Now we're back!
(Now I had to tell you that the previous chapter was done, but I had to do a bit of tweaks to it, so that it could be a decent chapter.)
Previously in this story, Trigger and Azur Lane meet with Admirals Williams and Hisashi in discussing the upcoming assault on the Philippines, the presence of PR Kansen and allegiances from a Resistance force acting against the Red Axis.
Trigger has met Iceman as he learned more about the old pilot's fight against Varcolac and Crimson and more about these two enemy squadrons. He also asks about the whereabouts of Ice's old friend, Maverick and grows interested in having him under his command.
Later on, our crew comes to the bar, run by Penny Benjamin who announces their presence and they also meet a group of pilots that Slash once flew with and saved when he fought Crimson and Varcolac alone.
But soon enough, Jaeger calls to inform Trigger that one kansen was unaccounted for. Only for a pilot to point out the missing kansen outside the bar. The last part ends when Trigger hangs up and leaves the bar to speak with the missing kansen - Arizona.
Why was she here? What will Trigger do?
Find out in this chapter!
Azur Lane HQ
On the bridge crossing over to the man made island in the center of the port, a car was shown driving on the bridge, but inside was Acting Commander Jaeger who was on the phone as he said,
"That's good to hear, Trigger. Make sure you bring her back safely."
He ended the call as he sighed, knowing that his squadron leader could handle it. However, Acting Secretary Wales took notice of this and asked,
"I suspect it wasn't the first time you had to report a missing subordinate, Mr. Jager?"
Jaeger stated, "Believe me, I had my fair share of pilots who pulled a stunt like this."
"It is best that you don't be hard on Arizona since her fate was sealed in that harbor years ago."
Jaeger looked out the window as the sight of the ocean was in view, "A girl like her with a tragic past is someone for Trigger to handle since he did bring two estranged sisters back together."
Wales figured, "So you have heard?"
"I have and it was great to know that they have strengthened their bond. This is going to be another story for Erich."
The battleship asked, "Erich?"
The pilot stated, "My son…"
Illustrious, who was driving, spoke, "I believe that Trigger would point out how often you would mention your son."
The family man chuckled, "Of course he told you that and truthfully, Erich is always hoping for another story from me. I would always tell him a story when I called my wife while I was off-duty."
Wales smiled and said, "You are a true Family Man, Mr. Jager. You always care about your family and wish to let your son know what you have seen."
The battleship soon remembered, "Back on the Royal Islands, Illustrious and I were walking along a beach when we caught sight of a family having fun." She had a controlled look of joy as she said,
"It was heartwarming to see something like that…" Her thoughts on that family made her imagine herself as a mother and the father…being Trigger…
"I…I am imagining myself and the commander as husband and wife…what is going on? Why am I having these thoughts?"
She soon remembered seeing him swoop in during the attack, saving the port and the fleet, she saw him looking over the plan and positions for attack, even when they played a game of chess after the Wake Island liberation and she lost to him. She remembered him saying,
"Always anticipate your opponent's next move, whether you're on the water or in the cockpit of an F-22."
That made her smile slightly as she thought, "Maybe…because he is different…maybe that's why I imagine us being married."
Soon enough, the Royal Navy Battleship, Prince of Wales had hearts in her eyes for the Osean Ace.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Illustrious remembered, "A young mother and father with a son and daughter having fun together. A parent's love for their children is something that you have, Mr. Jager."
Jaeger understood this as he brought up his phone and found a recent picture as Wales saw it.
It was a screenshot of a video-call between Jaeger, his wife and Erich as they celebrated the boy's third birthday during the Lighthouse War - three days before Operation Magic Spear.
NAS Pearl Harbor
1550 hrs
For decades, the Naval Base at Pearl Harbor has been a hub of fleet activity. There have been various military ships coming and going as well as aircraft from the airfield. Pearl was one of the many bases around Oahu alongside Azur Lane HQ and the Marine Corps Air Base at Kaneohe Bay. But Pearl Harbor itself was also a tourist attraction due to its history as it was the spot for a surprise attack and two ships met her fate in the harbor.
For Arizona as she stood on the beach, gazing at a white structure sitting on the water, she saw how similar it looked to the item on her belt. She knew for certain that it was a memorial for all the sailors who died aboard her historical self in 1941. The reason why she took off on her own without letting Penn know is because of the memorial and what remains beneath it.
She soon thought back to 1941 when she was just a regular warship. Battleship Row was being bombed as a bomb ignited her magazine and she could hear the screams of the men who were inside as the ship went down as tears began to drop from her eyes. When she was at the memorial, she would notice oil leak up from her historical wreck and many people would call it 'The Tears of Arizona' and they were right as her tears were prominent when she was reborn as a kansen.
She even had the time to visit the memorial of the USS Utah, a Florida-class battleship that was converted to a target ship and was equipped to train gunners. While at the memorial, the wreck of Utah was peaking above the surface and she knew for a fact that 58 men died aboard the ship during the Pearl Harbor attack. Apparently, six of the Hiryu's Kate bombers mistook her for a battleship while the others ignored the ship. When they dropped their torpedoes - two hit Utah as the ship capsized to port.
But her time of thinking about her historical self, the Utah and the men that died in this very harbor was interrupted when a familiar voice spoke,
"Arizona?"
The battleship turned around to see that Trigger was standing behind her with a curious look. The kansen asked,
"Commander? I heard that you were in Pearl Harbor…"
The Osean stated, "We were on orders to come to Pearl. But I got a call from Jaeger who was informed by Pennsylvania that you have gone AWOL."
The battleship expected her older sister to notice her departure. But she had her reasons to be here, which her commander noticed,
"This was where you died? In this very harbor in 1941?"
She looked up to the ace pilot as she noticed his look of curiosity rather than disappointment. She asked,
"This is…but how did you know?"
Trigger shrugged, "I read in my downtime and on occasion there have been movies about Pearl Harbor."
Arizona suspiciously asked, "Wait…did you…"
"Watch the 2001 movie? Yes, the actual attack is great, but there's a bunch of explosions. There's also that cook who took up an AA Gun to shoot down an enemy plane which was awesome since it's based off one of Pearl's many heroes, but the romance scenes seem like filler to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a bit of romance, but the way it went was just a way to add drama when the pilot was revealed to be alive."
The battleship sighed as that particular movie that starred Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale had a romance element, pilot (Affleck) shot down and assumed KIA. The pilot's love interest (Beckinsale) goes with his best friend (Hartnett) and now he comes back and drama occurs before the fateful attack. To Ari, it's hard to believe that the movie was very long, mostly from the romance element, suspicions of attack and even implemented the Doolittle Raid which Hornet was famous for, but her guilty pleasure were the moments when Cuba Gooding Jr, who played Doris Miller was on screen because of his significance and the Navy's fourth Gerald R. Ford - class aircraft carrier is to be named after him.
Trigger stated, "Movies aside, I also read books that Admiral Williams had sent me. I also saw the layout of Battleship Row which had you and Vestal's historical selves side by side."
Arizona sighed, "My crew had the ship docked next to the repair ship until the attack came. A few of the crew were abandoning ship and transferring them to the Vestal until that one bomb pierced my deck…" She closed her eyes as she remembered that terrifying morning as tears dripped, "Blew the magazine…1,177 men…died as the ship sank…I can hear the screams…the terror…the cries for help! I CAN'T!!"
Trigger gripped her shoulders, "Ari, come back! Stay with me, it's in the past now!"
When she felt his hands on her shoulders, her fear, sorrow and loss had washed away as care, comfort and protection replaced it. When she opened her eyes, she saw the concerned eyes of her commander as his words did strike true to her. She sighed,
"It's in the past…but what happened at Pearl will live with me as a kansen. I lost 1,177 men that day and when I was reborn…I would go to the memorial and leave a bouquet of flowers for my fallen sailors."
Trigger smiled as he felt a bit of deja vu since he remembered his parents doing the same for PJ Beckett, who he was named after and said, "It's the best way for you to honor their memory."
She looked back at the memorial, "It's been a tradition for me every December 7th…the reason I wasn't here to honor them is because the attack on HQ and our missions kept me from it."
Trigger curiously asked, "Where is your actual rigging?"
Ari had a slight chuckle before saying, "I hid my ship outside the harbor, so no one will see it."
To be fair, the Osean could only imagine how the tourists would react to seeing a Pennsylvania-Class Battleship afloat in Pearl, so he found it very smart that Arizona hid her ship outside the harbor. He soon noticed that the kansen spotted something sailing into the harbor as she spoke,
"Hey, a Union Carrier - I think that's the USS Carl Vinson."
Trigger saw the Supercarrier enter the harbor as he asked, "What's one aircraft carrier doing out here?"
Arizona looked closely, "She was probably with her strike group and she's seen battle. Look at the light hull damage on her side and island, mostly due to lucky hits that her CIWS failed to intercept. The escort ships and aircraft did a great job at protecting her until she made it here. The Vinson is a tough barge and will most likely be going towards the Navy Yard for repairs."
When she thought about the Navy Yard and the ships in drydock, she remembered something, "Hey Trigger, have you ever read about George Walters?"
The pilot shook his head, "No, I haven't."
The battleship smirked, "Well, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, enemy planes were destroying ships, including the ones in the dry dock. Downes and Cassin's historical selves were bombed, but the main target was the battleship sharing the dry dock with the destroyers."
That's when the ace pilot thought about the pictures he was shown in those books and one in particular caught his eyes - a dry dock with two ruined destroyers and one battleship in the rear. He soon remembered reading the tag of what ships were in that picture and he remembered,
"Pennsylvania…"
Arizona nodded and said, "That's right, my sister's historical self was in the dry dock and was targeted by the enemy. But George Walters, a civilian crane operator, used his crane to keep the attackers away while the now-aware AA Gunners set up and protected the ship. His crane would be hit, but he survived the attack."
Trigger had to admit that the crane operator was brave to use a shipyard crane to protect a battleship, but it kind of reminded him of Cossette who ran into the battlefield with the smoke canister on Tyler Island. She helped direct his squadron to strike the tanks used by the Radicals and saved a group of refugees.
But soon enough, he saw something surface as it entered the harbor,
"Is that a submarine?"
Arizona saw the cylindrical vessel surface and entered the harbor, it was a modern submarine used by the Union Navy. But since she's been to this harbor, she recognizes that particular sub,
She stated, "Yeah, the USS Greeneville, she's a Los Angeles Class submarine named after Greeneville, Tennessee. Modern subs like the LA Class have a combination of torpedo tubes and cruise missile launchers so they have to deal with enemy ships or fire a missile at a target outside torpedo range."
"But what's the sub doing in Pearl?"
She chuckled, "She's returning home - this is her home port after all."
Trigger figured, "You have been coming to this harbor for a long time to know which ships call this port home?"
Ari nodded and said, "Cleveland probably told you that it comes with being a kansen. It's nice to see the Greeneville go in and out of the harbor and her crew take good care of her in many ways - Volunteers Defending Frontiers is the motto of the sub."
Trigger noted, "There are millions of lives that depend on those submariners, they would gladly risk their lives to ensure that the Sirens never threaten humanity. They won't give up, I won't give up and certainly not you."
The battleship sighed at this as she said, "I have to thank you for cheering me up, Commander. I'm also sorry for going AWOL. It's just…I always remembered how I sank as the cries of my crew echoed in my mind, but now I know how to honor them. I want to defeat Red Axis and with you - it is possible."
Trigger didn't say anything as Arizona soon hugged him tightly - not wanting to let him go as hearts started forming in her eyes which was witnessed by the patrons of the Pearl's Bar - but a certain maid was nearby and spotted the hearts in Ari's eyes as she jots down her name on the list.
Pearl's Bar
1600 hrs
The Azur Lane crew and the Top Gun grads watched as the battleship hugged Trigger as they were amazed by how frightened she looked, only for the Ace to calm her down.
Enterprise saw this as she thought, "Ari's fate was sealed in this harbor…but my historical self would have met the same fate if not for the bad weather. But still, he's calmed her down…and yet…" That's when she realized that something was up as she sensed the aura of hearts in the battleship's eyes.
Apparently she wasn't the only one who sensed it as her Iron Blood companion thought, "She has the herz augen (heart eyes) now? Well, I might have to step my advances up. But unglücklicherweise (unfortunately), the Grey Ghost is ahead of either of us…but I am into the idea of sharing my herzenswunsch (heart's desire)."
Hood was watching as well and thought, "The Commander's nobility and compassion for us, warships is surprising. He knows that Lady Arizona met her fate in Pearl Harbor. My fate was sealed in the Denmark Strait against Bismarck and all but three sailors died as I sank. The thought of facing her again is terrifying, but I must remember that the Commander is on our side and he is always looking out for us."
She remembered when Azur Lane was called to mobilize and a commander was needed, "I do know that most naval officers, mainly those recommended by the drone-happy Admiral Cain for the command position of Azur Lane, would see us as weapons of war - but Trigger is different. He sees us as people rather than weapons, he cares about our morale and even the living conditions…even if he does accidentally walk into the wrong room."
The Battlecruiser slightly smiled as her face went red as she remembered when he accidentally walked into her room in the Royal Navy Barracks while she was changing. He was looking for Wales for any input on Acting Command, should he be called away from HQ, only to accidentally walk into the wrong room. Hood did feel a bit embarrassed since she wasn't wearing a top when the Commander walked in and saw her exposed chest before closing his eyes, apologizing and leaving, closing the door in the process.
Hood thought in her mind as she looked down, "He did apologize…but he saw my chest. He must have been surprised by them, knowing how I dress, hiding them in my casual clothing. My own insecurities aside - Trigger is quite the gentleman, he is an excellent pilot, guardian angel and a great leader." She began sensing a new emotional urge in herself, "I…I think…I am…drawn to him now. Similar to Lady Enterprise and Lady Hornet!"
Soon enough, HMS Hood, the Pride of the Royal Navy had hearts forming in her eyes for the Osean Ace.
Afterwards, Trigger and Arizona walked into the bar as the patrons took notice of her as Hangman whispered to Rooster,
"So that's her?"
Rooster assured him, "Yeah, that's Arizona - a legend in Pearl."
The Ace and the Battleship walked up to the counter as Penny noticed,
"Whoa, you're Arizona…"
Ari nodded, "I am and I am glad that I can spend time with friends…and the Commander."
Penny looked at Trigger, "She's the harbor's frequent visitor, kid and she's always looking to honor the memories of her crew."
Trigger nodded and said, "Even though she went AWOL to do it."
Ari looked at him, "If it's okay, I would gladly accept any punishment you deem fit."
Alarm bells immediately rang in the heads of the kansen who had the hearts for Trigger when Ari mentioned 'punishment' as Prinz Eugen expected something along the lines of a 'sexual' punishment. But that's when the Ace Pilot stated,
"That won't be necessary, Ari."
That made them all calm down as they return to their normal moods as Hood decided to ask,
"Lord Commander, you said that you spoke with Admiral Kaszansky?"
Trigger looked at the Royal Navy kansen as he said, "Yes, I did…but he wasn't the only admiral that talked to me since another admiral approached me while going to Kazansky's office."
That made her curious, "Who was it?"
"Just some Rear Admiral named Chester Cain."
That made her mad, "Her Majesty's Knickers, you spoke to him!?!?"
That outburst caught everyone's attention as they were surprised to see a regularly composed Royal Navy woman to just shout like that. Trigger asked,
"I get the feeling that you don't like him?"
Payback chimed in, "Truthfully, nobody likes Admiral Cain because of his push in drone production. He sees us pilots as obsolete and wants to replace pilots with drones, he hasn't gotten it so far."
Trigger stated, "That's because there are always pilots ready to fly airplanes. I made it clear to him that pursuing drone production is a bad idea - the Lighthouse War was proof of it. I wanted to knock that guy's lights out for his snide insinuations. But I didn't want Williams to know that I knocked out a Rear Admiral and probably end my career in Azur Lane. So I waited until I ended the conversation."
Hood scoffed, "Even I would have punched him as well since he saw us as nothing more than weapons - stepping stones for his precious drone programs."
Wit spoke from personal experience, "This Admiral Cain sounds a lot like the Erusean military opportunists who cranked out dozens of drones, both MQ models and unmanned models of manned aircraft. It's greedy politicians and military opportunists like him and their reliance on drone technology which caused the war. The war wasn't even officially declared even when the Radicals hit various naval bases on the Osean mainland with their drones, which made Erusea the aggressor against Osea."
Seymour stated, "From what Hood said, this guy sees himself as a visionary in the 'Future of Aviation' like what the Radicals saw themselves. They wanted a 'clean war' against Osea with the performance of the attack drones, but there's no such thing as a clean war. As for Cain, he's nothing more than an opportunist who would want to replace pilots with drones."
Trigger pointed out, "I didn't tell him about the Arsenal Birds or Hugin and Munin. He doesn't need to know that there were once two giant unmanned aircraft carriers meant to launch swarms of UAVs and two unmanned super jets that nearly caused a never-ending war between Man and Machine."
Wit sighed, "That's understandable since we don't want to see a new Hugin-Munin situation on this side of the portal."
Hood asked, "Were these the names of the Unmanned Ravens?"
The Osean Ace nodded, "They are and they nearly sent Mister X's flight data along with mine to drone manufacturing plants to pump out more drones. They would have been unstoppable and the war would have been prolonged indefinitely if we hadn't stopped them."
Fanboy asked, "So those drones nearly pulled a Skynet where you guys are from?"
The Ace was a bit confused as Prez stated, "He was referencing the Terminator movies where a rogue program causes the machines to rise up and cause death and destruction."
Trigger sighed and figured, "Yeah, something like that since those drones had my flight data. But when one of them flew into the tunnel to commence its transmission - Count and I went after it."
Phoenix asked, "Wait…you two flew your planes into a tunnel?!"
Count chimed in, "Yeah, the drone was going to use the Space Elevator's transmitter to send out its payload."
Bob asked, "You guys have a space elevator?"
"The Lighthouse was a nickname for the elevator, so Trigger and I flew through the undersea tunnel, making sure we didn't graze the sides or the ceiling when the drone began to close various shutters to try and block us which also cut off our original exit route."
Trigger continued from where Count left off, "As we made it into another section, the drone appeared and fired on us. I was able to evade, despite the tight space while Count took a hit."
The shaggy haired man stated, "Little bastard got me somewhere in my engine and I was losing thrust. But we were able to catch it in the Space Elevator and destroy it and the signal repeaters before the data was transmitted. But that's when I had a new exit plan for the Three Strikes…"
Payback asked, "You guys were inside the elevator and the undersea tunnel was sealed, how were you able to get out?"
"By going up the elevator itself."
Coyote asked, "Are you serious? I mean flying up the elevator is loco!"
Count stated, "The elevator's windbreak is hollow and there's no ceiling at the top. It was a perfect exit route, at the time I wasn't sure that my bird wasn't going to make it."
Trigger stated, "Count told me to fly up the elevator while he attempted a belly landing. I was worried about him as I flew up and dodged the elevator cars before emerging from the windbreak. But this crazy bastard was able to survive his belly landing and wait for help to arrive."
Arizona was amazed as she said, "You two are like a dynamic duo since you have each others backs when it comes to combat."
Trigger assured the battleship, "Some would compare us to Cipher and Pixy, the merc pilots from the Belkan War, but Count wouldn't betray me like Pixy did to Cipher."
Rooster said, "You two are proof that pilots are far more reliable than drones."
Enterprise agreed, "I agree, Bradshaw. As long as Trigger is with us, it proves that pilots are always needed."
They all agreed that the shortsighted nature of Admiral Cain is another Lighthouse War waiting to happen. Trigger raised his glass and said,
"To the pilots, sailors and kansen who are fighting this war. May they be the best to ever sail the seas and take to the skies!"
They all cheered as they raised their glasses before consuming their drinks. Once he was done, Trigger saw his phone beep and found a message from Ice.
"Huh?" He thought before opening his message app and saw the one message that made his eyes widen,
"Project Darkstar is now under your command. I am already sending the transfer orders now."
From what Trigger remembered is that Darkstar is the scramjet project that Cain has been trying to shut down. It's also the same project where Captain Mitchell resides as a test pilot.
Enterprise noticed this and asked, "Patrick, what's going on?"
The Ace stated, "Enty, we're going to be having some company at HQ."
He discreetly showed her the message and asked, "The Darkstar?"
He nodded and said, "It's being sent here along with its pilot."
Enterprise remembered visiting the site with the light carrier, Bataan because they heard that a well-known pilot was a test pilot. She also remembered who was in charge of the project as a slight smile had formed on her face,
"Now that would make someone really mad."
"But I won't say whom."
While everyone enjoyed themselves, Arizona watched as she felt happy about what Trigger had said to her…so much so that her feelings for the Osean Ace had sparked. She felt a bit jealous when she saw him talk with Enterprise, but she had a feeling that the carrier knew him longer as she sighed,
"Hell, she was the one who brought him here when Williams assigned him as the Commander."
She drank her glass as she thought, "But as long as he's here - I know I'm safe…and I know that I can honor the memories of my crew. But maybe one day…He and I could be together."
Darkstar Test Site
Nevada-California Border
Eagle Union Mainland
1900 hrs
It was a long day as technicians went over the readouts of the prototype aircraft after the last test which made it reach Mach 6. Everyone was ready to turn in, especially the test pilot and his kansen assistant who the latter was seen fiddling with a model F6F Hellcat.
The pilot was a man who, judging from his looks, had pretty much seen action before becoming a test pilot. As for the kansen accompanying him, she had blonde hair, blue eyes and a red, white and blue outfit, but she would always be seen carrying that Hellcat model as she tinkers with it.
The commander walked up to the pilot and complimented, "That was some good flying, Mav."
The pilot, Mav asked, "Are we going for Mach 7 for the next test?"
The commander was about to say something until an officer approached him with two papers attached clipped together. The commander read it as his eyes widen and said,
"My god…"
The kansen stopped tinkering and asked, "Sir, what's wrong?"
"We just got word from high up that we're being moved."
The kansen asked the pilot, "Maverick, what does he mean by 'moved?"
Maverick stated, "Someone must have taken notice of the project."
The commander also stated, "It also appears that Admiral Cain has been relieved of his authority over the Darkstar Project. At least we won't have to worry about him shutting us down for his drones…" He noticed their orders, "Effective 1050 hrs, Captain Pete Mitchell, Light Carrier Bataan and remaining Darkstar staff are to be transferred to Hawaii…" He paused as Maverick asked,
"Where in Hawaii?"
The man looked at them, "Azur Lane HQ."
Bataan was surprised, "No way…we're actually going to Azur Lane!?"
"It's true…Admiral Kazansky noted that someone in Azur Lane had taken notice of us."
Maverick was suspicious about this and stated, "Azur Lane is on the frontlines for the war in the pacific, I know they have an airbase, but they want a prototype aircraft on the airstrip? Who took notice of us?"
The commander looked over it again and stated as he showed a picture of an F-22 with three scratches that was with the new orders, "Commander Patrick Cross - the Three Strikes of Azur Lane."
Maverick looked at the photo and realized, "That pilot that's been causing mayhem for the enemy? He has authority on the Darkstar?!"
The commander nodded and said, "Darkstar is wheels up at 1050 hrs tomorrow morning." He turned to the kansen, "As for Bataan, a C-17 is waiting to take you and the staff to Oahu. Full Rigging is preferable for transport."
The light carrier understood as she called forth her rigging as carrier pieces attached to her body. But she sighed as she said,
"I guess we're going to postpone fixing the Mustang."
Mav nodded, "I guess so, kid. But I do want to meet this Ace Pilot."
The kansen nodded as she said, "That also means that I get to see Enterprise and Independence again!"
She looked at the prototype aircraft before talking with Maverick, "I'm wheels up in 5 minutes, but I'll probably be ahead of you before you get this bird in the air. I'll see you in Hawaii."
She went towards the waiting C-17 as Maverick stated, "Don't worry, I'll make sure that your Hellcat collection is shipped there."
"You've been looking out for me since I was dropped off here. The way you cared for me is almost like you have become my father, Maverick."
As the kansen left, her statement made the pilot sigh as he remembered when he tried to be a father figure to a young boy who lost his dad. The boy's father was great friend and a brother to Pete as he hears a familiar voice as he revisits a painful memory as an F-14A is in a unrecoverable flat spin,
(Flashback)
"Altitude 8000…7000…"
Said Mav's RIO as he checked the declining altitude of their plane which was now down to 6000.
Maverick on the other hand was pinned to the canopy as he yelled,
"I'm pinned forward, Goose! I can't reach the ejection handle! Goose, you're gonna have to punch us out! I can't reach the ejection handle! Eject!"
Goose reached for the ejection handle above his seat as he struggled against the Gs of the flat spin,
"I'm trying!"
"EJECT! EJECT! EJECT!"
Goose pulled the handle as Maverick said, "Watch the canopy!"
Soon enough, the Tomcat's canopy blew as both pilot and RIO launched from the doomed plane. But due to not having enough clearance, Goose hit the canopy, snapping his neck as both chutes were able to deploy as they hit the water. The memory became painful as Maverick surfaced and cried out,
"GOOSE! Goose! Oh no!"
(Flashback ends)
Maverick remembered pulling his friend's body close to him and held him as SAR arrived. Then there was the insistence from the rescue diver that he had to let him go as Goose's body was hoisted into the air by the helicopter.
This was a painful memory, he remembered the look on Carole's face when she was told of her husband's death and Bradley, a young boy who looked up to both him and Goose…hearing the news of his father's death at a young age.
That painful memory hit Maverick hard, it made him have a confidence problem until Viper gave him the encouragement to graduate with his class. When Mav was a Top Gun instructor, seeing the way he trained the rookie pilots reminded him too much of that day, so he transferred to NAS Fallon after Top Gun was moved.
But even when the asteroid fell, when the Sirens appeared and his fight with Ice against the Crimson and Varcolac Squadrons - Goose's death never really left Maverick even after he tossed Goose's tags into the sea after the SS Layton mission all those years ago.
But to hear a kansen regard him as her father was surprising since Bataan was left here to be stationed at Darkstar base. When she was stationed there, he took her in, took care of her and taught her how to work on a real airplane like the P-51. When she said that, he asked,
"Have I really been like a father for Bataan?"
His thoughts were interrupted by the engines of the C-17 taking off as he watched as it went west to Hawaii. He soon asked,
"Talk to me, Goose. Am I really a father to her?"
But he knew he couldn't dwell on it anymore as he walked to his motorcycle - a restored Kawasaki Ninja GPZ 900R. But as he mounted the bike, the base commander approached him again,
"Maverick, before you set off to Hawaii, you need to know something."
He asked, "And that is?"
"Sulejmani and Rodriguez are back."
That made him freeze in shock, the two dangerous rogue pilots who nearly destroyed Tokyo have emerged. He remembered fighting them with Ice back when he still flew and they were dangerous pilots. He asked,
"When did you hear this?"
The commander stated, "We read a report sent over from Fleet HQ that Three Strikes engaged Crimson and Varcolac over Wake Island during the liberation, but he was able to drive them off and shoot down the Orgoi."
"He must be a great pilot to do something that the Scorpion of Martinez and the Crowned Merc were able to do."
Even Maverick was aware of the two pilots who were considered to be the archenemies of both flight leads.
The commander stated, "He is, but you know how crazy they are, especially Rodriguez."
"Is that the other reason why I am going out there? To fly in air combat against those two?"
The commander shook his head and said, "No, you are going out there because Three Strikes has heard about you. He knows that you have an impressive combat record before the Darkstar, he needs veteran pilots like you, Mav."
Maverick understood this since there's no doubt that someone told Three Strikes about him. If this Ace of Azur Lane is looking for veteran pilots to teach the rookies, it must be important. But still, at least he won't be dealing with Cain's Pro-Drone Agenda. He said,
"It will be nice to be somewhere else for a change."
The Darkstar commander stated, "I'm sure it will, go get some rest, Maverick. You're going to need it."
With that being said, Pete Mitchell started the bike and sped off.
Outside Pearl's Bar
Pearl Harbor, HI
1700 hrs
Belfast and Shinano were helping Trigger and some of the naval pilots carry a passed out Arizona towards the waiting jeep. After they got her in, Phoenix looked at Trigger,
"Jeez, I didn't know a kansen could act that way while drunk."
The Osean stated, "Considering the fact that she had a slurred speech, Phoenix."
Prinz Eugen chuckled, "And here I thought the Lunar New Year Festival was odd, considering the enchantress outfit that she wore."
Trigger curiously asked, "Enchantress outfit?"
Payback spoke, "I was actually there and took this photo." He showed the photo as the Osean's face went a bit red as the color of Arizona's revealing outfit as she danced with Pennsylvania facepalming in the background.
"W…wow…that's just…"
Payback asked, "Are you feeling okay?"
Prinz Eugen teased, "Has Arizona's enchantress outfit turned you on, Kommandant?"
Fortunately, Trigger shook those thoughts off as he said, "I never knew she did that."
Belfast asked, "What exactly happened, Master?"
"Well, it all started after we gave a toast to brave sailors, pilots and kansen."
Pearl's Bar
30 minutes ago
After the toast, Trigger was talking with Hakuryuu about how Count was singled out by Ise and Hyuuga in that last battle,
"Apparently, they saw him as the lead plane which was not far off since he was the acting squadron leader until we got there."
Count stated, "Those two had their attention on me, figuring that if they shot me down, the rest would scatter. I admit, I was scared when I couldn't maneuver because of the AA fire and their main guns were going to fire on me."
Hakuryuu figured, "The fear of being shot down is common with combat pilots."
Trigger sighed, "It is and Count nearly bought it that day."
That was a fact for many combat pilots, but it was great timing that he was able to save his wingman. The pilots were conversing with both Osean and Erusean pilots and even talked with the kansen about previous operations or events that they happened to be in attendance.
But it wasn't until a tipsy Arizona started talking to the ace,
"Ya know…you are glowing right now, commander."
Trigger asked, "What?"
She slurred, "You are absolutely glowing…you must be stunning…in bed!"
That caught everyone's attention as Trigger noticed the empty glass in her hand and the drunken look on her face and said, "Ari, control yourself!"
The drunken kansen tilted her head as she undid a button on her shirt, "Oh? You want me to do it now…in front of everyone? That's a naughty thing for you to say!"
Arizona soon pounced on him, knocking him off his stool as the battleship straddled him.
"Ari, wait...stop!"
But she undid another button as she said,
"How can I calm down when your words are filling me with pleasure?"
Hood stood up, "Arizona, the Commander ordered you to stop! We are in a bar in front of other patrons! Control yourself!"
The drunk kansen only gave the Royal Navy woman a crazed glare as it looked like something you'd see in a yandere anime causing Hood to step back in shock only to secretly grab the bar stool from behind.
Prinz Eugen spoke, "Well this is amusing, although it's not private."
Ari glared at the Iron Blood cruiser and slurred, "You only…snuck into his bed…Iron Blood Whore!"
The cruiser took offense, "That was uncalled for!"
Trigger struggled as he said, "Guys, can you help get this woman off me?!"
Wit and Seymour held Ari's arms and attempted to pull her off - only for her to struggle and say,
"NO!!" She swung her arms back as both Voslagian pilots lost their grip and were tossed back as Hakuryuu and Prez caught them.
Count and Fencer attempted to pull Trigger out from under her when Wit and Seymour attempted to pull at her arms, but the drunken kansen's legs were strong which kept their leader in place after she swung the Voslagian pilots back as she glared at the Osean pilots,
"YOU WON'T RUIN THIS!!"
She grabbed the two and tossed them back as Rooster and Hangman were able to catch the Osean pilots.
While that was going on, Enterprise whispered to Penny,
"How much did she drink?"
The bartender answered, "Only one…and she's looking to rape your commander in front of everyone with no shame whatsoever."
The carrier had an idea, "Penny, is there a bottle behind the counter, preferably one that's full?"
She reached behind the counter and pulled out a Bud Light bottle and asked, "Are you doing what I think you're going to do?"
The kansen nodded as she took the bottle before saying, "I'll pay you back when this is over."
After the failed attempts to rescue Trigger from the drunk battleship, Ari soon slurred in her drunken state,
"Now that we don't have any interruptions…*hic* now handsome man…it's time that I *hic* give myself to you!" She undid another button as her black bra briefly emerged as Trigger said,
"Ari, snap out of it! You're drunk!"
Ari was going to say something until - a bottle of Bud Light slammed against her head as the bottle shattered and Ari fell to the floor, passed out.
Trigger looked at the unconscious Arizona and then towards Enterprise, who was holding the broken bottle with a relieved expression. He soon got up as he sat back onto the stool as he took a few deep breaths before saying,
"Well…that just happened!"
"It seems that we missed something big."
That was from Shinano who entered the bar as the other pilots were surprised by her presence. But Hangman stated,
"Yeah, you kinda missed it. Big A was about to rape Trigger until Big E knocked her out with a bottle."
The Yamato Carrier stated, "I see…" She walked over to the downed battleship and summoned a dream butterfly as it landed on Arizona as Shinano felt the battleship's emotions before saying,
"That single drink in her current state of remembrance had given her feelings of lust for the one person who helped her out."
Trigger realized, "Well…that makes perfect sense."
The dream fox smirked, "And if Vestal was here, she would recommend giving Ari some pain medicine for her headache, a bag of ice and a glass of water."
Hood sighed as she said, "I'm just glad that I didn't have to use this…" She pulled the bar stool from behind her back before setting it back down.
Coyote realized, "That's surprising of you to use a bar stool for a weapon."
"The Commander was in trouble, but I was glad that Lady Enterprise had saved him."
The Eagle Union carrier sat next to Trigger as she said, "What Arizona did was uncalled for."
She soon gave Penny a twenty dollar bill as she said, "Here, I broke the bottle, so I bought it."
The woman took the twenty dollar bill as Trigger spoke, "Sorry about Ari's behavior…"
Penny shrugged, "That's okay, I'm actually surprised at her acting this way in a drunken state with only one drink. But she should also expect a slight hangover once she wakes up."
The pilot understood as Enterprise sighed, "At least she didn't embarrass us by doing this to you." She leaned to him and whispered,
"Besides I will be the one to take your virginity."
That made him confused with what she said as he briefly noticed Enterprise's heart eyes until a voice said,
"Oh, it seems that Lady Shinano's suspicions were true and Arizona is now passed out on the ground."
That was Belfast as the maid had entered the bar.
Present Time
"And that's what happened."
Bel figured, "I had a feeling that Arizona would try to do something like that, but after one drink is mind boggling."
Count sighed, "And I thought that bunny destroyer drank too much."
That made Trigger curious, "You're talking about Laffey, right?"
His wingman stated, "Yeah, I caught her passed out in my F-15 with an empty bottle of wine in her hands and then I found out that she keeps a stash of them somewhere on base."
Hakuryuu noted, "I've heard about her from Hiei, both their historical counterparts clashed during the Guadalcanal Campaign. It was a fight between a destroyer and a battleship, small fry against a shark. Hiei won, but not before Laffey hit the ship's bridge, injuring an Admiral and killing his chief of staff."
Enterprise spoke, "I remember that after Hiei was crippled, my historical self sent out continuous air strikes before the crew scuttled her."
Hood asked Count, "And you believe that she is hiding a wine stash on base?"
Count stated, "Then why would I find her holding a wine bottle while she was sleeping in my plane? She has to have stashed more somewhere."
Trigger stated, "One problem at a time, Count."
He soon told the others, "I think we've all had enough excitement for one day. Time to head back."
Phoenix approached and asked, "Hey Trigger, since the Stennis is docked at Azur Lane, you don't mind if Bob, Hangman and I hitch a ride back with you guys, right?"
Trigger asked, "Norman gave you leave to come to Pearl Harbor?"
Bob spoke, "We were and we're due to report back to Azur Lane for further orders."
Rooster realized, "Funny enough, Payback, Coyote, Fanboy and I were pulled from our previous squadrons and brought here to be on standby, but recently we received orders to be assigned to another carrier."
Trigger asked, "Which carrier have you been assigned to?"
He soon stated, "Does the name 'Admiral Andersen' sound familiar?"
Trigger, with a surprised look, spoke, "That's our carrier and it's currently docked at Azur Lane." That made him curious, "Who authorized you to be assigned to the Andersen?"
Rooster gave him a set of transfer orders as he said,
"We just got our transfer orders moments ago and there was even a letter for you."
Trigger found the letter with an Admiral's seal and opened it. He took the letter out and saw that the letter was…from Ice. He read it,
"Commander Cross,
I'm sure by the time you read this, you would have received the transfer orders of these Top Gun graduates. Originally I had them transferred to Hickam on standby to reinforce Azur Lane Airfield until the report of the clash between the Andersen Fleet and the Red Axis. Among these ships is the aircraft carrier Admiral Andersen and you said it yourself that your carrier is the flagship of the fleet.
Both Admiral Williams and the Captain of the Admiral Andersen have already agreed with this request
Effective today, Lieutenants Bradshaw, Fitch, Machado and Garcia are to be assigned to the OFS Admiral Andersen and they will be under your command. These pilots are considered the best, but they still have much to learn.
You will also be joined by your second instructor tomorrow and the crew of the Darkstar Program. Be sure to give them a warm welcome.
Train them well, I know you can do it.
Admiral Tom Kazansky
Commander of the Pacific Fleet."
Trigger finishes reading as he tells them,
"Get in the jeep, aviators."
The pilots and officers got in the jeeps as Trigger noticed Penny leave the bar. He sighed as he said,
"Look, sorry about the mess…"
The woman stated, "No need to apologize a second time, but this is the first time I saw a kansen get drunk from a single drink."
The two chuckled at that incident since it was really awkward, but soon she told him, "Before you go, there's something you need to know about Rooster."
The Osean asked, curious about the Andersen's new pilot, "What about him?"
"Rooster became a pilot because of his dad, Nick Bradshaw who was a flight officer with the callsign Goose."
Trigger figured, "Following in his dad's footsteps, it seems."
She agreed, "There's also something else, Goose was paired with Pete when they were in combat and in Top Gun."
That's when he was interested since there was no doubt that Maverick knew Rooster's dad when he asked, "What happened?"
Penny answered, "During an exercise, there was an accident, Maverick and Goose flew into Ice's jet wash when he broke off, causing their F-14 to lose both engines going into an unrecoverable flat spin. They ejected, but Goose, because his seat launched before the canopy could clear the plane…he hit the canopy."
That made the ace's eyes widen, knowing full well of hitting the canopy at full force, "You mean…"
"He didn't survive and Bradley was only a kid when this happened."
Trigger looked back at the jeep as Rooster interacted with the others before turning back to Penny as the woman said,
"Pete tried to be like a father figure, but he felt like he was trying to be the dad that he lost. I just want you to look after Rooster, okay?"
Trigger nodded and said, "I will." But he asked, "How exactly did you know about all that?"
Penny smiled, "Rooster's mother, Carole and Pete's ex-lover, Charlie told me about what happened to Goose, I'm kinda surprised that they were able to find me."
This made the Osean realize that since he's going to have Maverick himself at Azur Lane and with the two in close proximity, he mentally said,
"My job just got a whole lot harder."
He thanked Penny for the information as he gave her a twenty dollar bill as a tip for the drinks. Although she said it wasn't necessary, he insisted and she accepted it. Afterwards, he grabbed his helmet and mounted his KLR as he said,
"Azur Lane, Let's Go Home!" As they left the bar and the base as they made their way home.
Yokosuka Naval Port
Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
Sakura Mainland
1200 hrs JST
The port of Yokosuka is one of the most impressive ports on the mainland. The city of Yokosuka itself has a great view of Mt. Fuji, an active volcano and the tallest mountain in all of the Sakura Empire. Those who have seen the midday shine down on the volcano were amazed by this amazing beauty of the volcano.
But for a group of five shipgirls who were following a dream butterfly through the waters of the Yokosuka Port, they were here to finally solve a mystery regarding an echo from a deceased kansen. The five kansen in Yokosuka were two destroyers, one heavy cruiser, one submarine and the flagship was a battleship as they followed the dream butterfly to its destination.
Soon enough, the small Lepidoptera made a touchdown on the water as the sonar of the destroyers and submarine received several pings. One destroyer with bunny ears spoke,
"My sonar is acting up, it didn't do that until the butterfly landed."
The second destroyer felt the pings, "You're right, Shimakaze. I can detect it with my sonar as well - There's something down there." She turned to the submarine, "I-19, what do you think?"
I-19 was looking at a datapad pinpointing the location before comparing it to historical records, "According to the records, we are close to where the dry docks were when the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred, that's where the historical Amagi met her fate. Let's not forget about the second earthquake that occurred in Kanto when Amagi and Kaga were doing a maintenance check - which led to Amagi's death. But my sonar is picking up something beneath the surface which proves that there may be something else here, Wakatsuki."
The heavy cruiser realized the findings as the submarine handed her the datapad, "Well, it seems like Shinano's information is solid as they say in the Eagle Union and Royal Navy. Maybe we may succeed where the JSDF failed."
The battleship reached her hand in the water as the butterfly crawled onto her hand, "The humans tried everything to find her cube, Mikuma. Admiral Hisashi sent us here because in most cases - it takes a kansen to find a Wisdom Cube, it's now up to us."
A beam emitted from the butterfly's antennae as the beam went into the water as a light blue dot blinked in their vision which made the battleship which was a foxgirl with dark hair, purple attire and large 18.1 inch guns attached to her rigging, smirk and said,
"I know my little sister and her connections with the dreamscape, she wouldn't have sent a butterfly with us if she didn't know where the cube was - even if it was from a ghost of Amagi."
And that's a wrap!
Okay, we see that Arizona was in Pearl Harbor to commemorate the sailors that died aboard her historical self. But even when reborn as a kansen, she could hear the screams and cries for help. It's the many things that make her cry, she cries for her sailors, those who served aboard her until that fateful day.
But there's one pilot that helped her come back from those traumatic memories and that was Trigger.
The discussion regarding the history of Pearl Harbor, the 2001 Michael Bay film, the many heroes of Pearl, including Doris Miller.
Historical Fun Fact: He's the cook who took up an AA Gun despite being untrained and the first African American to ever earn the Navy Cross and to me - he's a fine example for sailors who go above and beyond the call of duty.
Once again, we see how Kansen identified modern ships and added the USS Greeneville because Pearl is her home port.
The Darkstar Program is under Trigger's authority and the transfer orders are sent out.
We now see that Maverick has seen the transfer orders and was informed of the return of Crimson and Varcolac as well as how Three Strikes chased them off over Wake Island.
We also see that he took Bataan under his wing and the kansen saw him as a father which made him question if it was true since he tried to be a father figure once.
There's also that part where Arizona gets drunk and attempts to get into Trigger's pants. I have to admit, it did seem out of character for Arizona to act like that, but she was drunk after all.
Rooster, Coyote, Payback and Fanboy were transferred to the OFS Admiral Andersen.
As for the Amagi situation, five shipgirls were at Yokosuka investigating the possibility of finding Amagi's cube. The flagship is someone who understands Shinano's connection with the dreamscape and knows that it's up to them to find the cube.
But what do you think would happen when Trigger and Maverick meet?
Before we end this, it's time for the list of shipgirls with the hearts for Trigger!
Eagle Union: Enterprise, Hornet, New Jersey and Arizona.
Sakura Empire: Akagi, Kaga, and Zuikaku.
Royal Navy: Hood, Belfast, Ark Royal, Prince of Wales.
Iron Blood: Prinz Eugen.
Only one Iron Blood girl? Well that would have to change in later chapters.
Okay, so that's all for now.
Tune in next time!
Nighthawk Out!