Chapter 5: Cries of the Peaceful Blue
He was not sure when, but he was certain he knew where he is.
Fire. Very large fires everywhere he looked. Pristine water turned ablaze by oil… too much oil.
Glancing to the areas untouched by the scorching heat, he saw wrecks, above and below the water. The roaring sea ate them all: ships, planes, structures, people… it didn't make any difference.
Buildings, military or not, weren't spared from bombs dropped above them. And from the bodies he saw… most of which are females, they weren't so lucky.
Then a terrifying figure called to him, saying, "You shan't die here, servant. We're not yet done… playing… ha-ha-ha-ha! An instant three-sixty, eh?! From eyes full of life, diving instantly to fear! Now this is more of my taste. I'll have you see our difference."
And blood. From two people he knew, whose bodies laid under a thick pile of rubble.
Then came his.
"Hah… hah… hah… a nightmare? Out of all times I was dreaming… Damn it. I guess I'm not sleeping anymore. But what was that about? Nonsense, or a sign of things to come?" said a young man who repeatedly tossed on his bunk, before deciding to get up and prepare himself.
December 7, 1941 05:00 UTC -11
Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
USS Langley docked on Pearl Harbor to unload her remaining passengers, the ship seeing Rear Admiral Halsey move from the submarine USS Nautilus to his carrier division flagship USS Enterprise two nights earlier yet none of the three saw its shipgirl as it carried replenishment aircraft to Wake Island.
"Well then, take care. I'm not planning to get stuck here being attacked by the Sakura, and the Union will most likely want me back at the mainland for pilot trainings," Langley said before seeing her three passengers one last time before her return to the Union mainland.
"Don't mind us, Langley. Although the captain here might expect you as part of his fleet sooner than you might think, okay?" Admiral McCall replied as he smiled widely.
"Yeah, the admiral is right. I might have you teach me newer things at the base as soon as I can get to it but don't surprise me. Contact Ren here if you'll drop by," Charles said.
Lauren can't help but bow as she expressed her gratitude, "Thank you for the trip. I really enjoyed the time at the sea especially with your company. I hope I can meet with you again."
"Oh, Admiral? You're here already. We were thinking you're still a few days away… Oh, that's why. It's nice meeting you again, Langley. It's been, what? A few years since we last met back at the Union? Good to see you still intact and well," a voice behind them spoke up, belonging to a prim black-haired girl with a blue uniform.
"Arizona. So you were here? I'd admit it's nice seeing you well after a few years, but I guess I'll have to save the chat when we meet at the base, it's time for me to take my leave if I am to get back to the canal in a few days, so take care until then," Langley answered back before boarding her ship and sounding the horns as she cleared the docks into the Pacific Ocean where she turned south.
Waving Langley until she was no longer visible, Arizona turned to the three, before bowing, "Admiral, I-I'm sorry for my attitude this early in the morning, it's just from sleeplessness because the girls were starting to get bored that it was getting us all we had to stop them from brawling against the sailors! O-oh, who are these two beside you, especially… him?"
Admiral McCall, sensing it's his cue to introduce the two, spoke up, "ahem… I'm sorry it took me long to get here, but anyways, this is Captain Charles West and Lieutenant Commander Lauren Mitchell, our new officers. They'll be the ones directly managing all of you starting this day, so I expect you to execute his orders as if it were mine, okay? Lead them in exploring around the area, and also have some breakfast as well. I'll introduce them to the base commander here before we head out to our own once you're done eating. I'll be fixing a few papers on my office."
With a nod, Arizona turned her head to the two, and said, "officers, as a representative of the Eagle Union ship girls, I welcome you to the Azur Lane in behalf of all of us! Let me lead the way in exploring the base!"
As they walked near the docks, Charles can't help but verify if the ships he knew from his world are the same as what he was seeing now, "whose ships are these?"
"Hmm… I'm not certain about others, but the one there, the big one farther, is mine. Oh… I remember it now! Those are Nevada's, Oklahoma's, and then the two destroyers on the dry dock behind us are Cassin's and Downes'. We're berthed here because the area where the others are moored have no more space for our ships. Oops, I almost forgot, but behind my ship is Vestal's. She's our only repair ship out here, although she usually sorties with Enterprise," Arizona told him as Vestal herself appeared from her ship and noticing the group, walked towards them.
"Good morning, Arizona. I'm quite curious as to why you're up early, but please take care of your health as always! I know I'm in charge of doing that, but who's the guy… handsome… oh w-wait! Who is the guy behind you?" Vestal stammered as she saw the young captain behind her.
Arizona replied, "w-well, I agree with you on h-his features, but this is Captain Charles West of the Azur Lane, and he'll be our direct supervisor as well as the base commander for the new installation the admiral told us."
Charles, noticing the stare of the lady with a seemingly peaceful air around her, introduced himself, "Good morning, Miss Vestal. I'm Charles West, and I'll be your new commander. I hope to work with you soon."
"The pleasure is mine, sir. Although I better head off to check with the destroyers, I'll show you what I can do in and out of battle, captain!" Vestal said as a light pink blush appeared on her cheeks while walking towards the far side of the base.
Lauren thought of what Arizona said before Vestal appeared, then signaling Charles to lean his right ear towards her as she whispered, "fuck, I'm sensing tragedy in the air already… do you think you can do something to prevent it?"
"I'll think of something. Hopefully the bombers won't notice us because this area is just behind a mountain, but I'll tell them to make certain maneuvers just to be certain, and I'll make sure we can use the side channels there to get out… Man, I didn't wish to live just to see a tragedy unfold, not when I had that dream already," Charles replied softly.
Arizona, noticing their small chat, asks them if there's a problem, but the two dismissed her question, which she doubted of course but stopped as she hasn't got a good grip of her new officers' personalities.
Half an hour later, after seeing most of the area, they went into the dormitories serving as temporary shelter for the girls, and making their way into the canteen, saw Nevada and Oklahoma finishing breakfast preparations.
Nevada calls out to her, "Arizona! It's still early… no, you're the earliest for breakfast today! I'll give you the largest serving for your efforts to wake up early!"
"A-ha-ha-ha, I couldn't sleep well, so I just decided to go through the day as usual," Arizona said with lack of enthusiasm.
Now noticing the two behind her, Nevada asked, "who are these guys? I'm not against feeding hungry sailors, but I think you're on the wrong side of the base." Arizona interjected immediately, saying, "N-no! These are our new commanding officers directly supervising our actions. They were with Admiral McCall upon his arrival earlier aboard Langley. Captain Charles West was designated as commander, and Lieutenant Commander Lauren Mitchell here is his executive officer."
Oklahoma, looking at the two and seeing the Azur Lane patches and the insignia on their sleeves, saluted, "Good morning sir! What would you like for breakfast?" with Nevada imitating her action.
"At ease, ladies. I like being more familiar than formal, helps with running things smoother than standard bureaucracy. Anyway, can I have a few of those steak and eggs? And I'd like a sandwich and coffee as well," Charles calmly replied to Oklahoma's sudden outburst.
"I apologize for my earlier actions, sir. Here is your breakfast combo…" Nevada looked at Oklahoma, both familiar with the set he ordered, before continuing, "expecting a long day even when it's a weekend, sir?"
Charles replied as he took the tray with his food out of the counter, "Well, weekends are not a reason to get lax. Besides, the whole Union fleet in the Pacific is under general alert, and that is a sign not to do so."
Getting a "yes, sir!" from them, he plopped down to a seat and started eating. As soon as he finishes eating, he asks Nevada for a pen and paper, before starting to draw what looks like Pearl Harbor, along with a few ships into some sort of a formation.
"All right, that's done! Nevada, Oklahoma, thank you for that meal. I'll expect more of your cooking. Arizona, I appreciate the tour, so enjoy your day. If you have any concerns, I'll be with the admiral to discuss a few things. Lauren, let's move," Charles said as he grabbed Lauren by her wrist as she finished drinking her coffee and dragged her straight to the admiral's office before the other shipgirls arrived.
"Ah, just in time, let's go to the station commander," Admiral Scott McCall called the two, as he was already outside the building. Both accompanied him until they reached a building into what looks like a war room.
"Alright, get seated and let's start before the base commander gets here," he said, seeing the two grab their seats before adding, "Captain West, the theory you had when we left Greenland was apparently correct. Somebody sent our shipgirls here without my permission. Most of them appear to have been borrowed by various battle groups under the Pacific Fleet, although I requested them to stay here when we left the canal. The whole Pacific Fleet, although looking like normal, is also on heightened alert as intel gathered from the Sakura showed a huge amount of naval aviation activity along with submarine drills. What can you add in our current set-up?"
Charles, recognizing the fleet's mistakes early on from this intel, told him, "Sir, maybe advise the fleet to scatter around the harbor, spaced enough to avoid possible torpedo chains and bomber attacks at their own discretion, and for our ladies, I suggest having this formation," as he arranged the fleet pieces on a certain formation and handing him the paper he wrote on earlier, before continuing, "and get sonar-equipped destroyers or patrol boats around the island and get them depth charges, I feel like if they want to cut off our escape, they'll torpedo us on the harbor entrance itself. We don't have any submarines around because Nautilus is escorting CD2, so any ping shall be taken down."
"Alright then, I'm starting to move documents and packages on the pier for our move to the new base, which I hope is done by now," McCall told him.
"A new base, sir? Under whose jurisdiction would that be?"
"Well son, it's complicated, but it's an international effort led by the Union and the Royals. We're outside of any command structure though, because Azur Lane is both a military force and an R&D project. I take it you get what I mean, captain."
"Hmm… we are to operate autonomously as a fleet, sir. What about military and political pressure from any faction? Would it be up to us to decide, sir?"
"Yes, and no. For any strategic movement, especially involving combat and keeping the base and shipgirls healthy, you have sole discretion. However, let central command deal with the rest, just keep them informed. Here are the coordinates for the base. Keep it in your head."
Charles, curiosity and excitement filling him, asked, "Affirmative, sir. What does our base look like, sir?"
"It's on a group of islands in the Central Pacific. I've had a few 'helpers' construct the necessities of the base. We have set up two buildings for dormitories, a radar station on top of a hill, sonar systems underwater, an airfield on an adjacent island, a large canteen, reception areas for any personnel, a command building, a few sixteen-inch and eight-inch batteries along with a lot of anti-air defenses on strategic areas, oil and ammunition storage, and of course, piers.
Aside from this 'standard' naval base arrangement, I also requested a research complex on the base. I'm not sure if it's done already, but I have given orders for a tech laboratory, two conducive matrix systems, four large dry docks to fit any ship, and underground docking for submarines. This is Azur Lane Naval Station 'Frontier', and it's humanity's first modern naval base," McCall completed his description as he showed them photos of the island during its construction.
Lauren can only gawk in awe as she looked at the photos, before speaking, "Well captain, that base is fucking large. I never thought in my life that I would be able to see and manage such a large base… I think there are still a few things lacking, though. Will we be able to make adjustments and construct structures as we see fit and necessary, sir?"
McCall laughed at this, but he answered nonetheless, "definitely so. For base constructions and modifications, you have the control. Massive projects, however, are to be justified and audited for submission to CENTCOM. Also, I'll personally visit periodically to check on your progress and ensure our research goes forward."
A few seconds later, the station commander came in and after hasty introductions, they showed him their plan and was received well and was sent as an order for execution of the Pacific Fleet on harbor. Azur Lane also started preparations for departure, as each shipgirl loaded their belongings on their ships along with a few necessary equipment and documents from the research facility.
Minutes later, north of Naval Station Pearl Harbor…
"Akagi-san, we have confirmed that the enemy base sent PT boats out and have dropped depth charges. Although random, their drops have been spot-on as they damaged and forced our submarines away. One has crashed on a reef and then we lost contact from another," the commander of the Sakura human fleet told her.
Kaga thought of the unfolding events, before she said, "Onee-sama, the enemy might have noticed us. Shall we start the attack?"
"Hoh, so they noticed their presence… Their intuition must be so sharp, or we might have stumbled upon regular patrols. It looks like they're not sending air patrols, though, so they're not expecting our mode of attack… Either way Akagi-chaaaaaan ~ if we don't attack now, we'll suffer for it lateeer," Purifier supported Kaga's insight, much to the chagrin of the latter.
Akagi, considering their options, decided, "Everyone! Launch the first wave of attack! Identify the enemy's response, break radio silence and call us back!"
As she announced it to the combined fleet, the humans started deploying manned bombers, while she and Kaga, along with Soryuu, Hiryuu, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku concentrated on the squadron launched from both of their ships, as Purifier ordered her carriers to deploy air assets.
Hundred miles north of the island and finding no response from the enemy, the lead of the formation, a manned torpedo bomber, radioed in Morse code the signal to start their surprise attack.
"Alright captain, the fleet detachment here is now moving to assemble in this formation out there, save for the big ships still loading men on the docks, but I'm sure they'll make it in time. Airmen are on standby for deployment. PT boats have found pings and have dropped depth charges, those would likely be enemy subs. However, I can't push the sailors to hurry, they're still lax because it's a Sunday and it's about time for flag raising ceremonies across our ships," the station commander told them, just as a call made it to his radio.
"Sir, this is the northern radar station, I'm looking at a huge reading of unmarked air assets, from the north of the naval station. They're travelling quite fast, sir. We have sent out four F2A squadrons for CAP, but they're still doing checks… sir, two fighters on the air, still not in position for CAP," the radar officer reported.
"We have B-17s from Alaska heading back for routine resupply missions, or so I'd expect, but… shouldn't they be flashing their tags and radioing us their ID by now?" the base commander said over the radio.
Charles told the station commander, "ask him how many is in formation," with the radar officer shouting over the radio, "sirs, scope calls unknown designation on aircraft in formation. Visual, please confirm number!"
The admiral, with the worst news dawning upon him, said, "he said large… We don't have any expected aircraft nor air patrol that large going back to base right?… commanders, action stations! Raise the alert status for an air raid! The Sakura Empire's attacking us!"
Charles got on a base intercom, and after finding the code for the shipgirl area, radioed, "Azur Lane forces, battle stations! Repeat, battle stations! We have enemy air forces inbound! Ready AA, hold fire until further instruction."
The base commander, puzzled, returned to the radar officer gawking at the pings and relaying over the radio, "Sir, we have at least a hundred planes here! I'm sounding the alarm, hold on… Air raid, Pearl Harbor, this is not a drill, I say again, air raid, Pearl Harbor, this is not a- (plane engine whirling)… AH SHIT! Get out of here – (static)…"
"Damn it! We lost the north observation post! All hands, action stations! I say again, action stations! Prepare for anti-air combat!" the station commander called to his staff, who then got to their posts, radioing each ship, tracking the attackers, and directing support for any flotilla along the path of attack.
Before the communications went haywire, the air raid alarm was sounded with plane engines buzzing amidst explosions from the radar station and the nearby air fields, enough for the lax sailors barely finishing their ceremonies to get to battle stations. The four in the room went out as fast as they can, going into separate ways, with the admiral and Lauren going to his office and the research facility, the station commander to the command tower, and seeing the shipgirls on a tight line formation near the mountains before the attack helped Charles calm down further as he went to them.
However, although unharmed, the shipgirls did not fire anti-air rounds yet in following an order they heard over their radio, making the unready Pacific Fleet on station take the punishment of torpedoes and bombs.
As soon as he saw the skies clear, Charles ran towards the line and told them to start firing as soon as they see enemy air assets above them. He was about to get back to Admiral McCall on the research facility when he heard a new batch of incoming planes and as he looked at the newcomers blocking the view to the sky, Charles, with Lauren finished loading envelopes to Helena, spotted objects all too familiar from the last battle they had from their world.
Lauren pointed to them for the shipgirls to see as she shouted, "We got Siren drones! Concentrate your fire on those! The production-type ships won't be able to handle them!"
Charles got onto USS Arizona as he called out to the confused owner of the ship, "Sorry, but please let me use these, I'll help handling most of them," with Arizona nodding as he sat on a dual 40mm Bofors AA gun on the starboard, and picking out the Siren air assets before he heard a call on the radio from Arizona who was busy handling other AA guns, "captain, the admiral requests a situational report!"
"Tell him it's the Sakura's second wave of attacks, and I'm not sure as hell why they're here and sorry for language, but we have fucking Siren units in the air now! They weren't here earlier!" he said as he managed to destroy a drone after the flak exploded right into it.
Charles then called out, "Lauren! Get aboard Nevada! All forces, take down those drones! Put a good lead before you shoot!"
Hearing her first command in a while from her new officer, Arizona nodded as she started firing her AA guns in a manner that covered the air around the enemy with good amounts of flak and taking down a few planes and seeing her follow the captain's orders prompted her fellows to do the same as well.
California and Tennessee fired their ships' main guns upwards, which obliterated the unlucky Siren drones and Sakura planes in the shells' paths much to the surprise of the other battleship sisters. The sky around Pearl Harbor went clearer bit by bit as the sailors watching the shipgirls' act did the same.
At the same time, northwest of Pearl Harbor…
"Tsk, most of my attacking flight on that wave have been destroyed. We managed to cripple their fleet by now, but I still haven't noticed signs of the shipgirls from Azur Lane that our spies mentioned…" Akagi said with disappointment obvious from her face.
Kaga, worried about her older sister, spoke up, "Onee-sama, do you think the freighters we destroyed a few hours ago managed to give them a warning?"
Akagi replied, "No, the others escorting us jammed their communications while we attacked them. We even went as far as ensuring no survivors, right? So where the hell are they?!"
"Hoh… Hee-hee-hee-hee! It's gonna be a good news for Observer and Strategist! Their soon-to-be toy is here ~ Akagi-chaaaaaan, the Union ladies are there. They're the ones blasting our poor planes out of the sky. Reinforce our jets to ensure our victory, so let's play now, Union girls, ahahahaha!" Purifier laughed as she ordered the "Queens" to launch their jets.
"Make sure you do that… Haah, so this should've been over if they weren't there, now that I've thought about it…" Akagi retorted as she and the rest of the strike force launched their own planes in front of the drones, while she added thinking, 'but who is she referring to as their soon-to-be 'toy'?'
Back at Pearl Harbor…
'Alright. If I remember correctly, only two waves of attack were done at Pearl Harbor. But why do I get the feeling this time will be different?' Charles thought as he and the admiral made quick rounds to check for damages in their area and on the ships and shipgirls.
Admiral McCall then told him, "we managed to repel the attacks so far, captain. I'm just waiting for the mass-produced ships of the Union Navy to clear the area. Their battle line won't stand any attack after that, so the station commander is leaving air defense to us. Do you have any plans, Captain West?"
Charles snapped out of his thoughts before speaking, "Admiral, I'm getting a feeling that the previous attack isn't their final one. Please tell the battle line to hurry it out of the harbor, else we risk losing them. Have them screened by the destroyers and cruisers against long-range enemy torpedo attacks, and have the naval air station put up surviving air power immediately because we can't handle them all. We also have to leave ASAP, or we become casualties ourselves."
McCall, agreeing with his insights, radioed the station commander before he added, "we no longer have eyes over the north. Our remaining radar stations by the west and east would be the only ones reporting any enemy activity from the north, at the cost of reduced range. Fighters are still scrambling to take off the beaten air strips. Shall we leave the Pacific Fleet on its' own?"
"No sir. I'm thinking that if they saw a huge fleet deploying under their attack, we can draw them to us. That would leave the Pacific Fleet on defending us as we ensure the harbor is clear. And from what I saw, the attackers intentionally engage large ships. If they screen theirs, they're likely to survive. We also have ours, so if they're thinking, they'll eliminate the moving ones rather than the screened ones," Charles answered.
With the admiral going aboard his formation's lead destroyer USS Laffey, Charles looked at the state of the Pacific Fleet on the harbor. The battleships are a few hits away from scuttling, some cruisers are leaking oil, and the destroyers holed over their decks, as sailors attempt damage control. On his forces, Vestal was tending to the girls, checking and patching their ships' damages just to make them seaworthy again. Seeing this made him hopeful about the rest of his day.
His optimism was then shattered as he was warned over the radio by the station commander, "Captain West, radar stations confirm more bogeys to the north, and they're inbound the base fast! Our battle line hasn't yet assembled, a few ships still on the docks! Requesting AA support!"
"Hurry up with those evacuations, okay? Battleships, full speed ahead out of the harbor, keep the spaces of your screens! The rest of you, match their speed! Maintain AA, enemy air assets arriving anytime now! Ready all guns, finish preparations, and as soon as they pop over the mountain behind us, fire at will! I want the wave thin before they reach the ships there! Clear?" Charles said in his natural commanding voice.
His orders given, the shipgirls positioned their ships on a thick line due to the screen, and moved under twenty-two knots as the sounds of plane engines near them. And as an unknowing Sakura torpedo bomber cleared the mountain, it was greeted by AA fire, as tracer rounds from who knows what ship drilled through the wings before passing through fresh flak and exploding in the air.
The four torpedoes it carried managed to drop at the last second, and Charles was unable to see where the unguided ballistics are going, which found their way below his screen of cruisers and destroyers as it unluckily hit four of his battleships with a thud, including the one where he was on.
The battleships shook a bit. Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, and California gasped as they felt the impact on their bodies, decreasing their AA output, which led to a few planes passing through unharmed and delivering their payload to the still uncleared battle line, scoring bomb and torpedo hits at various Union ships, but not enough to sink them.
"S-sorry… Captain…" Arizona whimpered as part of her clothing got torn, revealing a bruise on her side.
"Then allow me to take over one of your guns again. Let me help you through this," Charles said to the lady as he guided her to sit on the aft deck before taking control of the Bofors he used earlier and delivering a few more hits, as more and more Sakura aircraft passed through them, intent on crushing the battle line attempting to escape their fate.
And as he was pulling the trigger on the AA gun, his sights fell to a new attacker. Barely similar to the drones, but was larger, faster, and carried cannons and projectiles he knew of, and was sure to strike down his and the Union's fleet easier than the Sakura alongside them.
Charles can only scream his thoughts as he tried attacking the newcomer, "Oh, COME ON! Why are these Siren jets here, now of all other times?! Everyone, shift your fire towards the ones with the red glow!"
He scored a few hits that damaged them moderately, but the jets used random movements to thwart the blanket of lead in front of it and get closer to the core of the formation. Seeing the movements it made placed Charles into a move he was familiar with after all his battles: abandoning ship.
"Arizona, come with me! We're getting off your ship! Lauren, Nevada, Oklahoma! Jump off your ships! Cassin and Downes, get aboard Helena and Saint Louis!" he called out to the ships in the immediate path of the Siren attacks.
He and the others jumped off just as the two jets that got in their defenses released its missiles, which pierced the battleships as they exploded from within. The huge debris from the explosions found USS Cassin beside the Nevada, tore through its deck and damaged the engine room, before it exploded skywards and fell into USS Downes behind her, immediately destroying the ships.
With the decreased AA fire and seeing additional Union targets, some of the Sakura aircraft entered their defensive range as they dropped a bomb on Pennsylvania and two on Tennessee, while two bombs and torpedoes struck California which started flooding, the shipgirl losing consciousness as she fell to the water.
A bomb strayed off the drop path of the rest and made its way above the shipgirl research facility nearby, where it pierced through the roof and exploded from within, and Charles can only watch as he muttered, "well the strategy worked too good… now we're sustaining damages. Shit. All hands to stop, assist with recovering Oklahoma, Cassin, Downes, and California. Vestal, emergency repairs on California's ship, patch her now! Prepare her ship for towing!"
The jets were eliminated right before the battleships burst as five shipgirls coughed out blood, and lost consciousness as they fell to the water, except Arizona finding Charles' body catching her as she lost consciousness. Lauren luckily only got cuts, scrapes, and burns across her body as she held Nevada over her shoulder.
"Captain West! What happened? Who sustained magazine detonations?!" McCall radioed to every ship. Hopefully, Charles, Lauren, and the unconscious shipgirls have been aboard Vestal when he radioed.
"Admiral, we lost ships from Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, Cassin, and Downes. Vestal is patching up California's hull, she's still on the safe side. The shipgirls aren't so well, either. Most of them were caught up on Arizona's magazine explosion, Lauren and I are wounded as well, sir," he reported.
"Vestal, allow us to take over two of your AA guns! Concentrate on making California afloat!" Charles said as he laid Arizona to the deck of Vestal, with Lauren already sat on an AA gun and shot down enemy planes with precision as blood continued flowing down her forehead.
Charles did the same, as the gun ran out of ammo just as the fighters supporting the Pacific Fleet arrived and destroyed the last of the Sakura attackers.
He waited for the all-clear signal from the radar towers before heading to the five ladies laid down on the deck. As she lifted Arizona up his arms and running into Vestal's sick bay, Arizona woke up and tried talking, her voice still shaky.
"Captain… (coughs)... I'm… sorry… I can't… be with you after this. T… thank you for s-s-saving me, and… for choosing me… as your flagship… (cough)… on your first battle… I trust… you to take g-good care of Penn…"
"… I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you."
"No… worries, sir. You… did your… best t-to p-protect… us all, even when… you haven't known u-us for long… I'm proud… you are my captain."
Arizona fell unconscious again as Charles laid her to the vacant bed, removed his cap, and sniveled a bit just as he felt a gloved hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a lady wearing the same clothes as Arizona, but with her top open halfway up, her hair affixed on her left, and her face bore a gloomy aura even as she tried to remain stoic as she could.
"You are… Pennsylvania. Arizona's older sister…"
"Don't worry, I'm just visiting my sister here… I-if you may, I'd like to be with her alone. And… thank you. I owe you everything for saving my sister."
Charles got out just in time to see a blonde-haired tan woman carrying California to the other side of the room, the lady giving her a nod as she returned into laying her sister down the bed.
A few more followed, Helena and Saint Louis carrying Cassin and Downes to the room, while Lauren and the admiral plopping down Nevada and Oklahoma down the other beds, as Vestal got in and pulled out a box of medical supplies.
She was about to treat the two when Charles told her, "just give us a few gauzes, painkillers, and antiseptics. We can take care of ourselves. Go treat the others, then get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us."
Still shell-shocked with the news on the six ladies and reeling from a few hits, the other shipgirls were cleared by Vestal, afterwards dealing with the Union navy who coincidentally also lost the ships copied from the lifeless shipgirls, among others that were still possible to salvage and refitted as Laffey resumed clearing the harbor with the Union fleet's Saint Louis, the admiral declaring it safe as they went out of the harbor.
Moments later though, blue light filled the water above the area where the shipwrecks of Arizona, Oklahoma, Cassin, and Downes once were. The admiral, recalling a similar event in the past, called to Charles, "Captain, get on one of the vacant PT boats and take those cubes! Take Commander Mitchell with you, then store them separately, depending on which cubes appear together. Mark them according to the ship they came out of."
Charles and Lauren got up and grabbed four containers, settling on a PT boat beside Vestal. Lauren drove the boat, and Charles got on its side as he fished out the cubes with a net attached on a hoop, then looked below to see whose ship it belonged to. He wrapped each cube on a cloth to dry them, before placing the cubes of the same source to a single container. He got a cube each from Cassin and Downes, and two from Oklahoma and Arizona.
Ten minutes later, the two received a call from the station commander, saying that the crews of the destroyed ships found a similar material aboard them and that they entrust picking the 'shards' to them since they are unaware what they are. Charles then came to each ship captain, holding their own ships' shards, before placing them in an extra container.
A few hours after the attack, Scott and Lauren sat with Charles on the far docks as they watched the sailors beach the wreck of the three while lifting up California and Nevada's hulls to the dry dock, a few personnel putting out oil fires and salvaging materials from destroyed buildings and ships with a few police and military servicemen surrounding a Sakura Empire submarine stranded on a reef near the coast.
The station commander approached them and seeing where they looked at, spoke, "admiral, captain, commander, I apologize with everything that transpired on the day of your arrival in my base... Funeral ceremonies for the dead will be performed here, although burial will be done back on the mainland. We'll bring your USS California above water and patch your Nevada but aside from repairs we can do, we might need to carry her all the way to the mainland shipbuilders. For the others, we may not be able to do anything as this point aside from dismantling them."
Charles, with the attack still fresh in his mind, asked him, "don't sweat it, commander… How many men did we lose after all of this?"
"Captain, we do not yet have the official count, but aside from the six in critical condition from your side with a few more injured to a certain degree, we estimate more than a thousand wounded and… at least two thousand dead… most of them from the battleships that did not make it to the convoy," the station commander said with his eyes starting to water a bit.
McCall replied, "you can go now, commander. We'll handle our ships after you do everything necessary to keep them afloat… Azur Lane central command and the President would want to hear about the attack, but that could wait until I relocate the shipgirls into the new base. I also believe the carriers are back soon, so the station shall hold tight and try to achieve normal operations in this station before then. We'll depart tomorrow for the base. I'll have Vestal continue treatment of the ladies there as we dedicated supplies for her there."
"Even so, admiral… Repairs won't change the fact that the Sakura one-upped against us, and I'll expect most of Union installations in Southeast Asia be under attack any moment. We should report to command as soon as possible," Lauren added.
"Until tomorrow, we'll cooperate with the station commander and Vestal in speeding up recovery of the naval station. Tell the ladies to continue aiding the forces here, and prepare for the journey. Admiral, anything else you would like to add?" Charles ended.
"Well, it's just you two, and our equipment plus documents travelling by sea. I'll take a B-17 by noon and be ahead of you. I'll just check if our little helpers are done with everything. Make sure the ladies are still alive, okay? I'm considering this as part of our research," McCall replied.
With this, Lauren made her way to the dormitory where the girls are gathered with the two gentlemen walking to a tent serving as temporary headquarters for the Union Pacific Fleet. As soon as he was done, Vestal came over where Charles was with the admiral and station commander and started discussing plans on repairs and refits, along with rebuilding the whole area, and took only a few minutes before the plan was executed.
In a day, after intense shifts and reassignments over the station, normal operations were assumed as essential infrastructure were repaired, albeit scuttled ships were all over the docks and inspected for possible repair or retrofitting of their parts to his two battleships.
December 8, 1941 1600H UTC -11
"Alright, we're out of the bay. Formation is complete, captain," Lauren called on Charles aboard USS Pennsylvania.
"Pennsylvania, please radio the fleet, match your full speed. Plot our course towards these coordinates," Charles said as she gave her a slip of paper.
Pennsylvania looked at the paper, and then told her fellow shipgirls, "all right ladies, captain says we're going to our new home. Keep your speed the same as mine and we'll be fine. Also peel your eyes and ears for any weird sound above and below. If anything unknown moves towards you… kill it. Is that fine, captain? Also just call me Penn. My name's just too long."
Charles smiled and said, "Roger that, Pennsylvania. I'll leave Commander Mitchell here in charge of the fleet. I'm going through the documents we pulled out from the facility," before going to a room below deck and started reading the pile of documents on the table, pen and paper at the ready.
"Okay, let's start. Hmm… shipgirls retain strength so long as their respective ship is present, implications of one without the other is still unknown… each ship manifestation has an overall control of her ship, from closing hatches to firing all guns. Yep, at least I have confirmed this as well… oil is a requisite for mobility of the ship… supplying the ship with ammunition, similar to a regular ship, allows them to deal damage significantly greater than their production counterparts… Hoh, that's an interesting one…"
At the same time, inside the Sakura Empire Naval Headquarters
"Akagi, why did you continue the attack?! We were set to retreat already as we risk being hit by their high-altitude bombers!" an officer told Akagi.
Brushing off his accusations, Akagi replied, "we were air superior until you withdrew your forces, shikikan! A little more and we could've sunk their battle line, destroyed infrastructures, destroyed nearby enemy carriers, and this war is as good as a victory! Their shipgirls were even devastated!"
The officer gasped, and told her before he left the room, "We have conquered most of Union and Royal-occupied areas in Southeast Asia, but you don't know what you've unleashed, Akagi-san. Now it's no longer just the Union, you also pulled Azur Lane to this mess! Even the Iron Blood, Vichya Dominion, and Sardegna Empire avoided them! You imbecile fox!"
As soon as he was away, Purifier entered the room, and called, "y'know, Akagi-chaaaan, he's right, although my forces were the ones that struck those puny boats down! Hee-hee-hee! Also, while you were away, a good chunk of those against us slipped off my forces to who knows where, you know? Although my "Bishops" struck them hard, they got banged up! I had your guards follow them as well."
"Tsk… So Nagato and her retinue escaped. Oh well, I can still find them… probably their wreck, you know? I've planted one of 'those' on one of their fellows, so they'll die before they reach anywhere! And then I'll kill that bumbling idiot of an officer! Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Akagi laughed, albeit grimacing at the former Sakura leader escaping.
'But… Ahahahaha! Looks like I'll call my sisters over here! He was there! We can all play with him! Now, commander-san, I'll be your guest!' Purifier thought as she escaped to a portal.
It's up! Sorry if it was a few days late because I had to roam around and go in donation drives, but anyways, another near 7k chapter!
Also, to answer user Overtale's review on the last chapter, the answer is, yes. Records show that Nimitz only became Fleet Admiral after Pearl Harbor happened and the president appointed him on CINCPACFLT. His last rank was commander (if the documents I found were right) before he oversaw the naval golf club as its' president.
Thank you for reading, please leave constructive reviews, and I'll see you in the next chapter! Stay safe!