Surrender

"This isn't looking good."

Fuji's words cut into Myōkō's mind, waking her from her mental slumber. She was sitting cross-legged in a corner of the Admiral's Cabin onboard Fuji, a shock blanket wrapped around her.

Fuji and Hasegawa were on the other side of the room, looking over sea charts.

What had happened?

They had been fleeing from Yokosuka, and then both the Westarians and the Imperial battleships had found them.

The battleships had fired, and then... then what?

She looked up at the clock hanging above an ornate desk. Its hands clearly showed that it was half past two, which meant that she had been out for several hours, at least.

"What's going on?" she asked, forcing herself to her feet. Her body was weak, and she struggled to lift her own weight. Her voice was thick, and her question slurred together like a single word.

Fuji and Hasegawa both turned their heads to look at her, visibly surprised.

Hasegawa rushed to her side.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? Do you need to lie down?"

He bombarded her with questions, worry on his face.

Fuji stood in place, a flat expression on her face, as she began to fill Myōkō in on the details.

"You got hit by three shells from Kongō. You lost your 'C' turret and aft superstructure, and the third shell penetrated your citadel. You got knocked out cold, and almost lost half your head, and the Admiral took some shrapnel in his arm."

Hasegawa had gotten hurt?

No.

That was impossible.

He should have been safe inside her hull.

How could she have failed him like that?

She saw the bloody bedsheets wrapped around his arm as a bandage, the trail of blood that led from the door to where he stood now.

Fuji continued.

"I returned fire, and sank the Imperial battleships. Yamato's forces withdrew, and engaged the Westarians. I've been towing you for about six hours now, and we're being pursued by a Westarian heavy cruiser."

"And, to make matters worse," added Hasegawa, "the cruiser is being pursued by several squadrons of Imperial aircraft."

***

Salem was now broadcasting as hard as she could, sending surrender messages to the Builder. At the same time, she was fighting off wave after wave of Imperial bombers, as their numbers only grew and grew.

Torpedoes were rushing in every direction around her, forming a deadly net that was slowly squeezing tighter as turned and dodged them. Her anti-air guns had just about run out of ammunition, and once they did, she was done for.

She sent another plea to the battleship, begging for assistance. She knew that it wasn't likely, and that the Builder most likely saw her as an enemy, but it was her only hope. Otherwise, what had Bennington died for? What had Columbus given her life for? Why had they died, if she would let them down and join them in the end?

Another squadron of torpedo bombers dove towards her, lining themselves up to hit her along her port side. They got lower and lower, ready to drop their deadly payload into the water below.

Then, they scattered.

A dozen Imperial floatplanes flew behind them, firing at them with their machine guns. They split apart, each choosing a target to hunt down. 

Why were Imperial planes fighting each other? Unless... these planes had been launched by the Builder's ships.

Salem turned to look at her target, and saw that she was staring straight at the cruiser Myōkō, which was heading right at her, and the full broadside of the battleship 'Margaret'.

Both of them unleashed the entire firepower of their anti-aircraft armaments, as their planes hunted down any bombers that tried to flee.

Salem was in awe of the power being shown by the two ships. There were hundreds of Imperial planes, but they were being torn to pieces in this display of force. In a few minutes, the skies were clear, except for the floatplanes returning to the ships that had launched them.

Myōkō began to pull alongside her, her guns all levelled at Salem's citadel. It felt wrong to her, but Salem kept her guns lowered as she surrendered.

***

"So, that's the story, then?"

Hasegawa was sitting on Myōkō's deck in a folding chair. The Westarian heavy cruiser who identified herself as Salem sat in front of him, still wearing the bandages that she had applied to herself during the battle. 

When they had found her, She had been missing several fingers, and was just generally in rough shape. He had repaired her enough to ensure that she would survive, but it wasn't as though he had given her her full combat capabilities.

She had just finished explaining her side of things to them. About the orders she had received from New Jersey, the sacrifices made by her comrades, and the inevitable war between the two powers.

"I see." This was Myōkō, who was standing a few feet behind Salem, a gun in her hand. "What's your plan from here?"

Fuji interrupted Salem before she could answer.

"You better not try and take the Admiral over to Westaria."

She was sitting on top of Myōkō's 'A' turret, nursing a cup of tea.

Salem was quick to defend herself.

"Not at all!" She was visibly panicking, fearful of the consequences of making Fuji angry. "My comrades gave their lives so that I could complete my mission, and I still will do that."

Fuji's eyebrows rose at that, and her turrets began to turn to point at Salem's hull. Salem quickly continued to explain.

"My orders only said that I had to have Admiral Hasegawa onboard my deck by the deadline. I can complete my mission and follow you at the same time. All I ask is that you do not fight against Westaria, even if you do not swear your loyalty to them."

Hasegawa paused in thought. After a few moments, he came to a conclusion. 

"Alright then. You con join us, and I'll stand on your deck for a bit so that you can complete your mission."

Fuji jumped down from the turret and sighed.

"If we keep getting more ships, then we're going to become a proper fleet," she said, crossing her arms behind her head, "which means we're going to need a name."

All four of them considered options for a name. It was Myōkō who gave an answer.

"How about the 'Free Fleet'?" she asked.

The others agreed to the name, and the Free Fleet was born.