Musashi's hull
Most of Task Force Alpha had started their journey back to Azur lane HQ, the Commander and Musashi were the only ones to remain with Kaga, who was on the bow of her own hull, in a meditative state. She was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed and surrounded by glowing blue paper planes. In the air above the two ships, her aircraft lazily buzzed around, an omni-present scout patrol constantly flew back and forth across the skies, forever watching out for her lost sister. The Commander watched the white kitsune from the highest point of Musashi's bridge, a concerned look on his face as he scanned the skies and the sea for any changes himself.
He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, and gave a small smile knowing who it was. "Hey Musashi." He greeted as he glanced up at her. The purple fox woman smiled warmly back at him, before looking over at Kaga.
"She doesn't show her true feelings often, but I can tell Kaga is just deeply worried about her sister, I trust you were not too harsh on her my child?" Musashi asked the Commander kindly. He looked back at Kaga, still meditating, and sighed.
"I had to be somewhat tough on her since she pushed me, I feel what I said to her was justified, I did apologise for scaring her though." The Commander replied, a little guilty about how he acted to the white fox woman. "I didn't think she'd react that strongly to me getting mad at her, am I really that scary?" He asked, concern in his voice as looked up at Musashi for reassurance. The battleship just shook her head with a small chuckle.
"I don't think its you exactly she was scared of my child, you're her last link to Akagi while she is lost, I believe the fear you saw, was her thinking she was losing that link to her sister, by making you angry with her." Musashi theorised. Her smile then faded into a more neutral look as she spoke. "I agree that some discipline needed to be dispensed in that situation since she did assault you, however, if I may say so; It seems your own feelings about Akagi's disappearance have made you somewhat careless in your judgement my child, are you sure its wise for you to stay here?" She added, a hint of worry in her tone.
The Commander looked away, a little sadness in his voice. "I promised her 24 hours, I won't leave Kaga out here alone against Nico, but at the same time; I can't risk the whole task force with how unstable this area is, I just wished we could get into that mirror sea ourselves, god I hate being powerless." He cursed, clenching his fists.
"Aw Commander~ you're all stressed and bottled up~" A new playful voice stated from behind him. The Commander gasped a little as he felt breath on his ear and a gentle hand on his hip. "Good thing your big sister is here to work that tension out of you~!"
"A-Atago?! Why-wha-ah!" The officer couldn't even finish as the wolf girl started running her hands under his uniform, rubbing and caressing various muscle groups in his back and shoulders. Atago just giggled watching him squirm in her and Musashi's embrace, the fox woman still holding his shoulders while chuckling at the two of them. The Commander could only grunt and gasp as the heavy cruiser worked him over.
"Its OK my child, you appear to need Atago's...touch right now." Musashi chuckled, watching the Commander pant as the stress melted away from Atago's massage.
"Why...why are you- Mmf!-still here-ah!-Atago?...Oooh..." The Commander struggled to say, still fighting not to moan from the borderline sexual contact the wolf woman was doing to him.
"Well Musashi asked me to stick around to help you out Commander~ she was right: you DO get stressed easily~" Atago teased, still foundling her hands on his back, under the officer's uniform. "Oh my, your back muscles are tougher than my torpedo bulges Commander, you should really relax more~" She added.
The Commander wanted to comment on the two of them disobeying his orders, but with Atago's massage techniques he couldn't get a word out, so he gave up and just let the cruiser have her way with him, after all he certainly did need to relax.
The mirror sea.
Akagi floated above her hull, glaring down at Nico standing on his own hull. The red kitsune surrounded by the human fleet, which in turn was surrounded by black architecture covered in red lights. Nico's hull stood alone, with him glaring right back at her from its bow, but then a cocky smirk plastered itself across his face
"What are you really up to here fox? If you wanted to kill me, you could have done so at any point before I captured you, you're pulling my leg if you really think I feel threatened by you now." Nico taunted, shrugging his arms in a care-free posture.
Akagi laughed before pointing at the commodore. "The whole reason that suit you're wearing exists is because you felt threatened by me and the kansen." She pointed out with a giggle, earning a growl from Nico. Her glare returned to her face before she continued. "But enough fun and games Nico; why don't you tell your men how that suit of yours REALLY works, like the fact you're crushing a kansen's soul with that black mental cube?" Akagi demanded.
"Wha- how does that even work? Habakkuk wasn't even built! How can I be 'crushing her soul' if she never existed you melodramatic bitch?" Nico retorted.
Akagi shook her head. "You clearly haven't read up on your kansen biology have you Nico? A ship doesn't need to be built for its soul and mind to exist, you didn't program Habakkuk's rigging into that water pounder suit, you stuffed that poor girl's very being in there, and now that black box is pressing the life out of her, just for you to have some fancy weapons system, all because you can't handle the fact that humanity needed help against the Sirens, it would be funny if it wasn't so sad." She commented angrily.
Nico scoffed before replying. "Yeah, this 'fancy weapons system' as you put it, is what humanity REALLY needs in the fight against the Siren, not insane super-powered sluts who'd betray us at the drop of a hat." He called out to irritate Akagi.
"You know its funny you say that 'sir'," A new voice announced, clearly being amplified by something. Akagi and Nico realised it was captain Jackson, using the tannoy on the Dominatus to join in the conversation. Nico looked over at the carrier's bridge with confusion, seeing the captain's angry look.
"When you told me to contact the Admiralty for assistance, I couldn't help but notice you'd left the communication logs open, let me show you all what Admiral Samson had to say about this whole thing." He declared. Nico suddenly lost all his confidence hearing that, going white in the face, nearing the verge of panic. Then everyone in the fleet could hear Admiral Samson's pre-recorded voice.
"Time is short and I'll be brief: Even if you get that thing working, Azur lane needs to be undermined before the new Water pounders can even be considered by the rest of the Admiralty. The Commander should be riled up enough for you to bait him into attacking you, it'll cost you your fleet, god rest their souls, but if you get that suit working, it'll get you home safe. Once you give your report to the Admiralty, they'll finally see the light about how dangerous those kansen really are, and restart the project officially. Once there's enough water pounders ready, taking control of Azur lane will be a cakewalk. Don't screw this up! Good luck nephew."
Everyone on board the Dominatus and every other ship, suddenly started yelling and screaming in panic at what the Admiral just announced on the message. Akagi had her mouth covered in shock at the news while Nico just looked down, seething with fury that his plan was ruined.
"We were just bait?! We were MEANT to be slaughtered by ship-girls?"
"I didn't sign up for this bullshit!"
"This was a suicide mission?! Oh god no!"
"ALRIGHT THATS ENOUGH!" Jackson roared over the intercom, The screaming fell silent, for a few seconds nobody said a word as Jackson caught his breath from the shout. Then in a low tone he resumed speaking through the intercom.
"NOBODY is going on a suicide mission! But yes, our commanding officer was about to intentionally send us all to our deaths, simply to prove a point, a point that has no bearing in reality and is simply a straight up lie. You've seen the kansen for yourselves: they're not out of control weaponry as Nico and Samson would have you believe: They're just people, kind, courageous people, who risk their lives everyday, fighting an enemy we have no chance against, simply because they believe we're worth saving, who the fuck do we think we are for doubting them just because of one incident?" Jackson asked emphatically.
Throughout the captain's speech, Akagi noticed the entire fleet was looking up at her. Men and women alike all walked onto the decks of their ships wanting to see her. Slowly, but surely, they all saluted her. The kitsune was at a loss for words, she just smiled and saluted back.
"Akagi..." Jackson stated. "I think I speak for all of us when I say... 'We're with you'... my ship and its adjoining fleet are under your command now. I'm placing Nico under arrest, for charges of conspiracy to mass murder, treason and illegal use of classified technology."
Nico growled as Jackson spoke, spikes of ice erupted from various parts of his hull as his anger built. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He suddenly bellowed, raising into the air as his ice powers blasted from his body. Making Akagi need to shield her face from the blast. "This is mutiny! I'll kill all of you traitorous scum before I let my command be stolen by some flea bitten fox slut!" He roared in fury, he started summoning icicles between his fingers and manifesting planes on his hull's flight deck, just before sending a huge swarm of them into the sky.
Akagi frowned and started preparing her paper planes. Her hull glowed before transforming into mental cubes and finally manifesting into her flaming runway next to her. "Nico don't be a fool! We have you outnumbered!" The kitsune yelled to him.
"That's where you're wrong fox! You think this black box is more than just a fancy battery? Say hello to my new and LOYAL fleet!" Nico declared defiantly. A white lightning storm abruptly shot out from the back of his suit, where the back mental cube was housed. As Nico laughed manically, the lightning struck several spots in the ocean next to his hull, ripping open white portals in the fabric of space-time.
Akagi and Jackson both watched in shock, as various mass produced siren vessels started pouring through the portals, unlike the Siren buildings summoned by Akagi, these ships had white lights where there would normally be red ones, not only that but they were covered in ice and icicles just like the Habakkuk hull.
"What the fuck...ice Sirens?!" Jackson exclaimed, his hands on top of his head in disbelief. "How the fuck has he done that?!"
Akagi narrowed her eyes, she hesitantly, but bravely pulled out her own black box. "Captain...tell your ships to stay near the Siren towers, those shields are one way, so you can still shoot through them, keep the Siren ships off me while I focus on Nico!" She ordered.
"Wait...You have a black box too?" Jackson pointed out, now even more concerned.
"It seems even Nico's Siren friend has had enough of him, she's the one who helped me escape the water pounder lab, this cube is whats keeping your men safe." Akagi explained. Her black mental cube glowed, before rising out of her palm and making portals of her own form behind her. Instead of Siren ships however, out came large anti-aircraft guns lining the sky behind her. Akagi then thrust her arm out towards him.
"Fire!" The moment she yelled that, the guns blasted a withering barrage of shells towards Nico and his siren fleet. Nico himself jumped into the sky and landed on one of his seafires, flying out the hailstorm of bullets. The cannonade raked across the ice siren fleet and the Habakkuk hull, while it did little but scratch and shatter certain areas of the ice ship, the siren ships fared much worse, being turned into Swiss cheese by Akagi's attack, but still functioning.
"You heard her men, ATTACK!" Jackson yelled over the intercom. As he did, the various cruisers and destroyers started launching missiles and firing their guns at the ice Siren fleet, under normal circumstances a conventional fleet would be wiped out in minutes by a fleet of mass produced Siren model ships, but thanks to Akagi's shields, the human fleet could rain destruction down on their foes with impunity, their weapons still being somewhat effective against the Siren ships. Harpoon and Skipper class missiles rained down on Nico's new fleet, blowing apart the helpless ice Siren ships, as their own laser blasts and missiles bounced off the human ships' new forcefields.
The Dominatus launched an air wing of F-16s through its own shields to join in the air combat, the moment the F-16s made it through the shield, the Siren towers surrounding the fleet fired a beam at each plane, giving them their own shields.
"Akagi this is Falcon 1, call-sign: Firelance, its good to see you again fox!" Akagi heard over the radio hidden in her rigging.
"Captain Casey? Great to hear from you sir! Your wingmen with you?" Akagi greeted, smiling that she was getting more air support.
"Their right behind me fox, these shields are a nice touch! Will make going toe to toe with those siren assholes much easier! Firelance, engaging enemy aircraft!" Firelance replied, his F-16 fighter roared through the sky, firing its 20 mm at Nico's seafires, making the ex-commodore growl at the fighter.
"I completely agree! Falcon 2, Call-sign: Bolt, engaging sea targets!" Bolt yelled, his own fighter diving towards the ice siren fleet, firing off a payload of rockets towards one of the enemy ships. The rockets hit their mark, making the target list with the damage he caused. "Boom! Scratch one Siren boat! Yeehaw!" Bolt laughed, the sky around him lighting up as the remaining Sirens tried to shoot him down, failing to hit him through his crimson force-field.
"Falcon 3...Call-sign...Ballista...engaging sea targets." Ballista stated in a somewhat defeated tone, Akagi just assumed he was embarrassed by being proved wrong about her. His fighter joined Bolt's own plane in the rocket strikes on the Sirens.
"Falcon 4 Call-Sign: Madman engaging *Cough* air targets...I'm not missing this fight!" Came a new forth voice over the radio, he sounded younger than the first three pilots and Akagi could tell his throat was hurt as he talked. "I owe you one for saving my life fox, watch me fly!" He yelled as his fighter roared over head.
Akagi smiled watching the shielded F-16s attack and thin out the Siren attack, but then she heard Nico screaming towards her on a seafire, looking upwards she yelped as she managed to side step Nico's attack, barely avoiding his ice claws as he tried to swing for her.
"You think you're gonna win this boat bitch? I can summon those mass produced ships infinitely, with your friends' limited ammo its just matter of time before I break through your fancy force-fields." Nico taunted. Akagi hissed hearing him speak and jumped onto one of her zeroes to chase him, another two zeros, made entirely out of red fire joined her in the pursuit.
"You're were going to intentionally get your own men killed just a prove a point?! You're a monster Nico!" Akagi shouted at him. Nico turned around on his seafire and threw a group of ice spikes at Akagi, which she then evaded.
"You're the only monster here fox! Your whole purpose for existing was to be a monster! You're deluding yourself if you believe you're anything else!" Nico spat back, a wave of ice seafires then came out the clouds and fired on Akagi's flaming zeroes with their machine guns, only managing to shoot one down before Akagi threw a fireball, blowing all the ambushing planes up.
"You clearly don't know anything about the kansen asshole! We don't sacrifice our own friends for stupid reasons!" The red fox woman retorted, a hail of machine gun fire raked across Nico's fighters from Akagi's zeroes, blowing both of his escort planes out the sky.
"Is that what you thought when you created Orochi?! What would a traitor to her homeland know about sacrifice?!" Nico then jumped from his seafire towards Akagi's zero, ice claws out and glinting in the unnatural crimson light from the mirror sea's red sun. Akagi realised too late what he was doing and he sliced right through the zero's wing; sending the doomed plane into a spin.
"Sayanara bitchass." Nico told the red kitsune smugly, as his seafire returned to catch him from below. Akagi may have been down a plane, but she wasn't letting Nico off that lightly. Just as her plane started to dip, she launched herself towards Nico, holding out her arm in a superman pose as she rocketed downwards towards her target, a enraged glare on her face.
"Banzai!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, Seconds from landing back on his own fighter, Nico turned around in confusion, then a look of shock appeared on his face just before Akagi slammed herself into him, the force of her dive bomb smashed the two of them through Nico's sea-fire, breaking it into pieces while the two of them fell towards the sea, Akagi landing a barrage of punches on Nico as they fell.
The fox man managed to break out of his stun and kick Akagi away from him, the two of them both landing in the way in erupting columns of spray. As the two of them picked themselves up, both coughing out water, they glared at each other in a stand off.
"You...can't compare to me Nico." Akagi panted out. "I was trying to save someone I loved. You however are betraying humanity just to get a little power! That's not just evil, its pathetic!" She yelled to Nico.
"I'm trying to SAVE humanity bitch! If I have to kill a few soldiers to save billions of others, thats just simple Math!" The ex-commodore retorted. He then yelled as he then charged towards Akagi with his claws extended again. The red kitsune threw a barrage of flaming paper planes in response, making them explode in Nico's path. The fox man slalomed around the explosions with ease however, and Akagi had to side step the charge before his flail of strikes connected with her body.
"You're not saving anyone because no one is in danger! Even if... your plan works, attacking Azur lane... will do more harm than good!" Akagi pointed out, dodging each of Nico's melee attacks.
"I'll worry about that when you and your mutineer friends are dead!" Nico shot back, just as he swung for her one last time, he fired an ice spike into her face. Akagi yelped as the spike slammed into her cheek, dazing her just long enough for Nico to finally land a blow.
The red fox woman screamed as Nico's claws ran straight into her abdomen, the ice on the weapon causing instant frostbite in her wound. In a fit of rage she grabbed Nico's face with both hands, before he could do anything about it, he started crying out in agony as Akagi summoned flaming paper planes right there against his skin.
With one hand stuck in Akagi's belly he couldn't push her off, Akagi herself also screamed in excruciating pain, as Nico's tormented movements kept twisting and rending her stomach wound. For a full minute the two of them kept stumbling around on the water's surface, one causing the other to reflexively recoil away, increasing the pain the two of them both felt from the others attack.
Finally, in a moment of panic, Nico slashed Akagi's face, making her finally let go as she pulled back, shrieking from the pain. Clutching both her stomach and her face, frostbite clinging to the scratches across her cheek, nose and just above her eye. Nico hadn't fared much better against the fox woman's fire attack, a two giant second-degree, bordering on third degree burns scoured his now infuriated face.
"You...you'll pay for that..." Nico threatened in a dangerously low tone, he put his hands together and slowly separated them, summoning a very long ice spear as he did so. Akagi yelped as she tried to float away, she then tried to throw another paper plane to stop him, but doubled over in pain trying to do so. The red kitsune staggered backwards, trying to put some distance between herself and Nico, despite knowing it wouldn't help much. Her vision was starting to darken too, Nico's attack must have caused some deeper damage to her, she was on the verge of passing out as the pain kept coming in waves.
Before Nico could throw the ice spear, a barrage of rockets came from the sky, enveloping him in a volley of explosions, it seemed Falcon squadron tried to lend a hand, unfortunately Akagi was knocked over by the shock-wave, too injured to keep her footing. She fell backwards into the water, sinking beneath the waves.