Chapter 718. Naive Colonists (1/2)
To hail a vessel more than a light-hour away from the Flagrant Swordmaidens required the use of their quantum entanglement node. Among their entire combined fleet, only the Jaded Sword and the Shield of Hispania still possessed an intact node.
Contacting a stranger you met in a desolate star system in the middle of nowhere posed a risk. The transmission attempt alone exposed the combined fleet's whereabouts. However, emerging in the same system already exposed them considering the light of their arrival would arrive at the occupants more than an hour later anyway.
The Ermeghast System centered around an orange dwarf star, and a fairly small one at that.
An Orange dwarf was like the middle child between the bright and promising yellow dwarf and the total good-for-nothing waste of space of a red dwarf. Like all dwarf stars, they lived a long time, but they had the benefit of being a lot less volatile in pumping out masses of radiation in its own star system.
This made them prime spots for developing life-bearing planets. Human colonists favored them because they could easily convert an untamed planet to an ecosystem more favorable to humankind.
The sandmen favored them as well because the relatively gentle nature of an orange dwarf allowed them to absorb its energy without severely damaging their unique biology.
It was too bad that the Shining Stars Colonization Fleet hadn't respected the threat of sandmen and pirates. They were fools to begin with to believe they could colonize a star system outside the protective umbrella of the MTA and CFA.
Whoever conceived of this idea was a massive idiot who took the stewardship of the Big Two for granted. Ves had browsed the location of the Dark Plasma Star Sector a minute ago and saw that it was situated well within the coreward section of the galactic rim.
In other words, they were closer to the galactic heartland than the frontier! It didn't surprise anyone that someone who grew up in such a cozy little star sector to underestimate the naked threat that could come from every direction once they entered the frontier.
Still, only a couple of Vandals called them idiots out loud. Most people from the Komodo Star Sector descended from brave but foolhardy colonists themselves. The only difference was that they got into the colonization rush when the MTA and CFA officially opened up a new star sector for them to build their new homes.
”Obviously, these exiles haven't gotten the message.” He muttered.
Ketis looked confused at him. ”Hey, don't call them idiots. Without all those colonists pouring into the frontier, how are we able to obtain some easy salvage? Picking up treasures from fallen and destroyed colonization fleets is one of the most lucrative finds you can score!”
Looking at the sprawling debris field displayed on the local plot, Ves knew that the sandmen would be benefiting the most this time.
Some time passed until the communications officer managed to find the right hailing address for the lead ship of the colonization fleet from the galactic net. The Shield of Hispania sent a transmission request to the flagship and hoped whether she wasn't one of the broken wrecks that littered the Ermeghast System.
”Our hailing attempt is successful, major! We have established a channel with the Rovista Splendor, the flagship of the Shining Stars.”
A bald man in his early thirties appeared in the main projector. Immediately, Ves got struck by how pretentiously highborn the man appeared. With his rich light green military-esque uniform encrusted with silver-white filigree, the man screamed attention in an even more obnoxious way than how pirates puffed themselves up.
”I am Major Quinlist Verle, commander of the Verle Task Force detached from the 6th Flagrant Vandals, 3rd Tarry Division, Southern Mech Army of the Bright Republic Mech Corps. On behalf of the Flagrant Vandals and Lydia's Swordmaidens, our local allies, we'd like to know who you are and what you are doing in this neck of the galactic woods. Our combined fleet has recently arrived at the outer star system and we've noticed your fleet's.. distress.”
”Finally! I've finally met someone other than the uncouth yokels that litter this backwater!” The aristocratic figure cried out in relief. The man practically bent forward in and pressed his face closer to the projector, causing his head to balloon in an exaggerated manner. ”I don't know who you Flagrant Vandals are, but if you are part of a formal military, then in the name of common civility, SAVE US!”
Major Verle tried hard not to frown. His face automatically jerked away from the projection of the man's amplified head. ”Please answer the question, good sir.”
”Ah, yes.. weeks and months of crawling around like a beggar on the streets has made me forget my manner. Ahum, you have the august privilege of greeting Hix-Klaaster. I am the Fourth Prince of the Royal House of Talk, which reigns over the Palast Kingdom in the Dark Plasma Star Sector.”
”For a Prince of a Royal House, you are far away from home.”
To his credit, Prince Hix-Klaaster pushed through his embarrassment and plainly admitted the facts which the Vandals could easily find out on the galactic net.
”A dynastic struggle broke out between my siblings and I. The Palast Kingdom required a new heir and I threw my hat into the ring. In the end, my siblings have proved the better of me, and they strongly urged me to take my ambitions elsewhere. I decided to raise a colonization fleet with my remaining resources and brought my closest supporters and loyalists out to the great beyond to start anew, as they say. The results.. is as you can see.”
The Prince looked tired with his bloodshot eyes and his wrinkling skin. His uniform on the other hand remained gleaming and spotless, likely due to the sophisticated cleaning tech integrated within the smart clothing.
Beyond the man's huge head, Ves was faintly able to get an impression on the rest of the bridge or command center of the flagship.