novelWar of the Ant and the Grasshopper >> Battle to Defeat an Oceanian Military Nation (2)
| ← Ch.005 | Ch.007 → |
Quenser nodded and said, "Well, it is large enough to contain most of Western Europe. It isn't called a continent for nothing."
"So how are we supposed to find a single Object in such a huge area?"
"It would take years to do a thorough search, but it seems they have a general area they think it is in."
As he spoke, Quenser used a red pen to draw a large circle around one side of the map.
The circle was on northern Oceania.
"They think it's in the Northern Territory between the Kimberley region and the Tanami Desert."
"So somewhere in here?"
Even narrowing it down that far left an area as wide as the wider portions of Honshu, one of the Japanese islands belonging to the Capitalist Corporations. It was not an area they could search by foot.
"Two years ago, when the Generation 0. 5 was completed, the Oceanians held a parade around there. After that, it hid amongst the many mobile gas tanks with treads they sent scattering and entered one of the bases. However, we still do not know which one."
"So that's why the coalition has been going around destroying the bases despite knowing they're likely dummies. If they keep taking out bases in the area, they're sure to get the right one eventually."
"To be honest, they would probably find it eventually even if they did nothing, but who knows how many villages would get attacked in the process."
"Yeah, we can't just leave this to them anymore."
"But here's the problem. There are over 100 dummy facilities and around 40 gas tanks have been brought up to the surface. The higher ups have no way of knowing which one is the real deal."
"Could there be a base that has been kept completely secret so the higher ups don't even know about it?"
"It's not impossible, but I doubt it. Keeping the satellites from detecting a building to hold something that large is no easy task. And even if they hid it underground, it would need ducts and entrances that would give it away."
"So it's almost certain that it's hiding in one of the buildings the higher ups know about, hm?" muttered Heivia.
Quenser stared at the area of the map he had marked.
"If only there was some sign that only the real one would have."
"You mean like maintenance equipment constantly being brought in? In that case, wouldn't the bases with large roads leading to them be the most suspicious?"
"The base we just attacked had a dummy road leading to it."
"But not many of them have a space large enough for a 50 meter Object to pass through. Even the base from earlier was surrounded by the green forest and had no sign of an Object having passed through."
"It seems the bases with Object-sized paths leading to them were attacked first. All of those have already been destroyed. That's why we were ordered to attack a target that didn't really seem like it could possibly be right."
"But what else is there to go on? If destroying all of the suspicious places didn't work, does that only leave destroying all of the less suspicious places one by one?" said Heivia carelessly.
Most likely, the higher ups had come to the same conclusion.
However...
"What if we turn this on its head?" said Quenser.
"Hah?" said Heivia with a stupid expression on his face.
"The Generation 0. 5 was only ever seen two years ago when it was completed. Ever since, it's been hidden in a base somewhere. Couldn't they have grown up trees and plants around that base to cover up the path the Object used?"
"Why would they do that? If they surround the base like that, it would leave an obvious trail the second it left. They would basically be marking the base for us."
"The base would be marked by the satellites anyway, so all the broken trees wouldn't matter. After its attack, it could hide among a number of gas tanks and head to another base. Of course, that would mean we've been going around destroying its possibilities for its next base."
"That means the suspicious bases would be the ones with thick obstacles around them. The most abandoned looking bases that the higher ups probably dismissed right away would be the most suspicious."
"The bases most quickly covered in the forest over the past two years are these three here, here, and here. It seems the higher ups decided they were merely dummy bases that were abandoned and allowed to be overtaken by the forest."
"That leaves two problems, " said Heivia as he stared at the points marked with the red pen."First, the distance between the bases is still too great even after narrowing it down to three. We can't search all three so easily. If we came to a dummy, we would lose a lot of time." He lit the map up with a small light."Second, even a dummy facility is going to be filled with soldiers. Even if we managed to take them out, they would still manage to contact the real base. Then they would simply scatter a number of gas tanks and the Generation 0. 5 would be gone. The attacks on the villages would merely be delayed a bit."
"And for a third problem, we can't get any help from the military or the Objects."
"Are you sure about that? Even if we were ordered not to do this, surely at least Froleytia would send the princess out if we actually managed to find the Genera-...."
Suddenly, an emergency alarm began sounding within the coalition maintenance base zone. The deep blare of the siren reverberated through the night sky. All the lights in the base turned on at once like during a night game of baseball.
"What's going on? We haven't left the base yet!"
"No, you idiot. The Objects have been ordered out! Have the higher ups figured out where the Generation 0. 5 is!?"
Quenser folded up the map and looked around.
A great number of soldiers were pouring out of the buildings. He also saw the princess running to the maintenance area. The maintenance workers who had been working on the Object opened up the giant shutters.
Quenser grabbed one of the rushing soldiers to speak to him.
"What is going on!? Did we find the Oceanian Object?"
"Yes. I'm finally going to get to return home! The final boss is waiting for us on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. The coalition Objects are headed there at full speed, but we have to hurry there on military trucks. It's first come first serve for the trucks with good suspension, so you should probably hurry. If you're too slow, your back is gonna be hurting."
"The Great Sandy Desert?" muttered Quenser blankly as he watched the soldier run off.
"Hey, that isn't one of the three places we were predicting, " said Heivia, having realized the same thing.
"How odd. On what basis are the higher ups convinced the Generation 0. 5 is there?"
This time, Heivia stopped a passing soldier. He had an indoor uniform and was apparently an Object analyst just like Heivia.
After a short conversation, Heivia returned.
"As I thought, it was from the satellite. When an Object's reactor starts up, a faint energy signal leaks out. Apparently, the satellite caught that."
"But the Oceanians have been able to fool our satellites this far! If we had a method that convenient to detect it, we wouldn't have been fooled by those gas tanks!!"
"It was because of those bitter experiences that the higher ups had a new type of meteorological weapon prepared. That new weapon has finally been deployed. It's something like the chaff missile used in Alaska. It scatters special particles at high altitude which temporarily turn the huge clouds themselves into giant sensors. When the satellite used those sensor clouds to search the surface, it picked up on the faint signal of an Object. We didn't even know if that prototype Object emitted the same type of signal and the particles don't always mix with the clouds properly due to the wind direction, water density of the clouds, and other factors, so it was mostly luck that let us find this."
"But, " said Quenser who was still not satisfied."Even so, wasn't the Generation 0. 5's reactor stopped?"
"They have to raise its revolution speed bit by bit when they activate it and it must have reached the point where the satellite could pick up on it."
"Really?" asked Quenser with a frown.
That military nation had constructed dummy bases across Oceania and used gas tanks with treads to trick the satellites, so would they really give away their location so easily? It was like they were asking for the over 20 coalition Objects spread out across the continent to focus their fire there.
After thinking for a bit, Quenser raised his head.
He seemed panicked.
"No, that's the prototype reactor!!"
"What!?"
"With the prototype reactor, no one knows if it's going to work or if it's going to suddenly blow up. No one would put that on their Object! The usual method is to create a safer second reactor based on the first to put on the Object. Oceania probably has a prototype reactor, too. They're trying to hide where they are starting the real reactor by running the prototype all out at the time when we know they will be activating their Object!!"
"Aren't you reading too much into this? The sensor cloud is a prototype weapon that hasn't been officially deployed yet. How could the Oceanians build a trick around the effects of a weapon that doesn't even have a proper spec sheet!?"
"If this was the first time the prototype had been used, you'd be right. However, it's been 2 years since the coalition army has been stationed here in Oceania. That toy may have been tested here a few times. If it has, the Oceanian army could have gathered the data on the failed experiments and guessed at what it was supposed to do. There's still a risk that this is a trap!!"
"You have got to be kidding! The princess and the others are about to leave!!"
If Quenser was right, the princess and the others were headed to a dummy base. And while their attention was drawn elsewhere, the Oceanians' Generation 0. 5 could attack nearby villages.
The Oceanian military knew that they could not win in a straight fight against the coalition forces. That was why they were using the tribes that opposed their policies as hostages in an exceedingly military style of diplomacy. They were saying that even more tribal people would be killed if the coalition did not immediately leave.
Quenser and the others could see that more slaughtering in the name of forest preservation would not make the over 20 Objects leave, but many people's lives were at stake regardless.
If the princess and the others continued, that ridiculous plan might actually be carried out.
"God dammit!!"
Quenser and Heivia frantically headed out from behind the building in an attempt to block the way of the Objects. However, the Objects were much too fast. The Legitimacy Kingdom and Information Alliance Objects cut across the ground faster than a bullet train. They shot past Quenser and Heivia before they could get near and exited the base zone.
Only the dark thundercloud-like noise of the princess's Object remained.
"Shit! Can we call them back on the radio!?"
"Both Objects here were sent out, so they must have had an official order. And one with a high level of authorization at that. Our personal communication isn't going to be enough to get them back. They'd definitely be punished if they did!!"
Quenser frantically thought as he watched the soldiers leave the base in truck after truck.
Seeing him, Heivia said, "What are we going to do? It is possible that the Object really is in the Great Sandy Desert like the higher ups say, but..."
"That's it!" Quenser replied."If this is the prototype reactor, then this is a trump card they haven't used even once in the two years since their Object was completed. They've kept it hidden even while letting their soldiers be slaughtered in the dummy bases. Why are they all of a sudden using it now? Why do they want to trick us that badly? It has to be to get the threat of our cutting edge Objects out of this area! The Generation 0. 5 must be nearby!! They realized we would soon find it if they didn't do anything!!"
An expression of shock appeared on Heivia's face.
"Then, the facility hiding the Generation 0. 5 is..."
"Most likely, it's the base closest to here of the three we were looking at! But this doesn't prove anything. We need data showing reactor energy leaking from the facility!!"
The two looked back toward the nearby building.
If they could access the military database, they could check almost instantly. However, the database that contained Object designs and battle strategies was an especially sensitive thing in the military. If they disobeyed their orders and accessed it, it wouldn't be surprising if they were shot without even being given a trial.
"Anyway, just sitting around isn't going to help anything. The data we need will only be in one of the buildings, so we need to at least get inside. We need to find some way of viewing the information from the database..."
"Hey, Quenser. Were any of the old higher ups the type to not like digital things?"
"?"
"If any of them had the report for the pre-mission briefing printed out, the data we need might still be there on a piece of paper. That way we wouldn't have to even touch the database."
And so Quenser and Heivia headed for the large facility the briefing had been held in. Most of the soldiers had already headed out to the Great Sandy Desert, so barely anyone was left inside.
However, the two of them saw something that made them groan when they reached the briefing room and peered inside the cracked door.
"(Why is Froleytia of all people still here!?)"
"(She may look showy with those giant tits and all, but she's actually a pretty serious worker. )"
After one last look at his large-breasted commanding officer operating a notebook computer, Quenser stepped back from the door. Even if the document was inside the room, they could not check with Froleytia there. If they made any suspicious actions, she would likely confine them for some arbitrary reason or another.
"(Is there no way to get a look at the printed out report without running into Froleytia?)"
"(What if we caused some kind of disturbance to lure that Japanese obsessed woman out of there?)"
"(If we did that, we'd definitely be court-martialed after everything was over. )"
While the two were only able to stand by wondering what to do, they heard a slight knock.
They turned around and heard a male voice.
"I know."
The voice was coming from the other side of the door to the interrogation room.
The reporter named Sewax was speaking to them.
"(What the hell? Why is the interrogation room not soundproofed!? He can hear all of the goings on of the military from in there!)"
"(This place was only designed to maintain Objects. They probably never even thought of the possibility of taking prisoners. It looks like they threw that room together from parts they had on hand. )"
"I know!!"
Something banged against the door harder than before.
Quenser and Heivia were worried Froleytia would hear from the other room, but Sewax continued speaking.
"I could hear what they were saying from in here. The higher ups seemed split as to where the Generation 0. 5 is hidden. I think they had two candidates, but they ended up choosing the stronger signal in the end. That was the Great Sandy Desert."
Quenser and Heivia exchanged a glance.
"(What do we do, Quenser? Do we hear him out? He might just be making it all up. )"
"(From what he did before, he may be a terrible person, but I doubt he would do anything that would benefit Oceania. Let's hear what he has to say. )"
Having made up his mind, Quenser spoke to the locked door.
"Where was the other location!?"
"Somewhere called the Tanami Desert." Sewax must have really wanted to tell someone because he answered without hesitation."Some of the higher ups were skeptical, but the Tanami Desert signal was just too weak and the Great Sandy Desert one was a much more realistic reading for an Object, so they abandoned the other one."
"Just as we thought, " groaned Quenser.
The Tanami Desert was the location of the closest base Quenser and Heivia had decided was suspicious. If the Generation 0. 5 activated there, it could attack the nearby villages or even the coalition base itself.
"Not good. It'll take a while for the princess and the others to head out to the Great Sandy Desert and back."
"That means we have to do something ourselves. We're right back to the usual hell!"
Quenser checked the location on the map and Heivia mentioned that they would need a vehicle. However, they were cut off by Sewax speaking up once more.
"Wait. Please take me with you."
"Ahhn? Hell no. We can't take a civilian onto the battlefield with us. And we don't have time to aid you in your escape."
"No, not that. I want to make up for what I've done. I brought this situation on us all, right?" Sewax's voice held a certain impatience to it. He sounded completely different from when they had first brought him back to the base zone."All the footage we ever get is of close-ups of two Objects fighting, so we never get to see what happens to the local people. That is why we all see war as something not worth worrying about. I came here because I could not forgive that. But I was wrong. You build up your strategies with the insight of experts and I ruined it all with my amateurish ideas. I thought eliminating those Oceanian soldiers would improve the situation for the tribes, but all I did was doom innocent people to violent deaths. And many, many more people are going to be killed! I can't overlook that. Surely there is something I can do to make up for what I have done!!"
Quenser and Heivia exchanged a quick glance.
"You can use a sniper rifle, right?"
"Y-yes. I have no military experience, but I do go to the shooting range on the weekends."
"As long as you can shoot someone, that's enough. We'll prepare something for you. We definitely can't bring you along if you're unarmed."
"I understand. Thank you. Thank you so much! I'll be waiting!! Please let me fight alongside you!!"
From the sound of his voice, Sewax may have been crying on the other side of the door.
Quenser moved a bit away from the door to the interrogation room and whispered to Heivia.
"(Hey, let's go find a vehicle. It would be best if we didn't have him fight. )"
"(I had a feeling that's how this would go. )"
Heivia followed suit, turning his back on the interrogation room door.
As they headed for the exit, Quenser said, "If we brought him with us, he might decide a wonderful death on the battlefield was the only path left for him. He pisses me off, but I would still have trouble sleeping if he died right in front of me. Also, we'd get into a lot of trouble if we brought a member of the press to the battlefield and he died."
"Well put, hero. But let's work on not getting ourselves killed either. Waking up again is just as important as getting to sleep in the first place."
The two of them exited the building.
Heivia ran off somewhere and when he returned, he was driving a military off road vehicle. Quenser climbed into the passenger seat and Heivia sped off.
As they exited the base zone, Quenser asked a question of his companion.
"Hey, do you even have a license? You're my age, so aren't you too young?"
"In the Legitimacy Kingdom, you can get a special military license. It only lets you drive on the battlefield, though. Y'know, when are we going to get past these four wheeled things? Not much has changed since automobiles first appeared on this earth."
"All the cutting edge technology goes to the Objects. Why would they waste their effort developing other military items? Advances are being made bit by bit, but I heard that the speed of civilization's development has slowed. Apparently, things like guns and tanks would likely have advanced at least 3 generations in the time since the Object was first developed, but that hasn't happened.... Actually, if you don't know all this, should you really be driving? Wait, does this model have a passenger side airbag?"
"Oh, shut up. No military vehicle has those balloons that blow up when they receive a shock. Look, we're moving forward. Isn't that all the proof you need that I can drive?"
The noble heir crudely drove the off road vehicle forward while manipulating the steering wheel in a way that would likely have made a proper driving instructor scream.
"Hey, hero. Do you have your explosives? This Generation 0. 5 is still an Object, so this is still going to be the usual type of life-or-death struggle."
"I have my usual complement of Hand Axe and electronic fuses.... But I doubt we can take it out just by attaching bombs to its armor."
"Oh, right, right. What are we going to do about the princess and that prototype reactor? If they're bringing out their prized dummy, they'll certainly have set up some kind of trap."
"You're right. This could be bad. Can you contact them on the vehicle's radio? I have my own radio, but I want it set to send out the detonation code for the electronic fuses. I can receive signals fine, but I'd rather not mess with the transmission frequency. All the recorded frequency slots are filled up with detonation frequencies."
"Just a second. I'll set the frequency."
Operating the steering wheel with one hand, Heivia used his other hand to grab a small wired microphone similar to what a taxi driver might use. Using a shared frequency the entire coalition force would pick up, he started speaking.
"Umm, testing, testing. Can anyone hear me? I have a warning for all you diligent Legitimacy Kingdom soldiers out there. Sorry to disappoint you, but what you're chasing after is likely a fake. The real one is in the Tanami Desert."
An odd noise came in through the radio's speaker.
Quenser ignored it and leaned in to speak into the microphone.
"Most likely, the facility in the Great Sandy Desert holds the prototype reactor rather than the Object. Also, there is a good chance a large scale trap lies in wait. They could even be planning to push the reactor's output past its limits to make it go critical and destroy any nearby Objects in the explosion."
Despite how many people had to be listening, no response came for a bit.
Everyone must have been trying to work out how credible that information was.
Finally, the Information Alliance Elite spoke up as if she was the representative of them all.
"Do you have any definitive proof of this? Oh ho ho."
"No, " replied Quenser immediately."We didn't have time to verify it. We have one claim to that effect, but it was from someone we can't exactly trust."
"Then..."
"That is why we are suggesting both possible targets are destroyed. One thing we know for sure is that the energy readings of a reactor were detected in two different places. Oceania has only one Object, so one has to be real and one has to be fake. But what do we lose if we destroy both?"
"We feel the more hidden base in the Tanami Desert is more suspicious than the much too obvious one in the Great Sandy Desert, " added in Heivia.
After a bit of silence from their allies, Quenser spoke up again.
"As I said before, we believe the Great Sandy Desert base is a giant trap using the prototype reactor. Just to be safe, not even the Objects should carelessly get close. Stay at least 10 kilometers away and blow the facility away with your main guns. This isn't some fast moving target, so I'm sure the princess can manage if she stops and aims carefully."
"Oh ho ho. I am a bit annoyed that you do not seem to expect anything of me, " said the Information Alliance Elite.
In annoyance, Quenser replied, "Your main gun is a rapid fire beam Gatling gun, right? It may be overwhelming at close range, but it can't aim precisely when it comes to distant targets, now can it? This is a job for our princess."
"... I will do my best, " cut in the Legitimacy Kingdom princess.
Hearing that, Heivia whispered to Quenser.
"(Our princess finally got her reward. I can tell your guts made it across to her. )"
"?"
Quenser merely looked confused, but he didn't have time to worry about what Heivia had meant. There was something else he had to get across.
"We believe the Object is actually in an area on the west side of the Tanami Desert. It's only about 5 kilometers from our base and apparently a faint reactor signal was detected coming from there."
"Basically, if you end up having nothing to do there in the Great Sandy Desert, we hope you'll be kind enough to come lend us a hand."
Suddenly, another voice came in over the radio.
It was Froleytia.
Her radio's transmitter must not have been working properly before because the staticky sound of her fiddling with it could be heard.
"Wait just a second. Do you mean you two are headed for the Tanami Desert!?" she said.
"Oh, is this about that whole court martial thing? Let's make a deal. If the Object turns out to be in the Great Sandy Desert, you can throw us into a detention room, but if it's in the Tanami Desert, you have to do one thing we ask of you, no matter what it is. By the way, I've always wanted to have a beautiful woman do various things to me with the bottom of her feet!!" said Heivia.
In shock, Quenser shouted, "Wait, you're actually asking that!? Oh, and I'd rather have the beautiful woman do various things to me with her armpit!!"
"Wh-what... ? D-don't make a bet like that without my consent and you could at least request more realistic things!!" shouted Froleytia.
"We've barely begun! There's still the nostrils or the back of the ear!!" the two shouted in unison.
"Why even bring it up when you know I'll never do anything like that!?"
Froleytia's last shout brought Quenser and Heivia back to their senses. Why were they getting so oddly excited while on their way to fight an Object?
"The real problem here is that we'll be more than heroes if we take out the Generation 0. 5 on our own. Maybe we'll get another medal. Actually, we might pass Froleytia right by if we keep this up."
"No, Heivia. Whatever happens, we're still disobeying our orders. We might even get our previous medals stripped from us."
"No, you idiots! After everything you've done, I can't let you go off like this!!" While the two boys had been half joking, Froleytia was truly angry."The Generation 0. 5 is still an Object!! If it really is in the Tanami Desert, you will be fighting an Object on your own! Don't you understand that!? At least wait until one of our Objects arrives!!"
Quenser and Heivia fell silent when they heard their superior officer's surprisingly kind words.
For a short bit, they seriously thought about what Froleytia had said.
However, they did not stop the off road vehicle.
Quenser and Heivia both spoke into the radio.
"But we have to go. If we wait around, the Generation 0. 5 could start moving."
"If villagers end up being slaughtered because we were tricked by Oceania, the coalition's reputation will be in tatters. You might even get demoted."
Froleytia started to yell something, but Heivia switched off the radio.
Silence continued for a bit, but Heivia finally spoke.
"Various things with the armpit, hm?"
"I'd say that's more normal than the bottom of the foot."
"(Hm, I wonder if the princess would be willing to offer up her armpit for you?)"
"?"
As the Object-destroying duo chatted, the off road vehicle continued on.
Part 9
The Tanami Desert was a desert in name only.
The area spreading out before Quenser and Heivia's eyes was a giant tropical forest like the Amazon. There were relatively few animals for the amount of nature because the number of plants had been artificially increased in a short period of time. It would still take some time before animals would settle in.
"It would be best if we walked from here on out, " said Heivia as he stopped the off road vehicle at the entrance to the forest. He then grabbed the rifle and portable anti-tank missile from the back."I'd rather not announce our presence with the sound of the engine. There will definitely be soldiers if it's a dummy base and there will likely be soldiers if this is the right one too."
"Also, if the vehicle gets destroyed, we'd have to walk back to the base."
"Ha ha. Yeah that would be bad.... Actually, that really would be bad. Let's hide it."
The two of them proceeded to camouflage the vehicle by putting fallen tree branches and the like over it.
After disguising it, Quenser took a step back to view it.
"Will we even be able to find this on our way back?"
"If we make it too obvious, the enemy soldiers might spot it. Let's get going. No matter what we do, we'll still be left with worries."
And so Quenser and Heivia headed into the thick forest on foot.
It was exceedingly rare in that day and age, but people still fought other people in "old" battlefields where Objects were rarely used. In those cases, landmines and other traps were common. Quenser and Heivia advanced through the forest with extreme caution.
"Come to think of it, I heard that the ruler of Oceania disappeared along with the Object."
"Yeah, as the pilot Elite. Otherwise, Oceania would have long since been liberated. How many times do you think we've attacked their capital with an Object?"
"Isn't that a lot worse than attacking small villages?"
"The only ones allowed to live in the capital are the military and those profiting from the military's actions. When the military regime came into power, they took all the normal citizens' houses and kicked them out into the wild. There's nothing wrong with blowing up some of the people left."
"Shh. Look at that. Isn't that the Object maintenance base zone?"
Quenser and Heivia stopped walking and crouched down. They hid in the tall grass growing from the ground and peered out at the facility in question.
It was a giant rectangular concrete building.
It was large enough to contain the entire 50 meter Object. Smaller buildings dotted the area around it. They were likely either related facilities or garrisons for the troops.
Quenser looked down at his military wristwatch.
"Okay, we still have 2 hours before the reactor should be ready. The Generation 0. 5 shouldn't be able to move. I don't know how many soldiers are stationed here, but getting here before the Object can move certainly makes this easier."
"Hey, doesn't something seem odd?" asked Heivia.
When Quenser focused with everything he head, he felt a slight vibration under his feet. It slowly grew until the plants and trees around him were clearly shaking.
"This is bad! I'm pretty sure the reactor is going strong!"
"L-let's hope for the best. Maybe the low-tech reactor is going critical after they tried to restart it after such a long period without being used."
"If that's what's happening, it'll blow up and kill us too. Well, I can't help but expect the worst. Maybe they used some kind of secret weapon to shorten the time it takes to activate the Object, " replied Quenser.
Just after Quenser's comment, a loud dull noise rang out.
The front wall of the giant maintenance building was actually a giant shutter. It had opened upwards.
At the same time, white steam poured out.
A giant form crept out from the maintenance building as if it was hiding its silhouette in the smoke.
"... Well, it certainly seems like it's gone critical, " muttered Quenser.
Even from 500 meters away, he could feel the waves of heat emanating from the Object.
The spherical main body of the Generation 0. 5 had multiple large constructions attached to it. It had an X-shaped propulsion device attached to the bottom and giant building-like masses attached to the back of the sphere like wings. Obviously, it could not fly. They were most likely used to release the excess energy created by the reactor that was so hard to control with their level of technology.
A single main gun was attached to the left side of the sphere.
It was a few dozen meters long and reinforced with numerous steel bridge-like wires. It would likely have been fine without them, but there was a risk of the gun damaging itself with its own weight while it was held horizontal for long periods of time. It was a cheap countermeasure that would never have even been considered for a normal Object.
In exchange for the stability, affixing the main gun like that robbed it of almost all ability to move the gun independently. For any small adjustments to its aim, the entire Object would have to move.
That unrefined construction made the Object lose its image as a modern smart weapon and instead have the image of a primitive and savage weapon. It would not give you a peaceful death. Its presence sent a chill down their spines.
From a distance, Quenser stared at the Generation 0. 5 Object that had appeared amid that strange heat.
"Most likely, they used an electric booster to force up the temperature of the reactor. The Information Alliance Object has electrical outlets on it, remember? This is the opposite. I guess it's sort of like the ignition of a gasoline engine. By pouring in a large amount of external electricity, they activate the Object's internal laser emitters or something. That allows them to interfere with the reactor... but it failed. A small scale explosion occurred in the maintenance facility."
With the Information Alliance's high level of technology, it may have been possible to pull that off. However, Oceania's Object already held the danger of fusing its inside parts if the reactor remained active for too long. Forcing the reactor past its normal functionality had simply been reckless.
"The maintenance workers in there must have been utterly annihilated. Actually, that might be why we haven't seen any sign of soldiers around here. They may have been holding a ceremony to see the Object off and it blew away all of them at once."
Heivia used the auxiliary functions of his rifle to check for any noise in the area, but he did not detect any human voices.
Quenser, Heivia, and the Generation 0. 5 Object were the only things around.
If they could destroy it, the battle in Oceania would essentially be over.
Part 10
However, Quenser and Heivia were not stupid enough to charge straight at the Object.
The Generation 0. 5 had not yet noticed them, so heading out into the open would have been tantamount to suicide.
"(Let's sneak closer while making sure it doesn't notice us. If a small explosion occurred in the maintenance building, the area around the plug was likely damaged. If we can find the damaged portion, we might be able to do something. )"
"(I'm fine with taking this slow, but what if the Object charges off at full speed to kill villagers in the name of 'forest preservation'? I don't know how fast that Generation 0. 5 can go, but I'm sure it's faster than we can keep up on foot. )"
"(Its reactor has been activated for the first time in 2 years. I'm sure it'll make sure to carry out some exercises so the Elite can refamiliarize himself with the controls. It won't be going anywhere right away. )"
Suddenly, the Generation 0. 5 Object moved slightly 500 meters away from them. The 70 odd sub weapons, both large and small, moved separately as if in some kind of warm up exercise.
Finally, all of the Object's guns froze in place and the main body moved to aim the giant main gun. It looked as if all of the pilot Elite's attention was on those exercises.
And then the main gun fired as if to mow down everything in a vertical line.
The Oceanian Object used a large caliber coilgun.
A giant coil made out of a bundle of conducting wires had steel shells passed through it. The power of magnetism was used to fire the projectiles.
That main gun was firing shell after shell in rapid succession like a pitching machine.
The countless shells moved from right to left like a machinegun, tearing a horizontal line through the thick trees.
Quenser and Heivia hugged the ground.
The line of deadly projectiles passed right over their heads and the dense forest was torn to pieces around them.
"(Shit! Did it notice us!?)"
"(No, its aim is too general for that. This is probably another of its 'warm up exercises'!! It hasn't noticed us at all!!)"
At any rate, it was much too dangerous to approach the Object in a straight line. Quenser and Heivia slowly crawled along a large looping route.
"(This undergrowth hides us better than I would have thought. )"
"(It can hide landmines and other traps just as well, so don't let your guard down. )"
The undergrowth rustled and swayed around them, but with the destruction to the surrounding trees the Generation 0. 5 was causing, it didn't notice such a small change.
"(It really does seem like an older model. It doesn't have any kind of ingenious mechanisms like the Information Alliance's Gatling gun-style beam cannon. From the look of it, the coilgun's barrel will burn away before long if it keeps firing. )"
"(Well, old model or not, it's still way too much for us to handle. )"
"(How do you think it aims?)"
"(A camera sight would be the standard. My guess would be it has a camera on each weapon so it can be aimed. If it was using ultrasonic waves to search for our pulses, this undergrowth wouldn't be helping to hide us at all. )"
"(Meaning?)"
"(Standard camouflage will work on it. C'mon, let's cover our clothes in mud. Even that should help hide us. )"
However, they could not exactly stop and carefully prepare. Coilgun fire was still flying by nearby. The most they could manage was to occasionally roll over onto their backs in some mud as they crawled forward.
Eventually, they managed to get only 300 meters away from the Generation 0. 5. They were approaching in a spiral with the Object at the center, so they had crawled much farther total. After getting in a position located behind the Object, they finally managed to escape the threat of the coilgun.
"(Okay, now we can finally find a weakness in peace. )"
"(Hey, we're about to enter the grounds of the base. )"
Perhaps due to being activated for the first time in 2 years, the Generation 0. 5 was completely focused on its system checks. That was clear from its test firing before.
Quenser crawled a bit further and peered at the Object through his binoculars.
If the Object's reactor had been forcibly brought up with an external power supply, it had to have a plug somewhere. And if that had caused a small scale explosion, it may have a crack running from the reactor to the plug.
(Is that it?)
Quenser looked all over with his binoculars and finally stopped on a single point.
On the back right portion of the spherical main body, he saw something that looked like a broken hatch. A power cable over 50 centimeters thick was hanging down with a torn end.
It had likely connected the electrical booster directly to the reactor. Normally, the line would be cut off with countless thick bulkheads so it could withstand any powerful attack.
(Or is that weakness one of the reasons it's known as the Generation 0. 5 and thought to be destroyable with a nuke?)
Just as he had that thought, Quenser heard a high-pitched electronic noise.
It had not come from the Generation 0. 5's sensors. He had accidentally touched one of the infrared security lasers surrounding the maintenance base zone.
"Oh, shi-... !?"
The Generation 0. 5 Object did not take the time to turn its giant form around.
The rear facing ones of the 70 odd smaller weapons attached all over its body made slight adjustments to aim at the two boys.
However, they were lucky.
Just before it fixed its aim, a portion of the Generation 0. 5's wheels struck a small marsh. The 50 meter Object was not about to sink into such a small area of water, but it did change the time Quenser and Heivia had from a few seconds to about 10 seconds.
"Heivia! Hand me that missile!!" shouted Quenser as he ripped the portable anti-tank missile from Heivia's grasp and rested it on his shoulder.
He was not aiming at the Object.
For one thing, a student like Quenser did not know how to properly use the missile's sight. He merely pulled the trigger, sending the missile flying out and into the muddy marsh just in front of the Object. The missile stabbed into the center of the marsh and exploded, scattering mud everywhere. With a splattering sound, one side of the Object's armor was painted the color of mud.
Immediately afterwards, the Generation 0. 5 moved its guns despite their cameras being covered in mud.
"Shit!!"
Quenser tossed the empty missile launcher aside.
Instead of getting down for cover, he and Heivia ran off as quickly as they could. As soon as they did, the area they had just been in was blown to a thousand pieces with the tremendous sound of a shell hitting. The two were stuck by the shockwave and blown a few meters through the air. They rolled along the ground, stood back up, and continued to run. They were no longer headed toward the Generation 0. 5. They were now running straight toward the cover the maintenance facility would provide with survival the only thing on their minds.
The Generation 0. 5 finally started to slowly turn around so it could aim the weapons not covered in mud at them. However, it had lost sight of them by the time it turned around. The camera-equipped weapons aimed all over the place as it searched for them.
With his back pressed up against the maintenance facility wall, Quenser said, "Damn am I glad that thing is so low-tech. A standard Object would have had plenty more sensors to track us with."
"Surely even that piece of junk has wipers installed, right? I've never head of an Elite crying and raising the white flag because of a bit of mud."
Quenser glanced down at the Hand Axe in his hand.
He poked just his head out from behind the maintenance facility and focused on the thick cable hanging down to the ground from the Object's armor.
"(That's definitely a weakness, but do you honestly think I can get close enough to attach this?)"
"(If you've been working out enough that your muscles can deflect shells, then you should be fine. )"
"Dammit, " cursed Quenser.
He had a general plan. He knew what its weakness was. He had every tool he would need to use. However, he still could not defeat the Object. That giant machine was not something to be defeated by such small things. Its overwhelming firepower was a thick barrier in the way of the path to victory.
Quenser clenched his radio in his hand.
It was meant to be used to detonate the Hand Axe, but it could be used for other purposes as well.
He could contact his allies.
"(Hey, would it be okay to make a transmission with this thing?)"
"(I'm sure the Generation 0. 5 would notice right away, but I doubt it would be able to pinpoint our location. The real question is whether the princess and the Information Alliance Elite will be able to get here anytime soon. The Great Sandy Desert is pretty far away. )"
"(So are we going to be stuck running away until they get here?)"
"(That would make an excellent diet. The only real problem is that you'd die 100 times over before losing a single pound. )"
Despite Heivia's words, Quenser still hit the switch for the radio.
The Generation 0. 5 was not an opponent they could defeat with standard methods.
Part 11
The black thundercloud-like noise of an Object moving using static electricity reverberated throughout the Oceania night.
After reaching an area near the Great Sandy Desert, the Objects of the Legitimacy Kingdom and the Information Alliance came to a stop.
The princess checked on a magnified image of her target.
The Oceanian artificial greening project had only just begun in that area, so most of it was practically a wasteland of sand dunes. In the center of that was a collection of concrete constructions. It looked like a large scale supply station centered around a gas station located along a long, long desert road. In fact, it was officially registered as just that. However, the abandoned-looking buildings were in fact an Oceanian military facility.
The Elite called "the princess" by her allies aimed at the facility with one of her main guns. She was 10-13 kilometers from her target, so she was obeying the instructions her comrades had given her.
With a great explosive noise, a line of light shot out from the low-stability plasma cannon. The line of light stabbed into the main concrete building, spreading bluish-white explosions about. Her distance was a bit too great to pierce the armor of a high-spec Object because the plasma energy had time to dissipate, but it was more than enough for a mere concrete building or the armor of the low-tech Generation 0. 5.
After she fired on the same building a few more times, an even larger explosion occurred. The prototype reactor had exploded.
The scale of the explosion was smaller than she had expected.
The blast only had a radius of 300 meters, so even the alterations to the reactor to make it go critical must have failed. The small explosion seemed to signify just how low the Oceanian military nation's level of technology was.
The princess received a transmission from a Legitimacy Kingdom communications soldier.
"According to the report from the satellite division, no sign of anything that could be a functional Object can be seen within the wreckage of the facility. Most likely, this was a dummy using a prototype reactor, but our orders are to check the facility out just to be sure."
"But isn't that your job, not mine?" the princess replied.
"Oh ho ho. They are asking us to remain on standby in case an Object emerges from the wreckage. It is something like being a pool lifeguard."
The princess felt it was a waste of time.
Just then, she received a transmission from an unexpected person.
"... Ksshh... This is Quenser. We have confirmed the Oceanian military nation's Object is in the Tanami Desert. I repeat, we have confirmed the Oceanian military nation's Object is in the Tanami Desert! As the electronic simulation division predicted, its tech is only at a Generation 0. 5 level. With our cutting edge models, a single shot from the main gun should finish it off! We request reinforcements. We don't care who from! Just send an Object with a giant gun our way!!"
"Whoever gets here first, wins!! If you don't hurry up, we'll take all the glory for ourselves!!" cut in Heivia's voice.
She could also hear some of the soldiers muttering their disbelief that the Object was actually there.
The princess started to turn her Object around, but another transmission came in.
"No. No reinforcements are to go to the Tanami Desert. That is a direct order."
The princess froze in place.
(Whose voice is that?)
From the frequency being used, it seemed to be someone from the Legitimacy Kingdom military, but...
"I repeat, the transmission from the Tanami Desert is a trap. No one is to do as it says. Quenser and Heivia have headed off on their own and seem to have become confused."
(Wait, this voice is... )
She recognized the voice as belonging to the Councilor Flide.
The Councilors led the Legitimacy Kingdom and he was said to be the one who had put together the coalition force and sent them to Oceania for the sake of his election. However, that identity held another great meaning for the princess.
"As you can tell from our data, Oceania's Object truly was in the Great Sandy Desert. The prototype reactor and the Object were both in the same facility. The Oceanians were afraid of our attack and hurriedly had the Object escape while leaving the prototype reactor behind. The real Object is still out there in the Great Sandy Desert somewhere. We must not let it escape. If we turn back for the Tanami Desert now, the Generation 0. 5 Object will disappear again." As the soldiers listened on in bewilderment, Councilor Flide continued."Quenser and Heivia know this, but they are afraid of having to fight the Object, so they are intentionally trying to have us waste our time on the dummy facility in the Tanami Desert. They will soon be arrested, but the Generation 0. 5 Object in the Great Sandy Desert comes first. Do not be deceived by Quenser and Heivia's words."
Whether the Tanami Desert facility was a dummy or not should have been immediately obvious from the satellite.
When moving slowly, an Object and a gas tank could be difficult to tell apart, but if Quenser and Heivia were facing the object in a fight for their lives, the Object would be moving much more quickly. Even the slower Generation 0. 5 would not be mistaken for a gas tank with treads.
(There is something more to this... )
The princess finished turning her Object in the direction of the Tanami Desert.
Acting on their orders, the soldiers following her tried to stop her, but normal firepower could do nothing against an Object.
The princess ignored them and headed on, but then her Object came to a sudden stop.
Only one thing in that area held the firepower necessary to make her stop.
"Oh ho ho. Aren't you supposed to obey the orders of your superior officers?"
"You..."
The Information Alliance Object was pointing its main rapid-fire beam cannon Gatling gun toward her as the princess glared at it through her sensors. The soldiers must have thought the two Objects were going to enter a direct confrontation because they broke rank and scattered.
"A possible enemy Object's Elite must not be allowed to act on her own discretion. This is not a concept unique to the Information Alliance. It is common to all militaries that use Objects. Oh ho ho. Your actions could lead to a great slaughter. I cannot overlook an Elite disobeying her orders."
"Councilor Flide lead the Legitimacy Kingdom. You have no reason to do what he says."
"Oh ho ho. That may be true..."
The Information Alliance Elite showed no sign of moving her rapid-fire beam cannon Gatling gun.
The princess moved her arm-shaped main guns.
They both aimed their main guns at the other's reactor.
The eerie dark thundercloud-like noise reverberated across the area from the bottom of the princess's Object.
"... but I was ordered to record our joint actions together to investigate the technology of the Legitimacy Kingdom's Object. Normally, that would have been done while we fought alongside each other, but if you are picking a fight, I will gladly take the opportunity. Oh ho ho."
Part 12
Quenser's face paled when he heard that ominous transmission.
"Wait, wait, wait. What is going on!? What was that about us being confused!? How can we be confused about the Object right in front of us!?"
"Councilor Flide, hm? If I recall, he used to work in the munitions industry and holds an important position related to the Objects. He manages all of the positions related to improving the talents of our Elites."
The two frowned while they wondered why he would be interfering.
And then they received their answer from the radio.
"You two have betrayed our expectations, " said Councilor Flide.
"?"
Quenser and Heivia exchanged a glance.
They had not expected him to contact them directly.
"This transmission is being sent only to you two who betrayed our expectations."
"Your expectations? Did we do something that harmed your chances of getting reelected?"
"Sending this coalition force to Oceania was part of your plan, wasn't it?" added Heivia."Are you saying we'll ruin people's impressions of this war if our muddy faces are broadcast into people's living rooms?"
"Quite the opposite. You two have done too well. If only you could have been a bit more incompetent, " replied Councilor Flide in a smooth voice. From his tone, it sounded as if he was reading from a prepared script."Flesh and blood soldiers destroying an Object is a wonderful story that gives hope to those with none. However, the carefree residents of the safe countries are not the only ones this gives hope to. Had you realized that the guerillas and terrorists continuing reckless fights around the world have become more active recently?"
"..."
"This hell in Oceania was created by you two, " said Councilor Flide.
The two boys listened to the words of that man who was likely their enemy.
"It is true that the coalition forces – including the Legitimacy Kingdom forces – have spent the last two years doing very little, but the war should have ended a month ago when so many Objects were brought in. That was right when you were fighting that Object in Alaska. Modern wars are quite simple. The winner and loser can be easily calculated from the quality and quantity of Objects on either side. If you have one Object and your enemy has three, you decide that fighting will gain you nothing. As such, you quickly retreat to lessen the damages as much as possible. War was nicely built up so the loser would give up right away."
That was how the war in Oceania had been supposed to turn out.
The military nation possessed a single Generation 0. 5 Object while the coalition force had over 20 cutting edge Objects. Normally, the second that many Objects were spread out across the continent, Oceania would have raised the white flag. That would have brought the war to a quick end.
In fact, that was exactly what Oceania had done up until then.
All they had been able to do was just barely keep their prized Generation 0. 5 hidden.
However, they had instead planned and begun to carry out a military strategy using the Generation 0. 5. They had even used their prototype reactor as a trap.
"Yes, this is all thanks to the amazing results you two produced." His tone was one of scorn."War is no longer just about Object vs. Object. Flesh and blood humans can destroy an Object. What you two proved in Alaska is seen as hope by guerillas, terrorists, and old-style dictators. This hope has robbed them of their sole chance to raise the white flag. This has led to the war continuing on much longer than we ever expected. The benefit for my campaign has become overshadowed by the costs of the battlefield. We can't have that. Is it really that surprising that some wish to correct this new deviation in how the world sees war?"
"So you want us to die here?"
"You specifically want us to be killed by an Object, don't you? If the news gets out that the heroes that destroyed Objects were themselves killed by an Object, the flesh and blood troops would give up, deciding that our victories were just flukes."
"War needs certain fundamental understandings if it is to be smartly ended in the shortest amount of time. No one wants extended conflict on the battlefield. What you two are doing will only needlessly lengthen wars and increase the numbers of the dead." Councilor Flide's voice did not waver."Originally, the plan was to cause a split between the forces in the coalition base and have you two get caught up in a battle between cutting edge Objects. However, it seems you have done us a favor and found the Oceanian Object on your own. We would prefer not to damage our precious Objects, so we will not stop you from having the Oceanians play the dirty role."
On the surface, Councilor Flide's argument may have been just.
It may indeed have been true that Quenser and Heivia had played a role in lengthening the war in Oceania. It may indeed have been best to leave all fighting in wars to Objects while leaving the flesh-and-blood soldiers and civilians to be nothing but side characters.
However...
"If you let the Oceanians kill us here, that Object will then head off and attack nearby villages. How can you be okay with that!?" shouted Quenser.
"We are tracking the Generation 0. 5 with the satellite. This will be the final massacre for the Oceanians. Afterwards, we will finish it off with one of the coalition Objects."
After hearing how readily the man said that, Quenser had the proof he needed.
The Councilor was thinking nothing of justice or peace.
"You two need to realize that you have become dangerous enough that a plan to eliminate you must be carried out even if it requires that level of sacrifice. If it is merely between Objects, war can be carried out smartly. That way, no needless harm will be done. Your hope has gotten in the way of that."
(Yeah fucking right. )
It was true that the winner and loser were decided solely by the Objects in that kind of war. However, that did nothing to eliminate the slaughter of the rest of the soldiers. Quenser and the others had almost been slaughtered when they had lost their Object in Alaska. In the Strait of Gibraltar, all of their bases had been destroyed just because the princess had been a little late. On the battlefield, there was no kind rule that said the rest of the soldiers would be overlooked just because they had lost their Object.
Quenser summed up his thoughts on the Councilor's argument in his next statement.
"Only someone who has never lost could make that argument."
"You only want to protect your own interests, " said Heivia."You just want to hold onto this world where the countries with the most Objects hold all the power. The countries without Objects and the normal soldiers being targeted by an Object all realize there is something wrong with the world. They realize that Objects are nothing but weapons used to slaughter people as efficiently as possible."
The idea that the fight was over before it had even begun was just plain wrong.
It was living human beings that picked up their guns and fought.
No matter how puny they were, they still fought with everything they had.
It was wrong to say they had lost before the fight even began. The world was not so boring that it did not allow for coincidences and unlikely wins.
Councilor Flide was one of the people who had invested massive amounts of money in constructing Objects and made even more money from their victories in wars. His argument was merely the argument of the people like that who wished to keep their important positions in the world.
"Say what you will, " said Councilor Flide in the tone of voice of one who held many Objects in his control and felt untouchable."Either way, you two will die there. We will monitor the Generation 0. 5 as it carries out its attack and send a coalition Object to utterly destroy it. This way this war will end up being what we had originally planned. It will show a cutting edge Object conquering all that gets in our way."
"I see. Then let's make a bet."
Quenser and Heivia both spoke into the radio to pick a fight with the leader of the Legitimacy Kingdom.
"If we lose to the Generation 0. 5, you get what you want."
"But if we win, it's over for you."
Quenser turned off the radio and clicked his tongue.
"Shit, this means we aren't getting reinforcements! There are coalition Objects all across Oceania, and not even one of them is coming!!"
"Hey, Quenser. What about the princess?"
"She might come if we asked, but then the rest of the coalition would be her enemy. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if the Councilor has some kind of safety device installed to keep that from happening."
"Then I guess we have to do this on our own!"
"Yeah, let's make sure to survive at least long enough to get a punch in on that damn Councilor!!"
While hiding behind the building, the two checked on what they had to do.
They knew one thing for sure.
They were not obedient enough soldiers to die there like their leader wanted.
Part 13
However, Quenser and Heivia were not superhuman enough to charge straight at the Object like comic book heroes.
"(I'd feel like an idiot if we got shot just trying to get near it. Heivia, let's take a shortcut through this building to get closer to the Generation 0. 5. )"
"(You can get as close as you want, but how are you going to blow it away?)"
Quenser and Heivia moved along the back wall so the Object would not see them. They finally found the back entrance and it was unlocked. In fact, the door itself had been blown away. It must have been due to the explosion within.
They entered and found a wide, open area.
They were within the Generation 0. 5 Object's maintenance facility.
Everything needed to maintain the giant Object was there, but it was all bent up. Cranes lay collapsed on the ground and meters larger than industrial refrigerators had been discolored by the intense heat. Corpses lay here and there. Lots of corpses. Around 40 people wearing military or work uniforms had been almost completely cooked.
Quenser's feet almost stopped as he entered, but he had no choice but to head on. If he turned back there, the Generation 0. 5 Object would create even more tragic corpses.
"(What are you looking around for, Quenser? Let's go. Or are you that interested in those horrid corpses?)"
"(No, it's just that this is the Generation 0. 5's maintenance facility, so... )"
"(So you're looking for a spare of its main gun or something? Even if we found one, we'd need an energy source to run it with. If a convenient prototype reactor was lying around here somewhere we might manage, but... )"
"(No, I was wondering if the Object's plans might be lying around here somewhere. We might be able to find a weakness if we had those. )"
The two split up and searched through the large maintenance facility.
When they had snuck into the enemy base in Alaska, they had found mountains of static electricity-producing turbines that had turned out to be the Water Strider's weakness. Similarly, they might be able to find a special weakness of the Generation 0. 5 from its spare parts or its plans.
"(Hey, what's the Object doing? It didn't go off to attack a nearby village because it lost sight of us, did it?)"
"(Of course not. I think it's cleaning the mud off its cameras. It seems to be letting it dry and then deflecting the powdered mud away with a negative electric charge. I think it's a similar technique to those masks that don't let pollen near. )"
Heivia peered out through the large open shutter the Object had exited from. A cutting edge Object would have been able to find people in a building with its sensors, but the Generation 0. 5 did not seem to have that functionality.
Most likely, the Oceanians had mostly wanted an Object to show off to the international community as soon as possible, and having it function well in an actual war had been a secondary priority.
"(Hey, do you think this might be what blew up?)" asked Quenser.
Heivia returned from peering outside and found Quenser pointing at some large container-like objects lining one wall of the building. The containers were connected together with thick cables.
"(What are those? Batteries?)"
"(I think they might be giant capacitors. They're probably the external power source they used to interfere with the Generation 0. 5's reactor. They used diesel generators to gather energy, amplified it, and then sent it to the Object. )"
One of the containers had exploded from within. The blast had filled every nook and cranny of the sealed maintenance facility. The people within had had nowhere to run.
However...
"(Hey, does that mean it was this amplifier that exploded and not the Object? In that case, the Object might not actually be damaged at all!!)"
"(Come to think of it, if the blast had originated from the center of the Object, its thick armor should have been buckled outward. Well, we know it isn't going to be easy to take it out, so let's look for the plans in the maintenance computer. )"
"(Damn, I hope the computer wasn't destroyed in the blast. )"
They glanced around the area, but did not see the computer at first.
However, they then noticed the large computer on a second floor passageway hugging the outside wall. To reach it, they would have to climb a flight of stairs that had been almost broken in the blast. Luckily, the computer was located in an area the Generation 0. 5 could not see.
"(This LCD screen has melted. It's useless. )"
"(Here's a usable monitor. Hook up the cable. )"
The computer itself still seemed to be functioning and the Generation 0. 5's maintenance information appeared on the replacement monitor once they hooked it up.
Then Quenser frowned.
"(Huh? This key layout is weird. This isn't shift?)"
"(Tch. They're using a different OS than we use. I think this is an old Information Alliance OS. )"
Quenser had some difficulty operating the computer, but he managed well enough once he realized the major differences. The keyboard was a bit discolored from the heat, but it functioned well enough.
"(Hey, Quenser. We targeted the legs and such on the Water Strider in Alaska and the Tri-Core in Gibraltar, right? Should we try that again?)"
"(From what I can see, the Generation 0. 5 uses steel wheels like a train. The structure is simple enough that there are no real weaknesses to target. )"
"(Wheels? So it doesn't use an air cushion at all? Can that really support a giant Object? Even with giant steel wheels, wouldn't the wheels warp or the axle break?)" asked Heivia.
"(To distribute the weight of the Generation 0. 5, it has around 500 wheels. It's like those torture chairs covered in spikes. If you calmly sit on it, your weight will be distributed enough to avoid getting skewered. )"
"(Yeah, but no one's actually volunteered to prove that, right? I thought it was just an urban legend. )"
"(It was just an example. I'm not telling you to try it out. I have no idea what would happen to you if you did. )"
Theoretically, if they could destroy two thirds of the steel wheels, the rest of them would be crushed under its weight. However, flesh and blood soldiers could not carry that out.
"(We could probably melt the armor with a direct hit from a nuke, but we don't have any of those handy. )"
"(Even with it only being Generation 0. 5, it's still suicide to try to take it on with a frontal assault. We need to find some kind of hole in its defenses we can attack through. Oh... ?)"
Quenser's hands suddenly stopped on the keyboard.
The screen was displaying the inner workings of the device that quickly activated the Object's reactor using an external power supply. It was a new technique that not even the Legitimacy Kingdom military had developed before, but a proper Object kept its reactor running at all times, so it was unnecessary.
"(This is it. Using this is how the Oceanians here were killed by their moronic leader. )"
"(Hey, while its primary use is to start up the reactor with an external battery, it looks like it also emits excess energy to protect the reactor. A device to emit the energy as electrical power has been attached. )"
"(That may have been what failed. Raising the rotation speed is one thing, but it must have gotten too high to control. )"
"(Meaning?)"
"(Meaning control of the reactor may be lost again if another massive dose of electricity is sent into that plug. )"
As he spoke, Quenser moved away from the computer. He looked down from the second story passageway and at the container-shaped capacitors.
Suddenly, the wall right next to the two boys was blown away in a stream of fire.
It was likely from the Generation 0. 5's coilgun.
The holes in the wall moved from right to left... toward Quenser and Heivia. The angle the shells were coming from was odd. The Object must have slowly circled around the building as part of its warm up exercises.
"Get down, Quenser!!"
"You idiot, we'd be killed by the fragments of the wall! Jump down!!"
The two jumped over the railing and down to the first floor. The very next instant, the wall up at the second floor was blow away in a horizontal line. Sparks flew from the large computer and it exploded.
"Shit! I guess we can't look anything else up!"
"We can only try out what we know. Let's get those capacitors up and running!!"
However, they did not have time to do so.
With the wall completely destroyed at the second floor level, the maintenance facility itself had tilted some. However, the Generation 0. 5 seemed dissatisfied with the lack of blood. It fired some more at the building.
Railguns, laser beam cannons, coilguns, and rapid fire beam cannons.
All of its various types of weapons turned the giant maintenance facility to Swiss cheese in no time at all. Quenser and Heivia were unable to move. If they lifted their heads, they would likely be blown away by a giant shell.
Luckily, they were not hit directly by any of the blasts.
However, they heard a dull roar.
The walls had been utterly destroyed and the roof no longer had much support. The giant ceiling came crumbling down, crushing what was left of the walls. It came crashing down straight for Quenser and Heivia who were inside.
"You have got to be kidding me!!"
They had no time to even think about avoiding it.
With a great roar, Quenser's consciousness was mercilessly blown away.
Part 14
Quenser seriously thought his heart had stopped, but apparently it had not.
"(Dammit. Hey, Quenser! Wake up!!)"
"(What? We weren't crushed?)"
"(The roof was supported by multiple columns like a gym and we seem to have managed to get in one of the gaps those created. )"
The roof was cracked enough that they would be able to crawl out.
However, they were not stupid enough to exit without thinking.
At the very least, the Elite piloting the Generation 0. 5 thought Quenser and Heivia were dead. As long as he thought that, he would not continue his attack. Now was their only chance to prepare for their counterattack.
"(But what exactly are we going to do? Him thinking we're dead is great, but he's going to head off and attack the nearby villages at this rate!!)"
"(You saw that firepower. We can't face it head on. The only way is to destroy the reactor via that plug. )"
"(Did you see that firepower!? We won't have time to walk up and plug in the power cable like we're working at a power station for electric cars!! How are we supposed to get close!?)"
"(We just need to get the electricity there without getting close. C'mere. )"
Quenser stuck his head out of the cracked roof.
He could see the giant form of the Object in the dark night. Its 70 odd sub weapons were making slight movements, but it did not seem to be searching for them.
"(Is it continuing its warm up exercises before heading out to attack those villages? God dammit. )"
"(It's possible the reactor is acting up a bit due to being powered up for the first time in 2 years. Let's go. )"
"(Hey, you never told me what your plan is!)"
Quenser climbed up out of the cracked roof and crawled along it. He wanted to move more quickly, but that would have caused too much noise. If the Object noticed them, it was all over.
Luckily, the cameras were the Object's only major sensors. It had poor reception of sound. The fact that the cameras numbered in the 70s was a problem, but they could escape the Elite's notice by blending in with the darkness of the night.
Quenser eventually reached what had originally been the maintenance facility's wall.
There, the large container-shaped capacitors were lined up. Most of them had been crushed by the roof, but a few were still functioning.
Heivia crawled up shortly thereafter and whispered to Quenser.
"(Are you seriously planning to take that cable and charge in at the Generation 0. 5!? You'll die!!)"
"(That's not my plan. Hey, is there any water around here? Even just a storage tank or a fire hydrant would work. I just need enough water to create a pool on the ground!!)"
"(What are you talking abou-... Wait, you mean... !?)"
"(Exactly. The torn power cable connected to that plug is dragging along the ground. If we create a huge puddle of water and run the electricity through it, it'll pass through that cable and into the Generation 0. 5's reactor!!)"
Suddenly, they heard a sound coming from the Generation 0. 5's main gun.
"It noticed us!!"
"Quenser, over there! There's a water storage tank!!"
It must have wanted to finish them off with its main gun because the Generation 0. 5 was going out of its way to turn around.
Meanwhile, Quenser stabbed an electronic fuse into some Hand Axe and threw it as hard as he could in the direction Heivia was pointing.
A rusted water storage tank lay in that direction. Instead of being located on the building's roof, it was on top of its own steel tower.
Just as the bomb was about to strike the tank, Quenser sent the detonation signal.
With a loud roar, the tank ruptured and the steel tower itself collapsed.
However...
"It was empty!! Was that just part of the dummy facility disguise!?"
"!!"
Meanwhile, the Generation 0. 5 Object had finished turning their way.
With a slight creaking noise, the main coilgun finished its last bit of careful aiming.
They were doomed.
At the same time, the steel tower struck the ground. The tower had merely been a fake to fool the satellites, but the impact of it striking the ground tore up the earth below it. Dust flew into the air and dirt flew above Quenser and Heivia's heads.
However, that was not all.
It must have burst a water pipe buried in the ground. A pillar of water erupted from the ground. It could not have been a normal water pipe. The water erupted a few dozen meters up into the air and rained down on the entire area.
(Was that an industrial water pipeline? Did they use a machine tool that used water to cut out the parts for the Object?)
Really, Quenser did not particularly care what they had used it for.
A great amount of water rained down on the ground, connecting the cable hanging down from the Generation 0. 5's body with the large capacitors in the crushed building.
"Ruuunnnn!!" shouted Quenser as he turned from the Object and ran.
Heivia followed just behind him.
They were not fleeing from the Generation 0. 5's coilgun.
That was not something they could escape from on foot.
They were fleeing from the quickly expanding pool of water.
And then a clear path was created between the crushed building and the Generation 0. 5.
Immediately afterwards, they heard a great explosive noise.
At first, Quenser thought the ground had exploded in brilliant light.
However, that was not what had happened. The massive amount of electrical power stored up in the large capacitors had spread through the pool on the ground. In an instant, it had raced 200 meters across the ground and directly to the Generation 0. 5.
The target was the power cable dragging along the ground. Twenty or thirty percent of the high voltage current entered the Object and forcibly activated the laser emitters used to heat the reactor.
The main body of the Object seemed to swell from the inside.
However, Quenser did not have time to keep watching.
Heivia tackled him to the ground and covered both his eyes with his hand.
"You idiot! You'll go blind!!"
Just before Quenser managed to grasp what Heivia meant, he heard a loud roar.
At the same time, a brilliant flash of light stabbed into his retinas despite Heivia's hand covering his eyes. His vision and his consciousness were filled with nothing but pure white. An intense pain stabbed through his ears and into the center of his head. He then thought he felt a liquid oozing back out. He didn't know where he was hurt, but he must have been bleeding.
He had no idea how long it took for his vision to recover.
It was possible he had lost consciousness a few times before it happened.
He was not even sure of that.
"Quenser! Open your eyes, Quenser!"
As Heivia shook him, Quenser finally opened his eyes.
He could vaguely see Heivia's face.
"The Generation 0. 5? What happened to it... ?"
"Take a look, " said Heivia as he pointed with this chin.
Quenser looked over and saw the Oceanian Object ripped open from the inside. The spherical body had folded outward like a blooming flower, and its 70 odd guns were scattered about and stabbed into the ground. Due to the explosion of the reactor, the huge pool of water was gone. It had all been evaporated. The eruption of water from the ruptured industrial water pipeline had stopped. It was possible the ruptured portion had melted and sealed once more.
There was no question what had happened to the foolish leader piloting the Object.
Even if he had used an escape device, he would have been roasted in the air as he floated down in a parachute.
"It's over."
"Yeah. This isn't just an issue of an Object or two. The war in Oceania is now over."
The two sat there blankly for a bit, but they finally stood up.
Then, not one, but both of them said, "Now let's do something about that damn Councilor."
| ← Ch. 005 | Ch. 007 → |