With the Abyssal Leader:

The Captain eyed the Kanmusu's formation warily as her forces made it clear of the rocks on the Islands south side. The enemy had ships aplenty, and while she couldn't make out the specific class without getting some of her planes closer, she could see at least two massive vessels, one near the rear of the enemy formation, this had to be a major battlegroup.

"Alright, you lot! Chi's! Gather your Destroyer groups and fan out! The Heavy Cruisers will support from behind, I want a solid wall of fire ready to fling at these damn ship-girls!"

The Torpedo Cruisers acknowledged, and moved to obey as the Wo-Class eyed the Nu-class Light Carriers beside her, "Set your Abyssal fighters on the enemy, target the approaching fighters there." She pointed at the approaching zero's as she continued. "I'll assault the enemy's flanks with my own craft. set your torpedo bombers to follow, I will escort them in personally."

The Nu's, incapable of true speech, simply nodded their massive heads, continuing to launch their aircraft as the Wo raised one of her lieutenants, "Rachelle, have you cleared the northern point yet?"

"Yeah, just got visuals... There's a lot of the fuckers isn't there?"

"Keep course on a North-East direction, then loop around the Islets to hit the enemy in the rear from the East with your two torpedo squadrons. If we can split their fire we take away one of their main advantages, they have a good amount of capital ships from the looks of it."

"Aye."

The Wo turned back towards the enemy fleet, her fighters, Abyssal MK 2s, having been launching from her flight deck this entire time, started to move west in protective formations around the Nu's torpedo bombers.

"We should be within the maximum firing range within two minutes!" One of her Chi Destroyer leaders reported, that was good, that meant they'd soon be able to send a few spreads of torpedo's their way, the ships facing them were large, and if they were anywhere near as ungainly as herself, they'd struggle to avoid them-

A trio of the enemy ships opened fire, and a few moments later fire straddled perilously close, behind and before the loose formation of Destroyers.

"We're already in range of the enemy guns! Full ahead! Get ahead of th-"

One of the Destroyers exploded.

With the Kanmusu Battleships:

"They just reached 30,000 meters, that good enough for you?" Iowa asked, somewhat exasperatedly.

Kongo clenched a fist in front of her face, "Yes! Let's give them a taste of true burning love dess!"

Nagato looked askance at her, "I'm fairly certain the burning last time was from the type 3 shells, don't use those. Load for high explosive, the Carriers will deal with the aircraft."

Kongo continued making her expansive gestures as her four 14" twin Vickers cannons swiveled into position. "Nagato you silly bean! ALL of my shells carry my burning love!"

Nagato simply shook her head, before turning to look at the approaching Abyssal gun-line.

"And your sure you have the actual range Iowa?"

The blond simply tapped her head, grinning, "29,950 meters and shrinking!"

Nagato nodded, and reset her elevation downwards slightly.

"Open fire."

The world briefly became nothing but fire and noise, as the three Battleships opened up. Normally, the first three rounds Kongo and Nagato would have thrown out would be part of a classical bracket salvo. The first half salvo fired at the range determined by their rangefinders, the second at a range 400 meters too long and the third at a range 400 meters too short, this would let them determine the actual range and bearing of the enemy.

Of course, they were cheating, using Iowa's directed search Radar to help do all that nonsense for them.

They opened up with a full broadside on the hapless Destroyer screen, and immediately got straddles. One of Iowa's 16" Shells landed amidships of a Destroyer, and the ship simply ceased, the high-explosive round obliterating its superstructure, and sending high-velocity shrapnel to embed into its neighbors.

The Abyssal ships immediately began to put more steam behind their propellers, trying to get out of the trio's sighted range, but with Iowa dictating the ranges to the two other Battleships, they were able to keep an updated, accurate bead on the ships as they moved forwards, and together claimed at least seven more kills before the Cruisers joined in with their own salvo's.

One of them, Tenryuu, came on over the radio, "This is Tenryuu! We'll be in torpedo range shortly, might wanna fall back behind us!"

Nagato nodded, responding to the Cruiser while waving the other two Battleships back. "Affirmative, Yuubari, Tenryuu, screen for us and spot for fish in the water, Houston, take your squadron to escort the Carriers while they move due West, we need them out of the way of any potential torpedo spreads those Destroyers and Chi-Cruisers put out."

Her words were punctuated as the first rounds of Abyssal return fire began to splash down in front of them, a good few-hundred meters off.

"Their Cruisers are range-finding!" Get moving gogo!"

With the Carriers:

Shinano sent the last of her forty-seven planes on their way, giving a small wave goodbye with her now unoccupied hand as she clutched at her bow nervously with the other. She looked down at the Casablanca beside her, "Do you think they'll try to break through our CAP?"

"I d-don't think so? They'd have to get through the forces Akagi and Kaga put up first, wouldn't they?"

Shinano smiled slightly, "Y-Yeah, your right, I don't think anyone can take those two out once they get going." They looked at the two fleet Carriers, Akagi was gazing at the horizon, eyes squinting as she shaded her bridge with a hand. Kaga...

Kaga was sitting in a modified seiza position that allowed her propellers contact with the water, her eyes closed in a look of intense concentration, even as she kept cruising along with the rest of the group.

Gambier tilted her head, nervousness slightly forgotten, "What is she doing?"

Akagi looked over, but quickly snapped the majority of her attention back onto the horizon, "She's controlling her planes."

"Oh! R-Right, I forgot about that, is she having trouble? It looks like she's struggling a bit."

And indeed, Kaga's face was becoming a little strained as she herself replied, "I am, mostly due to you disturbing me, be silent, I'm trying to concentrate."

Akagi winced as Gambier flinched back, drooping at the apparent rudeness. "Sorry for her, she gets like that when she has to split her attention between so many planes."

Gambier nodded, still a little put out, but not quite enough to not still be curious, "How many is she directing? My limit is seven, what about you Shinano?"

The Carrier scuffed her feet, sending a small splash of water out that Gamby had to dodge. "T-Two..." The Carrier said miserably.

Gambier winced for putting the big Carrier on the spot, as Akagi answered the question for Kaga. "All of them."

Gambier's mouth drooped open, "All of them?"

"All ninety of them, yes."

With Kaga:

I met the first wave of enemy fighters halfway between their Destroyer screen and ours, I split my 1st squadron, flanking from above and below as some of the enemy broke off to make runs on the craft I'd purposefully left in a vulnerable position, the half coming in from above pounced, ripping into the enemy like birds of prey as the force below ripped into the soft white underbellies of the Abyssal craft. I simultaneously broke off with my bait-force, leaving them to climb unmolested as I brought in another squadron to cover them. The enemy, perhaps not expecting me to attack with such synchrony, attempted to give chase, and were subsequently picked apart as I watched from the eyes and perspectives of nearly half a hundred pilots.

I flew low with my torpedo bombers in the meantime, just managing to crest the waves as I tailed them with my third Zero squadron, ready to split off at a moments notice as they flew under the sorry excuse for an air battle I was simultaneously directing. They were headed towards my western rally point, preparing to veer towards the Eastern flank of the enemy force with a spread of torpedoes.

Akagi's squadrons were fairing acceptably, as expected. Though as usual, she relied more on her fairy pilot's individual skill rather than my own way of doing things, only assuming direct control when one or another particular plane was in danger. We complemented each other well, her forces canny enough to independently exploit gaps in the enemy formations left by my actions, as my planes moved almost like schools of fish through the air, lashing out at the Abyssal MK 1's that dared draw near.

Akagi spoke to me, not directly, as that would distract me horribly, but through the radio channel I kept open on all of my fighters for such things.

"Chiyoda spotted enemy craft to the far west! looks like the Abyssals are trying the same maneuver we are!"

That was... troublesome, most of my squadrons would be unable to get there in time, leaving only my torpedo bomber escorts against the Abyssal's.

Perfectly doable, but bothersome nonetheless.

My escorts peeled off, regrettably leaving my torpedo bombers unattended as they intercepted the enemy aircraft, the planes, from their polished Abyssal steel and more finely tuned propulsion systems, were clearly MK 2's, likely planes from the Wo-class fleet Carrier Iowa had spotted leading this force.

The advanced Abyssal fighters broke off from their own bombers, and I could see the surety of the movements within their formation, they flew close, far too close to be piloted normally, and split off nearly simultaneously as my Zero's opened fire.

It seemed as though this squadron was being attended to by the Wo-Class personally, very well.

I nodded my bridge minutely, barely noticed by the others I could vaguely sense around my body.

"Your challenge is accepted."

With DesDiv 6:

"Launch torpedoes! Everyone!" Tenryuu backed up the order with action, launching her type 6 torpedoes in a tight spread towards one of the Chi-class Cruisers, who had conveniently placed herself in from of a Ri-Class Heavy Cruiser, even if she missed the Chi, she might get lucky and nail the Ri instead.

Her Destroyers, the four Akatsuki's making up part of DesDiv 6, complied with the order, launching their own spread's as they traded 5" cannon fire with the I-Class Destroyers making up the bulk of the enemy gun line.

Hibiki came over her comms, "Дерьмо! Tenryuu I can see fish in the water! bearing 68 off your starboard-bow!" Tenryuu looked, and sure enough, a white trail could be seen underwater, she adjusted course slightly, and the torpedo sailed past her with meters to spare.

"What have I told you about swearing in Russian young lady?!" She stated, firing off a salvo with her 5.5" guns as she spoke.

"...Just because you can't understand it doesn't make it not a swear... Sorry."

Tenryuu nodded, "That's right, now- Enemy force on the East flank! 28Portside!"

Abyssal hulls could be seen further out, just passing around the small islet chain South of their position.

Tenryuu came over fleet-wide comms, "Looks like two Abyssal Torpedo-Squadrons coming in off our Portside, don't know what the flagship is but it looks big, probably a Heavy Cruiser!"

Nagato answered, "Hold position, I will move to reinforce our Eastern flank while Iowa and Kongou support your squadrons against the main enemy force."

"Got it!" Tenryuu switched off her radio-

-And swung her ship-steel blade almost lazily, catching and deflecting the 8" AP round that would have taken her bridge off at just under the biting angle, sparks flying from the impact as her arm was wrenched to one side from the impact. She grinned, looking off towards the Heavy Cruiser she'd sent a torpedo at earlier, "Bet you thought you had me that time, didn't ya, punk?"

The Cruiser was too far-off to hear her, of course, and only answered her inadvertently with more straddling fire from her 8" guns.