Duty of the Sailor

"Blue Dolphin, we've entered the communication range."

"Understood. Blue Dolphin, confirm your current status."

"Understood. This is Fubuki, affiliated with the Acnelia Galaxy Federation's Salius Stellar Province Free Merchant Fleet Association. We've responded to your distress signal and arrived on-site. Please report your situation."

After a brief pause, a reply comes from the Blue Dolphin.

"This is the Blue Dolphin, a vessel registered under the Rimuria Galactic Empire. Our ship has sustained severe damage to its propulsion system and is currently adrift, unable to navigate. Immediate rescue is urgently required."

According to the report from the Blue Dolphin, the vessel was en route along its scheduled route when it was caught in a naval battle between the Rimuria Galactic Empire and the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth, suffering a direct hit from a stray projectile that disabled its main engine.

Although it managed to barely escape the combat zone despite being hit, it had strayed far from its usual route in an attempt to evade battle—this proved to be its undoing.

With no other ships nearby and now unable to navigate, it drifted away from the battlefield, so neither Rimuria nor Damura forces received its distress signal. For 20 days, it floated helplessly with no hope of rescue.

Moreover, to make matters worse, the impact of the hit had damaged the air conditioning system as well, and it seemed the ship's oxygen supply would only last a few more days.

Shin nosuke interrupted the communication.

"Blue Dolphin, this is Captain Kasimura of the Fukuki. How many people need rescue? Are there any sick or injured individuals?"

"121 crew and passengers. No sick or injured people, but several are suffering from physical and mental strain due to drifting."

"Understood. What's the prognosis for repairing the damage?"

"Repair might be possible with a dedicated dry dock, but it's impossible here. Since it can't navigate under its own power, we have no choice but to abandon the vessel."

Time is of the essence.

To save the people aboard the Blue Dolphin, we must transfer them to our ship.

Shinnosuke pondered.

Neither the Fukuki nor the Tsukikage currently have passenger modules installed, so if we're transferring the passengers, we'd have to store them in the cargo hold of one of the ships. Fortunately, both the Fukuki and the Tsukikage have their cargo hold climate controls set to the same standard as the ship's living quarters, so storage itself isn't an issue.

The Tsukikage has vastly more available space for storage.

Yet Shinnosuke did not choose the Tsukikage.

"House Blue Dolphin's crew and passengers on Fukubuki."

Andy objects to Shinnosuke's decision.

"Shinnosuke-san, this cargo hold has more space available. It's not just the cargo hold—there's also a multipurpose room equipped with makeshift bunks. Wouldn't the Tsukikage be a better choice for housing them?"

Andy's reasoning is sound, but Shinnosuke has a different idea.

The Tsukikage's cargo hold and internal bulkheads are thin, so if a mass uprising were to occur onboard, it might not be possible to suppress it, risking the ship being seized.

In contrast, the Fukaboshi has sturdy bulkheads, allowing the living quarters and cargo hold to be securely isolated. This makes the Fukaboshi a far more manageable option for surveillance and control.

The environment isn't ideal, but we'll house Fuuki there. In return, bring Maderia over to Fuuki. Assign Marks and Maderia to oversee the detainees and maintain surveillance. For about a week, while we head toward the Rimlia Galactic Empire territory and hand them over to Rimlia, they'll just have to endure it.

Rescue is, of course, a priority, but the safety of our ship and crew comes first.

Thus, Shinosuke chose Fukubuki, and Andy understood his decision.

"Understood. I'll send Madelia in that direction."

"Tsukikage will remain on perimeter surveillance until the rescue operation concludes, then return to base. Our flagship will deliver the rescued individuals to Rimlia, hand them over, and then return."

"Wait—Fukubuki alone heading to Rimlia? Can't Tsukikage accompany her as escort?"

Andi offers, but Shinosuke has his own reasoning for this as well.

"On top of the legitimate act of rescuing and transferring the survivors from the distressed vessel, my license allows me to navigate through the Rimulia Galactic Empire's controlled space without legal issues. That said, if an Aurora Galactic Federation warship—our de facto adversary—were to traverse within their territory, Rimulia would certainly become alert. To avoid unnecessary suspicion, I'll proceed to Rimulia alone with just the Fubuki."

Moreover, if the lightly armed transport ship Tsukikage were to accompany the heavily armed Fubuki without carrying any personnel—merely serving as an escort—while the Fubuki carried rescued individuals, that would seem unnatural.

At that point, Miliena, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke up.

"I oppose it....No, rescuing the people of Blue Dolphin is naturally necessary, but I oppose taking them toward Rymria."

"Ah, even if we follow proper procedures, if Miliena is known to have fled to Aknelia, her safety might be at risk. In that case, perhaps it's best if Miliena returns with Tukikage and Andy first..."

Though Shinnosuke had tried his best to be careful, Miliena suddenly shouted and confronted him fiercely.

I'm not saying that! What I'm worried about is ShinnoSuke-sama. He helped me escape, and then went on to hire me. Naturally, Rimuria must have marked ShinnoSuke-sama by now. It's my fault for forcing my way into this situation—I bear the responsibility. But from Rimuria's perspective, they might target ShinnoSuke-sama instead of me, since I'm protected under international law. They might even try to set up a false accusation to bring ShinnoSuke-sama down.

Milena presses close to ShinnoSuke, clinging to him.

"But aren't there any other viable options?"

"Handing over the rescued people to another country...?"

"If we're heading from this sector to another nation in Lemuria, it'd have to be Polux or the Damra Stellar Federation. But there are numerous navigation-unfriendly zones between Polux and Lemuria, so if we hand them over to Polux, we can't even predict when they'd be able to return home. On the other hand, handing them over to the Damra Stellar Federation isn't practical. Even though it's wartime, the Blue Dolphin is a civilian vessel, so the Federation would likely follow proper procedures—but still, it could cause unnecessary complications. Moreover, jumping from the nearby jump point would land us on the opposite side of the Federation, meaning we'd have to travel the long way through regular navigation, which would take at least three weeks. There's no way we can cram over 120 civilians into the cargo hold for that long. As a sailor, I don't intend to shirk the responsibility entrusted to me, and I believe I've made the best choice possible."

If Milena has no intention of overturning Shinnosuke's decision—made by him as the captain of the Fubuki and representative of the guild—then she has nothing more to say.

"I understand. I'll follow Shinnosuke's judgment. I'll accompany you."

"I believe Shinnosuke's decision is the right one, too."

Seyla, following Milena, also made her resolve clear.

Shinosuke nodded.

"Good. Then let's begin the rescue operation."