As the skies darkened with a storm system rumbling overhead, It was both good and bad in its own right. Good news? It meant I would be able to hide in bad visibility, and it would cover up my breadcrumbs from yesterday's night battle, It also would mean carriers wouldn't be around for some time. Well, from a manner of view that is, When shipgirl magic is involved to the point of them being able to fight battles that would be impossible for their real-world counterparts, It remained to be seen whether that held true. Hurricane bow or not.
Bad, because it also meant I could get jumped by a pack of torpedo-armed DDs or followed by a submarine. It's strange that I didn't feel such a strong sense of dread at the idea of being unable to spot torps in the water until it was too late. What reinforced that was my VHF RADAR wouldn't be much use here, and the only one that would be workable. The centimeter-wave Dutch AESA arrays weren't yet still working, or maybe that was paranoia. Part of me believed I'd been seen anyway, After all, what were the odds of stumbling upon an Siren shipgirl with advanced bullcrap like some kind of S-band SG RADAR? probably high.
Hell, I still had no idea of where I was or what part of the world I was in for that manner. It could be any damn place, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, let alone getting lost within it. One thing was clear though; time wasn't on my side here. The storm wouldn't last forever, and when it cleared up, who knew what would happen next? A battleship group, another encounter with a cruiser squadron, or even worse, being found by a giant carrier strike group? Yeah, that sounded really appealing right about now as a form of suicide.
Given my track record... I sighed deeply as I scanned the skies once again before turning towards the horizon where the sun had long since disappeared behind the clouds. This game, if you could call it that, was far from over. And I had no idea how much longer I could keep playing this very real game of life and death.
Still, It could be worse. At least i still had my wits about me, and my skills from my previous life as your typical teen-at-home-who-games-a-lot and too much free time to try and prove that Iowa wouldn't survive against Yamato were proving useful in navigating through the chaos right now. But that doesn't mean I could outwit a shipgirl who would have had several months of experience, or a efficient command structure for that mtter.
As the storm raged on, I steeled myself for whatever lay ahead, Which just so happened to be on cue.
Said cue being twelve targets all coming into view barely in this weather, Blatantly siren enough, Judging by their blackish gray and sky blue motif and of course the yellow eyes. I couldn't tell in this storm, But it didn't look like a direct interception course, so maybe they haven't spotted me yet. Still. That was no assurance that they were just shadowing me and were part of another bigger group or waiting on orders.
My shipgirl instincts kicked in, I quickly went into action, calling 'out' to what passed for the virtual crew and going into full combat mode while I started up whatever electronics I could use, Starting with fire control and radio channels, Anything to kill them first before they killed me.
Sure enough, I saw one of them suddenly turning her head to stare at me. Only several moments later, the entire group began to look in my direction. Damn it, they must have spotted me!
And just before the entire group vanished into the fog, I saw them turning around to follow me. Just great... I picked up more speed, now reaching flank speed. I hoped that they wouldn't be fast enough to catch me or get too close before I could get the secondaries up and running, The tension was palpable as I gripped the metaphorical controls tightly, ready for whatever came next. "Hahh, stay sharp." I whispered to myself, hoping that somehow, I would make it through this alive.
After a few minutes of this, I saw glimpses of them, Still shadowing me. not so close it turned into a fight, but not so far enough they would lose track of me. Now there was absolutely no question they were tracking me. At least, I still had some tricks up my sleeve...
'In that case...' I thought to myself. forcing down the mounting outrage and dread at this bold course of action. 'I suppose I just have to fight like how we did it in these roleplaying days!'
I turned around, feeling my turbines groan as I pulled a U-turn before I charged them at full flank speed. 406mm guns swiveled and depressed as I saw their outlines come fully into sight, Their faces frozen in surprise as range, bearing and speed were already being crunched in my computers. At such point-blank range in the storm, there was no time to think; It was either sink or be sunk.
Likely realizing that, they made a sharp heeling turn that would have been dangerous for any real-world ship counterpart by probably flipping upside down or either breaking a rudder, And in just one moment they had brought their guns onto my angle. and I realized i hadn't gave the physics of shipgirls enough respect or thinking!
They opened fire. and then it began... A barrage of gunfire echoed through the stormy sky as we traded shots at point-blank range, both sides desperate to score hits before the other could get away or take too much damage. It was chaos personified; explosions and splashes lighting up the mist like fireworks while respective DC systems worked feverishly to keep things operational. The thunderous roar of cannons and the rattle of machinery were almost deafening as shells flew back and forth. Mine's with deadly accuracy.
And in nearly half a minute later they were gone, their outlines already disappearing back into the mist. hisses escaping my mouth as I felt where I had took blows to my armor array. I saw one of them being knocked down with a bunch of HE shells from my main guns though.
Now how the fuck do i get out of this situation? I knew one thing for sure, They wouldn't just break off easily... I needed to come up with something quick. Likely, They would come back for another attack run, probably involving torps. The problem was; i still didn't know if they were part of a bigger group or not. It could mean getting ambushed by more ships or even carriers! So what do i do? Still, I couldn't deny some kind of instinct guiding me through this chaos - as if everything clicked perfectly in place from past experience somehow. Notably, the realization hit hard as I realized that there was no way they would dare to follow me in the storm so confidently...
But before I could recall what it was, I had already decided to pull another turn. considering the idea of a smokescreen. The thought process itself might not make much sense at first glance given the conditions; after all, we were both shrouded by heavy fog and mist, making visibility near impossible even without any tactics involved! However, my intuition told me otherwise - that this situation demanded unconventional thinking above all else if I were going to survive unscathed.
And with that resolve firmly set within me, I began acting on those instincts without hesitation or regard for potential consequences. already making a turn toward their last known angle as I aimed for what amounted to a drive-by attack. knowing full well it would leave me exposed while trying something like an offensive run straight into an ambush was pure insanity! The most important thing right now was surprising them - catch them off guard before they could react properly! Of course, It would require perfect timing and execution...
With a sudden burst of speed, I closed the distance between us with blinding speed, leaving behind nothing but a trail of white mist as evidence of my passing through this hellish storm unscathed. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as if i were a racing engine fueled by determination alone.
It was just enough time before they turned back to look up from their chatter over their comms when I acquired them and then fired my main guns at them! A horrendous explosion rocked out, the sound almost reminding me of a tank's ammo carousel exploding as chunks of steel flew off into the clouds above them, Their guns fired wildly towards me; but not once did they manage to connect due mostly due to how sudden i had shown up mixed with my lucky streak holding up so far under this hellish stormy weather. It seemed they were struggling just as much with maintaining any kind of coordination or control over themselves under these conditions... just like myself earlier when i first woke up.
Just then as I began turning around, one last stray shell ricocheted off my left side armor plate, sending up sparks above me before finally exploding in the air above with a orange flash in the fog. "Gguhhh...!" I grunted through gritted teeth, feeling pain shoot down my spine at the impact. But it was nothing compared to what they were going through right now; I would have sworn I saw their faces twisted with shock and disbelief while their guns continued firing blindly towards where i had been nearly a minute ago.
The sound of water crashing into rigging and machinery together echoed throughout the air like some kind of morbid symphony played by an orchestra made entirely of war machines.
"Damn! Fuck this!" I yelled to myself, and as if on innate knowledge. I began dumping fuel into the engines to create a smokescreen, A thick and white tower of smoke emerging from the back of my machinery. It rose higher and higher, But I also saw it already drifting and destabilize as the storm raged on. It was hard to tell.
Maybe I shouldn't have expected anything, Maybe I should have paid more attention in my action-oriented mind, But soon enough a cacophony of beeps and alerts filled my head as RWRs went off blaring about being painted by a radar, Trying to pay attention to it mentally. I noticed that the bearing of that radar line was changing, Almost as if it was... following me.
Oh you have to be shitting, they had RADAR...
What now? Keeping that smokescreen generator on wouldn't help much at this point; It would only make things worse, especially if they were capable of blindfiring! So instead I decided to go full blown flank speed, Still watching the bearing of that enemy radar changing to follow me as I ventured into the expanse of my mind, There had to be something about these main gun radars that could allow me to fire back... There had to be!
It took me a few minutes, But finally, I had figured out how to operate these local arrays in tracking and gunnery mode as I turned the main batteries around, High explosive shells already ready to tear up my pursuers. With a sickening, anxious feeling in my stomach... I metaphorically pulled the trigger, Wincing as the sound of the main batteries firing briefly cut through the roaring of the storm above. The recoil was brutal;I swore I almost felt the barbettes shaking like these were nothing more than a child's toy. But there wasn't time to dwell on such things; I had other concerns at hand!
The first salvo flew off into the mist, hoping it would hit something or someone. And then... silence fell upon me once again. No gunfire echoed across the sea anymore. Just the howling wind and rain lashing against my machinery. Had i managed? Or had I messed up something about fire control?
Nearly a minute later, That question was answered in the form of tracers suddenly sailing over my head, Fuck. that meant they were capable of blindfire control. I'd be angry If I wasn't fearing for my life. So i took another turn to evade while keeping an eye on that radar bearing; There was no telling what other tricks they might have. The sea churned and thrashed beneath me as if it were alive, But I kept myself straight with all my might, heart racing like a ticking time bomb within my chest.
"If only I could get a lock in this stupid storm...!" I cursed in my breath, fingers flexing over the controls almost desperately. It was as though everything depended on it - and maybe it did. After all, i had no idea how many others were waiting for me out here.
Soon, Another flash of lightning lit up the fog, Just enough for me to see my pursuers as they emerged, And with that. We resumed our battle, Main guns fired explosive shells, With nothing particular in mind and just targeting the superstructure (Or as close as you could get to one against shipgirl-sized targets. anyway) while secondaries rained down a stream of tracers, trying to get them to veer off, One of them was soon engulfed in flames, but she didn't care about their pain or suffering, only a burning desire to sink me. It was clear we were both at a stalemate until they decided to make a desperate move - either risk getting closer or break away.
While I was busy trying to nail them, I didn't notice something moving on one of them as I felt a shell graze my left arm, Already too concentrated on taking out as many as possible to notice as one of them had their riggings explode as ammo lockers went off. I only noticed it when I spotted what looked like multiple boxes of missile launchers, aimed at me.
"What the bloody-" I muttered before I saw the orange flashes and trails of flame and smoke as they hurled downrange toward me, too fast to react-
And then everything was engulfed in explosions and smoke, My entire machinery shuddering under the force of impact after impact! I felt shell fragments tear through hull plating and decks; The sound of screeching metal followed by the hiss of something burning filled my ears despite all the chaos around me.
There was only one thought in my mind;since when did they have rocket launchers!? They didn't even look like they had what could be called early anti-ship missiles, and i didn't recall any shipborne rocket system being used to target naval craft other than the PT boats... And they hurt more than they should have. Alerts suddenly streamed into my mind, warning about a fire on the bow from that rocket salvo and that damage control units were being mobilized, only adding to my distraction even as my left shoulder hurt and i resisted the urge to scream in pain.
But before I could contemplate on that, another flash of lightning lit up the sky like some kind of cruel joke. The sight was enough to chill me to the bone;Now that I was looking closer, I saw these boxy launchers with their tubes again. Already seeing flames spouting out of their machinery as these flew toward me, Oh for fuck sak-
Stings of pain washed into my mind as explosions rocked across my hull, arms. shoulders. legs, The smell of burning metal filled my sensations and I groaned in pain, Feeling my chest wheeze as It felt like paperclips being punched onto me. I fired back with a parting salvo from my main batteries, not really expecting to hit anything, just dissuade them. Surprisingly enough, nothing important got damaged. Yet my panicking mind told me otherwise.
I took another turn while I tried to fix what superficial wounds I had took, The storm raging on like an angry goddess above my head. But they were gone... They vanished into the mist once again, It was as if they never existed at all.. Only the sound of water crashing against my hull and the distant humming of machinery remained.
Wondering why they had let up now, I noticed that something felt empty now. When I noticed that the warning beeps were gone, I mentally probed and noticed the RWR wasn't screeching now. Could it be-Did i just cripple the surface RADAR set on one of them during the fighting? That could certainly explain why they decided not to pursue me further out of the inability to keep shadowing me.. at least not without the risk of bumbling into me at close range. But there was no way to know for sure.
With a sigh, I limped away from the scene, trying to assess the damage and keep going. Fortunately, these fires quickly died down. But the aching - pain that i wasn't used to - was taking it's own brand of toll on my focus, Have you ever tried thinking let alone trying to wheel your body around to quickly aim giant-ass guns with their own inertia when you cannot think straight? That's that.
And so as I went and went until I was sure I had lost them, I wanted to cry and just lay down, Already thinking about the pulses of fear I felt when I imagined some of the many ways i could be taken down. I brushed my left hand over the structural damage and hissed as It felt like I was touching a water-burned limb. I'm not a soldier who has to earn a paycheck killing people or die in poverty, I'm not someone who liked the idea of actually having to fight with my life on the line. I'm just some random guy that got shoved into this damn shipgirl body that wasn't even supposed to exist and tossed straight in without even the basics let alone a manual to read.
Some part of my mind chimed in and told me that no, You still had this weird. newtype-like sixth sense. right? You had guns using experimental cold war tech, Hell. you're even more advanced than a missile-converted Iowa.. But I didn't care, I didn't ask for any of this, I just wanted to find safety... I'm not even a mindless synthetic race created for the sole purpose of killing... Why was i chosen? Why me? Why not someone else like Solomon sea herself? The questions swirled around like the damn storm.
...I did have a radio, didn't it? I could use it to transmit in the old Warsaw Pact or NATO codes, Sure. I would be placing a giant marker on myself, But it would also mean the possibility of being rescued.
After much mental debate, I decided-fuck it. I wasn't going to stand a chance alone, And more time like this made any chances of my survival more and more dim. Grimacing slightly, I listened to the radio waves suddenly being filled with calls for help from me. Now, All i could do is just keep moving and wait until they came for me, or i died-Be it to a sub, Land based aircraft. of a giant fuck-off battle group. whatever it was, I had no idea. But at least someone would know where i was now. Maybe... Just maybe... They could come save me.
And as if clutching it mentally for comfort, I looked back at these Breda Bofor guns, clenching the trigger in my mind and ready to pull the trigger with nothing more than a laser and a camera if it came to that.
Author's note:Well, I did comment that the Sirens were not going to be the same, right? As untrained as their grunts can be, they're willing to dedicate their time to working on miniaturizing the tech even if they have to test the system tens of times over, or even coming up with ideas like installing high velocity anti aircraft hit-to-kill rockets.
Let's face it, If you had access to Second world war technology only and you knew about their downsides, you would try and come up with something new. if only as a inter-rim in the meanwhile, If your rockets are horrible and inaccurate, wouldn't you want to apply spin-stabilization to them? How about working out the kinks of the klystron for the hoped development of Korea-war era radars. or radar-directed 20mms? They would have wanted to work immediately on end-war technology, but there are numerous reliability problems and resistance from a stagnant high command and such, which is why they focused on, for example. tinkering with the 40mm bofors instead of moving to the 57mm caliber or such (Besides, Proximity fuses for 57mm rounds did not even exist until the 1970s) or making some improvements to the B-17 instead of moving to the B-29 or such.
Of course, that doesn't stop your average grunt from being nothing more than a statistic, But if they do survive their tour of duty. then they can become quite good, capable of holding their own against someone like say. Neveda. although of course one on ones are very different from the massive fleet battles Siren Kanmusu forces like to engage in. Granted, they are more used to being defensive, Whereas Azur lane is better on offensively seeking out and destroying isolated elements as well as harassing their large fleet groups. But then again, these are just thoughts.
I go see you next chapter!