Chapter 13: One Woman Army
The first 3 days have been rather peaceful. The sight of Manjuu running around and Kansens getting treated by medical teams remains busy.
Arthur received the message that reinforcement will arrive soon. Queen Elizabeth even generously sent gems to Akashi, the worldwide trader, to provide boosters.
It has been a while since Arthur had an afternoon tea break with Hood.
"Your tea tastes wonderful as always." Praised Hood.
"Thank you."
Hood looks at Arthur. She thought he could be intimidated by the enemies or piles of papers. However, instead of getting emotional, he focused on his work reasonably. Furthermore, the detailed organization of personnel and the simple tactics shows he has more than enough potential to be a commander.
The best trait of all is his kindness and compassion toward Kansens. Many of them, including Hood herself, has been showing more smiles than when Joseph is active.
"I am starting to wonder more, who are you?" Asked Hood.
"About that, it's not that I remember something but I think I have a vague idea of who I am."
Hood looks surprised. She did expect to hear about his identity today.
"Wherever I came from, I must have been a military officer or something similar. Seeing the remains of our friends makes me sad and angry, but I feel like I am used to it."
Not sure whether this background is a lie or not, Hood takes his story with a grain of salt. Certainly, Arthur has been improving their lives, but the real trust cannot build up if both sides do not understand each other yet.
Suddenly the alarm of enemy strikes alerts everyone.
"Commander, Ironblood is fast approaching here with full armaments." Ark Royal calls over the radio comm.
"I heard you, everyone gets in the positions. Enemy numbers?" asked Arthur
"Uh… I can see only one." Said, Ark Royal
"One? Do you mean one unit? No mass-produced models or anything else accompanies it?"
"No, I am afraid 'she' is all I can see," replied Ark Royal. No matter how she looks at it, the enemy's movement is telling her "we have a tactic incoming."
"How about enemy submarines?" asked Hood
Indeed, submarines can dive deep into the ocean and avoid detection from scouting planes, especially Iron Blood has the infamous U-boat and Wolf Packs.
"Any contact from sonar-reading Manjuu?"
Arthur received a report from the Manjuu. It said no submarines were detected.
A unit rushed toward the fleet with absolutely no escort? Did Iron Blood invent new stealth equipment to avoid the Royal Navy's radars?
The only possibility left for the enemy is…
"All units, the enemy may attempt to self-destruct and it's gonna be a big one. Maintain scattered formation and keep your distance while firing everything you can to stop her movement." Arthur orders all units to spread out to minimize the explosion's damage.
Coming from the battle against Tester, everyone becomes more focused on enemy movements. No one wants to face another self-destruction.
The enemy Kansen has short light-pink hair and wears a dark-themed Iron Blood Uniform. Her tall and developed physique suggests that she relies on her reinforced hull instead of dodging. She is either a heavy cruiser or a battleship.
"Anyone knows which ship she manifested from?"
Hood shakes her head. "I have never seen such Kansen before. Wait, could it be?"
"What did you realize?"
"She might be enemies' PR ship" suggested Hood.
"PR Ship?"
"We don't have time to explain who they are. Just consider them as experimental ships that have superior performance than most Kansen of the same class."
"Commander, this is Suffolk. My team is engaging the enemy Kansen. The enemy has been firing shells and attacking with her fists. Our firing cannot penetrate her hull and we are taking heavy damage."
The enemy is not self-destructing? Maybe she self-destructs after taking a certain amount of damage? While this approach can extend the unit's value, it massively reduces the impact and effectiveness of self-destruction when the opponent has finished a scattered formation.
"The enemy goes hand to hand with our vanguards and has strong armor, she must be a heavy cruiser." analyzed Hood.
Should Arthur abandon the possibility of enemy self-destruction? Perhaps this situation is what the enemy is aiming for? When everyone least expects the attack, she can then finally self-destruct. There are too many possible situations to consider.
"Commander?" Hood knows Arthur has been thinking about what he should do, but she is worried that he may panic from unexpected outcomes.
"Sorry, I have been thinking," said Arthur. "When you are stuck in one situation, you should probably switch to a different angle of view."
Arthur's experienced quote gives Hood a pleasant surprise "This sounds like someone taught you such a mindset."
"Probably, though I don't remember who told me that I feel the value of this mindset deeply rooted in my knowledge." Arthur squeezes the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, so I have been wondering…"
"Is there something you are curious about?" asked Hood
"What is the enemy's objective? To eliminate us all? To take down the commander which is me? "Or she is searching for a valuable item that is on one of our ships?"
Arthur's speculation is getting him nowhere. He needs more critical information to filter out unrealistic possibilities.
"This will be a risky gamble, but well our lives are already at risk so why not make it seem brighter?" said Arthur.
"Commander?" Hood does not understand what he is talking about.
"We will move as well. Get our main fleet and your riggings ready. I will deliver our plan through our radio." ordered Arthur
"Understood, commander," replied Hood. She is moving to the repair bay to confirm her rigging conditions.
Arthur takes the phone for command ship communications only.
"Manjuu captain, about the AA gun on the front…"