Episode 1: Escape from Monster Island

Taclydus

You've lowered your altitude in order to better view events on the water, and your flying in fast circles overhead. You can see that Straj has approached the closest warship in the blockade, which is shining lights at him. The ship has begun turning to face the island but is being buffeted by waves originating from the shoreline. Panghol and Omukade are standing at the shore, while Boiuna is still in the caldera, peeking out beyond the summit. You can see movement happening on the closest weapon platform; it seems to be focusing its weaponry on the island. Meanwhile, there is also activity with the other warships. Each vessel in the blockade is miles apart, but you see the nearest ships to the left and right are beginning to react.

The bridge of the HMS Dauntless was a flurry of activity. Midshipmen and other personnel scrambled to man sensor systems and communications, while white-shirted lieutenants hastily coordinated engineering, gunnery, and various other departments over interphones. The Daring-Class Type 45 destroyer was in the process of making a sharp starboard turn on a northward heading to Monster Island, but sudden water turbulence was forcing the helmsman to focus on steadying the vessel. A ship-wide siren was blaring to alert crewmembers to take battle stations. What had previously been a quiet night was now anything but.

Captain Ross stood at the fore of the bridge, staring out through the main window and into the darkness. Sea water sprayed against the glass, and the constant rocking made it difficult to maintain balance. The older gentleman stroked his steel gray beard with stoic, measured movements, giving the simultaneous impression that he was deep in thought but also listening to every single thing occurring on his bridge. Next to him, Commander Chapman was barking orders at one of the blue-shirts manning the comms. The young woman was demanding urgent and immediate support from KTF Command, while also instructing another officer to hail the closest ships in the blockade for assistance. Nearby, Dr. Lessing nervously glanced around the room; he gripped a wall-mounted handhold to keep himself from falling over. The German kaijuologist had yet to develop his sea legs.

As senior naval officers, both Ross and Chapman wore perfectly pleated white shirts and pants, and their shoulders sported black epaulettes with yellow stitching denoting rank insignia. Chapman, the XO, approached the captain. She seemed entirely unfased by the ship's violent rocking motions.

"The USS Ticonderoga and the INS Kolkata are hoisting anchor and currently en route. ETA is six minutes. Satellites have sighted Panghol and Omukade on the western coast of the Sanctuary, and SATCOM believes an outbreak may be imminent. You think Panghol is having a go at us, sir?"

Ross adjusted his cap and shrugged. "It's unclear if he's attacking or playing. What is Straj's current position? I don't care for him being so close to us."

"He was holding at about 300 meters off our starboard side, and then suddenly submerged. Sonar shows him making his way back toward the island," replied the XO.

Dr. Lessing spoke up, raising his voice above the commotion of the bridge. The scientist was out of his white frock and dressed in civilian clothing. He spoke in English, accented but impeccable. "As I've said before, you don't need to be concerned about Straj. He has no history of aggression. If anything, I think he was trying to warn us."

Chapman glowered. "...or distract us while the others try to escape."

Dr. Lessing shook his head, emphatically. "I have personally interacted with Straj several times. He is highly intelligent. I don't believe he is a threat to us."

Ross furrowed his brow and turned to look at the good doctor. "Can they do that? Can the mega-organisms work together?"

The scientist nodded. "Pack oriented behavior has been observed in the kaiju before."

"God help us..." exclaimed Ross, softly. "And what about Taclydus?" The question was directed at his XO.

"He flew to an estimated altitude of nearly 3,000 meters. He's now descended and seems to be maintaining a holding pattern above the island."

The captain chuckled. "Outside the range of our Mark 3 Bloodhounds... clever bird. And what of the caldera?"

"All's quiet with Daitatsu." Chapman's voice had more than a little relief in it.

"Well at least there's that," said Ross.

Suddenly, one of the communications officers bolted from his chair. His hand was pressing a UHF headset to his ear, listening to the comms as he spoke. The commotion on the bridge quieted as everyone turned their attention to the ensign. He gulped and looked at the senior officers. "Sir... SATCOM reports more activity, which has been confirmed by weapon platforms 23 and 24. Nachtmacher and Senshuseki are fleeing the Sanctuary. The Yanks and the Chinese are about to engage them two kilometers off the north coast..."

The bridge went silent with shock; a silence broken by the occasional panicked murmur. Someone could be heard fearfully muttering "Dear God" aloud. Chapman's eyes widened and she looked at the captain. "That many? Have that many kaiju ever attempted to escape at one time?"

Ross took a few precious seconds to steel himself against whatever his inner doubts were telling him, and then addressed his bridge crew. "Enough of that rubbish! You are all officers of the Royal Navy, and I expect you to act like it! We've all trained for this. You know what to do... so do it." Looking at the young ensign on his feet, "Radio Director Tanaka. Tell him that we have a Level 3 Breakout Event in progress, and the flotilla is about to engage multiple mega-organisms. The animals are escaping the zoo." The captain shifted his attention to his XO. "Do we know if any kaiju wranglers are available?"

Chapman shook her head. "I was already on comms with the KTF. Strike Force Europe is shorthanded after Daimyo Dynamo and Tetsujin Epsilon were damaged in the attack on Munich. The giant mecha are on high alert in case of another Protostomion assault. Strike Force Africa is confronting Protostomions off the coast of Johannesburg, but they might be able to spare a few units. Still, they are three hours away at minimum."

The Captain shook his head. "We need a lot more than a few units to contain this. We need several squadrons." Ross looked to Dr. Lessing. "Give me our dossiers on Panghol, Omukade, Taclydus, Straj, and all the others." The kaijuologist nodded and rushed from the bridge.

The British Naval officer turned to address his crew again. "Portugal is less than 1,600 kilometers away. Under no circumstances are any of the residents of the Sanctuary permitted to reach the mainland. For Queen and country..."

Straj

Underwater lights activate once you approach the platform while submerged. You know that the humans can't use their exploding swimmers on you at this range without also damaging the platform itself. The water isn't very deep: only about 400 ft. (121.92 m). Your tentacles explore the foundations, which are fixed to the sea floor with concrete, but it seems as though each strut goes quite far into the earth. Around you is a maze of pipes and steel girders. Looking at the structure quickly (and having probably studied it in the past), you don't see any way to immediately disable the platform, short of attacking it. You could begin attacking the legs of the platform, though that will require some time and won't prevent the weapons battery on top from firing.

Alternately, you could climb the platform and try to disable or distract the weapons directly; the hope being that you're too close for them to fire.

Being underwater, you are aware of what's happening around you, though that awareness has less to do with your eyes and more to do with underwater vibrations. You feel the powerful engines of the two nearest warships starting up, changing their heading to converge at this location and assist their sister ship. Your tentacles can feel the vibrations of the platform as its weapons batteries power up and start to acquire targets - probably Panghol and Omukade. Taclydus might also be at risk, depending on how low he is flying.

PangholYou rush into the ocean to take advantage of the water as quickly as possible. You lower your profile into the sea and make a beeline toward the platform, sending one of your telluric earthquake-generating blasts at its feet. Unfortunately, the distance, as well as the intervening ocean, cause the attack to miss its target. You can feel the seabed shake somewhere beneath the waves, but not near the platform's pylons.

Taclydus' sonic blast goes wide. The ocean ripples and explodes about a hundred meters off the port side of the HMS Dauntless. A column of water the thickness of a football field erupts into the air. Waves buffet the warship, rocking it back and forth, and water rains down on its deck in torrents.

Panghol and Omukade both enter the water and begin making their way toward the HMS Dauntless and the weapons platform. Powered up, the platform's weapon systems appear to consist of large clusters of boxes that fire flying objects designed to explode on impact. Both of you know that these projectiles travel far and have been known to strike kaiju all the way on the island. However, what is more concerning is the parabolic dish that is adjusting to target Panghol. The massive reflector dish, shaped like a vertically-mounted bowl, has a long antenna jutting from its center. The device doesn't fire anything that can be seen by the naked eye, but its effects on the Sanctuary's residents are very real - intense pain and boiling flesh.

The weapon focuses its antenna toward Panghol and emits a loud, high-pitched hum.

At the same time, the HMS Dauntless has turned so its bow is facing the island and its oncoming inhabitants. As Taclydus swoops back up into the sky, the ship's forward missile battery seeks to acquire the giant pteradactyl as its target. Meanwhile, the Dauntless' 130mm naval gun has rotated its turret slightly in anticipation of Omukade. The gun roars deafeninigy, leaving a dark cloud of smoke as it fires a shell at the two-headed megapede.