A/N: We all knew this was going to happen at some point, yes~? Let's just hope nobody gets killed, that'd be a terrible shame, hehe~
Enjoy~
Stardust
Chapter 12: War Games
Enterprise stood under the warm summer sun with a sort of indifferent look on her face; not betraying a single thought that passed through her head.
Only a short half-hour had passed since the 'incident' with Colorado and her sisters. Since then Vestal had left to go attend to Maryland and the others; their wounds were much more severe than her own had been, after all. If anything she'd come out a lot better – though she was careful to not get overconfident. Even with all her new techniques she didn't have much that could protect against a sixteen-inch cannon, especially not from point blank. It wouldn't kill her, but the damage it dealt was equal to that of Purifier's own guns.
Of course it hadn't gone unnoticed. From the deck of her hull Enterprise could see various people notice the three injured Battleships during their brief journey to the hospital. The shock, the alarm and confusion, then leading to curiosity and intrigue. Some turned her way, but when they saw that she stood quietly atop her hull they must've presumed she wasn't involved – after all, few could tussle with the Colorado girls and come out unscathed.
Enterprise grimaced slightly, shifting from one foot to the other. Though adrenaline had helped mute it, the pain of being struck by Colorado was still real – she had a mean punch.
Movement down below caught her eye. Yorktown and Hornet.
Enterprise sighed privately. It was only natural they'd catch wind of what happened. Small mercies they came to her first rather than going full momma-bear on Colorado and her sisters.
Nodding down at them she opened her bridge – previously drawn up after Vestal's departure – allowing both of her sisters on-board. She retracted the bridge back with a mental command, preventing anyone else from sneaking aboard. An unnecessary precaution, perhaps, but she wanted to be cautious. Now that news was out about the location of the Mirror Seas device the threat of it being stolen by Siren infiltrators was much higher; she also had to be careful to not get her hull shot there, lest it cause some unknown affect on her.
It wasn't just welded on, after all. It was integrated with her. On the plus side this meant she could active it with as little as a mental command, although granted she had only used it once, so its limitations were currently unknown to her. The downside of integrating it however was that if something were to happen to it, anything could happen, and she couldn't readily dispose of it. Maybe it'd just summon a Mirror Seas, maybe it'd explode within her hull, maybe it'd leak some toxic gas, maybe it'd erase her very existence.
She didn't know. She accepted that fact; it had been her only way out of her previous prison, so she had no choice but to take it, lest she have been recaptured during her escape.
''...there you are.''
Enterprise tilted her head, looking back at Yorktown. The eldest sister of their class approached her with open concern, stopping short of touching her. ''What happened earlier? With Colorado and her sisters?''
''I'm gonna throw my two cents in and bet they fucked up and you laid the smack down~?'' Hornet grinned, but there was a tightness to her expression; a veiled displeasure in her gaze. One directed at a certain Battleship not currently present.
''...Colorado was just acting on Henderson's orders.'' Enterprise carefully replied.
''So she did attack you.''
Enterprise silence offered no denial.
''Aight, imma head out...'' Hornet turned to leave.
''Hornet.'' The sighed word from Yorktown stopped the blonde. ''Let it go. We can have a conversation – a polite one – with Colorado later.''
Mentally Enterprise thanked Yorktown; she truly didn't wish any ill will onto Colorado. She was, like many others, just following orders. And one thing she had learned about Colorado over the many simulations in which they met was that she had a strong sense of duty to those she put her trust in, obeying even dangerous orders should it achieve a greater objective. They'd been opposed on many issues, they'd be great friends on many others.
She still hadn't forgotten when Colorado stayed behind with her sisters and sacrificed their lives to give Enterprise time to chase after Purifier, finally putting the Siren down. Until she eventually came back in the next simulation.
Purifier's dispensable nature made her a reoccurring problem, so long as Observer Alpha remained alive to bring her back.
Shaking off the thought Enterprise spoke up. ''Weren't you two going to do a live exercise today?''
''Ah, well...'' Hornet scratched her head. ''Formidable had to go back to the Royal Isles for some official business, and Illustrious ran into some problems with repairs, so she'll be busy for the rest of the day...''
Enterprise hummed, halfway through speaking – when she heard the unmistakable sound of a fighter engine. So too did Hornet and Yorktown, both tensing in surprise at the familiar tone of it, all of them snapping their heads to the left; gazing down towards the base. And soaring up from near the docks was a Zero, the lightweight fighter barrel rolling through the air and curving around in a wide circle around Enterprise's carrier form. It took a few loops before it lost enough momentum to slow down, the roar of the engine becoming a thrum, and allowing Enterprise to hear the chipper voice from atop it.
''Hey~! Enterprise~!''
A zoom, and the Zero went around once more.
''Mind if I come aboard?!''
Another loop.
''Just wanna talk is all!''
''Zuikaku...'' Enterprise blinked slowly.
The brunette carrier flashed her a grin, one hand on her plane as she rode it around, unable to fly any slower without stalling. After a second of curious pondering Enterprise complied, giving the brunette a thumbs-up – prompting Zuikaku to leap off of her plane when it looped around one more time, flipping mid-way through the air before coming to land just a few feet away from Enterprise herself, her plane dissipating into motes of flame in the air behind her.
''Yo!'' Zuikaku grinned cheerfully. ''Hope I'm not interrupting anything.''
''Nah.'' Hornet shrugged. ''Just chattin' about what went on earlier with Colorado and her sisters.''
''Ah.'' Zuikaku winced at that. ''You didn't get too hurt did you Enterprise? Those three got some big guns.''
''I'm alright.'' The silver-haired carrier replied curiously. It wasn't like Zuikaku to be concerned about her health-
''So does that mean you're up for a spar?!''
'Ah. That's why.' Enterprise thought, an exasperated smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
''Er...'' Hornet seemed unsure. ''I'm... not sure if this is the best time.''
''Why not?'' Zuikaku crossed her arms, one step shy of pouting at them. ''It's been ages since we've been able to have a mock-battle, and I've been meaning to settle the score since then! I've gotten a lot more tricks up my sleeve now, and my aim's a heck of a lot better too!''
Yorktown coughed into her fist. ''What Hornet means is that we think that Enterprise might be a little tired after her fight with-''
''Sure. Is Shoukaku joining in?''
Yorktown's words trailed off, and she sighed. ''The two of you can't stop butting heads even now, can you?''
Enterprise just shrugged. Unlike Akagi and Kaga, she didn't have any real hang-ups with Zuikaku. Even in simulations Zuikaku was never one to become twisted; she never became a villain, in contrast to Akagi and Kaga who, even if their intentions were pure, ended up becoming warmongers. Zuikaku on the other hand just fought either for her friends, for her country or for the sake of fighting. She didn't really care about glory or resources, only making sure people were happy.
Perhaps then, on some level, Enterprise could relate with her more than some others. They both were willing to fight for their respective nations, they both wanted those around them to be happy and content, they wanted to preserve peace and, to some extent, work in harmony with other nations. The latter aspect was made hard by other members of both factions, but they still made a stubborn attempt at cooperation, to varying degrees to success.
''Yep!'' Zuikaku chirped, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.
Lifting a brow Enterprise looked over the edge of her hull down at the docks, easily finding the white-clothed form of Shoukaku – the graceful carrier giving her a bashful smile and wave, undoubtedly embarrassed over Zuikaku's continued enthusiasm.
''I would imagine it'd be a two-versus-two?'' Yorktown inquired.
Zuikaku nodded. ''Well yeah, no fun in a two-on-one. One of you gonna join in?''
Yorktown and Hornet shared a look, curious, before the former spoke. ''Hm... would perhaps Akagi or Kaga be willing to join in, so that all three of us could participate? The extra training would be appreciated.''
''Yeah, 'training'...'' Hornet muttered not-so-subtly.
The brunette scratched her head. ''Eh... not sure. They'd only do it together though I think.''
''That works.'' Hornet shrugged. ''We'll just pull Saratoga in and make it a four-on-four.''
'This is turning out a lot bigger than just me and Zuikaku...' Enterprise thought dryly, but didn't argue. It'd make it more interesting, after all.
And frankly she wanted to work out the pent-up adrenaline still running through her veins. Perhaps so much non-stop battles had rendered her this way, or perhaps it was just that she hadn't been able to finish what she started.
Regardless of why, the prospect of a traditional carrier battle was a decidedly inviting one.
X-x-X
''Nee-sama, please don't.''
The words came with a desperate, almost fretful undertone – coming from none other than Kaga herself.
It spoke of how rare such a tone was that it drew a surprised look from Akagi. ''Hm? What's the matter, Kaga-chan? It's just a friendly battle after all.''
The two stood alone within the confines of their shared bedroom. Mere minutes ago they had received the invitation of spar from Zuikaku, the brunette crane fully intent on a four-versus-four alongside her sister-ship, Shoukaku. The prospect of a battle against Enterprise all but instantly made Akagi agree, the fox-woman grinning all the while. Kaga, however, was strangely averse to it.
Kaga herself wasn't willing to admit why. She didn't want to tell her sister about the nightmare she had, to tell her of the towering columns of smoke and blazing pyres, of the corpses and death and bloodshed – of her own death at Enterprise's hands. It was just a nightmare, perhaps... but something about it shook Kaga deeply. It felt too vivid to be a mere nightmare. Too real. And because of that the thought of fighting Enterprise unsettled her deeply.
''Please.'' Kaga hated how much worry she had to put into her tone, hoping it'd be enough to sway Akagi's decision. ''I have a bad feeling about it.''
Akagi eyed her curiously, a touch of worry in her eyes...
...only to smile a second later, laying a hand upon her shoulder. ''It'll be fine, Kaga-chan.''
Kaga grimaced deeply. She wanted to submit, to breath a sighed 'okay' and go along with Akagi no matter what might happen.
But for once, she couldn't.
''...then I'm afraid you'll have to find a replacement for me.'' Kaga shook off her sister's hand reluctantly. ''I cannot participate. Not that I would do much good with my mind in such disarray.''
Akagi frowned, but accepted her reasoning with only minor disappointment. ''I see. I doubt there's anyone else willing to get involved, so I do suppose it will just have to be a three-versus-three. Cheer for me from the sidelines, okay~?''
''Hai...'' Kaga reluctantly agreed.
With a smile Akagi turned away, black clothes fluttering in the wind.
Kaga couldn't help but remember how burned they looked in her nightmare, her hand lifting as if to grab onto her sister's clothes. She stopped herself before she made a fool of herself.
Thus without anything to stop her Akagi walked out of the room, leaving Kaga standing alone, wondering if the emotions within her was truly fear...
...or self-preservation.
X-x-X
A little over an hour after Zuikaku's proposal passed, until soon six carriers floated out on the sea outside the base.
Enterprise stood upon the front of her hull, stone-faced. The weather was fairly tame; a modest cloud layer high up, a strong wind and blue skies abound. Over to her left atop her own ship form was Yorktown, whilst to her right was Hornet; the three of them up against the distant forms of Zuikaku, Shoukaku and Akagi. The absence of Kaga was a rather stark one, and although Saratoga had childishly stomped her foot and whined that she couldn't participate anymore, even she couldn't hide her surprise.
Akagi and Kaga were a pair; not just by choice but by design. For Kaga to refuse to participate was an anomaly indeed...
...and one Enterprise couldn't help but wonder about. That was new. Kaga never abandoned Akagi, even in dire situations; she was loyal to death, as she'd discovered many times before during past simulations. She most certainly wouldn't abandon Akagi in a spar, no matter how silly or ridiculous it might be. Akagi could decide to go pointlessly dance in a field of flowers and Kaga would follow, if only out of duty.
Which left the carrier wondering why she wasn't present. This was a routine spar, even by past simulation standards. What was different? Was this another hint... or, perhaps, was this an indication that this whole thing... might actually be real?
Enterprise banished the thought. 'Stop it. Don't get your hopes up.'
The thought gnawed at her regardless. Hope was terrible like that.
Enterprise was distracted from her thoughts as a radio transmission came in; coming from Admiral Henderson, who would be officiating the spar. Originally Washington was supposed to, but the admiral had not-so-subtly asserted his authority and Washington had backed off with a snarky remark, completely unbothered by the scathing look Yoshinoya sent her.
Few things could phase Washington, least of all an overly strict admiral.
''All units, begin operations.''
Enterprise acted the moment she heard the signal; the propellers on all her aircraft kicking into gear. The slow thrum escalated into a dull tenor, rapidly becoming a buzzing roar as they ran along her deck. The first of many Dauntless took off mere few away from her, the gust kicked up by them whipping her long hair about, but she didn't bother tucking it out of the way. A wise action, as several more Dauntless dive bombers roared past her, linking up with their companion in the sky and ascending.
Narrowing her eyes Enterprise focused. On either side of her a golden arrow manifested, and with nothing but willpower she fired them forth, watching as they erupted into flashes of golden light – light that swiftly transformed into three Wildcat fighters each, for a total of six. They joined the Dauntless up in the sky as fast as their engines would allow them to, the patchwork aircraft growing smaller the further they got.
''Hey, hope you don't mind having an extra escort~'' Hornet's voice chimed over the secure radio channel, audible right in her ear as if she had an intangible radio piece there.
Barely a second after Hornet's call-out a wing of six more Wildcat fighters joined Enterprise's, whilst from the left came a wing of six Dauntless came from Yorktown's hull.
''It's almost unfair you can summon twice as much.'' Yorktown said over the radio with fond exasperation. ''You'll be teaching Hornet and myself that trick, Enty.''
Enterprise hummed. ''Not sure if I can, but no harm in trying.''
The four air wings formed a rough 'V' shape, with both Wildcat wings flying in front and the Dauntless bombers flying behind. Silence fell over the radio as all focused, eyes all shutting as they used their innate connections with their planes to see through them – effectively looking through the cockpit. It was far from a crystal-clear view, but it was more than enough to understand what was happening from the plane's point of view.
Because of that Enterprise could see the distant forms of several enemy aircraft heading their way. Two fighter wings. Brow furrowing Enterprise made her lead aircraft do a barrel roll, tilting her aircraft upside down, but she couldn't spot any torpedo bombers soaring near the sea. Nor could she see any aircraft to the far left or right.
Which left only one angle.
With a roar of their engines four of her six Wildcat fighters banked up higher, the glare of the sun making it hard to see. ''Third wing might be higher. Will check.''
''Roger~'' Hornet called out over the radio.
Smiling tightly Enterprise prepared another Wildcat wing but didn't launch it yet; mindful to conserve her ammo supply. At the same time her four airborne Wildcats ascended higher, clouds beginning to pass by them as they neared the cloud layer. Seconds ticked by in silence, their engines slowly starting to struggle as they ascended higher and higher without respite. Even with all the modifications Enterprise had made to them during her captivity, they were still Wildcats at heart; they weren't made for climbing.
However she had them where she wanted them. Levelling the four fighters out Enterprise soared them straight ahead, multi-tasking between them and the other aircraft she had summoned as easy as breathing. Using her on-board radar she sent out regular pings, keeping track of the sky around her as best she could, searching for any microscopic blip. She doubted her opponents would launch a surprise attack with their third wing; Sakura Empire carriers weren't known for their anti-aircraft weapons, and memories of Midway would only make them want to protect themselves more.
Such as with fighters.
It was then she felt it; a tiny clump of blips at the edge of her radar's range. In a heartbeat Enterprise killed the engines on her four Wildcats and banked vertically, all but killing their momentum in a matter of seconds.
Tktktktk~!
Spewing streams of bullets shot past the area where her aircraft would've been, a wing of six Zeros diving down out of the clouds before curving back up unharmed – but they had given away their location now. Seeing that Enterprise launched a second wave of fighters, the next six Wildcats roaring off of her deck alongside two wings of torpedo bombers from both Hornet and Yorktown. She sent the fighters along with them, soaring overhead.
''Steaming ahead.'' Enterprise called out over her radio.
The hull beneath her lurched, the engines kicking into gear with naught but a silent command. Slow at first her hull began to pick up speed, water splitting in front of her bow as she sailed straight towards her foes. Hornet and Yorktown both hesitantly followed, steaming at a slower pace but still enough for the three of them to have overlapping fire with their anti-aircraft guns.
Refocusing on her planes Enterprise put the throttle on her eight high-altitude fighters alongside Hornet's – and in record time, they came within range of the enemy Zero's. Shrieks and spittles of machine gun fire permeated the air as both sides opened fire, the overwhelming rush of bullets forcing the Dauntless bombers to go evasive. Enterprise herself guided her fighters with an expert eye, rolling them through through the sky in an effort to dodge as much damage as she feasibly could.
Vroom~!
With a cluster of high-pitched roars the two fighter groups passed by each other, and began to turn back around. The more nimble Zeros were swift to get onto the tails of the slower Wildcats – but both Hornet and Enterprise had more than enough time to get used to the techniques of the Sakura Empire. Practically in unison both carriers banked their fighters a sharp left, descending away from the Zeros even as they turned around – forcing them to decide between them or the Dauntless.
In response the Zeros split apart; half going for the Dauntless whilst the other half came down chasing after the Wildcats. Guns blazing they opened fire, bullets shrieking down through the sky and forcing the eight Wildcats to dodge; corkscrewing and rolling through the air to avoid the hail of falling bullets – until soon the Eagle Union fighters gained the speed necessary to curve back upwards, machine guns popping bullets as they soared past the diving Zeros.
Higher up the twelve Dauntless bombers found themselves narrowly avoiding getting turned into Swiss cheese; tilting and rolling as bullets spluttered out from the pursuing Zeros, the enemy fighters closing the distance by the second.
Until the four remaining Wildcat fighters broke out of the cloud layer overhead, machine guns spewing rounds at the Zero's rears.
Three explosions, and two Zeros exploded – a third going up in flames and spinning wildly through the air, its right wing breaking in half mid-way and dooming it. The Wildcats broke off after their attack run and ascended back up into the clouds, evading the flurry of bullets that came after them as the Zeros that had initially intercepted them finally caught up. However the Wildcats had done their job and disrupted the enemy fighters; biding time for the Dauntless to gain some distance.
Enterprise concentrated; removing the fighters from her focus and letting them practically operate on auto-pilot, trusting Hornet to man her own fighters without her aid. Instead she turned her full focus onto her Dauntless; controlling them with greater ease and making them climb a little higher – an action that proved wise, as the first of many flak bursts erupted in an ashen plume mere feet away from one of her aircraft.
''Mn...'' Yorktown called out over the radio, voice tight. ''I guess Zuikaku wasn't kidding about improving her aim...''
Enterprise remained quiet, concentrating. Her eagle-like eyes could spot the miniscule flashes far below, giving the barest of hints as to where the flak shell would arrive. She used that tiny detail to her advantage, tilting her Dauntless bombers left and right alongside Yorktown's own. Then as the three Sakura carriers below came into range Enterprise dived – putting the engine on full-throttle and rapidly roaring down towards Shoukaku's hull, leaving Zuikaku to Yorktown.
The carriers below noticed. Anti-aircraft fire spewed up at the descending dive bombers with renewed intensity, flak bursts polluting the skies with acrid smoke and bullets whizzing past the diving airframes. Above her one of Yorktown's bombers got hit, erupting into a ball of flame whilst another lost its wing, tailspinning out of control into another flak burst and getting evaporated. Enterprise herself tried to avoid the same fate... but there was only so many minor adjustments she could make.
She couldn't dodge attacks coming from every direction, after all.
So when a wave of flak erupted in front of her descending bombers and two of them were blown out of the sky, all she could do was grimace and endure the loss. The remaining four continued on amidst the airbursts around them, the long steel hull of Shoukaku rapidly coming into clearer sight as the distance closed.
'Five thousand feet.' She counted in her mind.
'Four thousand.'
'Three thousand.'
Another Dauntless got hit, the oil igniting and sending it off-course.
'Two thousand.'
A fourth Dauntless took a burst of flak to the face, combusting mid-flight.
'One thousand.'
'Seven hundred.'
'Five hundred.'
Flak bursts polluted her vision entirely.
'Four hundred.'
It was only when she passed just three hundred feet did Enterprise hit the brakes; banking sharply up despite the significant forces weighing on her aircraft, forcing it to turn through sheer mental will and making the stick pull back of its own accord – dropping her bombs as she went.
Whiiin~
A whistle – and two bombs exploded across Shoukaku's deck. Weak fifty-pound bombs meant for target practice, but the subsequent explosions still kicked up a fierce layer of dust and shattered wood chunks, the airborne debris inadvertently providing her a modest smokescreen and hampering Shoukaku's aim, the anti-air bursts weakening and growing inaccurate as she soared her aircraft low to the sea.
Yorktown had much less success; only one of her bombers getting within range and the dropped bomb passing over Zuikaku's hull, splashing down into the water. It didn't manage to get out of range before a lucky flak burst took it out, clipping off its right wing and sending it spinning down into the ocean, splashing down in a spew of seawater.
However the Dauntless weren't the only aircraft they were throwing at their opponents.
From in low came a wave of torpedo bombers. Akagi was the first amongst the three Sakura women to notice – noticeable in how half of her fighters abruptly gave up chase on their Dauntless targets, and instead swerved around to blitz the incoming Devastators. Anti-air guns tilted around in their mantles and elevations decreased, getting their targets in sight – and opening fire in a near-unified cacophony.
'...hm?' Enterprise's attention shifted as she picked up some signatures higher up, closer to her own hull.
Signatures that turned out to be Sakura dive bombers; curving down from an angle and making a beeline for Enterprise herself, perhaps wisely marking her as the biggest threat.
Instinct took hold. Her anti-air guns, modified and upgraded through the various simulations she'd been forced through, raised their barrels and opened fire with a spewing spittle of flak rounds, popping black clouds throughout the sky above her. Machine gun rounds from lower-calibre rifles fired as well, joining the mass of rounds that was thrown up – soon joined by bursts from Yorktown and Hornet, forming an interlocking net of anti-air fire.
The wing of twelve planes diverted; six going left and six going right, but they barely made the turn before three dive bombers were hit, going up in flames and spiralling out of control. Tracing them in the sky Enterprise aimed her guns, adjusting slightly between bursts and calculating their trajectory – abling her to down another three dive bombers in record time, chunks of their airframes scattering across the ocean ahead of her.
''Heh, nice aim sis~!'' Hornet's eager voice came over the radio.
Enterprise merely smiled, the bubbling amusement distracting her only briefly. She corrected her aim a second later, shifting her rudders with a mental command and tilting her ship slightly to the left as a precaution. She needn't have bothered; the enemy dive bombers didn't even get a single bomb off before their airframes were shredded to bits, in part thanks to Hornet's Wildcats coming back around and gunning the remaining two bombers before they reached their targets.
Their Devastators however didn't score any hits either. Six of twelve managed to drop their dummy torpedoes but all of them missed, two passing by the narrowest of margins. Three missed entirely... due to the lack of a hull where one once was.
'Zuikaku.' Enterprise noted, her hull glowing. 'Going for melee, undoubtedly.'
It was a familiar strategy bordering on a doctrine. Attack from afar, use fighters to establish air dominance, then if that fails go in for a surprise attack. Once upon a time Enterprise found herself struggling to counter such a strategy even with hindsight to aid her, in no small part thanks to Zuikaku and Shoukaku's surprising stealthiness.
Beneath Enterprise her hull broke down into numerous cubes, reforming around her as her rigging. Manifesting her bow into her hand the carrier landed atop the surface of the ocean, trusting Yorktown and Hornet to 'survive' on their own – instead sailing full-speed towards Akagi and Shoukaku.
'Since it's Zuikaku, she'll definitely attack...'
Enemy fighters roared down from above at her, soaring past bursts of anti-air fire.
'...from above...!'
In a heartbeat Enterprise raised her bow, blocking the sword that came swinging down at her – the resounding clang creating a minor shockwave around them. Zuikaku flashed her a grin, pressing her weight onto her, before her momentum caught up with her and sent her soaring past her, heels skidding across the surface of the water until she ground to a stop; eager grin not wilting even slightly.
No words were said. Bearing a grin Zuikaku lunged, their weapons clanging together and sending sparks flying, only encouraging Zuikaku to press the attack – her swings wild but backed with skill and power, forcing Enterprise to fall back a step each time to compensate. When Zuikaku tried to slip past her guard she readjusted, tilting her body to better counter her and summoning an arrow just above her shoulder, firing it down.
''Mn-!'' Zuikaku wasn't expecting that; earning a cut across her shoulders. ''Oi, that's cheating!''
Enterprise parried another swing. ''Hardly.''
''I can't do that!''
''That's a shame.''
Zuikaku made a distinct squawking sound, leaping back and running her hand along the flat edge of her sword – igniting it and allowing her to unleash a wave of torpedo bombers with naught but a swing. The planes had barely manifested before dropping their loads; three dummy torpedoes hissing through the water.
A memory flashed through Enterprise's mind – of a burning New York, of those abominations, of the Sirens.
Her foot ached with phantom pain, slowing her reactions; and when the torpedo struck her foot, instinct took hold.
''W-Whoa!''
Three arrows summoned themselves above her head and fired with nary a second of warning. One missed Zuikaku's cheek by an inch and the other two cut gashes into her slim sides, missing solely because Enterprise was aiming for a shorter target on instinct. In the same instant the silver-haired carrier dashed in, thrusting the sharp edge of her bow out like an oversized dagger in multiple quick stabs.
Zuikaku parried the first two strikes aside, dodging the following two and countering on the fifth – grunting as she knocked Enterprise's bow aside. The carrier expected this however and immediately countered with her off-hand, batting aside Zuikaku's blade by the flat edge, her enhanced durability giving her little more than a cut for her efforts. Then without so much as a thought her foot came up in a clumsy, but no less potent kick – striking Zuikaku's hastily-raised arm before it could collide with her stomach.
''Mn-!'' Zuikaku was sent skidding back, wincing. ''Geez...''
Enterprise raised her bow, notching an arrow and launching it with barely a second of pause. The arrow transformed into a wing of three Wildcats that spat machine gun rounds at Zuikaku, forcing the carrier to duck – allowing them to narrowly pass over her head, soaring up into the sky and curving around, taking aim at some incoming dive bombers. Only two of the incoming six got shot down, but the barrage of gunfire was enough to force the other four to abort their dive lest they meet the same fate.
Without needing to worry about them Enterprise turned her full focus onto the brunette before her. A wise decision, as Zuikaku came rushing in – katana flashing in the afternoon sunlight and clanging against her defending bow, their two weapons sending sparks flying as they parried and deflected each other's blows. Until Enterprise ended the stalemate by manifesting an arrow over her head, tilting it down and aiming it at her opponent.
''Gh-!'' Zuikaku grunted harshly as the arrow pierced through her jacket, nicking her shoulder and drawing blood. ''Oi, easy there!''
Enterprise said nothing, parrying aside the sword that went for her side – and then lunged in, suddenly striking Zuikaku in the gut. The carrier managed to lean back a bit right before the fist connected, lessening the impact – but it still knocked the wind clean out of Zuikaku and hunched her over, coughing harshly. Her daze lasted only a few seconds but it was more than enough for Enterprise to exploit; the carrier following up with a strike to her chin and knocking her head back.
An arrow manifested right next to Zuikaku's neck, the tip of the energy-arrow a mere inch from touching her jugular.
…
''...guess I'm out.''
Enterprise exhaled a breath, dispelling her arrow. However there was no time to chat with her rival – Shoukaku and Akagi were still quite in the game, a fact she was reminded of as several of Akagi's planes came roaring down at her, unloading their bombs from a high height to make their trajectory harder to anticipate.
Seeing that Enterprise countered by twisting her summoned arrow around, the projectile spinning like the arrow of a compass – before it launched itself, transforming into a single fighter. The aircraft flew straight above Enterprise and ended up getting struck by one of the bombs, exploding as it lost half of its airframe, but taking the hit for both her and Zuikaku in the process.
''Go.'' Enterprise's tone brooked no argument.
Zuikaku wisely took her advice, calling over the radio that she was out of the war game and sailing off as fast as her feet would allow. Enterprise spared only a few moments to watch after her rival, shuddering silently.
'That was too close.' She told herself, nails digging into her palms. 'You almost shot that into her neck.'
'I had it under control.' She argued against herself. 'I wouldn't do that so easily.'
A memory flashed through her eye. Saratoga, a gaping hole in her chest, betrayal in her frozen visage and with one hand fruitlessly held over the hole. The distant screams of others who witnessed it. The horror. The terror. The accusations. Both from those around her, and those proposed by herself, aimed at herself.
'I wouldn't.' Enterprise banished the memory, fist clenching. 'I... I won't let that happen again. Simulation or no.'
Enterprise's troubled thoughts however took a back-seat as Akagi's bombers circled back around, unloading with their machine guns.
Reacting fast she raised her left arm, protecting her face and just enduring the bullets that pinged off of her skin, each as sharp as a wasp's sting but no more. She waited until the aircraft passed before firing an arrow after them, transforming it into a wing of three more Wildcats. She still had a few more left over; she could 'create' more later once the war game was over, when she had the time to rebuild them with provided materials.
With that in mind she bent her knees, and sailed forth – making a beeline straight for Akagi and Shoukaku. Overhead a myriad of planes fought for air dominance, fighters chasing tails of other fighters or diving upon torpedo bombers, blitzing chains of bullets sending spittles of water across the ocean. It was a testament to Shoukaku and Akagi's skill that they still managed to hold back the three Eagle Union carriers... but without Zuikaku to continue replenishing their fighters, they gradually lost the battle in the skies; more and more dive bombers slipping past and forcing the two Sakura women to focus on controlling their anti-air defences.
However it became clear that they couldn't hold out like this for much longer – they presented too big a target in their ship forms.
Thus with twin flashes of lights, Shoukaku and Akagi returned to their rigging forms.
''Heh, giving up already?'' Hornet's taunting voice came over the radio.
''Hmph. Hardly.'' Akagi's lofty voice replied. ''Merely trying to avoid the bugs in the sky.''
A burst of anti-air flak reinforced that; downing one of Hornet's torpedo bombers that was trying to come in low. The flash of anti-air fire helped Enterprise locate Akagi's exact position.
With steely eyes Enterprise sailed right for her, bow in hand and an arrow already drawn. Akagi saw the golden arrow from afar, turning towards her and narrowing her eyes, summoning multiple shikigami between her slim fingers. Yet neither immediately fired; waiting for the other to make the first move so they could counter it, the situation not unlike a game of rock paper scissors.
Until Enterprise suddenly tilted her bow horizontally instead of vertically, and her golden arrow split into three.
With nary a word Enterprise fired the arrows, each of them transforming into an individual Dauntless dive-bomber and rapidly climbing with their launch momentum, bombs prepared for their Kitsune target. Akagi for her part was quick to overcome her surprise, multiple shikigami transforming into Zeros in a gout of flame, guns opening fire the moment they finishing manifesting mid-air.
The Dauntless countered, killing their engines abruptly and letting gravity invert them, half-flipping backwards. The Zeros overshot and flew past them, turning around fast – but not fast enough. Wildcats came from above and gunned them down before the Zeros could use their great agility to evade, catching them mid-turn and blowing them out of the sky.
'Thanks Hornet.' Enterprise allowed herself to feel a flicker of warmth; but no more, lest she get lost in memories.
Without anything to stop them the Dauntless kicked their engines back into gear, soaring straight back down in a complete loop – gunsights solely on Akagi. The fox-woman pursed her lips and opened fire with her anti-air guns, bursts of flak popping into the air around her; but her rigging form didn't have nearly as many anti-air defences as her ship form did. What few bursts of flak she could throw up was easily evaded, the Dauntless bursting through clouds of black or weaving around airborne explosions.
Until finally they banked up – and dropped their bombs on Akagi.
The fox-woman tilted her body to the side, dodging one narrowly and letting it splash into the water behind her. A second crashed into the ocean just past her shoulder, and the third landed in front of her – missing only because she stopped moving forwards in time. The bombs however still detonated beneath the waves, eruptingtowers of boiling seawater all around Akagi, blinding her to the world around her.
The water took several seconds to fall – and when it did Akagi found Enterprise right in front of her, bow in hand and arrow aimed for her face. It launched with a ping of a bowstring, only to harshly grate against steel as Akagi raised one of her shikigami, deflecting the arrow rather than blocking it. The projectile shot past her face and tore open a cut along her cheek, drawing rivets of blood and clipping her ear, leaving it ringing from the near-sonic boom it created.
''Hn...!'' Akagi threw the shikigami at close range, willing it to transform.
Enterprise reacted swiftly, raising her bow and partially summoning her rigging – timing it just as the half-formed aircraft hit her.
It detonated instantly, fuel igniting and combusting in spectacular fashion, the bomb attached to it only fuelling the destructive kamikaze. The sheer force behind the explosion sent her skidding back, heels digging into the surface of the water to slow herself down, the explosive force rapidly losing strength and allowing Enterprise to lower her guard, one arm shielding her face and eyes narrowed.
''No damage?'' Akagi asked incredulously, looking at her.
True to her word Enterprise had taken zero damage; only some singing on her coat to be seen, and a small chunk of her bow missing. Had Hornet been around to see she would've understood how... though Enterprise was less inclined to share the tactic with Akagi, especially not in the middle of practice.
So instead she distracted the fox-woman. ''Your planes are too weak.''
''What- why you!'' Akagi bared her teeth, ticked off.
A distant explosion interrupted the Sakura woman – and a second later Shoukaku's voice came over the radio. ''I'm out, unfortunately.''
''Fantastic.'' Akagi groused, reversing – kicking up wakes beneath her heels. ''Don't think I'll go down without a fight, Grey Ghost.''
Enterprise just smiled, raising her bow skyward and firing, transforming the subsequent arrow into a wing of three torpedo bombers that curved around, aiming for Akagi. At the same time Enterprise manifested an arrow over her shoulder and launched it with naught but a thought, transforming it into a wing of three Dauntless dive bombers that began to climb. Akagi's eyes darted between the two, her lips thinning.
Then her eyes lit up. Enterprise immediately searched, a radar ping scanning her surroundings – searching for whatever trick that Akagi had. She didn't need to look far, as all the remaining Sakura dive bombers suddenly banked downwards... but they weren't going for her.
Their trajectory was obvious.
'Yorktown.'
In the back of her mind she realised it made sense. Akagi knew how protective she was of Yorktown; it was a logical choice to make when she knew she was outnumbered and wouldn't win in a conventional, three-on-one fight. She had to try and level the playing field. However that insightful thought was drowned out by the instinctive, panic-fuelled thoughts that bubbled up in a rush, flooding her mind with no other objective but to protect Yorktown, and to eliminate the threat.
Immediately all her fighters sharply turned towards Yorktown, guns blazing even from out of reasonable range – throwing bullets towards the diving bombers. Anti-air fire from Yorktown and Hornet threw up a net of flak bursts and bullets, blasts of black popping all around them or even striking true, sending bombers corkscrewing into balls of flame that plunged into the ocean. Between them not a single bomber survived.
But the Sakura had long since used their planes for more than just dropping bombs.
Something that Enterprise was reminded of as the burning bombers kept flying down.
Seven remained. One was blown apart into shrapnel, scattering across the sky in chunks. Another lost its wing and flew too far to the right. A third lost its tail and went into a death spiral. A fourth lost both its wings, the appendages tearing off from the plane's velocity. But three remained. Three that somehow managed to survive the increasing-thick eruptions of black smoke and shells. Three that broke past the flak barrier.
One soared too high, clipping the top of Yorktown's bridge before crashing into the ocean behind her. A second crashed its wing into the side of her hull, but ultimately missed.
The third hit the centre of her deck full-speed.
A towering fireball erupted, flames belching up into the sky in a miniature mushroom cloud and spewing oil across the deck, further spreading the fire with a climbing roar. Aircraft that had been on Yorktown's deck were caught in the firestorm, those fuelled igniting too and fanning the flames, whilst those armed with fifty-pound bombs detonated on the deck where they were, causing a chain reaction all across the deck.
Enterprise was reacting before her conscious mind could catch up. Torpedo bombers kicked their engines into full gear, dropping their torpedoes for added speed – and then kamikazed straight into Akagi. Dive bombers didn't bother dropping their bombs and just smashed themselves into the ocean, one of their wings clipping Akagi, her body hidden amidst the flames and smoke. Without stopping Enterprise dashed in, eyes ablaze as she lunged through the smoke.
A shikigami went her way. She slapped it aside with brute force, cracking the feeble paper like it was a brittle stone. She caught sight of movement amidst the fire and attacked, three arrows manifesting around her and thrusting through the air. One missed. Two hit.
''G-Gah-!''
Blood rushed, Enterprise lunged – grasping a handful of burnt cloth and pushing it down, splashing oil and seawater across bloodied skin.
It was only when Enterprise met pain-tinged red eyes that the blood stopped pounding in her ears, a hint of clarity weaving through her mind.
Akagi stared back up at her, lips curled into a bloody grin. Crimson ichor stained her chin and smeared across the side of her face in a wide groove, part of her white sclera becoming dyed red with burst blood vessels. Her right shoulder was burnt, flesh sizzling and blackened. Her kimono was torched by the flames and her right hand laid limp, bone nearly visible near the wrist.
''Keh...'' Blood bubbled past Akagi's lips as she coughed. ''That look in your eyes... I recognise it, heh... it reminds me...''
Enterprise stared, heart pounding with adrenaline. ''Reminds you of what?''
Akagi's lips moved, but her eyes fluttered – and with a loll of her head she fell unconscious, the shock of the attack finally knocking her out just as the words began to form on her tongue.
The silver-haired carrier stood over her still, flames raging around them and only waning when the oil that fuelled them ran dry, the aircraft that produced them fading and 'returning' to Enterprise. Without the oil the flames didn't last much longer and soon petered out, doing little more than singing her jacket before they did so.
…
'...what did it remind you of, Akagi?'
A hand landed on her shoulder, jolting her out of thought.
''Hey, you alright?''
''Washington...?''
Enterprise stirred out of her daze slowly, blinking. Stood just behind her was Washington, grim but with a stiff smile on her lips – a familiar expression. One that told of her mirth, but also of her displeasure at the hassle that was inevitable coming her way. It was only then as well that she noticed others; Saratoga hovered not far away with a concerned look on her face, Essex was awkwardly following Vestal and taking orders, and-
''Yorktown-!'' Enterprise snapped her gaze over, body already twisting-
-only to find that Yorktown had been docked and was getting hosed down with water, dozens of Destroyers coordinating to put them out, whilst Yorktown herself stood at the end of her bow with a grimace, singed by the flames but no more.
'How long was I standing here?'
She didn't know. And that unnerved her. Had the Siren's gotten involved just now... or had they messed with her mind so much that she was losing the ability to keep track of time?
''Hey.'' Washington gave her a hard shake, jolting her out of her thoughts again. ''You good?''
''...yes.'' Enterprise nodded slowly. ''I... I'm fine.''
''Better than her.'' Zuikaku commented, wincing down at Akagi's unconscious form. ''Remind me to not go after Yorktown in our next spar. You looked pretty scary there, aha...''
Enterprise just nodded quietly, gaze drawn over to Vestal as the medic hastily approached.
And from over Vestal's shoulder, standing at the docks, she could see a grimacing Henderson and a furious Yoshinoya, the Colorado-class sisters standing behind them.
Standing alongside them was Kaga, but the fox-woman turned and left the moment she made eye-contact with her.
But in that brief moment, that second of eye contact, she saw something she never thought she'd see in Kaga's eyes.
Terror.
[END]
A/N: Akagi calculated her attack, but it turns out she's really bad at math~ Though lets be honest, we both knew what was going to happen to her, haha~
See you next time in Chapter 13: Try~
Sneak peek:
''Well?'' Henderson snapped. ''What was that?''
''Akagi started it.'' Enterprise uttered in a monotone.
A hand slapped itself down on the desk, loud in the silence and making her tense on instinct. ''Akagi started it? You aren't a child Enterprise! I don't care if Akagi went out of her way to pick on Yorktown! What you do is call off the spar until the issue is addressed – you do not respond by nearly killing one the Sakura Empire's flagships in full view of one of their ADMIRALS!''
Henderson's voice boomed; the deep, wrathful tone a new one. Never before had she been shouted before by such a voice, not even by the Sirens; instinctively making her sit stiffer, her head bowing a little deeper. It was a voice made for commanding; for barking orders and bellowing chastisements at misbehaving crewmen. And she found herself on the receiving end of it. She didn't like it.
''I... I didn't mean to...''