Unparalleled Path ~ Reincarnated as the AI for a Space Battleship - Chapter 16

Hello, new translator here! I don’t have much to say, but I liked this novel so I started to translate it!

「I wonder if this was for good」

Sohaira muttered in her room. At the time of the embarking she had been assigned to a special cabin. Although it has special in the cabin’s name, it’s not more than two meters square bigger than that of a regular officer. In a room of almost six-mat room, attached to the wall, was a folding bed, and nexto to it a desk with a virtual console so as to perform your duties. And one private locker.

However, the other me told me that there were other things that she brought with her at the time of the embarking. Data pad for individual use, a headphone, five data cards, two fleet officer uniforms, underwear, toilet articles, and a scarlet dress. If our fleet had had a great victory, then a celebration party would have helped, but now our return to the empire seems far away.

With the uniform on, Sohairo walked straight to the desk.

The console displays a holographic image and in it, miniature images of the 16 organized ships that make up the current fleet of the empire are displayed.

Twelve warships capable of fighting without impediment are, cruiser Minerva, Kandia, Paresutoro, Lombardia, Sera, Repanto, Bererofon, Teremea, Brundish. As for battleships, Ram, Sukipio, Galibaldi.

Agurippa and Karaburia were badly damaged. The power of the engine of these ships had already fallen halfway before crossing the hyper space. Also a large part of the turret was already lost. That we have been able to escape from the entire enemy fleet is nothing more than a miracle.

A large-scale repair is necessary for all the warships’s defense field generators. Mass bullets are also in short supply. But since these are easy to manufacture, the supply departament of the main warship can make them.

Sohaira complained again.

「But if it happens that a fleet is waiting for us in Randiniumu, it would be a disaster with our current forces」

I answered her through the console speakers.

「I have already said several times, the possibility that a fleet of such magnitude is in Randiniumu is low. Randiniumu is located in an even deepest part of the alliance compared to Shaka. And even if the alliance’s Operations Headquarters believes that the survivors of the empire are able to jump to our location, by that time we will be in another star system, outside the scope of the empire. Of course, even if they managed to appear, there should be a considerable number of fleets already placed in Randiniumu」

「But what would happen if there was a mine in the jump point?」

「Impossible. Once a mine is placed, even a messenger warship wouldn’t be able to use the jump point. There are three jump points in Randiniumu, and to block the remaining two points just to wait for the messenger would be stupid. Even the damage their fleets have received has been considerable. And Shaka is not the only one with shipbuilding facility capable of repairing spaceships. We should be able to use Randiniumu’s facilities」

「But──」

「Was not it your specialty to act arrogantly? I don’t see the meaning of worrying about such a thing」

「I’m not worried! But it’s not like an AI can understand my feelings. This fleet carries with it a huge weight! However, it’s being led by a girl who has no military experience at all, did you know that? Let me frighten myself all I want in my room!]

I’m not an AI! is what I wanted to cry, but her worn-out face was caught by my cameras It’s reasonable. Her two relatives have died, and the cause of their deaths was another relative. Even if we only count the people in this fleet, the amount of people who depend on her are tens of thousands. And the hundres of billions of citizens of the empire.

She moved towards the bed, and buried her face in the pillow.

A part of me that was talking to her took control of a mini camera attached to the console and directed it towards the window of the bedside.

Even if I say window, it is nothing more than a rectangular board that shows an image captured by a camera. At this moment, the camera shows only a pure white space. A gruesome white without any kind of stain. As if it were a white sheet of a photocopier attached to the wall.

In this white world, there is only me, Asagaya Shin or also known as Kato, No matter how much the camera moves, the shadows of the other ships are not reflected in this white darkness.

I accessed a data bank. It has become the tenth time that I access, and again I extract information about the hyper space. But only for a short period of time. The explanations of this technology have not advanced almost at all.

Hyperspace navigation, alias “Jump”, uses a gravitational field following a fixed star. The true nature of the “Jump” is a “wave” which originates from a higher dimension. In other words, the distortions generated by the waves of the different stars, facilitates the birth of those spaces. Then an artificial distortion is created, which allows all ships to cross the “wave” through space time. And because each wave flows from star to star, the warships have to ride those waves to cross through that high dimensional space so as to be able to warp to another star.

In that high space, everything outside the ship becomes white. According to the academy of the empire, we, the foreign substance of this world, are unable to see, hear or feel. I’m unable to detect any element or object.

Then if I become black? It’s what I thought, but the reality is that everything becomes white.

With her head still buried in the pillow, Sohaira extends her arm and begins to manipulate the data pad. Music began to play from a pad almost as big as a smartphone. From a prelude by a instrument like a piano, to a main tune from a eletric guitar.

With her head still buried in the pillow, Sohaira extends her arm and begins to manipulate the data pad. It was a hit song of a four man band from when I was still a human. That music always leaked out from the headphones of Sakurako, the girl who I fell in love for.

Did a song of ten thousand years ago survived? Suddenly the melody sounded a little different. Well, it’s impossible that a melody has not changed after a thousand years have passed.

Sohaira was still with her face buried in the pillow.

「Saido-nii-sama was gentle」

Saido Yuriusu Sasuteiruteusu. The imperial prince who was killed in action.

「I’m a girl whose father took fancy to a village girl over a whim. As an official stance my mother was a girl adopted by a famous nobleman, but there is nobody who doesn’t know of her origins. Despised by everyone in the imperial court, and alienated. It’s natural. If we talk about gardeners and cooks of the imperial court, even them have a certain kind of prestige. But for a mixed-blood citizen of the lowest class, even if this has the emperor’s blood, it’s nothing worthy of respect. Besides my eighteen brothers and sisters, everyone else has blond hair just like my father. Sparking hair like sunlight, the proof of the royalty, But as you can see, mine’s black. I’m not ashamed of being similar to my mother, however, there were several who told me that my plebeian blood excels」

I didn’t reciprocate anything at all. She isn’t looking for a reply.

「Because I have grown up in such an enviroment is that I have this gloomy personality. I thought of myself as the most unfortunate person living in the best palace in the world. And since father became ill, everyone around me started to treat me even worse. The only one who cared about me was Saido-nii-sama. Nii-sama was different from the others. Even though he was the imperial prince, he always treated me gently, just like a “brother” should. Excluding my mother, he was my only family.

Only once in my life did my brother treat me strictly. To me who was crying senselessly at my situation, he told me, “Have pride in yourself!. But I replied, I have no honor or whatever as a royalty. Then, hold the pride of being your older brother’s sister, he said. At that moment I thought, what incredible confidence, and he was only 18 at that time. Even though I was seven at the time, I laughed, and my brother laughed with me.

From then on, I started my training. So as not to embarrass my brother who was the next emperor, I started behaving in a way worthy of him. Etiquette, aswering with dignity, diplomacy, grasping people’s heart, I studied everything. When I realized, I caught my father and nobles’ attention. So when I was elected as a member of this great expedition, I felt as if I had gone to heaven. Well, a great part of me being chosen was because the other princes and princesses were afraid to go to the battlefield and declined going, however, I thought that the time had come for me to be useful to my older brother. With me there, the morale of the soldiers increased. If my presence can lead to victory, then there would be nothing more wonderful than that」

She got up, and placed her hand in the window.

「Did you know? According to Jupiter’s religion, the souls of those who were killed are transported to a higher plane. The soldiers of this fleet think of the space jump in that way. Since we are in another dimension, we can not see or touch, however the souls of those who have died are always watching over us」

Outside the window, the white hyper space extended infinitely.

After a short silence, she spoke.

「Asagaya Shin, I want you to teach me about wars」