Elbe's Stukas quickly gained altitude over Ranger's Buffalos. Before she made her descent, Elbe reached out.
"USS Ranger. This is KMS Elbe, carrier of the Kriegsmarine. I have been ordered by Fleet Admiral Nimitz to take down your planes to prevent further destruction of Marsala. This is an action I do not wish to perform. Please ground your fighters and calm down. Max is safe." Elbe tried.
The line remained silent. As Elbe poised to try again, one of her planes was obliterated in route by a 16 inch high explosive shell fired by Washington.
Elbe winced as the slight pain of having one of her planes ripped from her control coursed through her body.
With a scowl, Elbe threw her remaining fighters downward in a frightening dive towards Ranger's planes, shredding them with the machine guns mounted on her Stukas. This drew Ranger's attention just as Nimitz had hoped it would. However, what wasn't expected by either Elbe or Nimitz, was that Ranger had no current concept of friend or foe. She was seeing red and only red in the purest sense. Elbe's planes were summarily set upon by a second wave of Buffalos. This led to the beginning of a mass dogfight in the airspace over Marsala.
"Elbe, talk to me." Nimitz ordered.
"I got her attention… I'm pretty sure I am the sole object of her obsession. Admiral… I don't think they realize that we're not the enemy. They are attacking anything that moves." Elbe said. Nimitz watched her planes scatter as another salvo of nine 16 inch shells slammed into the already ruined town.
"We need to get Washington to stop digging trenches… Vittorio won't be too happy if we're the ones doing the most damage to her territory." Nimitz said.
"I got an idea… but it isn't reliable." New Jersey said.
"NJ… at this point, I'll take anything. Get Washington's attention. That's an order." Nimitz said.
"Then… I must insist that you transfer your flag to the Gneisenau. Once I do this, Washington will target me." New Jersey said.
"Nonsense. You are my flagship. I didn't run away during the war. I refuse to do so now." Nimitz retorted.
"You had a crew to inspire back then, Admiral. You and I are the only ones onboard. Natalie and her crew have long since returned to the Gneisenau. Please take your life a little more seriously. We both heard Elbe. Washington and Ranger will attack with intention to sink or kill anything at this point." New Jersey said.
"I don't care. I still have crew onboard this vessel. And if you stay, I stay." Nimitz spoke sternly.
New Jersey sighed.
"Fine. Then you might want to brace for imminent impact. Seriously… is this Apollyon character as bad as this, Sir?" New Jersey asked.
"He's definitely a lot more stubborn than I am, New Jersey. Although I think you'll like him." Nimitz said as he watched the massive Mark 7 guns line up their target and fire. The shells flew in a tight group towards where the Washington was anchored, lobbing shells relentlessly at the flattened Sicilian city. Just before the shells impacted, Washington fired another salvo, which was intercepted by the incoming shells from New Jersey, which detonated Washington's shells immediately after they left the barrels, sending a shockwave through the Battleship's hull.
"Was that a hit?" Nimitz asked.
"No. She fired a salvo right before my shells impacted the turret. We intercepted each other's shells." New Jersey spat.
Nimitz stood stunned.
"You managed to shoot her shells from the air? You're insane…" Nimitz said with a smile.
"More luck than anything, sir. She's turning the guns. She's targeting us. Brace for impact." New Jersey said as Washington fired her forward guns at the Iowa class battleship.
New Jersey projected her shield, which ultimately proved unneeded as Washington's shells fell in a wide arc, completely missing New Jersey.
"We have her attention. But we still have that blockade to deal with. She's focusing on us, and not the drone five miles in front of us." New Jersey spoke.
"What class? We could have San Diego and Gneisenau break through." Nimitz asked as he looked through the binoculars.
"Right. Battleship class. San Diego isn't gonna do much damage there." Nimitz said.
"She can disrupt their systems, Admiral. She's got a lot of guns that fire real quick. We only need a few of these drones disposed of to get the fleet through." New Jersey said.
"You have a point. And they both have torpedoes. Right." Nimitz said as he picked up the radio.
"Gneisenau, San Diego. We are going to be bogged down keeping Washington from further leveling Sicily. You two need to break open this blockade. Weapons free." Nimitz spoke as both girls confirmed his orders before breaking away from the fleet.
Amagi, Eugen and Michael arrived in Tokyo Bay to see nothing short of a slaughter. Gangut, Friedrich, Allen Sumner and U-47 sat at anchor surrounded by the decimated hulls of Siren drones and a single Northampton class cruiser that was surprisingly still afloat as the drones surrounding them sank slowly.
"Admiral, come in." Michael said.
"Michael. Have you arrived in Yokosuka?" Isaac asked.
"Yes sir. Target fleet has been eliminated. Our forces are standing by." Michael said.
"Get to Gangut. She's likely unstable at the moment. During our last transmission, she was vodka-logged worse than a soviet after Stalingrad. Check on her and make sure she is okay." Isaac spoke.
"Right away, Admiral." Michael said as he set down the receiver. He turned only to be met with the black uniform of Friedrich, her amber eyes staring down at him.
"Good evening, Herr Michael. Such a surprise to see you here so long after the battle ended." Friedrich said as Amagi walked onto the bridge with a tray of tea.
"We came as quickly as we could. Far as I could tell, that drone blockade extends well past Kure. We had to take the long way." Michael spoke.
"I am not critical of your arrival. In fact it is most helpful. Gangut has shut herself into her quarters and refuses to come out. Allen and U-47 are maintaining watch. I have been caring for the Union cruiser I managed to save from Gangut's wrath. Putting my hull between Gangut and Chicago seemed to get Gangut to ease off on blowing the Chicago to hell." Friedrich spoke as she graciously accepted a cup of tea from Amagi.
"I see. What are the extent of her injuries?" Michael asked.
"Nothing major. Just a slice to the neck to remove the putrid black cube that was controlling her. She's a tough one… she's managed to stay conscious after the removal of the cube." Friedrich said as Amagi gave Michael a cup of tea before sipping at her own.
"Have you contacted the Admiral yet?" Michael asked.
"No. I was debating omitting part of the report to save Gangut from punishment. She was ordered to leave Chicago alone… but as you can see, my precious children will have quite a bit of work to do." Friedrich said as she gestured to the hull of the Chicago that sat much lower in the water than usual thanks to the sheer number of 12 inch holes punched in its belt armor.
"I see. What do you think caused Gangut to lose control?" Michael asked.
Friedrich looked puzzled.
"Did my dear husband not tell you?" Friedrich asked.
"Tell me what?" Michael asked.
"Avrora died. Gangut witnessed her oldest friend die. She hasn't had a solid grasp on sanity since then." Friedrich said as a pair of boots drew Michael's attention, followed immediately by an overwhelming scent of alcohol.
Gangut appeared in the doorway shortly after. Thus surprised Friedrich, but she refused to show it.
"Awaiting ordersh, Comrade." Gangut spoke with heavily intoxicated words.
Michael sighed.
"Come on in and have a seat, Gangut." Michael said as he gestured to the captain's chair.
Gangut did as ordered and sauntered over to the chair before pulling out a bottle of tainted vodka and setting it on the table before sitting down herself.
Michael noticed that this bottle was sealed with cloth and lead despite being obvious that it was vodka. Little did he know that in order to hide the fact that she had shot Avrora, Gangut fished the bullet from the bottle and melted it to permanently seal the glass bottle.
"What's with the bottle, Gangut?" Michael asked.
"It is all that remains of my friend, Comrade. Her blood taints this drink, so it is my reminder of why I fight." Gangut spoke with frightening clarity for someone so heavily intoxicated.
"I see. I shall report to the Admiral on your behalf, omitting the near destruction of the Chicago. But in order to do so, I need your side of the story." Michael said to the two battleships who had taken part in the battle.
"I will be of little help, Comrade. I do not remember this battle. All I remember is waking up to my guns pointed at the hull of a German beast and returning my guns to ready. I have been trying to recall this battle… but I have not succeeded." Gangut reported.
"I see. So you blacked out and went on a rampage." Michael said.
"To put it nicely, yes. She used her guns to great effect in this last battle. No drone managed to break away when she got it in her sights. Despite having twelve inch guns, her anger seemed to push the shells through their shields as if they weren't there." Friedrich said as they looked at Gangut, who was holding the bottle of red vodka in her lap, rocking gently with it, as if she were coddling a child.
"Gangut… are you fit to continue serving?" Michael asked.
Gangut glared dangerously at Michael. It was bad enough that Amagi summoned her rigging and turned the guns at Gangut to deter any further action.
"I will kill every Siren I come across! That whore killed my friends, slaughtered my countrymen, and subjugated my home. Try and stop me… I fucking dare you." Gangut spat lividly.
"I see. Then I shall request that you return to your quarters and get some rest until we can figure out what to do here. According to the Admiral, Kure is infested with Sirens. So we should anticipate resistance here as well." Michael said as the others in the room nodded.
"We are under your command, Herr Michael." Friedrich spoke as she relinquished command.