I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary - Chapter 432.2

“So the best tactic would be destroying their main fleet… whether it can be done or not depends on luck, right?” (Colonel Serena)

“Well…I mean, you did mention that the logistics are being targeted, but don’t the Imperial Space Forces have an alert network in place? This place is so close to the front line after all.” (Hiro)

“That would be the case if enemies were targeting logistics in the disputed space including the Creon Star System, but they are more active in the Ziram, Daomun, and Volks Star Systems, which are further back. Those places are not as vigilant as the front lines or even the Creon Star System.” (Colonel Serena)

“Ah, I see. The logistics from here to the front line are not being attacked, but the logistics leading up to here are being targeted… Come to think of it, it’s the Imperial Space Force that carries supplies from here to the front line, right?” (Hiro)

“Yes.” (Colonel Serena)

From the Creon Star System’s supply depot, supplies were transported to the front lines by the Imperial Space Force’s Transportation Unit, which was escorted by an appropriate escort. I thought it was strange that such a transportation unit would be attacked by space pirates, regardless of how well-equipped they may have been. Turned out, I was misunderstanding the situation.

“This is rather troublesome…” (Hiro)

“Do you guys understand the situation?” (Colonel Serena)

“Yes, I think so.”

“I understand.”

“I understand.”

Colonel Serena’s question was answered by all three of us.

The problem was that we had no idea how to distinguish who space pirates were. Being close to the front line, many mercenaries and other armed vessels come and go here, and if they were brand-new combat vessels with no bounty on them, it would be difficult to tell whether they were space pirates or not. Moreover, if they were better equipped, they could even be carrying a deception device that would make it harder to verify their information even if they had a bounty on them.

“Can’t the empire control the flow of arms and money into the regions?”

“Well, you can’t really put a hyperlane stabilizer in a disputed space, can you?”

“Ah… well, I guess so.”

Hyperlanes, which were subspace routes connecting Star Systems, were very convenient, but to travel through the subspace more quickly and reliably, a certain amount of preparation was necessary.

Just as a well-developed waterway or canal allowed a ship to move more efficiently and safely than a winding river with unstable currents in some places, Hyperlanes could be efficiently navigated by installing stabilizers and subspace beacons in appropriate places.

When hyperlane stabilizers have been installed, the coordinates at which a ship could enter a hyperlane and, conversely, the coordinates at which it could warp out of the destination Star System, would be fixed to some extent, leaving a trail to find any ship that used it.

In other words, it would be possible to guard stations by waiting for the ships to exit the hyperlane. This would work to the great advantage of the defender. However, since these devices would only work if they were installed on both sides, they would be the first target to be disabled by an attacker in a disputed space.

And even if hyperlane stabilizers did not work, the only problem it would create for enemy ships would be increasing the time required to navigate through a hyperlane. And as a result of this unguided navigation, enemy ships’ exit point coordinates would be randomized over a fairly wide area at the end of the hyperlane.

Well, it would still be within an area that was near the end of the hyperlane of a Star System, so the exit points could somewhat be narrowed down to some extent. But for the Independent Fleet to forcefully fish out enemy ships on the hyperlane using a superluminal drive, they would need to scatter their ships in a wide area that would take several hours to do.

Even then, the situation would be quite advantageous to the attackers, and it would also make it easier for smugglers and space pirates to move around while the fleet was repositioning. Definitely a big advantage for the invaders.

“Our patrols are keeping a close eye on the situation, but we can’t cover the area completely. They’re also trying to harass us right now, so we could only deal with those lanes later…”

“I suppose if we don’t take drastic measures, they’ll just make us bleed… Well, that’s not something I need to worry about. We just need to do our job. It’s not like we’re supposed to be fighting on the front lines, right, Colonel?”

“That’s right. Our fleet’s mission is to take out the space pirates who are attacking the logistics and disrupting supply flow from the back of the forces.”

“Then let’s go on with our mission to make everyone satisfied, shall we?”

“You sound very confident. What do you have in mind?”

“I have an idea. If the other party isn’t acting on a whim, we’ll find ways to deal with them.”

The first step would be to gather information. If my intuition was right, I should be able to find a trail.

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Also check out my other novels: A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, and Reincarnated into a Game As the Hero’s Friend