The Open Ocean is No Place For Niceties

[Sophie]

"Commander Hayakawa!" A voice rang out aboard the bridge of the Royal Battle Ship Hatsuharu, a newly commissioned Kaki-class destroyer escorting a staol transport convoy directly from Koi to Fuyonouso. "New orders over the radio!" The radio officer belted. The women of the bridge exchanged looks of confusion over the announcement- convoy escort orders were scarcely, if ever, overridden. Especially not when escorting Koian vessels. Koi contracts were consistently explicit on the number of destroyer escorts required for their convoys. Not only that, working escort duty during peacetime was always considered a reward for exemplary behavior. Suspicions of malfeasance on behalf of the Commander began to stew in every woman's mind.

The new energy of the room made the hairs of the commander- a Rose Hair Tarantula Kumo- stand on end. Her hair strained through her fingers as she pushed her hand through her forehead and scalp nervously. "Negative, Lieutenant Nagata. Remind Destroyer Command of tasking and request new orders." She anxiously toyed with a hair tie on her wrist. It took a matter of seconds for her to tie her hair into a tight ponytail and pull it over her shoulder.

"It's not from Destroyer Command, Hayakawa-kama... It's straight from the office of the Empress." The radio officer answered, their hand palpitating. The already cold atmosphere on the bridge turned absolutely frigid. A rather innocuous destroyer without a single battle star or meritorious achievement to its name receiving a call directly from the Empress? Completely unheard of. "Orders are to merge with the Kogo Heika fleet currently docked in Tsubame. Immediately." Her voice shook, eyes darting between the radio and her commander.

"Kogo Heika? Aren't they supposed to be in Elenria?" The Commander mulled aloud to herself. "What are they doing in the northern prefectures?" Her mind raced faster than it ever had in her entire life. The flagship fleet was one of the most illustrious positions a commander could be assigned to. It was no vacation- it was considered one of the hardest and most strict commands possible. However, nearly every single commander who retired from the flagship fleet ended up with an extremely powerful position in the civilian sector. On top of that, the standing pension was nothing short of lucrative.

Hayakawa's heart raced like a hummingbird. Her eyes darted between every crew member on the bridge. Statues stared back. Time was frozen as her entire future flashed before her eyes. What-ifs and could haves filled her mind like the paralyzing bite of venom.

"Commander?"

Hayakawa's Executive Officer looked into her eyes and lightly shook her shoulder. "Commander, what are your orders?" Time had returned to its normal flow and yet still no one moved. Everyone's eyes remained locked on the captain of the ship. Unmoving, speechless. The Commander swallowed hard.

"Nagata-kas. Respond to orders, 'Message received. Underway for new tasking. Estimated arrival four days at full steam.' Send a message to the Koian Vessel Eestlebloom- 'This is destroyer escort Hatsuharu, we have received emergency orders and will be breaking off from escort.'" The commander's orders echoed confidence, but it felt as if her beating heart was pulsating into her larynx, choking her every breath. She quickly walked over to a wall of telephones and picked one up. "Maneuvering, this is conn. Give estimated range for current fuel stores at full speed."

"Aye-Aye conn." A voice echoed back, the sounds of the roaring engine audible in the background as well as women shouting over one another. "Hase! Range at full speed?!" A brief pause held the moment, in which only sounds of the moving machinery were heard. A new voice, much quieter but quite clearly yelling over the orchestra of the staol engines returned. "_{About five-thousand kilometers!}" The original voice returned to the phone "Conn, Maneuvering. Estimated range at full speed is about five-thousand kilometers. I can have a more accurate estimate in fifteen minutes."

"Negative, maneuvering. Only return information if estimate is significantly lower." The commander returned and hung up the phone. "Helm," she returned to her bridge officers, "how far are we from Tsubame?"

An Orchard Orb Weaver Kumo nodded at the request and turned to their map. She took out a pin and yarn, placed them on their current location on the map, and began drawing a route with the yarn and pins. The commander joined her at the map, following along with the path that was drawn. Once the helm officer finished she took out another piece of yarn and matched its length to the first piece. A ruler next to the map measured not in inches or centimeters, but in entire kilometers was aligned to the yarn revealing its approximate length. "About four-thousand five-hundred kilometers, Commander."

Hayakawa nodded and flicked the engine order telegraph to AHEAD FULL. "Helm, come right to two-nine-seven." The helm officer grabbed the helm wheel and began turning it to the right. "Two-nine-seven, helm aye." The two-thousand-five-hundred-ton warship began pushing more and more water behind it as it began turning to the right, the great white wake of foam behind it arcing in a graceful bend.

"Commander," the radio officer spoke up again. "The Koian vessel has responded. 'Breach of contract understood. Fine will be applied to Kumosenkan.'"

The commander rolled each of her eight eyes. "Koians and their fucking contracts. It's not our issue. I'm sure the Empress was aware that would happen. Let's just be on our way."

The trip from the open ocean to Tsubame was long and uneventful. The ship managed to avoid any stormy waters and managed to maintain a healthy twenty-eight knots for the entire trip.

Once the shore came into view the commander gave out new orders. "Lieutenant Nagata. Call Tsubame base and inform them of our arrival. Let helm know of our dock assignment and bring us to the tugs." Once the destroyer reached the docks the commander switched the engine order telegraph to AHEAD SLOW.

The dock was almost more steel than water with how many ships were populating the area. They passed several light cruisers, heavy cruisers, a handful of battlecruisers, and even battleships anchored deep in the middle of the dock. The helmsman had to carefully navigate the waters to avoid coming close to the others and risking collision. Finally, they came upon the pride and joy of the Kumosenkan Royal Battle Fleet- The RBS Kii. The first-ever battleship to boast eighteen-inch main guns. She towered over their destroyer, a mountain of steel and tungsten. A single one of their titanic main turrets had the weight of several destroyers.

After finally being tugged into a dock slot, the commander was quick to disembark as her orders had instructed. A group of MPs were waiting for her as soon as she got off the boat. They both saluted and stood firmly at attention.

"Commander Hayakawa I assume?"


"At ease, ladies." She quickly returned the salute and the MPs relaxed their arms. "Yes, I'm Commander Hayakawa."

"Captains' meeting is at fourteen hundred hours with Fleet Admiral Aoba Kobayashi in building four-zero-three." The MPs informed her. The Commander furrowed her brow
in shock.

"Kobayashi-kama..?"

[Sophie]

Soft classical music flowed out of a nearby phonograph and into her ears. The dulcet tones of Yosh Tsutsumi's work filled the velvet walled room with gentle, soothing notes from a nearby phonograph.

A gold finish lined nearly every edge of the bathing room, from the pillars that adorned every corner to the frames of the windows. A woman sat comfortably in a completely golden tub at the edge of the room. Steam wafted up from the bubbly water that she rested in.

The entirety of her red widow body lay beneath the water, as well as most of her humanoid torso. She lay forward, resting her head on her arms. Her incredibly long red hair was tied up into a towel on the top of her head. Cleansing mud completely covered her face. A long plastic straw fed sparkling water from an ornate goblet directly into her mouth.

"Kobayashi-kama, are you ready for your massage?"

"Mmmmmn..." The Fleet Admiral murmured softly. "I suppose." As she lazily lifted herself out of the water, the bubbles rushed down her incredibly toned body. The maid who waited on her didn't flinch but couldn't control her blush as the bubbles washed off the Admiral's rather large breasts. She walked out of the tub and the maid softly wrapped her in a towel and began to rub her down. Once she was dry, the maid lead her out of the bathroom and over to a massage table set up in the bedroom. It was in two sections, one for her lower body to rest on, and a higher one for her torso to rest on.

The maid pulled up her sleeves and began to pour warm oil on her back. "Any particular areas of stress you want me to focus on, Kobayashi-kama?" She asked as she softly spread the oil up and down her back.

"Momoe, you've known me long enough. Just call me Aoba." She spoke incredibly quietly- it was hard to hear her over the soft music.

The maid nodded, adding pressure between her shoulder blades once she found a deep knot. "As you wish, Aoba-kama."

Knowing that Momoe added kama to her first name just to tease her made Kobayashi roll her eyes.

"Oooh. Right there. That and my lower back have been killing me." The maid continued to work on her back, but ignored the lower body as it has no muscles and therefore required no massaging. The massage continued for nearly an hour before a knock on the door interrupted it.

Another maid entered the room and bowed deeply. "Fleet Admiral Aoba Kobayashi, you asked me to remind you an hour before the captains' meeting."

Kobayashi sighed deeply. "Thank you Onaga-kas. Dismissed." The maid bowed again and left the room. "I wish that wasn't today." She groaned. "I just want to spend more time with you. This has been heavenly."

"You flatter me Aoba." Momoe blushed and smiled. She gave her master's back one last squeeze. "I am just doing my job. Come now, you're going to be late. Let's get you dressed."

"Ffffine." The Admiral pouted and straightened, standing back up. Momoe walked over to the wardrobe and began to pull out her dress uniform as Kobayashi snapped her bra back on.

Momoe turned around with the uniform in her hands and took a moment to take in the sight before her. "Arms up." She pulled the uniform over her master, yanking the back over her abdomen. The deep blue uniform was gorgeously complemented with golden fringes and red cloth. Her service ribbons were already attached, hanging onto the uniform just where her belly button is. She had well over forty of them.

"May I have the honor of adorning you with your medals, Aoba?"

"I would love that, Momoe."

They both smiled while her maid retrieved her box full of medals. She carefully attached all three medals to her chest. She lightly brushed off her collar and shoulder insignias, making sure all three of her sakura flower emblems were pristine, the brass pieces shining against the light.

At first, it was to inspect the collar tabs of her master’s uniform. Her eyes traced the smooth, toned skin of the Fleet Admiral, up the neck and to the face until she made eye contact. Dreamily staring, she couldn't stop her eye line from drifting toward her master's. Their lips slowly began to gravitate towards each other before Momoe quickly pulled away.

She held her hand over her mouth and turned away, red with shame. Small, hot tears formed in her eyes, threatening to pour over, out, into a ceaseless river. She tried to suppress them.

"I am so sorry Kobayashi-kama. That never should have happened. Please accept my resig-" Kobayashi grabbed her arm and pulled her back facing towards her. Their eyes met again and Momoe's heart stopped. A soft hand cradled her left cheek and pulled her closer. Their lips met.

An electric shock rang throughout Momoe's entire body. Her eyes were jolted wide open. She melted into her master's arms and closed her eyes to the loving embrace. The tears had turned to raindrops as they raced down her cheeks as she held the Fleet Admiral- no, Aoba. Their lips pressed together fervently, and Momoe squeezed against her, never wanting the moment to end.

Kobayashi pulled away from the kiss slowly. She stared down at the maid's now weepy, crinkled face. "I would never accept your resignation, Momoe."

Momoe broke down and began full-on weeping, pressing her head against Kobayashi. Kobayashi pulled her in for a tight hug. "I love you, Aoba!" She cried between sobs, not caring about how their embrace was crinkling her uniform.

"And I love you, Momoe." She whispered into her ear. Tears of her own welled, but she managed to make them stay.

She pulled back from the hug and looked up into Kobayashi's eyes, letting tears fall from all eight of hers. "You... you love me? A... aren't you married, Aoba.?"

"It's true. I am. However, it was only to become Admiral. They have never promoted anyone who doesn't have a family with at least two kids. I've never felt anything for him, or anyone but you; my entire life I thought I'd never find someone I love until you were assigned to me four years ago." She lightly grasped her maid's hand. "Please, Momoe. Be mine. Give me something to fight for out there."

Covering her face, Momoe crumpled, weeping into her hands. On her last words, Momoe leapt into Kobayashi's arms. "Yes! Aoba, yes I will be yours. Please take care of me. I love you so much."

"I love you so much Momoe, I don't think I could be happier." They shared in one final kiss before the Admiral prepared to leave for her meeting.

Wiping her eyes, she cast a final smile on the beaming face of her lover as the door slowly shut behind her.

“See you soon, Momoe.”

[Sophie]

In the large auditorium within building 403, every single commanding officer within the Kogo Heika Fleet sat, idly chatting to one another. No one was particularly loud, but over three hundred voices overlapping one another make for a loud chatter. Ranking from Lieutenant-Commander to Rear Admiral a very diverse of officers populated the room. They had all cordoned off into little cliques. Battleship captains with battleship captains, cruiser captains with cruiser captains, destroyer captains, and submarine captains keeping to themselves.

All alone, shunted off, and neglected in a lonely back corner was Rear Admiral Ai Takayama, the captain of the RBS Mzukarakana. Kumosenkan's first and only aircraft carrier. No one in the navy believed that the carrier would prove to be a valuable asset to the fleet. Additionally, any Kumo who had flown in an aircraft knew how uncomfortable they were for Kumo. Those who didn't know who she was took social cues from the others, and so no one spoke a single word to her. Those who almost sat with her were told under hushed tones- “Don’t sit with the plague. It’ll rub off on you.”

The general topic of conversation was: the lateness of the Fleet Admiral. She was over fifteen minutes late. Completely unheard of for her. Theories were flying through the room from 'I bet she got too drunk and is still stumbling her way here.' to 'I wonder if she was assassinated so Admiral Morioka could assume control of the fleet? I heard she hates Fleet Admiral Aoba Kobayashi.'

Finally, the lights of the auditorium dimmed as the Fleet Admiral approached the main stage and podium. On either side of her was a set of military police. The teak wood stage creaked each time her paws touched the floor. She reached the mic and pushed down her brimming feelings so she wouldn't smile like a fool in front of hundreds of highly ranked naval officers. A projector began displaying an image of the seal of Kumosenkan behind "Good evening Ladies, I am Fleet Admiral Aoba Kobayashi." The projector's image switched to one of the Admiral with her name underneath. "I imagine most of you are rather confused as to why you are here. We have recalled quite a few ships to join the Kogo Heika fleet for this. If that applies to you, it is because the Empress believes either you, your ship, or your crew to be exemplary."

A small murmur came over the crowd. Kobayashi held up her hand and it died down. "In three days, at exactly oh-eight-hundred hours, we will be conducting a war game. As many of you are aware, recently the Confederation of Mestrian States has been posturing extremely aggressively towards our beautiful nation of Kumosenkan." An image of the CMS flag was now displayed behind her. "They have even gone so far as to trespass into our waters with warships. As a show to meet their force, we will be performing these games just outside of the CMS' territorial waters." An image of a map of the CMS was now displayed, highlighting the area just east of their southern coast. "Once the game is completed and a victor is declared, we will be finishing the exercise with a full display of our power. A select few MVPs of the game will be given real rounds to use on target ships which will be parked mere meters from the CMS territorial waterline." The highlight changed to just be a single line, dangerously close to the CMS's territory.

Most of the captains were completely unaware of the state of affairs between Kumosenkan and the CMS but knew better than to ask questions. Most were simply giddy they would get to display their prowess in the closest facsimile of actual combat. "The play area will be contained in a ten-thousand square kilometer arena." A more zoomed-in picture of the coast appeared and a large red box highlighted the play area. "The edges of which will be marked by trawlers. Exiting the exercise area will count as a retreat, and you will be removed from the game. I expect each and every one of you to fight with all of your ability. The Empress will be observing from a marked ship in the center. Do your best to impress her." An image of a Kii class battleship flying a massive red flag was displayed.

A much louder murmur took over the crowd. "The Empress is watching?!" "She rarely leaves her palace." "I will make you proud!" Kobayashi tried to hush the crowd with a hand, but it did not work this time around. "Ladies, ladies. I understand it is exciting. But this meeting will not end if you continue." She cleared her throat, and the talking died down. "All ships will be split into a black or gold team. You will each be drafted by your division leader which will be done after this meeting. You will be given a flag to fly that will mark you as either Black or Gold. The black team will be starting here." The projector slide returned to the one that marked the play area and highlighted the side closest to the CMS. "You will be acting as defenders. If you allow a single capital ship to pass you lose. If you allow a significant number of escorts to pass, you lose. If all of your ships are marked as destroyed or retreated, you lose."

She took a quick pause to drink some water. "The gold team will be starting on the opposite end. You will be acting as the attackers. Your objective is to destroy the enemy fleet and get past their defenses. You must get at least one capital ship, or a significant number of escorts past the aforementioned line to win. If you fail to do this, you lose. Submarines will not be counted towards this victory condition but they can aid in the destruction of enemy vessels."

"You will all be fully loaded with dummy rounds and torpedoes," An image of a fifteen-inch dummy shell was displayed, "these should do no damage to your vessel when they hit but be aware they can still kill a Kumo if it hits them directly. Keep all personnel below deck once the game has begun. Any secondary weapons that can only be fired from the deck will be estimated by observers. Knowing that, be aware your ship might be considered knocked out even if you have received no actual blows. A large team of observers will be floating in the play area, they will be clearly marked so please be aware of them." An image of a commercial vessel displayed with a big yellow flag flying overhead appeared.

"Some additional rules. When an observer contacts your radio operator and informs them your ship is our, immediately raise a white flag and make way for the nearest location outside of the play area. Failing to do this may result in demotion. The following will result in your ship being disqualified: Firing upon the Empress's ship, firing upon an observer's ship, and firing upon a ship on your team."

"I am now going to give out division lead assignments for each team. Gold Battleship Division: Vice Admiral Kiyomi Takagi. Black Battleship Division: Vice Admiral Sumiko Isobe. Gold Battlecruiser Division: Rear Admiral Rie Tanimoto. Black Battlecruiser Divison: Rear Admiral Keiko Aoyama. Gold Heavy Cruiser Division: Rear Admiral Sachiko Miyasato. Black Heavy Cruiser Divison: Captain Momoko Ueno. Gold Light Cruiser Division: Captain Azumi Takata. Black Light Cruiser Division: Captain Chie Hironaka. Gold Destroyer Division:" Commander Hayakawa's ears perked up, and her heart raced. She prayed to every last one of her ancestors to make her a division leader. "Captain Kaori Seki. Black Destroyer Division: Commander Yukiko Hayakawa.”

Hayakawa’s heart shot out of her chest. She was a Division leader. Hand-picked by a Fleet Admiral. “Mom. I did it. I’ve finally been recognized. Please be proud of me.” She clutched a locket in her pocket tightly.

“Gold Submarine Division: Captain Ko Fuse. Black Submarine Division: Commander Kame Nakao.” The Admiral listed off all the names in a drone but returned to her normal speaking voice once she finished. “Each of you will be given gold or black armbands respectively. You will receive exactly enough to select half of the relevant captains here for your team. Please come up here and collect those now. You have until twenty-four hours before the games begin to choose your teams.”

[Sophie]

The morning of the day after the big meeting, Commander Hayakawa came to a realization while eating in the captain’s mess. Almost a third of the captains were already wearing armbands. They were all gold. “Oh fuck. All the gold team division leaders.”

“They’re members of the Kogo Heika fleet proper. Yep.” A woman she didn’t recognize sat down next to her and set down her breakfast tray. “Hi, you’re Commander Hayakawa, right? I’m Rear Admiral Ai Takayama, the captain of the RBS Mzukarakana.”

The Commander paused. She had noticed Takayama all alone yesterday. Another destroyer captain advised her to avoid her. “Oh, it’s nice to meet you Rear Admiral. That’s the aircraft carrier right?”

It wasn’t a challenge to pick up the awkward tone. Takayama sighed, “They got to you already too huh?” Her voice was completely dejected. She picked up her tray and made to leave. “Wouldn’t want the plague to rub off on you.”

“No! I’m sorry.” She hastily called out, immediately feeling guilty. ”You can stay. I know what it’s like to have people say things behind my back.”.

Takayama looked back and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? It’ll be harder for you to recruit the better destroyer captains to your team if they see you with me.”

Hayakawa shook her head. “I’m not worried about it. I don’t think anyone will say no just because I invited you to eat with me.”

“Heh,” she chuckled, “you’re more optimistic than I am. Thank you.” The Rear Admiral sat back down and began to eat her eggs.

The both of them ate their meals awkwardly for a moment, and not another soul sat at their table. “So um, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened? Did you piss off secretary Kure or something? Surely the whole, plague, thing is more than just captaining an aircraft carrier.” Only once she finished talking did she realize the insensitivity of her question. The silence hung for a moment. “S- sorry you don’t have to answer that.”

Takayama took a large sip of her milk before responding. “No, it’s fine. Someone else would tell you if I didn’t. When I was promoted to Rear Admiral I was given command of the battlecruiser Haruna. One week into our first deployment a flu ran through the entire ship. Half the compliment died on my watch.”


“Spirits above. I am so sorry.” Hayakawa’s heart wrenched at the idea of half her crew dying.

“It’s okay,” Takayama answered, “Once a hundred sailors were S.I.Q. I radioed my fleet commander for additional medical personnel from the other ships and instantiated harsh quarantine protocols. When my medical officer told me the severity of the sickness I asked my commander to get the healthy off the ship. I was desperate to prevent an epidemic. She gave the okay, but said individual captains would have to volunteer their space since it’d be putting their crew at risk.” She paused, choking up a little. “The only one who offered was the Captain of a Sento-Class battleship. She was a friend of mine from the naval academy. Captain Minori Arai. I started letting sailors jump ship only if they had been in a clean quarantine zone for over twenty-four hours. We both thought it was enough.” She paused again, got very quiet, and stared at her food.

Hayakawa’s eyes were watering up as she stared at the Rear Admiral. “Takayama-kama… I don’t know what to say. I am so sorry. You don’t have to continue.”

She shook her head. “I want to.” She gripped her chopsticks tightly and shoveled more eggs into her mouth, not making eye contact “Arai-kan kept a close eye on everyone that I allowed to cross over. She went as far as to set up quarantine quarters for them and kept them separate from everyone else on her ship.” She took a few deep breaths. “It wasn’t enough. Her crew started catching the virus. It spread through her entire ship. The Fleet commander ordered our two ships into complete quarantine. No one was allowed on or off. Like I said, half of my crew died, but everyone caught it. A bunch of them didn’t recover properly and had to leave the fleet. All the medical personnel I was gifted with died trying to help.”

The Commander kept quiet. Allowing her to speak, but making sure to nod and listen closely.

“Arai-kan. Arai-kan lost over eighty percent of her crew. She… she died trying to keep her medical staff alive.” Takayama wiped her eyes. “So, I became the plague. A captain who got over two-thousand sailors killed and even more infirmed. Instead of demoting me, they made me captain of the Mzukarakana. Since the Admiralty thinks it was a waste of resources and manpower, the Empress refused to put anyone lower than Rear Admiral in charge. I was the perfect fit: an outcast who had no political power in the fleet, but still, an Admiral.”

“Spirits above. You lost your friend and all those people, and yet you got blamed. You still suffer from it. I am genuinely sorry that happened to you.” Hayakawa put a hand on the admiral’s shoulder and squeezed softly. A thought suddenly occurred to her. “During the meeting, Admiral Kobayashi didn’t mention anything about an aircraft carrier, but you are a part of the Kogo Heikai fleet, aren’t you? Were you not invited to the games?”

“I was, but since I’m the only carrier captain I wasn’t given my own division. I have to get one of the division leaders to give me an armband.” She said with dejection and frustration.

“One of the battleship division leaders, I assume? Since your ship is classified as a capital ship by the Admiralty?” Hayakawa assumed.

“No. Fleet Admiral said any Division leader. Since she knows none of the battleship leaders would waste one of their armbands on my ship.” She sighed. “To be honest, that’s why I sat next to you. None of the Gold leaders talk to me. I knew my only chance of getting on a team was speaking with a Black Division lead. You were the first one I saw.”

Hayakawa furrowed her brow. “I understand.” She thought to herself for a moment, ’Actually, getting a carrier for my team for the price of a destroyer isn’t bad. If I remember correctly, in basic training we learned that Mzukarakana was converted into an aircraft carrier from a battlecruiser’s hull. At the very least she can absorb some shells and distract the enemy with aircraft.’ She quickly dug through her satchel and pulled out a black armband. “Takayama-kama. I would be honored if you would join the black team under my leadership.”

“Th-thank you Hayakawa-kas. Or I guess I should be calling you Hayakawa-kama now. It would be a true honor to fight with you.” Takayama smiled. She had half expected Hayakawa to accuse her of manipulating her to get her on her team. “I truly believe that an aircraft carrier could become the powerhouse of a fleet on the open ocean. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to prove that.”

The commander made a face. “I feel a little uncomfortable having an Admiral call me -kama. Why don’t you call me Yukiko? Or you can call me Hayakawa-kan if that’s more comfortable for you.”

“Sure thing, Yukiko.” The admiral couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t been on a first-name basis with another Kumo, let alone an officer since she lost Captain Arai. “You can call me Ai if you like.”

“Looks like you’re the first non-division lead to have a black armband.” She thought aloud as she finally began to eat her breakfast. “I don’t think any of the black leads really know anyone here. So we don’t know who to pick, but the gold members are picking all the other original members of the Kogo Heika. They already have rapport and have proven themselves capable. The black team is screwed.”

“Not necessarily. Just because someone is in Kogo Heika doesn’t mean they’re skilled. Just that they were once, or they knew someone high up. I can help you pick out some captains that I know are highly skilled. Did they give you a dossier of all the destroyer captains?”

“Yeah. I know a few of these girls from either college or basic, but I have to choose sixty captains.” She pulled a huge manilla folder out of her satchel and placed it on the table. She opened it up and the first of over a hundred destroyer captains showed.

“Let me help you. I know a bunch of these girls. Some of them are always overlooked or even shunned by others or the Admiralty. I doubt Gold has picked them up yet. Let’s go talk to them.”

[Sophie]

A total of one hundred and fifty-six captains had been selected for each team. The black team had been crammed into a small meeting room, with a typical capacity of one hundred and twenty. A rather large woman, a wolf spider Kumo, commanded the room with her presence. The three sakura flowers on her collar device drew the attention of everyone on their own. “Good morning, ladies. I am Admiral Akari Hana. I will be taking command of the black team’s fleet. Twenty-four hours from now, our fleet will engage the gold team’s fleet in open combat. We have only been given that long to start planning a simulation of a best-case information scenario.”

“We already know the exact composition of the enemy's fleet, but I ask that you all disregard that information and act as if we only had a general idea of its size. As you were informed a few days ago, we will begin our games here.” She pointed to their starting location on the map. “Once every ship has crossed a radio message will be sent out, starting the game.”

The Admiral took a deep sigh. “From here on out I will be treating this briefing exactly like I would if it were a real engagement. I order you all to do the same.”

After a slight pause, and a general sense of agreement from the captains, “Ladies. Kumosenkan high command has informed me of a significant fleet that plans to breach our waters here.” She traced the ‘goal line’ with a finger. “It is absolutely imperative that this fleet be stopped at all costs. This is a no-retreat scenario. Failure is not an option. The enemy fleet is expected to arrive here,” she traced the gold team’s start line, “at approximately oh-eight-hundred hours tomorrow. We will arrive here,” now pointing to the black team’s start line, “at the same time.”

“The enemy fleet is formidable. Kumosenkan high command evaluates them to be superior to our fleet but we are the only fleet in position to respond. The enemy’s ships are technologically superior, and their commanders are better trained. Thankfully, they do not seem to outnumber us. And, thanks to the fine work of Commander Hayakawa, we have Kumosenkan’s only aircraft carrier on our side. Something the enemies do not have.” The Admiral nodded to both Hayakawa and Takayama.

“Commander Hayakawa, at exactly eight-fifteen I want your destroyers to race out in front of the rest of the fleet as fast as your engines allow. Once you’re forty klicks from the enemy’s goal line I want your entire division to turn south, and set your engines to a crawl. I want an inexperienced watchwoman to assume you’ve stopped.” Hayakawa was listening diligently, and writing faster than she ever had in her life in her notebook. “At the first sign of contact, I want you to lay a smokescreen that covers the entire battlefield. Once your smoke is down I want you to break contact and hide in the smoke.”

“As soon as the enemy is within your engagement range,” The Admiral continued, “I want you to emerge from the smoke and let loose hell. I don’t want them to have a moment’s rest from your shell fire. If your torpedowomen estimate a hit percentage of over eighty percent then fire torpedoes. Do not be shy with them. Any questions, Hayakawa-kas?”

Hayakawa thought the plan over for a few moments before responding, “If my destroyers are hiding in the smoke, how will we know when the enemy is in our range of engagement?”

“That’s an excellent question.” The Admiral smiled. “However it is one that will be answered later. Any others?”

Hayakawa took another moment to think before shaking her head. “None at the moment, Admiral. I will inform you if that changes.”

“Thank you, Commander.” The Admiral turned to address both cruiser division leaders. Captain Momoko Ueno, and Captain Chie Hironaka. I want you to cover the outer edges of this area.” She said highlighting the northern and southern borders of the play area. “I do not want a single ship to slip by us because we didn’t cover all our bases. Captain Ueno, I want your ships to take point. You are more heavily armored and can take a hit if you’re ambushed. If that is the case, lay smoke and fall back. We can dedicate capital ships to you should you need the extra firepower.”

“If the enemy doesn’t care for the edges then we’ll have you make a pincer maneuver. You will push west and then collapse on the enemy position. Should you be able to get in that position we will have completely outflanked the enemy. At that time you can rain fire upon them with your guns and torpedoes. Any questions?”


Both captains shook their heads, “No Hana-kama.”

“Good.” She turned towards the leaders of the capital ship divisions. “Vice Admiral Sumiko Isobe and Rear Admiral Keiko Aoyama. I want you to fall in line with the destroyers, keeping at least five klicks back. Once the destroyers stop moving I want you to form your battle line. I want you to break your ships into at least six different groups. All of whom will stagger fire and each group will have its own target. I want the furthest north and south groups ready to respond to requests for help from the cruisers.”

“Admiral, if I may.” Vice Admiral Isobe raised her hand. “If the destroyer division has laid a smokescreen here.” She traced the general area of the ordered screen. “How are my battleships meant to target anything with any hopes of accuracy. All our range finders are visual.”

“That’s correct. However, I have barely mentioned our trump card.” She turned to Takayama. “We have airpower.”


The room burst out in a laugh. Admiral Hana scowled, and Rear Admiral Takayama’s cheeks burned red with embarrassment. “I wasn’t joking,” Hana’s voice boomed.

The captains quickly shut their mouths. “Recently we have observed our rivals in the UKUG and even Galra use aircraft to great effect during their exercises. I believe there is massively untapped potential in navies across the globe. Takayama-kas’s aircraft will win this fight for us. Using our smokescreen not as a cover for retreat, but as a shield for our heavier ships will completely neuter our enemy’s ability to attack us. Our eyes in the sky, are immune to this. Each capital ship group will be assigned a pilot who will spot your target, estimate speed and heading, inform you of shell splashes, and advise targeting.”

A hush fell over the room. Kumosenkan’s judgment of aircraft has always been harsh, especially in a naval setting. No Admiral had ever seriously suggested their use in a combat setting. In fact, the Empress had only ordered the conversion of the Mzukarakana after she received reports of Amali constructing an aircraft carrier, and was outright revolted at the idea of another nation having a class of ship she did not.

“That will only need six of the Mzukarakana’s complement of thirty-five aircraft,” Hana stated with a pointed tone. “Some will be kept in reserve, to replace those six should they run low on fuel, or be shot down. That will take the rest of her fighters. That leaves her with ten dive bombers and ten torpedo bombers. Both of whom will be unharassed by enemy air support and left completely open to assault the enemy’s capital ships in the backline.”

“Ideally this will sink several enemy warships. But, I believe even in the worst-case scenario this will at least prevent them from forming a proper battle line. Their capital ships will not be able to properly organize fire while under constant threat of close-range torpedo attacks.”

Every Kumo in the room was dead silent. To them, aircraft had always been a joke. Something to laugh at the mere mention of. Not one of them could refute a single one of the Admiral’s points. Even though some reasoned to themselves that there would not be enough bombers to keep up a constant threat to the enemy fleet. No one was willing to make the argument that they needed more aircraft.

“Takayama-kas, as soon as Hayakawa gives word that her destroyers have reached their position I want those six fighters in the air. Have them hover as high as they can fly above the smokescreen and provide reconnaissance. Assign each one to one of the battleship groups and have them spot as I instructed earlier.”

“Immediately after, bring up your torpedo bombers. Have them pick off anything that’s alone. Have at least four bombers on a capital ship. We need the enemy to fear them. Two hits from a torpedo should sink anything the enemy has. Once that has been achieved, have the rest continue to patrol and threaten to attack capital ships, but have them never release torpedoes until one of two conditions is met. Either they begin to run low on fuel and need to return to the carrier, or the ships stop reacting to their feints and leave a gap for assault.” The admiral folded her arms and paused for a moment, considering the full complement of the carrier aircraft.

“While keeping the runway clear for torpedo bombers to rearm and refuel, I want your dive-bombers up and out as frequently as they can be. Have them target anything that looks vulnerable that’s smaller than a heavy cruiser. I want their escorts scrambling at the sight of your planes.”

The Admiral stared at Takayama, drilling a hole into her skull with her eyes. “Can I count on you, Takayama-kas?”

Ai Takayama, with the straightest face she could manage without a smile. Stood at full attention and saluted. “Your faith is not misplaced with me and my pilots Hana-kama. We will make you and the Empress proud.”

“You had better. I’m taking a huge gamble by staking the bulk of our plan on you. Do not fuck this up, or your reputation will become much worse than just ‘The Plague.’”

[Sophie]

Though the skies above were calm, the ocean with its stormy temperament was not. Large waves rocked the massive fleet that had just departed port back and forth, their crew smoothly performing their charges despite the fury of the seas. This was the Royal Battle Fleet at its best. This was as it should be.

The horde of ships was divided: below their normal colors, they either flew a large solid black or gold flag.

There were some exceptions, though. A group of civilian vessels flying bright yellow colors, and a single massive battleship in the center flying an unmistakably large red flag were positioned against the furious rolls of the seas, observing the artificial ocean of steel around them. About a hundred and fifty kilometers from the southeastern coast of the Confederation of Mestrian States, small fishing trawlers, each separated by about three kilometers, stood in a line creating a massive one hundred by one hundred kilometer box in the open ocean.

The civilian vessels and the lone battleship immediately began moving into the box. The ships marked by a black flag began moving westward, and the gold, east. Even to a layman, it was clear the gold team’s ships were more advanced than the black team’s. However, the black team’s battleship division leader did manage to recruit a single Kii-class battleship to their side.

The lone battleship flying the red flag arrived at the center of the cordoned-off area. On the foredeck, a woman dressed in all white held a parasol over her head. She looked briefly at the rising sun before closing her eyes.

Another woman, dressed in a formal naval officer’s uniform, handed her a ceramic mug. “Your tea, Shiraori-kama.”

The woman in white, the Empress, grasped the mug lightly in her free hand. “Thank you, Kobayashi-kas.” She took a quick sip of the tea before smiling at the open ocean. The red and orange hues of the sunrise reflected playfully off the deep blue waves. “Have you ever thought of the bottom of the ocean?”

Fleet Admiral looked upon the Empress with confusion. “I’m not sure what you mean, my Imperial Majesty.”

“When we invented active sonar, we did not do so only to aid in the detection of enemy submarines.” She paused to take another drink of her hot tea. “We also invented it to begin mapping the depth of the ocean. How deep can our active sensors read accurately, Kobayashi-kas?”

“I don’t believe they have a maximum depth, do they Empress?” She asked, fearing she had misspoken somehow already. “At least not for reading the ocean floor. It’s my understanding that a submarine can hide from our sonar pings at different depths depending on the conditions of the ocean.”

“That’s correct.” She answered matter-of-factly. “How deep do you think the water below our paws is?”

“I don’t know, Your Highness.”

“Guess for me.”

The Admiral stumbled for a moment, trying to not look foolish in front of the Empress. “About one-thousand meters.” The voice didn’t belong to the Admiral. It belonged to a much younger girl. One who had only just celebrated her thirteenth birthday. Princess Reito Doku Kumo.

“Why must you torment her, mother? She clearly doesn’t know the answer.” She spoke in a way no one else in all of Kumosenkan could to the Empress. “We’re not exactly close to the shore, but not yet in deep waters. So about a thousand meters. At least that’s what my textbooks say.”

“Very good, my darling princess.” The Empress took a few steps and hugged her daughter, being careful not to spill any tea on her. She returned her gaze to her admiral. “Tell me, what do you think happens to a Kumo at that depth? Say she got caught in a mangled ship that sank quickly to the depths here.”

The princess quickly adjusted her attitude to fixate on the cold atmosphere her mother was projecting. “I…” the Admiral stuttered. “I believe they are crushed. The pressure of the liquid in their legs ceases to be able to push against the intense forces of the water, and fold into their abdomen. Eventually, the water pressure cracks open their exoskeleton, causing them to bleed to death if the water hasn’t already collapsed the rest of their internal organs.”

The grim image seared itself into the young princess’ mind. “I think it wise to remember that, Fleet Admiral Aoba Kobayashi.” The Empress stated, stabbing at the Admiral with the use of her full name and title. She turned around and began returning to the superstructure of the vessel. “I will see you in the conning tower. I look forward to seeing how your fleet performs.”

[Sophie]

Admiral Akari Hana had chosen the Aircraft Carrier RBS Mzukarakana, CV - 001 as her flagship. There she stood aboard the bridge, anxiously holding the shoulders of the radio operator. She quickly pulled out her pocket watch to glance at the time.

07:31.

As soon as her fleet had gotten into position behind the line of trawlers, time had slowed to a crawl.

She recalled a paper her daughter had sent to her recently; She was studying at the Hayabashi Institute of Physical Sciences. A scientist from Galra had published a theory called general relativity at a university in Amali. And while most of it went way over Hana’s head, some of it stuck with her.

Time moves relative to everyone’s experience. Time doesn’t just seem slow for me, it really is slow. I wonder if my relative interpretation of time could be measured? I should write that down and ask Haru the next time I’m home. She thought to herself.

Hana pulled out her notepad and wrote the question down, and checked her watch once more.

07:32.

She frowned deeply. If that doesn’t confirm relativity I don’t know what does.

Hana sighed and looked out the window. Down on the flight deck, Rear Admiral Takayama was standing in front of her pilots. They all stood firmly at attention as crews in the background were fervently servicing aircraft that had been lifted to the flight deck.

Tubes were being pulled from aircraft and slotted into others. These were Staol lines, filling the planes with powdered fuel. Two Kumos were arguing with each other, pointing at different bombs lined up on the deck in front of a dive-bomber. After a moment one threw her arms up and walked away.

Another set of Kumo were wrapping a torpedo in their webbing, filtering it through a pulley, attached to a torpedo-bomber. They attached the web to a pulling system and activated it. The one thousand kilogram weapon slowly lifted towards the center of the craft.

Admiral Hana knew that across several kilometers, similar preparations were being performed by every ship in the black fleet. One hundred kilometers east, so was the gold fleet.

After what felt like several hours to Admiral Hana, her watch finally read the time she was waiting for.

08:00.

“Admiral Hana.” The radio officer spoke quietly, with a mountain of anxiety weighing on her voice. “The game has begun.”

[Sophie]

Admiral Akari Hana grasped the radio transceiver. “All units!” She yelled, “The enemy has been detected one hundred kilometers to our direct east! All hands man your Battlestations! All hands man your Battlestations! Begin execution of plan A. This is what we planned for. Stay calm. I believe in every single one of you.” She spoke with absolute confidence, but in her heart, doubt and misgivings pulsated with her heartbeat. Worst-case scenarios hung at the farther reaches of her mind, but she held them back like a dam trying to resist a monsoon.

“Destroyer Division Black!” Commander Hayakawa barked into her radio. “All ahead flank! At forty kilometers, reduce speed to three knots, and come right to bearing one-eight-zero.” Both screws at the aft end of the RBS Hatsuharu swiftly began to throttle to their fullest capacity as the engines roared. Tonnes of water began to be pushed behind; it kicked up, leaving a bubbly white trail.

All sixty destroyers followed suit. Some pulled ahead of the others as their more powerful engines outpaced their fellow warships. With their differing paces, the destroyers naturally broke into groups of their respective vessel classes, each with their differing max speeds. The central group was the furthest ahead- ten Michizuki class destroyers with a max speed of forty-five knots, their wakes piercing the briny sea-like arrows.

The next group consisted of twenty Kaki class destroyers with a max speed of thirty-five knots on either side of the central group. Hakayawa led at its head, peering out from the bridge with a set of octoculars in hand.

The last group was a combination of Harusame class, and Kawakaze class destroyers, both with a maximum speed of thirty-two knots.

“Battleship and Battlecruiser Division Black, groups one through six, all ahead full, proceed to your groups’ marked section on your maps and begin forming your battle line. Prepare main guns for maximum range engagement. Once in position, set engines to all stop.” Vice Admiral Sukimo Isobe ordered.

Thirty massive warships, ranging from thirty-three thousand tons, all the way up to ninety-seven thousand tons of displacement, began to roar to life with their behemoth turbines churning out a great cloud of smoke as they lurched forwards. The powerful maw of each one barreled eastward, following after their destroyer escorts.

Deep in their bellies, hundreds of Kumo crew members began hoisting super-heavy armor-piercing shells, specially fired brittle ceramic cases in the shape of a shell that would break up upon impact, scattering their payloads of sticky dyed web across the surface of their targets. Machinery groaned with the sound of the hull straining against an ungodly amount of mass through the water at great speed, deafening the crew belowdecks in the process.

Yet in the din of the gears and turbines, the crew had begun to sing- not a shanty or marching song, but instead a hymn that swayed with the high screams of the pipes and the low breaths of the pistons. Orange electric lights illuminated the interior of the engine compartment as the ship’s chaplain orchestrated a chorus of fervent seamen in accompaniment of the engines’ symphony.

With bated breath, they sang as they worked, only caring to arrange tone to the breathing of the machinery. “From the grave, mothers, turn about these waves. Break the tides upon the keel, and make the swirling seas our slave. From the sail and now the screw, give us the vessel, and we shall crew. Burn the stoal as incense, guns sights are our pews, and let us pay witness to your glory in the storm of the blue! For the seas have only one god they give observance: the master of the seas, Kumosenkan!”.

“Cruiser division black north!” Captain Momoko Ueno ordered into her radio. “Heavy cruisers, all ahead flank, light cruisers fall in line behind.”


“Cruiser division black south!” Captain Chie Hironaka echoed immediately after on the same frequency, “Heavy cruisers all ahead flank! Light cruisers fall in line behind.”

The cruisers separated, heading both north and south. The heavy cruisers formed a V formation to act as a shield for their less armored cousins.

On the bridge of the Mzukarakana, Rear Admiral Ai Takayama had returned to the bridge at exactly 0804 hours. “I see we’ve begun. I just finished the final inspections of my fighters and they’re ready to go at your order, Admira Hana.”

They both looked out onto the flight deck. All except six fighter aircraft had returned to the hangar below deck. “Get them in the air. I want reports on the enemy's position as soon as possible. We need to be ready to adjust our strategy according to our enemy's movements.”

“Aye aye, Hana-kama.” She walked behind the Air Traffic Control Officer, “Get flight one into the air, now.”

She nodded and pressed on her headphones. “Flight deck, this is Air Traffic Control. Flight one is clear to take off.” Down on the deck, several Kumo began waving director lights, instructing the six aircraft to launch.

The propellors began spinning and the deck operators linked the first Muko fighter to the hydraulic-powered catapult. The thundering sound of the hook being released pierced the ears of everyone on deck. The Muko accelerated at absurd speeds before reaching the end of the flight deck. It fell below where the deck crew could see, before lifting into the air.

“Owl one, in the air.” The fighter pilot called into Air Traffic Control.

As soon as it was cleared the flight deck crew began scrambling to prepare the next. It took only five minutes to reset the catapult, hook the second fighter into its strap, and launch her into the air. “Owl two, in the air.”

Another five minutes, “Owl three, in the air.”

Five, “Owl four, in the air.”

“Owl fiver, in the air.”

“Owl six, in the air.”

Owl one came back over the radio, “Parliament one, moving to assigned positions to provide surveillance and intelligence to surface assets.”

“Roger that Parliament one,” Air Traffic Control answered, “stay safe up there.” She turned back, “Captain, Parliament one is in the air and all systems are green.”

“Aye aye, ATC.” Takayama turned and picked up a phone labeled ‘Hangar’. “Hangar, this is Conn. Parliament one is clear of the flight deck. Prepare Parliament two for immediate liftoff.”

“Conn, this is Hangar, Parliament two is on the elevator and on the way up.” The officer on the phone returned.

Down below in the hangar, the hangar crew was working their asses off to get ten torpedo-bombers onto the flight deck. The enormous folded wings still managed to get in the way of the other aircraft in the hangar. It took well over twenty minutes to get Parliament two on deck, and by then, Owl one had called back in.

“Owl one in position over the center of the destroyer formation. Multiple enemies spotted. I’m noticing several distinct formations. Climbing higher to spot more clearly.” She made sure to shout so she could be heard over the propellor.

“Copy that Owl one. Maintain minimum distance of fifteen kilometers from enemy vessels. We can’t afford to lose Parliament one.” The air traffic control officer answered.

“Owl six, in position at one thousand meters of altitude. I’ve got clear sight of the entire battlefield. I’m noticing five formations. Standard fox-five formations. Thirty kilometers from detection line. Formations forming a V. Center formation altering. Hold on.”

Already the planes were showing their value in their ability to provide reconaissance. Fox five was the standard assault formation of the Royal Battle Fleet. It kept the escorts far in front to protect the heavy firepower in back.

“Owl four, Center formation reorganized. Oval formation. Destroyers in fore, heavy cruiser sides, light cruisers to aft. Surrounding seven battleships.”

“Owl five, outer two formations have accelerated to an estimated twenty-five knots. All ahead full.”

“Owl one, classifying formations from north to south. Mark one through five. Formation three largest by at least twenty vessels.”

“Owl three, formations two and four have accelerated to estimated twenty-five knots. All ahead full.”

“Owl two, formation three executing formation clutch-one.”

A more advanced Royal Battle Fleet maneuver. One that was typically intended to protect crucial assets. Usually used to guard the ship of an important official.

“Parliament one. This is air traffic control. Report number of capital ships in each formation.”

“Owl two, aye-aye ATC. Formations one and two, estimated number is four each.”

“Owl six, aye-aye ATC. Formations four and five, estimated number is five each.”

“Owl four! Formations one, two, four, and five have all entered estimated range of two-eight thousand meters of the destroyer line!”

“Aye aye Owl four! ATC copies!” The Air Traffic Control Woman turned around, “Admiral Hana! Owl four reports enemy contacts within thirty kilometers of destroyer line!”

“Aye aye ATC.” The Admiral barked an order at the radio officer. “Call commander Hayakawa. Enemies within range! Deploy smokescreen and wait for following orders!”

A piercing metal clanging alerted the carrier’s captain to the phone. With a short stride she swiftly picked up the phone. “This is conn, go ahead.”

“Conn, this is hangar! Parliament two is on deck and ready for take off!” The hangar officer barked.

“Hangar, conn Parliament two on deck! Aye.” She hung up the phone and ran over to her ATC officer. “Izumi! Get those owls in the air!”

After washing their rust off with the first squadron launch, the deck crews managed to reduce their launch time from five minutes to four. The first torpedo bomber was launched into the air bobbing and stabilizing its flight course from the carrier deck. “Owl T-One, in the air!”

[Sophie]

The radio officer aboard the RBS Hatsuharu called out to the commander. “Commander! Contact reported at two-eight-zero-zero-zero meters!”

“Two-eight-zero-zero-zero! Conn aye!” She confirmed, “Deploy our smokescreen. Helm, bring us up to ahead full. Radio, get that order disseminated to the rest of the division!”

“Aye-aye!” Both radio and helm officers responded simultaneously, rapidly executing their orders with full focus.

“Destroyer Division Black! This is Hatsuharu. Enemy units detected at twenty-eight thousand meters! Execute smokescreen and move all ahead full. After three minutes, turn direct east, into the smoke. After you breach the smoke, turn back direct west. Engines all stop once you are again engulfed in smoke.”

Sixty resounding “Aye-aye”s followed by a ship name answered back in rapid succession.

Thick grey smoke, over a hundred kilometers long emerged from the line of sixty destroyers.

It brought much relief to every destroyer in the fleet that the plan was working exactly as they thought it would. Even more relief arrived once they breached the smoke, and looked upon the massive line of battleships and battlecruisers with their full broadside brought to bear towards the enemy.

“Admiral Hana. This is Hatsuharu. Hayakawa reports successful deployment of the smokescreen. Our battleships are hidden.”

“Aye-aye Hatsuharu.” The radio officer on the Mzukarakana turned back, “Admiral! Smoke deployed!”

“Aye aye! Call Admiral Isobe, prepare all groups to fire.” She returned.

Rear Admiral Takayama nodded after overhearing the report. “ATC, Retask Parliament one to battleship fire spotting.”

She quickly nodded “Aye-aye Takayama-kama.” She put her headset on, “Parliament one this is ATC! Retask to battleship fire spotting!”

“Owl one, negative. No targets within range of group one.”

“Owl two, negative.”


“Owl three, negative.”

“Owl four, negative.”


“Owl five, negative.”

“Owl six, negative.”

“Parliament one received. Retask to battleship fire spotting as soon as the enemy enters range of your group.”

“Owl T-Four, in the air,” called out the last torpedo bomber of Parliament two as they zipped off the flight deck.

“Captain, four torpedo bombers are in the air.” Air traffic control reported.

“Aye-aye ATC. Get them out there. Find the least defended battleship.”

She nodded and turned back to her radio transceiver. “Parliament Two, Owls T one through four. Begin flying in formation west. Will report best possible targets.”

“Owl T-One, aye-aye.”

“Owl T-Two, aye-aye.”

“Owl T-Three, aye-aye.”

“Owl T-Four, aye-aye.”

“Parliament one, this is ATC. Report least defended capital ships.”

“Owl five, battlecruiser has fallen behind formation five. Assuming engine problems. Currently escorted by two destroyers. Estimated five kilometers from formation five.”

“Owl six, confirming battlecruiser as ideal target.”

“Owl two, battleship ahead of formation one. Escorted by two light cruisers and one destroyer.”

“Owl one, confirming battleship.”

“Owl three, confirming battleship and battlecruiser.”

“Parliament one Aye.” Air Traffic control answered them. “Parliament two, this is ATC.” She froze for a moment as the two options weighed in her head. The battlecruiser seems like the obvious choice, but if the damage to her engines is already critical it would be a waste of the squadron’s first strike. However, the battleship is significantly more well-defended, and attacking it would risk all four owls being shot down. “P- parliament two.” We need a guaranteed win. The battleship is not guaranteed, but the battlecruiser is. “Target seventy-six klicks east-south-east. Owl six will provide guidance and tasking”

“Owl T-One, aye-aye.”

“Owl T-Two, aye-aye.”

“Owl T-Three, aye-aye.”

“Owl T-Four, aye-aye.”

“Owl six, aye-aye.”

“Owl three, formations one, two, four, and five, are breaking formation to form a battle line!”

“Owl four, clarification, escorts are still advancing in fox-five formation.”

“ATC Copies!” She answered and turned to the Admiral, “Hana-kama! Enemy capital ships have formed a-”

“Owl five, Capital ships have opened fire!”

“Admiral! Enemy has opened fire!”

Hana’s eyes opened wide in shock. “What?! How?! They can’t possibly have a target on anyone!”

“Owl one, estimated target is the smokescreen!!”

“Radio!” The air traffic controller shouted. “Warn Commander Hayakwa! Incoming shells!” She screamed over the bustle of orders on the bridge of the carrier.

“RBS Hatsuharu! Brace Division for incoming fire!!”

“Hatsuharu aye!” The radio officer answered “Destroyer Division Black! Brace for incoming fire! Enemy blind fire on our smokescreen!” She continued reporting as the radio officer on the Mzukarakana continued giving information.

A constant stream of shells finally began falling into the smokescreen. Ranging from fourteen to eighteen inches. A line of over a hundred shells disappeared into the smoke.

Alarms were blaring on every ship in the smoke “Brace! Brace! Brace!”

[Sophie]

A watchman on board the RBS Wakaba was the first to see it. A massive plume of water shot into the air, followed by another and another. “Commander! Several impacts off our port bow!”

A radio message was broadcast to the entirety of the fleet, both gold, and black. “RBS Wakaba, Black, sunk. Cause of death, fifteen-inch shell impact.”

Upon being struck the Wakaba pitched forward several degrees before collapsing back into the water. “Damn it!!” The commander of the Wakaba called out, slamming her fist on the console. She looked out on the deck and saw the result of the dummy round. A massive glob of web covered the foredeck. “Lower our team flag. Raise the white. Set course for two-seven-zero.”

Another radio message followed right after, “RBS Sasaki, Black, sunk. Cause of death, two fourteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Shigure, Black, sunk. Cause of death, fifteen-inch shell impact.”

“RBS Shiratsuyu, Black, sunk. Cause of death, eighteen-inch shell impact.”

“RBS Yuudachi, Black, sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of fourteen-inch shell impact.”

“RBS Otori, Black, sunk. Cause of death, two fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

Two other destroyers were struck by the volley of shells but by some miracle had not received enough damage to be declared sunk.

“No! No!” Commander Hayakawa hissed under her breath. “We just lost a tenth of our division.”

The fire was focused heavily in the center of the smokescreen. All six of the knocked-out destroyers were Michizuki-classes.


A voice crackled to life over Hatsuharu’s radio. “Destroyer Division Black, break smokescreen. Do not allow capital ships to zero in on your positions. Enemy escorts are well within range, enemy capital ships are well within torpedo range.”

“Aye-aye!” Commander Hayakawa responded, “Destroyer Division Black! Break smokescreen! General pursuit! Weapons free!”

As the destroyers accelerated out of the smokescreen, they reached their flank speed in a matter of minutes. Soon after they began opening fire on the close-by destroyers, only ten kilometers out. “Watch for torpedoes in the water!” The radio officer announced to the division.

[Sophie]

“Owl six, Heavy cruiser west from capital group six. Estimated range twenty kilometers. Bearing from group center, zero-eight-seven. Movement bearing two-two-six. Estimated speed fifteen knots.”

Owls one through five all barked out similar information to their respective capital ship groups. The responsible comms crew members relayed the fast-paced information with one hand pressing the headphones to the head and the other desperately writing down the data as fast as possible. In echo, the bridge crew skittered back and forth, frantically conveying orders throughout the vessels.

Mere moments after the reports, the capital ship groups opened fire. Over a hundred incredibly heavy guns at a minimum of fourteen inches in diameter bellowed their thunderous salvos with a mighty fury, sending their shells screeching through the air as their shockwaves shattered the sound barrier. Each broadside pushed the ships slightly east with their sheer power, visibly disturbing the water surface on just the other side.

“Command! This is the North Cruiser Division! We have come across a small force, including a battleship and several escorts. Please advise.”

“North Cruiser Division, force has been assessed from the air. Engage the target if able.” The Admiral replied curtly, scrunching her brow as she scanned the tactical map.

Owl’s one through six reported to their respective groups. Only one group managed any hits, none of which were kills.

A report still came in RBS Asama, Gold CA, significant damage. Reduce maximum speed to ten knots. Cause, flooding in aft magazine caused by fifteen-inch shell impact.

“Aye-aye Command.” The officer of the North Cruiser Division began giving orders, pacing between the bridge’s viewing deck and comms center. “All units! Reorganize into formation wolverine-three! Heavy cruisers will act as the claws to shield light cruisers. Once the enemy is within torpedo range, heavies will break formation and allow for salvos. All ahead flank!”

Wolverine-three was a formation that created two U-shaped claws in the front with the main body behind it in a ∩ shape.

The capital ship groups’ second salvo arrived in a storm of blazing rounds that raced through the smokescreen at a screech, departing the view of their gunners within the second. They did not hesitate to reload the guns with machinelike efficiency, but the anticipating excitement was unmistakable as the intercom crackled to life with more status reports.

“RBS Fuji, Gold BC, sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of six fourteen to eighteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Yashima, Gold BB, sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of several fourteen to fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Kasuga, Gold CA, sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of several fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Shikishima, Gold BC, significant damage. Cause, raging fire as result of fourteen-inch shell impact.”

Owls one through six again barked out new instructions to the groups, selecting brand new targets for the three groups who had killed their targets and adjusting aim for the ones that didn’t.

“Holy shit.” Admiral Hana exclaimed. “Four major casualties.” She quickly hopped on the radio. “Extraordinary work, capital ships! Keep up the fire! As soon as your guns are loaded, I want them firing!” She quickly walked over to the Air Traffic Control woman. “Commend Parliament one for me. They’re doing incredible work.”

The cruiser division began sprinting forward, skillfully reforming their organization into their new formation.

“Owl one, North Cruiser division. Enemies twenty-one kilometers estimated range, bearing relative to lead ship is zero-zero-zero. Estimated course relative to lead ship is one-eight-zero at fifteen knots.”

“RBS Hayasuba, Gold DD, sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several five-inch shell impacts.”

“Copy that, Owl one.” Captain Ueno answered. “Fire control! Target bearing relative zero! Relative speed, fifty-two knots bearing one-eight-zero relative!” The order sounded like near nonsense, but the Fire Control Officer knew precisely what it meant. She plugged the information into the fire control computer, which dispersed the information to the turret crews.

“RBS Chidori, Black DD, sunk. Cause of death, torpedo impact.”

Again, the capital ships' salvos arrived at or near their intended targets. Usually, flashes would spark inspiration in the crews that caused shell detonations on their enemies, but instead, webbing simply coated the enemy ships.

“RBS Shikishima, Gold BC, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire and flooding as result of several fourteen to fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Aso, Gold CL, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of eighteen-inch shell impact.”

“RBS Hatsuse, Gold BB, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fires as result of two fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“Admiral Hana!” Rear Admiral Takayama called out with uncontrollable glee. “It’s working! We’re winning!!”

Another slew of reports came in as if simply to spit in Takayama’s face.

“RBS Asashi, Black BB, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several eighteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Mikasa, Black BB, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire and flooding as result of several fourteen to fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Fusouya, Black BC, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Hammamoto, Black BB, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of several fourteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Sadow, Black BC, significant damage. Cause, heavy flooding in engine room, reduce max speed to ten knots, as result of eighteen-inch shell impact.”

“RBS Asashi, Black BB, significant damage. Cause, inferno as result of several fourteen to fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“That’s an entire group’s worth of casualties,” Hana spoke as her heart collapsed into a bottomless pit in her stomach. “Vice Admiral Isobe, this is Command. Consolidate groups three and four. Begin evasive maneuvers. The enemy is targeting your muzzle flares!”

“Aye-aye Hana-kama,” Isobe responded, clearly dejected at the wounding blow. “All capital units, all ahead two-thirds. Begin evasive maneuvers. Due to their accumulated casualties, groups three and four will be merging orders.”

Though the capital ships began maneuvering in a seemingly chaotic fashion, they were, in reality, forming into a well-known evasive formation known to the fleet as hare-seven. Hare-seven, by design, was intended to take advantage of common shell dispersal patterns.

Following updated instructions from Parliament one, the capital ships again began to unleash their particular style of revenge upon their foes.

All fourteen eight-inch guns in the seven forward turrets of the Aka-class, known colloquially as the Maw of the Angler Fish from the dramatic spotlight mounted upon the bow, began aiming upwards as the gunners adjusted their instruments, positioning the turrets to fire in coordination. The guns let loose in rapid succession, one after another in a violent symphony.

From afar, it looked as if the ship’s fore had detonated in a spectacular explosion. Still, as the ship sailed through the curling clouds of gun smoke, the departing screams of the full salvo echoed in an ascending rain of white-trailing streaks, a terrifying bombardment to build hell in the ruins of whatever could be in its path.

The other three Aka classes opened up their Maws in complement, hurling their shells through the smokescreen in the company of the four Tone classes. Though their six forward-facing eight-inch guns were much less impressive, they still spewed their storm of rounds together through the smoke like birdshot at an entire pond of waterfowl.

[Sophie]

“Owl T-One, I’ve got eyes on the whale, beginning torpedo run!”

The gold team battlecruiser had seemingly gotten its engines back up to full steam as it raced towards its assigned group. Both it and its destroyer escort completely ignored the incoming aircraft. No attempts to dodge or change course were made as if the planes were nothing more than bothersome flies.

“RBS Mzukarakana’s aircraft Owl T-Three, Shot Down. Cause of death, anti-aircraft fire from RBS Sagami.”

“Owl T-Three, mayday mayday, we’re going down.” The aircraft immediately pulled out of its formation and immediately began returning to the carrier.

The remaining three aircraft in the formation continued their run. The owls quickly closed in on their launching angle. All three dropped their weapons from their craft and rapidly altered course to escape the enemy’s anti-aircraft range.

“Owl T-One, eel is in the water and swimming.”

A plume of water shot into the air just behind the group.

“Owl T-Two, eel detonated early.”

“Owl T-Four, eel is in the water and swimming.”

At two hundred meters, the bombers dropped the torpedoes only a short distance from their target. Their props began spinning violently as soon as the torpedoes were completely submerged. A clear white streak tailed behind the two eels, drawing two straight lines towards the target battlecruiser.

“RBS Mzukarakana’s aircraft Owl T-Four, Shot Down. Cause of death, anti-aircraft fire from RBS Sagami.”

“Owl T-Four, mayday mayday, we’re going down!”

Both of the weapons slammed into the starboard side of the battlecruiser and successfully detonated, sending up large splashes that reflected off the hull. Webbing now covered massive swaths of the vessel's hull.

“RBS Sagami, Gold BC, sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of multiple torpedo impacts. .”

Sunk: to go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid. The definition swam through Admiral Hana’s head, a grin spreading across her face. “We did it. We fucking sunk a capital ship with aircraft!!” She turned towards Admiral Takayama. Both women were acting wholly unbecoming of admirals as they literally jumped up and down in glee, their combined sixteen paws tapping loudly against the metal flooring.

The bridge of the Mzukarakana had more energy than a dance floor as the crew cheered at the report. “I knew it! I knew it would work. Ever since I got banished here, I knew that this beast could work!” Tears flooded Takayama’s eyes. They quickly fell from her eyes and to the ground when Hana grabbed her shoulders and hugged her.”

“We fucking did it, Ai.” Hana dropped all pretense of professionalism in the heat of the moment. Both women hugged tightly. Hana let go and smiled with all her heart at Takayama before handing her a handkerchief out of her uniform. “Clean yourself up for spirits’ sake.” She said with a joking tone, “You’re an admiral, aren’t you?”

Takayama couldn’t help but laugh and took the handkerchief. She wiped her eyes clean while walking over to her air traffic controller. She took up the ATC officer’s headset and spoke into the radio. “Parliament two, this is your Captain speaking. Excellent work; come on home for rearm and resupply.”

“Owl T-One, copy that, Captain. Scratch one bad guy.”


“Owl T-Two, we getting any bonuses for that one captain?”

“Owl T-Three, you want a bonus for your torpedo failing?”

“Owl T-Two, at least I wasn’t shot down.”

Rear Admiral Takayama couldn’t help but laugh at the banter between the two pilots. “See you at home, girls.”

She had only returned the headset to her officer and began to walk away when she was called back again. “Captain, Parliament three is in the air and ready for tasking.”

“All six of them?” She asked, quickly turning about.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Execute the harassment plan.” She ordered, returning to the Admiral, who by now had regained her composure and command of the space.

“RBS Suwo, Gold BB, significant damage. Cause, raging fire and minor flooding as result of several eight-inch shell impacts. Reduce max speed to ten knots.”

“RBS Maki, Gold DD, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of several eight-inch shell impacts.”

A much smaller celebration broke out on Ueno’s Aka-class cruiser as the report of their division’s first salvo came in. “Owl-One, perfect targeting, Ueno-kama. New target bearing zero-one-zero relative and increasing. New target speed decreasing to ten knots.”

“Copy that, Owl-One.” The radio officer answered. She quickly fed the new targeting data to the division, and the mass of turrets began to adjust slightly for their new firing positions, their muzzles still exhaling steam from the last shot.

The heavy cruiser batteries fired in a cacophony of earsplitting sound, dispatching a fresh hail of blazing metal to tear its way through the wall of smoke.

“Owl-One, north cruiser division be advised, enemy salvo on the way.”
A new call came into the black team’s flagship, “Command, Captain Hironaka, southern cruiser division. Met with minor resistance on the south side, but it has been crushed, awaiting new orders.”

“Copy Captain.” The radio officer responded. “New orders are as follows.” She began dictating as Admiral Hana gave her instructions. “Our destroyers are being slaughtered throughout the center battlefield. Provide support to Commander Hayakawa. Owl six will provide best available targets.”

“Owl Three, command enemy formation three is accelerating to flank speed.”

[Sophie]

As Owl Three passed the message to the two admirals, they exchanged looks of deep worry. They both looked at the tactical map. It had a general outline of the main enemy formations, and Admiral Hana’s ships were deployed.

“They’re going to rush up the middle.” Both Hana and Takayama concluded simultaneously.

Hana pressed a hand to her forehead and quickly wiped away the sweat that coated her face. “I knew Admiral Ikehara was cocky, but this is something else.” She slammed a fist on the map table.

“She’s treating this like a game. She doesn’t care how many ships she loses. She just wants to get a single capital through the goal line. That’s not the point of this!” Takayama growled furiously. “Surely Ikehara realizes that the Empress won’t be pleased with this tactic?”

“She doesn’t think it’ll matter if she wins.” Hana ran her fingers through her hair. “She weakened up our middle significantly so her main body could just breakthrough.”

“You seem to know her pretty well, Admiral Hana.” Takayama mused.

Hana shook her head, scowling. “We were in the academy together. We were best friends and fierce rivals. Everything we did, she turned into a competition. Whether it was studying or eating, she always took every measure to ensure her victory.” She paused to take a deep breath. “She graduated top of our class, made Admiral six years before I did.”

She grabbed the plastic ship that represented the heart of Formation Three and moved it forward on the tactical map.

“I’d bet she’s making this move to embarrass me. To prove I can’t mount a proper defense against a gamey attack like this.”

Takayama bit her lip, determined. “She’s wrong. We will win this, Hana. We’ll give it everything we’ve got.” She walked calmly over to the flight deck in time to watch a dive bomber take off. “I absolutely refuse to lose.”

Hana couldn’t help but smile at her subordinate’s resolve. “You’re right.” She skittered over to the radio and took control of it. “All units! Enemy formation three is planning to make a mad dash for the goal. We must use everything we’ve got to prevent this. Commander Hayakawa, use every torpedo your division has aboard to weaken their clutch-one barrier. Captains Ueno and Hironaka, collapse your formations onto enemy formation three. Keep your Aka classes upfront. I want the maw of the anglerfish to tear chunks off of their formation. Prioritize escorts. Admirals Isobe and Aoyama, bring your guns to bear on the enemy capital ships. Do not leave yourselves vulnerable. If you can, stay out of their way.”

A chorus of “Aye-aye”s came over the radio as the various division leaders responded to the new order.

Hayakawa was the last to respond. “Aye-aye Hana-kama. We’ll do our best, but my division is getting torn to pieces by the enemy here.” As if to prove her point, the sharp whistle of a massive shell could be heard whizzing by, succeeded by the grand crashing of waves as it impacted, just missing the vessel. “We’re down to only thirty-seven destroyers in full operating order.”

Thirty-seven… The influx of sunk or damaged destroyer reports have been so constant I must have tuned them out at some point.

Admiral Hana bit her lip just hard enough not to break the skin. “Copy, Hayakawa. Change priority to evasive maneuvering. We can’t afford to lose any more of you. Take any attacks of opportunity that present themselves on Formation Three.”

“Aye-aye Hana-kama.” Hayakawa answered back. “We’ll do-” She was cut off by a shell impacting the side of the destroyer’s superstructure.

“RBS Hatsuharu, Black DD, significant damage. Cause, raging fire as result of six-inch shell impact.”

“Damage control parties!” Hayakawa yelled out over the sound of the report coming in. “To the bridge! Class one fire!” A loud metal claxon began alerting the entire ship to the presence of the fire. One of the observers aboard the Hatsuharu placed several red flashlights around the bridge to simulate the fire for the crew to put out.

Meanwhile, both cruiser divisions began changing their order to formation fox-five and made their course at flanking speed towards the center of the exercise area. But as they did so, counter-battery fire from the enemy force the north cruiser division had previously engaged began to splash down all around the cruisers.

“RBS Nachi, Black CA, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire and flooding as result of several eighteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Maya, Black CA, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several eight-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Naniwa, Black CL, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of several eight-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Takachiho, Black CL, significant damage. Cause, heavy flooding as result of several six-inch shell impacts.”

“Command, that’s me knocked out.” Captain Ueno called out. “Passing command to Captain Duellos.”

“Aye-aye, Captain Ueno.” Mzukarakana’s radio officer responded. “You did good work out there. Your closest escape is directly north.”

Wounded but not slain, both cruiser divisions continued to charge toward Formation Three. As they did, the fighters above provided excellent targeting data to the capital ships, giving each bite from the anglerfish greater potency.

Even as the black team’s capital ships began blasting their volleys at the enemy force, Formation Three did not hesitate to return with its own punishment. Its destroyers had maneuvered in and out of the defensive formation with clear intent to launch torpedoes in decimating spreads to decapitate the Black cruiser formation, making several areas of the open ocean entirely untenable for operations.

Formation Three’s light cruisers adjusted their attention on knocking out the black team’s destroyers, in the process delivering more casualties for the exercise observers' radio operators to announce.

The Gold forces were very much laborious in the same though as they dumped salvo after salvo towards the advancing Black capital warships, significantly dampening the accuracy of the attacking cruisers.

The capital ships at the center of Clutch-one were much less active, taking their time between shots, waiting for accurate readings to come in from previous volleys, and carefully adjusting their turrets before firing again.

Formation Three was well out of both black cruiser divisions’ range, so both divisions were happy to let loose their fury upon any ship that came within their own. Meanwhile, the northern division continued their battery fire upon the small contingent that they had previously engaged. The southern gave its all to support the over-taxed destroyers, desperately blasting away to draw enemy fire as a fresh combat force on the battlefield.

“RBS Kaya, Gold DD, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several eight-inch shell impacts.”

The northern cruiser division’s target had fully turned south alongside them. They continually exchanged blows as the division steamed forwards for their higher priority target. The light cruisers were pleased to have an open window and precise target to launch their torpedoes.

“RBS Unebi, Black CL, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several six and eighteen-inch shell impacts.”

“Owl four, Formation Three has reached the original destroyer line. Forty minutes until they reach the goal line.”

“Owl three, Formation Three still at an estimated eighty-five percent strength.”

“Owl one, Parliament one running on bingo fuel. Beginning RTC.”

“Copy that Parliament one.” The Air Traffic Control officer answered. “Be advised, dive-bombers are on deck, should be clear in eight minutes.”

“RBS Chiyoda, Gold CL, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Kaya, Gold DD, Sunk. Cause of death, spine broken as result of eighteen-inch shell impact.”

“RBS Nire, Gold DD, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of fifteen-inch shell impact.”

“RBS Chishima, Gold CL, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of several fourteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Myoko, Gold CA, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding and fire as result of several fourteen and fifteen-inch shell impacts.”

“RBS Hizen, Gold BB, Significant damage. Cause, raging fire as result of fifteen-inch shell impact.”

The reports flooded in as the barrage of shells from the still surviving capital ships on the black team slammed in the Clutch-one formation. The destroyed ships pulled out of the formation, raising their white flags as they swam past the enemies that sunk them to exit the play area.

The grander formation seemed unbothered by the losses inflicted on them. Those that had their engines damaged were simply allowed to fall behind, their comrades splitting around them to avoid collisions. The moment they fell behind from the protective screening fire of the main formation, the wounded ships were chewed to pieces by the black team fleet.

“RBS Suwo, Gold BB, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several torpedo impacts.”

“RBS Matsushima, Gold Cl, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several torpedo impacts.”

“Command, this is Captain Duellos. The small battleship group north cruiser division engaged has been destroyed. Closing in on Formation Three. Currently in range of the Maw of the Anglerfish.” The new commander of the cruiser division was happy to do anything to get the attention of an admiral.

Another voice quickly came over the radio, Captain Hironaka. “Southern cruiser division. Several destroyer kills confirmed. All ships are within range of Formation Three. Opening fire.”

“Copy that, everyone,” the Mzukarakana’s radio officer answered, “Hayakawa-kama, how many destroyers do you have left?”

“This is Commander Hayakawa. Huge thanks to Hirokana-kama and her crew. She’s got the pressure off of us. My destroyers have launched several salvos of torpedoes at Formation three. Most of us are still engaged with enemy escorts.” Hayakawa called out in turn, clearly exhausted. “We are down to twenty-eight destroyers.”

“We need you to dedicate everything you can to Formation three,” Admiral Hana called out, taking over the radio. “We need your torpedoes to devastate its escorts.”

“Aye-aye, Admiral. We’ll do what we can.” Hayakawa quickly changed frequencies to call out to her destroyers. “All units, focus everything you have on Formation three. Priority one. Sink those ships at all costs.”

Slowly, the Clutch-one formation began to fall apart as more and more ships were knocked out as the entire black fleet focused their full complement on the force. Destroyers were firing their complete battery in an unending rain of 4 to 6 inch shells, knocking out several smaller ships long before their waves of torpedoes could arrive.

Both cruiser divisions collapsed on the formation, dividing up the formation's attention between the two. Thanks to the Aka-classes, they were able to unleash severe punishment upon their enemies, even while full-on chasing, rather than showing their full broadside.

Formation three had now entirely entered range of every surviving capital ship on the black team. Even though they were no longer receiving input from the fighter wing overhead, the black capital ships were happy to continue unloading super-heavy shells into their enemies.

The gold formation did not remain idle in the face of the departure of the aircraft. Their ships that had stayed back continued firing and were even advancing, just much slower than the Clutch-one formation. The gold destroyers significantly outnumbered the black team’s, and they were working incredibly hard to punish the black destroyers focused on formation three.

Due to the defensive nature of the Clutch-one formation, it could not return the same punishment it was receiving. For every four ships it lost, it only managed to take out one in return. However, their goal was being achieved as the capital ships in the center of the formation continued pushing ahead at a brisk thirty-two knots.

Thirty minutes passed, and almost the entirety of Clutch-one had been eroded. All that remained were two battlecruisers and a battleship. These three capital ships were completely uninjured- several shells had hit them but ricocheted off their armor belts. The only thing that stood between them and victory was ten kilometers of ocean.

Only the black capital ships still had these three ships within their range. They launched several barrages, but the shells either bounced off the armor or missed. Without a slew of lucky strikes from the battleships, it seemed as if the gold team was all but guaranteed to come out victorious in as soon as ten minutes.

[Sophie]

The over one-hundred Kumo crammed into the briefing room were eager to escape and get some fresh air. They relaxed as they figured the meeting was just about to end, some already set about collecting and preparing to pack their documents.

Admiral Hana smiled at Rear Admiral Takayama, “You had better. I’m taking a huge gamble by staking the bulk of our plan on you. Do not fuck this up, or your reputation will become much worse than just ‘The Plague.’”

A small chuckle broke out in the room and everyone began making way for the exits. A timid voice spoke out over the general level of chatter that had broken out. “Admiral Hana! Admiral Hana! You haven’t given any orders to me or my submariners.” Commander Kame Nakao objected, hoping to not just be schlepped off to the side, and forced to observe.

Even those that heard Nakao disregarded her and began collecting their documents and leaving. Only Nakao and the captains under her command remained in the room, all of whom felt completely dejected. “Well Commander… what should we do?” One of the nine captains asked.

Nakao looked around at her subordinates with her heart in her throat. As always, we submariners are completely overlooked, and ignored. I thought if Hana was open to the carrier, she’d be open to us too.

As Nakao prepared to cover up her negative thoughts to her captains, Admiral Hana walked back into the room. “There you are, Commander Nakao. Is this everyone?” She quickly counted the Kumo present and nodded when it included all ten submarine captains. “Good. How many of your submarines have been equipped with the new guidance technology?”

Nakao’s mood shifted immediately to the positive. She couldn’t help but smile as she reported back with satisfaction. “All of them, Admiral.” She answered with confidence, “Though we’ve only had them for a month or so. With only one live-fire training exercise.” She continued, with less confidence.

Hana crinkled her nose, “How confident are you with the new technology?”


The Commander quickly looked to her captains who all nodded firmly towards her. “Very, Admiral.”

“Good. I have a very important job for your division.” The captains all perked up with excitement at the word important. “I want you to stay back. Only about ten kilometers from the start line. You’re going to be our last line of defense.”

The group’s excitement waned. “So you’re keeping us in the back with nothing to do?” Commander Nakao complained while her shoulders drooped.

Admiral Hana scowled with annoyance. “Have faith in your Admiral. Nakao-kas.” She shook her head. “I am fairly confident that the gold team will end up making a mad dash to get their capital ships across the goal. I need you in the backline because your torpedoes are devastating weapons. With the guidance, they’re near guaranteed hits. Which is exactly what we’ll need if the enemy gets that far.”

Commander Nakao stared at the Admiral with pursed lips. “I… we have faith in you, Admiral Hana. We won’t let you down.”

---

Several klaxons blared aboard the gold team’s capital ships. “Multiple torpedoes in the water! Port and starboard side!” The watch officer aboard the battleship called out in a panic.

“Engines back emergency!” The captain screamed out and slammed the engine order telegraph all the way to the bottom. “Rudder hard to starboard!” The helmswoman quickly took the wheel and yanked it as far right as it would go.

Both battlecruisers copied the movements of their bigger sister. Their crews breathed a collective sigh of relief as they acted early enough to dodge the devastating weapon. Or at least they thought so- until the watch officer began reporting again in a fully horrified cry. “The torpedoes have changed course! They are all still on target!”

The capital ships slammed their rudders to sharply veer the vessels while reducing speed, desperately trying to dodge the torpedoes with all their effort, but it was for naught as ship after the ship began to receive the dreaded transmissions of the observers.

“RBS Iwami, Gold BB, Significant. Cause of death, serious flooding as result of several torpedo impacts. Reduce max speed to five knots.”

“RBS Katori, Gold BC, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several torpedo impacts.”

“RBS Kashima, Gold BC, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable flooding as result of several torpedo impacts.”

At its new speed, it’d take almost a full hour to traverse the final eight kilometers to victory. More than enough time to deal a finishing blow to the Iwami.

---

“Owl D-One, Parliament four requesting permission to engage and sink the wounded battleship.”

“Parliament four this is ATC. Permission granted, good hunting.” The air traffic control woman was happy to answer, thrilled to see the effect of the dive bombers now that the gold team was sufficiently afraid of the torpedo bombers.

Five of the ten dive-bombers in the air broke off from their wing and sped towards the stricken capital ship. They flew up incredibly high before diving at a forty-five-degree angle straight for the warship. They released their bombs and four of them began pulling up.

“Owl D-One, Owl D-Two Pull up! Pull up!” her fellow pilot tried to call out but it was no good. Owl D-Two’s stick had gotten jammed in the dive position, and no matter how hard she tried to get it unstuck it would not budge. Owl D-Two was on a collision course with the battleship.

At the last possible second the pilot unjammed the stick. She pulled up and to the left as hard as she could. Just barely, she avoided collision with the warship, but it wasn’t enough to stop her from slamming into the ocean.

“RBS Iwami, Gold BB, Sunk. Cause of death, uncontrollable fire as result of several impacts from dive bombers.”

The crew of the Iwami immediately began recovery efforts to pull the pilot out of the water. Thankfully she wasn’t mortally injured, though a metal pipe had punctured her abdomen. She was rapidly taken to the hospital on board while the battleship made its way to exit the play area.

With their main plan thwarted, and their forces devastated, the gold team no longer stood a chance at success. Within the hour, the rest of their ships were either destroyed or surrendered.

With raucously cheering crews and officers alike, the black team fleet was declared the winner of the game.

[Sophie]

Wind blew calmly through the skies with barely enough speed to keep the vast red silk flag waving in the air aboard the Kii class battleship RBS Kii. Despite it being peacefully warm outside, the atmosphere of the observation bridge was arctic. The airconditioning unit, installed specially for the Empress, hummed loudly as it fought against the heat outside of the ship’s periphery.

The observation bridge looked nothing like the rest of those of the fleet. It was finely decorated with velvet, silk, and gold. Five zabutons were arranged in front of a very delicately hand-crafted floor table. The room itself was packed with several high-ranking Kumo, and sitting on the pillows were some of the most important present. On the outsides of the row of women were Fleet Admiral Aoba Kobayashi and Rear Admiral Aya Okabe, the captain of the RBS Kii. One layer in was Secretary Riko Kure and Princess Reito Doku Kumo. Finally, in the center of the five was, of course, Empress Shiraori Tetsu Kumo.

Though the bridge was quite literally frigid, it too was so figuratively. After the defeat of Formation Three and the Gold fleet's subsequent devastation, the general level of anxiety on the bridge had only frozen over as they had reconvened aboard the battleship.

“Fascinating game. Wouldn’t you say, Kobayashi-kas?” The Empress’ voice hissed out of her throat. She finished the last sip of her tea and set it on the fine mahogany low table. The sound of her ceramic teacup slicking against its saucer seemed to echo endlessly in the room in the still silence of the officers.

Not one person, save the Princess and the Empress, said a word. They clutched the ends of their uniforms and stared straight ahead, not even daring to swallow too hard. Every single one of them had confidently asserted two things: that the gold fleet would be victorious and that the aircraft carrier would be less than useless in combat.

Not only were both of these assertions completely erroneous, but by a rather intense margin. Over half of the black fleet had still been in the game by the end, and the carrier racked up over four capital ship kills with a few escorts thrown in for good measure.

Kobayashi had directly chosen the division leaders of the black fleet she knew were outcasts. She chose those with a history of hesitancy and had only been recently promoted to their positions. Those who wouldn’t know a good captain from bad. She had gone out of her way to disadvantage the black team- even manipulating Rear Admiral Ai Takayama so she would end up with them.

All this so she could confidently assure the Empress of the outcome. So she could continue being in the good graces of the single most powerful woman in all of Kumosenkan. Every action she had taken to manipulate the game's outcome ran through her head.

This shouldn’t have been possible. They were burdened with the plague. Commander Hayakawa had a proven track record of being an incompetent leader. Captains Hironaka and Ueno were only assigned to their cruisers a few months ago. Admirals Isobe and Aoyama have a documented history of hesitancy in combat training. This should’ve been a guaranteed win for the gold team. I put all of Kogo Heika’s best commanders on that team- Ow, what the hell?

She looked to her right when she felt a jab in her ribs. Princess Reito had elbowed her to grab her attention. Reito twitched her head towards her mother. She was begging in her eyes for Kobayashi to answer the Empress’ question. The Fleet Admiral panicked and searched through her short-term memory for what the Empress had asked. “I… Yes. Very fascinating. An outcome no one could have predicted.”

“An outcome no one in this room predicted.” The Empress’ words singed everyone in the room with a freezing touch. They winced as a collective under the statement, several bowing their heads. “What do you think, Secretary Kure?”

Riko Kure took a sip of her tea before answering. She smiled and calmly closed her eyes. “It truly was a battle to behold. I think the black team’s victory was extraordinary. I always enjoy watching an underdog pull out the victory. Admiral Hana’s command of her fleet was awe-inspiring.”

Shiraori nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “Even though you believed the gold fleet was guaranteed victory?” She tried to see if there was a hole in the Secretary’s response.

Kure pushed down an anxious blush she felt forming. “I am happy to have been wrong. It means I’ve learned something. I would much rather learn that now than from an actual combat scenario.” She answered with confidence, even though she was merely blurting out words as they came into her head. “I also think it shows the strength of our officers. Even those that the high command has underestimated.” She added, trying her best to shove the blame and ire off onto the Fleet Admiral.

“That’s a sage point, Secretary Kure.” The Empress spoke with a precise fulfillment. “What is the point of an exercise if not to learn and familiarize oneself with the potential future.” She turned her gaze towards the Fleet Admiral. “Kobayashi-kas, you organized both these fleets, didn’t you?”

“Y- yes, your highness. I chose the division leaders for each team, and they chose individual captains for their divisions.” Kobayashi shot a very quick accusatory glace at Secretary Kure.

“A yes, would have sufficed.” Shirarori rolled her eyes at the blatant attempt to shove off responsibility onto her subordinates. “If you organized them, tell me, why were you so confident that the gold team would win?”

The Fleet Admiral felt like she was choking on an apple that wasn’t there. Sweat poured down from her forehead to her neck. More adrenaline pumped through her veins than ever before in her life. “I was confident that the Gold Team would win because it mainly consisted of captains who served in the Kogo Heika fleet. They all have strong chemistry and lead the Royal Battle Fleet in excellence.”

“Then perhaps I have been giving you far too much leeway in the assembly of the flagship fleet of my navy.” Empress Shiraori stood and stared down at the Fleet Admiral. Her red, bloodshot eyes bore eight holes into Kobayashi as her pure white hair flowed in the air conditioner's wind. “Tell me why my flagship fleet lost to a hodgepodge of outcasts, and a ship you personally attested was less than useless. Right. Now.”

All eyes were on the Empress as she openly reamed her highest ranking naval officer. Kobayashi fought against the anxious tears she felt welling up in her eyes. “I… I believe it speaks to the skill of all our officers in the entire fleet that even an assorted collection of captains can stand a chance of victory against any odds. As to the carrier, I stand by what I said. I believe that the observers overestimated its ability to deal kills to our capital ships. ”

The backside of the Empress’s hand connected with Kobayashi’s cheek with a severe amount of force. “Do not spout that bullshit at me.” Kobayashi fell backward onto her abdomen. She looked up in abject horror at the pure white woman above her. “The Kogo Heika fleet is named after myself and my daughter. You dare tell me it has been desecrated by those beneath it?!”

The Empress turned away and held out a hand to one of her aides that awaited her. The aide very carefully handed her a manilla folder. The Fleet Admiral had not moved a single inch, wholly paralyzed in fear. “The carrier is less than useless. You completely stand by that, do you?” Before she could muster any response, the Empress threw the manilla folder at her chest. “Then tell me why the UKUG and Galra, our two greatest naval rivals, have both used aircraft carriers to great effect. So much so that Galra is reportedly building one that dwarfs ours!”

Aoba Kobayashi’s eyes quickly darted over some of the papers thrown at her. She threw together the best response she could in the no time she had. “N- no! These reports are all from exercises! The aircraft carrier has still never been proven viable in real open combat. Our rivals could falsify these reports! Galra knows some of our spies there. They could be trying to get us to waste our money on unproven technology!” She threw back with words dripping in desperation and terror.

“If after looking at those reports, and the result of our own exercise, all you can do is try to cover your failures.” The Empress glared and shook her head. “Then I can no longer trust you to serve as the Fleet Admiral of my most precious fleet.”

“Empress Shiraori. Please, I beg of you. I can be better; I can learn!” Kobayashi crawled forward on all eight knees; with tears in her eyes, she bowed to the floor before one of her only superiors. “I love my job. I can’t-”

“Enough.” The Empress stated firmly. Hardly sparing a second thought for the puddle of fear the Admiral had melted become. “I have made my decision. Effective immediately, you have been demoted to captain. You will take command of destroyer RBS Aoi in the Nisshin fleet.”

Shiraori walked over to the window and looked far out in the distance at Kumosenkan’s only aircraft carrier, the RBS Mzukarakana. “Admiral Hana will take command of this fleet. She has proven herself capable and adaptable even with the odds stacked against her. She will rebuild the Kogo Heika fleet ship by ship. I will have a bi-monthly meeting with her to handle our flagship fleet better. Am I understood?”