Episode 10: Bountiful Catch

Star Arm Nebula (Main Road), Space Union (SU).

Dawson obtained operational data for every vessel passing through.

Using that information, he began targeting cargo transport ships carrying cocoons.

The method was straightforward.

He fired the Charged Particle Beam, mounted on the destroyer known as the <>, at the nose of each transport ship, and threatened to sink it unless two cocoons were surrendered.

Nearly all transport ships accepted the demand, reasoning that two cocoons were sufficient for safety.

It was, in effect, an open hunt.

Dawson collected two cocoons from each ship, sold them to the pirate mothership Hamano Onna, and proceeded to attack another transport ship.

A truly effortless profit.

Yet someone might question this course of action here.

Why don’t other pirates copy Dawson’s method—more precisely, why didn’t past pirates think of what Dawson is doing?

The answer lies solely in Dawson’s actions within the Star Arm Nebula.

The Star Arm Nebula is the primary route in the Orion Arm.

As it is designated as primary, warships from the SU military constantly patrol the route.

Even if a ship is attacked, sending an emergency signal ensures an SU warship arrives within thirty minutes, regardless of delay.

Thirty minutes is a severe time limit for pirates to board a ship, seize supplies, and escape via spatial jump.

There is also the fact that escaping at the very edge of that thirty-minute window makes actual escape unlikely.

Every warship carries a warp tracker, a device that makes identifying a jump destination easier the greater the mass of the vessel that performed the jump.

The more supplies they seized from ships, the less able they were to evade the tracking device.

Once supplemented by a warship, a pirate vessel—its paper-thin armor barely distinguishable from a civilian craft—would be destroyed with a single strike.

Thirty-minute time limit, spatial jump tracking device, and warship destructive capacity.

The three form a barrier. No other pirates conduct raids in the Star Arm Nebula.

However, Dawson had breached the three walls by possessing a vessel with a specialized structure known as the <>.

The Main Cannon of the destroyer serves as a high-impact threat, forcing the transport vessel to release the cocoon promptly. This clears the time constraint.

The <> is a small vessel. The cargo it carries consists of only two cocoons, resulting in minimal total mass. Such low mass prevents tracking devices from accurately determining the jump destination.

Without supplementary support, the S.U. warship is functionally nonexistent. The <>, capable of immediate jump concealment, requires no fear.

Having breached the three walls, ships traveling through the Star Arm Nebula become a rich source of prey.

The Star Arm Nebula is considered safe, so no escorts are assigned. Meanwhile, ultra-large vessels that cannot pass through the Interstellar Side Route (Subroad) travel through it in large numbers.

Even within the range where the pirate mothership Hamano Onna can operate in a single day, cargo vessels of all sizes are numerous enough that finding prey is never a problem.

The more actively Dawson conducts piracy, the more rapidly the balance in the account linked to his privateering license increases.

Yet Dawson showed little interest in the account balance.

That was expected. Dawson was attacking merchant vessels solely because it was a military order from his home nation, aiming to disrupt the SU economic zone.

The money gained from piracy was merely incidental to carrying out the order.

Attacking supply transport vessels day after day was only a preparatory step for the next phase.

Dawson had concluded ten days of intensive pursuit. He secured the Viper to the dock of the pirate mothership Hamano Onna and began genuine rest—sleeping in the cramped captain’s cabin, stocked with necessities, on its bed.

After obtaining sufficient rest, he mechanically consumed the complete-nutrition meal prepared by the automated cooker when a report arrived from Oine.

‘Dawson, may I speak? The pirates are requesting communication.’

‘They’ve come. What kind of pirates?’

‘Please wait—I am cross-referencing with Hamano Onna’s database—found it. New recruit, same as Dawson. Vessel registered: one Gold Rush, a small asteroid mining ship fitted with two combat lasers. Crew count: five.’

‘Understood. Receive the communication on the bridge.’

Dawson moves from the captain's cabin to the bridge. He dons a black-and-white mask. He gestures sharply at Oine, signaling to establish communication.

The physical monitor activates immediately. A middle-aged man with a forced smile appears on screen.

"This is Captain Dawson of the *Big Jaw*. What is it?"

Dawson speaks without preamble. The middle-aged man on the monitor continues smiling as he replies.

"Heh heh heh. Captain Dawson. You've been doing well lately, haven't you? Thought I'd reach out and take a share while the chance is here."

"Share, huh. Be more direct. You want a piece of my work."

Dawson speaks bluntly. A crease forms between the man's brows.

"Aha ha ha. No, no, no. A share? That's not it at all."

"Do not misunderstand. I am not saying this is bad. Honestly, if you assist with the work, I would welcome the help."

'What?'

"My is not carrying capacity. It cannot handle two cocoons. That is a negligible amount. If you carry the load, I will pay you accordingly. I will also cover any missing equipment. If you lack funds, I will arrange it as a debt."

'You're serious?!'

"Having incomplete equipment is not an excuse to slow me down. This is a necessary investment to ensure the pirate operation runs smoothly. You will repay the debt through labor. If you intend to default, be prepared to become dust in the void."

Dawson's cold words make the middle-aged man swallow hard.

Heh heh heh. I won’t default on debt. If you’re willing to hand over money like that, it means I can earn more than the debt. Once I pay it off, the rest is just savings. That kind of deal, I wouldn’t throw away for a little cash.

Good. You understand. I’ll add the missing equipment to your ship, then start work. Understood?

Yes, sir. This vessel—Gold Rush is a mining ship. I’m confident in its cargo capacity. If you need help carrying loads, leave it to me.

Dawson gave a vague nod and ended the transmission.

“Oine. Pull up the detailed data on the Gold Rush. I want to know what equipment we’ll need beyond the energy refilling unit.”

I expected you’d say that. Here’s the data.

The first impression of the ship on the physical monitor was a long, straight-legged shrimp.

At the head, a single broken mining drill appeared as a short, thick antenna. From the base of the hull, two long robotic arms for mineral collection extended forward. The entire slender body was cargo space. Below the body, multi-legged appendages functioned as grippers for carrying large stone fragments. At the rear, a flat, tail-like thruster was mounted.

The ship’s armor was pitted and dented in places, as if repeatedly struck by small meteorites during mining operations. The two small heat-ray cannons mounted on the top of the head seemed designed solely to conceal two dents—one could almost believe that explanation.

“This meager shrimp is the Gold Rush? The name is severely underwhelming.”

"Thermal cannon and propulsion output are at minimum. With such equipment, piracy shouldn't be feasible—yet they've survived by hauling cargo for other pirates, or mining asteroids near Hamano Onna."

"Probably their drill head broke, making mining impossible. Even as a cargo hauler, their equipment is too weak, so other pirates avoid them. Cornered, they reached out to me."

"Survived piracy with this vessel, and noticed Dawson in a crisis. Not without discernment, then."

Even with discernment, a vessel this frail won't do. If accompanying the *Mandible*, replacement of the propulsion unit and addition of an energy refill system are mandatory. Removal of the deadweight drill is also required. Refitting and equipment acquisition aboard the pirate mothership will cost a significant amount.

The Hamano Woman's dock handles basic modifications. Pay extra, and robotic arms will assist with the work. Of course, since it's extravehicular, quality and safety are as you might expect.

"Prepare the procedure in advance to shorten the work duration."

With that, Dawson added the new cargo hauler, *Gold Rush*, to his crew and dedicated himself to piracy targeting cargo transports.