Episode 28: Negotiation

Dawson returned to Chicken Ball and immediately acquired the Charged Particle Beam barrel and firing mechanism from the captured Orbit Patrol Cruiser. He selected the spare set stored aboard for repairs.

The preparations for upgrading the Heavy Jaw were complete. Dawson hesitated.

"The issue is how to modify the Heavy Jaw. It would be simple to say we replace the destroyer-grade components with those from an Orbit Patrol Cruiser..."

"Chicken Ball's dock facilities could handle the modification. The issue is we cannot casually entrust the work to outsiders. We cannot trust them. There is also the risk our identity would be exposed."

"In that case, it might be better to simply repair the captured Orbit Patrol Cruiser and use it."

A message has come through regarding the Orbit Patrol Cruiser. The sender identifies themselves as the steward of Chicken Ball.

Oine displays the message on the physical monitor.

The sender is designated General Kernel. The message requests the sale of the captured Orbit Patrol Cruiser. The purchase price is set at a substantial amount. A typical pirate would accept such an offer without hesitation.

Dawson considers the matter carefully. He decides to sell.

"Are you certain, Dawson?"

"Affirmative. I have the Big Jaw already. I do not need an Orbit Patrol Cruiser. Besides, I am curious about what they will do with it after purchase. Will they use it for their own operations? Will they assign it exclusively to Chicken Ball's escort duties? Or will they find some other use I have not yet imagined? That uncertainty is what makes it interesting."

Replying to the decision to sell the Orbit Patrol Cruiser, a new message arrived immediately from General Kernel.

“Hmm. ‘Quick decision, thank you. And again, my apologies for another request. Would you consider selling the blueprints for the new weapon, modified from the fighter created by Battleship? If you would sell them, the price—’ Ah, ah.”

Dawson grimaced at the considerable price.

“What do you think, Oine?”

“Since we made it exclusively with items acquired by Chicken Ball, I believe selling the blueprints is acceptable. Besides, mounting the Orbit Patrol Cruiser’s barrel on Battleship would make it superfluous.”

“Depending on how it’s used, that kamikaze fighter could still be effective against heavy cruisers or battleships.”

“Do you really believe it would be effective against vessels capable of deploying fire curtains superior to those of an Orbit Patrol Cruiser?”

It would work if we could transport the ship to within effective range—though the thought of doing so makes me shudder.

Honestly, Dawson had been prepared to die even against an Orbit Patrol Cruiser. He had once attempted the reckless maneuver of closing in while barely avoiding the beam fire of the *Mandible*.

Considering the barrage that would come from a vessel superior to an Orbit Patrol Cruiser, the idea of facing a heavy cruiser or battleship seemed far from practical.

"In that case, I’ll sell the blueprints."

"But not immediately. Let’s hold off just a little."

"What’s the intention behind that?"

"If we can secure assurances that the modifications to the *Mandible* won’t be visible to other pirates, that would be ideal."

"Given that the opponent is the administrator of *Chicken Ball*, I assume they have that kind of authority."

To us, the kamikaze unit is merely a makeshift weapon. To other pirates, however, it is a weapon capable of destroying an Orbit Patrol Cruiser, depending on deployment. Selling blueprints that appear to be a prized ace in the hole—such a request should reasonably allow for附加 conditions.

Following Oine’s advice, Dawson acknowledged the sale of the kamikaze unit in his reply, while appearing hesitant, and appended a request regarding modifications to the *Mandible*.

General Kernel seemed to highly value the kamikaze unit, immediately confirming the requested adjustments.

“Insisting on no one being allowed near the vessel, and guaranteeing free use of port and facilities within a set number of days—then double-checking, ‘If no one else sees, we cannot provide workers, but that is acceptable, correct?’—this level of precision suggests considerable skill.”

‘You’re saying I have to retrofit it myself within a short time span. That would normally be problematic. Normally, it would be.’

‘Fortunately, I know how to proceed. If I operate the port facility and Oine handles the repair robot, the workload should not be excessive.’

Dawson accepted the terms and sold the kamikaze aircraft blueprints to General Kernel.

‘Now then, let us begin the retrofitting of the Heavy Jaw.’

‘The work schedule has already been prepared. Following this plan, the task should be completed within the free usage period.’

Dawson took Oine’s work schedule and moved the operation site from the Heavy Jaw to the port facility.

He activated the Work Machine and began the retrofitting immediately.

The underside of the Heavy Jaw is a housing for the cannon barrel. Disconnecting specific connectors allows it to be removed easily.

After removing the housing, the barrel comes next.

"Dawson. Is the internal connection disengaged?"

"Repair robots are working hard, but we need a little more time. Until the work finishes, Dawson, please handle the requisition."

"Replacing the barrel with an Orbit Patrol Cruiser variant will make the housing tight. That's why we need the expansion materials."

After Dawson completed the requisition, the fasteners connecting the Heavy Jaw's interior to the barrel were fully released.

The barrel was removed. The area where the barrel was mounted was dismantled according to procedure. The Charged Particle Beam's firing mechanism inside the hull also needed to be replaced.

The mechanism replacement is mandatory, but there should still be sufficient internal space, correct?

The Orbit Patrol Cruiser's components are larger than those for destroyers—approximately twenty percent more. With that margin, it's not impossible to manage.

My design had no surplus space.

Dawson's design relies entirely on software, so it cannot accommodate non-standard components. But with the assistance of artificial intelligence, we could still create a surplus of one or two units if needed.

That's right. There was a time when there was no space on the bridge, yet we managed to fit in the complete AI system—Oine. That was the work of the port's artificial intelligence.

Precisely. But increasing the barrel size beyond this point would require far more than a simple modification. It would necessitate a complete rebuild of the vessel.

"This modification is the limit for the Orca-class. Make sure to remember that."

While speaking, the lower hull of the Orca-class completed disassembly, and the charged particle beam apparatus was being removed.

The destroyer-type charged particle beam was placed together at the edge of the port facility, then the installation was switched to the orbit patrol cruiser type.

First, the apparatus including the launch mechanism was brought in.

"Dawson, are you ready? You can't just insert it normally. Pay attention to orientation and angle during the procedure."

"Fine details in the instructions. What, tilt it fifteen degrees to the right during insertion, then rotate one thirty-sixth of a turn to the left while returning the angle?"

"In a confined space, these adjustments are mandatory. Otherwise, it won't fit. If you make a mistake, either the ship or the apparatus will be damaged."

Don’t apply pressure. The procedure will go off track.

Dawson moved the Work Machine slowly, carefully advancing the operation.

Hey. Can’t I leave this part to Oine? Can’t you hack it?

It’s not impossible, but leaving traces that might raise suspicion is not recommended.

If you’re worried about it showing up in the facility’s work log, just erase it.

Erasing it leaves evidence of deletion. And no human could perform such a swift operation as an artificial intelligence would. That would still seem suspicious.

So the best approach to keep my identity concealed is to do it myself.

'That said, I’ve already hacked and taken control of SU destroyers and orbit patrol cruisers. So it’s reasonable to assume they know a hacking program exists on the <>.'

'…Then it shouldn’t matter, should it?'

'Hacking ships and hacking port facilities are different in the SU-controlled space. There’s no artificial intelligence here, so only dedicated neural programs can run.'

'Even if they suspect a ship-hacking tool exists, they don’t believe we have a port-hacking tool. If they find out we can hack both, they’ll start questioning how we’re doing it.'

'In short, I don’t think anyone in the SU-controlled space would jump to the conclusion that we have artificial intelligence. But better safe than sorry.'

Dawson and Oine continued the改造 of the <> while exchanging casual remarks.