Chapter 140: Assault by the Starfleet

The Starfleet announced the eradication of pirates in the vicinity of Earth in the Solar System.

Dawson heard the announcement from the bridge of the Sparrow Hawk.

"Unexpectedly quick to release the statement."

Oine turned her face toward him.

"Unexpected?"

"Yeah. If it were me, I’d wait a little longer after actually eliminating the pirates."

"Isn’t that odd?"

The Starfleet had previously declared the eradication of pirates.

Even if only in Earth’s vicinity, eliminating all pirates should make publicizing the achievement seem natural.

Yet Dawson seemed to think otherwise.

"Pirates are easy to create—just equip one ship with weapons. Eliminating them entirely is not so simple."

"Like those common pests that appear everywhere?"

Even Amato Imperial Japan, where the Star Navy functions properly, has failed to eradicate pirates from the Amato Stellar Arm. How much less likely is it in the Orion Stellar Arm.

Do you mean to say that SU Space Force claims to have eliminated pirates, despite not having done so?

Likely, they did destroy pirate bases and remove many pirates. But there must be some who escaped.

It is impossible that no one in SU Space Force could have predicted something Dawson could easily foresee.

Then why did SU Space Force announce that it had failed?

Two reasons can be considered. The first, as Oine said just now, is to publicize the achievements to residents of the SU Sector, to reduce social unrest.

What is the second?

"Differences in perception. The term 'total annihilation' refers to a thirty percent loss across the entire force or sixty percent in combat units within military contexts. To civilians, it means no survivors at all. Such perceptions likely exist within the SU Space Fleet."

"Could it be that the SU Space Fleet refers to destroying the pirates' base and driving them off broadly as 'eradication'?"

Oine nodded, but uncertainty remained.

"Is that why Dawson said he would delay the announcement? Because it's not the kind of eradication civilians understand?"

"That's right. The content of a declaration should align with the audience's perception. Otherwise, even if the facts are correct, they may be received as incorrect."

In this case, the SU Space Force should have declared it had 'cleared roughly' rather than 'completely eradicated.'

Otherwise, if even a single pirate vessel were spotted in the vicinity of Earth, residents of the SU zone would immediately challenge the claim with 'It wasn't fully cleared.'

And such public sentiment tends to move against authority.

"Space Force may be seen as unreliable. This could become a catalyst for anti-government sentiment."

"Could it be that Dawson is deliberately shaping the situation to reach this outcome?"

"…No. Let it be. Honestly, we lack manpower. We can't afford to expend effort on unnecessary matters."

"The pirate fleet under the Sparrow Hawk is currently waiting at Chicken Ball, as per current status."

Oine's assessment was most accurate, though it did not align with what Dawson intended to convey.

"Now is the time. Soon it will become busier. There will be no extra time or personnel."

"Is that so?"

"I am currently having Goudo contact the pirate bases located beyond Earth's vicinity."

"The pirates are uniting to confront the SU government and the space fleet, correct?"

"The SU government and the space fleet have destroyed the pirate bases they were allied with for years. Now they should understand that there is no room for negotiation between the pirates and the SU space fleet."

The SU space fleet abandoned long-standing pirate allies. It will show no mercy to newer ones.

With this situation, the pirates have no choice but to fight the space fleet for survival.

"Fight they may, but how can they hope to win against 200,000 fleet units, no matter how many they gather?"

Oine's question was logical.

Whether amateur pirates can win against a fleet trained in warfare is questionable.

Even if pirate numbers were greater and the Imperial Navy smaller, victory might be possible. But this time, the Imperial Navy has deployed two hundred thousand vessels. There is no numerical advantage to be had.

Dawson understands this situation clearly. He offers a faint smile.

"Still, one cannot know without trying."

"Such a flexible way of speaking. Or do you believe you could command the pirates to destroy the Imperial Navy?"

"I do not go so far as to boast. I merely dream of it—were the pirates all brave, it would be easier."

Dawson implies that if the pirates followed his instructions, a way to defeat the Imperial Navy would exist.

Yet he simultaneously acknowledges that the pirates are unlikely to obey.

"Even Dawson couldn’t win?"

Winning a battle against the Imperial Navy is nearly impossible. It's the kind of exam question that could be used to harass orphans at the Officer Academy.

Were we given a similar exam?

The exam was slightly more favorable in its conditions.

Higher difficulty than an unreasonable exam suggests near-impossibility.

If victory is unattainable, what then?

Not all ways to achieve the objective involve winning a battle.

The mission assigned to Dawson and the others is to permanently halt SU government actions toward the Amato Star Arm.

Expanding TR-controlled space, consolidating pirate forces, and shifting SU citizens' sentiment toward anti-government. Progress is on schedule.

This doesn't sound much like winning without fighting.

Oine did not understand what Dawson was thinking, but a report arrived that made further inquiry unnecessary.

"SU Space Navy attacked a corporation opposing the government. Reports indicate intense combat with the corporation's defense forces."

"Is that the corporation linked to Chicken Ball or Coaster?"

"No. It appears to be a different corporation, one dominating Earth's near-orbit economy."

"Why was it attacked?"

"Alleged funding of pirate forces has been confirmed."

Dawson allowed a faint smile to form at the corner of his mouth.

"Whether the reason is true or fabricated, they likely want to crush a corporation that interferes with government interests. Now, using pirates as justification will make public backlash less likely."

By claiming to eliminate pirates, they can attack entities linked to piracy and still receive a degree of public understanding.

I thought they might target corporations, but I didn’t expect them to actually do it.

That tone suggests attacking corporations is a poor strategy.

Now the SU Space Force has declared it. Not only pirates, but corporations associated with pirates are also targets. This declaration creates a new enemy force with no benefit to themselves.

Until the Space Force launched its attack, corporations likely had no strong allegiance to either the government or the pirates.

Corporations prioritize protecting their own interests and profits. If the SU government offered favorable conditions, corporations would have severed all ties with pirates entirely.

Reality is the opposite. The military is targeting corporations to eliminate their profits and interests.

Corporations have no choice but to resist the government.

"Coming willingly into a trap like this is deeply appreciated. I didn't expect them to be this foolish. The only pain is having to revise the plan I'd already prepared."

Dawson gave a dry laugh and summoned a spatial projection monitor to rewrite the plan.

The heading on the document read: 'Plan of the Three Stars and the Arm (Provisional).'