Chapitre 256: 256
Ep. 256
–
In the past, there were intelligent beings that entered space before humanity.
A race of people whose bodies were weak, but who were blessed by God and used special powers.
They came into space under the guidance of God's 'providence' and called themselves a 'cult'.
At first, all we could do was travel between satellites. Because God's protection did not help us advance into space.
However, the cults did not give up. Instead of relying solely on the psychic power that he was born with, he focused on developing technology.
Satellite travel led to the exploration of other planets and their own star systems. Intelligence beings born on a small planet have already established a great empire that spans several star systems.
Of course, by the standards of the universe, this is no more than an instant. Before them, many civilizations rose and fell, and they will do the same.
The prosperity of the cult empire did not last long. Internal strife, corruption among politicians, and endless wars drastically shortened the lifespan of the empire. Because of this, it has declined to the point where it cannot even regain half of its former glory.
The Kesha Arma space fortress was also one of the shadows left by the once shining empire.
This space fortress, whose name translates to 'Rich King' in Megacorp's words, was built to protect mining planets.
When the empire was prospering, mining ships from various races used this fortress. As befits the name of the wealthy king, this was the place where the empire's wealth was concentrated.
This would still be the case if the mining planet had not run out of minerals.
As the planet's resources, the reason for the fortress's existence, were depleted, Kesha Arma's importance dropped sharply. In the past, an empire that was falling apart by the minute could not afford to maintain a space fortress that was only causing losses. What was the key point of the empire just 100 years ago has now become a complete wasteland.
When the costs of maintaining the fortress far exceeded the benefits, the empire's choice was simple.
Abandoning the space fortress that marked the end of the golden age.
After all the stationed cult warships withdrew, this space fortress became Muju Gongsan. In principle it was a cult empire, but in reality it had no administrators or armies.
In the abandoned mega-structure, only those who made a living by selling to miners and outsiders who needed empty houses remained. It was inevitable that a city without an owner would become a slum.
Kesha Arma has become one of the abysses of the universe.
Those who occupied the fallen king of wealth were the Marcio Cartel.
It is a cartel so strong that it ranks among the top five in the entire Space Dog.
In general, space dog cartels are reluctant to settle on planets or space cities. Because there are so many enemies, you never know when a punitive army will attack. Instead, cartel members are more interested in arming ships that they can afford.
On the other hand, past leaders of the Marcio Cartel took a completely different approach.
They earned credits by 'arranging' other pirates' crimes. Setting up a black market for cartels that mainly focus on smuggling, or connecting cartels that focus on human trafficking with high-ranking officials of Megacorp, etc.
Just as Kesha Arma made money in the past through mining planets and mining ships, she made money through pirates and crime.
Paradoxically, it was thanks to this method that Kesha Arma and Marcio Cartel were able to survive. This is because Megacorp and Star Union, which grind their teeth when it comes to Space Dog, were also their customers.
A lawless zone tolerated by the powers of the universe. That was Kesha Arma today.
And even today, crime is rampant everywhere in the pirate fortress.
"Fuck! Break your head! head! "Oh shit!"
"Please only trust yourself! "I didn't give you all the credit!"
"Kwaaaaaak! Fuck you! Why cut off your arm there?!"
A place once called the 5th Armory.
The place where all kinds of weapons had been deployed was now filled with angry crowds.
Human cyborg Wolf Coldblood. Intelligence beings raised in different cultures saw only one thing and shouted.
Inside the cage where their eyes were directed, two naked men were fighting.
Their appearances, skin colors, and weapons in their hands were different, but they had two things in common. The two were wearing heavy restraints around their necks and their entire bodies were covered in blood.
This is an arena run by pirates. It is one of the most common abysses in the city.
"okay! Just a little more strength! Fuck you, you can do it!"
"Uh huh?! Why is that kid like that? Argh! "Fuck!"
"Waaaaah! Won! "I won!"
"Ughhhhh! my credits! "Aaaah!"
The brutal bloody fight ended with the axe-wielding beheading the spear-wielder.
The conflicting emotions of life and death did not only linger behind bars. Because the crowd in the arena also shuddered with emotions of joy and despair.
Cyborg Gidcu, who had recently joined the Marcio Cartel, was on the cheering side.
"Kkeuk, how much is this?"
It was a reverse bet that I didn't usually do, but I never thought it would be such a hit.
GidQ plugged his terminal into the settlement machine placed in the arena. The corners of my mouth went up involuntarily when I saw two zeros added to his credit in an instant.
"and. "Fuck you."
"…I'm fucking jealous of you bastard."
The gazes on him were never kind, but no one attacked him carelessly. Because everyone knows that he is a member of the Marcio Cartel.
He left the arena, enjoying the stares mixed with hatred and envy.
A cyborg with half of its body replaced by a machine was greeted by a light so intense that it stung the eyes.
A feast of artificial light caused by neon signs in entertainment stores. All kinds of lights, including red, blue, yellow, and green, were filling the street. Thanks to this, it was impossible to tell what people on the street were wearing.
It wasn't just the billboards that were in a confusing mess. The same goes for buildings. While there were buildings that strongly reflected the traditional cult style, such as the arena that was an armory, there were also structures that were sloppily built by the incoming outsiders.
In front of the stores that looked like they might collapse at any moment, all kinds of people, including pirates, vagabonds, slaves and mercenaries, walked around.
If you want to feel a part of the past in a place like a slum where there is nothing unified, all you have to do is look up at the sky.
Above their heads, 'another earth' is looking down on them.
Kesha Arma is a space fortress that moves along the planet's orbit. An abandoned planet looks down on its fortress inhabitants from behind its transparent outer walls. No matter where you go on Kesha Arma, you can see the landscape of a devastated planet.
Even before the essence of cult civilization, Gidcu was unimpressed. Not only had he not seen it for a day or two, but the credits on the terminal were more important to him.
"Shall we have a drink?"
Now that you've had enough of entertainment, it's time to grease your belly. He walked to the bar he usually frequented.
When I entered the store, there were people like him killing time by drinking synthetic liquor.
"Let's give this place some synthetic liquor."
GidQ naturally joined their table. Then the other pirates looked at him in surprise.
"Oh what's wrong with the can?"
"Looks like that bastard got money. "Did things turn against me every time?"
"…I was going to tell you."
As drinks were exchanged several times, the pirates, including GidQ, quickly became drunk.
"Let me ask you about just one can. "I heard that Star Union doesn't allow you to jerk off alone. Is that really true?"
"uh. It's illegal because it's a population limit policy or a production policy. We do regular memory tests every year, and if you get caught then…" When
GidQ spread his index and middle fingers to make the shape of scissors, the other pirates were disgusted.
"Oh, I think this is the scariest thing I've ever heard."
"I can't even have sex so I can't even have a daughter. Living in a country like that for decades is itself terrifying, terrifying. "Fuck."
"Speaking of scary things reminds me of that. Did you hear the rumors? "Recently about the Satua Cartel."
"Satua? Those idiots? "Why them?"
"A friend of mine knows people from the Satua Cartel, but he said he lost contact with them two months ago."
"Fuck you. I'm more shocked that you know the Satua guys. "Get away from me right now."
The other pirates booed Fox Wolf, who said he knew the Satua Cartel. Then a human pirate with a scar over his eye joined the story.
"I heard a similar story."
"what?"
"They say the Satua Cartel's slave market disappeared without a trace. "I heard that the cartel itself collapsed because of that."
GidQ was slightly surprised by the human pirate's words.
The Satua Cartel is a fairly infamous cartel. Their main business is human trafficking, capturing and selling primitive people from unexplored planets. The Marcio Cartel and its power are so powerful that they even have a large-scale slave market on an ownerless planet. I heard that the market size is not only small, but comparable to the space fortress here.
"I don't care what happened to the Satua bastards, but there's been a lot of trouble lately."
"that's right. "T&C Space City has collapsed, so there is no place to play."
"That crazy guy, it's been a while since that place went bankrupt, but it's still damn good."
"They say outspacers these days are polarizing again."
"Thanks to you, it's nice to have a good income these days, isn't it? "There are so many people looking for mercenaries."
"You idiot is saying bullshit because you've never fought an outspacer, right?"
"Is Outspacer delicious?"
"I think yours tastes better."
"Tsk. "Is the universe really about to explode?"
The atmosphere at the table became strange as the scarred pirate spoke quietly.
Since they are pirates who travel between dozens and hundreds of star systems every day, they are quicker than anyone else when it comes to changes in the universe.
It was just as the Scar Pirate said. The universe was becoming more chaotic than anything we had ever seen before.
GidQ frowned at the lack of alcohol in the atmosphere. I didn't want to hear such an ominous story on a lucky day like today.
However, his colleagues seemed to find the ghost story without context quite interesting. One by one, everyone started telling stories they already knew.
"Do you know why the Dvara Cartel collapsed? Actually, they were caught by a ghost ship…"
"More than that, I heard it from the kids at Humanity…"
Rumors of a black ghost ship that eats space ships. A secret story related to the destruction of the space city. A story about a devil pretending to be a human, etc.
The more GidQ listened to the pirates, the more dispirited he became.
Everyone seems to forget where they are. This is a fortress built in the middle of space. Superstitions on the embodiment of technology and science.
What's more, it's a mysterious monster. About half of the pirates who visit this fortress capture and sell the 'mysterious monster'.
GidQ didn't understand which part of their story he should be happy about.
"I wake up first."
He paid the android for his drink and left the store.
'The monster is Nimmi.'
In the space age, monsters are not ghost ships that devour ships of unknown creatures.
He was a human, then a cyborg of the Star Union, and now a pirate, and he knows what a real monster is.
"…Let's go and sleep."
In a few hours, he has to go back to work.
Just like that, one cyborg blended into the crowd on the street.
–
While Gidcu was wasting his life in a bar, the fortress' military port was welcoming new customers.
As befits a city ruled by disorderly Space Dogs, visitors were also inconsistent.
In contrast to the neat and efficient Megacorp warship Megacorp, a pirate assault ship with a cartel emblem, there are Star Union cargo ships with a rugged image, and even ships operated by civilians.
Ships of various types were entering and leaving the city with great ease. Since the purpose of visiting the pirate fortress was obvious, intensive inspection was unnecessary. In the first place, it is ridiculous that a group of criminals try to prevent others from committing crimes.
Hundreds of ships going in and out of the military port. Among them, there was a particularly bouncy boat.
"hey. "Does that look like the boat of the Satua bastards?"
"Wasn't it their submarine bomb? "Why did you come here?"
The Satua Cartel's assault ships were famous for their unique shape, with an elongated hull and a wide rear end. It was a remodeled version of a decommissioned Megacorp ship, so it had an appearance that was difficult to see in general.
The Satua assault ship, which resembles an anchor, has just docked at the military port. Several pirates got off the ship and talked to the guards at the military port.
The other pirates who were watching from afar tilted their heads.
"what. "Is there Wolf in the Satua Pirates?"
All members of the Satua Cartel are human. Other sapient beings are considered potential abduction targets. Because of this, even in Space Dog, where various races are active, they are especially treated as heretics.
However, one of the gang members who got off the ship was Wolff, who had a white bird of prey head and amber eyes. The Wolf even seemed to be leading the Satua gang members.
Something happened that the pirates could not understand with their common sense.
The guards also seemed to be suspicious of the assault ship. This is because the inspection, which would normally have ended briefly, led to a search inside the ship.
The pirates thought as they saw the guards following Wolf into the assault ship. That fake Satua assault ship will be kicked out of the fortress.
However, the results of the guards' search were completely different from what they expected.
The guards who entered and exited the ship took no action. Rather, he was treating Wolff with contempt, as if he were a cartel leader, as if he had accepted a bribe.
The guards even helped the Satua gang members. They returned to their work only after the two containers on board the ship were lowered to the military port.
"…What kind of mess is that?"
"What the hell is on that boat?"
This is the first time I've seen the guards behave like that. The pirates' eyes turned to the assault ship.
Most were curious, but some were thinking a step further.
I'm going to find out for myself what's on that ship.
If you have something valuable, you should take it with you in moderation.
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