“However, if we’re sending a delegation to the Forest Country (Lebresta), the composition will be difficult.”
“Yes, Ma’am. The range in which microwaves can be emitted from a power-supplying drone at an altitude of 30km is approximately 800km. We can operate without restrictions up to 800km from the border, but…”
“I’d rather not think about marching further than that… If we could dispatch air power, preferably a Gigantia, we wouldn’t have to worry, though.”
“Surely, dispatching a Gigantia would be overkill. We don’t want to make them a vassal state, so we need to show a minimum of diplomatic courtesy. If it could take off and land vertically, it would be worth considering.”
“I agree. Even if we were of equal national power, I wouldn’t want such a strategic weapon flying overhead. Hmm, in that case, do we have no choice but to have a ground-mobile power reactor accompany us?”
A delegation to Lebresta.
Commander (Eve) was racking her brains over this composition.
If it were just Communicator Dolls, a large-scale power supply would be unnecessary.
They can cover their own power needs.
Their food consumption would increase, but it would be at a level that could be considered gluttony.
However, their combat capabilities would be significantly reduced.
Performing combat maneuvers requires a large amount of power from the auxiliary processing unit, and the Assist Suit also requires 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 vehicle for small-scale operations.”
“If we could get fuel supplies in Lebresta, we could use an internal combustion engine type for long-term operations, though.”
Unfortunately, it is impossible to expect that on this continent, where petroleum technology has not spread.
If so, it is necessary to secure power independently by some means.
“It would be nice 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 major actions involves corresponding risks. As a result of conspicuous actions, there is no guarantee that we will not attract terrible Monsters.
Space development, in particular, has unknown dangers, and the current conclusion is that we cannot proceed without sufficient defense capabilities.
Specifically, we want to carry it out from a location thousands of kilometers away from our base, after preparing a large amount of air and sea power.
“Hmm, I guess we have no choice but to develop a power vehicle. If we’re going to use what we have, we could use that Burnstone as fuel.”
“…I see. I’ve calculated it. For small-scale generator applications, we can conclude 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 Afrasia United Kingdom. However, the output will be at most about the equivalent of two Multi-legged Tanks (MLT-E).”
“Is it possible to mount 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 need to be about 40m long. It would be a multi-jointed articulated type.”
It would be a bit of an exaggeration 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 of that.
“Multi-legged vehicles also have an appearance problem, so it should be a multi-wheeled type. For rough terrain driving, 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.
Communicator Dolls for external use, and bipedal machines for escort.
Multi-legged Tanks, and large power supply vehicles.
Multi-wheeled transport vehicles for supplies.
With these at the core, ＜Ringo＞ began calculating the detailed number of units.
◇◇◇◇
The delegation, manufactured using the large general-purpose machine tool (printer) at Fortress Two (Black Iron), was transported to the lake near the East Gate City that same day.
It was airlifted using a large amphibious flying boat.
It is a considerable amount of materials, but by fully utilizing the benefits of microwave power supply, which does not require fuel loading, a large amount can 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 Class-E AI ＜Heath＞.
Both are made of optical circuit Neural network chips. They are not large enough to be installed in Communicator Dolls, but they can be operated in the accompanying Fusion Reactor Power Vehicle (Little Whale) and Multi-legged Ground Carrier (Planter).
In addition to these, as much as possible as a backup system, the base AI ＜Fragalia Zero＞ of East Gate City will perform real-time monitoring.
The connection uses satellites, so unlike microwave power supply, there is no horizon problem.
Regarding the Communicator Dolls, this time they are models with the Brain Unit omitted.
This is a safeguard measure for dispatch to areas outside the ＜The Tree＞ sphere of influence.
In the unlikely event that the escort force is annihilated and the unit is abandoned, it is necessary to destroy even the Brain Unit to the point 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 local dispatch groups use optical circuits.
Finally, the composition to be dispatched to the Forest Country (Lebresta) was decided as follows.
Thirteen Communicator Dolls. All are remote-controlled types and are controlled by ＜Heath＞.
Multi-legged Ground Carrier, ＜Planter＞. Class-E Tactical AI ＜Heath＞ is installed.
This 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. MLT-E-04 for shipboard use, ＜Hopper＞, is used. 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 Power Vehicle, ＜Little Whale＞. U-Class Tactical AI ＜Rochester＞ is installed.
It is in charge of 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 the event of an emergency.
Finally, there are two material transport vehicles. It is a model in which two self-propelled multi-wheeled transport vehicles, each about 13m long, are connected.
It carries weapons, ammunition, and various fuels.
It also houses bipedal escort aircraft and Burnstone-type small power vehicles.
Two Communicator Dolls will board the Planter, three Multi-legged Tanks with one each, four Little Whales, and four 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, they plan to accompany an escort aircraft in some form.
Naturally, the Lebresta side initially showed reluctance to dispatch this unit, but after demonstrating its moving speed and rough terrain running ability, they were unable to refuse and reluctantly agreed to accept it.
In fact, the Little Whale, which has the largest width, is 13m wide. This is an enormous size considering that a typical carriage used in the Afrasia United Kingdom is about 2m wide.
However, fortunately, it was confirmed that the main roads on the Lebresta side seem to have a width of about 10m to 15m, and there are no difficult spots where both sides are cliffs and cannot be physically passed.
The Little Whale also has a structure in which the traveling 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 consider detouring and cutting a path, but the Lebresta ambassador, after confirming the power of the Multi-legged Tank, assured that there would be no problem.
It wouldn’t be just her imagination that they had become less talkative.