Dropping out of hyperdrive, the Sperm Whale returned to normal space.
Our destination, the industrial Hephaestus System, was only a few hours away.
"...Hey, Akito. This spot is marked as a 'Dangerous Sector' on the star chart," Mina said, pointing anxiously at the monitor from her sub-seat.
It was her first time in deep space. I couldn't blame her for being nervous.
"Yeah. This area is a bottleneck where several transport routes to the industrial systems intersect. Flies looking for a feast tend to swarm here."
"Flies?"
"Space pirates. Outlaws looking for a quick score."
I had just taken a sip of my weak synthetic coffee when it happened.
An alert blared through the bridge.
"Radar contact. Rapidly approaching. No identification signal... Count is three," Lucia reported calmly.
A formation of modified, armed ships appeared on the monitor. They were typical space pirate vessels—hulls covered in mismatched, bolted-on armor and fitted with oversized laser cannons.
『Warning. This is a patrol ship of the Free Trade Guild. We suspect your vessel is carrying illegal cargo. Drop your speed immediately and prepare to be boarded for inspection.』
A communication link opened, displaying the face of a scruffy, unwashed man.
"If you're really with the Free Trade Guild, transmit your identification code," I replied coolly.
The Free Trade Guild was a real organization. However, it was exactly what the name implied: a mutual aid group dedicated to the freedom of trade. They had no authority to conduct inspections, nor had I ever heard of them performing such activities.
Besides, people who champion "free trade" aren't exactly in the habit of blocking traffic.
"...They're coming! What do we do?! We don't have any escorts!" Mina shouted, nearly leaping out of her seat in a panic.
I set my cup down and took a long, slow stretch.
"Calm down, Mina. Running into pirates is just par for the course."
"Par for the course?! We’re surrounded!"
"The general rule is that large-scale ships lack maneuverability and struggle with close-quarters combat... but every rule has an exception."
I flashed a grin at the trembling girl.
"Besides, you did a proper job on the maintenance, didn't you? The ship should be in top shape."
"Well... yeah, but still!"
"Then relax. Lucia, activate fire control. Deploy concealed armaments."
"Acknowledged. Safeties off. Prepared for anti-ship combat."
As I spoke, the Sperm Whale's hull began to shift with a low, mechanical hum. Exterior panels slid aside, revealing the fangs hidden beneath the surface.
"Sorry, boys," I muttered to the man on the screen, though he couldn't hear me. "You’re the marks here."
The pirate ships fired a warning volley.
The beams were lasers—standard weapons for intimidation since they had a low attenuation rate against shields.
Assuming, of course, the target was an ordinary ship with an ordinary shield.
"Shield output dropping! ...Wait, no it isn't?" Mina started to read the telemetry, then tilted her head in confusion.
The shots had been on a direct intercept course, yet the shield gauge hadn't budged. The light membrane had barely rippled.
"Don't sweat it. To pierce this ship's shields, you'd need battleship-class firepower. Anything less feels like a mosquito bite."
"...Isn't the output a little insane? Come to think of it, you still haven't shown me the engine room."
"Hmm, I'll give you the tour later."
I gripped the control stick and pushed the throttle forward.
The Sperm Whale accelerated, accompanied by a deep bass vibration that resonated in my chest. The ship's response felt a bit more responsive than before. Nice.
"Output stable. All armaments online."
"Perfect. Now then, let's show Mina what we can do."
I lined up the reticle on the lead pirate ship as it lunged forward. Several streaks of light erupted from the anti-ship pulse laser.
The power behind them was incomparable to the pirates' crude weapons.
Thanks to the precision of the shot, the enemy's attitude control thrusters were instantly vaporized. The pirate ship lost its balance, falling into a violent, uncontrolled tailspin.
"What...?" Mina whispered, stunned.
Seeing their leader incapacitated, the remaining two ships frantically broke formation and tried to retaliate with everything they had. They were too slow.
I rolled the Sperm Whale smoothly, bringing the enemy to my right into the firing arc of the side pulse lasers. High-output pulses hammered into the target with unerring accuracy, the ship vibrating with each discharge.
For the second ship, I didn't target the weapons or the engines. I focused entirely on its heart—the protruding cockpit block.
A momentary flash.
Reinforced glass and armor evaporated instantly, incinerating everything inside the cockpit.
There was no explosion. The ship simply began to drift, moving purely on inertia like a marionette with its strings cut.
『H-Hieee! This wasn't part of the deal! Look at that accuracy!』
The third pirate, who had been trying to flank us from the left, let out a pathetic shriek. He pulled a hard U-turn and tried to flee at full throttle.
But there was no hiding from the Sperm Whale's sensors.
"Lucia, snipe the third ship's cockpit."
"Understood. Adjusting aim... Firing."
A precise shot caught the ship just as it exposed its flank during the turn.
In an instant, the third vessel went silent.
Only one remained—the first ship, which was still spinning wildly after losing its thrusters. The pilot seemed to be panicking, firing thrusters at random, which only served to make the rotation more violent.
"Alright, time to wrap this up. That one’s a sitting duck."
"Lucia, give me a correction. Target the cockpit, but leave the engines intact."
"Acknowledged. Aiming..."
"Now. Fire."
A merciless beam of light threaded the needle through the gaps of the spinning hull. It melted through the armor and fried the control systems along with the pilot.
No explosion, no final screams. Just silence.
"...Combat concluded. All hostile contacts confirmed neutralized," Lucia announced tonelessly.
The concealed armaments retracted back into the hull, and peace returned to the bridge.
I drained the last of my coffee and turned around.
"...See?"
Mina was opening and closing her mouth like a fish, her eyes darting between me and the three "intact but dead" ships on the monitor.
"...What even happened?"
"This is the Sperm Whale's true face. There weren't many of them, so I decided to be thorough."
"This is supposed to be a transport ship, right? I saw the laser specs, but I still can't believe it. Why are the shields so strong? How can you have that much power and that kind of accuracy? That was pinpoint..."
Mina clutched her head as if her common sense was failing her.
"I told you. We don't need to hire escorts."
"...I'm convinced. I actually feel sorry for anyone who attacks us."
Mina let out a long, weary sigh.
I still hadn't found a chance to use the kinetic weapons, but being prepared was what mattered. I hadn't forgotten about restocking the large-scale armaments, either.
"Now then... those ships' engine parts are still good, and the weapons should sell if we fix them up. The one where I only fried the cockpit is practically a windfall. Mina, time to get to work."
I pointed at the floating hulks on the monitor with a satisfied grin.
"...Huh?"
"Lucia, deploy the recovery drones. We're starting salvage operations for those junk parts—I mean, enemy vessels."
"Acknowledged. Opening the hangar bay and deploying work arms."
The color drained from Mina's face. Her shock had been replaced by pure, soul-crushing exhaustion.
"...W-Wait. Three ships? The whole things? You want me to dismantle, categorize, and tune up all three? By myself?"
"I told you it was a tough job. But don't worry, you’re on commission. The harder you work, the better tomorrow's dinner will be."
I gave her a bright smile and a thumbs-up.
"...Fine! I'll fix them until they're like new, just you watch!"
Acting out of pure desperation, Mina bolted toward the airlock. She was certainly motivated.
I helped her out with the kitchen renovation... but I suppose that was technically off the clock...
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