Chapter 83: Dangerous-sounding Discussion (1/2)

“Here you go.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I and Chris finally got back to shore after spending an enjoyable time boating. I took the water bottle Elma handed to me and plopped myself on top of a beach chair. I had to consciously avoid talking about certain topics while I was conversing with Chris earlier, so it kinda tired me out.

Chris, who had her fill after hearing about several stories regarding my mercenary adventures, went over to Mimi with her shark-shaped float in tow. Mimi was using a dolphin-shaped floater by the way. Are they gonna have some girl talk while floating on the water or something……? I guess not. They started to race around using their respective floats. But they sure look like they’re having fun.

“For now, it looks like things are pretty peaceful.”

“You worry too much…… We exterminated every single pursuer, so they wouldn’t get any new information about us so easily. There’s a low chance of being attacked, at least for now. And even if they manage to find out our location in the end, they won’t be able to mount an attack on a resort planet that easily.”

After saying that, Elma called out to a maidroid and ordered a drink. She sure is enjoying her luxurious vacation.

“They’re the kind of enemy who managed to prepare a skilled and relatively powerful force within a day after all. I think it can’t hurt to be too careful.”

“Well, you do have a point. But we can’t really do anything much to prepare right now you know? Miro’s taking care of this planet’s defenses anyway.”

“Is it really okay for us to be this complacent……?”

We just arrived at this place yesterday anyway. I also don’t think Chris’s uncle would be able to send his people after us again right away as well. On the other hand, they’d probably launch an attack without any hesitation if they think they’ll be able to finish us off with certainty.

“If you have any concerns, I’ll hear you out, you know?”

“There’s just something bugging me for a while……”

What I’m really worried about is the possibility of Chris’s uncle throwing all caution to the wind because of his desire to kill Chris. For example, he may book an island on Sierra III as a guest along with his men and then come kill us directly. There’s also the method of attacking Sierra with a great number of warships, silencing Miro’s defense network, and launching an all-out orbital bombardment. Whenever I think about possible worst-case scenarios, I end up coming up with quite a number of them. It’s a bit nerve-wracking.

“Mmm. White clouds, blue sky, bright sunlight, and cold liquor. This is paradise.”

“So you’re already drinking this early huh……”

“Isn’t it fine? We’re on vacation anyway, so let’s have as much of a blast as we can.”

Elma was smirking while sipping a glass filled with an alcoholic tropical drink. She really seems to be making the most out of this. But, well, this truly was a wonderful beach resort. But I just can’t enjoy it as much due to the tense situation we’re currently in.

“You’re surprisingly a worrywart, aren’t you?”

“Shut it. This much cautiousness is just normal for a merc.”

I also ordered a drink from the maidroid. I asked for the light yellow colored carbonated beverage to be poured in a glass with ice.

“But just how tight is the security in this place anyway? Can we really count on it?”

“I already told you this before. If they wanted to break through this planet’s security system, they’d have to get the help of an autonomous AI on par or greater than Miro. But there’s no way an autonomous AI will agree to perpetuate that kind of illegal activity.”

“I guess you’re right. But there’s not just one method to get past the security here, right? Maybe they’ll just forcefully breakthrough or something?”

“Forcefully huh…… First of all, sending in an assassination squad to directly infiltrate this place isn’t the least bit realistic. If guests attempt to leave the island they’re assigned to in order to go to another island, Miro will immediately apprehend them.”

“But there’s plenty of methods to do so like diving in the sea or flying directly through a ship similar to Krishna, right?”

“That’s impossible. Miro’s terminals are also spread throughout this world’s oceans, so they’ll be found at once. A subjugation squad can get deployed instantly via that mass driver, so there will be no escape. Aside from the subjugation squad, there’s also the method of shooting them down via strategic shells fired off by the mass driver, as well as bombardment from the defense platforms deployed in satellite orbit. Any standard ship will be down in an instant. But it may be possible to break through if they use a ship like Krishna though.”

“That’s some crazy defense network…”

The maidroid carrying a glass of the light yellow drink I ordered finally arrived in the middle of our discussion.

“Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s fine. This is also part of my duties, so please do not mind me.”

The maidroid flashed a serene smile. Did she really smile? Apart from a scant few times, the maidroids have kept their faces devoid of expressions for the most part. And now, one actually smiled at me…… But I guess this is good. It’s always better to smile than keep an expressionless face.

“But I think we’ll be helpless if we’re hit with a saturation attack though.”

“Saturation attack. Do you mean something that would overwhelm the firing capabilities of this planet’s defense platform network? That’s just not realistic, mister.”

“It’s not like you can only use a ship. Wouldn’t it be possible to overwhelm the platform network’s interception capabilities by pouring out a lot of shells, space debris, and asteroids toward the equatorial base where Miro’s main terminal is located? There’s also the option of destroying the platforms first before raining down an orbital bombardment too.”

“Now that’s just unreasonable. Miro’s sensor arrays should be able to pick up the movements of space debris and asteroids straight away no matter how much they try to hide it. Depending on the scale of the commotion, there’s also a good chance the local imperial garrison will be alerted and deployed to intercept.”

“I see.”

It looks like it would be really difficult for the methods I proposed to disable the defense network of this planet.

“But the defense network isn’t completely invincible, right?”

“Of course. If they can really amass a force that can overwhelm the defense network, they’ll be able to do an orbital bombardment. Miro can still use the surface defense systems to retaliate, but losing the orbital platforms will be a huge blow.”

“If that’s the case, then wouldn’t they come up with something like hiring a huge pirate force?”

“That’s certainly possible, but if they mess up, they’ll have the full force of the imperial military hot on their tail, so it’s a pretty risky move.”

“So, the chances are low, but there’s still a possibility huh…… If it ever came to that, it might be better to directly launch back into space with Krishna and hold out until the imperial military comes huh.”

“That’s right. That would be a good course of action.”

After seeing Elma nod, I was finally somewhat relieved. I now had a good idea of what the possible worst-case scenarios were, as well as how to deal with them to some extent. My unease has greatly lessened.

“You are talking about some dangerous topics.”

The maidroid, who we saw leave earlier, actually returned without Elma and me noticing. She seems to have heard our conversation partway, and suddenly called out to us.