Chapter 25
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Scam Planet (2)
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Thick darkness had settled in.
Glittering neon signs and dazzling lights.
The sun had set, but the city's night was still beautiful.
Planet Defense Commander Rotun, who had spent a busy evening, was taking a moment to rest while gazing down at the city.
– Knock knock!
At that moment, someone opened the door and entered.
It was Chief of Staff Makash.
The commander spoke without turning around.
"How did it go, Chief of Staff?"
"Just as you ordered, we've sent in the prostitutes. Reports confirm they've entered the room, so they're probably enjoying themselves right about now."
"Phew, good."
The commander let out a sigh of relief.
"This buys us some time."
"Yes. They should stay at the hotel until tomorrow morning."
Rotun shouted at the chief of staff.
"No matter what, we can't let Chiltoom find out what we're doing. Do you understand what I'm saying?!"
"Yes, I do."
What they were doing.
It was the kidnapping business.
The Setigma Star System was a vital hub for galactic traffic.
Hundreds of ships passed through every week for trade.
The Waka Republic had prospered through relay trade.
But recently, the situation had changed dramatically.
Pirates had appeared in the Setigma Star System.
Cargo volumes dropped due to pirate activity, dealing a fatal blow to the Waka Republic's economy.
In this chaos, the pirates took an interest in Lota Planet.
The pirates needed a base to hide their crimes.
The Waka Republic was the perfect choice.
Weak military power.
Moderately corrupt bureaucrats.
And an unusually high ether energy concentration.
There was no better place to store kidnapped ships.
Eventually, the pirates approached the corrupt Republic officials.
The economically struggling Waka Republic joined hands with them.
Soon, the Wakans discovered a new business model.
Kidnapping passing civilian ships for profit.
The pirates provided the military power they lacked.
They began raking in enormous profits incomparable to their relay trade days.
The entire nation had become a massive criminal organization.
'If Chiltoom finds out about our business, they won't let us live. They might even wipe out the entire star system.'
This was why Commander Rotun was trembling with anxiety.
"What about the slaves?"
"We've hidden them all. They won't find them."
Yet the commander's worries hadn't faded.
"What the hell is going on?! Chiltoom out of nowhere. Why are they even coming to our planet? And what's this cruiser they're looking for?!"
"We've looked into it. The ship belongs to a notoriously infamous human called 'Ragna Rothburg'."
"Ragna Rothburg?"
The commander raised a puzzled expression, prompting the chief of staff to explain.
"Yes. Apparently, she was the commander of the human alliance forces during the Great War."
"Commander of the human alliance forces? And she was on our planet?"
How could he not know such crucial information?
The commander stared at the chief of staff with disbelief.
"I'm sorry. I was going to report it, but Chiltoom showed up suddenly, so I couldn't."
"Hmph."
The commander showed his displeasure.
"Never mind that. The important thing now is why Chiltoom is looking for this Ragna person's ship."
"Actually, there's something I need to tell you about that."
The chief of staff handed over new documents.
The commander's eyes flashed as he read them.
"The ship Chiltoom arrived on is a human vessel?"
"That's right."
Something was off.
Why would Chiltoom be riding a human ship?
'No way...'
Rotun's face twisted viciously.
"Is this human bastard trying to deceive us?"
But how?
The scan had clearly detected Chiltoom technology on him.
Replicating Chiltoom tech was impossible.
So was Chiltoom really using a human ship?
'But that doesn't add up either.'
As he struggled to make sense of it, the chief of staff offered a new interpretation.
"It makes sense if the human is using Chiltoom equipment."
"A human using Chiltoom gear? Is that even possible?"
"It's still absurd, of course. But right now, that's the only explanation that fits."
Come to think of it, anomalies like humans often had bizarre things happen to them.
If this was one of those cases, it wasn't entirely implausible.
"Then it makes sense why they're looking for a human warship. They're here to rescue one of their own!"
Now the puzzle pieces were falling into place.
"Damn humans! Completely useless."
"What should we do?"
Even if Suhariltoom was human, problems remained.
A human patrol ship was far too strong an opponent for the Waka Republic, which lacked even a single decent combat vessel.
As the commander's dilemma deepened, the chief of staff cautiously suggested.
"Why not just return the ship and send them off? Their military power is too much for us to handle."
"No way!"
The commander flatly refused.
"Think about it. If they go back alive and blab about what's happening here, the rumors will spread like wildfire. Then the neighboring empires will find out what we've done."
Nothing was more important in the crime business than maintaining security.
Since that human Ragna knew about the kidnappings here, they absolutely couldn't let her go.
"When will the pirates return?"
The pirates could handle a human patrol ship.
The issue was time.
"Even at best speed, tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
They had one day.
Just one day to hold out.
"I hear the human ship has only one crew member. Is that right?"
"Yes. Human ship AIs serve only a single human."
His eyes gleamed wickedly.
"In that case, why not capture that human as a hostage? If their precious captain is taken, the ship AI won't dare touch us."
To win a war, strike the enemy's weakest point.
"Chief of Staff."
"Yes, sir."
"How about this?"
Commander Rotun was more than ready for it.
"So, what's your plan now?"
Ragna answered my question.
"We need to get out of here fast. We can't guarantee your act will hold forever. The moment they see these bodies, those crocodile-heads will realize you're a fake."
I agreed with Ragna.
There were three Wakan bodies in this room alone.
We might hide them for now.
But by tomorrow, they'd definitely notice.
We packed our things and headed for the door.
– Creak!
Ragna peeked into the hallway.
Only Eggies stood guard nearby.
"Let's go."
Ragna and I left the room and joined the Eggies.
It was late, so there were no people around.
We took the stairs down from the hotel.
After descending for a while, we finally reached the lobby.
The lobby had some eyes on us.
Hiding wasn't an option, so we went for a frontal breakthrough.
"Walk fast, hurry!"
Ragna and I ignored the stares and kept moving.
We had to get out as quickly as possible.
Finally, we reached the main entrance.
"Captain Suhariltoom, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Chief of Staff Makash blocked our path.
"Oh? And a human woman with you? Looks like you've already met. Fascinating. Since when did the great ancient Chiltoom start liking humans so much?"
– Click!
Soldiers behind him aimed guns at me.
Hundreds of them, at a glance.
"Arrest them."
The Wakans advanced on me with guns drawn.
The Eggies immediately surrounded me in combat formation.
Chief of Staff Makash said leisurely,
"Surrender quietly. We already know you're human. Even a real Chiltoom might be tricky, but you can't beat us now."
Instead of replying, I gripped my gun.
And aimed the barrel at Makash.
Makash looked shocked, as if he hadn't expected it.
"W-what are you doing?! Do you really plan to start a fight you can't win?"
Savoring his bewilderment fully,
I said,
"You dare compare me to Chiltoom trash?"
Makash's eyes filled with absurdity.
"What kind of insane... "
– Boom!
I pulled the trigger, and an explosion roared.
Makash vanished in the blast.
All that remained was a scorch mark.
"That bastard killed the Chief of Staff!"
"Shoot!!! Don't let him live!"
"Wait, the commander said take him prisoner!"
Flashes erupted from all sides.
The Eggies countered, opening fire.
Gunfire exchanged between both sides.
I targeted the center of their formation.
– KABOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the area.
Roiling flames surged.
Screams burst out everywhere.
The road was cratered, severed limbs burned.
I stepped forward slowly, descending the stairs.
Flames blocked my path.
But I plunged through them.
When I emerged from the fire,
I saw the soldiers' eyes.
Anxiety, fear, desperation.
All mixed together.
But they didn't flee.
They aimed at me and pulled their triggers.
It would be the worst choice of their lives.
Looking at them, I asked,
"Burning to death or being torn apart. Which do you prefer?"