The winds had died down and the water of the bay had calmed to an eerie flatness reserved only for the most remote lakes in the range of Mount Fuji. The water was so still, that should one look at the edge of Amagi's hull where it meets the water, small tremors could be seen due to the idle rumble of the Gihon steam turbines that powered her hull. Not a single soul dared make a sound. But in this eerie bay, surrounded by fog, one thing was certain; Shimakaze was out in the fog, and she had fifteen long-lance torpedoes ready to fire. And on the opposing side, Amagi, Gangut, and Friedrich all had their main battery and secondary battery guns leveled at the fog, using Friedrich's more advanced radar systems to get a better bead on the shifty destroyer.

The standoff had grown to nearly twenty minutes in length before the sound of an aircraft engine spooling up pierced the silence. With a puff of steam, the Zero containing Wilhelm was flung off the catapult and thrown into the fog to hunt down Shimakaze.

"Shimakaze. You must fight through the pain. We want to help you." Amagi spoke softly into the radio, using a gentle tone to coax Shimakaze into maintaining their current standoff as opposed to escalating it into a gunnery duel.

"Lady Amagi… it hurts so much… every second i think of not wanting to hurt my friends… the more it feels like my very being is burning. But every adjustment I make to keep you in my gun sights… it brings a wave of cooling relief… like the breeze you could feel when walking through the Imperial Palace courtyards. The absence of pain is bliss… but it is torture… because it means I am killing my friends." Shimakaze spoke, focusing more on Amagi than the fog-muffled sound of an approaching aircraft. At the same time, Friedrich's secondary guns corrected their trajectory and were now beamed in on Shimakaze's location.

"Give me the order and I shall initiate my attack." Friedrich spoke as she activated her sonar, the loud pings sounding like methodical war drums in the vast silence of the bay.

"I don't want it to come to that, Friedrich. She is a good friend and an asset that the Admiral can make good use of. Hold your fire until your sonar picks up her she remains neutral, we can salvage this." Amagi spoke as the sound of a plane splashing down hit her ears.

"Wilhelm? Are you okay?" Amagi asked.

"Yeah. Splashed down a bit away but I'd rather swim. Her deck is a mess, I can see her anchor chain in the water, she's anchored here." Wilhelm reported as he ditched from the aircraft.

"Good luck, pilot." Amagi whispered.

"Amagi. I have her dialed in… if she launches an attack, my shells will not miss." Friedrich spoke neutrally.

"I have no doubt about that. Please give us a little bit longer. Jager is making his way towards her vessel, so please hold fire." Amagi begged.

"Where is the little torpedo boat, Amagi?" Gangut grumbled.

"Gangut, we're working on it. Keep your distance. If anything, turn your hull so you present less of a target. If you take a long lance torpedo, I do not wish to imagine the damage your hull would take." Amagi said.

"So let me open fire. Take her out before she can kill us. I'm sick of all the red tape!" Gangut roared over the radio.

"Gangut! As acting commander of this detachment, you will defer to Amagi's orders. You will adjust your hull and hold your fire. Bureaucracy or not, orders are orders!" Michael snapped.

"Keep talking to me like that and I'll cavitate your skull. I don't need to remind you that you're my enemy twice over. An Imperialist… and a Fascist. Even that Nazi you sent flying over into the mist is lower on my shit list than you. I'll move my hull for the fox, but if I get another itch on my trigger finger, I will not hesitate to scratch it. I've already lost so goddamn much by leaving my country to help the Lone Wolf. You will not order me to risk my life just to keep your own conscience clear. Or do I have to remind you that I had to shoot and kill my own best friend." Gangut snapped back, shocking Michael and Amagi both with the sobering clarity in her tone. No longer did she sound like the end of a week-long drinking binge… but she sounded like a Soviet Officer on Execution duty.

Turning off the radio, Michael spoke to Amagi.

"Keep one of the turrets aimed at her hull. It seems that she is the type that needs a bit more than orders to do what is needed." Michael tried.

"She's right, Michael. Friedrich told me about how she had to lay Avrora to rest. We have no right to tell her to risk her life by holding fire when we're all here in the center of a mexican standoff. Her country is in ruins. She's lost at least one of her friends. Forcing her compliance is not the route to take." Amagi spoke.

"But it is the logical choice to make in this situation. We want to save Shimakaze. Her power and speed will be useful in the future." Michael objected.

"Be that as it may, the only reason we are being subjected to a standoff is because we desire not to kill my friend. If we gave the order to sink Shimakaze, it would be the most logical solution to this situation… so you can see why I am not using logic as the basis for my decisions here." Amagi countered.

Michael breathed a sigh.

"So what do we do? She's clearly in the mindset of destroying anything that prevents her from moving forward in her quest for revenge. If we can't wrap this up before another wave of anger washes over her…" Michael was interrupted by the report of three twelve-inch cannons sending what could only be assumed as high explosive into the mist.

"GANGUT!" Michael yelled as the radio beeped.

"Torpedo launch transients detected on sonar! Orders?" Friedrich requested.

"Hold your fire and adjust your hull and shields to defend. Gangut is going rogue." Michael replied as he switched Amagi's radio to Wilhelm's helmet.

"Jager, do you copy?" Michael asked.

"Yeah. Care to explain the sound of shells over my head?" Wilhelm replied.

"Gangut is going rogue. You need to pick up the pace before she gets lucky. I have Friedrich holding fire, because if she lets loose, you're gonna be swimming back." Michael said.

"Got it. I'm on deck now… but the girl isn't here." Wilhelm said as the sound of steel being unsheathed sent him rolling across the deck and reaching into his vest to grab his knife.

"I'm closer than you think, Pilot." Shimakaze spoke as she faced him down with a sword that was almost taller than she was.

"What happened to not wanting to hurt your friends?" Wilhelm asked.

"Lady Amagi is my only friend here. I don't want to hurt anyone… but Lady Amagi is the only one I haven't fired my torpedoes at." Shimakaze spoke as a pained look crossed her face.

"I'm a part of 'anyone'. I want to help you." Wilhelm spoke.

"How can you help me? They can see me. They can hear me… they can control me. The pain is excruciating." Shimakaze spoke as she leveled her sword at Wilhelm, earning her a wave of immense relief.

"I can remove the cube in your neck. They won't be able to hurt you." Wilhelm offered.

"They'll kill me if I allow that." Shimakaze spoke softly.

"And If you don't let me, that German Battleship you just launched torpedoes at will shred your hull into oblivion. You choose." Wilhelm spoke as he brandished his knife.

"A fight to the death… nothing is more honorable." Shimakaze spoke as a euphoric wave of relief clouded her mind, setting the point of her sword on a direct path with Wilhelm's heart.

"That sword will be an issue… but nothing I can't handle. Komm zu mir, Kaninchen." Wilhelm spoke as both parties jumped towards one another.