Van Persie gripped his mug tightly, taking the occasional sip of warm tea provided by Belfast. He overlooked the corpse of Gregory Berkely in the autopsy room of the Azur Lane base. Although a crime had been committed and a man had been murdered, Van Persie and frankly most people such as law enforcement, and the ship-girls didn't really care. Even Vestal who performed the autopsy gave the cold-blooded killing a mere afterthought.
"Good morning to you at this ungodly hour, Jack," Vestal said.
"Good morning to you too, Vestal,"
"What happened to this fellow?" Van Persie asked.
"Well, I've finished my autopsy and it's weird. Gregory Berkely consumed enough cyanide to kill four people, was shot several times, was drowned…"
"Jesus Christ, did he die from drowning?" Van Persie interrupted.
"No, he died from hypothermia. I found water in his lungs. He was alive when he was thrown into the water," Vestal answered.
"Fuck my boots," Van Persie answered bluntly. "How did this man survive?"
"Well, according to my records, he was born to a peasant family in the middle of nowhere. Most likely his system is much stronger than the normal person,"
"Plausible for surviving being poisoned multiple times over, but still," Van Persie said.
"And the bullet wounds, good grouping and all centre-mass shots," Vestal commented. "Freak of nature I guess,"
"Vestal, before you officially submit anything… this was an accidental death,"
"How would you explain things then?" Vestal chuckled.
"He simply ate some bad food, and then tripped into the water and accidentally died," Van Persie stated, receiving more giggles from Vestal.
"What about the gunshots?"
"Piranhas, you gotta be careful in the water,"
"Oh, stop it Jack," Vestal laughed, before playfully punching his arm.
Some of the more radical Republicans and a tiny minority of moderate Aristocrats celebrated his death (Cmdr. King did not find out about this incident). They felt that the legitimacy of Cmdr. King's authority and command were shattered when Berkely started to whisper in his ear. They could not take Cmdr. King seriously anymore if he was friends with a scandal-ridden man. However, to the vast majority, business as usual. However, Hood was particularly affected as she'd like to think that she made a genuine connection with the Mad Monk. Hood and her followers blamed the murder on Van Persie as he was the only high-ranking official on base. Although the commanders (Overmars and Petraeus) and Van Persie gained from his death, Van Persie was adamant that he did not kill him. Van Persie didn't care too much as he was busy: combat air patrols, aiding Sunk Works, &c. He basically practically running the base.
However, Cmdr. King was furious and deeply mourned the death of his friend. When Hornet presented a message from Pearl Harbour that Berkely had been murdered, he closed himself in his private quarters on U.S.S Hornet. Refusing to speak to people.
"Unbelievable," Hornet remarked. She and Reno had summered their rigging and were gliding across the ocean. She summoned her ship-form which acted as the main command ship for Cmdr. King for this offensive. Ship-girls have the unique ability to summon and relinquish their physical ships on the go. The logic is that a ship-girl or Kansen are the paracausal embodiments of their respective naval warship and the physical ship is stored inside their wisdom cube.
"Misaka and her fleet have already encountered Sirens, yet King is refusing to leave his room," Reno replied.
"We cannot work with his man anymore,"
"Who else can we work with? Petraeus is just a glory hunter and Overmars is dodgy," Reno said.
"Jack van Persie," Hornet responded quickly.
[][][]
"This is Azur 2-1, In the airspace and at your service. Standing by for you to mark the first target," The weapon systems officer aboard the B-52H said. With Cmdr. King still unresponsive, Hornet had taken the liberty to radio command for help. Hours later, the newly formed Azur squadron, consisting of the sole F-14A and B-52H was now over the skies to assist. Misaka and her fleet were in the thick of the fighting. It was incredibly difficult to see what was even going on from the skies. The fact that it was night and Siren ships were painted black did not help. Plus, the smoke from the carcases of the destroyed ships clouded visibility even more. Misaka and her fleet had summoned their physical ship form, using their large naval guns (which sported much more range than their rigging) to destroy the mass-produced Siren ships. Only when Executor class or elite sirens were spotted, the rigging was deployed. Hornet had scrambled several squadrons of fighters and dive-bombers too. In order to spot targets, bundles of flares were stuck together which could pierce through the thick fog of war. One such marker was dropped on a Siren Queen class aircraft carrier, behind the main battle. "Talley target," the WSO of the B-52H said. Two JDAMS (thanks to the wisdom cube allowing the B-52H to use its weapons from Van Persie's world) were launched. The precision-guided bombs fell to the target, smashing into the flight deck of the Siren carrier. The force of the detonation cracked the carrier in two before finally sinking to the depths of the ocean.
Another day, another sortie. Both the F-14 and B-52H were scrambled once again. Three weeks had passed, and the offensive was on the verge of failing. The F-14 raced over the chaotic sea. Van Persie and Yorktown saw the burning husk of Royal Oak. She had been fatally struck by a torpedo while fending off waves of attacks, trying to protect Misaka. The lifeless body had been collected by Kronshtadt and her fleet was staging a fighting retreat. The F-14 readied and quickly launched two AIM-9H sidewinder missiles at two passing Siren jets. Moments later, the two enemy fighters exploded. Cmdr. King tried his best to break through the Siren line of control but failed horribly. He had thrown Misaka's Breakthrough Group into the fray but was stopped repeatedly. Each time they failed, they retreated, waited for Azur Squadron to finish with the bombing and attacked. But despite all of the bombing, the Sirens still had reserves somehow. Van Persie, viewing the situation from the sky, demanded Cmdr. King retreated two weeks ago and now, the Azur Lane force was fighting for their lives to escape.
The F-14 looped around the battlefield once again, shooting down another siren jet. The B-52H remained in the air too, carefully launching ordinance from the skies.
"Jack, look to your two 'o'clock!" Yorktown said.
"Shit, they're preparing to counterattack our retreating forces," Van Persie responded. Yorktown, growing into the role of a radio officer, relayed the information to the B-52H. It was being led by three Strategist executor class Sirens along with Trackers and Explorers. The B-52H launched multiple JDAMs and a minute or two later, the precision-guided bombs hit their targets. The counter-attack was destroyed in an instant and the Azur Lane forces were safe to retreat.
At sea level, Reno and Chapayev did their best to maintain a fighting retreat whereas Hornet and Indomitable kept at the rear, supporting the two cruisers. So far, it had been a success. Azur Lane wasn't overrun yet.
"Where do you think you're going?" A voice shouted out. It was Tester. She appeared out of a portal. Preliminary research indicates that Sirens can summon portals, but only in their zone of control.
"We're going back home. I heard the burger joint is open," Reno joked.
"Ha, American optimism at its finest," Tester replied. The large calibre guns on her rigging pointed at the two exhausted cruisers. "What are you going to do now? Both of you can't defeat me,"
"Yeah, we know that," Reno said. "But he can." Reno pointed to the sky and laughed. Moments later, the F-14 dropped a flare-marker on Tester before screaming across the sky. Seconds later, a Harpoon anti-ship missile crashed into Tester, demolishing her rigging, and killing her in an instant.
[][][]
The bright glow of the moon slowly diffused across the private quarters of Cmdr. King aboard U.S.S Hornet. More than three weeks of heavy fighting and the line of contact between the Siren-dominated area and Azur Lane's zone of control resulted in nothing but bloody defeats for King.
SITUATION REPORT – /09/06/1949
Misaka Breakthrough Group (commanded by Cmdr. King)
Misaka – critical condition (aboard U.S.S Hornet – recommended to evacuate ASAP)
Royal Oak – K.I.A
Arizona – K.I.A
Admiral Graf Spee – K.I.A
Huston – K.I.A
Phoenix – K.I.A
COMBAT INEFFECTIVE
Kronshtadt Breakthrough Group (commanded by Cmdr. King)
Kronshtadt – combat operational
Souryuu – critical condition (aboard U.S.S Hornet - recommended to evacuate ASAP)
Hiryuu – K.I.A
Kursk – wounded (aboard U.S.S Hornet)
Kuybyshev – wounded (aboard U.S.S Hornet)
Noshiro – K.I.A
COMBAT INEFFECTIVE
King George V Breakthrough Group (commanded by Cmdr. Overmars)
King George V – combat operational
Illustrious – combat operational
Formidable – combat operational
Scylla – wounded (aboard U.S.S Hornet)
Helena – combat operational
Glowworm – critical condition (aboard U.S.S Hornet - recommended to evacuate ASAP)
COMBAT EFFECTIVE
Hornet Reserve Group (commanded by Cmdr. King)
Hornet – combat operational
Indomitable – combat operational
Reno – combat operational
Chapayev – combat operational
COMBAT EFFECTIVE
CONFIMRED SIREN LOSSES
MASS-PRODUCED:
21x Queen aircraft carriers
15x Rook battleships
35x Bishop heavy cruisers
40x Knight light cruisers
40x Pawn destroyers
3x Assassin submarines
EXECUTOR-CLASS:
10x Strategist aircraft carriers
7x Peace breaker battleships
15x Oceana heavy crusiers
19x Tracker light cruisers
29x Explorer destroyers
ELITE SIRENS:
1x Tester
ESTIMATED SIREN STRENGTH (at the line of contact)
MASS-PRODUCED:
20x Queen aircraft carriers
20x Rook battleships
37x Bishop heavy cruisers
25x Knight light cruisers
50x Pawn destroyers
17x Assassin submarines
EXECUTOR-CLASS:
9x Strategist aircraft carriers
7x Peace breaker battleships
17x Oceana heavy crusiers
28x Tracker light cruisers
31x Explorer destroyers
ELITE SIRENS:
Unknown, presumed heavy.
Signed: XXX
King took his reading glasses off and carefully placed it on the table before sinking into his chair. It was an unacceptable loss for him. As soon as the offensive started, Cmdr. King's forces were met with extreme resistance and colossal reserves from the Sirens. He was forced to retreat and did so, but he was chased by Siren forces ready to strike as if the Sirens anticipated this. It was a miracle that some made it out alive without being hurt. What shocked Cmdr. King the most was Cmdr. Overmars' success and gains. How in the Sam Hill was Overmars making progress with the level of ferocity displayed by the Sirens with a smaller force? It made no sense. Cmdr. King took another shot of scotch before hanging his head in shame.
Hornet wiped the last remaining tears from her eyes as she had just finished covering the dead with blankets. She carefully placed the fallen on spare beds in the med bay before saluting each ship-girl. Of course, it was a war of annihilation, it was expected to take losses but not like this. Although Hornet despised Cmdr. King, often describing him as "unable to think for himself", Hornet was resolute in the fact that this wasn't solely his entire fault. It was as if the Sirens knew beforehand the exact details and timing of when Azur Lane was attacking. Hornet and Indomitable tried their best with air cover, scoring multiple hits and even sinking some enemy carriers, but it wasn't enough.
Hornet walked over to the unconscious Misaka, lying peacefully on a hospital bed. Hornet quietly looked at the steady but weak rising-and-falling of her torso. At least she was breathing ok.
"Hornet, go and get some sleep," a wounded Kursk said. She had just woken up from her sleep.
"I can't Kursk. What happens if the Sirens are hot on our heels? And someone's gotta tend to the wounded!"
"The hunter will not let their prey escape so easily. If the Sirens were chasing us. We'd be all dead," Kursk bluntly said. "We can't do anything for the dead now. The others are ok. Get some fresh air and then go to bed,"
"You're right Kursk," Hornet said.
Hornet sat on the edge of her flight deck. The gigantic U.S.S Hornet and the others were cruising steadily, retreating to port. Hornet looked up in the sky. It was a particularly bright night sky with numerous stars shining in the far distance of the universe. It gave her some piece of mind before being loudly and rudely awakened by a noise, roaring from the sky. She looked around the sky before seeing a darkened object, with a few red and green flashing lights racing across the sky. A slight smile grew on her face. It was Azur Lane's ace, Jack van Persie. The jet continued to scream across the sky and a few minutes later, several distant explosions echoed across the ocean.
[][][]
Cmdr. King's fleet limped safely back into port, thanks to the constant air cover from Van Persie and the B-52H crews. Medical personnel awaited with stretchers and coffins at Pearl Harbour's port. Maintained and repair crews were also busy with repairing the heavily damaged hulls of the ship-girls. Cmdr. King was the last to leave U.S.S Hornet. As he walked back slowly, he could feel the icy daggers of civilian, support and military personnel working around the clock to maintain Azur Lane. Worst of all, the look of disgust, shame, and horror from the ship girls around the base truly horrified the defeated commander.
He slumbered into the leather chair in his office. They had sortied on May 15th and sailed for approximately three days before knocking on the gates of hell. Staying in hellish combat for three weeks, before prematurely retreating on June 8th. Finally arriving back in port on the 11th.
Two words can be used to describe the offensive: utter catastrophe. Cmdr. King, despite all of his connections and popularity with people in real power, knew that his days were numbered before being forcefully removed. Due to his retreat, Overmars' much more successful thrust was suspended due to fears of encirclement. He would later arrive in port hours later and be given a hero's welcome by some.
[][][]
The wheels of the F-14A gently touched the tarmac of the runway before screeching to a halt. Van Persie and Yorktown had just completed another combat sortie along with the B-52H, who had to land on a separate runway, specifically constructed for the behemoth. This was probably one of the last combat air patrols Van Persie could fly, simply due to the lack of fuel and torpedoes. There was plenty of fuel and bombs on the continental United States, but the supply bottleneck to Hawaii was becoming criminal. Although there were still stocks of bombs, and Van Persie had perfected the deadly technique of 'bomb skipping', the lack of fuel rendered that useless.
Van Persie and Yorktown saw from above the fighting at the frontline. Vicious and barbaric could be apt terms to describe it. Although Azur Lane's airpower tried its best, it was simply not enough to turn the tide because of the aforementioned shortages. Despite Azur Lane possessing a huge arsenal of Corsairs, Privateers, Catalinas and B-29 Super-fortresses and experienced pilots, the fuel rationing only meant the F-14A and B-52H were sent on combat missions.
As the two neared the nexus of the Azur Lane base, they practically had their mouths agape, superglued to the ground. Gathered around the command & control centre was an entire army of ship-girls, repair crews, axillary and logistics and even some pilots were outside protesting. Fists were thrown up into the air. Chants of "Resign!" screamed across the atmosphere. Suddenly, trucks packed with military police and guards from the nearby marine base stormed the base, offloading military police and marines armed with rifles and submachine guns. Van Persie's initial reaction was to disperse the massive mob surrounding the building.
"Do you see what I'm seeing Jack?" Yorktown said. She was flabbergasted.
"Holy shit…" Van Persie responded. The military was fighting each other! The officers ordered the military police and marines to perform their duties whereas the enlisted were refusing the orders of the officers. Some of them began to join in the chant, raising their M1 Garands up. While others were engaged in verbal battles with the officers. The most radical enlisted soldiers and even some ship-girls began to disarm the officers! A gunshot cracked, sizzling into the sky. More followed.
[][][] Author's Note: play the song Seven Day Mile by The Frames for the rest of the chapter.
Cmdr. King observed the entire charade from the window in his office for almost three days. It was now evening, and the protesters still lingered outside, shouting for his removal from post with immediate effect. The occasional volley of gunfire was heard. The destroyed commander had frozen solid, like a statue for hours as he observed the chaos outside.
"Commander King," a voice spoke out. It was Van Persie, dressed in his officer uniform accompanied by Cmdr. Petraeus, Cmdr. Overmars and several Shadow Company PMCs equipped with STG-44s. The Shadow Company PMCs were dressed in full black uniforms and helmets, resembling the Waffen S.S. The statue-like Cmdr. King slowly rotated to face them. "The situation is… untenable,"
"Lieutenant Van Persie is correct. In light of recent events, we have reported this incident to the Supreme Council," Cmdr. Overmars continued.
"Let me guess," Cmdr. King spoke, summoning his last reserve of courage. "I've been court-martialled?"
"No, they've demanded your resignation with immediate effect. You'll be escorted to the airfield and flown back to the continental United States," Cmdr. Overmars responded.
"Please Nicholas, make this easy for yourself," Cmdr. Petraeus begged. Cmdr. King nodded. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, he hastily prepared a resignation letter.
Soon after, the former commander collected his personal belongings and presented them to one of the Shadow Company PMCs while the other contractor handcuffed King's right arm to his left arm, as a security precaution. The pair of doors of the C&C centre swung open. The Shadow Company contractors carefully escorted the disgraced commander to a waiting truck. The crowd outside the building simply stared at King. Only the clanking of rifles, marching of boots and the truck were audible. The contractors and King walked slowly. The former commander couldn't raise his head due to the shame, guilt and fear pulling him down. Not a word had been muttered. The truck soon sprinted away to the civilian airfield, under heavy guard. King would be marooned there for another few days until the next B-29 bomber (converted into a cargo plane) would arrive, delivering much-needed fuel.
[][][]
It had been a few days since King resigned and chaos continued. However, today will be forever etched into the minds of all Azur Lane personnel. Van Persie, dressed in his officer uniform once again, steadily marched forwards, followed by Cmdr. Petraeus and Cmdr. Overmars. Two columns of ship-girls marched slowly, with groups carrying the coffins of their fallen comrades.
They had arrived at the memorial for fallen ship-girls of the Azur Lane coalition, located far away and inside the interior of the island. It was a large open patch of well-maintained grass, surrounded by a peaceful forest.
A large hole was dug into the Earth on the grass patch with a very large obelisk made from dark red porphyry placed in the centre of the memorial. In front of the obelisk sat a black onyx rectangular block. On top of it sat an eternal flame and a labradorite carving of a helmet and an anchor on each side.
The Obelisk read:
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN IN THE SACRED WAR:
YOUR SACRIFICE WILL BE OWED AND KNOWN FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
Royal Oak Arizona Admiral Graf Spee Huston Phoenix Hiryuu Noshiro
The ship-girls carefully lowered the coffins into the ground. Each ship girl collected a handful of dirt (that was dug up) and dropped it on top of the coffins. They made a single-file line before saluting the obelisk. Tears rained down from many of the ship-girls as they buried their sisters. Many bought flowers and carefully placed bouquets of poppies in front of the rectangular block. Some made speeches, recounting found memories they shared. Van Persie remained still, standing with his back arched, holding a bouquet of flowers. He had been in this situation too many times. He vowed to never bury a comrade again, but he failed. Seven ship-girls had paid the ultimate price. Maybe if he had carried an extra bomb or had taken off faster, they could've been saved. He approached the rectangular block and kneeled before it. He placed the bouquet of poppies before rising back up. A single teardrop materialized in his eye before slowly and carefully sliding down his cheek.
"Peace to the fallen."
AN: Hello everyone, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. My afterthoughts of this chapter were perhaps I rushed it with the resignation of King, and of course, how sad it is. A reason why I finished this chapter so quickly was the rejuvenated passion for writing I'm experiencing and finally getting to write this chapter. I've planned out the resignation of King for a long time and I've finally finished it.
The rest of the story is falling into place and I have finally created a roadmap of what will happen. Please leave a review if you have any feedback, questions, &c.
Thank you all to those who read, are following and reviewers. It means a lot to me.
See you next time (hopefully soon with the next chapter): The Provisional Command