Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

Men Running on the Sea and in the Sky

Sea near the Ailinglaplap Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands

A single warship is approaching a medium-sized cargo ship headed for Majuro Atoll, the capital of the country. On a mast located behind the bridge, the skull and crossbones were displayed, and characters for "Qingdao Chinese Legion" was carelessly written in black paint on the ship's hull.

"Stop! Stop or we'll sink you at once!"

"Aaaah!"

A threatening voice emitted from a loudspeaker. The freighter's helmsman, with a pale face, gradually reduced the ship's speed. A single rapid-fire gun positioned at the front of the ship pointed its muzzle at the freighter.

However, there is no way that the ship, which has been out of military control for more than half a century, has been properly maintained or supplied with ammunition. The single rapid-fire gun is now a mere piece of hardware that can only move, and the torpedo tubes and short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers are nothing more than empty tubes. The only live armaments are the rocket launchers and machine guns retrofitted by the current crew. But even so, they were still more than enough of a threat to civilian cargo ships.

"Board the ship!!"

The corvette Qingdao formerly belonged to the People's Liberation Army Navy gradually approached the starboard side of the freighter, then made contact. On the corvette's port side, pirates armed with small arms were waiting with evil grins on their faces. Among them is the captain, Ming Shiyuan.

"...!"

On the freighter's starboard side, the freighter's sailors were lined up in a row. Captain Joe Sugata stood one step in front of them and faced the pirates with a tense look.

"Pirate Qingdao Chinese Legion... I presume you are Captain Ming Shiyuan... what do you want?"

At his question, Ming Shiyuan grinned and ordered his men.

"Take the cargo, money, everything!!"

"WOOOOOH!!"

"Aaaaah!"

The pirates' shouts mingled with the screams of the sailors on the sea. The pirates who came barging in turned the cargo ship into an inferno of screaming.

Sky over the Marshall Islands

The US-2 crewed by the Japanese is rushing to the scene. This US-2 was a variant designed as a "gunship of the sea" for pirate suppression, with a small window on the left side of the fuselage for firing the Gatling guns. It was also equipped with a howitzer and other equipment. Lieutenant Sudo and co-pilot Lieutenant Junior Grade Keiji Arikawa sat in the cockpit, staring out through the forward window at the sea. Finally, the target cargo ship appeared on the horizon.

"...There it is! All hands, prepare for combat!"

Sudo's raspy voice echoed through the cabin. The soldiers opened a small window on the left side of the plane, exposing the barrel of a Gatling gun fixed to the gun turret.

Meanwhile, the freighter was also aware of the heavy propeller sound. They saw a flying boat of the Imperial Japanese Navy flying in from beyond the sky, and felt their tension broken. However, there was no pirate ship in sight. The pirate had already finished plundering.

"Dammit! We're too late!" Sudo scowled.

A signal light went off from the freighter toward the US-2, which was circling above the freighter.

"Medical supplies, food, and fuel have been seized! We need them back! They've fled south-southwest!"

"!"