Azur Heroes
Chapter 12
Time for the two main forces to meet. As well as dealing with finding out about the new threats from the Sirens and the Red Axis who work with them. But I also have a plan for how the heroes of Japan will take to these American ships showing up with a top military hero. So on with show.
(No POV)
The chosen ships of the San Diego Fleet had been sailing for about a month. Intercepting a few Siren fleets wandering about the Pacific. As such many in the fleet were getting exhausted. "Commander? Can Laffey take a nap now?" Laffey asked during a quieter moment during the trip.
John wasn't too sure about switching out his girls for the ones he was taking back to Japan. Given they didn't have ships of their own. But Mutski and Fumizuki make their rigs appear and then rush over to Laffey's ship.
"Laffey-neechan. You can take a nap for a bit. We'll make sure your ship stays on course!" Mutski says before offering Laffey some candy. Laffey nods before accepting the candy and going to her cabin to nap.
John lets out a breath before sitting back in the command chair of New Jersey's bridge. New Jersey laughs a bit before saying, "they know how to surprise you. And dontcha just love it!?" The commander gives her a look before leaning back.
Something that made John uneasy was that the latter half of the month had just been Siren only ships. "We saw a few of the Sakura ships when we first departed. But since we crossed the international date line… it's just been the same ships we're used to."
"I know what you mean. Its unsettling. I hope nothing is happening back home. Or in Japan." Jersey says before using her radar to get a long-range scan of the area. John keeps his eyes on the horizon for threats. While also thinking that she just raised a major red flag.
And it was paid off. But not on the San Diego fleet. Over the last week or so before they would arrive in Japan, the nation had been getting bombarded by renewed and unusual attacks from the Sirens. As well as some planes and ships that made little sense.
"Are you sure what attacked us that last time were some Zeros?" Izuku questioned while Yuudachi and a few others who were recovering in the medical wing. The dog morph nodded before saying, "they definitely used Sakura tactics as well. Not only that, but I'm sure one of the ships I charged into fighting was similar to a Mutsuki class and a Fubuki class."
Izuku let out a stressed sigh before thanking the girls. As well as assuring them they would have a few days off to heal. "I'll rework the duty roster. You six need a break. And Yuu, there's someone here who wants to see you."
With that, Izuku opened the door and showed Eri in to check in on her big sister. Both of them smiled and hugged each other. Yuudachi asked what Eri had been up to, and the little girl talked about her spending time with some of the other shipgirls and a few of the daughters of the soldiers on base.
The commander of Moncal base smiled before turning to leave. "Well at least that's done. Now comes the….. worse part." Izuku thought aloud before Nagato joined him to talk with the admirals and other members of the brass.
For the next hour or so, he and Himori were getting reamed out for the recent uptick in attacks and damage to the cities of Japan. Not to mention all of the ripple effects from the panic and fear of what could be happening.
"People moving away from the coasts, rising rates of looters, nutcases claiming the end of the world. And then there's the latest where the media have been claiming that the military is looking to take over! Given the reports and images of planes we've seen your girls using!"
Izuku growled before reiterating that it definitely wasn't one of his girls or from Himori's fleet. "We don't have enough information to make any moves or take any actions. All I can say is that some of my own ships did confirm they were using Sakura tactics as well as ships and aircraft."
The oni looking woman agrees and tells the top members that they had been doing all they could. "But the attacks have been hitting us with a fervor we haven't seen for years! We don't even know if this is just happening here or elsewhere."
"Well, you had better find out soon. Or we will take more direct control of the situation and the ships," one admiral said with finality before hanging up. A few of the others had similar thoughts but were less confrontational about it.
Both of the shipgirl commanders let out stressed sighs with the calls wrapping up. "This is getting out of hand. Where did the Sirens get Sakura or Japanese ships? And why are they using them?" Himori questions while resting her head on her desk.
"I have no idea. This is just crazy! And now we're under threat of losing everything we've worked to do for and with our girls." Izuku says while leaning back. Nagato places a hand on Izuku's shoulder before patting him on the head. Himori meanwhile is getting her shoulders massaged by Hiei.
And feeling the battleship woman's generous bosom pressing against her back. But she didn't complain as the massage felt too good to ask her to stop. After a minute or so, Izuku asked if the ships knew anything.
Nagato hummed before admitting that they had turned against their allies of Azur Lane before. Explaining that it was an international alliance of all shipgirls when Izuku looked at her funny. "We along with a few other nations ships went against Azur Lane to use Siren technology to defeat them."
"Yes. We thought it would help us to better protect humanity by taking whatever we could to defeat them. But it more often than not blew up in our face." Hiei says with a sigh. Himori peeks up at her before asking if they were crazy. "That tech is dangerous and risky. Izuku had to clean up a whole incident when some nutcases stole that after all."
The green haired teen groaned while thinking back a year ago. A few technicians from Deternat had requisitioned some remains of the remains of the alien technology through a military connection. They claimed to be looking to find a weakness that could be exploited.
But instead, they did something crazy and tried to make support items for those with quirks. Hoping to improve their potential and be able to fight the Sirens. All it did in the end was take over multiple civilians of Daika City. With a death toll in the thousands.
Due to this incident, Deternat was shut down and many of the members were arrested. The CEO being put in one of the higher security sections under constant surveillance. The Hearts and Minds party leader was also arrested and the party itself was dissolved. With many of the members scattering to the wind. If they weren't arrested for various crimes that had been covered up.
Thus the city, and by extension the Meta Liberation Army, were destroyed. With the only members who were still free being Genten and Curious. The latter was only able to avoid persecution due to being away from the city at the time. The former though had lost an arm during the whole matter by trying to stop his fellow members. As such, most thought he was dead.
The destruction was only stemmed at the city due to Izuku taking point and directing all of the heroes and his shipgirls to restrain or take out those who might be controlled by the Sirens. His efficient commands, planning, and even taking out a few Siren controlled entities himself had earned him some praise among the populace.
"Ahhhh! I don't want to think about that! It was bad enough that we had to clean up that… you know what fuck it! We had to clean up that fucking mess because those idiots thought they could play with goddamn eldritch horror tech! I still have nightmares about what it did to some of them!"
After Izuku had ranted for a bit, Himori chuckled before asking if he felt better. His only response was 'a little' and as he groaned in his chair. Nagato coughed a bit before acknowledging that it was a foolish plan by those who stole the Siren technology.
"And various other versions of us have found how hard it is to deal with. Sometimes to our detriment. We had been fortunate in some of those timelines, Azur Lane was willing to forgive us and help us to stop the foolishness we unleashed."
Izuku nodded but his musings were cut short when the alarm rang out. He rushed over to the command center and ordered a status update. "A few fleets have been spotted with the long-range radar sir! We have aircraft incoming! No reports of submarines but we should be ready!"
The young commander nodded before sounding general quarters. "Kii! You're flagship for the intercept fleet. Take Katsuragi and Shinano for the main fleet. Ayanami, Kinu and Yuudachi. You're the vanguard."
After a quick set of rogers from the girl in question, he ordered Nagato to take Kirishima and Kongo as a defense fleet. With Atago, Akatsuki, and Sendai as the vanguards. "Akashi, I want you and the rest of the Bulins on standby to help the injured. Kawakaze, you and Nagara be ready in case something come ashore. Or if you have to switch with the others."
His girls give their affirmatives before setting out to do their duty. With Izuku planning and observing in unease. And the unease grows as the battle begins. "What the?! Why are there Reppus along with Shindens?! Calm yourselves. Fate may be written, but ours' have yet to be fulfilled!"
Shinano is the one saying this before launching a flight of her own planes. Her eyes then glow blue as she boosts the skills of the two destroyers in the fleet. With Ayanami and Yuudachi rushing forward as fast as they could to engage any clones and ships.
"Awooo! Here comes the Nightmare of Solomon!" Yuudachi cries before firing barrages of bullets and torpedoes. When she comes up on some Siren clones though, she uses her sharpened nails and fists to deal with them.
First clawing out one Siren's eye, the using a few punches and kicks to hurt some others. She takes them out with her guns after, but for the last two clones she decides to have a bit of fun. She weaves around the attacks from both before leaping up and slashing the throat of one.
While she's in the air, Yuudachi positions herself to grab the other Siren's head with her thighs. Tossing the invader to the ground or water with her weight and then twisting to snap it's neck. Though she forgets to check her six and gets blasted in the back by a few other ships.
This is when Ayanami jumps in. She had chosen to focus on AA for a time while Yuudachi was rampaging. But now that the skies were somewhat clear, she stepped in to help her friend. She slashed a few with her large sword before getting caught in a blade lock with the gauntlets of one Siren.
A few others tried to take them both out, but Ayanami was ready for this and adjusted her guns and torpedoes to fire around her and distract or take out the opponents. But luckily someone else had stepped in to take out more of the copies.
"Feel the sting of my Demonblade!" Kinu called out before running her finger along the length of her katana. It glowed blue like her eyes as she engaged the enemy and cut a few of them down. While slashing, she fired off as many shots and torpedoes as she could.
Kii meanwhile focused her sight before firing a barrage from her cannons. And her eyes would occasionally glow yellow and each of her fleet mates could feel their AA and other guns improving in accuracy and power.
But this was not the only group attacking. Izuku's suspicions another attack force were proven as Atago and Sendai engaged a few Sirens that were closer to the base. The former quickly setting some ablaze while the latter focused on shooting. As well as boosting a sneaky ally.
Nagato meanwhile had her eyes fixed on the horizon and the enemy and launched shot after shot to thin the numbers. And Kongo was perfectly poised with her blade pointing out as she fired her main guns. And aided her sister.
Akatsuki and Kirishima had taken it upon themselves to sneak in deeper to the enemy formation to see what may be going on. Only to be shocked and enraged by what they saw. Sitting at the back of the formation was a high-ranking Siren alongside a few shipgirls they both knew.
Hiyou and Junyou were both at the rear launching planes to attack. This was enough to make Akatsuki leap in first at try to take them out or capture them. But she was stopped by another ally of theirs. That being her own sister Hibiki.
"Why!? Why would you do this to your homeland!?" Akatsuki raged as she exchanged blows with her sister and her anchor club. Hibiki snarled as she brought the weight of the weapon down on her sister. "You wouldn't understand! You were called to! You were asked to help! We were left in the abyss!"
Akatsuki feels her blade breaking and she rolls out of the way to keep from being hurt. Kirishima had wanted to help her little friend, but she was occupied by a different opponent. That being her own sister Haruna. Who kept a stoic gaze of fury directed at her sister.
Atago wasn't in a much better place as she was facing both Maya and Takao. While Sendai was nursing an injured arm after Myoukou had absorbed a number of her shots and then sent them right back to the cruiser.
While Izuku wanted to send the other two girls out to aid them, they didn't have that option. As a few Siren subs had gotten close and were attacking Moncal base directly. He'd already evacuated most of the noncombatants to shelters, but he refused to just stand aside and let that be the end.
"Kawakaze!" Izuku shouted as he joined the fray with a few of the soldiers. The destroyer tossed him one of her extra swords as he engaged with gun and blade to protect his base and home.
Nagara meanwhile was covering Akatsuki and the Bulins with her guns as best she could. But she was uneasy about punching them. Until one leapt out of the sea to attack her, and she closed her eyes to throw her punch. Accidentally decapitating the submarine Siren.
Kawakaze meanwhile was cutting through the enemy as fast as she could. But she went too far ahead and got blasted a few times for it. Her white hair being dyed black from some of the soot from the explosions.
As she was knocked on her back from another explosion, she heard a few cries ring out from some of the soldiers. Namely a group who were being cut down by a new attacker. One that shocked her.
Her eyes gleamed red and her horns seemed longer than Kawakaze remembered. But there was no mistaking the smile on the girl's face, the rigging around her, and the visage of a demon behind her with her nodachi.
"Sakawa." Kawakaze grunted out before being hit with a few shots from the cruister's cannons. Her opponent didn't give her time to recover and quickly brought down her blade atop the destroyer girl. Only for both to be surprised when Izuku jumped in and stopped the attack.
Sakawa's surprise eased and she said, "brave boy. And you have a heart that wishes to protect. But I thought you would have learned that we're stronger." Izuku grunted as he felt the blade coming down on his shoulder and cutting it a bit.
"Yeah. But I'm human. We're a stubborn bunch. And I've got some guts born from a man inspired by America!" Izuku grunts out before positioning just right to shunt the larger blade to the side and away from him and Kawakaze.
As Sakawa was thrown off by the weight being sent elsewhere, Izuku brought the blade up and slashed at the cruiser. She dodged, but Izuku managed to leave a decent cut right along her cheek up to her ear.
The destroyer girl and the young commander could see the rage roiling in Sakawa's eyes. Before she could engage him again, Kawakaze tossed another sword to Izuku as the two started trading blows. Izuku buying time until Kawakaze was strong enough to help him.
But he found himself getting thrown off balance and was unprepared for the attacks from what he assumed was just a visage she projected. And he was quickly disarmed. Not just in losing the blades.
After throwing him off balance with her tricky bladework, she struck him in the stomach with the large kashira. And then sliced off his right arm. Izuku was then kicked back with a grunt. While he was struggling to catch his breath and coming to terms with what he just lost, Sakawa was stalking up to him.
She raised her blade high to finish the young commander off. A manic grin on her face as she raised it high. But she was caught off guard and injured by Izuku using the blade he'd been knocked to, to stab the mad cruiser in the stomach.
Before she could react again, he pulled himself up a bit and headbutted her in the face. "I'm not going down….. that easy…." Izuku declared while trying to stand tall. He could tell he was losing a lot of blood, but he wasn't about to back down. 'I will protect them!' he declared in his mind.
Sakawa was about to attack again, when Kawakaze leapt in and kick the rogue shipgirl before blasting her with her guns. "You crazy fool! Are you trying to die?!" she exclaimed before cutting part of her uniform to help with the bleeding.
The two weren't sure on what they could do next, but luckily they got a heads up that someone was on the way. "Commander Izuku? This is Commander Kotov of Botwa base. Hold on. We'll help finish this fight."
As Kawakaze heard and relayed that, all those fighting could see a ship blistering towards the base. As they were sure it was about to crash into the docks, it quickly dissipated into a mass of cubes. With Laffey and Kotov in the air to help engage.
(45 mins prior)
Bataan had been sending out scouts with Ticonderoga and they had spotted the fleet attacking. While a few in the fleet wondered if they should leave this to the shipgirls from Japan, a different sight made them want to step in.
"Did you say there was a pair of Japanese carriers and a battleship there?" John asked before Mikasa asked for a description of the ships. Bataan identified the carriers as Soryuu class.
"But the battleship I have no idea….. I count four double cannons. Hold on. I think I see the shipgirl. Uh… silver, gray hair. Wearing blue. Including a foxlike mask." Bataan reported. Mikasa gulped before saying, "that's Tosa. If we engage her then we need someone strong enough to endure her attacks and hit her back hard."
"Sound like my job!" New Jersey says with a thumbs up. John agrees and tells the rest of the ships to be ready to engage. At least until Ticonderoga announced that there was a second fleet, and her scouts had picked sight of an infiltration fleet.
John was unsure, but part of him wanted to go help the soldiers deal with the infiltration fleet. "Shikkan Kotov. If you don't mind sir, I could take command here. If you send Jersey-san in she can keep Tosa busy or defeat her. Meanwhile, you could take a faster ship and get to shore to help the base." Mikasa propositioned.
The American commander thought it over for a bit before asking if the girls had any problem with that. At a quick set of negatives, he took a deep breath before calling out to Laffey. "I'm gonna need everything you've got. No sleeping this time."
"Understood commander. Laffey can sleep later. Right now, there are Sirens to stop." Laffey said in her usual tone. She pulled up quickly to New Jersey and John leapt from the command tower to the deck and then to the Laffey.
Once he was aboard and in her bridge, Laffey popped her neck a bit. "Hold on commander. Deactivating self-imposed limiter!" Laffey announced before revving her engines as hard as she could. The bucking and speed of which knocked John off his feet.
After running a while he could tell this was a bit straining and made a mental note to make sure to get her some good booze and food when they landed. 'For now though. We've got to save that base.' John thought as they sped towards Moncal.
(Now)
When John and Laffey arrived they were both a bit disoriented, but quickly gained their bearings. Laffey shook her head before spotting some clones accosting Nagara and the repair crews. "You leave them alone!" she declared before pointing her guns.
She unleashed a few shots while running toward the group. A few tried to engage her hand to hand, but she quickly showed how strong her remodeled legs were and kicked a few so hard they were sent flying. Or broke some of the cannons and launchers. Or with one flip kick, she took a clone's head off.
When a few seemed better at hand to hand, she countered and blocked with her gun set up. Before getting in under their guards and shooting them in the stomach or face. A few others she grappled to the ground before breaking other parts and then tossing explosives at them. Even joint locking some and maneuvering them into position to get shot by their allies.
One of those she pushed towards them. And when the clone was caught, they didn't notice the depth charge Laffey had rigged like a grenade was stuck to them. And she blew up three clones.
She did get knocked to her back at one point, and Nagara stepped in to help. But after Laffey shook out of her daze, she picked up something the oni girl had dropped. A needle like piece had fallen from the back of her rig, and Laffey picked it up.
The destroyer then used the needle to pierce the sides, foreheads, and throats of a few of the Sirens. Finishing one more off with by punching the implement through the heart a Siren. She was breathing heavily at this point and then started to collapse.
Nagara caught the bunny destroyer in her arms and bosom. "Laffey needs….. so much sleep. Goodnight." Laffey said before resting in Nagara's arms, lap, and breasts. The cruiser thanks the girl as the battle is winding down.
While Laffey was helping the besieged repair crews, John had found Izuku and Kawakaze. As well as the angry Sakawa. He powered up his quirk before engaging. Only to be surprised when he met the sheath of her nodachi and then got blasted back by her cannons.
She started to taunt him, but he didn't give her the chance and fired a few rockets from his prosthetic kneecap. He engaged the woman fist, gun, and prosthetic against her sword and guns.
They went back and forth for a while until, some flares were lit in the distance. The cruiser girl snarled before saying, "you've earned a reprieve for now! But I will finish this someday!" She then fires her cannons to knock John back.
Before she leaves though, she asks Izuku name. Though barely holding onto consciousness, he tells her with his determined fire still burning in his eyes. "I will remember it. You mad fool of a commander." Sakawa says before leaping back onto the sea.
While John is tempted to go after her, he felt it would be better to help the injured at the base. Back out at sea, Jersey had surprised and done some damage to Tosa. But she had been injured a bit back due to the Sakura ship's allies.
Ticonderoga and Bataan did all they could to clear the skies and help the two carriers of the Moncal fleet. While the other girls aided whoever they could until the enemies retreated. With Izuku and a few others being rushed off to the ER, John took command of the base and the shipgirls to be ready for the next attacks.
When his fleet and the intercept fleet had returned, Mikasa and the others gave him the run down. And a few asked what happened to the others on the base. John sighed before telling them they'd see for themselves.
As they were leaving to get repaired or check on others, John was gathering himself and wincing at some of the pains from the burns and attacks from the rogue shipgirl. "Didn't expect this when I came here. But now… the Siren War has started a new phase." John thinks aloud as the sun sets.
So that got a bit more intense than I had been thinking, but I have something special in mind for Izuku. Not only that, but I wanted to show why some wanted to ally with the Sirens. As well as noting those who were rogue and very dangerous. But don't worry, they'll all stand tall from this.
Also, I wanted to have some fun to show how much more dangerous Laffey was due to her retrofit (respect if you get some of the idea I was going with for her new fighting style). Something that will come into play with the rest eventually. Please review!