Communication with the “Black Silver Glory” has been established.
A video communication frame appeared on the monitor in front of the Dragoon’s Dire Void cockpit, and the image of a red-haired female pirate appeared on it.
It was the same face as the one recorded in the handbook.
“Well, that was sudden. Do you come to conclusions like that when you seduce women, my lord?”
“Our troops will begin their attack in 30 minutes.
The Count politely ignored Kittithia’s flippant remark.
“Cease acceleration immediately and stop the ship. Your right to a trial is guaranteed.”
“I see, and it may be difficult to escape your forces and reach the warp at this rate.”
“I’m glad to see you’re analyzing the situation so calmly.”
“But, my lord, I have my own pride as a wandering space pirate. It would ruin my reputation as a pirate if I were to simply stop sailing because it is difficult.”
“I also think it’s an extremely difficult question to decide which is more important, pride or life.
The Count nodded slowly.
“But with ten times as many Dragoons after you, who would laugh if you stopped the ship without a fight?”
“That’s true, too.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“But no.”
Kithia stopped playing the cat.
“No stopping. There’s something the Count would like you to see.”
“The image was sent from the Black Silver Glory display.”
The communications officer operated the device and a picture appeared on the display.
Setsuko and Kitissia are shown side by side.
The Count’s eyes opened wide for a moment, but any further agitation was stifled.
“What do you think you’re doing?
“I don’t make threats, and I don’t expect you to. We’re going to buy our own safety.”
“Well, what then?”
“Just thought you’d like to know. Your family’s treasure has been given to me, and since you don’t seem to need it, I’ll make it my ship’s treasure. That is all.”
Communication was lost.
“You’re a funny man, Count.”
Kitty muttered on the sofa as she let the communication drop.
“Is that a compliment or a put-down?”
Setsuko couldn’t help but ask.
“That’s a compliment. That was a short but enjoyable conversation. Now, Denias, let’s try again.”
“Sir”
As Denias complied, a warning tone sounded throughout the ship and the lights dimmed.
“Full acceleration, and five seconds before disposable booster ignition! Watch out for high acceleration!”
Setsueto sat back firmly in his seat.
“Ignition!”
The main thrusters of the Black Silver Glorious ship burst into flames, and at the same time, the long, thin boosters on the side of the ship burst into flames.
It is a chemical booster packed with fuel.
Unlike normal thrusters, which use a lot of power, these thrusters use almost no power and can temporarily provide a large amount of thrust. It was something that I had prepared for pirates in the Imperial territory, in order to escape from dragoons.
The acceleration of the Black Silver Glorious Black Silver exceeded that of the Dragoon.
The scheduled injection time is 5 minutes.
During this time, the and its crew are subjected to such high gravity that they can only endure.
The hull of the ship creaked loudly as if it was screaming, and the explosion from the boosters shook my body.
As long as you live a normal life, you will never experience an acceleration that cannot be counteracted by the ship’s gravity control. My body was pressed against the seat, and my breathing was labored.
Setsueto clenched his back teeth and endured the high gravity.
“Three minutes to go.”
Denias’s voice echoed on the bridge.
X’s appeared one after another on the diagram of the ship’s status displayed on the monitor. However, Settsu couldn’t tell which X was for what function. He just hoped that it was not an important facility.
“One minute.”
Time is moving too fast. Just one more minute seemed like an infinite amount of time. The ship’s interior was covered with X’s from bow to stern.
The vibrations stopped. The lights on the bridge remained dim.
“Thrust 80%”
“What’s the status?”
Denias said.
“We’ve reversed our relative speed to the Dragoon Corps. If we can keep it at 80%, we’ll be able to escape until we get out of the impediment zone.”
“All right. I’ll let you get through this.”
“Okay, this time it seems to be working out.”
Kitty took a breath and released her tension.
“What was your score, sir?”
Keuk asked.
“70 points. The idea of pretending to have a breakdown, attracting people, and then sending them images is not bad, but it’s a bit risky. Also, I would have liked to see the Count’s expression a little more broken up.”
“I’ll do my best. Look forward to your next work, Mr. Quek.”
Keuk’s plan was to take the risk of sending a single image.
“How was the set?”
Kitty turned the conversation to Settsu.
“All I could think about was whether the boat was safe. How can you have fun?”
“If you’re unlucky, you’ll just die. It’s important to make sure you know what’s important.”
“Is that what it is? ……”
Setsuko is not yet ready to make such a distinction.
“That’s about it. Now, let’s get back to the fortress.”
If we can warp, we can meet up with the fortress. Once we are inside the fortress, we can bluff our way out.
“The Black Silver Glory is preparing for warp.”
The Count stared at the paper in his hand and ordered nonchalantly. What he had in his hand was a printout of the image that had just been sent to him from the Black Silver Glory.
“You don’t seem threatened, sir.”
The steward who brought it to him spoke to the Count.
In the photo, Setsuko is blushing as Kitty kisses him on the cheek. There was no sense of tension at all. It was not the atmosphere of being held captive by pirates.
Seeing that the pirates didn’t demand any ransom or guarantee of safety, they might have just picked it up.
“I suppose so. I was wondering what happened when the spacecraft went missing from the course we had set.”
“It’s our fault, sir.”
“It’s done. But I think we need to make sure this thank you is done right.”
“They are pirates in the employ of the enemy, sir.”
“That’s it. In that case, as if we were dealing with pirates, our family will add a bounty to the price. It’ll be live capture only, only alive.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
For a moment, a soft wave of emotion spread through the cockpit. The crew were all men who had long been employed by the Count’s family.
“Black Silver Glory, warp in.”
The communications officer monitoring the Black Silver Glory informed me of the situation. In a few minutes, we’ll be able to analyze the warp direction and approximate distance.
The Count switched his mind to that of a commander.
“What is the status of the third planet?”
“No enemy ships in sight, sir.”
“Very well. Then leave the battle cruiser in place. The frigates will scout the area at immediate warp. The Dragoon will warp out and join the frigate as soon as we leave the impediment zone.”