[Serialized Novel] "Lute of the North Wind" Episode 47

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Episode 47: Operation Red Scab Sweep (1)
The sky over Kagamihara has been as dark as twilight since morning. An endless night prevails.
Ikegami repeatedly spins the flint wheel of his Zippo lighter by the window of the deputy command room. Because oxygen is low, it doesn't light easily. He presses the tip of his cigarette against the thin flame that finally appears, expands his alveoli to let the smoke permeate, and slowly exhales a single puff of purple smoke. He knows that smoking is bad in this oxygen situation. But he cannot give up his morning cigarette.
"The first mission of Operation Red Scab Sweep is to drain the water from Kagami Pond."
Imagining the blank face of Tenma Ryuto as he said that nonchalantly in front of the fierce JGSDF general Sagike, he exhales smoke again. That guy only has saving the sky on his mind. He doesn't care a bit about the rank of Lieutenant General or the sense of intimidation. It's not just Sagike. He bosses me around too. It's damn annoying, but he's a thrilling man.
It's finally time, Ikegami thinks as he crushes his cigarette and puts on his oxygen mask.
Finally, the vanguard of the operation is moving.
Following yesterday's press conference, the JGSDF 10th Division under Sagike has begun draining Kagami Pond this morning.
The pond has a circumference of five kilometers, boasting the size of a small lake. How difficult it is to drain that water. Roughly two billion tons of water must be drained. Even now, there is no telling how many days it will take just by opening the sluice gates of the culvert stream. And yet.
"I want it dried thoroughly, so please drain it as quickly as possible," he instructed the world-renowned Lieutenant General. I've never seen Sagike so stunned.
Toward the launch of the "Sky Red Tide Countermeasures Headquarters," I had been having close meetings with Sakakibara and Tenma immediately after the lockdown began. I requested Sagike's participation once the outline of the operation was solidified. Because Tenma blurted out, "If we're draining the pond, it should be the JGSDF, right?" He says it with the same casualness as wanting green onions as a condiment for soba, let's have the JGSDF participate too.
To Sagike, whom he met for the first time, he blurted out, "What I want the JGSDF to do is drain Kagami Pond," kicking his pride to the curb. Sagike was glaring with his lips twisted. Tenma didn't flinch at that gaze, or perhaps he didn't even care. "The key to the operation lies in Kagami Pond," he says with pride. That worked. Because Sagike's eyes moved sharply. That is his unique silent consent. To think he could wrap a Lieutenant General around his finger.
The "Operation Red Scab Sweep" involves opening a hole in the scab above Kagami Pond to instantaneously create a megaton-class downdraft. Without attenuating that power, it is converted into an updraft to blow away the scab. Kagami Pond is the receptacle for the disaster-class downburst. Therefore, it is only natural for Tenma that "draining Kagami Pond is an important mission." He has no intention of belittling the draining work from the start. That's all there is to it.
Even so, Ikegami groans. The idea of utilizing the power of airflow is not something a Self-Defense Force officer would have. The Self-Defense Forces have missiles and fighter jets. How to deploy them and how to use them. That is everything. I never thought of utilizing the power of nature.
The use of Kagami Pond was something Tenma suggested.
He was racking his brain for a way to convert the downdraft that hit the ground into an updraft. "Should we surround it with steel plates?" "Wouldn't concrete harden in a week?"
Sakakibara and my ideas were only about how to deal with it using artificial objects.
"It would be nice if there was a slope like a skateboard ramp."
I thought Tenma was saying something nonsensical again.
"Isn't there a skateboard park in Kagamihara?"
"There isn't."
Tenma walks around the deputy command room, takes off his glasses, and brings his face close to the map on the wall.
"How about here, this Kagami Pond?"
Huh, a pond?
"It's a perfect circle and large enough. If it's a pond, there's no need to dig. Besides, look. Isn't it right in the center of the Kagamihara basin?"
He had a full smile on his face.
Kagami Pond is not an artificial pond. It has been in Kagamihara since long ago, and there is even a legend that it became a pond because the tears shed by a dragon collected there. It is called "Kagami Pond" (Mirror Pond) because it is round and the water surface is like a mirror, and I also hear that it is the origin of the place name Kagamihara. Kagami Forest Green Park was created to maintain the environment of Kagami Pond and make it a place of relaxation for citizens. It is located in the center of the basin, about 500 meters east of the Tatsuno River, which flows north and south on the west side of the city.
The JGSDF 10th Division, led by Sagike, used every possible means and devoted all its efforts to draining Kagami Pond.
They opened the sluice gates of the stream flowing into the Tatsuno River, and at the same time, made full use of drainage pipes and fire hoses to pour water into the Tatsuno River. They borrowed tank trucks and containers from private companies, loaded them with water, and carried them to the Tatsuno River using human-wave tactics. The work was done while carrying oxygen tanks. It took five days to drain the water completely.
While the JGSDF was putting all its efforts into draining the pond, the JASDF finalized the operation to open a hole in the scab.
There is no disagreement about using Patriot missiles.
We also had Lieutenant Colonel Nashiki, the anti-aircraft unit commander who handles Patriots, and Lieutenant Colonel Otonashi, who oversees the flight units, join us for repeated discussions.
What is different from normal defense is that the target is not an aircraft or a ballistic missile, but a microorganism. The hardness is also unknown. Since we are aiming at an object that is stationary, there is no need to use radar to pursue it. In that sense, it could be said to be an easy mission, but.
"To create the most effective downdraft, we need to aim vertically from directly below."
Tenma throws another difficult problem at us casually.
Normally, a launched missile locks onto and intercepts a target flying in while gaining altitude at an angle. We never aim from directly below.
"Isn't it okay to aim at an angle from all directions?"
"Can you deploy eight Patriots?"
Ikegami is stumped.
"There is also a possibility that all eight will be damaged due to the influence of the updraft. Can you throw away eight expensive Patriots?"
When Ikegami glares at Tenma and falls silent, Lieutenant Colonel Nashiki, the anti-aircraft unit commander, helped out by saying, "I will program the launch elevation angle to be as low as possible, and once it reaches above Kagami Pond, it will head straight up. Furthermore, let's guide it with radar." The Patriot missile flies along a pre-programmed course and is guided according to laser instructions.
"For that, we need to keep a distance from the pond."
"How much?"
"Since the radius of the pond is about 800 meters," Nashiki hesitates and says, "I'd like 300 meters."
"300 meters. It's less likely to be affected by the airflow if there's that much distance. I don't think it will flip over easily, but the antenna mast might break."
Where to aim the missiles, whether to concentrate on one point or stagger them in waves. Whether to widen the hole in a spiral. Up to 16 rounds per unit. What is the size of the hole that creates an effective downburst? We tried various simulations.
Furthermore, since it is unknown how reliably we can open a hole with Patriots, it was decided to add missile attacks by fighter jets.
The fighter jets deployed at Kagamihara Base are three models: the F-2 Viper Zero, the F-15 Eagle, and the F-35 Lightning II. The F-2 is excellent for anti-ship attacks. The F-35 is a stealth aircraft. The F-15 has the most mobility. We aren't dogfighting. Since we are aiming at something stationary, combat mobility is not necessary, but we must escape the Kagamihara airspace in the instant before the airflow that has turned into an updraft reaches the scab. Sacrificing crew members is out of the question. Mobility is necessary for that. Is the F-15 Eagle suitable?
The Patriot missile system consists of five units: a launcher, a phased array radar, an engagement control station, an antenna mast group, and a power plant. We will deploy two units of this 300 meters east of Kagami Pond, spaced 100 meters apart north to south. The F-15 Eagle squadron will deploy three formations of four aircraft each.
The final operation was decided two days before the operation date of June 30th.

To be continued