Terminus Island, Yogyakarta
Central Hotel
Members of the delegation from HME enjoyed their breakfast. They arrived back in Yogyakarta yesterday afternoon. Today the plan is to wait for their airplane from HME to arrive in Yogyakarta. Ambassador Phiam and Rydorka would welcome the ambassador, who would be stationed in Myto Empire, while picking up the gold that was promised to buy more technological items from Myto Empire.
"After picking up the ambassador for Myto Empire, I will accompany him to Jakarta. I will try to return to Jakarta later tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest." Phiam said
"Alright, I will convert the gold that will be given to us into credits and buy as many books, components, tablets, and other simple mechanical items that we can later replicate. I will divide our delegation members to buy them." Rydorka said.
"I will continue making the list of items to be purchased with the tech analysts available. We will wait until we have the gold before we make any purchases." Arpana said.
"Good. I expect all our work to be completed by tomorrow. According to the schedule, we will return to HME the day after tomorrow." Phiam said. "Remember, it may be impossible in the future that we will be able to buy and bring the things that we can currently get."
Everyone nodded in agreement with the plan. They realized how important it was for them to be able to get technology samples from the Myto Empire.
"The airplane from HME is scheduled to arrive at noon. I will contact Ambassador Gravit to gain access to their military base and see samples of their warships this morning." Ambassador Phiam said. "I will go with Baeluna."
Ambassador Phiam went to the general communications room in the hotel to speak with Ambassador Gravit. In the end, they received a promise that one of the Myto Empire's military personnel would pick them up so they could view the military ships of the Myto Empire.
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After waiting for half an hour, a colonel from the Myto Empire Navy finally met Phiam and Baeluna in the hotel lobby.
"Hello, my name is Colonel Astana. I will escort you both to the military port in Yogyakarta." Said the naval colonel.
Ambassador Phiam was a little surprised that he was dealing with a female military officer again. There seemed to be quite a few women in the army of the Myto Empire.
"Good morning. Introduce me, Phiam, and this is Baeluna. I am very grateful for your help, even though our request is quite sudden." Phiam said.
"That's fine. We are happy to help the representatives of HME." Colonel Astana said.
Actually, the Myto Empire had anticipated the request from the HME representatives. All the large and high-tech ships had already been removed from the military harbor of Yogyakarta city. Only destroyer-class ships, battlecruisers, light carriers, and patrol ships remained.
They departed for the naval port of the Myto Empire in the city of Yogyakarta.
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Approximately 15 minutes later
Myto naval port, Adikarto
Ambassador Phiam, Baeluno, and Colonel Astana arrived at the military port in the city of Yogyakarta. The two members of the HME delegation could see row upon row of warships belonging to the Myto Empire. Seen in a corner were large ships belonging to the Myto Empire, while others were probably destroyer-class and patrol ships.
"Welcome to the Adikarto military port, gentlemen." Colonel Astana said
"Thank you, this base is quite large." Phiam said.
"Actually, this is not a major naval base. That's why the harbor isn't big either." Astana said.
"Can we have a look at the ships?" asked Phiam.
"Of course. Let's board a destroyer-class ship. We named it the Mardut class." Astana said.
They boarded the nearest Mardut-class ship. On board, Phiam was not impressed with a warship that only had one cannon.
"Does this ship only have one main cannon? Isn't that too little?" asked Baeluno.
"Oh, this ship's main weapon is missiles. Also, the existing cannons use plasma warheads designed with armor-piercing designs, so our bullets can penetrate armor up to more than 800mm. Also, the firing speed is quite high, at 60 rpm, so there is no need for more barrels." Astana said.
"60 rpm? How is it loaded and the heat generated from the friction between the bullet and the barrel?" asked Baeluno.
"Oh, we use automatic loading. The cannon requires no crew to operate at all. Also, we use the magnetic principle to fire the bullets, so we can minimize the friction between the bullet and the barrel, and there is no need for propellant. Any residual heat will be dissipated using water cooling inside the barrel." Astana said.
Phiam and Baeluno looked at each other. What a very advanced cannon system! With such capabilities, it was only fitting that there was no need for so many cannons. Moreover, they knew that the bullets could be controlled.
"In addition, this cannon is stabilized against ship movement. This causes the accuracy of the cannon to increase dramatically. The firing control system that uses radar also improves accuracy. Even with dumb rounds, we can still shoot accurately. The same principle is also applied to other types of cannons," Astana continued.
"Oh, I see. What about the missile system?" asked Phiam.
"We use what is called a Vertical Launch System, or VLS, where the missile is placed on the launcher umbrella vertically. Gentlemen can see the ports there. That is the cap of this VLS system. This ship has 40 VLS tubes, where each tube can be filled with 1 missile for large missiles, for example, for attacking other ships or land, and several missiles for small-diameter missiles such as anti-aircraft missiles." Astana said this while pointing to the VLS system of the Mardut ship they were on.
Oh, that means the defense against airstrikes relies on missiles? What if the missiles run out during battle?" asked Baeluno.
"Hmm, yes and no. We do primarily use missiles for air-raid defense, but we also have a close-range defense system using magnetic cannons. That cannon is also fully automatic, radar-controlled, and has a firing speed of 6,000 RPM." said Astana.
"I see." Phiam said it briefly with a slight tremble. He imagined that a small fleet of HME ships would be attacked using the missiles on this ship. It would be difficult for the HME ships to defend against the missiles.
The two men from HME became depressed after hearing all these things. Moreover, they were on a ship that was the smallest in size outside of a patrol ship. What about the big ships?
As predicted, the two people from HME were even more depressed when visiting other ships. Because they were so depressed about the superiority of the Myto Empire's ships, they did not inquire thoroughly, and as a result, they totally forgot to ask about the energy sources of the ships, their underwater warfare capabilities, and the flying capabilities of the ships as they looked around the various classes of ships in the military harbor.
In the end, after almost 2 hours, they left the military base and headed straight to the Maguwo space port to welcome the HME ambassador who would be staying in the Myto Empire. After that, as planned, the entire delegation team from HME spent the money they had to buy various technological objects from the Myto Empire.
However, a surprising incident occurred when one of the members of the diplomatic mission from HME opened an electronic book containing a map of Elysia. There he found a very detailed map of all the countries in the world, including their own country, HME!
"How can they know all the details of our country?" said Ambassador Phiam.
"This doesn't seem to be from observation on the ground, but by air. Take a look at this picture; isn't it an aerial photo of our naval base in Cartalpas?" said Rydorka.
Ambassador Phiam looked at the picture and realized that Rydorka's words were true. This meant that the Myto Empire had mapped the whole of Elysia through aerial observation! That was because many of the small islands around HME that were not normally on the map were on the map.
"How can they take aerial photos without us knowing? It seems our detection capabilities are already the most advanced in Elysia." Baeluno said.
"It could be that they are using an aircraft capable of flying so high that it is beyond the detection capabilities of our equipment." Rydorka said.
"It's scary that they can be above us without us even realizing it. What if that plane is carrying a bomb?" said Phiam.
"We really need to be careful with the Myto Empire." Ryorka said.
"That's right." .... Oooh, look! There's an island labeled Gra Valkas! We don't know where they're from yet, but the Myto Empire already knows." Phiam said, half-shouting.
They all looked at the map showing Gra Valkas and looked at the sample photos. They became a little scared after seeing a photo that showed the military base of Gra Valkas, which was full of ships of various sizes, including large ships. There seemed to be hundreds of ships in the photo.
"It turns out that Gra Valkas has a very strong military. Even though we have better ships, we seem to be outnumbered. We must report this!" said Phiam.
"Right, look, how many ships must be at least cruiser-class when looking at the layout of the cannons?" Baeluno said.
They spent a long time looking at and reading every piece of information from the books they had purchased to find out the strength and location of the Gra Valkas. Ambassador Phiam predicted that a conflict between HME and Gra Valkas was very likely in the future. If that were to occur, the information the Myto Empire unintentionally provided would be crucial.
The next day, they returned to HME using the two available planes. Both planes were filled to the brim with goods purchased in the Myto Empire.
---oOo---
Elysia High Orbit.
Star Destroyer 'Myto'
The main meeting room.
Moff Trevat held a limited meeting immediately after his visit to Star System K17T. The meeting was held to discuss the security of Elysia and the visit of the HME to the Myto Empire.
Attending the meeting were:
- Admiral Aedat Iskir, commander of Home Fleet
- Admiral Dana Istikal, commander of 7th Defense Fleet
- Admiral Arakel Yeera, commander of 9th Defense Fleet
- Admiral Fremsa Dita, commander 10th Defense Fleet
- Admiral Krumbel Kasheef, commander of 1st Exploration Fleet
- General Famla Adil, leader of Myto special forces and intelligence
- General Armeda Krakov, system security leader
- Chief Secretary of Arkev Huis
- Dr. Kandar Hina, industry leader of Myto
- Dr. Anen Druma, head of the Myto Institute of Science
- Governor of Elysia, Ira Ishil
- Director Trazi Kimla, head of Myto's diplomatic corps.
Chairman of the meeting: Moff Trevat.
Moff Trevat opened the meeting, and they immediately talked about the security of Star System K17T.
"We must immediately secure Star System K17T and the area near Elysia. The 'Macross' must return to Elysia in short order for a final refit before entering the Home Fleet." Trevat said.
"In addition, the ships of the 7th Defense Fleet must also return to Elysia. Those ships were supposed to do repairs on Elysia before being deployed to Star System K17T." said Admiral Dana. "We also still have to secure Star System TC72D."
"Frankly, we are not able to secure Star System K17T plus the security around Elysia with our existing capabilities." General Armeda said. "The ships for system security are already committed elsewhere."
"That is one of the things we must address immediately. We really lack the ships and fleet to be able to secure our territory." Trevat said.
"That's right, we are currently using our home fleet to secure Elysia and the area around the Elysia star system. The entire Elysia star system should be secured by the Elysia Defense Force." Admiral Aedat said.
"But currently, the Elysia Defense Force ships are also still lacking. We can only secure the area around planet Elysia." Governor Ira said.
"We have a few more ships repaired from the damaged military ships we brought over from the Galactic Empire. Maybe they can be used to strengthen our fleet." Arkev said.
"I plan to give a victory-class star destroyer to the 9th Defense Fleet and another one to the Elysia Defense Fleet. In addition, an Interdictor cruiser will be given to the Elysia Defense Force. I have temporarily assigned the 9th Defense Fleet to conduct security patrols around Elysia. While the 10th Defense Fleet will secure Star System K17T." Trevat said.
"Yes, moff." Admiral Fremsa said.
"How many ships do the 9th and 10th defense fleets currently have?" asked Trevat.
"We currently have 4 battlestars, 1 interdictor cruiser, 4 dreadnought cruisers, 10 Concordat destroyers, and 20 attack cruisers." Admiral Arakel replied. "Plus the Victory Star Destroyer that is to be stationed in the 9th Defense Fleet."
"Our strength is about the same, except that we only have 16 attack cruisers." Admiral Fremsa said.
"Hmm, still very minimal, huh? What about the production at 'Liberty'? Is it going according to plan?" asked Trevat.
"It has moff. But since it has just started, we are still running at a low production rate. We are still checking the production results to see if there are defects or if there is a trojan inserted in the system." Kandar said.
"Well, it will be at least a few more months before we can produce at full capacity, right?" asked Trevat.
"That's right, moff." Kandar said.
"It seems that we can't do anything else, right?" said Trevat while scratching his head.
All the meeting participants shook their heads. Indeed, Myto Empire's production capability had reached its maximum. It was very difficult to increase it.
"Well, it seems we have to be patient and stay alert. Next, what about 'Aachen'? Was there anything else found?" said Trevat.
"We have searched every corner of 'Aachen', including copying all the computer memory banks from 'Aachen'. We found no additional information." Dr. Anen said.
"Oh, really? So we don't know where the crew of the 'Aachen' disembarked on Elysia?" asked Trevat.
"That's right, Moff. But I've already spoken to Governor Ira. We are conducting another scan of the planet Elysia, looking for any fusion reactors on Elysia. The crew of the 'Aachen' should be able to build one. But it is likely that the reactor is shielded, making it difficult to find with regular scans. It took us a long time to do a detailed scan of Elysia." Dr. Anen said.
"That seems to be the right move. Continue to scan Elysia. We should also look for remnants of what many Elysians say is the Revernal Empire." Trevat said.
"Yes, moff."
"Oh, yes, yesterday, when I spoke with Admiral Dana, we found a map of the center of the Solar Empire in the secondary navigation bank of the shuttle at 'Aachen'. As we already know, the center is on Earth." Ira said as he handed the Earth map file to Trevat.
"Alright, I'll take a look. Still no trace of the 'Aachen' landing on Elysia in that data?" asked Trevat.
"Nothing, Moff." Ira said.
"Well, what about the design of the 'Aachen'? Can we build it in Detroit?" asked Trevat.
"We are building a prototype. Apart from the quantum computer system, all systems can be built and, if possible, upgraded to Galactic Empire standards. This includes the weapons. It looks like we'll keep only the Transform Cannon. The others will be replaced with turbolasers and ion cannons." Dr. Anen said.
"Hmm, what a disappointment! How long can we duplicate it?" said Trevat.
"While we do have knowledge of quantum computers, their use is not as advanced as the Solar Empire. We still have to learn how to manufacture the components. Give us at least six months to a year." said Dr. Anen.
"Well, I don't understand how quantum computers work either. What about the fighters?" asked Trevat.
"We will replace them with the TIEs we have. Since the dimensions of our TIE fighters are smaller than those of the Solar Empire's fighters, in addition to a TIE fighter, we can put quite a few Automated Fighter Droids, probably about 12 to 16 of them." Dr. Anen said.
"Excellent. Start production immediately when it is ready in Detroit." Trevat ordered.
"Yes, Moff." Dr. Anen said.
"Oh, yes, what about the zero-point energy project?" asked Trevat.
"No progress yet, Moff. We are still researching both the science and magic of the zero-point energy system. The difficulty is that we don't have direct access to the equipment." Dr. Anen said.
"Hmm, that's right. Can't we ask to make the device by magic in the laboratory?" asked Trevat.
"Ah, we did not consider that! We will look into the possibility soon." Said Dr. Anen, who was a little embarrassed for not thinking that way.
"Alright. What about the HME? Any progress?" asked Trevat.
"The delegation from HME has returned to their country. They brought quite a lot of items with the technology we have specified. In addition, some of their embassy staff have also arrived. The rest will come by sea." Director Trazi said
"The appointed ambassador has also met with me and handed over the relevant papers." Ira said.
"Make sure to tell them that in the future, exports will only be allowed for semiconductors of 100 um or more." Trevat said.
"Very good, moff." Trazi said.
"It is also not allowed to export machines for making semiconductors." Trevat said.
Before the meeting ended 1.5 hours later and lunch followed, they were still discussing various topics.
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Moff Trevat's office
Governor Ira followed Moff Trevat to his office.
"Trevat, I must return to Jakarta immediately. I still have a lot of work to do. Can't you leave early?" Ira asked.
"Unfortunately not, Ira. I'll be home very late at night." Trevat said.
Trevat suddenly hugged Ira and said, "Actually, I really miss you."
"Don't worry, Trevat, tomorrow morning we will meet at the office." Ira spoke softly.
Trevat released his hug.
"Huh, too bad I can't go home early." Trevat complained
"No, it's okay, Trevat." Ira said. "Oh, yes. I'm doing a pattern search of the database of information we know from the Solar Empire with the data we've collected so far on Elysia. I wanted to see if there was any information that might indicate where the people from the Solar Empire were in Elysia. You know, I found another match."
"Oh, yes? Where is it?" said a very interested Trevat.
"That is the origin map of the Mu Empire. It seems that the Mu Empire also originated on Earth. But perhaps in a very ancient time." Ira said.
"Oh yeah, the map matches except for the Mu continent, huh?" said Trevat.
"That's right, Trevat. I plan to ask the Mu Empire about this." Ira said.
"Very good. Ask immediately, Ira. Hopefully we can find the common cause of this dimension-hopping incident." Trevat said.
"Maybe in a few days, I will go to the Mu embassy. By the way, the ancient fighter plane we found in the Principality of Kua Toyne also has similarities in the Solar Empire's Earth region insignia. The crest states the territory of...what is it, I forget...Korea..." Ira said.
"Japan, Ira." Trevat said, cutting off Ira's words.
"Eeer, maybe. I frankly forgot. Anyway, that plane was from a more advanced era compared to the Mu Empire when it switched dimensions. Also, the Elves in the Principality of Kua Toyne have a saga about the return of the soldiers who owned the fighter to their origins. Perhaps there is a way to return to the dimension of origin. We can use it to at least open a path to our home dimension." Ira said.
Actually, Governor Ira knew by heart where the fighter came from: Japan. But she was baiting Moff Trevat to find out if Moff Trevat knew about it. Ira knew that Trevat had not yet opened the map file she had given him during the meeting. Ira learned another piece of information about Trevat.
"That's right, Ira. If we know that, then we can work on it. I already told Dr. Anen to investigate. But you can add that information to Dr. Anen, as it seems quite important. Maybe from the saga we can find out the ingress and egress points of the dimensional portal." Trevat said.
"Alright, I'll pass it on to Dr. Anen. I have to go back, Trevat. See you tomorrow." Ira said while kissing Trevat's cheek.
Trevat, who actually still wanted to be with Ira, pulled Ira and hugged her to kiss her. For a while, they kissed passionately. In the end, Ira reluctantly broke away from Trevat's embrace and said goodbye.
While walking to her shuttle, Governor Ira thought about the things he knew. It seemed that Trevat knew either the Solar Empire or Earth. What was Trevat's connection to either? The question haunted Ira as she traveled back to Jakarta.
---oOo---
Gra Valkas Empire
Information Bureau Office
A few days later,
The dimly lit room, surrounded by other rooms full of equipment, in the Gra Valkas Empire Information Bureau Office again contained four people who were discussing.
"What about the HME mission to the Myto Empire?" their leader asked.
"They have returned to HME. We still don't have any details about the results of the mission. But what is clear is that they opened diplomatic relations with the Myto Empire." Said his subordinate, sitting on the left.
"Hmmm, we don't know if there was any technology exchange or treaty regarding technology exchange between the two countries, do we?" asked their leader.
"No, sir. We don't know that yet. We don't know anything except for their arrival in Runepolis and the departure of their ambassador and embassy staff, who will be staying in Myto Empire." The man on the left replied.
"We also still don't know much about the Myto Empire, sir." Said the subordinate who sat on the right, closest to their leader.
"The Myto Empire is a wild horse that has the potential to disrupt our plans to take over Elysia." Their leader said.
"I don't think so, sir. From the military equipment we can observe in some of the countries that received their help, they are at least 10 years behind us. Also, they do not build large ships. That is favorable for us, who already have many large military ships." His right-hand man said.
"That's right, but the longer we delay this conflict, the more difficult Myto will be to conquer because they will likely build large military ships. Also, they will arm the various countries around them. It seems that their industrial capabilities are huge." Their leader said.
"That's right, sir. We cannot delay the war for more than two years. Preferably, we should start the war with the advanced countries in Elysia within one year." said his right-hand man.
"But we need time to prepare. We are retrofitting our battleships in the mouthball. That retrofitting effort will take time." His subordinate at the far end said.
"It's really a dilemma. Right now, we're only capable of conquering backward countries. But to conquer, for example, the Mu Empire quickly, it will be difficult. Long wars will cause our resources to be depleted." Their leader said.
"It seems that one year is enough time for us to retrofit our old ships. Our entire shipyard is working day and night to do so." Said the man on the left.
Actually, with our existing capabilities, we can start a battle with the Mu Empire on the Mu continent. Moreover, until now, they haven't known the location of our country, let alone guessed our capabilities." Said the subordinate on the right.
"Indeed, that is our greatest strategic advantage. Our enemies do not know where our country is." their leader said
Additionally, the enemy does not yet own some of our military equipment. For example, submarines. With that technological advantage, we can quickly defeat enemy forces, especially the navy. They don't know underwater warfare techniques at all." His right-hand man said.
"We don't know if the Myto Empire is also ignorant of underwater warfare. What we can confirm is that at least HME and Mu Empire do not have it." Said the man on the left.
"It looks like they don't have it either. If they did, then they would have used submarines in the few wars they were involved in." Said the man on the right.
"This is really our weakness. We don't have much information about the Myto Empire. None of our spies are there. Perhaps we should take more active steps to place our spies there." Their leader said.
"We can use our submarines to bring our spies near the Myto Empire. That way, we can bypass their fairly strict security screening in countries that have direct relations with the Myto Empire." Said his subordinate, who was sitting farthest away.
"Hmm, that's right. We can request that. We also need a map of the waters and coastal cities of the Myto Empire. That way, both objectives can be met." Their leader said
"I suggest that we use at least 3 ships: 1 tender ship carrying a large amount of fuel, 1 submarine tender, and 1 or 2 submarines that will approach the Myto Empire. By using the submarine tender, we can supply fuel and clean water to the submarines that will operate around the Myto Empire. The tender will act as an intermediary between the regular tender ships that will carry fuel and water distillation equipment and the submarines." Said his subordinate on the right.
"A good plan. Three or four ships will not affect the strength of our fleet if the Myto Empire is able to detect and destroy them. But if there is no news of those ships, then we know for sure that the Myto Empire has underwater warfare capabilities." The leader said.
They continued to discuss infiltrating the Myto Empire using submarines. In the end, their plan was submitted and approved by the military, and preparations were made to carry out the plan. Preparations needed to be made because the distance between Myto Empire and Gra Valkas was very far.