The warship bearing the Grantz insignia drew closer to the planet’s surface.
Bert crouched down from his spot on the warship, surveying the chaotic scene below. The entrance to the insect hive had been forcibly excavated. Debris of all sizes littered the surrounding area.
“Seems like Xavier has grown a bit stronger lately.” He remarked with satisfaction.
Xavier couldn’t even pass combat class not so long ago, too spoiled by his father to keep up with drills. To see him grow this much was truly heartening. It seemed like Bert could take his time putting together that inheritance for Xavier.
Bert spoke from the heart for once, “I hope the kid can truly thrive one day.”
Dylan, standing nearby, offered no reply. He too gazed downwards, assessing the scene.
Not bad.
Bert rose to his feet. “Come on then. Let’s see if our Xavier has gotten any taller since we last saw him.”
……
Meanwhile.
Felix studied the navigation data displayed on the screen before him.
Their route grew increasingly off-course, never overlapping or approaching any established ship channels. More often than not, their mothership travelled on a whim, heading to whichever place caught Ye Muo’s eye.
They typically headed into unpatrolled sectors due to the young prince’s particular fascination for colourful, vibrant planetary systems.
Xavier and Theodore would then set off with great gusto to explore, despite inevitably encountering insect hives more often than not.
Felix felt like it was becoming too frequent to just be happenstance. While the sector hadn’t been cleared by the Alliance, the odds of encountering insects were more like 50-50. It wasn’t until later that he found out the little Grantz was seeking them out on purpose.
Still, it was undeniably liberating to travel this way. It was the first time Felix had been on such a route.
He’s mastered how to shut off the stream of alarms and prompts that kept popping up. After verifying there were no mothership-specific warnings, Felix dismissed the notifications for what felt like the hundredth time.
That was their fate even if he escalated the issue to His Majesty. Norton would delete them with visible impatience before casting a dismissive glance his way.
His Majesty was not the overbearing sort who micromanaged every detail. He was more focused on outcomes.
Felix learned to handle these minor matters independently and then consolidate them into a final report. Only matters of particular importance required His Majesty’s attention, such as anything concerning His Highness Xavier.
Felix settled into his seat. He poured himself a cup of coffee before pressing his temples.
Then he logged onto the galactic network, looking up any news concerning Grantz with practiced motions.
Managing public opinion was crucial, and staying abreast of the latest developments had become second nature.
Reports had flooded the galactic network these past days, mostly updates on the Grantz emperor and Xavier’s private travels. Yet their whimsical itinerary meant few could keep pace.
Felix paused, his gaze settling on a certain headline– XX Corporation is constructing a new ship channel that seems to overlap with His Majesty Norton’s travel route.
[What a brilliant business decision. I’m speechless…]
[A veritable no-cost venture. How much could constructing a ship channel possibly cost? Local subsidies would likely cover the expenses.]
[Am I the only one astonished by Grantz’s clearance efficiency? There’s only two of them!]
[Don’t forget about the Grantz forces playing catch-up with them.]
Felix closed the page. He’d grasped the situation upon reading the headline. His Little Highness’ clearance efficiency had been too high and thorough, leaving the route clean enough to meet construction standards. As he mulled over this fact, he started contacting the other party on behalf of Grantz to discuss compensation.
Any ship channel construction would require at least several top-ranked contestants and a sizable military force for clearance work. As you could imagine, the expenses were considerable.
A discount might be warranted given the young prince’s unpredictable route, but outright freeloading on his efforts was out of the question.
Meanwhile, Xavier, who had been at the window, suddenly turned to Norton. “Father, look outside.”
Norton moved to stand beside Ye Muo.
Felix instinctively looked up as well, following Ye Muo’s gaze. All he could see was a tiny black speck. A planet, perhaps?
Felix couldn’t be sure.
Norton glanced at it briefly before turning to Ye Muo. “Do you want to go?”
Ye Muo hesitated before murmuring, “Kind of. It’s rather peculiar.”
Norton made a sound of acknowledgement.
The mothership silently shifted course.
After a while, when they were sufficiently close, Felix, who had been focused on his work, happened to look up again. The sight made him instinctively shoot to his feet.
It wasn’t a planet at all, but a colossal steel beast formed by many motherships linked together.
The Drifters.
As they drew closer, it became more apparent just how miniscule their mothership was in comparison.
Felix couldn’t help but approach the windows, murmuring, “The Drifters.”
While some smaller groups of galactic pirates were also referred to as Drifters, the true Drifters formed a collective as vast as a minor planet.
Their immense scale implied formidable strength and the capacity to secure ample resources.
The Drifters were a group shrouded in mystery. Rumoured to have adapted to coexisting with insects, they often roamed the depths of uncharted planetary systems, acquiring rare resources that they traded on the Alliance black market for necessities.
Felix was unable to discern the internal structure of the patchwork vessel, but he noted several access points. Why were they positioned so close together?
Even unmanned starships could seldom capture such close-range footage of the Drifters. The best footage of them was always captured during sudden skirmishes.
Each skirmish would unfold with blinding speed. The Drifters would snatch resources and vanish almost instantly. More vexing still, though the Drifters’ gear sometimes lagged behind, they always fielded formidable fighters. More seasoned viewers of the resource tournament could even gauge their prowess by watching their piloting skills in combat alone.
Felix tensed as he stared down the colossal structure before them. “It would be in our best interests to leave this place quickly.”
Ye Muo, who had been crouched nearby, looked up at Felix with a hint of confusion. “Is this area off-limits? Should we not have come here?”
Growing uneasy, he turned to search for any signage or port facilities where they might inquire about regulations.
Norton shot Felix a look before placing a hand on Ye Muo’s head. “You needn’t concern yourself with those things yet.”
No place was off-limits to the Grantz if they wished to go.
Theodore also looked up at Felix. “Does this planetary system belong to them?”
Felix paused, “No, the Drifters have no fixed address. No one knows what guides their path. However, they’re also strongly territorial and will attack any fleet that draws too close.”
Theodore withdrew his gaze. “In that case, they should understand that they don’t own this place, that anyone can come and go as they please. In fact, if we were to clear out this system and raise Grantz’s flag, this would become Grantz territory.”
Then they would have the right to expel everyone else. In truth, if Grantz so desired, they could theoretically stake a claim on any of the already occupied systems as well.
Ye Muo relaxed. “We’ll just take a look around. There’s no need to take over the system or fight. Let’s just keep our distance and sightsee.”
He wasn’t used to fighting other humans yet.
……
The galactic network was as bustling as ever.
[Has anyone encountered Xavier’s crew lately?]
[Probably not, apart from the ship channel construction company. Fleets used to stumble upon them occasionally, but now they barely use any of the established channels. Who else would dare to go out there?]
[I’m still cracking up over that ship channel construction company. They really know how to do business. Remember to send Xavier your dues.]
[Hey guys, check out the live footage coming in from the ship channel construction company’s drone! Xavier’s crew just encountered a massive Drifter colony!]
The feed shot straight to the top of the trending list. They could hear someone muttering absentmindedly in the background as soon as they joined.
“Truth be told, I never imagined we’d get this close. I was just wandering about. It was the boss who said we should use the publicity to promote our company. First off, I need to clarify a few things: we’re a legitimate, law-abiding company that intended to transfer clearance fees to His Highness Xavier all along. There aren’t any underhanded schemes here. We were planning to build a ship channel here anyway. Xavier’s efforts have just jumpstarted the timeline considerably.”
The voice trailed off with a sigh, “Why haven’t the Drifters spotted this drone and destroyed it yet? My nerves are getting to me with so many people tuning in.”
Not only had the drone not been destroyed, it was drawing ever closer.
Though the operator’s voice trembled with tension, their skill was evident as they framed the Grantz mothership within the shot while also capturing part of the Drifters’ formation.
The sheer difference in size between the mothership and the massive Drifter cluster was staggering.
Yet the mothership seemed oblivious to the behemoth looming over it and maintained course. It brushed past the Drifters and kept going.
The operator regained some composure. “Looks like Grantz is just passing through.”
Yet soon, their voice began trembling again, “Hold on, is that a mothership fleet disengaging from the cluster??”
The camerawork remained as reliable as ever. Like an avalanche, several motherships broke away from the cluster, forming a fleet that advanced towards the tiny Grantz ship.
Subsequently, a dozen or so mecha launched from the fleet, as if this was the amount of force they deemed would suffice against a single mothership.
The mecha had no uniform design. Each individual unit bore distinct colours and parts. They almost didn’t appear to be from the same side.
[For some reason, despite the overwhelming numerical disparity, I can’t say I’m all that nervous. Before, even watching news reports about the exploits of galactic pirates would make my heart race. Also, why are the Drifters all the way out here anyway? Are they scouting out the area?]
[I recognise several of the mecha on their side. Anyone who follows the Drifters closely would know their callsigns. The vanguard of the Drifters is ever swift, precise and ruthless. Although their plundering deeds are despicable, you can’t help but appreciate their talent and skill.]
[What’s there to appreciate? They’re just a bunch of common criminals.]
