Captain Hikaru slowed Hantaa 05's speed down. Hantaa 01 silhouette was visible from their position. The ship looked tilted. If a storm hit it one more time, Hantaa 01 would not survive. Fortunately, he quickly turned around after receiving instructions from Tokyo.
The captain, who was still quite young, lifted his binoculars. Hantaa 01 was like a ghost ship. Not a single person was seen on deck or aft. Where are they?
"Prepare the ropes! As soon as we get closer to Hantaa 01, we evacuate the crew. After the technicians conduct surveillance, then we will decide whether we can take them to Reykjavik," Captain Hikaru ordered.
Hantaa 05 was smaller than Hantaa 01. However, the ship was still new with a much larger engine capacity because it is expected to be the lead of the company's whale hunting fleet.
Captain Hikaru opened communication on common frequency used by ships passing through Arctic waters.
"Hantaa 01 monitor, this is Hantaa 05. We've received your SOS signal and we are currently approaching. Prepare to evacuate...over!" There was no response from Captain Shinji or First mate Yoshido.
Captain Hikaru was about to grab the Marine VHF Radio back when he heard a reply from the speaker.
"Hantaa 05 monitor, Voyager here? Do you need help? We are about 5 NM from your position...over!"
Captain Hikaru was taken aback. Five nautical mile was not too far away. Voyager? He reached for binoculars while looking at the radar in front of him. There was flashing dot not too far from Hantaa 05. From the binoculars, he could see a large, sophisticated icebreaker at 7 o'clock from Hantaa 05 direction. No wonder I did not see it.
"Hantaa 05 Voyager monitor....SOS Hantaa 01 hull damage...we will contact you after successfully make contact with Hantaa 01...over!"
"Voyager monitor Hantaa 05...copied...we will drop anchor here just in case...over and out!"
Captain Hikaru felt a huge relieve. Although most ships disliked whale-hunting ships, in an emergency situation, sailors everywhere would definitely willing to help each other.
The distance between Hantaa 05 and Hantaa 01 was getting closer. It was very clear that Hantaa 01 looked really like a ghost ship. Captain Hikaru couldn't see anyone else, not even on the skipper's bridge. He was getting worried.
Hantaa 05 crews moved quickly to link the ship with Hantaa 01. Skillfully, the crew managed to install a hydraulic ladder connecting Hantaa 05 to Hantaa 01. Hantaa 05 First mate Ichiro led his crew across after installing individual safety on the crane that connected with a hydraulic ladder.
Captain Hikaru monitored the movement of his crews through the cameras mounted on their helmets.
First mate Ichiro, who boarded at the front deck of Hantaa 01, was shocked to see how badly Hantaa 01 was. The ship seemed to have just returned from the World War 2. Kami-sama...
Ichiro moved carefully among the scattered stuffs. He got on the bridge and saw no one there. All communication equipment was normal. The monitor screens were on. Ichiro observed them one by one.
No one was seen anywhere.
Ichiro was a bright First mate. He gestured for everyone to follow him. They descended the stairs to the clinic.
Once at the bottom of the stairs, Ichiro almost fell. His foot tripped on something. Ichiro almost swore but he stopped short as soon as he saw what was blocking his way. It was.... a human body!
Corpses scattered in the alley. All of them died in strange and wretched conditions. The body and face turned into a deep blue color. And their necks were either broken or slashed. Crazy! What monster could do such carnage!
Carefully, Ichiro and his men continued to move forward. They hoped to find some survivors.
Captain Hikaru watched all the events from his monitor screen. What had happened on Hantaa 01? A voice on the speaker startled him.
"Captain, almost all crew members have died. We only found 3 survivors. Captain Shinji, First mate Yoshido, and Doctor Akiko. They are lying unconscious in Captain's cabin. How strange!
They have emptied Chloroform bottle in their hands. I think they've inhaled it deliberately."
Good grief! Captain Hikaru wiped the sweat off his forehead. There must have been atrocious events happened in Hantaa 01. Captain Hikaru calmed himself down and immediately ordered the evacuation of the three.
"Wait! Captain, Doctor Akiko is awake. She wants to communicate with you!" Ichiro said half excited.
A weak female voice was heard.
"Hikaru san. Before our evacuation, please check if any of your crews are physically injured?"
Captain Hikaru gaped. What kind of question was that? But before Captain Hikaru could answer, Doctor Akiko again spoke weakly.
"Captain, it's virus... virus. Please be careful. If any of your subordinates are injured, please don't evacuate us. Just evacuate Object X in the isolation room of the clinic. Place it in the isolation room on Hantaa 05, please." The voice grew weaker.
First mate Ichiro took over the communication. He reported that Doctor Akiko was unconscious again. Captain Hikaru made up his decision.
"Prepare for the evacuation of the remaining crews as well as Object X in the isolation room. Choose the healthy and uninjured ones for evacuation. Doctor Ken, please prepare the isolation room. Also prepare a disinfectant sprayer. We need to disinfect everyone before boarding Hantaa 05. I will call when to make the transfer."
Captain Hikaru reached for a binocular. He was observing the name of the Voyager hull. Voyager Scientific Research.
Captain Hikaru turned on the VHF radio. Voyager was a research ship. They must have the necessary equipments for this.
"Hantaa 05 monitor Voyager....SOS Hantaa 01 indicates virus infection...we need your help..over!"
There was a long pause. Then,
"Roger Hantaa 05.... Wait for us to dock. Delay evacuation...Voyager out!"
Captain Hikaru immediately contacted First mate Ichiro to get ready on Hantaa 01's deck but he must not cross until there was an order from him. He was standing by for Voyager. Virus? Kami-sama...