Chapter 33- Wolf on the Fold
Row upon row, column upon column, a gigantic Siren fleet floated silently upon a sunless sea.
The sky was lit by a weird glow that defied any attempt to locate a source. Reddish-black clouds streaked across the sky, racing to the horizon before reappearing from the opposite direction. Periodically, they reversed their flow or even flowed backward toward a common point, boiling into nothingness and reforming incessantly.
No real world could compare, not even the blasted wastelands of alternate timelines where the Sirens' experiments were complete, where the final bits of data had been collected from the last gasps of the doomed inhabitants. This was a Mirror Sea, a particular one being used as a staging area for the newest fleet Observer had collected.
"The status of Marne is unclear," said Tester, who was mentally reviewing the recent reports from their timeline. "Some reports are claiming he died, others that he was badly injured but still alive."
She and Observer were floating a few meters above the black sea, watching the fleet gradually grow as a trickle of humanoid Sirens entered the staging area through a portal. "I suppose if he is dead that will still give us an idea of how the shipgirls would react," said Observer after a moment. "Though I am starting to question the usefulness of our human pawns. They acted entirely without orders?"
"So far as I can tell," said Tester. "Perhaps we should have used them more- our lack of direction may have led them to believe they were abandoned."
Observer shook her head, not disagreeing, but in disbelief. "I know what the data say, but I still have trouble understanding the lack of logic such humans display. What if we had abandoned them to their own devices? They would have simply been back to where they were before they threw in their lot with us."
"Sunk cost, I believe. Having invested so much time and risk in us, they feel they need to push themselves further," said Tester, her tone disinterested. "Even if they take more risks to accomplish a mission we never even ordered."
"Strange. Still, something we can learn from. What of the IJN?"
Tester was unfazed by the sudden change of subject. "They are continuing to advance across the Pacific. Several islands have been secured in the Northern Marianas, and Okinawa and Iwo Jima have also been relieved and fortified."
"Hmm. I must admit, we are seeing a great deal more resilience than I had expected here," said Observer. "It doesn't jibe with our projections, does it?"
"Not since the appearance of these so-called 'Commanders'," agreed Tester. "Do you have a hypothesis as to precisely what the new variables are?"
"These humans- the Commanders- have an unique connection with the Wisdom Cubes and the shipgirls. In most of the simulations of which I am aware, the shipgirls were used solely as weapons, often being left to themselves to fight us. It was not hopeless for them, but-"
"They never showed this sort of capability before," finished Tester. "This is interesting, is it not? I was prepared to terminate this experiment as another failure."
"As was I. Now, we are at times struggling to retain the initiative."
"At times," echoed Tester. "Although not now."
"No," said Observer. She turned as a glow lit up the Mirror Sea. The source was a portal, seemingly some kilometers away. Distance was deceptive in this pocket universe, however, and what began to come through the portal seemed to be very close as it shoved the water beneath it aside. A wave rocked the nearest Siren mass-produced vessels, nearly capsizing a Pawn destroyer that was a bit too close. "No, not any longer."
Her golden eyes glowed.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Enterprise!"
Enterprise turned from her pacing on Laffey's deck to see Vestal hurrying toward her. The repair ship's long white hair was askew, her blue eyes wide with concern. "Vestal? When did you get here?"
"I was doing some work on some of the convoy ships," she said as she slowed to a walk. Her eyes scanned Enterprise, relief briefly coming over her face as she saw the carrier girl was unharmed. "How's the Commander?"
Enterprise turned her face away to hide the tears in her eyes. "There's a Navy doctor operating on him below. He...he lost a lot of blood."
Vestal went pale. "Is he- is he going to-"
"No!" Enterprise snapped out her response. "He's going to be fine!"
Vestal took a step back. "Enterprise-"
"Wait!" Enterprise shot forward and grabbed her by both arms. "You can help, can't you? You were always healing me up-"
"Darn it, Enterprise, I'm a repair ship, not a doctor!" Vestal struggled to break free from the carrier girl's grasp. "I can't do anything for humans!"
Enterprise let her go, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Of course. I'm sorry, Vestal."
"It's okay," said Vestal. She unconsciously rubbed her arms where Enterprise had grabbed her. "You're just worried, I understand." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "So am I."
They both turned around as they heard steps. The Navy surgeon appeared, looking exhausted, still wearing the smock he had been operating in. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and walked past the shipgirls to the railing.
"Doctor?" Enterprise knew she would have felt it if Marne had died, so she allowed herself some cautious optimism. "How is he?"
The doctor glanced at her as he lit his cigarette, cupping it in his hands. "Oh, sorry, Commander. Didn't see you there." He took a long, Humphrey Bogart-style drag on the cigarette. "He'll live."
Enterprise managed to catch Vestal as she collapsed in relief. She couldn't blame her- she felt all the tension and fatigue of the last few hours wash take hold on her as well. "He's going to be okay?"
The doctor shrugged. "He'll live. But- well, he had pretty extensive damage. The tourniquet saved his life, but-"
"What are you saying?" asked Enterprise. She suddenly felt cold.
The doctor hesitated, not meeting her eyes. "I couldn't save the leg."
"No," whispered Vestal.
The surgeon sighed. "Sorry, Commander. His war is over."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Morishita looked over the day's catch as the crew of the fishing boat Kobayashi Maru prepared for nightfall.
It was good, as always. The Sirens didn't go out of their way to hunt down fishermen, but they tended to destroy anything they ran across as a matter of course. Most of the captains Morishita had known growing up were dead or had simply retired from the life. It was a wise decision, he supposed, but-
He wasn't a greedy man. But he saw all too many of his neighbors barely scraping by day to day, attended too many funerals of those who had died of starvation or disease. When modern Japanese said Itadakimasu before meals, it was no mere phrase- every bite of food was a blessing.
So he continued to fish with the few brave or foolhardy men that would dare the deadly seas. The government had long ago set price controls, but by selling some of his catch secretly on the black market, he ensured he had enough to care for his family. He felt a bit guilty about it, but always made sure that his neighbors had enough to eat as well. It didn't hurt that his largesse ensured they would never inform on him, of course.
"Captain!" He looked up from estimating the size of their haul to see the lookout pointing toward the east. A glow was lighting up the horizon, matching that of the setting sun behind them. Instead of the warm hues of the sun, however, the glow was a sickly, pulsating purple.
"Oh, shit," he said. "Helm, hard to port! Full speed!"
They were no warship. They had a small, elderly machine gun mounted near the stern, but it was a token gesture at best to man it. Even if they could hit anything, they'd probably not even scratch the hull of a Siren ship. And if he were any judge, that large a light- one that lit up the entire horizon- was far more than a single Siren.
As the ship's engine thrummed to full power, the first Siren aircraft could be seen. They were mere dots in the sky, but it was only a matter of time before the Kobayashi Maru was noticed.
"Be ready to abandon ship," he said to his crew. A lifeboat might be ignored entirely whereas a ship- even a small fishing boat- would not. They were some distance from Japan, but-
Several of the Siren aircraft suddenly changed course, arcing toward them as their contrails drew a line across the sky.
There was no panic. It wasn't actually the first time they had abandoned the boat, in fact- twice, they had left it due to an apparent imminent attack, only to see the Sirens ignore the drifting vessel. They shut down the engines and piled into the lifeboat, lowering it away with a splash. Morishita got the small motor running and began to put distance between them and their ship.
The Sirens weren't ignoring them this time, he realized. A missile detached itself from a Siren aircraft's wing and closed the distance to the Kobayashi Maru with frightening speed. Morishita and the crew took cover as much as they could- which essentially meant closing their eyes and covering their head- as the boat exploded.
When he looked up, there was nothing but a rapidly dispersing field of debris where his beloved ship had been. The Siren aircraft banked as it passed overhead, causing them all to duck once more.
He'd always known it might happen, indeed probably would happen, but the loss of his livelihood still shook Morishita. He closed his eyes, willing away the tightness in his chest.
A hand shook him violently. "Captain, it's coming back!" shouted his first mate.
The Siren airplane had come back around, lining itself up on the helpless lifeboat. Morishita gaped as it spat fire, spattering the ocean with bolts of plasma that hissed into steam as they hit the water.
Somehow, the first strafing run missed, though Morishita's arm slightly burnt with super-heated steam from a near-miss. Cursing, he ran the lifeboat's small engine up to its limit. There was no chance to dodge, but what else could he do?
The Siren turned to begin another strafing run.
The water in front of the lifeboat suddenly bulged upward, nearly swamping the tiny craft. For a brief moment Morishita thought a whale was broaching but when he saw the conning tower, water streaming down its sides, he realized what was happening.
A submarine was surfacing. A Japanese submarine.
A young girl was waving frantically at the fishing boat's crew. He couldn't make out the words, but she was obviously motioning them to come aboard. He turned the boat toward the submarine and they rapidly closed the short distance. They'd never get aboard before the Siren strafed them again, though-
The deck gun of the submarine suddenly swiveled around, despite the lack of anyone crewing it. Morishita's crew cried out at the eerie sight, but he'd heard something of the kansen's abilities. He felt only joy when the gun fired.
The Siren, flying low and slow, couldn't avoid the attack. One round knocked off a wing and it spiraled into the ocean, throwing up a splash. Water pattered onto the crew as they began swarming aboard the submarine.
Morishita found himself being helped up by the young girl he had seen, her strength and grip that of a much stronger person than she appeared. He quickly bowed low. "My thanks, kansen. You have saved us. My name is Morishita."
"I-58, IJN," she said briskly. "We need to get below right away. I shot down that Siren, but there will be more coming, and in greater numbers."
"Of course," he said. He did a quick headcount as his men went below, only following them when he was sure everyone was accounted for.
Though he'd never been aboard one, Morishita was well aware of how cramped a submarine could be- his experienced seaman's eye told him all he needed to know from seeing her exterior about the conditions belowdecks. But with no crew, there was no real problem in getting everyone aboard. More irksome was the task of ensuring none of the curious fishermen messed around with the controls.
Not that I-58 seemed to care. She stood next to the periscope, eyes unfocused, as Morishita walked up alongside her uneasily.
"Excuse me, Miss I-58, but-"
"Quiet, please," she snapped. She shook her head suddenly as if to clear it and nodded to herself decisively. "Four incoming Siren destroyers, along with a number of aircraft. Their ASW skills are low, but-"
A klaxon sounded, causing Morishita to jump. I-58 spoke, her voice magnified through a PA. "Dive, dive! All hands rig for dive!"
The fishermen looked at one another, then around them worriedly. Morishita himself hid the unease he shared with them. "Everyone just wait for orders. And try not to touch anything!"
The deck slanted slightly under his feet as the sub dove beneath the waters.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Message from I-58, shikikan!" said Shigure as she ran onto Akagi's bridge.
Takeda managed to snatch away the message form she was waving and quickly skimmed it. "Hmm. Heavy Siren activity, unknown purpose-" He absently patted Shigure on the head. She dodged away with a scowl, but her black and white tail wagged. Looking up, he spoke into the air around them. "Akagi?"
The ship's PA immediately buzzed into life. "Yes, shikikan?" It was the Akagi, after all. She knew exactly what was going on in her own ship.
"I-58 has reported some sort of Siren activity to the northeast. There are a large number of mass-produced ships in the area and a, quote, 'weird glowy thing', unquote."
"We need to formalize Siren activity reports, I think."
"Agreed. More importantly, how are we positioned at present?"
A map appeared in the air, floating between Takeda and Shigure, who had become much more subdued after hearing Akagi's voice. "The Fifth Carrier Division is returning from scouting Wake Island to our east, of course. The Second is about one hundred kilometers to our west."
"Convoy is still in position?" They had expected the Sirens to appear out to sea, so the main supply convoy was a bit southwest of their position as they steamed east toward Wake.
"Yes, shikikan. Should I have them return to base while we approach the enemy?"
Takeda frowned, studying the map. Attacking the Sirens right away might be prudent- there might be time to disrupt whatever they were planning- but he strongly disliked going in without more intelligence. "No, not yet. At this point it will be quicker for the convoy to reach Wake as we had planned than to have them return all the way to Guam. We'll continue to screen the convoy. Please alert our scouts to try and ascertain the nature of the Siren threat. Once we have more information, we'll reassess the situation."
There was a long pause. Even Shigure started to look uncomfortable before Akagi's voice came back. "Very well, shikikan. I will relay our orders to the rest of the fleet." The map she had created blinked back out of existence.
Takeda didn't quite manage to hide his grimace at the phrase "our orders". Shigure must have noticed it, too, as she didn't respond with her usual playful insouciance when he dismissed her, only nodding and running off the bridge, tail quite literally between her legs.
He turned and walked to the chart he had, more from habit than need, put up on the bridge. Clasping his hands behind his back, he tried to think about the strategic problem. It all depended on the Siren's motives- and no one really knew what those were. Yet-
The deck suddenly dropped a few centimeters. Only years of sea duty kept Takeda from sprawling on the floor. He managed to arrest his fall by grabbing onto the nearby helm.
"What the-"
"Shikikan." Akagi's voice was urgent, devoid of her usual teasing tone. "Something strange has happened."
Pulling himself fully upright, Takeda looked at the sea, which a moment ago had been still and peaceful.
It still was. But instead of the dark blue waves he had seen moments ago, he looked upon an almost black sea that was as still as glass. His eyes narrowed as he put a name to the phenomenon.
"A Mirror Sea."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"This isn't good," observed Zuikaku, clutching her scabbarded katana tightly.
Beside her, Shoukaku looked around with wide eyes at the suddenly changed waters. The stillness of the ocean was eerie- except for the wakes created by the kansen, not a single wave marched its way across the sea. The other kansen in their fleet watched the horizon warily.
"Spread-" Zuikaku cleared her throat, trying to imbue her voice with confidence. "Spread out! This is a Mirror Sea- the Sirens clearly have something planned. We have to be ready for anything." It wasn't much of a speech, but it had the desired effect. The kansen, who had been instinctively drawing together, obediently moved apart. No sense in bunching together so tightly one salvo could take them all out.
Mikasa had her arms folded, scanning the horizon with pursed lips. Zuikaku skated across the water, coming up alongside her. "Mikasa, have you dealt with one of these before?" she asked respectfully.
"Just once, before I was awakened. They sprang it on us as we were escorting a convoy from the Phillippines." She frowned. "It didn't end well."
"Did you beat them?"
"It was my last voyage as a regular ship."
"Oh," said Zuikaku faintly. She looked at her sister. "Shoukaku, what do you think we should do?"
Shoukaku was even paler than usual, her face almost as white as her hair. She shook her head. "All of our compasses are useless." That was far from unexpected- no one was quite sure what the Mirror Seas were, but there was ample evidence that they weren't on Earth- at least, not "their" Earth. "If we keep going the direction we were-"
"We'll never get there anyway," finished Mikasa. "So our only option is to find the Sirens and destroy them."
Zuikaku nodded, her hesitance dissipating. Once she knew what to do, she always felt better. It was the not knowing that bothered her most. "Okay. Let's send out scouts and be ready for anything."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Operational parameters set. All systems on-line," said Tester. "I believe we are ready to begin."
"Are we certain of Takeda's position?" asked Observer.
They were in the Mirror Sea as well, watching as the final ships of the Siren force finished assembling. Mass-produced ships formed up into groups, most led by one or two humanoid, lower-ranking Sirens. It was standard procedure to disperse them. While overwhelming the enemy with a mass of ships was best for actual victory, the Sirens' purpose was not mere destruction. By allowing the kansen to engage smaller forces in turn, they gained more data. They could adjust the difficulty of each engagement as experimentation continued, fine-tuning the results.
Of course, a mere test of strength was not the primary goal in mind today.
"All indications are that he is aboard the Akagi, based on analysis of radio traffic, IJN regulations and procedures, navigational factors-"
"Very well," said Observer, cutting her off. "I concur. Initiate."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold. And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold. And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, when the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.
The words of the English poem she had been reading- Kongou had suggested it to help learn the language- came to Takao's mind as the Sirens launched themselves at the kansen.
Instead of purple and gold, of course, they gleamed in red and black. Otherwise, the words fit quite well. The Mirror Sea lacked such fripperies as stars in the sky, so the Siren air units filled it instead, sometimes flashing brighter as a missile launched toward the desperately fighting Japanese Navy. And the Sirens may as well have been wolves unleashed upon a fold so far as the men in the convoy she was escorting were concerned.
She was no sheep, however.
Weaving through a wall of falling shells, she let loose a salvo at a group of Siren cruisers headed for the convoy. A hit holed one at the water-line, causing it to begin listing and drop speed. They turned their guns on her, but she easily dodged the clumsy fire.
She'd only needed to draw their attention for a moment. From a smoke screen laid down early in the battle, Atago emerged and launched herself into the group of cruisers. Her guns, fired at point-blank range, smashed a Siren to pieces. Now in disarray, with an enemy in the midst of their formation, the remaining cruisers could easily be handled by her sister. Takao turned her attention to the next threat.
She'd spotted the humanoid Siren a few minutes ago, hovering over the ocean and watching the convoy defense with the supercilious smirk that all Sirens seemed to have been issued with. There was no smoke screen to hide behind for Takao, so the Siren had immediately seen her as she approached.
"Ah, a heavy cruiser," said the Siren, her weirdly modulated voice dripping with condescension. "A brave one, aren't you?"
Takao didn't reply, but narrowed her eyes and drew her katana slowly.
"Nothing to say? Perhaps you don't like my company?" The Siren chuckled. "Maybe I should introduce you to some of my colleagues."
Two more Sirens dropped down from the skies, falling into place next to the first. They had certainly not been there before, so they must have used some sort of Siren technology to sneak in. Takao sighed inwardly. The Sirens never played fair.
"Now, then, let us-"
The Siren clearly expected hesitation from the kansen, given the disparity in numbers. Takao shot forward, catching the Sirens by surprise. Her sword flicked out as she charged, deflecting a hasty shot from the first Siren, catching another across the torso, sweeping behind and impaling the third.
Her eyes on the first Siren, Takao pulled her sword from the one she had stabbed.
The Siren blinked, looking at the destroyed Sirens as they splashed into the water below, then met Takao's eyes. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice losing all hint of the mockery she had shown before.
"'For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, and breathed in the face of the foe as he passed,'" said Takao, quoting the poem she had first thought of when the battle had begun. She dashed forward, the Siren barely managing to deflect her blade. The Siren swept back with an attack of her own, but Takao managed to dodge, slipping to one side and thrusting again with her katana. The Siren parried but fell back, her eyes now strained with concentration. "And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill..."
"Enough with the poetry!" demanded the Siren. She suddenly fired a shot from her rigging, which Takao shrugged off with her armor. "Who are you?"
Her katana flashed in response. The Siren avoided most of it, but a piece of her rigging fell smoking to the sea below. "And their hearts but once heaved-"
Snarling, the Siren leaped forward, her fists glowing with eldritch power-
Takao calmly stepped back, avoiding the reckless attack. The Siren spun toward her, ready to follow up-
Only to find herself staring down the barrels of Takao's main cannons.
"And for ever grew still," finished Takao.
Her guns fired.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Convoy is in the Mirror Sea, shikikan," reported Ayanami. "They are under attack but so far have repelled the Siren forces, yes."
"Good," replied Takeda. "I suppose we can as well, then."
The Siren attacks had become continuous in the past few hours. Akagi's anti-aircraft guns had fired almost constantly since the first attack had come in, the decks launching plane after plane into a sky crowded with Sirens and flak clouds. Takeda had long since lost count of how many times he had seen a Siren plane splash into the sea, how many Siren wrecks they had left behind as they continued on their zig-zagging course across the Mirror Sea.
Akagi was standing next to him, her eyes closed in concentration. He put a hand on her shoulder. "How are you doing?"
Her eyes still closed, she smiled. "All is well, shikikan. Akagi is more than capable of handling these insects." She put her own hand on his when he began to move it, holding his hand in place. "I would not mind feeling the touch of my shikikan just a bit longer, though."
Takeda smiled slightly and glanced at Ayanami. She was sprawled out in a chair, having been at the forefront of the battle from the outset. He'd been rotating the girls as best he could, allowing them to rest between Siren waves. Furutaka and Kako were also on the bridge, calmly playing a card game to take their mind off the battle for a bit.
"How is Kaga?" he asked.
"A bit tired, but fighting well," said Akagi. He detected the barest hint of pride in her voice. "She managed to locate that carrier that had been harassing our pickets for the past hour. It will trouble us no more. However-"
"Yes?" His ears couldn't perk up the way Akagi's did, but she could read his interest in his voice easily enough.
They had been holding out admirably, even heroically. Takeda had never even heard of a fleet undergoing such a concerted and powerful series of attacks- all the actions he had himself fought were mere scrimmages compared to this. But in a Mirror Sea, there was no way to resupply. No way to repair, recover, or regroup. Each attack, no matter how efficiently it was dealt with, whittled away at their stamina bit by bit.
They desperately needed a way out.
"One of Kaga's planes detected something to the north of the carrier's position. Something very large. It was shot down before she could get a clear look, but it was no mere Siren mass-produced ship," said Akagi. "Whatever it was, it seemed to be a major power source."
Takeda raised his eyebrow. "Power source? How could she tell?"
Akagi shrugged. "I don't think there's any analogue to it in your experience. Call it kansen intuition."
"Uh-huh." Takeda looked at his chart. "Our best guess is that we're about an hour away from regrouping with the Fifth Carrier Division, right?"
Shoukaku's relieved response to their repeated transmissions had confirmed that she and Zuikaku had been transported to the same Mirror Sea. Without any clear reference points, it had taken some effort with radio directional finders and scout planes to plan a rendezvous.
Akagi nodded, but frowned. "Shikikan, they will no doubt know we detected the Siren object, whatever it is. If we are going to attack it, we should do so immediately."
"We'll meet up with the Fifth first," said Takeda. "It's too dangerous to-"
He stopped as Akagi glared at him. "Do you value my opinion so little?" she hissed.
Taken aback, he shook his head. "No, I just- we can't just-"
"Wait," she said. She turned to look at Furutaka, Kako, and Ayanami. "The shikikan and I need to discuss something. Please leave us alone for a moment. There are fresh snacks and drinks in the galley."
The three smaller kansen sprang up and bowed before leaving. Once they had left, Akagi turned back to Takeda. "You know what the others think about you, do you not?"
He tensed. "They think I'm a coward."
She shook her head. "No. We would not follow a coward. To be our leader, courage is necessary. However, you are commonly thought to be far too cautious."
"It was caution that got my command through the war," he said stiffly. "While my fellow officers were dying nobly for Japan, I was bringing her sons and daughters home."
Akagi sighed. "I know," she said. She swished her tails as she paced across the bridge. "But I believe you have taken the lessons of that time too firmly to heart. Then, we had our backs to a cliff, every step fraught with the possibility of a fatal fall."
"Any mistake I make could still be fatal," protested Takeda. "That much hasn't changed."
"And when has anything ever been completely safe?" asked Akagi pointedly. "Do you never cross the street for fear of being run over."
"It's not the same," said Takeda. "I see what you're getting at, but..." he trailed off.
"There is always risk. My dear shikikan, do you know what I realized when you came to see me when I was sulking like Achilles in his tent? Why I decided to-"
He held up a hand to stop her, his face flushed red. "Is this really the time, Akagi?"
She flicked her tails mischievously and smiled. "I had thought you disrespectful. I thought you were treating me- and the others- as mere children. But then I realized something. You weren't holding us back due to a lack of faith in our abilities- you were afraid of losing us." She walked up to him deliberately, her eyes fixed on his. In contrast to her light tone, her eyes were deadly serious. "I realized then that you loved me, and I realized then that I loved- will always love- my shikikan."
He broke their gaze and coughed. "Akagi, we do need to talk about this, but perhaps not now?"
"This isn't just a personal talk, shikikan. What I'm trying to get through that thick skull of yours is that you can't just protect us. We are warriors, just as you are. And if you truly want to show your love, you will have to treat us as we deserve." She stepped back, eliciting a sigh of relief from the beleaguered Takeda. She assumed a position of attention, something Takeda had never seen from her before. "I formally recommend we immediately track down the Siren object."
For a long moment, Takeda just looked into her eyes.
He wanted to disagree, to tell her she was wrong. But she wasn't, of course. He had been focused on their safety as a priority rather than their mission. And in doing so, he was not only making the kansen feel they were being condescended to, but he was failing his duty as an officer of the Japanese Navy. He was derelict in his duties, and by extension, causing his subordinates to be derelict in theirs.
Takeda bowed slightly. "Very well. Please issue the appropriate orders."
Akagi kept her expression blank, though he could hear the smile she no doubt suppressed in her tone. "Aye-aye, shikikan." She began to walk past him, but before she walked out she suddenly leaned in close. "When this is over, shikikan," she whispered, her tails brushing his cheek. "Akagi will reward you for your keen judgment and insight."
And just like that, thought Takeda miserably as she disappeared, she had to go and ruin it.
A/N: Gosh, that took forever. I was away for a trip for a week, but still. Anyway, I've got a pretty good idea where this is headed, so I should be able to get back onto my chapter every 2-4 days or so track.
The poem is The Destruction of Sennacherib by Lord Byron. I had to memorize it many years ago for school, and was surprised to find I still had a fair amount of it in me (still had to look it up to be sure of a few things, though).
Also, two Star Trek references. Neither is subtle, but one might be a bit less obvious than the other. I just couldn't resist on either.