| 018 | Operation Bestowing Freedom

In the Combat Information Center of the UNS Light Bringer, Abraham gazed at the digital display of Systema detailing the sub-mission he had recently received. It was primarily about the liberation of hostages from their confines. 

He was honestly surprised by its emergence, but it was a welcome one. It gave more incentives to save the hostages other than the bastards from the other ship stomping onto the United Navy's ethos.

10 Naval Points might not be much compared to the thousand reward of the maritime-security mission. However, when collected in large numbers, it couldn't be underestimated.

"Now that I think about it… Shouldn't there be a store in the Naval Gacha System?" Abraham quietly muttered as if remembering something vital. The subject of Naval Points brought about its three primary uses.

To purchase a naval spin.

To buy the acquired ships or warships in the store.

To upgrade assets of the United Navy.

Its store was slightly below the gacha tab of the status window. The store was unnoticeable since he took a look at it when he had no warships in his arsenal.

With the Arleigh-Burke Class Flight III Destroyer, the store must have something to sell in accordance with the information presented by Systema.

Upon this realization, Abraham woke up from his contemplation and became more determined than ever before. He then opened his status window once again. 

"Systema, give me my status." He silently muttered while the other one instantly responded.

*Ding!*

―――

| Naval Gacha System |

●| Bases |

➤| Port of Dawn(Level 0) |

●| Gacha |

➤| Random Naval Spin(1,000 NP) |

●| Store |

➤| Arleigh-Burke Class Destroyer Flight III(2,000 NP) |

-| Naval Points: (0) |-

―――

His status was the same as before, but the store had something else below it. It was none other than the Arleigh-Burke Class Destroyer Flight III with a price tag on it.

The warship cost about 2,000 Naval Points, which was a lot. Though, it was somewhat understandable as the destroyer was amongst the best in his former world.

'One destroyer should be enough for now. What I need to do is increase the versatility of my naval force.' After thinking about it for some time, Abraham reached an adequate conclusion.

But nonetheless, it made him realize how poor he was. 2,000 Naval Points for a single warship was staggering. How the hell could he make a fleet of Arleigh-Burke Destroyers with this price tag?

'I hope the next warship I get is a lot cheaper than this destroyer.' Abraham prayed inside his mind to the RNG God. He didn't want the expensive ones anymore.

A functioning and cheap one was enough for the Fleet Admiral. 

At any rate, he closed the status window and observed the escaping medieval brig through the monitor screens found throughout the Combat Information Center.

After a couple of seconds, Abraham gave another order to his men. Such an order determined the fate of those thrown overboard by the slave traders.

"Have some of our men rescue those who were thrown into the seas. Give them their needed medical attention, and regardless of how they look, don't appear hostile."

There was no confirmation that it was human slaves that were thrown into the seas. So, Abraham gave them a subtle warning of what was to come. 

Upon hearing his orders, the communication operators nodded in understanding and directed it to the naval personnel on the upper deck. 

With the confirmation of the communication operators, Abraham continued to tackle his thoughts. To him, leaving others to die left a bad taste in his mouth.

Even though he wasn't someone you could call heroic… An ordinary guy would feel uncomfortable when merely observing others they could have saved, especially when they could do so with ease.

Other than that, there was also a rational side in him that favored such an action.

Every hostage counted, according to the sub-mission given by Systema. So other than not wanting to see others die in the blue waters, the Fleet Admiral didn't desire to waste a potential 10 Naval Points.

The naval personnel on the upper deck followed his orders without any hesitation. They quickly prepared their gear for the rescue operation and were also prompted to use some of the zodiacs in the warship.

Only three zodiacs were deployed in this rescue operation as most would be used for the upcoming boarding action of the medieval ship, Pinguis Arca.

The rescue team was rather quick as the zodiacs immediately found themselves floating in the rough seas. The personnel carefully stepped into their respective zodiacs, marking the beginning of the rescue operation.

In the CIC, Abraham calmly watched the preparation of the rescue operation unfold. He was amazed by their smooth deployment into the rough waters. 

It seemed that the medical side of the United Navy wasn't to be underestimated.

Though… The efficiency of his naval personnel did make him wonder what the marines and Captain Lux were doing in the lower decks of the UNS Light Bringer.

"They are probably being debriefed by the captain." He muttered with a smile.

Meanwhile, in the lower decks of the UNS Light Bringer was Captain Lux. Beside the captain was 2nd Lieutenant Campbell, the platoon leader. And in front of him were the 42 Marines of the Alpha 1st Platoon.

Captain Lux had a cold expression on his face as he watched the Marines standing in line with determined gazes. After some time of observing his Marines, he began the debrief.

"The Fleet Admiral has ordered for your deployment, bringing about the first sea-based operation of the Marines. The operation will be called Operation Bestowing Freedom."

"You will covertly board and take over a hostile vessel full of hostages. The Fleet Admiral has allowed for the execution of most enemies, but he also advises you to subjugate those that surrender for intelligence."

"Your priority is to disarm the ship of its fighting capabilities. Afterward, the hostage rescue will be done. To do so, the Fleet Admiral has given you a couple of zodiacs for this operation."

"The operation will begin in 1235, ETD 10 minutes."

"Do you understand, Marines?"

With the conclusion of his debriefing, Captain Lux calmly asked while gazing upon the platoon of Marines with a scrutinizing gaze.

A hostage rescue operation was complicated to handle, especially on a moving vessel. They needed to be careful and covert while dealing with their adversaries.

Captain Lux observed them, wanting to know what they felt about the operation.

Fortunately, he wasn't disappointed by his Marines.

"""Acknowledge!!!"""

The Marines grunted and saluted to the Captain of the UNS Light Bringer with straightened backs. Met with such a scene, Captain Lux merely smiled at them with pride.

"It seems that all of you are ready. I'll take my leave, so discuss amongst yourselves of strategies regarding the upcoming operation." With that, Captain Lux nodded at the Marines and left them to handle their tactics.

His duty was different from theirs. The only thing he needed to do was point them in a direction.

On the other hand, 2nd Lieutenant Campbell gave a nod to the captain and watched him leave the location. Afterward, he began devising a strategy with his men.

Captain Lux already gave them information about their target. Such intelligence was gained from various observations that began when contact was made.

The enemies of the operation were slave traders sailing a sizable medieval ship. Somewhat strange, but according to the file, the technological level of their adversaries was comparable to that of the 15th century. 

This was a piece of good news, as it made things easier for the Marines. However, the paper also gave warnings about a strange individual in the medieval ship. 

'Someone that could use magic.' Campbell wasn't ignorant of magic and mages. Its existence was somewhat surprising, though it might be the reason why the naval personnel were working extra hard.

Handling a magic practitioner was the first for the Marines, the only thing they could think of to handle the opponent was to hit the guy as hard and quick as possible. 

Perhaps, air support would handle whatever magic shenanigans their magic foe has.

Other than the guy with the capabilities to use magic, most of their opponents were normal humans. Their expected weapons were flintlocks, sabers, and probably rifles.

Their number seemed to reach over a hundred, which would be troublesome to handle as things might become bloody on the deck of the medieval ship.

'It's a bit disappointing that we will be handing a mere pirate group. But it's a good snack for my Marines.' Campbell felt a bit disappointed.

The crayon-eating men were one of the unique groups in the military. They were cavemen at heart, so they were simple-minded and loved picking fights.

A challenging mission would excite them, thus handling pirates instead of an actual military adversary would be dispiriting in their point of view. 

But regardless of their opinions, a mission was a mission. It was an order from their highest command, Fleet Admiral Shepherd. 

So, with this in mind, it must be accomplished and the hostages have to be rescued along with the intelligence stuck in that medieval ship. 

The 2nd Lieutenant took a deep breath as his gaze landed on his subordinate marines. 

It was about time. 

"Marines, let us wreak havoc on these old-era bastards!" Campbell grinned and snickered to his fellow Marines. The Marines raised their assault rifles upward and gave their typical war cries.

"""Oorah!!!"""

And so, the second contact and the first battle operation of the United Navy began. The Marines swiftly concluded their preparations and stepped into the zodiacs. Afterward, Zodiacs were deployed into the water one after another. 

The strategy of the Marines was simple. Zodiacs would covertly secure itself into the medieval ship and the Marines would be free to board the massive brig. 

Other than that, the Marines were open to blast the sh*t out of the goddamn KKK. 

At the same time, the rescue operation was underway. The rescue personnel pulled out one of the hostages stuck in the water and was about to give them first aid.

However, when the hostage left the cold captive of the high seas, the rescue personnel found themselves bewildered.