Editing HEAVY OBJECT:Volume2 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 5===

Their current operation was to land on the coast of the Iguazu district in South America.

Their objective was the annihilation of the Mass Driver conglomerate that was supposedly lying inland.

As the pre-mission briefing ended, so did the maintenance on the princess’s Object.

The many wires strung up from the assault landing aircraft carriers were removed, freeing the Baby Magnum from its bonds. The princess slowly piloted the Object out from between the two ships and then accelerated to 300 kph all at once. The Baby Magnum was a first generation Composite Multi Role Object, so it could display tremendous power on sea when it had a special ring-shaped float attached.

Land could be seen even from the ship’s deck.

As Quenser watched the giant Object leave, Heivia called out to him.

“We’re about to land, Quenser. We should get down below too. It’s unlikely we’d be hit, but we’re in range of a howitzer.”

“The front of an assault landing aircraft carrier opens up like giant gates, right?” asked Quenser as he ran over to where Heivia was waiting. Rectangular lines separated out an area on one edge of the flat deck. It was an elevator that was originally meant to bring small fighters out onto the deck.

The two rode the elevator down for 30 seconds.

Walking down below, Heivia said, “This ship’s role is simple. It charges in using its thick armor to withstand the gunfire and shells. Once it gets near the shore, the front opens up like a gate. After that, the landing party (that’s us) charges out with a war cry.”

“…You make us sound like a suicide unit.”

“The princess goes ahead of us and cleans up the beach to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Heivia, sounding fed up with it all. “She’ll be rewarded if she takes out the Mass Driver conglomerate heading to South America, but we need to get on land first. Let’s get this pain-in-the-ass sea bath over with and get the princess up on the beach.”

The two headed to the very front of the ship.

Something like a large storage area was located there and it was filled with plenty of soldiers as well as the large vehicles loaded with equipment and materials for maintaining the Object.

Heivia sat in an arbitrary spot, took his rifle apart, and started making fine adjustments to various parts.

“Once the princess has secured the beach, we begin our sea bath. Once we reach the beach, we set up the bare minimum of maintenance facilities and a simple airfield. Other things like barracks are generally brought in via transport plane using the airfield. This ship alone isn’t enough to carry the 100+ vehicles needed to bring in everything we need.”

Quenser looked puzzled as he checked on his complement of explosives and checked on his radio.

“If the princess is that convenient, can’t we just stay here on the ship the whole time?”

“Don’t be stupid. The princess’s Baby Magnum can function on both sea and land, but it needs that special float to fight on sea. Its primary battlefield is on land. If we don’t remove that float, the princess can’t head on to the Iguazu battlefield. We need to spread out a net on one end of the beach and use a bunch of naturally decomposing repellant to give her a foothold.”

“…I guess it isn’t that easy,” said Quenser sounding disappointed.

Suddenly, a friendly transmission came in over the radio he was in the process of checking. It was from the princess who had reached the beach and was searching for any enemies.

“This is very boring work.”

“It’s better than killing people, right?”

“Waiting for all of you is boring,” said the princess with a sigh. “Quenser, you said you are unsure what the topic of your research should be, right? Then how about you look into a way to go back and forth between land and sea without exchanging parts?”

“Well, the princess certainly seems irritable today,” commented Heivia from the side.

As if to verify his words, a prickly silence was the only response from the princess.

Finally, she said, “Earlier, I received an email inviting me to a mock battle. It was more or less an order. It is taking place in the Normandy district a month from now.”

“Wow, that’s the Legitimacy Kingdom’s main country. That should be a nice performance. You can show off your awe-inspiring gallantry.”

“…I am just there as the underdog,” said the princess, sounding displeased. “Have you heard of the Bright Hopper?”

“Hm?” Quenser frowned. “Oh, right. Isn’t that supposed to be a new cutting edge Object we’re constructing? I heard its equipment is centralized on laser beams. Not only does it use static electricity to make its giant form float, it uses grasshopper-like legs to kick the ground and move at incredibly high speed. Is it already finished?”

“By the way, the Elite that pilots it is the eldest son of an influential noble family. To set it apart from other Objects, a high class carpenter was apparently commissioned to make the interior look like something from a royal castle,” added Heivia.

“Yeah, I’ve heard a lot of rumors about it. For example, I heard three prototype reactors were carefully made and tested before the actual Object was constructed. I have no idea how much of this stuff is true, though.”

It was to be a mock battle between two cutting edge Objects, but if the princess fought evenly or even defeated the Bright Hopper, she would be ruining the debut of their new Object. In other words, the higher ups of the Legitimacy Kingdom had told her to intentionally lose.

Heivia sounded utterly uninterested as he said, “Can’t you just hold back and get it over with like they want?”

“If I did that, the media would check the spec sheet and say Baby Magnum should have been able to do better than that. They would conclude its Elite must be unskilled.”

“God, what a pain…”

“I really don’t want that. The Bright Hopper’s specs are supposed to be higher, so maybe I should decide to not hold back and fight seriously,” said the princess, her words giving off a dangerous aura that hinted at a forthcoming storm. But she still had her work to deal with so she soon said, “I have finished checking the designated area. …I am picking up numerous metallic readings on the mountain slope.”

“Numerous metallic readings?”

Tension ran through Quenser and Heivia, but a transmission from the assault landing aircraft carrier cut in.

“This is Charlemagne to Baby Magnum. According to one report, that mountain is filled with iron ore. Take that into consideration.”

“Iron ore?” The princess fell silent. “(But there is no proof.)”

“Charlemagne to Baby Magnum. We have scanned the area via satellite, but there are no armored vehicles or the like presently visible. Even if the numerous metallic readings in the mountain are enemy weapons, wouldn’t they need many times that many vehicles to support them?”

“There you have it,” the princess said rather carelessly.

“Really?” Quenser said skeptically. “Um, if they turn out to be hidden enemy gun batteries rather than iron ore, we’re the ones that will be in trouble. With the thick armor of the Object around you, you might not be able to grasp how important an issue this is.”

“Mh. I said there is no problem, so there is no problem.”

“I see, I see. Well, if these metallic readings do turn out to be gun batteries, you have to make me a special bavarois in the shape of tits. And this will of course be done with an audience.”

The sound of something evaporating erupted out.

Baby Magnum had fired a warning laser beam from one of its main cannons as close as it could get to the mountain slope without hitting it. The dust and moisture in the air was roasted and an orange beam sliced through empty space.

“No response. No one is there.”

“I’m not kidding about this bavarois if you’re wrong.”

“Enough of this nonsense,” cut in Froleytia. “Reports from the princess take priority for now. Okay, let’s get up on the beach and take off the princess’s lifesaver. It would be bad in more ways than one if the enemy found us while the transition is being carried out. Let’s get the princess up on land and able to move about freely before we’re noticed. That’s the best way to end this mission safely!!”

The transmission must have reached the Charlemagne’s bridge as well because the ship suddenly accelerated. Quenser felt the backwards tug of inertia.

Froleytia’s voice rang out as she gave the final check.

“In five minutes, we will head for the coast. We will charge into the ocean with small hydrofoils and head straight for land. Our top priority is removing the ocean float from the princess’s Object. If it comes to it, do not worry about equipment falling into the ocean. We can get replacement parts in by transport plane. All soldiers not in charge of carrying out this work are to protect and cooperate with those who are. That is all!!”

As if launched by those words, Quenser and the others began to move. They ran down the wide floor that slanted steadily forward and climbed aboard hydrofoils that were carrying large vehicles.

They had not intended for it to happen, but Quenser and Heivia just so happened to climb aboard the same hydrofoil. About 20 other soldiers were with them.

The time came soon enough.

The siren blared and the thick wall-like gate before them opened up to either side. The devices holding the hydrofoils in place naturally released and the hydrofoils slid down into the ocean one after another.

They were about 3 kilometers out from land.

More than 10 hydrofoils left the assault landing aircraft carrier Charlemagne and they headed across the ocean with almost no space between them. And it did not end there. Seven or eight other assault landing aircraft carriers similarly sent out hydrofoils.

The hydrofoils had special wing-like devices on the bottom that cut through the water as they continued forward. The resistance from that allowed most of the boat to remain above water. This removed as much resistance from the water as possible, allowing the boats to soar across the water at dozens of kilometers per hour.

It would probably take about 2 or 3 minutes for them to arrive on the beach.

Quenser stared forward while gripping the handrail of the hydrofoil.

He could see the land clearly from where he was. It was not very developed. The beach was covered in driftwood and trash and what looked like a small mountain of about 100 meters could be seen beyond the beach. According to the princess, there was no sign of enemy soldiers or an Object on the beach. 

However…

“Hey, did something just flash!?” shouted Heivia.

It came from the small mountain of about 100 meters beyond the beach. Coming from the middle of the slope that was enveloped in green, something arced through the air at high speed, coming their way. Heivia had seen the light of the sun reflecting from the projectile.

(…A railgun!?)

That was Quenser’s immediate thought, but he did not have time to say it aloud.

The relatively heavy shell arced high into the sky and mercilessly fell at Mach 5 toward the ocean surface Quenser and the others were travelling along.

A tremendous noise and a huge splash of water exploded up.

Quenser’s vision was filled with water. He had avoided a direct hit, but the ocean surface roared and the hydrofoil flew into the air as if the ocean had become a ramp. His body shook when they landed and his hands left the handrail. He almost fell straight into the ocean.

He was on the verge of death, but Quenser threw his hands into the air and shouted, “Yahoo!! Bavaroooooiiiiissssss!!”

“Why the hell are you celebrating with a smile covering your face!? They’re bombarding us!!”

It did not end with that one Railgun shot.

One after another, 40 or 50 giant shells arced through the sky.

Quenser immediately grabbed his radio and shouted to the princess in her Object.

“Shoot them down!!”

“!!”

The princess complied with his ridiculous request.

Of her 100 weapons both large and small, the anti-air lasers opened fire.

The sizzling sound of evaporating water exploded out. Orange light took the form of beams that fried the dust and dirt in the air. The beams pierced the Mach 5 railgun shells one after another, melting them away in midair.

But even she had her limits.

About a third of them made it through. Large cruise missiles or fighters were one thing, but the railgun shells may have simply been too small a target. Also, she might have been able to manage against small targets like a howitzer or short range missiles, but the speed of the railgun was simply too great.

The masses of steel that slipped through the anti-air network mercilessly rained down toward Quenser and the others.

Multiple pillars of water shot up.

The shockwave of the shells hitting the water struck Quenser and he saw another nearby hydrofoil tip up on one side like a car driving on two wheels in an action move. It then collapsed over and fully capsized.

“Shit!!”

“Continue the landing!! If you aren’t directly hit, you won’t die!! Turning back now will only get the assault landing aircraft carriers hit!! Continue on and work with the princess to silence the enemy as quickly as possible! That is how you can survive!!” shouted Froleytia over the radio.

Heivia held onto the handrail with all his might and clenched his teeth.

“God dammit!! This is completely reckless! That commander really is sadistic!! Her voice always sounds so bright while giving orders like this!!”

“Yeah, and your body trembles just as much when you hear the orders, Heivia!!”

“Hey, Quenser. Do you think the Mass Driver conglomerate’s Object is hidden in that mountain? What if that mountain is actually the Object itself hidden under a bunch of dirt!?”

“That can’t be! The railguns are firing from areas 500 meters apart!! Most likely, this is the same as in Antarctica!! They dug holes in the slope, stuffed spare Object railguns inside, and hid them under vegetation!” shouted Quenser as he hit the switch on his radio.

He was speaking to the Charlemagne’s bridge.

“This is Quenser!! I have a question for someone on the bridge who has data from the satellite. Have any people been spotted on that mountain!?”

“This is Charlemagne. No heat signatures or electromagnetic signals suggesting a human presence have been detected. Most likely, the spare cannons are being fired with a remote control program.”

“Are there any people’s homes or other buildings there!?”

“None have been detected. All we can see there are the spare cannons.”

“Okay.” Quenser changed the frequency and contacted the princess. “Baby Magnum, you don’t have to worry about getting civilians involved.”

At that point, Quenser took in a deep breath and then shouted with all his strength.

“Don’t hold back! Blow that entire mountain away!!”

A great roar rang out.

The Baby Magnum’s 7 main cannons located on its 7 arms spread out. The base of each cannon could rotate like a microscope in order to switch out the type of cannon to match the situation.

It was currently firing its low-stability plasma cannons.

A special gas was loaded into the barrel and a massive amount of electricity was used to create manmade plasma. This was then fired at the target. Its maximum range was around 10 kilometers, but it could only reliably shoot through an enemy object at a range of about 3 or 4 kilometers. It was one of the Baby Magnum’s most powerful weapons.

Instead of focusing the 7 cannons on a single point, the fire was spread out evenly across the mountains.



“Wow. You can tell we’re in South America; there are palm trees growing naturally. These long-sleeved, long-leg military uniforms just aren’t right. It’s so hot I’m expecting there to be bikini babes around here somewhere.”

“It’s only 19 degrees, so I think it might be a bit too soon for a bikini. What month is it again? I think you’d be starting to want a coat back in the home country.”

“I really don’t care. Just bring on the bikini babes.”

While looking at his handheld device, Quenser wiped seawater and sweat from his face. He did not even notice that doing so only smeared sand on his face.

Heivia switched on the infrared and ultraviolet sensors on his rifle as well as the microphone used to pick up distant noises.

“This has turned into a real mess even for a war. Operating inside Legitimacy Kingdom territory is one thing, but should we really be entering land that isn’t even ours without permission?”

“Come to think of it, who owns Iguazu? Since the Mass Driver conglomerate is fleeing here, I’m assuming it isn’t the Capitalist Corporations.”

“It’s independent. In other words, it’s a blank area.”

“?”

“After the collapse of the UN, the nations of the world collapsed, split apart, absorbed each other, and otherwise redrew the world’s national boundaries. With world powers like the Legitimacy Kingdom, the Information Alliance, the Capitalist Corporations and the Faith Organization, the world map was split apart by color like stained glass. However, there are some areas that do not belong to any world power.”

“You mean dictatorships like that Oceanian military nation?”

“Not quite. They don’t even have a government. The customs of the native people make the rules. Some of the areas that were late to join any world power due to political issues during the collapse of the UN are still left hanging there with no color.” Heivia used his rifle’s sensors to carefully check around the area. “Places like this are often used as relay points for criminal organizations. They’ll route money through them, store weapons in them, and other things. However, those types of professional criminals tend to operate by hopping from one blank area to another, so examples of someone setting up a permanent presence like the Mass Driver conglomerate is trying to do are quite rare.”

“So Objects from two foreign forces are coming in shooting up the place. It must suck to get caught up in that.”

“That doesn’t just go for places like this. Wherever the battlefield is, it’s nothing but trouble for the people who live there.”

As they spoke, a fellow soldier’s voice reached their ears over the radio.

“Area C, no enemy soldiers found. All we found was the barrels buried in dirt and thick power cables that were connected to something.”

Heivia butted in and spoke into Quenser’s radio.

“Area H, we haven’t found anything either. We’ve used all the sensors at our disposal, but we can only find dirt and rock.”

Similar reports came in one after another. Apparently, the enemy soldiers had never been there in the first place or they had quickly gathered their equipment and made a hasty retreat.

Suddenly, Froletyia spoke up.

“The removal of Baby Magnum’s sea float is complete. The groups in Areas A-D are to turn back and begin preparing the equipment for the simple airfield. The groups in Areas E-H are to extend the search to everywhere within 5 kilometers. Once the work is complete, we will call in the transport planes. If you don’t finish, the baths and beds can’t get here, so prepare yourselves.”

“Dammit, we’re in Area H. We have to stay out here.”

“Yeah, but leveling the land with a tractor to create runways or raising radar towers is no picnic either.”

“After that comment, you’re not allowed to complain if we run smack into a Mass Driver conglomerate Object.”

Quenser and Heivia nervously continued across the Iguazu land, but despite their expectations, they found nothing more. The gentle upward slope continued as they headed inland. The area seemed to be a coffee plantation because many trees about 3 or 4 meters tall were lined up along the relatively flat plain.

Heivia looked down at his feet.

“We’re supposed to be searching, but if they flew off by helicopter, there won’t be anything left. Even their scent will end.”

“You idiot. If a helicopter had been hovering near the ground, the wind from the rotor would have flattened the grass in a circle at the spot. You know how massive those spares are. It’s impossible to completely remove all traces.”

“Really? That was quite the welcome we got, but there doesn’t seem to be a single enemy soldier in the area. It might have been a while since they set it up. If that’s the case, I doubt there’s much left in the way of hints,” said Heivia in annoyance as he looked at the surrounding trees. “Someone planted all these trees here.”

“Come to think of it, why is this area called Iguazu?” asked Quenser.

“Because of the Iguazu River, one of the largest in the world. During the rainy season, it reaches 4 kilometers across.”

“Hmm. And so people built cities around that large river?”

“No, the Iguazu River is actually hundreds of kilometers from here. A ton of manmade rivers stretch from there like a tournament's brackets, supplying each area with water. It seems the water supply for this area is controlled by the Iguazu Dam. But…” Heivia trailed off.

The trees of the coffee plantation were neatly lined up, but there was no sign of any broken branches. In other words, it did not appear a giant Object had passed through.

“??? What is going on? Don’t tell me they used a power cable hundreds of kilometers long to fire at us from outside the country.”

Even if they had, it would have been impossible to retrieve the cable in such a short time. There was also no sign of disturbed dirt suggesting it had been buried.

After thinking for a bit and not coming up with an answer, Quenser sighed.

“…So we’re left with just the spares like in Antarctica. That just leaves me with a bad feeling.”

Heivia shrugged and said, “I may not fully understand the situation, but I know how I’m going to report this.” He then spoke into the radio. “This is Heivia. We’ve performed a sweep of our designated area, but could find no sign of the Mass Driver conglomerate. There are no enemy soldiers here at least for now.”

“…Should you really be saying that? If we don’t follow up on anything suspicious, we might end up targeted by a railgun buried in a hole and covered in vegetation again,” muttered Quenser. 

However, Froleytia seemed satisfied simply with what they knew for the moment. 

“Well done. I doubt you will find an answer to any of those questions just by standing there thinking about them for a few minutes. We can all think about all this at ease once the base is complete. Quenser, Heivia, return here.”

“Ugh. You split the groups in two, but are we going to get stuck with preparing the airfield anyway?”

“No. Since you completed the job assigned to you, you have the right to take a nice rest. Since this is not an urgent manner, you can take your time in getting back as long as you are back by sunset. Although personally I think the base would be the easiest place to rest since it is the safest place here.”

The transmission ended.

Quenser and Heivia exchanged glances.

“…What should we do? Should we head straight back to the base?”

“What a pain. We walked 5 kilometers here. I want to at least take a break to recover some stamina before heading back.”

The two sat down in a position that hid them behind a coffee tree. They pulled their flavorless rations out of their pockets and started eating the giant eraser-like food.

“Dammit. Can’t they do something about these rations? They do nothing other than teach you the value of proper food.”

“I heard the food development division is developing things like container-shaped fields. By bringing together wild plants that can be harvested in about a week after being nothing but a seed, they can ensure a food supply that is more efficient than having rations flown in.”

“…But wouldn’t that be all vegetables…or rather, edible wild plants?”

“This is my first time taking part in a landing operation, so what do we do after building the base zone at the beach?”

“Hm? First, the princess’s Object will head inland and into the mountains. Meanwhile, we will use half the day to slowly move the convoy forward. By repeating that process, we will move the base zone to the front lines 100 kilometers inland.”

The large building-like facilities were actually made up of multiple vehicles. To move the base, they had to be taken apart and reassembled, so it took a lot of work.

“That sure is taking our time. Shouldn’t we be getting this over with quickly? The Mass Driver conglomerate might get away while we’re doing this. Their route is supposed to be from Central America to here in South America, but they might make a U-turn partway through.”

“As long as the princess catches up with them in the end, it doesn’t matter. We’re just meant to stay behind and replenish her supplies. We do nothing more than extend the princess’s range of activity. You remember what we went through when we lost our Object in Alaska, right? That’s the advantage we have here. Once the princess arrives at the battlefield, it’ll be all over. If this is all resolved before we make it to the front lines, what does it matter?”

“And what if the Mass Driver conglomerate has an Object?”

“The Object on its own might be able to escape. However, all the maintenance equipment and facilities take longer. We’ll make sure they feel the pain of running and abandoning their maintenance unit if it comes to that.”

“I see,” muttered Quenser.

The way each individual action taken to decide the winner was carried out in a timeframe counted in days left that single boy unable to really grasp how long things took. However, that was just the way military actions were. In the days when battleships, aircraft carriers, and submarines were actively used, a single operation took even more time than that.

“But…” started Heivia. “You mentioned it before Quenser, but if the Mass Driver conglomerate really does have an Object, where do you think it is?”

“According to the map, there are coal mines in this area. Do you think they could hide a 50 meter Object in there?”

“No, those things weigh 200,000 tons. A coal mine would probably collapse if one went inside it.”

“Just like in Antarctica, we can’t find the Object that was powering the spares.”

Quenser stared up into the sky for a bit.

He munched on the flavorless rubber-like ration.

“Do you think they really have developed a stealth Object that can’t be detected by radar or satellite? Hey, Heivia…Heivia?”

He brought his gaze back down from the sky to find the other boy gone.

He looked around in confusion until…

“Hey, Quenser! Over here! I was just invited to tea by the old man and woman who run this coffee plantation!”

“Huh!? Why is some old couple having a picnic in leisure chairs in the middle of the battlefield!?”

“You idiot. This is their private property. They said their daughter almost never brings her family by to visit, so they never get to see their grandkids. …Eh? You say your grandson is as handsome as me?”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait! They shouldn’t be relaxing! They need to evacuate! This might become the front lines of a battle between two Objects!”

“Quenser, just drink some tea. Although, if you’d rather sit over there eating those flavorless rations, be my guest.”

“Fine!! I’ll accept the invitation, but we’re getting them out of here afterwards!!” shouted Quenser as he headed for one of the leisure chairs.

He took a cup from an old lady who looked like kindness personified.

“…If they run a coffee plantation, why are they serving tea?”

“They say they’ve grown sick of the black stuff,” said Heivia as he dropped a square caramel into his cup for some reason.

With a confused look, Quenser asked, “What are you doing, Heivia?”

“There are different ways to drink it. Did you think sugar, milk, and lemon were the only options? How about you think for yourself before questioning and complaining?”

“This old man has been pouring brandy into my tea without me asking for it. Is that just how things are done here?”

Quenser looked up as if to avert his gaze from the cup that was becoming something quite dangerous. The blue sky seemed to continue on forever and clouds were moving so slowly it seemed the sun would set before they disappeared from view.

“It really makes you think about world peace, doesn’t it?”

“Well, war is a real pain in the ass almost by definition.”

Quenser’s radio then picked up a transmission.

He assumed it was a message or order from Froleytia, but it was not.

The voice was male.

“Legitimacy Kingdom 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion, this is Major Halreed Copacabana of Legitimacy Kingdom 52nd Mobile Maintenance Battalion.”

“Oh, crap.”

Quenser and Heivia both frantically put in the headphones for the radio. They were afraid of getting the old man and woman of the plantation into any kind of unnecessary trouble by letting them overhear.

Meanwhile, the man’s voice continued over the radio.

“Although, it would probably be faster to just say I’m the pilot Elite of the Bright Hopper.”

“?”

The Bright Hopper was the name of a cutting edge Object. Quenser had a feeling it was the one the princess was upset about having to lose a mock battle against in a month.

“We are currently thinking of taking a route through Central America to meet up with you from the Amazon district. If we could perform a pincer attack on the Mass Driver conglomerate, that would be ideal, but is that even possible with your schedule?”

Froleytia’s voice then joined in.

She sounded somehow bitter.

“This is Major Froleytia Capistrano. I am currently in command of the 37th. We have confirmed your location, but we are still quite far from there. We would love to work together, but if we cannot wait, we will begin the operation as originally scheduled. Keep that in mind if you intend to begin a joint operation.”

“Understood. In that case, we would like for you to drive the Mass Driver conglomerate’s Object north, so we can take it out.”

Quenser looked over toward Heivia and spoke quietly.

“Is he asking us to merely wound the enemy and let him finish it off?”

“Didn’t I tell you? The Bright Hopper’s Elite is a rich boy from an influential noble family. He probably sees this incident as nothing more than a performance meant to show off the Bright Hopper.”

Froleytia would not want something like that.

They had suffered losses in both Antarctica and in the landing at Iguazu. And all that was before an actual Object had showed up. If both forces truly clashed, the odds were good that things would get much more serious.

“Capistrano of the 37th to Copacabana of the 52nd. Unfortunately, we do not have the spare strength needed to chase the enemy around like the 52nd seems to. We will finish this if we get the chance. I hope you do not mind if we do not comply with your proposal.”

“Halreed of the 52nd to Froleytia of the 37th. If I may give my personal opinion, I think you should simply comply with my request. Both publicly and privately.”

Halreed then ended the transmission.

Quenser lightly waved the radio around.

“What did you make of that?”

“They know each other. And Froleytia is none too pleased. Over,” replied Heivia after taking the cup of tea from his lips. “The horrid atmosphere you only get from noble society was all over that. It seems our beautiful lady has her own troubles.”

“Eh? Froleytia’s a noble?”

“In a way, she’s famous.”

“In what way?” Quenser replied in frustration, but Heivia seemed pleased to have evaded the question.

He seemed to like giving enigmatic comments.

A while later, a transmission came in from Froleytia.

“Quenser, Heivia. Change of plans. I’m guessing you are lazing around to recover your stamina, but get back to the base right away.”

“Fine, fine. Are you going to order us to give you a life consultation?”

“Heivia, be prepared to have the heel of my boot digging into your jaw,” said Froleytia with disinterest. “I want to get this over with before the Bright Hopper’s intervention ruins our pace. I do not want his attempts for personal glory to destroy our pace and cause unnecessary losses to my unit. Our schedule is going to be a bit rushed, so I want all spare manpower at work.”

“In that case…”

“Hey, Quenser. The old lady says she’ll give us some cookies to take with us.”

They wanted to have them evacuate, but the old couple seemed unwilling to leave their coffee plantation. They decided it would therefore be best to get the convoy moving as quickly as possible so it could safely pass through the plantation. That way, the battlefield would naturally move to somewhere else and the plantation would be less likely to be damaged.

Quenser waved back at the old man who was waving goodbye and asked, “By the way, how much power does the Bright Hopper have?”

“It’s a second generation Object that specializes in land battles, so it can’t be used for sea battles. That’s why it took longer to land in South America and was late to the operation. However, the rumor is that the values on the spec sheet suggest not even 3 of our Baby Magnums could defeat it in a land battle.”

“Let’s keep that rumor a secret from the princess. She may look expressionless at first glance, but she actually has a lot of pride in that kind of thing. I could see her suggesting she prove the rumor wrong.”

As the two chatted on the way back to the base, a transmission from the assault landing aircraft carrier reached them.

“This is Charlemagne. We have some information that might give those tired of waiting something new to live for.”

“?”

“A chaff missile meteorological weapon has been fired from the Parana Mountains 50 kilometers north of here. It was the type that mixes small particles in with the natural clouds to create temporary shelter from radar. Currently, the satellite surveillance network is unusable. The movement of the clouds is widening the area we can’t monitor.”

“…If they had something like that, why didn’t they use it in the first place?”

“Maybe because it’s similar to the surface-to-air missile in Antarctica. It gives away their position because we can see where it’s fired from. However, now that they could not prevent the Baby Magnum from landing, they have no other option.”

“We recommend immediately sending the Baby Magnum out before the enemy soldiers have time to evacuate from the launch point. An Object that can move at a maximum of 500 kph should have no problem travelling that distance,” said the man on the Charlemagne.

“Froleytia here, understood. I will take your opinion into consideration.”

Quenser frowned and said, “Wait a second. If they’re willing to give away their position in order to fire that chaff missile, they must have some reason they don’t want us to find them. Is the Mass Driver conglomerate’s main force in that area 50 kilometers north of here?”

“Yeah, they may want to hide themselves from the satellite surveillance network as soon as possible. I doubt they fired the missile from the exact same position as the unit, but they should be within a few kilometers of the launch point, don’t you think? If the wind causes the effects of the chaff missile to spread rapidly, this could be a problem, but if we can bring an end to this now, everything’s fine.”

“…”

In that case, what was it that had been supplying power to the spare railguns?

With the spares at Antarctica and there, quite a number had been gathered. And they supposedly needed an Object to power those spares.

Objects were synonymous with war.

The Mass Driver conglomerate held enough military might to wage a true war, so why were they intent on running?

And something odd stuck out about the use of the chaff missile.

With how accurately they had been targeted when landing at Iguazu, the Mass Driver conglomerate must have detected them well beforehand. The conglomerate was an organization related to space development, so there was a good chance they had a satellite of their own.

The satellite surveillance network was indeed a problem for the Mass Driver conglomerate, but they also benefitted from it. The chaff missile had cut off all of the satellites, so they would have no idea what route the Legitimacy Kingdom Object was taking to attack them. If they were truly intent on running, would they themselves create a situation where they had to fear a surprise attack at every turn?

Also, if the enemy actually had an Object, it was a case of 1 to 1.

The odds of victory were about 50/50. If they did not defeat the Baby Magnum then, the Bright Hopper would join in and make it 2 to 1. Would they really give up that chance?

“It can’t be…”

A bad feeling welled up in Quenser’s chest.

He had a feeling the enemy was not that naïve.

He had a feeling he was overlooking something.

Overlooking some other logical reason to cut off the satellites with the chaff missile.

“It can’t be!!”