Chapter 48

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Translator: Silver Dragon

Chapter: 48

Chapter Title: Why Is This Your Planet? (1)

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I was pleased with the new ship.

The escort vessel outclassed the patrol ship in every way.

But the changes I liked most were the new amenities.

Out of all of them, the sauna room was my favorite.

"Ahh, nice and toasty."

It might not seem like much.

But even one facility like this made ship life so much more bearable.

Fundamentally, humans aren't built for ship living.

Our nature just doesn't mesh with this kind of environment.

Humans are creatures who find comfort in blue skies, rivers, and forests rather than steel.

That's probably why Ragna built an artificial river on his cruiser.

I lingered in the sauna for quite a while after that.

Keeping my body warm made my mouth water.

At times like this, hot stone eggs would hit the spot.

Too bad I didn't have any.

After the sauna, I went for a stroll.

The wall displays showed various natural scenes, making it feel like you were really there.

It wasn't as luxurious as the riverside promenade on Ragna's cruiser with its artificial river.

But the springy promenade material made for a decent walk.

I'd worried at first that I'd wasted money.

But reading the comments, it seemed like I'd made a smart call.

This wasn't a ship I'd use for a day or two.

I'd be riding it for years at least.

So why not spend a bit for comfort?

The galroom folks seemed thrown, leaving comments in a panic.

I couldn't quite grasp their reaction.

Right then, Cleaning Specialist chimed in.

Owning my own planet.

If I could cover my escort ship's operating costs with revenue from Debenna, that wouldn't be half bad.

Unlike my fears, holding a planet didn't stack much Anomaly.

It became an issue at larger scales, but that didn't apply to me with nothing to my name.

I definitely needed some profitable assets right now.

Ragna promised to cover the escort's operating costs.

But knowing him, he'd use it as leverage for weird demands.

Even if I leaned on him short-term.

I couldn't rely on others forever.

In the end, I needed my own foundation.

With my resolve to claim Debenna as my own solidified.

I began the work to seize the planet.

A few weeks into taking over Debenna.

First, I sent the Eggies to the surface to repair the core infrastructure.

It was grueling and time-consuming.

But with help from the experienced galroom folks, I pulled it off.

Aside from Ragna going full menhera again for some reason.

Most galroomers cheered me on and lent a hand.

Thanks to the galroomers, I finally gained control of the planet's central computer.

The system now officially listed me as the owner.

But the job wasn't done.

I still needed neighboring interstellar nations to recognize my claim.

"Debenna is our empire's territory, human! Withdraw immediately!"

"We're grateful you cleared the Anomaly, but that doesn't give you ownership."

"We'll raise this formally with the galactic community."

As expected, they didn't roll over easily.

For negotiations, I leaned on the galroomers again.

Cleaning Specialist especially shone.

"Asking again. Who owns Debenna?"

"I-it belongs to you humans, sir."

"We renounce all territorial claims to Debenna. Please, no orbital strikes!"

"We've withdrawn our suit from the galactic community. P-please leave our star system now...!"

Led by Cleaning Specialist, a few xenophobe squads stepped up to help.

Their ships entered Xeno territory.

But the Xenos didn't defend or even protest.

Galroomer ships were that overwhelmingly powerful.

With them crushing opposition through sheer force.

Getting agreements was a breeze.

To avoid backlash, I offered them abandoned civilian ships in orbit.

In exchange, they signed contracts affirming my ownership of Debenna.

Since money changed hands.

The contracts held weight in the galactic community.

With that, the long ordeal ended.

Debenna was officially mine.

All that was left was reopening the planet.

"Captain, you need to come to the bridge."

A few days before the reopening.

Orca suddenly called me.

I turned on my heel and headed to the bridge.

After living with her so long, I could tell the situation from her voice alone.

She sounded tense.

Definitely not good.

"What's up?"

On the bridge, I quickly assessed.

Something caught my eye.

A bunch of Xeno ships visible through the viewport.

They weren't civilian by design.

I turned to Orca.

She began explaining.

"The unidentified fleet consists of 3 escort ships and 6 patrol ships. They look like they spotted us on routine patrol."

The unidentified fleet acted aggressively.

Like they might attack any second.

I told Orca.

"Can we comm them?"

"Yes. There's a pending request from the unidentified fleet. Shall I check it?"

"Yeah. Open the channel."

"Got it."

Immediately, a Xeno face appeared on the central interface.

It looked just like a rat.

They spoke first.

"Unidentified ship! We are the Juno Wanderers. Declare your species and affiliation now!!!"

"Species: human. Affiliation: none."

"Human?"

More rat Xenos appeared on screen.

They widened their eyes and pressed close.

Then whispered among themselves.

"Humans are dangerous. Their ships are strong."

"So we just hand over the planet we bought?!"

"Don't wimp out! It's just one escort ship. He's scared too. Chase him off quietly."

"Right. He's at a disadvantage. He'll back down first."

After conferring.

They turned back to me and resumed their speech.

"Human, I am Dorian, fleet commander of the Juno Wanderers. What business do you have parking ships in Debenna Planet's orbit?"

"Business?"

The galactic community had already recognized my ownership of Debenna.

This planet was basically my home.

What's wrong with parking in my planet's orbit?

Why were these strangers questioning my business?

"Debenna Planet is mine. What's the problem with parking in my planet's orbit?"

Instantly, the Xenos got riled up.

"Kwaaak! Your planet?! Debenna is ours!"

"Yeah! We bought it ages ago from a private equity fund!"

"Leave the planet now, or taste hellfire!"

They shrieked and threw a fit.

Behavior perfectly matching their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shabby ships.

"Look! See this contract?! It was signed way before yours to the galactic community."

The Xenos sent a contract copy over comms.

I'd heard after the Belid Empire failed to claim it.

The planet changed hands multiple times.

Seemed these were one of the buyers.

"Sue us after you leave our planet!!!"

"No, we can't even afford a suit! Won't leave? We attack now!"

"Yeah! Suits are too hard and complicated. We Junos don't do that crap!"

Then they started aggressive maneuvers like they might strike.

A show of force.

"Captain, what now?"

Orca asked what to do.

I pondered.

The galroomers had left ages ago.

Even if I called for backup now, it'd take at least a day.

These guys wouldn't wait.

If I abandoned the planet and fled.

They'd snatch it with effective control and the contract.

All my hard work down the drain.

"Orca, switch to combat mode."

I couldn't allow that.

Staring at the Xenos on comms, I said.

"Why the hell is this your planet, you rat-headed bastards?"