WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Little Prince in the Ossuary

Chapter 89

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Night by the Lake (7)

The boy controlled the horse with one hand. In the other, he held a rifle. With the stock braced against his side, he kept it ready to fire at any moment. He looked like a lancer.

An engineer clung to his back, both arms wrapped around the boy officer’s waist. The gap in their size made the sight almost comical. But they were charging through pounding rain. He had no choice if he wanted to stay on. Unused to riding, the soldier bounced violently whenever the horse struck the ground. Gyeoul locked his thighs tight.

Thud, thud, thud. The hoofbeats were dull. They were running off-road. It helped keep the noise down, but made the ride harder. Roadside bushes rushed toward them. Gyeoul urged the horse on, lifting slightly and clearing them in light jumps. The passenger was not so lucky. A heavy jolt slammed through his spine, and he groaned.

A mutant jumped out halfway there. Matching the horse’s rhythm, Gyeoul squeezed the trigger twice in short pulls. Shell casings bounced out in steady rhythm. The first shot struck the mutant in the chest, the second three-round burst shattered its head, and the third burst threw it backward. The hooves crushed the body as they passed.

After passing an empty guard post, Gyeoul reached the pump house. It was a plain rectangular concrete building. One large lattice window in front, four on the side. He tied up the horse and moved to the window with the engineer. He wiped the glass with his sleeve. Inside was nothing but pitch-black dark. Even with night vision goggles, he could see nothing.

‘No heat sources, but...’

There still could have been a mutant in dormancy. Mutants with suppressed metabolism gave off no warmth. Some high-grade mutants could mask body heat as well. It was early for that, but Gyeoul did not let his guard down.

The door was open. The engineer cracked an infrared light stick (Chemlight) and tossed it inside. Light visible only through NVGs cast an eerie glow across the room. The first thing they saw was four large valves. On the south wall were several unknown devices and one large control terminal. Everything was powered down.

Gyeoul gave the order.

“Get to work. I’ll cover the entrance.”

“I’ll be done soon.”

The engineer went in confidently, but called for Gyeoul not long after.

“Sorry, can you help me for a second? Ha ha.”

He laughed awkwardly. The boy asked,

“What is it?”

“Guess it hasn’t been used in forever. The valve won’t turn.”

It was not a matter of strength. In the U.S. military, failing physical standards brought all kinds of penalties, and engineers did plenty of heavy work. His forearms were thick. But the valve was high, and the wet floor made footing slippery. Bad conditions for using force.

With both of them on it, the round handle turned much more easily. One, two, three, four. Each valve that came free added to a low, rumbling sound. With one foot braced on a pipe, Gyeoul felt a heavy vibration pulsing through it.

The engineer checked the wall terminal and several gauges, then shook his head.

“Just as I thought... no power, so it won’t run. We’ll have to open the lower drain pipes manually.”

Salinas Dam was not a multipurpose dam. It had no generation capacity, so its control facilities relied on outside electricity. With power down across California, everything had to be operated by hand.

Gyeoul pressed him.

“Let’s hurry.”

Lightning struck as they climbed toward the dam. For an instant, the whole structure flashed white. Stairs ran up both sides of the front. There was nothing at the end of the eastern stairs, but at the western end he could see a door leading inside.

‘If those civilians could move at all, that place would be safer.’

Access routes were limited from the start. Unless Captain Harris had anti-tank missiles to spare, it was also clearly durable. Gyeoul asked the engineer,

“What’s in there?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yes. They planned to put a control room there, but with no power facilities and no gate on the bypass channel, it got canceled. It’s just empty space.”

That made it even better. But the pregnant woman was in no condition to move. Gyeoul gave up the idea and grabbed the drain valve.

“No wonder this dam feels half-assed.”

“Ha ha. Even so, it should be sturdy.”

That assessment was not wrong. Instead of proper sluice gates, they had only installed two drain pipes on each lower side. Going back and forth between east and west, they turned the valves and completed the original mission. But that was only the beginning.

Lightning struck again. Very close. From the direction of the engineer corps office.

“Get on!”

Gyeoul got into the saddle first and hauled the engineer up behind him.

‘Something exploded.’

A sharp blast had mixed with the heavy thunder. Either fighting had started, or there had been an accident. Two possibilities, and neither was good.

The boy drove the horse hard. It was exhausted from the long pursuit and the storm, but still ran as if its life depended on it.

Jeffrey greeted Gyeoul with a grim face. His eyes were bloodshot. Gyeoul asked,

“What happened? This doesn’t look like contact.”

“No. No enemy yet, but... we’ve got a death from lightning.”

Of course, that did not mean a direct strike. It was more realistic than that. Gyeoul had already guessed. Jeffrey let out a deep breath and confirmed it.

“Damn rotten luck for that guy. Lightning struck near him while he was setting a trap. The shock set off the Claymore. Looks like it was right after he placed it. Kunz took the backblast. Medic says he died instantly from shock. Even if he lived, his internal organs were blown apart and he wouldn’t have lasted... said maybe it was better he died right away...”

The platoon leader, having lost one of his men, grumbled.

“Damn it, isn’t this pathetic? In weather like this, once you place a trap you move to the side. But that idiot stood right behind it...”

“Stop. This isn’t your fault, Jeffrey. It’s mine. I should have warned everyone at the start.”

He meant it. Handling explosives with electric detonators under a thunderstorm required special caution. As commander, he should have warned them.

Jeffrey still could not let go of his clumsy self-reproach. Gyeoul drove it home again.

“I’m responsible for this operation. I’m the one who ordered trap placement. Until we return to Fort Roberts, every incident here is primarily my responsibility. If you don’t like that, take off your rank insignia, Ensign Jeffrey Brown.”

“No, sir. Sorry. I just... lost my head.”

Jeffrey was not truly convinced by Gyeoul’s words. It was the answer duty demanded from an officer. An officer could not get buried in one death during an operation. He definitely could not burden his commander with it. The boy had expected exactly that.

“Stay here. I’ll go check for a moment.”

Jeffrey understood what he meant without hearing the object. For him, and for the troops’ morale, Gyeoul needed to see off the dead.

Inside the office, Gyeoul quickly found a zipped body bag. It had been laid in a corner as far from the light as possible. People watched him with anxious faces. In the middle of them, the medic tended to the expectant mother as if nothing had happened. Her labor seemed to have begun. She could barely breathe.

Gyeoul approached the body bag. Shielding the view with his back as much as possible, he carefully pulled the zipper down without making a sound.

The corpse was dark blue with bruising. The face was crushed. It looked closer to a mutant than a person. The result of taking a Claymore backblast with his whole body.

After one look, he zipped it shut again. Footsteps approached from behind.

“My condolences, Lieutenant.”

It was the sheriff. She spoke with effort.

“If we hadn’t met you, this accident wouldn’t have happened.”

Gyeoul rebuked her.

“Private Kunz died carrying out his duty. Don’t speak as if he would regret it.”

“But you can’t know that, can you? He might have felt he died for nothing.”

“That’s right. We can’t know what the dead felt. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t stain his honor over something we cannot know. This is the best we can do for him.”

“Ah...”

The sheriff clenched her fist and pressed it to her forehead. A stifled groan rose from her throat. Gyeoul told her to rest.

“Take a break. You seem very tired.”

But the timing was bad. A communications soldier came in looking for Gyeoul. He hesitated, glancing at the sheriff beside him. It meant this was not something to say in front of her. Gyeoul shook his head.

“It’s fine. Say it.”

The situation itself already said enough. Why else would the signalman be looking for Gyeoul now? There was only one reason. No other U.S. unit could be nearby.

“We’re getting a contact request. They’re asking for David Actual. It sounds like Captain Harris.”

A strange voice was already coming through the handset. Static was worsening by the second, but not enough to block communication.

If he was going to answer, it had to be quick. Judging by the time since the Meerkat warning, the captain had likely monitored their traffic by passing through a Trickster once. That meant he probably did not know their frequency yet. If there was no response, he would change frequencies again soon.

Gyeoul took the sheriff and the signalman outside. If she wanted reassurance, hearing the exchange directly was better. He moved to where Jeffrey was, took the handset, and pressed transmit.

“This station is David Actual. Do you read, Captain Harris?”

[Reading you. Finally got through.]

Every soldier in sight tensed up. Radio contact meant the captain had closed in. It also meant the chance of an encounter with a Trickster had risen. The more they talked, the easier it would be to get a proper bearing.

Gyeoul chose his words.

“Your voice sounds better than I expected.”

[...What is that supposed to mean?]

“Because I don’t hear any guilt. Pretty calm tone for someone who slaughtered civilians. Guess you really are out of your mind.”

After a short pause, the answer came.

[Your side is misunderstanding the situation.]

“Then correct it.”

[I’ll ask first. Where did you get the claim that my station massacred civilians? I understand you are currently protecting people claiming to be civilian survivors. Confirm.]

“Confirmed.”

[David Actual. I advise your station to execute them immediately. We did not commit the massacre. They did. They are a criminal group. Dissatisfied with ration distribution, they killed and robbed other civilians my station had been protecting.]

The sheriff lurched, but Gyeoul raised a hand to stop her and shot back,

“You think that makes sense?”

[What part doesn’t make sense?]

“Even if it’s true, it’s still a problem. ‘Execute immediately’? Are you sane? Criminals are still civilians first. If they resist violently, that’s one thing. But if they ask for protection, the principle is to protect them. When we found these people, they were already in no condition to resist. Should we kill people who cannot even resist? That is civilian slaughter.”

[......]

“If you’re really innocent, surrender. Come in with them and face a formal investigation.”

[There is no evidence. I’m worried I’ll be punished unjustly.]

“You have no other option. This whole situation is being recorded on helmet camera right now. Including this conversation.”

[Equipment can fail if it gets dropped in water during a crossing.]

“You call that persuasion?”

[It’s the best option. Otherwise we end up fighting fellow U.S. troops.]

“Nice threat. Keep talking.”

[Let’s be serious. You seem to know my name and rank already, so I want your name and rank too.]

Gyeoul took his hand off the transmit button and thought for a moment. Jeffrey shook his head. The moment they exposed rank, their rough force size would be exposed too. But there was an upside. The captain and his men would know the name Han Gyeoul.

Hiding rank would not help much anyway.

“Jeffrey, one Reconnaissance in Force and our numbers are exposed anyway. Even if we hide rank, he’ll just think we hid it because it’s lower than his. And from the way he talks, he doesn’t sound like someone who’d back off.”

“Urgh...”

Jeffrey had no rebuttal.

Gyeoul pressed the button again.

“I am Lieutenant Han Gyeoul. Attached to Blockade Command, currently on detached duty with the 160th Regiment.”

[That name... wait... are you that Han Gyeoul from Santa Maria?]

The captain pronounced Han Gyeoul’s name clearly. Gyeoul answered.

“That’s right.”

[Unbelievable.]

Silence filled with static. The static also echoed their words back at them. Fragmented bits of dialogue repeated, creating a bizarre atmosphere. The captain must have felt it too, that there was little time left. The silence did not last long.

[You said Lieutenant?]

“Yes.”

[Fine, Lieutenant Han Gyeoul. I assume you understand what this static means. You said you had no other option? I’ll return the same words. You have no other option. Can you fight me and still handle mutants of unknown scale? While protecting civilians? You’re going to stake lives on a fight that cannot succeed?]

“I hear that question a lot. I always answer the same way. It is not about whether it can be done. It is about whether it must be done, Captain.”

[So you will force comrades to kill each other? Don’t you feel sorry for your subordinates? You plan to have them die here to friendly fire?]

“I’d feel worse asking them to take part in civilian slaughter. I trust my people. None of them will abandon their duty. I’ll keep mine to the end too.”

Something in those words struck him. The captain’s arguments had been irrational, but his tone had remained controlled until then. Then he exploded.

[Don’t act righteous! You little rookie officer playing hero! I served three years in Afghanistan! Duty? Who the hell are you to lecture me on duty!]

“Duty isn’t a privilege. It is nobler because anyone can uphold it, and more precious because not everyone does.”

[Shut up! You bastard!]

A satisfying reaction. What were the soldiers on his side feeling as they watched their commander now? Gyeoul waited for the captain to calm down. After raging for a while, the captain barely pulled himself back together.

[Listen carefully. In war, things happen that truly cannot be helped. What happened to me was the same. We had no vehicles, no fuel, no rations. We had to secure food every day for that same day. Mutants kept chasing us, and we could not even leave the mountains. We hunted animals and often ate them raw, without cooking. Have you ever chewed raw meat with burst intestines, bitter in your mouth! Imagine what it means to be responsible for hundreds of survivors in that state! Can you swear you would have done better than me!]

“No, I can’t swear that.”

Gyeoul answered at once.

“Then say all of that again in front of a military legal officer. There may be room for extenuating circumstances.”

[You... really to the very end...]

“Surrender. Final warning.”

[......]

No further words came from the radio. The silence stretched long enough that it seemed the captain had given up.

[I’ll give you one piece of advice.]

Captain Harris spoke again without warning.

[If you die in a place like this, it is just a worthless death people forget fast. Survive, no matter what. If over your lifetime you did more good than bad, that is enough. You do not need to risk your life right now.]

At first glance, it sounded reasonable. Maybe that was what an ordinary life looked like. But wrong had degrees. Just as parents who sold their own child could never be forgiven.

“Then I’ll give you one piece of advice too.”

Gyeoul warned him calmly.

“If you fight me, you all die.”

============================ Author's Afterword ============================

Q. Raynesis: @About what you mentioned last chapter, using Hellfires against infantry. The U.S. military is also trying to solve that problem and is preparing small guided missiles that can be fired from infantry grenade launchers, or small rockets that can replace Hellfires. The small guided rocket recently revealed by the ROK military was originally being researched jointly with the U.S., and Korea was working on cost reduction for mass production, but I heard the U.S. dropped out and development was completed anyway. Its name is LOGIR.

A. Yes, the author knows. I used it once in Seal Breaker. Haha.

Q. Tigerfish: @Wouldn’t it be more correct to say “difference of the squares of troop strength,” not “square of the difference in troop strength”...?

A. I’ll review it.

Q. [Anti]Kid: @I got into Cthulhu through “I Will Reset Humanity” on Joara... it only has very basic stuff though... if I buy English books on Amazon, any recommendations??

A. I have not looked that deeply myself either... wouldn’t The Little Prince in the Ossuary alone be enough?

Q. HobakHobak: @Do sheriffs in the U.S. still keep horses? How are they even keeping horses?

A. Some sheriffs ride horses, there are mounted police too, and California is full of ranches, so they could have recovered ownerless horses... use your imagination. :)

Q. RGZ95: @Out of the frying pan... even withdrawing after the mission ends looks hard... though maybe Gyeoul can pull it off?

A. It’s a secret. I actually have a truly big childlike-innocence event prepared separately.

Q. MurimNovelFan: @Writer, do you like it when readers curse at you too? Suddenly got curious about your taste.

A. I’m an old-school type who dances for praise. Why would I like being cursed at?

Q. HuoYanWu: @Looks like he got team-killed because his joke sucked...

A. If he died at the hands of people he saved, that would be a story overflowing with childlike innocence.

Q. Bahoe: @I’m more interested in brain-melting attacks than that side..

A. They say the old ones are so sexy you can go insane just by looking.

Q. MasterKalsolum: @FSM is love and mercy. It does not extort money, and it does not persecute people as heretics. Truly delightful. I like it.

A. But you still pay for spaghetti. At specialty places, the price is...

Q. SpearOfGlory: @Whenever I watch bombing in places like Iraq, and especially when I see the cost, I wonder if dropping dollars from the bomb bay would make people grab it and desert.

A. If you think of it as the cost of showing national power to the world and building real combat experience for the military... hmm...

Q. siRius: I’m curious whether the author is good at games like janggi or chess too. In many novels, people’s thoughts feel shallow and hard to read, but even when I read without thinking much myself, describing characters’ thoughts and actions like this never looks easy... I can tell you are writing through a lot of effort, and I want to cheer for you.

A. I used to enjoy chess a lot in the old days, but now it has been over ten years since I stopped.

Q. Sanna: @Count me in, I’m also in the Spaghetti religion... lol

A. Believe in my tenth leg. It is the Church of Unitology.

Q. Ca-mo: I’m sharply poking to ask if the dialogue-window parts you wrote were inspired by Joara comments (poke poke).

A. Correct. I was influenced to some degree, and there are parts meant as hints too.

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