RFS Severomorsk, Ponta Delgada—

"You sure this would open?"

"For the last time Eckhart, it will open. The backup auxiliary power is still functioning, so we have adequate power for the gates to open..."

In complete darkness and with a pair of flares held by the two. They grasp around the gate for something to interact with the gate.

"Just keep finding the switches for the gate so that we can pick up the transport out of the hanger."

"Right... " Eckhart complied.

Later, Eckhart shines somewhere within the walls and later finds a small metal box sticking out.

"Oh, hang on... Here it is."

He then promptly opened the cover panel, revealing several buttons and switches. Wielding the flares from his left hand, He grudgingly thinks on which buttons he should interact for the gate to open.

'in Ordnung (Okay), Where is that switch...'

He interacts with the buttons for several moments and then the heavy shutter door slowly lifts loudly, revealing a pitch dark space behind it.

"Good job, mate... Let's sort that transport out of here..."

Kate came in with a flare in her palms into the darkness, where she illuminated a cockpit of their supposed transport for William.

'It's old but it better be useful as a transport vehicle for them.'

She continued to walk around the dark hangar with only a flare, flickering her path as she examined the helicopter for any damage.

"Hey, Kate... Is our transport secure?" Eckhart yelled.

"Yes... Everything is in order..."

"Hmm... What's the next step, Kate?"

"Go over the panel and try to find the controls for the hangar catapult... It should help us bring out the transport vehicle once and for all."

"Jawohl!"

Eckhart then pressed the controls for the hangar catapult and then began to move the transport out of the hangar, rumbling for each stomp produced by the moving machinery.

'Jesus... Never thought that I have a chance to fly to old sh*t'

Eckhart moves the flare to which he illuminates a Kamov Ka-27M 'Helix' still strapped on the catapult lane, as it moves slowly out of the hangar.

"Here's your transport to the Sete Cidades... I expect it's sufficient for you and your team to fly out of here."

"Ugh... I don't have any background in dealing with Russian Helicopters, especially older ones... But choosers can't be beggars, so I had to operate an old chopper."

As half to the helicopter body we're sticking out of the hangar, all gears and machinery suddenly grin to a halt.

"C'mon... Verdammt (Damn it). Kate, we have trouble. It just stops abruptly..."

"Just I suspected... C'mon, Eckhart. The power has completely run out, and that helicopter won't be moving without being pushed out... We don't have much time left."

"Great... This is just great."

They moved at the rear of the helicopter and prepared themselves to push a (tonnage of the helicopter) old military helicopter out of the hangar.

"Ready, Kate?"

"On your call."

"On Three... One. Two... Three! Push..."

They slid the helicopter, slowly out of the hangar with all the strength they got. Afterward, they successfully moved the helicopter in place as they were breathless and desperately breathing in fresh oxygen gas.

"Ah... God... That's... Extremely... Heavy..."

"I... agree... with you... this once... Eckhart."

After minutes of catching their breaths, Kate up and then lengthen her hands to Eckhart.

"C'mon... We have a job to do."

"Damn right, Kate."

Eckhart grasps his hands with her as it supports him to stand up from the ground.

"You take care of the wires entangled around, while I deal with the catapult system..." Kate said.

"Got it."

Eckhart works around with the steel wires covering the helicopter, while Kate works on the catapult system, detaching the connections between the helicopter and its lane for takeoff.

"Kate..."

"What's it, Eckhart?"

"Do you have faith in William's plans..?"

"Woah, what's with that enthusiasm… Back there, you were excited to kick their ass once and for all. Is there's wrong with his plan?"

"No... I mean... How do I say this..."

Eckhart stopped from his work, grasping the right words to convey his idea.

"I understand that we got ourselves into a pinch, but... This is the most reckless plan I have seen that was hastily created by our Captain... I don't know whether he created either out of a whip or out of desperation…

He continued to remove the entangled steel cables one by one as he continued.

"The point is that… Isn't the Captain risking the safety of this Division 612 for a mere attack against the Rätsel'sI HQ?"

"I doubt it… He will never sacrifice one life from his group even if we're in a dire situation."

"So… you entrust your life under his command… Or just loyal to the group itself?"

Kate disengaged the remains hook in the catapult system before she can comply with Eckhart's question

"It's not the matter of being either trustworthy or hardline to the group… It's that sh*te must be immediately wiped, and that's how William does… Get the bloody things done..."

Eckhart was soon finished with removing all of the wrapped cables and promptly opened the cockpit door of the helicopter as Kate explained. He was soon stopped by her as he climbed into the pilot seat.

"Hey… I know that you won't be able to understand everything I've just said but I want to tell you that… Our Captain also doubts his decision."

"If that's the case why-?"

"But that doesn't mean that he regrets doing so… He later told me that: ``if there's even a small glimpse of hope, then I'll take it even if the stakes are too high."

Eckhart sighs and continues.

"I guess our Captain is no Dummkopf (fool)... A reckless man but a reasonable one."

"Yes, he's that kind of Captain. Just like you, but on rare occasions."

"Hah… I have to say that I agree with you about this one."

"Alright, mate… I have to notify William and Vlora that their transport is ready and secure for takeoff."

"Go ahead, Kate… I need to do a preflight check."

Kate left the helipad shortly after their talk. Eckhart placed a small duffle bag on top of the pilot seat and then unzipped the zippers, revealing a Russian Flight Suit specifically for Helicopter pilots.

'Same size albeit a bit fit… I guess it's better to replace the one I'm currently wearing for a new one.'

He immediately swapped his tattered Canadian Flight Suit with this fresh one and later wore a pair of combat gloves.

'Okay… Let's fire this thing up.'

He then proceeded to enter the transport compartment of the helicopter and began to release the necessary hatches, After that he exited out and then ㅤproceeded to climb on top beside the rotor blades. He slides open the cover hatch, exposing the electrical and hydraulics system of the helicopter.

'What do we have here… Power line is connected… Hydraulic pressure is stable… No issue with the connections for the tail rotor… I have to say that they did a pretty damn job to maintain this…'

He shut the cover and began to inspect within the main rotor system. He scrutinizes every nook and cranny of each blade attached to the main rotor before moving on to the fuel system compartment, where he slides open the cover.

'There's still enough oil so no issues with starting the engines… The hydraulics line at the tail rotor is good… All lines are connected and so the engine is ready.'

He shut the lid completely and went on the transmission system, located next to the main rotor. He hastily opens the door and then inspects the entire system.

'No problems with the system… It's clean.'

He then moves on to inspect both of the engines, located between the main rotor, as for the final step of the preflight before moving on to the avionics system at the cockpit. With everything else in line, Eckhart began to climb down from the top and entered the cockpit just as Kate, William, and Vlora arrived on the helipad

"You're just in time Kate… It seems my team went through a lot of time and preparation for this one."

William and Vlora wear the issued uniform and equipment for the Russian Naval Infantry as the rest still retain their previous uniform.

"Looking well prepared. Are you, Cap?" Eckhart laughs.

"It's a habit, Eckhart… You know that we're part of the military..."

"Right. Right… What do you have there, Cap?" Eckhart points toward three medium-size weapon cache behind him and Vlora

"Here… Take a look at this."

William then opened and showed Eckhart two shoulder-mounted rocket launchers within the weapon cache.

"9K338 Igla-S… A Russian Man-portable air-defense weapon. We can still use them against Rätsel fighters." Vlora said.

"Wait… thought Anti-Air Weapons were useless against them."

"Compared to most MANPADS out there, this one has a unique warhead... It utilized a directed-energy pattern instead of a regular high-explosive for most ㅤblast-fragmentation type, giving us small penetration capability although it just about ⅙ from the M829 rounds."

Eckhart grabs one from the cache and begins to inspect the entire weapon system.

"Hmm… It's better than nothing." Eckhart returns the launcher to the cache.

"It is… But, I hope we're going to locate more weapons like this at Sete Cidades. I really doubt that they would be destroyed in one shot." William sighs.

"They're just muscle-minded from what I could see…" Eckhart laughs.

Anyways, are we green for takeoff, Eckhart?" William asks.

"Everything has been taken care of… We're waiting for your signal."

"Alright… Vlora and Eckhart. Load up those caches and prepare for our departure."

"Roger that." Vlora and Eckhart responded, then began to load up their equipment on-board.

"Kate… How's your preparation on your end."

"Sabina and Youta already modified two of the four missiles as we speak. They're currently working on the third missile..."

"The schedule will continue… Expect that our attack will commence two hours from now."

"Roger that..." Kate responded.

"Captain! We're good to go..." Eckhart shouted.

"I guess this is it… It's time to crush them at once. Good luck, Kate."

"Same to you… Good hunting, Cap'n."

He embarks the helicopter via the rear compartment as Vlora affixes their cache and equipment on-board for this flight before she could take her seat. He then enters the cockpit and takes on the copilot seat as Eckhart prepares for a final check on his remaining avionics system.

"Eckhart… you good?"

"I'm-... Ugh… Nevermind. We're set and we're on our final check."

"Alright, Eckhart… You have the sky..."

"Roger that..."

William strapped on his seat as Eckhart commenced his final protocol.

"Batteries switch on… Check. Voltage… Check."

The electrical and hydraulics system was soon turned on and immediately pumping in electricity throughout the helicopters, roaring loudly within the cockpit.

"Lights… Check. Fuel Quantity… Check. Fuel Sample… Check. Battery Switch Off. Main Rotor Blades… They're all checked."

He switches off the battery and the roaring dissipates into the surrounding area.

"Interior… Check. Cabin transmission, overhead switches, smoke gauges, fire warnings have been tested. Pressed attest lights have been tested… Fuel Valves ㅤare open. Control. Check. Altimeters… Zero. Zero."

He overlooks again over the indicators before continuing to finalize its preflight check.

"Fire guard is posted. Rotor blades. Check. Gun-tied ignition is on. The throttle set is for start. Engine start and inverter switch on."

"..."

"Okay. Here we go."

Eckhart goes over the throttle and slowly raises the stick, where the rotor system begins to turn. As Kate watched from the sidelines, rotor blades slowly rotate around its pivot.

"We're at forty percent… We'll be on the air for a minute."

The whirling sounds continue as the rotating blades begin to provide maximum vertical lift and then…

"Alright… We're taking off."

As Eckhart gently pulled the throttle unto his laps, the entire helicopter slowly made its ascension from the stern deck of the warship. Kate watched as the helicopter floated off a few meters from the deck and later flew towards the general direction of Sete Cidades.

'Let's wrap things up.'

She shortly walked away from the helipad as the whirring sound soon dissipated into the sound air.


Port Bow Section

The noise of the metal saw has neither disturbed nor affected Youta's concentration, slicing through the torpedo's steel shell.

'Almost there… Just a bit more.'

But with time, pressuring on their work, Youta tried to hurry with his work. To which he accidentally misaligned his saw, causing a lot of sparks.

'Arrgh!'

He wailed in pain as the sparks touched his face with no protection.

"Comrade… Are you alright..?"

Sabina promptly halted her work for a while as she saw Youta wailing in discomfort. She climbed down from one of the Rastrub missile tubes and discerned ㅤYouta's pain.

'You're fine… I think…'

She then observes Youta for any burned marks on his face and is relieved to see that he didn't suffer any significant injuries.

"You have to be careful… We only have limited tools at our disposal."

「Yeah… I got it.」

"Hold on… You're bleeding… I'm going to patch you up."

She promptly left Youta and went back from her workstation, getting a clean rag, vodka, and super glue. She began to administer him some first-aid treatment.

"Haa… Haa!" Youta moaned as she rubbed his wound with a soaked rag.

"Stop squirming and endure it… This is just a small wound."

Youta was breathless after she sanitized the wound before she could seal it up with superglue.

「Hey. Hey, Hey..! What the hell are you going with that!」He pointed out the super glue that she's holding onto,

"I'm going to apply it to your wound… Stay still."

「Stop it!」He then tried to thwart her hands away from his face.

"Oh c'mon, comrade...You're making it too difficult."

She then single-handedly grasps Youta's arms in the air, and pins his legs into the ground, resulting in an awkward mounted position.

'She's too strong… God, I wonder how William handles her...' Youta thought as Sabina continued to apply the adhesive to his wound.

"There… Your wounds are sealed, temporarily for now."

The adhesive did a pretty job in closing his wounds as Youta slowly caressed his patched injuries, feeling tight and rough from the adhesive properties.

「Thank you… You did a good first-aid treatment.」

Youta then gets back into his feet as Sabina reorganizes her stuff used for the treatment.

"No worries… I did whatever I can to stop the wounds from opening up."

「Forgive me, but may I know your name… I'm surprised that you called me back during the meeting, considering it's my first time to meet another member of this group.」

"The name's Sabina Ilyina, just call me Sabina…"

「Youta Nishimura, likewise… Say… Where did you learn about that method..? I never thought of using superglue to seal the open wounds.」

"Back on my officer training at the Gagarin Air Force Academy… All of my comrades were forced to be dropped at the Siberian Wilderness for our Survivalist Training, and survived for one month with little tools at our disposal."

「That's harsh...」

"It was… better than being executed..." She chuckles.

Youta vaguely remembered from reading a newspaper a year ago that a mole was found within the Russian Air Force. He then realized that she was the alleged mole, and was later found guilty of treason. The supposed sentence according to the news article was life imprisonment but...

「I'm sorry… I didn't know your circumstances before. It was a harsh sentence for an innocent person to be incarcerated in prison」

"Hah… This is why I don't want to bring this up… Just ignore it, Youta..."

She brushes her past as if nothing, which triggered Youta.

「Ignore it!? How can I agree with that! You're abandoned… Just like me.」 Youta shrieked.

"Abandoned..? Heh, you're so funny Youta…" She cackles.

「I'm serious… Why even bother to discard the past even though it still stuck within your entire life..?」

"You don't know anything about my past… You don't know what I've experienced and suffered all along… And yet, you want me to bear the sin of my past just because IT'S WITH ME!? How could you say that..?" She cried out.

「It's because I believe that honor is everything. We should take it throughout our life.」

"Honor… One's honor is dead when no one even bothers to pay attention."

「What?」

"My, my… It seems like you guys haven't enough of your cheeky arguments...This piss matching won't help you two finish the jobs." Kate asserted.

Kate suddenly emerged in front of them as both of them argued over such trivial matters.

"It's nothing, Kate..."

"I see… Well then, I suppose you should cool down your thoughts for a while..."

"Da."

"I will be taking Youta with me for a while, you should follow us soon."

「Pardon me?」

"Won't that be a bother to you, mate? Don't you know that a woman must have personal space when it comes to this situation..? Let her take some time."

「Right… I understand.」

"That's so-so..." Kate clapped, then she continued "I will be taking Youta now with me, so meet us at the port side later on for a little discussion."

Kate and Youta left her aside as they walked away from the area. Sabina holds onto the railing in an upright stance as she looks over the Waxing Gibbous Moon in the calm skies. Loud artillery fire continued to reverberate sporadically from Ponta Delgada until it suddenly vanished.

'Hold onto your past as if it's part of your honor… What a joke… It's already that hard for me to cope with my past, Youta...'


Port Side Section

"So… Care to explain what God's name just happened back there?"

「We're discussing her past and then-.」

"I may have the gist of it, Youta… But, I'm afraid that you went over this time." Kate sighed.

「Ignoring her past as if it was nothing, makes me puke just so you know.」Youta then exhibits a disgruntled face.

"Hah… I see now why Sabina acts like that, although you have sort of good intentions. Perhaps, it's necessary to clear up those misunderstandings before it gets even worse."

Youta was still bewildered with Kate's direction, and then she proceeded.

"All of us came from different backgrounds ranging from ordinary up to special cases as we entered this group…Those backgrounds are unnecessary albeit must be respected with the utmost care, and this is what William emphasized."

「So...」

"To make this short… I have a question for you."

「Sure. Ask, anyway...」

"How did you join Division 612? Was it through an ordinary or a special case?"

「Well, I guess I joined as if anyone has gotten a job interview… Just like before, you interview me about three months ago.」

"I see… Just so you know, that whole interview thing was a facade back then..."

「What are you talking about?」

"You just like me and Sabina… Saved from despair and desperation of the past that has been accumulated into the present. Our captain gave us a second chance…"

「And that is?」

"True Freedom… I didn't regret that choice I made to join this group and so does Sabina."

「Right, Sabina got away with a life sentence in prison imposed by the Russian Military Court.」

"Wait… Did you just assume that she was sentenced to life imprisonment?"

「Yeah… Why..?」

"I see… You really don't know what happened to her after the rulings, huh?" Kate sighs.

「...」

As the winds breeze a short chill over the deck, Kate then finished her statements.

"Sabina was not sentenced to life imprisonment…The Russian Government downplayed the information."

「What!? Impossible...」

"That's a fact given by William."

「If so… What is the final ruling?」

"That is-..."

"An execution by a firing squad, comrade..."

"?ㅤ?ㅤ?ㅤ?ㅤ?"

Both of them veer around as they see Sabina, sauntering towards them.

「I- I- I'm sorry… I- didn't-」Youta stuttered.

"Just keep it to yourself, Youta… I got no time for your-"

「NO!」His device maxed out the volume, feeling that he was shouting at them. He then laid his device and proceeded to kneel down.

"Wait… What are you doing!?" Sabina asked

Youta ignored her statement and then bowed his head down into the surface of the deck.

"Nyet, seriously… What are you doing, comrade? It's making me embarrassed." Sabina continues to panic as Youta continues to remain in such a shameless ㅤposture.

"He's doing the Dogeza, mate, as a sign for his deep apology for his previous actions." Kate clarified to her.

"But that's too much…"

"Either way, Sabina… He honors his words too dearly as was before part of the most prominent family in Japanese History… To him honor is everything and so it must be maintained."

"But-."

"Just accept his apology, for now, mate… He won't back out from what he did."

"Ugh… Fine…"

She then shifts her vision onto Youta.

"Uhm… I accept your apology… So… Uhm… Don't be bothered about it..."

Suddenly, Kate suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha… I can't believe it… She's that bad… in comforting someone..."

"Oh shut up, you tea whore!" Sabina's face reddened and was embarrassed at this point. Youta then slowly rose up from his position.

「Thank you for your apology… I shall never forget your mercy.」 Youta then bowed again.

"Geez, comrade. I swear you're the weirdest person I ever met." Sabina commented.

「Is that so… At least you don't despise me that much.」

"Hah… I don't. Alright..? Anyways, why did you call us, Kate."

"Alright… here's the situation we are at now," Kate said as Youta and Sabina grouped close around her. She then unveiled a folded blueprint from her pocket ㅤand later wrapped it open.

"As of now…We don't have any power left and emergency power is already dwindling at this point."

"I thought we still had power left… All electronic and hydraulic doors were working fine before." Sabina added.

"It was… but this ship has been running on auxiliary power for a long time." Kate answers.

"So..?"

「It means that main power supply is already been exhausted while the entire ship system has siphoned most of the juice from its auxiliary state..」

"That's right, lad… And so the only way to restore this ship's electrical power is burning some petrol." Kate sighed.

「Enabling the main engine…Damn, that's not a good sign...」

"Yes…We may restore all power through the entire ship's system, but it may also prematurely activate some of our radar and communication systems.."

"Exposing ourselves to the enemy…Then, we need to disable those systems before turning on the power." Sabina commented.

「We don't have much time to do that… According to the blueprint, I can't risk physically disabling those systems as they also integrate and link with other systems.」

"Is there another way to disable them besides that..?" Sabina asked.

「I may have to try but there's no time to accomplish everything, considering other tasks at our hands.」

"Great… This is just great..." Sabina is frustrated.

"We don't have any options left… Just finish up your task while I-." Kate said

A striking light suddenly lights up in the sky amidst stars and galaxies over the remote mountain from their north as accompanied by multiple surges of light illuminating the entire neighboring compound. It was a startling move.

"Oh, bloody hell! They started too early."

"Дерьмо (Sh*t). This is not good..!"

Followed by heaps of burst and tracer rounds through the midnight sky, they stood there, watching the escalation folded. Rätsel ground and air units exchange fire over fortified positions in Sete Cidades. A trail of smoke propelled by the missile appeared above the sky as each of them slammed into approaching Rätsel air squadrons. Flashes of artillery fire continued volley after volley from the mountains followed by an explosion down the slopes...

「What the hell is he doing!? This was not the plan we talked about.」

"No… If they started too early, then it means there is something that just we have missed out." Sabina added.

「This is just getting worse and worse...」

"Bollocks…" Kate then walks out in panic as she rushes back into one of the watertight doors. Before she could enter into the ship's superstructure.

"Where the hell are you going, Kate!?"

"We don't have much time, Sabina… I still need to start the engine as soon as possible."

「If we did that then...」

"We're exposed… that's right, but they already commenced their attack. We need to push up or schedule." Kate clarifies.

"Still, we haven't finished most of the modifications, Kate… We need more time..!"

"How many have you already finished?"

"One so far… Another one will be finished soon, but they are yet to be strapped onto the missile itself."

"Those have to be done for now… Just focus on armed those two missiles… We haven't much time left for William and the rest to hold more than an hour."

「Got it, sempai. 」

"We still got a job to do." Kate then disappeared as she entered the door, leaving them behind as battle over Sete Cidades still rages on.

"C'mon, we must hurry up before they are overrun."


Bow Section, Gauntlet Cell

As the sound of explosions and gunfire looming over the distance, Youta and Sabina dashed towards the Bow section of the ship.

"Okay… Get whatever task is left for us to be finished… William and the rest are in dire need of those modified missiles..." Sabina tasked Youta to which he silently nodded.

「Alright… I hear you.」

Sabina went over to lower one of the torpedoes from the Rasturb silo into the deck as Youta managed to attach the small device from his previous progress.

Sempai..! Come here for a sec.」

Sabina rolled the second torpedo into Youta's vicinity and then saw him affixing some sort of device into the torpedo.

"Is that..?"

「A primer device… I made one by myself…」

He then flips the switch and then the lights began to flash spontaneously.

「With a flip of a switch... It arms the torpedo's warhead, turning into a deadly anti-armor ordinance.」

"I see… I don't know how you did it, but what a splendid work, comrade..."

「Thank you… 」

As Sabina moved at the tip of the torpedo, moving it into the Gauntlet silos, he promptly yanked Sabina away from the vicinity.

"Oi... What are you doing..?" She asked.

「 That's was too close to denoting its warhead.」

"What!?"

「Just don't head over the tip of the torpedo… Its detonation system was tuned according to its acoustic system.」

"So?"

「In short… The closer the tip from the object in range, the torpedo will be armed and then explode upon either impact or a given amount of time.」

Youta released his hands away from Sabina's shoulder and she replied.

"Thanks for the warning..."

「Right…」

Sabina grasped over the military utility cart with the strapped modified torpedo and then move it towards the launch cells, as Youta prepare to work into the second torpedo.

'Alright… Let's get this show on the road.' Sabina thought.

Sabina grabs the small crane's hook and then latch it into the first missile hatch and then hops onto the operator's seat. She began to jolt the hatch but it won't bulge by its sheer force alone from its motor, overheating in the progress. After some time of cooling and jolting, she managed to pop the hatch open, revealing a Gauntlet Missile.

'This is good… The hatch won't be returning back after being forced open, but the missile can be launched after all.'

She then heads over the cart; unstrapped the torpedo from the cart; and then hook up into the crane's load. She slowly rotates the crane's boom over the open hatch and then slowly lowers the torpedo in a vertical position near the main body of the missile. She grabs the wielding kit and a large battery and then proceeds to head over the hatch. With a flashlight illuminating the dark chamber, she carefully rappels down along the crane's line and jumps into the tip of the Gauntlet missile, nearly discharging the torpedo from the crane's hook.

'штопать (Darn), that was close… Don't get any more ideas, Sabina… Just wield this one and we're good to go.'

Meanwhile, Youta is experiencing a challenging problem in slicing the second torpedo's shell in a cross-sectional pattern.

'Sh*t… How thick is this!?' Youta pounders as explosions and gunfire slowly intensify over Sete Cidades, thinking that it's getting worse and worse as time is running out for them.

'Take a deep breath, Youta… Keep it going and this will be finished soon.'

He maintained his arms in such a way that his cutting tool won't either be blunt or create a large amount of spark that will affect his progress. After prolonged exposure to loud sounds and the smell of burning metal...

'There we go… Finally… The smell of burning metal is over, ugh...'

He then uses a crowbar to slowly lift out the cut section away from the depression and slowly drag the piece out of his way. With his flashlight illuminating the exposed section, he navigates his way through arrays of wires in hopes to locate its acoustic system.

'Gotcha!'

After he found the sensor chip within the acoustic system, he slowly yanked it out from the buried array of wires. He then carefully attached it to its communication device, preparing to configure its system.

'Let see… Configuring its sonar ping to about 50 centimeters… Initialization of arming parameters together with the configured sonar range… Set activation to manual mode and delay for about 10 minutes… There… I just need to attach this small device and we're good to go.'

He removed the sensor chip and then reattached the chip back to the system, as Sabina rushed towards Youta.

"Hey, Youta! I need that torpedo now! The first missile is set and that won't wait for much longer."

「Alright, alright… I was about to attach the primer. 」

"Make it quick, comrade..."

She left him with the torpedo as she headed towards the crane to check its cables. He began to drill into the cut piece of the torpedo's shell, making a small hole to insert the wire and placed the primer device into the drilled region. He exposes the wire, connecting to the acoustic system, and carefully solders onto the drilled region. After securing the line between the primer device and the sensor chip, he proceeds to move the entire piece back into the torpedo.

'With this… The torpedo can be used as a sort of an anti-armor missile… The downside is that it has to completely rely on its acoustic system for its payload to maximize its penetration efficiency… Well, at least there's that option.'

He then carefully placed the portion of the torpedo's shell together with the attached device back, welding completely shut.

「Okay! This one is good, Sabina.」

Sabina rushes towards Youta as she is inspecting the crane's motor and its equipment.

"Okay… Is this one set?"

Hai!

"Alright, comrade…"

Sabina went back to the military cart as Youta began to arm the torpedo. They strapped the torpedo into the cart and rolled it near the launch cells. As Sabina unstrapped and prepared it to hook into the crane, Youta headed over to the crane's seat and took control of its operation.

"Get it moving." Sabina signals him to lift it.

「On it!」

'Alright, here we go...' Youta thought

The sound of the motor resumes as the hook lowers over Sabina, enough for her to attach the torpedo. Later, Youta redirects the crane's boom over the second missile hatch while Sabina pries the hatch open but this time without encountering any difficulty. As Youta lowers the torpedo into the silo, Sabina fastens and secures one of the ropes. She then grabs the wielding kit and another large battery and later rappels down into the silo.

"Keep her going… Just a little bit close." Sabina yelled.

"Okay… That's enough."

The crane hook's grind to a halt and Sabina began to wield the torpedo into the missile. On the other hand, Youta disembarked from his seat and peer over the ㅤskies of Sete Cidades. He sighted multiple clouds of smoke in the sky and was disturbed by the fact there was no artillery fire coming from the mountains. Suddenly multiple flashes of light coming from the mountain fired into several elevated areas with exception of one flash that was shining more brightly.

'What the f*ck is that!?'

"Youta, the missile is ready! Pull me up."

「Alright...」

He climbed over into his seat and grasped over the controls, lifting Sabina out of the silo. But suddenly the entire destroyer rocked at its starboard side, accompanied by an immense shock wave running through the ship's interior.

'Argh'

His hands over the stick tilted as the shockwave vibrated throughout the ship, causing the crane's hook to violently sway y/left and right. Eventually, the hook slammed Sabina into the silo's wall, slipping from the cable. She fell into the bottom of the silo, relapsing her previous wounds from escaping the facility.

"Argh. F*ck..! Ah, sh*t!" Sabina laments.

She tried to get up but with her injuries began to relapse and seeped throughout her body. The pain has started to kick in, preventing her from standing on short notice.

「Sabina, are you alright?」Youta shouting from the edge of the silo.

"Argh… I can't stand up… Sh*t, my injuries are getting worse at this point."

「Hold on… I'm coming to get you out.」

Youta took off the edge and managed to find a rope fastened into the first silo. He quickly unknots ropes and then makes a mad dash towards the edge of the second silo. While Youta fastened and secured the rope for him to rappel down, all the ship's lighting system was turning on one by one.

"Oh no… What the hell are you doing, Kate!?" Sabina murmured.

Unbeknownst to them, power has been quickly restored back to ship as all of its systems, including radar and weapons systems, were coming back online.

「Alright, I'm coming down.」

"NO! *coughs* We don't have much time left, Youta."

「No… I'm not leaving another one behind-.」

"It's only a matter of time before the Rätsel forces will discover this ship… Get on the Bridge and find the Missile Fire Control station."

「But… But-!」

"THAT'S AN ORDER, Гла́вный корабе́льный старшина́ (Senior Petty Officer of the ship) YOUTA!. "

「...」

「Yes, Jun kūi (Warrant Officer) Sabina…」

"Good… Now go..!"

「I'll come back to you after I launched the rest.」

"Don't bother, comrade… I'll find my way out."

Youta left shortly and ran towards the bridge in time for the missiles to launch before they were soon met by the Rätsel forces.

'I gotta get out of here… I don't want to be turned into a good Shashlyk dish.'

Sabina scours for an exit around her as she slowly crawls within the silo. She took notice of a slight opening with one of the vent covers.

'Okay… This will do.'

She grasped the corner and pulled it with everything as the alarms resounded often within the silo, but to no avail.

'Sh*t… The bolts won't bulge out… I guess I had to force it open with my fist this time.'

She repeatedly smacks the vent cover with her fist until the joints deformed, enough for her to pry open unopened.

'Good…'

She crawled into the vent and proceeded to navigate through the dark and claustrophobic ventilation shaft. She could clearly hear her breathing in such enclosed space as her heart rate increases, worrying that this ship will be discovered soon by their adversary.

'Hah… Where is this shaft leading to me?'

She turned another corner before stumbling upon a vent cover, seeing the light passing through its slit. She quickly rushed to the shine of light and proceeded ㅤto smash down the vent cover. In two hits, the vent cover popped off and Sabina was relieved by this.

'Phew…'

She climbed down and landed in such an uncomfortable way, considering the pain she sustained just recently.

'Argh… That hurts..!'


2nd Deck, Missile Ammunition Storage

Sabina holds onto the panel station and uses it as a support for her to stand up in a prone position.

'Where the hell am I?'

She scours the unknown room and encounters a layout of this ship, hanging beside the doorway. She could faintly hear an alarm resounding behind the sealed watertight door.

'Right now… I'm at the 2nd Deck… Exactly at the Missile Armament Storage. I'm too far away from Youta at this time.'

She heads over a watertight door and slowly turns the door valve but it won't bulge in.

'C'mon… Don't die on me...'

*CLANK*

'Alright… Let's-.'

As she slowly turned the valve clockwise, she suddenly felt heavy like something was pushing her in the opposite direction. Before she could open the door, water suddenly poured in with no warning, falling her to the ground.

'*Gargles*... Oh, f*ck.'

She tried to stand up as the water pressure continued to pin her down into the ground. The water level rapidly increases to about knee level while Sabina desperately fights back.

'*Gasp*... Sh*t'

She could barely stand up but she continued to waddle through the water as its level continued to increase at an alarming rate. She weighed her body against the door and pushed with her might.

'*Coughs* (3x)... C'mon...'

『Sabina. Youta. Come in… I repeat. Come in…』

As the radio clamors through her mind, she paid no heed but that and continued to slam the door. With the watertight door completely shut, she then grasped for the valve wheel and turned it counter-clockwise. The water level halted to about waist-level as she turned and turned the valve, sealing the door completely.

'*Loud Gasp* (3x)... That's too close...'

『This is Kate… I repeat. Do you two receive this communication over…』

She grasps for the radio receiver, attempting to contact Kate...

"Kate..! Kate! This is Sabina… Do you copy over?"

『Repeat..! Are you two receiving this call, over?』

'F*ck, why is she not receiving me...'

She then checks the radio equipment over the counter, inspecting for any either damaged or faulty components.

'Ah goddamnit! The water fried the radio receiver but not the control head or chassis… I can't communicate with her. '

『Repeat..! Are you two receiving this call..? Bollocks!

'Sh*t… What the hell should I do!?'

『*sighs* If at least one of you is listening to this, then I'm afraid that we don't have much time.』

'What are you spouting about, Kate?'

『We've been hit by a stray laser coming at our port section of this ship… The damage is enormous, piercing through the port side and exiting through the starboard side. Currently, we've been titling at 10 degrees and continued at the rate of about 1 degree per 5 mins as water continued to flood the lower section of this ship...』

'Taking water…'

『2nd Deck is completely flooded but this leaves 1st Deck vulnerable since this is where the electrical distribution room locates at… I had no choice but to run this ship's engine… I need all the power I need just to activate the emergency pump system.』

'Doing that. This means...'

『Yes… All radar, weapons, and communication systems were activated early on... We literally exposed ourselves through every single Rätsel force around Sao Miguel Island… That's why if you're listening to this...』

『Get on the launch controls as quickly as you can. I can't move out of this room… I will try to manually shut down any necessary system that would certainly expose our position to our enemy… But this won't completely keep us from any approaching Rätsel force, so I will buy you as much time as possible… Kate, out!』

As the radio ceased to function as the water seeped into the chassis, Sabina searched through the room. Finding any stepping for her to reenter the shaft that she previously entered but much to her surprise.

'Oh, you're kidding me!?'

Water began to come out from the shaft at an incredible flow rate, cutting her possible exit from this room. Alarms continue to resound faintly as the sound of dripping water continues to flow into the room via the vent shaft. She sealed the vent with whatever material or equipment she could find but little to no success. Eventually, she managed to seal the vent although water continued to slip from the seal she recently created.

'дерьмо (Sh*t), this is just great.'ㅤ