Chapter 101: In the Blink of an Eye

Dawson's group had escorted the surrendered SU space forces and the pirates who had escaped from the Hamano Onna to the TR sector.

The surrendered personnel were to be integrated into the TR military, along with their warships. The pirates were to return to the SU sector. Dawson's group also planned to return to Chicken Ball.

But just before departure, an unforeseen event occurred, making movement impossible.

"Sink of the Hamano Onna was expected. But that it would spark an escalation between SU and TR... "

Dawson murmured on the Sparrow Hawk's bridge. Oine, the only other person present, sighed in response. The others were resting in the crew quarters.

The war between SU and TR originally had a restraining aspect—until SU's space fleet sank the Hamano Onna. We assumed the conflict would naturally end after that.

Yet they began a large-scale war anyway. And it was SU's space fleet that initiated the attack.

Dawson and Oine both showed confusion. Their gathered data did not match the reality.

"We don't know SU's internal circumstances. But we can speculate. The cause of the war is likely Bellar's speech."

The poor in SU-controlled space, stirred by Muraga Hunsa's speech, should now harbor resentment toward the government and the space fleet. The fleet likely intends to dispose of personnel and fleets deemed unnecessary through war, before that resentment escalates into rebellion.

If the disposal proceeds as expected, a truce will end the conflict.

The SU space fleet's move to dispose of assets does, after all, stem from fear of rebellion among the poor.

Fear spreads. If rumors circulate that the poor are the current targets of disposal, but that the middle class may become targets next, riots will know no restraint.

In the Orion Arm, artificial intelligence production and use are strictly prohibited. But non-sentient neural units are permitted. Replacing middle-class workers with neural units might render them unnecessary as well.

“Handle the disposal while you still can. After that, behave quietly. That way, though people will forget the heat once it’s past, the memory of Muraga Funsa’s speech will fade from public recollection.”

“The less vivid the memory, the lower the risk of uprising.”

The government’s calculations followed this logic, but it did not resolve how Dawson and the others would return from TR to SU space.

“The options available to us are two. Join the war and assist until its conclusion. Or take leave at TR until the war ends.”

“We’ve already worked thoroughly on the Hamano Onna. Isn’t leave sufficient?”

“I agree. But we lack the means to sustain it.”

“The issuer of the piracy exemption is TR. Can’t we use the pirate credit?”

Convertible to TR's electronic currency, but the exchange rate is extremely unfavorable...

For example, one credit unit buys one loaf of bread at a pirate base. In TR, four units are required to buy the same loaf.

Priced at four times the original, Dawson, despite earning significant credits from pirate work, finds expenditures increasingly burdensome.

"Use it without hesitation if necessary, but spending all credits during leave is problematic."

"Pirate work is impossible within TR. Still, why is the exchange rate so extreme?"

"Likely to steer pirates toward working within SU. If using pirate credits, one can purchase far more goods at a pirate base in SU than within TR."

"In practice, pirate bases have lower prices, so it's natural they would choose that route."

"Even if pirates hold privateering licenses from TR, they are still criminals at heart. TR cannot afford to keep them hidden indefinitely. That's why they set an unfavorable exchange rate for credits, to discourage settlement."

"But if the exchange rate is simply poor, wouldn't those who earn large amounts of credits still be able to live comfortably in TR?"

"Those with such skill would be welcomed, wouldn't they?"

"Why is that?"

"To recruit them into the military. They would be more than sufficient for guerrilla operations."

Dawson, too, would not mind having a pirate of such caliber under his command.

And Oine smiles at Dawson.

"If that's the case, Dawson fits the criteria perfectly. Leading a fleet of captured SU vessels, he's essentially the main figure of a major pirate armada."

"Wait a minute. I don't intend to serve under either of you."

"Isn't it better to split the gains? That way, the pirate credits and TR funds increase."

"Even if pirate credits and TR funds grow, it won't make up for the delay at the Amato Imperial Japan orphanage. Not necessary."

"That consistency of yours is clear, Dawson."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Your concern for the orphanage where you were raised."

"That's a misunderstanding. I'm simply repaying a debt. I'm passing on the favor I received to the younger orphans."

Dawson delivered a self-deprecating assessment, then signaled with a gesture to return to the previous topic.

Regardless, I have no intention of joining the conflict between SU and TR, but I also cannot afford to waste credits by delaying unnecessarily. Furthermore, I am concerned about the situation with Chicken Ball, and I would like to observe firsthand the effect of Muraga Funsar’s speech in SU. What should be done, then?

“That’s true—look, signs of change have appeared, Dawson.”

Oine manipulated the system, and a spatial projection monitor materialized before Dawson.

The monitor displayed a communication interface, with the recipient’s name listed as ‘TR Military Personnel Recruitment Office.’