Escape

The doorway to the jail was made of a heavy metal door. There was only one latticed window, and there was no such thing as a doorknob on the inside.

None of the guards on the other side had peeked out yet, and it seemed unlikely that the other side would have discovered what we were doing.

“Mitski, can you open it?”
“No problem.”
“Do it.”
“Understood”

Mitsuki brought the index and middle fingers of her left hand together, and a short blade of light was generated from them. Mitsuki’s fingers have a built-in blaster. With two fingers together, it’s cutter mode.

Mitsuki ran the blade around the entrance door where the key had been, melting and cutting the lock.

Mitsuki put her left hand directly on the melted door and opened it inward.

The door to the detention center opens.

On the other side of the door, one of the soldiers on guard was sitting in a chair. The soldier noticed Mitsuki and the others.

Before the soldier could say anything, a bullet of light shot out from the tip of Mitsuki’s index finger and hit the soldier in the forehead.

“We’re under control. Let’s go.”

Mitsuki jumped two steps to the soldier, pulled the blaster from his waist, and offered it to Settsu.

“Sir, take it.”

Setsu took it. When he checked the energy, it was full.

“Do you know the way out?”
“The route was already recorded when we came in. However, there seems to be a battle going on up ahead.”
“Battle?”
“Yes. This voice is Keuk. You can also hear the voices of the crew of the Black Silver Glory.”

Settsu’s ears didn’t hear anything. But if Mitsuki can hear it, then it must be true.

Setsuko did not know how they knew, but they had come to help. Perhaps in a rough way.

“What’s the status?”
“They seem to be locked in a standoff over a single corridor. If we move, we can pin them down.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Yes, sir. Sir, you are never to step in front of me.”
“All right.”

Setsuko had also learned how to use a gun, but only briefly. If you take the time to aim and hit the edge of the target, you’re good.

“Let’s go.”

Mitsuki quickly hurried on ahead. Setsuko and Vetsia followed her.

We were soon at the site of the battle.

At the T-junction, the soldiers who had arrested Setsu and the others seemed to have gathered and were confronting the end of the vertical bar of the letter T.

The Settsu group approached the T-junction from the left side of the bar next to the letter T.

Mitsuki walked up to the soldiers, showing no sign of alarm, and pointed both index fingers at them.

Mitsuki’s built-in blaster shot out a light bullet, knocking them both down. The soldiers, who had been focused on Keuk and the others, finally noticed Mitsuki there.

“You guys!!”

The soldiers were shaken. In the meantime, Mitsuki opened fire.

The soldiers quickly return fire.

The bullets Mitski fired silenced them even more. The soldiers’ bullets were bounced off something in the space in front of Mitsuki and scattered.

The fight was one-sided, even before Settsu could get his gun up.

Two more men fell and the soldiers broke off. The tall commander who had been holding the soldiers together seemed to be gone.

Mitsuki pointed her gun at the backs of the fleeing soldiers and took out the remaining soldiers in the blink of an eye.

“You’re really good at this.”

Settsu admired.

“If they had defensive shield generators, it wouldn’t have been so one-sided.”

Mitsuki says it is a matter of course, but no one has such a thing. The ships are equipped with them, but not for personal use.

“No way?”

Mitsuki was surprised when she read Settsu’s expression.

“No, I don’t. I understand now that Mitsuki is part of the ruins.”

Mitsuki was modest enough to say that she wasn’t designed for combat, but the difference in equipment was too great. It’s not like we can’t take their attacks, but we can hit them with a hundred shots.

“I’m sorry, sir. It was my fault for not checking the personal equipment as well.”
“No, that’s okay. Let’s just get out of here as fast as we can.”
“Understood”

In response, Mitsuki walked out to the T-intersection and announced her presence to Keuk and the others.

“Mitski?”

A voice was thrown at me from the other side.

“Yes, sir. Your Excellency is with me.”

Mitsuki replied, and Keuk and the others came running.

“Oh, little man, I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you, Keuk.”
“It’s okay, it’s your call. Thank you for your help. The guards were more understanding when we took hostages, but the fleet guys didn’t get it. I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for chit-chat. I’m going to get out of here before the soldiers I stripped as bait come back.”
“Yes!”

Setsuto and the others ran off to meet up with the pirates of the Black Silver Glory.

As we exited the terminal, we separated from Vetsia.

No one is following us.

I quickly put on my spacesuit in the airlock. Riding the baby carriage to the ship, we wasted no time and left the carriage there and boarded the ship.

After confirming that everyone was on board, the Glory of Black and Silver immediately took off.

The main thrusters are firing and we are leaving the spaceport.

Setsuto and Mitsuki went up to the bridge with Keuk.

“Welcome back, Set. Did you have fun?”

Kitty greeted me in her usual tone.

“Thank you for the head. But are you okay? I know you had a contract with this country.”
“If they think they can stop us with just a contract, they’re mistaken.”

Kitty puffed out her chest.

“It’s their fault for taking away our precious crew set without permission. I’ll take care of the rest. Welcome back, Keuk.”
“Oh. I went out of my way to help him, but he came out on his own. I didn’t think I’d be this unhelpful.”
“Oh, you’re on your own. You’re good.”
“That’s totally thanks to Mitsuki.”
“Hmm. So, where do you want to go from here?”

Kitty asked Settsu. It was the first time that Kitty had asked Settsu where he wanted to go. Settsu exchanged glances with Kitty for a moment.

“To the fortress, please. I’m sure there will be pursuers, but I don’t care if they track me.”
“Oh, so we don’t have to throw them off completely?”
“No problem.”

Settsu assured her.

Kitty stared at Setsu for a few moments, as if trying to figure out his true intentions, and then smiled.

“Okay, let’s go with that.”

The course of action for the Black and Silver Glory has been decided.

“He got away, huh?”

The tall commander was horrified when the man on the other side of the monitor asked him back.

On the other side of the monitor was Admiral de Nalle, the commander of the Second Fleet. He had insisted on taking forceful measures this time, and had ordered the soldiers under his command to capture Settsu and the others.

“You’re the one who told me to send a car to pick you up just half an hour ago because we caught him. Do you think we were all taking a nap together after that?”
“I’m sorry, Commander. The pirate ship Black Silver Glory has attacked the detention facility and has been recaptured.”
“I see. Then the subject is aboard the Black Silver Glory, right?”
“Yes.”
“Very well, then, the matter is simple. I’m going after them with the 2nd and 3rd Fleets as per Plan B. You return to the fleet.”
“Well. What do we do about Admiral Vetsia?”
“He doesn’t have the guts to shoot his own people. He won’t be able to catch up with us when he gets back to the fleet anyway.”
“I understand.”