Author Topic: Those Who Must Endure Chapter 4 - Malevolence  (Read 1884 times)

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Offline Thanatos (OP)

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Those Who Must Endure Chapter 4 - Malevolence
« on: September 25, 2016, 09:30:41 AM »
MM:

Months have passed. It is now the end of July, and the Earth slowly dies below me. Like a fragile flame, tossed about by the furious storms- choking, halting. Transient. Every day, millions die from the cold. It is July, yet who would've thought that the temperatures in July would be 20 below freezing. 'There was nothing we could do.' Who would be fooled by an excuse like that? The only one I could fool with that is myself.

Tensions have been high- in the vast coldness of space, the figurative atmosphere was charged. Positioning between the EU and the USA continued for month, ready to wage war between each other at the drop of a hat. It was as if they failed to even notice the IJ fleets. True, we had some losses, but did they forget that we eliminated the entire Soviet fleet?

When it seemed like another war-- between humans-- was about to start, communication with Earth was finally achieved, and with that came the news that would stop all signs of aggression. We found the BETA. Whether it was their homeworld, or another forward base, was unclear- but we found them, and they were close. Procyon.

"Vengeance waits upon my palm. Like a malevolent god, I shall bless nothing."

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Koubuin Yoma, CO of the Akagi kyu Susanowo:

"Kaze, hard to port!" I screamed into the comms, as the Kaze's starboard engine literally detached from the Destroyer, and careened off into space, just above the bridge of the Susanowo. Was it battle damage? Just when we were about to finally head home for repairs! Why!? Why!? Was it divine punishment?

"Susanowo, this is Daisa Takahashi, we have lost control. Brace for impact!" Came the reply, and the klaxons on the Susanowo went off almost immediately afters.

Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!

The Kaze struck into the underside of the Susanowo, and the sound from the two ships colliding carried all the way to the bridge of the Susanowo. It shook, grinded and tossed about, like a flame in a storm. I thought we were going to die. The greatest military failure of history. To lose a carrier and a destroyer like this... unthinkable!

"All hands to the CIC! Damage reports!" I shouted out. On the off-chance we survive this...-- before I could even finish my planning ahead, a large explosion shook the ship once more. I checked the sensor display and the Kaze was still transmitting it's IFF and heartbeat. Good, it was still there. But what was that explosion? More importantly, which one of us was the origin?

"External cameras, what is going on?" I yelled once more-- the horrible reverberations was starting to die down, as if the two ships untangled from their disastrous collision.

"All the underside cameras are knocked out from our battle with the Russians, I do not kno--" He cut off, paused and then gasped. "Sir! There is smoke coming from the stern of the Susanowo!"

Smoke? In space?

"Sir, presence of ion fire confirmed!"

Ion fire, a phenomena similar to St. Elmo's fire. Sorium does not explode, but it does sometimes burn, under the right conditions-- which are still, for the most part, uncertain. But it does 'burn'. That is not to say it burns like a fire on earth does- it does use oxygen for a chemical reaction that releases a large amount of particles that charges the ship's hull, causing electrical failures and secondary fires. As a result of this reaction, the hull lights up in a massive coronal discharge-- like a frozen electrical flame-- banefire as we call it. But that is not the problem. The problem was that the structure of the IJ ships were protected from heavy radiation by hydrogen or hydrogen compounds. When those leaked out, and came in contact with the banefire you get what we call Ion Fire. And that is a mixture of a fission event started from the heavy materials, and the particle bombardment of the Sorium, to trigger a hydrogen fusion from the banefire.

Long story short: It was bad. Very bad. For about a minute, we are going to become a sun. A very dim one, but still a sun.

The ghost of hesitation and hopelessness rested on my shoulders and I was not the only one; no one was going to the CIC, despite my order. What point was there. Soon enough, the nuclear reaction might spread across the entire hull, and envelop the entire ship. Or it might go towards the engines, fizzle out, or any number of things. No one truly knew how Ion Fire worked, because it was so rare and difficult to reproduce. Getting Sorium to 'burn' in this way was next to impossible. Sorium was just a catalyst for the nuclear reactions that occur inside our engines.

When another explosion shook the ship, I thought it was over. I closed my eyes and waited. This was the end.

"Sir! Secondary explosion confirmed! We are streaming atmosphere. It looks like it is interfering with the Ion Fire!"

My eyes opened. I had to purge the armor of the Susanowo. There was no telling if the Ion Fire would stop from that or not. It is possible that the heavier elements, like nitrogen and helium are absorbing the particles that are causing the banefire, and there was no telling how long that would last. If I could purge the outer armor layer, which contains what the Ion Fire is consuming now, before it gets to the inner, more rich, layers, I could save the ship.

There was only one problem. There was most likely no way to remotely purge the armor, or we would have done so already. It had to be done manually, from the stern of the ship, using the solid circuits.

Back in the ancient days, before there was even knowledge of space existing, there was a class of deity called the Araburu Kami-- the malevolent or raging gods. It was thought that they could be appeased and turned into benevolent ones, through rites and prayers.

Thus I shall pray, let this sacrifice be enough.

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MM:

"Shogun, the Ion Fire on the Susanowo has been contained." Kusanagi spoke over the comms and I sighed in relief.

"Can the Susanowo make it to drydock?" I asked.

"It can, but they lost their commanding officer." She hesitantly replied.

A sting of guilt burrowed into my heart. Koubuin Yoma, from the regent family line-- just as my mother was.

"Shogun, do you remember the old myths of the Magatsu Kami and the Araburu Kami?" Ryo's voice pulled me back to reality.

"There is no such thing as nature, deities or fate, Kusanagi Ryo. We create our own future, with our own power."

"As you say, Shogun. My apologies. Kusanagi, out."

I thought about her words for a while longer. I did not believe in the deities, or the fates. I believed in humanity's strength and endurance. We have suffered and endured for so long, and we came out victories. Even Yoma-- I cannot imagine the hell he went through to manage to purge the outer layer of the armor, and save his ship-- no, his crew.

But like the Russians taught us-- we can also create our own demons. Our own engines of destruction.

I smiled. There are no deities. But we can create them. The Araburu Kami, Gods of fury and malevolence, who can be made benevolent through spiritual service.

Then let it be so. I shall name the first ship of the Kagero class 'Araburu', and to it I shall sacrifice the BETA in procyon.

"May they bless nothing."