novelraw Chapter 14 : Removal of the Disciplinary Terminal
Chapter 14 : Removal of the Disciplinary Terminal
Sario connected to Planet Joel's Planetary Information Net through the space station. An information network far more advanced than Earth's internet.
What we intended to search for was a medical machine capable of extracting the disciplinary terminal embedded in the back of the neck. A civilization this advanced apparently offered rental medical machines, along with services that rented them out to docked spacecraft.
The rental fee, however, was steep. A quick search revealed the daily rate ran roughly one and a half million Credits. We needed it regardless, so Sario filed the rental application.
The following day, the medical machine arrived at the small spacecraft. The maintenance robots received it and installed it in the multipurpose space.
Looking at the medical machine - which resembled an oxygen capsule - I couldn't help wondering whether this was really safe.
「This thing's not going to explode on me, right?」
「It'll be fine. The Dwarf Race's civilization level has reached 'D,' sho they're trustworthy.」
It was decided Sario would try it first. After inputting various data, he stripped to the waist and climbed into the medical machine. The capsule door sealed shut, and the machine began its examination.
Once the examination finished, surgery to extract the disciplinary terminal implanted in the back of Sario's neck commenced. Inside the medical machine, several robotic arms whirred to life, cutting into the anesthetized Sario's body and removing the disciplinary terminal.
The surgery succeeded without incident, and Sario emerged from the medical machine. Knowing a machine like this existed was precisely why I didn't ask Zorofiēnu of the Tenjin Race for it as one of my wishes.
「Now it'sh Zen's turn.」
I stripped to the waist as well and climbed into the medical machine. An examination lasting roughly fifteen minutes followed, and then consciousness slipped away. They must have administered anesthesia. By the time I came to, the surgery was already over, and I crawled out of the medical machine.
I pressed a hand to my neck and felt something like an adhesive bandage. But the telltale bulge of the disciplinary terminal was gone. Relief flooded through me, and when I turned toward Sario, he was studying the examination results with a grave expression.
「Something wrong?」
「The antibody immunity nanomachines and internal adjustment nanomachines the Goblin Race used - it sheems they were extremely low-performance models.」
That didn't really click for me.
「How low-performance are we talking?」
「If they aren't replaced within three years, your body may shtart showing adverse effects.」
「Th-that's bad. Can't we swap them out here?」
「Joel only sheems to stock models designed for the Dwarf Race. I think it'd be better to get them replaced in a civilization zone with more advanced medical technology.」
That worried me, but if Sario said so, I'd trust his judgment.
「Next, Zen needs to obtain Shector Alliance citizenship.」
「Is there some problem if I don't have citizenship?」
According to Sario, without citizenship you couldn't open an interstellar financial account, which made everything inconvenient. Some planets let you open local-only accounts without identification, but leave them inactive and the funds get confiscated.
On top of that, you couldn't obtain any kind of license. Including the Class 2 Starship Pilot certification needed to fly a small spacecraft.
「So how do I get citizenship?」
The methods for obtaining citizenship, from what he explained, were as follows: get formally hired by a corporate entity belonging to a Sector Alliance nation, work properly for six months to receive provisional citizenship, then take the exam for full Sector Alliance citizenship. Alternatively, a system existed where working for a set period on frontier planets or space colonies actively recruiting new citizens made you eligible.
「On top of those, if you register with the Toryū Ryōhei Guild and hunt monshters on Tiratia Star, you can earn citizenship that way too.」
Tiratia Star was apparently a planet where biological weapon monsters roamed free and unchecked. A system existed there, hunt monsters, build up your strength, and citizenship was yours.
The Toryū Ryōhei Guild ran this program to secure both talented recruits and monster-harvested materials.
「Wait a second. Don't you need identification to join the Toryū Ryōhei Guild?」
「If you take a tesht to prove your shtrength and pass, you don't need one. Though you do need a guarantor.」
Joining the Toryū Ryōhei Guild alone didn't earn you official identification, so you still couldn't open interstellar financial accounts and the like.
「I managed to take down a space jellyfish, so maybe I'll be fine. What do you think we should do first?」
「Let'sh head to Tiratia Star.」
「Not to your homeland?」
Sario let out a sigh.
「I'd love to, but long-distance travel in thish ship just isn't feasible.」
Reaching Sario's home star apparently required a journey of two hundred and seventy light-years. A small spacecraft needed a full overhaul after traveling just sixty light-years.
Small spacecraft were built for interplanetary use - pushing one into interstellar travel was simply asking for trouble.
「In that case, we either get our hands on a proper interstellar spacecraft, or buy tickets from a travel agency. How many Credits would an interstellar spacecraft run us?」
「If it'sh equipped with a Trans-Space-Time Jump Field Generator, even a used shmall one costs hundreds of billions of Credits. A battered wreck without a Trans-Space-Time Jump Field Generator would shtill run tens of billions of Credits.」
「That's a whole different order of magnitude.」
「The Trans-Space-Time Jump Field Generator is just that exshpensive.」
That made me curious how much the Trans-Space-Time Jump Field Generator we'd hauled aboard this small spacecraft might be worth. When I checked with Sario, he estimated around six hundred billion Credits if we could repair it.
「I'm starting to think we should sell it.」
「Absholutely not. We might never get our hands on another Trans-Space-Time Jump Field Generator again.」
Even with the money, apparently there was no guarantee you could buy a Trans-Space-Time Jump Field Generator. So he wanted selling it to remain a last resort.
In the end, we decided to head for Tiratia Star. Before that, though, I wanted to register with the Toryū Ryōhei Guild. A branch office existed inside the space station, and Sario had already registered at that very location.
Sario and I headed to the Toryū Ryōhei Guild branch. When someone without identification registered, a guarantor was required - so Sario would serve as mine.
The branch had only a robot and a single heavily bearded Dwarf at the reception counter. The Dwarf sat slumped in his chair, looking thoroughly bored. The robot handled us.
『How may I help you?』
「I'd like to register as a Toryū Ryōhei.」
『Do you have any form of identification?』
「I don't, so Sario here will act as my guarantor.」
『Understood. In that case, we will administer a test to confirm you possess sufficient skill to qualify as a Toryū Ryōhei. Do you have any equipment or vessels you specialize in?』
The way I'd killed monsters was with mobile armor and a space machine gun. My particle bullets were still too rough around the edges, so I told the robot I'd use mobile armor and a space machine gun. It said the test would check my abilities in a simulator.
I was escorted to a simulator machine and loaded in. It resembled the simulator I'd trained on aboard the Goblin ship, but this one was far more advanced.
After I destroyed targets including space clione and space jellyfish in the simulator, the receptionist robot acknowledged my skill level.
『Now we will have you learn the Toryū Ryōhei Guild's regulations. What method would you prefer?』
I had no idea what the options were, so I glanced at Sario.
「Information transfer nanomachines, pleashe.」
『That will cost ten thousand Credits. Is that acceptable?』
Once Sario agreed, information transfer nanomachines loaded with the Toryū Ryōhei Guild's regulations and the Sector Alliance's general common sense were injected into my body. My head started spinning round and round, but it subsided after about five minutes, and I confirmed that the Toryū Ryōhei Guild's regulations and the Sector Alliance's general common sense had been committed to memory.