Episode 55: Quiet Homecoming

Dawson left the Chicken Ball and set course for Amato Imperial Japan with only the Heavy Jaw vessel.

First toward the galactic center, then to a point between the Orion Arm and the Amato Arm where hyperlane warp could bridge the long distance.

From there, they would jump into the Amato Arm and proceed toward Amato Imperial Japan.

"A place like Chicken Ball could have been established in SU space, so it'd be easier if we could jump all the way there in one leap."

"SU Navy ships have jumped across arms. If we examine the SU vessels that have reached the Amato Arm, we might find the technology to do it."

"Maybe. If such a convenient technology existed, they wouldn't have ignored it."

Dawson passed the time during the rare long-distance journey by conversing with Oine, progressing smoothly through the itinerary.

At last arriving at the home planet of Amato Imperial Japan, a communication arrived under the name of the rear operations room.

‘You are to dock at Dock Four of the space station ‘Wagoyama,’ it says.’

‘The same dock used when building the ‘Mandible.’ This ship is coming home.’

Dawson docked the Mandible at Dock Four as instructed.

The dock’s arm secured the Mandible. The bulkhead connecting to open space sealed shut, followed by the injection of air into the dock.

Waiting for the air to fill, Dawson stepped out of the Mandible’s hatch into the open. The dock was in a microgravity state, so he floated through the air toward the control room door.

Inside the control room, a junior officer—Himena Ogetsu, Technical Sergeant—waited, identical to the one who had built the Mandible.

"About a year, Lieutenant Dawson."

Himena's words came with a salute. Dawson raised one eyebrow in surprise.

"Still months before a full year has passed. And lieutenant? That's what you're calling me?"

"Details don't matter. Here, this is the promotion order."

Dawson took the paper. The text stated clearly the order of promotion. The issuing authority was Gouma Ejima, Head of the Rear Operations Office.

The stated reason for promotion was the solo mission in the SU-controlled space sector and the successful prevention of this year's SU Space Fleet invasion of the Amato Arm.

"Occupation of Chicken Ball was not considered in the evaluation."

Himena smiles faintly at Dawson’s muttered remark.

“Not at all, Special Lieutenant Dawson. You’re overworking yourself. The two evaluations written on that paper are more than sufficient for promotion to Lieutenant. The assessment regarding the occupation of the pirate base will be recorded as your promotion justification at the next review.”

“Just two evaluations? Promotion to Lieutenant? That’s too lenient.”

“Well, solo missions carry high risk, so evaluations naturally reflect that. Especially when operating far from the Amato Arm, with no reliable support from headquarters. Achieving such positive evaluations is entirely expected.”

“Is that how it works?”

Dawson, uninterested in promotion, fails to grasp the explanation.

Still, it made sense to accept what was offered, so Dawson accepted the Special Lieutenant order with gratitude.

“Was I recalled just to receive this order?”

Himenah responded with a look of exasperation.

“That’s not how it works. The Eijima Director issued instructions to assign me a new ship.”

“A new vessel? I was already grateful just to receive ten thousand Engineer Robots to suppress the pirate base.”

Dawson worded the question indirectly, asking if the budget was sufficient. Himenah puffed her chest proudly in reply.

"Securing a base within the SU-controlled sector constitutes a major achievement for the Amato Stellar Navy. An order has been issued from above, instructing that special privileges be granted to the Special Lieutenant in charge. Therefore, if it concerns the Special Lieutenant specifically, the budget is unrestricted."

"...That sounds like you're saying you want to use my presence."

"Y-yes, no, of course not. Well, I suppose I have been thinking about building a rather ambitious vessel—just a little bit."

Dawson narrowed his eyes. Himenah began explaining, deflecting the question.

"The battleship designated for delivery to Special Lieutenant Dawson is this one."

On the spatial projection monitor, a vessel resembling a battleship appeared, rendered in blueprints and three-dimensional imagery.

Two Heavy Cannons mounted forward, one aft. Dozens of gun emplacements. The bow section even capable of launching space torpedoes.

Dawson thought this was impressive—then noticed something was wrong.

Upon closer inspection, the turrets were unusually large. Compared to the ship itself, they appeared as if carrying fortress-class artillery.

Dawson reviewed the blueprints, suspecting a design error. Then he noticed an inconsistency in the vessel’s overall length.

“Huh. Isn’t this ship unusually small for a Battleship?”

His reaction was understandable.

The ship’s length, as shown in the blueprints, clearly matched only an Orbit Patrol Cruiser. Only because the vessel was so small did the turret size appear disproportionately massive.

While Dawson’s doubts grew, Himena began the presentation with confidence.

“This new battleship’s concept is to make a high-speed battleship more compact and operable by fewer personnel. We’re tentatively calling it the ‘Little Battleship’ or ‘Pocket Battleship.’”

“…The concept itself is understandable. Smaller hulls reduce construction costs. Fewer crew members make deployment easier.”

Dawson offered cautious approval but remained skeptical about the core issue.

“Can a battleship like this actually be used in combat?”

“Of course. Using insights from Special Lieutenant’s vessel, the *Mandible*, we minimized crew living space. As a result, armor thickness, ship speed, gun power, and generator output are all on par with standard battleships.”

Dawson felt a headache coming on as he spoke, pointing at the small living quarters shown in the blueprints.

"Living space at minimum required levels—serious? The *Mandible* was operated by me alone. If I had no complaints, that design was sufficient. But this 'small battleship' requires crew beyond me. Lack of personal space due to cramped living conditions causes stress among crew."

"Indeed. Nobles raised in comfortable environments might go bald from stress in such tight quarters."

"...This isn't a joke."

"Rest assured. Crew numbers are low. Even with limited space, five crew cabins are allocated, one for each member."

The blueprints showed five crew cabins in addition to the captain's quarters. No other sleeping or resting areas existed.

"Only one mess hall? No, is the battleship designed to be operated by six people including the captain?"

"What are you saying? The minimum operational crew is three. The five cabins include shift personnel."

"Three people? That's too few."

"That's acceptable. The design incorporates artificial intelligence extensively!"

Dawson pressed his hands to his head. He had expected as much.

"Using artificial intelligence extensively in ship operations. That limits the crew further."

"Fewer people object to following artificial intelligence directives in Amato Imperial Japan. Most accept it."

"Look. If only those who can tolerate limited personal space and live with artificial intelligence are eligible, then the 'small battleship' is no more versatile than a specialized unit."

What is most required of military equipment is universal usability across all personnel.

Equipment that only a few can use, causing difficulty for the majority, is nothing but defective.

Dawson argued this point, but Hime na disagreed.

"The battleship itself has exceptional versatility. It uses a high number of standardized shared components. By employing numerous artificial intelligences, even inexperienced personnel can become operational crew members immediately—this is a significant advantage in personnel deployment. All that remains is for crew members to adapt their bodies to the uniform."

Dawson scratched his head, reacting to the statement that people should simply adapt to cramped living conditions.

"That's not something to be praised. The fact that uniform sizes cannot be finely varied is not a positive trait."

"But isn't that exactly what trainees are told first during drills?"

Assigning design flaws to subordinates is not acceptable.

It is not a flaw. It is a specification.

Dawson decided to yield to Himena’s unyielding stance.

His comments had been made solely for the sake of other crew members.

Dawson had lived in a large dormitory with many orphans during his time in an orphanage. He was accustomed to limited personal space. He had also lived in the cramped quarters of the Battleship Mandible. Therefore, Dawson considered himself capable of living comfortably in the narrow living space of the 'Tiny Battleship' design.

If living space cannot be expanded, at least assign personnel who feel the uniform is large.

Of course. Personnel who are unbothered by confined spaces, possess high mental resilience, and remain loyal to duty will be selected for assignment.

—You’re really asking me to trust this. If someone loses mental stability from the cramped living conditions, it’ll be impossible to evacuate them back to the home base.

Whether or not Hime na truly understood Dawson’s concern, she placed a hand over her chest and said, “Leave it to me.”