Chapter 90: Securing the Base
“The target airspace has been secured. No hostile forces detected in the vicinity.”
“Area cleared. The cargo aircraft is advancing.”
“Advancing the surveillance area. Large power supply drones are moving forward.”
With reconnaissance aircraft leading the way, the safety of the target zone was confirmed. The cargo aircraft in the rear flew through the secure airspace. Simultaneously, a power supply drone, hovering approximately 400 kilometers behind and 20 kilometers above, was moved forward to extend the microwave power supply range.
The large power supply drone primarily served as a relay for high-voltage microwave transmission, with limited functionality for supplying power to individual devices. Rather, its purpose was to provide energy to the microwave power supply units deployed at the front lines. Currently, it was being used to supply power to eight reconnaissance aircraft from a distance.
“The cargo aircraft will arrive at the designated drop zone in 13 minutes. Reconnaissance aircraft D, E, and F will commence low-altitude reconnaissance.”
“Utsugi, I acknowledge control of the reconnaissance aircraft. Initiating reconnaissance flight.”
“Akane is transferring control of the drop troops to Erika.”
“Erika, I acknowledge control of the troops. Initiating rapid descent sequence.”
In this operation, codenamed Give Me Oil, nearly all operational progress was being executed by the five sisters: Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, and Olive. RINGO served as an observer, while Commander Eve was merely spectating.
“I really dislike this role of just watching…”
“Yes, Ma’am. Unfortunately, changes are not possible.”
“Why not!?”
Akane was currently in control of the aircraft units, scanning the airspace with the leading reconnaissance aircraft to ensure safety before advancing the cargo aircraft and escort fighters. At the same time, she was operating the microwave power supply drone, moving its range accordingly.
Ichigo was overseeing the overall coordination, issuing instructions and making minor adjustments for the other four.
Utsugi and Erika were set to directly operate the invasion troops and were currently on standby. Once they arrived at the planned landing site, they would execute the airborne drop.
Olive was responsible for piloting the construction ship and escort vessels, as well as adjusting the production facilities of the Second Fortress and The Tree, manufacturing equipment for the invasion.
RINGO monitored the decisions and actions of the five sisters, providing advice as necessary if any issues arose. However, unless it became a critical problem, RINGO generally refrained from intervening, opting instead to observe.
With nothing in particular to do, Commander Eve watched the sisters intently. It was no wonder RINGO displayed the role of an observer. To prevent distractions for the sisters, RINGO had taken measures to isolate them, leaving Eve with no choice but to simply watch.
“The cargo aircraft has reached the designated airspace.”
“Commencing airborne drop.”
The rear hatch of the cargo aircraft swung open wide. From within, multi-legged tanks were ejected one after another. Released from the aircraft via electromagnetic rails, they immediately ignited their rocket motors, accelerating downward as they flew toward their target.
“Deployment of suppression multi-legged tanks is complete. Cargo aircraft group A will now disengage.”
“Cargo aircraft group B is circling and waiting in the rear.”
“Low-altitude reconnaissance has completed scanning the target area. No threats detected.”
“Roger. The airborne troops will land as scheduled.”
The airborne troops accelerated with their rocket motors, crashing into the designated area. Switching to reverse thrust, they landed one after another on the ground. Shedding the now useless rocket motors, they immediately began to sprint.
“All units have landed. Commencing suppression operations.”
“Data link established. Beginning collection of surrounding information.”
“Data analysis initiated. No hostile entities detected in the vicinity.”
“Completion of securing the designated range confirmed.”
“Confirmation of completion received. Cargo aircraft group B will begin deploying heavy machinery.”
“Cargo aircraft group C will arrive in three minutes. Material drop will commence upon arrival.”
The tactical map was rapidly updating with information. Environmental data sent from the multi-legged tanks and accompanying reconnaissance units was being analyzed and displayed in real-time by the local strategic AI. Gray areas marked as unscanned were quickly updated to yellow, indicating they had been explored, while the information collection piles turned green, signifying they had been searched. Ultimately, areas deemed free of issues by The Core of The Tree were changed to blue, indicating they were secure.
“Things are progressing smoothly.”
“Yes, Ma’am. This is an undeveloped area with no hostile forces present. Aerial reconnaissance has confirmed that no threatening biological entities are present. It should be completed without any issues.”
“When will the construction ship arrive?”
“Approximately 29 hours from now. By then, the construction of the watchtower should be completed as planned. Since this will be a long operation, we will switch to rotating shifts in a few hours.”
“Rotating shifts…”
“Yes, Ma’am. The operational time for the Brain Unit is limited to a maximum of about 50 hours. This operation is expected to continue for several months, so unless there are significant issues, we plan to incorporate the rotation routine early on.”
“I see. Well, that makes sense. Those girls are practically living beings, unlike RINGO, so it can’t be helped.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Strictly speaking, The Core’s Brain Unit also has a routine where a portion is always in sleep mode, so it does get some rest.”
“Now that you mention it, I do recall reading about that setting…”
The Brain Unit of the supercomputer operates continuously by keeping about a quarter of its total units in a constant state of sleep. Therefore, its effective capacity is described as being about three-quarters of the total number of units. However, given the sheer number of units, this is more of a negligible margin.
“Please don’t push yourself, Commander. As always, I recommend you get some sleep.”
“Alright, alright. If there’s a problem, you’ll wake me up, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Also, since we will be switching to rotating shifts, the sisters’ sleep schedules will become irregular. Please don’t worry about that; just continue as you usually do, Ma’am.”
Until now, they had always slept together, but now those five sisters would be sleeping alone, which made her feel somewhat sentimental. She couldn’t help but worry if they would be able to sleep properly.
It was a completely parental perspective.
“In the worst-case scenario, we can use the forced sleep function, so please don’t worry.”
“Oh, I see…”
She felt as though her thoughts had been read completely. After awkwardly scratching her cheek, she straightened herself in her chair.
“Alright then. Let’s keep an eye on the operation for a little longer…”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The chosen landing site was located at the left end of a massive estuary, stretching 500 kilometers east to west. This great river was utilized for trade by the Forest Country, Lebresta, but due to the low frequency of traffic and the numerous islands that complicated the water flow, it was a place completely hidden from the main waterways. The shallow water depth meant that once the construction ship arrived, underwater excavation would commence. Conversely, this isolation meant that there was little chance of foreign vessels accidentally wandering into the area.
Since it was on the side of Port Town Terek, there was a slight possibility of trade continuing, but currently, it had completely ceased, and the town itself was under the control of The Tree, so there was no need for concern.
“Beginning analysis of underground data.”
“Acoustic data loading complete. Real-time link with each information collection pile established successfully.”
“Stratum information analysis complete. Expanding the exploration range and commencing the search for construction sites.”
Using data collected from various locations, they conducted sonic exploration for potential construction sites. According to RINGO’s calculations, they could gather underground stratum information up to several dozen meters deep with over 90% accuracy. The structure being constructed this time would be a moderately tall tower combining surveillance and microwave relay functions. The basic structure would be made of steel, avoiding cellulose that degrades under ultraviolet light. Given the extreme conditions of the desert, it was essential to create a structure that required minimal maintenance.
“Target site selection is complete. A location with exposed solid bedrock has been confirmed, so we will construct the watchtower here.”
“The analysis AI has determined the probability to be Class A. No issues detected.”
“Roger. Initiating construction sequence.”
Once the construction site was determined, the multi-legged machinery began its operations. They excavated the bedrock, drove in foundation piles, and secured the base. Welding the steel framework, they rapidly assembled the tower.
“Small multi-legged machines are quite useful for assembling such structures.”
“Indeed. Hmm, it looks like little spiders are swarming together to build the tower…”
The sight of the small multi-legged machines clustering together to construct was, to put it mildly, a nightmarish scene.