Isaac and Norfolk watched from the bridge of the Norfolk as Vengeance's planes screamed low across the water, kicking up spray and causing wakes as they approached the dockyards. When the planes got within two hundred meters of the fortified positions, Vengeance pulled up hard, sending the bombs sailing right into the mob of Wolf Pack soldiers who had taken cover under a sheet of armored steel. This, while in direct opposition to her given mission, impressed Isaac with her ability to use pinpoint accuracy to destroy the soldiers within the fortified position without ruining the armor plating.
"Well done, Vengeance. I'm impressed." Isaac said with a smile.
"You think I'm trying to impress you? Don't make me laugh. I just want to watch these bastards burn. Anyone who serves the Sirens deserves nothing but a slow painful death. And besides, I figured you might want some heavy plating for that new ship you're building for the Iowa girls." Vengeance scoffed.
"How thoughtful." Isaac poked.
"Boy… keep pushing my buttons and see what happens." Vengeance spoke in a low tone. Yet, despite the seriousness of her tone, Isaac could find no malice behind it.
Isaac tapped his helmet.
"Which bulin was left in charge?" Isaac spoke, directing the call to the tug-o-war.
"That would be me, sir." One of the bulins spoke.
"Alright. You're getting a name. No offense, but you all respond to Bulin, so from here on, your name is Sarge. Please find a hat so I can identify you." Isaac said.
"Right away, sir. Was there something you needed?" Sarge asked.
"Yes. With Vengeance clearing the way with her precision bombing runs, we're going to begin landing the troops. We need a squad of bulins to be able to split among the troops so that we can tamp down the fires and allow us to push in. From what little I know, Thermite is deceptively difficult to put out, and I don't want my men put at risk for burns or inhalation injuries." Isaac said.
"So you call the experts! Smarter thinking than usual, Admiral… no offense." Sarge replied cheerfully.
"I'll overlook that comment because I'm in a decent mood. Do you have a readily available solution?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. We can put it out with copious amounts of aluminum oxide, enough to smother the flames. Other than that… we have to let it burn out. Water can and will cause massive explosions and since thermite is a self-sustaining reaction, we can't deprive it of oxygen easily." Sarge explained.
"Got it. Prepare a squad with that aluminum oxide and prepare for landing. I'm going to be giving the order once Vengeance clears the airspace." Isaac said.
"Consider it done, Admiral." Sarge said as she cut the line.
Isaac switched the channels again to Taka onboard his transport ship and the HMS Athene.
"Alright Taka, give the order to drop the landing craft, we're moving in. I'll be sending Nimi, Laffey, and the Tug to escort you in. The bulins will be providing assistance in dealing with the puddles of thermite laying around on the docks. Our job here will be to set up a secure perimeter and hold these shipyards until we get news from Jager and Michael. Once the threat is gone, we'll set about salvaging the Wisconsin and the sunk destroyers before moving Missouri to the drydock." Isaac spoke.
"I understand, Shikikan. We will not fail. Not when we are this close." Taka assured Isaac.
"Good. We've come too far to fail. And with no major battle ahead until we reach Russia, I feel like our odds are pretty good here." Isaac said as the first of the landing craft began motoring their way towards the docks of Kure.
XXXXXVVVVVXXXXX
"Any movement from the enemy?" Michael asked as he looked through his binoculars.
"Nothing, Kommandant. The hooded figures I had seen prior have all dissipated." Friedrich spoke as her secondary batteries scanned the port of Yokosuka.
"It's starting to get dark. Didn't the Admiral say that Jager was on his way?" Michael asked as the sound of beating wings filled his ears.
"Radar contact 8:00 closing fast." Amagi spoke softly, relaying her radar information to the fleet at large.
"That has to be them, those drumming sounds are indicative of Elizabeth's aircraft. Reach out to them." Michael ordered.
"Unidentified aircraft, this is Amagi under the command of Shikikan Michael. Identify yourself or you will be fired upon." Amagi spoke.
"Pump the brakes, would you, Amagi? It's Jager. I'm onboard one of the English carrier's aircraft with the black death in tow." Wilhelm spoke flatly.
"Ah, Wilhelm. So good to hear your voice again. I'll turn the rear turret to make some space for you to land and disembark. We were in the middle of planning what to do here." Amagi explained as her rearmost turret turned to the side to allow reasonable amounts of space for the Chinook to land on her stern.
"Thanks for the landing zone, Amagi. It's going to take some getting used to now that all the warships I interact with no longer have helicopter pads." Elizabeth admitted over the radio.
"It isn't a problem, your Majesty. I'm happy to help. Jager is a good friend so anything to help him is no burden on me." Amagi replied as she noticed the helicopter landing on the tail end of her vessel. With the sounds of the blades becoming softer and eventually dissipating, Amagi made one final statement.
"Good luck in Kure, Elizabeth." Amagi spoke.
"Thank you, Amagi. Good luck to you as well." Elizabeth said as she cut the line.
Amagi then felt the weight of the chinook disappear as the helicopter shimmered out of existence. Several minutes later, Jager and his men walked onto the bridge.
Amagi walked forward and hugged Jager before returning to Michael's side.
"Welcome aboard again, my flying ace." Amagi said with a smile.
"It's good to be back. Sadly, I won't be doing much flying during this mission. I have orders from the Admiral and I am to incorporate your forces to see it done." Wilhelm said.
"Of course. What orders have you been given?" Michael asked.
"The Admiral wishes to procure the yards diplomatically as opposed to brutalizing the population. As such, I have been tasked with leading my men into the Imperial Palace to rescue Emperor Hirohito and set the groundwork for negotiations. Thing is, we have reason to believe that the Wolfpack and Siren elites have the palace on lockdown and are coercing the Emperor into having the remaining military stand against us to the last man." Wilhelm explained.
"That much is true… sadly." A mysterious voice came over the radio.
Amagi ran to the window and looked around until laying her eyes on a suspicious cloud of fog.
"Lady Friedrich, that fog cloud at our 5:00. Are you able to see anything?" Amagi asked as she checked her own instruments, coming up empty on anything conclusive.
"I do. There is a destroyer lurking in the mist. Shall I engage?" Friedrich asked as her mass array of secondary cannons took aim at the fog.
"Give me a minute to ascertain my suspicions." Amagi said before cutting the line.
"Who is that?" Wilhelm asked.
"A very enthusiastic destroyer… that was sunk in the Philippines back in 1944." Amagi said as she adjusted her radio.
"Shimakaze? Is that you?" Amagi asked.
"You remember my name. Is that you? Lady Amagi?" Shimakaze asked.
"Shimakaze. What are you doing here? You were sunk back during the war." Amagi spoke softly.
"They… They brought me back. But… I didn't want to hurt anyone, so I ran. It hurts… the pain in my neck is maddening. I was too quick. They couldn't catch me. But every move I made only made the pain worse. This is the first time the pain has subsided even a little." Shimakaze spoke in a tone bordering delusional.
"Shimakaze… what are you doing right now?" Amagi asked.
"I'm sorry, Lady Amagi. My torpedo tubes are aimed at your forces. The mere act of turning my guns on you has relieved so much pain… but every second I hesitate to fire… hurts more and more." Shimakaze admitted.
"Shimakaze. We can help you. But you can't open fire. If you do, I can't guarantee your safety." Amagi spoke.
"Amagi, shall I open fire on the destroyer?" Friedrich asked again.
"No. It's Shimakaze. She's a very good friend. But she seems to be under the effects of a black cube, similar to the ones that Tirpitz described were used on Prinz Eugen." Amagi spoke.
"So, she is attempting to attack us?" Michael asked.
"From what she has divulged. We are in what the Americans would call a "Mexican Standoff." Basically, she has fifteen long lance torpedoes aimed at us, while we have a flurry of guns aimed at her. She'd have a higher kill rate and she is fighting the urge to pull the trigger, knowing fully well we would pour naval fire until she sinks again." Amagi said.
"So, what do we do?" Michael asked.
"I have experience in dealing with black cubes. I had to extract one from a Union carrier. I can do the same here. I just need to get over there." Wilhelm said.
"I can send you over in a catapult fighter." Amagi offered.
"What's her AA like?" Wilhelm asked.
"Weak. She was taken out by an American plane during the war. But most of Japan's destroyers had weak AA, so it was par for the course." Amagi spoke, swiftly burying the barely hidden insult.
"Then that should be the course we take. Time to save a destroyer." Wilhelm said as he headed for the catapult on the stern.