[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 75: Pirates

Just as Ves was about to sigh in relief, the captain spoke again.

"Do not misunderstand. We are not safe. Though we may be neutral, either the Konsu or the Vermeer can change their minds at any moment. If you are a person of means and have reason to believe you can convince them to leave us alone, then feel free to approach a crew member. Nonetheless, I don't expect them to spare any thoughts on us. What we may be facing is worse."

Dietrich looked grim as he analyzed a projection of the star system. "When the big boys fight, there's always little boys scurrying underneath."

"We have detected sporadic signs of unaffiliated parties. Though most of them are civilian vessels suffering under the same circumstances, there are a number of vessels that may not hold friendly intentions."

In other words, pirates. The captain prattled on about the importance of staying put and avoid any panic. Both Ves and Dietrich learned nothing new from the speech. Instead, they waited for a key phrase to emerge.

"...Furthermore, to any active mech pilots among you, we may request assistance from you, especially if you have brought along your mech. We are unsealing all mechs in our cargo bay at this moment."

Ves looked at Dietrich, who nodded and started to change from his casual wear into his pilot suit.

"Your Harrier won't keep up with the kind of mechs out there. Even the pirates are better equipped than the Mech Corps back home. Even in the same generation, there's differences in firepower and protection."

"I know, but I'm not one to run from a challenge. I've spent weeks doing nothing but drinking my time away. You hired me to protect you, so it's time for me to earn my pay."

In actuality, Ves did not agree to pay Dietrich anything. He tagged along on his own accord, but neither of the two were in the mood to bring that up. As Dietrich finished changing his clothes, he opened the front door of the cabin and spoke to a nearby crew member. The uniformed spacer nodded and let a spare bot guide Dietrich to the cargo bay at the lower decks.

In times like these, Ves hated he could not join the fight. Though he received basic training in firearms back when he studied mech design, that was only to prepare him as a reservist. Even if the government drafted him into the Mech Corps, all he could really do was repair and maintain mechs. Fighting the enemy at the frontlines was not what Ves ever had in mind.

To calm himself down, he grabbed an oblivious Lucky and changed to a vacuum suit before sitting down on a reinforced chair. Each cabin came supplied with basic sealed vacuum suits and reinforced chairs with sturdy straps in case of emergencies. Ves strapped himself in and made sure any sudden shocks from the ship did not dislodge his bindings.

"Don't move, Lucky. I don't want you to float around in case the artificial gravity shuts off."

Space combat among humans used to be bloody before the MTA stamped down their foot. Nowadays, spaceships weren't supposed to be armed, which cut down on the damage. These days, pirates employed space-capable mechs to secure the surroundings while using boarding troops to invade the interior of a ship. If the Saint Hearst wanted to survive the pirate raid intact, then it could not afford to lose either battles.

The minutes ticked past as Ves felt his skin grow clammy with sweat. The worst thing about the situation was that the crew did not intend to inform the passengers of any news. Dietrich might have already launched from the cargo bay. Could he manage to fight in the difficult environment of outer space? Was his mech sealed tight enough to avoid leaking the air supply?

No sound propagated from space. Any explosions or weapons fire would not affect the ship unless it happened extremely close. Though Ves vaguely sensed a couple of unusual vibrations, he could not guess their source.