The
Battle of Graciosa Island was the first military conflict to be waged on the
Azores archipelago since the
Liberal Wars. The battle took place on
Graciosa Island and the surrounding waters where the
United States Air Force and
Portuguese Air Force engaged the kaiju
Loque in combat as it attempted to flee into open water. The battle took place on May 16th, 2020, and marked the sixth major occurrence of the Invasive Species Skirmishes.
The Conflict
Prelude
The Serviço de Informações de Segurança (SIS) had discovered the kaiju in hibernation within a subterranean cave on the island along with its egg during the 1990s while conducting tests with ground-penetrating radar. It was a monumental find for the Portuguese government, and they set to work constructing a facility to study it. Excavation of the bedrock occurred around and above the chamber in order for agents and scientists for easier access. The egg was taken to a different facility on the egg and studied, where the loqueling hatched and was studied in captivity.
The island had been besieged by heavy rainfall throughout 2020, and the resulting wearing of the soil caused a landslide that caused major structural damage to the facility and awakened the kaiju. Secret service agents attempted to take the kaiju down, but this only succeeded in sending it into a frenzy. After destroying what remained of the facility, it escaped underwater to the shore and was revealed to the world.
Military forces on
Lajes Fieldwere deployed from
Terceira Island almost immediately after the alert was sent by secret service agents. A large crowd of civilians had gathered on the shores of
Santa Cruz da Graciosa to observe the kaiju as it basked in the sun, calming itself down. It even slowly began to approach the shoreline as a few boats drove out to meet it. A missile strike provoked the kaiju into a frenzy, and it ventured for land.
Fighter jets proved ineffective at harming the creature and seemed to only succeed in agitating it further, as well as causing immense collateral damage. After losing a few to some well-aimed shots of water from the creature's maw, military forces made landfall to drive it back into the sea. Civilians were being evacuated to the other side of the island while
attack helicopters and
humvees engaged the creature in a length battle, with the kaiju eventually retreating into the open ocean after its infant was released and reunited with its parent. By the time the
Portuguese Navy had arrived, it had dove beyond their reach.
A thorough investigation was conducted into both the American and Portuguese military stationed to uncover who gave the order to fire so close to civilians. No radio transmissions revealed any orders, and the jets responsible were shot down by the kaiju. The investigation ultimately led to a dead end, but it was revealed that the missile was launched from a United States fighter. This resulted in immense backlash by the Portuguese public.
More prominent military presences were established on the archipelago in the aftermath of the attack, with many military bases undergoing construction on each island. The SIS was ultimately forced to collaborate with
Majestic and reveal their research findings. Naval and aerial recruitment were at an all-time high. Reconstruction efforts began shortly after the kaiju disappeared, although many began to leave for continental cities.
Historical Significance
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