Sakura Empire East Sea
June 20, 1942
1:30 PM
One E-2D Hawkeye (AWACS plane) was loitering above the battle, circling around and providing radar surveillance of the conflict below.
Enterprise-6 fired her energy arrow from her bow at Zuikaku. Zuikaku blocked it with her Katana. "Is that the best you've got... Grey Ghosto!" she yelled as she slashed the energy arrow with her katana.
'My successor was right... hearing that multiple times is kind of cringe,' Enterprise-6 thought as she fixed her aim.
Lexington and Souryuu were locked in a Dive Bombing duel. Aichi D3A Vals and SBD Dauntlesses were both dive bombing their respective targets.
Lexington used her Battlecruiser power plant to evade the falling bombs from the Aichi D3A Val Dive Bomber. Her AA Guns lit up the dive bombing planes as they got closer.
Souryuu used her agility to avoid the dive bombing SBD Dauntless in her location, throwing her cards which hit a dozen Dive Bombing Planes.
Souryuu adjusted her glasses. "Not bad... I was expecting you to be more... slower," she exclaimed.
Lexington just chuckled. "I might be a little bit old, but that doesn't mean I can't keep up with the rookies," she said with a smug face.
"Let's see then..." Souryuu lunged and threw her cards, which flew towards Lexington with flames. Lexington dodged and pointed her 'Musket' at her, firing as the musket balls turned into F4F Wildcats.
Shoukaku floated in the air as she played her flute. "This melody is a requiem to quell the dead," she said as she launched her A6M Zeros from her rigging.
"OH. Come on, that again!" Hornet exclaimed as she launched her own fighters. 'This bullshit again that almost got me the last time,' she thought.
Hornet had to face that again. The last time she was at the mercy of the attacking planes, she was in a bad situation, outnumbered and outgunned. Her Wildcats were all helpless in halting the diving D3A Val Dive Bomber.
Shoukaku's Zeros and Hornet's Wildcats were shooting each other down in the air, as their Carriers launched more Fighters.
Above the clouds, Enterprise-6 jumped into her F4F Wildcat as she was chased by A6M Zeros with Zuikaku onboard. Enterprise-6's Wildcat managed to avoid all the incoming attacks and perform some crazy cobra maneuvers that she had learned from CVN-80.
"How could she avoid all my attacks?" Zuikaku was surprised by her ability to evade any of her attacks.
Enterprise-6 aimed and released an arrow targeting the Zero that Zuikaku was riding on. She targeted the engine of the Zero, and it exploded. Zuikaku was thrown by the explosion.
Souryuu was breathing heavily, and sweat was dripping from her forehead as she adjusted her glasses and thought, 'How can she avoid all of my attacks... like she knew and could predict my next move?'
"How did you avoid my attacks?" Shoukaku asked, also breathing heavily as she got tired from dodging and attacking at the same time.
Hornet smirked. 'Thanks to the help of the AWACS, we are able to predict and evade any attack... At first, I hated it because it was too complex for me, but now I've been able to get along with it.'
She cleared her throat. "Let's just say... Magic," she said with a cheeky voice.
CVN-80 leaned on one of her E-2D Hawkeye AWACS to give assistance to her 'Granny' and Friends. The AWACS Code Name: Magic. The AWACS Predicted and calculated the movement of the Sakuran Carrier Planes to minimize damage on the Eagle Union Carriers.
"Ma-Magic?!" Shoukaku muttered in confusion. Then, a sudden explosion caught everyone's attention. They all saw burning wrecks of Zeros falling in the sky. Zuikaku was also falling, as Enterprise-6 pointed her bow at her chest.
"ZUIKAKU!!!!!!!" Shoukaku cried out as she saw her sister in a dire situation. She left the battle and sped up to her location. Shoukaku hugged her sister to shield her from Enterprise's arrow.
Tears fell from both of her cheeks as she embraced her sister tightly. As an older sister, her obligation was to protect her younger sister. As they waited for the arrow to impact, an A6M Zero exploded as it faced Enterprise's arrow.
The one who launched the Zero was none other than Souryuu; she was breathing heavily. "Thank god I made it in time," she said, panting.
"Damn, she got overboard again," Hornet exclaimed.
"Yeah... she always does," Lexington added.
~Giant Fox~
Lucas was clinging to the side of his MH-60 Seahawk, opening fire with his M27 IAR at the Giant Fox. He was carefully firing his MK-45 Naval Gun, fearing the recoil of the gun would impact the flight of his Seahawk.
"See that over there... Shoot it!" he commanded.
The Door Gunner (Manjuu) opened fire at the Fox as they gave chase to the flying Giant Fox. Tracers of .50 cal bullets flew in a line, the bullets ricocheting off the thick fur and Metal Riggings connected to its body.
The Giant Fox, feeling the pain, launched Flaming Zeros at them. Lucas's Seahawk maneuvered to avoid the bullets from the Flaming Zeros.
The other Seahawks that Lucas had summoned were hit in the fuselage and tail. The tail rotor started to smoke and exploded. The Seahawk lost control and started to spin around uncontrollably before plunging into the ocean.
"We're hit, we're hit! Mayday, mayday, mayday – bird going down," the Pilot radioed as the Seahawk spun around before plunging into the ocean.
The Crew (Manjuu) managed to bail out of the sinking Helicopter Airframe, and floatation devices were deployed as the Crew got into the life-rafts.
Lucas launched SM-2s and ESSMs to shoot down the Flaming Zeros. "Fuck it!" Lucas yelled as he lost patience with the Flaming Zeros. He then fired his SM-2s at the Giant Fox.
The Giant Fox was hit by multiple SM-2s in the back, and it screamed in pain. Kaga spoke, "Just a little bit more... We're almost there..." Sadness could be heard in her voice as she rubbed the white fur.
'Gommen'nasai, you are hurt because of my carelessness,' tears fell from Kaga's eyes.
"Maya. Where are you? I need a hand here!" Lucas yelled into the comms while .50cal and small arms fire could be heard in the background.
"Sorry~. I got overcrowded here. So, we might be late for some action," JS Maya replied on the comms and smiled.
JS Maya's Seahawk was overcrowded with the four Royal Navy Shipgirls. Hood and Illustrious were alongside her without their Rigging Activated. Renown and Repulse had their Rigging active and clung to the side doors of the Helicopter.
Her Seahawk was reaching its maximum weight carrying capacity because of the two's Rigging being active. It flew low and slow over the surface of the ocean as it was being left behind by Lucas's Helicopter.
Hood gently smiled. "My~My, you're smiling while answering him on the radio... do you like him~?" she said to JS Maya.
"W-What!" JS Maya stuttered as she turned red.
Hood laughed (a ladylike laugh). "Sorry... I'm just messing around with you. It comes to my mind that you're always happy with him."
"Oh... The reason why is, he's the only one who always escorted me back in our world. He's also stationed at the same Naval Base as me."
"Ah, I see... is that the only reason why? Nothing more?" Hood asked again in a cheeky voice.
"Y-Yes! Nothing more," JS Maya immediately replied, feeling pressure in her chest. She was also turning as red as a tomato from Hood's questioning.
Illustrious also smiled and giggled at JS Maya's flustered face. Renown was confused about what the others were talking about. Repulse was also smiling as she listened.
~Few Minutes Later~
The Giant Fox landed in the middle of the Battlefield, surprising everyone. The Azur Lane Shipgirls were having flashbacks, especially the small ones, as they saw the Giant White Fox.
"Shit! This Giant Fox again!" Cleveland exclaimed. She pointed her M27 IAR at the Giant Fox and shot.
"Fire!" the Cleveland Sisters pointed their M27 IARs at the Giant Fox and opened fire.
Unicorn remembered her first encounter with Kaga's Giant Fox; she gripped U-Chan tightly. She almost got eaten, she remembered the fox's mouth opening, showing its fangs. She was only saved by Enterprise in time, as she fired an arrow at the Big Fox. Shivers ran through her buddy as their eyes met.
Kaga's Giant Fox suddenly collapsed from the injuries it received from Lucas's attacks. The Giant Fox had been hit by multiple SM-2s in the back. Kaga rushed toward her Giant Fox's head; their eyes met. Kaga was starting to tear up.
"It's alright... You can rest now..." Kaga said with a teary eye. She rubbed the fur of her Giant Fox as it slowly closed its eyes. The Giant Fox slowly vanished as it was covered in blue flames; the Fox totally vanished.
Akagi sailed closer to her half-sister, resting her right hand on her left shoulder, giving her a reassuring look. "Let's go..."
Kaga nodded slightly and started wiping her tears as she sailed next to Akagi as they went to the location of Musashi and Shinano.
"So, Orochi was destroyed, huh?" Musashi spoke as she gripped her Katana, which sparked with purple lightning. "... This is bad," she muttered.
"So, what now?" Shinano asked.
Musashi closed her eyes and thought deeply as she considered another plan. 'Thank God, I totally made another plan in case Orochi failed.' She then opened her eyes. "We need to break their defense and head straight to their Flagship... I'm going to challenge her to a duel..."
"That's suicidal! You could die if you storm their Task Force alone!" Akagi exclaimed as she clenched her fist.
"That's why I need you two, Hakuryuu and Shinano, to support me in breaking their defense and heading straight to their Flagship."
"There's no turning back... right?" Shinano asked as she gently held her sister's hand. Musashi looked at her and nodded. "Hai."
"By the way... Where's Hakuryuu? I didn't see her," Kaga asked as she looked around to find Hakuryuu.
"She might be fighting someone. My Radios are busted and scorched; our electronics are all fried from the constant jamming," Akagi said as she crossed her arms.
"Who is she fighting now, for her to engage into a duel?" Musashi said as her brows twitched and an unhappy look was plastered on her face.
.
.
.
"You got Quackbang Grenade, you got Quackbang Grenade. Everyone got Quackbang Grenade!"
Essex-12 and her infinite fucking wisdom did the most Marine Corps., Grunt thing, whatever you called it. She threw some Quackbang Grenades at any random Destroyer that popped into her sight. The Destroyers thought it was just a Rubber Duck; no, they were wrong. As soon as the spoon at the top of the Grenade came off, the Grenade inside was armed.
I'm not saying using Quackbang Grenades is Barbaric, but if you want to rack up some Kills, you might want to try it out. Grenades sink in the water as soon as you throw them, but Rubber Ducks, on the other hand, float. If you combined the two, you got a floating grenade. The bonus part of this is that your enemy is not going to dodge a Rubber Duck, and most of them will get closer to inspect it.
Then kaboom, instant Kills at maximum efficiency.
-I hope The Pentagon did not read this and integrate it into the Marine Corps. battle doctrine-
The Destroyers that was hit by a Quackbang had their clothes and rigging ripped by the shrapnel. Their rigging, mostly the part where the shrapnel hit, was rendered inoperable. In that condition, they were ordered to return to port for maintenance.
Essex-12's role here was to provide Air-Cover and Air-Support. And now Fire-Support; the only thing missing now was to chain a dozen Self-Propelled Howitzers to the Amphibious Ship's Deck and call it a makeshift Battleship.
Essex-12, like that one person who's drunk and dares, launched countermeasures such as flares and chaff, along with electronic warfare. The strong Electronic Jamming caused some of the Analog Computation Devices onboard the Sakurans to burn out their electric circuits. Out of means of Radio Communications, the Sakurans were left only with blinking lights or Pigeons, if you ever considered them a communication tool in this chaotic Naval Warfare.
After the frying of the circuits of all Analog Electronics, she shifted her attention to the lightly armored Cruisers, mostly Light Cruisers from the interwar period. They all dashed towards her in a charge, like a free real estate – she then summoned her MK-19 for direct fire.
I don't know who's scarier, Laffey-200 with unlimited ammo and powered by Alcohol and Hate, or Essex-12 with a Party Popper A.K.A. Machinegun that shoots Grenades.
She then proceeded to rain down 40mm Grenades on the Sakuran Cruisers. She targeted the rigging, rendering it unusable as it burned.
"Come on, bitches! Come on, get some, get some."
Chitose and Chiyoda were searching for the owner of the F-35Bs they'd seen earlier. They kept searching and searching in the middle of the battlefield until they saw what they were looking for: a Purple-Haired Woman wearing MARPAT.
"Hey, you!" Chitose shouted as she pointed her fingers at the said woman.
"...You? ... who?" Essex-12 asked in confusion, tilting her head as she looked at the woman who had just shouted and pointed her fingers at her.
"YES, YOU!" Chitose yelled again, veins of annoyance popping on her forehead. "That aircraft," she pointed at the F-35Bs loitering above, "... is that yours?!"
"Yes. That is mine," Essex-12 replied as she glared at the two Carriers, her fingers near the trigger of her flight deck rigging.
"So. It was you... then prepare to die!" Chitose shouted. "Chiyoda. Let's make her pay for what she did to Hiryuu Sempai!"
"Hai," she and her sister both launched their planes to attack Essex-12. The planes were A6M Zeros, Aichi D3A Vals, and Nakajima B5Ns flying towards her.
Essex-12 cursed. "Shit, where are my escorts!" She then contacted the two maids who had been ordered to escort her. "Dido, Sirius, where are you? I need some help here."
The comms of the maid went static. "Umm... D-Dido is kind of busy h-here. Ahhhhh!" A cannon explosion could be heard in the background, and water splashed.
"Sirius is on her way, Ma'am... just hold on tigh— Ahhhhh!" A splash of water could be heard in the background. "OUCH!"
'Please don't tell me you tripped on the ocean surface,' Essex-12 then yelled into the comms. "You've got to be Fucking kidding me, you useless Maids!"
Both Maids replied, "Sorry..." Their voices were pleading for forgiveness.
"Shit! It's all up to me now," Essex-12 exclaimed as she activated her Close-in Defense Weapons. Phalanx CIWS sprayed lead at the incoming Torpedo Bombers. RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles intercepted the Dive Bombers. The five F-35Bs that were on standby opened fire at the Zeros with their Peregrine Missiles.
Chitose and Chiyoda's mouths gaped in shock at the 100% successful interception. Essex-12 summoned her 'Missile Launcher'. The Missile Launcher was similar to that on the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, with a handle and trigger at the bottom similar to any Rocket Launcher, with sights on the side.
"Now, it's my turn," she remarked, then pulled the trigger of her 'Missile Launcher'. Chitose and Chiyoda moved away from the incoming attack in separate ways. They separated to avoid getting taken out in one attack.
The RIM-7 Missile followed Chitose. She opened fire with her AA Guns to intercept it but couldn't. Chitose used her Flight Deck Rigging as a shield against the incoming Missile. The Missile hit her Flight Deck. She felt an explosion similar to a 500lbs bomb hitting her Flight Deck.
Chitose screamed in pain as she knelt down, then looked at her damaged flight Deck. The deck had a hole in the middle large enough to render any flight operation.
Chiyoda was chased by two AH-64 Apaches armed with Hellfire Missiles. The Apaches fired all of their Hellfire Missiles at her. Just like Chitose, she used her own Flight Deck Rigging as a shield. The deck had a hole in the middle large enough to render any flight operation.
Essex-12's radar detected someone heading towards her with a speed similar to a 'High Speed Boat'. She quickly grabbed her KA-BAR Fighting Knife to block the incoming attack. An unknown blade almost got her neck for a moment. She glared at the attacker to look at her face.
The attacker was none other than Hakuryuu, her face full of smiles as she faced the 'Carrier' that she had been ordered to steal an aircraft from.
"I see that you are the owner of that aircraft, and you're a strong one too. I, Hakuryuu, challenge you!" Hakuryuu announced as her smile widened.
Essex-12 thought with a not-impressed expression, 'Really? Everyone is now asking for my aircraft.' Her expression then turned serious. "So, you're the one who was tasked to steal one of my aircraft?"
"Hai. That was me," Hakuryuu proudly said.
"You know... Uncle Sam really... really hates it when someone steals his stuff," Essex-12 grinned.
Shit was about to get personal. F-35Bs and AH-64 Apaches were being recalled for the pounding to come. Fortunate Son was about to get fortunate.
USS Enterprise CVN-80
Enterprise-80 was looking at the various monitors, her gaze fixed on the large screen showing the Air-Battle above the Battlefield. She then noticed the F-35Bs leaving the area and starting to head toward Essex-12. They ignored all the A6M Zeros, Aichi D3A Vals, and Nakajima B5Ns in the area.
Then her comms went static. She pressed the button to listen. "Ma'am, I'm leaving the area with an enemy plane. I am currently facing off against this Carrier. Could you please take over the gap in Air-Cover? This situation is personal."
Enterprise-80 sighed. "Understood. I'll send my Hornets to cover the gaps in Air-Cover and Air-Support." Her gaze then returned to the big monitor screen.
A squadron of F/A-18 Super Hornets armed with Air-to-Air Missiles was heading towards the battle to provide Air-cover and Air-support.
Her attention was focused on a certain spot on the screen where the Fox-Girls were shown: Musashi, Shinano, Akagi, and Kaga.
She then contacted Lucas. "Lucas, where are you?"
On the comms, "I'm on my way, Ma'am. The max speed of the Seahawk couldn't catch up with the Giant-Fox's speed."
"Just hurry up! I don't want them to lose sight."
"Yes, Ma'am." The communication then was cut.
Enterprise-80 could not send all the planes available in the battlefield. Most of her 6th Gen Planes were on stand-by for the real threat to pop out of nowhere.
The other squadron of Hornets was conducting a second strike at the Empire. She continued targeting the remaining targets that had been left untouched from the first strike.
~Back at the Battlefield~
Both Lafayette and Ayanami were breathing heavily from their battle. They were both exhausted from swinging their swords and dodging each other's attacks.
'Shit! I lost track of time. If we continue doing this, we will only exhaust ourselves. I need to finish this battle without injuring her, but how? NSMs are out of the question... Maybe my light weight would be enough to end this? Yes, her friends are there to save her; it will be easy,' Lafayette thought, his grip on his saber sword quivering.
'Our skills are matched. I need to finish this quick. If this continues, I will be out of fuel... I need to finish this battle now,' Ayanami thought, her grip on her sword also trembling.
Both were staring at each other, similar to a stand-off between two people locked in a duel. Ayanami lunged first as she launched her Type 93 Torpedoes. The Type 93 Torpedoes left trails of bubbles in their wake.
Lafayette saw the speeding Torpedoes moving his way, the six torpedoes heading for his location. He dodged all the torpedoes, intercepting one with his own MK-38 25mm Gun System to shoot it down.
'He managed to avoid my five torpedoes and successfully intercepted one by shooting it,' Ayanami thought as she saw her attack get intercepted. Her thoughts were cut off by him.
"Now it's my turn." Lafayette launched his MK-54 Lightweight Torpedoes; the Torpedoes he fired moved towards her.
Ayanami used her top speed as a Destroyer to avoid getting hit by three torpedoes dashing towards her. Little did she know, the torpedoes were wire-guided. No matter how she evaded, the torpedoes followed her. The three Torpedoes caught her and hit her. The three torpedoes exploded, making her fall onto the surface of the ocean, her Rigging damaged and unable to keep her balance.
She tried to get up but couldn't. She then used her sword to support herself while standing. Lafayette sailed towards her and helped her get to her feet.
"W-Why are you helping me?" Ayanami asked, confused as to why he was helping her stand up.
"The fight is over. I won... so please stop fighting..." Lafayette remarked as he helped her to get onto her own feet.
"B-But."
"No buts," Lafayette interjected. He then looked at her. "Your friends are worried about you..."
The Two looked at Shigure and Yuudachi sailing towards them. Laffey-459 let them through as the battle ended between them.
"Ayanami, are you alright?" Shigure and Yuudachi cried out, concern bellowing from their voices as they helped her. Lafayette let her go as her friends came to help her get to her own feet.
"Hai, I'm alright," Ayanami replied in a weak undertone.
"I'm going to leave you with your friends now... I have a job to do," Lafayette said as he sailed away from them.
Laffey-459 sailed behind him as she waved goodbye to them. "Bye... bye... Ayanami, see you later..." She said in her nonchalant way.
"That kid is weird," Shigure exclaimed.
"Yeah..." Yuudachi added.
They sailed away and headed to the battlefield, and then a Giant Fox Landed in the middle of the Battlefield, surprising the two.
Above them was the shadow of a Fox towering any size he could think of. The shadow was like a flying Airliner passing over them as its massive shadow loomed over them.
"What the heck was that!" Lafayette exclaimed. He then summoned his Carl Gustav Recoilless Rifle and pointed it at the Giant Fox.
Laffey-459 spoke as she stared at the Giant Fox, "That is Kaga's Fox Spirit."
"Fox Spirit???" He asked in confusion.
"Is that Kaga sempai's Fox Spirit?" Shigure asked as she carried Ayanami.
Ayanami could only stare at them and spoke, "Hai."
"Why does it look burned and... injured..." Yuudachi added, her eyes widening as she saw the injured and burned fur of the Fox Spirit as it vanished.
Sakura Empire Secret Bunker
Cmdr. Shin and PM Tojo were receiving reports from the ongoing fight. Most of them were static because of the jamming capability of the Modern Kansen. The only report they received that was not jammed was, "Orochi was Destroyed."
Many of the remaining High-Rank Military had grim expressions on their faces as they heard the bad news of air-strikes on their Military Facilities. And now, they'd lost Orochi. Only Cmdr. Shin and PM Tojo had faces of defiance; they believed Musashi and Shinano could turn the table around in their favor if they engaged the Flagship of the Azur Lane Task Force.
One of the High-Ranks spoke, "They're doing a scorched earth tactic against us. They're wearing down our forces by attacking valuable targets like supplies and ammo, rather than carpet bombing us."
The second High-Rank spoke, "What should we do now? All of our Military Infrastructure is down, Air-fields are burning, Military bases are in ruins, and Military Factories are in ashes."
The third High-Rank spoke, "We underestimated their capability, and it cost us... this. Maybe we should just take their offer instead of opposing them."
Cmdr. Shin stood up from his chair and shouted at the third High-Ranking Officer, "Are you suggesting we surrender?! How cowardly! You are a Military High-Rank, and you have no guts and no faith in victory!"
"You're over-relying on luck for victory and not making any decisive plans. The reason you reached this high rank is because of your father! You don't even compare to the lower-ranks in this room!" the Third High-Rank retorted back.
"What did you just say!" Cmdr. Shin gripped his Nambu Pistol in anger. He was being held down by the Junior-Officers to prevent him from shooting anyone in the room.
PM Tojo slammed the table to get everyone's attention. "Could the two of you stop fighting! We are in crisis, and the only thing on your minds is arguing with each other! ..."
The two Officers cooled down as they both almost fired at each other with their Nambu Pistols. The Junior-Officers released their grip on Cmdr. Shin as he calmed down.
One imperial Officer entered the room to report about the Southern Forces that had been contacted to reinforce the Capital defenses.
"Sir, report from the reinforcements from the south."
"What does it say?" Cmdr. Shin asked.
The imperial Officer straightened up. "The train they were using was derailed from the tracks, as it flew several meters high."
"By a bombing run?" PM Tojo asked.
"No... the explosion happened underneath the train itself. They also didn't report any thundering noise above as the explosion happened."
"Who would put an explosive on a track to blow up a train?" PM Tojo said.
AZ-1 Team did the thing. On Skipper's orders, the Manjuus crafted an explosives plan to derail the train along with the rain in such proportion. Baked C-4 was placed below and waited for the Train to arrive. With a click of the switch, the engine of the train went 200 feet in the air. Those bastards made the first and only flight of a freight train.
"We did it, Boys," Skipper said, lowering his binoculars and giving everyone a high-five. "Now let's visit the Emperor."
~Back at the Bunker~
"This could only mean one thing..." Cmdr. Shin said as he and the other High-Ranking Officers reached the same conclusion. "They snuck a couple of operatives inside the Empire."
Then the door behind them opened, and another Imperial Officer entered, holding a report paper and bowing. "Gomen'nasai, I have a report coming from the 'Kempeitai'."
"And what is it?" PM Tojo asked.
"Many of the Government Officials that belong to or are related to the Militarist Faction are dead."
The High-Ranks in the Bunker were shocked and dumbfounded to hear the report. One of the High-Ranking Officers asked, "Did they die from the relentless bombing campaign of Azur Lane?"
The Imperial Officer shook his head. "No."
"What then?"
"According to eyewitnesses, one was found inside his room without a head; blood and gore were all over the walls, and there was one single bullet hole in the wall. Five were found in their cars, also without heads; blood and gore were all over inside the passenger seat, with five bullet holes in the car's window. The rest were found dead at their office tables and in their Quarters, without heads; blood and gore were all over the office, with only one bullet hole in the window. Same as the other reports."
"A sniper that can blow your head off!" the second High-Rank exclaimed. The other High-Ranking Officers tensed up to their bones as wild thoughts played in their minds.
"An assassin inside the Empire. Its only targets are the Militarist Faction inside the Palace," PM Tojo murmured. "What about the other Government Officials?" he asked.
"They are alright, Sir. Nothing reported of assassination, or any attempt at assassination."
"They are only targeting the Military—" Cmdr. Shin came to one conclusion. He then approached the Low Rank Imperial Officer and grabbed his military uniform. "My Father?! Is he targeted too?!"
"I-I don't know, Sir. All I know is that... the Imperial Advisor is with the Imperial Family, Sir," the Lower Rank Imperial Officer responded with a stuttering voice.
Murmurs from the High-Ranking Military could be heard from the back, echoing in the enclosed bunker.
"Calm down, Shin, it's not confirmed yet if your father is the target of this assassin," PM Tojo spoke to reassure Cmdr. Shin of his uncertain thoughts.
"The imperial Guards will protect him and the Imperial Family. The Imperial Palace is the most heavily protected place in the Empire; no one can enter there without getting caught by the Guards."
"I hope you're right... I hope he's not the next target of this Assassin," Cmdr. Shin spoke with concern in his voice about his father's safety.
He then ordered the Imperial Officer who gave the report, "Tell our forces to increase security... An Operative might infiltrate high-value targets, such as Military installations and the Palace."
"Hai." The Imperial Officer bowed and immediately left to inform the security.
Imperial Palace
Two people, along with some Birdy Fellas, hid alongside the walls of the Palace Walls as they avoided the patrolling Imperial Guards. They were careful with their movements to not alert any of the Imperial Guards in the area. They watched as the Guards took turns in their designated patrol area.
They used the opportunistic moment of explosion in the background to cover their tracks as they climbed the Palace walls without being detected.
Skipper, eyes on the scopes of his Rifle, kept the front clear, his left hand raised, signaling that their route was clear of Guards.
Kowalski opened his laptop and glanced at the digital mapping of the Imperial Palace. "Hallway up ahead, we'll reach the Emperor's throne if we follow the hallway."
"Corridors are clear," Private radioed as he checked the corridors connecting the hallway.
"Clear," Rico radioed; their rear was clear of hostiles.
Arizona waved a hand, signaling them to move forward. Sheffield followed him, protecting his rear, Rifle raised.
"Are you sure she's fine being left alone in the bushes?" Arizona inquired in a whispering voice.
"Yes. She would only make noise and jeopardize the whole operation if we bring her here. She might be clumsy, but she can still hold her own," Sheffield said the last word with uncertainty and doubt.
"Wow, that's quite reassuring..." Arizona commented. "Alright, our target is inside the Imperial Place, inside a bunker with the Imperial Family. Got it?"
"Understood," She responded as she fixed her tangled hair from wearing modern equipment.
"Roger that."
Bushes
Edinburgh was left traumatized as she saw those people lose their heads one by one, as Arizona blew them up with his M82 Barrett and Sheffield acted as the Spotter for the Sniper. They shot their targets coldly, their faces as cold as ice.
She had never seen such a cold and stern expression on him. The way he killed those people was gruesome. No heavy breathing, his heartbeat remaining calm with each shot fired. He never blinked nor cared about the faces of the people beside his targets. Arizona was as cold as a killer, just as Sheffield had predicted. Sheffield never let her guard down around him. She often noticed Sheffield's gaze never leaving him, her other arm reaching for her pistol.
All in all, she was shaken with fear as the two were now currently on their next target at the Imperial Palace. She was left there in the bushes, shaken.