052 Idol Arc 28: Abnormal Fusion
Sorry for the wait.
The Personal Ship I’d docked and the captured warship were wrapped in a fusion cocoon (field).
Even the Prince seems clueless about the cause.
What bugs me is how he said, “Well, if we could sell it…” right after I mentioned, “If we sell this warship, we’ll have plenty left over for repairs.”
It was like he’d been expecting this exact outcome all along.
Yeah, I’ve had a hunch there’s something shady about the Prince for a while now.
For now, there’s nothing to do but wait for this fusion to finish.
The last time a rental ship (No. 10) merged with an enemy vessel, it took three days.
Come to think of it, both ships were damaged back then too.
Is the desire to repair the ship somehow triggering the full-body fusion?
Back then, the rental ship’s AI even asked for permission to fuse.
Why’s it deciding to fuse on its own this time? Weird.
Did the personal ship’s AI make the call while I wasn’t at the CIC?
Or was there outside interference…?
Fusing on its own without a pilot? That’s kind of sloppy, isn’t it?
“Right, Prince. Got a question.”
“What is it?”
“About operating unmanned ships in real space. Is it possible, or just not done? Is it actually impossible in practice? Which is it?”
I threw the question at Prince mid-battle in the central defense zone.
“That’s less about whether it’s allowed and more about whether you personally have the capability. It’s a matter of Akira-san’s own qualifications. If you can do it, you have the authority. If you can’t, you don’t.”
“So, if I can do it, I’m allowed to operate an unmanned ship in real space?”
“Yes.”
The Prince answered without so much as a flicker of expression, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Maybe what Minna had said was just general talk.
Or maybe I’d somehow acquired that authority without even realizing it.
At that point, my record was five captured ships—recon ship, stealth ship, cruiser, battleship, stealth ship again.
Ace with five kills? No, one was a shared hit, so four and a half.
Ah, wait—those autonomous missiles count as one each, so that’s five and a half.
Did I get some kind of title on my status screen?
“Wait… did I get promoted or something?”
“Huh? (That guy, right?)”
“No, nothing.”
“Hahah, I’ll be counting on you from now on. Admiral.”
The tone was impossible to read—was he joking? Or was he serious?
"Anyway, the cruiser purchase cleared Akira’s debt. I’ve deposited the remainder—after taxes—into your account. Quite a sum, really."
"Right, I forgot. Since Ayame relinquished ownership of the stealth ship, I’ve taken it over as spare parts."
"Understood. I’ll send it to the warehouse. Should fit—150-meter class, after all."
I imagined the stealth ship already stationed in the warehouse. Unrealistic.
"No, I’d like it stored in my Personal Ship hangar. Once the Personal Ship integration is complete, we’ll have to move the hangar anyway… so might as well start now."
"Understood."
Feels like the moving costs and new hangar rent will eat up any profit I was hoping for.
The Prince is giving me that pitying look again.
I need to secure a hangar that can fit one battleship, one cruiser, and one stealth ship.
A headache-inducing situation.
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Five days later, my Personal Ship’s repair was complete.
Me, the Prince, and all dock personnel gathered at the dock.
A? mark floated above everyone’s head.
"Where’s the battleship?"
There it was—my Personal Ship, nearly the same size as before, just a hair longer in overall length.
I linked to my ship’s AI via my wristband and pulled up the specs.
『AKIRA』
Ship Type: Fleet Command Ship (Fleet Flagship)
Hull: 250m long, Fast Cruiser Type Plus Alpha, two arms, Dimensional Storage Vault S-type, one carrier aircraft 'Phanrel', external reactor, external armaments, external AI, multiple spare parts
Main Reactor Type G (plus External Reactor Type D) — High-Speed Propulsion Unit Type C
Armament Main Gun Long Barrel 5cm Railgun Single Mount 1 Unit 1 Barrel Standard Ammo 50 (Ammo Remaining) / 50 (Max Capacity) Special Ammo (G-Bullet) 20 (Ammo Remaining) / 20 (Max Capacity) Special Ammo (Erosion Bullet) 18 (Ammo Remaining) / 20 (Max Capacity)
(External Armament Long Barrel 40cm Railgun Single Mount 1 Unit 1 Barrel Standard Ammo 20 (Ammo Remaining) / 40 (Max Capacity) Other)
Secondary Gun 30cm Particle Beam Cannon Single Mount 1 Unit 1 Barrel
Anti-Space Cannon 10cm Laser Single Mount 4 Units 4 Barrels
Missile Launcher Pod Type D Standard 2 Units 2 Barrels Max Ammo 4×2 Missile Ammo Remaining 6
Aircraft Carrier Missile Pod Type D Standard 2 Units ×1 Max Ammo 4×2×1 Missile Ammo Remaining 6
Defense Beam-Resistant Coating Multiple Special Steel Armor Plates
Beam Canceller (Beam Barrier Countermeasure)
Beam-Resistant Shield Type E, 1 Unit
Stasis Field (Kinetic Barrier Countermeasure), Type C
Electronic Equipment: Anti-Ship Radar S-Type, Wide-Area Communication Device S-Type, Tactical Weapon Integration Control System S-Type, Sub-Computer D-Type (External Brain A-Type)
Empty Energy Slot 10
Status: Operational
“What’s a Dimensional Storage Vault, anyway? Looks like it’s full of battleship parts…?”
“We don’t know either.”
Even the repair specialists are baffled.
The external reactor and external brain seem to work just fine as add-ons.
“So… external armaments mean you can pull stuff in and out of the Dimensional Storage Vault? Like that blue cat’s… dimensional pocket…?”
A sudden headache cuts me off mid-sentence.
“Ah—when you say ‘dimensional equipment,’ big ships usually have… dimensional jump drives… ‘Ah—ah—!’”
Suddenly, the Prince shouted, cutting off the dock personnel mid-sentence.
The dock worker’s face turned pale.
Seems he’d just been about to slip and say something classified.
I played dumb and pretended not to hear.
Dimensional equipment—means the Dimensional Storage Vault, right? The warp drive—was that the famous jump drive?
It sounded like he’d been about to say something like “large ships usually have them.”
So… growing a ship makes that kind of thing possible?
File that in the back of my head.
Anyway, no need to move the vault now.
Good thing the Personal Ship isn’t a kilometer-class monster. That’d require vault expansion, and we’re already cutting corners.
For now, stash the Personal Ship and RIO in the vault—no, wait, the Dimensional Storage Vault?
Budget cuts make trying this worth it.
Oh, forgot about that.
"How much for dock usage?"
A bill—electronic document—comes through the wristband from the dock authorities.
Pay it with the wristband. Cha-rin♪
No repair costs, but keeping the dock for five days wasn’t cheap.
Lucky I could afford it.
Still, not having debt? Nice.
Tomorrow’s orientation. Now I can strut into high school like I own the place.
Personal Ship has equipped item box.
Fixed the spot where I swapped "dimensional jump" and "warp" devices.
Adjusted the device to be classified as an engine.
Also fixed the oversight—didn’t account for railgun ammunition used during the fusion of the captured battleship to reach the inner defense perimeter.