TL Note : https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Dagahra
Dagahra
December 2017 – South Pacific
John Smith (pseudonym), US Navy fighter pilot (at the time)
The war against the kaiju that began in 1999 was an entirely new kind of conflict for humanity, triggering a paradigm shift that can rightly be called fundamental in terms of strategy and tactics. However, the importance of aircraft carriers in naval warfare remained unwavering. The nuclear-powered supercarriers built by the United States of America and others continued to occupy crucial positions as forward bases at sea. Of course, they discovered and eliminated numerous kaiju, but after the threat of maritime kaiju disrupted sea transport routes, they also played versatile roles in operations like sea transport and refugee rescue…and many of them sank. Currently, the human government possesses only 3 operational aircraft carriers: the Nimitz-class USS Saratoga formerly of the US Navy, the Gerald R. Ford-class USS Enterprise, and the latest and perhaps final aircraft carrier built by humanity – the Mathias Jackson-class lead ship Mathias Jackson, constructed with technology provided by Bilusaludo.
One of these, the Saratoga, suffered heavy aircraft losses during the 2046 Battle of Japan, but managed to evacuate many soldiers to South America despite sustaining damage. However, with no prospect of replacing the lost aircraft, the crippled Saratoga now lies in the Rio de Janeiro naval shipyard.
I am Major John Smith (name and rank changed), a notorious “daredevil” transport pilot known for always landing in the most dangerous places and making it back. The refugees I have delivered food to or rescued are countless. I used to serve as an aircraft crew member on the Saratoga. Records show the ship engaged 13 massive kaiju, but the story I want to share is about one that is not in the official records.
When I was a kid, I saw Kamacuras destroy New York on TV.
The reason I decided to join the military was because I heard it was American bombers that took down that huge-ass kaiju. But my old man, who was a fisherman, said “Boy, if you’re gonna join up, go Navy instead of Air Force. That way you can get on ships and planes.” So that’s how I ended up a naval officer candidate. Ah, that’s right. I was probably one of the last generations when the military was still volunteer-based in the US. Right after that they reinstated the draft (Note 1). Back then I had my sights set on being a fighter pilot. It was the top gun position, you know. Transport planes were for cowards and washouts, I thought..
In the military, they drilled into us the basics of anti-kaiju warfare:
First Sight, First Shot, First Kill.
See them first, shoot first, kill first.
The Kamacuras incident was effectively our defeat. With the Kaiju landing in a densely populated area, we couldn’t just attack recklessly, especially us free world countries – we couldn’t afford to cause massive civilian casualties like China or Russia might have. To minimize damage and achieve true victory, we needed to detect and eliminate them before they could reach land.
But that’s easier said than done. These kaiju may be huge, but they can somehow absorb radio waves, so by the time we spot them, they’ve already landed in a major city.
Still, in the 2010s, countries around the world finally got serious about the kaiju threat. Military budgets were increased, and advanced radar and sonar-equipped Aegis ships were mass-produced. Even the delayed F-35 fighter was rushed into service, compromising on stealth but beefing up its ground/ship attack capabilities, since kaiju don’t have radar anyway (footnote 2). Saratoga scored its first victory against Ebira III just a bit before I joined – finally, we were starting to succeed in early detection and elimination at sea.
Humanity could fight the kaiju.
That’s the hope we were starting to hold on to when it happened.
December 25, 2017. Commonwealth of Australia. Sydney. Dagahra.
The “Crimson Christmas Tragedy.”
Haven’t you ever wondered
-Why did Australia let Dagahra land so easily?
At the time, the Australian government was significantly boosting its naval power. They rushed the construction of the state-of-the-art Hobart-class destroyers and even imported conventional submarines from Japan for defense. So how did the capital get invaded like that? Why couldn’t they detect it beforehand?
The truth is, the Australian government had known about Dagahra’s existence for a long time. Who told them? Us, the US Navy.
You know the pandemic that hit East Samoa just a couple weeks before the Dagahra attack on Australia? That incident, now known as a harbinger of Australia’s tragedy, involved a mysterious red tide-like substance surging into Pago Pago harbor in American Samoa, causing a deadly unknown bacterial infection that killed one out of every three residents. Later, it was confirmed that the bacteria Dagahra spread in Sydney, called Barem, was the same – suggesting the Kaiju likely emerged from the Oceanic region…at least, that’s what the records say.
The truth is different.
Dagahra was first encountered in late November 2017. The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine Sea Wolf made contact with “something” on the sea floor at 47°09’S 126°43’W in the virtually inaccessible areas of the Pacific and was forced to emergency surface. From the damage left on the hull, this “something” was determined to be a massive creature…a kaiju. The Pacific Fleet was immediately put on alert and a search began. Two weeks later, a patrol aircraft spotted Dagahra off Eastern Samoa, and my carrier Saratoga received attack orders.
—“Wait, so you’re saying the U.S. Navy engaged Dagahra before its landing in Sydney?”
That’s right. I was part of the attack squadron myself. Don’t you believe me?
—“Please continue.”
It was supposed to be the ideal situation. Early detection of the kaiju succeeded. The wide open sea with nothing to hinder our attack. The Saratoga carried over 70 aircraft and nearly 3,000 tons of ammunition. It formed a carrier strike group centered around us, with Aegis missile cruisers, missile destroyers, and attack submarines. We couldn’t lose. Just exterminating a pest, or so it should’ve been.
—“It got away?”
No way. The E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft had it perfectly tracked, as did two attack subs. Even if it fled to the depths of hell, they wouldn’t lose sight of it. I was one of the 12 aircraft in the first wave strike fighter squadron.
“Garuda 02, cleared for launch.”
The deck crew finished final checks and gave launch clearance. The catapult hurled my anti-ship missile armed jet into the brilliant blue sky. Such a piercingly blue sky…yes, we could still see that back then, not this black polluted mess…
It wasn’t us who opened the attack, but the submarine trailing behind. Hit at point-blank range by a Mk54 torpedo, the bastard was forced to burst out of the water. We had confirmed the existence of wing-like appendages, so it wasn’t completely unexpected…but seriously, how could such a massive body totally defying aerodynamics fly (Note 3)? Ah, whatever. It jumping into the air actually worked in our favor – made it an easier target. Our aircraft each had two AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles slung under the wings. We had to sacrifice stealth since development of the JSM for internal weapons bays was delayed…but against a kaiju, who cares? Our range exceeded 200km. The E-2D Hawkeye radar plane had a perfect lock on the target, sharing that data via link to all 12 of our F-35Cs. My HMD had it locked on, telling me I could fire anytime. And I can say for certain, there’s no way that thing had a clue that 12 angels of death had it in their sights.
First look, first shoot, first kill.
“Garuda 02, firing anti-ship missiles!”
I pulled the trigger, releasing the anti-ship missiles. The first to fire were my flight of four including the lead aircraft. Four white trails of anti-ship missiles streaked out at subsonic speed.
Soon the E-2D controller called out “Hit! Hits confirmed!” Though the radar sight in my HMD showed that clearly enough. Surprisingly, the target was still airborne…but we still had remaining missiles. If 12 aircraft’s worth wasn’t enough, the next wave would just follow up the attack run. There was no escape for it. We would definitely take it down here, everyone thought. I placed my finger on the trigger again, awaiting the lead’s command to fire.
But the order that reached my ears was “Cease fire! Cease fire!” I thought I misheard and yelled at the controller, what kind of joke was this? Yet they just repeated “Attack is not permitted” and “This is the captain’s order.” Eventually, we were ordered to return except for the tracking E-2D. Trail Dagahra, but do not attack – those were the orders.
—“So you’re saying the U.S. Navy deliberately let Dagahra go?”
That’s right. It made no sense. What if we let that thing go? What if it landed in a major city? Do you know how many would’ve died in New York? The first thing I did after returning was try to barge into the captain’s quarters and yell at him, but was stopped by the deck crew…instead, the squadron commander punched the captain and got thrown in the brig…
—“But why would they make that decision?”
Barem. That damn toxic spore Dagahra was carrying. The first victims weren’t Australian or Samoan residents. It was the workers repairing the sub that initially encountered Dagahra. The spores likely contaminated the sub on contact. It began proliferating at the dry dock where the sub docked for repairs. Yes, records state the risk of Dagahra carrying an unknown bacterial infection was only realized after killing it. But in reality, the U.S. caught on much earlier and secretly informed Australia too. That’s why they couldn’t prevent Dagahra from landing in Sydney.
—“If that’s true, then why wasn’t it made public?”
Our attack had wounded Dagahra, and it retreated back into the sea. Three days later, that Barem turned the sea blood-red as it attacked East Samoa. The order to cease the attack may have been the right call. If we had wiped out Dagahra there, it would have been Oceania, not Australia, that was devastated.
But the military and the government hesitated to publicize the facts. They must have feared a scandal. Imagine if it got out that the military’s reckless attack on the Kaiju led to a pandemic spreading through East Samoa. It could have become a major obstacle for future anti-Kaiju operations.
—“So the military covered up the facts.”
That’s right. The logic is understandable. But I…
(John-Smith pauses for a while, then asks me a question.)
Have you seen the records of Barem’s infectious disease?
“Yes, I have.”
The symptoms were horrific. That’s no way for a person to die – foaming at the mouth, dissolving while still alive… At that point, there was nothing that could be done. In Australia, the doctors on the front lines were among the first to perish. East Samoa was even worse, with no advanced medical facilities at all. But at the time, I knew nothing of this. I only finally grasped the situation after Sydney was devastated. I was so close to taking down the Kaiju with my own hands and becoming a hero, but the idiots at the top prevented me from doing it. While East Samoa was turning into hell, that’s all I could think about. The missiles I fired ended up causing such a tragedy… Kaiju were unknown entities back then… Not until Exif provided the Gematria computations and we were able to decipher their biology in advance…
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
(John-Smith buries his head in his hands and shakes it. A faint sob can be heard in the silence. After a long pause, he continues.)
I don’t know the details of what happened after. We who had potential contact with Dagahra were isolated for a while. The Australian military, joined by the US forces, apparently tried to lure Dagahra. Australia had always been zealous about marine resource conservation, and with the Kaiju disrupting sea transport, it was crucial. They couldn’t afford to contaminate the sea. But it was in vain. The creature headed straight for Sydney. Why do the Kaiju attack cities? If they’re just looking for food, they could eat fish or whatever. The other animals know to stay away from humans and our fearsome weapons. But the Kaiju are different. Not for food, not for survival, almost as if they hate humans…
Fearing the Kaiju’s deadly toxin, while humans were unable to engage, Dagahra came ashore in Sydney. It ravaged from Sydney to Newcastle, where it was met by the Australian military. To this day, it’s unclear who gave the order to attack. The leadership was decimated, and the government functions were temporarily paralyzed. The wounded creature fled into the sky and then fell into the sea, exhausted. From its carcass, Barem’s deadly toxin spilled out, instantly contaminating the Australian seas, felling countless people who dissolved while still alive.
The marine pollution devastated Australia’s natural environment as well. The victims from famine and pandemic exceeded 3 million in 2018 alone. Even as the international community tried to help, with the seas completely contaminated and ships unable to approach, there were limits to what could be done. As a result, the Australian continent became the second landmass lost to humanity, after Africa.
Dagahra was the last Kaiju I ever fired at. I just couldn’t bring myself to shoot at them again. What if this one also had toxins, and something like Sydney happened again?… The top brass transferred me, and my career as a combat pilot ended there, flying transport planes ever since.
…Everyone calls me reckless. Aren’t you afraid of the Kaiju? No, I’m not afraid. Delivering food to starving children, rescuing isolated refugees from the Kaiju’ feet – that’s simple. If I fail, I die. If I succeed, everyone is saved. Compared to pulling the trigger that might destroy the world, there’s nothing frightening about that.
Note 1: The general draft law was passed in the United States in 2017. It obligated American citizens and permanent residents between the ages of 18 and 26, both male and female, to 21 months of military service and 5 years in the reserves. However, due to the successive disasters brought by kaiju, the draft age range and service period were gradually expanded thereafter.
Note 2: While few in number, there are indeed kaiju confirmed or potentially possessing radar or similar detection organs.
Note 3: Many aspects of the flight principles of airborne kaiju still defy aerodynamic explanation. There are persistent theories suggesting some form of gravity control may be involved.
Note 4: While there are various theories, it is certain that many kaiju are drawn to densely populated areas like major metropolitan regions.
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