Rhodoreef

33. The Stingray Strike

ONE MONTH LATER

The vast blue pressed in on all sides.

Dea gazed out of the porthole window inside the Mizukami submarine. They were speeding through the high seas of the Indian Ocean, drawing inexorably closer to Kadol Doova.

This was Operation Maduva. The name was derived from the Sinhalese term for a stingray. After all, this was a stealth mission carried out by an elite strike force of Stingrays.

Screens glowed from the cockpit, visible from her vantage point. In the gloomy interior, four soldiers sat side by side. They were a daunting sight in exoskeletons in the form of bulletproof carapaces and battle helmets. Dea turned to the window again.

The glass reflected her face, unhelmeted for the moment. Wisps of hair peeked out of the headband. Her hair was not the pink from a month ago—it had paled to a faint blush. Her diet wasn't all that had changed. The combat simulations had made a novice fighter out of her, though she had only done well with target practice and gear-handling—probably thanks to improved hand-eye coordination from years of gaming.

Sagari's voice cut into her thoughts, "You okay there, Butterfly?"

Dea started, the code name sounding odd to her ears. The butterfly ray, with its muddy hue, was nothing like the colorful butterflyfish, and that appealed to her. As she sensed the merwoman's scrutiny, she nodded.

"Alright."

The tension sizzled in the stillness. The mission was even more urgent after the incident the day before. She tapped on her ogi and replayed the news video for what felt like the hundredth time.

It showed a demolished building bordering the seagrass meadows—the very house where she met her sea cow for the first time. Breaking news had resounded in every TV, sending shockwaves across the city. A human vessel had ventured to the very walls of Calliathron. The resultant skirmish had sunk the ship and caused property damage as well as two merman casualties—a grim omen on the eve of the military offensive.

"Bull," Sagari said. "ETA?"

"Sixteen minutes."

The response issued from the cockpit, where the pilot sat—a heavily-built merman who certainly resembled a bull ray.

"Alright, team, we go through this one more time." Sagari projected the map onto a patch of inner hull. "When Bull brings the sub near the anchor location, we swim to this spot here and stay under mangrove cover. The map is uploaded to your system—so use visor augmentation. Targets will update real-time with sonar and bot input. Humans primarily use visual surveillance, so we don't have to worry about sonar. Use your sonar to navigate at all times, though remember it's not as good as underwater transmission."

A chorus of affirmatives echoed off the curving walls of the cabin.

"Enemy patrol at this point, so we wait for Bull to send out the scuds. Bull, ten scuds for scouting and the rest to disable these units here. You got that?"

"Loud and clear."

"Alright, our primary objective is to capture Dilip Goonewardane. His aircraft will touch down in ten. Eagle, once you receive the signal, you move to your position behind this rock. Take out this unit on the roof, so the ground units are wide open for the scuds. Make sure you snipe him when he gets to this section—don't shoot anywhere near the helipad under any circumstances. Non-lethal setting—we avoid unnecessary casualties."