We called it Experimental Unit 01, but it was essentially technology we had substituted with designs within our own sphere of understanding.
The general idea was that as long as it moved, we were happy.
Fairy had developed the current control software, and it was the strongest there was. That much was an undeniable fact. The only remaining question was how to actually control the machine, as we still hadn't fully grasped all of its functions. For now, it was just something that worked.
Normally, I would have wanted the pilot to be that festival-loving man Isono, but Edge and Alyssa had stepped up to handle the task. They were taking charge of Unit 01 and Unit 02—the latter being the backup machine for Unit 01.
Nothing truly terrifying was supposed to happen. We were only testing basic maneuvers this time.
The sector of space we chose was located between Parcion and Rosaria, an area where accidents were unlikely to occur. Tatiana moved the floating batteries we were using as targets.
We boarded a replica of an ancient battleship to serve as our transport. We were only going to move it a short distance. The actual trial run for the ship had already concluded; we weren't testing any new features today. This was primarily a promotional exercise for us.
However, in the name of safety—or perhaps as a desperate plea for our lives—we had installed a branch shrine for Zashiki-warashi-chan. We also utilized one of the hydroponic facilities to grow a Mini-Himorogi-chan from a pruned branch. Thanks to lights mimicking natural sunshine and AI-controlled liquid fertilizer flowing through the sheets instead of soil, it had grown gargantuan.
I had adjusted the room to accommodate a larger plant, but it had grown truly massive. Suematsu and an arborist pruned it regularly to keep it at a manageable size.
"This is like the World Tree itself! Hahaha!" Suematsu laughed, but I couldn't share the sentiment.
I knew they weren't evil entities, so I wasn't worried on that front, but Himorogi-chan and Zashiki-warashi-chan were high-ranking gods. If I started overthinking it, I’d already lost. Furthermore, because we now had a massive stock of pruned branches, Himorogi-chan was multiplying at an infinite rate. A proposal had already surfaced to make the branch shrines of Zashiki-warashi-chan and Himorogi-chan standard equipment for all battleships owned by the Empire and Chronos.
And so, the trial run began.
The ship was equipped with engines and other components that operated on such alien principles we still hadn't fully deciphered them. There was no inherent danger, and it wasn't that we couldn't replicate them, but they simply hadn't been scientifically mastered yet. While there might have been long-term biological effects, our sensors detected no radiation or other hazards for the time being. Vibrations were minimal, and on paper, the catalog specs were incredibly impressive. It was easily two generations ahead of current technology.
There was something that appeared to be a warp drive, but since we didn't understand it, we had it disabled via software. We cut the power to it entirely. It would be fine.
We paid our respects to Himorogi-chan and Zashiki-warashi-chan. A new role, the military Shinto priest, had recently been added to our ranks. We already had the "Gaming Monks" as specialists, but we added managers specifically for Himorogi-chan and Zashiki-warashi-chan. As a result, competition for admission into universities with a department of Shinto studies had become insane. Apparently, everyone wanted to go to outer space.
With that, we launched.
Wait, it was incredibly fast right from the start. I wondered if the instruments were bugged. Just then, a report came through to the bridge from the chief engineer.
"His Majesty the King of Chronos! We are producing significantly more speed than during the previous trial runs!"
"Inspect for abnormalities!" I ordered.
"No abnormalities found! However, we are detecting an energy reaction from the upper decks!"
The upper decks—the sector where Himorogi-chan and Zashiki-warashi-chan were located. Ah, I was starting to understand the cause.
"Military Shinto Priest! The gods are getting too excited! Do something!"
"Sir!"
On the display, I could see the priest beginning a ritual. I had no idea what he was actually doing; I had been so busy that I hadn't looked into the finer details of the faith. However, it was effective. The output gradually began to drop.
"Phew..."
I let out a heavy sigh of relief. I wasn't the only one; everyone on the bridge followed suit. Isono and Nakajima both exhaled. Honestly, with Wifey—whose pregnancy was starting to show—and Claire both absent, we men were truly hopeless.
"It's... far too unstable..."
"Leo, we're going to have to analyze the cause later..."
Isono slumped down right where he stood. Nakajima also dropped into a delinquent squat. I followed them, squatting down as well. Having reverted into a group of convenience store yankees, we gave thanks for our lives being spared.
The battleship's trial run was promptly canceled.
"Fairy, I need you to handle the control software."
"You got it! I'll build in some safety limiters right away."
What a relief. Next, we launched Unit 01 and Unit 02. The procedure was to deploy them directly from the battleship. Though they were Jester-exclusive machines, we had already confirmed that ordinary pilots could operate them.
"Alyssa, be especially careful!"
"Understood!"
They launched with surprising smoothness. It was impressive—much more fluid than the movements of Massacre Night. Apparently, the design philosophy was fundamentally different. The structure was closer to that of a human, built to absorb shocks with the entire body.
The eventual plan was to remodel Massacre Night using these principles. However, if we changed this much, I felt like we’d end up in a "Ship of Theseus" situation where we’d wonder what had happened to the original.
Their equipment consisted of the Chronos Army standard pulse rifle. Edge began shooting through the targets with rapid precision. It was remarkably smooth. It was wonderful.
In the middle of the exercise, a transmission came in from Alyssa.
"Th-This machine! It's moving on its own!"
Then, Kyoko reported in as well.
"Machine output is rising! It's producing several times the power we saw during the experiments!"
This was bad.
"Abort the experiment!"
I executed a forced shutdown from the outside. Alyssa's machine came to a dead halt.
This was difficult. What was the cause? The ship had gotten overexcited, and the humanoid fighters were even worse. I wondered if it was because a Sage was on board. If I boarded one, it might end up reaching speeds close to light.
No, that wasn't funny. I'd die. If something with this much mass moved at the speed of light, it might generate a black hole and destroy the entire galaxy. I decided to stop thinking about it before I made myself even more anxious.
Thus, the first experiment ended in failure. At the very least, we had confirmed that external shutdown was possible and safe, so I counted that as a success.
Later, we gathered for a meeting in the dining hall, where Wifey joined us.
"Wow, I expected as much, but those machines are quite the restive horses," I grumbled.
Wifey laughed at my complaint.
"Lord Groom, you have a certain sexual fetish for those kinds of children, don't you?"
"That is exactly the case," I replied, confirming my own preferences.
"The military Shinto priests can handle the gods, but what do you intend to do about the humanoid fighters?" Claire asked.
"The thing is, Edge says the ride is more comfortable than anything he's ever experienced. If they actually operate properly, they're stronger than any other model in existence."
If they operated properly, that was. There were plenty of weapons that failed because they were only good as ideas or looked good on a catalog spec sheet, after all.