Heavy Object

The CS☆Military Channel!!

“This is Monica, your battlefield idol reporter who can both sing and kill! Today, I have come to the Legitimacy Kingdom military’s 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion!! Today’s theme is the women who work in the militaries of the world!! There was a time when militaries were filled almost exclusively with men as an extension of our history of kings and knights, but that is in the past!! I want to see the true faces of the female commanders and Elites who work on the front lines of modern battlefields!!”

The cute, youthful voice of a girl rang throughout the nighttime maintenance base zone.

“What? What’s going on?”

When Heivia stuck his head out from the barracks trailer, he spotted an entertainer who was lit up by powerful lights and surrounded by cameras.

“…A comsat broadcast? What’s this battlefield reporter c.r.a.p? She’s speaking as stiffly as some swimsuit idol.”

“Oh, Heivia. I thought you would be the type to breathe more heavily the closer you got to someone like that,” said Froleytia as she approached on her way back from a cold night walk.

Heivia shrugged.

“It’s different when I have to help protect them. Should we really let them do that? We’re planning this night mission, but they’re shining those lights everywhere.”

“Just inside the base. It’s not like we’re going to let them perform a live broadcast of our invasion. The actual battlefield is a good ways from here. And we have to worry about how people view the military.”

“Hah?”

“The media has always been quite powerful. If they can make an amusing show, we might get more new recruits and people might not get so angry about how their tax money is being spent. …Of course, the rookies drawn in by the smile of that swimsuit idol will have no idea how much hard work awaits them.”

“I guess it’s better than mobilizing to help film an action movie.”

“Exactly.” Froleytia put her long, narrow kiseru in her mouth. “And I am about to be interviewed.”

“Thanks for everything you do for the military and our nation…”

“Yes. Did you hear what the show’s theme is, Heivia? It’s about the women working in the military world. Women in the military are so commonplace these days that I have no idea what purpose there is in this.”

“I see. Well, I’d rather not get chosen as the example of the worthless male soldier to compare to the wonderful female officer, so I’ll be leaving.”

“You should really just use who you can and not use who you can’t without worrying about whether they"re men or women,” muttered Froleytia as she cracked her neck. Then she seemed to remember something. “Oh, right. Heivia, the restriction on the caffeine supply is being released in another 2 hours. When the time comes, get everyone in the barracks up and force some painfully hot coffee down their throats.”

“…If you don’t give proper time for sleep, it’ll just make everyone sleepier.”

“Let them sleep even if for only 5 minutes more or even just 10 seconds more. Our mission will head straight through the night this time.” She grabbed her long, narrow kiseru between two fingers and used it to point into the distant darkness. “A nighttime surprise blitzkrieg. This isn’t a mission we can leave to tired eyes.”

Meanwhile, Quenser was in the Baby Magnum’s maintenance area.

The old maintenance lady was making preliminary preparations and Quenser was studying the Object, but then Quenser frowned at a noise from outside the maintenance area.

“…Is something going on out there?”

“Froleytia said they were filming a television show,” answered the Elite princess.

In preparation for the nighttime mission, most of the soldiers who did not have guard duty had gone to sleep early. However, the old lady and the other maintenance soldiers had to work to prepare the Object in time rather than rest. But the maintenance soldiers would have a chance to relax once the mission began and the Object left, so it was not necessary to regulate their sleep time.

Speaking of which…

“You’re the most important part of this nighttime mission, princess. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“I will be fine. Also, I am most relaxed when sitting in the c.o.c.kpit seat.”

“Is that so?” muttered Quenser.

Quenser could not imagine what a pilot like her would look like sleeping. The only image that came to mind was her lying down while still wearing that special suit of hers.

“…Shouldn’t you be sleeping, Quenser?”

“Technically, I’m a student rather than a proper soldier. Apparently, I won’t be sent to the front lines of a delicate blitzkrieg like this. I’ll still be sent to the battlefield for logistical support, but it isn’t something I need to be too focused for.”

The old maintenance lady then clanked a wrench against the handrail.

“Really, now. Whether you’re on the front lines or in a safe country, a bullet will kill you just as dead. You shouldn’t let your guard down so long as you’re in a war.”

“Yeah, but there’s a risk of your heart stopping even when you m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e. It’s rare, but it happens. Thinking too much about that kind of thing isn’t going to help.”

“m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e?” said the princess in puzzlement, but Quenser looked down at his handheld device to check on the status of the motors that opened and closed the barriers.

He was standing at a point near the upper surface of the Object. Bright sparks were flying from some welding on a level lower than him.

“This monstrous weapon can withstand a nuclear strike, but its armor is put on with normal welding and bolts, isn’t it?”

“Maintaining its strength is important, but it’s also necessary to make sure quick maintenance can be carried out on the battlefield. Apparently, even racecar pit stops are used as experimental grounds for Object designs. …I’m sure you learned that well enough in the Alaska district before, didn’t you, boy?”

With that comment, the old maintenance lady sent an email to Quenser’s handheld device over the local network. The message notification covered up the maintenance diagram.

Quenser looked up, but the old lady shook her head and went back to work. She was telling him to read the email for details.

He opened the message and found a list of various materials with numbers next to them. The primary item on the list was welding gas. She seemed to be telling him to get the materials they were lacking.

【“…Tch. Why do they always give me odd jobs that have nothing to do with Object design?”】

“Did you say something, boy?”

“What point was there in the email!? You were close enough to just tell me!!”

Still grumbling, Quenser finished with what he was doing and headed for the staircase attached to the scaffolding. Partway there, he noticed the princess’s shoulders were trembling.

“…Quenser, you exchanged email addresses with the old lady?”

“Why are you looking at me like I’m some kind of indiscriminate beast?” asked Quenser.

He then added, “You’re the only one I love, baby,” but she turned away and headed back for the c.o.c.kpit. It seemed he had been rejected. His luck that day was so poor he felt like he would hit the bartender’s prized cactus if he tried to play darts in a bar.

He headed for ground level using the staircase that circled around again and again. This seemed a silly way to get up and down since the Object was over 50 meters tall, but a battlefield student like Quenser did not have the authority to use the elevator. He had grown to hate more athletic people.

The maintenance area was pretty chilly, but a blast of cold air stabbed at him when he opened the door.

Quenser contemplated just staying in the maintenance area, but he had no choice but to head crying out into the cold when he saw the hate-filled gazes he was getting that seemed to be saying, “Just get out and close the door!! You’re getting us cold, too!!”

He checked the list of materials as he walked along.

(…Ugh, this is too much to take in one trip. Maybe I should get a battlefield license like Heivia has. Then I could use a military tractor.)

The problem was that any time spent on that would be better spent studying Object design.

(Also, that old woman works people too hard. If I got a license, I bet she’d just shove more odd jobs on me. Maybe the easier-sounding option is actually more dangerous.)

As Quenser trudged through the thick snow on his way to the storehouse, he wondered if a sled would work better than a dolly. In fact, the storehouse was constructed atop a large vehicle itself, so he truly wished it could just be brought to him.

But suddenly…

“You there.”

Someone called out to him.

Quenser turned around and found a woman in a military uniform approaching him. She was in her early twenties. He did not recognize her. She had glossy brown hair that was contrasted by her skin which was white as snow. More than 800 people belonged to the battalion, so it was not surprising to run across someone you did not know. However, this woman was still odd.

Her uniform was different.

While Quenser’s uniform was based on a camouflage matched to the environment, the woman’s was a luxurious uniform of primarily black with gold hemming. Her rimless gla.s.ses gave an intelligent impression, but she had an odd air of intimidation that went beyond a mere intellectual. Below, she wore a tight black skirt, but it seemed to be primarily for decoration. She wore tights so thick they were not much different from pants. She had medals and decorations Quenser did not recognize on her bountiful chest. She was clearly someone important from first glance, but it also seemed that someone that glittered that much would get shot right away on an actual battlefield.

She had a rank insignia on her collar, but the plate was dyed red for some reason.

The woman brought both her white-glove-covered hands to her mouth and breathed her white breath on them as she stood before Quenser. Her uniform was intimidating, but that feminine action managed to shine through.

Quenser was completely taken aback, so he just gave voice to his first impression.

“Um…Are you a n.o.ble?”

“No, I am a commoner. That has given me various difficulties. But you are the one that matters here. I a.s.sume you do not mind if I ask you a few questions.”

“No…”

“Let me confirm something. All soldiers with the exception of the guards, the official members of the Baby Magnum’s maintenance team, and the pilot Elite herself are to be on standby in the barracks. I believe you were ordered to get as much sleep as possible before the pre-mission briefing in two hours.”

“Y-yes!?”

(Oh, c.r.a.p! She’s the strict cla.s.s president type!!)

Quenser put himself on maximum guard. He had been helping out with the Object’s maintenance, but he was not an “official member” of the maintenance team. He was a battlefield student and his technical designation was “combat engineer”.

“No, um!! I’m sorry!! But I was requested to bring in these materials for the maintenance soldiers! Once I finish that, I will head to the barracks!!”

“What is your unit and rank?”

“…Eh?”

Quenser raised a questioning voice, but not because he had not understood what she meant. It was because the woman in the black uniform had approached close enough to kiss him and had drawn a ceremonial revolver from her waist at some point. Quenser then felt something hard press against his stomach.

With a slight smile, the woman asked once more.

“What is your unit and rank?”

At that moment, Quenser spotted the unit insignia on the woman’s shoulder. It was different from Quenser’s.

That meant…

(She clearly isn’t part of our unit! Wait…I’m always gotten by with just saying I’m a student, but what’s my technical rank!? I remember there being some kind of pain-in-the-a.s.s term written on the official doc.u.ments, but if I get this wrong…bang!!)

Quenser started to panic.

Despite the gun being a double action so she could simply pull the trigger, the woman used her thumb to raise the hammer, making an obvious metallic click.

With a strangely calm voice, she said, “Your unit and rank.”

“I-I’m a student! A battlefield student! I know I’m designated as a combat engineer, but it’s a bit unclear what unit in the battalion I actually belong to! Sometimes Heivia and I make the old maintenance lady mad so she lectures us!!”

Quenser’s confused answer made it seem he had a death wish, but the woman in the black uniform clicked her tongue and stepped away like a carnivorous beast that had lost its prey.

“A student, hm? Too bad. Then you aren’t under my jurisdiction.”

“?”

The woman in the black uniform purposefully aimed the gun at Quenser once more and slowly lowered the revolver’s hammer with her thumb.

“Bang,” she muttered jokingly. “My barrier duty is meant for the proper soldiers.”

“Hey, Quenser. I heard you were taken out by some lovely lady in a black uniform.”

“I was walking along at night and she suddenly stuck an old-fashioned revolver into my gut and asked me for my unit and rank. It makes me wonder if she’s related to the Kuchisake Lady from the j.a.panese islands. Heivia, what is barrier duty?”

While soldiers gathered for the pre-mission briefing, Quenser and Heivia sipped at an aromaless black drink solely meant to wake them up. Quenser seriously thought the coffee they were given was worse than fast food coffee.

Heivia pushed his cup aside and said, “Barrier duty was originally to prevent soldiers from retreating from a battle, but the meaning has changed over time. In the modern Legitimacy Kingdom military, it entails being something like the supervisor of the battlefield. In other words, those with barrier duty watch over us. They check over everything to ensure the soldiers aren’t committing crimes, the prisoners are being treated well, and that no problems crop up during missions.”

“Watch over us? But we already have a military police unit here.”

“An external third party exists in case those MPs go out of control.”

“I see. So it’s unlikely she’ll be kind like a young woman acting as a dorm manager.”

“Those in black uniforms come from an independent agency at the center of the Legitimacy Kingdom military that have the right to carry out their barrier duty within any unit whenever they want. They have the right to take emergency measures if the offender does not obey their restraint order. …What you experienced was one of those emergency measures.”

“…You can clearly take a broad interpretation of that right.”

“However, there is a need for them. Wars are left to Objects these days. The soldiers often have nothing to do, so there is plenty of opportunity for problems to arise in and outside the base. Under certain circ.u.mstances, those in the black uniforms have the ridiculous right to restrain anyone regardless of rank, but it only applies to official soldiers and unofficial combat personnel brought into the battlefield. You’re only a safe country student who just so happens to know how to use explosives, so you end up counting as a civilian. You just barely manage to slip out from under their jurisdiction.”

“So I’m a civilian who just so happens to be sent out on to the battlefield and just so happens to destroy Objects, hm?”

“Don’t be like that. I’m jealous. I woke up from a shallow sleep and all of a sudden there are black uniforms everywhere. Those uniforms are blacker than this nasty coffee. We’re all on edge, but you get a free pa.s.s. Hey, how about you test it out by going over and flipping up that strait-laced woman’s skirt. If you apologize, I bet she’ll forgive you.”

“Don’t joke. I’d rather not get shot and have it treated as an ‘accident’ in the course of her barrier duty.” Quenser grimaced at the coffee that was so bitter it seemed to close up his throat. “But what did Froleytia do to warrant sending in this unit from the home country?”

“Actually, I wonder if we’re completely blameless when it comes to why they’re here…”

As the two boys spoke, their large-breasted commander headed to the stage up front.

While operating the projector with a remote control, she said, “Soldiers, thank you for filling yourselves with caffeine this late on such a cold night for something other than waiting up for Santa Claus. I will now begin the pre-mission briefing.”

Heivia frowned at Froleytia’s slightly stiff voice.

【“Ahn? What’s with her? She’s started some odd lip service all of a sudden. Her usual sharp edge and impeccable timing are missing. I didn’t take her for the type to get nervous at this kind of briefing.”】

【“Heivia, Heivia. Look over at the back right edge of the room. It’s hard to see because it’s so small, but that’s a CS TV camera.”】

【“What a pain in the a.s.s!! I thought she liked to stand out, so why is she not acting like herself here!?”】

【“The military show this will be part of acts as a form of propaganda to get more recruits and to get the people to understand what their taxes are going to. She would probably rather be doing this as her normal self, but she has to think about the image of the military. Look, you can see the corner of her mouth twitching.”】

【“Well, I’ll admit showing a beauty will probably be more effective than some filthy old man.”】

The fact that Froleytia was at her limit seemed to infect everyone in the area because an unnatural number of hands shot up when she asked “Any questions!?” with a sharp look in her eyes. It looked like a scene from an elementary school math lesson.

With a bitter smile, Heivia whispered, 【“Heh heh. It looks like she’s stuck. Hey, Quenser, how about we show off just how good we are with the ladies by rescuing her here? If we’re lucky, we can get her to tread on us in the good way later.”】

【“You say that, but you’re just going to ask her if she’s on her period or something else that qualifies as s.e.xual hara.s.sment to see how she reacts on camera. I’m going to actually save her.”】

After the first round of questions was over, Quenser raised a hand.

“I looked through the given materials, but I would like to make sure we are all on the same page. Any discrepancies in interpretation could lead to unnecessary risks during the mission. It may be a bother for you, but could you explain the mission step by step?”

“Yes,” nodded Froleytia. With the flow of questions cut off, the silver-haired, large-breasted commander regained her usual form. “Our mission is to attack a military coal mine on the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula which is run by the Faith Organization.”

With their commander back on her usual form, Heivia asked Quenser a question.

【“What was that about having looked through the given materials?”】

【“Some lies are justified.”】

“Our intelligence department has discovered that this military coal mine is used to mine the fuel used by the JPlevelMHD reactors used in Objects. By destroying it, we can indirectly stop the movements of the entire Faith Organization military to a certain extent.”

The reactors used artificial plasma to generate electricity, but a surprising report said that manufacturing old fashioned coal was more efficient than modern fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas.

“Incidentally, they have begun to notice our presence here and have dispatched a Second Generation Object ahead of time. We had hoped to take out the coal mine before it arrived, but the intelligence agents failed in that regard.”

“What do we know about their Object?” asked Quenser.

Froleytia used the projector’s remote control to display a giant video behind her.

“We managed to secretly get footage of this Faith Organization Object fighting an Information Alliance Object three months ago. We have dubbed it the Wing Balancer. Its main cannon is a coilgun with a small caliber that seems mismatched to its large size. It is most likely the ‘small, sharp, and fast’ type. It has a long range and high accuracy, so it can steadily apply damage. It is a Second Generation Object that is based on an air cushion engine and has full functionality on both water and land without exchanging parts. You can read the specifics of its estimated specs in the doc.u.mentation, but let me say this: it is powerful. It is not an opponent we can just send the Baby Magnum up against.” The commander used her slender fingers to operate the projector’s remote control and a giant map appeared on the screen behind her. “The battlefield will be on the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Due to their fourth submarine base construction plan and a large scale earthquake in the Bering Sea, 150 kilometers of the coastline has been transformed into a giant ria coast that stretches about 90 kilometers inland. …Basically, cliffs stretch throughout the battlefield like spider webs. Since our princess needs to put on or take off her float when moving between water and land, this is not good terrain for her. Normal cliffs could be flattened with the Object’s cannons, but this ria coast was created by carving out the ocean surface for submarines, so even destroying the cliffs may not be enough to fill in the area below,” said Froleytia. “Also, the Faith Organization has installed large radars in various places along the ria coast. We believe they are used to greatly improve the targeting accuracy of the Wing Balancer. If the princess challenges them on a terrain she cannot move across easily and when they have targeting a.s.sistance, she will likely be destroyed.”

Froleytia changed what the projector was displaying.

Red dots indicating the locations of the radar facilities and other places were added to the map.

“So before the princess battles the Wing Balancer, we will secretly deal with those radars. By adding in a program we have prepared, the targeting correction data sent to the Object will be altered. In other words, we are recalibrating it to make targeting difficult. If this succeeds, the princess should be able to easily defeat the Wing Balancer.”

“What if the Wing Balancer notices the abnormality and switches over to running without the a.s.sistance of the radar facilities?” asked Heivia.

Froleytia lightly replied, “The system is on such a great scale that it cannot just be switched on and off like a fluorescent lamp. As long as it takes a minute or two to switch over, we’ll be fine. I can’t have you taking our princess’s accuracy lightly.”

“We’re going to need soldiers moving on foot in secret for this, right?”

“Yes. Two teams.” Froleytia used the remote control to add two arrows to the map. “One will head to the base of the data cable that governs all of the various radar facilities to add in the interference program. On the way there, this team must slip past the surveillance network made up of a group of UAVs swarming around like bees. I’ll be honest. If that was a simple task, this would be a much easier mission.”

“UAVs…Unmanned aerial vehicles…”

“Basically, they are expensive remote control airplanes with cameras attached. That group of UAVs must be neutralized before we can head for the data cable. The UAVs patrolling the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula fly autonomously according to a program. However, once every 30 minutes, a trajectory correction program is sent to provide slight alterations for their flight path. It is similar to the calibration of radio clock. This is necessary because a good number of them fly between the cliffs. If left to their own devices, a slight error could lead them to crash into one of the cliff walls. These UAVs cost 50,000 euros each. The enemy’s desire to avoid losing any of them has created an opening for us.”

“So we use a radio signal to send a disruptive program into the UAV control network?”

“Point 2. This is the farthest out point. First, we will infect a single UAV that comes out this far. But you might be noticed if you transmit for longer than 150 seconds, so be careful. The program will then spread to the control facility when the UAV accesses it via radio signal. From there, it will quickly spread to every UAV defending the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. After we have secretly taken control of all their systems, we can alter all their data at once.”

“So will the enemy in the base be stuck watching an endlessly looping recording? That’s the standard method,” said Heivia in amus.e.m.e.nt.

Froleytia brought a simple chart up onto the screen.

“I will now go over the order of events. First, Interference Program A will be sent to a UAV at Point 2 on the coast, neutralizing the surveillance network. Next, a small unit will head inland to Point 1. There, they will dig up the buried data cable that governs the large radar facilities and add in Interference Program B. This will let us use their targeting a.s.sistance against the Wing Balancer. Once the effects show themselves, we will finish by having the princess head out at full speed to attack. If she pa.s.ses over the hill along the long and narrow Route 3 that lies between two cliffs, she can get within firing range of the Wing Balancer in a straight line. If the enemy’s targeting was working properly, she would definitely be hit by return fire from that position. Once she is within firing range of the target, she will blow away the Faith Organization’s Second Generation Object. Afterwards, we will send a recommendation of surrender to the coal mine. After giving them 900 seconds with which to evacuate all personnel, the Object’s firepower will be used to destroy it. …If all goes according to schedule, we will be shooting each other with water guns filled with champagne by dawn.”

【“Wow, so are the fridges already filled with ice-cold alcohol?”】

“However,” added Froleytia, striking down the excitement that had begun to well up among the soldiers. “If the UAVs spot us before the Wing Balancer’s targeting a.s.sistance has been dealt with, it is all over. Even if you shoot it down, the enemy will still learn what is going on. The Faith Organization UAVs each have two free-fall bombs installed, but do not attack them even if they fly right up to you. If anything is detected, the Wing Balancer will head out at once. And you will not be able to call in reinforcements from us. After all, it is highly unlikely the princess can win in a frontal a.s.sault. We cannot come to rescue you.”

Froleytia had the projector now display the state of things in the ocean near the Kamchatka Peninsula.

“The 24th Mobile Maintenance Battalion of the Legitimacy Kingdom military and its Second Generation Object, the Indigo Plasma, will be deploying on the ocean east of the peninsula as a dummy force. The Wing Balancer will be sitting there glaring at the Indigo Plasma. We have only one chance at this. If you are spotted, a.s.sume that not even your bones will make it back to the home country. When you fail in a surprise attack, odds are good the enemy will ignore the white flag. Their anger tends to get the better of them. Any questions?”

With that clear ending, Froleytia only received silence in response.

Amid that silence, Quenser raised his hand.

“We have two Objects while they have only one, right? …Couldn’t we just overpower them?”

“Not if the link with the radar facilities is working. In this case, it is the special terrain and attached facilities that are providing the Object’s strength rather than the intrinsic abilities of the Object itself. Don’t count on the Indigo Plasma. If it becomes clear we have failed and the situation worsens, it and its battalion will head out to sea to keep losses to a minimum. I doubt they will consider the loss of a valuable Generation Two Object worth buying us time to retreat. It’s one of those ‘wise decisions’ that are such a G.o.d d.a.m.n pain in the a.s.s.”

“This is being recorded,” pointed out Quenser and Froleytia cleared her throat before continuing.

“Do you understand just how dangerous our situation is now?”

The area was covered in pure darkness.

As the operation hinged on a surprise attack, not even a single penlight was allowed.

Out of fears that infrared rays or electromagnetic waves would be detected by the UAVs, the correction features in the rifle scopes had been limited.

Amid it all, a few light footsteps could be heard.

They were from Legitimacy Kingdom soldiers.

They continued through the darkness while occasionally peering through their rifle scopes to check on the terrain with the electronically enhanced images.

“This is wrong. This just isn’t right,” muttered Heivia, one of the soldiers wrapped in heavy coats to protect themselves from the cold of the nighttime blizzard.

However, the usual response did not come as Quenser was not with him. In the other boy’s place, the Asian girl walking next to him spoke with her breath coming out white.

“What is?”

“Well, Myonri, I was sent out to the front lines where it’s most dangerous while that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Quenser gets to stay back on standby.”

“It does seem Miss Froleytia Capistrano wanted to send Quenser along with us,” said a large black man.

He was carrying a large piece of communications equipment on his back. The device was being used to send short range radio signals over long distances using directional ultrasonic waves. This was simply so those signals would not be intercepted by the enemy UAVs.

“But those Black Uniforms are hanging around. Quenser is technically a civilian, so she can’t exactly send him to the front lines,” continued the man.

“Cookman’s right. And it isn’t like he is just sitting around at the base,” cut in the Asian girl named Myonri. “He is headed for Point 2 where the Faith Organization UAVs will be neutralized.”

“You just don’t understand how the world works, Myonri. Him having even the slightest bit of a better time than me is criminal,” said Heivia while pouting.

A white girl with a brown ponytail and freckles turned toward him.

“Oh, are you lonely without your usual partner?”

“Shut up, Westy. Why are you always trying to put two guys together? That isn’t the natural way for living things.”

“Heivia, you wouldn’t say no if it was two girls though, would you?”

“It would still be pointless unless they both had a thing for me.”

Those four were the soldiers headed to Point 1 to sabotage the information network made up of large radar facilities.

Heivia, Myonri, Cookman, and Westy. Except for Cookman who was the oldest, they were all teenagers. With a bitter smile, Cookman had called himself the “leading teacher”.

They were walking across a damp rocky area.

A blizzard was blowing around them, but the heat from the coal mine below the ground poured out through exhaust ducts located here and there. Thanks to that, areas of melted snow dotted the terrain. Heivia and the others were travelling from melted area to melted area to avoid as much snow as possible.

“Not leaving any footprints is nothing more than a suggestion,” said Cookman. “If you focus too much on the ground and let your guard down, it will all be for naught. Luckily, the weather will cover up any footprints before long anyway.”

“I’m worried about visibility,” said Westy as she peered across the battlefield that was divided into white areas and black areas. “There’s nothing at all as far as the eye can see. The ups and downs of the ground itself are the only things here to provide cover. Don’t coal mines usually have buildings? This is nothing more than large dumping sites for dirt being carried out.”

“The facility has likely been kept underground as much as possible.”

“Why?”

“This mine was created using a submarine base construction plan. They might have been doubling it as an experiment in constructing military facilities below ground.”

“This terrain is something else,” said Heivia.

It was unclear if Heivia had been listening to Cookman and Westy’s conversation, but he was now staring down into the darkness off of a cliff.

It was 10 meters to the ocean surface and about 20 meters to the opposite cliff. The only trace of the submarine base was the depth of the water.

If they fell off, they would be killed.

And it was not just the height that made Heivia think that. Due to the cold, the ocean surface was covered in thick ice. The ice had cracked apart either due to the waves or ships pa.s.sing through, but each individual piece of ice looked large enough to allow a polar bear to lie on it without it sinking. The ice was much too thick to simply “soften the blow” of landing in the water.

“Areas like this stretch for 150 kilometers along the coast and 90 kilometers inland. It’s like a giant spider web. Human technology is amazing.”

“A lot of rumors had started after they went through four different outdated submarine base construction plans. Some people claimed the Faith Organization was creating a large scale base to house a supply unit for a supposed submarine Object they could be creating,” said Myonri.

Westy cut in to say, “But what we found was a bunch of coal. No amount of dirt being brought up is suspicious in the construction of a submarine base. And since submarine bases are so outdated, the other world powers did not consider it worth attacking. It functioned as nice camouflage, I’ll give them that.”

“But now the Legitimacy Kingdom is heading out to destroy the mine.”

“That might be thanks to things calming down in Alaska. It is true that being able to construct a steady supply line over the Bering Sea allows us to carry out a large scale invasion on the Kamchatka Peninsula.”

“Which means the higher ups might be intending to stay here awhile even after shutting down that military coal mine. Dammit, so that’s why we had to use such a complicated strategy.”

“Speaking of complicated, won’t this complicated terrain make it difficult for even the Wing Balancer to move around?”

“I don’t know,” replied Cookman as he adjusted the shoulder straps for the communications equipment on his back. “We don’t know any details about the enemy Object. It might have some bridge building device stored in those long legs that it can use to cross between cliffs.”

“Ahn? That wasn’t in the data on its estimated specs.”

“The data from the intelligence department and the results from the electronic simulation department aren’t everything. We must keep in mind that it can always have some hidden ability that defies imagination until we have actually fought it ourselves.”

“Is that so?” muttered Heivia as he looked around. “So what are we going to do, boss? We have to get across to the other cliff to continue on.”

“According to the map, there is a suspension bridge 3 kilometers north of here,” suggested Westy.

“They will have some sort of surveillance set up for the few routes you can use to get through. Just a single camera can provide quite a bit of safety. We are much less likely to be spotted if we head through an area far away from where they expect.”

As he spoke, Cookman gestured toward Myonri. She set down what she was carrying.

“…Are you serious? A deflated rubber boat?”

“Climbing down, crossing the sea, and climbing back up is the simplest method of getting to the other cliff, don’t you think?”

Quenser was walking through an area 5 kilometers away from Heivia and his group.

“Wow, you can see the aurora. Not that it matters to a design student like me. Wouldn’t this be more suited to a student working to be an environmental scientist?”

“Quit complaining about every little thing, you giant-obsessed freak. Learning about the harshness of extreme environments can help you when you’re ‘having fun’ designing. You won’t have to worry about looking stupid when the cold prevents the plasma gas from flowing properly.”

That overly-familiar response came from a black boy. His language could be cra.s.s, but his enunciation was oddly precise. Unlike Quenser, he had an interest in smaller machines, and he was carrying an unmanned reconnaissance vehicle (basically a radio-controlled vehicle with a camera attached) on his back.

Quenser replied in disgust, “Nutley, I can learn about extreme environments just fine in a safe country fridge. We had a big one back at my school. We used it for material experiments and raised a seal.”

“You’re just making excuses. The key to happiness in life is to find a way to take in everything you need regardless of the situation.”

“You’re the kind of person that I could see drinking tequila at any time. Hey, Charles, aren’t you sick of trudging through this freezing snow? …Charles?”

Upon receiving no response, Quenser turned around. A skinny white boy was standing there. He was hanging his head down and was not speaking a single word. When he noticed Quenser looking at him, he turned his downward-cast head to the side to further escape.

“Don’t expect anything from him. He’s not usually like this, but this always happens when he gets homesick. It makes me want to hang a chemical dehumidifier from his neck,” said the black boy called Nutley with a shrug. He must have been close to Charles because he did not hesitate to say that. “But he isn’t a bad person. His specialty is Object communications software. He was involved in making this interference program. His hacking skills are better than anyone in the electronic simulation department. He can’t do anything other than that, though. Our victory here is half dependent on that clammy intellectual.”

Quenser, Nutley, and Charles.

Quenser sighed as he recalled the makeup of their team.

“This isn’t normal. Why was the core of this military operation given to some battlefield students?”

“I said this mission is reliant on Charles’s interference program, remember? The team needed to be made up of those who could best let Charles work. The thing is, Charles is clammy and shy. He’ll be less nervous surrounded by students, and that gives us higher odds of success.”

“Yeah, but we’re basically a collection of amateurs, myself included. What is our commander planning to do if we get taken out right away?”

“That’s probably why she sent that cool student council president with us.”

In response to Nutley’s comment, Quenser timidly turned his head to look behind him. A bit away was a woman with brown hair who was wearing a black coat and carrying a large radio.

“…I somehow doubt she’ll bail us out if we get in trouble.”

“She’ll do more than those fat a.s.ses lazily guarding the maintenance base zone, I’ll bet. Froleytia’s no idiot. She actually tries to use the right people for the job.”

“Are you sure…?”

Quenser glanced back at the Black Uniform, but Nutley seemed to be enjoying himself.

“The student council president’s name is Charlotte. Once she finishes with her barrier duty, she’ll be leaving. I need to try to get her into bed before then. I hear she’s a commoner, so I don’t have to worry about her being bound by any pain-in-the-a.s.s family issues,” said Nutley, completely at his own pace.

Quenser decided he must be the type who tries. .h.i.tting on a lot of people in the off chance of succeeding.

“A battlefield student doesn’t have infinite time. If you do things like that, you won’t be able to gain any practical skills,” warned Quenser.

“I can just extend the time I spend here if necessary. Happiness comes first, right? Nothing will stick in my head if I’m not happy. And what are you so impatient about anyway? You’re hoping to become a designer, right? Do you want to be rich that badly?”

“Yes. When I was a kid, a famous n.o.ble family lived nearby. The blonde daughter of that family was horribly selfish and annoying,” muttered Quenser. “One day, her family went bankrupt. They had such a great foundation. Their huge mansion had seemed like it would remain unscathed even if the entire city was bombed. And yet seemingly overnight, such a powerful n.o.ble family was left with nothing but debt. They were not exactly well-liked. Even their servants tried to hunt that girl’s family down. A strange atmosphere came over the entire city. If my father hadn’t sheltered them, that selfish and annoying girl and her mother could very well have been gang raped.”

“Well, your father sounds like a great guy. I hope to be someone like him.”

“Even a famous n.o.ble family completely collapsed,” continued Quenser while ignoring Nutley’s offhand comment. “I can still see it vividly in my mind’s eye. Those n.o.bles who had always been so domineering were gathered together trembling in the cheese storehouse of a small commoner family. …How much money do you need to have a solid foundation? If not even n.o.bles can have a truly solid foundation, can a commoner gain one with normal work? I decided a special route would be necessary. I decided becoming an Object designer was the only route left.”

“I see.” Nutley took a step away from Quenser and gave a sign to Charles with a gesture. “Then let’s all work as battlefield students towards getting rich as soon as possible. Charles! We’re almost at Point 2. I’ll help you set up the transmission antenna.”

Quenser looked at Nutley’s back as the boy headed off, but they really had nothing else to do. Just as Quenser was about to go help Charles too, the Black Uniform named Charlotte called out to him.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“I could not help but overhear what you were just saying.”

“Were we not supposed to be having a private conversation?”

“That is not what I meant.”

“Was the topic unacceptable?”

“I do understand why you would want to quickly build up a solid foundation, but I get the feeling that your father has a different sort of unshakeable quality to him.”

The businesslike stiffness had somewhat left Charlotte’s voice.

As she was human it should have been obvious, but it appeared she did indeed have the ability to just chat.

“That’s because you don’t know the situation he is in. My father is just a white collar worker. Even a slight change in the economic situation could lead to him being fired. He’s always bowing down to his bosses. And it doesn’t matter if he might survive a round of layoffs, if the entire company goes under. That’s how life is for those whose bloodline does not help their social standing.”

“But even in that situation, he reached out his hand to help those bankrupt n.o.bles. He sounds like a wonderful father. If he ever does lose his job, tell him to contact Charlotte Zoom. I know of some lines of work that are suited towards someone of his character.”

(It seems my father has gotten a rare long distance boost in popularity. Unfortunately, he has the double issue of being too old and being a father. As a member of his family, I truly hope he can keep on his feet.)

“What happened to those bankrupt n.o.bles afterwards?”

“They contacted the Lineage Department, had their IDs changed, and got a fresh start. We couldn’t have them living in our cheese storehouse forever, after all. If I recall, that selfish and annoying daughter became an idol.”

“Quenser!” shouted Nutley.

It seemed they had finished setting up the transmission antenna. An antenna as large as an open suitcase was spread out at Charles’s feet.

Quenser and Charlotte approached Nutley and Charles.

“Is there anything for us to do?” asked Quenser.

“Take this,” said Nutley as he tossed a pair of night vision binoculars to Quenser. “We have to transmit the data from a position where the UAV can’t see us. Charles has to use the antenna to transmit the interference program, so he will not be able to tell where the UAV is. That means someone has to follow the location of the flying target.”

“And that’s me?”

“I set up the antenna. Charles will be transmitting the data. So who does that leave for the last job? I think you’d be getting a little too much happiness if you left that to the Black Uniform lady and headed back without doing anything.”

“Fine, fine. Dammit. I’ll be in the place most easily spotted by the UAV. That means I have the most dangerous job.”

“No,” cut in Charlotte. “There is no reason for me to do nothing. I will go with you. …You seem too inexperienced to me. I would prefer not to have a bomb dropped on me because we left this to you and you got spotted.”

【“Quenser, if you two head off and things start getting a little steamy, call me over. It’s cold here, and you’ll keep your warmth better with more people.”】

“If you were a proper soldier, that comment would be enough to get you shot,” commented Charlotte.

They were currently located behind a low hill. The Faith Organization UAV would not be coming that far, so the hill hid them well enough. However, they could not see the UAV’s location from there. To remedy that, Quenser and Charlotte crawled up to the top of the hill to use the binoculars to check on the UAV’s location while remaining as hidden as possible. Charles would transmit the interference program using a direction and output strength based on their information.

If only a portion of the signal arrived, the program could be damaged when it entered the UAV. That would make the entire operation a dud. The location of the UAV was crucial information.

If they were spotted, it was all over as well.

Quenser was incredibly nervous as he stuck his head out on the hill, but Charlotte said, “Do not get so tense. The UAV’s expected route pa.s.ses by 3 kilometers from here. If we stay still, it will not notice us in this blizzard. And our insulated coats will prevent the infrared sensors from easily spotting us. The UAV’s path here is up in the sky rather than between the cliffs. The sense of distance when looking up from the ground is quite different from when you are looking down from the sky.”

“If you say so.”

“I see something NNW. Check it with the binoculars.”

In shock, Quenser looked through the night vision, but it was just a large bird.

“That’s an eagle, I think.”

“Beyond it. I see something else. Eagles are not nocturnal, so it may have been the noise of the UAV that woke it up.”

“Hmm?”

Quenser frowned as he looked through the binoculars, and then he spotted it. It was a UAV. It had a cylindrical body about 2 meters long with two straight wings stretching out from the side. It looked a bit like a miniature cruise missile, but the propulsion device at the back was a propeller. It must have been designed for flight time rather than speed.

“I’ve found it. It’s 2900 meters NNW of here. It’s following the edge of the cliff east at a height of 15 meters. …That design looks horrible. I guess that’s what happens when you just focus on functionality.”

“The rumor is that they were given such a simple design so that they could be launched with old launcher vehicles. At any rate, let’s tell them its location and finish up our job here. You are not the only one that would rather not be doing work unrelated to his proper field,” said Charlotte.

“Okay. Charles, the target is at BC9. It is heading towards BF9 at 150 kph. It’s following the edge of the cliff, so we can predict any curves by checking the terrain. Charles?”

While still looking through the binoculars, Quenser a.s.sumed he was getting no response due to Charles’s homesickness.

But that was not the case.

In the next instant, a burst of gunfire from an a.s.sault rifle rang out.

Something was being fired behind Quenser. It was not a Faith Organization weapon. The noise was exactly the same as when Heivia fired his a.s.sault rifle. However, Quenser did not have time to turn around. He only managed to move his shoulders slightly. A sharp impact ran through his back along with the gunshots. All the air in his lungs was forced out. The shooter was sweeping the rifle horizontally as he fired. Quenser’s upper body had been propped up to look through the binoculars, but he was slammed flat onto the ground and his vision wavered. He forced his head to turn and he realized Charlotte had been shot in the back too.

Neither of them had had time to shout out.

Quenser’s consciousness rapidly faded as he tasted blood flowing into his mouth.

I’m dead.

That was the sole thought in Charlotte Zoom’s mind until she realized someone was shaking her shoulder. She last recalled collapsing face down, but she was now facing up.

(…I see…I was carrying that large piece of radio equipment on my back…)

The attacker had fired from behind. The equipment on her back had prevented the rifle bullet from piercing her soft flesh. Fortunately, the bullet was an anti-personnel bullet that had been designed to remain within the person it hit. A normal rifle bullet would have had little trouble going straight through a car, much less the communications equipment.

Even so, quite a shock had struck the core of her body.

“Quenser…Are you okay?”

“Yes, thanks to the plastic explosives case I was carrying. But Charles…”

He held a torn off pair of dog tags in his hand. That was enough to tell Charlotte that one of their fellow soldiers had been killed.

“There was one other. He was called Nutley I think… What happened to him?”

“He disappeared,” was Quenser’s short response. “Only one set of footprints leads away from here. The rifle bullet in my explosives case was a Legitimacy Kingdom bullet. And the Faith Organization primarily uses UAVs. I have never heard anything about them sending out foot soldiers.”

“…Tch. I had thought the gunshots sounded oddly nearby. If an enemy soldier had gotten that close, we would have noticed them, and they need not get that close in order to shoot us.”

Charlotte got up and checked on the large radio she had been carrying, but it had been completely destroyed. It had saved her life in the place of a bulletproof vest, so it may have been unfair to expect anything else of it.

Quenser stared out across the snow where the footprints headed away.

“I don’t know whether he simply deserted in fear or was a Faith Organization spy, but I think we should treat Nutley as guilty here,” said Quenser.

“Whatever his circ.u.mstances, he appears to have voluntarily fired on Legitimacy Kingdom troops and is trying to flee to the Faith Organization. That is enough to consider him an enemy spy. …Since he went as far as to kill Charles just before he could transmit the virus, it seems unlikely he was just a child soldier who panicked.”

“We have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“When Nutley killed Charles, he also destroyed the transmission antenna and the laptop with the interference program on it. We cannot send the interference program to the UAV, so we cannot continue the mission. We need to contact HQ and the unit headed to Point 1 as soon as possible.”

“…My radio is currently shooting sparks everywhere.”

“My radio can only send long-distance transmissions via yours. That means we have no means of contacting anyone.”

“One other thing.” Charlotte used both hands to grab the a.s.sault rifle hanging from her shoulder. “UAVs are headed this way because of that gunfire!! A ton of those annoying models with two free-fall bombs are flying over. We will simply get worn down if we try to take them on!! And no matter how many of them we take out, it won’t eliminate any of their actual manpower!!”

“Where’s that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Nutley!? We might be able to find him if we follow his footprints!!”

“No, we need to retreat! We cannot continue this mission. It is too late to chase after him. And even if we think up a way to contact HQ or Point 1, we need to ensure our own safety first! If we are taken out here, we will never be able to report the horrible situation. Also, Nutley might return to the Legitimacy Kingdom military claiming to be the lone survivor! At the very least, we need to report that he is a spy. Do you understand!?”

“Y-yes. But how are we supposed to escape an enemy that is coming from the sky!? Even if these UAVs are low speed, they can still fly at over 100 kph!!”

“Don’t worry about that. Luckily, we have a route the UAVs cannot enter. These UAVs need a trajectory correction program to fly between the cliffs, so I doubt they can pull off this kind of dangerous acrobatics.”

As she spoke, Charlotte pointed with her gun barrel.

300 meters ahead was…

“An entrance…to the coal mine…?”

Heivia and his team conveniently realized that things were not advancing according to plan.

“…s.h.i.t, this is bad,” groaned Heivia.

All four people there understood the situation without being told.

Danger was approaching before their eyes.

Its form was a giant shadow noticeable even in the darkness.

The countless points of light they could see must have been light waves emitted by the sensors on the ends of the cannons that changed wavelength periodically. Trying to hide in the darkness was not even considered in that weapon’s plan and the word “weapon” was all you needed to describe it.

It was…

“Dammit!! Why is the Wing Balancer coming this way!?”

It was a strange-looking machine.

In the center was the 50 meter spherical main body. The propulsion device at the bottom was made up of two giant concentric circles. Around 20 “legs” connected the sphere to the two concentric circles. The propulsion device was an air cushion that kept the craft afloat with air, so it was unclear what the purpose of the many “legs” was.

For a main cannon, a large coilgun was installed at the front center of the craft. However, its caliber was relatively small. It was likely made to be “small, sharp, and fast” by adding as much acceleration as possible.

In addition to the main cannon powerful enough to pierce through another Object, lasers, rapid fire beam cannons, and other secondary weapons were placed here and there around the sphere. However, with the many “legs” on the lower portion of the sphere, the upper half had a higher concentration of weapons.

Four wing-like objects could be seen on the back of the sphere.

They must have acted as weights to lessen the burden caused during rapid turns.

This was of course not an opponent flesh-and-blood soldiers could hope to defeat.

And the Wing Balancer seemed to realize that. Its many different types of sensors would have located them in an instant, but the Object was not firing on them. It was simply heading straight for them. It was either planning to pa.s.s right by them or to crush them as it pa.s.sed over.

He knew it was pointless, but Heivia leapt behind a nearby rock and then called out to his fellow soldiers.

“Hey, why do you think the Wing Balancer is coming this way!?”

“H-how should I know? Th-the Baby Magnum’s maintenance base zone is behind us. …I-it doesn’t seem concerned with normal soldiers like us, so what if…what if it’s headed for…”

That response had come from the large black man named Cookman. He was hiding behind a different rock.

Myonri had been pulled down to the ground by Westy and she asked a question in a trembling voice

“But wasn’t the Faith Organization Object held in place by our Indigo Plasma!? Could it really leave so easily!?”

“Our allies may have already retreated. They may have seen the operation coming apart, so they left. Their excuse will be that they wanted to reduce the losses as much as possible.”

(…Dammit, Quenser. Did you f.u.c.k it up!?)

Heivia tried to use his radio to complain to the other boy, but he received no reply. It was possible they were having to deal with their own trouble on the other side.

But he did not have time to think about it too deeply. The enemy was not going to wait. The Object had approached within 100 meters of them.

“…What do we do?” muttered Cookman, the oldest one there, with his eyes darting about aimlessly. “Where do we run!? Will running even help!? Its range is just too great, not to mention its power. And those sensors won’t let us escape just by hiding behind cover!!”

“Stop it, you idiot!! Don’t panic! This may be an enemy that we can’t fight normally, but panicking will just lose us precious time! It just makes us more likely to die!!” shouted back Heivia in an attempt to hold Cookman’s panic in check.

That large black man was the pillar holding the team together.

If he broke, Myonri and Westy would fall too.

“Think. Let’s think. The enemy isn’t going to overlook us if we tie a white handkerchief to our rifle barrel and wave it around, so we need to think.”

It took a few seconds before Heivia’s words really sunk into Cookman’s head.

Finally, he nodded.

Heivia breathed a sigh of relief.

(G.o.d dammit. Encouraging my teammates and bringing back harmony is not the role I was meant to play.)

“That’s right. Let’s go over everything we know.” Cookman leaned his back up against the rock and pointed forward with one of his thick fingers. “We know that cliff is there.”

“What about it? The Object can fire from that distance with perfect accuracy if it tries. Even its smallest cannon can reach us,” replied Heivia.

“It clearly isn’t trying to target foot soldiers. Since it is still headed this way, it must be planning to directly attack the maintenance base zone behind us.”

“Meaning?”

“It can’t target the base from here. That means the Object has to get across that cliff to approach the target.”

“Get across…?” Heivia repeated in shock, but then a thought entered his mind. “You don’t mean the idea of the Wing Balancer having a bridge building device built in, do you?”

“By bridge building device,” said Myonri, “do you mean something like those large work vehicles that have a retractable bridge that can be used to allow the convoy to cross a river? I heard they are something like priceless treasures for mobile maintenance base zones like ours.”

“Cookman is suggesting that the Wing Balancer has one of those retractable bridges built in. But he has no real proof.”

“Well, I doubt it’s coming straight this way just to fall off the cliff.” Cookman moved his fingers to indicate that Myonri and Westy should get even lower to the ground. “But if it does have a bridge building device, then we just might be able to win.”

“You mean interfere during the bridge building process and knock the Object off the cliff?”

“It seems odd for all those ‘legs’ to be in there so complexly. It’s possible those ‘legs’ themselves are what extend to create the bridge. The bridge building devices we’re familiar with are about 60 meters long and take about 5 minutes to complete their work. And during that time, they are completely defenseless.”

“But I doubt our puny little guns will do much to an Object,” said Westy.

Heivia gave a resigned sigh and said, “While it is extendi