I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary - Chapter 458

Chapter 458: There’s A Line I Won’t Let Others Cross

Prologue

I woke up to the sound of faint laughter. Someone was gently stroking my still-drowsy head. It was being handled quite delicately, as if in admiration of a long-cherished rare item that was finally obtained after much hardship. They had finally made it their own, and they also gave off a feeling of obsession that bordered on a grudge, but maybe I was just imagining things.

Good morning.

I opened my eyes and turned toward the woman stroking my head who was lying beside me. I was greeted with vividly crimson pupils staring back at me.

Good morning. Your sleeping face looks so innocent and cute.

Sorry if my wide awake face aint that cute. But I do think your face is always pretty, Captain.

Stop calling me Captain when its just the two of us, will you? That goes for sama as well.

After saying so, Serena admonishingly poked my cheek with her finger.

Sorry about that. Well then, shall we get up, Serena?

Alright, Hiro.

I got up and stretched my body before finally getting off the bed. Now then, I suppose itll be a straight shot for the imperial capital from here on out.

Serena was the beloved daughter of Marquis Holz, a naval captain serving in the Imperial Space Force, and the commander of the Independent Mobile Anti-pirate Fleet. After spending an enjoyable bath with her, we headed for the dining hall of my little mercenary outfits flagship cum mothership, the Black Lotus.

The design philosophy of our mothership, the Black Lotus, was to serve as a vicious foe to its enemies and a loving mother to its crew. At first glance, the Lotus resembled a regular cargo transport ship when all its weapons were concealed. But once they got deployed, it instantly transformed into a heavily armed gunship.

However, its living quarters offered the maximum level of space and comfort for a ship of its size, and the richness and luxury of its various facilities were comparable to those found in high-end passenger cruise ships. The dining hall was bright and spacious, and the auto-cooker installed within was the latest cutting-edge model. The synthetic dishes created by the auto-cooker Tetsujin V were capable of impressing even Captain Serena, who was a bona fide daughter of a marquis.

Good morning, Serena-sama. Hiro-sama.

Good morning to you too, Mimi-san.

Morning, Mimi. Are you the only one here?

Elma-san and the others are in the medical bay. It seems they drank a bit too much last night.

Mimi replied with a wry smile.

She serves as the main operator of my beloved partner machine, the Krishna. Shes also responsible for procuring our mercenary groups supplies, selling off loot, and gathering information. In terms of membership duration, shes actually the oldest crewmate among our mercenary group. But in terms of actual age, shes the youngest.

She was originally a regular young girl with no special skills, but now that shes earned plenty of experience, shes become an indispensable member of our group.CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m

I replied sincerely to Captain Serena who displayed an unusually worried expression. I planned on accepting their conditions even if they were a bit or even a lot troublesome. However, its a different story when it comes to my life as a mercenary as well as Mimi and the others. I would never compromise when it comes to these two things. Absolutely never. This is a line I will never let others cross.

I know. I do have a fair understanding of how much youre willing to tolerate.

Captain Serena smiled as she responded.

Before long, well be reaching the capital.

So, Captain Serena already went back to her ship huh?

She wanted to say goodbye to you guys as well, Elma, but it seemed that there wasnt enough time.

Well, its our fault for drinkin too much and endin up in the med bay.

Thats true, Sis.

After seeing Captain Serena off, Mimi, Kugi, and I worked out a bit in the training room. After shedding some sweat, we relaxed in the break space, and then Elma, Tina, and Wiska finally appeared.

Well, well be in the imperial capital once we pass through this gateway after all, so she cant afford to hang out on this ship any longer. It cant be helped.

The one who said so in a slightly regretful tone was a beautiful woman with pointed ears akin to the shape of a bamboo leaf. Her name was Elma. She was a member of the race commonly known as elves, but unlike the elves I was familiar with thanks to various media, she was extremely strong physically. She was a veteran mercenary with a longer career than me, and was the big sis of our little mercenary group. She was relied upon not only by me but by the rest of the crew as well.

She serves as the pilot of the medium-class combat ship we recently acquired called the Antlion. While watching my back during combat, she uses the ships special equipment called Gravity Jammers in order to prevent our prey from escaping.

I already told ya guys that drinkin that booze was no good

Says the one who got the most excited and drank till the last drop.

The ones having a heated exchange while sitting on the floor and hugging both my legs were the dwarves Tina and Wiska.

Both of them had child-like physiques, but they were actually fully grown women. They were excellent mechanics and engineers, and they were in charge of maintaining my Krishna, the Black Lotus, and Elmas Antlion. Furthermore, they were also in charge of repairing and restoring the equipment and ships we looted from pirates and were indispensable for the smooth operations of our mercenary group in a different sense from Mimi.

By the way, like the stereotypical dwarf, they absolutely adored alcohol. The image of what appeared to be minors chugging down huge mugs filled with strong liquor gave off risky vibes, but I assure you that they were completely of legal age. After all, they were the same age as me.

By the way Boss, it looks like Albino-chan finally woke up.

Dr. Shouko and Mei are currently taking care of her in the med bay.

Albino-chan? You Well, alright. I suppose Ill go check things out.

It did seem a bit better compared to Nameless-chan, but Albino-chan still sounded rather crass. Granted that it was easy to understand though. Anyway, Ill go and visit the medical bay for now.