(Chapter header artwork is at "i *dot* imgur *dot* com *forward-slash* gallery *forward-slash* DZt54WE *dot* png")
In the preparation room for the physics experiment, where all the lights were turned off and only the display lights were visible, Misa entered, dressed in the lab coat of a public health doctor.
"What's the scenario?"
"The scenario is: low orbit at an altitude of 300 kilometers, reverse thrust, de-orbit, and atmospheric entry. Nowadays, a fully manual de-orbit and re-entry into the atmosphere is not something you'd expect from a school for young ladies."
Kane, who had been staring at the multi-display in the preparation room earlier, answered.
"All manual?"
Misa quickly ran her fingers over the console and displayed the configuration data on the screen.
"Are you trying to return to the ground in a life capsule whose control system is completely destroyed?"
"No, it's a small, single-seat craft. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio of two, so it can descend no matter how it flies. The problem is the fuel setting."
Misa called up the desired data on the display.
"Wow, it's almost out of gas. And no anti-gravity or inertia control? That's a hell of a setup."
"It's very realistic. I can't believe they're just playing around at the academy since they're ordering us to go back to the home planet's airfield."
"As expected of the yacht club of the prestigious Hakuoh Academy. I can't believe they train like this on a regular basis."
The altitude is the same, but the single-seat dingy in orbit is thrown out in a random direction. The pilot's first task is to check the coordinates of the aircraft in three dimensions with respect to its current position and home star, and to obtain the six elements of the orbit by reading the aircraft's speed and direction of movement as a three-dimensional vector.
"So, how is our young lady doing?"
"Not bad."
Kane crossed his arms.
"As you can see, the young lady has estimated the six elements of the orbit by celestial and ground-based observations, and has started to calculate the entry trajectory to the set point of return. Since the orbit is retrograde, thrown out in the opposite direction of the home planet's rotation, the atmospheric entry speed is too high and the course must be twisted considerably, but since this dinghy has enough heat capacity, it should not be a problem unless she does something reckless."
"Oh dear."
Once the current position and speed are determined, the next step is to plot a planned orbit on the planet. Since they are not allowed to use external navigational aids, they have to check the sunlight and weather conditions on the planet with their own eyes from the orbiting dinghy.
"It's a good thing the airport is in daylight, but your return trajectory will take you right through the low pressure area to the east. That's a pretty nasty setup, isn't it? Is the young miss being bullied, by any chance?"
"It is more unrealistic to set up a simulation in which there is not even a low-pressure system over the planet in case of an emergency. It's not a record typhoon, and you won't die even if the ride is a little uncomfortable."
Misa followed the other five dinghies that had been launched together with Marika. There was still no movement on any of the dinghies, but they could see their maneuvering status on the monitors. All of the dinghies seemed to understand their situation, and none of them had yet to even use corrective thrust for attitude control.
"You're a one-man yacht club. Let's see how you do, shall we?"
Misa made a strange noise.
"I just blew up. Are you okay?"
"That was fast."
Kane ran his eyes over the monitor showing the current status of the single-seat dinghy. Marika's dinghy had already begun to fly backward by firing its attitude control thrusters.
The propulsion nozzle spews out a burst of high-velocity plasma. In a fraction of a second, the dinghy decelerates to a speed of several tens of meters per second, enough to break free of its orbit. The small one-person dinghy enters a gentle descending orbit.
"Wow, I didn't realize it would only slow down that much. If the aircraft leaves orbit at this stage, it's not likely to enter the atmosphere."
Misa let the computer plot out the projected trajectory. Kane said without looking at the display.
"If it enters the stratosphere just above the low-pressure area, it will pass through the airport if it descends straight down."
They try to find a possible landing site around the estimated descent point. On the latest maps, they are in the middle of the ocean, and it is difficult to even find a place to land without getting the aircraft wet.
"Now, how on earth are they going to pull this off?"
"I thought she was aiming for a perfect score, just within the margin of error."
"In that case, the reverse thrust was made too early."
Kane switched the data on the display.
"People who do those kinds of cheap tricks are usually slow to judge. This girl was too quick. I don't know what she's thinking."
Marika's dinghy lowers its altitude faster than any other aircraft released at the same time.
Planets with atmospheres have no clear boundary between their atmospheres and outer space. The atmosphere of a star, which is gravitationally cloaked by its own gravity, is so thin that it is almost like a vacuum, yet it extends to low-altitude satellite orbits.
"Oh, the Bentenmaru's skillful pilot can't even read the mind of a single chick?"
Misa ran her fingers along the console and called up a large amount of data on the display. The dinghy, with the heat-resistant surface at the bottom of the fuselage pointed toward its home planet, continued to lose altitude, adding some resistance to the orbital velocity it had lost in the reverse thrust.
"Give me a break."
Kane keeps an eye on the dinghy's movements on the screen.
"You've been doing the analysis of the chick's performance and past results, this is the first time I've seen her flying!"
"Her grades are not so bad."
Kane ran his eyes over one of the displays Misa showed him.
"Come on, the young lady's grades are private information."
"The yacht club's database still has the flight record. More than half of the grades are A's, the rest are B's, and C's are a dime a dozen."
"How can you trust an evaluation calculated by a machine based on a ladle, a coded dictionary, or a fixed number of rules? But you seem to be doing a lot of things."
Kane turned his attention back to the display. The dinghy was changing its attitude, raising its nose significantly as it lowered its altitude.
".….. So, you don't think this is also a calculated attitude control?"
The dinghy, with its variable wings fully extended, is standing vertically with its belly toward the direction of flight. Misa asked Kane curiously.
"What is she doing?"
"Unless it's an amateur's whim, she's maximizing the surface area relative to the direction of travel."
"Hmm"
After nodding, Misa looked at Kane's face.
"What do you mean?"
"Since the resistance will be greater than in normal flight, deceleration will be faster without using its own propellant."
Kane noticed that the dinghy's variable wings were angled from the base. The wings, which should have extended to the horizontal line of the fuselage in a normal flight attitude, were set at an upward angle and extended above the fuselage.
"Aerobraking or…"
"What?"
"It uses the upper atmosphere to decelerate. It can decelerate faster than normal atmospheric entry. It is rarely used in this area because it is easy to enter the atmosphere without using such a primitive method nowadays. I don't know where she learned such a technique."
The speed and altitude were lost at the same time. Of the six vessels released at the same time, only Marika's dinghy is losing altitude rapidly, and the surface temperature of its fuselage is gradually increasing.
"But no matter how fast you slow down, you'll still pass the airport. There's a limit to how much distance you can gain by veering left and right in front of it."
"The fact that she decelerates faster than anyone else and even uses aerobraking for attitude control means that she has calculated her own flight path, and not just let it happen."
Misa looked at the dinghy, the edges of which were becoming red hot due to the compressed air in the upper atmosphere.
"If you're flying with your mind in the right place, you can just watch in peace."
"Well, that's what I'm talking about."
The dinghy, which had been standing upright against the direction of flight, maneuvered its wings back into position.
"Lift reentry."
The dinghy controls its attitude by changing the angle of its variable wings to obtain the effect of aerobraking. Since re-entry at a steep angle like that of a meteorite impact according to gravity would result in a G-force nearly ten times greater than that of a meteorite impact, the attitude of the aircraft must be controlled to maintain a shallow angle of entry.
"The angle of entry is a bit deep, though."
Even though it is a dinghy, it has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 2 and is capable of reaching a satellite orbit from the surface of a planet without boosters as long as it has sufficient propellant. There is no concern about its heat resistance performance even if it makes a ballistic entry equivalent to that of a meteorite.
However, Kane's eyes widened when he saw the detailed data on the display.
"Are the setting angles of the left and right variable wings changing?"
"What does that mean?"
"It's not just to hold down the G-forces on the plane during lift re-entry. She's been trying to twist the plane's flight path since it started entering the atmosphere!"
Because of the small size of the single-seat dinghy, once the aircraft enters the atmosphere, data communication from orbit will not be available until the aircraft goes through a blackout period when it is enveloped in plasma. Kane switched the monitor to the tracking data from the mother ship in the orbit, while being amused by the elaborate setup, just like in reality. Thereafter, the status of Marika's dinghy can only be observed from the outside.
"How difficult is it?"
"Maneuvering while entering the atmosphere is not something an amateur pilot would think of."
A long tail of red plasma flowed across the blue planet's surface. The dinghy, which has entered the upper atmosphere in earnest, compresses faint atmospheric molecules at orbital velocity, causing them to burn red hot.
"The upper atmosphere is less than 1/100th the density of the atmosphere on the ground. Like the surface of the oceans, the winds are rippling and the air pressure is randomly distributed in thick and thin areas. The plane will enter the atmosphere at an orbital velocity that is too fast for atmospheric flight. Normally, it would be all you can do to maintain the aircraft's attitude."
".….. You're crooked."
The trajectory of Marika's dinghy on the display was slightly drifting, but it was definitely intentionally curved to the right.
"The turning radius is quite large, but it is still maneuvering and turning."
"Well, with this dinghy's performance and speed, there is no need to worry about it burning or breaking if it slips and rolls somewhere…"
Kane shook his head as he watched the dinghy making a loose turn while maintaining a shallow entry angle and applying fine rudder correction.
"The maneuvering is very easy. Even though she is directly above a low-pressure system, it is as if she can see the distribution of the upper atmosphere."
"I thought you could see it?"
Misa smiled enigmatically.
"She's his daughter. I wouldn't be surprised if she could do that much."
"She hasn't been in space since she was a kid. She's just a freshman in high school at a girl's school. Oh, she cut it back!"
The dinghy, still enveloped in the hot plasma, rolls softly. The dinghy, which had been turning with its right wing down, smoothly changes its attitude as if it knew there was a wave there.
"I see."
By depicting the trajectory of the dinghy on the display, which turned its back almost to the landing site and then reversed, Kane understood the pilot's intention.
"The turning trajectory will pass directly over the airport. If the plane continues to descend as if it were wrapped around the cylinder, the speed and altitude will be well controlled and the plane will land perfectly on the landing strip of the airport. If she came up with the idea on her own from the situation right after the release, rather than from someone who taught her how to do it, she is a scary kid."
"I can't believe she's a kid."
Misa reproved him.
"If all goes well, she will be our captain."
Marika's dinghy exits the atmospheric blackout at an altitude of 80 kilometers. The dinghy's variable wings are squeezed into the ultra-thin atmosphere at an altitude of 80,000, and the supersonic glider is gently circled as it lowers its altitude to the designated landing spot.
From a satellite orbit of 30,000 km/h, the dinghy slowed down to about 100 km/h in less than 30 minutes, and once again spread its wings to the fullest to enter the 500-meter runway at the airport. The final approach was too fast and the landing was slightly delayed, but the runway was still long enough for the dinghy to come to a stop halfway down.
'Landing complete! Confirm current position. Aircraft and pilot are all clear!'
Marika, in her dinghy, announces that the landing is complete and jumps out of the simulator. Of the remaining six simulators in operation, the fastest of the others has barely begun its entry into the atmosphere.
'I'll skip the post-landing check, and miss the briefing afterwards, all right, I'm leaving early!'
Marika bowed to the senior students who had come to observe the training outside the simulator room, grabbed her backpack, and ran out of the classroom in her school uniform.
Kane and Misa saw Marika off through the image of a surveillance monitor that was simply a circuit turned on in the preparation room.
"Isn't there still time to get out of school for extracurricular activities?"
"I thought she has something to do."
Misa looked at the numbers on the clock in the corner of the display.
"Isn't that why she was in such a hurry to come down from the low orbit?"
Misa pulled her arms out of her lab coat.
"You'll have to clean up after her so she doesn't leave any tracks. We have to go after her."
"Do you know where she's going?"
"Just follow the trail."
The third planet of the Tau Ceti star system, Sea of the Morning Star, is an old exploration planet.
At a time when there was no way to cross the stars beyond the speed of light, a one-way expedition that was not expected to return to its home planet discovered a miraculous oceanic planet in the habitable zone of a spectral G-type star, a zone where life can occur.
The planet with a habitable environment that was determined to be not only survivable without planetary modification or adaptation, but also safe for long-term settlement, was named Sea of the Morning Star. The inhabitable planet discovered in the early space exploration period was one of the first pioneer planets to be intensively developed and populated, partly because no civilized intelligent life had emerged on it.
New Okuhama City is a coastal city built on the equator of Sea of the Morning Star's only continent as the first developed city.
The warehouse district along the canal, built when marine transport was the main means of cargo transportation, miraculously survived the depression and warfare, keeping its original form.
Riding on the nostalgia for the past century, the canalside streets with their quaint brick warehouses have been revitalized as a tourist district.
While the roads running between the canals and warehouses are smart roads embedded with the latest control systems, the canal district, which is protected by the Building Code to maintain its streetscape, remains as it was in the heyday of shipping, with restaurants, boutiques, specialty stores, general stores, and even various grocery stores in old warehouses and offices.
Riding her beloved classic bicycle commuter, which she had lowered all the way to the ground with her own hands, Misa pulled up in front of a brick warehouse decorated with a garden terrace.
"Hey, we're here…"
Kane looked up at the old brick warehouse from the passenger seat of the classic car, which had only apologetic doors.
"This is where the young lady works."
Misa got out of the driver's seat, deftly parking the classic car in a side parking lot that looked like it had been left in its original carriage stalls.
"Work? I thought she was a schoolgirl?"
"That' s not all there is to it."
Opening the large door with a bell made of natural wood planks, Misa stepped inside.
"Welcome."
Girls in black uniforms with white lace headdresses on their heads called out from all over the store.
"Wow!"
Kane looked around the store with a curious look on his face, which was decorated with a collection of antiques and antique furniture.
"They're all flesh and blood."
"It's an old-fashioned coffee shop. First time?"
"Is this your first time? The Queen Serenity we boarded to guide our last acquisition leaves from the most exclusive and celebrity terminal at the relay station, so a cafe or a bar lounge or two or three should be a piece of cake."
"Welcome. Are there two of you?"
One of the waitresses, dressed in a matching apron dress, smiles at them.
"Yes. I' d like a seat by the wall, please."
"Yes, ma'am. This way, please."
"Holy crap. I didn't think this was the kind of high-class place you'd deal with real people."
"It's just a regular place."
Misa took her seat after the waitress showed her the way.
"It's just that the cost is the same as a robot or an android, and the only reason they have real people working here is because it's a social learning experience."
"Really? It doesn't seem like a planet with such low labor costs to me… So it's rural."
Kane looked around the interior of the coffee shop, which was converted from an old stone warehouse. The ceiling, supported by thick girders and beams, is illuminated by a number of lamps resembling old-fashioned lamps, casting a soft light from the ceiling.
"Of course, compared to the center of the country, it is."
Misa picked up the menu on the table. It listed the names of natural drinks and foods that one would not expect to find in a high-class restaurant in a space city or a relay station in a nuclear star system.
"Wow, they have cold-brew coffee. What do you want, Kane?"
Kane glanced at the menu Misa had offered him.
"Anything not too sweet. Oh, here she comes."
Marika comes out of the door, which is marked "private," dressed in a matching apron dress while adjusting her hair band on her head. She greets her colleagues who are already in the store and looks around the store as if looking for something to do.
Misa raised her hand to Marika, timing it as if she had been waiting for her. Marika spotted a customer waiting for her order and immediately grabbed the clipboard of the order form and rushed to the table.
"Welcome, ma'am, are you ready to order?"
"Yes. A cup of freshly brewed coffee and what's today's special?"
"Today's tea is a classic tea from South Alicia."
"Any other suggestions?"
Misa asked, comparing the menu with Marika's in front of her. Holding the clipboard in her hand, Marika thinks for a moment.
"This year, the local jasmine tea is in abundant supply. If you've come a long way, you should try it."
"Sure."
Misa looked at Kane as if to ask him if he was sure. Kane nodded lightly.
"Yes, we' ll take those then."
"Coffee and jasmine tea. Yes, ma'am."
Marika smiled as she filled out the paper order form by hand with the pen in her breast pocket.
"Please wait a moment."
" I will look forward to it."
"What's a jasmine tea?"
Kane followed Marika's back as she ran back to the counter.
"Well, it's a flower tea."
"Flowers? The flower of a plant? Can you drink that?"
"Depends on how it's processed. It's supposed to be a specialty of this planet, so you can't go wrong. You can look forward to it."
Misa put the menu on the table.
"She just came out of the kitchen, but she remembered the service and recommendations for the day. She must be a very good waitress."
"Do you think so?"
Marika came out from behind the counter with a tea set on a tray, and almost bumped into a customer who was walking between the tables while talking. She almost falls down, throwing the tray out of her hand with a small cry, and she manages to stop herself by quickly holding it up with one hand, while a passing waitress catches her with the other.
"I think she' s a bit of a clumsy girl, don't you?"
"I don't like clumsy people."
Misa crossed her arms and thought about it.
"I wonder if we can work on it later," she said.
"I think you have a good chance, seeing as how she's been able to get back on her feet and recover without dropping or spilling anything."
"Here you go."
Marika comes out of the restaurant with a tea set and a glass of freshly brewed coffee on a tray after she has gone into the back.
This time, Marika moved easily between the tables, and with a series of flowing movements, she placed a pot in front of Misa and a tea set in front of Kane.
"May I pour?"
Kane, who had been watching the flowers soaking in the hot water in the glass pod with a frown, nodded in haste.
"Yes, please."
"Excuse me."
Marika poured jasmine tea into the teacup in front of Kane with a careful hand.
"Please drink the rest before it gets cold. Well then, enjoy the drinks."
Misa called out to her as she watched Marika's back.
"Marika Kato?"
The waitress, who wore a name tag on the breast of her apron dress with only the word "Marika" written in letters of the alphabet, straightened up and turned around with a curious look on her face. After bowing, she looked at both of them, and tilted her head.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
"No, we have never met before."
Misa stares at Marika with the tray under her arm, a cup in one hand.
"But I know your mother. I recognized you immediately because you look just like her."
"Oh, I see, I didn't know that."
Marika's face fell, and a moment later she looked around the table again suspiciously. Both of them were apparently younger than my mother.
Marika's smile returned and she continued the conversation.
"How do you know each other?"
"Your mother's old job, she helped me a lot. Did she ever tell you about it?"
"Not at all."
Marika shook her head.
"My mother's occupation is air traffic controller, but I don't think I asked her where she worked before that, and I don't think she told me."
"Sorry, ma'am, if you need to talk to my mother, I think it would be better if you contacted her directly."
"Yes, I will, eventually."
After taking a sip of coffee, Misa put the teacup back on the saucer.
"But we came here today because we wanted to see you."
"Thank you very much."
Marika answered with a sales smile. Immediately, a question came to her mind.
"But why?"
"You like outer space, don't you?"
Misa stared at Marika with a smile Kane had never seen before.
"What?"
"Would you like to be the captain of a space pirate ship?"
"Yes?"
Marika asked again with a twinkle in her eye.
Misa reiterated.
"Are you interested in becoming the captain of a starship?"
Marika smiled at her.
"Captain of a spaceship?"
Marika nodded, understanding that the topic was about her future career aspirations.
"If there is a spaceship that can do what I want, I would like to fly in it someday," she said.
"You can do it."
"Thank you. Please enjoy your stay."
Marika bowed with one foot in the air.
"So that's our captain's daughter."
Kane looked at the apron dress as she ran off, tray in hand.
"She looks fit enough, doesn't she?"
"She's fine and healthy, a little on the heavy side, but at her age that's more than enough to be comfortable."
Misa squints at the waitress in her maid's uniform. Kane knows that her eyes are as perceptive as a laser sensor.
"She looks like her father."
"... like him?"
Kane looked again at Marika's face. There was no way he could match the smirk and mustache in his memory with the profile of the dark-haired girl with the headband on her head.
"She has the same eyes and the bridge of her nose. But the jawline is her mother's. She looks a lot like Ririka."
"I didn't know Ririka when she was working."
Kane raised an eyebrow.
"... look alike?"
"You can't tell by the apron dress, but she's got a pretty good figure."
Misa keeps an eye on Marika as she stands there.
"I'm sure she'll look good in our captain's uniform."
"I hope she wears it."
Kane sipped his jasmine tea.
"Will she wear it?"
"If she doesn't, we won't be able to do our work."
Misa smiled.
"Our work has a very strict dress code, you know."
Marika left the restaurant at the appointed time and went straight home, declining to go out to dinner with her friends.
Dressed in school uniform and carrying a school bag, she sped along the New Okuhama bicycle path after dark on a small truss-frame bicycle, which is not controlled by the Smart Road.
Marika arrives home after passing through the gate of an upscale residential area where even residents are required to pass an ID check to enter and leave the area, which is a residential area lined with single-family homes in a suburban neighborhood.
The ten-key keypad of the closed gate must be pressed in the correct order, and only the left side of the gate can be opened to enter the garden with a bicycle. The Kato family's security is one of the strictest in the area, as it is the hobby of the mother.
Seeing the front door light on, Marika knew that her mother had already returned home as she had promised.
"Wow, that's rare."
After opening the garage door with the key and iris recognition and putting away her bicycle, Marika returned to the front door and pulled the cord that rang the bell at the specified timing. She checked that the indicator on the intercom was lit and called out for voiceprint verification.
"I'm home!"
'Hey, welcome back.'
The response came back at the right time, as if they had been waiting for it.
'I'm a little busy right now, so come on in and unlock the door.'
"Yes, ma'am."
Marika finally entered the house after successfully opening the front door with a doorknob that was equipped with two electronic locks and a palmprint recognition system, which had not always buzzed properly when they were first installed.
"I'm home!"
As soon as she stepped into the room, she could smell the pot-au-feu her mother was cooking.
"Oh, you're making dinner."
She took off her shoes, went to the bathroom to wash her hands and face, put her bag in her room, and changed into her loungewear. Marika returned to the living room, which was next to the kitchen.
"Today, I had a strange visitor."
Marika looked at the news channel that was left on and spoke to her mother who was working in the kitchen.
"What kind of a visitor was that? Did he hit on you again?"
"No. That's what's so funny. He wants me to be the captain of a spaceship."
There was a clank, and then the sound of something breaking in the kitchen.
"What happened?"
Marika flew in immediately.
"It's all right, it just slipped away."
"You're not hurt!?"
"No, I'm not hurt."
Her mother, Ririka, is beginning to deftly put the pieces of the salad plate that have been broken in half in the sink.
"What's wrong?"
"It was a cheap one with cracks. I guess it was the end of its life."
Throwing the shards of pottery into the dust box, Ririka turned to her daughter, wiping her hands with a dish towel.
"Well... you're already turning sixteen."
Marika looked at her mother in front of her. Marika noticed that her mother's eyes were at the same level as her own before she knew it.
"What kind of a customer were they?"
"A couple, a man and a woman. Probably from out of town. Maybe they were on a spaceship or something."
"Heh."
Putting her hands on her hips, Ririka listened to her daughter's story with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"And what did you say?"
"If there was a spaceship that could fly the way I wanted it to fly, I'd be happy to."
Marika laughed and waved.
"There's no way such a convenient thing would happen."
"What kind of spaceship do you want?"
Ririka opened the cupboard looking for a new salad plate.
"A luxury cruise ship that can go superluminal sounds like a lot of fun."
"Maintenance costs are very high. Besides, luxury liners that have to cater to customers can't fly as fast as they want to."
"That's true. You'd have to have your own cruiser. Anything I can do to help?"
"Yes…"
The doorbell rang.
Ririka heard the doorbell ring, took out a wooden salad bowl, and pointed at the front door with her eyes.
"You have a visitor, please answer it."
"Isn't he a client of Ririka's?"
It is around nine o'clock in the evening local time, which is also the planetary standard time. It is well past the average dinner time, and not the time for friends to visit.
"Yes, just a moment, please."
Returning to the living room, Marika ran her fingers over the control panel, which looked rather bulky and out of place in the living room interior. The display, which had already been activated, showed two visitors standing in front of the gate on two screens, one in front and the other on the side.
"Thank you for waiting."
Marika, with a one-ear headset in her ear, saw the visitor's front face in a close-up on the third display.
"This is Miss Kato."
'My name is Misa Grandwood.'
The customer who asked the strange question at the coffee shop looked at the camera straight on.
'Is your mother at home?'
"One moment, please."
Marika turned around to call her mother in the kitchen, and before she knew it, she noticed Ririka peering at the image on the display from behind her.
"...she said."
Ririka took the headset her daughter offered and put it to her ear.
"What about the cosmic ocean?"
'It is my ocean.'
Misa in the display looked like she was about to giggle.
'I haven't heard you say that in years.'
"It's Ririka."
With her left hand on the headset, Ririka checked the results of the visitor's security check at the control panel.
"It's not like you to be unarmed."
The sensors showed no reaction to portable energy weapons or too large a metallic reaction.
'This planet is peaceful. I don't need one to come visit your daughter.'
"Who's your companion?"
'Kane McDougal, our pilot for the moment.'
As if she knew where the hidden camera was, Misa pulled the man behind her into the display. Ririka unlocked the gate.
"Come on in. I just unlocked it."
"Clients?"
Marika rolled her eyes and listened to the conversation, which did not make much sense to her.
"Old friends."
After looking around the room, Ririka noticed her daughter's loungewear.
"Come on, put on something a little more respectable. You have a visitor."
"Hello."
Marika walked out of the living room, thinking about what kind of clothes she should wear to look decent.
Ririka went back to the kitchen and went out the front door. The doorbell rang in front of her. Ririka unlocked and secured the front door in a familiar way. She unconsciously glanced at the fire poker for the nuclear furnace, which was inserted in the umbrella case in the corner.
Ririka put her hand on the heavy doorknob and opened the front door.
A guest wearing a black cloak and a black wool cap stood outside the entrance.
"It's been a long time, Ririka."
Misa's face had not changed a bit from the way she remembered it more than ten years ago.
"Welcome!"
Ririka noticed that Misa had her hands hidden under her black cloak. They glared at each other for a moment across the doorway with their right hands hidden behind their bodies.
"Ready!"
Both of them called out to each other and both moved at the same time. Misa opens the front of her cloak and presents a magnum bottle of wine, which she holds in both hands, and Ririka puts a wine glass, which she had concealed in a bundle of three wineglasses, right in front of her nose.
"I knew it, I knew you wouldn't be empty-handed."
"Why would I come to your house and not bring you a souvenir?"
Misa pointed the label of a large magnum bottle at Ririka.
"A ninety-five year old Kash Greystoke. It's the best."
"Come in."
With the bundle of glasses still in her hand, Ririka turned her back on her guest.
"You, too, pilot. Put your coat over there and lock the door."
Marika came down to the living room, putting back on her Hakuoh Academy uniform that she had just changed out of.
Both of the guests who had just entered through the front door were dressed in black. Marika intuitively thought that they were dressed in mourning clothes.
"Welcome!"
Misa, who was dressed in a black dress, bent down lightly as Marika straightened her back and gave the greeting she had learned in her etiquette class.
""Thank you for what you did at the Lamp House."
"Why don't you sit down?"
Ririka, who brought a plate of salad from the kitchen, suggested an old sofa to her guests, who were still standing there in black.
"Thank you, Ririka. But I have to tell you something first."
Putting the magnum bottle on the table, Misa looked straight at Ririka.
"The captain of the Bentenmaru, Yoshiro Gonzaemon Kato, has passed away."
Ririka put the salad bowl on the table and turned to Misa as if nothing had happened.
"That's what I thought. We'll talk about it over dinner. Isn't that what you came here to do?"
"What?"
Misa's expression changed.
"You haven't had dinner yet?"
Ririka smiled at her.
"I got home on time today for the first time in a long time. I don't have to worry about the cargo lifters flying in packs or the self-defense fleet in orbit. You guys are lucky. My daughter loves my pot-au-feu."
"Please try it!"
Marika interjected.
"My mother's pot-au-feu is very delicious."
With a look of horror on her face, Misa looked at Kane as if she were asking for reinforcements. Kane shrugged.
"Is this what you mean when you say one wrong move can lead to terrible things?"
".…"
"I guess it can't be helped, if you were the boss, I think you'd go straight into it, here."
Misa turned to Ririka with a pale face and nodded convulsively.
"... I don't have a choice. I'll have some."
"That's the way to go."
Ririka pointed to the kitchen.
"Come and help me. I have to put out the dishes for the guests."
"Yes, ma'am."
Marika followed her mother as she started to move. She asked in a whisper.
"Hey, who is this Gonzaemon Kato?"
Ririka answered without looking behind her.
"He's my husband. Your father."
"I see."
It took Marika a few seconds to understand the meaning of her mother's words.
(Chapter artwork was here. Check out "i *dot* imgur *dot* com *forward-slash* gallery *forward-slash* 1y74cMw *dot* png")
"Eh, eh, eh!"
Marika exclaimed as she entered the kitchen.
"My father!? Captain!? He's alive!?"
"Unfortunately, I heard that he is not alive now."
Ririka opened the cupboard and took out a stack of pot-au-feu plates for the guests.
"I guess he lived a long time, with a job like that."
"But, Ririka! He died before I was born!"
"I told you he was as good as dead."
Ririka shoved a stack of pot-au-feu plates at her daughter.
"Those two worked for Gonza."
Ririka spoke the name she had once called him without hesitation.
"If you want to know about Gonza, ask them rather than me, who hasn't seen his face since you were born."
"You told me not to ask you."
Marika busily compared the guest in the living room with her mother in front of her.
"Dad, what do you do? Why didn't you tell me before? Is there a reason you didn't want me to ask?"
Ririka, who was holding onto the edge of the earthenware pot in which the pot-au-feu was simmering in her grip, looked at Marika's face and sighed.
"It's definitely not my blood that stirs up things that don't need to be stirred, is it?"
"What?"
"No, I was going to tell you when you were sixteen anyway. It just got moved up a little bit."
Releasing the pot and removing her hand from the grip of the pot, Ririka took out a cut-glass pendant from the breast of her blouse. When she twisted the crystal-shaped pendant head and held it upside down, a three-dimensional image of a bust-shot was projected into the air from the top of the pendant at the height of her palm. Marika looked at the face of the hunched man in the captain's uniform and raised her eyes.
"Ririka, I didn't think you'd be the type to have something like this."
With a look of shame on her face, Ririka put the pendant with the three-dimensional image erased back on her chest.
"Ah! Let me see it more slowly."
"I'll show you later. Right now, there's people waiting for you."
With a pot holder in each hand, Ririka lifts the earthenware pot filled with pot-au-feu from the stove. Holding the bundle of pot-au-feu plates in one hand, Marika takes out a spoon and fork for the guests from the cupboard.
"Hey, what was my father like?"
Ririka stopped as she was about to go to the living room with the pot in her hand. With her back turned, her mother answered.
"He was arrogant, good-natured, conniving, and arguably the nicest guy in the galaxy. Come on, let's have dinner."
Dexterously using a sommelier's knife that had been handed down in the Kato family, Kane quietly opened the large bottle of wine that Misa had brought.
Four glasses of red wine are poured into the four reserved glasses.
"Me too?"
On this planet, underage drinking is technically illegal. The water in this area is good, so there is no custom of drinking beer or wine instead of water since childhood.
"Today is special."
Ririka took the other three glasses filled to the brim and Marika's wine glass filled with a smaller amount of red wine.
"I guess I'll have to offer a toast to that son of a bitch tonight, won't I?"
"May Captain Gonzaemon Kato be a successful star and not get lost."
Misa raised her glass. They clinked their glasses and sipped their glasses around the table.
Marika took only a sip of the wine and took her mouth off the glass. She saw her mother and Misa, who was standing across from her, slurping down the glass in one gulp. She looked at Kane, who also took only a sip.
Before they could say anything, the two women put their empty glasses on the table almost simultaneously.
"Superb…"
Marika rolled her eyes at her mother's way of drinking wine, something she had never seen before. Smiling, Misa took the magnum bottle and poured some into Ririka's glass.
"You haven't lost your edge."
"Well, it seems like it's been a long time. By the way, would you like to try my signature dish?"
Misa, who was pouring herself a glass of red wine, shivered.
"No, I don't have much of an appetite. Please, don't worry about it."
"Oh, the pirate ship's doctor drenched in blood is afraid of Ririka-san's special pot-au-feu?"
Ririka served pot-au-feu on a deep plate with a ladle that had been placed in the earthenware pot.
"Any requests?"
"Anything edible."
Ignoring Misa's glare, which was like a nail in the coffin, Ririka placed a deep plate heaped with stewed vegetables and parboiled meatballs in front of her.
"Here you go."
Misa looked despairingly at the pot-au-feu in front of her. The ingredients in the dark brown broth were soft and steamy, and at least there was no smell of doom.
With a list of the medicines in her pouch in her mind, Misa grabs a spoon from the table. Feeling the eyes of everyone around the table on her, she plunges her spoon into the platter and scoops up a small scoop of soup first.
Misa takes the spoon to her mouth with trepidation. She closes her eyes tightly and eats the pot-au-feu as if she were tasting poison.
Misa, who had been prepared for a shock that would turn the world upside down, opened her eyes in wonder.
"Oh? It's... normal, no, it's really good."
"I'm getting better, aren't I?"
Ririka proudly puffed out her chest.
"I've been learning. You can go with mustard if you like. So…"
Placing a deep plate of pot-au-feu in front of Kane, Ririka took the plate in front of Marika.
"What's going on with Gonza?"
"I don't care if it's after dinner."
"You're not very good at making decisions when your stomach's full. Wouldn't it be easier for you to talk about something you don't want to talk about first?"
Misa looked at Marika, who had just taken a sip from her glass of wine, and at Ririka, who was serving herself on a deep plate.
"You haven't changed. So let's get the hard part out of the way first. Yoshiro Gonzaemon Kato is dead. It happened just two days ago."
"... I didn't notice any newsworthy battles so how in the world did you manage to kill that bastard who wouldn't die even if you killed him?"
"That's what's so pathetic about it. A man who wouldn't die if you killed him or threw him out into outer space alive, he just falls over so easily from food poisoning. I don't know what kind of bad food he ate."
"Food poisoning ...…"
Ririka repeated in disgust.
"That's why I told him to stop picking up things off the ground."
Shaking her head, Ririka looked at Misa.
"So when was the bastard confirmed dead?"
"Two days ago, galactic standard time."
Misa took out a pocket watch from somewhere and opened the protective cover to check the current time.
"No, it was three days ago, 20 seconds ago."
"Was he a good captain?"
"Just as Ririka knows him."
Misa raised her glass.
"To that bastard of a captain…"
"To that worthless bastard."
They clinked their glasses and emptied their second glass of wine in no time.
Ririka put the empty glass on the table as if that was the end of her husband's mourning.
"So unless you appoint a captain soon, you're going to have to go out of business."
"Yes. That's why I came to Ririka's house, which I wasn't allowed to go near while Gonzaemon was alive."
Ririka looked at her strangely.
"You knew where I lived?"
"Everyone did."
Misa nodded easily.
"It's just that Gonzaemon had forbidden any contact while he was alive, and I was just following his orders. You didn't really think that you could work under your real name and no one would ever find out, did you?"
Sighing, Ririka looked away.
"You were expecting...?"
"Because, since no one showed up or contacted me, I thought I had successfully gone missing."
"Your optimism hasn't changed either. Maybe Gonzaemon really didn't want his daughter to do this, but if we don't follow through on our pact, we too will have our charter taken away and be on the streets."
Misa put down the empty glass and turned to Marika.
"That is why we have come to see you, Marika Kato, the eldest child of Gonzaemon."
"Yes."
Marika couldn't help but straighten her posture as she looked at her squarely.
"What is it?"
"I want you to be the captain of the space pirate ship Bentenmaru."
"Yes?"
Unsure of the exact meaning of the words, Marika asked again with a half-drunk glass in her hand.
Misa opened her mouth.
"The captain's position is that of a lineal heir. You are the only daughter of Gonzaemon in the universe. So you are the only one qualified to captain the Bentenmaru. Will you do this for us?"
"Oh, um...?"
Marika looked at her mother.
"Are they joking?"
Ririka shrugged her shoulders with an amused look on her face and poured her third glass of wine. Marika looked at the faces of the two guests. They didn't look like they were joking.
"Well, I'm just a high school girl. I'm not even old enough to get a driver's license, let alone a ship's license, and I'm not even old enough to be the captain of a spaceship ... or a pirate ship!?"
Marika looked around at her mother and the guests, thinking she had heard wrong. Misa and Kane nodded, and Ririka drank from her glass. No one corrected her.
"What's your pirate ship ...? The Bentenmaru?"
Misa nodded again.
"Yes. A space pirate ship. Superluminal speed, long range, armed and armored, of course. Once you're captain, you'll be free to do whatever you want."
"It's ...…"
Marika hesitated only for a moment.
"No! I can't think about being the captain of a pirate ship, a job that suddenly makes me a criminal when I'm still young!"
Marika stood up and turned to her mother.
"You're a good person, Ririka. Are you okay with people calling your daughter a pirate!?"
The three adults looked at each other and started laughing at the same time.
"Oh, then don't worry. We are legitimate pirates with an official privateer's license."
"Legal pirates!?"
Marika exclaimed at the impossible combination of words.
"What is that? Isn't it illegal because they are pirates?"
"Let's talk about it over dinner."
Ririka took a salad.
"You learned in history that when our planet was still fighting for independence, we used pirates as an addition to our forces against the sovereign nation."
"That was over 100 years ago!"
The third planet of the Tau Ceti star system, Sea of Morning Star, was a pioneer planet. As development progressed, the population grew, and the generations passed, conflict with the Federation of Star Systems, the sovereign that led the settlement, deepened, and the customary War of Independence broke out.
It was only a century ago that the War of Independence ended in a hazy manner, when the Galactic Empire, which had an expansionist policy, swallowed up the Federation of Star Systems.
"I'm sure you'll get a chance to see the real thing in time, but the effective date of the charter was about 120 years ago in the galactic standard calendar, right?"
"Is such an old charter still valid today?"
The independent government of Sea of the Morning Star, which challenged the Federation to a war of independence, did not have the strength to fight. Even though they mobilized not only a security fleet not much larger than a police force, but also transport ships pulled from abandoned shipyards and private spaceships owned by individuals, they could not even prepare a force large enough to resist the powerful defense forces of the Federation of Star Systems.
A military alliance was formed with a group of colonial planets in a similar position, but they were too far apart to cooperate with each other. The colonies, knowing from the beginning that they could not fight a proper fleet war, unilaterally declared war against the sovereign planet and started guerrilla warfare and irregular warfare at the same time.
In order to supplement their forces, the colonies even made deals with crime syndicates and pirate guilds. They even issued privateer's licenses to some pirates on the condition that they would be paid just rewards and would be exonerated after independence.
The pirates who were issued privateer's licenses joined the side of the colonial government, but they were not integrated into its chain of command. In accordance with the battle policy carefully discussed at the meeting for issuing privateer's licenses, pirate ships attacked transports belonging to the Federation of Star Systems, aiming to break up logistics and supply lines in the short term, and to create a mood of war weariness in the long term by increasing the cost of fighting a war against the colonists.
The story of the pirates who participated in the War of Independence is just one of the many pirate tales to be found throughout the galaxy. However, if you were born and raised in Sea of the Morning Star, it is one of the most popular episodes of the Revolutionary War.
"When the independent government asked the pirates for support, the problem was the expiration date of the privateer's license. The war of independence could last for who knows how long, and it would be unreasonable to require them to report for renewal every time they renewed their licenses in the vastness of space. Besides, there is no way that pirates will do what they are told. In that respect, the independent government was wise."
At the time, the average lifespan of a combat spacecraft was five to ten years, and regardless of its size, the lifespan of a combat spacecraft that was sent to the front lines and exposed to severe missions was short, and even if it survived, the trend was for it to become obsolete due to technological advances and changes in tactical thinking.
The life expectancy of a pirate ship deployed in a surprise attack on a dangerous convoy without satisfactory replenishment and maintenance was expected to be even shorter.
Of course, it was expected that pirates who obtained privateer's licenses would do nothing and survive until the day of the end of the War of Independence. The independent government that put the privateer's charter into effect placed some restrictions on the pirates instead of making the renewal unnecessary.
One of them is the continuation of piracy.
The meaning of the clause, which is decorated with detailed legal terms, is that a privateer's license is invalidated if the ship does not engage in piracy for a certain period of time. This includes the case where the piracy is impossible to continue due to the sinking of the ship or the loss of the crew.
The period of validity of a privateer's license was determined by the ship and its captain.
A privateer's license is issued to both the pirate ship and the captain at the same time. If either or both of them are lost, the privateer's license becomes invalid.
As for the loss of the ship's captain, the privateer's license is still valid as long as the immediate successor succeeds him or her. However, there is no remedy for the loss of the hull.
Of course, the independent government is ready to continue issuing privateer's licenses, so it is not impossible to resume the pirate business by preparing new vessels and following the same procedure.
If the war situation requires the continued participation of pirates.
This deal allowed the independent government of Sea of the Morning Star to have a substantial force of pirates without its own procurement and maintenance costs, and the pirates could have a stable maintenance and supply port and a safe haven depending on the course of the war.
The pirates, who were not part of the regular army, attacked the Sovereign Federation's transports as a fighter squadron, and initially achieved considerable success. The sovereign nation did not expect that the Sea of the Morning Star would have the capability to attack its long supply lines, and the increased threat of pirates alone necessitated the need to devote more forces to protect them.
There are various stories of pirate activities since then that are a mixture of fact and legend. The Sovereign Federation, which had been troubled by the pirate infestation, organized a fleet to fight against the pirates, and the pirates' battles with the Sovereign Federation is a glorious achievement that can be found in the history textbooks of the Sea of the Morning Star.
"But it is said that the failure to set an expiration date on the privateer's license is the biggest blunder of the independent government."
"You know how the War of Independence ended."
"The entire star system was incorporated into the Galactic Empire."
Marika answered in a whisper, "Everyone knows the common historical knowledge."
"Thanks to this, we were able to end the war before it caused fatal damage to both the colonial union and the sovereign star system. After the incorporation, both the colonial union and the sovereign star system were welcomed into the Galactic Empire as autonomous star systems of the same status, so the goal of independence of the colonies from the sovereign star system was ostensibly achieved, and the sovereign star system was able to smoothly recognize the independence of the former colonies."
"Yes. That's what the history books say. Then what does it say about the pirates?"
"When the pirates realized that there was no place for them under the Galactic Empire, they left on their own. I think that's what it said."
The three adults exchanged meaningful glances.
"That's just the official history. The truth is a little different."
Misa took over the explanation.
"In any case, once the war for independence was over, pirates were supposed to be unnecessary for the colonizers. However, the war of independence was unexpectedly and forcibly terminated for both the colonists and the sovereign star system. The privateer's license, or pirate's charter, remained valid as long as the ship and its captain were alive."
Marika rested her wine glass, which she had just sipped from, on the table and waited for his next words.
"The colonies, including Sea of the Morning Star, were granted autonomy in the name of the Galactic Empire. The treatment of pirates could have been revoked on the pretext of the end of the War of Independence, or the fact that the privateer's charter was issued could have been erased. But neither Sea of the Morning Star nor any other colony star did so. What do you think they did?"
As if drawn in by Misa's enigmatic smile, Marika opened her mouth.
"Did they hunt pirates?"
"The opposite. They did nothing. They didn't revoke our privateer's charter, they didn't notify us, they didn't inform the Empire of the existence of the pirate ships. Why is that?"
"Why do you ask ... did they forget in the confusion and chaos?"
Ririka and Misa laughed together when they heard her daughter's opinion.
"For someone so young, you have a very astute opinion about the nature of the bureaucracy. That is one theory."
Misa took a sip of her wine and continued.
"There are many possible reasons and possibilities. The department in charge of pirates might have been overwhelmed in the rush to annex the colony to the Galactic Empire, or the colony might have assumed that the pirates had escaped because it was in Imperial territory, and therefore did not pursue them any further. But I like the theory that the colonizers wanted to keep the pirates as a fighting force that would not be counted as part of either the sovereign system or the Galactic Empire."
The annexation of the sovereign star and its colonies to the Galactic Empire was carried out unilaterally against the backdrop of the overwhelming strength of the Imperial fleet. The star system forces of the sovereign star gathered their main forces and challenged them to a fleet battle, but even by simple calculation, the difference in strength was 10 to 1, and when a fleet of the same size appeared on the sovereign star system's home planet, the government submitted to the surrender.
Although the battle was already underway, the system's military forces stopped all fighting when they were notified by their home countries of the Galactic Empire's acceptance of their surrender. As a result, both the sovereign star and the colony were annexed to the Galactic Empire, leaving most of their forces intact.
"And the pirates didn't escape. Because authorized pirates with privateer's licenses issued by autonomous star systems can move around in the Empire's territory with impunity. Therefore, the pirates did not want to give up their pirate licenses that they had obtained."
"... the Galactic Empire recognized them?"
"The Galactic Empire respects the autonomy of its own star systems. Of course pirates are not allowed to exist, but if a ship is a privateer with a legitimate government license, it is not a pirate."
"... aren't you a pirate?"
"Ostensibly. At least, the Imperial Fleet has no systematic pursuit or eradication plan against those of us who are flying around in Imperial territory at will. Thus, pirates are roaming around with impunity in this day and age."
Misa turned her attention back to Marika.
"As long as we have a valid privateer's license, we can fly in the space. But for that we need a valid privateer's license, a spaceship, and a captain. The only requirement is a direct heir. That's why we're here."
Misa smiled slowly.
"To make you captain of the space pirate ship Bentenmaru."
After blinking her eyes, Marika shook her head vigorously.
"I still can't do it!"
Misa nodded.
"If you don't mind, can you tell me why?"
"Because if I were to become a pirate captain, the next captain would be my child, right? If I don't have any other siblings."
Misa looked at Kane, who was standing next to her.
"So, if I become the captain of a pirate ship, I will have to pass it on to my children. I don't even have a boyfriend yet, and at my age, I can't be deciding not only my career path but also that of my children!"
Kane sighed. Misa waved her hand at Ririka, who looked aghast.
"Ririka, is this really your child?"
"You're just like him, reading ahead and being hyper-imaginative."
Ririka looked proudly at Marika's troubled face.
"I don't want to force my children to work in the future. I'm not going to force my children to have a job in the future. Otherwise, they would have followed us long ago."
Ririka piled a large bowl of salad on her plate.
"So, Marika, you can choose your job of your own free will. I won't force you to do it, and I'm sure Gonza would do the same."
"I know you must have been surprised by my sudden announcement, but today I just wanted to say hello and explain the situation."
Misa is staring at Marika.
"I'm in no hurry for an answer. There's still time before the deadline to report the change of captain."
"Well, take your time. You can never think too much about your life. By the way."
Ririka looked at Kane who was sitting across from her.
"This young guy over here doesn't talk much, does he?"
"No, that's…"
Kane, who had been quietly eating Ririka's pot-au-feu, mumbled a reply.
"The food is delicious. Is this ... pot-au-feu?"
"Yeah, it's actually called oden, but I've arranged it in various ways."
Ririka raised her glass to Kane.
"Hey, you can talk."
"How am I, a civilian, supposed to get in the way of a conversation between my blood-soaked doctor, who is scarier than the captain, and the legendary Captain Ririka, who are talking to each other in private?"
"Captain Ririka!?"
Marika raised her voice. Ririka looked away with a look of shame on her face.
"Captain Ririka, the famous and legendary female pirate!? That' s my mother!?"
With a frown, Ririka poured wine into her empty glass.
"Well, I did a lot of reckless things when I was young, you know."
Marika did not listen to her mother's excuses.
"Is my mother one who went on the rampage in that embarrassing costume of a space pirate!?"
Misa burst out laughing, unable to stand it.
"It's not cosplay!"
Ririka grabbed the glass and gulped down the wine.
"It was still a popular business, we were just serving people in fancy clothes!"
"Service!? What kind of service does a space pirate provide!?"
"Times are different than they used to be, you know."
Misa interrupted the conversation with a hearty laugh.
"Nowadays, space pirates are in the service industry. I'll leave you out of it for now, and keep it a trade secret."
Marika does not remember the taste of that night's dinner. However, it seems that the adults thoroughly enjoyed the food and wine.
"Well, now that we've run out of alcohol, I think we should get going."
Misa emptied the last of the wine and stood up.
"What? You're leaving?"
With a surprised look on her face, Ririka put down her empty glass.
"Why don't you drink our sake?"
"Next time."
Misa looked at Marika's face and compared it with the pocket watch she had retrieved from somewhere.
"I have an early day tomorrow. You have an early day too, don't you?"
"That's true, but…"
"Thanks for the delicious dinner."
Misa looked at her with a faraway look in her eyes.
"I never thought I'd be saying these words to Ririka. ... I wonder what Gonzaemon would say if he heard them."
"Gonzaemon has been saying that my cooking is delicious from the very beginning."
Misa shook her head with the most complicated look on her face.
"Are you going back to the ship?"
"No, I have a room near the port."
Ririka put the complicated procedure aside for a moment and opened the front door.
A classic commuter is parked in front of the gate, illuminated by the street lights.
"Misa, you are still driving that commuter!"
Ririka exclaimed when she saw the commuter, which was designed to resemble a classic reciprocating engine car that was mass-produced for the first time in an era when people could barely fly, let alone fly in space.
"It's still in service. See you."
Misa turned around as she stepped out of the front door, her cloak spreading out like black wings.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Thanks for dinner."
Kane, who had slipped past her, bowed as he stepped outside.
"Okay, have a safe trip home."
Sliding her finger on the control panel by the entrance, Ririka opened the front gate. Misa waved her hand as she stepped through the automatically opened gate and got into the commuter.
With a faint roar of the hybrid turbine, the commuter drove off quietly, its headlights much louder than the original acetylene lights.
"... tomorrow?"
Marika looked away from the red tail lights at the entrance and tilted her head.
"Does that mean they''ll come back tomorrow?"
"Well, let's clean up and go to bed."
Ririka went inside the front door. Marika called out to her mother's back.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"If it's about Gonza, you can ask me tomorrow."
"Well, I have another one."
Ririka entered the front door and closed it behind her. She turned to the locks and began to lock them one by one.
"What kind of spaceship is the Bentenmaru?"
"It's a medium-sized ship of the standard category."
Ririka answered immediately in air traffic control terminology. The category refers to spacecraft equipped with super-lightspeed engines and capable of navigating outer space.
"That's not what I'm asking you to explain."
"It used to be a warship before it was converted to a pirate ship. But it's so old and has been modified so much for pirates that it's lost all trace of its original form."
"A warship? It must be strong then."
"The hull is made for military use, so it's tough, but it's an old cruiser that was already second class at the time of the Revolutionary War. She's a pirate ship, so she's got fewer turrets and a new engine, but she's still a big, fat, cumbersome piece of junk that's a pain to operate."
"So ... it's an old warship. Are they modifying it?"
"Or else, how could it fly in the air today? I think the prototype was a maneuvering cruiser, but I think they dropped half the main guns for anti-ship combat and most of the armor because pirates didn't need it."
"Hmm."
She couldn't even imagine what kind of spaceship this is.
"Do you have any pictures?"
"Look around. Bentenmaru is a famous pirate ship, you should be able to find it without too much trouble."