To the Guest Reviewer (you know who you are). You told me to, and I quote, "-please stop with the pt corgi and blimp cat stuff."

I am not angry with you. Rather, I ask that you kindly tell me what you *do* want me to post. I will explain why, or why not, I have been posting this, and not the 'canon' with New Jersey.

Better yet, just log in and we can have a civil conversation. I was never one to like announcing embarrassing shit over intercoms, nor do I like posting this message for everyone to see- and they are seeing it, alright.

For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy. To the author of these side stories- if you're reading this, I hope I'm uploading this in the correct order, but please tell me if not.

WARNING: This chapter meshes with Part 7 A and 7 B of Doggos, please read Part A if you haven't already.

Bloodshot eyes snapped open amidst the frantic barking and desperate-sounding radio chatter, causing Nachi to groan as she slowly sat herself up. Her radio operator was reporting multiple distress calls from one of the night squadrons, who were reporting heavy damage among their unit.

"Shit," she hissed, before quickly grabbing her normal outfit, not really caring about looking prim and proper.

Her crew were already rushing to battle stations, and even though her rigging wasn't on her, she could still feel the shells being loaded into the breeches, including illumination rounds for her No. 2 gun, and incendiary tracers for her many Type-96 AA guns. While aircraft were unlikely to be an issue, fast moving torpedo boats were, and she knew her main battery guns couldn't traverse fast enough to maintain track on targets like that. The 25mm singles, on the other hand, could, her crew remembering the exploits of Laffey and O'Bannon against poor Hiei during that bloody night engagement near Guadalcanal.

Bursting out the doors, she saw one Ensign Jones on the verge of a panic, eyes wide and hands twitching. "Night Squadron Three made contact with hostile forces, and took heavy damage! Corgi thinks that this is the opener for an Abyssal assault on New Orleans! You need to get your forces out there now!"

"Where are Atago and her group!?"

"Too far out!"

Matilda ran off as Isokaze and Hamakaze ran up to her, uniforms on and trying not to yawn. Nachi glared at them, teeth gritted. "Get yourselves together!" She barked. "We've trained for these kinds of engagements!"

They vaguely nodded, as she led them out of the building. Sirens were already blaring, and the helicopters were already spinning up their blades. A pilot rushed up to her, snapping to salute. "Ma'am, I'd be having my chalks provide support, but they're needed to patrol the coast for Abyssal landing parties!"

"That's fine! We can handle the enemy ships!" Nachi shouted back. "Now go!"

He dashed back off, strapping his helmet on, as Nachi began doing a quick radio check. All sets seemed to be functioning well.

The three made their way to the water, rigging flashing to existence as they felt the oddness of the Mississippi push against them. Crazed yapping followed them, as the daytime PT squadrons lept into the water, hind legs kicking furiously as they assumed a screening formation ahead of them. They yipped and barked excitedly, though Nachi could tell there was a definite worry to the noises. Their comrades were in trouble, after all.

"Once we clear the delta, set course to one-five-five and prepare to engage the enemy!" She ordered. "Isokaze, I need you on anti-submarine duty! Make sure that nothing sneaks up on us! Hamakaze, you're with me on trying to clear out any hostile torpedo boats! Use your AA guns if you have to! Go!"

"Hai!"

Her radio crackled to life, on the frequency used to order the PT squadrons around. "Nachi-actual, Nachi-actual, this is Dog-actual, do you copy?"

It was the man who somehow was charged with handling the dogs, one Lt. Corgi. "Nachi copies. Go ahead."

She could hear him trying to remain calm, heavy breaths sounding over the airwaves. "Nachi, the PT squadrons suspect that this is the opening phase of an Abyssal assault against New Orleans. We cannot let that happen. Use all available means to drive them back and save Squadron Three!"

"Shit."

"Nachi-actual?"

Gathering herself, Nachi answered. "Nachi copies all. Prevent enemy amphibious forces from landing on New Orleans and aid friendly PT squadrons."

"Good hunting, girls! Out!"

"An invasion?" Nachi heard Isokaze ask. "First Hawaii, now this…"

"We'll stop them," Nachi countered. "We have to."

"I do hope we can."

She felt tense, between those fears, and the fact that there was little intel on what those dogs were facing. For all she knew, it was a battleship, not unlike Atomic Battlecruiser Princess or the ones sunk during their retreat from Hawaii.

But above it all, she could hear the war drums beating.

The lights along the Mississippi grew fewer and fewer, before finally darkness settled in. A low sigh escaped Nachi, who, while used to fighting in the dark, knew that it was far more dangerous. She checked over her oxygen torpedoes, making sure they were secure. Illumination rounds were loaded into the 5" DP mounts, and her crew were on high alert, knowing that any missed torpedo boat could sink her.

The silence was practically deafening, as she looked up towards the sky. It was a rather clear night, the moon a crescent, and the stars above bright and endless. Looking back down, she inspected her guns, making sure that they were in good condition. Damage control teams stood by, while gunnery crews had their hands ready to start taking shells off the racks.

"Oh, Ashigara. You would love this," she quietly muttered to herself. Her beloved younger sister greatly enjoyed the fight, happy for every victory earned. However, victory would prove to be a challenge, this time. They were but three ships and a large number of PT boats, against an unknown enemy.

The river twisted and turned, thankfully not too sharply, though they could only accelerate to flank speed once they cleared the delta. Nachi hated it, considering the enemy was out there, and they would likely lose forces with each moment that passed without something being sunk.

As she saw clear ocean ahead, her radar picked up multiple fast-moving contacts, and the dogs were happily yipping away, as they accelerated to flank and began their intercept. "Isokaze! Hamakaze! Prepare for combat! We have inbound torpedo boats, bearing One-Four-Zero!"

Thankfully her other four guns had the high explosive rounds loaded, though something told her Type-3 shells would have been better. Autocannons broke the silence, as yellow and green tracers split the sea, and the three heavier ships joined in, a simple, yet no less lethal, symphony of 25 and 127mm gunfire. Illumination shells arced high into the air, casting their harsh, deathly glow onto the sea below.

"Enemy destroyer!" Hamakaze called. "American four-stacker!"

"I'll handle it!" Nachi replied. "Main battery guns, sequential fire! Engage!"

Her 8" rifles rippled across the sea, shells bracketing the target, as her secondaries joined in, 5" rounds hitting the bridge in a brief flash. Her next salvo hit the magazines, lifting the monster from the water before it crashed down, flames burning brightly as smaller explosions rocked it, no doubt from its AA munitions cooking off. However, a final blast forced the cruiser to shield herself, before realizing that she had nailed one of the bastards that had been causing so much trouble.

A smile spread across her face. Her gunnery crews would have to be rewarded for managing this kind of accuracy.

"Dog-actual, this is Nachi," she radioed in. "Enemy minelayer confirmed sunk! Currently engaged with hostile PT boats!"

"Understood, Nachi! Don't let them tear up the dogs!"

Her 5" mounts went to work, as did her Type-96 AA guns, tracers streaking towards the shadowy forms of the PT boats, desperately trying not to hit the dogs. One down. Two down. A pained yelp as a dog took fire. The violence was a blur, and it was in a moment that the last hostile PT boat exploded and sank, leaving the sea silent once more.

"Who's hit?" Nachi called out. Two or three dogs barked, clearly pained. "Return to base! Now!"

The wounded dogs sailed past her, making their way up the Mississippi behind them, as the remainder regrouped. All were good on ammunition, while a few began working on hostile mines. Thankfully, the sweep didn't take long.

The group continued on their course, cautious for contacts. Nachi silently cursed the lack of Saratoga or Alaska's presence, nor that of the Royal Navy, who were spreading themselves thin in the Atlantic, desperately searching for an Abyssal Graf Spee.

"Atago, do you copy?"

"Nachi? Goodness, I'm glad to hear your voice again! We're about another two or so hours out, but haven't run into anything yet!"

"Keep us posted. My group and I have the daytime PT squadrons with us, and we're moving to assist Squadron Three."

"I copy! Stay safe out there!"

The screams of fighters echoed in the distance, the base's F-15s, most likely. Nachi shook her head. Considered excellent aircraft, only to suffer under the effects of the Abyssals.

The recent engagement had them on edge, though. Anything could be lurking out there, perhaps even beneath the waves. But no undersea contacts were reported, which, while strange, was fortunate.

However, their moment of peace and quiet was broken by the sounds of pained barking, as the PT boats made their way towards their distressed comrades. Hamakaze and Isokaze were quick to turn on their searchlights, revealing blood in the water, and PT boats in bad shape. How any of them remained afloat was beyond her.

Her mouth hung open, as the dogs swam over to their distressed comrades, tending to wounds and trying to rig up towing lines. She knew it was the perfect place for an ambush, though, and waved Isokaze and Hamakaze to turn off their searchlights, hoping that nothing spotted them.

She counted the seconds that passed by, before letting out a low sigh. The enemy was out there, but maybe were slow to come in for the kill. She felt her hair standing on end, though, and that sense that something was definitely nearby. Scanning the horizon, she saw the stars be blotted out by a silhouette, too dark and distant to make out, but it was still clearly the enemy.

"Illumination rounds! Now!"

5" guns barked and sent the shells skyward, before they finally ignited and cast their red glow onto the sea, revealing a cruiser with guns in an eerily similar layout to hers. For a moment, she thought it was Maya, before a flash of light against steel revealed they were 6" triples, not 8" doubles. Brooklyn. Machine gun cruiser.

"Isokaze! Hamakaze! Move! Move!"

The two destroyers immediately began falling back, as Nachi let loose a snap salvo, rounds falling short of target, but it was enough to catch its attention, guns turning towards her. 5" rounds began falling, hitting a turret, but doing little against it. It was a point-blank duel, and she had missed the first shot.

"Shit!"

The guns fired, Nachi howling as 6" shells exploded against her hull, sending splinters through her superstructure and knocking out AA guns and searchlights, but she soon had a second salvo ready to go, loaded with the armor-piercing rounds needed to kill the thing. Her crews made the adjustments, and clouds of flame and smoke erupted from her rifles, followed by explosions from the monstrosity, as it, too, returned fire.

Rounds continued to pelt her, blood running down her face as Nachi prepared her torpedo tubes. All she had to do was keep the thing pinned—

A column of fire and water erupted from its bow, a torpedo no doubt having hit it, as fires erupted across the front. An unholy-sounding shriek echoed across the water, as another pair of columns shot up from the other side. The Abyssal was starting to list, 5 and 6" guns firing furiously, trying to score hits on her in the hopes that a magazine would be hit, but to no avail.

Nachi found herself making best possible speed away from the wreck as it slipped beneath the gentle waves, bits of flaming wreckage marking its watery grave. Strange. American ships were bitches to put down.

"That was too easy…"

Her damage control crews worked to seal whatever bulkheads they had to. She had taken a hit or two below the waterline, and could feel the sting of seawater inside of her. Nothing too bad, thankfully, though she would have to reduce her speed.

More shells came down, roaring before sending columns of water skyward. "I've taken shrapnel!" She heard Hamakaze cry out.

"Evade! Evade!" Nachi ordered as she put her boilers into action. Even with her reduced speed, the seawater still stung, even though it was minor damage. Pushing through, she scanned the horizon for flashes, fire, anything to tell her where the rounds were coming from. Another set came down, a trio of splashes erupting in front of her.

More American cruisers, no doubt.

Her radar fired up and spotted multiple surface contacts at close range. Dammit, it was an ambush!

The dogs barked excitedly as they rushed forward, clearly sensing the enemy within range. Hopefully, they could maintain stealth and close the range. Fire, however, erupted from them as their autocannons blazed at nearby targets, sickly green tracers coming back towards them. "Another wave of torpedo boats!"

Searchlights crawled across the water, as Nachi felt her remaining AA crews spin the guns towards the targets. They were within two klicks, just in range of her 25mm mounts, which promptly opened up on dark forms closing in. More rounds came down in the confusion, bracketing her and sending shrapnel into her AA mounts, silencing the guns. More dogs rushed to her aid, their guns blazing at the incoming boats, sending two down in flames, and forcing the others to turn away. Nachi threw her rudder hard into them, her lookouts calling out inbound torpedoes a few moments later.

500 meters.

450 meters.

400 meters.

Her hull began to ache from the hard maneuver, as the warheads continued to close distance.

150 meters.

100 meters.

Nachi braced, gritting her teeth for the inevitable severing of her bow, before someone began calling an increasing distance.

150 meters.

200 meters.

Clean miss.

Her crew cheered, as Nachi let out a sigh of relief. Her remaining crews drew beads on the hostile PT boats and managed to down one of them, fire erupting from its dark form before exploding, perhaps from its ammunition cooking off.

But more rounds continued to come down, and whoever it was had begun to zero in once more. Water erupted around her, and she could see fire and smoke billowing towards the horizon. A cruiser of some sort, but what kind?

"I need that enemy cruiser lit up, now!"

Hamakaze and Isokaze fired off another burst of illumination rounds, that red glow revealing the shadowy form of the ship, and Nachi was quick to turn her guns to engage, as she began working to identify it.

Three main guns, tripod mast, clipper bow. Her eyes widened, as she heard the Abyssal let out an unholy warcry. That voice… she remembered hearing that voice, wrong as it was. Her thoughts drifted back to her first life, during the campaigns to secure the Southern Resource Area, where she and her sisters did battle with the desperate Western powers, who had underestimated their capabilities and paid the price. It was that American heavy cruiser, their flagship, the one that had given them trouble during that time.

That Galloping Ghost rode once again, and she was unamused to see her home waters host to Japanese ships.