novelA Grave of Junk is a Mountain of Rare Metals >> Interception at the Remains of the Alaska Battlefield (2)
| ← Ch.018 | Ch.020 → |
(Oh ho ho. This is not just my power. It is me, my unit, and the Gatling 033. Every one of those is superior to the enemy's. I will not be destroyed so easily. They cannot turn this around now. That is why I can win this. I will win this. )
Suddenly, a red warning window appeared.
The Elite looked at it in suspicion. Some odd measurement errors had occurred in the targeting sensors.
(... Oh ho ho. I do not like this. It is like a prickling feeling in the back of my mind. )
To anyone else, they may have seemed like minor errors. She could easily fight with them. However, they were difficult measurement errors to deal with for an Elite who viewed the Object like an extension of her own body.
She moved her slender fingers to perform a few adjustments, but they did not correct the measurement errors.
It was not a software issue.
There was something physically wrong with the sensors themselves.
"Maintenance soldiers! Recheck sensors A through E!! They have measurement errors from 0. 5 to 0. 7. Oh ho ho. If it requires manual work, I will come out too!!"
"That will vastly slow down our work, " said a maintenance soldier who was not sure what to say to the sudden request."0. 5 to 0. 7 is within acceptable ranges. After the main cannon has been replaced, you need to immediately head out to engage the Legitimacy Kingdom Object! We do not have time!!"
"Do not be foolish!! Oh ho ho. It is because I will be up against an Object that I cannot allow even the slightest error!!"
"We really do not have time! The current strategy did not take into account any replacements other than the main cannon!! Lieutenant Colonel Lendy Farolito has ordered us to follow that strategy, so doing otherwise could get us court martialed!"
"You do not understand, " spat the Elite.
The current pit stop was just something added to the strategy. The Object lay at the foundation of the plan, so everything would be a waste if its abilities were hampered. If fighting with the measurement errors in the sensors led to the Gatling 033 being destroyed, who was supposed to take responsibility?
The maintenance soldiers did nothing.
Normally, the adjustments to the sensitive sensors would have been carried out by the girl herself under observation of the maintenance soldiers.
"Argh!! Oh ho ho. Then I will do it on my own!!"
To carry that out, the Elite opened the dozens of barriers leading from the cockpit. She would use an elevator to bring the cockpit itself up to the outer wall.
However, the cockpit never had a chance to ascend.
Something else happened before it could.
A noise came first.
It was the sound of cloth rubbing up against something. By the time she realized it was the sound of something sliding down a slope, it was too late.
She did not have time to turn around, much less undo her seatbelt.
"Excuse me, mademoiselle, " said a voice from directly behind her.
She felt a cold object press against the back of her neck. It was a short-bladed knife.
"I do not normally sneak into a lady's bedroom, but I am woefully short on time. I will need you to just do what I tell you."
She recognized the intruder's voice.
It was the boy whose Legitimacy Kingdom comrades had called Quenser.
"Do not worry." The Elite girl shrugged and sighed with her body still held in by the seatbelt."I was already planning to invite you in here. Oh ho ho."
Part 12
Quenser had managed to sneak into the Rush's cockpit.
He had used the Hand Axe plastic explosive, but not to blow something up. He had attached the clay-like bombs to the top of the sensors to lower their sensitivity. If they had been noticed and someone tried to remove them, he could have hidden inside an arbitrary cannon barrel to hide from the enemy soldier and the blast. Then, he could have detonated the bomb to do some damage to the maintenance soldiers.
He knew they were short on time.
However, the Elite would not remain silent if there was some abnormality with the sensors.
The Elite might have headed out to check the sensors herself. Or she might have told the maintenance soldiers to do it or else she would not go out to fight. Either way, the Elite would still have to open up the barriers and exit the Object.
Quenser had been waiting near the exit connecting to the cockpit, so that had allowed him to sneak inside.
Even if an Object could not be destroyed from within, things were different when he was on the inside.
(This isn't really a plan. It's more or less a gamble. But I just had the best card dealt to me. )
Even with how close the princess and the old maintenance lady were, they still discussed in much detail the delicate adjustments that needed to be made to the sensors. If those partners did not have such a close understanding of each other, the princess would likely have dealt with the sensors directly. Quenser had seen Elites using tools in documentaries he had seen.
An Elite saw the Object as part of her body, so a slight error in the sensors was like wearing glasses that were not quite right. Rather than having any direct results, it would wear down her concentration.
(Only the Elite is risking her life. It isn't surprising that she would be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the condition of the Object. With every second and every instant counting, she likely felt it would be faster to do it herself rather than continuing to argue. )
The blade Quenser was pressing against the Elite's neck was a small cooking knife from his survival kit. The actual blade was only as long as his thumb.
Quenser was reaching his arm around the chair.
(What... ? That's rather low. )
He frowned.
From what he had heard in the Oceanian military nation, the Rush's Elite had a nice body with G-cup breasts.
But what he actually found was a girl of at most 10. She was maybe 130 cm tall. She of course did not have a G-cup. With her body type, it was doubtful if she had ever even seen a bra.
He had no idea if she was aware of it, but her special suit was designed like a white school swimsuit worn over a skintight red under-suit that covered her entire body. Just like with the princess's, it showed no sign of any attempt at camouflage.
The Elite girl must have been able to see Quenser's face reflected in the monitor because she remained calm even with the knife at her throat.
"Oh ho ho. Surprised? The Information Alliance views truth as just and falsehoods as evil. However, intentional lies can be used as an attack on enemies."
"You've gotta be kidding me."
Real sorrow seemed to cover Quenser's face.
He repeated himself as if to say farewell to the nice body and G-cup he had imagined in his mind's eye.
"... Sob... You've gotta be kidding me... Sob..."
"Wait a second. I'm going to get mad if it brings tears to your eyes. This body type is excellent in its own way, don't you think? Oh ho ho. Back in the home country, I act as an Idol Elite that sings and dances."
"But your official profile said you have that nice body and G-cup. How could you fool everyone that much!?"
"Oh ho ho. I have a dummy body displayed on a screen in full 3DCG. It is a shame that some call me a liar for that, but the motion is completely based on my own data."
In the Information Alliance, all sorts of data was managed over the internet and truths and falsehoods were used strategically. It was possible the people there knew it was likely nothing more than wartime propaganda, but they did not care if it was virtual so long as they could get emotionally invested.
"By the way, this conversation is being transmitted to those outside. You will be surrounded before long. Oh ho ho."
"That doesn't matter. You are the only one that can use this Object. If they take any careless actions, I will put an end to their Elite's life. I would rather not go that far, though.... You can hear me out there, can't you?"
Quenser ignored that girl's nonsense and moved on to the mission at hand.
He looked around the cockpit.
It was odd.
The area was a sphere of about 2 meters across with a giant monitor attached to the front. To that extent, it was the same as the princess's Baby Magnum.
However, while the Baby Magnum had many different forms of interfaces such as a control column, buttons, a keyboard, a trackball, and more, the Rush used only one form of input.
Keyboards.
A large number of keyboards were lined up on three stepped levels. And the third step spread out in a U-shape around the edge of the cockpit. Quenser had no idea how that was an efficient layout. It was possible not even other Elites would understand. It must have been designed based on a line of reasoning that only worked for the girl who piloted the Rush.
In the space not taken up by keyboards, an inscription read "Manual Interface 'JULIET'". Quenser wondered if that was the Elite girl's name.
(I guess an Object really can't be piloted by anyone but its Elite... )
Quenser felt like an idiot for the faint hope he had briefly held.
Quenser gathered strength in the hand holding the knife and spoke in as low a voice as he could.
"First, close all the barriers leading to the cockpit. I'm sure those outside will complain, but ignore them."
"Oh ho ho. That will only cut off your escape route."
"Just hurry up and do it. I would rather not slice through a girl's skin as a meaningless threat."
"I must praise you for still treating me like a girl. Oh ho ho."
Quenser raised the blade he had pressed against the girl's neck.
The Elite girl shrugged to indicate she was giving in and pressed a few keys. Her 5 slender fingers moved at an inhuman speed like a sewing machine. At the Elite's command, the dozens of barriers through the pathway leading to the cockpit closed.
The maintenance soldiers sent several alarmed transmissions.
However, they received no response.
After all, Quenser had the Elite's movements sealed.
"Oh ho ho. Welcome to the most private love seat in the world.... You have now hijacked an Object with nothing but a knife. You really do love doing unprecedented things, don't you?"
"Listen to what I have to say and do not say anything more than necessary. That is how you can survive this."
"What should I do next? Should I shoot the Statue of Liberty with my main cannons or something?"
"Don't do anything, " was Quenser's sharp command."Even once the maintenance finishes, do not move. Do not respond to the communications from the maintenance soldiers. Do not move a finger until our princess has completed her preparations... no, until she has declared checkmate. That is all."
"Oh, dear. Oh ho ho. Should you really be saying that?"
"Do not try anything. I am not used to this. It's possible the tension could make my arm tremble enough to slit your throat."
"No, not that. Oh ho ho, " said the Elite girl with a smile on her face.
That was the difference that experience made. Quenser could not believe that she had the nerves to smile while an enemy soldier was holding a knife to her throat.
But the Elite was truly calm.
He probably should have put more thought into why that was.
"If I am not holding the 'reins', not even I know how much of a rampage the Gatling 033 will run. Oh ho ho."
Quenser did not understand what she meant.
But shortly thereafter, the answer became evident.
Quenser's body was thrown by the monstrous power of inertia, sending him slamming into the wall.
The maintenance vehicles surrounding the Rush were knocked away and the maintenance soldiers ran screaming out of the way, but Quenser was too focused on himself to care what was going on outside.
"Gah!?"
All the oxygen in his lungs rushed out in an instant.
The knife fell from his hand.
The Object had suddenly moved. He could tell that much, but he felt practically weightless. The force was simply too great to just brace himself against. His vision blurred at high speed, but he could still see the Elite girl grinning while held in her seat by the seatbelt.
With the threat of the knife gone, the girl contacted her allies.
"Oh ho ho. The main cannon has been replaced, correct?"
"Gatling 033, we heard what is going on there, but you can't possibly mean to head out with that Legitimacy Kingdom soldier still aboard!"
"And what if I am? Either way, there is no way to force open the Object's barriers from the outside. And right now, every minute and every second of delay could greatly affect the outcome of the battle. I have no choice but to head on. Unless you wish to raise the white flag here."
"But... !!"
"Then are you going to raise the white flag? On whose authority? Are you going to waste a possible victory against an Object due to a single flesh-and-blood soldier?" The Elite girl spoke slowly but with a steady voice."First of all, we should not be discussing my own safety here. What matters is if the maintenance is complete or not. And whether my Gatling 033 can continue fighting or not. So can my Gatling 033 fight?"
"..."
"Answer me. This is crucial to our strategy."
"Y-yes. We just now finished the replacement of the main cannon. But we have not managed to deal with the sensors you ordered us to-..."
"That is fine, " said the Elite girl, cutting him off. She turned to face Quenser who was coughing on the floor before finishing."But I do not feel like operating the Gatling 033 in that state. I have no choice but to leave this to the Strategic AI Juliet. Oh ho ho."
"... !?"
Quenser's body stiffened in shock at the term "AI".
"Wait a second!!" shouted the maintenance soldier."Juliet's complete Object control is still in the third stage of testing! The odds of misfires based on erroneous detections or judgments goes up, raising the risk of friendly fire!!"
"If I narrow the possible targets down to the anti-Object level of 50 meters and up, that will not be a problem. Oh ho ho."
"But Juliet is too dangerous to use in its current state!! If we give it complete control of our greatest weapon, who knows how far the damage could spread!!"
"Oh ho ho. Please do not make me repeat myself, " said the Elite girl."If we simply follow the standard military codes, we will lose this battle. As we have a means of continuing to fight, I do not intend to end the fight prematurely. Oh ho ho."
The Elite cut off the transmission and looked at Quenser once more.
"Surely you have heard the rumors of the Information Alliance working on a plan to make unmanned Objects. Oh ho ho."
"It can't be, " groaned Quenser from the floor."AI research is impractical. Something simple like a UAV that goes on periodic patrols is one thing, but no program can match an Elite in a high speed battle requiring quick improvisations."
"Are you talking about the Legitimacy Kingom's Angelina List? Oh ho ho."
"..."
"Oh ho ho. If I recall, that is a paper collecting the weaknesses and failures of AIs after repeated tests designed to be difficult for AI by a group of scientists opposed to the idea of AI. Running amok, freezing, and erroneous learning... I believe there were several patterns."
"The Angelina List is the world's standard barrier for creating strategic AI for Objects. The paper is free to access on the Legitimacy Kingdom's public database, so the Information Alliance most likely used it in their research. Something with simple movements like a UAV is one thing, but the system controlling an Object is too large and complex. With our current technology, it is impossible to create an AI that can pilot an Object with greater speed and flexibility than an Elite who has been thoroughly improved both mentally and physically."
"Oh ho ho. Are you talking about how AIs will choose the shortest path to victory too much, leaving openings for attack? Or how they will continue with vain attacks when in a situation their learned patterns do not know how to handle?"
"..."
"That just means it cannot be completely unmanned. Oh ho ho. When the Gatling 033 is used at full specs, it is not being controlled by me. The Strategic AI Juliet generally pilots it while I deal with any mistakes caused by errors or bugs. Meaning..." The Elite grinned. This smile was different from her previous smiles."If I do nothing, the Gatling 033 will begin a rampage."
Quenser was unable to hear her sentence through to the end.
The monstrous weapon known as an Object began using its full power.
Quenser learned firsthand what that meant.
A massive amount of inertia.
That power began squeezing at Quenser's insides.
"Gh... ah... !?"
Everything shook front and back, left and right.
A great pressure kept him from breathing.
"Ghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?"
It felt like every single blood vessel in his body was swelling up oddly. The contents of his stomach rose, he could not take in enough oxygen no matter how wide he opened his mouth, and it felt like he could not properly control even the expanding and contracting of his heart. After a dozen or so seconds, he could tell his thoughts were becoming completely scattered. Blood was not reaching his brain properly. Color gradually faded away from the edges of his vision. An unpleasant ringing in his ears took over his entire head.
The Rush was doing nothing special.
It was merely headed away from the maintenance base zone and towards the battlefield where the Baby Magnum awaited.
That was all it was doing and yet Quenser was on the verge of death.
All the while, the Elite girl grinned in her seat.
She looked like a young queen looking down in contempt at a bug crawling across the ground.
Quenser could not understand how she could be so calm.
The special suit she wore was not enough to explain it.
The only possibility he could think of was that she was made differently than a normal soldier down to the most fundamental construction of her body.
"Oh, dear. What has your eyes spinning like that? Oh ho ho. You will never be able to handle the Gatling 033's high speed battle like this."
As that girl of only about 10 spoke to Quenser, she calmly sipped at the straw of a drink sitting in her armrest.
For strategic PR purposes, the Information Alliance military had created an idealized G-cup Elite using a full 3DCG model. The people (whether they knew it was a lie or not) had accepted that. It was possible their ultimate objective there was to have the people accept that virtual ideal as a foundation to accepting an AI-controlled Object.
And...
"This is still only about 9 Gs. When the treads are used, it can momentarily exceed 12 Gs. Well, that is enough for any normal person to certainly lose consciousness, so try your best to bear with it. Oh ho ho. After all, I was kind enough to invite you to this special seat when I really should have handed you over to the Information Alliance military."
12 Gs.
It had been proven that a normal human could not withstand anything at that level. But for her, that room was like a bedroom. The Elite's body had been so thoroughly remade that it felt normal to her.
That concept sent a chill down Quenser's spine.
(So this is... an Elite... )
Quenser thought as something like foam seeped from the corner of his mouth.
(Their bodies have been altered for the sole purpose of piloting Objects into battles. Dammit. This is like a battle between a deep sea fish and a submarine... )
Modern soldiers would often jokingly say something.
Modern battlefields are so boring. If they really wanted us to fight wars, they should send one of those air-conditioned Objects our way.
But...
This was no joke.
Actually being aboard one of those monsters was enough to shorten your lifespan. Quenser was in such intense pain that he thought his blood vessels were going to burst and that his eyeballs were literally going to pop out of his head. Amidst it all, he decided that the people who piloted those Objects like it was nothing were not normal. Unless the human body was remade both inside and out, it was impossible.
While sprawled on the floor next to the wall, Quenser tried to stretch out his arm.
A great number of keyboards were installed around the Elite girl. It was possible that tapping just one of those small keys could end that nightmarish pain.
But he could not move his arm. All he could manage was making his fingertips twitch ever so slightly.
It was not just that he could not move his body.
A tremendous pressure was also holding down the thoughts and emotions in his head.
"Now, then."
Having restrained the enemy soldier with inertia rather than handcuffs or shackles, the Elite girl placed her drink back down next to her and brought her 10 fingers to the keyboards around her.
She was not piloting the Object.
As if she was holding the reins of a rampaging horse, she removed the unneeded commands from the hundreds and thousands the strategic AI was instantaneously calculating out.
"I now have what I wanted, so it is about time I finished with today's job. Oh ho ho."
The treads shot a blast of snow into the air and the Second Generation Rush shot across the snowy plain. The scenery visible in the monitor sped up all at once.
Quenser heard a familiar sound through the speakers.
It was the emergency siren used at his base. They had arrived within a few kilometers of the Legitimacy Kingdom convoy. He could see the tanks that had been deployed just in case frantically leaving the path of the Object.
(Shit... !! How far has the princess's maintenance gotten!?)
The joints on the back gathering the Baby Magnum's seven main cannons had been shot off. To replace the part, every damaged joint had to be removed and then it all had to be built back up.
He saw no way the Baby Magnum's seven main cannon arms could be fully functioning after such a short time.
Nevertheless, the princess's Object headed out from the convoy.
By showing an intention to fight, she was making sure the convoy would not be a valid target.
"Oh ho ho. So you have decided to show yourself."
A smile appeared on the Elite girl's face
This one was different yet again. It was tinged with cruelty.
"I need not even use my high precision sensors. It is clear only one of them can move. Oh ho ho. You must truly be desperate to come out to fight with only one of your seven main cannons functioning."
Objects had over 100 cannons both large and small, but only the main cannon class armaments could finish off another Object. That meant it was more logical to work towards getting one cannon up and running at full power rather than having all seven running at limited power.
However...
That only gave her the bare minimum of ability to keep fighting. Since it was assumed she could fight evenly with the enemy Object with all 7 main cannons functioning, she was clearly at an overwhelming disadvantage with just the one functioning main cannon.
"She might be purposefully keeping the others motionless to lull you into a false sense of security."
"Oh ho ho. Falsehoods are evil. You were fortunate enough to be captured by me. I suggest you quickly teach yourself the rules of the Information Alliance."
The Elite girl casually typed on the keyboards while ignoring that Quenser looked like he was about to cough up blood. She seemed to be adjusting the radio. Quenser thought she was preparing to contact her allies, but she was not.
She sent a transmission on a frequency that was intentionally easy to intercept by the Legitimacy Kingdom princess.
"Oh ho ho. Hello there, unrefined Legitimacy Kingdom Elite. If you raise the white flag, I promise to spare your lives."
"... Sorry, but military regulations do not allow the white flag to be raised before the Object has been destroyed."
"Fine, then." The Elite girl rhythmically tapped at the keys."I have no obligation to be considerate. I merely have to blow you away. Oh ho ho."
The real battle began.
With a set amount of distance between each other, the two Objects each moved quickly to the left and right. The action looked like two opposing magnets being forcibly pushed towards each other. The two Objects moved at high speed in circles around each other as they fired their weapons at each other.
The princess was an expert at battle.
Even in her dismal situation of having only one functioning main cannon, she was not immediately dragged down into a disadvantageous situation. Even if they could not finish off the enemy Object, the Baby Magnum still had around 100 other cannons. The princess used them to blow away the snow on the ground and fired weak lasers to interfere with the enemy's sensors. While using disturbance tactics like that to dull the enemy's movements, she fired her one remaining main cannon.
However...
The Information Alliance girl was as much of an Elite as the princess.
She existed to pilot an Object.
She would lose everything if she could no longer pilot an Object.
That girl's body had been trained to the extreme, the amount of blood in her body was modified to stand up to high Gs, and she had been given artificially high amounts of iron to supply her with large amounts of oxygen. Even in those abnormal conditions that reached 10 Gs, she continued typing while humming.
The disturbance tactics were not working.
Even with one sensor sealed, multiple windows would immediately appear from which she could gather information from multiple angles. Using that, she continued the high speed battle.
She knew she could not avoid every attack, so she repeated bold, high-speed movements that focused on surely avoiding the attacks from the main cannon that could actually produce a fatal blow.
She repeatedly made quick, high-speed movements using the treads while trying to lure the Baby Magnum closer and closer to a position where the terrain would corner the princess against a cliff wall.
The princess was clearly in the disadvantage.
(Dammit... I need to... interfere with... her control... !!)
Quenser frantically tried to suppress the urge to vomit, but even moving a single finger was difficult as he lay sprawled out on the floor. There were plenty of keyboards close enough to easily reach if he could only stand up, but he could not even stretch his arm out to the side in those high Gs.
Suddenly, the Elite girl moved the Object sharply to the side. Quenser's body flew through the air and landed neatly in the Elite girl's seat.
"Oh ho ho. Leaving this to Juliet is so boring, how about the two of us take this time to get to know each other better... physically."
"Wha... !? Gh... What are you saying!?"
The intense power of the inertia was still affecting Quenser, so he was unable to give a proper response. He felt like a heavy sheet was being pressed down on his chest, so he could hardly breathe.
And then the princess's voice came in over the Rush's radio.
"... Quenser... ?"
"W-wait, why are you using that heavy tone like you're speaking to some suspicious perso-... gfh!?"
"Oh ho ho! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!! There is no room left here for you, unrefined Legitimacy Kingdom Elite!! Now, let us show this to her. We can email her a picture of us with our cheeks pressed up against each other. Say cheese!... Oh, dear. The barriers are cutting off the signal, so I cannot send it to the Legitimacy Kingdom with my phone."
"Quenser... I am sorry, but this is a battle with the Rush.... I have no idea why you are there, but if you do not escape soon, you will be blown away along with her."
"W-wait, wait. I'll do something about the Rush's movements from within..."
As he was being crushed down into the seat, Quenser tried to reach his trembling fingers toward one of the Elite's keyboards. However, the Elite girl slapped his hand down like she was scolding him.
Quenser's hand was so weak that was enough to knock his hand out of the way.
(... Damn... it... I can't even do this... )
The giant screen was divided up into windows that were covered with all sorts of constantly changing information.
The Strategic AI Juliet was piloting the Object.
One window displayed a tree diagram that must have represented what commands the AI was using. Quenser could not tell if the number of lines was 100 or 1000, but the Elite girl would rapidly type a few things on the keyboard and a few of the lines would turn red and be cut off. That must have been what she called "holding the reigns". The movements of the Object gradually lost their unevenness and stiffness. That may have been because the AI was starting to "learn" from the progress of the battle, or it may have been because the Elite girl had grasped some of the AI's idiosyncrasies and was able to "revise" the commands more efficiently.
"... Gaahhhh... !!"
The great pressure of inertia squeezed at Quenser's heart even more.
As blood trailed from the corner of Quenser's mouth, something fell from his pocket. It was his wireless device. Seeing the small device sliding along the floor, the Elite girl gave a slight sneer.
"Oh ho ho. Even if you are within the cockpit, that cheap piece of junk cannot interfere with my interface. And trying to rely on a Legitimacy Kingdom supercomputer will not work either. The thick barriers cut off any and all signals."
Quenser ignored the Elite girl's gloating and stared at the screen of the handheld device that had slid a bit away.
The Strategic AI Juliet.
The radio transmission currently connected between the princess and the Elite girl.
The plastic explosive in his hand.
While still unable to move much, Quenser stared at the giant monitor with bloodshot eyes. He had a silent thought.
(I might have found the beginnings of a plan. )
Part 13
Meanwhile, the princess was breathing shallow breaths as she piloted the Baby Magnum.
The situation was changing from moment to moment. A dizzying amount of new information was constantly being displayed on the large monitor in front. Even with the device that read the movements of her eyes and sent commands based on them, it did not seem she could keep up with it all. The 200, 000 ton mass moved quickly to the left or right to evade the Information Alliance Rush's attacks. The great pressure of the inertia brought on by those movements wore down her stamina. Her brain had been optimized to pilot that Object, so she brought out its full processing power even while more than half of the air she breathed in could not be taken in by her body.
The struggle continued.
Sometimes she seemed to have the upper hand, other times she did not.
However, the princess could tell something was different about this battle. She had only 1 of her 7 main cannons. If that one was taken out, it was all over. However, that was not what she was worried about.
It was more along the lines of the vague luck of a gambler.
She had an odd feeling that the state of the battle was sliding to the side. It was supposed to be a struggle purely along a straight line. However, she had a premonition of a new vector appearing that would greatly change the flow of the battle.
(This is bad... )
The signs pointed towards things changing for the worse.
If the situation changed, it would be like she was a toy ship floating in the bath when the drain plug was pulled out. The danger of things growing worse would rise drastically.
The princess knew that, but she had no way of changing the flow in that direction. She had her hands full keeping up with that high speed battle. She did not have time to focus on anything else.
But then...
"... Quenser to... Baby Magnum..."
The voice sounded like it was being squeezed out.
It was coming from the communications device installed in the cockpit. However, it was not coming from a Legitimacy Kingdom military frequency. It was the same frequency that she had been arguing with the Information Alliance Rush over.
(So is he really aboard that Object... ?)
As that thought entered the princess's head, Quenser continued his transmission.
"I-I'm cornered over here. Can I ask you a favor just in case?"
"What?"
"If I kick the bucket here, I want you to return the engagement ring in the maintenance base zone barracks to my childhood friend Angelina from my hometown..."
"..."
The Baby Magnum fired its main cannon while completely ignoring the flow of the battle.
The Rush evaded the low-stability plasma cannon blast with a quick movement.
The princess was still expressionless, but her pupils were larger than usual, letting the piloting lasers in even more.
With an extremely calm voice, she said, "I am sorry, Quenser. I forgot to ask you if you would rather be shot with a coilgun, a laser, or a low-stability plasma cannon."
"Ugehhh!? The inertia from these evasive maneuvers is doing horrible things inside my body! You idiot! Don't fight seriously!! At this rate, you'll meet the same fate as when you were easily taken out by the Water Strider that is strewn about here!!"
"Quenser, now you are digging up things from the past that would best be kept buried?... And 'easily'?"
The increased firing and evading left Quenser only able to reply with groans.
"By the way, Quenser, if you would like to say anything else, now is the time."
"Ugh. R-really? Okay, then. Various things happened with this foreign girl named Etta who worked as efficiently as an AI at a restaurant back in the safe country, so could you give her the necklace I have in the barra-.. gbheeeehhhh!?"
This time, the Rush took evasive actions back and forth that did not seem at all necessary to evade anything.
The Information Alliance Elite said, "... Oh ho ho. I too would like some questions answered about this childhood friend and these 'various things'."
"Bfh!? S-stop! Don't move back and forth like that!!"
Quenser seemed to be enduring unreasonable torture, but then he suddenly shouted, "Now's your chance!!"
"?"
"Quenser to Baby Magnum!! Can you hear me!? The Rush's Elite is taking actions not needed for the battle. This is your only chance to escape this bad situation! Evade to the right! Evade way to the right!!"
"..."
"Don't get so mad!! Please just listen to what I'm telling you!!"
The princess frowned at his instructions.
They did not fit into the strategy she had put together. As the Object's pilot, she knew it best. That was why she hesitated to immediately obey the piloting instructions of a boy who was more or less a complete amateur. But...
"At this rate, you'll be cornered against the cliff face and shot with her main cannons once you can no longer move!! Trust me! I have a way to win this!! So evade to the right! Way to the right!! You'll be blown away if you don't!!"
It was true that she would soon be cornered.
And it was highly likely Quenser had made it into the Rush's cockpit. He might have read something about the Rush's strategy from something displayed on the monitor.
"..."
She made up her mind.
She moved the lever she was gripping tightly.
The Baby Magnum took a great evasive action to the right and the intense power of inertia struck her slender body.
But...
"Oh ho ho. Even if you are greatly mistaken, hearing that still pisses me off."
A slight chill had entered the Elite girl's voice.
The Rush spun around which must have created quite a bit of inertial power. Over the radio, the princess heard a pained gasp presumably from Quenser.
The bullets of light fired by the rapid fire beam cannon Gatling gun grazed the Baby Magnum's body slightly. The beam cannons continued to fire, crushing one of the princess's main cannons and sending it flying through the air.
Ignoring that, Quenser shouted, "... Gh... !? N-next, make a slight turn to the left!! Switch to the low-stability plasma canno-... gh!? Fire at the front of the Rush!! And... the Killer Squall sub-cannons!! Aim for the Water Strider wreckage... the the left!! Cough. If you melt the snow around it with the lasers... it can be used as cover!!"
"Oh ho ho! Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!! I do not know what you are after, but you are too slow!! Even if you are trying to get my strategy across to her using information from the cockpit, you are too slow! By the time the unrefined Legitimacy Kingdom Elite can take action, the command will already be complete!!"
The enemy was exactly right.
Quenser's instructions would essentially waste the princess's last chance to attack. It was like knowing you would be checkmated in 100 turns, and then wasting half of that time. Even then, a thin portion of the Baby Magnum's armor had been peeled away and several of her cannons had been blown off to litter the Alaskan snow. Several warning windows had appeared and she could hear shouts from the operator monitoring the situation from the maintenance base zone.
Suddenly, the Baby Magnum's movements came crashing to a halt.
The enemy's main cannon had struck her near the core. Thousands and even tens of thousands of beams fired from the Gatling gun-style weapon. The thick armor glowed orange and the beams dug through it in no time. Sparks flew, the air explosively expanded, and a violent wind burst from the "wound" like it was a jet engine. That great wind kept the Baby Magnum from moving properly.
"I hope you have prepared yourself. Oh ho ho, " said the Rush's pilot Elite with the tone of someone who had just placed their queen in a crucial point."This settles it!! You can regret not raising your readily available white flag while you burn in the depths of hell!! Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!!"
The princess gritted her teeth.
She hesitated over whether she should stop the ejection device that had automatically started to power up.
"Trust me."
But...
Quenser's voice over the radio had not given up.
"You can win like this."
A great noise like a thick gear breaking rang out.
The princess had no idea what had happened.
That was not surprising.
It had not come from the Baby Magnum. As it was not something wrong with her own machine, it was completely natural for her to not understand what had happened.
But that meant...
"Quenser... ?" muttered the princess.
Yes.
The Information Alliance Rush had been the unopposed ruler of the battlefield just a moment before, but it had completely stopped in the middle of the snow.
Part 14
The machine suddenly stopped.
Quenser was thrown across the floor, but he was not the only one damaged by it.
The immense inertial force caused by that truth stopped even the Rush's Elite girl's breathing for an instant.
"Gah... !? Wh-what!?"
The girl was coughing, but her voice held more confusion than pain.
The Information Alliance's Second Generation Gatling 033 operated based on high speed decisions made by the Strategic AI Juliet. The Elite girl did not completely pilot the Object. Instead, she selected and deleted the bugs and errors amid the hundreds or even thousands of commands Juliet created each second. Basically, she held the reins of a rampaging horse and guided it in the direction she wanted.
Nevertheless, the Gatling 033 was not moving.
It was not that the strategic AI had stopped. Juliet was still calculating at maddening speed.
However...
None of the seeming inexhaustible supply of commands it calculated out at high speed led to the Gatling 033 doing anything.
No matter how skilled a coachman the Elite girl may have been, she could do nothing when the horse stopped to think and did not take a single step forward. When the horse refused to move no matter how much she kicked it with her heels or struck it with her whip, the very value of the coachman was brought into question.
It was like a gear connecting the thoughts of the strategic AI to actual movement had been removed.
No matter how high the Juliet's specs were and no matter how skilled the Elite girl was, there was nothing that could be done if the Gatling 033 could not move.
"Ho... ho ho. Oh ho ho."
The Elite girl looked around while seated in the cockpit.
She then looked over at Quenser as he lay collapsed on the floor.
She was forced to view him as an actual opponent.
"What... ? What did you do to my Gatling 033?"
Quenser did not reply immediately. The inertial forces that had squeezed at his body had done some damage. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly as he took deep breaths.
Finally, the boy gave a thin smile and said, "Are you hoping... to start a quiz show... ?'
"Oh... ho ho. I can tell some of it from the situation."
The girl's small shoulders were trembling.
Trembling in bewilderment and anger.
"I can tell that Juliet is carrying out unnecessary 'learning'!! I can tell that has caused various bugs and errors which are causing a conflict over which commands to prioritize!! The bugs and errors are spreading so quickly, my 'revisions' cannot keep up!! I am asking about something beyond that! I am not asking what is happening! I am asking why!! What did you do to Juliet!?"
"It is reevaluating the risks, " said Quenser despite being unable to even sit up.
Fatigue and pain seeped into his voice, but there was no weakness there.
That boy had successfully become an equal opponent to that Elite who piloted a giant weapon known as an Object.
"The Juliet has keenly noticed some changes to the situation that you cannot see. These changes have made a major change to the priority of what the Rush should do."
"Wha-... ?"
"It's unfortunate, though. This strategic AI pilots an Object that can alter the outcome of a war, and yet it seems not to have the ability to raise the white flag and surrender. Thanks to that, the Juliet has no choice but to continue calculating out a way to resolve the situation despite being in clear checkmate. The Rush has come to a halt because the Juliet is vainly trying to think up a way out of the situation."
"That's... That's ridiculous!!" denied the Elite girl reflexively."Oh ho ho!! My Gatling 033 had the overwhelming advantage!! There is no way I would have lost to that unrefined Legitimacy Kingdom First Generation Object here! Even if you were advising her via radio, there is no way I would have been in checkmate!!"
"I was not advising the princess, " said Quenser decisively and the Elite girl froze in place."Like hell I have a childhood friend named Angelina. And what kind of nickname is Etta? That was a surprisingly simple code referring to a report in the Legitimacy Kingdom military database."
"Angelina... report... Etta... Juliet... You don't mean... !?"
"Since you're the one that went out of your way to contact your enemy, you should have known that the transmission being sent to the Baby Magnum could be picked up by other soldiers' radios too."
Part 15
A while before when the Baby Magnum and the Rush were firing at each other at high speed, a small figure was moving through the snowy plain that was littered with Water Strider wreckage.
It was Heivia.
He was listening to Quenser's voice coming from his radio.
At first, it sounded like he was using the Rush's communications equipment to give advice to the princess. However...
("I'm cornered over here". That was the code phrase to indicate a secret discussion about a porn magazine check. The "foreign girl" must have been referring to the Rush. Since he also used the name "Angelina", the term AI can likely be taken at face value. )
"Ugh. Dammit Quenser. You rely on your beautiful genius of a noble partner a bit too much, " Heivia said to no one in particular.
His handheld device was displaying the design of the Water Strider. It was the one the Legitimacy Kingdom military had drawn up from an analysis of the technology in the enemy Object.
(Heading to the right and turning to the left. Why do his instructions have to be such a pain in the ass?)
Just the main body of the Object was 50 meters across, so the design was quite large. Heivia scrolled the screen as Quenser instructed and marked the necessary components.
(Now I just have to use the map to check where those parts are on the battlefield. )
"Made it! Made it!"
Heivia stopped at one of the places he had marked.
It was a main cannon-class low-stability plasma cannon lying bent in the snow.
"Y'know, I'm little disturbed that I was able to figure out what Quenser meant so well. I'd rather have this kind of tacit understanding with a girl."
He lowered his bag from his back.
Inside were a large number of batteries. They were the backups prepared for the electric drill.
Heivia's original mission had been to work with Quenser to drill holes in the cliff wall, stuff explosives inside, and efficiently bring the wreckage down. Heivia had been carrying quite a burden to support Quenser.
However, those batteries were nowhere near enough to power an Object's main cannon.
Luckily, Heivia had no intention of doing that.
"Well, just getting the infrared targeting system running should be enough to fool it."
He peered in through a tear in the armor on the side of the cannon where it had been bent in the middle. He stuck his hand inside and pulled out a giant electromagnet. He unwound the lead wrapped around the cylindrical container to create a coil and then rewound it to create a different coil.
"Electromagnetic induction~. That's what transformers use~, " sang Heivia as he used the square-shaped metal core to prepare a large coil and a small coil.
He then faced the infrared targeting device that was as large as a log.
It was surrounded by armor that a normal bombardment would not budge, but it could not be maintained if there was no way of getting at it. Heivia used his tools to open a panel on the armor. He attached a battery to the cable and transformer inside. Then, he removed the wireless detonation device from a Hand Axe electric fuse and added it to his impromptu device.
Now, he could freely run the Water Strider's infrared aiming device with the flick of a switch on his radio.
"The Water Strider had 8 main cannons, right? Well, just 3 of them should be enough."
Heivia looked back at the design from the Legitimacy Kingdom military database that had been created with the intention of using the technology from the destroyed enemy Object. He then began moving again.
Partway there, he found an off road vehicle that had likely been abandoned by the Information Alliance when it could not make it past the giant pieces of wreckage.
He climbed aboard and said, "The plan is to confuse the Rush's AI by adding in unnecessary calculations, but why am I the one running around doing all the work?"
Heivia's goal was plain and simple.
He would fix up just the targeting devices for the Water Strider weapons scattered about the snowy plain and set them to run when he sent a radio signal.
Using that, he would make the Rush's strategic AI mistakenly conclude that the Water Strider's main cannons were still functional and so the Rush had to constantly keep that danger in mind.
After that, Heivia had switched the 8 main cannons' targeting devices on and off at high speed and in a certain pattern. By continually giving the strategic AI unnecessary calculations and having it "learn" unnecessary and incorrect things, the high level calculation ability would work in vain for a while.
He had the source for this information in his hands.
The Angelina List.
That report had been put together by the Legitimacy Kingdom military and it contained countless records of problems and failures of AIs that had led to AI research being declared "unrealistic".
Of course, that alone would not function as a weakness of the Rush's strategic AI.
The Information Alliance had the most advanced AI research in the world, so they would have already come up with countermeasures for those things.
It was like using a computer virus on a computer that had a proper countermeasure for that virus.
However, just the foundations were enough.
Heivia was not simply going to use the Angelina List. Like he was creating a subspecies of that virus, he just had to create a new problem right then and there.
He already had the knowledge and skills required.
While he usually seemed to do nothing but run around the battlefield with a rifle, Heivia Winchell was a radar analyst.
He was an expert when it came to viewing the battlefield as a board and the Object as a game piece in order to search out the idiosyncrasies and weaknesses of the enemy machine from its movements.
Part 16
"Oh... ho ho... You used the Angelina List... to make her stop and think... ?"
Having heard Quenser's explanation, the Elite girl sat in the Rush's cockpit with her small body trembling.
Quenser had finally managed to slowly get up from the floor and he wiped away some of the blood flowing from his nose and ears due to the inertia. He spoke to the Elite girl of the stopped Gatling 033 once more.
"Shouldn't you be doing something? Now is your only chance to stop the Juliet."
"Ho... Oh ho ho... What do you mean... ?"
"Even now, the Rush continues its wasted thinking. Countless bugs and errors are created and vie for priority. Before long, there will be too many for even an Elite's thoughts to keep up with."
"..."
"An AI is not just a program. Its ability to learn can be both a plus and a minus. At this rate, the problems are going to multiply explosively. An AI that is rapidly learning in an erroneous direction should be forcibly terminated as early as possible. Otherwise, the Juliet will fatally damage its own script."
Quenser was grinning as he spoke.
He must have had a good guess as to what "forcibly terminating" the AI would entail.
(Kh... He's right. I have no choice but to perform a forced termination on Juliet in this situation. )
The Elite girl bit her lip.
(The Object is too large and complex a system and the strategic AI must constantly simulate the movements of the enemy and the progression of the battle, so it cannot be turned on and off so easily. Once I perform the forced termination, it will take time to reactivate it!!)
And since the system was intended to be run primarily by the strategic AI, it was clear what risk there would be in having that AI shut off.
Whether she let Juliet continue thinking or manually shut it down, she would be left at an overwhelming disadvantage.
At some point her choices had been downgraded from "win or lose" to "lose one way or lose another way".
The Elite girl trembled at the great change to the situation, but she had another thought as well.
"..."
That boy was not normal.
It was true that it had been the boy's partner who had actually taken action. However, it had been the boy in the cockpit who had originally thought up the method and had created the perfect opportunity to carry it out.
Even if someone had come up with that plan and tried to use it as a means of recovering, would they have been able to pull it off so perfectly on an unpracticed first attempt? Would they have been able to accurately get across their idea using an easily-misunderstood transmission filled with code words without having any kind of agreement beforehand?
To take care of such a broad threat, a foundation had to be laid first.
And what was most frightening was that the Legitimacy Kingdom boy had not had the slightest clue that any trouble of that nature would be occurring.
He had not undergone any kind of specialized training.
And yet he had succeeded with an impromptu plan.
How open-minded would someone have to be in order to pull that off?
"What will you do?" Quenser gave his ultimatum."Will you let the Juliet destroy itself or will you forcibly terminate it? Choose how you want this to end yourself. The delinquent soldier helping me has likely explained the situation to the princess, so she will hold back for now. However, that is no guarantee. If our commander orders her to prioritize destruction over acquiring the technology, she will immediately shoot you with her main cannon."
"Ho."
And...
The Elite girl's small shoulders moved up and down.
She was laughing.
"Ho... ho ho. Oh ho ho. Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!! You are right. I will give you that much!! Juliet is done for now. Letting her continue her calculations will accomplish nothing, so I have no choice but to perform a forced termination!!" The Elite girl did not stop there, however."But do not think this is over."
A painfully high-pitched noise reverberated through the cockpit.
The Elite girl had forcefully struck one of the keys on the countless keyboards.
In the next instant, all illumination disappeared from the monitor and lights.
Darkness ruled for an instant.
That was proof of all the systems having stopped.
However...
As she had announced, the Rush did not stop there.
A combination of static from multiple sources slammed into Quenser's ears. At the same time, the monitor and lights lit up once more. With a mechanical noise, the angles of the countless keyboards surrounding the Elite girl were adjusted.
They were now positioned so it was easier for a human to use them all.
They were now positioned so her ten fingers could race across them even faster.
"Full key touch. Release, " she announced.
There was a smile on the Elite girl's face. It was not the calm expression of one in a privileged class. It was the extremely wild smile of someone crossing swords with their destined enemy on the battlefield.
"Oh ho ho!! The Gatling 033 is primarily intended to be piloted by Juliet with me performing 'revisions', but I do not recall saying that it could not be piloted any other way!! I can pilot it on my own if necessary!!"
One hundred cannons, many more sensors and radars gathering data, a complex propulsion device that used both treads and an air cushion, and a reactor that produced massive amounts of power.
She was announcing that she could control it all with just her 10 fingers.
That was not something any normal human would ever think of doing.
Even a normal tank was usually run by 4 or 5 people, but that reasoning did not apply to an Elite whose body and mind had been thoroughly improved.
Computers carried out all sorts of tasks in the background that normal people were never aware of. She was basically saying she could take care of all of that better than the computer by manually entering it all one letter of the alphabet or number at a time.
And...
If she truly could continue fighting, it was clear as day which Object would have the advantage.
The Baby Magnum was truly cornered.
If things continued, the princess would be the one destroyed.
"Oh ho ho. I must praise your skill for coming up with that weakness of Juliet's."
The Elite girl's fingers stopped to hover above the keyboards.
The pause was as filled with tension as if she had the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her enemy's head.
"But that has just made me want you even more!! Such quick thinking. Such application. You are perfect for my unit!! Honestly. Ho ho. Honestly. Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!! Why do you light such a fire in my heart!? Oh ho ho!!"
But...
"Stop, " said Quenser quietly.
He used a finger to wipe up some blood that was dripping down from his ear and slowly crawled across the cockpit floor.
"This is a useless struggle. You cannot defeat our princess like this."
"Oh ho ho. And what proof of this do you-..."
The Elite girl trailed off.
Quenser had used his finger to write something in red on the floor.
A bomb has been set up.
The Elite girl looked at Quenser in shock, and he wrote more on the floor in blood.
Cut off all transmissions. Including the ones monitored in the background.
"What... ?"
Quenser slammed his palm against the wall.
His gaze said it all.
Do not speak.
Whatever you do, do not speak.
If you overlook this opportunity, you are doomed.
He had no time to deal with the Elite girl's confusion.
"..."
The girl's slender fingers hovered hesitantly above the keyboards for a few seconds. Finally, she hit the switch. After seeing her finger move, Quenser slowly got up.
"Over there. On the floor below the cockpit seat, a plastic explosive has been set up. It is likely to be used in emergencies. Did they not tell you anything about this?"
For a bit, the girl did not move. After that, she shook her head for some reason. She may have wanted to deny something. However, Quenser gave no response. Silence reigned. The Elite girl undid her seatbelt with trembling hands and slowly stood up. She timidly circled around behind the seat and peered underneath.
She then staggered as if she was feeling faint.
"Why?" Her whispered voice could be heard throughout the small cockpit."Why would they set up something like this? Oh ho ho. Losing the Object or its Elite means certain death for my unit."
"An Object is a monstrous weapon that cannot be destroyed even with a nuke. When it is controlled by a single Elite, the military will fear the Elite turning on them. If the Object did turn its main cannons on its own base, no one would be able to stop it." Quenser leaned against the wall and took a long, slow breath before continuing."And the Rush is controlled by a strategic AI. There is even more danger of a rampage since there could be a bug in the program that the Elite cannot take care of fast enough. That is why they created an 'emergency shutoff' for themselves. There is probably a similar bomb installed on the Juliet's main computer in addition to this one in the cockpit."
"..."
"But that is not the biggest problem."
The Elite girl understood what he was trying to say.
Quenser pointed towards where the bomb was with his index finger that was wet with blood.
"The detonation counter has begun. It may be linked to a major error occurring in the strategic AI."
"Impossible! Ho... oh ho ho. I-I am the Elite of the Gatling 033! They would not dispose of me so simply!!"
"The Elite is important, but only so long as the military views it that way, " spat out Quenser in reply."I have seen an Elite being discarded. When the princess was defeated by the Water Strider here in the Alaska district, she was used as a decoy so the unit could retreat. An Elite only has value when combined with a functioning Object. And as long as they have the Juliet and the public 3D model, they do not even need to tell the people if you die. Is there perhaps a backup? Is the Juliet saved to some area of memory in the network?"
"Kh!!"
The Elite girl leaped back into the cockpit chair and reached for the communications system's switch.
But Quenser said, "Stop. They did not want you to know about the bombs. It is entirely possible they will remotely detonate them the instant you ask about them. They might decide your knowledge would lead you to betray them."
The Elite girl's finger stopped an instant before reaching the key.
As she remained motionless, Quenser continued.
"Why do you think the bombs were set up only in the cockpit and the main computer? Because they want to keep the damages to a minimum so they can switch out just the interior and reuse the Object. Normally, only you can pilot the Gatling 033 because it was modified just for you. However, if they only use the frame and reconstruct the inner portion similar to another Object, they can swap in another Elite fairly quick. This way, they can discard an Elite they can no longer use and move over to the next plan with a minimum cost."
"I... I would never betray them or go on a rampage!! Ho... ho ho. And the erroneous learning of the Strategic AI Juliet is due to the vulnerabilities of the program!!"
"But what do you think the commanders back at your base zone are thinking right now? They saw the Rush suddenly stop when it should have been able to continue fighting. It is not the Rush or the Elite that the Information Alliance military cares about. It is the Strategic AI Juliet."
"... !!"
The Elite clenched her fist.
She stood up, swaying, and slammed her small fist into Quenser's face as he sat with his back against the wall. She did not stop with just one or two hits. She continued on and on and on and on and on. She punched him with all of her strength again and again.
"This is... ! This is all your fault!! I did... nothing wrong!!"
The dull sounds continued on.
The girl's shoulders trembled.
She was not running out of stamina.
Her humiliation, her anger, and the fear she could no longer hide were making her body tremble.
"What will you do?" Quenser asked the Elite girl with his split lips."The plastic explosives will detonate in another 10 minutes at this rate. The bomb here is not that big, but the blast is enough to kill any human in this enclosed space. Do you understand the situation now? What will you do?"
"..."
The Elite girl swung her fist up, but then stopped.
Her trembling reached its peak. That cockpit surrounded by thick walls had likely been akin to a cradle for her. Feeling real danger in there may have given her claustrophobic fear for the first time in her life.
She motionlessly breathed shallow breaths and Quenser sighed.
"Where is the ejection device?"
"?"
"Where is the control device for ejection? I came to the battlefield to study Object design as a battlefield student. I can look into it. If the ejection is linked to the bomb, you can't just activate it. I need to cut the cord connecting it first."
Quenser placed a hand on the wall and slowly stood up with his face swelling from the pummeling it had taken.
The Elite girl hesitated for a second, but finally said, "Th-the ejection device is built into the seat. Oh ho ho."
"I see. So it's the same as our princess's."
Quenser pulled some small tools out of his uniform's pockets. The screws in the cockpit chair were made in a special shape, so his Legitimacy Kingdom tools would not work. However, he pulled out a small pair of pliers and directly rotated the heads of the screws.
After removing four screws, he pulled off a small panel.
He saw several cables and an air compressor used to tighten the seatbelt.
As he looked inside, he said, "Here it is. It is connected. But it doesn't use some complex system to connect the cord or anything. This isn't some puzzle like the time bombs in movies. I can take care of this simply enough." Quenser grabbed the Elite girl's shoulders and sat her down in the cockpit chair."Put on the seatbelt again. Eject after I cut the cord. That should take care of this. This is still a battlefield with rules. As long as you go through the proper steps, you won't be shot out of the air or pursued across the snowy plain after you eject."
"Wh-why... ?"
"This is war. I am not doing this out of kindness." Quenser circled around behind the chair and stretched an arm inside where he had removed the panel."As I told you before, I came here to study Object design. Ultimately, I do not care who wins or loses the war... as long as our lives are not in danger, that is. And as a student, this is a chance to drive the pilot Elite out and capture an enemy Object almost completely unharmed. This is a key to getting rich quick. Normally, I would never get to study a Second Generation Information Alliance Object."
The Elite girl blinked in confusion while held in place by her seatbelt.
In response, Quenser said, "This is a one time deal. The next time we meet, we'll be enemies. We'll be forced to fight to the death. Keep this a secret from the princess. If it turns out I let an enemy Elite escape, I could very well be court martialed. Normally, it seems you would be used in negotiations between nations."
A loud snipping sound could be heard.
It was the sound of Quenser cutting the cord connecting the ejection device to the bomb.
Now she could eject.
His arm reached around the chair and headed for the red ejection key.
That was when the Elite girl realized something.
"W-wait a second! The ejection device can only eject me, and the bomb's detonator is still functioning! You will just be trapped here-..."
"Yes, " Quenser readily admitted."I'll deal with the rest myself. As I said, this is a key to getting rich quick. It's worth risking my life for. At the very least, it's worth risking my life more than fighting deadly battles for the interests of the higher ups is. If the Elite does not eject soon to display that you can no longer fight, the princess will destroy the Object. Once that happens, I'll have nothing left to study."
"Wai-"
"Make sure you survive. I'll make the proper preparations so you can."
Before the Elite girl could complain any further, Quenser slammed down the red ejection key.
The dozens of barriers set throughout the tunnel-like passageway all opened up. After the route was confirmed to be open, the Elite girl's seat was forcefully launched out.
It took less than 10 seconds for her to exit the tunnel. Once she had exited the Object, the Elite herself was launched from the chair and a parachute activated.
"..."
With that, the war was over.
Left alone, Quenser unsteadily moved backwards until his back struck the wall.
While leaning against the wall, he slid down to a sitting position.
His focus lay only on the presence of the plastic explosive sitting on the floor where it had been set up to kill the Elite.
Part 17
The Strategic AI Juliet of the Information Alliance's Gatling 033 had been shut off and the Elite girl who had mastered the technique of manually controlling the entire Object had ejected.
With the Gatling 033 truly unable to move, the war in Alaska came to an end. Naturally, the Legitimacy Kingdom was the victor.
"..."
After landing on the snow with her parachute, the Elite girl turned tail and ran, but the Legitimacy Kingdom Object did not pursue her. That was proof that she stood upon a clean battlefield ruled by a type of law and order. The Elite girl bit her lip in humiliation, but she had no way to fight back in her current situation. Retreating as quickly as possible when given the opportunity was the duty of the loser.
She ran for kilometer after kilometer across the cold snow.
Even inside her special suit made with cutting edge technology, she was gradually losing heat.
As she gritted her teeth at the bitterness of defeat, the Elite girl heard the sound of snow being crushed. However, it was too smooth a noise to be human footsteps. It was an Information Alliance off-road vehicle. Since the noise of an engine would draw in enemies, the Information Alliance usually used hybrids. The electric motor made much less noise. Issues of horsepower and driving distance prevented them from using fully electric vehicles. The gasoline engine would be used for terrain with harsher slopes and the electric motor would be used when enemy troops were likely around.
The off-road vehicle stopped in front of the Elite girl. The door opened and the commander of the Information Alliance's maintenance base zone stepped out. Her name was Lendy Farolito. She was a woman of about 20 with brown skin and silver hair. She was one of the young officers who were growing rather common in recent years.
The fact that the commander had personally come to the front lines may have been a form of respect for the Elite. Or perhaps the commander simply had nothing better to do with the war over.
"Thank goodness... It seems you managed to survive, " said Lendy with a relieved expression.
The Elite girl remained silent and simply looked at her commander. Lendy seemed to interpret that hard look as coming from the shock of defeat.
"For now, we need to retreat. The intelligence department trying to analyze the technology from the Object wreckage will probably resent us. The facility they set up to transmit their data will likely be destroyed by the Legitimacy Kingdom now. However, we have no duty to continue fighting to the last man once our Object has been lost. We can deal with this digitally. A certain amount of data has already been gathered from the wreckage, so this was not without any results. And the higher ups do not seem insistent that we stick with this. Fortunately, we were deemed to be a card worth preserving."
Lendy crouched down to put herself on eyelevel with the short Elite girl.
She looked like a parent or a teacher.
However, the Elite girl could not forget two facts.
The fact that a bomb had been set up inside the cockpit and the fact that a detonation signal had been sent to it after the situation had grown unfavorable.
"Losing the Gatling 033 is a painful blow, but the Information Alliance military emphasizes piloting systems and strategic AI, so we should be fine. The Juliet was backed up and you can still be used. Constructing an entire Object would take 3 or 4 years, but we can take one in construction and change the layout to suit our needs. That way, it won't take too long before you can get back to it."
"..."
"The biggest problem is the fear that the Legitimacy Kingdom will retrieve the Gatling 033 and analyze the data and technology concerning the Strategic AI Juliet. But we do not need to worry about that. The main circuits and memory devices in the Gatling 033 have heating elements installed to deal with that. With the circuits directly fried, all the crucial technology will be erased, so-..."
A high-pitched noise rang out.
It came from Lendy Farolito's cheek.
The Elite girl had slapped her commander.
In a stiff voice, the Elite girl said, "If you try something like that again, I really will turn my main cannons on your base zone."
Having been slapped, Lendy looked at the Elite girl with an expression of bewilderment. The Elite girl did not feel like dealing with her commander if she was going to feign ignorance. She headed for the back seat of the off-road vehicle while ignoring Lendy who was holding her cheek with one hand.
(That boy. )
The Elite girl thought while ignoring the driver who was remaining silent due to the odd atmosphere.
(It may be safer to keep an engineer like him as a confidant than a soldier who excels at giving suspicious pretexts for everything.... Oh ho ho. Now I want him even more. )
Part 18
Meanwhile, Quenser held his radio to his ear in the Rush's cockpit. The thick barriers had prevented the radio signal from getting through before, but the tunnel-like passageway had opened up during the ejection. That meant he could now use his radio.
He was speaking with his large-breasted commander.
"The battle is over. I've gotten us the Second Generation Information Alliance Object almost completely intact. Send over some people from the electronic simulation department who know how to deal with the data processing. Of course, any staff familiar with the Information Alliance format would be best. A strategic AI called Juliet was stopped due to a conflict over commands, but it would be best not to leave it for too long. An auto-scan or self-restart could begin which might lead to the reactor being detonated to keep their data from us."
"Understood, Quenser. First the Water Strider and now this. This really is a mountain of treasure for the Legitimacy Kingdom."
"Tell me when you're going to dismantle it. I would appreciate it if you could negotiate with the higher ups to get me in first."
"Hmm, I can't promise anything. The analysis of the latest technology of an enemy nation will likely become a national project. They might not let you due to fears that letting a student participate could damage some sensitive circuitry and prevent a proper analysis."
"I guess it isn't that easy..." sighed Quenser.
Either way, a report on the analysis of the Rush would be uploaded to the military database. He could learn a lot from that. There was more than one path to becoming a designer, so he decided it might be best to let this one slide.
After ending the transmission with Froleytia, Quenser began coughing. The intense inertial forces had injured him internally. He had blood coming from his ears and nose. It would likely be best if he received a full medical inspection once he returned to the maintenance base zone.
After that thought, Quenser noticed a new incoming transmission on his radio.
It was from Heivia.
"Hey, Sir Knight. It seems the plan to cause erroneous learning in the AI to stop the Object was a success. You should thank me. They might have to add a new strategy to the training manual for new recruits next year."
"The Information Alliance won't make the same mistake twice. They'll have a countermeasure the next time we meet. A technique used once is an outdated technique. The battlefield is being constantly updated, so even the best information can become worthless in no time."
"I heard a plastic explosive had been set in the cockpit to prevent the Elite from turning on them."
"Thanks to that, I was easily able to get the Elite to eject. It seems she was able to control the Rush using full key touch. If it hadn't been for that disagreement with her comrades, this battle might have lasted quite a bit longer."
"Hmm, " said Heivia half-heartedly.
And then...
"By any chance, was that bomb made of Hand Axe?"
Quenser fell silent.
He glanced over.
The plastic explosive was definitely set up there. The name of the explosive used was Hand Axe. A gram of it was more valuable than a gram of platinum, and it was developed by the Legitimacy Kingdom military. Naturally, the Information Alliance had no way of manufacturing it.
What looked like a detonator was actually a decoration created from the cords meant for a wired detonation and the LCD screen taken from a pen-shaped wireless fuse.
Finally, Quenser spoke into the radio once more.
"... This is war. I wasn't doing it out of kindness."
"That was a bit of a cruel method. But just a bit. You could have been more thorough. You just needed to prevent the Elite from manually piloting using full key touch, so you could have just killed her. As long as she's still alive, she can always use a derivative Object to return to the battlefield. The Information Alliance hadn't raised the white flag yet, so you could have done it, right?"
"Should you really be saying that?" Quenser sighed."After blowing up several Objects, I'm not really one to talk, but this is Alaska. Don't tell me you forget what happened here."
"Heh heh. True enough. Humans really aren't fair. We complain like hell when someone does it to us, but forget all about that when we're the ones doing it."
"Please, just keep this a secret from the princess and Froleytia."
"Because they'll be mad at you for going against military regulations for something like that? The princess seems calm at first glance, but she does have a bad habit of being oversensitive when it comes to wins or losses against Objects, doesn't she?"
"No, because it would probably put them in a bad mood. I'd rather not be ordered to make a 30 kilometer dash through the snow."
"Heh heh. Shouldn't you be more worried about the bad mood the princess is already in? When you were getting along surprisingly well with the Rush's Elite, you said some rather explosive things. She seems quite agitated wondering who this Angelina childhood friend and Etta from the restaurant are."
"Hah? I was just pointing you to the Angelina List!! You followed my instructions, so surely you figured that out, Heivia!"
"Eh? It's not my problem if she didn't catch on."
"Why does it look like I'm going to have to explain myself to the princess after all this... ?" muttered Quenser.
Ignoring him, Heivia cut off the transmission.
Amid the silence, Quenser looked up at the ceiling of the Rush's cockpit. He thought back to what he had said.
The next time we meet, we'll be enemies.
We'll be forced to fight to the death.
| ← Ch. 018 | Ch. 020 → |