I-19 dove deep below the three warring battleships. The near constant thudding of massive cannons pulsing against her ears the deeper she went.
"So much noise…" I-19 squeaked softly as she rubbed her ears. Inside the hull of her submarine, she heard anything and everything around her. Looking at her sonar screen, she homed in on the solo target she had been tracking.
"Kinda slow, aren't you?" I-19 whispered softly.
She watched the signature crawl closer to the flotilla until it came within six kilometers. With nothing more than a thought, four of the six forward facing torpedo tubes flooded and launched their payload, sending four massive 21-inch torpedoes swimming out into the murky abyss.
"Go. Shake her up." I-19 whispered.
"Tch. You know I can hear you, Submarine." Concealment spoke as she kept a hand planted to her ear.
"Four torpedoes. Rapid sequence. Homing nonexistent. Action: Redirect course." Concealment spoke to herself as she took a sharp turn to the left, throwing her off her course towards New Jersey.
Concealment watched the four torpedoes sail by and detonate nearly a kilometer behind her.
"Action successful. Continue pursuit of the target." Concealment spoke once more as she turned back onto her direct course.
"Damn it. The Admiral did say she is a cruiser class… she can probably hear my torpedoes launching…" I-19 whispered, being sure to keep her voice down. She reloaded her torpedo tubes and focused.
"Maybe if I stagger it?" I-19 wondered as she launched two torpedoes in short order, aiming directly at Concealment's current location. The torpedoes launched and sailed out into the abyss. I-19 focused again, listening closely to the thundering guns above and waiting until New Jersey fired her massive broadside again to launch a second pair of torpedoes, their paths diverging fifty meters to either side of Concealment's location.
"Troublesome submarine. Maybe she should be the main target…" Concealment spoke as she sensed the first two torpedoes coming her way.
"Two enemy torpedoes. Homing Nonexistent. Action: Course adjustment." Concealment spoke as she turned sharply to the right in an attempt to dodge the two torpedoes she had sensed, only to find herself in the path of a third torpedo.
"One torpedo. Homing strong. Action: Activate shields and disable tracking." Concealment spoke as her shields activated, taking the brunt of the torpedo detonation while also sending out a pulse, unseen to the naked eye.
"What?!" I-19 cried as her entire sonar screen went green, effectively blinding the red-haired cat.
"Grrr… She ruined my ability to see in here…" I-19 lamented as she began to run from the bridge. She found her equipment room, the inside of which was being lit by a torrent of sparks caused by shorted wires and stunned equipment.
I-19 sighed and went to the back of the equipment room, grabbing a large power switch and flipping it, shutting down her sonar and ballast control equipment, causing the sparks to slow and eventually stop.
"Damn siren… Guess I gotta do this the hard way." I-19 whispered as she made a break for the access hatch.
"Observation: Reduced noise from Enemy submarine. EMP pulse effective. Resuming course towards target." Concealment spoke as she put a hand to her ear.
"Lady Hermit."
"Concealment, my dear. What is it?" Hermit spoke.
"I have encountered a small force leaving the Mediterranean. My drone fleet is falling slowly due to the presence of three powerful battleships; however, my progress is being impeded by a submarine." Concealment reported.
"Ah yes. The trio of battleships, including Jean Bart and Massachusetts. Yes, I am well aware. I am currently predisposed, attempting to put down the small sectors of resistance here. The mafioso are arming the citizens and spreading seeds of dissent. However, I can pull Exploration from the Indian Ocean to bring in her Explorers to help put down the battleships. I assume you can handle one lowly submarine." Hermit spoke.
"I would appreciate it, mistress. My forces are thinning, and I fear what may happen should my drones be wiped out before I finish off this submarine." Concealment spoke.
"I understand, dear. I will have Exploration use a mirror sea to come and back you up." Hermit said as she cut the line.
"Now… Time to take out this pesky brat." Concealment spoke softly as she looked out into the inky blackness.
I-19 exited her vessel, activating her rigging to help assist with movement and oxygen conservation.
'Now. Where is this bitch?' I-19 thought to herself as she closed her eyes and focused. A small blip appeared in her mind's eye.
'Five Kilometers. She might believe I'm still in my vessel.' I-19 thought as she allowed herself to sink lower and lower into the freezing water of the Red Sea.
'Four and a half Kilometers.'
'Four Kilometers.'
'She's gunning for me now. That's good. If I can get her to focus on me, it will help Akashi and the battleships.' I-19 thought as she focused on her rigging's torpedo launchers.
'Fire.'
"Six Torpedoes. She's still able to function? No. These are not full-sized torpedoes. She is using her rigging. This will be much more difficult." Concealment whispered to herself as six small torpedoes flew towards her from the darkness, barely giving her time to activate her shields before the torpedoes struck home, detonating hard against the shields with bright flashes.
"Oxygen torpedoes?! Were they not limited to the twenty-four inch torpedoes?!" Concealment cried as she saw cracks form in her shields.
'Bullseye. Take that you Siren whore.' I-19 thought as her world suddenly went blue.
From Concealment's rigging, a massive beam of light shone through the ocean depths, scanning the area for I-19.
'Gotta avoid that. But this is good. I've made her mad.' I-19 thought as she held on to her rigging as it pulled her away from the edges of the beam that was being erratically thrown about in a desperate attempt to find her.
'Loading six more Oxygen torpedoes. Thankfully Ayanami showed me how they worked so I can use them too.' I-19 spoke as she launched six more torpedoes that turned sharply from her position, homing in on Concealment.
"Where'd that brat go?" Concealment whispered as a last-minute warning forced her to put her shields up again to avoid being blown apart by six more torpedoes.
More cracks formed in the shields.
"Tch. This is beginning to annoy me." Concealment spoke as she aimed the light towards where the torpedoes had come from. She found nothing but empty ocean, broken up by the debris of sinking drones. Looking closely, she saw ships sinking with damage akin to being struck by a naval mine.
"Those battleships are doing too much damage… Where is Exploration?" Concealment asked softly.
"I'm arriving now, Concealment. I am preparing the Explorers to engage." Exploration spoke.
"Uh Jersey! We got a problem!" Jean Bart yelled.
"What's going on?" New Jersey asked.
"Mirror sea is opening off my port side. Radar is detecting hundreds of small forms exiting." Jean reported as New Jersey looked over to where Jean was reporting. Sure enough, hundreds of Explorer class sirens were pouring out of a mirror sea behind the enemy drone fleet.
"Jean, turn broadside. You won't be able to use your secondary guns unless you turn." New Jersey spoke.
"I can't risk it. There are still enemy battleships we haven't sunk. One wrong hit and I'm screwed, Jersey." Jean spat.
"Shit… Fine. Massa and I will try to cover you. Hopefully I-19 is able to take down that Siren below us." New Jersey said as she watched a different class of Siren exit the Mirror Sea.
"Guys, heads up! We might be facing another Enforcer." Jersey spoke frantically.
"I see her. Lanternfish. That what her rigging looks like. She has big guns too… likely battleship caliber." Massachusetts spoke softly.
"So you are the three Battleships giving my adorable Concealment so much trouble… fine. I shall see to it that your end comes here and now." The Siren spoke, her voice reaching over the international channels.
"And who the hell are you?" Jean Bart spat angrily as her fifteen-inch cannons razed a cruiser class drone that had gotten too close for her liking.
"I am the Battleship Class Enforcer known as Exploration. I serve the illustrious Arbiter known as Mistress Hermit. Take great care to remember my name in the afterlife, Jean Bart of Vichiya Dominion… because the lives of you and your friends here… end today." Exploration spoke. Unknown to anyone, her words lit a fire in Massachusetts. A fire that would soon lose control… and cost Exploration and her forces dearly.