Episode 104 Various Intentions

When Dawson returns to the Sparrow Hawk's bridge, Oine faces him with an unexpectedly interested expression.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I just thought it was rather straightforward of you, given your usual demeanor, to hand over the credit so easily."

Dawson understands the meaning immediately.

"Sharp ears. You already know about what happened in the steward's office?"

"Then, what kind of change in mindset is this? The Dawson from Officer Academy days would have rejected the request outright."

Dawson answers from the captain's chair.

"Regardless of intent, they knelt before me and begged. One consideration among others when refusing is still a consideration."

"So you were moved by a beautiful woman kneeling?"

"Hey, rephrase that. Or rather, I didn't decide to hand over credit just because someone knelt. I expected this kind of demand from the start. That was the calculation."

At the Officer Academy, it was common for nobles to seize credit earned by commoners.

A student with such status—once granted formal authority—would not refrain from similar conduct.

Yes, that was Dawson’s thinking.

"So I had planned to transfer credit only in exchange for 'Muralga Hunsa’s speech.'"

"Meaning Dawson’s actions were exactly as planned?"

"Of course I wasn’t going to give it away for free. I intended to secure some benefit in return for the credit—but that part was erased by Ifo’s kneeling."

In Amato Imperial Japan, the act of kneeling with the forehead to the ground is a profoundly solemn ritual. It is considered so weighty that one must seriously consider any request, no matter how insulting or unreasonable, if such a gesture is made. Conversely, those who perform it lightly lose all credibility within Amato Imperial Japan society, making it an impractical gesture despite its potential convenience.

In Ifo’s case, his personality—unwilling to bow lightly—combined with the gravity of the act, forced him to take it with utmost seriousness.

“Given Ifo’s demeanor, one can sense a willingness to sacrifice his life for Goudo. That bow was not performed for personal gain or to score points with the newcomers from Amato Imperial Japan. It was an act born of concern for Goudo.”

“Your loyalty to your master has moved you, Dawson.”

I was always planning to hand it over. I gave it to you easily, in recognition of your impressive bow.

Dawson gestures with a neutral expression. Oine tilts her head after a brief laugh.

"But it's you, Dawson. You wouldn't hand something over without mixing poison into the reward, would you?"

"…Actually, it's poisoned. That achievement was poisoned."

Oine's expression confirms her expectation.

"So what kind of poison is it?"

"They're still allies, after all. The poison I added is mild."

"So, so? What's the point?"

"I simply transferred all credit and responsibility for Muraga Funsar's speech to them. Not exactly a good poison, is it?"

Oine's expression shifts from disbelief to a sly smile.

"I thought as much. But upon reflection, their future looks rather difficult."

The SU government and the Space Force won’t tolerate the Muraga Hunser causing disruption within their controlled sectors. I’ve been watching closely—part of why the war between SU and TR intensified was due to SU Space Force attempting to eliminate Muraga Hunser.

If they’re going to shift blame, then handling SU’s response to that move is their responsibility.

They can say what they want—I’ll deny all knowledge. Once the credit for the speech went to them, I became entirely uninvolved. I don’t know how to respond anymore.

Even so, they’ll come begging without shame or dignity.

If that happens, I can demand repayment in kind. I can extract more than a kneeling submission from Aifo. I gain nothing but profit from this.

That’s not what I’d call a weak poison, though—it seems quite potent.

It won’t bring ruin. It’s thoroughly weak, isn’t it?

Dawson shifts the topic, no longer concerned with the others.

"≪Hamano Onna≫ was destroyed, wasn’t it?"

"Yes. The SU Navy is broadcasting widely about their large-scale assault on the pirate base. They’re showing footage of ≪Hamano Onna≫ being destroyed in detail."

The image Oine presents shows ≪Hamano Onna≫ crumbling under heavy fire from a new SU Navy fleet. Pirate ships attempting to defend the base are destroyed alongside it.

"Seeing footage of a place once lived in being destroyed—doesn’t improve one’s mood."

"≪Hevy Hammer≫ also perished during this engagement."

That’s about right.

Dawson murmured, offering silent tribute to the suffocating Captain.

“How does the SU and TR war feel?”

“Actually, since we broke through, the conflict has cooled significantly. Instead of direct combat, the SU Navy appears to have deployed intelligence vessels into TR territory.”

“Intelligence vessels mean they’re searching for something. Most likely, they’re looking for Muraga Hunsa.”

“If they confirm Muraga Hunsa isn’t inside TR, then the sinking of Hamano Onna would be sufficient. They’d end the war then.”

“The SU government and Navy need personnel to hunt down Muraga Hunsa and to suppress the chaos caused by speeches. Continuing the war isn’t feasible.”

If the SU government and Navy are going to act in this manner, Dawson considers how he should respond.

"My mission is to permanently prevent the SU government from sending移民 to the Amato Stellar Arm. If that is the objective, deliberately increasing chaos within SU space is certainly a viable tactic..."

Dawson thinks. He considers other options. None are feasible due to missing prerequisites.

"If we had a thousand vessels, direct combat with the SU Navy might be possible."

"That is unreasonable."

"I understand. For now, begin analyzing the captured barrier vessel and use the results to start modifying the Escort Battlecruiser."

"Are you comfortable with escalating the chaos?"

"Frankly, I cannot predict how long the chaos will last. If it continues indefinitely, or ends immediately, we should not intervene. If it appears likely to conclude at a moderate duration, we must act—but we have time until that point arrives."

"Monitoring the level of chaos while using the idle time to effectively modify the Escort Battlecruiser, then."

"It's about time we stop calling it the 'Escort Battlecruiser' and that makeshift local repair vessel name. We should change the designation when we begin the modifications. That means we need time to consider a new name."

With a rough plan in place, Dawson began moving again.