Return from their first mission

Three ships safely escaped from the asteroid belt, despite being attacked by more space pirates than expected.

"Syunosuke, you took quite a beating. Are you alright?"

Glen, looking at the damaged Kerberos, expressed concern.

Indeed, from a visual standpoint, Kerberos had severe damage to its right front section, making Glen's worry understandable.

"Sorry... for having to protect us."

Alisa and Merryssa also murmured apologetically in unison.

"It's our duty as escorts to protect our client. Besides, despite such a fierce battle, our ship lost only one rapid-fire cannon. There's no problem."

In reality, they had also expended twelve solid-round missiles, meaning the damage actually outweighed the gains—but Shinnosuke pretended otherwise to avoid worrying them unnecessarily.

But inside, he was utterly deflated.

Still, for Shinnosuke, it was a major loss—yet they had escaped the crisis unharmed, with not a single crew member lost, despite being attacked by twelve space pirates.

This was largely due to the performance of the Cerberus, as well as the synergy between Shinnosuke and Marks.

A regular escort vessel would have suffered far worse damage.

The three ships, having safely escaped the asteroid belt, set course for home.

Ten days after Shinno-suke and Glen departed toward the asteroid belt, Lina, having finished today's reception duties, was monitoring the movement of ships traversing the surrounding space.

Four days ago, distress and combat signals had been received from the Cerberus, clearly indicating that they had entered into battle with space pirates.

Rina had experienced many times before that the sailors she had assigned never returned.

This wasn't unique to Rina—every union employee had gone through it, and it was by no means uncommon.

It was natural for many union workers, including Rina, to feel deep regret when the sailors they had assigned didn't come back.

For now, there is no information regarding the safety of Shinosuke and the others.

In fact, when a ship sinks due to an accident, disaster, or pirate attack, such information is less likely to reach colonies and other settlements.

Unless a distress signal is sent just before the spacecraft sinks and is picked up, or unless wreckage is fortuitously discovered by another vessel, in most cases the ship and its crew, reduced to cosmic dust, go undetected and are classified as missing vessels. After a certain period, they are officially treated as having sunk in an accident, and the crew are recorded as deceased, their fate unknown.

"Hah...."

Lina let out another sigh, unsure how many times today it had been.

No matter how many times she checked, there was still no information about Cerberus.

It wasn't uncommon for merchant ships to not return, and delayed returns were routine to begin with.

Still, she couldn't stop worrying about Shinosuke Kashimura, the rookie independent merchant who had taken on the job instead of other escort vessels.

"I shouldn't get used to it, but I have to accept reality... I thought I understood that in my head, but... "

She doesn't feel anything particularly special toward Shinosuke, a newcomer she's only just met.

Whether this restless feeling stems from a sense of responsibility for arranging the job for Shinosuke, or from some other emotion she's not even aware of herself, Rin can't tell right now.

When she looked back at the monitor, trying to shift her mood by checking the navigation data once more, three ships appeared at the edge of the route near the colony.

"Eh...?"

The identification signals displayed on the monitor were those of Cerberus, Big Bear, and Seeker Eye.

"Thank goodness... they're back..."

Rina felt deep relief from the bottom of her heart.

But when Cerberus and the others drew near to the colony and their silhouettes became visible on the navigation surveillance cameras, Rina's expression instantly changed.

"What... this... what is this..."

On the monitor, Cerberus appeared severely damaged, its starboard bow violently torn off.

Rina instinctively sprang to her feet, overcome by the urge to rush toward Shinnosuke's private docking bay, but managed to stop herself just in time.

"The ship is damaged, but no distress call has been made, so it should be fine... Besides, I can't favor a specific sailor. I have to stay here and wait!"

Rina spoke to herself as she sat back down at the reception desk, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

After safely returning, Shinnosuke docked the Cerberus and headed toward the guild with Marks by his side.

Once we return, we must report to the guild first.

"If we report to the guild, we’ll need to contact Psychoj Industries next..."

"Probably about replenishing the missiles and repairing the rapid-fire cannons. Even if we pour all the reward money into it, it might not be enough."

"That said, we can't just leave the rapid-fire cannons broken. Can't we make do by combining the bounty from eliminating the pirate ship?"

"Let's consult with Industry, shall we?"

Shin nosuke, walking back with a downcast expression despite having returned safely, and Marks, whose expression never changes to begin with, arrived at the guild.

Seeing Linna, the one who handled the request this time, at the reception counter, Shin nosuke approached the counter.

"Welcome back! Mr. Kasimura, Mr. Marks!"

As soon as Shinnosuke approached the counter, he was greeted with Linna’s radiant smile, making him instinctively recoil.

Linna never failed to smile, especially when a free merchant returned safely.

Overwhelmed by her cheerful expression, a part of Shinnosuke’s gloomy mood instantly vanished.

"We’ve completed the mission and returned safely. Please verify the details."

Shinnosuke handed Linna the card containing the data from this job.

"Yes, I'll take care of it."

Linna inserted the card into her terminal and began reviewing its contents.

"Um... On the sixth day after departure, during the return journey following the mining operation, they were attacked by space pirates. The signal transmission, the warning, and the established procedures were all in order. The pirates engaged in combat... Wait, what?"

Linna's hand froze as she operated the terminal.

"Total of twelve ships, six destroyed... And this... I'm sorry, Kasimura-san, please wait a moment!"

Linna suddenly stood up, grabbed the terminal, and rushed into the office behind her.

Shin nosuke and Marks exchanged glances.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know."

Though she'd only been gone a moment, after five minutes had passed and Linna hadn't returned, they were beginning to wonder what to do—when Linna came back.

"Sorry for the delay. I had to urgently report something to my superior."

Shin nosuke tilted his head in response to Linna's words.

Was there something wrong?

"No, there isn't any problem per se. Defeating and sinking twelve space pirates with just a single escort vessel is unprecedented. Moreover, the space pirates confronted by Ms. Kashimura and her team were notorious figures, each carrying a bounty. In particular, although we didn't manage to eliminate it, Enemy Ship H on record is a top-tier bounty target. Since they were considered a serious threat even by the Space Security Bureau, we reported them urgently. It will take two or three days to analyze the data you provided. However, if the destruction of the bountied pirate ships is confirmed, in addition to the reward for elimination, the bounty itself will also be paid out."

Lina, pointing out the total amount of the bounty and the reward fee.

Upon checking, it turned out to be not just a major loss, but possibly a huge windfall on their first mission.

"This is an unexpectedly large sum."

If negotiations with Psychoj Industries go well, they might even cover the repairs to Cerberus and replenish the missiles.

A ray of hope shone upon Shinnosuke.

Since it would take several days for the bounty and reward payment to be processed, Shinnosuke and Marks concluded their report to the guild and decided to head to the Salius branch of Psychoj Industries.

They intended to discuss the submission of combat data, as well as the repair and resupply of Cerberus, but upon contacting them beforehand, they were told they could come to the branch immediately.

"We've received instructions from headquarters regarding Commander Kasimura and the XD-F00, but thank you sincerely for the prompt delivery of combat data. A record of single-ship engagement against multiple enemy vessels is extremely valuable."

The officer who received the data from Shinosuke nodded approvingly after reviewing its contents.

"As noted in the data, we suffered damage to one of Cerberus's rapid-fire cannons. I'd like to discuss that matter with you."

The operator who confirmed the damage to Cerberus nodded in response to Shinosuke's question.

"According to the report, it took a direct hit from a high-power beam cannon. Given that the damage penetrated the XD-F00's energy shield, this must have come from a beam cannon comparable to those mounted on a destroyer or light cruiser. Quite an extravagant weapon for a space pirate. That aside, we can't leave the damaged rapid-fire cannon in its current state."

"Can it be repaired?"

"Of course. The XD-F00's equipment is modular, so repairs and replacements are straightforward. However, we don't currently have a laser rapid-fire cannon in stock, so it will take some time to order one. With that in mind, we'd like to suggest an alternative—if you're not set on a rapid-fire cannon, how about this one? It's also very affordable."

Looking at the data sent to Shinosuke's terminal, it was a catalog of beam Gatling guns.

"A Gatling gun?"

"Yes. While the firepower is somewhat lower than traditional rapid-fire cannons, the firing rate is significantly improved. Since one rapid-fire cannon remains operational, replacing the other with this Gatling gun could expand our tactical options. Though it's a used model salvaged from a damaged destroyer, there are no performance issues, and it can be installed immediately upon your order."

Saying this, the assigned representative sent over the quotation data.

A skilled negotiator indeed, offering a price that includes missiles for the used Gatling gun.

Indeed, if it's a used Gatling gun, the cost would be within reach by combining the fee I received from Glen with the bounty from eliminating the pirate ship.

"Indeed, there's no need to insist on a rapid-fire cannon... Actually, when facing a pirate ship, a Gatling gun might be better... Either way, we can't just leave the damage as it is."

Shin nosuke made his decision.

He would order the proposed laser Gatling cannon, and only after confirming the bounty payment would he replenish the missile launcher.

Given Shin nosuke's current financial situation, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Anyway, Cerberus is Cerberus only because it has three heads. With just two, it'd become Orthros."

Shin Nosuke with his odd fixations.

"...."

Marks remained silent.

"Marks, you're probably stunned right now, aren't you?"

"Not at all. I don't possess the emotion of astonishment."

Marks denied flatly, devoid of expression.