Chapter 325: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (43)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 325: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (43)
Working with Elena, we barely managed to refuel the transport ship. We hurried to finish resupplying, then began to sweep through the ship again, looking for any additional materials or equipment we could use.
“…The damage is too severe. There’s almost nothing usable,” Elena said, her face grim.
“I know.”
We moved cautiously through the half-destroyed interior of the ship. In the narrow corridors, floating corpses blocked our path in a gruesome silence. After passing through a shattered bulkhead and reaching the bridge, Elena glanced down at the terminal in her hand and frowned.
“Lieutenant… multiple unidentified ships are approaching our position.”
Her words made me scowl.
“Major, we need to get back to the transport. Before it’s too late.”
I nodded and quickly turned back. We swiftly returned, dodging the floating bodies and debris, and locked the door as soon as we were inside the transport.
“I’m shutting down the engine. We’re finished if they detect our heat signature.”
I sat in the cockpit, ran a quick systems check, and manually shut down the engine. The transport’s interior fell silent, and as the systems entered low-power mode, only a quiet stillness remained.
A moment later—
“Lieutenant, eleven o’clock. I see something.”
I followed Elena’s gaze. In the black expanse of space, a shape that had been a mere dot was slowly growing closer. On the gradually magnifying screen, three ships came into view.
“Two of them… look like old-model battleships. The paint is peeling, and the outer hull is heavily corroded…”
“But that one in the lead…?”
Elena stared intently at the screen, her lips pressed into a firm line.
“It’s a Delphaios-class.”
“…Is that a good thing?”
She turned to me with a look of disbelief, her eyes silently rebuking me with a clear ‘You don’t even know that?’
“What’s approaching us is a Federation Army strategic-class battleship. It’s the latest model, equipped with an automated system, electronic warfare countermeasures, and high-output cannons. Among them, the Delphaios-class is… a top-tier vessel designed for full-frontal combat operations.”
“…Why is a monster like that out here?”
Elena took a slow breath and looked out the window again.
“That… I don’t know. Perhaps—”
Her words were cut short.
A beam of light shot out from the Delphaios-class ship, aimed directly at our transport.
“……They’ve spotted us.”
I leaned back quietly. Even with the engine off, they must have detected our residual heat signature or radio waves. Elena carefully placed her hand on the emergency system controls.
“Can we escape now?”
“The chances are… less than 0.1%.”
Just then, a warning siren blared, and a communication request came in. It was an unfamiliar frequency.
“They’re hailing us. It would be nice if we could resolve this with words…”
Elena took a short breath and opened the communication channel.
“This is Major Elena Eisenhardt, a survivor from the 3rd Fleet. Identify yourselves and state your purpose.”
A moment later, a rough, leisurely male voice echoed over the comms.
[Ooh, a woman’s voice! This is Captain Brol of the Crimson Pike. Drop your weapons and surrender peacefully, now.]
Hearing the vulgar, coarse voice, Elena let out a small sigh.
“…Pirates.”
“I never thought I’d run into pirates out here.”
“First, I need to buy some time. Let’s keep talking.”
Elena stood before the communicator and responded again in a calm voice.
“Captain Brol. We are members of the Earth Federation Army. If you help us, you will be handsomely rewarded.”
[Heh heh… a little lady who still doesn’t know how the world works. Did you really think threats or promises like that would work in this part of space? Surrender quietly. I promise I’ll treat you well.]
I watched the exchange in silence. Behind the leering voice, the radar showed three armed ships drawing steadily closer.
I could pretend to surrender, get inside their ship… and then take it over.
A simple scenario formed in my head. I leaned toward Elena.
Bringing my mouth close to her ear, I whispered lowly, “Major, let’s surrender.”
For a second, her shoulders flinched almost imperceptibly. Her ears turned red, and it seemed as if she’d stopped breathing for a moment. After a brief silence, she asked back in a low, cautious voice, “…Lieutenant, you’re well aware of how we’ll be treated if we surrender, aren’t you?”
I slowly nodded and said firmly, “I have a plan. Just trust me. Besides… you know what I’m capable of, Major. My physical abilities.”
Her eyes wavered slightly. As if recalling our time at the training camp, Elena took a short breath and finally nodded.
“…Alright. I’ll trust you, Lieutenant.”
As soon as she said that, Elena reconnected the comms. This time, she deliberately lowered her voice, letting the end of her words tremble slightly.
“……We’re out of fuel and food. We have no strength left to resist. We surrender.”
[Oh, a lady who knows how to talk. Good. Dock your transport as we guide you. And don’t try any funny business.]
“Understood…”
Once the communication ended, I quickly rummaged through the weapons locker. The only useful items were a single knife and a pistol.
I took out the pistol and handed it to her.
“You use this.”
Elena took the pistol and looked up at me.
“Wouldn’t it be better if you used it, Lieutenant?”
“No. This is all I need.”
I said, giving the knife a slight twirl.
Soon, the pirate ship’s docking arm connected smoothly with our transport. The impact was faint, but a strange vibration traveled through the dock.
[Alright, my cute little guests. Come out one by one with your hands on your heads and walk slowly. Any funny business and you’re dead.]
Elena composed herself, hid the pistol deep in her sleeve, and slowly raised her hands. I followed behind her, my expression blank, my gaze deliberately fixed on the floor.
—Chk.
When the hatch opened, dozens of armed men and women stood under red lights, their weapons aimed at us. Laser pointers danced across the floor and walls.
These are pirates?
I muttered inwardly, slightly raising my gaze. Their armaments were strange. They weren’t carrying simple swords or crude plasma guns. These were standardized, military-grade weapons, and they moved in coordinated teams.
They’re too organized for pirates. They even have a command structure…
I clicked my tongue. These weren’t simple marauders; they were likely a force with a more complex objective. Some of them might even be ex-military.
A man watching us from the front stepped forward. He was huge, with a prosthetic arm module fitted to his right arm. He gestured with his fingers, his hands otherwise empty.
“Anyone else?”
Without turning my head, I spoke.
“There’s a woman inside. She’s injured and unconscious.”
At my words, the man gestured with his chin toward two women behind him.
“Go get her.”
The two women nodded and walked into our corridor, guns raised.
I exhaled slowly, observing the pirates. They looked like pirates on the surface, but their movements were closer to those of trained soldiers. All their weapons were military-issue. They were either a major criminal organization or an irregular military force disguised as civilians.
Elena seemed to have noticed it too, her body tense behind me.
We followed them quietly, moving down a long corridor until we reached the bridge.
When the door opened, a middle-aged man with a deep scar near his eye was sitting in a chair. He was built like a bear, with a worn-out military jumper draped over his broad shoulders. There was no name tag. He slowly looked up at us. His gaze was slow and harsh.
“Hmm.”
With a cigarette in his mouth, he slowly sized us up.
“The young lady… smells like she’s from a good family. From head to toe.”
Elena’s eyebrow twitched slightly, but she kept her mouth shut and said nothing.
“The man… hmm.”
He turned his gaze to me. Then he smirked.
“You look like a slick bastard. But at least there’s some life in your eyes.”
I felt a surge of anger at his ridiculous assessment but maintained my composure.
He spread his arms wide.
“Hey, hey, don’t be so tense. As long as I can get a decent ransom, I’ll send you back in one piece.”
At that, Elena spoke up.
“And if… we can’t pay that ransom?”
The bridge fell silent. The middle-aged man slowly curled his lips into a smile.
“Then you’ll have to work to pay it off.”
Elena’s hand trembled slightly, but she quickly swallowed her breath.
“But don’t worry. I’m a surprisingly gentlemanly fellow.”
At that moment, I quietly sent a look toward Elena. She closed her eyes, then slowly opened them and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
It meant she was ready.
I drew my knife in a single motion. The military knife slid out from my wrist and immediately sliced through the rifle held by the pirate to my left.
—Swish!
Then I grabbed the man by the collar, struck the back of his neck, and knocked him out. At the same instant, my right foot shot out and broke the knee of a pirate behind him.
—Thwack!
—Thud!
It was over in a flash. Three were down before the bridge even erupted into chaos, and the rest were subdued before they could even draw their weapons.
Elena, timing it perfectly, pulled the pistol from her sleeve and covered my back, securing our rear.
I didn't bother killing them. They seemed quite useful, and they could become hands to pilot the ship.
No need to foster unnecessary hostility.
I immediately closed in on the man sitting in the chair at the center of the bridge. The moment the tip of my blade touched his neck, he gritted his teeth and spoke.
“Shit… I’m fucked.”
I smiled.
“You’re calmer than I expected.”
The man’s lips twisted into a grin.
“Heh heh, but listen, kid. You think you can get out of here alive after this? The moment I die, you’re not leaving this ship. These guys will fight to the death.”
“For someone who talks so big… you’re trembling quite a bit.”
I pressed the tip of the knife a little deeper. He flinched and clamped his mouth shut.
“Tsk. What do you want?”
I slowly leaned in front of him.
“Take us to Earth. And I want you to repair my machine.”
His eyebrows twisted.
“Ha… damn it, that’s impossible. We can’t even set foot near Federation space right now.”
“What do you mean?”
My brow furrowed slightly. He slowly looked up at me, a sneer on his lips as he spoke heavily.
“Looks like you haven’t heard. There’s a massive civil war happening within the Earth Federation.”
At that moment, Elena, who was standing beside me, immediately approached.
“A civil war? Explain in detail.”
Brol shrugged and gestured with his chin.
“I don’t know the full story. But what’s certain is that the entire top brass of the Earth Federation has been overturned. The supreme councilors were assassinated, and I hear the chairman is on the run. The Federation Army is split in two, and they’re shooting at each other.”
He took a shallow breath and added, “And in the chaos… Arsenos is pushing into the Earth Sphere. The Federation front is collapsing.”
Elena stared at him, momentarily speechless.
“If that’s true, the entire Earth Sphere will become a warzone…”
I pressed the blade against the man’s neck and said in a low voice, “The Licencia Group. Do you know their situation?”
He shrugged and answered with a sneer, “The Licencia Group? Heh, that name is pretty hot these days. I heard they’ve been officially branded as traitors by the Earth Federation. They’re the prey now.”
My brow narrowed on its own.
“Tell me everything.”
“Oh, judging by your reaction… you’ve got something to do with them, don’t you?”
When I pushed the blade deeper, he reluctantly opened his mouth.
“Alright, alright. I’ll talk. At Calliope Station, the Licencia Group is suspected of secretly manufacturing weapons and gathering a private army. That’s not all. There are rumors that they used a part of the official Federation Army as Adele Licencia’s personal guard, and there are dozens of other charges against them.”
I continued to listen with an icy gaze.
“Especially Sheryl Mortimer. You know, one of the Federation’s top ace pilots? The fact that she acted like Adele’s ‘private soldier’ was the final nail in the coffin.”
“……”
“And crucially, the suspicion that they colluded with Arsenos came up. That became the reason neither the rebels nor the Federation hardliners could leave her be. You can say she’s a target for both sides now.”
I narrowed my eyes and asked again, “Then… Adele Licencia. Her current whereabouts?”
The man shrugged.
“Nobody knows her exact location. But from what I hear, she escaped from Calliope Station and is on the run somewhere.”
“……”
“Oh, and there’s a three-way battle going on for Calliope Station right now. The Federation Army, the rebels, and Arsenos are all trying to take it. They all want to get their hands on its technology.”
At his words, I quietly closed my eyes.
Tsk… should I have not left Adele’s side?
A brief pang of regret weighed on my heart. But regretting it now wouldn’t change a thing.