Chapter 11: Songs of the Iron war
In the lead-up to the operation at Leyte some navy songs were drifting around the base. Most were from the days of iron-hulled warships of Imperial Japan, but some others were new "seasonals" that popped up preceding the operations. Most were rehashed versions of pre-war pop songs, some were new inventions cooked up by the fairy crewmen or the girls themselves, and some were repurposed songs from various time periods. This time one particular ballad based on an old German paratrooper march was making its rounds, the lyrics to which were as follows:
"At Leyte in lightning and thunder,
There sailed a lonely shipgirl on patrol.
Her thoughts, they dwell on her homeland,
Her friends, her comrades, and her admiral.
The stars are shining deep in the midnight sky,
In midnight sky.
Send home her greetings,
Send home her words of love to the girls when she dies.
The stars are shining deep in the midnight sky,
In midnight sky.
Send home her greetings,
Send home her words of love to the girls when she dies.
On storming an enemy fortress,
She took an 8-inch shell straight through her heart.
She crumpled into the still water,
And looked up to the stars all turning dark.
The stars are shining…
With voice weakening she muttered,
Come closer, friend, and take me by the hand.
And say to the admiral my farewells,
And send him back my precious wedding band.
The stars are shining…
On Leyte the banners are waving,
The fleet now sails on in victory.
And to our comrades who've fallen,
Your sacrifice now consecrates the sea.
The stars are shining…"
When questioned on it some of the girls admitted to have been humming the wordless melody for months, although the lyrics only became widespread on the base a week ago after a heartfelt performance on talent night by Asagumo and Yamagumo, with Michishio playing the accompaniment on piano. The guests from the north arrived that day, and to say the least they were surprised the Admiral let that slide. Eventually they warmed up to it. Death was a common theme in such pieces, but something about this one was different. The melody resonated in their hearts – it spoke to all of them on a personal level.
When asked on his opinion the song shortly after the Admiral said only this: "if you listen to the marches from their war you will find that all of them treat death as something to be welcomed with open arms. It an inevitability to be sought out willingly. However in this one the shipgirl dies carrying regret with her. Her final feelings are never conveyed directly to those she loves; she looked forward to a life after the war with her Admiral; she did not even have the honour of dying painlessly. If the song gives them the hope that if they die, they will never die alone and that they will be remembered, then so be it. I'm personally okay with the song, and they ran it by me and everyone in the office beforehand."
"Haruna was there that day, so was Shigure," Haruna chimed in, "Haruna did feel conflicted about the lyrics, but they told a most beautiful story that touched all of our hearts. Their voices were absolutely beautiful. We were all moved to tears, in fact thinking of their performance makes Haruna want to cry," she said as she pulled the Admiral's hand in closer.
And so the song continued to be sung on base, with the only condition being to not sing it over the radio, lest the operation be compromised should comms be tapped. And so it continued to be sung, up to this restless night, the eve of battle.
Kongo was tossing and turning in her unfamiliar bed so far from her own admiral. She was confident they would soon be together again, after all, she would always be his burning love, yet the song was still buzzing in her head, jarring yet somewhat comforting at the same time..
Ashigara turned off her room lights at the northern base. She missed Captain Yonehara, the supply officer back home who stole her heart. Yamagumo and Asagumo approached her asking for help with the song lyrics a few days before her temporary deployment here began – the last stanza was her creation after all. She hummed out the chorus, reflecting on it, and hoping she would never have to be the one to convey a dying girl's last words back home.
Ooyodo just hung up a call from someone special. Her heart longed for the day she would be reunited with her love. Of the girls ordered to the north for the operation she resented the deployment the most. As far as she knew she was the only shipgirl who had relations with a non-military man, and as such was jealous of the fact she had to be miserly with her leave allowance just to be able to see him. The Admiral was understanding of this and allowed her as many nights off as operations allowed, but that meant jack when she was deployed north. To receive a single phone call from him over a civilian network, especially at this stage of the war when communication blackouts were common was a godsend, and some part of her wonders if the Admiral had a hand in this.
Haruna was already in deep sleep, but in her dreams danced shell splashes and puffs of shrapnel, explosions thundered around her, all the while the seas were crossed with torpedo wakes illuminated by the moon. She was in combat, weaving between the incoming fish while returning fire. Then there was someone, someone small – destroyer. She stood still, unmoving, while tracers screamed towards her. Haruna dashed over to her and grabbed her, but she would not budge, no, she could not budge. Both stood rooted to the water. Haruna turned her head to determine the identity of the mystery girl, but she was no longer there. And so Haruna stood alone, anchored to her spot, as the shell splashes got ever closer…
And all the while one could almost hear the chorus still echoing over the base on this solemn night.
AN: To search for the link of me playing the melody, the search term AOTG 11 should suffice, or if it doesn't work search "Auf Kreta Piano" to get to hear someone else play it, or PM me for the link.