Heavy Object

In the Atlantic Ocean near the Falkland Islands, the almost 60 year old captain of the a.s.sault landing aircraft carrier Charlemagne slowly walked across the ship’s flat deck that was used as a runway. Alongside him was Froleytia, a girl of only 18. The 170 meter long deck was a bit short to use as a walking course.

“I suppose this is just the flow of time,” said the white-haired captain with a smile as he used one hand to hold a short and fat pipe of the type preferred by Western detectives. “Once, large aircraft carriers were designed to carry 70-80 aircrafts, but there were few opportunities to fully use all of them in actual battle. With the invention of ultra high speed torpedoes and stealth mines, the sinking of aircraft carriers was no longer an empty dream. …The cost and risk of having things aboard one became an issue.”

“So they stopped focusing all the personnel and equipment in one place and distributed it about to reduce the risk of loss?” replied Froleytia.

In her mouth was a long, narrow j.a.panese kiseru that stood in contrast to the captain’s pipe.

The captain slowly nodded and said, “If 10 aircrafts could be held aboard a single ship, that was good enough. If you needed more than that, you just had to bring in enough ships. The length of the runway for landing was the primary problem with making smaller aircraft carriers, but the development of high precision sensors and reverse firing nozzles for braking made that less of an issue. And something else changed what our missions entailed even more. …Yes, the arrival of those Objects.”

A heavy metallic noise reverberated through the area.

Two a.s.sault landing aircraft carriers were lined up with a s.p.a.ce of over 50 meters between them. In the middle was that giant weapon that had around 100 cannons on a spherical body. It was the Baby Magnum. Scaffolding and countless wires were strung up around that Object that was the pride of the Legitimacy Kingdom.

The captain looked up at its giant body and said, “With the development of laser technology, the role of air supremacy moved to them. Our primary mission is no longer to quickly get aircrafts to the battlefield. Instead, we resupply the Object on the sea, carry out its defense during that time, and see it off.”

That was why the ship was not merely known as an aircraft carrier. It also carried out the role of a landing craft. That ship that held all the equipment needed to create a base would approach the coast and quickly get that equipment on sh.o.r.e. That was the function required of aircraft carriers in the age of Objects.

Froleytia lightly nodded once more and said, “I thank you for your a.s.sistance. We aim to one day be able to quickly construct a base in all environments, but it seems we still specialize in fighting on land.”

“Think nothing of it. In fact, we prefer it this way. If you were able to quickly move over sea, there would be no place left for marines like us. I am glad to have an opportunity to mobilize the ships of our fleet.”

Having said that, the captain exhaled a bit of smoke while making sure it did not go in Froleytia’s direction.

As if to change the mood, the captain’s expression stiffened and he said, “So who is this enemy you are chasing?”

“Is it enough to say it is the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate?”

Quenser was about 30 meters up from the surface of the ocean.

Normally, the Baby Magnum underwent maintenance in a rectangular area created from a combination of large vehicles. However, that could not be done on the sea. The Object was positioned between two a.s.sault landing aircraft carriers with countless wires strung up around it from either side. This created an improvised maintenance area.

Numerous cranes with retractable arms were installed on either side of the a.s.sault landing aircraft carriers. They were not focused on just one side of the ships so that it did not matter which side either ship was on and in order to maintain the ships’ balance.

The scaffolding Quenser stood upon was not a solid catwalk-like pa.s.sageway made of steel. Narrow steel plates were connected without gap between two wires, making it something like a narrow, metal suspension bridge. Of course, the rocking of the ships on the waves and the blowing of the sea wind caused the wires to constantly shake unstably.

“Wah wah wah wah wah!?”

With both hands, Quenser grabbed the thick wires that were in place of a railing as his upper body swayed back and forth like a beginner skateboarder. Meanwhile, the maintenance soldier old lady folded her arms and snorted without holding the railing at all.

“Now how are you supposed to do any work with both your hands full? Can you at least let go with one hand? What do you think we came all the way up here for?”

“I can’t! It’s shaking and we’re so high up! If I fall, I’m done for!!”

“It’s only the ocean down below, so you won’t die if you fall. Unless there’s a major storm, the waves and the wind have a certain regularity to them. If you learn that regularity and control your center of gravity, your body won’t even shake.”

“You sure ask for some crazy things!!”

Quenser started wondering if she was an aikido master or something, but when he looked around, he saw the other maintenance soldiers welding armor plates onto the Baby Magnum or checking its radar were not using a lifeline while working with both hands. Apparently, that was a basic skill for those doing maintenance work.

“…Why does no one use a lifeline?”

“Those awkward things just make your body harder to move and slow down your work. As I said, you won’t die if you fall into the ocean. You only need a lifeline when your life is actually at risk.”

“I don’t think this is a skill I need as a designer…” muttered Quenser.

The maintenance soldier old lady frowned slightly and said, “Come to think of it, boy, have you decided on your Object research topic yet?”

“Just when I was thinking about deciding, I was thrown out into the middle of Alaska,” replied Quenser in annoyance. “There are a few genres I’m interested in, though. Like the distribution of weight and efficient means of propulsion. I just don’t know which field would bring me closest to being a designer the fastest.”

“You went out of your way to leave your safe country as a battlefield student and now you’re choosing your field of specialty on what will be the fastest? …You really are trying to take the easy path through life, aren’t you?”

“I would prefer if you called it ‘efficient planning’.”

At that point, the siren warning that a crane arm was moving began blaring. Quenser and the old lady lowered their heads as if shrugging and the item hanging down from the arm pa.s.sed a few meters above their heads.

Seeing it, Quenser looked puzzled.

“What is that?”

“A small refrigerator. A microwave oven is scheduled to be brought aboard as well.”

“Where are they going? And why???”

“Sailing the seven seas takes time. For example, cutting across the Pacific Ocean takes half a day. It has been suggested for a while now that they be bolted in the c.o.c.kpit to ensure the Elite has efficient access to food to maintain her focus.”

“I see. So that’s what the microwave oven is-…”

Just as Quenser started to understand, he raised his head in realization.

The flavorless rations he was issued that looked like giant erasers did not need to be stored in a refrigerator and they did not need to be heated in a microwave oven. That meant…

“N-no fair!! The princess gets gratin, Salisbury steak, fried chicken, and other delicious foods!?”

“It is perfectly fair. Her focus can completely change the course of a battle, so it is only natural to prepare this sort of thing. The rations have no flavor because no one flavor will ever be liked by everyone. By having something that no one likes or hates, morale can be kept even across all the soldiers. However, the princess’s personal food can easily be matched to her personal tastes.”

“But the princess alone gets to heat fried chicken in the microwave and gets to eat fried chicken whenever and wherever she wants! And fried chicken!!”

“…Okay, I get that you really want to eat chicken, so just calm down.”

Heivia looked over at the small fighters lined up neatly on one end of the a.s.sault landing aircraft carrier’s deck. They were 3 or 4 meters tall, so he had to look up a bit.

“Look at these overloaded delta wings, Quenser. There’s nothing but special antennae for jamming. They have more of them than they have missiles.”

“Of course they do. If an Object gets a lock on them, it’s all over. It’ll just shoot them down with a laser that can fire anywhere in the sky at the speed of light. It’s only natural to focus on ways of not getting locked onto and just barely escaping if you are locked onto. They would still have poor odds of surviving if they seriously took one on, though.”

Heivia nodded offhandedly.

“There was a time when everything was all about stealth, but when multiple radar facilities have been set up, the radar signal you scatter in the opposite direction from your target is picked up by a different base, revealing your location.”

“Yes, the focus changed from flying such that you weren’t found to flying such that you couldn’t be hit,” said Quenser with little interest. He then changed the subject. “It seems Froleytia has been spending more time than usual putting together this strategy, but what exactly is this Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate?”

“As the name suggests, it’s a group with the world’s greatest ma.s.s driver construction technology. There are plenty of organizations talking about developing ma.s.s drivers and not just in the Capitalist Corporations, but apparently that conglomerate is the only one able to actually build a functioning one.”

“So it’s a collection of s.p.a.ce nuts? Are they really that dangerous?”

“They are politically. The reasons are complex,” came the response, but not from Heivia. It was the fried chicken-h.o.a.rding princess.

(But where is she?)

Quenser was confused, but then he spotted the girl sunbathing face down on a bath towel laid out on the deck at his feet. The princess wore her special blue suit and seemed very relaxed.

Heivia shrugged and said, “In the Capitalist Corporations, money is everything. Those with money have a higher standing in society and those who do not have a lower standing. Even your priority in receiving civil liberties is determined by the size of your bank account.”

“Naturally, the leaders that control the military have lots of money,” added the princess.

“It used to simply be that the large companies controlled everything, but lately that seems to have changed. Basically, you just have to have a lot of money. There are now temporary groups that bring in investors who struck it rich with day trading or lawyers that work for multiple corporations. …I believe the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate has its own territory and residents. So of course they had a military force in the name of protecting them.”

“Which means…” Quenser looked confused. “This Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate is a part of this new generation?”

“It was originally a group that mainly worked in the rate business.”

“?”

“There are commodities that’s values change daily like stocks and the foreign exchange, right? Well, that term refers to dealing in those things in order to make a profit from the changes in price. While stocks and currency are the representative examples, it is also done with energy related commodities like oil and coal, with jewels and precious metals like gold, and even historical works of art and antiques. That’s the Capitalist Corporations for you,” said Heivia offhandedly. “This conglomerate sent the ma.s.sive fortunes it made this way to companies it felt had potential and began researching and developing the technologies needed for ma.s.s drivers. If that was adopted as the officially used method, they could monopolize the s.p.a.ce traffic network. Their ultimate goal was probably to control a permanent source of profits rather than the more unstable rate business where profits were constantly in flux.”

The idea was a purely business one. It was completely cut off from any sense of hopes or dreams. It seemed the people of the Capitalist Corporations really did think of nothing but wealth no matter what.

“By the way, a ma.s.s driver is something like a giant railgun pointed straight up. It fires a shuttle or container into satellite orbit. It is simpler than using a s.p.a.ce shuttle,” added the princess.

However, Quenser was not very focused on what she was saying. As she lay face down, she would occasionally fidget and wiggle her b.u.t.t. Of course, he would likely end up being shot with an Object’s main cannon if he told her that was what he was focused on.

“So why is this rich Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate our enemy?”

“Quenser, you need to pick up a newspaper sometime. The Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate seceded from the Capitalist Corporations recently. They even took their territory and residents with them. It was closer to a coup d’etat than a defection. After all, money is everything in the Capitalist Corporations. As long as they have the money for it, they can buy military might. …They might even have an Object prepared.”

“Currently, they are going through a large migration to prevent the Capitalist Corporations government from forfeiting their a.s.sets,” said the princess as she held her feet up in the air and kicked them around.

Heivia continued, “I heard that just before the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate began this large migration, Capitalist Corporation military intelligence succeeded in securing all of their Elites, which avoided becoming a war between multiple Objects; Without an Elite, an Object is useless.”

“That sounds like a mission we’d get stuck with,” commented Quenser.

“But the rumor is that the conglomerate might actually have an Elite they prepared in secret. If that’s true, they really are planning to make a war of this. The mere fact that they are making this great migration of their territory and residents shows they’re prepared for something big if you ask me.”

Quenser looked confused and asked, “But why? Even if they have an Object or two in secret, how is the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate supposed to defeat a world power like the Legitimacy Kingdom or Capitalist Corporations?”

“It’s all thanks to a simple adoption war,” said Heivia as he rubbed the bottom of the small fighter with his palm. “The shuttles that used rocket engines back a long time ago were simply too expensive for large scale s.p.a.ce development, so about 20 years ago, new methods began to be considered. In the end, two suggestions remained. One was the ma.s.s driver that used railgun technology and the other was the laser s.p.a.ce elevators that used laser technology.”

“The Capitalist Corporations eventually chose the laser method,” added the princess.

“The Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate is in a bit of a rush because they lost to the compet.i.tion. While there were two methods, the laser method had a great variety of corporations and organizations working on it while that conglomerate had a complete monopoly on ma.s.s driver technology. I’ve never heard of anyone else creating a functional one even in the world powers outside the Capitalist Corporations. If it had been officially adopted, the ma.s.s driver might have become a worldwide format and become a fountain eternally overflowing with money for the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate. However, its financial value is less than zero if it fails. Any organization that is in the red tens of billions of dollars over failed research will go bankrupt.” Heivia shrugged and sighed. “And to add insult to injury, the laser method was chosen not because of any problems with the technology but because of the personal tastes of the higher ups. The way things were going, their organization was done for. That is why they wanted the ma.s.s driver to be adopted by another world power like the Information Alliance or the Faith Organization, but the Capitalist Corporations told them to stop. The Capitalist Corporations of course wanted to avoid anything that would use tech developed there for the benefit of other world powers. With their focus on money, taking part in the international market like that was the same as aiding the enemy.”

“So they were blocked at every turn…”

“That was when the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate really got mad. It’s unclear what their ultimate goal is, but they have hired a lot of the mercenary units that make up the Capitalist Corporations military and some have caught glimpses of an Object. It’s not surprising that Froleytia wants to think carefully about our strategy here.”

“I see,” said Quenser.” So what’s this about mercenary units? Do they not have a standard army?”

“The Capitalist Corporations military is completely PMC based. Simply put, the entire army is made up of hired mercenaries. A balance is kept by having the mercenary companies control the troops including the technicians in charge of maintenance and having the companies that hire them supplying the all-important Elite.”

“So they don’t have complete control of the units?”

“It seems the companies possess the Objects and Elites which are the most important parts, but everyone else is called in from elsewhere. I supposed it’s something like sponsored athletes in individual sports. The athlete himself belongs to the company, but the detailed coordination of things like his outfit and drinks are handled by outside workers. The company itself does not control the stadium or field used to break records, but the athlete from that company is needed for the match to begin.”

“Is that how it works? But do food companies and convenience store groups have military troops?”

“If they need them, they’ll buy up the right kind of heavy industry companies, join them together, and then merge with them to gain the technology needed for an Object. From what I hear, there’s a custom of only viewing companies that have an Object as first rate companies. In fact, the PMCs I mentioned before are often subsidiaries of the company they work for or have an exclusive contract with them. Otherwise there would be issues with keeping things like Object designs secret. At any rate, those with huge amounts of money can mobilize more power, so the large companies and monstrously successful investors are naturally the ones with all the power. They’re something like our n.o.bles.”

“So even if they started a war against a proper army like ours, they have enough military might to actually put up a legitimate fight?”

“See why Froleytia has to take this so seriously?” said Heivia, sounding slightly bored. “The Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate has seceded from the Capitalist Corporations and started this great migration. Also, they do not wish to negotiate a truce. If they are going to fight, it is going to be with everything they have. The battle will not end until one side’s Object has been blown away. I don’t know what kind of mission this is going to be, but I do know it’s going to be dangerous. You should carry out your preparations even more thoroughly than usual.”

“Preparations, hm?” Quenser looked up at the small refrigerator hanging from a crane overhead. He continued with what that reminded him of. “Then I’d really like some fried chicken.”

“Dammit, Quenser. You’re not supposed to say that on the battlefield where we get nothing but flavorless rations!”

“Eh? But I want some. I want to bite into it and have the grease spread through my mouth. It would be even better with a bit of lemon seasoning.”

“You idiot!! If you say that, I’m gonna want some too!! Ahh, it’s too late! Now I’m craving some nice, greasy chicken!!”

The two idiots began to writhe around, but then the princess spoke up with her usual expressionless face.

“You can get some.”

“Hah?”

“This is the 15th anniversary of the Charlemagne’s commissioning, and they seemed to have had a lot of different foods brought in for a party. There seems to be some left over, so you can get some if you head to the mess hall.”

Quenser, Heivia, and the princess headed for the mess hall of the a.s.sault landing aircraft carrier Charlemagne. The only other person there was Froleytia who was stuffing her mouth full of a white sauce spaghetti soup.

“Look, Quenser!! As usual, our commander is taking all the good stuff for herself while we were too dutiful to check!!”

“First the deer in Alaska and now this. She certainly has quite the wonderful personality…”

“Mgh? Oh, did you catch wind of this too?”

Froleytia looked surprised, but it was no time to curry the favor of their commander. They had to find the fried chicken leftover from the party.

“I see nuggets here and kara-age here!? Dammit, so close!! I like it to be on the bone!!”

“Are you looking for fried chicken, Quenser? If you don’t mind it being a bit strong, I have three pieces left.”

“All that pepper you’ve already put on it is a point against it, but this is no time to be picky!! Yay, chicken!!”

Quenser raised his arms in the air and surrendered to Froleytia.

Heivia and the princess had leftover Salisbury steak and french fries piled high on their disposable paper plates.

The four simply sat chewing for a while, but there was no reason to sit in silent concentration the entire time just because they had not had proper food in a while. When people gathered, stupid conversations would begin. That is one of the rules of this world.

The one who began first was Heivia.

“You know pole dancing, right? Y’know, with the girl wrapped around the pole?”

“…That came out of nowhere. Heivia, are certain urges building up in you?”

“How do they do that?”

“What’s so difficult about it? They just wrap around the pole and swing around.”

“No, not that.” Heivia seemed to be having difficulty figuring out how to put what he wanted to say into words. “When it’s done more acrobatically, they flip upside down and have just the back of one leg wrapped around the pole while they spin around, right? How do they support their body like that?”

Quenser was about to say, “How should I know?”, but someone unexpected cut in from the side.

It was their commander, Froleytia.

Having polished off the spaghetti soup, she was elegantly wiping off her mouth with a napkin as she said, “It differs depending on the person, but the friction of your skin against the bra.s.s pole is usually enough to support you. Well, there is a trick to how you wrap your leg around, but as long as you do it like you’re trying to squeeze and twist around the metal pole, one leg is enough to support you.”

The two idiots stared in shock at Froleytia as she stood up from her chair and glanced around the area. She spotted a pipe wrapped in fabric tape running vertically at one edge of the mess hall.

Froleytia checked the thickness and st.u.r.diness of the pipe and said, “Basically, you do this.”

“Huh!? Froleytia, why do you seem so used to doing this!?”

Quenser was in utter shock at the seductive action his commander had begun so suddenly. Froleytia replied as she spun around upside down, paying no heed to her tight skirt.

“Sometimes you need a hidden talent for the victory parties after a successful mission. Also, doing this seems to double the motivation of the troops for some reason. The only real problem is that spinning around while grabbing the pole with my leg like this tends to rip my stockings. The synthetic fibers also reduce the friction, so maybe I should start doing it barelegged.”

“Y-yeah, I can see how people would get worked up if you and those huge b.r.e.a.s.t.s of yours were spinning around with your stockings ripping apart on your inner thighs!!” shouted Heivia in utter shock at that unexpected military tradition.

Froleytia then got down from the pole and added, “By the way, our princess can do this too.”

“Ehh!?”

“Ehh!?”

The thought of that slender girl doing it gave them a different feeling than when it was their s.e.xy commander. Quenser and Heivia began trembling, but all the princess herself did was munch on french fries with her small mouth. As usual, she had no interest in using her eroticism in a way only a girl could. Most likely, any guy who asked her to do that would just get a slap in the face.

As the four of them continued their stupid conversation, the topic turned to something more dangerous. In the end, they were on a battlefield.

Once again, it was Heivia that brought it up.

“So why was the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate attacking that moon villa from that Antarctic probe robot via a hacked satellite?”

“I will be going over this in the upcoming briefing, but whatever. It’s simple enough. The Capitalist Corporations major general who stays in that villa holds a lot of authority when it comes to military satellites and s.p.a.ce stations. He was the driving force behind the decision to go with the laser s.p.a.ce elevator over the ma.s.s driver. …Basically, it was probably resentment over their method not being adopted,” replied Froleytia bluntly who had returned to her seat. “They may have been trying to send an ironic message by going out of the way to use a laser to attack the villa.”

“But then…” started the princess.

She must not have been very hungry because she was only slowly bringing french fries to her mouth.

Quenser continued for her, “Doesn’t that make this entire conflict contained to the Capitalist Corporations? I don’t see why we would need to get involved. Our involvement could even make things worse and cause this to develop into a much bigger conflict.”

“…That is what makes this so difficult.”

“I take it there is some reason why we have to be involved,” said Heivia as he stabbed his fork into a Salisbury steak he had cut into small pieces.

Froleytia nodded, “The Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate originally had their headquarters in Los Angeles of the Central Valley area of western America. But now they have begun a major migration away from the Capitalist Corporations. They seem to be moving south of the Sierra Madre area of Central America to the Iguazu area of South America.”

“What of it?”

“A Legitimacy Kingdom s.p.a.ce development base is being built in the Amazon area near there. The method being used is a laser s.p.a.ce elevator. The option of using a ma.s.s driver was brought up, but since we are at war with the Capitalist Corporations we could hardly get their cooperation for the technology required. It would be a problem if they attack it like the moon villa out of resentment over the method used.”

“So this war is one to guarantee safety?” asked the princess.

“Precisely.” Froleytia put her long, narrow j.a.panese-style kiseru in her mouth and lit the end. “The real pain in the a.s.s is that this is really only a dispute within the Capitalist Corporations as Quenser pointed out. But since we do not know where the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate will turn its sights next, we have to do something. The best option would be to take them out before anything could happen, but if we stick our noses too deeply into this, it could easily spark all-out war between the Legitimacy Kingdom and the Capitalist Corporations. We do have a justification in protecting the s.p.a.ce development base under construction in the Amazon area, but we have to make sure we do not deviate from that line. We have no idea where they will have this war of theirs, but it will all be a waste if Legitimacy Kingdom people get wrapped up in it,” said Froleytia with a sigh.

A short silence followed.

Finally, Quenser asked a timid question.

“Do we have any definite information on the possible Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate Object yet…?”

“Not yet. Something quite large was detected in Central America, but it may have been a gas tank like in Oceania.”

“But do we at least know where they are?”

“Actually, that’s a bit unclear as well.”

“?”

“The Andes mountain range in South America has elevations greater than 6000 meters. It is also famous for its mines. The south-eastern trade wind from the Pacific is acting up this year, so clouds with a lot of dust mixed in have flowed inland. This makes areas here and there that cannot be scanned by satellite.” Froleytia stopped to think for a bit. “We do not know anything for certain, but the Object this time will likely have the full technological prowess of the Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate put into it. That means it will likely have large caliber railguns. Since they also used railguns in the Antarctic, we can more or less count on it.”

“The ones in Antarctica were spares, but…”

“But they were not large enough to be main cannons, you mean?” Froleytia picked up on Quenser’s concern. “Most likely, those were not spares for the Object’s main cannon. After all, these are the people who built ma.s.s drivers that can reach satellite orbit or the moon. A single direct hit will of course be a death sentence, but the shockwave will also be a real danger. Make sure your ears and organs are not taken out.”

“And how exactly are we supposed to do that?” Heivia muttered under his breath.

However, that was not anything new.

When Quenser and Heivia were being targeted by any 50 meter Object, even its smallest weapons could blow them to pieces. Whenever they faced that great danger, they always asked the same question to no one in particular even as they knew it was meaningless.

What exactly are we supposed to do?

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

Their objective was the annihilation of the Ma.s.s 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 a.s.sault 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 a.s.sault 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 sh.e.l.ls. Once it gets near the sh.o.r.e, 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 Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate heading to South America, but we need to get on land first. Let’s get this pain-in-the-a.s.s 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 p.r.i.c.kly 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 gra.s.shopper-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 n.o.ble family. To set it apart from other Objects, a high cla.s.s 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.”

“G.o.d, 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 a.s.sault 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 t.i.ts. 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 s.p.a.ce.

“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 a.s.sault landing aircraft carrier Charlemagne and they headed across the ocean with almost no s.p.a.ce between them. And it did not end there. Seven or eight other a.s.sault 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 sh.e.l.l 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 h.e.l.l 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 sh.e.l.ls 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 sh.e.l.ls 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 sh.e.l.ls 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 ma.s.ses 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 sh.e.l.ls. .h.i.tting 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.

“s.h.i.t!!”

“Continue the landing!! If you aren’t directly hit, you won’t die!! Turning back now will only get the a.s.sault landing aircraft carriers. .h.i.t!! 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.

“G.o.d dammit!! This is completely reckless! That commander really is s.a.d.i.s.tic!! 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 Ma.s.s 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 ma.s.sive 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 Ma.s.s Driver conglomerate is fleeing here, I’m a.s.suming 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 gla.s.s. 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 Ma.s.s 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 b.u.t.ted 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 Ma.s.s 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 gra.s.s in a circle at the spot. You know how ma.s.sive 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 pa.s.sed 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 Ma.s.s 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 a.s.signed 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 rea.s.sembled, so it took a lot of work.

“That sure is taking our time. Shouldn’t we be getting this over with quickly? The Ma.s.s 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 Ma.s.s 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 Ma.s.s 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 a.s.s almost by definition.”

Quenser’s radio then picked up a transmission.

He a.s.sumed 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, c.r.a.p.”

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 Ma.s.s Driver conglomerat