Hidden Specs Part 1
The Metal Iris naval fleet was at a clear disadvantage.
The enemy’s numbers were simply too great.
Fighter jets were engaging one another intensely in the sky for air superiority.
There was an equally intense naval battle on the sea.
And below the sea’s surface, Aberration Arms and amphibious Aberration Silhouettes were fast approaching.
Opposing them were anti-sub helicopters, Familiar-operated submarines, and amphibious Silhouettes sent out by the Ulysses-affiliated companies.
「That girl took on a force this large on her own……」
It was something one would only understand when they dealt with them in person. The performance of the enemy fighters was by no means low.
The enemy’s main fighters, the Coulsons, now possessed enhanced radar and communications capabilities. They were improved based on the data gained from their previous defeat.
Similar upgrades were also implemented to the Arulars, which were variable Silhouettes.
With the industrial strength of the Stones, upgrading all their existing machines within a month was quite a simple matter.
「This is Matt. We’ll be joining the battle.」
「You’re late, Matt!」
Jia Ling happily responded.
「Sorry, Jia Ling. Uncle George, please link up the unit data of the Gracious Queen to us.」
「Roger!」
The Gracious Queen and the Eunomia would now operate in concert. The Familiars and worker Quattros in each ship were working as fast as they could.
「Data link complete. We will send out an aerial resupply unit. They will replenish the ammunition of all fighters and variable machines currently active on the battlefield. The relevant units have been informed already.」
「Is something like that possible in the middle of an active battlefield?」
Eri was astonished by the announcement. Aerial resupply craft could replenish fuel such as metallic hydrogen, but they shouldn’t be capable of replenishing ammunition. Moreover, doing so in the middle of a battle sounded like sheer madness.
「It’s possible. We’ve made it possible. With these new Quattro Silhouettes, that is.」
「Understood. If that’s true, then it should be enough to make up for our inferiority in numbers.」
George nodded in agreement. He had complete confidence in the ship that was the same class as the Astraea.
He also personally felt he owed the Astraea, so it bolstered his trust even more.
「First Supply Squadron, heading out.」
「Roger that. We’re counting on you.」
A Silhouette appeared on the Eunomia’s deck. It seemed to be covered in a cloak, with its body folded up.
It was directly launched up by the ship catapult. And then, it proceeded to transform in midair.
The “cloak” in question was actually the Silhouette’s gigantic wings. Its appearance was reminiscent of a devil.
Its wings were equipped with thrusters, had long and slender arms, and slightly stubby legs.
「This is the first sortie of the Gargoyle-type Quattro Silhouettes. We’re counting on you, everyone.」
「Quattros……?」
Kou couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.
「The bat wings also serve as their front legs. I get the feeling of wanting to retort. I was like that at first as well.」
「What’s the name of this Silhouette model?」
「Gremlin.」
The Gremlin formation quickly approached their target Type 0 squadron and began replenishing their ammunition that had been depleted.
They carried supply boxes between their feet.
「Gremlins. There are tales of them playing pranks by causing machines to malfunction, but they are said to have maintained them as well. But flight-capable worker Silhouettes huh?」
As a fellow Development Engineer, Kurt was filled with curiosity regarding the new machines.
「This is amazing. To think that we Therianthropes would be able to pilot machines that fly in the air…… They are the wings of hope given form.」
Aki also muttered in amazement within Astraea’s combat command center.
「As expected of Matt. This is certainly a historic moment in the development of Silhouettes.」
「I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this if you hadn’t created the Quattro Silhouettes in the first place.」
Kou exclaimed in praise, but Matt simply responded with a wry grin.
「This isn’t all we have. We also made combat-type Gargoyles.」
「Of course. Using those purely for work would be such a waste.」
Kelly grinned from ear to ear. He was pleased with the growth of one of his favorite pupils.
「Now then! Show us! Your masterpiece!」
「Your pressure is amazing as always, Boss. But here you go.」
After a short pause, another machine formation appeared on Eunomia’s deck.
They also wrapped their bodies with their armor-like wings, but a single gun barrel protruded from their bodies as well.
「This is the combat-type Gargoyle model『Katar O Sein』 Wild Hunt unit. We’re counting on you guys!」
Wild Hunt. A hunting group composed of fantastic creatures whose tales have been passed down in Western mythology.
A unit bearing that namesake took off to the skies.
Their bodies which were one size larger than the Gremlins accelerated rapidly. They attacked the Coulsons one after another.
The high maneuverability provided by their wings proved to be a true threat in the air.
Pterodactyl-type Aberration Arms that appeared to be similar in concept rushed to intercept them.
However, they were shot down by missiles and the shells fired from the Katar O Sein’s gun barrels. The difference in overall firepower was glaringly obvious.
「What impressive maneuverability…… They aren’t all that fast, however. But still quite amazing.」
「Did you make use of bat biomimetics when you designed them? You might have received support from Libya, but your enemies would probably not anticipate the free use of limbs during aerial combat.」
Yunlan couldn’t help but blurt out his impressions, and Kinukawa also muttered his take based on what would happen when facing the new models as enemies for the first time.
A fighter plane and Katar O Sein momentarily passed one another.
And in that instant–
The Katar O Sein deftly grabbed the passing Coulson using the fingers on its wings and climbed on top of the latter.
It then deployed a bayonet from its main weapon, the railgun, and skewered the enemy plane from above.
「To think it’s even capable of doing something like that!」
「Its lightweight and strong against impacts. However, it lacks endurance.」
「That’s more than enough of a threat already!」
Kelly groaned. An air combat Silhouette that takes full advantage of its lightweight nature. That was the Katar O Sein.
「We’re not done yet. Eunomia!」
『Commencing launch.』
Silhouettes launched from the Eunomia’s well dock one after another and headed out to sea.
「Their lower bodies are shaped like a dolphin’s? Don’t tell me those are underwater combat Silhouettes?!」
Yunlan expressed his shock. Until now, they only had amphibious Silhouettes as their sole option for small-sized piloted underwater weaponry. When it came to overall underwater performance, they were severely lagging behind the enemy Aberration Arms and Aberration Silhouettes.
Even though they filled the gaps with their submarine force, they were still outnumbered.
「Yes. That’s right! It’s a Silhouette model specifically designed for underwater use. Its upper body is humanoid while its lower body is designed after a dolphin’s. We call it the Triton-type Quattro Silhouette『Nixie』.」
The sea prince, Triton. In Ancient Greek mythology, he’s a sea god who’s often depicted as someone with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish.
「We’ve equipped it with an underwater-use shotgun that’s capable of firing off torpedoes as well as doubling as a melee weapon. We call it the Trident. Its underwater capabilities are several times better than our current amphibious Silhouettes. However, please don’t expect it to fight on land.」
Matt continued his introduction. An underwater-use shotgun designed akin to a trumpet that exhibited tremendous firepower underwater.
「My assistance was essential when designing the Triton-type.」
According to legend, Libya was the consort of the sea god Triton.
「Amazing. We Therianthropes are now able to pilot Silhouettes that can fly in the sky and swim in the sea……」
Nyanta was also overcome with surprise. She never expected that the Quattro Silhouettes Kou came up with would develop to such an extent.
「And the Triton-type has secret specs. It’s similar to the Edge Swifts I heard about from Kou! You know. The thing about only bird-model Familiars being able to pilot them.」
「Oh, those. Even penguins are capable of piloting them, so it’s kinda vague as far as categorization goes!」
The designer himself was surprised by that fact, but the ones who were most pleased by such a development were the penguin and ostrich-type Familiars. It seemed that being classified as a bird was quite a prized identity for bird-model familiars.
「The Triton-types hold a great secret. It’s the fact that even Nereids are capable of piloting them! Not sure why though!」
Thanks for the chapter