Empire of the Ring

The Kazakh Navy had accepted former South Korean Navy officers as civilian military personnel due to the lack of the number of noncommissioned officers compared to its increasing number of vessels.

Captain Yeom Dong-chan had also joined the navy as a civilian worker at first but switched to active duty.

He was discharged from the Korean Navy as a first lieutenant, but he became the captain of the Yoon Youngha-class missile ship, which could only be handled by a lieutenant commander, because of a shortage of Kazakhstan's naval officers.

Lucky cases like himself were very common in Kazakhstan.

Therefore, many young Koreans with the Kazakhstan dream were flocking to Kazakhstan these days.

This was because they were treated far better in Kazakhstan than in Korea.

Captain Yeom was sailing cautiously back with the refugee boats from the Kasos Island.

About 120 people were aboard the two refugee boats, with about 50 women and elderly and weak people having been already transported to the Kazakh missile ship as it was not safe to be on the old fishing boats.

"If we sail like this, we won't arrive until tomorrow. Can't we move all those people on our ship?"

Frustrated, Park Sung-won, the base commander of the Arirang Island, suggested.

It was because a battleship would not sink even if the maximum capacity was exceeded.

"We can, but the problem is that we have to put them on deck, and I don't know if they'll be able to withstand the scorching sun."

"They've been exposed to the sun for days. I'm sure they can endure a few more hours."

"Don't you think you'd better give up the fishing boats? They're too old."

"The captains of the fishing boats are likely to return to Syria. They're doing business against refugees by transporting them."

"Really? Then let's send them back here without having to take them."

"I'll talk to the captains of the fishing boats."

Moments later, the captains of the fishing boats, after being supplied with drinking water and food, returned some money to the refugees and then turned to Syria.

They were supposed to give them a ride to their destination, but they returned part of the boarding fee because they were caught by the coast guards in the middle.

"At least they still have a conscience."

"They would have been forced to give up the money because of us. What kind of conscience would they have when they offered to make money against those in desperate need? They've probably buried a lot of people in the ocean. Some people just come out to the open sea for money and threaten refugees with a weapon, toss them a rubber boat and leave them."

"Then we can't let them go so nicely."

"What can we do since we don't have any evidence right now? I hope they didn't do that. Besides, because of boats like these that transport refugees to Europe, there are so many refugees in Europe."

Such crimes were happening frequently in the Mediterranean.

As a self-rescue plan, the refugees on the boat carried weapons, and this got them in trouble when they entered a new country as they were caught during the investigation. Some countries even sent them back for having weapons.

How absurd would it be to be turned down in Europe upon their arrival after going through a deadly trip? As such, the refugees were in trouble on land in the sea.

***

"Dear Commander, I'm sorry to make things complicated every time."

"What else could you have done in that situation? You did what you had to do. Hundreds of people won't make a difference when we're accepting thousands of refugees. The problem is that Greece and Turkey continue to be tense because of maritime refugees."

"Yes. There is a war of nerves to keep the refugees out of their waters, and there is a concern of a major maritime accident. If we don't offer relief after seeing the refugees in danger in front of us, we will be criticized by the international community. We might get caught up in a bigger problem."

"Only help the refugees and don't get involved in any case. And in the future, we'll film everything and prepare for problems later on."

"Dear Commander, I think it would be better to exclude the Kasso Island area from our patrol boundary for the time being. Then we won't get involved in a conflict."

"All right. Better avoid showers. Then, instead of patrolling the open waters, send in troops to manage the island. If we leave it alone, it can be a headache later on."

"Yes, sir. Then we'll send two squads to do guard duty."

Park Sung-won immediately dispatched two squads to the Kasos Island as ordered by Cho Chul-hwan as further delay could cause refugees to mess up the island.

Recently, North African refugees were also migrating in large groups. The island of Kasos was also a stopover for North African refugees.

There was much to prepare for the presence of two squadrons, but they were quickly dispatched first with only two light armored vehicles and supplies to stay about 15 days.

Unable to reach the shoreline, the supply ship had to be flown several times in an amphibious light armored vehicle.

Upon arrival at the temporary garrison, the two squadrons were setting up tents.

"Sgt. Jani Beg. Pull that line more in your direction."

"Captain, why don't we take a break?"

"It looks like it's going to rain soon, so let's get it over with and get into the sea."

"I hope it rains. This is too hot. I think this place is hotter than Arirang Island. I wish the 2nd squad would find a stream somewhere."

It was unlikely to find a stream in such a short time with only ten soldiers even if they traveled the whole area of 80 square kilometers. But since this was an island once inhabited by people, they had a faint hope that there would be water somewhere.

"What do you expect? They say the water dried and all the people left."

"The depleted spring water may rise again."

Greek islands not only had little rainfall but also consisted of gneiss and limestone, so even if it rained, water would not seep into the ground but flow down to the sea. Therefore, water was precious.

While most islands boasted a beautiful landscape with emerald-colored seas and caviar stones, most remained uninhabited because they all lacked drinking water or springs.

The reason for the large-scale desalination facilities on Meltemi and Arirang islands was also due to a shortage of drinking water and living water.

That was why while the first squad was building a makeshift barracks in the scorching sun, the second squad went out to look for spring water.

If they were lucky enough to find the spring water, the Kasos Island would be a perfect place for a naval base.

***

"You really found a spring?"

"Yes, it has enough water for more than 100 people to use. But there were about a dozen human skeletons around. They are in a terrible condition, but they don't seem to be very old, so I feel uncomfortable."

Sergeant Constantine, the captain of the second squadron was famous for being fearless, had a look of disgust on his face.

If something terrible had happened recently, it was likely to happen again.

Abudga, the squad commander of the whole dispatched team in the first squadron, felt his hair stand on end.

Although this was a remote island, an uninhabited lighthouse was installed and it was regularly administered by the Greek government, so it was hard to understand that people came in and conducted such a cruel offense.

"Have the refugees been here?"

"There's no reason to attack the refugees since there's nothing to gain from them."

"It'd have to be a pretty big ship to come to this remote place. There's no organization nearby that operates a large ship…"

"It's just a guess. The skeletons are severely damaged, so I think they were killed by people who had a grudge against them."

"Let's report this to the base for now. It's not something we can just pass by."

Ever since the discovery of the skeletons, the beach where the temporary shelters were, began to fill with a sense of tension.

The soldiers who had been relaxing at the thought of coming to a paradise island and to do an easy duty were on guard, and the two squad leaders were busy contacting Arirang Base.

No matter how great the forces of the 20 armed guards were, there was no way to prevent the enemy from attacking while they were off guard.

-So you're saying they don't look like they died gracefully?

"Yes, commander. Some had their limbs cut off and some had their heads cut off. I don't think they died fighting each other, but they were killed unilaterally."

-Why do you think so?

"There are no personal belongings left around. I think they were brutally murdered naked."

-So it must be a massacre out of a grudge or to set an example. If you have any pictures taken, send them right away. If we send them to the intelligence service, we'll find out something.

"Yes, sir."

-We're sending a 503 missile ship and supply ship to your location now, so stay right in the makeshift shelter and wait. Be sure to use the light armored vehicle in case of an emergency.

The island was mostly flat with the highest part of the island only 280 meters tall and only a few trees, so they had brought light armored vehicles.

Otokar's Cobra light armored vehicles were now being produced in Kazakhstan, serving as the foot of Kazakhstan's army.

The reason why Kazakhstan called the Army a mechanized unit was because it had deployed Cobra light armored vehicles in every infantry unit.

The 10-seat light armored vehicle weighed 12 tons and had a powerful 360 horsepower, allowing it to roam freely, whether in fields, hills or rivers.

It was equipped with a 20-millimeter machine gun and could be equipped with portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles if necessary.

With two such light armored vehicles on the beach, there was nothing to worry about, but the problem was that they did not know who their enemy was.

"It's ridiculous. Does it make sense that the soldiers of the Kazakh Royal Bodyguards are scared of mere skeletons?"

"If you saw them in person, you'll see why. Looking at the damage, I feel like the IS might have done it…"

"Then you should have reported it to the commander just now. Why didn't you?"

"It's just a mere guess. And why would the IS idly come all the way here and have their ritual? The intelligence service will figure it out soon when they see the damage to the skeletons."

"The pirates are said to be acting out in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, so maybe it's them."

"I have no idea. Whoever they are, just come close. I'm going to baptize them with 20-millimeter machine gun shots."

"What kind of lunatics would come here where troops are stationed?"

"The lunatics who cruelly damaged people's bodies. It's been a shocking day in many ways. I bet I can't sleep tonight."

"Did you think we can get some sleep? Don't think about going to bed. Let's stay alert all night. If the 503 missiles and the supply ship arrive late and release additional troops, I'll sleep then. Did you hear everyone? We'll be on high alert tonight. Two soldiers should be on each vehicle and patrol around our temporary garrison and rotate the shift every two hours. I and Sergeant Jani Beg will be in charge of the first squadron while the 2nd squadron will be under Sergeant Constantine and…"

Sergeant Abudga, who had finished arranging the shift teams and had dinner roughly with combat food, lit a cigarette.

'Darn. I was going to have a beach party on the first day I came to paradise. It's far from paradise. It's like I stepped on the poop.'

The smoke of Sergeant Abudga's cigarette was dispersing in the slowly darkening night sky.