ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Strategy Meeting

This work is a work of fiction.

The fact that the members of the Oga do not know many things is a matter of specification for the sake of explanation.

- Bokutotsu Zen'u

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February 10, 2027

Off the coast of the Annan Continent

The Leviathan Subjugation Task Force dispatched from Japan goes over the sea. The group consisted of destroyers, oceanographic observation ships, training ships, and a test ship, a unique combination of vessels that would normally never have been assembled together. Among them is the test ship Asuka. However, on its deck, there was a "gun barrel" that looked like a ship's gun, which should not have been there originally.

"I never thought we would be using this one, which is still in the experimental stage..."

Captain Okahashi on board the Asuka looked at the gun barrel sitting at the front of the ship and muttered to himself. The test ship Asuka was engaged in the development of a certain latest weapon as the last development experiment to be conducted on the ship in time for its scheduled decommissioning in 2026.

The name of the weapon is the "railgun".

The railgun is a weapon that fires an object at high speed based on Fleming's left-hand rule. Specifically, by sandwiching a bullet made of conductive material between two rails of different electrical potentials and passing a direct current through them, the bullet is accelerated by the Lorentz force generated by the interaction of the current flowing through the bullet and the magnetic field generated on the two rails, and the bullet is fired. Its ejection speed is an order of magnitude faster than existing artillery weapons.

Although the principle itself has been known since World War II, it has long been treated in fiction as a fictional weapon because of the many problems that had to be cleared, such as power supply and barrel wear and tear. In 2016, however, the US Navy began its first onboard experiment. The railgun, which was supposed to be a fiction, has become a reality. The Japanese government has also been continuing research on the basic technology of onboard electromagnetic accelerator gun for a long time, and even conducted the first onboard experiment on the test ship Asuka in December 2024.

. . .

Same day

Imperial Palace Office, Elie-Darren, Elmstacia Empire

Prime Minister Serretta Optic entered the office of Emperor Schildrea Tepes, who was holed up in his own room, performing his duties.

"We received a message from Mr. Ando, the captain of Oga. Seven ships from Japan belonging to the Leviathan Subjugation Task Force will be arriving in Kourbossa shortly."

"I see..."

Schildrea listened quietly to Serretta's report. Beside his desk was a wine glass filled with a crimson liquid.

"...Your Majesty. To tell the truth, I'm worried about it."

"........."

"However much they may plan to conclude diplomatic relations, they are humans. They are a newly emerged military power that completely defeated the powerful Altia. Their navy will be dominating, albeit temporarily, the offshore areas of our Elmstacia Empire and even the Annan Continent... There are many who are concerned about that."

Serretta informed that there is a threat concern against the Japanese Navy in their country.

"From Lentis' reports, this country's military and technological capabilities are beyond human understanding. Besides, even if they were to succeed in defeating the Leviathan, I wonder what they would demand in return..."