Episode 83: Paraiso Army
“Commencement of deployment of local infiltration humanoid machines (Communicators).”
The control and operation of the locally-produced humanoid machines (Communicators), based on local Flathalla citizen’s genes and mass-produced for the governance of Flathalla City, had stabilized. As a result, the first lot of 22 units was to be deployed to Flathalla City.
The transport would double as a test of the newly developed assault drop pods, which would be dropped from an altitude of 10km into the wilderness near the city.
“Assault drop pods, commencing deployment.”
The assault drop pods leaped one after another from the rear hatch of the SR-1 (Albatross).
After being dropped, the pods stabilized their attitude through aerodynamic control, then ignited their upper thrusters to accelerate.
“All pods, control signals normal. Assault posture stable.”
At approximately 100m above the target, the lower thrusters ignited, performing forced deceleration via retro-thrust. The assault drop pods were not useful on their own.
However, the exterior was robustly armored with a ceramic-metal multi-layered material, and the internal space could carry a generous supply of goods.
After a certain amount of deceleration, the pods embedded their lower landing units directly into the ground. Shock-absorbing gas, receiving the impact and inertial force at a single point, liquefied due to the pressure, and the high-temperature gas was released from the unit through a control valve.
The re-gasified gas spread around as smoke, momentarily obscuring the view.
Landing gears deployed from the pod that had pierced the ground, and piles fixed the pod in place. Simultaneously, the pod’s armor shifted, and the filled shock-absorbing liquid flowed out.
Pushing aside the raised front armor, a humanoid machine (Communicator) clad in a reinforced exoskeleton appeared.
“Internal shock remained within the expected range. All 22 units were successfully dropped and landed. The pod’s fixation status is also without issue. Test results are favorable.”
“So, rapid unit deployment has become possible. Hmm, soldiers charging in at that speed is quite the nightmare…”
She gave a wry smile as she watched the footage.
At least, within the Afracia United Kingdom, they would undoubtedly be unmatched.
This time, it was a small deployment of only 22 units as a pre-production model, but the mass-produced units with the same functionality currently in production were ultimately planned to be operated in 15 units of 24 units each.
In other words, 360 humanoid machines (Communicators) clad in reinforced exoskeletons could be deployed instantly and over a wide area.
A city the size of Flathalla could be suppressed in about an hour.
“We can also deploy the endless-track tanks for urban warfare together. We can now manufacture rocket motors for acceleration and deceleration during descent, so we are currently increasing production. Existing multi-legged tanks can also be equipped with them, so the initial goal of enhancing the airborne unit has been tentatively achieved.”
“The rocket motors can now be manufactured directly at the Second Fortress as well. Can we consider the production facilities to be fully equipped?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The assumed primary production line is operating normally. After this, we will gradually expand the production lines and increase the local production ratio. We expect to secure sufficient manufacturing capacity in about three months.”
“We’ve finally made it this far,” she sighed deeply and sank into her chair.
Approximately two years had passed since she was thrown into this world. Resources were still tight, but she had managed to create a stably manufacturable base.
“…Now, if only we could find an oil field, that would be the best…”
If they could secure oil, the quality of various products would definitely improve.
But things don’t always go so well.
From oil, they could produce not only various fuels, but also materials such as resin products, nylon, and plastics. If they could secure a plentiful supply of these, their production capacity would increase dramatically.
“Yes, Ma’am. I propose a method of creating a surrounding map by operating a supersonic high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft on a limited basis. The probability of an object flying at Mach 3 or higher being sniped is thought to be low, but because there are many unknown factors, the risk of being shot down remains.”
“I see. This is the one we’re researching now. A ramjet engine reconnaissance aircraft. Engine design complete, airframe structure design complete. Research on heat-resistant materials is underway. Heat-resistant materials?”
“Yes, Ma’am. In high-speed regions, the aircraft becomes hot due to adiabatic compression. If appropriate heat countermeasures are not taken with suitable materials and their placement, at best it will disintegrate in the air, and at worst it will explode and scatter. Also, naturally, air resistance is high, so unless the aircraft has an appropriate shape, there is a risk that each part will rupture due to pressure differences.”
Fortunately, the aircraft operated by ＜The Tree＞ did not require visibility. As long as the camera lens was exposed, the pressure difference due to material differences and mechanical calculations could be kept to a minimum.
Also, by using a large general-purpose machine tool (printer), most of the aircraft could be integrally molded. Since internal equipment, including wiring, could be controlled at the molecular level, it was possible to achieve almost exactly the calculated dynamic characteristics.
Combined with the calculation ability of ＜The Core＞, they could manufacture an ultra-high-performance aircraft with absolutely no waste.
“Hmm, as expected. However, although mass production, or rather, copying is possible, it takes time to manufacture with a general-purpose machine tool (printer). It’s practically a one-off machine.”
“Yes, Ma’am. If maintenance hatches etc. are provided, they will become structural weaknesses, so if it breaks down, it will be sent directly to dismantling (recycling). It will not withstand long-term use. In order to make it a mass-produced model, it is necessary to redesign it, including maintainability, manufacturing difficulty, and the manufacturing line.”
“…Ah. That’s right. Movable parts wear out, and electronic devices deteriorate.”
“We will provide some redundancy, but with this aircraft, its lifespan will be at most about 10 flights. Normally, we would not operate such an aircraft, but it is only because we have an abundance of energy and time due to a shortage of resources.”
In fact, ＜Ringo＞ strictly controlled the resource acquisition speed and production capacity, calculating to use resources without any waste.
If a production line cannot be operated due to a shortage of resources, it will not be built from the beginning. Since the energy furnace cannot be easily expanded, a large-capacity one was prepared from the beginning, and electricity etc. is basically surplus.
“We will operate three of these aircraft to update the surrounding resource map all at once. If we’re going to do it, we’ll do it with a blitz. If we take too much time, there is a possibility that some countermeasures will be taken, and we can make excuses for a short period of time.”
“That’s right. I’ll leave that operation to you. I hope we can find an iron ore deposit or an oil field with this…”
“If we can’t find it from the sky, we’ll have to start boring at random.”
“That’s daunting…”
Fortunately, resources other than oil were somehow starting to be supplied. If they couldn’t find an oil field, they would have to shift gears to space development.
They would use artificial satellites to collect terrain data and search for places where oil might be buried.
However, if that happened, the overall resource balance would change, and all projects would begin to be delayed.
“I wonder if there’s a place where oil is gushing out naturally…”
While spouting such wishes, she sank into her chair.
Meanwhile, the dropped humanoid machines (Communicators) came under the control of the local strategic AI, joined up with the pre-dropped multi-legged tanks, and began moving towards Flathalla City.
Here, personnel would be rotated, and ＜Ringo＞’s favorite Commander (Eve) gene-based humanoid machine (Communicator) would be recovered.
Since it was based on the genes of a local person, its face should be more familiar.
However, the fact that it still looked like a girl, and that its features were closer to a familiar race, meant that it was more likely to be underestimated.
“Shouldn’t we avoid unnecessary trouble?”
“Yes, Ma’am. If we crush them with force, unnecessary trouble will eventually disappear.”
What a muscle-brained answer. No, it wasn’t that ＜Ringo＞ replied without thinking.
“This is one trial of a method of dialogue (communication) with local people. The situation of being underestimated itself becomes a valuable information gathering opportunity. We will also divide the subsequent responses into several patterns and accumulate basic data.”
“…Hmm.”
Commander (Eve) tilted her head. What she was saying wasn’t wrong, but it felt like something was missing.
“If you’re talking about patterns, shouldn’t you divide them into various ages, genders, and builds?”
“We will not do that.”
“…Oh, is that so.”
Well, in the end, this was also ＜Ringo＞’s selfishness.