The Battle of Yokosuka - Start

December 5th, 2002 - Yokosuka - Yamato Empire

0643

Knowledge of Westaria's ultimatum to Yamato hadn't officially been made public, but word had somehow still gotten around to the entire fleet at Yokosuka, including Hasegawa, Myōkō, and Fuji.

Myōkō had started to get nervous, worried that a war might start with Westaria, and her sisters might get sent to battle. 

Fuji was far more excited. She had gotten bored of doing sea trials over and over for months on end, and wanted to test her abilities in actual combat.

As for Hasegawa, he was considering the implications that the ultimatum would have. He knew that Yamato would never give him to Westaria, and that she would gather the Imperial Navy to prevent them from capturing him. 

The battle that would ensue would surely cost lives from both sides, and Hasegawa, remembering what Mikasa had said, wanted to prevent bloodshed as much as possible. 

He would have to wait until the majority of the Navy was gathered in Tokyo, and then flee Yokosuka with Myōkō and Fuji.

That was the conclusion that Hasegawa had come to, and, the day before the deadline, the three of them were getting ready to flee, when Sakura ran by again, this time, with a much graver message.

"All forces, mobilize for combat! Fleet combat against the Westarians has begun in Tokyo!"

***

0738

Having finished her preparations to get underway, Fuji sailed out of Yokosuka, Myōkō behind her with Hasegawa on board. They began to move south, away from the fight, and towards the open waters of the Marianna Sea.

But it wasn't long before she realized that something was wrong. Her radar was picking up a large fleet, 50 ships strong, pursuing them. It was too soon for Yamato to have realized what they were doing and send forces after them, which meant that it was the Westarians, trying to capture Hasegawa and retreat to their own territory. 

She used a signal light to send the information to Myōkō, who acknowledged it. She sent back more information: an Imperial Fleet moving to intercept the Westarians. 

Fuji was slow, even for a battleship, and both fleets would catch up to them in less than an hour. Their only option would be to fight.

***

0828

Fusō had been confused when the Westarian fleet had kept going past Yokosuka, but once she got to Yokosuka, she understood. Hasegawa and Myōkō had left the island, taking Fuji with them. They had betrayed the Empire, and were sailing to some other country.

The only question was wether or not they were working with the Westarians.

It didn't matter.

They were traitors, and traitors had to be punished.

She would sink all of them, and bring back Hasegawa to Yamato.

"Fusō!"

This was Kongō. She was a few kilometres ahead of Fusō, with Ise and Hyūga, two sister battleships, right alongside her. They had entered visual range of the two enemy fleets.

"What's the situation?" Fusō asked, readying her guns.

"The Westarians are firing shots at the traitors at a range of about 25 kilometres. The traitors are not returning fire. Both fleets are heading south, but the traitors are losing their lead."

"Prepare to open fire."

***

0833

Fuji wanted to fire on the Westarians so badly. They were firing at her, after all, so couldn't she fire back? 

No.

The Admiral had said that he wanted to avoid bloodshed, so Fuji wasn't allowed to shoot at them. Instead, the plan was for both of the pursuing fleets to fight each other, giving the Admiral a chance to escape. 

That plan stopped working when the Imperial battleships that were pursuing them opened fire on them as well. 

Boom! Boom! ... Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three shells hit Myōkō, and two hit Fuji. 

Fuji had taken next to no damage; she had only lost a searchlight and one of her many anti-aircraft guns. But Myōkō was a different story.

Her 'C' turret had been destroyed, the turrets twisted upwards towards the sky like plumes of smoke from a fire.

A fire was burning in her aft superstructure, her aft mast looking like it was about to fall over. 

The third shell had penetrated her citadel armour, and - though Fuji didn't know how - , she could feel that the Admiral had been injured.

She was loyal to the Admiral. He was her creator, after all, and had given her this life. She would do anything he asked. She had told Myōkō as much not too long ago.

But this time, she had to defy his orders. His safety, more than his orders, more than her safety, was her top priority.

She could feel it from him, the same way that she had felt his injury.

The moment that he realized what she planned to do.

The plea that he made in his mind to her not to do it.

Fifteen massive explosions, layered into one incredible sound, erupted along her full broadside. The shockwave alone moved her several feet to the side.

Her guns had never felt so good as in this moment, when she fired the first shots of her life.

And she felt three shipgirls die as her 18-inch shells penetrated the armour belts of the Imperial battleships that had fired at them.