Chapter 74

"Ah, the sweet, sweet lack of responsibility! It’s glorious!"

The voice, overflowing with a disgusting amount of refreshment, echoed through the factory. Teiro nearly did a face-plant right there on the floor. He scrambled to regain his footing, arms windmilling, until Marl caught him. She shot a look of pure exasperation toward the source of the voice.

"He’s spouting absolute nonsense again," Marl sighed. "Mr. Makina, I mean."

"I guess the pressure really got to him..." Teiro muttered, steadying himself. I mean, he’s still got responsibilities. If anything, he’s got more now.

BB Makina had been reborn as the Rising Sun Development Department. Mr. Makina had been installed as the department head, while the representative of BB Electronics took the role of deputy. If the company eventually split into dedicated Electronic and Production Departments, they’d likely each get promoted to full-blown department heads.

Currently, the Development Department boasted nearly 120 personnel. They were finally becoming capable of handling a full suite of production and development, primarily focused on churning out gear for the Security Department. However, Teiro and the crew weren't stupid enough to try and manufacture everything in-house. For now, they were sticking to the licensed production of Warp Stabilizers as their bread and butter.

"Still, I’m impressed you got the green light," Marl said, watching the warp device components glide down the conveyor belt. "High Tech Corp’s Warp Stabilizers are a huge name in the industry."

The factory floor was a chaotic symphony of gray-toned machinery, looking remarkably similar to the car manufacturing plants Teiro remembered from Earth. The main difference was the lack of exposed gears; almost every piece of equipment was encased in an outer shell. Precision machinery was allergic to dust, after all. There were even specialized block modules designed for working in conditions closer to a lunar vacuum—essential for things like Pulse Chip production.

"In exchange, they bled us for a fortune and demanded passage rights for the New Route," Teiro explained. "The route has plenty of capacity right now, so I would’ve let them use it for free, honestly... but business is business. And frankly, this deal is delicious. Heh-heh-heh."

Teiro rubbed his hands together like a cartoon villain, a creepy smirk plastered on his face. Marl gave him a look of profound disgust, planted her hands on her hips, and let out a long sigh. "Try not to be too predatory, okay?"

"No, no, they’re over there thinking they pulled one over on us. They’re planning to release a new model soon, so this one will be considered 'last gen' before we know it. It’s plenty for us, though. Everyone wins!"

"If you say so," Marl replied. "I was shocked by the initial investment costs, but at this rate, it looks like we’ll break even sooner rather than later."

"Sales are surprisingly robust... though I never expected that to be the breakout hit."

Teiro glanced sideways at a stack of boxed new arrivals.

The product was engraved with the "RS_BB Makina" logo—a genuine Rising Sun original. It had been developed using the data and experience Teiro gained from his warhead control tech, and it had quickly become the company’s flagship. It currently accounted for thirty percent of their total sales, and the production line was humming along with enough momentum to give the Warp Stabilizers a run for their money.

Marl picked up a box and read the label. "‘President’s Recommendation: For those sleepless nights... a live-ammo weapon?’ What even is this? Did you actually recommend this?"

"I did not!!" Teiro barked. "What do they mean, ‘Capable of delicate control’? My own delicate heart is about to shatter! What happens if every person I meet says, ‘Oh, you’re the guy who makes that product’? We’ve turned into a legitimate adult toy manufacturer!"

"Don’t look at me. You’re the one who gave the go-ahead," Marl pointed out.

"Ugh... w-well... when I tested them in parallel in the lab, it was more amusing than I expected. I can move 122 of these Electric Kokeshi at the same time! Isn't that kind of impressive? It was the first time I actually realized how gross I am. A sea of Kokeshi wriggling and rolling across the floor... a literal scene from hell."

"Why are you wasting your Gift on that?" Marl turned to the android. "Koume, please, say something to him."

Koume, who had been watching a robotic arm with rapt interest, blinked and looked back. "Yes, Miss Marl. For Koume, four at a time was the limit. However, unfortunately, Koume only has one—"

"Okay, stop!! That’s enough!!" Marl screamed, lunging to cover Koume's mouth. "I will sue both of you!"

Nearby workers paused their tasks to stare at the commotion. Marl’s face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. She ducked her head, avoiding their eyes.

"A-Ah, sorry! It’s nothing, please continue... Come on, Teiro, we’re leaving!"

Marl shoved Teiro out of the factory and toward the pier where the Plum was moored. Since the research station was a fair distance from the Residential Station, a ship was a necessity for the commute.

Teiro went through the motions of his hundredth [GATE PASS FUNCTION] activation. He headed to the Control Room with a sense of comfortable routine. This was home now; the novelty had worn off, but it was exactly where he belonged.

"Alright, let's zip over to Alpha... Hm? What’s this?"

As he settled into the pilot’s seat, Teiro noticed several incoming pings. They were all heavily encrypted, usually a sign of "Important Space Business."

"One’s from Miss Bella... Oh, it’s a combat report. Let’s see... Wow, she’s still on a rampage. It says the WIND kill count has topped a hundred. Is the Second Fleet trying to win the war by themselves?"

Marl shrugged. "I’m more shocked by how many WIND are actually out there. I never really thought about it, but there have to be billions of them... Koume, do you have any data on that?"

"Negative, Miss Marl. I apologize, but there is no such record in the data bank. It is likely classified information."

"Hmm. Maybe the number is high enough to cause a galaxy-wide panic? Or worse, maybe the Imperial Military hasn't even finished counting them?" Teiro mused.

"Surely not," Marl countered. "Between the bounty payments and distribution maps, they should be able to produce a statistically accurate estimate. At least for the ones in contact with human space."

I guess that makes sense, Teiro thought, crossing his arms.

The three of them debated the logistics for a while, but since they weren't going to solve the mystery of the WIND population today, they eventually dropped it. Teiro skimmed the rest of the encrypted messages until his eyes bugged out at the final one.

"...This is from Lin... No, wait. It’s from the EAP Alliance. Okay, I’ve seen some crazy stuff, but this is a whole new level of insane."

Teiro slumped back into his seat, massaging his temples. Marl leaned in closer, looking worried. "Can you translate it for me?"

Teiro tapped his terminal, converting the encrypted text into Galactic Standard Language. Marl peered at the screen.

"Wait... the cession of... the Katsushika Star System Sovereignty!?" she shrieked.

Yeah, I had the same reaction. Teiro double-checked the decryption. "The math is right. I guess this is being treated as a reward for the last war... Koume, what’s your take?"

Koume paused, her processors whirring. "There are several possibilities, but the most likely is that they want to 'involve' us at any cost, Mr. Teiro. Katsushika is the front line against the WIND. By granting us sovereignty, they make it our legal responsibility to defend it."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Teiro nodded. "But it’s the main trade route to the Empire, isn't it? The Katsushika-Delta Trade is huge. Can they really just give that away?"

"Perhaps, Mr. Teiro. For an organization the size of the EAP, losing a single system like Katsushika is hardly a flesh wound. Giving us control of the main route suggests they trust us—or they have no other choice. Besides, they’re retaining the trade route rights themselves, aren't they?"

Teiro scanned the text again. "...Oh, I see. Yeah, there’s nothing here about transferring the actual route rights. So they save on management costs, but they still get to keep the tax revenue?"

"That’s definitely part of it," Marl added. "Our popularity in Katsushika is through the roof right now. The economy is booming because of the trade route, and we're the ones they see fighting the WIND on the news. The EAP is probably making a preemptive move to 'give' us the system before the citizens start demanding it themselves."

"A keen observation, Miss Marl," Koume said. "By doing this, they maintain their dignity while putting us in their debt. As long as they hold the leash, the EAP loses very little."

"Man... politics." Teiro threw his hands up. "I think this is way above my pay grade."

"It’s not that complicated," Marl said with a smirk. "Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Don't overthink it. Being a lovable idiot is your best quality."

"I’m going to choose to take that as a compliment," Teiro grumbled.

"In any case, since you will be overseeing the system, we should consult Miss Bella as soon as possible, Mr. Teiro," Koume advised. "She is highly skilled in the nuances of star system administration."

"Good point. I mean, I have zero clue what 'managing a star system' actually entails."

Koume flashed him a mischievous grin. "It is a simple matter, Mr. Teiro. You are merely responsible for the lives and livelihoods of several million citizens."

"Wait, 'merely'? That’s a massive amount of people!"

"Is it, Mr. Teiro? There are sixty trillion humans in this galaxy. This represents approximately one twenty-millionth of that population. There are two hundred billion star systems in the galaxy, and over ten billion within the Empire’s sphere of influence alone. Relax, Mr. Teiro. The galaxy is vast, and we are tiny."