Previous Chapter: March of the Overlord 3
“Enemy torpedo has changed its course and is heading straight for us!!!”
A report resonates across the bridge like a scream. Cruising through the ocean at an estimated 50 knots, the enemy torpedo was heading straight for their ship. The battleship Quasar had already been conducting evasive maneuvers, but the enemy torpedo changed its heading accordingly as it closed the distance. With the sun having already set, the smoke emanating from the direct hits of the anti-ship guided missiles rose from various parts of the fleet, darkening their surroundings.
They’ve finally set their sights on me!!
A weapon known as a guided torpedo that was outside their norm.
The chilling breath of death as it loomed behind him, breathing down his neck.
Commander of the 2nd Advance Fleet, Aurones, couldn’t control his hands from trembling.
“Is… is this really it for me?!”
An unrecognizable dread wells up from the depths of his heart. Ever since he was appointed as an officer, he was ready to die for the sake of the empire. However, the empire was powerful. Even the possibility of death affected only an excruciatingly few imperial soldiers and being an imperial officer meant that death was never something he was supposed to welcome on his door. However, with the introduction of irrational high-performance weapons and the bitter taste of reality before him, he felt that death had now come for him as he shook in fear of the truth that was far from what he had imagined.
I don’t want to die!
He wanted to scream.
However, his position as commander didn’t allow him to give in. He pressed himself and restrained his voice.
The enemy torpedo rapidly neared the ship, giving him no time to think clearly.
“It’s no use!! We can’t avoid it!!”
One of the lookouts screamed.
“Everyone, hold on to something!!!”
“Dear gods!!!”
Various screams echoed across the bridge.
Moments later, the sharp sound of erupting steel was heard. After a slight delay, an ear-piercing deep sound reverberated across the ship and across the ocean. The gigantic steel battleship Quasar shook violently from the hit. A massive column of water erupted from the starboard side of the ship, throwing volumes of water up in the air which drizzled on the ship.
“Starboard side hit!!!”
“Damage report!!!”
“A massive hole was reported on the starboard side!!! We can’t stop the flooding!!!”
A terrific amount of seawater rushed into the interior of the ship, causing it to gradually list.
“Commencing flooding of the port side!!!”
As the ship’s balance faltered from the high volume of flooding on the starboard side, the ship listed towards the right. They were attempting to try to preserve the ship’s balance by flooding the port side. However, the ship’s list slowly returned.
“We’ve reached the limit for the flooding of the port side!!! It’s no good! We can’t stop the flooding on the starboard side!!!”
“What?!”
The hole that was opened up by the enemy torpedo on the starboard side was far too massive that even simple repairs won’t do. With the compartment doors destroyed altogether, seawater continued to flood the interior. The damage brought about by the flooding had already surpassed the Quasar’s damage control, causing it to list further to the right.
“Tsk!!! It was only a single hit!!! Are the enemy torpedoes far more powerful than ours?!”
The torpedo’s speed, range, and guided nature were all game-breaking, unfair characteristics. Those alone made the enemy’s torpedoes terrifying but their damaging capabilities were also far from expectations.
“Enemy guided rockets are approaching once more!!!”
“Argh!!! What timing!!!”
Commander Aurones looked to the sky from the bridge of the sinking battleship. The outer reaches of the fleet have also detected the incoming attacks and have already begun firing their anti-aircraft guns.
“Oh… Oh no!!!”
The scene that unfolded before Aurones was different from the scenes that he and the others have witnessed beforehand. Several dozens of anti-ship guided missiles flew across their line of sight. A single rocket deals enough damage to knock out a cruiser. They were only able to see a few dozen of the rockets that flew straight for their ships. There was no reliable way of preventing them. Hopelessness prevailed over the spirits of everyone.
“Those… bastards!!! Damn it all!!!”
Frustration. Fear. Hopelessness.
Aurones was enveloped by emotions he couldn’t express. The empire wasn’t even able to grasp where its enemy was. From outside their range and detection capabilities, the enemy continued to one-sidedly attack them with precise and powerful strikes. Destruction has finally caught up to the fleet.
“Cruiser Staz, Molt, and Chio have been hit!!!”
One by one, the imperial fleet was engulfed in flames that overshadowed the ships they had come from.
“The 3rd Destroyer Squadron from the outer ring has been hit!!! 8 ships have sunk!!!”
“3rd Destroyer Squadron annihilated!!! The 3 cruisers that were hit are now beyond help and are sinking!!!”
Aurones trembled as he glared at the surface of the ocean.
“Unbelievable!!! I must be having a horrible nightmare!!! We’re supposed to be the invincible Gra Valkas Imperial Navy!!!”
None of the hopeless reports being made reached Aurones’s ears. From what he could see, even more anti-ship guided missiles appeared.
“No!!! No!!! NO!!!”
Their casualties continued to mount in the dozens. They were now in a situation where it was no longer possible to command the fleet.
“Ah!”
A single anti-ship guided missile rose from the surface of the ocean as it flew in their direction. The missile then turned down, destined for the bridge.
“You bastard!!!!!”
40 Type 93 air to ship guided missiles (ASM-2) launched from 10 F-2 fighters from the Japan Air Self Defense Force skimmed the ocean’s surface at 1150km/h. After catching the enemy ships in their sights, they climbed from their sea-skimming altitude. Their imaging infrared guidance system captures the ships precisely as the missiles hit the ships from an angle. One of these missiles hits the bridge of the battleship Quasar, the flagship of the Gra Valkas Empire’s 2nd Advance Fleet, unleashing its destructive power, killing everyone in the bridge in an instant. The violent explosion blew parts of the superstructure off.
Commander Aurones was killed in action.
・・・
Flagship Valcer, 1st Advance Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire
230 ships from the 1st Advance Fleet march towards the east.
One of the empire’s Three Great Generals, the empress Mirkenses, stared at the sea restlessly from the bridge of the 1st Advance Fleet’s flagship, the battleship Valcer.
“Radar and radio are still out of commission?”
They weren’t able to use radar and radio starting some time back. Just as they were about to enter the region where they were supposed to link up with the 2nd Advance Fleet, they lost their ability to use the radio altogether. With each ship’s radio being simultaneously rendered out of commission, it was clearly not a malfunction and the possibility that it was due to a naturally occurring event was too much of a coincidence. Furthermore, since they were issued a warning by what seems to be Japan, the possibility that this phenomenon was caused by Japan is even more likely. Finally, this phenomenon resembled the stories of the survivors from Valkyries about what happened prior to the attack by Japan’s army.
“Lady Mirkenses! A reconnaissance plane has returned.”
When their radar and radio became unusable, Mirkenses, assuming an enemy attack, immediately called for the deployment of 20 reconnaissance planes towards all directions to warn them of any possible aerial attacks. Now, it seems that the reconnaissance plane that was sent to the direction of the 2nd Advance Fleet had returned. The plane flew over the flagship before it approached the aircraft carrier. Since their radios have become unusable, their light signal apparatus, which was supposed to be for emergencies, have become their method of notifying the flagship.
Click click click!
A message was transmitted through flashes of light.
“2 – N – D – F – L – E – E – T – A – N – N – I – H – I – L – A – T – E – D”
“T-the 2nd Advance Fleet was annihilated?!”
Captain Fitor says out loud.
“Unbelievable! They were wiped out in such a short period of time?!”
They didn’t interpret the message wrong. The message from the flashes of light clearly stated that the 2nd Advance Fleet had been annihilated. There was no way a highly skilled sailor of the empire would make a mistake in transmitting the message.
The bridge started to get more noisy and confused.
・・・
“How even… It’s not even broken…”
Radar engineer Magellan was trying to find the cause as to why the radar isn’t able to pick up anything. With the possibility that it may be a malfunction in mind, he intently devoted his all to finding the cause.
He had come to the thought that the radar not working was the result of enemy interference.
Still… How the hell are they able to cause interference?
Radar is an apparatus that allows one to discern an enemy aircraft’s position by illuminating it with self-generated radio waves and picking up on the radio waves that had bounced off from the enemy aircraft’s fuselage.
“Wait… Could they have discerned our frequency and are sending out radio waves on that frequency? It’s certainly possible that radar can be disabled through that…”
Having reached that conclusion, Magellan promptly turned off the power to the radar completely before changing its frequency and rebooting it at maximum output.
・・・
Bridge of the flagship Valcer
“Battle stations!!! All hands, battle stations!!!”
The piercing sound of buzzers echoed across the interior of the ship as sailors hurriedly ran around.
“Have the carriers send oversight planes now!!! Have them get the torpedo bombers ready to launch with torpedoes and tell every ship to maximize their visual scrutiny of the air!!!”
Orders were issued in rapid succession as the fleet readied for battle. The sailors moved swiftly, brandishing their discipline.
Radar engineer Magellan was looking at the radar screen together with the radar operator. They were about to reboot at maximum output following the changing of frequency. This time, he wanted to get rid of the phenomenon preventing them from utilizing their radar.
“Alright. Rebooting.”
He calmly presses something.
A single ray of light appeared on the completely blank radar screen. It started to turn clockwise from the 10 o’clock direction to the 2 o’clock direction.
“Huh?!”
Appearing in the wake of the line were an unthinkable amount of dots of light.
“Enemy aircraft?!”
He subconsciously says out loud.
An attack is coming!!!
He feels an unprecedented amount of dread. The radar screen, which had been functional for only a moment, immediately reverted back to its white screen. They’ve been lucky that they were able to spot the momentary display of the dots of light.
“What’s wrong?!”
Commander Mirkenses heard the commotion.
“We’ve detected enemy aircraft closing in at 11 o’clock!!! Distance, 200km! Speed, unknown! The radar immediately blanked out so we don’t know how many there are exactly but there should be more than 50!!!”
“What?!”
Faced with the clear, murderous intent pointed at them, a chill ran down their spines.
“An aerial attack, huh?! Get interceptors up as fast as you can!!! Don’t let a single enemy aircraft get close!!!”
Orders were issued. Having assumed an attack, Mirkenses saw that the attacks were coming as assumed. The bridge became even busier.
“We were lucky to have detected them at 200km.”
Staff officer Deluncia, who was standing beside Mirkenses, says. Wearing glasses, he possessed a gentle appearance and was usually reserved. He continued.
“At a distance of 200km, there’s plenty of space and time to intercept them.”
“That’s if we assume that they’re at our level. The 2nd Advance Fleet was just close to where we are now. They were annihilated without even being able to contact us. Commander Aurones is a brilliant officer, yet they were annihilated helplessly without even being able to send anything to inform us. I don’t exactly know what kind of fight the enemy will bring.”
She remembers hearing about some documents before they left port. It was mentioned in those documents that the Japanese military may possess futuristic weapons such as guided bombs.
When I saw their absurd estimated performance, I laughably dismissed it as something that was impossible. However, if a fleet as big as the 2nd Advance Fleet was indeed annihilated, then HQ’s fantastical assumptions may indeed have some truth to them.
“Deluncia, inform the entire fleet that there’s a possibility that the enemy may employ guided bombs. Tell them to have the jamming devices distributed by the Advanced Technologies Laboratory ready!!!”
“Yes, ma’am! Do you intend to use those things, by the way?”
“Yes. The Advanced Technologies Laboratory, which can be said to be the brains of our military, is an exceptional group. Their thingamajigs are sure to bear fruit. Summon one of their staff members to the bridge.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Mirkenses looks towards the center portion of the ship. Long, massive cylindrical objects that flanked left and right glared lifelessly at the sky. After a while, the door to the bridge opened and in came a man of delicate features sporting glasses.
“It’s finally our turn to shine.”
Just in case, a first class engineer of the Advanced Technologies Laboratory was sent aboard the flagship of the 2nd Advance Fleet, which had been equipped with technologies distributed by the laboratory.
“I formally extend my greetings in the presence of you, Commander Mirkenses, Staff Officer Deluncia, and Captain Fitor. I am Kandall, first class engineer of the Advanced Technologies Laboratory.”
“Surely you’ve heard of the situation at hand, Mr. Kandall.”
“Indeed.”
“In the event our interceptors fail, there’s a possibility we will be exposed to an attack by enemy guided bombs. In the event that they get past our interceptors and anti-aircraft guns, these new weapons of yours will come into play. Are you confident about them?”
“Hmph. Of course, Lady Mirkenses.”
Kandall’s manner of speech in front of Mirkenses, one of the empire’s Three Great Generals, would be unforgivable were he a soldier, but since he is a scientist who wasn’t under the military, no one raised a complaint.
“There’s someone called Naguano from the tech department of the Intelligence Bureau. He was my classmate during university and he is a superbly excellent person. He has pointed out the possibility that Japan is in possession of guided bombs. Next, he was able to verify these guided bombs through Japanese materials sold in Mu. It seems that he was worrying over which is true or not.”
Kandall continues.
“The Advanced Technologies Laboratory and the tech department of the Intelligence Bureau have shared information and have exhaustively discovered what sort of guidance systems these guided bombs might use should they indeed exist. The tech department of the Intelligence Bureau has pointed out that they may use a practical application of radar technology and the Advanced Technologies Laboratory, while the probability that they may use radar cannot be ignored, has thought that they may instead use the type where they seek out sources of heat. They may use inertial guidance mid-flight but the end stage may rely on radar or heat-seeking guidance.”
Question marks popped up in the heads of the military personnel at the tech jargon that they didn’t understand.
“If it is using a radar guidance system, it must be guided by the radio waves emanating from its warhead. The empire’s VT fuzes also use these radio waves in their operation. If we are to disperse metallic fragments that are highly reflective to radio waves, it is highly possible that the enemy guided bomb will lose sight of its target ship. Also, if it instead uses a heat-seeking guidance system, one of the possible systems deduced by the Advanced Technology Laboratory, the guided bomb can be fooled by making several heat sources far larger than the target ship appear. Us in the Advanced Technology Laboratory call the radio wave-distorting devices chafes and the heat source-distorting devices flares and have promptly distributed them to the 1st Advance Fleet and the main fleet.”
Kandall was impassioned in his speech.
“I-I see… How promising. We are certainly expecting a lot from you.”
“Yes! I am absolutely confident that what you are about to use are the best countermeasures the empire has to currently offer! The existence of guided bombs itself is amazing but these deception apparatuses will certainly bear fruit even if the enemy’s technology were 20… no, 30 years ahead! You can count on us for your last line of defence!!!”
Staff officer Deluncia applauds him.
“Wonderful! Just as much as I could expect from the Advanced Technologies Laboratory, the brains of our empire! We are counting on you!”
Kandall, who showed absolute confidence in the face of an unprecedented enemy, gave enough confidence to loosen the mood in the bridge.
・・・
The sun had long set but was still subtly giving off its presence as the horizon shone in dark red. Flying in the darkening skies were white aircraft.
70 BP3-C of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force flew across the skies with 12 F-15J fighters as escorts. Each BP3-C carried 4 anti-ship guided missiles under its wings. Far, far behind them flew an E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft.
“Air Command to A1, and A2. Interceptor aircraft have taken off from enemy ships and are heading towards your direction. Distance is 190km and speed is 260 knots (~481km/h).”
Receiving information from the E-767 in real time, the attack group was given orders through radio from base. For this operation, the anti-ship attack group was named A1 and the F-15Js escorting the anti-ship attack group was named A2. Commander Yagami is in command far behind them in the Air Self Defense Force’s control center established in the Nahanth Kingdom.
“Commander, how are our positions revealed to the enemy? Since they may have just seen us for a moment, how about we just temporarily deviate from our flight course? If the enemy interceptors don’t deviate from their flight course, that just means that the enemy isn’t tracking us on radar.”
One of the pilots speaks up.
“It’s not known how they’re able to ascertain your position but it’s reasonable to think that the enemy knows where you are. Your suggestion to deviate off course is much more humane but in the event that the enemy radar has a firm grasp on your position, while there may not be any casualties on our side if our briefing on their capabilities is true, there’s a possibility that their interceptors may be able to catch up to the top speed of the BP3-Cs. It would be really hard to accept if we sustain casualties due to misplaced sympathy for our enemies. If the F-15Js were to attack the interceptors now, they’d make it in time.”
Commander Yagami meditates for a moment. As a devout man, he apologized to the gods for the deaths of many at his discretion. Still, he couldn’t let his comrades sustain any casualties, even if it were unlikely. He decided that he will have the interceptors shot down.
“Command to A2! Command to A2! Shoot down those enemy fighters! I repeat! Shoot down those enemy fighters!”
Their orders are crystal clear.
12 of Japan’s proud air superiority fighter, the F-15J, which had been escorting the BP3-Cs, ignited their afterburners. The 2 jets of flame protruding from the back of fighters shone brightly against the darkening sky. The F-15J fighters rapidly accelerated and pulled away from the BP3-C attack group, disappearing into the western sky.
Previous Chapter: March of the Overlord 3
“Enemy torpedo has changed its course and is heading straight for us!!!”
A report resonates across the bridge like a scream. Cruising through the ocean at an estimated 50 knots, the enemy torpedo was heading straight for their ship. The battleship Quasar had already been conducting evasive maneuvers, but the enemy torpedo changed its heading accordingly as it closed the distance. With the sun having already set, the smoke emanating from the direct hits of the anti-ship guided missiles rose from various parts of the fleet, darkening their surroundings.
They’ve finally set their sights on me!!
A weapon known as a guided torpedo that was outside their norm.
The chilling breath of death as it loomed behind him, breathing down his neck.
Commander of the 2nd Advance Fleet, Aurones, couldn’t control his hands from trembling.
“Is… is this really it for me?!”
An unrecognizable dread wells up from the depths of his heart. Ever since he was appointed as an officer, he was ready to die for the sake of the empire. However, the empire was powerful. Even the possibility of death affected only an excruciatingly few imperial soldiers and being an imperial officer meant that death was never something he was supposed to welcome on his door. However, with the introduction of irrational high-performance weapons and the bitter taste of reality before him, he felt that death had now come for him as he shook in fear of the truth that was far from what he had imagined.
I don’t want to die!
He wanted to scream.
However, his position as commander didn’t allow him to give in. He pressed himself and restrained his voice.
The enemy torpedo rapidly neared the ship, giving him no time to think clearly.
“It’s no use!! We can’t avoid it!!”
One of the lookouts screamed.
“Everyone, hold on to something!!!”
“Dear gods!!!”
Various screams echoed across the bridge.
Moments later, the sharp sound of erupting steel was heard. After a slight delay, an ear-piercing deep sound reverberated across the ship and across the ocean. The gigantic steel battleship Quasar shook violently from the hit. A massive column of water erupted from the starboard side of the ship, throwing volumes of water up in the air which drizzled on the ship.
“Starboard side hit!!!”
“Damage report!!!”
“A massive hole was reported on the starboard side!!! We can’t stop the flooding!!!”
A terrific amount of seawater rushed into the interior of the ship, causing it to gradually list.
“Commencing flooding of the port side!!!”
As the ship’s balance faltered from the high volume of flooding on the starboard side, the ship listed towards the right. They were attempting to try to preserve the ship’s balance by flooding the port side. However, the ship’s list slowly returned.
“We’ve reached the limit for the flooding of the port side!!! It’s no good! We can’t stop the flooding on the starboard side!!!”
“What?!”
The hole that was opened up by the enemy torpedo on the starboard side was far too massive that even simple repairs won’t do. With the compartment doors destroyed altogether, seawater continued to flood the interior. The damage brought about by the flooding had already surpassed the Quasar’s damage control, causing it to list further to the right.
“Tsk!!! It was only a single hit!!! Are the enemy torpedoes far more powerful than ours?!”
The torpedo’s speed, range, and guided nature were all game-breaking, unfair characteristics. Those alone made the enemy’s torpedoes terrifying but their damaging capabilities were also far from expectations.
“Enemy guided rockets are approaching once more!!!”
“Argh!!! What timing!!!”
Commander Aurones looked to the sky from the bridge of the sinking battleship. The outer reaches of the fleet have also detected the incoming attacks and have already begun firing their anti-aircraft guns.
“Oh… Oh no!!!”
The scene that unfolded before Aurones was different from the scenes that he and the others have witnessed beforehand. Several dozens of anti-ship guided missiles flew across their line of sight. A single rocket deals enough damage to knock out a cruiser. They were only able to see a few dozen of the rockets that flew straight for their ships. There was no reliable way of preventing them. Hopelessness prevailed over the spirits of everyone.
“Those… bastards!!! Damn it all!!!”
Frustration. Fear. Hopelessness.
Aurones was enveloped by emotions he couldn’t express. The empire wasn’t even able to grasp where its enemy was. From outside their range and detection capabilities, the enemy continued to one-sidedly attack them with precise and powerful strikes. Destruction has finally caught up to the fleet.
“Cruiser Staz, Molt, and Chio have been hit!!!”
One by one, the imperial fleet was engulfed in flames that overshadowed the ships they had come from.
“The 3rd Destroyer Squadron from the outer ring has been hit!!! 8 ships have sunk!!!”
“3rd Destroyer Squadron annihilated!!! The 3 cruisers that were hit are now beyond help and are sinking!!!”
Aurones trembled as he glared at the surface of the ocean.
“Unbelievable!!! I must be having a horrible nightmare!!! We’re supposed to be the invincible Gra Valkas Imperial Navy!!!”
None of the hopeless reports being made reached Aurones’s ears. From what he could see, even more anti-ship guided missiles appeared.
“No!!! No!!! NO!!!”
Their casualties continued to mount in the dozens. They were now in a situation where it was no longer possible to command the fleet.
“Ah!”
A single anti-ship guided missile rose from the surface of the ocean as it flew in their direction. The missile then turned down, destined for the bridge.
“You bastard!!!!!”
40 Type 93 air to ship guided missiles (ASM-2) launched from 10 F-2 fighters from the Japan Air Self Defense Force skimmed the ocean’s surface at 1150km/h. After catching the enemy ships in their sights, they climbed from their sea-skimming altitude. Their imaging infrared guidance system captures the ships precisely as the missiles hit the ships from an angle. One of these missiles hits the bridge of the battleship Quasar, the flagship of the Gra Valkas Empire’s 2nd Advance Fleet, unleashing its destructive power, killing everyone in the bridge in an instant. The violent explosion blew parts of the superstructure off.
Commander Aurones was killed in action.
・・・
Flagship Valcer, 1st Advance Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire
230 ships from the 1st Advance Fleet march towards the east.
One of the empire’s Three Great Generals, the empress Mirkenses, stared at the sea restlessly from the bridge of the 1st Advance Fleet’s flagship, the battleship Valcer.
“Radar and radio are still out of commission?”
They weren’t able to use radar and radio starting some time back. Just as they were about to enter the region where they were supposed to link up with the 2nd Advance Fleet, they lost their ability to use the radio altogether. With each ship’s radio being simultaneously rendered out of commission, it was clearly not a malfunction and the possibility that it was due to a naturally occurring event was too much of a coincidence. Furthermore, since they were issued a warning by what seems to be Japan, the possibility that this phenomenon was caused by Japan is even more likely. Finally, this phenomenon resembled the stories of the survivors from Valkyries about what happened prior to the attack by Japan’s army.
“Lady Mirkenses! A reconnaissance plane has returned.”
When their radar and radio became unusable, Mirkenses, assuming an enemy attack, immediately called for the deployment of 20 reconnaissance planes towards all directions to warn them of any possible aerial attacks. Now, it seems that the reconnaissance plane that was sent to the direction of the 2nd Advance Fleet had returned. The plane flew over the flagship before it approached the aircraft carrier. Since their radios have become unusable, their light signal apparatus, which was supposed to be for emergencies, have become their method of notifying the flagship.
Click click click!
A message was transmitted through flashes of light.
“2 – N – D – F – L – E – E – T – A – N – N – I – H – I – L – A – T – E – D”
“T-the 2nd Advance Fleet was annihilated?!”
Captain Fitor says out loud.
“Unbelievable! They were wiped out in such a short period of time?!”
They didn’t interpret the message wrong. The message from the flashes of light clearly stated that the 2nd Advance Fleet had been annihilated. There was no way a highly skilled sailor of the empire would make a mistake in transmitting the message.
The bridge started to get more noisy and confused.
・・・
“How even… It’s not even broken…”
Radar engineer Magellan was trying to find the cause as to why the radar isn’t able to pick up anything. With the possibility that it may be a malfunction in mind, he intently devoted his all to finding the cause.
He had come to the thought that the radar not working was the result of enemy interference.
Still… How the hell are they able to cause interference?
Radar is an apparatus that allows one to discern an enemy aircraft’s position by illuminating it with self-generated radio waves and picking up on the radio waves that had bounced off from the enemy aircraft’s fuselage.
“Wait… Could they have discerned our frequency and are sending out radio waves on that frequency? It’s certainly possible that radar can be disabled through that…”
Having reached that conclusion, Magellan promptly turned off the power to the radar completely before changing its frequency and rebooting it at maximum output.
・・・
Bridge of the flagship Valcer
“Battle stations!!! All hands, battle stations!!!”
The piercing sound of buzzers echoed across the interior of the ship as sailors hurriedly ran around.
“Have the carriers send oversight planes now!!! Have them get the torpedo bombers ready to launch with torpedoes and tell every ship to maximize their visual scrutiny of the air!!!”
Orders were issued in rapid succession as the fleet readied for battle. The sailors moved swiftly, brandishing their discipline.
Radar engineer Magellan was looking at the radar screen together with the radar operator. They were about to reboot at maximum output following the changing of frequency. This time, he wanted to get rid of the phenomenon preventing them from utilizing their radar.
“Alright. Rebooting.”
He calmly presses something.
A single ray of light appeared on the completely blank radar screen. It started to turn clockwise from the 10 o’clock direction to the 2 o’clock direction.
“Huh?!”
Appearing in the wake of the line were an unthinkable amount of dots of light.
“Enemy aircraft?!”
He subconsciously says out loud.
An attack is coming!!!
He feels an unprecedented amount of dread. The radar screen, which had been functional for only a moment, immediately reverted back to its white screen. They’ve been lucky that they were able to spot the momentary display of the dots of light.
“What’s wrong?!”
Commander Mirkenses heard the commotion.
“We’ve detected enemy aircraft closing in at 11 o’clock!!! Distance, 200km! Speed, unknown! The radar immediately blanked out so we don’t know how many there are exactly but there should be more than 50!!!”
“What?!”
Faced with the clear, murderous intent pointed at them, a chill ran down their spines.
“An aerial attack, huh?! Get interceptors up as fast as you can!!! Don’t let a single enemy aircraft get close!!!”
Orders were issued. Having assumed an attack, Mirkenses saw that the attacks were coming as assumed. The bridge became even busier.
“We were lucky to have detected them at 200km.”
Staff officer Deluncia, who was standing beside Mirkenses, says. Wearing glasses, he possessed a gentle appearance and was usually reserved. He continued.
“At a distance of 200km, there’s plenty of space and time to intercept them.”
“That’s if we assume that they’re at our level. The 2nd Advance Fleet was just close to where we are now. They were annihilated without even being able to contact us. Commander Aurones is a brilliant officer, yet they were annihilated helplessly without even being able to send anything to inform us. I don’t exactly know what kind of fight the enemy will bring.”
She remembers hearing about some documents before they left port. It was mentioned in those documents that the Japanese military may possess futuristic weapons such as guided bombs.
When I saw their absurd estimated performance, I laughably dismissed it as something that was impossible. However, if a fleet as big as the 2nd Advance Fleet was indeed annihilated, then HQ’s fantastical assumptions may indeed have some truth to them.
“Deluncia, inform the entire fleet that there’s a possibility that the enemy may employ guided bombs. Tell them to have the jamming devices distributed by the Advanced Technologies Laboratory ready!!!”
“Yes, ma’am! Do you intend to use those things, by the way?”
“Yes. The Advanced Technologies Laboratory, which can be said to be the brains of our military, is an exceptional group. Their thingamajigs are sure to bear fruit. Summon one of their staff members to the bridge.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Mirkenses looks towards the center portion of the ship. Long, massive cylindrical objects that flanked left and right glared lifelessly at the sky. After a while, the door to the bridge opened and in came a man of delicate features sporting glasses.
“It’s finally our turn to shine.”
Just in case, a first class engineer of the Advanced Technologies Laboratory was sent aboard the flagship of the 2nd Advance Fleet, which had been equipped with technologies distributed by the laboratory.
“I formally extend my greetings in the presence of you, Commander Mirkenses, Staff Officer Deluncia, and Captain Fitor. I am Kandall, first class engineer of the Advanced Technologies Laboratory.”
“Surely you’ve heard of the situation at hand, Mr. Kandall.”
“Indeed.”
“In the event our interceptors fail, there’s a possibility we will be exposed to an attack by enemy guided bombs. In the event that they get past our interceptors and anti-aircraft guns, these new weapons of yours will come into play. Are you confident about them?”
“Hmph. Of course, Lady Mirkenses.”
Kandall’s manner of speech in front of Mirkenses, one of the empire’s Three Great Generals, would be unforgivable were he a soldier, but since he is a scientist who wasn’t under the military, no one raised a complaint.
“There’s someone called Naguano from the tech department of the Intelligence Bureau. He was my classmate during university and he is a superbly excellent person. He has pointed out the possibility that Japan is in possession of guided bombs. Next, he was able to verify these guided bombs through Japanese materials sold in Mu. It seems that he was worrying over which is true or not.”
Kandall continues.
“The Advanced Technologies Laboratory and the tech department of the Intelligence Bureau have shared information and have exhaustively discovered what sort of guidance systems these guided bombs might use should they indeed exist. The tech department of the Intelligence Bureau has pointed out that they may use a practical application of radar technology and the Advanced Technologies Laboratory, while the probability that they may use radar cannot be ignored, has thought that they may instead use the type where they seek out sources of heat. They may use inertial guidance mid-flight but the end stage may rely on radar or heat-seeking guidance.”
Question marks popped up in the heads of the military personnel at the tech jargon that they didn’t understand.
“If it is using a radar guidance system, it must be guided by the radio waves emanating from its warhead. The empire’s VT fuzes also use these radio waves in their operation. If we are to disperse metallic fragments that are highly reflective to radio waves, it is highly possible that the enemy guided bomb will lose sight of its target ship. Also, if it instead uses a heat-seeking guidance system, one of the possible systems deduced by the Advanced Technology Laboratory, the guided bomb can be fooled by making several heat sources far larger than the target ship appear. Us in the Advanced Technology Laboratory call the radio wave-distorting devices chafes and the heat source-distorting devices flares and have promptly distributed them to the 1st Advance Fleet and the main fleet.”
Kandall was impassioned in his speech.
“I-I see… How promising. We are certainly expecting a lot from you.”
“Yes! I am absolutely confident that what you are about to use are the best countermeasures the empire has to currently offer! The existence of guided bombs itself is amazing but these deception apparatuses will certainly bear fruit even if the enemy’s technology were 20… no, 30 years ahead! You can count on us for your last line of defence!!!”
Staff officer Deluncia applauds him.
“Wonderful! Just as much as I could expect from the Advanced Technologies Laboratory, the brains of our empire! We are counting on you!”
Kandall, who showed absolute confidence in the face of an unprecedented enemy, gave enough confidence to loosen the mood in the bridge.
・・・
The sun had long set but was still subtly giving off its presence as the horizon shone in dark red. Flying in the darkening skies were white aircraft.
70 BP3-C of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force flew across the skies with 12 F-15J fighters as escorts. Each BP3-C carried 4 anti-ship guided missiles under its wings. Far, far behind them flew an E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft.
“Air Command to A1, and A2. Interceptor aircraft have taken off from enemy ships and are heading towards your direction. Distance is 190km and speed is 260 knots (~481km/h).”
Receiving information from the E-767 in real time, the attack group was given orders through radio from base. For this operation, the anti-ship attack group was named A1 and the F-15Js escorting the anti-ship attack group was named A2. Commander Yagami is in command far behind them in the Air Self Defense Force’s control center established in the Nahanth Kingdom.
“Commander, how are our positions revealed to the enemy? Since they may have just seen us for a moment, how about we just temporarily deviate from our flight course? If the enemy interceptors don’t deviate from their flight course, that just means that the enemy isn’t tracking us on radar.”
One of the pilots speaks up.
“It’s not known how they’re able to ascertain your position but it’s reasonable to think that the enemy knows where you are. Your suggestion to deviate off course is much more humane but in the event that the enemy radar has a firm grasp on your position, while there may not be any casualties on our side if our briefing on their capabilities is true, there’s a possibility that their interceptors may be able to catch up to the top speed of the BP3-Cs. It would be really hard to accept if we sustain casualties due to misplaced sympathy for our enemies. If the F-15Js were to attack the interceptors now, they’d make it in time.”
Commander Yagami meditates for a moment. As a devout man, he apologized to the gods for the deaths of many at his discretion. Still, he couldn’t let his comrades sustain any casualties, even if it were unlikely. He decided that he will have the interceptors shot down.
“Command to A2! Command to A2! Shoot down those enemy fighters! I repeat! Shoot down those enemy fighters!”
Their orders are crystal clear.
12 of Japan’s proud air superiority fighter, the F-15J, which had been escorting the BP3-Cs, ignited their afterburners. The 2 jets of flame protruding from the back of fighters shone brightly against the darkening sky. The F-15J fighters rapidly accelerated and pulled away from the BP3-C attack group, disappearing into the western sky.
