While Kotori is underway on the old dinosaur USS Georgia, I am getting ready for my own underway. While poking through his video files for entertainment to take underway, I found a collection of old articles and after-action reports from the WWCC he wrote. I figured this audience might appreciate what was written therein. "Mask... check." "Fins... check." "bare hands... check." "All systems green. Cleared for launch. Good luck!" The Hunter headed out, striding over tree roots and rocks and plunging far out to sea. Then, with a whoosh of air, he filled his lungs and sank, searching for his prey. The water was crystal clear. He soared high above a forest of fine, wispy green plants. Fish darted in and out of the green, silk-like curtains, living out their lives in an emerald and viridian paradise. Here and there, an occasional bubble wandered towards the surface. Far below, darker things lurked in the shadows. The Hunter spotted a clearing in the undersea forest, and headed down. He stopped to look at the wreckage of an old lifeboat, lost at sea untold years ago. Several bottles littered the floor, along with bottle caps and other shiny bits of metal. As he neared the wall of green, a fish burst out of the foliage and stopped mere inches from his face. Human and fish stared at each other for several seconds, then the fish turned and flitted back into the undersea forest. The Hunter rolled onto his back and gazed up at the distant sun shimmering in the waves above. Several creatures swam in the sapphire and glittering diamond water above him. Soon his burning lungs forced him back to the surface. Replenished, the Hunter set out once more in search of his quarry. He sped his way through a twisted maze of green, delighting in the sunbeams and the feel of water rushing past him. He surfaced for another breath and spotted the buoy marking his prey's last known location. "Almost there," he thought, then dove again. A flash of color caught his eye. It was only a brief glimpse, but the Hunter knew what that crimson flash meant: he had found his prey, der große zee-mӧnster! A few bubbles escaped his lips, then he whirled in pursuit. Down, down, down he went. He clawed his way through the grasping strands of that undersea forest, until the light faded and pressure squeezed his head, and finally he got a good look at his quarry. It was sleek and fast and predatory, but he was faster still. With one more powerful kick of his flippered feet, the Hunter reached out and grasped the mӧnster about its middle. The creature went limp as he seized it, as though it had surrendered to its fate. It was strange, the Hunter mused, that he should find der große zee-mӧnster so deep. Usually, red-bellied beasts like this one preferred the surface. Only rare unterzee-mӧnsters of black or olive spent most of their time submerged. The answer revealed itself in the form of a terrible wound on der zee-mӧnster’s flank. Some mighty bolt had pierced its hide, and it must have concealed itself in the darkness of the Penitencia Deep while it recuperated. The Hunter broke the surface with a splash and a roar of triumph. He brandished his prey over his head like a trophy, proclaiming his victory over das mächtige zee-mӧnster. But der zee-mӧnster had other ideas. As its limp form emerged, it sprang to life in a desperate bid for freedom. The hunter’s roar became a wheezing gasp as the mӧnster’s wildly gyrating limbs knocked the wind from him. They descended through a confusing haze of bubbles, lashing at each other in a struggle for domination. The Hunter’s empty lungs burned for air. Another blow struck his belly. He latched on to der zee-mӧnster’s dorsal fin and pulled, tearing it open and exposing its innards. With a strength born of desperation, he tore out its crimson heart, slaying the beast instantly. He lunged for the surface, swallowed mouthfuls of life-giving air, then submerged again to collect his bounty before it could vanish forever into the sea. The Hunter heaved himself onto shore. A crowd gathered ‘round to admire his catch. Both man and monster were covered with slime and gore from their epic battle. The President himself shouldered through the crowd and stopped before the Hunter. He poked at der zee-mӧnster with a pen, then pronounced: “Destroyer Z-25, one hole in the red and sunk. Sorry guys, that hole in the red tips the scales. If it had been grey, it would have gone the other way. Allies win!”
