A/N: First of all, I want to thank all of you reading and leaving me comments/DM's on this platform. I read each and every one of them and I'm quite grateful. Second, this chapter contains an image accompaniment thanks to Tobi from my discord server. Unfortunately, due to policy I cannot include the link in this text directly. To see the image, please read this story on reddit. The easiest way to find it will be searching my user profile: /u/SabatonBabylon, and finding the story under 'submitted posts'. Enjoy Chapter 54!
Enterprise could not help but experience a pang of hesitation and nerves as she and Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance descended the gangway onto the well-worn cement docks of the base that the Admiral had referred to only as 'the installation'. Enty of course knew what it was, but it had been many years since she'd stepped foot onto its docks or soil. She had a family now, crew and pilots, men she trusted and respected and who she did her best to assist in their war against the aggression of the Sakura Empire. When speaking with her sisters, Yorktown and Hornet, as well as the other Union carriers like Lexington and Saratoga, she took heart that they seemed to be in the same boat, so to speak. Their bonds with their crews were strong, and the union carrier girls did their parts as members of those crews to ensure the war machines they were named for operated at peak efficiency. She had never understood Pennsylvania and Tennessee when they claimed frustration at their commanding officers and crew, didn't agree with Cleveland when she yearned to 'feel the ship's AA guns in her own hands', and certainly found it impossible to fathom how in the world Laffey slept so much and still managed to do much of anything. That was all before Nevada had taken her own life, before Tennessee and Pennsylvania had mutinied and spirited Cleveland, Downes, Cassin, Indianapolis, Portland, and Brooklyn away from the fleet.
As she continued to move men and planes around the Pacific, striking occasional targets of opportunity, Enterprise heard strange tales, all with their nexus at the installation. On her way to Samoa, rumors of Brooklyn's return had reached her. The cruiser now served as an envoy for a Commander Thorson, was rumored to be romantically involved with the Captain of a Merchant Marine Convoy in the area, and carried what she described as intel not even Pacific High Command could read. Then came stories about ghost fleets, ships without crews and the occasional sailor claiming they had seen Fusou-class battleships in Union waters. After that things only got worse. Rear Admiral Doorman and his forces were slaughtered by a carrier that appeared from the fog of war itself, the situation only salvaged by Thorson's heroics. That story she believed fully, having heard it directly from the lips of Langley and Phoenix. The claims that he had been knighted by Warspite herself were more suspect. Regardless, she had suffered several sleepless nights worrying about the growing, unnatural powers of her enemies across the Pacific.
And then, of course, there were the stories she had confirmed with her own eyes as she approached the facility. Sakura and Union hulls sat side by side in the sparkling blue bay. The Laffey and Downes resembled figments of science fiction and future war, gleaming menacingly at any who would approach. She did manage a chuckle at the maintenance crews, however. She did not understand why they were called bulins, but their antics were more than enough to endear them to shipgirls and sailors alike. At that moment they sat in and on a handful of jeeps, waiting for orders from their Commander as new ships arrived at port. The Commander in question stood at attention, saluting along with the other Union ships on the base. A disturbing number of shipgirls in Sakura dress stood by just behind them, bowing their way. Some were far more polite about it than others, with some of the smaller ones seeming to think it was some sort of game.
"Yuudachi, if you could stand still for five minutes?" Thorson requested over his shoulder. "This guy is my boss, you know."
"But he's not my boss, wan~! That's you, Shikikan!" The snowy inu replied happily, only to earn a punch on the shoulder from Shigure.
"And your boss just told you to can it, sister! We can prank them later."
"Hmm hmm, such silly doggies," Yukikaze added with satisfaction, only to have Arizona turn in line and pinch her on the cheek.
"I know my darling little destroyer wouldn't dare make a scene in front of a Union Rear Admiral, right? Only good girls get to use the swing," the battleship reminded her kindly.
"Y-Yukikaze reporting for duty, nanoda!" The pale-furred kitten snapped to attention, leading her rambunctious friends to do the same. Thorson mouthed a silent 'thank you' Arizona's way before addressing the Admiral directly, who had approached the assembled crew of the base along with a woman who could have only been Enterprise herself. Thorson was captivated by her silvery hair and amethyst eyes, but he could practically feel the animosity radiating from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and a handful of his other battleships who flanked him and remained at attention with dour looks on their faces.
"Commander Thorson, I presume?" Spruance spoke in a neutral tone, extending his hand. Thorson took it.
"Yes sir, Rear Admiral. Welcome to…well I guess it is my facility. Welcome to Azur Lane."
"So this was Hawkins' little project, was it?" The Admiral wondered, looking around at Thorson's motley crew which consisted of a few organisms he wasn't sure should exist. "My condolences, Commander."
"I knew Admiral Hawkins for about forty five minutes, sir. The sirens killed him," Thorson replied. The Rear Admiral looked at him sternly for a moment but said nothing more on the matter of sirens.
"I appreciate the welcome, Commander, but my stay will be quite brief. As I'm sure you've been informed the Pacific War is rapidly coming to a head and our forces are fighting on multiple fronts. My original intention was to dispatch you and your forces to New Guinea to support our ground troops on that island. I don't think I need to stress how devastating it would be if the Sakura walled us off from Australia?"
"No sir. We can be ready to sortie by nightfall," Thorson assured him. The Admiral held up a hand as Enterprise remained quietly behind him.
"Not so fast, Commander. That was before I learned that the rumors of your force's…composition are true." Spruance stared directly at Yamashiro, taking in her unabashedly appealing garb which had no place on a battlefield. "Would you mind explaining to me why these Sakura shipgirls appear to be serving as your concubines rather than your prisoners?"
The temperature of the surrounding environs dropped so rapidly Thorson was surprised the water of the bay didn't flash freeze. Colorado and her sisters narrowed their eyes and were surely grimacing behind their high collars. Tennessee dropped her salute and immediately balled her hands into fists. Pennsylvania looked ready to rumble as well. Yamashiro bravely stepped forward to defend herself.
"I am no concubine, Rear Admiral. I serve Shikikan Thorson as one of his capital ships. My name is Yamashiro."
"And you will speak when spoken to, Sakura," the Admiral ordered sternly. To almost everyone's surprise, including Thorson's, Arizona stepped between the scowling Union Admiral and her friend.
"Yamashiro is as loyal to the Union as I am, Admiral Spruance. And I died for her once already," the battleship told him politely as Enterprise took a step backward, hand over her mouth. Thorson had no idea why the carrier seemed to have not identified Arizona before that moment, but she turned her gaze on him immediately.
"How did you…what did you do to her?! I saw her ship. I saw it with my own eyes!" Enterprise insisted, remembering the smoking wrecks that still burned by the time she returned to Pearl Harbor. Several of her pilots had been killed by friendly fire that day, and she arrived just in time to hear the final lamentations of sailors trapped beneath the water line. But somehow Arizona had returned to stand side by side with the enemy.
"I gave her the chance to return and to fight. Well, it was mainly Pennsylvania's doing," Thorson admitted, not divulging exactly how he or Pennsylvania had managed the feat. The tense silence otherwise continued, as Spruance tried to understand how a ship that he knew to be dead in the water in Hawaii was standing before him on that island dock. A turn of his head was all he needed to identify the ship's profile out at sea, moored peacefully and ready for combat.
"Well, Commander Thorson?" The Admiral demanded anew.
"All of the Sakura you see before you joined us willingly. That bond can be amplified by the use of pieces of wisdom cubes; I refer to them as shards as I was unable to find any sort of official term for them.
"You call them shards because Akashi called them that, nyaa!" The minty kitty insisted. Thorson acknowledged her point, even managing a stiff smile for her in that trying moment.
"Akashi has been instrumental in furthering my understanding of wisdom cubes and their functionality, Admiral. It is a fact that the Sakura Empire far exceeds our own exploitation of cube technology. As for the shards, they confer rigging and what I suppose you could call a sense of duty or a higher calling to them. I was assigned to study the cubes and their properties, sir, and that is my current hypothesis. Though I'll be the first to admit that this job has devolved into one continuous field test."
"So they are your slaves?" Spruance sought clarity.
"Yukikaze is not a slave, nanoda!"
"Calm yourself, young one," Fusou interjected. "Rear Admiral, we serve tono-sama Thorson of our own free will to fight against the sirens and those who have betrayed our own nation. I was at Java with him. You may ask any of the Union sailors involved in that operation about my actions there, as well as those of these three." Fusou gestured to Yuudachi and her friends as Shiratsuyu looked nervously at her sisters. They seemed ready to scratch and otherwise inconvenience the Admiral, though not lethally of course. All around them, Thorson's ships remained on high alert as the 'secret' of the base was revealed at last to the Union. After a long moment, Spruance gave his orders. Not even the manjuus said anything, instead choosing to cower inside whatever articles of clothing or hats they could find.
"Indianapolis, Portland, Cleveland, Laffey, Downes, the five of you will accompany Enterprise back to the main force as we prepare for the confrontation with the enemy. Commander Thorson, you won't miss a few escort ships, will you? I can see that you've a knack for capturing your own."
Thorson felt fear and anger grip his heart and he tried to conceive of a way to protest a direct order from a superior officer without stepping over the 'treason line'. Though he found no answer, his fleet found it for him, with Penny and Tennessee leading the charge and leaping far over said line well into the territory of 'treason most dire'.
"Present arms!" Pennsylvania yelled, summoning her rigging into existence. Down the line guns, radio towers, hulls, torpedo mounts, radar, and other material shimmered to life around his fleet, turning the lineup from a ceremonial presentation to something approaching a firing squad. Though the remainder of his fleet was more reserved, Tennessee had no qualms about pointing her guns directly as Spruance. Enterprise's arms hung slack at her side as her comrades became literal weapons of war, not just pilots of them.
"What are you going to do, Big E?" Tennessee taunted confidently, never taking her eyes off the Union officer. "Where's that crew of yours now, huh? You chose wrong, fly girl. The rest of them just want to use you."
"Tennessee, Pennsylvania, stop this!" She ordered anyway, desperation tinting her voice. "You cannot do this! You cannot betray the Union! We need to fight together!"
"We didn't betray anyone, Enterprise," Pennsylvania stated coldly, slowly leveling her guns at her comrade. "We came here because we were betrayed. Because we were thrown aside for women like you. Cleveland?"
"Sup, Penny? My star spangled socks are ready to rock!" The cruiser insisted, her cape billowing in the wind as she held her arms across her chest.
"I know that I brought you here, but I can't keep you here. This is your call, ace," Pennsylvania insisted, knowing that Cleveland would adequately speak for Thorson's Union escorts. Surprising everyone, Laffey beat her to the punch.
"Admiral Spruance is a big meanie poo. Laffey is staying here with Commander Thorson and Javey and Zed, yes yes. This is where Laffey belongs."
"There are Ironblood on this base?!" Spruance roared. Zed stepped forward bravely, removing her beret and placing her fist over her heart.
"Z23 of the Ironblood reporting for duty, sir. I have pledged to fight and die for Commander Thorson, even if it means turning my guns against my own sisters," she said calmly, glancing at Thorson quickly as she did so. He could not help but give her a nod of approval. She looked normal now, slim but healthy. And he knew deep down that if he was asked to let her go, he would not.
"Leave…before Oppenheimer gets mad," Indianapolis warned softly as her manjuu glared at Enterprise, its beady eyes full of nuclear fire.
"I'm going to have to echo the sentiments of my ships, sir," Thorson declared after a deep breath, stepping forward to ensure that any flak would be directed his way. South Dakota moved up with him, her shields at the ready as she threw a dispassionate glance at Enterprise. "Other than these five fine battleships which you dumped here, none of these ships came to me under orders. They all fight on their own free will. And all of them remain here of their own free will," he added. California threw him a thankful thumbs up and a winning smile. It bolstered his courage for what was to come. "I will go to New Guinea. I will support our forces there, and God willing we will all return home in one piece by the time the Sakura's main force makes their play."
"I believe you have spent far too long outside the command structure," Spruance replied calmly. The moment the Admiral's hand rested on his sidearm every gun in the line pointed his way, save those of Downes. She marched straight up to Enterprise, circled around back of her, and pointed her cannons at the tall carrier girl's behind.
"Leave my Commander alone or the pretty carrier lady gets it right in the ass!" The destroyer ordered. "Like hell I'm coming with you. You and your kind left me and my sister to rot with one arm and one leg! You think I'm going to abandon the man who gave me that back and saved Cassin's life?!"
A low, rolling chuckle carried over the assembled ships from a most unlikely of sources. Colorado, a woman of very few words took several paces forward to look Thorson in the eyes. He couldn't help but think to himself that it was a shame she didn't laugh more often. It was soothing. "Commander Thorson, will you send my sisters and me into battle?"
"You're the vanguard, Colorado," he affirmed. That was all she needed to hear.
"Big Seven!" She called proudly, staring straight at Spruance. The depths of her contempt for those who felt the era of the dreadnaught was past knew no bounds. "Escort the Rear Admiral and Miss Enterprise back to their ship. They have a mighty battle to prepare for…and so do we."
"Commander Thorson!" Spruance called authoritatively as West Virginia approached him. The pale-skinned battleship allowed him to speak, perhaps a final deference in respect for his rank. "You understand what you're doing, don't you?"
Commander Thorson closed his eyes and steeled himself, thinking of all he'd been through since Hawaii. He opened them and looked at Downes, at Tennessee, at Arizona and Penny, at Laffey, the first shipgirl he'd ever served with. She wiggled her ears at him before offering him a sip of booze from afar. His heart softened and his resolve hardened. "Admiral, when the war is over, the Sakura Empire has been returned to the leadership of peaceful hands, and the sirens are destroyed…you can shoot me yourself."
"Get them out of here, NANODAAAA~!" Yukikaze yelped after remaining silent for far too long. She climbed up on the sizeable hull of Arizona's rigging to gain an elevated vantage point as Yuudachi did the same with Penny. Shigure was chomping at the bit, requiring Yamashiro to restrain her with both arms while Portland insisted that if Indy was staying, she too would stay or everyone aboard the Enterprise would lose their heads.
"Enough!" Thorson shouted, bringing his fleet to a halt. "Colorado, be gentle with them, please."
"By your order, Commander. Admiral Spruance, I must insist you return to your ship at this time."
"You too, beautiful. Last thing I need is Ooshio drooling over someone else," Downes insisted, prodding Enterprise in the back.
"Let me take it from here, fire-eye," Maryland insisted, resting a hand on Downes' shoulder. Over the last couple of weeks the two had become close due to their affinity for combat, explosions, and red eyes. Maryland also seemed to possess zero shame about discussing the finer points of Thorson's body, something Downes easily appreciated.
"Yeah yeah, thanks Fightin' Mary! Aww, Ooshio, I didn't mean it that way!" Downes rushed off to comfort the shrine maiden whose face had turned brick red. She looked ready to expire on the spot, but did not resist when Downes offered her a hug. It was a sublime moment within the chaos that confirmed, to Thorson at least, that he was making the correct decision. Though furious, Spruance was not the sort of man to fight a clearly lost battle. Instead he offered the Commander a final threat.
"If the Union falls to the Sakura, our blood will be on your hands, Thorson."
"Then I'll ensure my selfishness brings our nation victory," the Commander replied stoically, praying that his actions would not endanger Cassin or Brooklyn. The Rear Admiral adjusted his cap and turned away, unwilling to preside over whatever lawless chaos defined Azur Lane any longer.
"Enterprise, we're leaving," he advised. The carrier looked at her comrades, or perhaps it was former comrades. She appealed to Pennsylvania one last time, willing her voice not to crack as the riven state of the Union's shipgirl forces was laid bare before her. Even the ever jubilant Houston had nothing to say to her.
"Penny please, think about what you're doing! We all need to work together to defeat them!" To her great distress, the battleship looked at her with pity in her eyes.
"When you decide you want to fight the way you were born to…come find us. Thorson won't reject you," the raven haired woman promised her. "Until then, you and I cannot serve the same cause. I don't fight for the Union, Enterprise. I fight for Thorson. For your own sake, or perhaps the sake of that crew you claim to love so dearly, pray that those two things remain the same."
Thorson knew the look of abject horror on Enterprise's face would remain with him for a while, that of a young woman struck blind by betrayal. He nodded to her with hands behind his back, if only to attempt to ensure her that what Pennsylvania had said was true. He would never turn down those willing to fight the sirens with him, nor would he willingly betray his nation. As Spruance and Enterprise returned to their ship and his girls slowly calmed down enough to return to their daily tasks, Thorson approached Yamashiro. He held her gently and she immediately reciprocated, leaving a chaste kiss on his neck.
"I am so sorry, tono-sama."
"That's my line," he assured her. "Thank you for everything. Can you go find Ark for me, please? I need her for something immediately."
Several minutes later, Ark joined Thorson on the docks. Yamashiro had brought her up to speed on the way down. "Sounds like I missed quite the occasion," the Royal said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's better that the little ones didn't see all this from the sound of it. What do you need, Knight Commander?"
"A display of power," he replied simply, pointing out to the Enterprise which was making headway back north to rejoin Task Force 16. Despite Thorson's refusal to cooperate, Spruance still intended to conduct a raid on Tokyo, and there was little time to waste.
"I don't follow, sir."
"Enterprise is the pride of the Union Navy, and I'm sure her combat record will only continue to develop. Even so…so long as she sits on the sidelines and denies what she really is, what she really can do, the Union is at a disadvantage. Call it stress driving me out of my mind or whatever you wish, but I sensed power when I looked at her, same as when Tennessee gets mad or Colorado gets to shoot something, you know? I want you to show her what a real carrier can do."
Ark's contemplative face slowly broke into a wide smile as she unshouldered her rifle. Far out to sea, a squadron of P-40's readied themselves on her flight deck. "I've always wanted to give some Yanks a good show. Take a look, Enterprise. This is what you're missing out on," the carrier whispered to herself, launching the aircraft and proceeding to fly various formations over the retreating ship. Sailors and airmen came onto deck to take in the spectacle. None would have believed the planes had been launched from a carrier unless they'd seen it with their own eyes. Enterprise was with them, and her pale amethyst eyes did not leave the aircraft until they finally returned to their ship, landing and shimmering into nothing as Ark finally deactivated her rigging. Instead of allies, Enterprise left the installation with only doubts and questions. Foremost among them was whether she was in the right or being left behind.
"You're sure you don't wanna come along?" Downes asked Ooshio as twilight fell over the base and the final preparations for sortie were completed. Food, fuel, ammunition, and other supplies were loaded onto the vast majority of Thorson's ships. Even Akashi was making preparations to head out to sea. Ooshio shook her head and looked up at the young woman from the Union who she considered a friend, even if that friendship seemed to consist of Downes humoring her stumbling, adoring, embarrassment.
"Ma place is here, Downes. Fusou can't handle three little ones an' the shrine by herself. Ma sis can't feed everyone left behind on her lonesome. I have no ship. Asashio an' Arashio will be more than fine on board the Kasumi. I'll make sure this place is clean and ready for ya when tha fleet returns triumphant. I cannot do what ships like you do, Downes. I may be Sakura, but since bein' here I realized my place isn't on the front lines. I know I'm a coward but…"
"Don't say that!" Downes insisted, hugging her tightly and squishing the short stack kitty against her own chiseled frame. To her distress, Ooshio began crying into her jacket.
"I am a coward! I can't…I can't even say…"
"Shh, whatever it is, it'll be alright!" Downes insisted, stroking her hair. It was oddly comforting, especially knowing she was about to head off to war again. Java had been a slugfest, but somehow the stakes seemed even higher now. "We're friends, Ooshio, allies. You can tell me anything."
"I don'...I don' wanna be yer friend," the kitten whispered almost imperceptibly.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Downes asked curiously, looking down at her with mismatched eyes. Ooshio was shaking.
"I mean…I mean I think I love ya, Downes."
At those words Downes tilted her head back in shock and a fair bit of amazement, not allowing Ooshio to escape as the shrine maiden looked torn between cowering inside her leather jacket and expiring on the spot. Her cube was spinning madly and she was sure if she had a true heart like a human it would have been racing. Her blood certainly was. She willed herself to be brave and commanding, like Tennessee and Maryland.
"Ooshio I…I'm going to come back alive. My ship will see me through, and so will the rest of the fleet. I'm going to think about what you said when I'm out there and when I get back we'll talk, alright?" Downes sealed her promise with a chaste kiss atop Ooshio's head, her face tickled by the girl's fluffy ears. It was a strange feeling, but it seemed to comfort her, and that in turn relaxed her.
"I'll pray every day for ya, an' the rest o' the fleet too."
"Thanks Ooshio. It means a lot. I need to go now. The battleships are powering up." With a final awkward wave, Downes left her behind and began walking towards the water. Out on the darkening sea, her ship glowed softly, its tiger-like patterns beckoning her to battle. She started to jog and eventually leaped into the water at a full sprint, needed to place some distance between herself and the sweet little cat who had marshalled her own sort of courage that night. On her way she passed Hatsuharu, Fredrick Miles, and Houston, the latter of which was seeing the other two off.
"Now remember you aren't as solid as I am, alright? Just cook food, be safe, and come on back!" The cruiser encouraged, looking longingly out at the fleet. "I wish I could be going with you."
"And I'm happy you're staying here," Miles insisted. "I don't think that rigging of yours is going to stand up to an enemy warship."
"Oh I think you'd be surprised," Houston replied. "But Commander Thorson ordered me to remain here to help oversee the defense and maintenance of the base, so that's what I'll do. You too keep them well fed and ready for the fight, ok?"
"H-hai, Houston-san!" The shy girl spoke up.
"And this is for you, Fredrick," Houston insisted, leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on his cheek. When Hatsuharu began spluttering she looked down at her with a smile. "Would you like one too, sweetie? Be sure to come home safe now."
"N-n-n-nani?"
"Alright that's enough teasing the poor thing!" Fredrick insisted, placing an arm over Hatsuharu's shoulders. "I'll see you when this is done, Miss Houston. We'd best be getting to the Yamashiro, I hear that's going to be the flagship for this mission. Take care."
"And you Fredrick, Hatsuharu. Have fun!" Houston bade her final farewell before joining Ooshio, Michishio, Fusou, the three little destroyers, and Shiranui as the rest of the fleet prepared to depart. Horns sounded and engines rumbled as the sea churned and Thorson's fleet headed for their next confrontation with the enemy. She could only hope that her Commander would return with a cube or two for her so that she might rejoin the war.
"I…I think we should all be headin' to tha shrine and sayin' a prayer," Ooshio ventured. Fusou nodded sadly.
"I am in agreement, Ooshio. We shall entreat the gods to shelter and guide them…for now we stand truly alone."