"Sorry about the bumpy ride, Sebastian, but...you know..." Himuro Hatsuharu said, watching his ship roll onto the island before it.

"I didn't think they could even get land ships to float," Sebastian Cross remarked.

"There's a reason they shouldn't," Kunisada Nasu, the Zaku II pilot, suggested. "Just as well I haven't visited the mess today."

Himuro ignored his friend for the moment and looked over a bridge officer's shoulder. They were collaborating with the captain of a Jukon-class submarine, Midori Murakami, to do...something. Himuro wasn't sure what their mission was, just that his ship, the Heaven's Thunder would be transported to an island in the middle of the ocean and he would be sent firing coordinates. A navy pilot had also been assigned to the ship for this mission to provide some more naval support.

"We're receiving a coded transmission," the communications officer said. "We're to prepare to fire immediately."

"Then make preparations," Himuro ordered. "Pilots, to your suits."

~

Beneath the waves, the Echo silently followed the freighter as it left Hawaii. The target had loaded a legitimate cargo of foodstuffs and wasn't acting suspiciously as it cruised back to the homeland, but intelligence had gotten in touch with Midori and ordered her to shadow the ship as it went about its business. An intel officer currently sat at the back of her bridge, monitoring a special communications device, but not saying or doing anything else. Occasionally, the bridge crew looked to their captain inquisitively, but noone would outright ask what they were doing.

"At last!" the intel officer said, standing up. "Captain, send our current coordinates to Captain Hatsuharo and prepare to deploy your Acguys."

"To do what?" Midori asked politely.

"Our agent has discovered illegal narcotics aboard the ship," the intelligence officer stated. "We should be able to intimidate them into surrendering, but the Heaven's Thunder will stand-by in case force is necessary."

"And us...?" Midori continued.

"If force is necessary, we recover our agent and leave while the ship is sunk," the officer continued.

Midori simply nodded as the intelligence officer hailed the freighter. The exchange was brief and unproductive, Midori noted, watching the freighter's speed increase. The ship was meant to haul cargo though, not outrun military vessels, and the Echo easily kept pace.

"Our agent reports he's left the ship aboard a life raft," the intel agent stated. "Surface for retrieval."

"Deploy mobile suits," Midori ordered, watching the sonar. "Order Heaven's Thunder to do the same."

~

"Showtime," Sebastian muttered to himself as his Z'Gok rushed into the sea.

The freighter might not have been a rocket, but it was moving quickly enough and the sea was choppy enough to give Himuro's gunners fits. The water burst around the cargo vessel from near-misses , though as Sebastian and the Echo's two Acguys closed in the bombardment ceased. With no threats to their safety, the three suits quickly moved in close and rammed their claws into the bottom of the ship.

"Excuse me, Echo," Sebastian asked. "Do you have any room for cargo?"

"We have some space," Midori answered. "Why?"

"There's no reason to let all of this go to waste," Sebastian suggested.

Midori thought it over. The supplies would be valuable to the war effort and the intelligence agent wasn't speaking up to forbid it.

"You've got fifteen minutes," Midori ordered. "After that, Heaven's Thunder is cleared to fire."

"Understood ma'am," Sebastian acknowledged.

~

The submarine dove beneath the waves once more, laden with cargo as it began withdrawing from what would shortly be a massacre of the dishonorable. The ship rocked gently as, on the surface, high-powered shells ripped into the freighter, destroying it and its cargo in a swift barrage.

Outcome: Task Force Artemis wins
Midori Murakami: 2 Xp, +10,000 credits
Himuro Hatsuharu: 3 Xp, +10,000 credits
Sebastion Cross: 3 Xp, +10,000 credits