Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 141: Approaching Temptation
With the slave collars in place, the pirates were now physically bound to follow my orders.
If they dared to disobey directives from the one registered as their "owner"—me—the collars would interfere with the neural signals transmitted from their brains throughout their body… and shut down their vital organs, like the heart for one.
That's right, disobedience equals death. Simple and brutal.
Naturally, I didn't just tell them this directly. They wouldn't believe it unless they witnessed it firsthand. So, I gave them all a single command: return to their ships immediately.
Within moments, those who didn't move, pretending they hadn't heard my order, collapsed to the floor, convulsing violently as seizures took over. The collars did their job, punishing the disobedient.
Of course, I had no desire to waste my limited manpower on a demonstration, so I stopped the punishment just before it became fatal.
At the very least, that little display ensured they now fully understood the cost of ignoring my commands.
As for the next step...
"Percy, send the Range Falcon back to Mithra, and hold position at the stratosphere until the next time I call," I instructed remotely. "Take Eva's Hunter Frigate along as well."
"Huh?" Eva raised an eyebrow when she heard me speak. "Why are you sending our ships away?"
"Because we can't bring them where we're headed."
The Range Falcon was a rare and recognizable vessel—far too easy to trace back to me. As for Eva's Hunter Frigate, it had gained some fame after winning the Aegis Grand Prix. Both ships were liabilities for this particular quest, where remaining unidentified by the other party is essential.
And of course, leaving them behind in this desolate space station wasn't an option either. So the logical choice was to send them somewhere secure—like the very planet I govern.
"Huh…"
Eva sighed, clearly not convinced, but she didn't argue.
Seeing her act so "restrained" around me felt... off, honestly. But ever since she confessed her feelings, and I "rejected" her once, she's been making an effort to stay on good terms with me.
It's helpful, sure, but... I'll have to get used to it eventually.
Anyway, I made my way to the bridge of this ship, the Black Halberd, and began clearing it of the original pirate crew—keeping only those necessary to operate key systems like the engine room, munitions bay, and other critical stations. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
The larger the ship, the more people it took to run it at full capacity. Out of roughly 200 crew members, I retained only fifty; the rest were reassigned to other ships across the fleet.
"Hmmm…"
I lowered myself into the captain's chair, taking in the cockpit of my newly acquired vessel… and instantly felt repulsed.
"It's filthy... Way too filthy." Eva muttered, mirroring my thoughts with a wince.
The entire space was buried under layers of trash, like a makeshift landfill. It was a miracle they could operate this ship at all with the cockpit in such a disastrous state. Any sudden maneuver should've sent loose objects flying like shrapnel.
Though I felt exactly the same way as her, I just offered a mild shrug.
"Well, let's just endure it for now. We'll focus on rearming the ships first. Cleaning up... we'll leave that to the professionals."
We weren't going into combat just yet, after all. Even with random junk like crushed nutrient packs and empty cans floating around, it should be relatively safe.
"Anyway, patch me through to the rest of the fleet. It's time to move." I requested.
Eva brushed the console free of clutter, then tapped the controls with a single finger—clearly grossed out at even having to touch them. Moments later, the comms system activated, linking me to every pirate ship in the fleet.
"This is Black Halberd speaking," I began. "All ships, synchronize navigation with us. We'll be executing a jump to the next space station."
Unfortunately, we couldn't just use standard space hubs. A fleet of pirates approaching a neutral hub would cause instant panic—and probably provoke a barrage of laser fire before they could even dock. They'd be blown to dust before having a chance to explain.
As such, our next destination was another "black" hub—a hidden station where we could safely rearm the fleet's ships. Especially this one. It badly needed new shield generators, preferably top-of-the-line.
The current shields were wholly unreliable.
Even a single hit from the Primula, despite having full barrier strength and proper alignment, could tear the Black Halberd apart.
But unfortunately, high-end components weren't available in the Calumet Star System. So we'd need to jump over to the next system to carry out the upgrades.
I watched as more ships synced to our navigational system, the numbers steadily rising until everyone was locked in. Then I gave a nod and turned to Eva.
"Eva, please plot a course to the Flintlock Black Market. We should be able to get everything we need there."
"Copy. Setting course for the Black Market..."
Of course, I didn't need to explain where it was.
The Flintlock Black Market had a reputation. It was notorious, even. And despite how foreign all the place names in this universe were to me—every station, every star system, all completely unfamiliar—I'd still heard of it.
Eva plotted the route, estimating a 30-hour journey that included navigating through the dense asteroid field surrounding the Calumet Star System.
As for Nyssra, she was among the synced pirate ships, connected to our navigation grid. So there was no concern about her falling behind or veering off course.
I sat back into the captain's chair, the cushion just stiff enough that I didn't sink too far in... not so comfortable, even as a praise.
"...I miss the Falcon already," I muttered with a soft grumble.
---
About ten hours into the journey, we had already passed through the asteroid field and reached the vastness of "open" space. Out here, allegiances didn't really matter—everyone was simply out for themselves.
Of course, we were travelling via hyperspace, with our Jump Drives engaged. But there was never any guarantee that other "pirates" wouldn't try to intercept us along the way.
Not that I was worried.
With our sheer numbers, only the reckless or completely deranged would dare attempt to block our course.
"Phew…"
And so, I found myself lying on a bed in one of the private quarters aboard the ship.
Naturally, the room had been filthy as hell when I first checked it out. After some inspection, I chose the least repulsive one and began clearing a spot just clean enough to rest.
Just in case, I had already granted the crew general access around the ship, barring only the private quarters and the hallway connecting them to the bridge.
That way, we wouldn't be bothered by anyone.
As for Eva...
"*Wheeze!* *Wheeze!*"
She was slumped against the wall, gasping for breath, clearly exhausted and struggling to recover.
Huh? What drained her so much? What else could it be? I wore her out—by putting her in charge of cleaning every inch of this grimy room.
Even though she tried to cut corners by tossing the garbage into the adjacent room just to get things done faster, she still ended up completely drained just from cleaning a single space.
That's how appalling this place was before we arrived. Honestly, calling it a pigsty would've been a compliment—an insult to the pigsty, really.
"Take a break, you earned it," I told her, waving a hand lazily without even glancing her way.
I was pretty exhausted myself.
While I'd helped Eva here and there, that wasn't the real reason for my fatigue. Mine was mostly mental—drained by the nonstop events that had unfolded ever since I arrived at the Narlia Trading Hub.
From that moment on, I hadn't had a single chance to relax. Not even a moment's sleep.
And on top of that, I was still bothered by how the Void Dragon cub was now with Nyssra on the other ship—something I only realized after recalling the main quest's progression. Not to mention I was still waiting to hear back from Major Terrence about that issue...
'Damn, my head won't stay quiet for even a second,' I draped an arm over my eyes and trying to catch some sleep.
If peace could be bought, I'd pay whatever it cost just to claim it right now.
"Huff… Then, I'll take you up on that offer and rest," Eva replied, her voice barely audible—when suddenly, the stiff mattress began to tremble beneath me.
"…Eva?"
There was no one else in the room, so it had to be her. I lifted my arm and saw her—a red-haired beauty—smiling faintly as she crawled toward me from the foot of the bed.
"What are you doing?" I asked, a little on edge.
Her smile stayed put as she gave a halfhearted excuse, sounding almost like a joke. "What else? Resting~!"
Bit by bit, she crept closer, snaking up along my leg, slowly drawing near until part of her body was pressing lightly against mine. I didn't move at all—just kept my eyes fixed on her golden gaze, waiting to see what she intended to do.
Delicately, she pressed her body against me, her eyes scanning my face for any reaction. I could feel the softness of her chest against my stomach, and the warmth of her thighs resting between mine.
Her smile deepened as she leaned toward my neck, her breath warm against my skin.
"…"
Was she… seriously trying to tempt me? Now, of all times?
