Vow of Silver Dawn Chapter 40

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You know how it goes
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Chapter 40: License to Kill
By 国王陛下, Translated by 74translations
Notes at the end

	An Ping, the black hearted, soon brought the ship up close to Dui-4399

	At one point, this was a military base on the front lines, and although it had been abandoned for many years, and many of the installations had crumbled from disuse, Ning Tao still kept it together, so An Ping wasn't about to get careless.

	Though the Hongxing was a fairly special ship, that didn't mean it was also exceptional in an engagement, and Dui-4399 was still a military base. Even if the base defenses were only operating at a single percent, they would be a threat to the Hongxing.

But at any rate, be it Ning Tao's ineptitude, or An Ping's deft piloting, the ship snuck its way through——Of course, in all likelihood it was just the Hongxing Squad's luck, but ultimately the ship slipped by without sounding any alarms, and landed upon the surface of ui-4399 without a hitch.

When the ship landed, Uncle Xu let out a dramatic breath, saying "Aiyo, I thought we'd be blown out of the sky halfway there, my heart's going to beat its way out of my chest."

"Wouldn't that be because of the drugs?" Lü Nan scoffed.

"I am but a doctor, I am a civilian, I'm not as robust as you barbarians, I can only hope to supplement my weak and frail body with pharmaceuticals...." Uncle Xu said.

Though before he could finish, An Ping smacked the top of his head with his arm, telling him to "Shut it, and get ready to go."

With the Captain's order, Uncle Xu's amusement quickly faded. Producing his ridiculously oversized backpack, and even more ridiculous helmet, he sped out of the ship with a litheness that could only be possessed by a 37 year old man.

An Ping followed closely behind, striding into danger just as lightly equipped as before, not even bringing a blaster, and wearing a rather unimpressive-looking piece of body armour.

Shawn decided to follow An Ping, and between the two of them that had left, he felt that for this mission, it'd be best he stick closer to the Captain.

An Ping laughed, but didn't shoo him off.

Last off the ship was Lü Nan, and as before she was clad in a thick coat that doubled as a wearable weapon rack, upon which had been attached a veritable mountain of guns.
Zhuang stayed aboard the ship, and after Lü Nan disembarked, she waved everyone off, while remotely piloting a shuttle from the ship's cargo hold.

Uncle Xu gave it a look, and inhaled a breath full of cold air, "This one, then? How ferocious of you, Zhuang!"

Zhuang smiled apologetically, "The mission calls for it."

Lü Nan shot Uncle Xu a sidelong glance, "You have an idea?"

"No no, I wouldn't dare," Uncle Xu said, facing Lü Nan, a full head shorter than her. As he watched her move her weapons from the cargo hold, he couldn't help but say "In any case, the transportation costs shouldn't be shared equally, I think."

Lü Nan sneered at that, and didn't bother replying.

On the other hand, Shawn was quite curious, and asked, "Transportation costs?"

An Ping watched Lü Nan unload her equipment, and explained, "I was going to wait until we finished the mission before I explained it, but I can go over a simplified version. Essentially, the ship is the private property of Zhuang, and since we borrow it to do our missions, we pay Zhuang for that."

	"And those fees are quite high!" Uncle Xu added, "Five times greater than normal!"

	"Because it's a collection of all of Zhuang's best work, its performance is the best, and so the costs are similarly the highest," said An Ping.

	With a wry look, Uncle Xu then added, "If it weren't for a certain someone's excess luggage, we wouldn't need the best performing ship..."

	Lü Nan smiled coldly back, "Sure, I'll also pay your fee, and next time you need fire support, don't count on my help."

	Uncle Xu immediately put on a smile, and said, "It was just a joke, I'm just a bit high at the moment, head's a bit fuzzy..."

	While he was speaking though, Lü Nan finally closed her container, "I'm ready to go."

	Shawn was busy being entranced by the pilot's seat.

	As an enthusiast, he could tell at a glance the ship was out of the ordinary, and even if it was limited by the level of technological advancement achieved by the Qing System, it didn't stop the ship from being able to match the specs of ships built by some of the Republic's most prestigious manufacturers. As an enthusiast, though, he wouldn't be satisfied with just theoreticals, however.

	Practical application was the top priority, and it was obvious the shuttle Zhuang had for the squad suited it quite well. It had quite a high carrying capacity for cargo, and given the overall design and choice of engine, while it would never be the fastest vessel, the trips would be unfailingly steady and quiet, perfect for this kind of mission.

	As he thought, Shawn felt himself wishing he could just hop in there and give it a try.

	Like reading a novel or watching an opera, a good pilot could feel the "authorial intent" of the designer in the ship.

	And Shawn was an excellent pilot.

	It was all quite amusing to An Ping, "Alright alright, if you wanna drive I'll let you, don't look so desperate."

	Shawn shamelessly hopped into the cockpit, and in that moment felt a joyful nostalgia.

	Although they hadn't started the shuttle yet, the Jedi Apprentice could picture in his mind's eye the vessel in flight.

	The last time he had piloted a ship so impressive, he was still on Bergamore. Thinking of Bergamore though meant Shawn couldn't help but think of his Master.

	When they left the manor, the two had completely lost contact, and his attempts aboard the Silver were fruitless. After that, he had been looking for a chance at the Hongxing Squad's base, but that too bore no fruit.

	Now, he wasn't any closer to the truth or any closer to his Master, and was instead for whatever reason now on Dui-4399, helping people fight over Xuanming of all things. Shawn felt like he was a dead leaf being blown around, utterly without direction.

	But as he was a Jedi Apprentice, he did feel that what he had gone through, and what he was about to go through, were meaningful.

	For now though, all he had to worry about was doing what was set before him at that moment.

	Turning his attention back to what was before his eyes, Shawn could tell the shuttle was outstanding, and turning his head to give Zhuang still aboard the *Hongxing*, a thumbs up, which she reciprocated with a nod, half proud and half bashful, before quickly returning to her hat for sanctuary.
	"Why don't the two of you just get married," Uncle Xu commented, having watched the brief exchange.

	That earned him a slap to the back of the head from An Ping.

	——

	The shuttle flew as Shawn expected.

	The shuttle flew in astonishing silence over Dui-4399's desolate surface, carrying them to the military base.

	It wasn't very fast, but it was enough for the asteroid, and after two hours, the military structures were visible on the horizon.

	"Hold a moment."

	Lü Nan patted the back of the pilot's seat, "Go around the mountainsa over there."

	Shawn nodded, not questioning it, and altered course, and after a moment they were amidst a mountain range.

	Lü Nan had a quick look around before saying, "Let me off here."

	Shawn was a little surprised, she wanted to be left alone, here?

But no-one else seemed particularly concerned, and Uncle Xu even offered a jokeb.

"This spot's the best distance for Lü Nan to be sniping from," An Ping explained to Shawn.

It didn't seem possible to Shawn, given the distance from where they were to the target. They were already at the theoretical maximum range for most rifles, and Lü Nan wanted to do practical sniping here? Surely this was beyond human capabilities?

An Ping laughed, "that's why she babies that rifle of hers, and doesn't let anyone else touch it. In the Hongxing squad, no-one wastes money."

Shawn looked back to the Rifle on Lü Nan's back, and felt the curiosity roll over him.

Obviously, Lü Nan was capable of making some ridiculously impossible long-range shots, and her special rifle had to play a large part in that.

Before he could get a really good look though, An Ping, who was in the copilot seat, patted him on the shoulder, and told him, "Avert your gaze, or she'll start to charge you for that as well... She's put so much money into that rifle of hers, you could buy an apartment on Kun with that kind of scratch."

Though it was an itch he wanted so very badly to scratch, Shawn understood the severity of the situation, and thus nodded and refocused himself on piloting the shuttle.

——

A little ways into their journey, An Ping gave new instructions.

"Alter course slightly, let's approach the place from the flank," An Ping said while turning on the shuttle's holoprojector, and began to explain the plan to Shawn and Uncle Xu.

"Currently, we have very little information to work with, so this whole operation is something of a gamble, and we're going to do our best to avoid a fight. First sign of trouble, we're pulling out, but I'll leave the specifics to you guys."

"But in regards to the big picture, I think there's quite a good chance Ning Tao's holed up in that manor, so with that assumed, the next question is how we're going to get in and grab him. Given how quickly we rushed here, we don't have much on the manor itself, and thus have to go off common sense judgements, so you'll have to be adaptable and quick to improvise."

"The building should've been remodeled into the manor it is currently in the same year as the military op, and it's doubtful what we're looking for is on the ground floor. Given our scans, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of surface defenses, which means it's likely that everything important is underground."

"Our opponents this time aren't any old disorganized rabble, but the best of the best Ning Tao's picked out to protect himself. On top of that, our numbers are quite limited, nor do we have the advantage of a favourable environment. This will be an uphill battle, so we'll need a way to first disorient the enemy. Lü Nan gives us superior firepower on the outside, so I'm thinking we bait most of their forces into the open, and then sneak our way in to nab Ning Tao."

"Of course, we'll have to consider that there'll be a lot that we can't account for. As members of the Hongxing Squad, just remember: Always be adaptable. Even if we have to abandon the mission or one another, remember that we are the branch that hangs over the wall, don't restrict yourself with protocol and procedure."

It was apparent that this much was directed squarely at Shawn.

This didn't sit the best with Shawn, especially in regards to abandoning the mission or each other... but he nevertheless listened intensely.

It was at that moment that An Ping quite obviously shifted his gaze directly onto Shawn.

"Lastly, and this is a point I am most concerned about, and thus I am going to emphasize it to you."

Shawn nodded, indicating that he was listening with rapt attention.

"Our enemies this time around aren't Zhuque pirates or even Qinglong scum, but Qiankun Corporation Security Bureau regulars. They are lawful employees, and the majority could be counted as good or otherwise innocent people. To speak frankly, in the Qian System, these people are more 'righteous' than we are."

"But, they are our enemies," An Ping finished, after pausing for a moment.

Shawn understood what An Ping meant to say, but didn't know how to respond.

An Ping clearly wasn't satisfied with Shawn's silence, and continued on, "I won't judge your actions at the Qunxing Building too harshly, it doesn't matter. We were up against excellent thieves, not excellent soldiers, we were more than capable of dealing with them. Wounding and not killing or killing and not wounding, either way it made no odds. But this time, we don't have the advantage, acting humanely will get you killed, along with any expectations people have of you."

An Ping laughed, "It's a shame the Boss isn't here, he'd probably be able to give it to you better, I'm not great with words. You're a clever kid though, you shouldn't need me to say it again though. I'll let you mull it over."

Shawn nodded.

But Uncle Xu had more to add, saying, "Shawn, as your senior in the squad, allow me to give you something to ponder."

"Go ahead."

"Suppose you were Ning Tao, and you were up to this shameful activity, what kind of person would you bring with you?"

Shawn took a moment to consider the question.

Uncle Xu clearly hadn't been expecting him to answer, as he went on regardless, "Obviously, you'd bring along your trusted subordinates.

Shawn nodded, that was about what he'd expect.

"So now I'll ask you this, to become one of Ning Tao's trusted inner circle, what would you have to do?"

Subconsciously, Shawn wanted to say simply be strong enough.

Ultimately, it seemed that Uncle Xu had posed another question that he himself was going to answer, "Strength? Obviously not, if you were more powerful than him, you'd be a threat."

The question stumped Shawn.

Uncle Xu simply continued on, "Obviously, it wouldn't be the upstanding. They'd be the first for Ning Tao to distrust, what would he do if they reported him? If they were less capable, then they wouldn't be reliable, and if Ning Tao's run all the way to Dui-4399, the last thing he'd want would be to be accompanied by the unreliable. That leaves only one kind of person Ning Tao could bank on, and that would be the people who are just like him, and have already demonstrated loyalty to him. How these people proved themselves to him, I'll let you think on."

Shawn gave it some thought, and the answer came to him.

For such a person aiming to appear a clean-handed, law-abiding citizen, the only answer could be "a crime."

Only those guilty of crimes deemed unforgivable, only those with dirt on them, only those over whom Ning Tao had leverage could be counted among his most trusted!

"Of course," Uncle Xu went on, "That's just my guess, it's entirely possible I've got it totally wrong, and Ning Tao's got a gaggle of upstanding gentlemen working for him, and that he only selects from the most worthy, and that this arrangement with the Qinglong is more a marriage of convenience than anything else, and that he and his men are nothing but idealistic dreamers..."

"But, it's more likely that these are the sorts whose crimes are so heinous even death wouldn't bring them to justice. Perhaps if you were to open fire on them, you'll just be killing the killers of innocents."

"None of this is all that important though, what's important is what you really think, on the inside. Whether you want to remain a pure innocent forever, or if you want to be someone who can get things done."

Shawn's brows furrowed, as he felt this kind of dichotomy was an unreasonable question to begin with.

Of course, the world was seldom fair, if not there would be no need for the Jedi to undertake missions all over the galaxy.

But what was to be done with it fell to him specifically?

Shawn thought fondly of his Master. If his Master were still here, then she'd know exactly what needed to be done... but in the end, he wouldn't be able to rely upon her guidance forever.

It was at this point that once again Uncle Xu seemed incapable of helping himself and commented again, "I'm a doctor, so let me give you a doctor's example. You should know that even the best doctors have patients they can't save, patients they must helplessly look upon as they die before them. That's nothing out of the ordinary for a doctor. The more experienced the doctor, the more mistakes they'll have made at the operating table. Even I, the unparalleled physician that I am, have such cases I cannot bear remembering... but there is a kind of doctor that never slips up, and that has never caused any suffering to their patients for their entire careers."

Pausing for effect, Uncle Xu finished off with a sneering, mocking tone, "And that is a Doctor that does nothing."

Instantly, Shawn's hesitation vanished.

Separation from his Master was just another trial as a Jedi Apprentice, so there was nothing to do but to power on as he saw fit.

When the day came that they were reunited, he would listen to her criticism well.

Translation Notes
a Hey I'm not a geologist but I was under the impression that mountains formed as a consequence of the movement of tectonic plates or volcanoes, neither of which are present on asteroids. Oh whatever

b Of course, in the original text, Uncle Xu actually says a joke. While I understand the literal meaning, what he's actually saying doesn't seem to make a lick of sense, and so I assume there's something I'm just not getting, but on the whole it's a minor line and I don't think omitting it will be terribly disruptive. It is, of course, a bad translation to simply omit it for no greater reason than "I dunno," but I really can't think of a way to make it sound good.

肖恩 - xiāo'ēn - Shawn, Jedi Apprentice
莫斯提马 - mòsītímǎ - Mastema, Jedi Master
李钰 - lǐ yù - Li Yu, Commander of the Silver Knights
白 - bái - Bai, Li Yu’s droid
安平 - ānpíng - An Ping, Captain of the Hongxing Squad
吕楠 - lǚnán - Lü Nan, Hongxing Squad Sniper
许伯 - xǔbó - Uncle Xu, Hongxing Squad Medic
庄原瑛 - zhuāngyuányīng - Zhuang Yuanying, Hongxing Squad Engineer
田路遥 - tiánlùyáo - Silver Knights something-or-other, the one who lost the Xuanming

At any rate,

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Thanks for reading!