Chapter 5: Sleepless Holy Night
December 24th, 23:35 (Japan Standard Time)
Off the Coast of Izu Island, Underwater, Shark 1
Shark 1 inferred from the information it had received from the deployed sonobuoys that the Tuatha de Danaan was making a desperate feint. It changed course and speed frequently, probably to try to confuse the Shark’s TMA (Target Motion Analysis).
It was a foolish decision. Did he really think that using textbook underwater battle tactics would work against these Leviathans?
Opening an encrypted line used in shallow underwater communication, Shark 1 sent orders to his subordinates.
“B240, D300, Code 13.
“Course 240. Go to a depth of 300, then attack the target from 3 sides. Permission to use high-speed torpedoes.”
Ten seconds later, he received a “Roger” from both of the other Sharks.
From the back seat, the “co-pilot” of Shark 1 activated the firearms control system.
The weapons loaded on the Leviathans were Soviet-made ultra high-speed torpedoes called “Buryas”, which could reach speeds of 120 knots. They could reach an enemy at more than double the speed of the torpedoes currently used by the Western powers. It would be impossible for even the Tuatha de Danaan to shake off these missiles.
The ship’s AI informed him that they were in optimal firing range. The other two ships had also snuck in to the same distance.
Even a quick submarine like the de Danaan would have no chance if it were hit by Buryas from three different directions.
He released the final safety device and pulled the trigger.
There was a heavy shock, and the super high-speed torpedo that the Leviathan had been carrying shot out of the firing tube, heading towards the de Danaan.
How easy. Extremely easy...
Shark 1 chuckled.
Then, aiming towards the waters where the Pacific Chrysalis was, he began preparing the equipment for the next task. Regular torpedoes would be enough for this.
He didn’t know who was on that ship. He didn’t really care. He would follow his orders and destroy it.
♦ ♦ ♦
Tuatha de Danaan
The de Danaan’s deck officer, Lieutenant Godart, appeared very calm on the outside, but on the inside, his heart was beating violently against his chest.
Without any warning, they had suddenly found themselves in an almost hopeless battle. Just a few minutes ago, they had believed that there were no enemies in the sea which could threaten this ship at its best. But now...!
The enemies’ speed was over 50 knots. And there were three of them.
More than likely, their top speed was better than the de Danaan’s. And this enemy- if this was normal- was blatantly disregarding the rules of combat. It was unthinkable to sneak in to try and strike the deathblow.
A hit and run, huh?
Draw in close with unbelievable speed, immediately striking with an insane amount of firepower. Then, once everything had been speedily taken care of, withdraw from the battlefield.
And all in a very short time. It would be impossible for an ordinary submarine, but these enemies could do it. If he himself hadn’t been acquainted with the de Danaan’s abilities, Godart wouldn’t have believed that such tactics were possible.
Compared to these small ships, which possessed the mobility of your average torpedo, the de Danaan was just too big. On paper, if this type of situation were presented, there would be no way to win. But no one would even hypothesize this kind of fight in the first place.
Godart glanced at acting-Captain Commander Mardukas’ appearance. He was standing silently in the middle of the command center with a melancholic look on his face. He was probably guessing at how powerful the enemy was from the data they had collected so far.
His dark expression made Godart feel increasingly uneasy.
What’s going on...
The enemy’s movements were linear, meaning they were confident in their victory. Why the arrogance? Were they carrying some other kind of unbelievable weapon?
The sonar room answered that question.
“Con, sonar! Torpedo! Heading 0-4-9! From Mike 13!”
“Can you tell what type? And how fast?” Mardukas asked, unsurprised by the enemy’s attack.
“Wait a moment... impossible. It’s going too fast. More than likely, over 100 knots...!? This kind of torpedo doesn’t exist. What in the hell-”
“It’s a ‘Burya’.”
“Burya?”
Godart raised his eyebrow when he heard the Commander’s words.
“It’s a Soviet-made super high-speed torpedo. It creates an air bubble around itself and uses a rocket motor for propulsion. It probably uses a wired guidance system. It seems that occasionally the Intelligence Department can do their job.”
“Bu... but Captain, even if we know what it is, we won’t be able to shake it off at that speed.”
“It’s strange that a ship could shake off a torpedo to start with. It’s nothing to make a fuss about.”
“But...!”
Mardukas darted an angry look at Godart.
“Don’t panic, Lieutenant. If you panic, you’ll bother me. If I’m bothered, then this ship will sink. I’m sorry, but this time there won’t be time to argue about the details of battle tactics while I’m giving you gentlemen instructions. Obey without thinking. Quickly, and loyally.”
“Y... yes, Sir.”
“Very well. Then set course 1-3-5. Slowly speed up to 60 knots. Don’t worry about cavitation. Open door to torpedo tube number three. Cancel all safety devices.”
“A... aye, Sir!” he replied, and repeated all of the orders.
<Estimated 60 seconds to contact>
Handling the complex target motion analysis, the mother AI began the final countdown. Then the sonar room yelled out as if they had been hit.
“There’s two more torpedoes! One each from Mikes 14 and 15! The same kind as the other! Their directions are 0-6-8 and 0-8-9!”
The enemy torpedoes that were currently heading towards the de Danaan were astronomically more powerful than the ones used by the American submarine during the Perio Islands incident. He wasn’t even sure they could dodge just one- but now there were three of them coming from three directions.
There was no time. Only about 50 seconds.
Even so, from what Godart could tell, Mardukas didn’t seem to be upset. He just stood there staring sullenly at the multi-purpose screen like a student of codes in front of a seemingly meaningless sequence of information.
None of that data showed a way for the ship to escape.
Unless- Godart thought- the Commander sees something the rest of us don’t...?
“We’ve passed 50 knots.”
“What’s the course of the torpedo from M13?”
“2-2-1.”
Right now, the de Danaan was moving on a course almost perpendicular to the course of the torpedo. The torpedo was correcting its route little by little as it made its way straight towards them.
“Now... 40 seconds left!”
Then, in a tone of voice that made him sound more like he was ordering lunch in a restaurant than fighting a battle, Mardukas replied, “That will do. Full stop. All ahead port. Course, 0-4-5.”
“Aye, Sir! Full stop! All ahead port! Course, 0-4-5! ...what!?”
Even though he diligently carried out the orders, the executive officer’s expression radically changed. This was because Mardukas’ orders were moving them into a course that faced the incoming torpedo head on.
“Weapon’s control. When we’ve reached course 0-4-5, fire torpedo number three.”
“B-but at that distance, the safety devices will-”
“Five degrees more.”
“Aye, Sir! ...Firing number three!”
The torpedo rushed out of the firing tube. Immediately, Mardukas ordered, “Start engines, all back full. Activate EMFC.”
“Full reverse!”
“EMFC, contact!”
The speed of the enormous ship suddenly decreased. It pulled away from the fired torpedo at full speed, stopped before long, then began to retreat. But the enemy torpedo had closed in on them. Was he trying to ambush it?
Godart went pale. It would be impossible to attack a torpedo coming that fast with their torpedo. Because of the enormous amount of water pressure, as well as the torpedo’s explosive power, the blast radius would be very small. Unlike its fellow anti-aircraft missiles, whose blast could scatter debris for dozens of yards, if the torpedo didn’t hit its target almost exactly, then it would cause no damage.
It wasn’t as if the Commander didn’t know that. Then why was he-
“All hands, brace for impact,” Mardukas said in an even tone of voice over the ship intercom, then gripped the armrest of the Captain’s chair right beside him. Godart hastily followed his lead.
On the main screen, the marks of the approaching enemy torpedo as well as the torpedo they had just shot were at a distance where they would make contact in a few seconds.
“FCO. You’re calm, right?”
“Y... yes, Sir!” the fire control officer replied in a high-pitched voice.
“Very well. Detonate torpedo three. Right now.”
“Aye, Sir!”
The torpedo exploded just short of the enemy torpedo, right in front of the ship. A tremendous roar and shock wave hit the de Danaan. The ship shook as if had taken several hundred jabs, and the crew was tossed around.
“...uh!!”
Godart nervously poured over the wavering main screen while gripping his seat.
Intercept failed. Their torpedo had exploded before the enemy torpedo had passed.
Because of the tempestuous noise caused by countless numbers of bubbles, he couldn’t confirm its existence, but it was probably still alive. And it now it would be aiming for them at high speed.
According to the countdown, there was one second left-
“Next. All back stop. Move forward at two-thirds power. Course, 0-6-7. Surface to periscope depth,” Mardukas said through the noise. His tone of voice stated that he had already moved onto the next level of the fight.
“Eh...?”
Beginning with Godart, most of the crew looked doubtfully at each other.
The enemy torpedo had disappeared. All of the data confirmed it. Even though their torpedo hadn’t hit it.
“We’re past the first one. Number two and number three are on their way. We’re going to fight the others the same way. With the next interceptions, shoot all of the maglocks from the
MVLS above the surface. Set all of the coordinates exactly as I give them. Understood?”
♦ ♦ ♦
Shark 1
The pilot of Shark 1 was surprised. The Burya heading towards the “Toy Box” had been destroyed by the blast of the enemy’s torpedo.
“Impossible... they knew?”
One of the Burya’s few weaknesses.
In order to displace the enormous amount of water pressure created by the amazing speed at which it traveled through the water, the Burya formed a large bubble-membrane around itself. That balance was very delicate- if it were hit by a momentary explosive impulse from a certain distance, the sudden turbulence which beat against it would render it flightless.
Just like a plane going into a tailspin.
Once the balance has been destroyed, the Burya is unable to protect itself from the power of the water and its own speed tears itself in two.
The commanding officer on the Tuatha de Danaan noticed this weakness.
Shark 1 hadn’t been surprised for long before the enemy ship had moved onto its next course of action. And the de Danaan was using the same method as before to attack the approaching Buryas from Sharks 2 and 3.
There were numerous explosions in the distance, causing a deep-sea concerto of ear piercing noise. The racket caused by the
birth of millions of bubbles completely masked the sound of the de Danaan’s movements.
This is bad.
He couldn’t see the enemy. First, he would have to decelerate to eliminate the noise, then listen carefully. Shark 1 suspended its high speed cruising. The loud turbulence disappeared, and in the deep, dark silence, Shark 1 concentrated on the data from the sonobuoy.
He didn’t know where it was, but the de Danaan was probably still out there. There was no doubt that they were lying still in the area around where the explosions occurred. However, if he took offensive measures, he would soon find out their position.
“Be careful. If we find them first, victory will be ours...”
The area of ocean which had been filled with noise until a moment ago, suddenly became a quiet, pitch black void.
His two allies had also dropped speed, cruising along silently.
“The bubbles around the enemy ship have cleared away. Let’s set sonobuoy to active to confirm their position,” his co-pilot said from the back seat.
“Good. There’s nothing our colleagues can do. We’ll calmly track down our enemy.”
It seemed that the Buryas had been overkill, but he wouldn’t use the same trick twice. This time, if the enemy took the offensive, he would sense their position first, then deliver a blow that would be impossible to avoid. He would challenge them to close combat.
In any case, that ship would meet its watery grave.
“They won’t know what hit ‘em... heh heh heh.”
Just after Shark 1 had gloated, he detected a new sound source. It sounded like each of his allies- Sharks 2 and 3- had been surrounded by five large splashing sounds.
That was because something had dropped from the sky.
It was-
“Maglocks!? When did they...!?”
Maglocks were anti-submarine missiles. Like Tomahawk missiles and Harpoon missiles, they were shot from underwater; after speeding along above the surface of the water, they reentered the water, used their sonar to lock on to the enemy submarine, and destroyed it.
The de Danaan had shot out a large quantity of Maglocks without him noticing.
Normally, he would have been able to detect the sound- a very large reverberation- of an enemy firing a group of missiles above the water. He could have used that time to take evasive maneuvers beforehand. Then it would have been a stalemate.
However, Shark 1 had been completely unable to hear the sound of the de Danaan firing those missiles, because it had been masked by the sounds of the Buryas exploding. They had used the very short amount of time during which the shock waves had hit them, causing an enormous amount of noise-
“It can’t be...”
When he realized the level-headedness and audacity of the enemy commander, the pilot of Shark 1 shuddered.
For his comrades, who had been taken by surprise, there was no chance. The torpedoes had been spread like a net in a small, several hundred-meter radius. That alignment was also so accurate it was god-like.
Before they had time to exhibit their ostentatious high-speed capabilities, Sharks 2 and 3 were caught by the Maglocks that the de Danaan had shot and sunk.
The ringing sounds of merciless explosions and noise confirmed it quite clearly.
“A... all back flank. Course 2-7-5. Those Maglocks’ll get us if this continues!” his backseat co-pilot reported. Then, shaking off the unpleasant memories, Shark 1 thought again.
But it’s okay. We’ve already fired an ADCAP at that passenger boat. It’s not like a Burya; it’s only a conventional torpedo, but it’ll be enough for that ship.
It was less than five minutes to impact. It was proper that the most important mission be carried out. After this, the Pacific Chrysalis would go down along with its hundreds of passengers. And so would the de Danaan. He would have his revenge.
“We’ll approach from the north and use the remaining torpedoes to hunt them down. If they dodge those, then we’ll use our speed to come in close and bring them down with the grappling arms.”
“Understood. We’ll show ‘em.”
“The enemy got the upper hand, but that ends now. We’ll show those bastards!”
It had received some unexpected damage, but the remaining Shark could still bring the de Danaan down. They would see.
♦ ♦ ♦
Tuatha de Danaan
“M13 reacquired! Direction 0-3-1! It’s started accelerating to course 2-0-5!” the sonar room reported without trying to hide the excitement in his voice at all.
“Th-the last enemy is approaching from the north, Captain. It won’t run across anymore of the Maglocks,” said Lieutenant Godart, who, up until a few seconds ago, believed he was going to die. He wiped the beads of sweat from his brow.
The way the Commander had dealt with those enemy missiles, the brave counterattacks he had used just on the verge of impact- even though he had seen all of that with his own eyes, Godart thought that this time they were helpless.
“Course 2-0-5, you said?” Mardukas replied as calmly as ever.
“Affirmative!”
“Speed?”
“Estimated 50 knots!”
“Hmm...”
When Mardukas heard that, his expression loosened just a little. It was the smile like that of a teacher when a certain student has given him exactly the answer he expected.
“I see. M13. If you still wish to fight my ship, then there’s no other road to take- although it’s a pity...”
“Captain? What...”
“Lieutenant. You recall the ADSLMMs we set up earlier just in case, right?”
“Ah...!”
The ADSLMMs- when Godart remembered the position where they had secretly deployed the self-propelled mines, he slapped his forehead.
Right now, the last enemy was headed straight for the area where those mines were hidden.
♦ ♦ ♦
Shark 1
Shark 1, who was burning with the desire for revenge, was completely unaware of the enemy mines hidden in his path.
If he had been thinking discretely and prudently, he would have thought about the possibility of the enemy shooting them while it was making so much noise. If he knew just that, he would have still been able to escape.
But he didn’t. While he understood that the abuse one suffered in private was a certain thing in the navy, he had never understood the cold, reckless behavior of his former superior officer.
Suddenly, two self-propelled mines appeared in his path, heading straight for him.
“Wha...”
Even with the Leviathan’s mobility, it was too close to avoid.
There were only a few seconds left. He shot some decoy countermeasures, but they were completely ineffective at such a close distance. His co-pilot in the back seat let out a scream.
Between that and the noisy ringing of warning alarms inside the cockpit, he cursed the name of his former superior officer.
“Mardukas. You son-of-a-bitch.”
Those were his last words. The de Danaan’s smart mines detonated nearby, blowing Shark 1 to pieces.
♦ ♦ ♦
Tuatha de Danaan
“The sounds of the ADSLMM exploding. M13... has sunk!”
When they heard the sonar room’s report, the crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. But there wasn’t enough time for everyone to burst out in joy like in a movie scene.
Godart was also incredulous. He smiled tensely as he glanced at Mardukas’ profile.
“C-Captain...”
“The enemy should have known better. Trying to sink a ship under my command with three tiny ‘underwater fighters’ is like trying to challenge a fortress with three infantrymen.”
From the very beginning, Mardukas was able to anticipate everything, from how the fight would progress, to how the enemy would move. Just like a chess match. What composure- what courage he had. Knowing the true merits of his superior officer put Godart at a loss for words.
“If the Captain had been here, she would have done the same thing. If it had been her orders from the very start, you probably wouldn’t have been so terrified, huh, Godart?” Mardukas said in his normal, stingingly sarcastic tone of voice.
“No, I just... I apologize.”
“Hmph. Never mind it, then. Besides...”
The Duke returned his hat back to its original position.
The Commander, who had shown that he wouldn’t be beaten by the likes of Lieutenant Commander Kalinin or any of the other burly ground unit men, turned back into the tired, middle-aged man that he always was.
“This is game, set, match. Open a line with the ground unit right away. They’re in more danger than us right now- there’s a torpedo headed their way.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Pacific Chrysalis
When it rains, it pours.
Just when they had taken care of the group of Alastors which had appeared on the ship, Sousuke and the rest of his unit received word from the de Danaan about a new threat.
“Enemy high-speed torpedo approaching. Estimated time, under one minute. Take evasive maneuvers and evacuate the passengers without delay.”
“Damn it, could you not be so nonchalant about it?! Well?!” Kurz yelled at the heavens when he heard the communication. His voice was drowned out by the sound of the evacuation broadcast over the intercom.
“All passengers and crew are to immediately evacuate to the starboard, or right, side of the ship. I repeat, the starboard side of the ship. We are incredibly sorry to make you, our good passengers, worry on such a wonderful, wonderful Christmas Eve, but in order to prepare for the very small chance that something might happen, we need you to immediately make your way to the starboard side of the ship-”
Clouseau grabbed onto the side railing and yelled into his radio, “Enough with the stupid apologizing already and just repeat the order!” to his subordinate on the bridge.
“But, Lieutenant Clouseau, since we’re inconveniencing everyone, it’s our duty to- oops, damn. The speaker switch is on.”
“You idiot...!!”
Clouseau, whose real name had just been grandly announced all throughout the ship, shook his fist as the vein in his head throbbed.
“Uh, Lieutenant. I understand that you’re in a difficult position and all, but I think we’d better evacuate. If the torpedo hits, this part of the ship will probably be blown to bits,” Kurz said calmingly from behind him. Clouseau just clicked his tongue.
On Mardukas’ orders, all of the helicopters on the de Danaan were waiting on standby for a rescue operation. The other transport helicopters that had taken off beforehand were to scatter countermeasures above the water to jam the torpedo’s guidance systems, and try to somehow protect the ship.
However, it would be almost impossible for such a large ship to avoid an enemy missile.
“Everyone is to evacuate. There’s nothing that can be done now.”
“There is a way,” Sousuke replied over the Arbalest’s external speakers, as well as the radio. When they looked back, they saw the Arbalest, which had just been boarded by its operator, stand up in the middle of the tennis courts.
“Hey, what’re you doing, Sousuke?” Kurz asked- right next to him, the Arbalest walked over to the port side of the ship in which the torpedo was headed, and gazed out into the pitch black sea.
Inside the cockpit, Sousuke pushed the voice command switch and said, “Al. Activate all sensors, no limits. Wide reconnaissance. Search for a heat source up to a depth of 30 feet.”
<Roger. A torpedo?>
The machine’s AI, Al, answered.
“Yes.”
<Target detected at Alpha 12. Direction, 11 o’clock, distance, 1000. Estimated 90 kilometers per hour. It is approaching. 30 seconds to contact>
“Sniper mode. We’ll intercept it using all firearms. Adjust for calculation errors.”
<This machine does not possess valid alignment correction data in regards to an underwater target>
“It can’t be helped. Now concentrate.”
<Roger. Sniper mode>
Sousuke could see the glowing white “heat source” approaching from underneath the surface of a green-colored sea on the night vision screen.
This wasn’t a time to be conservative with the ammunition. He lined up his sights, and without any hesitation, pulled the trigger.
The 40mm rifle he was holding as well as the head-mounted 12.7mm chain gun lit up. At the Arbalest’s feet, Kurz and the others covered their ears against the terrible noise and ran towards the starboard side of the ship.
The “chain gun” was a 30mm machine gun originally developed for use by combat helicopters. It was reduced in size, its firing speed increased, and then mounted on the heads of the Arbalest and M9s. This was the chain gun that only moments ago had put an end to the row of Alastors. Its firing speed was 1800 rounds per minute. That calculated to it being able to spit out 30 large-sized bullets per second. That chain gun, along with the 40mm rifle shooting 1200 rounds a minute, rained down a barrage of bullets into the sea.
But for all of the firepower that he used, the approaching torpedo didn’t change course at all- because nothing hit it. The courses of the bullets became erratic the moment they hit the
water’s surface. At best, their power only lasted to a depth of a few meters.
The high-speed torpedo continued on its course straight towards the Pacific Chrysalis.
<Interception of torpedo failed. Evacuate immediately.>
Al was probably thinking about their safety. It was recommending retreat.
However, at that moment, as Sousuke stared at the floating image of the target on the screen, his normally under-used imagination started working.
There was nothing left to do. The ship would sink. His colleagues, everyone from school, and Chidori would all be blown up and thrown into the winter sea.
He wouldn’t let that happen-
That certain confidence and determination awakened the sleeping system within his machine with perfect form.
<It is here. We can do it. Your orders, Sarge>
Al replied briefly, as if inspired by Sousuke’s feelings.
“We’re going in!”
<Roger>
Sousuke and Al threw themselves off of the deck of the Pacific Chrysalis, out into the sea in front of them.
It was a short flight. The bubbles from where the machine dropped into the water violently burst open against their surroundings and disappeared. Using a wire gun which it had shot into the ship’s hull, the Arbalest skillfully adjusted its own position as it swam through the turbulence caused by the large ship’s hull.
<The torpedo is coming. OK. Stay in this position. Ready? Count 5. 3... 2...>
Al counted down with perfect timing, expertly picking up on Sousuke’s tempo and mood. It was a message that would have been impossible for an ordinary AI.
Up ahead, in the middle of the night vision screen, the torpedo approached at high speed.
<Now!>
Grasping the controller, Sousuke jerked the right master arm. The Arbalest traced the movement exactly, delivering a firm punch into the torpedo that now filled his vision.
The waters foamed, and space became distorted.
The Arbalest’s Lambda Driver started, and drove an invisible force field into the torpedo directly in front of it. Suddenly, the target was smashed to bits and blew up.
All of the energy from the blast was blown in the opposite direction.
An enormous waterspout erupted from the water, and the aftershocks of the explosion rocked the ship. The Arbalest was also at the mercy of that same tremendous power as it clung to the wire coming from its left arm.
“...uh!”
<Success. Lambda Drive was functioning. The enemy torpedo has been destroyed. We should quickly raise our spirits in case there is another one. Confidence. Confidence is very important.>
“I got it, so shut up!” Sousuke yelled as he struggled to keep the unit’s posture control against the raging waters. It would be a serious problem if the wire gun’s anchor were to break and pitch him out away from the cruising boat.
It wasn’t long before the turbulence from the explosion died down. There didn’t seem to be another torpedo.
Sighing with relief, Sousuke carefully retracted the wire gun and somehow managed to climb back onto the ship’s deck.
The crises and dilemmas continued.
♦ ♦ ♦
At the same time that the Arbalest had stopped the torpedo, Kaname, along with Yang and several Mithril soldiers, was running to the starboard side observation deck. After she had heard Tessa’s voice, Kaname called out to the nearby soldiers and they took off towards the section where the lifeboats were kept.
Suddenly, they were hit by a thunderous noise and shockwave. The boat leaned precariously to the right, and Kaname, who was clinging to the wall to keep from being tossed around, yelled out, “What was that just now!?”
“It felt like we were just hit by the torpedo, but... that’s odd. It didn’t seem to do much of anything.”
Sousuke and the Arbalest somehow found a way to stop it... Kaname thought, then stood up.
“Then it’s probably okay. Let’s hurry!”
“Eh? Uh, sure,” Yang answered, and took off once again. “But, are you certain!? That the Captain’s been taken-”
“There’s no doubt. That other Captain used a life boat and- over there!”
Kaname pointed to the area in front of the jogging track where several lifeboats hung.
Yang moved out in front, his gun straight in front of him.
“Stay down, and get behind me. The enemy could be hiding.”
According to the guidance map right beside them, there were five lifeboats stationed in this area. But when Kaname and the others ran in, the number of boats there was- four.
“One’s missing. That means Tessa’s...!” Kaname cursed. Then one of the soldiers yelled, “Damn it. On the water, in the direction of one o’clock, distance 500!”
When they looked out in the middle of the dim ocean illuminated by the lights of the luxury ship, they saw a single boat moving away at full speed.
“We’re too late,” Yang said despairingly.
“We can’t give up now, can we!? There’s gotta be a way-”
“I got it- this is Uruz 9 to Gebo 9, do you read me?” he called out over the radio to the helicopter flying overhead. That transport helicopter- Gebo 9- soon replied, “This is Gebo 9, we read you.”
“You know the lifeboat that just left the ship? Leaving north-northwest, distance is 800 meters. Ansuz has been abducted! Stop it!”
Even as he said this, the boat on which Tessa was riding got further away by the moment, and was eventually swallowed up by the night.
♦ ♦ ♦
MH-67 “Pave Mare” Multi-purpose Helicopter
Call Sign “Gebo 9”
“Stop them? How!?” Lieutenant Eva Santos, pilot of the Mithril multi-purpose helicopter- MH-67 Pave Mare, replied in a raised voice as they circled four kilometers south of the Pacific Chrysalis.
“Tessa’s on it, right? So we can’t attack it without involving her, too.”
“Well, can’t you just hit the engine or something!?” Yang yelled over the radio.
“That’s easy for you to say. We could try it, but... ahh, damn it. Where’s the target!?”
Santos yelled, and the electronic warfare officer operating the helicopter’s infrared sensors from the backseat quickly replied, “Wait... I found it just now. Course 3-4-0, distance 4000. Moving at 30 knots.”
“Alright then, we’ll circle around from the left side and move in.”
Lieutenant Santos moved the controller, making the helicopter hurry after the boat. The engine turbines groaned, and the Pave Mare closed in on its target at once. Because it had already dropped off its large cargo, the Arbalest, the helicopter was able to move almost as sharply as a small fighter plane.
In less than a minute, the boat skimming along the surface of the water was within the view of their night vision goggles.
“I see it. Have mini-gun two on standby. Even if you miss, don’t hit the Captain.”
“Roger, Captain!” the firing crew replied spiritedly. Santos ordered them to take up position about 200 meters off the left side of the boat kicking up the white caps of the waves.
“Fire!”
The muzzle of the 7.62 Vulcan machine gun mounted on the right side of the Pave Mare lit up. A rain of 100 bullets a second grazed the back of the boat and caused numerous waterspouts to shoot up out of the water. Unfortunately, their aim was off.
“Adjust your aim!”
“The waves are making it bounce all over the place- shit, we’ll hit the Captain. The target’s too fast. There’s no way to just hit the engine. Can’t we get any closer!?”
“Understood, I’ll try-”
When Santos went to move the helicopter closer, something unusual happened. Several hundred meters ahead of the life boat- from an area of water where nothing was, came a ribbon of light.
“Anti-aircraft missile!” someone yelled.
The missile, which had suddenly appeared from the water, rushed through the sky, heading straight for Santos’s helicopter.
“Kuh...!”
She violently moved the stick and cyclic. Scattering decoy flares and chaffs throughout the sky, the Pave Mare went into a steep turn. It was a rough maneuver that looked like they were diving straight into the water.
It was close. Then two seconds later...
The missile exploded at point-blank range.
There was an impact and the sound of something going “gakun” on the right side of the helicopter. The meters spun out of control, and a dark, metallic noise thrummed from the engine and drive shaft.
A lot of alarms went off. The co-pilot and electronic warfare officer were yelling.
“Engine two is on fire! Electricity failing! Oil pressure falling!”
“We’ve lost the starboard ECS unit! The left stub wing’s been blown off!”
Santos, who was dizzy from hitting her head on the corner of the seat, calmly checked the response of the controls.
“Don’t panic. Cut the power to engine two. Switch the electric and hydraulic systems to backup. And the fuel supply system, too. The tail rotor’s still working, right? Can we still see!?”
“Affirmative!” the crew in the cargo hold answered.
“And the automatic fire-extinguishers?”
“Operational.”
It was okay, they could still fly. If they had responded just a few moments later, they would have been blown up. It had been close.
While directing minor damage control, she used the active ECCS (anti-ECS sensors) to scan the area of ocean that the missile had come from.
“Damn...” she cursed when she confirmed the target’s true nature. Floating on top of the water, hidden by ECS, was an enormous airship. An infantry-portable anti-aircraft missile had been shot from its wing. The airship probably belonged to Amalgam. It had used ECS to slip into these waters without anyone noticing.
They couldn’t outrun a second shot. She really wanted to save Tessa, but they would end up being shot down before then and everything would be lost.
“...retreat.”
Gritting her teeth, she turned the helicopter back in the other direction. Santos had no choice but to give the humiliating report to her unit.
♦ ♦ ♦
In the cabin of the boat, which now sped through the night, Tessa sat quietly, with her hands cuffed. She could do nothing but watch silently as her allies’ helicopter faded into the distance after
being attacked by a missile. That was probably Lieutenant Santos’s Gebo 9. She hoped no one was hurt.
“Hm hm hm hm, hmm hmm, hmm hm hm huh, hmm huh hmm...” Harris hummed as he sat in the pilot’s seat, the salt air blowing over him. It was Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
“It’s Christmas. Be happy,” he said cheerfully as he turned around to face her. “To tell the truth, you’re a much harder VIP to obtain than Kaname Chidori, since you’re usually hidden under the water where no one can reach you. But I got you. I really- really got you. If I could have used the facilities on my ship, then I would have been able to thoroughly investigate your mind, but... well, just have to give up on that, I guess.”
Tessa said nothing, scowling at her companion.
“Ooh, how scary.”
Harris shrugged.
“But it is a shame. I’ll probably be removed from the role of investigating you personally. I wanted to strip your spirit bare, and penetrate you to the deepest recesses of your mind. I wanted to see that strong, beautiful face of yours distorted as you cried out in pain. Expose all of your ugly hatred, fear, and obscene desires- your eyes clouded in a trance, spit dripping wretchedly down your face... I really wanted to see it.”
Tessa, taking in the vulgar look he gave her, opened her mouth.
“...the equipment you used to study Miss Kaname in Shun On is on that ship, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. That’s because it’s a boat that goes all around the world. It’s very convenient for abducting ‘candidates’ that have been chosen from all nations using certain techniques, and getting them out of the country.”
“How inefficient. If it were me, I’d-”
“You wouldn’t use such methods. Don’t you agree? That’s the point. That’s why we haven’t been suspected until now. No matter how popular they become, a passenger boat like that usually carries the harmless upper class. Local customs, public safety, secret services; all of them give us leeway. Because they think, ‘there’s no way’. I know now- the reason you guys suspected the ship’s true purpose. Probably thanks to Mr. Iron’s meddling.”
“...”
The boat’s engine became quiet.
“We’re here. A pleasant flight awaits us.”
From the cabin window, Tessa could see the wing of the gigantic airship with the ECS now cancelled. The boat she was riding slowly turned and pulled up along the right side of the ship.
“Stand up,” Harris commanded, pulling Tessa up.
The airplane she transferred to was about the size of an average jumbo jet, big enough to carry several 50-ton tanks. It was even larger than the C-17 “Globe Master II” transport planes that Mithril used.
Soviet-made, huh...
She had seen the recent reports from the Intelligence Department. This was the world’s largest aircraft that could perform water take-offs and landings. And from looking at the equipment in its hold, she could tell that it had transported some small ships.
“Don’t be looking around! Walk!”
An armed member of the airship’s crew prodded Tessa in the back.
As soon as they had finished the transfer, the ship started to accelerate. The waves crashed up against the hull, causing it to shake a little.
No one was there to stop it.
The large airship left the water, rising up into the night sky.
♦ ♦ ♦
Pacific Chrysalis
“They got away,” Clouseau said dismally after cutting off his radio.
“The Captain is... the enemy has...”
“Hey, hey, aren’t we going to do something!? It’s still close, right? If we shot an antiaircraft missile or something-” Kurz raised his voice, but Clouseau cut him off.
“Shoot it? With her on there?”
“Uh...” Kurz faltered.
The enemy airship was already in the air. It would be easy for the de Danaan to shoot it down with an antiaircraft missile, but then Tessa would die, too.
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