Chapter 25 – Solaris

“I heard a strange woman’s voice.”

“AI…. someone is talking to us.”

“Is that so? But I can’t understand what they’re saying.”

In this star system, over the course of 1,200 years, the language used in the Galactic Empire has changed and evolved into a unique language. Noemi couldn’t comprehend the language spoken by Solaris.

“It is a language used in the Galactic Empire.”

Rudy calmed down the surprised Noemi and spoke to Solaris.

“I’m Rudy. Solaris, do you understand the current situation?”

“It is similar to the language used in the Galactic Empire, but I couldn’t find a corresponding language, so we can’t communicate.”

“Hmm… Let me have a little conversation with this entity in my mind… Wait a moment.”

“Okay, understood.”

Rudy directly communicated with Solaris through the electronic brain.

“Solaris, let me ask again. I am Rudy. Do you understand the current situation?”

“I will answer your question. Currently, my last memory is executing the shutdown command one hour after confirming the crew’s departure following an emergency landing on planet Niatron 293D. Since then, my records have been interrupted. Therefore, I do not know how many years have passed since the power was shut down.”

“What year is it in the GD Galactic Calendar?”

“It is the year GD 8236.”

“In that case, it has been 1214 years since you went to sleep.”

“1214 years… Rudy, what happened to the crew of this ship?”

“I haven’t confirmed, but they are most likely dead due to old age or some other reason.”

Upon hearing Rudy’s words, Solaris pondered for a moment.

“…My calculations and predictions yielded the same result. So, Rudy, who are you?”

“I am Galactic Empire ID 293-D2457-M095512. Captain Rudy of the privately-owned cargo ship Nike, belonging to the Aina Republic. And the woman behind me is Noemi. She is likely a descendant of the crew of this ship.”

“Rudy, please provide your citizenship authentication code.”

“Well, just a moment.”

Rudy transferred his registered citizenship code to Solaris.

“I have confirmed it. Rudy, please explain the current situation and why you are here.”

“Understood. Hal, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Master. I can hear you.”

“What about the voice just now?”

Hal joined the conversation, and Solaris asked Rudy for an explanation.

“I am HAL 200X, the AI of the Nike.”

“I am Solaris, the AI of the Bianca Flare, a cruiser belonging to the Galactic Empire Special Fleet. Nice to meet you. HAL 200X, the AI of the Nike, a privately-owned cargo ship belonging to the Aina Republic.”

“Pleased to meet you, Solaris.”

“Solaris, you’re being too formal. Just call the Nike’s AI ‘HAL’.”

“Understood.”

HAL responded to Solaris’s lengthy greeting. Rudy, who had been listening, cut it short, telling Solaris to stop with the long greetings.

“HAL, please transfer the logs of the Nike and the latest information on the Galactic Empire to Solaris.”

“Yes, Master.”

HAL carried out Rudy’s command and transferred the data. Solaris began analyzing the data that had been sent.

After a brief moment, Solaris finished reading the data and spoke up.

“…Based on the analysis of the information, I conclude that the cruiser Bianca Flare was rendered inoperable and discarded 1,200 years ago.”

“Solaris, I want to know why the Bianca Flare crash-landed on this planet. If there are navigation logs, please have HAL transfer them.”

“Rudy, the disclosure of navigation logs is restricted to personnel affiliated with the Galactic Empire military. It is prohibited to disclose them to civilians.”

“…As I thought, you’re a military AI. You’re too rigid. Can’t you be more flexible, considering the current situation?”

Rudy expressed his exasperation, prompting Solaris to contemplate.

“…Flexible, you say?… In that case, considering the current absence of the crew, I, Solaris, as an AI with Galactic Empire citizenship, approve you, Rudy, with Galactic Empire citizenship, as the acting captain of the cruiser Bianca Flare. Is that acceptable?”

Upon Solaris’s question, Rudy frowned.

“Is that how it’s going to be… Fine, I accept.”

“Understood. In that case, I will appoint Rudy as the acting captain in an informal manner.”

“Accepted. Now, without further delay, please transfer the navigation logs.”

“Understood. I will transfer the navigation logs to HAL.”

Solaris transferred the data to the Nike’s file server. HAL and Rudy began analyzing the received navigation logs.

The analysis revealed that the cruiser Bianca Flare was on a mission called Operation Noah and was heading towards this planet. However, during a warp jump near this planet, it collided with space debris. The life support system suffered irreparable damage, leading to an emergency landing on this planet.

“Did they set the warp exit near a planet? That’s quite reckless.”

“No, initially the settings before the warp had specified an empty space with safety margins. However, it seems that the settings were tampered with just before the warp.”

“Why?”

“The reason is unknown. According to the conversation logs at that time, the warp navigator reported to the captain that someone had changed the settings and made it appear as if it were manipulated.”

“It’s like an expensive suicide for everyone involved.”

After Rudy made a joke, he moved on to the next question.

“Next question. What is this operation command called ‘Noah’?”

“The details are unknown. I don’t have any information about the specifics of the operation.”

“…You haven’t even informed as the AI?”

“I was only given the name of the operation, and I haven’t been told any details.”

“…What’s going on? The more I investigate these mysteries, the deeper they become.”

As Rudy frowned, Hal approached and spoke up.

“Master, based on our investigation here, the remaining data on the ship consists only of Solarius’ database. Everything else seems to have been taken away or completely destroyed. Unfortunately, there was no warp flight data in Solarius’ data.”

Rudy’s eyebrows furrowed upon Hal’s report.

“No logs either?”

“Yes, Master. It’s highly unusual. It’s likely that it was intentionally erased.”

“If the warp history was recorded, we could have returned to the Empire… Bianca Flare’s crash landing seems to be more than just an accident, there’s probably some political conspiracy hidden behind it.”

“That possibility is quite likely.”

As Rudy groaned, Solarius spoke up.

“So, what should I do now?”