Emerging from the hazardous space zone

Shin nosuke and his crew, having halted their battle with the space pirates to flee from the appearance of space jellyfish.

"Exiting the sector... wait, it looks like the pirates are being attacked by the space jellyfish!"

The space pirates, attempting to use the asteroid belt as a shield, are thrown into chaos by the sudden assault of the space jellyfish.

Trying to counterattack recklessly seems only to be attracting more space jellyfish.

"Didn't you check the navigation bureau's route information? A proper space pirate should know the details of their hunting grounds."

Shin nosuke sighs in disbelief, but there's nothing he can do about it.

Even if it is a sailor's pride to lend a hand to those in need, we are currently on a escort mission and cannot afford to stray from our assigned target.

Moreover, it would make no sense at all to risk our lives rescuing space pirates who just attacked us.

There was no choice but to let the space pirates suffer the consequences of their actions, so Shinnosuke and the others prioritized escaping to a safe region of space while the pirates were under attack.

"There are many asteroids in this vicinity that may harbor space jellyfish. Although we managed to put some distance between ourselves and the previous space jellyfish, we can't be sure of their behavior. They might perceive us as allies of the space pirates and pursue us. Ideally, we'd want to leave this region as quickly as possible, but taking a safe route would require a significant detour. While avoiding risks by taking a longer path is an option, this time we'll choose the shortest route through."

Having made his decision, Shinosuke indicated a course through the asteroid belt, where the asteroids were relatively sparse.

Seyra selected and set a navigable route through the asteroid belt Shinosuke had indicated.

"Passing through this route will be manageable for the fleet."

A practical and cautious route setting, true to Seyra's careful nature.

Shinosuke nodded in agreement.

"Alright, we'll follow the course Seyra chose. However, from here on, Marks will handle navigation—Seyra, focus solely on monitoring for abnormal signals. Don't miss even the faintest one."

"Y-yes, understood!"

Though Marks would normally be better suited for detecting anomalous signals, Seyra's intuition in emergencies is truly remarkable.

Moreover, since Marks can easily manage navigation and support Seyra at the same time, it adds an extra layer of reassurance.

"From the Yatagarasu, all ships: we'll be passing through the asteroid belt from here on. Keep to a safe course, and make sure to stay close to the flagship."

Shin nosuke led the Yatagarasu to the front of the fleet and entered the asteroid belt ahead of them.

"Master, I've displayed the optimal course on the monitor. There are no issues with the route set by Seira, so I'll navigate while making minor adjustments to the preset course."

"Understood. Since Villet's fleet is following behind, we'll keep our speed moderate."

Moving through the asteroid belt with the Yatagarasu leading, just as Marks had said, there were no problems at all.

Since the speed and course allow the following fleet to pass through without difficulty, Shinosuke can maneuver the ship effortlessly, and of course Fuubuki and Tsukikage, as well as Villet's fleet, can keep up without any issues.

"Although I thought the route set by Seira might require minor adjustments, it actually needs almost none. You're truly excellent as a navigation officer."

Marks, who is handling navigation but has nothing to do, praises Seira's route planning.

「・・・・・・」

Marks, who rarely evaluates others or speaks his thoughts aloud.

Yet Seira, focused on monitoring nearby signals, didn't hear Marks's words.

"Markus, she didn't hear you."

"It's fine. Just muttering to myself."

Despite their exchange, the convoy continued sailing smoothly, eventually passing through the asteroid belt without encountering any space jellyfish or space pirates.

"Approaching the hyperspace jump point soon."

Seyra, having resumed navigation and communications after safely navigating through the asteroid belt and exiting the hazardous zone, reports.

"Shinnosuke-sama, would you like to take over piloting?"

Milena offers, but Shinnosuke shakes his head.

"Fine for now. Let's switch after the hyperspace jump."

"Understood."

Shinnosuke begins the pre-jump checklist.

"All systems nominal. Relay to all ships in the convoy: upon our vessel's hyperspace jump, the Villet convoy, Tsukikage, and Fubuki will follow in sequence. Sera, please share the coordinate calculations and destination hyperspace coordinates with each ship."

"Understood. Coordinate calculations and jump destination coordinates have been finalized. Data links with all convoy ships are established. You may proceed at any time."

Understood. Accelerating the ship to jump insertion speed.

Shinonsuke pushed the throttle lever forward.

Yatagarasu rapidly accelerated to spatial jump velocity, followed closely by each ship in the convoy.