Spriggan: Operation Kazan
By: Ominae
Rating: T
NOTE:
All characters of Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. All others are off my own.
Summary:
After the events of Mt. Fuji had seized with the burial of the Fire Orb, one nation has its interests in securing it from Japanese territory at all costs. ARCAM spearheads an operation to protect it from being seized. Takes place a few months before the Noah's Ark story in the manga. Will have some story references from the Fire Snake (Temple of Fire) and Legend of the Mask arcs.
Chapter 1: Before the Storm
Somewhere in Pyongyang, North Korea
Somewhere in downtown Pyongyang in an undisclosed building, a meeting was taking place. Inside a normal-looking (but empty) office, a circular conference table was occupied by high-ranking officials from the State Security Department and the General Staff Department's Reconnaissance Bureau with a couple of representative sent by the Cabinet General Intelligence Bureau under instructions from the Korean Worker's Party Central Committee. Around six men were present.
Due to the discrete nature, they all came in unrecognizable clothes and used different routines to head to said building from the Ministry of People's Armed Forces HQ.
"So this operation will proceed?" An official from the State Security Department asked the others, taking care to make sure the imported Cuban cigar is extinguished on a glass ash tray provided for the meeting.
"Yes, sir." One of the two representatives from the Reconnaissance Bureau explained to the SSD official, with a map of the Chubu region and the prefectures, including Shizuoka, placed on the table. The only difference is that the names of places are in Korean instead of English or Japanese. "Allow me to explain what's going to happen."
The RB representative pointed to Shizuoka's location on the map as he began to debrief the officials. "Our team will depart from Chongryon without incident and head to Shizuoka after we get confirmation the snatch operation Professor Chun before his meeting with ARCAM Japan representatives is successful. The previous option we discussed was to ambush him during the meeting. We're confirming some details."
"And the other option that you have?"
"The other option is to stage an assault on the convoy that ARCAM Japan will arrange for him when he's due to arrive tomorrow from Seoul. Our weapons and gear, as well as other requirements, are taken care of, courtesy of our agents stationed in our de facto embassy. Once everything is in place, the team should start operations in a few days if tomorrow's op goes well."
"I don't need to remind you the nature of this operation is classified with punishment being either under detention in a Kwalliso or face a firing squad if anyone inside this room leaks any operational details, especially when you're being asked by someone from a friendly state." The first representative from the Cabinet General Intelligence Bureau said to the others in the room. He, alongside the other CGIB representative, were the only ones who wore Chinese-style Zhongshans while the others wore business suits. "The SSD and the CGIB will take care of any information that may be asked by our allies in case of such an emergency."
The others were silent for a few minutes. They knew that the meeting would be tapped by the SSD to ensure no compromising details could be potentially leaked and to show evidence to the Supreme Leader that this operation was proceeding as planned. In case they need to get rid of evidence from foreign eyes, he can easily instruct the relevant agencies to destroy them.
"Any questions before we end?" The other RB representative asked the others assembled.
"This meeting is now adjourned as of 1800 hours."
The officials stood up and walked out of the office. The RB representatives were a small debriefing by the other CGIB representative, that they need to submit all details, including the planning to them as soon as possible.
Entrance, Shogakukan High, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
At the end of school in SH on a Friday afternoon, second year high school and known delinquent Yu Ominae was seen running towards the parking lot's motorcycle section where his 1991 Yamaha V-Max cruiser motorcycle.
"Come on, Hatsuho!" The teen ducked when he saw an incoming broom being thrown at him. "I already did my part in fixing the desks! You can ask Ogawa for details!"
"Then why's Ogawa telling me you left in a hurry, huh?!" Hatsuho shouted after she pointed her finger at him.
"Nee-san..."
Hatsuho turned around to see her sister, Kagaho, pull at her right arm.
"Kagaho..."
"I'm sure Ominae-kun has a reason to leave in a hurry. I saw him fix the tables after the class."
"See, what I'd tell ya." Yu chuckled before he hopped on the V-Max and got the engine running.
"What I'd tell ya, Hatsuho!" Yu drove the V-Max as he took off towards ARCAM's Japanese headquarters. "Just keep staying from karate and you can be like your sister!"
"Shut it!" Hatsuho yelled, raising her clenched left fist in anger.
Chairman's Office, ARCAM Corporation Japan, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
After an hour of spending time in traffic, Yu arrived at the headquarters of the ARCAM Corporation's Japan branch. The majority of it held its research labs with other companies/subsidiaries based in other parts of Tokyo.
"Come in!"
Inside the office sat Yamamoto, a semi-bald man in his 50s in a nice suit and tie who enjoys taking a cigarette break every once in a while. Rumor has it that he was an ex-Spriggan agent recruited from the ranks of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces. Others suggest that he's an ex-black ops assassin recruited by the CIA during the years of the Cold War and deployed with the Special Activities Division to Vietnam in the Vietnam War.
His secretary entered and bowed, per Japanese courtesy to her superior. "Yu Ominae has just arrived. He's currently parking his motorbike, but the guard said that he'll be here in a few minutes."
"All right. Thank you." Yamamoto nodded and thanked her for the information update.
"Sorry! The traffic got bad when I was near the building!"
Yu ran inside the office, nearly shoving the secretary out of the way.
Yamamoto sighed. He knew better than to wait patiently for him to arrive. Especially if he's one of the few Spriggan agents active and operating in Japan.
On top of that, he also happens to be below the age of 18.
I wish the security department would be able to hire at least a capable agent who's above 18 and aren't currently in a university situation so that they can be available. It's not like I can all on the British and French branches to get Jean and Tea 24/7/365.
"How's school doing lately?" Yamamoto asked him as he took a seat in front of his desk.
"Well, there's the part where I'm trying to study hard. It's going okay so far."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Okay then. Well I hope you got some energy because I need to you into this."
Yamamoto handed Yu a manila envelope that the words CLASSIFIED stamped in English and Korean. It appears to be unsealed since Yamamoto had read the contents ahead of time way before Yu was dismissed from school.
"Is this from Seoul?" Yu opened the envelope. Inside was a bio data in English for Chun Jae Hwa, a professor recently recruited by Waseda University for a position as an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering.
"That's right. Our Korean friends received word from intelligence regarding the possibility of him being kidnapped. He's one of the few OOPArt experts in South Korea."
"It's New Tokyo over again." Yu grumbled as he leaned back on his seat.
"It is." Yamamoto agreed with his assessment. "I'm getting a secured convoy ready for the professor when he comes to New Tokyo tonight. I've also requested for another Spriggan to be available."
"Jean and Tea aren't available?"
Yamamoto shook his head.
"Probably the British and French need them for something else."
"We got someone already to help you out." Yamamoto stood up from his seat. "In fact, I think he should be here already."
A man in his late 20s entered Yamamoto's office. Unlike him or Yu, he was dressed in a hoodie-type windbreaker, jeans and sneakers. The only noticeable thing about him is that he has a military-type crewcut haircut.
"His name is Kenichiro Saito from the JGSDF's 1st Airborne Brigade, 3rd Infantry Battalion." Yamamoto introduced the man who just came inside.
"Pleasure to meet you, Yu Ominae." The ex-paratrooper shook hands with Yu. "Just call me Ken."
"No problem, Ken." Yu shook hands with him in return. "Gotta say though. What's an ex-paratrooper with no combat experience outside of training in Narashino doing here with ARCAM?"
"Thought I could do some good here, though I won't say that helping out with Japan Airlines Flight 123 isn't a bad thing when local authorities needed backup in SAR ops."
"I can live with that."
"All right gentlemen." Yamamoto motioned to Ken to take a seat. "From the look of things, you two are in charge of the professor getting here safely from New Tokyo."
"Can the department get more Spriggan agents ready from Tokyo?" Ken asked his superior.
"I'm afraid not. The others are busy helping out in Turkey to get the Mt. Ararat Research Center up and running with others in the US for special training. We only got a few on standby as close protection officers."
"Damn, man." Yu groaned again after hearing the news. "If the enemy catches us off guard, then it'll be worse when I got Rie out of that jam from the friggin' CIA."
"But I'll see if we can get one more person to help out. I'll give you guys an update if I can contact the person or persons who can help out with the close protection op. Right now, you two need to prepare."
"Yes, sir." Ken replied. "Come on."
"Right." Yu stretched as he stood up from the seat.
Chapter 1 END
PS - Probably the first Spriggan story in years since I joined back in college. This fic is a challenge from a review I saw from America regarding the criticism leveled at the manga for not using other countries like China, Russia or North Korea as an enemy for ARCAM instead of using the West like American and the UK.
Personally, I'd say that any nation that wants to possess OOPArts (at like in the Spriggan world) for military purposes is a potential antagonist that has to be stopped. Can you imagine the use of an ancient computer virus or an unstoppable robot for peaceful purposes? Right...
As for the timeline... Dunno where to put in. The first few chapters of the manga states that it starts by 1989. However, later chapters show off events that happened in '92, such as the Balkan Wars where Bosnia and Croatia signed the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia on July 21. I'm aware that Ominae was born in '73. For the sake of the story, I'll still put it in 1989 since Ominae is still 16 by then. Since he's 19 by '92, he probably had some trouble with cutting school so many times that he needed to be held back. Poor guy.
Anyway, let me know how it is. This is first one I did to align itself with manga canon.
