(Chapter header artwork is at "i *dot* imgur *dot* com/ESYJyYW *dot* png")
The lights came on at Pier C68, which had been closed off by darkness.
"Wow!"
The 200-meter-long, solar-powered spacecraft, classified as large even by today's standards, filled the closed wharf with its white, spindle-shaped hull that resembled a closed, multistage umbrella.
More than the size of the ship, Kane looked around the huge space, amazed by the fact that a wharf for large ships was reserved for a training ship.
"It's a very rich group to have such a huge space in a relay station."
"Is that so?"
Marika, who had been to pier C68 many times before and was familiar with its overall structure, stepped out onto the weightless pier.
"A normal spaceship ship wouldn't come into a dock like this, where they charge a ridiculous fee just to park it. These places are used by warships that don't have to worry about expenses, or cruise ships that have to bluff their way to get customers. Even cruisers for celebrities usually float outside, but I don't know what kind of wallet they have to leave a big ship parked at such a big private wharf."
"I heard that this sailboat is a private dock, and it's rented cheaply because there's no other use for it."
Jenny, who was standing next to Kane, explained the situation smoothly.
"The equipment, the shape, and everything is designed for the Odette II, so it can't be used for anything else."
"Really?"
Kane listened to the president's explanation, wondering if that was the ostensible excuse. A pressurized compartment that can hold a 200-meter class sail-supported spaceship can be used for any number of other purposes. The Odette II, with its sail-arms stowed, would not be far removed in style from an ordinary spacecraft.
"But it's still amazing."
For a dock that has been in use for many years, there are no missing lights, and careful sniffing reveals none of the musty, metallic or gaseous smells that are common in enclosed areas.
"The facilities are all high-end, if not state-of-the-art. This way, you can get out without too much trouble."
"The entrance is right over there."
Jenny pointed toward the center of the sailing spacecraft, which was supported by a number of mooring ropes from the dock wall. Marika, who had flown in using the mooring ropes as handrails, opened the closed, airtight hatch.
"Come in, sir."
Jenny reiterated with a smile.
"No, Captain."
"Now don't do that."
Kane waved his hand.
"Go ahead and go inside and start your inspection. I'm going to take a look around and then get on board."
"Right."
Jenny's eyes widened happily.
"I can't believe you did the preflight check first, you must have a captain's license."
"I've never seen this spaceship before."
Knowing it was for practical purposes, not regulation, Kane jumped up, kicking the dock lightly.
"I need to see for myself what's going on, or I'll be too worried to set sail."
Kane kicked the mooring line on the hull to change direction, then thought better of it and grabbed the synthetic braided rope with his hand. A teacher, even a yacht club advisor, shouldn't be flying around so easily, looking so used to being weightless.
The Odette II is moored at the wharf with her brig-type masts, which are equipped on three sides of her hull, folded down, just like the ones displayed in the yacht club. As you can see from the drawings, the sail rigging and equipment are much more complicated than those of the model.
The pure white surface of the hull is not so tanned or faded, perhaps due to the surprisingly small number of flight hours of this spacecraft since its reclassification as a training ship.
"Ah, I knew it."
Moving slowly toward the bow from the center side to check the exterior, Kane noticed that the sensors and antennas were still in place, which was oddly substantial for a civilian-registered training ship.
"I thought it might be possible, since there is no record of her removal for a long time after that, even though her refit history is still there, and sure enough, she has the same equipment she had when she was a temporary cruiser."
Because of the difference in time, there are probably many sensors that are no longer useful or usable in today's space. However, optical observation systems and various radars can provide enough data if they are still alive.
"The maneuvering thrusters can be found at ...…"
Kane took a look at the auxiliary propulsion system, which is discreetly installed in various parts of the hull.
Carefully positioned to fire whether the sails are extended or closed, the maneuverable thrusters are high-powered for their size, but not in the range of a civilian spacecraft. They have much less thrust than those used in military spacecraft engaged in maneuverable combat, so they should not be able to move recklessly.
"It's just enough to be sensible, or at least enough that we don't have to worry about leaving it in the hands of students."
In a civilian spacecraft, which is required above all else to keep operating costs low, the use of maneuverable thrusters is limited to when the ship is entering or leaving port, when delicate control is required.
The bow of the ship was equipped with a tip mast bow sprit that could be used to spread the spare sails as in the case of a sail-armed spacecraft. The sharp crystalline mast was designed to serve several purposes, including a directional long-range communications antenna and a high-precision radar oscillator.
"I didn't realize it was a single molecule crystal of this size."
It was not clear how long the bow split at the tip of the bow had been a part of the ship, but it was made of a single molecular structure created as a single unit. An object made up of practically only one molecule, rather than countless atoms like ordinary matter, can only be destroyed by annihilating it with antimatter.
"It's a labor-intensive spacecraft for its age."
Despite the complex deployment mechanisms of the sail mast and some parts whose contents are not visible from the outside, there are no parts that have been left unattended, broken or lost. Kane sighed as he recalled the disastrous operation of the pirate ship Bentenmaru.
"It must be very costly to operate a private ship nowadays, but still, it's a training sailboat for a girls' school."
The basic shape of the hull is a sharp cone, and the main engine for normal propulsion is mounted at the stern as in the model, even though she is a sailing spacecraft.
As seen in the model and later records, the appearance, at least of the engine section, is not surprising from the output of the records.
"Well, whether the main engine, which has been lying asleep on the wharf for 20 years, will work properly is another question."
Kane peered into the acceleration chamber from the aft section, where the huge plasma propulsion nozzles were arranged in a triangular shape. There was no burning propellant residue, no missing acceleration dots in the rows.
On his way back to the loading hatch in the center of the hull, Kane took another panoramic view of the Odette II, flying over the docks, where only the service robots for maintenance were drifting by as the crew were all on board.
"But I think the white color is kind of deceiving ...…"
Kane kicked the wall and flew straight to the loading hatch, and as he approached the wide opening, he realized what was wrong.
"For a civilian ship, this one doesn't have any windows."
A window is an obstacle in the design structure, as it has to be filled with a transparent part that is not strong enough to fit in the extra opening. Spacecraft are designed to have as few windows as possible, even on cruise ships and passenger vessels, which traditionally have to be equipped with observation domes and windows.
External data is obtained by various radars and sensors. The limited eyesight of the crew does not allow them to obtain much information by looking out through transparent windows. However, many spacecraft are equipped with windows that allow the crew to see outside as a last resort in case of radar or sensor failure, and above all for emotional reasons.
However, even after only a cursory check of the large ship, Kane could not find a single window after circling the exterior.
"This is a pretty drastic design for a training sailboat, even for an amateur spacecraft."
Kane stepped onto the ship, which, like the wharf, still had its artificial gravity cut off. Kane's mouth curled up into a smile as he looked around the ship, which was not a clean, modern, functional structure, but was crammed with old-fashioned mechanisms similar to those on the Bentenmaru.
"This looks too much for a high school girl to handle, even if she is a member of the yacht club."
Kane had a good idea of the Odette II's interior structure from his prior research. Kane entered the ship through the large port side loading door for small cargo, and headed for the bridge, which is located in the rear of the ship, just in front of the engine room.
Even though she was an experimental ship, the passageway was so narrow that one wondered if she had really been built for transportation. Although the protruding parts were covered with cushions, the narrow passageway made it more like a warship than a civilian ship, as it would be difficult to pass each other if one was carrying luggage.
"Ah, sir!"
A female student, whose face appeared from above, called out to him at the three-dimensional six-way intersection where he was going under the crossframe.
"The circulation system of the life support system has been checked. The water tank is empty as recorded, so we need to replenish it with a minimum amount of water and run a test run of the entire system."
"Then let's fill the tank and run it today."
The water supply has already been arranged.
"The external power is connected, so if we run the circulation system continuously, any problem will cause a malfunction."
"The refrigeration in the pantry is confirmed to be working properly."
Another student reports with checklist in hand.
"It cooled down very quickly when I turned it on, so I think it's fine. Just got to ...…"
The female student looked down at the list, as if reluctant to say anything.
"What's wrong?"
"The pantry, it's not empty, but there were some old packets of preserved food, probably left over from the last voyage, still in their boxes."
"Oh, yeah."
Kane nodded knowingly.
"Don't worry, the rations haven't been handled in such a way that they would go rancid in half a century or so. I'll look into it later, but I'm sure the previous crew probably carried some as a sort of backup."
Kane said, considering the possibility that some of the expired food reserves had been left on board because they couldn't be disposed of.
"If it doesn't get in the way, put it off to the side so you don't accidentally use it."
"Yes, sir."
The bridge was at the end of a straight corridor running down the center of the ship. The main bridge, entered through an open, airtight hatch, was a full-blown battlefield.
Several different alarms were blaring, and most of the control panels, arranged in double concentric circles on the disk-shaped bridge, were not working properly.
"Again."
The staff members who are working on the equipment and electronic devices they have brought with them are flying from one place to another, shouting as loud as the alarms, seemingly in no hurry.
"Oh, sir!"
Marika, who had been sitting on the pilot's seat upside down, immediately started to report the current situation to Kane who had just entered the room.
"We have updated the star chart with the latest version. The connection to the network is progressing smoothly."
"Smooth?"
Kane looked around the bridge with a quizzical look on his face as the alarm continued to sound.
"It doesn't look that way to me, miss."
"The communication system is being adjusted to the current standard. We'll still have to add more machines to the current ones if we can't keep up with the adjustments, but I think we have enough power and transmission systems to keep up."
Jenny, who was standing in the middle of the captain's seat, clapped her hands.
"Central computer update completed. Turn off all power to the bridge and turn it back on. Where's the part that's not ready yet?"
"Wait a minute, the bypass device for the data transmission will be in place in a second!"
"Five seconds! We have almost finished setting up the security center!"
"I don't know what I'm doing."
A few more seconds.
"Yes, it's done!" "Yes, I got it!"
Jenny looked around the bridge to see if any other departments wanted a standby hold, and put the intercom with the walkie-talkie she had brought in to her ear.
"Bridge to C68 Portside, do you copy?"
'Yes, this is Portside, we have a good signal.'
"I'm going to turn the main bridge controls back on. Bridge, cut all backup power."
All students scattered throughout the bridge raised one hand high in the air.
"Cut the external power supply on the pier side after three seconds. Three, two, one, zero!"
In the next instant, the bridge was plunged into darkness. Not only the lights on the control panel but also the normal lighting dimmed, leaving only the portable devices and electronic equipment brought in by the students and the light-green emergency lights dimly visible.
'The only thing that remains is the light-green emergency lights. It's off?'
"It's off, check the cut. After a count of ten, connect the external power supply again."
President Jenny read the movement of the second hand as it appeared on the dial of the wristwatch she was holding in front of her.
"Ten, nine."
The girls on the bridge counted down in unison. At the same time as "zero", the bridge, which had been lit only by the emergency lights, came back to normal lighting.
"Oh?"
Kane looked around the bridge, expecting the alarm to start sounding again, and saw that all the control panels were showing the normal start-up screen. The bridge was vividly decorated with start-up screens of various ages and formats, a mixture of flat and solid, because it was an old spaceship. He thought an alarm would go off at some point, but after waiting for a while, the startup procedure continued normally, and the spacecraft functionality was steadily restored.
"I heard that you conduct on-the-job training several times a year on the Odette II while it is still moored."
Kane turned to Jenny, who was still standing in the captain's seat and not taking her eyes off the console, and Marika, who was floating next to her on one hand, continuing to check the console.
"Do you always start the ship up like this?"
Marika and the president looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Previously, we had been running the old system as a stand-alone system without any external connection."
Jenny explained with a laugh.
"We didn't have much of a problem with the old system if we were doing field exercises with the spacecraft moored at the dock. But this is the first time in a long time that we have had to take Odette II out into actual space, so we have taken a slightly more aggressive approach in order to prioritize efficiency. So far, it seems to be working."
In the bridge, filled with the noise and bustle of a school cafeteria at lunchtime, the students begin to check the systems and spacecrafts they have set up.
"A bit aggressive, aren't they?"
Kane muttered secretly.
"Well, a spaceship is fine as long as it fulfills its purpose safely and surely, but ...…"
Kane turned his attention back to Marika as he saw the students working on the time-consuming task.
"You're still a student, you don't have to learn all these tricks, right?"
"'Practical' is the motto of our club, you know."
Holding up her index finger, Marika put her hands on her hips and explained in a plausible manner.
"This kind of experience will be useful no matter when, where, or what kind of spaceship you have to move, won't it?"
"If you had a normal life, you wouldn't have to learn these tricks."
"Station connection confirmed! The control station has returned with a sign confirming the ship's registration over here!"
The wired information lines came back to life, and meaningful information appeared on several displays. President Jenny put a small wireless intercom to her ear.
"This is Jenny Dolittle, President of the Hakuoh Academy's Yacht Club, communicating from the bridge of the Odette II, docked at pier C68."
'This is Sea of the Morning Star Relay Station.'
A curt mechanical response came over the speakers.
'We have confirmed that the Odette II is at anchor. Is there anything we can do to help?'
"Nothing at this time. Odette II is currently preparing to leave port. Please give me up-to-date route information and advisories, and a table of communication codes."
'Yes, ma'am. I will send Odette II the most recent dated route information, weather summary, and communication code protocols.'
"Yes, I got it!"
The reception is instantaneous, thanks to the high speed lines in the station. The second-year student in charge of communications called up the data sent from the control station on the display.
"Got it. I have the route information as of today and the latest version of the communication protocols."
"We have received it. Thank you very much."
'Is there anything else I can help you with?'
"No, not at this time. I will let you know if there is anything else I can help you with."
'We are glad we could be of service. We look forward to serving you again.'
"Teacher!"
A student who had been in contact with the port side control on the pier side shouted.
"There is a vendor here."
"Yes, sir."
There are many types of vendors who come and go at the wharf of the relay station. The vendors of propellants and reactants only have reservations, so there are only a limited number of specialized vendors who will be at the dock from today, the first day of the project.
"Tell them to wait for us, we will be there soon."
Kane quickly dismissed the thought that some vendor had come to greet him to sell him a fire protection system, since the lights were on at the costly, upscale wharf. The prestigious Hakuoh Academy should have a fixed number of vendors.
Returning to the port side of pier C68 and replacing the female student who was working the power guard in the small control room, Kane raised his hand to the vendor in his work clothes.
"Hyakume, is that you?"
"Yes."
A slender man with glazed eyes lifted up the bridge of his Apollo cap and showed his teeth.
"I envy you, all those young girls at work, you know. Are you having a good time?"
"No, it's a place where they herd the nastiest creatures in the world and keep them locked up."
Kane replied, then looked around the fully-equipped control room.
"I turned the recorder off when I came in."
"Same here."
Hyakume tapped the recorder on his shoulder pack.
"We're not working together, so how can we talk if we don't do this?"
"Let's get to work first. We've got 10 tons of pure, conditioned water for the circulation system, should we refill it right away?"
"No, they just unlocked the door and fired it up, and I'm pretty sure they haven't hooked up the supply line yet."
Kane walked over to the dock side of the control room and ran his fingers along the console.
"Well, I thought it was just for show, but the port facilities and maintenance robots are all complete. This should be easy."
Kane put his finger on the intercom that was still strapped to his ear. He indicates to Hyakume that he can communicate with the outside world, and then opens the line.
"Odette II Bridge, do you copy? This is Kane at pier control."
The response came back immediately.
'Bridge, this is Jenny.'
"We have a vendor here from the water department."
'Yes?'
"Excuse me, there's a liquid supply man at the docks. I'd like to fill the circulation system with water, check its operation, and if everything is okay, fill the tanks for continuous operation."
'Wait a minute, I'll get it ready.'
"Please do so. And please open the line of the water supply tank for water replenishment."
'Yes, sir. Marika, do you know how to connect the line of the water tank? Then please, yes, I think it is acceptable.'
"Then, I will move the arm and connect the supply line."
Kane groaned as he touched the console that automatically connected the supply pipes and cords to the hull.
"What a robotic arm. Not only does it position itself, but it even checks the connections automatically?"
'Isn't that normal?'
Hearing Marika's voice over the intercom, Kane frowned.
"Normally, the arm positioning is done automatically, but the line connection and confirmation is done manually."
Just typing in the commands was all that Kane had to do.
"And since we'll be doing that outside, we'll have to work outside the ship in space suits. If we had to do all the loading and unloading in a pressurized environment on such a large ship, we would go bankrupt just from the maintenance costs."
'Really, is that so?'
Marika answered without really feeling it.
'The supply line will be connected automatically.'
The crane arm, running freely along the wharf, connected the supply lines, which were bundles of several tubes of various sizes, to the common standard connector. The connection is checked by the check circuits on both the wharf side and the hull side, and high-pressure dry nitrogen is then blown in for cleaning to confirm the airtightness of the lines.
After checking the tightness of the line and not detecting any abnormalities in the nitrogen gas returned from the cleaning line, the system automatically started continuous cleaning. Once it is confirmed that there is no physical damage to the closed system, the next step is to start water injection.
'No abnormalities in the circulation system. Continue cleaning''
Kane shook his head as he watched the sequence on the display progressing on its own.
"No, this kind of system will ruin human beings."
Marika heard Kane's muttering over the intercom, which was still connected, and burst out laughing.
"It's not funny. It takes a lot of work just to operate an old-type spaceship, and now an amateur is trying to operate a troublesome sail-supported spaceship. What the hell do you know about spaceships if you can't do the supply and maintenance yourself?"
'Because all we know is the Odette II.'
Marika's laughter over the intercom was uncontrollable.
'If that's what you need, you'll probably have to do it in the coming voyage, so please let me know. Sir?'
Hyakume, who had been listening intently to the intercom conversation, now started chuckling, trying not to laugh out loud. Kane put his finger on the intercom near his ear as he watched the sequence progress smoothly on the display.
"Tell that to everyone in there. For a long time now, spacecraft have been flying under human power. I'm going to disconnect."
Hyakume burst out laughing as he waited for the communication with the bridge to be disconnected.
"Well, you're a great teacher with a lot of talented students, aren't you? I can see the difference."
"If all goes according to plan, that student is going to be our boss."
Kane pointed at the intercom still in his ear.
"That's Marika Kato, Captain Gonzaemon's only daughter and the only legitimate heir to the Bentenmaru privateer's license."
"Oh, that's her."
Hyakume tried to match the image of Marika, whom he had only seen in the photo with the voice he had just heard.
"How are your students doing? Professor."
"I can't believe she's the daughter of Captain Ririka, the one I've heard so much about, because she's never late or absent, she does her homework and reports perfectly, and she never fails her random tests."
"I don't know who asked about her grades."
Hyakume stared at Kane with an unreadable expression in his glassy eyes.
"I'm asking the yacht club advisor if the captain's daughter is qualified to be a captain."
Kane thought for a moment.
"If all she has to do is run a spaceship, she's pretty good at it. I don't know if Captain Ririka trained her or if she learned on her own, but she'll make a good pilot if she doesn't fall into the dark side."
"Oh? I've never heard such a glowing assessment from Bentenmaru's first-class pilot."
"But as you know, a captain is not determined by the skill and performance of their pilot."
"For us nowadays, it's all about the blood."
Hyakume raised his Apollo cap, which he had been wearing over his eyes to hide their glassy surface, a little.
"And I'm afraid we have no other choice. That's good, being a good pilot means you can imagine the movement of the spacecraft and what's going on in the air. That's a hundred times better than being a naive young lady."
Hyakume looked up dazedly at the white hull of the sailing spaceship behind the pressure-resistant glass.
"Moreover, the vessel they are boarding is the same as our Bentenmaru, a survivor of the original seven, the first seven pirate vessels. ... I'm surprised it survived this long."
"How did you do?"
Kane looked at the white spaceship tied to the dock, as did Hyakume.
"Were you able to gather some information about the Odette II during the Hakuchou period?"
"Well, a little."
Hyakume pointed to his head, which was covered by a tattered Apollo cap.
"It's been hard work. There are no detailed reports of each and every act of piracy in the official records, and the stories of legendary pirates from over 100 years ago are all made up by later generations, so it's hard to tell the difference between truth and falsehood."
"So you have succeeded in sorting out enough data to make a good assessment."
Hyakume smiled and nodded.
"It's quite an accomplishment. At least 80% of the recorded pirate acts were surprise attacks. They get close enough to be detected, kill the communication systems and take over the controls by high-tech means. It's textbook smart piracy."
"With this?"
Kane pointed to the sail-supported spaceship in front of him.
"How could a sailboat with such a large reflective surface get close enough to be detected?"
"That's what I was wondering too. The logbook of the attacker's cargo ship shows the detailed procedure. You see, a sailing spaceship may have huge sails, but the hull itself is much slimmer and lighter than other spaceships of the same class. They're going to fly on sunlight and space air currents, which are not as reliable as our own engines, so they have to be light to go in the direction they want to go."
"We're talking about interstellar freighters. Were the old freighter watchtowers so small that they couldn't spot a conspicuous spacecraft like this?"
"No."
Hyakume shook his head.
"The way spaceships see through the distance hasn't changed that much, except that radar has become more dense and sensors now use not only electronic and optical systems but also gravity and the like. Now, what was the method to minimize radar reflection?"
"Minimize the projected area on the target."
Kane responded with a textbook answer.
"That's the basics of our business, isn't it?"
"Yes. The Hakuchou scored with a very basic and obvious tactic. Even with the mast folded for sailing, her hull looks slender, doesn't it?"
Hyakume drew with his fingertips a picture of the hull of a sailing spaceship that looked like a stretched out cone.
"If you keep the bow pointed exactly at the target cargo ship, you can minimize the radar response. The Hakuchou, as it was called when it was pirated, was painted black and even coated with illegal radar-absorbing material."
"Well, there is no legal or illegal way to be a pirate in the middle of a war. But if you keep your bow pointed right at them, they can't get close enough unless you tail them from right behind, can they?"
"That's why."
Hyakume pointed out the window at the sail-engine spacecraft.
"With solar sails, they can approach with their hull at an angle to the target without propellant spray that would generate a massive infrared response."
"Ah ...…"
Kane understood Hyakume's explanation. A solar sailer, with sails powered by sunlight, could be propelled through space without the use of a propulsion engine mounted in line with the axis of the hull. If approaching from the side of a star, it would not inadvertently reflect sunlight. Above all, the greatest efficiency of a sail-mounted spacecraft is achieved when the hull is at an angle to the direction of propulsion.
"I see. ... But that's easy for you to say, but unless you're very careful, you won't be able to follow the procedure of approaching and attacking."
"That's why they must have been very careful. Otherwise, they would not have been able to score as high as the pirates who use brute force and also survive to the end."
"Tactics are fine, but what about armament?"
The Hakuchou's refit history prior to the outbreak of the war shows that the ship's energy system was strengthened as well as its electronic armament was greatly enhanced. The increase in engine power and the addition of supply lines, which are not required for ordinary civilian vessels, can only mean the installation of additional beam cannons. However, no matter how many modifications are made to the ship, the power of the weapons that can be equipped on a sail-engineered spacecraft is still limited.
"What the hell were they using to use force?"
"That's great too. They fired their extra anti-ship beam cannons in a threatening manner, and in some cases they even blew up the antennae with precision fire, but that's almost an added bonus. Anti-ship armaments during the war are no good, but you have to look for results with fixed armaments."
Kane looked at him curiously.
"What did they use then?"
"Missiles."
Hyakume answered simply.
"The Hakuchou read the other ship's course and placed missiles at the predicted points of contact ahead of time."
"Another time-consuming task."
A shiver ran down Kane's spine as he thought about the amount of preparation Hakuchou had put in before committing piracy.
By deploying remotely piloted missiles on the battlefield in advance, a combat ship could have a missile ready to fire at any time to respond to changing conditions. There is no need to mount the missiles on multiple launchers with the safety off and prepare for battle, nor is there any need to advance to the launch position.
"It takes a lot of work, but it's not that bad. Guided missiles for anti-ship attacks are by far the most expensive of all disposable weapons. A high-end one costs more than a poorly manned aircraft. They can be recovered and reused if they are deployed ahead of time, and they can be used to threaten or surprise at will."
"That is, if you keep them in the right combat airspace."
The range of the missiles, which are disposable, is not very long. If additional tanks or boosters are added, that is a different story, but as the combat airspace shifts, the deployed missiles must be moved accordingly. As a result, it is to be expected that missiles that have lost propellant will become unusable or drift.
"But that's not going to work, and won't it be a hassle to retrieve the missiles each time?"
"It would be cheaper than using disposable ones. And, I'm just guessing here, but once they got used to the job, wouldn't it have been enough to just place decoys and bluff them instead of actually deploying the missiles?"
It is not uncommon for a pirate to do business in name only once he has made a name for himself as a pirate.
"Would a transport ship in the middle of a war raise the flag just for bluffing?"
"Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to win all those prizes without a good battle record. Pirates are out of business if they sink their prey. But we can't do our job if we just let them go. The Hakuchou was very good at bluffing."
"That's pretty good for a non-pirate and transport ship."
The console announced that the dry nitrogen scavenging was complete. The water injection started automatically.
"You're really going to ruin a human being if you leave it to the machines like this."
"This is the way it is in a modern upscale port."
Hyakume said with a pitying look.
"We don't have this kind of equipment because of our tight budget, but this is normal for luxury warships and cruise ships."
"On a training ship, any work would be a training exercise."
Kane plugged in the intercom. He tells Marika, who answers the comm, to keep an eye on the system as he starts to fill the circulatory system with water. For a long voyage, he would have filled the water tanks to the brim, but for today, he is only filling the tanks with the minimum amount of water to check the operation of the circulatory system and to keep the water in the tanks for a short voyage.
"So we're going to recondition the hull that's been idle for 20 years, replenish water, food, spare parts, and information, and then set sail with a bunch of amateurs in tow. It's a tough job, huh?"
Kane looked over at the display showing the main status of Odette II.
"And what about now? Now that you're no longer a pirate and your ship type has changed from a fancy cruiser to a training ship, is she now unarmed?"
"Maybe."
Kane frowned at the uncertain tone.
"Couldn't you get any information from the contractor who is responsible for the maintenance of this ship?"
"I do have information, yes. But whether or not I can fully trust it is another matter. How about you, would you trust information you haven't verified?"
"It depends. So, what is the content of the information?"
"At least the current Odette II is not armed with missiles, mines, mass weapons, or munitions."
"What makes it unreliable?"
"The electronic armament from the pirate ship era is operational - at least there is no evidence that it has been removed and unnecessary weapons control has been killed. I told you that when this ship was in service, it was operated by remote control of pre-positioned missiles. It was never equipped with a missile launcher in the first place, because there was no need to fire it. You can just open the cargo hold and throw it out with a robotic arm and that's all you need. And it probably still has enough electronic armament available to guide and control the missiles."
To engage in anti-ship combat and ensure that missiles and beams hit fast-moving targets, the ship would have to be equipped with radar and sensors that are unnecessarily high-powered and accurate for a civilian ship.
"Maybe they were trying to sell it to the military as a training ship after the Revolutionary War."
"There was no reason to keep such an expensive piece of equipment unless you think so. Nowadays, however, such a sophisticated electronic system would have cost much more than the hull by itself."
"It's still active and working."
The equipment Kane had seen with his own eyes as he flew around the ship before he boarded made sense to him.
"So it may not be armed for direct combat, but it has the electronic armament of a warship."
"It may or may not be alive or dead, but it's certainly equipped. I don't know if the delicate electronic armament still maintains the performance of the past, or if it has been left alone and is completely rusted out."
"Maybe they've been steadily updated and still have top-notch performance."
Kane recalled the various electronic devices that had been turned on simultaneously on the bridge.
"Well, whether the kids can handle it is another matter. Even if the electronic armament is well-equipped, if it doesn't carry the essential weapons and ammunition, there's no need to worry about playing with fire."
Hyakume pointed the display on his shoulder pack at Kane.
"Sign here to accept."
"Yes, sir."
Kane looked at the supply slip.
"What about payment?"
"That one comes directly from the school. The school is paying for the whole package, so if you need replacement parts, spare parts, propellant, or food, you can order it all at once."
"Aside from the necessary parts, I'll leave the food and daily necessities to the students."
Kane signed his name with a light pen.
"Well, thank you."
The first day's work, as expected, was completed well ahead of schedule. The Odette II, moored at pier C68, was connected to an external power source, the electronic systems necessary to maintain the ship were restored, the software was updated to current standards, and the hardware was verified to be operational. The life-support systems are now working properly.
The life-support system is currently intact, but it will take 24 hours of operation before the circulatory system can be checked for normal operation by injecting water. However, since this training voyage is only scheduled to be of short duration, any failure in the life support system will not be an obstacle to the execution of the voyage.
As part of the training camp of Hakuoh Academy's yacht club, whose motto is "for real-world use," students stay overnight on the berthed Odette II.
Dinner, prepared in the ship's galley using ingredients brought in from the ground or purchased at the station, is served in the ship's mess hall, and after dinner, the students sleep in their assigned private cabins.
In addition, the ship's deployment shift is performed in the same way as on training voyages. The bridge of the training sailboat, which is under the control of the relay station as a navigable vessel with live electronic equipment even though moored, is manned by a pair of midnight watchmen assigned by a lottery, who are on duty for four hours at a time.
Although the ship is moored and relies on an external power supply for its power, all the instruments on the bridge are lit just as they are during flight, and the two who were chosen by lottery to be on duty from midnight today were first-year students Marika Kato and Chiaki Kurihara.
"What is ...…"
The bridge of Odette II, with seats arranged in double concentric circles on a disk-shaped bridge, is small, perhaps due to its origins as an experimental starship. However, when there are only two female students on duty, the bridge, which used to be so busy during the day, seems deserted.
"You don't find this somewhat deliberate?"
Marika, who was sitting in the first officer's seat directly below the captain's seat and had automatically completed her routine checks inside the ship, outside the ship, and down to the dock where the ship was moored, called out to Chiaki, who was sitting in the communications officer's seat about two seats away and running her fingers over the control panel with a blank expression on her face.
After waiting for a while for a reply, Marika added.
"Don't you think it's strange that only two first-year students are on duty on the first day?"
"Moreover, one of them is a transfer student and the other is a newcomer to the club."
For the first time since she came on duty, Chiaki opened her mouth.
"I didn't do anything."
The lottery to determine the time, order, and combination of shifts was conducted on a computer program. Even if the program is said to be fair and uses random numbers, there are many ways to manipulate the results.
"Well, then, I guess Kane ... sensei."
Marika looked at the numeric keypad for the ship's communication on one of the control panels. Kane McDougal, the advisor, should be sleeping in the captain's cabin, according to the tradition of the yacht club.
"I guess he was just trying to get us accustomed to the quiet atmosphere of duty on a moored starship, since it's not like we have to be on duty anyway…"
Chiaki checked the current position of the Odette II on the monitor.
The current position data of Odette II, which is moored in a geostationary orbiting relay station visible in the southern sky even from New Okuhama City, is provided by the relay station, and its value changes only slightly according to the rotation of Sea of the Morning Star.
"Do they really want us to be on duty on a spacecraft nowadays that can go unmanned from departure to docking, complete with autopilot?"
"I don't care if it's a cruiser with only family and friends on board, it's a training sailboat with a minimum number of crew, right?"
With all the members of the yacht club who have committed to attend the camp, all the positions needed to operate the Odette II can be filled.
"Besides, don't you mean we should get used to Galactic Standard Time while we're at it?"
Marika looked at the energy usage in the rooms assigned to the students. Some of the rooms were still awake. Spacecrafts navigating through the galactic universe are required by navigation laws to use the galactic standard time. There is naturally a time difference from the planetary standard time in New Okuhama City.
"It doesn't mean that other starships will be willing to adjust their time to our convenience, does it?"
Marika glanced over at Chiaki, who was doing something on the seat next to hers.
"Do pirate ships run on galactic standard time, too?"
There was a pause of a sigh before she replied.
"I don't know. I don't see the advantage of using a different time if the ships are flying in the same galaxy."
"That's true. ... Hey, what have you been doing?"
Chiaki's fingers were running over the control panel at a rapid pace for a normal surveillance operation. Again, Chiaki's reply was slow.
"From outside."
Without looking at Marika, Chiaki kept her eyes on the display.
"There are a lot of people trying to sneak in, you know."
"What?"
"Even though we're moored inside the station, the antennas are still sensitive, and the data lines are connected. The ship is still alive on the network, so we're getting a lot of attacks from the outside."
"What does that mean?"
Marika understood the meaning of Chiaki's words and raised her voice.
"You mean Odette II is under electronic attack!?"
Thinking for a moment, Chiaki nodded.
"Well, I guess that's what it means."
"From where!? For what purpose would someone want to attack a training ship of a girls' school!?"
"If you could figure out where and from whom, you wouldn't have a hard time, would you? It's nothing to get excited about, so far we've only been attacked by a couple of automated robots and a nasty pushy virus, but ...…"
"Oh, so that's the kind of cyber-attack."
Marika breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's not so uncommon on the surface net, is it? Can't Odette II's main computer's standard firewalls handle such an attack?"
""I hope so."
Chiaki said, unusually hesitant. Marika looked at Chiaki's profile.
"You mean that's not all?"
Chiaki shook her head.
"The basic idea of an electronic attack is to take over the enemy's system without them being aware of it, but I have a feeling that they are doing something to us."
"They're doing something ..., you think?"
"So, if I knew who or what was behind the electronic attack, I wouldn't have any trouble."
"Well…"
Marika looked around the bridge. She could easily recognize the captain's seat, the communications officer's seat, the navigator's seat, the helmsman's seat, and the engineer's seat, but she still didn't know what all the seats on the bridge were for.
"Where are the electronic warfare seats?"
"Probably there."
Chiaki pointed to the operator's seat behind the communicator's seat. Although some of the displays were lit, no one in the yacht club touched the seats, in accordance with the unwritten rule that one should not touch anything that one does not understand.
Floating softly in the bridge, which remained weightless, Marika settled on her toes into the middle seat behind the communications officer's seat. She looked around at the vast array of interfaces and seemingly excessive displays, which she did not think she could handle on her own.
"Do you know how to use that?"
"Not at all."
When Marika answered, Chiaki involuntarily turned around from her seat.
"Well, to begin with, this machine was used for electronic warfare a long time ago, wasn't it? I wonder if it can still be used today."
She settled into her seat position. There are several pedals lined up under her feet, as if to show how the machine is supposed to be used.
"Well, the protocols and communication speeds are different from those of the past, but the basics of electronic warfare are all the same...…"
Chiaki emerged from the radio operator's seat and peeked around the operator's seat, which was supposed to be the electronic warfare seat. The recently popular three-dimensional display was rarely used, and all information was displayed on a flat display.
"This display."
Marika pointed to one of the displays on the left hand side, which was one of only a handful of displays alive from the seat where displays of various sizes seemed to be crammed in rather than lined up.
"Isn't this one reacting a little bit?"
Chiaki looked at the display, which showed a wave curve with red spines that seemed to be reacting frequently, and turned her attention back to the panel on the communications officer's desk where she had been seated.
"... looks like it's in sync with the external communications. It doesn't look like anything else is working, either."
"What do you mean by 'external communications'...?"
Marika looked around the display, which she had no idea what it showed or how to read.
"From the antenna?"
Chiaki tilted her head this time.
"Well, it's in a closed wharf, and the only antenna that's still active is the exterior antenna for short-range communication, and the main antenna for long-range communication is probably folded up, isn't it?"
"Even if it's folded, it's still possible to receive signals, just less sensitive. But if the intrusion is not from the antenna but from the cables connected to it…"
"The ship that's launching the electronic attack won't be outside in outer space, but inside the relay station."
Chiaki flew back to the radio operator's seat. It is easy to check whether the contact from the outside is through the antenna or through the information cable connected to the hull of the ship.
Odette II's highly sensitive antennas received communication waves of various frequencies, both for fixed short-range communications and for long-range communications that were folded up with the sail mast. However, Odette II's communication system, which could have been used for electronic reconnaissance and could have instantly processed huge amounts of communication data, did not pick up any patterns that could have been recognized as electronic attacks.
Chiaki narrowed the communication system's filters to the data coming through the direct wired lines and began to scrutinize the data.
"Well?"
Chiaki answered sharply to Marika who asked her casually from the electronic warfare seat.
"Wait a minute! I'm not familiar with this system!"
Calling up the help file on the sub-display, which was filled with the writings of those who had worked with this system in the past, Chiaki tried to carefully select a wired contact to the Odette II.
If the call was for a ship's name or identification code, it would immediately call the operator at the radio operator's desk. Data such as the spatial situation in the vicinity of the relay station broadcast from the control station, information on arrival and departure ports, and general weather conditions are updated and accumulated as necessary.
Advertisements and promotions by automatic programs enter into the communication system and try to sell their products at any time and any place, regardless of their partners. Regardless of whether they are legitimate or illegitimate, the commercials that pop in as soon as we let our guard down for a moment are no different from those that we see when we are on the ground touching the network. And bargain deals on used spaceships and cheap updates of illegal programs are of no use to high school girls on board a training sailboat.
After much time spent filtering and blocking out unnecessary data and adjusting the multiple filters, Chiaki finally found a trace of the desired communication data.
"I found it!"
Chiaki shouted as she found the trace of the virus-like data that had specified the name and identification code of the Odette II ship to the communication partner, but had established a communication circuit without informing the communication partner, and had automatically disappeared and rewritten the communication record immediately after the connection was established.
"Do you know where it came from?"
Marika had somehow moved to the navigator's seat. Chiaki started to recover the communication data that had once been erased.
"Of course, the communication paths are probably on there, but they've been spoofed anyway."
"I'm looking at the list of ships in port in the relay station."
Marika is scanning the list on the display.
"There are many ships staying near the station, but there aren't that many that are in port."
Sea of the Morning Star Relay Station is not a very large station, but it is a port city classified as a space city. There are closed docks for large vessels to enter, and open berths that are pressurized with air shields.
"How many ships?"
"There are three starship destroyers, one large passenger ship on a regular route, one more in preparation and coming in soon, four ground shuttles, two cruise ships, and a little over ten cargo ships of various sizes."
"How many are in the docking port downtown?"
The data, which was quickly reconstructed, is accompanied by the path taken. The intrusion protocol, which flew straight to the Odette II moored at pier C68, was posted from the docking port below the station before being delivered to the main server at the relay station.
"Downtown docking port? Wait a minute."
The direct wired connection to the relay station is not limited to spacecraft that have docked at the station and are moored at the dock. A series of docking ports, which allow human traffic and small cargo to be loaded directly into the lower part of the Sea of the Morning Star relay station, are stacked around the main shaft to accommodate spacecraft that do not need to enter the station and cargo ships that cannot afford to rent a closed wharf.
"The docking ports have ... 15 ships!"
There are 15 ships docking at the docking port, which is a series of dockable ports stacked on either side of the main shaft. There is a star cruiser on a half-landing, a deep-space research vessel on a resupply mission, two privately owned yachts and cruisers, and what appears to be a mix of fast and slow cargo ships, large and medium-sized.
"Cargo ships are the most common in the world, and they are also the easiest to disguise their registry and identity."
Chiaki displayed a list of ships docked at the relay station's docking port on the sub-display in the radio operator's seat.
"You mean one of these ships is setting us up?"
The transmitted path disappeared beyond the docking port into a higher-dimensional space network that handled superluminal interstellar communications. Chiaki identified it as a deception in the intrusion protocol.
"Look for the suspicious one!"
"How do you know if it's suspicious!?"
"Ignore the scheduled and chartered flights belonging to major companies with solid credentials. Ignore the privately owned ones, or the ones owned by small shipping companies you've never heard of, or the ones whose home port registration is incredibly far away... just look for the suspicious ones!"
If it's that kind of data, it's easy to find out the ship's registry via a relay station.
"And, can you get the data of the external shape!?"
Identification codes include ship type and classification, but not appearance data.
"Well, I wonder if I can get the data from the ATC?"
"If you do that, they'll know we're aware of the electronic attack. It would be faster to get an image from the monitoring camera."
Searching several public channels, Chiaki found a channel with surveillance images of the relay station.
Switching at high speed between the street cameras in the public areas of the station, the docks, the Sea of the Morning Star overlooking the station, and countless other surveillance cameras, she finally found the camera with the surveillance image of the downtown docking port.
"The ones docked at 19 and 64 are privately owned transports, but their home port is here at Sea of the Morning Star. I've never heard of the company or the name of the home port for number 28, but it's a plant ship, isn't it?"
A plant ship is a ship that has an entire factory facility as a spacecraft, and heads for its destination while refining raw materials and producing general-purpose parts during its long voyage, or operates as a factory during its long anchorages.
"What about the others!?"
"I don't know if it's suspicious or not, but both of the ships in the list, No. 92 and No. 117, are not major space ships, but old ships with an old first year registration!"
"If you're talking about old ships with an outdated first year registration, then the Odette II is probably the most common ship in port."
Chiaki switched the channel of the surveillance camera to the spacecraft in docking port number ninety-two. A container ship, which could be seen in any space station, was shown on the screen.
"Can you see the arrival and departure schedules over there?"
There are not many images on the monitor camera installed in one docking port. Marika's answer was immediate.
"City of Irene, number 92, came in the day before yesterday."
The docking container ship has all power turned off, the lights in the windows are not visible, and the navigation lights are off. Assuming that this one was inoperative, Chiaki switched the channel to the surveillance camera at docking port number 117.
"Whoa!"
The monitor camera showed the fast transport's hull form with its navigation lights on and the lights in the windows. The hull structure is in shambles, with the old paint gradually burning off and peeling away, leaving behind a sooty camouflage paint job.
"Even if we get a job on a ship like this, I'm sure the sponsors would run away at first sight."
"The Lightning 11, number 117, docked four days ago."
"That's probably it."
Chiaki visualized the whole picture from a number of images displayed on a surveillance monitor.
"What in the world is a ship that's not scheduled to leave port doing with all these lights shining all over the place?"
"Which one?"
Marika, who had somehow come up behind Chiaki, looked into the monitor from above.
"Whoa!"
Chiaki shouted, and then pointed at the camera image looking up at the hull of Lightning 11 from the docking port connection.
"For a transport ship that doesn't pay this much attention to its appearance, it has too many communication facilities. A mere transport ship doesn't need so many antennas spread all over the place."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying that there's no need for so many antennas on the bridge and hull if it's just for normal communication. What do you think it's for when an electronic warfare ship is equipped with so many antennas, but they're not enough, and during a real battle, they have to expand their disposable firing systems?"
"I've never seen an electronic battleship."
Marika's mouth twitched as she stumbled back to the electronic warfare seat.
"Do you know how to do it?"
"How to do what?"
"Electronic warfare."
Chiaki turned to Marika who was sitting behind her.
"Excuse me!?"
"Odette II is being electronically attacked, isn't she? If that's the case, don't you think it's polite to return the electronic warfare as a form of self-defense?"
Chiaki looked at Marika's face.
"... do you know what electronic warfare is?"
"I don't know. But Odette II has electronic warfare equipment, even if it's old-fashioned, right? If we launch the ship, won't they take us on?"
"Do you know what will happen if we launch electronic warfare equipment in a closed dock like this? Even a conventional navigational radar has the power to boil a flesh and blood human being in the blink of an eye!"
"Only the computer of the electronic armament can be activated. The antenna is folded up and can't be deployed from the mooring anyway, and it probably won't reach your opponent on the other side of the main shaft directly from here."
Marika lowered her seat once and looked around the control panel to check the location of the main power, and peeked under her feet to see if there were any hidden switches.
"What kind of power are you planning to emit!?"
"If they are wired to attack us, can't we also be wired to defend and counterattack?"
Chiaki looked at Marika's face as she moved her seat forward into the operating position, and turned to the communications officer's seat.
"Of course, depending on the settings, it may be possible to respond in that way, but there's no way an amateur can easily handle electronic warfare!"
"Then what are you going to do?"
Chiaki felt Marika's straight gaze on her back and turned around.
"If Odette II is really under electronic attack, I think the safest thing to do is to make an excuse to the relay station to reconnect the communication cable or reconfigure the communication equipment, and unplug the cable. Maybe if you do that, you can take over the duty and explain the situation to Mr. Kane tomorrow, he will be able to handle it better. But if they're trying to get Odette II, won't they try the same thing again unless we fight back and make our stance clear?"
Chiaki stared at Marika's face for a while.
"...I guess it can't be helped if the crew member in charge say so...…"
Chiaki turned to the communication monitor and smiled without realizing it.
"The crew member in charge? What are you talking about?"
"You have more seniority in this yacht club than I do, so that means I have to do what you say."
She looks over at the control panel in the communications officer's seat, and locks the wired cables as the only means of external communication. It's a measure to prevent inadvertent activation of external antennas, but with a system this large, it may only be a comforting thought, since you never know which of them will have the highest priority. And the attack on the central computer, disguised as a promotional advertisement, is still going on.
"I'll tell you something, I'm an amateur at electronic warfare myself."
Chiaki floated up from the radio operator's seat and jumped into the electronic warfare seat in the rear.
"Besides, I don't even know what the electronic armament of this ship is. I don't know what's going on."
"The crew member in charge will take the blame, won't she?"
Marika smiled at Chiaki as she took a seat next to her.
"Well then, I'm going to start up the electronic warfare system of the Odette II."
Once she had lowered her seat, Marika put in the lever hidden under the control panel and turned on the main switches of the electronic armament control panels for the three seats one after another.
For the first time in years, Odette II's electronic armament regained power. The monitors of the electronic warfare seats, which had been lit only by sub-monitors, came back to life one after another and began to display mysterious startup indications and automatic checks.
"It seems to be working properly somehow…"
Chiaki muttered as she watched a part of the display that had started working on its own to check the current status in cooperation with each part of the hull.
"It's not like an amateur can handle a full-scale electronic battle anyway, so just pretend you don't know what's going on and disconnect the power when it gets out of hand."
"I wonder if it's okay…"
Marika, who had turned on the system herself, looked around with a worried face at the complicated system, which displayed various graphics and start-up procedures one after another.
"A system this intricate, if I shut it down arbitrarily, it might break just by itself."
"There is no way we can fight electronic warfare with such a fragile system."
Chiaki screamed as she ran her eyes over to the communications officer's seat.
"No way! It's communicating with somewhere else!"
"Huh?"
Marika stood up from the outer electronic warfare seat and looked at the control panel on the inner radio operator's seat. The data transmission from Odette II to the outside is rapidly increasing.
"What? Where is it connected to?"
"I don't know!"
Chiaki, who was about to return to the communications officer's seat, switched the display in her hand. She tapped on the control panel and tried to figure out the controls of the electronic armament.
"It seems to be connected to some kind of database, but it's not the ... star system military!? Records Department!?"
Chiaki couldn't believe her eyes as she glanced at the logo she had read while switching through the display at high speed.
"Wait a minute, where in the world is this idiotic computer getting its data from!?"
Instinctively, she fumbles around in an attempt to interrupt the data transmission, but the high-speed data transfer does not stop.
After downloading a huge amount of data, the progress of which could be seen even with the high-speed data line in the relay station, the area around the electronic warfare seat suddenly began to glow noisily.
"Huh? What?"
Marika looked around the displays around her in a panic, and saw that some of the displays were flashing the words 'automatic warfare' and drawing fast-changing figures.
"Oh no!"
Chiaki dived at Marika's feet and tried to drop the power lever.
"I don't know if the previous settings are still alive or what, but it's trying to start electronic warfare on its own. Stop it!"
"Wait!"
Marika grabbed Chiaki's shoulder.
"We set this up to do electronic warfare, we have to leave it to her if she's going to do it on her own."
"We don't even know what we're dealing with and we're just supposed to sit back and watch this incomprehensible system! If the system is so careless, you'll be fighting with the control station, you electronic armament!"
"It's okay."
Marika pointed to a monitor in the communications officer's seat that was showing the status of Odette II's wired communications.
"Since the data download is finished, our communication is one-way to the docking port downtown. I'm guessing that the electronic armament that's up and running knows that we're under attack and is fighting to keep us safe?"
"No electronic armament can be that responsive and easy to handle!"
The lights that had been brightly illuminating the bridge flickered on and off, then suddenly disappeared. Marika and Chiaki looked at each other, illuminated by the rapidly changing display on the electronic warfare seat.
Marika forced a smile.
"Well, let's see, what happened?"
"Idiot!"
Chiaki cursed and then flew to the engineer's seat. Even the lights on the displays and control panels in some of the seats were dimmed. Despite this, only the display in the electronic warfare seat remained active, glowing brightly.
"The energy usage is skyrocketing!"
Chiaki reported, looking at the display on the engineer's seat, which only monitors the energy supply from the outside since the main engine of Odette II is not running.
"What a stupid consumption of this electronic armament. The power we're getting now isn't enough, so we had to cut the other power to get the power we need!"
"... you mean ...…"
Marika looked around the bridge, where only the display lights were out.
"The rest of the ship is ...…"
A dull thumping sound came from somewhere. The displays that had been illuminating Marika and Chiaki disappeared one after another, and the bridge closed in darkness.
"Blackout!"
As if hearing Chiaki's voice, emergency lights driven by an independent power supply dimly formed a passageway.
"The power supply suddenly jumped, and the breaker on the pier side must have tripped."
Marika emerged from her electronic warfare seat.
"Then I'll have to go to the pier and turn the breakers back on."
"But first, turn off the main switch of the electronic armament!"
Chiaki floated up from the engineer's seat.
"It'll happen again if we keep running such a big appetite!"
To their dismay, it was not only inside the anchored Odette II that the power supply was cut off when the breaker tripped. Marika and Chiaki went outside the ship through the open port center loading door and found that all the lights at pier C68, which had been shining brightly on the Odette II, had gone out and only the pale green emergency lights were on.
Marika flew through the weightless wharf to the control room, where she turned on the breakers, which had been automatically shut down as expected, and restored the power supply to pier C68 and Odette II.
The white sail-engine spacecraft at the private wharf was illuminated by bright lights outside the control room.
"Is the power back on inside the ship?"
Chiaki, who had seen the power supply in the control room, replied to Marika's worried look.
"Maybe."
She pointed at one of the displays.
"Look, the energy supply to the ship is normal. But look at this. Just before the blackout, the amount of power supplied from the outside suddenly jumped up to five times the previous level. If we were to suddenly use this much electricity without even starting the main engine, the safety device would have tripped the breakers."
"Next time, I'll have to ask them to increase the capacity even more."
Marika began to operate the panel in the control room.
"What are you doing?"
"Lightning 11, I was wondering what happened to you."
It was faster to check the arrival and departure status at the control room than to search the image channel of the surveillance camera. Marika called up the data, and right in front of her eyes, the schedule of Lightning 11, which had been blank until then, was rewritten as preparing for departure.
"Oh my, are they in a hurry to get out of here?"
Chiaki chuckles.
"So, did you succeed in intercepting them?"
"Well, I'll have to go back to the bridge and check the communication status to see if we got any strange attacks."
Chiaki spotted a figure in the open port center loading bay.
"You better think about what you're going to say to Mr. Kane about blacking out the whole ship without warning, senpai?"
"Oh no, we must have woken him up."
Operating a monitor camera at the dock, Marika took a close-up of a figure standing at the loading dock. Kane, dressed in his work clothes, waved his hand lightly at the camera. Behind him, some students are seen waking up.
"It's after lights out, but it's not like everyone is asleep, is it? Come on, the breakers are back on and the power supply is working fine, so we have to go back and make an excuse."
Marika and Chiaki returned to the port loading dock from the control room at the wharf, and were greeted by Kane and his staff, who had woken up to the sudden power outage.
"So, what happened?"
"I'm sorry!"
Marika put her hands together as if in prayer.
"I was on duty, and I was free, so I switched on the electronic armament to see if it could be used, and it seems to have consumed a lot of power!"
"I'm sure it didn't use so much electricity that it tripped the circuit breaker."
Jenny tilted her head. Kane turned to the manager.
"So, have you ever tried to use the electronic armament during mooring training?"
"No, I've only turned it on once to make sure it was working, but I didn't want to inadvertently affect the station."
Jenny waved her hands in a panic.
"No one in the club knows how to use electronic warfare, and when you start up the system, it seems to connect to somewhere and download data on its own, but I don't really know how to use it."
Marika looked at Chiaki secretly.
"I understand. It seems that the station has not been affected, so Marika and Chiaki, please go back to your duty stations. However, please check if the bridge function is restored to normal by the end of your duty time."
"What?!"
Marika raised her voice.
"Of course you did, you blacked out the spaceship and forced the entire system to shut down. I don't think the damage was fatal since we have a backup power supply, but if there is an error somewhere, don't try to recover it, just leave it as it is."
"Well, I'll at least check it out, but…"
"And one more thing, don't touch the electronic armament any more today."
Marika and Chiaki nodded in unison at Kane's words.
"We'll check the effects of the blackout again tomorrow when we wake up. Tomorrow morning's wake-up time will remain unchanged, so everyone should get back to bed as soon as possible."
With a clap of hands, the students followed Kane back to their bedrooms, yelling in protest.
"So, did you really just turn on the electronic armament just out of curiosity?"
After glancing at Marika's face, Chiaki went forward.
"You can check the logs if you like. But since the power outage was caused by a breaker failure due to a sudden increase in power, there may not be any record of the important parts of the outage."
After looking at Chiaki and Marika for a moment, Kane nodded.
"I understand. Let's put it that way. Then, please take care of the rest of your duty."
"So, what happened?"
Back in the captain's quarters, Kane was making contact with someone outside the ship.
'There was a spaceship trying to mess with the moored Odette II from the outside.'
Hyakume, on the other end of the phone, was monitoring the situation around the Odette II and the relay station 24 hours a day.
'That in itself is not unusual. It's a common occurrence in our industry to plant a bomb on a spacecraft with lax security. The problem is that the person on duty on the Odette II today was a high school girl who found out about it and engaged in electronic warfare.'
"You mean the young lady and the transfer student played electronic warfare together?"
'No, from their reactions, it is difficult to say that both of them directly engaged in the electronic warfare. However, the electronic armament of Odette II that was powered up automatically started up, downloaded electronic warfare data from the military database, and checked the surrounding situation while updating the system, that's what we're aware of.'
"Download what from the military database?"
'It's public electronic warfare data. It's not useful for a job like ours because it's updated slowly, but it's useful enough for a civilian ship flying peacefully to harden its security. Then the electronic armament did a quick scan of all systems to determine what was going on, checked the external communication lines, detected an electronic attack on the wired lines, and fired back.'
Kane shook his head at the report delivered over the voice-only phone.
"So the electronic armament started electronic warfare on its own just by being activated. What a setup! So what was the result of the battle?"
'I don't know, I haven't been keeping an eye on the station's internal circuits, but I'm guessing that the intrusion protocols were reversed and the originator was hijacked by force, causing the station to go haywire.'
"Is that why the power usage of the spacecraft suddenly jumped?"
Normally, a spacecraft moored at the dock is supplied with enough power to start its engines. A sudden increase in usage to the point of tripping the breakers would be difficult for a normal ship, even if all the electronic systems were switched on.
"Is this ship really a training sailboat if it has such a terrible electronic armament left on board without killing it?"
'Don't forget, she's an experimental sailing ship, but she's a survivor of a great pirate ship just like the one we're on.'
Hyakume on the other end of the phone laughed happily.
'That's a big problem, sir. If the training ship is equipped with electronic warfare equipment, I'll have to give you a lecture on how to handle the electronic armament in addition to the usual navigational equipment.'
"Give me a break. After all, she's a high school girl from a good family and I have to teach her the ABC's of electronic warfare!"
'If we leave them alone, I think they'll just cause similar problems again. No, if it's a problem, it's still good, but at any rate, the yacht club members at Hakuoh Academy have all kinds of talented people, don't you think?'
Kane let out a heavy sigh.
"It's hard to be a popular person when you're being hassled before you even set sail. So, did you see the spaceship that was trying to pick a fight with us?"
'I wasn't monitoring them, but I tracked them down later and they were easy to spot. A fast transport named Lightning 11 docked at the docking port downtown. Eastern Galactic Transport, West Kyria Register of Shipping - the company is a paper company, and the ship's registration is maintained without inspection as long as taxes are paid, so maybe the entire ship's registration was faked.'
"Who are they?"
'Well, she was surprised when a training sailboat attacked her while she was moored, and she sailed away like her ass was on fire. I'm trying to find out what data we have left, but I'm not sure how much further we can go.'
"Is it the lady we're after? Or is it the training sailboat?"
'I don't know. They've been messing with her since the Odette II arrived on the scene, but I don't think they were aware of the fact that she was the one in charge. Anyway, Kane, do you remember releasing the list of the duty members on mooring duty anywhere?'
"No, I don't."
'But if they can take control of the training ship on which the next captain of the Bentenmaru will board, it will certainly make it easier for those who are up to no good to do a lot of other things later on.'
"You mean there will be others who will try all kinds of tricks?"
Kane's sigh became heavier.
"All right, keep the capacity of the electricity contract up. We can't afford to lose power to the entire fleet every time some electronic attacker tries to attack us."
Marika and Chiaki used the remaining time on duty to confirm that Odette II was working normally despite the sudden power failure. It seems that the spare batteries, which started charging as soon as the power supply started, averted the worst case scenario, including the destruction of the system.
"Are you going to keep this from everyone?"
Chiaki asked.
"You're not going to tell the crew that the ship lost power when we fired back at them for launching an electronic attack?"
"...…"
Marika sat in the captain's seat of the bridge, after all the other members had gone back to their private rooms and the ship had returned to its original quiet state, and she was still thinking.
"Do you think we're going to get electronically attacked again?"
"I don't know, I'm not the offensive party."
Chiaki replied as she checked for problems with the life support system, which had automatically resumed operation.
"But it's not that unusual to get hit by an electronic attack when you're out in the open. From the harmless but disturbing direct mailers that try to show you advertisements to the rip-off factories that hijack your control system and force you to go to their service stations, a spacecraft with lax security, if not on a combat scale, can be taken out in a heartbeat."
"M... lawless zone."
Chiaki chuckled at Marika's words.
"Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
"It's not fun!"
Marika suddenly stopped her hand while checking for any contamination or defects in the controls of the posture control system.
"But if that's the case, you can tell Mr. Kane to teach us without hesitation, can't you?"
"What?"
"So, you know, how to do electronic warfare."
Chiaki, who was seated at the monitor of the ship's system, saw Marika's face at the captain's seat. Marika gave her a thumbs-up.
"It was a lucky shot this time, but if you learn how to do it properly, you can do better next time, don't you think?"
Three days later, after the ship had been resupplied with supplies and had been boarded not only with a captain but also with a medically qualified doctor, the Odette II departed from the Sea of the Morning Star relay station.
Translator note:
My sincerest apologies for how long this chapter took for me to come out with. I had to move to the other side of the country in December. With that, getting settled in, and job hunting, I've just been kind of burnt out and was not really able to summon up the effort to work on this. But I got it done and here it is. Enjoy!