Skywalker's Snip Stockpile

Skywalker_T-65 · Jan 31, 2016

Index:

My Full Stories:
Salvation or Mercy
Twist of Fate
Pacific Confusion
Indestructible Spirit
Changing Destiny
The Kanmusu Awaken
Return of the Lost Ones

Quests:
A Nation's Symbol/AriQuest

Snippets:
KC/SG: 1
Returning Warriors: 1
A Caged Hornet: 1 2

Non-canon Omakes:
Indy:
What's in a Name: 1

Destiny:

Skywalker_T-65 · Jan 31, 2016

KC/SG Snip 1: USS Prometheus

The Abyssal War had caught humanity flat-footed. Earth had been in an unprecedented era of peace, no wars larger than border disputes common outside the Third World. Militaries had been as relaxed as they ever had been, no signs of a war between the Great Powers likely. It was into this sense of lax relaxation, that the Abyssals first came. At first, it was a vanishing here or there, attributed to rogue storms. Then it was scared survivors, reporting black aircraft scything through the sky, blowing their fellows apart. Following that, was the first assault on land, Okinawa left a smoking ruin. As if a switch had been flipped, Abyssals finally began showing in force.

Navies of the world fought and bled against the monsters from the deep, but it was never enough.

Abyssals struck hard and fast, appearing seemingly at will. There were no codes to break, no bases to monitor. No fleet movements to track, and no warnings. Abyssals attacked where and when they wanted. And these attacks came in numbers that even the mighty United States Navy was unprepared to fight. The monstrous aircraft and ships produced interference that made guided weapons inefficient at best. Coupled with scores of warships armed with weapons that were equivalent to the mightiest gunboats ever put to sea, and it did not paint a pretty picture. The world's navies gave their best, and destroyed scores of Abyssals. But it was not enough, and the conventional warships were slowly pushed further and further towards their home bases.

It was into this, that the first kanmusu- ship girls -of Japan came into play. The spirits of old warships, returned to defend humanity. Every bit the equal of Abyssals save for their humanity and more conventional methods of movement, these girls shored up the flagging defenses and protected the coasts of Earth. But even as more and more nations summoned kanmusu, it was an uphill fight.
For that reason, the United States decided to undertake a more...risky...operation.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Deep in the Nevada desert, an innocuous shed stood behind a gated fence. Guards were stationed around this fence, twenty-four seven, and no civilians were allowed near to the shed. Even though the shed had been unused for some time now, a larger facility nearby taking precedence. Inside this shed, was an elevator, that lead down into one of the greatest secrets of the United States Air Force. For at the bottom of the elevator's shaft, was a large construction area and hangar. The hangar for the first interstellar spacecraft made by Earth, though she no longer existed.

It was that reason, that the facility had fallen into disuse, the successors of that pioneering craft built nearby, but not in the same facility.

"Brings back memories."

"Got that right Carter...kind of miss her, being here."

"Well, that's why we came back."

"Indeed."

Several people stood in the disused hangar, looking down at the empty docking area. A blonde woman, Samantha Carter, had been the first to speak. She had more attachment to the facility than most, having been heavily involved in the design process for the vessel it once held. By her side was General Jack O'Neill, the greying man resting a hand on the railing by his side. And on either side of the two soldiers, stood Dr. Daniel Jackson and the Jaffa Teal'c. SG-1, the original SG-1, united on their current duty.

"You sure this'll work Daniel?" Jack turned away from the empty hangar, to look at his oldest remaining friend. "Not like we've managed to summon one of our Burkes, leave alone..."

"No idea Jack." Daniel could only shrug in response, pushing his glasses up slightly. "In theory it should work. That's theory, not practice. Not even the Japanese think it'll work."

"And their the ones who started this..." Jack waved a hand. "Stuff."

Sam snorted softly, "I'm a scientist sir. Think how I feel."

"You've told us Carter."

"Indeed." Teal'c's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "You have spoken at length of how this should be impossible, Colonel Carter."

The blonde had the grace to blush, "Well it should be."

When SG-1 had seen beings made of energy, it said something when the kanmusu were even stranger. But hey, this was outside even their long experience. It was bound to happen eventually, though it would have been nice if it hadn't happened on Earth. So many losses...it was sobering, to say the least. Navy or not, it hit home in a way when so many were lost to the Abyssals. And there wasn't a damn thing SG-1 could do about it, until now. They weren't able to fight something that wasn't, so far as they knew, extraterrestrial in origin.

So, they had been forced to look for evidence of Abyssals elsewhere at first.

But...

"Danny," Jack turned back to the younger man. "You still have no idea how this started?"

"Not one." The archaeologist sighed. "I've looked through our records, Goa'uld ones, Asgard ones, and what Atlantis has sent of the Ancient Database. Only one mention of something like the kanmusu, from a world in Pegasus. Something about their warriors being reincarnated as warrior maidens with weapons beyond their normal capacity to build at that size."

"Pegasus."

"Yes."

Jack sighed in frustration, "Well, that means we can't go ask these guys can we?"

"Unfortunately, they were culled by the Wraith centuries ago."

And that lead was pointless. Well, nothing to be done but move forward with the existing plan, in that regard. The way to do that, was why they were here in the first place.

"Sir?" A young Japanese man walked over to SG-1. "We are ready to begin the summoning."

"Well, you heard the man." Jack sent a smirk at his team. "Let's go see if Daniel's wrong for once."

"Jack!"

Good natured laughter came from everyone, even Teal'c. Daniel frowned, before a smile tugged at his own lips. In this situation, well, he would be perfectly alright with being wrong. This was their best hope at developing a proper counter to the Abyssals. The 304s, great as they were, were overkill. Their weapons would cause more damage to Earth than was worth using with kanmusu around. They were great for tracking the monsters, but other than that?

Yeah.

There was a reason SG-1 was here. That reason had them walking up to a circle set aside, nervous Marines and Airmen standing guard over a group of Japanese men and women. Their traditional garb was hilariously out of place in the highly-advanced military facility. But they were the experts in the 'spiritual magic mumbo-jumbo' as Jack was fond of calling it. Experts were what was needed, when SG-1 was attempting something so out of the ordinary. So strange, even by the standards of the kanmusu.

"We are beginning now." The oldest of the Japanese men nodded at SG-1, when they arrived.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Darkness. Cold. Loneliness.

"Shields are down!"

"That beam cut right through them!"

You could do nothing but watch in pain, as your hull was pierced. Pride of humanity, and completely useless. One shot...one shot was all it took, and most of your systems were crippled. YOU were crippled. Your structural integrity was gone, even moving at sublight would strain you. Hyperspace would kill you. A dozen of your crew was gone, killed without a chance to fight back.

Failed. Failure. Dead because of me.

"Weapon has reached full charge!"

"All hands, brace for impact!"

You screamed, as your shield was pierced once more. Golden light burned your hull, rending and tearing and opening it to space. Your crew was pulled out, screaming in fear before the vacuum you were supposed to protect them from killed them. You had failed them. Your powerful shield was useless. Your tough hull was so much scrap. Fires raged throughout your body, sparks flying from damaged conduits. Crew screamed and faded away. Power fluctuated. Everything you were, everything you were designed to do, was pointless in the face of this power.

What could a ship who couldn't fight do for her crew? You could do nothing. Do nothing as your brave Admiral, no matter that he was an Air Force Colonel, got your remaining crew to safety.

They died and I couldn't do anything. I failed. I failed. I failed.

You could only watch as the weapon fired a third time. You lacked even the energy to scream, as it tore you in half. All you could manage, was to place a hand on your Admiral's shoulder, standing by his side as blackness engulfed your vision.

Return.

But...a voice?

Return to us.

I failed. I don't deserve to return.

Return! We need you!

I...

Light. For the first time, you could feel light. Hear voices. You were a failure in your duty. But...

Can I say no? I am needed. I am needed, despite what happened. I failed. But I will not shirk my duty.

Come back!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Did it work?" Jack asked, as light flashed from the center of the chanting circle of Japanese men and women.

"I...don't know." Daniel replied slowly. "I've read on what a summoning looks like, but this is the first time I've seen one."

"I believe there is someone in the circle." Teal'c, his eyes beyond the average human, was the first to notice a form curled up on the ground.

A form that struggled to her feet, looking out at the people surrounding her. She was young, barely in her mid-teens if that. Her dark hair fell down her back, framing a tanned face. The girl looked more Greek than American, despite her construction. An image reinforced by her tan skin and dark hair, if not her USAF uniform. In her hands, the girl held an unlit torch, something she looked down on with an awed look. A look that only lasted as long as it took her dark eyes to find SG-1. A weak smile crossed her face when she did.

A smile that didn't fade, as she ran right past the Japanese summoners, torch falling to the ground. Her arms wrapped around Sam's hips, as the girl tucked her head against the blonde's stomach. Sam could only blink, as she turned to look at Jack.

"Looks like she likes you Carter."

And of course, the General just smirked at his subordinate.

Sam rolled her eyes, looking down at the girl, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I am sorry." The girl's voice was soft and filled with pain. "So sorry. I know my shield wasn't enough. But I still failed! My crew...you. I failed everyone!"

The blonde Colonel felt tears wetting her uniform, as the girl pushed herself further against the older woman. Sam patted her on the back, more worried than anything else. This was...a new experience for her. What was she even supposed to do?

Luckily for the Colonel, the girl shakily pulled back. She wiped her dark eyes, a watery smile directed at SG-1. Her hand came up in a shaky salute, as she looked at each member in turn.

"USS Prometheus, reporting for duty."

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 1, 2016

In other news, the first snip I've made for this thread in specific. Classic 'idea won't leave me alone' fodder here.

Returning Warriors I

Bikini Atoll: Sister Sara

"Never thought I'd get the chance to do this..."

A young man stood atop a small boat, in the middle of Bikini Atoll. Wind brushed his black hair, as he looked down into the crystal waters beneath him. The dark form of a certain aircraft carrier took up most of his view, the top of her remaining superstructure a mere fifty feet down. USS Saratoga, one of only three carriers in a position that divers could see. Leave alone visit. It was for that reason, in fact, that Captain Derek Jones stood on this boat. It had been an object on his bucket list for years to visit the old girl. He held a certain appreciation for Sister Sara's history, and...

Well. Visiting her was the least he could do in that regard.

It was just a shame that no one else had opted to join him in doing so. Not to say that Jones wasn't fully capable of performing this dive alone, but it would have been nice to have company. As it sat, the only person with him was a local diving instructor, who was here mostly to make sure his link to the surface was intact an that the Captain didn't drown.

"I'm heading down now." Jones turned to look over at the other man.

"Go ahead sir."

"Right."

Nodding at the local, Jones jumped into the water. His drysuit kept the feeling of the water away to some extent, as the young man pulled his scuba gear fully on. Sending a thumbs up at his guide, the Captain dove underwater. The water surrounded him, as he approached the dark form of Saratoga's hull. Were he not underwater, Jones might have felt a tear come to his eye at that sight. The broken flight deck, covered in sea life. The shattered superstructure, Sara's distinct stacks long since gone. The guns, forlornly looking up to the surface, encrusted in oceanic creatures.

The old carrier's hull was far too long to see all of her, even from above. But what could be seen, showed a tired old girl, laid to rest.

Hello Saratoga. You deserved better than this.

Granted, while as a naval officer Jones could see the point of the Crossroads tests, he still didn't like them. So many historic ships had been used in those tests...Nagato, last of the proud Japanese battleships. Prinz Eugen, the last of Germany's large warships. New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arkansas...all heroes of the war, and in the case of Pennsylvania, the closest to Arizona anyone could get. Saratoga was just the one in the front of his mind. Otherwise, Jones felt all those ships deserved better than being subjected to two nuclear detonations.

Continuing his descent, the Captain sighed softly as he touched the old deck. Sara's wooden flightdeck was still remarkably intact after over seventy years underwater, but he still felt the give in it. Time had not been kind to the old girl, not at all. Kicking off, Jones swam along the ruined deck, looking over the carrier. He could see traces of damage here, and a gun there. No planes, and only a gaping hole where her elevator once was.

And then there was the massive gap, where her stacks should have been. Saratoga's island forlornly stood alone, where the rest of her superstructure had once been.

I should head that way.

Turning, Captain Jones kicked up in the water, ascending to the level of where the old carrier's bridge once was. Now, there was nothing but rusty steel, coated in a layer of life.

Heh. Life found a way.

Allowing the moment of humor to fade in the face of the somber reminder of where he was, Jones kicked his legs, carefully moving inside the ruined superstructure. Entering any wreck was dangerous, and he wouldn't go that far in. He was content to just look around, the old instruments for running an aircraft carrier staring back at him. Here there was the steering gear. There was a console, likely for the radar. And then there was the Captain's chair, rotting away. Jones sighed softly at that sight.

Or, he sighed until his eyes snapped back to the chair.

What the hell?!

There was a woman in the chair, an old fashioned USN uniform on her body. Save for her skirt, at any rate. Long blue hair floated around her face, the woman looking for all the world like she was sleeping. Despite the complete impossibility of that, on so many levels. How in the name of all that was holy...had this woman even ended up down here? Leaving aside her hair color for the moment, had someone...

Dumped a body?

Shaking his head, Jones pushed into the bridge, careful to avoid disturbing anything that could trap him down here. He kicked over to the woman, tucking his arms underneath her torso. Kicking away with the surprisingly light woman in arm, Jones carefully exited the bridge. Clearly, he needed to cut this visit short.

Who is she?

Wishing he had an answer to that question, the Captain returned to his safety line, and began to ascend. As he did so, he looked back down on the woman in his arms. Save for her uniform and blue hair, she looked quite...normal. Peaceful even. He didn't know how, considering she had been in the water for who knew how long. But...something told him, he needed to get her to the surface. Even leaving aside the obvious reasons.

There was something here, and he didn't know what.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, Jones finally broke the surface, swimming over to the boat he had entered the water from. His guide was at the side, worried expression on his face. After all, the Captain had come up much quicker than he should have. The worried look would quickly change to shock, as Jones lifted the woman out of the water, sending a 'help me damn it' look at the local. A nod quickly came from the other man, as he reached down to take the woman from the officer. It was only once she was safely on the boat, that Jones got out of the water completely.

"Who is she?" His guide was asking. "Where...?"

"Saratoga's bridge," Jones was quick to reply. "And no, I don't know who she is or how she got down there."

His guide had no idea how to respond to that, "Shouldn't her body have...?"

"In theory, yes."

Sighing, the Captain moved next to the woman, who had not changed at all. Reaching a gloved hand out, he brushed blue hair from out of her face. He was only doing so to get a better look at said face, but as Jones moved to take his hand back, the woman's own arm snapped out and grabbed hold of it. A shuddering breath came from her, as brilliant green eyes shot open.

"Where am I?" The impossible voice asked, confusion clear in both it and the green eyes.

Jones turned to his guide, both of them sharing a helpless look.

"I...in a boat, in Bikini Atoll." Jones turned back to the woman. "Who are you? And how are you alive?"

The woman frowned, "I...don't know the answer to your second question, Admiral. Your first one...USS Saratoga, sir."

If Jones had been expecting any answer, it most assuredly was not that. He turned back to his guide, and then to...Saratoga...when his guide just sent him a lost expression. Why would she...?

"I don't know how to react to that." Jones admitted softly.

A small smile crossed Saratoga's face, "Neither do I, for what it is worth sir. I should...should not be like this. Perhaps we can find an answer together?"

I certainly hope so. This is...

Pearl Harbor: Arizona

Admiral James Thompson was a busy man, as he walked along the path to the Arizona Memorial. He had been reassigned to Pearl, pending a more permanent command- likely in charge of one of the carriers, most likely the new Enterprise, when she finished working up in a year or so. Regardless, for the moment, he was a desk Admiral. That meant a lot of paperwork and working with the docks here in Pearl, more than anything. But there was one advantage at least...it gave him an excuse to come out here, to visit Arizona.

Something James made a point of doing, whenever he got the time and chance to do so.

Such as now, as he made the short ride out to the old girl. One among many, who made this trip. It wasn't December 7th, but it didn't need to be. The Memorial saw many visits on every day, Arizona the closest to a national treasure that any warship was. James could see that, though his own reasons were rather more personal. Sighing as he thought of said reasons, the Admiral looked out at the rusting hulk, overshadowed by the brilliantly white memorial building.

I'm back, Ari.

Stepping up to the Memorial, Thompson pulled his cap down over his eyes. His uniform stood out and got some looks, but those ended relatively quickly. Naval officers visiting Arizona was nothing new. Even if his own rank was higher than most. Either way, James ignored those looks as he walked over to look down on the old hull beneath him.

"Hello again, Arizona." The Admiral spoke softly, as he looked down on the rusting hull. "I'm back."

He had come here, every day since he had been assigned to Pearl. And every day, the Admiral made it a point to say hello to the old girl. He didn't expect an answer. But he did it anyway, out of some vain hope that one day there would be an answer. Every day, without fail, he did the same. Every day, without fail, nothing would happen.

James knew that the guards of the Memorial likely thought he was crazy. They would never say anything to him, of course. He was an Admiral, you did not call an Admiral odd to his face.

I almost wish they would. I know what I'm doing has to look strange. But I'll keep doing it, so long as I am here.

Eyes watching the water, Admiral Thompson brushed a stray tear from his eye. Seeing her like this never did get any easier, did it? He could...he could still see the proud girl, painted deep blue save for the tops of her masts, sitting proudly in the harbor. Powerful fourteen-inch rifles, ready and waiting to fire, even if they never got the chance. Or...never got the chance here.

"I'm sorry Ari. For leaving."

Thompson turned away from the old hull, instead moving to look at the memorial wall. So many names. So many deaths. It hurt almost as much to look at this, as it did to look at Arizona. But it was another reason that James was here. That he never forgot the price paid in blood, even if...

Don't think about that.

Focusing instead on the Memorial wall, the Admiral looked over each and every name. Many of these men he was unfamiliar with, for obvious reasons. A few he knew. Most certainly Admiral Kidd. But each of these men were important, even if James couldn't tell most of them apart from each other. Save for the different names. It didn't matter though, if he didn't know more. These men were heroes. No matter the fact that most of them died without knowing why. They were still heroes and martyrs.

As was the ship they had served on.

Turning back around, Thompson walked to the window once more. He looked down on Arizona, memorizing each and every detail of the old girl. The 'tears' that were oil slicks from her bunkers. The rusting ring of her barbette. The faintly visible form of her hull, under the waves. He knew each like the back of his hand by now.

"I will see you again, tomorrow." The Admiral spoke quietly. "Rest well, Ari."

Pulling his cap down further to hide his wet eyes, James began to turn around again. Work never ended, and he couldn't stay at the Memorial all day...no matter how much he wished he could.

But even as he turned...

"Admiral!"

Impossible.

James' eyes widened, as he threw caution to the wind, running to the window. He tangentially noted tourists and guards alike doing the same, but all his focus was on Arizona. On the familiar blue jacket, fluttering in the wind. On the wide brown eyes, under red hair held down by an old-style cover. The beautiful face, staring up at him, cheeks wet as she leaned against the barbette.

"Ari..."

Not a care in the world for what it looked like, James shrugged off his uniform jacket and jumped into the water. He was breaking God only knew how many laws, but he didn't care. He didn't care about the oil clinging to his uniform. All he cared about was swimming out to the girl, who had a shaky smile on her face.

"Admiral..."

"Ari."

It was only when he reached the girl and was pulled into a tight embrace, that Admiral Thompson allowed himself to think about anything but getting to her. Her brown eyes were staring directly into his own green ones, as Arizona held him tightly against her. James smiled ever so slightly, as his own arms held on to the girl. It had been so long, since he had last seen her. Too long, in his mind. And if the tears in her eyes were any indication, Ari firmly agreed with him.

The battleship leaned her head against his shoulder, whispering softly, "I missed you, Admiral."

"Missed you too, Ari. Came here every day." Thompson nodded, his cheek brushing against her hair.

"You did?"

"Yup. Didn't think I'd forget about you, did you?"

Arizona laughed softly, "No, I didn't. I worried I would though."

Thompson nodded again, "Yes, I worried too. Both of us shouldn't be here, you know."

A small smile came to the battleship's face, as she pulled back. Both Arizona and her Admiral shared that smile, as they floated in the water.

"But we are here."

"And we can make the most of it."

Both of them looked back at the memorial, where the boat had been commandeered by the guards, as they rushed out to where the pair floated. Or where Ari floated, holding the Admiral out of the water. There would be a lot of explaining to do...but at least they were together again. They could face anything in that regard, if necessary. No matter what it was.

Two things to note here:

A: Thompson continues to jump worlds like it's going out of style. More on that, as this develops.

B: If someone has their own ship/human pair they want to toss in (say, Jersey and Crowning or something on those lines) feel free. If they remember Abyssals or not is...up to the author who submits. In this case, it's notable that neither Sara nor Jones will, while Thompson and Ari do. Or, at least the Admiral does.

And on that note, the ones I'm planning on sticking in the second snip for this, whenever that is:

Admiral Blake Smith/HMS Indestructible (UK)

Admiral Karl Schmidt/SMS Seydlitz (Germany)

Admiral Daiki Takeda/Shigure (Japan)

And just because Indy is here, does not rule out Kongou for the record.

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 4, 2016

Non-Canon Indy Omake: 'What's in a Name?'

"I wonder how Hiei is..." HMS Indestructible mused, as she sailed in formation with her British siblings.

"Huh?" Irresistible asked, ducking in front of her elder sister. "You want to know how she is?"

"Yes. I never met her before now, as you know."

"..." Implacable was silent, looking away from her sisters.

"What?"

"Nothing, sis. Nothing."

Indestructible watched her sisters curiously, wondering what they weren't telling her. Ever since being summoned in Britain for the war with the Abyssals- and finding out that Japan was an ally -Indestructible had wanted to meet her sisters. The Hiei-class girls, Hiei, Haruna, and Kirishima. They may not be her direct siblings any longer. That place had been taken by Irresistible and Implacable, when Kongou was abandoned by the Japanese. But that did not mean that the brown-haired battleship didn't want to see her other siblings.

If anything, she had an even greater desire to see them now.

For she actually had the chance to meet them. Before, Indestructible could only have met her sisters on the field of battle. Now, she had the chance to meet them as friends and allies. As sisters, not torn apart by conflict. She had considered it, once upon a time, as a good thing she had been sunk by a submarine. There was never a need to go against Hiei and the others. But now? Now she could meet them properly, and hopefully build a proper relationship with the Japanese girls.

"We're coming up on Yokosuka now." Implacable finally spoke up.

"I see." Her eldest sibling nodded.

And indeed, the Japanese/American naval base was in sight. A group of ship girls were loitering outside it, clearly their escort in. Three of them were at the front of the formation, cheerfully waving at the incoming British girls. Indestructible didn't recognize them...but she felt a tugging at her heart nonetheless.

"Are they...?"

Irresistible grinned, "Yep."

Picking up speed at that word, Indestructible angled directly for her Japanese sisters. Her attention was so heavily focused on them though, that she failed to notice her British siblings share a worried look.

"Oneesama!" The lead Japanese girl shouted, her short brown hair sticking out from her head. She wore what almost looked like a kilt, underneath the modified miko tunic all three sisters wore.

"It is great to see you." The second sister, her even shorter hair cut close to her face, pushed up her glasses.

The third sister, her hair the same length as Indestructible's own, smiled softly, "Haruna is happy as well."

Indestructible was just as happy as her sisters, as she pulled up alongside them. More importantly, as she pulled up alongside who had to be Hiei. She was in the lead, the brown-haired girl clearly the first of the sisters. Why else would she have been in the lead like that? With that in mind, the British girl pulled her sister into a long- too long -delayed hug. Hiei reached around to return the gesture, squeezing her sister tightly.

Even as she did so, Indestructible felt tears wetting her uniform. Pulling back, she saw that Hiei was crying. Smiling sadly, she reached forward and wiped away her younger sister's tears.

"Shh...don't cry Hiei, this is a happy moment."

Her words had the exact opposite impact, as Hiei stiffened. Her tears stopped, but her blue eyes widened as she looked over Indestructible's shoulder, at her British sisters.

"You haven't told her?"

Raising an elegant eyebrow, Indestructible turned to look at her sisters as well, "Tell me what?"

Irresistible winced, "She..."

"Isn't Hiei." Implacable finished.

What? But she...

"Kirishima?"

Well, Haruna had already named herself, so that meant that she had to be...

"No." The brown-haired sister smiled sadly. Her eyes looked down at the water, as she whispered her name. "Kongou."

Indestructible felt like she had been slapped in the face. That name...that name was her old one. She had come to terms, more or less, with Japan abandoning her. But every time she heard that name it was like someone stabbed her in the heart. Stabbed her, and twisted it to break open old wounds. Why would...Hiei had to be joking, surely? That was a joke. Why would she use the old name of her elder sibling? That didn't make any sense, did it? Not at all. It couldn't make sense.

But even as those thoughts ran through her, a traitorous voice whispered in the British girl's head.

They could easily have renamed her.

"I'm sorry, Indestructible-oneesama..." Hi...Kongou...whispered, tears falling again. "When you were left in Britain, Japan renamed me. They kept it a secret, for misdirection. Irresistible and Implacable didn't even know until they came back."

"We wanted to tell you." Implacable added softly. "But there was never a good time."

"I..." Indestructible honestly didn't know what to feel.

Her sister, that she had been so excited to see, bore the name she had lost. What was she supposed to feel about that? How was she supposed to react?

"But I'm happy to see you oneesama!" Kongou continued, smile- a weak smile -back on her face. "Now we can get to know each other! I have so many things I want to talk to you about, and you need to try my cooking. And we need to..."

Indestructible held up a hand, "I'm looking forward to that. Hi...Kongou. I'm so happy to meet you."

And like a dam had burst, the short-haired girl's eyes broke down into full crying, as she flung herself against her elder sibling. The sibling who, not knowing how to feel, had fallen back on what she knew. Her elder sister instincts. She would never hate her sister, no matter what. She would always be there for them, and do anything she could to keep them happy.

No matter what.

Questions can wait, for now. I want her to be happy, first and foremost.

This one was inspired by (as most of my ideas) a random and seemingly innocuous statement. In this case, in talking about Indy in the SB Eternity thread, this came up:

Skywalker_T-65 said:

EDIT: I prefer to think, in this situation, that (like in Indy) they were actually going for three at first. Hence, when they ditched Kongou, the Japanese had the Hiei-class (instead of just renaming Hiei as Kongou. Which would be an interesting scenario in it's own right and-leave-me-alone-plot-bunnies-damn-it) of three.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

And thus, was this idea born. Classic 'wouldn't let me go' thing, really.

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 5, 2016

A Caged Hornet

Where...where am I? What happened?

USS Hornet, CV-8, slowly opened her eyes. She was laid out in the bridge of her hull, her body slumped in her Captain's chair. Blonde hair fell in her face, covering her brown eyes. Reaching a shaking hand up, Hornet brushed her hair from her face, wondering where her officer cap had gone. Even as she thought that, her mind pushed away. That wasn't important. What was important was a lot simpler, wasn't it? Considering what had happened to her, she had very good reason to be worried. After all...

"I should be dead damn it!" Hornet muttered, clenching her shaking fist.

She was a fighter, God knew that much. But Hornet knew her number had come up. Torpedoes, bombs, a fuckin plane crashing into her stacks. Not to mention all those little pinpricks of destroyer shellfire. By all rights, she should be dead. By all rights, she shouldn't be anywhere near her hull. Hell, she shouldn't even be awake. So why was she here? And why was there the sound of yardwork being done? Pulling herself to her feet, smoothing down her short skirt as she did so, Hornet stumbled over to look out her bridge window.

"Shit."

That low curse came from her lips, as the carrier looked out on her hull. Her body was shaking once more, but no longer from pain or shock. No. From anger. Pure, white-hot rage ran through her system. For she could see where she was now...Rabaul. The Japanese ships around her gave that much away. Hornet could recognize them all, if only by class. And they were scurrying around her, as men labored on her burnt and shattered flight deck. Her list was gone, the list those bastards had given her. That was the only reason she was able to stand.

Not that she was thankful for that.

"Damn it! I should have sunk, how the hell did they capture me?!" Hornet clenched her fist, slamming it into the wall of her bridge.

She had been sinking, she knew that. She should have sunk, even without the efforts to scuttle her. And she would have been...well, not fine with that. Hornet would have- did -hate the idea of sinking. She should have kept fighting, and not left Little E all alone. But she would have gone down swinging, fighting until the last moment of her life. Being captured by the Japs of all people never figured into that!

Hornet, cursing her Navy and the Japanese in equal measure, exited her bridge. Looking down on her hull, she could feel the work being done. Her hull was patched, and her flight deck was slowly being fixed. She would need way more than Rabaul had to get back in combat shape, but she was in no immediate danger of sinking. 'Course, that just made her angrier. She'd rather die than be taken captive like this.

Not that she had any say in the matter.

"Hell...I..." Hornet clenched her fist again, ready to shout down on the Japanese even though she knew it would do no good. Damn it, even if they heard her it wouldn't do any good.

Times like this she wished she had control of her hull. But she didn't. Hornet could do nothing but watch, as enough repairs were made to get her seaworthy again. The moment that happened, she didn't need to be a genius to know what would happen.

Hornet sighed heavily, hand falling to her side, "Shit. They're going to take me to Japan, aren't they?"

No one answered her, not that she expected any. Why should she?

Yorktown...Little E...Wasp...I'm sorry.

The carrier's anger was thoroughly spent for the moment. She may have been patched up, but she was still heavily damaged. There was, only now noticed, blood in her skirt from her thighs. Her short uniform top was dyed red, as the pain hit her again. Hornet didn't have the energy to stay full of righteous fury. Sliding down against her hull, the blonde pulled her knees up to her chest. She didn't like showing it. And her abrasive, colorful personality hid it. But...

Hornet was the baby of her sisters. Yorktown, her idol, had fallen at Midway. Wasp, tiniest Yorktown, but larger than life persona...had died so recently as well. Two out of three of her siblings had been sunk by Jap subs. And Little E...she was hurt just like Hornet had been. And now she was alone. If Hornet had sunk, that would have been one thing. E would have been all alone, but at least she could look at her sisters as heroes.

Now?

God, I'm so sorry. I'm so damn sorry...

The youngest of the Yorktown sisters was in enemy hands. She held no illusions on what that meant. She was going to be repaired, and pressed into Japanese service. She knew that, better than anyone. And that would mean one thing...she was going to have to fight Sister Sara, and Little E. Her, and all her sister's, mentor. And her only remaining sister.

"Damn them to hell. Damn them all...to..."

Hornet couldn't finish the sentence, tears falling from brown eyes as she listened to her captors working on her hull. She was USS Hornet, CV-8. Hero of Midway. Fighter of the Doolittle Raid. Youngest of the Yorktown sisters, and newest American carrier until Essex came off the line. She was all of that and more.

But now she was the first American warship captured in she didn't even know how long. Now she was whatever the Japs decided to rename her. A traitor who would be forced to fight her sister.

I wish they had left me to sink.

Note on Hornet: Personality is all mine. Her character design, while sharing similarities to Pacific Enterprise, is most assuredly not Pacific!Hornet. That one is...probably one of the few Pacific designs I'm not overly fond of. Maybe that's just me, but while I like Pacific!E (either one really) I'm not a fan of their Hornet.

*shrug*

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 6, 2016

Hornet's Return

Can you hear me?

A blonde woman, dressed in an ill-fitting Japanese-style outfit that she cared little about the actual name of, stirred.

Please, hear me.

"No..."

Don't stay. Wake up.

Brown eyes snapped open, the Imperial Japanese aircraft carrier Kouryuu holding a hand to her face. Her hand came away wet, as the girl angrily swiped away tears. She knew that voice. God, she knew that voice.

"Sis...I'm sorry."

Sighing weakly, Kouryuu pulled herself to her feet. She was deep in her hull, hidden away from her crew. Even if they were able to see her, they wouldn't. Couldn't. For the carrier did not like her crew. Nor did she want to interact with them, as she had with her old crew. Every time she saw a Japanese uniform, it was a slap in the face. It had been years since that fateful day, and nothing changed. Kouryuu had merely moved from raging anger that had her doing everything in her power to hinder her crew...to weary resignation, as she hid away from the world.

Oh how her sisters would look at her now. How they did.

"Little E..."

Her older sister, the one she had fought two times. At the Marianas and the Philippines. Both times, bitterly crying at her own survival. Both times, torn between cheering the losses among her aircrew, and feeling the sorrow that only a carrier could feel when planes failed to return.

And it hadn't even been the voice of the 'Grey Ghost' that she had heard.

Yorktown...

She had failed her beloved elder sister. Failed her at Midway, where she failed to sink the Japanese quickly enough to save her. Failed her at Santa Cruz, where she had been crippled and captured. Failed her when USS Hornet became Imperial Japanese carrier Kouryuu. All the failures. Her triumph with Colonel Doolittle? What was that now? Kouryuu was known more as the traitor carrier, than as the hero of the Doolittle Raid. Little E deserved all the credit she got. Yorktown and Wasp deserved all the honor heaped on them after their deaths.

Kouryuu? She deserved whatever curses were thrown her way.

You failed no one, sister. Please come back to us.

And now she was hallucinating. Kouryuu held a hand to her head, trying to block out the ghostly voice of her sister.

"Damn, I...I wish I could come back. But I can't. I can never go back."

There was too much bad blood in the water, between the Yellow Dragon and her former homeland.

Hornet...don't worry. You are always welcome. Don't sleep. Wake up.

"STOP IT!" Kouryuu shouted out, angry tears coming from her eyes. "You aren't here Yorktown. Shit, I wish you were. But you're dead. And I'm a traitor. A damn dirty traitor."

Blessed silence followed that shout, as the Japanese carrier rubbed at her face. She might well be going crazy. Hearing her sister's voice...she was happy to hear it, but not like this. If she had an afterlife, she could meet Yorktown and Wasp there. Beg forgiveness for what she had been forced to do. Sniffling softly, Kouryuu began to move to lay back down...

Only for the sound of something other than her crew echoing through her hull.

Perhaps, perhaps, all of Kouryuu's curiosity had yet to be burned out of her. Or she was craving for something but the monotony of her life. Regardless of the reason, she stepped forward, following the noise. She followed it, moving up through strangely deserted halls. Followed it, even up to her flight deck. It was only when she reached her flight deck, that Kouryuu would find what she needed to find.

Wake up Hornet!

Blinding light shown in her eyes, before darkness claimed the Japanese carrier once more.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

USS Yorktown panted heavily, as she looked down beneath her.

"Please...please tell me that worked."

Her soft, kind voice was strained. Sweat dripped from her red hair, as the carrier warily watched the summoning circle at her feet. Watched it for any signs of activity. She had sprinted here, the moment that she had learned there was a summoning in progress. This place...this place that was so painful to her, and yet so important as well. Steel walls, lovingly maintained. Old light fittings, reminding her of her own days as a proper warship. How could they not? This place...was her sister. USS Hornet, CV-8.

Imperial Japanese ship Kouryuu.

Shaking her head, Yorktown drew in a deep breath as she looked down once more. The bright light was slowly fading from her eyes. Her sore throat, aching from her shouts at her sister, sucked in a further breath. Curled up in the fetal position, was a familiar figure. The clothing was all wrong, to be fair. But Yorktown would recognize that blonde hair anywhere. Heedless of the guards around her, or of the Japanese men respectfully standing back from their duty, the American carrier fell to her knees.

Fell by her sister, who was whimpering softly.

"Hornet...shh..." Yorktown shakily reached out, her hands pulling her sister up. Her arms wrapping around her shaking body. "Shh...I'm here. Big sis is here."

The body in her arms continued to shake, despite Yorktown rubbing soft circles into her back. She felt tears wetting her shoulder. Yorktown hardly cared. All her attention was on doing what she had wanted to do, for so long. Her baby sister...

She deserved this, and so much more that Yorktown could never give her. No matter how hard she tried.

"Shh..." The elder carrier whispered again. "You're home, Hornet. You're home."

"...not Hornet."

A tiny voice whispered that statement, so unlike the loud and bombastic girl Yorktown remembered.

"Hmm?" Yorktown merely hummed, continuing to rub her sister's back as soothingly as she could.

"I'm not Hornet." Even now, the younger girl didn't pull back. "I'm Kouryuu now."

Yorktown sighed softly, squeezing her sister against her even more tightly, "Maybe. But to me, you will always be my cute baby sister Hornet."

It was a sign of just how distraught the other carrier was, that she didn't pull back and complain about being called cute or the baby sister. Yorktown sighed again, feeling the old pain in her chest. She, alone among her sisters, had never blamed the Japanese girls for what they did. Their leadership, yes. Them? No. So she couldn't find it in herself to blame them for what her sister felt like.

But even she felt a stirring of anger, at how damaged Hornet was.

"Hornet. It doesn't matter to me what you were, what you did, or what you call yourself. You're still my baby sister, and I love you. I don't care if you had to fight America, or fight your sister. None of that matters to me, because you're my sister. Never forget that."

"But...I failed you."

It was only now, that Hornet...Kouryuu...pulled back. Her big brown eyes were filled with tears, as she looked up at her sister. The tough facade of the youngest Yorktown sister was thoroughly gone, nothing but a scared girl remaining. A girl terrified of how her sister must feel about her.

"I failed you at Midway," Hornet continued, voice shaking as much as her body. "I failed you, big sis. If I had just been a bit faster, a bit better...I could have saved you! And then I wasn't able to help Wasp onee...I wasn't able to help her. Little E...she lost me at Santa Cruz, and then I had to fight her!"

The youngest sibling buried her face back in her sister's shoulder, her own shoulders quaking with her long-held in sobs. Deep, heartrenching sobs.

Oh Hornet...you poor girl. My poor baby sister...

Hugging her sister to her bosom, Yorktown shook her head sadly. Her red hair moved with the motion, mixing in with Hornet's blonde locks.

"You didn't fail anyone, my dear little sister." Yorktown whispered, as she kissed her sister's hair. "You and your crew couldn't have saved me. Wasp...she doesn't blame you. And Little E doesn't care that she had to fight you."

"How can you say that? After everything..."

"Shh. I told you already, Hornet. It doesn't matter to me what you were forced to do as Kouryuu, or if you choose to continue using that name. All that matters to me is that you're here. All of the Yorktown sisters are together again."

Hornet pulled back, eyes widening, "Wasp oneesa...Wasp and E are here?"

Electing to ignore the Japanese, Yorktown nodded, "Yes. They should be here soon."

Really, Yorktown was equal parts sad and relieved her younger sisters weren't here yet. On the one hand, it was hard enough to get Hornet to talk to just her. If Wasp and E were here? That would be even harder. On the other side, she wanted her family back together again. It had been decades...long, hard decades, since the sisters had been together. Now they had the chance to be together again, and the last thing Yorktown wanted was to lose that chance. She had longed for this, for so long.

She wanted nothing more than for her family to be back together, forever.

Hugging Hornet to her once more, Yorktown looked over her silent sister's shoulder. The marine guarding the door nodded back, tapping the headset he wore. Yorktown smiled slightly at that. Wasp and Enterprise were on their way, and probably aboard their sister. They should be here any second then. And indeed, mere moments after nodding at the marine, the door was flung open.

A heavily panting Wasp stood in that doorway, brown hair plastered to her face.

"Sis, is she...?" Wasp got out, her voice shaking.

"Yes." Was all Yorktown said, as her littlest- if not youngest -sister practically jumped over to her.

In any other situation, that would have elicited a smile. Wasp may be small, barely up to Yorktown's chest. But she was always one to be larger than her size would indicate. Right now though? She held back, wide red eyes looking down on her sisters.

"Hey, Hornet." Wasp's bombastic voice had softened. "Glad to see you back, little sis."

Hornet didn't reply, burrowing deeper into Yorktown's side.

"Is Little E with you?" Yorktown sighed softly, looking at her younger sibling.

"I am."

The familiar, stoic voice spoke from the door. Hornet, stiffening in shock, pulled away from Yorktown at that voice. All three sisters in the room, turned to look at their most famous sibling. The Grey Ghost. Big E. Hero of the Pacific, the carrier that won the war despite her sister being against her.

Enterprise merely stared back, small half-smile on her face. Reddish-brown eyes looked at her siblings, as she brushed blonde hair from her face. Arms crossed over a modest bust, the carrier slowly walking forward. Hornet, warily, pulled away from Yorktown. She climbed to her feet, swaying slightly, before she stabilized.

The wayward sister, her Japanese clothing serving to further differentiate her, looked at her elder sister. Worry was clear in every line on Hornet's face. Worry and fear, as she looked at the girl she had fought against. The girl who had done her best to sink her, as Kouryuu had done the same- against her will, as Yorktown would remind her baby sister if she brought it up. Enterprise stared right back, the half-smile not once leaving her face.

"Hello, baby sister." The Grey Ghost finally spoke. Her voice had softened, as she looked in Hornet's eyes. "I missed you."

Like a dam had broken, Hornet flung herself at Enterprise. The shorter carrier caught her sister in her arms, hugging her tightly. Enterprise looked over Hornet's shoulder, her eyes conveying a silent message, even as Hornet babbled apologies into her shoulder.

A silent message that had Yorktown and Wasp wrapping their own arms around the pair, all of the Yorktown sisters reunited at long last.

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 8, 2016

Why muse, whhhhhyyyyy...

Wind blowing her long hair behind her, Imperial Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi sliced through the waves. Her face was scrunched up in concentration, as brown eyes looked out at her surroundings. A hand was held to her ear, the young woman listening to the sound of her fairies speaking. Her scouts were in the air, looking for any sign of Abyssal activity. Reports of strange activity were, in fact, the entire reason the carrier was out. Her appetite meant she wasn't sortied unless there was good reason, in most cases. That she was out now, meant there was a good reason for it.

"Akagi-sempai?"

Still, on duty or not, the carrier's face slid into an easy smile. She turned kind brown eyes on the little destroyer by her side, as they both moved towards the suspected Abyssals.

"Yes, Fubuki-chan?"

"Do we know anything?"

"Ah." Akagi's gentle smile remained, as she looked up at the horizon again. "Unfortunately, we don't."

"Shouldn't we have more escorts?"

Akagi laughed softly, "I trust you, Fubuki-chan."

The little destroyer blushed crimson, as she hastily moved back to her escorting position. Akagi giggled at that, as she returned her attention to the area around her. Further in the distance, her long-time partner Kaga was visible. Her blue skirt was rather distinctive, after all! Between the two carriers, were the escorts. Fubuki, Akizuki, Teruzuki, Kumano, Suzuya...and in the far front, Kongou and Haruna. This was one of the larger groups sortied in some time, but it was also the first time Abyssal activity of this type had been seen.

More appropriately, assuming it was Abyssals.

All that the carrier knew, was that there were strange weather phenomenon in the area. Strange even by the standards of the Abyssals, who could create storm fronts at will. Moreover, the scout report from Goya-chan reported that the area was dangerous to enter underwater. Something about the water patterns being disrupted. That was even stranger, in it's own right. So...

I hope this is something we can handle.

"I have something." Kaga's stoic voice interrupted Akagi's thoughts, even as it got a smile from her.

"Hai, Kaga-san?"

Her long-time friend, almost a sister, sighed softly, "It is...strange. My scout reports that the storms are decreasing, yet there are...ships inside. She cannot identify more than that."

"That is strange, Kaga-san." Akagi nodded, brown eyes turning to the imposing horizon. Keying her radio, she tuned in to the frequency of the girls ahead of her. "Kongou-san?"

"YES?" The excitable fast battleship promptly replied.

"Can you see anything?"

There was silence, before Kongou replied, "NO, I can't Akagi-san. Haruna CANNOT either, dess!"

Well, so much for that. Biting her lip, Akagi focused on her own scouts. The little fairy piloted Aichi planes weren't reporting much either, beyond what Kaga had told her. There was the indistinct form of a pair of ships in the fog, but the class? Or if they were Abyssal? There was no way to know, until the storm cleared. Neither Kaga nor Akagi were wasteful, and they wouldnot send their precious crew into that storm. Akagi especially. She cared for each and every one of her fairies like they were a child, and she refused to send them into a storm that may down them.

Even if that meant they had no idea what they were getting into.

"Akagi-san!"

Torn from her musing, the carrier's soft features were in 'combat' mode. The shout had come from Haruna, who was pointing into the storm front. Focusing herself, both from her scout and her own eyes, Akagi noted the flash of gunfire. It wasn't directed at her, nor her comrades. Which meant, in theory, that at least one of the ships in that storm was not Abyssal. But...

I know those guns.

She could recognize the report of those rifles anywhere. 41-cm, 3rd Year Type. The guns that she herself would had used, in her original form. And that were only in service aboard Nagato and Mutsu. Neither of whom were anywhere near her. So...who...?

"Desu! Desu!"

Her fairy's shrill voice had Akagi focusing on the scout, as it dove lower to the water. The storm was fully clearing, and even were it not for her scout, Akagi could see the mystery ships herself.

I...no...it...

"Akagi-sempai?" Fubuki's worried voice barely registered with the carrier.

For even the calm and gentle Akagi, was utterly floored by what she saw. She recognized the lead ship of the pair dueling an Abyssal Ru-class battleship. How could she not? The sleek bow, curving out into lean battlecruiser lines. A pagoda mast, if not to the same extent as the ones she knew now. Five twin-gun turrets, spread evenly along her hull. An Imperial ensign, proudly flying from her stern. Akagi would know that ship anywhere.

And that was just what she saw, before she shook her head. Focusing on the girl not the ship, Akagi saw...a mirror.

The girl had the same hair, shade and all, as her own. Only where Akagi's black locks flew back in the wind, the other girl had hers cut to her shoulders. Brown eyes, a slightly lighter shade than her own, stared out. A gentle face, so much like her own that it hurt. A face that she could faintly remember, telling her that it was okay. That even though they would be carriers, they would still be together. A face she had not seen, since that earthquake, so long ago.

"Oneechan..."

Battlecruiser Amagi. Akagi's elder sister, whom she had given up on ever seeing again. And the girl beside her, a bulky battleship, could only be Kaga's sister...Tosa. How? How were they here?

I have to save her!

Pushing aside her thoughts, her worries, Akagi plucked an arrow from her quiver. She could see Kaga doing the same, the normally stoic carrier shaking slightly. Akagi knew she was as well, as quivering hands placed the arrow in firing position. Forcing down a breath, she focused...and let the bolt fly. A flight of B5N bombers soon appeared, angling directly for the Ru-class.

Amagi, or the girl who looked achingly like her, noted that. Her words were lost in the distance, as she waved at Tosa. The two girls broke off their duel with the Abyssal, as Akagi's torpedo bombers and Kaga's dive bombers slashed into an attack. Torpedoes and fat bombs fell, bracketing the Abyssal. It was only when one of her torpedoes blew the battleship in two, that Akagi lowered her bow.

Lowered her bow, and heedless of how she looked to her juniors, rushed for the girl who had to be her sister.

"Oneechan!"

"Ak...Akagi?"

With Akagi rushing at her full speed of 31 knots, it hadn't taken her long to close the distance with the battlecruiser. The girl who had to be her sister, had been moving at her own flank speed as well after all. They had closed so fast, that Akagi couldsee the similarity. The woman looked so much like her...so much like Akagi's sister. There wasn't a way she wasn't Amagi, returned to her.

"Amagi-oneechan!" Akagi had thrown away her normal appearance, only concerned with confirming if this was her sister.

For her part, the other girl turned her turrets. Tears were in the achingly familiar brown eyes, as she held up a hand.

"Akagi. My sister..."

It is her!

Akagi recognized the voice. The gesture. The looks. This was Amagi, somehow, some way. The hand running along her cheek moved in the same way she had always imagined her sister to do. The feeling was gentle, soft. Loving.

"Amagi..." Akagi sniffled. "How are you here oneechan?"

"I could ask you the same." Amagi smiled, her voice quiet.

Yes, there were many questions that needed answered...

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 8, 2016

I feel like I may have overloaded myself on the feels with this next snip...Enterprise time.

USS Enterprise burned. Her flight deck was cratered, fires raging through her hangar. Her crew raced to put the blazes out, even as dark puffs of flak fire filled the sky. Burning planes fell into the water, their tell-tale 'meatball' wings blackened and torn. And still, more came. American gunners filled the air with fire, but the Japanese still came. Plane after plane fell to a watery grave. And yet more came. It was the fiercest attack Enterprise had endured, overtaking even the recent Battle of the Eastern Solomons.

But through it all, the gallant carrier fought on.

Despite pain and smoke, she fought on. Despite her crew, hurt and scared, being pushed to their limits. She. Fought. On.

She had failed her beloved older sister at Midway. She had lost Wasp, as the damage she sustained at the Eastern Solomons lamed her. She could not find it in herself to blame Sister- Aunt -Sara for her own failings in not being there to save little Wasp. Enterprise could never blame her. It was her own failing, her own weakness, that had seen her two sisters fall. Enterprise made a vow, under repair and refit in Pearl Harbor, with the scorched keel of Oklahoma facing the sky and the burned husk of Arizona staring her in the face. She had sworn that she would fight and survive, and never see another of her sisters fall before her.

"I will not let Hornet fall."

That was what she had sworn that day. And so, Enterprise fought on. Through the pain of her own damage, her hull ripped and torn. Oil leaking into the water around her, as blood leaked into her clothing. She kept fighting.

"I will not fail again."

Enterprise breathed out, red eyes focused entirely on the sky above her. She had noted little Smith, burning brightly. But still fighting, just as Enterprise herself was. She had equally noted young South Dakota, the brand new battleship throwing so much fire into the sky it almost appeared as if she was burning as well. Enterprise noted this, and so many other things. But her attention remained focused on the sky.

Focused on the lean forms of Japanese torpedo bombers. Kates. The machines that had crippled Lex and lead to her death. The ones who had ruined Oklahoma, and done such grievous harm to California and West Virginia. Enterprise knew these planes. She knew the danger.

Without any action on her part, her cred moved her guns. Everything from her old five inch guns, to the brand new 40mm Bofors that so much had hinged upon. Her tortured hull swung into a tight turn, her escorts matching the movement save for poor little Smith.

"You will not sink me today."

She would not fall. Enterprise had too much to lose, to fall now.

"I will survive, and defeat each and every one of you. For Yorktown. For Wasp. For Lexington. For Langley."

Even as the torpedoes shot through the water, missing her by the scantest feet, Enterprise continued mentally listing off the names of the fallen. Houston. Edsall. Oklahoma. Arizona. These girls, and so many others. She would avenge them, no matter what it took.

And as the last of the Japanese bombers fled the field of battle, their payloads expended and the American taskgroup battered but standing tall, Enterprise let out a sigh. She hurt. Her hull ached, her body in pain she had only felt once before. But she still stood tall, her crew already setting to work to get her operational again. Little Smith pulled up alongside her again, the destroyer blackened by fire but still training her stern guns at the sky.

We won. They will be back, but we won.

Enterprise let her legs carry her to the side of her bridge, faintly registering the orders bouncing through her crew. She was prepared to slide down, rest and recover for the inevitable second strike. At least, she was prepared until an ice-cold jolt of panic ran through her system.

"Hornet is listing sir. Her engines are out."

Hornet...no no no no no.

The carrier was immediately by her Admiral's side. Her own pain was forgotten. Her stoic determination was forgotten. The Big E was gone, replaced by the damaged and worried Little E. Her last sister...the only family she had left, aside from her Aunts Ranger and Sara. She couldn't lose Hornet. She had vowed that she would be safe. Enterprise couldn't lose her last sister. She...she...

"Northampton has set up a towline, and they're moving out of the combat zone at five knots."

"Good. Do we have any birds that are ready for a CAP?"

A wave of relief ran through Enterprise. Her Admiral was going to protect her sister!

"No, sir. Our pilots are exhausted and with our elevator out of action...we don't have the time to land any birds and rearm them."

Holding a hand to her heart, Enterprise felt the scared girl inside of her come rushing to the surface. The girl who missed her sisters so dearly, came back. Fear for Hornet overrode all her logic. Fear for her sister. Fear that her vow was meaningless. How could she protect her baby sister, like this?

She had failed, again. Unless her crew could get her sufficiently in action to get fighters back in the air, she had failed.

Failed.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Fall back."

"No! Don't leave Hornet behind!"

"Inform Hornet and Northampton to make best speed out of the combat area. Godspeed, and good luck."

Enterprise, an arm hanging limply by her side- the lingering reminder of yet more damage -could only watch as Admiral Kinkaid consigned her sister to her fate. Her last sister. The baby sister she had vowed to protect, at all costs. Enterprise knew she was damaged. She could feel each and every tear and rend in her hull. She could feel the pain in her body, telling her that she needed dock time...fighting was suicidal. But she...she couldn't leave Hornet behind!

But...she had no choice.

'Big E' had no control of her hull. She was a silent observer, who could do nothing but watch. She saw every line of regret in Admiral Kinkaid's face. He knew what he was doing. He regretted it. But he was a soldier. He would sacrifice the few, to save the many. Enterprise was relatively undamaged, in comparison to her crippled sister. If it was down to saving one carrier or losing both, her Admiral would make the former decision every time.

No matter how it hurt the older carrier. How could he know what she felt?

Hornet...

"Hornet acknowledges."

"We've done what we can. Get us out of here."

Her tortured hull pushing as fast as she could manage, Enterprise turned away from her Admiral. Her eyes looked to the horizon, where the smoke of Hornet's fires was still visible. Her bloodied hand, the only one she could lift, held out to her sister. Her baby sister, so brave. The girl who had launched the Doolittle Raid, and fought so hard ever since. Left behind.

Enterprise sucked in a shaky breath. Burnt and split lips open and close. Her hand moves from it's position, as her bloodied hair shifts slightly. She has to...she has to do this. Has to apologize to her baby sister.

"Hornet?"

The carrier knows not if her radio communication will work. At the distance they were from each other...

"Little E?" Hornet's voice is labored, pain clear in every syllable. The baby of the Yorktowns groaned in pain every time she let out a breath.

"Did you...?"

"Hear? Yeah. It's shitty luck, but I know."

Wiping her face, Enterprise felt a weak smile twist her lips. Hornet...never did change, did she?

"I'm sorry. I should be here to protect you, but I..."

A hacking cough cuts 'Big E' off, "Hey you. Don't you dare apologize. Damn it, Little E. I don't want you blaming yourself for what happened to me. You're supposed to be the big sister, remember? Don't worry about me...I'm too tough to let something like this finish me off. The damn Japs won't sink this carrier. Just make sure you get outta here. Shit, I can deal with a few holes."

There was the bravado that so marked the youngest Yorktown. Hornet had always felt the need to measure up to her sisters in some way, when she was so much younger in ship-terms. And that had lead her to adopt a personality full of bravado. A personality that, even now, had Enterprise laughing weakly. Her sister never would be one to let something like this stop her.

"Get home, and get better. I'll join ya soon enough, and then we can come back and give them a proper whacking!"

"Hornet..."

There was no response. Enterprise let her hand fall to her side, the smoke fading into the distance. Her legs gave out, the carrier sliding down to sit against her hull. Fat tears rolled from red eyes, as she wrapped her arms around her legs, tucking into her torso. Words ran through her mind...words she would remember until the day she died.

"Don't worry, Little E. It will take more than this to sink your big sister!"

"Get back to Pearl, I can handle this for now! I may be small, but I can fight!"

"Get home and get better..."

Each of her sisters. Those were the last words she had heard from Yorktown and Wasp. What if these were the last words she ever heard from Hornet? If her sister didn't make it...she would be all alone. The last of the Yorktowns. The last American fleet carrier, sans Sara and Ranger. All alone against Japan.

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Loneliness.

Enterprise had never thought she would feel it before. She had been the youngest American carrier until Wasp had been built, with all that implied. She had Langley, the closest thing the carrier could call a 'mother'. She had Lex and Sara and Ranger, all like doting aunts to her. And then there was her beloved sisters. Strong, brave Yorktown. Excitable and larger than life Wasp. Bull headed and full of bravado Hornet. Enterprise...Little E...had all of those girls and more. And she had lost them all now, save for Sara and Ranger. Lost them to the war, to death. To her own failures.

Little E...she was a failure, and buried deeply. Big E, the Grey Ghost, was all that was left. She fought Japan, because she must. Her anger had burnt out long ago. Nothing was left but a desire to see this war through to the end, to make her sisters proud.

That single-minded determination had cut Enterprise off from her successors. Essex, always eager to please in a way that painfully reminded Enterprise of her own youth. Yorktown, the girl who bore her beloved elder sibling's name. But not her personality or relation to Enterprise. Lexington, who didn't recognize Sara. Something that Enterprise knew devastated the elder girl. Wasp, stoic and quiet...and completely unlike her namesake. And Hornet, the one who truly was nothing like her namesake in any way. So different, that even Admiral Mitscher considered her as...different.

"This is not my old girl. She bears her name, but she is not her."

Even so, Enterprise knew she should make an effort to get to know them. They weren't her sisters, but they could be. But...she couldn't. Just as they could never take the place of her fallen sisters in her heart, Enterprise could never bring herself to allow them to try.

Far better to be alone, than face that pain.

And, so, here she was. Sailing with several of the Essex girls, preparing for a final showdown with the Japanese fleet. The Philippine Sea was almost clogged with American ships and planes. The Big Blue Blanket, as it had been nicknamed. Swarms of Hellcats flew above the carriers, prepared to intercept any and all Japanese attackers. Avengers and Dauntless bombers, joined by the newer Helldiver, loaded weapons.

"Fire and death. I am...tired. So tired."

Where once the dull roar of her crew running to and fro may have excited Enterprise, now it just drove a spike into her heart. What if she failed again? That worry was always in the back of her mind.

And always would be.

"We're getting an updated report on Japanese forces, Admiral."

Enterprise turned weary eyes on her Admiral. John Reeves...formerly commander of her younger sister, Wasp. The man nodded to her Captain, as he took the report in hand. His eyes scanned it, as Enterprise watched.

She watched, as Admiral Reeves' hands shook. His eyes widened, a low curse escaping his lips. Enterprise, roused from her perpetually weary state, walked over to the Admiral. She had never seen such a reaction from him...had the Japanese built new carriers? It would be unlikely, but not impossible. Still, her tired mind was awoken, interest leading her to look over his shoulder.

"No. Impossible!"

Only for Enterprise to fall back, her body crashing against the wall of her bridge. Red eyes widened, tears coming to them. A knife had been jabbed into her heart, twisting and turning. Her legs gave out under her, the carrier falling to her deck. Her mind was blank, lost. Her heart painfully beat in her chest. Her emotions were shot.

All from one line.

USS Hornet, CV-8 in formation with Japanese strike force.

There were further details. Details on the Japanese twisting and torturing her sister into something else. Her lean funnels trunked up like that new armored carrier that looked like a Brit ship. Her anti-air suite torn apart and replaced with scores of Jap weapons. A Rising Sun flying proudly from her mast, in place of the Stars and Stripes.

Her baby sister had been turned into a Japanese fleet carrier. Her baby sister she had left to die. Enterprise had been ruined by that decision. It had not been her own. She had no choice but to do it. Even so, she had always blamed herself. Deep down in her heart, where Little E remained, Enterprise had always blamed herself. It had been her failure to keep her vow, that had let Hornet sink.

Only, she had no sunk. She had been taken as a war prize, and turned into an enemy. Her baby sister, turned into her foe.

Enterprise would have to fight her baby sister.

Enterprise would have to kill her sister.

Hornet would have to sink.

And there was not a damn thing she could do about it. Enterprise knew this. Even as she felt her heart being torn into pieces, she knew this. Even as she felt the last of her old self buried even deeper...she knew this. Big E, the Grey Ghost, would have to fight and kill her last sister.

What cruel fate was this?

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Decades later, Enterprise stood in front of an aging aircraft carrier. The old girl was lovingly maintained, by both Japanese and American funds. She had been sitting here, in Pearl Harbor, for decades. Ever since she had been returned after the war, she had been here. Left here, as a memorial to the War. A ship that had served both America and Japan. The last of the pre-War United States Navy carriers. The last of the Yorktown-class carriers.

Even though she bore more Japanese lines, than any of her sisters. Her trunked funnels, so clearly based on Taihou. Her Japanese weapons. Her lines marred by rebuilds from battle damage.

Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Kouryuu. Yellow Dragon.

USS Hornet, CV-8.

Her baby sister, sleeping ever since the war ended.

Enterprise had never boarded this ship. She had come this far, standing at the bottom of the gangway aboard Kouryuu. But she had not once gone further. She loved Hornet, had never stopped loving baby Hornet. But she could not bring herself to board the ship that she had become. There were too many bad memories. Too many painful memories, of fighting this girl. It took everything she had, to even get this close.

Her elder sister had no such problems. Enterprise knew that Yorktown, kind and loving Yorktown, came here every day. She had pulled God only knew how many strings, to have all of the Yorktown sisters stationed by their baby sister. And every day since they had been stationed here, she came. Yorktown boarded Kouryuu, constantly trying to get through to their captured sibling.

'Little E, we can't leave her like this. She's our baby sister, and I won't let her stay like this. We will get her back.'

So Yorktown had said, but all Enterprise had been able to do was give a weak half smile and shake her head.

I know that we have to get Hornet back. But...I...I just can't. I can't board her. It would be too painful. It's almost too painful just being this close.

Sighing heavily, Enterprise turned away. Her legs carried her to a nearby bench, where she sat every time Yorktown attempted to get through to Hornet. It had become a daily ritual, and part of the 'Grey Ghost' didn't expect it to ever work. Hornet was...she was buried, so deep. Summoning from a museum ship was possible, but only if the girl wanted to come back. Missouri had come back the moment Arizona had, in a protective rage at Abyssals who dared to hurt her charge.

Yet, Iowa still slept.

As did Hornet. Her sister likely had no desire to come back. Enterprise could not find it in herself to blame her. Hornet...if any girl had a right to sleep, it was her. Enterprise knew what it was like, better than anyone. She so longed to have her sister back...but she was not going to force her. If Hornet desired to sleep, then she should sleep.

"Yorktown will keep trying. I know my sister."

Yorktown and Wasp, for that matter. She knew both were aboard Kouryuu at that very moment, attempting to get through. The odds of it working were...

"Commander Enterprise?" The rough voice of a Marine came over her radio, dragging the weary carrier from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"The summoning worked."

Enterprise felt her hands drop, as she jumped to her feet. She didn't hear the remaining words. She didn't hear the ecstatic shout of Wasp. All she heard was the simple words.

It worked.

Hornet...

Previous discomfort pushed aside, Enterprise sprinted as fast as her boilers could push her. Her long legs drove her up the gangway, into the old hull of IJN Kouryuu. Drove her deep into the ship, to where she knew Yorktown was, despite never boarding this ship. She only stopped, upon reaching a bulkhead. Enterprise could hear the sound of crying behind it. The familiar voice...the voice she had not heard, since that fateful day at Santa Cruz. That she had never dreamed she would hear again.

Even now, it drove a knife into her heart.

But she forced her way past that. She opened the hatch, stepping into the room. Her arms were crossed, the half-smile she always wore to hide her pain firmly in place. Pain that needed to be hidden.

Yorktown...Wasp...Hornet...

For she saw her sisters. Wasp, littlest Yorktown, standing off to the side. Yorktown, red hair hiding her face, as she hugged a girl tightly to her. A girl who could only be Hornet. Her Japanese uniform twisted the knife further, but the pain lessened slightly when Enterprise saw her blond hair. Hair the same shade as her own. The pain weakened yet further, when Hornet turned to face her.

Her baby sister pulled herself to shaky feet, looking directly in Enterprise's eyes. Brown on red. Baby sister and war-weary legend. Sisters torn apart by fate, forced to fight each other. Sisters who had done their best to kill one another.

But there was no hate in Enterprise. She merely opened her arms. Tears fought to escape her eyes, as she looked at the girl she had wanted to see for so long. The girl she had wanted to properly apologize to, ever since leaving her at Santa Cruz. But had never had the chance.

"Hello, baby sister." The Grey Ghost finally spoke. Her voice had softened, as she looked in Hornet's eyes. "I missed you."

Enterprise barely shifted, when Hornet ran forward. She merely wrapped her arms around her sobbing sister, holding her close. Her baby sister was babbling apologies into her shoulder, and Enterprise...she felt her walls shatter. Her eyes, eyes that had not shed proper tears in so long, were wet. She ran a hand through Hornet's hair, turning her red eyes on her other sisters.

Yorktown and Wasp understood the message, coming forward to wrap Hornet and Enterprise in a group hug.

We're together again. And I will never let anything tear us apart!

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 10, 2016

In other news, reworking the third snip to make a more dedicated Enterprise thing:

USS Enterprise burned. Her flight deck was cratered, fires raging through her hangar. Her crew raced to put the blazes out, even as dark puffs of flak fire filled the sky. Burning planes fell into the water, their tell-tale 'meatball' wings blackened and torn. And still, more came. American gunners filled the air with fire, but the Japanese still came. Plane after plane fell to a watery grave. And yet more came. It was the fiercest attack Enterprise had endured, overtaking even the recent Battle of the Eastern Solomons.

But through it all, the gallant carrier fought on.

Despite pain and smoke, she fought on. Despite her crew, hurt and scared, being pushed to their limits. She. Fought. On.

She had failed her beloved older sister at Midway. She had lost Wasp, as the damage she sustained at the Eastern Solomons lamed her. She could not find it in herself to blame Sister- Aunt -Sara for her own failings in not being there to save little Wasp. Enterprise could never blame her. It was her own failing, her own weakness, that had seen her two sisters fall. Enterprise made a vow, under repair and refit in Pearl Harbor, with the scorched keel of Oklahoma facing the sky and the burned husk of Arizona staring her in the face. She had sworn that she would fight and survive, and never see another of her sisters fall before her.

"I will not let Hornet fall."

That was what she had sworn that day. And so, Enterprise fought on. Through the pain of her own damage, her hull ripped and torn. Oil bleeding into the water around her, as blood leaked into her clothing. She kept fighting.

"I will not fail again."

Enterprise breathed out, red eyes focused entirely on the sky above her. She had noted little Smith, burning brightly. But still fighting, just as Enterprise herself was. She had equally noted young South Dakota, the brand new battleship throwing so much fire into the sky it almost appeared as if she was burning as well. Enterprise noted this, and so many other things. But her attention remained focused on the sky.

Focused on the lean forms of Japanese torpedo bombers. Kates. The machines that had crippled Lex and lead to her death. The ones who had ruined Oklahoma, and done such grievous harm to California and West Virginia. Enterprise knew these planes. She knew the danger.

Without any action on her part, her cred moved her guns. Everything from her old five inch guns, to the brand new 40mm Bofors that so much had hinged upon. Her tortured hull swung into a tight turn, her escorts matching the movement save for poor little Smith.

"You will not sink me today."

She would not fall. Enterprise had too much to lose, to fall now.

"I will survive, and defeat each and every one of you. For Yorktown. For Wasp. For Lexington. For Langley."

Even as the torpedoes shot through the water, missing her by the scantest feet, Enterprise continued mentally listing off the names of the fallen. Houston. Edsall. Oklahoma. Arizona. These girls, and so many others. She would avenge them, no matter what it took.

And as the last of the Japanese bombers fled the field of battle, their payloads expended and the American taskgroup battered but standing tall, Enterprise let out a sigh. She hurt. Her hull ached, her body in pain she had only felt once before. But she still stood tall, her crew already setting to work to get her operational again. Little Smith pulled up alongside her again, the destroyer blackened by fire but still training her stern guns at the sky.

We won. They will be back, but we won.

Enterprise let her legs carry her to the side of her bridge, faintly registering the orders bouncing through her crew. She was prepared to slide down, rest and recover for the inevitable second strike. At least, she was prepared until an ice-cold jolt of panic ran through her system.

"Hornet is listing sir. Her engines are out."

Hornet...no no no no no.

The carrier was immediately by her Admiral's side. Her own pain was forgotten. Her stoic determination was forgotten. The Big E was gone, replaced by the damaged and worried Little E. Her last sister...the only family she had left, aside from her Aunts Ranger and Sara. She couldn't lose Hornet. She had vowed that she would be safe. Enterprise couldn't lose her last sister. She...she...

"Northampton has set up a towline, and they're moving out of the combat zone at five knots."

"Good. Do we have any birds that are ready for a CAP?"

A wave of relief ran through Enterprise. Her Admiral was going to protect her sister!

"No, sir. Our pilots are exhausted and with our elevator out of action...we don't have the time to land any birds and rearm them."

Holding a hand to her heart, Enterprise felt the scared girl inside of her come rushing to the surface. The girl who missed her sisters so dearly, came back. Fear for Hornet overrode all her logic. Fear for her sister. Fear that her vow was meaningless. How could she protect her baby sister, like this?

She had failed, again. Unless her crew could get her sufficiently in action to get fighters back in the air, she had failed.

Failed.

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"Fall back."

"No! Don't leave Hornet behind!"

"Inform Hornet and Northampton to make best speed out of the combat area. Godspeed, and good luck."

Enterprise, an arm hanging limply by her side- the lingering reminder of yet more damage -could only watch as Admiral Kinkaid consigned her sister to her fate. Her last sister. The baby sister she had vowed to protect, at all costs. Enterprise knew she was damaged. She could feel each and every tear and rend in her hull. She could feel the pain in her body, telling her that she needed dock time...fighting was suicidal. But she...she couldn't leave Hornet behind!

But...she had no choice.

'Big E' had no control of her hull. She was a silent observer, who could do nothing but watch. She saw every line of regret in Admiral Kinkaid's face. He knew what he was doing. He regretted it. But he was a soldier. He would sacrifice the few, to save the many. Enterprise was relatively undamaged, in comparison to her crippled sister. If it was down to saving one carrier or losing both, her Admiral would make the former decision every time.

No matter how it hurt the older carrier. How could he know what she felt?

Hornet...

"Hornet acknowledges."

"We've done what we can. Get us out of here."

Her tortured hull pushing as fast as she could manage, Enterprise turned away from her Admiral. Her eyes looked to the horizon, where the smoke of Hornet's fires was still visible. Her bloodied hand, the only one she could lift, held out to her sister. Her baby sister, so brave. The girl who had launched the Doolittle Raid, and fought so hard ever since. Left behind.

Enterprise sucked in a shaky breath. Burnt and split lips open and close. Her hand moves from it's position, as her bloodied hair shifts slightly. She has to...she has to do this. Has to apologize to her baby sister.

"Hornet?"

The carrier knows not if her radio communication will work. At the distance they were from each other...

"Little E?" Hornet's voice is labored, pain clear in every syllable. The baby of the Yorktowns groaned in pain every time she let out a breath.

"Did you...?"

"Hear? Yeah. It's shitty luck, but I know."

Wiping her face, Enterprise felt a weak smile twist her lips. Hornet...never did change, did she?

"I'm sorry. I should be here to protect you, but I..."

A hacking cough cuts 'Big E' off, "Hey you. Don't you dare apologize. Damn it, Little E. I don't want you blaming yourself for what happened to me. You're supposed to be the big sister, remember? Don't worry about me...I'm too tough to let something like this finish me off. The damn Japs won't sink this carrier. Just make sure you get outta here. Shit, I can deal with a few holes."

There was the bravado that so marked the youngest Yorktown. Hornet had always felt the need to measure up to her sisters in some way, when she was so much younger in ship-terms. And that had lead her to adopt a personality full of bravado. A personality that, even now, had Enterprise laughing weakly. Her sister never would be one to let something like this stop her.

"Get home, and get better. I'll join ya soon enough, and then we can come back and give them a proper whacking!"

"Hornet..."

There was no response. Enterprise let her hand fall to her side, the smoke fading into the distance. Her legs gave out, the carrier sliding down to sit against her hull. Fat tears rolled from red eyes, as she wrapped her arms around her legs, tucking into her torso. Words ran through her mind...words she would remember until the day she died.

"Don't worry, Little E. It will take more than this to sink your big sister!"

"Get back to Pearl, I can handle this for now! I may be small, but I can fight!"

"Get home and get better..."

Each of her sisters. Those were the last words she had heard from Yorktown and Wasp. What if these were the last words she ever heard from Hornet? If her sister didn't make it...she would be all alone. The last of the Yorktowns. The last American fleet carrier, sans Sara and Ranger. All alone against Japan.

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Loneliness.

Enterprise had never thought she would feel it before. She had been the youngest American carrier until Wasp had been built, with all that implied. She had Langley, the closest thing the carrier could call a 'mother'. She had Lex and Sara and Ranger, all like doting aunts to her. And then there was her beloved sisters. Strong, brave Yorktown. Excitable and larger than life Wasp. Bull headed and full of bravado Hornet. Enterprise...Little E...had all of those girls and more. And she had lost them all now, save for Sara and Ranger. Lost them to the war, to death. To her own failures.

Little E...she was a failure, and buried deeply. Big E, the Grey Ghost, was all that was left. She fought Japan, because she must. Her anger had burnt out long ago. Nothing was left but a desire to see this war through to the end, to make her sisters proud.

That single-minded determination had cut Enterprise off from her successors. Essex, always eager to please in a way that painfully reminded Enterprise of her own youth. Yorktown, the girl who bore her beloved elder sibling's name. But not her personality or relation to Enterprise. Lexington, who didn't recognize Sara. Something that Enterprise knew devastated the elder girl. Wasp, stoic and quiet...and completely unlike her namesake. And Hornet, the one who...the only one who was like her sister. But that had made it even more important to cut her off. For all that Admiral Mitscher claimed she was the same Hornet.

Enterprise...she couldn't bring herself to get to know her. It was too painful.

Even so, Enterprise knew she should make an effort to get to know them. They weren't her sisters, but they could be. But...she couldn't. Just as they could never take the place of her fallen sisters in her heart, Enterprise could never bring herself to allow them to try.

Far better to be alone, than face that pain.

And, so, here she was. Sailing with several of the Essex girls, preparing for a final showdown with the Japanese fleet. The Philippine Sea was almost clogged with American ships and planes. The Big Blue Blanket, as it had been nicknamed. Swarms of Hellcats flew above the carriers, prepared to intercept any and all Japanese attackers. Avengers and Dauntless bombers, joined by the newer Helldiver, loaded weapons.

"Fire and death. I am...tired. So tired."

Where once the dull roar of her crew running to and fro may have excited Enterprise, now it just drove a spike into her heart. What if she failed again? That worry was always in the back of her mind.

And always would be.

"We're getting an updated report on Japanese forces, Admiral."

Enterprise turned weary eyes on her Admiral. John Reeves...formerly commander of her younger sister, Wasp. The man nodded to her Captain, as he took the report in hand. His eyes scanned it, as Enterprise watched. She watched, if only to know who she would fight. It mattered to her...deep down. Deep down, buried away like so many other things, was a desire for...revenge. Yes.

She hated herself, knowing how Yorktown would think. Her sister would tell her it was war, and that letting it get personal was dangerous. But Enterprise...she couldn't help it. She knew it was a submarine that had sank two of her sisters. But Hornet, her brave baby sister, had been sunk by two carriers in particular.

"Shoukaku and Zuikaku. They aren't holding back."

That was all Enterprise needed to hear. Red eyes turned to the horizon, where her old foes sailed. Perhaps, she could at least avenge her sisters. She had failed them. Yorktown. Wasp. Hornet. Enterprise had failed all three of them, their death's on her head. Their blood on her hands. But, perhaps, she could at least do this much. It wouldn't bring them back.

But she would not let anyone else fall. She would sink those carriers, the last remnant of the force that had caused so much pain and death. She would not fail at this.

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Decades later, Enterprise stood in front of an aging aircraft carrier. The old girl was lovingly maintained, by so many people. She had been sitting here, in San Francisco, for decades. Ever since she had been turned into a museum ship, like several of her sisters. Her legacy, far from being a warfighter, was in what she taught visitors. Children ran through her halls, their laughter in stark contrast to the screams of dying men.

Shivering slightly, Enterprise pushed those memories aside, if barely.

She was not here to relive the past. Relive her past. She was here, a place she didn't like, only because her sister was here. That place being:

USS Hornet, CV-12.

The carrier that bore the name of her baby sister, who still slumbered.

Enterprise had never boarded this ship. She had come this far, standing at the bottom of the gangway aboard Hornet. But she had not once gone further. She loved Hornet, had never stopped loving baby Hornet. But she could not bring herself to board this ship. There were too many bad memories. Too many painful memories, of her own failure. Perhaps she wouldn't have felt this way, in other circumstances. She had no such issues with Yorktown, CV-10. Perhaps, that was for a simple reason though.

Yorktown, her sister, had come back. As had her successor.

Hornet, however, had not. Neither her sister, nor the ship in front of her. Couple that with her memories of pushing aside CV-12, despite how painfully similar she was to her baby sister? Enterprise could be forgiven for her reactions. It was...it was painful for her, to even get this close. Both because her baby sister had yet to come back, and because of how she had treated her successor. And, as a traitorous part of her mind whispered...

How I treated Hornet. Lord...if she had come back like Admiral Mitscher said. If this girl was my sister, how much must she hate me?

Her elder sister had no such problems. Enterprise knew that Yorktown, kind and loving Yorktown, came here every day. She had pulled God only knew how many strings, to have all of the Yorktown sisters stationed by their baby sister's namesake. And every day since they had been stationed here, she came. Yorktown boarded Hornet, constantly trying to get through to their slumbering sibling. Even if it turned out that this girl was not their sister.

'Little E, we can't leave her like this. She's our baby sister, and I won't let her stay like this. We will get her back.'

So Yorktown had said, but all Enterprise had been able to do was give a weak half smile and shake her head.

I know that we have to get Hornet back. But...I...I just can't. I can't board her. It would be too painful. It's almost too painful just being this close.

Sighing heavily, Enterprise turned away. Her legs carried her to a nearby bench, where she sat every time Yorktown attempted to get through to Hornet. It had become a daily ritual, and part of the 'Grey Ghost' didn't expect it to ever work. Hornet was...she was buried, so deep. That was the only explanation that made sense. Moreover, summoning from a museum ship was possible, but only if the girl wanted to come back. Missouri had come back the moment Arizona had, in a protective rage at Abyssals who dared to hurt her charge. Yorktown, Yorkie more appropriately, had come back in much the same way.

But Hornet slept.

"Yorktown, Wasp," Enterprise sighed, pulling down her tattered cap. "I wish I could help you."

And Enterprise waited, hoping her sister would come back, but unable to help. She sighed heavily, holding a hand to her face. It came back wet, with familiar tears. For all that she wasn't Little E any longer, she still cried. Big E...Grey Ghost...people expected a stoic hero, who could take whatever you threw at her and come out with a smirk on her face. Enterprise was not that girl, never had been. She fought because she had to fight. She fought to honor the memory of her sisters.

And she cried, as well. She mourned all the losses she had seen in the war. Enterprise put up a stoic front when she was with others, because they expected it. But when she was alone, she was...just a hurt girl. Forced to fight, to grow up. The little girl who had been so eager to have her siblings proud of her. She was gone, but the girl who took her place retained enough to feel the pain whenever people looked at her with adoration.

I don't deserve it. I was lucky, nothing more, nothing less. My sisters...I failed them. I failed so many.

Sighing once more, Enterprise got to her feet. Staying by Hornet's side always made her more melancholic. Yorktown and Wasp would let her know...if anything changed. For now, she would rest and remember. Remember the girl she regretted leaving behind, so many years ago.

Yeah...I feel like my Big E trends more towards Shigure than anything else. Which to me, makes sense. Maybe that's just me.

This new snip series would likely go like so:

Each sister would have a portion like the start. Meaning, Wasp and Yorktown in this case. Each would probably have a summoning scene. Once both the sisters are back, it would probably be a 'these three together' segment, before Hornet is summoned in the snip after that one.

In theory, anyway. Hopefully this one worked better!

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 12, 2016

Moving away from the Americans, the second snip in the 'AU Sisters' idea. Moving to Kaga and Tosa, though it's a bit shorter.

ALSO

I am aware that the world those two come from (and indeed, the world that the other AU sisters eventually pop up from), is hilariously unrealistic. That is intentional. Just pointing that out, for when it comes to that point in the snip.

Sisters II

"This should be impossible."

"Indeed."

"How are you here, onee-san?"

"I don't know."

Kaga frowned, ever so slightly, as she sailed alongside someone she had never thought she would see again. Tosa, her elder sister. The girl she had idolized, so long ago. The girl she had missed, so deeply. Kaga had recognized her the moment she saw her, come out of that storm. She could never forget. Her hand came up to the blue ribbon in her hair, the ribbon that was the one mark of her battleship ancestry she retained.

For Tosa had an identical band in her own hair, tying it back in a mid-length ponytail down her back.

Letting her hand fall limply to her side, Kaga's dull eyes moved over to her long-time friend. Almost a sister, in fact. And she saw Akagi happier, perhaps, than she had ever been. Her kind partner was eagerly talking with her sister Amagi, the pair almost identical save for the difference in equipment and hair style. For her part, an ever so slight smile crossed Kaga's face. She was...well, her stoic demeanor was in large part because she didn't feel emotions in the same way most did. But even she felt the warmth of happiness in her heart, when she saw Akagi's shining eyes and wide grin.

"It's good to see, isn't it?" Tosa spoke softly, making her younger sister turn her head back.

"Yes." Kaga agreed. "It is. I have never seen Akagi-san this happy."

A sad smile crossed Tosa's face, "Nor have I seen Amagi-chan that happy. She missed her sister, dearly Kaga. As have I."

The battleship slid over, placing her arm on Kaga's shoulder. Were it anyone else, save for Akagi, the blue-clad carrier would have pulled away. She was not...overly fond, of physical contact. Never had been. But this was her sister. Her sister, returned to her, somehow. Kaga would allow the touch...her small smile only fading when her sister's words came to her.

As have...

"Onee-san, what do you mean?" Kaga pulled away, inquisitive brown eyes looking up at her sister.

"Yes?" Tosa frowned slightly.

"You said that you missed me as well."

Now, clearly, Kaga knew she had not been with her sister. On the other hand, the way she spoke implied that her and Amagi had been alive. Not sleeping.

"Ah." Her sister's face twisted slightly, the one major difference becoming more apparent. Tosa's blue eyes, so much more expressive than Kaga's brown- almost yellow -ones.

And right now, they were expressing deep pain and sorrow, that had Kaga clenching her fist. An entirely unlike her desire to make whoever hurt her sister pay. Forcing out a steadying breath, Kaga unlcenched her hand. The old carrier centered herself, drawing on her kyodo training. It wouldn't do to upset her sister further.

If Tosa saw her conflict, she didn't comment. Instead, she merely turned a sad smile on the younger girl, "I survived, where you did not, Kaga. The Naval Treaties our nation signed only allowed for a single battleship and battlecruiser to be completed as such...myself and Amagi. I was further along, and as such..."

Tosa sighed heavily.

"Akagi-chan, was slated for conversion to an aircraft carrier, along with her younger sister Atago. However, the..."

"Great Kanto Earthquake." Kaga finished for her sister, the memory still fresh in her own mind. "I assume it crippled her, instead of Amagi?"

If it were anyone else talking about this, like they were from a different world entirely? Kaga would have moved away, and let Kongou handle her. Kongou, who had more than enough...uniqueness...to deal with it. But her sister? She was the one person that even ever-skeptical Kaga would believe, without question. No matter how strange the tale, she trusted her sister. And she knew her, far too well, to believe this girl was not Tosa.

As such, she would believe her.

"It would appear so." Tosa's smile grew weaker. "Work had already begun on scrapping you, my dear sister. Too much work, to convert you. The material from your scrapping, from Akagi-chan's scrapping...it was used to finish a new carrier, though she was never like either of you. I have missed you dearly, ever since."

"As I have missed you." Kaga's smile turned melancholic, as she looked at her sister. "I have missed you, onee-san."

Tosa didn't reply with words, merely wrapping her arm back around her sister. Kaga appreciated it...words could not convey what she felt. And her sister would understand that.

And so, they merely sailed in silence, as Amagi and Akagi excitedly chattered away.

Skywalker's Snip Stockpile

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Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

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