Chapter by Dax
To Our American Readers,
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
The United States of America was now at Japan's front door, all that was left was to take the Island of Okinawa, and then strike the final blow to Japan once and for all. The American fighting spirit was now at an all time high. Since the Germans and Italians had surrender, all that was left was the once power Japanese Empire. However, Japan had now resorted to some very wild plans of attack.
With their Navy almost completely wiped out and all of their pilots reduced to nothing but rookies, Japan had no real fighting force, but their now dwindling military. Word soon spread to the last Japanese stronghold, saying that they should defend the island to the very last man, woman and child. And so, that is what they did.
Since the April 1, the Americans were attacking with 1,300 ships, while the carriers launched hundreds of planes, the Enterprise had been hit many times, but she would not yield. Hit by suicide pilots, the Lucky E refused to be stopped. It was as if the spirits of all the sailors and pilots killed on board were protecting her. But soon, the Enterprise would be in the fight of her life.
May 12, 1945.
Second Lieutenant Lilly "Snowball" Maverick was feeling really nervous, she had never flown a night mission, and this would be her first. As she took off from the Enterprise, Lilly looked over her shoulder to see her mother and sister salute her. With a smile, the youngest Maverick returned to the salute to her family. It was hard to say goodbye during a war.
Lilly then focused on her mission. She along with other carrier pilots were going to attack their main objectives which were the Japanese airfields in Kyushu, Sasebo, and Nagasaki, so that the Kamikaze attacks would be brought to a halt.
And all through the night, Lilly and the other pilots made the Japanese losses build up, but what Lilly didn't know, was her luck was about to run out.
As she pulled her plane up after dropping her bombs, an Anti-air round took her right wing off. Lilly bailed without thinking and figured she would rather die on the ground then be burned alive in her plane. Once she landed safely, a group of Japanese soldiers grabbed her, and took her prisoner.
May 13, 1945.
Lt. Colonel Eve "Mama Bear" Maverick, Colonel Jaime "King" Ramirez, and Colonel Cain "Devil Anse" Adams, stood in a the shape of triangle. The other pilots of Angel, Rouge and Devil Squadron stood around them in a circle.
"Today, these three squadrons merge as one," Eve said, and placed her hand on the American flag that was folded on Lilly's bunk.
"An angel has fallen and been taken," King said, sadly wiping a lone tear from his face. "But, we will get her back.
Cain nodded.
"Two of you will fly to Okinawa and find Lilly. This is the first order of the newly formed, Liberty Squadron."
The eager pilots murmured among themselves, until Corporal Samson "Strongman" Johnson and First Lieutenant Dax "Big Daddy" Sterling walked up, the leaders of Liberty Squadron.
"We will go," Dax smiled with a salute.
"By my life or death, I will see to it that Lilly will come home," he looked at his girlfriend Sweets and added, "I promise to come back to you."
Samson looked at his girlfriend.
"I promise to come back to you as well, Delilah," he said with such confidence that it moved her to tears.
As Dax and Samson got ready to make their departure, Delilah had something she really want to share with her true love. Pulling her beloved Samson into a hug, she whispered in her ear, "I'm pregnant."
Samson pulled back and just stared at her in silence, his face blank. Delilah hugged herself as she took a small step back and turned slightly away from him.
"This is not some joke or ploy to try and get you to marry me. I would never lie about something important like this. I just found out that I was pregnant when Lilly was about to go on her night mission; I had to get a pregnancy test from her. I knew I had to tell you before you left on your mission. So, that's all I really needed to tell you, I just wanted you to know about the baby," Delilah finished and started to leave but Samson suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Are you really pregnant?" he asked her.
Delilah nodded. Samson suddenly laughed and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Oh, my beautiful Delilah! I love you! You, not Candy or any of the other girls. I've tried to tell you every night but you usually fell asleep before I could tell you. And whenever you were awake, I was either too caught up in the moment or I could never get you alone long enough to tell you. Not that those are really very good excuses, I know! I want to marry you Delilah, not because of the baby but because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Re…really?" Delilah gasped as she looked up into Samson's warm jade green eyes eyes.
"Of course, you didn't think I was going to just say I loved you and leave it at that, did you? No, my child will need a father; I will not let it be a bastard like me. I will marry you and we will raise a healthy child," Samson grinned.
"Well, I don't know. I don't know if I've been proposed to or just told I will now become a bride," Delilah smiled coyly.
"Marry me, Delilah; be my wife?" Samson asked softly as he knelt down on one knee. "I don't have a ring at the moment but I promise to get you the most beautiful one out there."
"Yes, yes I'll marry you. I love you, Samson!" Delilah cried as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
Samson stood up and, laughing, grabbed Delilah and twirled her around as they laughed. Once he stopped, he pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. When they parted, Samson stared into her eyes, love reflecting in them just as he knew his own reflected his love for her.
"We will get married once the war is over. I know you love autumn and October is the best month for it. Then, you will join me in Detroit where we will live and raise our family."
"Then so be it, Samson. You are my mighty hero in shining armor, just come back to me," Delilah said, before placing another kiss on his lips. Then the mighty Samson and Dax left, heading to Okinawa for their rescue mission.
May 14, 1945.
As the crew of the Enterprise were going about their business, the alarms should general quarters. Sailors rushed to their guns, ready to defend the Enterprise once again from the Japanese's Kamikazes. Lt. Col Humphrey "Rex" Chambers Sr rushed up to the flight deck just in time to see the Anti-air guns open fire on the incoming Japanese planes.
This was nothing like the first world war he had gone through. No. This was kind of attack was just pain crazy. Here were trained pilots trying to kill themselves by ramming their planes into the American ships, it was suicide! The old WW1 ace quickly ran for the nearest plane and prepared to take off to shoot down as many Kamikazes he could.
However, there was one tiny little flaw with his plan, the Enterprise was moving all over the place, thus making takeoff impossible. So, Rex ditched his Hellcat fighter and made his way toward the Anti-air guns to help in the defense of the carrier.
Kamikaze after Kamikaze were shot down by the Enterprise pilots who were in the air, and the seasoned gunners of the Enterprise herself. It looked like things were going smoothly, but that all changed. A single Kamikaze was heading straight for the Enterprise.
Rex quickly turned his 20mm Anti-air gun toward the Kamikaze and opened fire on the oncoming plane. But instead of ramming the ship, it veered off to the right, but quickly pulled up. Moving as fast as he could, Rex pointed his weapon up to shoot down the Kamikaze.
"Intensify forward forward firepower!" he shouted, as the other gunners elevated their guns as well.
But the Kamikaze went into a steep dive aiming right for the center of the Enterprise, but then to the shock everyone on board, the zero did the unthinkable, it avoided the Anti-air gunners!
"Too late!" Rex's spotter shouted. Both men watched in horror as the enemy plane went straight down into the number one ship's elevator. But that wasn't the worst part, it's 500 pound bomb had found itself five decks below the flight deck. The first explosion was powerful enough to throw Rex and his spotter with many other sailors overboard, but the worst was still to come.
Down below, Colonel Cain "Devil Anse" Adams had just taken Delilah to the medical bay to protect her and her unborn child from harm. However, that would be the last time his friends would ever see him again. When the 500 pound bomb went off, Cain was killed by the blast alone. The explosion was so powerful, that the entire flight elevator that weighted 15 tons was blasted 300 feet into the air.
Like a knife to the heart, the Enterprise was so badly damaged that everyone thought the ship would sink. Fire crews rushed to put out the flames, while the remaining pilots in the sky flew cover the wounded carrier.
"Godspeed Big E," Eve whispered to herself in his Corsair.
In the end, 13 men and women lost their lives. 68 were wounded and 8 were thrown overboard, one of them being Captain Samuel "Buckeye" Davis, who Rex managed to swim to and keep from drowning as the younger wolf's injuries, being severe burns to the right side of his face and a broken arm, making it difficult for him to swim. And as the wounded Enterprise limped away from the battle, it was clear, that Enterprise was finally no longer going going to fight in the war.
Still, there was the concern of the missing Angel Squadron pilot, Lilly.
May 29, 1945.
After two weeks was searching and interrogating Japanese soldiers who had surrendered, Dax and Samson had finally found out where Lilly was being held. It was the last stronghold on the whole island, Shuri Castle. There was no way of telling if Lilly was still alive, but what at least they knew where she was now. As the two pilots made their way to join up with a group a Marines who were going to attack the castle, news of the attack on Enterprise finally reached them.
Both wolves were struck with a mix of shock, anger, sadness and fear that their girlfriends were either dead or wounded. It was not good for either one of them, but both wolves were battle hardened and ready to for some pay back.
But as they made their way toward Shuri Castle, Lilly was not only alive, but being treat rather well for being a prisoner of the Japanese defenders. Over the last two weeks, the lovely she-wolf had been guarded by a young Japanese soldier named Shingo. It turned out that Shingo's father had been the one who had sunk the Battleship Arizona at Pearl Harbor, but sadly lost his life at the battle of Midway. Now, when the Americans were island hoping, the emperor had ordered a military drafting, and young Shingo had been pulled into the war.
As Shingo brought Lilly some food, he felt it best to ask her something he had wanted since the day she arrived. Placing the plate of rice down in front of her, Shingo asked, "Do you know a man by the name of James "Hutch" Hutchinson?" he asked.
Lilly nodded.
"He was a good friend of mine," she said, then reached over and took the plate of rise. "Do you know him?" Lilly asked Shingo.
Shingo turned away.
"He's my cousin through my aunt, but is it true that he died during the attack on Pearl Harbor?"
Tears were now running down Lilly's cheeks.
"Yes, he died trying to save the lives of sailors that he was responsible for."
Before Shingo could ask another question, the sound of gunfire and explosions were heard. Lilly knew what was happening, the American forces had began their attack on Shuri Castle. And with the attack happening on all sides of the castle walls, there would be no escape for the Japanese defenders, but she already knew that these men would rather fight and die in a blaze of glory then surrender.
Shingo looked at Lilly with tear filled eyes.
"Goodbye Lilly," he said, before leaving her alone.
"God be with you, Shingo!" she shouted to him.
When Shingo reached the main courtyard, he could see many of his fellow soldiers running around, trying desperately to fight off the massive number of American troops. Armed with only an Arisaka 99, Shingo hurried to spot on the northern wall. Once her got there, he could see the entire area outside was crawling with invading Americans.
"For the Emperor! For our people! And for our honor!" a Japanese officer shouted. Shingo quickly took aim with his Arisaka and began to kill any American soldier who crossed his sights.
Down on the ground, Corporal Samson "Strongman" Johnson and First Lieutenant Dax "Big Daddy" Sterling slowly made their way toward the northern wall. As Allied troops opened fire on the Japanese defenders, Dax spotted a weak point in the wall.
"The wall as a crack in it! Samson, break down the wall!" Dax shouted pointing to the wall.
"Samson smash!" Samson proudly shouted. Like a bull seeing red, the mighty Samson ran head first into the wall, leaving a huge hole for the other Allied troops to breach the wall as well. But just as the Americans came through the hole, Samson saw something that made him realize that his life was about to be over in a flash.
Hidden behind some ruble was a Type 94 75mm Mountain gun. Two Japanese soldiers had aimed their cannon at the hole and loaded it with an Anti-personnel round.
"Oh, SHIT!" Samson shouted as the cannon went off like a giant shotgun, killing any soldier who was unfortunate enough to be in front of the group. Up on the wall, Shingo watched with a certain satiation as over a dozen Americans were killed by the shrapnel from the Anti-personnel round, but then he saw that Samson had only survived with just the loss of his left arm.
When Samson lost his arm, he at first looked around for it. But, sadly, he couldn't find it among the bodies of the dead Americans, so he just pulled out his pistol and began to wildly shoot at the two Japanese soldiers trying to reload the cannon.
Shingo took aim at Samson. His first shot struck the Corporal in the lower back, just below his heart. He still refused to die and pushed on toward the cannon. Shingo took aim again, this time, his second shot struck Samson in between his shoulders. The Corporal fell to his knees and just looked up to the sky.
"Delilah! My love, I'm so-" Samson's final words never escaped his lips as Shingo's third shot struck him in the head. Killing him for good.
Shingo smiled as he had just killed Samson, but his victory was short lived as more Americans poured in through the hole like ants. So, he abandoned his position on the wall and rejoined his comrades in the courtyard. As more and more Americans fell, Shingo's commanding officer took him aside.
"Kill the female pilot," he ordered.
Shingo's heart dropped. How could he kill Lilly? She was his friend.
"No!" he said disobeying the command his CO had given him.
The Japanese commander looked as shocked as he was angry at Shingo for saying no to his order to execute Lilly. Well, he wasn't going to let Shingo betray the empire of Japan like this. Reaching down, the commander pulled out his Nambu Type 14 pistol, pointed it at Shingo's head, and was about to pull the trigger when Dax came up behind him.
Armed with only a military issued knife, Dax gabbed the Japanese commander, pulled his head back and slit his throat.
"Fucking Jap bastard!" the Lieutenant shouted, then looked at Shingo with a burning hatred. He knew it was him who had killed his friend. Shingo and Dax stared at one another which felt like forever, but Dax turned around and went on back to fighting the other Japanese soldiers who were too busy killing the other Americans to notice him. The unsuspecting Japanese soldiers didn't know what hit them until it was to late.
Shingo knew there was only one thing to do now…
Set Lilly free.
As Dax cut his way through the Japanese defenders, a sniper took aim and fired. The bullet struck him across his left cheek, leaving a fine battle scar on his face.
"Damn it! That hurts more then getting kicked in the ass by a horse!" Dax shouted as he held his bleeding cheek. The sniper soon lined up another shot and was about to kill the injured pilot when a Hellcat fighter came in and strafed the area with machine gun fire.
It was Liberty Squadron. They had come back to aid in the attack of Shuri Castle. Liberty Squadron's dive bombers soon joined in on the attack.
Below the castle, Lilly was over joyed to see Shingo show up. Pulling out his knife, he cut her free from her bonds.
"Forgive me, Lilly," he said sadly,
"But I still must fight for the Emperor."
"I know," replied, knowing this would be the last time she would talk to her enemy turned friend.
Shingo handed Lilly a Nambu pistol.
"Once you get outside, stay to the right side of the courtyard, keep low and don't stop until you make it to the northern wall. You'll find your people coming through there," he said, as he explained the layout of the area of battle to Lilly.
"Thank you, Shingo."
"I hope to see you again," Shingo nodded, then went back up to fight.
Lilly did everything Shingo had told her to do. The beautiful pilot never once stopped to fire her weapon, not even when some poor soul begged her for help, she went on. And when she reached the northern wall, Lilly was escorted out to the safety of the tanks and reserves waiting outside the castle. It was all to much to handle and with no warning at all, Lilly collapsed right there in the arms of some Marines.
When Lilly came to, the battle was over. Worried for the life of Shingo, Lilly forced herself to walk through the northern wall. It was a terrible sight to behold. The castle grounds were littered with the bodies of both Japanese and American soldiers. Medics went about their business checking to see if anyone was still alive. It looked as if hell had opened its gates and let the dead pour out all over the place. It made Lilly sick to think that such bloodshed even was possible, but right now she had to find Shingo.
As Dax walked past group of fallen American Marines, a voice called out to him.
"Take this."
It was Shingo, holding out what looked like a journal to the Lieutenant.
"Give it to Lilly, she'll know what to do."
At first, the war-torn pilot just stood there, staring at the dying young Japanese soldier who was asking him for a favor. Why should he take the journal? Dax didn't know this man, in fact, this very guy killed his good friend Samson. But then, a memory from Guadalcanal flashed back in his head. There he was, Dax, wounded. And the one who was treating his wounds was a young Japanese soldier no older than Private Elise "Squirt" O'Connor.
Dax knew now what he had to do.
When Lilly found Dax, he looked sadly at her.
"Shingo asked me to give this to you," he said handing Lilly the journal.
"He said you knew what to do with it," the Lieutenant added.
A Marine then approached Lilly and Dax.
"Lieutenant? You want to take that Jap flag down?" he asked pointing to the flag on top of Shuri Castle.
"No, let it fly to honor the Japanese defenders who died today...in the end, we want to be seen as liberators, not conquerors," he said, then looked at Lilly who was reading Shingo's final Journal entry.
"Yes, my dear sister, I can tell you that my soldiers will always defend Shuri Castle. For there is no greater honor then dying for my country. So do not grieve, baby sister, when my friend Lilly brings you my journal. This was only another day, and I say to you: Goodbye."
NOBODY EVER WINS IN WAR.