October 27, 1941
It was Navy Day, a time where American and its people must give their U.S. Navy some recognition for all their courage and effort to keep their country free and peaceful. Most of all, it was also a day where the U.S. citizens recognize President Roosevelt's birthday.
Today, in the harbor, a Pennsylvania-class battleship with five decks, four turbine propellers, four turret guns, two plane launchers, six lifeboats with two stacks of three, and the name, ARIZONA painted in black on her hull at the aft section with a number saying "BB-39" painted in the middle was in one of the dry docks undergoing some repairs as a devastating, gashing hole was on her port side while the men worked hard trying to patch her up.
Behind her and the drydock was a Nevada-class battleship with the same number of turret guns, one plane launcher, two watch towers, a smokestack on the middle, seven lifeboats with two on the edges of the deck and five sitting in the middle, and the name OKLAHOMA painted in black on her hull at the stern section with the number "BB-37" painted in black on the middle, sitting anchored near the drydock with a damaged bow.
Jonas looked at the battleship still in the dry dock, looking at the hole being repaired by the workmen down in the well. He stood amazed at the damage that was sustained by whatever had happened.
"Damn, I never thought a collision would cause this much damage," he muttered.
"You'd better believe it, rookie."
Startled, Jonas turned around to see two men standing beside him, one looking middle aged and the other looking just a little younger.
"Oh, Captain Valkenburgh, Samuel Fuqua, I didn't even see you coming," said Jonas.
"Please, call me Sam," said the younger man.
"Anyway," added the captain, "this ship may be more bigger and stronger compared to the Nevada class, but it can still have her limits. You've heard about the Titanic and the Bismarck."
"Yes, sir," replied Jonas. "But wasn't the Bismarck our enemy?"
"Oh, yes, she was," chuckled Sam. "But the Nazi's said that she was supposed to be the strongest regardless, and Britian still took her down."
"Good thing they did," the captain said, "Keep her afloat much longer and our country would really fall into ruin."
Jonas agreed as another man approached them.
"Excuse me," he said. "Sorry to intrude, I just came to express my sincere apologise for what had happened.
"Nevermind, Mister...erg..."
"James Ward, from the Oklahoma," the man introduced, shaking Sam's hand.
"Oh, yes! That's it," smiled Sam. "Anyway, I was saying that nobody knew what was going to happen. It was unavoidable."
Then they saw a workman climbing down one of the cranes, looking very tired indeed after a long day of work, and possibly more as he approached the four men standing nearby.
"Ah, George Walters," greeted the captain.
"God damn, what the hell did you boys do to give her damage this big?" George asked. "It was lucky enough for us to finally get her into the drydock."
"My men on the Arizona were undergoing some night training outside the harbor five days ago," said the captain. "It was very foggy. And, before we even knew it, we were rammed by the Oklahoma. It's a miracle that she stayed afloat afterward and everyone made it out alive."
"Don't forget all the munitions stored inside the hull weren't affected either, including all the many pounds of magazine we filled in her," put in Sam. "Otherwise, the ship would've been a powder keg."
"Well, despite all that," the captain continued. "What's it look, George? Do you think she'll be ready to take my men home for Christmas?"
"The men are doing everything they can as fast as they could," replied Walters. "However, with damage this big, I don't think it'll be fast enough. We may get her repaired before December. But, unfortunately, we could only arrange her trip to San Fransisco on January. Same goes for the Oklahoma waiting behind her."
"January?!" exclaimed Jonas. "Why can't we go back as soon as she's fixed up?"
"Because they still need inspecting to make sure they're seaworthy," Walters explained. "If not, they're likely to go underwater before you're halfway there. I promise they will be okay enough for possible training routine trips and possibly gunnery exercises too," he added. "Other than that, that's the best we can do. I'm sorry."
The four men looked at each other with apologetic looks before Captain Valkenburgh looked back to George.
"Thank you, George." he said to George, who nodded in reply before going back to the crane.
After the discussion ended, the men started to walk away. But as Sam started walking, he soon noticed that Jonas was still standing right where he was. He appeared to be looking at a photograph in his hand, showing himself, a young woman his age, and a young baby in her arms. He looked very meloncoly as he continued to look at the picture. Seeing how sad he was, Sam walked over and comfortably put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.
"I'm sure your family will be fine," he said warmly.
"I was always trying my best to come back to them," Jonas confided. "Sometimes, I feel like the Navy wants to take me away from them."
"I'm positive we all feel that way," Sam consoled, "But you know as well as I do that despite what it looks like, we're fighting for not just our people or our country, but for our families too. Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices for the greater good." he finished before walking away, leaving Jonas to continue looking at his family photo, thinking of every word he had said non-stop.
No one had any idea that the rescheduling was going to turn out to be a big fatal move.
At the hospital, Izetta, Finé, and all the other nurses were on their daily break, listening to the radio. There was several news so far, but what they were about to hear next will come to an unexpected turn of events.
"And now, we go live from Washington where we will hear President Roosevelt speak."
"America has been attacked! I say that we do not propose to take this lying down. Our determination not to take it lying down has been expressed in the orders to the American Navy to shoot on sight. Those orders stand. When we have helped to end the curse of Hitlerism, we shall help to establish a new peace which will give to decent people everywhere a better chance to live and prosper in security and in freedom and in faith. Each day that passes we are producing and providing more and more arms for the men who are fighting on actual battlefronts. That is our primary task."
Izetta was puzzled with what she had heard.
"What does he mean that America was attacked?" she asked. "Was a state bombed?"
"No, he must be talking about the destroyer, Kearny," replied Bianca, "who was hit by a German submarine ten days ago."
"Did she go down?" asked Izetta with concern.
"Oh no, she made it back for repairs," said Bianca. "But I can't say all her crew came back with her."
"Hey, don't scare her, Bianca," scolded Finé before turning to Izetta. "Don't worry, it was just eleven men who didn't make it and only a handful hurt. It was a miracle that the destroyer was able to make it back at all, otherwise all those besides the injured would've perished."
That made Izetta feel a little better.
"Just like the Arizona and the Oklahoma," she murmured.
"Exactly," smiled Finé. "If you leave out the submarine and casualties' parts that is."
Finé and Izetta giggled a little at this before Izetta grew concerned again.
"So, does this mean we're entering the war?" asked Izetta.
"Oh please!" scoffed Bianca. "Despite what he said, it's gonna have to take a lot more than that to get us into the war. So, I wouldn't worry about it."
Finé grinned hearing this coming from Bianca of all people, and so did Evira.
"Well, well, Bianca," said Evira. "That's rather reassuring coming from you."
Bianca winced and looked at all the other nurses looking at her.
"Don't get me wrong," Bianca huffed. "I still don't trust that redhead."
But all the other nurses knew the truth. They could tell that Bianca was starting to warm up to Izetta, and even she knew it. Izetta couldn't stop smiling, not too big though. But just then, Gertrude arrived.
"Listen up, nurses." he told them. "I have an announcement to make."
The nurses all stood up together, including Finé and Izetta, ready to listen to what Gertrude had to say.
"All of you are doing well," she said to them. "I'm pleased with all your progress. They were all so great that some other clinics, hospitals, and even hospital ships are recommending some of you."
The nurses were pleased with this news, especially Izetta and Fine. Izetta truly hoped that she would still be with her best friend, wherever they went. She always felt safe with her.
"Bianca, your new station will be on the hospital ship, USS Solace," said Gertrude, finishing up with her list.
"Yes, ma'am," Bianca answered.
"Finé Eylstadt, I'm still gonna need you here at the Naval Hospital." Gertrude said to Finé, who nodded before turning to Izetta standing beside her. "And Izetta Fitzgerald, next month, you will be moved to the new hospital at Hickam Field once the construction is complete."
Izetta's eyes went wide after hearing this news.
Once Gertrude finished with her announcements and gave the nurses their upcoming status and stations, she left them alone once again. Meanwhile, Izetta could hardly believe what was happening. Being over at another hospital while her friend stayed behind meant that she was going to be separated from her.
"So, does this mean, I won't be working with Finé anymore?" she asked quietly with worry.
Finé could see her friend was worried and put her hands on her shoulders.
"Listen, Izetta, I am your best friend and I'll always be there when you need me," she said with a comforting smile. "But I won't always be there to help you. Sometimes, you have to stand on your own two feet even when I'm not around."
Izetta was silent for a brief second.
"It's just... so sudden," she said sadly. "I just don't know if I'm ready for this."
"You are," smiled Finé with encouragement. "I've seen how hard you worked; you are doing a great job for this country. You even took on a patient and I wasn't even in there with you."
Poor Izetta still wasn't sure, but Finé wasn't stopping there.
"Izetta, no matter how far apart we are, we will always be the best of friends," soothed Finé. "And besides, both of those places are still here at Pearl, so I doubt we'll be too far away. So, in other words, I'll still be around. It's not like we're moving away to different countries."
This was starting to make Izetta feel better.
"One thing more," she added. "We are still living in the same house. So, we'll still see each other every day. So, do your best, not just for me, but for yourself too."
At last, Izetta managed to make a small smile to her friend and nodded.
"That's the spirit," Finé whispered happily. "In fact, to cheer you up, why don't we all go see that premiere of the Marx Brother's new film, 'The Big Score?'"
"Great idea," said Evira. "I read that it's going to be hilarious!"
Other nurses giggled at the idea, except for Bianca, who doesn't seem to have a sense of humor in her but agreed to go anyway.
Meanwhile, up above the harbor, a helicopter was flying over the harbor with Sophie onboard. Sophie marvalled at all the ships below her and took numerous pictures of them with such excitement. Beside her was a smart young man with brown eyes and brown hair that is to ears length, giggling silently as he watched Sophie's excitement.
"Oh, yes! Yes! This is golden!" Sophie said as she kept flashing her camera. "Look at them all! So many!
"Your girl seems quite excited, Mister Bisterfelt," commented the pilot to the young man sitting beside Sophie.
"You have no idea," he replied.
"Thank you for taking me to this, Rickert," she told the young man. "This was an excellent idea."
"It's no problem," replied Rickert."
Then the pilot noticed the two ships at the drydock.
"And down there by the drydock, you'll see the Arizona and the Oklahoma in need for repairs since their collision," he told them. "They should be fully repaired by the beginning of December."
"I see," Sophie replied with intrigue as she took their photographs.
Once the tour was over, the pilot landed the pair on the ground, and they walked on home. Sophie was showing Rickert all the pictures she had taken from up in the air.
"What do you think?" she asked. "I told you I would do a good job."
"Indeed, you did," smiled Rickert. "You're doing our country very proud. You're very entitled to getting your job done no matter the cost. And that's the very thing I like about you."
Sophie smiled again.
"I once thought my life was done for before I met you," she complimented. "But you helped me rise back up on my own two feet. My parents just always belittle me no matter what I did."
"Well, thankfully, you don't have to worry about that now, what with me being by your side and all," chuckled Rickert.
Sophie chuckled back at this humor. And they continued to joke around and talk on their way home.
Over at Japan, Yamamoto was in his office, busy with his paperwork, endorsing a large order of the fins for the torpedoes being delivered to them for their attack. He had already counted the number of torpedoes they already have and needed to make sure he had the same number of fins as theirs. As he thought, he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed, recalling the events of a meeting with the Naval General Staff over a week ago.
"I'm glad they finally accepted our request for the Kido Butal," he thought to himself, "otherwise I would be forced to resign."
He was just finishing up when he heard a knock on his door.
"Genda, admiral."
"Come in," Yamamoto answered.
The door opened and in stepped Genda.
"Admiral, I've just gotten news from our spies over at Pearl Harbor that I think you would want to hear," said Genda.
"Well, spit it out," said Yamamoto impatiently. "As you can see, I am very busy here."
"Their report was said that two ships of the Pacific fleet are at the drydock for repairs," Genda informed him.
"Why?" asked Yamamoto, uninterested.
"It was a collision at sea, sir," replied Genda. "It was said that it happened during heavy fog in the evening."
Yamamoto listened hard to what Genda had said.
"Okay," he said, nodding. "And this is important because...?"
"Well, it was said that those two ships were planning to leave the harbor before our attack was ready sir," Genda added. "But after the accident, they will unfortunately have to stay at the harbor until next year."
Now Yamamoto was interested hearing this. It was quite the surprise to hear that some of the ships were already planning to leave, only to then hear that those ships will be staying at the harbor. And that's when he realized that this collision had sealed the two ship's fate, along with their crews. He smirked in delight at this.
"Excellent," he sneered. "Our entire plan was to wipe out the fleet, but I guess that means we now have more ships to destroy." he added before looking to Genda. "Thank you, Genda. This news shall be very beneficial to us."
"I'm glad it meets your expectations," said Genda. "So, how do we go about this attack? We've got over 400 planes and six carriers. Shall we have them all take off at once?"
"No, we'll send them off in three different waves." he replied before numbering them. "The first will be the opening act, the second shall be the main course, and the third and final one will be the ultimate finale where the entire harbor burns in flames like fireworks shooting in the sky."
"I like that idea, admiral," smiled Genda.
"Good. Unless you have more to say, dismissed!"
Genda nodded and walked out the door, leaving Yamamoto to continue his paperwork, feeling more excited for his planned attack to be ready, knowing how little those ship crews know that staying there would possibly lead to their ultimate doom.
"If those vessels were hurt before," he thought, "they'll be a whole lot worse when I'm through with them!"