BB-62 USS New Jersey
June 21, 1942
8:00 PM
A woman wearing a Naval Officer Uniform leaned against the railing of the Iowa-Class Battleship as it cruised on the tranquil sea. The Battleship moved beneath the moonlight, waves splashing against its sharp shaped hydrodynamic bow.
"Ah, man... I kinda miss the humid temperature of the Southern Pacific," she muttered with slight annoyance.
"Getting bored already on the trip... Cmdr. Elena?" a woman with long purple hair, wearing flashy futuristic clothing, spoke.
Cmdr. Elena frowned as she looked at her. "You are the one who rushed an entire Task Force to meet up with 'Enterprise' Task Force... New Jersey?"
New Jersey crossed her arms and pouted. "Aren't you the one who accepted this Mission? You even grabbed the comms from my hand as soon as you heard Adm. Nimitz's name."
"Hey, hey. I was just following orders, and also I—I kinda admired him."
New Jersey's face turned smug. "Admire him? Oh... really???" Her brows moved up and down playfully. "After you grabbed the comms from my hands, you even hugged it like it was him!"
New Jersey then proceeded to make smooching noises, playfully reenacting the Commander's movements after that communication, even though she improvised the entire scene.
Cmdr. Elena turned red as New Jersey spouted those words and movements. She almost slipped on the ship's railing in shock. "I didn't do that!" she exclaimed in a booming voice.
New Jersey laughed. "Don't worry... I'm just messing with you." She leaned closer, placed her index finger on her lip, and whispered, "Nobody will know about it."
"As long as you can keep your mouth shut," Cmdr. Elena said, straightening her uniform.
New Jersey slowly nodded, still wearing a smug look.
Cmdr. Elena changed the subject, fixing her cap. "What time will we arrive at the designated point?"
New Jersey placed her index finger on her cheek, glancing upward. "Let's see... We will reach the designated point at 3:00 AM—seven hours from now. After that... we'll have a meet and greet with Enterprise, the leading command of a Carrier Task Force."
She clasped both her hands together. "You should take a nap and rest for now, Commander. We need to get up too early in the morning."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll take a nap. Wake me up if we reach the designated point," she said, heading inside the ship's superstructure.
"Aye, aye. Commander~..." New Jersey saluted playfully while giving a warm smile.
~Seven Hours Later~
In the Commander's Quarters, Cmdr. Elena slept peacefully in her pajamas. In her sleep, a familiar figure stood at the door, holding a metallic bowl and a metallic spatula.
New Jersey, with a smug grin on her face and without any warning, banged the metallic bowl and spatula together repeatedly as she chanted,
"~Wakey – wakey - wakey... Little sunshine...~"
The clanging of the two metals striking each other was worse than her usual alarm clock that woke her up at early dawn.
Cmdr. Elena woke up and grabbed the alarm clock, checking the time. It was 2:30 AM. She frowned and threw the alarm clock at New Jersey. Seeing the incoming projectile flying towards her, New Jersey dodged the incoming alarm clock, which flew towards her at Mach-Velocity.
"Jesus Christ, New Jersey! It's 2:30 AM for God's sake!"
New Jersey stopped banging the metallic bowl. "Hey! You have thirty minutes to clean up and change. I'll be waiting outside. See ya later."
After confirming the Commander was awake, she exited the room with a trailing hum of her early morning tune.
"It's too fucking early..." she muttered in a groggy voice, her face buried in the pillow.
Cmdr. Elena bolted out of bed and went through her daily morning routine, heading into the shower with a sobering expression. After finishing her shower and putting on clothes, she joined New Jersey in the mess hall, who was preparing breakfast for her ship. Cmdr. Elena and New Jersey both finished their breakfast on schedule.
Cmdr. Elena and New Jersey stood on the deck of the Battleship, waiting for their rendezvous with Enterprise Task Force. The early morning breeze sent chills through them as it blew over.
Essex-9 walked towards them, yawning. "Good morning, guys... isn't it a bit too early for you, Commander?"
Shangri-La scolded her. "Essex, you're supposed to be awake early and provide air cover to the whole fleet."
"I've been doing that since yesterday. Besides, the only thing you do is school me all day," Essex-9 retorted. Cmdr. Elena and New Jersey chuckled and laughed.
Shangri-La sighed in defeat at her sister's nonsense. "Just don't get lazy this time, especially now."
As the two watched the commotion of the Essex Sisters, New Jersey and the other two received a sudden radio transmission that caught their attention. They all listened and identified the radio's encrypted transmission, taking them a minute to realize it was a friendly transmission.
"This is JS Maya of Enterprise Task Force, waiting at the rendezvous point."
"Looks like we came in time," Cmdr. Elena said.
New Jersey responded, "Copy that, JS Maya. We received you."
At the early dawn horizon, DDG-179 JS Maya sailed closer to New Jersey's Task Force.
Cmdr. Elena, New Jersey, and Shangri-La looked at the Battleship's port side. A boxy silhouette of the Aegis Destroyer was visible in the early dawn. The towering superstructure gave an imposing impression of a Cruiser in the distance.
Cmdr. Elena squinted at the silhouetted ship. "It's so angular?" she muttered. "And blocky... a Cruiser?"
New Jersey spoke, "I almost thought so too. I almost mistook it for a Cruiser considering her size, but the designation baffles me."
"They said the role of a Destroyer evolved throughout the century as the threat changed. Size does matter in the role they played," Essex-9 said.
Shangri-La spoke, "Wow, you grew some brain."
"Shut it!" Essex-9 yelled in annoyance.
JS Maya sailed closer to New Jersey's Task Force and navigated her way to the middle. Her ship glowed bright blue as she activated her rigging to avoid collision with the Task Force. She then jumped onto the deck of the Battleship and greeted them.
"Greetings, I am JS Maya of the JMSDF," she said and bowed her head in greeting.
The girls were all baffled by the size of the rigging; it looked like Cruiser Rigging based on their common sense of Kansenization.
Cmdr. Elena offered a handshake. "My name is Cmdr. Elena. And this is New Jersey."
New Jersey greeted her casually, "Hello."
"This is Shangri-La," she gestured to Shangri-La. "And I presume you've met Essex," she then gestured to Essex-9.
"Yes. We met at the Base before the operation started," JS Maya nodded slightly.
Cmdr. Elena eyed her for a while and spoke, "You seem to be wearing a Sakura Empire Naval Officer Uniform, but it's different and modern... From a distance, I could mistakenly identify you as a Takao-class Cruiser, but without that rigging... of course."
JS Maya responded, "Oh, many of the girls at the Base pointed that out. This is the standard Uniform of a JMSDF Officer," she pointed out.
The conversation about Japan and the JMSDF continued until they arrived at the location of Enterprise Task Force. Many in New Jersey's Task Force gasped and were dumbfounded by the sheer size of the Supercarrier when compared to New Jersey's size. New Jersey looked like a Cruiser in comparison to the massive Supercarrier in front.
CVN-80 USS Enterprise
Cmdr. Elena couldn't break her stare as she glanced at the massive floating base in the middle of the Task Force. The imposing size of the Supercarrier towered over New Jersey where she stood. The moon was out, but the silhouette of the Ford-class Carrier was still visible in the glistening moonlight.
Cmdr. Elena's mouth gaped. "That's big..."
New Jersey cut in, "That's what you said."
"See, see... that's what I told you," Essex-9 said, trying to prove she wasn't lying about the size of the Supercarrier.
"Yes, we know. And you don't have to yell," Shangri-La said, getting annoyed with her sister.
They then saw a Sakuran Warship anchored at the nearest atoll. The ship consisted of two Nagato-class Battleships, one Pre-Dreadnought Mikasa, the Carrier Akagi, a Destroyer, and the Carrier Shinano, along with the Iron Blood battlecruiser Odin.
"Are those...?" Cmdr. Elena pointed at the anchored ships.
JS Maya informed them, "Akagi, Shinano, and Odin are prisoners. Nagato, Mutsu, Mikasa, and Kawakaze defected to our side."
"How did you manage to capture an Iron Blood shipgirl?" New Jersey asked curiously.
"I don't know much of the detail how. 'Laffey' is the one who managed to beat her to a pulp and drag her back here to the Safe Zone."
"Wait! What?! Laffey? You mean your Laffey or our Laffey?" Cmdr. Elena tried to confirm.
"Our Laffey. She's also one of the Brand New Destroyers of the United States Navy," JS Maya stated.
"Thank God, it's not her," Cmdr. Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "I know our Laffey couldn't do that."
New Jersey added, "She'd rather sleep than beat someone."
Lucas, out of nowhere, chimed in, "Nah. In our world, DD-459 tried to light up IJN Hiei like a furnace at night."
All of them looked at him, confused by what he had just said. Essex-12 added, "Yeah... in a nutshell, she really turned Hiei into a fire furnace."
"What?!" was the only word Cmdr. Elena could mutter in surprise.
"H-How didn't I notice the two of you? My radars are active, but how?" New Jersey asked in total confusion.
"Sorry, our ECMs or Jammers are active to avoid any Siren detection. We are currently protecting the whole area with our ECMs," Lucas said.
"I-I see..." She thought, 'No wonder why I can't detect them...'
Essex-12 cleared her throat and headed straight to the point. "Miss Enterprise and the others are waiting at the Carrier CIC."
"Alright, she's waiting for us... come on, you two, let's not make her wait any longer," Cmdr. Elena said.
"Roger that." Shangri-La and New Jersey complied, both heading to the Supercarrier following the Commander.
CIC, USS Enterprise
The ambient blue lighting greeted the three. The blue light blended with the various monitor screens in the room, displaying different operations. Many Manjuus and Meowfficers were conversing and fiddling with the monitor screens.
Cmdr. Elena thought, 'I'd expected this place to be filled with bulky analog machines, but this environment feels alien and natural to me...'
One Meowfficer passed them a tablet in hand, rushing towards the command table where everyone was gathering and talking about the next operation.
Langley noticed Cmdr. Elena's bewildered reaction and spoke, "Feels weird, huh?"
Cmdr. Elena broke her daze and nodded. "You'll get used to it," she said.
"And by the way... hands in your pockets. Especially you, New Jersey, don't touch anything that glows and flickers," she pointed at New Jersey.
New Jersey frowned because she had a tendency to touch anything new or weird.
"Just do what she says," Shangri-La said, tapping her left shoulder.
Cmdr. Elena, New Jersey, and Shangri-La reached where Enterprise-80 and the others were waiting at a table screen showing the Task Force's position.
The person they anticipated was quite different from the image in their minds. Enterprise-80's figure stood taller than the others, even taller than New Jersey. Her features were striking, especially her blouse. It certainly showed the tonnage of a Supercarrier.
The results of the previous battle were visible in all the patches placed over the injuries she had sustained. Beating an Arbiter-class wasn't just a walk in the park; her injuries proved she hadn't left the battle unscathed.
"Good to see that you made it in time, Commander," Enterprise-80 began, turning her attention from the table screen to greet the newcomers.
"I thought you were different than 'Enterprise'," Cmdr. Elena reacted.
"I get that all the time... but I am still getting the hang of it," Enterprise-80 responded, her expression acknowledging.
"Should we get started? I want to go back to bed," Queen Elizabeth grumbled, having woken up at 3:00 AM.
"Your Majesty, calm down," Warspite spoke, placing her hands on her shoulders.
Enterprise-80 then started briefing them on the upcoming second operation until 4:00 AM. Queen Elizabeth fell asleep in the middle of the briefing. Warspite took notes so that she could review them for Her Majesty later that morning.
June 22, 1942
6:00 AM
Cmdr. Elena sipped her hot coffee, facing the cold breeze of the early morning ocean. Right behind her, Queen Elizabeth, Warspite, Langley, JS Maya, Shinano, Nagato, Mikasa, and Emperor Hirohito sipped their own teas as they sat at a round table.
At the other table, Essex-9, Shangri-La, New Jersey, Independence, and Allan M. Sumner ate their own breakfast. Gridley was fiddling with her brand new camera that had been given to her by Essex-12.
Royal Maids and Imperial Maids were serving breakfast and tea to the Imperial Family. Essex-12 just opened a pack of MRE, ignoring the breakfast and teas.
Langley reviewed the Document of Surrender. "Seems like the whole thing is okay." She then folded it after finishing her review.
"So, I'm just going to stand there and wait for the Document to be signed?" New Jersey said, a bit disappointed.
Essex-12 chimed in, "It should be Missouri's job to stand there and wait for the Document to be signed."
JS Maya interjected, "Yes. I read the history of Japan's Surrender. It should be USS New Jersey, Halsey's Flagship, where Japan was supposed to surrender. But the President that day was President Truman. Truman was born in the State of Missouri, so USS Missouri was the one in Tokyo Bay where the Document of Surrender was signed."
'Yeah... I kinda remember that,' Essex-12 said as she shoved another spoonful of MRE into her mouth.
"So, it's just another man's ego?" Queen Elizabeth asked.
"I see... even the Eagle Union's counterpart is still plagued with bureaucracy," Emperor Hirohito said.
Nagato interjected, "Every government is plagued with bureaucracy... no need to be surprised there, Your Imperial Majesty."
Cmdr. Elena asked with curiosity, "This still baffles me. How did Eea-eer—I mean America manage to make Japan surrender?"
"Two Cities and two Suns," Essex-12 said as she shoved another spoonful of MRE into her mouth. She then refused to elaborate further, leaving everyone confused.
"That's the simple answer... the truth is even darker than anything you can imagine," JS Maya simply said, her expression darkening. Everyone nodded, sensing how dark this subject was.
Nagato, Musashi, Mikasa, and Emperor Hirohito could only speculate on the horrors that Japan went through in the war because they had watched the footage of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked..." Cmdr. Elena said in a low tone.
Tokyo Bay, Sakura Empire
9:00 AM
Musashi stood on the deck of her Battleship, alongside Cmdr. Shin, Souryuu, and PM Tojo. PM Tojo was assisted by Hiryuu as his current condition prevented him from moving too much. He could only use her as a support, even with a cane.
Musashi's Battleship superstructure and hull were burned and charred. The semblance of battle littered the unarmored superstructure with 127mm shell holes from Lucas's MK-45 Naval Gun.
Her three triple-gun turrets were filled with bullet scratches and charred marks from Air-to-Air Missiles. The wooden deck was filled with sword scratches and burn marks. Repair Manjuus and Dock Yard Workers were seen patching the holes in the hull and pumping water out. The armor had held, but the damage she sustained felt like cracks threatening her integrity.
"I can't believe a mere Destroyer managed to put a hole in your ship," PM Tojo commented as he looked around at the Battleship.
His stomach was still wrapped with bandages where shrapnel had hit him as he and Cmdr. Shin tried to rescue the Emperor and Imperial Family. Beside him, Hiryuu offered assistance.
"Careful, Tojo-san, you're still injured," Hiryuu cautioned.
PM Tojo paid no mind whether he lived long enough or died. He could not oppose the Emperor's decision, as he had heard the Emperor's surrender broadcast. And besides, he was surrounded by people willing to surrender after the Emperor's announcement.
"Yeah... he did give me a beating... and a one-on-one sword fight," Musashi said, slightly praising him.
"It can't be. Eagle Union Kansens are incapable of holding a sword or even swinging one," Souryuu said in denial.
"No. He's not your typical Eagle Union Kansen. He is a Marine," Musashi said with a hint of glee.
Cmdr. Shin noticed her glee. "You seem to be happy about him?"
Musashi coughed and faced him. "No. I'm not happy about him. I'm just happy because someone can match me in a one-on-one sword fight," she said, rubbing the blade of her Odachi.
Cmdr. Shin muttered in disbelief, "So, that guy managed to dodge her Odachi? Bold move."
Souryuu fixed her glasses and spoke, "I still remember the time you almost peed your pants, Commander, when you faced Lady Musashi's Odachi."
"Could you please stop picking on me?" Cmdr. Shin said with a frown.
A curved-up lip formed on Souryuu's face. Even with all the gloom of the early morning, the Commander's genuine reaction, which was all too familiar, gave her a small smile.
"So, the Eagle Union Marines counterpart did not get disbanded by their government," PM Tojo talked to himself.
Then a sudden transmission from Shigure caught their attention. "This is Shigure. Azur Lane fleet is now entering the Bay."
They all looked at the entrance of the Bay, which was covered with grey haze from the morning moisture, their gazes furrowed as they watched after receiving the transmission.
Musashi was quick to respond. "Good. Guide them as they enter the Bay."
She then looked at the others on deck, nodding her head to signal them to get ready to greet the diplomatic envoy for surrender.
"Hai," the word sounded on the deck.
Then, at the hazy horizon of Tokyo Bay, eight massive ship silhouettes could be seen in the morning haze: three Battleships, two Fleet Carriers, one Modern Destroyer, and two Massive Carriers.
PM Tojo pointed at the two familiar ship silhouettes. "Is that...?"
"Hai, Nagato-sempai and Shinano," Musashi said with a bit of a smile on her face as she saw her sister was alright.
"So... she has returned?" Cmdr. Shin was not amused by Nagato's appearance. In his mind, Nagato had betrayed them.
".... Is that her...?" Souryuu pointed at the Modern 'Carrier,' thinking it was 'Enterprise.'
"No." Musashi shook her head. "That's not her. According to Shoukaku and Zuikaku's report, she's bigger than Shinano."
"How big is she then?" Cmdr. Shin wondered aloud.
Then a Modern 'Carrier' they presumed slowly sailed closer to Musashi's ship, parking parallel on the starboard side. Above the flight deck of the Amphibious Assault Ship, people were waiting for them. Continuing with their agenda, they all climbed onto the lowered gangway that was placed by Manjuus wearing orange vests and some with hats and coveralls.
"They have Manjuu onboard?" Takao said in surprise after seeing the Manjuus on deck.
"I thought Manjuus were only allowed in Docks and Ports to help fix the Ships and other mundane tasks of heavy labor, and not being part of a Ship's Crew," Cmdr. Shin remarked, glancing at the Manjuus with rifles that he remembered looked like those of the Operatives and their Manjuu Companions.
"Maybe they are advanced enough to have their own Manjuu onboard instead of relying on Manjuus in Docks and Ports for repairs and maintenance," Atago suggested. Her suggestion caught everyone's attention.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked as everyone looked at her.
"No. Maybe you're right. Maybe they are advanced enough to have their own Manjuu onboard," Musashi said.
They all continued climbing up the gangway, reaching the hangar deck level. JS Maya was waiting for them with a formal greeting in her Officer Uniform and Cap. Right behind her, Manjuus armed with M4s formed a line.
"Welcome onboard the USS Essex," she greeted them with a smile and a tone of familiarity.
"USS Essex? So this is the second Modern 'Carrier,' then," Cmdr. Shin murmured.
"Essex? As in..." Musashi gestured.
"No. She's not a Carrier, but sometimes she was also called a Lightning Carrier," JS Maya shook her head as she corrected.
".... Okay, enough with that explanation and confusing classification. Let's just head to the upper deck. Everyone is waiting." She then gestured for them to follow her inside the hangar and into the deck edge elevator.
Inside the hangar, they were greeted by various Angular Aircraft parked inside, while Manjuus in Flight Deck Jerseys did routine maintenance and cleaning of the said Aircraft.
Drones and Helicopters were also parked with open interiors, as they were undergoing maintenance: MQ-9B Mojave, MQ-8D Fire Scout, and AH-64 Apaches.
They were all shocked to see how wide the hangar deck was and the various Aircraft being maintained and stored. The complexity of a single Aircraft made them realize the technological superiority and disparity of their forces against the forces they had been facing.
"That's a lot of moving parts for just one aircraft," Souryuu commented as she eyed the F-35B with its interior exposed for repairs.
"What you were looking at is an F-35B," JS Maya explained. "Everyone in our world with flattops in their Navy became a Carrier-centered Fleet after the appearance of this Aircraft."
"Does everyone in your world buy this Aircraft?" Cmdr. Shin asked.
"Only those allied with the United States or those NATO member countries, or any nation with a good relationship with the country of origin," JS Maya simply said.
"Nato? What is that?" Musashi asked, curious about the Alliance.
JS Maya thought for an answer. "Let's just say... It functions like an Alliance in Azur Lane. NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's an organizational treaty for those bordering North Atlantic countries. Throughout the years, it expanded eastward in mainland Europe. Currently... the last thing I knew, the organization was kind of an unstable wave with all the ups and downs."
The Sakuran Delegates nodded in understanding of her explanation. "That's enough explanation... everyone is waiting above deck," she said and gestured towards the deck edge elevator on the port side.
They all stepped into one of the deck edge elevators. JS Maya nodded at the Manjuu, signaling it to push the button to ascend to the Flight Deck level.
The Sakuran Delegates stayed silent as they reached the Flight Deck level, where they were greeted by a sight to behold. The Emperor and the Imperial Family greeted them in the middle of the Flight Deck with the others.
In the middle of the Flight Deck, there was a table and seats with a document on the table. Manjuus and the rest readied some form of recording for this once-in-a-lifetime surrender.
"Your Imperial Majesty?" the Sakuran Delegation shouted out in surprise. Emperor Hirohito raised a hand and slightly nodded, telling them he was alright.
As they calmed down, they both looked at the document on the table for a while and then at each other.
"At the signing of this... everything will be over..." PM Tojo muttered, still being assisted by Hiryuu.
"Better to end it peacefully rather than with violence," Musashi said, her voice softened.
Nagato applauded her successor for her thought and opinion on the war. "I knew you made a good decision," she said, applauding with a smile.
"My~ you have grown," Mikasa added.
After the warm gestures of the Sakurans to their colleagues, they darted their gaze at their counterparts and the Document of Surrender. Musashi gestured to start the surrender ceremony.
"Shall we head to the main event?"
"I guess we could start now," Langley said as she brought out her paper containing the speech.
Langley's speech was similar to MacArthur's speech at the surrender of the Empire of Japan. Everyone stood still as she continued to read the surrender speech.
Gridley was tasked with taking a picture of this once-in-a-lifetime moment in history. The camera she used was a high-definition one given to her by Essex-12 for the purpose of this surrender.
Manjuus with cameras were recording the whole surrendering ceremony. Many of them were on the Ship's island or bridge, while others were on the Flight Deck recording the entire ceremony. This once-in-a-lifetime scoop was needed to strengthen the resolve of the Alliance against the Crimson Axis.
After Langley finished her speech, she signed the document, followed by New Jersey and Cmdr. Elena. Queen Elizabeth and Warspite signed, representing the Royal Navy in the Alliance. Essex-12 and JS Maya signed, representing their own countries.
After the Azur Lane Alliance finished signing the document, the Sakura Empire was next to sign the document of surrender. Emperor Hirohito signed first, followed by PM Tojo, Musashi, and Cmdr. Shin.
After the document was finished being signed by both sides, Langley folded the document for storage, and the surrendering ceremony ended.
Above the ending ceremony, a single AWACS Plane flew, documenting the surrender below. The AWACS Plane had been there in the first place to conduct early warning for any surprises and to ensure the peaceful ending of the war did not turn violent.
Essex-12 then contacted the Task Force 100 miles off the Sakura Empire Shores through the loitering AWACS above. "This is Essex. The document has been signed. Halt all ongoing operations. I repeat, halt all ongoing operations."
"I hear you, Essex. All ongoing operations halted. I repeat... all ongoing operations halted!"
Enterprise-80, after confirming the total surrender of the Empire, ordered the whole Blockade Operation to be halted as the Document of Surrender was signed.
Fighter Propeller Aircraft of various shapes and sizes disengaged. The transmission was given to all shipgirls who received the transmission from the Flagship.
Enterprise-6 and the rest of the Azur Lane Carriers sighed in relief about the end of the war against the Sakura Empire.
She sat down in her CO's seat as tiredness overcame her. She had been in combat since the start of dawn. "Damn... this whole blockade is so... tiring," she muttered in complaint.
Cruiser Belfast offered her a cup of tea. "Rest is essential for your health. You should take care of yourself," she said.
"I know, I know..." Enterprise-6 waved off Cruiser Belfast's words.
"You know... I never thought I would see this meaningless war end in peace," Cruiser Belfast said.
"Yeah, me too. I thought total capitulation or destruction would get the Sakurans to the surrendering table," Enterprise-6 said.
"I don't know what she did to convince the Emperor to surrender."
"Yeah... I don't know if she said something that terrified the Emperor into surrendering."
"And what is that?" Cruiser Belfast asked.
"I think it was related to her word last night, about 'her plan'," Enterprise-6 said with slight concern in her voice about her counterpart successor's dark secret.
LHA-12 USS Essex
"Thank God. It's over!" Essex-9 muttered to herself.
"You didn't even do a thing," Gridley said as she took pictures for souvenirs or propaganda.
"Finally, I can sleep." Shinano fell asleep under the wings of a parked F-35B. She used the wing of the F-35B as cover from the hot sun.
"Great, she falls asleep... again," Nagato said in a disappointing tone.
She then remembered how Lucas had to carry her all the way to her own ship as she fell asleep, having to haul the Carrier and its massive 'assets.'
Arizona watched him struggling to carry Shinano off the deck of William's Ship. William also watched with slight amusement at Lucas's suffering. JS Maya assisted to prevent Shinano's head from bumping on the edges of the bulkheads.
Out with the flashback
Musashi looked around and spoke, "By the way, where is he?"
"You mean Lucas? He was in the back-line as air defense after he lost his tripod mast," Essex-12 replied.
"Why is he in the back-line?" Takao asked.
Essex-12 shrugged. "I don't know, maybe Miss Enterprise wanted him closer, because sending him far off without any strong communication after he lost his mast could be disastrous."
Musashi thought, 'Maybe keeping him close was a better idea than letting him roam around without any strong communication.'
Atago frowned. "Aww... I thought he was here."
Takao spoke, "After what you did to him last night... he will do his best to avoid you."
"Your Imperial Majesty, is everything alright?" PM Tojo asked Emperor Hirohito as he saw him in deep contemplation.
Emperor Hirohito sighed. "I hope this surrender will save us from total destruction."
JS Maya spoke to reassure the concerned Emperor, "Your Imperial Majesty. Miss Enterprise will honor her word and not harm your subjects or people... the Americans always honor their words. Sometimes," she said the last word in a whispering tone.
Emperor Hirohito looked at her. "If you trusted her word... maybe I should." JS Maya nodded with a smile.
"It's been a while, asshole," Cmdr. Elena greeted him.
Cmdr. Shin was not having a good time as he faced her. Cmdr. Shin and Cmdr. Elena had both been frontline commanders back when the Sakura Empire was still part of the Alliance.
"It's nice to see you too, dumbass," Cmdr. Shin greeted back with a slightly annoyed face.
"Still bad at gambling?" she was referring to Cmdr. Shin's gamble in this war.
"Damn. You really did bombard him with insults, huh?" New Jersey commented.
"Yeah... this guy's luck in gambling is closer to his chance with a woman. And that is 'zero'," Cmdr. Elena said as she pointed her thumb at him.
Cmdr. Shin muttered, "At least I'm not that crazy to have a crush on an old Admiral."
"Hey! I heard that!" she quickly turned her head at him.
Cmdr. Shin raised a middle finger as he glanced at her.
Iron Blood Territory
Eugen was on the Telephone, talking to someone as she looked out the window of an office. She had a bandage on her right cheek from the Tomahawk strike.
"Ja. Azur Lane managed to destroy Orochi without any effort. Ja. I have the blueprints with me right now."
"Good. Now I want you to return here, now. I have a bad feeling that we are next on Azur Lane's list."
"Herr Bismarck. What about Vichya Dominion and Sardigna Empire? Are they informed about the situation in the Sakura Empire?"
"Ja. I already contacted them about the Sakura Empire's situation," Bismarck said as she checked another document.
Then, suddenly, without any warning or knocking, Z23 barged into the room, panting. Eugen looked at her and asked, "What's wrong, Z23?"
"Sakura—Sakura Empire surrenders according to our few Agents in the Empire!" Z23 yelled while panting and gasping for air.
Eugen then quickly informed Bismarck, "Herr Bismarck. Sakura Empire had---" she was cut off by Bismarck's sudden reply.
"Ja, I know. I've just heard it."
"Ohh..."
"Cmdr. Shin did not predict that his opponent was using Human War tactics and not Siren War tactics. So, that's why I want all shipgirls of Iron Blood to return to the Fatherland immediately to enforce our defenses."
"Jawohl."
Iron Blood Head Quarters
Bismarck put down the telephone with frown, and looked at Hipper, who was standing in front of her and holding a report paper. "Tell me about the report, Hipper?"
Hipper hastily sifted her report papers and then began. "Fritz-X and Ruhrstahl X-4 are ramping up production. V2 Rockets are still giving our scientists some headaches,".
"How long would it take to put V-2 Rockets on our ships?" Bismarck asked.
Hipper scratched the back of her head. "Umm... According to our scientists... it will take us a year if we focus on it and divert other resources from our other projects."
"Tell them time is of the essence. I don't want those scientists to get lazy and ask for more resources."
"But Ma'am, our resources—" Hipper tried to argue, but was cut off.
Bismarck slammed her fist on the table. "I know...! Tell them they have half a year to equip our Shipgirls with missile technology."
Bismarck calmed down and asked for other reports. "What about the other reports?"
"Peter Strasser and August von Parseval just finished their sea trials with their Navalized Version of ME 262 and are now in active service."
"Finally... we match 'her' capabilities," Bismarck muttered as she looked out the window.
4
Enterprise Task Force
CVN-80 USS Enterprise
Enterprise-80 was in the Carrier CIC, watching the live feed of the ongoing surrender ceremony on the deck of USS Essex.
She smiled as the surrender ceremony proceeded smoothly. She left the room without uttering any words, leaving the Manjuus and Meowfficers looking at her, confused as to why a small smile had flashed across her face. After leaving the CIC, she headed to her Office Quarters, slowly opening and closing the door.
She removed her cap and placed it on her office table, then sat in her seat and leaned back, sighing in relief.
She then glanced to her side, where all the achievements of her predecessors were plastered and hung on the walls of her Office.
CV-6 and its achievements: Medal of Honor and 20 battle stars. And CVN-65 and its achievements: Medal of Honor and the breakthrough that changed Naval Aviation's history.
She smiled in relief that she didn't have to be Vishnu, 'the Destroyer of Worlds,' as the Empire surrendered without the use of nukes. She had been made by her country to be a deterrent to the rising tension in the Pacific and the deteriorating Global Peace that her predecessor had maintained for 55 years, and now it was up to her to maintain peace in this chaotic world.
"I hope it stays like this... I really don't like dropping nukes on cities," she muttered a small glistening smile on her face.