Pursuit of Functional Beauty

 

「…An aviation battleship?」

「Now that’s an unexpected proposal. The Fusō-class was only refitted because it was outdated, but still…」

Hirakawa and Horikiri fell silent. Of course, it was a type of ship that once existed in their homeland. But—

「There’s never been a successful example of an aviation battleship. Hyūga’s turret explosion just made its conversion a necessity, that’s all…」

「Britain’s first aircraft carrier, the Furious, was also a converted ship. It was originally a light cruiser—just a stopgap until true carriers were developed. Japan’s Kaga, too, was originally designed as a battleship, but its design was later changed during construction and became a proper carrier, but it was a real carrier not a hybrid.」

Kinukawa and Marujin each offered their take.

「Your concerns are valid. Ordinarily, it would make more sense to rebuild it as a converted armored carrier instead of an aviation battleship.」

Kou couldn’t understand why everyone was so rattled by the idea of an aviation battleship.

Just as he thought that, Astraea began to explain.

「Combining carrier capacity with battleship firepower—such a hybrid was never purpose-built even on Earth. If you’re mounting big guns, the deck layout forces a rear-positioned flight deck. If you’re optimizing for aircraft, better to pack in more hangars. An aviation battleship, by nature, compromises both. It’s a design that cancels out its own strengths.」

「And yet, Astraea, you propose one anyway. A 21st-century nuclear-powered carrier of about 300 meters carried around 75 aircraft, each about 16 meters long. Not too different from the fighters we currently have, or the flight capable Silhouettes. But now we’re talking about a ship over two kilometers long. With that kind of scale, you could easily accommodate both flight deck and heavy firepower. That’s what you’re suggesting, isn’t it?」

Marujin analyzed the current situation and arrived at her conclusion.

「Exactly, Marujin. This doesn’t contradict the space battleship revival plan Hirakawa and Gogyou Heavy Industries proposed. He even drew up a rear-deck plan modeled from the one on the Yamato.」

「There was certainly ample room.」

「The Shinano was built as a seaborne base; the Taihō was an armored carrier built to address flight deck vulnerabilities. I considered that route too. But in the Nemesis System, where the performance of armor is so extreme, firepower remains essential. And now, so does aerial strength.」

Astraea referenced the Imperial Japanese Navy’s history. The ships she mentioned were ships that never had the chance to reach their full potential before the war ended.

「Hence, an aviation battleship that can perform both anti-ship and ground assault roles, with landing capabilities and resilient command functions. A truly all-purpose vessel…」

Hirakawa was struck speechless by the sheer scale of the concept.

「Observe, please.」

A video began to play. A yo-yo-shaped Panjandrum descended from the heavens. With a single hit, the bridge of a space battleship was obliterated from its root—captured in brutal clarity.

「This reusable Skyhook-type Yo-Yo Panjandrum—the Hanged Man—attempted two mass-drop attacks.」

Prometheus clutched his sides laughing, while Arima visibly struggled to contain his own reaction. No one who used such methods had ever escaped Sophia or Okeanos’ judgment before.

「That’s a terrifying weapon. I imagine even Okeanos had a hard time deciding how to classify it.」

And now even the God of Destruction had acknowledged the Hanged Man.

「Who would’ve thought to apply Skyhook orbital elevator principles like a yo-yo? In essence, it’s just a giant iron ball dropped from orbit. No explosives, no contamination.」

Prometheus gave his stamp of approval.

Marujin stood frozen. As a British gentleman, he judged it best to stay silent.

「It may sound self-congratulatory, but that’s what space battleships are built to withstand. The only part destroyed was the bridge, arguably its only moving part. The main body remained intact—it was just buried into the ground.」

「Not that the poor Silhouettes and crew inside had any chance of surviving that!」

「Indeed. It was a catastrophic scene.」

The 80-meter mass weapon didn’t crush the armored hull, but instead shook its contents to devastating effect.

Astraea displayed the section where the bridge once stood, now partially destroyed.

「The Megareus has the ability to move its bridge inside the main body. Luckily, though the deployed bridge was annihilated, the retractable housing suffered little damage. There’s now surplus space where the bridge once was. I propose simplifying the bridge and using the remaining space to refit the ship into an aviation battleship.」

「So instead of an armored carrier, you’re aiming for added firepower. That space could be a hangar, or hold a massive gun.」

Arima began considering how he would modify it.

「Correct. And with the wisdom gathered here, the ship’s weapons can use ancient optical weaponry, as originally planned by Gogyou Heavy Industries. That way we increase both firepower and weapon count. That is my proposal for the Mikasa (provisional).」

「Our job will be to modularize and repair the ancient weaponry from the Interplanetary War Era. You, Development Engineers, will need to arrange these modules appropriately and design Silhouettes and fighters accordingly.」

Prometheus continued, leaving the Development Engineers speechless.

「The Trireme fleet has recovered much of the necessary materials from the Teras. We’ll handle the sorting.」

Morgan added support. Many of the weapons for the provisional Mikasa would likely be from Planet Libya.

「How the space once occupied by the bridge is used is up to Trireme’s Development Engineers. After all, building is your domain.」

「Exactly. We’ll handle the modularization to make it adaptable. Arima, can you give me a hand?」

「Let’s do it, Nii-san. We’ll need Polymetis’ help too. The current tech restrictions speak volumes about Sophia’s despair.」

「All the parts are right in front of us… but the core technologies are sealed.」

Hesitantly, Gogyou’s Hirakawa spoke up.

「We’ll need time to discuss how best to use the space. This plan is conditional on the feasibility of repairs. It’s not a decision we can make alone…」

「Understood. The real work will begin once the Trireme Libya Expeditionary Force returns.」

「That’s a relief—thank you.」

Hirakawa wiped the cold sweat from his brow, realizing he’d stumbled into a historic moment.

「With effective use of space, we could secure a flight deck over a kilometer long. What do you think?」

「You wouldn’t even need 800 meters. An F-22 could take off with less. With Asia’s tech, even 500 meters might be overkill. Right, Kinukawa?」

「Horikiri’s right. No need to design a special carrier craft. Even the Type-0 can fly straight into the sky. We could use it to launch fighters piloted by Familias too…」

Gogyou’s engineers and Kinukawa lightly debated how long the deck actually needed to be.

Meanwhile, Prometheus and Astraea continued discussions on outfitting.

「Let’s prepare various plans so we can adapt depending on the outcome. I’ll leave the coordination to you, Astraea.」

「Acknowledged, Prometheus.」

Kou was no ship expert—but he listened closely to Gogyou’s engineers’ input.

「Let’s go with this plan, then. I’ll forward it to everyone.」

Hirakawa quickly drafted a report, sent it to Eirene for review, then forwarded it to the rest.

「With that, we have our path forward. Gogyou’s engineers are dismissed for now.」

「This was an extraordinary experience. Thank you, Astraea.」

Horikiri offered his thanks, and the group returned to its core members.

Marujin, however, was not dismissed.

「Let’s proceed with what we can do for now. Here’s the current state of the modified Megareus. Most of it was wrecked.」

Now displayed was the version rebuilt by the Stones.

「So this is the work of the Stones’ Development Engineers… Pretty heavy-handed with the modifications.」

「Indeed. It’s not elegant. One might even say crude. Let’s pursue functional beauty instead.」

「Functional beauty. I’m all for it. This is unacceptable. Sloppy work, Hermes.」

「What did you expect of that guy?」

Prometheus and Arima’s assessment was merciless.

Suddenly, Prometheus yanked Kou to the center of the room.

「Now, Kou. Using only the knowledge and parts you’ve gathered so far, you’ll build or repair optical weapons. A charged particle cannon or laser turret to complement the triple-railgun. Let’s go.」

「Now?!」

「There’s no time. Besides—it’s fun. Everyone here has a role to play.」

Looking around, Kou saw no one objected.

「You’re right. Let’s begin. —Initiating armament development.」

At Astraea’s signal, all the AIs in their avatars sat around Kou in a circle, picking out parts one by one.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

「We got the list together faster than I expected.」

「Everyone’s brilliant. Despite tech restrictions, we pulled this off using only parts we could find on Planet Libya and Planet Asia.」

Kou voiced something that had been on his mind.

「We even built optical weapons for Silhouettes… I didn’t think miniaturization had come this far.」

「Their output’s not much different from a railgun or light gas cannon. It’s enough for Planet Asia or Planet Libya, isn’t it?」

Prometheus grinned. He knew Kou had chosen to seal away high-output optical weapons.

This loadout, in contrast, was tuned for sustained combat. Likely intended for support units.

「That’s a relief. By the way, you mentioned Planet Asia and Planet Libya, does that mean that these won’t be enough for Planet Europa? No one wants to talk about it. What kind of planet is it? You don’t need to answer if it’s taboo.」

Prometheus shrugged.

Asia and Astraea looked troubled.

「Europa, huh? I don’t mind. Kou saved Libya. I think we can tell him.」

Kou winced at Prometheus’ phrasing—I don’t mind?

「If you’re okay with it, Prometheus.」

Asia spoke on behalf of the other AIs.

「N-no, I think I’d rather not hear it after all.」

Clearly, Kou had stepped on a landmine. He regretted asking.

「The reason no one talks about it… isn’t actually that dramatic.」

Prometheus displayed a planet.

One Kou didn’t recognize. Most likely Planet Europa.

「Unlike Libya, Europa hasn’t sent out a distress signal. What made you curious? Just a hunch?」

「More or less. The tech release methods differ between Asia and Libya, right? So Europa’s must be different too. It’s said to have a super AI strong in heavy industry. I just wondered if there was anything to gain.」

「A natural line of inquiry for a Development Engineer like you—especially one at the forefront of unlocking these technologies.」

Prometheus confirmed with the other AIs once again if he should continue with the explanation.

None of them objected.

「Planet Europa. A dead world where humanity went extinct. There’s nothing left worth saving.」