June 11, 1944
Location: 175 miles northwest of Marcus Island
Course: North
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 254
Orders: Return to Japan
---
“It’s galling that we are already going back to Japan,” says Torpedoman Kinsei. Hosogaya looks over at him.
“You’ve been spending too much time around the lieutenant,” he says, grinning. For the torpedo men “the lieutenant” is always Sugiyura. “We are going back to Japan! Women, good food, sake and beer, women, nights ashore…did I mention women?”
“Yes, but I don’t know why,” says Chuyo. “With a handsome devil like me around no woman is going to look twice at you.”
“Ha!” says Hosogaya, “I will have you know that there is a geisha in Osaka who is smitten with me! When we get back I will…”
“We are going to Tokyo,” says Chuyo.
Hosogaya blinks. “Oh,” he says, then brightens. “Well, I met this young woman in Tokyo last time we were there,” he says. “Her husband has been in Burma for the last two years, and she…”
“To get back to what I was saying,” says Kinsei, cutting him off, “it is hardly bushido to strike like bandits in a dark alley and then run away.”
“And staying and dying at our posts without accomplishing anything, what does that do?” asks Chuyo.
“It proves we are not afraid to die for the Emperor,” says Kinsei. “It proves we are Japanese, not skulking cowards.”
“Do you call Captain Ishii a coward?” says Chuyo. “He has guts made of iron. Yet you have heard him speak. This is a war, not a duel between two samurai. You win wars by killing the enemy, not by dying bravely.”
“But we must all be ready to die bravely at need,” says Kinsei.
“Of course,” Chuyo says. “But I intend to kill many of the enemy before they kill me. That is how I will best serve the Emperor.”
“You are both too serious and gloomy,” says Hosogaya. “Why talk about dying while we are still alive? And speaking of living, I recall that I know this lady in Yokahama…”
Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki
Moderators: wdolson, Don Bowen, mogami
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 12, 1944
Location: 400 miles north-northwest of Marcus Island
Course: North
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 216
Orders: Return to Japan
---
Seaman Yoshitake is at the aft deckhouse, cleaning the knife edges on one of the doors. Shoji is working beside him and every now and then he notices Shoji glancing back over his shoulder.
“I keep doing it too,” Yoshitake tells him.
“Doing what?” asks Shoji, scraping off a little rust.
“Checking to see if Shun is standing there,” Yoshitake says.
“Was I?” Shoji says, then chuckles a little. “I guess I was.” The two men work for a moment.
“It seems strange not to have him aboard,” says Shoji. “I mean, it is maddening how quietly he moves and how he always seems to be right behind you the moment you goof off or say something out of line. But somehow with him around you always know that everything is all right, even when he’s thumping you on the head.”
“Yeah, I know,” says Yoshitake. “The ship seems less solid or something with him gone. I used to pray sometimes that he would just disappear, and now that he has I wish he were back.”
“Well, I hope that he…oops, cut the talk, here comes Aikawa.”
Location: 400 miles north-northwest of Marcus Island
Course: North
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 216
Orders: Return to Japan
---
Seaman Yoshitake is at the aft deckhouse, cleaning the knife edges on one of the doors. Shoji is working beside him and every now and then he notices Shoji glancing back over his shoulder.
“I keep doing it too,” Yoshitake tells him.
“Doing what?” asks Shoji, scraping off a little rust.
“Checking to see if Shun is standing there,” Yoshitake says.
“Was I?” Shoji says, then chuckles a little. “I guess I was.” The two men work for a moment.
“It seems strange not to have him aboard,” says Shoji. “I mean, it is maddening how quietly he moves and how he always seems to be right behind you the moment you goof off or say something out of line. But somehow with him around you always know that everything is all right, even when he’s thumping you on the head.”
“Yeah, I know,” says Yoshitake. “The ship seems less solid or something with him gone. I used to pray sometimes that he would just disappear, and now that he has I wish he were back.”
“Well, I hope that he…oops, cut the talk, here comes Aikawa.”
RE: Small Ship, Big War
Ah yes, the Yokahama Mamma.....
Todd
I never thought that doing an AAR would be so time consuming and difficult.
www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2080768
I never thought that doing an AAR would be so time consuming and difficult.
www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2080768
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 13, 1944
Location: 400 miles north-northwest of Marcus Island
Course: North
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 196
Orders: Return to Japan
---
The strike force is ordered to pause on its return to Tokyo. The carriers and their escorts steam in circles while admirals in Japan reach a decision about something. What this might be or what information they are looking at no one aboard the ships knows, not even Admiral Ozawa.
Certainly there has been no sign of pursuit by the enemy. The enemy carriers seem to still be near Guam, though it is hard to say what the situation there is. From the fragmented reports intercepted by the ships the fighting is intense on the island and on the sea and in the air for quite some distance around it. There is no way to know just what is happening or who is winning, however.
And so the strike force steams in circles. Towards the end of the day some sort of decision is reached and the ships are ordered to resume their course towards Tokyo. The reason for the delay goes unexplained.
Location: 400 miles north-northwest of Marcus Island
Course: North
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 196
Orders: Return to Japan
---
The strike force is ordered to pause on its return to Tokyo. The carriers and their escorts steam in circles while admirals in Japan reach a decision about something. What this might be or what information they are looking at no one aboard the ships knows, not even Admiral Ozawa.
Certainly there has been no sign of pursuit by the enemy. The enemy carriers seem to still be near Guam, though it is hard to say what the situation there is. From the fragmented reports intercepted by the ships the fighting is intense on the island and on the sea and in the air for quite some distance around it. There is no way to know just what is happening or who is winning, however.
And so the strike force steams in circles. Towards the end of the day some sort of decision is reached and the ships are ordered to resume their course towards Tokyo. The reason for the delay goes unexplained.
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goodboyladdie
- Posts: 3470
- Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:35 pm
- Location: Rendlesham, Suffolk
RE: Small Ship, Big War
I heard a junior staff officer called ? pushed the patrol/do not retire button in error...[;)]
Art by the amazing Dixie
RE: Small Ship, Big War
Perhaps Yamamoto was momentarily considering sending the fleet back out to win or "bloom like the flowers of death" ... plenty of time left for that [:)]
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 14, 1944
Location: 460 miles southeast of Tokyo
Course: Northwest
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 155
Orders: Return to Japan
---
Shiro peers over the rail. “How deep is the ocean here, Petty Officer?” he asks. The water is a deep blue in the late afternoon sunshine.
“I don’t know if anyone knows, exactly,” says Taiki, standing beside him. “Very deep, among the deepest waters in the world. And closer to Japan it gets even deeper.”
“I’ll bet it’s cold down there,” says Shiro, “and dark.”
“Oh yes, I imagine so,” says Taiki. “I don’t even know if anything lives that far down. It might be as cold and dark and lifeless as the moon.”
Shiro contemplates this for a moment. “What do you suppose happens to ships and sailors that sink here?” he asks.
Taiki glances at him. “They must lie quietly,” he says. “That’s a grave that no one will ever come to disturb.”
“But so lonely,” says Shiro. "So cold."
“Are you feeling morbid today, Kuramata-san?” Taiki asks, dropping the formalities for a moment.
“A little, I guess,” says Shiro. “The war is getting close to home. These waters might swallow a lot of ships before it is all over, ours and theirs.”
Taiki claps him on the shoulder. “But not today,” he says. “Try not to worry about tomorrow. We will deal with it when it gets here. For now we are almost home again.”
Shiro nods. “Home sounds good,” he says.
“Come on,” says Taiki. “You can help me check the magazines in the forward ammo locker. That will help keep you too busy for somber thoughts.”
Location: 460 miles southeast of Tokyo
Course: Northwest
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 1
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 155
Orders: Return to Japan
---
Shiro peers over the rail. “How deep is the ocean here, Petty Officer?” he asks. The water is a deep blue in the late afternoon sunshine.
“I don’t know if anyone knows, exactly,” says Taiki, standing beside him. “Very deep, among the deepest waters in the world. And closer to Japan it gets even deeper.”
“I’ll bet it’s cold down there,” says Shiro, “and dark.”
“Oh yes, I imagine so,” says Taiki. “I don’t even know if anything lives that far down. It might be as cold and dark and lifeless as the moon.”
Shiro contemplates this for a moment. “What do you suppose happens to ships and sailors that sink here?” he asks.
Taiki glances at him. “They must lie quietly,” he says. “That’s a grave that no one will ever come to disturb.”
“But so lonely,” says Shiro. "So cold."
“Are you feeling morbid today, Kuramata-san?” Taiki asks, dropping the formalities for a moment.
“A little, I guess,” says Shiro. “The war is getting close to home. These waters might swallow a lot of ships before it is all over, ours and theirs.”
Taiki claps him on the shoulder. “But not today,” he says. “Try not to worry about tomorrow. We will deal with it when it gets here. For now we are almost home again.”
Shiro nods. “Home sounds good,” he says.
“Come on,” says Taiki. “You can help me check the magazines in the forward ammo locker. That will help keep you too busy for somber thoughts.”
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 15, 1944
Location: 120 miles southeast of Tokyo
Course: Northwest
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 110
Orders: Return to Japan
---
As they approach Tokyo Hibiki and the other Japanese ships glide over the Japan Trench. Shiro and Taiki would be interested and perhaps a little appalled to know that the ocean here is over 9000 meters deep, some 30,000 feet. The Pacific seafloor will not be carefully mapped until after the war, however. It is perhaps ironic that the scientists and geographers from Japan, America, Britain, and other nations who will do so will rely on technologies whose progress was spurred by the war they are now fighting.
The Japan Trench stretches from the Bonins to the Kuriles and is created by the subduction of the Pacific plate under the Eurasian plate upon which Japan rests. This subduction zone is the cause of the earthquakes that have plagued Japan since the beginning of history. Shiro and Taiki are also ignorant of this, however; while the idea of continental drift has been around for several decades it remains a wildly speculative and unaccepted theory. A real understanding and acceptance of plate tectonics will not occur until long after the end of the war.
Location: 120 miles southeast of Tokyo
Course: Northwest
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 110
Orders: Return to Japan
---
As they approach Tokyo Hibiki and the other Japanese ships glide over the Japan Trench. Shiro and Taiki would be interested and perhaps a little appalled to know that the ocean here is over 9000 meters deep, some 30,000 feet. The Pacific seafloor will not be carefully mapped until after the war, however. It is perhaps ironic that the scientists and geographers from Japan, America, Britain, and other nations who will do so will rely on technologies whose progress was spurred by the war they are now fighting.
The Japan Trench stretches from the Bonins to the Kuriles and is created by the subduction of the Pacific plate under the Eurasian plate upon which Japan rests. This subduction zone is the cause of the earthquakes that have plagued Japan since the beginning of history. Shiro and Taiki are also ignorant of this, however; while the idea of continental drift has been around for several decades it remains a wildly speculative and unaccepted theory. A real understanding and acceptance of plate tectonics will not occur until long after the end of the war.
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 16, 1944
Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475
Orders: Return to Japan
---
The first thing that Hibiki’s crew hears upon reaching Tokyo is that the defense of Guam has been more successful than anyone could have hoped. The enemy’s fleets have been shattered and the threat of the war coming closer to Japan seems to be over. Among the people there is a great sense of relief and members of the crew find themselves stopped and thanked wherever they go. The Tojo cabinet, which was teetering on the edge of dissolution, seems once again securely in control of the government. There is a feeling of celebration in the air.
---
“It’s all a lie, of course,” says a friend of Ishii’s, a commander named Tsuji who serves at Combined Fleet headquarters, as he pours Ishii a cup of sake in his office. “The men in command in the Central Pacific are passing along the enthusiastic reports of every pilot and all other observer as though they were absolutely true. No one wants to report failure, so no one looks closely at the claims.”
“Surely Admiral Yamamoto must know better, though,” says Ishii.
“I hope so,” Tsuji says, sipping from his own cup. “I am not going to march in there and tell him how to do his job, though. He must get intelligence about the enemy’s reports, which would give him a far better picture of what is going on.”
“So,” says Ishii, “what really is going on?”
Tsuji gestures across his desk. “Oh, we have hurt them,” he says. “Where their carriers go none of our planes can get through, but their carriers cannot be everywhere. They have ships criss-crossing the ocean everywhere, all going to or returning from Guam, and we have many eyes.” He stops and chuckles. “Not one of our planes had taken off from or landed at Truk in a long time. Imagine the enemy’s surprise when strikes from there suddenly began hitting his convoys! The new P1Y bombers based at Ulithi have wreaked havoc, and we scored a major success attacking a fuel convoy with bombers out of Majuro in the Marshalls.”
“What about the battle on the island itself?” says Ishii.
“Heroic!” proclaims Tsjui. “Heroic and doomed. We still control about sixty percent of the island but casualties are mounting and supplies are beginning to dwindle. The enemy just seems to get stronger.” He stares gloomily into his cup. “None of those men are coming back. But they have made the enemy respect the valor of the Japanese, I suspect.”
“It will take more than valor to win this war now,” says Ishii.
“True,” nods Tsuji. “But the day may come when valor is all we have left.”
Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475
Orders: Return to Japan
---
The first thing that Hibiki’s crew hears upon reaching Tokyo is that the defense of Guam has been more successful than anyone could have hoped. The enemy’s fleets have been shattered and the threat of the war coming closer to Japan seems to be over. Among the people there is a great sense of relief and members of the crew find themselves stopped and thanked wherever they go. The Tojo cabinet, which was teetering on the edge of dissolution, seems once again securely in control of the government. There is a feeling of celebration in the air.
---
“It’s all a lie, of course,” says a friend of Ishii’s, a commander named Tsuji who serves at Combined Fleet headquarters, as he pours Ishii a cup of sake in his office. “The men in command in the Central Pacific are passing along the enthusiastic reports of every pilot and all other observer as though they were absolutely true. No one wants to report failure, so no one looks closely at the claims.”
“Surely Admiral Yamamoto must know better, though,” says Ishii.
“I hope so,” Tsuji says, sipping from his own cup. “I am not going to march in there and tell him how to do his job, though. He must get intelligence about the enemy’s reports, which would give him a far better picture of what is going on.”
“So,” says Ishii, “what really is going on?”
Tsuji gestures across his desk. “Oh, we have hurt them,” he says. “Where their carriers go none of our planes can get through, but their carriers cannot be everywhere. They have ships criss-crossing the ocean everywhere, all going to or returning from Guam, and we have many eyes.” He stops and chuckles. “Not one of our planes had taken off from or landed at Truk in a long time. Imagine the enemy’s surprise when strikes from there suddenly began hitting his convoys! The new P1Y bombers based at Ulithi have wreaked havoc, and we scored a major success attacking a fuel convoy with bombers out of Majuro in the Marshalls.”
“What about the battle on the island itself?” says Ishii.
“Heroic!” proclaims Tsjui. “Heroic and doomed. We still control about sixty percent of the island but casualties are mounting and supplies are beginning to dwindle. The enemy just seems to get stronger.” He stares gloomily into his cup. “None of those men are coming back. But they have made the enemy respect the valor of the Japanese, I suspect.”
“It will take more than valor to win this war now,” says Ishii.
“True,” nods Tsuji. “But the day may come when valor is all we have left.”
RE: Small Ship, Big War
Phew!
Had me worried for a while there cephalopod!
Had me worried for a while there cephalopod!
Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
RE: Small Ship, Big War
Valor. Oh yes, valor. All notions of valor will soon be reduced to ashes by the grinding blasts of HE, flames lighting the night from incinderaries and the remains of once beautiful and loving people heaped into mass graves. Sherman said it best. "War is cruelty and it cannot be refined". Japan is about to learn and understand the depth of meaning to those sage words.
RE: Small Ship, Big War
ORIGINAL: kaleun
Phew!
Had me worried for a while there cephalopod!
My God! I never realized our fine author was one of them! [X(]
RE: Small Ship, Big War
My God! I never realized our fine author was one of them!
Tasty family: Octopus, squid and cuttlefish. Yum!
Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
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Capt. Harlock
- Posts: 5379
- Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2001 8:00 am
- Location: Los Angeles
- Contact:
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 15, 1944
Location: 120 miles southeast of Tokyo
Course: Northwest
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 110
Orders: Return to Japan
Has the unfixable damage point gone up a notch?[:D]
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
--Victor Hugo
--Victor Hugo
RE: Small Ship, Big War
I need my Hibiki fix. Where fore art thou CF?
Todd
I never thought that doing an AAR would be so time consuming and difficult.
www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2080768
I never thought that doing an AAR would be so time consuming and difficult.
www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2080768
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
ORIGINAL: Alikchi
ORIGINAL: kaleun
Phew!
Had me worried for a while there cephalopod!
My God! I never realized our fine author was one of them! [X(]
Nice link! I am a big Dinosaur Comics fan.
ORIGINAL: tocaff
I need my Hibiki fix. Where fore art thou CF?
Sorry, I took the weekend off. But your fix is coming up!
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Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 17, 1944
Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475
Orders: Await further orders
---
Captain Ishii is on deck when Lieutenant Sakati approaches. Ishii does not need to see his face to know who is approaching; Hibiki’s chief engineer has a distinctive rolling gait developed by years at sea and even more years as a connoisseur of alcoholic beverages. Sakati comes near and salutes.
Ishii returns the salute. “What can I do for you, Sakati?” he asks.
“Sir, I hear that we will not be chasing the aircraft carriers around the bay every day while we are in port,” says Sakati.
“You hear correctly,” says Ishii. “There is no need to keep any planes in the air while we are safe here in Tokyo.”
“Good, sir,” says Sakati. “In that case I would like your permission to take down the boilers in turn and get some routine work done on them. Not that they are in bad shape, of course, but doing it now will help keep any problems from getting worse.”
“Granted,” says the captain. “
“Thank you, sir,” Sakati says. “Have you heard anything about when we are supposed to have those radars installed?”
Ishii grimaces. “Not soon. It seems that various commands didn’t bother to talk to each other and as result every destroyer, sub chaser, patrol craft and gunboat in the Navy is supposes to be getting worked on. The repair yards are a confused mess. There are few ships available right now for escort work and those that are have had the work delayed indefinitely.”
“Idiotic bureaucrats,” snorts Sakati. “Well, we have done just fine without radar or other fancy toys for years, we will do fine without them for a while longer.”
Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475
Orders: Await further orders
---
Captain Ishii is on deck when Lieutenant Sakati approaches. Ishii does not need to see his face to know who is approaching; Hibiki’s chief engineer has a distinctive rolling gait developed by years at sea and even more years as a connoisseur of alcoholic beverages. Sakati comes near and salutes.
Ishii returns the salute. “What can I do for you, Sakati?” he asks.
“Sir, I hear that we will not be chasing the aircraft carriers around the bay every day while we are in port,” says Sakati.
“You hear correctly,” says Ishii. “There is no need to keep any planes in the air while we are safe here in Tokyo.”
“Good, sir,” says Sakati. “In that case I would like your permission to take down the boilers in turn and get some routine work done on them. Not that they are in bad shape, of course, but doing it now will help keep any problems from getting worse.”
“Granted,” says the captain. “
“Thank you, sir,” Sakati says. “Have you heard anything about when we are supposed to have those radars installed?”
Ishii grimaces. “Not soon. It seems that various commands didn’t bother to talk to each other and as result every destroyer, sub chaser, patrol craft and gunboat in the Navy is supposes to be getting worked on. The repair yards are a confused mess. There are few ships available right now for escort work and those that are have had the work delayed indefinitely.”
“Idiotic bureaucrats,” snorts Sakati. “Well, we have done just fine without radar or other fancy toys for years, we will do fine without them for a while longer.”
-
Cuttlefish
- Posts: 2454
- Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:03 am
- Location: Oregon, USA
RE: Small Ship, Big War
June 18, 1944
Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475
Orders: Await further orders
---
“Hey, look at the dog,” says Yoshitake, pointing with his chopsticks, He, Oizuma, Shoji, and Riku have a day pass and are sitting in a park and enjoying bento lunches. The others look to see a somewhat scruffy spotted mongrel lying nearby. Its head is on its paws but it is watching them intently, or rather it is watching them eat. When it realizes that it is the subject of the conversation its tail thumps a few times on the ground behind it.
“Aw, that’s a good dog,” says Oizuma. He deftly picks a piece of chicken out of his bento box and flicks it towards the dog, who quickly gobbles it up. Its tail wags some more.
“Don’t encourage him, Snake Man,” says Shoji.
“He can’t help it,” says Riku. “He is kind to every animal, not just snakes.”
“This dog is used to people,” says Oizuma. “He didn’t flinch at all when I tossed something to it. But look how thin he is! I’ll bet his master is gone, maybe lost in the war, and now he has no home.” He tosses the dog another piece of chicken, which disappears as quickly as the first. Riku follows suit.
“That is a sad tale,” says Yoshitake. “I can picture him sitting by the docks day after day, waiting patiently for someone who will never return. It makes me think of the story of chuken Hachikô.” All of them are familiar with the famous tale of faithful dog Hachikô, who went every day to Shibuya station to wait for his master Professor Ueno to return from his work at the University of Tokyo and who continued to do so without fail for ten years after his master’s death. Yoshitake also gives the dog a piece of chicken. The dog eats it and sits up on its haunches, looking expectantly at them.
“I have nothing against dogs,” says Shoji, “but I am not giving some stray part of my lunch.” He defiantly scoops up some noodles and eats them.
“I have often thought that dogs are not much different than people,” says Oizuma. “Or countries, for that matter. If you treat them well they will reward you with loyalty and friendship. If you treat them badly they will bite you, or bite someone else if they fear you too much.”
“I have known a few pampered and spoiled dogs in my time,” says Riku.
“Of course,” Oizuma says. “Dogs require firmness as well. They need boundaries and they need them to be consistent. You cannot pet him for doing something one day and then the next day beat him with a stick for doing the same thing.”
This last statement makes Riku think uncomfortably of his own father. “Hm, you might have a point about them being like people,” he says. “Or nations.”
“I think all diplomats should be people who have worked with dogs,” says Oizuma. “They understand these things. I do not think everyone does.”
“Snake Man the diplomat!” says Shoji, laughing. “Gods help us!”
“Consider the job the professionals have done!” retorts Oizuma. “Half the world is in flames and countless numbers are dead! Do you think anyone else could have done worse?” Shoji blinks but has no reply to this. Riku looks thoughtful.
The conversation shifts to other subjects and the men finish their lunch. By the time they are done the dog is taking bits of food from Oizuma’s hand and allowing himself to be scratched behind the ears. It backs away and sits as the men rise from the grass and put their shoes back on.
“Hey, where is my other shoe?” says Shoji, looking around. It is a moment before Yoshitake laughs and points.
“There!” he says. Everyone looks and sees the shoe clamped firmly in the mouth of the dog, who grins around it and wags his tail.
“Hey, you damned mutt!” yells Shoji. “Give me my shoe!” He runs towards the dog, who gives a happy “whuff!” and easily evades him. After a moment Shoji stops, panting. “Oizuma, make him give me back my shoe!’
Oizuma looks at the dog, who cocks its head at him. Oizuma gives a whistle and flicks two fingers outward. The dog drops the shoe, barks once, then picks up the shoe and runs away and out of the park.
“My shoe!” wails Shoji.
“Oops” says Oizuma innocently. “I guess that was the wrong signal.”
Location: Tokyo
Course: None
Attached to: TF 23
Mission: Air combat
System Damage: 2
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475
Orders: Await further orders
---
“Hey, look at the dog,” says Yoshitake, pointing with his chopsticks, He, Oizuma, Shoji, and Riku have a day pass and are sitting in a park and enjoying bento lunches. The others look to see a somewhat scruffy spotted mongrel lying nearby. Its head is on its paws but it is watching them intently, or rather it is watching them eat. When it realizes that it is the subject of the conversation its tail thumps a few times on the ground behind it.
“Aw, that’s a good dog,” says Oizuma. He deftly picks a piece of chicken out of his bento box and flicks it towards the dog, who quickly gobbles it up. Its tail wags some more.
“Don’t encourage him, Snake Man,” says Shoji.
“He can’t help it,” says Riku. “He is kind to every animal, not just snakes.”
“This dog is used to people,” says Oizuma. “He didn’t flinch at all when I tossed something to it. But look how thin he is! I’ll bet his master is gone, maybe lost in the war, and now he has no home.” He tosses the dog another piece of chicken, which disappears as quickly as the first. Riku follows suit.
“That is a sad tale,” says Yoshitake. “I can picture him sitting by the docks day after day, waiting patiently for someone who will never return. It makes me think of the story of chuken Hachikô.” All of them are familiar with the famous tale of faithful dog Hachikô, who went every day to Shibuya station to wait for his master Professor Ueno to return from his work at the University of Tokyo and who continued to do so without fail for ten years after his master’s death. Yoshitake also gives the dog a piece of chicken. The dog eats it and sits up on its haunches, looking expectantly at them.
“I have nothing against dogs,” says Shoji, “but I am not giving some stray part of my lunch.” He defiantly scoops up some noodles and eats them.
“I have often thought that dogs are not much different than people,” says Oizuma. “Or countries, for that matter. If you treat them well they will reward you with loyalty and friendship. If you treat them badly they will bite you, or bite someone else if they fear you too much.”
“I have known a few pampered and spoiled dogs in my time,” says Riku.
“Of course,” Oizuma says. “Dogs require firmness as well. They need boundaries and they need them to be consistent. You cannot pet him for doing something one day and then the next day beat him with a stick for doing the same thing.”
This last statement makes Riku think uncomfortably of his own father. “Hm, you might have a point about them being like people,” he says. “Or nations.”
“I think all diplomats should be people who have worked with dogs,” says Oizuma. “They understand these things. I do not think everyone does.”
“Snake Man the diplomat!” says Shoji, laughing. “Gods help us!”
“Consider the job the professionals have done!” retorts Oizuma. “Half the world is in flames and countless numbers are dead! Do you think anyone else could have done worse?” Shoji blinks but has no reply to this. Riku looks thoughtful.
The conversation shifts to other subjects and the men finish their lunch. By the time they are done the dog is taking bits of food from Oizuma’s hand and allowing himself to be scratched behind the ears. It backs away and sits as the men rise from the grass and put their shoes back on.
“Hey, where is my other shoe?” says Shoji, looking around. It is a moment before Yoshitake laughs and points.
“There!” he says. Everyone looks and sees the shoe clamped firmly in the mouth of the dog, who grins around it and wags his tail.
“Hey, you damned mutt!” yells Shoji. “Give me my shoe!” He runs towards the dog, who gives a happy “whuff!” and easily evades him. After a moment Shoji stops, panting. “Oizuma, make him give me back my shoe!’
Oizuma looks at the dog, who cocks its head at him. Oizuma gives a whistle and flicks two fingers outward. The dog drops the shoe, barks once, then picks up the shoe and runs away and out of the park.
“My shoe!” wails Shoji.
“Oops” says Oizuma innocently. “I guess that was the wrong signal.”
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thegreatwent
- Posts: 3011
- Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:42 am
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RE: Small Ship, Big War
Again, and again bravo CF. Truly a Hobbesian world of "war of all against all" should we all be dogs.