Chapter 2-The slaughter at Pearl Harbor
"One thing you must know as a human, against the caprices of fate you are weak and impotent. There are some things you just can't protect. However, you have a choice which."
I am now in my former office. Haven't seen it for 20 years, all the memories of my biggest victories, and of the biggest regrets, are here.
-See? This is the past.
-When exactly?
-5th of December 1941. Two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
-So then, ever managed to save Arizona and Oklahoma?
-It's honestly easy. Just put everyone on high alert. The Japs are coming with six carriers, which practically equal the number of planes on the island.
-At what hour?
-It always changes, for some reason. Just do it all day.
I notice in a mirror nearby that, whenever Silver talks, my eyes are a bright white.
-Care to explain about my eyes turning white whenever you talk?
-Well, my soul is sharing your body. And that is necessary so that I can comunicate with you.
-Fair enough. As long as you are silent, there's no problem. Gonna fetch Enterprise to be my secretary, because I need a lot of help to mobilize everyone.
-I AM silent. I am speaking directly to your mind, and only you can hear me.
-That aside, the eyes.
-Granted. Go meet your future wife, but avoid being all lovey-dovey with her.
-What happened in the times when I had?
-She was taken aback, confused, Yorktown displayed a confusing smile, and pretty much the whole shipyard gossiped about you. Remember, you two don't publicly love eachother yet.
Our conversation ended with a nod from me, as, despite not having solved all the issues, I have work to do.
Fast forward five minutes, I arrived at a playground, where I saw Yorktown pinching Hammann's cheeks with the look of a doting mother in her eyes. Part of me was hurting, for some unknown reason.
-Sir! How are you?
-I'm fine, Yorktown. Where is your sister?
-All of them are by the slide, see?
She pointed out two happy Enterprise and Hornet, pushed by Wasp.
-Thanks, YT.
As she asked "YT?" I unfortunately ignored her and moved closer to talk to the three.
-Having fun, girls?
Enterprise stood up and took the soldier's stance, while the other two kept theirselves.
-Yes, sir!
-I am sorry to interrupt you girls, but an emergency came and I need help to do something very important.
-Let me help, sir!
-Sure, Enty. Come with me.
As we walked towards my office, she made some courage to ask:
-Sir, you called me Enty. Why is that?
-I thought it sounds cute.
-Um...
She swallowed her words.
Long into the night we worked, and, at some point, Silver accidentally revealed his presence.
-Sir, I might be going blind but your eyes were just flashing white.
-You must be tired. Maybe we should continue tomorrow?
-It is your call, sir. However, I would like it if we could just, you know, sit and talk for a bit.
-Go ahead. What do you want to know?
-Do you have a girl that is... more special to you? I don't mean a flagship, because we all know Yorktown is that, but... you get what I'm saying.
-Yes. I do. I plan to propose to her soon.
-Who is she?
I flashed a coy smile.
-Can't tell you. Sorry.
-Pretty please?
-Nope. No matter how sweetly you ask me.
-Why? What if she doesn't like you? That would be embarassing.
-I believe she does.
-Enterprise, it's time you go to sleep, you'll resume work tomorrow.
-Commander, it's 8PM, I'm not going to sleep right now.
-Then go have dinner or something. I am sorry for keeping you up this late.
-Who will I go with? It's so boring eating alone.
-Your sisters could keep you company. Or there could be random girls back from commission.
-But I-
-I'll be fine. Rest up. Tomorrow, I want to see you fresh.
-*Sigh*... Yes, sir. Good night.
-You too, Enty. You too.
The second day, Enterprise came by early in the morning, but we had little left to do.
-I am at your service, commander!
-You can take the day off. There's little left to do.
-Still, I want to spend some more time with you. Get to know eachother, you know? What are you doing after you're done?
-I'm heading for the pub. Not a place for a lady.
-I see. But, um... can I still come? I'll try not to be a nuisance.
-I'm going with a few mates, and with you there, the conversation will be awkward, if any. I'm sorry.
-Still, I'm sorry if I bother you, but is there any window of time we could spend some time together in?
-Not for these two days. You know what, this is your last secretary duty for today: make an appointment for me to spend time with you the day after tomorrow, at 12 AM. We'll mostly be listening to the radio, drinking and talking. Is that alright for you?
-Yes sir. Sounds lovely to me. I'll see my way out.
-Silver, I don't know why Enty is so into me already. I hadn't dated her before Midway in my reality.
-It's because she is a confident and brave woman. The only thing holding her back from flirting with you in the original timeframe was the fact she was uncertain she could get you in an acceptable time interval, before the other girls caught on about this and started badmouthing her. When you, reminiscing your time with her as your wife, told her 'Enty', she got a cue and acted on it. She loves you, the way a naive young girl does, but she loves you nonetheless.
Suddenly, Yorktown entered the door, seeing a glimpse of my white eyes.
-Good morning, sir.
-Ah, Yorktown. What's the matter? Technical feedback?
-Actually, I'm just curious. I see the whole base in a rush and I'm just curious. As flagship and task force leader, I ought to stay informed.
-It is indeed true you have the clearance to this information. Very well, the base is in preparations to intercept a massive-scale Japanese attack.
-Japanese? Why? We're not at war with them!
-It appears to be an attack without a declaration of war. A dishonourable act that will be punished with due severity.
-I have to help! I am confident I can outrange battleships.
-You could definitely sink the three battleships, but they are escorted by six carriers. And you're in the Atlantic. No way I'm getting you there in one day.
-But where will they attack?
-Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
-Goddammit. With six carriers, the sixteen girls there are in great jeopardy.
-The best efforts will be made to preserve each and every one of them.
-I imagine what kind of stress you must be going through. I care about them all too, but I can at least say that I just follow orders.
-The good part about this is that at least I can trust whomever is responsible.
Yorktown snuck behind me, and started giving me a massage.
-Let me help you ease your stress.
-It's... unbelievably pleasant, even for a tense bacon like me. YT, how did you learn to massage so well?
-I know many things. A perk of being ambitious.
-Ahaha, what are your ambitions, then?
-I'd rather keep them to myself if you don't mind.
-It's not about keeping them to yourself, because I can figure them out pretty easily. It's more about being honest enough to admit them.
-Women are cryptical, commander, but compared to me, they are open books.
-You'd be surprised to know how old and knowledgeable I am in fact. I met plenty, and I broke their cyphers.
-Broke their locks too?
-No. I am a religious man, and I keep myself for the night after my marriage.
-We have that in common. Just, I am a different brand of a religious person.
-Tell me more about it, will you?
-Well, when I don't manifest my kindness on the weak and small, I am the kind of person who doesn't follow certain precepts, in order to achieve the greater good.
-We're military men. We're SUPPOSED to harm in order to protect.
-Of course, but I just follow this principle in more aspects of life. If a trolley were to hit your wife, but you had the option to divert it and kill five strangers instead, would you save your wife?
-Five is not much. And they don't matter to me anyways. How about you? Would you choose your husband over five people?
-Depends on how he acted towards me. Were he a jackass, he'd be worth less than five people. However, if he were to be a loving man, I would not even blink before pulling the lever.
-Aren't we similar?
-You are right. But I'll assume it's because you're a high level official, who has to save and kill different numbers of people at all times.
-How about you? What made you that way?
-I don't like to talk about it. You could say I've been let down by my fellow humans for too many times already. Enough to start asking myself whether being unconditionally good is even worth it.
I'm starting to pity her. More than that, because a part of me is starting to hurt. People like her usually hide scars. In this idea, I found it appropiate to get up, turn around, and encompass her into a big hug.
-YT, absence of good creates indifference. Indifference sparks evil. Do not cause what hurt you in the first place. That's one practical reason for indiscriminate good.
She replied nothing.
-What hurt you, Yorktown?
Yorktown starts sobbing. I attempt to comfort her, but she breaks free, and runs away.
-Forgive me, commander. I'll be off your back for now.
-Silver, I am willing to bet you understand her better. What was that?
-The most fabulous psychological battle that I've ever seen. Truly, this is the most interesting timefringe for now.
-I was not trying to get into her mind or such.
-Not you. But she was. She was trying to reach around to you, but outmaneuver you when you inquire sensitive information... like when you asked her about her ambitions. She has done a good job of dissuading your interest.
-Why didn't she dissuade me when I asked her abut what hurt her too?
-That's the most fun part. She came here thinking she could coax you in a way that works for any other man. But she has a huge scar on her soul. She unwillingly opened up about it, and immediately realised she's on a slippery slope, hoped to fix the drift and dissuade you, but your genuine compassion knocked her off her plan. Unknowing how to act, she fled.
-I should be saving lives, not managing romantic conflicts.
-Do care about Yorktown?
-Indeed. Why?
-It might be better if I don't talk about it. I need to make a plan.
-You had probably dozens of timefringes to do it.
-I only had six. And this one it's different. I made myself obvious too often, you gave off your intentions too early, and unlikely events have been put in motion.
-What exactly?
-Irrelevant things, really. For you, at least.
-And, as it's obvious she's trying to seduce me, why does she even do it?
-Why do all girls here do?
-No. Yorktown is different. There's something CLEARLY wrong with her, and you know it. And you hide it from me.
-You keep your Enterprise and leave Yorktown to me.
-What the hell do you even mean? You're making little sense.
A minute of silence.
-You're right. Repeated time travel does great damage to a man's coherence. I'll take some time to put everything in order. However, I have to warn you. Don't confess to Enterprise yet. At least before Solomon. And prefferably before Midway.
-A reason why?
-Dark premonitions of a nature you don't comprehend.
The next, third day, sirens sounded the alarm. The strike force sent a terrifying storm of metal. Four hundred planes flying our way. However, we mobilized our own 400, and brought several more fighers from the air bases in San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
There was no catastrophe anymore. In the savage slaughter our patrols inflicted upon them, barely two bombers reached their targets. Their bombs hit Arizona and grazed Oklahoma. None of their aircraft made it back, and, taking advantage of this situation, we sent numerous patrols.
Coming back, they reported detecting the enemy's position and landing several bombs on an undefended Zuikaku, and reported that their forces appear to be retreating at full speed.
The Government took me for interogatory as my knowledge of this happening in advance was highly unplausible, but I brushed it aside, by invoking a fateful encounter with an Australian British spy.
What happened to me aside, the war was declared nonetheless. The Roosevelt administration was aching for an occasion to flex its muscles, and this dishonourable act was perfect for a casus belli.
And, as if history hadn't changed, the Japanese decided to go for Port Moresby again. The strategic difference was so small that the battle was going to be the same.