Chapter 4: Space Pirate
In the bustling spaceport not too far from the planet's entrance, Yuka, with her hands casually tucked in her pockets, followed the map's directions, striding swiftly.
She had already opened her mental domain, establishing a psychic link with her butler, allowing for seamless communication in her mind. Of course, this only happened when she allowed it. If she ever found it annoying, she could simply block the butler out.
"Turn right in two hundred meters," the butler announced, his voice echoing in her mind while displaying the map. He then asked Yuka, "Are we just going to leave the robber behind like this?"
"What else? Do you expect me to kill him?" Yuka playfully retorted in her mind. "That wouldn't exactly fit the 'ladylike demeanor' you're always nagging about, would it?"
Besides, in the interstellar realm of the Alliance, murder was a serious crime. Getting caught meant losing citizenship, having your ID card revoked, and being thrown into an Alliance prison.
The inhabitants of planet K32 lived on the edge of the law, engaging in robbery, theft, and fraud, but they never murdered. Space pirates, on the other hand, were the real deal, notorious killers. Unwilling to face prison, they'd flee the Alliance system before the Alliance Army could catch them. They had their own gangs and leaders, living by raiding spaceships and occupying planets outside the Alliance system.
Yet, Yuka wasn't worried about her safety on this trip. The spacecraft connecting with Capital Octoxis all bore special insignia; pirates generally didn't dare attack them, fearing the occasional escort by the Alliance Army.
The public space spacecraft was enormous, its deep blue exterior symbolizing the Alliance. With its three doors wide open, a lengthy queue had formed outside.
The spacecraft conductor was shouting, "Hurry up! The spacecraft leaves in ten minutes!"
The crowd stirred, and some burly men brazenly cut in line, causing a commotion as others desperately pushed forward.
Standing at the end of the line, Yuka heard her butler's anxious voice, "Master, we should move forward, or we'll miss it."