I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 53

Chapter 53: It’s Truly Awful How Those Who Envision Grand Ambitions Wield Irresponsible Power Without Mercy
[space_man][space_man]Though the surprise attack diversion was successful, Shougo wasn’t truly satisfied.
[space_man][space_man]Rather, he had to worry about a new threat that had become a reality.
[space_man][space_man]The Mirandora unit temporarily escaped the Al Minar Sector, but afterward, they had to take action for resupply.
[space_man][space_man]Thoth was still in a state of excitement, but once this subsided, it would enable long-distance warp and quick resupply.
[space_man][space_man]Besides, he thought, there was no reason they couldn’t do what the enemy had done.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”We can use that fortress base. A large mass can serve as a physical barrier and a decoy for the Big Cannon.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo believed that it wasn’t a matter of whether it would work, but rather that they had to do it to close the gap.
[space_man][space_man]In the Mirandora’s briefing room, an online conference was being held with each ship to discuss their future strategy.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Besides, the enemy has a Trismegistus counterpart. We should assume our advantage is lost. To overcome this, we’ll need both textbook strategies and nonsensical, out-of-the-box operations.”
[space_man][space_man]『 Don’t tell me you’re planning to ram the base into that huge cannon? 』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Captain Lopes’ voice was unusually serious.
[space_man][space_man]She was still furious after witnessing Fauden’s actions, but it was impressive that she didn’t act rashly, proving herself to be a seasoned warrior.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I think we might as well do that. We don’t need that cannon anyway, it’ll just get in the way. I’m certain it’ll be destroyed.”
[space_man][space_man]『 One question, if you will. 』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The questioning voice came from the captain of the other destroyer.
[space_man][space_man]His name was Moobak, a middle-aged man. He seemed gentle at first glance, but he must have had some guts to join this operation.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『 Ramming the fortress is fine, but is there any guarantee that our super machine won’t go berserk? 』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo thought that was the most important question.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”That’s the problem, isn’t it……”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo scratched his head.
[space_man][space_man]Thoth was friendly towards them, but the problem with a being like a capricious beast was that you never knew what it might do.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”……To be optimistic, I don’t think Thoth will betray us. I have no basis for this, but I think it’s natural for a living being to want to eliminate a threat that endangers itself. I believe Thoth…… Trismegistus judged that thing called Goetia to be an obstacle. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have gotten so agitated.”
[space_man][space_man]『 A living being, you say? Even though it’s a machine? 』
[space_man][space_man]”There’s data from the past that shows that if you give an AI a program that mimics a living being, it will automatically construct things. I’m not an expert, but an AI that learned the behavioral patterns of fungi created a network far more efficient than humans.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Of course, that functionality was limited to a sandbox environment.
[space_man][space_man]However, it held a certain degree of persuasiveness. Machines can imitate living beings.
[space_man][space_man]That doesn’t just mean their appearance or movements, but also their thought processes.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”The problem is how much these things are thinking. From what I can see, as an amateur, I think Thoth is like a baby who knows nothing. It’s constantly growing, stimulated by things. At the same time, I want to believe that if we educate it, it won’t go in a bad direction.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo’s optimism extended to that aspect as well.
[space_man][space_man]Or rather, he no longer thought of Thoth as just a high-performance AI. He recognized it as an individual, a child.
[space_man][space_man]Education was the key to managing it. However, since Yuuki and the others were acting as its parents, he had no choice but to rely on them.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”But at the same time, we should be concerned that the other side is based on the same foundation. Fauden did that. There’s no telling what kind of education he’s given to the AI that was in a state of zero knowledge. It’s possible that he’s turned it into a ruthless, obedient killing machine like the old ones, capable only of continuing the slaughter.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]However, Shougo himself didn’t quite believe his own words.
[space_man][space_man]He doubted that a man like Fauden would create a mere killing machine. He only said it to establish an easily understandable threat for the sake of moving the discussion forward.
[space_man][space_man]He believed that Fauden was plotting something far more sinister, but since he didn’t have an answer himself, he chose not to mention it.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’I can’t imagine a man who tried to kill his own daughter and wipe out the inhabitants of a planetary sector would create a simple killing machine. Babel was originally Anferu’s weapon. If all he cared about was killing and terror, that would be enough. But the problem is, these guys have other ideologies. Managing humanity…… creating a robot god or something…… then what would he make it do? What does he connect with the idea of preventing planetary development? I’ll have to hear it from Fauden himself.’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He could make many guesses and considerations, but he couldn’t get anything definitive.
[space_man][space_man]He just knew that the man had to be defeated. He was certain of that, and he believed it was something he absolutely had to accomplish.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Crazy ideologues think they can do anything to avoid the dangers they envision. That man’s like saying a single sugar cube fell into the ocean, so the ocean will become sweet and dangerous…… How can I understand what a man like that is thinking?’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]In a sense, it was like a cult.
[space_man][space_man]That’s why it was so terrifying. That old man would easily take the lives of his own family and countless strangers for his own goals, and speak of it as if it were only natural. There was no way the future that man envisioned could be anything decent.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Shougo and the others had to return to the fortress base as quickly as possible.
[space_man][space_man]To do that, they needed to appease Thoth, warp, resupply……
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’I’d like to drink Yuri’s tea.’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He suddenly thought of something irrelevant.
[space_man][space_man]He was thinking about a woman whose hand he hadn’t even held yet.
[space_man][space_man]Was it a man’s nature? Or……
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Am I scared now? Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not it.’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]After going through so many ridiculous charges like this, the feeling of fear was fading.
[space_man][space_man]It wasn’t that fear had completely disappeared, but he was getting used to it.
[space_man][space_man]It also meant he had gained some composure. That’s why he might have been able to think about a woman.
[space_man][space_man]No, maybe he had that feeling all along.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’There was some strange rule that if you raise too many flags, you won’t die, right?’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]That was just an excuse to hide his embarrassment.
[space_man][space_man]When the meeting was over, Shougo went straight back to the captain’s cabin.
[space_man][space_man]Yuri was there, smiling at him.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]***
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The terrifying thing about cults is that they believe anything is permissible under their teachings. However, surprisingly few people blindly believe in the teachings. Most are simply using them as an excuse to do whatever they please.
[space_man][space_man]Rather, those who blindly believe in these teachings are often the socially vulnerable, those who have been brainwashed, or those who are simply pure. Most of them are not bad people.
[space_man][space_man]That’s another terrifying aspect.
[space_man][space_man]And it could be said that Shougo and the others didn’t fully understand the horrors of such cults.
[space_man][space_man]The true enemy was Fauden. There was no doubt about that, but it was a mistake to assume that Fauden would act recklessly without thinking.
[space_man][space_man]Shougo and the others had considered this many times. To bind and control with fear. That was correct and true, but it was their miscalculation that it wasn’t just that.
[space_man][space_man]But they didn’t know that yet.
[space_man][space_man]Because they had overlooked the fact that there were quite a few Fauden sympathizers on Earth.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]But Fauden’s cunning lay in the fact that he didn’t instigate armed terrorism.
[space_man][space_man]The cult he had secretly organized did not advocate anti-civilization or anti-mechanization, but rather harmony with nature. Depending on how you listened, it could be summed up in a single phrase: “Let’s cherish nature.”
[space_man][space_man]It was enough that many people could nod their heads in agreement with the pleasant words of this cult, even more than increasing the number of believers.
[space_man][space_man]Cherish nature. What a sweet sound it was. Their activities were mostly tree planting, protection of endangered species, and support for the underprivileged. Some of them presented themselves as volunteer organizations.
[space_man][space_man]However, the reality was that they were a cult. They could even stage demonstrations.
[space_man][space_man]And the content of those demonstrations was the slogan “Opposition to space emigration and development.”
[space_man][space_man]The demonstrations began the moment Fauden left for the Al Minar Sector. Believers holding placards started marching with slogans like “Don’t abandon Earth” and “Don’t forgive environmental pollution.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It continued even after the footage of the destruction of Al Minar’s converging lens was widely broadcast, and even after the fleet was toyed with by space pirates.
[space_man][space_man]They continued to advocate against war, against the use of force, and against the waste of natural resources.
[space_man][space_man]It seemed like madness to people, but it was also true that their pacifist words sounded comforting in the face of the horrors that had occurred.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Ironically, it was correct in terms of drawing the public to their side, which Shougo had planned.
[space_man][space_man]In fact, it was New Balance that was being strangled by this act.
[space_man][space_man]Anti-New Balance sentiment on Earth intensified, and aversion to war grew stronger.
[space_man][space_man]Twenty-four hours later.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It was no coincidence that Earth’s infrastructure malfunctioned.
[space_man][space_man]Goetia, appearing in the Earth’s sky as if it were a god, bathed in the brilliant sunlight, showing off its divine black body.
[space_man][space_man]What it did was to disable electronic devices and networks. That alone brought human activity to a halt.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”The god who wields divine punishment has descended, but humanity has overcome many natural disasters. Then, when they overcome this, humanity will truly mature and understand how incomplete a system their machine civilization was.”