“However, forming a delegation to the Forest Country (Lebresta) is proving difficult.”
“Yes, Ma’am. The range of microwave irradiation from a power-supply drone at an altitude of 30km is approximately 800km. We can operate without restrictions up to 800km from the border.”
“I’d rather not think about marching beyond that… If we could deploy air power, preferably Gigantia, we wouldn’t have to worry, though.”
“Surely, deploying Gigantia would be overkill. We don’t want to make them a vassal state, so we need to observe basic diplomatic etiquette. If vertical take-off and landing were possible, it would be worth considering.”
“I agree. Even if we were equal in national power, I wouldn’t want such strategic weapons flying overhead. Hmm, in that case, we have no choice but to accompany them with a ground-mobile power reactor unit.”
The delegation to Lebresta.
Commander (Eve) was racking her brains over its composition.
If it were just humanoid machines (Communicators), a large-scale power supply would be unnecessary.
They can generate the necessary power themselves.
Their food consumption would increase, but it would still be within the range of being considered gluttonous.
However, their combat capabilities would be significantly reduced.
Combat maneuvers require a large amount of power from the auxiliary processing unit, and the assist suits also require a power supply.
If microwave power supply were possible, there would be no need to worry, but beyond the horizon is out of range.
“We will need to accompany them with a large power supply vehicle equipped with a fusion reactor. Also, we will need a small power supply vehicle for small-scale operations.”
“If we could refuel in Lebresta, we could use an internal combustion engine for long-term operations, though.”
Unfortunately, it is impossible to expect that in this continent where petroleum technology has not spread.
If so, it is necessary to secure power independently by some means.
“It would be great if we could supply power directly from space-based power generation.”
“There are too many uncertain factors, so it will take several years to realize.”
On this irrational (fantasy) planet, taking significant action involves a corresponding risk. There is no guarantee that conspicuous actions will not attract terrible monsters.
Space development, in particular, has unknown dangers, and the current conclusion is that we cannot proceed without sufficient defensive strength.
Specifically, we want to execute it from a location thousands of kilometers away from our base, after preparing a large amount of air and naval power.
“Hmm, I guess we have no choice but to develop a power supply vehicle. If we’re going to use what we have, we could use that burning stone as fuel.”
“…I see. I’ve calculated it. For small generator applications, it can be concluded that it has a higher energy density than petroleum fuel. By combining a closed-cycle heat engine (Stirling engine) and a power storage device, it should be possible to fit it into a carriage size that is common in the Afurasia United Kingdom. However, the output will be at most about the equivalent of two multi-legged tanks (MLT-E).”
“Is it possible to install a fusion reactor?”
“It would be difficult to increase the width, so if we were to arrange the devices in the front and back, well, it would require a length of about 40m. It would be a multi-jointed type.”
It would be a bit exaggerated as an escort vehicle, but she (Eve) averted her eyes as she thought that it wouldn’t be too outlandish for a dispatch unit to another country. No, she decided to convince herself.
“Multi-legged vehicles also have aesthetic issues, so let’s go with a multi-wheeled type. For rough terrain, a multi-legged type would be better for the heat engine type.”
“Well, it’s a long-term operation, and we need a lot of supplies. Yes, let’s push it through as food and other daily necessities…”
In this way, the composition of the unit to be dispatched to Lebresta was decided.
Humanoid machines (Communicators) for external affairs, and bipedal machines for escort.
Multi-legged tanks and large power supply units.
Multi-wheeled transport vehicles for supplies.
With these as the core, Ringo began calculating the detailed number of units.
◇◇◇◇
The delegation, manufactured using the large general-purpose machine tool (printer) at the Second Fortress (Black Iron), was transported to the lake near East Gate City that same day.
It was airlifted using a large amphibious flying boat.
It was a considerable amount of materials, but by fully utilizing the benefits of microwave power supply, which does not require fuel loading, a large amount could be loaded even on a single transport aircraft.
Regarding the control of the delegation, independent AIs were newly manufactured and installed.
U-class AI Rochester and E-class AI Heath.
Both are made of optical circuit neural network chips. They are not small enough to be installed in humanoid machines (Communicators), but they can be operated in the accompanying fusion reactor-equipped power supply vehicle (Little Whale) and the multi-legged ground mothership (Planter).
As much as possible, East Gate City’s base AI Fragaria Zero will perform real-time monitoring as a backup system for these.
The connection uses satellites, so there are no horizon issues like with microwave power supply.
Regarding the humanoid machines (Communicators), this time they are models with the brain unit omitted.
This is a safeguard for dispatching them outside the Tree sphere of influence.
In the unlikely event that the escort force is annihilated and the unit has to be abandoned, it is necessary to destroy even the brain unit to a state where data cannot be recovered.
For the AIs made by The Tree, this is synonymous with death and should be avoided as much as possible.
Since optical circuits have a structure that allows freezing and immediate backup, neural network information is preserved by data transmission or evacuation to a black box.
If preserved, the possibility of restarting remains, so basically all locally dispatched units use optical circuits.
In the end, the composition of the unit to be dispatched to the Forest Country (Lebresta) was decided as follows:
Thirteen humanoid machines (Communicators). All are remote-controlled types and are controlled by Heath.
Multi-legged ground mothership, Planter. E-class tactical AI Heath is installed.
It is a new model with a redesigned overall design to narrow the overall width.
Instead of reducing the number of installed aircraft, the number of medical pods has been increased, assuming their use as a diplomatic card.
Three escort multi-legged tanks. Using the ship-based MLT-E-04, Hopper. This was chosen because it is smaller than the normal type. The fact that it consumes less energy during normal movement is also a major factor.
And the fusion reactor-equipped power supply vehicle, Little Whale. U-class tactical AI Rochester is installed.
It is responsible for supplying power to the entire unit. It is loaded with enough fuel to operate for about 5 months without resupply.
It is also equipped with close-range weapons for self-defense, but it is basically an entity to be protected in case of emergency.
Finally, two material transport vehicles. It is a model in which two self-propelled multi-wheeled transport vehicles with a total length of about 13m are connected.
It carries weapons, ammunition, and various fuels.
It also houses bipedal escort machines and small burning stone-type power supply vehicles.
Two humanoid machines (Communicators) will board the Planter, three multi-legged tanks with one each, four the Little Whale, and four the material transport vehicles with two each.
If it is necessary to accompany Lebresta’s negotiations or means of transportation such as carriages, multiple people on board the Little Whale will respond. In that case, escort aircraft will be accompanied in some form.
Of course, the Lebresta side initially showed reluctance to dispatch this unit, but after being shown its speed and ability to traverse rough terrain, they could no longer refuse and reluctantly agreed to accept it.
In fact, the Little Whale, which has the largest width, is 13m. This is an enormous size considering that a typical carriage used in the Afurasia United Kingdom is about 2m.
However, fortunately, it was confirmed that the main roads on the Lebresta side seem to have a width of about 10m to 15m, and that there are no difficult points where both sides are cliffs and physically impassable.
The Little Whale also has a structure in which the running wheels can be deformed to some extent, and although the moving speed is slow, it is also possible to lock the tires and walk like a multi-legged vehicle.
At worst, it may be necessary to detour and cut a path, but the Lebresta ambassador, who had confirmed the power of the multi-legged tanks, gave his seal of approval that this would not be a problem.
It was probably not just their imagination that they had become less talkative.