A/N: I just realized I mixed Graf Zeppelin up with Friedrich der Grosse regarding the conductor thing. I'm going to be rewriting that in due course. In the meantime, apologies for the screw-up. Update: Fixed it, in case anyone is wondering why the chapter has changed.
I am playing very fast and loose with timing and distance for the sake of drama. I was plotting out distances, etc when I first started writing this battle, then realized I was spending far too much time on it. Please forgive the various inaccuracies.
Deutschland continued to swear violently without a pause as the Siren bombardment kicked up splashes around her.
Her front turrets were out of action. Her rudder was damaged so she was turning in a slow circle to port. Her engines were operating at half power.
Another hit smacked into her bow, with enough force to briefly stop the slow turn she was in. An explosion ripped upward through her forward deck.
The pain from the hit sent Deutschland to her knees. A nearby soldier helped her up before she shook him off angrily.
"How dare they-" she growled. "Do not underestimate the great Deutschland!"
The slow turn to port had finally brought her aft guns to bear, which were as yet undamaged. The shipgirl adjusted her cap and squinted at the distant fortresses. "Ready..."
"Feuer!"
The guns roared, far louder and more powerful than usual. She was putting her all into this salvo. The shells themselves became visible, glowing red as they struck with pinpoint precision onto her targets.
Two of the three largest forts turned into fireballs that rose high above the dreary fjord. The smoke and flame mushroomed out as it rose, marking the Sirens' destruction.
Deutschland sat down exhausted, but satisfied. They would not take her lightly again.
The vicious grinding noise that rumbled through the hull surprised everyone except her. It progressed in intensity, a groaning and screeching sound that permeated every foot of the heavily damaged vessel, finally coming to a painful stop.
The German officer in charge of Deutschland's contingent of soldiers cautiously approached her. "Fraulein, what was that?"
"Don't be an idiot," she said dismissively. "That was us running aground. My rudder was damaged."
"Oh." He looked upward at the cliff that towered above the stricken ship. "Are we going to sink?"
"Hmmm...eventually."
"Ah. How, ah, how long do we have?"
"Not long enough for swimming lessons. I suggest you start trying to ferry your men to shore now."
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"Deutschland is out of action," said Eugen breathlessly as she hopped from the water to the deck of Graf Spee.
"Not before she gave the Sirens something to remember her by," replied Graf Spee.
They were currently masked from the main batteries by a small island, but they couldn't stay there forever. Not only did they have a mission to complete, but the Sirens were bringing out their air force in numbers. Soon there would be nowhere to hide.
"I've reported the situation to the Kommandant," said Graf Spee. "He says to hold out for a another hour."
"Just hold out?" Prinz Eugen squinted upward as a Siren plane exploded from one of Spee's AA bursts. "I think we can do that. But what are we waiting for?"
"Reinforcements from one of the other landing zones?" suggested Spee.
Eugen shook her head. "Too far away." She grimaced as an air-to-ground missile impacted the island they were hiding behind. "I need to get back out there. Deutschland is still partially exposed to fire. I think I can keep her safe as long as I draw their attention."
"Die Daumen drücken!"
"Danke."
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"We've got to lead her away from the convoy!" shouted Scharnhorst to her sister.
They initially had tried to destroy Purifier, but the Siren was too powerful and too fast. Even when they scored the rare hit, her armor deflected the shots easily. In return, she launched a blistering fire that made up in volume what it lacked in accuracy. Both she and Gneisenau were covered in minor damage. It was only by a miracle that nothing critical had been hit.
Gneisenau gave a sharp nod and the two ships swerved, one to port and the other to starboard. Purifier hesitated, then gave chase to Scharnhorst, apparently at random.
A sudden gust of wind cleared the air, enough that all three of the combatants could see a cluster of ships on the horizon.
Scharnhorst snarled a curse. They had focused too much on trying to take out Purifier and the convoy had kept up with them.
"A convoy!" shrieked Purifier in delight. "That's what you were protecting. I suppose I can do with a few sitting ducks after shooting at you two." She readied her weapons, sighting at the distant fleet.
Both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau fired, desperately trying to distract the Siren, but she ignored the hits.
"I wonder how many humans there are on board?" mused Purifier. "Observer will be very interested to see how you react to such a failure." She laughed. "Me, I just like having fun."
"No!" screamed Scharnhorst.
There was a flash of light from the direction of the convoy that lit up the sea. A moment later, Purifier was enveloped in fire, spinning across the water with a shocked look on her face.
"Fifteen inch guns," whispered Scharnhorst. Her eyes lit up. "Lord Bismarck!"
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"Hit," said Bismarck dispassionately. "Target still up."
"Continue to fire at will. Get me Scharnhorst and Gneisenau," ordered Falke.
"Kommandant!" was Scharnhorst's immediate, overjoyed cry. "Lord Bismarck!"
"Well done, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau," said Falke. "This is the same Siren that attacked the base, yes?"
"That's right, Kommandant. She's powerful."
"So are we."
They had caught up with the convoy and were even now steaming through the cluster of ships, drawing stares from the crews of the transport ships. While they were faster than the average freighter since they were all blockade runners, the Bismarck was faster.
Falke raised his binoculars and was able to pick out the figure of the Siren. Flashes of light showed she was still fighting- a moment later, the ship shuddered under the impacts of her guns.
"Firing," said Bismarck.
Another salvo struck the Siren. When the smoke cleared, she no longer looked pristine. Her clothes were ripped, trickles of blood running from her mouth and nose. Now Scharnhorst and Gneisenau joined with their fire, and the Siren was suddenly fleeing across the water.
"Bismarck, please alert Graf Zeppelin that she may start her attack. I think we will be fine here."
"Jawohl, Kommandant."
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"Well, it's been an hour." The usually unflappable Prinz Eugen was breathing heavily, leaning against the hull of the Graf Spee as she took another of her increasingly frequent rests.
Spee looked down at her from the deck of the ship. "What do you think we should do?"
Eugen considered the situation. Deutschland had refused to abandon her half-sunken ship, due to either stubbornness or a wildly unfounded belief that she could still contribute to the battle. Eugen hadn't pressed the issue- with her ship in such a state, Deutschland herself wasn't any more combat capable than the wreck.
She wasn't sure if she trusted the Kommandant. True, he was strong-willed enough, but the whole operation seemed to have been thrown together willy-nilly. The fleet had been dispatched penny-packet style across the objectives, and in their own situation, the advantage was all to the Sirens.
A welling up of anger filled her chest. Too much was being asked of her. Too much had been left on her shoulders. A ship would willingly give her life for her captain and crew, but to be treated as disposable-
She winced as a roar from above caught her unawares. Despite her exhaustion, Eugen spun around, her anti-aircraft guns coming to bear.
Except what was flying above was a German plane.
Many German planes.
"Where- where did they-" she whispered.
. The roaring of aircraft engines continued to increase. From the Siren installations, streams of anti-aircraft fire poured into the air, scoring lines of tracers across the sky.
The quantity of aircraft flying over them continued to increase. Fighters, dive bombers, even transport planes filled the air.
Looking around wildly, Spee spotted a ship-girl in an Ironblood uniform, her eyes closed, her pale hair streaming in the air. She had her arms raised, bringing them higher and higher, as if trying to grasp the sky.
Then she dropped her arms.
As one, the planes fell upon the Siren installations like falcons stooping upon so many hares.
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"Gott in Himmel," observed von Falkenhorst.
He was riding second seat in a small plane that had launched from Graf Zeppelin after he had transferred. The plan had been for him to land in Oslo once an airfield had been secured, but since the aircraft carrier had decided to join the battle in shipgirl form, he wouldn't have had anywhere to take off from if he had waited.
Right now, he was fervently glad that he had allowed Graf Zeppelin to do things her way.
The sky was full of planes, swirling around like a flock of enormous birds. A few fell to the intense AA fire, but they juked and weaved with a grace and coordination that was unfathomable. Whenever a hole opened up in the AA coverage, a group of dive bombers would peel off and soon the ground would be covered in explosions.
The general saw Graf Spee, which had been lurking behind a small island, break cover and begin the run up the channel. Her guns fired in rapid succession, blanketing the largest Siren fortress in fire. A smaller but no less dangerous figure was skating on the water beside her- Prinz Eugen adding her own guns to the barrage.
"Aster one-zero," said a voice over his radio. The lead group of Junkers transport aircraft. "Drop zone in sight. Beginning drop."
Von Falkenhorst forced himself to relax. It was time for his battle to truly begin.
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"This experiment is beginning to get out of hand," said Observer peevishly.
Tester didn't reply immediately, focusing on preparing the teleportation of the greater part of the Siren fleet.
"The Germans are dropping paratroopers on Oslo," she said after a moment.
"I know," replied Observer grimly. "They appear to have an aircraft carrier."
"I see. Unusual for them to develop a ship from outside the time-line so soon."
Observer was drumming her fingers on the smooth metal of her console. "Are you certain that you want to continue this time-line? Too many variables are getting out of control."
Tester tilted her head, thinking. "Perhaps that is a good sign for our purposes. Things are certainly getting interesting." She smiled slightly. "Or are you just a sore loser?"
The other Siren glared at her, before tossing her head contemptuously. "Are we ready to destroy the Royal Navy fleet, at least?"
"Of course."
"Let us do so, then. At least we'll be able to control that variable."
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Javelin finished her third head-count of the destroyers on the Queen Elizabeth's bow. Jolts of nervousness and excitement kept her shifting from foot to foot. Occasionally she glanced back at the bridge, where the Commander was. Was he watching her now? She blushed and turned to watch the water again.
Every destroyer available- which came out to over a dozen- was clustered together, eyes scouring the ocean. Comet, Crescent and Cygnet were nearest, in a tight group as they were wont to be. Amazon stood in what was possibly a self-consciously heroic pose, her eyes narrowed against the ocean spray, her hands on her hips. Hardy was petting the dog that somehow appeared whenever Hunter was around, gesturing with her other hand.
"Javelin." Lane's voice in her head made her jump. The downside of having a radio in your head.
"C-Commander," she squeaked.
"You're in charge. When the time comes, go all out. See just how many of them you can make die."
"Aye-aye, Commander," Javelin said, her chest swelling with pride. She didn't notice the amused looks some of the other destroyers were giving her. Most of the fleet had noticed that her affection for her Commander exceeded the natural bond the shipgirls had toward him.
"Here they come!" shouted Glowworm. "Look!"
Sure enough, the unnerving sight of purple lightning was beginning to play across the water. The bows of Siren ships emerged, their angled lines and red glows familiar to the gathered shipgirls. Foxhound began to growl under her breath.
Javelin took a deep breath and willed her namesake weapon into existence. "All ships!" she cried. "Let's go!"
With that, the destroyers leapt into the water, splashing into it and rapidly coming up to their full speed.
The Sirens, no doubt expecting the Queen Elizabeth to be alone save for a few escorts, had teleported into naval knife-fighting range. It would have been a deadly tactic if they were up against the battleship alone- her big guns could hardly come to bear at so close a range. Unfortunately for them, destroyers excelled at knife-fighting.
"Torpedo launch!" shouted Amazon, followed by a chorus of similar announcements from the other girls.
A stream of torpedoes closed the distance to the surprised Siren ships rapidly. The battleships and cruisers suffered the worst, with no real chance of avoiding the barrage. In short order, the Siren line of battle had gaping holes torn into it.
Javelin, having fired her first torpedo volley, focused her attack on an enemy destroyer that had desperately avoided the torpedoes launched at her. Her javelin spat fire, tearing through the superstructure and setting the enemy ablaze.
"Whoa!" A stream of enemy shells impacted just behind her. She ducked and slid into a turn, avoiding another volley. She looked up to see a humanoid Siren silently taking aim once again.
"Not bloody likely," she muttered, lining up her own shot. The Siren realized too late that her quarry had turned on her, and Javelin's return fire tore through her rigging, sending her into a tumble that ended when another destroyer's hastily fired torpedo smashed into her.
The Sirens were beginning to regroup, but even as they tried to wipe out the destroyers zig-zagging through their formation, the secondaries on the Queen Elizabeth began tearing through them.
"Concentrate on the big ships!" ordered Javelin, her breath coming in quick pants. The most brutal exercise couldn't possibly compare to the exertion and stress of actual combat.
More Sirens appeared. Despite the toll they were taking, the numbers arrayed against them slowly increased.
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"I am not particularly pleased with this sequence of events," said Observer evenly.
Tester gave her an uneasy, sidelong look. "The enemy Commander has apparently predicted our movements."
"Oh, our movements, is it?"
"You-"
She was interrupted before she could start. "Can you place the carriers further back from the main force? Out of range of those damned destroyers?"
"Yes, there should be enough leeway on the teleporter system. But are you sure we should commit all of our forces at this point?"
"We can't lose," said Observer through clenched teeth. "Not now."
Tester sighed. "Very well."
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"Damn."
"Carriers," replied Queen Elizabeth. "That's not good."
"Out of range, too." Siren carriers were fast. The destroyers could catch them, but not before they launched a full airstrike. "Wish we had some of those AA cruisers the Yanks built."
"If wishes were horses, even beggars would ride." Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Well, nothing for it. The only way is through."
Already, the first Siren aircraft would be lining up to take off. "We'll have the destroyers finish off the carriers. Have to signal the other ships to continue on to Trondheim- at least we'll give them a black eye."
Elizabeth smiled at him. "You could transfer your flag to one of the cruisers. Exeter, perhaps."
"I doubt we have time. Besides, they're likely to be targeted, too." Lane cursed to himself. Once again, all his tricks hadn't been enough. The Sirens were too powerful. Once again, he was going to see people he loved die.
Well, he would probably die first. The thought wasn't particularly comforting.
"Your Majesty..."
"It has been an honor," said Elizabeth before he could finish. "You have done well, sir Knight."
The radio suddenly squawked, then a heavily accented voice boomed. "Greetings, bourgeois English swine! I see that decadent imperialism has failed you once again. Please to accept the benefits of great Soviet people and socialist republic!" Despite the belligerent words, the tone was cheerful, even jesting.
"What?" said Elizabeth and Lane together.
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"What?" snarled Observer. "Where did they come from?"
"The Soviets," sighed Tester. "I knew we had forgotten something."
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"Are you sure the Comrade Commissar will be okay with this?" asked Kiev for the fourth time.
"He said to investigate carefully," replied Kirov offhandedly. She was already taking aim at the Siren carriers. "We did that, and now we are following our general orders."
"But helping the imperialists-"
"In this case, helping the imperialists helps ourselves. Besides," said the cruiser, licking her lips. "I always wanted to catch a carrier with its pants down. Я тебе покажу, где раки зимуют!" The last part was directed toward the Sirens.
Kirov sighed. "Shall we open fire, then?"
"Of course."
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As the first shells began firing at the Siren carriers, they frantically began zig-zagging, spoiling any chance of launching their planes.
"So," said Lane after a moment. "Sir Knight? Not servant?"
Elizabeth stuck her nose in the air. "Don't let it go to your head."
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"Looks like that's most of the Sirens," said Bismarck, the barest hint of satisfaction in her otherwise professional tone.
"Indeed. The British have lived up to their reputation for naval excellence." Falke allowed himself a smile. "Though I never expected the Russians to offer their assistance, let alone save the day."
"We still would have won," pointed out Bismarck stiffly.
"But without many of our brave allies. Including this Lane fellow. I will admit, that trap he lured the Siren battlefleet into was inspired."
Falke was more impressed than he let on. Such a risk- he would never have considered it. But without Lane's sneaky tactics, it was doubtful they could have punched through the main Siren fleet.
With Purifier taking to her heels, it seemed likely they would take Narvik. Trondheim- that would be different. The path to the port city was difficult.
And according to the latest reconnaissance flight, there was something big protecting the approach. Something that dwarfed the Bismarck, let alone any other ships in the fleet.
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"We can still hold Trondheim," insisted Observer. "We're well protected by the terrain. If they come into the fjord, they'll be at point-blank range and we can destroy anything, up to and including a battleship, with our fortress guns. We'll bring in more ships and push them back."
"You're emotionally involved," replied Tester levelly. "Remember, they have indirect fire weapons. They can fire over the hills and we have no real way of replying. Even if we did, we would eventually be overwhelmed."
The other Siren glared at her. "I am not emotionally involved!" she all but shouted. Realizing her tone put the lie to her words, she managed to control herself with an effort. "There is no reason to give up the city. Without any way to see where their shots are landing, they will be firing randomly."
Tester studied her, then shrugged. "I suppose this is its own test, in a way."
"Yes," said Observer, a slight hint of triumph coloring her words. "Precisely. We shall test the English and Germans to destruction." She turned away and walked over to another console, surprising the Siren who was watching over it.
"Yes," said Tester to herself, eyes boring into Observer's back. "Another test. But of whom?"
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"This is not what a warship is supposed to be doing," complained Z1.
"Hush!" hissed Z23. "We don't know if any Sirens are around."
Still grumbling, but more quietly, they continued to make their way through the forest, trying to avoid tripping over the roots and rocks that littered the path. From a distance, mused Z23, you would never guess the terrain was so rough.
Ideally, it would be a soldier's job to make their way across the land toward the Siren fortress. But there had been no way a ship or even a launch could have made it to the shore so quickly and quietly.
Z23 looked back toward the west, where the British and German battleships had rendezvoused. They were out of sight, but their guns were more than able to fire the distance. Landing a shot would be well-night impossible, however.
Unless, of course, an observer was adjusting their fire.
She stumbled, more out of fatigue than clumsiness, as she surmounted yet another rock. Blowing her hair out of her eyes, she shaded her eyes with one hand as she looked out over the water that was now visible.
She backed up so suddenly that she knocked Z1 off her feet. They both tumbled together in a heap. "Watch what you're doing!" shouted Z1.
"Quiet!" shouted Z23 back.
They both became silent as their voices echoed back.
"Maybe we should be quiet," said Z1 in a low voice. "The Sirens might hear us."
Z23 glared at her, but somehow kept her from throttling the other destroyer. She peered over the rock again, looking for any sign of the Sirens around the massive fortress that squatted a few meters above the water.
"Is it clear?" whispered Z1.
"Looks clear," Z23 whispered back.
They both ducked as a Siren drone suddenly flew overhead. Pressing themselves to the ground behind the large rock, they covered their heads with their hands. The drone buzzed around for a moment, then continued on what was probably a pre-programmed course.
Both destroyers scanned the area. "I thought you said it was clear," growled Z1.
"I said it looks clear."
Giving her a dirty look, Z1 activated her radio. "Z1 calling Bismarck."
There was a short pause before the answer came back. "Bismarck."
"Fire Mission. Grid 14 Alpha 293, Direction 4800. Siren fortress. Adjust fire."
"Acknowledged. Firing." Another pause, longer than the first. "Splash."
Z23 was looking through her binoculars. "Miss," she said as the shell splashes fell well short of the target. "Maybe three hundred left, add 300."
"Z1 to Bismarck..."
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"Are they just hoping for a lucky hit?" Observer wondered.
Tester was puzzled, too. The first shell splashes had just appeared, far from their fortress. Sure, it was a big target, but not so big that blind fire was likely to do any damage.
Another shell splash. It was significantly closer.
"Is there another ship out there?" asked Observer.
Tester looked over the map. "Nothing that can see us."
"Then why-"
The fortress suddenly shook as the unseen battleship scored a near miss. Followed shortly by a direct hit that nearly knocked them to the floor.
"How?" snarled Observer.
It suddenly clicked. "They put an observer in the hills."
Another hit. The fortress was tough, but if they had properly registered the target-
"We're leaving," announced Tester.
"But-"
"Now."
She ushered the still-protesting Observer to the nearest teleporter as the bombardment began in earnest.
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"Right on!" crowed Z1. "Fire for effect!"
"Firing for effect." Pause. "Splash."
The first full volley landed, and then another. The Siren shield held for a surprisingly long time, but nothing could stop the continuous stream of high caliber shells as the rest of the German and British battleships joined in.
Z1 was still calling out the occasional correction when a flash of light blinded her. She instinctively crouched, but if it hadn't been for Z23 yanking her to the ground, the shockwave of the exploding fortress might have knocked her clear off the hill. Dust and small rocks showered around them, trees swaying, their branches cracking, as an all-consuming, roaring, deafening sound filled the air.
As the debris finally stopped pattering down around them, Z23 dared to look up again.
A tsunami wave traveled up the hill, cresting only meters below them. As the water sloshed back into the harbor, trees and rocks tumbled with it. Her wide eyes took in the ruined fortress, which was still slowly settling into the water. The center had blown out, cracking it like an egg. Even as she watched, a chunk broke off and fell into the water, adding another, smaller wave to the first one. A mushroom cloud rose above it all, purple lightning flaring threateningly inside.
Swallowing, she called over the radio. "Target destroyed."
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"Yes," said Falke, his eyes on the towering cloud that rose from the harbor. "I suspected as much."
He switched channels. "Landing is clear to proceed."
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To: Adm. Raeder, Kriegsmarine High Command
From: Kommodor Erich Falke
Operation Weserubung successful. Minimal losses. All objectives secured.
North Sea sirens exterminated.
Details to follow.