Give up? I think not!
The Tuatha de Danaan surfaces from the deep sea. The sky is clear and filled with the smell of explosives. All around the sub, bubbles burst on the surface of the water. The submarine is filling with water at the seams.
The bridge is a buzz with activity, glazed in shades of red. Officers at their consoles fixed to their screens, verbalising all that communicated to them, problem after problem.
"Captain, I'm afraid we must abandon ship ", Commander Mardukas suggests standing over the battle command desk.
The Captain, Teletha Testarossa, on the edge of her seat, eyes wide open. Her eyes are distant but her mind firing at all neurons, desperately trying to formulate a plan.
"I won't abandon ship, Commander", Captain Testarossa replies. "This ship is my home, so I'm not about to give up just yet. "
"But Captain, you know how much damage we've sustained. We're within enemy firing range and yet just out of range to reach HQ with the damaged reactor", the Commander whips back.
Teletha slides back into her chair. She sighs. "Yes, you are correct. But the TDD-1 is Mithril's flagship and as such, I will not let the enemy take her so easily."
Mardukas adjusts his glasses and looks toward the Captain's chair. "So you have a plan, Captain?"
Within the hanger bay the Special Response Team or SRT sit within their M9 Arm Slaves; a bipedal, armour plated power suit. Very expensive, very lethal and very much grounded.
"Argh. Damn it, this sucks! We've been kept in standby for almost 20 minutes now while the ship's getting pummeled", Sergeant Kurtz Webber cries out across the radio. "I'm getting beatin' up with all the loose equipment in here!"
"Just suck it up, Webber. We'd be sinking ducks out there in the deep sea", Second Lieutenant Melissa Mao snaps back.
"She's right, Webber. Even though the M9 is capable of movement through water, we would have a very low probability of succeeding in an armed sea-to-sea battle", Sergeant Sousuke Sagara explains.
"Yes, thanks for the class lesson, Sousuke", Webber replies sarcastically. "But still, we'd be more help on the ground than in here doing nothing."
"Never thought you'd be the helpful type, Kurtz," Melissa jokes.
"I agree, Kurtz. But the Captain told us to be on standby, so she must have a plan in place", Sousuke points out.
"Yeah, I guess so," Kurtz responds staring into his green glowing screen.
The team feels the metal plated flooring of the hanger bay slant back and forth as waves rush up against the Tuatha. The assault submarine creaks from the bending on the exterior hull. The entire crew hear the ship's cry.