Chapter 6: First Flight
"Oxygen value requirements achieved, life support system for Block A-3 is now activated, pressure and humidity are on acceptable level. Disengaging protective bulkheads for Block A-3"
Synthetic voice resonated through her empty hallways, replacing the silence for some brief few seconds until it too was swallowed by the said silence, once again leaving a quiet air on the lifeless metal corridors.
"Alright then..."
A metal door hissed open, one person that could be considered as the only living being around stood behind it with her hands on her back, eyes scanning the recently reconnected section keenly searching for any problems the repair drones might have missed, no matter how small the chance was.
The corridor was dark, at least until the local emergency light kicked in, illuminating the area with eerie red glow. Puddles of water scattered around the floor barely noticable and the water dripping from the ceiling made it more obvious the corridor could be a bit dangerous to venture on.
Enterprise found it unnerving at first, the sight of her insides empty of any living being usually meant bad thing unless when she was docked, as usual as it could be for a Heavy Carrier anyway. Granted, during her decades of service there was never one moment where she was truly empty, even at most she would still have her skeleton crew around manning her necessary stations, so to be the only one person onboard a 2,5 kilometers long ship made her uneasy despite it being her own self.
She knew there was nobody around that would harm her, but that fact was like a double edged sword that pointed to two directions, meaning it failed to sate her nervousness. The constant feeling of something watching from the corners or the hum of her environment control system made her jumpy especially after what she had gone through above Reach where a group of cloaked Elites boarded and proceeded to slaughtered her crew on the very same hallways she walked on right now, it made her lost count how many times she overrode an internal surveillance sensor just to make sure she was truly alone.
That was what she experienced on the first two days, now however it's all water under the bridge and she's pretty much capable to ignore most things, keyword on most because what before her right now wasn't one of those things.
Despite it, what she's concerned of the most, was some technical issues than anything. There was this one time she stepped inside a flooded room only to have herself zapped by high current courtesy of a damaged power route, it didn't kill her but it did make her feel funny for a whole hour following it and she didn't like it because she literally blew a fuse thanks to it, she didn't know nor understand how she survived the ordeal considering the voltage was enough to blow a Pelican apart but she had considered it as one of the 'how-in-the-actual-frick-I-am-alive-as-a-human' ordeal she was on.
She had resigned herself to not think too much about it at this point.
One thing that was irrefutable though, she's badly understaffed, and understaffed was an overstatement in this scenario. True that she was designed to be operated by the minimum of people down to a single person and an AI, as long as there was an AI she could still maintain a broad performance, but an AI she didn't have, during her last moment her Captain had enacted Cole Protocol and wiped everything off of her mainframe including her long time partner AI before committing his Kamikaze move.
It was strange, she could vaguely remember that day, a day that happened roughly 10 days ago in accordance to her built-in calender, the day where the last ship of the Epsilon Eridani Fleet went supernova. Bits and pieces were all Enterprise remembered, she could recall the retreat order, and then the frantic calls in the Battle-net, and then the silence as she was left behind by her comrades, no, rather, she chose to be left behind.
That day, she sacrificed herself for one ship.
"Captain, engineering reporting in, the Slipspace Drive has been successfully disposed of and all radioactive leaks have been contained. Block F-12 through G-5 are now under lockdown"
Enterprise heard her Chief of Engineering called in through the INTERCOM to the bridge where her Captain was on, observing the planet she was orbiting around with a grim look.
"Understood, thank you and good work"
Despite the situation, the spaceship couldn't help but admired her Captain. He was a man on his late 50s, had been serving in the Navy for more than half his life, dedicating all he had for UNSC and mankind and should be close to his retirement had the war never happened, with experienced leaders getting scarce, the Navy had no choice but to keep everyone onboard as long as they could.
He was a man of few words to strangers, but it's the opposite when it came to his subordinates, crew had it circling around her that the Captain did it intentionally as a part of his strategy, saying something along the line 'first impression need not to be impressing, you let them know what they need to know, no excess'.
It was not a far-fetched idea, she knew her Captain was a cunning man and an impeccable strategist, one did not command a capital ship for all his career without showing his worth much lest an Epoch-class like her.
He would always manage to bring her home in one piece, one way or another.
"Sir, we've got another Spartan flat line, tag designation reads Carter-A259"
"Where?"
"Near SinoViet Ship Breaking facility, down in a Pelican, sir"
"Dammit... How many Spartans left near that area?"
"Three, two active and one temporarily inactive onboard the Pillar of Autumn"
"Can you contact the Autumn?"
"Negative, Captain, we lost the long range communication dish, I had used short range antennas but there were so much interferences from Covenant glassing our signal wouldn't reach them"
The Captain crossed his arms, a frustrated look adorning his face for a moment. "Come on, Keyes... Get out of there"
Sparks flew off from a destroyed monitor and severed power lines on her ceiling, and for a second the light on her bridge dimmed due to power shortage, blanketing the room in a brief darkness before the back-up lines came online.
"Captain, we are being hailed by the Bay of Storm" One of the crew reported casually, ignoring the power outrage that just happened, it's a common occurance by now.
"Patch it through"
"Aye, sir, isolating the signal now"
Enterprise tried to locate the UNSC Destroyer with her Radar and scanner, browsing through clouds of debris floating about Reach's orbit, debris which were once her fleetmates, now destroyed to the point she couldn't distinguish who was who anymore. The sight was enough to fuel her anger and grief with fresh vigour, burning hot feelings that weren't caused by the plasma damage she suffered deep in her core.
She wanted blood, blood to satisfy her desire for revenge, revenge against those who had done humanity and her wrong. But so much on her had wrong themselves, she wouldn't be able to do anything even if she tried aside from insignificant struggles.
"Captain, I detect an abnormal fluctuation in the ship's reactor" A female voice suddenly called out, and not long after a blue hologram popped up on a nearby holo-table. "Should I have it diagnosed?"
"That won't be necessary, Sophia, she often do that, perhaps out of spite to this sickening view and war..."
"This is indeed not the first time it happened, do you truly believe that notion, sir?"
"I've served aboard her for almost 30 years from the day I was an enlisted to an officer, you'd start to understand a trait or two whether you like it or not"
The AI hummed in response. "Interesting" she simply said before diving back into Enterprise's system. "I have the optimal communication solutions, connecting us to Bay of Storm now"
"Thank you, Sophia"
A monitor lit up near the Captain's chair displaying the Bay of Storm as she flew just on the edge of Enterprise's maximum secondary comm range and closing to her position.
"Enterprise actual, do you read?"
"Loud and clear, Bay of Storm"
"Sir, HIGHCOM have just issued a full retreat from Epsilon Eridani, we are here to notify you since you did not respond to our comms"
And just like that, all activity ceased to be as the world suddenly fell quiet. All crew members stopped dead on their tracks, eyes focused on towards the Captain who only frowned in return.
It was a fact that they were losing, the Covenant fleets invading Reach were not a match UNSC Navy could take in, not even during their prime. It's probably the biggest invasion force ever seen to attack one system, so everyone understood that they were doomed to lose since the beginning.
Words from HIGHCOM were the final nails to the coffin, it's the confirmation they needed to tell they had already lost.
But... this was not what I wanted.
"Son, I'm afraid that is not possible for us" The Captain declared eventually after what seemingly an eternity, his words snapped the crew out of their stupor and they continued to conduct their respective jobs silently.
"May I ask why, sir?'
"The last Covenant boarding party got us pretty good, Enterprise lost not just hundreds of brave men and women defending her but also an important part of her; her Slipspace Drive, our ticket out of this predicament"
I'm sorry, Captain.
"Then we have no choice but to scuttle her"
Yes, just leave me, Captain, save yourself and everyone.
"How many personel do you have onboard? we might still have some space to spare on Bay of Storm"
The Captain didn't answer right away, instead he focused his gaze on the burning surface of Reach for a long time, wondering about a lot of things that could have gone better and the what ifs, an area he usually would rather not wander on. He had no need to to see the exact numbers, he already had it memorized.
"1874, mostly are wounded and civilians"
1874? Captain it's 1875 why did you-
"Understood, sounds the evacuation alarm and we will take care of the rest, over and out"
A tired sigh, one filled with resignment, one from a person who had seen enough and had been around for too long in a ride they didn't want, left his lips. "Lieutenant Franklin, alarms off, please"
The Comm Officer nodded stiffly, inputting the necessary codes and orders to his console. When he was done, the light illuminating the bridge suddenly went off and was replaced with a red glow of emergency light, a siren roaring in the background.
"All hands abandon ship, all hands abandon ship, crew go to your nearest escape pod, civilians and wounded are to go by Pelicans and Condors. UNSC Bay of Storm will provide the needed assistance, repeat, all hands..."
"Sir! another Spartan flat line! this time on the break yard!" A bridge officer announced loudly.
"Activities detected on Pillar of Autumn, she's about to transit, Captain" Said Enterprise's AI suddenly as she popped up once again. "I managed to piggy back Bay of Storm's sensors via data-link, the Covenant are moving an Assault Carrier and three Battlecruisers to intercept Pillar of Autumn in orbit"
"They won't make it through that much of firepower..."
"124 seconds until estimated intercept point, Captain"
"Damn it all!" The Captain cursed under his breath. "Sophia, how much offensive capability do we have left?"
"MAC is primed and ready to go, we have 15 shots left, deck guns are down to 7% ammo level including both forward coilguns and we've exhausted pretty much all of our Bident to provide ground troops back-up. However, we just replenished the Archer pods and they are at 30% capacity"
"It's still not enough to take down an Assault Carrier, maybe one Battlecruiser we could... What about the fighters?"
"15 Broadswords are all we have left, Captain"
"... We might be able to pull this off, you and me"
"Captain?"
The man silently got down to his seat on the middlemost of Enterprise's bridge, not unaware with the gaze he received from his underlings. "Get everyone off the ship, Sophia, and prepare the reactors for self-destruct"
"Understood, sir, I will prepare a shuttle for you-"
"No, I'll stay"
No...
"That won't be necessary, Captain, I can perform the action by myself" Protested the AI, it was all but a successful persuasion.
"I am responsible for her actions, the decisions I make, the orders I give, it's all on me. Don't deny me this, Sophia" He said with an unfaltering conviction, giving her a resolved look.
Sophia fell silent as seconds went by, an eternity for AI such as herself, she used those precious moments to search for any hint of hesitation in the Captain's eyes but all she found was sadness and pure anger, burning bright but concealed by layers of self-control and discipline.
"We are staying too, Captain" One of the bridge crew declared out loud, his action was followed by a series of confirmations from his fellow officers.
"Men, this is a one way trip, you have a way home waiting you outside and no else"
They stood up, sharing a glance at each other but instead of swaying their conviction it caused the exact opposite.
"We make our own way home, sir"
The Captain sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, listening to the familiar sounds of Enterprise's bridge, his bridge, his crew. "It's been an honour serving with all of you" He said as he threw a salute to every single person on stations.
A crisp and rigid salute was all he received in return but it was all he needed. "The honour is ours, Captain Stallion"
The Captain of the Heavy Carrier UNSC Enterprise, Jameson Stallion, the man who had gone through battles after battles and worlds after worlds with countless medals on his possession more than most people could hope to achieve, considered himself very lucky to serve alongside these brave men and women, he would trade everything he had to have their resolve but they gave it to him without a hint of doubt in their unwavering gaze, what more could he ask from the finest of the Navy other than this?
A small smile found its way on his face, a genuine smile of triumph he hadn't felt for years. He knew with people like them, even venturing hell would be just another walk in the park, he knew by the fact they had encountered many hells before and survived them. But alas, his long and arduous journey had finally come to its end, strange he didn't feel any fear at all.
"Comm, evacuation progress?" His words were like a wake up call that gently nudged his crew awake, they blinked once before setting down to attend their own stations.
"Last Condor has just entered Slipspace, Captain, and the Bay of Storm has moved out to retrieve the final batch of escape pods"
Condor, one of those wonders Reach had. When they said they had what basically an elongated Pelican that capable to transit through Slipspace, he thought ONI finally found a way to make jokes but it seemed the Office of Naval Intelligence were still the same stuck ups and freaks he'd rather stay away from. Still, it's thanks to those experimental transports he could put some of his men to safety.
"Engines full ahead flank, get us to that intercept point, let's crash the party the Covenant have so kindly started"
"Aye sir, full ahead flank"
"Captain, what is the battle plan?" Sophia asked as the Captain sat back down to his chair, earning a brief glance from him.
"There is no plan, Sophia, we hit them as hard as we can and inflict as much damage to at least provide Pillar of Autumn a way out"
"Hm, charming" The AI said cheekily before retreating back, at the same time Enterprise's deck shuddered as her massive engines suddenly came to life and pushed the ship forward, maneuvering around the field of debris swiftly, a grace that betrayed her size.
"Just doing my job" He muttered to no one in particular, his hand unconsciously rubbing his chair's armrest. "This is it, girl, seems like our luck has ran out. Don't worry I will keep you accompanied for as long as I can"
... Thank you, Captain.
"Access granted"
The massive bulkheads protecting her bridge hissed open the moment she stepped near it, giving Enterprise a clear view of what was once her head. This was the first time she set her foot inside the large chamber since she returned to her metal form because there was actually no need for her to be there at all, being aware of everything happening on her included her bridge and thousand of other systems necessary to operate a Heavy Carrier.
She didn't felt strange at all when her proximity alert system warned her about a closing satellite and other orbital bodies, or when her automatic thrusters control surface suddenly came online and maneuvered herself away from the collision course, at least no longer she felt disturbed by some superficial systems ingrained within her mainframe going full computer automatic. They're like this small buzz of thought passing by deep in her mind, barely noticeable but still there if she focused hard enough.
Power, sensors, system diagnostics, communications, scanners, traffic control for her fighters and drones, life support, outer hull anti-frosting and anti-gravity plating managements, emergency RCS and surface controls, were ones of many features she had. Usually it would take a military-grade Smart AI and human hands to have them organized but she had them all nestled inside her brain like a trivial thoughts such as breakfast, and she had full access and authority on them.
True though, there were still a lot of Dumb AIs scattered around to keep simple programs running without a hitch, such as the ones inside her Broadswords. Enterprise learned, while she had full control of her fighters, they could still act independently when contacts were lost with her thanks to the Dumb AIs installed in them. They were but a simple program though, usually tasked to guide a Broadsword to dock to its mother ship or in case of emergency to remote control the craft. Her's, however, had one default order with them that couldn't be removed.
Protect UNSC Enterprise at all cost.
It's not just her Broadswords but also her squadrons of Pelicans, Condors-which somehow she retained despite they never spent more than 5 hours docked inside her back above Reach-and the other vehicles she had in her disposal, all had that one absolute instruction.
The AIs were also more... talkative. They could actually hold a conversation albeit only limited with battle-related stuff such as orders and tactical input but it's definitely not a trait they exhibited before.
Enterprise was tempted to pursue more about the AIs abnormal behaviors but she honestly couldn't care less regarding the technical stuff, she's a warship first and foremost not a research vessel, as long as it work then she's fine with.
Rule number one of any armed force; if it's not broken don't fix it.
She idly thought as she walked past computers and terminals lining up across her bridge, each displaying their own functions Enterprise briefly glanced at since her gaze was set on one single point in the middle of the room.
Her command chair.
It looked surreal, it felt just like yesterday when her bridge was bustling with people, and it felt just like yesterday she saw her Captain sitting on his chair reviewing reports and intels with his usual neutral expression. But now, just like her other floors, everything was dead silent all she could hear was the faint chime and hum in the background, not even a single footstep exist.
She hesitantly took a stride forward, then another and another until she was directly behind the said chair, looking down on it keenly as if it was a pack of explosives. As expected, it was as clean as new, not a hint of deformity could be seen on its structure or weary appearance caused by long term usage whatsoever.
All of her had been cleaned clean, not a single crew's possession existed within her anymore, not even her Captain's in his personal quarters, or the dead bodies of her anti-boarding party. It's like she had just exited the shipyard and was about to conduct her maiden voyage except she's badly damaged from battle already.
"What... should I do, Captain?" Enterprise whispered to the emptiness, tracing her fingers on the soft surface of the chair. She didn't expect for any answer but it's still disappointing when there was none, right now all she needed was someone to give her orders, a direction or some sort now it's impossible to make contact or randezveous with the UNSC since she refused to risk the planet below her to the Covenant's mercy.
Astronavigation failed to pin-point her exact location, there was no reference point recognizable and matching her databases nor there was a NAV buoy anywhere nearby. She could have used her Slipspace Communication suites but she didn't have any Slipspace Drive to send the signal through with, Condors were simply out of question since they could only do short jump in expense of their Slipspace Drive, the last thing she needed was getting stranded in the middle of nowhere while she had already stranded.
Enterprise could only hope her radio picked up something by keeping it on the whole time.
The Heavy Carrier sighed deeply, closing her eyes briefly before sliding into her command chair, she mentally ordered the bulkheads protecting her bridge to be unsealed and a moment later she had a clear view of the space and the planet below.
It was an exact copy of the Earth she knew.
The geography, the topology, they were all matching with 20th century Earth according to her database. Continents and cities were the same as far as she knew except for half of the Asia, Europe, South America and Australia.
They were a bunch of radioactive wastelands.
She had drones deployed all over the planet, taking whatever info she needed to understand the Earth before her, but she never thought it would hit her with the might of a flying brick. The radiation kept scrambling her drones but she was certain she saw the remnants of war zones on the desolated surfaces. If Enterprise had to guess, it seemed either their World War went terribly wrong or their fight against the Siren had forced them to take such drastic measure, still, seeing half of a planet destroyed awoken a disdain deep inside her core.
The Heavy Carrier understood, that mankind would always find a war deep within them, it's a part of human nature they would never be able to get rid of. She was in no position to criticize it though since she was a tool of war, built to shed blood and take life, a slave of an unbreakable destiny. In no way was she a naïve idiot who thought peace could be achieved just by mutual feelings, there would always be squabbles and conflicting ideas.
When faced against a common enemy was the time humanity would unite together under the same banner, but even so they would always find times to throw each others off of the balance they created, just like the Inssurectionist during Human-Covenant War. This world before her however was not really unlike it, they fought one another over the difference of beliefs while trying to survive the heavy seas, true once they had banded together but they discarded the idea in exchange of their own egos.
Enterprise understood what that unknown Siren she met earlier meant when she pointed it out, long before she arrived on this place for far before she was reborn in flesh and blood she had seen the wars and struggles humanity had been so foolishly created by their own, high from the heaven they often looked up so wistfully.
She just refused to acknowledge it.
While it was true, it was also wrong. War and destruction weren't the only things mankind produced, often did the barren lands they left offer a new life. No matter how many time they destroyed, they would rebuild from the ashes, creating things previously unknown and unthinkable by many, prospering and stronger than before.
Humanity would find a way, and this world should too.
A ping from one of her sensors caught Enterprise's attention and she frowned in response as a squadron of Broadswords flew past her bridge, she mentally searched the source and found out it was from her dedicated observation camera she set on a specific location, namely the so called Azur Lane Pacific Base.
"Activity detected, displaying image data to holo-center"
The massive holo projector located directly in front of the Captain's seat came to life with a small hum, giving Enterprise a clear view of the base below her with an utmost precision.
What do we have here... She thought to herself, watching the base keenly. It wasn't until 5 seconds later something flashed before her, literally flashed.
It was faint due to the lightning interference but her camera managed to filter the image so it was undoubtedly a courtesy of a searchlight, probably the one used during air raid. Still, it baffled her why would they use it instead of sending a transmission out, she did tell them they could just do that randomly and she would still pick the transmission up not yet to mention they risked of major interference by using light signal in broad daylight especially in such distance. It's not a problem for her though but they didn't know it, did they?
Though... Morse code?
She blinked once to get rid of her bewilderment before reading it slowly "Presence needed, break, urgent matter, break, please come immediately". Enterprise waited for a couple of seconds until she was certain the message looped, meaning that was all it contained.
It was, however, all Enterprise needed to call her repair drones back inside and post-poned her repair attempt, it was all she needed to spin up her engines and begin to descend to the base below.
As her bow dove down, Enterprise couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble awaited her under there.
"No is a no, Enterprise"
"Sir, with all due respect-"
"With all due respect, is exactly what people would say before saying something disrespectful, my decision won't change"
"Commander, please, I can't let her be just like that!"
Helena silently strode behind the arguing duo, her head swinging back and forth between the Commander and Enterprise as they threw words to each other. The Light Cruiser had a deep frown of concern on her face, one that didn't go unnoticed by many Ship-girls they met along the way, especially Vestal who just like her decided to keep her mouth shut, Helena honestly couldn't fathom why Vestal was there on the first place since it's pretty unusual for her to tag along.
They were on their way to Briefing Room, built inside the main structure of Command Center not so far from Commander's office. Rumours had it flying around the base they were about to conduct an emergency operation but Helena knew better since she was the one responsible for base communication.
It was true.
That morning, Helena just finished her daily routine and was about to mount her shift when she received an urgent request from Hornet's group. Apparently they were ambushed by Crimson Axis who had rallied themselves with the Sirens, it's just a partial message but she heard what she needed.
Hornet's group was by no means a small one, it was filled with battle experienced ships, most came from the top according to base ranking. Helena was confident they would make it through after extracting Sheffield and Edinburgh but she refused to left things on chance this time, not with how crucial this operation was.
"I thought you would understand how painful it was to lose a sister" Enterprise's words caught the blue haired girl's attention, snapping her out of her train of thoughts. Helena flinched when the Commander suddenly stopped on the middle of his track, and not long after Enterprise realized the metaphorical mine she stepped on. "I... didn't..." She tried to find her voice but failed to, instead, she bowed her head down in remorse. "Hornet is the only one I have left, Commander, I have failed one of my sisters and she... She is the only person I can't disappoint, not anymore"
Seconds passed as they stood still in the hallways, nobody uttered a word until the Commander suddenly inhaled deeply. "I understand" He said simply, resuming his pace to the Briefing Room while the two girls stayed behind.
Helena glanced at Enterprise, concern filling her gaze when the Aircraft Carrier stayed frozen in place. She reluctantly put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Let's go help your sister"
"... You're coming?"
"I am, someone has to point out where they are" The Light Cruiser smiled warmly, patting Enterprise in a friendly gesture before motioning for her to follow the Commander with her. "Come now"
Wordlessly, Enterprise complied, striding in with renewed resolve with Helena. It didn't take them long to reach the appointed room and by the time they were there, some familiar faces had already been waiting, some which even surprised Enterprise.
Belfast, Warspite, Vestal, San Diego and the whole Destroyer Squadron 23 were huddled together while the Commander stood on the front of the room, chatting with Glasgow. The sole Battleship currently present, Warspite, still had bandage rolling down her good arm while the other had a sling supporting it, but even so it betrayed the defiant look on her face that said she would not back down from the upcoming mission.
The Commander noticed them entering and he stopped whatever conversation he had with Glasgow. "Alright, everyone's here" He said loud enough to get their attention, and in an instant all idle talks were gone. "Settle down, people, we have no time to waste"
Enterprise nodded when David gave him a look, sitting down on the adjacent chairs beside Warspite while Vestal took her other side. The light dimmed down as the curtains drawn themselves automatically, blanketing the room in a darkness until the ceiling mounted projector came to life, displaying a satellite imaging of an island.
"At 0600 this morning we received a distress signal from Hornet's group, as we all know they went to sortie approximately 7 days ago to evacuate our units behind enemy line" The Commander began before pointing at the image with laser pointer. "This is Rally Point Delta, a former trading city located near the outer ring of Sakura Empire's territory. 20 years ago Siren attack devastated this city resulting in massive destruction and casualty and a decision to abandon it was given shortly after, now it is nothing but a ghost town and no human activity had been detected until a few days ago" David pressed a button on its controller and a new image replaced the previous one immediately.
The Ship-girls gasped.
"What... is happening?!"
"That place is a full fledge war zone!"
"It's burning! The sea is burning!"
"Look at those black dots! Are those... Sirens?!"
What was once a peaceful display of an abandoned city was replaced with a scene of carnage, even with the low resolution Enterprise could still make out ship remains and debris floating above the water surface, fire raging from spilled fuel all over the place keeping the bright glow burning eternally.
The image sent a shiver down the Carrier's spine, she unconsciously wrapped her hands around herself in a search for comfort, knowing full well it was not the first time she witnessed such scene.
In fact, she had seen so many similiar scenes she's sick of it.
"My sister is there... Hornet... My little sister..." Enterprise mumbled, staring forward with empty gaze that betrayed her distressful tone. "We have to help them, I can't... I don't want to lose Hornet too... Not again...". Nobody knew what to say, it was the first time many of them saw Enterprise acted like that, most of the time she had her feelings guarded well but this time it came flooding down like a broken dam Enterprise was practically jittering on her seat.
Vestal was among few who knew Enterprise's true color, she was well versed with the Yorktown sisters and that including their inseparability. Seeing Enterprise like this was actually relieving as much as it a torment because it proved her she still cared about something aside from fighting.
But still...
"Even if..." Helena began somberly, deliberately keeping her eyes down to her lap. "Even if we are to sortie now, it'll still take us days to arrive. It would be too late by then"
The reality of her words dawned on them like a freezing water, washing down their bodies with merciless cold. Enterprise seemed like someone had punched her on the guts and she actually whimpered, it would have come as surprise had everyone didn't feel too distressed themselves.
"Sir, what about contacting Union 7th Fleet for help? Constitution has with her the new F-14s, surely they can reach the target in no time?" Belfast proposed, desperately trying to find a way to help their comrades. Even though her face stayed neutral, a deep turmoil had settled in her heart knowing the last time she met her friends would be the final last.
"I have mentioned it earlier but this operation is too sensitive for direct interference, if Union were to send ships it would spark a flame of war with Sakura Empire considering the current tension between the two, we can't afford that"
"I will go" Enterprise suddenly declared, standing up to her feet. "I don't care even if it was too late I would help them with everything I got, anything better than sitting idly here"
"And who said we will do nothing?" David quickly said when the Carrier seemed ready to bolt out of the room, his words however effectively stopped her in track. "I have plans"
Hope swelled up in their hearts, a glimmer of fire replacing their empty gaze, when the Commander said he had plans, then that meant there was a way to help their friends, even to save them.
Before anyone could say anything in response, the doors behind them suddenly swung open, casting the room with bright light. A silhouette of a person stood there, unmoving except for the head as they silently scanned the place.
"Glad you can make it in time" Said the Commander in greeting. "Thank you for coming" he added more sincerely with a small smile.
It took them a moment to adjust their eyes, but the heavy stomping from a pair of boots was the first given they recognized far before she uttered a word. "What's the situation?"
"Take a seat, I'll explain"
A surge of activity and sound filled the air as the Destroyers shuffled out of her way, Glasgow who had been sitting with DesRon 23 was accidentally knocked down to the floor with small yelp of surprise, she didn't have the time -or will- to stay on her path even though her forehead was in serious pain, scrambling away with Union Destroyers to the edge of the room.
"Why are you here?"
"Same reason as you people, apparently"
Belfast tensed up when the chair on her side creaked out as a weight was added on it, the newcomer barely spared her a glance though in opposite to Warspite and Vestal who were staring at her like she was a ghost, a bit of disbelief was also present on their faces.
The Commander cleared his throat and continued his briefing. "This is an informal rescue operation, paper has it as another Siren extermination but our objectives are to get Hornet's team and the packages out, we will deny any conflict happening here with the Crimson Axis no matter what and that by default your presence, any question?"
A hand shot upwards, the owner was none other than the recent addition to the room, even though she just arrived she had blended in pretty quickly with the rest. "Yeah, what are the packages?"
The Commander barely had enough time to catch himself from raising an eyebrow, usually people would be more apprehensive and concerned by the fact they're doing an 'unofficial' mission but she's more focused to the objectives. This could be only mean one thing and it was this mission was probably not her first time. "A HVT by the name Akashi, Sakura Empire Repair Ship and Fleet Technician, she goes AWOL after a certain circumstance and is currently attached with Sheffield and Edinburgh, she also possesses a deep knowledge of intelligence regarding our enemy and Sakura Empire's plans according to Sheffield"
"And the other?"
"It's a key, for what we don't know yet but it's something big seeing how they basically throw everything they have to get it back, even the Sirens are restless, you don't see that often from them"
The woman was obviously interested with the informations judging by the way she shifted on her seat, a fact that didn't escape David. But he's more than willing to share a bit of intel with her as long he had his girls returned safely. "I know this is probably too soon to ask for your help but we don't have much choice or time to spare, I promise I will give a proper explanation once we get them back to base"
"You don't have to sell yourself sort, I am merely returning the favor. I don't see any spook roaming around the base nor there's nuclear missile heading my way so far, I am honestly grateful for that" She smirked then, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "That offer, though, I will take it"
David nodded. "I had to pull some strings but it seems it was worth it"
"Sir" Vestal interrupted loudly, gaining both parties' attention. "When you said plans, did you mean her?" She said, gesturing towards the person next to Belfast.
"I thought that's an established fact when she arrived. The Battle Plan will rely heavily on her, the infil, execution and exfil are all on her, that's why I need her here to give me inputs on her capability but so far here's the plan" He pressed another button and the display changed once again, this time multiple arrows suddenly popped up in various places along with descriptions. "Sakura Empire and Iron Blood respectively have their ships in the AO, a separate cell from the Central Fleet and High Seas Fleet, they are mostly scattered on these canals acting as the main force but a few have been detected staying outside providing firepower and recon"
"Case is, we are outnumbered and outgunned since the very beginning, the enemy also have home field advantage and they play it pretty well. So far satellite imaging have revealed at least 65 Siren ships, 15 of which Battleships, 20 Cruisers, 10 Aircraft Carriers while the rest are a combination of Destroyers and Korvets, all mass-produced type"
"Easy to kill cannon fodders but with those numbers..." Vestal trailed of mid-sentence, not wanting to add more unnecessary thoughts.
"It is but a pre-determined number, however, a small calculation revealed there were at least twice the amount before, meaning someone or some people had been sweeping them clean, take a guess" Realization crashed on them like a heavy tide and a new excitement found its way on their eyes, if the numbers kept reducing then that meant someone was still fighting out there and it wouldn't be a futile operation. "The message we previously received is an automatic distress signal, its actual date of broadcast is yesterday, for some reason a delay occured but I bet my neck the Siren must have done something, probably jamming"
This time Warspite was the one asking a question, earning a brief glance from David. "What about Sakura Empire and Iron Blood strength? How many of them are there?"
"We can't confirm for sure but there are at least 2 Carriers and 2 Supercarriers, a couple of Battleships and some Cruisers are also detected but expect Destroyers too along these ruins, they are nimble and hard to spot from air especially with such environments and with how tight the space is they will be the most dangerous especially their Long Lance torpedoes"
"And Hornet's Team? Do we know where they are?"
"We already have it figured out" The display changed once again, this time a tall clock tower replaced the earlier picture. The building was not in very good shape, its walls were riddled with holes if not straight up gone while the roof had half of it blown off, smoke and fire dotting its surrounding most in which caused by shell rounds and bombs. "This is where they are, holed up together in the top floor. The enemy is being careful, they could have blown the whole tower off but for some reason they didn't, probably because how delicate the packages are and we can use that to our advantage"
When the blonde seemed satisfied with his answer the Commander continued. "We have enemy reinforcement closing in the island from North, ETA 5 hours, more ships are coming and one of them is Shinano, you know how dangerously packed she Is so we can't afford them arrive" He let his words sunk in for a second, letting them know the full extent of their enemy capability before turning towards a certain someone, someone he needed to know the capability too. "Now, how do you like to proceed?"
The Heavy Carrier didn't reply right away, her arms still crossed and eyes forward, the glow of the projector reflecting on her maroon orbs giving an illusions of them glowing in the dark, while the other occupants had their expectant albeit surprised gazes set on her, the latter was probably because the Commander specifically called her out to aid with the briefing. "It's a race against time but we can manage, if transport and firepower are what we need then I got them covered" She uttered without a hint of hesitation before getting up and walking towards the projected image, index finger tapping the backboard at one specific place. "This tower? We can use it as our extraction point, we'll evacuate them directly from topside so that way we don't have to stretch our forces thin"
Belfast straightened up on her seat. "We do not have the means to do that"
Before the Heavy Carrier could answer, her counterpart suddenly spoke up from Belfast's side. "We don't but she does... Commander, when you said we will rely heavily on her you didn't mean she will be the one doing everything, right?"
"She will not, and hopefully she will not have to. Frankly speaking I wouldn't even have this ops in the first place had she not been here, many of you are still unfit for combat while the others main task is base defense, if you are away and Siren attack us then we're doomed but I'm confident you guys can pull this off with her around"
"Having more assets is not a bad thing, and while I'm flattered by your Commander's words I'm still just one ship. Firepower and transport, those are what I offered, and you are responsible for sweeping the area and evacuation progress, I don't want a finger pointed at me because I miss someone down there and you know everyone better than me" She paused to see their reactions but most of them had a silent look of acceptance, no protest whatsoever so far. "I've been conducting repair for the last few days, but I am yet to repair my main battery. That dive into the ocean flooded my CIC, and without a targeting computer or AI I am risking an unnecessary crater with it. However, my complements of Archers and Bidents along with my deck guns are on separate systems so they are working normally"
She saw the confused look on their faces, probably not understanding half of the things she said but deciding to get along with it anyway judging by the way they nodded dumbly. "So basically, I'll drop tons of leads from the orbit before we insert in, taking out enemy ships, Sirens and the others. I had a test and I assure you they are more than enough to blow them apart" What she said gave an unexpected result, instead of feeling excited or assured they suddenly seemed horrified, this time it was her turn to feel confused.
"Um, Commander?" Helene spoke meekly, shifting to look at David uncomfortably.
"I haven't explained it yet to her"
"Explain what?"
"We... can't destroy a KANSEN, regardless their affiliation"
An incredulous look passed on her face, her eyes roaming around the room and its occupants before stopping at the Commander, still filled with disbelief. "You're kidding, right? These guys are more than willing to kill your friends but you are not?"
David sighed. "It's inconvenient yes but it's a part of the agreement we have in Azur Lane, while I know you are more than capable to wipe them off completely I must ask you to refrain from doing so. The loss of a single KANSEN is an irreplaceable loss not just for a country but the whole world, as examples are IJN Amagi and USS Yorktown, to this day we are yet to replace the gap they left"
"We as in Azur Lane?"
"We as in mankind"
She grimaced in return, shifting on her feet in distraught. Always the same reason, always the same justification. "Well, this is certainly troublesome" Something clicked in her head as she stared at the map once again, a decision came up with it. "You say no KANSEN casualty but I can still destroy those Sirens, right?"
"Yes, you can take them out"
A distracted nod, then a more focused one followed. A single word left her breath, this time as she silently looked around the assembled Ship-girls "Right... Right, I got it. Seems like you guys will play a bigger role than what we thought you would" Her eyes stopped on a certain bunch of Destroyers. "You over there, identify"
A nervous response was expected but instead she received a solid reply from one of them, a certain girl with blonde hair. "Destroyer Squadron 23, Little Beavers"
"Destroyer Squadron 23... Which of you is Charles Ausburne?"
"That would be me"
The leader of the pact, steadfast and reliable. She could respect that.
"You and your friends will be responsible in holding up the perimeter, keep all hostile KANSEN away from our objectives especially around these canals. Scatter torpedo tactic, hit and run by exploiting the ruins, I'll take care of the Siren posing threat to your team from above"
"Got it, guerilla warfare it is"
A nod of affirmation later and she was sure she could rely on them, even though it still felt odd sending these children-like ships to war but they had no other choice. "Next is the Cruisers. Coordinates with local friendly forces and make sure everyone is accounted for evacuation, if needed form a rescue squad for stranded ships, request support from Battleships and Carriers if it's deemed necessary or me when the situation is too dire for either. Loss may just be inevitable and I'm sure as hell want it rather on the enemy side than mine" The last part was directed for the Commander and he knew it, loss might be inevitable and he sure didn't want one of his subordinates to be the one dying, still he didn't like the prospect of killing mankind defenders. "Any questions?"
"What about our entry and exit? how quick will we arrive?"
"10 minutes, give or take"
Belfast didn't even try to hide her shock "10 minutes?! That fast?!"
"Yes, we will arrive at the AO in 10 minutes. We'll go into orbit first before moving in, at this time we'll be going in EMCON to avoid any detection or cause interference to nearby satellites. We may receive but we will not send any transmission out, that means all of us" She gave them a pointed look to make sure her point went across, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "I do not want to jeopardize my existence by revealing it needlessly, that's why I will jam internal communication too"
"You mean you're going to cut us off from the world?" Vestal queried apprehensively to the Heavy Carrier, her question seemingly represented the unease her friends had upon the declaration. Deep down she knew though, if the Heavy Carrier wanted to do something to harm them she wouldn't need to go through such length, still it's worrying to be alone up there.
"Temporarily, yes. Once we're back in atmosphere I will lift it up. Honestly, I'm only doing this because I am yet to trust some of you, and the other is because of the reason I mentioned earlier"
David coughed, once again diverting the girls' attention to him when he realized where the conversation was going to, if the sharp and disdainful look she gave Belfast and Warspite were any indication. "In any case, we do not have many choice, this is the best we can muster with her support"
The glare subsided from the spaceship's eyes before she completely got rid of it, focusing more to the mission ahead. "Continuing on, our exfil plan is very simple. As I was saying, we'll use the tower as randezveous point and evacuation site, get everyone up top and my Pelicans will take care of the rest. After that, we'll retreat back to orbit and then to base" She paused, mulling over the plans she just briefed them with to make sure she didn't miss anything before asking "So, any question or input?"
"Um, yes... What's Pelicans?"
She blinked once, then twice, before rubbing the back of her neck somehow sheepishly when she realized they literally had no clue about her and her arsenal whatsoever.
"Right"
"So this is Pelican..." Vestal was the one breaking the stiff atmosphere surrounding them as they stood frozen at the base courtyard, staring the big aircraft before them with morbid curiosity.
"It's quite... huge?" Said Warspite hesitantly, struggling to find her words. "I think our riggings will still fit"
"Why are the wings like that? I mean how do they make them capable to point upwards like that?"
"Forget about the wings!" San Diego cried out as she clutched her head in shock. "It has a cannon mounted on it!"
"It's a flying gun battery" Enterprise whispered to nobody in particular, her purple eyes wandering around the surface of the strange aircraft with avid details, stopping only when she spotted some peculiar components and the various weapons it carried. The contraption did seem otherworldly, something came out of the wildest of dream engineers would have, a wet dream to be exact.
This... Pelican, was the epitome of crazy avionics, it had everything currently trending in the world including VTOL and thrust vectoring capabilities, something still under development and was expected to be fully understood in a couple of decades to come. Except this single aircraft not only was the perfect example but also an advanced piece of engineering probably centuries to come, brimming with technology they wouldn't grasp until hundreds of years in the future.
It was all there, sitting on their courtyard with all its technological might displayed, engines faintly glowing in stand-by mode.
"Hey!" A voice called out from the back of the Pelican, startling the Destroyers who had been whispering to themselves while they turned in unison to face the source "How long do you plan to stand there and gawk at it? Get in quickly, we're heading out now!"
They shared a glance to each other before silently making their way inside the Pelican, passing by the Commander who had been standing outside near its ramp conversing with the Heavy Carrier, an electronic device or some sort held on one hand behind his back. Enterprise was about to enter the compartment when she heard something that caught her attention, coming from the Heavy Carrier.
"You know, I was expecting an outrage back then" She gestured towards the Command Building with a slight nod, refering to the time they were briefed.
"What do you mean?"
The spaceship didn't answer right away, instead she stared at her purple eyes for a few long seconds before giving her reply. "You do realize if the situation is too dire, we may have to pull out and leave your friends to die, your Commander said it himself"
I wouldn't even have this ops in the first place if she wasn't here.
Enterprise's eyes widened, the amount of informations she received during the briefing was enough to keep her preoccupied from completely understanding David's confession but now she finally caught up with what the Commandser said. "No... it's... You wouldn't do that, right Commander?" When David didn't say anything in return, the shocked look on Enterprise's face morphed into a mixture of anger, sadness and betrayal. "How could you..." She whispered, feeling the tears building on the corners of her eyes.
"I... would do whatever necessary to ensure peace between us and the rest of the world even when our ideas conflict each others"
"Even if it means letting your friends die?"
"I would carry the burdens myself when it comes to that"
When
At this time all assembled Ship-girls had already been listening to the conversation with each having their own reactions, the gloomy atmosphere radiating from inside the Pelican was enough to kill though as it represented the general mood.
"Someone had to make the decision, and I would do the same"
Enterprise glared at her counterpart. "You said that so easily because you don't know anyone fighting out there, it's my sister and my friends! What if it was yours? Would you still say the same if it was your sister?!"
She glared back at her, snarling heatedly, they knew what were coming when the Heavy Carrier suddenly jabbed a finger at Enterprise's chest and pulled her close by her collar, but nobody dared to make a move and defuse the situation. "I would if it meant for the greater good! Do you think I have never lost a sister?! One of them literally went supernova in front of me!"
All those anger as she watched continents being burned, all those sadness she felt tormenting her when she travelled through the remnants of her friends and the grief when yet once again one of her dear sisters died, all crashing down like a merciless tidal wave on her. She was the second ship of the Epoch-class, meaning those who died were her younger sisters, words couldn't describe the pain she felt whenever a transmission coming from the front line colonies saying an Epoch had been destroyed or scuttled and abandoned, knowing full well they were the little sisters she cherished and watched the maiden voyage before.
It's like a parent burying their own child, and no parents were supposed to bury their own children.
"It was her first combat deployment, you know? she was still young, only a few weeks since her launch yet she's already put on the fleet" And in a smaller tone, she added. "A flash of white plasma later and she was gone, one time she's there and the next thing I know she's gone"
"I'm... sorry"
She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply before slowly, gradually, her grip loosened up and she released her off. "Look, I want you to understand our situation, not to poke on your personal problem. You usually have this composed face on you but back there? You seemed like you're ready to jump into actions, reckless actions, all because of your sister and friends are in danger"
"I just want to help them, and I don't want to lose Hornet again"
"I get it, I really do, but what help can you be when all you have is impulse? I need you to follow the plans even if the worst happened, keep your cool head for times like these"
"I... yeah..."
The Aircraft Carrier silently made her way into the Pelican, her head hung low as she sat down on one of the seats available where Vestal then later joined in, reluctantly patting her on the back in comforting manner.
"That's quite blunt" David commented, earning the Heavy Carrier's attention back.
She sighed once again, shaking her head. "Someone had to remove that stick from her ass, I just took it on my accord"
A moment of silence before David spoke, this time his tone took a heavier pitch. "Not everyone is as nonchalant as you are regarding death"
"... You know, one of my sisters often said there's a big difference between spending lives and wasting lives" She stared him in the eyes as if seizing him with those red orbs of her's, searching and scanning in the depths of his very soul. "Which one is this, Commander? Spending or wasting?"
"I'm sure you know the answer, between a fleet of ships and folks back home, the answer is crystal clear"
A dry short chuckle escaped her throat, lacking humour in every sense. "You see us as tools, war machines"
"I see you and the others as soldiers, thoroughly so"
"I wouldn't try to deny my true nature, Commander"
David grimaced but didn't reply to her rather disturbing retort, instead he chose to change the subject. "Remember, this is a snatch and escape operation, do not waste your time over there no matter what but try to not reveal your true form" He said to the raven haired woman before him after a brief glance into the aircraft, making sure everyone was onboard.
If she noticed the way he dodged the topic, she didn't show it. "I understand, sir, I'll try to be discreet"
The Commander nodded and smiled at her in gratitude before straightening his posture, face morphing into a more neutral expression. "Good luck out there and please bring them back safely"
He threw her a perfect salute, one in which she returned almost immediately with the same quality. "I will do my best, Commander" Enterprise said before stepping inside the Pelican, maneuvering around the others while keeping her eyes focused at the Commander.
The Pelican shuddered as its ramp began to close, slowly sealing the crew compartment from outside world. For a brief second, darkness enveloped all of its occupants until the portholes installed on each of its sides depolarized allowing sunlight to filter inside, but they were not enough to fully illuminate the troop bay until suddenly the built-in artificial lights hummed to life along with the Pelican, this time completely eliminated the lingering darkness.
Those unprepared by the sudden explosion of whiteness found themselves blinking rapidly out of biological response to adjust their vision, one of them was Helena who accidentally bumped over Belfast, their riggings clashed against each other creating a resonating thunk across the bay.
"I'm sorry"
"It's not a big matter, it's quite cramped afterall"
Before Helena could give her response, Enterprise suddenly spoke up, not her Enterprise. "Alright everyone buckle up, we have no time to spare so once we finish the re-entry process you'll be jumping out immediately. Rough travel is expected and I'm sure as hell don't want any of you to hit your head or break your neck" They immediately complied albeit hesitantly, settling down on the seats provided. Helena fumbled with her harness trying to figure out how to put it correctly, a few moments later it was properly secured after the Heavy Carrier instructed them how, Warspite had a bit of problem though with her injured arm kept getting in the way.
"Here, let me help you with that" The blonde Battleship stiffened up when Enterprise suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder, keeping her in place, up close she could make out the grey tint of her hair as the woman began working on her safety belt. "See this button? Just press it and it will undo itself, just be careful don't get your injured hand in compromise and you should be fine"
"Okay..."
Enterprise noticed the slight tension and unease in her tone which seemingly increased when the world suddenly shifted as the Pelican began to take off. Exhaling a loud sigh, she stood up and addressed all the passengers onboard. "Listen, I know how abruptly created this team is, and how little planning we have for this mission but I promise you I will do whatever it takes to get everyone back home. Even though we treaded an uneasy alliance and the distrust between us is quite palpable, it is still my duty from your Commander and I wish to fulfill it without a hitch" She turned towards Belfast and Warspite, each respectively straightened up to face her. "I don't trust you and I'm sure neither of you trust me, but I only ask one thing; believe in me, and nobody will die under my watch, I have witnessed enough death I don't need more"
Believe
Wordlessly, she left them after giving each and every single Ship-girls a once over, gone behind the sealed bulkheads of the cockpit. Nobody uttered a word and no one made a sound, only the steady hum of the Pelican filled the void and the constant rumble as it passed through layers of clouds.
Only when they finally escaped the white nothingness did someone break the silence.
"Woah..."
"It's... beautiful"
"First time riding an aircraft, Thatcher?" Vestal asked the small Destroyer with a small smile, watching her and her sisters peering through their shoulders to look outside, awe-stricken by the sight. She tried to distract herself from what the spaceship said.
"Yes, I didn't know the sky is this vast"
"It's not much different with the oceans, everywhere you look at it's deep dark blue. It's not like the sea however because instead of brighter, the more you look upwards the darker it becomes until you lost all sense of directions the farther you go"
The sole Aircraft Carrier onboard spoke for the first time since her quarrel with her counterpart, but her voice was so distant and detached as if the subject had never reached her. "Then again, the sky is where the sun is. A source of warmth for everyone living down there, even though the sky can be unpredictable much like the sea sometimes it is still undeniable that all life would have gone extinct without its gifts"
A nostalgic smile found its way on Vestal's lips. "I do recall you used to spend your time gazing at the sky when you were young, you and your sisters on the hillside back at home" She said in hope of improving Enterprise's mood.
"Yeah..." Muttered Enterprise, staring at one certain point outside through the porthole, a black speck that slowly growing bigger and bigger. "We... were happy back then, so innocent and full of dreams"
"30 seconds to docking"
"But as time flew and the tragedies that followed, even the brightest of light will burn itself out, and the brightest of light burns the fastest"
The black dot had now turned into a giant, a massive metal construct hovering high above cloud level, as imposing as one could imagine especially when they flew right beside its port side directly near its plethora of weapons. At this point, everyone already had their eyes glued to the giant vessel with each having their own reactions, but a certain silver haired girl had her attention on only one thing; the vessel's name, displayed proudly on her hull taking almost a third of her length.
Enterprise remembered what her sister Hornet said the last time she saw her, about the spaceship's motto and how she saw it. It's strange because as far as she knew there was no patch whatsoever on her person and uniform that showed it, but turned out what Hornet saw was not on her person at all but rather on her metal form. The three words representing her motto were painted just below her name, smaller but still big enough for them to see, along with the letter CV-600 and two capitalized EN that by itself were large enough to cover an Aircraft Carrier diagonally.
Now with her repair attempt had taken effect, they could pretty clearly see the whole form of the Heavy Carrier, polished and cleaned from any damage though the non-reflective material of her coating completely absorbed the sun reflection leaving her surfaces forever pitch black. There were still some rugged points but no holes whatsoever thanks to the metal plating covering them, it surprised her how quickly she patched them especially with the fact she did it without their help.
"We're coming for final approach"
Enterprise's train of thoughts were interrupted when they suddenly dove down, passing below one of the 'wings' of the vessel and the smaller caliber weapons she probably used as point defense weapons. Grey metal wall filled their vision for a moment before the Pelican swerved right and hovered near an open entrance, big enough to probably fit a Destroyer total length. At first nothing seemingly happened and it confused them as to why they stopped there until a glint of white pulled near the Pelican before it swiftly moved into the spaceship, a Broadsword Fighter.
"Her runway is on her... belly?" Helena began reluctantly, looking at everywhere. This was the first time she saw the spaceship up close and to be entirely honest she's a bit nervous and intimidated by her size and it took everything out of her to not squirm, knowing full well her rigging would hit someone again if she made the slightest of movement.
"It's odd but it makes perfect sense, why would you have it on top when you can connect it directly with your hangar?" Vestal replied.
"That assuming she has a runway to begin with, her aircraft possess VTOL capability afterall" Warspite added.
The Pelican moved again, this time with reduced speed but slowly and surely they're making their way inside the gaping maw of the Heavy Carrier. Once again a voice resonated through the crew compartment coming from small speakers installed across it, spoken by none other than the embodiment of the ship before them.
"Ladies, welcome aboard"
The portholes polarized themselves once again obscuring them from seeing the outside and in extent the spaceship's inside. A dry thunk however was enough of evident for them to understand they had arrived on their destination, the revelation was enough to make them tensed up in a mixture of anxiousness and anticipation.
A hiss signaled the Heavy Carrier reemergence from the Pelican's cockpit, without sparing a glance she strode towards the rear most of the troop bay as the ramp began to lower, only when it had opened fully did she talk, turning on her heels to address her curious spectators.
"From here on the operation has begun, stay inside the Pelican you'll drop out as soon as we reenter into the atmosphere"
"Where are you going?" Belfast asked when the ravenette suddenly walked away without much word.
"I'll be on the bridge" A robust looking car pulled over near her, empty with no driver whatsoever, and she jumped behind the steer unceremoniously. "I have better scope from up there, besides it's not like you'll run around my hangar and being touchy feely, right?"
Belfast grimaced. "No..."
"Good, I'd know either way" She reeved on the gas, and the car roared up in response. "Hang tight and don't freak out, you'll be one of few men ever go to space"
And just like that, she drove away, the sound of the Warthog's Hydrogen engine slowly fading away in the distance. None of them understood the meaning of her warning until the gravity suddenly shifted and the feeling of free fall took over for the briefest of moment, the only thing keeping them from being thrown away was the harness around their body.
"Sorry about that, my artificial gravitation adjusters were decalibrated when I crashed and I haven't fixed it" Came Enterprise voice from the INTERCOM. "The Pelican has magnetic clamps so you guys should be fine if you stay there"
"I... don't feel so good" San Diego mumbled, holding her stomach and what's inside it.
"Yeah well you better swallow it, we'll arrive in 7 minutes. I recommend you double check your gear and make sure you're green, the Sirens have intensified their attack from what I see, they probably know we're coming"
"So they're finally successful decrypting Hornet's message" Helena interjected, this time she didn't try to mask her uneasiness.
"My guess exactly, kind of odd though since they jammed the area yet didn't aware of the transmission. I'll have transmitter drones deployed as ECCM, you should be able to open communication once you got there, what's your communication frequency?"
"For short range, satellite and aircraft it's 300-400 MegaHertz in Ultra High Frequency setting, Eagle Union Navy standard. But Hornet's team is on 452.2MHz"
"... Alright, it's done" The spaceship paused, they could barely make out her humming in thought for a brief second. "Hey blue girl, you're the EW specialist, right?"
Helena blinked owlishly.
Blue girl?
"N-not quite, I am merely responsible for communication. Why did you ask?"
"I need to know all the frequencies you guys utilize, it'll make things easier"
Belfast stiffened up, she opened her mouth to say something but closed it again a second later. They knew what the headmaid was about to say, if the troubled look and the way she bit her lips were a proof.
"I'll have it compiled later"
"Thank you. I've arrived on my bridge, images data from surveillance drones have just come back too, it seems the enemy have made significant progress in pushing Hornet's team despite the massive Siren casualty they suffered and they..."
A chill ran down their spines hearing the Heavy Carrier trailed off, the anxiousness and unease they felt had turned into a full fledged dread. She had been so composed so far, keeping her attitude in check in front of them by being dependable and confident for the sake of the mission so to hear her losing her words was more than unsettling and alerting.
"What's the matter?" The Aircraft Carrier Enterprise asked with no small amount of trepidation to the empty air, something was nagging at the back of her mind telling her she wouldn't like her answer.
A warrior's instincts were rarely wrong, but for once she wished she was wrong.
"... Hornet's down, she's burning"
TBC
Oh I know how to end a chapter alright.
To be honest, I've completed this chapter's general plot since almost a month ago, but then I thought "Fuck it, not enough drama" so I added more drama. How it goes I'll let you guys be the judge for it.
So yeah I tried to write the story on Google Doc, but there's a small problem in which I can't upload it to the site. I also tried to take the already written from Fanfiction app to check it on Google Doc but then I lost all my progress which is suck, though thankfully it's only a small part of the whole chapter. I could do it manually though by going through each paragraphs, by copying the document and then putting it on Google Doc but I'll be honest since it's too much of a hassle I'd probably only do it on occasions.
About updating in shorter but more frequent order... Well, how do I say this... Thing is, sometimes expectation doesn't meet reality. Would you believe me if I said I have no control over the chapter length? Because that's the case. All I can do is plan and adapt, and there's a problem with shorter chapter order where the story gets choppy as consequence. Immersion is everything, one thing I want the most is to have my readers ride along the plot rather than to force it down.
On that note, you guys probably have noticed it my writing style is the one that is character-driven, rather than plot-driven. I want you guys to see the world I build on from the characters' eyes, their feelings, thoughts and actions are all what make up the story. Of course, that doesn't mean the plot is any less important but I want to make people 'feel' first.
Anyway, that would be all I think. Congratulation on figuring out the meaning of our space Enty's motto. Again, thank you for all of your support so far, your feedbacks all have reached me and I've taken them into account. Please keep them coming, that's all I ask you guys to give me and it's like the best thing you can do.
See you guys later and stay safe.
P.S: I love Ace Combat 4 too it has like the best final mission intro in the entire series.
Cipher032 out!