AN: Another useless edit. I changed Ryan's birthday to July 16, 1985, instead. I want a little birthday segment in the near future for some lighthearted fun. More down below, but for now, enjoy!
Date: 03/24/2016
Time: 1008 hours (GMT+12)
Location: 10° 38' 29.3" N, 168° 02' 32.8" E Marshall Islands
The battle raged on as contenders of one side racked their brains for the best strategy. This skirmish was reaching its peak, and they had to be ready to brace for it.
"Siren ships can't portal in this close. They have to be Kansen," Enterprise said.
Looking through his binoculars, he could see multiple purple flashes of light in the distance with the large silhouettes of ships absent. But when he squinted his eyes some more, he could faintly see the tiny outlines of humanoid figures standing on the ocean surface.
"You said you have to get in there yourselves and fight them up close, right?" He asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm," Ryan hummed before grabbing the radio. "All ships, turn hard to port to 0-7-5 degrees. Once your course is set, engage the Siren Kansen immediately."
"Affirmative!"
Ryan grabbed the sides of his as the ship suddenly turned. The whole fleet maintained a full left rudder until they were on the heading they were given.
"There's quite a lot of them, it looks like. Think you can handle 'em?" Ryan asked.
"Handle them? Ha! It'll be like mowing the lawn on a Sunday morning! Watch us, Commander, we'll fold them like clean laundry!" Enterprise proclaimed confidently.
He smiled. "Alright. Yorktown has the conn over there though. But give 'em hell, Enterprise!"
"Yes, sir!" Enterprise beamed before turning and leaving.
With her gone, Best stepped forward to take her place.
"This oughta be interesting. Eh, Mister Ryan?" He asked.
"Yup. Get that camera ready, I want this shit filmed," Ryan ordered as he looked through the binoculars.
"Yes, sir."
Outside, all the girls had gathered and formed a battle line before charging forward.
"Soften 'em up at a distance first then we go in and pick out the rest of them!" Yorktown ordered as aircraft materialized on her flight deck.
"Kill them all, don't die, and let's make this quick! I'm starving!" Hornet elaborated.
"I like that plan!" New Jersey grinned as she cracked her knuckles.
"They'll regret ever coming to this planet!" Hamman proclaimed.
"Let's see who can get more kills this time, Grey Ghost!" Zuikaku challenged as she brandished her blade.
"Let us proceed," Amagi said.
"Truth only exists within the guns' range," Gneisenau said as she aimed her cannons.
"Für das Vaterland– Oy! Get it together the three of you!" Z23 demanded, scolding her unruly friends.
"It's a maid's duty to remove her master's obstacles," Belfast said as glided across the ocean surface. "Be careful now, Miss Enterprise. You wouldn't want to trouble Master now, would you?"
"Yeah, I know," Enterprise said and smiled. "But I'm not worried. We'll win today like every other day. Isn't that right?!"
"Yeah!"
"Good! Azur Lane, let's show 'em what we've got!"
Enterprise raised her bow and shot a light single arrow which flew a good distance before exploding into a squadron of Hellcats armed with HVARs. That squadron was followed by more aircraft both American and Japanese. The combined strike force quickly crossed the distance before unleashing their ordnance and harassing the enemy force. Some went down while others remained.
"Looks like a lot of them are still up. Hit them with artillery please," Yorktown requested.
"This should be fun!" Alaska remarked as she unleashed a full salvo.
"No mercy for the wicked!" Salem proclaimed as she also fired.
The shells crossed the distance in only a second before slamming into a Siren Kansen. A lot still remained but that was okay. The real fun was just beginning.
"Eat this, Siren dirtbags!" Willie Dee exclaimed as she fired a barrage of torpedoes before shooting her guns at close range. She even punched one square in the face once she was close enough and sent it flying a few meters back. "Haha! Take that– waah!"
The poor destroyer suddenly lost balance and tripped and fell, rolling a few times too. Some Sirens tried taking the chance to close in on her but were stopped by Laffey who launched torpedoes in the nick of time before coming to help out her fallen comrade.
"Is Willie Dee alright?" She asked with her signature sleepy tone and expression.
"Yup, I'm cursed alright," Wille Dee grumbled before getting back up and joining reengaging.
The rest of the fleet had also closed and engaged at close range with guns being fired at point blank and even some fist fights here and there. Enterprise shot at them with her bow from a distance but also used it to whack those that got too close. Zuikaku, however, always got in close to slice them up with her Katana. But since they were carriers, their air groups did most of the work. New Jersey and Amagi worked back to back as they delivered blow after blow with their main battery. Although, they still had to punch, kick, and wack a few that got too close. The same was for the Cruisers but capitalized more on their better maneuverability as shown by Belfast and Admiral Hipper who zoomed around while laying covering fire with the higher fire rate of their guns. And finally, the destroyers zoomed around at high speed, using their very maneuverability to harass the enemy while evading their shots and launching torpedoes. This was exemplified by Javelin and Laffey who basically danced around them. And it may look chaotic, but all of it was coordinated for the best outcome possible.
It was naval combat but on a smaller scale. It was more like a dance performance actually. And it was entertaining to watch.
"Goddaman, that is badass," Best remarked as he looked through some binoculars.
"Mhmm," Ryan hummed in agreement as he also watched.
Opening up the GUNKAN app again, he noted that both TF B and TF C were also engaged in close combat with Siren Kansen, but both stated that they were nearly finished and would be able to provide support should they need it since they were also relatively close.
"Alright, just keep it up and we'll be good," Ryan breathed.
"KANCOM, Port Royal, SPY's picking up a large cluster of surface contact at 0-9-0 degrees, approximately 50 miles out," Ferguson reported.
"John Paul Jones here, we see it too. And the Seahawk we launched a while ago is over there now and they confirm it's hostile," Cruz added.
"Alright. The are girls busy, so you guys deal with it," Ryan replied.
"Got it!"
Once again, a barrage of missiles launched from the cells of both ships and sailed toward their targets. It only took five minutes but the result was the same with the entire enemy force being wiped out. But there was more.
"We got 'em, KANCOM, but it looks like they were able to launch a strike package anyway. We'll take care of it," Cruz said and Ferguson agreed.
Again, more missiles flew and hit their targets in only minutes. Modern weapons were simply significantly more powerful than their legacy counterpart systems. But, they still have their limits.
"KANCOM, we've got about ten Standards left but all out of TASMs," Cruz reported. "We've still got our Harpoons though. And we still have Standard ERs and TLAMs too. Uh, we'll figure something out."
"We've ten left of each too. But we also still have a bunch of other things we can use. It's not much though," Ferguson added.
"Noted. Just do what you can," Ryan replied.
"This is cutting it kinda close, Mister Ryan," Best remarked.
"The girls seem to be holding out pretty well. We just have to cover them until they finish," Ryan replied and picked up the radio again. "Yorktown, how are things going?"
On the surface, the girls did their work marvelously, ripping apart each Siren Kansen they came across. The enemy doesn't play by the rules, so why should they? Yorktown herself had just finished slamming a CA type onto the surface and stomping its head in before she got the call.
"Things are well, Commander. The enemy was a little more resistant than we thought, but we're steadily gaining ground," She reported as she watched the battle unfold around her.
"Good. Now, I hate to ask this, but I need you to hustle up. Our escorts are out of ammo so we're very vulnerable here," Ryan told her.
"Understood, Commander. We'll get it done," She replied before catching a DD type that went flying from someone's shots and snapping its neck, killing it instantly.
Hornet and Enterprise skated to her side a moment later with the latter continuously letting arrows fly with her bow.
"What was that?" Hornet inquired as she let fly a squadron of F4F Wildcats from her rigging.
"Our missile ship escorts are out of ammo, so we're pretty open right now. The Commander's asking us to hurry up so we can get back to fleet defense," Yorktown answered.
"So we better start moving then, eh?" Enterprise said before firing two arrows in only a second.
"Right!" They exclaimed heading back into the furball.
"As long as there aren't any surprises, I think we'll be done in a few more minutes," Hornet assessed.
She really shouldn't have said that, because, at the next moment, multiple portals opened around them with more Siren Kansen pouring out.
"Really, Hornet?" Enterprise asked with a flat look.
"Hey, I'm not a fault here!" She exclaimed before being smacked in the back of the head by Yorktown.
"Shut up and fight," Yorktown ordered before launching more aircraft and radioing to Ryan. "Commander, more enemy Kansen just appeared. We'll take longer than expected."
"Understood," Ryan replied before silently cursing. He knew it was pretty guaranteed to happen but it still sucked. And it was about to get worse.
"KANCOM, we've got air and surface contacts incoming at 0-5-0 degrees. We've got just enough to deal with them, but we're completely dry afterward," Ferguson reported and Cruz agreed.
Ryan mulled over what to do for a minute before replying. "Jones, Royal, smoke 'em."
"You got it!"
Missile flew again with targets being destroyed minutes later. This time, they even had to fire their Harpoons because they already ran out of TASMs. The RGM-84 Harpoon is a sub-sonic anti-ship missile developed by McDonnell Douglas in 1967. It was made as a response to the Soviet P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx) missile that sunk an Israeli destroyer. It features a 500 lbs warhead, active radar homing seeker head, and a 139-kilometer range. Since production began in 1977, it has reached the hands of many nations as a capable weapon. And it proved that again here against the Sirens. However, the Harpoon isn't as powerful as a TASM and a ship will carry a maximum of eight of them only within Mk-141 quadruple launchers. So, it was easy to burn through. More targets would be destroyed later but as a consequence.
"That's all she has to offer, KANCOM. We'll still try to do something," Ferguson said and Cruz concurred.
"Got it. Just sit tight now. The girls should be done in a little bit," He told them. "I need you to kill them faster, girls."
"We're going as fast as we can!" Hipper exclaimed as she fired.
It didn't look bad yet but that could change very quickly. He's seen it before. With that in mind, he sent a message to the other fleets to rendezvous with them. Essex even said that she and Intrepid will send a strike package to cover them for the time being. But they'll still take time to get there, and for now, they were very vulnerable. However, they can keep it up just as long as nothing else happens.
But, of course, no one is ever that lucky.
"Bruh," Best mumbled as he looked up.
"Oh, you have got to be shitting me," Ryan muttered.
Multiple portals had opened all around them with Siren ships and aircraft coming out. Even through the shock, they quickly realized what it was.
"AMBUSH!" Enterprise yelled.
"Evasive manuevers, NOW!" Ryan ordered.
"Oh come on!" Willie Dee groaned as she zoomed away.
The girls quickly scattered to avoid incoming shots while the fleet started zigzagging furiously to also dodge some shots. John Paul Jones and Port Royal also retreated within the fleet so they were harder to hit while the hulls of the girls started returning fire automatically. But it only did so much. Some shots still got through and hit Port Royal's mast. The shot over-penetrated and no one was hurt, even when the mast snapped and came crashing down. But, it spooked the hell out of them. Some girls also took some hits to their hulls. None of which were critical, but they still hurt a lot.
"We're hit! We're hit!" Ferguson exclaimed. "Our mast is down! The 49 is down! But no one's hurt and we're still in the fight!"
"Try to make yourself as small of a target!" Ryan ordered.
"What do you think we're doing?!" Ferguson shot back.
"Alright," Ryan assessed the situation.
The girls were currently busy with the Siren Kansen, but he knew they can deal with them. However, three whole fleets had appeared and were closing in on them. The girls' hulls have an autopilot and he can split them to deal with two fleets, but the third fleet would still be roaming free. And since the missile ships were out, there was an opening for the enemy.
"Commander, remember, these kinds of assets are just drones! And in this kind of ambush, they're all controlled by a central asset!" Enterprise reminded.
"Well, which one of 'em is it?!" He demanded. "Find it and kill it!"
"Yes sir!" Enterprise replied before shooting more arrows.
"Everyone! Find an asset that looks or acts differently from the rest of them!" Yorktown announced.
"Got it!"
"So we're playing Where's Waldo now, Mister Ryan?" Best asked as he looked through a pair of binoculars.
"Yeah, basically," Ryan whispered as he did the same. It was like Iraq and Afghanistan all over again. He still remembers those days…
Meanwhile, the Seahawk Port Royal had launched earlier, was cruising at ten thousand feet above the surface, overlooking the battle below. They were on their way back from an anti-submarine hunt when the fleet was ambushed, so they were told to stay back so they stay safe. So now, they were just spectating and keeping an eye out for things while listening to the radio chatter.
"Whoa, check that out!" The Co-Pilot pointed.
The Pilot looked down to see that they were overflying a fleet of Siren ships that had just appeared and immediately reported it. He also noted that there were a few big hulls with some scary-looking guns too. And they were heading right for the fleet that knew they were coming anyway. Looking again, he noticed something odd.
"Hmm, look at that," The Pilot pointed. "There's a small hull right in the middle."
The Co-Pilot looked to where the Pilot was pointing and saw the same thing; a small hull, probably a destroyer, was sitting comfortably in the center of the fleet. But that didn't make sense, destroyers were usually at the most outer layer of a task force.
"The hell is he doing there?" The Co-Pilot wondered.
"Beats me," The Pilot said.
Then the chatter about ships acting strangely or placed in a weird position was heard and both pilots glanced at each other for a moment as they realized something.
"KANCOM, this is Viper 2-3, over," The Pilot said.
"I read you, Viper 2-3."
"So, uh, we're cruising above the enemy right now and we'll be turning around soon, but we see a single small hull smack dab at the center of the formation," He reported. "Now, this ain't my field, but I don't think small hulls are supposed to be in the middle of a fleet, right?"
"No, it's not," Ryan whispered. "Can I have the bearing and range?"
"Bearing 0-6-0 degrees with a range eleven-thousand yards from your location, sir."
"Got it. Thanks, Viper 2-3. Get out of there now."
"Roger that."
"All, ships, we got a possible ID on the controlling asset. 0-6-0 degrees, and a little over ten-thousand meters from the fleet's location."
"We see it! We'll get 'em! Don't 'cha worry now!" New Jersey assured.
The hulls of New Jersey and a few other ships turned their turrets toward that direction to let out a few potshots before turning back to their initial objective. Meanwhile, carriers dispatched a squadron or two to deal with them. The enemy immediately realized that they were onto them, so they intensified their attacks and defense. It also tried to run away while the fleet covered it.
"Oh, no you don't! Take this!" Hornet yelled before launching a squadron of Dauntlesses.
The others followed suit, launching shells and aircraft of every kind toward the little Siren ship only for them all to be blocked by more Siren ships that got in the way. More portals opened at the same time too, with more Siren Kansens pouring. At the same time, Siren aircraft also appeared and blocked their attacks.
"Come on, give us a break, damnit! I'm starving!" Hornet whined before slugging one across the face with a heavy right hook.
"Keep pushing forward!" Yorktown commanded as she launched a squadron of Devastators. "A good chunk of the aircraft are also controlled by a central asset! Find it and kill it!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Enterprise exclaimed before shooting another arrow that turned into Hellcats.
Though they were locked again, they still gained ground. But not at a rate Ryan was comfortable with. That was further punctuated when more shots landed close to Jones and Royal, further agitating their crews.
"If this keeps up, we might lose a whole ship," Ryan mumbled. "We need to clear those boats or we'll die here."
"We can't find an opening!" Zuikaku exclaimed.
"We just need to get that one guy! Once he's down, the rest go down and the remaining ones would be easy to deal with!" Enterprise explained. "If one of us could just get through! The target's just right there!"
"Jones, Royal, can you get them with the deck guns?" Ryan asked.
"We're trying, they keep blocking the shots!" Cruz replied.
"Fire control's a bit fucked right now, but we're doing our best!" Ferguson added.
"Fuck!"
Best was listening intently while also thinking of what to do, and similarly coming up empty. That was when he looked outside and saw some Hellcats parked on the stern of the ship with HVARs strapped to them. He also remembered that there were spare flight suits stocked in the pilot's ready room. Some were in his size. And he also noted that they were sailing against the wind. At that moment, a lightbulb had seemingly lit up over his head as an idea formed within it. It wasn't a particularly good idea, but it was something when there was nothing. And so with that in mind, he acted.
"Uh oh, the battery on the camera is dead, Mister Ryan. I gotta go replace them," He said before leaving. That was a lie, he just replaced the battery ten minutes ago.
"Go ahead," Ryan replied, not giving it a second thought. And with that, he was left alone.
Meanwhile, the girls continued to steadily chop their way through the horde, slowly gaining ground but was still too slow.
"Damnit, this isn't lookin' good," Hornet assessed as she looked around. "Now's the time to work your magic, Enty!"
"You know I can't control it! It only happens on the fly!" Enterprise rebutted.
"Well, we need it now!" Hornet argued.
"A miracle is nice, but we're just getting started!" Yorktown proclaimed and they agreed.
But, little do they know, a miracle was coming. Enterprise was so focused on the task at hand that she didn't register someone entering her ready room, and changing clothes, nor did she notice that same person head up to the flight deck and hop into a Hellcat.
"This is sooo stupid," Best muttered as he made final checks to the flight suit he just put on and then to the plane itself. "This is the throttle, right? And these are flaps? Goddamnit, what am I thinking…"
The truth was he wasn't thinking. But sometimes you don't have to think about something, you just do it. And sometimes, the terrible idea may just be the key to solving everything. Those thoughts made him chuckle almost mirthlessly. Almost.
"Just another day in the office," He joked.
After making sure his gear was in check, he connected his oxygen and radio, put on the oxygen mask, and then installed a GoPro camera on the dashboard with a clamp mount and turned it on. Then, he hit the ignition which started the engine then waited until it was spooled up before unfolding the wings. Lastly, he wiggled the stick and rudder pedals to make sure the control surfaces were responding.
"Hope y'all are watching, 'cause this is for you," He said to the sky before closing the canopy.
Meanwhile, Enterprise shot an arrow at a Siren, hitting its head and blowing a chunk off of it before moving to the closest one and wallowing it with her bow. The Siren was thrown a distance away where it was blown to bits by Alaska. She then took a second to look for another target when she felt it. Her eyes thinned before scrambling for her radio.
"Commander! Is Lieutenant Best there with you?!" She demanded.
"No," Ryan replied from back on the boat.
Ryan looked around and noted that Best hadn't returned yet and he hadn't noticed. He was about to ask why when he heard engine noises coming from the flight deck and quickly put all the pieces in the puzzle and causing his heart to drop. He then sprinted to the side of the bridge overlooking the flight deck and saw a single Hellcat lining up for takeoff. Similarly, Enterprise also realized what was happening. And they both simultaneously yelled into their radios.
"LIEUTENANT BEST/DANNY!" They screeched. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Best cringed at the sudden loud noise that entered his ears before replying. "I'm continuing the Best Family tradition of 'making very questionable tactical decisions', Mister Ryan, Miss Enterprise."
"Have you lost your mind?!" Ryan demanded.
Best shrugged. "I think so. Don't worry, Miss Enterprise, help's on the way. I'll get find the air controlling asset and take it out to give you ladies room."
"Danny, you power down that bird and get your ass back here, right now!" Ryan demanded.
"Uh, sorry, I didn't get that. Could you please repeat it?" Best politely requested as he pushed the throttle, making the engine roar louder as it powered up. The aircraft then accelerated across the flight deck and lifted up into the air moments later, retracting the gear and climbing higher.
"God-fucking-damnit!" Ryan growled. "Enterprise, take control of that bird and put him back on this deck!"
"I can't," She replied.
"Why the fuck not?!"
"Kansen equipment can be overridden and manually controlled by another individual. Unless he lands on my deck and exits the plane, he's the one in control. I can't do anything," She explained.
"Really fuckin' convenient!" Ryan spat. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Daniel Mattis Best, as your superior officer, I order you to land on this ship and secure that bird this instant!"
"I can't do that, Commander. I have a job to do," Best replied.
"Danny, I swear to God–"
"Sir, I know you know that we're low on options here, so I'm providing one! People will die if we don't act quickly, for God's sake!" Best argued.
Ryan didn't reply; he didn't know how. Because that was true. Something had to be done now or else someone was going home in a casket or not at all. But, this was Danny risking his life. And after his promise to his parents…
"Commander," Enterprise began. She was conflicted by the tone of her voice. "I hate this as much as you… But, I think he can help us, his plane's armed with bombs."
"Please trust me, Mister Ryan. I can do this," Best said.
Ryan thought hard about it for a moment. He really did not want to risk Danny, and the thought of him burning and splashing onto the ocean's surface made him sick to the core. But, at the same time, something needed to be done. And he could provide that something.
Ryan growled. "Gah, fine! You're cleared to engage, Grayman! But don't you fucking die now!"
"Got it, I'll do my best. Grayman, engaging," Best replied.
"Grayman?" Enterprise asked confusedly.
"It's my TAC name, my callsign," Best clarified.
"Ah, okay."
"Looks like I'll be getting that Hellcat qualification course a lot sooner than we both thought, Miss Enterprise, hehe," He joked, trying to calm tone down the situation.
"Shut up! Don't talk to me unless I talk to you! You're in very hot water, son, I hope you know that!" She yelled with a face red with frustration. "Now, climb to angels one-point-five and standby. Raise your nose fifteen degrees up and set your throttle to max output."
"Affirmative," He replied, taking only two minutes to climb to the altitude.
"Now, how much do you know about flying?"
"Well, I haven't nosedived into the drink yet. I think I know quite a lot."
"When I ask questions, I expect straight answers, young man," She told him with a venomous tone.
"Hehe, sorry, ma'am," He said sheepishly. "As I've told you already, I'm a qualified naval aviator, capable of flying both in both fixed wing and rotary. I've also gone through the Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, commonly known as Top Gun. It teaches air combat tactics. So, I know quite a lot."
I also have 5000 hours on War Thunder realistic battles, 3000 hours on DCS, and I've played all the Ace Combat games, He thought but did not say.
"Mhmm. How much do you know about a Hellcat?" Enterprise asked.
"Uh, I've read a lot of books and watched a lot of videos. I've actually seen a Hellcat flying up close during air shows and even talked to their pilots."
"Alright. Now, listen to me carefully, I don't want to repeat myself. The Hellcat is obviously not like anything you're used to flying, but it's still the plane that wrecked the Japanese back in the war. Don't be an idiot and you will win. You understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good. Now, here are things you should know about your aircraft as well as the ultimate crash course on my era's BFM."
Enterprise spent the next three minutes explaining the F6F Hellcat. She enumerated its specifications, performance, and most importantly, what the buttons and switches in the cockpit do, especially the canopy release in case he has to punch out. Then, she gave him a warp-speed crash course on air combat. And surprisingly, he was able to get most of them.
"Did you get all that?" Enterprise asked.
"Uh, I think so," Best answered.
"Very good! Now go out there and give them some!"
"Yes, ma'am!" He exclaimed excitedly. Finally, I can actually do something useful!
He pushed the throttle to the max and turned toward the fleet with the controller in it. Grayman was able to cross half the distance before something else happened.
"Grayman-san! Above you!" Zuikaku exclaimed.
"Wha– OH SHIT!" He cut himself off after looking up and seeing multiple figures diving at him.
He jerked the stick to the left, rolling the plane counter-clockwise, before pulling hard and making it turn hard to the left. The sudden movement threw off the enemy's aim, causing them to miss and overshoot as they dived. Then, four A6M Zeroes flew past him to chase after the aggressors.
"We'll cover you, Grayman-san! Just focus on your mission!" Shoukaku told him.
"Thanks, Miss Shoukaku," He replied before leveling off and
"In front of you!"
"Oh fuck!" He cursed as he narrowly avoided another fighter going in for a head-on kill. "Where'd he go?!"
As he dodged the attacks, Ryan and Enterprise watched from down below. Both were frustrated and very upset that he did this while also fearing for his life. But as it progressed, Enterprise started feeling bubbling within her. It was an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time, and before she knew it, her lips were curling up into a smile.
The Grey Ghost was getting excited.
"It's alright, he overshot! Just keep jinking!" Enterprise told him excitedly.
"That was close. I'm going after him! Banking left!" Grayman said before pulling on the stick.
The Hellcat turned hard to the left with the aggressor doing the same and bringing themselves in a two-circle flow. Grayman looked up at his aggressor and noticed a difference in the markings. Could this be it?
"Miss Enterprise, this guy's got a different paint. I think he's the controlling asset!" He reported.
"That's right! Kill him! I've got your back!" Enterprise replied.
"Yes, ma'am!'
"Both of you will come around, but it's too tight so neither of you will have a shot. Climb and get some altitude!" Enterprise ordered.
"Roger!"
Indeed when they both came around, neither could get a shot and blew past the other again. Grayman pulled on the stick to gain some altitude while the aggressor instead chose to dive and gain some energy. Both entered another two-circle flow.
"Control your nose and watch your airspeed," Enterprise said. "If you can't go high, go underneath him."
He took a deep breath and began to slowly turn to face the aggressor. But it was just short, and he ended up going underneath. The aggressor, however, was almost able to get him when they crossed and fired a burst of cannon fire that didn't connect.
"Diving for some energy," Grayman said as he pushed the stick down.
While he dived, the aggressor chose to climb instead. But he lost quite a lot of energy, and airspeed as a result back there. Big mistake. And then they both turned again into a one-circle merge with both duelists committing.
Enterprise's eyes went as wide as saucers when she realized what was happening and ecstatically yelled into the radio.
"Alright, his nose is committed– THERE IT IS! GET HIM!"
"Checkmate, motherfucker!"
Grayman grinned wickedly but didn't reply as he slowly aligned the gun sight before pulling the trigger. A burst of .50 caliber rounds shot from the six AN/M2 Browning machine guns on the wings of the aircraft. The rounds tore through the aggressor's airframe, its engine catching on fire a moment later before the whole it started diving uncontrollably. His eyes widened as he realized what just happened.
"Got 'em! Splash one! Splash one!"
"YES!"
Enterprise cheered while most of the Siren aircraft started tumbling as the distinct red glow on their airframes faded before they simply fell out of the sky. And that included the assets guarding the fleet controller.
"We have an opening! Push now!" Yorktown ordered.
All ships immediately pressed the attack on the surface fleet's controlling asset, including Enterprise who was reeling herself after her laughing fit before launching some bombers. Shells from the fleet softened up the escorts before carrier aircraft finished it. Multiple bombers went for the single destroyer which didn't last long once the ordnance began to drop. Once he went down, a good chunk of the Siren fleet simply just died on its own with the remaining few quickly being taken care of.
"I got your backs!" Grayman announced.
He dived down unto the fleet of Siren Kansen that was slowly being whittled down and strafed them with his guns. He even launched a couple of HVARs which hit surprisingly enough.
"I guess that's it," Grayman remarked as he overflew the burning wrecks.
"Not quite. Something tells me this isn't over yet," Ryan remarked.
"That's right, the Sirens will likely launch one last wave," Enterprise added. And sure enough, more happened just a moment later.
"KANCOM, this is John Paul Jones. We're picking up a huge cluster of airborne contacts on radar and… wait, what? Repeat that," Cruz paused as he demanded his crew to confirm something.
"Well, that can't be good," Grayman remarked.
"... What the fuck does that mean? So it's just one big thing?" Cruz demanded, his voice heard across the fleet since he still had his mic keyed in.
"John Paul Jones, what's happening?" Ryan asked.
"From what CIC is telling me, a big chunk of the air contact is just one big thing. It's coming straight from the north at 0-0-0 degrees and is 200 miles out at an altitude of about 16,000 feet, but it's coming pretty fast," Cruz answered.
"Oh fuck, I think they're bringing out their superweapons!" Hornet exclaimed.
"Superweapons?! What the fuck are those?!"
"Basically, super-sized versions of Siren units with more powerful weaponry," Enterprise answered. "They can come in the forms of giant ships and vehicles or literal sea monsters."
"Can they be killed?"
"It'll be a bit difficult, but they're not invincible."
"Well, that's all I need to hear. We'll discuss this more in the future, but for now, put 'em down," Ryan ordered.
"Yes sir!"
"John Paul Jones here, we're firing the last of our missiles," Cruz said and Ferguson from Port Royal agreed despite their damages.
For the last time, the VLS cells on both ships opened and out came twenty SM-2ER surface-to-air missiles for a total of forty shots. The RIM-156 SM-2ER is a development of the earlier RIM-67 Standard ER surface-to-air missile. It's a two-stage, long-range missile designed to replace the earlier RIM-8 Talos and RIM-2 Terrier missile systems which were both developed in the 1950s. The Standard ER is essentially a regular RIM-66 Standard missile with a booster motor fitted on it for more range. They weren't used earlier because their long range was excessive, but now there was no choice. The missiles streaked toward their targets at Mach 3.5, and from the radar screens of both ships, they saw multiple blips disappear. However, the biggest blip was still coming, but their job was over.
"Well, that's it. Now, we're really empty," Cruz said.
"The rest is up to you, Kansen Command. Good luck," Ferguson added.
"Thank you," Ryan replied before issuing his next command. "Carriers, launch fighters and bring it down. And Grayman, since you're up there, join them."
"Yes sir!"
"We'll support you, Grayman-san. But you'll still be outnumbered 19 to 1 up there," Shoukaku told him.
He smirked. "Then it's an even fight."
"Ha! Grey Ghost, I like this kid!" Zuikaku exclaimed.
"Yeah," Enterprise said with a smile.
Carriers launched all the fighters they can muster and formed a combined fighter group above the fleet before they started heading for the enemy strike force.
"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Grayman asked.
"Going by the size of the return on my radar, I think it's just a really big plane, so a very big target. But it might as well be a flying light cruiser with lots of anti-aircraft guns strapped to it," Enterprise explained.
"So an Ace Combat boss. Got it," Grayman said.
"What's that?"
"It's a video game, des," Ayanami answered.
"Oh, okay," Enterprise said. "Try aiming for the engines, it won't get far without 'em. And since it's so big, launching HVARs at it shouldn't be too hard."
"Roger that."
Ten minutes later, the combined strike force flew through the clouds as they closed in on their target. Each squadron formed into V-shaped formations called 'Vic' formations. Grayman got himself the lead position in a squadron of six more Hellcats. He started growing nervous as they approached, especially since he couldn't see anything. But there was no way he was backing out. And that would be tested only a moment later when they finally cleared the clouds. What he saw, made his mouth drop.
"Oh my God…"
"What do you see, Grayman?"
He could see dozens of little dots and immediately identified them as fighters. Those were fine and easy enough to deal with. It was the massive piece of flying metal that put him on edge. But it didn't mean he was terrified.
"Holy Jesus," He breathed. "It's as Miss Enterprise said, Commander. It's one big ass plane! I can't give a thorough description now but its wingspan is about as wide as the length of a destroyer, I think!"
"Noted. The fleet will get anti-air to focus it, but if you can, put it down!"
"Yes sir!"
"We can't hit the big bird unless enough of the little birds are downed first to give us an opening," Enterprise said.
"Yes, ma'am!"
He again pushed the throttle to the max as the strike force zoomed toward the enemy. Other aircraft also sped up with some dropping their conformal fuel tanks. Grayman then steeled himself and held it even when cannon fire streaked passed him.
"Merge!"
The allied force and enemy force of fighters merged with some aircraft going down from the head-on attacks before everything developed into a massive furball of dogfights. Grayman had let out a burst of 50-caliber gunfire, without really aiming, before immediately banking hard to the right to avoid the enemy plane itself and not just the gunfire. He narrowly avoided a collision and was now engaged in a duel. Grayman continued to turn hard to the right while breathing heavily as the g-forces restricted blood from his brain. The turn would finish a moment later, descending just a bit, and pointing the nose of his aircraft toward the enemy who didn't turn in time and was now showing a large side of his plane to Grayman. The young pilot immediately lined up his sight and fired. 50 caliber tracer rounds sheared off the aggressor's left wing and he started diving uncontrollably toward the ocean surface.
"Splash two! Splash two!" He triumphantly announced.
"Grayman, watch your left!" Yorktown pointed.
He turned his head in one moment to look and was turning his whole plane in another when he saw two blips moving towards him at high speed. He could turn and throw off their aim just in time for when they came zooming past with guns blazing. The enemy tried to do a boom and zoom but failed.
"I'm going after 'em!" He said before rolling and turning to the right.
"Grayman, more on your six!" Hornet warned.
"Huh–" He began but was cut off when multiple tracer rounds streaks past him followed by some rattling on his plane. "Ah, shit!"
"Are you alright?!"
He did a quick functions check and noted everything was fine. "Everything's fine, they got me in non-critical areas!" He replied before jumping when more tracers streaked past him and then jinking. "I've got a couple behind me! I'm evading! Please help!"
"I gotcha! I'm coming! Just hold on" Hornet replied as she dispatched a couple of Wildcats to help him out.
Grayman grunted as he rolled all over the place whilst trying to throw off the enemy's aim.
"Stop it with the aileron rolls! They don't do anything!" Enterprise chided.
"They're just to turn better!" Grayman replied as he continued evading.
"Here I am! I've got ya!"
The two Wildcats positioned themselves behind the aggressors and quickly took them down, the surviving ones being forced to break off and evade. This left Grayman in the clear while the Wildcats continued their chase.
"I'll take care of this, move on to something else!" She told him.
"Thanks, Miss Hornet!" He replied before searching for more targets.
Grayman scanned the area and saw a single plane trying to make a surprise strike on a couple of Zeroes and immediately latched onto him. The enemy instantly started jinking to throw off his aim, so when the pilot lined up his sight and fired, his shots all missed. He quickly adjusted the aim, timed the enemy's movements, then fired again. This time, the shots ripped through the airframe and lit the engine on fire before it started to dive while burning away.
"Splash three! Splash three" He announced. "Who's next?!"
He looked around and saw an enemy plane chasing after a Wilcat from Yorktown some distance away to his left. So, he turned and went to provide assistance.
"I got your back, Miss Yorktown!" He told her.
Grayman descended to the right, lining up his sights and then firing. The burst tore off the pursuer's tail and he started spinning uncontrollably to the point of simply breaking apart and exploding.
"Splash four!"
"Thank you for the help, Grayman!" Yorktown told him. "Our fighters will try to pin them down. Go and join the strike force to take down the big thing."
"You got it, Miss Yorktown!" He replied.
After some fighting, a good number of the enemy was put down which created an opening in the defenses of the Big Bird. Grayman and the combined strike group used this chance to slip past the fighter cover and make their way to the main target.
Once they were close enough, Grayman could clearly see what he was up against. The thing was a supersized flying-wing-type airplane that looked a lot like the Northrop YB-35. It was powered by eight engines; six turboprop engines with contra-rotating propellers in push configuration on the wings and two turbojet engines closer to the center of the hull. It was also armed with a variety of weaponry like cannons and autocannons of different calibers and maybe even a bomb bay packed with ordnance.
As stated, it wasn't even a plane anymore, it was a flying destroyer.
"Uh, how do we kill this thing?" Grayman asked.
"Target the engines and control surfaces. It won't get far without them," Enterprise replied.
"Right."
He maneuvered for an attack run but broke off when flak and tracer fire erupted all around him. The superweapon's guns all started targeting him when they probably realized that he was the bigger threat.
"Ah, damnit!" Grayman cursed as he banked away. "I'm being lit up! Hold on, let me figure this out."
"Some of us will draw their fire while the rest closes in for an attack run," Yorktown suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. Okay, I'll roll with it."
The combined force started circling around the superweapon; basically taunting it to shoot. The gunners on board, not knowing who to focus on, began to shoot in whichever direction at whatever target that flys in front of their gun sight. This gave openings for multiple aircraft to swoop in and do boom-and-zoom runs on the big thing. This included Grayman who dived from above to begin his first run. He lined up his sight on an engine cowling and fired. A good chunk of the burst hit, but there was little to no damage.
"I hit them but it didn't do much. Repeat, multiple hits on target but minimal effect," He reported.
"The thing's armored quite well. Multiple attack runs are needed," Shoukaku replied.
"I thought so."
"That thing's getting pretty close, we need it down now," Ryan reminded.
"We're doing our best!"
They spent the next few minutes attacking the superweapon. But no matter how many times they shot it, there was little effect. The armor and defenses are just too thick. Grayman could fire his HVARs, but if the armor in the hull is as structurally sound as he thinks, then it likely won't do much. Besides, he'd likely miss.
"If it gets too close, I'll ram a couple of my Zeroes at it. That has to work," Zuikaku suggested.
"Just keep focusing on the engines, they're the most vulnerable spot," Shoukaku said.
"The armor is too thick, and I can't get the right attack angle!"
"Engines, vulnerable, attack angle…" Grayman muttered until another lightbulb popped up in his head. "I've got it!"
He turned and flew away from the along its path while going as fast as he can. And he continued to do so until he was a thousand meters away when he pulled on the stick hard and brought the Hellcat to an Immelman turn to make him face the superweapon head-on.
"Uh, Grayman, what are you doing?" Hornet asked with concern.
"There's one spot they can't armor!" He said.
The pilot gunned the throttle of his Hellcat as he lined up a collision course with the superweapon. Its gunners saw him approaching and immediately fired at him, but he kept going at max speed. Once close enough, he opened fire with his guns, letting out a long burst of .50 caliber rounds, and then launching all his HVARs. The shots and about four of the six HVARs went into the intake of the left turbojet engine, heavily damaging or outright destroying many important internal parts and causing explosions. Grayman then pulled the stick hard to keep himself from colliding with the superweapon and turned away to a safer distance where he could inspect his handiwork. The first set of explosions triggered another set of explosions throughout the engine and the area around it. The superweapon limped a short distance until a large explosion in the engine practically sheared the wing off the main fuselage. Thus, the mighty Siren Superweapon was rendered into a giant hulk of burning metal that was diving toward the ocean.
"Big Bird is going down! I repeat Big Bird is going down!" Grayman gleefully announced.
Cheers erupted across the whole fleet once the announcement was heard. Various Kansen yelled hoorays as they cleaned up what was left of the enemy. The crews of the missile-armed ships were especially happy now sailing out of danger. Grayman was especially happy now as he watched the superweapon slam onto the ocean surface. And Ryan allowed himself a smirk and a soft 'yes' as a celebration, but nothing more as he knew that the battle wasn't quite over yet.
"Well done everyone, especially you Grayman. But save the celebration for later, we're not quite out yet," He announced. "Keep your heads on a swivel, there might still be some other surprises left."
"Yes sir!"
"I still have fifteen minutes worth of fuel left, Commander. I'll enter a CAP pattern," Grayman said.
"Negative, Grayman, you've done enough. Get your ass back here–"
Grayman stopped listening when the next thing happened. He had glanced at his rearview mirror and saw a single dot rapidly approaching when he pulled hard on the stick and sent his Hellcat into a sharp climb. It was a good thing he did, otherwise, he would've been ripped apart by the burst of cannon
"Ah! Fuck!" He spat as he felt the g forces wrap around him.
"Grayman! What's going on?!" Ryan demanded.
The pilot didn't answer as he leveled out his plane, only to maneuver defensively again by banking hard to the left and then rolling the plane so he can dive. The maneuvers allowed him to dodge another burst of shots of cannon fire before a blur zoomed past him at high speed.
"What the?!" He exclaimed as his aircraft shook violently, likely due to the wake of whatever just blew past him. He turned and saw whatever it was flying away at a speed much quicker than what he faced earlier.
"Grayman, what's happening?!" Ryan repeated.
"I'm being attacked by something fast! I'm defending!" He replied.
Grayman leveled out before turning toward the bandit's direction to get behind him and hide there while he assesses the situation. He was able to catch a glimpse of what it was and immediately noted that it wasn't very big. But before he could look at it some more, the aggressor made a very sharp Immelman turn and was once again facing him. Grayman was forced to break right otherwise he would've been shredded by the incoming gunfire.
"Ack! This guy's pretty agile!" He grunted.
"Grayman, what do you see?!" Enterprise demanded.
He turned in again and then crossed each other's paths as well, bringing themselves into a one-circle flow. Once they got close, the bandit slowed down enough for him to clearly see. It was, indeed, not very big, featuring a short fuselage and a delta wing design with no vertical stabilizers. He also didn't see any propellers which brought him to one conclusion…
"It's a fucking jet!" He yelled with wide eyes.
"A jet?!" They exclaimed.
"How confident are you?!" Ryan demanded.
"No props and very fast, Commander! It can't be anything else!" Grayman replied.
"I'm sending a squadron to help you out! Just hold on for two minutes!" Enterprise told him.
I may not be here in two minutes, The Pilot thought, knowing just how quickly dogfights can end.
In the meantime, he focused on jinking and sizing up his opponent. They kept going in multiple loops and circles, failing each time to get a shot on the other. It was awful for Grayman since he was in the inferior aircraft, especially considering he can be put down by the aggressor's jet wash alone, as shown by the violent shaking of his plane every time he got behind him. He also noted that this aircraft had a golden lightning bolt motif painted on the hull, probably indicating that it was piloted by an ace. Yeah, this was gonna suck.
But, Grayman hasn't lost hope, not even in the slightest. It was difficult, but not impossible. The Me 262, the first jet fighter to enter service, was shot down multiple times over Europe by the prop-driven Spitfire and P-51 Mustang, obsolete aircraft in comparison. Then in the Korean War, state-of-the-art MiG-15 'Fagots' were shot down by an American F4U Corsair and a British Sea Fury. And then again in Vietnam when A-1H Skyraiders from USS Midway shot down a MiG-17 'Fresco'. All of this proving the most important fact of all…
It wasn't the plane, it was the pilot.
Grayman can do this, he knows he can. If he doesn't, he'll die. But he has faith. His great-grandfather sunk two enemy fleet carriers. His grandfather flew dozens of missions into Vietnam, dodging multiple SAMs and shooting down two MiGs on a couple of occasions. And his father flew into Kuwait and Iraq, also flying dozens of missions, and also dodging SAMs, and putting down a single Iraqi MiG that got too close. Their legacy and blood are now within him. Not to mention he is a top graduate of Top Gun too. This brings him to another dilemma…
If he can't do this, then what good was he? If he can't beat the odds, then what's the point of it all? How can he call himself a US Navy strike fighter pilot if he can't win? How can he call himself a member of the family? He needed to win. Everything rides on him winning…
So that's exactly what he'll do.
If I was in a Hornet, I'd have cleaned up all of this an hour ago! He grumbled internally.
After a few more failed passes on each other, Grayman was able to note a few more things about his enemy. Because it's so fast and agile, it had to be very light, thus not very well protected. It also accelerates quite slowly and loses speed and energy very quickly. It's like the thing wasn't meant to be a fighter, but an interceptor. And all of those he intended to take advantage of.
On one more cross, the aggressor was able to get behind and fire his gun but almost all the shots missed and those that hit did too minor damage for it to matter. But it did agitate him some more and piss him off.
"This bitch wants to fight, huh? Okay, I'll happily oblige!" Grayman exclaimed before committing to the engagement.
The two continued their deadly dance ten thousand feet above the surface of the ocean as they wore each other down. Grayman especially planned his actions to push his aggressor to make a mistake. And he did make a mistake. Grayman had dove a bit to gain some energy while the aggressor chose to maintain altitude. The Siren jet, having been fed up with this filthy human's games, dropped flaps and slowed down to get behind him and put him down. Bad move, Gomer.
Grayman saw him tracking and smiled before pulling back up into a vertical climb. He zoomed past the Siren who immediately started to climb with him. It was foolish of this human to climb like this, he made himself an easy target. So, he positioned himself right behind him, lined up his sight, and… wait, why did they stop moving? Both Human and Siren aircraft slowed down and stopped mid-air as if they were frozen. Then, they began to fall as they completely stalled out. The Siren started falling first and the pilot had to immediately reorient in order to save the aircraft, while the Hellcat kept going for a bit further before falling too.
This little trick is called a hammerhead maneuver, where an aircraft climbs vertically until it stalls where it could then turn a full 180 degrees and dive back down. It's more of an air show technique and not practical in a fight, but it was pretty badass to see, especially from inside the cockpit.
Once he lost all his airspeed, Grayman gently pushed the pedals, making his rudder turn left and the whole aircraft to. He kept turning until he was facing back down and behind the bandit. Jackpot! He saw the Siren's engine throttle up, but there was no escape for him. His fate was sealed. He gunned the throttle, lined up his sights, and fired.
"It's over, motherfucker!" He yelled before pulling the trigger.
A long burst of .50 caliber rounds traveled the two hundred or so meters toward their target in a blink of an eye. Dozens of rounds impacted the fuselage of the Siren jet, ripping through the light armor and critically damaging vital components. Another burst lit the engine on fire. And another burst tore off the left wing, turning the plane into another burning wreck.
After that, Grayman pulled hard on the stick and kept his aircraft from crashing into the ocean, saving only a few feet in between him and the water. The Siren jet did slam into the ocean at over 500 knots and made quite a big splash. Grayman looked back at this and couldn't contain his excitement.
"Whoo! Splash five! Splash five! Enemy jet is down!" He exclaimed happily.
Once again, cheers erupted from the fleet, especially from the carriers who were rushing to his aid. Enterprise was most especially glad since she felt responsible for him and couldn't contain the happiness within which made her jump in glee. Ryan even more so, because he was responsible for him and he couldn't take losing someone under him. But he couldn't celebrate just yet and started issuing the next batch of orders.
"Well done, Grayman. But now you have no more excuses. Get back here this instant," He ordered.
Grayman sighed. Well, it was fun while it lasted. "Yes, sir."
The Pilot was about to ask for instructions on how to land when they were interrupted once more. It seemed like it was surprise after surprise.
"Eh?! Commander, my scouts have spotted another enemy fleet approaching from bearing 2-7-0 degrees, range 50 miles!" Enterprise reported.
"Oh, COME ON! Give me a break, for fuck's sake!" Hornet growled, completely irritated by it all.
"There's no way around it. All ships, keep heading south and prepare to defend yourselves!" Ryan ordered. He also checked the GUNKAN app and saw that TF 2's support squadron was still a ways away.
"KANCOM, we are out of bullets!" Ferguson reminded.
"Just stay close to us. We'll figure something out."
"Ryan, I don't wanna be that guy, but going by the size of the returns we're getting, we'll probably need a miracle," Cruz said.
"Yeah," The Commander breathed but smiled a bit. "But, we'll make do, like we always have."
That made them all feel slightly better and they found themselves moving just a bit quicker. They will fare through this storm like all the others. And with that thought in mind, everything became easier. But, they'd realize that all that amping up would be useless when the next thing happened.
"Wait, Commander, the fleet is being engaged by air power and artillery from somewhere," Yorktown added. "
"What? Really?" Ryan asked. There were no task forces close enough to engage with artillery.
"Yes sir, it's coming from the southwest. I think we have more friendless that just popped up too," She answered.
A new fleet, huh? He wondered and got his answer moments later when the radio cracked again.
"Unidentified fleet, unidentified fleet, this is Azur Lane Squadron 22, do you read me, over?" A feminine voice asked.
It was broadcasting on all channels, and he and many others were shocked to hear that, but he wasted no time in replying.
"I read you, Azur Lane. This is Commander Eric Halsey Ryan of the United States Navy. To whom am I speaking?"
"United States?" The person on the other side parroted in confusion. "So you say. This is IJN Akagi of the Sakura Empire's First Carrier Division. Due to our proximity, I must ask your intentions."
First Carrier Division?! He thought. He then opened his mouth to reply only to be beaten to it by someone else who spoke with some haste.
"Akagi, is that you?" A certain battlecruiser said.
"A-A-A-Amagi-nee-sama?!" Akagi shrieked when she recognized that gentle voice, followed by incoherently mumbling some things before speaking properly again.
"Yes, sister, it's me. I am a part of the fleet under this Shikikan. There is no cause for alarm," She replied.
There was a gasp at the end before Akagi spoke again. "Wait a minute, how do I know it's really you?!"
There was an audible sigh heard on the radio before Amagi spoke again. "I remember when you dressed up as Kaga to try and get into the Shikikan's room, but I caught you. I also remember when a spider crawled your tail during an event the Ironblood girls invited us to, and you started screaming and flailing like a mad woman. And don't get me started on when you had too much Sake on New Year and started drunkenly spouting all sorts of things like—"
"Okay! Okay! I believe you!" Akagi interjected before a soft sob was heard. "It's just… It's…"
"I know. I'm happy to hear your voice too, dear sister," Amagi said with gladness in her voice. "Is Kaga there with you?"
"I-I'm here too, Amagi-san," Another voice replied.
"How splendid. I'm happy to hear your voice too, Kaga," Amagi said. "I'd very much love to speak more, but we're not quite done here yet. Just know that I and many others are part of a combined fleet. Don't be alarmed."
"Yes, nee-sama. I shall relay this to the others in my fleet," Akagi said.
"Very good," Amagi said and cleared her throat. "Please forgive my sudden interjection, Shikikan. I thought it was best I immediately intervene."
"It's quite alright, Miss Amagi. I think you just made a long conversation a short one," Ryan replied. "So, IJN Akagi of the First Carrier Division, yes?"
"Hai, Shikikan Ryan."
"Hmm. I know you've got a lot of questions, and I do too. But I'm in charge of a fleet of Kansen here. Let's save it when we can meet face to face. We're at, uh, Enterprise, do you have a bearing on them?" He asked.
"Yes, sir. They're at 2-3-5 degrees and 75 miles out," She answered.
"Yeah, we're at 0-5-5 degrees and a little over 120 kilometers from your location. What's your status now?"
"The Grey Ghost isn't dead? What a shame," Akagi mumbled audibly but was mostly ignored. "We're currently dealing with a large Siren fleet, nothing but a small on the road for the First Carrier Division. We will finish them off and provide you with assistance."
"Uh, okay. Once it's clear, head over to uh, hold on," He said before grabbing his iPad, opening the GUNKAN app, and viewing the map to find a location. "... Okay, let's rendezvous at 9° 36' 41.0" North, 167° 57' 55.9" East."
"Of course. Allow us to finish off this flock of vermin, Shikikan. You can relax now and I look forward to seeing you soon," She said.
"Thank you for the help, Miss Amagi. I look forward to seeing you too," He replied.
"Good luck and take care now, Akagi. I'll see you and Kaga later," Amagi said.
"Hai. Dewa, mata," Akagi replied before the line went dark.
"Well, that was a thing," Grayman said.
"Yeah," Ryan sighed. "Anything else on scopes?"
"Radar and scouts pick up nothing, Commander," Enterprise said with the other girls saying pretty much the same thing.
"Our sensors are clear too, KANCOM," Cruz reported and Ferguson said something similar.
"It's clear, huh?" Ryan whispered. "Girls, what does this mean?"
The girls talked amongst each other for a couple of minutes, discussing what the absence of activity meant. But what was evident was that USNKC just kicked the Sirens' asses. So, that could only mean one thing.
"We've killed all of the prime units and survived all the waves So, we've won, Commander, congratulations. It's over now," Enterprise said.
That statement reverberated across the whole fleet, followed by cheers that were much more intense than before. Some were happy to have won, while others were happy to be alive and unhurt. Some of the girls threw themselves into each others' arms in comforting hugs, with Hammann leaping into Yorktown's arms much to her surprise. Others chose to simply sit down and catch their breath. Ryan was very happy, not just because his first sortie was successful, but also because no one was hurt. There were still things that needed to be worked out for the future, but he allowed himself to enjoy the moment.
"Keep heading south and maintain high alert, but otherwise, we're in the clear. Well done, everybody," Ryan said, issuing his closing remarks.
Enterprise closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt the warm breeze and early afternoon sun on her skin. She then exhaled and opened her eyes to see her sister approaching, making her smile.
"Well done, Enty, you've saved the day again," Yorktown said with a smile.
"Thanks. You two did really well too, better than me even, probably," Enterprise replied.
"Ha, of course! Not everyone can be like you, sis, but I'm strong too!" Hornet proclaimed with a grin.
"No one's doubting you, Hornet.:
They smiled and then closed in on each other for hugs which they enjoyed. It lasted for a couple of moments before breaking off just in time as Grim flew toward them.
"Hey, thanks for watching over us," Yorktown told the bird as it landed on her outstretched arm.
"You know, I'm starting to think Grim's the real lucky charm here," Enterprise said.
"You know what, I think you're right," Yorktown agreed, and they laughed.
"KANCOM, this is Grayman, requesting flyby," Grayman spoke.
The Commander rolled his eyes. "Fine."
Grayman said his thanks before diving down as he approached the fleet to gain speed. He then lined up his course and flew through the center of the formation at high speed and continued on, before climbing while doing some barrel rolls too.
"Woooohooo! Great balls of fire!" He exclaimed happily.
His goal of proving his worth was achieved, even though his journey had only just begun. There were more battles to come, but he had finished the first step, and he was not afraid to take the next one. The next one would be when he noticed that he was low on fuel just a moment later. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
"Uh, Miss Enterprise, can you please walk me through how to land this thing?" He asked and got a giggle as a response.
Those thoughts were unknown to Ryan who was smiling lightly as he watched the kid go. Although he was pissed beyond belief that Danny would recklessly endanger himself like that, he had to admit that he more or less saved all their asses. And that was also some of the best flying he's ever seen, fitting for a descendant of a long line of flyers and a Top Gun graduate. But he was still going to chew him out later though. So, he headed to his seat and plopped himself on it then lit another cigarette for him to enjoy. He'll take a couple of minutes before collecting his stuff and heading to his office.
They needed some time to relax, they just got out of a tough battle.
But from a distance away, unnoticed by the victorious fleet, was another individual. However, this one only had one mission. The late morning blew across her pale skin and silver hair as her bright yellow eyes simply watched. Taking in the results of her observation, she only smiled.
"Now, this is interesting," She spoke before simply fading away.
AN: What the hell did I write, lmao. I have this headcanon that Enterprise is the very supportive type, so yeah. I also wanted Danny to do something instead of just chilling, so I put him in a Hellcat and made him zoom around. Ain't nothing like a good knife fight dogfight.
Another reason I had to cut this chapter was that it was quite problematic. Even now, I'm not very proud of the outcome. No matter, this is a learning experience for me and I intend to write better chapters in the future. That being said, you should expect some plotholes in the future or some things to not line up with what I wrote here, maybe.
The idea of superweapons! Yet another reason I cut the chapter was that I had gone on a journey across thick jungles and vast plains searching for ideas for this and future chapters of this story. And that is when I read the fanfic Operation Rumor Mill by DeltaDestroys01. I've had it saved for a while, but I only started reading it recently, and my God, is it a fucking masterpiece! In fact, I like it so much that I will be steal— featuring its premise and one of the main characters in this story pretty soon.
Through it, I discovered the potential superweapon type can have in spicing things up in the story. And it's not exactly a new idea. In the AL anime, the Sirens brought out a massive ship that's at least two Nimitz-class carriers long and fires nuclear missiles. They would also be rarely featured and would be like the final boss-type thing at the end of a level in a video game. But, it's something nice to think about in the long run. For now, it's just a giant flying-wing-type airplane that is based on the Valkyrie from Captain America: The First Avenger. But, they'll get more diverse in the future and you'll just have to wait and see.
54godamora, your wish might just come true.
Operation Rumor Mill by DeltaDestroys01 is quite popular so I'm sure you know of it already, but if you haven't yet I suggest you check it out. It's not near completion, and updates are slow, but it's worth it all especially if you're into Lovecraftian shit.
Also, there are no designations for the Siren units. Yeah, all things considered, it doesn't really make sense. I'll probably put it in a future chapter or try to splice it into Chapter 6 then make a ton of edits. I don't know, I'll see what I can do.
The next chapter will just be about the aftermath and some more stuff. Let's just say, there's someone coming home after a very long patrol. Then, more announcements at the end like what happens next, reminders, and that stuff.
And, that's really all I have to say for now. Thank you very much for reading! Please leave a review to tell me what you think or if you have something you wanna say. Till next time, peace out.