Chereads / Voyage to the Past / Chapter 3 - How we should react?

Chapter 3 - How we should react?

After hearing what Captain Ichiro just said almost make Lt. Colonel Yusuke get a heart attack.

"Sir, are you sure? That almost like a plot in a novel or anime right?"

"I will be glad if I was wrong, besides, that only my guess. We'll see whether it's true or not when we arrive at Japan"

"Sir, if your guess is wrong, then there's no problem at all, we can go home and continue our daily life as usual. But what if you're right, Sir?"

"Hmm…that's what we should all discuss about. But first thing is, we must leave this water first, it's too close with American base and I don't want to involve in something unnecessary"

"You're right sir. I guess we should wait and see then"

"Yusuke, if I was right, what will you do in my position?"

"Me, Sir? I'm thinking our crew safety is the top priority. I'm willing to do anything to ensure our crew's safety. After that finding the way to return to our own timeline"

"That's what I have in mind too, Yusuke. But how we can return to our time?"

"We can try to enter any storm we can encounter in this sea, Sir"

"Hmm…that's reasonable. But we don't have a satellite link to search the storm clouds and wandering around the sea need fuel, Yusuke, where we can find fuel for our ship?"

Lt. Colonel Yusuke stunned, what captain Ichiro said is true. Just going blindly across the sea to search storm clouds only depleting their fuel and they don't have any base to refueling if they really send into the past like what captain Ichiro predicted.

"Sir…can we go home?"

"That's something I can't answer Yusuke. But I also want to go home too"

For a moment both of them were silenced. It needs couple days to reach Japan coast with their current speed from their initial location near Midway islands.

Their moment of silence was broken with the report from radar staff

"Sir, our radar detected a fleet heading east from southwest direction"

"A fleet? How many ships are they?"

"21 ships including 4 aircraft carriers, sir!"

"How far that fleet from us?"

"Around 450 miles from us, Sir!"

"Gentlemen, it seems we need to discuss something important. All chief from all division comes to the strategic room immediately. Radar officers, keep watching the fleet movement and another movement as well"

"Aye aye sir"

After all the chief staff enter the strategic room and sit on their respective chairs, captain Ichiro began the briefing.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to beat around the bushes, I'll talk straight to the problem. As you all know, we just get through a storm an hour later. This storm is not an ordinary storm because our current position is far away from our previous position before we enter the storm. Our current position is near Midway island, you all already knew where is that, so from southern Okinawa water change into near Midway alone is something beyond logic"

All chief staff nodded hearing captain Ichiro explanation. After scrutinizing the response from all chief staff, captain Ichiro continue his speech

"But I'm afraid that storm is not only changing our position, but also changes our timeline. In short, we are no longer in Heisei era"

"Whaattt!!"

The chiefs staff which not in the bridge before, all show shocked expression in their faces.

"Sir, is that true? Then where are we now?"

One chief staff ask the question to captain Ichiro.

"I'm not 100% sure where are we right now, but my guess is we are in the middle of Pacific war in second world war"

"Whaattt!!! That's impossible!"

Disbelief exclamation comes from many chief staff.

"Gentlemen, I know that's hard to believe but we can see the truth in a few hours later. Our radar has caught fleet movement heading to midway from the south-west. If we are in the middle of Pacific war, I guess that fleet is the first and second fleet under command of admiral Cuichi Nagumo on his attack on Midway in June 1942"

"Sir, do you mean we will witness the famous Battle of Midway with our own eyes?"

"I guess so, but that's not our important problem. I believe all of you want to return to our time right?"

"Yes, Sir!" all chief reply in unison.

"So do I. but I don't know how to do that, gentlemen. I already receive a suggestion to enter any storm we can find in the sea, that reasonable suggestion, but this suggestion has a shortcoming. We don't have enough logistics to support our search for that storm. We need fuel and food for our ship and crew, and that does not just fall from the sky"

Captain Ichiro paused his speech to see his staff reactions. After seeing they waiting for his speech, he continues his words.

"So, because this matter related to the safety of our ship and crew, I need your opinion about this problem. How did we suppose to react? I can give you all three options, you free to add more option for these. First, we stay out from the war, by find an empty island, stay there, and wait until the war is over. Second, go to America, and surrender ourselves there, but there are high possibilities we will detain and our ship will confiscate by American. Third, goes to Japan and involving ourselves in this war because there's no way Imperial Japan Navy will let us idly there. You can discuss among yourselves to find the best solution for us. Remember, your decision will decide our fate in this uncertain era, think it carefully but make it fast because the battle will begin a few hours later"

The closing statement from captain Ichiro makes all staff start discussing the best option to take by considering their current situation.