Traitors and Engagement…
"Message being flashed from the Benten – 'How much fuel do you have onboard?'"
"Engine Room, Bridge"
"Engine Room here"
"How much fuel do we have?" Akeno asked, trying to come up with the answer in her mind.
"About two hundred and fifty tons left"
"Let them know, Macchi" Akeno said. The lookout, normally found at the top of the ship had offered to do duties from the Bridge on account of the high winds which made it dangerous for her to be that high. After sending the message and wait several minutes, a reply was flashed back to the Harekaze
"They reply they have about the same, but have an idea on how to refuel. Instructor Munetani wants to speak to you over the radio" and Akeno nodded and picked up a handset and spent the next ten minutes talking about the state of the ship and its limited supplies. The plan was to send in a team to take over one of the docked ships carrying fuel and food in a shopping mall island, bring it to the Harekaze and Benten and resupply before leaving the ship and sailing away. As the Skippers would be too easily spotted and recognised, the boarding party would go in in the cover of darkness using the Benten's inflatable drone and get the ship that way. Akeno was not happy about stealing the food and fuel, but Mashiro's sister explained that the extra food would at least allow them to supplement their rations and make things more edible for the crews of both ships. They had to do what they needed to stay free and to prove their innocence whilst Minami worked hard to come up with a solution and a cure.
"Call the Deputy Captain and Department Heads to the Mess Hall" Akeno said. "Macchi, you have the Bridge"
"I… I do?" the girl took off her glasses for a moment in disbelief. "I swear to do my best for the ship in your absence"
"That's all I want"
# # # # #
"… and that is the plan" Akeno explained to Mashiro and the other officers. "The Harekaze and Benten will stay here with the engines switched off and cold – no running lights and no illumination on the Bridge either. All portholes will be covered up and interior lights on the inside edge of the ship dimmed"
"You hope that with a cold ship and little to no light showing, we'll look like a hole in the water" Kouko said. "It could work"
"It should do… My sister came up with it" Mashiro said proudly. "Our one and only problem is if guards are on the supply vessel"
"Can we whip up some fast acting thing to knock them out with" Gufran asked.
"I can" Minami looked at Gufran and Mina oddly. "Why are you two here? This is a meeting of Senior Officers"
"We're the most senior Saudi and German people on here"
"You are the only senior Saudi and German people on the Harekaze"
"Hence why we are the most senior" Mina chimed in.
"Well at least I have two test subjects for testing knock out darts on" Minami grinned evilly.
"We… We got to go!" the pair said and hurried away.
"Don't be mean to my girlfriend!" protested Kouko.
"You are coming out?" Akeno beamed. "That is so cool"
"You are not bothered?"
"Of course…! Everybody should love who they want" and Mashiro sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Can we at least try to get back to business?" she asked.
"Sorry… Minami, can you do it?"
"I think so, but the problem will be delivering it… We don't have enough needles"
"Then we'll go with the plan to rope down" Mashiro said, "And take the chance nobody is onboard"
"How long will it take to get the supply ship ready to go?" Kaede asked.
"A couple of minutes if the engines are in a dead cold state" Maron replied. "Nothing anybody can do about that"
"Can the Blue Mermaid blimp tow it?" Rin asked.
"Seriously…?" Mashiro growled.
"Shiro, be nice to Rin" Akeno scolded her. "To answer your question, no it can not. Whatever will happen, it will be people from Mashiro's sister's ship that will carry out the operation. Our task will be to get the ship ready for refuelling in the dark and take anything else that will help us before we have to leave the ship and go on a task"
"A task? You have had contact with Mother?"
"No… I didn't want to say this with Mina around, but we heard radio traffic from civilian ships in the area – the Graf Spee has been sighted heading towards the Truk Islands"
"Are we going to stop it?" asked Tsugu.
"With the combined power of both ships, we might be able to disable it and board the ship to inject the crew with a serum. If it works on them, we can break our radio silence and tell the fleet what we know… Maybe somebody will listen" Akeno said.
"And if they do not?" asked Macchi.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it… Is there anything else we should talk about?"
"I am worried about the state of the crew's mental health" Minami said slowly. "Although we had a short time on the island base, I am concerned all this action is harming the crew mentally. Would it be possible for the majority of the crew to watch a film in the mess hall?"
"You mean to take their mind off what is happening…?" Akeno looked to Mashiro in silent questioning.
"Its not normal, but this is not a normal situation – I think we can do it this once" Mashiro replied and then rubbed her eyelids. "Captain, request permission to confine myself to my cabin for the next twelve years?"
"Go on, Shiro – you need the rest" and, shortly after, the meeting broke up. "Tsugu, can you send a message to the Benten asking how much time we have until we stop? I want to run a few drills first"
"All we have been doing is weapon drills" Tsugu said, "What else do you plan to do?" the quiet girl asked.
"Not weapon drills" Akeno shook her head.
"Then for what?"
"Abandoning Ship" and Akeno left – leaving Tsugu to her thoughts. She sat alone and wondered just how they were going to help save the Spee and her crew and still have time to clear their own names.
"It isn't the kind of life you thought you'd be living, is it?" Kaede asked as she stepped back into the mess hall.
"No… I know the Captain is doing what is best, but…"
"But you rather prefer to run away and never be found. Trust me, I know how that feels"
"You do?"
"Oh yeah" Kaede let out a snort that was very much unlike her normal bearing. "My father is a loving man, do not get me wrong, but he was wanting me to become much sought after at Court once I had debuted so that he could get more business" and Tsugu got the impression it was more for Kaede's body than personality.
"So how did you end up here?"
"My father owns one of the biggest repair yards in the entire country. When I did not have studies to do, or lessons with special tutors, I would play at the docks by watching boats sail in and out. It was then when I realised I wanted to be a Blue Mermaid… To serve something that was bigger than myself. My father was disappointed in that I would not be of bigger help, but then realised he could tell his friends and rivals that he had a Blue Mermaid for a daughter"
"Yet you love him"
"Of course I do – he is my father after all… No, I just think he is misguided sometimes" and Kaede sighed as she took some water from the large container. "What about you?"
"I was mostly raised by my dad because Mom left him when I was four – she slept with another man and ran off with him. I did well at school, loved listening to radio broadcasts and so I decided to apply to the school so I had the training to apply to become a Blue Mermaid later on. I don't understand why I was placed here when I did very well in my assessment classes, but I guess it is luck of the draw" Tsugu shrugged her shoulders and watched for a few moments as Kaede drank some of her water. "I know he must be worried about me with all this happening. It has been tempting to send him a short message and let him know I am alright. I used to be a good student, but now I am a wanted criminal and all I have to comfort me are this crew and my training"
"At least its something" Kaede frowned before shaking her head. "Do you think you could have been anything else apart from being a Blue Mermaid?"
"Maybe become a radio star and find somebody to love me and marry" Tsugu sighed wistfully.
"Somebody? Could it be a female?"
"You object?"
"No, because it is not my place. I just have trouble with Kouko and that German girl because I was raised in a traditional minded household regarding love. I would never have thought about doing anything with another female"
"Have you ever tried?"
"Have you?"
"No – you?"
"No… I prefer boys and men, Tsugu, but I love the others here as comrades, as friends and as sisters"
"What about Gufran? Fairly sure he's a boy"
"Well…" Kaede finished her water and raised both eyebrows and put on a cheeky grin, "If there is any doubt, maybe we should go and ask Maron" and the two girls laughed before going to their cabins and getting much needed sleep. Before slumber claimed her, Tsugu made a mental note to get to talk to her crewmates more – especially Kaede and Macchi because they spent a lot of their time alone.
#
Only a small number of people were awake on the Harekaze that night, tending panels and controls that were silent and still, looking at fuel manuals and Akeno on the Bridge standing behind the ship's wheel with a canvas stool Maron had made for the person on duty there.
Neither the Captain, those on watch or those asleep could ever guess what was about to happen…
#
"Benten reports a full load of fuel" Tsugu said. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to last?" she added.
"Fuel never lasts long" replied Akeno up on the Bridge. "Out"
"So… Off to save the Spee, I guess"
"Looks like it" Gufran said. With nothing to do, the boy was going around talking to the rest of the crew – he'd ended up spending time with Tsugu when he learned she was the radio person. They had a lot in common, sharing a love for the airwaves, and he often came up to the radio room when she was on duty – occasionally, they would talk but more often Tsugu would pass him a spare set of headphones and he'd listen in on the spare radio to radio broadcasts from home over six thousand miles away. Being on the submarine, he'd not had chance to listen to anything and he had been homesick a little. It had been Maron's idea to send him up to Tsugu and see if he could borrow the spare set for an hour or two each day. The girl had agreed on the understanding he'd take her place when she needed a break instead of having to get somebody else to stand her watch while she was away. Gufran was just tuning the radio when he heard an odd noise and stopped and played about with the controls to see if he could get a better signal. "Tsugu, tune your radio to 8588 in AM mode… There's something odd about that"
"You're right" Tsugu said after she had done it and listened for a few seconds. She recorded the sound, did some measurements based on the strength of the signal and her eyes widened. "Bridge, Radio Room – are we all on the ship?"
"Captain is just about to go to Benten" replied Mashiro. "Is something the matter?"
"Yes… Tell her I need to speak to her and you here and its urgent"
"Whats the matter?" asked Gufran, puzzled as to why Tsugu was in a panic.
"That's what I want to know" asked a panting Akeno a few minutes later. Mashiro and herself had run the entire way from the boat she was about to travel in to the Radio Room. Tsugu played the recording she had made and a flicker of recognition passed over Mashiro's face, but the Deputy Captain had been unable to put her finger on it.
"That is a standard Blue Mermaid jamming signal – the strength suggests it is very close"
"And?"
"The only Blue Mermaid ship close enough to be that strong is the Benten"
"You think my sister is involved in this?" Mashiro demanded.
"Mashiro, calm down… We don't know what to believe right now, but we have to assume that Tsugu is right" Akeno calmed the girl down before opening the speaking tube. "Who is on the Helm?" she asked.
"Mina"
"Mina, put your rudder hard to port but don't move the engine controls. Is Mei there?"
"Yes, I am here" Mei said.
"Mei, load torpedoes into the tubes as fast as you can – training rounds only though… Your aim will be the stern of the Benten"
"Why are we firing on the Benten?"
"I'll explain later"
"I'll go down to the Engine Room and alert them for full engine power" Gufran said and hurried out.
"Shiro, we need to go round the ship and have the crew get to Battlestations without sounding alarms" Akeno said. "We have a lot of fresh supplies, part and fuel, so I plan to disable the Benten and get away from here in a hurry"
"I… I understand" Mashiro whispered. "I just thought that something was going right when my sister showed up. At least what she told us about the Spee is true"
"We'll talk later if you want" Akeno held out her hand and Mashiro, slowly and carefully, took it.
#
"All of the crew are at their stations" Kouko said as the pair entered the Bridge.
"Good" Akeno sighed as she knew not everybody would know what the matter was. "Engine Room?"
"Maron here"
"Reverse port engine and full ahead starboard"
"Reverse port engine and full ahead starboard" Maron repeated. Slowly, painfully slowly, the Harekaze started to swing her bow round to the left.
"Mei, fire all torpedoes right into her stern" Akeno ordered. "Tama, follow it up with shots to disable communications and Radar" and the torpedoes were launched as the guns opened up with multiple soft thuds before loud explosion ripped the air as the torpedoes struck home and the shells hit their targets. "Rin, rudder amidships – steady on whatever course you end up on. Engine Room, well done… Both engines together full – obey telegraphs"
"Aye" was Maron's simple reply.
"Message coming in from Benten via signal lamp" Macchi said. "They say they are sorry for what they did and were only following orders. Instructor Munetani sends an apology to the Deputy Captain… That's all"
"Acknowledged. Tama, fire a few shots from the aft batteries at the Benten and then cease firing. Attention everybody, this is the Captain – you can all stand down and relax. Mikran, can you do a curry for everybody?"
"We already made it" she replied.
"CURRY!" Tama shouted and burst off from everyone else.
"Doctor to the Bridge" Mashiro ordered as she saw Akeno, Mei, Kouko, Mina and Rin all in a pile on the floor and groaning in pain.
"Ah… The gunnery officer was hungry?" was all Minami asked when she arrived.
#
"First of all, I want you to know we are still going to be on rations – we just had enough to make one pot of curry with rice for everybody on the ship because we all need a good meal. Second, the reason for our firing on Benten is hard to believe, but it was the only thing we could do to defend ourselves. Gufran was listening to shortwave radio from home when he heard an odd signal and Tsugu listened in and discovered it was a Blue Mermaid jamming signal coming from the Benten. Before anybody asks, the Deputy Captain did not know anything about the plan of her sister to trap us" Akeno looked over at the assembled crew with Mina and Gufran taking places at the back.
"What do we do now?" asked Momo. Like a lot of the supply staff, she'd not had much of a chance to be around for discussions.
"We know where the Spee is so we're going to stop it" Akeno replied. "Even if it means we end up getting captured, at least we will have saved lives and maybe the truth will get out"
"Do you think the Spee will join with us?" asked Mina.
"Perhaps, but we don't know its condition… All we know is that it can still make full steam, but you'll know what is what really just by looking at it"
"Do you know what speed she is at?"
"Cruising speed"
"Odd – you would think that the infected would want to get there fast"
"Maybe she was torpedoed and damaged in the shafts somehow" Gufran mused.
"Its possible, but unlikely" replied Mina. "Perhaps they are saving fuel – we know the crews of the infected ships seem to be able to keep their skills at sailing"
"I would agree" Minami said. "From what I have been able to determine, the virus seems to activate those parts of the brain concerned with survival at any and all costs. Boarding them until they are completely disabled might be difficult"
"Even stopped in the water, the ship is a formidable weapon platform" Mina shook her head. "Even firing live rounds, the armour is too strong around the turrets to take them all out"
"What about a boarding action by Skipper?" asked Tsugu.
"They would be blown out of the water"
"What about a torpedo attack?" Mei suggested. "If we fired the torpedoes at the same side of the ship, that side would flood and tilt over. Once it is, we can go round to the other side and board from there because the guns wouldn't be able to get down low enough. The problem is, though, that it would take almost all of the torpedoes to make it work"
"We have to do something" Akeno said, "And we have 18 hours to decide"
"What about the same trick we used when we saved Mina with the smoke?" Kouko suggested, but Mina shook her head.
"That only worked because I disabled the radar and gunnery computers – they will be repaired by now"
"Captain?"
"Yes, Rin?"
"I hate to suggest it because it seems so cowardly, but what if we used the Harekaze as a weapon and ram it into the Graf Spee?" and there was silence as the crew realised that it might be their only hope. All that anybody could hear was the sound of the machinery as it hummed away before Akeno picked up her cap and donned it.
"I want this ship ready for combat. I know this is not what we expected to do on our first mission, but the only ship around here not infected or confined to port is us – our mission is to stop the Admiral Graf Spee by whatever means possible. If it means ramming the Spee and taking it with us, we'll do it" the girl seemed to draw inspiration from deep in her soul as she turned to Mashiro.
"Deputy Captain"
"Aye, Captain?" Mashiro straightened to attention.
"Have the crew prepare for combat and man battle stations – if you want me, I will be on the Bridge" and Mashiro sensed the urgency and solemn nature and saluted before spinning round on her heel to face the crew.
"All hands, battlestations"
#
Maron was like all Chief Engineers – she protected her charge but also knew how to get every inch of speed from the engines and she drove them as fast as possible so they could intercept the Spee that much quicker. Safety valves were closed a little tighter, bottles of whiskey found at the island base were poured into the engines to increase the RPM and the upper limits of the engine capacity were tested to their maximums.
Damage control was going round the shop placing vital equipment and supplies in key areas, securing hatches and then dispersing to parts of the ship.
Navigation updated and refined the course of the Harekaze as it steamed towards a fight. They were helped by the constant relaying of position reports of the Spee by Tsugu which allowed them to make sure they engaged the other vessel as far away from the Truk Islands as much as possible.
Both Gunnery and Torpedo crews drilled all through the night loading their weapons and used some of the few large computers to practice aiming skills.
Radar was, at Akeno's order, fully powered up and scanning the sea ahead.
Sonar scanned underwater for any dangers but, strangely, had the second most easier job.
The galley made soup and stew as it was the easiest to make with the supplies and easiest to eat at their stations.
Lookouts were posted in the usual positions as well as at the stern of the ship.
Minami prepared Sickbay for the treatment of casualties with the help of Kouko and anybody that was not otherwise assigned to a station.
On the Bridge, orders were given and carried out as the mighty vessel surged on. Akeno privately wondered if the Harekaze had ever been as busy as it has been now as she looked out of the windows as inky blackness turned, over the course of a few hours, into the golden sunshine.
"Looks like we have luck on our side" Mashiro noted, pointed out of the port windows at the rising sun – almost a red ball of fire in the sky and reminding everybody of the national flag.
"Yes" Akeno clapped her hands together and gave a quick bow towards it.
"Never thought of you as religious" Mashiro noted.
"I'm not totally religious, but I like to pray to the spirit of things"
"I see" Mashiro turned to look out of the windows once more.
"Radar contact – 15 miles" Tsugu reported. "I'm also getting some strange readings on the radio… I think it is the Spee"
"Tama, your target is the Admiral Graf Spee at 15 miles distance" Akeno said. "Target with the forward gun and be ready to open fire"
"Aye"
"Maron, is there anything else you can give us from the engines?"
"We've already got it redlined"
"Have you took the limiters off?"
"No, but only because they are the last safety feature before they blow up – why do you need even more speed?"
"Because we've found the Spee" and there was silence until Maron came back with a simple reply.
"Understood… Engine Room is standing by"
"Tama, have you got locked onto the Spee?"
"Aye"
"Tsugu, on my order, break radio silence and warn the island that help is here. When you get a reply, transmit to the school and to Blue Mermaid HQ: 'This is the school ship Harekaze. We have found evidence of a brainwashing virus infecting the crew of the Graf Spee and intend to stop it from firing on civilians. Akeno, commanding Harekaze, out'… Tama, for the honour of the ship… Open fire"
A/N:
Well, reviews in the normal manner please
Robert