18: Battle Complete
"Um, opening the comms channel... uh, this is Satu Se Tekus. We've secured the space pirate vessel equipped with a ramming prow. The 'Tsumebakei' may focus entirely on the enemy directly ahead without concern for us."
I operated the console located within the bridge.
Whether it's fitting for a pirate vessel or not, there was no mechanism locking the controls, so I opened the communication line and broadcast the announcement that the ship had been secured, loud enough for all nearby vessels to hear.
At the same time, I shut down all non-essential systems aboard the ship, leaving only the bare minimum running, making it obvious to anyone watching that the ship had been fully taken over.
"Thank you, Sata. Everyone, prepare for counterattack!"
Vilijanila's voice comes through the communication line.
At the same time, the exchange of attacks between the 'Tsumebakei' and the space pirates suddenly intensifies.
The 'Tsumebakei' concentrates its shield deployment in the direction of the enemy ship, boosting its output while maintaining surplus energy consumption.
Then, it redirected the surplus energy toward offense, firing the 'Tsumebakei's defensive beam cannons at an increased output—how exactly it managed this remains unclear.
" Hmm, could it be that Mebokushi tinkered with the beam cannons' modifications or structure? Or perhaps there was something of the sort among the cargo? Either way, the tide of battle seems decided now."
The pirate ship opposite us might be hesitating due to their comrades being taken out, but they're clearly losing their composure.
Well, that's to be expected.
The drag-out mod requires a large amount of energy and must remain active to prevent the enemy from escaping.
As a result, the amount of energy available for attacks inevitably decreases, reducing their firepower.
That's why my allies need to support with firepower... but those allies have been silenced by me.
In other words, the enemy has run out of offensive options.
In that case, the only choice left for them is clear.
"Damn it! I can't take this! I'm getting out of here!!"
Escape.
"Too slow to decide."
"Looks like I made a mistake."
"!?!"
But if they were going to do that, they should have done it while I was still seizing control of this ship.
The pirate vessel, dragged out into space, chose to flee rather than continue the attack.
It might have been because a military or police ship, drawn by the distress signal from the *Tsume Bakei*, was already approaching nearby; or perhaps it was simply their usual behavior—fleeing at full speed if they couldn't catch their prey.
But fleeing now was clearly a mistake.
Choosing to abandon all attacks and flee essentially meant diverting power only to the systems and mods necessary for navigation and shields, discarding even the defensive measures meant to counter attacks from the *Tsumebakei*.
Vilijanira seized the opening, instantly cutting not only the shields but also the mods essential for maintaining the ship's internal environment, and fired a beam cannon clearly operating without its limiter.
'N-no... how can it be... just one shot... why...'
It wasn't one shot—it was two.
Though the interval between them was imperceptible to all but a few people, the *Tsumebakei* had fired two beams.
The first shattered the shield, and the second punched a hole through the space pirate's ship.
And precisely, it hit only the essential parts needed for movement—the faster-than-light navigation systems, high-speed propulsion, and thrust generation—right in the engine compartment.
An astonishing level of precision.
And now, with no way to escape, the space pirates have only three options left—surrender, fight to the bitter end, or self-destruct...
"Enough! This is the Imperial Navy—patrol unit between the Grogrobeta and Hiratratsumi star systems! Two unauthorized vessels, immediately cease engine operation! Otherwise, we will destroy you!!"
"W-what...!?"
The military has arrived.
Eight pristine white ships of the imperial fleet emerged from hyperspace, having transitioned from faster-than-light travel to normal navigation, immediately locking onto the towing vessel—and onto my ship, the bow-mounted one—engaging all weapons systems and surrounding us completely.
Yeah, we're completely trapped.
"Ah, ah... you're the one with the ram? Well, since I don't know the ship's name, let's just say this is one of the ships crewed by sky pirates. Anyway, this one's already under my control—Sata Seeteks—so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop firing. Also, it'd be helpful if you could tell me how to shut down the various systems."
?
This is Vilijanila Vanilagengroot, temporarily in command of the 'Tsumebakei No. 1'. It seems what Satā-san mentioned is true, so please proceed with protection and… provide further instructions.
...Understood. Then...
Being pelted with various things on the dragged-out boat.
Probably something to prevent them from carrying out suicide attacks.
While gazing at it, I followed the instructions from the patrol unit and carried out the procedure.
During the work, I was asked all sorts of things—whether there were any companions around, how I did it, and so on—but I just brushed those questions aside, saying we’d discuss them once things had settled down.
I don’t have the mental bandwidth for unnecessary distractions; I’m not used to this kind of task.
I’ve never messed with a spaceship before!
Still, I managed to shut down the sky pirate ship’s functions.
Successfully connected to one of the patrol vessel's ships—the one protecting the Vilijanira group.
I was about to head toward the patrol vessel through the connected passage...
"First, let's go to the decontamination and inspection room. Since we're dealing with artificial humans used by the sky pirates, we can't be sure what might be in their flesh or blood."
"Oh, right."
I was doused from head to toe with disinfectant liquid while still wearing my clothes, then immediately had various disinfection mods activated.