novelIn a Cavalry Battle, Destroy Your Opponent's Footing >> Total War in Amazon City (2)
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As Heivia was muttering that, a transmission came in from Froleytia.
"All units, hurry up in this pursuit!! The situation has begun to change. If we do not take out Sladder Honeysuckle right away, the flames of war could spread!!"
"Froleytia?" Quenser looked confused, but then he recalled what he had to do."I know how Honeysuckle and the others are going to escape. Most likely, they're using the subway tunnels! They're setting up spare cannons around the city to buy time while they use the subway to escape while hidden from the satellites!!"
"Sorry, but that's wrong, Quenser. This isn't going to be so easy, " replied Froleytia without a second's delay."The Mass Driver conglomerate hopes to defect to the Information Alliance. If we do nothing, the Information Alliance will advance into the Amazon district in order to 'rescue those who wish to seek refuge'. Apparently, the defection has already been officially recognized. In their opinion, it is wrong for Honeysuckle to not be with the Information Alliance."
"You mean..."
"They really do intend to put up their final fight here!! If we do nothing, the Information Alliance will be here with an Object and all its strength as a world power, so they just have to hold out until then!! Dammit! It really is a simple plan on their part!!"
"That's crazy..." groaned Heivia.
Protecting refugees who had already safely crossed the national border was one thing, but Quenser had never heard of a country crossing national borders like this to rescue someone who technically belonged to an enemy nation. If this kind of thing was permissible, national boundaries would lose all meaning.
But...
"Heivia, you saw how they used their Object, right? They must really want that technology. And the Legitimacy Kingdom and Information Alliance are already in conflict. If things between us are so bad they can hardly get worse, advancing into one of our countries isn't completely out of the question for them."
"That's right, Quenser, " said Froleytia."Also, the Capitalist Corporations fear their Object technology will be leaked to the Information Alliance if Honeysuckle defects. If the Information Alliance military does advance into the Amazon district, the Capitalist Corporations military is prepared to send an Object of their own into the Amazon district to stop this defection at all costs."
"Seriously? This was bad enough with just two sides!" Heivia shouted.
If what Froleytia said was true, the Amazon district could turn into a hell in which Objects from four different forces clashed: The Legitimacy Kingdom, the Information Alliance, the Capitalist Corporations, and the Mass Driver conglomerate. Only ruins were left of Amazon City, but it was possible everything within those national boundaries could be swallowed up by a storm of destruction if the flames of war spread. This would of course affect the civilians as well as the soldiers.
Quenser frantically opened his mouth."I-if that happens, how many Objects will there be here!? Will we get reinforcements!? Will we gather all our Objects in the Amazon district!?"
"They're all either tied up in other operations or undergoing maintenance. Either way, this is not a situation where we can count on reinforcements. If we had Objects to spare, we would not have used the princess's Object in its damaged state."
"Could this be any worse... ?" muttered Heivia.
Froleytia must have agreed because her tone was one of annoyance.
"That's why we need to crush Honeysuckle as quickly as possible so we can end this on our own. If the Mass Driver conglomerate is completely destroyed, the Information Alliance will lose its reason to interfere. That will in turn take away the Capitalist Corporations' reason. If we can't do that, we will be the ones cornered. You know what condition the Baby Magnum is in, right?"
"Dammit. This is bad, Quenser, " groaned Heivia.
The princess's Object had been heavily damaged in the battle with the Break Carrier. And it had been sent here before receiving proper repairs. It was more than enough firepower to take care of the remnants of the conglomerate, but not so much when it came to a clash against cutting edge Objects sent in by other world powers. If her Object was at 100%, the outcome would have been unknown, but it was obvious what would happen in this damaged state.
Quenser felt like his vision was going dark, but he forced his dizzy head to start working again.
"Froleytia, what's the time limit? Do we know how long we have until the Information Alliance military is coming?"
"We don't have any real information on their timetable. However, they have no reason to wait around. If it was me, I would head out as soon as possible. The satellites have confirmed the Information Alliance is constructing temporary prefab buildings on the border of our Amazon district and their Parima district. That is likely their Object's maintenance base zone. Once that is complete, they will likely send their cutting edge Object across the border." Froleytia must have been tapping her fingers on her desk because a slight tapping noise could be heard as she carefully chose her words."The base zone will likely be complete in 2 hours. If we do not crush the Mass Driver conglomerate and kill Sladder Honeysuckle in that time, both the Information Alliance and the Capitalist Corporations will invade."
"Shit!!" swore Heivia."If the Mass Driver conglomerate has a second Object hidden somewhere, our odds would normally be 50/50 at best! But now that we have to rush this, we could make a fatal mistake!!"
"Hey, Heivia. Since they were going to use a spare railgun here, that means they have an Object to power it, right?" Quenser checked around the partially set up railgun."If we follow the power cable, we might find the Object."
"Well, we need to hurry it up. Even if we find their Object, who knows if we can deal with it in such a short time!!"
However, that work was rendered needless.
They heard a heavy explosion in the distance. The low rumbling resounded deep in their guts as, a few kilometers away, gray dust shot up behind the intervening buildings.
"Wh-what!?"
"Quenser, Heivia!" shouted Froleytia."Get away from there!! The Mass Driver conglomerate has made its move! They've used explosives to blow a huge hole in the roof of the underground mall!!"
"What... ?"
Heivia was confused, but Quenser pulled out his handheld device and called up the satellite map. Quenser was left speechless, so he could not explain what he was seeing, but Froleytia's pressured voice continued from the radio.
"They're doing the same thing as in Antarctica or on the Iguazu district coast. It's a spare Object cannon. But this one is different! They're using a spare of the high power railgun used as the Break Carrier's main cannon!!"
"... !!"
The two boys were frozen in shock.
That demonic cannon had pierced straight through an Object in a single shot from 500 kilometers away. If that was fired, the princess's Object could be taken out instantly, not to mention the soldiers like Quenser and Heivia.
"What do we do, Quenser!?"
"We can still make it in time..." Quenser grabbed his radio while frantically keeping in mind the map that was about to disappear."Baby Magnum!! The cannon is just over 3000 meters away! That's well within range of your main cannons! Take it out before it takes you out!!"
She must have been thinking the same thing because the princess immediately took action.
Several buildings stood between the Baby Magnum and the high power railgun. Even if the princess fired a main cannon there, the obstacles would very likely alter the trajectory of her shots. However, the Break Carrier's main cannon held enough destructive force to fly in a straight line while ignoring the obstacles.
She could not do it there.
The princess came to that conclusion and then began moving her Object in a sideward slide. She was moving in a large circle with her target in the center. Once she reached the straight highway, there would be no obstacles. If she fired her low-stability plasma cannons or something then, she could finish it off.
But...
"... !?"
A gasp came from the princess over the radio.
Either due to the Object's sudden movement or due to natural deterioration, one of the nearby buildings had suddenly fallen over. Quenser and Heivia frantically fled into a back alley to avoid getting hit by the debris. The 10 story building had broken in half at the center and fallen into the road. The mountain of concrete acted as a giant barricade.
A tsunami of dust swallowed up Quenser and Heivia a few seconds later.
"Ugh... cough!? Heivia, Heivia!?"
"Quenser, don't move!!"
Quenser could not see, but he could tell Heivia's voice was coming from an unnatural direction.
It was coming from directly below.
"The shock of the building collapsing caused the back alley to collapse. If you aren't careful, you'll be headed straight to the underground mall!!" From the sound of Heivia's voice, he likely had not received any serious injuries in the fall."I can't climb back up from here. I'll search for a different exit, so don't you die before we can meet up again!!"
He said nothing more.
Most likely, he had left just as he had said he would.
Quenser was worried about Heivia, but he had other concerns. He altered his focus and spoke into his radio.
"Cough, cough. Baby Magnum! How are things on your end!?"
"I cannot get over the rubble!! At this rate... !!"
As he listened to the princess's bitter voice, the dust finally cleared up. While paying careful attention to his footing, Quenser ran out. As he headed for the Baby Magnum, he pulled out some Hand Axe plastic explosive, but he stopped moving before he could stab the electric fuse in.
It was too much.
The mountain of concrete blocking the road was nearly 10 meters tall. With that much, a single combat engineer did not have enough explosives to blow it all up.
"Baby Magnum! Can you blow away the wreckage with your main cannons!?"
"Not from here... !"
"Then try moving back a bit and-... !!"
Having realized something, Quenser trailed off.
The Baby Magnum's propulsion device was primarily located on a reverse Y-shaped part extending below the spherical main body. The bottom of that part produced massive amounts of static electricity to make the giant Object hover. Then laser reflection was used to rapidly expand the air and move it forward. However...
"Shit. Are the 'legs' trapped in the rubble!?"
"Quenser, you don't have to blow it all up. Could you just take care of the rubble that is keeping me from moving?"
"I'll try!!"
Quenser looked up at the rubble that had piled up like a mountain. It did indeed seem simpler to use the explosives rather than trying to move the rubble. However, there was no guarantee that it would free the Baby Magnum. It was possible that removing that portion of the rubble would only cause more to slide down and trap it once more.
All the while, the Mass Driver conglomerate high power railgun would be rotating its barrel their way.
Quenser grabbed at the rubble that looked like a stone wall destroyed in an earthquake.
"What will you do once you get your 'legs' out of this rubble!? Can you go around another way!?"
"There are not many paths large enough for an Object, so I would have to go well out of my way... !!"
"Shit, " swore Quenser as he tried to climb up to a spot where he could set up a bomb. To blow away the rubble holding down the reverse Y-shaped propulsion device, he had to climb up over 7 meters.
However, he could not do it.
The mountain of rubble was not a single piece of rock like the cliffs rock climbers loved. The concrete he grabbed as a handhold crumbled and Quenser fell back down to the road.
"Quenser!!"
"Dammit. Would it be faster to just throw the bomb up there!?"
The destructive power of a bomb changed depending on how it was set up. To destroy such a large amount of rubble, it would be more effective to bury the bomb in the rubble than to just place the bomb on top. He was unsure if he even had enough to blow it all away under the best conditions, so he could not be negligent in how he used the explosives.
"Quenser go into the building to your left. It would be quickest if you climbed onto a protrusion of the rubble from a 3rd story window and then climbed down!"
"Shit. Do I have time to do that!?"
Quenser got up and ran into the building as he gritted his teeth. There was a large area inside. The first few floors created an atrium.
And then he was left speechless once more.
He could of course not use the elevator, but the escalator used in place of stairs had crumbled partway up. He could not reach the third floor.
(Is there... Is there an emergency staircase somewhere!?)
Quenser looked around, but he was in such a rush that he found nothing.
Three thousand meters away, the Mass Driver conglomerate Object might have been beginning to send out its targeting signal.
But then...
"This is Burning Alpha calling Baby Magnum. From what I can hear, you seem to be in trouble. I have a 500 kilo bomb here, so do you need me to drop it on top of that rubble?"
Quenser was left in shock at that transmission from the fighter flying through the sky.
It would be great if he could use that huge bomb, but in all likelihood he could not. The odds were good he would be shot down by the Mass Driver conglomerate's anti-aircraft fire before he was able to drop the bomb.
Quenser frantically grabbed his radio and said, "Burning Alpha! A spare Object cannon has been confirmed to be operational in the ruins of Amazon City!! They likely have anti-air lasers, too! Get out of here! If you fly in here, you'll be shot down in no time at all!!"
"I know that, baby!" The fighter pilot smiled as he replied to Quenser."That just means I have to choose a course that won't let it get a lock."
Part 8
With the partially set up railgun and the spare Break Carrier main cannon hidden in the underground area prepared, it was highly likely that the anti-air laser beam cannons equipped on Objects were set up in the ruins of Amazon City as well.
Normally, a fighter had no way of resisting anti-air lasers that flew at the speed of light.
The instant after a lock was made with electromagnetic or infrared targeting, the aircraft made of composite materials would explode. The pilot would not even have time to pull the ejection lever.
However, there were a few exceptions to this.
The first was to use jamming devices, chaff, or flares to prevent the Object from getting a lock. Since Objects used multiple methods of gaining a lock, this was not always successful. But with some luck, the fighter could escape for a few seconds or even a few dozen seconds.
The second was to fly at an exceedingly low altitude.
Lasers were made of light. At low altitudes, there was a lot of dust in the air, so the power would often decay and the trajectory would often be thrown slightly off. Above asphalt, the urban heat island phenomenon could even cause mirages, so the odds shot up that the laser would miss its target. However, flying at low altitude was no guarantee of safety, so the fighter usually flew at full speed.
However...
That meant it would be flying at over 1200 kph through a city riddled with countless buildings and complexly crisscrossing power lines.
Staccato Raylong, the Legitimacy Kingdom pilot codenamed Burning Alpha, poured all his concentration into his right hand gripping the control column.
He was only 5 meters off the ground. The shockwave created by flying at supersonic speeds blew away trees growing from the cracks in the city, but Staccato did not have time to notice.
Mach 1 or 1200 kph meant he travelled more than 300 meters every second. As he travelled down the center of the straight highway, he occasionally turned his fighter so that the main wings created a vertical line in order to cut between buildings and occasionally flew beneath rusted pedestrian bridges. All the while, he flew through the ruined city at tremendous speed.
(This is practically suicide. )
A large building drew closer and closer.
The building grew to fill his vision like a giant monster opening its maw to devour him. This time, he could not avoid it.
(Unfortunately, it's my love for this kind of thing that led me to becoming a pilot!!)
The small delta wing fighter flew straight on.
However, it did not crash.
The building had lost all of its windows, and the fighter flew in at the 4th floor. It flew across that entire floor and back out through a window on the other side.
The small fighter Staccato was piloting was used on assault landing aircraft carriers. The runway it had to land on was 150 meters long. That was about half the length of the runway on old style aircraft carriers. For that reason, the small delta wing fighters Staccato and the other pilots used had several sensors on the bottom to accurately measure the distance to the ground or the runway.
Staccato was using those sensors.
Before flying into the city, he had fired a laser in a completely straight line to confirm he had a straight shot through. That included the path through the building.
However, flying through the building was close to acrobatics because the floor and ceiling drew as close as 50 cm away at the tightest point. He placed his faith in the sensors that drew accurate information on his location from the surroundings shooting by at high speed and boldly charged straight through the empty building without hesitation. If he had not had the piloting skill to control his position down to the millimeter, he would have immediately slammed into the side of the building.
No sane person would have attempted it.
However, Staccato opened the throttle up even more with a savage smile on his lips. He lit the afterburners to truly bring out the fighter's full speed.
His reason was simple.
(Objects rule the battlefield. There aren't many places left for fighters to shine. )
As Staccato gathered information from both his vision and from the sensors, he piloted the fighter with frightening accuracy.
(Sometimes, I want to play the lead role!!)
Staccato flew through several empty buildings at supersonic speed and then felt as if his vision had suddenly expanded.
Before him was one of the giant Objects that symbolized war. Below the Object was a veritable mountain of rubble.
Staccato used a fingertip to release the safety on the 500 kilogram bomb.
They would only cross paths for an instant.
Staccato dropped the bomb directly above the rubble, but it felt more like he was placing it in the air than dropping it.
Part 9
While Quenser was looking around the abandoned building for a usable emergency staircase, the small delta-winged fighter passed by above him in an instant.
The fighter flew in through a window that was missing its glass, through the fourth floor portion of the atrium, and out the other side.
Immediately afterwards, the shockwave of supersonic speeds knocked Quenser over three meters through the air. The pain shooting from his ears and deep into his head was worse than the pain of landing back on the ground. Quenser almost cried out in pain, but he did not have time.
Outside.
At the very top of the mountain of rubble blocking the Baby Magnum's path.
Something was floating a mere 2 meters above it. No, it was falling. The object was a giant capsule about 3 meters long and made of black, shining steel. If what Burning Alpha had said was true...
(That's a 500 kilo bomb!?)
With that realization, Quenser forced his body up even as it rolled across the floor and then leaped into the staircase leading to the abandoned building's basement.
Immediately afterwards, there was a brilliant flash of light and all noise disappeared.
A tremendous blast of wind rushed through aboveground. Even after fleeing to the basement, Quenser's body was knocked a few meters by the shockwave. However, that was better than the alternative. A great amount of rubble poured down from the floor above and landed in the spot he had been in a split second before.
He could not even hear a ringing in his ears.
Quenser placed a hand against the wall, walked along the rubble, and climbed up to the surface through a hole in the ceiling that had already been there due to deterioration. He left the building through a nearby back entrance.
"Dammit. Was that pilot trying to kill me!?"
The mountain of rubble had been piled up almost 10 meters high, but it had been blown away without a trace. Baby Magnum could freely move once more. However, the surrounding buildings had begun to collapse due to the blast. The princess's Object moved before the rubble could block her path once more.
"I am going to fire a low-stability plasma cannon, so get down, Quenser!!" said the Princess over the radio.
In order to avoid putting herself in the sights of the enemy and to gain a straight line-of-sight path to the enemy, she moved the Baby Magnum in a giant circle with the high power railgun 3000 meters away at the center.
It took about 5 seconds to reach the giant bypass.
Three of the princess's 7 main cannons had been destroyed in the battle with the Break Carrier. She moved the remaining 4 main cannon arms to accurately aim.
At that moment, a chill ran down Quenser's back.
Something wasn't adding up.
The Break Carrier's main cannon was indeed powerful. That had been proven when it had destroyed a cutting edge Object in one shot at a distance of 500 kilometers when the target had been moving at high speed. It was quite a threat even while not installed on an Object.
However...
(Can a cannon with that much power really be fixed to the ground?)
Objects were equipped with over 100 weapons both large and small. The ones used in Antarctica or on the Iguazu district coast had been the smaller models of railguns. And yet they were still large enough to require anchors over 10 meters long to be stabbed into the ground.
So how long an anchor would be required for a main cannon of monstrous size that fired at Mach 25 and could destroy an Object in a single shot? And could they even get something like that?
(Don't tell me... )
Quenser's head was still swimming a bit thanks to the shockwave of that 500 kilo bomb, but the fear welling up within him forced in some clarity.
(Don't tell me... this is a trap!)
Quenser moved his aching body and looked in the direction of the princess's Object.
At that point, Quenser had already abandoned the possibility that the Mass Driver conglomerate had a mysterious second Object. If they did, they would not use the Break Carrier's high power railgun like that. It would be more effective to install it on the other Object.
That meant the Mass Driver conglomerate did not have an Object.
But something had supplied that massive power in Antarctica and the Iguazu district coast.
When it came down to it, the source of that power was quite simple.
(A prototype reactor!!)
Quenser gritted his teeth and grabbed his radio.
A prototype reactor was created to ensure the JPlevelMHD reactor that was the heart of an Object was constructed properly. Most likely, the dozen or so meter prototype reactor had been placed aboard a submarine or something and had been supplying power to the railguns with power cables stretching up from the sea.
"Baby Magnum..."
And...
The enemy's intention here...
Was to force the high power railgun to move despite the fact that they could not fire it...
To draw the princess out to the easiest point to destroy the high power railgun from.
And the most efficient way to use that treasured prototype reactor of theirs was...
"The enemy railgun is a trap!! A prototype reactor is likely hidden underground!! They're going to intentionally make it go critical to blow away the Object!!"
On the other end of the transmission, the princess froze up as she operated the Baby Magnum.
However, she had no time.
If the reverse Y-shaped propulsion device had been at 100% and she could use the static electricity and lasers to their fullest, she might have been able to avoid it.
However, that was not the case.
A giant explosion erupted below the princess's Object.
Part 10
A bit before the prototype reactor explosion, Froleytia was sitting in her commander's office with a bitter expression.
The expression was caused by the laptop sitting atop a short table. A video chat window was open, but she was no longer speaking with Major General Buffer Planters of the Capitalist Corporations. She was speaking with someone who was even more of a pain to deal with.
Lieutenant Colonel Lendy Farolito of the Information Alliance military.
She was a brown skinned woman of about 20 who had silver hair. From the medals on her chest, it seemed she had spent an even longer time on the battlefield than Froleytia who had worked her way up from being a child soldier.
"Let me be blunt. We have no interest in whether Sladder Honeysuckle survives. We merely want the technological information he possesses. It just so happens that the most efficient way to get it is to support his defection."
"And if you send an Object across national boundaries and into our Amazon district to do that, you will be causing a war on all sides. This is no mere skirmish. This could lead to our home countries being targeted. Do you understand that? Is this really that valuable to you?"
"There are a few different ways of avoiding that. For example, you could attack the Mass Driver conglomerate base yourself and hand over any data on Honeysuckle's technology that you might find. I believe that would solve this problem."
"... Do you really think the Capitalist Corporations would go along with that?"
"No." The image of Lendy on the screen smiled."But such trivial matters are none of our concern. Even if war breaks out between the Legitimacy Kingdom and the Capitalist Corporations, that does not affect us in the Information Alliance any."
"I suppose not, " agreed Froleytia.
But that was exactly why she had no duty to cooperate with them.
"What is it you are prepared to go this far to get?" asked Froleytia.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It is true the high power railgun that acts as the main cannon of the Break Carrier – that is, the Mass Driver conglomerate Object – is powerful. Its construction likely requires the application of the mass driver which is a crystallization of space development technology. However, it would be in the format of the Capitalist Corporations military. It may not conform to the standards and compatibility of an Information Alliance Object. Is it really worth going this far for?"
"You misunderstand. It is not that high power railgun we are after."
"?"
"This is the 'Mass Driver' conglomerate we are talking about. What we want is space launch technology. Many agencies and organizations are continuing research into the construction of electromagnetic space development bases. However, due to a lack of technology, a lack of development funds, a lack of safety, and unease due to the worldwide format shifting toward laser space elevators, they have all come to a standstill. We can create railguns as weapons, but we cannot use that technology to create mass drivers that can safely, cheaply, and stably transport goods and personnel. It is rather ironic." Lendy spoke smoothly."Currently, no one but that conglomerate has successfully mass produced them on a practical level. It would be such a shame to let that technology die out. We respect their technological culture and have determined it to be worthy of preserving. That is why we are gladly accepting Honeysuckle's defection after he tried and failed to get that mass driver technology adopted."
Froleytia frowned at the Information Alliance lieutenant colonel's words.
What she was saying was odd.
"Are you trying to confuse me? I thought the Information Alliance's new shuttles used laser space elevators just like ours. Gaining that railgun-focused mass driver technology will serve you no purpose."
"Yes, for now." The silver-haired brown woman named Lendy Farolito's words seemed to hold deep meaning."At the moment, laser space elevators are the more efficient method. However, we have no idea how long that established theory will last.... It is not unusual for weaknesses and problems to be discovered in such things. If we have no alternative once that happens, we will be in trouble. That is what the mass driver technology is for."
"..."
Froleytia remained silent.
There was some sense to what the other woman said.
However...
"You are willing to take actions that have a 100% chance of causing a war in order to resolve a problem that may or may not ever even occur?"
"Yes, " replied Lendy without hesitation."When you have a weapons development race, it seems you scrap the loser. However, we find that to be too much of a waste. If the two technologies rival each other, it is best to preserve both of them. And we do not merely store the data away. We preserve even the familiarity with the technology on the worker's fingertips. That way the information is 'alive' and can be used at any time."
"..."
"That massive and overwhelming collection of data may seem meaningless at first glance, but it serves to protect us from unforeseen worldwide trouble. If you loathe wasting bullets and hold back on your barrage of the enemy, you cannot stop the enemy's advance. Even if it is meaningless at first, the thicker that barrage becomes, the safer we are."
"Perfect browsing... ?" muttered Froleytia in annoyance.
The Information Alliance was trying to create a system that would display how to resolve a worldwide crisis just by typing a string of text into a search engine.
"However, you will lose any reason to go ahead with that plan of yours if you lose the ability to take in Sladder Honeysuckle, " said Froleytia."This will all be over if we kill Honeysuckle and destroy the Mass Driver conglomerate's data before the Information Alliance Object being prepared on the Parima district border is ready. If you are sure to gain the mass driver technology, that is one thing. However, I doubt your superiors will approve a mission that will cause a war if the odds of acquiring the desired information are exceedingly low."
"True, " admitted Lieutenant Colonel Lendy Farolito. However, her smile remained as she continued."But can you really do that?"
"..."
"If Sladder Honeysuckle were to destroy the Legitimacy Kingdom Object, you would have nothing left to stop our advance."
After ending the transmission with the Legitimacy Kingdom, Lendy Farolito sank down in the sofa. The Parima district was also just below the equator, so it was hotter than 30 degrees. Those who were not an officer like her were likely dripping with sweat due to having to work without air conditioning.
Lendy got up from the sofa and pulled some brandy out from a small refrigerator similar to those in hotels. She used her brown fingers to pour the liquid in a large glass while using voice recognition mode to connect to the maintenance base zone's hangar.
Her question was straight and to the point.
"How much longer until our Generation 2 Gatling 033 can head out?"
"I can be out there annihilating anything and everything in another half hour. Oh ho ho."
Part 11
He thought his body had been roasted from the inside.
Lying on his back, Quenser tried to groan, but no sound whatsoever escaped his lips. His throat was oddly dry. An afterimage seemed to cover his vision in a white screen and it would not go away. Intense pain ran through his ears and he did not even hear a ringing.
The LED on his radio was blinking.
After a few seconds, Quenser was finally able to hear the sound.
His brain sent a signal to his fingers and he grabbed the radio from the ground with motions reminiscent of a poorly-made robot. He did his best to move his cracked lips.
"... Are you... okay? For an instant, it almost looked like the Object was floating..."
"How are you Quenser?"
"I somehow managed... to avoid getting roasted like in a grill where the flame is too high..."
He of course should have been killed instantly.
However, the prototype reactor placed beneath the princess's Object had been set so the blast would travel upwards. The same was done for normal bombs. Depending on how the bomb was set, the destructive force would change. To destroy a more solid target, a cup-shaped metal plate would be placed around the bomb to focus the blast on a single point.
Of course, no normal metal plate could do anything to alter a blast from a prototype reactor going critical.
(Did they use a spare piece of Object onion armor?)
"Everything below me was completely taken out, so I can't move, " said the princess.
"Dammit. So the blast took out the entire propulsion device. Does that mean we have to put together a plan that only uses your cannons?"
"No, the countdown has begun."
"The countdown?"
"The system has determined it needs to prevent the enemy from capturing the Object. I am working to cancel the command, but I do not think I can keep up with the speed of the system."
"A self destruct system... !?"
When the giant weapons known as Objects were being used, one thing had to be avoided at all costs: letting the enemy capture one of your Objects and analyzing the technology. The princess's Object had a self destruct system installed to prevent that from happening.
The system would gauge the damage done and make the decision automatically to account for the possibility of the pilot Elite being knocked unconscious.
The princess had said she could not stop it.
At the current rate, the Baby Magnum would explode. The explosion would likely cover even more distance than the one from the prototype reactor. The blast from a bomb on the surface would spread farther than one buried underground.
And then the princess added, "Pattern B does not activate the self destruct."
"What do you mean?"
Apparently, the automatic anti-capture safety system had a few different levels. If the program determined that nothing at all could be done, the Object would be blown up from the inside as soon as the Elite was ejected in order to prevent the leakage of technological information. However, Pattern B did not go that far.
Pattern B only ejected the pilot Elite. After that, the humans could decide if the Elite would pilot an identical model or successor Object or if the damaged Object would be recovered and repaired. If the situation worsened and it seemed the enemy would capture the Object after all, the Elite could send a commander class signal to blow up the Object remotely. Normally, the Object shut out external signals to prevent hacking, but the numerous hatches were opened in an emergency. This allowed a radio signal to reach it.
After explaining all that, the princess said, "I'm sorry, Quenser. I knew losing the Object here would put a major burden on you and the others, and yet..."
"I-it's okay. We're the ones that made you fight despite the damage done by the Break Carrier. You don't need to worry about it."
Despite what Quenser said, he could not hide his unease.
Objects were synonymous with war.
Everyone knew how much more likely soldiers were to die once theirs was lost.
The Mass Driver conglomerate had been fighting with a prototype reactor rather than a 2nd Object, but they could not let their guard down. Without their Object, they would be forced into a war between flesh and blood soldiers. They had no idea who would win in such a conflict.
And it was also possible cutting edge Objects would be coming in from the Information Alliance and the Capitalist Corporations. If that happened, they had no way of winning without an Object of their own.
Quenser placed a hand on the wall and slowly stood up.
(This means we really do have to end this as quickly as possible. We need to incapacitate the Mass Driver conglomerate to prevent anyone else from joining the fray... )
"At any rate, we need to get away from here. It'll eject you automatically, right? Can you send your estimated landing point to my handheld device? That way I can meet up with you as quickly as possible."
"I'm sending it to you now. I will be ejected in 700 seconds."
Hearing that, Quenser pulled out his handheld device. He then ran in the direction of the princess's estimated landing point. The course took him right by the side of the Object.
The cityscape had been utterly destroyed for about 200 meters in every direction from the Object. The asphalt had been ripped up and the empty buildings had collapsed. One building was tilted to the side. It was only still partially upright because the princess's Object was supporting it. The bottom half of the Baby Magnum's spherical body had melted.
(I should ask for help from the other soldiers. )
Quenser made his request in a businesslike manner over the radio.
The ruins of Amazon City were huge. The soldiers had been spread throughout the entirety of the city and would contact the princess's Object if they discovered enemy soldiers or important facilities. That way the Object could immediately attack. That meant the soldiers were very spread out. At the very least, Quenser saw no sign of other Legitimacy Kingdom soldiers as far as he could see.
He sent his request, but he doubted any reinforcements would arrive any time soon.
He had also received no word from Heivia after the other boy had fallen down through the cracks and into the underground mall. Since the prototype reactor had been set up underground, that silence was not exactly comforting.
(Dammit, this gives me a bad feeling. That bastard had better not have gotten himself killed. )
Due to his previous experiences, Quenser had one fear.
A pilot Elite that had lost her Object became a top priority target for the enemy troops. Whether any Objects of same or similar models existed or not, the possibility that the Elite could pilot another Object made it crucial to eliminate her immediately.
And...
The Mass Driver conglomerate had calculated everything out beforehand so the princess's Object would be destroyed at that exact point.
(They don't have an anti-aircraft gun or something set up at the point they expect her to land after ejecting, do they!?)
With that thought in mind, Quenser ran as quickly as he could. As he did, he naturally looked up at the majestic Object. The princess would be shot diagonally up in a parabola from the upper back portion of the spherical body.
But...
(What is that?)
Quenser stopped running and froze up in shock.
(There's something spread across blocking the ejection point!? What is it? A... steel net?)
Normally, Objects had several anti-air lasers used to accurately shoot down fighters or ballistic missiles. However, that prototype reactor explosion had just occurred. While it had robbed the princess of her senses like a stun grenade, someone may have fired a bazooka to place that net there.
The net would not do any damage to the Object.
In fact, it was likely a weapon meant to capture people, not kill them.
However...
(It's blocking... the ejection point?)
Quenser pulled out a small pair of binoculars and checked on the area around the ejection point.
The net was attached so that it dug into the ejection point hatch. This made the automatically opening hatch unable to open.
An Object was 50 meters across.
The long ramp leading from the center to the ejection point automatically moved the Elite at extremely high speed. But if the hatch did not open at the end...
(She'll run into it at over 100 kph!?)
"Wait a second, princess! Can you stop the ejection countdown!?"
"?"
"Someone has intentionally blocked the hatch! If the ejection system activates now, you'll be slammed into a thick steel plate!!"
He heard her gasp.
Most likely, she did not have time to stop the automatically determined course of action.
"Shit!!"
Quenser clicked his tongue and started running again.
He felt heat on his skin as he approached the center of the blast.
The prototype reactor explosion had caused many buildings to collapse. One of those buildings was leaning diagonally against the Baby Magnum. Quenser charged into the building, leapt into an elevator shaft that no longer had a door, and ran through the leaning building. Luckily, the shaft's wall had plenty of uneven portions due to metal beams and the like, so it functioned similar to a staircase with the building tilted.
The countdown continued.
Only a few minutes remained until the ejection.
Quenser reached for the bag on his back and pulled out a rectangular plastic explosive. He stabbed an electric fuse into the Hand Axe.
Just as he was moving to switch the radio channel for the detonation, he heard a violent clanking noise come from the speaker.
The cockpit's automatic ejection system had activated.
There were a few dozen meters to the ejection point, but that distance would be covered in only a few seconds. And once she reached there, it was all over. She would collide with the metal plate at over 100 kph.
At that same time, Quenser saw what functioned as an exit to the tunnel. It was originally where the elevator opened up onto the roof of the building, but it was missing its door.
But he was not going to make it.
He could see the exit, but it would take him too long to reach it.
(Dammit... )
"Make iiiitttt!!" screamed Quenser as he threw the plastic explosive as hard as he could. It flew through the rectangular exit and left Quenser's vision.
It was a desperate gamble.
Quenser hit the switch on the radio and the Hand Axe detonated.
An explosion roared.
Gray dust flew in through the exit.
During it all, Quenser continued to run.
A few seconds later, he finally exited to the diagonal rooftop. The concrete floor had crumbled away at the point he exited at and his feet struck the steel body of the Object instead.
And...
He heard something being ejected. He looked up into the blue sky and saw the princess wrapped in the special suit of an Elite. At the last second, the blast had blown away the net blocking the ejection point hatch. If he had been even an instant slower, she would have been killed by her own safety device.
(She's... safe... ?)
The princess's parachute opened and Quenser breathed a sigh of relief.
But then he heard a noise. He turned around and saw someone else standing on top of the Object's spherical body over 10 meters away from him. A man stood hidden behind one of the Object's weapons. It was one of the smaller weapons, but it was still a few meters tall.
The man wore a white lab coat over a military uniform.
That lab coat had multiple types of spray paint sprayed on it to create camouflage.
His rounded face had a slight beard as well as a look of weariness that was likely thanks to his life on the run. However, the most overwhelming impression he gave was that of a wild beast.
He held a handgun.
And he was aiming it at the princess as she floated down on her parachute.
"!!"
Quenser pulled out some Hand Axe plastic explosive, but he did not have time to put in the electric fuse. He simply threw the clay-like mass through the air in a parabolic arc.
The man noticed it immediately.
And he mistakenly assumed it was going to explode.
The man frantically jumped behind a different cannon. In so doing, he lost his chance to shoot. After a second or two, he must have realized it was a fuse-less bluff because he then turned the gun on Quenser.
(Shit!?)
Quenser frantically hid behind yet another cannon.
Lead bullets caused sparks to fly from the steel cannons that stuck up with a certain regularity like roadside trees.
"From the Legitimacy Kingdom military, are you?" said the man as he hid behind the pillar without letting his guard down."It seems that young lady is quite well liked by this unit."
"Who are you?" asked Quenser as he pulled a plastic explosive from his bag and actually put in an electric fuse this time."Who are you?"
He received no response.
Instead, more 9mm bullets came his way. Sparks flew from the steel cannon Quenser was hiding behind, so he instinctually ducked down.
It was best not to let the other man know he had no gun.
If he realized Quenser was a combat engineer who only had bombs, he would make a more proactive attack.
As Quenser came to that conclusion, the man's words reached his ears.
The man had either learned what little Quenser could do from the previous exchange or he had a relatively steady personality. Whatever the reason, the man's voice showed no sign of worry.
"Sladder Honeysuckle."
That changed the look on Quenser's face.
And the next comment made him frown even further.
"I am a military advisor for the powerful president of one of the Mass Driver conglomerate's companies, one of the Capitalist Corporations leading investors, an Object designer... and the man you in the Legitimacy Kingdom most want to kill."
Part 12
Sladder Honeysuckle.
If he was taken out, the war that had begun in Antarctica could be brought to an end. It seemed a bit strange for a VIP like him to be on the front lines, but Quenser's mind was focused on something else.
He was an Object designer.
Was that why he had been able to take advantage of the princess's Baby Magnum's weaknesses and defeat it? Would he have been unable to achieve such results by simply putting together a plan and having other soldiers carry it out?
(We're the same... )
Quenser lowered his gaze to the plastic explosive he had put an electric fuse in. On a few occasions, he too had used his knowledge as a student of Object design to destroy those giant weapons.
There was no sign of any other soldiers either ally or enemy.
The explosion of the prototype reactor had been so large scale that it had likely been obvious the Baby Magnum was seriously damaged even from a distance. However, the soldiers still had to continue with their firefights. They could not break formation and reorganize.
From the status of supplies and the number of soldiers, the Legitimacy Kingdom should have had the overwhelming advantage. However, it seemed unlikely they could end it immediately. There was nothing else for them to rely on as they fought with all of their ability.
"Can you really just take your time like this?" asked Sladder in a voice void of concern.
(He's checking on what I have available to me. )
Sladder had let Quenser know where he was with his voice, but Quenser did not fire a single shot at him. That would tell Sladder that Quenser did not have a gun.
"If you do not kill me right away, the Information Alliance and the Capitalist Corporations will invade. If they learn the Legitimacy Kingdom Object is no longer functioning, they can use that to claim they are merely trying to 'protect the neighboring countries from a terrorist organization'."
"Is that what you're after?"
"Do you think it is?"
They were about 10 meters apart. Quenser was hiding behind one of the cannons that stuck up with a regularity similar to roadside trees. Sladder was hiding behind a different cannon.
Ten meters.
Even if handguns had a relatively short range, that was close enough for him to have almost perfect accuracy. Quenser looked around the area, but even moving to a neighboring cannon would be a risky move. If Sladder circled around, he would be in trouble.
Quenser pressed up against the cool steel of the cannon and wet his lips with his tongue.
If he did not buy time using conversation, use the enemy's voice to determine his location, and put together a plan to overwhelm the enemy, he would be cornered in no time.
(Dammit. If only Heivia was here with his rifle... )
Would Heivia even be able to come if Quenser contacted him over the radio? In fact, Quenser and Sladder were standing atop a giant Object. Heivia might not have to come all the way there. It was possible he could snipe with his rifle while still on the ground.
With that thought in mind, Quenser operated his radio so Sladder would not notice and opened his mouth to speak.
"Give up. The Mass Driver conglomerate no longer has an Object. That high power railgun in the center of the city is too big to shoot from the ground. Not to mention that you no longer have your prototype reactor. Even if you defeat us here, you have no future."
"How pessimistic. I thought you knew that we of the Mass Driver conglomerate had asked to defect to the Information Alliance."
"Do you really think they'll live up to that?"
Quenser felt an urge to click his tongue as he looked at his radio.
He was sending a signal to Heivia, but he was getting no response. It was possible Heivia's radio had broken or that he had been knocked unconscious.
"When you get there, it is likely nothing but torture that awaits you. Once they get as much information on mass driver technology as they can get out of you, they'll hand you over to the Capitalist Corporations. Some other country isn't going to trust someone who betrayed their original country. You should know that."
"True enough." Sladder's voice was as unworried as ever even as the faults in his life plan were pointed out."But only if information on mass driver technology was my only present for them."
"?"
"Why do you think I went to all this effort?" Sladder fired two or three more shots at the side of the cannon."If we had wanted to, we could have sent our Lisolette out at once. Her maximum range is 3000 kilometers. If we had her waiting in the Antarctic Ocean, we could have destroyed your Object instantly."
"..."
Lisolette.
For an instant, Quenser thought that was the name of the enemy's Elite, but an instant later he realized it was the official name of the Mass Driver conglomerate Object that the Legitimacy Kingdom had called the Break Carrier. The Capitalist Corporations had a tradition of giving Object's female names. It was likely an extension of the tradition of giving hurricanes female names.
Quenser toyed with the Hand Axe in his hand.
"What are you trying to do?" he asked.
"Destroy an established theory, " replied Sladder briefly."Objects are synonymous with war. Modern wars are won or lost based on the specs of the Objects. If it is known that one side will have one more Object than another, the winner can be known before the fighting even begins. This clarity does make these wars very safe in a certain sense of the word, but there are plenty of people who wish to overthrow that theory."
"You don't mean..."
"Defeating an Object without using one yourself. That is the desire of all those who wish to deny that theory. And I have taken action to make it a reality. The anti-tank position made up of small spare cannons in Antarctica, the high power railgun used as a decoy, and the explosion of the prototype reactor. After testing out all of that, I have some data the Information Alliance should be very interested in."
Objects were said to cost 5 billion dollars at the very least. But what if you could destroy one with only the parts rather than an assembled Object? That would only be a fraction of the cost, if not a fraction of a fraction.
The Legitimacy Kingdom, the Information Alliance, the Capitalist Corporations, and the Faith Organization.
The modern wars fought between those world powers were not on the ridiculous scale of a total world war. They were made up of small scale skirmishes, the Object development race that supported those skirmishes, and the acquisition and loss of funds or economic power. The standard method of carrying out these worldwide wars was to drive the enemy power into an economic situation where they could no longer keep up the war.
In that situation, the technology to assuredly destroy an Object that costs over 5 billion dollars at a fraction of the cost would be an incredibly valuable card to have in your deck.
That is of course only if such technology existed.
"Too bad. The primary damage done to our princess was not due to your tricks. It was the Break Carrier's bombardment in the Iguazu district. If it wasn't for that, she might have been able to avoid your prototype reactor."
"The Break Carrier? Oh, that's your codename for Lisolette." Sladder somehow seemed to be enjoying himself."That is merely an issue of degree. I am not a researcher in that field. I merely needed to protect myself and acquire something I can use to gain safe refuge somewhere where I can freely develop mass drivers. For that reason, it was actually more effective to not pull it off perfectly. It is much better to be a few steps away from perfecting this dream come true for them. After all, if it was already perfected, some of them might just want to torture it out of me."
"..."
If the incredibly valuable technology still required some more research, they would have to keep Sladder alive so he could continue that research. They could not just torture him or hand him over to the Capitalist Corporations. Sladder had intentionally made his results so-so, so that the entire Mass Drive conglomerate would not be abandoned by the Information Alliance.
It was a dangerous gamble.
If he did too well, they might determine they could make Sladder's research a reality without him. However, if he did not do well enough, they might determine that Sladder's ideas were nothing more than a pipedream.
When faced with the overwhelming power of an Object, he had needed to produce results that were in that sweet spot between too much and too little.
That was many, many times more difficult and dangerous than simply recklessly heading in to destroy an Object with some bombs.
"I don't believe it, " said Quenser."You let the Break Carrier be destroyed for that? Did the Break Carrier's pilot agree to that?"
"To be honest, it wasn't all planned out to that extent."
Sladder's tone dropped a bit.
He may have been recalling the face of that Elite.
"I only started seriously thinking about securing refuge with the technology to destroy an Object without an Object after Lisolette was destroyed. The plan at the time was to negotiate with the Information Alliance using Lisolette. That long distance bombardment using a combination of a method of aiming using the chaff missile clouds and the high power railgun is a good bargaining chip, don't you think? Our Elite could control it best and we could maintain it best. You could say what we actually used was the Plan B we had prepared ahead of time."
"..."
(The Mass Driver conglomerate passed through Central America. To get to the Iguazu district, they had to pass by the Parima district at the northernmost part of South America. If their plan was simply to ask the Information Alliance for help, they would have had no reason to go to the Iguazu district. That means they were either planning to create their own independent nation or that they still needed data on the Break Carrier or the non-Object tactics to use in negotiations. )
Had Sladder simply been very lucky?
Or had his excessive preparedness saved him?
Quenser had a feeling it was both. By taking in everything he could by coincidence or necessity, that monster had gained the nature of the ultimate pawn. That was not something that could be gained merely by natural talent or merely by hard work.
"None of it really matters, " said Sladder Honeysuckle the Strategist quietly."All that we want is an environment in which to develop mass drivers. It does not matter to us if the balance of the current Object-oriented battlefield is destroyed. Those giant things can do nothing but kill."
"... I see." Quenser checked on the plastic explosive in his hand once more. He toyed with the Hand Axe in his hand."It seems we cannot come to an understanding."
"What part of that did you have a problem with?"
"The part where you want to hide in the shadows and benefit from the Objects and Elites that are fighting on the battlefield. And the part where you have no problem blaming others and viewing yourself as blameless when your own Object is destroyed."
He spoke with conviction.
It was because he felt that way that Quenser was standing there at that moment.
He had come there to force open the blocked ejection point hatch rather than abandoning the princess and her destroyed Object.
However...
His words only made Sladder laugh.
As they were both hiding behind upwards-pointing cannons, Quenser could not see his expression, but he heard his laugh. Sladder's shoulders were likely moving up and down.
"You're one to talk."
Sladder's tone of voice gave Quenser an ominous feeling.
Quenser naturally tensed up even more.
"You're the one that has ended several wars with the smallest amount of damage by blowing up the Objects from the very beginning. Isn't that right, Quenser Barbotage?"
(How does he know my name!?)
Quenser was utterly shocked, but he was not given time to respond.
Gunshots rang out and sparks flew from the upwards-pointing cannon he was hiding behind.
However, this was no threat or warning.
He also heard approaching footsteps partially masked by the gunshots.
(He's coming!?)
Quenser immediately leaned out from behind the cannon to throw the plastic explosive in the direction of the noise.
But he got kicked instead.
Quenser was crouched on one knee to throw the bomb, but a heavy strike struck his face before he could.
"Gah... !?"
Quenser's head was horribly shaken and he was knocked rolling backwards. The bomb he had been about to throw fell down onto the Object's spherical body.
And then Sladder aimed his handgun at close range.
"You're more famous than you think.... Especially among those who gather the best of their technology to create Objects."
"!!"
Quenser did not have time to get up, so he frantically rolled to the side in order to evade. However, he gained more momentum than he had expected. A second later he realized he was starting to roll down the slant of the spherical body.
(Not good... If I roll any further, I'll be headed straight for the ground!!)
Quenser managed to stop his momentum, but then a gunshot rang out.
At the same time, a blazing pain ran through his left shoulder.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
"Don't get so worked up. It only grazed you. It didn't even take out the joint."
Quenser clenched his teeth as he held his burning shoulder with his other hand.
At the same time, a twinge of doubt entered his mind.
Sladder should have had no reason to hold back.
"I had no real reason." Sladder Honeysuckle smiled calmly."I started out as an engineer. To be honest, I'm almost entirely self-taught when it comes to guns. I tried shooting at you as you rolled and I just so happened to hit your shoulder."
They were only 3 meters apart.
Someone well versed in a specialized martial art might have been able to take the gun from him. However, a student like Quenser had no such ability.
Meanwhile, Sladder accurately aimed the gun at him.
"So I will make sure to kill you when the time comes. Oh, and it seems that time is now."
"... Then you should have shot every bullet you had rather than just shooting once."
"?"
"If you don't put every effort into this, people can take advantage of it like this."
As he spoke, Quenser held out his uniform's jacket to show the inside.
Sladder assumed he had a gun, so he immediately prepared to pull the trigger, but then he stopped.
A clay-like object was hanging from Quenser's belt.
It was a Hand Axe plastic explosive with an electric fuse inserted.
"Kh!?"
"Should you be taking aim like that?"
As he spoke, Quenser held his thumb against the switch on the radio he held in one hand. Even if he was accurately shot in the head, he could very well press the button when he collapsed. That would blow Sladder away as well.
(Damn you!!)
Sladder leapt behind a nearby upward-pointing cannon to avoid the blast.
However, he then realized something.
It was about that detonator Quenser had.
He had been using a radio to send the detonation signal.
A radio.
Yes.
(Wait a second. Would he really have that switch set on a direct connection with the bomb hanging from his belt!?)
That worry brought unease and the unease grew into fear.
However, Quenser did not wait.
He unhesitatingly pressed the switch.
A great noise and a shockwave exploded out.
However, they came from directly behind Sladder as he hid behind the upwards-pointing cannon.
When Sladder had kicked Quenser's face, the bomb Quenser had been about to throw had fallen onto the Object's body. They were now down where Quenser had almost fallen off whereas that bomb had still been up nearer to the top of the Object. Quenser had kept the focus on himself while detonating the bomb directly behind Sladder.
There was a good distance between Sladder and the bomb, but the blast was still strong enough to send him flying through the air. Sladder flew a few meters before striking the spherical body made of steel once more. From there, he rolled. He finally came to a stop near Quenser.
Quenser crouched down to pick up the handgun Sladder had dropped.
He then held the barrel against Sladder's head.
Sladder let out a groan, but Quenser uttered only one word.
"Checkmate."
| ← Ch. 013 | Ch. 015 → |