15: Dragged Out

"Ah. As soon as interference began, the 'Tsumebakei' also started evasive maneuvers."

The 'Tsumebakei' shudders.

The shaking has multiple causes.

One is interference from space pirates located outside the ultra-high-speed space.

The interference is preventing the 'Tsumebakei' from moving forward, while simultaneously pulling it back into normal space—this is what causes the vessel to shake.

The other is the evasion maneuver of the 'Tsumebakei'.

Currently, the 'Tsumebakei' has reduced output from non-essential systems like lighting and gravity generators—used only minimally during combat—while power is redirected to essential combat systems such as propulsion and shield modules.

Using the surplus thrust generated this way, the ship is resisting the pirates' pull while attempting to completely escape their targeting and flee.

Needless to say, the successful escape of the *Tsume Baei* directly determines the survival of every crew member, so success in escaping takes precedence over minor incidents like the ship shaking or someone getting hurt.

Thus, the shaking is unavoidable, and if anyone has complaints, they should direct them at the space pirates instead.

"But launching an attack during FTL travel... Depending on the enemy's size, we might need to vanish immediately?"

I remain in the room, scanning the surroundings as I ponder what to do next.

mod…… even localized event alteration has its limits.

Attempting a large-scale event alteration risks event collapse, and even minor alterations require substantial energy if we try to force an event too far removed from the current reality.

Moreover, the mod that pulls a spacecraft out of faster-than-light travel and into normal space is especially energy-intensive, so even the military would have needed a ship nearly dedicated to such a task.

Given that, the space pirates currently attacking us are almost certainly a highly organized, large-scale pirate group—far beyond what the *Tsume Bakei* could handle alone.

As for those space pirates... frankly, they're nothing more than dangerous beasts wearing human forms, so it's not beyond reason to expect that, if things go badly, we might be forced to stay alive just to serve as living machines.

Of course, it's understandable that we're allowed to deal with them without regard for life or death.

So, if I judge something to be impossible, I'll just run away right then and there.

If it's just me, I can handle anything however I want.

"But there shouldn't have been any information about such a large group being near the Hiratara Tsumugi system..."

Alternatively, if the opposing force wasn't a large-scale space pirate collective?

That possibility... should be unlikely.

Indeed, prior intelligence had shown no indication of a large pirate group being nearby, nor any signs suggesting their presence.

The hyperspace travel between the Hiraltra Tsugumi system and the Grogrobeta system is extremely frequent, making it an unlikely place for pirates to establish a base.

Therefore, it's possible they aren't operating as a large group.

Perhaps they're just passing through by chance, attacking sporadically with a small group.

In that case, the possibility of them not being a large group... does exist.

But even so, there must be at least one more ship, separate from the one dragging them out.

Otherwise, the space pirates would be helpless.

If that ship is just an ordinary warship... then there's no job for me.

Right now, I can only fight hand-to-hand.

But if that ship came here specifically to seize our vessel and initiate a boarding assault... then that's exactly my job.

Against space pirates like these, even I can handle it just fine.

But if there are two or more vessels... I'm afraid I'd be of no help at all.

"Hmm, troublesome. We don't have enough information. Why exactly is the 'Tsumebakei' here... ah, right—because there was that incident at the high-speed space entry guide colony, and the rear guard was absent. If that's the case, it's likely the military patrols are currently just out of range."

Stepping outside the cabin, I walked down the corridor with the titanium stick resting on my shoulder, watching where the enemy might strike if they were planning a boarding assault.

Sighing, I thought it wouldn’t make sense to act without seeing how they’d move.

At the same time, realizing that, given the circumstances, the *Tsumebakei* likely looked like an easy target from the pirates’ perspective, I couldn’t help but sigh again—this time with a sense of inevitability.

"Satā. Why are you outside the passenger cabin...? You must have figured a close-quarters battle was coming?"

"Ship crew. Well, that's about right. Even though I'm a Seiryō Corporation android, I can still help out in hand-to-hand combat."

"...I'll count on you then."

And that's when I ran into the crew member.

They were holding an assault rifle-style blaster, apparently preparing for boarding combat, just like me.

"Are the other crew members on combat stations, Vilijani and Memokshi?"

"Ah, those two—apparently, if the 'Tsumebakei' fails to avoid the dragging attack, they'll take command of the subsequent battle. It's normally impossible, but after talking with the captain, I somehow managed to get him to accept that impossible situation in no time at all."

That's certainly unusual. Temporarily handing over the captain's authority, even if just for a moment.

It seems the Viridianiara are located in the bridge—the place responsible for steering the ship.

Though it's normally impossible… well, they must have shown some reliable basis for trust.

‘Warning! Warning! The vessel ‘Tsumebakei’ is being pulled out of normal space! The ship is violently shaking—crew members, hold onto nearby objects and prepare for impact!’

“So, from here on, it’s under the Viridianiara’s command then.”

"Looks like it's settled then."

It seemed the drag had already taken effect.

The space around the 'Tsume Bakei' was shifting—transforming from the unique, faster-than-light space to plain interstellar space, the ship violently shaking inside.

"——!?!"

"Well, the opponent... seems surprised."

The shaking was intense—whether due to the quality of the opponent's mod or not, it didn't matter.

The crew member who had just been speaking was thrown off their feet, flying off somewhere in the chaos.

As for me, I dodged the shake using a certain method while scanning the area around the *Tsumebakei* to assess the enemy's numbers and positions—and was stunned.

The enemy... there were two sky pirate ships.

One seemed to be specialized in dragging out targets, positioned slightly away from the *Tsumebakei*.

And the other...

"These guys are sky pirates, all right—but seasoned ones at that."

Exactly as I spoke, it charged straight toward the very spot where I stood, ramming in with its ramming prow.

The shield of the *Tsumebakei* was shattered, the shock of the impact nullified, the outer hull pierced, the inner wall breached, and a cylindrical object the size of several people standing side by side pushed forward, crushing me at the same instant I became aware of my opponent's position.