"Target area in sight." Tony whispered as he held his hand up to stop the group.
Michael checked his pocket watch before looking at a map he had brought from the Amagi.
"Alright men, over here." Michael ordered as the men all huddled around a large tree stump where Michael had put the map.
"Looks like there's a solid vantage point right here with a clear view of the palace's uppermost buildings." Michael said as he checked the map before pointing to a ledge nearly three kilometers away.
"That's almost 800 meters away from the target. Are you going to be able to make the shot?" Tony asked.
"It'll be a bit more difficult without Amagi or Eugen here, but I can make do. 800 meters isn't too terrible. What's our wind looking like?" Michael asked rhetorically as he looked up to the tops of the trees, all of which were standing still.
"Looks like we're calm today. Are you sure you're going to be able to help?" Tony asked.
"I got it. As long as you give me clear and concise intel, I'll be able to put a fist sized hole through just about anything. Just make sure that when you give the order to fire, you are out of the way. Once the round hits the wall, I can't guarantee your safety if you're in the line of fire." Michael spoke seriously.
"So basically make sure we're clear from the south west?" Tony asked.
"Yeah. This thing's got a good punch, so we should be good to hit the innermost rooms if need be." Michael said as Tony nodded.
"Alright. Then if you'll head out, we'll make our way into the courtyard." Tony said as everyone looked to 47, who had been sitting away from the group to listen in on the palace.
"What's it sounding like, 47?" Michael asked.
"Looks like I'll be doing a lot of heavy lifting… can we call for preliminary fire support from Prinz Eugen? There are a lot of Oceana's patrolling the courtyard." 47 said solemnly.
"Can you give me a rough estimate on the highest concentration?" Michael asked.
"I count fifteen in the lower courtyard's west end. I hear something bigger in the upper courtyards but the fire from Eugen should draw it away so we can sneak in around back if she aims well enough." 47 replied.
"I can have Friedrich and Amagi open up instead. Heavier ordinance should allow for higher effect." Michael suggested.
47 nodded.
"I'm not hearing a lot of Japanese, so it should be fine to call them. I fear that the target is hidden deep inside the upper buildings. It sounds like Peace Breakers have been chosen to stand guard. We need to wipe them out before we head in or this squad won't live long enough to get us to the objective." 47 said seriously.
"Tony, be wary of craters and loose debris. Looks like you'll be moving in under the cover of a diversion." Michael said as Tony put on his armored mask.
"Copy. Men, masks on. Weapons ready. Let's move." Tony ordered as the men and 47 began making their way to the eastern end of the palace courtyards.
Michael spoke into his radio.
"Friedrich, Amagi. Come in." Michael spoke.
"Ready at your orders, Shikikan." Amagi replied.
"Speak, my child." Friedrich chimed in.
"I'm sending you coordinates. Train your guns and send high explosive salvoes. The enemy has heavy armor and we can't match it, even with 47 here." Michael said as he relayed the coordinates correlating to the western end of the lower courtyards.
"Three full salvoes should be enough to shake them up and give Tony enough time to move into the upper courtyards. Give two minutes between salvoes." Michael added.
"Understood." The battleships spoke in unison.
"On my mark." Michael said as he watched the lower courtyards from the treeline.
Once he saw an Oceana, he made his move.
"Weapons free. Fire when ready." Michael ordered as he folded his map, picked up his radio and rifle and began running towards his vantage point just as the sound of cannon fire was heard in the distance.
Nearly a minute later, eighteen heavy caliber shells ripped up the ground in the lower courtyards, leveling buildings and decimating any living being caught outside in open air.
Michael couldn't see the carnage but from the sounds of air raid sirens, he knew it had to have been effective.
"Looks like we kicked the hornet's nest. Fire for effect." Michael spoke as he climbed the hill to his sniper's nest.
"Tony, sounds like they've been distracted. Move in and get to the Emperor. Kill anyone else on sight until you reach the Emperor's room." Michael ordered.
"On it." Tony spoke shortly as Michael set about unpacking his rifle and spotting scope.
The ringing of heavy artillery faded away as Yamato and Taihou pulled into Tokyo Bay.
Stefan had relocated from the interior of the Taihou to the bridge, where he was being watched over by Taihou, who seemed content with her mission so long as he was there.
"So what are we here for, my dear?" Taihou asked as she walked over to Stefan.
"The Admiral decided we were familiar faces for a certain destroyer. She attacked Jager and he wants her apprehended and brought back to the fleet for questioning." Stefan replied.
"Familiar face? Who is the destroyer?" Taihou asked curiously.
"Lady Taihou, it's our friend, Shimakaze. Look." Yamato spoke via radio. Taihou looked dead ahead and saw the cruiser-sized destroyer.
"It really is her… it's been so long." Taihou spoke softly.
"Well, I am sure we'll have plenty of time to talk. I'm heading to the flight deck, are you alright with that?" Stefan asked.
"Of course. This ship… as well as myself… belong solely to you. You can go anywhere… and see anything you wish, my love." Taihou spoke softly as she walked over and placed her hand in his.
"Looks like there's an American cruiser here as well. We should bring it back." Yamato spoke.
"Agreed. We can tow it. Do we have a name for it? Does it have a Kansen?" Stefan asked.
"Amagi is here, I'll ask." Yamato spoke.
A few minutes passed before she returned to the radio.
"Looks like in addition to finding Shimakaze here, they found an American cruiser by the name of Chicago. Chicago does have a kansen and she is resting as a result of damage taken. She will need to be towed carefully as the bulins have only done primary repairs to keep water out." Yamato said.
"That's no issue. We'll keep it slow." Stefan said as he turned to Taihou.
"Are you okay with that? We need Yamato to keep Shimakaze under armed escort, so we'll have to tow Chicago." Stefan said.
Taihou sighed.
"We can. Although it still bugs me to be helping the Americans." Taihou spoke.
"We are at war with the Sirens. This is no longer a war between Japan and America. Japan was going to surrender the day this all happened. So the war is effectively over." Stefan explained.
"I know… you've said that several times before… it's still something I have to work on." Taihou said.
"So be it. But this girl needs help. We have a duty to help her, okay?" Stefan asked as he cupped Taihou's cheek and kissed her lips gently.
A fierce blush was followed by Taihou clearing her throat.
"R-right! Let's get her hooked up and we can be on our way." Taihou replied as she straightened her kimono.