The Dexer Star System. It was the main star system of Earl Dareinwald's domain, it was connected to four other Star Systems via hyperlanes—a so called hub system. All four adjacent star systems also belonged to Earl Dareinwald's territory, one of which was the Comatt system. That was the star system where I previously worked on protecting a colonization effort under Earl Dareinwald's commission. During that time, I descended onto a planet that was undergoing terraforming and engaged in fierce battles with biological weapons. It's also the Star System governed by Chris, who was currently aboard the Black Lotus with us.
Now, we'd just arrived at the Dexer Star System, a place we'd visited before when we protected Chris from her uncle. However, at that time, we only stopped by briefly as it was the goal of our protection job, and we left immediately after.
「Doesn't it feel a lot livelier compared to the last time we were here?」
「Yeah, it seems like there's a lot more ship traffic going back and forth.」
Elma responded to Mimi's comment over the comms. From what I can see, I have to agree. The traffic has noticeably increased since our last visit. As we were in the middle of the job of escorting Chris and her retinue, whenever we weren't traveling through hyperspace, we were on board the Krishna and the Antlion, ready to react in case of an emergency. Especially just after exiting a hyperlane, when we tended to be vulnerable and there was a high risk of being ambushed.
That's why, as soon as we exited the hyperlane, Mimi and Elma began checking the surrounding space and star system information using the sensors on the Black Lotus, which led to the earlier conversation.
「My Lord, there doesn't seem to be any danger.」
It seemed Kugi had finished checking the surrounding ships so she gave this report. I had been checking as well, so I nodded in agreement with Kugi's assessment.
「That's right. The Dexer Star System's local fleet—the combat ships under Earl Dareinwald—are nearby, so security must be properly maintained. Even when we came here on a previous mission, security looked tight, and it felt like there wasn't much work for mercenaries.」
In fact, the security rating of the Dexer Star System on the galactic map was impressively high. The only places with better ratings were the Imperial Capital or the Windas system, where the Imperial Navy's massive shipyards were located.
「That doesn't sound too profitable for us, though.」
「But if the security is good, wouldn't it be a great place to set up a base? The gateway is relatively close too.」
「The Dexer Star System was colonized a long time ago, right? If we're planning on securing land to build a house or buy property on a planet here is probably going to be expensive. In that case, wouldn't the Comatt Star System, governed by Chris-kun, be a better option? Since it's still in the early stages of development, the costs would likely be lower, and there could be more work for mercenaries like us. Plus, the Comatt system is one hyperlane closer to the gateway, right?」
Our team's brainiacs chimed in over the comms. Dr. Shouko's suggestion is worth considering. If property costs are lower, we could allocate more money to security measures. The security in the Comatt system is a tier or two lower than in the Dexer system, but it's not so bad either, a situation where the entire colony is overrun by pirates and reinforcements are unavailable won't happen, surely, maybe… Still, if we invest in enough security measures to hold off any raiders who might land, the risk would be significantly reduced.
「I, too, would like Hiro-sama to establish a residence in the Comatt system. In the future, the mansion we build there could also serve as a vacation home.」
Even the person we were supposed to be escorting, Chris, joined in on the conversation. This might be a little unprofessional, but Mei likely judged that there was no issue with letting her participate, hence the open line. If Mei made that call, I have no reason to object. I trust her judgment completely.
「In any case, it's not something we need to decide right away. We won't know the actual costs or other conditions until we check the details. But, I do think setting up a base in the Comatt system could be a good idea.」
After all, we can probably get a lot of benefits thanks to it being the star system governed by Chris. Huh? Aren't I embarrassed about using connections to make things easier? Connections are a form of power, too. There's nothing to be ashamed of! Besides, this is the house where we are planning to raise our children in the future. This is serious. It's important. Not making the best choice just to avoid using connections would be nothing more than self-satisfaction. The lives of our children and everyone else could be on the line, so I'm taking this seriously.
「Captain, what's the first step in situations like this?」
Neve asked me about how to proceed with the task. She is probably trying to learn the ropes of being a mercenary. In fact, when it comes to combat support in space battles, she has more experience than Mimi. If she learns the basic procedures of being a mercenary, she might even be able to operate independently one day.
「First, we head to the main colony. Even if the escort target's destination is a residential area on a planet, in most cases, you first need to apply for descent at the main colony. Sometimes, there are regular flights between the main colony and the planet's residential areas, so just delivering the escort target to the main colony could be enough. It's important to check with the escort target about those details.」
「Make sure you take me all the way to the mansion this time.」
「So, there you have it.」
「Roger that, Captain.」
And so, we set our course for Dexer Prime Colony, the main trading colony in the Dexer Star System.
☆★☆
We reached the defensive perimeter of the Dexer Prime Colony, so we lowered our alert level and moved to the Black Lotus's lounge area. From there, we could observe the bustling activity outside the ship.
「It's quite a busy scene. Could it be that the development boom in the Comatt system is affecting this system as well?」
「Yes. There are a lot of people and goods moving towards the Comatt system. There's a trade colony there as well, but it's already exceeding its capacity. Although there are plans to expand the colony, it's not something that can be done overnight.」
「Yeah, if ya rush things too much, ya might end with somethin' like Brad Prime Colony…」
Tina's gaze became distant when she heard Chris's explanation. Brad Prime Colony, huh? That place ended up a mess after multiple rounds of rebuilding. It became too convoluted, with awkward, unusable spaces, and eventually turned into a hotspot for criminals and mafia-like groups. Unplanned expansion can easily lead to such problems. It's true that fixing something like that isn't going to happen overnight.
「So, did you get in touch with Earl Dareinwald?」
「Yes. They are expecting us at the Dareinwald main estate on Dexer III. We've already submitted the descent application, so as soon as it's approved, we can head over there.」
「So that means we won't be docking at Dexer Prime Colony and will head directly there once the procedures are complete. Is there a port facility near the main estate that can accommodate the Black Lotus?」
「There's one close by.」
「Okay, then let's get ready for descent. Elma, prepare the Antlion.」
「Aye aye Captain. It would really be nice to have a ship that can accommodate medium-sized vessels, though.」
Muttering under her breath, Elma left the lounge to board the Antlion. The medium-sized Antlion couldn't be housed inside the Black Lotus, so it was attached to the Black Lotus via a docking port located at the bottom of the ship. Naturally, this setup prevented us from landing directly on the surface, so we needed to detach it and land separately when descending to a planet. If we were just docking at a colony's spaceport, this usually wasn't necessary.
「It's a bit of a dilemma. There's also that exclusive contract with Space Dwerg to consider.」
I almost forgot, but when I purchased the Black Lotus, the exclusive contract included a clause requiring us to continue using the Black Lotus as our mothership as much as possible. The Black Lotus is a ship we bought less than six months ago. Some mercenaries switch ships in as little as a week, so nearly six months isn't particularly short in comparison.
「Maybe we should consider expansion or modifications instead of switching ships.」
「In that case, we'd need to go to a star system with a Space Dwerg shipyard. Should we head back to the Brad system?」
「The Brad system, or maybe we could go to the Star System where Space Dwerg's headquarters are based… In any case, it'll have to wait until after we're done with our business here and in the Holy Vuelzarus Empire.」
「It's inconvenient, but not a critical issue.」
While I was discussing the possibility of switching or modifying our mothership with the mechanic sisters, we received clearance from the Dexer Prime Colony's port authority to descend to Dexer III.
「Alright. Mei, follow their guidance and begin the descent.」
「Yes, Master. Leave it to me.」
When it comes to descending to Dexer III, I can always count on Mei to handle it flawlessly. Now, I wonder what kind of trouble awaits us on the ground.