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January, Year 2010
Although it is not known whether the monster has stopped functioning or has died, the immobile artificial monster was secretly sent to the JAERC, where Mr. Bako and others conducted an investigation. This was how they discovered the huge energy and technology needed to manipulate the huge biped walking robot. Deputy Chief Kuriyama was very excited about this.
But Mr. Bako was not happy about discovering unknown energy and technology, and expressed his ideas of rejection. However, Kuriyama decided to talk to him, "Although it would be bad if this were to be abused, but we started to develop robots because we need them to fight against the disaster that monsters bring. Now the technology to turn the dreams into reality is right in front of us..." After this enlightening speech Mr. Bako finally agreed to trying it. "I will bear all the responsibilities, let's get started, Mr. Bako!"
A few days later, the deputy chief Kuriyama submitted a top-secret plan to the director—the Anti-Monster Specialized Airborne Mechanical Armor project, and established a Specialized Airborne Mechanical Armor development experiment group. Deputy Chief Kuriyama is the regiment commander, and Mr. Bako is the squad leader. The general staff is selected by Kuriyama while the experimental developers are selected by Mr. Bako.
The next step is the recruitment of pilots. The recruits are not traditional drivers of cars, boats, and airplanes, but drivers of giant two-legged robots. This is an unheard of profession. However, unexpectedly, many people submitted their resumes, which made Mr. Bako and Kuriyama very happy. Nonetheless, because of how important the role of pilots of the robots are, they must be interviewed very strictly.
"Ow, ow." Looking at all the personal resumes on the table, gave Kuriyama a lot of stress so his stomach is hurting.
As the sun shines on the table, among all the resumes there was one that caught everybody's eyes — Hebikura Shota!
It is now 2010
The base of the Specialized Airborne Mechanical Armor development experimental group established by Mr. Bako and Deputy Chief Kuriyama is located in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture.
If you are in another country, you can build a base in the desert, which is spacious and unobtrusive. But in Japan, this can't be the case. Only in the mountains can you avoid others' eyes.
Fortunately, there is no need for a take-off and landing runway in the design of a Special Airborne Armor, because when it comes to robots, it has to take off and land vertically. Therefore, the limitation of the space did not affect the development of the Special Airborne Armor too much.
At the same time, the selection of pilots for the first test of the special aircraft has entered the final stage. In a physical test selection, quite a few volunteers were eliminated. This was the most demanding selection of the GAF. The eliminated volunteers were sent back to the original team without mercy.
These are all fighters with rich actual combat experience, who came to participate in the selection because of their inner yearning, but they all refused to be sent back to the original team. The officers of their original team were very angry about this and lodged a protest with Kuriyama which he promptly ignored.
Faced with the first harsh ability inspection in the recruitment of SC pilots, there are not many warriors left. The second session was an interview between Kuriyama and Bako in person, where they conducted various soul crushing interrogations on the remaining people.
"Only physical advantage? That's it? Wouldn't it be good for you to just stay on the original team?" "You haven't been able to eliminate the monster even once within the battle. What are you doing?"
Even the warriors who passed the first selection, there are many psychologically vulnerable personnel who cried and returned to the original team during this interrogation.
The next person who comes in for the interview is a female driver from Osaka — Yasuko
"You are impeccable and have excellent results on the assessment. But you are from Osaka and I hate Osaka people, so you are eliminated. If you still want to come, then come with the next batch of recruits next time to be reassess. But I believe the results will still be the same."
Faced with examiner's arrogant remarks, the female driver was not angry, and calmly said: "Okay, I will continue to challenge you next year", and then she was prepared to leave.
"Wait!" At this moment, both Kuriyama and Bako stopped her. It turned out that these were the psychological stress tests set up by the two. In this way, the first person who successfully passed the test was born, a female driver from Osaka.
However, after her, no new pilots have been able to pass the test for a long time. Kuriyama and Bako ushered in the last interviewee, whose name is Hebikura Shota!
Kuriyama and Bako invited in the last interviewer. Although they were very tired at this time, they focused their strength on their faces and made stern expressions.
After the man who entered beautifully took off his hat, he completed the 10-degree salute with a "pop". Before the interviewer could say "please sit down", the man had to their surprise already sat down by himself.
Kuriyama looked at his face, it was a face that couldn't make a deep impression, and he thought "Well, it's also very important to be inconspicuous on the battlefield." So Kuriyama cheered up and continued to say with a stern face, "I haven't let you sit yet."
If it were someone else, they might've gotten up quickly in a panic. But this humble-looking man didn't like that. His original serious expression disappeared, he smiled and said without hesitation, "Ah, I'm sorry", but he straightened his posture and didn't stand up.
Kuriyama began to use various stress assessments on him, but they were all resolved by him. Deputy Chief Kuriyama finally turned his attention to his resume. The photo of the resume was as unobtrusive as himself, and the information on the resume read:
"Shokura Shota Third-Class Special Lieutenant
He came from the Mech Division of the Land Force and served as the chariot driver"
Deputy Chief Kuriyama looked at Hebikura Shota's resume and thought, "As I thought, neither the person nor the photo can leave a deep impression, and he is still a newcomer who has only joined recently. But his operation have been impeccable, and he has extraordinary courage. His friendly smile is neither stupid nor arrogant, as if he had seen through the hearts of both of us."
Mr. Bako next to him couldn't stand it, and he nudged Kuriyama with his arm, so Kuriyama asked the final question - "What do you think about manning robotic weapons?"
Hebikura replied: "It's the best"
Just like that, he was hired. Only two people passed the first test pilot selection of the Special Airborne Armor — Hebikura and Yasuko.
So the two began simulation training for special aircraft. Although they have only piloted fighter jets and tanks before, both of them successfully completed the conversion training course to Special Airborne Armor. Now, the real development experiment of the Special Airborne Armor has officially begun, but what awaits them is an even more difficult journey...
The special space aircraft development experiment has officially started, and even in the face of continuous failures they are not discouraged at all. Investigation and study of failures are also part of their important work.
But there is one worrying thing, the global monster disaster will not wait for them. When they were developing the Special Airborne Armor, the monsters were still wrecking havoc. Their partners of the actual combat troops were fighting with the monsters every day, and many of them who participated in the battle never returned after they set off. The ones that passed away, includes many previous ones comrades who failed the selection and returned to the original team.
When the combatants died on the battlefield, we were hiding in the Gifu Mountains all day...We can't go on like this, we must put the Special Airborne Armor into practical use as soon as possible! Even for this highly motivated development force, there's still a huge problem with what they could actually do.
On this day, there was a heated discussion about the actual deployment of the Special Airborne Armor on how to quickly put it into the monster-ravaged area.
"Although it is an airborne, the specific plan has not yet been established, which is really bad."
"We can only use 3 or 4 helicopters to hoist the robot over."
"I don't think it's right, it's better to ship by land and sea"
"By the time you arrive, the city will become a ruin!"
"Let the Special Airborne Armor stand by in various cities"
"We don't have such a budget. Don't forget that the special aircraft has the word "empty"."
"Should the Special Airborne Armor be transported by a transport plane and then airborne?"
"We don't yet have a transport aircraft that can transport a Special Airborne Armor"
"Then we will develop a new transport aircraft? But the budget..."
"We can only let the Special Airborne Armor fly over by itself!"
Seems like that is the only way!
Just like that everyone began to study how to let the Special Airborne Armor fly by itself. In combat, the special aircraft consumes a lot of energy, and at the same time, it is not expected to be able to transmit electricity on the spot. Therefore, everyone has always agreed that the built-in battery should not be used outside of combat time, otherwise it will have no energy left to fight with.
"Use the additional mounted rocket booster" Hebikura's words once again awakened everyone.
Although everyone had different opinions on whether to use rocket propulsion or jet propulsion, the rocket was chosen under consideration.
What follows is the discussion of solid fuel type or liquid fuel type,
Solid fuel is simple to use and can obtain great thrust, but once it is ignited, it cannot be stopped before the fuel is burned. The liquid fuel can be re-ignited even if it stops once halfway, but it is complicated and the thrust is not as great as solid fuel.
The final result of the discussion is that because the booster is no longer needed after reaching the combat area, even if it is separated and discarded, it will not affect the budget, so it was decided to use solid fuel rockets.
In this way, the pilot-made special space aircraft is equipped with a solid fuel rocket, and the test flight is about to begin. Yasuko is in charge of driving, and Hebikura is in charge of driving the jet training aircraft, and accompanying the pilot-built Special Airborne Armor for testing.
However, with the arrival of a record-breaking cold current, the experiment was put on hold, and due to the cold current, both the SC and the propellers froze. After the weather recovers, everyone intends to remove the thrusters for testing, because there has been a spaceship that caused a major accident due to negligence.
However, the US headquarters of the GAF issued an order to conduct a test immediately after the weather recovered through the Japanese branch.
Although the special aircraft project was a proposal by Deputy Chief Kuriyama himself, it was not the Japanese government or the Japanese branch of the Defense Force that was responsible for the funding, but the US headquarters. Although everyone, including the head of the Japanese branch, Kimisaki, disagreed, they could only implement it because of the funding. The female driver Yasuko also agreed to the take off of the Special Airborne Armor because she believed in the efforts of her partners and believed that compared with previous major accidents, today's technology has improved.
The test flight started, and Hebikura has already flew the training aircraft in the air, watching the lone Special Airborne Armor standing in the mountains.
The countdown to takeoff started, "10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2...1" "Ignite!"
If the liquid fuel is used, its possible to stop it in time if you find an abnormality after takeoff. But right now it uses solid fuel, and once it has taken off... it can't be stopped...
Everything was normal at the beginning. However when the Special Airborne Armor reached a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet (about 10,000 meters) and was about to enter flight level the accident occurred.
"Alert alert, abnormal temperature at back sensor", immediately after Yasuko's wireless communication, the atmosphere fell into dead silence.
Hebikura who was accompanying her, witnessed everything silently as the Special Airborne Armor had exploded into countless fragments and scattered onto the land.
Yasuko, his friend and colleague, had remained calm until the end. There was no panic, no sorrow, and no exhortations such as "I leave the rest to you". "The temperature of the back sensor increased abnormally" is the last word left by the hero to the world. She stayed on her post all the way until the end.
The reason for the accident was the propeller proposed by Hebikura.
Regrets, sorrows, regrets, anger, and all kinds of feelings wandered in an instant. The regretful Bako and Kuriyama also intended to submit their resignations. However, under the leadership of Hebikura, the members of the special group tried their best to stop them, "Yasuko wouldn't want us to give up like this!"
Yasuko's funeral was solemnly going on in the base, and the ground was filled with flowers sent by the team...
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