Eleanor Bonaparte sounded as though she were talking to herself. The adjutant and staff officers beside her exchanged glances, unsure whether they should respond.
After a brief hesitation, however, the newly appointed operations officer said, "If you mean the ones we encountered before, then at the very least, they're good at hiding and hard to catch. They could certainly pose a threat to the New World Highway."
"The most likely possibility is the Black Snake Pirates," the intelligence officer said. "On January 17 last year, they encountered General Yu Lian and his Crimson Throne—now the Mars Cook—and they also encountered our fleet."
"So the ones we chased a few days ago were Black Snake, too?"
The intelligence officer said, "The engagement was too brief, and they got away too quickly, but it's possible."
Eleanor nodded and sneered. "I really didn't expect that, with our fleet already this mighty, we'd still have to worry about pirates."
"But dealing with them is why the Thirteenth Fleet was formed!" Ina said earnestly. "So, should we carry out a search?"
"If you'd asked me two months ago, I really would have done that. But things are completely different now. We're already three days behind schedule. We have to get the things in the cargo hold to Unity Fortress as soon as possible, then return to our posts without delay."
Since the matter had been settled, the tension throughout the fleet naturally eased. Everyone returned to their posts and resumed the relatively relaxed pace of routine work.
The most relaxed of all, naturally, was Miss Ina Shilika, the flagship's chief gunner and head of security. Since there was no battle underway, there was no need for her as the weapons officer. As for routine maintenance and inspections, several deputies were already responsible for those.
So