The Wolfbait Chronicles, Chapter 8
Notes: My PC hard drive failed, and I lost a lot of stuff from that, including the updates to the stories I've been holding, including this, so I had to find it on Sufficient Velocity again. Sorry for not updating for a bit, lost quite a bit of motivation to do fanfiction, what with real-life and moving.
ON WITH THE SHOW!
"Shit…"
Nachi felt her jaw fall to the sea as she gazed upon the illuminated form of the Abyssal heavy cruiser, an old opponent from her previous life. Houston was back, and sought revenge for the savaging of the Asiatic Fleet, all those years ago.
The PT Corgis growled and barked, eager to be let loose. Nachi felt herself throwing her rudder hard starboard, and a moment later, she saw fire and smoke erupt from the form, 8" rounds hurtling towards her. Pain erupted as one ricocheted off her side, while more rounds came down in close proximity, sending shrapnel and shockwaves through her.
"Nachi!" She heard Isokaze cry out.
"I'm still combat-capable! Lay down cover fire while I close in for a torpedo run!"
She turned again, more rounds passing over her, one so close that she felt her hair rustle from the pressure wave. She was fortunate to be no mere human, whose head would have been messily ripped off at best. Her main rangefinders were still operational, and she had plenty of shells in her magazines. It had been too long since she was able to sortie with a full combat load, but she knew not to needlessly waste her munitions. Breeches slammed shut as her guns began traversing towards the Abyssal Houston, her gunnery crews working on a solution as more illumination rounds came down, and the dogs began closing in to light the demon up with their spotlights.
"Main battery, switch to salvo fire! Engage! Engage!"
Nachi felt her whole body shudder as her guns fired off in unison, rounds falling short and ahead. A return salvo erupted from Houston, and seconds later, columns of water erupted short of her. It was clear that the range was closing to a dangerous distance, but she needed to put that thing down.
"Secondary batteries! Clear to fire!"
Her crews followed the order, as she delivered a full broadside against Houston, as it, too, responded with its secondaries. Shells rained down steadily around her, her rival focusing more on the rate of fire over accuracy. Her salvo had straddled the target, and her torpedoes were armed and ready to fire. Another salvo went out before she shifted to port, the return fire coming down just behind her. She felt the sting of shrapnel, but her crew reported no damage to her oxygen torpedoes, and so she cut loose, feeling the compressed air forcing the fish out, splashing down cleanly.
It was clear Houston was a good shot, given that no searchlights or illumination rounds came from her, but she knew that could change in a heartbeat. Her secondary batteries fired again, and she could hear the rounds exploding against Houston, shrill cries of pain coming from the darkened form.
They wouldn't be enough, however.
"Nachi!" She heard Hamakaze radio in. "Isokaze and I are engaged with enemy destroyers, two of them!"
Goddammit. Nachi found herself raising her arms in a shielding motion as more rounds from Houston came down. "I'm currently engaged! Use the dogs if you have to!"
"Understood!"
It was very much an ambush, though likely a poorly-executed one. Something kept them from properly coordinating, Nachi thought as she fired off a return salvo. Were they ordered not to? If so, why? Their flagship could have easily sunk the three of them in short order, and massacred the dogs, leaving nothing but bloody tatters to wash ashore. Four ships had already been lost over the past two weeks or so. Surely they were learning, right?
The pain of 5" shells slamming into her broke Nachi's train of thought, a loud grunt coming from her before another salvo of 8" rounds came down one punching straight through her deck. Blood seeped from the wound as she returned fire before she changed course and closed the range once more. Another 5" round punched clean through her bow, water stinging as it came in with each crest of her hull. She could deal with the hit.
Her rounds had managed to hit Houston, however, setting a fire towards her aft, which meant she hit the cruiser's fuel stores. No longer would she need illumination rounds or lights, as a reply from Houston fell behind her. Nachi let loose from her secondaries, rounds pelting her counterpart's superstructure, hopefully disabling searchlights, while the return salvo from Houston's secondaries hit one of hers, knocking the gun out of commission. Dammit.
But Houston was making the same mistakes, it seemed. She had barely changed course, and her oxygen torpedoes were closing in. As if to answer, a huge column of water shot up from the cruiser's stern, the section having no doubt been blown off. The bitch was dead in the water now, and all that was left to do was pelt her into submission.
"Come on!" She shouted. "If you wanted revenge, come and take it!"
Houston answered with another salvo from her main battery, shells coming down, one going through her upper belt, another just behind her bridge. Pain shot through her as she let loose with another broadside, watching as explosions erupted from the crippled Abyssal. It was perhaps unfortunate that she decided not to carry reloads for her torpedoes, but she still had her other launchers ready, just in case.
She maintained her course, staying roughly parallel to Houston as she let out salvo after salvo of 5 and 8" shells, pounding Houston, which was already starting to lift out of the water. Her guns were no doubt disabled by this point, the list growing to be too much. Nachi began resetting her aim, hoping to find Houston's magazines and finish the duel.
"Nachi!" She heard Atago radio in. "We're almost at your location! I can see fires glowing on the horizon! What's your status?"
"Finishing off a hostile cruiser!" Nachi replied. "I've taken damage, but I am still combat-capable!"
"Understood! We'll be right— incoming fire! Tanikaze! Urakaze! Evade!"
More hostile forces. Great.
Her guns fired again, shells punching clean into Houston. Steam and fire erupted as her boilers were hit, drawing an infernal scream from the demon as one of its guns futilely fired back. Shells arced high overhead, causing Nachi to shake her bloodied head.
"You fought well again!" She called out. "But once more, you underestimate us!"
She considered turning around and scuttling the Abyssal with oxygen torpedoes, but decided not to waste them, not when she didn't bring reloads. Her guns aimed and fired, a brilliant explosion erupting from Houston's fore as her magazines exploded, sending fiery shrapnel abroad. Some landed on Nachi, but her crews had taken a page from the PT squadrons and grabbed modern fire extinguishers, containing the blazes before they could threaten her.
They were slacking off on discipline, but she would forgive them this time.
Looking to her side, she saw Hamakaze and Isokaze exchanging fire with Abyssal destroyers before one broke in two from a torpedo strike, the illumination rounds above displaying the scene for all who wished to see. The other began turning around, no doubt dumping its torpedoes as her two destroyers began evading. Nachi began sailing towards them, as she noted the flashes of gunfire on the horizon. Atago and her group had arrived and were still engaged.
"Atago, this is Nachi! Status?"
"Currently engaged with an Abyssal cruiser! I've taken hits, and one of my guns suffered a jam!"
"Understood! Light it up, and I'll try and provide support!"
"I copy!"
The red flares lit up a few seconds later, as Nachi felt her guns spin around, and her crews work on finding a solution. Her main rangefinder was somehow undamaged, though she had lost one of her secondary ones, not that she would need them. Looking towards the engagement, she saw another five-gunned cruiser starting to fall back, alongside a four-stacked destroyer. "Atago? Can you have your destroyers engage that minelayer?"
"They're doing their best to sink it, but are under fire from the cruiser!"
Dammit. "Understood! I'll be providing fire support shortly! Stay clear!"
Her crews reported a solution on the hostile CL, and her guns were loaded and ready. "Main battery, salvo fire! Engage!" Her guns roared before she heard barking. One of the PT boats was coming towards her, for some reason. "Stay clear, dammit!" She shouted, as her crews reported the shells falling slightly behind. Her loaders worked hard to get the shells into the breeches, adrenaline rushing through them, no doubt, just like her. Or at least, something like it.
Another salvo, and reports of a bracket. She had the range, and her crews began making the needed adjustments as more flares lit up the Brooklyn. A third salvo went out, and her observers reported confirmed hits, including at least one disabled gun.
"I think you hurt it!" Reported Atago over the radio. "I'm firing!"
Her observers watched as Atago let out a salvo, shells striking into the Abyssal's stern and disabling another turret. Nachi added another broadside into the mix, as the two began circling around the stricken light cruiser, pounding it into submission as the minelayer it was covering exploded under the fire of Urakaze and Tanikaze. 6" rounds landed near Nachi, but nowhere close enough to threaten her. She replied with more of her heavier rounds, landing more hits on the dark reflection of the American, as Atago cut loose again. Eventually, the Abyssal foundered, eliciting cheers from her crew.
"Pan-paka-pan~!" Atago cheered. "Hooray for teamwork!"
"Atago, status?"
"I'm okay-ish. I took a hit to one of my guns, but that can be fixed up. Another to my fuel tanks, but I should be able to make it back to base. A catapult's out, but I didn't need it anyway. Same goes for my cranes…" she groaned, realizing that yes, she had taken hits and they hurt. "How 'bout you?"
"Lost most of my light AA, a hit to the bow, another to the deck below my catapults, another through the bow, a secondary gun lost, and my superstructure has several new holes in it, too." She said. "Let's regroup, shall we?"
Another dog came up, however, letting out rather distressing-sounding barks. It was reported that one of theirs was in very bad shape and was in need of a tow. Nachi briefly considered leaving the dog to its fate, or even putting it out of its misery, but knew that Lt. Corgi would never forgive her. And even though PT boats were common, even they were irreplaceable.
A low sigh escaped her. "Lead me there."
She couldn't travel too fast, given the flooding she had taken. While not the worst, it still hurt, and it still limited her speed. Atago and the others took up formation, eyes open for Abyssal activity. If there were any left, they likely retreated.
Distressed barking filled the air shortly after, as they saw land and the spotlights of helicopters on the horizon. Their rotor blades faintly echoed in the distance, as Hamakaze radioed in for one. Nachi watched as one broke off its search, a spotlight shining brightly across the waves.
The others had their lights on, all pointed towards a single dog. Nachi felt like she was going to hurl. The wounds were very bad, indeed. Sections of its torso were missing, there was blood pooling into the water, and it was clear that unless she did something, the corgi, barely recognizable as a dog to begin with, nevermind a PT boat, was going to slip beneath the waves.
"Nachi?" Isokaze asked. "Do you remember what New Jersey-san did with Heerman?"
Nachi felt herself grit her teeth, but Isokaze had a point, and her damage wasn't too bad. She bent over, cradling the bloody dog in her arms. It was somehow breathing, in spite of the wounds taken. Her eyes tried so desperately to gaze away as she lifted the boat from the water, cradling its body as warm blood began seeping beneath her gloves.
'Deep breaths.' She thought. 'You've seen worse.'
Slowly putting her boilers into action, she began making her way back to shore.
"Dog-actual," she radioed. "This is Nachi. Hostile forces have been sunk or routed, but I have a severely-damaged PT boat in hand and am requesting a location to drop it off for repairs. How copy?"
Searchlights shone brightly off her, as the rotors of the Blackhawks grew deafening, and the dog's breathing began to slow.
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