[Since this unit only has laws from approximately 12,000 years ago installed, I will respect the Master’s judgment.]
If I were to translate that, it probably means: “Since the laws with no one left to protect them can be ignored, please operate according to modern laws.” It had been doing various things like making me the Representative of the Federation or appointing me as the Captain of this ship, but I could feel that it truly intended to leave everything to me.
It was a godsend.
If it’s an ancient battleship, it would be worth enough to buy a planet if I sold it.
But if I can, I want to use this thing to earn a living. Without worrying about anyone, without watching anyone’s face.
No matter how much money you have, if you’re launched into a black hole, you have no choice but to die.
To prevent that, what I need is absolute power.
For now, maybe I’ll try starting a free-spirited mercenary business.
“Understood. —By the way, what should I call you?”
[The management AI of the High-Speed Mobile Battleship Swallowtail has no name.]
“Can I name you?”
[As you wish.]
“Then, Tsubame. From now on, I’ll be having you whip your tail—your Swallowtail—at my command.”
[Understood. From this moment, this AI shall be addressed as Tsubame.]
TLNOTE: Tsubame = つばめ = swallow
After having Tsubame explain the Swallowtail’s weaponry and functions, my stomach growled.
…Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten a thing for a full day since the Space Pirates attacked.
I hadn’t noticed because I was being discarded by my company and launched into a black hole, but the moment I became conscious of it, I felt starving.
“As for meals—”
[Unfortunately, there are no foodstuffs of any kind on board. —Shall we head toward a location where food can be obtained?]
“Yeah. Please do that.”
[Understood. —We are about to escape the black hole, so it will be bumpy.]
“Can you do it?”
[This unit is the finest High-Speed Mobile Battleship, packed with the latest technology of the Raul Stellar Federation State, you know?]
Tsubame continued, reprovingly—yet with a hint of pride.
[I would like you to command me: ‘Do it.’]
What incredibly reliable words.
“Got it. Tsubame, get us out of the black hole!”
[Acknowledged.]
As she spoke, the Swallowtail began to move smoothly.
She said it would be bumpy, but compared to the transport ship I was on until now, it was as still as if we were parked. Part of it was that my old transport ship was a junker, but above all, the technological level was just too different.
We proceeded through the pitch-black space that looked as if it had been painted over for about ten minutes.
[—We are about to exit, so please be prepared.]
“By the way, what star system are we coming out near?”
[We passed almost through the center of the black hole. Due to the high rate of spatial distortion and the fact that the interstellar map stored in this unit is old, there may be some deviation, but I believe we are somewhere between the Aljita System and the Loreck System.]
They were both systems I’d never heard of.
[Exiting—please watch for tremors.]
“It’s perfectly comfortable.”
[No. Because I have confirmed combat activity.]
“……Wait, what!? Tell me that sooner!”
[Understood. I shall do so from next time.]
Immediately after exiting the black hole.
On the Swallowtail’s main monitor, an armed fleet and a transport ship surrounded by it were projected.
“Th-This is the High-Speed Mobile Battleship Swallowtail, Captain Tatsuya-Fujishiro. Please respond.”
I sent a transmission to the armed fleet and the transport ship on the monitor.
Since it was an open channel, there was no way they couldn’t receive it, but several ships in the armed fleet turned their bows toward us and aimed their installed turrets. It was a clear act of hostility.
Naturally, there was no response to the transmission.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
[Master. How barbaric; they have turned crude, low-quality turrets toward us without even responding to the communication. Shall I annihilate them?]
She called the opponent barbaric, but Tsubame’s proposal was also quite barbaric in its own right.
Despite being an AI, Tsubame’s observations of the enemy ships were quite subjective—or rather, they were just plain insults. Although her tone remained flat, there was no doubt she found being locked onto unpleasant.
Is this how human-like an AI can think when it comes to the Prehistoric Civilization?
[Communication request. ……It is from the transport ship being attacked.]
“Connect it. This is the High-Speed Mobile Battleship Swallowtail, Captain Tatsuya-Fu—”
[Please help us! It’s Space Pirates!]
On the monitor, a girl wearing an apron-dress one-piece was projected.
She looked to be about fourteen years old.
Her chestnut hair, cut at shoulder length, shone glossily under the ship’s lighting. Her round eyes still held the childish cuteness of youth, but they also contained a faint hint of the femininity unique to the onset of secondary sex characteristics. Her straight nose and cherry-colored, lustrous lips were even somewhat alluring.
A purity like fresh snow combined with a bewitching charm. These two seemingly contradictory qualities held a miraculous balance within the girl, creating a breathtaking beauty.
With tears in her eyes and a desperate expression, most people would probably nod to whatever she asked. Her beauty was such that you’d understand if someone threw away their fortune or their life for her.
I was momentarily captivated, but the girl’s words contained a term I couldn’t ignore.
“Space… Pirates…?”
[Yes! Please help us! At this rate, they’re going to board the ship!]
“…Understood. Stay on standby for a bit. Don’t move, no matter what.”
Space Pirates.
The same kind of scum as those who launched me into a black hole.
Just knowing they existed in the same space made my skin crawl.
Not to mention they were trying to attack the beautiful girl on the monitor; the choice was already made.
“Tsubame. Can you fight?”
[Don’t ask questions; give orders.]
“Annihilate them!”
To fulfill my will, the main monitor overflowed with observation data, stripping the enemy ships’ specs bare.
At the same time, a diagram of the Swallowtail opened in another window, and a list of weaponry was displayed.
Since most were grayed out and under repair, only two were selectable. One of them was automatically chosen.
[With the Master on board, combat actions are now possible, but this unit’s own operations can only perform counterattacks at a self-defense level. I will provide support, so please perform the firing yourself, Master.]
“You got it.”
I gripped the control stick that appeared before me.
I wasn’t confident in my marksmanship. However, a trajectory prediction using Tsubame’s calculation capabilities was displayed on the monitor. Anyone could hit the mark with this.
While I was aligning the trajectory prediction with the enemy ship, the words ‘Loading Complete’ floated up.
“Compression Solid Bullet firing…?”
[Developed to avoid catching allies in explosions during close-quarters combat. Upon impact, it generates a gravitational wave, creating a micro-black hole for four nanoseconds—]
“I don’t really get it, but it won’t involve the transport ship, right?”
[Correct.]
Knowing that was enough, so I immediately pulled the trigger.
I’d crush every last one of these Space Pirates.
The sooner, the better.
The spear-shaped mechanisms extending from the sides of the Swallowtail transformed, and muzzles appeared at their tips.
The fired bullets pierced into one of the ships in the armed fleet as if being sucked in.
The bullets, which pierced the center with pinpoint accuracy, activated instantly, and a two-dimensional magic circle appeared, engulfing the ship.
“What on earth is that!?”
[It is a Velka-style Flat Area Layered Magic Circle.]
“No, I didn’t mean what type it was—”
Before I even had time to finish my question, the enemy hull warped as if being sucked into its own interior, completely shattering instantly. All that remained was something the size of a small pebble.
“Not even an explosion? There isn’t even any debris!”
[Leaving trash scattered about after a battle of this level is considered poor manners, after all.]
It was the kind of statement that made me want to grill her for an hour about her definition of ‘manners,’ but Tsubame spoke with an unmistakably smug tone. For prehistoric civilization technology, it was an utterly absurd weapon—but as the one using it, nothing could be more reassuring.
I didn’t have to worry about accidental fire hitting the transport ship, nor did I have to worry about them getting caught in the blast. I could fire to my heart’s content.
To be honest, I still didn’t have a clue what a ‘magic circle’ actually was.
But as long as Tsubame understood it on my behalf, it wasn’t a problem.
The space pirates, seeing their companion’s ship destroyed, began to return fire. The trajectory predictions for their solid rounds appeared on the monitor.
[Initiating evasive maneuvers. Master, please be careful; it will be a bit bumpy.]
“It’s not bumpy at all… it’s actually a little too comfortable.”
[I am humbled by your praise.]
While keeping its bow pointed straight at the space pirates, the Swallowtail slid perfectly sideways.
There must have been thrusters other than the main propulsion units at the stern, but the movement was so nonsensical for a standard battleship that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Man, I wish I could see the looks on those pirates’ faces.”
[Certainly. Commencing hacking now.]
“Eh?”
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