Chapter 441: Standby Duty

Was the current situation dangerous or not? If asked this question, then the answer would be yes, yes it was. But if asked if it was as dangerous as that time with the crystal lifeforms, then the answer would be no, not really.

Back during the crystal lifeform crisis, we were lacking in defensive forces at the start, and if we failed to rally reinforcements from the surrounding systems, the crystal lifeforms would have devoured the entire defense line. The situation in the Creon system, however, was a different story. A considerable number of forces had been gathered within the conflict zone in preparation for an enemy offensive.

Therefore, if an enemy offensive were to be launched, there would still be no need for the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet, which was a reserve force, to be sent to the front lines.

However, that didnt mean that they could afford to have a portion of their forces idle during an emergency, so they ordered the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet to guard the Creon system supply depot instead. With that arrangement, the Anti-Pirate Fleet would be able to quickly come to the aid of the original defense forces in case of an emergency. The original defense forces being the ones being led by House Ixamal.

Well, in our perspective, its like earning money while doing nothing.

We will receive a fixed payout for a certain time period after all. And they will be giving us daily remuneration once that time period is exceeded.

I-Is this really okay?

Kugi displayed a bitter smile while staring at me and Mimi relaxing inside the break area. Kugi sure is earnest.

I mean, even if this fleet is called an independent fleet, its still ultimately bound to military orders from above.

We are called an independent fleet because we are allowed to act on our own discretion during peacetime. In the event of an emergency, we are naturally obligated to follow military orders. We are His Imperial Majestys swords after all.

Captain Serena showed a dejected expression on the other side of the holo-screen. I wondered if she was rather bored earlier, and it turned out that she really was. As a result of efficiently assigning work to her subordinates, her own tasks ended up being completely trivial in comparison. Whats more, she was the daughter of a marquis whose abilities had been enhanced quite a bit. The enhancements included not only her physical prowess but also her brains processing power. When she really puts her mind into it, she could perform tasks that would take an ordinary person five hours to complete in less than an hour.

Be that as it may, the matter this time around isnt a formal order but a request. If we have a valid reason, we could ignore the request and make moves on our own. But in the first place, the order to eliminate the pirates making a ruckus in the rear was from House Ixamal. Although indirectly, our being sent here was also a request from House Ixamal.

In other words, unless theres a special order from military High Command, the Independent Anti-Pirate Fleet can act relatively freely, and thats the reason for your fleets name.

Exactly. Because we belong to the imperial military, we cannot move as freely as you mercenaries. They did use your group as reference when it comes to operational methods and organizing the chain of command though.

I see So, what about that matter I reminded you of?

We found nothing so far. Also it seems they are going to invite us over soon. To a dinner party, that is.

The heck

Theres a chance that the other party saw us as objects of revenge, or rather, a thorn in their side. And they actually dared to invite us to a dinner party?

There are times when you have to join hands with someone even though you do not see eye to eye with them. Its like theyre saying that we put our differences aside and cooperate for the time being. Well, its a move typical of nobles.

Elma, who was drinking alcohol in a spot that was outside the range of the optical sensor sending images to Captain Serena, explained in a bored tone and shrugged her shoulders. This woman. She was enjoying her time on standby duty as a member of the reserve forces a little too much.

Why was she getting drunk during standby duty? Well, one session inside a med pod would quickly get rid of all that alcohol in the bloodstream anyway. It does portray a lack of discipline, but were mercenaries, not soldiers. Elma was also pacing herself so she doesnt end up dead drunk, so I had no intention of reprimanding her.

A dinner party huh? Are they trying to make us let our guard down before springing a trap on us?

Theres a possibility of House Ixamal gaining something by doing so, but its still quite unlikely. Even if I, several of my close aides, and some of you were to be captured by them, the rest of our respective crews will immediately move to rescue us.

Thats true.

If I we were to attend that dinner party, I would at least leave Mei on standby in the Lotus, and if something were to happen, Mei would be able to take immediate action along with the combat bots. There would probably be a huge uproar, and I believe Mei would get the word out as much as possible to get as many parties involved. If that happened, the situation would become even more critical, and theres a good chance of it leading to House Ixamals downfall.

Theres no way nobles like them wouldnt be able to come up with the methods a mercenary like me was able to come up with though, so Im sure theyd have some countermeasures in place. However, Im not sure if the benefits theyd stand to gain would be worth all the effort.

Hiros bad habits are showing again.

Hiro-sama becomes such a worrywart sometimes.

I believe My Lord is merely wary of his tendency to attract misfortune. I do think his caution is reasonable.

I didnt want to mention my strange ability to manipulate fate in front of Captain Serena, but Kugi seemed to be of the opinion that my wariness against House Ixamal was justified. Elma and Mimi, on the other hand, seemed to think that I was being overly paranoid. Perhaps I am worrying a bit too much just as those two said, but I simply couldnt get my mind off of the matter.

If theres a chance of the Imperial Space Force losing in this situation, it would be when the gateway becomes unusable, leading to the loss off further reinforcements. Once that happens, the Vereverem Federation would launch an all-out offensive.

Me worrying too much only for nothing to happen would simply lead to this matter being a funny story, so Ive decided to just keep being vigilant. Im not sure if wed also get invited to that dinner party or whatever, but give me a call if it happens.

I shall do so.

The expression on Captain Serenas face wasnt that good. Well, I suppose thats understandable. We were sent to stay on standby inside the Creon star system after all. If not for that, we would have been able to successfully corner those pirates.

Well, in a sense, Im already pretty used to getting wrapped up in situations involving the circumstances of various nobles. I suppose the only thing I could do right now was to stay sharp and prepare for any eventuality.

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