Chapter 136: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (6)
Space is home to many dangers. From asteroid belts encountered at every turn to comets crossing a ship's path, space pirates, and cosmic organisms—one never knows when or where a threat might emerge.
Consequently, while some positions only require routine duties outside of wartime, others demand that personnel remain on active combat footing even during times of peace, as if they were in the heat of battle.
One such role was that of the engineer, responsible for maintaining and managing equipment.
Their job was to ensure that gear was always ready for immediate deployment, prepared for any situation that might suddenly arise.
Of course, most situations didn't actually happen without warning. Ships constantly scanned a wide radius to identify hazards and prepare countermeasures in advance.
However, knowing a situation is coming doesn't make it any less urgent when it finally arrives. While natural phenomena like asteroids or comets posed little threat, anything involving living beings always introduced variables.
The universe is vast and teeming with diverse life, some of which is hostile to others. Encountering a swarm of small creatures nesting inside a gargantuan organism often led to battles bordering on cataclysmic.
And then, there was the other major problem: humans. Spacetro itself was a type of space pirate organization engaged in invasion activities, but the galaxy was filled with countless other pirate groups—smaller in scale than Spacetro, perhaps, but far more vicious.
Space stations shared by multiple interstellar civilizations and various vessels navigating the void were their constant targets.
Since everything in space followed regular, predictable patterns except for artificial constructs, it was much easier for pirates to find irregularly moving ships than to locate inhabited planets.
For these reasons, engineers worked in constant shifts, maintaining a perpetual state of combat readiness. This high-pressure environment made irritability a daily norm.
“…….”
A, seated inside a new bipedal robot built to Bioroid specifications, was focused on inputting programs as usual. Even after the initial programming, he had to run simulations to find areas that needed securing, so the job wasn't over just because the data was entered.
Standing in front of the cockpit—right before the pilot's seat where A sat—was A.T., watching him intently as he worked on the monitors.
“There’s nothing for you to do right now.”
“Yes. That is why I am on standby.”
A was used to working with others, but he had never been observed quite like this. A.T.’s constant gaze was distracting.
Since he was her education handler, he couldn't exactly tell her to go somewhere else. A continued programming while acutely aware of her eyes on him, and A.T. continued to stare blankly at him.
“This is yours, isn't it?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
The arrival of a Bioroid-spec robot in the hangar meant it was intended for a Bioroid currently stationed there. And the only Bioroid in Hangar 1, where A was assigned, was A.T., standing right in front of him.
In other words, the robot A was currently fine-tuning was the one A.T. would have to use if a combat situation broke out.
“Couldn't you just do this yourself once I’ve finished the basic settings?”
“I could.”
A’s brow furrowed slightly at A.T.’s calm response.
The pilot who would actually use the machine was standing right there; there was no reason for him to do everything. A.T. had come here for general life education, but that didn't mean her duties as a pilot had vanished.
After spending hours programming while she watched in silence, hearing her say she could have done it herself made A feel like he had wasted his time.
It wasn't that A lacked the skill, but A.T. was a newer model of the series that had used these robots for generations. She would naturally be much more proficient at setting them up.
“Then why were you just standing there?”
“Because you said nothing, Senior. I was observing.”
Looking at the composed A.T., A realized the fault was partly his. If he had thought of it from the start, there wouldn't have been an issue. He couldn't really blame her for something he had only just realized.
“Fine. I’ll just finish the basic configuration. Wait a second.”
A began backtracking through his programming, reverting the settings to their default values. The reason for modifying the defaults was to match the standard protocols used by each unit.
From there, various performance programs were usually set to suit the pilot’s preferences, but…
“I just wasted so much time,” A muttered to himself, his fingers flying across the holographic keyboard. After a while, he stood up from the pilot’s seat.
“Get in and sit down.”
He cleared the space around the single-occupancy seat. Upon hearing his command, A.T. climbed into the cockpit as if she had been waiting for the moment and took her place at the controls.
“Check the basic settings and input whatever you think you need.”
“Understood.”
A.T. immediately began working, her fingers dancing across the holographic keys. A watched the input data over her shoulder, checking how she configured the systems.
“Bioroids really are brilliant.”
A was genuinely impressed by how she entered data without a single hitch, accounting for potential errors before they even occurred. As he watched her work inside the cramped cockpit, he asked questions whenever he got curious.
A.T. provided detailed answers to every single one of his inquiries. Together, they spent a considerable amount of time finalizing the robot’s setup.
A felt a slight sense of injustice seeing how a task that had felt endless and grueling for him was completed so much faster once it was in A.T.’s hands.
“Next time, tell me if it’s something you can do yourself.”
“Am I not supposed to avoid touching anything in the hangar without permission?”
“……If I say it’s okay, it’s okay.”
Hearing A.T. repeat the instructions he had given her on the first day, A finally understood why she hadn't offered to help despite being perfectly capable. However…
Isn't she a bit too inflexible?
Observing A.T.’s mechanical attitude—as if she were a pre-programmed script—A decided he would have to teach her when it was appropriate to exercise some discretion.
Just then, an emergency siren wailed through the hangar.
After two sharp blasts, an announcement regarding the current situation blared over the speakers. A listened intently.
[Combat Information Center broadcast. Combat Information Center broadcast. Unidentified flying objects detected on the flank of the 1st Fleet. 48th, 54th, and 60th Aviation Corps, scramble immediately. Combat Information Center broadcast. Combat Information Center broadcast…]
The message repeated several times. As soon as he heard it, A let out a frustrated sigh and climbed out of the cockpit. He stopped A.T. as she tried to follow him.
“Where do you think you’re going? You need to head out.”
“Are you not my handler, Senior?”
“I am, but not during combat. Once you’re out there, Seira will be in command, so follow her lead. It’s probably those pirate bastards.”
While not a daily occurrence, they crossed paths with space pirates often enough. Since the broadcast specified "unidentified flying objects" rather than "unidentified organisms," the probability of it being pirates was nearly 100%.
After making A.T. close the cockpit, A jumped down from the boarding platform.
“Everyone, move out!”
Having experienced this many times before, A ran toward the hangar exit. At the Team Leader’s shout, engineers who were already preparing for deployment throughout the hangar immediately rushed outside.
“This is Hangar 1 Team Leader A of the 54th Aviation Corps. Closing the blast doors.”
Once outside the hangar, A pressed an emergency switch that only authorized personnel could activate. Heavy walls descended, sealing off all entrances to the hangar.
A then headed up to the control room, monitoring the situation on the screens as fighters and robots launched from the hatches.
The optical cameras outside the ship captured a large number of space pirates in the distance. Soon, he saw Seira’s fighter launch into the void.
“This is Pilot Team Leader Seira of the 54th Aviation Corps, Hangar 1. All pilots, maintain formation.”
Before Seira could even finish her orders, the space pirates launched their attack from a distance. Streaks of light began to pour through the dark vacuum. Seira clicked her tongue and used her fighter’s thrusters to swiftly dodge the incoming fire.
Lasers that struck the ship dissipated against its shields. Seira’s robot, the first to launch from the 54th, evaded the beams while waiting for the rest of her squad.
“What’s the matter? Why are you just dazing off?”
“Senior told me to take orders from you.”
Seira scowled at A.T.’s blunt way of speaking, which made it sound like she was looking down on her. However, with a battle raging, she decided to prioritize the mission.
“We don’t know the performance specs of your new robot yet, and we haven't run any mock battles together, so coordination is impossible. Just destroy any enemy craft that try to bypass our line and approach the ship. If you get into trouble, we’ll come to support you.”
“Understood.”
A.T. gave a short reply and cut the transmission.
“That insolent bitch.”
Seira wasn't expecting grand treatment, but A.T.’s complete lack of etiquette made her curse under her breath. She immediately led her team toward the enemy fleet.
Dogfights broke out across the sector as the 1st Fleet’s aviation units engaged the enemy. As instructed, A.T. waited near the ship to intercept any approaching hostiles.
Aside from A.T.’s robot, there were several other fighters stationed near the ship for defense. A.T. observed the battlefield, her mind running calculations.
“This is inefficient.”
Watching her allies engage the pirates in high-speed maneuvers at the front, A.T. began to operate her robot. The new machine drew the two beam pistols holstered at its waist.
Spotting an enemy craft that had broken away from the main engagement to charge the ship, she pulled the triggers without hesitation.
The precisely aimed lasers struck the target, creating a spherical explosion in the middle of space. A.T. tracked the enemy movements and boosted forward.
Being a state-of-the-art machine, it possessed speed incomparable to the older fighter models. It tore into the battlefield, and Seira was shocked to see A.T. join the fray against her orders.
“Why are you here?! I told you to protect the ship!”
“That directive was inefficient. This is a much faster way to resolve the situation.”
A.T.’s robot began to weave through space, flying with incredible agility. Every laser she fired found its mark. The battlefield shifted instantly, turning into what could only be described as an overwhelming slaughter.
She fluidly dodged incoming fire while returning shots at the enemy fighters targeting her.
Sometimes, she adjusted the lasers to explode upon impact for area-of-effect damage; other times, she set them to penetrate, timing her shots for the exact moment two enemy flight paths overlapped to destroy both with a single beam.
As artificial lifeforms, many Bioroids were naturally gifted in combat. They excelled in various fields, but the pilots of the 54th Aviation Corps, meeting a pilot-type Bioroid for the first time, could only gasp in awe at A.T.’s overwhelming skill.
“What on earth is that…?”
Watching the monitor as the battle turned into a one-sided massacre shortly after it began, A couldn't hide his astonishment.
Though he was currently an engineer, A had been a fighter pilot like Seira when he first joined the 54th. He had changed roles later, but as a former pilot, he understood exactly what it took to maneuver like that.
Thanks to A.T.’s acrobatic piloting, the battle was over in an instant. The pilots, who had been staring blankly at the drifting wreckage, began to return one by one.
As A.T.’s robot and the other fighters entered the hangar, the blast doors opened. A, who had been waiting at the entrance, immediately rushed inside.
“Pilots, check your craft’s status, print the logs, and report immediately!”
A’s voice boomed through the hangar. He approached A.T.’s robot just as she descended from the cockpit via the platform elevator.
“What kind of person are you?”
“? I am A.T.”
A was still reeling from her performance, while A.T., failing to grasp the intent behind his question, simply stated her name.
“I don't understand why they sent someone like you here for 'life education.'”
Her skills were so advanced that such training seemed unnecessary. While A was busy being impressed, Seira climbed out of her fighter and marched toward them with heavy strides.
A was about to ask Seira about her fighter’s condition, but one look at her eyes told him something was wrong. Realizing the issue wasn't the machine but A.T., he quickly stepped between the two.
“Move.”
“Let’s just talk this out first. Calmly.”
A and Seira knew each other well. Having been friends for a long time, they could read each other’s moods from the slightest change in expression. Knowing Seira was furious, A tried to de-escalate.
“You. Why didn't you follow orders? I don't care how good you are; don't you know that the Team Leader’s commands come first on the battlefield?!”
A, who had assumed from the control room that A.T.’s advance was part of Seira’s plan, looked between the two of them upon realizing it had been an act of insubordination.
“I did what I was capable of doing.”
A.T.’s calm statement made A facepalm as he remembered what he had told her before they launched.
Meanwhile, A.T.’s expressionless face and her insistence that she was right only made Seira angrier. It was lucky that A.T. was skilled; if she hadn't been, her actions could have led to a disaster.
Just as A became sensitive when working in the hangar, Seira became high-strung during sorties. She raised her voice at A.T., who seemed to have no concept of the danger her actions could have caused.
“Would you still be saying that if someone had died because of you?!”
“…This was much more efficient.”
“What?”
At A.T.’s response, Seira’s rage peaked, causing her to become eerily calm.
“Hey…”
A knew A.T. was inflexible, but he hadn't realized it was to this extent. He called out to her, his voice laced with shock.
On the surface, A.T.’s words could be interpreted as her simply choosing the most effective tactic. However, in a military context, it was a blatant dismissal of the commanding officer.
She was essentially saying the Team Leader’s orders were inefficient and that her independent judgment was superior. No matter the lack of formal hierarchy in some areas, the role of a commander on the battlefield was vital.
Following orders was mandatory, and unauthorized deviation—barring extreme circumstances—was a serious offense.
“Are you… are you saying my orders were wrong?!”
“No.”
A.T.’s answer remained clear and concise. However, her denial left both Seira and A speechless as they stared at her.
Her "no" indicated that her actions weren't born out of a desire to disrespect Seira. The reason behind her answer became clear a moment later.
“The orders were clear. As you said, it was my first sortie with the 54th Aviation Corps, and since no communication or coordination had been established with the other pilots, it was correct to have me protect the ship rather than deploying me to the front lines immediately.”
“Then why?”
“I am a Bioroid.”
A and Seira, who were about to argue, were silenced again by the word "Bioroid."
“Based on the tactical situation, the probability of an allied victory was near 100%, but casualties would have been inevitable. However, if I—a Bioroid who can be replaced at any time—took the front, I could maintain the probability of victory while minimizing casualties.”
Acting independently was certainly a mistake, one that could be reported to high command immediately. But hearing A.T.’s reasoning, Seira found herself unable to speak. She slowly turned her gaze toward A..
A was equally shocked. He stared at A.T. before meeting Seira’s eyes.
Both of them had been involved in Bioroid education twice before. Back then, it hadn't been A alone; they had handled it as a team, so both had experience as handlers.
The previous two Bioroids had also been well aware of their status as artificial beings.
But this was the first time they had encountered a Bioroid who viewed herself as a completely replaceable, disposable tool.