Chapter 250 | 250 | The Battle for Servusarator: Minos Rebellion Part 6 - PLUTON
Standing up from his chair, the CSO walked towards the cargo hold where the SMAs resided. As he stepped out of the battle management room, they glanced at him, wondering what brought him at the rear of the heavy gunship. The CSO looked around and saw a wooden crate in the middle.
It was fairly large, but it didn't look like something that would bring forth destruction to their enemies. Though, low-yield nuclear bombs could be small in comparison to the usual bombs of the military, they were still nuclear bombs. From the letter of the citadel, it clearly wasn't one.
"As I have said before, the Citadel has given us a secondary and confidential mission. Our current task is to test the capabilities of a new bomb developed by the R&D Department, which should be that wooden crate beside the rest of you." The CSO pointed at the lone wooden crate.
The SMAs turned their gazed towards it and never thought that there would be a newly-developed bomb merely a couple of feet away of them. One of them looked away from the wooden crate and turned his attention at the CSO before questioning him.
"What kind of bomb is it?" The SMA was curious about the bomb they would be handling. Naturally, his question brought the intrigue of others as well. The CSO sighed, but thought that there would be no harm in telling them. After all, they were part of the crew experimenting it.
It would be foolish to leave them ignorant of the gravity of their circumstance.
"According to the letter, the bomb is within the category of mass-destruction. Its power remained unknown, which is why they had us test it in the battlefield." The CSO answered the question of the SMA, earning the nods of understanding from the others as well.
"Alright, should we open the wooden crate?" Another SMA asked, to which the CSO responded. "That is the plan. From the letter, the bomb is already armed. The only thing we need to do is drop it from Hellbound and let it do its thing."
Their job was as simple as it could get, akin to the former duties of bombers dropping the first heavy-wield nuclear bombs.
The SMAs began opening the wooden crate with wenches and crowbars. It took some time, but the SMAs finally opened the wooden crate and were met with an interesting sight. In front of them was a pitch-black futuristic looking bomb that was merely 2 meters long and half a meter in diameter.
It was fairly small, though its slick design and the runes written across it made it seemed like it could destroy anything that it was thrown at.
"Damn, the R&D Department makes good looking bomb" One of the SMAs remarked, watching at the newly-developed bomb with interest. Another SMA stepped forward, noticing a name written across it. "PLUTON 01... Even the naming scheme gives off some kind of alienate feeling."
The CSO observed the PLUTON with intrigued as he remembered that it was supposed to be the weapon that would replaced nuclear bombs, according to the letter. It was a weapon that wouldn't leave any area a radiated wasteland, which was already a good enough idea for a weapon.
"Alright, prepare it to be drop through the ramp." The CSO ordered as the SMAs quickly had the newly-developed bomb into the bomb trolley. It was rare for bombs to be thrown off from the back of a heavy gunship, but it wasn't a difficult endeavor. After all, the AC-130 had some versatility in it.
While the CSO's mind was consumed with thoughts about PLUTON, the speaker actuated as a voice sounded out from the other side. *Sir, target has been identified. Please come to the battle management room.* The WSO had called for the CSO's presence.
Without any delay, the CSO returned to the battle management room where a screen was giving a live feed about a large military camp. The WSO glanced at him and then reported the details. "We have identified the targets, Sir."
"Although, not an actual military fortress, it is a large gathering of military assets. It seems that they are planning to take back the western region in a massive ground assault." There were hundreds upon hundreds of tents along with hundreds of lined-up vehicles.
"Have you investigated their numbers?" The CSO questioned, wanting to know about the true quantity of the massive gathering of rebel military before them. The WSO thought about it for a moment, but soon replied to his question. "Two to three divisions are my estimation, Sir."
"An entire Corps, huh?" The CSO muttered to himself, though a smile creeped into his face. The large military gathering in front of him was the best target for the new weapon. They could observed its effect in an army that should be thirty to fifty thousand strong.
"Alright, get a route towards the designated target. Prepare for bombing." The CSO uttered, earning the nod of the WSO. Hellbound had initialized the battle plan of bombing the newly-developed bomb towards the designated target, which was an Army Corp.
The CSO sat back to his chair and began connecting to the main data link of the United Military. He requested a connection to the Citadel, which was immediately approved after reporting his code. The connection between Citadel and Hellbound required a tight link that wouldn't be intercepted by anyone and anything.
But it didn't take too long as the live footage pointed at the large gathering of rebels was swiftly sent to the Citadel.
With the connection completed, a part of their mission has been achieved. It was now time to prepare for the drop sequence, which was already calculated by the main computer. The CSO glanced at the WSO and stated. "I'll be giving you instructions."
The WSO nodded in understanding, accepting the instructions given by the WSO. The instructions were then sent to the pilots and the SMAs in the rear, who were preparing for the newly-developed bomb to be dropped.
Meanwhile, within the crown of Citadel, Abraham watched as his massive monitor turned on. Within the vast screen was live footage from Hellbound where the newly-developed bomb, PLUTON, would be drop upon. As he gazed at it with intrigue, he couldn't help but smile.
"An Army Corp? I didn't think they would use it on such a beefy target." He mumbled while maintaining his smile. The rebellion of the State of Minos was beyond his expectations, but perhaps it was an opportunity. It has been a long time since a military operation was conducted.
If the operations of the United Navy wasn't included, perhaps this would be the first actual military operation of the United Military, to which the entirety of the United World Government would be included. Although the disaster in Dawn City had made them somewhat experience, fighting against an army would provide better experiences about what was to come.
At any rate, Abraham's thoughts soon landed upon PLUTON. It was a bomb that had combined the scientific and magic technology of the United World Government together. It was supposed to be a replacement for nuclear bombs. After all, an irradiated landscape was a useless land.
Though, PLUTON might prove to be a significant problem. It wasn't a weapon that they could use haphazardly. The researchers from the R&D Department had already given him some prospects about how the bomb might explode. But since it was the first for a bomb to be made of magic technology, most variables remained unknown.
But it shouldn't take long for the PLUTON to be known in its true self, after all, it was about to fall towards the traitors of the United World Government.
"This should be a good warning for the remaining rebels."
Returning back to Hellbound, the CSO watched as the heavy gunship was about to approach the designated coordinates for the bomb drop. The ramp of the AC-130 slowly opened as light glimmered through the interiors of the heavy gunship.
The SMAs glanced at one another before pulling the lever, propelling the trolley holding the newly-developed bomb forward. PLUTON was then dropped from Hellbound as it dived through the heavens painted in azure. The trolley that fell with it was quickly released, further accelerating the bomb downward.
The CSO witnessed through the screen as the velocity of the bomb accelerated. On the other hand, the large gathering of rebels below scattered, thinking that the lone AC-130 would begin bombarding them into damnation. However, only one bomb was needed.
It was all that was needed.
In mere moments, the bomb made its landing, though there was no blinding light that followed. Instead, PLUTON pierced through the ground as the runes within it gleamed with unparalleled radiance. At first, there was nothing. It made the CSO wonder if the bomb didn't work.
However, what followed was a terrifying sight.
An earthquake emerged out of nowhere as cracks formed throughout the vast plains where the vast army of rebel forces gathered. The entirety of Servusarator trembled as the very island itself quaked from the power of a single bomb. But there was no sign of explosion above.
No blazing heat that would turn anything into dust, no ruthless shockwave that would turn internal organs into mere liquid. There was only the trembling of the earth, as though the bomb had called upon a disaster into the land.
Naturally, though... It didn't end with a mere earthquake.
The CSO watched through the screen as the cracked plains collapsed in on itself. Area spanning several kilometers plummeted down as though the world's largest sinkhole had just taken place in Servusarator. The rebel forces fell with the ground they stand upon.
And he was left to observe the aftermath.
A vast hole spanning across a dozen kilometers with the depths far beyond what could be observed through the eyes. It was as if the land had sunk, leaving behind nothing but a lone, far-reaching cavity of the earth.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Such was the power of PLUTON.