83. Strategic Submarine
The submarine *Columbia*, having departed from the Kitosapp Naval Base, carries sixteen fleet ballistic missiles—Trident II (Trident D5)—each loaded with the maximum number of warheads permitted under the now-defunct New START nuclear arms reduction treaty: fourteen warheads per missile. This means the *Columbia* is equipped with a total of two hundred twenty-four nuclear warheads (each warhead capable of a maximum yield of 475 kilotons—by comparison, the Little Boy bomb is estimated to have had a yield of around 20 kilotons).
The Trident II missiles aboard the *Columbia* already have target coordinates preloaded, though the crew—including the captain—remain unaware.
The Columbia currently hangs suspended two hundred meters beneath the surface of the sea, off the westernmost island of the Aleutian chain—Kiska Island—its position such that the entire mainland of China lies within the range of its Trident II missiles. The Virginia-class attack submarine SSN-26 Pompeo, serving as its escort, maintains surveillance around it in accordance with the combat rules set by the current DEFCON level.
As DEFCON level rises to three, the airborne communication relay aircraft—E-6B Mercury, designated TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out)—has already been airborne and on standby for twenty-four hours.
Along with the alert level rising from three to one—indicating active war—nuclear missile launch orders were transmitted from the White House, via TACAMO, to the vessel stationed off Colombia. Once the ship ascended to missile launch depth, the captain and executive officer each entered two four-digit numbers accompanying the communication. Simultaneously turning their respective lock-unlocking keys and pressing the firing button would initiate sequential launch of all missiles. Once underway, cancellation during launch was impossible.
While struggling over how best to handle the subterfuge operations—gathered at Ain’s direction—against the political and media spheres of continental China and southern Japan, Ichijō unexpectedly appeared on the eighth deck.
“Senior, is something wrong?”
“You’re involved in this too, so I’ll tell you.”
Actually, I managed to intercept the details of the subversive operations targeting Japan from electronic data within the governments of continental China and Democratic Korea—but without police jurisdiction, gathering physical evidence is impossible, and I’ve been at a loss as to how to proceed.”
“Among the intelligence you’ve collected, there are also items unrelated to Agirakana, right?”
“Of course. Fundamentally, it’s data assessing the level of contamination from continental China and Democratic Korea across political circles and media.”
“In that case, why not just hand over the data to the United States? The relations between the two countries are already strained, and isn’t the current Japanese cabinet deeply disappointed in the United States?”
“Then the United States would end up occupying the same position as continental China now—controlling Japan from behind the scenes.”
“That’s a valid concern, but at least it’d be better than dealing with continental China.”
“True, in that light it might be acceptable. Does Ichijō have any connections with the United States?”
"Of course I don’t have direct access, but there’s a transfer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the seventh floor—should be fine."
"Then leave it to Ichijō. I’d rather not get too deep into this myself."
"Ain, could you hand Ichijō that compiled report?"
"Understood."
"Then it’s settled—Ichijō, you’re on it."
"Got it! By the way, senior, I don’t know what you personally think about Japan or Earth, but you might want to get a little more involved. You’re carrying the might of Agirakana’s starship, after all."
"Hmm. Truth is, over the past decade or so, living in Agirakana, my attachment to Earth has been… waning. Come back after wrapping up a mission, and suddenly there are these odd characters popping up out of nowhere."
He was thinking it wouldn’t matter much—no messy aftermath—if they just went ahead and recruited a few million immigrants. After all, most biological genetic information had already been secured, it seemed.
“What will you do from here on out, then?”
“Live for my hobbies.”
“Hobbies? That web novel?”
“That’s right. What of it?”
“Well, you did say the author hasn’t officially revealed themselves, so not many people are reading it, right?”
“I’d originally planned to come clean, but then I got the sense it would feel… off. Writer’s conscience? Something like that.”
“So, current readership across all works—about two digits?”
“Two digits? That’s impressive.”
“Isn’t that fine? Just keep going like that. Persistence is power. Or—maybe I’ll buy a publishing house. Then, if you publish through them, your visibility as a published author would skyrocket.”
“That would be the very opposite of a writer’s conscience.”
While Yamada and Ichijō were exchanging another round of absurdities, Ain, who had briefly returned to her own station, came over.
“Captain, there’s been new activity from the Union’s strategic submarines. Previously deployed mainly in the Arctic Ocean, their central position has now shifted to the northwestern Pacific. Also, aircraft designated for submarine communication are reportedly maintaining constant aerial presence.”
“The northwestern Pacific?”
“This shift suggests the entire continental China region is now within range of their SLBM—submarine-launched ballistic missiles.”
“If those missiles were fired, could we intercept them?”
"At present, Klein’s Squadron 0001 is orbiting Earth. If we halt its orbit and station it approximately 1,000 kilometers above Hokkaido, it can be easily destroyed. However, if we don’t dismantle it thoroughly, a significant amount of debris will result. Depending on the number of missiles, complete destruction may prove difficult. Additionally, if the United States launches a preemptive strike, continental China—along with Russia—may interpret this as an attack on themselves and retaliate against the United States. In other words, a full-scale nuclear war."
"Deploy twice the estimated number of missiles’ worth of ships to ensure complete destruction."
"Sending Squadrons 0002 and 0003 toward Earth."
"As requested."
“Additionally, regarding the continental Chinese side—three small fleets, each consisting of three attack submarines, have emerged from the Bashi Strait into the Philippine Sea and are advancing toward the Pacific, apparently heading toward the Canadian sector.”
“Are those the direction of the United States’ strategic submarines?”
“Likely.”
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Little Boy: the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The missile launch method is arbitrary.