Chapter 363: The Unknown Continent
The coastline of the continent designated as
The fifth Argo-class Reconnaissance Mothership,
This place was a continent located to the west of
For convenience, it was referred to as the Western Continent.
This Point 4 was the most distant among the locations currently under exploration.
This Western Continent was a landmass whose existence was first confirmed through aerial photography from a Reconnaissance satellite.
It was far from
Nighttime photography had confirmed the existence of some form of civilization on this continent.
Infrared observation determined it wasn’t highly developed, but multiple cities emitting an amount of light inconceivable from the infrared levels were found, making it a target for caution.
In short, it meant that light sources existed which did not involve combustion, a basis of science.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the case if lighting like LEDs, which strongly emit specific wavelengths, were being used.
However, for LEDs, the light wavelengths were not uniform, and the analysis result indicated it was close to stellar light.
Therefore, it was assumed that light sources mimicking visible light from a star existed on the ground, due to some kind of technology.
And so, Point 4 was selected on such a continent.
It was chosen from locations where no surrounding civilization was confirmed and was thought to be untouched by human hands.
Since reconnaissance was the main objective this time, it was necessary to minimize the risk of being detected by the local civilization as much as possible.
The destination was a barren wilderness with little greenery, and it had been confirmed to be free of artificial traces.
Furthermore, maritime transport was not developed on this continent, and no large vessels had been found.
Therefore, the probability of an Argo-class ship being discovered was judged to be low.
Multiple cities existed in the interior, and places that seemed to be developed mines had also been found.
Whether to seize them or not would depend on the situation, but to gather that information, the dispatch of a reconnaissance ship was decided.
“…So. I knew we were approaching the planned anchoring area, but…”
“Onee-sama, it’s an emergency.”
During her usual tea time, Eve received an urgent message from Akane, who was on duty in control, and rushed into the Command Room.
“The passive Sonar has detected multiple suspicious Sound Waves. It appears that numerous objects are moving at high speed around Zetes.”
“…I see. Since it’s a reconnaissance ship, you haven’t used the active Sensor, have you.”
“That’s right.”
Akane nodded in response to Eve’s confirmation.
“We could ignore it. But, if possible, I’d like to use the active Sonar. We can’t see the situation, so honestly, we can’t respond to anything.”
“Hmm…”
Currently, Zetes was navigating an area 4 km from Point 4.
The water depth was several hundred meters, but not enough to be called Deep Sea.
And while they were grasping the underwater situation by analyzing the diverse Sound Waves resonating there, an abnormal sound source had appeared.
“Can’t we get any visuals?”
“The underwater conditions aren’t very good. There’s a lot of suspended matter. We’ve only secured about 10 meters of underwater visibility.”
To make matters worse, a lot of sand-like dust seemed to be flowing in from the land into the surrounding waters, making them quite murky.
As a result, the underwater cameras were almost useless.
“
“Yes, Ma’am. There’s a possibility it could affect the underwater ecosystem. However, the range is limited. We believe it’s better to use the active Sensor than to continue proceeding blind.”
“Onee-sama, Asahi agrees! The worst-case scenario is that we attract Threat Creatures and Zetes gets sunk, but conversely, that’s all it is! In the first place, it seems we’re already surrounded by suspicious objects, so we don’t have a choice!”
“…Alright. Akane, I authorize the use of the active Sensor. From now on, leave the judgment to Zetes.”
“Understood. From: Akane, Control Officer. To: Zetes. Transmitting authorization to deactivate stealth mode and use active Sensor and various equipment.”
This was an operation in waters 6,000 km away from
The
However, because the scale of the automated machinery it controlled was small and it was designed for covert operations, its performance was modest.
Furthermore, as it was anticipated that it might be lost on site, it didn’t possess the thinking capacity of a so-called autonomous AI.
Nevertheless, it was still an autonomous weapon proudly made by
“Zetes has activated its active Sonar.”
◇◇◇◇
With this, the information obtainable from beneath the surface increased dramatically.
And then, Zetes’s control AI detected that its own hull was surrounded by countless fish shoals.
The sheer number of fish shoals made the analysis equipment scream.
At this point, Zetes gave up on tracking all the individual shoals and switched to grasping them as a collective mass.
Due to this switch, there was a slight delay in capturing changes in the collective mass’s behavior.
By the time Zetes’s control AI grasped the situation, the collective mass was closing in right beside Zetes.
A destructive impact reverberated through Zetes’s hull.
◇◇◇◇
“Zetes has declared a Red Alert. Damage assessment in progress. Loss of some equipment reported.”
“…………”
Suppressing the urge to scream, Eve clenched her teeth tightly.
Something had happened on site, and
That was all she knew for now.
She couldn’t interfere with Akane and the others who were processing information in real-time.
“Request to analyze Sensor data received. Commencing reception of compressed data.”
“Zetes, flooding detected on the starboard side. Transitioning to combat status. Torpedoes launched from tubes 1 and 2. Commenced firing of close-in defense machine guns.”
While this was happening, the compressed data delivered via satellite was deployed to
“Analysis complete. Numerous large fish shoals confirmed. It appears they performed a Body Blow as a group.”
“…A Body Blow?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It was judged as hostile action, and combat authorization has been retroactively approved.”
“Monsters, or Threat Creatures… Either way, it looks like things have gotten serious…!”
Even during that conversation, the situation was changing rapidly.
The only information displayed was
Especially in a combat situation, everything could turn upside down in a single second.
The slightest time lag could be fatal, so it needed to be handled by the local Tactical AI.
“Zetes, continuing attack with Torpedoes, information feedback. Torpedoes show some effect, but remaining count is problematic. Attempting attack with anti-aircraft Railgun.”
“Zetes, flooded compartments are expanding. Damage control initiated. Proposing use of foam sealant.”
It seemed the Torpedoes used had succeeded in damaging the enemy.
However, as
The number of equipped Torpedoes was not that high. Zetes was a Reconnaissance Mothership, not a Battleship.
The Railgun had a very large ammunition count, but being for anti-aircraft purposes, it couldn’t secure a firing angle.
“Zetes, judgment: impossible (Negative) to handle alone. Selecting escape from the current sea area.”
“Escape route received.”
“I’ll give instructions from here. Let’s have it run aground near the planned landing site. At this rate, it will be sunk without being able to do anything.”