A few days later, a car drives along a snow-covered street pulls up to a curb by a building. And waiting was Kaigun-shosho Tamon Yamaguchi as he head down the steps as Yamamoto steps out of the car and turns to him and they both saluted each other.
"Did you enjoy your visit to Hawaii?" Yamamoto asked as they head inside.
"I told you Nagumo to locate the aircraft carriers and destroy their fuel tanks." Yamaguchi informed. "But he refused."
"A devastating mistake." Yamamoto said as they wander through a hall. "It would have taken the Americans a year to resume operations at Pearl Harbor."
"When are going to remove Nagumo from command?" Yamaguchi asked.
"Nagumo sunk the American battleships." Yamamoto said. "Everyone thinks he's a hero."
"Someday that old fool will make an even bigger mistake." Yamaguchi said begrudgingly.
Yamamoto then stopped in his tracks as well as Yamaguchi as he turns to him.
"None of that talk inside." Yamamoto said. "We must be united against the Army."
"I'm not Nagumo." Yamaguchi said.
Yamamoto turns to Yamaguchi and lightly chuckles as he heads off.
Halfway around the world, a gray cloudy day stood in Washington D.C., a car pulls up to a curb by a building not far from the White House as an officer steps out of the passenger side, and opens the door as stepping out was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
They head up the steps and salutes to a passing officer as they head to the building's entrance.
"Pearl Harbor was a great victory." Yamamoto spoke to the prime ministers. "But... If we give them time the Americans will overrun us. Therefore we must land the knockout blow by destroying their aircraft carriers."
In Washington, Nimitz met with Admiral Ernest J. King who is Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations.
"Congratulations, sir." Nimitz said to him. "You're the right man to run the Navy."
Ernest sets his paper down on his desk and shook his hand.
"When they get in trouble, they send for the sons of bitches." Ernest said.
Nimitz chuckles as Admiral King Secretary closed the doors.
And Nimitz and Ernest sat down to discuss plans.
"Our priority must be... to seize the resources that we need." Rikugun-taishÅ Hideki Tojo said. "That is a job for the Army. The Navy's job... is to get us there and back."
Yamamoto and Yamaguchi remained silent.
"The situation in the Pacific is far worse than has been reported." Ernest explained as Nimitz listened. "We have three carriers. The Japs have ten. We have zero functional battleships, they have nine. They have more cruisers, more bombers, more fighters... and much of their equipment is more modern. We'll just have to count on the men that we have out there to hold the line."
"I don't envy the new commander." Nimitz said.
Ernest remained silent staring at him. And it took a few moments for Nimitz to realize why.
"It's me, isn't it?" Nimitz inquired.
Ernest was momentarily silent. "The president asked for you himself."
Nimitz exhales knowing the big task ahead for him.
"He said that you should get the hell out to Pearl and stay there until our ships sail into Tokyo Bay." Ernest said.
They then stood up and shook hands.
"Welcome to the most difficult job in the world." Ernest said.
Back across the world in Japan, a car drives along a road as Yamamoto and Yamaguchi discuss further of their plans.
"The Army got us into this war... and now they expect us to ferry them around." Yamaguchi said.
"For now. But circumstances will change." Yamamoto said. "I want you to start drawing up plans for the operation we discussed."
Yamaguchi knew what he meant. "Midway?"
Yamamoto briefly nodded as Yamaguchi remained silent.
Across the Pacific over 3,800 miles in Pearl Harbor, dozens of headstones stood of a number of the 2,403 victims. And smoke continues lightly drifting from the damaged ships. And families stood by their fallen loved ones.
"Detail. A-ten-hut!" An officer called out. "Ready. Aim. Fire."
A team of soldiers then fired their rifles.
At a car, Roy's wife, Marie, placed a folded flag by her two sons.
"Aim. Fire." The officer repeated.
guns were heard firing again.
"I'll be right back." Marie said to her sons.
Her two sons remained silent.
"Fire." The officer repeated.
She closed the door as guns were fired again, and Marie went up to Best, Ann, Hiccup and Astrid.
"I'm so sorry." Best apologized.
"He was a great man." Hiccup said.
"Roy wanted to be a pilot like you." Marie said. "But I talked him out of it. I said it was too dangerous."
Ann remained silent.
"Hey, that was not fault." Astrid said trying to assure her. "No one could've known this would happen or saw it coming."
"I'll see you at the next funeral." Marie said.
"You don't have to go." Ann said.
"Yes, I do." Marie said. "We're family."
Ann then hugs Marie.
At a bar, a photo of Roy stood as a bartender pours ten shot glass.
"Hey, hey, hey!" George H. Gay Jr called out to everyone. "I just wanna say... Roy Pearce was one of the finest bastards that I've ever met. And I could talk about the man for an hour. But I think that's a job I'll leave up to one of you boys that went to the Academy with him." He gestured to Best, Hiccup, and Dickinson.
"Thank you, Gay." Hiccup said.
"What do you say?" Gay said.
Dickinson pats Best.
"Yeah, well, I can't let some torpedo jockey speak for Roy." Best said stepping forward as light laughter was heard. "Especially one not good enough to fly from Enterprise." He pats Gay's face.
"Ooh!" They all lightly laughed.
"Okay. Okay." Gay said.
Best then climbs up onto the bar counter and turns to them.
"Summer after plebe year, me, Hiccup, Roy and Dickie went up to visit Roy's uncle, up in the Great Lakes." Best said recalling one of his memories with Roy. "It was the peak of Prohibition, so one night, we decide to sail to Canada to buy a keg of beer. On our way back, right before the sun comes up, the wind dies. So, there we are, just floating in the middle of the lake, waiting for the Border Patrol to show up. I said we should just ditch the booze, but Roy..." He turns to Dickinson. "Hey, Dickie, what did Roy say?"
"'Hell, no.'" Dickinson said they turn to him. "'We'll drink it all.'"
The bar was filled with laughter.
Best remained silent for a few moments remembering the good times they spent with Roy.
"Roy was my best man." Best said. "He was the godfather to my daughter. I thought someday... we'd be on a porch, drinking beers, telling lies about what we did in the big war."
He then grabs a shot glass and held it up high.
"To Roy." Best said.
"To Roy." Dickinson said.
"To Roy." Hiccup said.
"To Roy." They all said.
Best drank his shot.
Later, Best, Hiccup, and Dickinson were wandering by the base.
"Man, oh, man." Dickinson said feeling woozy as two sailors saluted them. "Why'd you make me drink so much?"
"I think I had a shot too many." Hiccup said as Dickinson salutes to them.
"You might have to carry me home, darling." Dickinson said.
A horn was heard honking as they looked back seeing three cars driving and approaching.
"Oh, shit. Shore Patrol." Dickinson said.
They turn to them as Dickinson fixies his tie.
"No, that's the admiral's flag." Best said. "Hey, I bet it's the new commander."
"Who do you think it is?" Dickinson asked.
The car drives by closer.
"That looks like Nimitz." Dickinson said.
"Wait, I think it is Nimitz." Hiccup said seeing him.
"I hear he's true-blue." Best said. "Hey, Nimitz!"
Nimitz and a staff officer turns to them.
"When are you going to let us at those Japs?" Best yelled as they drove by.
"I'm sorry, sir." The staff officer said and sighs. "Do you want me to get their names?"
"No." Nimitz denied and knowing the Navy will need every pilot they can get.
"I think he might have heard you." Dickinson said.
The three of them then laugh.
"I'm glad at least some of the boys still want to fight." Nimitz said.
Inside the base, Edwin was waiting for Nimitz to arrive and he soon saw him enter the building as he stood up. And Nimitz turns into an office, and Edwin heads to the office as Nimitz was unpacking as Edwin knocks on the door.
"Welcome to Pearl, sir." Edwin said. "I'm Lieutenant Commander Layton."
Nimitz turns to him. "I know who you are."
"Well, then you'll understand my request." Edwin said. "I wish to be reassigned to a destroyer."
"Didn't you try to warn my predecessor about the impending attack?" Nimitz asked referring Kimmel.
"Well, not exactly." Edwin explained. "I said that we had lost track of the enemy carriers and needed to be prepared. I should've push harder."
"A lesson, I assume, you have taken to heart." Nimitz said.
"Sir... I'm the intelligence officer responsible for overseeing the greatest intelligence failure in American history." Edwin said.
"Close the door." Nimitz said.
Edwin then closed the door.
"Morale is at an all-time low and for good reason." Nimitz said. "The Japanese are advancing on all fronts at a terrifying pace. I, nevertheless, know the fighting spirit of our men. And I have faith in them. But I also need to know that they have faith in themselves. I need you to be my Admiral Yamamoto. Get in his head. Tell me what he's going to do next. Your first assignment... we need to throw a punch. Not just for morale, but so the Japanese know what if feels like to be hit." He then approached a map on the wall showing the Pacific region of the globe. "I'm sending Halsey to attack the Marshall Islands. But I need to know that they're not walking into a trap."
Author's Note:
Next comes the Marshall Islands attack.
Doing research, I found that Nimitz arrived on Pearl at Christmas Day. And this is my last chapter update of 2024.
Happy 30th anniversary for The Lion King, The Mask. And happy 25th for Tarzan, and The Mummy. And happy 20 years of The Polar Express, Home on the Range, and The Incredibles. And 10 years of the Monsterverse, and Godzilla (2014), Big Hero 6, and How to Train Your Dragon 2. Happy 70 years for Godzilla, and 60 years of King Ghidorah.
And happy 15 for Avatar.
And 3 days ago, I got a Revell kit of a SBD Dauntless.
See you all in 2025. And Happy New Year.