I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Speculation Can Be Productive, But There Are Some Speculations in This World That You Don’t Want to Be Right
[space_man][space_man]After the situation was resolved, the Trismegistus, once again in a state of stupor, was recovered by Lieutenant Mark and transported to the Mirandora.
[space_man][space_man]The Mirandora, which had been near the enemy ship when it vanished due to a mysterious gravitational collapse, somehow did not experience any offline issues with its internal systems.
[space_man][space_man]In the first place, the Mirandora itself didn’t suffer any gravitational or radio wave interference.
[space_man][space_man]It was as if it had been protected by some kind of barrier.
[space_man][space_man]That being said, Shougo understood why. This, too, was an ability of the Trismegistus.
[space_man][space_man]An ability of this level was probably a piece of cake for the Trismegistus.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’That means the Trismegistus recognizes us as allies, or at least friendly forces. Damn it, but that doesn’t explain everything…… Why was Yuuki able to move it in the first place? Why did Yuuki end up piloting it? Why did a function that only activated in the final episode appear at the very beginning of the story?’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Although he felt it was still too early to relax, he couldn’t deny the atmosphere that the battle was over. Shougo pondered these thoughts.
[space_man][space_man]He would return the Mirandora to Byblos, help repair the destroyer Savona with the remaining time, cheer up Yuuki, and above all……
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I really can’t let that damn geezer off without punching him.”
[space_man][space_man]”Huh?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Apparently, his thoughts had slipped out as a loud murmur.
[space_man][space_man]Clart and the other bridge crew members all turned their attention to Shougo at once.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ahem! Don’t mind me. More importantly, what’s our damage situation?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He covered it up with a cough.
[space_man][space_man]He had accidentally let his true feelings slip out.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ah, yes.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Clart seemed to have compiled the data, and various reports were coming up on the sub-monitor at the captain’s seat. In any case, he would have to examine them in detail in his captain’s office later, but he could make things easier for himself by reading some of the information in advance.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”As expected, the rapid planetary departure and entry put a lot of stress on the ship. It’s not going to explode, but the surface armor is surprisingly damaged.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]After all, even without a direct hit, the ship would still be affected by beams and missiles. If you add to that the frictional heat and adiabatic compression heat from planetary entry, even the toughest battleship armor would deteriorate.
[space_man][space_man]Of course, all battleships had emergency armor repair materials, but they were just that – emergency repairs. Shougo realized that the time for full-scale repairs was approaching.
[space_man][space_man]He was also concerned about the remaining ammunition for the Mirandora and its carrier-based aircraft. Even if they recovered some from captured and destroyed units, it was still a drop in the bucket.
[space_man][space_man]The beams, which relied on the ship’s internal energy, could not be neglected either, considering the deterioration of the barrels.
[space_man][space_man]And then there was food. They still had plenty, but it was a bit daunting to think about the future.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”We’ve got a mountain of problems. But if we can link up with the Rebel base, we can get repairs and supplies…… We just have to hold out until then.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He couldn’t be optimistic, but it wasn’t as if he was going to be consumed by despair.
[space_man][space_man]What he needed to think about now was Trismegistus and Yuuki. Lieutenant Mark would be bringing Yuuki up to the bridge soon.
[space_man][space_man]The fact that he and Yuuki, who were originally supposed to be killing each other in the original story, were now on completely opposite sides felt strange even to Shougo, who had made it happen that way, but at the same time, it was proof that his plan was working.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Excuse me? Captain?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It was Mark.
[space_man][space_man]He was wearing a pilot suit, but it was unzipped at the chest, revealing his undershirt. While still on alert, pilots were allowed to dress like that. They could immediately zip up and put on their helmets for sortie.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’ve brought the hero with me.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Saying “Here you go,” Mark lightly pushed Yuuki’s back. Yuuki drifted into the bridge, propelled by the still-active zero gravity within the ship.
[space_man][space_man]His face was pale and tense.
[space_man][space_man]And that wasn’t all. Shougo noticed a foreign object clinging to his shoulder.
[space_man][space_man]It was Thoth. Seeing it, Shougo was slightly surprised. He wondered why it was there.
[space_man][space_man]His encounter with it was supposed to be after they returned to the destroyer in the anime. However, he was altering the original story. Maybe this level of discrepancy wasn’t worth worrying about.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”He’s a bit shaken up, but he’s got guts. He didn’t throw up, so……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]What Mark meant was that Yuuki hadn’t vomited.
[space_man][space_man]The excitement after the battle, the fact that he had killed people. There were various other tensions, and he had been released from them. It was only natural that he would feel sick.
[space_man][space_man]Rather, Shougo inwardly chuckled at the fact that he was the strange one for getting used to it after only two times.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Um…… I……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Did he think he was going to get scolded, or was he thinking about something even worse?
[space_man][space_man]Yuuki’s expression was gloomy.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Hmm, thank you, Lieutenant. Now, Yuuki-kun, was it? First, let me thank you. We were saved thanks to you. I’m sure you have a lot to say, but please bear with me. I also have a lot to say, but I’ll save that for the person responsible for dragging you into this.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo wasn’t planning to scold Yuuki or blame him. He had actually done well. You could even say he had done his best.
[space_man][space_man]Shougo had no interest in tormenting him further and taking pleasure in it, especially since he should have been in a much worse situation than this.
[space_man][space_man]However, Yuuki was surprised. He hadn’t expected to be spoken to so kindly.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’m sure it was frightening. Just get some rest for now. When we get down to Byblos…… well, I’ll figure something out.”
[space_man][space_man]”Um…… Thank you, sir.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Yuuki could only bow his head deeply.
[space_man][space_man]As for Shougo, he was acting with the ulterior motive that being kind now would lead to good fortune later, but he was also genuinely concerned.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”By the way, about that puppet machine……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Having eased the atmosphere, Shougo asked a question about Thoth, which he couldn’t help but be curious about.
[space_man][space_man]Thoth itself was just like a monkey, looking at him and restlessly rotating its face in an annoying way.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Come to think of it, this thing is a mystery too. If we believe Dr. Phoenix and Percy, it’s an incredible information terminal, but……’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]After all, Thoth contained the Trismegistus’s data. The fact that it could move around freely was terrifying. For some reason, it seemed to be attached to Yuuki now, though.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ah, I don’t really understand this guy…… Dr. Phoenix seemed to have brought him along…… I, uh, bumped into him at the airport. He’s the one you were talking about at that meeting, right?”
[space_man][space_man]”Hmm……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Originally, Thoth was a being that had somehow slipped in unnoticed.
[space_man][space_man]In the anime, it was largely because Dr. Phoenix hadn’t given a proper explanation about Thoth in the first place. In retrospect, he might have been deliberately hiding it.
[space_man][space_man]A sense of distrust towards the old man, that he might be dangerous, swirled in Shougo’s mind.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Speaking of which…… in the rushed final episode, Thoth was also on board the Trismegistus with Yuuki for some reason…… And Thoth is a puppet machine that holds the Trismegistus’s data, but maybe it has a greater significance…… Huh? Could it be?’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Maybe Thoth was necessary for the Trismegistus to unleash its full potential.
[space_man][space_man]Was it a limiter of some sort? No, but that didn’t explain everything either.
[space_man][space_man]After all, the Trismegistus had activated its abilities in the anime even without Thoth on board. Although, only twice, excluding the final episode.
[space_man][space_man]Besides, this was still just a hypothesis.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Dr. Phoenix, huh…… By the way, why did you get back in the Trismegistus? Ah, no, I’m not blaming you. Normally, no matter how you think about it, you wouldn’t get back in, right?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Because you shouldn’t be able to get in, in the first place.
[space_man][space_man]Since he was able to, there must be something to it.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Firstly, it’s supposed to be in a place where it won’t be seen by people, and there’s security, right? Finding it, and then it just starts moving, that’s a lot of things, you know?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The problem was that in the original story, it happened just like that, so in the end, most of what the doctor said turned out to be a lie.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”When I found Thoth, Dr. Phoenix told me. He said I was registered as a pilot…… for this thing.”
[space_man][space_man]”……For Thoth?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Another setting he didn’t know about.
[space_man][space_man]He had never seen such a setting depicted.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Ah, no…… I see. Thoth was on the destroyer before we knew it. But that’s not actually the case. It was inside the Trismegistus from the beginning. But then there’s a question. Why Yuuki? Anish has more experience as a pilot. Was it because he was injured? If so, it means this thing has a function to grasp the physical condition of a human, but……’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It wasn’t particularly strange.
[space_man][space_man]To put it simply, even blood pressure monitors and thermometers were machines that measured the human condition. It just meant that this puppet machine was equipped with them.
[space_man][space_man]And…… AI-based diagnosis and suggestions were already being experimented with in the world Shougo came from. It wasn’t that difficult.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Vivi?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Thoth tilted its head. Its movements didn’t seem to be imitating a living creature, but rather like a living creature itself.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’……To survive?’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Suddenly, such a thought crossed his mind.
[space_man][space_man]It was knowledge from anime and movies. He didn’t know how far he could apply it, but Shougo began to build a hypothesis.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’It’s a common sci-fi setting for AI to start behaving like humans. You can find it anywhere if you look. So…… a super-high-performance AI created in this futuristic world, could it do that much?’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Technological singularity. Singularity.
[space_man][space_man]From a simple AI, Thoth had begun to possess intelligence, albeit at the level of a monkey. And the judgment to choose its own master.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’It…… evolves…… AI? It’s possible. The Trismegistus said it could make copies of itself. That’s another way of saying…… leaving offspring, right? As a living being, it’s normal to make copies of oneself, to leave children……’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It was all based on speculation, after all.
[space_man][space_man]Even as he told himself that, Shougo felt his face turning pale.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Is…… is there anything else you can tell me?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]As if wanting his hypothesis to be wrong, Shougo asked Yuuki another question.
[space_man][space_man]However, it seemed Yuuki was too preoccupied with his own situation to have time to worry about the man’s complexion in front of him.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I don’t know the reason…… Honestly, it doesn’t make any sense to me either. But they told me I was registered as a pilot, and if the Trismegistus didn’t move, Byblos and Anish would be in danger…… so I thought maybe I could help……”
[space_man][space_man]”Ah, I see. I understand. Relax. That’s……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Saying that, Shougo lightly patted Yuuki’s shoulder as he seemed about to start sobbing again, and instructed Ensign Clart to take care of him.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Let him rest in his room.”
[space_man][space_man]”Yes, sir.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]As Clart left with Yuuki, Mark sat down in the now-empty operator’s seat.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”So that old man forced him to pilot it, huh?”
[space_man][space_man]”Probably.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mark ruffled his hair with a sigh, watching the back of the pitiful boy.
[space_man][space_man]This man was a battle maniac, but he showed aversion to meaningless slaughter. If ordered, he would do it, but if you kept ordering him, he would bare his fangs.
[space_man][space_man]For now, he was still following Shougo’s orders. He was also a man who looked after his subordinates. It seemed contradictory, but that’s the kind of man he was.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I don’t like that old man. What’s his goal?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]To such a man, Dr. Phoenix, who seemed like a secretive person, would not be likable.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Who knows. I can’t understand what scientists are thinking. But we need to start asking some questions. This concerns our safety too. We’re going to make that old man tell us everything.”
[space_man][space_man]”Do you think he will?”
[space_man][space_man]”If he doesn’t, I’ll punch him. I’m personally pissed off at him. That damn geezer…… he must be up to no good.”