A Strange Encounter

As Shinnosuke and the others departed the Garra Stellar Province, deep within the asteroid belt, slightly away from the Sirius Stellar Province.

"Damn it! They're still following us?!"

Glen and his companions, fleeing through the asteroids while being attacked by a pirate ship.

"They're still coming! There's no way we can outrun them with Big Bear's legs!"

"Where's the escort ship?!"

"They ran off at the sight of the pirates! Just like that!"

"Damn it! We shouldn't have relied on some rookie escort ship!"

To Glen and the others, this was supposed to be just another routine mining operation.

The only difference was that they couldn't rely on familiar escort ships like Shinnosuke and the others they knew.

The asteroid mining site where the Gleen crew primarily operates is a relatively stagnant location within the asteroid belt, where rare metals of decent quality can be consistently extracted. However, because of this stability, the location remains a secret known only to the Gleen crew, and mining operations there are guarded exclusively by crew members trusted with the mission's security.

Since we couldn't find a familiar escort ship this time, we reluctantly had to contract with a new one, but we couldn't possibly reveal the secret location to someone whose reliability was uncertain, so we changed our plans and chose a common site visited by other mining operations.

Still, thanks to the Gleen crew's experience and instinct, we managed to extract a sufficient amount of rare metals and minerals, only to be targeted by pirates at that very location.

If you run away without doing anything upon encountering pirates, that's a serious breach of contract—don't forget, you'll be liable for damages!

That's only if we all make it back alive! Glen, couldn't you at least get Alisa and the others to escape first? If we rely on the Seeker Eye's legs, we might just be able to get away.

Glen shook his head at Karen's suggestion.

"We might just barely escape, but if we're ambushed ahead, that'll be trouble. Besides, without Alisa and the others' navigation, we definitely won't get away!"

Big Bear moves forward, shielding the Seeker Eye ahead.

"Seeker Eye to Big Bear! Thermal signature from the pirate ship behind us—high-power beam cannon fire incoming!"

Moments after the communication from Merry's, a high-powered beam cannon blast grazed Big Bear's port side.

"Not hit directly—no damage. Did they miss?"

"No, they did it on purpose! If we'd taken that head-on, we'd be reduced to dust along with the treasure. They're just toying with us. They're saying they could sink us anytime they want."

In Big Bear's command center, Glen clenches his fist as he assesses the situation.

"Big Bear, signs of a second pirate attack. Be on guard!"

Glen made his decision.

"Damn it, we're done for! Release the rear gate! Jettison the treasure!"

"Glen! You can't!"

"A life is worth more than any treasure. As a captain, I won't let my crew die! We'll give the loot to them!"

"...Understood. Rear gate released. Cargo jettisoned."

The rear gate of Big Bear opens, ejecting the freshly mined rare metals into space.

"Damn it! I'll give you the treasure! Let's get out of here quickly!"

Big Bear and Seeker Eye barely escape, fleeing in a panic.

As Big Bear jettisons the rare metals, the pirate ship slows down.

"Sis, they've abandoned their cargo and are fleeing. Those are the same ones who sank our comrades before. Should we sink them?"

There's no need for that. It wasn't them who sank our comrades—those were the escort ships following them. Besides, it's their own fault for being careless. After all, we're good-natured pirates, aren't we? We should treat respectful customers with care. They've gone to the trouble of giving us a present—let's graciously accept it, shall we?

On the bridge of a pirate ship—originally a civilian high-speed vessel retrofitted with military-grade high-output beam cannons—the pirates mocked Big Bear and Seeker Eye as they watched them flee.

While Glen and the others were enduring great hardship, Kerberos, with Shinosuke and the others aboard, continued its smooth voyage toward the Sirius Stellar Province.

With no targets to protect and traveling alone, there were no pirate ships daring to challenge the Kerberos, and the bridge maintained a relaxed atmosphere.

"Wait a minute?"

Suddenly, Seyla, monitoring the surrounding space with the radar, spoke up.

"What is it?"

Shinosuke, sipping synthetic fruit tea from his command chair, asked.

"I detected a signal... off course, in a region that shouldn't be on our route..."

Seira tilted her head slightly, increasing the radar's output to expand the detection range.

"Ah, sure enough. Radar contact on the port side—large object. Estimated size between 500 to 800 meters. Could it be a pirate vessel?"

Hearing Seira's report, Shinosuke also checked the monitor.

"Pirates don't use ships that size. But it's not a civilian vessel either..."

"Target has changed course—it's heading straight for us!"

Shinoseki stared intently at the monitor.

"Markus, check the target with the active detector."

"Understood.... No navigation signal detected from the vessel. Suspicious vessel... no, it's not even a spaceship. I've captured it with the high-resolution camera. Sending the footage now."

Markus switched the camera feed to the large monitor on the bridge.

What appeared on the screen was something that looked like a massive chunk of rock.

"Wow, it's rare to see something like this here."

Seira tilted her head, her tension easing as she watched the footage.

"Um, what is that? An asteroid?"

"No, that's a space whale. It's really unusual to encounter one here."

"Wait? A space whale? Seriously?"

A space whale is a whale that lives in outer space.

Though called a whale, this creature is utterly different from marine whales, and it's still unknown whether it's even a living being—truly a mysterious entity.

Its streamlined body does resemble a whale, but it's entirely covered in asteroids and rocks, making it impossible to glimpse what lies inside.

Still, it twists its body to change direction, sometimes forms groups, and behaves just like a living whale.

"Amazing... I've heard rumors about it, and instructors even joked about it in class, but to actually see it with my own eyes... it's real..."

There was no surprise in Seira's whisper.

The cosmic whale was something known in theory to many sailors, but sightings were incredibly rare.

It wasn't something you could search for and find, nor had there ever been any confirmed captures, so its true nature remained unexplained.

Still, it sometimes approaches as if showing interest upon encountering a spacecraft, or swims alongside in the void, making it a rare and fortunate sight to meet.

Even now, it seems to take interest in the Cerberus, approaching and beginning to travel in tandem.

Seira's eyes gleamed as she stared intently at the monitor.

"Amazing... But why can't we figure out what it truly is? Hasn't anyone ever tried to investigate it?"

Shin nosuke answers Seira's question.

"I can't just go searching for it—it's not something you can find by looking. It won't even flee from radar waves, but as soon as you try to scan its body, it vanishes instantly. These things swim freely even in regions where starships can't navigate. And if we so much as attack it, that massive body could ram the ship and sink it. In short, sailors just consider it a mystery of space. If you ever happen to encounter one, consider yourself lucky."

There are still many things in the universe beyond human reach and understanding.

The cosmic whale is one of them—an entity perhaps not meant for humanity to interfere with.

After approaching the Cerberus, the cosmic whale swam around it for about an hour, then, whether satisfied or simply losing interest, vanished into the darkness of space.

"Amazing... this was an incredibly rare experience.... Did you encounter one before, Shinnosuke?"

Seyla, still visibly excited.

"Yeah, once when I was in the space navy. Back then, they were traveling in a group of five. There was even a young whale among them."

"A young space whale? I'd love to see one."

"Even if you call it young, it was still larger than this Cerberus."

"Space whale calves must be so adorable..."

Ceyla had completely fallen in love with the space whale.

After such a peculiar encounter, Cerberus continued its journey toward the Cyraus Stellar Province.