Lucas and the Bros
Lucas and his makeshift contingent of 'Marines' cautiously navigated the treacherous landscape of mangled Siren shipwrecks that littered the ocean around them.
These derelict vessels were the unfortunate victims of the 'Marines' default aggressive mode, a consequence of their NCO (Lucas) losing connection with the Commanding Ship or Flagship. The Dogs of War were now unleashed, operating without restraint.
A rapid flurry of 5.56x45mm rounds echoed across the water, a violent symphony punctuated by the enthusiastic chorus of "Oorahs!" chanted by the 'Marines'. The subsequent explosions served as a deep, resonant bass line in this orchestra of destruction.
"Ahh! Goblin, shot-it!" Lucas barked.
"It's a Siren—"
Before Birmingham could finish her correction, a blistering volley of gunfire shredded the hapless Siren that had attempted to sneak up on them.
She decided against correcting him further, feeling foolish trying to reason with a Mentally ill Child. Lucas's Marine alter ego was, to her, akin to a bizarre horror show, transforming him into a reckless child in the heat of battle – a child who inexplicably led them in headlong charges into enemy fire.
"Why does he always like to act like a child? It's so weird," she muttered to herself, a mixture of bewilderment and exasperation in her tone.
Columbia overheard her and offered a different perspective. "You see; he's just having a fun time of his life."
"Fun time, huh?" Birmingham muttered skeptically. Her attention snapped forward as she heard Lucas's voice suddenly turn serious.
"Halt!" Lucas commanded, raising a clenched fist. "Scatter!" he ordered urgently.
Instinctively obeying Lucas's frantic command, they immediately scattered, leaping to either side and taking cover behind the hulking wrecks of Siren ships.
Moments later, a massive, concentrated laser beam sliced through their previous position, melting and vaporizing any matter that dared to obstruct its path of annihilation.
"Wha-What was that?!!!" Birmingham exclaimed, utterly taken aback by the sudden appearance of such a devastating energy weapon.
Lucas's Aegis Combat System swiftly identified the attacker. The massive radar cross-section signature could only belong to one vessel: Orochi.
"It's fucking Orochi," he announced grimly, his words immediately eliciting a chorus of groans, curses, and disbelieving exclamations from the Cleveland Sisters.
"Sorry ladies, looks like we need to tango with this big boy," he said, his tone attempting to inject a measure of grim reassurance into the dire situation.
Birmingham cautiously poked her head out from behind her cover, her eyes widening at the colossal silhouette of the Siren Warship that stood out like a grotesque monolith in the middle of the wreckage.
"What... the..."
"He's quite a big fella, isn't he?" Lucas asked, attempting a joke to lighten the palpable tension.
"Do you really have to state the fucking obvious!" Birmingham retorted, her nerves frayed.
"Don't get cranky, young lady. You'll never find a man with that attitude," he quipped.
"Why you! We're in the middle of a war zone, and you have time to say some BS!" Birmingham's frustration finally boiled over.
"Easy, easy there, Birmingham. He's just trying to lighten the mood," Cleveland interjected, gently restraining her agitated sister.
Columbia chimed in. "Well, if we're in a shit situation, I'd rather hear another stupid yet funny joke instead of some negative crap."
Lucas made a snap decision. "Alright ladies, if we get out of here unscathed, I will treat you with my wallet," he declared, hoping to inject some much-needed motivation.
The Cleveland Sisters immediately cheered, their earlier apprehension momentarily forgotten. Columbia, however, smirked, a mischievous and potentially expensive plan forming in the depths of her mind.
"Say? You will treat us with your wallet if we can pull this off?" she asked, a decidedly sinister undertone in her voice.
Lucas, sensing the impending financial doom, cautiously replied, "...Yes..."
Columbia's smile widened with glee. "Yey.... Shopping!!!!!!!!"
Lucas's wallet was now metaphorically deceased. He glanced at the Cleveland Sisters, who were giving him imploring puppy-dog eyes that clearly communicated, 'Pleaseee...'
He caved under their combined pressure. "Alright, you got me," he said, raising a hand in mock surrender. "Now," he continued, his tone shifting back to serious command.
"Second attack is about to be fired. As soon as Orochi's Main Cannon fires, we attack."
"What about the Siren ships escorting Orochi?" Cleveland asked, her concern practical.
"I just contacted Essex for air support to handle the escorting Siren ships. I'll handle those Siren Capital Ships with my missiles."
He looked each of them in the eye, noting the mixture of seriousness and determination etched on their faces. They seemed to genuinely believe they could accomplish the daunting task ahead.
"Ready?" They all nodded in unison. "Go!"
They sprinted out from behind their cover the instant Lucas gave the order. True to his prediction, Orochi fired its second devastating shot, obliterating their previous hiding place in a concentrated blast of energy.
Lucas's Vertical Launch System (VLS) hinged doors snapped open, and dozens of Tomahawk missiles erupted from each canister cell. The swarm of Tomahawks slammed into the unsuspecting Siren Battleships and Carriers, engulfing them in fiery, illuminating explosions.
The remaining Tomahawks were precisely targeted at Orochi's flight deck, aiming to render it unusable for flight operations. Siren planes that were parked and ready for sortie were instantly incinerated by the raging inferno that swept across the deck.
"AT-4!"
Lucas yelled an order, beckoning Columbia to hand him the Anti-Tank Launcher. His current M249 SAW and its 5.56x45mm rounds were unlikely to inflict significant damage on the Heavily Armored Siren Behemoth.
Columbia swiftly tossed the AT-4 to him. Lucas quickly reloaded it with a high-explosive round, shouldered the launcher, and fired directly at Orochi's massive main gun.
The explosive round impacted the thick armor plating of Orochi's main gun, failing to even leave a scratch. Lucas immediately scrambled out of the way as he saw all of Orochi's main guns begin to swivel towards him. Smoke and steam erupted from the spot where he had just been standing, a testament to the concentrated firepower directed his way.
Lucas moved like a frantic mosquito buzzing around an indifferent giant, nimbly dodging the relentless barrage of return fire from Orochi. He fired another AT-4 Round, but the Siren Warship's armor proved far too THICC for the anti-tank rocket and the accompanying 125mm shells being fired at it.
"Shit!"
He cursed his futile attempts, knowing he couldn't afford to fail with the Cleveland Sisters providing cover against the escorting Siren ships.
He frantically scanned Orochi for any vulnerable spots, any areas with weak or nonexistent armor. To his luck, he spotted a missile launcher being reloaded with a missile that bore a striking resemblance to a SCUD Missile.
He swiftly locked onto his new target and fired an anti-tank rocket. The fully fueled and armed Siren Missile detonated in a massive secondary explosion, engulfing everything in its immediate vicinity and nearly taking out Orochi's 'rear' section.
Orochi's deck and superstructure were now ablaze as Lucas continued to ignite various vulnerable points with his "expensive lighters." Just as he was about to unleash another barrage of Tomahawks at Orochi's starboard side, Executor-Class Tracker Mk- III unexpectedly jumped into action, disrupting his plans.
"Damn you, Bitch!!!!!!"
Frustrated, he grabbed the empty aluminum tube of the AT-4 Rocket Launcher and swung it like a baseball bat, slamming it into one of the Siren's faces.
His MK-45 Naval Gun swiveled upwards and began firing at one of the Executors, while he simultaneously moved out of the way as Orochi's main gun was now pointed directly at him.
Tracker Mk-III wasn't quick enough to evade and was instantly vaporized by Orochi's concentrated fire. Seizing the opportunity created by his evasive maneuver, Lucas began blasting holes into Orochi's starboard side with his remaining weaponry.
Orochi's port side rose noticeably on its waterline as the starboard side began to flood with seawater rushing through the gaping holes Lucas had created.
Lucas watched the massive Siren ship list heavily to its left as seawater inundated its lower compartments. He was growing weary of dodging the endless barrage of lasers and other projectiles the Sirens were throwing his way.
"How many missiles would I have to shove into your ass before you finally die!" he exclaimed in exasperation at the stubbornly afloat warship.
Gasping for breath, he straightened up, preparing for another Tomahawk barrage, but he froze, having just received an encrypted transmission.
"What??? A nuclear-armed launch code, from Essex? So, Miss Enterprise gives the go-ahead, huh?" He smirked at the prospect of wielding the power of the sun. But then a sobering thought flashed through his mind.
The Cleveland Sisters didn't possess Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) defense capabilities to counter the fallout from a nuclear detonation.
"Shit."
He glanced at the Cleveland Sisters, who were valiantly doing their best to shoot down incoming Siren aircraft and keep the smaller Siren ships at bay while he dealt with Orochi.
"Retreat!" he suddenly ordered.
"What???" the Cleveland Sisters muttered in unison, taken aback by the sudden change in plans.
"Wha-Why??" Birmingham exclaimed, her confusion evident.
Lucas issued another urgent command. "Get in the Helicopter! Now!!!!!!" He then launched his onboard Seahawk helicopter.
Without questioning his abrupt decision, the Cleveland Sisters quickly boarded the Seahawk. The helicopter's rotors spun faster, and it lifted off, rapidly moving out of the potential fallout zone of a nuclear explosion.
"Is he losing his mind again? Why is he trying to order us to retreat without him?" Birmingham said, her voice laced with dejection.
The Helicopter Crew (Manjuu) swiftly closed the sliding doors and sealed any potential breaches that could allow radiation to enter the cabin. Gas masks were distributed to everyone inside.
The Shipgirls all shared the same bewildered reaction to being instructed to put on bulky gas masks inside the seemingly sealed helicopter. The Manjuu crew member jumped up and down, flapping its tiny chicken wings frantically, squeaking insistently.
"Put them on! Put them on!" the Manjuu squeaked urgently.
"What??? Why?" Montpelier asked, clearly not understanding the sudden need for protective gear.
"Just put them on!" The Manjuu was clearly on the verge of a 'chicken meltdown' at the Cleveland Sisters' obliviousness to the gravity of the situation, while they seemed to regard it as just another quirky part of a camping trip.
Cleveland and her sisters simply stared at the frantic Manjuu pleading with them to wear the masks. "I think we should wear the mask, like this poor Manjuu wants us to," Cleveland finally said.
"Yeah..." Everyone agreed and reluctantly put on their gas masks.
~Back to Lucas~
Lucas was speeding away from the projected blast radius and fallout zone at his maximum speed of over 30 knots. Huge plumes of water erupted around him as Orochi's escorting Siren ships relentlessly targeted him with their guns.
His RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile system worked tirelessly to intercept any incoming shells that came too close. His CLaWS (Close-in Laser Weapon System) and ESSMs (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles) shot down any daring Siren planes that attempted to strafe him during his rapid retreat.
"Prepare Nuclear-armed Tomahawk."
"Nuclear-armed Tomahawk Status: Ready. Nuclear Launch Code needs to be verified."
"Nuclear Launch Code ***********."
"Nuclear Launch Code: Verified. Selecting target:"
"Target Orochi."
"Target: Confirmed. Target data is currently uploading to the Nuclear-armed Tomahawk... Nuclear-armed Tomahawk ready to fire."
"Fire."
One Nuclear-Armed Tomahawk broke free of its sealed canister and shot out of its launch cell, ready to deliver Uncle Sam's ultimate 'Big Stick' to the unfortunate recipients.
The nuclear-tipped missile soared into the sky, initially ignored by the diving Siren planes. It then arced downwards in a ballistic trajectory before leveling out just above the ocean's surface, skimming towards its unsuspecting target.
Orochi's Deck
Executor-Class: Tracker MK-III and Oceana Mk-II stood on the tilting deck of Orochi, watching Lucas's hasty retreat.
"Look at him, retreating like a coward," Oceana Mk-II sneered. "That's right, run with your tail between your legs."
Tracker MK-III, however, felt a growing sense of unease watching his desperate flight. Her gut was screaming that something ominous was about to befall them.
"I-I have a bad feeling about this," she stammered, her voice betraying her anxiety.
"What do you mean? I heard they weren't the kind of Kansens to cower from a fight," Oceana Mk-II scoffed.
"I don't know about that... they sometimes retreat if something truly terrifying is coming."
Oceana Mk-II shrugged dismissively, completely unconcerned about any potential threat. "Terrifying it might be, it doesn't matter as long as we have Orochi."
Tracker MK-III tore her gaze away from the cocky Oceana Mk-II and scanned the horizon. There, she noticed a faint flickering light reflecting off the shimmering sea.
Squinting her eyes, she finally identified the source: a Tomahawk Missile skimming low across the water, heading directly towards their location.
"Enemy Missile!!!----------." but before her cries could be heard, a deafening flash of light engulfs them.
*BOOM*
...
Orochi was instantly engulfed by an incandescent sun. The two Executors on its deck stood frozen, unable to react in time, and were also consumed by the blinding flash and searing heat.
Massive plumes of water erupted skyward, and colossal waves capsized the escorting Siren ships, swallowing them whole and dragging them down into the crushing depths of the abyss.
A gigantic mushroom cloud and a towering tidal wave rose into the sky behind Lucas. He pushed his LM2500 GE Gas Turbine to its absolute limit, his Destroyer Rigging surging forward at maximum speed, desperately trying to outrun the nuclear blast.
"Force Field, Activate!"
His shield generator hummed to life, producing shimmering particles that slowly coalesced, forming a protective barrier around his ship. Giant waves and the deafening sonic boom shook him violently, threatening to capsize him amidst the churning water. As the massive tidal wave began to collapse, Lucas emerged, his force field intact and no radiation detected on his rigging.
"Radiation level detected: Zero.... Electronics Status: 80% Operational.... Back-up System: Online," the onboard A.I. reported, calmly assessing the damage to the Aegis Combat System from the powerful electromagnetic pulse.
With confirmation that his critical systems were still functioning, Lucas felt a wave of relief wash over him. He turned back to witness the ominous mushroom cloud rising in the distance.
"... Courtesy of Uncle Sam...." Lucas murmured, a grim satisfaction in his voice.
Arizona's underwater duel
Arizona launched a spread of countermeasures, shimmering decoys that danced enticingly in the dark depths, hoping to confuse the incoming Siren torpedoes. Simultaneously, he executed a daring dive, plunging his Submarine deeper than any known Siren submersible could possibly reach.
Enforcer: Temperance XIV retaliated instantly, unleashing a blast from her underwater plasma cannon. The superheated water in the beam's path flashed into existence as steam, creating a dense cloud that wreaked havoc with any sonar attempting to track her or Arizona.
By sheer luck and skillful maneuvering, Arizona managed to evade the deadly underwater death ray. Unfortunately for the geological landscape, the beam struck a series of underwater mountains, carving deep furrows into their rocky faces.
"Shit! She can shoot underwater!" he exclaimed in genuine surprise, realizing the Arbiter possessed a significant and unexpected advantage in this sub-aquatic duel.
Arizona had drawn the short straw, facing off against what amounted to an alien jellyfish that could fire lasers and seemingly conjure an endless supply of torpedoes from the inky blackness. To make matters worse, he was now surrounded by a swarm of unwanted company. A pack of Lurkers had unceremoniously barged into their private little war. They were more of an irritating distraction than a genuine threat, but distractions could be deadly in a close-quarters fight.
"I wish I could just pull out a gun and shoot these guys underwater," he muttered, utterly exasperated by the Lurkers' unwelcome intrusion.
Arbiter: Temperance XIV, with a dismissive flick of one of her jellyfish-like appendages, turned her attention towards the tardy Lurkers. "Finally, you showed up. I thought you were having a hard time putting on your swimsuits," she said coldly, her voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"Sorry then, if we took that much time," one of the Lurkers responded, attempting a weak retort to her icy remark.
Dreamworld Avatar Lurker silenced her subordinate with a curt wave of her hand, gesturing for her to be quiet. "Sorry... we were harassed by Azur Lane Cruisers dropping deep charges and other ASW Weaponry above us," she explained, her tone apologetic.
Arbiter: Temperance XIV simply nodded, acknowledging the plausibility of the excuse. "Good...." She then gestured towards Arizona's last known position, hidden behind an underwater mountain. "I want you to take care of that pest."
"Right." The Lurkers acknowledged her command with a unified mental accord.
Hidden behind the rocky bulk of an underwater mountain, Arizona could clearly hear the Sirens' telepathic communications through his advanced sonar systems.
"Swimsuit? Did she just say... swimsuit? Do they even wear one?" he muttered to himself, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought we were the ones with weird conversations in the middle of a battle, and yet here's the Siren acting like I'm not even a threat."
His brow twitched in annoyance as he heard the Arbiter refer to him as a "pest." "Oh... you want to know who the real pest is, huh? .... Let's tango."
Arizona slammed his nonexistent foot on the accelerator, his Submarine surging forward like a Torpedo itself, exceeding 25+ knots (46.3 kilometers per hour) as he hugged the rough cliffs of the underwater mountain formation.
"Torpedoes one, two, three, and four armed and loaded."
The outer doors of his four torpedo tubes silently slid open, revealing the deadly MK48 Torpedoes nestled within. He waited with bated breath, timing his move until he reached the very edge of the underwater mountain range.
The Lurkers, their weapon systems pointing downwards, readied their own torpedoes for launch, patiently waiting for their quarry to emerge from his hiding place.
"There!" one of the Lurkers telepathically signaled, pinpointing a faint sonar return at the edge of the mountain formation.
"Fire!"
All the Lurkers simultaneously launched a barrage of their torpedoes the instant they had a lock on their target. But Arizona had anticipated this predictable move and was already deploying his countermeasures.
He rapidly purged air into his ballast tanks, executing a sharp and unexpected upward maneuver to evade the incoming swarm of Siren Torpedoes. The sudden influx of air into his ballast tanks propelled him upwards at an astonishing rate, ascending hundreds of meters in a matter of seconds.
Arbiter: Temperance XIV joined the fray, unleashing another powerful blast from her plasma cannon. But to her utter astonishment, Arizona dodged it yet again. The wily Submarine was consistently outmaneuvering the seemingly superior alien technology.
"Impossible," she muttered in genuine surprise, a flicker of something akin to disbelief registering in her usually impassive mental state.
"Intended depth reached," the calm A.I. voice within Arizona's systems announced.
Without giving the Sirens any opportunity to reacquire a lock, Arizona launched his four MK-48 Torpedoes in rapid succession. True to their design, the advanced Torpedoes immediately locked onto the acoustic signatures of the Siren Submarines, homing in on their vulnerable underbellies.
Dreamworld Avatar Lurker was momentarily stunned as four of her Lurkers were instantly eliminated in a single, devastating attack. Her gaze snapped towards the source of the lethal barrage.
Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw Arizona's Submarine speeding directly towards her at a velocity no Lurker could hope to match. With blatant disregard, Arizona bypassed her, leaving a gesture in his wake – a fleeting image of a raised middle finger.
Hot on Arizona's tail was the relentless barrage of homing Torpedoes that Arbiter: Temperance XIV had fired at him. With cunning precision, Arizona allowed the Torpedoes to continue their pursuit, directly leading them towards the unsuspecting Dreamworld Avatar Lurker.
Having just received the mental equivalent of a rude gesture, Dreamworld Avatar Lurker's attention snapped back to the rapidly approaching "explosive pipe" hurtling towards her.
"Shit!!!!!!"
She executed a desperate hard turn, simultaneously attempting a rapid dive to evade the deadly "homing pipe bombs." However, the sheer speed of the MK48 Torpedoes far exceeded her ability to maneuver quickly enough. Five of the "homing pipe bombs," as referred to them, slammed into her hull in rapid succession, deleting her completely from existence in a cascade of implosion and debris.
Arbiter: Temperance XIV watches with a anticipation of his capability as he lasted than a anticipated. The remaining Lurkers watched in stunned silence, a mixture of awe and apprehension washing over them. This single Submarine, despite being outgunned and vastly outnumbered, was wreaking havoc amongst their ranks.
The Lurkers were consumed by a collective rage at the humiliating defeat of five of their own, including a Dreamworld Avatar Lurker.
"You're going to pay---"
BOOM
"Depth Charge!!!!!!"
One of the surviving Lurkers frantically alerted the others lurking at a depth of no more than fifty meters. The hunter had suddenly become the hunted.
The Hedgehog Depth Charges, a bristling array of underwater projectiles, silently descended into the ocean depths. The remaining Lurkers, with a collective, panicked thought, scattered rapidly to avoid the descending "Hedgehog of Death."
Arbiter: Temperance XIV, momentarily distracted by the surface action, prepared to unleash another volley of Torpedoes. However, to her utter annoyance and dismay, a single, precisely guided torpedo slammed into her back.
Her force field shimmered and held, blocking the full force of the explosion. She only registered a minor shock and a surge of pure, unadulterated annoyance that someone would dare to attack her from behind.
"Why... you..." Arbiter: Temperance XIV seethed, her usual cold demeanor cracking to reveal a simmering rage.
"Damn it, this Siren Child is persistent. And based on that acoustic signature... she's pissed," Arizona muttered to himself, sensing the Arbiter's escalating fury.
"She may look like a child, but a Siren is still a Siren." He knew underestimating her based on appearance would be a fatal mistake.
Above, Ocean Surface
"My Sonar detected a cluster of Siren Submarines, fifty meters beneath us!" Kent reported, her voice sharp with urgency.
"Deploy Hedgehogs, now!"
In the absence of the trapped Cruiser Belfast, Sheffield, as the senior Maid present within the ASW Cruiser Division (or the All Maids Division), decisively assumed command.
The Maids swiftly readied their Hedgehog ASW Launchers. Upon confirmation of Kent's sonar readings, the order to launch was given. The bristling projectiles were yeeted from their launchers and plunged into the depths, targeting the predators lurking below.
Violent plumes of water erupted as consecutive underwater explosions rocked the surface, each detonation a grim confirmation of a successful hit.
"Torpedo!" Suffolk's urgent warning cut through the tense atmosphere.
"Evade!" Sheffield barked the order, and the ASW Cruisers executed aggressive evasive maneuvers, twisting and turning to avoid the incoming underwater death.
Main guns, smaller caliber weapons, and even anti-aircraft guns roared to life, attempting to intercept the homing Torpedoes. Despite their efforts, a few Siren Torpedoes found their mark, impacting the hulls of the nimble Cruisers.
The Maids, skilled hunters of underwater threats, moved with an almost choreographed grace, their evasive maneuvers resembling a deadly underwater ballet as they navigated the treacherous waters infested with Lurkers.
As the Maids zig-zagged through the waves, making it difficult for the Lurkers to achieve a precise torpedo lock, a series of unexpected underwater explosions left them momentarily bewildered and on high alert for any unseen attack.
"Wa-What! Ahh!!!..." Edinburgh exclaimed in surprise as plumes of rising ocean water erupted beneath her skirt, soaking it through.
Suffolk glanced down at the disturbed water and mused aloud. "Is there a Submarine battle going on directly beneath us?"
Sheffield also peered down, squinting in an attempt to discern the source of the underwater chaos. "It's him."
Underneath
Arizona, having evaded the initial Hedgehog barrage, launched his remaining MK-48 Torpedoes at Arbiter: Temperance XIV and the few Lurkers who had managed to survive the depth charge attack.
Their brief reprieve was about to end, their continued existence measured in mere seconds before they were obliterated by the incoming 1,600-pound exploding metal "green pipes."
"Tsk," Arbiter: Temperance XIV clicked her tongue in annoyance. This Submarine, far from being a mere pest, was proving to be a persistent and dangerous threat.
Now considering him a significant adversary, Arbiter: Temperance XIV unleashed another barrage of Torpedoes. This salvo, however, was unlike the previous ones. Multiple Torpedoes launched outwards from her position, spreading around her like the blooming petals of a deadly flower.
"How many torpedoes can this bitch carry! That amount of torpedoes is making the Typhoon and the Alphas look like babies with their tiny payloads!"
Arizona's mind screamed in disbelief as he watched the swarm of torpedoes racing towards him. He had never imagined a Submarine duel escalating into something resembling a Star Trek battle, with Photon Torpedoes and an opponent seemingly armed with Phaser Weaponry.
"Shit! I'm not Picard, nor a Starship! There's no way I can dodge that many Torpedoes!"
Arizona once again pushed his Submarine to its maximum speed, desperately trying to avoid the path of the incoming "pipes of doom" that were intent on blowing him to kingdom come.
"Launch countermeasures!"
His steely voice boomed through the Submarine's interior, a desperate plea echoing his urgent command. As the deadly Torpedoes rapidly closed the distance, countermeasures were deployed, a cloud of noise makers and decoys blooming in the water behind him. Thankfully, a significant portion of the Siren Torpedoes locked onto the sounds that the countermeasures had made.
Just as he thought he might have miraculously evaded the deadly barrage, his comms crackled with static, and a familiar voice broke through.
"Sheffield here, do you need some assistance?"
Arizona replied, his tone laced with urgency and alarm. "Sheffield! Get out of here, now! It's an Arbiter! Move – now!"
Sheffield's eyes widened in dawning horror at the sudden realization of what lay beneath them. The frantic tone of Arizona's voice left no room for doubt; this was no ordinary Siren.
She swiftly turned to warn the other Maids of the imminent danger they had unknowingly sailed into. "Everyone retreat from this area! This instant!"
Even as she issued the urgent order, a massive plume of water erupted several meters in front of her. Below, Arbiter: Temperance XIV had fired her plasma cannon, the deadly energy beam breaking the surface of the ocean.
Sheffield was caught completely off guard by the sudden eruption and the rising laser beam. She was violently thrown upwards, landing back on the surface unconscious. The other Maids raced towards her, frantically dragging her out of the path of another potential attack.
"Torpedo on our way!" Suffolk shouted, spotting the telltale bubble trails of torpedoes heading directly towards their vulnerable position.
"Brace for impact!" Kent yelled, as she and Suffolk, along with the unconscious Sheffield, braced themselves for the worst.
Then – BOOM.
An unexpected interception occurred from below. Arizona's MK-48 Torpedoes, with pinpoint accuracy, slammed into the torpedoes that Arbiter: Temperance XIV had just fired, detonating them harmlessly away from the surface ships.
Even as the torpedo he had fired detonated, Arizona's focus remained fixed on Arbiter: Temperance XIV. The distinct sound of Sheffield being struck and hitting the surface, a chilling thud that resonated through his sonar, ignited a cold fury within him.
Arbiter: Temperance XIV met his unwavering gaze. She had registered the elimination of the Maid above and could sense the intense, almost palpable rage emanating from the Submarine, even without physically feeling the temperature of the surrounding water.
"Seems like I got your attention," she stated, her voice a low, icy murmur that mirrored the frigid depths around them.
"You'll pay for that," Arizona replied, his tone devoid of any levity, heavy with grim determination.
Arizona swiftly considered his options, formulating a plan to eliminate Arbiter: Temperance XIV for her attack on Sheffield, all while ensuring the safety of the remaining surface combatants.
One drastic solution immediately presented itself: nuclear force. While a nuclear torpedo would undoubtedly solve the Arbiter problem, it would also engulf everyone at the surface, including himself, in a devastating blast radius.
After a moment of intense mental calculation and planning his approach, he glanced upwards, noting the diminishing acoustic signatures of the retreating Maids. He then turned his attention back to the last known location of Arbiter: Temperance XIV.
The Arbiter was now completely obscured by the oppressive darkness of the deep ocean, where sunlight failed to penetrate. Arizona relied solely on his advanced sonar to track her movements. His passive sonar painted a detailed picture of every subtle shift in her position.
Though he couldn't visually confirm her presence, he knew she was still there, her mental gaze locked onto him, her fury radiating outwards like a palpable heat.
Arizona keyed his comms to the surface. "All surface combatants in the area. Retreat."
Confusion rippled across the surface fleet. Many were still actively engaged with the remaining Siren ships and Executor-Class, their rigging blazing with gunfire and energy weapons.
He repeated his order, his voice firm and commanding. "I repeat, all surface combatants in the area, retreat."
The Maids hesitated for a crucial moment, their confusion evident in their frantic comms chatter. Then, their gazes collectively fell upon the unconscious form of Sheffield being hastily pulled away from the immediate area. The urgency in Arizona's voice suddenly made chilling sense.
"Un-Understood," Edinburgh responded, her voice trembling slightly.
He pressed his order, ensuring clarity. "Evacuate the area immediately. Fall back at least fifty to sixty kilometers." The Maids, though still puzzled by the sudden and absolute nature of the retreat order, didn't question Arizona's command. They had learned that when he spoke with such unwavering seriousness, it was best to obey without hesitation.
Once the surface was clear of the Shipgirls, Arizona allowed a small, grim smile to touch his lips as he monitored their acoustic signatures rapidly receding into the distance, potentially towards a radiated zone.
'I think I should retreat myself too.' he thought grimly. With that decision made, he accelerated his speed, pushing the Submarine to its maximum speed of over 25 knots.
"Ready the Nuclear-armed Torpedo, now!"
At his urgent command, a specialized, heavily shielded torpedo was swiftly loaded into one of the forward torpedo tubes.
"Rigging deactivated,". Instantly, the familiar hum and subtle vibrations of Arizona's Submarine Rigging form dematerialized and materialized back into a slick elongated Virginia Class Submarine.
"Distance?" he asked one of the navigators.
The Manjuu navigator squeaked rapidly, its tiny hands pointing at a sonar display. "We're one kilometer away from the target."
"Set the torpedo to detonate when we are thirty kilometers away."
The Manjuu navigator objected strongly, its squeaks filled with alarm. "Sir, that's still within the range of the underwater explosion— "
Arizona cut him off, his voice leaving no room for argument. "That's an order!"
The navigator exchanged a worried glance with the Weapons Commander (Meowfficer with tie and cap) and then nodded reluctantly. The Weapons Commander acknowledged the order. "Set the torpedo to detonate at thirty kilometers," he commanded the weapons crew.
The Torpedo Technician (Manjuu with thick goggles) and the Torpedo Handler (Manjuu with coveralls) carefully adjusted the detonation mechanism of the nuclear-armed torpedo.
"Nuclear-armed Torpedo, armed and ready," the Torpedo Technician announced, his voice surprisingly steady despite the gravity of their task.
"Sir?" the Weapons Commander asked, seeking final confirmation.
"Fire," Arizona stated flatly, his gaze fixed on the sonar display, his resolve unwavering.
The Weapons Commander relayed the order. "Torpedo tube two, armed and ready. Fire."
With a muffled thud, the MK-48 Nuclear-Armed Torpedo was ejected from its tube. Instead of continuing its initial trajectory, it executed a sharp U-turn, guided by the thin wire still connected to Arizona's Submarine, its deadly payload now heading directly back towards its unsuspecting prey.
Arbiter: Temperance XIV remained stationary, still in the process of replenishing her energy reserves and armament, particularly her depleted torpedo storage.
Completely unaware of the silent, invisible threat rapidly approaching her, she paid it no mind, assuming it was just another standard torpedo from the persistent Submarine.
"Shield," she commanded internally, confident that her force field would effortlessly deflect this attack as it had all the others. Ignorance, in this critical moment, was indeed a fatal flaw for the powerful Arbiter.
Arbiter: Temperance XIV stubbornly ignored the primal warning screaming in her subconscious to move, to retreat. Blinded by her ego and the desire for revenge against the Submarine that had dared to humiliate her, she dismissed the intuitive alarm, intent on finishing her preparations for a counterattack.
For Arbiter: Temperance XIV, this would be her last replenishment, and the last time she would ever feel the sting of humiliation.
"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... Impact," Arizona announced, his eyes glued to the digital pocket watch display that tracked the estimated time of the torpedo's arrival.
"Sound the collision alarm! Brace for impact!"
At his command, every crew member within the Submarine gripped tightly onto any available panel edges or protruding pipes.
A deafening *BOOM* erupted from the sonar panel, followed by a violent shudder that wracked the entire Submarine from bow to stern. The underwater Nuclear Detonation unleashed its immense power.
Poor Manjuu crewmen who hadn't managed to secure a firm hold were thrown violently against metal piping, while others tumbled down stairs in a chaotic heap, emitting panicked squeaks as they collided with the deck.
"Emergency Blow-out, activate!" Arizona roared over the intercom.
"Aye-aye, Sir! Emergency Blow-out activated!" came the immediate response.
Compressed air surged into the USS Arizona's ballast tanks, forcing out the seawater and causing the massive Submarine to ascend with alarming speed. The once-calm surface of the ocean was violently disrupted as the bow of the Submarine breached the waves, sending a huge plume of water skyward. Seconds later, the entire hull of the USS Arizona broke the surface, seawater cascading from its hull as the remaining ballast tanks were purged.