Volume 4 - CH 17

Under the edge of night, Soldiers of 5th Company had been moving secretly throughout the base in a battle ready state.

Since word of Captain (Colonel) Kirishima’s mutinous actions didn’t become widespread, he and his men operated in a way to avoid suspicion, while staying away from well-known acquaintances who would hinder them from getting into position.

「The operation will start in about 15 more minutes….」

Muttering to himself under his breath. Haruto and his group move in the shadows while trying not to draw attention.

KABOOM!!

Suddenly a grandiose explosion occurred and the base’s siren went off alerting everyone.

「Huh!? Get over there, hey hurry up!!」

「What was that explosion!? Are we under attack by the enemy!?」

「What’s going on!?」

Immediately after the explosion, military police, firefighters and other base personnel began heading to the scene. Then gunfire could be heard in the distance as more Soldiers began to head over with their weapons,

「……What the hell」

It’s still too early to start the operation!! You guys are doing too much, that’s overkill!! What is 1st Platoon doing!!

The explosion was like another sun as Haruto witnessed it from his position, immediately radioing 1st Platoon for answers.

「1st Platoon respond, over!! What the hell are you guys doing, that was overkill!!」

『This is 1st Platoon!! That explosion wasn’t us, there appears to be some enemy insurgents mixed with the refugees that were saved from the city, they’re the ones who caused the explosion!!』

「Is that what happened!? What is your guys status!?」

『We are currently engaged with the insurgents!! They don’t seem to cut corners either, they’re well trained!! Oh shit, they’re flanking on the right!! Hey Vermeer, keep your head down!!――』

『――Sir, things are getting heated over here, over and out!!』

Haruto could hear his subordinates struggling over the radio.

Damn it, for this to happen at a time like this!!

Worried over what 1st Platoon was up against, Haruto was conflicted between leaving to save the Colonel or heading over to assist 1st Platoon. But then he gets grabbed by the shoulder.

「Sir, the Base’s quick reaction force should be heading over to help 1st Platoon. We still have have something we need to accomplish」

「Is that really fine? Shit, you’re right……. If we don’t do it now it may be too late….. we need to get going」

「Roger that, sir」

Getting reminded about what their goal was from Chief Kobayashi, Captain Kirishima, Reminas & 3rd Platoon head over to the airfield, which was opposite from where the explosion and 1st Platoon was.

「Dear God!!」

「What the? What is that?」

Reaching the 11th Engineering Test Platoon’s hanger closest to the airfield, Captain Kirishima’s men flag down some of the personnel finished loading the C-130J, who were standing around in awe.

「Hey do you know what caused that explosion?」

「Huh? Hmmm, it might be an enemy attack or―― HMm-Mmph!?」

While subduing the Soldiers at the rear of the plane, Haruto’s group were able to infiltrate the cabin and round up it nine crewmembers onboard; they were the Test Platoon’s engineers, Soldiers and flight personnel.

「Freeze!!」

「Put your hands on your head!!」

「…… What is this, is this a joke right now?」

Slightly shaking one of the men in white laboratory robes, questions those holding a weapon to his head.

「Shut up―― Chief how are things over there!?」

「Just as planned Sir, we should be able to leave right on schedule!!」

Chief Kobayashi who was tasked with securing the cockpit, answered Haruto while holding his 9mm Pistol towards the three shocked pilots.

「All right!! In that case let’s go!!」

「Sir, yes sir ――You over there, start her up」

「You want us to take off? What the hell are you saying!?」

「No time to explain, just get the plane moving….. otherwise something might happen, you may not like it」

「Aah… understood, we’ll move it」

With a pistol pointed at him, the pilot nodded at Chief Kobayashi response, repentant from his initial actions.  Once Captain Kirishima took over the C-130J, they could only move forward with their plans as there was no turning back.

「Don’t say anything unnecessary, understand?」

「…. Yes, I know….. This is A9-2033. Air traffic control, request clearance for take off, over」

The C-130J four Rolls-Royce Allison AE 2100D3 engines roar furiously moving it slowly, while a tense conversation occured inside the cockpit.

『――Alpha Niner tack Two Zero Three Three, this is Tower. As what was previously broadcast, all flight takeoffs and landings are denied, due to the current insurgency on base. Immediately cease all activities and standby for directions 』

「….. What do we respond with?」

With the air traffic controllers response, the pilot looks back at Chief Kobayashi, who then turns to Captain Kirishima.

「It’s fine, just head to the runway」

「But if we don’t comply with Air Traffic Control, then your existence will be known to all」

「Don’t worry, just do it」

「……」

The pilot tries to reason with his aggressors, but was cut off from saying anymore as Haruto orders him to move to the runway.

『Alpha Niner tack Two Zero Three Three, this is Tower. Cease all activities, are you guys listening? Stop immedia―― who are you, what are――!! STOP―― 』

Just when the ATC operator was telling them to stand down, an interruption came from out of nowhere and a familiar voice comes over the radio, informing them that their friends made it in time.

『This is 2nd Platoon, the “Tower” is secured!! Captain you are cleared to takeoff, please leave now!!』

「Akari!? Why are you there!? 」

Haruto’s eyes widen the moment he heard Lieutenant Suzumiya over the air traffic control radio, she was originally supposed to be resting, but before he knew it she had linked up with 2nd Platoon.

『I didn’t want to be the only one left out, while everyone else was hard at work ――Good Luck sir, Godspeed』

「……Right」

Catching sight of Lieutenant Suzumiya saluting from the Air traffic control tower, Haruto floats a wry smile.

「We’re cleared for takeoff, punch it」

「……..Understood」

With no more obstacles in the way, the C-130J makes its way to the runway, and begins its ascent before soaring into the sky.

With all the events that were occurring, no other aircraft could launch to intercept the C-130J which had flown away. As the base was under attack by enemy insurgents, 5th Company’s mutiny was never found out.

Due to Lieutenant Suzumiya & 2nd Platoon tampering with the Base’s communications and changing the access codes, information of Captain Kirishima’s actions were delayed. By the time other bases in the vicinity were informed it was too late to send forces in pursuit, as he was long gone on his personal mission to save their captured people.

This Chapter was translated by Kuro_0ni

―~――~―――~―――~――~―

Dear Readers using aggregator sites, If you like my work, you can show your support by leaving a comment/ constructive feedback at Hiscension.com .

With its positioning lights were turned off, the C-130J flying under Captain Kirshima’s control melts into the darkness of the night sky.

「Maintain your bearing at  1―3―5, cruise at an altitude of 4000 meters」

「…… Yes sir」

「At this rate, we should reach Palace Korsakov within the hour」

「Captain!! Sir, there’s something you need to see!」

Having calculated the approximate time of when they would reach Palace Korsakov, where the Lt. Colonel and her men were held. The excited voice of one of his men came over the in cabin radio.

「Huh? What’s the fuss? ―― Chief take care of things here. I’ll go check the situation with our guys」

「Roger that, Sir」

After handing off authority of the pilots to Chief Kobayashi, Haruto exits cockpit to see what made his men excited.

「Sir, you’re not going to believe this. I looking through the planes manifest to see if there’s anything we could use, and I came across “this”」

「…….Get me the Engineering Test Platoon’s Commander as well as his second in command」

「Roger that」

Shocked after looking at the C-130J’s manifest and checking the cargo hold, Captain Kirishima got his subordinate bring over the experts.

「Reinforced modified exoskeletons… these are Tactical Assault Light Operator Suits――is this the TALOS program……」

Staring at the contents in the cargo hold, Haruto mutters to himself as he goes over the manifest.

「Sir, I’ve brought them」

While perusing over the TALOS units, his subordinates brought over the 11th Engineering Test Platoon’s Commander and executive officer.

「I apologize for the rough treatment earlier  ――But I’ll go straight to the point, I want you to lend us these things」

「….. I’ve heard an explanation of your situation not to long ago. While I think your hubris and desire to save your fellow Soldiers are admirable―― Your actions are a detriment to our nation!! I won’t help you」

….. So it really is useless.

Haruto’s shoulders dropped hearing the the Test Platoon’s Commander reply, but as soon as he thought his efforts were a waste. The man in the white lab coat spoke once more.

「……But if you can get me real actual combat data, it’s possible to lend you three units」

「Huh!? Dr. Berlitz what do you think you’re doing!?」

「Come on Lieutenant, think about it, If we can acquire raw battle data during this period, we should be able to dramatically raise the performance of the TALOS, we’d be that much ahead over the other Test Platoons」

「But still, this is a treasonous act, you’re helpi――」

「It’s not like they’ll turn on us. Isn’t that right?」

「……」

「Nor are they planing to go against our country or act out of greed, they’re doing this to save our countrymen」

「It’s also possible that, that story is a lie」

「Look at them, I can see it in there eyes. These people aren’t lying」

「…….Sigh….. Whatever, I didn’t see anything, because I was unconscious. Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, never seen a thing or heard anything」

「Alright, that should be fine. ―― I’ve decided to lend you these three units 」

「I’m sorry for this, I owe you one」

「Oh, I don’t care really, all I care about is getting the raw battle data」

The man in charge of the Engineering Test Platoon laughs while shaking Captain Kirishima’s hand who has bowed apologetically, and his Lieutenant looking off in the corner turning a blind eye to the situation.

With the excuse of getting battle data, Haruto was able to use the 11th Engineering Test Platoon’s TALOS power suits.

This Chapter was translated by Kuro_0ni

―~――~―――~―――~――~―

Dear Readers using aggregator sites, If you like my work, you can show your support by leaving a comment/ constructive feedback at Hiscension.com .

High above Palace Korsakov, three dark lumps began to fall in the pitch black cover of the night sky.

『Captain I’m picking up some bogies, looks like their coming at us from below』

Radioing Haruto via their power suits communications, Corporal Higashi readies his units heavy weapons while informing him of a potential enemy.

「I’m getting the same readings as well. It could be either a flying monster or it could be a dragon knight―― prepare to intercept」

『Roger that!! Things may get a little flashy!!』

「Hey I don’t mind if you do it, but don’t forget our original purpose. Understand?」

Given the go ahead, Corporal Higashi begins to operate the weapons on his close combat high mobility TALOS power suit with excitement.

『Alright!!―― Parteeeeyy〜〜 Tiiimmmeee〜〜!!!』

…..Are you taking this seriously?

Muzzle flashes brighten the night sky in bursts just as Corporal Higashi cries out.

Protruding out of his TALOS power suit, were two XM214 Microguns―― much like the M134 Gatling gun, but scaled down and with a smaller 5.56x45mm caliber bullet. Corporal Higashi rains down the firepower over his targets, to the point where one out of three bullets would pierce the dragon knights coming towards them.

Without resistance he turned the approaching dragon knights into Swiss cheese and they fall back to the ground like ground meat.

『All obstacles have been eliminated!!』

Mowing down the Dragon Knights in no time at all Corporal Higashi, proudly reports back to Haruto.

「Good, Prepare to land!! And remember what we have to do!!」

『『Sir, Yes, Sir!!』』

With Palace Korsakov in full view, Haruto looks at the next obstacle they’ll have to face.

「I already knew it….. but damn this place is full of enemies」

『There’s going to be a lot of mayhem』

Igniting their power suits prototype power boosters,  Haruto and the two were able to slow down their fall, enough to land in the Palace’s courtyard.

Once they descended there, they became surrounded by thousands of imperial Soldiers and beasts.

『Sir, go and rescue the Battalion Commander and our guys』

『Yeah sir, we’ll handle things over here』

Sergeant Nishiyama whose power suit was designed for dealing with a large group of enemies and Corporal Higashi who could take on anyone in close combat both encouraged Haruto to head out first.

「Got it…. I’ll be leaving for bit!!」

With Reminas in the C-130J providing directions to Haruto via radio, the Imperial Army began their attack once he made his move towards the Palace’s dungeon prison, where the Battalion Commander and the rest of the prisoners were.

A fierce onslaught erupted witih Palace Korsakov.

『Keep going straight!!』

「Understood」

Watching Haruto’s movements from his powersuits video camera, Reminas was able to give him directions accurately in real-time.

But while following Reminas’ directions Haruto had to deal with the monsters which kept getting in the way.

Several monsters which sought to go after Haruto were shot one after another, allowing him to move unhindered.

『I’m your opponent here!!』

This was due to SGT Nishiyama’s intervention, whose suit was equipped with two XM806 Heavy Machine guns. With its reduction in weight and 60% less recoil than a M2 Heavy machine gun, SGT Nishiyama was able to send a barrage of bullets towards everything in his sights.

Firing specialized 12.7x99mm NATO’s from both XM806 Heavy Machine guns the bullets themselves could change trajectory in mid-flight, thus avoiding Haruto and hitting their intended targets.

『This is awesome!! I’m going to hit you guys as much as I want!!』

The specialized 12.7x99mm NATO could change trajectory because they were crafted with a real-time tracking guidance system. The TALOS unit which SGT Nishiyama wore, could designate targets and the specialized bullet would eliminate its targets with extreme precision.

「I’m going in!!」

With the support of SGT Nishiyama and Corporal Higashi, they were able to take on thousands of enemies while covering for Captain Kirishima as he entered the Palace.

『Take a right, then go straight ahead, you’ll see a stairway on your left, go down and at the end of it go straight again!!』

Utilizing Reminas’ precise guidance, Haruto speed runs through Palace Korsakov’s maze like interior with great efficiency.

「Are the dungeons close by!?」

『Just a little bit more, take a left and you’ll be there!!』

「Got it!!」

Haruto slightly slows down to make the last turn before nearing his intended destination.

「All right, make a left an――Guagh!?」

『Haruto!?』

Turning the corner, Haruto suddenly gets blown away by a huge arrow and becomes planted in the wall.

「We did it!!」

「We shot the thing!!」

Seeing Haruto embedded in the passage wall, several Imperial Soldier rushed to check his appearance.

「Who knew that thing would be useful at a time like this」

The Imperial Soldiers had shaped the ground to form a temporary Ballista through magic and waited in the passageway. They rushed over to Haruto overjoyed that their creation worked.

「Look at this things armor」

「Hey let’s see what’s underneath」

Prodding Haruto’s figure, one of the Imperial Soldiers reaches out grab Haruto’s helmet.

「Argh it hurts, damn bastard!!」

But before the Imperial Soldier could even touch his face, Haruto grabs him by the neck and begins to crush it.

「It’s still alive!!」

「Kill it, kill the monster!!」

「Shut up, I’m human…..fuck this hurts…..」

Having survived an instant death due to the TALOS power suits Kevlar and magnetic fluid, Haruto did suffer four broken ribs due to the extreme force of the Ballista arrow.

「K-kill him!! Stab it, kill that thing!!」

「「「「UOOOooooooo!!」」」」

Imperial Soldiers rush in with their swords and spears, to try and kill Haruto who they thought was originally dead.

「You’re in the way」

Because of his broken ribs Haruto couldn’t move like he wanted to, instead he pulled out a M84 flashbang, pulled its pin and threw it at the floor.

In a single moment the small passageway is illuminated with more than a million candela as its “bang” rang with an intensity of 160-180 decibels (to put it in perspective a jet planes engine is 120 decibels).

After the flash and bang resided, the charging Imperial Soldiers had all lain on the floor with multiple trauma, with blindness, dizziness, loss of hearing, tinnitus, anxiety, panic and were thoroughly disorientated.

「Need to…..move!!」

Pulling himself out of the wall, Haruto wades past the Imperial Soldiers in their disorderly state, and bashes on the dungeon prison door.

Having secured the entrance, Haruto cautiously enters the dungeon prison.

「Ugh………」

As soon as he enters the dungeon, he’s greeted by the stench and then the sight of the mutilated bodies of Parabellum Soldiers on either side.

Please, don’t let me be too late.

-=-=+-+=-=-

「――Haaa~…. Sorry for being late, Commander」

「……..So much for being late, you barely made it」

Held by chains at the furthest room in the dungeon, Lieutenant Colonel Isuzu Furutaka, had been stripped bare of anything as she held a deplorable expression.

「Who are you!! How- How did you get here!?」

Barking back and spitting through his words was a fat man, who stood nearby the Lieutenant Colonel.

「I wanted to get here faster, but I ran into several hurdles」

Ignoring the man’s question, Haruto moves toward Isuzu.

「Hieee, get away!! Don’t come closer!! Ah Syrum get him!! 」

Also wearing nothing himself the fat man ordered the tentacle monster which was behind him to attack Haruto.

「Fucking bastard, shut up and die」

Heaving a sword directly at the man, the straight blades pierces both the man and the tentacle monster behind him.

「Guaaaaughhhh!!」

With the blade striking the tentacle monster behind him, it deflates like a balloon leaking its bodily fluids. Its fluids were so corrosive it melted the sword as well as the fat man it fell upon. The man wailed in pain as both him and the monster turned into a puddle of goop.

「I’m glad your safe……. Is there anyone else? 」

「It’s just me….. everyone was tortured to death」

「I see…. are you ok?」

「There’s a lot of things I want to say…. but first we need to get back to base」

「Right….」

Severing the chains which held the Battalion Commander, Haruto covered her before lifting her up and heading out of the passage he just came through.

「Mission’s complete, it’s time to get out of here」

Leaving the dungeon, making his way out of the Palace and into the courtyard while holding Lt. Col. Furutaka, Haruto sees the mountain pile of corpses surrounding SGT Nishiyama & CPL Higashi and listens to their complaints.

『Understood sir, But right now, we’ve got a problem』

『More enemy reinforcements are arriving and we’re out of ammo』

「Then we’ll escape using our rocket booste――」

『About that, mine broke while taking care of the monsters』

『Same here』

……….What was that!?

Since his own rocket boosters were damaged when he was embedded in the wall by the magic ballista, Haruto had thought of handing off the Battalion Commander to his subordinates to escape while he stays behind to hold of their enemies. But then Haruto becomes stunned after hearing his men’s replies.

How are we supposed to escape now?

Having lost their primary means of escape, Haruto’s expression turns frantic hidden behind his TALOS helmet.

But just as Haruto was looking for a solution, a familiar high pitched sound could be heard and a barrage of explosive ordinance came from over head.  Right when Haruto and company were backed up to a wall, a Jet flew over Palace Korsakov.

Detonating in quick succession the explosives annihilate the enemies closing in on Haruto’s group.

「Wait, is that―!?」

『Reinforcements!?』

『Hey… is this real?』

Operating a YF-24 was Chiyoda’s clone, changing modes in front of the bewildered Haruto.

『……Oh it’s you again』

And like that Haruto and his group were saved again.