Rescue complete

"Drag it with Cerberus and the shield ship? What are you talking about, Marks?"

Shinosuke tilts his head.

"Jumping through space involves transferring the entire surrounding space of the vessel undergoing the jump, accelerating to a certain speed before executing the jump. Currently, the Galaxy Camel cannot reach the required jump speed due to engine damage, and its jump boosters are also damaged, making it impossible to jump alone. Therefore, towing is necessary, and that's why we can use Cerberus and the shield ship to tow it."

"Can something like that actually be done?"

"Yes. Individually, Cerberus and the shield ship cannot tow the Galaxy Camel to jump speed, but if both vessels simultaneously tow the Galaxy Camel from both port and starboard sides, they can accelerate it to jump speed. Once that's achieved, if Cerberus and the shield ship perform spatial jumps simultaneously, the Galaxy Camel within the transfer range will also be transported."

Shin nosuke tilted his head further, listening to Marks's explanation.

"I understand the logic. If Marks says it's possible, then it probably is. But just because it's possible doesn't mean it's safe. I won't risk the crew and passengers of the Galaxy Camel. We can't expose them to danger."

There's no issue. The risk during hyperspace jumps is only 2.8 percent higher than the normal probability of encountering a major accident. Since the base probability of a major accident is 0.0025 percent, adding 2.8 percent to that baseline still results in an accident encounter rate of just 0.00257 percent. The increase in risk from hyperspace jumps is negligible and can be safely ignored.

If, as Mark's explanation suggests, we can tow the Galaxy Camel back to the Sirius Stellar Region, it would be far more efficient than waiting here for either a tugboat or a coast guard vessel to arrive.

However, this decision cannot be made by Shinosuke and Mark alone.

"Doug, as you've heard, what's your take on this?"

'Yeah, I agree...'

'I'm in favor of this plan!'

Interrupting Doug's words was Zany, who had just returned after sinking the pirate ship.

"Sent to rescue according to protocol, but I don't wanna waste time here! If you can drag that big thing along, let's just do it—quick and easy. What do you say, Doug?"

Doug shrugged slightly and nodded in agreement with Zany's words.

Having secured Doug and Zany's approval, Shinosuke turned to look at the captain of the Galaxy Camel.

"What are your thoughts, Captain? Although we've repelled the pirates, we can't say this sector is completely safe. If you agree, we'll tow the Galaxy Camel to the Sirius Stellar Province using our ship. That would undoubtedly get us out of danger more quickly. However, to tow this vessel, we'll need to deploy multiple anchors and secure the ships together, which will inevitably cause significant damage to the hull."

Without hesitation, the captain answered Shinosuke's question.

"I kindly ask you to assist us. Many passengers and crew members were killed or injured during the pirate attack. As the captain of this ship, I failed to protect everyone. Right now, ensuring the safety of the passengers and crew who survived is our top priority, far more important than worrying about the ship. Under the weight of my failure as a captain, I now request your help to tow the Galaxy Camel."

Unlike typical maritime accidents, maritime law stipulates that a ship's captain is not held responsible for attacks by pirate vessels, provided the captain has not violated any regulations or laws.

However, even if legally exempt from responsibility, it is natural for a sailor to hold themselves accountable. The captain of the Galaxy Camel is now striving to fulfill what remains of their final duty.

Shin nosuke and the others immediately began preparations for towing.

The Cerberus had already driven anchors and boarding passages into the port side of the Galaxy Camel, so the towing preparations were nearly complete.

All that remained was for Dag's shield ship to drive anchors and boarding passages into the starboard side of the Galaxy Camel to secure it, and the towing preparations would be finished.

First, they would proceed to the normal route in this state.

Once they return to the normal route and arrive at the jump point, they will finally tow the Galaxy Camel and execute a simultaneous three-ship warp jump.

"My Dug's shield ship is my Pirate Killer's flagship, but carrying my vessel slows down the warp acceleration— I'm just dead weight. I'll warp ahead first to secure safety at the destination!"

Since the three ships were linked together, limiting their movement, Zarny's vessel had been acting as their escort, but it was originally a short-range missile boat.

It had already expended most of its energy during the combat maneuvers to rescue the Galaxy Camel and the subsequent navigation while escorting the three ships, and it seems it will be unable to move once this spatial jump ends.

Still, Zany unhesitatingly performed a spatial jump ahead to secure the safety of the destination point.

"Then we shall perform the spatial jump as well. Since the three ships have different engine thrusts, I will take command of the jump."

Markus, whose strength lies in information processing, volunteers to lead the spatial jump—but in truth, this jump couldn't have been executed without Markus's abilities in the first place.

Alright, I'll take over piloting Cerberus. You've got control.

"I have control. Initiating acceleration for spatial jump. The reference vessel for acceleration is Mr. Dug's shield ship. The shield ship will perform standard jump acceleration. The damaged Galaxy Camel will assist with 80% of the remaining engine thrust. Our vessel will adjust accordingly for the two ships. Acceleration countdown begins: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, now!"

The three ships began a jump acceleration upon Marx's signal.

Markus adjusted the Cerberus's engine output in sync with Dag's shield ship's acceleration.

"Accelerating toward jump velocity... 8, 7, Galaxy Camel, engine cut, 4, 3, 2, 1, warp!"

The Cerberus and the shield ship simultaneously executed a spatial jump, transporting themselves through space while towing the Galaxy Camel.

"Space jump complete... No abnormalities detected in ship hulls or systems."

Having safely completed the spatial jump, the three ships returned to the Sirius Star Region. The Zany's missile vessel, which had jumped earlier, was already on alert in the surrounding space.

"Made it through safely. We're running low on energy. Dag, hurry up and secure them."

It seems they had been on alert in the surrounding space, but are now drifting with nearly depleted energy.

According to Zany, the coast guard is en route and should arrive shortly.

Once the coast guard arrives and takes over, the rescue operation for the Galaxy Camel will be fully completed.

Since further towing is unnecessary, the Kerberos and Shield Ship release their mooring from the Galaxy Camel, and Dag's Shield Ship begins the task of recovering Zany's missile boat.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the Kerberos, the Shield Ship, and the Pirate Killer—three vessels and their four crew members each—for rescuing our ship. The costs incurred during the rescue and the appropriate compensation will be proposed by our headquarters at a later date."

At the moment the captain of the Galaxy Camel sent a message of gratitude, a signal indicating the arrival of the Coast Guard appeared on the edge of the radar.

Thus, Shinosuke's first trade mission and the unexpected rescue operation both came to an end.

The Cerberus began its return journey toward the central colony of the Sirius Stellar Province.

Thanks to the series' steady success, the number of accesses and ratings for my other work, the "Freedom of Career Selection Series," had slightly increased.

I'm truly happy about that.

I sincerely thank everyone who read it.

I look forward to your continued support.