Repair Part Number

 

Ever since Kou and the Trireme Expeditionary Force returned, the days had been nothing short of turbulent.

The project to reverse engineer the trove of optical weapons they had acquired from the dismantled Mythology Weapons was one of the reasons.

Matt, who had declared his intention to permanently settle on Planet Libya, was another.

But the biggest reason, and the biggest shock of all… was the sudden discovery of a place with a lifestyle centered on agriculture and livestock—and the trade of cattle and crops it entailed.

The auction turned into a battlefield, one might even call it carnage. Bidding wars raged with terrifying intensity.

Every faction craved cattle.

Pigs were more numerous, but the Wangcheng Industrial Group Company snapped them up en masse. In China, after all, meat generally meant pork.

Moreover, scenes of the Mythology Weapons demonstrating farming techniques, and the idyllic allure of Planet Libya, had captivated many. Waves of immigration hopefuls surged in.

「Seems like raising livestock would actually be more profitable… Not that we could manage that here in Planet Asia.」

Kou chuckled wryly at the thought.

「True-nya. Slaughtering animals would be a hard no for most folks-nya.」

「There aren’t many native Asians taking part in the auctions, after all.」

The cultural gap between the Transferees and the native Asians was more than stark—it was practically a gulf.

In Planet Asia, food production was sustained by two types of pluripotent cells—plant-based and animal-based. Though some natural plant cultivation existed, animal husbandry was exceedingly rare.

It made sense, then, that the humans native to Asia were reluctant to participate in animal husbandry. Even Kou himself harbored some unease about it, especially because the Familias had animal bodies, and some were even similar to animals used in animal husbandry.

「Still, I didn’t expect it to trigger this much immigration to Libya.」

「As long as it doesn’t turn into colonization.」

Kou’s concern was genuine. The word colony left a bitter taste in his mouth.

「It’s fine-nya. Libya’s still there. And so is Matt, as Trireme representative. There’s no way anyone could subjugate the Mythology Weapons-nya.」

「Yeah, you’ve got a point. The Teras wouldn’t go down easily either. But do people really understand the risk? It’s not like Libya’s some bountiful promised land.」

「Your concern is valid. But perhaps that just shows how desperate everyone is for a life that resembles Earth… That they’re chasing a sense of home.」

「Hmph. Is that really it…?」

Kou wasn’t the least bit interested in returning to Earth. He felt as if he were the only one out of step with the rest of the world.

「The new president of Gallop Corporation and Chairman Takaba are requesting your presence.」

「Hyoue-san? What’s he doing there?」

Even Kou was surprised by the rare combination.

「I wasn’t told the details.」

Aki’s dog ears drooped as she bowed apologetically.

「Nah, it’s fine. I’ll know when I get there.」

Despite a creeping sense of unease, Kou headed for Gallop Corporation.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Upon arrival at Gallop, Kou was greeted by a young man sitting in the president’s chair who bowed deeply in respect.

His large fox ears drooped with the motion.

「Thank you for coming, Kou-sama.」

「Drop the ‘-sama’ you’re the president now.」

The new president wasn’t a Development Engineer, but a young Therianthrope named Palm.

Palm had been selected as Gallop Corporation’s new president. It had been Matt’s idea—maybe it was time someone other than a human Development Engineer represented a corporation.

Matt had always considered that Gallop Corporation was a company entrusted to him by Asia and Kou. The proposal to bring Therianthropes into leadership hadn’t been opposed—well, not by anyone except Asia.

Therianthropes were Artifact Consciousness; they were based on humans, but they were not purely human. With their superior physical and intellectual capabilities, there was concern they might become the target of resentment. However, that was only an excuse. Asia feared some Therianthropes would decide to take the reins of leadership and try to guide humanity as near-omniscient rulers. The Familias wouldn’t be an issue, but the Therianthropes carried such a potential danger. The Therianthropes were too close to humans; they were superior in a lot of aspects to humans, and yet they were marginalized by humans. It wasn’t difficult to see why she saw them as a potential threat.

Asia had confided these concerns only to Kou and Matt.

「It can’t be helped…」

In the end, they’d chosen Palm after careful deliberation. He had participated in the mission to rescue Asia and was deeply devoted to Kou. There was no chance he’d act against him. In fact, if he did anything detrimental to Kou, he’d probably end his own life. That made him—ironically—very trustworthy.

Palm had initially resisted but seemed to have changed his mind, accepting the position under certain conditions.

Development Engineers from Trireme, including Müller, had been assigned to support him.

「Well, it’s fine, ain’t it? This time it was my suggestion too.」

「It’s true, Kou-kun. Gallop’s HQ has gone pretty Japanese-style, hasn’t it?」

「Feels cozy, doesn’t it?」

Hyoue let out a belly laugh over a cup of green tea. Sitting across from him was Fuyuki.

By now, Palm was practically Hyoue’s disciple. The two had become regulars at the now-Japanified Gallop Corp headquarters.

「Your suggestion, Hyoue-san?」

「Yeah. While you were off in Libya, things were peaceful on the Scheelite continent. We focused on transferring facilities. But because we had it easy, the conflicts on the Sphene and Pyrochlore continents only worsened.」

「I’ve heard. But Kelly-san didn’t allow Trireme’s intervention—don’t act on emotion. We can’t save everyone. Help only those who come asking.—was it?」

「I agree with Kelly. But this time, there’s a request that I think you—hell, I know you’ll want to hear. It’s from Defense Dome L451 on the Pyrochlore continent.」

「From Pyrochlore?」

「Yep. They want repair parts for old machines. The original artificial muscle used in the first mass-production test types, and Lanius armor plating. If possible, secondhand and as cheap as possible. Did I forget something? Ah yes! It seems they want to pay in installments, too.」

「Why not use A1-type parts or the revised A1 kits? Sure, they’re pricey compared to the Bears, but mass production should’ve lowered the cost by now.」

Fuyuki interjected for the first time. Palm listened intently to the exchange.

「True, mass production has made them cheaper—but that’s only for Trireme-affiliated groups on the Sphene continent. Economic disparity between the continents has become extreme.」

「But how? Doesn’t Okeanos regulate economic balance to some degree…?」

「They’re just broke.」

Hyoue’s smile turned forlorn. Nobody wanted to talk money—but they had to.

He could only imagine the dire financial straits of a dome unable to procure even old spare parts.

「Okeanos’s economic regulation is only effective in peacetime. Trireme introduced advanced tech, lost homes and gear, and came back even stronger. Huge money flows followed. But the other continents? They shut themselves away in their Defense Domes and Fortress Areas, shrank their economies. They can’t even afford to hire underground forces anymore.」

「That bad…」

「This is the disease of Planet Asia, exposed by the Asia War.」

「Why was it exposed by the Asia War?」

「Ever since we Transferees arrived, people have been under the wrong impression that the war was the Murders vs. the Fortress Areas and colonies. But that was never the real picture. It was Stones vs. Asia. The locals refused to acknowledge it—or were misled by the Mercenary Association Headquarters. Who knows.」

「The Stones have been attacking the people of Asia since they arrived on the planet… how did the people not realize they were part of the conflict? Even though they were the ones under attack?」

「The planetary super-AI became such an assumed presence—Asia was just simply too blended with nature for them—that no one questioned it. But they were wrong. Deadly wrong.」

「Asia-sama manifesting like this, actively helping a specific faction… It’s unprecedented. You won’t find anything like it in this planet’s history. But just like what happened with Libya-sama, the target of the Stones was Asia-sama herself. She needed to defend herself, so she chose to act. Still, recognizing that… even for us Artifact Consciousness, it was difficult. Few had truly known the real Asia-sama, too.」

Palm bit his lip, quietly shouldering the responsibility. Their failure had been salvaged—by Kou.

「You folks had limited influence due to the restrictions on military power you suffered. Not everyone can be like Rick and create an organization able to keep distance from human institutions.」

Hyoue offered words of comfort. Therianthropes, Nereids, Familias… even gathered together, they had been sidelined by the Mercenary Association.

「You can still make it right, Palm. You’ve got the power now. Let’s get back on track. Once Asia’s will became free, she began to act with Kou to reinforce her defenses. The liberation of P336 Fortress Area, the reactivation of the Silhouette Base, the creation of Trireme… and support from Okeanos. With most Development Engineers now on the Sphene continent, the continental gap must be enormous.」

「That disparity…」

「Asia simply doesn’t have the resources to care about the other continents. Solidifying Sphene is the priority—aid comes later. Meanwhile, most of the underground forces on other continents are stuck piloting outdated machines with no supplies.」
「I see…」

「Kelly saw all this coming and stopped us. Now, that’s the reason the request was for prototype Lanius parts. No way those domes have hydrogen-metal facilities needed to run the A1 models. Even if they could buy one, they couldn’t maintain it. Not to mention… they just don’t have the money.」

Hyoue downed his tea and fixed Kou with a serious look.

「If this request came in, it means one of those early eight prototypes—same lot as Unit 5 or Unit 1—is still fighting. Fighting in a situation where it can’t even get proper repairs. It must be in worse shape than Unit 5 was in that ruin. Judging from the armor request, it’s probably patched together like a Frankenstein monster.」

The TSW-R1 was a first-run production model—made just after development wrapped. A pre-mass production unit for marketing tests. Unit 5 had belonged to this batch.

Unlike experimental machines, these units were fully production-grade and tightly regulated—like early model cars or bikes.

「A same-lot unit as Unit 5… still fighting, in worse condition…」

「Yeah. Doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem, does it?」

「Not at all.」

「I think I know who it might be. A big fan of our company’s Silhouettes. I heard he died fighting the Murders. They had Unit 6 and Unit 7, so the parts are probably for one of those.」

「Against the Murders…」

The original Lanius wouldn’t have been enough against a Mantis-type. In a serious battle, that was all too believable.

「Only fifty TSW-R1s were made. And those artificial muscles weren’t particularly high-end parts like the ones we use now. I’m not saying give them away for free, but still… Whether it’s the same pilot or someone who inherited his machine—I’d like to help.」

「I understand. How did you know it was a prototype model?」

「From the part number. The request listed the old pre-modification numbers—not the new ones used after we moved to the new Defense Dome. The shapes are nearly identical, so the parts fit. Bit of a nostalgia trip, huh?」

Kou smiled faintly. Back on Earth, he’d worked at TAKABA. He knew how even minor design tweaks could trigger part number changes, requiring reprogramming machining centers.

Even a tiny modification—less than a millimeter—could require a new number, but the part itself often remained compatible with both old and new models.

「They also asked Gallop about ordering Quattro Workers. Said it was to help the Therianthropes who stayed behind in their Defense Dome. That’s how we even learned of their situation. I want to send them at least some Quattro Workers.」

Moved by Palm and Hyoue’s words, Kou nodded.

「Most Familias and Therianthropes have already joined Trireme. That must’ve left their Defense Dome dangerously understaffed. But to love that Defense Dome enough to stay… That’s a rare kind of Therianthrope. If the burden’s reasonable, I want to help.」

「Thank you, Kou-sama.」

One of Palm’s conditions for becoming president had been to allow him to keep calling  Kou with the same reverence as before. Kou’s actions when he was disguised as Outis may have been too effective for Palm.

「And so, I’d like you to go see it for yourself. Call it an education.」

「I’ll go too. It’s a request from you, Hyoue-san. I’ll do my best to fulfill it, but even without your request, I’d have gone. I want to assess whether this Defense Dome is worth Trireme’s investment.」

Kou didn’t hesitate.

「I’ll go. Let me go. I went all the way to Planet Libya, but I haven’t even seen most of Planet Asia with my own eyes. We’ll go to the Pyrochlore continent to meet this Lanius pilot myself and assess if they deserve our support. Right, Hyoue-san?」

Hyoue nodded, clearly pleased.

「We’ll handle the aid arrangements here at Gallop. I’ll consult Asia-sama and Astraea-sama as well, and begin preparations—does that work for you?」

「Thanks. I’m counting on you, Palm.」

「You got it!」

Palm bowed with a graceful smile.

For a fleeting instant, Kou thought he saw a strange, unsettling shadow pass behind those eyes.

AN:

New Arc: “The Dawn of the Nation-Forming Wars” begins now!

The Planet Libya arc was a kind of side story (yep, nearly 100 chapters…). Now we return to the new world order formed after the Asia War and the Dignity War, under a cold war standoff with the Stones.

This next arc shifts to the conflict zones as the new stage.

This chapter was a summary of the fruits of Libya and the changes they’ve brought.

Next time, we’ll see things from the viewpoint of those fighting in the war-torn regions, without money or resources, thrown into battle—those who placed the repair order. Don’t worry, there’s no change in protagonist!