Bu Fan agreed to manufacture a few of these Steel Sharks within the timeframe that I gave to him, which was a week or so. After I had made the necessary adjustments, I passed the blueprint to him and he began ordering his factories to assemble a small squad of them.
I also approached the military – the navy in particular – and demonstrated the Steel Shark's capabilities to them. I had a motive, though.
"In return, I would like a little favor," I told Admiral Howard Hai. He raised an eyebrow, reclining in his seat while I sat opposite him in his office.
"What sort of favor?" he asked hesitantly. "You know we can't just help you with everything. We need to prevent corruption. And bribes are illegal."
"Oh, I'm not asking for bribes or whatever. I just want to propose a plan that will make use of my new Steel Sharks in the marine assault against the mercenary's warship. I heard that you have trouble tracking it down because of how elusive it is, and when you do find it, they blow your patrol boats out of the water."
"No, they blow the boats of your friend's private army out of the water," Admiral Hai corrected. He snickered. "Don't forget, our patrol boats are now escorted by the Bulwark-class shield boats, thanks to you. They won't be sunk so easily."
"Well, the weakness of the Bulwarks is that they are pretty slow." I scratched my head, looking a little sheepish. Admiral Hai nodded and sighed.
"Yeah, which is why they manage to get out of there before we can catch them. But tell me more about this plan of yours."
"Right. I've showcased to you how the Steel Sharks work. They can swim underwater undetected, and on sonar they show up like sharks or big fish. They aren't even as large as whales, which already makes them easy to miss on sonar. They can operate underwater for extended periods of time, which mean you can drop them into the water from a distance and have them swim toward the mercenary's warship undetected. And they are perfect for boarding actions too."
While I put my proposal on the table, I conjured a few holographic screens and displayed icons, data and other necessary information. 3D holographic models of the Steel Sharks rotated around the screen, with labels and icons providing more details on their weapons and capabilities. One screen displayed the Steel Shark swimming underwater, logging its speed, internal temperature and other data.
"You want your new war walkers to launch a boarding assault directly from underwater?" Admiral Hai asked, and then he nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. The enemy won't be able to see it coming. And we can test how the new units perform in actual combat. This will be a perfect field test."
"Exactly. Training and simulations can only go so far. It's best to test them in reality, in an actual combat environment." Then I held up a hand. "And this is my favor. I want to go along with the marines. I want to be part of the assault."
Admiral Howard Hai frowned in disapproval. "That's very risky. We can't afford to lose you. You're a huge asset to the military. I mean, just look at these Steel Sharks you've invented. This will definitely revolutionize naval warfare as we know it!"
"Yeah, but I can't just ask other people to risk their lives in my own invention without taking some of the risks myself. It's unfair. Also, I need to collect data firsthand in order to improve the model. I don't know what will happen in a combat environment. Perhaps there are field modifications I can make on-site, and firsthand experience and data collection beats anything secondhand. It'll be just like that time with my Hunter-class war walkers, where I collected quite a lot of firsthand data in the field during the war against guerilla insurgents."
"Okay." Admiral Hai sighed. "I'll authorize it, but I'll remind you not to take any unnecessary risks."
"You know me." I grinned. "When have I ever been careless?"
*
And a week later, we were ready. I moved in my personal Steel Shark and parked inside the hold of a naval frigate, but of course I didn't make any modifications to it. Firstly, it wouldn't be fair to the marines who were piloting the mass-produced Steel Sharks that Bu Fan's factories had churned out. Secondly, the whole point was to collect combat data pertaining to the Steel Shark's capabilities. It would defeat the purpose if I collected distorted data because of my modified Steel Shark.
The Steel Sharks were packed onto one of the frigates that patrolled the seas, sent to patrol the waters. Most of the time was spent on drills and simulation, training inside the Steel Sharks and getting used to their movements. The Steel Shark moved differently from the Hunter or the Titan, owing to its amphibious nature.
It took some getting used to.
Unfortunately, a few days passed and the patrolling frigate had yet to encounter the warship. And even if we were lucky enough to spot it, it would be at a distance too far to cover. Reality was always like that. The old army or Marine Corps adage came to mind. Hurry up and wait. Unlike what most movies had you believe, combat didn't happen instantly or quickly. There was always a long waiting time – a long period of lull between mobilization and actual combat. We spent most of the time waiting onboard the ship, wondering when the enemy would appear. Sometimes the waiting was more unbearable than the combat because you could feel the tension in the air.
I noticed how the marines were getting all edgy and grouchy. I rarely interacted with them because I was not a marine and was considered an outsider. I would watch them march through the corridors, performing drills. Their sergeant drove them hard.
"Even if we aren't fighting, we're still marines! And we don't slack off on training! Go! I don't want any of you to use the excuse that you got rusty while waiting! Twenty laps round the ship!"
"YES, SARGE!"
I had to flatten myself against the wall as they jogged past, their boots clanging against the metallic floor. They paid no attention to me. To the marines – particularly those who hadn't fought alongside me, especially during that time in Province Y, I was just a civilian, a scientist who would get in the way when the actual fighting began. They resented babysitting me, or at least that was the impression I got when they outright ignored me, treating me as if I didn't exist.
So my company for the next few days or even week was the war walkers themselves. I would lounge about in the hold, checking and rechecking the Steel Sharks, running diagnostics, teaching the technicians how to repair and maintain, and stuff. The marines didn't seem impressed when I taught them how to pilot them, their eyes cold when they watched me.
"This is the control for the hand laser, though there are a few hull lasers attached to the fuselage," I explained. "They produce a hundred megawatts worth of energy, capable of burning through any metal. Try not to point them at each other."
"We're not that stupid," one of the marines sneered. "Perhaps you science types might be clumsy, but we are marines. And marines don't make that sort of mistakes."
"Right." I decided not to argue with them. I had better things to do, and so I continued to explain the other features and controls of the Steel Sharks.
Fortunately, the waiting was over before we knew it. The sergeant rushed into the hold when I was performing a routine maintenance, his boots slamming into the deck with such force I could actually feel the tremors.
"Enemy warship spotted!" He hollered. "Get suited up, boys and girls! We're taking the fight to the enemy! We launch in thirty!"
"Yes, SARGE!"
For the first time, I saw the marines come to life. Cocky grins flashed over their faces as they marched into the hold, running toward their respective machines. They had already gotten suited up, their helmets in their gloved hands, and their fingers running across their suits to ensure everything was in working order. These suits, which I had designed for aquatic environments in case of a cockpit breach, would be their lifelines. It wouldn't do to be careless.
I also got suited up and hopped into my personal unit. The lights came on in my cockpit, flooding my view with holographic screens, data and other visual information. Placing my hand on a lever, I began moving the Steel Shark. Starting the ignition, I had the Steel Shark proceed forward, joining the lengthening row of war walkers.
The hold of the frigate slowly opened up, a mechanical ramp crashing down against the water to expose us to the salty night air. I shook my head in disbelief. I had been working for so long in the cargo hold of the ship that I didn't realize that it was already night.
Good. The darkness would play to our advantage.
"Go, go, go!" The sergeant – his name was Shang Shi, I believe – shouted. "It's time to take a dive, ladies and gentlemen! Don't be afraid of getting wet!"
He then took a plunge, his Steel Shark jumping off the lowered ramp to disappear into the sea.
"What are you waiting for?!" His voice rose over the tremendous splash caused by his Steel Shark hitting the water. "Do you roughnecks want to live forever?"
Without any hesitation, the rest of the platoon dove into the water, keeping to an orderly formation. I synced my visual feed with theirs, making sure I wouldn't collide with any of them when I dove into the water.
Typically, I was stationed at the rear. I wondered if Admiral Hai had a hand in this – like all the high-ranking officers, they were very afraid that I might get myself killed if I recklessly threw myself straight into the frontlines. So they must have issued orders to the marines to protect me by any means necessary.
No wonder they resented me. I probably wouldn't enjoy babysitting duties if I were in their shoes. It would make the mission unnecessarily complicated.
Taking a deep breath, I floored the accelerator and had my Steel Shark jump off the ramp and plunge into the water as well. Swimming to the rear of the marine formation, I quietly followed them from behind.
In the distance, the mercenary warship slowly came into view.