Reluctant Captain of the Minerva
"Looks delicious... Um... by any chance, isn't one of the two civilians we rescued at the end the captain the AI is talking about? They had such a classy aura..."
The pent-up frustration and rage that had been building due to Minerva suddenly began to subside dramatically at the words of another female cadet standing beside them.
"Ah...! Come to think of it, those peo... those folks were there, weren't they!"
The cadets sensed Bridget's tone shift sharply as she recalled the civilians at the female cadet's words. They let out smirks, as if realizing that even someone as charismatic as her couldn't escape the rigid hierarchy of rank. Meanwhile, Minerva tilted her head in confusion, unable to comprehend the bizarre situation.
What do you mean by two civilians? No matter how much I scan the ship, aside from the people in this hangar, there are no other lifeforms detected by my sensors...?
Before her mind had fully awakened, they had already boarded, and Bridget mulled over the characteristics of the detention quarters she had guided them to. Even an AI with exceptional performance like Minerva wouldn't have a fully built basic database yet, since the ship had only just started moving. With a smirk, Bridget opened her mouth.
"Before you woke up, during the battle and when we launched the ship into space, we rescued two civilians. The reason you can't detect them now is because we couldn't identify them then—or even now—so we guided them to the detention quarters since they can't roam freely in your ship, which is classified military territory."
Hmm... hold on a second.
The moment Bridget finished speaking, Minerva checked if there were any facilities inside the ship—her own body—that escaped her perception range. After a brief moment of focus to scan the entire ship, she gave an awkward laugh and spoke.
You're... right. There are indeed two facilities outside my detection range...
"Hmm...? Excluding the detention quarters, there's another facility that evades your detection?"
At Minerva's words, Bridget considered if it might be an emergency facility, but Minerva chuckled and shook her head.
Vice Captain, you have a bit of a ditzy side, huh? Excluding the detention quarters, the obvious place my surveillance doesn't reach is the captain's quarters, right?
"Ah..."
Well, that would be possible with the captain's summons or approval, of course.
At Minerva's teasing rebuke, Bridget furrowed her brows inwardly, grumbling that she couldn't possibly know the ship—her own body, the basis of Minerva's personality—better than the AI herself. With a sigh, she turned to the cadets nearby who had been listening intently and gave them a nod.
"As you've heard, it's almost certain that the person we're looking for as captain is one of those two. Escort them here as politely as possible."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Recalling their appearance during the rescue and boarding... it's highly likely the male is the captain, so keep that in mind."
As Minerva said, the cadets—suddenly facing the task of greeting someone bearing the admiral's proxy credentials—wiped away sudden stomach pains and cold sweats, hurrying off with quick steps.
"So, you're saying that according to emergency protocols, I was selected—no, designated—as the captain of this ship?"
"Yes, sir! Captain!"
While killing time with Linda in the spaceless void of space—cooking what could pass for breakfast and counting the twinkling stars outside, on the verge of some mental breakdown—a group of cadets suddenly visited. They burst in without warning, their polite demeanor toward civilians from before nowhere in sight, replaced by stiff military bearing and trembling limbs. Hearing about the ship's current situation, I widened my eyes at the unexpected turn, while a bitter tsk escaped my lips.
This is how it always ends up... I would've preferred something honorary, pulling the strings from behind rather than actually feeling like the captain.
When I first laid eyes on the Minerva, I wanted to operate the ship myself, but honestly, a caveman like me infiltrating this SF world couldn't command a strategic weapon that could spark a war. So I'd subtly planned to puppet a figurehead captain and enjoy myself freely...
With space war as the game's core backdrop, who knows how long I can play captain, but once I am, I'll be dragged to endless strategy meetings... Fuck, damn it...
The surging stress made me want to slap the cheeks of these cadets staring at me with shining eyes and trembling bodies, but remembering they'd be key personnel under me for a while, my raised arm fell limply with a sigh.
"Alright, I get what you're saying. Since there's nothing for me to do right now, I'll meet with the top superior you mentioned—excluding me—and the ship's AI to discuss."
"Yes, sir!"
"Lead the way."
As I naturally took charge, issuing orders and sorting the situation, the cadet who came for me let out a small gasp of admiration, recognizing that as the admiral's proxy, I wasn't just anyone. Linda, following behind, shot me a fresh look of surprise and spoke up.
"Wow... Weren't you just a hikikomori living off the admiral's money? You handle ordering people around so naturally."
"Orange, thanks to that old man's genes, I was born superior. You think I'd struggle with their level of experience? And even lazing around on daddy's cash, when you've got plenty, bossing people around becomes second nature—no big deal."
"Hmm... True, most of the guys you hung out with were chaebol heirs or kids of military elites, right?"
"Couldn't say... Not interested."
Mid-conversation as usual, Linda's googly eye flashed red and rebooted. Dropping the act, I continued with genuine feelings. Detecting through her biometrics that I truly didn't give a shit about them—like stray dogs passing by—Linda shook her head in disbelief with an admiring tone.
"Seriously... What kind of emotional shift made you change this much? You used to have at least faint flickers of friendship or something."
Impressed inwardly by her eye's ability to infer emotions from biometrics, I calmly replied.
"Something like... a cosmic revelation? Hmm... That I am the master and protagonist of this world?"
Grinning as I spat the truth of this world at Linda, she froze for a moment at my physiological reactions amid the absurd words, then covered her face with both hands and sighed deeply.
"Ha... You're such a crazy little shit. And this guy's the captain of a strategic weapon?"
"I can hear you, you psycho bitch."
At least she had the sense to whisper so the cadets wouldn't hear.
Kiiing!
"This is the place."
"Thanks for the escort."
Guided by a regular cadet, we arrived at an obvious briefing room for high-ranking officers. Dragging Linda, who trailed behind, inside, two women with striking colors caught my eye.
A woman made of hologram in a spotless pure white dress, revealing jade-like skin, and another with clear aquamarine hair neatly pinned up, her expressionless face giving a cold impression in her cadet uniform.
The hologram must be the ship's control AI the slaves mentioned... And that one making my dick shiver is the NPC who should've been captain originally?
Shifting my gaze to focus above the aquamarine-haired woman's head, the clear name Bridget popped up. Confirming she wasn't a heroine I'd checked before entering this world but an important NPC who struggled in quests and main story as a pilot for players, I flashed her a ready smile without hesitation.