Nabiki was in her private quarters. She had already set the ship to proceed to the island Ranma had selected. It was a simple question in her minds. There was a reason that insider trading was illegal: it gave an unfair advantage to anyone with any kind of knowledge that would come before official releases to the financial markets. Not that such things mattered anymore with the economy having been changed so much, but the principal was the same. Ranma provided inside information so she would use it in an underhanded manner.
This is why she was surprised to feel the ship suddenly turning. It should have been going straight for nearly a day. “Antaeus, what is going on?”
“The ship is being redirected to island zero,” responded the feminine, computerized voice of the vessel’s A.I.
“Under whose authority?” Nabiki knew she wasn’t going to like this.
“Directors Church and Walker.”
“Damn it.” Yup, she didn’t like it.
A few minutes later saw Nabiki entering the bridge, seeing Ranma yelling at her communications terminal. “Who the hell do you think you are?! You are not all-knowing gods, you arrogant pricks!”
“Intelligence says that the leaders are most likely on that island, Saotome,” came Church’s response.
“How the hell would they know? All their agents were captured!” Ranma’s fury was still in full swing. Seems he had grown up a little if he didn’t like unfounded arrogance.
“How the hell did you know that?” Walker’s speech was calm as usual.
“Who do you think captured them?” Ranma responded, smirking as he did so. “You sent in six people; I found five of them, myself.”
“What?” Church gasped. “You captured our operatives, and now you expect us to trust you?”
“Hey! You wanted to know how I know you know jack shit, and I told you. Tendo can make five guesses to figure out who captured number six and who made one of the ones I got to talk, but you assholes seem to think you know more than I do about what’s going on.”
Nabiki spoke up at this point, having to point out the flaw in Ranma’s argument, “You didn’t know about the missiles.”
Ranma flinched, staying silent as he realized his oversight.
Nabiki walked up to the panel and spoke once more, “So you two decided to hijack my boat because…?” She held the last syllable, fishing for an answer.
“We’re directing you to island zero.” Church answered. “Intel…”
“…Doesn’t know a thing. Of that, at least, Ranma is correct. You’re guessing. Besides, that island is a fortress. There’s no way in. Better to leave it for now and nuke it with their own missiles once we have control of them.”
“We found a way past the defence perimeter, but you’re still going to have to face a few of their cannons.” Church seemed to go on, almost ignoring Nabiki. “We’ll be putting you in this harbour inlet so you can make a direct ground attack. Your Salamander attack hovercraft should make quick work of their defences allowing you to press on.”
“Why not just send the Salamanders in from outside the perimeter? Wouldn’t that solve all our concerns?”
“We’re getting a great deal of signal distortion from the perimeter itself. You wouldn’t have the ability to use any Soulcatcher units and would only be able to use the direct link system with one unit. Unfortunately…”
“…One won’t be enough.” Nabiki looked over her shoulder at Ranma, who was now standing in the far corner muttering things. They seemed to be a string of single words in about twenty or so different languages. ‘It’s impressive he knows so many ways to say “baka”,’ she thought. “I still don’t like the idea of having to face so many of those towers. They seem…” she trailed off again, this time searching for a description.
“Unsettling?” Church put in.
“Alive.” Ranma said. “I’ll bet anything that those massive tubes you noticed back when we rescued Kunz are something like blood vessels. I’ll also bet that they give off an EM signature similar to an insect, but on a bigger scale.”
“Why do you say that?” Walker piped in.
“Confirm it and then I’ll say.”
“Nonetheless, we’re sending you in,” Church responded.
“You know it’s a trap, right?” Ranma added.
“And what makes you think that one, Saotome?” Walker challenged.
“Simple. See the gap in the wall?” Ranma tapped holographic map on the bridge’s table display showing the island at the gap in the perimeter at the southern most point. “That’s obviously a door. It there’s as much energy going through as you think, they’ll likely seal it up as soon as we get inside. No way this boat will reverse fast enough to get out once the doors start closing and they’ll likely tear this thing in two if we try to lodge it open.”
“So what do you propose?” Nabiki inquired.
“Don’t go there, but since those two won’t listen to that, just be prepared. Have your little… Magpie?”
“That’s the automated delivery chopper, yes.” Nabiki confirmed.
Ranma nodded. “Yeah, have that thing taken offline. No point letting the enemy towers blast it. Once they’re gone, then we can use it again. Other than that, just know that you’re walking into a trap.” He seemed to be rather put upon by the whole thing. Who could blame him?
Sure enough, it happed almost as he said it would. They arrived inside the docking area, cleared the towers and started to move inland.
“Patton, I have a deal to make with you. If you don’t complain about the size of it or that it’s amphibious I’ll let you use a Salamander this time with the Scalpel Gatling gun. Otherwise, you’re on medic duty again. Agreed?” Nabiki waited for Patton’s ‘soul’ to respond. There was silence from the bald head on the monitor. “Remember, one peep about it not being a tank and you’ll be on medic duty again. Korolev, you get medic duty instead.”
“Who’s on Scavenger detail then?” the Russian asked.
“Kroker.” Nabiki replied.
A voice chimed in over the comm. system. “Suck, baby, yeah!”
“I’m regretting it already, but he is doing a good job of it.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad. It even gets the carpet clean, see?” Kroker was obvious enjoying his work.
Another voice came over the system, “This is Madsen. The building’s a fake; it’s just a hologram.”
Ranma sighed. “Queue the doors.”
Not only did the doors close, but they were being shielded. Apparently this whole thing was set up purely as a trap. They managed to seal the carrier and made it so that the ship’s guns would not get them out. That wasn’t the worst of it though as only seconds later, something started to… grow.
“Kroker to Antaeus: I’ve got some kind of factory growing out of the ground here.”
“Ransom to Antaeus: clawed towers just popped up. Engaging. Heh, they ain’t firing back.”
“Kroker here: some kind of giant slug just showed up and it’s crawling down to the harbour. It’s opening up and…” He was interrupted as the carrier shook from an explosion. “It’s firing on the carrier! Someone get here and kill it.”
“Here comes the cavalry!” Patton called as he set his Salamander in. While it did manage a few more shots, the thing was promptly destroyed. “One more for the tank corps.”
Ranma looked at Nabiki, “I need to get close to one of those things.”
“Ranma, they’re giant slugs.”
“Or caterpillars.”
“The bug thing again?”
He nodded. “Just get me close to one of those factories. I’ll only need about a minute. Just take me in on a chopper.”
“I’ll do you one better. Patton, take Saotome to one of those factories, but don’t engage until he gives the all clear.”
“I’m not a…”
“One more word and you’re fixing everyone up again.” There was silence. “Now pull alongside the starboard platforms, he’ll jump aboard.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” he said without the usual enthusiasm.
Nabiki directed the other ‘souls’ in eliminating enemy resistance. The biggest problem was that turrets fielding massive guns, they seemed to be at least 200 mm, were at the choke points to all approaches to the enemy’s production facilities. Still, the Salamanders were up to the task, especially with a mobile repair vehicle in place.
After two minutes she heard Saotome order destruction of the factories and added a manually controlled chopper into the efforts. It did not take long, and Ranma was soon on ship once again. Ten minutes later, they had found and destroyed the station powering the door’s force field. One shot from the carriers main guns let them out to the open sea once more. After putting a few clicks between them and the island, Nabiki looked to Ranma.
“So, Ranma, find what you wanted?” Nabiki asked.
“I think so. Problem is it felt familiar,” his face expressed confusion as he said this.
“Familiar how?” she pressed.
“I felt it the last time I was on this island in one of the bunkers.”
“Underground bunkers? Just great. We couldn’t have destroyed those with anything we have now. Even those cannons they’re designing for Patton won’t do the job.” Nabiki shook her head for a bit. “So, you going to make me guess who did which part with the intel. team?”
“I guess not. Shampoo caught the team’s leader and Mousse got one of mine to talk. Didn’t recognize any of the ones I caught and was taken for guard duty after, so I never saw the leader. Heard she was a real spitfire, though.”
Nabiki nodded. “You said ‘five guesses’. I’m guessing that Hibiki, Cologne, and Kuno are the others?”
Ranma looked at her, smirking, “as long as you’re thinking Kuno Kodachi, you’re right. Knew you’d pick it up.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I know that Kuno-chan is still held up for insubordination and assaulting an officer. He only became cleared to stand trial five years ago. His sentence will keep him locked up for another ten.”
Ranma chuckled. “Well, here’s to small favours. Now let’s go get this barge fixed up.”
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(Posted Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:32)
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