Editing HEAVY OBJECT:Volume1 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 11===

The black thundercloud-like noise of an Object moving using static electricity reverberated throughout the Oceania night.

After reaching an area near the Great Sandy Desert, the Objects of the Legitimacy Kingdom and the Information Alliance came to a stop.

The princess checked on a magnified image of her target.

The Oceanian artificial greening project had only just begun in that area, so most of it was practically a wasteland of sand dunes. In the center of that was a collection of concrete constructions. It looked like a large scale supply station centered around a gas station located along a long, long desert road. In fact, it was officially registered as just that. However, the abandoned-looking buildings were in fact an Oceanian military facility.

The Elite called “the princess” by her allies aimed at the facility with one of her main guns. She was 10-13 kilometers from her target, so she was obeying the instructions her comrades had given her.

With a great explosive noise, a line of light shot out from the low-stability plasma cannon. The line of light stabbed into the main concrete building, spreading bluish-white explosions about. Her distance was a bit too great to pierce the armor of a high-spec Object because the plasma energy had time to dissipate, but it was more than enough for a mere concrete building or the armor of the low-tech Generation 0.5.

After she fired on the same building a few more times, an even larger explosion occurred. The prototype reactor had exploded.

The scale of the explosion was smaller than she had expected.

The blast only had a radius of 300 meters, so even the alterations to the reactor to make it go critical must have failed. The small explosion seemed to signify just how low the Oceanian military nation’s level of technology was.

The princess received a transmission from a Legitimacy Kingdom communications soldier.

“According to the report from the satellite division, no sign of anything that could be a functional Object can be seen within the wreckage of the facility. Most likely, this was a dummy using a prototype reactor, but our orders are to check the facility out just to be sure.”

“But isn’t that your job, not mine?” the princess replied.

“Oh ho ho. They are asking us to remain on standby in case an Object emerges from the wreckage. It is something like being a pool lifeguard.”

The princess felt it was a waste of time.

Just then, she received a transmission from an unexpected person.

“…Ksshh…This is Quenser. We have confirmed the Oceanian military nation’s Object is in the Tanami Desert. I repeat, we have confirmed the Oceanian military nation’s Object is in the Tanami Desert! As the electronic simulation division predicted, its tech is only at a Generation 0.5 level. With our cutting edge models, a single shot from the main gun should finish it off! We request reinforcements. We don’t care who from! Just send an Object with a giant gun our way!!”

“Whoever gets here first, wins!! If you don’t hurry up, we’ll take all the glory for ourselves!!” cut in Heivia’s voice.

She could also hear some of the soldiers muttering their disbelief that the Object was actually there.

The princess started to turn her Object around, but another transmission came in.

“No. No reinforcements are to go to the Tanami Desert. That is a direct order.”

The princess froze in place.

(Whose voice is that?)

From the frequency being used, it seemed to be someone from the Legitimacy Kingdom military, but…

“I repeat, the transmission from the Tanami Desert is a trap. No one is to do as it says. Quenser and Heivia have headed off on their own and seem to have become confused.”

(Wait, this voice is…)

She recognized the voice as belonging to the Councilor Flide.

The Councilors led the Legitimacy Kingdom and he was said to be the one who had put together the coalition force and sent them to Oceania for the sake of his election. However, that identity held another great meaning for the princess.

“As you can tell from our data, Oceania’s Object truly was in the Great Sandy Desert. The prototype reactor and the Object were both in the same facility. The Oceanians were afraid of our attack and hurriedly had the Object escape while leaving the prototype reactor behind. The real Object is still out there in the Great Sandy Desert somewhere. We must not let it escape. If we turn back for the Tanami Desert now, the Generation 0.5 Object will disappear again.” As the soldiers listened on in bewilderment, Councilor Flide continued. “Quenser and Heivia know this, but they are afraid of having to fight the Object, so they are intentionally trying to have us waste our time on the dummy facility in the Tanami Desert. They will soon be arrested, but the Generation 0.5 Object in the Great Sandy Desert comes first. Do not be deceived by Quenser and Heivia’s words.”

Whether the Tanami Desert facility was a dummy or not should have been immediately obvious from the satellite.

When moving slowly, an Object and a gas tank could be difficult to tell apart, but if Quenser and Heivia were facing the object in a fight for their lives, the Object would be moving much more quickly. Even the slower Generation 0.5 would not be mistaken for a gas tank with treads.

(There is something more to this…)

The princess finished turning her Object in the direction of the Tanami Desert.

Acting on their orders, the soldiers following her tried to stop her, but normal firepower could do nothing against an Object.

The princess ignored them and headed on, but then her Object came to a sudden stop.

Only one thing in that area held the firepower necessary to make her stop.

“Oh ho ho. Aren’t you supposed to obey the orders of your superior officers?”

“You…”

The Information Alliance Object was pointing its main rapid-fire beam cannon Gatling gun toward her as the princess glared at it through her sensors. The soldiers must have thought the two Objects were going to enter a direct confrontation because they broke rank and scattered.

“A possible enemy Object’s Elite must not be allowed to act on her own discretion. This is not a concept unique to the Information Alliance. It is common to all militaries that use Objects. Oh ho ho. Your actions could lead to a great slaughter. I cannot overlook an Elite disobeying her orders.”

“Councilor Flide lead the Legitimacy Kingdom. You have no reason to do what he says.”

“Oh ho ho. That may be true…”

The Information Alliance Elite showed no sign of moving her rapid-fire beam cannon Gatling gun.

The princess moved her arm-shaped main guns.

They both aimed their main guns at the other’s reactor.

The eerie dark thundercloud-like noise reverberated across the area from the bottom of the princess’s Object.

“…but I was ordered to record our joint actions together to investigate the technology of the Legitimacy Kingdom’s Object. Normally, that would have been done while we fought alongside each other, but if you are picking a fight, I will gladly take the opportunity. Oh ho ho.”