- Location
- Nashville
Reads back on the instrument of surrender...
Oops, I could have sworn there was something about the Emperor being allowed to stay in there somewhere, my mistake...
Changing Destiny (Kancolle)
- Thread starter Skywalker_T-65
- Start date
Reads back on the instrument of surrender...
Oops, I could have sworn there was something about the Emperor being allowed to stay in there somewhere, my mistake...
Trace Coburn
BattleTech Starfighter Analyst
- Location
- NDBBM, New Zealand
That was all MacArthur's doing post-capitulation, IIRC.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
Verbal promises in the main that "if you admit that you lost, we won't put Hirohito on trial" (hence why I said a few fig leaves thrown in the direction of the Emperor). The actual document of surrender was very much an unconditional surrender, which will be the case (again) now that Japan done goofed. The restructuring of postwar Japan was MacArthur's doing and by the surrender terms he had a very free hand to do such.
Chapter 41
Skywalker_T-65
Writer with too many ideas.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- Plural/They/He/Her
Chapter 41
It was an exhilarating feeling. Shells falling into the water, as long legs danced an intricate weave across the surface. Even as Pearl Harbor burned around her, Utah had never felt so alive. Along her hips lay the five-inch guns that had replaced her old rifles. In a way they never could on her hull, those guns blasted fire into the sky. At the Japanese pilots darting through the air. She didn't hit anything, yet Utah didn't care.
Rather, she didn't care at missing her first shots. She could fight. She could move outside her hull. And the battleship wasn't going to let these bastards hurt one more of her daughters. If it killed her, again, she would stop this attack. With her own hands!
"What the hell's going on down there?! Am I the only one seeing this?"
A pilot in the air shouting in shock.
"No, you aren't."
Admiral Kidd's calm voice echoing from the burning Arizona.
"It's a goddamn woman shooting into the sky!"
A random man that Utah would never hear again.
All voices that echoed in her ear, carried from the radio room buried deep in her hull. In her new body. A small part of her still didn't believe what was happening. That she could do this. Fight on her own and not on her hull.
"Come back here!" Utah's soft-spoken voice cracked. Her words were hoarse and strained, as grey eyes glared into the sky. "Monsters! All of you are monsters!"
Even as her voice cracked, her fury was stoked by a fire deep within her. Utah had never felt anger like this before. Before the attack, she had nothing against Japan. Worry about the inevitable, perhaps, but it was far in the future. Now? She wished for nothing more than to use her own hands to tear the planes apart.
It wasn't enough that a fighter spun away, flames engulfing the pilot. It wasn't enough to see a dive bomber splash into the water, a P-40 scrambling to avoid her indiscriminate fire. And it wasn't enough to see Japanese planes scattering around her, their pilots jerking the planes around in obvious shock and fear.
They attacked without warning. They slaughtered my crew when they couldn't fight back. The bastards killed my daughters.
Utah's gentle face was twisted into a feral scowl, as one of her guns rotated. Her crew- her crew? -worked the five-incher, forcing it around as a brave Japanese fighter dove to strafe her. Bullets and cannon shells flew from the plane, some hitting Utah.
Hitting and pinging off, leaving nothing but shallow scratches on her face. With a sight as good as a lookout in her highest mast, Utah could see the look of fear in the eyes of the Japanese pilot. Raw, primal terror as the man realized he couldn't hurt her. As he saw her turret pulling around to point directly at him. His arms twisting, he desperately began to pull his plane away.
It wouldn't be enough.
"You aren't getting away..." Had Utah been shouting in anger, it may have frightened those who knew her.
The low, deathly quiet, tone of her voice would have terrified them.
And with nothing more than a dull clap, the Japanese plane vanished in flames. The pilot likely didn't even have the time to scream, before Utah's smoking five-inch turned around and began scanning for a new target. Her vision was tinted with red, her eyes looking for anything to shoot and anything to kill. Utah, consumed by anger, wanted nothing more than to fight.
"None of you are leaving!" Her cracked voice echoed over even her guns sharp volleys. Grey hair flew in a wild mane around her. "Murderers, all of you! I won't let you leave here!"
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Utah...mom..."
Arizona's eyes burned with the smoke drifting off the harbor, but she couldn't blink. Nor could she turn away. Even if she had wanted to, it was impossible. Her wide brown eyes were riveted on the scene across Ford Island. Even through smoke and fire, she could see the form of Utah, firing into the sky. Impossibly firing into the sky.
"Bastards! I won't forgive you for this!"
Of course, she could also hear her mother's voice. The anger and coldness--it scared her. Ari didn't even notice how her arms were shaking. She had carried ammo boxes in stacks that were impossible for any man. Without so much as a sign of stress. Only now that her hands were empty, they
shook.
Not out of weariness or pain. But out of fear.
"Hey...you alright?" Tommy's voice barely registered on her, the Marine having remained at her side the entire time.
Ari shook her head, singed red hair shaking with the movement, "I--I don't know."
"I don't either."
Those words were framed by a Japanese bomber spiraling into the harbor, a P-36 darting away with smoke trailing from its own engine. Fewer and fewer of the Japanese planes remained, and those that did were struggling to attack with Utah firing wildly into the sky.
"But it doesn't matter, because we've got a job to do."
Tommy's words had Arizona turning to look at the Marine. His helmet was long gone, and the young Marine had a bleeding gash down the right side of his face. She hadn't even seen him be hit, nor heard him complain. More noticeably, his brown eyes showed a kind of raw determination that Ari had only seen in Admiral Thompson before. When he had spoken of saving everyone, she had seen determination. And now, when Tommy spoke of their job...
He's the same. They all are.
"R-right." Ari nodded sharply, forcing her worries to the back of her mind. Forcing herself to ignore the anger she was hearing from Utah. "Let's go. We have to win this battle!"
"That's the spirit," her companion grinned, despite the pain he had to be feeling from his wound. His arms cradled a box of ammunition, and Ari was quick to pick up her own. "Sarge needs this ammo, let's get it to him."
"Of course!"
Following after the Marine, Ari felt her spirits rise. Cali was dying. Utah was mad and had somehow returned like the Admiral had said they all could. Nevada and so many others were struggling to survive. This was a disaster.
And yet, everyone was coming together. Brave pilots in the sky. Gunners aboard the burning ships. And Marines, just doing their jobs.
"I have to help..." Arizona felt her shoulders straighten with that revelation. Even if all she could do was hump ammo, that was something, wasn't it? "I have to help!"
Restored determination filling her body, Ari actually overtook Tommy, rushing on her injured leg back to the Chicago Piano. She didn't see Tommy's thin smile, his lightly-bearded visage watching her. The girl had no idea that she had made a life-long friend. That she had impressed him with her resolve.
All she knew, was her desire to help.
Utah...I won't let you down.
Brown eyes drifting back towards Ford Island, Ari shook her head. There wasn't anything she could do, trapped on her hull as she was. All she could do was talk and do. her. job.
"Utah--Mom. If you can hear this, you don't have to worry. We're all here and we won't lose." Arizona's voice was quiet, and she knew that no one could hear her but the radio operator and her mother. She didn't care. "Please, don't let yourself fall like this. Please."
Cutting the link, the old battleship charged towards her gunners, bound and determined to see this battle end. The nightmare that they had all dreaded come to an end.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Discarding his cracked spectacles, James Richardson bit his lip. Smoke surrounded him and the dull thumps of cannon fire echoed with the sharper cracks of machine guns. He had been on Ford Island, attempting to convince General Short to accept that the Japanese-American population was highly unlikely to sabotage planes. And that the threat of an air raid was far more dangerous.
He had never expected such an air raid to happen while in the midst of those talks.
I can only imagine what would have happened had I pushed harder and lost this position.
Richardson was under no illusions. He knew that his career was done. At least, in the here and now, he could coordinate his fleet and minimize losses. Or he would, if not for what had him biting his lip.
"That's impossible. It doesn't make any sense." General Short, uniform scorched and bloodied with the blood of his aide, looked at the Admiral with wide eyes.
"It should be." Richardson's gruff voice was even harsher with the smoke in his lungs, as he shook his head. "Yet, here we are."
The Admiral knew Utah well. She was the first of the spirits he had seen, and the one he was most familiar with. Hell, she had reminded him of his old Delaware more than once. But he had never seen her like this. Even over the waters of Ford Island, he could see the rage in her eyes.
"Walter, coordinate your boys." Turning his head, dark eyes glared at the General. "Salvage something from this, will you?"
"Now hold on right the--"
Richardson didn't let the General finish, spinning on his heel and walking towards where Utah's crew watched her with shock written all over their faces. "I will handle her."
If his career weren't already dead, Richardson would have eaten hell for that. As it was, he didn't care. He had a ship to calm down before she hurt someone on their own side.
I don't know what happened to her, or how she came out like this. Even I can tell there's something wrong. Something, deep down, tells me I can't let her stay like this.
It was a bone-deep feeling, that the Admiral could never hope to describe.
Yet, as his long strides brought him towards Utah's crew, he knew it was true. Richardson barely even noted the planes falling around the harbor or the burning vessels. He could worry about his fleet later. If there was a fleet left. Right now, he had to save a battleship. If it was the last thing he did as CINCPAC, it would be what he did.
Something told him that they would need Utah.
"Is Commander Jackson here?!" Richardson's 'command voice' echoed over the group of bedraggled men. Several of them were laid out under the shirts of their crewmembers, red leaking through the waterlogged fabric.
Ignore it. Focus.
"Admiral." One man in particular, his head swathed in a makeshift bandage, stood on unsteady legs.
"Commander."
Walking up to the younger officer, Richardson looked him directly in the eyes. He felt the eyes of the rest of the crew on him, but hardly cared. If the secret weren't out after this, it never would get out. Rather hard to hide a woman sailing in the harbor, shooting cannons from her hips.
"I know what you want, sir." Jackson knew as much, his gaze not once leaving the Admiral's. "And I'll tell ya, I have no idea what is going on. Utah was dying, sir. I left here there ta die, and I sure as fuck did not expect this."
He didn't care about language, either.
"Relax, Commander. I am not here about that."
Richardson just turned his eyes out at the harbor, sighing heavily. Utah's wild grey hair flew around her body, dancing through the harbor at at least fifteen knots. Her guns fired into the sky, nearly shooting down a P-40 as a Japanese fighter dove away from them. If she kept that up, she wa---
"Look at that! She shot down a P-36!"
--s going to shoot down a friendly. Richardson's dark eyes narrowed, as an American fighter crashed from the sky, slamming into the docked San Francisco. He knew how many had likely died from that impact. Utah didn't even show a sign of noticing.
What had happened to her?
"As you can tell, we have a more pressing issue." Forcing his eyes away from the burning cruiser, Richardson looked at a pale engineer. "Stopping Utah before she causes more damage. Can you get through to her?"
Snapping back to reality- how must this hurt him? I know how an engineer feels about his ship -Jackson, grimacing deeply, nodded. "I should, yeah. Utah and I had a connection, Admiral. If she'd listen ta anyone, it's me."
"Quite."
The Admiral didn't need to vocalize his command, setting off to a mobile radio that a pair of sailors had set up nearby. He had ordered the best unit pulled out of storage before coming here, to both coordinate the fleet and to...make an attempt to calm down Utah. Jackson followed without a word, his eyes darting between the Admiral and the battleship.
Something must be done. Something had to be done.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"USS Utah. You are to cease firing at once, and return to dock. Effective immediately, you are relieved from duty."
Utah heard the words. A part of her screamed to listen, to return to dock.
The vast majority of her being ignored it. Her barrels practically smoked and glowed red from repeated firing, and her crew was suffering to keep fighting. But she didn't care. So long as she saw a single plane in the sky, she would continue to fire. So long as there was a threat to her daughters and crew, she couldn't stop. She refused to stop.
"Shut up and let me fight!" The battleship had long ago lost her voice, unable to go above a cracked whisper. And yet she still put all her anger and frustration into her words. "I can't let anyone else die!"
Admiral Richardson's voice didn't reply. Utah smiled, convinced that he had chosen to let her do her duty. To finally fight like she had always been meant to do.
"Utah. If you can hear me, tell me that you're listening. I know ya, and you aren't like this."
For the first time, Utah felt a break in her anger. A small crack in her rage-filled facade.
Joseph?
"Ya shot down an American, Utah. Did you not see that?"
Utah looked- truly, honestly looked -and saw a fire raging across from her. San Francisco had the tail of a P-36 on her deck, as men frantically ran out fire hoses. Had--had that been her? She hadn't even noticed. And the sky. The sky was almost empty of Japanese planes, only American fighters attempting to dodge her fire while clearing out the Japanese.
Was she firing on her allies?
"I--I hadn't--"
Before Utah could say anything more, a pained voice echoed through her radio room.
"Mother, you need to stop. You're scaring all of us." Tennessee, her sister dying in front of her, still managed to get through to her mother figure.
"Let us handle the rest. You need to stop and rest." Nevada was down by the bow, and she took the effort to talk to Utah.
Across the harbor, Ari's hull almost seemed to shake in place when she spoke. "We all have our jobs to do, Mom! Let us help you!"
All of the battleships, save for poor Cali and Okie, spoke up. All of them, even the settling Virginia, attempted to get through to her. Utah felt her energy fading, the red leaving her eyes. What had she---what had she done? Had she been so consumed by anger at the Japanese murdering her crew and daughters that she couldn't even tell the difference between the planes any more?
Had she really fallen so far?
"Utah. You're my ship, you know that. Come back to me."
Jackson's words had tears rolling down Utah's soot-stained face, as the battleship finally lowered her rifles. Her legs fell to the water beneath her, as her face stared up at the smoke-filled sky. The final Japanese planes were leaving...and she didn't know if she could forgive herself.
Kojiro Takeda let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, as his Mitsubishi fighter set down on Zuikaku's deck. The Reisen had taken more than a few hits, and he was lucky it had made it back. Many had not. His eyes had seen the decks of the Kido Butai, and he had been pained by it. A full half of the strike force had not returned, shot down over the harbor or too damaged to make it to their homes. He was one of the lucky few.
He didn't feel lucky. No, if anything he felt cursed by what he had seen.
"Sub-Lieutenant! What happened to the--" the maintenance chief in charge of his plane was beside the shrapnel ridden cockpit, as Takeda pulled it open.
"A kami." Takeda replied, short and to the point.
For what else could have seen, but a goddess of war? A woman standing upon the harbor waters where the antiquated Utah had fallen. Shooting down his comrades and nearly himself?
"A--what?" The older man at his side gaped at him, but Takeda ignored it. He got out of his battered fighter, forcing his shaking limbs to cooperate. There was no point in staying. Even if the Admiral were convinced to launch a third wave- something not part of the plan -he wouldn't be part of it. There were no spares ready, and his fighter would not survive another strike without major repairs.
No, all he could do was return to his cabin and try to reconcile what he had seen with reality.
A kami working with the Americans. Was that--was that Utah herself? It is impossible, yet what other explanation is there?
Takeda was not a deeply religious man, yet even he couldn't deny what he had seen.
"How did this happen? We were going to win. We were going to win!"
Sighing deeply, Takeda turned to the voice and replied, "So we were. And we underestimated the gaij--"
It was only then that his weary mind caught up to his words. Takeda was not speaking to a crew member. He was speaking to a young, barely teenage, girl with green hair. A girl staring at him with wide green-grey eyes.
"You--you can see me?"
Kojiro Takeda planted his face in his hands, wondering when his life would return to normal.
This one fought me something fierce.
Mostly because of Utah. That was hard to manage. But, suffice to say, when you self-summon out of pure RAEG that is going to have an impact on your mental state. We'll see more of that, for any other ship girls who show up. The way they return most assuredly does impact them.
At any rate...final losses:
USN:
Battleships:
USS Utah- total loss, now a ship girl
USS Oklahoma- sunk, but not capsized
USS California- total loss
USS Arizona- moderate damage
USS West Virginia- sunk upright/roughly OTL damage
USS Pennsylvania- two bomb hits, light damage
USS Tennessee- light damage
USS Nevada- secondary magazine detonation, torpedo: heavy damage
USS Maryland -not in harbor
Cruisers:
USS San Francisco- moderate damage due to crashed fighter and one bomb hit
USS Honolulu -light damage
Destroyers:
USS Monaghan- magazine detonation, total loss
USS Shaw -moderate damage
Aircraft:
70 destroyed, 120 damaged
As should be apparent, much lighter USN losses. The combination of Utah and the fighters and the extra defenses mean the Japanese could only really focus on the big battleship targets.
And speaking of Japan...
Aircraft: 110 destroyed, 60 damaged to some extent or another
Does this seem a bit much? Perhaps. But a strong defense of Pearl, coupled with Utah, mean higher losses. Plus any damage done to the (lightly built) Japanese planes could mean not making it back to the fleet. Some of those damaged American planes could land...the Japanese couldn't.
Some of the logic here is from Coral Sea, where the Japanese lost pretty much the entire airwing of ZuiZui. The rest is from the OTL attack where, hitting a completely flat-footed American base with less defenses/ships with lighter AA fits and no warning to prepare/only a handful of fighters getting into the air...
They still lost 30 planes. Now, imagine hitting a base much more prepared with more fighters in the air and suddenly the losses don't seem that extreme any more. To me, at least.
Archduke
Don't Take Geology Puns For Granite
- Location
- Texas
Well shit, the cat's out of the bag now. Good chapter and I assume one of the big plot points in the (probably) far future is going to be Thompson trying to summon California back. Good chapter, I liked the abyssal tinge to Utah's appearance. And wow, Kido Butai has been hurt something fierce.
- Location
- Nashville
Sky you Magnificent Bastard, just wow. Right when discussion was beginning to reignite too...
Also, some pilots probably won't be happy with Utah at the moment...
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Sir_Gaea
More Stories Please
- Location
- The Region
Huzzah! A new chapter!
So, that part about Takeda shocked about the Kami helping Americans. Is it because Utah strutted out of her corpse and started killing or becasue the Kami are only supposed to help the Japanese?
Second, how many of the instructor pilots die?
finally, Utah almost lost herself. Hopefully this doesn't damage the public's perception of the Ship-girls.
So, that part about Takeda shocked about the Kami helping Americans. Is it because Utah strutted out of her corpse and started killing or becasue the Kami are only supposed to help the Japanese?
Second, how many of the instructor pilots die?
finally, Utah almost lost herself. Hopefully this doesn't damage the public's perception of the Ship-girls.
Burning Baron
This position needs more entrenching.
- Location
- In here, not out there.
Not to mention that the fighters had yet to be parked in a row, which means one strafing run didn't smash up a full airwing.
- Location
- Pacific NW
It's a shame that only rating can be used at a time. Destiny updates always make the magister happy... now the withdrawal cravings can subside for a bit. 
Sir_Braazmiir
Tiefling Paladin
- Location
- Wherever I am
I know history already used Flying Press out the goddamn window, but as @Archduke mentioned, the Solid Organic Waste has collided with the Rotational Air Impeller.
So, what happens next? Zuikaku realizes that Utah can fight and goes, "Screw This, I'm Outta Here!"? Then again, this is the Tsundere Turkey I'm talking about, so...
- Location
- Texas
huh I'm surprised that Raleigh wasn't in port lucky considering the hit she took in OTL , damn fine work once again right out of the ball park
- Location
- In the depts of despair.
Probably, but that was a different time, the attrition from flight training was high enough that many of the P-36 pilots knew at least one guy who became a lawn dart and she is going to be so sorry for the accident that only punishment the army pilots are probably going to want to impose on her is that she will have to pay for the traditional toast for the fallen at the local watering hole.
Sorry, Utah, but for now your 5 in. DP guns will have to suffice.
The Japanese planes awoke The Mombote and roused her hatred. How unfortunate for them.
Unfortunately, it seems she has gone full Berserker Rage and can no longer distinguish friend or foe.
The ad-hoc defense force made a good showing at least.
Oh, and Zuikaku manifested to that pilot, Takeda. Interesting.
Re: WeeVee-
I hope rescue crews are able to get to those trapped sailors quicker than OTL. I imagine she will help point the way at least.
I'm happy Cassin and Downes were spared their OTL fates. *wan smile*
- Location
- Pacific NW
When he hits harbor, Thompson is going to have quite the "oh shit" moment, as well as regret when he finds out that his work to keep Richardson in place is probably for naught.
Richardson's career might not be over, especially as it is known that he was in middle of preparations for an attack, so there is no charge of complacency that can be laid at his feet ala Kimmel. And Utah's self summoning is a far bigger "How the Hell Do We Deal With This" sort of issue at the moment.
Richardson's career might not be over, especially as it is known that he was in middle of preparations for an attack, so there is no charge of complacency that can be laid at his feet ala Kimmel. And Utah's self summoning is a far bigger "How the Hell Do We Deal With This" sort of issue at the moment.
Sandy River DL
(Verified Destroyer Leader)
- Location
- Lake Michigan
- Pronouns
- Her/She
Same here. The USN does need all the destroyers it can get for the mass DD hugging session Utah needs.
- Location
- Nashville
"Johnny, pull up, pull up! You're heading to the flak cloud."
"Shit, I'm hit!"
"Ma'm! Cease fire, cease fire! You're firing on us!"
"Zero at five a clock!"
"NO Dammit, Roland! He just made it out of training!"
Also people had routine accidents? I thought the USN cared about their pilots?
Well, he IS one of the very few experts at the moment...
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- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
Probably both, honestly. Remember that from Takeda's understanding Emperor Hirohito was a kami and all the Japanese are 'special' as a race because of that.. Now you just saw a spiritual relative of Hirohito shoot down your attack planes and now the Kami of your Ship has revealed herself to you in all her tsundere glory.
Zuikaku is going to freak something fierce as she realizes that first off, Takeda can interact with her, and second, that he saw Utah after she was sunk.
ijnfleetadmiral
CinC Rengo Kanmusutai
- Location
- Admiral's Bridge, HIJMS Kongo
I remember reading in Fading Victory how VADM Ugaki Matome (at this point in the story he's Yamamoto's Chief-of-Staff) always had a soft spot for both Nagato and Yamato. Be interesting if he was the one to see either of them. I also hope for some interaction between Amatsukaze and CDR Hara Tameichi. He had a deep connection with her so he should be able to see her.
- Location
- Pacific NW
Oh, Maryland was not in harbor, that could mean that she was still in Bremerton with Colorado finishing off a maintenance/refit.
Tenacious Tanaka and Jintsuu for me.
Tenacious Tanaka and Jintsuu for me.
- Location
- State of Denial
Did the Japanese bring along any midget subs this time around, or did they leave them behind?
- Location
- Pacific NW
Since the attack got jumped up a week timewise? I would assume that the subs couldn't get on station in time, or if they are there, didn't have time to infiltrate the harbor itself and are stationed outside. But more likely they couldn't be deployed there fast enough.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
So salvageable with a lot of work. WeeVee's not dead yet since she talked to Utah, and she can help coordinate rescue efforts by relaying through Utah or Ari to save her crew. Possibly Okie as well depending on whether or not her spirit is able to do that. regardless, rescue efforts are going to be key.
The Martyr of Pearl in place of Arizona. Cali (and Okie?) might be able to be summoned.
They will be back in time for the war, probably the first ones to get repaired.
She's going to be spending a lot of time in drydock.
Overall, could be worse.
Exactly the same calculus that gutted the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. That's definitely a Pyrrhic victory for the Japanese, especially since they will have difficulties making good 1/3 or so of their airwing. The smart thing would be to reorganize the airwings to get as many carriers into the fight as soon as possible and if that means one CarDiv is sidelined for a while integrating replacement pilots so be it. Of course that flies in the face of IJN pilot training protocols and airwing usage, so....
On the plus side, Zuikaku can let her sister and the rest of the IJN know that they can interact with humans. Takeda might have a hard time convincing his superiors that he's not cracked from the strain. That said, the shipgirl secret is well and truly exposed now on both sides.
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Utah was close to the edge there. After all, what are Abyssals but reflections of shipgirls filled with unending rage and hate?
You might not like what you see.
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