The Black Sea Mission

"Something just isn't right" Mashiro said as she stood on the quiet Bridge of the Harekaze. The crew had been sent on a world cruise as a reward for their actions over their time together – including the RATt virus, the fortress assault and going into danger where even Blue Mermaids feared to go. Currently, they were in the Black Sea after paying a courtesy call to Georgia and heading back out to the Mediterranean Ocean and heading to the United Kingdom before a final sail around through the Arctic and back down into Japan where the class would be broken up and sent to their postings with the Blue Mermaids.

"What do you mean?" asked Kouko who was sharing the watch with her.

"A mass of unidentified ships heading towards the coast and a bit of jamming…?" Mashiro raised an eyebrow.

"It'll be a fishing fleet without their locator beacons turned on" Kouko shrugged as she sipped her tea. "Kaede said they are known for running around without turning them on"

"Perhaps, but I will be happy when we get going again and not sat doing nothing just so we can do some star observati–" Mashiro was cut off by a call from the Radio Room.

"We just had ping from an X band search radar"

"Do you know where from?" Mashiro replied as she bent to the speaking tube.

"Only that its fairly close… Within ten miles or so"

"Give me a surface sit rep"

"Just some merchant traffic, Ukrainian vessels and that mass of unknowns"

"Keep an eye on the last two groups" Mashiro turned to look at Kouko. "Better call up to Macchi and see what she can see" "Send our pulse beacon and ID" she added.

"Right" Kouko sent it herself, asked their lookout to have a glance around the area and then moved to stand next to Mashiro. "And what happens if..."

"Wooooooooooooaaahhh" Tsugumi called out in surprise. "We just got pinged by a S band fire control radar"

"Turn all of our exterior lights on and shine a search light on our flags" Mashiro ordered.

"We're not being targeted I think"

"Maybe we should..." Mashiro cut Kouko off.

"I agree"

"Incoming message... It says 'Moskva to Y-469... We are engaged in anti terrorist operations - stand clear' - thats all"

"Anti terrorist?" Kouko blinked.

"Flashes of light... Gunfire ahead - they've hit the Ukrainian fleet" Macchi called

"That's it..." Mashiro slapped her palm on the alarm that would wake the mostly sleeping crew. "Action Stations, Action Stations - all hands, man your Action Stations. Captain Misaki to the Bridge on the double! Kouko, bring us in closer at full speed"

"Right" Kouko rung the telegraph for full speed and swung the wheel around to try and put themselves between the Ukrainians and Russians - each of the unknown ships had revealed their identities.

"We've been hit by a fire control radar again... No danger"

"They'll be intimidating us" Kouko said.

"Shiro, what is going on? Report!" Akeno stepped onto the Bridge in her uniform except for the necktie.

"Captain, a large group of Russian warships have opened fire on a flotilla of Ukrainian vessels on exercise, a number of ships have been hit and we've been hit by fire control and search radars" Mashiro gave the report quickly and precisely.

"Have they aimed at us?"

"Not yet, but we were warned to stay away from supposed anti terrorist operations"

"Inform them we are moving in to pick up survivors" Akeno shuddered for a moment. "Rig the ship for maximum capacity"

"Aye"

"Tama, make sure the guns are loaded but keep them trained fore and aft - we will not start a shooting match. Mei, that goes for you too. Try and get a message to the school and ask for instructions. Lookouts of the Bridge, sweep searchlights to look for boats. Rin?" Akeno looked to see where a sleepy Rin had taken over the wheel. "Bring us in closer and then slow ahead. As soon as the ship is rigged and ready, as many hands as can be spared are to line the sides to help get people aboard"

"Unable to send a message - strong interference from an unknown source"

"I think we can assume where its from" Mashiro muttered grimly.

"Yes" Akeno agreed. "Are we completely jammed?"

"Only the long distance equipment - short range is still usable"

"So we can communicate with the Russian ships?"

"Affirmative"

"Put me in touch with them" and Akeno waited for a moment before noticing a light come on. "Russian ships, this is the Harekaze. We do not want to get involved with your fight, but we're moving in to pick up survivors"

"This is Russian ship Moskva - stay away or we will consider you a threat and deal with you accordinly"

"Moskva, we are only going to pick up the injured and treat their injuries. Anything else that you think is untrue. Why are you even firing on the Ukrainians?"

"Because they are a country of Nazis and those that would wrong us... We must strike first and stop them. Do anything to aid our enemy, and you will become that. Out"

"Nazis? Damn it, give me a pistol and a skipper - I'll show that bastard"

"Mina, calm down" Akeno shook her head. They had found Mina on leave in Georgia and, as they were due to head in that general direction, had agreed to slip into a German port and drop her off - Kouko hadn't minded the detour at all.

"Sorry, but with my country's history we tend to get a little angry at that"

"I wouldn't blame you" Akeno remarked as she saw the first boats come into view. "All stop, Rin. Away sea boats and standby to bring on survivors"

"Bridge, there's a pair of large ships breaking off from the main group and heading in our direction - the others are moving away" Macchi called from the lookout position high above them.

"Keep an eye on them" Akeno took a moment to calm her nerves before turning to Mashiro. "Shiro, see if there is a way to get through the interference and ask for help. Have our situation included in the message and request instructions"

"I heard that... The jamming is coming from one of the two ships that are heading our way" Tsugumi spoke up from her position through the voice pipe.

"Captain, the boats are porting major injuries. Minami is asking for all medical trained crew to help her" Mashiro was consulting Kouko over something.

"Do it and have the galley prepare their biggest pots for sterislation and anything else th-"

"Vampire, Vampire, Vampire!" Kaede called from her sonar station. "I have three fish heading directly for us off our port beam - time to impact is ten seconds"

"Deploy countermeasures" Akeno snapped and several decoys were thrown into the sea as Rin swung the Harekaze around as hard as she could.

"Brace for impact!" Kouko called over the intercom. The entire crew held on to the nearest solid object before they were suddenly thrown to the deck and injured - yet it didn't happen which led to confused looks on the Bridge.

"Torpedoes detonated short" Kaede said with a pained expression in her voice.

"INCOMING!" yelled Tama moments before a shell impacted on the forward deck of the Harekaze.

"Where did that come from? Lookouts, report" Mashiro ordered as she helped Akeno to her feet.

"It came from Moskva" reported the port Bridge wing lookout.

"Tama, put three rounds in front of her bow. When they have landed, signal her that if she fires again, we will respond with deadly force" Akeno turned to Mashiro with a grave look. "I trust that I don't have to persuade you this time?"

"No" and the other girl reached out, inserted her key and turned it at the same time as Akeno - unlocking the live ammunition. As soon as it was available, Tama and Mei changed their loads and readied for a strike.

"Send by light to Moskva 'We are on a rescue operation and are not a part of this fight. Should you try to attack us again, we will reply with deadly force'. Deputy Captain, have the most seriously wounded been brought aboard?"

"Yes, Captain - the Doctor has reported it so"

"Then bring the ship about and prepare to engage the enemy" Akeno gulped as she spoke. "Hoist battle ensigns" she added.

"Aye, Aye, Captain" Mashiro turned to issue orders to the rest of the crew on the Bridge.

"Rin, put us in a position between the Russian ships and the most badly damaged Ukrainian vessels - we have to give them time to either get moving or abandon ship"

"A-Aye" the girl squeaked and then firmly took to her task. Akeno smiled for a moment as she remembered the frightened girl that she had first met on the original Harekaze. Rin was still easily spooked, but she had grown into a fine sailor, a determined young woman and one of the finest friends you could have.

"Vampire, Vampire, Vampire! More fish coming at us from both sides - two from the port and four from the starboard" Kaede reported.

"Tama, do what you can with the guns to take them out. Mei, get me a targeting solution on Moskva" Akeno glanced back at Rin who was starting to whimper at the fighting. "Wheel hard to port... Full astern port engine and full ahead starboard"

"Do the Russian ships have lookouts in their fighting tops?" asked Mashiro, a calculating look on her face.

"I... I don't think so" Kouko looked up the information on her tablet.

"Good" Mashiro smiled. "Tama, as we swing round the stern, aim the aft battery at Moskva's highest points and fire until they crumple. If we can cripple their fire control systems, they will have to rely on optics only"

"Captain, some of the torpedoes have missed us, but two have looped round and are coming towards us... They have acquired us and are homing"

"Midships! Both engines ahead flank speed. Engine Room? Maron, give me everything you have to spare"

"I'll try" came the predictable wail from deep below the Bridge.

"Captain, we'll leave the injured and others behind" Mashiro whispered.

"I know, Shiro, but I have to put the safety of this ship and crew first" Akeno sighed and then straightened as if finding some inner strength. "Deputy Captain, please note in the ship's log with the date and time that the decision to break off rescue operations is mine and mine alone"

"It is so noted" Mashiro replied as Kouko wrote it down and Akeno nodded in satisfaction.

"Tama and Mei - get a target lock on the Moskva and prepare to open fire"

"Captain, we're taking moderate damage to the outer areas of the ship" Kouko said.

"Secure the lookouts - have them assist the Doctor" Akeno said.

"Target acquired" Mei said.

"Same" Tama added a moment later.

"Captain, incoming message from the Moskva" Tsugumi said from her station.

"Put it on speakers" Mashiro said.

"Sdayte svoy korabl' i prigotov'tes' k tomu, chto nasha komanda zakhvatit yego"

"Does anyone know what that said?" asked Akeno with a frown.

"I do and I know the correct reply" Kaede spoke up. "Permission to reply?"

"Go ahead"

"Russkiy voyennyy korabl', idi na khuy!" and then there was a pause. "You may want to open fire"

"Well, go on then..." Akeno gestured at Mei and Tama who grinned before turning to speak to their teams. "Kaede, what did you say to it?"

"I told the Moskva to go fuck itself"

"Well" Mashiro snorted as the Harekaze shook from another set of impacts to the upper works at the same time her guns and torpedoes fired, "That's one for the log book"

"You think so?"

"Why not?"

"Alright - Kouko, note the message and our reply down in the log"

"In full?"

"In full" the Captain smirked. "How long do you think it will take for Momo and Hime to get t-shirts made with that printed on them?"

"Not long" Rin giggled.

"I'll take a short sleeve in a small" Maron spoke from the Engine Room voice pipe. "Captain, we're taking a lot of damage to the ship - I have warnings on the waterline sensors from the torpedo hits and after fire control is out"

"They are firing manually" Tama said simply. "Aft autoloader is damaged too"

"Yes!" Mei jumped up and down on the spot. "We've hit Moskva in the bow and the stern - she's leaking oil and turning away"

"Forward fire supression system is offline" Mina called from where she and Kouko had been huddled over a tablet.

"Maron, you got anyone you can spare down there?" asked Akeno, worrying about the state of her ship.

"No"

"I'll go and fix it myself" Mina said, giving Kouko a quick peck on the lips and rushing off the Bridge. At that moment, a terrible feeling came over Akeno as she looked at the startled secretary.

"What are you waiting for?" she gestured at the girl, "Go after her"

"Moskva has opened a hatch on her stern... Some kind of torpedo tube has rolled out" Macchi called from her place.

"I thought I ordered you to get down"

"Let the record show that Machiko Noma respectfully refuses to comply... If we live through this, you can court martial me"

"I'm so unlucky" Mashiro half heartedly said.

"Just... Just tell me what you can see"

"There's some kind of steam coming from the torpedo tube... Wait, its not a torpedo - its a rocket and it just launched"

"Rin, evasive" Akeno snapped.

"Aye" the girl was serious at times like this and her fear seemingly vanished. The Harekaze swung round but the rocket seemed to change course to follow them and Akeno ordered all guns that could bear to open fire directly in front of it in order to try and detonate it, but the thing powered through everything and the order to brace was passed. Whatever the rocket really was slammed into the for part of the Harekaze's hull and caused a huge explosion that knocked everybody off their feet with alarms all screaming for attention. Equipment sparked as live wires touched each other and smoke started billowing from the pipes and deck plates and it was several long, labourious seconds before they could get their senses back.

"Man on the wheel!" Rin called - despite being very much female, some traditions of the sea died hard after all.

"Turn us away from the Moskva at whatever you can do" Akeno winced as she held a hand to her left ribs. "Damage report!" she ordered.

"Whatever that was hit forward of frame twenty one - we have no communications with anything forward of that" Mashiro spoke to her in pain. Akeno glanced over and noticed a bleeding to her right temple and several cuts and rapidly forming bruises.

"You better get to Sickbay" Akeno warned her.

"I think they will have more problems to deal with" Mashiro said darkly and Akeno could only agree.

"I have a temperature warning on the forward magazines" Tama said. "The fire is starting to get dangerous in there"

"Order Mina and Kouko to get out of there and flood them"

"I can't"

"Why?"

"Because they are forward of frame twenty one and reports say the hatches are jammed shut and the intercompartmental voice pipes are not working" Mashiro stopped as she realised what had to be done. She knew Akeno had realised it too because the younger girl had stiffened in place and clenched her hands into fists.

"Deputy Captain, this is a direct order from myself - flood the forward magazines" and there was silence except for a few alarms and muffled blasts as the Harekaze fired at the Moskva.

"Aye, Captain" Mashiro saluted, walked around the rear of the Bridge to the plotting room and personally engaged the flooding system. She waited for two agonising minutes as the sensor in the compartments flickered several times before extinguishing and she turned the pumps off and went back to report. "Ma'am, both forward magazines have been flooded... The sensors in the compartments show the fires are out"

"Very well" Akeno whispered. "Do we have any ammunition left for the guns?"

"Yes" Tama said simply, falling back into her previous quiet self.

"Range to Moskva?"

"Twenty thousand yards and closing" Tsugumi said after a few moments.

"She is just inside range" Tama consulted something before talking.

"Rin, change course to close the Moskva at whatever speed you can get. Tama, open fire the moment you have a better chance" Akeno looked at Mashiro. "I need to see to the crew" she said.

"Are you sure?" asked Mashiro.

"I need to speak to the Doctor and to Maron personally - some things are best left off the Bridge" Akeno lowered her voice.

"Oh" Mashiro realised what she meant.

"Carry out my orders for now and begin draining the forward magazines and just... Just make sure that the fire is out and secure the stuff in there" Akeno couldn't bring herself to finish the order she was about to give, but Mashiro knew what she meant and nodded with a weak smile.

"There was nothing that you could have done - they both knew the risks and chose to go willingly to it. If you hadn't ordered the flooding, either or both could have blown up and we all could have died. By doing what had to be done, you might have saved dozens of lives"

"It doesn't help me thinking about what I did"

"You didn't kill them" Mashiro put a comforting hand on Akeno's shoulder. "You may have given the order, but I was the one that turned the switch... That will be on my soul for the rest of my life"

"You only followed my orders" Akeno shrugged off the hand and shook her head. "I am going below to inspect the damage myself. Have all crew not engaged in medical matters of fighting the ship join in damage control. You have the ship"

"I have the ship, Aye, Ma'am" Mashiro straightened, saluted and then turned to speak to Tama and Mei. Akeno watched for a few seconds before slipping off the Bridge and heading down the ladder and into the main part of the ship - pausing to look fore and aft at the damage the firefight had caused to the small destroyer. As the Captain went inside, she started to wonder if this would be the second Harekaze lost under her command.

#

Death

The minute she got near, she could smell it mixed with the smells of combat and the ship's normal smell. Akeno fancied that she could also smell smoke from the fires that raged fore and aft as she got nearer. Already, she could see wounded being moved in and out of sickbay and other compartments as the moaning of the wounded and dying threatened to overwealm her. Both her own crew and those sailors they had picked up lay on the deck on stretchers or sat in chairs and Akenofelt a cold feeling grip her as she tried to keep down her stomach contents. A quick look inside told her that the Doctor was extremely busy, so Akeno settled for grabbing hold of one of the lookouts and pulling them aside to get questions. She was a mess with her hair all over the place and her uniform filthy from smoke and stained with the blood of the dying and injured.

"Report!" she said firmly. It was not so much unkind as an attempt to concentrate on her duties and noth the carnal house her ship had become.

"We've got hundreds wounded from both the Ukrainians and ourselves" the lookout reported and Akeno tried to remember her name but couldn't place it right away. "The Doctor has had to amputate a number of limbs and we've lost a number of the rescued due to injuries"

"What about us?" Akeno decided to not to add to the lookout's problems and thoughts by telling her she'd ordered the death of Kouko and Mina.

"None of us have died, though Hime's legs are badly smashed from a support beam falling on top of her. The Doctor said something about crush injuries and stuff, but I don't understand all that well" and Akeno nodded.

"Right..." she winced as a male voice screamed and then suddenly cut off over the sound of machine whining. "Get as good a report as possible together and have it sent to the Bridge in person by someone not badly wounded - the communication system is damaged and the voice pipes are out in places"

"Aye, Captain" the lookout braced, nodded and then went back to her vital work. Akeno watched her go before running outside and vomiting over the portside railings where the boarding plank was kept. The winds had been kind to her and pushed the smell of death and destruction away and she looked up to see clear skies, the stars twinkling down onto them. With one last look at the calmness, punctured only by the Harekaze's forward batteries firing, she went back inside the ship and pushed her way through the wounded, scurrying crew and clambered over damage to make it to the Engine Room where Maron was yelling at people to do tasks as she kept the vital engines of the battered destroyer working.

"Kuro, take over for a moment... Chief Engineer, a word" and Maron turned with fury in her eyes before taking in Akeno's appearence and softening her expression. The pair slipped through the door, into the corridor and into the one storeroom that had not been taken over for some other purpose Akeno tried not to think about.

"What do you want?" asked Maron, though not unkindly.

"You could have asked on the Bridge"

"Yes, but I thought I had better ask for your opinion in person" and understanding dawned over Maron's face.

"The aft fires are out, thankfully, but we've suffered terrible hull damage from torpedo and gun strikes. We heard something vaguely over the voice pipe about some new weapon, but we couldn't make it out - whatever it was, though, knocked out the sensors forward of frame twenty one"

"Must have been your panel - we had a fire warning in the forward magazines and I had to order them flooded" Akeno hesitated before confessing to Maron. "Mina and Kouko were fighting the fire with hand held equipment when the warning came on - we tried to speak to them, but the intercom and voice pipes were damaged... I had no choice but to order them flooded" and Maron closed her eyes and muttered something that Akeno couldn't make out.

"I sent Sora there to fix a broken electrical junction box. She must still have been in that area when that weapon hit us and caused the fire in the magazones. If she was wearing breathing gear as she should have been, there's enough in the tanks to last an hour more. As for the rest of the ship..." the Chief Engineer shrugged. "The keel is still intact, we've got major hull damage along the water line that we're just about controlling, the upper works have been more or less demolished, the hull and main spaces have been hit and damaged in a number of places... The list goes on"

"Can we stay afloat?"

"For now, though if we take too much more damage, I can't say that will stay the same. Honestly, I'd say that we should disengage and go, but we can't do that can we?"

"No" Akeno shook her head softly. "We need to sink the Moskva and stop her from ever hurting another person again"

"No... I didn't think so. I can not promise you anything, Captain, but I will do my best to keep the ship together for long enough"

"And more, I hope"

"There is hoping and there is foolhardiness" Maron allowed herself to smile. After a few moments, and without another word being mentioned, she left Akeno in the small room alone to gather her thoughts about what she should do next. As she stood alone, she could hear screams from both those that had been rescued and her own crew as they cried out in pain and suffering. Part of her wanted to sink the enemy vessel and leave its crew to the mercy of the sea, but her sense of honour would not allow it because too many had died that day and she had chosen to train for a life where all on the sea deserved to be saved - even if they had just tried to kill her.

#

"Captain on the Bridge" Mei called out.

"Rin, increase to flank speed. Tama, switch your shells to any armour piercing that you have left. Mei, get a full spread ready from both launchers - maximum warheads" Akeno turned to Mashiro. "Maron thinks Sora might be in the sealed off area. She sent her forward to repair some damage and didn't know we were about to flood the place. She might be alive, though, because she made sure Sora went forward with oxygen tanks and a mask"

"Lets pray that our losses are light" Mashiro whispered. "What are we doing about Moskva?" she asked.

"We are going to sink it - it is an enemy to be destroyed... Nothing more and nothing less. We will take on the crew as best as we can and then limp for a friendly port to offload the dead and wounded" Akeno looked out of the window where the first hint of sunshine peaked over the horizon. "Any news about Kouko and Mina?" and Mashiro shook her head.

"The pump won't drain the water in that section and damage control don't want to open it up for fear of the water spreading"

"We are gaining on Moskva" Macchi called from her position high above them. "She seems to have suddenly come to a complete halt just after we hit her stern"

"Have we disabled her?" Mashiro blinked.

"Maybe, or maybe they want us closer"

"You know, I preferred you when you were much more full of sunshine"

"That was a long time ago" Akeno said. "Rin, adjust your heading so that we end up sitting a distance away from the target. Guns and torpedoes, prepare to open fire on my command. Somebody send a signal to the Moskva ordering them to surrender and abandon ship" and, a few moments later, a reply was flashed back by light.

"They told us to surrender our rescued Ukrainians to them for prosecution" Mashiro read the message as best as she could. "Oh, and they've opened fire on us" she added as a number of small guns opened up and pinged away at the Bridge.

"Get down!" Akeno crouched and then looked at Tama and Mei. "Open fire" and the weapons barked out a deadly reply into the stopped Moskva's hull. They ripped into the hull and sent sheets of fire into the air and this went on until the Harekaze's guns stopped and Akeno looked at her weapons people with a frown.

"We've run out" Mei sheepishly remarked.

"She's starting to go down" Rin said. They all stood to see Moskva starting to settle in the water and then very slowly pitch bow first.

"Do we rescue them?" asked Mashiro.

"Unfortunately, thats our job. Tama, Mei - take your girls and have them put rope ladders over the sides. First though, open up the arms cabinet and issue pistols to all. Have them all gathered on the prow so we can keep an eye on them. Get a medic to see to their injuries" Akeno added before turning to Rin. "At slow, what is our nearest friendly port?"

"Odessa in about eight hours"

"Macchi, Kaede - meet me by the Skipper in five minutes with body protection and sidearms"

"Captain?" Mashir frowned in puzzlement.

"Moskva has maybe half an hour to live, right?"

"At the most"

"Then that gives us enough time to get over there and take her flags and nameboard as prizes" Akeno smiled for the first time in hours. "That ship led a cowardly attack against the Ukrainians and us - it doesn't deserve its name or flags when it goes down"

"Well if you have the time, raid the galley for beer" Mashiro commented.

"Why?"

"After all this...? I need a bloody drink"

"Aye, Aye..." just as she spoke, a tremendous roar echoed over the water as explosion after explosion ripped through the Moskva and tore it to shreds. There was stunned silence as the ship tore itself to pieces before one final blast disintegrated the middle and sank the two halves within seconds.

"Well, there go the prizes" Mashiro said bluntly.

"Is anyone in the water?" Akeno peered out into the brightening sun. "Macchi?"

"I don't see anybody" came the measured replied.

"They must have scuttled it to stop us from learning its secrets" Akeno shook her head.

"Jamming has gone" Tsugumi reported.

"Send a message to what remains of the Ukrainian fleet and to the port authorities at Odessa - inform them of what has happened, our status and our intentions to go to Odessa to get emergency repairs. Stand down the weapons crews and have them report to damage control or Sickbay if they are not guarding the prisoners" the Captain took a long last look at the small bits of debris that marked the Moskva's grave and then turned away. "Rin, best speed for port. Deputy Captain has the ship"

#

The knock on her cabin door caused Akeno to almost jump out of bed before it opened and Mashiro came in bearing a load of paperwork on a number of clipboards. "Captain, we've safely docked in Odessa and are offloading the dead, dying and wounded ashore now along with the prisoners we've taken. Maron thinks that it will take at least a fortnight to get enough repairs made to make us seaworthy enough for a run to either Malta or Gibraltar and use the Royal Navy facilities there for more extensive repairs to last until we get home"

"What's the number of dead?" Akeno asked quietly.

"Out of those we rescued, about a hundred and ten have died, though Minami thinks more will happen in the next few days. As for ourselves, Mina and Kouko died as did Sora and Akane. A number of others are seriously wounded and have been taken to the military hospital here for emergency treatment. The less seriously injured have been taken to the civilian hospital where there is more space, though Minami thinks they will almost all come back to the ship"

"How did Akane die?" Akeno felt sick at the thought of her friends having died.

"She was treating a Ukrainian sailor for burns when part of the corridor ceiling collapsed - she covered the man with her body and a piece of it went through her heart. Minami says it would have been quick and she really wouldn't have known about it"

"What about the other three?"

"Drowned" Mashiro said simply, "Though that is only a guess at the cause. All three of them had no autopsy requests on their bodies due to religious beliefs, so Minami has them in the morgue unit pending decisions on their remains"

"I see... How many are still onboard?" Akeno felt sick as she thought of her friends laying down in the cold.

"Just Maron down in the Engine Room, Rin is up on the Bridge and ourselves. I thought it was best to give the rest of the crew some shore leave to get away from the Harekaze for a brief period" Mashiro hesitated before adding "I haven't told Rin yet about Akane because they were exceptionally close"

"As in...?"

"Oh no, not like that - they shared a love for some singer from North America named Justine Beaver"

"Huh... Are we able to call home?" Akeno asked.

"Yes, through the international telephone network. I have already contacted my mother and she's waiting for you on Line 1 - I came down to tell you myself. Would you like me to stay or wait for you on the Bridge?"

"I'll be up as soon as I finish" Akeno reached for the handset and pressed the button to connect the call. "You tell Rin about Akane and then relieve her of duty"

"Aye" Mashiro nodded, left the paperwork and stepped outside.

"Captain Misaki, are you there?"

"Yes, Ma'am..."

"I have spoken to my daughter and she has told me some of what has happened, but I would like to know the full extent of your fight"

"Principal, I regret to inform you of the deaths of Engineer Sora Hirota, Galley Assistant Akane Kinesaki and Ship's Secretary Kouko Nosa. In addition, we suffered the death of passenger Wilhelmina Braunschweig Ingenohl Friedeburg - an old friend of the class who was seeking passage back with us on our way to her school. Miss Friedeburg offered to go and help put out a fire that was started by enemy fire and I ordered Miss Nosa after her. I did not know due to damage in the communication circuits that Miss Hirota was attempting to repair damage. When the fires became too great due to some sort of new weapon, I had no choice but to order the magazines flooded in order to save the ship. Miss Kinesaki died whilst treating the Ukrainian sailors we saved from sinking ships fired on by the Russians. We set off after the lead ship whilst the remains of the Ukrainian fleet took care of disabling and boarding the remainder, but they ended up stopping and sinking after firing the new weapon at us" Akeno paused for a moment as she recounted the attack that had happened only the day before. "Principal?"

"Yes?"

"What was it all for...? Why did they attack us?"

"The President of Russia had a mental collapse and ordered the attack before anyone could prevent it. By the time recall orders were sent, many lives had been lost and countless more wounded on both sides" Akeno could tell that Mashiro's mother sounded older than she could ever have previously recalled. "Are you safe?"

"We're in the port of Odessa in order to get emergency repairs done so we can sail for Gibraltar and better facilities there"

"I will have a relief crew sent over by sea and land to take over - I can not ask any more of you"

"Ma'am, if it is all the same, we'd like to finish the cruise as a class together with Coco, Sora and Akane. We are a little battered and bruised, but with repairs made we can still get to the school. Besides, I think we'd all like to attend Mina's funeral - she was our friend and comrade once and we ought to be the ones to bring her home" Akeno allowed the tears to fall from her eyes but just managed to keep from breaking into the sobs.

"I would normally insist and order you to comply, but if anyone has earned the right to return home with your ship... It is you" the Principal said.

"Thank you, Ma'am" Akeno whispered.

"I will speak to you again soon, I think, but for now I order you to see to your ship and more importantly your crew"

"Aye, Ma'am"

#

Apart from returning the body of Mina to her family and attending her funeral, the Harekaze did not stop on her way back to Yokosuka. If she passed any naval, Blue Mermaid or White Dolphin ship, they would line the sides and salute in tradition. The ship's hull was heavily scarred and a lot of her battle damage still showed with only the repairs needed to repair the hull below the waterline and to secure the safety of the ship done for the voyage home. It was three weeks before the Harekaze arrived home and the ship and crew that had been through so much over the years made international news broadcasts. Still with a list to port, sitting a little high in the water and showing that a number of her repair patches were peeling off all over the ship, Rin made the agonising turn to starboard through the light and broken fog to enter the Uraga Channel. As the ship probed its nose into the vital waterway, Akeno began pacing from one side of the Bridge to the other, studying the area, the wind and the current with the dedication of a brain surgeon who is about to perform a delicate operation. Since the night before, thousands of people had lined the waterfront. The city had come to a standstill, streets emptied and office buildings suddenly became silent, as workers crowded the windows in hushed awe as the Harekaze crawled up the harbour.

"Ghosts do exist. I know" began an NHK newsman, "I saw one in the mists of morning. Like some grotesque phantom that had been rejected from hell, she passed before my unbelieving eyes. Surrounded by the invisible pall of tragedy, shrouded in the souls of her dead, she was truly an awesome sight. You could not lay your eyes upon her and not sense pride and sorrow together. . ."

By mid morning, the Harekaze was edging past the grass park that overlooked the Mikasa museum ship and a vast sea of spectators on the Battery. No one on shore spoke above a whisper, and the city became strangely silent; only an occasional toot from a taxi horn gave any hint of normal activity. It was as though the whole of Tokyo had been picked up and placed in a vast cathedral. Many of the watchers wept openly. Among them were many members of the crew that had been too seriously injured to complete the voyage who had survived the tragic night so long ago. The air seemed heavy and hard to breathe. Most people, describing their feelings later, were surprised to recall nothing but an odd sense of numbness, as though they had been temporarily paralyzed and struck dumb.

"Tugs approaching from the port bow" Mashiro looked through a pair of binoculars.

"Thank them for the offer, but respectfully decline" Akeno said. "I think Rin can manage quite well on her own. If they insist, tell them we will fire upon them" she added with a smile that had not been on her face for all the time since leaving Germany after Mina's funeral. "Rin, port ten"

"Port ten... Ten of port wheel on" Rin replied as the Harekaze swung her bow round to aim for a berth. It took almost half an hour of gentle movements of the rudder and back and forth usage of the engines, but ropes were thrown up to the waiting crew to secure the ship to the dock and so end their final voyage together.

"Mashiro, stand down from harbour stations and be ready to receive visitors" Akeno gestured to the gathering of people waiting for stairs to be rolled into place so they could board the crippled ship.

"Aye. We've just had a message from the school's harbour master asking for our condition" Mashiro glanced as Kouko's tablet started buzzing with messages from various departments all screaming for attention. Akeno paused and spent a few moments looking out of the Bridge's windows before turning to face the Deputy Captain.

"Request permission to revise list of spares"