Location: Razgriz Straits
Operation: Long Harpoon
The cold.
Dark clouds watched over the three carriers as they voyaged in solitude. Floes of ice towered around them like a forest of monoliths. But it was the frigid air that enveloped them like a vice. Chill winds whipped past them like flails, welcoming them to a freezing world that waited at the ends of the earth.
The air of death ruled this remote domain.
Enterprise felt the cold bite against her skin. Her every breath froze before her eyes but she kept the fires of vigilance alive within her. The arctic conditions were nothing unusual to her as seldom as she sortied close to the polar regions. The fields and mountains of ice formed a landscape over near-black waters. Even the skies were devoid of lights or colors, no stars or aurora to guide or comfort their path.
Fitting for the freezing waters to be named after the mythical demon of death - now home to the demons they were to hunt today.
As Enterprise kept watch with an inseparable grip on her bow, so too did Kestrel and Vulture. The two sisters scanned the horizons of ice, wariness from one and intensity from the other. Kestrel could feel it; even if she was not her sister she could sense the heat from within Vulture. All throughout their long journey northward a strong sentiment took root within her even as she held a tight silence.
Not one word. Not even from anyone.
It wasn't until at last a voice offered the first words to break the quiet. "Kestrel? Vulture? Enterprise, can you hear me?"
The broken silence came as a surprise, the familiar voice even more so. "Andromeda…"
"Right here, Kestrel, where I've always been," answered the intelligence ship. "Been with you all every step of the way and that's not going to change now. Not sitting out on any mission, especially this one."
"... No one would blame you if you did," Vulture quietly said.
"It's okay," Andromeda sighed. "Got a job to do, so don't worry about me. Besides… somebody's got to watch over you out here."
Although she could sense a facade in Andromeda's words, Enterprise was nonetheless appreciative of her resolve. A small smile appeared on her face as did Kestrel. "Always glad to have you by our side," she commended.
"Barbet will be busy holding the line at Sand Island; I'm sure your friends will be alright. And speaking of which, Barbet had assigned support for this op, given the nature of the mission and what's at stake."
"Support…?" Right as Kestrel wondered about the question, the answer became noticed in the corner of her eyes. She turned to see figures speeding from behind, IFF revealing their allegiance and names before they arrived.
As Enterprise turned to catch the unexpected reinforcements, the sight of a ridiculous mohawk-like hair gave her pause. She groaned internally in recognition of the destroyer Rooster.
"Yo guys," greeted the punk-fashioned kansen. "Ready to rock? Got my bandmates all here now."
"Bandmates?" repeated the Eagle carrier. It was then more ships caught up, first spotting a petite girl with short white hair with blackened tips where a pair of aviators nested upon. A mere black and white bikini and spats clothed this ship as did sneakers of orange and black. But what hooked Enterprise's eye were great white wings spreading wide by her side. It took her a second to realize it was simply a long scarf.
Silver Star Federation Destroyer
SEAGULL
The little destroyer reached Rooster but proceeded to pass by, zooming ahead of the formation with caution fluttering in the wind as much as the hems of her scarf did. She spared only a quick glance to the others. "Hi, bye! Got the wind to race and subs to catch! See ya!"
And with that, the speedy ship was away, leaving an astonished Enterprise. Such agility was a rare talent even among destroyers - one which she hoped would not be a curse to a speed addict.
Another ship arrived, markedly slower than Seagull. This one Enterprise saw wear a loose-fitting white sleeveless shirt, her dark blue one-piece swimsuit rather noticeable even under it. Marine-blue hair and a low ponytail was accompanied by a pair of swimming goggles and a cap on this girl's head. But what drew most curiosity was her rigging, attached not on her back as armatures but rather ridden on like a mount. Enterprise nearly presumed this kansen to be a submarine until she saw how the vehicle resembled a destroyer's bow with a prominent missile battery placed like a raised head.
Silver Star Federation Destroyer
GREBE
Then all of a sudden Grebe abruptly rolled over. She vanished beneath the waves in a swift capsize before she popped back out. She did not seem to mind that she was now soaking wet, though everyone could see something amiss in her expression.
"Nice to see that the water's good. Chilly but good… Definitely a pleasant day for submarines like me…"
Hearing this, Enterprise considered her earlier impressions of this strange kansen. But no matter. A fourth and final figure closed in, her flannel shirt of red and white checker pattern and blue short jeans a distinct sight. The sense of familiarity furthered with the presence of leather sharp-toed boots and a mustard-yellow ten gallon hat draped over dirty-blonde hair. Looking just like the cowboys of the Wild West, Enterprise already guessed this ship's character. Her drawl only confirmed the impression.
"Howdy ya'll. Glad we could make it."
Silver Star Federation Aegis Cruiser
CANARY
Sailing alongside the carriers, Canary gave Kestrel and Vulture a friendly nod, and a wink at Enterprise. "So you're the Grey Ghost. Nice to meet ya."
The Eagle Union ship nodded back but still found the new faces intriguing. "Who're you?"
"The wranglers 'ol Barbet dispatched for this rodeo. Heard we got two serious outlaws to take down, Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi. Got the mother of all bounties placed on 'em and we're here to collect. Or I suppose you can say there's some mighty big fishes to haul and the Big Catchers are here to make good on their name."
"Our dedicated anti-submarine squad," Andromeda promptly explained to Enterprise. "Specialized in detection and suppression of all enemy submersibles. Not a band of pros like you'd expect…"
Canary chuckled in good spirits. "Would love to 'splain more about my merry band, but I'm afraid the formalities' gonna have to wait. We got a job to do and we got your back. Now let's saddle up and hit the trail, Big Catchers! You know the dance routine!"
"Rock on!" hooted Rooster. "Time to pay 'em back for blowing up my rock 'n roll collection and nearly me along with it!"
"No hiding from us on the surface… Or below," stated Grebe as she popped back up above the waters.
"C'mon! The faster the better!" Seagull shouted in an energetic whoop from far ahead, compelling the rest of her squad to chase in her wake.
Despite the good tidings of reinforcements and their conviction, Kestrel could only avert her solemn gaze. "This was our burden…"
Andromeda sighed. "I know how you feel, but there's too much at stake here. If we don't take those monsters down, then the Federation will lose this war. We can't leave anything to chance."
"Then we make our own," declared Enterprise with determination aflame in her eyes. She surged forward, passing by the two carriers. "I'll take the lead. Any objections?"
"Just point me at them," muttered Vulture, her focus elsewhere.
"Be careful," the intelligence vessel prayed. "We've lost a lot of friends today. Good friends… I don't want to lose another."
Kestrel didn't need to be reminded as she followed Enterprise's lead in complete reticence. In truth she had every compunctions to having a friend take the lead, to dive first into a frightful situation. Armed with naught but her bow and rigging antiquated by this world's standards, the Eagle veteran would face the demons solely with courage. But she understood why - to confront the monsters that claimed the lives of so many and so many more to come, those who meant to her even only as friend and ally. To avenge or to be noble, Kestrel wasn't sure which.
But there was one thing she knew for certain: why she chose to fight. Sister and friends joined her on a perilous journey and it was up to her to see them through the darkness. She was not alone and neither will they - she will make sure of that.
She remembered her vow.
With resolve building in her heart, Kestrel followed after the others.
Amid the frozen sea, the party of three now turned seven was secretly watched. While the numbers were unexpected, their arrival was not.
It was just as predicted.
Furtive eyes tracked their movements, the cold doing nothing to impede the hunt as much as they stung. Hidden as she was even from sophisticated eyes, the secret watcher held her breath lest it be heard, her legs sprung like coils to leap at a moment's notice. Seconds of concealment stirred anticipation in seeing the ships wander into a trap.
Three of whom were the enemy's prized combatants.
"They're here… and so is Enterprise."
The fleet now slowed their advance as they descended deeper into the straits. Like the heart of a jungle, the ice made them yield to their imposing terrain. Myriad of cracks and gaps amid the frozen formations made a maze too confounding to follow. What open waters they rarely found brewed a sense of unease.
"Yo, anything?"
Grebe popped her head above the waves. "Nothing below… except the temperature," she added before quietly sneezing.
Canary confirmed through her sensors but kept the mood among her team warm with her calm. "They might not be here then. Let's keep scanning. This ice field ain't big enough for two of 'em to hide forever."
At the heart of the armada the three carriers crossed the frosted sea, all of their senses on full alert. Radar and eyes worked feverishly to decipher the icy veil around them. Enterprise walked with cautious steps, her hawk-like eyes entrusted to the black skies above, the mess of floes and iceberg around her, and even the obscure waters beneath her feet, wary of even them lest the monstrous submarines rise up from the depths to devour them.
But even with all of her senses and allies on watch, an uncomfortable chill slid down her spine and refused to stop. The cold she could shrug off, but it was the sensation of dread that she could not escape as they ventured into open waters. Every instinct warned her of an ambush, the absence of the enemy proof of their deception, the innumerable shadows eyes that followed after her.
The feeling of being watched…
Then she heard soft laughter.
Enterprise stopped dead in her tracks as did everyone else. She was not alone in hearing the sound as it echoed all around them, seemingly from nowhere.
"Fufufu… So the mighty Grey Ghost has come to attend her own funeral."
It wasn't until Enterprise tilted her head up that she finally found the source. Standing atop the heights of a grand iceberg in front of them, there was no mistaking the silhouettes of Akagi and her sister Kaga against the starless sky. The two vixen carriers leered at their assailants below, judgment cast from their baleful eyes.
The Federation fleet reacted, bracing for a fight. But even as they recognized the enemy, their looks betrayed their surprise. "What are you doing here?" Enterprise demanded.
"Isn't it obvious, my accursed nemesis?" Akagi chuckled. "The demons' ultimatum was an invitation, and I rightfully knew you couldn't resist. Consider it fate for us to meet once more… but this is where yours will come to an end, Grey Ghost. You and that charlatan of yours, right where we want you."
Andromeda gasped in disbelief. "Then… was this a trap? The transmission couldn't have been falsified!"
Kestrel wasn't sure what to believe. "You lured us here using the Scinfaxis' broadcast…?"
To this, Akagi twisted her expression into scorn. "What of the simpletons and their banal desires? They want you, and I seek the phantom… Well, I wouldn't mind disappointing the so-called demons. This frigid tomb is more than enough for all of you!"
The two Sakura carriers sprung their first move. Fireballs of ghostly-white and red fluttered in a storm before descending upon their targets as green-winged Zeroes.
Vulture did not hesitate to ready her rigging. "If a fight's what these assholes want, then I'll give 'em one!" she snarled loudly.
The swarm of Sakura planes was swiftly met by fire from below. Birds of opposing colors cut past as the northern skies became filled with the sounds and hues of battle. The droning of propellors and roar of jet engines vied with each other as often as bullets traded with missiles.
Of the exchange spat between aircraft, the whistling of bombs slipped beneath the commotion. Though they blended with the wintery night, they failed to fool Enterprise as she charged through the storm. Her eyes were locked to one target and one target only: Akagi.
With a sneer, the Sakura ship accepted the challenge. Akagi shot ahead from her perch like a bullet, Kaga close by her side. Four-pointed star between her fingers, it transformed into a squadron with a slash of her hand, the Zeroes like daggers aimed for Enterprise's heart. A bolt of light was the Grey Ghost's reply as the arrow merely grazed past Akagi's cheek. Likewise the proverbial knives left scratches on Enterprise's coat as the two collided on even ground.
A wave of crimson fire forced Enterprise back as she took aim. But an air wing of more Sakura fighters pestered her from the sides, the Eagle carrier spotting Kaga. Orbs of burning white mixed with those of red as sister joined sister, the two foxes uniting to hunt the eagle. But she proved to not be alone as a missile shot across, coming not from above but from two sisters as Kestrel and Vulture leapt into the fray.
Meanwhile, the four ships of the Big Catchers watched as the battle between carriers heated up beneath the hail of enemy aircraft. Though the planes were strange and unlike any they had witnessed, the Big Catchers were far from helpless against the foreign enemies. They moved and reacted as a unit, rising to the new threats with ease.
Seagull zipped over the waters like a blur, outracing the tracers and bombs all around her. She glanced at the strafing runs that all fell empty-handed. "Are they even trying? It's like they're in slo-mo!"
A stream of fire poured from Canary's sides as she engaged in the air battle, disseminating friendlies from targets. Her missiles left dizzying spirals as they tracked the Sakura planes. "Leave these buzzers to me! Give our big gals a hand!"
Rooster cracked a grin as she bolted ahead. The prospect of interfering in a duel between seasoned and powerful warriors dared not scare her as she took aim. While not the intended target she had anticipated, the destroyer had no problems taking potshots at the two Sakura carriers.
"Warning! Four additional contacts detected! Look out!"
Rooster barely heeded the warning until a blade cut into her rigging, kicking her aside to the resounding clang of metal. Landing back on her feet, her subverted expectations demanded an answer. "Who the frack?!"
The appearance of Ayanami proved to be the answer, the brandishing of her sword the retort to Rooster's shock. Seeing her new opponent, the Federation destroyer could only scoff with ridicule. "Really? A freaking weirdo's gotta tear down my jive like that…"
Ayanami said nothing as she hefted her sword for a strike. Rooster likewise braced for blows, only to suddenly find the Sakura kansen upon her again. She yanked aside, the white blade zipping by narrow margins. Without a sword of her own, Rooster called upon her CIWS to pepper her foe at close range. Ayanami leapt from the hot stings but in doing so answered with a series of torpedoes.
Now it was Rooster's turn to jump out of the way of the attack and Ayanami readied to exploit the split-second window until a white blur scraped past her. Recovering from the unforeseen intervention, the little Sakura demon spotted Seagull as she zoomed and zipped about the icy arena. Ayanami took up on the perceived challenge and became one with the wind to catch the two speedy birds of the Federation.
Canary watched the three light-footed ships blitz and joust about like the fighter planes above their heads. As she recognized the new enemy in their midst, she found herself narrowly missing another as a figure in black emerged from the darkness. The brilliant glint of a katana gave this trespasser away, revealing the grave visage of Kinu.
"I was not expecting the enemy to appear in such numbers. But neither numbers nor your esteemed technology will pose a match for a demon!"
To that, Canary could only shrug in resignation at this peculiar - and awfully serious foe. "Well… this ain't my first rodeo."
"Then it shall be your last!" declared the light cruiser before opening up on Canary. Guns, though modest in their size, bellowed out the oni's song while a slew of torpedoes whispered her mercy. But of the sounds her weapons made, it was Kinu's sword that sang her terrible intent. It hungered ravenously for the ship of an entirely different generation, eager to add the taste to its collection.
A flash of light and the blade had finished its stroke. It missed Canary's flesh yet again but Kinu found reason to be pleased with herself as split halves of missiles trickled by her feet. "Were these the weapons we were meant to fear?"
"You were?" quietly teased Canary.
Glowering at the nonchalance of her opponent, Kinu prepared for another flurry until her gaze suddenly veered to the side. Her blade followed the hiss of a missile before Kinu became enveloped in hot smoke. When it cleared, she was marred by heat but none worse for wear, thanking her sword's judgement in shielding her from the blast. She glared at the furtive form of Grebe as she slunk into the water.
Kinu spared a thought at the peculiar hybrid of a ship she just witnessed. "A ship… or a submarine? No matter. I will overcome whatever you throw my way! My Demonblade will show you true power!"
Canary could only look oddly at her Sakura foe before the fight could resume, wondering who in the right mind makes such grandiose statements in a battle. Then again, she was sparring against someone of a different time period so who knew.
'Could this battle get any more wild?'
Around the carriers, a circle of mayhem was raised. Hearing the sounds of cannonfire and seeing glimpses of new ships in the fray, Akagi smiled to herself. So long as the two kept the rest occupied, she would have the Grey Ghost all for herself.
The battle burned with intensity, the temperature enough to melt the ice and cold in the straits. True to her expectations, Enterprise fought with her trademark ferocity but it was from the one they named Vulture who caught Akagi's intrigue. In the duel of motion that swirled like raging waves, the vixen noticed how she became more like a tsunami. The aggression, the fierce stare in her eyes, the baring of clenched teeth…
And where was the third sister?
… Akagi realized it all made sense now.
A ball of flame closed in on Vulture before a passing missile absorbed it, an ebon Tomcat gliding by. But she paid it no mind as she charged on.
"Vulture, wait!"
The carrier ignored Kestrel's cry as she fixated on Akagi. A squadron of Zeroes appeared to bar her path prompting Vulture to launch a wing of her F-15s to force her way open. The aircrafts clashed violently, the Eagles barreling through to sweep the Sakura planes aside, swatting them down where they were. The hunt was merciless and over as swiftly as it began.
With nothing between her and Akagi, Vulture fired her missiles without another word. Suddenly another air wing of Zeroes cut across, catching the projectiles with their own lives before fire bracketed Vulture's back. She reeled, too late to discover she had fallen into a trap. Behind her, Kaga sneered at the Federation carrier.
"How careless."
Vulture turned to react but it was then that Akagi and Kaga seized their chance. The trap was sprung but it was not yet finalized. The duo then directed their focus on the lone carrier caught between them. Summoning her energy, Akagi readied to deliver the coup de grace with relish. The red phoenix began to form only for a golden arrow to slay it before it could be born. Akagi turned her satisfaction into foul anger as Enterprise meddled once more.
Likewise Kaga faltered as an identical figure swept into her view, her arrival punctuated not with Dauntlesses or bolts of light but by missile fire and jet-black birds. She redirected her attention to Kestrel as she reunited with her sister.
"Are you alright?"
"I had them," muttered Vulture.
Kestrel looked up in time to shield herself and Vulture with her rigging from a lone strafing run. Kaga glared at the two as if admonishing them for showing weakness in the middle of a raging battle. She stood, daring them to make a move.
Vulture was quick to take her on and thus replied with a quick burst of a missile. Kaga bounded back, keeping one carrier in her sights while monitoring the other in her peripheral. Vulture in her assault demanded her immediate attention, her unrelenting attacks requiring dodge after another. Kaga parried where she could but saw that was when Kestrel stepped in, warding her aircraft with her own. The same four ravens as always.
Akagi hardly noticed them as she embraced her duel with Enterprise. As the fire scorched the sea, mist rose to suffocate the arena in haze and dew. The Eagle carrier continued to gallop about the battlefield, becoming more like a ghost herself.
Waves of fire sliced the air, yet the pelt of arrows continued to answer back. Zeros and Dauntlesses continued to exchange claws as the two carriers fought with keen alacrity. A scene so oft-repeated over the years in the Pacific. Familiarity and tension rose like water, the two vying for the definitive blow that would finally decide the victor.
Another squadron of Zeroes soared overhead like a gust of wind, the Grey Ghost rebounding without skipping a beat. But as she did, her eyes picked up the uncharacteristic white hide of the Sakura warplanes. A twinge on Akagi's expression gave away her opponent's very realization.
Whistling of a wooden flute filled the air. With a triumphant yell a new warrior barged into the bout, a sword of her own cementing her spot in the fray. Akagi darkened her face with rage. "Insolent Fifth!"
Zuikaku shot her an irked glare. "Do you insult all your kouhais for coming to your aid?"
"Is that even a question?" mocked Shoukaku.
"This does not involve you," Akagi spat.
"Not when the Grey Ghost is involved! Don't think I suspected something when you headed out here by yourselves. You knew Enterprise would be here all along!"
Akagi scowled with barely-restrained outrage. "...! How dare you! That report was meant for my ears alone!"
Even in the face of more adversaries, Enterprise couldn't help but pause. 'Report?... They knew I'd be here?'
Zuikaku returned her attention towards the battle. "Whatever! I'm not missing out on a chance to face off against you, Grey Ghost!"
In a flash, she was upon her Eagle counterpart, the blur of shining steel meeting the blade of Enterprise's bow in a shower of sparks. Zeroes, their skin white like snow, fluttered over their heads as Shoukaku conducted from up high. With a watchful eye from above, Zuikaku was free to engage Enterprise to her liking.
But her reign was not free. Flames arced around the two warriors, reminding them of Akagi's presence. Zuikaku recoiled from the heat that moved to engulf Enterprise, it not caring for allegiances: only that enmity within the vixen kansen devour the hero of the Eagle Union.
"H-hey!" complained the white crane. As she returned to now vie with her First Division peer over their shared target, a certain wind moved its hand to keep them in check. A certain factor in play that both Akagi and Zuikaku could feel, and caught on by Shoukaku as she noticed a pattern. Where either her sister or senpai would leap at the chance to soar over Enterprise, a timely intervention sunk their chances back down. A subtle influence was at play, but rather than be of divinity the answer came in the shape of four actors, their black hide shrouded under the cover of night. As Shoukaku studied these ravens, Akagi leered at Kestrel's Tomcats as a curse, and their owner a blight.
In the midst of a wild two-part melee, Kestrel worked fervently. She chose no particular foe or battle to devote, instead becoming one with all. But rather than fight, she warded. A fighter destined to strike was met with a preventative; fire begot another that instead doused it. Her planes, though four in number, were seemingly everywhere to deliver Kestrel's intent: to her own sister Vulture, to Enterprise, and even to the Big Catchers embroiled in their own battles in the sideline.
It was a delicate task that this carrier earnestly performed, as taxing as it was. Yet Akagi only felt scorn for this accomplishment.
So foolish, to still think of restraint and pacifism. To fight without fighting even in spite of her terrible loss. A distinguished carrier still denying her own power and purpose.
The thought of striking her down graced her mind. But as if her dark intentions could be read, Enterprise cut in with bow and Dauntlesses. The battle resumed as Akagi returned to scorching the sea of her hated enemy.
She vowed to destroy the Grey Ghost once and for all - but not without crushing her charlatan and her sense of idealism along with her.
In the bitter cold, no warmth or heat reached the ice. The chill hung in the air like apparitions, stinging the skin in ghostly howls. The breath of a dark god lingered here where daylight seldom lay. The northern fields of ice that was the rumored dwelling of the Razgriz was also a tomb: of the sun, of warmth, of life.
And to Scinfaxi, her patience as she waited. Waiting - that was the whole scheme. To wait for their intended prey to arrive to their tune. To wait for something to come to them.
Boredom. If there was one thing Scinfaxi despised about boredom, it was her inability to kill it.
She twiddled a knife in her fingers, the blade tender from all the touches. But the warmness was hollow as the dagger sat unused, idle like her own hands. Scinfaxi considered chipping and hacking at an errant piece of ice to alleviate her boredom, but it would not do. The sharp edge yearned to cut, to taste flesh and revel in agony.
But that would only come when they do.
A sigh next to her. "I'm bored."
"No shit, Hrim," spat Scinfaxi. "We've been here for freaking hours already."
"All thanks to your master plan," mocked Hrimfaxi. "Tch. Should've smelled shit the moment that goddamn asshat agreed with you."
"That's because even that dumbass Commissary knows a good plan when she sees one, moron. We know there's still those two bitches we didn't kill, so we bait 'em. Then we frag them. If they don't come? Then we kill everyone and them too. Simple."
Hrimfaxi scoffed. "Suuuure. We freeze our asses out here while freaking Umely has fun with the other idiots. At least they're getting shit done wherever they are… Agh goddammit, that's probably why-"
"Hmph. Screw that son of a bitch… Well whatever. We get to butcher those carriers, or whoever we like in about another half-hour if they still don't come."
"Makes no difference, someone's gonna have a really shitty day~," came a sadistic giggle. "Think we can send one over to where the Commissary is?"
"Heh. Now that would be funny as hell. But I'd prefer to gut her up close. Makes it so much more enjoyable."
"You do you, Scinny… Hey, you think we could actually cut loose?"
The burning-haired submarine peered at her sister. "You mean desert."
"You make it sound so criminal. You know what I meant. No one wanted us 'til the Commissary needed someone to do her dirty laundry. She wanted someone dead and she sics us. And hey, guess what? We're free. Free to do whatever the hell we want. We don't have to follow that damn Umely anymore. And who's gonna stop us?"
"... The collars, moron."
Hrimfaxi groaned with utmost disgust. "And when are you gonna find a way to get 'em off? When you're done doing yourself with your collection?"
"Hey don't make it sound like I'm not trying, dipshit," her sister bit back. "You try finding a way to break them apart without setting off some kind of failsafe and not blow either of our heads. In fact, yeah, let's leave it all to the me just 'cause me having knives translates to being the handyman. Tch. Why don't you go find me a screwdriver and go shove that up your-"
Hrimfaxi cocked her head. "You hear something?"
"What? It'd better not be coming from you or your ass or…" But as Scinfaxi stopped to listen, her ears did pick up faint echoes. In the sea devoid of life or comfort, the unusual sounds stood out as being unnatural. Rumbling from amid the fields of ice.
Distant explosions. Booms.
They weren't the only ones present at the home of demons.
Two grins cracked wide. Yanking on their reins, the submarines mustered their mechanical beasts at the ready as a pair of monstrous jaws were lifted to follow their masters' gaze. They gnashed their jagged teeths, now anxious to feed, to fight, to paint the straits with blood after so long.
The icy tomb eagerly awaited new souls to inhabit the deep.
The battle raged, the snow and floes quivering from every blow. Fighters of all stripes darted around in the night sky as much as fleeting figures did below among the icebergs. Splinters of ice from shots and bullets. The clashing of blade and sinew; of beliefs and motives. The faded commotion raged loudly at the source as everyone traded attacks.
Ayanami kept the Big Catcher's destroyers busy, her weapon and sword kept even busier as she did so. Against three foes she sparred with alone, she moved like a ferocious gale. They could keep pace but not at the speed in which she fought. Her torpedoes and guns made a frenetic melody as they worked in conjunction. And in her hands, her sword dictated the rapid tempo. Like it, all the destroyers became a blur in the wild chase, crisscross of missile streaks and torpedo trails adding to the chaos. Fighting in such tilted odds was already one hurdle in Ayanami's mission as she kept the escorts busy. But as she did, she could see that the three she faced were no novices.
A figure darted to her side, the Sakura demon having become accustomed to her appearance whenever she caught her. Seagull fired off a shot that Ayanami promptly leapt aside before she vanished from sight, all in a span of a split-second. Her head spun as the white-scarfed girl zipped like lightning.
Another missile cut right past Ayanami, bringing her gun's ire towards Rooster who sidestepped from the snap shot. Ayanami rebounded in a different direction in an instant, slipping from the grasps of the two Federation ships. But no sooner did she found herself still in the sights of another. Evading with a slide, the Sakura kansen laid eyes on her third adversary, the strange Grebe as she made her sporadic appearance before popping back under the surface. An odd destroyer if Ayanami ever saw one.
Rather, perhaps she should be treated as a submarine instead. And Ayanami had the necessary tools to dispose of one. Her depth charges primed, she sped back into the melee, now with another ingredient to mix into the furball.
Elsewhere the squadron leader of the Big Catchers grunted as she withstood another strike. Kinu gave Canary no quarter with her sword as she sought the one decisive blow. The blade lashed out relentlessly, the two nearly face-to-face. As such close range, Kinu had only her blade to call upon, her cannons unwieldy in melee. But this also meant that the aegis cruiser's missiles were constrained just the same, with only her guitar to defend herself. Canary proved rather deft with her personal instrument, but it was only a matter of time before persistence won out - assuming the acoustic guitar would even last against the repeated blows.
"Impressive," Kinu remarked. "But an instrument is no weapon of war compared to a sword."
"Well I am rather fond of it," quipped Canary even as she strained to weather the determined attacks.
A slash hit air but to Kinu a miss was only a prelude to the next attempt. But as she swung to ready her katana, a missile from above struck from behind. She had hardly any moment to curse the ebon birds overhead before something smashed into her head. She reeled, fury from indignity bringing her to a swift recovery.
Canary smirked as she hefted her guitar in her hand, its collection of cuts and gashes on the exterior now home to a fresh dent. "Looks like someone owes me a new guitar."
Kinu merely grimaced. Grasping her sword tight in her hand, she intended to pay her back for more than just that.
Meanwhile, a greater contest played out between the carriers. Kaga with Vulture, Akagi and Zuikaku with Enterprise, the war among seasoned warriors swayed in motion. Never stopping, never ceasing, never letting up as aircraft and their owners swirled in constant movement; smoke, shots, and embers drifted in the arctic air.
Enterprise kept her head on a swivel, keeping her typical enemies in view and in mind. Images of Akagi and Zuikaku faded in and out of the flickering flames. She felt many eyes tracking her every movement, never safe for even a moment before strafing runs, fire, or a blade lunged for her.
No… even when it was her against two opponents, Enterprise knew she wasn't alone. At times she caught a missile coming to her aid, a sword acting as her shield. A black bird watched from above. Enterprise gave it - and Kestrel - her silent appreciation.
Her adversaries could not say the same. The periodic intrusions of the Tomcats with their careful but precise attacks was long noted by Zuikaku, her robes bearing singes to remind her. As much as they stung to deny her the opportunity to score a hit on the Grey Ghost, she was far from finished. If Enterprise had an ally to watch over her, then so too did she. Shooting a quick glance, the intent was instantly understood.
'Shoukaku, I'm counting on you!'
Without waiting another second, Zuikaku shot off, her shining blade trailing behind her as a majestic tail. She hurtled towards her sole target, the one opponent she had dedicated to besting for pride and glory but never could. But fail as she may, Zuikaku knew it was her destiny to succeed.
A white-hulled Zero blew past, taking a flurry of bullets meant for her. Zuikaku continued unabated as another plane dove to catch her, catching only another Zero in the process. A bomb went off near her but she powered through, determined to not let a mere blast deter her.
Then she felt a shadow creep over her. Tilting her gaze up, a black Tomcat appeared just in the edge of her vision. Zuikaku held her breath as a familiar feeling resurfaced. She sent out her own Zeroes to swat it down but it rolled and slipped from the swarm of tracers, the jet's passage steadfast and clear: towards her. A missile was loosed and Zuikaku's chest tightened.
Then a stream of bullets cut across from the side, colliding with the missile midair. The Tomcat and Zeroes zipped by each other in intersecting paths, piercing through the smoke. And then so did Zuikaku, unharmed. She gave her sister her thanks before focusing to the goal at hand: Enterprise. She was close now.
Then, astute as always, as Zuikaku closed in the eagle-like eyes of Eagle Union's most decorated warrior fell upon her. Enterprise's aim followed suit as she snapped an arrow up. To be in the enemy sights was a sensation of dread, but to Zuikaku she struggled to feel such thing. To be noticed by a worthy - even respectable - rival was almost like an honor.
The Sakura crane leapt up to ready her blow. The arrow was launched, the light flashing before her eyes. She felt a sharp pain against her chest, but Zuikaku was too close to stop. Only gravity guided her down: towards her target. Her pained winces turned to an expression of victory as time slowed, Enterprise slowly coming within reach.
"I… have you now this time!" Zuikaku roared.
Then she felt her back explode into pain. Her whole body jolted and writhed from the unforeseen attack. The anxious final strike lost form as Zuikaku fell short of Enterprise in a heap. Gasps of air came as disgrace. So close to victory, yet betrayal still found a chance to slip in.
Zuikaku felt her back burn, the embers stoking her anger within. "You…"
Wings and petals of scarlet spread over the waters. Enterprise reacted but it was too late to hide herself from the flame's glow as Akagi advanced. She eagerly took Zuikaku's place with a conceited smirk. "My thanks for clearing a path. Now sit back and watch like a good little subordinate!"
Enterprise turned to face her old foe but noticed a ring of fire form around her. The realization that she was trapped brought jubilation within Akagi as she made her next move. She mustered her air wings as they swirled like petals, and in time the Zeroes transformed into a swarm with but one goal in mind: to bring the phantom's journey to a crushing end.
As the Zeroes took shape in the form of a fiery blizzard, Enterprise was suddenly thrown aside. She barreled through the blaze, a pair of arms insulating her from the heat in time before the sky fell. Out of the inferno, Enterprise found herself in the presence of Kestrel. Her black coat hid the scorch marks hot to the touch.
"Thanks," Enterprise said bluntly as she hastily untangled herself from the embrace. Kestrel welcomed the gratitude, relieved that both emerged no worse for wear - this time.
Akagi looked on with a disgusted scowl but a commotion required her immediate attention. She peered to the side to glimpse at Kaga as she fell back to her side, her clothes as ragged as her breaths. Facing her was Vulture as she too bore the marks of damage. Yet her expression told a much different story as she glared at her foes, daring them to a stubborn dance.
The battle settled in a brief lull as both parties regrouped. Both sides assessed as they took stock of their strengths, counted wounds, and weighed the odds. Fierce glances belied the weary states of all involved, breaths coming as hot mist that melted even the chill winds.
All except for Kestrel who only looked on the tense standoff with worry. Spying with quick glances, she saw Enterprise and her own sister make no notice of her. Only resolve ruled their eyes as did their Sakura counterparts. Determination, anger, hatred; emotions mixed and clashed to rule the heart. No thought spared to oppose this fight.
She wanted to ask why. Why they fight, why they needed to fight. Was any of this necessary? Souls were in mourning and lives were at stake, how could they-?!
"Warning! Incoming objects on radar! They're…"
Kestrel snapped back to the present. "Andromeda?"
"... Oh shit. Cruise missiles, signature spike detected! It's them!"
Instantly everyone turned their attention to the skies, the enmity evaporated and instantly forgotten. Now it was abject fear that was remembered.
"Get out of there! NOW!"
Overhearing the panic, Akagi and the others felt their blood freeze cold as they cast their eyes to the horizon. On a once star-less curtain of night, there now fluttered faint glimmers of light like fireflies. Their glow brought no warmth in their eerie displays as portents of destruction rapidly hurtling towards them.
"Damn those demons!" Akagi hissed venomously.
"You goddamn morons!" accused Vulture. "This is all your fault!"
Zuikaku and Shoukaku looked in stunned offense. "H-hey! This whole thing was their idea!"
A hand from Kaga yanked Akagi back by her shoulders ready to reel her all the way home. "Sister, we must go!"
The same thought hollered in Enterprise's head. Her base instincts implored to run, to remember the calamity that ravaged their home at Eaglin Straits, how it consumed nearly everything in its path. A chance no matter how miniscule, a chance worth taking to try and make it through. If she could flee fast enough…
Then Kestrel zipped past. She gasped as the Federation carrier fled not away but toward the imminent danger. "Kestrel!"
"Just go!" The answer came nearly as a scream as she ran ahead. Her rigging spread wide like wings as her planes shot ahead at full throttle. As fast as they were, Kestrel fervently prayed they were swift enough to meet the radar contacts that trickled into her terrified vision. Her breathing, at first taut, became panicked as she watched the distances shrink. Her mind went into a frenzy as she begged her Tomcats faster forward, waiting for their missiles to have reach.
Every second she waited was one filled with bated anticipation. Every second was a chance they could slip by. Every second was a possibility she could be too late, to avert another tragedy, to save everyone, to-
Suddenly they exploded. The night sky once devoid of any light and witness to a brief dogfight became engulfed in suns. Stars swallowed the night. The heavens trembled and so did the entire straits below, gales whipping, flaying, and battering the mortal ships.
At last the final echo ran its course, allowing the silence to follow. Everyone groaned and stirred, slowly picking themselves up on shaking legs and baffled senses. Federation, Eagle Union, and Sakura Empire; friend and foe alike steadily regained their bearings to find themselves and their companions all accounted for. Rattled, battered, and injured, but none fatally so, like a miracle. The last observation, as much as it was a relief, disturbed them.
Kestrel panted, the air thin around her. "We're… we're not…?"
As her fellow kansens regained consciousness, Zuikaku shook her head breathless. "That… I'm lucky to have gotten through that hell intact!"
"Something tells me it wasn't luck," Enterprise admitted with apprehension.
"That wasn't their entire payload… the projectiles detonated prematurely," Andromeda noted, her tone sinking into dread once she put the pieces together. "It was a fear tactic. They-"
"Andromeda!"
"Canary? What's your status?"
"Have had gentler rides, I'll tell you that," replied the aegis cruiser, regaining her nerves as her unit recovered alongside Ayanami and Kinu. The moment of recuperation saw to a shared ceasefire. "But we've got bigger cattle to wrangle up. I got contacts on sonar!"
"Bearing?!"
"From 285 - two submarines," answered Grebe. "Pretty big mommas…"
In an instant, Vulture's focus honed to a razor-sheen. "It's those damn monsters…!" she cursed.
"They're coming in fast!"
Ahead, from the westward direction where more of the icy abyss lay, distant shadowy figures rode the waves. The seas carved in their approach before they vanished below like apparitions.
Canary scrambled back into action to leap into a new fray. "Load up, Big Catchers! Ready the VL-ASROCs!"
The four snapped into formation as they sped off. Seagull, Grebe, and Rooster darted in the front ahead of Canary. Seagull led the three destroyers in closing in on the two submarines, monstrous on sonar. The trio veered off in three directions, their trajectories to destinations around the two contacts' location. It did not occur to any of them that their movement had slowed.
With Canary's arrival, the encirclement was complete. She grinned at seeing the monsters surrounded and penned in - another rote maneuver performed and dusted. "We got 'em now! Give 'em some pepper ya'll!"
In quick unison, a stream of missiles catapulted into the sky, red in color and broad in size before gravity took over to deliver them below. They all cascaded around a singular spot. A second later, a series of geysers erupted from the waters, great ripples spreading the news of their collective detonation - and of another submarine claimed.
"Did we get 'em?" Seagull asked impatiently.
"'Course we did!" exclaimed Rooster. "No one coulda live through that!"
Canary glanced at her nervously. "That sounded an awful lot like a jinx…"
"Hold on a sec." Grebe dipped below the surface. A moment later she popped back up with noticeable urgency. "-oooaah! Look out!"
A mechanical tail lashed out from the water, upending the whole sea beneath Grebe. Reactions were immediate but the monsters were swifter as another tail swept across like a giant's arm, colliding with Rooster and knocking her out in an instant. She crashed into Canary, finding the destroyer unconscious to her shock.
"W-what in tarnation?!"
The sea swelled before a colossal jaw snapped around Canary's rigging, nearly biting down her own sides. The cruiser yelped and winced at the painful feeling, her torment accompanied by a choir of mocking laughter.
Another yell and it was from Grebe who trapped as Canary was, except she was locked within the nest of razor-sharp teeth of another jaw. Her rigging cracked and moaned against the jagged molars, terror-filled screams joined by sadistic cackling from the beast's master.
Canary struggled, spurred by the cries of her partner until a blur wrenched Grebe free. A second later Rooster disappeared from her grasp. Annoyed expressions tried to make sense of what happened. "What? Oh you shithead…"
"Seagull, hightail it!" hollered the cruiser.
For a split-second, the destroyer considered disobeying. But with Grebe back by her side and Rooster in her arms, Seagull wasted no time speeding off to ensure her rescue was not in vain.
The robotic monster swung Canary side-to-side before flinging her away where she impacted against an iceberg, never to be seen again. "Pheh. Good-for-nothing trash."
"Whatever, that takes care of the goons." An evil smirk casted its shadow across Scinfaxi's face. "Let's do it, Hrim!"
Hrimfaxi shared her sister's expression as the two cracked their reins. "Hyah!"
"The Big Catchers are down!"
The stunned news came too late to instill its effect on all who witnessed it. Enterprise, Kestrel, and Vulture looked aghast at their escort's swift defeat and even their Sakura counterparts mirrored the sentiment. With the Federation anti-submarine squad beaten and routed, dread filled their place.
Kinu and Ayanami raised their swords but were hesitant to advance. "Akagi, what should we do?!"
"Retreat," the carrier bitterly commanded.
As the cruiser and destroyer made haste, the First Carrier Division followed to depart after. The spiteful look from Akagi lingered upon the approaching Scinfaxis before shifting to Enterprise, to Kestrel, and to Zuikaku.
"... You will pay for this," she cursed before she and Kaga withdrew.
Zuikaku and Shoukaku could only shake their heads before they followed suit, eager not to test their mettle against the greater demons they had heard about. Sheathing her blade, Zuikaku left her rival one last farewell. "Until we meet again, Enterprise. Good luck…"
Enterprise said nothing as they ran. But she took Zuikaku's parting words as encouragement as she stood with Kestrel and Vulture. They gathered their strength and courage to quell the fears of the infamous monsters resurfacing in their memory. The horror of a whole land razed to cinders; the tragedy of so many souls lost forever; the death of a friend and sister. So many terrible emotions swirled into an apprehensive concoction as they confronted the killers.
This was it.
Andromeda's bated breath was palpable over the radio. "Here they come…"
"I won't let them get away with this," muttered Vulture. "Make 'em pay!"
Enterprise steadied her aim with her bow until her instincts picked up on something amiss. Kestrel felt it too as she lurched to the side. "Move!"
Her sister obeyed just in time for a slew of dark missiles to slither past like assassins' bullets. The trilling warning so long absent throughout the fight blared their startling return but too late to warn them as the projectiles flew around them. Vulture grunted with agitation as one struck her. "What the hell? My stupid missile alert's not going off in time!"
"It may be that the enemy's missiles have stealth capabilities," observed Andromeda with a pinch of disbelief in her report. "Their missiles may hit you immediately after your missile alert goes off."
"Tch. So that's the trick."
"Eyes up!" called Enterprise as a shadowy cloud began to build up overhead. Picking up on movement, the fleet of Su-47s buzzed like locusts. The three carriers summoned their own aircraft to combat the pestilence as it drifted towards them. The squadrons of Eagles, Dauntlesses, and Tomcats collided with the multitude of swept-winged ravens but they were too few in number to keep them all at bay. Many that slipped through took the chance to pounce on the carriers like carrion starving for flesh.
The three were ready in a flash. Missiles, CIWS fire, and arrows poured forth to hold back the Berkuts. The mutual fire ebbed and flowed like a metronome, the rhythm of the battle off to a frantic start. The carriers moved like the wind as the Su-47s clawed at them with their bombs. They came relentless as did the Verusan birds that hounded after the ships like missiles themselves. Whenever one fell, another or two instantly took their place to resume the single-minded hunt. The fields of ice around them began to simmer and burn.
Just as how they they burned down Eaglin Straits.
Hot air washed over Vulture as she weathered the blast with a growl. Her Eagles wrested with the Berkuts with all their might, missiles spilling from their wings. Targets cluttered her view, choking her vision with the beacons of each and every single enemy bird. Or so she assumed.
"Detecting electromagnetic interference. They're using an ECM!"
Vulture could see the veracity in Andromeda's warning as markers exceeded the enemy's true numbers, the quantity of excess runes a veil. But she cared little for the trickery. Her Eagles hunted with impunity, caring not for grace, precision, or the costs.
Fragments and flaming shrapnel fell like bloody tatters. As vicious as the aerial war was, Vulture saved her hatred for the Su-47's masters. Through seething glares she sought them out.
"Where are they…"
She looked around but found too late a missile making its way onto her back. Vulture restrained a pained grunt as she whirled around to find the source already slinking away with a mocking smile. In an instant the carrier bolted after her, missiles already spilling from her rigging. The giant submarine rode away as the shots scattered around her, the EW shielding in display to her glee.
"Haha~! Missing with that many so close? You suck!"
"Why you-!"
"Vulture, on your six!"
The carrier reacted just in time for another of the stealth missiles to graze past her hair. The other submarine scampered off, laughter writing this kansen's face in spite of the miss.
"Ooh, so close! And you could've been with your stupid dead sister!"
Vulture grew incensed at the remark. "You BASTARDS!"
The Scinfaxis' serpentine beasts drifted in and out of the waves, their riders fading in and out of view all around the three carriers. They roamed the waters like phantoms yet their taunting laughs could be heard all throughout the Razgriz Straits.
"What's wrong, crybaby? You gonna cry~?"
"It's war, moron. People die all the time!"
"Your sister died like a 'lil bitch!"
"Bet she was disappointed in you. Haha!"
"Ha! Your sister must be shaking her head from her grave!"
"Why don't you just give up… and let us send you to hell to see her!"
Scinfaxi wore her crooked smile as she slithered out from the surface, timed in conjunction with a missile aimed for Vulture's back until blistering gunfire cut through it like a scythe. She peered over to see Kestrel - their other target. Her smile grew ever more.
"Here I am, ya singalong brat," she taunted. "Don't you want to meet your dead dumb family in the afterlife?"
The white-haired carrier stayed restrained, her gaze downcast.
The provocations continued. "Well whatevs. We're gonna mess you up like everyone else! You'll be just another tally mark for me and Hrim!"
"... No."
Lifting her head, Kestrel revealed her eyes that shined with tears. But sad and pained as they were, there was a light of resolution from within.
"You won't take another life!... I won't let you!"
A blast erupted behind her, shielded by Vulture who caught the missile in time. Hrimfaxi slunk about the waves with a sneer. "Haha! We'll see about that! Gonna burn you so bad you won't even have time to piss yourself!"
An arrow whizzed out from the side, nicking her. Hrimfaxi's temper flared at the attack and her beast obeyed, swinging its long tail at the one responsible. Enterprise rolled under, another bolt loaded and ready. It shot off towards Hrimfaxi only for a snapping jaw to snatch it midair, shattering the arrow like glass in its mandibles. She shot a dirty look at the Eagle carrier but turned her attention back to Kestrel and Vulture, paying neither Enterprise nor her birds any mind.
Scinfaxi cracked her reins and with a roar from her mount sped off towards the side. Hrimfaxi mirrored the motion to resume the encirclement around their prey, firing intermittently under the cover of distractions and with the promise of underhanded opportunities. The submarines glided and pranced around the straits, snaking riggings obscuring their heading, intent, and even size as they coiled all around the carriers.
Missile fire continued to pour from the two, filling the air in spiraling trails of wild smog. Return fire slipped through the haze, their passage marked only by a warning that came too late. Targets spun all around them but they were left chasing after fleeting images of the demons. Where the carriers aimed towards one, an attempted strike came from the other; where they tried to strike back, the submarines withdrew to tempt them away for a conceited attack immediately after. And all the while, insults and diatribe were hurled towards them.
As she and Vulture endured, Kestrel sensed something behind their ways. "There's a pattern in their movements."
"They're alternating attacks to wear us down," Enterprise realized.
"... I have an idea."
With a plan in mind, Kestrel made her move. Enterprise watched the Scinfaxis as she gauged their reactions, soon spotting the carrier drifting on her lonesome.
Water billowed as something raced towards Kestrel on intercept course. A jaw unexpectedly lunged out, nearly chomping on her. Emerging from the surface, Hrimfaxi cackled as her rigging plowed Kestrel aside. "Outta the way you moron!"
Kestrel rolled onto her feet as Hrimfaxi circled around, the beast already laying eyes on her to try again. But behind her, waves began to surge. Hrimfaxi's grin grew as she sent her rigging forward. Kestrel braced for the clash, still unaware of the threat from behind.
Scinfaxi poked her head through the surface, looking upon the exposed back of the Silver Star Idol with certain relish. But before she could fire off her stealth missiles, a loud war cry from the side snatched her attention before Vulture rushed past with audacious speed, cutting past Scinfaxi as her point-defense opened up. Her rigging swerved as it brayed in annoyance, the emotion shared by its rider not so much from the bullets that pricked her but at the chance torn from under her by this tomboy kansen.
Though pleased to have caught her foe's frustration, Vulture wasted no time following up. A burst of missiles became her next attack. Though the continued ECM played havoc with accuracy, it was of less consequence at close range, their wild and erratic firing pattern catching Scinfaxi like a blast.
She flinched back with snarl but her troubles did not end when bombs fell upon her like a drizzle. She glanced up to witness Dauntlesses pass overhead as Enterprise leapt into the scene, firing arrow after arrow. The bolts of gold did little to harm her as she yanked her monster back, deflecting shots with her dagger along the way.
As the two ships advanced on the submarine, Hrimfaxi could only gawk at her sister. But shifting her gaze over, she could see she was still in the company of Kestrel. They faced each other, their brief clash remembered as they were now alone.
Now it was a duel to the death.
"Screw the hit-and-run bullshit," the demon muttered as her monster coiled by her side, its head raising to strike. She looked upon the carrier who stood her ground.
Seeing her opponent's hesitance to make the first move, Hrimfaxi grinned from ear to ear. If Kestrel was unwilling to vie for first blood, then Hrimfaxi was more than happy to take it.
Seeing one of the demons repelled, Vulture and Enterprise eagerly gave chase. The Federation carrier's spirits shot up at the feat. "We got her now!"
Even Enterprise felt a surge in her spirits, hope and confidence boiling as one and the same. "We'll attack simultaneously. It's two against one!"
Ahead, Scinfaxi could only scoff at her. "Sorry, wuss, but you don't count. It's still a one-on-one!"
Worming through the ice-ridden seas, she led the two in the chase. A pretentious eye watched as Vulture and Enterprise glided after her, navigating the maze of snow and missile fire from her Su-47s. Her lips curled in amusement at their persistence, particularly from Vulture. "C'mon, bird-brain, you got a hot chick right in front of you. Give me your best shot."
Even with a flagrant gesture from her foe, neither Vulture nor Enterprise were in a mood to play along. The former fought to attain a suitable lock, her aim in disarray from the electronic deception. But her view of Scinfaxi was clear as day. Her smoldering wrath had a clear target. How cruel it was for a technological veil to toy with her aim. If Buzzard was around to negate it…
No matter. Vulture wouldn't let herself be stooped by a cowardly gimmick. She will find a way, a way to work around this weakness, to land a blow, a hit, to punish, to avenge, to slaughter the bastard for what she did to Buzzard!
It was the least she could do for her.
Enterprise had it easier, her weaponry free from sophisticated trickery. She loosed arrow after another, each one seeking Scinfaxi and her mount. They accomplish little in damage but each prick stoked her emotion. A quick glance revealed to Scinfaxi that her sister was preoccupied elsewhere, which meant she had to settle this by herself.
'Fine. More for me then!'
Whipping her leash, Scinfaxi and her rigging submerged under an iceberg. Vulture and Enterprise skidded to an halt, turning their heads to watch the waters below. Even in the scene of a fierce battle, the murky seas were calm.
Vulture cursed as her IFF lost track of the monster that slipped beneath their feet. "Where'd she go?!"
As Enterprise scanned the water, a rising sense of unease suddenly blew over into alarm. "Get back!"
The seas started moving, waves moving as though from wind before they picked up. They shifted in an air devoid of breeze, their movements unnatural until the two discovered to their shock that it was a whirlpool. Vulture scrambled back, desperate to find solid footing as the ocean gave way. Pieces and debris of ice were sucked in, adding another hazard to evade. But to Enterprise, they became a blessing as she hopped from one to another, coming out of the vortex with a triumphant leap.
But then a head erupted from the waters, catching Enterprise in a flash. The great serpent's head bit down on the Grey Ghost as it thrashed her around in its bite. She struggled in the monster's vice-like jaws, teeth threatening to crush her along with her own rigging and pinned limbs. As Scinfaxi rose from the surface, her pet brought its captured prey close for her to peer. A cruel smirk greeted Enterprise who could see her own reflection on a dagger's edge.
"Nothing personal, wuss. You were just getting in my way."
With a flick of her wrist, the blade was thrust at Enterprise. She wrenched a hand free to snatch the blade, wincing and straining with all her might as she and Scinfaxi grappled. The submarine snarled as she forced her dagger to inch closer to the carrier, the other desperate to repel it away. And all the while, Enterprise clenched her teeth with frantic exertion as those of the monster tried to do the same to her, slowly crushing her. Sweat dripped from her brow, sparks pricked and bit her skin, and blood trickled from her hand.
Then a cloaked figure cut in, a foot crashing into Scinfaxi to the tune of a loud battle cry. Vulture threw herself upon the submarine with kicks and fists, fingers turning into claws as they dug into Scinfaxi's exposed skin. The demon screeched as her other quarry latched onto her, all pretenses thrown aside as Vulture poured all of her heart's rage upon her. In the midst of the melee, she spotted the innumerable sheaths around the submarine's body and her hand made out for the closest one, yanking out a knife before immediately shoving it back to who it belonged.
A ear-piercing shriek rang out, the intensity of the pained response what Vulture desired to hear. A rush overflowed within her as she at last struck agony on her nemesis. Vulture found herself reveling in the pain she inflicted. "How's the taste of your own goddamn medicine!"
A smashing fist silenced her, flattening her in an instant. Seething from the wound that burned like a furnace, Scinfaxi pried the blade from her flesh before throwing it at Vulture. She flinched, catching the blade with her rigging in time. She lowered her armature just in time to catch another thing to her face, this time being Enterprise.
"Motherfucker!" Scinfaxi screamed before she retreated. Strips of crimson lingered in the waves like wisps.
A tempest churned the straits as bombs borne thunder and missiles streaked with the swiftness of lightning. But as furious as it was, the storm was one-sided.
Hrimfaxi cackled as she became that calamity. Missiles from her Berkuts rained as a furious downpour, her stealthed weapons cutting in like jetstreams, and her own beast making the seas churn and rage. Waves rose high as she bore down upon Kestrel.
The monster snapped its jaws after the carrier, frenzied chomp after another leaving her no respite even as she skirted from the teeth with ease. The prey proved rather slippery for the great snarling beast yet its master found it all most amusing. What resistance the Federation kansen put up seemed nonexistent compared to the overwhelming might exhibited by the submarine.
"What's the matter, scared~?" Hrimfaxi mocked. "Widdle carrier too afraid of fighting? Too chicken to hurt me?"
"No," quietly replied Kestrel. "I'm not afraid. Fighting… is something I never enjoy doing."
"Well ain't that something: a freaking peacenik. A real joke. Might as well just kill yourself then, tweedle bird. Or don't, so you can amuse me. It's been ages since I had a good fight that lasted more than a minute. So many squirts, so many losers. Tingles my insides real good, to beat 'em all to the punch.
"You know what that feels like? Winning. And I've always been a winner."
"... Not today."
Hrimfaxi leered at the carrier with disdain. "And who's gonna stop me, the pussy bitch who doesn't like fighting? Couldn't protect a hundred dead brats like you, even your own sister? Worst hero ever!"
With the crack of her reins, a giant jaw lunged for her. Kestrel ducked aside but the attempt turned into a feint. The elongated body of the beast flexed and the head sprung towards her, lifting the carrier off her feet. In the split-second of being airborne, a flurry of missiles showered towards Kestrel. Hurried point-defense and flares emanated from the vulnerable ship but could not fool the Berkuts that cut through the fire, ramming into the carrier like harpoons.
A pained cry slipped from Kestrel as she tumbled over the surface. Barely a second was offered for her to clamber up on her feet before a long tail whipped out of the waves to swipe at her, sending Kestrel careening into a boulder of ice. Eyeing the stricken ship, Hrimfaxi sicced a wave of missiles like bloodhounds after her.
Spotting the threat through hazy vision, Kestrel flipped over the iceberg just in time for the missiles to reduce it to mist. Landing on her toes, she glanced up in time for Hrimfaxi to barrel through the fog, sawed teeth tearing through the haze as easily as it threatened to her lest she not weave aside. The beast rushed by, its bite and sweeping tail relentless in their pursuit of the carrier.
Hrimfaxi curled her lips at Kestrel's continued persistence. Even under the weight of all her injuries her quarry kept slipping from her grasp, always craftily dodging against the onslaught. She loved nothing more than to win, but Hrimfaxi also appreciated tenacity from her victims - it kept things entertaining.
But no matter how good this carrier was, it was only a matter of time before the storm finally caught her.
The submarine kept up the attacks, the battle resembling more a siege as Kestrel was left without room to sally against hellfire and frozen steel that came from every conceivable direction. For every inch of ground Kestrel forfeited, Hrimfaxi gladly seized miles.
Kestrel jumped back but as she landed, she felt the cold of an ice wall behind her back. Hrimfaxi felt elation to corner the Silver Star Idol, the ice barring all path of retreat and her in the way of all hope. Kestrel knew she was trapped as the shadow draped over her, the beast readying for a strike. Panting and weary, she awaited the inevitable.
Another gratifying win for Hrimfaxi. She'd thank Kestrel for showing a girl a good time, but she'd still have to kill her anyways.
The beast pounced to consume a kansen in its snarling maw. But it was at this instant that Kestrel sprung up. The monster grazed beneath her by a hair's breadth, skewering itself into the ice. To Hrimfaxi's stumped eyes, the carrier began scrambling up the length of the mechanical creature. With the submarine rigging as her only way out, Kestrel was en route straight for Hrimfaxi herself.
The submarine hastened to swat down the incoming carrier and her flock of Su-47s beckoned, sending a flurry of missiles spiraling down on Kestrel. She sprinted, keeping in mind the impending fire but kept her focus razor sharp on her opponent. Neither CIWS fire nor countermeasures erupted from her as she let the missiles draw close.
The beast then freed its head from its brief entombment. Having felt an unwanted presence along its spine, it reared its head back to rid the pest. The beast's recovery nearly threw Kestrel off-balance… but it threw an even greater disarray for Hrimfaxi as she saw an imminent collision.
"Shit! You freaking idiot!"
Kestrel dove past the submarine, the two meeting and parting glances before the carrier vanished. With her gone, the only one left in the entanglement was Hrimfaxi herself. The Berkuts' strafing saturated her rigging in fire; her steed groaned in pain. Hrimfaxi recoiled back as she came under her own attack and even thrown about by her own pet who reacted the same.
When the missiles subsided she brought her rigging to heel. Hrimfaxi gave her pet a most hateful glare before she remembered who it was that caused it. She whirled around but was met only with a vacant field of ice, the pieces strewn about like debris. Somewhere among them, Kestrel's voice called out from the void.
"Your power, your lust for bloodshed… it can only end with you consumed by it. You can't win against your own dark desires, Hrimfaxi. Not like this… There's another way!"
The submarine sneered at the words, finding her foe's reluctance a scathing insult after what she just pulled. Hrimfaxi whipped her beast into motion with a particularly vindictive lash as she began scouring the floes for the carrier.
Kestrel remained in hiding, taking the chance to gain reprieve. She collected her breath, regathered her strength and her thoughts. She reflected on what she learned of her opponent, the one who murdered so many… and intended to continue so if not stopped. Memories of her sister drove her, yet Kestrel could not shake the feeling of conflict within her. She reflected on what she said, the warning she imparted upon the killer. A killer who, though a demon in appearance was still a kansen at heart.
During their close entanglement, Kestrel had caught notice of it. Something she saw on both the Scinfaxis but only confirmed from the close shave. Whatever it was, she reckoned it was forced against their will. Were they monsters… because they were made to?
Silently, she withdrew, a disquieting discovery brewing within her.