Yari mini-sub

History
The Empire of the Rising Sun struck at the Soviet Union without warning, and with a seemingly uncanny knowledge of the Union's few coastal vulnerabilities. This foresight must have been partly due to the Empire's shinobi network, for its hooded assassins have gained a fearsome reputation for procuring sensitive information brutally and reliably. Another theory growing in popularity is that the Empire managed to thoroughly scout northern Europe and Asia from undersea, avoiding detection while relaying essential tactical data back to Imperial military command. These underwater scouting missions were conducted by young sailors operating the Empire of the Rising Sun's Yari mini-subs, the smallest submersible combat vessels ever invented. Although these mini-subs initially appear rather nonthreatening due to their size and relatively benign shape, the consequences of their successful scouting reveal them to be a huge threat. It also turns out that Yari mini-subs have fairly significant attack power, and moreover, that the sailors piloting these vessels are prepared to lay down their lives for the Empire of the Rising Sun's ambitions.

Although it is rather late for this information to be surfacing from the Soviet Union's perspective, much has been gleaned from the collected remains of multiple Yari mini-subs found destroyed off the coast of northern Russia. Having carefully studied the Soviets' submarine program and the capabilities of their enemies' navies, the Emperor's chief naval technicians must have developed the Yari as an inexpensive miniature submarine suitable for reconnaissance and light skirmishing. Each of these vessels is fitted with a pair of light torpedo tubes, which, while far less powerful than the torpedoes of a Soviet Akula-class, nevertheless can eventually puncture and sink even the largest vessel (as the Soviet Union unwittingly discovered). Mini-subs are also virtually undetectable when submerged, which is part of what makes them so dangerous. And because they are cheap to manufacture, they can quickly be deployed to support Imperial blockades.

While ill-equipped to fend off a complete naval strike group, the Yari mini-sub does have a secret weapon that can make is deadly even to vessels many times its size: Its pilot, loyally bound to his Emperor, is prepared to use his craft in a battering maneuver known as the "Last Voyage", which can severely damage even the sturdiest hull. This destroys the Yari mini-sub in the process. Soviet forces were completely caught off guard in their first encounters against this maneuver, which led to the shocking defeat of one of the Union's most notorious Akula wolf packs. The sociology that leads Imperial sailors to be willing to use such a strategy is still being studied carefully, and diametrically-opposing theories abound, with some pundits insisting that mini-sub sailors must be extremely brave while others claim they are driven by fear.

Notes from the field
Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Yari Mini-Sub:

• Affordable -- Presumably, part of the reason mini-subs are so small is to keep manufacturing costs to a minimum. These are relatively inexpensive, fast-moving scout vessels ill-suited for mainline combat on the seas. However, mini-subs can still be extremely dangerous, especially in large numbers.

• Submersible protection -- Imperial mini-subs' greatest defense is their ability to avoid detection while lurking undersea. While submerged, mini-subs cannot be detected by most enemy scanners, nor can they be attacked by most conventional weapons. However, mini-sub torpedoes are not designed to operate under extreme pressures, forcing mini-subs to surface to fire.

• Mini-torpedoes a-plenty -- Because of their small form factor, mini-subs are not equipped with heavy weapons, although their mini-torpedoes partly make up for a lack of sheer impact-power with a fast firing rate. This makes mini-subs extremely well-suited for hit-and-run attacks. Note that mini-subs cannot defend themselves against land or air targets especially Twinblades and the Assault Destroyer.

• Last voyage -- Yari mini-sub pilots have been known to resort to extreme measures in the name of completing their missions. Specifically, they have been observed to collide with their targets, barreling straight into them purposely. This is inevitably catastrophic to the mini-subs, but also to their targets.