Chapter 64

There is a saying left by one of Earth’s great commanders.

Supplies are taken from the enemy!

…Was he not a great commander? Anyway.

Regardless, our objective is clear, so now it’s time to take action.

However, even when seizing a ship, discretion is essential for this kind of task.

Why? Because then we can keep operating without raising suspicion.

So, the top priority is to create equipment that can disable the Ustansharian communication system.

To do that, we need to gather a lot of their data and materials and give them to Banetta.

For this reason, our group—consisting of myself, Ryuje, Banetta, and Nisia, with Freya, who just finished her vacation—made a total of five people as we boarded a large transport ship heading to the forward base.

“Hmmph.”

Freya, who seems to be in a good mood, is murmuring nonsensically while tightly hugging me.

It felt like I had turned into some kind of doll, but since she seemed so content, I let her hold me.

…Of course, the soft touch on my head was secretly quite excellent.

“Um, President, isn’t it a bit much to have on-site training even on the weekend?”

A question directed at Ryuje.

Ryuje, who was quietly meditating with his arms crossed, slowly opened his eyes after hearing Freya’s words.

“Hmm, it’s because the children wish for it.”

Ryuje replied appropriately without outright denying Freya’s question.

Though the question had nothing to do with our objective, no one pointed it out because Ryuje had his reasons.

‘It might be better to tell Freya later.’

‘What, why?’

‘She will surely oppose it, so it’s better to act first and tell her afterward.’

‘Ah, got it.’

So, Freya was kept in the dark.

For that reason, Freya thought we were going to the forward base for on-site training.

“President, you’re still weak with kids, aren’t you?”

“Shut up. Why don’t you stop bothering Edu?”

Ryuje’s remark made Freya’s eyes widen.

“Edu, was I bothering you?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Hearing the response, Freya once again tightly hugged me, the warmth of her body transferred to mine.

“It’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Tsk.”

The conversation continued in this manner.

At that moment, the barrier dividing the cockpit and transport area slid open smoothly, and the co-pilot peeked out.

“Commander, President. We will soon arrive at the forward base. Please prepare to disembark and ensure nothing is left behind.”

“Um.”

After Ryuje replied on behalf of the group, the co-pilot nodded and returned to the cockpit.

Thinking we’re about to arrive, Freya’s voice suddenly reached us.

“Hey, kids, are you not curious about what the forward base looks like?”

Freya’s sudden suggestion.

Her words reminded me of the forward bases in AOE that were always destroyed.

The colossal remnants of destruction, a desolate ruin.

But simultaneously, curiosity arose about what an undamaged forward base might look like.

“I am curious.”

Giving that answer, I looked over at Nisia, who also nodded and added her agreement.

“Me, me too.”

“Is that so? Hang on a second.”

After hearing our replies, Freya seated me next to her and headed toward the cockpit.

The sound of cheerful chatter drifted over.

Freya returned.

“Alright, let’s take a look?”

“Eek—”

Smiling, Freya picked me up princess-style with both hands.

“Ahhh—”

Even though the position made me feel a bit embarrassed, such thoughts were fleeting.

Momentarily, as the expansive view of the forward base appeared in front of the cockpit, I was truly overwhelmed.

“Wow—”

The forward base—of the future.

It was a colossal shrine of steel.

Its walls, sloping slightly when compared to Fangju’s barriers, were much larger and taller.

Its scale was so immense that for a moment, I wondered if it wasn’t built by humans but by gods, evoking a sense of reverence.

“Wha—Wowww…”

Nisia seemed to feel the same emotions, her wide eyes transfixed on the scenery before her.

“Hehe, isn’t it amazing?”

“Yes.”

“Yep, yep! It’s truly incredible!”

With pure emotion, Nisia revealed her excitement as Freya smiled faintly while looking at her.

“As it’s something that took an incredibly long time to build, it’s basically invincible against any ordinary threats.”

“Looks that way, doesn’t it?”

As I replied and swept my gaze over the outer wall, I saw countless large and small bunkers nestled tightly together like a beehive.

The formidable defenses.

However, considering the number and scale of the enemies on the ground, it wasn’t excessive in the slightest.

As I thought about that, the transport ship passed over the outer wall and entered the interior of the forward base.

The scenery transformed once more.

Behind the colossal barrier stretched a dense city filled with towering buildings.

Beyond the concrete jungle, the towering Obelisk at the center of the forward base came into view.

Unlike the shattered Obelisk in AOE, this magnificent building stood intact in its original form.

Seeing it made me realize that the claim in the setting book about the Obelisk being a landmark wasn’t exaggerated at all.

“Wow—”

Nisia’s eyes widened again.

“Welcome to the forward base, ladies.”

The pilot must have liked our reactions, as he turned his head slightly and threw a light joke our way.

Freya pointed with her hand toward the Obelisk.

“That’s where your sister works, isn’t it? It’s huge, right?”

“Yes!”

“It’s, really tall!”

“Hmm.”

Nisia’s eyes darted around busily.

The view, somewhat resembling but distinct from Fangju, felt refreshingly new.

“Take a good look. This landscape was achieved through the efforts of many people.”

Freya said that while gently patting my head and Nisia’s.

Was it because of what lay ahead? A faint trace of melancholy could be heard in her voice.

“Alright, let’s head back then?”

“Yes.”

“Y-Yes!”

Returning to our seats, Freya clasped me once more. Nisia also returned to her own seat.

The transport ship tilted slightly.

A gentle jolt ran through the body as the transport ship landed at the dock.

The cockpit barrier opened again.

“We have arrived; the hatch will open soon, so you may disembark at any time.”

“Thanks for the hard work. Let’s go down then?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Everyone disembarked from the transport ship.

“Oooh—”

Another exclamation of awe naturally escaped our lips.

The grand view was impressive even after disembarking.

However, the towering walls of the forward base looked even more majestic when viewed from below.

As I momentarily glanced around and transitioned from Freya’s arms to Nisia’s back, she let me go with a hint of reluctance.

Her clinging to the president and affection for children was quite evident.

“So, we need to part ways here.”

Freya looked around at us as she pointed at her back.

There was a woman in uniform who looked like an adjutant and a military vehicle waiting there.

“Hmm, good work.”

“Yes, please let me know if you need any help.”

“Good.”

A brief hug before they walked away.

Freya waved goodbye and eventually got in the vehicle with the adjutant-like woman who bowed once in our direction before departing in the car.

“Hmm, it seems everything went smoothly.”

“Yes, then let’s first settle down and take out Banetta’s things?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Ryuje approached the soldiers guarding the landing zone.

Recognizing her, a soldier saluted and after exchanging a few words with Ryuje, she returned.

“That clearing over there would be good. But Banetta?”

“Yes, president?”

“Although I’ve already informed the soldiers, what are your plans?”

Banetta paused briefly in thought upon hearing Ryuje’s question.

“Hmm… Since it wouldn’t really help for me to go that far, I’ll just wait here.”

“Yes, do that.”

We all moved together to the clearing Ryuje pointed out and released the collection.

“Disengage Collection.”

– Disengaging the Collection function. Two collected items. Please select the equipment to disengage.

“Can you place the MC-45 armored car in front of here?”

– Acknowledged. I will release the MC-45 armored car from Collection and place it at the selected location.

A sloped armor box-shaped tracked armored vehicle smoothly appeared before our eyes.

Banetta smiled watching it.

“Great, thanks, Edu.”

“Not at all.”

The currently-decommissioned old military armored car had a reason to be brought here.

Krik—

When the much larger hatch than the original opened, the completely modified interior came into view.

All unnecessary internal equipment had been removed, replaced with tools and facilities prepared for research and experiments.

It was no longer an armored car but practically a mobile research facility.

Though there were limits on things that could be transferred through Collection, Banetta remembered that Saver had been successfully transferred.

‘Right, since Saver was transferred, wouldn’t it work to pack lots of necessary equipment and tools into an appropriate vehicle and modify it for research?’

That idea led to the creation of this research armored vehicle.

“Great, everything’s in order. The rest I can handle, so please be careful on your trip.”

“Yes, alright. Then Edu, Nisia, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

After replying like that, I looked at Nisia, whose expression was slightly tense as she nodded.

“Let’s get a vehicle first, wait here.”

“Yes.”

Like that, we obtained a military vehicle, drove out of the forward base, and released the collection again.

“Disengage Collection, nearest empty area!”

– Disengaging the Collection function. Releasing the MBT-4S Saver Tank from Collection to the nearest empty area.

As Saver appeared in a flash of white light and we all climbed aboard, he offered a greeting.

[ Long time no see, Edu.]

“It’s been a while, Saver. Can you take us to this area?”

After designating the location on the hologram, Saver paused briefly in silence.

[Edu, the area you’ve chosen is currently a dangerous zone occupied by aliens. Are you sure about this?]

“Yes, I’m aware.”

[Understood, I will proceed with the movement.]

…

The slight vibrations and noise stopped.

[We’ve arrived.]

“Thanks for the ride, Saver. Nisia, President?”

“Hmm.”

“Yup.”

We exited the tank after opening the hatch.

“Is it over there?”

“Yes.”

With Ryuje taking the lead and Nisia carrying me, we followed closely behind Ryuje.

On the small hill nearby, a modern cityscape unfolded before our eyes, not much different from Earth.

Skyscrapers rising in the central hub, long roads stretching outwards.

Unlike the futuristic buildings of Fangju or the forward base, these buildings radiated a classical charm, evoking nostalgia for Earth.

From this perspective, it was an entirely average modern city.

However, hovering above the city’s sky was something you wouldn’t see on Earth—a long, golden floating object.

Its slender, skeletal body resembling a ribcage, with a contrasting, large protruding rear engine.

In contrast, the ship’s front part was smoothly covered in adhesive, shiny gold armor plating.

If forced to compare, its shape might resemble a somewhat bluntly cut pickaxe.

Despite it not appearing overly strange in AOE, the alien ship before my very eyes gave a much more peculiar impression than expected.

“…There’s the ship. Edu, do you know what that is?”

“Yes, that ship is the Entegho-class Assault Frigate, a forward scout of the third fleet.”

The Ustansharan fleets each operate different ship classes.

While it isn’t practical in reality and borders on lunacy to maintain such a system, AOE has its roots as a game, and whether the alien’s supply lines collapse or not isn’t something I need to worry about.

“Is that so? Then we’ve come to the right place?”

“Yes.”

I smiled and responded to Ryuje.

“Then let’s go?”