NABC Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 24
Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 24
Chapter 24: The Ship-of-the-Line Opens Fire, Counterattack Begins
"The enemy ship is running parallel to us."
Two hours had passed. The pirate ship had drawn within approximately 1 kilometer and was now running parallel to the flagship, Paraiso, and the other two ships in a single line formation. Someone aboard the enemy vessel was vigorously waving signal flags, though their meaning was lost on them.
"What do you think they’re trying to say?" she asked.
"Judging by the situation, they’re probably demanding surrender."
They watched the flag-waving routine for a few minutes when—
"The enemy ship has opened fire."
A slight shockwave was visible on the display, marking the trajectory of the incoming cannonball, which Ringo quickly marked.
"Marked. Initial velocity: 382 meters per second. No damage."
About three seconds later, the shell splashed down, exploding upon impact and raising a plume of water.
"That’s quite a bit of firepower, isn’t it?"
"It’s an explosive shell. Strong but lacking accuracy. Due to resolution limitations, precise measurements weren’t possible, but the dispersion is rather wide."
From the footage, Ringo calculated the cannon’s barrel length and roughly estimated the accuracy based on where the shell landed. Whether by chance or design, the shell seemed to have landed quite far off from the cannon’s original aiming direction.
"If that shell hits below the waterline and detonates correctly, it could break the hull."
"That’s...not ideal."
"Indeed, Commander. However, at an initial velocity of around 400 meters per second, our 20mm machine guns should be more than capable of intercepting them."
"So, no real problem then."
Even the simple integrated tactical system on the LST-class light trade ships could intercept missiles moving at supersonic speeds. With Ringo’s full support, cannonballs moving slightly above the speed of sound posed no threat.
"Shall we return fire?"
"Hmm... maybe aim intentionally off-target? If we’re gathering combat data, provoking them might be beneficial."
"Understood. We’ll fire about 300 meters ahead of them."
Following Ringo’s orders, the forward turret on Paraiso immediately took aim and fired. The shell landed within a second, hitting the sea 300 meters ahead of the target. Traveling about 30 meters underwater, it detonated, creating a massive water plume.
"Hit location is within margin of error. No issues."
On the pirate ship’s deck, there was an immediate flurry of activity. Several crew members pointed at Paraiso and shouted, seemingly unprepared for a return volley.
The trajectory of the incoming rounds was immediately analyzed, and their landing sites displayed. One shot seemed poised for a near miss, but there was no need to change course.
The cannonballs splashed down, exploding on impact, with one round landing close to LST-3, sending a water column rising as the fleet continued forward.
"Enemy vessel has fired again. Marked: near miss, possibly a direct hit. Intercept."
On cue, two 20mm machine guns aboard LST-3 opened fire, each firing 3,000 rounds per minute from both the bow and stern.
"Interception successful."
The cannonball was shredded mid-air by a storm of bullets and exploded.
"...We failed to neutralize the explosive; the powder ignited upon impact. We can’t yet determine the type of explosive they’re using."
"Can you usually identify explosives?"
"Yes, to some extent. Characteristics of the explosion and smoke type can give us a clue. Enemy vessel has fired. Marked. No damage."
Ringo displayed a slow-motion replay of the cannonball exploding, showing the 20mm rounds approaching it from the front and slicing through it in rapid succession, effectively splitting it in two before it detonated.
"Enemy vessel has fired. Marked. No damage. The cannonballs themselves seem quite fragile. However, there’s a slight delay before they explode after penetration. I’ll no longer report unless there’s a direct threat."
"Got it. Keep intercepting... Hmm, the delayed explosion is interesting."
"Yes. The explosions are likely synchronized across all the rounds rather than sequential. With our equipment, we can’t detect any time lag between the detonations."
In the video, the cannonball fragmented and detonated without any visible smoke. It looked as if it had simply exploded.
"They might not be using conventional gunpowder as we know it."
"Hmm... Could it be magic, then?"
"That possibility can’t be ruled out."
As water columns rose around them, the three ships continued closing the distance to 500 meters. Ringo analyzed the enemy cannonballs while accurately intercepting the near-misses.
"It seems we could even intercept them with our 150mm smoothbore shells."
The forward turret of LST-1 fired a shell that collided mid-air with an incoming enemy round. The enemy’s cannonball was so fragile that Paraiso’s shell tore through it before it exploded.
"...Perhaps it would be faster to capture and study them. Enemy vessel, distance 500 meters. Initiating artillery engagement."
The mission was to neutralize and capture the enemy ship, aiming to retrieve any metal resources, if possible. Ideally, they would also analyze the ship’s propulsion and ammunition systems. Thus, their targets were its rudder and masts.
Simultaneously, four 150mm smoothbore shells were fired, reaching their targets in a second. They struck the bases of the four masts, exploding on impact. Additionally, one of the 20mm machine guns shredded the base of another mast, causing it to snap, while another gun precisely targeted and damaged the ship’s rear paddle wheel, taking care not to harm internal components.
The enemy ship was now immobilized, its sails shattered, and it was on the brink of surrender.