing machine in
the laundry room . It’s an excellent product which breaks down all dirt and
stains without the need for detergent . It thoroughly cleans the fabric
without damaging it and automatically dries it afterwards . Moreover, the
entire process lasts for just five minutes . Afterwards, you’d get clean,
good smelling clothes which seem brand new . The power of science is
amazing!

I entered the shower while fully naked, plopped myself inside the bathtub
and turned the water on . Hot water with just the right temperature quickly
filled the tub and washed over my body . Afterwards, the water got drained
and what followed was a comfortable full-body massage . Ah, paradise .
This sure was an amazing bathtub which can turn hardworking people into
a bunch of lazy-asses .

After getting out of the bathtub, warm air laced with fine particles
permeated the bathroom and dried my whole body . I don’t know exactly
what these particles were, but they don’t clog my throat and getting
enveloped with them would reproduce the effect of drying me with a towel
. It was a process filled with the mysteries of advanced tech and I have no
idea how it works .

I retrieved our newly washed and dried clothes from the washing machine
and put on my pants . I then returned to my room . I found Mimi still
sound asleep, so I stroked her hair and cheek to wake her up .

“Mm… Hiro-sama?”

“Morning, Mimi . ”

“Mmm…”

She seemed to be still half-asleep, so I embraced her and buried my face

on her bountiful chest . Mimi got surprised by my actions but humored me
anyway, hugging my head and patting it while whispering “There, there . ”
as she made a soft smile . After a while, she finally woke up fully and
released my head from her hug . I also got off from her body .

“G— Good morning . ”

“Good morning Mimi . ”

I greeted her once more and gave her forehead a kiss, making Mimi blush .

“I’ll tidy up the bed, so you go ahead and take a bath . I already washed
your clothes . They’re over there . ”

“O— Okay…”

Mimi wrapped the sheets around her naked body, picked up her clothes and
left the room while blushing bright red . After seeing off her retreating
figure, I pushed a button on the bed .

*Vrrr…

The bed, which had ended up in quite a mess after last night’s intense
lovemaking, started tidying itself up automatically after the button was
pushed . This type of bed was made out of especially produced synthetic
biomaterials which activated themselves with a push of a button . The bed
automatically cleans itself up and takes care of any leftover residues
discharged by the bed’s occupants . In other words, this is a type of
artificially created “living” bed .

“Mm . That should do it . ”

Additionally, the new air conditioning equipment automatically regulates

temperature to an ideal degree so you won’t feel any discomfort even if
you walk around naked . We also had air purifiers which can filter out
most harmful gases, walls which can turn completely sound-proof with a
touch of a button, a washlet capable of letting out a stream of warm water
with one press (For some reason, this is the only thing that’s relatively
similar to the ones available on Earth) among other cutting edge
equipment and functions which drastically improved the livability of my
personal ship, the Krishna .

According to the equipment dealer, they’ve turned the living quarters into
“something comparable to the VIP cabins of a first-class luxury cruiser” .
The Tetsujin V auto-cooker was working splendidly, and Mimi and I got to
enjoy delicious meals made by chef Tetsujin everyday . In fact, it was so
comfortable that it made me actually think that it was fine not to buy a
house and just stay on the ship .

No, no . That’s no good . I want to drink soda after all . I want to guzzle
down as much as I want . Thus, the plans for buying a detached house with
a garden on a residential planet can’t be abandoned .

After renewing my determination, I ordered chef Tetsujin V to “make a

delicious breakfast” . Tetsujin V is able to read the current mental states of
its clients and creates the optimum menu based on the data it gathers after
selecting recipes from a wide variety of pre-set templates . I have no idea
just how it was monitoring my mental condition, but it hasn’t missed a
beat ever since we started using it . As expected of the latest model of
high-class auto-cooker .

Right after I finished setting the table and preparing our drinks, Mimi got
out from the shower and arrived at the dining room . She only wore black
spats and a plain t-shirt .

“Are you going to work out after eating breakfast?”

“Yes . I need to improve my physical strength . ”

“That’s a good idea . I’ll join you in training after finishing breakfast as
well . ”

“Yes! Let’s do our best together, Hiro-sama!”

Today’s menu is grilled eel on rice and grated yam… Huh? Whatever do
you mean by this Mr . Tetsujin? Why did you prepare a meal meant to
replenish energy for breakfast? Uh, well, we did get pretty tired last night,
so is this menu made to compensate for that…? Just how the heck are you
monitoring my condition to come up with this kind of menu Mr . Tetsujin?

“How are you feeling today Mimi?”

“I feel great . I make sure to get my vitals checked every day along with
you Hiro-sama . In fact, I’ve felt amazing ever since I started living in
your ship . The meals are delicious and the exercise menu is really
effective . I feel that I’ve slimmed down quite a bit . I think I weighed
heavier before coming here after all…

Mimi answered my question enthusiastically at first and turned red from

embarrassment when she finished .

“That’s good to hear . But don’t overdo it and ruin your health instead
okay?”

“Okay . What are our plans for today Hiro-sama?”

“Oh, well, after we finish working out and having our vitals checked, let’s
go to town to buy some more food cartridges . We’ve almost run out of
them . And I think it’s a good idea to splurge a little to celebrate the
installation of our new on-board equipment . ”

“Okay . Let’s go shopping later then . ”

I felt relieved after seeing Mimi’s energetic reply . After spending more
than a week with me, she’s already starting to get used to her new
surroundings and life and she’s started acting more naturally around me .
In the beginning, she seemed a bit too anxious because of a need to feel
assured that she won’t be suddenly abandoned . It seems that she’s finally
started feeling more secure lately . Hmm . Maybe part of the reason is our
frequent nightly “activities”?

After finishing breakfast, we headed straight for the training room in order
to perform some workouts devised by our AI training coaches . The
content of my and Mimi’s training menu is different, but both are aimed at
strengthening the core . It seems that the aim is to train the core in order to
withstand the impact of intense Gs when performing combat maneuvers .

We also ran on treadmills in order to increase our endurance . The

workouts were standard stuff, but were several times more effective
because of the nanomachine capsules we take before each session . But to
be honest, I don’t feel the difference all that much .

After working up a sweat, we entered the bath together in order to wash

each others body and flirt around . Due to such a reward, training doesn’t
feel as dull anymore . It’s great man .

“Alright then . Let’s go Mimi . ”

“Yeah!”

Mimi squeezed both her delicate fists in front of her and displayed a guts
pose like always . Mimi’s wearing full mercenary gear today; complete
with a small laser gun . I’m also wearing full gear .

It’s because the place we’re going to is near the spot where Mimi got
assaulted . I have no intention of letting Mimi encounter any sort of
danger as long as I’m around, but you can never be too careful . I
instructed Mimi about how to handle a laser gun before we went down to
the 3rd Block as a precaution . The chance she’ll need to use it is small,
but better safe than sorry .
I taught her the safety release method and how to adjust the power settings
. I then locked the safety once more and placed the laser gun on Mimi’s
holster . After that, I reminded her not to hesitate if it came to the point
where she needed to use the gun for self-defence . But of course I’m going
to do my utmost not to let that sort of situation happen . After confirming
our equipment, we boarded the elevator together and went down to the 3rd
Block .

“Try not to look too nervous, alright? Those types only go for weak
looking prey to target after all . ”

“U– Understood!”

“Well, you did go through that kind of experience, so it can’t be helped if

you’re worried . But it’s alright . I’m with you now, okay?”

“……Yes, you’re right, Hiro-sama . Un, I’m okay now . ”

Looks like she did feel better now since her expression cleared up . In
order to make her feel more relaxed, I hugged her from behind, making
her eyes squint in comfort . How cute . But since we’re inside an elevator
monitored 24/7 by security cameras, excessive skinship isn’t advisable .
I’ll just hold back until we return later .
# 021 – Bill Bundle Binta Part 2
# 021 – Bill Bundle Binta Part 2
“Ah…”

“Um… Isn’t that Elma-san?”

Mimi and I ended up seeing a certain someone’s sorry figure while we

were walking on the way to the convenience store on the 3rd Block . She
was leaning on the wall a little further from the convenience store’s
entrance and sat directly on the pavement while covered by a white hooded
mantle . Normally, this get-up would be enough to make it difficult for
others to recognize you . But the hood on the figure’s head was distorted
into a strange shape . That’s definitely because of her pointy ears .

When I took a closer look, I managed to spot a few empty liquor bottles
behind her . Maybe she just couldn’t handle her problems anymore and
just resorted to drowning her sorrows by drinking alcohol .

“Hiro-sama…”

“Nmm… We’ll just ask about her circumstances for the time being,
alright?”

We approached the figure in white and stood to the side . The person in
question was startled by our approach and trembled slightly . Somehow, I
felt a hint of danger while looking at her figure .

“… . Tsk!”

Her actions were lightning-fast . The figure in white drew her laser gun
with blinding speed and aimed it towards me . However, my reaction was
equally fast, and I was able to aim my own weapon at her at the same time
. I saw eyes akin to a dead fish peeking out from under the dirty, white
mantle . Oh boy . Looks like she really had it bad . She stared at me for a
while with a lifeless gaze, slowly lowered her laser gun and proceeded to
display a mirthless smile .
“Fufu . What? Did you guys come to make fun of me or something?”

“That’s not it, idiot! You did take care of me a while back, so I just wanted
to see how you were holding up… And, well, Mimi insisted y’see . ”

“Elma-san…”

Mimi sat down right next to Elma and held both of Elma’s hands in hers .
Elma smiled softly as she looked down on their overlapping hands .

“Looks like our positions have been flipped in just the span of half a
month huh . ”

Mimi couldn’t say anything after hearing Elma’s words and silently went
to take Elma in for a hug . Elma weakly hugged her back .

“So, how are you?”

“The compensation and penalty fees filed by the Sector military… I

already sold my entire assets and bled my savings dry, but I still couldn’t
manage to get enough . ”

“How much is left?”

“About 30,000,000 Enel more…”

“30,000,000…”

I checked my assets on my personal terminal . I have about 35,000,000

Enel on me . I definitely had more than enough to bail her out .

“I can’t earn money right now either since repairing my ship would take
more than two weeks, and even the reward money I made during the
mission was canceled out by the fines due to the accident I caused… I did
try to consult the Mercenary Guild about it though . ”

Elma powerlessly shook her head .

Well, I guess that’s about right . Repairing a totally damaged ship would
take a lot of time, and if a merc can’t use their ship, they can’t make
money . There would be no lending company that would offer a loan
amount of 30,000,000 Enel to a wandering mercenary, and 30,000,000 Enel
is a pretty exorbitant fine, to begin with . She could try going to banks, but
are there any conventional banks in this world?

But still, she’d already sold all her assets and used up her entire five years-
worth of savings, but she still ended up short 30,000,000 . Just how large
were the penalty fees anyway? That’s pretty damn scary man .

“What’s the payment deadline? What’ll happen if you can’t pay?”

“Today… In about two more hours… If I can’t pay, they’ll send me to

forced labor in the orbital prison on Termaine III . There are a lot of
former pirates imprisoned in there . Once they learn that I’m a former
merc……”

Elma began crying in despair .

I was prepared for the possibility of dying while out in space when I first
got my ship . But this… This is just…!”

“Elma-san…! Hiro-sama!”

Mimi looked up at me as she cradled the sobbing Elma within her arms .
Her gaze was begging me to do something .

I crossed my arms and began considering things . Yup… Bailing her out
would be simple enough . I’ll just have to pay the fines, and she’ll get off
scot-free . But doing that would reduce my funds to just 5,000,000 Enel .

Well, that’s still a pretty big amount . But it isn’t something that would
last us indefinitely, considering the operating expenses of my ship .
There’s no problem if we just went for some minor repairs and
resupplying, but if something went wrong which leads to our ship getting
wrecked, the fees would be astronomical . But I guess it won’t be much of
a problem if I was able to make a lot more money quickly… Should I hunt
down the remnant pirate groups in the area for starters? Mimi kept looking
at me with an uneasy expression . Man . I just can’t refuse that gaze .

“Hey, Elma . ”

“…What!?”

“Come aboard my ship and become one of my crew . ”

“……Eh?”

“I’ll pay that thirty million . So be my crew member in exchange . I’ll

have you teach Mimi the ins and outs of being a mercenary from scratch .
And you’ll have to act as her support in combat as well . ”

“Wha– Wait, are you serious!?”

I ignored Elma who was shocked silly at my proposal and took out my
portable terminal in order to check the time . There’s just a little bit more
until the repayment deadline .

“We don’t have much time . Go and make your decision already . It’s
either you become one of my crew, or get thrown into a prison filled with
former pirate inmates to serve as their plaything . ”

There’s no middle ground . It’s like I’m forcing her, but Elma looks like
she was a person who held a lot of pride, so I was being pushy on purpose .

“But, but why…?”

“If I don’t help you out, Mimi would grieve . And furthermore, it’ll leave
a bad taste in my mouth if I left you alone to face such a cruel fate . And
well, I kinda want you with me as well . ”

She really made a big mess this time around, but Elma was still a veteran
merc with five years of experience . She would be great to have around
me, who still lacks this world’s common sense, and Mimi, who was born
and raised inside a colony .
Also, she had enough skills to handle an out-of-control ship and managed
to survive a crash practically uninjured . She would be great as a sub-pilot
in case of an emergency . I also plan to have her lecture Mimi regarding
ship piloting, but that’s still a long way off .

“Whu– Y– You w- want me…!?”

Elma’s cheeks and ears turned bright red for some reason . Mimi also
displayed a surprised expression . Wait, aren’t their reactions a bit weird?
I’ll ask them about it later .

“So?”

“Eh!? Ah, um… I– Is that right? So you were looking at me like that huh?”

Elma started fidgeting bashfully . Looking at you like what, exactly?

“Um… okay . I’ll do it . ”

I made fun of her as a disappointing space elf, but her choice of stores was
appropriate, her knowledge regarding all the related procedures in the
guild was spot on, and her advice was pretty useful as well . Her follow-up
regarding Mimi, including giving her “meds”, was also good . And it could
be said that she wasn’t entirely responsible for her ship going out-of-
control as well .

“Oh, um… but don’t you have Mimi already?”

“It’s not like it’ll be any different if we add one more person . Right,
Mimi?”

“Yes, that’s right . ”

“I– I see . So just one isn’t enough huh…?”

Elma made a swallowing gesture and looked at me with a passionate gaze .

Huh? Isn’t her reaction really a bit weird? Or is it just me?

“So what’ll it be? Are you gonna board my ship or not?”

“I… I’ll get on board . ”

“I see . Then welcome aboard . Do your job properly, okay?”

“I, I know! Please be gentle with me . ”

“Hm? I’ll probably be hard on you though . ”

What the heck is this girl talking about? That’s a whopping 30,000,000
Enel y’know . That’s 300,000,000 Yen . Of course, I’m gonna be strict with
her .

“Oh, alright… Understood . I’ll prepare myself then . It’ll be far better
than doing it with pirate inmates at least . ”

This girl’s saying something incomprehensible again . Oh well . Let’s just

head to the military headquarters and pay her fines off .

We started heading toward the military base with Elma in tow, whose
expression was strangely filled with determination for some reason and
paid her remaining fines amounting to 30,000,000 Enel . It took a bit of
time, but now Elma’s in the clear . She’s going to be paying a 30,000,000
debt by working for me instead .

“Oh boy… Thanks to you, my financial account has become a lot lonelier
all of a sudden . ”

“I’m truly grateful for your help… I’ll pay you back little by little . ”

“Haha . Well, if you don’t do your job well, you won’t be able to get any
compensation, okay . I’m expecting a great performance . ”

“U, um… Okay . I’ll do my best to satisfy you . ”

There’s that weird reaction again? Are we having a huge misunderstanding

here?

“We were originally planning to buy some supplies anyway, so you might
as well just tag along . We’ll have to buy some daily necessities for you
anyway, right?”

“Just a bit then . I have some things still left on my ship anyway . ”

“I see . Then let’s get to buying those supplies and hurry back to the ship .
”

“Yes, Hiro-sama!”

There’s Mimi on my right and Elma on my left . From someone else’s

point of view, it’s a “flower in both arms” kind of situation . Elma was a
gorgeous space elf after all . But some parts of her were a bit
disappointing .

But well, having two gorgeous ladies on-board was sure to spice up our
journey, so welcoming another member did have its perks . And the new
girl is both beautiful and skilled to boot . I won’t lay a hand on her though
. I feel like my hand will be twisted straight off if I did .

Anyway, our remaining funds were 5,000,000 Enel . It definitely won’t last
us if we encountered an emergency . I’ve already lazed around for close to
a week, so I guess it’s time I went out and made some money .

***

“Oh, by the way, what happened to the mercenary who cause that
accident?”

“That female merc right? Well… She seems to have sold her ship and fully
paid the compensation fees . ”

“She sold her ship…? And she made a full payment, you say?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case . Today happens to be the deadline . ”

“Deadline…? I ordered that she should not be penalized, didn’t I?”

Failure to pay the penalties fined by the military can be considered a

severe crime already . That’s all the more true in this empire . Even if it’s
stipulated in imperial laws, forcing a person to pay those astronomical
penalties in just one week was just too much . In this star system, where
the military’s influence is prevalent, it was more likely that any incident of
this sort would be unilaterally blamed on the mercenary instead . But if
you think about it using common sense, anyone would judge that the
repairs of that damaged military cruiser would last more than a week .

“Yes, well… It seems that Captain Baritone of the central department was
the one who calculated and imposed the penalties as well as set the
deadline . ”

“That damned pig…! Should I just tear him apart and feed him to the rest
of his species?”

That damn pig didn’t think well of mercenaries, as well as me who

managed to make good use of them . So this was probably his attempt at
harassment .

There have been talks among the mercenaries that if one of them was
found out to have made even a little mistake during the earlier operation
(although the incident caused by that female mercenary was anything but
little), they’d be sent straight to prison, so I was a bit troubled by the
situation .

“Serena-sama?”

“Oh, sorry… But this is concerning . Please investigate it for me . If

possible, make it so that pig gets taken down a peg or two . ”

“Understood!”

But anyway, I can’t imagine just selling her ship would have let her pay
off all of the fines . The mercenary occupation seems to make a lot of
money . Should I just quit being a soldier and become one then…?
# 022 – Elma

# 022 – Elma
After doing quite a bit of shopping, we finally decided to go back to the
ship to have an early dinner . It seems Elma hasn’t eaten properly for the
last few days .

“Strange . ”

“What? Doesn’t tonight’s dinner suit your taste? This is a special dinner
made from high-quality food cartridges and artificial meat, y’know . ”

“That’s not it~! Why is this place so……!?”

Elma suddenly stood up from her seat, making it rattle .

“Why is a mercenary ship like this one so freaking luxurious!?” Elma

exclaimed as she pointed her finger at the newly refurbished, sparkling
clean dining room . Uh, even if you ask that…

“Y’see, I think a comfortable living environment is very important .

Delicious meals, clean rooms, clean and comfortable beds, and other such
things have a positive impact, both physically and mentally, on the people
who spend their time living in such a space . ”

“I understand the logic… I understand, but…! This just looks like the
inside of an ultra-luxurious passenger space cruiser!”

“It was money well spent . That was a truly satisfying shopping experience
. You did great for looking up such a nice place, Mimi . ”

“Ee~eh!”

“Nn…!”
Elma bit her lip in frustration, which got distorted into a strange shape,
due to failing to get her meaning across .

“Elma . ”

“What!?”

“Other people have their own circumstances . This is ours . Get used to it .
”

“Kuh… I understand . ”

Elma was still reeling from having her image of mercenaries completely
upended and kept muttering from time to time, but she at least began to
eat . I also went ahead and brought chef Tetsujin’s specially made dinner to
my mouth .

Meals using ordinary food cartridges were plenty tasty already, but these
high-quality ones were a class of their own . The artificial meat steak was
also a lot tastier than usual . It’s the same meat like the ones we cooked
using the previous auto-cooker before it was replaced . But why is the taste
of this particular steak so different? All hail the power of Chef Tetsujin!

“It’s delicious, right?”

“…It’s delicious to the point that made me think all other food I’ve eaten
before utterly pales in comparison . ”

“I really get you . ”

“I understand that feeling too . ”

Mimi and I deeply agreed with Elma’s comment and nodded approvingly .
Chef Tetsujin is just that impressive . It’s scary how effortlessly he’s
conquering our collective palates . For example, the taste of the artificial
meat is enhanced by two or three levels; the exquisite meaty flavor cooked
with just the right heat and timing, and the fragrant aroma of spices was
all spot-on . It was a dish overflowing with such fine craftsmanship . This
was the quality of the meals Chef Tetsujin cooks . We spent the rest of the
time making small talk and proceeded to take turns having a bath after our
meal .

“Please teach Elma how to use the bathroom facilities . Or rather,

wouldn’t it be fine if you guys just entered together?”

“I guess you’re right . Shall we then?”

“How to use the facilities…? Well, I guess I don’t mind . ”

Elma tilted her head curiously but ended up agreeing, so I left her to
Mimi, and entered the bath first . Ah, this full-body automated massage is
darn amazing! It did seem to use up a lot of hot water, but because the
bathroom makes use of an advanced water purification technology, the
actual water consumption was practically nill . There’s also the added
benefit of not having to worry about running out of water, even on long
voyages . After I finished bathing, I went out and headed back to the
dining room just wearing a plain t-shirt and half-pants . I found Elma and
Mimi whispering among themselves .

“Yo, I’m done, you guys . ”

“Piiiii~!”

“Whoah!”

Elma, who was busy having some sort of hush-hush girl-talk with Mimi,
got startled and cried out with a weird voice, which ended up surprising
me as well . Just what is with her all of a sudden? Is she trying to imitate a
sparrow’s cry or something?

“W- Well now, you finished quite quickly, didn’t you!?”

“Not really . It’s how long I usually take… Hey, you okay? Your face is
pale . ”

“I- I- I’m quite f- fine, thank you! I’m completely okay!”

“A- alright…”
I turned towards Mimi with a questioning gaze but just got an ambiguous-
looking smile in return . What? What’s going on? There was a growing
sense of uneasiness building up inside me . I think there was a big
misunderstanding going on around here . I somehow strongly felt that way
.

“Hiro-sama, I’ll go ahead and enter the bath with Elma-san, okay?”

“Go right ahead . ”

I let both of them go while still feeling that weird sense of unease . Hm?
Elma seems strangely jittery for some reason…? And Mimi seems kind of
lonely…? I don’t get it .

We’ll, I won’t get anywhere mulling about things I don’t get anyway . It’s
a waste of brain cells . I’m not particularly trying to toss it to the
backburner y’know . This is what’s called the efficient use of thinking
power . And so, I stopped thinking about Elma’s unusual behavior and
decided on considering my future plans in my room .

Today’s event nearly drained my wallet, so I’ll have to earn some more
money as soon as possible . To prepare for the possibility of our ship
getting severely damaged, I need to make at least 100 million Enel .

“Hmm…”

I ended up looking at the mercenary request notices on my terminal . It

isn’t like there wasn’t any job worth good money, but almost all of them
are cargo transport requests . They mainly entail transporting goods
produced from Termaine Prime to other star systems through a series of
relatively dangerous space routes and sectors . Depending on the amount
and value of the goods, you’ll get one to three million Enel in
compensation . If you can transport goods efficiently, you’d make quite
the killing .

But unfortunately, Krishna’s cargo bay isn’t large enough to hold a lot of
items . Carrying a small number of goods to different star systems would
make one enough to cover for the fuel and maintenance costs . But with
Krishna’s limited loading capacity, making cargo transport our main
source of income would be quite inefficient .

“Guess it’s bounty hunting after all . ”

The main base of the large-scale pirate fleet operating in this system was
successfully destroyed some days ago, but pirates, by nature, are not
monolithic . There are those small-scale outlier groups not affiliated with
large fleets that try not to be too conspicuous in their activities . They only
go active whenever a large-scale pirate subjugation ends . This is because
the overall alert level of the star system military would inevitably turn lax
after a successful subjugation operation ends .

“Let’s aim for the asteroid belt area then . ”

The resource-rich asteroid belt area is frequented by both private mining

ships and pirates aiming for said ships . I’m gonna earn some bounty
money tomorrow by hunting down those pirates .

Once I decided on my course of action, I proceeded to search for an ideal

hunting point . I’m sure the pirates wouldn’t dare to operate in the areas
close to the territories of the Vereverem Federation . The situation would
be similar in the sectors near the Termaine Prime colony, where the
military’s main base is located .

The military was currently busy sorting out and recovering the usable
debris and damaged, inactive ships in the vicinity of the former pirate
base, so the security was pretty tight, with practically no gaps which can
be exploited to worm in on the area .

“So my only options are this area, that area and this one too…”

I selected spots where the pirates are more likely to appear . Next, I
needed to pinpoint the areas frequented by private mining vessels . Even if
the area was a favorite pirate hang-out, there would be no point if there
weren’t any mining vessels to prey upon . If there was no prey available,
even pirates would get fed up .
However, honestly speaking, the exact coordinates of places classified as
popular mining points or “resource-rich areas” are tightly guarded by the
private mining firms . That’s only natural though . Those are their main
sources of profit after all .

“Hmm, this is kinda more troublesome than I expected . ”

I opened the Termaine System star map in order to glean more info, but it
wasn’t that easy to locate possible mining spots . It can’t be helped then .
I’ll just have to try again tomorrow .

The moment I decided to end my research, the door to my room suddenly

opened .

“Huh? What’s up? Or rather, couldn’t you have knocked first before
coming in……”

The one who opened the door and entered my room was Elma . She was
wearing strangely rough, thin-looking clothes . More importantly, I don’t
think she’s even wearing underwear! After noticing my heated gaze,
Elma’s face turned red from embarrassment and crossed her arms over her
modest-looking chest, seemingly trying to hide them .

“I- I’ve come……”

“Eh?”

Uh, I didn’t particularly call for you, y’know . I inclined my head in

puzzlement, making Elma’s face even redder as she glared daggers at me .
Naw, naw, I don’t get this at all man . Why’d she suddenly enter my room
without any warning and started glaring angrily at me?

“It’s because of ‘that’…”

“Huh…?”

Elma sighed and passed me, who was sitting in front of my desk, and
proceeded to sit on my bed . It was a bed large enough to accommodate
Mimi and I when we go to sleep . Err… her wearing that type of thin
clothing and sitting on my bed… I think it’s not good to lead me on with
those kinds of suggestive actions y’know .

“…Love me . ”

“Huh?”

“I said, make love to me, you dolt!”

“But why!?”

I couldn’t help but let out a sharp retort to Elma’s impassioned declaration
as she sat on my bed .

“Didn’t you say you want me? Didn’t you pay that 30 million Enel
because of me? In other words, it’s like that you idiot!”

“Eeee~h!”

I thought back to the things I said, Elma’s reactions and Mimi’s sad
expression . I see, so that’s how it is . I did say that I wanted Elma . I went
and said it . But what I meant was for her to act as Mimi’s tutor and
support me, right? Ah, maybe she misunderstood what I meant by
‘support’?

I see, if that’s the case, then I kinda get why Elma had such thoughts . And
even if it was just a misunderstanding on her part, Elma still went ahead
and accepted this situation . Hm . I once again gazed at the trembling
figure of Elma sitting on top of my bed . She had a really well-featured
visage and thin, pretty silver hair . The soft bulges pushing up on her thin
one-piece were on the smaller side, but it’s not like there was none to
appreciate . Her body was wonderfully slender and her skin was white and
smooth-looking . She was definitely a real beauty . It seems that her
misunderstanding led to a direction completely different from what I
originally intended, but it’s not like me to refuse such an enticing offer .

And I think it’ll be rude to the other party instead if I went and held back
even though she’s already gone to such lengths and permitted such a
development .

“I understand . I’ll try my best not to make you regret this . ”

“––! B- Be gentle, okay……?”

“I’ll do my best,” I declared as I gently patted the head of Elma, who

currently had an expression akin to a frightened child, and pushed her lithe
body down on the bed .

***

“You beast . ”

“……”

“Brute . Sex fiend . ”

“I’m safe since I had your consent . ”

“Uu……”

Elma clenched her dainty fists and started hitting my chest with them .
Hahaha, this girl…

“That wasn’t the proper way of making out…”

“That’s not true . I was really happy y’know . It was the best . ”

I wasn’t some saint anyway . I’ll go all the way if I can .

“You beast…”

“Just think of it as the little rabbit that willingly fell into a trap and got
eaten by the big, bad wolf… Ow, ow…! That seriously hurts y’know .
Don’t pinch it so much . ”

Elma, who puffed up her cheeks in a cute pout, pinched the sensitive spots
on my naked chest . That really hurts y’know .
“I think it’s only proper to lead you through all the ins and outs, right?”

“I think a sincere person would properly say it first before proceeding to

do those kinds of things . ”

“I don’t really think it’s proper for a person to say those things openly and
embarrass their partner though . ”

“You just have an excuse for everything, don’t you? What a bad mouth . ”

Right after saying that, Elma proceeded to seal my lips with her own .

“Ow– Mmph . ”

“Mmm . ”

Seriously, stop biting my lips when you kiss me, girl . It kinda hurts, okay .

“Well we already did it, so there’s no use complaining about it . Though I

can’t really help but worry about it a bit . ”

“I was really happy, thought it felt really amazing and was very satisfied
though . ”

I locked gazes with Elma once more . Elma turned away with her face all
red .

“……It didn’t feel bad, okay . You were gentle like you promised . ”

“Great!”

“What’s so ‘great’ about it huh?”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!”

She pinched my flank hard this time . Damn, that smarts!

“I’ll really give it to you if bully me too much . ”

“……Go ahead and try then . ”

“Okay . You got it . ”

So she’s been provoking me since a while ago to invite me for a second

round huh? Okay then . Let’s properly answer her expectations .

***

“Good morning . ”

“Uh, morning . ”

I left the still-tired Elma on the bed the next morning, got a bath and
managed to find Mimi sitting in front of the table at the dining room . She
wasn’t doing anything in particular, but just silently sat there .

“……”

“……”

This silence was really unbearable . Mimi’s expression was kinda dark and
lacked its usual liveliness . Was it ‘that’ perhaps? Is her ‘don’t throw me
away’ phobia having a relapse?

“U- Um…?”

“There, there . ”

I forcibly made the confused Mimi stand up from her seat and proceeded
to lead her to the newly refurbished bathroom . Communication and
skinship are important after all .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 25

Translator: SFBaka

“We’re going to the import shop next huh . ”

“Yes! They seem to have various rare goods and ingredients!”

“Mimi, who made it her goal to taste all sorts of gourmet food in the
galaxy, answered in high spirits .

“Can’t go wrong with food, I guess . ”

“……Yeah . ”

Elma, who was following behind, gave the two of us an ambiguous smile .
What’s up with her?

I got the answer to that particular question right away the moment we
arrived at the shop .

“Hey……”

“H- Hi, Hiro-sama, i- isn’t that a……”

Mimi pointed at an unidentifiable ‘something’ thrashing about in a cage .

What the heck is that scary-looking sh*t? It definitely looks like a super-
dangerous creature . Rather, ain’t that a freaking F*cehugger!?

“It seems to be a rare food item . Wanna try eating it?”

“No, I’ll have to pass on that . ”

“By the way, there seem to be processed goods available . ”

“Hii……!”
Elma suddenly took out a vacuum-packed sample of the mystery food item
(aka . F*cehugger) . . Is this thing really edible? You gotta be kidding me,
man .

“This seems to be a type of military food ration from a distant star system
. Everything from the head down can be eaten, apparently . ”

“Is it good……?”

“No idea . I haven’t tried eating one of these things yet after all . But it
seems to be very nutritious? According to the packaging, that is . ”

Elma shrugged her shoulders as she replied . I looked towards Mimi and
saw her shake her head vehemently . Thought she’d react like that . Eating
this thing’s impossible for me too .

“But I think this would be a good start if you want to eat all the rare
foodstuffs in the galaxy . ”

“Well, we’re both beginners y’see . Let’s start with the less-radical items
first . ”

“T- That’s right! Ah, Hiro-sama! It seems they’re selling some delicious-
looking meat over there!”

“Oh! Yeah, I see it!”

Both of us hurriedly escaped from Elma who was grinning in amusement

while holding that mysterious vacuum-sealed food(?) thingy . No, this
isn’t us escaping . We’re just moving towards a new objective . Yup, that’s
it .

“Th- This is…… manga meat!?”

It was a juicy-looking piece of meat skewered by a large bone in the center

. It’s unmistakably manga meat!

“Uhm… Three kilos of this meat cost about 76 Enels . It’s already been
pre-cooked so it’s ready-to-eat . ”
“It seems to have been smoked . ”

“Okay, let’s buy some then . I’d really like to try em . ”

“Yes!”

One manga meat skewer costs 7600 Yen… It’s expensive! It’s expensive
but I just can’t resist this temptation .

I wonder what kind of meat it is though . Well, it doesn’t matter anyway . I

already have an idea . I bet this is also artificially cultured meat .

“I’ll go buy some with my salary . ”

“Nah, it’s my treat, Mimi . ”

“No, I really want to try and spend some of my earnings right now . I’ll get
one for each of us . ”

Mimi turned toward me with sparkling eyes . Hmm, well, if she insists
that much, then it can’t be helped .

“Alright then . Thanks for the treat . ”

“Yes! Please leave it to me!”

Mimi excitedly put some vacuum-packed manga meat in the shopping

basket . I turned around to see how Elma was doing . She seems to be busy
shopping as well and was tossing a lot of stuff in her shopping basket .
Most of it is alcohol though .

“Yosh, I’ll go look for some stuff as well!”

This place is kind of like a grocery store so I don’t think they’ll be selling
anything dangerous . So I separated from Mimi and proceeded to look for
rare foodstuffs myself . There was really a lot of curious stuff; from edible
worms to Kobe beef… Wait, Kobe beef!? How’d they get their hands on
Kobe beef!?
I didn’t manage to sniff out the supplier, but it seems like Kobe beef was
shipped to all corners of the known galaxy as one of the finest quality
meats…… 100 grams of the stuff costs a whopping 1000 Enel . And it
seems it can become even more expensive depending on the type of cut .
It’s way too expensive, man . I could buy it, sure . But I don’t really feel
the urge to after seeing that ridiculous price .

While I was busy marveling at how expensive Kobe beef was, Elma, who
had one hand pushing her shopping cart, approached me and gave me a
curious gaze .

“You can at least afford to splurge that much with our current income,
can’t you?”

“Look here you . 300 grams of this stuff is equivalent to one pirate ship
y’know . Knowing that… You still think you can eat this stuff without
worries?”

“It’s a piece of cake for you though . ”

“Heck no! Luxury is the enemy! There should be cheaper but tastier food
in this universe for sure! Artificial meat steak is tasty enough anyway!”

100 grams of artificial meat steak is 5 Enels by the way . That’s a 200%
price difference you guys . So that’s decided . I’m the kind of guy who
much prefers his artificial meat, thank you very much .

“Well, I guess you’re right . It’s not like things would be more delicious if
they’re more expensive . ”

Elma left the meat section after saying so . I think I saw a sample of that
vacuum-packed F*cehugger(?) in Elma’s basket just now . Let’s just
pretend I didn’t see that .

Next up’s the drink corner . There’s a lot of suspicious-looking juices lined
up… Cola, is there any cola……!

“This is…!?”
I saw a dark-colored liquid inside a bottle . The label even explicitly
shows『Ｃｏｋｅ』on it . There’s no mistaking that, man! It’s my
favorite cola! This marks the end of my journey, it seems .

I took out one bottle from the fridge . I think I startled the shop clerk a bit,
but I didn’t care and paid for the item right away . I went out of the store
and opened it in anticipation . I missed the distinct flavor of this stuff . I
took a large swig .

“……Yeah, thought this would be the case . ”

The sweetness and sourness that danced in the tongue were unmistakably
that of cola . However, there was no refreshing feeling accompanying it .
This was non-carbonated cola . Oi, oi, oi! This cola’s as good as dead .

But anyway, it did taste like cola . I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I
thought, but it was still cola . I finished the contents of the bottle and went
back inside the store to ask the clerk about it .

“How much of this stuff do you have in stock?”

“U, Uhm… We have seven cases inside the store and seven cases out in the
backyard . ”

“I’ll buy em all . ”

The pupils of the store clerk narrowed to dots .

“All of them . ”

“Yes, with pleasure!”

I paid the money and finished the delivery procedures . Hehe, now I’m all
set . It wasn’t my ideal cola because it was uncarbonated, but the taste was
fine . I’ll put up with it until I manage to find the real deal someday… Or
maybe I can carbonate them myself?
I went towards the entrance of the store and searched for the relevant info
on my portable terminal . But it looks like no device for carbonation exists
in the market . Why the heck is this the case even if technology has
advanced leaps and bounds already……? This world is warped… And I
will be the one to correct it……

“H- Hiro-sama?”

“That’s some scary-looking gaze you have on there……”

“Fwahahaha! Don’t mind me . I just got a little upset, that’s all . ”

Oh well . Accomplishing one’s goal so easily doesn’t seem interesting

anyway . Let’s just reflect on this feeling of frustration for now… This
bitter reality… fufufu .

We went back to the ship after finishing our shopping trip and tried out the
various stuff we bought .

The manga meat was… the most ideal manga meat ever . It was absolutely
filling, flavorful and had the perfect texture… But having one skewer each
proved to be a bit much for us . That’s because even without the bone, each
skewer was 2 kilos worth of meat y’know .

It would have been fine if we just bought one skewer and divided it evenly
among ourselves with a knife . But being unable to finish manga meat is a
kind of romance as well .

And Elma really did buy one of those mystery creatures . I tried eating it
after plucking up my courage and found it surprisingly alright . The flesh
covered by a hard-looking shell was surprisingly soft and tender . It kinda
had a kamaboko-like texture . The flesh was actually nice, creamy and
slightly sweet . I can only describe this as creamy croquette… Nah,
creamy kamaboko 1 .

“This is actually pretty good . ”

“It’s just that its appearance is unappetizing . ”

Mimi had an expression that looked like she couldn’t believe I and Elma
were eating the thing .

My cola? I tried having the two of them drink it .

“Doesn’t this smell like medicine? I don’t really like it, sorry . ”

“It’s sweet……”

Elma plainly told me she didn’t like it . Mimi gave an unclear evaluation
but had a subtle expression on her face . That’s fine you guys . I’ll just
enjoy them by myself then . I’ll definitely find a way to make them
carbonated and let you taste real cola! Just you wait, guys!

TL Note: Kamaboko – a type of Japanese delicacy made by forming

various pureed deboned white fish with either natural or man-made
additives and flavorings into distinctive loaves, which are then steamed
until fully cooked and firm .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 26

Translator: SFBaka

It’s been a day after the manga meat party . We decided to patrol the
asteroid belt area again today .

We’ve managed to make enough money anyway, so it won’t be a problem

for us if we headed to a new star system right away . However, it would be
a pity not to take advantage of the increasing flow of prey in the area, so it
was decided that we would hunt for pirates for a bit more . All three of us
were of one mind in the matter .

“That’s strange . ”

“Yep, really strange . ”

“Is it truly strange?”

Elma muttered with a serious expression . I expressed my agreement .

Mimi tilted her head in puzzlement as she looked at the two of us .

We’ve come to hunt some more big, fat prey prowling the area again today
but we detected guys who were making some strange moves and
seemingly stalking the prey as well . We detected a total of three small
crafts .

They were navigating inside the asteroid belt with the express intention of
hiding themselves and obviously didn’t come here to mine resources . We
were mostly sure these guys weren’t pirates either . Their maneuvers were
too organized and calculated . They were obviously gunning for prey as
well . They were trying their best not to get in contact with other ships in
the area .

“What do you think?”

“They’re really suspicious . ”

“Yeah, thought so too . ”

“???”

It looks like Mimi still hasn’t understood, but I already have an idea
regarding the identity of these guys . They were most likely a recon or
covert ops unit from the Vereverem Federation . I don’t have an exact
grasp on what their goals are, but it’s likely along the lines of keeping an
eye and grasping the troop deployment of the Graccan Imperial Fleet; in
other words, the system military .

“Well, this is troublesome . They’ll surely detect us the moment we make

a move . ”

“You’re right . They’ll probably find us right away . ”

“What’s going to happen once they find us?”

“They’re probably going to try and ‘silence’ us . ”

“Yeah, guess so . Man, this is really troublesome . ”

“So they’re dangerous people?”

“Very dangerous . And armed too . They’re probably from the Vereverem
military . ”

“Eh!?”

Mimi suddenly made an aghast expression she gazed at the radar screen . I
think Mimi wouldn’t make such a connection by herself just by observing
the blinking icons on the radar screen after all .

“Ah . ”

“Tch . They found us . ”

The three unidentified craft shown on the radar screen changed their
movement patterns . They were apparently maneuvering to outflank and
surround us . They were in the middle of covert operations, so it would
make sense that they would want to get rid of any witnesses .

Un, should we cut the generator output, initiate the cooling system and
enter thermal stealth mode?

“Nah . That won’t do any good . Can’t be helped then . Let’s take them on .
”

“You really have an acute case of bad luck, you know that?”

“Oh that’s rich . Especially coming from you, Elma . ”

“Ugh… But it’s not like Mimi’s any better, right?”

“Eh!? Me!?”

Elma reeled from my retort, but immediately deflected the issue toward
Mimi .

Elma, who got saved by me after causing an accident and getting slapped
with massive debt, certainly had really bad luck . But I, who got suddenly
transported to this world without a clue, was probably worse off . But
Mimi, who we met in the 3rd Block when she was about to be assaulted
after falling into debt following her parents’ deaths, wasn’t spared either,
wasn’t she?

“Let’s just stop with this topic . We’re just poking open each other’s
wounds y’know . ”

“Y- Yeah . ”

“You’re right…”

“Maximum generator output . We’ll intercept them . Go ask for their

affiliation just in case, Mimi . ”

“Understood . ”
We came out from the asteroid we were hiding behind and started
maneuvering so we didn’t get surrounded by the unidentified ships .

“This is the ship of Captain Hiro, Silver Rank mercenary affiliated with
the Mercenary Guild . Callsign, Krishna . I’m the ship operator, Mimi .
Unidentified ships, please state your affiliation . ”

Mimi opened a comm channel and contacted them, but there was no
response . Mimi, who confirmed there was no response, tried again . But it
was useless . The other guys really didn’t have any intention of talking it
out, it seems .

Oh yeah, by the way, my mercenary rank went up from Bronze to Silver a

few days ago . The receptionist uncle said that it wouldn’t be possible for
me to stay as a Bronze Rank after delivering such results at the
subjugation operation and hunting loads of prey in the asteroid belt area .

But it isn’t like a lot’s changed after ranking up to Silver . It’s just that my
colleagues looked at me with a little bit more respect, that’s all .

“Unidentified ships have deployed their weapons!”

“Just as expected . We’ll follow suit . Deploy weapon systems . ”

“Roger . Deploying weapons . Leave the chaff, flare and generator output
controls to me as usual . ”

“I’m counting on you . Let’s go!”

We headed for the closest unknown ship as we maneuvered between the

asteroid cluster .

“You’re piloting is crazy as usual……!”

“I’m already used to it . ”

Elma’s face convulsed as we weaved through the asteroid clusters while

Mimi smiled . I don’t think it’s that crazy though . This is normal y’know .
We soon found ourselves outflanking the enemy ship .
I piloted Krishna so it seemingly slid on the surface of a large asteroid and
soon found myself staring at the defenseless gut of an enemy ship . You’re
mine, sucker .

『What the- !?』

“That’s one down . ”

I fired our two large-caliber live projectile cannons and the countless
destructive submunitions tore through the shields and armor of the
Federation’s small attack craft [Sword Fish] and ripped its hull to shreds .

“This shard cannon packs quite the punch as usual . ”

“It’s great huh!”

“You’re just about the only one I know who uses such absurd weapons…”

“But they’re strong right?”

The range of the scattershot cannons really leave much to be desired, but
doesn’t it feel awesome to tear through the shields and armor of small-
sized enemy ships like they’re made of paper? It can also give
considerable damage to large ships, provided their shields were down .

『Hunter 2 was- 』

『Judging from those maneuvers, that’s no mere Silver Rank . Be careful .

Take some distance and shoot it down!』

“They’re too far out of effective shard cannon range…”

The other two remaining ships retreated from the asteroid field and turned
their bows toward us . Hou, so you want to finish us off with your long-
distance firepower huh? And you’re going against Krishna? Interesting .
Let’s see what you got .
I hid the ship behind a large asteroid and deployed the four large-caliber
pulse laser cannons .

『What the- !? That ship just grew some arms!?』

『Those are high-output laser cannons……! I- It’s no good! We can’t

withstand that!』

The Federation craft immediately made evasive maneuvers and fired back
. But their laser cannons couldn’t make a direct hit because we were using
the asteroid field as cover . Our laser cannons, however, packed enough
firepower to penetrate through and eventually scored direct hits on them .

These were literally attacks going at the speed of light . It’s nearly
impossible to dodge them directly . Well, their evasion maneuvers were
still effective to some extent, but we were still able to get an 80% hit rate .
And Krishna’s laser cannons packed enough firepower to greatly damage
them even with just an 80% hit rate .

『Tch! The difference in firepower is far too large!』

『Evasive action!』

The two Federation ships then tried to escape, but letting them go here
could spell trouble . I activated the thrusters and made the ship fly out of
the asteroid field as well . I then gave chase .

『Seeker! Fox 1! Fox !』

“Flares . ”

“Roger . ”

The two Fed ships fired heat-seeking missiles, but Elma immediately
deployed flares at my order and made the missiles miss us .

『You bastaaaards!』
I rained down laser cannon fire on the panicked Fed ships . Emerald-
colored light beams pelted the blueish energy shields of the Fed ships one
after another and eventually depleted them .

After this, it was all over . Even if they had military-grade armor plating
as well, after getting bombarded by high-output laser cannon fire, their
hulls soon grew red-hot and melted down .

『A- Abandon ship! Abandon- Uwaaaaa~!?』

The two Federation ships were overwhelmed by laser cannon fire and were
soon shot down . So they weren’t able to escape huh . Maybe the military-
grade hull was warped too much from bathing in waves of laser cannon
fire so the escape pods couldn’t launch out in the end . Sometimes it
wasn’t good to be so tough .

“Alright then… Shall we recover their data caches and black boxes then
head on back?”

“We’re going back to the colony?”

“Yes . I bet the military would pay us quite a bit for these . ”

“I see . ”

“Leave selling the data to me . I have some connections with the system
military . ”

“Connections, huh . I hope your so-called connections don’t bring us any

trouble . ”

“Hahaha . That goes without saying . I’ll just sell the data quickly then
come straight back . ”

“So, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I’m so sorry girls . ”

“Hiro-sama……”
“Hah . Well, it can’t be helped . ”

Two hours after coming back to the colony, I found myself kneeling in
seiza on the dining room’s floor .

Uh, I did accomplish selling the data and all .

I left Krishna’s maintenance and resupply to Mimi and Elma, then went
straight to the military base and got an appointment with Lieutenant
Serena . It looked like she was free, so Lieutenant Serena met up with me
immediately and guided me to her personal office . I then handed over the
data caches and black boxes in exchange for substantial rewards . So far,
so good, right?

But, before I knew it, I, Krishna, and the rest of the crew were enlisted as
cooperators in the coming conflict between the Empire and the Federation
. And it was even settled through proper channels and approved by the
Mercenary Guild as an official request .

Just what the heck happened, man? I have absolutely no idea . Was
Lieutenant Serena really that impressed with me? Nah, that can’t be . I’m
just a single amateur mercenary, y’know . Eh? The Federation fleet? I’m
not that scared of them, honestly . Actively participating in the war is a
different issue though .

Eh? The Imperial military is looking for brave and talented mercenaries to
participate? No, no, I’m not really all that… I see . That’s kinda
embarrassing, oi . Ahahaha . Well, if you say that much… Yeah, I guess .
Eh? You didn’t really mean me… I probably won’t do, you say……? I- I
can definitely do it, y’know!

“It went pretty much like that . ”

“You were completely at her mercy, huh . ”

“Hiro-sama……”

“I am truly sorry . It was all my fault . ”

Their critical gazes pierced my poor, little heart . I really have no excuse,
so I’ll just honestly bow my head here and do a textbook dogeza in shame .

“Oh well . What’s done is done . You’re the captain of this ship anyway .
You’re the one calling the shots . ”

“That’s right . Hiro-sama is this ship’s captain after all . ”

“Thanks for forgiving me, girls!”

“But you still have to make it up to us, okay? How about giving us a
bonus?”

“Bonus, is it……? I still think the pay I’m receiving is more than I
deserve though . ”

“It’s fine . You don’t have to hold back at times like this y’know . You can
do this much at least, can’t you captain?”

“I shall ponder a most appropriate amount that will satisfy you both, my
dear ladies . ”

“That’s that, then . ”

“I- Is this really okay……?”

Mimi still wasn’t comfortable with the idea yet, but I don’t think it was
such a big deal to give out a bonus to make up for my blunder . Hm, will it
be fine if I gave them some high-quality alcohol and delicious food? I’ll
browse Oishii Mart’s online catalogue later . I can pay them in cash as
well .

“So now we have to stay on stand-by until the battle starts?”

“I guess so . I was told we have to be ready for an immediate sortie at all

times . ”

“You did manage to secure a reimbursement salary for the days we’re on
stand-by, right?”
“I did negotiate for that . We’re going to get a daily remuneration of
50,000 Enel until the formal sortie order comes . ”

“Wow . It’s amazing that we’re going to get fifty thousand daily even
though we’re just on stand-by, isn’t it……?”

“I think that’s a reasonable amount though . ”

It’s certainly a far cry from our previous average daily income of 200,000
Enel this past week . But, as we weren’t risking our lives earning such an
amount, it wasn’t all that bad a deal .

Anyway, we’ve ended up formally taking up the request of the system

military – or, more accurately, the Imperial military .

“Hold back on the alcohol though, Elma . ”

“I- I know, okay . ”

Elma made an ugly expression after being temporarily banned from binge
drinking . It’s only proper, y’know . We could be ordered to sortie at any
time, so one can’t be drunk on alcohol when that time comes .

“Not being able to drink alcohol is a small price to pay for a daily
remuneration of 150,000 Enel, Elma-san . ”

“……I guess you’re right . ”

“In other words, as long as you sacrifice a bit and hold off on drinking,
we’ll be able to receive 150,000 Enel daily to buy lots of alcohol when this
is all over . ”

“…That’s right, isn’t it!?”

Miss Disappointing Elf ’s ears perked up after hearing Mimi’s explanation

. Her tension was now MAX level . Well, it was certainly a great deal to be
able to receive a daily 150,000 Enel alcohol fund, if you put it that way . If
you’re a true-blue alcohol lover, that is .

“You’re really smart, aren’t you, Mimi . ”

“Ehehe . ”

Mimi may have a natural talent for cheering people up… Yeah, she sure
does . I mean, I get cheered up daily just by being around her after all .

“Well then, let’s go ahead and make preparations . ”

“Preparations?”

Elma gave me a puzzled and worried look after I stood up . She’s probably
thinking I was gonna do something crazy again . Well, she’s right though .

“Yep, Preparations . I’ll go to the cargo bay for a bit… Uh, Mimi, where’d
we put that duct tape we bought a few days back again?”

“The military-grade one? I think I put it inside the toolbox . ”

“Gotcha . Thanks . ”

I’ll just need to wrap around some tape on ‘it’ a bit so I can stick ‘it’ on .
Then I’ll just launch ‘it’ from the lower weapons bay later on once we get
the perfect opportunity . I’ll have to bring ‘it’ out from the secret cargo
compartment then . Man, talk about busy .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 27

Translator: SFBaka

The Vereverem Federation military’s response was faster than expected .

They most likely received crucial intel from the recon unit even before I
managed to shoot them down .

I don’t know what exactly was recorded in those black boxes and data
caches, so I don’t have a grasp on how much the Graccan Empire managed
to glean regarding the Federations’ plans .

Thanks to that, I wasn’t able to formulate any concrete countermeasures

on my end . I would’ve liked to have more intel just to be safe, but that’s
just how it is . It’ll be troublesome if they did an on-the-spot inspection
after all .

Anyway, because of the actions of the enemy forces, we were summoned

to the military base for a briefing as part of the imperial mercenary
squadron that was hastily organized .

It would be a face-to-face briefing instead of a remote conference this

time, apparently . Is it a sort of countermeasure against spies? I don’t
really get how the folks from the military think .

I was guided by an imperial soldier who kept giving us quick glances until
we reached the briefing room .

It should be a briefing room specifically built to seat a large number of

people . It was quite spacious . It might be because the furnishings in the
room consisted of mostly chairs, but it did feel somewhat bland .

The bland-looking room already had a number of mercenaries waiting

inside . Their gazes all turned towards us the moment we entered the
briefing room .

“Oi, would ya just look at that guy?”

“He got women with him… And two cuties to boot…!?”

“Hey, ain’t that Elma? She’s a Silver Rank, right? Why’s she with him?”

“She got into an accident in the last pirate subjugation mission,

remember? I’m guessin it has somethin to do with that . ”

“Explode… Just f*cking explode……”

The mercenaries who got here before us started murmuring to themselves

as soon as we entered . Hey, the guy who keeps muttering *explode over
there . Could you stop that . It might come true y’know .

Looks like there wasn’t any particular seating arrangement so we just sat
at the nearest vacant seats .

“Sit in the middle, Mimi . ”

“Ah, okay . ”

Elma should be fine, but I bet Mimi wouldn’t be able to settle down if she
was sitting beside a grumpy-looking mercenary uncle . It seems Elma
thought the same, so she didn’t make a fuss and let Mimi sit between us .

All the participating mercenaries eventually came and filled the seats
before long, and the time for the briefing to begin came . Lieutenant
Serena and several other military officers entered the briefing room
exactly on the dot .

“Attention!”

The atmosphere inside the briefing room tensed up after the military
officers entered .

“Now then, let us start the briefing for the Termaine star system defense
operations . I am Lieutenant Serena Holz . This newly organized
provisional imperial army mercenary corps shall be assigned under my
command . It may be temporary, but I shall be your direct commanding
officer for the duration of this conflict . So address me as Lieutenant
Serena from now on . ”

“””Yes, ma’am!”””

“Very well . Let us start with an overview of the general situation . Georg .
”

“Ma’am!”

The officer named Georg operated the console installed on the wall and
the lights of the room dimmed . A large holo screen turned on behind
Lieutenant Serena . The entire star map of the Termaine star system was
projected on the holo screen .

“Currently, the main fleet of the Vereverem Federation is on its way

towards the Termaine star system . Their exact composition is currently
unknown due to the fleet already in the middle of Hyperdrive . However,
based on the intel we just obtained and the readings of the hyperspace
sensor, they are most likely made up of eight battleships, twenty-four
heavy cruisers, thirty-two light cruisers, sixty-four destroyers, and 128
corvettes . ”

The mercenaries became restless after hearing the size of the enemy force
. I was also a bit surprised . The number of enemies was greater than I
expected . This wasn’t on a level of a regular skirmish anymore, but an
out-and-out military campaign .

“Frankly speaking, the military might of the enemy fleet is greater than
the current imperial forces garrisoned in the Termaine star system .
Fortunately, a request for reinforcements has already been sent out due to
us discovering their plans early . The reinforcements should arrive a day
after the enemy warps out near the borders . In other words, as long as we
hold out for a day, our reinforcements will arrive, and we will be able to
mount a counteroffensive . Therefore, our overall strategy is to make sure
to hold our ground for one day no matter what . ”
That’s a solid plan, assuming that reinforcements really were coming .
Looks like the data caches and black boxes we recovered really were
useful . Their selling price was actually really high, so I already kinda
expected it .

“Your mercenary corps’ mission is to lurk inside the asteroid belt and
mount guerilla warfare against Federation ships attempting to
breakthrough . Your main targets would be the destroyers and corvettes .
There will be a hefty bonus waiting for those who will manage to take
down cruisers and battleships . ”

Lieutenant Serena gave us a daring smile . The mercenaries gave her bitter
grins in response . Well, most mercenary ships are small and medium-
sized models after all .

Military ships larger than cruisers would be equipped with

correspondingly larger generators with considerably higher power output .
The shields powered by such generators would sport defensive strength
incomparable with your average pirate ship .

In other words, even if the firepower of the mercenaries are sufficient to

engage small and medium-sized pirate warships, taking on military
warships larger than cruisers would prove to be impossible because of the
defensive strength of their energy shields .

But my Krishna could, though . I also have my handy trump card on hand .

“If they have any other strategies under their sleeves, we shall endeavor to
adopt corresponding countermeasures on the fly . We shall make use of
every means available to us, no matter what they may be . ”

Hou, any means necessary, huh . So that means that little something I
prepared earlier could be officially approved as well…… Nah, on second
thought, I don’t really think so . That thing is classified as a highly
dangerous, illegal contraband after all . I’m glad I stashed it inside the
scan-proof secret cargo compartment .
But well, un… I’ll just go for it anyway . I’ll make it a last resort if the
situation gets nasty enough .

“Permission to speak, Lieutenant Serena . ”

“You are… Yes, permission granted . ”

I kinda felt like Lieutenant Serena’s gaze turned sharper after seeing Mimi
and Elma with me though . I wonder why? Oh well . I’ll just ignore it .

“I sort of have a plan for giving the Federation fleet a heavy blow… Uh,
it’s more like a scheme, actually . I would like to take this opportunity to
get permission to execute said scheme . ”

“A scheme, is it? Could I get the exact details?”

“Yes . It’s a pretty straightforward strategy . We’ll head straight for the
heart of the enemy fleet as soon as they warp out, destroy the enemy
flagship and withdraw immediately afterward . ”

Lieutenant Serena’s expression froze after she heard my proposal . The

other mercs made a huge fuss . Mimi gave me a worried look while Elma
opened her mouth wide in surprise .

“Are you serious?”

Lieutenant Serena gave me a doubtful gaze . That expression she’s making

has『I can’t think of that strategy as anything but a suicide mission,
y’know?』written all over her face .

“Yeah, very serious . Just take it as just one stupid idiot dying if we fail .
This strategy won’t pose any disadvantage to the imperial military as well
.”

“You are an excellent individual who managed to make major

contributions in the pirate subjugation mission . You have also effectively
hunted lots of outlier pirate groups recently . I do not wish to lose such a
talent due to such a reckless plan . ”
“There’s no need to worry . We’ll definitely pull it off . ”

I don’t have any intention of doing it the straightforward way after all . I’ll
just keep that thought to myself though .

It looks like Lieutenant Serena noticed something in my expression, so it

seemed she would eventually approve of the plan even if she was still
holding some doubts .

Lieutenant Serena gave me a long, hard look for a while . She then
shrugged her shoulders and audibly sighed . It’s like she was saying she
won’t be taking responsibility for whatever happens .

“……Very well . If you insist on doing it that much, then I expect you to
do it well . You will be rewarded greatly if you manage to succeed . ”

“Thank you very much . ”

After hearing the answer I was hoping for, I contentedly sat back down on
my seat . I’m probably smiling from ear to ear right now .

I heard someone in the room mutter ‘He’s f*cking crazy . ’ under their
breath . Hey! Who’re you callin crazy? How rude . I’m just using every
card in my hand to get the maximum benefits man .

“Stupid! Stupid! You’re totally, utterly stupid! You can’t actually be

screwed in the head, can’t you!?”

“Mimi, Elma’s saying some really cruel things . ”

“You’ve said too much, Elma-san . That’s a no-no . ”

“Whaddya mean ‘no-no’!? He’s saying something stupid like charging into
the Federation fleet alone y’know! Can’t you see that it’s the height of
utter recklessness!?”

Elma raved like a madwoman . I’ve never seen her so angry before . Her
voice echoed all throughout the cargo room .
Elma’s kept this state up ever since we left the briefing room . Well, I do
understand where she’s coming from . If I was suddenly told we were
going straight to the heart of an over 200-ship strong enemy fleet willy-
nilly, I’d probably react the same .

“Calm down, will you . It’s not like I’m doing this without a proper plan . I
have everything laid out already, so chill . ”

“Let’s hear what this ‘plan’ of yours is then . ”

I took out the military-grade duct tape from the toolbox and showed it to
Elma . Stop glaring at me like that already . I’m gonna explain now, kay .

“The plan’s pretty simple . Once we detect the enemy fleet’s warp-out
signature, we’re going to charge right through using the Hyperspeed Drive
. We’re going to adjust it so we arrive at the enemy fleet’s warp-out
coordinates at the exact same time as when the Hyperspeed Drive gets
deactivated . We probably would be able to avoid being detected right
away using this method . ”

“Hm . I see the point so far . And then what?”

“Once the hyperspeed drive gets cut, we’ll immediately activate the rapid
cooling system and enter the thermal stealth state . We’ll hide and pretend
to be normal space debris . ”

“Wouldn’t they suspect us? And what are we gonna do if they decided to
get rid of the space debris in their way?”

“Even in the worst-case scenario, this ship’s energy shields and armoring
would allow us to withstand their attacks, so no problems there . Once we
get into range, we’ll let them eat two rounds of anti-ship reactive
torpedoes . That’ll rock their socks off, and then some . ”

“Anti-ship reactive torpedoes…… You really have those dangerous

things? In this ship?”
“Yeah, I do . They’re hella expensive though, so I really don’t want to use
them unless I really have to . ”

“Um… What exactly are anti-ship reactive torpedoes?”

Mimi tilted her head in puzzlement after hearing Elma and my discussion .
Ah, Elma’s familiar with them, but Mimi I guess wouldn’t have any idea
huh .

“The anti-ship reactive torpedoes are weapons specially developed to give

critical damage to large ships with strong energy shielding and thick
armor plating . They’re equipped with special energy shield saturation
warheads . Two shots of those things are enough to sink a Galaxy-class
battleship . ”

“That’s amazing… But, if they’re so effective, shouldn’t their use be

widespread?”

“Because they’re crazy expensive . One of them costs around 500,000 Enel
after all . If they’re not used on prey with equal or more value, you’d just
end up with huge monetary losses . So you won’t find a lot of mercenaries
using such things . ”

“One torpedo costs 500,000 Enel!?”

Mimi got paralyzed from shock after hearing how expensive the torpedoes
were . 500,000 Enel really was a huge amount after all . Well, it’s not like
they cost more than the advanced missiles back on Earth anyway .

“Anyway, You’ve already explained how we’re going to bring down the
flagship . It’s a bit of a gamble, but that’s just how we mercs do things,
right? If you say you can pull it off, then we’ll just have to follow your
lead . But what are we going to do after we destroy the flagship?”

“Un, well here’s the rest of it . Once we successfully pull off shooting
down their flagship, the enemy fleet’s chain of command would probably
be thrown into chaos for a time, but it’ll also leave Krishna completely
surrounded . We’ll probably just be taken down from behind if we attempt
a normal retreat . ”

“That’s right . So you do understand that point huh . ”

As long as we’re in the middle of the group, the Federation fleet’s ships
wouldn’t be able to use their more powerful weapons, but once we take
sufficient distance while attempting to escape, I bet they’ll immediately
shoot us down with their high-output laser cannons from behind . Even
Krishna wouldn’t be able to take so much laser cannon fire, especially
from an entire fleet .

“And so, we’re going to stick this little thing on one of the torpedoes . ”

I opened up the secret cargo compartment and took something out . You
guessed it . I took out the super-dangerous (not to mention sorta illegal)
contraband – the 『Singing Crystal』 . It was enclosed in a transparent
glass-like capsule and exuded a faint glow . Even in its sealed state, it was
still able to emit a peculiar humming noise that was seemingly able to
penetrate one’s mind .

The sound was akin to that of a song that had the ability to bewitch those
who hear it .

Just who or what was it that created this mysterious item that, upon being
destroyed, was able to get a great number of space monsters – aggressive
crystal life-forms to be exact – that attacked all in their path? Nobody
knew . It was a popular topic of research, however .

“Huh!? That!? Isn’t that- !?”

“Singing Crystal~♪”

“Are you an idiot!? Just what are you thinking by carrying something so
dangerous!? Wai- Don’t you dare drop that thing! Don’t drop it, okay!?”

“Whoops . ”
“Hii~i!?”

I teasingly loosened my hold on it, which made Elma all panicky . Hahaha
. How amusing .

“It’s such a beautiful crystal! And the sound coming from it is kind
of……”

“That’s no good, Mimi! You can’t listen to the sound! If you listen to it for
too long, there’s a chance you’d go crazy or even die!”

“Eeh!? Really!?”

Elma blocked her long ears with both hands . Mimi followed suit . They’re
actually kinda cute; getting all flustered like that .

“Well, it does make one feel a little homesick… But its more of a
hazardous material than anything else . ”

I can’t even return home even if I wanted to right now . Mimi’s already
lost her previous home to begin with . I don’t know about Elma, but she
does sort of feel like an ojousan who escaped from her home or something,
so I bet she isn’t really attached to the idea of homecoming all that much .

I ignored the sound coming from the singing crystal and moved it to the
cargo hold’s ammunition depot .

The ammo depot was dark and cramped . The thing I was after was located
far at the back . Yep, it’s the anti-ship reactive torpedoes .

“Round and round we go . ”

I used the military-grade duct tape to stick the singing crystal onto one of
the torpedoes . I wrapped it with several layers just to be sure .

“And that should do it . ”

“‘And that should do it’, my foot!”

After I came out of the ammunition depot and wiped the sweat that
accumulated on my brows, I suddenly found Elma giving my head a good
whack . Ouch . Mimi gently caressed the place I was hit on . You’re
seriously an angel, Mimi .

“Violence is no good, Elma-san . ”

“Whaddya mean ‘no good’!? You have no idea Mimi, but that item is
classified as ultra-dangerous illegal contraband! It’s a dangerous item that
will release countless crystal space monsters that will attack on-sight!”

“Is that really the case, Hiro-sama?”

“More or less . ”

“Whaddya mean ‘more or less’!? You didn’t even tell us you were
carrying such a dangerous item on this ship!”

“Ok, ok . It’s my fault, alright . So calm down a bit . Don’t shout in such a
loud voice . ”

I raised my hands in surrender in front of the red-faced Elma-san .

“Anyway, that’s sort of like my trump card . If we release that thing in the
middle of the Federation fleet, they’ll be overrun by crystal monsters in no
time . We’re going to take advantage of that to escape . ”

“Well, that thing’s certainly going to raise hell…… But it’s still far too
reckless a plan . ”

Can’t argue with that . I dunno about this world, but in the game, those
crystal monsters were set to be the enemy of all organic lifeforms . They
would immediately attack and attempt to assimilate any organic life they
encounter . In other words, the Singing Crystal posed many problems if
one intends to use it as a sort of weapon . It was a full-on biological(?)
weapon of mass destruction after all .

“It’s all fine as long as we win!”

For that, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it . I place more importance on our
survival than the lives of soldiers I don’t even know .

But isn’t it better to use normal delaying tactics within the asteroid belt,
you ask? Don’t make me laugh . The enemy force has more than sixty
ships larger than cruisers at their disposal . We’ll just be bombarded to bits
by their large-caliber laser cannons and ship-to-ship missiles even if we
did hole up in the asteroid field .

“Well, aren’t you confident… I do agree about the ‘as long as we win’ part
though . ”

“Let’s put that aside for now . The problem’s what to do from this point on
.”

I gave a serious-looking gaze towards Elma, who had a peculiar expression

on, and Mimi, who was still a bit stiff from shock .

“This plan definitely carries a high risk and is extremely dangerous . We’ll
probably die if we make just one mistake . So, if you want to, you two
could- ”

Elma put up a hand to stop me before I could say ‘get off the ship’ .

“I won’t get off the ship . I did join your crew knowing full well how
dangerous being a mercenary truly is . Or rather, both I and Mimi owe our
lives to you, more or less, y’know . ”

“I don’t have anywhere I can go to if I did get off the ship anyway . I’ll go
wherever Hiro-sama decides to go . ”

“I can’t really promise that much… But, well, the plan does have some
prospects of success, so I’ll tag along . You can’t board a mercenary ship
without at least that much resolve anyway . ”

“……I see . Understood . ”

Looks like I was worried for nothing . I’m… a bit scared though . There’s
a good chance of success . But there’s no absolutes . There’s a good chance
of dying from just a tiny mistake . Moreover, I’ll cause the both of them to
die as well if I ever screwed up . That thought scares me . I won’t think
much about it if I were to die alone… Well, maybe not . I won’t be able to
accept my death all that calmly .

“Well, let’s leave that for later . ”

“Hm?”

I tilted my head in puzzlement at Elma’s change of tone .

“Don’t you think it’s unfair to the rest of this ships’ crew that you kept
quiet about keeping such a dangerous item inside the ship without a word
of explanation?”

“Guh…”

I can’t really refute that . I did keep mum because I didn’t want them to
worry too much, but a part of it was just because of me fooling around .
My crew placed their lives on my hands, so it was only right to disclose
such a thing to them, especially because it was a pretty dangerous item .

“……I’m truly sorry . ”

“That’s a good boy . Be sure to tell the crew the next time you get your
hands on such illegal stuff in the future, okay . You’re fine with that,
right?”

“I gotcha . ”

“Fufu…… You really seem like Hiro-sama’s big sister, Elma-san . ”

Mimi let out an amused giggle after seeing Elma and my exchange .

“Well, of course . I’m older after all . I’m also an experienced veteran . ”

“A veteran who doesn’t even know the kinks of her own ship (trolling
grin) . ”
“What did you just say?”

“I’m sorry . Please forgive me, big sis . ”

I did another splendid dogeza in front of Elma, who looked like she was
about to snap, even with a smiling face . I have some confidence when it
comes to a firefight, but I’ll definitely lose in hand-to-hand combat
y’know .

“Okay then . Shall we?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, let’s depart . ”

I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 28

Translator: SFBaka

After making our preparations, we made our way to the cockpit block and
sat in our corresponding seats . I sat on the main pilot seat, Mimi on the
operator seat, and Elma on the sub-pilot seat . Each had a newly bought
high-tech juice bottle filled with our favorite drinks floating around beside
us .

“Geez . We’re about to go for a one-ship blitz assault deep into enemy
lines, but the atmosphere isn’t tense at all . ”

“Better than being all nervous, right?”

“I trust Hiro-sama, so I don’t feel nervous at all . ”

“You sure are calm, aren’t you, Mimi?”

“Of course . I believe in Hiro-sama after all . ”

“Man, you’re giving me lots of pressure . Well, I’ll try my best not to let
you down then . ”

I smiled wryly as I reached out to my juice bottle and pulled out the straw
.

“Yes! Ah, Hiro-sama, we’ve received a transmission request just now . It’s
from the Imperial fleet heavy cruiser, the 『Glorious』 . Should I patch it
through?”

“The Imperial fleet? Sure, patch it through . ”

Man, and I was just about to enjoy my non-carbonated cola… As I thought

that, Lieutenant Serena’s visage appeared on the main cockpit display .
Lieutenant Serena was just about to say her piece, but froze up when she
caught sight of our gravity spheres ー or rather, our high-tech floating
tumblers .

『I was just about to say some words of encouragement, but it seems

you’re actually rather relaxed . 』

“Well, we’re quite confident in our success after all . ”

We’ll close in as far as we can via the hyperspeed drive, fire those
torpedoes and get the hell out . It’s a pretty simple job . I’m feeling pretty
confident enough to enjoy some non-carbonated cola on the side with
practically no worries .

『Is that so… I was a bit concerned because we’ll be starting the operation
soon, but it looks like it was unwarranted after all . I do hope you aren’t all
talk, however . 』

“Of course . I’m a pro, y’know . ”

Lieutenant Serena froze up again after hearing my reply and displayed a

daring smile a few moments before she cut the transmission .

“That princess sure looks like she has a lot of free time on her hands,
doesn’t she? We’re just your average mercenaries but she still went out of
her way to send a transmission to check up on us . ”

“I wonder how old she is?”

“No idea . Doesn’t matter anyway . Cut the comm lines, Mimi . Initiate
comm silence . ”

“Yes, initiating comm silence now . ”

“Elma, increase engine output to maximum . Initiate hyperspeed drive

sequence . ”

“Aye, aye, sir . Engine output to maximum . ”

“Hyperspeed drive, charging start . ”

“Charging start… Activating hyperspeed drive in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

Hyperspeed drive, activate!”

Krishna’s hyperspeed drive activated with a *dooon sound echoing out

akin to an explosion . The countless lights in the far distance of space
visible inside the cockpit immediately turned from stationary dots into
bright lines akin to shooting stars .

“Keep an eye on the radar . Don’t miss the timing for the Fed ship’s warp-
out . ”

“”Roger!””

We’ve already gotten a fairly accurate approximation of the Fed fleet’s

warp-out coordinates . The tech known as hyperdrive uses a time-space
pathway called a hyperlane that connects one spacial coordinate with
another in order to achieve super-long-distance interstellar travel .

In the process of fixing the exit point coordinates of a hyperlane, a certain

area with unstable space 『fluctuations』 would inevitably appear, which
could then be triangulated in order to approximate the warp-out
coordinates . That’s why, as long as one knows which particular star
system the enemy will be warping in from, an approximate warp-out point
can be narrowed down to an extent .

The plan’s basically to skim through the approximate warp-out coordinates

in hyperspeed until the enemy fleet warps out .

“We’ve caught some readings on the radar . Multiple warp-out responses

confirmed!”

“Alright! Begin deceleration . ”

We immediately headed towards the Fed fleet’s warp-out point and

deactivated our hyperspeed drive at the same time as they exited from the
hyperlane .
“Activate the emergency cooling system . Cut the generator output . ”

“Activating the emergency cooling system . Cutting the power . ”

At the same time as Krishna’s hyperspeed drive deactivated, its generator

output was reduced to the bare minimum, and the emergency cooling
system was activated . We entered thermal stealth mode .

“Great . Let’s proceed to sneak up on those bastard . ”

“You sure can come up with some very nasty methods…”

“Using your noggin in order to take advantage of everything at your

disposal is necessary in order for you to survive in this business . If you
can’t at least do that, you’ll probably die . ”

“As expected of Hiro-sama . ”

We turned off the flight assist mode and approached the Federation fleet
using only inertial propulsion . The Federation ships continued to warp-out
one after another as we approached the center of the fleet .

“That’s quite a view . It’s actually kinda cool . ”

“I guess . Seeing all those military warships in formation sure is quite the
sight . ”

“You’re right . There’s a sense of majesty to it . ”

Seeing all those battleships, heavy cruisers, light cruisers, destroyers, and
corvettes neatly lined up in a tight formation really was cool . But there’s
no sense in being immersed in such a spectacle .

“Looks like that’s the flagship . ”

I gazed at the ship in the center of the formation . There were

transmissions coming from that ship that were being sent to the rest of the
fleet . There’s no mistake then . That’s the enemy flagship .
“Are we really heading straight for that?”

“Yep . ”

I nodded in reply to Elma, whose face was now slightly devoid of color .
C’mon . We’ve come this far, so there’s no sense in turning around
anymore .

“The warp-out responses have stopped . All the Federation ships have
arrived . ”

“Alright . It’s about time . We’re already in effective range . Deactivate the
emergency cooling system . Raise the generator output to maximum . ”

“Ah geez… Emergency cooling system deactivated . Generator output set

to maximum!”

“Charge!”

The emergency cooling system was deactivated, and pieces of ice started
peeling off the ship’s hull . I punched the ship’s thrusters to maximum and
rushed straight towards the center of the enemy fleet . My target was the
battleship in the middle of the formation . It was most likely the enemy
fleet’s flagship . But it’s not like we did actually confirm it was .

『…? What? There’s a response on the radar…!? Bandits, coming in fast!

They’re right above us! They’ll close in soon!』

『What did you say!? Was nobody manning the radar!?』

『That ship’s heat signature is abnormally low! The bastards disguised

themselves as normal debris!』

“Hahaha! They’re panicking! They’re absolutely panicking!”

The Federation ship was hastily making some evasive actions, but we were
already right in their faces, so it was too late already . They can’t shoot us
recklessly due to the danger of friendly fire . I weaved through the escort
ships and opened the lower weapons bay .

“Gahahaha! Eat this, bastaaards!”

I fired off the two anti-ship reactive torpedoes and raced through the
flagship’s flank . Moments after, a huge explosion went off right in the
middle of the enemy battleship . The ship was practically torn in two .

『Battleship – Tiger Eye, shot down! The enemy fired off anti-ship
reactive torpedoes!』

『Goddammit! Mercenaries!? Don’t mind friendly fire . Shoot them down

with the multi-cannon turrets! But hold off on the laser cannons, ballistic
cannons and seeker missiles!』

“Yahooo! Now that’s what I call giant-killing folks!!!”

“H- Hey! Don’t ‘yahoo’ me! Let’s hurry up and get out of here!”

“I gotcha!”

Lots of lock-on warnings went off one after another inside the cockpit .
Looks like they were determined to shoot down the enemy even if their
flagship was destroyed . They were able to reorganize their chain of
command faster than I expected .

“Hey, wait a minute!? What about those crystal monsters!?”

“It’ll take about thirty seconds before they materialize!”

“Haa!? Thirty seconds!? So what the heck are we supposed to do now!?”

“We’ll evade like heck, of course! We’re in the middle of their fleet so
they can’t use their more powerful weapons anyway . We’ll be just fine!”

“‘Just fine’, my foot! You damn idiooot!”

The enemy fleet’s multi-cannons released a concentrated volley at the
same time as Elma’s scream . Countless numbers of bullets rushed towards
Krishna, aiming to take it down .

“Release the chaff and reactivate the emergency cooling device!”

“I’ve done that already!”

“Release comm silence, Mimi! Send the data to the imperial fleet!”

“Right away!”

We activated all emergency evasion devices and systems and weaved

through concentrated enemy fire by a hair’s breadth . We couldn’t avoid
each and every round, of course . But Krishna’s powerful shield did its
work and prevented us from taking damage .

Energy shields were originally developed to deal with space debris and
were more than capable enough to defend against live rounds . It won’t
budge just from taking a bit of enemy fire .

“The energy shield is holding out well . ”

“Use shield cells if needed! There’s no need to hold back!”

“Roger!”

『Dammit! Their energy shield is tough for such a small ship…!』

『They’re reading our cannon’s effective ranges! Try to cover for each
other’s blind spots!』

『They’re sticking too close… What the- !?』

Ignoring Elma’s protests, I suddenly aimed towards the wide-open bottom

of the heavy cruiser I’ve been using as a shield from the rest of the enemy
fleet and fired the shot cannons in succession . The submunitions
penetrated the heavy cruiser’s shield that had already taken some friendly
fire earlier and tore through its hull, riddling it with lots of holes .

“That’s two down! Man, I’m on fire!”

After disabling the heavy cruiser, I turned the ship towards the next prey .
But at that moment, it finally happened .

In the wake of a shrill cry that penetrated straight through one’s head,
multiple tears in space began to appear .

“They’re here guys! We’re getting out of here!”

“Uwawa! So much came out!?”

“Ah geez! You’re absolutely crazy!”

What came out from the cracks in space were objects shaped like bullets –
or perhaps fangs would be more appropriate . They were made entirely out
of crystals . Their ends were pointed and seemed extremely sharp . It was
as if their shape was specifically for the purpose of piercing through
objects . They effectively made use of their shape, as their favorite means
of attack was to charge ahead and pierce through all that stood in their
path .

But it wasn’t their only means, as they could also fire off high-speed
energy bullets from their bodies .

『A large number of warp-out responses detected! These are… crystal

creatures!?』

『Why the heck are those accursed things in this kind of place!?』

『They’re coming!? Uwaaaaaaa- !?』

『Interception fire! Shoot them down! Use every weapon we have and
shoot them down!』
『You damn fool! You’ll hit usーー Gyaaaaa!』

『Hiii!? M- My leg!? I’m getting devour…… Nooooo! Stoooop!

Aaaaaaaaah!?』

It was a picture of absolute hell . With this, the fleet will fall into chaos .
They won’t even have the time or the leisure to chase us down .

“How awful…”

“I don’t want to hear that from the guy who actually pulled the trigger . ”

Elma sighed in exasperation as she gave a cutting retort . It looks like

Mimi was affected by the Federation soldier’s cries of agony . Her face
was pale as a ghost and she was trembling in shock .

“Mimi, you don’t have to listen to that if you find it disturbing . ”

“I- I’m fine . ”

No, you don’t look fine at all, girl . Well, since she insists, then so be it .
I’ll just have Elma man the radar later if the situation calls for it .

“Yosh, time to earn some money . ”

“……Huh?”

“Look . The Fed fleet’s running around like headless chickens . ”

“T- That’s right, isn’t it?”

“In other words, there’s no better chance to shoot down those delicious-
looking prey . ”

“You’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious . ”
After saying that, I reversed the ship’s heading and headed straight back
towards the battlefield where the Fed fleet and the crystal creatures were
duking it out .

“Let’s go!”

In my head, I heard the BGM of a certain movie that had apocalypse in the
title, and got really hyped up .

“Gya-!? Nooo! We’re gonna die! We’re really gonna die! Idiot! You’re one
crazy idiot, aren’t you!?”

“Elma…”

“What!?”

“There was once a great person akin to a red comet who said this in the
past: It’s no big deal if it doesn’t hit . ”

“I bet he’s also a friggin hopeless idiot!!!”

Aw c’mon . Compared to Red Comet-san’s unit, Krishna even has energy

shields equipped, so we’re gonna be fine . That guy kept evading enemy
fire that could have destroyed his unit in one shot and brought down ships
like there was no tomorrow . Compared to him, we have it quite easy .

While avoiding the crystal creatures that attacked the ship, I fired off the
two remaining anti-ship reactive torpedoes against two separate targets .
They were busy fending off the crystal creatures, so they didn’t notice the
torpedoes until it was too late . That was easy, man .

“They’re grazing us! They’re freaking grazing us, idiot! Aaah! There’s a
crystal monster heading for the starboard! A large-caliber laser cannon is
targeting our portside!”

“A〜nd there we go . ”

“You’re really calm, aren’t you, Hiro-sama?”

“Guys who panic in the battlefield are usually the first ones to die after all
. You have to do your best to keep your cool at all times as well, Mimi . ”

“Yes . ”

“I heard that y’know!?”

I shot down the crystal monster heading for us and focused on the
Federation ship next .

These crystal monsters actually aren’t that strong individually . We still

have our shields up, and the crystals making up their bodies aren’t that
tough, to begin with, so one shot with the shard cannon is all it takes to
bring one down . It’s a bit troublesome to shoot them down with lasers
though .

I proceeded with raining down laser and scattershot fire on the ships being
heavily assaulted by the crystal monsters and shot down Federation ships
one after another . I also aggroed the crystal monsters and baited a large
number of them towards ship formations that were defending better than
expected .

『That f*cking four-armed bastaaaard!!!』

『I’mma kill that goddamn prick!』

『You four-armed devil!』

The Federation folks were really getting pissed off at me… It’s
unfortunate guys, but this is war .

The Fed ships got destroyed successively as their crews let out cries of
frustration and agony . I did it, dad . We’re gonna have beefsteak
tomorrow .

『T- The Imperial fleet has made its move!』

『Goddamit! Their timing’s too perfect! This four-armed bastard and
these crystal monsters were all sent by them huh!?』

Looks like the Federation fleet has managed to detect the movement of the
Imperial fleet . It looks like this is it for Bonus Time .

“This is as far as we go . We’re withdrawing from the battlefield . ”

“Finally!?”

“Yeah . I don’t wanna be caught in the bombardment of our allies after all .
”

The Imperial fleet would most likely let lose maximum firepower from
long range . They were going to wipe out the Federation fleet together with
the crystal monsters . We wouldn’t be able to survive their bombardment
if we continued to hang around here .

“Prepare the shield cells just in case . Release the chaff and flares . ”

“Release complete!”

“I’m gonna floor it ladies! Be careful not to bite your tongues!”

I increased the thruster output to maximum and swiftly withdrew from the
battlefield of the Federation fleet and the crystal monsters .

『That mercenary ship’s making a run for it! Fire! Fire!』

『Don’t let that bastard get away!』

“Start charging the hyperspeed drive . ”

“Charging start . Hyperspeed drive activation in 5, 4, 3,ーー”

『The target has started charging their hyperspeed drive!』

『Goddamiiit! You better remember this, you f*cking bastaaards!』

“Sorry, man . I already forgot . See ya!”

“ー2, 1… Hyperspeed drive, activate . ”

We retreated from the battlefield with a *dooon sound akin to an explosion

. There was no way to chase after our ship that had far surpassed the speed
of sound and was escaping at near lightspeed . It’ll be a different story if
they also activated their hyperspeed drives . But, under that chaotic melee,
I highly doubt they’ll be able to .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 29

Translator: SFBaka

“I really thought I was going to die……”

“Hahaha . Oh c’mon . It wasn’t that bad . ”

“It certainly seems so, but… as expected of Hiro-sama!”

Elma looked like her soul just slipped out from her body and let out an
utterly weary sigh while Mimi looked at me with a sparkling gaze . Fufufu
. It’s fine to praise me some more, y’know .

“So, just how much did we earn this time?”

“I wasn’t really paying attention to the number of confirmed kills . How

about it, Mimi?”

“Yes! Um… We managed to shoot down three battleships, four heavy

cruisers, two light cruisers, thirteen destroyers, and twenty-one corvettes .
”

“Yeah! Quite a big haul . If I’m not mistaken, a battleship nets us

2,000,000 Enel each, a heavy cruiser is 500,000, a light cruiser is 300,000,
a destroyer is 100,000, and a corvette is 50,000 . If we don’t count the cost
of the anti-ship torpedoes, we’ve managed to earn 10,950,000 Enels huh .
We’ve really hit the jackpot this time!”

“Ten million nine hundred fifty thousand Enels……”

“Since we fired off four anti-ship torpedoes, a total of two million just
went out the drain . So our real earnings is 8,950,000 Enels . My share is
3% of that amount, so I’d get a total of 268,500 Enels . ”

“Let’s see . So Mimi’s share is 44,750 Enels then . ”

“Fourty four thousand seven hundred fifty Enels……”

It looks like Mimi was stunned silly after hearing how large our earnings
were . So, if I subtract their share, my total earnings is 8,636,750 Enels
huh . My previous total savings was 2,200,000 Enels . I’ve also managed
to get about 500,000 Enels from selling the black boxes and data caches of
those Federation recon ships we encountered in the asteroid field . All in
all, my total money right now is a little over 11,330,000 Enels . That’s a
lot of cash .

“So we now have about 11,330,000 Enels huh… Looks like I’m still short .
”

“Your still short of money with that kind of amount? Are you planning to
buy a new ship?”

“Nah . I want to purchase a nice-looking detached house with a garden on

a residential planet somewhere . ”

“I see . You’re still short by a lot if that’s the case . ”

I guess so, huh . In order to get myself a house on a residential planet in

the Graccan Empire, I’ll need to fork out money to get the required first-
class citizenship and land title . Those alone would cost several hundred
millions, apparently . It looks like 11,330,000 Enels really is just a
proverbial drop in the bucket .

“With your skill, wouldn’t you be able to reach that goal faster by
enlisting in the Graccan Imperial Military and then aim to become a
knight?”

“Uh, well…”

The nobility system is the governing method adopted by the Graccan

Empire . People who come from high ranking noble houses are tasked with
the governance of each individual sector within the territory of the empire,
supported by the general populace .

The nobles generally do not allow people of common birth to ascend to

their ranks because they place utmost importance on the purity of their
bloodlines . But there are some exceptions . Knighthood is one of them .

If a soldier were to render enough outstanding merits in the service of the

Graccan Empire, they would be knighted, and would then be granted first-
class citizenship and rights more or less equal to those of a noble .

“Nah, I’ll pass on that . Being a soldier or a knight sounds like a whole
load of trouble . I’ll just stick with earning money at a steady pace . ”

“That sounds just like you . I do agree that it sounds troublesome though .
”

Elma smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she replied . Mimi… still
hasn’t recovered from the shock, it seems . She was muttering ‘enels,
enels…’ while spacing out .

“So what are we going to do next? It’ll be awkward to rendezvous with the
military fleet after the thing we just pulled off . ”

“Wouldn’t joining back up with the fleet be fine? If we caused even more
of a commotion at this point, there’s a chance some of the other
mercenaries would do something rash due to jealousy . Let’s just stay put
at the back of the fleet for the time being . ”

“Yeah, you’re right . Let’s do that, then . ”

I pointed the bow towards the direction of the imperial fleet and used the
hyperspeed drive to close in .

“This is the Krishna . We’ve completed our mission and have returned . ”

I sent out a transmission as soon as the hyperspeed drive was deactivated .

The operation commander, Lieutenant Serena, immediately opened a
comm line . Her expression when her image appeared on Krishna’s cockpit
display gave away her good mood .

『Thank you for your hard work . It looks like you’ve made quite a lot of
money, haven’t you?』
“Yeah, I guess . It’s alright, considering the risks we took . It’s only proper
that we got this much in return . ”

『I guess you’re right . Please hand over the combat data then . Why
didn’t you get in some more kills?』

“We’ll probably invite the jealousy of other mercs if we continued to stand

out, so we decided to stop . The ammunition, chaff, flares and shield cells
were also getting consumed at a fast rate . ”

『I see . Well then, Krishna, please serve as one of the bombardment unit’s
escort ships for the remainder of the operation…… By the way, do you
have any idea why those crystal monsters suddenly appeared in the middle
of the Federation fleet?』

“Maybe the Fed flagship we shot down was carrying something

dangerous?”

I replied with the excuse I’ve prepared beforehand . I’d anticipated that
we’d be under suspicion as well, but the most they could do was speculate,
so it would be fine if we didn’t let anything slip on our end . I’m lying
through my teeth, of course . But it’s not like they have a method to find
out the truth anyway . All the evidence got blown up by the anti-ship
torpedoes after all .

『……Let’s leave it at that, then . Serena, out . 』

The transmission line was cut and the window displaying Lieutenant
Serena’s image closed .

“Okay then . Let’s just sit back and watch the fireworks until this operation
is over, shall we?”

“This operation turned into such a one-sided game because of you after all
.”

“Impressive, ain’t it?”

“Don’t get too cocky, buster… is what I’d like to say . But I really can’t,
with these results and all . It truly is impressive . Though there were a lot
of times where I felt we were gonna get shot down . ”

“You’re really amazing, Hiro-sama . ”

Mimi, who seemed to have recovered from her earlier shock, puffed out
her bountiful chest in pride . Umu . Those sure are some nice breasts .
Shooting down all those Fed mooks really wore me out . I’m gonna have
my girls spoil me rotten tonight . Guhehehe .

The Termaine System defensive battle, as recorded in the historical

archives, concluded in a surprisingly short time frame, considering its
scale . It ended in a complete and utter victory for the Graccan Empire,
whose officials thought it would be a harsh, grueling battle at first .

There were a lot of uncertain factors in this particular conflict . According

to the official records, the Vereverem Federation fleet had just warped out
when a horde of crystal creatures suddenly attacked them and brought
down a large number of ships .

The Vereverem Federation suffered devastating losses in this battle, with

almost 90% of their warships reduced to space debris . There were few
surviving soldiers, and due to fear of public sentiment turning for the
worse, the Vereverem Federation immediately implemented an
information blackout .

On the side of the Graccan Empire, information regarding this battle was
also unusually scarce . There is a high chance that they had also
implemented some form of information control .

Perhaps it’s due to the unexpected and unexplainable attack of crystal

creatures on the Federation fleet .

Just why had a great swarm of crystal creatures attacked the Vereverem
Federation fleet that had resulted in them suffering tremendous losses?
In the first place, no matter how large the number of crystal creatures, it
was improbable for the Federation fleet to have suffered that level of
damage from them, considering the fleet’s overall strength . They would
naturally have taken some losses, but not to that extent .

At this point, rumors about a certain mercenary who had stayed at the
Termaine System during the conflict surfaced .

Yes . They were about the vaunted Captain Hiro . According to the records,
he was, in fact, present in the Termaine System during this period .

And, as a result of an in-depth investigation, it was proven that he was

assigned to a special mercenary squad helmed by the Imperial Military’s
famed Lieutenant Serena Holz at the time of the conflict .

Captain Hiro and Lieutenant Serena Holz . The miraculous victory attained
by the Graccan imperial forces was achieved in the presence of these two
individuals .

There are few official records remaining, so there exists no definite proof
of this conjecture, but later events gave rise to the saying that ‘it wouldn’t
be a surprise for whatever fantastic incident to happen as long as those two
were present’ . And it seemed this assertion, no matter how ridiculous it
sounded, could not be dismissed as a mere rumor after all .

Because, as you dear readers know, these two individuals have performed a
number of great and wondrous feats in the course of their celebrated
careers .

“Again?”

“Did she send one again, Hiro-sama?”

Three days have passed since the end of the Termaine System defensive
battle .

Elma and Mimi let out fed up sighs and chided me when they saw my
expression turn awkward after I checked out a message that was sent to my
personal data terminal . My face must have looked really terrible for the
two of them to react like that .

It was a super passionate love call from my dear Lieutenant Serena .

『The Graccan Imperial Armed Forces are in need of talented pilots!

Competitive salary! Complete employee benefits! Automatic granting of
Class 1 Imperial citizenship! Plus a lot more perks and substantial
bonuses! The Graccan Imperial Armed Forces wants you!』

These were roughly the contents of said message . She was spamming my
private inbox with these kinds of messages these past few days . She was
also sending emails to my Mercenary Guild account . It was a full-blown
spam mail harassment scheme .

“So, what are you going to do? From the looks of things, that woman
won’t stop until she gets what she wants . ”

“Her eyes were like those of a hunter eyeing her prey . ”

“I’m not exactly happy about it either, you guys . ”

I’d normally welcome a hot girl hitting on me, but it’s a different story if
said girl was just doing so in order to force me to enlist in the military and
be her subordinate . I’m going to have to say ‘no, thank you’ to that . No
matter how high the pay they’re offering, it still won’t trump the potential
earnings I can get while working as a mercenary . I’d also have to say
goodbye to personal freedom if I did enlist . And don’t even mention the
possibility of having to hand over my Krishna .

I’m a bit interested in being granted Class 1 Imperial citizenship and

employee benefits, but it’s not like I absolutely need those employee
benefits anyway . And I can always apply for citizenship once I managed
to make enough money to pay for the registration fees . It was honestly not
something I’d really consider at this point .

“Oh, to hell with it . Let’s just run . ”

“Is that alright?”

“I’m fine with it . Choosing their next destination freely is one of a

mercenary’s basic rights . Getting away from here before things get out of
hand seems to be the smart choice, in my opinion . ”

Mimi inclined her head while looking a bit worried towards Elma, who
stood up from her seat .

“We’ve finished restocking everything apart from the anti-ship reactive

torpedoes, so we can depart immediately if you like . ”

“Well, it’s not like we’ll be needing those torpedoes immediately anyway .
That’s fine then . Let’s hustle, girls . ”

And torpedoes costing 500,000 Enels a piece aren’t exactly run-of-the-mill

merchandise you can just purchase from the market whenever you want
anyway . They’re actually quite rare . Most weapons dealers don’t have
them in stock, it seems . It’s not like the game, where you could easily buy
them from specialty shops or the item mall .

“W- We won’t get in trouble for this, right…?”

Mimi still seems bothered about escaping the Termaine star system, but
it’s not like we’re wanted fugitives or something . The other party is a
duty-bound military officer . She probably won’t be able to pursue us even
if she wanted to .

“So, where are we going next anyway?”

“It’s a bit far from here . We’ll need to pass through six other star systems
.”

“Six systems… So we’re really going to that place we talked about

yesterday huh?”

“Yup . It’s the mecca of Imperial medical technology . ”

“The Alein star system, right?”

“Uhuh, that’s right . ”

We talked about our next destination as the three of us headed towards the
cockpit .

We’re planning on going to the Alein star system next . It’s a place where
state-of-the-art medical space stations and colonies specializing in
biotechnology research and development are gathered .

“I heard their specialties are different kinds of artificial meat and a great
variety of genetically enhanced produce . ”

“How about booze?”

“Well, since they have genetically enhanced produce, I’m betting they
have some kinds of alcohol that make use of those as ingredients as well,
right?”

“It sounds lovely! I think we’ll get to taste a lot more gourmet delicacies
once we get there!”

I sat on the pilot seat while Mimi and Elma sat on the operator seat and
sub-pilot seat respectively . We snapped on our seatbelts .

“Mimi, send out a sortie request . ”

“Roger . ”

“Elma, you’re in charge of monitoring the generator output and

subsystems like always . ”

“I gotcha . Roger . ”

“We got an OK for the sortie request . ”

“Great! We’re bailing, guys!”

Our ship disengaged from the hangar bay docking mechanism, retracted
the landing gear, and blasted off into open space .
The scenery in outer space is majestic and beautiful as always . Seeing it
kinda reminds me just how insignificant an existence I am in the grand
scheme of things . But, at the same time, I’m also excited by the prospect
of traveling through the vast sea of stars towards the greater universe .

“So, first stop is the Rouma star system . ”

“Yes . I’ve set the coordinates on the navi . ”

Mimi fiddled with the console in front of the operator seat and inputted
the destination coordinates on the navigation system . I pointed Krishna’s
bow towards the coordinates indicated by the navigation system .

“I’m firing up the hyperspeed drive . ”

“Gotcha . Hyperspeed drive activation, countdown start . ”

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…… Hyperspeed drive, activate!”

Krishna accelerated explosively and started heading towards our new

destination .

“Our destination is the Rouma star system . Hyper Drive, charging start . ”

“Hyper Drive, commencing charge sequence . ”

“Hyper Lane linking, finished . ”

“Countdown . 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ーー Hyper Drive, activate!”

The space in front of the ship warped, and we plunged straight into the
Hyper Lane .

Right, then . Let’s get this journey rolling . It’ll be a great journey across
this boundless universe . And this time, it’s not a game .

“You’ve certainly made great achievements during the last operation…

But, are you really fine with this?”
The terminal screen displayed the face of my uncle making a worried
expression on the other side of the line . A smile crept onto my lips as I
nodded in affirmation .

“Yes, I’ve always pushed for the formation of a special independent unit
that will go around the empire’s territories in order to hunt down pirate
groups, haven’t I? I just think now would be the perfect time to finally put
it into practice . ”

“With your abilities, I’m sure I’ll be able to easily get you a post on a
more well-known and distinguished unit… but it seems there’s no point
convincing you, is there? Understood . I’ll go ahead with the preparations .
”

“Thank you very much . ”

“Mm . Do take care . ”

My uncle cut off the transmission on his end . The projection on the holo-
display got cut off automatically as well .

“Fufu… I’m not going to let you get away, you know?”

I gazed at the light trail left behind by a certain starship as it plunged into
the depths of space and muttered under my breath .

My expression reflected on the glass window displayed a distinct, daring

smile .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 30

Translator: SFBaka

I opened my eyes to a sight of dazzling radiance .

Countless torrents of light streamed past my vision . They flew towards

me from the front and disappeared behind me, forming a pale, bluish-
white corridor of light . The ‘corridor’ of light enveloped me from all
sides . And what lay before me, towards the furthest distance, was a single
point of twinkling light . It was the glow of a star with the same color as
the light streams flowing past .

“Hey, don’t tell me you fell asleep?”

A voice tinged with annoyance came from my left . Now then, just whose
voice was it, I wonder? In the first place, just where the heck am I?

I moved my confused gaze toward a holographic display in front of me . It

resembled a control panel with lots of buttons . There were also several
virtual gauges . Were the streams of light in front of me actually part of
an… HD display or something? They looked quite realistic for some
special effects .

“Hiro-sama?”

I heard someone call out in a worried voice . Hiro-sama? I am… My name

is Takahiro Satou . I’m not some ‘Hiro-sama’ . But this voice seems kind
of familiar…

I felt the presence of someone approaching me .

“Ouch!?”

I felt an impact hit my forehead . It was quite painful .

“You’ve got a lot of guts dozing around in the cockpit, buster…”

“E- Elma-san, don’t be too violent…”

I turned around while holding my aching forehead and finally saw the
figures of the one who knocked her fist on top of my head and the one who
sounded worried about me .

“Ah…… Now I remember . ”

“Remembered what?”

The name of the woman who was looking at me with an angry gaze was
Elma . She had long, pointy ears and moderate ‘assets’ out front . Her fine,
delicate hair strands were pale silver in color . Her skin was milky smooth
. She also had a lithe figure . No matter how you looked at her, she was
unmistakably an honest-to-goodness elf .

But her clothes were that of a typical mercenary, without a lot of skin
exposure . It was a peculiar combination of cyberpunk and fantasy
elements . She even had a boorish laser gun strapped on her hip via holster
. She was someone who didn’t really seem like an elf if you took away
those pointy ears of hers; how truly disappointing .

She was a veteran merc boasting a five-year-long career . But she was now
working as one of my ship’s crew members .

The reason why she ended up boarding my ship was… well, let’s just say it
was due to a truly unfortunate accident . The ship she piloted ran out of
control while in the middle of a large-scale pirate subjugation operation
and crashed right into a military warship .

As a result, she owed the military a massive amount of monetary penalties

. However, even after selling all her assets (including her starship), she
couldn’t fully cover the imposed amount and was nearly sent to a harsh
prison colony . And it was at this point that I ended up bailing her out by
paying her debt .

Afterward, she became a member of my ship’s crew . She was working in

order to repay her debt to me and obtain enough funds to purchase a new
starship .

Incidentally, I managed to find out in the end that the huge amount of
penalties they slapped her with was actually unreasonably high compared
to the gravity of her offense . I investigated it, and it reeked of
suspiciousness . In the first place, there was actually nothing in the official
military database that stipulated she was to be fined monetary penalties .

That being the case, a penalty amount and deadline was still issued due to
a mistake in the processing of her case . The guy who made the mistake
was apparently reassigned to a frontier-based penal unit which had
atrociously high mortality rates . It was really scary that one mistake cost
the guy a one-way ticket to a penal unit . It really was the best decision to
stay the heck away from the imperial military .

“Oh, just some stuff about the two of you, among other things . ”

“Did you actually forget about the two of us……?”

A young girl sporting a sorrowful expression peeked out from behind

Elma .

“Nah, I was just half-asleep . ”

The name of the young girl peeking from behind Elma was Mimi .

She was a really cute girl with light-brown hair and pupils . They were
hidden behind Elma right now, but her ample frontal ‘assets’ were
‘battleship’ tier . However, her overall build was just in the ‘destroyer’ tier
.

She was also my crewmember just like Elma . She also ended up boarding
my ship due to a massive debt issue… But, unlike Elma, she really
couldn’t be blamed for her previous plight .

Her parents died in an accident that caused a lot of damage to the colony
they were living in . The ensuing indemnities all fell onto her juvenile
shoulders .
She really shouldn’t have been punished for it, but due to the whims and
schemes of adults who should have known better, she ended up burdened
by it anyway . And no one offered her a helping hand .

But she luckily met me, who happened to have enough financial capability
to rescue her from the situation she was in . I ended up actually saving her
and she became one of my crewmembers as a result . In fairytales, this
would have been a ‘happily-ever-after’ ending already, but this was
unfortunately reality . Even after being freed from her debt, it didn’t
change the fact that she already lost her home .

So, as part of my responsibility as the one who saved her, I ended up

looking after her as well . I welcomed her as a crewmember and assigned
her a supporting role as my ship’s operator .

She’s now currently learning the ropes of being an operator from the
ground up . She was learning from a training AI and Elma’s lectures and
was in the middle of gaining valuable first-hand experience as a qualified
starship operator .

“You’re still quite the cold-hearted guy even if you were just spacing out
as you said . You’ve already done all sorts of ‘stuff’ to both of us after all .
”

“Oh c’mon… Don’t make it sound like I’m the bad guy here . Cut me
some slack . ”

“But I’m just saying the truth, right?”

“I guess I can’t deny that huh . ”

Yeah . I’m in ‘that’ kind of relationship with both of them .

This world had an entirely different set of customs and culture compared
to Japan . There was a lot of incomprehensible stuff they considered as
common sense here . I’ve not managed to learn all of them, but one
particular custom was『a woman who gets on-board a man’s private
starship was to be considered as the man’s lover』or something like that .
It was utterly absurd, right? I also find it ridiculous . But that’s just how it
is . I still don’t have a full grasp of this world’s history, but I’m sure lots of
factors contributed to this particular custom becoming part of universal
common sense . Even so, I had no choice but to accept such a custom
anyway .

The two of them got on-board my ship fully prepared for such a thing .
Well, the two of them didn’t have much of a choice anyway, so I guess you
could say they had to accept such an outcome due to the circumstances .

On the other hand, I invited them to get on my ship without thinking

things through all that much . I just simply wanted them as part of my
crew, apart from taking pity on them, and invited them on-board . But the
two of them misunderstood my intentions and thought I was raring to get
into ‘that’ sort of relationship with them after inviting them .

Due to me and my careless remarks, I ended up taking responsibility and

got into ‘that’ sort of relationship with the two of them even if it wasn’t
my intention in the first place . It was considered as common sense after
all .

I had to bite the bullet and accept the consequences . Besides, they were
already cornered by their debts, and there was virtually no way out for
them except for going with my suggestion .

Mimi didn’t have any relatives left, and without a way to protect herself,
she would have just ended up getting caught by low-lives in the slums,
toyed around with, and thrown aside like garbage once they got tired of her
.

Elma, on the other hand, would have been imprisoned in a prison colony
filled with former pirates as convicts if she failed to pay her dues . There
was no telling what they would have done to her once they found out she
was a former mercenary . It seems that they didn’t separate male and
female convicts in this world after all . What would have awaited her was
a lifetime of violence and abuse .
I ended up saving them from those cruel fates, and they both boarded my
ship as a result . Thus, I couldn’t really refuse them when they told me
they wanted to get into ‘that’ sort of relationship with me . Mimi was even
afraid I would abandon her if she didn’t offer herself to me . In Elma’s
case, I think she would have gotten along just fine if she wasn’t fined that
ridiculous amount of debt .

Well, whatever the case, I already ended up in a serious relationship with

the two of them . Objectively speaking, I was a goddamn bastard who took
advantage of their debts to lay my grubby hands on two breath-taking
beauties . I really can’t offer any excuse for myself .

But please think of it this way . A big-breasted loli and an elf with a
flawless appearance both offered themselves up to me willingly without
any sort of resistance . Is there any honest-to-goodness guy alive who can
resist such delightful temptations?

Well, maybe there were . Yeah, maybe there are some guys who can do
that .

But I’m not one of them goddammit! I confess folks! I’m the kind of guy
who’s weak to those kinds of stuff and thinks with his lower half when
subjected to them, okay!

I’m certainly no damn saint who wouldn’t do anything in those kinds of

situations . Want me to say it plainly for you? I’m the guy who’d
unhesitatingly pick the option that would lead to ero developments in
games if they were available . Sorry folks .

“But if both of you don’t like it- ”

“It’s not like I’m saying I don’t like that sort of stuff you idiot . ”

“I don’t hate doing it with you either . ”

They both indignantly told me off . Elma’s face blushed bright red as she
turned away . Mimi, on the other hand, had a serious expression on as she
stared at me unblinkingly with an air of conviction .
“Yeah, I got it . I love you girls . ”

“Yes!”

“I- Is that so?”

Mimi smiled blissfully after I expressed my feelings . Elma shyly lowered

her head in embarrassment . Yep . My girls are the cutest .

Well then, time for some proper self-introductions .

The name’s Takahiro Satou . Right now, I’m going by alias ‘Captain Hiro’ .

The small-sized combat starship we’re riding on right now is called the
【ASX-08 Krishna】 . It’s likely a unique, one-of-a-kind ship in this
world, and I simply call it ‘Krishna’ .

We’re currently in hyperspace – around the vicinity of the Ghanam star

system – heading for the Alein star system . Let’s leave the pseudo-science
mumbo-jumbo about hyperlanes and hyperspace for later . Let me brief
you about this world first .

I don’t know the exact name of the world – this galaxy – I’m currently in
right now . It seems nobody actually named the galaxy in the first place .
Anyway, interstellar navigation technology has greatly developed in this
galaxy . The people here had already broken away from the hold of gravity
on each of their native planets, and have spread out to the great ocean of
stars . I suddenly found myself stranded in this galaxy one day; along with
this ship – the Krishna .

The only thing that I was familiar with from my former world was this
Krishna . Uh, it’s not like we had futuristic starships like this in my former
world, okay . As far as I know, we’ve only managed to develop things like
orbital space research stations where astronauts carry out a number of
experiments in the zero-G environment of outer space . We haven’t even
come close to developing space colonies where people can live normally .
People were living on Earth, like usual . What I meant when I said I was
familiar with this ship is that this was a unit I had in a video game I was
playing .

I was really into an MMO called Stella Online before I found myself in
this unfamiliar galaxy . It was a game where you could do stuff like
exploring a massive online galaxy, going on adventures, participating in
battles, engaging in trade and making money and the like .

I got Krishna as a prize from a game event . It was a unique unit I was
using in the game . I think some of the sharper ones out there have already
gotten an idea about my circumstances . I actually got transported to a
world highly resembling Stella Online .

There was a lot of stuff on the ship I was familiar with from my time
playing Stella Online . There are also things like space pirates who liked to
attack civilian ships and crystal creatures that indiscriminately attacked all
other living organisms in the galaxy . These are also just like the ones I’ve
encountered in Stella Online .

But it’s not like everything’s the same . There a lot of ship models and
parts in the market that didn’t exist in Stella Online, and the name of the
star systems weren’t the ones I was familiar with back in the game . I also
haven’t heard of any of the galactic empires ruling said star systems
before as well .

I wasn’t sure if this was really a different galaxy or if I was just thrown to
an unexplored corner of it . That’s because we still haven’t managed to
explore the entire virtual galaxy back when I was still playing Stella
Online .

Stella Online has already reached more than four years in service, but the
players haven’t managed to explore every corner of the galaxy just yet .
Yeah . It’s still like that even after four years . ‘Just how big is this
overworld?’ the players often asked .

In other words, if this place was the side of the galaxy we’ve yet to
explore, it goes without saying that I wouldn’t be familiar with the local
star systems . No one’s reached this place in the game yet after all . So I
wouldn’t be familiar with it as well .

I tried searching for the Solar system as well and didn’t find it . We also
haven’t found an equivalent of the Solar system in Stella Online, so we
weren’t sure if it really wasn’t included in the game or just wasn’t
discovered yet .

Anyway, I found myself in the middle of such an incomprehensible

situation and am now stuck here . Fortunately, I found myself able to pilot
Krishna without any major problems and proceeded to make a living as a
mercenary just like in the game . I had funds due to the stuff I found inside
Krishna when I first got here, but they would have been used up sooner or
later .

I don’t know how I got here, but the fact is I found myself in a world
similar to the game I was playing . I might as well enjoy it instead of
brooding over my situation .

And so, I became a mercenary, met Elma and Mimi, hunted down pirates,
and teamed up with my fellow mercs to render meritorious service to the
imperial military .

But it looks like I stood out way too much . I got eyed by a beautiful but
dangerous-looking female Imperial officer and pestered daily into joining
the army . I got annoyed by it, so I decided to escape from the clutches of
the scary imperial military and ran away . What I sought for was freedom .

Mercenaries like us ought to be free after all . We’re free to move to

another sector if we feel that it would make us more profit by doing so . It
may not be so bad to join the imperial military, but I’d still be able to
make a decent living as a mercenary even without involving myself with
the military . There’s absolutely no problem .

By the way, the three of us on this ship each have our own goals .

My goal is to buy a detached house with a nice garden on a residential

planet somewhere in this galaxy . Oh, and I want to drink lots and lots of
carbonated drinks as well .

This galaxy didn’t have carbonated drinks available for some reason . I
tried to investigate, but couldn’t find out why this was the case . I couldn’t
find any clues regarding carbonated drinks no matter what media I used . I
really don’t understand .

But I have heard before that it was hard to drink carbonated drinks in a
zero-G environment or something . I don’t know just how it turned out this
way, but it really looks like carbonation has become a form of lost
technology out here in space .

So I decided to revive and spread the wonderfulness of drinking

carbonated drinks to terrestrial planets in this galaxy instead . And
afterward, I’ll get to drink to my heart’s content .

Anyway, that’s why my goal is to buy a house with a garden on a

residential planet . It seems like in order to do that within the empire, I’d
have to get first-class citizenship and fork out several hundreds of millions
of Enels . It was crazily expensive .

Mimi’s goal was to tour the galaxy and taste all the gourmet food it has to
offer . There should be a lot of mysterious, tasty treats we’ve yet to eat out
there in this wide galaxy after all . She wanted to eat all of them . That’s
Mimi’s ultimate goal . It’s a simple yet grand-sounding goal! I’m tagging
along for the ride as well, by the way . I’m also secretly aiming to have
Mimi drink carbonated beverages as part of our gourmet adventure as well
.

Lastly, there’s Elma . In addition to fully paying me back for her debt, she
wanted to earn enough money to be able to restart as an independent
mercenary again someday .

She currently owes me about 3,000,000 Enels . One Enel is equivalent to

one hundred Japanese Yen, so when converted, she owes me three hundred
million Yen . That’s a lot of money . That said, Elma’s actually earned
more than 260,000 Enels during our pirate hunting gig and run-in with the
Federation in the Termaine star system . I’m sure she’d be able to pay me
back within a year or two at this pace .

Well, she did have to buy herself a new ship if she wanted to get back to
being an independent mercenary again, so she’d still have to stay as my
crewmember even after paying back her debt .

These are our current circumstances .

We’re now heading towards the place with the best medical technology in
the empire; the Alein star system .

The reason for this is me being unable to tell the girls honestly that I’m a
guy who wandered into this alternate galaxy from another world . Because
I wasn’t familiar with things the locals consider as common knowledge, I
ended up giving the excuse that I was involved in an accident during
Hyperdrive and got selective amnesia .

Elma and Mimi got really worried after hearing that and suggested I get
myself a detailed check-up at a medical station . It would seem suspicious
if I refused such a suggestion, and I was also interested in having my body
checked out as well, so I agreed in the end . I got transferred from another
dimension after all . I want to make sure there wasn’t anything funny
going on with my body . There’s always the possibility of some disorders
popping up, so I wanted to make sure .

Anyway, that’s why we’re heading for the Alein star system . We were
after their cutting-edge medical facilities there . It’s something important,
so I had to stress it twice .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 31

Translator: SFBaka

The Alein star system is a flourishing place sporting two residential

planets, three active technological research colonies, and one commercial
trade colony .

It doesn’t have an expansive asteroid belt area like the Termaine system,
but it mainly obtains wealth through the export of their high tech products
and component parts . Thus, it’s a common sight to see a large number of
mercantile ships coming and going to and from the system .

And, of course, opportunistic pirate groups aiming for said ships are also
fairly common .

Due to this system being a place of strategic and economic importance to

the empire, the military’s on-going crackdown against the pirate groups is
more strictly enforced compared to other places . But even so, their patrols
can’t possibly cover the entirety of this relatively large star system . That
meant more jobs for mercenaries like us .

“That’s the Alein system in a nutshell . ”

“Bravo〜!”

I clapped encouragingly after Mimi’s concise explanation of the Alein star

system’s particulars . She was holding her personal tablet terminal in one
hand and looked quite professional . It seems she was a bit embarrassed
due to my unreserved praise . Her cute face reddened in a light blush .

“So, which colony are we heading to?”

“Since the research colonies strictly prohibit the entry of anyone apart
from the actual researchers, we’ll be heading to the trading colony instead
.”
“There’s still an opportunity for us to visit those places if we took delivery
requests from the guild branch in the trading colony . But it’s not like
we’ll get to see any interesting stuff if we do manage to go there . There’s
nothing worth visiting after all . They don’t have a single tourist attraction
available . ”

“It sounds like quite the dull place . How do they even get any
entertainment over there?”

“The only entertainment they need is research work, apparently . The

people staying there are all honest-to-goodness research addicts . ”

“Ugh…”

Just hearing about it already made me feel all worn out . It sounds like a
place filled with workaholics treating their jobs as their hobbies . I
wouldn’t want to stay there long even if we do need to go there .

“Well then, let’s set course for the trading colony . Elma . ”

“Aye, aye, Sir〜!”

Elma, who was sitting on the sub-pilot seat, pointed Krishna’s bow
towards the coordinates leading to Alein system’s commercial trade
colony .

“We’ll be arriving in approximately fifteen minutes . ”

“Roger . Keep a sharp lookout while on the way . Please pay careful
attention to the radar readings, Mimi . ”

“Yes!”

Mimi responded enthusiastically and moved her attention to the

hyperspace sensor that can be used even when the ship is in the middle of
traveling via hyperspeed drive . It seems normal sensors just won’t cut it
when a starship is moving near the speed of light… or so I’m told . The
only thing that will work is the hyperspace sensor . And, of course, I have
absolutely no idea how the thing works . What’s ‘hyperspace’ anyway?

In any case, if we use this thing, we’ll be able to keep a constant lookout
over a wide range even while traveling via hyperspeed drive . We can
detect the presence of other ships within the sensor’s effective range, as
well as former battlefields field with drifting debris . Also, we can pick up
SOS signals; even though encountering such a situation is fairly rare .

“Um, Hiro-sama . I managed to pick up an SOS signal . ”

“What the heck!? And they call this rare!?”

“I understand how you feel, but we can’t just ignore it . ”

I would’ve normally ignored such a side-event if this happened in the

game, but I can’t just do that now that it’s happened in reality . A
mercenary starship is also obligated to respond to an SOS signal, except
under certain special circumstances .

“Yeah, you’re right . Please change our course toward the SOS signal’s
coordinates . There’s a good chance of encountering hostiles, so brace
yourselves . ”

“Yes!”

“Roger!”

Krishna changed course and headed towards the SOS signal’s coordinates .
We can’t be absolutely sure unless we see the situation for ourselves, but
there aren’t many reasons where sending out an SOS signal is necessary .
It’s either a starship encountering some form of mechanical trouble or
being assaulted by pirates .

We can just temporarily let the crew on-board and tow their ship to the
nearest station or colony in case of a mechanical breakdown . If it’s a
pirate assault… then a battle is inevitable .
“A few more moments to contact . Deactivating hyperspeed drive in 5, 4,
3, 2, 1… Contact!”

*Boom! The hyperspeed drive deactivated; accompanied by a booming

sound akin to an explosion . Krishna got ejected to normal space . We
immediately checked the radar and caught five responses . A single
medium-sized ship was being chased by four smaller ones .

“It looks like we hit the jackpot . The one being chased looks like a
medium-sized passenger cruise ship . ”

“The SOS signal is coming from that ship . We’re moving out then . Mimi,
scan them and send out a courtesy call!”

“Yes! This is a ship affiliated with the Mercenary Guild, callsign

『Krishna』 . We came here in response to the SOS signals being sent out
. To the unidentified ships attacking the passenger cruiser, halt your
assault immediately!”

Mimi gave out a cease-fire warning while scanning the other ships at the
same time . Their response, however, was quite straightforward .

“They locked on to us . ”

The unidentified ships immediately activated their weapon systems . Since

they’ve already locked on to us, I guess they’re saying further words are
unnecessary huh .

“Mark them all as hostiles . Weapon systems online . Raise the generator
output to battle level . ”

“Aye, aye, Sir . Weapon systems online . Raising output . ”

“Let’s do this!”

Our ship’s weapon systems immediately activated, and four manipulator

arms sporting large-caliber pulse laser cannons popped out from the hull .
At the same time, two cannon barrels popped out from both sides of the
cockpit, gleaming menacingly .

“The four ships have all been placed with corresponding bounties . ”

“Great . We can shoot them all down without holding back then . ”

Two of the ships chasing down the passenger cruiser broke away from
their formation and headed for us . I responded in kind and moved Krishna
towards them as well .

『This guy’s fas– 』

I’m not obligated to let them get the first shot anyway . I locked on to one
of them immediately and fired all four large-caliber pulse laser cannons .
The enemy ship’s energy shields were saturated easily and brought down .

『What the-!? The shields!?』

“That’s one down . ”

I fired the large-caliber canister-shot cannons at the now-defenseless ship

when we passed each other by, and its hull was immediately filled with
countless holes .

These two cannons – alternatively called shotgun cannons – fired live

rounds that scattered innumerable smaller submunitions, and packed quite
a punch . It was a fairly destructive weapon . Its range was limited, but its
destructive ability was quite high . One shot was all it took to bring down a
shield-less enemy ship and reduce it to swiss cheese .

“These shard cannons of yours are brutal as usual . ”

“Calling them shard cannons is so old-fashioned . ”

“Old-fashioned, he says…”
While we exchange pointless banter inside the cockpit, the flight assist
system made the ship turn around, positioning us right behind the exposed
rear end of the other enemy ship .

“Fire〜! Fire〜!”

I fired another volley of pulse lasers and brought down the enemy ship’s
shield, destroying its main thrusters afterward .

『No! Stooo–』

“No way . ”

I heard someone begging for his life through the comms and ignored it
completely . These damn pirates attack unsuspecting civilian ships, kill all
the crew and rob everything valuable they’re able to find inside . They also
tend to capture civilian passengers for slave trade . They’re not worth
sparing . Not one bit .

After losing their shield and main thrusters, the enemy ship got pelted by a
merciless volley of pulse laser fire . After getting hit by all four large-
caliber pulse laser cannons, the enemy ship promptly exploded and was
shot down .

“That’s two . Next!”

“There are only two more enemy ships remaining… but it looks like they
already turned tail and fled . ”

Maybe they got terrified after we easily dispatched two of their comrades,
so the two remaining ships chasing down the passenger cruiser hastily
pulled away and escaped from the area .

“The hell! Don’t run, you bastards!”

『Don’t screw around! We’re not fighting a monster like you!』

One of the surviving enemy ships retorted back via comms . Guess he’s
one of the smarter pirates out there . Oops, now’s not the time for being
impressed . We’re still a bit far from the passenger ship . Can I make it?

“The pirates have activated their hyperspeed drives!”

“Make iiiiiiit!”

They’re nearly in range of our laser cannons . Just a bit more……!

『Later, bastards!』

*Boom! The pirate ships turned into streaks of light after the sound of
explosions and successfully escaped from the area . It’s not impossible to
give chase… but aiding the attacked passenger ship was more of a priority
.

“Dammit . They sure can run away . ”

“It was an impressive escape for mere pirates . We sometimes encounter

guys like those . Pirates who use their brains . ”

“Those types are really troublesome……”

We could have shot them down if we managed to get them within range of
our weapons, but it looks like this time’s a bust… It’ll be a different story
if we had weapons sporting even greater range than the pulse laser cannons
though . Something like a large-caliber electromagnetic rail cannon
perhaps .

“Oh well . Please connect us to the passenger cruiser . If their navigation

systems are fine, we’ll proceed to recover the loot from the destroyed
pirate ships . ”

“We’re not obligated to escort them back after all . ”

It sounds a bit cold, but that’s how it is . It’s not like we accepted a request
to guard the passenger ship, so we’re not obligated to look after them . But
it still depends on their affiliation and their following demands .

In this world, mercenary ships that manage to pick up a distress signal are
obligated to lend aid if possible . But the extent of that aid can be
somewhat negotiated . It would be through the distressed party offering
additional remuneration and rewards .

The compensation amount would largely depend on the number of

passengers and valuables present on a ship, but a medium-sized passenger
cruise ship was certainly a promising prospect . It can be said that we were
unfortunate to have been involved in such an incident just after arriving at
this star system . But it can also be considered a lucky break – monetarily
speaking, that is . That’s how we mercenaries earn a living .

『This is the Koueimaru . We’re a civilian passenger ship affiliated with

Inagawa Technology . We’re grateful for your help . 』

We picked up a reply from the comm line Mimi connected . The

Koueimaru of Inagawa Technology? A Japanese company? It’s written in
katakana, but the name ‘Koueimaru’ can also be written in kanji .

“We’re glad you’re OK, Koueimaru . I’m Captain Hiro; a mercenary

affiliated with the Mercenary Guild . What’s the status of your ship?”

『The life-support systems are alright, but our propulsion systems got
done in . Would it be possible for you to guard us until the system military
patrol arrives?』

So they want us to guard them until the imperial patrol arrives huh . If the
ship were a bit smaller, Krishna could have towed it to the colony . But it
seems impossible with that size . It looks like we don’t have any choice
but to wait for a military ship to tow them instead .

“Can we take that as an official request? How about the compensation?”

『Yes . Inagawa Technology will pay you the appropriate compensation .

I’m truly sorry for being unable to tell you a definite amount, but rest
assured that I will immediately forward it to the head office once the
request is completed . I do not have direct authority to decide the
compensation amount you see . 』

Well, I guess he really isn’t given authority to decide even if he’s the
ship’s captain . I turned towards Elma who silently nodded in assent . It
looks like she doesn’t have any problems with those arrangements .

“I understand . We accept the request and will begin guarding your ship .
The request will be considered completed once the military patrol arrives .
The rewards for both the earlier rescue action and subsequent guarding of
your ship will be paid by Inagawa Technology . Do you agree to these
terms?”

『That would be fine . 』

“Well then, we’ve reached an agreement . Mimi, please keep a record of

the earlier conversation . ”

“Yes!”

Mimi spiritedly responded . Alrighty then . Might as well salvage the loot
from the pirate ship wreckages while we wait for the imperial military
patrol to arrive . But, since we shot them down in the middle of attacking a
ship, I’m not expecting much loot anyway .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 32

Translator: SFBaka

“Fuwaaa〜h… It’s so huge!”

“It sure is… Just how much larger is this place compared to Termaine
Prime?”

“Um, I think its population is about five times more than Termaine Prime .
I’m not too sure about the colony’s exact size though . ”

What came before our eyes was a huge octahedron-shaped space colony .
It seems to be slowly spinning about at a distance . But, judging from its
size, I think the speed of its revolution is actually quite fast . I guess the
constant rotation is needed for producing artificially induced gravity .
Anyway, it was an unbelievably huge colony .

This gigantic structure is called the Alein Tertius colony . This is our first
stop in our trip to the Alein star system and is one of the three active
colonies situated here .

“Please send out a docking request, Mimi . ”

“Ah, yes! I’ll send one out right away . ”

Mimi fiddled with the Operator console in front of her and sent a docking
request to the port administration of Aleintertius . The request contained
our personal details; particularly, our ship’s name, my name as the ship’s
captain, and our group’s reason for visiting . It didn’t take long for an
approval to be sent back .

“We have received permission to dock! We’re assigned to hangar bay

number 72!”

“Gotcha . ”
We followed the guide beacons displayed on the cockpit’s main screen and
proceeded towards our designated hangar . As expected of a large colony .
There’s quite a lot of ship traffic . It would result in a great, big mess
should an accidental collision occur . But I didn’t want to trouble myself
with that point so I just left it to the ship’s auto-pilot .

“Using something like auto-docking is cheating……”

“I just wanna take it easy, alright . ”

Elma seemed to have a bit of a complaint about my way of handling

things, but I just ignored it and carried on . Even though making a perfect
landing the manual way does sound kinda fun in a way, I still prefer doing
it the easy way . I needed to install a dedicated docking computer module
personally in order to obtain the auto-docking function, but it worked like
a charm and allowed the ship to land safely inside the hangar bay . I guess
she just felt antsy due to her experience riding an out-of-control starship .

After docking successfully, the ship’s generator output gradually

transitioned to standby mode . There wasn’t a need to raise it to battle
mode while inside a colony, and cruising mode also used up quite a bit of
power as well .

“We’re finally here . Alrighty then . What should we do first guys? Do you
wanna have a meal first?”

“Isn’t it kinda early for a meal? I think it would be better to finish all our
other tasks first . ”

“So, those will be selling off loot, paying a visit to Inagawa Technology’s
office and claiming bounty rewards at the local military outpost huh . ”

“Ah, please leave selling the loot to me . ”

Mimi made a guts pose by raising both hands and making fists with them
while letting out an excited grunt . Since she could just use the terminal to
sell the loot instead of going to the shops personally, I think it should be
alright to leave it to Mimi . There’s still a need to be wary of merchants
possibly shortchanging us, but Mimi was particularly attentive to details
regarding money, so she should be fine .

“I’ll leave selling the loot to you then, Mimi . So next is the visit to
Inagawa Technology, but…”

“It would be better to wait for Inagawa Technology to send out a formal
invitation first . It’s not like we’re in a hurry either . ”

I nodded in agreement to Elma’s suggestion . We’ve already exchanged

contact info with the company representative anyway . They should still be
busy discussing the remuneration details with the company’s higher-ups,
so it would be better not to go there yet .

“Okay then . Let’s just get the bounty rewards from the military . ”

“Should I go?”

“Nah, I should go instead . I’m the captain after all . ”

I didn’t have a problem with having Elma go instead, but I think it’ll go
more smoothly if I went over personally instead . I’m the ship captain
after all .

“I’ll come with you then . It would be dangerous for you to walk there
alone . ”

“I’m not a kid, y’know……”

But, well, I guess Elma does have a point . I’m unfamiliar with the place,
so having her with me would help a lot . They do say two heads are better
than one, right? I’ll have her come along then .

“Well, I guess two people does sound safer . Let’s check out downtown
while we’re at it as well . Please watch over the ship in the meantime,
Mimi . You’ll be safer staying here . ”

“Is this really that dangerous of a place? This colony, I mean . ”

“No, I don’t think so . The level of public order seems comparatively high
. But we won’t know for sure until we take a look for ourselves . But, well,
judging from the ship traffic earlier, I think this place is frequented by a
lot of outsiders like us, so it doesn’t hurt to be more careful . ”

“Yes, you’re right . The hangar bay we’re assigned to has a lot of foreign
ships docked inside as well . It does seem a little unruly . Let’s prioritize
gathering info then . ”

“I see…”

Mimi nodded in understanding . I and Elma can take care of ourselves just
fine to a certain extent, but Mimi’s just a frail young girl, so she doesn’t
have sufficient abilities to keep herself safe out there yet . She does have a
laser gun with her, but, honestly speaking, she kinda sucks at using it .

“Alright then . Elma and I are going out for a bit . I plan to contact you
just in case we take longer than expected, but go ahead and eat your meal
if we do come back late, okay . ”

“Yes, understood . Please take care out there, Hiro-san and Elma-san . ”

“Yeah . ”

“Un, we’ll see you later . ”

Elma and I quickly prepared ourselves and got off the ship .

“Whoah, how do I say this? The atmosphere’s kinda different here . ”

“Well, this is like the big city compared to places like Termaine Prime . ”

Elma told me matter-of-factly as we continued walking around the place .

The interior of the Alein Tertius colony can be described as an iron jungle
filled with towering skyscrapers .

Countless high-rise buildings stood within the central living district of the
colony . There was a great number of alleyways and side-streets as well .
The colony didn’t rely upon a singular lighting module that could simulate
daytime within its walls, and instead made use of street lights to
illuminate the surroundings . In other words, it was a city of perpetual
night .

“But wouldn’t living in such an environment affect the citizen’s health or

something?”

“It seems they have a way to artificially simulate sunbathing within the
comfort of their own homes . ”

“That sounds tedious though– Uh, do we have to do that as well during our
stay here?”

“We can just use the med-pods . ”

Hm, so the med-pods have that function available as well . Come to think
of it, mercenaries like us spend a considerable amount of time in outer
space, so I think the med-pods are configured with that function with that
in mind . I don’t know how it exactly works though . Same old, same old .
They said you needed a healthy dose of sunlight to maintain your health
back in my old world as well .

“Walking on foot inside a colony this huge is tiring, not to mention

troublesome . Do they have some sort of public transport we can use
here?”

“Of course . ”

I looked towards where Elma’s gaze pointed and saw something

resembling a sub-way entrance .

“There’s an active sub-way system connected all throughout the colony, so

we can use it to travel between places here . Termaine Prime also made use
of it to some extent remember? They used it on the colony’s logistics
system . This here is like the enhanced version . ”

“I see . ”
I don’t know how that worked either, but it ensured speedy trading and
delivery of goods within the colony without you having to attend to in
person . I wonder what kind of vehicle they’re using?

“So, can we take sub-way……”

“No need . The military’s base is already just around the corner anyway . ”

“I see . Oh well . I’ll get another opportunity to try it out later . ”

That’ll be when we finally pay a visit to Inagawa Technology . We also

need to restock our foodstuffs, so I’ll get another opportunity to take the
sub-way then . We’re planning to spend quite a bit of time in this colony
anyway .

“There it is . ”

Elma pointed toward a building that had both the empire and the imperial
military’s flags hoisted out front . It kinda didn’t seem like a proper
military garrison though . It looked more like an office building .

“It doesn’t really feel like a military base huh . ”

“It depends on the area they’re located in . There’s also some which
function as military training schools in places with ample space . ”

There wasn’t even a single guard watching over the entrance . However,
they’re using a surveillance system coupled with a battery of sentry laser
turrets instead . So the imperial military is also a fan of automation huh .

We entered the military building and encountered a secondary security

gate within . This time, there was a guard in place . It was a macho guy
with bulging muscles that gave quite an impact . But apart from this guy,
everything else was automated . They also had laser turrets installed in
here .

“Personal weapons aren’t permitted inside the building . Please leave them
over here . ”
“Yes . ”

“Understood . ”

I and Elma handed over our laser guns and spare energy packs . The guard
also checked if we were hiding anything else . He also checked out our
data terminals .

“The check’s finished . If you want to cash-out your bounty rewards,

please head over to that window . If you have any other business, please
inquire on the window right next to it . ”

“Thank you . ”

We said our thanks to the muscle-bound macho guard and went over to the
bounty reward counter . I’ve also done this back on Termaine Prime, so
I’m already familiar with the process . But the atmosphere here is quite
different though .

Back on Termaine Prime, the front entrance of the military base had laser-
rifle toting soldiers manning it . When I reached the inner security gate, I
encountered even more soldiers . Sure is a big difference compared to here
.

“Welcome to the Alein Tertius colony . You’re a new face, aren’t you?”

The clerk manning the counter was a guy with a gentle atmosphere about
him . He looked older than me . He’s probably well past his thirties . More
specifically, I think he’s in the middle of his forties .

“Yeah . We just arrived earlier . My name’s Captain Hiro . This is Elma,

one of my crew . There’s also another girl named Mimi left on our ship .
She’s also a part of the crew . ”

“So it’s Hiro-kun and Elma-kun . I’m Sergeant Daniel . I’m from a family
of mercenaries, so you don’t need to act all formal with me . You can just
call me Daniel or Danny . I’m fine with either . ”
“No, please allow me to call you Sergeant Daniel . I’ll just tone down my
formal speech a little instead . ”

“I insist as well . I’ll also be addressing you as Sergeant Daniel . ”

I shook my head and refused his offer to call him without using honorifics
. Elma also agreed with me on that point .

“Is that so? If you’re fine with that, then I am as well . So, I guess you’re
here to cash-out your bounty rewards, correct? You’ve already hunted
pirates even though you’ve just arrived . You’re quite passionate about
your job, aren’t you?”

“We managed to pick up a distress signal on the way to this colony . When
we rushed over, we encountered a ship of Inagawa Technology being
attacked by pirates . We couldn’t just abandon them . ”

“Inagawa Technology? Were the passengers safe?”

“We somehow made it in time . We couldn’t tow them back using our ship,
so we waited for the military patrol to have them towed instead . We went
ahead of them, but I’m sure they’ll be arriving soon as well . ”

“I see . They’re probably safe now that our guys are escorting them .
You’ve done a great job, Hiro-kun . ”

Sergeant Daniel had a worried expression on him as he listened to my

story . He then made a good-natured smile afterward . This sergeant really
had a way of making people feel at ease while talking to him .

“Yeah . We’re glad we were able to rescue them . So, about the bounty
money…”

“Ah, yes . Please wait a moment…… You shot down two ships . Your total
reward is 15,000 Enels . ”

“…That’s quite a lot, isn’t it?”

“Well, a lot of civilian ships have already been attacked by those four
pirate ships you encountered lately . They worked fast and escaped even
faster, so we’re having trouble bringing them down . You managed to
bring down two of them this time, so I think they’ll lay low for a while . ”

“I see…”

I nodded in acknowledgment after hearing about the circumstances . But

they had little cargo on them even though they’ve attacked a number of
ships already . They only had some supplies and booze on them . Do they
have a hidden base around here somewhere?

“Here you go . There’s all your rewards . Are you planning to stay in this
colony for a while?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan . I think we’ll have plenty to see in a colony this
bustling . ”

“I guess so . There’s a lot of tech companies that have their offices here, so
there’s also a lot of employees coming and going . There is quite the
number of recreational facilities in the colony to cater to them . ”

“Is that so? I look forward to it then . Alright, we’ll be taking our leave
now, sir . ”

“Ah, do take care . ”

We bid farewell to Sergeant Daniel, went over to the security gate to

retrieve our weapons and equipment, and left the military office .

“That man was quite easy to talk with, wasn’t he?”

“He really didn’t seem like a soldier . He seems like someone more suited
to a teaching profession than being a part of the military, I think . ”

“So the imperial military also had guys like him in it huh . ”

Since I’m not familiar with the imperial military, it was a surprise for me
to find someone like him in it . An organization like the military does
kinda seem complicated and sort of mysterious to civilians like me .

And this world has space forces as military mainstays apart from the usual
air, ground and naval forces . So I can’t imagine just what sort of
developments happened to the structure of the military at the advent of a
full-fledged space age . I could try to read up on the subject, but I don’t
really feel like it anyway .

“At any rate, that sergeant told us something curious earlier, didn’t he?”

“Yeah . About those pirates we shot down, right? I thought they had
surprisingly few cargo after the sergeant said they’d already attacked a
number of civilian ships . ”

“I thought so as well . Chances are, they’re stashing their loot away

somewhere else . ”

“Yeah, most likely . But they’re only composed of four ships……”

“The group is small in scale, so looking for them will be troublesome . ”

Elma shrugged her shoulders while sporting a wry grin . It’ll be easier if
they went and made a base out of an asteroid, but it’ll be comparatively
more troublesome if they just stashed away all their loot inside a sturdy
container and were keeping an eye on them somewhere in space . If it’s the
latter, it’ll be next to impossible to find them without knowing the exact
coordinates .

“Oh well . Let’s just leave it at that . We’ll just leave it to chance . ”

“I won’t let them get away next time . ”

“That’s the spirit . Now let’s go back and have our meal . Mimi’s waiting
for us . ”

“Yeah, let’s go then . ”

We nodded to each other and walked back to the ship . We’ll eat our fill
once we come back and take the opportunity to relax a bit after . We still
have enough funds so we didn’t have to find work straight away . We’ll
take this chance to rest for the entire day and start our activities tomorrow
instead .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 33

Translator: SFBaka

“Welcome back!”

“Ah, we’re back . ”

“We’re home, Mimi . ”

We went back to the Krishna and were greeted by Mimi . It seems she was
in the middle of checking something and held her tablet terminal on one
hand .

“Are you checking something out right now?”

“Yes . I was trying to see if I can find medical centers that have good
reviews . ”

“I see . What’s the result?”

“I’m still in the middle of checking the reviews out . It’s not like more
expensive facilities are actually better . Considering Hiro-sama’s case, I’m
still deciding between a facility specializing in neurotechnology or one
specializing in mental care……”

Mimi was pondering about with a serious expression . My purported

selective amnesia is simply just a cover story I came up with in order to
avoid saying the truth – that truth being me getting thrown into this world
from another reality . It sounds absolutely nonsensical after all .

In other words, medically speaking, I’m actually fit as a fiddle . Well,

there’s also this possibility that I’m just being made to think that I was
from another reality and that I’m really a resident of this one .

In any case, right now, I fully believe that I’m not someone native to this
world, but a guy named Satou Takahiro who lives in Japan . In my world,
ships like the Krishna only exist in fiction, and humanity has yet to fully
explore the sea of stars .

“Amnesia, huh……”

In contrast to Mimi, who was earnestly searching for a way to help me

cure my supposed medical condition, Elma was giving me a stare filled
with suspicion . Guess my amnesia cover story wouldn’t fly with Elma
huh .

If my guess is right, Elma is thinking I’m some socially inept rich young
master who ran away from home to have a grand adventure or something .

In this world [normal] meat and vegetables are considered as super luxury
items, apparently . In this world, most people normally consume
artificially engineered food items made from algae and krill-like
organisms which get turned into meat substitutes and such .

However, I ended up asking if they were selling『natural meat and

vegetables』when I went out to shop for food with Elma for the first time .
In this world, the only people who would mention those kinds of things
like it was normal were either rich upstarts or members of the privileged
class .

This made Elma believe that I was a rich kid trying to hide his identity by
pretending to have amnesia . I guess I’ll also think that way if I were in
Elma’s shoes .

But the truth is way different . I’m probably as healthy as an ox and didn’t
have problems with my memory either . I still don’t have a clue about how
I was transported to this world, but I remember most of the details of my
life in Japan before I was sent here . The only things I don’t remember are
the events that led me to get transported to this world . It’s truly
unfortunate, considering it was one of the most important pieces of info
for me .

“You really don’t have to focus on the memory part . It’s enough to find a
place where I can get a detailed health check-up . I might also have to get
myself vaccinated for infectious diseases and stuff like that as well .
Please look for a place where I can get all of that done . ”

“I see……”

“I’m all good myself, but I think Mimi should get herself checked up as
well . There are things like lethal infectious diseases that only humans can
contract after all . I think it’ll be better for her to get vaccinated for all of
them, just in case . ”

“And you’re fine with not getting shots, Elma?”

“I’ve already had mine done some time ago . ”

Even if Elma said so, I firmly shook my head .

“I’ll pay for the medical fees, so it’s better for you to undergo a check-up
as well, Elma . It’s one of the Captain’s duties to ensure the health of the
crew after all . I’ll pay for Mimi as well, of course . ”

“Yes . ”

“Really? Well, okay then . ”

Mimi and Elma both nodded in agreement . Great . I was able to get them
to go as well .

And it’s not like I particularly hate going to the hospital, mind you . It’s
just that going by myself feels kinda lonely somehow, right? And I meant
it when I said it’s for ensuring the crew’s health . It’ll be well worth the
money if doing so would limit the risk of me and the girls getting sick .

“I wonder just how much it’ll cost though . ”

“I’m not too sure . But maybe it’ll be around 1,000,000 Enel per head or
something . ”

“Isn’t that kinda high of an estimate…? Well, it’ll be fine even if it

reaches that amount . ”
Even if it did cost 1,000,000 Enel per person, my total assets right now
amount to more than 10,000,000 Enels anyway . It’s certainly costly, but
considering it’s for our health, it can also be said to be cheap in a sense .

But, well, since one Enel is equivalent to a hundred Yen… I’ll end up
forking out about a hundred million Yen for each of us, right? If I really
end up thinking of this as something cheap, I feel like my sense for money
would definitely become distorted .

“Hiro-sama, I think one million Enels is a bit…”

“Hey, it’s no good if you back out because of the cost being one million,
you know?”

“Nah, don’t worry . It’s already a done deal no matter the price . ”

“That’s fine then . ”

But it’s true that we don’t have any idea about the actual costs . I’ll check
our finances again and make sure we have enough later on .

We spent our time relaxing around when we got back to the ship . We ate a
delicious meal prepared by our high-performance auto-cooker『Tetsujin
Mk . V』and relaxed in the bath afterward . We did our daily training as
well and went to bed after we were done .

“Ho-hum…”

“How sleazy……”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, seeing that you’re lounging around on
the bed with me here . ”

I was lying face up lazily on the bed as Elma leaned against my chest
while fiddling with her data terminal . We’re the shining example of a lazy
couple, aren’t we?

“I guess so . Lazing around like this isn’t so bad once in a while . ”

“Yeah . ”

Lazing around with Elma like this does have its charms . But it kinda felt
like I was cuddling with an obedient puppy sometimes . We either laid
about like this, gave each other lap pillows, or gazed up at the ceiling
together in a daze . There was a lot of skinship between us ever since we
got together .

These times somehow felt comfortably peaceful and was her favored way
of relaxing and de-stressing herself . Since Elma liked it, I found myself
enjoying it as well .

“Hm, it looks like Mimi found a buyer for the loot already . ”

“Oh? Sounds great . How much did they offer?”

“Excluding the handling fees, she sold it for a total of 4500 Enels .
Together with the bounty rewards, our total earnings this time is 19,500
Enels, I guess . ”

“Uh, you’ll get 3% so… your share is 585 Enels, huh . ”

“Mimi’s share is 98 Enels . ”

“It’s quite small huh . ”

“That’s just how it normally is . Rather, earning more than 8,000,000 Enels
after a single major mission is the one that’s out of the norm . Your share
is 18,817 Enels by the way . ”

“Gotcha . It’s not like I’m rushing you with the repayment . ”

“……The normal thing would be demanding the debtor to hurry up with

the payment you know?”

Elma gazed down at me with an exasperated look on her pretty face .

“Well, I just want to spend as much time as I can with Elma . ”

That’s my true feelings by the way . Elma owes me a three million Enel
debt, and she was working as a crew member on the Krishna in order to
repay me . Once Elma earns enough to pay the debt and acquires enough
capital to re-start mercenary work independently, she won’t have a reason
to stay with us as a crewmember anymore .

Elma was quite a skilled crew member, and we’ve been relying on her
more and more lately . Plus, she’s a beauty . And we’re already in『that』
kind of a relationship as well . And she’s also built up a great working and
private relationship with Mimi as well .

Thus, it’s only natural for me to wish to be with her for as long as possible
.

“You don’t have to worry so much, dolt . I’m staying with you for the long
haul . Even if I pay back the debt, I still need to earn money to buy a new
ship after all . ”

After saying that, Elma plopped her head on top of my exposed stomach .
Fufufu, I’ve been training myself ever since coming to this world, so I got
all my bases covered . Get a load of them! These wonderfully built six-
pack abs!

“What the heck are you grinning for? They’re too stiff so they’re hard to
sleep on . ”

“Uh, sorry . ”

“Mmhm . That’s better . Good boy . ”

It looks like Elma-san doesn’t prefer rock-hard abs . She made herself
comfortable by rubbing her cheeks on top of my stomach . It kinda tickles
.

“Hey…”

“Hm?”
“You really don’t have any amnesia, don’t you?”

“I’m not lying, y’know . ”

“It’s not like you have to hide it . ”

Elma’s head, which was on top of my stomach, shook . It seems like she
was giggling .

“Well, I don’t really plan on pressing you for answers anyway . Would it
be bad if I found out?”

“Mm… Well, not really . I’m just afraid you won’t believe me if I told you
.”

“What the heck are you saying, you dolt?”

It’s not like I can’t tell her . It’s just that I don’t know what Elma’s
reaction will be if I ever revealed that I’m someone from a different
dimension . She’ll most likely think I was crazy or something . Or maybe
I’ll be taken to some sort of research facility to serve as a guinea pig .

“I could tell you if you want . But I think you’ll just say I’m crazy though .
”

“If you say it like that, it makes me quite nervous… but let’s hear it
anyway . ”

“I see . Hm, okay . Where should I start… Are you familiar with parallel
worlds or different dimensions?”

“I have a general idea . But I have no idea if something like that’s really
possible . ”

Elma shrugged her shoulders while keeping her head on top of my

stomach and using it as her pillow .

“Yeah, well, I’m probably from that kind of world though . Me along with
Krishna, I mean . In my head, I think of that as an absolute fact . ”
Elma turned silent as if digesting my words .

“Do you remember the guild uncle saying I didn’t have any personal data
recorded anywhere when I first registered? Of course, I didn’t . The first
place I found myself in when I was sent to this dimension was Termaine
Prime after all . ”

“Now that you mention it, he did say something like that back then . But,
that’s just… No, maybe it is possible for parallel worlds to exist, I think?”

“Basing on my ship’s weapons and tech?”

”Yup . If you really did come from a completely different dimension, your
Krishna’s equipment and technology being similar to the ones used in this
world is something weird in itself . We can’t rule out the possibility that
the technological development of both worlds is roughly similar . This
ship is the only one of its kind as far as I know . I haven’t managed to
encounter anything like it . But… it still feels off . Judging from your
performance thus far, you’re definitely an experienced and skilled
mercenary . Your skills aren’t something attainable by some run-off-the-
mill merc . However, you severely lack common sense . So you come from
a world sporting the same tech and has the presence of mercenaries, but
with the prevalent customs and common sense different from this one?
Isn’t that really weird?”

“Well… I think you’ll be more confused after this, but… in the first place,
I’m no mercenary . I’m just an employee; a salaryman so to speak . I just
have gaming as my hobby . ”

“There shouldn’t be a normal salary who knows how to fight like you do,
you know! You’re quite skilled with firearms as well, right? Didn’t you
say you won that gun of yours in a tournament or something?”

The gun Elma was referring to was my personal laser gun . It seems it was
an ultra-rare item made by a famous gun-making studio called the Mandas
Workshop .
I had great skills as a merc, piloted a starship like a decorated veteran, and
sported a rare laser gun . There certainly isn’t any persuasive power when
I claim that I’m just your average salaryman . I understand that point well
.

It was as absurd as the idea of a self-proclaimed salaryman who can

overwhelm cyborg soldiers and nanomachine weaponry with his bare
hands .

“You’re right . But I got all that from playing a game . ”

Elma let out an uneasy ‘Hm!?’ when she heard me .

“In other words, you want to say that you’ve been sent to a world similar
to the game you’ve been playing?”

“That’s right . And in the dimension I’m from, humanity hasn’t developed
technology sufficient to advance further into space . Things like owning
starships that zip through the cosmos or interstellar travel are only
encountered in fiction or video games . ”

“That sounds like something from a planet housing a primitive

civilization, doesn’t it…? It does seem too far fetched and would be
enough for you to be thought of as crazy . Something like being thrown
into a game world sounds like a generic plot from a teen novel . ”

“Doesn’t it? Honesty, I think it would be more believable if I said I got my

memories overwritten due to some sort of conspiracy and was made to
believe I was from another dimension for some reason . ”

“But, at least, you think everything you revealed to me earlier is true,

correct?”

“It’s just my personal view of things though . We can’t really be sure until
I have the insides of my head investigated thoroughly or something . ”

“I guess . It’s not like there’s no way to do that… but you don’t really have
to stress yourself over it, I think . ”
“Really?”

“I understand why you’d be bothered, but it’s not like you’re troubled by
your current situation, right?”

“Well, I don’t think so, yeah . ”

It’s not like I don’t want to find out the reason for my current predicament,
but it’s not like I feel like I absolutely need to find out either . I don’t have
any pressing reason to come back to my previous world after all .

“So it’s fine . Let’s just leave it up to fate or something . ”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right . ”

“Yep . ”

“I see…… But is that it? Don’t you have anything else you want to ask?”

“I don’t . No matter how you see yourself, it won’t change how I think of
you . You’re a very skilled yet somewhat silly guy . Or maybe someone
who’s still in the middle of a phase middle school kids often go through
until now . ”

“Please, just stop . That’s kinda embarrassing y’know……”

Elma entered into a fit of giggles after hearing me complain .

“You really are a great woman . ”

“Well, of course, I am . Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Elma, the disappointing elf . ”

“You’re on, you bastard . ”

“Oi, stop that idiot . ”

Elma started tickling my sides with her delicate fingers, and we started
wrestling with each other on top of the bed . Fufufu . Don’t think you can
win against my well-trained body with those dainty arms of yours—

“Guwaaah!? The heck!? A cross armbar!?”

I didn’t manage to win against Elma-san in the end… She unleashed a

barrage of fancy wrestling moves on me . I wanted a little gentler form of
skinship though . No, I insist .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 34

Translator: SFBaka

I spent my time flirting… or rather, wrestling with Elma on the bed –

exchanging attacks and counterattacks in an exciting display of skinship
that was a tad bit too hardcore .

When I woke up the next day, I immediately took a bath, finished some
light training routines, took a bath once more, and entered into relaxing
mode afterward . Elma? She went and took over my bed again . This time,
it was my win .

“Good morning, Hiro-sama . ”

When I went over to the dining area, I found Mimi taking a break wearing
her training clothes . It seems we all managed to work up a sweat even
though it’s still morning .

“Morning, Mimi . You went for some training?”

“Yes . I was planning on taking a bath after this . ”

Looks like we missed each other earlier .

“I see . I’ll prepare our breakfast then . ”

“Thank you very much . I’ll take a bath first . ”

Mimi flashed me a cheerful smile and skipped over to the bathroom . She
would have run into me while I was bathing if I weren’t so quick to finish .
But washing off the sweat I got from training didn’t take that long, and
Elma still hasn’t woken up, so I only took a quick shower . Oh well . We
would’ve wasted much time if we bathed together anyway .

“Good morning……”

“Hey there, morning . ”

Elma woke up while I was in the middle of preparing breakfast .

“What the heck are you wearing?”

“My BF’s T-shirt . ”

It seems she borrowed one of my shirts from my closet and wore it .

Elma’s taller than Mimi, but she’s still smaller than me . When she wears
one of my shirts, it ends up looking like a one-piece dress with a really
short skirt . It looks quite risqué .

“Mimi’s taking a bath right now, so you can take one after her . ”

“Nn……”

It turns out that Elma was a poor riser, and she’s always like this when she
wakes up . It’s not to the point of doubting whether or not she could do
mercenary work in her current state, but it seems she completely lets
herself go on off days like this one . Maybe you could say she was good at
switching gears .

“Ah, Elma-san, good mor… You look kinda amazing there . ”

“Mooorning〜 I’ll take a bath as well, m’kay〜”

Elma headed into the bath while covering her mouth with one hand to
stifle a yawn and waving back at Mimi with another . Mimi gazed at her
back with a stunned expression .

“That sure looks nice……”

“Do you want to wear one of my shirts as well, Mimi?”

“Can I!?”

“Y-Yeah . Go right ahead . ”

Her excited reaction surprised me . I really didn’t think wearing my shirts

would make her so excited . But, well, if Mimi were to wear my shirt……
the front end would probably be the point that would end up looking risqué
. Her body shape’s way different from Elma’s after all . Hahaha .

“Let’s eat . You fine with today’s meal being the daily special?”

“Yes!”

After hearing Mimi’s cheerful reply, I operated our trusty auto-cooker, the
vaunted Tetsujin V, and ordered the daily special for me and her . I got a
large serving while Mimi had a normal one . Mimi also ate larger servings
than normal when she first came to the ship, but now she only eats normal
amounts .

She’s also working out a lot . I’m sure it’s because she’s conscious of her
weight . I don’t think she put on that much weight though .

“Judging from her state earlier, I’m sure Elma’s gonna take a while in the
bathroom, so let’s just eat ahead of her . ”

“Yes… Alright . ”

Mimi seemed a bit hesitant at first but nodded along anyway . Elma
always takes long baths whenever she completely enters her ‘Off’ mode .
One hour is par for the course . It’s probably another one of her ways to
refresh and de-stress herself .

“Okay then . Thanks for the meal . ”

“Thanks for the meal . ”

I put my hands together before eating and said my thanks, and Mimi
copied me .

Today’s menu consists of something resembling rice, something

resembling a roasted salmon fillet, something resembling egg rolls, and
something resembling potato salad .

Uh, I describe them as ‘resembling’ cause even if these dishes look no

different from the real thing, they were actually processed by the auto-
cooker from food cartridges containing algae and krill-like creatures . But
they did taste quite authentic, so I guess there’s no problem .

But why pair Japanese breakfast dishes like rice, salmon and egg rolls with
potato salad? They’re all delicious, sure, but Chef Tetsujin sometimes
serves some really incomprehensible food pairings .

By the way, Mimi’s meal consisted of something resembling congee

served in a deep dish, something resembling grilled meat, and something
resembling vegetable salad . Mimi looks like she was enjoying them, so I
guess that congee’s also pretty tasty . Probably .

“Mimi, can I have some of that too? I’m curious about how it tastes . ”

“Sure, here you go . ”

Mimi scooped up a portion of her congee with her spoon and held it up to
me . It was a bit embarrassing, but I ate up in the end . Fumu…… What
can I say? It was a sweet, slightly mellow-tasting soup-like porridge . It
did seem unexpectedly filling . There were also hints of cheese and honey .
I don’t think this actually qualifies as a main dish . I feel it’s more suited
as a dessert instead .

“It’s tasty, right?”

“I think so, yeah . I haven’t tasted anything quite like it yet, so I can’t say
for sure . But it does warm up to you after two or three mouthfuls . I’ll
give you this egg roll in exchange then, Mimi . Say ah . ”

“A〜hn . ”

I picked up a bite-sized piece of egg roll with my chopsticks and brought it

close to Mimi’s dainty lips . This mock-egg roll was fluffy and packs
plenty of umami . I’m sure it’ll fit Mimi’s tastes as well .

“Mm〜, it’s delicious . Here, have another bite of mine . A〜hn . ”

“A〜hn . ”
Mimi offered me another scoop of the sweet-like porridge . , which I
obediently ate . Mm, exquisite . It wasn’t overly sweet and nice on the
palate, and the cheese and milk combined to make a nice harmony of
flavor . It was such a curious dish .

“You guys……”

Elma called out to us in an exasperated voice after seeing Mimi and my

embarrassing display of feeding each other .

“Good morning, Elma-san . ”

“Morning, Elma . ”

“Haa… Good morning . I can go back inside the bathroom for a bit more if
I’m in the way . ”

“???”

“What, you want in on this too, Elma? Here you go then . A〜hn . ”

I picked up another piece of egg roll and held it out to Elma, who plucked
the piece off with her fingers and put it in her mouth . Her gesture of
licking the tip of her finger afterward looked somewhat sexy .

“Flirting first thing in the morning…… Well, I did monopolize Hiro

yesterday, so I guess today is Mimi’s turn, isn’t it?”

“Ehehe . ”

Mimi’s cheeks flushed red as she displayed a satisfied smile . Flashing a

wry grin after seeing Mimi, Elma also started ordering her breakfast from
Tetsujin V .

“How about the two of you go for a date then? I’ll keep a watch on the ship
and let you guys know once Inagawa Technology calls . Oh, and please
visit the Mercenary Guild today as well . We didn’t manage to go there
yesterday after all . It would be better for us to make a visit so we can
inform them we’re in the area . ”

“Ah, understood . You’re fine with that, Mimi?”

“Yes!”

Mimi did a guts pose, clenched both fists in front of her ample chest, and
breathed out heavily . She sure is pumped up .

“I’ve done my research yesterday after all!”

“You sure look excited . ”

“She sure does . Escort her properly, okay?”

“Unlike her, I haven’t researched at all… unfortunately . Oh well . I’ll

make sure to protect her if we encounter trouble of some sort . ”

“That’s fine then . That’s enough . ”

Elma received her plate filled with breakfast from Tetsujin V and sat down
next to me .

But Elma-san, ain’t a big, fat steak coupled with heaps of potato salad a bit
too heavy for breakfast……? Oh well . It’s not like I’m the one eating
them anyway .

“This place really is quite different in atmosphere compared to Termaine

Prime . ”

“Yeah, it is . It’s definitely more lively compared to there, and the air the
citizens are giving off is also different . ”

After disembarking from the ship, we started walking around the brightly
lit streets . It’s very different from the night-time scenery I saw with Elma
yesterday .
In addition, the people walking about the streets give off a pretty unique
vibe . The folks walking around Termaine Prime’s 3rd Block wore almost
identical looking clothes, but the citizens of Alein Tertius’s lower block
looked quite varied .

There were people wearing suits, as well as girls wearing goth loli fashion-
inspired dresses . There were also people wearing skin-tight bodysuits
which made me wanna tsukkomi if those could really be considered
clothes . And some even wore mech armor . Are they cyborgs or
something?

And there were a lot of alien-like creatures walking about as well . I still
think looking human is the best though . The looks were varied – from
amphibians to reptiles, to cats, dogs, foxes… And these weren’t the ones I
consider weird . And I even wanna get to know some of those animal-
eared young ladies and blue-skinned sexy onee-sans .

But how am I supposed to react to something like a jellyfish floating in

mid-air, like a lightbulb with tentacles? Rather, it really looks like a tower
of squirming tentacles that seems like it’ll fit right in if featured on an
R18 doujin . Is that some sort of communication tower or something?

Nah, it feels like it’ll be my loss if I keep being bothered by it . I

desperately shut the sight of them out of my head . If I kept dwelling on
them, it felt like my SAN points would go down to critical levels .

“Man, to think that it was brighter in the lower block . ”

“The upper block, which houses the starship docks and garrisons, is always
covered in night-like darkness . Basically, most of the citizens live in the
lower blocks, and the brightness of the artificial illumination adjusts itself
to simulate the time of day . So they have morning, noon and night here . ”

Mimi’s composed expression didn’t display any visible changes even after
seeing such strange sights . Maybe she’s used to it? So it really is different
for folks who were raised in an environment where seeing those alien
creatures are the norm . I see .
“It looks like that building continues up until the ceiling . ”

I gazed at a really tall-looking structure that didn’t have any people around
its immediate vicinity . It’s really big . I wonder just how tall it is?

“It seems that serves as one of the support pillars for this colony . It
extends out to the bottom-most layer of the colony as well . ”

“Oh yeah . I saw building-like structures sticking out of the colony’s outer
well when we first came here . ”

When we first came to port, I saw the cuboid octahedral outer wall of the
colony with structures protruding on its sides . The structure in front of us
is most likely one of those .

“What sort of tenants are present in those buildings?”

“There’s a lot! There are various restaurants, shops, clinics, trading

company offices and hotels in them . ”

“Oh, it looks like we’re gonna enjoy exploring even just one of those
buildings huh . ”

“One day probably isn’t enough to go around most of the shops . ”

We continued walking around town while discussing such things . We just

ate breakfast, so I don’t feel like looking around for food yet . What
should we do now, I wonder?

“How about we shop for some clothes, Mimi?”

“Um, okay… But I think I have enough clothes right now though . ”

“Let’s buy you the latest fashion . I kinda want to see Mimi wearing those
sorts of dresses . ”

I turned my gaze towards a young girl wearing a cute gothic lolita dress in
the distance . Mimi’s face turned bright red . “Eh? What is it with that cute
reaction?
“Is something wrong?”

“No, um, I don’t think that kind of dress would suit me, so…”

She seemed to have turned away from the young woman in embarrassment
but was sneakily peeking at her from time to time, so it looks like she was
actually interested . Can’t be helped . Let’s be more forceful here .

“That’s not true . Anyway, I wanna see you wear them, so we’re definitely
going . Let’s go right now . ”

“Eh… Um……”

“Some of the stores you researched about sell that sort of stuff, right?”

“Y-Yes, but……”

I broadly smiled . Mimi sent me a troubled smile in return . Hahaha! Just

give up, young missy .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 35

Translator: SFBaka

I led Mimi inside one of the tenant shops inside the tall building we were
just talking about earlier . The shop was apparently named『Atelier
Pure』 .

“So this is the place……”

“Yes . ”

I kinda hesitated to step inside it for a bit .

The one who proposed going here was undoubtedly me . It was me, but I
completely ignored what kind of place a shop which sells gothic lolita
fashion was like .

In other words, it was a fancy, frilly and fluffy place that the creatures
known as ‘males’ were known to avoid at all costs . It seemed to me that
within the shop’s hallowed walls was a deep, dark space emanating a
dangerous『Boys Keep Out』aura, which even seemed thick enough to
have transformed into a kind of energy .

“We can’t have you entering on your own huh, Mimi . ”

“Y-Yeah……”

“Let’s go!”

“Y-You don’t really have to force yourself like that . ”

I grabbed Mimi’s hand and stepped foot inside the forbidden land . Maybe
it’s because they just opened, but it didn’t seem there were any other
customers inside apart from us . The gazes of the shop staff instantly
locked on to us .
There were three shop clerks wearing identical uniforms . They all gave
Mimi and me a once-over and smiled at the same time afterward . W-What
the heck’s with this pressure!?

“Welcome, dear customers . ”

“Is this your first time coming here? Thank you for your patronage . ”

“We’re delighted that you chose to shop here . We, the staff, will use all of
our being in order to drag you into the swamp… ehem, satisfy you to the
best of our abilities . ”

Did she just say swamp? Utilizing a mysterious movement technique, all
three of the staff instantly shortened the distance between us and them and
already had Mimi and I surrounded before we noticed what happened . She
really did say they would drag us into a swamp earlier, didn’t she!? What
the heck is with these people!?

“Eh, ah, un . We’ll be in your care . ”

I managed to utter a reply, but Mimi was swallowed by the overwhelming

aura of the shop clerks and clung tightly to my arm . Ah, those dangerous,
lethal weapons are sandwiching my arm…… Alright, I’ve recovered
folks!

“Do you guys… know what we’re here for?”

“””Of course, dear customer!!!”””

The three shop clerks replied in cheery voices and gave us big smiles .
What can I say? They were quite quick on the uptake . Right now, my will
and those of the three ladies were mysteriously aligned for the first time .
In all sorts of meanings .

“To tell you honestly, I don’t have any idea how much the clothes in this
store are going to be, but… I do have enough budget, I think . ”

“I see . How much do you think you can afford, by the way……?”
I considered the shop clerk’s question for a bit . I honestly have no idea
about the market price for these things because I haven’t visited shops like
these even back on Earth . Since I don’t have a concrete basis, I can’t just
carelessly name a price either .

“In general, how much would it cost to buy an entire set?”

“Well, let’s see… it also depends on the brand, but orthodox items
generally cost about 1000 Enels . ”

“So about 10,000… no, 20,000 Enels, I guess . Please give us something
that would fit this girl here . ”

When I showed my available finances to the clerk, she paused for an

instant and smiled widely afterward .

“Would it be fine if we recommend items that go a bit over budget?”

“As long as you keep it in moderation . We’ll leave if you propose nothing
but expensive stuff . ”

“Please leave it to us . Do come over here for a bit, dear customers . ”

The shop clerk who asked about my budget called over the other two
employees, who just finished taking Mimi’s measurements, and told them
what we talked about . The other two clerks looked surprised and quickly
turned their gaze toward me . I nodded back at them, then turned towards
Mimi . The three shop clerks also focused their gazes on Mimi .

“Eh? Eh? W-What is it?”

Mimi became flustered when all of our gazes gathered on her . It was hella
cute . Mimi was led by two of the clerks further in, and I was guided to a
waiting area at the back of the counter by the one who remained .

“I understand that the atmosphere inside the shop may be a bit too much
for a man such as yourself, so please do wait here instead . I shall bring
you some refreshments right away . ”
“Ah . ”

Well, it certainly felt a bit difficult for me to walk about inside this frilly,
fluffy shop interior . I’m thankful for their consideration .

“Please leave the young lady to us . We shall coordinate the most exquisite
outfits for her . That, I promise . ”

“I’ll leave her in your professional hands then . ”

After hearing my response, the shop clerk gave me the finest smile I saw
from her since we came to this store . She then excused herself . She used
that mysterious, squirmy-looking movement technique to boot . Just how
do they pull off those weird movements? Them suddenly disappearing
before one’s very eyes in an instant also seems kinda scary .

Before I knew it, there was a cup of hot coffee, along with sugar and milk
placed on the table in front of me– Wait, just when did these get here
anyway? What’s with this supernatural phenomenon? Horror? I’m
seriously starting to shake in my boots here……

I sipped my coffee in order to get rid of the shivers and busied myself by
playing around with the 3D dress-up app I got from the cosplay shop we
went to some time ago . I went at it for about thirty minutes .

“Thank you for waiting . ”

“A-Auuu……”

An angel has descended . She was clothed in a fluffy and cute white dress
with a lot of pale pink frills and had a large ribbon adorning her head . Her
feet and legs were covered in white tights and a pair of pink shoes . Mimi,
who was now wearing a costume that pushed the boundaries of her
cuteness to the absolute limits, was fidgeting in embarrassment with
reddened cheeks . So precious .

“……(I joined both hands and offered worship in silence)”

“It seems you have no need for words to express your adoration . As
expected of our dear customer . You really do understand . ”

“The theme we chose was ‘sweet and cute’ . Will you go ahead with the
purchase, sir?”

“……(I offered my data terminal in silence)”

“Thank you very much!”

I paid for the clothes and proceeded with taking pictures of Mimi from all
sorts of angles using my terminal’s camera app . These can definitely be
used for an amateur idol video or portfolio . That’s just how beautiful they
were .

“U-Uh… P-Please don’t take pictures……”

“Not being able to preserve the visage of an angel this cute is utter
blasphemy!”

“Please control yourself, dear customer . There’s more in store . ”

“Understood . ”

I stopped taking videos and pictures of Mimi and gave her a once-over
again .

“Truly an angel . ”

“T-Thank you very much, I think……?”

“Fufufu…… Shall we have her change into the next outfit then?”

“Well then, young lady . Please come over here . ”

The shop clerks once again led Mimi inside that fluffy-looking space .

When I went back to the waiting area, I found some hot tea and cookies
placed on the table . Really now . Just how did these get here, man……?
As I thought, it’s hella scary .

Perhaps the clothes have already been prepared beforehand . The shop
clerks brought a newly dressed up Mimi back almost immediately . The
outfit this time looked plainer . But it also felt like a classic design and
radiated elegance . How should I put it? It kinda feels like something a
wealthy young lady from a noble family would wear .

“Wonderful . It can even be used as casual wear to some extent . ”

“Yes . That is exactly this outfit’s concept . Would you like me to prepare
some similar items as well?”

“Go ahead . ”

“Thank you very much . ”

“U-Um… I don’t really need that much…”

“It’s my hobby . And I’m a man who never compromises when it comes to
my hobbies . ”

I shook my head in response to Mimi, who was trying to persuade me not

to buy the outfits . We still have plenty of budget left . So there’s
absolutely no problem . And if I can see a cute Mimi every day, nothing is
considered expensive .

“Fufu, wonderful isn’t it? Now then, young lady . On to the next outfit . ”

“Y-Yes…”

The clerks took Mimi inside the store’s interior once again . What type of
outfit would she come out with next? I’m really looking forward to it .

Oh yeah, I’ll send the video to Elma as well .

I opened the messaging app and sent her a copy of Mimi’s video I took
earlier . It took a few moments to upload, but it was sent successfully .
『So cute! Did you buy it?』

『I’ve already bought the one she wore in the video . I also bought
something a bit more subdued . 』

『That’s good . It would be nice if you bought something for me as well,

you know?』

『Something a little more adult would fit you better I think… Yeah, it
definitely would . Wanna come here together with me next time?』

『No, I was only joking . I think something so frilly is a bit much for
me……』

『I’ll get even more motivated to bring you here if you react like that . 』

『So you’re that type huh . 』

We messed around like that in the messaging app until Mimi returned .

“Oh… Fantastic!”

The shop clerks bowed down to me after hearing my reaction .

The outfit Mimi was wearing this time was a black dress . It was the
epitome of goth loli . It didn’t expose much skin, and the frilly skirt went
slightly below the knees, with white lace accentuating the key points of the
outfit . She was also wearing a headdress made out of black and white lace
.

“By the way, dear customer… This is the price of the outfit……”

“……Eh, what gives? Isn’t it too expensive?”

The price she showed me was well over my proposed budget . This single
outfit actually costs a whopping 35,000 Enels .
“This outfit is made out of Hyperweave fabric that can block both laser
fire and live bullets from handheld weapons . ”

“Wait, hold up just one moment lady! Why the heck did they use that sort
of heavy-duty stuff for making a fashionable dress like this?”

“That’s because a dress is a lady’s combat uniform . ”

“I see, so that’s it… Wait, that still sounds wrong, man! I think nobody
would attempt to jump into a battlefield wearing a frilly dress like this you
know . ”

“In today’s era, no one can predict whether or not they’d be suddenly
thrown into a firefight . There may be terrorists running around the city .
One can also encounter pirates when they attack and capture civilian ships
during interstellar travel . This Hyperweave Battle Dress is made for those
times . ”

“Eh……”

The female shop clerk was acting surprisingly pushy .

“And please look at this as well . Just look at the young lady’s visage .
Doesn’t it suit her extremely well?”

“Well, yeah, it sure does . ”

“Doesn’t it? Doesn’t it? In other words, this is a great buy! By all means,
please get it . ”

“Uh, maybe not . I can’t . Or rather, isn’t there anything of a similar

design which is made from ordinary fabric?”

The shop clerks slowly looked away after hearing my tsukkomi . So you
do have one, don’t you?

“Please get me one made from normal fabric . Oh, but we’ll be getting
innerwear made from Hyperweave fabric if you have them . Just in case . ”
I think underwear would be cheaper than a full dress . The amount of
fabric used is way lesser after all .

“Of course . Please wait for a moment . ”

The clerks withdrew inside the shop while looking slightly disappointed . I
heard them say some things like ‘As I thought, that outfit was a bit too
much . ’ or ‘Rather, that outfit is certainly geared towards wealthy
imperial nobles, isn’t it?’ as they walked away . So imperial nobles
normally buy such outfits huh . How outrageous .

But, well, a dress costing 3,500,000 Yen would certainly be cheap for those
loaded with money, I guess . Although my sense of monetary value is
steadily being worn away since coming to this dimension, I still haven’t
completely forgotten a normal guy’s common sense . I can spend tens of
thousands of Enels to buy onboard equipment and upgrades for the ship,
but I won’t use the same amount just to buy some clothes .

Mimi, who the clerks brought with them earlier, came back wearing an
outfit that looked exactly the same as the previous one .

“This is a dress made from normal fabric . If we include some

Hyperweave inners, this is how much it’ll cost . ”

The price I was shown was way cheaper than what was shown to me earlier
. The Hyperweave underwear did cost significantly higher than the dress,
but it was still cheap if we consider the wearer’s safety as a priority .

“I want two to three sets of Hyperweave inners, please . I don’t mind if we

go a bit over budget . ”

“Understood . ”

The shop clerk had her smile back on . Maybe it’s because she’s happy
about selling Hyperweave underwear . I paid for the clothes and took a
good, long look at Mimi, who was wearing gothic lolita clothes .

“You’re really cute . ”

“Yes……”

Maybe she’s gotten used to it, but Mimi was a lot more composed
compared to the time she wore that pink dress earlier . But she still
seemed embarrassed since she lowered her gaze a bit while fidgeting…
Man, she’s just so cute .

“So which of the clothes we bought do you want to wear right now?”

“……Eh?”

Mimi suddenly looked up while sporting a surprised expression . That’s a

really nice face she’s making .

“Since we’re on a date, I figured it would be nice if you wore the new
clothes we bought . We can just send the clothes you wore earlier with the
rest of the new outfits back to the ship, right?”

“N-No, it’s impossible for me . ”

“But this is the perfect chance to wear your new dress, isn’t it? You won’t
wear them inside the ship, right?”

“B-But, we’re going to buy more things later, right? The bag I brought
with me doesn’t fit the dress as well . ”

Mimi kept making excuses in a fluster in order to avoid wearing the dress
on our date . Hahaha, my dear Mimi . I won’t be able to stop myself if you
react like that, you know .

“Please get me a handbag that would fit this dress . And get me bags that
would match all the other dresses as well please . ”

“Understood, dear customer . ”

It’s the return of The BINTA (Cash Slap) . I will shoulder any expense if
it’s for the sake of realizing my desires .

“And don’t compromise the quality while matching the design . ”

“Please leave it to us . ”

The presence of the clerk who suddenly appeared behind me slowly faded
away . I’ve become more or less used to their antics, it seems .

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed . It really does suit you . You look

cute in it . ”

“Uuu……”

Mimi brought up both of her hands and covered her bright red face in
embarrassment due to my unreasonable actions . Hahaha . Just give up
already, young lady .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 36

Translator: SFBaka

After we finished shopping at the specialty clothing store『Atelier Pure』,

Mimi and I headed to the Mercenary Guild branch next . Mimi chose to
wear the black goth loli dress in the end . Her act of clinging onto the cuff
of my clothes and hiding behind me due to not being used to wearing such
clothes and being embarrassed to walk around with them in public was
seriously cute . But she couldn’t hide her satisfied expression from me .

“Mimi, you’ll stand out more if you continue clinging to me like that you
know . Just walk in front proudly . I’m sure you won’t gather as much
attention if you do so . ”

“Uu…… Okay . ”

“There’s really no reason for you to be embarrassed you know . It really

suits you . It suits you to a tee . You’re super cute!”

“Please spare me already . ”

Mimi hid her face with both hands and sank from my merciless attacks .
No, Captain! I didn’t mean to cause a friendly fire incident! I’m reflecting
upon my actions . But seeing her so embarrassed is just so utterly cute .
Hehehe .

Mimi finally settled down after a little while . She still seemed
embarrassed, but she was now able to walk normally, so we continued on
our way to the Mercenary Guild branch . The Guild building’s location was
on a different upper block area from the tower Atelier Pure was renting in .
It was located closer to the sector where the starship docks were at .

We came to a different tower structure, entered an elevator inside, and

rode it to the sector where the Mercenary Guild building was located . The
towers were separated into different layers . There were three floors on the
upper block, fifty-two on the middle block, and thirty floors on the lower
block . I have no idea about how huge the structures exactly were, but they
sure looked pretty impressive .

“I wonder where this colony’s residents live in?”

“It seems there’s a tower fully dedicated as a residential building as well .

It’s a bit far from here, though . ”

“I see . It does look like one of these buildings could hold a huge number
of people . ”

I wonder just what the total population of this colony is? It was such a
huge colony, so there may be hundreds of thousands living in it perhaps .

But what’ll we have for lunch? I consulted Mimi, but we were disturbed
by a *pon sound before we could decide . It looks like the elevator reached
the floor where the Mercenary Guild was located in .

“Maybe we can ask around in the Mercenary Guild as well . They’re more
familiar with this place after all . ”

“Yes, you’re right . ”

Gazes instantly focused on us when we left the elevator . The types of

people whose gazes came our way were varied . There were stereotypical
mercenary guys radiating an intimidating atmosphere, bipedal lizard
aliens who also seemed to be mercenaries, a tan-skinned woman who – for
some incomprehensible reason – was wearing bikini armor, a woman who
seemed to be a maid no matter which angle you looked at her, a group of
six people the size of children wearing identical space suits, an alien who
looked like a red panda in a work uniform, et cetera etcetera .

“It seems… more lively compared to Termaine Prime’s Mercenary Guild

branch, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yes, absolutely . ”

The gazes didn’t linger on me for long, but it was the opposite for Mimi,
so she felt a bit uncomfortable from all the attention . She’ll get used to it
eventually . I urged her to go to the counter, so she started walking ahead
of me . The number of gazes turned toward Mimi decreased a bit when we
started walking together . The mercenaries should have realized she was
with me, who looked like your typical merc .

The cliché template of people going『Looks like you brought quite the
cutie with you eh, rookie?』didn’t happen, and we reached the reception
counter without any issues . Mimi was really quite cute, so her gathering
attention was something inevitable . It was all but natural .

“Welcome . What is your business with us today?”

The one manning the counter we arrived at was a beautiful young woman .
She looked like a proper career woman wearing the standard Mercenary
Guild uniform . Her assets left Elma in the dust and even seemed to be
comparable to Mimi’s . She was really quite the beauty . Was beauty a
requirement in order to be hired as a Mercenary Guild receptionist?

“My name’s Captain Hiro . This is Mimi, my ship’s operator . We just

arrived from Termaine Prime a few days ago, so we came here for a visit .
We’re planning on staying in this colony for a while you see . ”

We handed her our data terminals, which she ran through a scanning
device of some sort . A beep rang from the device, and a holographic
display appeared before us .

“Yes, I’ve confirmed your info . You’re Captain Hiro, correct? Your rank is
Silver, the number of crew members is two… Where might the other
crewmember, Elma, be?”

“She stayed on the ship . We’re waiting for contact from Inagawa
Technology you see . ”

“Inagawa Technology… I see . To encounter something like that right

when you arrive . I don’t know if I can consider you lucky or not . ”

“Well, we did make some money out of it, so I guess you can consider us
lucky . ”
When she heard my reply as I held both my hands up and shrugged, the
receptionist gave me a wry smile in return . Yeah, I know . You’re trying to
imply we’re the type to invite trouble, aren’t you Miss? I do kinda feel
that as well . Just a bit . But we won’t be able to get things done if we
didn’t consider getting caught up in troublesome matters a stroke of
fortune as well .

“Has the Guild received word from them?”

“No, nothing at the moment . They’ve probably just decided on the

number of monetary rewards, and it’s taking some time to be approved .
They’re a big company after all . ”

“I see . Please contact us or our ship if there’s any sort of correspondence

from them . ”

“Understood… Oh?”

The receptionist raised her voice in surprise and operated her terminal .

“What good timing . We’ve just received word from Inagawa Technology .
”

“Oh…… What did they say?”

“The total reward amount is 500,000 Enels . ”

“I’m not sure about that price… It kinda feels like they didn’t go cheap on
us, but it doesn’t look like a big amount either . Can we consult with the
crewmember left on the ship as well before we give a reply?”

“Of course . ”

After receiving consent from the receptionist, we immediately contacted

Elma . It looks like she was manning the ship normally, so she picked up
right away .

『Yes, Elma here . What’s wrong? Trouble?』

“Nah, we’re in the Mercenary Guild right now . They just received a
reward notice from Inagawa Technology . The reward is 500,000 Enels .
What do you think?”

『Hm . It’s not like we towed them all the way back to the colony anyway
. It’s a reasonable amount for guarding them until the local military patrol
arrived, I think . It’s a normal reward for that kind of medium-sized
civilian ship . 』

“So, should we accept?”

『Yes . I don’t think there’s any problem . Try to consult with Mimi as
well, just in case . 』

“Gotcha . Thanks . ”

『It’s fine . I’m happy you’re relying on me . 』

“I’ll continue relaxing on the ship then,” Elma declared as she hung up . I
looked toward Mimi after Elma cut the call .

“Elma said the 500,000 reward was okay . Do you have anything to add,
Mimi?”

“I believe Inagawa Technology also manages a general hospital . Why

don’t you try asking them for a referral letter for our check-ups, Hiro-
sama?”

“Really? Okay then . I’ll try asking . Uh, please do as we discussed, Miss .
”

“Yes . I shall tell the other party your intentions then . We will contact you
as soon as we get a reply from them . ”

“We’ll leave it to you . And, uh, I have something I want to ask you about
as well . ”
“Yes? What is it?”

“Can you tell us the special products of this colony as well as places where
we can eat some tasty food?”

She may have not expected such a question . The Guild receptionist froze
up . It seemed like there was a question mark hovering on top of her head .

Was it really such an unusual question……?

The day after my enjoyable date with Mimi, we received the referral letter
from Inagawa Technology and immediately headed for the general hospital
under the company .

Eh? What about the local specialties, you ask? It’s not like there wasn’t
anything that tasted okay, but I just can’t bring myself to like them .
Normally speaking, a product good enough to be considered a local
specialty shouldn’t be too bad .

That’s what I thought at first .

Well, you see, I know that the raw ingredients used in food cartridges
didn’t have much flavor unless they’re properly processed . But what am I
supposed to think if I get shoved with those very ingredients combined
into a sort of funky paste?

It did manage to fill the belly, and it’s not like it didn’t have any flavor at
all . How can I describe it? An umami shake? And in Large size too . I
can’t think of anything else to compare it with . To put it simply, it was
just nutrient paste .

Mimi and I made expressions akin to Tibetan sand foxes when we first
tasted the thing . Did the receptionist onee-san have a sort of grudge
against us or something?

“What’s up with you? You look like you just swallowed some sand . ”

“Un, well, I just noticed that stall over there y’see……”

I saw a street-side stall similar to the one we went to yesterday on the way
to the general hospital . I looked to the side and found Mimi displaying the
same expression as me . By the way, Mimi was wearing clothes that were
easy to take off if it was ever required during the check-up . She wore her
usual training clothes with a jacket on top . I and Elma dressed pretty
much the same . We did have our laser guns holstered though .

“Was it really that bad?”

“It was recommended by the guild receptionist, but it was awful . ”

“It certainly was a hard-to-describe experience……”

It may be considered a local specialty in the sense that you can’t find it
anywhere else except for this place . The fact that it was cheap and filled
you up wasn’t bad… but it’s not something I’d want to eat on a daily basis
.

I and Mimi continued to discuss just how bad the nutrient paste was until
we arrived in front of a large building . The words ‘Inagawa Technology’
was painted on the sidewall of the said building . Are all the tenants of
those buildings working for Inagawa Technology?

“Well, it sure is easy to find . ”

“Yes, you’re right . We can easily spot it even from a distance . ”

Mimi looked up at the building and seemed impressed . Elma didn’t have
much to comment though . The three of us entered the building .

“Just how many floors are there in this place?”

“I think they have navi robots here . Let’s check with one of them . ”

What’s a navi robot supposed to be? We followed Elma until we got in

front of a console where she slotted her information terminal . When she
did so, a beep sound rang out, followed by something round and was the
size of an adult fist coming out of a circular hole in the wall .
『Welcome . I am the navigation unit, N-34 . I shall guide Elma-sama and
companions to your destination . 』

“Hey, that’s high tech stuff . ”

“It’s nothing all that high-tech you know…… Oh, I see . It’s high-tech for
you huh . ”

“Yep . ”

“Is that so?”

“Uhuh . ”

Mimi tilted her head at my response . Oh yeah . I haven’t told Mimi about
my being from another dimension yet huh… I’ll tell her later tonight then
. I don’t think Mimi would doubt whatever I say, so it’s not like I
absolutely had to tell her . Maybe I’ll consult with Elma first?

The navigation unit rolled along as it guided us . It looks like we have to

take the elevator .

“Hm, this little guy’s pretty cute . ”

“Really? You have a peculiar taste . ”

“Eh? I mean, doesn’t it kinda resemble a small animal?”

“I can sort of see that . It feels like it’s working really hard even though
it’s so small . ”

The navigation unit inputted the specific floor we needed to go to, and the
elevator started moving . Speaking of which, this dimension’s elevators
don’t seem to stop for picking up more people along the way . Just how
does that work, I wonder . It was kind of a mystery .

We reached the destination after a few moments . The elevator doors

opened up and the navigation unit started rolling away again . It was
rolling around while emitting electronic beeps . Maybe it’s a mechanism
to ensure the guests following after it didn’t lose sight of it by making use
of the beeps .

“It looks like we’re here . ”

We passed by people wearing doctor and nurse uniforms as we walked

along the aisle until we arrived at an open space . It was a bright and clean
space, as expected of a medical institution .

“Hey there . Welcome . I’ve been waiting for you guys . ”

The navigation unit stopped rolling in front of a person .

It was a woman . She was about as tall as me . She sported light brown hair
bunched up in a single braid which went down till her waist . Both her
hands were stuffed inside her coat pockets . The gaze reflected from
behind her slightly unfashionable glasses seemed somewhat sleepy-
looking . Her face was relatively plain but was still strangely beautiful .
The size of her chest weapons was… at the level of Mimi’s . Excellent!

“My name’s Shouko . I’m the person in charge of your health check-ups
today… Well, I’m a doctor, basically . Nice to meet you, folks . ”

She flashed us a good-natured smile .

I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 37

Translator: SFBaka

“My name’s Hiro, our ship’s captain . These are my crew, Elma and Mimi .
We’ll be in your care, Dr . Shouko . ”

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine . No need to be all polite with me folks . Let’s all
take it easy, shall we?”

“That so? I’ll take you up on that then . ”

I nodded while thinking the doctor’s heart was as broad as her chest .

“You’ll be getting a comprehensive physical examination today, right?”

Dr . Shouko asked to confirm as she took out a tablet terminal from who-
knows-where . Just where’d it come from? That tablet . She had both
hands inside her coat’s pocket earlier, didn’t she?

“Uh, I’m currently in a situation where I’m not sure if I’ve received all
available vaccines for infectious diseases or not . And Mimi here only got
the most common ones back on Termaine Prime . Since we’re gonna be
flying around all over the galaxy during mercenary work, it’d be great if
we could get all of that covered as well . How about you, Elma?”

“I’ve gotten most of the important ones . And the immune system of an
elf-like me is way better than that of you humans, so I don’t really need
shots all that much . But it would still be better to be safe than sorry, so I
got the more important ones out of the way at least . ”

“I see . Do you girls have any other concerns?”

“Um, how about the thing with your memory, Hiro-sama–”

“Sorry, Mimi . That was a lie . ”

I interrupted Mimi, who was about to bring up my purported memory loss
and denied her words . The moment she heard me, Mimi’s eyes widened as
she stared straight at me . It seems she’s really shocked .

“The amnesia part’s not true, but I do have some complicated

circumstances… To put it simply, my memories are a bit of a mess . I was
suddenly thrown out onto Termaine Prime as a result of an accident during
Hyperdrive you see . I have no idea what exactly happened though . I also
couldn’t find any data regarding Termaine Prime on my ship’s databanks .
It’s as if I just suddenly appeared in this world for God-knows-what reason
.”

“……Hee? That sounds pretty mysterious . ”

“It sure is . As a result of my memories getting screwed up due to that

Hyperdrive accident, there are parts about this world I’m quite unfamiliar
with . I’m taking this opportunity to have a check-up in order to find out if
that accident had any other effects on my body apart from my memories
getting messed up . ”

“I see . There’s a possibility of your body getting negatively influenced

when you lost consciousness during that Hyperdrive accident . I agree that
you should have that checked out . ”

Dr . Shouko nodded her head in agreement as she operated her tablet

terminal . Was she preparing our clinical records?

“Do you have any special medical history I need to take note of?”

“I’m good . As far as my memory goes, anyway . ”

“I’m also fine . ”

‘I’m the same . ”

I, Elma and Mimi all shook our heads . I don’t have any particular
allergies, and I think I’m the very picture of health .
“Well, let’s start with the check-ups then . We’ll do a full scan on the
medical pod first . We have the latest models installed in this facility . ”

“They’re Inagawa Technology products?”

“Yep . Our shares in the galactic market notwithstanding, I guarantee our

pod’s performance and specs . The fact that it’s a bit bigger than most
models and costs a bit more are flies in the ointment so to speak . But we
developed it with high performance in mind after all . ”

We followed after Dr . Shouko, who was busy promoting their company’s

products with a proud tone . Dr . Shouko explained about the technical
aspects of Inagawa Technology’s medical pods, but it all sounded Greek to
me . There were a lot of technical terms mixed in, so I couldn’t follow her
explanations .

“There you have it . ”

“I only understood about twenty percent . ”

“I understand that it’s an impressive product!”

“Yeah, it sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it?”

“Un, anyway, it’s amazing . It’s fine if you get that much . ”

It looks like she wasn’t all that affected by our lukewarm reactions . Dr .
Shouko remained in high spirits . I think she’s actually used to people
reacting just like we have to her spiel . Anyway, this person feels like she
would be more at home doing medical research instead of actively treating
patients .

“Well, you guys are basically my saviors . I’ll make sure to prepare the
latest equipment for you all, so rest assured . ”

“Saviors……? Were you one of the passengers of the ship we rescued?”

Dr . Shouko turned around and strongly nodded .

“Yep . I was thinking ‘Man, I’m so gonna die here . ’ at that time y’know .
See, even though I’m a woman, I’m just too plain-looking . If the pirates
succeeded in boarding the ship, I’ll probably end up with the ones to be
disposed of y’know . ”

She shrugged her shoulders as she said so . Really? I’m not too sure about
that . Once you get a better look at her, Dr . Shouko’s actually quite the
beauty, and her assets were huge, so the pirates may have been tempted to
abduct her for themselves . I can’t say whether or not that would be better
than being disposed of though .

“Well, that’s how it goes . I was basically forced to be in charge of

conducting check-ups for nobles and wealthy folk y’see . I was originally a
researcher…… . Oh, but don’t worry folks . I have a proper physician’s
license, okay . And I’m confident that my skills as a physician are above
those of common doctors . ”

“I see . ”

I could only nod in understanding . It’s not like I could suddenly demand a
change in the doctor in charge, and doubting her skills would be rude as
well .

I turned toward Mimi and Elma and found a trace of anxiety in their
expressions . Well, it’s normal, I guess . Of course, they’d react this way .
But the person herself claimed it would be okay, so we had no choice but
to believe in her abilities .

And we can just go for a second opinion at another medical facility if we

had misgivings about the result . It would be best here if we obediently got
Dr . Shouko’s comprehensive check-up .

“Well, this is the place . Please go ahead and enter, everyone . ”

“Alright… . Whoah . ”

“Waa . ”
“Hee . ”

The room Dr . Shouko led us to was lined up with med pods which looked
far better than the one on Krishna’s med bay . And they really did look
bigger . The standard med pod on Krishna was only as large as a small
sized bed, but the med pods here looked like they could take up Krishna’s
entire med bay . Their heights were about 2 meters, their length was
similarly 2 meters, and their width was 3 meters .

“They certainly are large . ”

“They sure are . But these babies are installed with the latest positron
computers for an ultra-detailed data analysis . We’re quite proud of what
they can do . Now then, please take off your clothes and enter a med pod
each . ”

“Uh, how much should we take off?”

“E〜verything . ”

“Everything huh . ”

“Yep, everything . Oh, and I’m more or less used to seeing the naked
bodies of patients . You don’t have to mind me one bit . ”

“Uh, okay……”

‘Ain’t it the other way around? Maybe Dr . Shouko didn’t mind it, but we
did……’ was what I thought . But I didn’t voice it out in the end . I started
taking off my training wear and took a quick glance at Mimi and Elma–

“Oh no, you don’t . ”

Elma threw her jacket and hit my head cleanly . The jacket blocked my
line of sight .

“Hurry up, get undressed, and enter the pod, Mimi . And you mister . You
stay there until we’ve both entered . Okay?”
“Aye, aye, Ma’am!”

I gave a crisp salute and obediently stood attention . But I’m already butt
naked except for the jacket on my head girls . Isn’t this unfair? You don’t
care? Alright then .

“They’ve both entered the med pods . ”

Dr . Shouko called out to inform me . I took off the jacket covering my

head and threw it along with the rest of my clothes inside the clothing
basket nearby .

“Thanks . Sorry about showing you something unsightly . ”

“No, no . I’m fine with it . ”

I ended up bowing my head in apology . Since it would do no good to keep

staring at the good doctor, I went ahead and entered one of the med pods
myself . Un . It feels unexpectedly cramped . It resembles the time I once
got an MRI .

It feels like that, you know . It was a peculiar feeling of the meds you took
before an examination taking effect and warming up your body’s core . It
felt a bit weird to experience something like a ‘My body’s getting hot all
over!’ event for myself though . It sure was a peculiar experience .

『Can you hear me? I’m going to start the scan, so try to relax in there,
m’kay . 』

“Kay . ”

『Please straighten out your body . Spread out your hands and feet more .
』

“Gotcha . ”

I did as the good doctor instructed and waited for the scan to finish . The
inside of the med pod was bathed in rainbow-colored light, and my entire
body was scanned . But I’m not a person from this dimension . I sure hope
nothing weird turns up .

『Kay, all done! I’ll open up the pod, so come out and wear your clothes
again . 』

The med pod’s cover opened up with a *pushuu sound of air leaking out .
It didn’t take long for the scan to finish . As expected of an SF dimension .
The MRI takes a lot more time in comparison…… And your body would
feel hot all over as well . It’s not something I want to experience often .

I quickly wore my clothes and handed the jacket back to Elma .

“I’m not worried about Mimi and my scan results, but I’m a bit scared
about yours . ”

“It would be good if nothing bad gets detected . ”

“Don’t say that, girls . You’re making me nervous here . ”

“Ahaha, you don’t have to worry that much– Nn?”

Dr . Shouko’s gaze suddenly focused on the results indicated in her tablet

terminal . Her brows creased .

“No, hm? Eh……?”

“Now I’m really getting worried . ”

“Uh, hm…… Can I ask you something, Hiro-kun?”

“Go ahead . ”

“I actually have a lot of things I want to ask, but first things first… It
seems you haven’t gotten a multilingual translation implant, haven’t
you?”

“Is that so?”

I don’t remember getting one so I probably haven’t, I guess . But, judging
from her reaction, it seems not having it was unusual . Mimi and Elma
also had『Eh? Are you serious?』expressions on their faces .

“Uh, I guess it’s weird that I don’t have one, right?”

“It’s weird . ”

“It definitely is . ”

“It’s strange, Hiro-sama . ”

The three of them all nodded in agreement . It seems that this multilingual
translation implant has spread far and wide across the galaxy, and most
babies had one implanted in them soon after birth . Since most, if not all
folks, had one implanted in them as soon as they were born, someone like
me, who hasn’t gotten the implant at my age was a true oddity .

“But Hiro-sama properly understands the words we’re saying, right?”

“He sure does . And that’s something I haven’t encountered until now . But
he doesn’t have a lot of common sense though . ”

“Is that so? Can we do some tests on you for a bit?”

“Please . ”

Dr . Shouko proceeded to operate her tablet .

“I’m now going to start playing languages from different planets on this
tablet . Can you repeat the words exactly as you hear them for me? This is
a test program for the multilingual translation implant, actually . ”

“Okay . ”

“Here we go then . ”

Sound clips of people making daily conversations played from Dr .

Shouko’s tablet . I tried to recite them word for word . Although
everything I’m hearing is in Japanese .

I managed to finish reciting everything on the test program without

problems .

“It seems there’s no problem . Just what method did they use on you, I
wonder?”

“I have absolutely no idea . ”

The heck? Is this something like that? A multilingual translation cheat for
people transported to another world? But this is an SF dimension though?
I’d have preferred to get an implant like everyone else actually… Rather, I
really don’t get my situation here . How am I supposed to interpret this?

“Uh, since it seems there are no problems anyway, let’s just ignore the fact
that I have no implant, shall we?”

“Eh…? I’m quite curious about it though . ”

“No, I have no intention of becoming your test subject, Dr . Shouko .

Please go ahead with the next test . ”

“How unfortunate…… Um, here’s another thing I’m concerned about .

Where exactly do you come from?”

“In my memory, I came from the Solar system’s third planet, Earth .
Maybe it’s better to call it the Sol system . ”

But I haven’t even heard of the Solar system or its third planet mentioned
since finding myself in this dimension though . I’d just say I heard it from
a game whenever I asked other people about them .

“Sol system…… I haven’t heard of it at all . ”

Dr . Shouko looked toward Mimi and Elma . Both of them quickly shook
their heads .

“What about my place of birth? Is that really important or something?”

“Un, it’s about your genetic data, you see . I’ve managed to get lots of
values I haven’t seen until now . ”

“Hm……?”

“Well, after checking, your body seems similar in function to that of a

normal humanoid race, so I guess it’s fine . But it’s quite interesting
though . Since your genetic data is different from all others, we might find
some new factors we haven’t managed to discover until now within it . ”

“Please make the explanation easier to understand, Doc . ”

“Your genetic data is like an unexplored new frontier . Do you get it better
if I describe it like that?”

“Huh……”

I turned towards Elma and Mimi once more and saw them displaying
expressions which seemed unsure about how to react after hearing such
info . I kinda get why though .

“And what merits can that provide?”

“A lot, actually . Your genetic data is practically priceless . An unknown

genetic make-up is akin to this universe’s unexplored frontiers you know!”

Dr . Shouko closed in on me while sporting an excited expression . Close .

Way too close . The gaze coming from behind her glasses was really
intense . I put my hands on both her shoulders and gently pushed her away
.

“And the demerits are?”

“I don’t think there are any . We’re proud of our information security
protocols here, so there’s next to no chance of this leaking out . However, I
don’t recommend getting another check-up at a different institution .
There’s a risk of you turning into some lab’s guinea pig after all . We’re a
proper institution here . I guarantee the safety of your personal data, and
we won’t attempt to follow you around or restrain you in any way . ”
“Okay . ”

Looks like I managed to dodge a bullet huh . I had an inkling something

like this would happen, but I had no idea it would turn out to be such a big
deal . What to do……? Should I follow Doc’s suggestion and have
Inagawa Technology handle all our medical needs from now on?

“I understand . Please give me some time to consider the thing about

offering my genetic data for research . Considering the situation, I think
it’s best we had Inagawa Technology handle our medical needs from now
on . And I’d also like to hear more details about the price of my genetic
data and what it’ll be used for, exactly . But let’s just finish the
comprehensive check-up and vaccination for today……”

“It would be best if you got vaccinated after we’ve analyzed your genetic
data . It’s because there’s a chance of an unexpected change occurring in
your genetic make-up once you got them . We’d like your genetic code to
be as pure and natural as possible after all . ”

What’s the thing with vaccines making changes to my genetic code,

Doc…? It sounds scary, man .

“So I guess I have to come here again huh……”

“Well, we can finish everything today if you handed over your genetic data
right now, you know . ”

“Like there’s anyone who’d hand over the goods before a proper contract’s
been drafted!”

“You can hand it over if you really trust us, right, Hiro-kun?”

Dr . Shouko tilted her head cutely as she gave me a warm, sweet-looking

smile . This lady doctor’s unexpectedly sly huh .

“We haven’t built a relationship based on trust yet, so that’s impossible . ”

“That’s truly regrettable . ”

“You have the data from the scan, right?”

They have data that would at least allow them to recognize that my genetic
make-up was pretty unique from the med scan earlier .

“But it’s different from having the real thing . We’d prefer a sample of
your blood or semen actually . ”

“Please hold off on that until we reach a satisfactory agreement . ”

Dr . Shouko sighed in disappointment . This woman really is a researcher .

I’m positive she’s not suited for being a medical doctor out on the field .

“Oh well . Let’s just finish up everything that can be done today, shall we?
I really want to get a hold of Hiro-kun’s genetic data after all . ”

Dr . Shouko flashed me one of her sweet smiles again . Fine, fine . Just do
whatever, Doc .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 38

Translator: SFBaka

While Mimi and Elma went inside a different room in order to undergo the
rest of the tests, Dr . Shouko and I went back to the main lobby . It seems
she was looking to finish discussions regarding the research and use of my
genetic data as soon as possible .

“The rest of the staff will handle the tests on those two, so don’t worry .
Those people aren’t like me, who’s mainly a researcher, but are proper
field personnel . ”

“Okay…… So, you’ve already decided on a price for my data? Wasn’t I

supposed to come back at a later date?”

“The remuneration amount for unknown genetic data can be roughly

determined by using the number of unknown factors as basis . When I sent
the data I scanned earlier to the higher-ups, I got approval straight away . ”

“I see . ”

She’s displaying an expression of relief for having done her job well, but
this person did say she basically forced her way to attend to our check-ups
today you know . She’s obviously a researcher type, but maybe she’s also
got a knack for politics as well .

“That’s the case . So let’s talk about the money now . ”

“Straight to the point huh . ”

“Hey, money’s pretty useful . It can even be used build a sense of trust that
would normally need some time to accumulate, you see . ”

“Guess so . What’s the final price then?”

“3,000,000 Enels . ”
“That’s a great deal of money . Is my genetic data really worth that
much?”

It’s approximately 300 million in Japanese Yen . I don’t think I have any
special bloodline or anything, so I’m rather surprised at just how high they
value my genetic data .

“As I said earlier, a previously undiscovered, completely unknown

humanoid genetic make-up is comparable to a brand new frontier in the
field of genetics . It may be the key to push the entire humanoid races to
the next level of evolution . It’s that potential that we value so highly . ”

“Evolving to the next level, you say……”

Just how exactly do you intend to use my data, Doc……? Well, I don’t
really have any idea about this dimension’s stance on bioethics, so it’s not
my place to say anything .

“Just please make sure to protect my personal info……”

“Of course . Here’s the contract by the way . ”

After saying that, Dr . Shouko handed me her tablet terminal . I checked

the contents of the contract, and there doesn’t seem to be any problem
from what I’ve read . So, basically, the particulars were ensuring the
protection of my personal data and refraining from making clones without
the concerned party’s permission . If Inagawa Technology violates said
provisions, they would have to pay me 30 million Enels as compensation
for damages, and completely halt the research and use of my genetic data .
The contents seem to mostly favor me at least . My proposal about
Inagawa Technology handling all our medical needs was also included in
the contract .

I read it several times more, trying to find any trace of loopholes, but it all
seemed to check out okay in the end .

“You’re the careful sort, aren’t you?”

“Well, handing over one’s personal genetic information can be quite scary
y’see . And it seems there’s a lot of clauses here that’s completely in my
favor huh . ”

“Really? With this contract, even if Inagawa Technology manages to make

a ton of profit from research on your genetic data, you won’t be able to get
a single Enel you know . ”

“I see . But it doesn’t seem like you’ll be using it for something shady
anyway . I plan on earning my keep myself, so I don’t really mind . ”

“Is that so? How mercenary-like of you . ”

Dr . Shouko gave me a wry grin after hearing my response .

It’ll be better for me to treat the funds I’ll get from this transaction as easy
money . I also had the option to refuse, but Inagawa Technology already
ended up finding out the value of my genetic info after all… It’ll be less
troublesome this way .

As such, I feel it’s best to follow Inagawa Technology’s arrangements,

even if they’re not too advantageous to me . It’s better to prioritize the
safety of me and my crew after all .

“So I take it that we’ve come to an agreement?”

“Yeah . ”

I ran my finger on the tablet terminal’s screen and signed ‘Captain Hiro’
on the contract . With this, it’s a done deal .

“Well, I’m really happy you’ve agreed to the contract! Now then, shall we
get to collecting your blood and semen samples?”

“Okay then…… And, uh, I get the blood part, but how are you gonna
collect my semen…?”

“Fufu…… You can look forward to it, okay?”

Dr . Shouko gave me a shady look and licked her lips .

“Wait, wait, wait! What the heck!? I didn’t hear about this earlier! Please
spare me, Doc! Don’t! Waaah—!”

“Uuuu… My chastity was…”

“There you go . Good job . ”

The cover of the med pod opened up, and I walked out while shedding
rivers of of tears as Dr . Shouko greeted me in a sing-song tone .

You want to know how exactly she collected my seed? Please stop . I don’t
wanna remember…… It feels like getting into a med pod is gonna develop
into a lifelong trauma for me .

“Some people get quite enamored with the process though . ”

“I respectfully decline with all my being!”

I put on my clothes after getting out of the med pod . Urgh . My behind
still feels a bit strange… I’m never gonna sell my genetic data again . Ever
. And I was even looking forward to an ero situation with Dr . Shouko
too…… It looks like life isn’t that sweet . But it was a logical
development, I guess . Hehe…

“Anyway, we’re done with collecting your genetic data now . Oh, I’m sooo
looking forward to this… kufufu . ”

Compared with me, whose mood hit rock-bottom, Dr . Shouko looked

quite excited . Her white cheeks were dyed cherry pink as she gushed on
cheerfully while displaying an adorable smile . I just can’t bring myself to
get angry at her if she shows me such an expression .

“Oh, there you are . We’re back… Uh, what happened to you? Your eyes
are kinda red . ”

“Hiro-sama?”
“Please heal my wounded heart . ”

I tried to hug Elma, but was refused and pushed off . I bounced toward
Mimi’s bountiful chest as a result . Waaah, it’s my lifeliiiine…… Ah,
Mimi’s rubbing my head gently . So good .

“Hey, what’s the matter with you?”

“We settled for a contract regarding his genetic data, so we proceeded with
collection right away y’see . It looks like he didn’t quite enjoy the
procedure . ”

“Procedure?”

“In order to collect his semen, we went and poked like this y’see . ”

“Ah……”

And she blurted out my misfortune just like that . So cruel . It’s like
getting salt slapped onto a freshly opened wound . I’ll have to get plenty of
Mimi’s love, or I won’t be able to bounce back . Fueee .

“You really didn’t like it, did you Hiro-sama? ……There, there . ”

“You’re not the kind of guy who’d fall just from that much, right? Get
yourself together already . ”

“Don’t be like that, Elma-san . Hiro-sama’s eyes are really red already . I
think he really suffered . ”

“I get that, sure, but ain’t that just miserable……?”

Mimi raised her voice in slight anger and hugged my head even tighter .
So happy! The cruel Elma-san was muttering complaints though .

“Un, well, uh, sorry about that . I didn’t think you’d hate it that much . To
be honest, I was pretty excited earlier and forgot to explain the entire
process . I should have had you do it yourself . Or maybe you’d have
preferred it if I helped out?”
So there was an option to have Dr . Shouko help in the semen collection?
Seriously? Just why didn’t I manage to grab such an opportunity…? I
utterly hate my own carelessness .

“Instead of doing it yourself, just call us…… You don’t really have to go
that far, doctor . ”

“Oh? It’s nothing, really . I would have been turned into space debris if
Hiro-kun didn’t rescue me after all . Compared to that, helping him out
with something like this is no problem . ”

“Hmm……?”

I heard Dr . Shouko giggling mischievously and Elma’s slightly grumpy

voice . What’s with this somewhat subtle atmosphere all of a sudden……?
Mimi kept on hugging my head onto her chest and patting it gently . It
feels like my brain would melt .

“Yosh, I’ve revived!”

“Are you okay now, Hiro-sama?”

“Yeah . I’m good already . ”

I was saved by the overwhelming allure of Mimi’s bountiful chest and

successfully recovered . I turned my head and saw Elma giving me an
exasperated look .

“A grown man like you shouldn’t cry just from getting poked a little . ”

“It wasn’t just a little . It went in all the way y’know . Well, since you’re
saying it like that, I’ll make sure you experience something similar one of
these days . Prepare yourself . ”

“Eh!? N-No, that’s a bit…”

Elma’s face turned blue as she began to slightly panic . But I shall
remember your offense, lady . You just wait .
“So the only thing left is getting vaccinated, right?”

“Yes . Your physiology seems similar to humans for the most part, so I
don’t think there’ll be any problems . There should basically be no side
effects, but it’s better if you get some rest for three days afterward, just in
case . ”

“I see . Understood . Let’s get it done . ”

“Okay . Can you girls please wait in the lobby?”

“Alright . ”

“We understand . ”

I nodded and parted from the two girls . I was led into another room to get
my shots . The shots basically didn’t hurt, and the good lady doctor just
pushed a gun-type syringe on my arms, neck, chest and other parts of my
body . It was a bit of a let-down, strangely enough .

“Sure is simple . And it doesn’t hurt too . ”

“Doesn’t hurt? What do you mean by that?”

“Uh- Well…”

“You said you’re from the third planet of the Sol system earlier, didn’t
you? In other words, back in your place, a procedure like this causes pain .
And you’re reminded of that, aren’t you?”

“Please just ignore that . ”

“To think a procedure like this would cause pain… Fumu, it looks like the
development of medical technology where you’re from is quite behind the
times, isn’t it?”

“Don’t people call you out on the fact that you don’t listen to what others
are saying, Dr . Shouko?”
“Ahaha, they do; quite often, actually . ”

Dr . Shouko laughed blandly . I guess most folks can’t bring themselves to

get angry due to that carefree attitude and sweet smile of hers . But I’m
thinking she also has plenty of people she can’t get along with because of
her attitude .

“Anyway, please stop questioning me about my circumstances any further

. You’re too direct, you know . ”

“Can’t be helped then . Well, I guess that’s just how you planet-born folks
are . ”

In this dimension, most people were born and raised on outer space
colonies, and the only ones who live on terrestrial planets are just a select
few – In other words, upper-class aristocrats and the like .

In my case, I came from an entirely different dimension, but I can’t

exactly say that to Dr . Shouko and Inagawa Technology . There’s a chance
I’d really be confined to a lab as a guinea pig once they found out after all
. They’d just have to settle for my genetic data .

“Well, that’s how it is . ”

“I understand . But can you find it in your heart to let me investigate more
about you?”

“Please start with researching my genetic data first . ”

I coldly cut down Dr . Shouko, who resorted to begging me cutely with

upturned eyes as she clung to my arm . I was honestly a bit moved by
those upturned eyes earlier, but this Captain Hiro won’t be toppled easily
just by something like that .

“Ahaha . It seems someone like me just won’t do huh . Elma-san and

Mimi-chan are both beauties after all . ”

“Yeah . Both of them are also beautiful . ”

“Hm?”

Dr . Shouko seemed a bit taken aback by the way I phrased my earlier

response, but I didn’t pay attention to her reaction and wore my jacket .

“We’re all done, right?”

“Yeah, all good . We’ll just need to wait for the overall results of your
comprehensive check-ups, so let’s meet back up with those two . ”

The both of us left the medical room and went back to the lobby area .
There, we saw Elma and Mimi discussing something as they waited . Elma
noticed us immediately and turned toward us . Mimi’s gaze followed suit .

“You sure noticed us quickly . ”

“I can catch your footsteps from miles away . ”

“Elves like Elma-san mostly have great hearing you know . I’ve heard the
ones who live in traditional communities in forests can hear the footsteps
of animals from over two kilometers away . ”

“Really?”

“I can’t do anything that extreme though . ”

Elma shrugged her shoulders . So those long ears aren’t just for show huh .

“But it’s not like these ears only bring me benefits, you know . I also often
hear things I don’t particularly wanna hear . And I also can’t wear most
types of headgear and helmets designed for humans . ”

“Things you don’t wanna hear?”

“Yup . The rumbling of your stomach, for example . It cried out miserably
just now . ”

“Seriously?”
I involuntarily grabbed my stomach . But, now that she mentioned it, it
does seem like I’m a bit hungry .

“Come to think of it, it’s almost lunch . Do you guys want to grab a bite
ahead of time?”

“What are we going to have?”

“I recommend sipping the paste inside food cartridges–”

“”No thanks!””

Mimi’s gaze turned empty . Mine probably looked the same . Elma
grinned bitterly while Dr . Shouko tilted her head in puzzlement . Are Dr .
Shouko’s taste buds faulty or something? …Maybe it’s due to having those
things on a daily basis . Her taste buds must have degenerated already .
How pitiful .

“I see? Well, your check-up results should be coming in soon, so shall we

talk in that private room over there?”

Dr . Shouko started walking ahead . The three of us followed after her .

Well then, I do hope nothing bad turns up .

I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 39

Translator: SFBaka

“According to these results, the three of you are the very picture of health .
You have no hidden illnesses, and all your bodily functions are A-OK . ”

“That’s good to hear . ”

I was honestly relieved when I heard Dr . Shouko announce the results .

Elma’s probably fine, but Mimi did live in an unhygienic environment for
a time . It made me worried a bit . Me? I guess I’m pretty healthy myself,
all things considered . I wasn’t really all that worried about myself anyway
.

“We’ve also given you the full range of available vaccines . Elma-kun’s
already had most of them before, but Mimi-kun and Hiro-kun have been
administered with all the necessary ones . Oh, but I do find it mysterious
that Hiro-kun didn’t display any traces of getting vaccinated before at all .
”

Dr . Shouko looked at me with eyes bubbling with curiosity, but I averted

my gaze .

“I had to refrain from taking them due to religious reasons . ”

“Fine, let’s just go with that then . Anyway, as I said earlier, there may be
unexpected side effects, so try not to perform any strenuous activities for
at least three days . The estimated probability of side effects appearing is
just 0 . 1%, but nothing’s absolute after all . ”

“Understood . Anything else we need to keep in mind?”

“Un, let’s see…… Um, could you two come over here for a bit, Mimi-kun
and Elma-kun?”

“Yes?”
“What is it?”

“Just come here for a bit . Can you go over there instead for a while, Hiro-
kun?”

“?”

The two followed after Dr . Shouko while feeling puzzled, and I obediently
took some distance from the three of them . Dr . Shouko was talking to
them about something in a low voice as she pointed at the check-up results
on her tablet . Mimi nodded while sporting a serious expression while the
color of Elma’s face alternated from red to blue .

“That sure makes me curious . ”

“Sorry . Just wait there for a bit, kay . ”

Dr . Shouko cheerfully replied as she waved me further away . I met eyes

with Elma .

“……!!”

Her face suddenly went bright red . W-What’s with that reaction? It made
me utterly curious . Mimi noticed Elma’s state and turned her gaze
towards me . Mimi’s acting normally, isn’t she? It doesn’t seem like she’ll
make the type of reaction Elma had . Just what’s with that?

“That’s about it, so keep what I said in mind, you two . ”

“U-U-Understood . ”

“Yes!”

The two of them came back to the earlier spot, so I also followed suit . I’ll
try to ask Mimi about it later .

“Do you have anything else you need to tell us before we go, Doc?”
“No, we’re all done . I’ll send the relevant data from today’s check-up to
your ship later . ”

Oh yeah, . Don’t medical records usually have a lot of unfamiliar terms

and numbers in them? I have no idea if it’s the same in this dimension
though . I don’t have any relative knowledge in order to make sense of
those medical reports, so I have no idea how useful they would be .

“So we’re free to go, right?”

“Yes, go ahead . ”

“Can you just subtract the bill from the payment for my genetic data? I
can also pay it right now if that’s what you want . ”

“It would be better to ask about something like that to the staff at the
lobby, I think . I’m just a researcher and a physician after all . ”

“Okay . Thank you very much for today, Doc . ”

“Thank you for your time . ”

“W-We’re really grateful . ”

I went out of the private room along with a calm-looking Mimi and a still-
flustered Elma . We then headed for the information counter at the lobby
like the Doc suggested .

Oh, and the medical fees for all three of us were 90,000 Enels . It was
cheaper than expecte– Nah . 9,000,000 Yen in medical fees doesn’t really
seem all that cheap, doesn’t it? Oh well . It’s fine as long as it’s for our
health…

Nah . On second thought, it’s really expensive . It seems medical services

are expensive no matter which dimension you end up in . I’ll keep this in
mind .

Should the three of us go somewhere to eat? I tried asking the girls and
was told they wanted to change out of their current clothes because they
felt they were too lightly dressed, so we ended up deciding to come back
to the ship instead . We’ll get to eat a delicious lunch made by Chef
Tetsujin once were back anyway, so I was all for it . And there wasn’t
really a need to go on a gastronomic adventure which had a high chance of
failure .

“So what did Dr . Shouko tell the two of you back there? Elma seemed
really bothered for some reason, so it made me curious . ”

“I-It’s nothing . ”

It looks like Elma was avoiding my gaze . She was eating her meal while
turned away from me . Why’s she acting all prickly anyway? I turned
towards Mimi instead .

“She just told me about medicine that’s more suited for me compared to
what I’m taking right now, and recommended I switch over . ”

“Is that so? You should do as she said then . I’ll pay for the meds, so get
them as soon as you can . ”

“Yes . Thank you very much, Hiro-sama . ”

Mimi gave me a sunny smile . S’alright . It’s a captain’s duty to ensure the
health and wellbeing of his crew .

“So what about you, Elma?”

“I-It’s nothing to be concerned about . I was told the same thing as Mimi,
that’s all . ”

“Hmm?”

Then why is your face bright red? But she seems hell-bent on not telling
me . And I don’t want to be too pushy . Fine . I’ll stop asking about it .

“Anyway, I’ll have to take it easy for three days . What should I do to pass
the time though? Should I just hole up inside the ship?”
“No . I asked when I got vaccinated earlier, and it seems you don’t need to
go that far . It seems there’s no problem with taking a walk . The
probability of getting side effects is really low after all . ”

“I see . Should the three of us go out for some sightseeing then?”

“That sounds wonderful . If we’re going for a tour of the Alein Tertius
colony, the main activity should be shopping . There’s a lot of different
shops here after all . ”

“Well, we certainly did get to go around quite a few different stores

yesterday . It was pretty enjoyable . So shopping will be the main activity
huh . Are there any other interesting things we could do?”

“We can go on a factory tour . We could visit food-processing factories

that make products such as food cartridges and artificial meat . We can
also tour hydroponic farms, high-tech machinery factories, or shipyards .
Those types of factory tours seem really popular . ”

“Hou, factory tour huh . It sounds fun . ”

I’m particularly interested in touring food processing factories . I wanna

know more about the food we eat on a daily basis .

“There’s also a liquor manufacturing plant which makes use of genetically

improved crops as well . ”

*Pikun! Elma’s long ears reacted . She sure is easy to read .

“Are the tours scheduled via reservation?”

“Yes, I think so . Should I make one now?”

“Yeah, okay . Can you plan a schedule that wouldn’t be too hectic? I’ll
leave deciding where we’re going to visit to you . Oh, and be sure to make
the liquor plant the last stop . ”

*Piku-pikun . Elma’s ears twitched wildly .

“Understood . I’ll be sure to pick places with good reputations . And I
think guests are also allowed to have free product samples as well . ”

When Elma raised her head in excitement, our eyes met . When that
happened, she panicked and brought her head down right away . Oh, and
by the way Elma-san, your plate is already empty, you know .

“Then, tomorrow, the three of us will be going on a factory tour date . ”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

“Y-You’re right . It sure sounds exciting…… Uh, I’m going out to shop for
a bit, okay?”

“Hm? What are you going to buy? Will you be okay alone? Should I come
with you?”

“I-It’s fine! It’s totally fine! Absolutely, positively fine! I’ll go by

myself!”

Elma refused me in a panic . As soon as she managed to shove her plate on

the dishwasher, she went to her room and left the ship soon afterward in a
hurry . Hm . She really is acting weird .

“Mimi?”

“I can’t say it myself . It’s not really a bad thing, and I think Elma-san
would talk to you about it eventually when she’s ready . ”

Mimi declared so while smiling cheerfully . I decided to push my doubts

aside again . Well, I guess it’s fine since it isn’t a bad thing, according to
Mimi .

“I don’t get it, but I’ll try to respect Elma’s privacy and let it slide, I guess
.”

“Yes . ”
It kinda felt like Elma went out of the ship in a very panicked state earlier
though . Was she really okay? I’m still worried after all .

I only managed to see Elma again when evening came . For some reason,
she made Mimi bring her meal to her room earlier and even used the
messaging app to find out what time I would enter the bath so we won’t
get to meet each other along the way .

“–!!!”

Her elf was bright red when she entered my room . What’s this? Boiled
elf?

And she wasn’t wearing her usual outfit either . Usually, whenever she
visited my room, she’ll always come in sloppy-looking pajamas or
training wear . But tonight, she’s wearing a prim, white negligee .

When I saw Elma with her milky white skin flushed red while wearing a
sheer, white negligee… I was momentarily lost for words . She felt like a
totally different person .

“Hey there . You’ve been acting strange all day . You okay?”

“I-I-I’m f-fine, y’know…?”

Elma’s eyes were spinning . It totally doesn’t seem like she’s okay . Nope,
not one bit .

“Well, uh, okay then . Why don’t you come and sit over here first?”

“Ah… wa… un…”

Elma walked with restless steps and came right before the bed in no time .
She seemed to hesitate for a bit but eventually sat down on my bed in a
bold manner . But she didn’t sit right beside me but kept a little distance
instead .

“You should be tired from today’s activities . ”

“Y-Yeah . ”

“You’re also acting strange, Elma . ”

“I-I don’t really think so . Am I?”

“Are you sure you aren’t uncomfortable or something?”

“Uu……”

Elma’s face blushed bright red and she hid both her long ears with her
hands . So elves hide their ears instead of their face when they’re
embarrassed huh . It’s a great example of the difference in culture .

“So, what’s wrong? You’re really not acting like yourself, you know?”

I tried to grab Elma’s waist, but she seemed surprised by it and hastily
squirmed away . Hmm……?

“U-Um?”

“Yeah . ”

“I-I-I’m… with you… b-b-bay……”

“Bay-?”

“B-b-bu-bu-b-bay-!”

“What the heck!? Is that some kind of new-age rap or something!?”1

Elma fell face down on the bed while letting out a strange voice . And
when I tried to lift her up in order to place her in a comfier position, I
managed to smell alcohol . What the heck? What exactly should I do about
this?

I lost the drive to lay my hand on Elma in this situation, so I ended up

tucking her snuggly on the bed as I watched over her– or rather, I also
followed suit and tucked myself right in after a bit .
“Nn…… Hi〜roo……”

Elma’s lips curled into a sweet smile as she hugged my arm .

“Baby-making… Nyaa……”

“Just what kind of dream are you having there……”

I think I heard some really surprising words from Elma as I closed my

eyes . I soon became really drowsy from feeling the warmth of Elma’s skin
against my own . Maybe I’m more tired from the check-up than I thought .
I couldn’t resist my sleepiness and soon drifted away to the land of dreams
.

“Haauuuuuu……!”

Elma woke up early in the morning and covered her ears in

embarrassment, with a bright red face . She was emitting steam from the
top of her head . Elma seems super embarrassed for some reason .

“To think I drank alcohol in order to psyche myself up, but actually passed
out mid-way……”

“Psyche yourself up…? Just how many bottles did you drink anyway?”

“One whole bottle of whiskey . ”

“Ouch . ”

This disappointing elf actually drank one whole bottle of liquor with a
really high alcohol content before she came to my room… Of course,
she’ll end up passing out . I’m just glad she didn’t end up vomiting all
over the bed .

“So? Just why did you act like that yesterday anyway?”

“Well, how was I supposed to react when I was suddenly told it was
possible to make children with you……? An elf shouldn’t be able to bear
children unless they fully recognize their partner as their lifelong spiritual
companion after…… all……?”

Gigigigi… Elma turned towards me in a mechanical manner reminiscent

of a broken toy . Did you actually think I was still asleep this whole time?
I managed to wake up way ahead of you, missy .

“Good morning . ”

I greeted Elma, whose face turned an even brighter shade of red . A

morning greeting is important . It said so in the Kojiki as well .

“G-Good mor–!?”

“Mogaah–!?”

She proceeded to hit me in the face with a pillow . Hey! Don’t just
suddenly hit me with all your might with a pillow, you! My nose hurts!
Rather, it’s hard to breathe, idiot!

I wasted time grappling with a flustered Elma on top of my bed first thing
in the morning . Good grief . Men don’t like violent women y’know . This
is why I call you a disappointing elf .

TL Note: This is actually different from the joke in the raws . In the
Japanese raws, Elma kept on saying ‘ke’ and ‘ko’ repeatedly . She was
actually trying to say ‘kodomo zukuri’ – which basically means the act of
baby-making . Due to her stutters, her broken words ended up sounding
similar to the Japanese onomatopoeia for a hen clucking, to which Hiro
retorts .

It won’t make much sense if translated word for word because the
clucking of a hen in English doesn’t sound remotely similar to the words
‘baby-making’ . That’s why I tried to change it up a bit . I hope it doesn’t
seem too forced ^
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 40

Translator: SFBaka

“So it’s that, right? Elma’s all tsun-tsun but is actually head-over-heals in
love with me!?”

“T-That’s not true! I-It’s nothing like that!”

“Elma-san, it’s not good to act all violent in order to hide your
embarrassment you know . ”

“That’s right . That’s exactly right . ”

“U-Uuuuuuuu!”

Mimi squinted her eyes at the flustered Elma, who was holding her
reddened ears and had steam blowing on top of her head .

“So what exactly happened? Rather, an elf and human being able to make
babies is kinda neat . What about the differences in species and gene make
up?”

Elves and humans do resemble each other to a point, so I guess it’s

actually not so surprising that they are able to procreate . But even if there
are similarities, both species have evolved independently on completely
different planets, so they are basically alien to one another . If you think of
it like that, our current situation is quite baffling, to say the least .

“We elves… Well… If we end up accepting a partner mentally… we

would be able to… with that person… b-b-bay… g-get p-pregnant and
give birth to……uuu!”

After speaking that far, Elma pressed her face against the surface of the
table in the dining room while still hiding her ears . I see . I kinda
understand now . Space elves are that sort huh . The kind who relies on
instinct . Or maybe I should say they’re a people similar to those who
leave their kids in the company of other races apart from themselves .
What the heck is with these elves?

Don’t tell me there are also orcs, goblins, or tentacle monsters in the home
planet of the space elves? Is it a sort of survival strategy that was
developed from the need to leave progeny even when attacked by those
other dangerous races? And a pure elf will be born through atavism along
the way that will ensure the survival of the species…? So the main
survival strategy for space elves is through hybridization and genetic
contamination of other races? If that’s really the case, these space elves
are seriously amazing – in various meanings .

“I sort of understand it now . Space elves sure are amazing . ”

“I-Im extremely concerned about the part about us you claim to have
understood……”

“Anyway, I’ve now confirmed that Elma really『luv, luv, luvs♡』me very
much . ”

“Gu- gah……uu—–!”

Elma snarled at me with a bright red face and trembling arms . What the
heck is that? A fire engine imitation?

“Hiro-sama, making fun of her like that is also bad . ”

“Kay . I’m really sorry . Sorry, Elma . ”

I honestly apologized after Mimi scolded me as well . Mimi’s the youngest

out of the three of us, but when she squints her eyes like that and scolds us,
neither I nor Elma are able to go against her .

“I-It’s fine . I also went too far by raising my hand against you earlier . ”

“But you know, I’m actually quite happy . To think that Elma feels for me
this much . I also really like you, Elma . You’re reliable, you act really
cute sometimes, and it feels comfortable just hanging out with you . It’s
like we’re on the same wavelength or something……”

“R-R-Really?”

“Yeah . Honest . ”

“H-Hmph…… W-Well, uh… I guess I also feel the same, maybe?”

Elma declared so with both hands joined in front of her chest as her
fingers danced around each other in a fluster . She averted her gaze from
mine with a bright red face . How cute .

“Okay then . Now that both of you have made up, get along from now on,
alright?”

“Un, let’s get along . ”

“T-That’s right……un . ”

Elma and I nodded in agreement with a smiling Mimi .

“Now then, since you’ve already made up, let’s talk about today’s plans .
First, we’ll visit Sierra Corporation’s artificial meat factory . ”

“Oh, artificial meat . I’m really curious about how exactly they’re made . ”

Artificial meat . It’s meat, but it’s white and not red . The texture is closer
to beef or pork . It doesn’t feel like avian meat at all . It also doesn’t feel
like fish . It’s meat from a completely unknown animal . But, as I said
earlier, it’s white meat, not red . Its surface will become nice and brown if
you get an auto-cooker to process it, making it resemble a regular steak .
But when you cut it with a knife, the cross-section would still be white .

It’s that kind of mysterious meat, but it has a strong umami flavor, with
plenty of fat . It’s very delicious . I’m thinking it’s a completely
artificially synthesized based on its name – artificial meat . But I can’t
even begin to imagine the actual production process .
“I’ve also never been to an artificial meat plant before . ”

“It’s exciting, isn’t it? And the next stop after that is a hydroponic farm
and the attached food processing plant . ”

“Hydroponic farm, huh . I wonder what kind of things they are raising?”

“Isn’t it algae for use in food cartridges?”

“I’m looking forward to seeing that as well…… But since we’re going out
of our way to make a sightseeing tour, doesn’t it feel like just walking
around those places would be pretty dull?”

“Now that you mention it, that may be the case . ”

“We’re scheduled to have our lunch in the food processing plant . It seems
the food we can eat are all freshly made . ”

“Well, okay . Just as long as it’s not ‘that stuff’ . ”

“It’s okay . It’s not ‘that stuff’ . I made sure to check . ”

Mimi responded with her eyes looking empty .

What we meant by ‘that stuff’ was the contents used in food cartridges . It
seems that incomprehensible nutrient shake was considered as a kind of
local delicacy(?) in this colony . The taste is…… kinda like slightly salty,
room-temperature mousse or something…? It’s an eclectic mix of grassy
and fishy odors . Needless to say, it wasn’t very tasty . It did fill you up
though .

“That’s great . Shall we get going?”

“Yes, well… it may be best if we start preparing now, considering the

travel time . ”

“Okay then . Everybody get ready . Let’s meet up here at the dining room
once we’re done . ”
And roughly an hour afterward, we finally made it to our first destination .

“Well, what can I say? Riding that transport train wasn’t half bad . ”

“The sudden brakes and accelerations take a bit of getting used to though .
”

“It’s nothing compared to a starship’s acceleration and deceleration . It

seems that some people get vehicle sickness from it though . ”

We rode a transport train that made use of the underground freight

delivery system to ferry people around the colony . The fare was very
cheap and we were able to get to our destination very quickly, but the train
car was narrow and relatively cramped .

The train car felt more like a cargo container that had seats forcibly
installed within, and even if every passenger squeezed themselves
together, the most it could fit was six people . There were only three of us,
but it still felt somewhat cramped . If there were six people, it would
definitely be like a can packed full with sardines .

I wasn’t able to see any scenery outside at all, but it was still a relatively
enjoyable attraction for me .

“So this is the artificial meat processing factory…… huh?”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Elma, whose state seemed a bit weird, stared fixedly at something in front
of her . It was the signboard of the factory .

“Sierra Corporation Cultured Meat Production Facility……?”

Is there anything off about it?

“Uh, I suddenly remembered I have some business to attend to . Please go

ahead and enjoy the tour without me, you two . ”

“Now just hold up a moment, lady . ”

I turned around and tightly grasped Elma’s shoulders . Why did she have
such a reaction just after seeing the signboard? I don’t see anything
suspicious about it though .

“Cultured meat? So it isn’t artificial meat?”

Mimi tilted her head . Cultured meat? Hey, it really is written as cultured
meat . So it’s different from artificial meat?

“Elma?”

“I really don’t want to go inside, you two . ”

“But I’ve already made reservations for the three of us? It’s going to start
soon too . ”

“Fumu? Oh well . I’ll drag her along . ”

“Nonononononono……”

I dragged the panicking Elma inside the factory premises . After getting
past the front gate, we headed for the reception lobby and were welcomed
by an unhealthy-looking man with a really lean build .

When he saw the three of us…… a wide smile bloomed on his wan-
looking face . Scary .

“Welcome, everyone . You’re the tour group led by Hiro-sama, are you
not?”

“Ah, yes . ”

“We thank you for choosing our humble facility for a sightseeing tour . Oh
heavens…… It’s really been such a long time since the last ones came for
a tour . The staff is really fired up . ”

“I-Is that so?”

His mouth was all smiles but his eyes were scary . I don’t feel any malice
from him, but… How should I say this? Yeah, it feels like he’s really
enjoying himself . His eyes were giving off a bright gleam as if he was a
hunter aiming for hapless prey…… No, that’s not right either . It was
something akin to a child getting a hold of a new toy to play with…… Is it
just my imagination?

“Now then folks, the route is that way . Please follow the navigation and
advance ahead!”

The man pointed towards an automated door that opened up before us .

Hm, there’s supposed to be nothing too surprising about it . It’s only an
automated door . But why the heck is it built so sturdily? It’s like a safe of
something .

“Let’s go, Hiro-sama!”

Mimi looked quite excited . Did she fail to notice the man’s suspicious
behavior? She pulled my hand and seemed like she would run through the
passageway ahead of us at any moment .

“I-I would like to refrain from going after all……”

“Keep dreaming…… I won’t let you escape by yourself……”

“Wai-!? You’re really gonna force me!? Stop dragging me!”

I pulled Elma’s arm while Mimi pulled on my own, and the three of us
entered the opened door . It seemed dangerous for some reason, so I can’t
let Mimi go by herself . And I definitely won’t let Elma escape either .
Fufufu… When we go down, we’ll go down together……!

After we entered the passageway beyond the door, the said door locked
itself shut .

『We will now proceed to sterilize you in order to maintain the hygiene
standards of the facility . Once the process is completed, please advance to
the next room . 』
An electronic voice echoed out instructions, and white smoke flowed into
the room . This should be part of the sterilization process .

『Sterilization has been completed . Please proceed to the next room . 』

Another door opened up ahead of us . It led to a smaller room . It didn’t

have any windows, and apparently didn’t have any other doors leading out
of it either .

“What’s that room?”

“Un? I can’t see any other doors inside . ”

I acted cautiously while Mimi tilted her head in puzzlement . Elma sighed
while displaying a resigned expression .

“You’re so gonna regret this……”

Right when Elma declared so after we entered the small room, the door
leading to it also closed and locked all three of us in . The room then
started to shake .

“Is this room moving?”

The moment I muttered my question, a voice echoed out from above us .

『Thank you for participating in the tour of Sierra Corporation’s cultured

meat production plant today . The room you’re in is actually a gondola
that will carry you as we go on with the tour . 』

“So this room is actually a form of transport . ”

“It doesn’t even have any chairs inside though .

I suddenly had the urge to check the laser gun strapped to my waist . I just
can’t calm down for some reason .
『The cultured meat produced by our facility has been loved by customers
for three hundred years already . It is vastly different in quality and taste
from your ordinary artificial meat, and the customer repeat rate is a
whopping 93%! In this tour, you will be able to see the entire production
process: from the initial culturing phase, growth phase, processing phase,
all the way to the final shipping phase . Please enjoy the tour, everyone .
』

“Is artificial meat and cultured meat different?”

“It seems so?”

Mimi tilted her head again . Elma curled herself up in a corner of the
room, closed her eyes and completely severed all visual information . Eh?
What the heck? I have a really bad feeling about this .

『First, please take a look at the initial culturing phase . 』

The walls of the room became transparent . The outside scenery really
looked like a proper factory . Transparent containers are shuffled along a
conveyor belt, and several types of liquid are injected inside them by
machines . The containers which have been injected with the fluids appear
to be collected into one place and then stored in some devices which
looked similar to incubators .

“I wonder what’s in those boxes?”

“I have no idea . ”

Mimi, who was still tilting her head curiously, pointed at one incubator-
like device with a container in it, but I also didn’t have any idea about
what exactly was going on .

As the room slash gondola moved on ahead, we would probably get to see
the contents of the containers which have been incubated for some time
already .

“Hieee……!”
“T-Tha-!? What the heck is that……?”

We finally got to see exactly what was inside those containers . It looked
similar to an earthworm . It’s practically a long string of wriggling meat .
It got so long that it coiled itself several times around the incubator
housing it .

“I now have an idea what my bad feeling earlier was all about . ”

“Y-You’re not saying the cultured meat is actually……”

The gondola finally left the area with the incubators as Mimi and I looked
on behind us .

“That’s why I said you’d regret it . ”

Elma’s words echoed inside the silent gondola .

“Thank you for coming, dear guests . Thank you very much for coming .
We hope for your continued support of our high-quality cultured meat
products . ”

The three of us left the cultured meat producing plant as the male staff
from before sent us off with a sticky-looking smile .

“Ulp……”

“I p-probably won’t be able to even look at meat for a while……”

“That’s why I said I didn’t wanna go……!”

What else did we see inside the facility? I don’t wanna remember!
Something like a pool filled with flesh-colored tentacles, or a mass of
wriggling flesh that grew large enough to rival a train being cut up into
processed cultured meat…… Urgh . I hardly even remember the tour
guide’s explanations, but it seems those gigantic flesh worms are treated
normally as livestock, just like cows or pigs .
They were genetically modified in order to be more suitable as a source of
meat products, and the end result is that kind of eldritch abomination .
They grow extremely quickly, have high nutritional value, and produce
high-quality meat . They have no form of actual intelligence and seem to
be creatures that feed and grow only by instinct .

“I really don’t get the purpose of touring such a facility……”

“It certainly doesn’t help one’s appetite……”

“That’s why I didn’t want to go through with it, you two…… The next
one’s a hydroponic farm, right…? I sure hope it’s a proper facility this
time……”

We prepared ourselves mentally and headed for the location of our next
tour with heavy steps .

Just please let the next place be decent .

I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 41

ranslator: SFBaka

“Um, Micah Corporation… This seems to be the place . ”

“Here huh……”

“Uwaah……”

My and Elma’s faces are probably making the same apprehensive

expression right now . Cause, y’see, this Micah Corporation’s hydroponic
farming facility is actually the spitting image of Sierra Corporation’s
cultured meat processing facility…… The two of them both dealt with
food products, so the designs of their facilities are identical . Is that it?
Cause apart from the differences in signage, the facilities are practically
twins .

“A-Anyway, let’s enter first . ”

“Yeah……”

“Okay……”

The three of us resigned ourselves in our hearts and entered beyond the
facility’s front gate .

“Oh, so the interior is actually quite different . ”

“You’re right . ”

We still weren’t able to spot any other people apart from ourselves just
like when we arrived at the meat plant, but unlike there, this hydroponic
farm seemed far more brightly lit . Why the difference in illumination?
The interior of this facility is evidently brighter and just looked more
proper .
“Welcome, everyone . You’re the tour group led by Hiro-sama, are you
not?”

“Yes . ”

The staff who welcomed us was a young lady who was a shining example
of a normal company receptionist . She looked prim and proper in her
uniform which resembled something worn by a stewardess . She was
leagues better than the shady-looking male receptionist in that meat
processing plant .

“I have been assigned as your guide for today’s tour . It has been a long
time since we’ve had people visit us . The staff are really looking forward
to– Um, what is it, dear guests?”

My face slightly cramped from the feeling of de ja vu . Mimi and Elma

were probably feeling the same as me . The receptionist lady tilted her
head in puzzlement at our reactions .

“Oh, uh, well, we just came from a tour of Sierra Corporation’s cultured
meat processing facilities y’see . So, uh……”

“Ah…… That incomprehensible tour overflowing with weirdness, that

really seems like someone’s bad joke gone terribly wrong…… No,
although it’s bad manners to talk about others behind their backs, that kind
of tour was a little bit too much, wasn’t it? We hired the same contractor
to construct both our facilities, so that’s the reason why our buildings are
so alike . ”

The receptionist lady explained as she gave us a wry grin . It looks like she
was quite familiar with that other company’s tour details .

“Please do not worry . I can guarantee that our company’s tour is a proper
one . At the very least, it won’t cause our guest’s faces to turn all blue . ”

The receptionist lady then gave us a sunny smile . Her smile managed to
dispel the cloud of anxiety that had built up deep in our chests somewhat .
“We’re really counting on you……”

“Yes, please be at ease . You all will need to be sterilized before we start
our tour . Please enter that door over there . ”

The room the receptionist lady guided us to was something similar to the
sterilization room found inside Sierra Corporation’s facility . Will white
smoke go *pushuu inside here as well? Is that smoke even safe? I hope it
doesn’t have any negative effects on the body or something . Well, the
technology here is really advanced, so I guess there’s no need to worry… I
hope?

We followed the instructions and walked out of the room after sterilization
. What was waiting inside was not a freaky gondola, but a corridor with
transparent glass walls serving as a barrier . It looks like we need to walk
with our own feet to see the various sights during this tour .

“Uwah, it’s so bright . ”

“Yeah, it is . It’s really similar to real daylight . ”

“There’s an explanation here . Hm . It seems it’s a specialized light source

which emits a wavelength that is more suitable for growing crops . ”

“……So it’s like a sunlamp . ”

I remember a certain game having a similar facility which allowed you to

grow and harvest crops regardless of the season . I guess it uses up quite a
bit of power, but with the technology in this world, I think they already
have a variety of energy sources available . Even my Krishna boasts a
power generator with ridiculous output that makes use of unknown tech .

“I wonder what kind of crops are those?”

“Hm? Yeah, I’m curious as well . They look like watercress . ”

Watercress is often used as a garnish or side dish to things like steak after
all . It seems they were raising crops that look really similar to watercress
here .
“It says here that it’s a vegetable that’s high in nutrients . It has a bit of a
sharp taste when eaten fresh . It’s one of the raw ingredients used in the
contents of food cartridges, it seems . ”

Elma read and relayed to us the contents of the explanation written on the
glass partition . Fumu, I see . I heard that stuff like algae and krill-
creatures were the main ingredients used in food cartridges, but I guess
they use these vegetables as well .

The plants resembling watercress were taken care of by various robots;

drones that flew around the vast cultivation area and robotic arms moving
on rails stretched out all over the farm . It was almost completely
automated .

While observing such a sight, we arrived at an area where a great number

of circular pools were installed .

“Green-colored pools…… Algae?”

“It seems so . It’s an area specialized for growing the algae type used as
one of the main ingredients in food cartridges . ”

This area was also automated . Robot arms were harvesting the algae with
nets . There were also ones that sprayed brown-colored powder on top of
some of the pools .

“What is that brown powder? Fertilizer?”

“Let’s see…… Ugeh . ”

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s made from domestic waste collected from starships, it seems . ”

“Domestic waste……”

“Oh……”
In other words, it’s those things that are solidified and turned into blocks .
They not only consist of human waste but also garbage and wastewater
from the bathrooms of the ships . Our ship also produces them, of course .
And a waste collection company commissioned by the port administration
office would regularly come to collect them .

“Well, it’s a classic case of recycling . Those came from people like us in
the first place anyway . ”

“Well, you’re right . But…”

“It feels a bit weird though . ”

“Well, back on Earth, where I’m from, it was normal to use things like
droppings for fertilizer . I think the use of human droppings has decreased
compared to back in the past, but they would still make use of animal dung
or the remains of seeds squeezed out of their oil . Things like that are quite
common . They did use human excrement liberally in the far past though .
”

In fact, the practice might still be going strong, but I haven’t seen an
actual fertilizer pool anyway, so I really wouldn’t know . I’m not too
familiar with agricultural stuff . The most I know are basic things .

“Fumu . As expected of someone who grew up on a backwater planet . ”

“Don’t call it something like a backwater planet . It sounds weird . But it’s
true that I think this world’s technology is extraordinarily advanced
compared to where I’m from . ”

As we discussed along the way, we managed to reach another pool area .

“It looks like this is the krill culturing area . ”

“So it’s like a zooplankton culturing area . It seems domestic waste is

being used as feed here . ”

“Speaking of which, I think I heard something like that as well back in the
cultured meat factory . ”
“Well, we didn’t have the leeway to listen to the explanations given back
there anyway……”

An image of a flesh-colored pool flashed in my head . It was followed by

the image of factory workers with gleaming eyes, cutting out the meat of a
tentacle monster the size of a train…… Yeah, it was a sight that would
gradually grind your SAN points to dust . Maybe the reason we didn’t
manage to remember most of the explanation was because our SAN points
went critical .

We then came to an area that completely looked like an industrial factory

next .

“Oh, this is where they put together the food cartridges . ”

“It looks pretty rough . ”

“They are putting all the raw materials together and throwing them all into
the processing machine . ”

The raw materials are sent via a conveyor belt to a processing machine and
come out on the other side as a kind of paste .

“It’s ‘that stuff’, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is . ”

“What the heck is ‘that stuff’ you two are going on about?”

“The local specialty of Alein Tertius colony……”

“Ah……”

Elma displayed a look of pity after seeing our expressions . Fufu . I will
never forget that appearance . Mimi gazed at the light-green paste with her
empty-looking eyes . My eyes were probably looking the same – an
expression devoid of emotion . Hahaha…
“That paste is further processed and stuffed into food cartridges, it seems .
”

“Looks like it . And the auto-cooker processes it further and finally ends
up on everyone’s stomachs . ”

“It looks like the high-end cartridges aren’t made in this area . ”

Just like Mimi said, the only things made here are ordinary food
cartridges, it seems . High-end cartridges are five times more expensive
compared to ordinary ones . The taste, while not five times more delicious,
is easily twice as good as normal food cartridges .

“I kind of want to take a look at how they are making high-end cartridges .
I guess there are more raw materials used on them, right?”

“I don’t think it’ll differ that much though . ”

When we moved on, we found ourselves at a place that looked like a

dining hall .

『『You can enjoy freshly prepared food from our quality food cartridges
here! Automatic cookers from different makers affiliated with our
company are waiting to serve you! Please enjoy them to the fullest! We
also accept purchase consultations!』』

A signboard with these words written on it greeted us . It seems there

really were auto-cookers from different manufacturers lined up inside .
But there were none from the Tetsujin series though .

“I see . This part of the tour was well thought out . ”

“They don’t have many visitors, it seems . Can they still make any profit?”

“Those who apply for this kind of tour are mostly rich folk, right? Auto-
cookers are quite expensive . If they can manage to sell a few units every
time, the commissions would be quite hefty .
“I see . ”

I nodded and pressed the button on the wall which says『Press Here for
Food Cartridges』 . A live image of food cartridges being transported
from the production line was displayed on the Holo Display together with
realistic BGM . And presto! The cartridges came out from the wall along
with flashy sound effects . It was quite interesting .

Mimi and Elma also tried it out . It seems there were several different
combinations of BGM and live-video feeds being used . What they got to
see were different than mine .

“This is fun . ”

“It sure looks like something that would be really popular with kids . ”

We walked towards the auto-cookers while giving out each of our

impressions .

“Which auto-cooker brand should we choose?”

“Are their performances really that different from each other?”

“Why don’t we order the same menu from all of the brands and compare
them?”

“That’s a great idea! Let’s do it . ”

Thus, the three of us ordered omelet rice from a different brand . When
they were done, we shared the food with each other and started comparing
.

“Nm…… It does taste different, right?”

“Yes . The flavoring and textures are quite different from each other . ”

“Let’s choose our favorite then… I personally prefer the one made by
Kirsch Company . ”
“I prefer the one by Murakumo Company . ”

“I also like the one from Kirsch Company as well . ”

By the way, the one produced by Shiimazu Company wasn’t that bad either
. It was delicious enough .

“So the taste of the food really differs per brand huh . Each manufacturer
has their own specialties, I guess . ”

“That’s probably true . ”

“It’s impossible to try everything . ”

There may be brands that make more delicious curry rice, and there may
be some which specialize in Japanese cuisine . Everything our Tetsujin
makes is top class though . It isn’t a premium brand for nothing .

By the way, I tried ordering dessert pudding from the cooker made by
Shiimazu Company, and it was excellent . As I thought, each maker had
their own respective specialties .

“I guess rich people can buy multiple brands in order to enjoy each
maker’s respective specialties, huh?”

“If one has a large enough space to install multiple cookers and the money
to buy them, it would be a symbol of luxury . ”

“But I think to buy a high-end machine like Tetsujin, that is able to prepare
a wide variety of delicious dishes, is more economical and efficient . ”

“Yeah, that’s right . ”

In order to install multiple auto-cookers, you’ll need a very large space .

In starships, living space is quite a valuable commodity . If one wants to
get a large living space, one has to pay appropriate costs . In that case,
installing a single high-end product like Mimi suggested is certainly more
efficient and economical .
We drank some tea to wash down the food we ate and left the hydroponic
farm afterward .

“Alcohol♪ Alcohol♪”

Elma was skipping excitedly along the way due to our next destination .
Our next stop is a liquor manufacturing plant after all . Elma’s tension was
increasing at a constant pace, with no signs of slowing down .

“I hope the next one is decent as well . ”

“Yes . But I think it will probably be alright though . ”

I and Mimi smile at each other as we watched Elma happily skipping

about .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 42

Translator: SFBaka

We went through a fifteen-minute walk heading for our next destination

while following after a light-footed Elma and finally arrived at the last
stop for today’s tour .

“So it’s a factory of Kouryuu Beverages! Kouryuu Beverages is one of the

most reputable breweries in the entire empire y’know! They produce most
types of alcoholic drinks, but they’re particularly famous for their sharp-
tasting and full-bodied beer!”

A bright-eyed Elma stopped before the factory gates and started

explaining away in high spirits . The three of us are here for a factory tour,
but one of us started acting like a tour guide before we even entered the
facility . What the heck? It might just be my imagination, but Elma was
currently surrounded by bright, sparkly effects as she talked
animatedly…… What’s with that?

“Hey Mimi, is it just me, or is Elma actually sparkling right now?”

“I think she is…… Is that some kind of elven magic?”

“Eh, this is the first time I’ve heard of that . Is that actually a thing?”

“I’m not that familiar with the particulars, but it seems elven magic does
exist . ”

Seriously? One of the reasons why I call her a disappointing elf is because
she looked like she couldn’t use magic, but elven magic actually exists,
you say? She certainly didn’t look like a mage character type though .

“So let’s go in now guys! C’mon! Let’s hurry up and enter! Now, now!”

Elma’s current tension was MAX level . I haven’t seen her this excited
before . I looked back toward Mimi . We exchanged wry smiles and
followed after Elma, who charged straight inside the factory .

Just like with the other factories we visited, we were welcomed by a

waiting receptionist and instructed to undergo a sterilization procedure
first . We then proceeded inside the factory proper . Likely due to the fact
that they were a reputed and popular brewery, we found other people
taking the tour alongside us . The aisle dedicated to tourists was well-
cleaned and had a nice atmosphere .

There were a lot of humans among the visitors taking the tour like us . The
citizens of the Graccan empire were comprised mostly of humans, so I
guess this was just normal . I haven’t even encountered another elf in the
tourist group apart from Elma . So I guess they were kinda a rare species
or something .

As far as non-humanoid races go… there were lizardmen, creatures that

looked like a cross between amphibians and fish, creatures that looked like
sea anemones walking upright with their tentacles, and beastmen with
animal ears and tails . Can those upside-down sea anemones really
communicate with other creatures……?

“What the heck are you spacing out for over there, Hiro!? Let’s hurry up
and head for the drink sampling corner!”

“Whoa there lady . Let me get a proper look at the place first . You can just
drink some booze in the ship later, can’t you?”

“D-Drinking freshly made liquor is an entirely different experience

altogether……”

“Fine, fine . Don’t be so impatient . We don’t have any more places to visit
after this, so there’s no need to hurry so much . ”

“Uu……”

Elma’s long ears drooped in disappointment as she cutely puffed up her

cheeks . What are you, a sulky little kid?
“So they make ale at this place huh . ”

“They make beer . ”

“……Okay, beer then . ”

I still think it’s ale if it doesn’t go down smoothly though . Well, it’s not
like I’m knowledgeable about the particulars, so I guess I’m in no position
to talk huh . In this dimension, it’s treated as beer even though it isn’t
carbonated . Let’s just leave it at that . But it really is a mystery why there
are practically no carbonated beverages around in this dimension… Was
the method really lost after the people here advanced into the interstellar
age? Was it because it wasn’t suited for a zero-G environment? I guess it’s
possible .

“The manufacturing process for beer doesn’t have anything particularly

surprising huh . Well, I guess the machines processing the products work
really fast and efficiently, so people into that sort of stuff wouldn’t get
bored no matter how much they look . ”

“There are people like that?”

“Um, I rather like watching them . It somehow feels relaxing . ”

“I still don’t get it . ”

Elma shrugged as she watched the factory machines milling about . But I
guess I kinda like watching them as well; seeing the factory machines
work in a systematic and precise manner, I mean . I even kinda feel like I
wouldn’t get tired of watching a factory such as this producing a large
number of products like clockwork .

After we had our fill watching the factory machines doing their thing, we
headed for the next area . So next up is the fruit wine production section
huh . Will we get to see something like the extraction and fermentation
process over there? That was what I thought at first, but what we got to see
was quite different from my earlier expectations .
“An orchard?”

Yep . The next area resembled an orchard . Splendid-looking vineyards

were spread over a vast, open space, where a large number of drones and
robot arms were moving about and doing all the farm work . It resembled
the vegetable plantation we saw back at the food cartridge factory .

“Let’s see . It’s a farm for cultivating fruits used to make liquor . This
seems to be a wine fruit field . ”

“Wine fruit field……?”

What’s Elma talking about……? I followed her gaze and found what
seemed to be a 『Wine Fruit』tasting corner . You can pay Enels at a
terminal in order to sample freshly picked 『Wine Fruits』there, it seems
.

“Let’s try eating some . The wines made by Kouryuu Beverages are also
delicious . ”

“I haven’t tried drinking any wine before myself . I’m kind of looking
forward to it . ”

As I looked on while still feeling somewhat perplexed, Elma paid some

money by placing her terminal over what seems to be a high-tech vending
machine . After a few moments, something resembling a paper cup with
pieces of dark-purple fruit that were the same size as Kyoho grapes
popped out of it .

She threw the fruit into her mouth without any hesitation .

“Mm〜, liquor tastes good, but this wine fruit is delicious as well . Here,
Mimi . Try it out . ”

“Is it okay? Here I go then……”

After Elma, Mimi also got herself one of the fruits and popped it into her
mouth .
“Nn…… It isn’t as sour as I first thought, isn’t it? It also isn’t astringent .
”

“Well, it seems they squeeze the skin and seeds along with the pulp during
the manufacturing process . We don’t normally crush the seeds and skin in
our mouths when we eat the fruits fresh, right? That’s why it isn’t
astringent . ”

“I see . But you can still taste a hint of liquor when you eat them
right……? They taste delicious, but it seems you’ll get drunk when you
eat lots of them . ”

I approached the two who were having a strange-sounding conversation .

“Do you want one as well, Hiro? Even if you’re weak to alcohol, you
should be okay if you eat just one piece, right?”

“Probably……?”

“Okay then . Say a〜h . ”

“A〜h . ”

I obediently followed Elma’s words and opened my mouth, and she picked
up another piece of the wine fruit and fed it to me . Un, it really is like
grape . I started chewing the fruit in question .

“!?”

Within moments, the distinct aroma of alcohol exploded within my mouth

. The juices that seeped out of the pulp each time I chewed tasted like
actual wine . Just like Mimi said, it wasn’t as astringent as actual wine and
had a milder flavor, but it tasted like completely processed wine
nonetheless .

“Is the alcohol infused in the fruit itself……? Is this for real?”

“It seems like it’s different from what you’re familiar with huh, Hiro . ”
“The wines I knew were made by crushing and fermenting grapes similar
to these wine fruits, and then aging them in wooden barrels . ”

“That sounds like a traditional, or rather, a primitive method of producing

wine . I heard that wine was still made like that until two thousand years
ago . At present, the commonly used method is making them from wine
fruits, y’know?”

“Did they use selective breeding… no, genetic engineering in order to

breed these fruits…? That’s kinda outrageous . ”

I nodded after swallowing the rest of the fruit juice along with the skin,
pulp, and seeds . I felt my body getting hot . It seems my face got red just
after sampling one fruit . Ugh . It looks like I’m as weak to alcohol as ever
.

“Your face is turning red, Hiro-sama . ”

“Pupu〜 You’re really kinda cute when you’re like that, y’know . ”

“Shut it, you . I’m the type to get red after just one sip of alcohol…… I’ll
get utterly drunk from downing one can of beer y’know . ”

Mimi was smiling as she looked at my reddened face while Elma giggled
as she continuously popped the wine fruits into her mouth . I got conscious
of my reddened cheeks and hid them with one hand . They smiled even
more gleefully when I did so . Damn .

“C’mon, let’s go to the next area . Next!”

“Fine, fine . Let’s go then . Hiro-cha〜n . ”

“Hiro-chan…… Fufu . ”

I walked ahead in haste as my two companions followed after me with

amused grins . Dammit! This place is like a cursed spot for someone like
me .
Next is the brewery area huh . It was the brewery area, but……?

“A forest……?”

“So those are the so-called liquor trees huh . ”

“Liquor trees?”

“Yes . The natural whiskey extracted from them is a rather high-class

product . It tastes completely different from synthetic whiskey . ”

“Synthetic whiskey…”

This is just so out there . What the heck is up with something like natural
whiskey?

“Um, how is natural whiskey produced?”

“This section of the tour will show us the process, apparently . Look,
there’s an explanation over there . ”

Elma pointed towards a holo display playing a holographic info video . I

pressed a button to replay the video from the start .

Basically, the sap from those so-called whiskey trees is what’s called
natural whiskey . Like how one would extract maple syrup, placing a cut
on the tree would allow one to collect the sap from within . Like, seriously,
man . What’s up with these weird trees? I bet they’re really flammable!

By the way, the process for producing synthetic whiskey is also included in
the video . It seems that Kouryuu Beverages sells the product at a
relatively cheaper price . It looks like it wasn’t produced in this area
though . It was apparently made by mixing artificial flavorings into
artificially produced alcohol in order to make it taste like whiskey .

The natural whiskey is quite popular, but the cheap synthetic whiskeys are
more widely distributed, it seems .

“Mm〜! As I thought, natural whiskey is absolutely to die for!”

“Really now?”

“*Cough, cough…… It’s a little too strong for me . ”

Elma had a wide smile plastered on her pretty face as she drank whiskey
from a shot glass . Mimi, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes as she tried
to cope with the whiskey’s aftertaste . Elma bought a second shot as she
rubbed Mimi’s back . She’s planning to drink until she’s utterly plastered,
isn’t she……?

Disregarding my concerned expression, Elma really ended up piss-drunk

when the factory tour ended . Even Mimi ended up groggy from the
alcohol .

“Eehee……Hirooo……”

“I-I’m sorry, Hiro-sama……”

I managed to get back to Krishna while holding on to Elma, who clung to

me like an octopus, and supporting Mimi, who walked with an unsteady
gait all the way .

And after she turned sober enough, Elma ended up having her face turn
blue after looking at her data terminal . It looks like she actually
purchased a large number of different kinds of alcoholic drinks when she
talked to the staff before the tour ended . And the total cost was a
whopping 100,000 Enels .

“Hey…… You still haven’t managed to pay me back even a single Enel,
and here you are spending one hundred thousand just to buy some alcohol .
You sure you have your priorities straight?”

“A-Awa- Ahahahaha…… S-Sorry?”

Elma clapped her hands together in front of her and cutely tilted her head
as she begged for forgiveness . Hahaha . Really now . This lady’s just……

“You’re banned from drinking for two weeks . If I ever find you secretly
trying to sneak in a drink…… Fufu . I’ll let you have a good taste of the
food paste Mimi and I ate last time . Even Dr . Shouko says you’ll get
addicted once you get used to the taste y’know?”

“Hieee…… I-I’ll abstain from drinking……”

Elma nodded obediently while shedding tears . Well, she sure agreed
easily enough . Not like I’d take no for an answer anyway .

Afterward, the three of us spent three days resting up . And in order to

avoid getting involved in anything else troublesome, we decided to finally
leave the system . However…… it was far too late .

It happened just when we finally finished resting up .

“It’s been quite some time, Silver ranked mercenary, Captain Hiro . ”

There was an unexpected guest .

Fine facial features, lustrous blonde hair, ruby-red eyes, and sporting a red
mantle over her pure white military uniform . A beautiful lady soldier with
a fine-looking sword strapped to her waist . Yep . Lieutenant Serena Holz,
who was supposed to be in the Termaine system, suddenly paid us a
surprise visit .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 43

Translator: SFBaka

“Ara, you seem to be using some fine tea leaves . ”

“Glad you like it . ”

Because Krishna didn’t have a proper guest reception area, us and

Lieutenant Serena moved to the dining room instead . She was currently
enjoying the tea Mimi brewed for her in an elegant manner .

The three of us sat opposite Lieutenant Serena in front of the dining table .
I ended up in the middle of us three, and directly faced Lieutenant Serena .
Mimi and Elma sandwiched me in between them .

“So, uh…… What’s brought you here, Lieutenant?”

She smiled sweetly at my question and placed the mug with the tea back
on top of the table . Yep, the ship of us humble plebeians didn’t have any
fancy stuff like teacups and saucers onboard .

“Fufu…… I came to invite you . ”

I locked gazes with the still-smiling Lieutenant Serena as she declared her
intentions . I bet both of our thoughts right now are completely in synch .
Just how tenacious is this woman?

“I’m the type of woman who doesn’t let prey escape you know . ”

Hiie…… Scary! Seeing her declare such a thing with a bright smile on her
pretty face sent chills down my spine . Suddenly, both my arms were
grabbed from the sides . I guess this is Elma and Mimi’s way of expressing
their intent never to let me go… Only my right arm was experiencing a
blissful feeling though . What about my left arm? Ah, mm, it’s not that
hard, I guess?

“What a daring display . ”

“Hey, this is rude to our guest, you two . ”

After I called out to them, Mimi and Elma reluctantly let go of my arms . I
actually would’ve liked to enjoy it a bit more, but it can’t be helped . Or
rather, get a grip, girls . I’m sure Lieutenant Serena didn’t mean it in ‘that
way’ when she said ‘prey’ .

“Uhh, I’ve already refused you quite a few times, I think . I have
absolutely no intention of signing up for the imperial military . ”

“Yes, I’m aware . It’s truly unfortunate . ”

Lieutenant Serena’s smile vanished, and her expression turned to that of

sadness as she let out a forlorn sigh . It was a truly perfect performance .
This person is unexpectedly quite the mischievous sort, ain’t she?

“I truly think it’s unfortunate, but I guess I just have to give up on that end
. I can’t have the Mercenary Guild eyeing me for being too pushy after all
. I want to keep an amicable relationship with the Mercenary Guild as
much as possible . ”

“I see……?”

If that’s the case, then what the heck did this person come to us for? I’m
not enlisting in the military . If she’s already acknowledged that, then why
did she even find me? She even went as far as boarding the Krishna and
declaring me as her ‘prey’ .

“You aren’t thinking of flaunting your power as an imperial noble, are

you?”

“I wouldn’t even think of it . If I ever did so, you probably wouldn’t

hesitate to head to the Vereverem Federation, correct?”

“……”

My silence was enough of an answer . But honestly saying 『Yup, that’s

right . 』in this situation was bad, so I refrained . My discussion partner
was an imperial soldier after all .

“Oh, by the way, I’ve already been promoted . The higher-ups regarded my
performance during the Termaine Prime defensive campaign quite highly,
you see . Here, my rank insignia has already changed, see? I’m now Major
Serena Holz . ”

“Congratulations on your promotion then . ”

I gave an honest compliment to Lieutenant– no, Major Serena, who was

pointing at the rank insignia on her shoulder with a smile as she reported
her successful promotion . Did she come here just to report her
promotion? Nah, that can’t be . I heightened my sense of caution towards
her .

“One of the greatest contributors to my promotion was your impressive

performance during the defensive campaign, Captain Hiro . The matter of
crystal creatures suddenly attacking the enemy fleet was also quite the
stroke of fortune, wouldn’t you say? I wonder what caused it though?”

“Hahaha, we were really lucky huh . We just managed to break through to

the middle of the enemy fleet back then, so I also got quite the scare when
it happened . ”

I was inwardly sweating bullets . It should be okay . There shouldn’t be

any evidence of me using the Singing Crystal to summon the crystal
creatures in order to attack the Vereverem Federation fleet left . Calm
down, me .

“Fufu, I see . Your timing was excellent then . Well, it’s not like we intend
to pursue the matter anyway . Please be at ease . ”

Major Serena smiled broadly . She displayed an expression that seemingly

implied we owed her one . Dammit . I didn’t even plan to owe her
anything in the first place . But if I didn’t do what I did back then, there’s
no doubt the imperial fleet would have suffered a significantly greater
amount of losses . In fact, I think they’re the ones who owe me .
“Hahaha . I actually have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m glad
my actions were of use to Major Serena . ”

“Fufufu . ”

“Hahaha . ”

Mimi was visibly shaken by my and Major Serena’s exchange and

ominous laughs . She was trembling all over .

This woman did lead me by the nose back then, but I’m not the kind of guy
who falls for the same mistake twice . This time, my caution meter is
already at MAX . I can’t have myself falling for this woman’s tricks again
.

“How about we get down to business already, Major?”

“Of course . After my promotion, I was granted command of a new unit . ”

“I suppose I should congratulate you then . ”

“Yes . I also find it quite pleasing as well . The higher-ups finally granted
my petition to form an independent anti-pirate mobile fleet and I was put
in charge of it after all . ”

“Independent anti-pirate fleet…?”

“Yes . The imperial military can roughly be divided into two main groups:
a defense fleet stationed in various colonies and stellar garrisons of each
system that are in charge of preventing foreign military incursions and
maintaining security, and an interception fleet in charge of directly
eliminating enemy forces . ”

“I see . ”

“The overall strength of the mobile defense fleets is quite substantial .

However, in order to cover the entirety of the empire’s vast territories, it is
inevitable for them to be scattered about, thus losing the edge in numbers .
As a result, proactively attacking pirate fleets and space monsters
prowling about carries with it a considerable amount of risk . Thus, they
tend to prefer a passive approach most of the time . This is because there’s
a danger of being unable to maintain the security and stability of the
sectors they are assigned to if they ever mess up and incur unexpected
losses . As such, as long as the threat level doesn’t reach a certain
threshold, the imperial fleets are unable to proactively eliminate such
dangerous elements . ”

“I get that . ”

If the imperial army ever incurs massive losses as a result of an

extermination operation, news of them losing their ability to actively
respond to threats would probably be swiftly passed down to the pirate
groups in the immediate area, and they would most likely capitalize on the
opportunity . Even if they did manage to suppress the information to some
extent, the fleet would still need to be grounded temporarily for
maintenance and repairs, so the military patrols would become less
frequent, leading to a possible increase in rogue pirate activity .

If the worst-case scenario occurs and the entire fleet ended up virtually
crippled, an increase in rogue pirate activity would be the least of their
problems . It may even develop into a colony getting attacked .

“This is why the mobile defense fleet cannot be made to sortie without
good reason . The imperial star fleet is the empire’s sharpest sword, as
well as its strongest shield . Their operation and maintenance cost a
considerable amount of money, and there’s an ever-present danger of
neighboring nations taking advantage of the situation if we ever mobilized
them without proper consideration . ”

“In other words, the search-and-destroy capabilities of the imperial forces

are lacking . So that’s why you rely on us mercenaries for that . ”

“Exactly . This is why I proposed the formation of an independent anti-

pirate fleet . It would allow the military to obtain a force capable of
seeking out and destroying threats instead of overly relying on mercenary
contractors to do the job for us . ”
“Makes sense . But I still don’t get why Major Serena, who’s the
commander of such a fleet, would bother to expressly visit my ship . ”

In other words, the imperial space forces are preparing to build up their
own forces that will serve as a kind of business rival to us humble mercs .
That said, it would just be a matter of keeping away from the sectors the
independent anti-pirate fleet is active in, cause they can’t possibly cover
for the entirety of the empire anyway . To be honest, I can’t think of any
other reaction except for ‘Okay . Good luck then . ’ . So I don’t get why
the commander of such a fleet herself actually even bothered to pay us a
visit .

Well, I came here in order to recruit you, actually . ”

“……”

I gave her a disgruntled look . ‘I told you I don’t plan on joining the
military already . Cut it out, lady!’

“If you refuse that vehemently, it actually gets me even more excite–
Mmph! I’m sorry . Please pay that no heed . In other words, I’m here to
make a request . And I need the cooperation of pirate hunting
professionals such as you people . ”

“A request, is it?”

Well, if she’ll put in a request through the Mercenary Guild, I guess I can
consider taking it depending on the particulars . I think I heard some rather
disturbing words earlier though . Let’s just ignore them for now . I’m not
an idiot who would proactively step on such a land mine .

“Can you run me through the specifics?”

“We, of the imperial space forces, have enough know-how when it comes
to attacking enemy fleets and assaulting enemy bases . Conversely, we
lack the necessary knowledge and experience when it comes to tracking
down pirate groups that stay under the radar and only surface to attack
civilian ships . ”
“I get that . ”

The standard tactics they’re used to don’t match the types of foes they
would be hunting down in the first place . Any unlucky pirate who
manages to encounter the imperial fleets would be turned into space debris
within seconds, but most pirates aren’t that stupid . If they notice that the
imperial forces are closing in, chances are they’ll immediately escape and
go into hiding again .

“And so, I wish to get the cooperation of pirate-hunting professionals such

as yourselves in order for us to acquire the necessary know-how . ”

“I see . I understand what you’re getting at . ”

“So?”

Major Serena’s eyes shined in anticipation .

“I’m afraid I’d have to refuse . ”

And her smiling expression froze up at my reply .

“M- May I know why……?”

“Well, it’s not like this request has to be taken up by me specifically, right?
Rather, I think it would be better for you to take this request directly to the
Mercenary Guild and learn the required know-how from them, correct?
Instead of someone with a suspicious background such as me, they would
be able to provide you with a more appropriate instructor for your needs .
”

I said all that, but the biggest reason is that I find it really troublesome . I
haven’t heard of the compensation amount yet, but it would probably not
exceed the amount we can normally earn by hunting down pirates by
ourselves . And no matter how you think about it, the contract period
would probably take a fair bit of time to fulfill . The rewards aren’t worth
it and we would be detained for a long period of time . There’s nothing but
demerits as far as I’m concerned .
“But I want us to learn from you . ”

“I refuse . ”

“Why are you so obstinate?”

Major Serena cutely puffed up her cheeks . Un, she’s definitely a first-rate
beauty, even with that kind of cutesy act . But my reason for refusing is
simple and reasonable .

It’s because you really seem like a woman who would invite a whole
boatload of trouble if I ever got involved with you further! I mean, just
look at you!

But I can’t exactly say that to her face, so I just screamed that in my head .
She’s an imperial noble after all . I’m not that familiar with imperial laws,
but I don’t want to risk breaking them by insulting a member of the
nobility .

“It’s mainly because I can’t expect that much compensation and we would
be under contract for a prolonged period . Why are you so fixated on me in
the first place?”

“It’s because you possess both bold ideas and the courage and skills to
execute them . Out of all those mercenaries, only you were able to propose
a plan, which seemed reckless at first glance . However, you managed to
pull it off and delivered impressive results . ”

To think I’d get praised for that kind of reckless stunt . It kinda feels
awkward .

“And there’s the part with the crystal creatures . You used Singing Crystal
for that, didn’t you? Ah, you don’t have to answer that . There’s no
evidence anyway . If it’s someone like you, who’s able to employ such
bold and ruthless methods without a shred of hesitation, I’m sure we will
be able to obtain the means to make full use of the imperial star fleet’s
power in order to crush and obliterate those dirty pirate scum . That’s what
I think anyway . That’s why I want your help . I actually want to have you
as my subordinate, but you find that disagreeable, don’t you?”

“I refuse . ”

I blurted out my second ‘I refuse’ for the day . But this person doesn’t
seem like she’ll give up anytime soon . Isn’t her mentality too strong?

“I will give up on having you as my subordinate – for now, anyway . In

return, I want your cooperation . If you think that the compensation
offered by the military isn’t enough, I am prepared to pay you with my
personal funds if need be . I’m the daughter of a Marquis house after all .
And I’m also a senior imperial officer . I believe you will find my
connections to be useful in the future . ”

Major Serena smiles confidently at us once again . I turned my gaze

toward Mimi, who shook her head, as if to say she can’t make a decision
about the matter . I then turned toward Elma, who whispered a reply .

“I think refusing an imperial noble who has already gone to such lengths
would actually result to even more troublesome things in the future . ”

In other words, she’s suggesting I accept . I honestly don’t feel like it

though . I don’t feel like it, but I guess what Elma’s saying does make
sense . There’s definitely a chance of inviting even more trouble if I
continued to stubbornly refuse, given the circumstances . The Major has
already sent me countless love calls in the past after all . And now she’s
even come to the ship to visit me personally . She didn’t even inform me
beforehand . Most likely, it’s in order to heighten the chance of
successfully getting a hold of me . I’m honestly not one bit happy about it
at all .

“Let me propose some conditions then . Make sure to run the contract
properly with the Guild . I believe they have guidelines for designated
requests like this . ”

“Let’s set the contract period to thirty days . You’ll be treated as a senior
officer directly below the rank of major for its duration . In other words,
within the independent fleet, the only one who would outrank you is me
alone . ”

“I would like to avoid being gradually incorporated into the imperial

military, so please limit the total working hours to about ten hours each
day . I’ll be sure to put in the required hours no matter what happens . ”

“Tsk…… That’s fine then . ”

This lady just clicked her tongue, didn’t she? Just what was she planning
on doing? Scary!

“Also, the know-how I’ll be imparting will primarily be tailored for

mercenary work . It’s geared toward engaging and hunting down pirates
with a single ship . Of course, I’ll try my best to fulfill the contents of the
contract, but I can’t guarantee to be able to make full use of the
advantages of the independent mobile fleet . ”

“Yes, of course . That’s understandable . But it all boils down to us being

able to take in and absorb your knowledge well . Our imperial soldiers are
excellent, so you need not worry on that front . ”

Major Serena confidently answered while still smiling . She mostly

succeeded in roping me in, so I guess her mood’s better now .

“Next would be the compensation amount… How much would be the

appropriate amount, Elma?”

“That’s a bit hard to say . There’s no precedent for mercenaries being

contracted to serve as military instructors after all . But, based on the rate
for long term escort missions, 30,000 to 50,000 Enels would be the
standard amount .

“It’s not a life-threatening escort mission, so can’t you bring down the
price a little? And that rate is actually geared toward an escort fleet
instead of a single ship, correct?”
Major Serena swiftly objected to the price proposed by Elma . She’s quite
shrewd, ain’t she? She probably did some research before coming here
already . You really can’t let your guard down against this lady .

“But Hiro normally makes 200,000 Enels per day hunting pirates you
know? Having our income for one month go down to a fourth of the usual
amount doesn’t seem worth the trouble . Us mercenaries don’t run
charities, so we won’t work if there isn’t enough profits for us . It’s just
common sense . ”

Elma shrugged as she launched a sharp response to Major Serena’s

objection . Honestly, we won’t really be able to make 200,000 Enels a day
normally, so we can’t possibly earn 6,000,000 Enels in a month because
we still need to take occasional breaks .

On the other hand, we also wouldn’t be able to take up any other requests
during the contract period, so we’d still be making a loss if some high-
paying ones did appear while we were under contract .

“Mmrrgh…… How about 40,000 Enels per day……”

“It should be at least 60,000 Enels . 40,000 isn’t nearly enough . ”

“Let’s settle for 50,000 then . How about it?”

Elma turned her gaze toward me . I shrugged my shoulders as if to say I’m

leaving the decision to her .

“That’s fine then . Do you have anything to add, Hiro?”

“If you don’t understand the overall performance of your ships, you won’t
be able to put up effective maneuvers . I’d like to get the data for the
overall specs and armaments of the fleet’s ships if possible . It’s also
necessary to test them via simulator as well . ”

“We’ll at least send you the non-classified data . We will send the
simulator data to the Mercenary Guild directly . ”
“That’s it then . Please send the particulars to the Mercenary Guild as well
.”

I and Major Serena nodded at Elma’s words .

And thus, we were contracted to serve as official instructors to the
Graccan Imperial Space Force’s independent anti-pirate mobile fleet for
thirty days .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 44

Translator: SFBaka

“Well then, now that we’re done with the business talk… I’d like to take
this opportunity to ask a few questions now that you’ve personally
managed to pay a visit to our ship . May I?”

“Well…… as long as I can answer them . ”

Major Serena thought for a bit and then nodded .

“Pardon me then . It’s not really a big deal– is what I’d wanted to say . But
there’s just a matter I’m concerned about . You remember the incident of a
mercenary ship crashing against a military vessel during the pirate
subjugation operation on the Termaine system, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course, I remember . It’s the matter regarding the military

imposing a large fine regardless of the fact that I’ve already specified not
to pursue the matter too harshly, correct? I think Elma-san over there is the
one involved in the incident . ”

“If you know of it, then it’ll make things easier . I’m just putting this out
just in case, but didn’t you guys make a mistake regarding that imposed
penalty?”

“Yes . I’ve already confirmed things with the relevant departments, so

there’s no denying it . There was indeed a mishap regarding the specified
deadline, but that and the compensation amount is a different matter
altogether . We won’t be able to amend the amount now that it’s come to
this point, nor will we be able to make some sort of refund . I do feel sorry
about it, but the person involved in causing the mishap has already been
dealt with . To be honest, that incident was probably a form of harassment
aimed towards me . It sounds awkward for me to say this, considering
what I’ve put you through, but the incident did end up helping me deal
with a troublesome insect, so I’m grateful to you in a sense . ”
Major Serena nonchalantly declared with a straight face .

“You don’t seem all that sorry for almost ruining a person’s entire life huh
.”

“Well, yes . It’s not like I made a mistake in ordering a fine to be

implemented . There’s no denying that it’s her fault that she crashed into a
military vessel after all . Honestly speaking, there was a good chance she
would have been pinned with a harsher crime you know? Even if it was an
unintended accident, she did end up crashing into and damaging an
imperial military starship, rendering it mostly inoperable . She also
injured quite a number of imperial soldiers . ”

‘Mm…… I see . ”

“I do feel sorry that the deadline that was given was too short due to one of
our people’s mistakes . In truth, the space forces have the right to
determine how long the deadline would be . The shortest would be several
months, and the longest would be up to a year . But that time frame isn’t
fixed . If the incident is of a high enough magnitude, the deadline may end
up shorter than normal, like in this case . It’s a case by case basis, and I
actually ordered them to prolong the deadline as much as possible .
However, someone interfered and the incident was escalated . My prior
orders were ignored . But, as I said, the ones responsible have already been
dealt with, so I believe we’ve shown enough good faith regarding this
matter . ”

Hmm…… There are some parts I find hard to accept, but I guess we
unfortunately just got caught up in the dog-eat-dog social system of the
military and the nobility .

“It’s fine already, Hiro . I accept that it was my stupid mistake that caused
the accident . And it did lead to me getting together with you Hiro, so……
I don’t really think it’s all that bad . ”

Elma softly pulled my sleeve and gave me a faint smile . Un…… Well, the
one directly involved says it’s okay, so I guess it won’t do any good to
keep dwelling on the matter .
“Fufu, you sure care a lot for your comrades, don’t you Captain Hiro? I
actually have some good news for you . ”

Major Serena flashed me a sweet smile . I have a bad feeling about this .

“Once you’ve completed my request, I also plan on officially designating

you as my personal contracted mercenary . ”

“……”

“This is my first time being gazed at with a look of such utter contempt
you know . ”

Major Serena’s cheeks twitched as she gave me a bitter smile . My

expression must have looked really unpleasant . Well, you understand,
right? It screams nothing but trouble .

“I’m gonna ask just in case, but what merits do we gain from that?”

“That’s a good question . First, if you become a contracted mercenary

under me, it would make it so it would be unlikely for you to be involved
in trouble with both the Graccan empire’s military and noble circle . I’m a
major of the imperial space forces as well as the daughter of the house of
Marquis Holz after all . Messing with you as my contracted mercenary
would mean messing with me and House Holz . ”

“I see . But it’ll also make the ones who already consider you as an enemy
target me as well, right?”

“I can’t say there isn’t a chance of that happening, but I believe such
incidents would be rare at best . If you do get into some sort of trouble,
immediately inform me and I’ll swiftly deal with it for you . I promise I
will do all that I can to aid you . ”

“All that you can huh . ”

“Yes . Is there something you are dissatisfied with . ”

“Nah . So let’s hear about the demerits . ”

I tried my best to make a neutral smile . It’ll be over if I step back here .

Major Serena smiled back at me . We were both smiling ‘pleasantly’

towards each other . Just like the best of friends . I noticed Mimi shivering
beside me . You don’t have to be all that scared you know?

“There’s no such thing . ”

“Hahaha! Great joke, Major . I’m gonna say this upfront . I don’t have the
slightest desire to be made use of . In fact, you already owe us one .
Haven’t you heard of the saying it’s not good to increase your debts before
paying off your previous one?”

“Really now . Wouldn’t I be able to pay that debt once you agree to be my
official contracted mercenary?”

“That’s just one of the methods for you to get me within your grasp, right?
Saying that would make us even isn’t even funny . The reason we’re
accepting this request of yours this time is due to you making certain
concessions for us, so we want to properly pay you back and avoid any
further trouble . Just like what Elma said earlier, the remuneration isn’t
nearly enough for the work we’ll be doing . Normally, we would just
refuse such a request . That’s why I said you owe us . ”

Major Serena gritted her teeth in frustration .

“Regarding the trouble with imperial nobles and the military, we can just
easily choose to escape once things aren’t looking too good . Considering
that, the thing about shielding us from trouble doesn’t seem to be all that
useful, honestly . And if I do become your personal contracted mercenary,
those against both you and the Holz house would most probably put me
under their radar, so that’s already a big enough demerit in my book .

And also, becoming your contracted mercenary will limit how much
freedom we and our ship have . That’s another huge demerit . As you
already know, my methods are kinda unorthodox . Wouldn’t it be bad for
you if I did something reckless while being your contracted mercenary?
Are you just gonna cut me off if that happens? If you plan on cutting me
off just like that, there’s practically no merit for me, is there? In other
words, there’s little to no merit in becoming your contracted mercenary .
Conversely, there’s a ton of demerits attached to it . Do you have any
objections to this conclusion, milady?”

Major Serena’s face turned bright red in frustration after hearing my tirade
. Did I make her angry? Well, I’ve bottled up a lot of frustration myself .
Apart from sending me spam recruitment mail, she pushed an unprofitable
request on my face for no good reason . It’s just reaping what she’d sown .

“H-Hey, isn’t that going a little overboard—”

“Fufufu…… This is the first time someone dared to scold a daughter of

House Holz like me . ”

With her face still red from anger, Major Serena moved her gaze towards
me with the corners of her mouth slightly twitching . I just wanted to get
back at her a little . Did I really go too far?

“However, it’s fine . I shall forgive you . It’s not like I cannot understand
where you’re coming from . There are things in this world that would
break if you use too much force . There’s a big difference between a pet
cat and a stray one after all . ”

“Just who the hell is a cat!?”

You want me to scratch you, lady?

“It’s not possible to tame and feed one without first putting on a collar you
see . So I shall feed and thoroughly tame it once I’ve successfully put a
collar on it . ”

“So you’re still aiming at collaring me someday?”

“Yes . As I said, I’m not the type who lets the prey I already aimed at to
escape my grasp . ”

Major Serena put one finger on top of her luscious lips and gave me a
flirtatious gaze . The feeling of cold sweat running down my spine is just
my imagination, right? Please make it so .

Mimi and Elma felt some sort of danger after seeing Major Serena like
that and the two of them grabbed both my arms again . Major Serena
giggled in amusement after seeing their actions .

“For now, let’s just be satisfied with you agreeing to my request . I shall
make an official request to the Guild . We will be in your care then . I shall
also send the relevant data to the Guild as well . ”

“Yeah, okay . I’ll try to be as polite as I can when addressing you during
work hours, so please pardon me if I ever slip up somehow . ”

“Yes, please do so . I don’t mind if you talk to me in a more casual way

when we’re alone in private you know . ”

“Hahaha, alright . ”

I have no intention of meeting up in private with you though .

“You got some nerve talking down to a senior imperial military officer and
a lady of a marquis house like that…… I was sweating buckets the whole
time . ”

Elma suddenly opened while we were having lunch after Major Serena left
the ship . Elma’s lunch this time consisted of something resembling
Japanese-style pasta and a salad with chicken meat cooked with Szechuan-
style sauce .

“If she threw a fit and gave up after that level of provocation, then it
meant she wasn’t all that serious about the deal . But since she didn’t, and
even laughed it off while claiming to forgive me, I guess she really is
pretty set on roping me in . If I let my guard down even a little bit, there’s
a good chance she’ll spring a trap on me, so I can’t relax against her at all
and can’t make any hasty promises either . ”

The meal I’m having consists of a hamburger, french fries and some sort
of shake . The shake has a faint grassy aftertaste but is still tasty . Just
what kind of shake is this anyway?

“That person won’t do . She’s dangerous . ”

Mimi was unusually wary of Major Serena . She gave me a hard stare as
she kept chowing down on her omelet rice slathered with plenty of ketchup
.

No, no . Major Serena’s certainly a bombshell beauty with a nice body and
large breasts, but I’m not the kind of guy who’ll be swayed by a woman
like that who seems like the living embodiment of a destructive landmine .
There’s no need to worry, girls .

“Well, let’s get in some training for now . I’ll focus on the request . I want
Mimi to continue with your Operator training . Please support both of us
as you see fit, Elma . ”

“Alright . That’s all we can do for now . Well, we mercenaries don’t

always have to spend days living dangerously anyway . There are times
like this as well . But be sure to train regularly so your skills don’t get
rusty, okay Hiro . ”

“I’ll do my best . Well, it’s not like I don’t have a plan . ”

Teaching only through oral discussion would just lead to my charges

learning mere armchair tactics . They should also experience some actual
combat along the way . I could play the role of the aggressor if need be
and face off against the military folks in a mock battle . We should make
ample use of the simulators .

“Well, since I took the job, I need to do it properly . I won’t be risking my

life, plus I also get to have that noble lady officer owe me one in addition
to earning a bit of cash . Since Mimi can also get some training in, it’s not
all that bad . ”

“Hiro-sama . ”

“Hm?”
“Please be careful, okay?”

“Yeah . ”

I don’t know if Mimi was just particularly wary of Major Serena or she
actually doesn’t trust me much when it comes to things like this…… It’s
the former, right? Please tell me it’s the former .

“Don’t get yourself ensnared by that noble lady, okay . ”

“Can’t you trust me for once!?”

“Well, you’re guilty of previous offenses after all . ”

“Can’t really deny that, yeah . ”

I’m weak to this sort of guilt-tripping . And so, I spent the latter part of the
day trying to butter up Elma and the strangely sulky Mimi . The three of
us didn’t take a single step out of Krishna and spent the entire time holed
up inside the ship . It’s nice to have days like this from time to time .
Things are gonna get busy in the following days after all .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 45

Translator: SFBaka

It’s been a few days since the former Lieutenant and now Major Serena’s
unexpected visit . We basically spent these past few days inside the
Krishna, having some much-needed training .

Mimi continued to hone her Operator skills while Elma acted as support .
As for me…

“Mmhm, nobles really are scary . ”

At Elma’s recommendation… or rather, coercion, I was charged with

watching documentary holo-vids regarding the various troubles and
incidents involving the imperial nobility all throughout the Graccan
empire’s history .

According to Elma–

『The way you treat nobles is absolutely dreadful . In the worst case,
you’ll get yourself and the rest of your crew branded for disrespecting
noble authority and prestige, so do some studying about the subject, you
dolt . 』

At first, I thought it was all just too bothersome, but in the end, I began
understanding just how scary nobles really are .

The really scary thing was that nobles in the Graccan empire were allowed
to punish and kill non-nobles as long as there was a justifiable enough
reason to do so . This was a point worth noting .

The so-called ‘justifiable reason’ can be quite vague at times . It can go

from things like doing something that would harm the Graccan empire to
nobles being subjected to insults . Anyway, it was quite ambiguous . To put
things bluntly, making arbitrary use of such a rule is very possible, and it’s
basically up to the nobles themselves to judge what actions to take and
when to take them .

Nobles would restrain themselves somewhat if they are within another

noble’s territory, but generally, nobles would side with their fellow nobles
in most circumstances . That’s of course unless they were opposed to each
other due to conflict of interest among other reasons .

So, if you take a rude attitude against a noble, chances are it’ll go
something like this: How rude! You’ve sullied my dignity! Off with your
head! Guwaaah! Basically something to that effect .

Nonetheless, if a noble goes too overboard, there’s a chance he or she

would get eyed by the imperial government and could possibly be charged
with『treason against the empire』and get imprisoned for it, or worse .

The normal imperial subjects are also treated as valuable assets by the
emperor, and a decline in the population would result in a drop in national
power . And allowing despotic nobles to run loose is an affront to the
empire’s dignity, or so it seems .

Yes . Imperial nobles place major importance on dignity and honor above
all else . It is said that imperial nobles who were overly domineering
against the common people would have their standings within the rest of
noble society fall and would be ostracized by the rest of their peers .

It’s a bit daunting for me who was born and raised in modern Japan, but
the current Graccan empire has kept such a delicate balance going for
years and managed to establish a relatively stable rule . But if corruption
within the ranks were to spread, this sort of balance may collapse on its
head . However, since they’ve managed to stand strong until now, there
may be some sort of system in place that prevents that sort of corruption
from spreading .

“Nobles are bad news . ”

I blurted this out to Elma when she came to check up on how I was doing
and got an exasperated sigh in return . Did you really have to be that
exasperated?

“Yes, that’s right . Nobles are dangerous . That’s why you need to watch
your words when you’re in their presence . ”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind in the future . But it’s too late regarding
Major Serena, right?”

“That may be so, but you can never be too careful . Most imperial nobles
carry swords strapped to their waists, so pay attention, alright . ”

“I see . ”

For imperial nobles, their swords were a symbol of their honor and
prestige, it seems . Guess you can think of them as similar to a samurai’s
katana .

“Most of the nobles in the Graccan empire are fundamentally even-

tempered people so you shouldn’t have to worry so much most of the time
. But a select few are foolish to a ridiculous degree . It’s best to avoid
getting involved with those types . Well, it’s not like people like them
would purposefully get in touch with humble mercs like us except for
certain special circumstances anyway . ”

“Is that so?”

“Unlike most civilians, mercs like us generally carry laser guns after all .
And a lot of us are good in combat too . We also own armed starships as
well, right? Even they would think twice about recklessly provoking folks
like us and suffering a frenzied retaliation in return . In fact, in the case of
a noble attacking you with their sword, you can just suppress them with
your laser gun, right? When it comes to it, you can also use your ship to
give them trouble . If we’re somewhat afraid of nobles, they’re also wary
of us as well . ”

“I see . Well, even the most harmless-looking herbivore would bear its
fangs towards a carnivore if pushed into a corner . ”
“The example’s a bit off, but that’s basically it . But just like I said earlier,
it’s better for you to watch yourself when dealing with imperial nobles . ”

“I’ll really have to keep that in mind . I don’t want to be cut down for
stupid reasons after all . ”

I have no idea what kind of sword imperials nobles were carrying, but I
imagine you would get really hurt if you end up in the business end of said
swords .

“In any case, it’s just as I thought . It would have been better if I noticed it
earlier . ”

Elma shook her head as she grimaced as if she swallowed a kind of bitter
bug . What’s up? Elma opened her mouth again in response to my
questioning expression .

“Whether you really do have problems with your memory or came from
another dimension instead, I should have noted your complete lack of
common sense earlier . I should have made you learn about general
customs and common sense over here when we had the chance . ”

“I’m sure you mean well, but it kinda feels like you’re making fun of me
for some reason……”

Yeah, I have absolutely no idea regarding this dimension’s common sense!

There was no such setting in Stella Online after all! I’m only aware of my
dimension’s common sense, okay .

“From my point of view, it’s this dimension’s standard of common sense

that’s weird . I mean what the heck’s up with women automatically getting
in a relationship with the owner of a ship once they’ve boarded . It sounds
like some sort of crazy eroge scenario . ”

“At present, Hyperdrive tech has advanced much, so traveling from star
system to star system is a breeze . But a long time ago, once the ship
enters hyperspace, it would take one or two months before you can get to
your target destination . Do you think nothing will happen between a man
and a woman spending time all by themselves inside a ship for one to two
months?”

“Nope . ”

I think some sort of special circumstances are needed in order for the folks
stuck in that situation not to lay their hands on each other . Like
impotence, maybe .

“That’s how it is . That’s why it became the norm for women who board a
man’s private ship to prepare themselves for that sort of development
nowadays . That kind of custom has an appropriate history behind it . ”

“I see…… I’ll do my best to learn then . ”

“You better . I’m sure you’ll find it useful . ”

Elma smiled at me gently . Once you come to my age, it’s kinda hard to re-
learn your common sense from scratch, but let’s do our best…… But can’t
you do something about the teaching materials, Elma-san . They’re all
stuff aimed at kids and teens y’know .

“I’m Captain Hiro . I’ve been assigned as this fleet’s tactical advisor as of
today . Looking forward to working with you all . ”

It’s been a week after my in-depth study session . There were no problems
with me physically, and the study sessions and training proceeded without
a hitch .

That said, I only studied for a period of two days and spent the rest of my
time reviewing the data of the independent anti-pirate mobile fleet sent to
me by Major Serena in detail . I then ran various simulations using said
data . I tried piloting the ships on the Mercenary Guild’s simulators and
tried fighting with them as well using Krishna’s data .

“I’m told that Major Serena intends to build up this fleet in order to turn
each and every space pirate, who are nothing but scum of the galaxy, into
space debris . And I’m an expert in that particular field . That’s why I was
invited as your adviser at this time . ”

I declared as such as I ran my gaze around the military crew gathered

within the spacious briefing room we were currently in . Video feeds of the
briefing rooms of the other ships were also displayed on various monitors .
It seems my speech was being broadcasted live to the entire fleet .

“I shall teach you methods to effectively hunt them down, deceive them,
and corner them . I want you to absorb those methods fully and put them
to good use in actual fleet operations . I’m sure you’ll face some trouble
getting used to the fighting methods of a mercenary such as myself, but
I’m also quite certain my experiences will serve as good reference
material . It would be fine if we respect each other as comrades in arms
going after the same enemies henceforth . Looking forward to working
with you, ladies and gentlemen . ”

After my preliminary greeting speech, the crew of all the fleet’s ships
broke into a round of warm applause . Mm . Thank you for appreciating
such a common-sounding speech, guys . Well then, let’s do our best, shall
we?
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 46

Translator: SFBaka

“Now then, let’s start with the basics everyone . First, let’s review what we
know about pirates . ”

I put up the data I prepared about standard pirate ships in the holo-display
.

“Most pirate raid groups are composed of three to five ships . There’s
power in numbers, and they need at least that much manpower to ensure
they can hunt down their prey . Most of their armaments are composed of
Class I or Class II optical weaponry, seeker missile pods and multi-turret
cannons . These weapons don’t possess that much firepower to speak of
individually, but they forcibly cram as much of these weapons as they can
on their ship’s hardpoints so their overall firepower actually can’t be
underestimated in the end . Their usual M . O . is to surround civilian ships
with superior numbers and exhaust their shields by peppering them with
weapons fire . ”

The soldiers nodded at my explanation . The things I’m talking about are
basically common knowledge after all, and most folks who’ve encountered
or heard about pirates know about this stuff .

“Next, they often use heavily modified civilian ships, which are generally
seized from their past victims . As you would expect, the overall
performance and specs of civilian ships aren’t much to speak of .
However, they put a large emphasis on adding more thrusters while totally
ignoring the shield output and armor strength . Why? It’s because they
need to finish their work quickly and then bail out at the fastest speed . If
they take too long, it’ll heighten the chances of the military or mercenaries
sniffing them out . That’s why it’s necessary to quickly surround their
victims, pepper them with as much firepower as they can muster in order
to immobilize them, then finish the job . Basically, they work on the
premise of their targets not having the capability to fight back . ”
The soldiers looked convinced with my lecture so far . Most of them
probably have experience engaging with pirates . Yes, pirate ships are
quite fragile, and it’s extremely easy to fully saturate their shielding and
melt their armor if you bombard them with military-grade weaponry .

“So due to these factors, pirates are exceedingly wary of military presence
. They generally won’t work in sectors where the military is active, and
once they catch a military ship approaching their current hunting ground,
they won’t hesitate to abandon it . Those guys are afraid of dying pointless
deaths after all . In fact, if even a shadow of your military vessels get
spotted in a given sector where pirates are active, they’ll immediately drop
whatever else they’re doing, turn tail and flee swiftly . ”

“Yes, that’s right . We don’t usually encounter ones who actually fight
back . They would do so only in certain circumstances, like us raiding
their main bases . ”

“Yeah . They’re extremely sensitive to military presence and they have

eyes and ears within the various colonies, so I’m sure they’ve already
gotten wind of the formation of this independent anti-pirate mobile fleet
of yours . It’s only natural to be on alert once a number of unfamiliar
military ships enter port after all . ”

“That’s……”

“It can’t be helped you know . They usually worm their way in with
normal civilians and traders and would send info back to their respective
groups . It’s especially the case with this large colony . It would be really
difficult to sniff out all the moles they planted . Well, that’s not part of my
job scope though . I’m only in charge of teaching you all how to hunt
down pirates who are already prowling around in their ships . ”

“Yes, of course…… I’ll think of something on our end . ”

“Good luck . Let’s continue with the lecture then . ”

I then put up a map of the Termaine star system on the screen .

“This is a map of the area where Major Serena led a force to exterminate a
large pirate base a while back, and here’s the distribution of the pirate
incidents encountered by civilian ships before that base was destroyed .
Next is the distribution of confirmed pirate kills by mercenaries . Finally,
these are the incidents of civilian ships and mercenaries reported missing
within that area . ”

I’ve marked each distinct segment on the star map and put in lines to
indicate the estimated routes between all of them . There was a larger
concentration of encounters as well as kills the closer it got to the pirate
base .

“And this is the data after the base got destroyed for comparison . ”

When I operated the terminal I had on hand, the marks on the map
displayed on the screen changed drastically .

“It changed a lot, right? Now let’s add the points where the imperial fleet
has been active within the system recently . ”

The gathered soldiers all raised their voices in surprise . The kill and
encounter marks were evidently located well away from the sectors the
military was active in . This proves that the pirates were well aware of the
military’s movements and were actively keeping track of them .

“I don’t know about other mercenaries, but I personally collect this type of
data in order to more accurately figure out where the spots pirates would
be most active in order to hunt them down . It would be more accurate if
we had data regarding the mining spots claimed by private mining vessels,
but… well, this would be more than enough for us to be able to hunt them
anyway . Have you all managed to follow me so far?”

“Yes . How interesting . We’re recording the lecture, so feel free to

proceed . ”

“Alright . Now then, how can we use this basic knowledge in order to
effectively hunt down pirates? Let me say something before we proceed
though . And this might be a bit of a shock, but……”
I turned my gaze to Major Serena . She nodded and permitted me to speak
freely .

“I’ll lay it to you guys straight then . It’s impractical to use ships as large
or larger than cruisers to hunt for pirates . If you want to hunt down pirates
with maximum efficiency, there’s a fundamental need to make changes to
your entire fleet . ”

The soldiers became speechless at my words . Well, I expected as much .

This is basically a fleet organized with cruisers at its core after all . To be
specific, it’s composed of two corvettes, three destroyers, five cruisers,
and one battleship . It’s clear that the cruisers were intended to be this
fleet’s mainstays .

“Generally, the areas the pirates are most active in are largely within
asteroid fields . If you check the map I showed earlier, you’ll find that
most encounters did happen with asteroid fields in the area . Do you guys
think you can send in large cruisers inside those dense asteroid clusters
and still fight effectively?”

The soldiers quieted down . It’s virtually impossible . I also tried it using
the simulator . The shields got constantly rammed into asteroid clusters
and quickly got saturated . In the worst case, the ship got cornered by the
pirates instead and ultimately shot down . It was impossible, to begin with
.

“I did manage to scrape by using destroyers in the simulator, but I still

highly recommend using corvettes . It’s not my place to be lecturing you
guys about the fleet formation, honestly speaking, but I still want you all
to consider what I told you . ”

“Yes, of course . Much obliged . Thank you for the warning . However,
wouldn’t it be fine to suppress the pirates with our ship’s superior
firepower in the event that they do manage to run inside asteroid fields?”

I already anticipated Major Serena’s question, so I had an answer ready for

her .
“That’s indeed possible . You can actually defeat the pirates that way . But
I’m sure you’ll be flooded by complaints from the civilian mining firms .
They depend on those resource-rich asteroid fields for their livelihood
after all . I’m sure they’ll have a lot to complain about even when the
pirate threat is suppressed if the source of their income gets blasted to
kingdom come by the military . ”

“I see……”

While Major Serena mulled over my words, I turned my attention back to

the soldiers and made a suggestion .

“Though I recommended you change your fleet’s composition, I’m sure a

lot of you will be having trouble adjusting to that change . In the case of us
mercenaries, we can change ships and weapons easily without much issue .
But it’s not the case in the military . I’m sure most of you will feel
troubled if you were suddenly told to change ships, right?”

The soldiers nodded silently in answer . For most sailors, a ship is like a
second home, as well as a beloved companion . They won’t be able to
abandon their ships that easily .

“And so, this is what I suggest . Are you willing to do everything in your
power in order to hunt down pirates and protect the safety of the empire,
Major Serena?”

“Y-Yes, of course, I am . If it’s something in my power, then……”

“That’s what I wanted to hear . ”

A broad grin formed on my face as I relayed my suggestion to the gathered

crowd . Major Serena and the soldier’s eyes opened wide in surprise after
hearing it .

It’s been a few days since my lecture .

After finishing their preparations, the independent anti-pirate mobile fleet

sortied for their first pirate hunting operation in the Alein system .
“Confirming results . We have currently managed to successfully shoot
down thirty-two ships . ”

“Hahaha, the fish sure are biting the bait often . ”

“Yes, you’re right……”

Major Serena displayed a subtle expression as she stood beside me .

I was laughing in a good mood at the bridge of the battleship Restalias; the
flagship of the independent anti-pirate mobile fleet . The expression of
Major Serena, who was supervising the entire operation, was more
subdued . But I’m sure she’s inwardly happy since the fleet was able to
fulfill its main mission as intended .

“Man, as expected of military warships . The range and firepower are

nothing to sneeze at . ”
“Um…… Doesn’t this method seem a little too underhanded……?”

“Major Serena can smile happily while piling up achievements, the

soldiers can smile happily while earning distinguished service for the
country, and I’ll be able to smile happily once I get my bonus .
Everybody’s happy, right?”

“Well, yes, but……”

Major Serena gazed at me with a complicated expression on her face . I

turned toward the holo-display, where the figure of a medium-sized
transport ship was shown . The cargo loaded on it was a large batch of rare
metals, expensive goods and cutting edge medicine and medical
equipment produced in the Alein system . It’s a very tempting target for
most pirates .

The medium-sized ship on the holo-display seems to have had some

engine trouble and was now unable to move, and the rescue signal was also
very weak due to some sort of malfunction . By the way, this was an area
frequented by pirates . Perhaps the crew dropped the signal output on
purpose in order to not attract pirates .
Yup, I bet that’s it . I’m sure that’s the case .

“The strategy you proposed is working quite well . ”

I’m sure you guys already guessed it, but that ship is a decoy . Of course,
there’s no way for that type of civilian ship to be part of the military . It
was one of the ships owned by our great imperial noble miss, Major
Serena .

As expected of the daughter of a marquis . She purchased a 5,000,000 Enel

mid-sized civilian cargo ship just like that .
“Is it really okay for us to use such underhanded deception……?”

“Those guys are scum who unhesitatingly attack innocent businessmen

and women, miners and ordinary tourists after all . They don’t have the
slightest right to complain about our methods . In the first place, the
enemies are pirates . They’re not part of an enemy nation’s military forces
. You won’t be blamed no matter what sort of method you use against them
.”

I can do anything and everything for that big, fat bonus .

The strategy I proposed to them was pretty simple . The independent anti-
pirate mobile fleet would surely find it troublesome to hunt for pirates
lurking within packed asteroid fields by using their cruisers as mains .

Therefore, it would be fine if we can just bait them towards us . We

prepared a convincing decoy to act as bait and would shoot down
unsuspecting pirates lured by it with precision shelling from the fleet at a
safe and undetectable distance .

First, send in the corvettes and destroyers to scout out the area, clean up
any rogue pirates they encounter and make sure that the area is clear of
any pirate presence . Afterward, we would then hide the cruisers and the
battleship within the asteroid field . Even with their large, hulking forms,
cruisers and battleships can easily disguise themselves as normal asteroids
once they dropped their generator outputs . Some asteroids were as large
as your average battleship after all .
And lastly, we will deploy the bait at a certain distance from the fleet and
make it release a faint SOS signal . Once the pirates are successfully lured,
the superior firepower of the military cruisers and the main battleship
would ensure they would never be able to get out intact .

Large military warships such as cruisers and battleships are able to retain
a certain level of combat capability and basic functions even when their
generator outputs are set to the minimum . That firepower can be used to
swiftly finish off unsuspecting pirates without them noticing .

Once the capacitor charge decreases to a certain point, we would then turn
off the decoy’s SOS signal, re-start the generators and restore power again
. Once we finish re-charging, we will turn on the SOS signal once more
and start the whole process over . And so, we can effectively hunt down
pirates with the above method .

It would invite suspicion if we kept on doing it at the same spot, so after

hunting a certain number, we would move to a different sector . Then, it’s
just a matter of repeating the said method .

Twenty percent of the reward money earned from shooting down pirates
during this operation will go to me as bonus pay . Currently, we’re at 32
ships . So that means five ships worth of bounties will go straight to my
pocket . And all without expending any effort or capital on my part . I can
just watch the pirates get shot down like flies as I lounged in safety and
elegance while earning easy money . I just can’t stop laughing, man!

Oh, and by the way, the ones manning the decoy ship are all soldiers under
Major Serena’s direct command . In the unlikely event that a pirate or two
manages to escape bombardment and boards the ship, beefy onii-sans all
decked up in cutting edge military power armor would be waiting to
welcome them inside .

Eh? What if they decided to blow the decoy up and not board it? There’s
no way they would . Apart from damaging the valuable cargo, a medium-
sized civilian ship like the one we’re using can be turned into an effective
fire support vessel if they managed to capture it . There’s likely no pirate
who would decide to just destroy a nice-looking ship that’s only having
trouble with its propulsion system .

In the end, we managed to turn a total of 57 pirates into cosmic dust .

Twenty percent of the rewards will end up being mine . I guess it should be
about 100,000 Enels at least .

“Man, we sure earned some good money . ”

“You sure are happy……”

Major Serena directed a scornful gaze at me . She bought the decoy ship
with her own money but it was decided not to be reimbursable as part of
the operating expenses . So would it be possible to use a private ship for an
official military operation? In the end, she managed to push it through
with her noble privileges . Noble privileges sure are handy .

“If you make enough achievements, you may be able to successfully apply
for a reimbursement y’know?”

“It would be nice if a miracle like that were to happen . ”

Major Serena let out a sigh . It looks like a 5,000,000 Enel ship was also a
bit too much for a noble daughter of a marquis house . Oh well . I don’t
have any idea about her financial situation and have no intention of
knowing in the first place .

“You can do regular pirate hunting operations using this method . If you
somehow managed to get some info on their base, you can then plan for a
major subjugation operation and build up even more achievements . After
this, it’ll all just be a battle of wits between you and the pirates . ”

“I suppose…… But there’s still more than half of the contract period
remaining, so I’ll still have you accompany me, alright?”

“Aye, aye ma’am . ”

I was hoping for my contract to be fulfilled once I managed to get results

for pirate hunting, but it looks like that’s not the case .
I inwardly thought about what else she intended for me as I made a crisp
salute toward Major Serena .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 47

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

It seems that the military makes it a point to have regular ship

maintenance to ensure peak performance during operations . The idea is
that the ships were a product of the citizen’s blood, sweat, and taxes, and
were a grace bestowed upon them by the emperor, so they can’t treat them
poorly .

And so, even if they managed to dominate their enemies during their
maiden operation, the recently sortied ships of the independent anti-pirate
mobile fleet were now temporarily moored in the docks for some
maintenance and repair work . The soldiers took advantage of this
downtime to go to shore (i . e . the colony) for some R&R . Not that it has
anything to do with me anyway . I wanted to think up more strategies we
could use for today, or at least review the results of the previous operation
.

But it seems someone had other plans .

“Shall we go then?”

When I went over to the bridge of the flagship Restalias, I found Major
Serena all decked out in casual clothes for some reason and beaming with
a beautiful smile akin to countless flowers in bloom . There weren’t any
other crewmembers present .

Major Serena was wearing a beige knit sweater which sharply emphasized
her shapely body line paired with a black skirt . On her waist hung her
personal sword that had a bit of a cyberpunk flavor to it . How should I
describe it……? Fantasy casual style?

“Where are we……? Rather, what the heck are you planning this time?”
I asked Major Serena in a tone filled with suspicion . Even someone like
me would think twice and not go all「OK! A date with a hot babe!
Hyahooi!」like an idiot . Judging from her previous actions, I’m sure as
heck Major Serena was planning something again .

“How rude . To think you would imply I’m planning anything

unsavory……”

Major Serena dodged the issue with an *ohoho laugh . After seeing that, I
operated my personal data terminal .

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing . So, where do you plan to go?”

I just shrugged her question off with a tilt of my head and asked a question
myself . I only fiddled around with the terminal for a few seconds, so
Major Serena didn’t care too much about it in the end . In any case, let’s
just hear her out first .

“I’m off-duty today as well . ”

“Haa . ”

Looking at her outfit, you can easily come to that conclusion . But it would
be kinda interesting to see her doing military work while wearing these
types of clothes, I think . But it wouldn’t have any ounce of formality, so I
guess that’s impossible huh .

“So I was thinking of having a meal in the city for a change . ”

“That sounds great . ”

“But doesn’t eating out alone seem somewhat sad?”

Hahaha, sad she says .

“You can just invite your friends, right?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any friends in this star system . ”

Major Serena put one hand over her cheek as she displayed a troubled and
somewhat depressed expression . How artificial, lady .

“Is that so . Well then, how about inviting some of your subordinates?”

“I don’t think they would be able to feel at ease while off-duty if they’d
still see their superior officer’s face during this time . ”

“While it’s just until the contract period expires, aren’t I considered one of
your subordinates as well?”

“But that relationship will end once the contract expires, right? So you
would be able to relax around me better compared to my full-time
subordinates . And you don’t seem to be all that timid around nobles,
so……”

Major Serena shortened the distance between us while smiling . I, on the

other hand, was desperately widening the distance bit by bit to stall for
time .

“From the looks of it, I don’t have any work lined up today as well . So I
guess it’s fine if I take a day off myself today, right?”

“No, no . I’m free today but you’re not . I was planning on discussing anti-
pirate tactics and strategies with you over a meal today you know . Of
course, it’s all part of work . ”

“Part of work huh…… Isn’t this abuse of authority?”

“Fufu, something like this doesn’t count as an abuse of authority you

know, so worry not . You were hired by the imperial military as an anti-
pirate expert, so you can’t slack off on your duties okay . ”

Major Serena’s smile was akin to that of an apex predator that completely
cornered its prey . The pressure coming off from it was no joke . I can
completely see that this was a ploy for me to be completely under her
thumb .
As I mulled over my options, my data terminal’s ringtone rang out . I
quickly took it out of my pocket and asked Major Serena with a glance if I
could go outside to take the call . She reluctantly agreed, so I took the
opportunity to get out of the bridge for the meantime to take the call .

“It’s Hiro . ”

『So, what’s the situation?』

I sent a message to Elma asking for her to call me a moment ago when I
operated my terminal . I can’t handle someone like Major Serena on my
own after all .

“It seems it’s her day off . She’s asking me out for lunch . ”

『It’s a bit difficult for you to refuse, right? Just accept it under the
condition of us coming along with you . 』

“Gotcha . ”

I put down my terminal . Major Serena’s gaze didn’t leave me all this time
.

“Would it be fine if the rest of my crew came along?”

“……To think you’d suggest other women barging in on us during a date,

of all things?”

“It’s work-related, right? So it’s not anything that romantic . And Elma’s
more of a veteran in the mercenary business than me in any case . She
would be the perfect person regarding relevant mercenary work experience
I think . ”

As long as she insists it was work-related, I don’t think she would be able
to refuse something like this .

“Kuuh…… Fine then . ”

As expected, Major Serena agreed, albeit grudgingly .

“Good morning, Lady Serena . You look quite different in your casual
clothes . It looks great on you . ”

“Thank you, you also look quite pretty Elma-san . Mimi-san looks really
cute as well . ”

“U-Um, t-thank you…… You also look really pretty, Lady Serena . ”

Elma and Major Serena exchanged pleasantries with each other as Mimi
shrunk back in shame from being complimented on her outfit .

Elma was wearing a pretty, green-based outfit full of native charm . It was
a really elf-like outfit . Now, this is what I call ‘The Elf ’ . There wasn’t
even a hint of cyberpunk elements . Now that she’s put on this kind of
outfit, it’s the first time I felt that her usual nickname of disappointing elf
wouldn’t fit her .

Why don’t you wear these types of clothes more often? Whether inside the
ship or outside of it, she’s always put on mercenary-like clothes . And on
off days, she just wears stuff like normal shirts and pants . I’d welcome it
if she were to wear these kinds of outfits on a more regular basis .

And Mimi was wearing one of the dresses we bought . It was the one
which looked somewhat plain in colors but emanated a classic feel . When
worn by the cute Mimi, she becomes the very image of an elegant young
lady from a wealthy family . And her clothes also emphasized her
bountiful chest weapons more than usual .

Me? I’m wearing my usual outfit of a plain-looking shirt, baggy pants, and
rough-looking jacket . I’m a guy so I don’t really care so much about
fashion and stuff like that . I’m of the opinion that it would be fine if I at
least didn’t look weird . Yep .

“Normally, it would be my job to guide you ladies, but unfortunately, I’m

still unfamiliar with this colony, so…… Oh, excuse me . I ended up
speaking informally since we’re outside the ship and all . Is it okay?”
“Yes, I don’t mind . ”

“Thank you . I’m still not used to speaking formally and it makes me feel
all stiff . So do you have a place in mind already, Lady Serena?”

“Yes . There’s a restaurant specializing in organic dishes here that has

garnered good reviews . I’ve already made a reservation, so let us proceed
down elevator number 4 to the city proper . ”

“Aye, aye ma’am . ”

Organic dishes huh? In other words, it’s not food made from food
cartridges but from real meat and vegetables? I’m a bit curious now .

“……♪”

Mimi also couldn’t hide her excitement and was smiling brightly as she
walked . Mimi has made it her goal to eat all sorts of gourmet dishes in the
galaxy after all . I bet she’s happy to get the opportunity to taste new
dishes .

We chatted around while walking and finally arrived at elevator number 4 .

“We haven’t visited this area before, have we?”

“That’s because we shopped around the elevator number 2 area before

instead . ”

“The area around elevator number 2 is considered the downtown area of

this colony and is fairly popular . This area, on the other hand, houses a lot
of government offices and large corporations as tenants, so there are lots
of places like specialty shops for nobles and the rich, such as high-end
restaurants and the empire’s leading brand stores . ”

“There truly are a lot of well-dressed people walking around . ”

“But there are also a lot of guards patrolling . ”

Aside from Elma and Mimi, who were dressed in neat and beautiful
clothes, and Major Serena who had a sword slung on her hips, if a merc
like me walked alone in a place like this, chances are they would be held
up and thoroughly checked out by the musclebound guards on patrol .

I guess they see someone like me as a sort of private bodyguard when they
see me walking around with three properly dressed young ladies, so they
didn’t really pay attention to me as a result . Well, there was little chance
to be stopped by the patrols anyway since Major Serena has already
arranged for a taxi for us .

“Our destination is the third floor of this building . ”

“It looks just like a normal establishment though . ”

“Living space is precious here after all . Conversely, the interior of the
building is quite fancy . ”

“I kinda feel nervous for some reason . ”

“Fufu…… There’s no need to feel so nervous . It’s just a restaurant after

all . I have booked a private room for us, so there’s no need to be particular
about manners . ”

“Private room, huh……”

If I didn’t manage to bring Mimi and Elma along, I would have been all
alone with Major Serena in a private room . Just what sort of ploy was she
planning to rope me in with, I wonder?

“Now then, we’d better go ahead and enter . ”

Invited by a smiling Major Serena, the three of us stepped inside the

building .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 48

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

“Those idiots always underestimate me cause I’m a woman y’know……

Do they not think I’m doing my best? The bastards!”

“Ah- Un, y-you’re right . Yeah . ”

It has been thirty minutes since we entered the restaurant . We’d actually
gotten along quite well while spending time together . But…

(((This person was the type who’s hopeless with everything other than
work……!)))

Everything was great at first . I finally got to taste dishes made with real
meat and veggies after a long while and had a nice, elegant meal along
with some fine wine . But because I was a non-drinker, I only drank water .

However, as the meal progressed, Major Serena drank more and more
alcohol . Her eyes soon turned unfocused and her behavior turned for the
worse . We tried to warn her y’know . We were like ‘Serena-sama, that’s
enough don’t you think… . . ’ and all . But since it was a rare day off,
Major Serena insisted on drinking her fill, resulting in the current situation
.

“I kept bowing my head at them when I didn’t want to and kept forcing out
fake smiles…… but even then, what’s wrong with them, really!? They
keep staring at my chest! I’mma cut you down you damn perverts!”

She’s an unruly drunk!

She said we didn’t have to care about manners earlier, but it actually
applies to her more than it does to us, right?
“Uh…… Calm down . Calm down alright . Now, let’s put down the sword,
okay?”

We somehow managed to calm down Lady Serena, whose hand was

already on her sword’s hilt, removed the sword from her waist and placed
it in a corner in the back of the room . Spare me from something like a
berserker drunkard, please .

“And youuu! I’ve already pulled out all da stopsh, and yet you shtill refuse
to budge!”

“You wanna hear why?”

“I do not……”

Major Serena replied back and blocked both her ears while displaying a
tearful expression .

“I already know the reason, okay…… I kept pestering you with annoying
recruitment schemes right……?”

“So you’re actually self-aware……”

Elma smiled wryly as she gazed on at Major Serena, who now had her face
plastered on the table . But honestly speaking, the merits of joining Major
Serena in the imperial military are too little .

“Uh, if I remember correctly, you said I’d be granted the rank of First
Class Warrant Officer if I agreed to join the military, right?”

“Yes, that’s right . Are you finally gonna join up?”

“How much is the pay?”

“……4000 Enels per month at the minimum . ”

“I can earn up to 10,000 Enels per day at least you know . Do you really
think I’ll sign up?”
“……Uu . ”

Man, getting stared at by a tearful beauty feels awkward .

Well, it’s not like there’s no advantage to joining up at all y’know . If you
somehow manage to make significant achievements during a war, you’d
probably be knighted by the empire and become a First Class citizen . And
my plan of getting a detached house with a garden on a terrestrial planet
would probably proceed more smoothly .

But that method would take a lot of time . There’s no guarantee a major
incident that would allow my swift promotion among the ranks would
happen in the first place . And if I decided on steadily building up my
military career, it would take more than a decade in order for me to reach
my goal . I don’t even know what would happen to Krishna . I honestly
don’t want to take such a time-consuming and troublesome method .

“Well, that’s how it is, so I hope you give up on roping me into the
military please . We’re already all acquainted like this, so It’s not like I
won’t consider accepting it if you have a legitimate job you want me to do
you know . ”

“……You won’t abandon me?”

“Please stop making that tearful expression . It’s unfair . And we’re not in
that kind of relationship in the first place okay . ”

After giving her my sharpest, coldest gaze to boot, Major Serena pulled
back her tears and pressed her lips together sulkily . What a woman .
Really .

“I would have given you a piece of my mind if you fell for that . ”

“You’re looking down on me too much, don’t you think?”

“H-Hiro-sama is kind after all . ”

Mimi hugged my arm and soothed me . Tsk . I’ll let that slide for now, but
I’m gonna let you have it one of these days, you nagging elf .
“……Unfair . ”

Major Serena whispered while still remaining hunched on the table .

What’s unfair?

“Unfair! It’s so unfair–! I was the one who first had my eye on Captain
Hiro you know–!”

“Uh……”

She then stamped her feet while still sitting on her chair and cried loudly .
Even someone like me would draw away after being shown something like
this .

“What does she mean?”

“What did she mean by that?”

Elma and Mimi both grilled me for an answer .

“Well, I got in trouble with Termaine Prime’s port authorities when I first
got there y’see . Major Serena ended up bailing me out . ”

“That’s right you know . I helped you out, ‘kay . I’m the one who first met
Captain Hiro…… But why is it that when I met him again, he already had
other women sticking to him!?”

“Now why’d you have to say it like that……?”

I was baffled .

“It’s not like it’s any of Lady Serena’s business if other women come on to
Hiro right?”

“Uguh…… T-That’s right…… You’re right, but–……!”

But? I waited for her to continue, but Major Serena ended up swallowing
the rest of her words by gulping down some more alcohol . Oi, oi . You’re
already that plastered and you’re still drinking?
“Uu……”

Major Serena ended up passing out in the end . I, Elma, and Mimi looked
at each other in bewilderment .

“So, what should we do about this?”

“Can’t we just eat and leave her here?”

“If you have the guts to . We’re talking about a lady from a marquis house
here . ”

“If her parents got wind of it, we won’t be getting off lightly huh . ”

While we were talking like that, the tablet terminal we were provided with
for use in ordering dishes rang . I picked it up .

“Yes?”

『You’re reservation time is almost up, dear customers . Would you like to
extend it?』

“Um……”

Major Serena was completely down for the count . I looked toward Elma
and saw her shake her head .

“The rent for these sorts of establishments is crazily expensive . It’ll blow
up on our faces if we agree to extend the time . ”

She whispered her reply to me . Mimi already started nursing Major

Serena . With Major Serena like that, they wouldn’t be able to support her
themselves even if Elma gave a hand . Guess I have to carry her back then
.

“We won’t be extending . Please send us the bill . ”

『Understood . We will be waiting for you at the lobby . 』

The call was then cut . I let out a tired sigh .

We ended up paying quite a lot of money for the meal we had and decided
to return to the Krishna for the meantime . It would be bad for Major
Serena’s image if we brought her back to the military base while she was
down for the count like this . We’re not that heartless .

“Good grief……”

I brought the inebriated Major Serena to the ship’s med pod and left her in
Mimi and Elma’s care . Since you can’t get treated inside the med pod
while wearing lots of clothes, she had to be stripped down first . I can’t
possibly do such a thing myself . It’s quite bad for an unwed noble young
lady to be seen mostly naked by a man after all .

I moved to the dining area, took out a bottle of non-carbonated cola, and
took a big swig . Un, that hit the spot .

Now then, what should I do now? I ended up thinking about what Major
Serena blurted out earlier . The stuff about her having her eye on me first
and getting miffed about me getting it on with other women .

I guess it’s nothing but the ramblings of a drunk person . Yep . They
weren’t words she said when sober, so I decided not to mind them too
much . The other party was a hopeless drunk of a woman who almost
swung her sword recklessly in a room after all . It’s not worth considering .

After summing it up like that, my mind felt cleared up . Did the sugar
from the non-carbonated cola come up to my head or something?

In any case, it’ll be better for me not to pursue today’s matter further and
act as if nothing had happened in front of her . I really didn’t want to be
the target of gratitude from a troublesome girl like her . The cost of the
meal was really expensive, but…… it’s not really worth making a big deal
about anyway . We can easily earn that kind of money back by shooting
down one pirate ship slapped with a bounty after all .
But I’m sure it’s the other party who would feel awkward about all this
later . Since she’s already shown us such disgraceful behavior, I bet she’d
be embarrassed to make aggressive recruitment advances like this from
now on . If you think about it that way, the cost of the food would seem
cheap .

Even so, to think she’d show us such a side of her in a meal she arranged
herself . I kinda find it strange that she’d ended up in that state if it really
isn’t her first time drinking alcohol…… Hm . I don’t get it . Maybe she
really was hopeless about anything apart from work?

While I was thinking about Major Serena’s matters, Mimi entered the
dining room .

“Lady Serena has regained consciousness . ”

“Really? Isn’t it too fast?”

“The med pod successfully managed to take out the alcohol from her
system, it seems . ”

“Man, that med pod’s amazing . ”

As expected of a medical machine from the future . As long as you have a

personal med pod, wouldn’t you be able to drink all the booze you want?
Now that I think about it, Elma did seem to have been entering the med
bay often . Was she using the med pod for that purpose?

“Does it look like it would be okay for me to see her?”

“It seems she’s still talking with Elma-san, so it would be best if you
stayed here for a while more . ”

“That so? I’ll do that then . Do you want something to drink, Mimi?”

“I’m fine . ”

Mimi then sat down beside me . It looks like she won’t be starting a
conversation any time soon and just sat there quietly . Should I start one
myself?

“Those organic dishes sure were delicious . ”

“Yes, they sure were…… It was my first time eating fresh meat and
vegetables . But you looked like you were used to eating them, Hiro-sama .
”

“Well, yeah . In the world I came from, we ate that sort of stuff normally
everyday . There was no stuff like food cartridges or auto-cookers, so I
kinda found the stuff here novel as well . ”

I moved my gaze toward our high-performance auto cooker, Tetsujin V,

sitting quietly in the corner of the dining room . I find the fact that you can
actually make all sorts of dishes by using those watercress-looking plants
and krill as bases really amazing .

“But I have no idea if the organic dishes I’m familiar with and the organic
dishes here are actually the same . ”

“Are they different somehow?”

“In my world, the thing they call organic cooking involves using
ingredients that didn’t make use of stuff like agrichemicals or artificial
fertilizers to grow . I don’t know if the ingredients that restaurant used
made use of such things or not . ”

“Hmh…… That method seems inefficient somehow . ”

“They say it’s better for your body’s health and would improve the taste if
you do it like that . I’m not sure if that’s true though . In short, it’s a dish
made with high-quality ingredients . I haven’t really had the chance to eat
those types of dishes yet . ”

In the first place, I’m unable to determine the difference between dishes
that made use of organic ingredients and dishes which did not, so I didn’t
really bother about it . Cola and junk food were my absolute favorites . In
that sense, the food made via food cartridges suit me better, I guess .
“What dish did you find delicious, Mimi?”

“I really like the seafood salad . Crisp vegetables paired with chewy
shrimp and squid drizzled with tasty dressing……!”

Mimi put both her hands together as her eyes sparkled . Mimi seems to
enjoy it very much whenever we talk about food .

“I can also make something like seafood salad on my own . If we had the
ingredients for it, that is . ”

I imagined the ingredients in my head . There’s the vegetable and seafood

mix . Then there’s the vinegar and oil needed to make the dressing .
Getting a hold of things like spices and salt is a problem as well .

“Really!?”

Mimi pressed closer to me with her eyes still sparkling . Whoa there .
Calm down . Calm down, alright .

“If we have the ingredients for it, then yeah . I did live on my own back in
my world, so I do know how to cook for myself . But we don’t have any
ingredients here…… There’s no kitchen as well . Oh yeah . Didn’t we see
some stuff which looked like cooking implements in the gadget shop we
visited a while back?”

They didn’t seem all that useful at the time so we didn’t get them . Would
it be better to buy some next time?

“Let’s shop for those next time! I’ll make sure to thoroughly research the
places that sell them!”

“Y-Yeah, okay . ”

Mimi grasped my hand tightly as her eyes continued sparkling . Tetsujin

has made some salads a couple of times already, but it seems she’s really
fixated on that seafood salad . I hope she won’t end up disappointed by the
one I’d make in the end .
We were in the middle of discussing when we would go out to shop when
the door of the dining room opened . When I looked toward the door, I saw
Elma and Major Serena entering the room . Major Serena’s clothes no
longer looked disheveled, and the color of her face seemed normal . Looks
like the alcohol was completely purged from her system .

“Thanks for waiting . The princess has awakened . ”

“It looks like she didn’t need a kiss from Prince charming . ”

“Ara? Did you want to, perhaps?”

“I’m not the prince charming type . ”

Elma smiled and shrugged at my reply . Major Serena was covering her
face with both hands and was shivering slightly . Her ears were bright red .
She seems really, really embarrassed .

“Man, it sure is hard for people in positions of authority huh . Well, isn’t it
nice to let out all of that stress every once in a while?”

“I’m really grateful to you all for this time’s matter . ”

“Please don’t mind it . That organic food was really delicious, you know .
If we didn’t have you with us, we probably wouldn’t be able to visit such a
fancy establishment in the first place . If you really feel like thanking us,
then I’d be satisfied if you could introduce us to more places like that
from now on . ”

We’ll just call it even if she can introduce us to more places like that .
Afterward, we won’t be owing each other anything . I’m really afraid of
piling on any more debts .

“A-Alright . I shall introduce you to some in the future . ”

“That’s great . Do you want me to escort you out of the ship?”

“N-No, I’m alright . Um……”

“I understand that you’re really worried about a lot of stuff . I’ll just treat
it as having not heard anything . We ate some good food and drank some
fine wine . Let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

“I’m truly thankful for your consideration . ”

Major Serena got off the Krishna with her face still bright red . The three
of us saw her off .

“……It must be really hard to be a female military officer . ”

Mimi blurted out such a thing while watching that person’s disappearing
back .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 49

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

After the day off, we continued with the pirate extermination…… is what
I’d wanted to say .

“They aren’t biting . ”

“Yeah, looks like it . ”

After a week, we started being unable to attract any more pirates . Well,
that just goes to show pirates aren’t that stupid after all . We always made
sure to destroy all the ships we lured in the past, but it’s not like we can
ensure that they wouldn’t be able to send out some form of emergency
communication before being shot down . It’s likely that they’ve already
heard about our hunting method through some sort of channel .

“Now then, what do we do about this? Shall we go ahead with ‘that’ plan?”

The plan I’m talking about was to change the ship’s I . D . and name .
Normally, ship names and I . D . s aren’t so easily changed, but Major
Serena was an imperial noble after all . We can just make use of her
privileges to get our way . Afterward, we just had to refurbish the exterior
and repaint it so it can function as pirate bait again .

The achievements of Major Serena had already started being heard of by

the higher-ups, and it actually seems they’d agree to let the decoy ship
become a part of the official military expenses . Depending on how it
goes, we may even get approved to buy another decoy ship .

It seems they were thinking of using the ship as a supply vessel or military
transport ship if ever it outlives its purpose as a decoy ship, so it wouldn’t
completely go to waste .
“That would be a valid course of action, but wouldn’t this be a good time
to stop our present activities and aim straight for the source?”

Major Serena shook her head at my proposal .

“Yeah . Based on the number of heads we’d shot down so far, I’m sure
they’re already running out of manpower as well . ”

The number of pirates shot down during our continuous pirate hunting
operations has already reached more than 200 ships . If this were a game,
those types of grunt enemies would keep spawning infinitely, but this is
reality . The lost ships won’t get replaced by a game script, the pirates
who’ve lost their lives wouldn’t get resurrected either . The number of
pirate ships active in a certain star system is finite .

But if you look at the entire galaxy as a whole, their numbers remain
overwhelming . Even if their numbers get reduced temporarily, if they had
a main base of operations, they would be able to gather numbers again by
recruiting rogue pirates from neighboring star systems . Then they would
be able to resume operations once more .

It’s not like you can completely prevent them from gathering again once
you destroy their base, but at least after the loss of a base that allows them
to resupply and get regular repairs, they would be unable to operate as
aggressively as before . Their numbers will definitely get reduced and they
would find it hard to function as an organization again .

“Well then, let us proceed and crush the source . ”

We’ve already managed enough valuable intel about their base after
recovering the data caches of the ships we managed to shoot down . Major
Serena chose to directly eradicate the pirate base .

“How should we arrange it? Would we be boxing them in like last time?”

“Destroying them in a siege would be the best bet after all . I’ll ask for
cooperation from the Mercenary Guild again . ”
I really think Major Serena was an excellent military officer for
acknowledging the fact that we won’t be able to crush the pirate base on
our own . She didn’t overly concern herself with raising her own
achievements but chose a method that would raise the success rate of the
operation instead .

“How about me?”

“I’d prefer it if you participate, of course . You’ll be granted the same

conditions as the other mercenaries though . ”

“Depends on those conditions then . ”

I shrugged and didn’t give a straight answer .

“How levelheaded of you . ”

Major Serena made a bitter smile . Well, if you’re told to do some work
outside of the given contract, it’s only natural that you get paid separately
for that work, right? Us mercs don’t work for charity after all .

“If, say, we want to destroy a pirate base by ourselves, how much force do
we need to deploy?”

“If you want to completely destroy them, I’d say you’d have to add at least
thirty corvettes to serve as an advance force apart from the ships we have
right now . If you really want to make sure, then make it fifty . ”

If we just wanted to destroy the pirate base itself, then the ships we had on
hand were more than enough for the job . A pirate base is basically just a
remodeled supply base or outpost, so the firepower of one battleship and
five cruisers would make short work of it . We can just bombard the base
from a distance well away from the range of their defense systems .

But it’s a different thing if you want to completely annihilate them . Once
the bombardment starts, I bet the pirates would load as much stolen loot as
they can on their ships and escape . In order to prevent that from
happening, we’ll have to send in an advance force first . The independent
anti-pirate mobile fleet led by Major Serena doesn’t have nearly enough
hands for that . In order to make sure of the target’s annihilation, we’ll
have to send in the number of corvettes I proposed at the very least .

Thirty to fifty corvettes would just be enough for the job . The military
corvette is a pretty fast ship with decent firepower and is unmatched by
other ships in its class when it comes to recon ability, responsiveness, and
close-range dog fights .

Even in the upper levels of the military, there were factions that advocate
the use of battleships and cruisers with longer range, heavy armor, and
high firepower, as opposed to ones that promote the increase in
deployment of corvettes and destroyers with high mobility, response times
and suppression capabilities for use in starship-style blitzkrieg tactics .

“It would be quite difficult for this fleet to procure that much corvettes
I’m afraid . ”

“Thought so . You can just rely on outside help to compensate . Just like
last time . That’s why the Mercenary Guild exists after all . ”

“Yes, you’re right . ”

Major Serena cupped her delicate chin with her fingers and seems to be
thinking about something . I’m sure she’s thinking about ways to increase
the number of ships and personnel assigned to the anti-pirate mobile fleet .
That’s her job as a military officer . It’s not something I can offer advice
on .

“We’ve gathered the necessary data . I will be getting permission for the
operation from HQ .

On the second day after Major Serena’s report to the higher-ups, the
operation was finally given a go . The local imperial garrison won’t be
participating in the operation this time . The ships of the independent anti-
pirate mobile fleet finished their regular maintenance yesterday and were
now hiding within the Alein star system while pretending to have moved
to a different system altogether .
This time’s operation was a surprise attack . We would swiftly destroy the
pirates before they get news of our approach and have the chance to scatter
and flee . The briefing will be performed via a pre-recorded holo-video,
and the mercenaries of the Alein Tertius colony would immediately head
out after said briefing .

The plan was for each ship to deactivate their FTL drives once the
operation starts and launch a simultaneous blitz attack on the unsuspecting
pirates .

“It’s almost time, Hiro . ”

“Righto . Ready, Mimi?”

“Yes, I’m good to go!”

We were waiting for the start of the operation within Krishna’s cockpit .
There were a lot of ships in the same trade around us . We will synch with
them and simultaneously deactivate our FTL drives once we reach the
target area . We will switch the generator from standby mode to cruise
mode later on and will head to the target area via high-speed drive .

“We’ll finally be entering combat after so long . Your skills haven’t rusted,
have they?”

“Probably . How about you?”

“Adjusting the power output and controlling the subsystems is a piece of

cake for me . Who do you think I am?”

Elma flashed me a provocative grin . Looks like she’s fine . I also kept up
with practicing my skills using the simulator, so I think I’ll be fine . Some
of my piloting instincts may have dulled a bit, but I’m sure I’ll get into the
groove again once the battle starts .

“FTL drive, charging start . Activating in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…… FTL drive,

activate . ”
The Krishna launched out almost at the speed of light after a booming
sound akin to an explosion rang out . We’re practically in a vacuum out in
space, so just how is that sound produced, I wonder? I did a little
investigating a while back but came up empty .

Well, it’s not like there wasn’t any relevant info at all . It’s just that I
couldn’t make sense of it . There was something written about the energy
shields affecting the overall structure and mass of the ship’s hull resulting
in some kind of effect . It all sounded like gibberish to me . I tried reading
up on the principles behind the FTL drive and didn’t understand a thing as
well .

Oh well . No skin off my back anyway . I could still use a smartphone,

computer, microwave, and T . V . even without understanding how exactly
they worked before anyway . And I can still pilot a ship even without
understanding how it actually functions .

“I wonder how much we’ll be able to make this time?”

“Let’s see . The fixed pay is 50,000 Enels after the operation, and the
performance rewards are 5,000 Enels for small ships, 20,000 for medium
ones, and 100,000 Enels for large ones . ”

“So it’s just like last time?”

“Well, it’s kind of like the standard reward amounts . Add the bounty
rewards and loot to that as well . Any large scale pirate extermination
operation spearheaded by the military is mostly like this . You could
definitely make plenty of profits if your skills are up to par, so a lot of
mercenaries participate in these sorts of operations . Once their nest is
poked, the pirate ships that escape out would be absolutely loaded with
loot after all . ”

Well, since the base was set to be blown to kingdom come by the military
warships, it made sense that the pirates would attempt to salvage as much
loot as they could while attempting to escape . It would be better to have
less cargo in order to gain more mobility during combat, but the pirates
have next to no chance of winning against military ships anyway . So why
not bet on a small possibility of escaping with all the loot they’ve
managed to acquire instead? If they ever managed to successfully escape,
they would be able to sell off all the loot in exchange for a great amount of
cash and live easy for some time .

“Now then, let’s have a good one…… I wonder if Major Serena managed
to do things properly on her end?”

“I’m sure she did . That person is at least excellent as a military officer,
thankfully . ”

“Ahaha……”

Mimi made a bitter laugh at Elma’s statement . Yeah . That unfortunate

incident with her was still fresh in our minds after all .

“We will be arriving at the target point soon . Deactivating FTL drive in 5,
4, 3, 2, 1……”

After another loud boom, the surrounding stars which were streaming
behind us like streaks of light turned stationary again . We’re back to
normal space .

Shortly afterward, the independent anti-pirate mobile fleet began their

bombardment . The relentless barrage of large-caliber laser cannons,
plasma cannons, and electromagnetically accelerated kinetic rounds from
the main battleship and cruisers pierced the large asteroid that the pirates
appeared to be using as their base of operations, destroying both its
surface and internal structures .

“They sure are going at it . ”

“There are few pirate ships that managed to sortie in time . The surprise
attack was a success . ”

“Are the prey coming out now?”

There’s a chance they were destroyed by the shelling before having the
chance to flee as well . That’s bad though . This is a good chance to make
money after all .

Krishna’s generator output was raised to battle mode . We then began to

advance toward the pirate base . The other mercenary ships were also on
the way .

“Multiple bogeys on the radar . The pirates have begun deploying!”

“That’s great news . Looks like we won’t be going back empty-handed

after all . ”

“I’ll turn the weapon systems online then . ”

After Elma’s declaration, the front part of Krishna’s hull transformed, and
four manipulator arms equipped with large-caliber pulse laser cannons
came out of it . At the same time, two large-caliber cannon barrels popped
out from both sides of the cockpit . They were shotgun cannons sporting
immense firepower .

“Alright! Let’s go!”

With an excited shout, I raced through the battlefield with my trusty

Krishna .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 50

ranslator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

“10 o’clock direction, angle 20 degrees, three enemy ships approaching!”

I followed Mimi’s pronouncement and adjusted the direction of the ship’s

bow . They’re coming .

“Reversing heading after we pass by the enemies . I’ll take their behinds .
”

I pointed the bow straight at the approaching enemy ships and accelerated;
quickly passing them by . We were hit by a few shots of their lasers and
multi-cannons, but the damage was minimal .

“Brace for Gs!”

Krishna’s auxiliary boosters activated and made the ship turn a full 180
degrees . We successfully got behind the enemy ships . Intense Gs will
result from the sudden acceleration and turn, so we had to grit our teeth
and bear it .

“Enemy out front!”

“Take this!”

We completely took their sorry behinds . I blasted the two ships on the
wings with the pulse laser cannons while the enemy ship directly in the
middle of my sights was given the shotgun cannon treatment . They
looked like they were desperately trying to escape, but there’s no way they
would be able to outmaneuver and escape the Krishna .

“That’s three down!”

The cannon barrels on both sides of the cockpit spewed fire and countless
submunitions rained down on the enemy ship from behind . The
projectiles saturated their shield in an instant, successfully destroying
their thrusters, as well as the main energy cables and power generator
beyond . Another serving of swiss cheese was successfully made .

We left the wreckage of the three ships and headed out to hunt for more
prey .

“Looks like your skills haven’t dulled after all huh?”

“I wonder . ”

“3 o’clock, elevation 20 degrees, multiple enemies detected . Six… no,

seven ships incoming! Two medium sized ships are among them . ”

“Shall we charge through?”

“Of course . I’ll leave the chaff and flare timing to you . ”

“Got it . ”

I fired up the thrusters once more and aimed the bow at the direction of the
enemy ships .

『Enemy approaching…… What the heck is that? A ship with arms?』

『Ship with arms……? Oi, show me the live feed– The heck! Ain’t this
the monster from last time!? That one’s bad news man! Hurry up and get
out of here!』

『Even if you say that, how are we supposed to run away!?』

『Let’s just get it before it gets us you guys!』

There really were seven ships . They also turned their bows towards us and
accelerated . They were composed of two mid-sized ships, missile
support ships and a modified transport ship .

“Let’s get those mid-sized ships first . ”

“Okay!”

“Yes . ”

『Fire, fire, fire! Give em hell!』

Several alarms rang out within the cockpit . They fire off heat seeking
missiles . They have accurate heat guidance capabilities and have enough
firepower to greatly damage both energy shields and physical armor .
They were one of the nastiest pieces of weaponry the pirates possessed .

“Launching flares . ”

At Elma’s shout, multiple heat sources launched out from Krishna . The
seeker missiles fired off by the two mid-sized pirate ships were
successfully led away by the heat sources and lost their original bearings .
Krishna managed to completely ward off the seeker missile barrage .
Just like that .

『Second volley……!』

『Activate the ship defenses!』

『Stop!』

“Like I’d allow that . ”

They were already well with weapon range . The modified mid-sized
ships opened their missile bays again, but it’s too late . The two shotgun
cannons roared out at the same time, peppering their shields with
submunitions and successfully tearing through it . They then pierced the
hull and the opened missile bays .
『Uwaaaaaaaaaaa-!?』

The two mid-sized ships exploded and were brought down . The rest of the
pirate ships behind them looked at the sight in horror .

After witnessing such a spectacle…

『T-This is bad……』

『Run awa–』

“I’m sorry, but you can’t escape . ”

“Course they won’t . Sorry, but we’re gonna have to destroy you all here .
”

I shot the panicked escaping pirate ships with multiple laser cannon and
shotgun cannon rounds . Is it fun to slaughter enemies who’ve lost the
will to fight back, you ask? Course it is! I’ll be able to earn money while
getting rid of the galaxy’s scum . There’s nothing more rewarding . Meting
out justice and righteousness felt amazing as always .

『H-Help–』

“No can do . ”

We can potentially be labeled as going overboard by doing this, but we’re

talking about pirates after all . There’s no merit in letting them live .

“Area clear . The nearest targets are in the 1 o’clock direction . ”

“Let’s head over . ”

“Yes . ”

All three of us nodded at each other and turned Krishna to head to the next
battlefield .
“What’s the current situation?”

“The surprise attack seems to have succeeded . There’s no threat of

effective retaliation . ”

“I see . Please tell the rest of the ships to continue calmly executing their
mission orders . ”

“Aye!”

The battle is overwhelmingly in our favor . It was fortunate that we were

able to destroy the pirate base’s hangar with the first attack . As long as
you manage to crush them before managing to launch out, any ship, no
matter how powerful, is as good as a wooden dummy .

Because we only managed to destroy the main hangar, the pirates still
managed to launch out from some of the other ones…… But I guess the
mercenaries have got it covered . The pirates who were trying to escape
from this sector have been successfully confined .

Normally, only one imperial space force division is assigned to each

individual star system within the empire’s territories . There were regular
scheduled patrols, but they were only allowed to make a move on pirates
they encountered along the way and weren’t allowed to actively pursue
them . This was virtually the first time ever that a specialized independent
mobile fleet formed to hunt down pirates was organized and deployed by
the empire .

It was long accepted as part of common knowledge that the imperial space
fleet could not actively participate in the act of hunting down pirates . And
the current situation is the result of overturning that very concept on its
head . Due to the fact that our fleet was not bound by traditional rules nor
obligated to directly report our actions to the local garrison except if the
circumstance calls for it, crucial information about our movements did not
manage to reach the pirates before we sprung our attack, and thus we
ended up completely blindsiding them .

“What about the current reward rankings……?”

I operated the data terminal I had on hand and checked out the current kill
scores of the mercenaries participating in the operation . Ranked first was–
Krishna . It was ‘his’ ship . After I confirmed that, a pleased smile
couldn’t help but form on my lips . Oh, this just won’t do . I can’t have
myself daydreaming in the middle of an operation . I quickly covered my
mouth with a hand in order to hide my silly-looking smile and somehow
managed to regain my calm after a while .

It’s not the time to be grinning like this . I have to be ready in case an
unexpected accident occurs .

“With this, it’s over . ”

“Area clear . There are no more enemy signatures on the radar . ”

It seems there were still sporadic battles going on in other sectors, but
there were no more enemies within the area we’re at anymore . I also
tried to check out the radar and confirmed that there really were no more
enemies nearby . The rest were in sectors far away from us .

“How many did we manage to get?”

“Our total kill count is 33 small ships and 3 medium-sized ones . ”

“Doesn’t it seem a little on the low end compared to last time on the
Termaine system?”

Yeah . The results we got from the Termaine system operation were much
better compared to this time . Did my skills really get dull?

“I think this result is reasonable . The number of pirates this time was too
small after all . It’s a stellar result if we count that factor in . ”

Hm . Yeah, I guess the number of enemies wasn’t that much this time .
Did that first attack get a majority of them?

“I guess so . So let’s see… A small ship nets us 5,000 and a medium one is
20,000, right? So all in all, we earned about 225,000 Enels . ”
“Add the participation reward of 50,000 to that as well . And we’ve yet to
factor in the pirate bounties . ”

“If I remember correctly, the individual bounty put up for the small ships
is 10,000 and the medium ones go for 50,000 . So, adding the
participation pay, we’ll have another 500,000 plus Enels of earnings,
right?”

“Something like that . So we’ll net roughly 700,000 Enels all in all,
correct? There’s also the loot we’ve yet to recover from the ships we shot
down . ”

“We have to work hard on that front . ”

Since there were no more enemies in the immediate vicinity, we’ll start
looting the wreckages of the down pirate ships now . We shouldn’t aim
for quantity, but focus on nabbing high value targets such as rare metals,
high tech products and luxury items such as alcohol and newly developed
drugs . Most of the drugs are illegal goods of course, but in a sanctioned
military operation like this one, the military is willing to buy off things
like those from our hands, so everything’s good . I have no idea what
they’re gonna use them for though .

The imperial government may be thinking that it would be too

troublesome to leave those kinds of illegal goods to float as space debris
since they’ll have a more difficult time regulating them . Those containers
filled with illegal drugs would continue to drift aimlessly in space if we
don’t move in to retrieve them after all . That, in turn, will attract the eyes
of greedy scavengers – illegal garbage collectors aiming specifically for
those types of debris .

Those guys would appear after every large scale battle and would proceed
to strip the former battlefield of everything they find even remotely
valuable . The reason they’re called scavengers, or rather, carrion eaters,
is simple: they simply aimed to make profits off the battlefield where
countless soldiers and mercenaries spilled their blood without risking their
own lives .
I don’t have any particular opinion about them . Though I do think what
they’re doing was a bit troublesome . But I’m sure that line of work
doesn’t make one much profit . But some mercenaries and soldiers hate
those types as much as the space pirates . There were plenty of scavengers
who didn’t think twice about selling off illegal goods on the black market
after all . But something like that is to be expected, I guess . Everybody
has to fill their own bellies one way or another .

“I’ll stay on guard, so can you please teach Mimi how to operate the
recovery drones, Elma?”

“Aye aye, sir . Let’s do our best, Mimi . ”

“Y-Yes!”

Elma started using the for suitable spoils using the specialized sensors . I
then drove the ship according to her directions .
Error1010Ray ID: 599864f68d2bfdc9 • 2020-05-26 15:05:26 UTC
Please enable cookies.
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 52

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

Now then folks, I refer to this thing as a power armor, and folks in this
world called it as such as well, but the official name of this thing is a bit
different and sounded kinda long . What was it now? Reactor-powered
Artificial Muscle-driven Reinforced Exoskeleton? Something like that, I
guess . It was really long, so I’ll just stick with power armor .

There’s a lot that can be said about power armors, but basically, they were
used to fight in Stella Online’s melee matches done within enclosed arenas
that weren’t too spacious . So what was the most important factor needed
in order to win in such matches?

Mobility and speed? Nope . In such cramped spaces with not enough room
to maneuver, those would be next to no use . In fact, they could become
detrimental instead since you’d have trouble orienting yourself while
moving at boosted speeds . A speed that’s just a bit higher than peak
human performance would be enough for the job .

So what’s needed then?

“Hmph!”

I received the huge, white-colored monstrous creature that barreled toward

me head-on and gave it a powerful bear hug, crushing it to a pulp . I also
tore through the horde of smaller creatures and slammed them to the
surrounding walls . I sent the faltering mid-sized ones flying with
ramming attacks . I continued to swing the armor’s arms and blew away
everything in my path with overwhelming power . I then grabbed one mid-
sized monster and shocked it with ultra-high voltage currents, and finished
the rest off with shots from the high-powered laser gun equipped on my
armor .
“Fuhahaha! Get a load of all this power baby!”

I hurled profanities at the mysterious creatures as I continued to crush

them to bits .

This is what I sought out of a power armor . In other words, overwhelming

armor toughness and strength . As for speed, I just settled for a level that’s
a little over what a normal human can accomplish . Cause, well, it’s not
like you’ll need the ability to travel long distances at a fast speed in cases
where you’ll need to use a power armor anyway . They’re not meant to be
used for such maneuvers .

Armor and weight that won’t flinch in the face of enemy attacks, and
overwhelming physical power . You’ll be set as long as you have these two
. If you also have a high-output power core, you can make use of a variety
of destructive heavy weaponry as well . Add those to a decent enough aim
and you’ll basically be raking in wins in no time .

『This is the port admin bureau . It looks like you were able to
successfully secure the area . We’re grateful for your help . 』

“Don’t mention it . We’re gonna receive a reward through the Mercenary

Guild for this, so it’s only natural that I’d do my best for the job . ”

After piling up the remains of the pale white monsters in a corner, I

checked the state of my power armor .

There was virtually no damage to the armor . The actuators were fine as
well . There was still 99 . 7% of charge left . The weapons were A-OK too
.

The model name of my power armor is the TMPA – 13 RIKISHI mk . III .

It’s standard armaments consisted of ultra-high voltage
emitters『HARITE』on each of its palms, shock amplification
devices『SHIKO』on both feet, and high output laser guns
called『SHIKI-RI』on both shoulders .
Apart from those, it also had a『BUCHI-KAMASHI』function, which
basically makes it ram targets with a burst of high speed over short
distances while equipped with a shield, though I’m not sure if that can be
considered part of its weaponry or not . It can also be used even without a
shield equipped as well .

It was considerably large, even for power armor, and should be classified
under heavy armor . Its generator output was also quite high, allowing it to
carry a payload of various heavy weaponry .

It looked short and stout overall, and due to the thick armor, it also looked
quite ‘fat’ . In order to support all that weight, the legs were also quite
thick, and its low center of gravity was one of its main features . I wasn’t
generally concerned about the paint job of power armors, but the original
makers of this guy had really lame aesthetic senses, so I changed it to
metallic silver instead .

Yeah, I know . I know what you want to say, guys . Honestly, my power
armor looked like the mecha version of a sumo wrestler . And its
aesthetics also made it look like some sort of cheap villain . It isn’t just
uncool anymore . It’s literally fugly as hell .

But it’s really, REALLY powerful! It was something that embodied all the
qualities I sought from power armors! It looked like a joke machine, sure .
But it’s really good guys! Seriously! It was so good, it was always
included whenever people discussed the strongest power armor models in
Stella Online .

The PVP events were always filled with this model, to the point that they
said things like『Now then folks! Let’s start the Stella Online New Year
Sumo Tournament!』or『And now, for the first event of the evening! In
the east mountain corner, Captain Black! In the west sea corner, Captain
Hiro! They are the wrestlers for tonight’s match!』during the PVP match
commentary!

Just why did this kind of power armor get developed? I’m afraid that
question can only be answered by Stella Online’s developers . And I’ve
now confirmed that there were no problems fielding it in this dimension as
well . Maybe they also had a similar-looking power armor model in this
dimension……?

『Hiro-sama? Hiro-sama? Are you okay?』

“Y-Yeah . I’m fine . I was just thinking about some stuff . What’s up?”

『There was an urgent rescue request sent to the Mercenary Guild . Do

you remember the hospital building we had our check-ups in – the one
under Inagawa Technology? It seems they were sending injured citizens
there for treatment, but it looks like those monster are starting to swarm
over there as well . 』

“Is this area clear already?”

『It looks like the imperial power armor division is arriving shortly . The
reward for the successful defense and the submission of battle data is
50,000 Enels . 』

“Man, that sure sounds cheap for something I risked my life to earn .
These guys should be pretty dangerous if fought without armor . ”

『That’s why they limited the job to those with power armors, right? So
what about Inagawa Technology’s request?』

“I’ll take it up . How much is the reward?”

『It’s 100,000 Enels . It’s twice the reward for securing the port area . 』

“That sounds great . I’ll leave the navigation to you . ”

『Yes!』

I picked up the weapon I left nearby earlier and started following the
directions indicated on my armor’s HUD .
『But really now . To think you’d actually started using melee combat, of
all things . It’s not like CQC is your strong point, right?』

“It’s not, but I do brush up on it from time to time just in case of situations
like this . It’s better to cover all the bases you can, right?”

『I guess so . 』

I ran with the armor while checking my weapons . The thing I brought this
time was a high-output variable laser launcher .

It can counter other power armors with high-output focused laser shots and
give fatal damage to flesh and blood opponents with a scattering split laser
. It was a very versatile weapon .

It was big, bulky, and heavy, but by utilizing power armor, one can handle
it quite easily .

『Keep going straight until you get to a bend going right . You’ll find an
elevator there . Ride that elevator and go down to the lower level . 』

“Gotcha . ”

It looks like there were none of those pale monstrosities here . But what
the heck were those anyway?

“Hey, don’t you think those monsters kinda resembled the ones we saw on
the meat factory tour……”

『Yeah, they do, actually……』

『They said those creatures won’t be able to survive outside of the facility,
but…… Did they make a mistake in the security arrangements?』

“But we can’t really be sure that it’s the fault of that particular factory .
Cultured meat brands generally looked the same, so the problem might
have stemmed from another factory altogether . ”
I reached the elevator while exchanging that sort of idle banter with the
two on the ship and entered it . I then set it to go down to the middle level
of the colony . The elevator started descending with no problems . The
power armor was heavy, but it seems it could easily support this kind of
weight .

“You two also keep watch on the ship . Well, I don’t think they’ll be able
to enter if you lock the hatch properly though . ”

『We’ll be fine . I’ve already checked the security camera feeds near the
hatch area earlier . And we can always activate the shields if needed . 』

“That’s fine then . But it can’t hurt to be extra careful, alright . ”

In the first place, the anti-NPC defense weaponry of the Krishna is very
effective, and those white things wouldn’t be able to take a single step
inside it with the shield active . I don’t care if that sounded like a flag .
Impossible is impossible folks .
Or rather, even I would have trouble breaching the ship’s defenses even if I
used my power armor . I wouldn’t even come close to saturating Krishna’s
shield powered by its high output generator with shots from my laser
launcher . Even if it’s high-output, it doesn’t have the raw power of even
the lowest caliber laser cannon used by pirate ships .

I finally reached the middle level . I became speechless at the scene that
greeted me once the elevator doors opened .

“This is terrible . ”

It was a scene of hell . I saw one large-sized monster busy chewing on a

corpse . Its feet were still hanging between the monster’s teeth and were
trembling slightly . There were groups of mid-sized types feeding on an
already unrecognizable, blood-drenched ‘something’, and large swarms of
the small ones stuck themselves on the rest of the dead bodies like pale
leeches . This type of scene was happening all over the area .

All the monsters, regardless of size, had slimy, pale white bodies, with
round mouths akin to lampreys lined with razor-sharp teeth . They were
different from the specimens we saw inside that cultured meat production
facility, and the medium and large-sized variants all had defined limbs
sticking out of their slimy bodies . The small ones looked more similar to
the specimens used for meat though; razor-sharp teeth aside .

Well, they certainly looked somewhat thinner compared to those meat-

producing tentacle-type livestock . And it seems their basic instinct is to
eat . They looked really gross .

『How awful……』

“Is Mimi okay over there?”

『She froze up and became blue in the face the moment she saw the live
feed . 』

“She doesn’t have to look at the images if she doesn’t want to . Notify me
if you detect any survivors . ”

『Aye, aye, sir . Anyway, it looks like there’s none in that area . 』

I can’t have these monsters take the elevator, so I stepped out of it and
primed my laser launcher . I chose split laser mode .

“C’mon! Time to clean out the filth!”

I repeatedly fired split laser shots and turned the monsters to ash . Since
there were no survivors, I went at it without reserve .

These guys were dangerous to flesh and blood people, but you could easily
deal with them if you equip power armor . It’s not like there’s no chance of
being toppled down by a large type, but even if I did go down, there’s no
chance they’ll be able to breach the armor plating .

And I had more than enough firepower at my disposal as well . It was even
possible to deal with them by only using the power armor’s standard fixed
weapons . Once the imperial power armor division makes a move, I’m
sure they’ll be able to deal with these types of monsters easily . It was
somewhat good timing on my part that I managed to arrive here early to
get a piece of the action .

I finished off several large ones one after another with split laser fire and
hit the medium ones that managed to close in with the body of the
launcher itself or some well-placed kicks before roasting with split laser
fire as well . It was annoying when the small ones got stuck on the armor,
so I sometimes paused in order to tear them off and crush them underfoot .
And when there’s too many of them, I simply discharged ultra-high
voltage electricity from the armor’s palm in order to get rid of them .

『If it was me in there, I would have long fallen ill and vomited on the
side by now . 』

“Just think of it as me not prone to vomiting except for when I’m made to
drink alcohol . ”

I grinned bitterly while bathing my armor in electricity to get rid of the

creatures stuck to it . But some of the medium types have already wizened
up a bit and now ran away at the sight of me . They probably realized they
were not my match . I’m not planning to let them get away though .

I continued to slay creatures and finished off the ones that attempted to
run away with concentrated laser bursts as I headed toward the private
hospital building we visited last time .

『Turn at the next intersection . It should be right in front of you

afterward . 』

“A’ight . ”

I ran with heavy sounding footsteps . There were virtually no survivors left
on the streets . I guess the rest of the citizens ran inside buildings and
holed up within them . In colonies like this, there’s always some airtight
and secure shelters in case of emergencies like the walls of the colony
getting punctured by way of accident or deliberate attack . I guess if there
were any survivors, they would have long escaped to those shelters .

“Whoah . ”

I involuntarily made a surprised reaction when I turned at the intersection .

It’s because the pale monsters in question were crowding around in large
numbers in front of the private hospital .

“Just why are these things gathering around here like that?”

『Dunno? Health check-up, maybe?』

“Dangerous creatures lining up for check-ups in front of a hospital just

sounds too surreal y’know . ”

After the stupid-sounding banter between me and Elma, I aimed the laser
launcher at the swarm of monsters ahead .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 53

ranslator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

“Yeaaaaaah! Leeeet’s goooo baaabyyy!”

I showered the large packed swarm of monsters with split laser fire in glee
. The lasers hit the targets instantly . Well, of course . I just fired off
projectiles that moved at lightspeed after all .

Essentially, the main source of damage made by high-output laser fire is

explosions set off when the lasers hit their targets . The surface of the
target would rapidly evaporate due to being hit by ultra-high temperature,
causing explosions in the process .

However, high-powered laser weapons in Stella Online don’t cause

damage using that principle . Instead, they penetrate straight through the
targets . It’s completely different from the effect of optical weapons that
I’m familiar with .

“Well, it’s fine as long as it works anyway . But it sure is a mystery . ”

Maybe they work differently from the lasers back on Earth? I mulled over
these things as I continued to exterminate the pale monsters approaching
me .

『What’s up?』

“Nah, it’s nothing . But really . Just what the heck happened here? Do
these kinds of incidents happen often?”

『I haven’t heard of anything like this happening before though……』

『If these kinds of incidents were widespread, then the cultured meat
producers would have long gone out of business . 』
“Guess so . ”

I’m sure people who would be totally against the cultured meat industry
would pop out one after another if that were the case . There were
definitely a lot of casualties from this incident after all . But I’m sure
there should have been plenty of measures to prevent this kind of incident
from happening though .

“Maybe this was caused by an illegal meat plant or something?”

『It’s pretty disconcerting…… Just what kind of feed are they using at
that kind of illegal facility, I wonder?』

『There was something written on the packaging of Kobe Beef saying that
the quality of feed is important in order to produce the tastiest meat . 』

“I’m sure the thing Elma’s worried about isn’t about that, Mimi . ”

I continued to kill the monsters while exchanging some silly banter with
the girls . Eh? I should play rock music in the background, you say? Nah,
it doesn’t suit the monotonous work of pest extermination guys .

『They contacted us from the hospital, Elma-san . 』

『Patch them through . 』

We heard a young male’s voice after Elma allowed the call through .

『This is Amray speaking . I’m part of the security detail working for
Inagawa Technology . You people are–』

“I’m Captain Hiro . I’m here in response to the rescue request you guys
filed with the Mercenary Guild . I’m currently in the middle of
exterminating the creatures in front of the hospital . ”
『I’m Elma, one of the crew . I’m currently in charge of information
gathering . 』

『I’m Mimi . I’m an Operator, just like Elma-san . 』

『Ah, the Mercenary Guild…… You’ve really helped us out . In fact, the
partition preventing them from entering the building was about to be
breached . 』

“With just this? Aren’t bulkheads like that pretty thick in order to ensure
airtightness?”

『The body fluids released by those monsters are corrosive, so…… The
bulkheads used inside the colony aren’t treated to resist that type of
damage . 』

“I see . ”

I guess being able to resist corrosive substances isn’t really all that
important if you just want to ensure airtightness huh? My power armor is a
combat model, so it can resist corrosion just fine though . It won’t get
damaged no matter how much body fluids they slather it with .

“Leave the rest to me . They still haven’t managed to breach the interior,
right?”

『For now, at least . Please get a sample of the creatures after you’re done
exterminating them . They’re planning on making specialized
nanomachines in order to aid in exterminating them, so we need some
samples . 』

“Got it . Do you need me to capture one alive?”

『No, a corpse would be enough . 』

“Understood…… The ones burned by laser fire won’t do, right?”

『No idea . I’m just a security guard after all…… Let’s just go with an
unburnt sample, just to be sure . 』

“Guess so . Okay then . ”

I’ll just switch to CQC once I’ve reduced their numbers enough . Now
then, let’s continue the pest clean up .

“Dosukoi!”

I rammed the last remaining large type monster and blew it away . With
this, the extermination is complete . There were mountains of monster
corpses all around me . The mop-up proceeded without a hitch . But maybe
I did have a bit of trouble with the CQC battle at the end . It was way
easier to barbecue them with the laser launcher after all .

『Good work out there, Hiro-sama . There are no more creatures in the
area . Extermination complete . 』

『You sure made quite a riot in the end . 』

“It made for some good exercise, so I feel like I’d have a good sleep
tonight . ”

I picked up some of the monster corpses I finished off via CQC and piled
them up at the entrance of the hospital .

“Would these be enough as samples?”

『Dunno . Let’s see…… Please wait a bit . 』

Guess he’s gonna confirm with the researchers . Well, it won’t do to leave
the surroundings messy like this, so I guess I’ll clean up a bit . The
colony’s basically an enclosed space after all . It may cause another
incident if these corpses rotted away unchecked and gave off potentially
harmful gas substances .
『Yo, yo, yo . It’s been a while huh, Hiro-kun . Guess you saved my life
again this time . 』

“……Dr . Shouko?”

『Yep, it’s Shouko . I’m glad you remember me . 』

“Well, yeah . ”

Dr . Shouko had a pretty hard-to-forget personality after all .

『Can you share the visual feed of your suit to me?』

“No prob . Mimi . ”

『Yes . Feed’s connected . 』

The moment the feed was linked, I heard some commotion in the
background when the screen displaying Dr . Shouko popped up on my
HUD .

『That’s amazing . You did this all by yourself, Hiro-kun?”

“Yeah . Well, I used my power armor, so this much is nothing . ”

I picked up the laser launcher I left on the ground when I went full-on
melee earlier and walked in front of the piled-up creature corpse samples .

『So these are the samples you got for us?』

“Yep . I got two of each size for you guys . ”

『Can you share some of their characteristics you managed to observe

while fighting?』

“Let’s see . The large and small types had the intelligence of wild beasts .
They were pretty feral and displayed a strong appetite . They didn’t flinch
even if they were put in a severe disadvantage and just kept on attacking
me . ”

『I see . Are the mid-sized ones different somehow?』

“These guys seemed a bit smarter than the other two types . They did
things like making use of the small and large types to launch sneak attacks
. And once they see the situation getting worse, they immediately attempt
to escape . ”

『Hee…… . That’s quite interesting . Perhaps the brains of these ones may
have developed more than the other two types?』

“These are enough samples, right?”

『Yep, they’re good, I think . We’ll get ourselves ready to go out, so

please keep watch for us . 』

“Got it . I’ll guard them for you . ”

The video call was cut . I left the monitoring the immediate area to Mimi
and Elma and resumed tidying up the surrounding monster corpses
scattered about .

“Maybe it would be better to just burn them all up with my laser

launcher?”

『Well, there’s still a valid source of protein . How about you leave them
as they are for now? The folks at the colony may have use for them or
something . 』

“That so? Okay then . ”

After a while, the bulkhead that sealed the entrance to the hospital opened
up, and people wearing yellow protective clothing walked out . They
carried a large stretcher for collecting samples with them . One of the
people raised her hand in greeting and approached me .
“Hey there . You really saved our behinds this time . That sure is a strong-
looking power armor you got there . ”

“That you, Dr . Shouko? We’re both all covered up so I can’t see your face
.”

“Yeah . Thanks for saving us ‘kay . I heard they sent a rescue request, but
to think the one who’d responded would be you, Hiro-kun . ”

“Looks like we’re connected by some strange sort of fate huh . Well, it was
Mimi who picked up the request though . ”

“Is that so? I’d have to thank those two girls as well then . ”

“Uh, so what’s the plan?”

“We’ll start on making a specialized nanomachine swarm to counter these

guys and exterminate them quickly . We should be done in two hours or so
. Can you keep protecting us until then? We’ll pay you for your troubles . ”

“Gotcha . ”

“Do your best then . ”

After saying that, Dr . Shouko, who was all decked out in full-body
protective wear, joined the other researchers with the sample recovery .
She approached me again after a while though .

“We need more small type creature samples its seems . ”

“They’re all piled up over there, so feel free to take some . But the state of
the corpses are different, so you’ll have to make some effort to select good
ones . ”

“I understand . ”

It would be bad if the researchers got attacked in the middle of their work,
so I kept watch and patrolled the surrounding area . Well, it seems there
was also some laser gun-toting security personnel mixed in with the
people wearing protective gear though . Guess they’re the hospital guards .

The sample collection finally finished after a while more and the
researchers all went back inside the hospital . I was left all alone again so I
decided to continue the corpse clean up .

“They said they were going to create a specialized nanomachine swarm for
extermination purposes, but is something like that easily done?”

『I wonder?』

『This hospital has a high-performance positron AI to aid in research

work, and they also have lots of medical nanomachines available, so I
guess it’s possible . 』

“Doesn’t nanomachines that break down flesh sound kinda dangerous?”

『No idea . But I remember hearing about a breakout prevention

mechanism utilizing nanomachines at that meat plant we visited last time,
so I guess they could make them so that they’ll be effective only on those
kinds of creatures, right?』

“Hm, so they can do something like that huh . ”

I continued with my guard duty and cleaning work while exchanging

thoughts with the girls . I started hearing the sounds of battle in the
distance . So maybe the imperial military garrison or Major Serena and
her independent anti-pirate mobile fleet finally arrived .

There were no more monster attacks that occurred while I was standing
guard . I mostly just stood on standby for the rest of the time……
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 54

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

In a white, spacious, and sterile-looking room with several tables and

chairs set within . There was a cacophony of people’s voices engaged in
discussion amidst the sound of moving machinery .

I was sitting on one of the chairs set within that room . It felt refreshing to
be out of that stuffy power armor .

“Man, you really saved my sorry behind today . I also thought that was it
for me when we were attacked by pirates back then, and this time was also
looking quite hopeless too . ”

Dr . Shouko handed me a drink while saying stuff like that . It was a

chilled, cloudy white liquid . It didn’t seem that thick, so I guess it was
some sort of sports drink or something .

“This is?”

“It’s a kind of rehydration drink . It has a nice flavor, so it’s quite easy to
chug down . ”

Looks like it really was a sports drink . I took off the cap and gave it a big
swig . Yep . Sure tastes like Po**ri Sweat .

“Good work out there . It was tough, right?”

“Well, not much . I had my power armor, so it really wasn’t all that
dangerous . ”

When the development of the anti-creature nanomachine swarm got

finished, I was invited into the general hospital’s premises and finally got
the opportunity to get out of my stuffy power armor and take a nice
shower . Afterward, Dr . Shouko was sent to welcome me . It seems she
was assigned the duty because we already knew each other .

I was told to stay put inside the hospital for a while because coming back
to the ship without properly dealing with the creature remains and residue
stuck to my power armor may potentially cause some health problems and
such . It wasn’t sure if they carried some sort of pathogen or not after all .

I was told to properly go through a round of disinfection, just in case,

while the researchers made use of the creature’s remains and body fluids
on my power armor to make some improvements in the performance of
the anti-creature nanomachines .

“Is it fine for you to be here, Dr . Shouko?”

“Yep, the work over there’s just about finished anyway . There’s a chance
of making some more improvements by using the results garnered from
analyzing the samples stuck in your power armor, but they’ll be minor
ones at most . They don’t need me there . ”

She gently waved her hand in front of her in dismissal . She still seems a
bit shaken from the whole ordeal though . Can’t fault her . She just went
through another life-threatening crisis after all .

“But you sure are an unlucky lady, aren’t you, Dr . Shouko? It hasn’t even
been one month after the pirate incident and here you are, getting involved
in something dangerous again . ”

“Yeah, you’re right . Based on the probability theory, it really seems

unusual . Though I do feel the tug of fate somehow, since it’s you who
managed to save me both times, Hiro-kun . ”

“You believe in that sort of stuff?”

She really didn’t seem like the type to believe in occult stuff like that .

“Nope, not really . But there’s a chance I might just be swayed to believe
in them . I mean, it’s happened twice already y’know . ”
“I see? Well then, why don’t you follow what fate is telling you and
become a crew member of my ship?”

Dr . Shouko’s expression froze up after hearing my invitation, that

changed into a nice-looking smile afterward .

“That honestly doesn’t sound too bad y’know, but does a mercenary ship
even need a physician on board? You can just stop over a colony and go to
the medical facilities there in order to satisfy your medical needs if
necessary after all . And at the very least, you can still make use of a med
pod if you don’t have access to a colony for some reason . It would be a
different story if it were a long-distance pioneering immigration ship or a
deep space exploration vessel though . I probably won’t be able to sit still
in a ship without proper research facilities, equipment and research
specimens too . ”

“That’s a shame then . ”

Dr . Shouko is a very charming lady, so I really do feel it’s unfortunate .

Eh? My motive is impure, you say? I’m a healthy guy, so isn’t this just
natural? She’s a bespectacled beauty with chest assets on par with Mimi
y’know . Any healthy male would have the urge to get a load of those
knockers at least once, yeah .

“Fufu, your stare looks really lewd, you know?”

“That just goes to show I’m a normal healthy male Doc . ”

“Are these really all that good? They make my shoulders stiff and grab too
much unwanted attention, so I don’t really like them that much though?”

After saying that, Dr . Shouko brought her bountiful chest assets closer to
my face . What a sight for sore eyes . Excellent! I praise and worship thee .

“Did you manage to get your fill?”

“The creatures known as males have natures that wouldn’t get tired of
looking at a sexy woman’s body y’see . ”
“Such a cheap-sounding nature . ”

Dr . Shouko stood up from her seat while giggling cheerfully .

“That’s it for service time, mister . It’s almost time for the creature clean
up operation to begin . ”

“Aye, aye, ma’am . ”

I also stood up and saluted Dr . Shouko, who was overflowing with service
spirit .

I didn’t encounter many problems on the way back to the ship . I didn’t
have any more business left cause the imperial power armor division had
already started their creature extermination operation in teams of three .

But since I was wearing power armor myself – equipped with powerful
weaponry to boot – I looked very much like a suspicious character . I was
called out by imperial patrols once or twice and detained for questioning,
but I was able to get out of them easily enough through declaring I was
just coming back from responding to a rescue request sent to the
Mercenary Guild by Inagawa Technology .

“So, what was the cause of the incident in the first place?”

『There’s no info regarding that for now . But it seems several private
firms have already put forth their own measures to eliminate the creature
threat . 』

“Private companies? You talking about Inagawa Tech’s nanomachine

swarms?”

『Yes . There’s also Eagle Dynamics, a military robotic weapons maker,

that dispatched a large number of combat robots specializing in creature
extermination within the colony . Cyclone Chemicals also succeeded in
synthesizing chemical substances only toxic to the creatures and provided
them to the military, along with specialized chemical sprayers . There are
several more companies that sent out their own countermeasures as well .
』

『It looks like the imperial military has stepped up the extermination
efforts . And the independent fleet has also managed to return to port . It
looks like this incident is closed to being completely wrapped up . 』

“I see . But it really was a big incident huh…… We did manage to earn
some money off of it, but I’m sure a lot of people have been injured or
killed during the commotion . ”

『Yeah . Oh, right . You don’t have to give us a cut of the earnings for this
time’s incident, okay . 』

“Hm? What do you mean?”

『If it was earned using the starship, then we wouldn’t have any qualms
about taking a share because we all risked our lives together . But this
time, it was just you who was out on the field, right? We’ll feel bad if we
take a share of the money while knowing that we didn’t really face any
sort of danger . 』

“You sure?”

The two of them served as my Operator and Navigator respectively though

.

『Yes . We’re sure . It wouldn’t feel right if we took a share even though
we didn’t risk our lives fighting together with you, Hiro-sama . 』

“I see…… Okay . ”

Well, since they’ve said all that, then there’s no helping it . I don’t really
have problems with giving them a share though, but they’ve already
decided, so I’ll just have to comply with their wishes . What if I were in
their shoes? I might blurt out the same thing they’re saying as well .
“From the looks of it, the colony would be in a state of high alert for some
time . ”

『Can’t be helped . We have enough water and food supplies anyway . We

can just head to our next destination immediately after receiving the
rewards . 』

『It looks like we won’t be able to get off the ship normally for a few days
though . We’ll have to stay indoors for now . 』

“You’re right . We’ll just have to make the most out of it huh… Fufufu . ”

I just came from a bit of exercise, or rather, a life-threatening operation of

sorts, and am now feeling sorta excited . I’m gonna have the three of us
work up a sweat later .

『……Have a bit of restraint, okay?』

Elma whispered to me on the comms with a slightly nervous tone .

『What are you talking about?』

It looks like Mimi still didn’t get it . That’s fine though .

“The two of you are also tired, right? I’m good on my end, so why don’t
all of us spend some time in the bath later?”

“Mm……? O-Okay . Be careful on your way back, Hiro-sama . 』

“Yeah . Be a good girl and wait for me, okay . ”

I cut the comms and took the elevator . Once I come back, it’ll be time for
another ‘battle’ .

The impact caused by the unexpected creature outbreak was so great that it
took five days for the military and port authorities to hand out all of the
remunerations . Inagawa Technology immediately handed over their part
of the reward payment to us though .

So how did we spend those five days, you ask? I better not say . It’s kinda
embarrassing guys . Well, I’m no superhuman, so I couldn’t possibly keep
at it indefinitely y’know . Though I do admit I had a hell of a time
muehehe .

Elma acted reluctantly at first, but she was pretty into it in the end . And
Mimi was hesitant only in the beginning as well .

“What a nice morning . ”

“Yeah, yeah . Whatever . ”

“Elma’s being cold, Mimi . ”

“I’m sure she’s just feeling embarrassed . Elma san is kind of dishonest
about her real feelings after all . ”

“–Ngh!”
Mimi gave a straight and honest commentary without an ounce of ill intent
. Elma couldn’t voice any complaint to such a Mimi, so she just endured
her embarrassment with a red face .

“Hahaha, you’re cute, Elma . Now that we finally got our pay today . Let’s
start dividing it up then…… The total earnings we got for the pirate
subjugation, including the sale of the recovered loot, is 835,464 Enels .
And the payment we got from the military for the thirty-day contract we
signed is 1,500,000 Enels . The bonus I earned from accompanying them
in their regular operations is 372,514 Enels . All in all, we earned a total of
2,707,978 Enels for the month . ”

“It took quite some time, but we did manage to earn a lot huh . ”

“It’s an amazing amount……”

Elma seemed content and nodded while Mimi’s eyes turned to dots after
hearing the amount . I thought it was just your average earnings for the
kind of work we do . We were finally able to get a medical check-up, and I
also managed to have Major Serena owe me a favor . All in all, not a bad
result for a month of hard work, right?

“Elma’s share is 81,239 Enels . Mimi’s is 13,539 Enels . ”

And my share is 2,613,200 Enels . My current total assets was now a

whopping 17,022,017 Enels . Hm…… Can’t we finally buy a new ship
with this money?

“It seems you’re thinking of something again . ”

“Yeah . My total assets are already over 17 million after all . I’m thinking
of buying a mothership with the money, actually . ”

“A mothership?”

“It’s a ship capable of acting as a carrier base for smaller ships . It has
quite the spacious cargo hold as well, so it would allow us to complete
transport missions all by ourselves . But can we really purchase a ship
with a decent grade with just 17 mil? It’ll easily cost us up to double the
amount if we consider the remodeling costs you know?”

“Yeah, you’re right…… Okay then . Let’s save up a bit more before going
through with the purchase . 17 mil does kinda sound half-assed . ”

“But 17 million is quite a huge amount of money for ordinary people

though……”

“Well, it’s a large enough amount for mercenaries who are into the
business of frequently buying and selling ships, but this is still considered
small compared to the wealth of the big players, right?”

“Yep . It does seem small compared to the assets those guys have . ”

“Your sense of wealth is far too outrageous for me……”

Mimi seemed really troubled about the topic . The 13 thousand Mimi was
able to earn this time was several times higher than the 4 thousand Enels
standard monthly salary offered by the military after all . Even the 0 . 5%
shares she was receiving right now can be considered to be much higher
than the salary of your typical well-paid soldier .

“Anyway, we’ll head to the resort planet Mimi recommended next time .
Let’s decide on whether or not to purchase a new ship depending on the
earnings there . We’ll be able to earn more with a mothership in tow after
all . ”

You can earn several tens of thousands from just completing transport
commissions alone, and you can make several hundreds of thousands more
if you aim for the pirates that would get attracted to your transport ship
like bees to honey . It was really a case of killing two birds with one stone
. But of course, that’ll depend on whether or not you had the ability to
protect your mothership .

“I’m sure the commotion has already been mostly resolved by now . Let’s
immediately depart after finishing our resupplies . ”

“Yes!”

“Alright . ”

Mimi took up her tablet and started checking out our remaining supplies
while Elma started the ship’s self-diagnostics procedure using the co-pilot
console . I left the two of them to their jobs and went over to check up on
the power armor that finally had its chance to shine a few days ago . It
wouldn’t be funny if it broke down during an emergency situation after all
.

And so, the three of us steadily made our preparations for departure .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 55

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

“I’m not gonna let you escape . ”

“Ugh……”

Three days after making our preparations for departure . We’ve mostly
finished restocking the necessary equipment and supplies and completed
the maintenance of the power armor . All that’s left is to set out into space
again! But Major Serena suddenly barged into Krishna once more .

In civilian clothes, no less .

“This is troublesome, dear guest . My dear, dear guest, please . Ah, dear
guest . Dear guest . Ah–”

‘What the heck is up with that unemotional address of yours!? Stop

pushing me out! Rude! It’s utterly rude of you! I’m a daughter of the Holz
marquis house you know!?”

“Tsk . How bothersome . ”

“Did you just click your tongue!? Bothersome!? Me!?”

Major Serena’s expression turned livid after hearing me blurt out my true
thoughts . Oh? What now? Are you gonna insist on your privilege as a
noble and cut me down milady?

“Um, Hiro-sama…… That attitude is a bit too impolite, don’t you think? .
”

“Hah . There’s a limit to being unafraid of the consequences……”

Seeing my blatantly rude attitude toward Major Serena, Mimi attempted to
soothe me while being a bit blue in the face as Elma covered her face with
one hand as she turned toward the ceiling . No, no . I don’t think I’m in the
wrong here . I don’t care if she’s of noble blood and whatnot . Krishna is
MY ship . And in my ship, I’m the king .

“What the heck is with you lady? I thought you said you would stop
aggressively forcing me into joining the military?”

“Uguh…… Y-You’re right, but……”

“But?”

“Don’t you think it’s unfair! You three are going on a lovely resort
vacation while I’m stuck here busy with work! It’s unfair! Unfair I tell
you!”

Major Serena pointed her finger straight at me and raised her voice in
protest . I see .

“What the heck is with this bothersome woman?”

“You said I’m bothersome again!?”

I completely ignored Major Serena’s indignant reaction and let out an

exasperated sigh . I mean, I think anyone else in my position would also
find her troublesome . How else would I call a person who would
purposely choose the timing when we’re about to set off to pay a visit and
be an absolute bother?

“How should I say this? Hiro’s unexpectedly harsh when it comes to

dealing with her, huh . Even though he’s usually quite nice to women . ”

“It would have been fine if she was just a military officer, but she’s also
the prized daughter of a noble house . Maybe he’s worried about inviting
unwanted trouble if she ever became attached to him more than
necessary?”

“Atta……!? I’m not some sort of pet!”

“……But didn’t it backfire? See?”

Major Serena’s elegant way of speaking was starting to crack from anger
and frustration . Seeing her like that, Mimi could only give a quiet sigh .
Oi, oi . Don’t joke around . Are you saying this sort of troublesome person
would actually get more attached to me the more I treated her badly? I
sure hope not .

“So what do you really want from us anyway? We’d really like to go ahead
and travel to the Sierra star system in order to have a vacation while
hunting pirates on the side you know . ”

“Well, you see…… I, uh, think that very action is improper . ”

“Improper?”

“Correct . The Alein Tertius colony was just recently hit by a bioterrorism
incident, and a lot of people have lost their lives . Don’t you think having a
resort vacation in that sort of situation is improper?”

“I see . ”

“Fufufu, so you’ve understood? If so, then please stay here and–”

“It’s got nothing to do with us . Alright lady . We’re gonna depart for the
Sierra system now, so could please get off the ship? Or rather, don’t you
think trying to stop us from doing our business with that sort of arbitrary
reasoning is even more improper?”

“Ah–! Ah–! No! Stop! It’s not proper to touch an unwed noble lady such as
myself like this! Ah! It’s blatant disrespect! I’m gonna cut you down you
know!”

“What the heck!? Will you stop that!? It’s annoying! Did you actually go
drinking before coming here!?”

I kept on trying to push her out of the dining room forcibly, but Major
Serena latched on to the sides of the dining room’s entrance desperately .
Dammit! Can somebody get me my power armor please!? I’m gonna toss
out this stubborn tomboy out of the ship!

“Geez…… Calm down already, you two . There, there . ”

Elma got between me and Major Serena in order to diffuse the situation .
It won’t do any good if I kept being stubborn, so I held up both hands and
agreed to sit back down on a dining room chair . Mimi sat down on a chair
beside mine and Elma led Major Serena to sit on the opposite side . Elma
then sat right next to her .
“So I’m gonna try asking again, okay . Just what the heck do you want this
time? We really want to go to our next destination now . If you can’t give
me any valid reason to stop us from going on with our business, I’m gonna
use my authority as the captain of this ship and have the two of them send
you out, okay . ”

“Uguu……”

Major Serena flinched when I gave her an annoyed glare . She turned away
from me, gazed at Mimi and Elma in turn, looked up at the ceiling as if
thinking of something difficult, and then shifted her face away from
everyone else in the room .

“I was just so utterly envious that I couldn’t help but come to bother you
all…”

“……Eh?”

“Like I said! I was jealous, so I came to be a bother! Do you have any

problem with that!?”

“A crap ton!!!”

“But isn’t it unfair!? I’m stuck every single day staring at images of
disgusting tentacle monster corpses and asked to attend countermeasure
meetings as well as write several pages of reports . And here you are,
planning to spend an enjoyable time on a resort planet for a vacation! I
couldn’t help but be jealous!”
“So you literally just came to be a bother!? You’re just seriously feeling
jealous, aren’t you!?”

“No, no! It’s unfair! Unfair! I also want to have a resort vacation!!!”
“So you just tossed away your pride as a soldier and noble and are now
throwing a hissy fit!?”

Major Serena slapped the table repeatedly in a sulk and complained loudly
. Just where did that cool, collected and beautiful military officer go, I
wonder……? Don’t tell me she really did go binge drinking before coming
here?

“So, to sum it up, you simply felt jealous and came to the ship in order to
make trouble, right?”

Major Serena looked at me with upturned eyes and softly nodded in reply .
I gave her a soft smile . She smiled back in return . I see .

“Right then . Let’s throw her out and be done with it . ”

“Nooooooooo! And I finally came clean too!”

“But you just came to harass us, right!? And you expect me to feel
sympathy for you!?”

I tried to pull Major Serena away from the table she was desperately
clinging to . Mimi was the one who finally put a stop to our antics .

“Um, can I say something?”

“What?”

“Um, I think I now understand the reason why Lady Serena is throwing a
fit . I think I can relate to her more than anyone else here actually . You’re
in casual clothes, so I guess it’s your day off, right?”

“……Yes . ”
“In other words, Lady Serena simply wants to take a breather, or rather, to
vent out her frustrations . She just wants to spend an enjoyable time with
Hiro-sama, who keeps disregarding both her standing as a military officer
and as a noble lady and simply treats her as herself, right?”

“……”

Major Serena turned silent . So I guess I can take that as a ‘yes’ huh .

“Play around……?”

I’m confused . How the heck should I react to that? Should I take this
ojousama out for a date in the city or something? No thanks . I somehow
feel that sticking around with this woman is dangerous for some reason .

“How about we have a nice time drinking in the ship then? We can’t serve
those fancy organic dishes here, but I’m sure Tetsujin can whip up
something delicious regardless . I have a nice stash of alcohol ready too . ”

“Oh? So that’s why I felt the cargo bay was strangely full . And you
haven’t even managed to pay me even a single Enel yet y’know . ”

Elma turned stiff after I made a sarcastic remark . But I have to do

something like this sometimes at least, or this person would most likely
totally forget about paying her debts .

“Uh, isn’t it fine? A-And you said you wanted to stay with me for as long
as possible too, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah . I guess . ”

That’s true as well . Elma’s a great girl . She’s also beautiful and can act
pretty cute sometimes . Not as cute as Mimi though . But Major Serena’s
definitely a no-go .

“Fine . Just for today . And you owe me again for this, okay . ”

“Uu…… I-I understand . ”

Man . Major Serena’s debts just keep on increasing…… I hope she’s not
doing this deliberately in order to get closer to me . You can never be too
careful around this woman .

“Well then, now that we’ve decided on partying, let’s go at it with a bang .
Let’s try to forget each other’s troubles for today at least . ”

“Yes! As a matter of fact, I’ve also managed to get a lot of different

foodstuffs through mail order! I’ll bring them all out!”

Mimi said something I couldn’t just ignore . So that’s why the cargo bay’s
been strangely looking full lately…… Even Mimi was part of the cause . I
wonder if she’s been receiving some bad influence from Elma? I felt sort
of complicated after witnessing a little bit of Mimi’s growth .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 56

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

“Well then…… I can’t think of much to else to say anyway, so cheers!”

“””Cheers!”””

The three ladies followed my gesture, held up each of their glasses filled
with chilled noncarbonated beer, and clinked them against each other .
Me? I just drank my noncarbonated cola as usual .

“Puhaaa! This is some fine beer!”

“We got it from the factory tour we went on recently . It did cost quite a
bit though . ”

“I think it was 100,000 Enels right?”

“T-That’s just a paltry sum of money for mercs like us, okay……?”

“Isn’t your sense of money strange?”

“I-I’m not like that . It’s just Hiro-sama and Elma-san who are weird……”

“Like you’re one to talk . Didn’t you also buy a lot of expensive stuff with
Hiro, Mimi? Like those bath fixtures, washing machine, high-performance
auto-cooker, among other things . Didn’t those cost, like, 300,000 Enels or
something?”

“Yep, I think you’ve also gone to the deep end as well . ”

“N-No, I haven’t! I think?”

Man . Guess it’s true what they say . Three women really is a crowd . They
didn’t have any particular topic to talk about, so their conversation kept
jumping around to different ones frequently . Are their conversation
abilities equipped with jump drives or something? It was getting hard to
follow their haphazard stories with my meager abilities .

The rate of their conversation finally tapered off until all their focus was
turned to the『imported』foodstuffs piled up on the table .

On top of the table…… a universe was spreading .

Well, not really . It was just a figure of speech guys . There’s no ‘universe’
spreading on top of the dining table . It was just filled with all sorts of rare
and unusual-looking food . I chose to pick up the plate closest to me .

It was pasta . At least it looked like some sort of pink-colored pasta . I-It
should be fine . It’s not wriggling or anything . I kept telling myself that,
but my imagination kept holding me back . Eventually, I picked up my
personal chopsticks and decided to try one piece . Yup . It’s pasta . At least
it didn’t feel like it was a worm or something .

I chewed the piece I picked up with my chopsticks . It tasted… uh, salt-

flavored . It didn’t move around in my mouth when I chewed on it . Guess
it’s safe . The texture and taste were kinda like that of sea urchin . It had
plenty of umami and was actually pretty good .

As I was enjoying my meal, I noticed that the three ladies froze up and
were staring at me with aghast looks .

“What?”

“Um, is that tasty?”

“I don’t hate it, at least . It has a subtle flavor and… Uh, what’s with you
guys?”

“Um, t-those are actually called uuchiworms–”

“Aaah! I can’t hear you! This is urchin pasta! Sea urchin flavored pasta
made with the latest tech!”
“What a splendid way of self-deception . ”

Just why did you buy this sort of weird stuff, Mimi!? No, this is pasta!
Right . Pasta . It’s nothing weird! It’s just pasta!

“Well, just try it, you guys . It’s tasty you know . Urchin pasta . ”

“Uh, I’m a bit–”

“I’ll pass as well . ”

“Um, m-me t……”

“Now you’re not saying the one who bought the food herself won’t
actually try tasting them, right?”

“Uh……”

“You’re not, riiight!?”

“Uu…… Okay . ”

Mimi tearfully picked up a piece of uuchiworm… uh, urchin pasta and

brought it to her mouth . She then proceeded to chew on the stuff . Her
expression changed afterward .

“Huh . It really is tasty . ”

“Right? It’s nothing much if you just think of it as sea urchin pasta . ”

“I guess so . I don’t know what urchin pasta actually is, but this is tasty . ”

Elma and Major Serena’s gazes met after seeing me and Mimi continue to
eat the sea urchin pasta on the plate .

“U-Uh, let me try some then……”

“Y-Yeah . You’ve gone to the trouble of preparing it after all……”

Elma and Major Serena also tried out the urchin pasta . Their expressions
were tense at first, but they gradually loosened up as they continued to
savor the taste of the food .

“It really is delicious . ”

“It’s a delicacy……”

“By the way, was the fact that the plate with this stuff placed right in front
of me made with other intentions in mind, perhaps?”

“I-It’s just a coincidence, right?”

“Y-Yeah . It’s a coincidence . Coincidence . ”

“But why do I feel all the suspicious stuff is piled on my side of the
table……?”

Mimi and Elma started panicking when I gave them a hard glare . Oh well
. I’ll stop pursuing this for now . For now that is .

“So let’s try this one next! Go ahead Mimi!”

“Eh?”

Mimi yelped in a strange voice when she saw the contents of the plate I
offered . Within the dish were black spheres the size of marbles . Their
black-colored smooth surfaces shone brilliantly and really did resemble
glass marbles .

“What’s wrong? Weren’t all these stuff ordered by Mimi?”

“E-Ehehe……?”

Mimi tried to muddle through by acting cute . Yep . That’s cute alright .
But I won’t let you get away . I thrust the plate at her once more while
displaying an encouraging smile .

“U-Uuu……”
Mimi tearfully reached out with trembling fingers toward the plate with
black marble-like things, picked one up and brought it to her mouth . And
she finally chewed the stuff .

“……”

Mimi’s expression suddenly turned blank . Eh? What the heck is with that
reaction? It’s scary you know .

“H-How is it?”

“Uh, um… tas… ty……?”

Mimi answered falteringly to Major Serena’s question . After seeing that

curious reaction, my gaze, along with Elma and Major Serena’s, were all
drawn to the black marbles on the plate . After looking at each other’s
expressions afterward, we all nodded in unison .

“Nn……?”

“Uh……?”

“What the heck is this strange flavor……?”

It was sweet, salty, and sour – all at the same time . It was a peculiar flavor
. How should I describe it…? Yeah, it’s like sea urchin flavored pudding
slathered in soy sauce, I think… Or rather, I can’t find any suitable words
to describe it!

“By the way, what are these…… No, on second thought, you don’t have to
answer that . ”

“I think that would be for the best . ”

After looking at Mimi’s peculiar expression, I decided to refrain from

continuing to ask about the true identity of the mysterious marbles . I’m
sure I’d regret it if I ever found out . These were probably eggs of some
sort of creature . They were the eggs of a creature that would force Mimi
to make such a peculiar expression . Let’s just let sleeping dogs lie .
“So, are these the only truly strange ones among the food you ordered?”

“It seems like it . The rest look somewhat proper at least . ”

There were smoked manga meat skewers, fruits I’ve never heard about
before, some tarts using said fruits as ingredients, fish flakes, black-
colored meat jerky, and boiled shrimps the size of an index finger .

By the way, the boiled shrimp-looking things were placed near my end of
the table, just like the pink pasta and black marbles .

“Whoa, get a load of these tasty-looking shrimps! Give em a try, Elma!”

“Eh!?”

Elma and Mimi jerked up in surprise . Those reactions…… Like I thought

. These were also suspicious, right?

“U-Uh, well, I think it would be improper for me to eat before you do,
Hiro……”

“Hahaha, don’t worry about it . Go ahead and try them . A〜hn . ”

“U-Uu……”

I won’t let you escape as well……

By the way, the ‘boiled shrimps’ were actually moderately steamed larvae
of some sort of mystery creature . Just why did you order stuff like this,
Mimi……? They were quite creamy and tasty though .

After finishing off all the food, all that’s left were the drinks . But, as I was
weak to alcohol, I didn’t drink any .

“Ahahahahaha!”

“Hiro-samaaaa〜 Unyuu-n”
“They told me we were late the moment I arrived you know! I was busy
leading an operation to wipe out pirate scum and that’s what they say to
me the moment I report back!? At least protect your own damn colony
yourselves, you freaking idiots!”

As you can see folks! I need help!

Elma was just happily chugging sake in the corner, so she’s kinda okay .
But Mimi wrapped herself around me like an octopus and refused to let go
. Major Serena was busy furiously venting out all her frustrations during
work at me as well .

“There, there, Major . Calm down……”

“And you! You just suddenly brought out a power armor and protected the
docks, rescued Inagawa Tech’s affiliated general hospital alone while
destroying creatures along the way, as well as assisted in the successful
production of nanomachines designed to wipe out those monsters! Man, it
looks like you mercenaries are far more reliable than the independent fleet
(lol) huh! Like I said, we were busy doing important stuff on another
sector of space you damn idiots! And they had the gall to say I didn’t
make use of my men properly! They even blamed me for a bioterrorism
incident happening right under my nose while I was stationed here! The
nerve! Don’t make me laugh!”

Major Serena grabbed my collar and shook me back and forth while
spewing out complaints left and right . What an unruly drunk . Well, she’s
drunk, so I guess I can forgive her this time . And it seems Major Serena is
also keeping a lot of stress bottled up .

“Ohm…… Be pacified . Be pacified, wayward soul . ”

“Garurururururu…… . ”

She finally stopped shaking me after a while .

“Huh?”
“……”

It looks like she got tired from shaking me back and forth with all her
might . Major Serena plopped straight down on the table . She was
completely knocked out . It seems she fell asleep .

“Does this lady realize she’s on board a guy’s ship? Isn’t she too
defenseless?”

“Nfufufufu, you wanna do her?”

“Stop making those obscene finger signs, you drunk elf!”

Elma was thrusting one of her thumbs in and out of a circle formed by her
index and middle fingers while making a lewd grin .

“If I really wanted to do it, I’d rather do you, who’s conscious right now,
rather than these two, okay . ”

“……Fuah!?”

Elma’s teasing grin was wiped out of her face after hearing my retort .
Hahaha, what a nice face she’s making .

After getting a fill of Elma’s embarrassed face, I peeled the unconscious

Mimi off of me and made her lie down on the sofa . I then held up the
sleeping major – in a princess carry .

“Eh…… You’re really gonna do it with her?”

I grinned at Elma’s question .

“Huph!”

I then tossed Major Serena inside the med pod when I got to the med bay .

I really can’t afford to do the usual『I did it . Tehee . 』while drunk

template with this lady guys . I’m sure it’s gonna head straight to
the『Please take responsibility, okay . (wide grin)』development, leading
to the fiancée route . Or rather, it’s even more likely that I’d be buried six
feet under if Major Serena’s parents ever found out . In other words, it was
way too risky . This person was akin to an anti-ship reactive torpedo-class
mine waiting to explode in my face with devastating force .

I’m not so stupid that I’d willingly step on an obvious landmine .

“Huh? You’re back? You couldn’t get it up?”

“You really lose your morals once you’re drunk huh . ”

I knocked the top of Elma’s head . But I didn’t fail to notice her dispirited
expression brightening up the moment I came back . She really was cute
sometimes .

“Hmph . What’s with you? Putting on airs like that . Even though you’re
completely under my and Mimi’s thumb . You act like some sort of
gentleman, but aren’t you really just a beast instead?”

“I don’t deny that . Men, you see, are all animals deep down inside . It’s
merely the chains called reason keeping all that back . ”

“What’s up with that? Are you trying to act cool or something?”

“Oh? What? You really wanna have a go?”

Elma’s ears moving up and down is a sign she actually wants me to take
care of her, despite her harsh attitude . Purposefully riling me up with
words like that, even though you feel exactly the opposite . Are you an
elementary school boy or something? She really was seriously cute .

“Okay, okay . Here, I’ll drink with you . I’m an extreme lightweight, so I
won’t be drinking any alcohol though . ”

“Hmph . You little boy . ”

Elma filled my cup with the noncarbonated cola while grinning happily .
Now then, shall we accompany this surprisingly sensitive little rabbit for a
few rounds .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 57

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

“Uh……”

“You got too carried away and drank too much, idiot . ”

It’s been an hour since I shoved Major Serena inside the med pod . Our
poor elf princess, who got carried away and opened one bottle another,
ended up dead drunk and passed out in the end .

I just like what I did an hour ago, I carried the passed out Elma to the
medical bay . It’s been an hour already, so I guess the alcohol has already
been taken out of Major Serena’s system . I planned to wake the major up
and place Elma inside the med pod .

When I came inside the med bay, I saw Major Serena sleeping peacefully
within the med pod . The vital check came out clean, so I operated the med
pod in order to wake Major Serena up . After a short while, Major Serena
finally started regaining consciousness .

After a bit, she started looking around the room in mild confusion until
she finally fully opened her eyes, which displayed some mild surprise .
She hurriedly got up–

“–!?”

With a thud, she ended up hitting the transparent glass-like cover of the
med pod and became all teary-eyed . My dear major, you’re still acting
like a ditz even if you’re no longer under the influence of alcohol huh .
Are you really a major?

I operated the console and opened up the med pod’s hatch . The hatch can
also be opened from inside without my intervention, but I bet our ditzy
major would have some trouble even with that .

“Anyway, can you get up first? I’m gonna put her in next . ”

“O-Okay……”

Major Serena got up from the med pod while massaging her forehead . I
then put Elma inside next, operated the console again, and closed the hatch
once more .

“Um……?”

“Major had one too many drinks and ended up venting all her frustrations
from work to me, then completely passed out afterward . While
presumptuous, I took the liberty to put you inside the med pod in order to
relieve you of the alcohol from your system . I hope you took no offense
ma’am . ”

“……”

Major Serena’s face turned bright red and awkwardly averted her gaze
from mine . Well, of course she’d feel awkward . She something like
barging in on a person’s private ship just to have an outlet to vent her
frustrations after all . She then drank alcohol like crazy, acted like an
unreasonable drunk, and had to be shoved inside the med pod in the end .
Anybody with even a modicum of common sense would feel shame from
these kinds of actions at least .

“U-Um, I’m sorry . ”

“Nah, it’s fine . One really needs to let out all the stress that’s built up like
this sometimes . It seems you’ve piled up quite a lot after all . ”

“Uu……”

Major Serena hid her blushing face with both hands . Looks like I really
hit the nail on the head .

“And this is the second time this happened anyway . ”

“Uguu……!”

It was just a repeat of what happened last time .

“I suggest bringing some medical nanomachines that would help out with
drunkenness the next time you go out for some alcohol ma’am . Or rather,
don’t you think you’re just too damn defenseless? I mean, not only did you
board the ship of a male merc like me . You also drank like there was no
tomorrow and even ended up passing out . Be more mindful, alright .
You’re a noble lady after all . ”

I’m sure there are more than one or two methods to manipulate one’s
consciousness in a technologically advanced society like this . If they only
wanted to remove a person’s ability to move freely, they also had the
option to resort to more ‘primitive’ things like cutting up the limbs and
such . And there’s also the method of taking Major Serena to god-knows-
where while she’s passed out as well .

It would have been totally possible to do a thing like selling off Major
Serena to the guys from the Vereverem Federation if I ever had the mind
to . Major Serena was a young and beautiful noblewoman with a nice
pedigree after all . I bet there are guys who would pay any price to procure
such a fine specimen in order to do whatever they liked to her out there .

“I’ll reflect on my actions . ”

Major Serena shriveled up and got a bit dispirited . Cute– No, no! Don’t
get fooled! Just who was the person in front of me? Major Serena . A
completely sober Major Serena . Is there really any chance such a Major
Serena would feel down after hearing my lecture? Well, I guess there is .
But it might not be the case as well . I still have my doubts .

“Well, since you say you’re reflecting, I won’t lecture you any further .
I’m not a guy who’s in any position to scold someone like you anyway . ”

I picked up Major Serena’s sword I propped up on the wall earlier and

gave it back to her .
“I guess it’s time for you to go back to your own ship already . You’d get
in trouble if any strange rumors about this got spread around, right?
Actually, me too . ”

“Y-You’re right . Exactly . ”

Major Serena received the sword and slowly got up .

What about Mimi? She woke up in the middle of my drinking session with
Elma and was now busy tidying up the dining room . In the end, it was the
youngest of the girls, Mimi, who had the most self-control among the
three .

I opened the main hatch of the ship and assisted Major Serena down the
ramp . Major Serena turned back toward me in the middle of the steps .

“Will I ever see you again?”

“I’m sure you’ll get to meet us again if you continue hunting pirates .
Those guys are one of our main sources of income after all . And you also
owe me, remember?”

If you think about it like that, I was like a predator who thrives in
devouring the flesh and blood of pirates in order to live . Yeah, it’s an apt
description, in a sense . But I’d like to think I’m a bit more decent of a
person than that . There’s no real pirate worth pitying after all .

“I see…… You’re right . I’ll be seeing you then . ”

“Yeah . Later, major . ”

Major Serena flashed me a pretty smile one last time and turned away .
After seeing her off, I returned inside the Krishna and let out a sigh .

“I’ll be seeing you, huh . ”

It’s unfair for you to say a thing like that with those abandoned puppy
eyes, lady . What the heck should I do? I really feel someone like Major
Serena is a little bit too much for someone like me .
Well, I guess we’ll still get to meet up if there really was some sort of
connection between us . I better just turn my attention to our departure
tomorrow instead .

Then came the next day .

The actual reserve supplies used up during yesterday’s drinking party was
fairly little (the alcohol was Elma’s and the food was Mimi’s), so we could
launch anytime .

Since the girls were drunk from alcohol last night, we didn’t have the
chance to do some nightly activities, so I just did some training first thing
in the morning, took a bath, and did a bit of info gathering while sipping
some warm coffee .

The info I searched for was not about the resort planet we were going to go
next or the things to look out for while traveling there . It was about the
bioterrorism incident that occurred a few days ago .

The cause of that incident has finally come to light .

Those pale white monsters were, as expected, variants of the ones we saw
being bred at the cultured meat factory . The auto-apoptosis feature that
was a security measure in case a specimen ever escaped from a meat plant
was removed via genetic manipulation, and their aggressive instincts were
instead enhanced to dangerous levels .

It seems a certain organization has already claimed responsibility for

causing the bioterrorism incident this time, and the imperial government
has already given an order to the military for the organization’s
extermination .

The name of the terrorist organization was the Artificial Life Protection
Association .

They were a group that was dedicated to protecting the rights and
promoting the release of artificial life forms born and bred for the people’s
convenience . So they were like the futuristic extremist version of
conservationists or animal rights groups huh? They sound like a group I
didn’t ever want to get mixed up with .

“Good morning, Hiro-sama . ”

“Morning . ”

Mimi and Elma entered the dining room just after I finished reading the
article .

“Morning, you two . Let’s have breakfast and prepare to head out . ”

“I hope there are no more interruptions this time . ”

“Um, doing it two times in a row should be unlikely, even for someone
like Major Serena…”

Mimi replied to Elma’s statement while sporting a wry grin . I’m sure
Mimi has already classified Major Serena as『that type』inside her heart .
You know . That type . A troublemaker, I mean .

“Well, I guess it’ll be fine . But let’s depart straight away, just in case .
Being delayed for a day or two is already too much . ”

I’m sure it’ll cost us quite a bit once we got to our destination, but we have
a budget of over 17 mil, so we still have a fair bit of leeway available .
That’s a whopping 1 . 7 billion if forcibly converted into Yen after all .

“Anyway, let’s eat up first . I wonder what today’s daily specials are?”

“I’m famished, so I want something that’s a little on the heavy side today .
”

“I’m fine with something light . I don’t have much of an appetite during
mornings anyway . ”

We made a lively fuss as we started to order our meals from the auto-
cooker .
We’re going to a new place later on . But first, we spent our morning doing
our usual routine as always .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 58

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

“Yosh, shall we depart? Apply for launch clearance, Mimi . ”

After having breakfast, we decided to finally depart to our next

destination, the Sierra star system – a place with a bustling resort planet as
its main draw . It became hard for us to do any pirate hunting on our own
in the Alein star system because of the independent anti-pirate mobile
fleet led by Major Serena . It would be inefficient if we insisted on
fighting over them for scraps now that the main pirate base in this system
has been successfully crushed .

“Roger!”

“Do your thing like always, Elma . ”

“Got it . Leave the subsystem controls to me . ”

The state of the ship was all green . The self-diagnostics check performed
by the ship AI didn’t detect a single problem .

“We have clearance . ”

“Great . We’re heading out . ”

I released the docking mechanism, retracted the landing gear, and slowly
flew out of the colony . I did it at a slow enough speed in order to avoid
colliding with other ships as we headed out of the colony . If I mess up
badly, we’ll possibly end up crashing and triggering a huge chain
explosion accident . If that ever happened, we’d have to pay for the
damages to other ships as well as the colony itself, apart from the repair
fee for our own ship, even if we do manage to survive the accident .
“Um, our gate passage number is 3 . We’re going next, after that yellow
transport ship . ”

“Gotcha . ”

Ships rushing through gates all at once during launch procedures may
possibly cause major accidents to occur as well . So in order to prevent
that, ships are only allowed to launch out when their turn comes up .
Getting number 3 was quite a lucky break since we didn’t have to wait
long .

“It’s our turn . ”

“Okay . I’ll make sure to be a model driver at least until we get out of the
colony . ”

“Yes . ”

“Causing an accident near the gate is a pretty serious offense after

all……”

Elma made a faraway look . She may have possibly been involved in one
in the past . Because it may cause interference with other ships within the
colony, the energy shield output needs to be set to minimum while inside .

After a few moments, the yellow ship finally managed to fully launch out
of the gate, making it our turn .

“Let’s go, Hiro-sama . ”

“Yeah . ”

I slowly led the ship forward until we passed through the specialized
airtight barrier covering the colony, separating it from the coldness of
space . It was a mysterious barrier that allowed solid objects like ship
hulls to pass through but trapped the air inside the colony interior . I think
it’s one of the most mysterious devices I’ve ever encountered in this
dimension .
After passing through the barrier, we finally reached open space . We
increased the generator output and accelerated away from the colony .

“Please set the coordinates on the nav-computer, Mimi . ”

“Yes . Course is now set . ”

Mimi operated the console in front of the Operator seat and inputted the
coordinates for the target star system in the nav-computer . The data
popped up on my screen as well . After receiving the data, I pointed the
bow toward the direction of the target destination .

“FTL drive, charging start . ”

“Roger . FTL drive, countdown . ”

Elma followed my order and started firing up the FTL drive .

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…… FTL drive, activate . ”

After the sound of an explosion, the Krishna disappeared from normal

space; only leaving behind light trails in its wake . The formerly stationary
stars in the far distance started moving .

“Currently heading to the Pamoni star system…… Final stop: Sierra star
system . It’s four nodes away from here via Hyperlane . Hyper Drive,
charging start . ”

“Charging Hyper Drive . ”

“Hyperlane link complete . ”

“Countdown . 5, 4, 3, 2, 1– Hyper Drive, activate . ”

The space around the ship began to distort further, along with the lights
surrounding it . In the next instant, a bright flash of myriad lights
enveloped us, and Krishna finally entered hyperspace . Our small ship
started to journey within the bright torrents of lights . Though in actual
practice, there weren’t any loud sounds that rang out during the process .
Space is a vacuum after all .

“And done . We can finally relax a bit . ”

Generally, traveling through hyperspace is done through the ship’s

autopilot . The traveling time is fairly long, and the bow of the ship simply
needs to keep pointing in the direction of the light flow .

The standard practice is to leave one person in charge of monitoring the

autopilot navigation, just in case some trouble does occur . I only heard of
this practice from Elma though .

In Stella Online, traveling between star systems didn’t really take hours to
complete . If it was, then it would have been criticized as a crappy game .
It was basically just activating the Hyper Drive, getting on the Hyperlane,
and instantly arriving at the target destination .

“So what are we gonna do about monitoring duty?”

“Um, do we really need to have one of us on monitoring duty?”

Mimi asked a bit doubtfully .

“I wonder . I just heard it from Elma, so I decided on doing it . I can’t

really say if there’s a fundamental need for it or not . Even I’m a bit
reluctant about it, honestly . The autopilot is fully capable of doing the
minor adjustments and course corrections by itself, and it would also
sound an alarm if there was any sort of trouble . ”

After saying so, I turned my gaze toward Elma . After hearing my and
Mimi’s doubts, Elma gave an answer .

“Yep . That was a lie . ”

“Eh?”

“What did you say?”

“Well, we’re going to spend quite a lot of time without anything to do in
particular, right…? I just thought of taking advantage of it so we can
spend some time with each other alone . In shifts, of course . ”

Elma told the honest truth and turned her face away from the two of us . I
see .

“Okay . Well, let’s just not leave anyone on guard duty then . ”

“H-Hey……”

“It’s just a matter of keeping alert in the off-chance of an emergency

happening, right? I think forcefully implementing shifts and losing sleep
because of it is kinda ridiculous . ”

“T-That’s… You’re right, but…”

“It doesn’t sound so bad to experience a laid back lifestyle every once in a
while, right?”

“So that’s your real aim?”

Elma gave me a hard stare . Well, it’s sort of like a man’s romance, yeah .
Well, I was still pretty laid back even when I did monitoring duty in the
cockpit last time, so it really doesn’t matter in the end . You’d be spending
tens of hours inside a small ship… In some cases, it may even take
hundreds of hours .

You won’t be able to connect to the galactic net while in hyperspace, so

you really can’t browse online . If you didn’t prepare stuff for killing time
like games, holo-vids, or e-books, the only option you have left is doing
stuff like exercising in the training room, eating a meal or two, taking a
bath, and sleeping .

Basically, you’d have a lot of idle time . In that case, there’s only one other
thing couples who have already bared their bodies and hearts to each other
can do . It’s probably one of the reasons why there were a lot of families
with tons of kids in the eras when there were little entertainment options
available .

“Okay then . You’re dismissed, folks . As the captain of this ship, I

approve the start of the free time period . ”

“Understood . ”

“Oh geez…… Really, now……”

“Well, it’ll be a fairly long journey, so let’s just take this time to relax,
okay? Did you manage to get something like a tourist information guide
for the Sierra system, Mimi?”

“Yes, I have!”

“Great . Let’s all have a look at the dining room . I’m really curious about
the stuff on a resort planet . C’mon Elma . ”

“W-Wait! You don’t have to push me!”

I pushed Elma from behind and headed to the dining area . There are no
more annoying third parties, so let’s take this opportunity to thoroughly
relax . I didn’t manage to relax all that much during our time in the Alein
system after all .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 59

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

I was woken up by a ticklish feeling .

In the midst of being immersed in warmth, I felt something tickling the tip
of my nose . My half-asleep brain still refused to get away from this
comfortable warmth, and a body will remain immobile without commands
from the brain . There was something soft wrapping itself on my entire
body . There were soft things hitting the center of my chest . It was
definitely a taste of paradise .

However, it’s quite unfortunate . The brain, that has already started
realizing the current situation, has now begun the process of waking up in
earnest .

When I regained consciousness, the first thing I saw was the top of a head
with a lustrous patch of light-brown hair . It seems it’s the soft locks of
hair on this particular head that were tickling my nose . There was a young
woman who used my arm as a pillow and pushed her delicate face near the
base of my neck . Both I and she were unmistakably naked . Well, in other
words, it was ‘that’ kind of relationship .

Now then, what should I do about this? It did feel a bit of a pity to get up
from this position, but I had to get to the bathroom to do my stuff and take
a shower . I still don’t know what time it is, but it’s not like I didn’t get
sufficient sleep, and it didn’t feel like it was too early to get out of bed .
Yeah, let’s get up . I’ll be as gentle in waking my partner up as possible .

I reached for the top of the head with lustrous hair in front of me and gave
it a light pat . Shortly after, she woke up with a shudder . She looked at me
with her still-half-asleep eyes and smiled gently .

“Good morning, Mimi . ”

“Good morning, Hiro-sama . ”

Now then, let’s have a little talk about our current destination – the Sierra
star system .

It was four nodes away via Hyperlane from the Alein star system – the
system we were previously at, with a great technological industry . You
can think of a Hyperlane as a kind of subspace tunnel that serves as a sort
of high-speed highway between star systems . It’s said that if you make
use of it, you can travel a few tens, or even hundreds, of lightyears in a
significantly shorter period of time .

And the Sierra star system is a place famous for being a vacation
destination due to being a resort system, it seems .

So what’s a resort system, you ask? In other words, it was somewhere non-
first class imperial citizens, mercenaries who aren’t imperial subjects to
begin with, and other such foreign visitors go to in order to enjoy various
activities experiencing nature in tourist planets, mountain climbing,
sailing, hunting for local wildlife and eating their meat via outdoor
barbecue and the like .

By the way, having a real nature experience means that you get to see
things like a natural sunrise, naturally formed white clouds floating in a
vast, blue sky, occasional rains, sunset, a clear view of the starry sky, and
even witness shooting stars if you’re lucky enough . That is the ultimate
nature experience . At least, that’s what’s written in the tourist pamphlet of
the Sierra star system we had on our hands .

“It somehow sounds really grand!”

“Yeah . Those aren’t stuff people born and raised in colonies get to
experience often . ”

Mimi smiled cheerfully as she held a tablet displaying a virtual pamphlet

of the Sierra star system on it . Elma agreed with her words and smiled
back .
I woke up with Mimi earlier, entered the bathroom and took a shower
together, and went to the dining room after refreshing ourselves . We were
currently in the middle of an after-meal break after having breakfast .

“Hm……”

All the things that Mimi found impressive were already quite familiar to
me . In other words, it was like a nature camp-out, right? I didn’t really
see anything worth getting too hyped up about, honestly . But that’s just
me .

But on the other hand, there’s a good chance to see Mimi and Elma
wearing skimpy swimsuits under a blue sky on a white sand beach . Now
that’s something worth getting excited about . I definitely wanna get a load
of that . Well, at least I’m gonna get to experience going on a vacation in a
different dimension . Let’s just enjoy it to the fullest .

Oops . The talk got derailed a bit . Let’s get back to talking about the
Sierra star system .

I mentioned earlier that the Sierra system is a resort system, and it indeed
had a lot of habitable planets, but it doesn’t mean there are no colonies
present . They function as relay points to transfer supplies and materials to
and from the various planets, lodging places for those tourists waiting for
their turn to have the nature experience tours, and expo sites for all the
various exotic products produced and gathered from the resort planets in
the system . Many colonies with varied functions such as these existed
there .

But it seems quite a lot of people living in colonies aren’t able to afford
the high costs of going in a vacation on these types of resort systems, so
they just choose the next best thing and have their vacations in the comfort
of their own homes via a simulated virtual environment . But isn’t
something like that completely missing the point of a vacation in the first
place?

That’s about it for the introduction of the Sierra star system as a tourist
destination . Now let’s talk about the Sierra system as a viable pirate
hunting ground for mercs .

Since it’s a resort system, there are naturally a lot of tourists visiting all
the time . There are many passenger cruisers operating within the area, as
well as ship escorts assigned for their protection . And there were also
many cargo transport ships carrying supplies and materials between the
various colonies and planets in the system, and even from other
neighboring star systems .

Now then, I’m sure you guys can already tell . If there’s a great number of
civilian and mercantile traffic, chances are, ‘those guys’ would also appear
. Pirates, I mean . Since they chose to go on vacation on a resort system,
it’s fairly safe to assume the tourists on the passenger ships were all of the
wealthy sorts . There were many uses for them in the pirate’s eyes . They
could be kidnapped and ransomed away for a great amount of cash, sold as
slaves in the black market, or used as an outlet of lust for those guys and
certain sorts of clients .

And the cargo transport ships are a no-brainer . There were quite a lot of
merchants vessels carrying high-value goods . Even if that’s not the case,
they could still be carrying things like luxury items, food, and drinks .
There’s no reason for pirates not to go after them .

Of course those transport ships aren’t without defenses . There were sure
to be guard ships escorting them during their travels . That’s why pirates in
this system always form raid groups so they can successfully attack the
civilian ships . And in lieu of necessity, the pirate raid groups in this
system are composed of twenty to thirty ships instead of the usual ten-
something .

The jobs mercenaries can take aren’t limited to pirate hunting but escort
missions as well . In any case, due to the difficulty of going at it alone in
this kind of environment, the mercenaries in the Mercenary Guild branch
of the Sierra Prime colony often form unofficial ‘fleets’ and work in teams
to complete missions .

“Hiro?”
“Hm? What’s up?”

“No . I was just curious about why you’re suddenly all quiet . What’s
wrong?”

“I was just thinking about some stuff . Like what’s the most effective
method for earning money in the Sierra star system . ”

“Oh? You’re unexpectedly thinking about some serious stuff for a change .
To think you’re actually concentrating on business even though we’re
heading to a resort system . ”

“I don’t know what to feel about that ‘unexpected’ part…… Well, this is
kinda like a habit of mine . ”

I shrugged my shoulders and answered Elma, who was giving me a side-

eye . In fact, this may actually be a habit formed by many in my home
country . You know . There are a lot of guys over there who’d end up
working until they’re almost dead if you left them alone .

“In any case, we should go to Sierra Prime first . ”

“Yeah . It seems we also need to place a reservation in the colony before

we can go on a vacation tour on a resort planet anyway . ”

“Let’s head over right away once we exit hyperspace . How much longer
before we come out?”

“About one more hour . ”

“We have enough time to work up a sweat in the training room then . ”

“Someone’s working hard . ”

“A healthy mind lives in a healthy body, as they say . ”

“It doesn’t sound convincing when you’re the one saying it . ”

“How cold . I’m quite the exemplary gentleman you know . ”

“Try to look at yourself in the mirror and say that again . ”

Elma gave me another disdainful side-eye . But it can’t be helped, y’see .

For some reason, the games in this dimension just don’t interest me at all .
In terms of ways to kill time, I could only either read some e-books, work
up a sweat in the training room, or work up a sweat with Mimi and Elma
in the bedroom . But it might really be a good time for me to find a hobby
or something in this dimension .

“Hiro-sama, I’ll join you!”

“I see . Let’s go then . ”

“……I’m coming along too . ”

“Really?”

For some reason, not just Mimi, but even Elma offered to come with me to
the training room . But the training room’s not all that spacious y’know .
Oh well .

The three of us then proceeded to work out . I chose the menu focusing on
building up muscle . Mimi chose the one tailored to build stamina . Elma,
on the other hand, did some workouts that improve her flexibility and
explosiveness .

“Owowowow!”

“You’re not very flexible, aren’t you? It’s important to improve flexibility
in order to take advantage of all that muscle, you know . ”

“Oooow!? I can’t bend that much! I really can’t bend that much, okay!?”

“It’s fine . You can do it . C’mon . There you go . Do your best♡ Do your
best♡”

“Aaah—!?”
I tried out the flexibility exercises, but Elma was merciless . She kept
forcibly trying to bend my joints . I’ll die you know .

“Is it really that hard?”

“Mimi’s already pretty flexible after all . ”

“Yes . I’m pretty confident in my body’s flexibility!”

“Ugh……”

Stop casually having a nice conversation like that and pay attention to me
too, please! I’m gonna cry here! I’m really gonna cry!

With that, we finished up each of our training routines, with Mimi and
Elma feeling quite refreshed after the workout, and me feeling quite sore
from getting my limbs and joints stretched out . Should I get this treated at
the med pod……?

“We’ll be coming out of subspace soon . Countdown start . 5, 4, 3, 2,

1…… Warping out!”

Should I describe the sound as ‘gyoiooon’? Or is ‘gyuoooon’ better?

Anyway, the ship finally got itself out of the multicolored light stream and
tunneled out to normal space along with a peculiar wailing sound .

“Downloading star system data . Checking coordinates… We’ve

successfully arrived at the target destination . ”

“Please send me the navigation data for Sierra Prime . ”

After a short while, Elma sent me the navigation data of the Sierra system
as well as the immediate area . Mimi’s already inputted the exact
navigation coordinates earlier . It was work the two of them have quite a
couple of times already ever since we left the Termaine system . It looks
like Mimi’s already getting a hang of it . Her work went smoother this
time compared to before .

“Alright . Shall we get going? Start charging the FTL Drive . ”

“Roger . FTL Drive, charging start . Count start . 5, 4, 3, 2, 1……
Charging complete . ”

“FTL Drive, activate . ”

The Krishna activated its FTL drive with a loud boom as usual . The
stationary stars started trailing behind the ship once more .

“We’ll arrive at the Sierra Prime colony in…… about an hour without any
emergencies along the way . ”

“Yeah . If we encountered trouble again like last time–”

Maybe Mimi saying that triggered a flag or something? An alarm started

ringing out inside the cockpit .

“……Mimi . ”

“Eh!? Is this my fault!?”

When I called her out, Mimi started tearing up .

“No, it’s not really your fault, Mimi . It’s just a coincidence, okay . ”

“Well someone sure is relaxed even after being hit by an interdictor……”

An interdictor is a device that can arbitrarily force the FTL Drive of a ship
to stop, bringing it out to normal space again . I’m not sure how the thing
works as usual, but it seems it has to do something with interfering with
gravity and mass or something . It was an absurd dimension as always, but
anyway, there are only two groups that actively make use of
interdictors…… No, three, rather .

The first is the imperial military . Private combat ships traveling all alone
like Krishna here can be said to be suspicious in a certain sense over here .
Mercenary ships like us are usually part of an escort contingent for
merchant fleets or move with other ships in teams in this particular system
after all . Any lone ship sailing through space in these parts can only be
lone wolf mercenaries or rogue pirates . In other words, the imperial
military has the right to use an interdictor to forcefully stop suspicious
ships like that in its tracks in order to inspect them .

The other is, of course, pirates . They’d use interdictors to stop private
passenger cruisers and the like in their tracks in order to attack them .

The last one is mercenaries like us . There are times when our targets try
to make a run for it while we’re hunting them down, so we use an
interdictor to prevent them from using their FTL Drives to escape .
Krishna also has some onboard . But we rarely use them though .

“What do you think?”

“There’s a good chance it’s pirates . ”

“Yeah . ”

They hit us with an interdictor without so much as a warning after all .

Elma also thinks pirates are the likely cause .

“I wonder why they targeted us?”

“Maybe cause we’re a lone ship . I believe they were able to detect us via
radar the moment we exited the Hyperlane . ”

We tried tracing the source point of the gravity interference created by the
interdictor while exchanging some light banter . The guys who used the
interdictor on us are kinda amateurish . We could actually easily escape
from them now if we had the mind to .

“Shall we get em?”

“Shall we? I heard the pirates in this system work in fairly large groups
though?”

“It’s fine . Judging from the timing they used the interdictor, I’m sure
they’re not that special . ”

“Really? Well, I guess . Let’s go ahead and lay it to them then . ”

“Right . Mimi, battle prep . There are probably gonna be quite a number of
them, so focus on the radar, okay . And brace for Gs as well . I may make
some forceful maneuvers later . ”

“Understood!”

“Elma, release the chaff once we get booted out to normal space . Release
some flares too if needed . ”

“I know . I’ll do it like always . ”

“Great . Let’s go wild then . ”

I dropped the power and obediently canceled the FTL drive without going
against the interdictor . Now that we’ve chosen to fight, it would be better
to deactivate the drive ourselves than to wait for it to get forcibly
deactivated .

*Boom! The FTL drive finally deactivated, and the flowing stars in the
distance turned into stationary light motes again .

“We’ve been locked on to by unidentified ships! There are ten enemy

signatures on the radar!”

“Releasing chaff!”

“Weapon systems online! Let’s go!”

The generator’s power output went up to battle level within moments .

Now then, it’s showtime .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 60

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

There were a total of thirteen enemies behind us . Having our backside

exposed to enemy fire right from the start of the battle isn’t amusing in the
least .

But we still had an overwhelming advantage in terms of shield capacity

and firepower . We have a full batch of shield cells ready as well . I guess
taking a brute force approach every once in a while ain’t so bad .

“We’re going for a frontal shootout this time, girls . ”

“Are you serious?”

“Very . ”

I immediately deployed the ship’s four manipulator arms equipped with

heavy laser cannons and the two ballistic shotgun cannons on both sides of
the cockpit block as I fired up the thrusters to maximum .

『What the hell? So yer runnin away? Ya coward!』

『Gyahaha! Do you think you can escape with thirteen ships surrounding
you?』

I’m not really trying to run away though . I inwardly thought so as I kept
taking distance from the pirates . Even though I said we were going for a
frontal shootout earlier, it doesn’t mean I planned on staying put while
trading shots . It would be troublesome to take enemy fire from all sides
after all .
“Are we going to run away like this? Our ship is certainly faster so we do
have a good chance of escaping, but…”
“There’s no way we’re bailing out . ”

“Um……?”

“We’re gonna do this instead . ”

『Crap, that one’s faster than expecte–!?』

I made the Krishna do a high-speed turn by firing out a couple of the

attitude control sub-thrusters while maintaining the momentum built up
earlier by rushing forward at top speed . As a result, Krishna, that had its
backside completely exposed to the enemies earlier, was finally able to
face the thirteen pirate ships head-on while still maintaining its earlier
escaping speed .

“Well, that pullback maneuver sure was smooth . ”

“Course it was . ”

Krishna fired all four heavy lasers against the enemy pirate ships giving
chase while maintaining distance using the sub-thrusters in front of the
ship . Pirate ships generally prioritize firepower, so their shield strengths
were relatively poor .

The azure light projectiles fired out by the heavy laser cannons easily
penetrated the flimsy energy shields of the enemy pirate ships like they
were nothing more than shoji paper, melting their armor and blasting
through their hulls .

『The shield was penetrated in one hit!? Gaaaaaaaaaa!?”』

『M-Missiles! Fire everything at em!』

Four of the enemy ships exploded, but the remaining nine fired heat-
seeker missiles at us . It looks like they fired all they got in order for the
deaths of their comrades to not be in vain or something like that .

That sure puts a tear in my eye guys . But it’s meaningless .

『W-What the–!? The missiles!–? Guwaaah!?』

I intercepted all the heat-seeker missiles by firing off the two ballistic
shotgun cannons, causing a large chain explosion . I then used said
explosion as a screen in order to land more hits using the laser cannons .
The pirate ships fired back using their own laser cannons and multi-
cannons, but they were unable to put even as much as a scratch on Krishna
due to our high-output shields .

『Crap! We thought this was delicious prey, but we ended up provoking a

monster! We’re gonna run for it, you bastards!』

I shot down another four ships . That leaves five more . Did that lead ship
manage to survive until now because it was always hanging out back while
the others took the heat? I mulled over such pointless stuff while picking
off the remaining pirate ships with the heavy lasers .

『Crap! Craaaap! I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna die! I don’t–』

The last ship took the full brunt of our four laser cannons and exploded .
Did that guy have a habit of saying ‘crap’ over and over again? Oh, yeah .
It sure takes back to my FPS days . There was a guy who kept saying
‘crap’ all the time back then as well . He sounded like a broken radio .

“Situation clear . Hm . The difference in our specs was just too huge, so it
was pretty one-sided . ”

“This ship is just too much of a cheat . Isn’t the generator output just
absurd? It looks like a small ship, but the output of its generator and its
firepower rival that of a large warship . ”

“I don’t deny that it’s a cheat . But the handling of this thing is quite peaky
you know . ”

“Well, that’s right too, I guess . It’s not as much as the Swan though . ”
“I’ll worship you as a goddess if you ever master that kind of ship,
Elma…… That one’s just too much for me as well . ”

While talking casually with Elma, I moved Krishna toward the pirate ship
wreckage in order to commence salvaging operations .

“They’re always like this, but, I mean……”

Mimi turned a complicated gaze toward me and Elma, who were busy
talking animatedly with each other in a harmonious fashion . Fumu . Was
she bothered that we didn’t really care about the deaths earlier?

“What’s wrong? Are you wondering why we’re so calm even after killing
people?”

“Um……”

Mimi hesitated to reply after hearing Elma’s question . I’m sure that’s
exactly how she feels, but she’s just afraid of rubbing Elma and I the
wrong way, so she’s keeping mum instead .

“You know Mimi, if you keep worrying about things like that, it’ll just
become a vicious cycle . Those were space pirates who attack and kill
innocent civilians like it was nothing, okay . But I do understand it’s hard
to reconcile with one’s feelings at first even though you understand the
logic . ”

“It’s just as Hiro says . There’s no need to pay attention to the dying
screams of those kinds of idiots . Those scum have always ignored the
screams and begging of their victims after all . It’s their just desserts, so to
speak . ”

“……Yes . ”

Mimi answered us in a downhearted voice . My seat was a bit far from

hers, so I couldn’t see her face, but I’m sure she was displaying a
depressed expression right now .
“Well, this might sound rather callous, but I think you’re better off being
that way, Mimi . I and Elma are like this, y’see . I think someone like
Mimi, who still holds on to your compassionate heart, can act as the voice
of conscience and reason for this ship from time to time . ”

“Hey, I also have a conscience you know…? But Mimi, you absolutely
cannot show any mercy to pirates, okay . If you ever let at least one
escape, tens, or even hundreds of innocent lives will be the price to pay . ”

“……Yes . ”

Hmmm . The tension just won’t go back down . I’m not sure about what
exactly I should say to lighten the mood at times like this . Sorry, Mimi .

“They don’t seem to be carrying much cargo . ”

“Yeah . We only got some canned food, alcohol, and a small number of
rare metals . Is there some equipment that’s worth taking away with us…
Oh . ”

As I was controlling the drone to look for loot, I managed to find

something that made me involuntarily sigh .

“What’s wrong?”

“I might have found something troublesome here . ”

“Eh? What is it? Another singing crystal?”

“Nope . Here, take a look . ”

I sent the image data to Mimi and Elma’s terminals .

“This is…… a cold sleep pod? Geh . And it looks like it has someone
inside . ”

After seeing the images I sent, Elma let out an unwilling voice .
A cold sleep, simply speaking, is an emergency escape pod usually
equipped on passenger ships . Humans who enter inside them are put into a
state of suspended animation under really low temperatures, suppressing
their metabolism to extremely low levels, which would allow them to
survive with limited resources for a long period of time .

A rescue signal is set to be emitted from the pod at a set period of time
after being ejected from a ship, and it is a system that would give the
escaped person a chance to be recovered by other passing ships while they
are kept alive under the cold sleep state . By the way, in Stella Online, it’s
merely treated as a cash item . But in this world, it won’t be the case for
sure .

“It has someone inside…… So it’s a survivor?”

“That would be the case if nothing’s wrong with the pod…… And we can’t
exactly leave it drifting around like this . ”

“Yeah, you’re right . ”

The discoverers of such pods are also obligated to rescue them under
universal law . If it was ever found out that you ignored one such pod, it
would become a capital crime, and you’d get a bounty put on your head .
Mercs and merchants who blatantly ignore things like these while betting
that they won’t be found out mostly end up with a big, fat bounty on their
heads .

“Well, better retrieve it then…… and head as fast as we can for the nearest
colony . ”

“We came here for a vacation and encountered something so troublesome

right off the bat…… Well, getting attacked by pirates is also quite unlucky
as well though . ”

“Um, why does it sound like you’re not very willing, you two……?”

After hearing Mimi’s question, my and Elma’s eyes met . The main pilot
seat and the sub-pilot seat were adjacent to each other, so we can freely
meet eyes like this .

And right now we were trying to pass the responsibility of explaining

what’s up to Mimi on each other with our gazes…… Oh man . Mimi
already took a hit earlier with the pirate deaths, so telling her about the
reason for our reluctance to rescue the pod is a little awkward .

In the end, Elma gave in first . She sighed and began explaining .

“When using a cold sleep pod, there’s a good chance of the person inside
having some gaps in his or her memories as a side effect . That’s why the
rescuer is obliged to take care of the person inside the pod for a week or so
. Once their memories return, the rescuer can also charge the expenses
incurred during that one week period . ”

“In other words, we can’t go on our planned vacation for at least one week,
and we can’t hunt pirates either…… Well, we’re rescuing a person, so I
guess it can’t be helped . ”

“I see . But I think rescuing people is a good thing . I and Elma-san were
rescued by Hiro-sama after all . ”

“……That’s right, I guess . It feels like we’re gonna get punished or

something by thinking something like this is unlucky . But I do hope
there’s nothing wrong with the ‘contents’ of that pod . ”

“The ‘contents’ huh…… That sure makes me think twice about opening
that pod or not . ”

It would be nice if the person inside can stay rational even after being put
into cold sleep…… But according to Elma, there are lots of cases where
survivors behaved pretty unreasonably .

“In any case, let’s hurry and head to the Sierra Prime colony first . We’re
done with recovering the loot anyway . ”

“You’re right . Mimi, set a new navigation route for us please . ”

“Yes, I’m updating the navigation data now . ”

After the navigation data for the Sierra Prime colony was set, the main
monitor inside the cockpit displayed our new route .

“Yosh, let’s go . FTL Drive, charging start . ”

“Roger . Charging, start . ”

And so, we shoved the cold sleep pod with unknown contents inside the
cargo hold and headed for the Sierra Prime colony .

All the while unsuspecting of all the trouble the mysterious ‘contents’ of
that pod will bring us later on .
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space
Mercenary - Chapter 61

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thor’s Stone

The Sierra Prime colony looked to be the same torus-type colony as the
Termaine Prime colony where I, Mimi, and Elma met each other…… but
it was a bona fide tire-shaped supercolony with high-performance mobile
elevators and a large-scale low-gravity port block .

It was considerably larger compared to Termaine Prime, and the number of

‘tire spokes’ as well as the tire-shaped ring section’s thickness were at
least two times that of Termaine Prime . Just how many tens of thousands
of people can this thing accommodate?

“It resembles Termaine Prime colony a lot . ”

“They’re the same colony type after all . But the interior facilities are
worlds apart . ”

Mimi and Elna were talking with each other, but Mimi’s voice lacked its
usual liveliness . She may have been hit by a wave of nostalgia after
seeing a colony that resembled the one she was from .

“Mimi, send out a docking request . ”

“Ah, yes!”

Mimi followed my instructions and sent out a docking request to the port
administration of the Sierra Prime colony . After a short while, a reply
from the port administration was sent back . We were allowed to dock
inside hangar number thirty-two .

“Yosh, let’s go . And we should pay attention to driving safely . ”

“I guess . Drive safely huh . ”

Elma’s gaze seemed like it was aimed at something far away . I guess it’s
because she was reminded of the debt she incurred when she caused an
accident a while back . Well, it’s not like all fault lies with her… Nah, as a
matter of fact, it kinda does huh . Yeah, it definitely does . Come to think
of it, just what kind of treatment does that type of spaceship with a fatal
defect receive in this dimension? If it were a car, then every unit would
definitely have to be recalled . I’ll look it up later .

Now then, even though there was a lot of traffic in this port, we were able
to successfully dock without causing any type of accident . Well, I guess
this was just a piece of cake for someone experienced like me . Most of
the newbies in Stella Online couldn’t really dock their spaceships all that
well at first and spend their time flitting precariously here and there,
scrape their bottoms on the walls, mistakenly going in reverse and hitting
something or other, among all sorts of clumsy blunders .

Once you’re a bit more experienced, docking safely inside a hangar

becomes second nature . Just like me . Well, in other words, you finally
discover the wonders of automatic docking .

“The use of auto-docking is utterly evil……”

“What did the auto-docking function ever do to you anyway? Did it kill
your parents or something?”

“Now, now, isn’t it fine since it’s convenient?”

Mimi comforted Elma, who was totally against auto-docking for some
reason . Just why does Elma hate the auto-docking function to this extent
anyway? Maybe something traumatic happened to her in the past .

“Where should we contact to take care of the cold sleep pod?”

“You can just inform the port administration about it . They also hold
jurisdiction over the enforcement of space travel laws after all . ”

“I see . Please take care of our temporary residence application, Mimi . I’ll
take care of informing the port administration about the cold sleep pod .
Please offer support as you see fit, Elma . ”

“Yes!”

“Yes, yes . I got it . ”

Saying yes one time is enough you know . I didn’t voice that opinion in the
end though and gave the port administration office a call . The call
connected immediately . It was a woman’s voice on the other line .

『This is the port administration office . 』

“This is Captain Hiro, a mercenary affiliated with the Mercenary Guild .

My ship’s name is Krishna . We are currently docked at hangar number
thirty-two . ”

『Please wait while I verify…… Verification complete . Do you have any

inquiries for us, Captain Hiro?』

“Well, I guess you can call it an inquiry . We were attacked by pirates

when we arrived at this system and we managed to defeat them, but we
found an unopened cold sleep pod among the wreckages . ”

『Understood . So you rescued the survivor, correct? So you need a

witness before opening the pod . Are you already familiar with your
responsibilities as the rescuer?』

“Yeah . We’re required to shelter the survivor for one week, right? But
what happens when the rescued person ends up with no idea about where
they’re from?”

『We will be confirming the person’s identity within the one week period,
so you don’t have to worry . If the person is an imperial citizen, we will
have almost 100% certainty of determining their identity . 』

“……And what happens if the person’s not an imperial citizen?”

『In that case, the empire will take over custody of the subject . But we
are not able to divulge their future treatment if that happens . 』

The lady from the port administration office continued to talk with a
cheery tone . It was kinda scary imagining what will happen if they take
over custody, so I didn’t ask . I’ll just pray that the person inside the cold
sleep pod is an imperial citizen .

“What procedures should we go through with, exactly? Are you going to

open the pod inside our ship’s cargo hold?”

『No, we have a specialized space for that, so please send the pod here .
I’ll send you the cargo transfer application, so please fill it out and send it
back to us . The transfer code is……』

I entered the cargo transfer code dictated by the port administration staff
on the cockpit’s main console and started the transfer procedures for the
cold sleep pod . With this, the pod will be delivered to the designated area
inside the colony using the cargo transfer system . I do feel a bit awkward
about treating the cold sleep pod with a living(?) person still inside as
cargo though .

『I’ve confirmed the required documents . Please come over as soon as

you can . We would like to start the opening procedures for the cold sleep
pod right away after all . 』

They’re not even considering our circumstances! Well, the longer a person
stays inside a cold sleep pod, the worse the memory lapses become after
all . So I guess it was only proper to open the pod as soon as possible .

“You guys heard that, right? I’ll have to head to the port administration
office now . One of you should come with me as well . ”

“Wouldn’t Elma-san be better? I do not have much experience when it

comes to these sorts of situations after all, so I think Elma-san, who can
cope with unexpected situations better than me, would be more suited . ”
“That may be the case, but…… Oh, alright . Let’s go then . ”

Elma thought for a bit and then nodded in assent . I don’t know what
exactly she thought about earlier, but it didn’t seem she was reluctant
because she thought it would be troublesome .

“We’ll be going then . Go ahead and dispose of our cargo and the loot
while we’re out . I’ll leave it to you . ”

“Yes, please don’t worry!”

After being entrusted with taking care of the cargo and the loot, Mimi
displayed a cute smile . The cargo I was referring to was the goods we
brought over from the Alein star system . I didn’t know the functions of
most of the stuff they brought over, but Mimi and Elma seem to have
chosen them with the Sierra star system, which is classified as a resort
system, in mind .

Although it wasn’t really that big, the cargo hold of the Krishna still had
lots of unused space, so Mimi and Elma thought it was a waste not to put
that space to good use . So they actually came up with the idea of trading
goods between systems to take advantage of the free space . I, as the
captain of the ship, will have a fifty percent cut of the profits, while Mimi
and Elma will share the other fifty .

I would have been okay even if my share was a bit smaller, but since
trading goods between systems wouldn’t be possible without Krishna in
the first place, I guess that profit allocation can be considered as justified .
In any case, I did bring up the idea of reducing my share, but I lost the
argument in the end .

I and Elma exited the cockpit and got down from Krishna . We then headed
to the port administration office inside the colony .

“Why’d you hesitate earlier anyway?”

“I was thinking that we would probably be encountering more situations

like this in the future, so I wanted Mimi to gain some experience . But I
also considered that letting you gain some experience first, and then
letting Mimi tag along with you the next time will be more efficient . So
in the end, I agreed to go with you instead . ”

“I see . Well then, I will be in your care once again, Elma-senpai . ”

“It’s been a long time since you last addressed me like that . ”

We walked while making small talk like that and finally reached the port
administration office .

“The buildings all look the same . ”

“It’s because they prioritized efficiency . All the units are prefabricated
after all, so all they had to do was simply assemble them . On the other
hand, having something ‘unique’ is looked upon as an unneeded luxury .
We have to make efficient use of the limited living space and resources
out here after all . ”

“I see . So that’s it . ”

I actually thought this type of style was just simply copied and pasted
from the game since this world resembled Stella Online so much, but there
was actually a logical reason for the monotonous buildings .

When we entered the port administration building, I saw a wide counter

with several staff members manning it, as well as lots of visitors with
different appearances . There were people who were dressed in the typical
mercenary style like us, and there were also people who wore suits just
like the staff at the counter . Of course, there weren’t any weirdos wearing
power armor here .

“I’m Captain Hiro, the one who called about the cold sleep pod earlier . ”

“Cold sleep pod…… Yes, I’ve confirmed it . It has already arrived here as
well . Please head to the first pod opening room . It’s the first room along
that hallway . ”

“First pod opening room . Okay . ”

We walked toward the hallway the staff pointed toward and reached the
first pod opening room . A number of port administration staff were
already in the pod opening room when we arrived . There were also people
who stuck cords onto the cold sleep pod and connected it to a console .

“Hello there . You’re Captain Hiro, I take it?”

The one who called out to me was a middle-aged guy . He was most likely
either in his mid-thirties or early forties . His way of speaking was
relaxed, but his body was well built, and he didn’t look like your typical
government employee . He was an uncle with a bit of a badass look .

“Yeah, that’s right . And you are?”

“Just a port administration office staff member . The name’s Bruno . ”

He held his hand out for a handshake, so I went ahead and obliged . He
seems to have quite a grip .

“And this pretty lady is?”

“She’s Elma . My crew member . ”

“……Hee . How enviable . ”

Bruno looked at Elma and said so with a voice that sounded like he was
truly jealous . Well, since she was a crew member of a merc like me, he
took us to be in ‘that’ kind of relationship . Well, he did get it right though
. I wonder how this guy would react if he found out that there was a
beautiful big breasted loli crew member as well?

“Well, let’s get to business then… The one inside the pod seems to be
alright for the most part . We’re in the middle of the thawing and revival
process right now . And it looks like the one inside is a girl . ”

“A girl huh… Well, I have Mimi and Elma with me, so I guess taking care
of her wouldn’t be too hard . ”

“Yeah . It’s also more convenient for us if it’s a girl . ”

We would have had some trouble if it turned out to be a brawny uncle
instead . Well, I guess we could still deal with him somehow . Mimi and
Elma could have rented out accommodations inside the colony while I
stayed together with the uncle inside Krishna . The reverse was also an
option .

“Any other info?”

“Let’s see . This cold sleep pod was ejected from a luxury passenger
cruiser three months back . It was a luxury cruise ship, so the passengers
were basically all well-to-do individuals or imperial nobles . There’s a
good chance this girl is the daughter of one of those passengers . ”

“……This is going to turn out to be quite troublesome huh?”

“You have my sympathies . But since you rescued their daughter, you can
probably expect a possible lavish reward . so it’s not so bad . ”

Bruno shrugged as he said so . It would be fine if the young lady in this

pod was the meek and obedient type, but if she were the selfish, entitled
brat type, then we’re going to have a problem .

“Well, she’s a girl, so I’ll just leave her to Mimi and you, Elma . ”

“Hey!”

“I’m counting on you . ”

“Oh come on . ”

“I’m counting on you!”

“……”

Elma rolled her eyes at me as I forcefully shoved all responsibility to her .

But it can’t be helped, right? Regardless of whether she was an obedient
kid or not, a young lady of high standing like her really shouldn’t be in
contact with a classless guy like me .
“Vitals are stable . Ready for opening . ”

“Yosh . Here we go . Are you ready, Captain?”

“I’m always ready . There’s no point in delaying things, so let’s just get
this over with . ”

“That sounds promising . Begin the unlocking process . ”

“Yes . Starting process . ”

The hatch of the cold sleep pod slowly opened, releasing cold, white vapor
inside the room . I approached the pod and took a look inside . I found a
cute young girl with shiny, black hair in a princess-style bob cut lying
inside the pod .

Thinking it would be pretty unfortunate if the first thing she saw upon
waking up was the face of a rough guy like me, I started taking distance .

“Mm!?”

Suddenly, the delicate arms of the young girl inside the pod stretched out
and grabbed the hem of my clothes . She looked confused and started
shaking .

“Please don’t leave me, father……”

“Eh?”

“Well now……”

The eyes of the young girl grabbing the hem of my clothes started
moistening up . It looked like she would burst into tears at any time . I
turned to Elma, Bruno, and the rest of the port administration staff for
help, but they all just shrugged their shoulders and smiled wryly at me . It
looks like no one’s planning to come to my rescue .

“……Haa . Okay, I understand . ”

I put my hand over the young girl’s delicate hand that was tightly grabbing
onto my clothes . She grasped my hand back, smiled sweetly, and
proceeded to lose consciousness once more . It looks like she fell asleep .
She was still grasping my hand .

“……So what should I do about this?”

“I guess you should stay like that until she wakes up again, right, Bruno?
I’ll go ahead and fill up the forms for you in the meantime . ”

“That’s right . It’s a good thing that the relationship between the rescuer
and the survivor seems to have started out quite favorably . ”

I brought my gaze up to the ceiling as my hand continued to be grasped by

the peacefully sleeping raven haired princess in front of me .

Just how did this happen?