Rune Troopers: Self-Defense Forces Adventure - Chapter 4: In the midst of War (Part 10)
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- Rune Troopers: Self-Defense Forces Adventure
- Chapter 4: In the midst of War (Part 10)
The enemy’s movements were highly coordinated. However, the three-dimensional radar equipped on the Aegis detected and captured all of the dozens of dragons moving individually.
Based on this, the fire control computer determined the threat level of the approaching target and designated it as an intercept target. Then, as just described, the system would attack the priority targets in the shortest possible time.
This process was completely automated.
The 127mm rapid-fire cannon was also fully automated. Every process, from aiming to firing and loading the next round. Therefore, there were no variations in firing intervals or errors in hitting the target, as was often the case with humans – not even an ounce of hesitation.
Furthermore, the proximity fuse used in the anti-aircraft shells was equipped with a small radio wave transmitter. The radio waves would detonate the moment they hit the target and were detected as bouncing back.
In other words, there was no need to even hit the target with flak.
“A calm adversary.”
Kaburaki wasn’t sure if he would be as calm as they were if he were put in a situation where he had to fight an unknown enemy.
As a military person, he even respected the enemy soldiers he now saw on the radar screen. At the same time, he realized that if they were not careful, they could lose their heads.
So he ordered them to survive.
“Advanced Sea Sparrow, lock it at the enemies outside the range of the main gun!”
The Chief Gunnery Officer shouted in response to the order to fire the anti-aircraft missiles, the main weapon of the Aegis.
“Vertical missile launcher doors open!”
The gunner immediately responded.
“Guidance radio wave irradiation system allocated!”
The fire control crew, receiving his words, allocated data on which enemy to shoot down with each missile.
The ESSM used by the Aegis Destroyer would track targets by means of a semi-active radar homing system.
In this system, radio waves emitted by the Aegis’ fire control radar were reflected from the target which was detected by the warhead radar of the launched missile. Then the missile would lock on the target from which it was reflected.
If the radar could capture the target, the missile could shoot it down, even if it was a dragon.
After completing the target data input, the fire control operator shouted, “Ready to fire the Sea Sparrow.”
“Awaiting Fire Order!”
The Chief Gunnery Officer raised his voice.
“Fire at once!”
The missile launch panels were operated, the VLS cells built into the bow, and stern decks were hatched open. The ESSMs, the ship-to-air missiles stored in the cells, activated their rocket boosters.
****
“What the hell was that? It exploded on its own!” Erivila’s eyes widened.
“We didn’t attack anything. Not a single rider had reached the ship yet.”
The sight of the missiles being fired simultaneously by the VLS looked as if the ship was engulfed in flames. But that was because the missiles’ boosters erupted with flames that escaped from the chute.
It was then, Ervila saw something fly out of it.
‘A glowing spear!’
It flew up high into the sky, several of them, and then flew in a straight line toward them, trailing a tail of white smoke.
Her instincts screamed at her to run.
“Run! Hu!”
Quickly, Erivila pulled on the reins and brought the dragon to a standstill. Something crossed in front of her.
“What the hell is that?”
Immediately after Arnolide’s scream, an explosion occurred right next to her. With the blast, sharp shrapnel grazed her cheek.
Arnolide had been sacrificed. That was all Ervila could understand.
As she regained her bearings, she saw her fellow dragons falling in pieces, like little summer bugs burned by the flames of a torch.
The dragons’ decisive screams echoed in the surroundings.
Erivila could not believe that the scene before her eyes was real. The dragon knights had never suffered this much damage before.
“It’s a lie! This is a lie!” Erivila shuddered.
The dragon knight was supposed to be an absolute powerhouse unmatched in this world. These dragon knights were now being discarded like leaves from a tree.
The sound of cannons rang out relentlessly, and many of their comrades were set ablaze as they splashed to the surface of the sea.
Spears of light followed the dragon as it tried to escape, as if with a will of its own, and exploded to take it with them.
Yes, this was a nightmare. This must be the nightmare that the dreamer was showing him.
“Eh?!”
But then she realized. Was she a bystander or a character in this nightmare?
She looked behind her. The nightmare was not going to miss only her.
****
Inside the CIC, reports were coming in one after the other from the various personnel in charge.
“Forty-one confirmed shot down! The remaining enemies have begun to distance themselves from the ship.”
Kaburaki realized that the battle was over.
The battle was almost one-sided after the enemy, which had lost more than ten of the dragons at a time due to missile attacks, became confused. Not a single dragon came within close range.
The enemy air force had completely lost its will and ability to continue the battle and had begun to break away from the vicinity of the ship.
“Temporarily suspend the attacks. Switch mode to manual. Stay alert.”
“Copy that!”
“Cool the overheated gun barrels and replenish the consumed anti-aircraft ammunition.”
“Yes, sir!”
When the order, which was also given during training, was given, there was a brief moment of silence in the CIC.
The men looked at each other.
They had fought. They fired shells to the point that the barrels overheated and had to be doused with cooling water and they rained missiles on the enemy.
But all this CIC could see was the disappearance of the light spots on the radar screen that indicated the enemy. Such was the nature of high-tech warfare.
The men know that they have killed or wounded many people, but they didn’t really feel it. But the lack of a real sense of it left them perplexed.
One of the men even said something like it felt like a navy exercise.
The team members were all very happy to see each other. The words expressed the feelings of all those present.
“It was not a drill. Don’t ever forget that.”
Kaburaki muttered this to himself.
And then the Chief Gunnery Officer, standing next to him, silently put his hands together against the radar screen.