“Even if we say we’ll lend a hand, I wonder how much we should actually get involved?”
Commander (Eve) muttered, gazing at the data from the Repuytari Kingdom.
“Amadio-san seems to be saying it’s okay to go all-in.”
Duke Amadio Silverhead, seeking full cooperation, said that considering the future relationship, it was fine to proceed under the leadership of ＜Paraiso＞.
Or rather, perhaps those were the words of Amadio Salmon, the player. As a duke governing a country, he would want to minimize intervention from other powers.
“Since we are not a typical nation, I believe they are having trouble dealing with us,”
Overseer AI ＜Ringo＞ added, gathering information from various sources.
The ＜Paraiso＞ forces, in contact with the Repuytari Kingdom, are continuing to associate with them as a nation for the time being. However, if they were to intervene in earnest, they might end up behaving in a supranational manner.
“Even just exporting weapons, there’s the problem of whether they can provide compensation.”
“We could offer a loan, but the problem is whether they can repay it.”
“I don’t want to provide them for free either.”
The technological disparity of firearms produced by ＜The Tree＞ is thought to be on the scale of hundreds of years, at least as far as they can observe. Providing such weapons in bulk would give them a considerable advantage.
However, in this world, there exists an unanalyzed technological system called magic. This was hindering ＜Ringo＞’s simulations.
“We cannot measure the military strength of the Prawa Theocracy, so we cannot propose an appropriate amount of support.”
“I see. That’s something that will be resolved with time, though. I wonder if we’ll make it in time.”
The Prawa Theocracy’s invasion continues, albeit at a slower pace. The reason for the slowdown is the expansion of the battlefront. The resistance of the opposing countries seemed to be completely ineffective.
“Still, this information is only coming from the Repuytari Kingdom right now. Hmm, I wonder if we should send out a reconnaissance flight.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I propose launching a Vulture 2 from Gigantia. Launching and recovering from Gigantia will ensure sufficient range and make it easier to respond to unforeseen circumstances.”
“Oh? You had a Vulture 2 ready?”
Supersonic High-Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft LRF-2 (Vulture 2).
LRF-1 launches and lands on ground runways, but LRF-2 was developed as a Gigantia-mounted aircraft.
It inherits the basic performance of the LRF-1, but its energy capacity has been dramatically increased by supporting microwave power transmission.
The LRF-1 could not use sensors and armaments simultaneously, but the LRF-2 can.
This allows for ultra-precise multiple laser irradiation by linking multiple aircraft. It can attack pinpoint targets on the ground from an altitude of 27km.
“A reconnaissance aircraft, you say…”
It probably couldn’t handle giant Monsters, but it could roast most creatures from above just by dispatching a few Vulture 2s. Of course, it could also subject buildings to ultra-high temperatures.
“Unfortunately, the problem of sonic booms has not been completely resolved. There is a technology to cancel out the sound of flight by organically changing the irregularities of the surface armor, but it is difficult to control at supersonic speeds, so it has not been put to practical use.”
“So it’s supposed to be pretty loud, right?”
The shockwave that occurs the moment you exceed the speed of sound, which is heard on the ground as a sonic boom. If this occurs at low altitude, the shockwave is strong enough to cause damage on the ground.
Well, just because it hasn’t been put into practical use doesn’t mean that ＜Ringo＞ hasn’t solved it in simulations.
“Well, it’ll be surprising, but it shouldn’t be a problem, right? I don’t think anyone will realize it’s a sonic boom.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Then, we will dispatch Gigantia to the northern region of the Afrasia United Kingdom. From there, we will launch Vulture 2 westward to conduct reconnaissance of the battlefield.”
“Right. For now, I want to keep it a secret that we’re intervening. I don’t think Vulture will be captured, but let’s be careful.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
◇◇◇◇
Gigantia is flying at an altitude of about 8,000m.
Radar waves are kept to a minimum so as not to provoke the Unknown Monsters. Instead, patrol aircraft were deployed over a wide area.
At the rear of Gigantia, the ejection doors slowly opened. The catapult, which had been covered with armor to reduce aerodynamic drag, rose up and prepared for launch.
Raised by the elevator was the Supersonic High-Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft, LRF-2 (Vulture 2), redesigned for Gigantia mounting.
Two aircraft were placed on the two catapults.
The flame-retardant deflectors protruded and were fixed in place.
After a slight delay, the rocket motors of the Vulture 2s spewed flames.
Unlock.
The electromagnetic catapult launched the Vulture 2 aircraft into the air.
The Vulture 2 was launched at an initial velocity of over 1,000 km/h. The acceleration of the rocket motor broke the sound barrier in a few seconds. While continuing to accelerate, it rapidly gained altitude.
The second aircraft similarly soared into the sky.
Upon reaching an altitude of 20km, the two Vulture 2s began formation flight. One aircraft led, with the other flying diagonally behind.
They continued to accelerate, jettisoning the rocket motors that had completed their role.
They switched to acceleration with ramjet engines.
While gradually increasing altitude, the aircraft continued to accelerate. Eventually, they reached an altitude of 27km and a flight speed of Mach 3.4. While maintaining this altitude and speed, they would photograph the target points in order.
Although there are vibration issues with the aircraft, reconnaissance satellites need to maintain an altitude of at least 200km, so they can photograph the ground from a much lower orbit.
In other words, they can acquire more detailed images.
The two Vulture 2s continued their flight, reaching their target point approximately 1,500km away in about 25 minutes. They acquired images from multiple angles.
After circling and covering the necessary points, the two aircraft embarked on their return course.
No particular events occurred, and the return was as planned.
Gigantia is also equipped with an aircraft recovery device. The Vulture 2, which had descended from the sky in a gliding state, touched down on the recovery device with precise and accurate control. The fixed aircraft was then stored inside Gigantia.
The reconnaissance took about an hour.
The reconnaissance information extracted from the recording device inside the aircraft was collected by Strategic AI ＜Ichou＞ in Afrasia, Royal Capital via Gigantia, and after cleaning the information for viruses, it was sent to ＜The Tree＞.
“We have obtained information on the battlefield.”
“I was watching, but that was fast.”
While analyzing thousands of high-resolution images and videos taken from the sky, ＜Ringo＞ picked out and displayed several images.
“I wouldn’t say all, but we succeeded in photographing most of the battle lines. The military strength of the Prawa Theocracy is currently being analyzed. The battle lines are thought to have been pushed back approximately 500km from their pre-war positions. Four countries have already been completely conquered, and two countries have had their borders breached.”
“Hmm… What should I do? Is it okay to give this to Amadio-san?”
This is frontline information obtained in near real-time.
Having this information or not will have a significant impact on future strategy formulation.
Will providing this cause any major problems with ＜The Tree＞’s strategy?
“The impact is expected to be limited. There are no air forces capable of rapid movement. Even moving troops by powered ship would take at least five days. Rather, it would be more efficient to show our strength and give them material to consider for their next move.”
“Well, I guess so… Basically, we can monitor all their movements, so, well, it should be fine…”
And so, an episode was added in which Amadio rolled his eyes upon seeing the battlefield images that were sent, but it was not conveyed to Commander (Eve) because it was not particularly important information.