Return to Diego Garcia

February 19th, 2003 - Waters East of Diego Garcia - Southern Expanse

2034

It had been a day since the Free Fleet had encountered the Westarian Aircraft. As soon as Fuji had shot them down, Hasegawa had ordered them to turn around. Normally, the four of them discussed their plan of action together, but this was something that he wasn't willing to risk. He would take every possible measure to avoid a battle with either Westaria or Yamato, or even Tirpitz's Fleet. The other three, Fuji, Myōkō and Salem, all understood, and they followed his orders without question. 

Every two or three hours, another pair of Westarian Aircraft would appear on the horizon, and Fuji would shoot them down. Hasegawa had no doubt that the Westarians would catch up to them eventually, but he was holding out hope that he might be able to escape, the way that had every other time that they were in danger in the past. 

By the time the sun was setting on the 19th, the island of Diego Garcia was in sight on the horizon. He didn't tell the others, but Hasegawa had a bad feeling about this. Yukikaze had sent them to Diego Garcia, and when they had arrived, they had encountered Tirpitz. Now, they had been driven back to Diego Garcia a second time. The island itself was strange, half-covered by dead jungle, with the surrounding water completely poisonous and free of life. 

"Admiral!"

Hasegawa turned around. He had been standing on Fuji's bridge, where he normally was when they were traveling. Fuji popped her head around the corner of a doorway, leading to the radio room. She had probably been in touch with Myōkō and Salem.

"What is it, Fuji? Another pair of Westarian aircraft?"

She shook her head fervently.

"No, it's not. It's a lot worse. We have three separate fleets coming at us, one at our six, one at our three, and one at our nine. So far, we only have visual confirmation on destroyers. It seems to be a mixed Yamato and Westarian force."

***

2127

BOOM!

A cannon firing. Very loud; it had to be close. 

BOOM! BOOM!

Not just one cannon. A lot of them. 

The noise grabbed Wilhelm Gustloff from her sleep, pulling her into the waking world. Her decks were in panic. Medical staff were taking cover, bringing their patients with them. The commandos were arming small motor launches, preparing for a boarding operation.

Wilhelm ran up to her bridge, and looked out at the task force around her. To her surprise, they seemed to be fine. Blücher walked up next to her. She was already in a full combat uniform, with her black officer's cap, making Wilhelm feel embarrassed, wearing nothing but the nightgown she had been sleeping in.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Blücher asked, but it sounded more like a rhetorical declaration of defeat.

"Blücher, what's going on?" Wilhelm asked, unable to keep the panic out of her voice.

BOOM!

Another cannon shot shook the sky. Wilhelm looked directly ahead, where the sound was coming from. Far away, through the mist, she saw the light from the muzzle flash illuminate a silhouette, a massive battleship larger than anything Wilhelm had ever seen in her life. 

"How are we even hearing it? It should be miles away from us right now!" She whirled on Blücher in a panic. 

"We estimate that that battleship is about fifteen kilometers away from us right now. We can't tell if she's noticed us, but she hasn't fired in our direction. So far, she's continued to move towards the island, and is firing towards the southwest."

Blücher's voice was restrained and tense, and Wilhelm could see how much stress this situation had put her in. After a short pause, she continued. 

"We don't have any recognition drawings for her, so, the most likely option is that she is what everyone has come to hunt."

"And that's why the Oceanics brought such a large fleet?" asked Wilhelm, realization dawning on her.

"Yeah. But the important thing here is that somehow, a new ship has been created, despite the destruction of the Singularity."

Wilhelm couldn't wrap her head around the implications. This meant that somehow, there was a way for new shipgirls to be created, even without the Singularity. 

"Admiral!"

Her chain of thought was interrupted by a soldier in the standard uniform of the MSB, the Marine Stosstrupp Bataillon, one of the best commando units in the world. They were under the direct command of Prinz Eugen, so it was rare to see them anywhere that she wasn't. An exception had been made for this task force, due to the unknown nature of its operation. 

"What is it?"

"The unidentified battleship is continuing to move closer to us. Our vanguard reports that it is also sailing with two cruisers, identified as a Des Moines-class and a Myōkō-class. They appear to be sailing towards the opening on the north end of the island. If they continue on this course, they will sail straight through our fleet."

Blücher paused, thinking about the issue. After a few moments, and another salvo from the battleship, she answered.

"Send a destroyer to the battleship, requesting a dialogue. Avoid radio messages, in case the Oceanics are nearby."

"Yes Admiral!"

The soldier saluted, and then turned and walked off the bridge. 

"What happens if the battleship decides that we're also an enemy?" Wilhelm asked, nervously.

Blücher sighed, warily. 

"If that happens, we point our bows home, steam as hard as we can, and we pray. Our fleet is too battered to survive another battle."

***

2143

Fuji had been firing her guns continuously at the pursuing fleet. Dutifully following Hasegawa's orders, her lethal 18" shells fell harmlessly into the water only a few feet from her targets. Even if the Admiral insisted that she not harm anyone, she could still fire warning shots and try to scare them off. 

The Westarian forces within her range were nothing but destroyers and light cruisers, and there were hardly any aircraft attacking her. With Kongō sharing her mind, she gained access to a library of tactical and strategic theory, and the two of them agreed that the combined fleet was waiting for all of its capital ships to arrive before they began their main attack.

When they had gotten closer to Diego Garcia, Salem had found a small fleet in their path. At first, they had thought that they were cornered, but the fleet seemed barely able to stay afloat. It was also composed of ships of the Niemec Reich, as opposed to those of Westaria or Yamato. 

They had them worried that it was Tirpitz's fleet, but the recognition drawings that Myōkō had showed that neither Tirpitz nor Leipzig were present, and that a Hipper-class cruiser, either Prinz Eugen or Blücher, was the one leading it.

The Free Fleet had continued their advance, completely ignoring the Niemec fleet, until a destroyer detached itself from the main formation to pull up alongside Fuji's hull. It had obviously just been in battle; it had shell holes and burn marks across its hull, it's camouflage scheme was dirty and peeling, and its mast was leaning to the side. A young girl stood on its prow, with a half dozen soldiers behind her. 

Using signal lights, the destroyer requested permission to board Fuji to have a dialogue. After checking with Hasegawa, who was onboard her, she sent a response, giving them permission. 

After a few minutes, the girl and her guards were on Fuji's deck, standing at the base of her second turret. Fuji had gone out to talk to them alone, and had forced Hasegawa to stay inside, where he would be safest. Now, she was sitting in front of them on an ammunition locker, her legs crossed.

"So," she began, crossing her arms, "what do you want?"

The destroyer paused for a moment before responding. She was, like the soldiers behind her, standing very stiffly, and her eyes were darting everywhere. Now that they were closer, Fuji could see that she was several feet shorter than her. Her blond hair was tied in a bun that was partially hidden by her field cap, and her eyes were a stunning gold. 

"Well, you see, the thing is..." She took a deep breath, composing herself, before continuing, "We would like to propose a strategic alliance between yourself and the Niemec Reich."