“Resupply satellite orbital insertion succeeded. Transitioning to docking phase with the low-orbit platform.”
“It’s great that we can film it from the other satellites!”
Right now, Commander Eve was watching an additional satellite launch from the command room.
Since multiple surveillance satellites were already in operation in orbit, they could observe the launch from above.
Besides ground footage and the camera mounted on the launch rocket, they were filming the launch from an even higher vantage point. That view was blown up across the front display, and Eve was thoroughly pleased.
“Beginning orbital adjustment.”
In the magnified footage, the second-stage rocket began firing thrusters from multiple points.
The satellite they launched this time was intended to refuel the cluster of second-stage rockets that made up the already-operational low-orbit platform.
At an altitude of 300 km, there was still atmosphere, albeit low density, so its flight speed and altitude would gradually drop. To compensate, it needed to fire its engines periodically.
Naturally, if it repeated orbital corrections, the fuel onboard would steadily be consumed.
The purpose of the satellite launched this time was to refuel those rockets.
Additionally, the second-stage propulsion rockets were being replaced with a new model.
A huge fuel tank had been installed in the payload and filled to capacity, and the plan was for it to move across the platform, refuel each module, then finally connect into its designated position.
At present, no particular role had been assigned to this low-orbit platform.
At most, it was doing various experiments in orbit.
However, this was their first operation in space in this world, and there were many gaps in their knowledge. Even with something as simple as a robotic arm, the effect that differences in gravity would have on existing machinery was unclear.
Going forward, a strong candidate was to add experimental equipment and turn it into a research platform.
“Docking orbit adjustment complete. Docking operations will begin in approximately five hours.”
“Mhm, mhm. Smooth sailing.”
“Next, we will proceed to the launch of the gravity measurement satellites.”
Orbital Insertion Vehicle No. 1, Booby 1’s second and third vehicles were already standing by on the launch pad. After that, the returned first, second, and third vehicles would be reused to launch a total of five vehicles as one set of gravity measurement satellites.
The gravity measurement satellites were a satellite group intended to precisely measure this planet’s gravity distribution.
By orbiting the planet while performing precise mutual measurements using laser ranging instruments, they would quantify the strength and weakness of gravity. Additionally, when they flew over <The Tree>’s orbit, they would use the ground-based laser ranging instruments to compensate for error.
According to <Ringo>, precise measurements were possible at a level where computational error could be ignored.
“Beginning the launch sequence for Vehicle Two and Vehicle Three.”
Vehicle One had completed its launch successfully, the first-stage rocket had already returned to the ground, and no major problems had been found.
<Ringo> judged that there were no issues, and began the follow-up rocket launches.
*****
In the darkness of night, a gigantic ship was underway, splitting waves at the bow.
Today was a half-moon on Lone Moon, so there was almost no light. Even someone whose eyes had adjusted to the dark would have difficulty seeing ahead.
“Come to think of it, this planet has three moons, right?”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Three on the same orbit. They circle in a Y-shaped arrangement. Their combined mass is 0.8 times Earth’s satellite, the Moon. The two moons that are close together are expected to collide in several thousand years.”
“Oh, really. Those two are going to hit...”
Several thousand years from now.
For her, it was an event in an unfathomably distant future.
“Technically, with our scientific capability, we can do anything about it. At that time, we will need your instructions.”
“Ah... right. When that time comes.”
Faced with a viewpoint operating on a completely different sense of time, Commander Eve replied while feeling unsettled.
That was right.
Apparently, she didn’t have a lifespan.
If so, she might actually end up watching the celestial show of two moons colliding.
Well, that was the kind of thing that couldn’t be helped no matter how much she worried about it.
“Approach is going well?”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Three kilometers remaining to the target point. Passive reconnaissance only, but no artificial objects have been confirmed in the surrounding area. Securing the landing site is complete.”
It was the middle of the night, but they were currently conducting an operation.
In order to build a secret base in the interior of the Prava Divine Kingdom, which would likely become the focus of discussion going forward, they had sent in a construction ship.
The construction ship was an enormous vessel about 300 meters long.
To reduce visibility, it had an unusually deep draft, and only a few meters protruded above the surface.
Additionally, it was covered front-to-back in active camouflage; even if you saw it under the sun, at a distance of a few kilometers it would blend completely into the background.
Its cargo included various machines and materials, as well as a large number of multi-legged machines for mobile defense.
They would land these on a remote shoreline and build a surveillance base on an inland mountain peak.
“By the way, is the Prava Divine Kingdom pretty big?”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. It is believed to be even larger than the combined land areas of the United Kingdom of Aphrasia, the Forest Kingdom of Levresta, and the Kingdom of Lepuitari.”
The Prava Divine Kingdom lay west of the Kingdom of Lepuitari across the Raflet Sea.
As a religious state, it was a great power that had expanded its influence by converting the surrounding lands.
That great power was now laying bare its ambition and invading the eastern states.
Its expansion speed was so abnormal that it was predicted there was a possibility it would invade the Kingdom of Lepuitari within a year.
That was why they needed to gather information about the Prava Divine Kingdom as quickly as possible.
“Reached the prescribed distance. Beginning hull fixation.”
A few hundred meters off the shore, the construction ship dropped anchor and began fixing its hull.
The landing site they had chosen was a coastline of continuous sand beach. A forest pressed right up close, keeping exposure during unloading work on land to a minimum.
If a sea-going ship approached, they planned to lower the construction ship beneath the surface and hide.
Unloading would be carried out by laying a simple monorail.
They would build an accumulation point inside the forest, offload supplies all at once, then the construction ship would withdraw.
This would keep exposure of <The Tree>’s presence to an absolute minimum.
“Releasing multi-legged heavy equipment. Beginning construction of the supply accumulation yard.”
The deck of the construction ship popped open, and multi-legged heavy equipment rose up from inside. The heavy equipment immediately jumped into the water and began swimming toward the shore.
They would use the heavy equipment to level ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the target site, screw in foundation piles, and secure temporary flooring to build the supply accumulation yard.
Most of the work was scheduled to be complete before daybreak.
“It looks like nothing but fast-forward...”
Watching the display showing that work scene, Eve murmured.
Because the multi-legged heavy equipment moved with precision and speed, if you didn’t know what you were looking at, it truly would look like fast-forward.
If they connected a floating monorail bridge pier to this, it would be a full automatic factory.
Even as Eve watched, more and more work machines poured out from the construction ship, and the monorail extended toward the shore.
“Launching reconnaissance units.”
The target point and the route leading to it had been identified by the observation satellites.
However, that was imaging from 200 km up. When you actually went on-site, unexpected problems could occur.
Therefore, they needed to proceed by sending drones ahead through the air first, then developing the ground with reconnaissance units as well.
A silent-model reconnaissance drone was launched by catapult.
It was a type that combined a magnetic-levitation motor and a propeller designed for quiet operation with a silencing device that applied inverse-phase sound waves, allowing it to fly with almost no noise.
An active camouflage coat with controllable coloration covered its surface, and from a distance it was nearly impossible to see.
Multi-legged reconnaissance units with the same configuration had also been stealth-modified, so even if a human happened to be inside the forest, they likely wouldn’t notice.
“While we’re at it, I wonder if we’ll find an ore vein too...”
As she infiltrated reconnaissance assets into another country, Commander Eve murmured her luxurious wish.
