Chapter 59

Hands Brothers' ship was successfully fitted with a beacon, and the two followed at a distance after leaving the service area.

Fortunately, they didn't stop anywhere afterward and headed straight for that asteroid.

Aiming for the moment when the group slowed down to dock on the asteroid, I fired a beam to destroy their ship's thrusters.

However, just before it hit, their craft suddenly moved, and I missed.

Of course, the duo immediately revved up their engines and tried to escape.

I thought it might be futile, but I decided to call out to them.

"You're the pirates, Hands Brothers, right! I think it's better to surrender quietly?!"

"Are you kidding?! We are the Hands Brothers, who can make even crying babies shut up! Who would be captured by a loser like you?!"

"We get women coming to us. You, a loser like you, will probably never have a chance with a woman in your life!"

They laughed crudely and spouted grandiose words.

In the mercenary guild, this was supposed to be a soldier-class request...

"Well, I understand that I don't have a chance with women, so will you stop? If you don't, I'll shoot you down."

"Try shooting us down if you can!"

Then I decided to shoot without hesitation.

However, just like when they were docking, they dodged it.

"You! That's dangerous!"

"But I told you to try it!"

"Our skills are amazing. We even dodged your beam while sneezing just now!"

Ah, I see.

I feel a strange sense of familiarity, but I have to capture them.

"Then, I'll keep shooting until I hit, okay?"

I fired several beams, thinking that one of them would hit, but they dodged.

"Whoa! Stop it, you!"

They fled with all their might.

It seemed they were slightly faster, and I could barely keep up.

Occasionally, I aimed at their thrusters with beams to both control and intimidate them, but they skillfully dodged, probably by luck.

I chased them for about 30 minutes, and just as I thought I would hit them, the remnants of a medium-sized combat boat, likely a destroyer, came between us.

The beam hit the remnants.

To avoid the remnants, I had to decelerate and change direction, which allowed them to gain distance.

I quickly avoided the remnants and headed in the direction they had fled.

However, after about 5 minutes, I encountered an unexpected situation.

I ran into a fleet.

"Attention, small combat boat! Beyond this point is the direct territory of His Grace, Duke Altschuldt Bingil Ouvors! If you proceed any further, you will be treated as an illegal intruder and eliminated!"

Since there was no way I could win, I stopped the main engine and halted the ship.

"I am from the Mercenary Guild. I am currently tracking pirates, and there is a possibility that they have entered His Grace's territory."

"So far, there have been no reports of their discovery. If we find them, we will handle it."

The man I was talking to was clearly a noble, probably the fleet's commander. He glared at me as if I were something dirty.

There's no need to get angry over such a trivial matter.

"Understood. If you capture or sink them, please inform the police or the Mercenary Guild. And if you need it, I can provide information on the pirates..."

"Alright. Hand it over."

After handing over the information,

"Alright. That's enough. Get going."

He made a gesture as if shooing away a dog.

"Yes. Thank you."

I was finally released.

The Hands Brothers are not under the Duke, right?

If they were, it would be too sloppy.

If it was by the Duke's order, they might have been abandoned, so it's better not to get too involved.

For now, I'll contact the guild and have them buy that asteroid.

"Yes, this is Lanz from the Mercenary Guild's Itz branch."

"Hello. This is John, a knight-class member. I was tracking the Hands Brothers, but they escaped into the direct territory of His Grace, Duke Altschuldt Bingil Ouvors, making it impossible to track them."

"Duke's territory? Come on. Could those scoundrels be connected to the Duke?"

"I don't know that much, but I was blocked by the Duke's private army and had to retreat."

"Complaining won't help. Your life could be in danger. You made a wise decision."

"The mission failed, but I have their hideout. Please buy it. Here are the coordinates."

"Understood. Be careful on your way back."

"Got it."

The mission failed, but since it was due to an irresistible force like the Duke's family, there will be no penalty. If the guild buys that asteroid, it should be worth a decent amount.

However, the moment I cut the communication, a danger signal went off.

I quickly turned the ship, and a beam narrowly missed the hull.

Checking with the multi-camera, I saw two Grantros Corporation combat boats, G-22 "Bastes."

One had a white body with red, and the other had a white body with blue. Both had a purple dog face emblem on the hull.

They are definitely not the Hands Brothers, but there is no evidence to connect them to His Grace, Duke Ouvors.

While I was thinking this, the two ships approached, constantly changing their positions in a maneuver that looked like acrobatic flying, firing beams intermittently.

It takes considerable skill to do this.

No way!

I haven't entered the Duke's territory, and I haven't seen anything dangerous, so I can't be killed!

One option is to flee to the asteroid hideout.

If I can get there, a recovery ship might be waiting.

But they probably won't let me.

My fuel is already low from chasing the Hands Brothers.

In that case, it's safer to disable them first.

However,

Beams are raining down, and their movements are unpredictable as they separate and overlap.

So far, I've managed to dodge, but if this continues, my fuel will run out.

Suddenly, the two ships split and increased their speed.

I sensed they were going to attack from both sides, so I quickly tilted the craft to the right, raised the nose, and used the "evasion maneuver" by fully firing the attitude control thrusters on the bottom of the craft, stopping the main booster, and aiming the nose at the blue one on the right.

I fired a beam at the approximate position, hoping to break their formation.

By chance, it hit the blue one's body and thrusters while it was turning, preventing it from completing the turn and continuing in the same direction.

I managed to circle around and destroy the red one's thrusters as it completed its turn.

Just as I was about to call for their surrender, a capsule-like object appeared from their cockpit and was launched at high speed in the opposite direction of the asteroid.

It seems they were equipped with a "high-speed ejection capsule," which is quite expensive.

For now, the danger to my life is gone.

I decided to tow these two ships as evidence and spoils of war.

I should have a rope and hook.

Since I always wear a spacesuit when on the ship, it's convenient in situations like this.

Still, I was saved because the red one approached the blue one without defense after the blue one was hit.

Thanks to that, I managed to survive.

A new named candidate has appeared.

Unrelated story...

When I went to the drugstore, I saw various brands of Zhenglu, but even though the original Da○ Pharmaceutical's Zhenglu was unopened, its smell was noticeable.

Impressive.

I would appreciate any comments, opinions, or reports of typos.