Everything According to Her Plans

"Fuu…"

Sara-san went out of the room for a bit in order to make the required

arrangements so we took a break from the discussions. I sipped some of

the tea we were served with earlier and sighed.

"Hey, May."

"Yes?"

Elma turned toward May and started questioning her as I was zoning

out. I'll just observe for now.

"You intended to do this from the start, right?"

"Do you mean turning the mothership into a heavily armed gunship? I

shall categorically answer your question with a 'yes'."

May declared so without a break in her expression. In other words, May

pushed for purchasing Space Dwerg's Skizbrazunil for the express

purpose of turning it into a heavy artillery gunship. Perhaps, she's been

planning so from the moment I suggested the idea of purchasing a

mothership.

"But isn't this deviating a bit too much from our original aim for

purchasing a mothership? Just why did you manipulate your master

just to gain more fighting power for yourself?"

"Everything I do is for Master's sake. That is all."

May didn't bat an eyelid at Elma's questioning. Well, it's not like she has

the capacity to make varied expressions in the first place. After all, I

made her that way. In any case, she really did a number on me huh. I'm

kinda impressed. It wouldn't have crossed my mind if Elma didn't point

it out.

"May, I don't have any intention of blaming you, but I still would like to

hear a clearer reason."

"Yes, Master. In the current circumstances, 98.8% of my specs aren't

being put into good use. I do enjoy watching over Master from morning

till night and receiving Master's favor at times, and think it's an ideal

relationship. But at this rate, the return of investment for Master's

purchase of me will take approximately 1,203 years, 256 days, 13

hours, and 42 minutes. That is unacceptable. It's twelve times my

service life as specified by my makers."

"O-Okay…"

Well, that was detailed. It's so daunting that most of it just went over

my head. If about 1,200 years is twelve times her service life, then does

that mean May has a service life of a hundred years?

"At that rate, I will become a useless burden, and it would be as if

Master threw Enels away into the sea of data without getting anything

in return. And so, I took steps in order to avoid that and serve you in my

best capacity, Master."

"Well, they sure were some bold steps…"

In my opinion, I already got more than my money's worth… but, oh

well.

"With these arrangements, I will also be able to actively participate in

Master's work and will be able to protect Master's life even more

effectively. With me piloting Skizbrazunil, I will be able to reduce the

risk to Master's life up to 72%."

"So it's not 100%?"

"It is objectively impossible to achieve 100% Mimi-sama. If you want to

reduce the danger by 100%, it would be more effective to destroy the

Krishna instead of purchasing and arming the Skizbrazunil."

"Well, if Krishna gets destroyed, we'll have no means of running around

the galaxy and risking our lives to hunt pirates, so the danger will

certainly be reduced by a hundred percent."

"Don't even think about it, okay?"

The ladies were talking about a dangerous topic, so I hurriedly

interjected.

"And so, the final price including all the additional weapons, equipment,

and facilities ended up being 25 million Enels."

"A price of 25 million is just too far out there for me. I still can't wrap

my head around it… Or rather, even if we purchased lots of laser

cannons and missile pods, the price didn't increase by much huh."

Mimi inclined her head cutely. Certainly. Just as Mimi said, typical

weapon systems aren't really all that expensive. The most expensive

weapon we got for the Skizbrazunil is the EML, which is about

1,200,000 Enels. As for the laser cannons, one unit costs 100,000 Enels,

and the twelve emplacements we got amounts to 1,200,000. The seeker

missile pods go for 60,000 Enels a pop. Since we got ten of them, we

would be paying a total of 600,000 Enels. All in all, the weapon systems

cost a total of 3,000,000 Enels.

By the way, the cost breakdown of Skizbrazunil itself, including all the

optional facilities, parts, and the two hangars is as follows: The hangars

and the basic frame cost about 8,000,000 Enels. The three-layered

shield emitter amounts to 4,000,000 Enels. The military-grade

laminated armor is 5,000,000 Enels, and the Class 6 power generator is

4,500,000 Enels. The high-performance drone system is 1,000,000

Enels, and the propulsion systems which include the Hyperdrive, FTL

Drive as well as the main and auxiliary thrusters amount to 2,500,000

Enels. The cargo hold and the internal management systems cost

1,000,000 Enels, and all other miscellaneous stuff like the life support

system, furnishings etc. add up to all those for the total cost of

28,000,000 Enels. As per the agreement earlier, they gave us a discount

and allowed us to purchase the ship for exactly 22 million.

As you can see, the frame, shield emitter, armor, and power generator

are the most expensive stuff on the list. I don't really have a say in it

because I ain't the one setting the price, but in SOL, it's a commonly

known fact that the optional parts are actually a lot more expensive

than the basic ship itself.

Due to that, it became a common practice to save up three times the

basic purchase price of a ship if you want to fully customize it.

So you sell off your existing ship, buy a basic frame, and use up a

majority of the remaining budget on all of the optional parts and

systems until you get a ship fit for your tastes. It's a common beginner's

mistake to try and force things with a vanilla ship, get wrecked, and

then go back to life with a Zabuton.

By the way, if we purchased the previous edition of the Skizbrazunil and

not the new one, the basic frame will cost 6,000,000. The generator

bundled with the previous edition was a Class 5, so we ended up buying

a more expensive one. The shield emitter is also of higher quality so

that further added to the cost. I wasn't able to account for these two

points, but it turned out okay in the end. If not for these, we would have

ended up quoted a price that was not over budget… I think. Probably.

Yeah. That's what I'd like to think anyway.

Anyway, I explained it to Mimi like that.

"…So the option parts are more expensive compared to the rest!"

Her eyes were spinning around. Apparently, it was too much info. Well, I

think she gets the gist of it, at least.

"The point is that with these, we will be able to totally beat up the

pirates we will encounter later on. This is also why there's a big gap in

performance between pirate ships and mercenary ships. They are just

using basic frames with a bit of customization using plundered secondhand parts. Compared to them, we have ships that are decked out with

the latest custom parts and weaponry. We buy expensive, high-quality

energy shield emitters and armor, so our ships are comparably tougher.

We can't really fully avoid laser fire barrages, so it all boils down to

which ship can take a beating better."

"Is that really the case?"

Mimi turned her gaze toward me. There have been lots of instances

where I avoided laser fire after all. Well, it's not really dodging but

predicting the trajectory or avoiding getting caught up in their range in

the first place.

"This idiot's abnormal maneuvers are a special case. Those can only be

performed by a handful of weirdos, so don't take them as an example.

What we need to watch out for are direct hits from seeker missiles, as

well as anti-ship torpedoes. Those can easily bring down our shields

after all. Energy shields are generally weak to explosions, and if we take

more than a few, it'll be game over. So we have to avoid those as much

as possible. As for anti-ship torpedoes, they are equipped with

warheads specifically designed to pierce energy shields, so one hit is all

it takes to incur severe damage… Oops, we're straying from the topic

huh."

Elma recomposed herself with a cough.

"As I said earlier, I'm okay with getting an interview, but I won't be

showing my face and will be using a voice changer. If not, it's a no-go.

Rather, if you want to create a documentary of Krishna's exploits, then

focusing on Hiro will be enough."

"I gotcha."

I don't know what kind of interview they are gonna do, but I don't have

anything to hide in particular… or not. Oh well. It would be fine if I don't

blurt out the thing about me possibly being from another dimension.

That leaves Mimi.

"It's really exciting, isn't it?"

Mimi was really eager for the interview. There's no problem with

getting all excited, but at this rate, she might blurt out things that are

better off not getting known. I should probably have May stick with her

during the interview.

After we finished talking among ourselves, there was a knock on the

door, and Sara-san entered shortly afterward. Did she actually spy on

our discussion through some dubious means? Her timing was strangely

spot-on, so I couldn't help but be suspicious.

"I have submitted the purchase order. It will take approximately two

weeks for the product to be delivered."

"Two weeks huh. Is that reasonable?"

"I guess."

If Elma says so, then alright. Back in the game, you immediately get the

ship after purchase, but I guess it's different in reality huh. Rather,

spending two weeks to install the generator and all the other optional

stuff seems kinda quick.

"Do you have any other requests?"

"Yeah. I want to send my personal ship for an overhaul."

"Understood. Leave it to us."

Well, that was quick. It was quick, but I still have something to add.

"I bet you're already aware, but that ship is quite unique."

"Yes. We will have to analyze the parts in order to replicate them from

scratch. Don't worry. We will give it our best."

"Hmm. So, how much are you willing to exchange for that?"

Sara-san froze up with her smile still on. Whoah, there. It would be

troublesome if you freeze up lady(?). There's no reason they'll pass up

on a chance to scan my ship. Krishna is filled to the brim with tech

unknown to Space Dwerg, so I'm sure they are itching to get their hands

on it already. Once it goes in for an overhaul, they'll have to thoroughly

analyze each part in detail and will take that opportunity to absorb all

the unknown tech. And they will probably try to apply that tech to their

next products. It's so obvious even a kid will be able to tell.

"That ship is a virtual treasure trove for you guys, right? So, I'll ask

again. How much are you willing to fork out in order to study all that

unknown tech?"

"The overhaul will be completely free of charge."

Sara-san recovered and continued to give me a 0 Yen smile.

"And here I thought we could have a happy partnership… Fine. I

understand. Let's just say it wasn't meant to be."

"W-W-W-Waiiit! Please wait! Just a moment! Okay! I understand! The

overhaul is free! And we will give you another discount on the

Skizbrazunil! The three million for the weapon systems will be

completely waived! We will even give you ammo for all the weapon

systems for free!"

I matched gazes with May. I think it would be better to leave these kinds

of negotiations to her… Am I getting a bit too dependent on her, I

wonder?

"I think cutting the price to exactly 20 million is appropriate."

"Now just hold on there! With that, the total discount will amount to

11,000,000 Enels including the overhaul fees and the free ammo. That's

impossible for us. We will be making a loss."

Sara-san turned all serious. Hm, well, it does seem that selling Krishna's

info for 11 mil is a bit too much.

"This is Krishna's operational data until now, including normal

operation, cruising in normal space, FTL Drive navigation, Hyperdrive

navigation, and combat records."

"Understood! The price will be set for exactly 20 million Enels. Not one

Enel more."

May took out a data crystal, which is a data storage medium in this

dimension with a really large capacity, and the serious expression of

Sara-san reverted to her 0 Yen smile. Just when did you prepare that,

May…?

"This is the basics of risk management, Master."

May then handed over the data crystal to the smiling Sara-san. Risk

management huh. Well, it's not like I'm completely clueless about it. It's

certainly better to hand over what the other party wants in your own

terms and get an appropriate compensation instead of suffering the

risk of the other party coming after you using less savory means. I'm

sure that's what May is thinking.

"There's a lot you've been doing behind my back huh?"

"Yes. But it's all for your sake, Master."

"I see. But don't you think being all secretive like that and refraining

from reporting your actions to me is overdoing it?"

I'll let the thing about the ship and weapons slide. But taking the ship's

operational data in secret to be used as a trump card to get a favorable

deal is not cool with me. Just how far do May's plans go, I wonder.

"…"

May clammed up. I see.

"I'll punish you later."

"Yes, Master."

Is it just me, or is May's reply kinda off somehow. It actually seems like

she was looking forward to it. Also, will you stop looking at me like that,

Sara-san! Don't look at me with those disdainful eyes! The way I said it

may have caused some misunderstandings, but I don't really plan on

doing something perverted! I'm talking about normal punishment!

Normal, I tell you!