Abyssal forward operating base, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam.
Jersey leaned over the table, gazing down at the detailed map in front of her. All along the border to human held territories were hastily drawn arrows, marking an advancing 'company'.
Each one was comprised of a few hundred revenants, with a mix of aircraft and vehicles. Some of which, at this point, were stolen from the Vietnamese, rather than the ghostly apparitions some had appeared with, as well as a single bipedal Abyssal warship, to act as heavy support.
The logistics of operating the mix of human vehicles was a complicated affair, as no two companies had the same hardware. As it was, many were relying on looting to keep their stocks up, though that truly wasn't all that much of a change from the Abyssal's regular modus Operandi.
"The enemy has stiffened their defense, here, here, and here." Jersey pointed at three separate positions, colored in red, "It looks like their main priority is holding the approaches to the Da Nang and Hue city airstrips."
Galveston craned her head to look at the map, her four optic's lights winking out briefly in a rough approximation of a blink, "It's likely that is where those MIG fighters that escaped Xuyen have been sortieing from." She looked at Jersey, "How come we haven't just cratered the airstrips yet? We have the firepower for it."
Jersey snarled, "Because we have a crippling lả̸̤̾̂̏ck of Carriers right now," she quickly calmed herself, stabbing a finger into the map, jabbing at different locations, each with an airstrip, "All of our air missions not flown from Kitty Hawk are ground-based now, based out of the old airports at Saigon, Liên Khương, and Cam Ranh." "If we are to keep up the pressure, we need those strips intact-enough to fly missions from once the cities fall. Destroying a few ư̷̡̠̩̫̊̀̕͜͜seless old human fighters on the ground isn't worth fucking up our momentum.
One of Jersey's Ru, standing near the door, spoke up, "They've also dug in like rust in a wound to withstand easy bombardment, and word is they've been scrambling to arm themselves with equipment able to actually hit our infantry, word is they even brought out old T-34's to counter our light armor."
Jersey simply grunted in response, brushing an errant lock of ink-black hair from between her horns, "If they've brought out those old trainers they must be pulling from reserves in the North, we'll have to concentrate our forces to commit to a proper assault to shatter their defense."
Maddox, there to ferry messages on to Kitty Hawk, was barely able to look over the table as she spoke, "Shock and Awe?" She said quietly.
Jersey nodded thoughtfully, "I want forces pulled from the South, here, here, and over here." she combined several arrows with a trace of her finger, "The company flagship's should be able to wipe out any heavy resistance, and once they've cleared the lion's share of AA emplacements we can start moving into the city-proper with air suppo-"
The Battleship Hime was interrupted, as the tent flap opened to reveal a Cruiser, "We found them!" The ship, a Ri-class, hastily saluted, wisely staying outside of easy striking range, "Hime-Jersey! We found them, recon craft on long patrols to the Northeast have been attacked, report is they were attacked by zeros. Full Carrier battlegroup, three Battleships, just like the caravan's flagship said."
Jersey let out a slow, menacing smile, one that showed off teeth far sharper and pointed than they had any right to be.
"Just in time for the fun, then," she straightened, previous plan forgotten, "their heading?" She asked.
"Due Southwest, probably linking up with human forces at one of their ports," the construct responded.
"Hmm," Jersey idly waved away the Cruiser, who wasted no time vacating the area, "that heading could put them on course for Hue, Dong Ha, or Da Nang. And of those three, Da Nang is closest to the front we're making... if they are here for us, that will be their destination."
"Are we ready?" Galveston asked, "we took losses, Jersey, and with Mai's latest shipment of replacements up in smoke... well, we still probably have more ships, but we'll be operating at a little over half-strength taking on a fleet of veteran Kanmusu, including..." Galveston paused, "you know."
"Io̷̞̓wa." Jersey smiled again, her right-hand curling into a fist in front of her, "My eldest sister is with them, and I can't imagine hë̸͕́̚r taking orders from an IĴ̷͎N vessel, then again, she takes orders from the mo̸̲̒ṋ̷́keys now, even when she's now able to actually say no..." the smile became a rictus grin, before disappearing entirely, "Hmmm..." she turned to Maddox, "What's the status of our stricken Carriers?"
"Stable," Maddox paused for a moment, and, seeing that she'd need to elaborate, continued, "they can cruise and they can fight with secondaries, but they can't launch or receive planes."
"So fu̵̡̚ck-near useless," Jersey said, before pausing in thought,"...or maybe not. they don't need to be flight-capable, not necessarily," she turned to Galveston, "remember Leyte Gulf?"
The Guided-missile Cruiser blinked her optics, "No? I was suspended back then, remember? I didn't get out of the mothball fleet till the late fifties."
Jersey reared back, "Right... right... the mo̸̹͘thball fleet," her gaze gradually lowered to the ground, eyes looking vacantly at the dirt floor.
...
"Jersey?"
The tall Battleship's gaze snapped back up, eyes coming back into focus, "I think we can pull a fast one on the Kanmusu using our Carriers, it will strip the force of their surface fighters and leave their Carriers relatively unguarded, but we'll need ships close enough to take advantage..." she said, as if she had not paused.
She turned the corner of the table, pointing a long, deceptively slender finger at a small scattering of Islands off the coast, "The Cham Islands... if we can concentrate enough ground-based aircraft around them, and place our Wo-class in behind the chain with our Sea-bound Destroyers and Cruisers as escort..." Her voice upturned, as if posing a quandary.
Galveston continued for her, answering the unspoken question, "They'll think our Carriers are active and horribly positioned, and chase after them... sounds doable, but that still leaves more Kanmusu-grade aircraft than I think we can deal with. Even WITH my old Talos missiles, my rate of fire can't deal with a swarm."
Jersey waved away the concern, "We'll leave that to Kitty Hawk, positioned further South, her jets with their speed can swiftly move into the theatre to support the surface push towards the Carriers and whatever they leave behind to screen for them."
Maddox nodded slowly, "I'll let her know," she scrunched her brow in thought, before looking up at Jersey, "how will you get close?"
Jersey shrugged idly, not looking up from where she was drawing new approaches for her troops, "We use Da Nang as cover, take the place, and sally out from the docks once the Kanmusu take the bait, we'll be right on top of them."
Galveston was already shaking her head, "We can't afford a direct assault to take the city, not in the time we have. It will take too long to get through the human defenders, and the Kanmusu will arrive and bombard our land-bound aft's before we've made it inside the cover of the buildings."
Jersey looked up, her brow starting to crease, but Maddox spoke up before she could erupt.
"I think I know a way for you to do it, and quickly too."
...
...
Galveston nudged the small Destroyer, with her humanoid arm, thankfully, "Well?"
She told them.
...
Galveston leaned back thoughtfully, "I don't know, if one ship loses focus for even a second-"
Jersey interrupted, holding up a hand, marker still clutched within it, "Then they know I'll be wa̷̫̔iting for them at the end of it," she crushed the marker for emphasis, "We'll limit that part of the operation to my Ru, once they are all recalled, and myself, they have enough control. Galveston, you will command the Cruisers and their support as they sweep in behind us."
Galveston cocked her head, looking at the map again, "...And if the surface fleet doesn't fall for the bait?" she looked Jersey in the eye, "You'll be trapped on land, slow as hell and ripe for surface bombardment."
Jersey let out a short bark of laughter, "HA! Even then, we'll be in the middle of Da Nang by the time they realize it." seeing the confused looks, Jersey explained, "You underestimate their weakness, the humans have the Kanmusu eating out of their hands, and that works to our favor. They wouldn't fire into a still populated city, not if they could help it, they care too much. Their misplaced love for the damned human fuc̵̝͆k̴͎̈́ḙ̶̔rs is their undoing. If they want me, they'll be forced to come in after me, and at close range, they'll be mine-"
Jersey stopped short in her diatribe, blinking, before turning her head and putting a hand to one ear.
"This is New Jersey."
...
Maddox made to speak, then, realizing New Jersey was on her radio, fell silent.
Galveston leaned over, "You should get going kid, tell Bat-Cat to get ready." she whispered, an effect largely ruined by her flanging voice.
The Destroyer nodded slowly, before turning and walking out the tent flap.
Meanwhile, Jersey continued her seemingly one-sided conversation, "Very well, send them on the trail, then get ready to move back to base. You have two hours."
...
"I don't cą̴̃re, the Companies will have a better chance than you ever will of hunting them down, and you are needed."
...
"An offensive, yes, I will be leading it personally."
...
"Yes, ALL of you." Jersey smirked, "As I thought, New Jersey, over and out."
"What is it?" Galveston asked.
Jersey shook her head, going to the table, before cursing as she began to look around for a replacement marker, "Nothing, just a report from the heavy artillery group on the reservoir on some spotters shot down over the trail to the East."