The clash was immediate. Despite Shimakaze's reach and speed, Wilhelm managed to deflect the incoming blade with his own, throwing Shimakaze off course and forcing her far too close for her liking. But before Wilhelm could grab the rabbit, she jumped back into the mist, leaving Wilhelm to wonder where she would strike from next. His thoughts were momentarily dashed as a second salvo of twelve-inch shells splashed down around the hull of the Shimakaze.
"Amagi, could you let the Russian know that there's friendlies onboard?!" Wilhelm snapped as a creak of the wood deck behind him gave him the half second needed to swing his body and arm around to deflect Shimakaze's blade once again.
"We are trying to calm her down as we speak. You must remember, she was forced to kill Avrora out of mercy. She is not in the best state of mind." Amagi retorted.
"Then I'm going to need something more than this damn boot knife if I'm going to finish this without outright killing the rabbit. And I don't feel like cutting her a thousand times while being shot at by an angry Schlachtschiff!" Wilhelm barked back as Shimakaze once again bounced out of reach and back into the fog.
"I have something, Herr Jager. Please, use it to the best of your ability." Friedrich's kind voice permeated the fog.
The small sound of stumbling gave Shimakaze away again, allowing Wilhelm to draw one of his C96 Mausers and begin emptying the magazine towards where he had heard her. To his amusement, several flashes were seen in sync with each trigger pull. She was actively cutting his bullets despite the dense fog.
"Quite the keen set of eyes you have there, Fräulein Hase. It mustn't be easy spotting bullets in such thick fog." Wilhelm taunted as he emptied his first pistol, forcing him to quickly reach under his other arm to grab the second, which gave Shimakaze enough time to begin charging at him again. This time, Wilhelm clicked a small lever on his firearm and pulled the trigger, firing a fully automatic burst of lead down range. This, however, did not phase Shimakaze as her clever and precise bladework made cutting his relatively accurate stream of bullets nothing more than a cakewalk.
Just then, Wilhelm heard the click of his second pistol as it finally went dry. He watched the blade in Shimakaze's hand line up with his neck and begin its swing. But at the last possible second, something hit Wilhelm in the head, forcing him to drop and the blade to miss. He used the opportunity, once shaking off the blow, to drive his foot into Shimakaze's unguarded stomach and send her reeling back into the fog, coughing uncontrollably from the sudden departure of air from her lungs.
Looking around, Wilhelm quickly found what Friedrich had sent him. It was an old German sword. From Wilhelm's quick guess, he dated its design to be one from the late 1700's.
"Where… did you have this, Fraüline Friedrich?" Wilhelm asked as he unsheathed a brilliant silver blade with a perfectly sharp and maintained edge.
"It was onboard when I awoke in Niue. Perhaps a call to my namesake? My Vater is fascinated with history if you recall." Friedrich replied.
"Herr Otto? That's quite the surprise. But to think you manifested a sword from the time of Friedrich the Great… quite a stroke of luck for a day like today, huh?" Wilhelm asked.
"Call it luck… or call it fate. Whatever it is, use it well." Friedrich spoke as a third salvo of twelve-inch shells sailed overhead.
"Thankfully she's a terrible shot without radar." Wilhelm whispered as a sound drew his attention to his left, giving him just enough time to turn so that his armor could parry the blade away from his chest.
"Nice try, Fraüline." Wilhelm muttered as she jumped back and lunged again, this time her sword being met with Wilhelm's.
"Now we're on even terms, wouldn't you say?" Wilhelm spoke as he broke engagement, allowing Shimakaze to close further before striking her with the back of the blade, sending her to the deck and forcing her to lose grip on her sword, which he quickly kicked across the deck out of reach.
"Not quite, Mister." Shimakaze muttered as she jumped to her feet and ran into the fog.
"Not this shit again." Wilhelm muttered as Shimakaze, unbeknownst to him, had activated her rigging and was aiming it at him.
Friedrich had been listening closely to the melee onboard the Shimakaze. It was only when she heard the sound of rigging caliber shell reports that she sprung into action. She adjusted her aim to the rear of the destroyer and opened fire with her array of secondary guns and embarked to aid Wilhelm under the covering fire of her cannons.
Upon arrival, Friedrich was shocked to see Wilhelm with two large dents on his chest plate, but still very much alive and trying to get to his feet.
"Enough of this." Friedrich growled as her rigging took shape in the water and slowly coiled around the destroyer. Friedrich herself made her way onto the deck and walked to Wilhelm, who laid injured on the deck with Shimakaze nowhere to be seen.
"Herr Jager… are you alright?" Friedrich asked as she helped him sit up, keeping a constant feel on her surroundings.
"A few broken ribs… but I'll live. This armor the Admiral made is quite durable if I have to say." Wilhelm commented.
"I'm sure my dear husband would love to hear that compliment from you." Friedrich said as she brought her armored hand up in time to catch Shimakaze's blade dead on. Closing her grip, Friedrich shattered the sword before standing up, her full height towering over Shimakaze as the lapine destroyer tried to retreat only to be met with the razor-sharp maw of Friedrich's rigging.
"Enough games, little one. I took several torpedoes from you… that should have been cause enough to sink you. You will surrender or you will die." Friedrich spoke in her usual tone. But Wilhelm understood that if she was anything like Otto, that calm tone hid a mountain of rage.
Shimakaze seemed to understand this at an instinctual level and knelt on both knees with her back to Friedrich.
"I'm sorry… I didn't… want to hurt him. But the relief… it felt so good… please, before the pain forces me to hurt you too." Shimakaze whimpered.
Friedrich's expression softened as she walked over to Shimakaze and used her gauntleted hand to cut into the flesh of her neck and extract the cube before inspecting it carefully.
"It is completely intact." Friedrich commented as she placed the cube into one of the folds of her outfit.
"Amagi, Shimakaze has been neutralized." Friedrich reported.
"Where is Wilhelm?" Amagi asked.
"He will need medical attention. He was shot by Shimakaze's rigging. His armor saved his life." Friedrich spoke.
"I Understand. Thank you for not killing her." Amagi spoke as she cut the line.
Within minutes of Shimakaze's surrender, the thick fog seemed to dissipate, leaving the group with a clear view of Tokyo Bay once more. Friedrich watched as the Amagi and Gangut closed in while her own vessel stayed with U-47 and Allen Sumner who had been guarding the decimated hull of the Chicago.
"Tis but another day, it seems." Friedrich whispered as she aided in getting both Shimakaze and Wilhelm onboard the Amagi.