Chapter 16: Attack on Brunei

The Saiuns and Type-22s flew high in the sky, revealing and marking the Sirens and Abyssals on the battlefield. Damn, that's a lot of them. They are blasting each other with shells, torpedoes, and lasers. One of the Siren ships blew up after ramming into a Ru-class, but that wasn't enough to sink the Abyssal.

"Woah. It's chaotic over there." (Commander Azusa)

"Don't think I have seen this many Abyssals before.." (Admiral Yuito)

"Any updates from Admiral Zain?" (Admiral Kotobuki)

"Apart from the Code Black 5 hours ago, only silence. They probably don't want the enemy to intercept their signal." (Admiral Akiyama)

"This is way too much for our fleets to handle. Four is just enough."

"Yamato's combined fleet is on their way. It will take a while for them to join since they just sortied out from base so don't count on them for any support yet. The big wigs in the battle tank will be relaying their orders through me." (Admiral Akiyama)

"Well, that sucks."

"Why am I the messenger?" (Admiral Akiyama)

"You were the goody two shoes who obeyed all the instructors and scored the highest in the exams. Of course you would get sent to HQ." (Admiral Yuito)

"I didn't want to be punished, that's all! And by that logic, why is Ritsu here as well?!" (Admiral Akiyama)

"Alright. Let's focus. You can have your lover's quarrel later."

Right now, four Combined Task Force, comprising of 2 Carrier Task Force, 1 Surface Task Force and 1 Transport Escort fully loaded with supplies, are en route to Brunei Anchorage. About 5 hours ago, at 12pm, the Naval District sent out a signal for Code Black. The words 'Siren', 'Abyssal', and 'besieged' accompanied the signal. Specific details are unknown and limited but it is evident that they are in trouble. Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo, and Maizuru were ordered to sortie and assist Brunei Anchorage in eliminating the threat. Yokosuka and Sasebo each sent out a Carrier Task Force, Maizuru with a Surface Task Force, and Kure with the Transport. The supplies are mostly to help rebuild Brunei Anchorage after eliminating the enemy forces. No matter how you look at it, four Combined Fleets are not enough to handle this amount of enemies. They may be weaklings but even a swarm of ants can overpower a human given enough time. That's a scary thought...

"Flagship Musashi to Command, what should we do?" (Musashi)

"Get ready to go in guns blazing. Things are looking pretty hot over there." (Admiral Akiyama)

"Report! We have located an allied fleet on the north-eastern side. They are currently encircled by Siren forces!" (Hiryuu)

"What's their status?" (Admiral Kotobuki)

"Not looking good." (Hiryuu)

"Got it. Keita, on my signal, get your fleet to pull them out immediately. Yuito and I will punch an opening into the fray and buy you the time and opening to rejoin us. Kotobuki, follow us closely." (Admiral Akiyama)

"Akiyama, if anything terrible happens to my girls, I will personally come over to Yokosuka, rip your spine out and beat you to death with it. Ooyodo, all-out formation! Let's get our friends out of there."

"Roger!" (All)

"As overprotective as usual." (Admiral Akiyama)

The Vanguard fleet of my Surface Task Force consists of Flagship Ooyodo, Yahagi, Hiryuu, Fusou, Yamashiro, and Prinz Eugen. The escort fleet has Agano, Suzuya, Kumano, Kamikaze, Yuudachi, and Zuihou.

"All units, initiate combat! Take back our territory and secure victory across dawn's horizon!" (Admiral Akiyama)

Musashi primed and aimed her guns at the horde of Abyssals and Sirens. Bombers from the Carriers flew high in the sky, ready to drop their payload at a moments notice,

"Now, let's go! Open... fire!" (Musashi)

Numerous Abyssals and Siren ships blew up in a fantastic firework display, minus the shrieks from the Abyssals.

"Move in!" (Musashi)

"Flagship Ooyodo, advancing!" (Ooyodo)

My girls moved through the hole the other girls created within the melee, blasting the way through as well to make space for the rescue operation. It was chaotic but advantageous as both groups were too engrossed to see us coming.

"We have less than 2 hours before nightfall. Unless we have Night Personel, leverage on air superiority as much as we can before our planes can no longer hit the skies." (Admiral Kotobuki)

"My Zuikaku and Shoukaku have NOAPs equipped. We should be able to maintain AS through the night." (Admiral Yuito)

"Kaga-san, Houshou-san and I have those as well." (Akagi)

"I envy them~ I want a NOAP too." (Zuihou)

"You can't equip them though."

A large Siren ship, the same one that gave my girls some trouble last week, blew up after eating a couple of bombs and torpedo. Once they got rid of that tank and its escorts, we were greeted with a familiar face.

"You are... If I remember correctly... Belfast-san?!" (Ooyodo)

What is the head maid doing here? Wait, so they are still in Brunei? Behind her were Gambier Bay, Sheffield, and Perth.

"My apologies. I don't think we have met before." (AL Belfast)

"Belfast-san?" (Zuihou)

"Oh. Zuihou-san. I would like to greet you properly but I highly doubt this situation allows it." (AL Belfast)

"Incoming!" (Yahagi)

"No need to worry." (Belfast)

The whistling of an incoming shell became louder and visible as it angled towards the girls. Before it hit the water, Belfast deflected it with one fluid swipe, sending it flying in another direction. Despite being heavily injured herself, she can still perform such a feat. I have only seen the battleships on our end do such a thing.

"Explain the situation to me along the way. We need to move now. Akiyama, we have secured the trapped shipgirls."

"Affirmative. New orders from HQ. Houshou has found another two trapped fleets. The closest one is just north of your current position, the other is further to the east. Rescue them and push your way through to Brunei. Junyou and Hiyou will provide a creeping barrage to thin out the enemy forces as much as they can to open a path for you." (Admiral Akiyama)

A creeping barrage? That's such an old tactic, but that's better than no support at all.

"All bombers. Now, fly. Go soften them up a bit." (Hiyou)

"Woohoo~! Go get them..." (Junyou)

Allied planes flew overhead and begin the bombing run. Abyssal appendages and burning metal flew all over the place. A whimpering Gambier Bay explained that a large force of Sirens and Abyssals suddenly showed up just outside their perimeter and started fighting. Afraid that the battle might spill over to the base and civilian areas, Zain ordered everyone to sortie and eliminate anyone who gets too close. Unfortunately, the fighting indeed spilled past the base's perimeter and everyone got caught in the melee. Some of them got swept up in the fighting and got separated from everyone else. Communication channels were cut off, leaving them in the dark. As we made our way further up north, something caught my eye.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Erm... Who is that person jumping around with a bow? Holy crap, she just did a somersault and shot a Wo-class in its head!" (Junyou)

"Enterprise-sama is nearby? Wasn't she suppose to defend the beachfront?" (AL Belfast)

I can see Zuihou flinch at the name.

"Zuihou, stay behind the fleet. You can eliminate the enemy forces from a distance. You don't even have to get close."

"I-I'm alright." (Zuihou)

"That's an order, young lady. Stay back and do your thing."

The fleet moved towards the somersaulting archer, blasting away at the survivors of the initial bombing run. As the sky gets darker, starshells were used to illuminate the surrounding area.

"Feuer! Feuer!" (Prinz Eugen)

"Suzuya, look out!" (Kumano)

A Siren ship carrying two large bombs rammed into Suzuya, engulfing her in fire and a thick black smoke,. Her clothes were ripped to shreds, nearly revealing her bare breasts and panties. Her flight deck was reduced to a piece of scrap metal.

"Noo.. This is embarrassing... Don't look! Aaah~ my spirit's dropping..." (Suzuya)

"Suzuya! Can you move?"

"Y-yeah... But I need to be careful. I'm this close to being an exhibitionist. I can't launch any planes but I still have my gun." (Suzuya)

"Stay behind with Zuihou and provide fire support."

"They will pay for that!" (Kumano)

Yahagi started shooting at another incoming Siren ship, the same one which attacked Suzuya, and destroyed it before it got close.

"Those are Buster types. Think of them as suicide boats." (AL Belfast)

"Great. Another troublesome type." (Fusou)

Fusou and Yamashiro led the charge forward, with Ooyodo and Yahagi providing fire support. The others made sure the Sirens and Abyssals don't sneak up on them or get too close for comfort. Zuihou and Kumano provide air support and scout forward with their planes.

A blue laser suddenly shot through a nearby Nu-class and hit Agano, sending her flying backwards.

"Agano-nee!" (Yahagi)

"Ouch... Where did that come from?" (Agano)

Thank god. Looks like it didn't do much damage. It just singed and pushed her a bit. Mogami fired at a large Siren ship with three guns and blue markings, blowing it up.

"I have reestablished contact with Enterprise-sama. She and Hornet-sama have the situation under control. Once they finish up, they will retreat back to the shore and secure the beachfront. She is more worried about Unicorn who is with Leberecht Maass and Max Schultz in the East." (Belfast)

"Understood. Zuihou, I'm sorry but I need you to give them a few bombs to thin out the ones surrounding them. It's the least we can do."

"Got it. Attack corps, take off." (Zuihou)

Zuihou launched a few Tenzens and Suiseis into the air. Her planes made a beeline to where the American carriers are, evading all the anti-air fire along the way. The fleet moved towards the east, where the CVL and the two German Destroyers are said to be. Pushing through the horde, they finally made it to the three stranded girls.

"Yunicon-chan!" (Zuihou)

Zuihou immediately ran to the CVL's side. Unicorn's dress is in tatters, her plushie has its stuffing leaking out from it. Mass and Max are in no better shape either.

"Zuihou-chan? <Belfast!>" (AL Unicorn)

"Are you alright?" (Zuihou)

Unicorn was silent for a few seconds,

"I'm awight..." (Unicorn)

Was that Japanese? Close enough.

Another big explosion rocked the area. Who did that?

"This is bad. I'm running dry." (Fusou)

"Me too." (Yamashiro)

"I only have one squadron left." (Zuihou)

"I'm out of torpedoes poi!" (Yuudachi)

"Me too." (Shigure)

"Ugh... I need to get a hold of myself..." (Prinz Eugen)

This is bad!

"Akiyama, my fleet is running out of ammo, fast. We need a path to land now!"

"We are working on it right now! Yamato's fleet is on their way to back you guys up. They will be here in twenty minutes." (Rondo)

"Rondo? What are you doing here? Forget it. What's the plan?"

"The others are in the same situation as you. Contact with Brunei is still cut off. We are going to have to wing it. Take the north-west path at a 65 degree angle. According to visual, numbers are thin with a bunch of wounded Abyssals. You should be able to make it to the base using that route. Resupply and immediately head back out to assist the rest. Leave the injured girls behind and bring along those whom are well." (Rondo)

"That doesn't sound like a good plan at all. Its full of holes."

"Unless you got a better idea, this is the best." (Rondo)

"Fine. Ooyodo, you heard him?"

"Affirmative. We are going in." (Ooyodo)

"Switch to Ring cruising formation, with the injured and empty girls at the center. Prioritize protecting them while cutting a path ahead. Move!"

There was static on the radio, before a familiar voice came through,

"Yet another... tragic battle. Combined Fleet, crush our enemies!" (???)

"Akagi to HQ! I'm picking up additional readings coming in from the South." (Akagi)

"Shit! Enemy reinforcement? We are already swamped as it is!" (Maya)

"This is Nagato of the Sakura Empire! For now on, we will be lending our support!" (Nagato-chan)

"Nagato-chan?!" (Prinz Eugen)

"Who?" (Zuikaku)

"Relax. They are allies. They are here to help out, I think."

The monitor indicated a signal coming in from Brunei Anchorage,

"This... miral Zain... Any... read me?" (Admiral Zain)

"This is Grand Admiral Hasake. Admiral Zain, you are being cut off." (Grand Admiral Hasake)

There was a loud banging sound before more static,

"That should do it. This is Admiral Zain. Can anyone read me?" (Admiral Zain)

"We read you five-by-five. What's your status?" (Grand Admiral Hasake)

"I'm in Illustrious's vessel. Our comms tower got destroyed so I resorted to use an old portable radio. Commander Ao is helping me to stabilize the connection. The base is damaged but civilian areas have already been evacuated. We managed to regain control around our waters but there are still some stragglers pouring in." (Admiral Zain)

"Understood. We will cut open a path for all of you. Please stay where you are and keep your heads down." (Nagato-chan)

"Who are you?" (Admiral Zain)

"I will explain later. We need their help more than ever now. Just do as they say."

The skies lit up with explosions as planes and shells rain around the girls. The explosions drowned out the screams of the Abyssals and the horde of enemies begin to disperse into smaller groups. Abyssals and Siren ships alike were torn to shred by an unrelenting barrage of shells and bombs

"Now's the time! Punch through!" (Nagato-chan)

"Fuer!" (Prinz Eugen)

Prinz Eugen fired at a Wo-class blocking their way. The Wo-class evaded the attack and ran away. The cruiser was raring to give chase,

"Don't bother. Save your strength. Focus on getting to land. Ignore the small ones and only fire if you need to."

"Roger that." (Prinz Eugen)

The fleet rushed to Brunei Anchorage, evading the attacks from the I-class that were left behind. The small frys were immediately taken out by shots coming from the base. The shots belonged to the orange-haired Italian cruiser Zara, who came out to greet my girls,

"You girls good?" (Zara)

"Could be better." (Yamashiro)

"We will talk later. Come on in and resupply. We are not done yet." (Zara)

The scattered enemy forces, combined with Nagato's arrival, made it easier for the Brunei forces to come out and destroy whatever that's left. A large Aircraft Carrier that is docked at the base has small fires scattered about but apart from that, it seems to be standing strong. Fire control seems to be doing their job as there are streams of water being used to try and extinguish the fire. There are small groups of Sirens and Abyssals within the base's waters but the local shipgirls are doing their best to clear them out. A purple-haired Destroyer stabbed a Heavy Cruiser Ni-class with her spear before electrocuting it. She turned to look at Ooyodo and the others,

"Thank god you made it. It's chaos out there." (AL Javelin)

"We know. We just came from out there." (Agano)

"Oh. Ahaha. Sorry. I didn't notice." (AL Javelin)

"We can't rest easy just yet. The Sakura Empire are here. More specifically, the leader and her escorts." (AL Belfast)

"Nagato?" (AL Javelin)

Belfast nodded her head. I think there is some misunderstanding going on here.

"There may have helped us earlier but it may be a ploy to lower our guard. We need to gather the rest and keep Master safe." (AL Belfast)

"Wait wait wait. Whatever you are thinking, Nagato-chan is not here for that. Probably." (Prinz Eugen)

"Then, pray tell. What are her motives? She is the leader of the Sakura Empire and the Red Axis. There is no way the leader of our enemy will become a turncoat without a valid reason." (AL Belfast)

"Then let me find out her reasons and decide if she is really defecting or not." (???)

On the top of the previously burning Carrier, a man in his mid twenties stood at the edge of the flight deck. He wore a white naval uniform with a golden lanyard across his chest.

"Commander!" (AL Javelin)

"Master, you are supposed to be resting in the bunker." (AL Belfast)

"I have already rested enough these past month. And besides, if I hid in the bunker, I wouldn't have witnessed such a spectacle. The war is changing, Belfast. This is proof. Soon, Azur Lane will be reunited and we will finally fight together as one." (???)

Who is this guy???