Editing HEAVY OBJECT:Volume1 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

After the briefing where the coalition dignitaries came into conflict with their desire to have their own Object take all the glory, Quenser and the other soldiers like him exited the building, feeling incredibly bored.

The sun had completely set and darkness filled the sky.

It was time for the operation to begin.

“Oh, god. Why does the target site have to be 2 kilometers southwest of here? Two kilometers! Can’t the higher ups get us some trucks!?” shouted out Quenser without thinking.

Heivia shook his head and said, “They actually did, but it’s all they can do to carry the Information Alliance unit with their heavy powered suits. See how the tires are about to burst already?”

“They have motors and fibrous springs to supplement their strength, so why can’t ''they'' be the ones to walk? And what are they gonna use those for in an Object vs. Object battle anyway?”

“That’s a reconnaissance unit equipped with extremely high performance high speed cameras. They analyze the minute movements of the enemy Object’s main gun and lenses and send that information to their Object to help with timing for evasion and defense. At the very least, they’ll be more help in a battle than us. Although they do tend to get targeted first due to their annoying interference.”

However, it was not just the foot soldiers who were annoyed with the arrangement.

The giant Objects that could pull off speeds on the level of a linear motor train had to match the speed of the foot soldiers. They occasionally made small movements that were reminiscent of a human tapping their foot impatiently while waiting for someone.

Two Objects flanked the foot soldiers on opposite sides.

The first was the princess from the Legitimacy Kingdom army.

The other was the Elite from the Information Alliance army that Quenser and Heivia had met before.

The two Objects must have used different forms of propulsion because the rumbling sound similar to dark thunderclouds only came from the princess’s Object.

To distract himself from his irritation and because of the odd sense of connection due to fighting alongside each other (even if the team had been thrown together at the last second), Quenser decided to speak to the Information Alliance Object.

It was also possible he was merely curious due to the fact that he would normally be unable to approach (for fear of getting blown to pieces) an Object from the Information Alliance.

“Hey, is it true that the Information Alliance military is developing a human-shaped Object?”

“Oh ho ho. That is obviously an ugly lie. It may be technically possible, but its center of gravity would be too high, so it would fall over too easily.”

“That’s no fun. Then is the rumor about your Objects having power outlets false too?”

“That one is true. Just like with a blast furnace, an Object’s reactor is more efficient if it is left on 24/7 rather than switching it on and off. As such, there is spare energy that can be spread around while on standby in the base. Oh ho ho.”

“You travel on land for long periods of time using propulsion from an air cushion engine that uses pure air pressure rather than static electricity. When you go all out, it seems like the excess energy would be enough to blow any surrounding soldiers away.”

“When travelling alongside soldiers, the air cushion engine is only used to lessen the weight a bit so treads are enough to propel the Object. Oh ho ho. That way the surrounding air is not disturbed too much and soldiers can travel alongside it.”

“Hehh. So that’s how the Information Alliance does things these days.”

“I like the look of that admiring gaze. Oh, and to allow the air cushion engine to work to its fullest, the body is lightened by using carbon and aramid materials for portions of the armor. Oh ho ho.”

“By the way, all this walking is exhausting, so could I hitch a ride?”

“Oh ho ho. Such a small weight would hardly be an issue, so feel free to grab on.”

Quenser grabbed onto the urethane-like material of the air cushion engine and Heivia suddenly quietly shouted over at him.

“(Hey! That’s not a good idea, Quenser!!)”

“(What? You mean because the Information Alliance intelligence unit is glaring at me in fear that some information will be leaked?)”

“(Yes, well, the fact that they’re actually staring at your face through their scopes ''is'' a problem, but the bigger problem is that our princess seems to have gotten into a really bad mood for some reason!!)”

“(…Hah?)”

Having completely climbed on top of the military urethane material used on the air cushion engine, Quenser looked over at the other Object in confusion.

He saw the princess’s Object moving as if shaking its head.

“Nothing is the matter,” she said.

“Gwaahh!? The shaking of the Object is causing the air pressure and repellent spray to blow sand everywhere!!” shouted Heivia from the ground and all the soldiers still in proper formation started coughing. Quenser had managed to avoid the issues by climbing up a few meters from the ground. “Quenser! If you want to prevent any more damage, go grab onto the princess’s Object!!”

“But doesn’t hers use static electricity and lasers for propulsion? It distorts lasers like crazy with metal plates to heat up the air and detonate it. I think that would be dangerous to get anywhere near.”

“Cough cough!! Y-yeah well, this sand hell is pretty dangerous, too!”

That was when the Information Alliance Elite girl spoke up.

“This kind of casual attentiveness and nonchalant kindness is important to gain trust amongst us soldiers. Oh ho ho. I suppose the unrefined Elite of the Legitimacy Kingdom simply does not understand that.”

“I said it was nothing. …Are you mocking me?” replied the princess.

“Please, Quenser!! Come down!! Don’t provoke the princess and the other Elite any further!! At this rate, we’re all going to be slaughtered while caught between two battling Objects!!”

“?”

Quenser could hear the shouting from down below, but he had no intention of going back to travelling on foot with all the heavy equipment he was weighed down with. He lay down on top of the urethane with the intent of making himself comfortable until they arrived.