"The Kujira—or Whale—is anchored in Coronado Bay. It's Arasaka's supercarrier. Can't believe I actually get to see this place." Sitting in K
"The Kujira—or Whale—is anchored in Coronado Bay. It's Arasaka's supercarrier. Can't believe I actually get to see this place."
Sitting in Kenichiro Ken's hovercar, Oliver gazed at the massive vessel as it came into view. He turned to Karl, eyes wide with awe.
"Ever since our crew got together, I've been seeing things I never even dreamed of."
"That's probably because you never left Santo Domingo before," Jack said, seated calmly beside him. But even he couldn't hide the thrill on his face as the colossal silhouette of the Kujira came into full view at Arasaka Port.
As someone who had always been into badass weapons, getting this close to a supercarrier—and soon boarding it—was like a dream come true. Jack tried to keep cool, but the subtle tremble in his hands betrayed him.
I mean, who could resist stepping onto a supercarrier?
"Can't even imagine the kind of tech or time it takes to build something like that," V murmured.
He was counting the levels of the catamaran-style vessel. The Kujira had three staggered flight decks of varying lengths. That kind of layout allowed for takeoffs and landings to happen independently—even if one deck got hit, the other two could still function.
He'd seen this structure before—in an old naval history documentary he'd bought after arriving in Night City. A Japanese aircraft carrier with a similar multi-deck design.
The Akagi.
So Arasaka was still using that vintage configuration?
V remembered the doc mentioning how modern navies had long since switched to flat, through-deck designs for efficiency. This triple-deck layout was practically obsolete.
While Oliver was psyched about going somewhere new, and Jack was losing it over the weapons, V focused on the carrier's architecture.
Karl, meanwhile, was thinking back on the Kujira's history.
According to his sources, the supercarrier had arrived in Night City on June 12, 2070. Its appearance forced the NUSA to retreat from their planned invasion, effectively ending the Unification War and preserving Night City's independence.
President Rosalind Myers, fearing that Arasaka's involvement would escalate the war into a full-blown Fifth Corporate War, had no choice but to negotiate. She ended up signing the Unification Treaty with the Free States—backed by Arasaka—which formally ended the war.
Since then, the Kujira had remained anchored in Coronado Bay, a floating symbol of Arasaka's dominance.
If Arasaka Tower was the corporation's reaching hand, then the Kujira was its clenched fist. Anyone who saw it had to think twice before provoking it.
As the hovercar approached, Arasaka soldiers guided them through a security checkpoint. The ID scan cleared, and the auto-cannons—previously locked onto the vehicle—slowly turned away.
"Bit overkill, don't you think? A whole battery of ship cannons for a single hovercar?" Oliver asked, exhaling in relief.
"A hovercar like this couldn't scratch a supercarrier. And ours isn't even packing heavy weapons."
"Maybe it's PTSD from their kamikaze past. They're scared someone's gonna fly a bomb-laden drone right into the deck," Karl muttered, dry as ever.
No one responded—except Kenichiro Ken, who gave Karl a brief glance but said nothing.
Let him squirm in that awkward silence. Say crap like that and you get what you get. Everyone knew that Saburo Arasaka had once been a candidate for a kamikaze pilot himself.
"The Kujira's reinforced. It can shrug off suicide bombings. Even a hovercar filled with explosives wouldn't be enough."
This time, someone else chimed in.
And she even chuckled.
"What the soldiers really fear is a hovercar carrying a nuke—just like in 2023. No one wants a repeat of that."
Hearing that familiar voice, Karl sharply inhaled.
And to think he had been the one making inappropriate jokes earlier.
"That really shouldn't be coming from you… Hanako."
"Shouldn't it?"
Hanako, flanked by her Chiyoda bodyguards, stood waiting beneath the descending hovercar. She tapped her cheek with a fingertip, tilting her head thoughtfully before realizing what Karl meant.
She covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
"Oh, right. That incident..."
Her grandfather, Saburo's son Kei Arasaka, hadn't died in the nuke that hit Arasaka Tower, but his death had been tied to that chain of events. For Hanako to make a joke about it now...
Even if she hadn't been born when Kei died—more than thirty years ago—he was still her blood relative. It wasn't exactly a laughing matter.
"That's something you probably shouldn't be saying," Karl muttered.
"But then again… your family's not exactly sentimental about blood ties, are they?"
Stepping out of the vehicle, Karl gave a small nod to Chiyoda—who returned it—then turned to Hanako.
"Still, I should apologize. What I said earlier… wasn't very respectful."
Lately, Karl had been wondering if Night City was finally starting to rub off on him in the worst ways.
"I respect my mother very much," Hanako said sincerely.
"But respecting relatives I've never met? I think I'm still getting used to that."
After greeting Kenichiro Ken, she turned to Karl and extended her hand.
"Come. My uncle is waiting. My mother will be arriving shortly."
Karl stared at her hand for a moment, not immediately reacting. Then, catching Kenichiro Ken's subtle nod, he suddenly realized—
Right. He was here as himself today. Not as a bodyguard.
As Hanako's friend.
He took her hand.
To be honest, he rarely held hands with friends. Ever since middle school, he'd kind of decided that only women or family held hands like that.
But hey—if a friend offered theirs…
Maybe this was how Western etiquette worked? Wasn't the guy supposed to take the lead?
He wasn't sure.
But Kenichiro Ken was still watching him intently.
Wait—why?
He'd followed the man's cue and politely taken her hand, hadn't he?
-
-
-
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
📢 Chooms, Listen Up! 📢
You can now jack in and get 100 chapters ahead on Patreon for Cyberpunk: The Relentless! 💾🔥
Stay synced with the chrome, the carnage, and the chaos—early access is stacked and ready. 🧠💀
🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus
👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus🐦 Follow on Twitter: https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
⚠️ Remember, I'll always post more chapters of the novel that gets the most Power Stones!