“Nozomu,” she called out.
While waiting for Selene’s optimization and the adequate drying of the prisoners, I was smoking on the deck of “Themis 11,” which had been forcibly crammed into the rear of our position, when Galatea, having removed her armor, approached.
Lately, since her outfit doubles as a work uniform and an exoskeleton inner layer for convenience’s sake, she was wearing a similar onesie to mine and appeared to have been maintaining her armor, as there were faint traces of oil on her cheeks.
“What is it, Galatea? Hey, your cheek’s dirty!”
“Wha!? I-I’m not a kid anymore!”
“Well if you’re not, you should at least glance at a hand mirror at the end of your shift.”
The young lady who became a soldier to escape her home seems to find such attentiveness bothersome, or perhaps she simply doesn’t like it. While I wiped her cheek, her brown skin flushed slightly, but she didn’t bat my hand away.
When I gestured for her to sit beside me, she did so a bit further back, as if declaring that she wouldn’t sit at “such a high place’s” edge.
Well, since the height, excluding the bridge, is around 12 meters, falling would indeed likely be fatal. Even for me, should my current unit fail to land properly, total damage is not impossible at this height.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“It didn’t occur to me during the assault because I was so focused, but now that it’s over—how did we manage to bring down something this huge? I never imagined we’d be storming fortresses twice as Magius Geanaite.”
“That’s because we simultaneously exploited several widespread weaknesses inherent in large structures.”
No matter how superior the construction, no matter how advanced the armament, massive weapons bear unavoidable flaws—difficult independent operation and vulnerability once breached.
“Virgil, according to the situation, used the correct tactics, but from our perspective, made several critical mistakes.”
“By holding back the Magius Geanaite?”
Hearing Galatea’s response, I realized unconsciously that I was smiling. She’s certainly a quick learner, understanding much from each battle.
Based on standard operational doctrine, these types of coastal assault vessels, functioning as mobile forward bases, should move surrounded by mobile weapons, tank units, wheeled armored divisions, and infantry to protect them.
As the central core of the front line, they move simultaneously to steadily push ahead the front line.
Most importantly, they repel enemies using special attack tactics and prevent the enemy from breaching the inherent weakness—internal boarding.
“As you said, the coastal assault vessel functions like a mobile fortress and is quite weak when engaged in siege warfare.”
Though Virgil, disliking the losses of subordinates and to avoid a defeat by Tupiarius—objectively a reasonable choice—left Magius Geanaite inside, due to its sheer size and blind spots, it’s mandatory to always accompany it with the smallest military units: infantry. Without surrounding it with foot soldiers and highly mobile light vehicles, the coastal assault vessel becomes quite fragile. That we managed to capture it with merely sixteen people shows this clearly.
Even in civilizations that have reached the level of constructing celestial-scale structures like higher-level entities, they can’t abandon the existence of infantry.
Ultimately, human-sized units are required to completely capture and maintain a base; hence, these armaments are merely equipment to facilitate deployment and combat. Though individually powerful, if misused, they are just as vulnerable to infantry as a bishop in chess might be.
A landship that simultaneously acts as a bridgehead for attack and a fortress to defend must be used with infantry and mobile forces. Otherwise…
“It could lead to a situation like we saw yesterday, where someone like us infiltrates and causes chaos, right?”
Nodding significantly, I’m pleased with how attentive my companion is. No matter how high-tech, this thing is still quite large. It lacks the agility to evade high-speed weapons akin to packs of wolves, so no matter how many counter-measures it’s loaded with, it isn’t perfect. This very fact is proven by our occupation of this place.
There’s not just one way to attack. Though our team doesn’t do it anymore as it’s “far too dangerous,” some countries still value the method of launching infantry-stuffed manned projectiles from satellite orbits directly into an enemy.
Leaving aside stories of those who inhale peculiar democracies and end up perfectly high—still shouting enthusiastically after two millennia, perhaps—unless various military branches are integrated, logistics managed, and a single combat unit formed, weaknesses will surface no matter how advanced the technology.
Which is why we continue to produce and operate a wide variety of weapons that complicate and potentially overwhelm our supply lines—an endeavor that’s anything but the simplicity armies prefer.
“So, Nozomu, this thing—this is a ship, right?”
“By definition, yes, it is.”
“…This is the first time I’ve been on a ship.”
“Really?”
“Canopy Holy Capital is essentially a land-based nation. Sure, the capital had canals with river boats, but mostly relied on vehicles and streetcars for transportation, primarily using land transport. Yes, some provinces had large lakes, but it’s not like they were connected to the sea. There was some irrigation, but no grand canals were constructed.”
Considering this, it’s understandable she’s never been on a ship.
However, amidst all our busyness—short-handed as we were struggling to fully control the ship—when I turned to her, I found her tracing the deck deep in thought.
“So, I may not know much about ships, but I do understand that warships exist. At the Duke of Niyo Mother Lake territory to the southwest of the Sacred Capital, there’s a huge lake and river system, and they have ships equipped with siege bows for defense.”
Looking further into the data supplied by Aurelia, I found the relevant information. Covering an area of roughly 400 square kilometers, this almost perfectly round artificial lake was created by dropping “massive projectiles” to accompany the planetary dissemination effort. Designed to supply the atmosphere with an adequate level of moisture and provide valuable fresh water, it was created by impacting the crust and raising mountains to encircle the crater, forming the southwestern logistics hub. Military ships were also stationed there to curb any troublemakers.
“But I couldn’t imagine there’d be battlefields requiring ships this large. Hey, Nozomu, you said before your job was handling guardian deities. Tell me, on what kind of battlefields have you managed to survive?”
Her gaze, filled with deep contemplation and a hint of fear for something unimaginable, left me momentarily at a loss for words.
“I can’t even fathom it. Battlefields where something like this is necessary or chaotic enough for guardian deities to become involved. I just realized, again, through what kind of fights must you have endured to live?”
Living in Canopy Holy Capital, if someone suddenly put this thing in front of you, confusion would be understandable. Even the bridge is taller than most mobile weapons—though that’s expected since it’s meant for transport—and it floats, bristling with huge cannons and guided missiles like a porcupine.
Even telling her there’s a trio of these ships, commanded by a larger vessel and themselves guarding an even bigger craft, would surely be overwhelming, despite her being someone accustomed to intense battlefronts. She might hesitate a little.
Considering what kind of explanation she’d understand, I thought… well, since it’s her, it should be fine.
I extended the cable directly from my neck and offered it to her.
“Want to see? What our real battlefield looks like?”
“Your battlefield…?”
“With your current mechanical state, you can directly access my memories. Galatea, because it’s you, I’ve decided it’s okay to show them.”
Though we’ve eliminated two coastal assault vessels, the enemy still has an intact Aigaion Class, a Gyges Class, and a Kottos Class. Considering we’re guarding Canopy Holy Capital and there’s no satellite attack or supersonic strike aircraft coming our way, our next battlefield will somewhat resemble my previous one.
Rather than throwing her into the thick of battle unprepared, it might be better for her mental health to show her first.
After a brief hesitation, she picked up the cord and connected it to her wrist.
“Scary, but if this helps me understand you…”
As the slight dimness before her eyes indicated a successful direct connection, I dredged up a particular memory.
Given her secondary brain alone, full immersion would be tough, so I linked the five senses, acting as a converter to provide a comfortable level of immersion. In terms of depth, it might be comparable to an educational VR headset used during compulsory education.
“…Isn’t this taking too long?”
“Lieutenant, lowering the clock speed too much is also problematic. I’ll bring it up to the specified value.”
“Eh? Wa—this is Nozomu’s voice?!”
“This is from the thought process during this memory. Back when I was involved in this operation, I must’ve still been a lieutenant.”
Through the direct connection, we accessed the combat data from the raid on Aladfahr Prime, the manufacturing planet of Citharae Union Commercial League.
At that time, I was assigned to the 268th Independent Combat Group of the Seventh Assault Strike Fleet, commanding the Second Platoon under the Second Battalion’s Second Division, while also serving as the Third Battalion’s Third Command Officer, deployed to the battlefield.
The memory begins after the forward skirmish, right after the planetary direct fleet was driven off by the strike fleet, and as the orbital dominance advantage was secured, the army commander boldly targeted a direct strike at the enemy’s star system capital.
The aim was to implement an assault descent, destroy orbital-attackable defensive strongholds, and build a bridgehead to support further landings—in short, to become the spearhead of the descent forces.
“Ah, ah, greetings from Maple Leaf 2-3 Captain. To ensure a pleasant journey into space for all passengers and crew, we’ll be playing a guide. Please read the safety manual.”
“Are those voices not Nozomu’s too?!”
“This is a joke from the ‘special attack guys’ who’re lowering us to the planet—a Class Alpha Type 1 high-altitude assault landing craft, commonly called ‘Sakura-24 Model B’.”
There are established norms in planetary conquests, and after securing orbital superiority through the elimination of the planetary fleet, the next step is to dismantle the scattered anti-air installations on the planet.
This proves troublesome. You can’t simply lob mass projectiles from orbit and be done with it. The enemy’s central command is usually situated in deep underground facilities defended by force fields, and the cities you see with telescopes from space are just facades where humans live.
Destroying these structures would merely massacre civilians and provoke enemy wrath. Hence, advanced nations focus on landing mobile weapons for assault operations, targeting the enemy’s “mobile anti-air facilities” as the second crucial step.
“Uh, due to adverse weather conditions, turbulence is expected. Please fasten your seatbelts and don’t recline your seats. Also, sorry, but smoking is prohibited on this flight due to aviation regulations.”
The task of achieving this is given to the shark-like Sakura-24’s—currently its 24th iteration—belly, which is hung with cylindrical heat-resistant shells containing us mecha warriors.
Mechanized weapons are kings of ground warfare. With mobility comparable to tanks, dexterous and agile human-like movements, and diverse armaments that maximize payload capacity, they can theoretically engage any type of weapon. They are to be saturatively scattered across the surface, chasing off the remaining hostile ships in orbit and dismantling the anti-air installations on land.
“Wha… something super flashy down there! Are we really heading into that?!”
“Yeah, I remember clearly that during this operation our sneak attack didn’t quite succeed, so the enemy’s anti-air capabilities were almost intact. It wasn’t the worst, though.”
“Whaat?! Wait, my gosh! Something just lit up next to me!?”
“A Sakura carrying the second platoon of the fourth company just got blown away. Do you want me to add atmospheric sound effects given that we’re in space?”
The enemy’s anti-air interception remains dense, and landing craft and attack aircraft launched from the mother ship are blowing apart in various colors. Most, however, are heavily defended and will only be retrieved in the aftermath of combat, where the phrase “oh dear, it was quite something” will suffice.
“Ah, ah… looks like the Nakase team dropped off the landing.”
“Yeah, it’s a real shame considering how spirited they were, aiming for over five kills and becoming aces.”
“Isn’t this… a little light-hearted?! You, Selene—!”
“No, the body blew up—it’s still alive!”
At such high altitudes, getting hit by anti-air fire launched from the ground, which has weakened in intensity, won’t destroy either the special attack craft or the mechs outright. Of course, antimatter warheads are quite dangerous. But heavy particle beams or mass drivers generally don’t pose much of a threat, so it’s rather carefree.
Indeed, Nakase Sergeant and his subordinates of the previous assault, regretful for missing their chance at glory, indulged in heavy drinking and ended up passed out in the hallway after the mission.
“Alright, we’re descending!”
“Huh?! Whoa! Haaaa… It’s so fast…!”
“Alright, everyone, we’re now entering the atmosphere. The current weather at the destination is sunny with a pleasant temperature of 25°C, though intermittent heavy particles and mass projectiles may cause turbulence, so please be cautious.”
That said, despite a few losses during formation restructuring, the landing fleet dived into the planet’s atmosphere, hurtling towards descent.
Galatea cried out amidst the speed of it, but compared with the mild VR experience she’s having, what would a real, intensive simulation with actual equipment feel like?
Ignoring the faint amusement I felt at the side, my past self in the memory patiently awaited descent to the surface while gazing at the light of heat compression.
