Engagements and Thoughts
"Helm, hard to starboard. Gunnery Officer, fire barrel by barrel down the line at shore batteries – load with HE rounds. Bridge to Engine Room, damage report" Akeno said.
"That last set of torpedoes took out our sonar array, but they must have been duds – no major damage to the lower hull"
"Very well" Akeno hung up the handset without waiting to hear more. "Helm, set your rudder amidships. When you hear the next torpedo incoming, I want you to steer right towards it and keep going along that heading. Shiro where the hell is that destroyer?"
"I can't tell with it being darkened" Mashiro replied. "We'd be able to find it easily enough if we go active"
"That would give away our position"
"I think they have it now, Akeno" Mashiro replied, using her Captain's first name to emphasis the point as the Harekaze groaned from the impact of gunfire. The rest of their fleet was engaged in gunfire support and trying to knock out shore based weapons to help the upcoming landing.
"Do we have rockets onboard?" Akeno quickly made up her mind.
"Only by firing off the aft rails"
"Load one on each of the rails and prepare to fire the minute I tell you – link flight computer to the sonar"
"Aye, Captain" Mashiro picked up a handset. "This is the Bridge, prepare for rocket salvo. Load a single item on each of the rails… Priority fire mission"
"Radar, this is the Captain. On my authority as Fleet Commander and Captain of this ship, break Emcon and find me anything that isn't a friendly"
"Not sure how I know which is which"
"It will be the little dot coming towards the other dots. Sonar, same goes for you – break Emcon and search for that bastard. Pass on to the torpedo launchers. All hands, prepare for full battle"
"CONTACT! I have Radar contact – one thousand yards and bearing 123 degrees"
"Steer 303 – all ahead flank speed" Akeno worked it out in an instant and gave the needed commands.
"Sonar reporting… I have no contact from the submarine. Its either lost power, gone silent or left the area"
"Understood… Continue the Sonar sweeps. Radar, I want that sucker found.
"Captain, my course is 303" the Helm reported.
"All back full" Akeno replied, making a note to try and learn her name.
"All back, Aye, Aye" and the ship suddenly dug its nose into the ocean as it came almost to a halt. "Fire both rockets"
"Rockets away" and Mashiro triggered the launch from the Bridge and sent the rockets screaming from the Harekaze to the enemy vessel – impacting the hull and tearing huge chunks from it.
"Now we have a beacon" Akeno smiled grimly. "Radio Room, break silence and have the destroyers follow us in an attack"
"Acknowledged"
"Helm, bring us around broadside to target and match its speed and course changes. Guns and Torpedoes – fire at will" and the Harekaze and her attendant destroyers fired at the enemy with prejudice. It tried to put up a fight, but it ended up sinking by the bow and the two destroyers took on prisoners from the survivors whilst the Harekaze moved closer to shore to deploy her landing parties.
"Sonar here… Are we having engine trouble?"
"I don't think so" Akeno looked at Mashiro who called down to the Engine Room to ask Maron.
"Maron says she isn't having trouble at all"
"Well something must be wrong… I can hear noises coming from underneath us – have we part lost a blade?"
"Helm, emergency stop – all back full. Hard to port… Starboard depth charge launcher, prepare to deploy"
"Captain?" Mashiro blinked at Akeno snapping like that.
"Shiro, the bloody thing is underneath us!" and Mashiro's eyes widened as the ship ground to a halt as she swung round. At Akeno's command, the starboard depth charge launcher fired a full spread which straddled the submarine and caused the craft to be shaken around by the explosions.
"Bridge, Sonar… Hull popping noises – I think its coming to the surface"
"All stop… Aim aft turret directly at the sail – prepare to open fire with blanks"
"Blanks?" Mashiro frowned in confusion before realising what Akeno intended. "You think that submarine has vital information?"
"It has to have something" Akeno shrugged. "Maron, do you remember that time we went and visited that Virginia class submarine?"
"Sure" came the reply from the voice pipe.
"Then get up here with your toolkit and be ready to board one. We've forced one to the surface and I want to capture any information it might have, but I need you to deactivate the scuttling charges"
"Aye, Aye"
"Prepare our Skippers to launch to the sub… Seaboats to deploy our landing parties. Radio, the minute that sub surfaces, order it to have all crew come to the deck and line up on their knees and with hands on their heads. If they attempt to submerge or scuttle the boat, inform them we will fire upon them. Guns, load Turret 2 with live shells – set to impact on contact with water"
"You've not lost it, have you?" Mashiro chuckled as she watched boats being launched from other vessels.
"I may have quit, Shiro, but my oath to serve the Emperor still holds true… If I have to break the law in order to preserve him, then that is what I will have to do"
"Just asking…" Mashiro turned to look out of the windows as the submarine surfaced. They waited for several minutes before the submarine's periscope raised, turned to face the Harekaze and started flashing its lamp. "Can… Not… Open… Hatches… Due… To… Damage… Require… Help" Mashiro raised her binoculars and took a look. The hatches on the side of the sail she could see looked crumpled and heavily dinted – she had to assume it looked the same on the other side. "We'll have to send an engineering team to get them open"
"We're short enough on people as it is" Akeno said. "Most of the crew have gone ashore as landing parties… Shiro, will you and Maron go over and deal with it?" and Mashiro instantly nodded. The girl knew how hard it must be for Akeno to order her friends into a dangerous situation, but she knew it was the only way.
"Aye"
"Captain, Radio Room. We're getting messages from our teams on Midway… They say you had better get over there – they've found something you want to see"
#
Whatever Akeno had seen had taken hours, Mashiro and Maron had freed one of the hatches and placed the submarine's crew under arrest in one of the few buildings still standing, and then Akeno had returned to the Harekaze and gone straight to her cabin before calling for a meeting with all of the fleet's Captains.
"Our mission to take Midway went well, however we lost several people and dozens more seriously injured. In the coming days and weeks, we will deal with our losses… However, that is not what I want to talk to you about. Teams went through the computers on the American base and discovered information on what this new weapon might be" Akeno tapped a button and the projector whirled into life and showed an image on the drop down screen. "They have been working in secret for years to create a bomb capable of wiping out an entire city. We've always thought this impossible until now – they built one. We're not sure exactly how it works, but the information in the computers seems to indicate that it is something to do with splitting atoms"
"I know of this" Tama raised her hand. "Atoms make up everything in existence – find a way to blow them up, and you could eliminate entire cities or even countries with enough"
"Like Tokyo?"
"Yeah"
"We can't let them get within range of the place to launch it" Mashiro said.
"Shiro, I get the idea the Americans are not going to launch it"
"Then how are they going to use it?"
"Maybe they are taking a leaf out of our history" Akeno said darkly.
"They wouldn't…!"
"Think about it, Shiro… Most of our government is located there – take out Tokyo and you cripple the entire country for months if not years" Akeno shook her head. "If they get close enough to detonate this bomb, they could wipe out the majority of our capital vessels too. Have any of the prisoners talked?"
"Not really" Mei said. "Some of them have tried to do so in order to be set free, but its all worthless"
"Have our shore parties set demolition charges on all of the remaining buildings. Take all of their fuel and ammunition supplies and spread them through the fleet"
"What about the prisoners?"
"We leave them on the island with food and water – they could use the debris for shelter… We are getting out of here" Akeno crossed to the handset in the mess hall. "Radio room, this is the Captain. Break radio silence and request the location of the Bismarck. Shiro, get everybody but the essential shore parties back to their own boats"
"Aye"
"As for the rest of you, for now we're going to keep this a secret" Akeno told them.
"The ones that found the information were from my ship" said the Hiel's Captain, "They must have already spread the news around the ship by now"
"Confine them to their cabins until we sail" Akeno said flatly. "As for the rest of you, I want all ships ready for departure the minute the last people return from dropping off the prisoners. We will resume radio silence once we get Bismarck's location"
"Where are we going?"
"My orders stand… We are going to intercept the enemy fleet and destroy it – and with any luck send this weapon to the bottom of the ocean. If we can meet up with our allies in time, we can stop them in time or at least give the Blue Mermaids and the Navy time to stage out and join the attack"
"Strength in numbers" Tama said.
"Yes…" Akeno said, "At least that's what I hope. They must not be allowed to use that weapon - all other concerns are secondary...You understand me?" and everybody in the room looked at each other before nodding their acceptance.
"We do, Captain" Mashiro answered for them all.
"Then lets go"
#
On the Bridge of the Bismarck, Mina and Kouko read the message handed to them by one of the crew – trying to work out a hidden meaning in its content. Both of them knew they would be Court Martialled the moment they returned to port, assuming they did, so they were very surprised when their old ship, Graf Spee had turned up and joined up with them. The pair of them had sailed under complete silence and at full speed. The only time they slowed was when they encountered an oiler that they'd tricked into thinking the stop and arrest order broadcast was actually a massive and totally realistic drill.
"Coco, I think this is more serious then we thought. I know the Americans are inventive bastards, but to do something to explode the air…?"
"Cripple Japan, start a war and wipe the rest out" Kouko shook her head in disgust. "I wish we could be in a better position to help them. Have we heard anything from Gufran?"
"Not since he said he was getting underway… Assuming he goes at full speed, he should meet up with us around here" Mina tapped a spot on the chart in front of them. "From there, its only another two days travel until we meet with Akeno and whatever ships she's managed to get together"
"The last message we got was that it was a mixed group of cruisers, destroyers, battleships and a blimp carrier" and Mina would have replied if a phone had not started buzzing. Shooting it a dirty look, the woman walked over and picked it up.
"Captain"
"Chief Engineer, Ma'am. We've gone below thirty percent on the fuel supplies… If we keep up this speed, I can't be certain of reaching the meeting point"
"Coco, find out if there is a fuelling station on our current heading" Mina whispered. "Chief, I know the situation with the fuel is an issue, but we must reach our destination even if it means running out when we get there"
"I know, but if we keep going into this headwind…"
"Mi… There isn't anything between here and our rendezvous point" Kouko returned after checking details on a computer.
"Damn… Start checking our position with that of commercial tankers – we might have to take fuel by force"
"I hope we don't"
"Neither do I" Mina replied. "Chief, I know you will hate this, but you have to keep the engines running at full speed. Do everything possible to maximise the fuel… Take it from the small boats – every little drop helps"
"Aye… Engineering out"
"Mina" Kouko came back to the map table, "We've got a pair of tankers about thirty miles away – nobody else around as far as we can see on the scopes"
"May God forgive me for what I am about to do" she whispered. "Signal Spee to increase to flank and follow our course change. Helm, increase to flank speed. All hands, battle stations! Close up on the secondary weapons. The moment they come into range of our guns, I want to open fire on their radio masts and fire torpedoes to disable only. Prepare boarding teams to secure the crews of the tankers and get the fuel to us"
"I should remind you this action is classed as piracy" Kouko said.
"Understood" Mina replied. "We've only got a short time until we have to get moving again, so have refuelling teams standing by with the equipment to take the fuel"
"Right… Do you think we'll make it in time?"
"I hope so" Mina rubbed her thumb over the coin that she'd been given as a memento of her service aboard that first Harekaze and prayed hard. She wasn't exactly religious, but she knew there was sometimes a higher power she could appeal to for help, "I damned well hope so… Officer of the Watch, carry on – Coco, come with me"
# # # # #
"You wanted to see me, Captain?" Mashiro asked as she stepped into Akeno's cabin. By the working out of positions, they assumed that they would soon be meeting with the American fleet.
"Yes – sit down and drop the formality. I wanted to talk to you privately before things started getting busy around here" Akeno poured out a glass of some amber liquid and pushed it over to Mashiro. "We've been friends for many years now, Shiro, and I wanted to thank you for that friendship. I know that I wasn't always easy to get to know or understand at first, but I hope I've gone up in your estimation"
"I don't understand" Mashiro raised an eyebrow as she swallowed a sip of the drink.
"Shiro, I don't think I'm coming back from this one. All of my instincts, all of my experiences… They all say this is my final cruise"
"You can't talk like that… You've always got us home safely"
"Not all of us, Shiro, not all of us. To absent friends…" and the pair clinked the glasses together. "This is good stuff" Akeno moaned in appreciation of the taste hitting her tongue and throat.
"Where did you get it from?" Mashiro savoured the burning sensation.
"I swapped it for a bottle of strong rice wine last time I met up with a British ship… Man, they know how to party" and a slight blush crept up her cheeks which did not go unnoticed by Mashiro.
"There's a story there"
"Nothing to say… We got drinking, swapped some tales and swapped bottles of drink"
"Looks like it isn't the only thing you were swapping" Mashiro sniggered.
"We only slept together twice… Or was it thr–" Akeno suddenly stopped as she realised what she was saying.
"Ho ho… Little Miss Perfect got herself drydocked!" Mashiro uncharacteristically crowed in delight. "Although I am sure it was more a case of wetdock then drydock
"It wasn't like that!"
"If you want" smirked Mashiro, "We could always find Minami and have her explain things to you"
"Do you want some more of this or not?" Akeno growled. She could sense a night of ribbing and jokes at her expense from Mashiro, shook her head and poured them both another glass of the whisky.
"I want the details"
"Since when were you ever the gossip lover?" snorted Akeno as she learnt back in her chair.
"Ever since I spent weeks cooped up in a ship chased by powerful warships for defending myself"
"Touché… After I came back to the sea and sailed that medical ship, I went to the UK on an exchange trip and gave a lecture about out two great fights in the first Harekaze and then the Yamato. Afterwards, this English officer came up to me, we got talking, went for drinks and ended up in his bed. On our way home, we picked up a message that one of his officers had burst his appendix and, from the sudden pain, had spasmed and broke his skull in two places. We rushed over, found it was commanded by my lover, for want of a better term, and after we saved his crewmember, he gave me a bottle of whisky to remember him by…" Akeno sighed, swilled the glass in circles for a while before downing it. "I've been saving it for a special occasion, but as I don't think I'm coming back from this" the woman shrugged, "I guess we better have it now"
"You'll come back from this"
"To what? The minute we all get home, we'll be placed under arrest for theft of Imperial Property, firing on foreign vessels, murder, injury, criminal damage…" Akeno looked at Mashiro firmly. "I don't want to come back. I have lived with the guilt of losing my classmates, my friends, my family for almost twenty years now, Shiro… I belong in the sea"
"Well if you go, I'm coming with you" Mashiro downed second glass.
"We can't both die"
"Where my Captain goes, I shall follow her"
"I could order you to leave"
"You can try to" Mashiro snorted as she reached for the bottle and poured out two more shots before placing the cap back on the neck.
"What about you…? You've been very secretive about your life"
"Me…? Not much to talk about really" Mashiro shrugged. "I married, had two wonderful children and raise them to do whatever they want to do as a profession"
"You are married?" Akeno's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"I was… He was called Satashi and he was a mechanical genius. We fell in love, got married and had twins named Isoruko and Akeno" Mashiro looked into her glass.
"What happened?" Akeno asked, fearing she already knew.
"He was working at the shipyards repairing a fault with the engines of a cargo and support vessel when the engine suddenly exploded" Mashiro's eyes started to water but she did not allow the tears to fall. "According to the first on the scene, it was very quick"
"Shiro… I am so sorry – I didn't know"
"I kept it very quiet" Shiro admitted. "It has been three years, and I still find things that remind me of him… Things that make me remember the good times. I only told Maron about it because she was with me on the Enterprise when I got the message. He's buried in the family plot and I went to visit him before we set sail to tell him that I love him now and always".
"Oh… WAIT A SECOND!" Akeno suddenly snickered, "You named your son after the cat from the original Harekaze?" and Akeno laughed hard. Once she had managed to calm herself, she looked at Mashiro with questioning eyes. "We've come a long way since our first day together as a class"
"We have indeed" Mashiro snorted and downed her glass in one. "What we did seems like a hundred years ago"
"Let us hope this gets us a hundred more of those years" Akeno commented. "Whatever happens, Shiro, we can not allow these ships to get through – all other concerns are secondary, you understand?"
"Orders acknowledged" Mashiro saluted her with a gesture of her empty glass. The pair were still talking minutes later when the alarm went off and one of the Bridge crew called for Akeno and Mashiro.
"Bridge, Akeno… Whats going on?"
"Ma'am, we've sighted three large vessels coming directly towards us – CBDR"
"Can you identify them?" Akeno asked.
"Yes, Ma'am – one Iowa class ship and a pair of Clemson class destroyers"
"Jam their radio transmission on all bands. Signal all ships to go to Action Stations and prepare to open fire" Akeno looked at Mashiro who slowly rose to her feet. "We've found them"
#
"Range?"
"Thirty miles… All departments ready for action" Maron said.
"Right… Get below and be ready, Maron" Mashiro said. "Radio Room, break radio silence… Order the Americans to veer off or we will open fire upon them"
"I thought there would have been more of them" Akeno said slowly. "Radar, what have we got near us?"
"Commercial traffic group of twenty transmitting Japanese IFF codes – fifty miles away"
"Shiro, have the destroyers stay here and take on these three. Helm, steer towards that commercial traffic at flank speed"
"Akeno?" Mashiro blinked.
"If they have been sinking our cargo ships, why let these ones go? The big fleet out there is the one we want – they are not going to fool anybody"
"If you are wrong…"
"If we're wrong, Shiro, then we're dead either way"
"Aye, Captain" Mashiro turned away to relay the orders.
"Radar, pass the course and speed to the Gunnery Officer" Akeno picked up the handset and spoke, "Keep them constantly updated with any changes. Sonar, any subsurface contacts?"
"Too much noise in the water… Wait one… Bridge, I have a very faint contact at the extreme edge of my scope heading in this direction"
"Track steady… Any word on Mina and Kouko?" she asked Mashiro as the woman came back to her side.
"No… And in this darkness, we'd not see them until they were sat on the quarterdeck"
"Main enemy fleet in range of our guns" somebody called out and, not for the first time, Akeno wished her old Bridge crew was together.
"Order all ships to aim at the ship in the middle – that will be the flagship and the one carrying the weapon"
"Orders acknowledged"
"FIRE" and the guns of all the ships roared as they hurled shells at the flagship. "Helm, steer directly for the flagship – all ahead flank. Shiro, order the fleet to pick their targets and engage"
"Aye"
"This is where it gets tricky… I want both guns and torpedoes to fire directly at the water line in the middle of the ship. By blasting at the same spot, I am hoping it will slow and end up breaking its back"
"I have visual on it" Mashiro said, pointing out the ships.
"What in the name of hell is that?" Akeno wondered as the ship loomed in the darkness. It looked bigger than any of the other ships in the main fleet and it looked to have impressive amounts of firepower which worried the entire Bridge crew.
"An enemy to be defeated" Mashiro said firmly. "Helm, hard to port" and the Harekaze swung violently to the left so all of her weapons came to bear.
"Guns and Torpedoes together… FIRE!" Akeno yelled out and they opened up in the same spot time after time as others with them did the same.
"It isn't slowing down much…" Mashiro worried.
"Have the two ships at the end of our battle line aim for its engines – we'll take it out like we did to the Spee"
"Understood" and the order was passed over. "You know, if we can break open the hull then perhaps she will list so her portside guns cannot aim correctly"
"I'm hoping so" Akeno gripped the arms of the chair firmly, "Otherwise we're going to ram it. It will mean the end of us, mind you"
"I'm with you, Captain, to the end" Mashiro nodded and briefly put a soothing hand on the younger woman's shoulder.
"Thank you" Akeno replied before the Harekaze was tipped almost completely over and the crew were sent tumbling to the deck all over.
A/N:
Hope you enjoyed this chapter – your thoughts would be very welcome on this…
Regards,
Pixel and Stephanie