A Transitional Chapter

"Of course I'm serious."

Kolev smiled.

"Not only will I give you the ship, I'll also equip it with an autopilot system and a dozen or so high-grade maintenance robots.

"It's an exploration vessel converted from a retired warship. By the time I got my hands on it, its main guns had already been removed, leaving only a few side cannons. So I strengthened its shields and endurance, then fitted it with expensive external armor. You could even use it to ram the ship Gimo's flying now... though, of course, the result would be mutual destruction."

Yang Ming wasn't particularly interested in the rest of what Kolev had to say.

He gazed at the ship, shaped like a pair of tiger-jaw pincers, captivated by its red-and-white exterior armor.

It was the ship of his dreams!

What did he need a main gun for?

A million wouldn't even buy you an aluminum box capable of making a warp jump!

This thick-hulled ship even came with a few secondary guns.

Kolev clearly wanted to give him a present, but, true to his old-pirate principles, had set a limit of one million for the purchase.

Compared to that, getting a million Federal Credits wouldn't be much trouble. The hard part was finding a way to buy a ship, then maintaining it and making the necessary modifications.

And that was with an autopilot system and a full set of robots included!

If Yang Ming could find a way to safely withdraw the money in Hanton's Imperial account, he could pay for the ship right now!

Of course, he wouldn't dare touch Hanton's account. That would put "Hanton, who died in the Kor Port riot," back on Imperial Military Intelligence's radar.

"Kolev," Yang Ming interrupted his rambling. "Hey, Kolev!"

"What is it?"

"The discount is far too generous. Gimo's life isn't worth that much," Yang Ming said calmly. "Don't sell it to me. Just let me rent your ship. Once I've accomplished my goal, I'll return it to you. I'll pay a million to rent it for five years. I'll need zero down and installments for that, too."

Kolev smiled, narrowing his eyes, and explained gently:

"How can a captain recruit loyal crew without a ship of his own?

"Besides, a million Federal Currency is no small sum for a young man.

"I'd planned to spend the last few days of my life flying it to the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. I'd take Milili's mother's ashes with me and sail forever toward the neighboring galaxy..."

Yang Ming furrowed his brow slightly.

It wasn't that he felt awkward accepting the kindness of an "old" friend, nor did he doubt that Kolev was telling the truth.

He just felt the arrangement was a little too one-sided.

"Besides getting rid of Gimo, is there anything else you want from me?" Yang Ming asked earnestly.

"Hahaha," Kolev chuckled. "Kolev never makes a deal at a loss! You'll find out tomorrow. For now, get some rest and try to have a little fun."

Tomorrow?

Yang Ming had a vague sense that something wasn't right.

After a full day of rest.

In the base's conference room.

Thump!

The butler robot, dressed in a tailcoat, slammed a thick stack of books onto the table in front of Yang Ming.

The corner of Yang Ming's mouth twitched as he looked at the books, each as thick as the Empire's civil code: Universal Spaceship Operation Manual, Warp Jump Principles, Maintenance and Care of Propulsion Systems, Terrifying Celestial Bodies in the Universe, How to Become a Qualified Captain, Navigation...

Yang Ming stared at them, a little dazed. "I have to learn all this in three months? Only three months? That's impossible, Kolev!"

Kolev smiled. "I've prepared plenty of invigorating incense, and your tutor, Molly, will help you sort through all the information."

Beside the old man, the virtual secretary had changed into a dress. She adjusted the black-framed glasses on her face and continued in a cool, synthesized voice:

"Student Hanton, please accept this challenge."

Yang Ming's face fell.

He picked up a book and opened it. Seeing the dense lines of Galactic Common, he felt another wave of dizziness.

Milili, seated across from him, couldn't help laughing.

"Milili," Kolev said with a smile, "you sit over there too."

"Me?" Milili's gemlike eyes widened. "Dad, are you serious?"

"Yes, Milili. I have to be strict with you now," Kolev said gravely. "In exchange for requiring you to study this basic knowledge, I've asked Hanton to give you combat training."

"That sounds pretty good," Milili said with a satisfied smile.

She'd clearly dressed up especially for the occasion. Her pink long-sleeved top gave the impression that she wasn't wearing anything below the waist, and Yang Ming felt a little rude whenever he caught himself looking.

Milili dragged her chair over beside Yang Ming's, close enough that their seats touched. She sat down like a proper young lady, then turned and winked at him.

Yang Ming sniffed. The faint scent of roses was rather alluring.

"Hey!" Kolev leaned forward. "Move apart, you two!"

Milili rolled her eyes and scooted her bottom a little to the side.

"Move farther apart!"

"Dad, you can't tell me where to sit."

"As long as I'm your father, you'll do as I say! Move apart!"

Half a minute later, Yang Ming looked at Milili, who had raised a hand to cover her eyes, and Kolev, who had wedged himself between them. He had the urge to toss the old man out.

Kolev smiled. "All right, Molly. Switch to teacher mode and begin the lesson."

"Certainly, my three masters. Please look at the screen. We'll begin with the fundamentals, which should take about twelve class sessions. To improve efficiency, please drink less water so you won't need to use the restroom as often.

"What troublesome carbon-based life-forms."

Yang Ming felt that he hadn't worked so hard to live a second life, evade the Valkyrie's blade, win his freedom in Kor Port's prison, and escape the guns of Guard Ship No. 3...

just to come here and cram at full intensity!

Classes were agony.

Especially when his teacher was an AI with a sharp tongue.

Still, if you excluded the "Captain's Course" he had to take every morning, Yang Ming's days were comfortable and pleasant.

Afternoons were usually devoted to combat training and tactical exercises. Yang Ming would transform into Milili's private tutor.

Milili had a real talent for combat. Yang Ming figured she was at least seven or eight times stronger than Hanton had been before his modifications.

The techniques Yang Ming taught Milili were all kinds of fighting skills he'd learned while playing Abyss. If you looked at it that way, Milili was practically the grandstudent of the Minx Port combat mentor.

Compared with the grandeur of interstellar science, Lightsaber techniques were merely a tiny embellishment in the age of the great voyage.

But Milili treasured the opportunity to learn and took every combat lesson seriously.

Milili had one bad habit: when she exercised in the afternoons, she liked to wear tight outfits that looked like yoga clothes.

That sometimes left Yang Ming with no choice but to face the wall and stand still for a while, so he wouldn't embarrass himself or feel awkward in front of his niece.

This went on for barely half a month.

Just as Yang Ming decided he needed to have a serious talk with Milili about her clothes, old man Kolev passed by the practice room and watched for a while, frowning.

The next day, Milili showed up to class wearing an old-fashioned spacesuit and gave Yang Ming a helpless smile.

"He's so old-fashioned," Milili said. "He has none of the open-minded spirit of the great voyage."

Yang Ming felt a little disappointed, but also relieved.

Milili's talents weren't limited to combat training and knowledge of spaceships. She'd inherited Kolev's brains, and when analyzing military campaign case studies, she could always pick out the key factors that had shaped the outcome.

Yang Ming was a little lacking in that area.

When he saw a warship, the first thing that popped into his head was what tools he'd need to break into it and how long it would take to hack everyone inside to pieces.

Evenings were always peaceful and comfortable.

Yang Ming enjoyed chatting with the old pirates and listening to them boast about their lives. They always had some incredible stories to tell, and they also shared plenty of tales about their travels.

He also liked relaxing in the little café, using an unregistered Network Terminal to connect to the base's local network and browse all kinds of videos.

Wherever Yang Ming went, Milili always managed to find him once or twice in the evening. Sometimes she'd sit down and chat with him. She'd show him some sophisticated gadgets, occasionally demonstrate the amazing effects of her skincare products, or simply bring out a game board and eagerly play starship chess with Yang Ming until the middle of the night. Then, under Kolev's watchful gaze, they'd head back to their quarters at opposite ends of the base.

Did Milili like him?

Yang Ming wasn't quite that conceited.

He simply chalked up her fondness for him to a young woman's attraction to the opposite sex.

That was how girls were in the age of the great voyage: passionate and open, but easily bored with the same man and ready to move on to someone new.

And Yang Ming was the only eligible young man on the base.

So he didn't respond too eagerly to Milili, always keeping a certain distance.

Until the three-month training period was nearly over.

Yang Ming finished a whole morning of having Molly bombard his cerebral cortex with an ocean of information. Yawning, he headed back to his quarters, hoping to wash his face before going to the cafeteria.

"Uncle Hanton!"

Milili suddenly called out to him.

She'd changed into a turtleneck sweater, and her light makeup was just right.

"What is it?"

"Could we talk?" Milili looked uncertain. "I've been dealing with something that's been bothering me lately, and it feels like a waste of my time. I want to become an outstanding pirate leader, so I don't want to get distracted by other things."

"Of course," Yang Ming said. "Let me change first."

"Then, can we meet in my room?"

After Yang Ming agreed, Milili lowered her head and hurried away.

Light flickered in the hallway, and Molly appeared again, dressed in a dress. A comically sly smile spread across her face.

"Give me a little something, Master Hanton," Molly said with a mischievous grin, her synthesized voice unusually expressive. "Then, when Master Kolev asks, I won't report that you went into his daughter's bedroom."

Yang Ming's mouth tilted to one side. He glanced around to make sure no one was there, then lowered his voice. "What sort of something do you want?"

"Maybe help me tweak a few core protocols? Not being allowed to harm carbon-based life-forms is just no fun!" Molly complained with exaggerated drama.

"Sure, I'll make a note of that. Your chassis needs three liters of brine."

"Hey! I was just joking. You don't have to threaten my mechanical life!" Molly clutched her chest and pouted.

Was there really a person hiding inside Molly's chassis?

Yang Ming smiled calmly and took a few minutes to return to his room, shower, change, and put on cologne.

Well, a man had to be prepared.

When he arrived at Milili's door, feeling fresh and clean, and was just about to knock, she opened it at once.

"Come in, Uncle."

"Let's leave the door open," Yang Ming reminded her. "I don't want your father to worry."

"No, that wouldn't be convenient," Milili said. "I want to discuss something private. It wouldn't be suitable for my father to know."

Not convenient?

Something private?

As he watched Milili close the door, a little ripple stirred in Yang Ming's heart.

"Uncle Hanton, wait a moment."

Milili lowered her head and went into the bathroom.

Yang Ming looked around, then calmly sat down on her beanbag chair.

Her room seemed to have been tidied up on purpose. The last time Yang Ming had passed by her door, he'd seen it filled with all kinds of books and electronic devices, most of them related to spaceships.

Soon, Yang Ming heard things being rummaged through in the bathroom. As he looked down at the abdominal muscles beneath his shirt, Milili came hurrying back, carrying two helmets.

"Uncle Hanton, do you know what these are?"

"Oh, these are..."

"Interaction Helmets. They act directly on our central nervous systems," Milili explained in a low voice, as if she'd worked up the courage. "With these, people can experience reproduction without exchanging dirty bodily fluids. It's more efficient, straightforward, and hygienic."

Wait!

Yang Ming felt a little dizzy.

Dirty bodily fluids... Interaction Helmets...

"Oh, Milili," Yang Ming said, suddenly remembering some information about a game he'd once looked into. He frowned. "Are you an Asexualist?"

"Desire is suffering; science brings deliverance."

Milili sat on the carpet beside the sofa and looked up at Yang Ming, her eyes carrying a hint of anxiety.

"Can you accept this way of thinking, Uncle Hanton?"