Internal Pressurization

"Your forms are visible! We have hostages here! If you don't want them killed, drop your weapons!"

Shinosuke and Marks exchange glances at the voice echoing from the speaker.

"Rather clichéd demand, isn't it? 'Drop your weapons'—do we just discard them here?"

"I believe they're losing their composure."

"Even so, if they're losing their composure, hostages are in even greater danger. Let's just drop our weapons for now."

Shin nosuke and Marks placed their rifles, shields, and machine guns on the floor, then looked at the camera.

"Any other weapons? Drop your blasters too! And kick the discarded weapons down the stairs!"

The two did as instructed, tossing their blasters at the base of the stairs.

"Good job. Unexpectedly calm, aren't you?"

"Yes... but you still lack imagination."

"True. We don't have time. When they open the door, we strike immediately."

"Understood."

The bridge door's lock disengaged.

"Raise your hands and come in."

Sinnosuke and Marks did as told and entered the bridge, instantly splitting left and right, raising their guns.

Five men and women, crew members and passengers, stand before the door, but Sinnosuke and Marks aim past the hostages' gaps, targeting the pirates further inside.

The man Sinnosuke aims at is holding a young girl in a bear hug, pressing the blaster's barrel against her neck.

The girl, overcome with fear, offers no resistance, her eyes blank and vacant, lost in shock.

"Once only—I warn you. Drop your weapons and surrender!"

The sudden shout from Shinnosuke causes the two pirates to hesitate for just a moment, but the man using the girl as a shield quickly regains his composure.

"Got another weapon hidden? Doesn't matter. If even one of us screws up, everyone here goes down with us, right?"

The man speaks with utter confidence, convinced he'll be the one to survive. And his reason is utterly simple.

Information from Marks appears on the glass monitor.

(Personal shield... So he's got quite the luxurious item.)

Though invisible, a shield dispersing lasers surrounds the man, deflecting standard-output blaster fire by scattering the laser beams.

Even at maximum output, the shield could be penetrated—but that would put the hostage in serious danger.

The man ahead must feel confident, since he's the only one with a shield.

The other man without a shield is pitiful.

"Drop your gun already! Do you not care what happens to the hostage!"

The man, confident he's protected by his shield, carelessly points his gun at Shinosuke, shouting at the girl.

"I understand your demands..."

Shinosuke sighed.

"Hurry up!"

"I already said I understand... Markus!"

At Shinosuke's voice, both Shinosuke and Markus pulled the triggers simultaneously.

Shhba!!

Bang... Clang, clang!

Following the blast of Markus's blaster and the sharp crack of detonation came the soft sound of small metal hitting the ground.

The two pirate men collapsed.

"Damn it! What the hell was that?!"

The man holding the girl hostage groaned, clutching his shoulder.

The other man had been shot through the forehead by Marks's blaster and was already dead.

"Marks, take him down!"

Shin nosuke shouted, pushing past the people shielded behind the barrier.

Marks immediately moved in, subduing the man, while Shin nosuke stepped back and stood protectively in front of the collapsed girl.

"Damn it! Why isn't my personal shield working? What the hell is this?!"

Shin nosuke looked down at the man screaming and bleeding from the shoulder.

"Interested in history? These days you only see blasters, but before blasters became the standard personal handheld weapon, there were guns that fired metal bullets using gunpowder. You don't know that?"

"Such an antique..."

"No, there are still manufacturers producing black powder handguns. Of course, it's mostly limited to hobbyists. While they have strong recoil and require skill to aim accurately, the actual bullets fired from these guns can't be stopped by a personal shield that disperses lasers. Depending on where they hit, they can be even more powerful than a blaster."

Shin nosuke wields the Lagza VX67 automatic pistol.

A 9mm handgun produced by Lagza Industries, once a relic of the past and now nearly obsolete, having been largely replaced by modern firearms. It has been Shin Nosuke's trusted weapon since his days as a soldier.

"Enough with these tedious explanations. We've already eliminated three of your companions before reaching this bridge. Now, only you and that unconscious one remain. Let's cut to the chase—do you have any other allies?"

Shin nosuke aims a revolver at the man captured by Marx.

...

The man glared at Shinosuke but remained silent.

Don't waste the time you have left. The wound I've given you won't heal easily. You won't last long before you bleed to death. If you don't tell us the truth, we may have to search for your companions—whether they even exist or not—while ignoring your treatment. While we're searching through this vast ship, I hope you manage to stay alive.

The man flinched, staring back at Shinnosuke.

"...They're gone. We came aboard this ship as five people. It's true."

Shinosuke nodded, then glanced at the crew members of the Galaxy Camel behind him.

The crew nodded in return, confirming to Shinnosuke that the man's words were true.

"Very well, I understand. Though it may be unfair compared to your comrades, I will grant you the chance to face justice. At this moment, by the authority of the Free Merchant Ship Escort Fleet Captain, I hereby arrest you. From now on, you will be handed over to public authorities to face the law."

Upon hearing Shinnosuke's declaration, the man slumped forward, utterly defeated.

While entrusting the man with emergency care and verifying the ship's safety, Shinnosuke checks on the condition of the surviving crew members and passengers.

Fortunately, the captain of the Galaxy Camel was unharmed, allowing Shinnosuke to assign the captain and the surviving crew to explain the situation and provide protection to those hiding in various parts of the ship.

Additionally, since the girl captured by the pirates is unconscious, I request that the crew provide her protection.

"Captain, what is the current condition of the ship? Is it capable of autonomous navigation?"

"Four of the six engines were destroyed during the pirate attack, but the remaining two are sufficient for normal navigation. However, we cannot perform spatial jumps, so we won't be able to reach our destination, the Salius Stellar Province."

"In that case, we'll need salvage vessels, won't we?"

Regarding that, we can arrange for a tugboat owned by the company by contacting headquarters. However, it will take at least two weeks, and we cannot keep you aboard this vessel during that time.

Indeed, we can't just leave the passengers on board the damaged Galaxy Camel.

Leaving the Galaxy Camel adrift in this region until the tugboat arrives would be dangerous, to begin with.

Just as we were pondering our options, Marks returned after completing the internal safety check.

"There are no remaining pirates aboard. The situation is under control."

After hearing Marks' report, Shinosuke set aside thoughts about the Galaxy Camel and the passengers, and instead opened a communication line to the shield ship Dag.

"This is Kasimura aboard the Galaxy Camel. We have successfully subdued the space pirates aboard the vessel."

『This is Dag. Understood. We've destroyed all remaining pirate ships and secured safety in the surrounding space sector.』

The rescue operation for the Galaxy Camel is largely complete, but a problem remains: what to do with the damaged Galaxy Camel and its crew and passengers.

The Cerberus, Shinnosuke's ship, has limited living space and cannot accommodate the Galaxy Camel's crew and passengers.

"My shield ship is modified from a medium-sized cargo vessel, so it has plenty of payload capacity, but I can't just cram it into the cargo hold. Zany's pirate killer doesn't have much living space to begin with, and its range is short. It's impractical to carry it aboard my shield ship during combat operations, so it has to stay on board when moving."

Is that so...

Shinnosuke crossed his arms and stared into thought.

Couldn't we just tow it using our Cerberus and the shield ship?

Just as I thought we'd have to guard the Galaxy Camel and be stuck in this region, Marks spoke up.