The Exiled Count Acquired the Space Fortress of a Super Advanced Civilization - CH 3

Space pirate Kittycia-Havenberg.

As the daughter of Lager-Havenberg, a space pirate of great repute, she inherited his pirate ship and crew, and is a space pirate who travels from star to star. She was a freelance space pirate, contracting with some country to ravage enemy countries and participate in conflicts.

About six months ago, she began to appear in the territory of the Empire, and many merchant ships were damaged. So the Empire put a hefty bounty on her head.

If you put a bounty on her, people who know what they’re doing will come after her as a way to show off their skills.

Two months ago, Kittithia’s ship, the Black Silver Glory, disappeared from the neighboring Kudrasia system; a month ago, damage to a merchant ship revealed that it was here in the Nueve system.

Ten days ago, one of the ships that had scattered to capture the Black Silver Glory finally discovered it and recruited its friends to pursue it.

It was in the middle of this escape that Kitty picked up Settsu.

The “Black Silver Glory” had successfully dodged the pursuing fleet, but synchronized its speed path with that of the slow-flying spacecraft, and finally entered the range of the pursuing fleet.

The ten ships of the pursuit fleet bombarded the Black Silver with beam cannons, but the Black Silver’s maneuvering was skillful. Several shots landed on the ship, but they did not cause any serious damage, and the Black Silver flew into a nearby asteroid field.

“Are they following us?”

Kitty asked, confirming that the ship had entered the asteroid field.

“No, they’re waiting outside”

“Yeah. How’s the damage?”

“There’s some damage to the thruster system, so I’d like to take it down somewhere and fix it”

“If they don’t come after us, we’ll do it. Pick an asteroid where they’ll be less likely to find us and land.”

“Thank you”

Kitty’s orders were rough, but her subordinates carried them out with aplomb. Setsuko was standing next to Kitty, watching with admiration.

“By the way, head, how do you want to arrange Setubochan?”

The man who had been called Keuk asked.

“Hmm? I think we’re good here.”

“There’s no empty seats on the …… bridge”

“So, here, here.”

Kitty pointed to the spot where Setsuto was currently sitting. In other words, next to Kitty.

“Uh, head?”

“A female pirate with a beautiful boy in her service seems like a great talent, don’t you think?”

“Oh, my God. ……”

Keuk was dumbfounded.

“I’m kidding. It’s just that I can’t trust you to handle the ship, and it’s not like I’m going to ask you to stay in your room. But he was the son of a nobleman. I’m sure you’ve studied a lot.”

Kitty asked, and Setsuko answered, remembering the past.

“Well, yes. I know a little about military history and the art of war”

“So let him see the field for a while so he can feel the difference from the book, and then eventually the Wisdom Officer will be the right person for the job”

“If that’s the case, well. But what can you do for us, who are constantly being compared to a beautiful boy?”

“Okay. You can make a seat around here later. Don’t get too far away. I don’t want to have to fight for my life.”

“Understood!”

Keuk’s most vigorous reply of the day rang out.

The is slowly descending towards the surface of the asteroid.

It was an asteroid about five kilometers in diameter. There was a good hollow spot, which would hide the hull to some extent even if a chase fleet entered the asteroid field during repairs.

The plan was to land, make the necessary repairs, and then break through the asteroid field and escape.

The landing legs extended from the hull.

The “Black Silver Glory” is descending in altitude.

“Altitude 10, we’re about to land… three, two, one, chuckle… what?

I heard the confused voice of the helmsman.

“They’re not going to land. Altitude dropping. Minus five, ten, …… and stop.”

The descent has stopped.

“Liquid?”

The negative number on the landing altimeter is the number you see when you are in liquid water. On hard land, it will not be negative unless you are sinking into it.

“It can’t be”

From the images on the bridge screen, the asteroid appeared to be made of rock.

“What do you want to do head?”

“Can you get the footage below?”

“Private”

The image on the screen switched. It was pitch black.

“Lights.”

The lights on the bottom of the “Black Silver Glory” were turned on. Finally, something appeared on the screen.

“What is this?”

The question Kitty had raised was shared by everyone on the bridge.

It was a deep hole. It was not a valley. The walls were flat, obviously man-made, and I couldn’t see what was at the bottom in the video.

“Ground scan. Bring up the terrain.”

“Private”

The radio waves scanned the hole.

“There it is. It’s a rectangular hole, 200 meters long and 80 meters wide. 150 meters deep.”

“Choo-choo, yeah”

This is not possible in the structure of nature.

“No heat signatures. There’s no heat signatures, and the only radio signal is from this ship. Is it unmanned?”

“I’m coming down.”

“All right. Let’s dismount”

The “Black Silver Glory” resumed its descent. Descending through a vertical hole, the ship landed at the bottom of the hole.

“Still no heat signatures. It looks like there’s a little too much dust on the surface”

“Guys, what do you think this is?”

“Well, if it isn’t a portal to the underworld, I don’t know what is”

The men on the bridge shrugged their shoulders.

Setsuko had one thing in mind.

“Could it be the ruins?”

The men all made a “huh?” face at the same time.

“That’s the lexicographer. I’m looking forward to it.”

Kitty was the only one who seemed to be having fun.

“Repair teams, begin repairs. Those of you brave enough to explore these ruins in their entirety will go with me!”

“Hey”

Kitty asked the crew to run for the expedition, but unfortunately, no one did.

So, Kitty has given up on exploring, but that can’t be it.

“Then come with me, Set.”

Kitty nominated Setsueto, and he was allowed to accompany her. As soon as she did, a few people raised their hands, saying that two was not enough and that they wanted me and me too.

In the end, the expedition team was decided to be four: Sett, Kitty, Dardov, and Bit.

Bit is the co-pilot of the “Black Silver Glory”. If the junction crystal technology was obtained from the ruins, then there might be something in the ruins that can be controlled by the junction crystal.

Durdov is an escort.

“Let’s go!”

Under Kitty’s command, the explorers sprayed the thrusters of their space suits and floated up. First, they flew toward the nearest wall.

As far as I could see, there were no structures.

Once the four of them reached the wall, they examined the perimeter along the wall.

“Ah”

It was Dardov who spotted it first.

“Hey, head”

There was a part of the wall, about ten meters high, that jutted out like a platform.

“Let’s go.”

Kitty took the lead and flew to the platform, followed by the other four.

There was a huge rhombus-shaped connecting crystal, about two meters long.

“Bit, give it a shot”

“Hey. Hey.”

Bit stepped forward, jittery. He had been brought here even though he wasn’t too keen on the idea in the first place. In addition to that, he could not help but feel uneasy when he was asked to connect with something he did not understand.

“Connect.”

Bit tried. However, the connecting crystals did not cause any change.

“No, no, no”

Kitty’s shoulders slumped.

“If I can connect and control it, something will come up. ……”

Kitty’s eyes, which had almost given up, caught Settsu’s.

“Wasn’t Set lucky, too?”

Connecting crystals.

“No, no, I’m …….”

There’s no way it’s going to respond, Settsu said.

“Just a little touch. Just touch it. I couldn’t even do the bit, so it’s okay if you can’t.”

“It’s …….”

“There, there, there, there.”

As she said this, Kitty took Settsu’s hand and touched the connecting crystal on the back of her left hand.

(I’ll take my chances!)

“Connect.”

Settsu muttered.

A moment.

The connecting crystals on the wall gave off a strong light.

“Oh!”

Kitty squinted her eyes in admiration, blocking out the light.

“You did it!”

The light gradually subsided, and the connecting crystal became a faint glow.

“Did you ……?”

Setsuko had no sense of reality. There was no sense of “connection” that he had been told existed, no sense that the ship was like a body he had been born with.

“Do you think you can control anything?”

“‘No, ……. I don’t feel like it. ……”

(It’s probably a failure after all.)

The glow was something of a mistake.

[The fortress management core system has been activated]

Just as he thought this, he heard a voice in Setsu’s head. The other three didn’t hear it. Only Setsuko seemed to hear it.

“Oh, what?”

[Your orders, please]

“What’s that?”

[Check the question. Question intent unknown. Activating communication unit for confirmation.]

The voice in his head had left Settsu unable to keep up with the situation.

The wall right next to the connecting crystal slid down. There was a gap, and a girl came out of it. It was a girl with a ponytail, wearing a fluttery outfit that I had never seen before.

Durdov quickly pointed his gun at her. There was no air here. This was not a place where a flesh and blood person without a space suit could operate.

The girl looked at Settsu, not caring about the gun, and said

“Good morning, Commander. You wanted to see me?”

A voice came from the communicator, even though the girl didn’t seem to be holding it.

“I didn’t call you!”

Settsu quickly denied it.

The girl was unconcerned about this, and with a blank look on her face, she crowded in front of Settsu’s eyes.

“Sir. “Oh, y-you-you-you, right?”

The tone was strong and uncompromising. She didn’t seem to want to let him go on unless he said he wanted to.

“…… Okay, I got it. I called it.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency. Sir, I am Mitsuki, the communication AI unit for fortress control support.”

The girl, who introduced herself as Mitsuki, made a strange gesture, stretching the fingers of her right hand and placing them against her eyebrows.

“Mitski. I’m Setsuko. I’m Setsueto Vaile.”

The nobleman’s courtesy of returning the name when it was given to him came naturally.

“Very well, sir. Commander Sett. So, Your Excellency, are those around you enemies or allies?”

“They’re on our side. Can you explain to me who you are?”

“I’m a communication AI unit from the Earth Federation Space Force’s Ark No. 5 Operation Fleet, and I’m here to assist in the control of the interstellar navigation-enhanced mobile fortress, the Vara Skirv. I am here to assist you in handling this fortress, Commander.”

It was only the last part that Setsu understood, but since she said she would help him, it seemed unlikely that she would harm him.

“So you’re saying that this is a fortress and you’re here to help operate it, is that correct?”

“You’re absolutely right, my lord.”

Mitsuki called Setsuto “Your Excellency” and refused to budge. He seems to recognize the commander as the one who activated it by touching the connection crystal.

“I will assist the Lord Commander with all matters pertaining to the fortress.”

“Can the commander be changed from Set?”

Kitty interjected with a question.

“No, sir. Even if His Excellency the Commander were to pass away, there would be no change of commander.”

“Good for you, Set.”

Kitty suddenly turned her attention to Setsu.

“Now you can go back to the Count’s house.”

“…!”

The idea had not crossed Setsueto’s mind.

“It’s not a dragoon, but I’ve managed to connect with an ancient fortress. Isn’t that enough?”

“If you ask me, it’s …….”

“Yes. Moreover, the fortress says that you can’t change commanders. Neither the Count nor the Empire can ignore you.”

“But ……”

“But no, no, no, no. You go back to where you belong. Pirates are too unsuitable for the children of nobles. Mitsuki, do you have a place to live in this fortress?”

“Of course we have. We are well stocked with what we need for survival.”

“Okay, you stay here, Set. We’re almost done with repairs, so we’ll be leaving the asteroid field as soon as we’re done. You’ll be communicating somewhere after the chase fleet leaves.”

Kitty decided to talk to him.

“Thank you, Head.”

When Settsu thanked her, Kitty smiled.

“We put our henchmen’s happiness first.”