Dual Track Type Railway Gun
Yuuma entered the railyard within Fortress Area P336 after being called upon by Fuyuki and Voy.
「Sorry for calling you out here, but we have something we wanna ask of you. I’m afraid it’s gonna add to your workload.」
A huge vehicle sat inside the railyard.
It was an armored train.
The huge gun barrel equipped on it was folded in half. How long would the barrel be if it was fully deployed?
「T-This is–?」
「It’s the base defense armored train『May Queen』, and the giant cannon on top is a foldable railgun. We actually anticipated that the tracks wouldn’t be laid in time, but……」
「You guys worked hard to extend those tracks up to the final point we indicated. Now, we can take this girl to a suitable sniping point against the Ate.」
Fuyuki revealed their plan. Originally, they intended to manually transport the May Queen to a designated point and simply use it as a defensive battery.
However, thanks to Yuuma and his colleagues taking shifts in order to extend the track until the final designated point, it was now possible for it to snipe the Ate before it manages to arrive near the Fortress Area.
「There were Silhouettes and automatic track layers available to us after all. That was the easiest track laying work we’ve ever done.」
Yuuma acted humble, but he did make sure that they meticulously checked the tracks as they worked on them.
Hence, the tracks were strong and stable enough to support even a large railway gun.
「This…… Its width alone is 10 meters. So, this is why you made us lay two parallel tracks at the same time.」
One railway track would have been enough for transporting supplies. However, Yuuma and the others were instructed to use two automatic track layers in order to construct two parallel tracks. The reason for that was definitely for deploying the May Queen.
The armored railway gun had a width that needed two parallel tracks to support it.
「The energy needed to operate this girl will be supplied from the railway tracks. The Whis and electricity would be generated by the A-Carbuncle.」
Voy explained.
「You like trains, right?」
「Yes.」
「Okay, then I’ll leave this girl to you. Go ahead and shoot the Ate down with it.」
「Eeeh?!」
Yuuma couldn’t believe he’d been told something so absurd. He was also a mercenary, of course. So, he was already used to fighting.
However, being suddenly told to defeat the Ate still troubled him.
「You know how the MCS is. They’re pretty sensitive to a pilot’s preferences and emotions. There’s gonna be a difference in performance between pilots who like their machines and the ones who don’t.」
The MCS amplifies a pilot’s awareness. Theoretically, it’s only natural that there will be a difference in performance between those who like the weapons they are installed in and those who don’t.
Although it’s nothing too drastic, if the pilot’s skills are the same, there will still be a slight difference in performance.
Yuuma thought that there were still other train lovers like him who were also experienced mercenaries.
However, he realized that he was the only one like that in this place. And that was the reason he was chosen.
「I’ll do it.」
Yuuma made up his mind. There was no reason for him to refuse to fight together with his beloved train.
「Great. The MCS will instruct you about the controls.」
「The combat engineer unit will support you. You need at least four Silhouettes to carry each round. The second shot and beyond would take some hard work.」
Yuuma boarded the armored train.
Even though this was the first time he boarded the machine, it all felt very familiar to him.
The armored train May Queen equipped with the long-barreled railgun Russian Blue advanced at a speed of 200 km/h.
Behind the main car were rail cars containing Battle Peckers, which were combat-capable worker Silhouettes, specialized cars equipped with high-output anti-air laser cannons, a spare shell storage car, a communication- specialized car, a freight car that stored spare rails in case the railway does get damaged, and so on. The entire armored train was over 100 meters long.
It was an armored train that was both huge and long and needed a double-track railway to house its massive girth. Its appearance was quite imposing.
Blue’s radio program was playing inside the MCS installed on the main car. The songs that were requested by the listeners were played in succession.
The most eye-catching car was definitely the lead car. It was a railway gun sporting a long-barreled cannon.
Its total caliber was 1,500 mm. The railgun fires a giant round made out of tungsten alloy. Its size was comparable to that of a large anti-ship ballistic missile.
It was playfully named the Double Rail. That’s because it was a railgun mounted on (train) rails. Admittedly, the name can’t really be considered creative.
The cannon barrel was 50 meters long. The armored railway car that it was mounted on was 45 meters. Its shells alone weighed over 30 tons. Getting hit by one was like getting hit by a tank at ultra-high speed.
In the past, the train guns on Earth required dedicated double-track lines for transport and about 5,000 people to operate them. However, loading and firing the ultra-long-range railgun of the May Queen only required about ten Silhouettes.
It was also equipped with a giant shield to protect the railgun’s long barrel.
Of particular note was the Whis and electricity supplied to the armored train through the rails by an A-Carbuncle. Hence, its armor was actually tougher than a Fortress Area’s shelter, and its actual power output was several magnitudes higher than a Silhouette’s. The huge amount of electricity it can store is thanks to its high-performance condenser.
This amount of power can never be reproduced with the output of the current compact reactors. It was impossible to produce the same power output unless one connects the reactors of at least 100 Silhouettes and activates them simultaneously.
However, the Whis definitely can’t be reproduced. And without the Whis generated by an A-Carbuncle, the recoil would be enough to blow the railgun straight off, leading to a great explosion.
Unless the rail cars are able to draw power and Whis directly from the rails, the destructive power that even a space battleship will find difficult to rival can’t be achieved.
Yuuma was astonished. From the start, the double-track railway was meant to make full use of this railway gun. It was part of the city planning.
The reason they had to employ two automated track-laying vehicles in parallel was to meet this armored train’s standard. The wheels of the armored train itself were spaced away just enough to account for a certain number of errors in the railway’s width.
Since air power was limited, the Murder troops advanced through the plains instead of the mountain range.
The armored train reached its destination without deploying any defensive equipment.
The middle of the mountain range. One can see vast forest areas and plains below.
The monitor of the armored train captured the Ate which was 200 kilometers away.
「To think the trump card that was prepared to save everyone was actually a train. I definitely can’t miss.」
Yuuma encouraged himself.
「Prepare to deploy the railgun!」
Yuuma issued a command and unfolded the railgun. The huge folded barrel returned to its actual length, and the long-barreled railgun was complete.
「Energy charging, set to maximum!」
The large-capacity condenser installed within the May Queen hummed louder and louder, taking in more and more electricity. The electricity was generated by an A-Carbuncle reactor that can power an entire Fortress Area and was supplied to the train through the railway tracks. There would be no lack of electric power for sure.
The turret swung over in the direction of the Ate.
It wasn’t a high-angle firing position.
It was sniping using an ultra-high caliber railgun. The shot will be fired from the middle of the mountain range. The angle adjustments required fine control.
「Aiming. Ready to fire!」
The work Silhouettes hurriedly evacuated to the freight cars. If they weren’t careful, the recoil from the firing would blow away their Silhouettes even if they weighed more than 20 tons. It just had that much power.
Yuuma aimed for the center of the Ate’s chest, where its reactor was located. He was supplied with a simple 3D diagram of the Ate. The sender was unknown. It was probably the Hidden Boss or someone related to him.
He couldn’t allow himself to miss. Yuuma quickly turned calm. He was going to protect everyone with this train.
「Fire!」
An intense recoil was generated. After the round was launched, thunderous roars and vibrations rocked the body of the train. The initial velocity of the railgun round exceeded Mach 40.
The recoil caused strong shockwaves, and a huge dust cloud that could be mistaken for an explosion erupted around the May Queen.
If Silhouettes were still outside, they would have definitely been blown away.
The shot landed, piercing through the right side of the Ate’s huge body.
The blast caused by the impact led to a hellish scene. The surrounding Murders were all blown to bits.
Even the tougher Mantis types turned fully immobile from the shockwaves.
The landing impact alone had caused such massive destruction.
「Prepare for the second shot! Reload round!」
At Yuuma’s command, the Silhouettes began loading a huge railgun round into the railgun’s firing chamber.
Reloading takes about five minutes. It would be impossible to achieve that time without Silhouettes handling the work.
The Ate became immobile. Both its large-scale power pack and reactor were damaged.
The 1,500 mm round did not contain explosives. It was a completely solid round focused on penetration power. Although prohibited, it was possible for it to easily penetrate a Fortress Area’s shelter.
Even at the point of impact, it still maintains a speed exceeding Mach 20.
The next round has been loaded.
The Silhouettes retreated to the freight cars once more. This was to protect themselves from the shockwaves.
「Next round, fire!」
After firing the second shot, Yuuma was already sure of victory.
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