Chapter 6

This is the second update of the day.

Those who haven't read the previous chapter, please be cautious.

Dawson entered the dry dock, swam through the zero-gravity space, and docked on the outer hull of his ship.

Typically, the entry and exit of a small spacecraft is located in the middle, but the *Mandibula* had its rear half filled with propulsion systems and generators. Therefore, the entry and exit were placed near the bow—around the gill area behind the eyes, if the ship were a sea bream.

Using a physical key for electronic authentication, Dawson opened the entry and entered the ship. The corridor inside was also in zero gravity because there was no space for an artificial gravity generator.

The corridor led straight to the owner's quarters, while a complex network of passages extended toward the stern.

The areas accessible to the crew were limited to the bridge and the captain's cabin toward the bow. Conversely, toward the stern were the propulsion systems, generators, and related transmission systems, which required frequent maintenance.

At regular intervals along the corridor, there were spaces about the size of a hardcover book in one of the four corners. These were where the ship's repair robots' pathways intersected with the corridor, allowing the robots to emerge and perform repairs when necessary.

Dawson kicked off the corridor wall and headed toward the bow. He passed by the captain's cabin and entered the bridge.

When he opened the bridge's wall, a large metal chair with a backrest and a cluster of physical monitors surrounding it came into view. Walking through the room where artificial gravity was in effect, he circled around the chair and sat down. The cushion seemed to have been replaced with a better one than what he had specified, providing a soft and comfortable support that wouldn't cause pain even after long periods of sitting.

As he was testing the seating comfort, a high-pitched voice echoed through the bridge.

"Welcome! To the privateer *Mandibula*! Welcome, Lieutenant Dawson Ida! No, Captain Dawson!"

The high-pitched female voice, which felt like a punch to the head through the eardrums, made Dawson instinctively cover one ear and protest.

"Who are you? You're so noisy!"

"Who do you think I am? That's mean! I'm the control and communication AI for Captain Dawson, with the default name *Omoikane*!"

"You're the AI I was told about. I heard about the control part, but what do you mean by communication?"

"Since this ship is designed for a single person, the law requires a conversational AI to maintain the captain's mental health. So, the communication program was installed in the ship's control AI, *Omoikane*. How about it? I'm set to the perfect personality and voice for the captain. Isn't that great?"

"Are you saying this ear-piercing anime voice and this annoyingly persistent tone are perfect for me? Isn't that a misdiagnosis?"

"Based on the data from your time at the academy, there's no mistake!"

Dawson, feeling somewhat exasperated, began to understand the reasoning behind the diagnosis.

Dawson was a person who didn't mind being alone. Even in the orphanage, he had created a secret base in a building gap and enjoyed spending time there alone.

Because he didn't mind being alone, he didn't feel the need to engage in unnecessary conversations with others.

For someone like that, it would be necessary to have a high-pitched voice that couldn't be ignored and a personality that would become increasingly annoying if not responded to.

In other words, the AI's voice and personality were the result of an accurate diagnosis.

Dawson sighed, roughly understanding the situation.

"Alright, I get it. Can you lower your volume a bit? In such a small bridge, there's no need for such a loud voice. And call me Dawson, not Captain. It's just you and me on this ship. We should be more relaxed."

"Is that so? If that's the case, I'll take your word for it, Dawson. Oh, it's great to have a captain who understands. *Omoikane* is happy!"

"Since you're happy, how about we change your name? How about 'Oine,' taking the first, middle, and last characters of your name?"

To Dawson, it was a joke, a placeholder name, but the AI was delighted.

"Oine, huh? I like it! I'll be Oine from now on!"

"…I suggested it, but are you sure? I can change it to something else if you want."

"No, this is perfect. It's old-fashioned yet endearing. I can't imagine any other name!"

"Well, if you're happy with it, that's fine."

Dawson felt a bit uneasy but decided to focus on the mission.

"So, we'll be escaping from the Amato Arm and heading to the TR sector in the Orion Arm. Do you have the route figured out?"

"Of course. The TR sector is one-quarter of the way from the galactic center in the Orion Arm. So, our ship will travel through the Amato Arm toward the galactic center, perform a long-distance jump from the frontier point, and enter the Orion Arm. This way, we can reach TR safely without entering the SU territory."

"I understand the route. What concerns me is the language in the Orion Arm. Unfortunately, I don't know what language they speak. Will it be a problem?"

"Both the SU and TR are descendants of Earth immigrants, so the common language is roughly the same. Communication shouldn't be an issue, but the language of the Kōwa Kingdom might be too accented to be understood."

"Wait, if we can't communicate, we won't be able to get a privateer license from TR, right?"

"Don't worry. To avoid being detected by the accent, you can wear a mask with a translation function. It also has a voice changer, which can help disguise your face and voice, so I recommend it!"

"A mask, huh? What kind of mask?"

"Since the ship's name is *Mandibula*, how about a mask that fits the name? What do you think of this one?"

The physical monitor displayed a mask that was white on the top half and black on the bottom. The white part had simple holes for the eyes, while the black part had a design reminiscent of a potato bug's mandibles.

"How about this mask? At first glance, doesn't it give you a 'jaw' feel? Announcing the ship's name as *Mandibula* with this mask will make a big impact!"

"Interesting. I like it. Make it with this design."

"Really? I was just joking a bit."

"No, I like it. The jaw will definitely leave a strong impression. If I'm going to be a pirate, I need a strong impression."

"If you like it, that's fine. But I'm not quite sure about it."

Oine controlled the ship's repair robots to carve a lightweight and durable material from the repair supplies, painted it, and integrated a voice changer and translation function to create the mask. It took about ten minutes.

"Everything is ready for departure. Alright, start the reactor."

"Understood, Dawson. Nuclear fusion generator activated. Direct conversion of fusion heat to mechanical energy is proceeding smoothly. Energy supply to the propulsion system, jump system, main cannon, and other systems has begun. All systems are green!"

"Contact the dock control and inform them that we are ready to depart. Also, contact the monitoring room in Dock 4 and thank Chief Technician Hime for the good ship."

"Understood! Control has given us permission to launch whenever we're ready. And Chief Technician Hime wishes you a safe journey and good luck!"

"Then, let's launch immediately. It's our maiden voyage!"

"Dock doors are open. *Mandibula* is launching! Dawson, take the controls!"

"Alright, slow forward!"

The *Mandibula*'s propulsion system ignited. The restraints on the small ship were released, and the ship floated into space. It slowly moved toward the open dock doors.

"Check all systems again. Did any issues arise after starting the reactor and propulsion system?"

"Recheck, all systems green. No issues! Continue forward, it's safe!"

"Alright. Let's increase speed a bit."

From slow to half-speed—like a turtle's pace to a fish's leisurely swim.

The small ship smoothly passed through the middle of the dock, slipped through the open doors, and entered the true expanse of space.

"Accelerate to full speed. Set the course to the farthest developed planet in the Amato Arm, toward the galactic center of the Milky Way. It's our maiden voyage, so we'll proceed in stages, from short to long to ultra-long jumps."

"Understood! Course set to the farthest developed planet in the Amato Arm, with short, long, and ultra-long jumps."

"Make sure there are developed planets or artificial habitats at the jump destinations in case we need rescue after a jump."

"Don't worry. If I couldn't do that, I wouldn't be a communication AI!"

"You're reliable, but I wish you'd at least claim to be the ship's control AI."

Dawson, feeling a bit uneasy about dealing with Oine, accelerated the *Mandibula* toward the destination and activated the jump system, transitioning the ship from normal space to jump space.