The λ-Driver was one of the black technologies in Full Metal Panic!.
That technology converted the energy of human thought into physical energy. It was a form of psychic technology.
Supposedly, the way it manifested as physical force could vary in many different ways.
For example, when under intense attack, if the user's current state was a desperate desire for powerful protection and a sense of safety, then that mental force would usually be converted into a defensive energy shield.
And because different people understood "shield" differently, the protective barriers they created could differ as well.
Some produced a purely solid energy shield that simply resisted incoming attacks.
Some formed something like a disintegration field, causing shells and other projectiles to break down into fundamental particles the instant they struck.
Others were more like mirrors, reflecting attacks right back at the attacker.
In short, what form that protective shield took depended mainly on the user's own will and way of thinking.
Of course, that did not mean the shield would automatically become whatever type the brain imagined. But in theory, it seemed possible to reach that level. It would simply require the technology to be developed to its absolute limit, along with a user possessing unimaginable mental strength.
Also, protecting oneself and gaining a greater sense of security did not necessarily require a shield at all.
For example, if the converted energy became strong enough, it might be able to tear through space itself, or even allow spatial movement.
That said, the technology in this work had not reached anything that outrageous.
And it was not truly the case that all the energy came purely from human thoughts and willpower. In the process, mental force acted more like an ignition source, while the energy, fuel, and even part of the machine itself used by the operating device were consumed and transformed into highly efficient energy suited to the intended effect.
And so-called thoughts and mental force were also interconnected.
As for the current world's use and development of the λ-Driver, it was not a system that could be activated casually. To start it, the user needed a strong emotional reaction.
"Turning emotions into energy... Miss Tessa, doesn't that setting sound a little familiar to you?"
Kain, who was currently discussing the λ-Driver system with the young-looking captain, who appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, suddenly said that with a rather amused tone.
In a sense, the technology was basically scientific magic.
"Familiar setting?"
Tessa froze for a second, unable to understand what he meant.
"Magical girls."
That reminder made her eyes widen slightly. She immediately understood what he was referring to.
"You mean the λ-Driver system is kind of like the Incubators in Madoka's world, using emotions like despair to convert them into energy?"
The moment she thought of that world's "setting," Tessa began to feel uneasy as well.
Could the development of the λ-Driver really be the opening of Pandora's box?
"No need to get too nervous. Everything has two sides. It all depends on the user. Even if you stop developing it, Amalgam will still keep developing it."
Those words immediately changed Tessa's expression.
"How far has their λ-Driver development progressed?"
She pressed him urgently for an answer.
"I don't know that part exactly, but based on the plot of your world as I know it, both sides are actually progressing at about the same pace."
The words "about the same pace" made Tessa let out a sigh of relief.
But after thinking about it carefully, that made sense. If the other side were really that far ahead, they would probably have already put it into practical use by now.
"If that's the case, then we need to speed up our own λ-Driver development."
Major Andrew said this in a low voice.
They could not stop developing it just because it might bring destruction. Nothing in this world had ever advanced without risk.
Just as he had said, whether something brought destruction or creation depended on the kind of person using it.
And an organization like Amalgam would most likely misuse it. No, not most likely. Certainly.
Because of that, they had to obtain enough power to stand against them. Their own development could not fall behind.
At that moment, Executive Officer Richard walked over. Looking at his seemingly expressionless face, Andrew could still sense the shock in the old man's heart.
His old friend had merely gone to open the "gift" the other party had brought with him, something that looked like a toy mini-submarine for children.
Now, however, it seemed that the thing truly contained some astonishing technology.
"Mr. Kain, regarding the system in the Lady Chapel room that you want, even at the fastest possible speed, it will still take ten days before we can deliver it."
Richard said that with obvious difficulty.
Normally, there was no way the core system of the Tuatha de Danaan could be produced in just ten days.
The only reason it could be done that fast was because a second backup set had already been made partway, intended as a replacement in case something went wrong with the current warship.
A message had already been sent out ordering them to finish it within ten days as quickly as possible.
But according to the captain, the other party could only stay in this world for one hundred hours. That made things troublesome.
That meant they would need to invite him three times. Would he really think the cost of three cross-world transfers was worth it?
"That's fine. I'll stay for ten days."
"Ah? You're staying in our world for ten days?"
Tessa read that meaning directly from his words.
"Didn't you notice? The function changed a little again. You can now insert coins to extend the stay."
The problem was that the "coin insertion" did not work like paying for time at an internet café, where you could add time in small increments.
Each extension was a full one hundred hours at a time.
That meant each use required ten energy coins at once.
And the number of energy coins Kain currently possessed had already exceeded one hundred, so he had more than enough.
As for the system he wanted from the Tuatha de Danaan's core chamber, it also involved the use of the λ-Driver, but in a different application.
It was different from the way the system was used in the AS units developed in this world.
The equipment inside the core chamber allowed the user's mind to become something like the soul of the submarine, while the submarine itself became the user's body, allowing it to be controlled freely.
The reason Kain wanted this technology was to let the Archmagos Biologis El-Emima examine it and see whether it could be integrated into power armor, so that there would be no need for surgery to implant the Black Carapace.
As for why they were providing the finished product rather than the underlying technology, making it seem as though they were unwilling to transfer the technology, the reason was simple: some aspects of this thing's technical principles could not really be spoken aloud or written down.
Back when the second set had been built, Tessa herself had personally handled the core and carried out a number of operations she did not truly understand, and only then had it succeeded.
And now, even if Tessa tried to explain it herself, she still could not put it into words.
She alone could understand it, but she had no way to express that understanding so others could grasp it.
Or rather, to be precise, it was not that she absolutely could not.
She simply did not know how to explain it.
"...Since you can stay for ten days, Mr. Kain, would you be interested in joining this mission?"
Richard handed him a tablet. He felt sure the other man would participate.
Because the person shown on it, according to the information Kain had provided, was confirmed to be a Whispered, and one who possessed λ-Driver-related knowledge. She might even be more skilled than Tessa in using the facilities inside the Lady Chapel.
That meant she might possess λ-Driver knowledge that was broader than the captain's, or perhaps another branch of it that could be made compatible.
To put it simply, it was like a broad academic field split into several branches. The captain and that person each understood related branches, but in different directions.
"A mission?"
Kain took the tablet from the executive officer and looked at it. On the screen was information on a high school girl.
It looked like he had arrived just in time for the beginning of the plot.
(End of Chapter)
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