[h3]Collaboration between [color=0072bc]Kaitlyn[/color], [color=fff200]Iker[/color], Myron and [color=89f5ff]Hannie[/color]

Part 2/2[/h3]

[b]Blockade Runners, [i]HMAS Supply[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:38 UTC+8[/b]

It felt... final, decisive, the make or break moment. In a couple minutes, they'll either have secured 60+ POW's or lost two men and given their position away.

Since Hannie was present, Kaitlyn indulged her inner mother and motioned her over, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. It was unprofessional, but she wouldn't see Captain Kennedy or her crew after today. 

"Operation is active," Kennedy instructed her subordinates. "Inform the [i]Yap[/i] to prime naval guns and torpedoes. Launch the lifeboat."

The bridge emanated quiet energy as ensigns paid keen attention to respective stations. The commander exhaled to relax herself, then inhaled to puff herself up. The only noise was the clacking of various keyboards and a seaman calmly relaying orders over the comms, headphones keeping allied ships' conversations from distracting the crew.

[b]Blockade Runners, Lifeboat of the [i]BRP Conrado Yap[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:39 UTC+8[/b]

Iker looked out the window at the handful of sailors who lowered him. His salute was a mere thumbs up, a casual acknowledgment of calm assurance for both himself and the whole operation. He activated the communication systems in anticipation of receiving another aboard. He glanced around the controls; he'd operated more complicated machinery prior. The engines ignited, and Iker briefly prayed for the endeavor.

[b]Blockade Runners, [i]HMAS Supply[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:39 UTC+8[/b]

"Lifeboats away. Torpedo systems and auto cannons loaded and awaiting your command," the seaman commented, relaying the [i]Yap's[/i] updates.

"I'm ready to... teleport, now," Murray informed Kaitlyn. "Take care of Hannie for me."

Kaitlyn smiled. [color=0072bc]"Of course. Fair warning, teleporting can be disorienting. I almost threw up the first time."[/color]

Myron extended his shield to Murray. "Touch this; conversion to data takes a second or less."

Gordon bestowed his bullhorn upon Murray. "In case your voice doesn't carry," he chuckled.

Murray grasped the bullhorn with one hand, then, once Gordon released, touched Myron's shield with the other. In mere moments, he vanished.

[b]Blockade Runners, Lifeboat of the [i]BRP Conrado Yap[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:40 UTC+8[/b]

Slightly disoriented when he materialized inside the orange boat, Murray first sensed the motor's vibration and the waves' whispers upon the enclosure. Iker uncomfortably reclined behind him, surprising him as he spoke. [color=fff200]"So that's how it appears. Curious."[/color]

Murray turned around and, lacking suitable alternative greetings, saluted his compatriot in this endeavor. "Seaman Michael Murray, at your service."

Iker nodded briefly. [color=fff200]"Iker Orozco, at yours."[/color]

"Yes, well, I stand ready."

The lifeboat surpassed the corvette from which it embarked, and reached range of the Chinese patrol in a matter of seconds as opposed to minutes. Amidst the loud ambient noise, a faint shout arose a kilometer away: "Zuǒbiān de wèizhī chuán!"

Iker halted the engines. [color=fff200]"Cause for alarm?"[/color]

"They've spotted us but cannot identify us," Murray commented.

Iker peeked through the lifeboat's window. He was immediately greeted by the piercing glare of a spotlight. "Zhèngmíng nǐ de shēnfèn!" traversed the waters over the enemy vessel's speakers, apparently at the wayward vessel.

Iker blinked and dismounted. [color=fff200]"Well, we're at reasonable length, anyways. Please take control."[/color] Iker vacated the navigator's station as Murray stumbled into the pilot's seat. [color=fff200]"Don't be alarmed; I'll attempt to summon a luminous battleaxe."[/color]

"Of course," Murray exhaled, "Why wouldn't you?" He saw stranger abnormalities this evening.

The lifeboat flooded with light, and Campeón Champiñón rested trustfully in Iker's possession. After a momentary pause, Iker swung it horizontally towards the ship's hull. The clang with which the axe pierced mimicked a bullet shot, and Murray jolted in his chair.

"Àn zhù nǐ de huǒ!" blasted the speakers. Eerie calmness encompassed both ships. The [i]Yap[/i], a third party, approached from behind and beside.

Iker sat in the cabin and placed his fingers on his temples, furrowing his brow and trying to concentrate above the waves, as if finding the perfect chess move in a losing match. [b]Thump[/b] came a distant sound. [color=fff200]"That's not sufficiently large... Ah,"[/color] Iker mused, [color=fff200]"They must have two. Michael, please, does the ship's rear host a lifeboat?"[/color]

Murray peered through the spotlight. "Affirmative, I believe."

[color=fff200]"Eureka."[/color] [b]Thump[/b] again. [color=fff200]"Very well; that's a couple away vessels rendered inoperative,"[/color] Iker stated. [color=fff200]"Pardon me in advance; I'm known to produce ghastly noises with heavier undertakings."[/color] Breathing heavily, Iker gripped his kneecaps and gritted his teeth. Murray felt unease, as if encountering a deranged drug addict along narrow corridors. He focused towards his own preparations, inspecting and activating his bullhorn. The unmistakable shriek of unwilling metal surfaced, muted by a thin film of water.

Iker relaxed. [color=fff200]"I've created a gash beneath the surface, roughly twenty meters long,"[/color] he announced. [color=fff200]"I suspect our adversary's patrol has one hour left afloat."[/color]

Murray rolled his shoulders. "Well, [i]fortis Fortuna adiavat[/i]." He exited then mounted the vehicle, speaking at the highest volume his limited voice and technology allowed. "Chuán zhèngzài xià chén, shàng chuán zǒu ba!" His Australian accent deformed his admittedly competent Chinese. "Wǒmen shì nǐ wéiyī de- Whoa!" 

A bullet grazed the lifeboat's upper hull. Murray didn't need to dodge but nonetheless momentarily lost his balance. He regained it and attempted to conclude and repeat. "...de jiùyuán! Chuán zhèngzài-"

Another cartridge was emptied, penetrating the ocean before the vessel. Iker manned his radio. [color=fff200]"We are being fired upon, but inaccurately from such a distance. What are your orders?"[/color]

[b]Blockade Runners, [i]HMAS Supply[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:42 UTC+8[/b]

Dread gripped Kaitlyn as she appraised the situation. She hadn't accounted for the possibility of such hostility. The closer they got, the more likely they were to get shot. The PLA navy wasn't very receptive to its 'rescue.' Should Murray and Iker maintain course, and hope the Chinese cease fire when they realize what's happening? Would they rather go down with the ship than receive mercy? Would they retaliate [b]harder[/b] if ASEAN retaliates? 

She breathed out, feeling her heart beat faster. She entertained a fleeting thought. [color=0072bc][i]That's not an option yet.[/i] "By now, they're probably suspicious. They'll be raising an alarm soon, won't they?"[/color] She addressed nobody in particular, not that she expected an answer. 

The Philippine escort would appear any moment now. While the [i]Supply[/i] could whip up some noise, it'd be better to take preventative actions other than that. Not quite an attack... Per se... More like suppression. [color=0072bc]"Myron, can you drop the gas yet?"[/color]

"Assuming [i]their[/i] comms can receive a hail, yes," was Myron's answer. "If they have Internet, I can also force sleeping agent through their firewalls."

She blinked, and turned to face the captain properly. This fiasco had occurred because Kaitlyn hadn't understood how the enemy vessel would react. The crew or the captain. [color=0072bc]"Captain... What would it take for a ship to lay down arms?"[/color] Evidently dooming the ship wasn't enough. Kaitlyn wasn't entirely certain that dropping bombs would improve the situation more. She needed the perspective of a commander.

Huddled up to Kaitlyn, staring fearfully out into the ocean, the forgettable 14-year-old piped up. [color=89f5ff]"People keep saying we shouldn't let them take us. I think a lot of people would rather..."[/color] She hesitated, unsure what sort of language was appropriate for the company of navy sailors. [color=89f5ff]"Sink?"[/color]

Rhiannon Kennedy adopted a casual stance that reflected Kaitlyn's nervousness and awkwardness. Thoughts of surrender weren't typically encouraged among military leadership, but present duty ironically demanded it. She exhaled. "I'd continue to engage the enemy so long as I believed my endeavors made a difference. If there was some tactical advantage in my efforts or my death, then a noble sacrifice it would be." She didn't dare talk of surrendering her arms even theoretically, but her words implied the contrapositive: Pointless resistance would shatter morale. "Of course, slumber would remove me from the fray proper quick," she chuckled.

[b]Blockade Runners, Lifeboat of the [i]BRP Conrado Yap[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:43 UTC+8[/b]

Iker kept the radio on for transparency's sake. Murray's brave but increasingly frantic warnings sounded in the ambience. "Chuán zhèngzài xià chén, shàng- Ah, bugger!" The bullhorn amplified his yaup and was consequentially turned off. The roof above Iker heard Murray's knee hit its frame. "They got me!" Murray exclaimed. "I'm injured, but nothing vital. Punctured my left thigh."

The Arms Master clutched his chin in contemplation and thought aloud. [color=fff200]"I can't change physical properties. I can barely alter momentum. I might not react in time..."[/color] He signaled to the [i]Supply[/i]. [color=fff200]"Awaiting orders, but I concentrate also on other matters. If you hear me writhing in agony; that's normal."[/color] The comms then relayed strained screaming from Orozco.

Another bullet struck the Australian seaman, but he announced it openly. "My chest... They appear to shoot... bottlecaps? Coins? Little domed, flat objects; never seen them before! They couldn't penetrate my upper torso. Hurt like hell, though."

That wasn't the Chinese doing. As hypothesized, the larger cross section evenly distributed the impact. Not a moment too soon, either. [color=fff200]"Keep talking,"[/color] Orozco groaned.

"Right," Murray concurred, striking up the loudspeaker. "Shàng chuán zǒu ba!"

[b]Blockade Runners, [i]HMAS Supply[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:44 UTC+8[/b]

"For what they did to Murray?" Kennedy commented, "Say the word; we'll blast them."

[color=0072bc][i]Keep calm and carry on.[/i][/color] It wasn't the most motivating line to quote, but it was something. The situation got worse, and Kaitlyn still sat on her ass twiddling her thumbs. [color=0072bc][i]Because you're useless. You're worse than useless, actually. Your actions just got a man shot![/i]

[i]No, that's not my fault–[/i]

[i]First rule of leadership, Kaitlyn, everything is your fault.[/i][/color]

She felt cold, and a little light headed. [color=0072bc]"Myron, drop the sleeping gas."[/color] Despite her temples' low drumming, her voice rang clear. [color=0072bc]"Captain, we'll probably be discovered very soon, so I won't stop you from firing on them. However, could we target their weapons specifically? Take out their means of a counteroffensive. Clarify their two options."[/color]

She gripped Hannie's shoulder harder before realizing what she was doing and relaxing slightly. [color=0072bc][i]"God help me,"[/i][/color] she murmured under her breath. Kaitlyn hadn't killed men before. She remembered that beach, a second sun blazing in the sky. Screams. [b]A barrier breaking.[/b]

Myron momentarily slowed down, almost losing a valuable second from sudden surges of pessimism and weariness. He was [i]tired[/i] of a fight for redemption that would never come. He grit his teeth and 'uploaded' the data-converted sleeping agent onto every open PLA communications device. Aerosol tranquilizers flooded the opposing vessel. The nonfatal weapon if inhaled would cause drowsiness then unconsciousness among their foes, saving Iker and Murray from inevitable death.

Myron assured Kaitlyn, "It's easy to resign yourself to dying and killing after seeing how hard it is to save lives. But to be honest, don't stop doing so... It took me a long time to see that lives are precious."

[b]Blockade Runners, Lifeboat of the [i]BRP Conrado Yap[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:45 UTC+8[/b]

The horizon's stars sparkled through the gas, first atop the radar array, then around the bridge, then across the vessel's abdomen. The spared sections were the bow's tips and the helicopter pad that covered the ship's tail. If seamen operated on those sections, they didn't engage. The [i]Yap[/i] entered firing range of even its small arms, but the guns remained silent. 

Iker commented, [color=fff200]"Visual on sleeping agent. Moving to board the vessel."[/color] He accelerated to full speed, fastened the steering wheel, and peeked onto the roof. Murray acknowledged Iker with a brief nod, lying down and applying pressure to his wound. Iker saw a pool of dark liquid on the bright orange surface and descended. Were there personal air filtration systems aboard? Thank God yes, and two. More presently, Iker found alcohol and bandages, and ascended to apply both to Murray's thigh. Murray's grit his teeth but kept silent. Afterwards, Orozco knelt and extended his hand. [color=fff200]"Can you walk?"[/color]

Murray grimaced. "Fuck you, 'Can I-'"

[color=fff200]"I ask you if you want to be a hero."[/color] Iker's face was cold and stern in the starlight as he presented a mask. Boarding a sinking ship to carry limp bodies to safety was a harrowing situation already, twice so with a faulty leg.

Murray received the message. "I, I can walk."

[color=fff200]"Excellent,"[/color] Orozco quipped, his voice lacking consolation, his empathy merely assumed. He descended again and directed the wayward vessel to the ship's aft.

[b]Blockade Runners, [i]HMAS Supply[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:46 UTC+8[/b]

An overwhelmingly successful operation warranted applause, but tension aboard the [i]Supply[/i] was only briefly alleviated. The most afforded was a sigh of relief across the command deck. Of course, the operation wasn't fully successful, was it? By Kaitlyn's standards, all lives must be saved. By Kennedy's, the blockade runner must reach Mischief Reef and return. The night was longer yet. "Minutes to interception, Lockwood?"

"Three, I believe," Electronics responded. Every moment was precious.

[color=0072bc][i]There, they made it. You can shut up now.[/i]

[i]Yes, now the two of them must haul an entire ship's worth of doomed men onto a boat in three minutes. Congratulations, Private Price![/i][/color]

Kaitlyn frowned, imagining mockingly slow applause. 

Could she improve the situation? The gas didn't appear to flood the whole ship. Some crew must still be awake, and they'll want to rescue their comrades, so it wouldn't [i]just[/i] be Iker and Murray. She'd like to speed up the process, though.

She opened her mouth to state intentions but froze. What, she's going to go down there and help the evacuation? Wasn't she Team B's 'leader'? The leader isn't supposed to put themselves in harm's way.

But was Kaitlyn really a leader, so valuable as to be indispensable? [color=0072bc][i]I'm just a private, about as nobody as you get.[/i]

"I'm going too."[/color] She finally released Hannie, turning her attention to Myron. [color=0072bc]"I'll need a gas mask."[/color] She suspected Kennedy would have one and would speak up if Myron failed to produce one. She's doing this. She's contributing. She may not be the strongest soldier, but she was a soldier. She could help evacuate a few men. 

Myron, seeing opportunity to help, retrieved a gas mask. "I've learned to prepare for everything. Remember: I've fought since I was your ward's age." Her ward; that was what Hannie was to her, wasn't she?

"Depart with my blessing," Kennedy saluted Kaitlyn. "Let's lower our expeditionary boats to assist. We ourselves will not deviate from our present course."

[b]Blockade Runners, PLA Navy Ship [i]Luzhou[/i] - 10/11/2022, 19:48 UTC+8[/b]

The orange lifeboat docked underneath the opposing patrol's side. Murray gulped. "So, how do we ascend?"

Iker shrugged. [color=fff200]"I figure there's rope somewhere, attached to a weight. We'll grapple using that."[/color]

A rooftop thunk stilled the musing. Iker adjusted his facial covering and inspected the incident. A rope ladder ascended to the patrol's fenced rim. A sailor gazed downwards and hailed them, a gas mask similarly encompassing his head. He was fortunate to have reacted to the sleeping agent in time, as the ASEAN delegates were that his magnanimity overshadowed his desire for vengeance. "Bāng wǒ xiè xià zhèxiē shītǐ!" came his muffled plea.

"Xièxiè; lǐjiě zhěngjiùle nǐ de chuányuán," Murray accepted, bowing in sympathy.

Iker climbed aboard without hesitation, Murray limping behind. On deck, he found himself surrounded by unconscious seamen and a handful of masked former adversaries, all recently hauled from their posts. Iker slung his first catch and promptly lowered. Many hands caused light work, so the adage went. Bodies piled up at the contact location, and descended as expediently as possible.

The [i]HMAS Supply[/i] appeared on the horizon, flanked by two small craft. The [i]Yap[/i] soon decelerated beside the enemy patrol, and a second connection was made for direct transfer. Within minutes, the sides of the massive blockade runner barely avoided hitting the PLA bow as it cruised past at full speed, and what felt like a toy fleet encompassed the sinking vessel.

"Wǒmen bǎ tāmen dōu zhuā dàole ma?" Murray inquired of his Chinese counterpart.

"Wǒ rènshí de měi gèrén."

Murray sighed and clutched his aching knee. "We got everyone," he announced to Iker.

Iker manned his radio. [color=fff200]"This is Orozco. Operation successful, amusingly. Boarding escape ships and departing."[/color]

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