The price to pay

[Viorel73]

THE PRICE TO PAY

"So, are we having a bad day, lieutenant Toyoda Tetsuzan? Looks like you missed a chance to end your career in glory." The first words were heard by the man laying on a medical bed.

He tried to look around, to see where he's, but just turning his head caused a sharp pain to him.
"What happened to me? Where am I" He asked those words to the person above him.

"Don't worry officer, you are in the safest place in Kusari on the Battleship Nyono." The one who looked like in the lab coat answered. "You weren't that lucky in the fight Sigma-21. Your ship got caught by fire from the Rheinland battleship grade pulse gun. While it is not really weaponry doing any damage usually. Your fighter vessel is not really suited to withstand such high energies in shield or hull design. You were declared dead, as chances for your survival were impossible"

The gaze of the doctor? caused shivering through his spine. It was unsettling, to say the least.

"Dead? but I'm not dead. I hope you already fixed it? I would not be even able to pay for anything otherwise." Officer protested, predicting big problems for himself in the future.

"Oh, you don't need to concern with it yourself yet. As it opens more doors opened and you could continue serving Kusari even in the state of your medical status. The damage caused to your body was quite high, loss of limb. If you would be to say 'alive'... it would end your career and life as officer forever" The mad man grinned at him, but it didn't make him better.

"Do I have another choice? What are you talking about?" The bewildered disabled officer asked.

"You see... We have different projects, sometimes requiring the hardest things to acquire to make them work. Looking at how durable and powerful in close combat Rheinland vessels, we wished to come up with our answer which would not damage our vessels in each battle with them to the point where even victory would not matter."

"Project RONGUSHOTTO was made, where we used our battlecruisers as a platform for installation of the best prototype weaponry for long-range combat. Codenamed as Breakers, they are being able to fire up to 2750 distance, those weapons allow our vessels to keep enemy battleships at distance, tearing them slowly apart.

To operate the guns much more calculational power was needed. Working at the highest speed possible in response to always changing situations in battle. To not only operate the vessel and fire at the enemy, but predicting at the best where the enemy would appear when blasts of energy reached him across the distance. Our best quantum computers certainly fit criteria, but their tremendous cost, delicate requirements to functional ability aren't allowing us to use them in battle on a warship."

The scientist took a pause, thinking, and remembering how the project evolved from its starting stage to where it became now.

Intrigued by revealings, the officer asked: "Were you able to come with a solution?"

"We were.... we decided to try using the best computers already available on our planets a long time ago. We made a neural interface allowing us to utilize human brains to our task."

The officer remained silent, awaiting more to be revealed by the scientist.

"You have one more chance to serve your country. We need you... or more to say your brain to be used at the final stage of the project RONGUSHOTTO. You would become the pilot, the gunner, the ship itself. Your damaged body would not matter, as you will be the metal capital vessel guarding Kusari against threats. Are you ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" Officer silently asked.

"No, You don't" The scientist madly laughed. At his command assistant injected something to the officer, making him asleep and never waking up again.

A month later new battlecruiser started to flow at the Kusari border. Enemies were surprised by its long-ranged fire, often becoming debris to be salvaged for all who wants. The ship became successful... but at which cost?