As we headed towards the warehouse, Felker spotted a frigate approximately 4500 metres from our position, and it was firing at the warehouse. We had to do something.
"Gunner! Frigate! 9 o'clock." Felker said to the gunner.
The turret moved left and aimed at the weapons bay of the frigate.
"Identified!" He responded.
"Sabot HVS! Forty Five Hundred!"
The hypervelocity shell was loaded, and the gunner aimed.
"Aim set!" The gunner responded.
"FIRE!!" Felker commanded.
The two HVS left through the two barrels, swerved through the air and hit the ammunition bay of the frigate. The frigate exploded and began to sink. After defeating the frigate, we rushed to the warehouse and reached it after 5 minutes.
Alfred and I got out and ran inside. There were only 600 technicians here; some were inside the city, and the rest had retreated to the defence HQ for safety purposes.
"What's the status?" I asked the chief technician.
"Sir, the frigate was unable to damage the cannon, though two technicians were killed." The chief replied. "For the cannon, its firing systems are functional. But the turret can't move. The rust on the lever function was more than we expected. There are two solutions. We take off the turret and change the lever system. But that will take two weeks."
"And the other?" I asked.
"We tie the turret with ropes and chains, pull, break the rust between the cogwheels and rotate manually. We have 600 men." The chief replied.
The second was the one we needed. I looked here and there. And then saw the tank outside the warehouse.
"And a tank," I said to the chief.
We knew what to do. The chief ordered the technicians. Thirty technicians went and lifted the 5,800 kg 550 mm shell. They could barely lift it and slowly moved it towards the cannon. Another twenty technicians lowered the ropes, and five climbed the turret to load the shell. After five minutes, the shell was brought. The ropes were tied around it. Then, twenty technicians pulled the rope and lifted the shell. They used every ounce of their power. Alfred and Felker helped them as well. After ten minutes, it was finally lifted, and five technicians on the top loaded the shell. The cannon was ready to fire. Now the aim remained.
I ordered Felker to get the tank inside. The Irgis-12 was brought inside, and chains were tied to its thick and strong bumper.
"Don't worry, the bumper won't come off," Felker told me.
Then the technicians brought the ropes, and they were tied to the turret.
"We need everyone here to move it. But we need someone to shoot." The chief told me.
"Martin…you climb and fire. We will move the cannon. You have been idle this whole war." Alfred said to me.
"I wasn't idle, but okay…I will be the gunner." I responded. I wanted to take down Argen myself. More than Arkania, he was my enemy.
"Okay, sir, listen." The chief said. "This isn't a warehouse. It's a shed, and we can remove it right now. When the shed is removed, the battleship will spot us. The cannon they are using is a 220 mm, called Erkilna. It is actually a ground cannon. I don't know how they planted it on the ship. So, I am completely sure the turret can't rotate. They have to change the whole ship's direction to aim at us. If we are fast, our timing will match theirs. You will have a very small window to take it out. So it's all about timing."
"Okay," I responded.
"There's more." The chief took a breath. "You will only get the chance to fire one shot. If you miss, we are done. On the gunner's seat, there is a lever. Use it to extend the barrel to its full length. This will increase the power and the range. This is all."
"Thanks, I will do my best," I replied and placed my hand on his shoulders.
"Okay, boys, hold the ropes. When the shed is down, start pulling. Don't stop, give it your all." The chief said.
"Yes, sir!" All the technicians responded.
I climbed the cannon and sat on the gunner's seat. I adjusted myself and, using the lever, extended the cannon to its full length. The shed's support was broken, and the shed fell.
[ARGEN'S POV]
"Sir, the Erkilna is giving them heavy damage. Our ships are fighting back and destroying their defences."
Argen laughed and smirked. "How's that, Martin?" Argen said to himself. He was happy, unaware of the approaching threat.
He smiled and watched the walls of Targalia fall. As he watched and looked left, he saw something he wished he had never seen in his entire life. Far away, he saw a shed fall and the emerging thing. He had seen their biggest enemy, the Arkinson-550. He identified it instantly. He was stunned by how such an ancient was working.
"What!?!? What is it doing there!?!?" He said aloud.
The whole crew heard and began to look left. The admiral was shocked as well.
"Isn't that the Arkinson!?!? How is it working!?!" The admiral spoke as they saw the Arkinson-550 move.
"Change course immediately!! Aim at that cannon, NOW!!!" Argen shouted.
"If we change course, our fleet loses the opening," The lieutenant responded.
"If that cannon fires, we lose the whole fleet!!" Argen shouted.
The lieutenant understood. "Change course, cannon, 10 o'clock"
"Affirmative, changing course, 10 o'clock." The crew responded.
"FASTER, FASTER!!!" Argen was scared. He knew what danger they were facing right now.
[MARTIN'S POV]
"Okay, one, two, three…PULL!!!!" The chief shouted.
The technician began to pull, and the tank went on full throttle. The tank didn't move, and the technician kept pulling.
"Keep pulling…the rust will break!!" The chief said.
"C'mon, show your man power!!!" Alfred said.
The technicians held the ropes more tightly and began to pull with more force. "AHHHHHH" All of them pulled and pulled with every ounce of their strength. The rust began to break.
"PULL, PULL, PULL!!!!!" Alfred shouted.
"It is breaking," A technician spoke.
They pulled and pulled, and finally the rust broke. The turret began to rotate. I tightly held the trigger, ready to fire.
"AHHHHHHH!" All of them screamed together.
"The ship is changing course!!" The gunner of Irgis-12 informed us.
"C'mon, lads. Faster, faster and faster." The chief spoke.
[ARGEN'S POV]
"The ship is taking course. We are ready to fire." The lieutenant reported.
"Faster!" Argen replied.
The Arkinson-550 and the Water Devil moved. It was a race of life and death. The one who fires first wins.
[MARTIN'S POV]
Everyone pulled the turret, and slowly, the aim was about to be set. The tank was at full throttle, and everyone poured every ounce of their strength into moving it.
"The aim is set!" I declared.
[ARGEN'S POV]
"The course is taken!" The lieutenant informed.
"Fire!" Argen ordered.
"But we have to adjust the cannon," The admiral objected.
[MARTIN'S POV]
I took a deep breath, held it, and fired.
[ARGEN'S POV]
"I said FIRE!!" Argen shouted at the admiral, and the gunner immediately fired.
Both the Arkinson-550 and the Erkilna fired at the same time. The target was each other.
The 550 mm and the 220 mm raced towards each other. They became closer and closer. And barely missed each other. The timing was the same. The purpose was the same. But the difference was that the 220 mm missed, but the 550 mm didn't.
As the two shells barely missed each other and headed towards their targets, the 220 barely missed the Arkinson, but the 550 shrieked through the air and raced towards the battleship.
"No…" Those were the last words of Argen.
The 550 mm shell pierced the Erkilna's ammunition deck. The explosion ripped through the compartments, and the Water Devil was torn apart. The immense shockwave of the explosion created large waves and hit the rest of the fleet.
[MARTIN'S POV]
"YEAHHHH!!!!!" Everyone screamed with joy as they saw the battleship sink.
I got down the turret and ran towards the crew with joy. Alfred ran and hugged me.
"Martin…YOU DID IT!!" Alfred said as he tightly hugged me.
"Not me. EVERYONE DID IT!!!" I replied.
Both of us laughed and hugged each other. I then hugged the chief. He showed nervousness.
"We have won. You don't need to worry about the protocol." I said to him.
As he heard, he laughed and hugged me.
As the battleship sank, the rest of the fleet went into disarray. They panicked and began to change direction and run. The artillery and the tanks sprang into action and began to fire at the retreating ships. Some were destroyed, and the rest escaped.
They came with 14 ships and only 2 survived. They went back without their flagship and general.
Five hours had passed since our victory. We had gotten a historic victory. This victory was going to change the very map of the world. After the sacrifices of our soldiers and the Arkanians, after a battle of five years, we had finally won. Arkania has won!
I stood alone on the edge of the coastal ridge and looked at the sunset. I didn't even realise that we had fought for 10 hours. I remembered everyone. My father, uncle, Valkin, Barnett, and Ferry.
"I know you aren't watching.
But if you are…Father, Uncle, Valkin, Barnett, Ferry, and Mother…I…no." I moved my head left and right.
"WE HAD WON!!"