Before I could stop her, a sub-monitor flickered to life, showing the interior of one of the ships. A group of filthy-looking middle-aged men were screaming, spit flying everywhere.
[What the hell was that movement!?]
[Damn it! Shoot it down already! If the main target gets away, we’re screwed!]
[Forget that, look at the gunfire! The ships are breaking without even exploding! What is going on!?]
[How should I know?! Is it some kind of new weapon!?]
[Should we run?! Contact the main fleet for orders!]
[You idiot! Do you know how much we paid just to figure out this flight path—]
Click. The connection cut off.
Apparently, the ship on the monitor was the one I had just fired upon. It became stardust in the sea of space instantly, but they brought it on themselves.
In the end, the space pirates were annihilated in less than five minutes. All that remained were tiny lumps of metal created by the compression.
Tsubame’s sensors reported no hidden enemies nearby, so I re-established communication with the transport ship.
A beautiful girl appeared on the screen, her eyes moist and her hands clasped as if in prayer.
[Thank you so much for saving us!]
“No, don’t mention it. Can you call for help on your own?”
[Well, the thrusters and the long-range communicator are both damaged…]
I see. So they’re stranded.
“I’ll tow you to the nearest spaceport. Aside from that, I’d like to see if you could spare some food.”
[As thanks for saving us, I will give you all the food on board!]
“No, I’ll pay for it.”
[You fended off space pirates and you’re even going to tow us! I cannot possibly accept payment!]
The girl had an air of ‘I won’t take a cent no matter what,’ which made her feel quite well-mannered upbringing. Seeing her so earnest in trying to persuade me made the corners of my mouth lift slightly.
“Alright then, I’m going to dock. Any weapons will be considered a hostile act, so please deactivate them just in case.”
[I will perform a full-body scan upon boarding. I will not overlook even explosives hidden inside the body.]
Tsubame, ever the worrywart, chimed in. Surely a girl I just met wouldn’t go as far as a suicide bombing.
“From the look of her, the threat level seems low… Can you do it without being noticed?”
[It will reduce the intimidation effect, and I will only be able to detect weapons on the body’s surface.]
“That’s fine. She’s just a kid; I don’t want to intimidate her.”
[Understood. Then, please give me permission to neutralize her only if the target draws a weapon.]
“Got it, got it. You’re overprotective.”
[There is nothing more important to this unit than Master.]
“O-Oh.”
Grateful as I was, her words were a bit heavy.
About ten minutes later, the girl boarded the Swallowtail, dragging massive amounts of luggage.
The two large bags on her left and right were stuffed so full of rations and canned goods that they wouldn’t even close, but that wasn’t what caught my eye.
What this girl—who looked like a proper young lady—was carrying on her back was…
“…A coffin…?”
Through a small window in the lid, I could see a naked girl with her eyes closed. It was a metal coffin.
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The girl I saved introduced herself as Nia.
Whether she was a lady or just a child… Nia seemed like a straightforward, good girl, but she was sheltered and a bit ‘off’ in many ways.
For one thing, she didn’t even know her own last name.
“I’m sorry… I was always alone with my grandfather…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I tried to follow up because I didn’t want to blame her, but honestly, I wanted to ask, ‘How is that even possible?’ Tsubame’s observations suggested she wasn’t lying, but even the kids at the orphanage where I grew up might not have a last name, but they never didn’t know it.
Well, pressing her wasn’t going to make her remember it.
We carried the food Nia provided to the dining area, and I decided to take a break at the built-in table.
Tsubame said she would process the food into something delicious, so we were waiting for that.
“So… Nia, why… uh, the coffin?”
“This isn’t a coffin.”
Nia tapped the coffin standing beside her. The girl inside was a beauty, easily a match for Nia herself.
However, she didn’t seem to be breathing. Even when the container was tapped, there was no reaction; she looked like a corpse.
“This is an ‘Automaton’ from the prehistoric civilization that my grandfather was researching.”
“An Automaton…?”
“Yes. A machine that thinks, feels, moves, and speaks just like a person.”
“So, an ancient android…?”
It didn’t seem to be active now, but if it was from the prehistoric era, it might possess incredible capabilities, just like the Swallowtail.
“Technically, it seems different from an android, but the image is similar, I think.”
Apparently, Nia’s grandfather was a scientist who researched relics from the prehistoric civilization.
“He said he traveled between various institutions and even worked as a tutor.”
“I see… and your grandfather’s name?”
“Well, um…”
So, following her own last name, she didn’t know her grandfather’s name either.
If she were a three- or four-year-old toddler, maybe, but for a girl around fourteen, it felt quite strange.
Rather than being sheltered, it felt more like she had amnesia. Still, she seemed embarrassed by it, so it would be boorish to pry.
“So, why were you being chased?”
“…Because of my grandfather’s work, he often dealt with prehistoric relics… and people who wanted this Automaton began to follow us persistently.”
It started with threats and trash being thrown outside their research facility—very classic harassment.
When Nia’s grandfather didn’t break, the threats escalated. The final straw was when Nia was almost kidnapped.
“…Shouldn’t he have just given up the Automaton?”
“Grandfather said clearly that he wouldn’t hand it over even if the universe ended.”
“Does it have some special function?”
“I don’t know… that much. Anyway, Grandfather tried to escape with me to another sector, but those people became desperate and even hired space pirates to attack us.”
And that’s when I happened to pass by in the Swallowtail.
“So, your grandfather isn’t with you?”
At my question, Nia bit her lower lip and looked down.
“…To create a diversion, we departed on separate ships.”
Well, between a researcher and a young girl, the researcher would definitely look like the main target. Honestly, the fact that a fourteen-year-old girl could pilot a spaceship by herself was surprising enough.
“Is there a way to contact him?”
“We decided on a meeting place just in case.”
Planet Gemini, fourth planet of the Ludovisk system. They promised to leave a message at the front desk of a hotel they stayed at during a past trip.
“I guess we have no choice but to go there directly.”
[Interstellar communications are easily intercepted. To match current standards, even this unit would need to develop specialized equipment, or there is a risk of being overheard.]
Apparently, it’s possible if we have the materials, but we’re so short on funds that development isn’t even on the horizon.
I decided to start a mercenary business, but since I just got here, Nia is my only acquaintance. Furthermore, I haven’t done any sales or advertising, so my fame is zero.
If I just stay here and wait, I’ll eventually turn into a mummy.
“For now, I need to find a way to make some money. Maybe I’ll start a transport business.”
It has a bad reputation, but I don’t have experience in anything else. ‘Mercenary’ sounds nice, but it’s basically a handyman job that includes combat. If I don’t do everything I can, I won’t even have tomorrow’s meal.
“Um… aren’t you going to collect the bounties on the space pirates you sank?”
“Bounties…?”
“If they were pirates causing actual harm, they might have prices on their heads.”
If routes are blocked and trade is hindered, the government puts up a bounty.
Sometimes corporations that suffered losses,
or even the families of victims, put up rewards.
Even if they are small-time crooks without a bounty, they are still disturbers of the peace.
There is a system where if you submit footage of the kill along with evidence that they were pirates—like footage of them ignoring a call for cease-fire or audio proving hostile intent—you can receive a certain amount of money from the authorities.
…Getting paid just for exterminating space pirates? That sounds like the best job ever.
“Expert bounty hunters even send spies into pirate crews to learn their strength and hideouts, or secure cargo to increase profits.”
“You’re surprisingly knowledgeable.”
“I was always alone while Grandfather was working, so…”
Apparently, she spent her time surfing the net and reading e-books.
“If you like, I can tell you what bounty hunters do to infiltrate pirate groups—”
“No need.”
“Eh?”
“Ah, sorry. I’m not mad at you, Nia. But for personal reasons, I won’t be satisfied until space pirates stop breathing as quickly as possible.”
The fact that those guys are even breathing the same air is a massive waste of resources.
I don’t care if not a single scrap of cargo remains. I don’t care if I can’t get evidence and don’t make a dime.
“I don’t need to be a bounty hunter.”
“Then, what are you?”
“A mercenary… While I don’t have an employer, I have to do transport or handyman work, and I don’t have a track record, so I’m just self-proclaiming for now.”
As I gave a wry smile, Nia’s eyes widened.
“U-Um! In that case, could I request a job!?”
“From us?”
“Yes! I don’t have… the money right now, but I will definitely pay you once I reunite with Grandfather!”
“Alright. I’ll take it.”
“…! Thank you so much!”
Now that that’s settled, first we need to fill our stomachs.
Just as my stomach growled for the umpteenth time, and Nia’s stomach gave a cute kyururu sound, food was brought out from the kitchen at the back of the dining area.
Tsubame must have timed it perfectly.
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