Interlude: Adventures in Ina Kingdom | Interlude 1

263 11 1
                                    

The Closed Country, "Japan-Like Kingdom"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This interlude is taking place concurrently with the main story. Please note that the order of updates will be irregular.

- Bokutotsu Zen'u

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 22

Southwest of the Shungyou Continent, off the coast of the Ina Kingdom, Atlantic Ocean

A few days earlier, the Aegis ship Mutsu, which had been separated from the two ships Oga and Mashū during a storm, had run aground near the coast of an island kingdom southwest of the Shungyou Continent. Although the ship was not flooded, it could not be moved at all.

"It's no use! The ship's keel is completely touching the seabed."

"Dammit..."

Hearing the report of the diver who emerged from the sea surface, the chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Rokujiro Sakazuki, who was standing on the deck, cursed. As long as the ship remained motionless, the crew could do nothing. They were frustrated by this situation.

The Nagato-class guided missile destroyer, with the Mutsu as its second ship, was the first Japanese destroyer equipped with the capability to launch cruise missiles, and along with the Akagi-class aircraft carriers, was one of the weapons built in response to the Sino-Japanese Senkaku Islands clash. The naming convention was changed from the previous missile destroyers by the installation of cruise missiles, and the ship was named after the legendary "Big Seven" battleships of the 20th century. By the way, the second of the Nagato-class superdreadnought battleship that was the Mutsu's namesake is also one of the most ill-fated ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

These two ships were deployed in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea with the USFJ to defend Japan during the East Asia War by conducting anti-ship attacks against the People's Liberation Army Navy that was planning to land on the Nansei Islands, and to respond to anticipated armed attacks that could attack the Japanese mainland in accordance with the right of pre-emptive self-defense.

Beach of Ina Kingdom

Captain Yoshihiko Miyoshi and Commander Nanasuke Kazata, who had disembarked from the ship, looked at the stranded Mutsu from the sandy beach.

"This is nothing more than a fixed gun platform," muttered Captain Miyoshi.

He was right. The Mutsu, which had lost its ability to move, could be described as a makeshift beach fortress.

"How long will it take to repair the satellite communications?"

"There were no problems with normal radio communications, but it will be difficult to restore satellite communications."

Upon hearing Commander Kazata's words, Miyoshi made a face. In fact, on the day of the storm, the Mutsu was struck by lightning. This caused a temporary power outage on the ship, and radio communication with Oga was cut off. The power was soon restored and the crew on board was unaffected, but the tremendous energy of the lightning had destroyed several pieces of equipment, including the satellite communication equipment.

"I can't believe the AN/USC-42 and NORC-4, which are useless in this world by the way, are safe... In the worst-case scenario, we have to jettison all cargo except fuel and food, lighten the ship, and wait for high tide."

Miyoshi was considering dumping all missiles and shells and lightening the ship's weight as a way to escape on their own. Whether that would actually work or not was unclear, but it would be a lot better than doing nothing.

ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (2)Where stories live. Discover now