We sailed into the harbor an hour later, Chitose's planes circling overhead, We'd get them loaded once we'd moored at the surviving dock.
Chitose and Hakone looked on in awe as the destructive power we'd unleashed became apparent. The coastal guns dotting the mouth of the harbor were shredded and blasted ruins, most pieces scattered outwards from the third missile strike. We wouldn't be getting anything but scrap metal from those. Further inwards we passed several slowly sinking I-class destroyers and PT Imps, the ones furthest out destroyed by the combination of aircraft we'd deployed.
The water of the harbor was shallow and clear save for the mud kicked up by missed strikes and spilled oil. To the point in many places, we could see the bottom, where many of the Abyssal vessels now rested, very rarely in one piece. We came to the dock, Hakone ready with the stern rope as I tied off the bow, it was considerate of the pirates to have docking cleat's installed, I guess it was for their destroyers? "Alright girls, once we get the airplanes stowed we can see if there's anything worth taking, we'll probably be looking for a few of the raw materials stored in the warehouses, but if we can salvage any hulls or guns that would be fantastic." I'd already lifted several cannons and a menagerie of light anti-aircraft guns from the battle earlier that day, and if there was anything even particularly juicy here I'd take it, guns were significantly cheaper to install when you didn't have to pay to make them. Maybe I'd even be able to foist them off on Mae's chief-engineer for something?
Chitose loaded her aircraft in silence as Hakone and I scooped up the remainder, none of the planes had taken any bad hits so far, a few dings from scattered AA fire from I-class's were quickly buffed out in Chitose's hold as we set the remainder along our roof's railing. "Hey Chitose," I said questioningly, handing her back a handful of her fairy pilots.
"Yes?" She took the little dears, letting them on-board.
"Do you think we could find any aircraft in the hold of that Wo over there?" I pointed to said Abyssal, still lying where she'd fallen, the body was remarkably intact, probably owing to the fact that the only missile that hadn't hit her flight deck had shattered her command island, leaving her body above the neck... non-existent. Chitose followed my gaze, before snapping her eyes back to me, obviously not enjoying looking at the shattered carrier.
"Well, we could definitely salvage some aircraft, she only started to launch when we started our attack, and my planes didn't have to shoot down anything, so her holds are probably still full. I doubt I'd be able to use any of her craft though." At my questioning look, she grinned, knocking the side of her head." Sea-plane tender, remember? I cant launch normal craft... though I guess I could supply the pilots for them if we had some kind of run-way. I looked at the roof, Chitose following my gaze before giggling. "No Georgia, we can't use the roof, it's too small. the launch rate would be abysmally slow too." Damn.
We checked the warehouse, It had Bunker C, a crap-tonne of Abyssal steel (which I still didn't know what it was made of) as well as ingots of pure aluminum. "where did pirates get all this Abyssal steel?" Chitose said. "Usually it's only produced by Installation Himes, but we didn't see any here, thank goodness... though I'm fairly sure your "Tomahawks" could have killed her if there was one." I grinned at that, flexing my non-existent biceps as Hakone walked ponderously by, loaded down by the materials she was bringing onto our house by the arm-full.
"Cruise-Missile-Master-Race! But yeah, maybe they got it from the raided caravans? but those were transporting ship-hulls, not raw resources...Oh" My eyes widened, looking over at the half disassembled destroyers still moored at dock, spared from our barrage simply due to already being essentially dead. "Oh wow." Chitose looked at me confusedly. "Chitose, what do you get when you scrap a ship-spirit hull?" Chitose made to speak, then, realizing my implication, simply left her mouth hanging open. Eventually, she spoke, Hakone coming back for another load of materials.
"My god, all the ships these pirates sunk, all of the hulls they've captured... this is them, isn't it? they were rendered down into raw resources!" Hakone, passing by, overheard, looked at the armful of Abyssal steel she was holding, and dropped it to the ground like a sack of hot potatoes.
"There isn't enough raw resources here to account for everyone they've taken right? they would have been at this for at least two years!" I gestured around. "they must be doing 'something' with all this Soylent Green, right?"
"Soylent Green?"
"Movie reference, don't worry about it."
"One of these days you have to tell me why you know these things." I made to respond, before going silent. Signaling the others to do the same.
"Shh, do you hear that?" There were clicking footsteps, likely from a heeled boot, coming from outside. Silently as I could (which was pretty silent!) I crept to the doorway, left ajar from Hakone's constant passage, and peeked out. There was a headless Wo-class outside, walking unsteadily forward on the docks, hands outstretched, feeling her way forwards. In amongst my internal screaming due to the fact there was A HEADLESS ZOMBIE OUTSIDE, Chitose stuck her head out above mine, letting out a little squeak as Hakone looked over HER head, simply making a surprised faced before Chitose pulled us back around the corner.
"The Wo is still alive?! how is it still alive! Her head's off!" I shout-whispered furiously.
"She must have a secondary command deck in her engineering department, its a thing with bigger ships, like BB's and the larger Carriers like this one," Chitose said quietly. "It should be just enough to have kept her afloat and moving, but I don't think she'll have any senses beyond touch right now. I don't think she'll be able to know we are here unless she bumps right into u-" There was a hand on my head.