WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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Chapter 172: Alliances and Maneuvering (7)

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The briefing began with good news.

"At last, the Chinese Beidou system is in our hands."

As he said this, Nathan Chadwick was grinning with sleepy eyes.

By the Chinese Beidou system, he meant the Beidou satellites. It had the same function as GPS, but it had been developed for military use. It was involved in the terminal guidance of submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The projected screen showed the satellites' positions in real time. It also showed the positions of former Chinese military vessels receiving the satellite signals. Among them, one red dot inside San Francisco Bay stood out sharply. Chadwick pointed right at it.

"This achievement is thanks to Point Charlie 854, code name Sirius, being infected with a Trojan horse. When we checked the Trojan's serial number, the lucky winner turned out to be Lieutenant Han Gyeoul. That USB he said he left behind on the submarine before. If you don't mind, everyone, please give him a brief round of applause."

It came out of nowhere. Gyeoul received the applause. Some were clearly pleased. Some were tired and unmoved all over again. And finally, some looked sour or displeased. The last group was the largest, and it was not hard to understand. After all, Gyeoul was nothing more than a newcomer here.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant. Stealing an entire satellite network is quite an achievement. If things go well, this may earn you a medal... perhaps the Intelligence Cross. Ah, I'm not just saying that. I hear the higher-ups are reviewing it favorably. You could consider it almost decided."

Someone whistled. When Gyeoul looked back, it was Oliver Talbot, a tactical intelligence analyst with dark brown skin. Because of the special makeup, Gyeoul saw him often, so among the distant CIA agents, he was one of the more familiar faces.

Beside him, the one winking was Shannon Kowalski, the communications security officer. She was the one who had made the Trojan horse. Gyeoul felt a little doubtful. If they were talking about achievements, shouldn't her name have been mentioned too? The whole thing felt strongly staged. Gyeoul turned back to Chadwick and asked,

"Was the Intelligence Cross something handed out that easily? I'm not even part of the Intelligence Agency."

In any agency, a Cross ranked just below the Medal of Honor. Unlike the Army, Navy, or Air Force, the Intelligence Agency's Cross was also extremely rare. Often, even the recipients' identities remained classified, because the identity of the recipient was itself part of America's less-than-honorable history.

The Intelligence Agency station chief replied meaningfully.

"What does that matter? It's better than the Bay of Pigs invasion. And there is enough merit."

The Bay of Pigs invasion. An incident in which the United States tried to overthrow the Cuban regime by force. Of course, it could not invade openly, so the CIA had been behind it. The result was a miserable failure.

'Why use that example of all things? Is there some intent behind it?'

The information that came up through his Intelligence correction was not enough. It would be unnatural for the current Gyeoul to know more than this. That meant the system had judged it that way.

Luckily, Gyeoul had a friendly FBI supervisor. As if she had noticed his troubled look, she poked him under the table with the head of her pen. It was a signal he had grown used to by now, asking to exchange written notes. Scratch, scratch. The sound of the fountain pen from the seat beside him always felt steady. The neat handwriting was the same.

Once their side quieted down, Chadwick resumed the briefing.

"In any case, everyone, with this, the nuclear threat from Moby Dick... Changcheng 9 has been greatly reduced. Even if the missile is actually launched, we can prevent the worst case, where direct hits land on major cities and military bases. Though, of course, we cannot avoid widespread radioactive contamination."

While listening, Gyeoul read the lines Joanna wrote out of the corner of his eye.

"The recipients from the Bay of Pigs invasion were selected after the records were declassified."

Scratch, scratch.

"If they had intended to award medals for the merit itself, they would have decided before then. The fact that they honored them only long after the incident was over means the merit itself was not very important. It was a failed operation, and an incident that damaged America's reputation. This barely counts as a personal opinion, but I think it was only a way to quiet public criticism toward the Agency."

In other words, Joanna believed that the Intelligence Agency's highest medal would be given to Gyeoul less because Gyeoul had done well, and more as a tool for managing public opinion.

"As you know, the public likes Gyeoul very much. It feels good when someone you like is recognized. The fame of a medal collector would fit into the same context."

Gyeoul dotted the page with quick taps and wrote a hurried question.

"...Medal collector? Do people call me that too?"

He sensed a soft laugh beside him. The FBI agent's restrained cursive flowed gracefully into a new sentence.

"Yes. Gyeoul's award record is remarkable in both number and time span. This person, my hero, what medal will he receive next? I don't think it's strange for people to pay attention to that. These days, it's hard to find anything enjoyable. I feel that way too. :-)"

Joanna wrote a new sentence.

"It is also a kind of insurance. If they fail to catch Changcheng 9 in the end, they can still put you forward as proof that they did their best. The public, the press, the administration, and of course, even members of Congress would not be harsh in front of the name Han Gyeoul."

The mention of Congress here implied congressional oversight. Several standing committees in both the House and Senate could put the brakes on the CIA.

"And it is also a way to increase the Central Intelligence Agency's public profile."

Perhaps because she was an intelligence worker, Joanna's Insight had no delay.

"The Intelligence Agency's current position is not good. It is already being disadvantaged at the budget planning stage. Even considering the collapse of the international intelligence network, the survival of the organization itself is a concern. So they have no choice but to argue for their own existence. If they appeal to the public, Congress moves. NASA was like that once."

Recognition was influence. This was a country where, if the budget was short, even within one city, a police station could disappear and the water supply could be cut off on the other side of a single road. Federal agencies were no different.

It was also worth considering that if they firmly imprinted his achievements in a classified operation, it would be easier to drag Gyeoul back in for future use.

'Maybe the Trojan horse that infected Sirius wasn't from my USB.'

That was Gyeoul's judgment. If they were deliberately pushing achievements onto him, what couldn't they fabricate? Just as Chadwick had said, it felt too lucky. The same USBs must have been given to the other team members too, and each of them would have left theirs behind in a suitable way during their own missions.

"This may be unpleasant to hear, but if I were to give you cold advice, Gyeoul is useful material no matter where he is used. I hope you don't get hurt by that, even later."

Gyeoul wrote his reply.

"Don't worry. I'm not soft enough to be wounded by something like that."

But the worry did not leave Joanna's profile.

While their written exchange dragged on, the briefing moved on to another significance of this gain.

"Sirius was a treasure trove of information."

Point Charlie 854, code name Sirius, referred to Sirius, the former Chinese Navy intelligence-gathering ship. It seemed someone there had watched a video that men absolutely needed.

"There are three important gains. First, the communications codes used by Lieutenant General Xieru's naval faction. Second, the details of their weapons and forces. Third, their communication records to date. The last of these was the most impressive. We were able to grasp in detail the tendencies of the Chinese generals here in San Francisco Bay. It looks like we may even be able to quietly persuade a few of them. Once again, good work, Lieutenant Han!"

Team Leader Chadwick's playfulness felt like the dutiful charm of an old dog. Gyeoul made an awkward expression.

"The immediate task now is how, and how much, we prepare for their upcoming meeting. Well, what I just mentioned is work for us in the Intelligence Agency. Now I'll tell you about the work for all of you."

The screen changed.

"The summit of the red stars is expected to take place aboard the Chinese-flagged twenty-four-thousand-ton cruise ferry, Bohai Pearl. That's what we found out after a great deal of eavesdropping."

The video playing was not recorded. It was a real-time observation feed from a drone.

The ship itself was nothing special. Its location, however, was bad.

"As you can see, this place is a death trap. Four destroyers belonging to three different forces are in positions where they can pour naval gunfire onto it. One of them is also the ship we tried and failed to sabotage underwater. In any case, Lieutenant Han Gyeoul will be infiltrating alone, and what I want to ask is the opinion of the strike team commanders. In an emergency, would rescue team insertion be possible?"

The commanders from various special forces backgrounds immediately shook their heads.

One of them, White Skull Company Commander Captain Colin Fowler, raised a hand.

"Can't we just blow up the meeting place?"

"That's a fiery opinion."

Chadwick shrugged. Then he shook his head.

"We reviewed it, but it has no value."

"If we wipe out all the heads, the rest should fall into quite a bit of confusion. Isn't the reason we can't deal with Changcheng 9 right away the escort ships? If those fall into confusion, the whale we're hunting should be left defenseless."

Changcheng 9 was dangerous, but that one submarine alone could not be a fatal threat. U.S. Navy cruisers were deployed outside the Golden Gate. Alone, the submarine would simply be intercepted the moment it launched a missile.

The problem was the cover from the Chinese ships. The captain predicted that if they fell into confusion, they would not be able to protect the submarine.

Chadwick frowned playfully.

"We also need to account for the possibility that they become furious and unite under the banner of killing all American imperialists. It would be troublesome if you thought too simply, Captain."

The soldier's expression turned ugly. The word "simply" carried more tone than meaning. Gyeoul also caught the flash of contempt that passed through Chadwick for an instant. Chadwick himself had once said that some Intelligence Agency personnel had acted arrogantly toward armed operators.

'So he wasn't an exception.'

Intelligence Agency agents were among America's top talent in terms of education. There was inevitably a basic distance between them and combat personnel, many of whom came from more physical backgrounds. Depending on how you looked at it, it could even feel like a class divide.

While Gyeoul watched with narrowed eyes, the team leader explained again.

"If that were the plan, we would have launched a swarm of attack aircraft long ago and swept away all the red warlords, even accepting civilian casualties. Since laser guidance would minimize accidental hits anyway. But that would only clear the surface. It would be powerless against the hostile alliance under the water. Can we stop them at the entrance to the Golden Gate? Reliably?"

Even if the Golden Gate was a narrow waterway, there were ways out.

"I think that's better than having Lieutenant Han Gyeoul risk danger alone."

This was the statement of a field commander who thought it natural to move an entire battalion to save one comrade. His basic position could not help being different from the Intelligence Agency station chief's. Chadwick grinned.

"That's something we should hear from the person himself first. I was just about to ask."

Every eye turned to Gyeoul.

"Lieutenant. Are you prepared to give your life for your country?"

The captain frowned again. The way Chadwick asked the question was rotten.

Gyeoul understood the captain, but still nodded. What else could he do? What would he gain by having a pointless argument?

'I don't actually intend to die, though...'

Inside, Gyeoul traced back to the day his noona last visited him. It had been so long that it did not come to mind right away. Had something happened? It would be nice if she had simply forgotten me. If she had forgotten me and was just living a life for herself, I could ask for nothing more.

Once worry began, there was no end.

He hoped he had moved out of sight, and out of mind.

============================ Author's Note ============================

#The content was revised as of 19:08.

Q&A

Q. Jingado-nim: @It will be a happy ending, but it won't be something like "death is salvation," right...?

A. I don't call that a happy ending. To be honest, in the early concept, I planned to end it with an ending that was half sorrow and half hope, but I thought the readers might not be able to withstand even half sorrow, so I have changed it now. The star will not fall.

Q. NoblesseBuffer-nim: @Since it ends with a happy ending, I guess it ends somewhere with a beautiful background?

A. Uh, well. Background? Background isn't important.

Q. MasterKalsolum-nim: @Do... do you like bo... bone... boneless chicken?

A. I like regular chicken more than boneless, and chicken with only legs or wings more than regular chicken.

Q. BlueCrystal-nim: @During the phone call, when they were talking about the instructors, the Trigger's position was ~~ I don't really understand this part. I think I misunderstood how the position of a gun's trigger can be changed, so please explain.

A. Excerpt from Chapter 171

Jang Han-byul. The designated marksman of Yura's squad. She had exceptional shooting skill, and liked it just as much, so she earned the nickname Trigger Witch. It was a story about how she had completed sniper school. More specifically, how she had managed to get a recommendation from someone battalion commander or higher.

Trigger Witch is Jang Han-byul's nickname.

Q. LewdDemonF-nim: @My friend has a rare disease, so I am going down to Busan. They are a friend full of childlike innocence, so author-nim, please write lots of hopeful stories too.

A. I am sorry to hear your friend is sick. But does that person read this too?...

Footnotes:

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