-1-
As Yamato was heading for the city satellite Uruk, the neutrino beam fired from the surface closed in as if tearing through space.
“Damn! It’s a neutrino beam!” Sanada shouted loudly. “If we’re hit head-on by that, everyone on board will be roasted alive!”
Captain Okita immediately gave an order. “Turn around!”
Shima gritted his teeth and operated the control stick.
“Turn 180 degrees! Wave engine, full power injection!”
“Understood.” Yamazaki replied to Shima and contacted the engine room. “Tokugawa! Full power injection!”
The panicked voice of Tasuke Tokugawa came back from the engine room.
“No good, Chief Engineer! When we fired the Wave-Motion Gun it caused a leak in Wave-Motion Energy! We can’t use full power!”
“Idiot! Do you want to be roasted alive?” Yamazaki yelled. “I don’t care if it breaks, just turn the output up to maximum!”
“I-I understand!”
Tokugawa pulled levers one after another, increasing the output of the engine to maximum.
“Please…” he muttered.
Yamato performed a full power blast, as if the stern exploded. The entire ship rotated 180 degrees. The output of the engine was increased to its limit. It seemed as if Yamato itself was screaming. A severe tremor was felt on the first bridge.
The light of the neutrino beam, which had been split into several shafts, focused into one. Yamato flipped over and continued to use full power to evade. However, the focused neutrino beam was still heading straight for the ship.
Yuki screamed as she watched the radar panel. “We can’t avoid it!”
Everyone gasped. Finally, the neutrino beam finally caught Yamato! But at that moment, the hull was enveloped in a Wave-Motion screen, blocking the impact. Everyone looked at each other, confused.
“What’s going on!?”
They stared in shock at the screen that covered the entire ship, visible outside the window. Susumu blinked.
Sanada yelled. “I’ve got it!”
Everyone looked at him.
“Sanada, what’s going on!?” Susumu asked.
Sanada answered, his eyes wide. “That screen was accidentally created when wave energy leaked outside the ship. It has the power to block neutrino beams! The leaked wave energy is protecting Yamato like a barrier!”
Susumu was stunned. Everyone had the same expression he did.
At that moment, Captain Okita gave an order. “Turn 180 degrees. Reverse thrust wave energy from the engine port and force our way to the center of the enemy satellite while it’s still leaking out!”
This time, rather than persevering by chance, they intentionally released wave energy outside the ship, using it to force a breakthrough.
Susumu was surprised by Captain Okita’s order. “Are we going to land on top of the enemy!?”
Captain Okita glanced at Susumu. “That’s right. You can’t catch a tiger’s cub if you don’t enter the tiger’s den. Why aren’t you relaying the order?”
“Y-Yes, sir,” Susumu said hastily. “Reverse thrust the wave energy! Turn 180 degrees! We’ll do a forced landing at the center of the enemy satellite!”
Yamazaki immediately repeated the command. “Reverse 180 degrees! Reverse thrust! Reverse thrust!”
Yamato reversed and plunged in, enveloped in the sparkling screen of Wave-Motion Energy that completely blocked the neutrino beam.
The Command Room of the Imperial Government in the city satellite Uruk was in a state of panic. The video panel showed Yamato charging toward Uruk.
One of the staff officers shouted, “The neutrino beam is being blocked! If we don’t do something, it will crash through the neutrino beam screen!”
Lugal raised his eyebrows. “Hurry up and warp Aquarius. In the meantime, we will hold off Yamato.”
The staff ordered the neutrino beam output increased. However, the wave screen surrounding Yamato blocked it completely.
“Launch fighters immediately!” Lugal gave out one command after another.
Yamato cut through the neutrino beam screen and descended into the skies above Uruk.
“Stop reverse thrust of the Wave-Motion Energy!” Captain Okita ordered.
The wave screen that had been enveloping Yamato with a glittering glow suddenly disappeared. Yamato descended toward the ground of Uruk. Anti-aircraft fire began from the fortress.
Captain Okita barked his order. “Make a forced landing!”
Shima gripped the control stick. “Yamato, forced landing!”
Yamato dodged the barrage of bullets and plowed into the Megalopolis in the center, as if it were falling. Skyscrapers struck by Yamato‘s hull were shattered. The entire bridge shook violently. It was impossible to stand upright.
“Damn it!” Shima steered Yamato with sweat on his forehead.
And then Yamato made its forced landing. Everything on the ground under it was pushed aside. The bottom of the ship sunk into the ground, crushing the third bridge and Yamato made a shrieking sound. A tremendous roar and impact hit the bridge. Several crew members were flung out of their seats and slammed to the floor.
“Whoah!”
Susumu clung desperately to his instrument panel. The vibrations finally subsided, and the inside of the bridge became quiet. Yamato had managed to make its forced landing.
“Stop Wave Engine!”
Shima pulled back on the control stick and Yamato came to a complete halt. Susumu turned to Captain Okita. Outside the bridge window, Uruk’s battle command tower was visible. Susumu pointed at it.
“Captain! I think the tower in the center of the city ahead of us is the enemy’s headquarters!”
Captain Okita nodded. “Concentrate the ship’s guns there and disable their warp system!”
“Roger!” Susumu gave the order from the battle command seat. “Prepare to fire main guns! Target: command tower in the center of the city!”
At that moment, Yuki, who was monitoring the radar panel, spoke up. “Many enemy fighters approaching from above!”
Susumu immediately responded. “Pulse laser cannons, fire at will!”
A countless number of small interceptors swooped down on Yamato from above. The gun ports opened up, and pulse lasers sprayed fire into the sky. At the fire control station, Nanbu watched his targeting panel.
“Target: enemy command tower! First main gun, third main gun, hurry up and recharge energy!”
The main guns aimed at the conning tower. Energy recharging was completed and they were ready to fire.
“Fire!” Nanbu shouted.
In an instant, each of Yamato‘s main guns simultaneously spat fire. The shots were accurate, and the area around the tower exploded. However, the tower itself was protected by thick armor and did not collapse.
While the artillery was firing, enemy fighter planes focused their attacks on Yamato‘s main guns. The turrets were hit one after another and became unable to fire.
-2-
In the square in front of the Uruk Temple, robot horses that shone with a dull silver color were gathering in increasing numbers. Soldiers rode on their backs.
“Form up!”
At the command, the robot horses lined up in several rows, more than 500 of them. A pulse laser barrel protruded from the center of each robot horse’s head like a horn. It looked a bit like a unicorn. This was Uruk’s Heavy Armored Cavalry. The soldiers were clad in thick, shiny black armor, and all stared blankly ahead. Their armor was so heavy that it gave them the appearance of robots.
In the center of the line was a particularly large and solid robot horse. Riding on it was Commander-in-Chief Lugal, also clad in armor like the soldiers. He waved his cloak and pointed ahead. Lugal raised his eyes and shouted an order.
“Look! The enemy’s turrets are starting to fall silent! Advance, soldiers! Occupy the enemy ship!”
At his command, the robot horses lined up in formation, kicked the ground, and began to run. There was a tremendous sound and vibration. Lugal’s robot horse immediately leapt from the center of the line to take the lead. Guided by him, the heavy armored cavalry advanced. A large number of one-man combat saucers flew overhead to escort them.
Meanwhile, Yamato was in trouble as its main gun turrets were rendered unable to fire one after another. Enemy fighter attacks continued relentlessly. They fought back with the usable turrets, but the overwhelming number of fighters and the fact that Yamato itself was stuck on the ground, unable to move, made it a tough fight.
Sanada clenched his fist as symbols indicating damaged areas mounted up on his display.
“Damage to port side of first main gun, starboard side of second main gun! Cannons unable to fire!”
The emergency repair team immediately headed to the scene, but it was too late.
“Damn, if only the Cosmo Tigers could take off!” Aihara said with a frustrated look on his face.
Because they had made a forced landing on the ground, the launch port was blocked, and the squadron couldn’t exit. Yamato was quickly becoming helpless.
At that moment, Ota, who was monitoring the radar panel, shouted, “Something is approaching from the front…Ah! Robot horses approaching the deck!”
Susumu looked at Ota. “What!?”
“Robot horses!”
Susumu immediately left the battle command seat and ran toward the elevator. He glanced up at Captain Okita and said, “We’ll go to the deck and fight!”
Without waiting for a reply, he lunged into the elevator. Nanbu, Aihara, and others rushed after him. Shima remained at the helm. Captain Okita silently saw Susumu and the others off as they ran out of the first bridge.
Susumu and the others rushed out onto the deck, readying their cosmo guns. Immediately, the robot horses, led by Lugal, came charging in. The enemy fighters stopped their attack when Lugal and the others boarded the deck and began circling in the sky. Of course, Yamato‘s usable turrets continued firing at them.
Susumu fired his cosmo gun at the robot horses that were leaping up onto the deck one by one. Aihara, Nanbu and the others also aimed their cosmo guns at the riders. The horses fired pulse lasers from the horns on their heads.
The horses looked very heavy, and the soldiers riding them were also wearing heavy armor, but their movements were unexpectedly light and swift. In fact, the robot horses gradually started to move faster, rampaging freely across the deck and overwhelming Susumu and the others.
The numerous combat saucers flying above also attacked the crew members who had come out onto the deck from other sections. Susumu fired his cosmo gun at an approaching rider. The cosmo gun’s laser hit the soldier’s throat, causing him to pitch backward and fall off the robot horse. The horse ran right past Susumu. He quickly dodged it, then a pulse laser fired from the horn of another horse flashed close to his body. A saucer was also diving toward him.
“This is no good!”
Susumu fought back and looked to the rear deck. The Cosmo Zero was still safely stored there. He fired his cosmo gun at a saucer that was approaching him, then turned around and rushed back inside Yamato.
Shima, who had stayed at the helm, could no longer bear it and walked toward the window of the bridge. Below, he could see the robot horses and the crew of Yamato fighting on the deck. Captain Okita was giving orders to the other crew members who remained on the first bridge.
A saucer was coming toward Shima, who was standing right in front of the window. Shima’s eyes widened as he saw it. A thin pulse laser was fired; impossibly, it somehow passed through the window and hit him. A small hole about 5mm in diameter appeared on Shima’s chest. He nearly collapsed from the shock, but quickly covered the wound and endured it. The saucer was struck from below, tilted and fell.
Countless pulse lasers, friend and foe, were flashing by outside the window. Very few combat saucers came close to the first bridge. The window with the small hole in it immediately self-repaired, melting and closing up.
Shima clutched his chest and leaned back toward the helm with an expression of disbelief. Most of the bridge crew had gone out to the deck to help, and only Captain Okita and a few others who couldn’t leave their posts remained. Captain Okita had left his seat and was giving orders with his back to Shima. Yuki had gone to the medical room.
Shima returned to the helm with his eyes wide open, holding his left palm over his right chest. He looked at his palm, but there was no blood. When you’re hit by a laser, the wound burns but doesn’t bleed.
In the medical room, Yuki and Sado were treating the injured who were being brought in one after another. The Dengil boy was staring intently at the TV panel built into the wall, which showed the battle outside the ship. For a moment, the TV panel showed Lugal, with a domineering expression, riding a particularly large robot horse.
The Dengil boy was startled, and then, determined, he headed for the door. Neither Yuki nor Sado noticed him leave.
-3-
At the helm, Shima clutched the right side of his chest and endured the pain. Sweat was oozing from his whole body. Because the hole was so small, there was almost no visible change from the outside. But it seemed that the wound had reached deep into his lungs.
At that moment, Susumu came rushing in from the elevator. He ran up to Shima, who was bent over his control panel.
“Shima!”
Shima sat up in shock. A sharp pain ran through the depths of his chest. He nearly started coughing, but quickly held it in.
“Shima! I’ll provide support with the Cosmo Zero! Can you somehow lift the ship so the Cosmo Tigers can launch?”
“I-I’m on it!”
After saying that, Susumu immediately ran off the bridge again. Captain Okita was back in the captain’s seat with his eyes half-closed, as if he was thinking about something. He was completely unaware of Shima’s condition.
Susumu leapt into his Cosmo Zero and quickly checked the cockpit instruments. He gripped the control stick and prepared to launch from the catapult.
“Launch Cosmo Zero!”
A fighter plane flew in overhead, attacking the catapult and destroying it, then continued onward. Susumu looked up at it through his canopy. It was probably planning to circle around and attack again. The other fighters also noticed the Cosmo Zero about to take off and started to dive toward him.
“Damn it!” Susumu spat out, and shifted the Cosmo Zero toward the other catapult on his left.
“Cosmo Zero, launch!” The Cosmo Zero took off, flames bursting from its jets as if it had exploded.
Susumu pulled back the controls and made it soar. The enemy fighters immediately attacked. Susumu dodged them while mounting his own counter-attack, accurately targeting the horses on the deck below, one by one. As the enemy fighters approached from behind, he quickly turned the Cosmo Zero around and rose.
The robot horses and the combat saucers, momentarily faltering from the Cosmo Zero’s attack, quickly regained their momentum. They were somehow trying to get inside Yamato from the deck. The crew was desperately fighting back.
Shima grunted orders while suppressing his pain. He contacted Tasuke Tokugawa in the engine room.
“Open the Cosmo Tiger launch port!”
Tokugawa frantically fiddled with his control panel, but the bottom of the ship was sinking deeper into the ground with an eerie creaking sound.
“Open the launch port!” Shima’s voice came through the speaker, and Tasuke panicked.
“It’s no good! The jet nozzle is blocked, so the bottom of the ship will just sink in!”
Sweating in pain, Shima asked, “Isn’t there any better way to do this?”
“Stand by, I’ll think of something!” Tasuke answered.
Susumu was desperately fighting off the enemy fighters and combat saucers surrounding him from all sides while trying to prevent attacks on Yamato. On the deck, the battle between the crew and the robot horse cavalry was still unfolding. Susumu turned the Cosmo Zero around to avoid the enemy fighters, then contacted Shima.
“Shima! What’s happening with the Cosmo Tigers!? They still haven’t launched!”
Shima answered while sweating. His face was pale. “Just a little longer!”
At that moment, Tokugawa contacted Shima. “Engine room here! We’ve found a way to lift Yamato!”
“How!?”
Tasuke yelled as he explained. “Fire the rocket anchor into the mountain. As we reel it in, activate the auxiliary engines, and blow compressed air out of all the drainage ports! Then the ship should rise high enough to open the launch port!”
“Are you sure?!”
“Y-Yes!” Tasuke’s voice came back.
“Got it!”
Shima turned around and glanced at Captain Okita, who was looking at him. He frowned suspiciously at Shima’s pale face, but nodded to give him permission. Shima turned forward again and gave the order.
“Prepare to launch rocket anchor! Prepare to start auxiliary engines!”
Captain Okita spoke. “Cosmo Tiger crew, prepare for launch! Main guns, cease firing!” His order was immediately relayed. Kato and the rest of the Cosmo Tiger crew headed to the hangar.
“Launch rocket anchor!” Shima barked.
The rocket anchor was launched from Yamato and driven into a nearby mountainside. The anchor dug firmly into the rock. After confirming this, Shima turned on the switch for the interlocking device and the anchor chain began to reel in. He desperately kept pressing the switch. He couldn’t acknowledge the pain in his chest.
Compressed air gushed out from all of Yamato‘s drainage ports, making a tremendous noise. The anchor chain continued to reel in.
“Please…move, somehow…” Shima muttered.
The chain finally tightened and Yamato‘s stern gradually began to move, rising slightly. The crew and robot horses who had been fighting on the deck temporarily stopped. But they soon regained their balance and resumed their assault on the shaking deck.
The stern rose farther up. At the same time, the bow of the ship sank in the opposite direction. Compressed air continued to burst out, and tension on the rocket anchor chain reached maximum.
Kato and the other Cosmo Tiger crew members were now aboard their fighters in the lower hangar, waiting.
“It’s not opening yet!” Kato said impatiently, looking at the launch port ahead of him. Even from inside his cockpit, it was clear that the stern was vibrating and gradually rising up.
“Come on… Almost there. Climb a little higher…”
The launch port slowly opened. Kato’s eyes lit up. Another moment later, it was completely open.
“Yes!” Kato shouted, then gave the order. “All planes, launch!”
The hangar was filled with the roaring sound of the Cosmo Tiger’s jets. Kato was the first to launch. As his Cosmo Tiger left the launch bay, solid ground rushed up at him from below. Kato hastily pulled back on the control stick and the plane soared upward.
Following him, the other Cosmo Tigers shot out of the bay one after another. They all flew just above the ground and quickly climbed. It was a well-trained and magnificent performance. An average pilot would have crashed as soon as they left the bay; Yamato‘s Cosmo Tiger crew were the only ones who could have pulled it off.
Every single one took off and rose.
“We did it…” Shima muttered, exhausted.
In the engine room, Tasuke was jumping up and down with the other engine crew members in joy.
“We did it!”
