Counter-snipe
The Argoforce Sniper Unit. It was composed of eight Silhouettes in total.
The members split up into pairs, chose appropriate sniping locations, and took on the role of picking off enemy machines and delaying their advance.
The snipers active in the Nemesis warfront usually operated as mercenaries piloting sniper-type Silhouettes, as exemplified by Blue.
Of course, there was no point in scoring headshots on Silhouettes, as that would simply take out their sensors. And even a large-caliber railgun cannot penetrate an MBT’s armor. Thus, sniping was an inherently flawed tactic when used on the Nemesis warfront.
A typical sniper’s range was no more than ten kilometers on flat terrain. On Earth, something scaled to the size of a typical Silhouette would have a range of about 10 kilometers, but Planet Asia was a Super-Earth. Since the planet’s radius or ‘R’ was different from that of Earth’s, a transferee sniper would first have to adapt to that difference.
This also goes for a sniper’s standard tactics. Finding the highest possible sniping point, lying in wait, and unilaterally picking off high-value targets. When sniping Silhouettes with a multitude of defensive means, it can be said that these tactics posed a high chance of attracting the attention of a good number of the enemy forces, and would result in an equally high amount of risk.
Even so, taking out the enemy force’s commander was still a pretty effective tactic, and a way to one-sidedly neutralize an enemy force in one fell swoop was of great value. Moreover, the role of infantry was already fully taken over by Silhouettes. Hence, obstructing their coordination had quite an effect in battles.
The MCS of unmanned weapons can get hacked, and an electromagnetic barrier and anti-air equipment were able to adequately deal with guided munitions. Comparatively, wire-guided missiles were a lot more reliable and effective.
One can even say that the Argoforce Sniper Unit which possesses the ability to pierce through dimensional projection armor, electromagnetic armor, and electromagnetic barriers was virtually unrivaled in the battlefields of the Nemesis system.
However–
「Dammit, just how did things end up like this!?」
The Argoforce Sniper Unit captain, Ireneo, muttered in consternation with gritted teeth.
「Only five of us managed to survive.」
「Just what the heck was with that damn trap!?」
The morale of the other members has declined.
But given the casualties their team suffered, it would be stranger for them to maintain high morale even in such a situation.
「It’s probably the handiwork of Metal Iris’ Fuyuki. He’s a genuinely skilled trap master with monikers like Mine Shop and Silent Bomber.」
There were originally eight sniper-type Silhouettes in their unit. Only three among them were successfully brought down by the laid-out traps.
The northern forest area was the most topographically defensible area around Fortress Area P336 after all.
They were quite successful in destroying numerous defense mechanisms and patrol planes in one go, causing the defending forces to beat a retreat. But as they approached the Fortress Area, the traps that awaited them became increasingly more brutal, especially in the spots that were suitable as sniping positions.
「There aren’t that many mercenary units that have skilled combat engineers among their ranks in the Argoforce. That’s why going up against a particularly skilled one is so troublesome.」
「Are combat engineers really that amazing?」
「Of course. Between a force with competent combat engineers and one without, the latter will usually be on the losing end. The combat engineers here fully take advantage of a Silhouette’s size while performing their jobs after all.」
Ireneo sighed. The strength of the enemy they were currently facing was undeniable.
「I-I quit. I wanna get outta here already.」
「If you carelessly make a move, you’ll most likely die you know?」
Ireneo spat out. It was their business if they wanna court death, but a further drop in their combat strength given their current situation was a problem he couldn’t afford.
「As long as we tough it out and defend this position, more than enough reinforcements will come eventually. We just need to wait patiently for now. We’ve already racked up quite a bit of achievement. So, don’t you dare quit on me now!」
The machines they were piloting were called Khameleons; sniper-type Silhouettes with excellent stealth capabilities. The large double-barreled weapon and backpack combo their machines sported were helical railguns.
“Khameleon” was “Chameleon” in the Russian language. It was a sniper-type machine that camouflages itself to blend with the environment and delivers single decisive blows to fell its foes.
Its most notable feature was its huge dual-eye sensors. They truly resembled the large eyes of a chameleon and looked quite eerie and intimidating. To perform sniping skillfully, the pilot doesn’t only rely on their machine’s sensors, but their visual observation skills as well.
The unfolded large-caliber helical railgun had a length of 16 meters, which was more than twice the size of a standard Silhouette.
It can be used in both kneeling and prone shooting positions.
Their current mission was supposed to last only a day, and since several hours have already passed, they would only have to hold off the enemy forces for a couple more hours or so before reinforcements arrive.
Thanks to the enemy’s defense net, it would take some time for a large number of allied troops to deploy into the forest area. However, once that was achieved, they would be able to hold an absolute advantage and turn things around in one fell swoop.
「Captain! Something’s being broadcasted over the open channel…… It’s… a radio program?」
「Radio program? Fairy Blue huh?」
Ireneo clicked his tongue after hearing his subordinate’s report.
「Hmph. It’s that Nereid woman right? I’d like to capture her alive, if I can.」
「There you go with your bad habit again, captain.」
This time around, it was his subordinate’s turn to let out collective sighs. Their captain Ireneo had a bad habit of loving to capture and torture Nereids, so he had no choice but to become a fugitive and offered his services to the Stones.
His subordinates were helpless regarding their captain’s twisted and perverse hobby and could only keep sighing. They thought that Ireneo truly was too carefree if he could afford to still listen calmly to the radio regardless of the sticky situation they currently found themselves in.
However, they really couldn’t do anything yet except for listening to the program. And so, all the remaining members of the Argoforce Sniper Unit who had slipped into Fortress Area P336’s trap zone found themselves listening to Blue’s radio broadcast to relieve their frustration.
「Good day, dear listeners! It’s time for Duskbusters. Special greetings to all the naughty sniper guys who are out and about nearby. BGM, start!」
The Argoforce snipers were taken by surprise by the sudden turn of events.
「There’s no point in reverse-tracking you know? After all, I’m broadcasting to you using Asia’s quantum network system. So, too bad, boys.」
Blue cheekily uttered an insincere apology.
「I’m still unaware of your exact position. That’s why I have no choice but to smoke you guys out. You guys have fallen for Mine Shop Fuyuki’s traps after all. So I do have a general idea of which spot to target.」
A huge transport aircraft that took off from Fortress Area P336 loomed above the forest.
It wasn’t just your run-off-the-mill transport aircraft though. It was the AC-13E Song Solo; an aircraft that simultaneously served as a transport craft, modified gunship, and tactical broadcasting vehicle.
It quickly fired a large number of howitzers and rockets at the estimated position of the enemies within the trap zone created by Fuyuki and his men.
Counter-snipe tactics against snipers can be broadly divided into two methodologies. One was was to fire a barrage at the estimated position of the snipers in order to flush them out in the open.
「It’s an orthodox counter-sniper tactic, but…… you can’t deny it’s pretty tough to deal with.」
Even with high-dimensional projection armor, taking too many direct hits wasn’t advisable. The threat of eventually being neutralized, if not completely destroyed, was quite high.
Moreover, the armor of their sniper-type Silhouettes wasn’t particularly thick.
「C-Captain! At this rate–!」
「You won’t get brought down by mere rocket fire! Stay put, dammit! The enemy’s objective is to flush us out!」
Ireneo admonished his frightened subordinates. High-explosive projectiles and explosions held little effect against high-dimensional projection armor. Of course, if one continues to take direct hits, there was a danger of the machine breaking down, but the life of the pilot would most likely not be at risk.
The flames, explosions, and crushed trees only served to corner them psychologically.
「It’s no good. I can’t take any more damage!」
「L-Let’s get outta here. We can probably bring it down if the two of us work together to snipe it at the same time! We’re roughly 50 kilometers apart after all. Let’s counterattack!」
Direct hits from the rockets caused lacerations on their armor. Flames were erupting all around them, and it didn’t look like they’d come out unscathed.
「Stop! That’s what she–! ……」
Ireneo’s warning came too late.
One panicked subordinate of his deployed his machine’s helical railgun and performed a snipe. His subordinate’s wingman followed suit.
The Song Solo took evasive action, but it was too late. After all, the technology used in the helical railgun can also be applied to mass drivers that were capable of launching objects straight into outer space. Hence, there was no way for a transport aircraft with relatively poor turning capability to avoid a shot from such a weapon.
「And for the next number……!」
The Song Solo’s MCS was immediately ejected, and a chicken flew out of it.
「I’ll directly pierce your hearts!」
This was the other counter-snipe methodology. The one Blue actually chose to employ.
Only a sniper can deal with another sniper.
At the moment the Song Solo took a direct hit, a Silhouette instantly deployed from within it. It was the Canary. Blue’s partner machine.
She already had her target in sight. She confirmed the target with her machine’s telephoto lens. The magnified image displayed an enemy sniper-type machine sporting a super-sized sniper rifle. It was hidden via optical camouflage, but the Canary’s sensors accurately captured its outline.
The Canary immediately fired its anti-fortress rifle. At a distance of 50 kilometers, it would take less than a minute for the shot to land. The enemy sniper-type would never be able to avoid in time.
The Canary quickly fired a second shot.
「I-I can’t avoid it……」
The huge helical railgun became a detriment. The Khameleons couldn’t get up from their sniping positions in time to evade.
The two machines exploded to bits in a single hit each. The sniper rifle that made use of electron-excited warhead-tipped munitions once again proved its destructive might.
「You idiots! We’re up against that famed sniper, Fairy Blue.」
His foolish subordinates gave Ireneo a headache.
Sniping requires proper preparation and resolution.
「Tsk. Can’t be helped!」
Ireneo’s machine stood up and sniped the Canary. The instant when his machine was about to fire a shot, it immediately moved by using its rollers to dash.
He managed to predict where the Canary was going to dodge and grazed its left arm.
The Canary’s left arm was blown away from the base, causing it to lose its balance and crash.
「Did I score a direct hit? No, I just grazed her.」
Blue didn’t rest on her laurels either. Before she was hit, she still managed to fire a counterattack.
The moment Ireneo’s Khameleon moved away, a powerful explosion went off at his former position. As expected, the anti-fortress rifle’s destructive power was tremendous.
「She managed to fire a shot at that instant? Tsk. Damn monster.」
Ireneo, who managed to avoid a direct hit, remained coolheaded and calm.
It wasn’t clear if he really managed to take Blue’s machine down after all.
「Pierce our hearts huh? You’re clearly aiming for our lives, dammit!」
「Fairy Blue can counterattack from that distance!?」
The fear felt by Ireneo’s two remaining subordinates intensified even more.
「Don’t you dare move from your positions, you two. I’m gonna deal with that wench myself. Small fries like you will just get in the way.」
Ireneo’s machine began to move forward.
He was planning to hunt down a fairy.
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