Escort for the Mining Fleet

After departure, Shinosuke met up with Glenn and the others in the scheduled zone and established a dedicated communication channel with their mining vessels.

The front monitor of the Cerberus displayed images of Glenn's mining mothership and exploration vessel.

Six men and women were aboard the mining mothership, and two women were on the exploration vessel.

The two women on the exploration vessel were sisters—or at least looked identical.

"First, allow me to introduce myself. As a reminder, I'm Glen, the leader of this team."

We had set out in a rush without proper introductions, but since we'll be facing dangers together from now on, we need to know each other better.

Though through a monitor, Glen begins introducing his team members.

First, the crew of the mining mothership Big Bear that Glen will be aboard. The captain and team leader is Glen himself, and the first officer is Karen—a woman with a physique that rivals Glen’s, even visible even when wearing a shirt.

Though she has impressive muscles, her tall, slender frame gives her an unexpectedly graceful and striking beauty, despite her rugged appearance.

The rest of the team consists of four male mining shuttle operators: Randy, Allen, Mikey, and Todd.

All of them are a well-built, muscular group.

With副長 Karen joining the four, they seem to take shifts in the mining operations.

Incidentally, Glen can also pilot the mining shuttle and is said to be exceptionally skilled, but since he's meant to lead the operations, he generally doesn't participate in the mining work itself.

The crew of the scout ship Seeker Eye, responsible for searching for target rare metals and patrolling the surrounding area, consists of twin sisters, Alisa and Merisa.

Unlike Glen and the others, these twin sisters are petite and slender.

Allow me to reintroduce myself—Shinonsuke Kashimura, Captain of the Cerberus, and my partner, Marks. This is our first job since becoming independent traders, though my prior experience in the space fleet was primarily in shipboard duties. My final rank was Lieutenant Commander, and I previously served as the commander of a frontier patrol unit in the Second Fleet.

Glen and the others stared in awe at Shinosuke's self-introduction.

"He's not just some ordinary guy, I take it—out of the main fleet, right? And isn't the frontier patrol unit known for having more combat experience than the main fleet itself?"

"Yeah, well, I do have some combat experience."

As Glen said, the opportunities for actual combat between the main fleet and the patrol units were completely different.

Although there is some tension, since we are not at war, fleets centered on powerful vessels such as battleships, aircraft carriers, and cruisers rarely engage in combat missions.

However, patrol units tasked with guarding national borders occasionally encounter space pirates, suspicious vessels, or foreign ships that have entered our territory unexpectedly, inevitably leading to real combat experience.

Glen nodded vigorously.

"When I heard the escort ship couldn't set out as planned, I thought we were in trouble—but maybe it turned out lucky after all, hehehehe!"

His comrades laughed along with Glen's loud chuckle.

Though they might seem overly optimistic at first glance, Glen and his crew were no strangers to dangerous work in space. Their demeanor made it clear they weren't being naive about this mission.

"We'll do our best."

Shinnosuke said nothing unnecessary, but there were things that needed to be confirmed beforehand to ensure the safety of Glen and the others.

"By the way, I'd like to confirm a few things— is that alright?"

"What is it?"

"My ship has the capability to command multiple vessels as a flagship. Any ship equipped with a data-link system can coordinate with it. Also, one more thing— do Glen-san and the others' ships have defensive weapons installed?"

Karen answers Shinosuke's question.

There is a data-link system, but it only allows information sharing—we can't remotely control the ship like a military vessel. That means we’ll need to move our ship based on the information you send. Both Big Bear and Seeker Eye have anti-air laser cannons, but they’re only effective for intimidation. There’s also a low-power beam cannon mounted on the front of Big Bear’s hull for breaking obstacles, but since it can only target directly ahead, it’s useless in ship-to-ship combat. The two mining vessels are completely unarmed.

There's nothing much that can be done about it, since civilian ships are only allowed minimal self-defense weapons, unlike escort vessels.

Understood. One more confirmation: regarding the Seeker Eye on the exploration vessel, what is its detection capability?

The twin Seeker Eyes respond to this.

"Our vessel is specialized in locating rare metals and other resources buried within asteroids. However, by applying the capability to search deep inside asteroids, we can also conduct peripheral exploration within the asteroid belt."

While explaining this, the Seeker Eye transmitted data on its exploration range, but it was impossible to tell whether the explanation came from the twin Aliasa or Merisa.

Shin nosuke nodded after reviewing the data.

"Ah, so it has capabilities similar to a light patrol vessel."

"Yes. By linking the Seeker Eye's detection system with this ship's sensors, we can maintain wide-area surveillance even within the asteroid belt. At the very least, we won't be caught off guard by surprise attacks."

Markus displayed on the monitor the combined detection range when Cerberus and the Seeker Eye operated in coordination.

There will inevitably be blind spots within the asteroid belt, but we can maintain detection coverage up to a certain range without gaps.

"Alright, let's settle on the patrol method using Cerberus and the Seeker Eye, and decide how to respond if attacked by space pirates. We've got three days until we arrive—can I count on you, Markus?"

"My pleasure."

The basic strategy for vigilance had been decided, but there were no foolish space pirates attacking the mining ships in flight.

The pirates typically targeted the ships during mining operations or on their return journey to the colony after finishing work.

Shinobu and Markus wouldn't let their guard down, but with time on their hands, they decided to prepare for various scenarios.

Two days later, the Kerberos, Big Bear, and Seeker Eye arrived at the main canal of the target asteroid.

"From here, we'll be navigating through the asteroid belt for a full day. The asteroid density isn't particularly high, but please stay alert."

Glen warns them, but there's no issue—Big Bear, though vastly larger and slower than Kerberos, can still navigate the belt without problems.

"Then, we'll go ahead. We'll transmit the status of the asteroid belt along our route to each ship and proceed along the optimal path—follow us."

Whether it was Alisa or Merisa, data on the surrounding conditions had arrived from the Seeker Eye.

The Big Bear followed the Seeker Eye as it entered the asteroid belt.

Shinnosuke took position above the Big Bear, keeping Kerberos in view.

"Set radar range to medium distance, full 360-degree coverage, linked to data from the Seeker Eye."

Marks operated Kerberos's radar, establishing the surveillance network with Seeker Eye as planned.

The three ships advanced closely together through the asteroid belt.

As Glen said, the asteroid density isn't particularly high, but asteroids occasionally collide and begin moving unpredictably, requiring constant attention to the controls and continual minor adjustments to the ship's position.

Even so, Glen handled the Big Bear with ease, and it was impossible to tell which of Alysia or Merisa was piloting. Meanwhile, Seeker Eye selected efficient routes and advanced while consistently verifying the safety of the course.

Even Shinosuke, who had plenty of experience navigating through asteroid belts in patrol ships that were less maneuverable than the Cerberus back in his patrol team days, had no trouble with this.

After one day of moving through the asteroid canals, the information sent from Seeker Eye began showing an increasing number of asteroids marked in red.

It seemed they were scanning inside the asteroids and marking information about buried treasures.

"Good! Just as I suspected! If we go a little further, we'll hit a treasure trove so vast it'll turn the monitor completely red!"

Glen excitedly declares, but Shinosuke's expression remains grim.

"I just have a bad feeling about this. What do you think, Marks?"

"I can't comprehend the sensation of a bad feeling, but the likelihood of this being a dangerous situation is high."

"That's what we call a bad feeling. There are pirates with sharp instincts, like Glen. They wouldn't miss a good opportunity."

"That's a highly accurate prediction based on experience and current analysis."

"That's exactly why we call it instinct."

Shin nosuke glared at the monitor, exasperated.

Indeed, there wasn't so much as a ship silhouette in the surrounding space, nor any suspicious signs to be seen.

"Are the pirates really not here, or are we just unable to detect them... Probably the latter. If so, then the enemy must have superior detection capabilities. They're likely targeting us from beyond our detection range. And furthermore, our next destination is mainly focused on searching for rare metals. Marks, don't let your guard down."

"Understood. I never intend to slack off..."

"That's not what I meant! You're really too rigid."

Shin nosuke chuckled through his nose, unlocking his equipment and entering a combat-ready stance.

As Glenn had predicted, most of the asteroids on the monitor turned red.

They had arrived at their destination.

'Great, dead on target! A mountain of treasure! Let's get started right away!'

At Glenn's command, the mining operation began.

"From Seeker Eye to Cerberus, Kasimura-san. We're beginning the internal search of the asteroid. We'll continue transmitting surrounding information, but the range will narrow. We apologize, but we'll leave the rest to you."

The message relayed by either Alisa or Merysa was exactly what Shinnosuke had anticipated.

Given the roles Glenn and Alisa's team were assigned, it was only natural.

Two mining shuttles launched from Big Bear.

Despite being a single-person, small-scale shuttle, it is equipped with two arms fitted with drills for asteroid excavation, two arms for retrieving extracted materials, and two arms equipped with anchors to secure the vessel to the asteroid's surface.

The operator must skillfully manage all six arms while controlling the shuttle’s movement, making this a task that clearly demands both technical skill and experience.

The seeker eye scans asteroids for hidden resources and quantities, marking promising ones, then the mining shuttle docks and begins extraction operations.

"Bold yet meticulous work—truly artisanal craftsmanship. It's far removed from the image of a mere muscle-driven labor force."

"Isn't it important for treasure hunters to maintain a rugged, rowdy image?"

"Is that really how it is...? Hey, Marks, you were saying earlier that you don't understand things like gut feelings, yet now you're spouting vague nonsense about images and impressions?"

"That's a different matter altogether—this is based on analysis derived from accumulated records stretching back to ancient times."

"Ugh, stop being so annoying..."

Even as he bantered, Shinosuke remained on high alert.

Circling the Kerberos around the work site, he continued scanning as wide a range as possible.

The anomaly occurred on the second day.

"...Huh? There was a reaction at the edge of the detection range just now."

A single flicker of light briefly appeared at the monitor's edge.

Shinosuke and Marks did not miss it.

"Yes, it definitely exited the detection range immediately. Should we pursue it?"

"No, hold off. It might be a trap designed to lure in our escort vessel."

Shinosuke reported to Glenn, who was still working.

"From Cerberus to Big Bear, quite a distance, but we've detected unusual radar activity. The likelihood of being targeted is high."

"Will they attack immediately?"

"No, it might be a trap meant to lure in our escort vessel. The signal could also be a misidentification, like space debris. Still, maximum vigilance is required."

After listening to Shinosuke's assessment, Glenn pondered for a moment before making his decision.

If I'm being targeted, there's nothing I can do about it. I'll keep working according to schedule, making sure I'm ready to escape at any moment, as long as they don't attack right away. Just nine hours left until completion—I'm going to make the most of it!

If the client has made up their mind, Shinosuke will simply do his best to follow their direction.

"Markus, be ready to enter combat at any moment. Also, prepare multiple contingency plans for evacuation routes, accounting for every possible scenario."

"Understood, Master."

Shinosuke and Markus's first mission was finally about to begin in earnest.