Episode 44: The Ship Was Eaten
“Based on the examination of the recovered bow section, we estimate it was fractured by something enormous.”
That was the answer ＜Ringo＞ provided after analyzing the bow of the ship they had picked up the other day.
“Fractured?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It appears to have been rapidly and simultaneously squeezed from both sides, then swiftly torn apart. Analysis of the surrounding damage and residue embedded in some of the structures leads us to conclude that a massive animal bit into it.”
“…Just to be sure, this isn’t because ＜Ringo＞ has been watching too many B-movies, right?”
“No, Ma’am. The way the wood broke, and this residue—clearly tooth fragments are embedded here, and we’ve also managed to recover some tissue samples. Genetic analysis is ongoing, but we should have some results soon.”
＜Ringo＞ created a simulation video. The exact appearance of the giant animal was unknown, but it depicted a plausible attack: a sizable wooden ship being grabbed from below and simply bitten in half.
The analysis of the wood fractures allowed them to deduce how the force was applied from the outside.
“Hmm… Is it just a giant whale-like creature, or some kind of magical (fantasy) monster…?”
“At least, no scientifically anomalous elements were detected in the tissue samples themselves.”
If force had been slowly applied from the outside, the ship would have been crushed in its entirety.
However, the bow section had broken off with minimal damage. The cut was relatively clean, as if it had been sliced off with sharp shears.
This creature hadn’t gradually crushed the ship; it had destroyed the wooden vessel with a single bite, and likely with ease.
“Are you saying there’s a creature out there casually munching on entire ships…?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We had already confirmed the existence of sea beasts far larger than our conventional understanding. It is plausible that there are other, even more ferocious and gigantic creatures that prey on them.”
Eve crossed her arms, groaning.
Just as they were becoming wary of human intrusion, they had discovered a far more direct threat. If such a creature existed, could they prevent it from approaching ＜The Tree＞?
“Without seeing the real thing, we can’t even begin to think about countermeasures. I guess we have no choice but to reallocate some of our sea survey resources to hunting for this monster.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I will arrange that.”
Currently, many Solar-Powered Reconnaissance Aircraft (Swift) are equipped with electromagnetic wave emitters and detectors to study ocean currents. They are trying various methods, such as searching for drifting objects that could serve as markers and directly observing currents using the Doppler effect.
However, searching for a giant creature would likely require visible light detectors. If the target is underwater, they would have to wait for it to surface. Electromagnetic waves are mostly absorbed in water, so visual observation is the only option.
“This is frustrating… Should we narrow things down and focus our resources on launching a satellite? Or should we expedite the construction of the undersea mining platform…? We don’t have enough data to simulate effectively, so I can’t tell which is the optimal solution…”
“Yes, Ma’am. Following the drifting ship, this large creature also requires immediate attention. Resources are finite, but the list of tasks is growing.”
Each of these issues was too important to prioritize over the others.
Telek Port City was essential for securing Iron. It required the highest priority.
The drifting ship suggested that humans would eventually reach ＜The Tree＞, sooner or later. To prepare for that eventuality, surveying the sea and its currents was absolutely necessary to create an effective patrol network. Since ocean current surveys take time, it wasn’t something they could easily postpone.
In fact, mapping the ocean currents would provide extremely useful information for future operations, so they wanted to investigate it as soon as possible.
And then there was the giant creature. Unlike the drifting ship, the creature was a living being, so there was a chance they could be attacked if it discovered their presence.
Without knowing anything about it, there was no way to devise countermeasures.
They didn’t even know if they could defeat or drive it away with conventional weapons.
Therefore, they needed to gather information about the creature as quickly as possible.
The problems other than Telek Port City were highly urgent, but had no set deadlines. Dealing with emergencies that had no end in sight was very troublesome. They had no idea how much resources to allocate.
“This giant creature attacked a ship, and judging from the fracture marks, it bit from directly below. Therefore, assuming it is carnivorous, it is likely targeting large sea beasts. Capturing that moment would be the most reliable approach.”
“Hmm… So, we find a pod of whales or something and track them?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Let’s observe the situation that way for now. Separately, we will also conduct wide-area image surveillance.”
“That’s all we can do, I suppose… Alright, let’s proceed with that plan.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
A month passed after the decision was made.
As a result of continuing the search, they had discovered and were tracking several pods of whale-like sea beasts. However, the giant creature itself was nowhere to be seen. Of course, it would become impossible to spot if it dove too deep, so it couldn’t be helped.
Fortunately, the sea beasts had not been found on the route to Telek Port City. The giant creature probably wouldn’t approach areas without prey.
However, they couldn’t afford to do nothing, so they somehow managed to keep a Swift in the air. Even if they were attacked, they could at least monitor the situation.
“We have confirmed several objects that appear to be fragments of destroyed ships. We are also gradually understanding the ocean currents, so we have narrowed down the area where the ship was attacked.”
The drifting objects seemed to be carried by the ocean currents, so they were searching for their origin. Based on the attachment of barnacles and other organisms, they estimated that the attack had occurred within the past month. By calculating backwards from the speed of the currents, they had made a rough estimate. They hadn’t found any pods of sea beasts in the surrounding waters, but they didn’t know if they had never been there, had fled, or had been devoured.
“Assuming it is moving with the ocean currents, it may have moved further towards ＜The Tree＞. The current speed is very slow, averaging only a few tens of kilometers per day, but it could have moved 500 to 600 kilometers in two months.”
“This is a situation we can’t let our guard down in.”
Eve gazed at the sea chart, which was starting to resemble an actual map. The survey area was biased due to the priority given to searching for the giant creature, but it was far more extensive than it had been initially. They were gradually understanding the ocean currents, so the patrol range was narrowing.
“What should we do if it comes this way?”
“Sister, do we have to kill this giant creature?”
“Hmm. If there’s a chance it might attack us, then yes. It would be a problem if it sank an Alpha-class or a transport ship.”
Given its expected size, capturing it was not realistic. If possible, they wanted to investigate it, so they were considering killing it if they could, but they would drive it away if they couldn’t.
“Attacking it to drive it away is an option, but there’s also the possibility of attracting its attention.”
Giant creatures often tend to be intelligent. They were considering the possibility that it might hold a grudge for being attacked and stalk them. Therefore, they wanted to kill it cleanly and conduct an ecological survey through dissection.
“The literature says that we shouldn’t kill indiscriminately, but does that not apply in this case?”
“Ichigo is always so serious.”
As always, Eve stroked her younger sister Ichigo’s head.
“How we interpret ‘indiscriminately’ depends on the situation, but I believe it’s wrong to kill for the sake of killing. This time, we have reasons such as self-defense and scientific investigation. Besides, as I said earlier, not killing it might cause problems later on.”
“…I don’t quite understand killing for the sake of killing, but I understand. I’ll tell the other sisters, so please let everyone observe the operation when it happens.”
“Okay. I’ll be sure to call you. Please, ＜Ringo＞.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”