{"id":20252,"date":"2014-12-09T22:12:59","date_gmt":"2014-12-10T06:12:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=20252"},"modified":"2015-12-14T21:39:21","modified_gmt":"2015-12-15T05:39:21","slug":"072a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/072a\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 8: Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Back up to Chapter 7<\/a><\/p>\n

Choosing the crew staff<\/h3>\n

In a room at Tokyo base, Susumu and Daisuke faced each other and sat down in utter amazement. They opened a sheet of paper on the desk between them and fastened their gaze on it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

After Susumu muttered this, Daisuke answered in kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026I can\u2019t believe we\u2019ve been given such an important responsibility\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

They both recalled what Okita had told them earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe officer in charge of each respective division is shown here. I decided that you two in particular, as the last surviving space fighters, will each lead an important division. I want you to do your best. After you gather your staff, assign each of them to a section. Regarding the officer in charge of the Life Division, I\u2019m relying on the prime minister for a candidate who will appear before you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susumu and Daisuke had looked at each other, flushed with excitement.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, we\u2019ll do it! Gamilas better look out for us! Daisuke, let\u2019s do our best!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026but this is a lot of responsibility. Do you think it will be all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about? This is our chance to get revenge for my brother and all the space fighters. The fate of Earth rests on our efforts. We were born to be men, and this is the best work we could ever do!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026that reminds me of the member of the science staff named Sanada, who invented that awesome weapon\u2026I wonder if we can turn it on the space ships of Gamilas?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously we will! Commander Okita says so. It must be a tremendous weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n

The prospect of taking a journey into distant space caused courage to bubble up in their chests, along with a faint swirl of anxiety. They were abruptly pulled back to reality as a speaker resounded in the base.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpace fighters Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima. Report to the prime minister\u2019s official residence in the central block as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

It repeated: \u201cSpace fighters\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The air car arrived at the central block in about three minutes. The two men hurried to the room without speaking and stood before the prime minister with serious looks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable prime minister. I am space fighter Kodai.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLikewise, I am Daisuke Shima.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKodai. Shima. You\u2019ve been through a lot. How is the formation of Yamato<\/em>\u2019s crew going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we\u2019re almost finished. After that, the staff for the Life Division should be decided.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm. In fact, I called you here about the human resources for the Life Division.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard some information from Commander Okita about it just a little while ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. I was asked by Okita to look for candidates, but I haven\u2019t been able to find such talent. Managing a large number of human lives over a long term is important work\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Susumu raised an anxious voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh\u2026does that mean you haven\u2019t found a suitable person for it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Kodai, don\u2019t fret about it before you hear me out. Based on my own personal judgment, I want you to take these two\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The prime minister reached over his desk and touched a switch on his interphone. In a flash, a door opened to the next room and two people appeared. One was an old man dressed in a white coat, and the other was a girl who seemed about the same age as Susumu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis man is Sakezo Sado, who has been my personal physician for a long time. And this girl is my granddaughter\u2026Yuki Mori.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Susumu and Daisuke involuntarily dropped their jaws, staring like fools at the face of the girl named Yuki Mori.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo similar\u2026\u201d they both murmured in their minds. In their eyes, Yuki Mori\u2019s face was transposed over that of the alien named Sasha who they had seen on the moon, and they were instantly branded as identical. Yuki could have been Sasha herself, right down to the color of her hair and the length of her neck. They could have been twin sisters.<\/p>\n

Susumu thought of his visit to the moon and the figure of Sasha of Iscandar, lying enshrined on the sofa with the disc. Sasha, the alien from Iscandar who had traveled across 148,000 lonely light years to save the Earth! The members of the lunar expedition group had given their heartfelt condolences to this tragic heroine and buried her deep underground in her resting place, The Valley of Hope. Suddenly, Sasha had resurrected before Susumu and Daisuke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am Yuki Mori. Thank you in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI-I\u2019m Susumu Kodai. Thank you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA-and I\u2019m Daisuke Shima\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Flustered and embarrassed, the two lowered their heads. Even though they knew Sasha was a different person, the air of mystery around Yuki Mori set their hearts racing like a schoolboy crush.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you can see, Yuki is still young. But she has the perfect character and strength for this task. I can guarantee that. As for me, my heart aches to send such a pretty granddaughter out for such dangerous work. But I will not get caught up in such personal feelings now. Yuki, I wish for you to carry out the work on my behalf that will save the Earth\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The prime minister\u2019s responsibility for his nation did not diminish his love for his grandchild. His love and caring came out in the gentleness of his words.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026and I can recommend Sakezo Sado as the best-qualified candidate to the manage the health of Yamato<\/em>\u2019s crew. Even if his name does sound like that of a brewery, he is respected as a doctor worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sakezo Sado stepped forward to support the words of the prime minister.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegards, gentlemen\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He held out his hand to Susumu, and his breath smelled of liquor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Sakezo Sado.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susumu winced from the odor, but returned Sado\u2019s handshake.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow then, Kodai and Shima, what do you think of my choice of personnel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Susumu glanced at Shima and answered without hesitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you very much, prime minister! We certainly accept Yuki Mori and Sakezo Sado as the staff of Battleship Yamato<\/em>\u2019s Life Division!\u201d<\/p>\n

This completed the selection of Yamato<\/em>\u2019s staff officers. Now there was just the remodeling of Yamato<\/em>, but although Susumu and Daisuke were relieved, another problem still remained.<\/p>\n

Republic Federation Headquarters<\/h3>\n

One week had passed since Yamato<\/em>\u2019s remodeling began. The desperate work continued day and night at the Gaja Island underground dock, and Yamato<\/em>\u2019s appearance had already changed completely.<\/p>\n

The powerful warp engine had been installed by the efforts of Hikozaemon Tokugawa, Sasuke Sanada had worked around the clock without rest on the offensive and defensive weapons alike, and the sensor network was nearly 90% complete. For the past two days, crew members embarked one by one from Tokyo base. Of the 120 who had been chosen, 100 had already gathered. <\/p>\n

However, Juuzo Okita was troubled. Though the time of departure was imminent, a report on Iscandar\u2019s position had yet to arrive. He had prodded Tokyo base with countless telegrams, but a definitive answer hadn\u2019t yet been obtained from the intelligence staff. No matter how well Yamato<\/em> was prepared, it would be meaningless if they didn\u2019t know where they were going. <\/p>\n

Juuzo Okita spent his time alone in irritation. The event that was the cause of his worry happened on the next day. It was early in the morning of February 28, 2199. Juuzo Okita was roused by an urgent report from Tokyo base. He stood before the receiver and shook the heaviness from his head. His eyes widened at the call from the base.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommander Okita! Commander Okita! This is Tokyo base calling! We\u2019ve received a call for you from the communications chief at Republic Federation Headquarters in Brazilia. Can we transmit it directly to you!?\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment passed, then the color returned to Juuzo Okita\u2019s face. He had already given up wondering if anyone else in the world had survived, and now it was evident that Republic Federation Headquarters, the cornerstone of Earth itself, was safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready,\u201d Okita shouted instinctively. \u201cPut Federation Headquarters through right away!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoger!\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, an earsplitting noise sounded through the receiver, then the clearly-spoken Japanese of the communications chief.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Republic Federation Headquarters, special underground base\u2026Mr. Okita, Mr. Juuzo Okita, are you receiving us\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as he heard it, Okita uttered a shriek.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s you, Goda! Kenkichi Goda!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Okita! It\u2019s me, Goda. We both seem to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, it was the voice of Kenkichi Goda, Japan\u2019s representative to the Republic Federation Headquarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoda\u2026Goda\u2026you\u2019re all right! Why didn\u2019t you contact me sooner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026when the enemy attacked, the headquarters collapsed instantly, and about 100 of us were saved by evacuating into the the underground base. Our communication equipment was damaged, and we just managed to repair it. We were greatly frustrated that we couldn\u2019t send or receive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that was it\u2026anyway, I\u2019m very happy to hear that you\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. I just finished speaking with the prime minister at Tokyo Base a short while ago, and he told me how hard you\u2019ve worked for Earth. I never thought after we discovered Yamato<\/em> that it would be so helpful, but it must have been the divine protection of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it. Yamato<\/em> is almost completed as a space battleship, but there\u2019s one more problem before we can launch. The location of the planet Iscandar still remains unconfirmed. This is a critical problem. At this rate, there\u2019s nothing we can do but watch Earth die\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I heard about that. But surely it must be found soon. If you don\u2019t keep calm, your subordinates will be troubled, too. Keep calm and wait, Okita\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm. Thank you for your advice. It\u2019s just as you say. By the way, I have a favor to ask you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce Yamato<\/em>\u2019s destination is known, we\u2019ll travel the extraordinary distance of 148,000 light years. But as of now, we won\u2019t be able to communicate with Earth during the voyage. We\u2019d already given up on that, but now that I know you\u2019re safe at Federation Headquarters, it\u2019s possible for us to communicate with you and exchange necessary information. Would you build a communications antenna there at headquarters to stay in contact with Yamato<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good idea, indeed. If that happens, it would be possible for us to provide hope to all the survivors on Earth. But what communication method would work over long distance with Earth\u2019s technology?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a reasonable question. It\u2019s certainly not possible with present technology. However, my subordinates may get a hint from their energy development of the engine from planet Iscandar. I\u2019ll get the engineers to discuss it and they\u2019ll come up with something. Can you arrange for them to talk with the experts on your side?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, understood. There are some excellent engineers here. Contact will be made right away so that this effort can advance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. Then, Mr. Goda, you and the others wait for me. I hope that I can contact you from space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026we will pray for God\u2019s blessings upon you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye, Kenkuchi Goda\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye, Juuzo Okita\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The miraculous contact with Republic Federation headquarters ended. A ray of hope wrapped in iron will once again crossed Juuzo Okita\u2019s expression.<\/p>\n

Large Magellanic Constellation<\/h3>\n

At 5:30 in the evening of that day, a submarine from Tokyo base arrived at the Gaja Island underground dome, and the entire corps of information officers disembarked with looks of unrestrained joy on their faces. The lead officer asked to visit the captain\u2019s room on Yamato<\/em> right away and sat down with Juuzo Okita while each division chief was summoned.<\/p>\n

At last, the information Okita was waiting for had been found; the location of Iscandar. <\/p>\n

Soon, those in charge of each division gathered in the captain\u2019s room: Hikozaemon Tokugawa, Sasuke Sanada, Susumu Kodai, Daisuke Shima, Sakezo Sado, and Yuki Mori. The sunken eyes of the information officer told the tale of his long labor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, everyone, and commander Okita. You waited a long time, and I\u2019m very sorry. We devoted all the power of the information bureau to the search for Iscandar\u2019s position, and we\u2019re finally able to give you an answer with confidence. I am pleased to report\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He drew a breath and continued.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026the clue to Iscandar\u2019s position, a nebula 148,000 light years from Earth, came from the enigmatic names \u2018Older Sister Nebula\u2019 and \u2018Younger Sister Nebula\u2019 and the fact that Iscandar and Gamilas are binary planets. Therefore, the information bureau decided to examine neighboring galaxies within 148,000 light years of Earth. As you know, the only nebulae at that distance are the Magellanic Clouds. One of the two Magallanic Clouds must contain the Salezar solar system. But which of them is our goal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expressions \u2018Older Sister Nebula\u2019 and \u2018Younger Sister Nebula\u2019 became the key to solving the riddle. The nebula containing Iscandar would be called the Older Sister, and the Younger Sister would be nearby. We inferred that the terms were an expression of the size of each nebula. By that reasoning, the \u2018Older Sister Nebula\u2019 would be the larger one, which would clearly indicate the Large Magellanic Cloud.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext, the question of the Salezar system and the binary planets. Fortunately, within the Large Magellanic Cloud there is only one fixed star at the position of 148,000 light years judging by our surveys. In other words, we have concluded that this star is Salezar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, unfortunately, it is physically impossible with our present abilities to confirm a binary planet in the Salezar system. We gave it every possible effort, but in the end it wasn\u2019t enough to see both planets Iscandar and Gamilas from Earth. It seems the only remaining method is to go to the Large Magellanic Cloud and explore the Salezar solar system there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>\u2019s destination had been decided. Salezar, in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Juuzo Okita took great care with his words to the information officer. He spoke in a low, gentle tone like the calm before the storm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for your hard work. Now it is up to us and Yamato<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he looked slowly around at the faces of each division chief, he spoke in a powerful voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been decided that Yamato<\/em> will launch at dawn on March 1st. Each officer in charge will give their division a final inspection and prepare for launch!\u201d<\/p>\n

Five minutes to takeoff<\/h3>\n

Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> revived at last.<\/p>\n

Its massive 329-meter long bulk was equipped with a sub-light-speed engine and a warp engine that was 10,000 times more powerful. To prepare for both offense and defense, Sasake Sanada had armed it with a Wave-Motion Gun at the bow, a total of four gun turrets, and sixteen 1000 mm guns that fired Californium nuclear shells. On the left and right of both the bow and the stern, missiles waited in their racks to be fired at the enemy. <\/p>\n

Additionally, an all-purpose space boat and 100 small rocket aircraft were stored inside the vessel along with ten medium-size rocket transports, all waiting to take the field.<\/p>\n

Out of the 120 crew members, 60 were placed in a new space fighter organization under Captain Okita and the direct command of Susumu Kodai, mainly devoted to guarding the ship and engaging in combat. The other 60 were assigned to chief navigator Daisuke Shima, engineer Hikozaemon Tokugawa, weapons developer Sasuke Sanada, and Life Division chief Yuki Mori.<\/p>\n

All the preparations were completed. And at 4:30am on March 1, the semicircular dome that covered the ceiling of the Gaja Island underground dock opened quietly. There was no light on the surface of the Earth, since the starlight that used to color the sky was hidden by a veil of radiation. The huge body of Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> looked up at the dark, empty sky without moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cBase dome fully open!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEngine process check completed!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll hands to your stations!\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the vessel, each station reported in one after another to the captain\u2019s control box on the first bridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive minutes to takeoff, start the anti-gravity wave vertical engine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Navigation chief Daisuke Shima looked back at Okita from his subcontrol box. Okita nodded silently to Daisuke and soon began speaking into the panel mic for ship-wide broadcasting.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll hands, we finally begin our voyage. Earth is on the verge of extinction, and the fate of the planet rests on the success or failure of this journey. In order to fulfill this year-long journey, any personal feelings must be set aside. I want you all to cooperate for the brotherhood of Earth. At the same time, as your captain, I wish for you to hear the wish of one Earthling, Juuzo Okita. In the end, I pray for your continuous effort and the divine protection of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, the huge figure of Yamato<\/em> began to vibrate faintly.<\/p>\n

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