Unparalleled Path ~ Reincarnated as the AI for a space battleship ~ Chapter 2

This chapter is a lot shorter than the previous chapter. The next chapter is a little longer, but they generally stay around 800-1,200 words. So I’ll try and update quickly.

Please note I’ve changed cruiser battles.h.i.+p to battlecruiser.

Chapter 2 – The AI is running wild

That’s good since I didn’t particularly want your thanks.

Sohara speaks up overbearingly.

「Asagaya, prepare to counter-attack the enemy s.h.i.+ps! Prepare ma.s.s bullets!」

I ignored her and reconfirmed the situation. It’s a strange story, but I seem to have accepted that I became a battlecruiser easily. Information from innumerable cameras and sensors...o...b..ard and outboard are organised in my head. Necessary information is relayed to me from time to time. Adjustments to engine output, control of the defense system, energy distribution to life support systems and countless other tasks are being processed at the same time.

The outboard sensor is tracking the five enemy battlecruisers targeting me. I am a product of a time when warfare technology had evolved far more than now. So my basic performance should be even higher for the same type of s.h.i.+p. Nonetheless, the number of opponents being five is quite severe. Where did the original convoy go? There’s no way this battlecruiser would have gone to the battlefield by itself.

The other version of me answered that question.

The 7th Imperial Fleet was destroyed 15 minutes ago. The operation was a great strategy to bring to conclusion the long fight between the Empire and the Alliance. The Empire put out all of it’s available fighting power and the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th fleet were transferred to the 7th. The total number of s.h.i.+ps was 272 including the flags.h.i.+p. 2 Admirals and 3 Princes took control of each battalion, and the 2 Princesses boarded the battalion flags.h.i.+p which the princes did not board.

The place chosen for the battle was the Shaka star system, deep in Alliance territory. According to the intelligence department, the largest military base in the Alliance is situated here. The entire star system is a huge s.h.i.+pbuilding factory, if it was somehow destroyed, the Alliance would have no choice but to surrender.

By using a jump point that the Alliance was not aware of. The imperial fleet was supposed to suddenly emerge and begin slaughtering the Alliance fleet. In fact, the moment we appeared from the jump point, the majority of the fleet stopped functioning. An explosion occurred on the bridge of the command s.h.i.+p and many general officers lost their lives. From there, a combined fleet ambushed us destroying countless s.h.i.+ps in the process.

Many s.h.i.+ps tried to escape hopelessly. The number of remaining s.h.i.+ps in the Imperial fleet is the flags.h.i.+p, 6 battles.h.i.+ps, 28 battlecruisers, 57 destroyers, 121 cruisers. They are all completely separated from one another and are currently being chased by 5 to 6 Alliance s.h.i.+ps per Imperial s.h.i.+p.

Whilst monitoring the situation, the battlecruiser Ballaidin fell. A direct hit to the fusion reactor, it disappeared in a dazzling flash. 2 enemy destroyers were also caught up in the explosion.

The battles.h.i.+p Mudasco was currently being chased by 10 battlecruisers and 2 battles.h.i.+ps. It’s 2nd and 3rd engine were completely wrecked, it had lost all ma.s.s turrets and it’s short distance laser turrets were repeatedly carrying out weak attacks towards the surrounding s.h.i.+ps. Lasers are generally used for adding pressure, there’s not enough power to penetrate the armor of a wars.h.i.+p. The ma.s.s bullets of the enemy battles.h.i.+p tore through the Mudasco’s remaining engine. All power was suddenly lost. It couldn’t even control it’s positioning and just spun in place. 3 enemy battlecruisers extended a tractor beam, stopping the Mudasco’s rotation. The belly of the cruisers opened and an a.s.sault party rushed out. They flew towards the Mudasco one after another.

Battles.h.i.+p’s are alot heavier and more heavily armored than battlecruisers, but they are much slower. Construction costs are also enormous. Taxes for one year on any one of the colonial planets is just enough to fund one battles.h.i.+p. Because the Alliance equates all citizen’s capital, there is no concept of taxes. However, they were always look to reduce the cost of building and could not miss an opportunity to capture an enemy battles.h.i.+p.

「Asagaya!!」

Temporary Captain Sohara shouted my name. She was talking to me on the intercom and not the bridge speaker. The inside of the bridge was noisy. Did the AI really disobey a command?

「What is it?」 I replied.

「Finally I got a reply! What are you doing? I’ve never heard of an AI disobeying orders before」

「That’s because I’m a human」

She contorted her well proportioned face.

「Even so, you should follow the senior officer’s commands. This is the field」

「I will follow reasonable orders」

「The attack order is not reasonable?」

The other me gave his opinion.

「Even if I shoot a ma.s.s bullet from this distance, it will most likely miss. It would be pointless to waste bullets here」

She could only pout.

A face suitable for a girl her age.

「That’s for the tactical officer to decide, not the AI」

「I am–」

「Princess, no, Captain. This s.h.i.+ps previous evasive maneuver would be impossible for the original AI, Ajax. According to behavioral a.n.a.lysis, Asagaya changed the defensive field. The field is always spherical as outlined in the Imperial battle manual. Probably, Asagaya can take action deviating from orders and instructions」

「An AI not under human control, not observing AI norms?」

Vega nodded.

「The AI is running wild」