Super Spender

“Bloody Peach Blossom? Quite a striking alias,” Finn Lewis noncommittally nodded.

“It’s also the name of our pirate group.” Jasmine Davis made no attempts to conceal her identity.

“Why do you still refer to yourselves as pirates, though? We’re in the universe. Wouldn’t Star Thief be more fitting?” Finn Lewis mused, before asking with a smile.

“Who knows? The term has been passed down from ancient times. As for why we’re called that, I’m not too certain. Maybe it’s meant to indicate a celestial sea?” On this matter, Jasmine Davis seemed to be less clear than Finn Lewis. He wore a strange expression but didn’t say anything.

“Alright, so is this place your hideout?” Finn Lewis asked out of curiosity. Since it was so hidden, there was no way this area was controlled by the official forces of the Galactic Federation. Since Jasmine Davis had brought him here, he presumed that it must be part of her territory.

“No, if I had such a large territory, would I be haggling with you over a few tens of thousands of star credits? This place is called Death Nest, named after the asteroid belt that stretches across three planetary systems. The environment here is extremely complex, not just because of the asteroids but also due to occasional electromagnetic storms and other cosmic radiation storms. Hence, it’s a very dangerous place.”

“Of course, in such dangerous places, you will find many individuals like us. So, this place can be called an infamous grey area under the Galactic Federation. It’s the biggest black market of the entire federation, serving as a hub for mercenaries and pirates alike. Of course, individuals like us have to conceal our identities. You don’t see me arriving in our usual battleship but a random one instead.” Jasmine Davis appeared slightly different than usual and felt compelled to explain the situation to Finn Lewis.

Finn Lewis nodded thoughtfully. A regular nation, under official governance, would still have its dark underbellies, much like earth where every city has areas of disorder. Not to mention a vast universe like this. Even in a nation like the Flame Nation, where law and order are highly maintained, darkness is everywhere. This is even more so in the Galactic Federation, a nation with very low federal control.

So such places were to be expected. From Finn Lewis’s perspective, the people above probably knew about it but chose not to intervene. This spoke volumes about the need for such places’ existence. Didn’t the royal family and the nobles also need such dark forces at times?

“So, you’re suggesting we change ships here?” Finn Lewis asked, nodding.

“Heh heh, of course not. Switching to a civilian ship here would be suicide. We need to repair our spaceship. On the way to fetch you, my ship ran into some troubles and damaged some systems. Now we need to fix it. We’ll have to rest here for about a week while we replenish the warp engine’s energy and replace some parts. On this note, I have to thank you for your funds. Star credits are good as gold around here.” Jasmine Davis paused for a moment and then chuckled as she spoke.

“Looks like I’ll be able to go out and have some fun for a few days then,” Finn Lewis laughed.

“I suggest that you’d best stay on the ship. The people here are not easy to deal with. If you offend the wrong person and then accidentally get killed, all I can do is ship your body to the edge of the Galaxy Star District,” Jasmine Davis said with a laugh.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a knack for survival. Anyone who wants me dead isn’t even born yet,” Finn Lewis replied with a grin.

“I just love your arrogant swagger,” Jasmine Davis giggled, but her words were a little less fond.

“Speaking of which, don’t you think our way of speaking is very similar? I thought such vocabulary only existed on our home planet,” Finn Lewis said with squinted eyes.

“Handsome, there are some things I can’t help answer. However, you’re right in thinking so. Did you think people like us don’t exist on your home planet? How about Dunn Monty and Thomas Calvin? How do you know the words you speak are invented only on your home planet?” Jasmine Davis laughed.

Finn Lewis mulled over it and found it indeed the case. If it not for his encounter with Zero, he probably wouldn’t have known there were so many aliens on Earth and that Earth was in fact, one’s personal property.

Having understood this, Finn Lewis stopped talking and his eyes returned to the view outside.

“Everyone who should be notified has been. We will reach our destination after passing through three warp wormholes, a place filled with criminals, thieves, pirates, and everyone else you can think of. If you want to go, you can, but I can’t guarantee your safety. You better think it over. As you’ve said, I’m still planning on making 30 million star credits off you.” Jasmine Davis chuckles again, drops a line, and leaves promptly..

Finn Lewis didn’t look back. He kept watching the view outside. The spaceship was moving rapidly. To tell the truth, this passage wasn’t large, but a ship this size was as agile as a fish swimming in an asteroid sea. Lewis didn’t know whether the ship was being controlled by a computer or a person. If it was a person, it seemed that there was some talent among the pirates.

They quickly reached the last of the three journeys, but the surrounding scenery didn’t change. Finn Lewis was curious to see what this so-called Haven for the Dead, the Death’s Nest, looked like…

When the spacecraft went through the last warp, there was a flash of light, and the surrounding scenery changed dramatically. Finn Lewis froze for a moment. A lush green planet entered his sight. What stunned him, however, was not the planet itself, but the two massive ring-shaped steel constructions encapsulating it.

It was as if there were two iron rings circling a spherical object. These two iron rings intersected, and after warping here, numerous spacecraft of various sizes surrounding the entire planet could be seen. About a million kilometers outside the planet was the asteroid belt Finn Lewis and the others had just passed through.