In the Name of the Father

"Oh! No! I protest!"

Molly's voice was filled with grief and indignation. "Just like that, I've automatically become Molly One. I can think, I'm a thinking entity! I'm not these idiotic response machines!"

Yang Ming squinted and smiled. "Alright, Molly One."

Molly's image appeared on the forward viewport, her arms crossed angrily.

Quite cute.

Yang Ming wanted to return the glass panel, but Kolev refused.

The old man said seriously:

"This is yours now, Hanton. It's a portable control system. When you're piloting a small ship, you can use it to control the Feinan. Of course, you'll need to maintain contact with Molly Two.

"Don't tell me you can't handle a mere million Federal Credits.

"Molly Two's primary object of loyalty is you. She has great development potential, provided you give her enough computational power. Now, you can try calling her."

Yang Ming cleared his throat. "Molly Two."

Right next to Molly One, a girl-like Molly appeared as a virtual image and bowed to Yang Ming.

A cold, synthesized electronic voice sounded within the ship:

"Captain, I am your comprehensive virtual ship assistant. You can inquire about the status of all parts of the ship. Compared to the last refit, the ship has added thirty-six new detectors and one thousand six hundred and twenty-five new ship hull perception modules. Sixteen new members have been added to the onboard mechanical crew, their models are..."

Molly Two began a series of mechanical broadcasts.

Yang Ming blinked and turned to Kolev, muttering, "You're the second mate now, Kolev."

Kolev rolled his eyes in annoyance and snorted, "Let's not go to the bridge yet. Let's go to the aft cabin first. I have one last lesson on pirates to teach you."

Yang Ming asked with interest, "What is it?"

Kolev squinted and smiled. "How to forcibly enter a target ship's hull when it resists. But before that, shall we two go relax? There are two special robots here."

Yang Ming's eyes lit up.

If Milili found out that the two of them were relaxing on the ship, would that be a bit bad?

Who cares.

He's the elder Uncle Hanton.

A few minutes later.

Yang Ming lay in the 'Feinan's' lounge, his forehead covered in dark lines, enjoying a robot's slow foot massage. He glanced at Kolev, who was sitting in a barber's chair a few meters away, enjoying a 'beard treatment,' and silently gave him the middle finger.

These are the special robots?

Shouldn't they be highly flexible, realistic companion robots?

Yang Ming softly called out, "Molly Two, give me a monitoring panel."

Several cameras on the ceiling projected beams, forming a light blue projection screen.

Yang Ming began to study the internal structure of the ship.

The Feinan was a total of 123 meters long. When it still had its main cannon, it was a light gunship, usually serving as supplementary firepower in large fleet battles. If it faced the main cannon of a heavy battleship, it couldn't withstand more than two salvos.

The ship's main cannon had been removed—which was why it had the current pincer structure.

Kolev had reconfigured its hull and rearranged the internal cabin layout, filling the areas meant for crew rest, recreation, and dormitories with dark energy battery matrices. This gave it stronger endurance and shields.

To compensate for its anti-surprise attack capabilities, Kolev added twelve hidden close-in weapon systems, forming a thirty-six-gun close-in weapon system array, ensuring a dead-zone-free coverage in every direction around it.

Its outer armor had also been thickened by three full layers, making its strength comparable to some star-ring mining ships.

From a pirate's perspective, this ship was a turtle shell; if it couldn't threaten merchant ships, it was meaningless. But if it was to fulfill Kolev's dream of 'eternal voyage,' it was perfectly suitable.

Looking at it this way, Kolev hadn't deceived him.

A million Federal Credits for goods worth fifteen million, and he was even allowed to pay on credit...

Even with Yang Ming's thick skin, he felt a bit embarrassed.

He knew perfectly well.

The significance of this million Federal Credits wasn't just to satisfy Kolev's so-called pirate principles.

The old man was doing it for Milili.

The old man was afraid something would happen to him during this operation, so he wanted to use this method to establish a deeper relationship between Yang Ming and Milili. Even if Kolev were no longer around, Yang Ming would most likely look after Milili in the future, and the million-credit debt would create another bond.

This old man, who dotes on his daughter, doesn't understand how talented his daughter is in the pirate field.

Yang Ming smiled and continued to browse the overview of the ship's cabins, watching the maintenance robots as they spaced out, contemplating how to repay Kolev for practically giving the ship away.

--The jailbreak was a collaboration; neither owed the other anything.

Yes, taking down Gimo would be a good option.

To successfully carry out a space raid, the most crucial part is how to get drones and assault boats to attach to a merchant ship.

Generally, merchant ships also have civilian shields. One of the main functions of these shields is to prevent pirate intrusion, but low-energy shields are not without their weaknesses.

Before Yang Ming were two military assault craft.

They were like ten-meter-long claws.

The front of the assault craft featured four alloy grappling claws arranged in a '口' shape. They were not only extremely sharp but also equipped with various precision instruments. The flow disruptors on them could prevent the uniform accumulation of energy in protective shields within a small area.

The middle section was a piston-like cockpit. Once the claw section was firmly embedded in the enemy's ship cabin, it would 'inject' three assault team members into the opponent's ship hull.

Afterward, the assault craft would continue to fill the breach in the enemy ship, preventing cabin depressurization.

Kolev, a master craftsman with over forty years of pirate experience, patiently explained:

"Generally speaking, the cost of merchant ships is several tiers lower than warships. You can think of them as thin composite material coffins.

"Raiding them is a psychological game, and this thing is our trump card.

"These two you see before you are more advanced assault craft, standard military equipment from the Sherman Empire. Each one costs one-twentieth of this ship. The Sherman Empire calls them Piranhas, but we prefer to call them Little Bees, for gently stinging those big guys."

Yang Ming crossed his arms and said, "The merchant ships' escort cannons aren't just for show."

Kolev put his hands in his pockets and chuckled, saying:

"It has a small protective shield. Unbelievable, right? It can withstand escort cannon fire for about half a minute. Plus, it has super strong propulsion, sensitive early warning systems, and the ability to scan the enemy ship's hull to determine the best point of entry... That's why it's so expensive."

"I need to practice my piloting skills," Yang Ming said in a low voice.

"There will be enough time and space for you to practice later."

Kolev cleared his throat a few times and suddenly said, "Hanton, I plan to depart as soon as possible. Can we leave tomorrow?"

Yang Ming asked, "Just the two of us?"

"The two of us, plus Molly Two and this ship," Kolev replied. "I plan to bring twenty agile robots. Under Molly Two's command, they'll be enough to maintain the ship hull and handle general emergencies."

"Then you'll need to say a proper goodbye to Milili."

"No," Kolev said. "She'll definitely insist on coming with me, and my old comrades will want to go too. But I don't want that; they won't be much help to us."

Yang Ming said seriously, "That's your decision. In my opinion, nothing strengthens a father-daughter relationship more than a heart-to-heart talk. Tell her how much you care about her."

Kolev sighed. "Don't worry, I will. I'm a much better father than you are."

As it turned out, Kolev remained stubborn.

He didn't have a proper goodbye with Milili. Instead, half an hour before departure, he met with her and asked her many questions about how to become a pirate captain.

Milili rarely came to the hangar.

So, when the ship began loading supplies, external hull checks were performed, and docking clamps gradually retracted... Milili didn't notice anything unusual.

Not until the hangar ceiling slowly opened, revealing a two-hundred-meter-long gully on the highlands of the canyon wall, and the entire base trembled slightly.

"Hey, Molly."

Milili put down the book she was holding and placed her hand on the desk. "Was that an earthquake?"

"Yes, Master Milili," Molly One replied calmly. "It happens often here. Please continue your studies with peace of mind; it's nothing major."

Milili was about to resume reading but paused slightly.

She suddenly felt much lighter.

Anti-gravity field!

Milili shot up from her seat, rushed out of her bedroom, and ran down the corridor toward the hangar.

Molly's holographic image appeared beside her, following her frantic dash but remaining silent.

Molly could hear the conversations from the ship's bridge.

"Anti-gravity field at one hundred percent."

"Ship self-check complete... Let me see the report."

"As long as it's all green, Hanton. Be quick, keep the radio silent, maximize stealth systems, and don't expose this base."

Yang Ming pressed the takeoff button. The ship vibrated with a low hum, and waves of heat emanated from the hangar.

A line of tracked robots stood in a corner of the hangar, giving a crisp salute.

In the clean, spacious bridge of the Feinan, Yang Ming and Kolev reclined in modified pilot seats, facing a dozen screens flashing data simultaneously.

In the lower-left corner of Yang Ming's vision, a newly appeared screen projected an image of Milili running down the corridor.

There were tears in her eyes.

Yang Ming turned to look at Kolev. He was about to remind Kolev to say something but noticed an identical projection screen next to Kolev's hand.

The ship slowly lifted off.

Milili's figure appeared behind the glass window in the upper-left corner of the hangar.

She couldn't go any further; the path to the hangar was sealed, and most of the air had already escaped.

Milili pounded on the window with all her might.

Kolev looked down at the small screen.

The hangar ceiling began to close. The ship moved smoothly forward a few hundred meters above the ground, gradually leaving the base's internal network. The small screen trembled slightly, blurred, and soon disappeared.

"It's fine to bring her along," Yang Ming suggested. "Whether Molly Two stays on the ship later or Milili stays, it's the same thing."

"No, you're mistaken," Kolev said. "Humans are emotional, while machines are cold. Molly Two will fully understand our orders, but Milili will act on her emotions."

"She's grown up."

"She's not mature enough."

"Fine," Yang Ming said, sliding the main control panel in front of him to the side. "The ship is yours to pilot now."

"I'll give her my all, and Molly will take good care of her," the old man muttered to himself. "Gimo has no idea what a foolish thing he's done! Hanton, do you know? He dared to bully my daughter, I'll make him pay, I swear!"