Chapter 281: Trade-off (1/2)

We finally finished collecting all the pirate starship wrecks, and the mechanic sisters started repair and restoration work while displaying troubled expressions from time to time.

“Man, I don’t get any of this.”

“Me too.”

“Of course, you don’t, guys. Sheesh.”

We were overlooking the ship wreckage being repaired by Tina and Whisker from on top of Krishna’s gangway. The sisters were busily operating the drones and maintenance bots while doing something or other, but I didn’t get what they were doing at all.

By the way, the pirates inside the base seemed to have put up quite a decent fight this time around, so it was taking some time for the imperial marines to completely secure it.

Things seemed to be proceeding smoothly now though, and they were in the middle of mopping up the remaining pockets of resistance. We’re staying on standby just in case pirate reinforcements arrive.

“This operation is a lot more laid back than I expected. Don’t you feel so too, Hiro-sama?”

“It’s pretty standard. The larger the force, the more adjustments, and preparations are needed to be made before everything’s ready. Look, even though we’re in the mop-up phase now, the marines are still busy fighting inside the asteroid base. We can’t just leave them behind to attack the next pirate base.”

“If we don’t keep a unified pace, we’ll end up with a lot of holes in our troop formation. Going up against a hundred enemies with a hundred of your own makes a load of difference compared to taking them on with just five or twenty, right?”

“That’s true. Others would definitely have trouble if they’re ganged up by a hundred enemies, but if it’s Hiro-sama, it kinda feels like he can actually deal with those numbers if they fought him one at a time. I’m not so sure if they went at him all at once though.”

“Uh, I think it’s kinda overdoing it if I went up against a hundred enemies at the same time……”

Well, maybe I could actually manage it, but I sure as heck don’t ever wanna try it out for real. In the first place, I don’t like engaging in melee combat all that much. It won’t end well if I ate a laser directly to my face after all.

The mercenary gear and underclothes I always wear seem to be made of special synthetic fibers that are treated with anti-laser protection, but I’m not sure how effective that treatment actually is. And I definitely don’t want to try it firsthand.

“Well, anyway, that’s how it is. The bigger the scale, the less light-footed a fleet is. There are some definite advantages when mobilizing on such a large scale though. In other words, it’s a trade-off.”

“I see. The more ships you have, the more loot you can collect, and you can cover each other in a pinch as well.”

“Right. For example, if Krishna gets shot down, we’re basically screwed. Black Lotus is also an excellent ship, but it can’t really perform quick and tight turns.”

“That’s true. I suppose it’s about time to get a ship for Elma huh.”

When she heard my words, Elma turned to me with a surprised expression on her face. Wow, she got really surprised by that huh.

“Eh, um, but that’s……”

“I’m the owner of all our ships. I’m also your captain. And since I’m the owner, anything that would make our jobs go more efficiently will benefit me in the long run.”

“Um……”

“Are you thinking about that bit where you’re gonna leave us once you get your hands on a ship? I personally don’t want to let you go, but you do have the right.”

Elma’s ended up owing me a lot since I first met her after coming to this dimension, and conversely, I owe her a lot too. In other words, we’ve been supporting each other all this time. At least, that’s how I personally feel. No, maybe I’m the one relying on her more and more? Elma does tend to spoil me a lot after all.

“O-Of course, I don’t plan on going anywhere at this point……”

“So think about it. If it’s you Elma, I feel like I can definitely leave my back in your care.”

“Okay, I understand.”