“Captain, please, be gentle, be gentle.”
“I know. There’s no way I’d mishandle something you’ve instructed me to do, right?”
Well, the morning after our fierce battle, we briefly held a meeting to decide what to do with the half-destroyed “Themis 11.”
The knights argued that capturing such an enormous Sanctus Gear would reassure the citizens of the Holy Capital, the Tech Gobs were delighted, calling it the ultimate trophy, and the Sylvanians, leaning toward neutrality, seemed rather uninterested.
After discussing for about fifteen minutes, taking into account its battered condition — with its starboard anti-missile systems eighty percent damaged, a severely broken bow, and a vanished bridge — I thought it would be better to strip it for parts, but we’ve decided to keep it operational.
Currently, we’ve stationed the Dicotomus 4 and Sashigame on the open deck, directly connecting their sensor modules with wires to barely maintain our field of vision. To restore it fully would require a drastic overhaul.
In fact, with the bridge melted nearly to its base, we would need a dry dock for a land battleship to even attempt a complete restoration. In my view, being able to acquire large anti-gravity units capable of keeping a vessel of this size afloat is enough, but Selene was the one who strongly advocated for capturing it during the meeting.
“Uh, could you display the order for detaching the cables using AR tags?”
“Please follow the instructions. We’re faking a legitimate maintenance officer’s ID, but if we mess this up, everything will be wiped clean in the interest of maintaining confidentiality.”
And so, here I am, wearing a jumpsuit, working inside the central data bank of the ship. Fortunately, my body doesn’t sweat, shed hair, or sneeze, so working in everyday clothing isn’t a problem. But I can imagine how difficult it must have been for us old humans, either having to bundle up in chemical warfare gear or needing to work in the nude with only a hat on.
“So, fit this converter here, then branch it using a relay.”
“Be extremely careful when removing cables eleven through twenty-four. This is linked to the core system, so it’s highly sensitive. Oh, and don’t forget to assign AR tags sequentially after detachment. We’ll still be using them.”
“I’m not exactly a sapper, so please don’t expect too much in terms of meticulous tasks.”
What I’m currently doing under Selene’s detailed instructions is dismantling the housing of the onboard artificial intelligence system used for ship control. This AI was made by the Zodiac Republic Alliance and has confidentiality measures in place, so once it triggers its clean-up protocol, it will destroy the ship’s functions to preserve information. One wrong move in the sequence and the entire electrical system will overload, shutting down completely. I’m not a combat engineer; I’m more accustomed to piloting mobile weapons, so I’m not skilled in these kinds of tasks.
On the other hand, neither Selene’s humanoid housing nor the drones I brought alongside are as dexterous as me, so I have no choice but to carefully follow the instructions and proceed cautiously.
“But you know, Selene, it’s really good that we found the maintenance manual.”
“Yes, it was quite fortunate. Even I, having scanned the structure, would have spent half a year twisting my brain otherwise.”
The Briareos Package of the 114th Combat Group was likely planning to set up after completing the planetary seeding operations, and aside from appointing a commanding officer, it was left largely in its original condition — after all, it would be wasteful to maintain an unused land combat team for fifty years. This is why much of the equipment still had its plastic wrapping, and the designated items were in their designated places. Having the maintenance manual was truly a stroke of luck. While we know the specifications of the equipment used by our allied nations, we’re not experts, and we have no knowledge of the design plans. Without this manual, it would have taken Selene an incredibly long time — maybe up to half a year — to determine if her plan would succeed at all.
“Just… are you serious? About replacing Temis 11 with yourself?”
“My processing areas are already full. Though the housing might be a bit bulkier, I can’t complain if I get access to a quantum computer. If I’m to handle more management and provide you support, the workspace I currently have won’t suffice.”
Primarily, Selene intends to transplant herself into “Themis 11.” Even if the amphibious craft is relatively small for a land battleship, it handles vast amounts of data for its large armaments and the troops it commands, making use of a general-purpose quantum calculator and a data processing area without relying on photon crystals. For her, with only one braincase, this is an unparalleled opportunity to gain a secondary brain she so desires. Up to now, she’s been making do with patch solutions like those familiar boxy drones and the Dicotomus 4 Type I, but with my housing being upgraded, she seems to want to freshen up herself a bit.
Personally, I’d prefer to give her a proper housing as a present rather than this broken ship, but given that she’s been mostly wrapped in a sheet until now, even shabby attire is better than nothing.
“Lastly, we have to detach this big power connector, right?”
“That’s correct. Mind you, you need to tilt it down first, then press it up again to unlock the safety latch, or the protection mechanism will activate.”
“Wow, they really put their hearts into safety measures on physical operations, huh?”
With a loud ‘clank,’ I completely detached the housing of the pseudo-intelligence. The server room lights went out. A few seconds later, the emergency red lights flickered on, and the server’s blinking ceased. It seems designed not to operate without the AI.
“Then, Captain, please proceed as instructed.”
“Yes. It’s deeply unsettling not being able to speak with you for a while.”
“Ah, but it’s only for a few minutes. Please bear with it.”
“Yes, I understand. Even though it feels lonely, I’ll manage somehow.”
“The Captain is a strong one; you’ll be fine. Besides, trust me to get everything taken care of. Please take good care of my housing.”
Saying that, the boxy drone landed beside me and powered down. Selene, having switched her quantum electro-brain to another housing, had cut the power and entered a self-isolation mode.
“By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve truly been alone like this…”
While tinkering with the maintenance port of the drone using a multifunctional tool, I muttered. I’ve been with Selene ever since regaining consciousness and escaping from the calamity on Terra 16th. She’s always been someone I could call out to, and someone who’d come to rescue at the slightest trouble. It was so taken for granted that I forgot, but in reality, I’m completely alone now with her functions down.
No signals are coming in, no communication bands are connected. Experiencing real solitude outside of training is causing a sensation akin to an overactive non-existent heart.
I’m alone in this cold server room. No one responds to the voice language I’ve grown accustomed to or the compressed electrical pulse language. The obtrusive silence of the energy-saving mode servers lies heavily like a condensed mass.
“You’ve endured well, Selene, for two thousand years.”
My partner has admirably endured this painful silence and loneliness for an immensely long time. If I’d been in her position, would I have been able to endure it?
The braincase I carefully removed is almost identical in shape to mine at a glance. The only difference lies in the patterns indicating it houses multiple self-interfaces. But in the unique meaning of containing the self of my beloved partner, it is irreplaceable.
Taking the opportunity while no one is looking, I gently embraced it before I began to follow her left instructions to connect wiring. The sequence of codes I previously disregarded, the tightness of the cable ties, the general layout when viewed from afar — every detail was considered to withstand shocks, and I diligently outfitted it with auxiliary armor. Before I knew it, two hours had passed in baseline reality time while I was lost in thought, tinkering with these intricate works.
It won’t do— I’ve indulged too much in sentimentality. We may not know when an Aigaion Class vessel will catch up with us, so it’s extravagant of me to waste time like this.
I reflected briefly, connected the final cable, and sent a signal to wake her up.
“Good morning, Captain.”
Then the world returned to light. The illumination turned on, and the servers woke up again, flickering various colorful lights like colors returning after being lost. They’re just sensors stimulating my visual receptors, but in this case, they feel too dramatic, and I’m simply delighted.
It’s a short time compared to the isolation Selene has experienced, but I now understand, even a little, how much her first ‘good morning’ might have resonated in her heart. My heart, which was disturbed by loneliness and anxiety, gradually calms down.
“Ah, good morning.”
Though brief, I feel I’ve understood a little about the loneliness and longing she must have endured. My unsettled heart slowly calms down.
“Captain, are you all right? Your vital signs seem a bit unstable.”
“No, no, I’m just happy you’ve awakened safely.”
I lightly patted the armor covering her braincase and questioned her about her wake-up performance, my expression half bashful and half grateful. There are things that no amount of compressed language skills I possess can sufficiently express.
“Installing the drivers will take a little time, but due to its high-order design, it’ll be operational fairly soon. It has a strong quirk, but it’s mostly readable now.”
“Good, that’s great to hear.”
“After this, let’s return to our initial base and repair as much as possible. We need to conduct interrogations as well.”
“Yes, there’s no rush, so take your time.”
Now, my work here is done. I get up slowly, pretending nothing happened and exit the central computational chamber. Behind me, the door opens, and I confirm the triple locks snap securely into place before I head toward the temporary CIC we’ve set up.
[Nozomu-sama~]
[Peter, is something the matter?]
Sure enough, Peter, having taken off his exoskeleton, comes hopping over. With his exoskeleton off, his fluffy self is exposed, though it’s hard to decipher his usual rabbit-like impassive face—he seems slightly annoyed.
[The prisoners are very disruptive. They’re demanding release, barking about beasts and being insulted by humans. ]
[Well, you can just turn off the translator or put something in their mouths. ]
[Then my mission wouldn’t be properly accomplished! What do we do if they try to escape? Or if they whisper conspiracies amongst themselves?]
Hmm, he’s serious. We’ve fully confirmed through full-body scans that they have no hidden weapons and they’re restrained with plastic titanium alloy cuffs treated with single-molecule coating to prevent them from slipping through, so there’s no reason for them to escape, but he intends to carry out his duties thoroughly from start to finish.
[Also, Falken almost lost his temper and was led outside by Galatea.]
[He also has a short fuse…]
Well, Falken is straightforward by nature. Capturing rebels alone is an unforgivable act, and if they remain defiant after capture, it’s only understandable for him to get angry.
[And Ridelberdy was in a hurry asking what time the interrogations will be conducted.]
[Ah, well, you see, I need to prepare a little more. I’d like to air them out a bit longer.]
[Air them out?]
We, the mechanized humans and multi-self entities, know all too well that old humans composed of fragile proteins become weak without water and sustenance. Although civilians who don’t overuse VR and remain connected to normal communications might forget, it’s common knowledge among soldiers participating in joint exercises with allied nations. We take such care as to prepare drinkable water purification devices and food supplies for friendlies running out of supplies. Because of this, we know their weaknesses, too.
Even the most enthusiastic soldiers, if left alone for three days without anything, might betray their comrades for just one can of water. This war lesson is why we slightly dry out captives from countries with whom we haven’t struck treaties—not that we’ve struck one with them, but rather kicked it off—before we conduct interrogations.
After all, they treat us like mere objects, ready to crush us, so we give them a slight advantage by not killing them outright, right?
Water works as a lubricant, smoothing their tongues and sapping their strength to resist—it’s practical.
That’s why we haven’t opened the bulkhead yet. With the captured Magius Gianaite, some are trying to escape, but if we leave them for another two days, they’ll be calmer. It’s unlikely anyone aboard ships like these has carried water or food supplies, so their fighting spirit will fade soon enough.
Well, anyway, the key commander will have his secondary brain removed directly, so interrogating the rest is more or less an extra benefit.
[There are complaints everywhere because of the racket.]
[Tell them it’s better than cannon fire. Moreover, we’re afraid of being contaminated if we connect directly. ]
My comrades will have to endure a bit more, but I can’t help needing them to keep watch a bit longer.
After all, those prisoners are terminal users capable of operating ships. Like how Aurelia interfered with my neural entrance, directly connecting for questioning is too dangerous. We can easily fetch information by extracting data from the secondary brain’s storage, but we need a stand-alone computer to do that safely.
So, Selene, please adjust to your new body just a little more.
【Planetary Exploration Memorandum】 Questioning via electronic interface requires advanced knowledge in electronic warfare such as firewalls, so specialized units are formed. However, where it’s impossible to receive their support on the front lines, reverse hacks and defensive breaches are dangerous, leading it to not be uncommon across the galaxy to resort to “intensive interrogations” on enemies not covered by treaties.
We are slowly regaining momentum, but updates for tomorrow remain uncertain.
Furthermore, for the improvement of the quality of our work, feedback and comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation.
