Chapter Thirty-Five
Victoria Andrea Cunningham: granddaughter of the First Sea Lord, graduate of the Greenwich Naval College, and by every kansen's account I have thus heard, one of the most respected and beloved officers in the entirety of the Royal Navy. Then, four years ago, the Battle of the Iroise Sea happened, the Royal Navy suffered a staggering loss and Captain Cunningham gave her life to safeguard the retreat of the fleet. She should've been a hero, a martyr; there should have been parades held in her honour, a statue erected in her hometown, and a state funeral broadcasted to every corner of their empire.
Instead, though, her name is barely spoken in public, and there's almost no record of what happened at the battle. It was as if the entire incident and everyone involved became one dark, bitter secret of the Royal Navy. But it wasn't as if the kansens were ashamed of her; Unicorn spoke of her with such warmth, and judging from what I overheard from Akagi's arguments, it sounded as though the Royal Navy paraded Cunningham about whenever they could. She was a hero, and yet her legacy felt like it was seen as an embarrassment.
I waited in the executive officer's cabin as King George V had requested, which at least gave me plenty of time to sit and meditate on the subject of Cunningham. While the accommodations on board the King George V were comfortable, I found that there wasn't really any place one could comfortably do so. The chairs were all either too hard or too soft to work, the floors were cold and only had a thin carpet, and it seemed the Royalists lacked an appreciation for floor cushions. I had to make due sitting seiza on the bed. It wasn't the most proper arrangement for meditation, but it was the only way I could get the peace of mind needed.
While I inherited the memories of my namesake, much of which involved war, loss, and strife, I myself had little experience dealing with loss. Sure, I had lost my position as flagship of the Sakuran fleets, and I had temporarily lost my powers and status as a kansen, but those felt trite in comparison to the loss of a loved one. The closest experience I had was when we lost Amagi, but while she had been a trusted advisor, my station and the isolation that came with it kept me insulated. Despite my lack of experience, from my observation of others, in particular Choshu, I could see familiar patterns of denial, anger, repressed sorrow, and forced smiles. Everybody was telling each other they were fine when they really weren't, and everyone was content to believe it because none of them wanted to admit to that pain themselves, let alone face it. Sadly, this left me with few options as I could not force anyone to face something they were too stubborn or fearful to do on their own.
It reminded me of a western adage about leading horses to water, but one could not make them drink. Or was it to take a bath? Western idioms could be difficult at times.
In the end, I was no closer to an answer and I had to give up on my meditations. Idleness, then, turned into curiosity as I explored my surroundings. The executive officer's cabin wasn't as luxurious as those belonging to the ship's captain or the admiral's suite, but it was still private and had enough space to stretch one's arms without hitting something or someone. My eyes were drawn to the work desk on the opposite side of the room, tucked in the corner and illuminated by the porthole just beside it. It was curious because there were quite a few books stacked in its shelves, which would've been normal for a regular office, but on board a kansen's warship? Why would King George V keep books in the executive officer's cabin?
Normally I wouldn't sift through someone else's belongings, but she told me to wait here and my curiosity was becoming insatiable. She practically gave me the implicit permission. I grabbed the first book at random: it was a military report, but the title caught my attention.
'Strategic Kansen Operations in the Atlantic: a Multinational Fleet Proposal, by Lt. Cmdr. Victoria Cunningham'
I skimmed through a handful of pages, but even in that short a time, I could recognize all the framework that Captain DeWolf had been using, from a commanding officer from a neutral nation and the mixed training fleets, to senior kansens serving as liaisons to their respective camps and unified communication protocols. It was a complete guide on establishing a multinational kansen fleet. It had been Cunningham's vision all along.
I soon noticed there were other books with similar binding, and I began pulling them out one by one: 'The Azur Lane Alliance: a Retrospective Analysis', 'Proposal of Military Aid to the Northern Parliament', 'Viability Analysis of Iris Reunification Negotiations', 'Cross-Cultural Kansen Social Studies'. In every one, Cunningham's name was attached as either an author or a contributor. As I continued to skim through them, a line from one caught my attention:
"The kansens embody the greatest virtues of humanity, but without proper guidance, those virtues can turn into vices. They are born with so much and yet they still know so little, and it's up to us as officers to watch over them, not as commanders and admirals, but as parents who guide and nurture their children. The very nature of war, the memories they are born with, is cruel and inhuman, and if they continue to fight without a guiding hand to ground them and encourage them, I fear they will lose themselves to these memories and become little more than unthinking weapons of war."
Those were Cunningham's own words according to the cover of the report, and if those were the philosophies she lived by, I could see why so many kansens thought highly of her. It was clearly a view that shaped DeWolf's approach to his leadership, as well, and why he was making headway in earning their trust despite supposedly lacking Cunningham's charisma.
Also, the last part not only brought Choshu to mind, but also the strange experiences I've had with her memories. The hate and anger I experienced reliving those moments of her life was all-consuming and led me to fire on my own allies. Enterprise described a sensation of losing herself during her own experiences, and Choshu was close to losing all semblance of rationality when she went on a rampage in the infirmary. It could perhaps even explain what has happened to Choshu's sister. Was this what Cunningham was warning others about? Did this potential exist in every kansen?
Since I had an overabundance of free time, I practically emptied the desk of every book it had and brought them back to the bed to pour over. Many of the reports were fascinating reads, often just thought exercises and hypothetical proposals rather than realistic plans, but an underlying theme of collectivity and unity was present in them all. Cunningham saw kansens as both sword and shield against the Siren threat, but routinely emphasized that a total victory could not be obtained so long as the world powers remained divided, otherwise 'we would fall right back into our old habits of petty squabbles and grievances'. She had bold visions, that was undeniable, and the more I read, the more I could understand why DeWolf worked as hard as he did. Whatever happened at the Iroise sea, he did not want that to remain his wife's legacy. The dream of a world united as one against the Sirens, that was the legacy he wished to leave behind.
There were probably more than a few admirals who thought it all just one big, foolish dream, but as Kawakaze once said, the world needed people who dared to dream big.
I became so engrossed in my readings that I didn't notice the cabin door open. What did catch my attention, however, was when Captain DeWolf spoke up.
"Nagato?"
I was so startled that I shrieked and launched the booklet I had been reading into the air. "C-Captain! W-what are you doing here?"
"This is my cabin," he answered, sounding perplexed that he even needed to explain that. "So what are you doing here?"
His cabin? Curse the heavens, how could I have forgotten? With everything that had happened lately, I had been operating under the assumption that DeWolf, as the operation commander, would be assigned better quarters like the ones reserved for the ship's captain or an admiral. But he had been exiled from the latter, and the former was likely being used by Enterprise, which meant he had just returned to his sleeping quarters to find me sitting on his bed, seemingly waiting for his return. I was only here because King George V instructed me to, so she must have intended for me to talk with DeWolf rather than her. A devious trick that I would've expected from the likes of Akagi rather than the Royal Navy's knight commander.
"I-it is not what it looks like," I fumbled in the hopes he wouldn't mistake my intentions for something indecent.
"It looks like you're reading my wife's old papers," he remarked.
"Oh… then it is exactly as it looks." If I admitted to the truth, it would probably just make matters worse. "My apologies; I thought you would still be on the bridge, sir."
"As did I, but then George and Enterprise mutinied on me," DeWolf explained before he started picking up the scattered papers and reports. "Told me to get some rest before we reached our destination, or they'd lock me in my cabin. Do all kansens have such a peculiar way of showing they care?"
"I am beginning to believe so, yes," I replied, masking my amusement behind a veil of formality. I helped the captain gather a few of the booklets up and handed them over. "Your wife was quite the visionary. I am certain she would be proud to see what you have done with the fleet."
"Thank you. I like to think that, too." His response was bittersweet, but at least it wasn't hollowed or forced. He wasn't trying to hide from the pain anymore. Once he had set the books away, he let out a hefty yawn and stretched almost to the ceiling. "Anyways, you best be on your way. As much as I hate to admit it, those mutinous dogs have a point. I think I've been awake damn near thirty hours at this point."
"I shall not intrude then," I said as I stepped aside.
I still had no idea why King George V had me waiting in DeWolf's cabin, but it was possible that I was just an added insurance so that he would get some rest. Were I not here, he might've gone to work at his desk or just snuck away to continue his duties away from prying eyes. I was relieved, though, that I did not need to force the issue, at least until I saw him fall into bed, whereupon he assumed his usual sleeping position of sitting against the backboard, arms folded and one foot planted firmly on the deckplate.
"Sir, that is a horrible sleeping posture," I remarked in dismay. "That cannot possibly be comfortable, and you are going to ruin your back if you keep that up."
"Well, it keeps my stomach from turning, and some sleep is better than no sleep," he replied.
While he had a point and that his seasickness would otherwise make it impossible for him to sleep, I also knew he was stubborn and would never seek a better alternative. "Sir, I have done some research into remedies for motion sickness. I have read that if you sleep with your head elevated and kept still, it can provide sufficient relief."
"A stack of pillows doesn't help–not enough support," he answered with a promptness that spoke of prior experience.
He was being stubborn. Again. Just like when he insisted on standing in the rain despite there being absolutely no reason to do so, he seemed intent on punishing himself because either the universe wouldn't or because he felt he had not done something yet to deserve even basic comforts. I couldn't understand how this was the same man who was encouraging Choshu to move forward and find her own happiness. He was certainly a fool, but perhaps I was an even bigger fool for continuing to stay by his side.
"As your secretary ship, I cannot allow this travesty to continue," I announced. Then, in a move so bold that even the Royal Navy would take notice, I climbed onto the bed and sat down beside him, feet tucked under my thighs. "I shall provide the necessary support."
If my weight shifting the mattress hadn't caught his attention, my words certainly did. DeWolf's head snapped to me faster than an anti-air gun tracking an incoming bomber.
"I beg your pardon."
Suffice to say, I had his attention now. "You need your rest, sir," I explained. "If the pillows are insufficient, then the responsibility falls upon me." I then gave my leg a couple of firm pats just to make sure that there was no confusion as to what I was suggesting.
Bold? Most definitely. In fact, it took almost all of my willpower just to keep my own nerves under control. Nor could I deny that even the mere mention of my plans was enough to make my heart race, if only just a little. It wasn't as if I was excited or anything. However, we were in the seclusion of his cabin, so it should be safe. It wasn't like back in the dorms where there was the constant risk of little sisters and nosey destroyers barging in unannounced.
"I'm… not sure if that's a good idea," he murmured before averting his gaze. It might've been because his nausea had drained his colour, but he appeared more flustered than ever.
"Please, sir. You have already worked so hard today," I pleaded, not wanting to sound pushy. "Allow me to take care of you for a short while."
I expected more resistance, especially considering how he would always react when Akagi made a bold suggestion, but instead he just let out a reluctant sigh and answered, "Very well. If you insist."
He shifted position on the bed and slowly rested back, his head nestled upon my lap in a gentle incline. I hadn't expected my plan to go so smoothly so I didn't know what to say at first. At least his eyes were shut so he couldn't see me staring at him in awkward silence. Once I had settled my heart again, I was able to better appreciate the situation and take care of the captain as I had promised. With his head kept elevated and steady, he should be able to rest comfortably… or at least, he would if he would allow himself to relax. The tension was written across his face, as if he refused to believe he could be content.
"Is it… uncomfortable, sir?" I asked.
"It's fine," he insisted half-heartedly. "I just feel bad you're being put through this."
"This is no trouble for me."
"I mean what King George V is doing: telling you to do all this just for me. I know she means well, but–"
"I admit that I am only here because of her instructions, but that is all she told me to do."
His eyes opened to reveal a puzzled look. "You mean she didn't tell you to do this? With the lap and all?"
"No. Why would she?"
DeWolf suddenly had a very sheepish look about him as his gaze slinked away from mine. "Because… Victoria used to do this for me," he murmured. His uneasiness suddenly made a lot more sense. "I was worried you were being pressured into trying to act like a replacement for her."
"I assure you, sir, that was never my intention," I replied. The last thing I wanted to be was anyone's replacement. "If… if you wish for me to stop, then I will. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable or bring back bad memories."
"It's fine," he reassured me. "Like I said, I was just worried about it. I don't want you to feel beholden to me just because you're my secretary ship. But if this…" he paused and made a quick gesture to our current surroundings, "if this is what you really want then… I don't mind."
I couldn't understand why, but hearing his words made me feel a little happy. It was like I was special to him. Thankfully he had closed his eyes again because I was certain I had to be smiling again. Now that DeWolf was resting properly, I was able to relax and breathe a little easier, too. We were sailing off to meet the enemy, and most likely in battle, so it would've been foolish to pass up an opportunity to bask in some tranquility. Above the main deck, one could barely even hear the engines at work. From the open porthole, the gentle churning of the waves as the prow cut through the azur lanes; the captain's breath, slow but steady; my own heart now settled into a gentle tempo.
Has the captain always looked this handsome up close?
What was I thinking? Now was not the time to indulge in such thoughts.
"Sir, if you do not mind my ask, why did you not tell anyone that we may be heading to the Ark?" A risky question, but I hoped that in his current state, he'd be more willing to give me the truth.
He groaned, clearly bothered that the subject had been brought up, and probably spurred a mental debate about whether my lap was worth this discussion. Thankfully, the only movement he made wound up just settling his hands across his stomach.
"George has always been navy first, and everyone else has to fight for her attention afterwards," he explained, sounding guilty to be speaking ill of her. "It makes her a great leader and kansen, but that's not always what you want in a friend. If she knew the Ark was our destination, the first thing she'd want to do is make sure we secure the place as intact as possible. That is going to be risky, and I'm not about to see more people get hurt or killed over that place."
"She clearly cares about Victoria's legacy, though," I countered, not wanting to be contrarian, but hopeful that a compromise could be reached. "Your wife died a hero at the Iroise sea, but it was a battle that was still a loss. You cannot fault George for wanting her friend's legacy to be something better than that."
"Because it hurts her pride!" he suddenly snapped back. A sharp exhale released some of his tension that had taken hold of his expression. "Sorry… didn't mean to get angry like that. George was Vicky's friend, but the problem is George exhibits the same issue that the entire Royal Navy has since the beginning: they only ever saw the name and the uniform. If they made even an ounce of effort to understand the woman behind it all, they'd know what the most important things to her were." He sighed, tired and dejected, with a hollowness that hung in his words. "They just don't care. Once she became an embarrassment, they just acted like she never existed. 'Bad for morale', they said. It became easier to ignore what happened than admit it was their fault."
"The admiralty, or the kansens?"
"Both. I'm hardly one to talk, though: I've spent the past four years running away from it, too. Trying to act like it didn't affect me, burying myself in work so I wouldn't have to think about it."
"Then perhaps it is time for you to have that discussion with her," I suggested. "I know we kansens can be stubborn, and you would rather shout orders than open up your heart, but I believe it is something that needs to be done. For both of you."
"I know, I know…" he groaned meekly. A small smirk crossed his features, accompanied by a brief chuckle. "It really sneaks up on you, doesn't it?"
"Does… what, sir?" I asked, confused.
"You've been petting my head for about a minute now."
"Eh?"
I froze up on the spot. With a sudden rise of trepidation, I looked to my hands and, sure enough, one was deep in the dark, ruffled fields that was his hair. This wasn't just a light brushing either; it was full-blown, whole-handed petting. How did I not even notice that? I was just about to pull away and begin a litany of apologies when he reached up and set his hand atop of mine.
"Could you continue?"
My brief moment of panic melted away beneath the warmth of his touch. "Of course, sir."
Captain DeWolf wasn't the only person who had been operating on a minimal amount of sleep, so it came as no surprise that somewhere along the line, I fell into a slumber, too. When I awoke, rested and refreshed, I found myself curled upon the bed, alone, with the blanket draped over me. I decided to go out and look for him, and thankfully, while a battleship had a lot of ground to cover, predicting where DeWolf was would be a trivial matter at this point. I found him on one of the observation decks near the bridge, leaning against the railing overlooking the bow with a familiar pensive look about him. He wasn't alone either, as Enterprise stood alongside him. I said nothing at first as I joined him at his side. It was enough to simply enjoy the evening air with him. Once cerulean skies had now been painted over with strokes of orange, magenta, and deep blues, the sun slowly sinking beneath the waves in the distance.
"What do you suppose those two are doing?" he asked all of a sudden. "I asked Enterprise, but she didn't know."
Curious as to what he meant, I followed his gaze to the sight of Akagi and Unicorn; they were both sitting almost perfectly still on the roof of King George's forward turret.
"They are meditating," I explained. "Akagi agreed to teach her some of our ways."
"I see," he replied with a pensive nod. "I would've thought training would involve more planes and sailing."
"As a battleship, I may not understand every lesson, but mindfulness is an important aspect of any of our teachings," I continued explaining. "Harmony is a central tenet to our tactics, and it does not just mean harmony with one another, but with ourselves and the world around us."
"I… see…" I could tell by the weight of his dragging words that he didn't. Truth be told, it was difficult to explain to a non-kansen, let alone an outsider. "Does that make sense to you?" he asked Enterprise, hoping for some independent verification.
Despite being a fellow carrier, Enterprise could only offer an uncertain shrug. "It's not how we do our training in the Eagle Union, but there were always things about the Sakuran carriers that we always wondered how to replicate."
DeWolf was content with the answer. "Well, whatever she's doing, I hope it helps them both."
That was a sentiment I shared, too. "I have been so distracted with my own problems, I failed to realize how much she was struggling to find her own place in the world again. I knew she had been shaken, but I did not appreciate the extent," I lamented as I watched the new teacher and pupil pair. "She has always been so strong, it was hard to imagine her as otherwise."
"An all-too common burden of leadership," DeWolf said, nodding with far too much experience of that himself. "Your wisdom cubes give you a lot of memories to draw from, but it's hard to handle loss and failure until you've experienced it firsthand."
"We're all coping with it as best we know how," King George V's voice suddenly spoke up from behind us. She still lacked her usual aura of warmth and welcoming, but at least she didn't look angry. Without even waiting for an invitation she joined us at the railing, a heavy sigh on her lips as she leaned upon it. "You said you want to speak with me, James?"
"Should we give you two some privacy?" Enterprise asked.
"Stay, actually," King George answered, much to my surprise. "It might be better to have some neutral parties here."
I wasn't sure how neutral I really was, but I wasn't going to correct her on that.
"Let me start then, George, and please let me finish before you say anything," DeWolf said as he mentally braced himself for a heavy confrontation of a chat. "I need you to understand that regardless of how I feel about the Ark, the Iroise Sea, or the Royal Navy's actions before, during, and after, my first and foremost concern is Choshu and her sister."
"Oh, bollocks," George groaned.
"Hey, didn't I just say let me finish first?" DeWolf snapped in disbelief.
"Not you, James. That!"
King George V directed our attention to the horizon, or rather its sudden absence. Instead of a perfectly bisected view of the ocean and painted sky, there was now just a veritable curtain of thick fog stretching as far as the eye could see, churning and surging towards us like some vengeful god of the seas.
Even DeWolf, who normally kept a calm composure in the face of adversity, had to buckle a little under the pressure. "Well… shit." He then leaned over the rail and proved that despite being a soft-spoken officer, he could bellow like the best of them. "Unicorn! Akagi! Inside, on the double!"
I lingered on the observation deck just long enough to confirm that the two had seen the approaching threat and were heading inside, then I joined the others on the bridge. I joined the captain at the central table where a holographic map display had been pulled up. Just because our namesakes were old ships, that didn't mean that we couldn't get some modern technology installed.
"We should still be a few hours out from where Akagi reported the boundary of the mirror sea," DeWolf said as he double-checked out coordinates. "Either we're way off course or it's been expanding aggressively in the interim. Why didn't we hear anything about this from the vanguard?"
"They were probably taken by surprise just like us," King George V replied. She was frantically at work at a radio station, flipping switches and dials with an increasing look of frustration. "Communications are down across the whole board."
"Which means we cannot even warn the others," I said, taking stock of the situation. "The vanguard fleets have most likely crossed the event horizon already, and we will not be able to regroup with the remaining fleets before crossing ourselves. I believe it is safe to presume that this was a deliberate act by Mutsu–I mean, Rikuo. Apologies, which name should I be using again?"
"Just stick with Mutsu unless it's over comms," DeWolf answered. He continued to stare at the map in growing desperation, but he could no more pry a solution from the data already available than any of us. There was little else to do other than accept the fate about to befall us. Once he made peace with that, he grabbed the intercom. "Attention all hands, we're crossing into the mirror sea ahead of schedule. Everybody report to the bridge immediately."
Once he finished, DeWolf let out a heavy sigh as he regarded the oncoming curtain of mist. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing that you had no choice but to jump.
"Plans never do survive first contact with the enemy," King George V remarked.
Crossing into a mirror sea was always risky, not simply because one could wind up in a wildly different landscape than before, but also because the disruption to sensors and communications made it far too easy to lose contact with allies. The original plan had been to regroup into a tight formation before crossing, maximizing our chances of staying together. Scattered as we are now, though, meant it was almost guaranteed we would find ourselves alone on the other side. King George V would have to keep her current form to keep Captain DeWolf safe, and I still had the inhibitor collar. That left only Akagi, Kawakaze, and Unicorn to run escort and picket duties. And speaking of those three, they, along with Akashi, arrived on the bridge just in time to watch everything become engulfed in the thick, ashen haze. One could barely see more than a few feet out the windows.
"My apologies, captain. If I hadn't sailed back to rendezvous with you, I would've been able to keep an eye out for such a possibility," Akagi said as she approached the map display, which at this point had become little more than a cloud of static and noise.
"If you had held your position, you'd be just as MIA as the rest of the vanguard," DeWolf reassured her. "At least the other fleets are in groups, armed, and fresh; you would've been tired and alone."
A faint smile curled upon Akagi's lips. "I'm touched to hear that you care, sir."
"I'm not letting that place take one more life from me," he answered, although his words appeared to be less directed at Akagi and more at the universe itself. His determination was plain to see in how his gaze remained fixated on the dense fogbanks ahead, as if trying to will his way into seeing past them.
Gradually, we began to catch signs of what awaited us on the other side. First came the patter of rainfall as it pelted the decks and superstructure, growing in intensity until it blended into one seamless, pervasive buzzing that echoed from all around. Then came the wind, piercing and furious howls that came through every opening and gap they could find. When the flashes of lightning finally pierced the fog, they came as no surprise to anyone. We knew we were in the midst of a storm long before the first well hit us, which made the entire battleship suddenly lurch to one side. The only person caught by surprise by the floor rising up sharply was Dr. DeWolf, who let out a startled yelp as he stumbled onto the bridge and would've fallen over completely had he not caught his balance against a nearby console.
"I know I don't have sea legs, but this is a bit much, don't you think?" Joseph remarked.
Were we not in the midst of a storm, DeWolf would've had more time to properly address the sudden appearance of his stowaway brother. Instead, all he could afford was an incredulous stare and a shout of, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"You said all hands report to the bridge," Joseph replied.
"I meant you being on the ship in the first place."
Joseph just gave his brother a deadpan stare. "Do I really need to spell it out for you?" he asked.
I had to agree with him in that respect, even without having spoken with him earlier. Why else would he sneak on board a ship if not for the reason he stated when he first made his case?
And even the captain soon realized how self-apparent the answer was. "Go make yourself useful then," he instructed as he directed his brother to a nearby station.
We needed every set of eyes we could get to monitor our surroundings. We were now sailing headlong into enemy controlled territory without any escorts or even so much as a general idea of where we needed to be going. Between the ship riding up and down and the rain squalls, visibility wasn't much better even after the fog finally parted.
"Reminds you of that night, doesn't it?" A somber observation from King George V as she and the captain stared out the rain soaked windows. "Same winds; same waves; same rain; Sirens potentially hiding behind every squall. It's like we never left."
For a brief moment, it looked as though neither of them were in the present anymore. For them, it was four years ago during the worst day of both their lives. I wasn't sure if it was fear, or uncertainty, or just general anxiety, but something troubling was brewing in the captain's eyes as history appeared to be repeating itself. However, it wasn't exactly the same, and I crept up alongside Captain DeWolf and gave a gentle tug to his sleeve to serve as a reminder.
"You are not alone this time," I reminded him. "We all believe in you, sir."
Akagi stepped forward, displaying her unwavering confidence like a peacock. "Just give us the word, and we'll turn this entire mirror sea red with fire."
The worry melted little by little as Captain DeWolf looked to each of us. None of us doubted him, even knowing what we did about the Iroise Sea. We all knew that despite how horrible that night had been, he was stronger now for it. "You're right, Miss Nagato. Thank you… all of you," he replied. After taking a few deep breaths, he started looking a bit more like his usual, methodical and confident self. "Okay George, I think we're going to have to take a risk here," he suggested. "Load up some star shells and fire them off. With any luck, some of our allies will be close enough to spot them."
"And if the Sirens find us first?" King George V asked.
"They'll find us first if we don't," the captain replied. It was almost a certainty that Mutsu knew we were coming, and in the mirror sea, the Sirens held all the advantages in terms of intel. "Akagi, do you think you can get planes airborne in this weather?"
"Their visibility will still be limited, but we'll do what we can," Akagi answered with a nod. "Unicorn, come with me. It's time to put some of those lessons into practise."
"Y-yes, ma'am!" Unicorn acknowledged, nervous, but committed.
"Kawakaze, go with them as well," Captain DeWolf instructed. "Don't go too far out: between the mirror sea and the weather, any radio chatter will be short-ranged at best."
While mirror seas had a way of scrambling sensors and communications, short-ranged, high-intensity transmissions had some success cutting through the interference. At best it made localized command and control still possible, but anything beyond even a few kilometers was iffy at best.
"I should go too," Enterprise added as she turned to leave.
Her determination was unsurprising, but what did come as a shock was that it was Akagi who barred her path. "Like hell you're sailing in this weather and in your condition," she warned her counterpart. "I'll handle this. You stay and keep an eye on things from here. I would feel dreadful if you were to get sunk by a storm of all things, at least not before I have a chance to do so myself."
"Is this really the time to restart our rivalry?" an unamused Enterprise replied. Were she in better condition, she would've pushed past Akagi without a second thought, but still recovering, she was forced to make her case. "I've sailed through worse, Akagi. You won't have to worry about me."
Akagi glanced past Enterprise for a second before lowering her voice. "It's not you I'm worried about," she whispered. With my heightened hearing, I was likely the only other person in the room who could make out what was being said between the two, not that King George V or either DeWolfs were concerning themselves with it. "Nagato can't fight, and King George V can't summon her rigging. I need somebody here who I can trust to look after them in case something goes wrong. You're not my first choice, but… I have no one else that I can ask this."
"Very well then," Enterprise conceded, much to my surprise. She must have recognized how difficult it had to be for Akagi to make such a request. "I'll keep an eye on things here."
"Good," Akagi said, a contented smile across her features. "But if you let even one hair on his head come to harm, I'm taking it out on you."
"I'd like to see you try." At least Enterprise took the warning in good nature.
With the matter settled, Enterprise quietly returned to the central table to observe the map. The remaining kansens headed outside, summoned their rigging and leapt overboard, plunging into the cold, heavy rains and shearing winds. There was a faint pang of envy and guilt in knowing that I could only stand by and watch as they sailed up and down the swells in single-file, growing ever more distant ahead of us. A few moments later, the secondary batteries fired their payload, launching several brilliant flares into the sky. The storm clouds above us were now lit up in a powerful, warm glow, but even that was short-lived as the winds were soon carrying them away. Within a couple of minutes, the storm had swallowed them up, and we had to fire off another salvo.
"Miss Akagi, I don't think we can launch in these winds," Unicorn's voice sounded over the radio.
"You have to fly your planes with more than just your head, child," Akagi replied. "Use your heart, feel the winds around you, then you wait for the right moment and… launch!"
Off in the distance, I could see the procession of fighters arcing high, a great dragon rising upon the very stormwinds that had made Unicorn so wary. Lagging behind them was a second stream from Royal Navy planes, trying to ride the same currents, like a duckling following their mother. It was far less graceful, with a few of the trailing planes looking as though they were a breath away from turning into autumn leaves were it not for raw engine power.
"I… I did it!" Unicorn cheered, sounding almost surprised by the result.
"Acceptable, given the circumstances," Akagi said in what could be argued the closest she'd allow herself to praise someone from the Royal Navy. "Now follow my lead. The captain is counting on us to be his eyes."
With some measure of air coverage, we were in a better situation, if only just marginally. Visibility was still next to nothing, and I had a feeling the Sirens wouldn't be hampered by a storm of their own creation. All we could do was wait for someone to find us, and pray that it wasn't the enemy. Minutes just seemed to drag by. All I could see in every direction was rain, swells, and the ocean spray turning the bow of the King George V into an aquarium.
Finally, though, something emerged from the darkness.
"Radar's getting a return!" Joseph shouted from his station. "Bearing… uhhh… shit! Somewhere ahead and port, I think."
Captain DeWolf quickly forwarded the vague directions to our kansens, who then went to investigate what our radars had found. "George, make sure your guns are all ready to fire," he added as a precaution.
Still just darkness as far as I could tell, even with my binoculars.
"Siren contact!" Akagi shouted over the radio. "Multiple warships on an intercept course. At least a half-dozen vessels; a mix of cruisers and destroyers."
"Have you been detected?" Captain DeWolf replied.
"Detected and engaged, I'm afraid," she reported. "I'm afraid the storm allowed these… pests to get so close that they were pretty much on top of us by the time we could see them. Don't worry; we'll make short work of them."
A small fleet as she described would hardly be a challenge for three kansens even in bad weather, but Sirens were like roaches, and if there was one, then there would be more soon to follow. Sure enough, it wasn't much longer after Akagi and the others busied themselves tearing into the first Siren contacts were we alerted to a second radar contact approaching our vessel from the opposite bearing. And then another set of contacts directly ahead.
There was no avoiding it now: the Sirens had begun their attack.
"George, adjust bearings twenty-degrees port, all ahead flank. All batteries, prepare to engage!" the captain barked out, already charting the enemy positions relative to ours. The new course would take us towards Akagi and the rest of our allies. We needed to regroup before we became isolated. As powerful as King George V was, she was still just one battleship.
The first Siren salvos splashed down just ahead of us, sending up geysers of ocean spray as our vessel ploughed ahead. The forward batteries of six fourteen-inch guns wasted no time in returning fire over the starboard side. Their normally deafening roars were barely audible over the storm around us. More shells rained down from the ships pursuing us, the sprays from their straddling shells growing uncomfortably close.
"Akagi, we're under fire from multiple contacts. I need you to pull back and regroup with us," Captain DeWolf instructed.
"I'm afraid we're under heavy fire ourselves," Akagi reported back. "They had planes waiting above the storm clouds. Kawakaze, can you disengage with a smoke screen?"
"Affirmative. I am en route," Kawakaze acknowledged.
With the situation quickly turning sour, it was no surprise that Enterprise had already vacated the bridge in a moment of inattention. She had promised to watch over things, but that didn't mean she had to stay put on the bridge. A flash of azur light coming from the bow drew my attention to King George V's A-turret, upon which Enterprise now stood, bow in hand, and rigging summoned. Even when soaked in rain and ocean spray, and slowed by injuries, the power and precision with which she launched her planes had not diminished in the slightest.
The mention of aircrafts prompted me to search the skies. Sure enough, I could just make out faint silhouettes through the clouds after each flash of lightning. "We have aircrafts, starboard side," I reported.
Streaks of anti-aircraft fire began to pour out from King George V's batteries, criss-crossing across the storm-lit skies. A cry of evasive manoeuvres sounded as waves of strike aircraft began to dive from the clouds. The whole ship listed hard to the side as she went into a full turn. For a brief moment, in the turbulent seas I worried that the entire vessel could tip over at any moment. Bombs began to hit the ocean around us, including one close enough to make the battleship shudder in response. The air around us was now ablaze with flak and flares as Siren aircrafts bombed and strafed King George V. For her part, she was doing a remarkable job of handling so many threats at once so calmly, but even I could see the strain beginning to show on her features. Far ahead, I could make out the silhouettes of Siren warships against the blackened horizon, illuminated by lightning and their muzzle flashes.
DeWolf stepped away from the map for a second to check out the port side windows. "George, do you see that battleship, approximately forty-degrees port side?"
"Aye, I see her," she replied.
"Well, I don't want to anymore."
Heeding the captain's request, King George V swung her entire array of fourteen-inch guns towards the target. With a blast so forceful even the swells beneath us bowed before it, she loosed a full broadside volley. A few moments later, we were all rewarded with a fiery burst in the distance as the Siren vessel cracked under the weight of her fury. Things did not stay going our way for very long though. With the number of shells splashing around us, it was only a matter of time before they started to find their mark. The first hits struck near the aft of the King George V, so we barely even felt the shock and only knew of them when our colleague informed us of the minor damage. The next ones, though, fired from some unseen battleship in the distance, struck the bow of the ship. A great gout of flame accompanied a burst of sparks and splintered steel as one of the shots struck near the A-turret's barbette. For a brief moment, I worried for Enterprise's safety, but a quick check outside revealed that she had leapt from her perch on A-turret over to B.
"Akashi, get on damage control," DeWolf barked out.
"You don't have to tell me twice, nya!" Akashi said as she scurried off the bridge with an armload of tools pulled out from somewhere in the depths of her sleeves.
"How are you fairing, Miss George?" I asked with growing worry.
"Nothing I can't handle," she insisted, although that could have just been that infamous 'stiff upper lip' her homeland was known for. Then the whole ship rocked under the brunt of another impact, causing all the cabin lights to flicker for a moment and my colleague to smirk. "Hmph, how interesting…"
That was not how I would have described the situation as we continued to weather more and more of the enemies' attacks, but she clearly reveled in combat to a far greater degree than I. Their gunnery was proving to be most formidable as they had zeroed in their sights on us. Not that King George V wasn't giving out as much punishment as she took, as another salvo of her main batteries shattered a Siren cruiser, and her anti-air batteries swatted a few more planes from the sky in blossoms of smoke and flame. Thanks to the reduced visibility, we were starting to engage enemy ships at ranges most battleships would consider to be point-blank.
"Strike aircrafts inbound, ten o'clock low," Enterprise called out on the radio.
I hurried over to check for myself and spotted a pair of Siren planes flying so low they were practically skimming off the wave crests, which was an impressive feat considering how turbulent the waters were. A plane that low, though, only meant one thing: torpedo bombers. King George V tried to turn her port side batteries against them, but the ocean swells caused the whole ship to roll to starboard, resulting in waves of flak and tracers flying over the heads of the oncoming planes. It looked as though we were about to engage in another hard, evasive turn, when I saw a flicker of movement closing in on the planes. All of a sudden, Kawakaze came rushing in, riding up the crest of the wave before launching herself off at the apex. With one quick spin and a flash of her sword, she cleaved the first plane in twain, severing its cockpit from the rest of the fuselage. Her arc carried her under the second plane, giving her a clear shot at its underbelly with her main batteries. The plane burst into flames and careened into the ocean just as Kawakaze herself landed.
"Sorry I'm late, sir," Kawakaze radioed in. "What are your orders?"
"Sir, may I suggest we send her to engage the forces ahead of our position?" I offered my tactical advice. "The ships in pursuit are not the major threat to our survival."
DeWolf gave a curt nod. "My thinking, too. Kawakaze, engage the enemy forces located directly to our eleven o'clock. We need you to draw their fire away while we turn back to try and join back with Akagi," DeWolf instructed. Our previous evasive manoeuvres had taken us way off from our original plan's path. In fact, we were currently sailing away from Akagi's position. "George, bring us back around to a bearing of two-ten degrees."
"Aye sir, adjusting course," King George V acknowledged. The vessel once again made a hard turn, this time to port in order to return us back to our original path.
Even with Kawakaze relocating, the pressing battle grew more intense with every passing minute. Hits became almost as frequent as the misses, although King George V's armour was withstanding anything that wasn't a battleship-calibre munition, and the anti-air intensity kept the worst of the airborne threats at bay. At this point, almost all of her guns were firing at something as faster-moving Siren warships began to close in. There eventually wasn't a direction that didn't have at least one enemy taking shots at us or receiving them in return.
"Akagi, what's your status?" Captain DeWolf radioed for an update.
"T-there's so many of them, sir!" Unicorn responded instead, her signal weakened due to the distance. "I don't know how much longer we can hold them back!"
"And where is Akagi?" De Wolf asked.
"In the thick of it, sir," Akagi answered. Her signal came in even weaker than Unicorn's, and I strained to make out every word. "We're going to need support fire or our position will be overrun. Unicorn should return to your position, and King George V fires everything she can at my location."
"That's a touch bit danger close, don't you think?" King George V replied.
"Unless you've got a way to see through this storm, you'll have to use my signal as a beacon. Don't worry, I have no intention of dying to you any time soon." As always, Akagi managed to still sound arrogant and cocksure even when suggesting something as insane as using her own transponder as a rangefinder.
King George V sighed, unsure of the plan. "What do you think, captain?"
DeWolf looked no less sure of the plan than the rest of us. However, he was in charge, which meant he had the unfortunate responsibility of making the call about whether to risk Akagi's safety for the sake of ours. After a heavy sigh, he shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous. There's too many variables, and–"
"Sir, wait!" King George V interrupted as she shut the radio off for a moment. "It might be worth trying."
"A blind shot in this weather? With these winds?" DeWolf countered. "One errant gale and that shell's going off on its own accord. You miss and you could cripple her, maybe even kill her outright."
"I won't miss, sir."
The two exchanged a cold, silent stare, punctuated by the pelting rains and the occasional shuddering steel from another direct hit. Captain DeWolf, who was so determined to keep everyone alive, and King George V, who could justify everything behind the needs of the fleet. I honestly wasn't sure who I wanted to blink first.
"Didn't Victoria propose something similar back at the Iroise sea," Captain DeWolf asked.
"Aye, James. That's why I need to do this," King George V answered.
A tense silence again. The lights flickering under repeated shell impacts. At any moment, an errant shell could crash through the bridge windows, and yet the war around them suddenly became a secondary concern for them. Captain DeWolf was running the risk analysis through his mind; a cold, unfeeling calculus that could ultimately decide who lived and who died. I could never imagine reducing people's lives to numbers and statistics, but maybe that was why I was such a poor wartime leader.
It would be the captain who blinked first. "Very well then."
This time around, it took a bit more coordination as King George V couldn't just rely on her own rangefinders to sight the targets, and instead had to rely on us approximating the distance based on Akagi's signal strength. Thankfully, Dr. DeWolf was quite adept at that 'cocktail napkin mathematics', as he described it. Now kansen training included night combat and plotting firing trajectories entirely by instrumentation–or at least that was how it was in the Sakura Empire–but to fire blindly so close to an ally made it a dangerous proposition.
"Okay, if everything holds steady, these should overshoot Akagi by a safe margin," King George V concluded.
"You don't sound convinced," I commented.
"A safe margin won't hit the targets," Captain DeWolf cautioned her. "You're going to have to bring it in closer."
We were all pouring over the map, double-checking every calculation, before we could finally settle on a plotted trajectory. It'd be difficult even on a comfortable afternoon, let alone in the middle of a storm while the occasional high-caliber explosive round rained down to remind us to hurry along. Once we had numbers we could agree on, everyone gathered around the windows to observe as King George V brought her forward guns into position.
"Are you sure about this?" Captain DeWolf asked, taking position next to the kansen.
"Vicky asked me to do the same back at Iroise," she replied. "Back when she took her flotilla to draw the Siren forces away from the rest of the fleet. I still remember her yelling at me to fire, to shell her entire position in order to take out the Sirens. I didn't want to, even when she started ordering me to. Ever since then I've always wondered…"
"If things might've ended differently had you followed her orders?" DeWolf asked.
She grimaced and shook her head. "No, James, I wonder what about if I hadn't. What if I was the one who did it?" A sigh heavier than all the weight of the ocean left her lips, her guns still silent despite being primed and readied. "What if I killed her, James?"
Sensing her hesitation, though, Captain DeWolf clasped a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing could've changed the outcome back then, Georgie, especially not anything you or I could have done," he reassured her. "But this, here and now? This is something you can do. I know you can."
"Right," she said, psyching herself up. "For the fleet…"
"No, George," DeWolf replied. "For your friends."
King George V picked up her communicator. "Akagi, if you can still hear me, shots are on the way. God's speed."
As the whole bridge collectively held its breath, the forward cannons cried havoc and unleashed their deadly payload into the abyss. All we could do then was pray as we listened for any sign of life over the comms. There was just a faint, buzzing static at first. Such a simple noise, and yet so anxiety-inducing. Thankfully, everyone was too busy staring at King George V and her communicator to notice how tightly I clung to the captain's coat.
"Excellent shot, Miss George," Akagi's voice replied, to cheers and jubilation from all of us. "Could you do a few more of those, maybe about a hundred metres more starboard?"
None were more relieved than King George V to hear those words. The confidence returned to her smile as she began to redirect her cannons. "You think that was impressive? Just wait until you see what else I have in store." She turned to Captain DeWolf. "Permission to continue firing, sir."
"Let 'em have it."
With the fury of the heavens, her cannons roared once more, raining shells down upon the Siren positions in a storm of fire and steel. If the fusillades I observed alongside Dr. DeWolf had been considered rushed, then these were spurred by a righteous zeal I had not thought possible outside the Sakura Empire. Volley after volley plummeted from the sky, soon setting the sea ablaze in oil and debris. Even battered as she was, her hull continuing to tremble and crack beneath the enemy's return fire, King George V did not let up for an instant. Her perseverance and focus were staggering to behold, and even the storm itself seemed to reel in response, as though nature itself began to know fear.
After several minutes of continuous fire, a promising message came back from Akagi.
"You may cease fire, King George V; the Sirens here are in suitable disarray. I'd quite happily finish them off, but I imagine my captain would prefer that I return to his side as soon as possible," Akagi reported.
The return of the flirtiness in her words offered some reassurance at least. It wasn't too long afterwards that I spotted Unicorn approaching off in the distance, which meant that Akagi would hopefully be close behind. Once we formed back up, we could focus our efforts on the biggest threats to us. What we had momentarily forgotten, though, was that the biggest threats were rarely the ones we could see.
"Captain!" Kawakaze suddenly sounded over the radio. "Torpedoes in the water. Multiple full spreads just passed my position!"
"Starboard, full rudder!" the captain shouted.
King George V had already begun the turn before the orders had even finished leaving the captain's lips. The very keel of the battleship twisted and screamed under the strain as thirty thousand tonnes of Royalist steel traveling at over twenty knots veered to present as narrow a target to the oncoming danger. Even Enterprise, perched atop the forward turret, had to brace herself to keep from being thrown overboard. In calmer waters, we could perhaps better see the threats, but with the stormy seas, the only way we'd know of their positions was when they detonated beneath our hull. Even one hit could slow us down considerably, making it easier for the ships in pursuit to overtake us; a hit in the wrong spot could have us reliving the fate of HMS Prince of Wales.
We could only stand by and wait with growing trepidation as swarms of torpedoes drew closer. I stayed close to the captain's side, though I wasn't sure if it was for his security, or my own comfort. As a kansen, I was more accustomed to being more in control of my own destiny, but now all I could do was put my faith in King George V's abilities. It was a feeling that I could only presume DeWolf had to live with all the time.
Alas, we would not be so fortunate.
They came in a pair. Two, shuddering impacts that nearly threw us all up and off of our feet, as if the god of the seas themself had reached up from the depths. The whole ship almost leapt up from the sheer force as alarms began to blare wildly. From the eruptions of ocean spray, I could gauge that the second torpedo had struck amidships, thankfully where the torpedo protections were at their best. No danger from that. The first torpedo, though, had hit closer to the bow where it would've torn a hole open in the hull.
"Damage report," Captain DeWolf called out.
"Multiple impacts, starboard side," King George V reported. "Hull breach in the forward compartments. Internal bulkheads are holding."
"But can you keep up this speed?"
Captain DeWolf wasn't referring to any damage to the engines or hydrodynamics, but rather the hole in the hull itself. The internal bulkheads were keeping the rest of the ship from flooding, but we were at speed, which meant with every ocean swell, hundreds of tonnes of ocean water came rushing in and slammed against the bulkhead doors. Reducing speed wasn't an option with so many ships in pursuit, but with the wrath of the ocean pounding at our gates, how long could King George V keep this up?
"Sir…" King George V spoke up. "I am beginning to think we might need a change in our plans."
"She's right," Enterprise added in support. "If our allies have not yet found us after this much active engagement, I do believe we're on our own. We need to be more proactive."
Of course, knowing we needed a new plan and actually having one were two separate matters. Captain DeWolf swept his eyes across the room with a heavy sigh. "Floor's open to suggestions, people," he said.
Unfortunately, I was rather short on ideas, too; brilliant or otherwise. The only immediate plan that came to mind was joining the fray myself, but that would mean removing my inhibitor collar. It was an option that should've come naturally, and yet when the thought crossed my mind, it instead left me filled with trepidation. Could I actually be… scared? As shameful as it was, I could not speak up. There had to be better options somewhere else.
My prayers were answered, although from perhaps the least tactically-minded individual, as it was Dr. DeWolf who nervously raised a hand.
"I have a suggestion, but I don't think you're going to like it," he cautioned. He gestured all of us over to his console. There was still a lot of static and haze in the read-out, but through it even I could see a rather prominent blip at the far edge of the display. "It showed up a few moments ago. It's got a strong signal return, way more than it ought to given the interference."
"It's the Ark," Captain DeWolf concluded without even a moment of hesitation.
"Are… are you certain, sir?" I asked.
"This isn't a defensive force we're facing," he replied. "If it were, there would be far more enemies ahead of us than behind. No… we're being corralled. She's calling out to us."
If that was the case, then that just led to even more questions. Why would Mutsu want us to be at her base of operations? It ran counter to conventional strategic thinking, especially since we had all been more than open to diplomacy in the past. If she had wanted us to pay her a visit, she could've just asked, really. Then again, if she had asked, not a single kansen in the fleet would've allowed Captain DeWolf to set foot on the Ark without a full complement of security. And it had to be the captain, for any other kansen would have gladly met her challenge; only DeWolf would require such misdirection to bring him right to her doorstep. That, though, still left the biggest question of all: why?
"I don't need to point out how much of an obvious trap this is, right?" Enterprise rightfully pointed out. "Kansens aren't built for fighting on solid ground, and carriers don't do well in enclosed spaces, either."
"True, but she won't risk damaging her own base of operations, so if nothing else it will give us some reprieve," DeWolf countered. "You gave me command of this operation, Enterprise, so please trust that I know what I'm asking of all of us."
"If that's the case, I have no objections," Enterprise agreed. "How about the rest of you?"
Thankfully, none of us had any. We all trusted in the captain's judgment.
Come what may, we were going to the Ark.