This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

The bridge had an air of curiosity wafting around it as Guidance and I entered. The entire room had shifted back to the way it once was, the kiosks returning back to the sides as all of us filtered around the main console in the center. Shizu and Shen were on one side of the room, while Shade was busy fiddling with some other thing in the room. Maruki was still on the enemy [Rig], acting as the guard for our captives.

Huh... This really feels weird. The lack of tension after being in a stressful environment for so long kind of made me feel like something was missing here... Hell, even Shizu didn't look like she almost bled to death.

"Moriya. Lady Guidance," Shade greeted us with a nod. "Glad that you two graced us with your presence."

"Gee, thanks," I chuckled. "Still, this feels rather off, yeah?"

"Off how?"

"It feels like we have nothing else to do," I shrugged. "After everything we've been through, it just feels... I dunno... empty?"

Hell, even Guidance felt like she just had all of the tension ripped out from her as she slouched beside me. Shizu and Shen thankfully seemed to be unaffected at least, what with them visibly playing with each other like nothing even happened, but I could see that Shade was also feeling the sudden lack of adrenaline. I guess that's just part and parcel of fighting.

"That's dangerous thinking out here in the Deep, Moriya," Shade frowned. "Danger could be lurking anywhere. The only reason why we haven't really faced anything is because we still haven't ventured too far out into the sea."

I raised an eyebrow, "You call us fighting a Veystigian [Rig] not dangerous?"

"Trust me, there's worse things out there than enemy [Rigs] and stray islands," Shade scoffed. "As Lady Guidance here knows, the Deep is teeming with Vermes. Whether we get a small or a large one depends on how lucky we are."

Guidance flinched. "Well, that was the plan for them, at least. But I guess they really are here now."

"Yes," he sighed. "And that is why [Rigs] are required if one plans on venturing far from the coasts."

I nodded in understanding. "So you mean to say that we should stick to the coasts for now then."

"That's the only thing we can do anyway," Guidance chimed in. "With a [Rig] tethered to us, even I can tell that venturing far out would just end with us sinking alongside them."

"Indeed," Shade sagely nodded. "At best, we're going to have to find some friendly port out there somewhere that would take this [Rig] out of our hands."

Humming in thought, I stepped back up to the console, looking at the charts that were still displayed in front of me as I pondered on our next course of action. Judging from our location, we were still just a ways away from Kattleynan soil. With the [Rig] attached to us slowing us down, there was no way that we'd go far.

"So I guess we're going back to Port Khong then," I voiced aloud.

"Huh? What for?"

Turning around, Shizu had finally joined the conversation, Shen tailing right behind her as they stood by the side of the console.

"We have to get rid of this [Rig] attached to us," I explained.

"Why can't we just let them sink?"

Oof... "That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"What's so harsh about that?" Shizu genuinely wondered. "They tried to kill us, and they were encroaching on Imperial waters anyway. Realistically, we should've sunk them the moment we spotted them."

Beside me, Guidance bristled as she looked up, her discerning gaze lingering at Shizu without the usual lecherous tone she had to it. "But, they're people too?"

As if ready for the question, Shizu shrugged as she replied, "They broke Imperial law, Guidance. We're fully in our right to sink them. And while I'm really of the opinion that we don't, we still should."

Huh... Couldn't really argue against that kind of logic. Even so, "Then why haven't you?"

Shizu blinked at me, her smile frozen as her mind ground to a halt. There was one reason why we were even stuck with these guys in the first place, and it was the only reason why we had to go back to port anyway.

"Shen?" I called out.

"Yeah?"

"You've made a few repairs on the enemy [Rig], right?"

"Yep!" she beamed. "Made sure they won't sink us while we pull them around."

"And you've seen the big harpoon stuck to the side of it, yes?"

"Yes? Where are ya even going?" Shen huffed, her eyes rolling at me in impatience. "Just tell me what ya want to say."

"She's got a point there," Shade scoffed from his spot. "We don't have all day here."

"Fair point," I sighed. "Then again, I wanted to be dramatic at times."

Guidance chuckled beside me, and Shen only looked at me as she waited for my real question. I guess that's what I got for being a bit roundabout in my explanation.

Taking in a resigned breath, I smiled, "The harpoon lodged on the enemy [Rig]'s hull. You tried removing it?"

"Oh, that? I tried, but it's just stuck there," Shen fumed, her hair almost flying out of her bangs as she blew up some air. "It's like it melted into the metal, and I dunno how to fix it yet."

"And there's our explanation," I pointed out to Shizu. "We also can't leave them because of that."

To my surprise, Shizu seemed to smile brighter as she shrugged, "Okay then. Guess we'll drag them along to port."

I chuckled, "That's that then."

Looking around the bridge, I gave each of our current tenants a questioning glance, asking for some kind of approval from them.

"Everyone's in agreement," I began. "We're going back to Port Khong then."

Rolling the trackball in my hand, I set a course back to the one place I thought we weren't going to be seeing for a long time. I guess that was just expectations, but what else were we supposed to do? Let ourselves sink?

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