May 7th, 1942. 11:15 Hours. Coral Sea.
"Nyaa nyaa, missed again!" Sims taunted as Sakura bombs rained all around her. More than thirty aircraft from carriers unknown had swarmed her ship and the oiler Neosho, just one of many maneuvers that had begun days before as Sakura ground forces invaded the island of New Guinea, seeking to complete their conquest of Southeast Asia and sever the link between Australia and its allies.
"Someone's feeling optimistic," Commander Hyman growled as his crew did their best to return fire and ward off the attackers. The spunky, star-spangled neko shrugged at him.
"It's not our fault that those planes dived onto Neosho. Not even guns can stop that. For now we just have to stay alive! You can tell they're frustrated, and frustrated enemies make mistakes! I'm sure my sister will be here soon, along with Yorktown and Lexi."
"I never said I didn't admire your optimism," the Commander clarified before engaging in yet another random evasive maneuver to throw off the attacking planes. His crew was seasoned and had taken on land-based Sakura craft before, but these were different. There was something intangible about their flight patterns, something deadly and beautiful, like the red-crowned cranes that called Japan their home.
"What's that, still haven't had enough?" Sims demanded as the strike force turned for them again. She watched them with keen eyes as her ears twitched. "Take that, and that!" She yelled as her AA guns fired and struck one of the bombers down. "Haha, you see! No one is immune from the pranks of the almighty-"
Any further gloating was forestalled as three bombs struck the ship dead on. The shipgirl cried out in pain and anger, dropping to the floor as the ordinance exploded in her engine room. Hyman took a knee and lifted her, his arm under her shoulder. "Damage report Sims, now!"
"Get…everyone to the engine rooms. All hands," she gasped through the pain. "Not much time."
Hyman relayed the orders as sailors scrambled to contain fires and maintain propulsion. With help Sims was soon standing on her own power again, clutching her side and yelling into the radio in an attempt to notify the Union carrier groups of her position and plight. She was in the middle of her third repetition when she suddenly stopped and looked at her commander. "Sims?" He demanded, a visage of dread and sorrow on her permanently mischievous face.
"Hold me, Commander," she pleaded, throwing her arms around his waist as an unholy sound consumed them. In the wake of the battle the fourteen survivors of the Sims would recount their commander's bravery, their shipgirl's spunky and playful nature, and the explosion that launched their ship fifteen feet out of the water before sending it to the bottom of the ocean along with one hundred and seventy nine souls.
May 7th, 1942. 23:00 Hours. Coral Sea.
"The tides of war favor us, sister. They brought this to us instead of the enemy," Zuikaku said sadly, descending gracefully from her flight deck to retrieve the two cubes that floated gently in the glassy, black sea. One had been a flat top carrier, the other its operator. The seasoned warrior knew which it was which the moment she touched them. "No…no no no!" She wailed.
"Zuikaku please, we must keep moving!" Shoukaku advised from nearby, able to feel her sister's distress through the bond they had forged from years of training and months of survival under Akagi's regime.
"They swarmed her. So many bombs and torpedoes…she never stood a chance," Zuikaku growled, returning to her ship and spiriting Shouhou's cubes away in her kimono. "She died afraid, screaming, and trying her best to be like us…just like those foxes and their cursed Creator demand!"
"The Union killed her, sister," Shoukaku replied sagely, feeling the spirits howl on the winds. She thought of Nagato, and prayed for the kitsune's guidance.
"And who attacked the Union before sending us off to die?!" Zuikaku yelled, experiencing none of the calm of her sister. It had always been so and they were stronger for it, yin and yang, light and dark, harsh and calm. Zuikaku did not appreciate the fact that such a dynamic extended to their bodies as well, but that was fate.
"We will have our victory in our own time, sister. For now we must destroy the Union carriers in this theater. Only then can we resume our search for her, hopefully this time without siren scouts breathing down our necks. Polish your blade if you must, but do not allow Shouhou's death to consume you. We will honor her in the old way…when there is time. All we can do for now is pray and fight."
Though she bit back bile, Zuikaku heeded her elder sister's words, kneeling on her flight deck and breathing deeply to clear her mind. "Rest in peace, little one. We will avenge you," she finally spoke aloud. She drew her sword, laid it across her lap, and began a soothing ritual of honing the fine edge. It had already tasted Union blood that day and she swore more would come. Around her Zeros, Aichis, and Nakajimas shimmered to life, testament to her unquestioned command of her armament. With each stroke of the whetstone their engines spun up one by one until she was surrounded by the hum of war. Across the water a haunting song played from Shoukaku's wooden flute, joining the industrial rage of her sister. Together the two of them formed a duet, a pledge that come the dawn the Union dogs that had stolen a young life would pay with theirs; the first step on a bloody path that ended with Akagi and Kaga's heads separated from their bodies.
May 8th, 1942. 11:00 Hours. Coral Sea.
"I can't shake them!"
"Two Zeros on my tail! How the hell did they get up here so fast?"
"I'm hit, gotta bail!"
"All torpedoes failed to hit!"
"We didn't…we barely scratched them. What the hell is with these flattops?!"
"More fighters, we need to get out of here!"
Zuikaku stood silently and unafraid on her flight deck, mercilessly gunning down Union dive and torpedo bombers. She could sense her own bombing groups drawing closer to the enemy, but they were a distant concern, not yet under fire or in range of the target. That left her and Shoukaku to deal fully with the attacking planes from Lexington and Yorktown. Across the water, her sister sighed sadly.
"You are brave pilots, to try and attack us like this. But you will not find us as susceptible as Shouhou. I will endeavor to make your deaths quick," Shoukaku said calmly. Her Zero formations flew like the cranes that she so loved, arcing and diving in ways that manned fighters simply could not mimic. She lost a handful of aircraft along with her sister, but only those who chose to retreat survived.
"Sister, you're letting them get away! We almost had them!" Zuikaku fumed, her sword drawn.
"Be at ease, sister. They will die all the same when they find no place to return to. My planes have spotted the enemy carriers. Join my formation. We must strike together."
"On it!" Zuikaku replied gleefully, reaching a hand inside the folds of her kimono and palming Shouhou's cubes. "Finally, at long last...you can rest easy."
"It's been a day, sister."
"And she should have never suffered in the first place!" Zuikaku insisted.
"Hmm, that is true. Come, it is time to show the enemy the might of the fifth carrier division."
"I'm right behind you, nee-san. Their wildcats are low. Stay high and we will win this fight before it has even begun…"
May 8th, 1942. 11:35 Hours. Coral Sea.
"Wildcats, regroup on this vector here! They've already broken through Lexington's lines! Helmsman, hard to port now! I need damage control teams ready below decks, there are more bombers coming. Vejtasa, was that another kill? You've done marvelously! Keep it up and we will survive this!" Yorktown commanded.
"I'll be out of a job at this rate," Captain Elliot Buckmaster joked, watching the oncoming attack aircraft like a hawk.
"But I'd be so lonely up here then, Captain," Yorktown smiled momentarily.
"By all that's holy…I knew something was wrong. Yorktown, these enemy fighters have no pilots! Why don't you seem surprised?"
"We appear to be facing one of the Sakura's uncrewed carrier divisions. But you have me and Lexington. We will see this day through together. The omen of death flies with us!"
Buckmaster nodded grimly as bombs were dropped, scoring direct hits on their flightdeck. As Yorktown dropped to the floor of the bridge in pain he scooped her up in something of a bridal carry. "On your feet sailor, we're not dead yet."
"I'm still here," she affirmed with thanks in her voice, using his shoulder for support as she evaluated the damage and began directing control teams to affected areas. Buckmaster took over the radio in an attempt to establish contact with the Lexington, who had suffered a deadly pincer attack from Shoukaku's torpedo bombers. After a few minutes of trying he turned to his shipgirl with a grim look on his face. "Captain?"
"We need to assume that we are the only operational carrier left in this theater, Yorktown."
"I understand, sir. Dauntless and Wildcat formations, regroup to repel the attackers!" Yorktown requested, icy fear gripping her as fresh waves of Sakura planes appeared on the horizon. She and Buckmaster stood grimly defiant and prepared for the worse as Hammann's panicked voice could be heard on the radio.
"Yorktown, I can't reach Lexington! There are so many planes, what do we do?!" The young destroyer demanded. "Wait…they're retreating?! I don't believe it! You did it Yorktown! We won!"
"Captain…you should know that I can only sense a handful of returning planes from our strike group. I fear this battle has been a complete loss," Yorktown lamented, having held back the news until an appropriate time. The omen circled above the ship, crying loudly to rally the Union sailors to action as they began damage repair and aircraft retrieval.
"Then why did they retreat?" Buckmaster demanded. "Why not finish us off?"
"I don't know, Captain."
"Enemy carrier group spotted! It's them!" Maryland reported. She, Colorado, South Dakota, and Tennessee formed the front of Thorson's formation. To the sides were Pennsylvania and Arizona, with West Virginia and California bringing up the rear. Within the protective shell of those battleships rested Yamashiro, the flagship, along with Ark Royal and the various escorts of Thorson's fleet. Yuudachi, Yukikaze, and Shigure had each shown affinity for Penny, Arizona, and Yamashiro respectively, so Thorson allowed those destroyers to shadow their battleships of preference. Cleveland, Indy, and Portland, along with Kasumi, Downes, Laffey, and Javelin, slotted into the formation wherever needed, though Thorson preferred Downes and Laffey just behind his vanguard given their offensive capability. Far in the distance he could see Zeros circling above the two carriers and their escorts like hawks waiting to strike.
"Ark, get your planes in the air now! Cleveland, you have command of the AA defense. South Dakota and all Colorado class ships, your priority is defending us from air attack with those fancy new guns of yours. All ships fire at will. Target the enemy carriers!" Thorson commanded. As battle roars went up from his fleet and the thunder of guns sounded at Coral Sea, Yamashiro slipped her hand into his.
"It is the crane sisters, Shoukaku and Zuikaku," she informed him softly. "They are peerless warriors who rival the might of Akagi and Kaga. I believe we will be victorious today but if not…know that I have never known a greater peace than waking next to you each morning nor a greater pleasure than making love to you each night."
"Two good reasons not to die here then," Thorson agreed solemnly, watching through his binoculars as a splash of shells began to rain down on the enemy formation. "We got lucky."
"Tono-sama?" Yamashiro asked for his meaning, deploying her scout plane to circle the fleet while her forward cannons joined in the barrage.
"They're sending up bomber formations now. Whatever they were doing before now it wasn't scouting. We may have caught them unawares. Ark, ready yourself! We have visitors!"
"I see them, Knight Commander!" The carrier affirmed, taking careful aim with her rifle as the lead group of screening Zeros came into range. Heavy flak and machine gun fire erupted from Thorson's battleships and cruisers, tearing into the aircraft as they began evasive maneuvers. "Oh…you have some skill," Ark declared, sending a screen of P-40's at the lead bomber elements. The attack of heavy aircraft with their .50 caliber guns sent the enemy scattering like a flock of birds, salvaging their airgroups at the cost of a bombing run. "Let's see how you handle this…"
"What? That's impossible!" Zuikaku raged. "Sister, how did they do that?!"
"Look not with your eyes. Feel the flow of battle, Zuikaku. We are not fighting Dauntless or Wildcats. As though the incoming shell fire was not enough of an indication…we have been taken upon by the Knight of the Union." Even Shoukaku could not maintain total composure as a barrage from the enemy broke apart above them, raining down small explosive clusters on one of their escort ships. The drone caught fire and exploded, leaving naught but a cube and wreckage in its wake and another kill for Tennessee.
"I don't need my eyes to tell me that if we don't disable some of those heavy guns we're doomed. They can see us, Shoukaku-nee!"
"Not for long, sister. I did not want to show this hand to the enemy so soon, but we will not survive the day without it. We will subject them to the dance of the cranes."
Zuikaku grinned viciously, summoning more aircraft and recalling her remaining ones in flight. "You got lucky against Kaga, Knight. I don't care how many strange aircraft or guns you possess. A blind giant is nothing more than a larger target."
Across the battlefield, as Thorson's battlegroup closed in on the crane sisters, a sinister song began to play accompanied by thick fog. Within seconds Thorson's ships were cut off from one another, moving forward with zero visibility. The Commander took a call from Kasumi.
"Commander, Foo says that the sisters are planning a major attack through the mists. But they remain in their positions."
"Kasumi, you're a lifesaver," Thorson replied, hearing her pleasant giggling over the radio before he sent orders to his entire fleet. "Tennessee, South Dakota, move aside. Laffey?"
"Hmm? The song makes Laffey sleepy."
"Well wake up and use your weapon, now! Fire at their last known position!" Thorson commanded. "All vanguard ships, prepare to fire."
"The voices are back again," Laffey commented softly as the front of her ship morphed and a massive cannon emerged from her front turrets and bridge. "But they say silly siren things. Laffey is not afraid of them anymore. They are just feeling angry their power is being used for good, yes yes. Firing now. Have fun, please."
Across the mist-shrouded waves, Zuikaku and Shoukaku were on the precipice of commanding their aircraft to descend out of the fog in kamikaze strikes. The younger of the crane sisters felt the grip on her sword tighten as her body responded to something unknown, something evil. "Sister, do you sense that?" She demanded urgently.
"Yes, Zuikaku. I am reminded of that foul sanctuary," Shoukaku agreed. Slowly a rumbling and strange light grew at the position of the enemy, a threatening sound like a slumbering beast being woken. "Sister, call off your attack now."
"What?! But we-"
"Maneuver and shield yourself, now!" Shoukaku ordered as a massive ball of energy hissed across the water, parted the fog, boiled the oceans, and vaporized a portion of their screening force that rested between the two carriers. Through the gap in the fog, a hail of large and small caliber shells followed, lashing out at them as Thorson's group gained ground by the second. Between his impressive number of dreadnaughts and Downes' belt fed cannons the ships accompanying the crane sisters were slaughtered, their empty hulls leaving behind several cubes ready to be snatched up as a prize. Shoukaku grimaced and closed her eyes. "Zuikaku, we are leaving now."
"But sister!"
"There is no sense in drawing the enemy's blood if they kill you in the process. We have claimed our revenge for Shouhou. It is enough. Come, if we are swift the foxes may even believe us destroyed.
"Damnit...Damnit!" Zuikaku yelled, nevertheless sheathing her blade and recalling all her aircraft so that she could maneuver at full capability. "One day I'll come back for you, Knight. I'm ready, nee-san. Let's get out of here."
At her younger sister's agreement, Shoukaku put her flute to her lips again. Aboard the Kasumi, the young fox girl shivered as an oppressive spirit seemed to descend upon the battlefield, turning the diffuse fog into a spiraling storm centered around the enemy carriers. When it finally cleared, naught was left but the four cubes from their escorts as they fled north towards the Solomon islands. Thorson was left scratching his head, and on the cusp of ordering a scouting and pursuit mission when the radio crackled to life.
"This…Lexington…Captain Sherman. Heavy…assistance needed…"
"Yamashiro?"
"Hai, tono-sama?" The shrine maiden replied as adrenaline slowly left her body. The battle had been so brief she almost didn't know what to do.
"Do you think we have a chance of catching them?"
"As much chance as capturing a wild crane, tono-sama," she gave her evaluation. He nodded.
"Alright then. All ships adjust to a new heading, southwest. Akashi?"
"Nyaa?"
"Looks like today you're going to be the star of the show," he declared grimly, wondering just how much damage Zuikaku and Shoukaku had managed to inflict before his arrival. The minty kitty, however, could not have been happier.
"Akashi is prepared to be the hero, nyaa! Make way for Akashi!"
May 8th, 1942. 14:00 Hours. Coral Sea.
"Lexi, Lexi, you gotta get up! We have to leave!" Hammann cried, trying desperately to lift the injured shipgirl from the floor of her bridge as the ship burned around them. Flooding and fires had wracked the vessel and the crew of Hammann's ship was doing their best to evacuate the sailors of the Lexington before the worst.
"I can't…" the pink-haired beauty whispered weakly. "My crew, and Admiral Wags…get them to safety, little one."
"Noooo! I can't lose you too! Sims is…Sims is already…" As Hammann cried into Lexington's shoulder, watched over sadly by Captain Frederick Sherman, a new voice hailed them over the radio.
"Union carrier group, this is Union Commander Andrew Thorson. We have a repair ship with us. Advise as to the Lexington's position, over?"
"Tell Akashi where she is needed, nyaa!" An overexcited female voice added, causing Hammann's ears to twitch madly. Sherman snatched up his radio receiver.
"Say again, did you say Union?"
"Affirmative. Is this Captain Sherman?"
"Affirmative, Commander. Lexington has been badly wounded and we are preparing to abandon ship. If you have ships, my crew needs places to evacuate. Relaying our coordinates now."
"I know they say not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I've never seen one like this," Captain Sherman murmured as a veritable flotilla arrived to his rescue. It looked as though someone had pulled the Spanish Armada forward in time, with battleships galore pulling up alongside his ship and pumping whatever water they could onto the decks. Cruisers and destroyers without crew navigated smoothly to safe areas and evacuated his men, while a single Sakura repair ship tethered herself to the side of the Lexington and a horde of small white-haired…girls rushed aboard his ship. The lead mechanic and Akashi barked orders to the bulins.
"Fires first!"
"Buli!"
"Then flooding!"
"Buli!"
"And shut down the gas lines and motors! One spark and we all go boom! Akashi smells gas, nyaa!"
"Buli!"
"For the glory of Shikikan, nyaa! We will send them the repair bill later!" Akashi declared, dispatching the chief bulin to oversee her troops while the minty kitty scampered through twisted corridors and flaming decks to finally reach the bridge. Along the way she found a cocker spaniel, collecting the little dog with a look of disgust on her face. "Akashi is no Shiratsuyu-class, nyaa. But you are too cute to die here."
A loud knocking stirred Sherman and Hammann from their vigil over Lexington as an unknown catgirl with light green hair and a large metal sword barged onto the bridge, immediately depositing Admiral Wags with the Captain. "Here, take your puppy, nyaa! Akashi detests normal dogs even more than shipgirl dogs!"
"Who the hell are you? I'll claw you!" Hammann spat back.
"Oooh, Akashi can see you have good taste, Union girl. But now it is time for you to stand aside. You have no rigging and are not a repair ship, nyaa."
"Over my dead body!"
"That can be arranged, nyaa. Now stop being silly and let Akashi follow the orders of Shikikan Thorson to save this pretty lady!" The neko demanded. "Just because you have fake cat ears does not mean that Akashi will…nyaa?"
"Owowow, get off me!" Hammann yelped as Akashi grabbed her by the white-furred ears. The Sakura boat backed off a pace with an amazed look on her face, turning on her rigging's radio.
"Yamashiro, Yukikaze, Asashio, Arashio, get to the bridge of this boat now, nyaa! You must see this!"
"Half of this boat is still on fire! Why do you need Yukikaze the Great to be…n-n-nanoda? She…she's one of us! Nanoda!" The slim destroyer exclaimed as she got her first real look at Hammann.
"I like her outfit. It's very cute," Arashio added.
"Yeah, she looks like a real Union maid!" Asashio said.
"All of you must remain composed. We represent Shikikan Thorson who, as you may recall, went against Union high command to keep us all safe! Now help tend to the wounded carrier. Akashi, what can we do for you?" Yamashiro took command of the situation, hoping Thorson would approve of her actions. The Commander himself was still aboard the Yamashiro, overseeing the rescue and damage control operations with South Dakota and West Virginia.
"Akashi needs a cube, stat," the repair ship demanded. Yamashiro reached into her kimono and withdrew five cubes. Four they had acquired in their fight with the cranes, the other had been snatched from the water by Javelin who caught a twinkle on the waves during their transit. As soon as that cube saw the light of day, Hammann leapt forward and snatched it from Yamashiro. Yukikaze was about to blast her with her rigging when the Union cat began sobbing and cradling the cube to her chest.
"T-thank you," she sobbed, not caring that Sakura had delivered such a treasure to her. "Sisterrr!"
With silent, sad glances, Yamashiro passed a drone ship cube over to Akashi. With the help of Arashio and Asashio they began to nurse Lexington under the curious and skeptical gaze of the ship's Captain. Meanwhile Yamashiro embraced Hammann as Yukikaze rested a comforting hand on the girl.
"We are here for you, little one. Us cats need to stick together even in war. What was your sister's name?" She asked kindly.
"S-Sims. She liked pranks," Hammann sobbed, not able to resist Yamashiro's soft and warm embrace for long. The shrine maiden seemed to innately understand how to soothe her feline ears.
"Yukikaze the Great would have liked to meet this cat, nanoda," the Sakura destroyer remarked sadly. Around them the amount of smoke billowing from the Lexington slowly abated, easing Akashi's task of keeping the carrier girl stable. After about half an hour of effort from the bulin crews, the ship was declared safe and functional enough to limp back to port. But all involved acknowledged that it would be a long time before Lady Lex would fly again. With the immediate crisis averted and Yorktown nearby, the situation stabilized enough for Thorson, accompanied by South Dakota, to board the Lexington and seek out his girls. When he finally reached the bridge he happened upon Akashi tending to a woman with beautiful, flowing pink hair and Yamashiro cradling a white-haired Union shipgirl to her bosom. Strangest of all was the ship's Captain, who stood there with a grateful look on his face and a cocker spaniel in his arms. Thorson couldn't help a smile as South Dakota barked at the dog in an attempt to communicate.
"Captain Sherman, I presume?" Thorson asked, extending his hand. The man shifted the dog to one arm and offered his.
"And you must be Commander Thorson. While I feel the need to demand an explanation of…everything, it can wait until Lexi is back on her feet."
"Captain…" the carrier girl smiled weakly at him. "You're still here."
"Where else would I be?" He demanded. "How are you feeling?"
"She is stable, nyaa, but you should not be pressing her for a long time. Akashi is surprised you survived at all. Zuikaku and Shoukaku are not known for mercy, nyaa," the minty kitty observed.
"So it was them?" Lexington whispered, looking out at the smoke shrouded sky. "That would explain a lot. I lost…so many wonderful pilots." A tear slipped from her eyes as Thorson tapped Akashi on the shoulder. She hugged his leg and received ample praise for her work.
"Akashi, turn one of those cubes into shards," he ordered. The neko went to work immediately with her tools as all looked on, wondering what Thorson was up to. He nodded to Yamashiro and then Sherman. "Captain, I'll be up front with you. I'm probably considered a traitor by Rear Admiral Spruance and High Command. But I'm also a scientist so if you wouldn't mind I'd like your help with an experiment, one that I hope will spare your pilots in the future. I already told Spruance he can kill me later, so you don't have to worry about that."
"Who the hell are you, Commander?" Sherman demanded, causing South Dakota to step forward.
"He is my Commander. Listen to him," she said simply, summoning forth her rigging within the enclosed space. Her shields looked even more powerful in a cramped environment, and she was pleased to see that Pennsylvania's little trick seemed to work well. When Akashi handed the shards to Thorson he held them in his palm and knelt at Lexington's side.
"How are you feeling, Lexington?" He asked.
"I have been better, Commander. Thank you for your timely rescue today. It appears I will be in your debt going forward."
"Don't worry about that, just…" Thorson took a deep breath as he tried to explain to her what he would otherwise do himself. "Think about Captain Sherman for a moment, alright? Think about the bond of command the two of you share. Do any of these shards call out to you when you do that?"
Arashio and Asashio watched spellbound as the carrier contemplated his request and eventually pointed to two of them. He nodded, pocketing the remainder and extending those shards to Sherman. "And what should I do with these?" He wondered, putting down his dog who immediately waddled over to South Dakota and sought some attention from her. She was more than happy to pick him up and snuggle him in Sherman's stead.
"If I'm right, when Lexington accepts these from you the two of you will form a bond and she will be granted rigging. With training she will be able to summon and pilot her own aircraft, as well as better maneuver and 'feel' her ship. I've never really tried this with anyone else before, but I see no reason you couldn't have a shipgirl with rigging on a crewed vessel. Maybe that would be even more powerful than my own carrier? I don't know."
"Then I'll pass," Sherman declared, throwing a worried look at Lexington. "She's been through enough."
"Captain…please?" She protested. "The losses today were too great."
After worrying his hands together a moment, Sherman accepted the shards from Thorson. After Akashi, Yamashiro, and the others, a couple glowing pieces of siren tech were the least strange thing to happen that day. He held them out to her. "Well?"
"Hehe, I gladly accept," Lexington affirmed. When she touched them a faint glow surrounded her body, returning color to her cheeks and healing several visible scratches and bruises on her body. Without needing any provocation from Thorson or her captain, a long bore rifle appeared in Lexi's hand. A long ribbon in the motif of a tarmac hung from it, and a pair of cute secondary batteries formed at her hips. A finishing touch came in the form of her command tower, which now served as a hairpiece. With Sherman's help she planted her rifle butt on the floor of the bridge and stood again. Thorson smiled faintly at the look of relief on Sherman's face. It was heartening to see that not all Union shipgirls had suffered as Penny and Tennessee had.
"Lexi, you alright?" Sherman demanded.
"In spite of the state of my ship, it is safe to say I have never been better," the carrier laughed delightedly. "Once I am repaired and can test this new power we must tell the others of this!"
"Well Commander Thorson, I don't know what sort of beef you have with Admiral Spruance, but you're alright in my book. Thank you for saving my ship…and my comrade."
"Akashi will send you the bill, nyaa!"
"Akashi will do nothing of the sort," Thorson corrected.
"Then Akashi will ban Shikikan from the onsen!"
"Then Akashi will not get as many snuggles, kisses, and ear scratches as she wishes," Thorson bargained. After a moment of consideration, Akashi offered her oversized sleeve to Captain Sherman.
"It's been a pleasure, nyaa~!"
With raised brows and a smile born of relief, Sherman shook it. The improved mood on the bridge did not last as Hammann finally spoke up, glaring at Thorson through tears of despair. "You! How could you?" She wailed. "Why didn't...why didn't you come sooner? Why didn't you save my sister?!"