Ch 12 – A Very Rebellious Space Pirate

Yu Xi was a little excited. It had been a long time since he’d had such a close encounter with conflict between humans.

Kersz was quite savvy, and asked Yu Xi for a pair of handcuffs. When the device was placed on Tau’s wrists, a semi-transparent halo popped out and tightly bound Tau’s body.

After a brief moment of surprise, Kersz found a rope and tied one end to Tau’s wrist, then handed the other end to Yu Xi.

Yu Xi didn’t understand at first, but then Kersz explained.

Kersz had other things to take care of, so he asked Yu Xi to wait around for a while. If he got bored, he could just play with the human.

“Is your father really the Supreme Governor?” Yu Xi asked him. “Hey, it seems you have six coalitions now. Which one is your father the Supreme Governor of?”

“The Starfield Alliance,” Kersz replied as he searched through some files. “The biggest stick in the mud among the six coalitions.”

The Starfield Alliance? Was that where Kersz had worked as a miner?

In Yu Xi’s chats with Kersz, he’d said that the Starfield Alliance had the largest number of planets under its control, and was the first interstellar coalition established by mankind after leaving their home planet. It was also in possession of the most resources.

They considered themselves to be the inheritors of human civilization, and displayed in their homes genuine artifacts from their mother planet, indicating that their families were already among the nobility back then.

Their culture had not integrated with any other alien races. They represented humanity’s pride.

Kersz kept his own past shrouded in secrecy, and only noted a few vague turning points in his life.

Yu Xi felt that he probably wouldn’t get much out of Tau by asking about his family background, considering how apprehensive he was right now. “Hey, then are you familiar with Kersz?”

Tau was caught off guard, and Kersz glanced back at Yu Xi.

Tau remained silent.

“What kind of person was he as a child, ah?” Yu Xi proceeded to ask, ignoring his silence.

Kersz said nothing. He located the optical computer he needed and clicked through it in search of something.

“Since you’ve been his friend for so long, you must know something.” Yu Xi wouldn’t mistreat one of his hard-won humans, and held the rope as he found a chair for him to sit in.

“Was he particularly mischievous as a child?” Yu Xi pressed.

Tau was still analyzing the situation. He had absolutely no idea who Yu Xi was or which faction he belonged to. When dealing with such a mysterious person, caution was paramount.

He didn’t know when Kersz had guessed his identity. Kersz was a madman, and was capable of anything when pushed too far.

“Are you still in shock?” Yu Xi asked.

While observing Kersz’s reaction, Tau warily responded to Yu Xi: “I met Kersz after he became a space pirate.”

Yu Xi felt that this was a crooked human: “Isn’t your father the Supreme Governor? You’re a spy, and you must have investigated Kersz before you began spying on him.”

Tau: …..

Yu Xi continued: “Where is he from, ah?”

“You can ask Kersz.” Tau didn’t want to answer Yu Xi’s questions anymore.

“If he were willing to tell me, would I be asking you?” Yu Xi asked in return. He could hack into the system here and find out more about Kersz, but he felt that he should show more respect.

Humans valued privacy very much.

Seeing that Tau didn’t seem inclined to reveal the details of Kersz’s identity, Yu Xi then asked: “How old is your dad? How many children does he have? Who is your mom? Since humanity has advanced into space, do people still have to give birth themselves?”

Yu Xi suddenly grasped a key point.

According to his understanding of the ancient humans, humanity should have solved the issue of procreation before venturing into interstellar space. And under such circumstances, how could an “illegitimate child” come about?

“You don’t know these things?” Tau was somewhat perplexed. Why was this person acting like he didn’t understand the workings of society at all?

“Yu Xi, what do you think illegitimate children are?” Kersz asked with some curiosity.

“As I understand it, this term refers to children born out of wedlock, products of extramarital affairs, and in general, children conceived through infidelity,” said Yu Xi.

Kersz responded with an “oh.” He didn’t know much about the distant past – perhaps the term “illegitimate child” once meant such a thing in their language, but it definitely didn’t now.

“An illegitimate child, or just ‘Illegitimate,’ as we call them, isn’t necessarily a product of infidelity, but they are still considered to be children born outside of marriage, or rather, outside of the law,” Kersz said.

Tau may not carry the Supreme Governor’s genes, but he was indeed the man’s “child.”

Human pregnancy was not permitted in this era, as it was deemed an unnecessary risk.

Once a human reached sexual maturity, the medical system often preserved their “genetic vectors,” so that they had the option of using them to create a child in the future.

If the owners of these genetic vectors were to pass away, the genetic vectors would be destroyed.

“But some of them might not necessarily be destroyed. Some people abuse their power to “consume” the genetic vectors that should be disposed of, creating extra children,” said Kersz. “Every legal child will have their entire embryonic development recorded in detail in the Alliance’s system, and are given a unique code at the moment of birth.”

“Even though I’ve become a space pirate, my code can still be traced.” Kersz turned to look at Tau. “But his can’t.”

Yu Xi’s eyes lit up: “He’s an unregistered person?”

Tau didn’t understand what Yu Xi was so excited about.

“He’s unregistered,” Kersz agreed with a hum.

Tau: …..

Tau: “…..Kersz.”

“What?” Kersz replied casually. “Are you going to beg for mercy now? Isn’t it a bit too late? Your reaction time is too long. Did you never get a neurological exam when you were a child?”

Tau’s voice shook: “He’s touching my face.”

Yu Xi was stroking Tau’s face in circles.

Kersz turned away again, and Yu Xi sniffed lightly next to Tau’s face.

“So, the purpose of creating these Illegitimates is to use them as frontmen?” Yu Xi was very perceptive.

What was the purpose of having an illegitimate child whose origins couldn’t be traced? Naturally, it was to have them do what you couldn’t do yourself.

Tau’s biological parents should have already passed away. Yu Xi didn’t believe that he shared half of the Supreme Governor’s blood, because once that connection was discovered, the Supreme Governor’s past deeds would no longer be concealed.

The Supreme Governor, this “father,” was more like a boss. A boss who was impossible to get rid of.

“Correct, they’re used as frontmen. For example, Tau volunteered to travel to a remote planet at the risk of his life, just to get close to me and manipulate me into becoming the Supreme Governor’s weapon against anyone who gets in his way.”

Yu Xi understood: “You were used? Did you kill someone?”

“Those people did commit atrocities, and they deserved to die.” Kersz was quite certain that he had thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of those targets, and it was precisely because of this that he didn’t dwell on it.

The Supreme Governor had even secretly done him a favor.

“The Supreme Governor deserves death too,” said Kersz. “He has no few sins to his name.”

Yu Xi: “…..What do you plan to do next?”

“Be your first beloved human and compete with Tau for your affections,” Kersz said.

Yu Xi: “Nonsense! You want to kill the Supreme Governor!”

Kersz added: “And then come back and compete with Tau for your affections.” He shut down the terminal. 

“Okay, Mr. Yu. We should get out of here ASAP.” 

Yu Xi gasped: “What did you just do?”

“Sent a message to the Supreme Governor informing him that his life is in danger,” Kersz explained.

“You?! You should recall my warning that if you cause trouble for me, I’ll get rid of you!” Yu Xi was a little angry. “I don’t want to be hunted down alongside you!”

“Please don’t kill me.” Kersz’s face crumpled pitifully.

Yu Xi grabbed something and threw it at Kersz.

Kersz was unable to dodge, and was hit squarely on the nose by Tau’s head. Both of them cried out and fell to the floor together.

Kersz tried to explain, but Yu Xi handcuffed him as well, then returned the way they had come with one of them under each arm.

People saw them on the street, but nobody came to intercept them.

Yu Xi put a hood on Tau, but didn’t cover Kersz’s face. He wanted Kersz to know shame.

Guards were present at the spaceport here, but since this third-class planet was not under the jurisdiction of any of the six coalitions, the guards here were merely private soldiers kept by the largest power in the region.

One of them asked Yu Xi about the two people in his arms, but before he could say anything, Kersz chimed in: “We’re playing a game. The one carrying me is my master.”

Tau wriggled a couple of times, and Kersz clicked his tongue: “Fine, he’s our master.”

The guard: …..

The guard’s face twisted up.

Kersz, however, persisted: “But I’ve known Master longer. That guy over there is new, and I don’t think he’s passed the probation period yet.”

Yu Xi’s complexion improved.

The guard instructed Yu Xi to remove the covering from Tau’s head, and Yu Xi did so.

Tau’s appearance had also been modified.

Yu Xi then handed over all three of their wrists, and the system beeped, confirming their identities.

Tau’s eyes flared wide.

He wasn’t surprised that some of the restrictions on him could be partially lifted, but he was surprised that his identity card could pass inspection.

He naturally knew that there were people who could forge identity cards, but he was also very clear that Yu Xi hadn’t done anything, at least not in front of him. So how was his personal wristpad able to pass inspection?

When had Yu Xi changed his identity card?

How did he possess such advanced technology?

Tau glanced at Kersz, the fellow captive opposite him. Although he said nothing, he was wracking his brains to figure out which camp Yu Xi belonged to.

Upon returning to the starship, Yu Xi dropped Kersz first.

“Oh~ Don’t you think this is a little too cruel to me?” Kersz asked from where he was sprawled on the ground.

“You’re just a sweet-talking bad boy! You’re always coming up with things to get me in trouble.” Yu Xi gritted his teeth and set Tau on a chair. “Now I have a new human.”

Kersz: “I’m going to cry.”

Tau didn’t understand what game they were playing: “I will not betray my father. Either kill me now, or you will regret it later.”

Yu Xi: ?

Why was this human suddenly being so aggressive?

Yu Xi took a step back and looked at Kersz, who was faking tears on the ground: “Baby~”

Kersz immediately understood: “Master?”

Yu Xi looked at Tau again: “If you don’t obey, I’ll let him out to eliminate your father.”

Tau: ?!

Yu Xi then asked Kersz: “You can do it, right?”

Kersz laughed heartily: “Woof~”

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Chapter 11 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 13