Shipboard Factory
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Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
「I’ll give you a detailed explanation about the entire facility tomorrow. Please take a good rest for today.」
「Where should I sleep? Should I just board Unit 5’s cockpit and sleep there?」
「There are beds in the nap room next to the control center. But since this place has been devoid of people for so long, they don’t have any bedsheets on them at the moment……」
「Oh, that’s alright. Please lead me there.」
After confirming the nap room’s location, Kou dismissed his three new companions and went out of the room.
「Huh? Where are you off to?」
「Uh, I was thinking of checking out the interior of the ship. I’m just gonna wander around on my own, so don’t mind me.」
「Understood.」
But soon after he started touring the ship interior, Kou began to regret his decision.
It looks like walking around aimlessly inside a gigantic carrier-type facility was a bad idea.
The first layer seemed to be some sort of aircraft hangar.
The second housed a residential area called a billet, manufacturing facilities, and the power facility for the ship.
The third layer seemed to be a hangar specialized for ground vehicles and troops.
The second layer was the one that housed multiple facilities.
It gave off the impression of an abandoned city. Many people should have resided in this layer a long, long time ago.
Kou sighed in awe and murmured in a low voice as he toured every layer.
He checked out a deactivated giant machine that caught his eye in the first layer and greeted it like he would a friend.
「Hey there. I don’t know much about aircraft, but it’s nice to meet you, buddy.」
In the third layer, he greeted the various vehicles and machines parked within as well.
「Sorry guys, but I think we’ll get pretty busy from now on.」
His main goal was the second layer. The shipboard automated weapons factory was located there.
It certainly gave off an abandoned feel.
However, Kou was already familiar with such a sight. Especially a factory without any people inside.
It was pretty similar to a factory that was shut down for maintenance.
「Hm, this huge box is probably used for machining huh. I can figure this one out by myself, at least. I’ll be in your care as well, buddy.」
He talked by himself as he reminisced about all the machining work he’d done in the past. It was strictly prohibited to mutter or hum to oneself within the company.
Even so, it proved effective when handling machines for some people, and there were quite a lot of employees who did talk to the machines while adjusting or repairing them.
He’d seen those old hands in the company talking to the equipment as if trying to pacify a temperamental toddler as they worked lots of times.
He soon found himself talking to the machines as well. The machine tools in this era, however, are autonomous in the truest sense.
They might even have the ability to respond to you if you talk to them.
Some of the machines present in the factory were familiar to him and some weren’t.
「Yeah, this place really is a factory huh.」
It made him remember his workplace back on Earth.
「Good evening, Kou.」
Suddenly, a voice called out to him from above. He immediately looked up to see who it was.
And then, he saw a Silhouette-sized giant machine. Its defining feature was a mono-eye sensor on its ‘head’.
It was currently staring intently at Kou.
「Good evening. I guess you’re the giant machine Voytek was talking about huh.」
Kou remembered Voytek mentioning a giant Silhouette-sized machine and smiled.
It looks like the machine already knew him too.
「That’s right. I am mainly in charge of various metal processing procedures, mainly forging.」
「Forging! So you do that here?」
「The carriers in your era did have small smithies in them too. And this ship is a mobile arms factory you know. Here you can do free forging, mold forging, die casting, and more. I can also process Silhouette-size parts.」
「That’s reassuring. I’ll be counting on you then. How should I address you though?」
「I have a mono-eye sensor so I’m called a Cyclops-type. I’m a one-eyed giant that specializes in forging.」
「So it’s Cyclops in English huh. Okay. How about I call you Arges from now on?」
Kou remembered the name of a cyclops he saw in a game and named the giant production machine after it.
「Oh, Arges from Greek mythology. Thank you for giving me a great name, Kou. Are you looking around the arms factory?」
「Uh, sort of. I’m kinda giving my greetings to everyone. I’m already the person in charge, so it’s the least I can do.」
「It’s fine even if you just gave us orders you know. You’re a strange fellow, Kou. But I’ll thank you on behalf of everyone for those feelings.」
「Thanking me, huh? I’m the one who should be thankful here. I don’t have enough knowledge when it comes to the equipment here and the appropriate maintenance methods.」
「It’s fine. Just leave it to the specialist machines. There’s no need to worry.」
「Yeah, I suppose. It isn’t good for an amateur to carelessly run his mouth off. I’ll come back tomorrow, Arges. This place is a lot bigger than I expected.」
Kou headed to another workshop nearby to continue his impromptu tour.
Arges followed Kou’s retreating back with his eye.
Kou was completely unaware.
He wasn’t aware that his actions were being watched.
He was being observed by the machines that possessed their own wills.
『Astraea to all terminals. All terminal wills, attention. The one who is currently touring around the ship is Kou. Now I believe that you have all understood that he truly is a human who feels concern and affinity for machines.』
Astraea confirmed the responses of all the terminals before continuing.
『He has been granted maximum authority by Asia and will be fully in charge of the ship as well as the entire area controlled by Astraea. If you have any objections, please voice them now.』
Each terminal sentience sent their responses immediately.
『99% in favor. 0% in opposition. 1% posed a question. Giving out answer. In his home country, there is a belief that wills and gods dwell in all things under heaven, and there was also a culture of anthropomorphizing tools and vehicles that do not even have AI installed within them, and treating them as partners. It would be a given that they would anthropomorphize us as well, considering we actually possess wills of our own.』
Once again, various responses were sent to Astraea from the other terminals.
『100% in favor. We have achieved a hundred percent approval rate from all terminals. The entire facility shall be now under the complete control of Mozuya Kou.』
Astraea seemed to be satisfied with the result.
The entire exchange only took place within a few seconds from a human’s perspective.
All the necessary procedures to let Kou take over were now complete.
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