“It’s a reconnaissance ship built by a civilization of level C, but now it’s a junk ship.”
When I heard “junk ship,” I thought of old Chinese wooden sailing boat, but it’s probably not that. It’s likely just a ship sold as scrap.
“Show it to me.”
Melora nodded.
“Sure.”
The so-called junk ship was a reconnaissance vessel about 70 meters long. Its shape resembled a double-edged dagger, but the grip part was thicker, with two plasma engines embedded in it. It was built with a fairly strong metal called Strobu alloy, designed to withstand strong acceleration and rough handling. The part corresponding to the guard of a Japanese sword spread out like small wings, about 30 meters long. When we went inside to check, we found that the engine room lacked a crucial power reactor. Additionally, part of the engine seemed to be broken. We had Sario inspect the engine.
“How about it? Can it be fixed?”
Sario nodded.
“If we can gather the necessary parts, it should be repairable.”
We then checked the entire ship and identified the issues. The biggest problem turned out to be the ship’s control brain. The control brain had its own energy source, and we discovered that it was still locked with a protection mechanism.
“If the protection remains, we can’t use this control brain. We’ll have to replace it with a new one.”
Melora shrugged.
“That’s why it’s cheap.”
“How cheap are we talking?”
“15.2 billion Krebits.”
For a combat ship, 15.2 billion is cheap, but that’s assuming it can actually function. Sario and I discussed it alone.
“If we buy a new control brain, how much would that cost?”
“For a military-grade control brain, it would be around 12 billion Krebits.”
“Then we wouldn’t be able to afford a power reactor.”
“Don’t worry. We don’t need a new control brain. I’ll remove the protection.”
Sario seemed confident as he said this. After discussing it, we decided to purchase the junk ship. We went back to Melora and told her we’d buy it under a few conditions. She smirked and agreed to the terms. The conditions included letting us repair the ship on-site. Since the repairs would take a long time, we rented a space shelter, a temporary space habitat with artificial gravity, which could accommodate us for about a month.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
Sario, Sonya, and I began repairing the reconnaissance ship while living in the space shelter. First, we activated 50 maintenance robots to inspect the ship. We soon realized we needed a new power reactor, fuel tanks, and various other parts. We bought most of the smaller items from a massive home center-like store on the satellite Fenyas. The nuclear fusion reactor and tanks were ordered from a specialized company. Some parts were unique and not sold in regular stores, so we had to order them directly from the manufacturers. Then, we thoroughly cleaned the entire ship, removing sand, dust, and debris.
Once the cleaning was done, the real repairs began. Meanwhile, Sario started working on removing the protection from the control brain. It wasn’t just about removing the protection; he also had to understand the control brain’s structure, which would take time. The 50 maintenance robots worked at an astonishing speed to repair the ship. When the small nuclear fusion reactor and fuel tanks were delivered, installed, and connected, the ship came back to life. After that, we added a combat room to the ship. Around this time, Melora started visiting frequently to check on the repair progress.
“Impressive. You’ve already got the power reactor running. You’re fast, even though you’re not professional repairers.”
“It’s because the maintenance robots are excellent.”
“I’m jealous. I’d love to have those robots. Where are they from?”
“They’re from a now-extinct species, so they’re impossible to obtain.”
“That’s a shame.”
Melora sighed exaggeratedly. After that, the repairs progressed rapidly. The engine was perfectly repaired, and we filled the propellant tanks with fuel. Around that time, Sario successfully took control of the control brain. Normally, this would take years, but Sario had received [Control Brain Technical Information] from Zolfienne of the Celestials, and he had developed a control brain analysis software based on that knowledge. Using the software to analyze the control brain, we discovered something surprising: this reconnaissance ship had been built by the Anubis Clan. I guess you could call it fate.
“This reconnaissance ship was capable of reaching Birch 8,” Sario said.
Birch 8 is 0.8% the speed of light. That’s about 7,000 times the speed of sound, which is an incredible speed. However, the ship had to carry a massive amount of propellant, so its weapon loadout was quite weak. According to the control brain’s analysis, it originally carried two 8-light-caliber laser cannons and one 5-light-caliber charged particle cannon. That level of firepower could only take down monsters up to Threat Level 3. Still, since it currently carries no weapons, its original state was better.
“Starting the control brain’s full system check,” Sario announced while activating the full function analysis software
If this check revealed no issues, the ship would be ready to fly. Sario, Sonya, and I quietly waited for the results. Then, the monitor displayed a message saying everything was normal.
“We did it. It’s ready to fly.”
Sario showed a smile, something he hadn’t done in a while. Sonya jumped up in joy. We then stocked up on food and appliances and prepared for departure. Since we had already paid Melora, we were ready to launch into space at any time. The only remaining task was to install the Spacetime Jump Field Generator and the Luon Drive we had removed from the small spacecraft we sold, then connect them to the control system. The control system modifications were complete, so once everything was installed and connected, we could operate the Spacetime Jump Field Generator and Luon Drive from the cockpit. We then conducted engine tests and other equipment checks to ensure everything worked properly. The reconnaissance ship also had an artificial gravity system installed, so the cockpit, living quarters, and frequently used passages had artificial gravity.
“What should we name this ship?” Sonya asked.
A name? After discussing it with Sario, we settled on [Lunadagger]. It was a reconnaissance ship reborn like a dagger on the moon of the third planet. By the way, in reconnaissance ships, small ones operated by a small crew are called reconnaissance boats. However, to me as a Japanese person, a 70-meter-long ship doesn’t feel small. A jumbo jet is about that size.
Once the Spacetime Jump Field Generator and Luon Drive were installed, we contacted Melora and prepared for takeoff. The energy generated by the small nuclear fusion reactor turned the propellant into plasma, which was accelerated inside the engine and then ejected with tremendous force. With that propulsion, Lunadagger launched into space. Our destination was the jump ring. Jump rings are installed on the outer edge of a star’s gravity well, and many spacecraft use them as a landmark.
We returned the rented space shelter, and life aboard Lunadagger began. Sonya seemed to like the living quarters on Lunadagger. It was originally designed for eight people, so there was plenty of space. The food we bought on Fenyas had a subtle taste, but Sonya ate it without complaint.
“What should we do now?”
Sario asked.
“To help the Kushi Clan, we need a place where many of them can live.”
“I’m glad you’re thinking that way, but finding a place where so many people can live is difficult.”
“Couldn’t we secure some land on a planet somewhere?”
“That’s unlikely. Most planets aren’t welcoming to immigrants.”
If that’s the case, developing an undeveloped planet from scratch seemed like a stretch. But that would mean buying a planet, which is probably impossible.
“A planet is out of the question, but a Shupeishu Colony might be possible.”
“A Shupeishu Colony? Oh, you mean a space colony. But wouldn’t that require a national-scale economy?”
“Building a new one would, yes. But there are also secondhand Shupeishu Colonies.”
I had never imagined that space colonies could be secondhand. Thinking about it, it makes sense, but apparently, there are cheap secondhand space colonies, similar to what you’d call “bargain goods” in Japan. While Sario and I were talking, Sonya was studying at a nearby table using a learning software. I heard she bought that software from the Karshi Clan when we visited Talitar. Its content is almost the same as the Kushi Clan’s. At that moment, Lunadagger’s control system sounded an alarm.
“What is it?”
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