Her Last Maiden Voyage

“Crew, you are dismissed. Enjoy your stay!”

Afternoon. August 15, 2045.

Lined up on deck are 187 men and women aged from their 20s to 40s, cheered in final relief of their duties. “God… it’s been like a year since we first boarded this ship.” I told myself as I watched most of my crew leave the docks.

“I... I’m sorry captain, ...you were saying mam!??” exclaims my executive officer or my clumsy second in command, Miho Misaki.

She appears to be worried, standing beside me and everything. Really? Even when we are dismissed, you are still on with the captain thing? Well, I guess I can’t really blame you for that since I have been strict with the entire crew this entire time.

“At ease Miho, you can stop calling me captain for now as we are on shore leave.”

“Yes, cap-… Kato-sensei”

“Kato-sensei? Hpfff. Just call me Kato-san” I giggled and smiled as I lowered my service cap. Miho does the same thing.

“Yes, Kato-san!”

“They’re finally getting their well-deserved break huh.” I let out a sigh of relief to Miho-chan.

“The crew really had it tough in the last escort missions. We never get to rest for a week at least.” She paused to gaze on the sea toward the docks and her eyes then set on the city.

“Especially not in Tokyo.”

New laws were approved for sailors from other mutual defense countries to join our ranks in commandeering our ships. They could stay on our fleet for quite some time as long as they follow our orders but after their tour of like 4-5 years, they must return to their original stations before they are transferred here. This law was more of an approval for a temporary expeditionary force specifically to train on other equipment than their own. Some of the crew, specifically from the US, have been waiting for this moment in their lives. They were waiting for an event in Akihabara which their captain is also looking forward to secretly. When I told them in a briefing that we were on task to escort one of the US's most advanced carriers to Tokyo, Japan for a Joint Training exercise, most of them hid their smiles. I don’t even know what they want in Tokyo that much. If I remember correctly, was it the Comicet? HA! Not that I care about my crew going all out in Akihabara. I just hope the recent chapter release of my favorite manga got into the anime adaptation for it. As I was talking in my head, I saw faint flashes of light from the docks where the men are.

“Let alone, why are you still here Miho-chan? And why are all the men out there with lights flashing to me?”

“Ehhh!!?..., It’s nothing Kato-san. Just… morse code ha ha!. Excuse me”

Miho escaped the ship and went to the docks, along with the men.

Did she just set me up so that they could take a photo of me???! HEY

If I remember correctly, I overheard from one of the USN crews that they never had a woman captain before and that was also “beautiful and elegant” for my age. Some of the men even thought of giving me random cosplays from a certain ship game that they begged me to wear. Of course, I did not do that unless I lost a bet to them but they never challenged me on one! I would merely act innocent in front of my crew knowing clearly where that cosplay was designed from. Of course, I would confiscate them and bring them home with me! Those perverts never cease to amaze me with what great lengths they can go to when they want their captain to dress like her ship.

I took my leave from the ship without my crew, since I ordered them to chill out for the next 2 weeks of shore leave. I went alone to my old home in Tokyo. It was an apartment long ago since I moved from Tokyo to Miyagi Prefecture. The old woman that owned the place got to meet heaven at last so she gave me the ownership of it in her will since I was the last renter there and the only one there at the time. It is just a forever-closed apartment at that point that I once took care of. Nothing too special is really happening at this time.

“I’m home.” I spoke loudly as I slowly closed the door behind me. 3 pairs of shoes were placed just before the elevated floor inside the apartment. That is strange, I thought they were back in Miyagi Prefecture. I did not expect them to return from my old apartment!

"Welcome home, mother!" two of my beloved children, Aya and Eriya came up front and greeted me with a hug from both of them. They were both too young with Aya just around 5 years old with Eriya being a year behind. I was out in service for some time and I never got to see them grow since they were 3 years old.

"Oh, you are both here! Where is papa?" knelt and head patted both of them while they gave off these joyful little smiles.

"He over there by the table!" both of them responded at the same time as they slowly pointed their fingers toward the open door.

"Welcome home, Aori." Akihiko stands up leaves his seat and hugs me from behind. He kisses my cheek as per our little tradition as either of us arrives back home before the other.

"I thought all of you here were back at Miyagi? Did something happen back there?" He went back to his seat as I asked him about it.

"Nothing really happened. There is just this one event that I have to come and see annually. Do not worry about it." He looked away from me while being reddish all over his face as he said this. He really acts just like one of my crew at this point!

"Hahhh... It is about the Comicet?" He turns bright red again as I asked him. Like once trying to hide the doujins he has been buying since before we were married. I could not stop him from one of his sources of joy but hey I am here you know! Nobody like you has reached this far from doing something sinister in private time from reading those doujins to the point of actually getting married. It is like an impossible dream for most you know!?

"Anyways! I would be heading straight to bed for a nap as I am dead tired from work. Hopefully tomorrow, you'll find that one doujin you have been looking for a while now, yes? Well then, good night!"

I went to my room and immediately laid down on the futon and spread my arms wide. It didn't even take long for me to fall asleep in an instant.

“~Ahhh... feels good to be back!”

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AUGUST 15, 2045
7:00 PM

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AUGUST 16, 2045

8:00 AM
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I woke up from the best nap I’ve had in a while. Wait what, you say it's early in the morning? No, no, impossible. Hehehe Wait, why is there a flashlight on the window? No, SHIT! I fell asleep!!

And I’m still in my uniform! No! no! no! I might miss the Comcet this morning! Shit shit shit!!

Oh, it is still 8 AM, I can still catch up with the next train. Ahhhh, I’m soo clumsy!!

Aki and the kids were gone early as well. They are probably already in Akihabara by now.

Why were time and sleep even invented in the first place?!! I hate that I am running late! I came rushing through the stations and got stuck in the longest line imaginable. After finally getting through the line and finally taking a seat on the train, I checked how long I was there.

“....” It’s 9:37 AM! It took me that long just to get on a train from a line! They really need to improve our public transportation! It is not just me who is also trying to catch events as they happen you know!? Well, not that it matters but at least I am at the convention.

Ahhhh, so many novels. Even though the authors are here, I can finally ask them what happens next about the arachnid that got isekaid to another world! Akihabara is really the best when selling manga and light novels!

I browsed through the items on the shelf with haste. I couldn’t even catch some of the titles! Why are manga titles even longer as society progresses?! They get so long that you might as well write an entire spoiler on the front page just to get a reader’s attention! Oohh this one’s nice! Wait, the title is… How does that even work? Some dude got reincarnated as lingerie while another one gets reincarnated as a dagger? What a strange idea for a novel and definitely not

As I browsed through the books a deafening sound roared into the mall. The entire floor began to shake in response. “An earthquake?” No, it can’t be. It only shook for about 3 seconds and it's gone. What the hell was that?!

People began to panic as each corner of the convention room was echoing with the noise of the fire alarm. “Everyone, please evacuate the convention immediately!” “Everyone must leave through the nearest emergency exit and into the evacuation areas!”

Another earthquake hit the building, this time there was so much that the walls couldn’t bear it. A sudden flash of light caught my eyes as I was trying to leave the scene. It knocked everyone out to the ground and the entire building is collapsing.

“What in the hell?” I told myself as I too was pushed down with the force that hit the convention. I slowly stood up while I spit out a small amount of blood from my mouth. “...What?!” The entire wall in front of me is gone! All nada! All that remains from it is a huge hole that pierced through several floors below. Woah.

I looked out into the breach in the wall and saw several silhouettes of what appeared like… a fleet? Are those jets? One came too close to the building and buzzed through the avenue, following a huge smoke of red flames that engulfed a 25 stories tall building.

I stared into the upcoming threat and was a bit in disbelief which made me pause my instincts. Another country is invading, huh?

Wait… Ehh!? Out of all the time, you could invade, why invade in the middle of the manga-con you bastards!! Another jet engine roared through the streets as if it was answering my questions. I did not ask you!!!

“Mam, please go to the evacuation shelters now!” a worried security guard held my hand and hurriedly made a run for it. No! I am not going with you! I need to get the docks with my ship!

“Mam!” I managed to remove his hand from mine and started sprinting towards the elevator heading to the ground floor. Please don’t drop another bomb for now! Please don’t! The ground began to shake again as another bomb hit a building across the street. What did I just say!?

I managed to get on the ground floor and called a taxi that was just sitting there. Why are you even just sitting there? Make a run for it!

“Yokosuka Naval Base. Go!” The driver hurriedly obeyed my orders and went at high speed. Surprisingly, only a few cars are on the road. Most of the vehicles are parked in the buildings. Good! I need to get there as soon as possible. I hope my crew are safe and are also heading to the naval base.

The moment the taxi starts to move, more bombs explode in the distance. The roaring sound of several aircraft began to echo through the streets. The skies are saturated with smoke and metal to the point it slowly begins to darken a bit.

I see a road straight to the naval base. The street was filled with fleeing cars going in opposite directions. We got in further down the street and saw the overhead railroad beside the base. Yes! Yes! Just drive through there! As we passed through the street, a silhouette passed through the sun and cast a shadow on the ground where we were just now. Oddly, we haven’t passed through the railroad yet. I shouted and shoved the driver of the cabby in an attempt to turn the vehicle around.

“Watch out!”

A fast eerie whistle increased in pitch so instantly. I don’t think we are going to make it, no. It took around 1 and a half seconds before a loud explosion hit the road in front of us. The car went into a skid and hit a pillar of the overhead railroad. The dust settled in and out of the vehicle as we were completely flipped. I think I managed to eat some glass for the first time!

“Are you ok? Hello?” I asked if the driver managed to survive that. I was greeted by an answer of a steady stream of blood. I’m sorry.

I detached myself from my seat and managed to crawl out of the taxi. Right next to the taxi was a smoking crater that showed the sewage and water pipes that were leaking out into the street. I didn’t feel it at first but my left arm has small to medium-sized pieces of glass stuck to it. I ripped my clothing and made a makeshift tourniquet. Wow, that...hurts a lot! It was unreal for me as I have never experienced such sharp pain in a while.

I slowly got on my feet, injured, and walked through the field next to the naval base parking lot. I could hear the distant alarms blaring in the base. Good, there are still people there who survived the initial attack even though I can see the entire place burning in the black smoke. I managed to reach the docks where the destroyers are stationed. 3 out of the 6 destroyers are engulfed in smoke, and another one is already sinking at the dock.

“Captain Kato! Are you alright mam? We need to get you to medical!”

I was greeted by a salute from Lieutenant-commander Takeshi as he arrived exhausted from running.

“No no it is okay. This injury is nothing yet, don't worry about me. What the hell happened here? Report!” I needed to make sure who and what we were dealing with. No one rushes in without even knowing anything.

“It’s the Red Dragon Navy, Mam! They have launched a surprise attack on Tokyo Bay.”

I knew it. They have been eyeing our training exercises from the start. Ever since our VIPs have been escorted to Tokyo bay, multiple fleets from their navy have been around 100 nautical miles from us and have been following us for some time. No one would have not noticed that and we were ordered by the higher-ups to ignore them but keep on observing in case they might do something stupid. I expected them to like... torpedo us from the high seas as we got here but I didn't think they would actually invade and attack the capital city!

“What is the status of the flotilla stationed here? Any word from the High command?”

“They managed to damage 7 destroyers and 2 American Aegis cruisers along the bay. Orders are to hold ground until reinforcements arrive from Kyoto and a nearby British Fleet.”

“How’s our VIP carrier?”

“The USS Enterprise is badly damaged from enemy air support but they are still operational and scrambling jets.” Damn them! That was the CVN-80! How did they manage to hit her so hard?!

As I started clenching my fist thinking about it, several ship crews lined up in front of me.

“Kato-san!”

“Ohh, Miho! I’m glad you are all ok!”

“Yes, Captain! The crew is currently tasked with repairing the Shimakaze. We have 10 casualties after an ASM hit the JS Oonami beside our ship and detonated her ammo room. The resulting explosion damaged one of the boilers to the engine.”

“They even hit our ship. Huh,” I continue to contemplate and also plan out how to carry out our orders to defend Tokyo Bay from another wave. Another explosion emanates near the coast, about two clicks from here.

I couldn’t see the ship's registry from here. I couldn’t even make it out from the thick black smoke that engulfed the entire vessel. The entire ship is cut in half. The bow, still barely floating, slowly makes its way to the depths of the bay. The registry of the JS Hatakaze is the only thing I could make out from the sinking aft of the ship.

Severe weather makes landfall in the city. There was only a matter of time before a storm started to set in as if the resulting battle in Tokyo created a man-made typhoon. This new weather setting created a fog of war between both sides. Visibility was somewhere at ten percent. Ships in the bay could barely be recognized as friend or foe. Not a single enemy air support can be seen in the area. This weather surely bought us time. It seems our enemy is preparing for another wave.

Anticipating a second wave, I ordered the crew to be alert. Once we get our ship ready for combat, we are to head out in the bay and hold off any landing attempts from the sea.

“Repairs complete, Captain!” one of my crew reported to me in haste. Several dock crews are preparing to release the moorings of the Shimakaze.

“All hands board the Ship! Action stations!” The remaining crew of the Shimakaze on the docks immediately boarded the destroyer. The mooring lines were released and the full reverse was ordered by yours truly.

We could barely see the buildings from the bay. Even at the horizon, we could barely see anything. As much as we had to rely on radar, we had to also be alert for any transmission on our comms. My suspicions were correct as the noise from the ship’s transponder echoed on the bridge.

“It’s from Offshore command, captain!” “Land-based radars detect a huge enemy wave arriving, 2 minutes out.” Our comms officer relayed this to the bridge.

“They could have contacted us sooner!” I spoke loudly, venting my frustration on the deck.

“Radar shows a massive ship heading straight into the bay. Hold them off as much as possible.” “That’s odd, they’re sending what appears to be a carrier-sized vessel straight into the heart of Japan.” That certainly is an odd tactic. Even I, born and raised in a nation that has a notorious history of having to die with honor colliding with an enemy to take them out couldn’t find this believable. Trump cards are supposed to be played late in the game, not as a starting position.

“Look for the enemy ship. We need visual confirmation once our enemy breaches the fog.” I have to first know what we are dealing with here.

“Aye Captain!” everyone on the bridge hastily replied.

“Radar contact! 900 meters dead ahead” a bridge officer relayed.

“All hands Battle Stations! Ready the deck gun and prepare for the encounter!”

The ship we have feared has broken the fog of war. A silhouette similar to a huge amphibious assault ship twice as big as the Enterprise slowly begins to break its cover from the fog. It appears to have no defenses or armaments on deck or below. The slick black finish from bow to stern barely gave it away from being the ship they told us about.

“Open fire! Hit their flight deck! Prevent them from launching more aircraft!”

“Miho! Relieve the comm officer and contact naval command directly that we have engaged the enemy”

“Yes Captain!” that’s my Miho

The two 54 caliber Mark 52 deck guns began to fire rapidly at our target. Tracers from the JS Shimakaze appear to hit the bow of the enemy ship. “Higher! Higher!” I said in frustration as our guns seem to have no effect on the slowly advancing assault ship.

“Arm the torpedoes and Harpoons! They are slowly approaching directly perpendicular to our ship. That ship must not reach the docks!” “Aye captain!” my entire crew responded. The first wave of three torpedoes launched from the Shimakaze, rapidly speeding up to the enemy ship. Due to the large size of the enemy assault ship, all three torpedoes detonated and hit their mark. The first torpedo hit the port bow with the other two hitting the port beam.

“Direct hit! All three torpedoes confirmed hits!” Miho excitedly announced.

As the splash from the resulting explosion from the torpedo hits begins to die down, the enemy ship goes to a full stop. The resulting hits left a 20ft wide hole at the side of the ship. “We did it!! We hit them! ” The entire crew cheered as the enemy ship was slowly sinking and burning.

“All hands stay focused! We are not done yet here.” The moment the bridge begins to calm down, a loud and heavy machinery noise starts to emanate from the enemy ship. The flight deck begins to clear out and move as if it was about to launch something. As the deck opens up, a large cannon can be seen slowly rising from the ship. It looked something similar to the Gustav cannon from World War two as I read from history class, but more futuristic and it looked like it did not need to be manually loaded.

The cannon is already aiming at Tokyo city along with where the USS Enterprise is when it rises. A whirring sound slowly rises in pitch as the cannon changes color from jet black to white.

“All hands brace for impact! Get down!”

Everyone on the bridge got down to the floor as glass from the high-pitched sound began to break the glass panels on the bridge. A loud boom is then heard from the bay and into the city. A shockwave then hit our ship and almost flipped us around. Several components got damaged in the process as sparks from one of the terminals suddenly appeared in response to the magnitude of the shockwave. The loud, high-pitched sound disappeared and the machinery noise began to slowly decrease in volume.

“All decks, report!” I got up from the ground and looked in the general direction of where the cannon was facing.

“...My God” I saw the damage in disbelief as there is nothing in this world as powerful as that.

“The USS Enterprise and the city behind it are gone!” Miho screamed in shock as well as the other crew aboard the Shimakaze.

The extent of that WMDs capability and surprise was so extreme that my entire body got weak after that firing sequence and knelt in rejection of what just happened. The only remains of the Enterprise are a small part of the stern and 1/8 of the bow. A huge circular hole cut through the ship and whatever is behind it. Even the fog that was engulfing the entire Tokyo area was punctured as well. Aki!... Aya! ...Eriya! I screamed inside my head as I did not think they would be hit by their weapon. Akihabara was engulfed by that weapon as well. I know Aki will find a safe place to hide as he was once a JSDF Sergeant but hell... Nothing. Not even rubble remained from that area. I cleared my thoughts for my family for now as I need to prevent OPFOR from killing more civilians. Now is not the time to grieve and I tried to steel myself. The result of that attempt to worry about it later was a tear, dropping from both of my eyes.

“Deck guns got damaged in the blast. They are inoperable. Only the harpoons and torpedoes remain!” One of the firing crews responded.

“Engine deck is fine. Only minor damages but still operational.” Chatter from the ship-wide comms began to follow that response from the engineering deck.

“Miho are you ok? That shockwave hit us hard.” I asked my XO as she appears to have caught some glass on her left shoulder.

She continues to groan in pain as her left cheek and shoulder are bleeding as if it was hit by a bullet.

“As captain, I order you to stand down and treat yourself. Head to the med bay, now!”

“I’m fine Captain Kato! This is nothing major. I can still get up and operate.”

“That’s good. But we still have an enemy ship to take on, are you sure you can still take it?”

“After what they did to our city, these wounds are nothing compared to what they have done to wound Japan!”

I guess the way of the samurai, I mean, military honor is still existent in Japan these days. I think we have learned as a nation that too much sacrifice for the country doesn’t help the country at all. Well in this case we barely have a nation to call with after the entire city of Tokyo vaporized. Destroying the main capital of a nation is like cutting the head of the snake. Everything capitulates after the head is killed.

“Captain! The burning vessel is starting its firing sequence again! We barely have anything to take them on!” Miho distracted me from my thinking.

The sound of machinery starts to fire up again, only this time it is 5 times slower than before. The cannon, which is still on the deck of the ship, begins to spin as if it was recharging.

“All hands! Reload the torpedo tubes and arm the harpoons. We are going straight for that assault ship and circle around to launch all torpedo tubes.”

“Yes, Captain!”

“All ahead full!” I hope this strategy works as our last resort. If only we had more ships on our side of the docks, we would have sunk this thing already!

“Captain! More enemy ships are appearing from the fog. Type 054 Frigates bearing 023 and 345, distance 15 kilometers.”

They must’ve called in reinforcements after seeing the assault ship burning and sinking. They must’ve thought that everything was clear in the bay after seeing every ship in smoke in their initial attack. How arrogant are they for their own weapons!

“Captain, they have launched Anti-Ship Missiles, one from each frigate!”

“Helm, evasive maneuvers! Hit the missiles with the Closed-In Weapon Systems!”

Two of our ship’s CIWS start to fire at the missiles in unison as the ship struggles to go Ahead Flank and evade. A loud explosion is then heard about 5km away from us, creating a minor shockwave that barely shook the ship.

“That’s one missile down, how about the other one?”

As my crew attempt to answer my question, another loud boom is heard across the deck. The already broken windows start to shiver, and our destroyer groans in response to the damage. The entire deck between the bridge and the deck gun is cut out leaving a massive hole in between them. The bow, the bridge, and the midships are devoured in flames. The bridge is left open as if it looked like a high diving board. Several bodies of my crewmen from the bridge to weapons are either found falling into the hole left by the missile or in the water after being flown by the shockwave.

Most of the front of the bridge is gone. Instrument panels ranging from weaponry, radar, sonar, you name it are completely obliterated. All that remains from the damage is the navigation area and the helm. Alarms are blaring and panic chatter from below decks can be heard from the opened bridge.

I got sent flying off to the rear area of the bridge. I broke my back from the impact and fractured my left leg and arm.

Only two people remain on the bridge. The other one I can see is Miho lying on the floor near the helm. She lost one of her legs along with several bruises and shrapnel attached to her face. Blood splattered along the floor mixed with the other poor souls that once were on the bridge. Some of the crew's bodies never even get to fall on the floor. Some parts were instantly vaporized and the others fell to the sea below.

“Mii… ho. Mi..ho”

I went to my XO in prone, dragging myself with a blood trail following behind me.

I could barely stand up after what just hit us directly at the bridge, but I need to go to Miho...

“Miho... Miho! ...Wake up, First Officer Misaki!” I screamed while holding her up like a baby. I flipped her over and saw a huge piece of metal from the ship piercing her side and rapidly bleeding.

As I scream at my unconscious XO, droplets from my already sweating head and eyes fall on her face. I was crying as if a mother was holding her dying daughter.

More explosions can be heard from the ship followed by continuous splashes around us. The enemy ships are now in deck gun and CIWS range and have continued firing at us with rapid speed. I can hear the shrapnel and CIWS rounds hitting the port side of the Shimakaze.

“I’m… sorry..., Captain… Kato… Kato… san” she looks at me in tears while whispering those words along with some blood to go with it. She then attempts to smile at me while in that state and after that it just fades along with her consciousness.

“Miho.!! Mihoooo!!!” I cried as more bullets hit the ship as if their rate of fire increased along with my tears. I thought I could almost drown in my tears as I never cried this hard after losing my closest friend. I couldn’t even differentiate the sea splashing from the deck from my tears.

“aaaaaaaAAAAAAA!!” I tried to stand with my arms and legs still bleeding from the impact. I walked to the helm as if I was undead from those movies I saw and put my right hand on the wheel.

“This is for my XO you bastards! For my family! For my poor Miho…! For Japan!” I took the control lever for the ship’s speed and went into full power. I turned directly into the railgun-carrying assault ship and went for it head-on. The gun on the platform is already preparing to fire again in another direction of mainland Japan. The escorts, seeing the incoming danger, continually fired more rounds in an attempt to stop me and my ship but that wouldn't work.

Coming from their port side where our torpedoes once hit, I saw my ship cut the other in half. The last thing I would see before meeting my fate was a bright white light along with the orange flame that engulfed me. An odd thing I saw back before the resulting white light explosion was a small blue light that flashed instantly.

“I guess this will be my end. I’m coming Aki...Eriya... Aya.... Miho.... I’m sorry...”

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SOUL FOUND! SOUL ARRIVAL IN 2 MINUTES