Ch. 44: Ballad of Athena Part 2
A.N.:
Everyone, I am so sorry it took me so long to write this. I am writing a BioShock story now too so I have to alternate between them.
Thank you to the two people that voted. I appreciate it.
I would have made this chapter longer but it has been so long since I have updated this story that I decided to post it once I got to a good stopping point.
This chapter is not as epic as I had hoped. The next chapter will be more along the lines of traditional F.E.A.R. style fighting.
The A-150 battleship class was a real thing too...I didn't make that part up.
In case people haven't realized it yet, the naming of Yamato's turrets: Anton, Bruno, and Cesar, is a reference to the Bismarck. I was on the fence for which battleship to use for "Athena" and decided to compromise: using the Yamato but naming her turrets after those of the Bismarck.
Oh, and the song is Sink the Bismarck by Johnny Horton.
Again, sorry it took so long for me to type this up.
Read and review if you want.
In any other circumstance, I would have berated myself for being so foolhardy. The enemy fleet easily outnumbered us. The barrage of cruise missiles had reduced our offensive capabilities and cost us valuable time. Because of the delay caused by the missiles, we were now completely out of position. Before, we would have forced the enemy fleet to cross our "t" but now, we would be forced to perform a slow and dangerous approach from the side.
According to the holographic emitter, the enemy warships were grouped together in a rough circle. The Iowa-class battleships were located in the center. They were arranged in a kind of cross with the U.S.S. Iowa in the front, the U.S.S. Wisconsin and Missouri in the center, and the U.S.S. New Jersey in the rear. Meanwhile, the five hundred supporting warships comprised of three hundred Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, fifty Ticonderoga-class cruisers, one hundred Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, forty-nine Cyclone-class patrol ships, and the Russian Navy's Cruiser Aurora.
If it had not been for their sheer numbers, the small vessels, especially the small patrol ships, would have never had any business being in the same waters as the battleships. We could reduce their numbers with our own barrage of cruise missiles from our awaiting submarines. Moreover, with their air cover otherwise unavailable, we could launch our own air strike against them. With any luck, that would reduce their numbers to a somewhat-fair fight.
With the supporting vessels on both sides occupied, that would just leave the titans of steel and fire. Shutting out my surroundings, I racked my mind for all the information that I could recall about the iconic American battleships.
The Iowa-class battleships were first launched in 1943. Like the earlier North Carolina and South Dakota-class battleships, their design emphasized speed and secondary armament because of their intended purpose of protecting aircraft carriers. Everything about their design reflected the emphasis on speed. However, in a bizarre twist caused by a breakdown in communication during their construction, their main armament of nine 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns were heavier than the guns found on earlier battleships despite the intended design that called for a lighter main armament.
The 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns were capable of firing 2,700-pound armor piercing high explosive warheads nearly twenty-four miles. While being 25 percent lighter than the shells that Yamato used, the Mark 8 "super-heavy" warhead possessed approximately the same armor penetration capability at long range. The turret mechanisms themselves were technological marvels that were the pinnacle of naval engineering at the time of their construction. Even the most novice crew could reload the guns at a rate of two per minute. Moreover, the American battleships possessed highly advanced gunnery directory systems that made the human operators all but unnecessary.
Meanwhile, the 40 cm/45 Type 94 naval guns of the Yamato-class (actually 46 cm but designated as 40 cm in an effort to prevent the Americans from learning their true size) were capable of firing 3,200-pound armor piercing high explosive warheads nearly twenty-six miles. Compared to her American counterparts, Yamato's turrets were very basic in their design. Without the assistance of specialized hydraulic lifts, the turrets required massive amounts of lubricant oil and grease that the Japanese Navy could ill afford at the time of her service with them. Moreover, this basic design meant that it required a well-disciplined and drilled crew to achieve a fire rate of 1.5 to 2 rounds per minute.
The Iowa-class displaced 58,000 tons following their modernization after their re-commissioning and had an overall length of 887 ft. They could achieve a speed of 32.5 knots or 37.4 miles per hour. However, this advantage in speed came at a dangerous cost. At its thickest, around the forward armored bulkhead, the conning tower, and the turret barbells, their armor was only 14.2 inches thick. That was no surprise. After all, they were not designed to go "toe-to-toe" with the world's most powerful and armored battleship. They were designed as "fast battleships" that would protect the aircraft carriers as floating weapons platforms. Only the canceled American Montana-class battleships were designed specifically to counter the Yamato and her sisters. Even then, the Americans had wrongly estimated the "super battleships" in everything from their weight to their armament. They believed that the Yamato had 16-inch main guns and was, at best, 45,000 tons, which was noticeably around what their newly designed Iowa-class battleships possessed.
Moreover, the Iowa-class battleship design had several fatal flaws. First, to save weight, the battleships' armor was not even designed to counter warheads fired from guns that were equivalent to their own 16-inch main battery. Against the 18.1-inch main battery of the Yamato-class,the Iowa-class battleships had virtually no hope of stopping the armor piercing rounds from penetrating their armor. Second, against incoming aerial bombardments, such as bombs dropped by aircraft or enemy battleship rounds fired in such a way that the rounds impacted the deck instead of the armored sides, their armor was virtually useless.
Meanwhile, historically, Athena displaced 72,000 tons and had an overall length of 862 ft. While shorter than her American counterparts, she was extremely wide at 127 ft. in order to accommodate for the massive recoil of her main armament. In response to the scale of the war that she was about to face, when she was repairing herself on the seafloor, Athena universally expanded her hull to a size roughly equivalent to the U.S.S. Enterprise at 100,000 tons with an overall length of 1,000 ft. and a width of approximately 147 ft.
While her exterior remained identical to her World War II days, her interior was improved to withstand any perceivable threat that could be thrown at her. Most of her added weight was accounted for by the additional armor to her weaknesses along her bow, stern and torpedo belt just below her waterline. Indeed, during her fight with the ATC Vessels months prior, her listing after the torpedoes impacted her hull was a ruse on her part to trick her enemies into having a false belief that she was crippled. In reality, the torpedoes had likely bounced off her torpedo belt.
With her exterior being the same as it had been in World War II, her armor was naturally still the same. Even still, she easily surpassed the American battleships. After all, she was designed and built for one thing and one thing only: to crush anything that the American Navy threw at her and to do so against a numerically superior group of adversaries. At its thickest, her armor was 30-inches of face-hardened steel. Her armor was thinnest around her massive main turret housings at 26-inches of face-hardened steel. In addition, her unique hull design prevented incoming shells from exploding directly against her as the rounded shape caused the projectiles to bounce off the side of the hull before detonation.
However, she was not without shortcomings herself. Unlike her American counterparts, which were built by the most powerful industrialized country in the world at the time, she had been built by a country that was lagging in industrial strength. As a result, her legendary armor was not a solid "sheet". Her main armor belt was indeed approximately 30 inches of steel, but, due to their inability to manufacture a solid sheet of steel as thick as her design called for, it was actually two sections of armor that equaled 30 inches. The inner "main" armor bulkhead was 16 inches thick and an additional 14 inches of reinforcement was placed in front of the bulkhead.
In addition, in terms of gunnery control, the Iowa-class easily outclassed Yamato. Historically, this was the biggest argument for the superiority of the American battleships over the mighty Yamato. The magnificent radar-directed guns of the Iowa-class were more accurate at long range than her guns. In a "one-on-one" engagement scenario, the American battleships had an advantage in accuracy.
We would have to weather a few minutes of full broadsides from the 16-inch main guns of the battleships before we could position ourselves to counter with our own broadsides. Almost instantly, I noticed the eerie similarity of our situation to the one that cost the mighty H.M.S. Hood her life in her engagement with the infamous battleship Bismarck. Unlike the British Battlecruiser, however, the majority of Athena's main armament was located on her forward deck.
Inspiration suddenly hit me. The Iowa-class battleships' main armament was arranged much like Yamato's with two fore turrets and one aft turret. If we were to keep the enemy battleships distracted with our smaller ships attacking from the side, we could utilize Yamato's superior maneuverability by circling around and attacking the battleships from behind.
With their guns concentrating on our escorts and at that close range, we would rob them of their advantage in gunnery directory systems. Moreover, with her two fore main 18.1-inch main guns and her one fore 6.1-inch gun against the enemy battleships' aft 16-inch turrets, we would rob of them of their position advantage.
The Iowa-class battleships' fire directory for the aft turret was controlled by an aft control unit that was conveniently exposed to shell fire coming from behind the ship, as it was located in the center of the section of the superstructure just in front of the turret where the superstructure formed a "U". It would be a series of challenging shots, but, if Athena aimed her guns correctly, she could render her rivals defenseless long enough to severely damage, if not destroy, the enemy battleships before they could swing around to bring their fore main guns into action. Their formation made them rigid and rendered Iowa powerless to assist her sisters.
Better yet, at the close range that I was envisioning, the Mark 7 naval guns of the American battleships were easily outclassed by the raw power of Yamato's powerful 18.1-inch main guns. At standard engagement range, yes it was a close draw between their armaments. However, at what Yamato would consider "shotgun" range, there was nothing on this Earth, aside from a nuclear warhead, that could match her firepower. The enemy battleships' vulnerable aft magazine storage, tomahawk missile launchers, and sensitive superstructure would be easy prey for her mighty guns.
That just left their advantage of their speed. The drawback to my plan was that, if they wanted to, the Iowa-class could outrun Athena. I thought for a moment as I tried to come up with a way to slow them down and prevent them from running. I could have Morales position his submarine group in front of the enemy fleet to intercept them. That could work, as the threat of a submarine attack would force the enemy ships to maneuver and reduce their speed to ensure that they did not collide with each other.
No, that would not be effective as Akira's Forces clearly had submarines of their own. The ensuing duel between the submarine groups would leave the door wide open for the American battleships to outrun Athena. I admit that I was stumped for a moment. Their objective was our carriers, not us. At their current speed of 25 knots, they would reach the vulnerable "flattops" in less than an hour. Suddenly, inspiration hit me once again: the bulbous bow of Yamato.
If Alma were to generate large enough waves, the enemy battleships' speed would be hampered as they plowed through the waves. Meanwhile, Athena's bow would neutralize them enough to minimize their hindrance. It was a long shot, but the plan might work.
"So, what do you think?"
I looked down at my beautiful companion. Her pale skin had an orange hue because of the orange light from the holographic emitter. I replied, "We send our smaller escorts in from the side. I want them to cover their advance with a smoke screen. While the enemy battleships are distracted, Athena comes up from behind. She knocks out their aft fire directors and hits them where it hurts before they can return fire. We go from there."
Everyone on the bridge looked at me as if I had lost my mind. Athena 1 questioned, "How do we get close enough to engage them without getting shot to hell?"
I explained, "We use our submarines' cruise missiles and our carrier's aircraft like a hat to cover our advance. They will probably break them down to a size that will be a fair fight."
Foxtrot 813 questioned, "How close are we talking, sir?"
I replied with a flat tone, "Point. Blank."
Athena 1 objected, "Sir, at that close range, our ships won't last long against those 16-inch guns of the Iowa's."
I replied sternly, "They will last longer than they would at long range! The Iowa-class range finders are not to be trifled with."
Alpha 1, already knowing my full plan due to our link, remarked, "It is a shame to put them on the bottom, my brother."
I sighed and then said sadly, "I would sooner see them at the bottom of the sea than in an enemy's hands." He nodded in response.
Athena 1 remarked, "Sir, should the missile and air strikes fail, this will be a suicide mission."
I replied confidently, "We've got no choice. We have to protect our carriers. Besides, nothing can stop the Yamato! She carries sixteen inches on her plates...thirty on her sides and vulnerable areas."
Foxtrot 813 asked, "No disrespect intended, sir, but are we really going to place all of our faith in one super ship? That is exactly the same mindset that cost the Japanese their battleship in 1945. Think about it, this is exactly the same situation that she found herself in last time. We only have a handful of escort vessels, we are going up against an enemy fleet of greatly superior strength, and we are essentially throwing the Yamato at them to protect our homeland."
I realized the eerie similarity to my plan and Operation: Ten-Go. However, this time, the odds were on Athena's side. Either way, we had no choice. I loved her, but, at the end of the day, she was just a weapon: just like me. I knew that even if it cost us our life, we were both prepared to sacrifice ourselves to protect our home.
All eyes were on me as they waited for my response. I felt the weight of the future of the world on my shoulders. This one battle would determine whether the human race would continue in any universe. These were the last ships in humanity's arsenal. If they were destroyed, there was simply no time left to build any more. I activated my com link on my HUD glasses and ordered, "Signal their orders to our escorts. Contact the carriers and order them to launch their bombers against the enemy fleet. Manny, bring your submarine group up to launch depth. At my signal, launch all of your warheads. Miss Kwon, patch me into the intercom system for all of our ships."
They all replied, "Yes, sir!"
There was a frenzy of movement as Athena's crew relayed orders. After a moment, Miss Kwon replied, "Becket, you are patched in and I am running translators."
Her image disappeared from my HUD but the box remained. I addressed the fleet, "Good afternoon. I know that you are all scared. I mean, who could blame you? However, courage is persevering despite being afraid. Right now, we hold our future in our hands. Our future! It is time to stop fighting each other because of what makes us all different and time to start fighting as one because of makes us all the same."
I paused for a moment and then continued, "We are all brothers and sisters! Somewhere along the way, we decided to forget that. People have claimed that it is just human nature to kill one another just because of differences in skin color, ideology, gender, material wealth, or just for the sake of killing...that we have hurt each other so much and for so long that it is impossible for us to ever call each other 'my brother' or 'my sister' ever again."
I paused briefly and then continued, "However, I do not hold true to that. I believe that we can. The wolves have come for us all and they aim to exterminate us like rats...like monsters."
Looking down at Alma, I said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Alma winked at me as she heard me repeat what I had said to her when I first agreed to help her fight Armacham. I smiled back briefly before I looked back up and continued, "Surely, everyone here can understand that. Together, we must declare that we will not go quietly! We will not go down without a fight! We will be defiant until the end!"
Alpha 1 commented, "Right on, brother. Right on!"
I nodded at him before I finished, "Should we win, will it change anything? Will we have entered a new chapter of humanity? Will we finally be united? Perhaps, and perhaps not. However, there is only one certainty: together, we will stand and fight...or, alone, we will die. Let it be known that, on this day, surrounded by death, exhausted, injured, and hungry, humanity declared in one voice that we are not a dying race; we are not evolutionary failures, we stand as one against any foe that seeks to eradicate us, we will fight with fire and sword for our right to exist. ARE YOU WITH ME?!"
From all across the fleet, cheers rang out. The cheers grew to the fever pitch of a thunderous chorus as every crewmember from every ship, regardless of origin, joined in. If the gods were listening, I was certain that our roar was enough to instill fear into them. Meanwhile, I addressed Athena, "Athena...Yamato, the fate of humanity is in your hands. Promise me that, even if we are killed, you will continue fighting until you destroy all of them." She assured me, with the same strange whale-like female voice that she had used at the bottom of the sea, that she would.
I looked at Athena 1 and ordered, "Signal Pyotr Velikiy to be the flagship of the group that attacks from the side."
He replied, "Yes, sir."
While he was relaying my order, I said to my wife, "Alma, I..."
She giggled and then said, "Big waves...got it. Michael, what about..."
Suddenly, the sound of warping steel filled the air as it did when Athena was repairing herself. However, this time, it sounded more like something was expanding. I ran to the front of the bridge and peered out through the viewports. At first, I could not tell what she was doing. Then, I noticed that the turrets and barrels of her main guns were expanding.
I smirked as I realized what she was doing. Due to her increase in size and her desire to protect her people, she was increasing her main armament to the size of her successor class. Alma asked, "What is she doing?"
I replied, "The A-150 battleship class...people called it the 'Super Yamato class'. It was the Japanese's answer for the American's answer to the Yamato-class. Main armament of 20.1-inch main guns mounted in three dual turrets and a secondary armament of 'many' 3.9-inch dual-purpose guns. Main guns were estimated to fire warheads that weighed approximately 4,300 pounds. The ship itself was projected to weigh in at 90,000 tons. Looks like Yamato is upgrading herself to three triple turrets of 20.1-inch guns..."
I laughed before I referenced an old song, except I changed a few words, "In May of 2028, the war had just begun. The Spartans had the biggest ship that had the biggest guns. The Yamato was the fastest ship that ever sailed the seas. On her decks were guns as big as steers, and shells as big as trees."
Alma asked, "Who sang that again?"
I replied, "Johnny Horton."
My com link activated as Morales's image appeared in my HUD. He informed me, "Becket, we are at launch depth and have our launch tubes standing by. Just give the word, man, and we will show them a real missile bombardment."
I smirked before I replied, "Instruct your group to only aim for the escort ships. Leave the battleships to Athena."
He said with mock hurt, "Becket, man that hurt. You think I haven't already done that? Come on, I want to watch them fight each other too."
I replied, "You know I riding on one of them right?"
He laughed before he said, "Yeah, I know."
I laughed sarcastically before I instructed him, "Manny, after you launch your missiles, have your group prepare to fight the enemy submarines."
He replied with a serious tone, "Roger that, Becket."
His image disappeared from my HUD and was replaced by Jin's as she informed me, "The carriers report that they have launched all of their remaining attack aircraft. Our formations are flying towards the enemy fleet as we speak."
I replied, "Copy that, Miss Kwon. Instruct the pilots to only attack the escort..."
She interrupted, "Already done, Becket."
Impressed, I said, "Very well, as you were."
She replied, "Roger that."
As my com link deactivated, I looked at Alpha 1, who had joined me at the front of the bridge. I said, "Damn, our people have this shit on lock and I like it."
He was about to reply when Foxtrot 813 informed us, "Sir, we have a problem with the New Jersey."
I moved back over to the emitter as I asked, "What is it?"
He was looking at the image as he replied, "I think that they have turned her into a guided nuclear bomb."
Shocked, I ran the rest of the way to the emitter. When I got there, I looked at the image of the New Jersey. He was right. The latest recon of the fleet had uncovered traces of radiation coming from her hull. They had likely turned her into an "ace in the hole" should the rest of the fleet fail to sink our carriers by placing nuclear warheads inside one of her compartments that was located near the larger forward magazine.
Rigged with a "dead man" switch, Akira's Forces could put her on a collision course with our carriers. Her armor would keep her afloat long enough for her to get within range of the carriers. Then, they would detonate her lethal payload similar to how Yamato had self-destructed in 1945. The resulting blast would easily destroy our carrier fleet and leave the entire coastline of the Americas vulnerable.
Worse, if I ordered the carriers to scatter, Akira's Forces would likely take aim at Sparta. If they managed to get her into our harbor, the resulting blast would annihilate our home. Thinking quickly, I ordered Athena 1, "Prepare your marines to board the New Jersey." He nodded and, while he was doing that, I contacted the only man that would be able to avert this disaster, "Holiday! Where are you?"
His image appeared in my HUD as he replied, "In the galley getting something to eat. Damn, Becket, where's the fire? Can't please your wife or something? Need me to do ma' thing?"
Losing my temper, I replied, "To hell with your jokes sergeant! Get your ass up here! The New Jersey is rigged with nuclear warheads and they have their sights set on attacking our home!"
His line went dead and, seemingly seconds later, he burst through the hatch to the bridge comically still throwing his Delta Force attire on. Point Man calmly followed behind him and nodded at me slightly. I returned it with an equally slight nod. Behind them, Juggernaut and the members of Wolf Pack entered the room along with the squad leaders of the Spartan Marines stationed on board Yamato.
After explaining the situation and the plan, I said, "So everyone understands the plan? Athena will get us alongside the New Jersey and we board her. Point Man, you and a detachment of the Marines will escort Holiday below decks and locate the nuclear devices. While the rest of the Marines are securing the ship, Holiday, you will deactivate the bombs before they can be detonated. We will use a short-range jammer to prevent them from detonating the bombs, but you will have to move quickly in case they have a secondary hardwired switch. Meanwhile, Wolf Pack, Foxtrot 813, Juggernaut, Alpha 1, and I will secure the superstructure. Once we have the ship and have deactivated the bombs, we will use her to assist Athena. Does everyone know their part?"
They all replied with their respective acknowledgements. I nodded and then said, "You have your orders. Go to your stations, we will join you once we are approaching the target." They acknowledged the order and left the room. Meanwhile, our escorts had formed up with the Russian cruiser and were breaking off from us as they proceeded towards their assigned position. Athena, her upgrading complete, began to maneuver to come up from behind the enemy fleet.
Approximately ten minutes later, as our ships were nearing the maximum effective range of the Iowa-class battleships' main guns, I stood at the front of the bridge looking out through the viewports at the glistening barrels of the new main armament of our battleship. I ordered Morales, "Manny, do it."
He replied, "Roger, launching." From where they were between us and our escorts, the submarines launched their lethal payloads of Tomahawks. The surface of the ocean became alive as the seemingly endless amount of missiles roared up into the air as they spewed flame and smoke trails behind them.
The exact number is unknown to me, but I would have to estimate that it was approximately five hundred to six hundred warheads. After the final group left the surface of the ocean and began to climb into the darkening sky, Morales informed me, "Becket, all missiles have been fired. We are proceeding to station near the enemy fleet to neutralize their submarines. If this plan of yours fails, I'll save you a spot in the line to get into Hell."
I smirked at the line that had become a standard "good luck" remark amongst us before I replied, "Copy that, Manny. Don't die like a bitch."
He laughed and then said, "You too man." As my com link deactivated, I looked towards the darkening sky above where the enemy fleet was beyond the horizon. The blood red storm clouds and driving molten metal rain were courtesy of Alma as she whipped up the surface of the ocean to slow the advance of the battleships. The increase in her proficiency with her abilities was evident as she remained by my side rather than having to be present to create her hellish storm.
For ten more minutes, we stood on the bridge anxiously waiting for the heartbreaking news that my plan had failed because the air and missile strikes had failed to cover our advance and our ships were easily being picked off by the Iowa-class battleships. The minutes ticked by but the news never came. Slowly, I began to realize that our sacrifice might not be required and that my plan was actually working.
As she began to encounter the waves of Alma's storm, Athena began to unlock her main armament. The sound of whirling filled the air as the barrels of her massive, almost cruelly outclassing 20.1-inch main guns began to rise up in their housings while the turrets themselves began to slowly rotate as her range finder picked up on her rivals' locations.
Moments later, however, Athena 1 reported, "Sir, the enemy battleships are utilizing their SLQ-32 electronic warfare systems to scramble our radar."
I remarked with a humorous tone, "Well, good thing our girl doesn't need radar huh boys?" A brief round of laughter filled the room. We entered the hellish squall and molten metal began to rain down from the nightmarish sky above us.
A moment later, Foxtrot 813 reported, "Sir, our escorts have laid down a smoke screen and are opening fire on the enemy fleet. Pyotr Velikiy reports that the enemy fleet is still begin assailed by our aircraft...two hundred destroyers are confirmed as being sunk by missiles and air strikes...sixty Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates confirmed to be sunk by air strikes...twenty Ticonderoga-class cruisers confirmed to be sunk by missiles...multiple ships are burning...at least ten are listing heavily...and that the battleships have taken the bait."
Alpha 1 patted me on the back before he commented, "Well done, brother."
I smiled and then said, "Let's hope that our fortune continues." He nodded in response. Moments later, I heard a rumbling sound coming from somewhere ahead of us. A casual observer would have mistaken it for thunder, but, in reality, it was the report of multiple naval guns firing as the two surface fleets engaged one another.
Seconds later, a series of loud, thunderous explosions sounded and were followed up by shockwaves like those one would encounter from a high-powered rifle having been fired from a distance. I cringed as I identified them as the reports of the Iowa-class battleships' 16-inch guns. Though smaller than Athena's, they were still weapons of "shock and awe". The absence of a report from either Athena 1 or Foxtrot 813 indicated that they had missed their targets. However, it was only a matter of time.
Suddenly, as if a curtain had been lifted, we emerged from the wall of obscuring smoke and fire. There, less than five nautical miles away, were the two surface groups. Our warships were engaging the smaller escorts of the Akirian Navy. Meanwhile, the enemy surface ships had regrouped into a kind of shield to the left of the battleships. In a bizarre coincidence, the elderly Russian cruiser Aurora was the flagship of the enemy escorts just like how the modern Russian cruiser Pyotr Velikiy was the flagship of our escorts.
My plan had worked perfectly. The battleships were caught completely off guard by the arrival of Yamato and were engaging our escorts. I could see the barrels of their aft main guns pointing towards the left as they aimed at the large Kirov-class battlecruiser, possibly mistaking her for the Yamato.
Whirling filled the air as Athena made final adjustments to her mighty main guns. Anton, her first main gun, was rotated to the right as she took aim at Missouri. The barrels were at different heights as she continued to rotate the turret housing slowly to compensate for her flank speed. Meanwhile, Bruno, her second main gun, was rotated to the left as she took aim at Wisconsin. Again, the barrels were at different heights as she took aim at individual targets. Her fore 6.1-inch turret was aimed skyward straight ahead as she took aim at the New Jersey.
Suddenly, the final adjustments ceased. For those brief seconds, the world seemed to stand still as everyone held his or her breath. My heart pounded in my chest as I waited to hear the report of her new main armament. Once she fired her first salvo, the fight of her life would commence. There was no going back once she started.
Nearly giving me a heart attack, she suddenly fired her new Anton at her rival. The columns of fire and smoke that erupted out of the barrels as they fired were beautifully morbid as they reflected off the surface of the water surrounding her hull. The shockwave of the guns had smoothed out the surface of the ocean in the direction of the end of the barrels in the shape of a fan so the reflection of the hellfire was flawless on the flatten surface of the ocean.
Meanwhile, the recoil of the shots sent the barrels nearly a quarter of the way back into the turret housings. The concussion of the main gun firing also vibrated the hull of the ship to the extent that it felt like the very marrow of my bones shook. If Alma had not been muffling the report of the titanic piece of naval artillery, I was certain that we would have all been irreversibly deafened by the thunderous noise.
Moments later, she repeated the rollercoaster ride by firing Bruno at Wisconsin. Soon afterwards, she fired her fore 6.1-inch gun at New Jersey. We began to recover as she reloaded her guns. As I waited to see the effects of Yamato's salvo, Alma asked with an embarrassed tone, "Is it wrong that made me hot and wet?"
I looked down at her and said with a calm tone, "It would be weirder if it didn't."
She said in a fast manner, "Spank me."
Not sure that I had heard her correctly, I asked, "What?"
She replied, "Hmm?"
Believing that I had misunderstood her, I said, "Never mind."
She nodded and then, with an odd expression on her childish face, she said, "Yes...never mind...later though."
I looked back up and watched through the viewports as I waited to see the results of her first salvo. Seconds later, the first three rounds from Anton impacted the exterior of Missouri in quick succession. The first 4,300-pound armor-piercing warhead hit dead center of the aft fire director, resembling a grey box with a radar dish mounted on top. The warhead penetrated inside of the director and exploded internally. The resulting explosion rocked the hull of massive ship and turned the entire area of the superstructure around the director into a warped, fiery hunk of twisted steel.
The second round impacted the left side of the superstructure where the mounts for her anti-ship missile launchers were located. The resulting explosion further annihilated the aft section of the superstructure and neutralized the threat of the missiles. The third and final round impacted the aft 16-inch main turret itself. The round penetrated the thick steel armor of the turret's side and exploded internally. The resulting explosion separated the barrels from their turret mounts and they fell into the ocean after rolling across the deck and over the side. The shattered remains of the turret housing itself was engulfed in flames.
Seconds later, the rounds from Bruno had reached their target. The first round missed as it flew over the top of the mighty battleship's aft main turret. A towering column of blue and white water erupted off her left side as the round impacted the surface of the ocean. I began to worry as I saw the second round impact the fire directory but fail to detonate, though it succeed in tearing an enormous hole in both sides of the director. It must have been a dud. However, the third round managed to do something remarkable.
As the round impacted the very back of the stern, instead of deflecting off the beautiful round exterior of the ship's posterior, its own weight ensured that it penetrated the thinner armor of the stern. It bulldozed its way through the ship's compartments at a downward angle, annihilating everything in its path. The 4,3000-lbs mass of steel finally reached its intended target located deep below the ship's deck beneath the aft main turret.
Upon reaching its destination, the timed charge set off the explosive cargo contained within the shell. As the carnage ensued, I cried out in shock, "Whoa!" It just so happened that the shell had managed to reach the battleship's aft magazine storage for the main turret when it exploded. The resulting explosion shattered the entire hull of the massive warship and sent up a towering mushroom cloud into the blood red sky.
With the forward sections of its steel hull peeled back like a soup can, the detached stern of the battleship rapidly sank beneath the surface of the ocean. As it did, I saw that the four massive screws were still spinning furiously in their housings. The remaining section of the shattered hull began to sink aft first with ensuing smaller explosions occasionally erupting out of the already sinking battleship. Within the space of ten seconds, the Yamato had pulled off the seemingly impossible: destroying an Iowa-class battleship with a single round.
As I observed the sinking giant with morbid fascination, I continued the song from earlier, "'We've gotta sink the Yamato' was the battle sound, but when the smoke had cleared away, the mighty Wisconsin went down."
Because she had been purposely trying to minimize the damage that she caused, Athena's rounds from her 6.1-inch gun had simply exploded inside the aft fire director of the New Jersey. The resulting explosions were not as visually spectacular as the ones caused by her main guns. They also failed to cause any secondary damage by igniting any fires. Nonetheless, they served their purpose and the aft turret was rendered "blind".
By then, the enemy fleet had been alerted to the presence of Athena. Still engaged with our escorts and aircraft, however, they were unable to come to the aid of the assailed titans. Fire alarms could be heard coming from Missouri as the fires continued to burn along her superstructure and aft deck. Moments later, I noticed several hell soldiers emerging from below decks and beginning to fight the blazes with water from fire hoses.
Whirling filled the air once again as Yamato trained Bruno and her fore 6.1-inch turret at the reeling battleship. With Wisconsin neutralized, she could safely approach the aft deck of New Jersey. I smiled slightly as I realized that she was acting uncharacteristically cautious because she was protecting her friends. With the Iowa unable to engage us because she would inadvertently put her sister in her line of fire, the only threat was currently coming from the Missouri.
As she closed the gap between her and the target, Athena took aim at the burning battleship. The mighty 20.1-inch main guns were estimated to have a fire rate of 1 to 1.5 rounds per minute. Sure enough, approximately one minute after her initial salvo, the area was once again torn asunder as she fired her main battery.
As we recovered from the ensuing moments of excitement, Alma commented, "Good thing I am not wearing underwear because otherwise I would be chaffing right now."
Ignoring her sexual innuendo, I looked down at her and asked with genuine curiosity, "Do you really suffer from such things? I would have thought that as a corporal form you would not be affected by things like chaffing."
She explained, "Yes, I was surprised myself but unfortunately, it seems that being born with a body causes beings like me to suffer from the projected memory of feelings of discomfort. It is subconscious manifestations...I can't stop them...not that I haven't tried of course. That's actually the reason why I don't wear underwear and why I did not wear clothing in general in my adult forms for a while. It wasn't ignorance or lewdness on my part. When you are floating in a fluid-filled shithole, wearing clothing...hurts...after a while."
Guilt filled me as I replied, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to free you."
She smiled before she assured me, "It is alright, my love. I have never held it against you...you were just a child...it is unreasonable for you to hold yourself responsible."
I went to reply, but the sound of explosions caused me to return my gaze to the battle raging around us. The rounds from Anton had reached the Missouri. The first two rounds had straddled her, ejecting huge columns of foamy water on either side of her massive hull. The third 4,300-lbs shell had impacted the side of her hull above the waterline just aft of the burning remains of the main turret and penetrated through the battleship's armor belt to explode internally, though aside from igniting more fires, had done little in terms of structural damage.
Seconds later, the rounds from Bruno reached the battleship. The first round hit the surface of the water near the end of the stern and continued onward to explode between the two portside screws. The resulting damage likely rendered the two screws useless and made the portside rudder inoperable. Most likely, the ship also began to take on water, but because of the honeycomb of watertight compartments, the damage control teams easily minimized the damage. Either way, the great ship was reduced to a slow crawl that would soon bring her parallel to the Yamato for a full broadside.
The second round impacted the side of the stern and penetrated through the armor belt to explode beneath the battleship's helicopter pad. The resulting explosion compromised the structural integrity of the pad and the entire structure collapsed into the cavernous space below it. My knowledge of the internal layout of the old Iowa-class battleships was minimal at the time so the exact damage that the collapsed helipad caused was lost to me but I would imagine that it was not as catastrophic as one would have thought because the mighty warship seemed to weather the superficial damage with ease.
The third round, however, penetrated the side of her hull below the waterline between the remains of the turret and the helipad. The warhead exploded internally. The entire hull of the Missouri visibly shuttered from the resulting explosion but, again, the watertight compartments prevented the flooding from spreading. However, the ship did slowly begin to list to port. The three rounds from Athena's 6.1-inch turret tore into the burning section of the superstructure but against an armored target like the American battleship, they were the equivalent of peashooters.
By then, we were passing the rapidly sinking remains of the Wisconsin. Her shattered hull was going down by the stern at roughly a forty-five degree angle. The mood inside the bridge became one of intense sorrow as Athena's bow passed by the sinking hulk. Guilt flooded us all as we felt that we had done something that was unforgivable.
In all the long history of the noble battleships, it was perhaps a testament to the hidden innocence of humanity that, despite their intended purpose, most battleships never saw combat. The majestic mountains of steel were beloved by both friend and foe alike. Rarely were they risked because the very thought of losing them was enough to dissuade navies from placing them on the front lines. In truth, the tale of the mighty IJN Yamato was unique in that it was perhaps the only battleship in history that was ever truly sacrificed by being deliberately thrown into harm's way with little, if any, chance of survival.
Fighting to stay composed, I raised my right hand and saluted the fallen giant. I sensed everyone around me joining me in honoring the sacrifice of the Wisconsin. As the battleship's remains were off the portside of Bruno, the water had submerged the bridge and was rapidly overtaking the mighty guns of the warship. I had to force myself to remain calm as I saw that the two massive 16-inch turrets were still locked approximately ninety degrees to port from where she had been firing at our escorts.
As if she was acknowledging our salutes, the mighty Wisconsin's turret number 1 fired a "ghost shot" just before it slipped beneath the surface of the ocean and was gone. Unlike her cruel attitude towards the Armacham aircraft carrier, Yamato herself honored her fallen sister by firing a round from Cesar in a funeral salute. Her behavior caused me to wonder if all the battleships had shared a tragic bond: as in, they were all sisters. Was fighting the Iowa-class causing her pain?
I had little time to ponder the thought before Alma got my attention by saying, "Michael, the Missouri." I turned back to look through the viewports. There, I saw that the wounded giant had become parallel with us. Her fore 16-inch main guns and her remaining portside 5-inch dual turrets were taking aim at us. With Athena still reloading her forward armament and in the process of rotating her aft turrets to aim at the battleship, we were sitting ducks.
Before I could even begin to do anything, the mighty guns of the battleship fired in quick succession. Seconds later, the rounds reached us. The first round screamed past the front of the bridge as it missed. The second round hit home in the side of the bridge but the round failed to penetrate Yamato's thick hide. Even still, the force of the impact violently shook the entire structure and threw me painfully back against the bulkhead behind me. The third round missed as it screamed between the bridge and the smoke stack.
The fourth round slammed into the deck in front of her fore 6.1-inch turret. The resulting explosion threw wooden deck planking through the air like shrapnel and left a huge hole in the deck but otherwise failed to cause any significant damage. The fifth round hit the side of Yamato's hull beside Bruno but failed to penetrate her armor belt and merely glanced off before exploding in the water beside the side, sending up a huge column of foamy water that extinguished the embers caused by the fourth round as it rained back down and soaked the deck with seawater. The sixth round impacted Bruno between the second and third barrel but, thankfully, failed to penetrate the armored face of the turret. Instead, the round glanced off and exploded in the air above the turret.
Alarms sounded inside the bridge and the emitter sparked as it continued to project its hologram. Alpha 1 helped me get to my feet. Fighting through the hot arcs of pain running through my spine, I looked over at Athena 1 and said, "Damage report."
He looked at me and replied, "Sir, minor fires reported but the automated fire suppression system is extinguishing them. The concussion from the second round has knocked out…"
I interrupted with a slight laugh, "I meant to our men, captain."
He replied, "Sorry, sir. Negative on injuries or casualties."
I nodded and then said, "Very good. Well, I think that it is safe to venture that that was a successful test of Athena's armor."
He replied with a humorous tone, "Yes, I would say so too, sir."
I smiled and then said, "As you were."
He remarked, "Yes, sir."
I returned to looking out the viewports. The Missouri had proven that she still had plenty of fight left in her. However, now that she had to reload her guns, it was time for Yamato to thunder her reply. Seemingly making the Earth stand still, she fired a full broadside with her mighty 20.1-inch main guns and 6.1-inch guns. By then, the range between the two titans had closed to less than one nautical mile.
The rounds from Anton reached the battleship seconds later. The first round skimmed the top of the deck just in front of the first main turret. Though it left a deep gouge in the deck, it failed to detonate. The second round, however, penetrated the armored front of the first main turret between the first and second barrel. The round exploded internally and the resulting explosion destroyed the turret. The third round also hit the turret and further decimated the piece of artillery.
The three rounds from Bruno, however, sealed the fate of the "Mighty Mo". As the ship climbed up the swell of another wave caused by the hellish thunderstorm around us, the side of the ship was exposed. The three 4,300-lbs armor-piercing warheads penetrated the armor belt of her hull and exploded internally beneath the massive main guns. The resulting explosion lit up the blood red sky as an enormous mushroom cloud shot skyward from the shattered hull of the battleship. Yamato herself was nearly capsized by the force of the exploding powder magazine and I was once again thrown against the bulkhead behind me.
This time, I blacked out from the impact. When I came to, the power was out on the ship and only the red light coming in through the viewports was illuminating the interior of the bridge. I groaned and began to get to my feet. I nearly fell as my left knee gave out but Alpha 1 grabbed me and helped me stand. I heard Alma comment with a giggle, "That was fun!"
Still needing Alpha 1 for support, I looked around the bridge. I was only able to see the black silhouettes of the Replica except for the areas around their glowing "eyes". Athena 1 looked over at me and asked with concern in his voice, "Are you okay, sir?"
I replied, "Yeah, I just need a moment to get myself together. Report."
He informed me, "The force of the magazine explosion from Missouri nearly capsized Athena. The shock temporarily overwhelmed the electrical grid. The nuclear power plant is still active so it should be coming back on right about…" At that moment, the power was restored to the ship. He finished, "…now."
I felt the wobble leave my legs and motioned for my brother to release me. He let go of me slowly and waited until I had successfully taken a few steps before backing completely away. I nodded at him in gratitude. He replied, "Anytime, Michael."
I peered out the viewports to see the burning hulk that was the remains of the Missouri. The bow had already sunk and the remaining section was rapidly sinking. Whirling filled the air as Yamato returned her guns to their standard position as she chased after the New Jersey. It was just as well, none of us wanted to look at the fiery remains of the elderly warship. It was just too painful to see her like that.
Slowly but surely, we closed in on the bomb carrying warship. As we drew closer, Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, and I made our way down to where everyone else was waiting for us. We would be fighting in close quarters so the Replica were armed with automatic shotguns, Point Man and Holiday were armed with VK-12 shoguns, and I had a SHO Series-3 Combat Shotgun.
Due to the threat of the Iowa, we remained inside the superstructure by the starboard side hatch. The minutes ticked by at a crawl until finally, my com link activated. The image of Athena 1 appeared in my HUD as he informed me with his distorted Heavy Trooper voice, "Sir, we are alongside the New Jersey. Good luck, Commander."
I replied, "Thank you, Captain."
His image left my HUD and I yelled, "Green light! Go! Go!" One of the Marines opened the hatch and I led the way out onto the deck. Sure enough, within jumping distance was the aft deck of the American battleship. With the waves still slamming into the two titans' hulls, I ran across the slick deck of Yamato and, when I reached the edge of the starboard side of her bow, I jumped onto the deck of the New Jersey.