Chapter 139: Pirate Negotiations
The central pirate fleet has been launching attacks for some time now, yet the show of force shows no sign of ending.
Dawson grows impatient and sends a transmission directly to the central pirate fleet.
"Hey. You asked for negotiations, then suddenly attack? You want to die?"
Dawson's blunt threat is met with a video-linked communication from what appears to be the central pirate leader.
"Ghuffuffu. Posturing. You know perfectly well that a mere thousand pirate ships cannot stand against us. If you wish to apologize—"
"...You sound like a pig in a pig farm. Why not just get slaughtered and turned into organic food for the wealthy right away?"
Dawson's reply mocks the pirates who fawn over the S.U. government, but there is a reason the word 'pig' was used.
It was because the central pirate leader’s appearance was a massive, obese man approaching three hundred kilograms.
The captain’s chair was custom-made for this giant. His own muscles could not support his weight, it seemed, as the bridge floated in a suspended state, and the fatty folds of his cheeks wobbled uncontrollably.
He resembled not a pig, but a bullfrog swollen beyond movement.
Such a being turned red with anger at Dawson’s words.
‘You are given the chance to explain, and yet you speak in a way that undermines it! You have no regard for your life, then!’
Dawson grimaced beneath his mask in response to the central pirate leader’s fury.
‘Let me make this clear— I did not come here to explain. I came to deliver reality to you.’
'Reality? I know damn well you've pissed off the Space Fleet!'
'You sent that kind of message. You know the Fleet is angry. But I came here because I sense you misjudge the degree of their anger.'
Dawson spoke with a rough tone typical of a pirate, yet there was an undertone, like a grown-up gently correcting a child who refuses to listen.
The central pirate leader felt insulted by the condescension and grew angrier still. Then another figure stepped forward.
'How interesting. Tell me, exactly how angry is the Space Fleet?'
The newcomer had entered with a sudden transmission. An old man with white hair neatly parted in a seven-three style, his face deeply lined.
An impertinent interruption. One might expect the pirate leader to rage, but the anger is directed solely at Dawson. The elder’s demeanor appears unchallenged.
Understanding the pirate leader’s standing, Dawson proceeds to relay information about the SU government and the space fleet.
"First, remaining at a base known to the SU government and the space fleet is the primary issue. It is like displaying supply ships for sale right before the pirates’ eyes."
"So you believe the space fleet will come to harvest us?"
"You may be linked to the government or the space fleet, but I warn you—your background will not shield you."
"Why would they target us first, not you or your fleet?"
"You are no different from pirates. To reclaim what the pirates have damaged, the most effective method is to slaughter pirates. It is more certain for the space fleet to target you—easier to defeat—than us, who are stronger. There is no reason not to target you."
Dawson spoke while monitoring the two pirates through the interior of his mask.
The elder nodded repeatedly. His eyes, however, showed no sign of comprehension—only the blank expression of someone listening without understanding.
The frog-like one maintained his smug grin, even as Dawson described the critical situation of the central pirate.
From this lack of reaction, Dawson perceived their intent.
—Various things have been said, but it seems you’ve already signed your own death warrant. It’s pointless to argue.
Dawson ended his explanation. For the first time, doubt appeared in the elder’s expression.
‘Signing execution orders?’
‘Your aim is to lure me and my fleet here, then summon the SU Fleet to destroy us. Given the time elapsed since our arrival, the SU Fleet’s main force should arrive within a minute.’
Dawson’s words caused the elder’s expression to shift, as if surprised.
‘You’ve seen through that far. Then you must understand the execution target is not us—but you.’
‘We’ll see.’
‘Radar alert! Signs of jump departure! A large fleet!’
Dawson severed the comms between the frog and the old man at the shout, then took control of the allied fleet.
"Send withdrawal instructions. Add a warning—Bella, any reckless move will only get you killed."
"Got it~. Yes, sent."
The pirate fleet had been unsettled by the signs of a large fleet's approach, but settled again upon Dawson's withdrawal order. Having previously gained substantial profit under Dawson's command, the allied pirates followed instructions without deviation.
The pirate fleet re-formed in orderly lines and began moving in unison toward the retreat vector.
At that moment, the SU Navy's large fleet jumped in.
"Radar indicates enemy total: ten thousand vessels. All at least Orbit Patrol Cruiser class. Battleship-class signatures detected!"
One in ten thousand out of two hundred thousand. Either carefully narrowed down from pirate intelligence, or a deliberate assessment that this number suffices.
Either way, for Dawson, ten thousand enemies were easier to manage than two hundred thousand.
Especially if the enemy was only fleeing.
"Next question: will they target us, or the central pirate fleet?"
Dawson's pirate fleet had already begun withdrawing. The SU Navy's position was no longer aligned to target both Dawson's forces and the central pirates simultaneously.
Thus, the Navy's choice would determine which side they attacked. The movement of the fleet would reveal their intent.
"Divide the ten thousand, or concentrate them and strike one side?"
Dawson's response depended on the Navy's decision. A tense moment.
Eventually, the Navy moved.
Kiwaka, monitoring the radar, exhaled in relief.
"The Navy vessels are moving toward the central pirates. No sign of coming this way."
"Easy now. There are ten thousand Navy ships right in front of us. It wouldn't be surprising if the remaining nineteen thousand were deployed to cut off our retreat."
"That's true."
Seeing Kiwaka tighten his focus, Dawson smiled faintly beneath his mask.
He knew, deep down, that what he had just said was unlikely.
It made no sense that only ten thousand ships had been sent here.
If the Navy had decided to engage Dawson's pirate fleet, they would have committed enough force to guarantee victory.
Yet the reality was only ten thousand ships, and they were not heading toward Dawson's fleet—instead, they were moving toward the central pirates.
The fleet had not trusted the central pirates' words. It had sent only the forces capable of destroying them.
Thus, Dawson's pirate fleet was unexpected. The remaining one hundred ninety thousand vessels had made no preparations to block the escape route of that fleet.
"Regardless. The central pirates' annihilation would complicate future developments."
Dawson removed his mask. He directed the central pirates' fleet toward an escape route. The route was different from the one his own pirate fleet would take.
He had two reasons for revealing the route.
First, as Dawson had just implied, it was a waste to see such a valuable pirate force eliminated.
The second reason was that the central pirates, fleeing by an alternate route, would serve as a decoy for the fleet, allowing Dawson’s pirate fleet to escape more safely.
“How much of a getaway they manage remains to be seen.”
Dawson spoke the cold assessment, then turned his focus to the withdrawal of his own pirate fleet.
As he had predicted, the fleet reached Chicken Ball without encountering any new fleet from the space navy.
Later, he learned that the central pirates and their base, a satellite riddled with holes, had suffered an overwhelming blow.
The satellite was reduced to fragments by the massive battle cannon fire of a capital ship.
Most of the central pirates were shot down. Pursued even to their escape route, they were completely destroyed.
A few of the central pirates escaped using the route Dawson had taught them, but no more than a hundred vessels remained.