Investigation Committee 1

It was decided that an investigation committee would be held by the Free Merchant Ship Association, and Shinosuke was invited to serve as one of the committee members.

To be honest, Shinosuke considered declining the invitation, but since the rules clearly stated that invitations could not be refused unless there was a very serious reason, he reluctantly accepted and agreed to attend.

On the day the inquiry committee was convened, Shinosuke arrived at the Merchant Marine Association at the designated time and was led by Lina to a separate room, where he was informed he would have to wait until the inquiry began.

"Ah, so you're the other one selected?"

A young woman in a red captain's uniform greeted Shinosuke upon his entry into the waiting room.

It was Ira, Unit 1428M, who had previously spoken to Shinosuke.

"Ah, right. You're Ira, Unit 1428M, correct?"

"Just call me Ira. Our country's name is a bit complicated, isn't it? It's easier just to call me Ira....Actually, you remembered me well, even after just one meeting."

"Well, I do have a bit of confidence in my memory..."

(I can't say I remembered her because I was curious about her age.)

Unexpected reunion. The other free merchant invited to this inquiry committee was none other than Ira.

"You were just a rookie, weren't you? Yet you hold a C-rank certification. Getting thrown into something like this right away must be quite the hassle."

"Well, I couldn't really refuse."

"I suppose. There aren't many guards with C-rank or higher qualifications, so it's unavoidable."

Ira chuckles and tosses the coffee bottle prepared in the waiting room toward her.

Shin nosuke thought the synthetic fruit tea beside him would have been better, but it wasn't worth the trouble to switch it.

"I was suddenly summoned, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. Do you know, Ira?"

"Yes, it's not complicated at all. The inquiry committee is led by union officials, so you just need to listen to the inquiry details and then judge whether the person being investigated acted appropriately. The union will decide any subsequent disciplinary actions."

According to Ayla's explanation, the role of the independent merchant who joined the inquiry committee was similar to that of a jury in a trial—judging whether the actions of the person under investigation were appropriate or not.

They would decide guilt or innocence, but not determine sentencing.

As she explained, it was time for the inquiry committee meeting to begin, and the two were guided to the conference room of the shipping association, which served as the venue.

Upon entering the venue, the front area was set aside for the inquiry committee members, with the chairman of the inquiry committee— a senior official from the shipping association—seated in the center.

Other committee members were seated to the left and right of the chairman; however, this time, the legal advisor and two other association staff members serving as third-party observers were seated to the chairman’s left.

This time, the shipping association had selected Rina and one male administrative staff member.

Meanwhile, the two free merchants, Shinosuke and Ira, were escorted to seats on the chairman’s right.

To the left of the inquiry committee members sat Glen and his associates, the complainants.

Opposite Glen, on the right side of the inquiry committee, were the free merchant Walter Daniels, who was being questioned, and further away, union staff member Iris Steyer and her superior.

This time, the defense attorney for the party being questioned was not present.

The inquiry committee began promptly, starting with Glen and others' accounts of their damages.

We were looking for security personnel to guard our mining operation, but couldn't find any familiar security ship crew members. So, through an intermediary at the reception desk, we hired Walter, who was stationed there. Just as our mining operation was nearing completion, we were attacked by space pirates. However, Walter abandoned his post and fled, leaving us behind. Forced to survive, we had no choice but to jettison the 80 tons of rare metals we had just mined and hand them over to the pirates. This clearly violates the rules of security ship operations.

Following Glen's explanation, Merisa, who had been in charge of communications and radar operations aboard the Seeker Eye at the time, added further details.

"At that moment, I detected multiple pirate ships right at the edge of the Seeker Eye's radar detection range. I reported this to Captain Walter's escort vessel, but Captain Walter took no defensive measures whatsoever and rapidly fled in the opposite direction from the pirate ships."

Glen's testimony was clearly supported by the various navigation data from Big Bear and Seeker Eye.

Next, Iris, the union employee who had mediated the transaction, was given an opportunity to defend herself.

Iris was a young, third-year union employee.

I was asked by Mr. Glen to mediate a contract with a sailor who had experience on escort vessels, since the familiar sailor couldn't be secured. As no specific rank qualifications were specified, I introduced Mr. Walter, who had just registered with the merchant seamen's union, and facilitated the contract after both parties agreed. I did not anticipate this outcome at the time of the agreement.

Iris's superior provided a similar explanation, noting that Iris's claims also matched the contract data and security camera footage from the reception counter, and no major issues were acknowledged.

Finally, it was the free merchant Walter's turn to present his defense.

Walter was a freelance merchant who had previously served as a crew member on a guard ship. Having acquired the necessary experience for independence, he had recently purchased an older escort vessel based on a small cargo ship and established his independence. This mission was his first escort assignment as a solo operator.

I didn’t abandon my escort target. When attacked by a pirate vessel equipped with such a powerful beam cannon, I judged it was too risky to continue and immediately signaled Big Bear and Sea-King Eye to disengage. I intended to disengage while still escorting both ships, but for some reason they became separated. After that, my vessel suffered engine trouble, making it impossible to search for Big Bear and the others, so I had no choice but to return. Apparently, my signal to disengage never reached them—most likely due to communication issues on my ship. I accept responsibility for that failure.

Walter attempts to defend himself, but the navigation data and communication records from Walter's escort vessel were somehow damaged or erased for unknown reasons, leaving no objective evidence. Furthermore, subsequent inspections revealed no abnormalities in the escort vessel's engine or other systems.

In addition to the statements from the parties involved, questioning by the inquiry committee chair and the union's legal counsel was conducted, and necessary information for the inquiry was largely gathered.

Finally, it's Shinosuke and Ira's turn to speak, as free merchants with escort vessel operational qualifications, offering their assessment on Walter and Iris's actions.

"Commissioner Ira 1428M, what is your verdict?"

The inquiry committee chair prompts Ira to speak.

"As for that Walter fellow over there, my judgment is negative. He's completely unfit to be an escort vessel crew member. I don't want someone like him pretending to be an escort vessel operator."

"I see. Then, what is your assessment regarding the union staff member, Iris Steyer?"

"That one is acceptable. I doubt even a receptionist could discern the qualities of a destroyer crew member. As long as there are no flaws in the contract procedures, it's not a matter of staff responsibility."

"Then, your decision is negative regarding Walter Daniels, and positive regarding Iris Steyer?"

"Yes, that's correct."

The inquiry committee chair nodded in agreement with Iris's judgment, then turned to Shinnosuke.

"Mr. Shinnosuke Kasimura, we'd like to hear your opinion."

Prompted, Shinnosuke spoke.

"Before I state my judgment, I'd like to ask Mr. Glen and the others something. When your ship was attacked by the pirate vessel, how many times did the pirates fire their cannons?"

Mellisa answered Shinnosuke's question.

"Just once. The pirate ship chased us, tormenting us as we fled, but we were hit by cannonfire only once. It was a deliberate miss—intimidation—but the beam cannon was powerful nonetheless."

Shinnosuke nodded in response to Mellisa's answer.

I have one question: Glen and his team were hit by the beam cannon only once, and that was after Walter's escort ship had already withdrawn. How could Walter, who had already left the scene, have known that the pirate ship was equipped with a powerful beam cannon? The data submitted by Glen and his team was supposed to have remained confidential until today.

...

Walter closes his mouth in response to Shinosuke's question.

"Well, it's fine if you don't answer. Interrogation isn't my job. To conclude, my judgment on Captain Walter's actions is the same as Ira's—no. Even if it was an act of self-defense, he failed to fulfill a single duty or rule expected of a护卫 ship. I conclude that this demonstrates a serious lack of suitability as a护卫 ship operations qualified personnel. Furthermore, I believe the various data that have been erased, along with the unnatural aspects of Captain Walter's testimony, should be reported to investigative agencies such as the Coast Guard."

"Understood. Then, what is your assessment regarding Iris Steyer?"

After the chairman's words, Shinosuke spoke after a brief pause.

"My verdict on the actions of union employee Iris Steyer is also no."

Everyone present at the scene seemed to have doubted their ears upon hearing Shinosuke's statement.