January 20, 2018

While underway near the coast of Okinawa, the AACTP class began to do combat evolutions around 7 AM local time. The 22 students waited in the flight briefing room in their flight gear as the ship slightly rocked back and forth. As they did, Moeka and Akeno chatted with each other. "I must say," Akeno told her best friend. "It's been just 5 days, and already we've been put through hell."

"You can say that again," Moeka replied as she stretched her arms and yawned. "We've been flying nonstop for 3 whole days. Oh well. I don't mind flying with you, though." They both then laughed.

Then, another student next to them, who was reading a newspaper, said to them, "Hey, guys, look at this." She then pointed out an article on the front page of the newspaper about the crisis between Sarawak and the Malayan Union. "It's getting worse. They just cut off all diplomatic ties with each other and ended peace talks." She had dark brown hair, and was a third-year captain named Hanayo Kazuno.

"Damn it," Moeka replied. "Hanayo-senpai, do you really think this will escalate into a shooting war?"

"I hope not," she replied as she turned to the next page. "If it does, we're gonna be in the middle of it, since Japan pledged to intervene in defense of Sarawak if they did, hence why we're going down there."

Then, Sako and Kiyoshi walked in, and everyone stopped talking and turned their full attention to them. Sako took a deep breath and then began with her briefing, saying, "Alright, here's the deal. We have 11 aircraft. Me and Kiyoshi will take a twelfth to join in. 6 of you will be on Team A. The other 6 will be on Team B. This is for the first evolution. Once we land and refuel, we will switch teams for the second evolution." Then, Kiyoshi began to pass out assignment to each pilot. "What Shima-san is passing out to you all is a paper detailing what team and aircraft you will be on. Remember, a lock-on is an automatic shoot-down, and upon that, you will turn around and land on the Shoukaku. Whatever team has the last player or players standing wins. Me and Shima-san will be on Team A for the first evolution and Team B for the second. We are to fly no more than 100 miles away from the carrier unless an emergency occurs. Anyone who does will face disciplinary action. The Imperial Chinese Navy know that we will be doing this, and grant us permission to use some of their airspace. If you encounter a Chinese aircraft, ignore them unless an emergency occurs."


Around 8 AM, both teams were up in the sky, and Moeka and Akeno flew together. All 12 aircraft in use were the venerable and dependable A10M Reisen II. As they flew across the open sea, Moeka and Akeno came up on a Team B aircraft as Sako and Kiyoshi's aircraft flew next to them. Sako radioed to Akeno, "Go get 'em. What are you waiting for?"

"Got it," Akeno replied. She then began to close in on the "enemy" aircraft. As the "enemy" aircraft banked hard to the right, Akeno and Moeka followed it. Both aircraft began to increase their speed as Akeno said to Moeka, "We're beginning to close in on them! Who is it, by the way?"

"I think it's Hanayo-senpai's aircraft," Moeka replied as she began to try to lock onto the "enemy" aircraft. Both aircraft then did a barrel roll in the air before they both banked to the left. "Fuck, I lost my lock!"

"We'll get it back," Akeno assured her best friend as she continued to pursue the "enemy" aircraft. "Just gotta outsmart her, that's all!" Finally, she was in a position for Moeka. "Do it, Moka-chan! Now!"

Moeka then shouted, "Lock on!" Sure enough, she managed to get a successful lock onto the "enemy" aircraft. "Alright! Woohoo!" Moeka then raised her fist and cheered.

Hanayo then came onto Team A's frequency and announced, "Team B, Aircraft 4 shot down, returning to Shoukaku. Good work, guys."

"Excellent job," Kiyoshi said to Moeka and Akeno. "Now, let's see if we can get the rest of Team B."


"This is not good," said a concerned and deeply worried Rajah David Brooke of Sarawak as he met with his cabinet. "We have Japan on our side, but the Bruneian Empire* has us surrounded to the East, and they are clearly in favor of Malayan Union rule over us." He then pointed to several locations on a map. "Then we got those bootlickers in the Aceh Sultanate*. Their Sultan supports Malaya despite the fact that their population hates them. The United Kingdom of Bali* likes us, but they got their own problems to deal with. The Netherlands also is in the same boat in terms of their tenuous hold on the Dutch East Indies*."

His Minister of War, an Iban Sarawakian named Joseph Nanta Langkau who was a member of the Kingdom's parliament from its capital of Kuching, said to him, "Your Majesty, we have all of our reserve and militia forces on standby. Japan is sending help to us. Trust me, we can take them on."

"I have been in talks with the Dutch," replied the Rajah's Minister of Foreign Affairs, a Chinese Sarawakian named Xing Zhenya, who was elected from Sibu. "They can commit some special forces to any attack by Malayan forces, but do not want to participate in a preemptive strike. If we want Dutch assistance, we need to wait to be attacked."

"Ladies and gentlemen," David of Sarawak said as he addressed the cabinet. "That help from Japan cannot come soon enough. I know the forces of the Sarawakian military are good, and they will fight to the death to ensure our independence. However, I fear that it may not be enough. Mister Xing, I want you to keep talking to the Dutch. Hell, try to get the Balinese in on it, too. I'm sure they will sympathize with us and at least send a few troops if we convince them."


"Okay," said Hanayo as she talked to Moeka and Akeno around 7 at night in the mess hall. "So then, Yukiho-senpai tried to get the engine started, but it flat-out refused. By now, the deck crew is panicking. This brand new first-year girl is in charge, and she knows what to do, but she also is new, so she panicked." She was telling them a story from when she was a first-year, also referring to a pilot that was a third-year that graduated. "Then, suddenly, the engine starts. Everyone on the deck cheers, and we go off on our merry way like nothing ever happened. Once we get up in the air, we start laughing our asses off at how much the deck crew panicked."

"Wow," Moeka replied as she laughed. "That would have led to a few talking-to's on the Musashi if something like that happened." She then looked at her evening newspaper. "This is interesting. It says here that they wanna get rid of the rum ration on board regular IJN ships." She then put the paper down. "Bah, what a load of bullshit. It's literally just a shot of rum. It's not like they're downing half a God damn bottle."

"I agree," Akeno replied. "You know, I've only had to give a splice the mainbrace order once, and it was right after we got back to port from that journey the Harekaze had to do. I had Shiro-chan—Munetani Mashiro, who went the ship command route while me and Moeka went the CAG command route—pour all of us a shot of rum once I got permission from my instructor. All of them drank it."

"I don't think I ever did as a ship commander or as a CAG commander," Moeka replied.

"I did it three times as a CAG and ship commander," Hanayo replied. "My instructor, the first time I did it, actually told me, "Don't use that no-name stuff the IJN and the school gives out. It sucks compared to this." She then gave me a bottle of this rare British rum that was amazing. Ever since, I bought a bunch of bottles, imported right from the UK itself, and used the same rum for the other two times. It was expensive as hell, but soooo worth it."


NOTES:

1. The Bruneian Empire controls the entirety of Borneo with the exception of Sarawak.

2. The Aceh Sultanate controls the entirety of Sumatra.

3. The United Kingdom of Bali controls the entirety of Bali.

4. The Dutch East Indies are one of 6 constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Netherlands, Suriname, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Dutch East Indies, and Curaçao) that controls most of real-life Indonesia (with the exception of Bali, Borneo, and Sumatra). It is the only extant European territory in Asia of any significant size, with the only others being East Timor (Portugal), Macau (Portugal), and Hong Kong (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).