Bab 15

We're on our way to the Sakura Empire after being informed by Yat Sen of a most disturbing fact. The Sakura Empire might very well possess a bomb similar to the atomic bombs used from my own world's history of ww2 and after. It's a very serious threat indeed and as such, everyone that was at the base and weren't crucial for its defence is travelling with us to take part in the attack. This means that a lot of younger girls are coming as well but as unfortunate as this is, we simply can't risk not bringing them. Much like its counterpart in my own world, the Sakura Empire aren't weak by any means. One could even go as far as to suggest that theirs is one of the largest navies in this world. Of course, quantity isn't everything but even quality has its limits. I learnt this when they broke through my own defences and got to me. 

I managed to fend them all off on my own but I did still take damage from that fight thus showing I'm not at all invincible. What's more, if there were a ton of submarines in that fight, I'm sure I wouldn't have lasted. After all, one can only prioritize one or the other. A single ship can't repel both a surface fleet and a submerged fleet if they both attack at the same time. Even with more advanced technology like myself, I'd simply be overwhelmed thanks to sheer numbers. It's for this reason that I all but demanded that the younger girls also take part in the battle. Without them, we'd surely fall into the same situation. Sure, we will still be outnumbered thanks to the mass-produced siren they no doubt have but at the very least now we'll have enough girls to take on both the sirens and the kansen at the same time. 

Dalian: Please don't go ahead of everyone again. 

Dalian says this as she comes up to my side. We're travelling in formation to make sure that the carriers aren't threatened by mines or submarines but she must have broken that formation to get to me. Looking at her, I smile. She's still worried about me. The very least I can do is try to put her mind at ease. 

Me: Don't worry, neither I nor Enterprise plan on going anywhere near the frontlines. Vestal did all but ban us from doing so after all.

Enterprise who's beside me chuckles at that but Dalian doesn't seem too convinced. I suppose by now she knows me well enough that such a command wouldn't stop me from doing what I want and it seems even Enterprise is like that. 

Dalian: Promise?

Me: Would you prefer to stay with us and be our guard to make sure?

She lights up at that. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me before but this might well have been what she was after all along. I keep forgetting that she hates not being by my side, especially after what happened in the past and kept on happening in this world. 

Dalian: Yes!

Enterprise, unable to contain her laughter anymore, erupts into a laughing fit. Ignoring her entirely, I smile at Dalian and pull her into my arms. She comes willingly and we stay together like that for a while. 

Sometime later, Elizabeth announces over the comms that we are approaching the Empire's waters. We've been avoiding using the comms so far as well as sending out any planes to avoid detection from a long-range as much as possible but now that we are here, it'd be foolish not to launch our planes now. Still, only my planes would have the ability to launch from here and handle things on their own. 

Me: Psst. Dalian. Time to wake up. 

Dalian, who had fallen asleep in my arms, opens her eyes to find her head resting squarely on my shoulder. Surprised and perhaps a bit embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep, she tries to separate from me too quickly and almost causes us both to fall but I catch us both at the last minute. 

Dalian: Sorry!

Me: It's fine, really. Nothing to worry about. I'm happy you got some sleep as well. You've been spending an unhealthy amount of time worrying after all. 

She goes red and tries to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks but it's of no use. Enterprise, who's still beside me starts teasing her but before she can really get into her rhythm, I fan her away. 

Me: We're entering Sakura Empire now so we have to be on high alert. 

Dalian: Right!

Me: [Alright everyone, into a quadruple line formation. All destroyers to the front. You'll be primarily supported by the Cruisers who'll be in the line behind you. Behind them, all Battleships and Battle Cruisers will provide long-range support. There are a few exceptions to this. Those who have been pulled aside to provide carrier support should move to join their assigned carrier groups in the rear. Once battle commences, this 4th line will break formation and each carrier strike group will focus on their assigned task. The rest of the fleet (the other three lines) is to provide as much chaos as possible. Your objective is not to wipe out the enemy perse. Instead, you are to merely get them to throw everything they have at you. Remember, you will not be fighting with any carrier support for the initial stages of the battle so you'll have to do all anti-air, anti-ship and anti-sub operations on your own.]

Elizabeth: [I don't want to hear about any of you getting injured because of an attack by planes so make sure to always stay alert, okay?]

All: [Right!]

Me: [Once the carriers have completed their assigned missions, they'll attack the enemy from the flanks and rear. This will provide some confusion but you yourselves shouldn't panic. Instead, push forward and use the opportunity to drive the enemy back. I know some of you are friends with some of their girls but make no mistake, they will sink you regardless so do not hold back. The objective here is to soundly defeat them but if they surrender first, we'll also take this as a win as soon as the carriers have carried out their mission. Until you're told otherwise, press forward with the attack, regardless of what the enemy does.]

Javelin: [Uhm. Excuse me, but what if they surrender as soon as the battle starts?]

Me: [If you fall for something like that and lower your guard then you will die. Make no mistake, they may be KANSEN like you and we may all have interests in seeing the SIREN being expelled from this world but they are your enemy and they will not hesitate to use every means at their disposal to achieve victory, even if it means tossing away honour by pretending to surrender before launching a counter-attack.] 

Elizabeth: [That's right. These are the same girls that attacked us in the first place while we still considered them friends. Do not make the same mistake by thinking their acts are anything but precisely that. I don't want to hear that a single one of you spared even a single ship during the initial blitz. If they surrender, blast them out of the water anyways.]

Me: [While she's correct, do remember that your objective is not to sink every girl within the Sakura Empire. If you can subdue them without sinking them, that would be preferable. However, you must hold them at all costs initially. If sinking them is the only way to do so then do so without hesitation. Once the carriers join in the fighting, things will get much easier from there. The objective at that point is to drive them back and out of the sea. As such, it'd be preferable if you only disabled them and didn't sink them entirely. That being said, do not force the matter. If you cannot disable them without sinking them, sink them. Do not get so caught up in your morals that you allow them to sink you instead.]

There are sighs of relief as I clarify. I know that we're from different backgrounds so we have a different view on matters like these. The vast majority of the girls here do have friends that are currently considered our enemies. I don't think they could handle killing them but if they don't give it their all, I'm sure those same friends of theirs won't hesitate to kill them instead. Dalian and I aren't held back by such as the only girls we've had any chance to become friends with are those from Dragon Empery and those from Eagle Union and Royal Navy. As such, even if the other nations within the Azur Lane alliance were to break away and also join Crimson Axis, we wouldn't have any issues with cutting every last one of them down. Still, it's not so for these girls. Well, most of them anyway. Elizabeth seems hell-bent on eradicating every last girl within their nation. Enterprise too is a wild card. She'd most likely have no restrictions when it comes to sinking them if it meant protecting her own. 

Sigh.

We've had to keep the truth about this battle from all the girls that weren't present in our meeting save for a few others. As far as most know, this is in response to the many attacks against us. If only things were so simple. As I continue heading down this train of thought, I arrive at quite the internal debate. Why must we always fight? It was a fight in my own world that started my journey here and ever since we've been fighting. War truly never changes. There are a lot of optimists that try to think otherwise but as long as there are differences in cultures and ideologies there will always be conflicts. Even in a pacifist nation, civil war is still a threat. It's as though we simply can't go long without conflict but then conflict also brings people together. It results in scientific progress that would never be matched otherwise. Conflict, for better or for worst, does in the end improve the lives of many so is it truly such a bad thing? As if sensing the internal battle being fought within my mind, Enterprise pulls closer.

Enterprise: You did well. 

I offer a smile but before I can return to my thoughts, she takes my hand, instantly dispelling all my worries. It's an electric feeling that I am not used to but I don't pull away. If the other girls are to be believed, before I arrived she was closed off, reserved. Personally, I find that hard to believe but when I think back on how we met, she had to be pushed into the room. As I remember the conversation that ensued and the pretend date we went on afterwards, I can't help but laugh. To think all this started because SIREN ships attacked two of Dragon Empery's girls. Now we are both quite good friends. 

Me: Did you expect us to become such good friends when you were pushed into the room?

It takes her a while to pick up on what I'm referring to but once she does, she laughs and quickly responds.

Enterprise: Certainly not. I'd have never guessed where that one decision would have led but I am glad it did.

Me: I am too. To think that my inability to move on my own is what led to all of this.

Enterprise: I'm still surprised at how quickly you recovered. What's your secret?

Me: I'm not sure but the same happened after an accident in Dragon Empery. The only similarity I can think of between then and now is that I ate afterwards. 

Enterprise: Ate? Haha. Perhaps eating solves your problems then.

She's teasing and I slap her for it but she might just be right. In this world, eating replenishes both fuel and munitions almost instantly. Repairs on the other hand are done manually. That's why we have repair ships and drydocks, to begin with. If you get damaged at sea, you have to be brought back to land for repairs or patched up by a repair ship. There's no other way around it but in my case, every time I get damaged and eat something afterwards, my body begins intensive work on repairing itself. In fact, I'd argue that even without eating, it still repairs itself but does so at a much slower pace. Munitions and fuel seem to work the same as it does for the other girls as well. Eating and properly resting might just be all I need to survive in this world. Who would have thought?

Enterprise notices I'm caught up in thought again and nudges me in the side to pull my attention back to what we're doing. Looking up, I notice that everyone is separating. This must be it. We're finally going to kick start everything. The carriers all hang back with their small escorts as our main force pushes on. We'll wait until their battle has begun before launching our aircraft. They'll proceed to avoid the battlefield entirely and begin searching for that mysterious ship. My own aircraft will be the ones doing the searching as they'll arrive there long before all the others and can stay out of sight whilst searching. Once it's been located, the other planes will attack whilst being supported by my own but mine aren't to prioritize attacking the ship. They are merely going to be escorts this time. 

As soon as we confirm that the ship has been destroyed, Azur Lane's aircraft will return to their carriers for refitting and rearming while my own aircraft will begin supporting the front lines. All in all, it is a sound plan. As out carriers will be nowhere near the battle, every two carriers only require one or two escort ships, thus we can devote essentially all our forces to the fight but as our carriers also won't be assisting the main fight for quite some time, it's a plan with incredible risk. If all of the Sakura Empire's carriers take part in the battle alongside SIREN carriers, it could pose an issue. In any case, I've already made plans to have my J-16s move in if necessary. After all, I don't really need both my Su-57s and my J-16s for a stealth mission. As such, I've elected to keep my J-16s back in reserves as we observe the battle from a distance. If Elizabeth and Wales, who are both going to be in the thick of the fighting request air support, they'll rush in to provide such. 

Under normal circumstances, this too would prove dangerous but as I also have helicopters and the like and Dalian has some of her own as well, we should be able to handle any ships or submarines that manage to get to our position quite easily. The other girl's sonars might not be able to pick up submarines easily but the systems Dalian, I, and our aircraft are outfitted with are more than capable of detecting ww2 era submarines. Those loud dust buckets couldn't hope to hide from us. Hehe. 

Lost in thought yet again, I don't even realize how far things have progressed until the distant sound of battle reaches my ears. Looking up, I see everyone launching their planes. Looks like it's time.

Me: [All Su-57s, prepare to launch!]