Chapter 6: Royal Rescue
"Can we dispatch our aircraft?"
"No, they're too far out. It would take at least an hour even if we launched right now for our planes to reach the battle. Maybe less since our sisters are heading in our direction at full speed but even then…"
"Don't we have any ships on station nearby that can aid them?!"
A grimace appeared on Enterprise's already stressed features, shaky hands digging into the edge of the map they were observing and calculating distances on, the cruel reality of the situation rearing its ugly head.
Their sisters were simply too far out and under too heavy assault for them to render any meaningful assistance, the blunt mathematics of their available resources and top speeds meaning all they could do was watch.
"But, but there has to be something we can do, right?!"
Zuikaku's desperate plea was met with averted eyes and shameful silence, Tirpitz pursing her lips as she clasped her hands together, no doubt resigned to yet another session of watching her sisters and allies die as she stood by.
Belfast and Warspite were visibly distraught, the battleship pacing back and forth with aimless energy while Enterprise grabbed hold of the maid's hand, squeezing it as she tried to console the pale and thunderstruck shipgirl...all while trying to keep herself composed with little success.
"Essex...always trying to outdo me and make a name for herself. And now it seems I'll even outlive her as well."
Shoukaku and Zuikaku bowed their heads, quietly whispering in prayer underneath their breath for their fellow sisters-
-and a round of startled yelps left the gathered shipgirls as the deck beneath their feet suddenly shifted, the dull roar of engines and reactors firing on all cylinders reaching their ears as the mighty vessel began to move. Fast.
"What's going on, where's he taking us-"
"Warspite!"
The battleship snapped her gaze towards the command deck's entrance as Alexander strode through it, meeting her stare without preamble as he ordered, "Have your ship follow mine, I have an idea that might work."
For a split-second the lithe shipgirl stared at the male Siren with a disbelieving expression...and then the combination of his authoritative tone and the slim chance that she may be able to save her queen had her close her eyes and coax her upgraded vessel to full power, streaming after the gargantuan hulk that was moving at a swift pace it had no business achieving, hails from Azur Lane requesting a status report summarily ignored as the male threw himself into his command throne, accessing the comm arrays and placing a call to a certain frequency that had been logged earlier.
"Hailing HMS Queen Elizabeth, this is, umm…"
Momentarily thrown by the fact that he had no callsign ID of any kind or even a name for the ship Alexander settled on, "This is a ship stationed at Azur Lane that might be able to help. How long will you be able to continue on your course without sustaining casualties? I need your best estimate, over."
The rest of the shipgirls along for the ride aside from Warspite stared at each other with clear bewilderment, a regal but exhausted tone filtering through overhead speakers a moment later as it responded, [Yours is an unfamiliar voice, but I suppose I am in no position to complain or turn away offers of assistance. At our current speed we will last...perhaps ten minutes before the barrage becomes untenable to withstand, over.]
"Understood, maintain as straight a course as possible for ten minutes and we'll do what we can, over."
[I shall not hope for a miracle, stranger...but if you can deliver one that would be most appreciated, over.]
"It won't be me delivering it, your majesty...that'll be Warspite doing the heavy lifting."
"E-eh?!"
The startled exclamation from the smaller shipgirl went unheard, Elizabeth's tone still tired but now containing a bit of curiosity as she replied, [Oh? Then I know we shall be in good hands. I will be counting on you, Warspite. Queen Elizabeth, out.]
The comm snapped off, the Royal Navy blonde gaping at the sudden words before another violent lurch of the ship caused them to adjust their weight, the Commander stepping inside a moment later with a natural and uninterrupted gait as if the ship wasn't violently rocking and accelerating.
"By the sounds of it there's a plan."
"Maybe, Commander? He hasn't told us much about it, only that there's a chance he might be able to do something to save our sisters and that Warspite will be the one to help him."
"Hmm...well let's see how this turns out, shall we?"
"If you say so, Commander."
Warspite looked to be beside herself with apprehension as she was put more or less in the limelight, her Queen's life literally on the line as a distant THUMP could be heard, the shipgirls and older human curiously glancing towards Alexander as he heaved out a sigh, announcing, "I fired off a drone, we should have visual in three minutes."
"Wait, if your aircraft can reach our sister's position in three minutes-"
"It's a reinforced drone with no weapons and it was fired from a gun that would shatter any of my conventional frames. It's not the solution, only part of one."
Silence fell, the minutes passing by as Alexander once again seemed to concentrate on something else entirely...and abruptly stated, "Visual coming up now."
One of the screens suddenly snapped to life, displaying an aerial image of a sight that set their hearts racing.
Two battleships and one carrier fled from a wide formation of Siren ships, dozens of dots flying back-and-forth across the screen that were the outnumbered fighters belonging to Essex and I-13 locked in frantic mid-air duels with Siren interceptors and bombers, the screen showcasing three highlighted outlines beneath the waves that were no doubt the submarines, all six allied vessels being bombarded by Siren cannons in a continuous stream.
The only thing keeping them safe were the massive shield projectors arrayed across Nagato and Elizabeth's hull alongside the sporadic cloud cover that concealed them from the visible spectrum...but the massive hexagonal shields were rapidly failing, shattering and cracking under the assault as the grinding of teeth and clenching of fists filled the bridge, the shipgirls helpless to do anything but wait as the clock continued to count down.
"Warspite, are you ready?"
The sudden query from Alexander caused the shipgirl to stiffen, voice tight as she asked, "And just what would you have me do? They're still almost four hundred nautical miles away from us and-"
"I need you to take control of both your ship's new railguns and my own, using them to bombard the pursuing Sirens from range and destroy or divert them. They have an effective range of 150 nautical miles so you should be able to manage it."
The Royal Navy shipgirl gave the male an incredulous gaze.
"T-that's more than twice their supposed range, how am I supposed to be able hit a target that far away?! And are you not the one with the knowledge on how to use these weapons-"
"Tirpitz saw how 'effectively' I made use of them upon my debut. Knowledge is no substitute for experience and experience is what you have in abundance. One minute, I'm passing control over to you now."
The shipgirl froze, completely unprepared for the sudden and legitimately terrifying prospect of having her queen and sister's lives depend on such horrific odds. It was one thing to be relied upon...but to have to face down such an impossible task that only she could do, with no backup or outside aid she could call upon?
The normally stoic shipgirl's hands wouldn't stop shaking, synaptic connections flaring within her brain as knowledge and skill to properly operate the new weapons was gifted to her in a confusing rush of information and sensation, a nervous swallow causing her slim throat to jump as the stress of being changed was only exacerbated by the herculean task upon her.
"Use the drone's provided info to accurately hit the targets, you won't have to eyeball it to such an insane degree that way."
Warspite wasn't filled with much reassurance at those words, the impossibility of this labor seeming all the more daunting the more she thought about it.
How was she supposed to accurately fire upon targets so far outside her weapon's effective range, avoid friendly casualties and all on a weapons system she had never operated before? All the drone could do was provide her distances and speeds, it couldn't tell her how high to arc the cannons or at what specific angle to point them...she would have to figure that out on her own.
"This...this is impossible!"
Never one to back down, never one to give up in the face of adversity...Warspite couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe...this time she was well and truly out of her depth. Even the knowledge that her queen was relying on her couldn't do away with nerves and anxiety coursing through her veins.
The rest of the shipgirls and the Commander watched the lithe battleship with steadily growing worry as Warspite uneasily shifted where she stood, biting her lip and screwing eyes tight as if in unimaginable strain. They had never seen her like this, so outwardly stressed and under pressure...for the first time they wondered if perhaps the indomitable Royal Navy shipgirl had met a mountain she couldn't scale-
"W-what?!"
-and they all blinked as the jellyfish-like Rigging picked up the lithe female and deposited her sideways on the much larger male's lap, two tendrils attaching themselves to the base of their necks as the shipgirl stiffened at the action, Alexander quickly reassuring her with, "Don't worry, this should help you make the shot. Try to relax."
Before any of the others could ask what he was doing the Rigging began to lightly hum with some kind of mechanical process as both of their bodies stiffened, dual grimaces coloring their expressions as the Wisdom Cubes implanted into their bodies began to glow, Alexander's arms seemingly automatically encircling Warspite's lithe form.
"Warspite, I'm ordering you to sink the Siren vessels pursuing your fellow sisters and save your queen, is that understood?"
Yet again the gruff and authoritative tone he had used only once before slipped past Alexander's lips, the Royal Navy battleship exhibiting the same reaction she had last time, snapping to attention and immediately leaning rather suggestively into his embrace, rotating her body so that seemingly every part of her slim form could touch the man as much as possible, her voice distant and dreamy as she boldly proclaimed, "Yes, your highness!"
The Commander's pointed gaze at the other shipgirls was met only by unsure shrugs, none of them able to fully explain just what the connection between the two was or why it happened as they once more resigned themselves to simply waiting.
None of this was noticed by the connected pair, however. Alexander was doing his best to remain calm, Observer Zero's explanation of how he may be able to help Warspite pull off such an absurd feat leaving him in a distracted state of mind as he tried not to think of anything at all, his brain calm and clear as he let the young woman in his lap and protected within his arms perform her duty.
…
He definitely wasn't thinking about how she smelt like cherries and steel, or how warm and soft her comparatively small body felt pressed into his, or how beautiful he thought she was when concentrating and focusing like this-
"Dammit, focus, Alexander...now's not the time to be thinking with your lower half."
Warspite's own state of mind was one of far more turbulence, even as she carried out her preparations to fire with infinite familiarity.
She had never really been sexually attracted to anybody before. Oh, she had thought some of her sisters or the occasional dockworker was quite easy on the eyes but actual lust beyond a few seconds of fancy and fantasy was completely foreign...and yet here she was, on what was essentially a stranger's lap - one who might still be an enemy at that - and all she could feel was a sense of pleasure at being hugged so tightly, of how her skin and clothing felt when it was brushed against by the man who gave her the means and orders to save her queen...her core was nothing but heat and wanton desire, a near-uncontrollable urge to feel more of the stranger that was Alexander Curtis almost driving her mad.
...But she had a job to do and she was still coherent enough to know this was no time for dallying. Instead she delved into the strange connection that existed between them, all of her king's knowledge and understanding flowing into her alongside something...warm. Romantic. Sexual. Intrigued.
"N-no, ignore those thoughts, Warspite!"
Fighting down the completely uncharacteristic blush that colored her cheeks the shipgirl instead flexed her extrasensory muscles, maneuvering the two unfamiliar cannons located on her ship alongside the four on Alexander's, six muzzles tilting upwards as she applied the data she was given into a rough estimate of where she would have to launch the munitions, observing the drone's footage and measuring it against what information she could glean from the two ship's sensors.
...It wasn't easy but as ten minutes came and went the blonde couldn't help but smile, lips curling upwards as she prepared to fire.
It was a strange thing, feeling so close to someone who may one day have to die by her guns...but if that came to be then she would treasure this moment like nothing else, if only because she was entirely unsure if she would ever have something like it again.
"HMS Warspite, commencing bombardment!"
Elizabeth winced, yet another barrage of munitions straining her vessel's already weakened shields as she took up the rear of the formation, yet another one of Essex's interceptors being shot down by Siren craft as bombers charted a course for them, air cover practically non-existent at this point while anti-air was severely limited, considering the damage they had sustained.
A sensation like a branding iron being applied to her skin as a Siren shell carved a blasted crater into her vessel's hull caused the tiny shipgirl to grit her teeth, forcing herself to remain calm for the sake of the others within their convoy.
[Queen Elizabeth, allow me to perform rearguard duties, you have been taking and suffering enemy fire for several hours now-]
"And in a few more minutes our fate will be decided one way or another, Nagato. I can take it, the ruler of the Royal Navy will not fold beneath such a paltry assault!"
[...Understood, I shall continue to guard and shelter our sisters.]
[Not to break up the heartwarming moment, sisters, but all of my interceptors are down, brace for incoming bombing runs!]
Voice exhausted and strained with sympathetic pain as her craft were shot down by the dozens Essex passed along her warning, Elizabeth briefly closing her eyes before calmly stating, "Nagato? Should I be sunk it will be your providence to report back to Aurora, Belfast, Javelin and Vampire. Impart to them my will and-"
[As fellow royalty, rather than speak of sacrificing yourself let my guns languish behind instead. You are your sister's guiding light are-]
"And my most glorious self is, rather unfortunately, too slow to escape from our pursuers. That is not the case for you. Should the worst come about I order you to take our sisters down below and flee to Azur Lane at best speed. If my demise means the end of the Royal Navy then I have not imparted its ideals all that well, have I? The loss of the Queen is a heavy blow, not the end of the game."
Nagato was silent for a few critical seconds, eventually responding, [It would be in poor taste to deny your request at this juncture. I shall carry out your will...despite my many protests.]
"Excellent, you have always been one of my most steadfast compatriots-GUH?!"
A shell landed directly onto one of the main 381mm batteries, a sensation akin to being trampled by a horse as the shipgirl staggered, ignoring her fellow sovereign and sister's worried shouts as she glared at the flaming and burning hole gouged into her vessel.
"Well, how unexpected. Being out of ammunition is actually what averted a fiery demise. Or perhaps I spoke too soon…"
Two dozen midnight silhouettes dove out of the sky directly towards her, Siren bombers now having a clear attack path as the ruler of the Royal Navy turned to resolutely face her foes.
Either Warspite and this mystery male would be their salvation or she would meet her death with pride...an unfortunate end to her most majestic self but railing against the inevitable simply didn't strike her as a very heroic or admirable thing to do.
The aircraft drew closer, details now visible to her enhanced eyes-
CRACK! CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK!
-and a yelp that was decidedly not majestic escaped Elizabeth's lips, hands clasping themselves over her ears as a wave of percussive force battered her lithe body and sensitive ears.
"W-what in the name of all seven hells?!"
Head ringing Elizabeth turned her gaze upward just in time to see half of the Siren attack wing tumble aimlessly from the sky, the next sight to greet her eyes being that of one of the carriers already taking on water, flaming and gaping hole perforating it from stem to stern as five geysers of water towered into the sky, no doubt a result of whatever it was that had hit the carrier itself and interrupted the aircraft's controls.
"Warspite?"
The bewildered murmur slipped past Elizabeth's lips before she could stop it, her composure restoring itself as various shouts and confused exclamations filled the comms.
[N-Nante Kotta?!]
[Holy shit! Did anyone see what hit that thing?!]
[Elizabeth, are you alright?]
It was Nagato's predictable kindness even in the heat of battle that snapped Elizabeth out of the last vestiges of her stupor, wincing as the various pains across her metal shell again announced themselves through her distraction.
"Yes, I'm still intact. Be on your guard, sisters! Our foes are still legion and we are not-"
CRACK!
This particular instance the deafening noise wasn't spaced across six distinct claps, instead one truly massive clamor that this time they were better prepared for. And while there were no direct hits on the pursuing Sirens the gigantic impact waves that emanated outwards from the blasts battered the enemy vessels, even upending one of the cruisers as Elizabeth had to wonder just what strange manner of Siren technology had been reverse-engineered to perform this particular feat.
[Queen Elizabeth, are you still intact?]
[Whoah, now that's a big explosion~!]
[Let's see them play hide-and-seek with that level of firepower!]
The Royal Navy leader turned her attention to where the three submarines had surfaced well ahead of them, their air supply needing to be restored as they cheered at the sight of the bewildered Sirens.
Before Elizabeth could reprimand them for showing an incredible lack of discipline in the face of a still active enemy a third volley struck, this time annihilating one battleship and cruiser apiece as their shields were overwhelmed and magazine stores detonated in a fantastic pyrotechnic display.
"Sisters, let us not dally and instead make the most of this opportunity to withdraw!"
[Queen Elizabeth is correct. Sisters, make for Azur Lane with all speed!]
Nagato's words provided enough of a catalyst for everyone to continue on their way, ignoring the confused and haphazard way the Siren vessels reacted to the distant bombardment as they sped towards their homebase and the safety it offered, the reduced wave of Siren aircraft not numerous enough to truly threaten them as they buzzed about with little purpose or direction.
And through it all, despite the pain she was in, Elizabeth couldn't help but smile.
"As always you are a most reliable subject, Warspite."