Captain Hisao stood at the helm of the Neo Kansai Maru, his piercing gaze fixed on the horizon as the ship sliced through the choppy waves of the ocean. "Holy... these waters are rough..." he said, as he let out a sigh.

The sun had already set, leaving only a thin line of magenta light bleeding from the sky. It was too far away for him to make out any details, but he could feel the presence of the unknown enemy lurking behind the clouds that loomed menacingly over the ship.

"What do you want to do?" Hisao heard a voice to the back and looked to see the voice of his long time advisor - Matsudara, looking at him with his one eyes squinted directly at him. Hisao knew without looking that Matsudara's face was grim and tight. "You've been staring off into space for half an hour now," Matsudara said with what might have been a hint of irritation. As always, Hisao couldn't understand why Matsudara kept bothering to speak to him.

Matsudara had many years on him compared to Hisao, yet Matsudara had never seemed to understand anything about Hisao's personality or motivations. The two of them were like oil and water in terms of working together despite being amicable with each other, and that suited Hisao just fine. He preferred to be alone, which suited the two men well - they were still able to help each other with their very contrasting ideals.

Hisao glanced up, noting with some displeasure that night had fallen completely. Hisao turned toward Matsudara again before speaking, "It's not going to work this way, isn't it?" He spoke quietly so no one else would hear, although he assumed Matsudara had already sensed the direction their conversation was heading in.

"Looks like our pacifist ship needs to fight again," Matsudara said in a grizzled voice looking down before looking back at Hisao. "It's up to you Hisao - but I think we can't avoid a fight." Matsudara sighed then added in a more serious tone, "We should tell the crew what we know about the new enemy, though. Maybe we can figure outta' strategy for this."

"..." Hisao hesitated before letting out a feeble nod. He didn't agree with Matsudara's decision to bring everyone onboard, but they both knew it was for the best. They weren't trained to fight against unknown opponents, and Hisao wanted to keep their strength intact while facing whatever it was that was stalking them.

Hisao stepped forward and took the wheel. Matsudara stepped beside him, taking the oars from the bench near his feet. "Prepare the boat for battle. We need to defend our ship!"

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A booming voice filled the underground sleeping ground of the ship - with Hisao's voice permeating throughout the walls. "This is Hisao Shindou speaking. We have received word that a dangerous and powerful foe has emerged from the depths of this deep sea, causing chaos all along its path. A mysterious enemy that is heading closer and closer" The echoing voice of his captain rang in everyone's ears, echoing around the vast chamber.

Everyone looked around at each other in shock and horror - the news must be false. It couldn't have happened - they had come so close to finally escaping from the hellish seas and making it safely across the wide, open ocean to finally have a break for once. They'd been searching for this day forever to have a small break, and yet fate hadn't listened to their prayers. Now Hisao was telling them about some sort of unknown foe? It couldn't possibly be true - could it? The words repeated in everyone's head. It had to be a lie. A cruel joke.

Hisao was disappointed that his ship which was supposed to be one filled with peace and taking back from the rich was yet again engaged in combat, but he knew that this was the only way to secure the ship's livelihood. He quickly ordered the men to get their weapons and to load their cybernetic materials onto them. He then headed towards the Bosun's quarters to talk to his childhood friend.

"Oi, you ready?" Hisao poked his head in the room. Ye-Hsiung was sitting at his desk surrounded by maps and diagrams covering most of the table surface. Hisao walked in fully expecting a lecture from his old friend. "So.. there's this ship coming next to us...."

"Well enough." Ye-Hsiung replied nonchalantly as he continued studying the map, "You're here to talk strategy?" He asked, looking up briefly at Hisao. Ye-Hsiung always made sure to look him dead in the eyes when he spoke to him, almost as if he wanted to make a point, although Hisao doubted his old friend cared enough to make such gestures.

"Yeah, something like that," Hisao replied quickly with a soft voice. Ye-Hsiung rolled his eyes playfully at the younger man's childish behavior, but smiled nonetheless. "Fine. Go ahead. I'll set some of the mechs ready - make sure I get a good payment," Ye Hsiung said with a teasing smile as he looked back down at the papers on his desk. Hisao had met Ye-Hsiung when he was younger, his father being a noble aristocrat forced to move to Japan due to civil unrest. Ye-Hsiung had always been next to his side and was one of the founding members of the Neo Kansai Maru.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Soon, Hisao went back on deck - and expected the ship to be still far away. However, the ship that was once just a speck on the horizon inching closer was a gargantuan one that came closer and closer. It wasn't a ship that he had recognized before, but the signature red flag indicated one thing - it was one of the government's ship. Hisao yelled out to his men to prepare for a fight. "We're under attack!! Prepare your weapons!!"

The sudden alarm caused the crew to panic and begin throwing things left and right - the sound of loud clanging metals both from swords and cybernetic gear echoed throughout the vessel as various people ran about carrying various weapons, but it soon died out as Hisao raised his hand to silence the crowd. Hisao stared intently forward at the ship as it got ever closer, his fists clenching as he felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. "What the…" Hisao whispered, unable to believe what his eyes showed him. It was impossible... right? He thought as the neared ship grew larger with every passing second, and it wasn't until the ship was looming in front of him that it sunk in.

It wasn't just the government's ship... it was the emperor's ship.

He stared at it blankly for several moments; a sense of dread settling upon him. There were no ships like this anywhere in the world. None... none at all. It was a mythical creature with an army consisting of a dozen warships of varying sizes and abilities. The emperor's fleet was known for never failing to take a single ship back to Japan with them, and yet here it was now, sailing right towards them. What the hell was happening?!

"Halt! Turn the ship around" Hisao yelled as he looked around for Matsudara, but the shipmaster had disappeared somewhere. Without waiting another second... Hisao's ship... the Neo Kansai Maru - shots. Shots were fired more and more frequently as more and more lasers and ballistae started firing at them, and suddenly the whole ship began shaking violently beneath him, everything seemed to be crashing down in an instant. The gun turrets were moving around rapidly, aiming straight at his ship, trying to hit them before they could retaliate.

These past seven years... his whole young adult life, it had been on this ship. For seven years he had done nothing but travel from island to island, fighting battles with the heads of states conquering territories, and making deals with those who would be willing to pay big bucks for the privilege of doing business with him - but today it seems like everything would come to and end.

Hisao looked up and watched as more of his men tried to leap to the other ship and try to disarm the attacks - but at an equal rate, he saw men falling to their doom to the harsh waters of the Pacific. No matter how hard Hisao struggled to escape, the emperor's ship continued to gain speed. He couldn't stop it.

Suddenly, there were more gunshots and blasts shooting in every direction from behind him, and his crewmen fell to both the ship's floor and the ocean floor in agony. "No-" Hisao called out weakly as the bullets were fired in quick succession and a single shot struck him deep in the shoulder.

The bullet tore through his uniform and flesh, leaving a gaping hole as Hisao screamed in agony. His body slumped lifelessly against the wall of the ship as blood gushed out, dyeing the suit crimson.

The ship shook again and more screams filled the air, Hisao clutching tightly at the gaping wound in his shoulder. As more of his subordinates fell to the deck below... they joined their fallen comrade with their own agonizing cries filling the air. More bullets slammed into the ship, the impact of the bullets shattering the bones comprising. His eyes slowly came to a close... until...

"Idiot!" a loud booming voice of his childhood friend racked his mind causing Hisao to open his eyes. There in the doorway was Ye-Hsiung, standing above Hisao's body - his face twisted in rage as he pulled the trigger. "Get up!!!" he shouted angrily with concern as he began to drag his body to the back of the ship - there a puny emergency boat seated where he saw Matsudara and a few surviving members of the ship. Ye-Hsiung pushed Hisao inside the boat and threw him to the middle seat. He hurried to the controls, starting it to push them away from the Neo ship as fast as possible - his eyes glued to the screen showing his crew's condition.

Hisao screamed, "I can't let this ship die! Matsudara you coward!" Ye-Hsiung simply looked at him and said, "Oi? Is your ship the material you're standing on... or the people you met along the way?" Hisao looked up in silence at the man, the pain from his injury still being prevalent fading slightly as he watched Ye-Hsiung continue pushing their boat away from the incoming barrage of laser blasts and projectiles.

"We have to go. It's our only chance to save ourselves from this god forsaken sea," Matsudara explained.

Hisao looked up... and simply nodded before his brain drifting away to rest.

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