October 10th 1945
Sevastapol groaned in pain as she looked up at the chains that held her arms above her. She had been beaten badly by several of the Sirens prior to her capture, but even then she refused to give up. And that had cost her. They had broken her leg and shot her several times. The pain was gone, she only really felt numb in the areas that once burned. "Ukloy" she spat when she saw one of them observe her through the slit in the door.
It was one of several doors in the dungeons beneath an old castle at the centre of the city. The Sirens had re-purposed the building as a prison for any who tried to fight back against them. They also kept some Kansen's there. Many had been reduced to their cubes. But one had been stolen a few days ago by a Royal Navy Heavy Cruiser. And the search parties sent out to find both the Cruiser and the missing cubes had returned empty handed. So many of the Sirens took their frustrations out on their prisoners. Notably the Royal Navy ships, as they would know the cruiser better than any of their other prisoners.
Sevastapol had been allowed a reprieve from this. But she vowed to tear the head from the lead Siren in this place. As she lowered her head again, she thought about her sister, Gangut. And the other ships of the Northern Parliament. "I should have stayed. Fought with them" She said quietly to herself. "They need me" she continued as she envisioned Sovetsky Soyuz chastising her for going off alone. Those steel coloured eyes glaring right through her. She then chuckled at the thought of her big sister and her extreme enthusiasm for destroying Sirens. "She'll be having the time of her life" she continued.
"Shut it!" Came the hiss from a Siren outside the door.
"O, razozlit'sya!" Sevastapol retorted before she continued to cheer herself up with her memories.
"We're approaching the City Limits" Ryan said as the tank rolled along the road. "All we need to do is get to the castle without the Sirens becoming alerted to our presence"
"Not exactly going to be easy in this thing. It's not exactly quiet." Hector replied.
"Norfolk. What were patrols like in the city when you arrived prior to your meeting with Hector?"
"Rather light. Most patrols were in and around the Castle. But I have a feeling that they may have increased since I rescued Perseus" Norfolk explained.
"I recall seeing quite a few when I was near the City station. I suppose it isn't too far away from the castle so it would make sense"
"Right then. We'll just have to play it careful. Driver, advance" Ryan said and the Churchill began to trundle into the city, towards the Castle and their target.
As they drew closer to the castle. It was evident that a battle had been waged in the streets nearing the castle. Buildings on either side of the street were covered in strange marks or bullets and shell holes. Some burned out armoured vehicles were present, Ryan made a mental thought to recover anything from these vehicles and to try and repair one if there was a chance. He quietly tapped on the loader who called to the driver to stop the tank, knowing that he couldn't do it himself should they be spotted. He disembarked with some of the soldiers who were sat on the back and they moved to the street corner. Ryan gestured to one of the soldiers to peek around the corner to check if anything was there.
"There's two in the street, they're looking towards the Castle at the moment. If we're quick. We can take cover behind that armoured car" the soldier said, indicating to the armoured car on it's side a few meters from where they were.
"Alright. You keep a watch for those Sirens and if they move. Jones, Wilcroft. With me" Ryan said as they cautiously moved towards the armoured car.
"Anything I can do to help?" Hector asked.
"Sorry mate. This is the Captain's mission." one of the soldiers said. "But do you have something to defend yourself with?"
Hector drew out his Webley and cocked it. "Never got into my Spitfire without it"
"Good. This might get a bit troublesome. I suppose it's good we've got the ladies to back us up" the soldier said, looking towards the Shipgirls that were nearby, their rigging already deployed for combat.
"Ready?" Ryan said to Jones and Wilcroft. They nodded and he smiled. "Lets' do this" he said as he and the other two broke cover and opened fire on the Sirens. One of the Sirens was completely caught unawares and several bullets riddled it's body, collapsing to the ground without a sound. The other was hit twice but as it fell, shot its weapons towards the trio of soldiers, the beams of energy missing them completely but still coming close. "Bring out the tank!" Ryan called as the Churchill moved up and the turret turned towards the castle, several more Sirens now pouring out from the entryway to the castle. A single shot was fired at the group of Sirens, a few being caught in the blast whilst others dodged and sought cover as the tank was turned towards the castle and began to move forward. "Protect the tank!" Ryan yelled as the soldiers began to engage the other Sirens. Hector stayed back with the shipgirls.
"Hey, flyboy. Just stick with us. You'll be alright" Wasp said as some little American fighters swirled around her before she sent them down the street to engage the enemy.
"You can see them from behind cover?" Hector asked, amazed
"Yep. They can serve as my eyes if I don't have direct line of sight." Wasp replied.
"How… How does that work anyway?" he asked.
"Best to let her concentrate. We shouldn't sit back and chat" Bulldog commented. "Suffolk that means you too" she added, turning to the other County Class Cruiser.
"Oi. I'm keeping an eye out for any that come from behind" Suffolk replied, checking the other streets behind the tank.
"She's got a point. They could try to flank the tank. If It was me. I'd be doing such a thing" Hector commented as a pair of Sirens almost on queue came out from another street, behind the tank. Suffolk and Norfolk quickly trained their guns on the pair and fired at them. It discouraged them from firing at the soldiers and instead the Sirens began to shoot at the Shipgirls and their companion.
"Shit! Keep them off me!" Wasp growled as she summoned more planes to support the Cruisers as Bulldog ran to help them. Hector was forced into cover and could only really spectate the battle as two little aircraft strafed the Sirens, allowing Norfolk and Suffolk to gain ground and get in close.
As Norfolk drew close, she unsheathed a sword from her rigging, something he had not noticed before hand and she thrust it into the closest siren. She then fired at the other Siren with her rigging, throwing it to one side before Suffolk finished it off. They barely had enough time to recover when more beams of energy came from the main street. Looking over they could see the tank firing it's main gun and machine guns at the growing numbers of Sirens. "Not good" Norfolk said, worried that they had bitten off more than they could chew.
From inside the dungeon of the Castle, Sevastapol could hear the distant gunfire. "They need help" she said to herself as she picked herself up, ignoring the violent pain erupting from her broken leg. "Oh stop it you" she said as she smashed it against the floor. A slight noise was heard and whilst it was still painful, she felt more comfortable standing up. "No-one cages this bear!" she growled as she began to tug at the chains that kept her imprisoned. She pulled and pulled and the chains gave way, allowing her to be free finally. She then glared at the door before her. "No matter" She said to herself as she began to slam her body against it. Her bashing got someone's attention as the small slit opened and she could see a Siren. Reaching out, she grabbed the Siren by their face and slammed it against the door. It didn't take much for the door to be relieved of it's hinges. Pulling herself out of the room and into the hallway, she looked to her left and right before she began to make her way down the hallway to where she could hear a lot of activity. "I AM COMING FOR YOU!" She roared.
Moments later, many of the halls would be filled with the screams of Sirens as the Soviet battleship began her rampage.
After smashing another Siren against a wall. Sevastapol growled in pain as a Siren shot her from behind. "ty!" She said as she turned to the new shooter, breaking into a sprint and running her fist through its face, grabbing it's rigging, she tore off parts of it and began to use it's weapons. She couldn't activate her own rigging, so it's rigging would suffice her for now.
"One of the prisoners has broken loose! It's on a rampage" One of the Sirens called to the others out in the street. "These puny humans can wait till be kill the Battleship!"
The soldiers in the street were perplexed by the fact the Sirens all began retreating back to the Castle. "We've beaten them back!" one called
"No. They're going back to deal with something. Come on!" Norfolk called as they ran towards the Castle. The soldiers broke cover of the tank and followed the shipgirls towards the Castle grounds. They managed to get shots off at some of the Sirens but most of them had gotten back into the Castle.
"Follow them!" Ryan called as the Tank began to slowly make it's way up the pathway behind the troops.
The troops and shipgirls entered the Castle, gunning down any Sirens that stood in their path. They quickly cleared many of the rooms and after a few minutes, the upper floors were under their control.
"Where's the rest of them? Surely this was not all of them" Ryan said as one of the soldiers was treated for a wound a Siren had inflicted.
"No. Do you hear that?" Hector said as they went quiet. Hearing the muffled sounds of screams, weapons going off. And someone yelling in Russian. "They're below us. We need to find the entrance to the lower levels"
"Over here" Bulldog said, pointing to an entrance. Ryan, Hector and the Shipgirls headed down to assist whoever was down there. It would be in vain however. Once they got to the bottom of the stairs, they found dead Sirens littered about the floor. Standing in the centre of the room, mid-tearing a Sirens head off, was a woman with ragged ice white hair. Her outfit was covered in the Siren's blood or burn marks, new and old.
"Bol'she ne nado" the woman muttered in Russian as she finally removed the Siren's head completely before turning around. "Excuse the mess" She muttered before dropping the body and head she was still carrying.
"Who are you?" Hector asked.
"My name is Sevastopol. After the great Battle there. I was also named Parizhskaya Kommuna. Or Paris Commune. I am a Gangut class Battleship. Third built after my big sisters Gangut and Petropavlovsk" Sevastopol introduced herself.
"Are you hurt?" Hector asked.
"Da. Leg, shoulder. Nothing a nice Vodka won't fix" she replied.
"I think it'll take more than that" Ryan said as he walked up. "Captain Ryan Baxter, British Army"
"Nice to meet you Captain. Are you here to rescue me?"
"You and the others we have reason to believe are being held here" Ryan replied.
"Da. There are others. They brought more here in their cube forms. But they appear to have disappeared with most of them" She replied. "Probably because I was tearing them apart" she added before laughing slightly at her own carnage.
"Are there any of the cubes left?" Ryan asked.
"Yes" Bulldog said as she emerged from one of the hallways with a singular cube. "I found this one alone. It's Sheffield"
"Sheffy?" Norfolk asked. "Town Class, Light Cruiser, C24?"
Bulldog nodded as she handed the Cube to the Heavy Cruiser.
"We need to revive her. Same with Perseus" Norfolk said. "Myself, Wasp, Bulldog and Suffolk aren't going to cut it anymore. We need more support"
"Well. Let's get the others out first. And then we can see about reviving them." Ryan replied before he ordered them to fan out and free the prisoners and see if they can find something to revive their other shipgirls. Sevastopol simply sat down in a seat she was offered and closed her eyes, in an attempt to rest finally.
True to Norfolk's recon. Arethusa and Valiant were both present in other cells. However they only found two others. Once they were all brought up to the main area of the Castle, a full headcount was made. Their newly freed allies now included Valiant, Arethusa, Z20 and Akizuki, a Shipgirl no-one had expected to find there.
"So this brings our strength up to… Two Battleships. Three Destroyers. Two Carriers, Two Heavy Cruisers and Two Light Cruisers" Ryan commented. "It's an improvement for sure. And we'll need everyone we can find"
"Well we'll have to keep an eye out for more won't we?" Valiant commented, acting like she hadn't been beaten rather severely like Arethusa had, who was remaining quiet due to her weakened state.
"We still need to revive Sheffield and Perseus, though. Did any of you find something of use?" Ryan continued
"Yes, Sir. We found an odd device and looked like it accepted their cubes." Jones piped up.
"Well then. Let's see if it works" Ryan replied and they headed down to the machine.
"What on earth is this thing?" Hector asked as they entered a room with a large tube like machine in. It seemed to have been built recently, and it was still in perfect condition. Clearly the Sirens had no time to destroy it.
"It's what creates our physical form" Norfolk replied. "The cubes go in this slot. And after a wait. We come out of the tube there" she explained.
"So we could put Sheffield's in and she'll appear?" Hector inquired and Norfolk nodded to confirm that.
"But who is more important? Sheffy or Perseus?" Valiant commented.
"Perseus is a carrier. And we do need another one to help supplement Wasp" Bulldog commented.
"But Sheffield is a Light Cruiser, thus has better manoeuvrability than us two" Norfolk said, pointing towards her sibling.
Ryan sighed. "revive Sheffield first. Then Perseus. We'll fortify this castle in case of a Siren counter-attack. Just make sure they're awake if and when they attack us"
"In the meantime. We've earned this rest. Hopefully it gives you ladies time to recover from the punishment they must have put you through" Hector said as he brought up a chair to sit next to Sevastopol. The other injured shipgirls all brought up chairs in a circle pattern, Norfolk, Suffolk and Bulldog helping them into their seats in case they couldn't stand properly. After a few minutes, Hector and the shipgirls were all sat in a circle. "I guess some formal introductions are in order. I gather some of you know one another already. But I am unfamiliar with some of you." Hector said as he looked to the group.
"Then I shall go first" Valiant said as she adjusted herself in her seat. "I am Valiant. Third ship of the Queen Elizabeth Class Battleship" she said grandly.
"Arethusa. Lead ship of my class of Light Cruisers" Arethusa introduced herself.
"Mein name ist Z20. Karl Galster. But I much prefer Z20" Z20 introduced herself as she rubbed her wrists, glad to finally be free of her bindings" The German Destroyer then looked to her left, to her Japanese counterpart.
"I'm Akizuki" the destroyer said meekly. "lead ship of my own class of Destroyers" she said before going quiet.
They all turned their attention to the Heavy Cruiser sisters. "I'm Norfolk, lead of my sub-class of County Class Cruisers." Norfolk explained, she then looked to Suffolk, who seemed to have zoned out. Poking her leg, Suffolk refocused on where she was.
"Oh! Um, sorry. I'm Suffolk. Kent-subclass of the County Class Cruisers. I'm Norfolk's older sister" Suffolk explained before they looked to the final ship.
Sevastapol looked somewhat pale as she sat silently listening to the introductions. She knew of a few of them already due to previous ties with the Royal Navy. But it was good to know she would be among allies. "Sevastapol. Or Paris Commune. I much prefer my original name, much like my sister Gangut does."
"And who are you?" Valiant asked, turning to the man sat with them.
"My name is Hector. I was a pilot for the Royal Air Force before all of this madness. I was trying to find a plane before I came across Norfolk and wound up joining her and the soldiers to come and rescue you lot."
"Well. We are grateful for being freed from the clutches of those filthy Sirens" Valiant replied.
"Quite. It's a shame we weren't able to rescue the others that Norfolk said were here before we came"
"They moved some of them out earlier this morning, prior to your arrival. We don't know where they were taken. Some of the cubes were taken accordingly. They must've dropped Sheffield as they were leaving" Arethusa said before they heard a noise. Hector got up and headed back into the room with the device.
There in the tank that Norfolk mentioned, was a blonde haired woman in a Maid's uniform. The door opened and she fell forwards, Hector was quick to catch her so she wouldn't land on her face.
"Hmm. So someone requires me, do they?" She spoke as she opened her eyes and stood herself up, removing herself from Hector's arms. "Are you my new master?" She asked.
"Um. Well-" Hector tried to explain but Sheffield would have none of it.
"Then I shall take orders from you. Unless you have none, then I shall be around" the cruiser said as she walked past him. "Ah, Lady Valiant. I was not expecting to see you so soon" Sheffield said as she noticed the Battleship. "You look like Warspite got fed up of your insubordination"
Valiant's weary look changed instantly to one of anger "H-How dare you!" she spluttered but Sheffield was already walking away from her, looking for something to do.
"There isn't anything I can clean is there?" she asked, looking at Hector.
"Well there's a few dead Sirens around. I guess you could sort that out" Hector suggested, to which a very slight grin appeared on her face before she disappeared to go do some 'cleaning'.
"I'll get Perseus prepared" Arethusa said as she took the two cubes and put them into the machine. "Drat, It's going to take some time however. At least Two hours or so"
"That's alright. We should have some time to recover from this battle. However. I need to speak with the Captain. I shall be but a moment" Hector said as Norfolk followed him up to the main area.
Ryan was checking on his men as Hector and Norfolk arrived. "Ah, Hector. How are you?"
"I'll be fine. The ships however will need time to recover. Sevastapol will need medical attention. And I don't think the simple medical supplies you have will do it. We need to get to the Hospital nearby"
"Agreed. It's getting there that will be the issue"
"Given what we've done here. I wouldn't put it past the Sirens to launch a reprisal against us. And with Valiant, Arethusa and the others in a bad way. It's still mostly going to be our small group." Norfolk commented.
"Though, with Sheffield now back amongst the land of the still living, she'll be useful to us" Hector replied.
"She's done already? Didn't think we'd have to wait so little." Ryan replied.
"Well Perseus is going to need more time. I would suggest we wait till she's ready, then we head to the Hospital and get the others checked on."
Ryan nodded to the suggestion, he then turned to two of his soldiers and asked them to prepare to recon the route they would be taking to the Hospital. He also asked them to check out any undamaged vehicles that they might be able to use to get the injured ships there quickly.