Present
"What's the headliner?" Hiang asked the room.
This was the daily morning meeting with her assistant editors and senior journalists at the Singapore Times office right in the middle of Orchard Road.
"5 billion committed to anti-flooding measures?" a voice suggested.
"Lee Hong Shi returns to Singapore?" another suggested.
"Sino-Nippon Alliance in trouble?"
"Workers' Party advocates for homeless?"
"Seriously, those are our choices?" Hiang asked the room. "Cheng what do you think?"
"I think there's more stuff going on overseas than in Singapore. Definitely Lee Hong Shi is out. 'NATO on the verge of collapse' for example."
"What's happening there?" Hiang asked.
"Turkey, Hungary, and Ukraine have elected pro-Russian governments. The Alliance is now threatened by three members who seem to share intelligence with the Russians. How does this affect the alliance in the future? Does Russia know the secrets of the alliance? Even if there is no formal sharing of intelligence, what's the chances these states have Russian moles within their military with knowledge of NATO strategy and troop disposition? I think our international team could come up with something today and make that front page."
"I like that," Hiang concurred.
"I think the flood measures are important," one assistant editor said.
"Yes, I think that can be the second headline. So what's the third?" Hiang said.
"'Worker's Party advocates for homeless' have some potential," Linda, her other assistant editor chipped in. "This is a human element story with close up interviews of some homeless people and how they got there. It's time we focus on this people."
"I agree," Hiang said. "Let's go with that."
Hiang's secretary walked in with a note and gave it to her. She glanced at it.
"I have a call to take, please carry on. Cheng please take over."
"Hello," Hiang spoke into the phone in her office.
"Hello Evelyn!"
"Oona San? So good to hear from you. How are you?"
"Good good, and yourself?"
"I am fine Oona. I have been thinking about the trip to Fukuyama last year and it was such an enlightening trip because of you."
"It was my pleasure. I have some news for you about Major Nur."
Hiang paused in anticipation.
"But I can't discuss this over the phone," Oona continued. "Are you able to come to Etajima next week on October 2nd?"
"Etajima?"
"Yes, we will be visiting the Naval Academy at Etajima."
"Is there something there about Nur?"
"Hai."
Hiang looked at her schedule quickly and said yes.
A week later, Oona picked her up at the airport, and drove her to the hotel. They had dinner together in the hotel restaurant.
Hiang had not asked Oona what that news was that had brought her to Etajima. The dinner was the first opportunity she could do so.
"Oona San, you said you couldn't convey the news over the phone, what can you tell me of Major Nur?"
"I have to be careful with what I say," the ex-pilot said softly. "Some of it is classified."
She sipped her green tea, and then laid the cup down.
"There is a video recording of the event of July 14, 2050."
Hiang gasped.
"And the video is classified," Oona continued. "As are all video recorded by an aircraft in action."
"So I can't see it?"
She nodded.
"However, there is a – what do you call it ... a loop something?"
"A loop hole?"
"Yes, right a loop hole."
"You may watch it if it is taught in a class in the Etajima Naval Academy as a guest of the instructor."
"Can you tell me what it shows?"
"I cannot, Evelyn San."
"Do you know if the Major is dead?"
"I do not know if the person in the video is your Major. Only you can tell."
"So how do I get invited to attend a class at Etajima Naval Academy?"
"I have arranged for that to happen, Evelyn," she smiled. "After 15 years as an instructor there, I have quite a pull of my own. One of the instructor there is an ex-student of mine, and he has agreed to teach a class using that video. You and I are invited to sit in the class tomorrow."
Hiang closed her eyes in gratitude. The gravity of the moment did not escape her, and her palms enveloped her face as if a great mystery was about to be revealed. And in gratitude to a God she hardly knows.
"I have to warn you Evelyn, there is a certain violence in the video, and you have to be prepared. If it is really him, are you prepared to watch what happened to him?"
"I have to see it for myself," she nodded gravely.
"9:00 am tomorrow," Oona said. "We will know the answer."
At 8:00 am the next day, Oona and Hiang pulled up at the Security Gate of Etajima Naval Academy, in Oona's Tesla.
A guard in smart military fatigue, and side arm flagged them to stop.
He spoke Japanese to Oona, who replied. Hiang handed over her passport to the guard who looked at her and then at the picture in the passport. Oona, did the same with her driver's license. The guard returned their IDs and flagged them on.
The campus resembled a normal University campus, large open fields, interspersed with buildings. The architecture was less flashy, with a heavier emphasis on concrete than glass. Not surprising for buildings built for the military. Hiang had visited Singapore's Gombak Military Base before and she knows there were several levels of underground floors where the military elite were based. The lower you go in a building, the higher your hierarchy in the military. She wondered if it's the same here.
Oona parked beside one of these concrete structures, and they both walked towards the entrance. She sensed Oona was comfortable here, walking in an easy manner whereas she was more attentive to the surroundings. The sign outside read "Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Aviation Center" in Japanese.
At the reception counter, they exchanged their IDs for Visitor Badges, and had to surrender their cell phones. A guard then escorted them to a lecture theatre that resembled an amphitheater.
There were some students already seated in the theatre. They took two seats somewhere in the middle, so their eyes were level with the screen which was some 40 foot away.
Five minutes before 9:00 am, the instructor walked in, a Captain dressed in Navy casuals, white shirt with short sleeves and white pants. He took his cap off, looked around the class and immediately rested his eyes on Oona and Hiang. He looked in his forties and walked towards them with a wide smile.
He bowed towards them before extending his hand.
"Major Azukari San," he said in English, "So nice to have you here in my class. And is this Evelyn Lee?"
"Yes Captain Minoru Genda, this is Evelyn Lee,"
"Ah so good to meet you Evelyn San," the Captain bowed.
Hiang returned the bow and shook his hand.
He resembled a certain Japanese actor, though she couldn't recall who.
With the introduction completed, the Captain exchanged a few words with Oona, before heading back to the screen.
At 9:00 am sharp, the Captain began his lecture. It was all in Japanese.
Hiang interpreted the words as best as she could.
Today, the instructor said, we will study a case of a search and capture mission which did not turn out well. We will study the video of a chopper chase on the open sea somewhere in South China Sea in July 2050, off the coast of Malaysia. The aircraft carrier Musashi was in the vicinity of a high priority target. The Chinese Navy had suspected for some weeks there was a covert observation post on one of the islands in the vicinity of the town of Mersing. They intercepted radio transmissions coming off the open sea near the area but couldn't pinpoint the location exactly. The reason why they couldn't pinpoint its exact location was because it was coming off a robotic turtle swimming in the sea. One of these robotic turtle was captured somewhere south of Mersing and judging by the flow of the current, they suspected the islands off Mersing was the best spot where that observation post was.
A detachment of troops from the Chinese Navy was sent to an island called Paku.
Hiang gasped when the name was mentioned. Memories of that day flooded back. Oona patted her hand to soothe her.
The troops attempted a search for the enemy but couldn't locate anyone, the instructor continued. However, after being encamped there for 10 days, the enemy made an attempt to escape from his secret bunker. He killed four soldiers in the night and made off with one of the boats anchored near a beach. The Chinese called for air support to search and capture the target. This was strictly a search and capture mission. They wanted him alive because of what he knows.
Hiang felt uncomfortable with this twisted truth. Nur said he used tranquilizer darts. They weren't killed!
We will observe the video taken from the camera of the Apache chopper who located the boat 2 hours later and see how the pilot handled the situation, the Captain concluded before turning on the screen and starting the video.
The video started with the pilot's view of the sea. The date and time stamped on the top right corner was 0712 July 14, 2050. In the background was the sound of the pilot's and co-pilot's voice as they communicated with each other and the Musashi.
"I see something at 2 o'clock."
Evelyn couldn't tell if this was the pilot or the co-pilot.
The video zoomed on to a white spot a few km away. She recognized the boat she was on 31 years ago. The huge Suzuki engine was unmistakable. The chopper shortened the distance with the target, and soon a silhouette of the person driving the boat was seen. This was 8K High Definition video and was as clear on screen as if you were there. The camera zoomed in further to show the back of the person. It was Major Nur, the crew cut hair, the green T shirt, and the camouflaged pants, the same attire she saw him in on July 14th 2050.
"Samurai 2 to Musashi, we have target in sight. What are your orders?"
"Capture, do not kill. I repeat Capture, do not kill."
"Roger, Musashi. Capture, do not kill."
The chopper raced to the port side of the boat about 100 m away, and used a megaphone to communicate in English.
"This is the Japanese Navy, you are required to stop your engine and surrender."
The person turned his head to look straight at the camera, and Hiang felt her heart racing, as she looked into Nur's eyes. It had a determined look, his mouth tight, as if he knew his end was coming. Could he have known thirty years later she would see him then, close to his end?
The instructions were repeated and Nur showed no sign of slowing. In fact he was pretty close to the coast of Tioman now.
"What happens if he lands and escape into the island?" a question shot out.
"Do not let him land. Put a few shots across the bow."
The unmistakable drumming sound of the six-barrel gatling gun could be heard firing, and tracers were seen shooting across the bow. Still the boat zoomed on.
"He is closing in on the island. He will land in five minutes."
"Shoot the engine."
"No, we will kill him."
"Shoot the engine, on my orders."
The gatling gun let off a few rounds, and the boat could be seen ripping apart as a spurt of 3 seconds of bullets tore through the structure.
The chopper hovered over the debris for the next 20 minutes to see if Nur survived the shooting. Shortly thereafter a second Apache arrived to assist with the search.
The camera zoomed into the debris and Nur's green colored T shirt could be seen floating on the water with his head submerged in the water. The camera focused on the head for a full five minutes as if to show proof he was dead.
The Captain stopped the video, and started his lecture again.
Hiang's face was ashen with shock. There were no tears, just shock. Oona was concerned.
"Are you ok Evelyn?" she grabbed her hand.
"Can we leave?" Hiang finally said after a few minutes.
Oona helped her out of her seat, and waved to the instructor, before the two of them left the class.
When she was in the Tesla with Oona, she started to cry, the certainty and manner of his death an unexpected blow she couldn't anticipate. The crying could not cease. And Oona patiently waited for her to vent the tears accumulated over 31 years.