"Laffey, what's the range, speed, and heading of the ships coming from the southwest?!"
"Range: eighteen-thousand yards. Speed: twenty-three knots. Heading: 060 maintaining," She reported.
"Okay, ready to have some fun?" He asked with a smirk.
She smiled back. "Laffey removing all limiters."
"Alright!" He said before coming back on the radio and issuing another order. All ships set your course to 210 degrees!"
"Wa-, Herr Kommandant?! That's turning straight towards them!" Z23 exclaimed.
"I know, Z23, trust me on this!" He told her reassuringly.
"A-Alright," Z23 stuttered as she immediately followed his orders with the immediately following suit.
"Daijobu, Nimi, Ayanami thinks she knows what Shikikan's trying to do," She said.
"Well, it's better than nothing! Here we go!" Javelin added.
"Laffey trusts the Commander. Deactivating all limiters!" She said as the ship sped up some more.
The ships began speeding towards the specified heading at full speed. The first group with the CLs and DDs turned to follow them while the second group with the BBs and CAs maintained their course. Both groups constantly fired upon the fleet, but the four destroyers were too small and too nimble to be hit. A few minutes later, when they reached ten-thousand yards, Ryan issued another order.
"All ships, traverse your all your guns full to port and you torpedo launchers full to starboard," He ordered.
"Weapons traversing! I think I'm starting to understand, Herr Kommandant!"
"I told you! Now, Laffey, prime your smoke generator and be ready to deploy it on my command!"
"Yes, Commander," Laffey said.
"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant!" Z23 did just that while traversing her weapons to the ordered settings.
The enemy's shots continued to miss, but he could see them getting tighter and tighter after each salvo. If they don't change course again, they'll get hit. But the mark was just there, just a little more to go.
"Range 5500 yards… 5250 yards… 5000 yards!" Laffey reported.
"All ships hard to starboard! Maintain that rudder until your heading is 060!" He ordered.
"Roger!"
Ryan held on tight as the Laffey turned sharply, prompting the ship to tilt a bit. The four destroyers had started their turn in perfect unison as well. The twenty seconds it took to change their heading felt like hours due to all the ordnance falling around them, but once they matched their heading with the enemy fleet, Z23 was now at the lead with all ships also having their torpedo tubes in a position to fire.
"Heading matched," Laffey reported.
"All ships, launch all torpedoes!" He ordered.
At that order, thirty-two torpedoes shot out of their launchers and into the water before swimming towards their targets. It'll still take a few minutes, so he issued his next order.
"Laffey, smoke up!" He ordered.
"Smoke generator started," She replied as thick smoke began billowing out of her boilers as the chemicals and fuel overloaded the engines. The thick smoke lingered above the ocean surface that obscured the vision from any optical devices such as gunsights and rangefinders.
I just hope they don't have radar…
"Smoke screen set," Laffey said.
Looking around, he could see the enemy's large caliber artillery was landing further away from his fleet as shown by the large splashes being further away than earlier. The smoke screen was working.
It'll be some time until the smoke clears and they see us again. I hope the torpedoes do their job. Right now, let's deal with the other problem…
"Laffey, what's the range of the fleet with the DDs and CLs?"
"Fifteen-thousand yards, Commander," She replied.
"Alright. All ships, change heading to 030, and make sure your guns are loaded! Keep them trained on the enemy but wait for my signal!" He ordered.
"Affirmative!"
The ships sailed at flank speed to close the distance before firing in order to make the most accurate shots. They also sailed in an irregular pattern of changing course and speed in order to throw off the enemy's aim. As they neared the other fleet, Ryan decided to turn around towards the heavy fleet just in time for the smoke screen to disperse and see multiple big guns staring at him. But before they could fire, large geysers of water shot up from the sides of their hulls before they lit up into fiery infernos. The torpedoes had been hits that even caused the enemy's magazines to detonate as well.
"Fuck yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Well done, girls!" He praised.
"100% percent accuracy! That's Ironblood- I mean, German engineering at its finest!" Z23 proclaimed.
"Well, in a minute, you're gonna have another chance to show that, Z23. You're the biggest guns, be ready!"
"Jawohl,, Herr Kommandant!"
"Praising only Nimi. Commander, no fair," Laffey said beside him.
He chuckled and patted her head. "I'm gonna need every gun we have for this to work, Laffey. You're just as important."
She smiled just a bit. "Okay, Commander."
He then keyed in his radio. "To make the most out of this, I want everyone to target the same ship. Boat at the front first up till the last. Y'all get that?"
"Yes sir!"
The four destroyers sped towards their maximum effective range with their guns while also forming a firing line. Minutes continued to feel like whole hours as the bombardment around them continued, the shells were now impacting closer. Some too close for comfort even. But eventually, they got there.
"Range is now ten-thousand yards, Commander," Laffey reported.
"All ships target the lead boat and fire at will!" He ordered.
As soon as he said that, all of the main guns on each destroyer fired simultaneously. 127 and 150mm shells soared towards their target in just seconds. The lead ship of the enemy fleet, a destroyer, was suddenly showered by artillery fire that hit all over its hull, tearing holes in it and setting fires all over. And due to some more shells and spreading fires, its torpedoes detonated, slicing the ship in half.
"Hell yeah! Great shots girls!" He praised with a wide grin. "Shift over to the next boat and fire again! That was one down, seven more to go! Keep it up, we got this!"
"Roger!"
And thus, the cycle continued. Multiple shells impacted the next destroyer, and it was sinking into the deep in only minutes. And it was the same for the next destroyer, and the next, and the next, and until the first CL which was hardest because of the thicker armor, but after a few shells impacted the superstructure, it was lit ablaze.
Ryan grinned in satisfaction at the work that was being done. The enemy was still closing on them, but they were slowly gaining the advantage by using the momentum they received from each ship they sunk. If they can maintain that momentum, then victory was guaranteed.
But as he opened his mouth to praise the girls after sinking another cruiser, a noise from up above caught his attention. Looking up towards it, he identified multiple fast-approaching figures diving down onto them. And despite, only having a vague idea of what it was, he gave an order.
"All ships, break off!" He ordered before taking cover within the bridge.
All four destroyers managed to turn away before the figures dropped bombs on them before flying away with the loud screech of a turboprop engine. The trailing figures also fired some sort of autocannon that riddled the Laffey's superstructure before also flying away.
Ryan stood back up to see the aircraft as they flew by. Painted in jet black with glowing red outlines and canopy, straight wings, a single turboprop engine, and contra-rotating propellers were what he noted. It looked familiar but he'll just remember what it was later, especially when more of them were coming.
"Enemy aircraft identified! All ships, fire all AA mounts!" He ordered amidst the chaos.
"Roger!"
The ships started zigzagging to avoid the incoming attacks from aircraft while their AA mounts roared to life. Laffey and Ayanami also diverted one turret from their ships to engage the aircraft instead. Ryan even found himself racking the bolt of the water-cooled M2 Browning machine gun mounted on the wing and firing at the first enemy plane he saw. The plane he was firing at was diving on them but crashed into the sea once his shots lit its engine on fire and sent it down. He didn't cheer because it wasn't over. He also get a bearing on the direction the aircraft came from, and for all he knew, they may just be coming from everywhere.
But despite the enemy aircraft continuing his small fleet, they pushed forward, whittling down all the ships until there was only one left. The last light cruiser was putting up a quite stubborn front, probably thinking to give it its all since he was the only one left. A valiant effort to display such strength, but unfortunately for the Siren ship, Ryan's fleet was stronger.
"Okay, all together now, fire!" He ordered.
Shells of different calibers shot out from the muzzles of their guns, flying a wide distance, and slamming onto different areas of their target. The Siren ship lurched to a halt before igniting into a fiery explosion after the fires spread to its magazine. Celebrations rang across his fleet, him included.
"Haha, yes! That's all of them! Well done girls!" He praised as they all yelled in triumph. "Now let's get the hell outta here! Those planes are still circling!"
"Affirmative!"
All ships started turning to head back to Pearl, their AA guns still actively trying to down the enemy aircraft. But overall, things were looking well. The surface contacts were gone, and the aircraft weren't many anyway. They get out, get back to Pearl, and go their separate ways for the time being while he takes a really long shower to calm his nerves and then get himself a big ass pizza to munch on. At least that's how he imagined it would go down if the following thing didn't happen…
"Herr Kommandant, portals sighted on the west!" Z23 reported.
"What?!" He exclaimed before throwing himself back up and looking through his binoculars.
From the reported direction were multiple portals forming with multiple ships pouring out. Large hulls with powerful guns as well as flat tops loaded with aircraft were among the ships that came out. He felt his throat tighten as dread filled him. And it wasn't over yet…
"Shikikan, more are coming in from the north and southwest, des!" Ayanami reported.
Moving over to look in those directions, he confirmed Ayanami's report as he saw more black silhouettes forming in the distance. Their chances of survival just plummeted.
"That's an armada-sized fleet! We can't deal with that!" Javelin exclaimed.
"I know," Ryan said before issuing his orders. "We're getting the fuck outta here then! Z23, engage your smoke screen! Javelin, radio Pearl of the new development! And everyone, flank speed towards the east while also zigzagging to avoid incoming fire! Our best bet is to outrun them!"
"Roger!"
The girls immediately complied as they all turned due east and high-tailed it out of the area as shells started landing around them once again. No ammo and support, their only hope was to run. And it can work especially when they can use the Earth's curvature as cover once they get far enough, and no other ship can catch up to them except other destroyers that can easily deal with their guns. So they have to get far enough.
The enemy's shots were going wide and their aircraft were still launching, on top of friendly forces also closing in. So, he relaxed a bit. It was gonna be okay.
However, disaster struck. Though the enemy was essentially blind firing into their smoke, there was still a chance they could get lucky. And they got lucky. A large caliber shell slammed into the amidships of the Z23.
"AAAAAAAARRRGHH!" She screeched in pain.
"Z23!"
"NIMI!"
"Z23, are you alright?!" Ryan demanded as dread surrounded him once again.
"*Cough*, *cough*, j-jawohl, Herr Kommandant… M-My propulsion system h-has been critically damaged… but I'll live," She answered.
"Understood. Um, can you pack your hull up back into a Wisdom Cube and board another ship?"
"J-Ja, but I'll need a couple of minutes."
"Alright, do exactly that. Ayanami, go pick her up," He ordered.
"Ryokai, Shikikan, des!" She replied before turning around to receive Z23 who had been begun the process of packing up her ship.
Meanwhile, Ryan quickly thought of a plan to buy them some time until they can move again.
"We need to buy her some time. Javelin, circle around and lay a smoke screen in a semi-circle shape. Laffey, we're standing by here!"
"Roger, Commander!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Javelin went ahead to lay the smoke screen while Laffey maintained her position, occasionally shooting at any aircraft that got too close. A few minutes later, Javelin's smoke screen was set and Z23 was aboard the Ayanami. The German destroyer was shaken, a bit banged up, but will live to make a full recovery and fight another day.
"Nimi is on board, des!" Ayanami reported.
"Good, all ships flank speed! Let's get the hell outta here!" He ordered as he eyed the enemy aircraft gathering above them.
"Roger!"
And they were underway at full speed once again, albeit one less ship. Ryan had also ordered them to maintain an irregular speed and course to throw off the enemy's aim.
This time, he was smart enough not say or even think of something to jinx them once again. But one thing he knows for sure is that this memory will stay with him forever.
I haven't even officially taken the job but I'm already earning enough experience to retire. I can't tell Mom though or she might get a heart att-
His inner musings were interrupted when the ship shook violently, throwing him to the floor, followed by a girl's cry of pain. Quickly standing back up, he saw Laffey doubled over the helm, gripping it tightly while breathing heavily.
"Laffey!" He exclaimed as he moved to help her. "What's wrong?!"
"… Hit received, Commander. Turret 3 and torpedo tubes are destroyed, but propulsion is still active… Laffey is okay… but it hurts, Commander," She replied with a whimper of pain.
"Yeah, I imagine so, it's gonna be fine," He told her reassuringly as he helped her back up. "Listen, I hate to ask this of you, but I need you to keep going, we're still in the danger zone. Can you do that for us, please?"
She smiled weakly. "Laffey will not go down so easily. Laffey will try her best for everyone," She affirmed as her ship sped up.
He smiled. "Awesome! You're getting a medal for this, Laffey!"
"Can Laffey have more nap time too?"
"Of course! Nap to your heart's content!"
"Commander, enemy aircraft diving down on us!" Javelin reported
"Evasive maneuvers! Shoot them down!" Ryan ordered as he sprung back into action, heading outside to look up at the attacking aircraft.
The aircraft dived down as they started their attack run. A wall of steel from the fleet's AA guns downed some of them but some still got through and managed to drop their payload. Most of the ordnance dropped missed, but some connected, hitting both Javelin and Ayanami.
"AAAARRGGH!" They screamed as they slowed down a bit.
"Javelin, Ayanami, status report!" He demanded.
"Ergh, a-all systems are still active, C-Commander. But th-that hurt a lot," Javelin replied.
"Ugh, A-Ayanami is also fine, d-des," She replied.
"If you can move, keep moving! If you can't, pack up your hull and get on a boat that is still moving! Now move!" He ordered.
"Rog- EH?! Commander, you've got incoming!" Javelin told him.
"Aircraft diving on us, Laffey trying to evade!" Laffey said with a lot more energy now.
The destroyer zigzagged as best as she could to avoid the incoming dive bombers, but due to her reduced capabilities after the initial hit her movements were more sluggish, and as a result, one of the enemy aircraft was able to score a hit.
"AAARGH!" Laffey screamed as she doubled over in pain while her ship lurched to a halt.
"Laffey!" Ryan screamed as he rushed to her side again and picked her up. "Are you alright?!"
"U-Urgh… p-propulsion systems disabled… losing power… n-no longer combat effective," She whimpered. "Laffey is sorry, Commander."
He shook his head. "No, you've done phenomenally. Now just take it easy and begin the process of packing up your ship."
"… Y-Yes, Commander…"
She pushed herself up with his help and sat down on a chair to catch her breath while Ryan picked up the radio again.
"Laffey's dead in the water so we're bailing out. Javelin, receive us please," He requested.
"Understood! I'm coming, Commander!"
Javelin sailed to their side while Ayanami stood by, ready to assist if necessary. But their time was running out and they were sitting ducks. The enemy aircraft were still active, but there was not much they can do and Laffey was still not done.
"Faster, Laffey, they're coming!" He yelled.
"Trying!" She replied.
More aircraft dived on them and dropped their payload. Most missed, landing short but drenching them in seawater from the splash. But some small ordnance hit the deck and threw Ryan onto the ground. His senses became hazy, but he tried to regain his composure as quickly as he could. He could faintly hear a voice calling for him but was distracted when he spotted a lone figure from up above along with the unmistakable sound of a piston engine.
A single plane was diving down from the heavens above. It flew through the flak that was thrown at it and dropped its ordnance. A single bomb struck true, slicing through the deck, and detonating within the ship. That same ship also lit up into an inferno when its magazine was ignited. All the while, the plane that bombed it climbed back into the sky. Its striking features are the radial piston engine, speed brakes on the wings, and US markings.
Ryan instantly recognized it as a Douglas SBD Dauntless, the most successful dive bomber ever to take to the skies. But if that was there, then that means-
"Commander, reinforcements have arrived!" Javelin reported.
Looking back up, he saw them coming in. Like Archangels diving down from Heaven to smite Satan and his forces, the squadron of Dauntlesses descended upon the Siren fleet and eviscerated them. 1000 lbs M65 bombs struck true, setting superstructures ablaze and tearing large holes in their hulls. The planes triumphantly lifted back up into the sky and flew away, back to their carriers where they would rearm and fight again.
Then he heard more noise of piston engines, this time much louder. Suddenly, squadrons of aircraft flew overhead, going lower and slower than the Dauntless. These were a mix of Douglas TBD Devastator and Grumman TBF/M Avenger torpedo bombers. They zoomed just over the ocean surface towards their targets. The enemy ships fired on them, damaging and downing some, but it wasn't enough as most were able to deploy their payloads of one Mark 13 torpedo each. The torpedoes swam towards their targets at 33 knots before slamming into them, tearing hulls open below the waterline and even detonating some magazines. The torpedo bombers then turned way to rearm.
But as the bombers turned away, they were intercepted by strange-looking aircraft, definitely Sirens too. Short but wide wings, contra-rotating propellers, and x-tail configuration. They dived down on the retreating bombers, downing a few, before a wall of tracer fire halted them.
Squadrons of Grumman F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat fighters intercepted the interceptors, scattering them and downing them one by one. Their intervention allowed the bombers to retreat from the AO and back to their carriers.
And that whole spectacle by carrier aviation was just the icing on the cake…
"We've got you, Commander! Don'tcha worry!" An unknown voice told him.
He then heard a quick whistling noise overhead before seeing large explosions within the enemy fleet. Blinking, he traced the direction the shells came from and saw another fleet approaching them. But this fleet was composed of ships he instantly recognized. BBs, CAs, CLs, and DDs were a part of the fleet and he knew what they all were, but the ship that stood out the most was the single Iowa-class battleship leading them all.
At once, he saw multiple muzzle flashes accompanied by the distant noise of cannon fire before more whistling noises above followed by more explosions among the enemy fleet. Shells 5 to 16 inches in caliber soared across the sky, slamming into their targets and tearing them apart. The enemy fleet shifted their fire to fight back, but the constant harassment kept them from doing anything meaningful. And now that another wave of bombers was coming, the fate of the enemy was sealed.
Ryan felt him shake before raising a fist and screaming at the top of his lungs. "YEEEEAAAAHHH! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" He yelled before having to catch his breath. Looking to the side, he saw Laffey and Javelin staring at him and he replied with an awkward smile. "Sorry, it slipped out."
"We'll cover your retreat, Commander. Maintain your course and join our fleet," A firm voice told him.
"Got it," Ryan replied simply, opting to get to know and thank this person later when they were safe. "Laffey, finish it up and get on the Javelin. Help has arrived but we still need to get outta here."
"Yes, Commander," Laffey replied as she finished it up while he went ahead to board the Javelin.
A minute later, Laffey finished, and he was helping her onto the ship when another voice interrupted him.
"Commander, you've got incoming!"
A single enemy plane was able to squeeze through the friendly fighter cover and was zooming towards them. A couple of Wildcats broke off to intercept it, firing their guns once close enough, and disabling it by lighting its engine on fire. But due to its angle of attack, it was still headed straight at them. So as a final act, it launched its attached payload, a single high-explosive rocket. The rocket struck the Javelin's hull and the resulting explosion threw him against the wall, hitting his head and knocking him out.
Everything that came after was just black…
AN: Okay, that concludes the first battle of Commander Eric Ryan! The next chapter will just be about his official taking of office. There will be speeches and medals awarded.
First off, my condolences go to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I'm not British nor does my country have any historical ties with Britain, except when they occupied my country's capital for a little over two years a couple of hundred years ago, but I thought that I should extend my respect to her. Britain and the Royal Family have done some unspeakable things in the past, but really, who hasn't? So such things are irrelevant to me. May God rest Her Highness' soul and may the United Kingdom continue on for hundreds of years more.
Secondly, the battle I wrote up top is honestly not the best I could've done, so please review it and I'll use those reviews as a reference in writing future battles. Battles will not just be large-scale naval battles between ships, but also close combat between Kansens as well, so I could really use the help.
Thirdly, I really don't know the lore of Azur Lane. I've tried reading up about it, but it's all so confusing that I just gave up. So I plan to completely stray off to Azur Lane lore and just make up whatever based on what I already know. I'll be writing things that may not be canon to AL's lore so please just bear with me.
Anyway, that's all I have to offer in this chapter. Please leave a review, it will help me a lot, and thank you so much for reading! I'll see y'all in the next one, peace out.