The crest disappears, and in its place appears a white tiara crossed by a flower—maybe a magnolia?—and a chess piece: the queen. I recognize that symbol too.

  A memory from my childhood returns to me: a visit to the army museum, where a beautiful young lady showed it to me along with nine other crests.

  One of the lost princesses.

  Tears begin to stream down my cheeks.

  I’ve suffered a great deal since I arrived in the Storm; I’ve been beaten, parasitized, blown up, and came close to dying several times. I’ve sunk into deep despair, and I still don’t know whether I’ll even make it out alive, but all that suffering pales in comparison to the miracle standing before me.

  “The Strategist Princess.”

  The screen finished loading, and the system came online. I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

  “Can you hear me, Princess?”

  The image of the princess’s crest remained unchanged on the screen. Is it broken? I thought, until the scream of a young woman tore through the bridge’s speakers.

  [HEROIIIIIIIIIIIIC!]

  I stood frozen, listening as the scream slowly faded and calm returned to the bridge. I decided to speak again.

  “Are you all right, Princess?”

  I could feel the bridge’s cameras focusing on me for the first time. Instantly, multiple projection devices activated, flooding the space with an intense white light. From the heart of that radiance, a figure emerged.

  She was a young woman with extremely pale skin, as if the sun had never touched her. Her hair, cut to shoulder length, was silvery white, with a subtle sheen that evoked moonlight. She wore a fitted space suit in white tones, crossed by faint luminous lines. Over it, she had on a white jacket, visibly oversized for her height; around one meter sixty, perhaps a little more. A small sailor’s cap rested atop her head. She watched me in silence with silver eyes, cold as ice.

  I stood spellbound, staring as the projection manifested before me.

  [Who are you? What are you doing on my bridge? What happened to the enemy? What happened to the war? What happened to my sisters?]

  The young woman bombards me with urgent questions, though her tone remains somewhat flat, as if she were incapable of feeling beyond cold logic.

  “Easy, Princess. I’m no enemy. My name is Rob Sabringer, an engineer of the Kingdom of Altar,” I said, showing her the crest on my suit.

  [A mechanic? Were you sent to repair my thruster? How is the battle going? How long until I can return to the front?]

  She presses me, but I can only stare at her in confusion, unable to grasp her words. I see now, she must have been asleep for a very long time.

  “Princess… what is the last thing you remember?”

  [Are you trying to check my memory system? There is no malfunction. The last deployment was the full fleet, to come to the aid of the Sparrow of Altar. We joined the Imperial fleet before initiating the jump. Upon arriving in the sector, we encountered the enemy fleet composed of the Theocracy, the Republic, and the Union.]

  She paused for a moment.

  “What happened after that?”

  [Treachery! Vile, cowardly treachery. The Empire was colluding with them. They attacked us from behind. They set a trap for the Warrior Princess: a bomb… it detonated… My sister… burned in flames. The explosion happened right beside me and damaged my thruster.]

  She says it with the same tone and expression, but somehow I could feel the rage and pain contained within her cold, silvery eyes.

  [Heroic lost control at the sight of this. She attacked in fury, assaulting the enemy lines and bringing destruction wherever she went, but it was all for nothing. Our lines fell into disarray, and soon we found ourselves surrounded on all sides. Quickly, I devised a strategy, the only one that could prevent our total annihilation. I ordered a retreat and regrouping at the capital. Mage created a gigantic jump tunnel through which the evacuation began.] She fell silent, reliving those moments. [But the enemy wouldn't give us the chance to leave. They began attacking the ethereal tunnel. I stayed behind with other damaged ships to ensure the evacuation was completed, along with Heroic. But it wasn't enough. Waves of enemies assaulted us. Heroic… she dove into the tide and… overloaded her Sovereignty. Before I could realize it, she… she… started to shine, and that shine expanded in the midst of the enemy until it reached me. She disappeared in the middle of a… a…]

  “A glow… a Final Radiance,” I finished her sentence.

  […Yes]

  “Princess, what is the date of that last record?”

  […The date is 8,598 of the Rim Calendar. Stop wasting my time and answer: what happened to the war? Where are my sisters?]

  She doesn't know. She truly doesn't know. Should I tell her? Is it the right thing to do? …No, I must tell her; it’s what a hero of her caliber deserves.

  “Princess… the current date is 9,350 of the Rim Calendar. The war you speak of… ended over 700 years ago.”

  Her voice cut off. I saw her open her mouth, trying to make a sound in vain, until a small voice managed to come out.

  [Do you… have anything that proves what you're saying?]

  I handed her my portable device, where the real-time log of the Horizon Seeker was recorded, including the dates of the exploration mission. She analyzed the data and fell silent again.

  [I ask again, what happened to the war? Where are my sisters?]

  If anyone else asked me to speak about that war, I could go on for hours, rambling until they grew tired because it’s an incredible historical event. But in front of someone who fought, sacrificed, and lost so much in it, it becomes a hard fact to narrate. I sighed.

  “Well, it’s a long story. To begin with… we won. Altar is still a great kingdom, even today. Things happened just as you remember: the four great powers united to try to destroy us. In response, the kingdom deployed its navy… and you, the nine perfect ships created by Professor Lanten, the greatest genius of your era. Together, you always demonstrated to be an unstoppable force. Unfortunately, this time the costs were too high.”

  […What happened to my sisters?]

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  I hesitated for a moment.

  “Three of you fell in the siege of the four powers: the Warrior Princess; you, the Strategist Princess; and the leader of the sisters, the Heroic Princess, who sacrificed herself to greatly reduce the enemy's forces. The place where the battle took place is now known as the Pantheon of the Princesses.”

  […And the rest?]

  “After that, the kingdom's Army, led by the Commander Princess, set up the defensive line at the capital planet along with the other princesses, in the so-called Final Front Operation.”

  I observed her expression for a few seconds; it remains flat, but I can sense her nervousness. I know what she expects to hear: that the rest of her sisters emerged unharmed. In a way, they are all fine… until I open my mouth.

  “It was an incredible battle, full of epic tales and legends. The Holy Princess gave those hypocrites from the Theocracy nightmares with her Sovereignty, Death Denial; even today, they consider it a war crime—what whiners. Alchemist Princess held the Union forces for three days with her Sovereignty, Power of Money, and when they left, they were utterly broken physically, nationally, and economically. And I wish I had seen the Knight Princess, who single-handedly kept the entire planet safe with her Sovereignty…”

  [Stop] the princess unexpectedly interrupted me. [Stop dragging it out, just tell me.]

  “…We lost three of your sisters in the defense of the capital: the Alchemist Princess, the Mage Princess, and the Knight Princess.”

  [……]

  I watched as her expression darkened completely.

  “The only ones who saw the end of the war were the Holy Princess, the Rogue Princess, and the Commander Princess.”

  […Where are they now?]

  “After the war, they received the highest honors. In fact, in recognition of their sacrifice, third-tier artificial intelligences were acknowledged as citizens and their creation for warfare was prohibited, in addition to granting the princesses complete freedom from the kingdom. The Rogue Princess was the first to disappear; as expected, she is only ever heard of in underworld rumors. Later, the Holy Princess set out to travel the Rim, helping wherever she is needed; from time to time there are reports of her in some war zone, healing the wounded or working in quarantine areas.”

  I can tell she is listening to every single word with full attention.

  “Lastly, the Commander Princess is the only one whose whereabouts are known, currently anchored at the Royal Army Museum as its director and curator, as per her own wish. I saw her once in my childhood during a school trip; she is a very kind lady.”

  It seems that hearing about her sisters who are still alive gave her some strength, a faint glimmer in her eyes.

  [And my father?]

  “Professor Lanten? Unfortunately, he disappeared during the war; it is believed that he also died fighting.”

  […Thank you, soldier. I am going to run a system check. Why don’t you go examine the state of the thrusters in the meantime?]

  I obeyed her instructions and left the bridge. The door closed, and I remained standing silently in front of it.

  “She didn’t even ask about the situation we’re in,” I muttered.

  I looked at the door. I may not understand many things, but I know when a woman is crying on the inside. For me, it’s ancient history; for her, it’s as if she had lost everything overnight.

  Some may think it’s exaggerated for a machine, but she is a third-generation AI, capable of feeling, dreaming, loving, and suffering—indistinguishable from a human being. In fact, some believe they obtained what they call a soul, which is why treating them as mere objects was forbidden. It’s not as if many people knew how to create them anyway; much of that knowledge vanished along with the professor.

  I take my camera and delete the last recording; not even I can allow myself such a lack of respect. Finally, I step away from the door to go check that engine, leaving her to mourn her family in peace.

  ***

  “It certainly looks like something punched straight through this thruster,” I said as I examined the watermelon-sized hole in the rear of the ship.

  I came here immediately to inspect it, though I stopped by the infirmary first for a quick treatment of my foot and arm. They don’t hurt nearly as much now and seem like they’ll be back in full shape soon.

  “I thought it had been a projectile, but if it was damaged during Heroic Princess’ explosion, then it must have been shrapnel that went flying and struck it.

  I can probably repair it, but I’ll need some parts. Where could I possibly get spare ship components from…? Just kidding. I looked around at the vast amount of wreckage floating in the Storm. What a… welcoming place! Like running out of fuel right in front of a gas station.

  [Rob, can you hear me?] I heard her voice over my suit’s communicator.

  “Princess?”

  [Are you finished checking the engine?]

  “At a high level, it needs some work, but I think I can get it operational again.”

  [Perfect. Return to the bridge. We have things to discuss.]

  “On my way.”

  I set off. It seems I’m feeling a little better now, which makes me glad, though it’s also strange. Talking with a heroine like her… someone super-famous and revered, yet at the same time who feels like just a girl, or like an AI with that impassive expression. Complicated. Well, I’ll try not to think about any of that.

  I reached the bridge. I was surprised by the sheer amount of data and projections spread across the main console as she manipulated and organized them in midair.

  “What is all this, Princess?”

  [I am analyzing the current situation. Just to confirm: are we inside the Red Storm?]

  “Yes, that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. How did you know?”

  [I specialize in gathering and handling information through my various sensors, as well as in the most advanced computational technology.]

  “Wuh!” I couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

  [There is no reason to bark.]

  “……”

  [Did that not amuse you? Sorry; at present, and for various reasons, I find myself without a sense of humor, but I am attempting to improvise one through logic.] She says this while tilting her head slightly and touching it, a somewhat cute gesture even though her expression remains unchanged.

  “I see… I meant that, as expected of the princesses’ brain, you must have learned about the situation through an exhaustive analysis.”

  [Thank you, although in this case, this alone was sufficient.]

  She said this as she turned her head. I followed her gaze, and we ended up looking at the Storm through a window.

  “……”

  [No? Nothing? I see; humor is more complicated than one would expect.]

  Seeing her as just a normal person was becoming easier than I had thought.

  “Ahem… well, in any case, yes, we are currently inside the Red Storm. I was part of the crew of the expedition ship Horizon Seeker. A few days ago, I was swallowed along with the ship, and I’ve been trying to find a way out ever since. And you? How did you end up here?”

  [I have no idea. The last record is the light of Heroic’s radiance, and then you waking me. I suppose I was left drifting and was swallowed by the storm as it passed.]

  “I see.”

  [It seems you had a couple of unfortunate encounters in here.]

  “Yes. Explosive and very painful ones. How did you know?”

  [My standby system continued collecting information while awaiting activation. It observed everything through reconnaissance drones; it even sent you a warning about the golden monster.]

  “A warning…? The message! You sent it?”

  [Yes, although it seems it arrived too late.]

  “A little, yeah. But hey, I’m still alive!”

  [Indeed. It appears you are as resilient as a cockroach.]

  “…Thanks?”

  [Apologies. I am also currently experiencing difficulties with human interaction and common sense. However, do not worry; my strategic capacity has not diminished in any way.] She said this while giving me a thumbs-up. Yes… I’m a little concerned.

  “Did I manage to recover any data from the enemy? I also have the recording of my encounter; I was able to pull it out of Franky before he exploded,” I said as I connected my device to the console.

  Immediately, the footage began playing rapidly across the screen.

  [Target analysis complete. Creating model.]

  At once, a projection of the golden armor appeared, accompanied by a chart showing its estimated capabilities. To one side were Franky’s stats, displayed for comparison.

  “Damn it! I figured as much, but… outclassed in everything by at least double? Franky wasn’t a weak unit; he was the latest Leonidas model. If I want to reach something like that, I’ll need at least a named unit.”

  [Indeed. No standard unit could face it, at least not individually; especially in terms of strength and speed, not to mention its astonishing regenerative capacity. It makes it as hard to kill as a fox.]

  “Wait, why am I compared to a cockroach and the monster gets to be a fox?”

  [Would you prefer to be the fox?]

  “I guess so.”

  [Noted. Between that and your habit of barking, I can detect a certain fixation on canines on your part.] She says this while stepping a few paces away from me.

  “Hey, that’s not…” I thought of my good Clifford. “…that’s out of context.”

  [Leaving that aside, yes, the target is extremely dangerous. We must prepare thoroughly to face it.]

  “‘We’? You want to fight too?”

  [Of course. My objective is also to leave the Storm, and if that individual is an obstacle, then we will have to deal with it.] She says this while flexing her slender arm, trying to show off muscles that don’t exist.

  “That’s the spirit! With a princess as an ally, I feel much more confident. Now we just need a plan and a new armor.”

  [Leave the plan to me. I am the Strategist Princess, after all. As for the armor, I’ve already finished scanning this sector and I have an idea where you could obtain a fairly decent one.]

  “Really? That’s great, then! Let’s get to work!”