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Chapter Text

(Lakunai Airfield, Rabaul, New Britain, September 15th, 1942)

Lieutenant Suki Nakamura of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service had gotten almost thirty minutes before her fellow female pilots began to stir throughout the barracks they were in. She had finished her quick breakfast and was wearing her flight suit and making sure her flight lifejacket vest was working properly.

As soon as she was done, Suki would reread the briefing for the day's mission before heading to her fighter to perform her pre-flight checks.

(Flashback...)

Before joining the IJNAS, both her mother and father had taught her that a good leader always exceeds the expectations of his or her subordinates. Of course, neither Suki nor her parents had foreseen that she would command her own fighter group.

But after graduating from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima in mid-1941 at the ripe young age of twenty-one, Suki qualified as a naval aviator and to everyone's surprise, joined the battle-hardened Tainan Air Group, which included many of the Empire of Japan's top leading aces. She flew many combat sorties over the Dutch East Indies and managed to rack up twenty-five confirmed kills in just three months.

Suki had already displayed remarkable leadership skills, and in February of 1942, she had personally asked for the opportunity to form her own all-woman fighter squadron. The request was apparently taken all the way to Vice-Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara, commander of all Japanese land-based naval aircraft groups, who hesitantly accepted Suki's proposal.

Later in March of that year, the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service put out a call for Japanese woman who were willing to become naval fighter pilots under a new undesignated fighter group. When creating the new group, Suki thought back to her childhood hero, Kyoshi, the mythical female warrior of ancient Japan. She subsequently decided that the pilots would fly green-colored aircraft and have the image of Kyoshi painted on the tail section of their planes. Thus, the Kyoshi Air Group, as the new naval fighter unit was formally designated, was born.

Out of the many woman who joined the training program, only four dozen were selected to join the Kyoshi Air Group. In April, once the chosen candidates had completed their basic fighter training, the group was declared ready for combat. Equipped with brand-new A6M2b Model 21 'Zero' Carrier Fighters, they were sent to Rabaul to be part of the 25th Air Flotilla and to take part in the New Guinea Campaign.

By September, the Kyoshi Air Group had shot down a total of fifty-eight American and sixty Australian planes (Suki herself had claimed twenty-five), for the loss of eight Zeros and three of their pilots. Not a bad record.

By now, the Japanese had achieved significant victories over the Allies. The first was the Battle of the Coral Sea from May 7th-9th, which caused the Allies to lose the aircraft carrier, USS Lexington, along with two Sims-Class Destroyers, one Mahan-Class Destroyer, one Kent-Class Heavy Cruiser, one Modified Leander-Class Light Cruiser, one Cimarron-Class Fleet Oiler and eighty-nine aircraft shot down.

For the Japanese, they lost one Mutsuki-Class Destroyer, two Wa-1-Class Auxiliary Minesweepers and fifty-nine aircraft shot down. Following that victory came the successful invasion of Port Moresby.

Having achieved local air superiority, the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force and the Imperial Japanese Army's 55th Infantry Brigade or South Seas Detachment (which consisted of the Brigade HQ, the 144th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion/55th Mountain Artillery Regiment (which was equipped with twelve 75mm Type 94 Mountain Guns), 3rd Company/55th Calvary Regiment (with attached anti-tank platoon), 1st Company/55th Engineer Regiment, 1st Company/47th Field Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (which was equipped with 75mm Type 88 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Guns), and medical, field hospital and water supply detachments) landed at Port Moresby on May 12th and quickly broke through the defenses of the demoralized and poorly-trained Australian 30th Infantry Brigade.

On May 13th, all remaining Allied forces in Papau New Guinea surrendered unconditionally, and thus ending the New Guinea Campaign. From Port Moresby, the Japanese were able to launch air raids against northern Australia.

On May 15th, the Japanese occupied the island of Tulagi and the nearby islets of Gavutu and Tanambogo in the Solomon Islands in order to establish a naval refueling, communications, and seaplane reconnaissance base there in order to provide greater security for their major base at Rabaul. Two days later, they captured Nauru and Banaba Island for their valuable phosphate deposits and had also established seaplane bases at Santa Isabel Island, the Deboyne Islands and Shortland Island to provide greater security for their new major base at Port Moresby.

Ever since the Doolittle Raid on April 18th, the Combined Fleet and the Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo began to create the final draft for Operation MI: the invasion and occupation of the U.S outpost at Midway Atoll.

Located 1,300 miles from Pearl Harbor, this meant that Midway was outside the effective range of almost all of the American aircraft stationed on the main Hawaiian Islands. The IGHQ's Naval General Staff planned to establish a submarine base on Midway's Sand Island, which would allow their submarines operating from the Marshall Islands to refuel and resupply before conducting patrols near the Hawaiian Islands.

In addition to Midway's Eastern Island's American-made seaplane base that would allow the Marshall Islands-based 24th Air Flotilla's H6K4 Model 22 'Mavis' and the brand-new H8K1 Model 11 'Emily' Flying Boats to fly there and refuel before flying to Pearl Harbor in order to gain intel on the location and movement of U.S Pacific Fleet units there, the airstrips on Eastern Island would served as a forward staging point for the G5N 'Liz' Heavy Bomber (which was still under development) to launch bombing raids on Pearl Harbor.

Shortly after the Battle of the Coral Sea, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Combined Fleet, had come to believe (and he was right) that the IJN's staff code, JN-25b, had been broken by the Americans. The first hint had been vouched by Vice-Admiral Takeo Takagi, who commanded the Carrier Striking Force in the Coral Sea. An aide had pointed out to the Vice-Admiral that the marked course of the American carrier force spotted by one of their recon planes suggested that they were heading for the precise point at which they planned to refuel.

Takagi had studied the chart and agreed that it was a strange coincidence. The second hint was when the small American and Australian cruiser force, aka Task Force 17.3, was suddenly encountered by Rear-Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka's Port Moresby Invasion Group in the Jomard Passage, which the latter was transiting through to reach Port Moresby.

Both Takagi and Kajioka tucked their moments of concern into a small corner in their respective reports. Neither did two different naval commanders in the same area of operations who noticed similar 'coincidences'. Only Yamamoto and his young eagle-eyed intelligence officer in his staff, Commander Taijiro Yorinaga, both drew the possible connection as they shifted through the various reports.

Like his boss, Yorinaga thought it inconceivable that their staff code had been broken. But could it have fallen into enemy hands? Each Japanese warship carried a codebook that is weighted with lead in order to take it swiftly to the bottom should disaster strike. Yamamoto and his intelligence officer conscientiously went through the record of those few Japanese ships that were sunk since the beginning of the war, and had soon narrowed their attention down to one.

The I-124, an I-121-Class Minelaying Submarine, had last broadcast its position on January 19th, 1942 while patrolling outside Port Darwin in northern Australia. It had been assumed sunk with all hands lost, but where? Suppose it had been depth-charged either in or just outside the harbor? The two of them examined the available oceangraphic charts and discovered that the water at Port Darwin was a mere 157-feet at the deepest point, quite within the limits of a thorough salvage operation.

On May 16th, Yamamoto had Yorinaga take their suspicions directly to Rear-Admiral Shigeru Fukudome, the Naval General Staff's Chief of Operations. Fukudome was impressed and without informing the Chief of the Naval General Staff, Admiral Osami Nagano, decided to test Yamamoto and Yorinaga's theory. He devised a ruse of telling the Japanese naval garrison at Wake Island (by using a secure underwater telegram cable) to broadcast a radio message via using the JN-25b code, stating that Wake Island's water purification system has broken down.

A day later, the Japanese naval radio station on Enubuj Island, Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands intercepted a coded message from Midway to U.S Pacific Fleet HQ at Pearl Harbor that said 'Wake Island is having trouble with its water purification system'. The Americans had indeed broken the IJN's staff code. Yamamoto was informed of this by Fukudome on May 18th. He and his staff had no choice but to accept that the details for the Midway operation, which had been flooding the Pacific radio waves for the past several weeks, were now known to the enemy.

Operation AL, the plan to invade Attu, Adak and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands in order to divert American forces away from the main Japanese attack at Midway, was immediately canceled, while Operation MI would have to be rethought. Or so Yamamoto believed. But to his surprise, it was discovered that his Deputy Chief of Staff, Capitan Kameto Kuroshima, had an alternative plan for Operation MI, which was already half-drafted, to include the forces that were originally planned for the Aleutian Islands Campaign if Operation AL was canceled at the last second.

For the next twelve days, driven by Yamamoto's Chief of Staff, Rear-Admiral Matome Ugaki, the Combined Fleet staff worked furiously. Yamamoto's revised strategy involved operational planning along parallel paths.

One (false) path had orders dispatched by radio to continue the operation against Midway as planned, while the second (true) path involved detailed, hand-delivered instructions that revised Operation MI entirely.

With Operation AL cancelled, this freed up sixty-three surface ships and submarines, eighty-three naval aircraft, 660 Japanese Marines, 1,200 IJA troops, along 700 Korean laborers and construction equipment to support the Midway operation.

On May 30th, the reinforced Midway Invasion Force slipped away from their anchorage at Hashirajima as they set sail for battle. On June 8th, Midway fell. In the wake of numerous air raids and bombings, the 3rd Maizuru, 5th Kure and 5th Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Forces, along with the Imperial Japanese Army's 'Ichiki' Detachment* and the 301st Independent Infantry Battalion, stormed the atoll. The Kido Butai, meanwhile, harried the three American carriers that were stationed northeast of Midway and sank two of them.

On June 13th, the Naval General Staff decided to build an airfield on the northern coast of Guadalcanal. On July 6th, a 12-ship convoy, carrying the 11th and 12th Naval Construction Units, along with detachments from the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force and the 81st Guard Force, arrived off Lunga Point on Guadalcanal to start working on the airfield, which was expected to be completed in the first week of August. With long-based aircraft based on Guadalcanal, the Japanese could threaten the Allied supply lines to the Commonwealth of Australia.

But on August 7th, the Americans dealt Japan a major blow at Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo, where the men of the U.S 1st Marine Division had easily overwhelmed the poorly-defended islands.

From there, they had a perfect vantage point to launch a counteroffensive. Consequently, the Japanese sent numerous soldiers, ships and aircraft to retake the islands.

Being based at Rabaul, Suki's Kyoshi Air Group was often sent on escort missions, protecting the ships carrying fresh troops, tanks, artillery pieces and supplies of the Japanese 17th Army to the slaughterhouse on Guadalcanal.

(Back to the present...)

Suki fastened her katana to her waist and holstered her Nambu Type 14 Pistol. Before heading out to the field, she walked over to the table near her bunk and picked up a small letter that her mother had written to her in Kanji. It said:

I always think of you every day, my brave and beautiful daughter. Hoping you are well,

-Mother

P.S: Your father sends his love too.

At 7:00 AM, while the rest of her comrades began waking up and preparing for today's mission, Suki walked over to the revetments that kept the aircraft off the field. Because she was the commanding officer of the Kyoshi Air Group, her fighter was the closest to the taxiway that led to the runway.

"Hello, my dear brave steed," muttered Suki as she approached the revetment that held her airplane, an A6M2b Model 21 'Zero' Carrier Fighter.

Fast, agile, and heavily-armed, the Zero had garnered a fearsome reputation among its pilots and those who fought against it. When it first appeared as the A6M2a Model 11 over the Republic of China in August 1940, the nimble Japanese carrier-based fighter had easily outclassed the Soviet I-15s, I-16s and I-153s supplied to Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Nationalist Air Force.

By the time the IJN withdrew from China several months later in preparation for Pearl Harbor, Zero pilots had accounted for 266 Chinese fighters shot down for the loss of only two of their own to anti-aircraft fire.

The Zero's record was no different now over the Pacific. Though the Allies had more advanced aircraft than the Chinese, not even the RAAF's Kittyhawk Mark IA (which was the Royal Australian Air Force's designation for the American-supplied P-40E), could outmaneuver a Zero, as many Australian pilots discovered over Port Moresby. In a close-quarters dogfight, the Japanese had the edge.

The Zero had turned the Kyoshi Air Group into one of the IJNAS's most feared fighter units, also owing to the fact it was all-female, and the thought of Japanese women flying the most-feared fighter plane in the Pacific and wreaking havoc on Allied pilots was quite frightening.

In fact, the Kyoshi Air Group had become a sensation of sorts among Allied propaganda. In the wake of the New Guinea Campaign, the BBC had referred to them as the 'Valkyries of the East'. Of course, the American nicknames were less flattering and somewhat less creative, ranging from either to 'Tojo's flying geishas' or 'Jap she-devils'.

Like the rest of the planes of the Kyoshi Air Group, Suki's Zero wore a green camouflage on its body and had the word 'Kyoshi' painted in white Kanji on its black engine cowling. In order to distinguish themselves from one another, Suki and the other girls had painted different styles of tessen, the Japanese war fans that Kyoshi used in combat, on their Zeros' tails. While the others had painted one fan on their aircraft, Suki painted two on hers to distinguish herself as the group's leader.

The ground personnel were already milling about the revetments, preparing the aircraft for today's mission. As Suki reached her Zero, she saw two men on both of its wings filling the fuel tanks. Another group loaded its twin nose-mounted 7.7mm Type 97 Light Machine Guns (LMGs) with Armor-Piercing (AP) rounds and its twin wing-mounted 20mm Type 99-1 Mark 3 Autocannons with High-Explosive (HE) rounds.

The chief engineer, a young Warrant Officer named Kenji, was examining the Zero's NK1C Sakae-12 Radial Engine when he saw Suki. He immediately shouted "Attention!" and every single man in the revetment stopped what he was doing and looked at Suki and saluted. Except for Kenji, who jumped down from the Zero and walked up to Suki and saluted.

"Good morning, Suki," he said with a smile.

"Morning, Kenji," replied Suki. She had grown fond of the ground personnel. At the end of the day, it was their job to keep her and her fellow pilots flying.

"You're up early today," continued Kenji.

"I wanted to perform some last-minute checks to my plane before the mission."

"Are you doubting the capabilities of me and my men?" asked Kenji with a raised eyebrow.

"No, not at all," replied Suki with a chuckle. "I simply wanted to check the controls to make sure they're perfect. I hope I'm not distracting your men."

"We're almost done here. Once were finished, you can check on her."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Kenji!"

As Kenji and the rest of his men got back to work, eleven of Suki's fellow pilots began walking towards the revetments. There was no need for a last-minute briefing. They were well aware of what the day had in store for them.

Today's mission called for the Kyoshi Air Group to protect a convoy of transport ships and warships ferrying IJA troops and supplies from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. They would be traveling through 'the Slot', which was a large body of water that ran through the middle of the Solomon Islands.

The ships arrived at Guadalcanal so frequently that the Americans nicknamed them the 'Tokyo Express'. It was up to Suki and her pilots to protect the Tokyo Express from any American air threats until it reached Guadalcanal.

Thirty minutes later, once the ground personnel had finished their work, Suki and her eleven fellow pilots mounted their aircraft. To conserve precious aviation fuel, trucks and tractors that had been captured from the Australian forces that had originally occupied the island were used to move the Zeros onto the runway.

By around 8:00 AM, the twelve Zeros sat on the runway with their engines running as they waited for their clearance to take off. As she waited for the go-ahead, Suki removed her mother's letter from her pocket and fastened it to her Zero's instrument panel. Soon, the man on the watchtower shouted "Take off!" from a loudspeaker. The signalman raised his Nambu Type 90 Three-Barreled Flare Pistol into the air and fired a green-colored flare.

Immediately, Suki pulled her flight goggles over her eyes, closed the canopy of her cockpit, lowered the flaps and pushed the throttle forward. Her fighter began to roll down the runway, picking up speed. As soon as she reached the desired airspeed, Suki pulled back on the stick, lifting her Zero skyward. She leveled out at 1500 meters before raising the landing gear and retracting the flaps. Then she circled back around the airfield as the rest of her squadron mates took off.

Within ten minutes, the Kyoshi Warriors, as the girls lovingly referred to their squadron, were in the air before they turned towards the southeast to link up with the Tokyo Express.

"Look alive, girls," radioed Suki to her squadron mates. "The way things are going at Guadalcanal, we're definitely bound to see some action."

"Time to bag me some more Yankees!" shouted Kyoshi Two eagerly.

"Easy there, Takara," said Suki as she chastised her XO, Sub-Lieutenant Takara Hayashida.

Although Takara was a well-trained pilot, having scored eleven of the Kyoshi Air Group's victories over New Guinea, she had a much more aggressive and instinctive plan of attack compared to Suki's more calculating and methodical approach, choosing to charge straight in with guns blazing. Often in their past sorties, this had resulted in Takara engaging more enemy planes than she could handle, leaving it to Suki and the others to come to her aid.

"Sorry," replied Takara apologetically. "I got carried away again."

"Don't worry about it," responded Suki soothingly. "Just keep your head level and you'll be fine."

With their conversation finished, they continued on towards Guadalcanal with the rest of the squadron.

(Sometime later...)

As they approached the Tokyo Express, the Kyoshi Warriors descended to 1200 meters. Suki's well-trained eyes identified the large bridge of the Takao-Class Heavy Cruiser, Chokai. She also spotted the transport ships carrying fresh IJA troops and supplies, and their escort of four Fubuki-Class Destroyers and two Akizuki-Class Anti-Aircraft Destroyers.

Suddenly, Kyoshi Four shouted: "Bandits! Eleven o'clock low! They're heading for the convoy!"

Suki leaned forward a little to get a better look as ten planes approached to the northwest, smirking as she recognized the unclean lines of Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats. She immediately began formulating a plan of attack. Since the Kyoshi Air Group had the Sun to their back, the Americans would be unable to get a clean shot at them.

Perfect.

Suki leaned on her stick, rolling to the left. As soon as her Zero was upside down, she pulled back on the stick into a slight dive, incurring positive G's. The other Warriors followed suit.

As she closed the distance to the targets, Suki quickly calculated her angle of deflection, fifteen degrees to lead her target, before pressing the trigger. Her Zero shook slightly as it emptied 7.7x56mmR AP and 20x72mmRB HE rounds at the nearest Wildcat. She was rewarded with a burst of flame as her target caught fire in the cockpit and dove out of formation.

Righting her fighter, Suki looked behind her as Kyoshi Three shot down another Wildcat, causing the remaining Americans to scatter in all directions.

"One more kill to my tally," cheered Kyoshi Three.

Suki grinned as she rolled her Zero into a 180 degree left turn and sped towards the scattered Wildcats. The rest of her squadron broke off, each Warrior selecting her own target, and gave chase.

Soon, the skies above the Tokyo Express became engulfed in a massive furball as eight Wildcats and twelve Zeros mixed it up. The AA guns on Chokai and the six destroyers held their fire for fear of hitting their comrades. Splashes erupted around the ships as burning planes fell from above.

As Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Air Group brawled it out, their radio frequency was filled with chatter:

"Another Wildcat shot down!"

"Ha-ha! He lit up like a firework!"

"Five, break! He's got a bead on you!"

"I'm hit! Bailing out!"

"Damn it, Kyoshi Five is down!"

"One more Yankee destroyed!"

"Kyoshi Three, break left! You've got a Wildcat on your tail!"

"Breaking! Another one's latched onto me! I need some help here!"

"Kyoshi Lead to Three, I'm on him!"

Switching to her 20mm autocannons, Suki closed the distance to the Wildcat's tail before pressing the trigger. A few high-explosive bursts clipped the American's right wing and the panicked pilot bailed out. Suki jerked the stick to avoid the wreckage.

"Thanks, Kyoshi Lead. I owe you a glass of sake when we get back," said Kyoshi Three.

"I'll hold you to that, Three," replied Suki casually.

"Kyoshi Lead, you got a bandit on your six! Break!"

.50-caliber AP/Tracer rounds whizzed by Suki's cockpit. She immediately glanced behind her to see a Wildcat on her tail. But the American pilot was firing erratically, unable to get a clean shot. After deciding to have some fun with her next victim, Suki pulled back on her stick, going into a vertical climb. As she had expected, the foolish Yankee had chosen to follow her, machine guns blazing.

"Come and get me, you arrogant fool," muttered Suki as she climbed further and further from her opponent's reach. After reaching a desired altitude, she pulled back on the stick again, preparing to roll over in a dive.

As Suki watched, the pursuing Wildcat began to lose speed and plummeted earthwards, causing a devilish grin to appear on her face as Suki prepared to pounce on an easy kill.

As Suki pulled back on the stick once more, her Zero rolled over into a dive in pursuit of the falling Wildcat. Once she closed the range, she pressed the trigger.

The F4F Wildcat was known for its ruggedness. Often, it could take numerous bullets and keep on flying. This time, however, it made no difference. The 7.7mm AP and 20mm HE rounds tore through the American plane until it exploded.

Pulling out of her dive, barely avoiding the fireball, Suki saw another Wildcat screaming towards her. She kicked the rudder and pulled back on the stick, rolling her Zero into a tight right. She was now neck and neck with the American.

This time, Suki had the opportunity to examine her opponent up close. The Wildcat had a pinup on its noise of a tan-skinned girl holding a boomerang. Odd decoration, she thought to herself before her gaze shifted to the pilot, who looked back at her intently.

After a couple of seconds, the Yankee's eyes widened almost comically as he looked incredulously at his female opponent.

Took him long enough to figure THAT out. Suki smirked to herself before blowing a mocking kiss to the Yankee. She then decided to threaten her opponent. After pointing behind her, indicating the confirmed kills painted on her Zero's fuselage, she then did the classic throat-slitting gesture before pointing at the American pilot.

Suki saw the Yankee's eyes bulge again as he registered the death threat she had just sent him. Enough is enough, decided Suki, time for this Yankee to die.

She popped the flaps to slow her Zero down, allowing Suki to line up the Wildcat in her sights. But before she could pull the trigger, the American rolled to the right and banked away. Just then, another Wildcat dove towards with its six AN/M2 Aircraft Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) blazing. .50-caliber AP/Tracer rounds raked Suki's Zero, ripping holes in her right wing and fuselage. Miraculously, her fuel tanks were undamaged. Had they been hit, her plane would've caught fire.

Not bad, Yankee. Baiting your opponent long enough for one of your comrades to latch onto my tail.

Gritting her teeth as her plane shuddered from the damage, Suki watched as the two Wildcats pulled alongside one another and began executing a Thach Weave, turning away from one another before banking back towards each other. Suki knew better than to take the bait. She had lost many of her fellow pilots to this maneuver. But still, she followed. Her Zero may have taken a beating, but she wasn't out of the fight yet.

For several agonizing minutes, Suki chased after the weaving Wildcats while looking for an opening. Finally, she saw one. The boomerang pilot had turned too widely, putting him at too great a distance from his wingman.

Calculating the angle she needed to lead her target, Suki jerked her stick to the right to level out. Her Zero was slow to respond due to the damage it had suffered, but she still managed to line herself perfectly.

As she cut through the weave, Suki emptied the last of her 20mm HE rounds, along with some 7.7mm AP rounds, into the Wildcat. The boomerang pilot's plane caught fire, trailing fuel and debris. The other Wildcat banked away and fled as Kyoshi Two raced towards it.

As Suki watched, the burning Wildcat descended towards a nearby deserted island before ploughing into the sandy shores belly up. It skidded a couple of feet across the sand before coming to rest. Suki circled above the burning wreck like a vulture, hoping for whatever reason that her opponent had survived.

To her relief, the Yankee pilot managed to bail out of his plane. He ripped off his flight cap before looking at Suki, allowing her to see his face. He had a rather handsome, tan-skinned face like the pinup he had painted on his Wildcat.

As he gazed at her with his intense blue eyes, Suki couldn't help but admire her new adversary. He had pulled a clever trick on her during their dogfight. She jerked the stick back and forth, rocking her Zero's wings in salute before banking away to link up with the Tokyo Express and the rest of her squadron.

"Until we meet again, Yankee."

Chapter Text

(Skies near Eastern New Britain, September 15th, 1942, 1320 Hours)

The volcanic peaks that dotted Rabaul came into focus as Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Air Group neared the area.

"Kyoshi Two to Lead, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Takara," replied Suki. In all honesty, she was unharmed. But her Zero, however, hadn't fared so well. Apart from all the bullet holes in the right wing and fuselage, the cables controlling the right aileron, rudder and elevators were damaged, rendering the controls sluggish. Suki had even gone as far as to open the canopy in case she lost control and needed to bail out.

"I'll land at the emergency landing strip at Malaguna. You head back to base with the rest of the squadron."

"Understood," replied Takara as she broke away and turned north towards the airbase. The remaining pilots followed suit, leaving Suki alone as she continued on towards Malaguna.

Malaguna was a cluster of villages about three miles south of Rabaul. When the Japanese occupied the area, they had built an airfield adjacent to Simpson Harbor, complete with an anti-aircraft battery outpost and a seaplane base.

They had also dug storage tunnels near the airfield to house various parts for IJN aircraft, designating it as an emergency airfield.

Suki descended to 60 meters and approached the airfield from the east, crossing over Simpson Harbor where, to her mild shock, a plethora of warships were currently anchored.

Near the mouth of the harbor, an IJN destroyer squadron detachment lay at rest near the shore. It seemed to consist of a Sendai-Class Light Cruiser and its accompaniment of eight Kagero-Class Destroyers. There were also two of the newer Akizuki-Class Anti-Aircraft Destroyers anchored nearby, with their 100mm Type 98 Dual-Purpose Guns trained skywards.

The closer she got to Rabaul, the bigger the ships got. Amid the aircraft carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku (both of whom were of the Shokaku-Class), a pair of Takao-Class Heavy Cruisers, the battleships Nagato and Mutsu (both of whom were of the Nagato-Class), and the battlecruiser Amagi (of the Amagi-Class), an even larger behemoth was situated in the harbor.

This leviathan even dwarfed the carriers. A tower bridge sporting a wide-armed rangefinder rose above a superstructure that was bristling with anti-aircraft and dual-purpose guns, along with a large funnel, a tripod mast and a small aft rangefinder behind it. Also notable were the ship's three large main gun turrets, two forward, one aft, that each had three long gun barrels protruding from it.

The men on the deck seemed almost like ants scurrying around a giant colony of welded steel and rivets.

This was Suki's first glimpse of the super-battleship Yamato, pride and flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. With the ship that big, it definitely deserved both its name and its title without a doubt. Only a ship that powerful would bear the oldest, most ancient name bestowed upon Japan.

Turning towards the emergency landing strip, she lowered the flaps and landing gear, and leaned forward on the stick. Her Zero shook wildly as it descended, owing to the severe damage dealt to its airframe.

She jerked the column to the right to level the fighter out. Although the controls were slow to respond, she was able to right the Zero just in time before it touched down and rolled down the runway until, with enough pressure on the brakes, Suki was able to bring it to a stop.

As she switched off the engine and exited out of the cockpit, an Isuzu Type 97 Truck carrying repairmen sped towards her. Suki walked along the left wing of her Zero and jumped down as the repairmen disembarked from their vehicle and approached the plane.

"Are you with the Kyoshi Air Group?" One of them, a brown-haired man with goggles, inquired as he examined the war fans painted on the Zero's tail.

"Yes, I am," replied Suki. "And you are?"

The young man grinned. "I'm the Chief Repairman here. Petty Officer First Class Satoru Iwamatsu, at your service." Despite his high-ranking position, Satoru had a somewhat youthful appearance. To Suki, he seemed to be either eighteen or nineteen years old.

"So, what can me and my men do for you?"

"Well, my fighter has a bit of battle damage that needs attending to."

Suki walked around her Zero with Satoru and his men following her. "There, and there," she pointed first at the right wing, riddled with .50-caliber bullet holes, and then to the equally perforated fuselage.

Satoru let out a low whistle. "Run into a lot of Yankees today?"

"Yes. Apart from that, the ailerons, rudder and elevators were a little sluggish, so I think you might want to replace the cables there."

"No worries. Should take a little under a day. The bullet damage, however, might take a little longer for me and my team to fix."

"Hey, as long as you guys get my fighter back in the air, I'll be happy."

"Of course," replied Satoru before turning to his fellow repairmen. "Let's get to work, men."

One repairman hitched the Zero to the Isuzu Type 97 Truck by its tailwheel and, with the help of some of the other repairmen, moved the fighter to the nearest revetment to begin repairs.

"We'll have someone ferry it to your airfield once the repairs are done," Satoru informed his newest customer.

"Thank you," replied Suki as she bowed slightly as a sign of appreciation.

"Anything else you need?" he asked.

"Well, I do need to get back to base."

"We've got a couple of captured Jeeps. You can use one of those."

Satoru led the Lieutenant to a small motor pool full of captured Allied vehicles that have been shipped over from New Guinea. Among them was a slightly battered Willys MB Jeep.

She got in and started it. "Thanks for your help, Satoru."

"Anytime."

With a final wave to Satoru, Suki shifted the gear into drive, drove off the airfield and turned left onto the Malaguna Road towards Rabaul.

It wasn't long before she reached Rabaul. To her chagrin, she would have to drive through the western part of the township to reach Lakunai Airfield.

Rabaul was divided into two sectors, with the IJA controlling the west sector and the IJN controlling the east sector.

The IJA-controlled area was notorious for housing several brothels that were used by the enlisted men.

Suki carefully navigated her vehicle through the streets while ignoring the various catcalls and jeers from several IJA soldiers, some of whom were drunk.

Life in the IJN had always been rough for her and her fellow pilots. Though thankfully, the abuse they suffered was mostly verbal.

Of course, there was always one cocky IJA soldier who would try to have his way with one of them only to find himself being thrown over the girl's shoulders and landing flat on his back with the girl either long gone or either Suki or Takara pointing their respective katanas at his jugular.

Needless to say, the pilots of the Kyoshi Air Group, like all sailors and other pilots in the IJN, practiced martial arts such as Judo and Kendo. Though such arts were often ineffective in the air, they proved handy self-defense mechanisms on the ground, especially against sexist over-confident IJA soldiers.

Suki herself had fended off two such soldiers one night back in April, when the Kyoshi Air Group had first been deployed to Rabaul for the New Guinea Campaign. But that had been surely in self-defense. It wouldn't do to attack the drunkards currently heckling her, given that it would paint her as the aggressor. And the IJA would surely weigh the circumstances against her if she was court-martialed.

So, she kept her eyes firmly on the road until she entered the IJN-controlled area, marked by the New Guinea Club, which served as the IJN's headquarters in the region.

A few minutes later, she turned into Lakunai Airfield.

The rest of her squadron had already landed. Ground personnel were milling about, repairing, rearming and refueling their Zeros for the next mission.

It was about now that Suki realized how fatigued she was. The exertion it took to keep her damaged Zero in the air had taken its toll on her. Oh, how she looked forward to a nice, long nap. She dragged herself towards the barracks, eager to collapse on her bunk.

The first member of her squadron to greet her was Takara. The oldest of the girls, at age 24, she hailed from a small town in Kagoshima Prefecture on Kyushu Island. The Hayashida Family had naval blood in it, with Takara's grandfather commanding a gunboat during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894, and her father was a naval gunner aboard Admiral Togo Heihachiro's flagship Mikasa during the historical Battle of Tsushima against the Russians in 1905.

Currently, she seemed to be scrutinizing Suki like a nurse checking over her patient. This was normal, since she often made a point to talk to each and every one of her fellow pilots after each mission to see if they were alright. Because of this, she was adored by the rest of the Kyoshi Air Group, who often called her 'Mother Takara'.

"You alright, Suki?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom," deadpanned Suki with a roll of her dark blue eyes. "I'm fine."

Although Takara's caring nature was appreciated, it could get rather annoying at times. Especially when the recipient was utterly exhausted.

"Good. Because this came in," said Takara as she held out a letter for Suki, who grabbed it and read it:

Addressed to Lieutenant Suki Nakamura, commanding officer of the Kyoshi Air Group:

Allow me to congratulate you and your unit on another  successful mission. Your distinguished service brings great honor to the people of the Empire of Japan.

For said service, I wish to invite you to dine with my fellow staff officers and I aboard my flagship Yamato at 7:30 PM.

I look forward to finally meeting you in person.

-Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Fleet.

This wasn't the first time that Suki had received correspondence from the head of the IJN. She had received a similar note of congratulations after the New Guinea Campaign.

Of course, this was entirely different. She'd never met the man. Oh boy, she was going to need to make herself look presentable for this.

But first, a nice long nap.

(Lakunai Airfield, Officer's Barracks, Bathroom, 1845 Hours)

"Suki, the dinner's in forty-five minutes!" said Takara, whose motherly voice penetrated the bathroom from outside. "You'd better get going!"

"Okay! Just let me finish getting ready!" shouted Suki exasperatedly as she took one last look of her reflection in the mirror. She had traded her green flight suit for a blue officer's uniform worn only on formal occasions. An officer's cap sat atop her head, with her chin-length auburn hair flowing down.

Like a typical IJN officer, she had her katana at her side. But unlike the typical gunto swords that were mass-produced by using non-traditional methods, Suki's was a pure nihonto, forged from folded steel during the Bakumastu Period of the 1860s and carried by her maternal great-grandfather, Hinata Nakamura, into battle against the Shogun's forces during the Boshin War.

Her father had presented it to her a year earlier before she departed for battle. Since then, Suki had always kept it with her, on the ground and in the air. Apart from serving as a reminder of home, the katana also served as Suki's anchor of sorts to her traditionalistic roots and her family's legacy. She cared for it with the same devotion that a Samurai would bestow upon his sword, keeping it clean and polished when she wasn't using it in her daily Kendo exercises.

Suki turned away, opened the door and prepared to go out for a long night with Japanese naval officers way above her rank and pay grade.

What was there to worry about?

(Simpson Harbor, 1920 Hours)

With a slight trepidation, despite her cool exterior, Suki walked up the ramp leading onto the deck of Yamato.

Stepping foot onto the super-battleship, she failed to hold back a gasp. If the ship was large from the air, then it was truly a sight to behold on the ground. Everything about Yamato, from its giant triple gun turrets to its tall tower bridge, spoke of supremacy and raw power. How could the shipyards in Kure produce something so menacing yet so elegant?

As Suki walked aft past the forward two main turrets, she saw three naval officers talking near an open stairway that led below decks. One she recognized as Admiral Yamamoto, having seen photographs of him before. The other two were completely different from one another: one being older, short and squat with a grey bread and the other seeming slightly older than herself, rather tall and somewhat lanky with short black hair framing his face.

He then noticed Suki and muttered something to Yamamoto, who turned to face her. "Ah, Lieutenant Nakamura, I presume?"

Suki bowed as a sign of respect. "It's an honor to finally meet you at last, Admiral."

Yamamoto chuckled and returned the bow. "Please. The honor is mine."

He took her left hand and shook it vigorously before gesturing to the other two officers with him. "Allow me to introduce two of our distinguished guests: Captain Iroh Takahashi, skipper of the battleship Nagato, and a very old friend of mine." The old man nodded towards her with a benevolent smile on his face. "And his nephew, Commander Zuko Takahashi, skipper of the destroyer Tokitsukaze." The taller officer smiled awkwardly and bowed stiffly.

"Well, shall we head to dinner?" continued Yamamoto.

"Lead the way, old friend," responded Iroh with a smile.

The two men descended below decks.

"After you," muttered Zuko. To Suki, he looked quite nervous. Either he was socially inept or he'd never met a female naval officer in his line of work. Probably both.

She grinned before thanking him and walking down the stairs.

(IJN Yamato, Officers' Dining Room, 2000 Hours)

Dinner had been a nice affair. Suki had found herself sitting between Zuko and a rather friendly man who introduced himself as Commander Tameichi Hara, skipper of the destroyer Amatsukaze, and assigned to the 16th Destroyer Division, which also included Zuko's Tokitsukaze and the destroyers Yukikaze and Hatsukaze, all of which belonged to the Kagero-Class.

Whilst discussing his past, Suki's eyes had drifted to a scar that ran across Zuko's left cheek and looked like it had been administered by a blade of some sort. Zuko had noticed her staring at it and seemed to tense up. Perhaps it brought him shame to talk about it. She averted her gaze from his injury and let him continue telling his life's story.

After graduating from Etajima in 1935, he'd originally served as a torpedo gunner aboard the Sazanami, a member of the revolutionary Fubuki-Class Destroyer, and had taken part in several tests of the IJN's oxygen-driven Type 93 Torpedo.

It was there that he'd met Hara, whom Zuko had apparently grown to idolize after having read the former's doctrine on torpedo warfare. After several long debates over the tactics that Hara had put forth in his manual, the two of them had struck up a rapport that over time had evolved into a friendly teacher-student relationship, with Hara helping to mentor the younger Zuko in both torpedo warfare and commanding a destroyer of his own.

In fact, after Hara had assumed command of the Amatsukaze in April 1940, Zuko had served as his XO for eight months before he was given command of the Tokitsukaze that December.

Their conversations had then segued into combat histories, with both Zuko and Hara regaling Suki with stories of several battles they had taken part in. It seemed Destroyer Division 16 had seen plenty of action, having accompanied the invading forces of both the Philippines in late December 1941 and the Dutch East Indies in early 1942 (they'd paused to hear her tales of serving with the Tainan Air Group, given that she'd helped them provide air cover during the Dutch East Indies invasion).

The division had even participated in the Battle of the Java Sea and had helped save the light carrier Ryujo from certain destruction in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, with the Tokitsukaze personally shooting down three enemy dive-bombers and two torpedo-bombers. Suki felt mildly surprised that they could talk about such experiences with such gusto, especially given their long service record. She would've expected them to sound weary.

The food had been absolutely delicious, which was probably to expected of the Combined Fleet's Commander-in-Chief. Suki had marveled at the delicacies that the IJN afforded its surface fleet officers. It was a far cry from the bland food that she and her fellow pilots usually ate in the mess hall at Lakunai. Even the sake had tasted better, though Yamamoto had only allowed one small glass for each officer.

Now, Yamamoto, who sat at the end of table, cleared his throat, causing everyone else present to fall silent.

"Now then, I wish to discuss the plans for our newest operation."

Suki looked towards Zuko with a raised eyebrow. Yamamoto's letter hadn't mentioned anything about a battle meeting.

One of the officers sitting to Yamamoto's right glanced between her and his superior before clearing his throat awkwardly. "Sir, shouldn't we wait for her to leave?"

Yamamoto shook his head. "Nonsense, Watanabe. As commander of one of the navy's best fighter squadrons, the Lieutenant should attend."

Commander Watanabe Yasimasa scoffed as he looked at Suki with apparent contempt.

Suki felt a brief spell of anger and indignation bubble up within her as she glared back at Watanabe. Even in the IJN's upper ranks, the sexist culture still persisted. Granted she was often used to being ignored, but never had she been openly derided in front of someone as high-ranking as Yamamoto.

Calming herself, she averted her gaze from Watanabe and instead directed her attention to the C-in-C. "What is this operation you mentioned, sir?"

"Our next invasion to retake Guadalcanal," replied Yamamoto. "Also, Lieutenant Nakamura, I wish to apologize for not explicitly telling you of this in my letter."

Suki felt utterly perplexed. Had the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy just apologized to her?

"A-apology accepted, sir."

"Before we discuss the invasion plan itself," began Yamamoto before directing his gaze to Iroh, who sat a couple of seats down the table. "Iroh, I believe you have something you wished to report, correct?"

Said man nodded and produced a pink-colored folder from somewhere under the table. He passed it to the officer next to him, who passed it up the table. Meanwhile, Iroh began addressing the group: "The recon flight from Sumatra has returned with reports on the enemy's defenses at Guadalcanal."

"I see. What do they say?" asked Yamamoto as he opened the folder and perused the document inside.

"They couldn't get close to Henderson Field for fear of being intercepted. But they were, however, able to confirm a rather large presence of American warships in the area."

Iroh then placed what looked like several photographs and slid them down the table to Yamamoto. "Based on their reports, we estimate at least one aircraft carrier, two battleships, probably a South Dakota or a North Carolina, seven cruisers and twelve destroyers."

"I see," said Yamamoto as he examined the photos closely. "Your thoughts?"

The old captain stroked his beard contemplatively as he conveyed his thoughts. "Considering that we've sunk three of their aircraft carriers, Lexington at Coral Sea, Hornet and Yorktown at Midway, and that we've supposedly put the Enterprise out of action at the Eastern Solomons, it's most likely that the carrier located in the region is either the Saratoga or the Wasp. Either way, I would advise caution when engaging the carrier and its air group."

"And the battleships?" Yamamoto pressed further.

"From the intel reports our spies have gathered, the South Dakota and North Carolina-Classes are some of the best battleships that the Americans currently have."

Suki heard a snort from one of the officers sitting across from her and she spared him a brief glance. From what Yamamoto had told her, this man was the Yamato's commanding officer: Rear-Admiral Gihachi Takayanagi.

"Something you'd like to add, Takayanagi?" questioned Yamamoto with a stony glare on his face.

"Yes, there is," retorted the Rear-Admiral arrogantly. "What need is there to worry about how powerful the Americans' battleships are? My ship mounts the most powerful naval guns ever fitted to a vessel! Why I could destroy those Yankee dogs from twenty-five kilometers away!" He then slammed his right hand on the table as he turned to face Iroh, who remained calm as ever while Takayanagi badgered him with another question: "And what advantage could those pitiful ships possibly have over the might of Yamato?"

After taking a deep and calming breath, Iroh uttered an answer that silenced the overconfident naval officer: "Radar."

The Rear-Admiral looked absolutely befuddled, which Iroh took as his cue to continue: "While both the North Carolinas and the South Dakotas have guns less powerful than those we have mounted on Yamato and Musashi, the Americans have equipped both battleship classes with radar systems, a luxury that almost all of our current ships lack. So even if your ship has superior guns, not only will the American warships see you before you can get into effective firing range, but they will also score more accurate hits than you. Furthermore, all six ships mount nine 16-inch guns, one more barrel than our Nagatos. They have a tactical advantage over our two most powerful battleships and a main armament nearly superior to the Amagi and our two Nagatos. That is why the South Dakotas and the North Carolinas are the best battleships the Americans possess."

Takayanagi scoffed once more. "I still fail to see the importance of understanding these ships."

"Sun Tzu tells us 'He who knows his enemies and knows himself shall not be imperiled in a thousand battles'. As the commander of one of our most powerful warships, you would do well to remember that, Takayanagi. Otherwise, you could make a blunder that could jeopardize the life of every sailor and officer on board this ship!"

It was highly unusual for Iroh to get angry. From what Suki saw, all of the officers, except for Yamamoto and Zuko, seemed shocked at the older man's outburst. Even Takayanagi staggered back, his arrogance receding like the tides.

"Now then, Iroh," said Yamamoto. "Would you care to explain more about the American radar?"

"Gladly," replied Iroh curtly as he turned away from a subdued Takayanagi. "From the photos provided by our intelligence department, the American battleships mount their radar systems on the rear of their conning towers. While it does provide them an advantage in night-fighting, if we can take their radar out, it will level the battlefield."

"Do you have a plan for ensuring this?"

"Yes, I do," replied Iroh as he turned towards Zuko and Hara. "It is my understanding that our destroyers are capable of firing illumination shells."

Both destroyer skippers nodded in affirmation.

"What do you have in mind, Uncle?" inquired Zuko.

"The task that I have in mind will require no small amount of courage on your part, nephew," replied Iroh with a smirk, which earned him a roll of the eyes from the two men. "You will need to get close enough to within firing range of the battleships and fire illuminating shells. That way, our gunners will have a clean shot."

"Well, Hara?" questioned Yamamoto. "Do you and your former student think you can accomplish this?"

The two of them shared a glance before Hara nodded and replied: "Yes, sir. We do however have one, shall we say, 'ace up our sleeve'. Before we sailed here from Truk, we were joined by the four ships of Destroyer Division 17. One of their ships, the Hamakaze, is equipped with the new Type 22 General-Purpose Radar, which is capable of detecting large ships at 34.5 kilometers away. We can use her to search for the battleships and guide the rest of our destroyers to the target."

"Excellent. But this will be very dangerous. The guns on those battleships can severely damage or outright sink your destroyers once you are in range. You're also free to launch torpedo attacks as soon as you have the enemy in your sights. However, should you feel that your ships are in danger, you may withdraw from the action. While sinking these battleships is important, both your ships and the lives of both yourselves and your crews are just as important."

"Understood, sir," replied Zuko with a determined countenance.

"Additionally, we must address a numerical disparity," murmured Yamamoto out loud. "While we have the advantage in battleships and carriers, it seems the Americans have us outgunned when it comes to cruisers and destroyers. They have seven cruisers to our three, and twelve destroyers to our ten. And if the two Akizukis are to protect our carriers, that leaves us with only eight."

He then turned to the officer sitting to the left of him. "Kondo, can we perhaps gather additional reinforcements?"

Vice-Admiral Nobutake Kondo nodded before producing a map and laying it out on the table. "Three Myokos of Cruiser Division 5 are currently anchored in Truk, along with, among other ships, the battleships Musashi, Hiei and Kirishima, two Mogamis from Cruiser Division 7 and eight destroyers, three Yugumos and five Kageros, of Destroyer Squadron 10, along with an Agano serving as the destroyer leader. I can requisition the cruisers and the destroyers. That will give us seven heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and sixteen destroyers. It should take them a little under a day to arrive. I can also put the battleships on standby just in case their assistance is required."

"Excellent. Have the order sent to Truk immediately. And one more thing," ordered Yamamoto. "See if you can requisition Hiei and Kirishima as well. They're the only battleships that can keep pace with our carriers, and I want them to protect Shokaku and Zuikaku."

"Yes, sir," replied Kondo as he stood from his chair before bowing towards Yamamoto and exited the cabin.

"Now, we must discuss the situation in the air."

Suki noticed Yamamoto turning his gaze towards her. Suddenly, she felt herself stiffen involuntarily.

Calm down, Suki. Just don't do anything stupid.

"Lieutenant Nakamura. You and your squadron have engaged the so-called 'Cactus Air Force' in the past. What can you tell us about them?"

She took a deep breath to compose herself. "While the Cactus Air Force does fly inferior aircraft, its pilots are highly-skilled. I would go as far to say that they are some of the best opponents we have ever faced."

"How?"

A memory of her duel with the two Wildcats earlier today came to mind. "They utilize unorthodox tactics that negate the advantages our aircraft hold over theirs."

"Such as?"

"Many of their tactics involve baiting, where one Wildcat lures a Zero onto his tail while another Wildcat lines up a shot on the Zero. One such tactic is the weave maneuver, which I encountered earlier today."

"Tell us more about this 'weave maneuver'," ordered Yamamoto.

Suki nodded and used her hands to simulate the maneuver. "The two Yankees start out side by side. When a Zero latches on to either one of them, they turn in towards one another. After they cross paths and fly on for a certain distance, they turn back towards one another and repeat the maneuver. If the Zero follows one of the Yankees through the maneuver, the other will have a clean shot at it when they cross paths."

"So the difficulty that our fighter pilots face is getting a clean shot at the Americans without putting themselves in danger of being shot down in return," observed Iroh.

"Yes, sir. That's the main problem, and it's cost me many of my fellow pilots in my squadron ever since we first encountered these Yankees," replied Suki.

"Lieutenant," began Yamamoto. "You and your squadron will be accompanying Shokaku's and Zuikaku's Carrier Fighter Units. During the time while we prepare for this invasion, you are to train with them and instruct them on the tactics that you've shown us."

"Understood, sir."

"We'll also be sending in additional fighter and bomber squadrons. If my memory serves me correctly, the Tainan Air Group are due to return to Rabaul tomorrow."

Suki felt positively elated at the prospects of seeing her old comrades. She grinned as she addressed Yamamoto once more: "It will be an honor to fight alongside them again, sir."

"I'm sure it will," replied Yamamoto.

The cabin door opened as Vice-Admiral walked back in and sat back down next to Yamamoto. "The order has been sent, sir. And your request for both Hiei and Kirishima has been approved."

"Excellent," said Yamamoto. "I will now explain the first phase of our operation. This calls for the flotilla to steam ahead to Guadalcanal and destroy any American warships anchored in the area. We can go into specifics later, but the battleships and the aircraft carrier are our priority targets. Once that is done, while we wait for the IJA transport ships to arrive, we'll harass the American defenders as much as we can. We can use Yamato, Nagato and Mutsu to bombard Henderson Field and the rest of their inland defenses. Our air forces will need to support the IJA soldiers currently deployed on the island, maintain air superiority over Guadalcanal and protect the flotilla from any additional attackers. Any questions?"

None of the other naval officers said anything. Perhaps they were all tired.

"Preparations and training will commence tomorrow at 0900. If all goes according to plan, we'll set sail for Guadalcanal on the 18th. You're all dismissed."

Suki stood up with the rest of the officers, bowed and followed Zuko and Hara out of the cabin.

(Lakunai Airfield, Officer's Barracks, 2120 Hours)

"So, how did the dinner go?" asked Takara from across the room.

"It was good," muttered Suki as she climbed into her bunk. "I'll tell you the specifics in the morning."

"Alright, goodnight."

"Night."

Suki closed her eyes and nestled into her bunk, both eager for sleep and anxious for the days to come.

Her mind was already churning with all the possible outcomes of the battle. Either this would be an easy victory for the IJN, a pyrrhic victory with significant losses on both sides but with the Japanese taking back Guadalcanal, or an outright disaster with the entire flotilla being destroyed at the hands of additional American reinforcements.

Either way, with Guadalcanal serving as both the only American stronghold in the Southeast Pacific and an excellent vantage point for further conquest, the fate of the Imperial Japanese Empire would be decided with this coming battle.

Chapter Text

(Malaguna Emergency Airfield, Mess Hall, September 16th, 1942, 1340 Hours)

What a crazy day it's been, and it's not even noon! Satoru thought to himself as he finished his well-deserved lunch.

To say he and his men had been working their tails off would've been a gross understatement. The morning had started at around 7:15 with ferrying the Kyoshi pilot's Zero back to Lakunai Airfield. The men had then spent the hours of 8:00 and 9:00 performing repairs on seven G4M1 Model 11 'Betty' medium bombers from the 25th Air Flotilla's 4th Air Group that had returned from an eleven-plane raid on Henderson Field.

All of them had suffered varying degrees of damage, with three of them landing at the field with only one operational engine. If not for the pressing need for airworthy bombers, Satoru would've had them written off.

At 10:15, some of his men had been sent up north to the Sulphur Creek Seaplane Base to help overhaul several of the R-Area Air Force's H8K and H6K flying boats in preparation for an upcoming raid on the American warships in the Solomon Islands. Although performing maintenance on those four-engined behemoths had been back-breaking work, the men were rewarded for their efforts with a nice bath in the nearby hot springs.

And as if the day hadn't been hectic enough for the repair teams, around 11:45 or so, one of Shokaku's new B6N1 Model 11 'Jill' carrier attack planes had apparently developed engine trouble while on a practice exercise and had been forced to make an emergency landing at their airfield.

However, because the aircraft had only recently been introduced into service, Satoru and his repairmen didn't have a surplus stock of the NK7A Mamori 11 radial engine that the Jill used, nor did they have any experience with performing maintenance on it.

Thus, Satoru had driven all the way up to Simpson Harbor, managed to convince Shokaku's commanding officer, Captain Masafumi Arima, to lend him a couple of the carrier's repairmen and the parts necessary to repair the Jill's engine, ferried both of them back to Malaguna, painstakingly studied the process of repairing this new carrier attack plane (as the men from Shokaku did the actual work, of course), let out a sigh of relief as the Jill's engine started, returned the repairmen, along with the Jill and its crew, to their carrier.

After returning to the airfield for the final time, with his wristwatch reading 13:00, Satoru granted his men, who were exhausted as he was, the time to eat lunch and relax.

He looked around the hall to see that most of his men were still eating and conversing with one another.

For a moment, everything seemed quiet. Until the door leading outside to the airfield suddenly burst open. In came Satoru's assistant, Petty Officer Second Class Daisuke 'Dai' Fukumoto, looking for all the world as exhausted as someone who had serviced every single aircraft in Rabaul.

"Satoru!" he called out breathlessly.

"What is it, Dai?"

"A bunch of fighters and night fighters have just landed on the airstrip! I think one of the pilots wants to speak to you!"

Although his face appeared neutral, Satoru felt mentally frustrated. After gesturing for Dai to go get some lunch of his own, he got up with a sigh and walked out the door to the airfield.

Man, Dai wasn't kidding!

No less than two-dozen Zeros, along with twenty of the new J1N1-S Model 11 'Gekko' night fighters, had landed at the airfield. Some had already been moved to unoccupied revetments, while others sat on the runway.

What caught Satoru's attention, though, was that each Zero had a blue stripe running diagonally down both sides of its fuselage, a pattern that he'd seen before.

No! It can't be...

He blinked, just to make sure he was hallucinating. It wasn't the case. If the pictures he'd seen in news clippings were accurate, then these Zeros, and possibly the Gekkos, belonged to none other than the Tainan Air Group.

It took Satoru a couple of seconds to notice a pilot, still dressed in his flying gear, walking towards him.

The man stopped in front of him before removing his flight cap and goggles, revealing a steely face that Satoru had seen numerous times in news reports covering the war.

He watched in a trance as Warrant Officer Hiroyoshi Nishizawa scrutinized him before inquiring: "Are you the Chief Repairman here?"

"Y-yes, sir," stammered Satoru as he struggled to contain his excitement over the fact that one of Japan's famous air groups had landed at his repair field and that one of its many crack pilots was here speaking with him. He felt as giddy as a schoolboy.

"Good. 'Cause our aircraft are due for major repairs."

"Like what?" asked Satoru enthusiastically, more than happy to service a renowned ace.

"Well, for one thing, they need new radios."

"Wait, why?"

"Because we tore our old ones out," replied Nishizawa disdainfully. "Stupid things wouldn't work."

With that, Satoru's enthusiasm quickly vanished as exasperation quickly taking its place. He groaned rather audibly before pinching the bridge of his nose. How the hell am I supposed to procure over forty radios?!

As he looked once more at Nishizawa's sheephish expression, however, his frustration waned somewhat. It was common knowledge that most radios on Japanese aircraft were somewhat lacking and prone to failure. And venting his anger at the pilot in front of him would do no good. "Alright. I'll see what me and my men can do to replace them. Anything else?"

"Other than that, some bullet damage needs patching and some of our planes' engines need overhauling."

Well that should be easy. If the technical reports are correct, then the Gekko uses the same Sakae engines as the Zero.

Satoru grinned. "Well, me and my men are on lunch break, but we can get started as soon as we're finished. In the meantime, however, you and your fellow pilots are more than welcome to join us in the mess hall."

Nishizawa bowed. "That would be most appreciated. I'll inform the rest of my men of your proposition."

As the legendary ace walked back towards the rest of his squadron, Satoru couldn't believe his luck.

My boys and I are going to service the finest naval fighter pilots in all of Japan!

If he lived to make it back to the Home Islands, this would be the story of a lifetime for his family.

(9,000 meters above the Duke of York Islands, 32.6 kilometers east of Rabaul, 1355 Hours)

If an American plane were to happen upon the skies above the Duke of York Islands at this given moment, the pilot would do well to make a break for it. After all, no one would want to be in the sights of a Zero, let alone thirty of them.

On the other hand, assuming the American pilot had a camera on him, he wouldn't have had a better opportunity: a bunch of Zeros mimicking the very tactic that Lieutenant-Commander John Thach had developed to counter the Japanese carrier fighter.

Suki had spent most of her day drilling the Kyoshi Air Group on combating the Thach Weave maneuver that the two Americans had employed against her the other day.

In order to accomplish in ensuring that every single pilot participated, the three squadrons that comprised the group would each take off from the airfield and fly to the designated practice area above the islands. Each squadron would train for an hour or more, with the pilots rotating at intervals between simulating the maneuver and practicing methods on how to counter it.

So far, the best tactic for dealing with the weave maneuver seemed to be to dive on the enemy planes. If the attacking Japanese pilot didn't shoot either of the planes down, it could at least throw them off and increase the likelihood of the 'weavers' either making a mistake that the attacker could exploit or aborting the maneuver all-together.

Thus, in a hypothetical scenario, one flight of Zeros would stalk the targets from above and dive on them, while another would trail them from behind (without directly engaging them, of course), waiting to pounce as soon as the opportunity arose.

For the last round, both Suki and Takara were acting as the Americans, while the pilots from Squadron Three, lead by Ensign Ayame Etsuko, had to shoot them down.

Just as they passed each other, one of the girls dove on Takara, who promptly banked out of the weave altogether, while her attacker barely missed clipping the port wing of her aircraft.

"Asshole!" she cursed over the radio. "You could've killed me!"

Suki chuckled. The humorous interlude, however, was short-lived when Ayame took advantage of Takara's absence and dropped in on Suki's six.

"Scratch one Yankee," chirped Ayame softly before adding: "Make that two" as one of her subordinates latched onto Takara's tail.

"Good work, girls," said Suki over the radio as they regrouped. "Let's get back to base. I think we've all earned a short reprieve."

Some of the other pilots whooped in approval as they turned their Zeros west towards Rabaul.

Suddenly, another airplane whizzed past Suki's cockpit.

What the hell was that?! A Yankee trying to get the jump on me?

Reacting instinctively, she switched off the safeties on her machine guns and autocannons, pushed the throttle all the way forward and sped after the intruder.

The hostile plane pulled a banking turn to the left. Suki did the same, and at that distance, there was no way she could miss. Lining up the aircraft within her sights, she prepared to open fire at the Zero in front of her.

What the hell?! She blinked. There was no mistaking the shape of those wings that each sported a blood-red hinomaru. Unlike her Zero, this one, however, was painted in the grey-green scheme that was usually found on planes operating from aircraft carriers.

As the other plane leveled out, Suki closed the distance and pulled alongside it to get a closer look.

This Zero bore two vertical white stripes on its fuselage, which also sported several pink flowers (possibly kill marks), and another horizontal white stripe on its tail, identifying it as belonging to Zuikaku's Carrier Fighter Unit. The tail also bore a dark-red designation that read: EII-102.

After a few seconds, the other pilot rocked his wings before accelerating his Zero to a couple kilometers away from Suki. As she watched, he seemed to slow down before pitching up and yawing around 180 degrees. The Immelmann Turn he'd just performed had now put him at a higher altitude than her.

So, he wants to dance with me?

"You okay, Suki?" asked Takara over the radio.

"I'm fine, Takara," replied Suki as her opponent got closer. "There's a carrier pilot here who wants to have some fun with me."

"I'll leave you to it, then," acknowledged Takara.

Immediately after the Zuikaku pilot passed over her, Suki executed a Chandelle Maneuver, rolling her Zero in an upwards banking turn to the left and latching on to the other Zero's tail.

The ensuing chase around the sky lasted for several minutes, with Suki's patience slowly dwindling.

Just as she was considering breaking off and returning to Rabaul, the Zuikaku pilot carried out a maneuver she had never seen before.

He banked just slightly to the left before pulling his Zero into a climb and rolled in a left turn.

Suki watched through the roof of her canopy as he passed overhead before winging over into a smaller turn that put him back on her six.

Now she was the one being chased.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous! And I'm probably wasting fuel! thought Suki. Although the Zero had a range of 1,870 kilometers, Suki and her fellow pilots never flew training missions with full tanks, opting to conserve more of the precious aviation fuel for combat missions.

And because they had been airborne for several hours, they had run through a lot of what fuel they've taken off with. Add to that the amount of time Suki spent 'dogfighting' with the fighter pilot from Zuikaku, it was very understandable why she felt wary about her fuel situation.

A quick glance at her fuel gauge showed that she was nearing at what fighter pilots refer to as 'bingo fuel', which was the minimum amount of fuel required for a safe trip back to base.

It was time to disengage.

Suki snapped over into a split-S, rolling inverted and diving for the deck.

She leveled out at around 6,000 meters. To her mild chagrin, the other pilot had followed her through the maneuver.

He seemed to get the message, though, as he followed her back to Rabaul instead of trying to coax her into another 'dogfight'.

As they passed over Simpson Harbor, the other pilot made no attempt to break off and head for Zuikaku. Though he stopped tailing Suki and formed up alongside her starboard wing.

The two of them approached Lakunai Airfield and made final preparations for landing.

Once they were on the ground, the two pilots taxied towards a pair of vacant revetments and switched off their respective aircraft's engine.

Suki disembarked from her Zero just in time to see her mystery opponent walking towards her. He had removed his flight cap and goggles to reveal a steely face and black hair.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what exactly were you doing back there?"

To her surprise, the pilot simply shrugged. "Just wanted to see if the rumors about you were true. And it seems they are." He then smiled at her. "You're every bit of the skilled warrior that everyone claims you to be, Suki Nakamura."

Suki ducked her face to hide the blush that had sprung to her cheeks. "So, you know my name," she muttered. "But I'm afraid I don't know yours."

"I'm Petty Officer First Class Tetsuzo Iwamoto," responded the man.

Suki wracked her brain, trying to remember where she had heard his name. "You're one of those veterans of China, right?"

"There's a lot of those," remarked Iwamoto with a chuckle. "But yes, I did fight over China."

"That maneuver you pulled back there," said Suki. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I call it the 'Yo-Yo Turn'. It can be very useful for shaking an aggressive pursuer."

"Indeed. That was some incredible flying."

Iwamoto's face lit up at the praise. "Thank you," he said before gazing at her inquisitively. "If you'd like, I can teach you how to perform it some other time."

"I'd like that," answered Suki with a smile.

"Great! But some other time, though. I'd best be getting back to my carrier, as my shore leave is almost over."

Is this how he normally spends his free time? wondered Suki to herself. It certainly seemed strange to her, given how she would spend what free time she had in between drills by either penning letters to her family or polishing her katana.

Then again, who was she to call anyone else strange?

"It's been a pleasure to finally meet you at last," said Iwamoto with a bow.

"Likewise," replied Suki as she returned the bow.

He waved goodbye as he began the trek back to his Zero.

Suki walked back towards the officer's barracks and was promptly greeted by a smirking Takara.

"What's got you excited, Takara?" asked Suki as she looked at her XO warily.

"Oh, nothing," replied Takara in a mockingly-sweet tone. "Other than seeing my superior flirting with a handsome carrier pilot."

Suki reeled back as the heat returned to her cheeks. "That's not what that was!"

"Then why are you blushing madly?"

Suki stammered, unsure of how to respond to that.

"Aha!" remarked Takara. "Now I know what you were really doing during your 'fun' time!"

"Oh, shut up, you!" shouted Suki exasperatedly as she pushed past the other girl and headed to her own bunk.

After spending a few seconds chuckling to herself, Takara followed her in.

Meanwhile, Iwamoto had started his Zero and taxied onto Lakunai's runway.

With the flaps lowered and the throttle pushed to max, he rolled down the runway and lifted off the ground. He then climbed a little higher, straightened out, and turned towards the myriad of warships anchored in nearby Simpson Harbor.

Unbeknownst to him, however, that myriad was about to get even larger.

Chapter Text

(Tactical Command Center, IJN Atago, Saint George's Channel, 11 kilometers northwest of Rabaul, September 16th, 1942, 0920 Hours)

One of the definitive features of Atago was her huge, castle-like tower bridge, a feature synonymous with the four Takao-Class Heavy Cruisers.

While this bridge made her somewhat top-heavy, it also allowed her to accommodate numerous compartments and command centers for directing every vital function ranging from weaponry and fire-control to navigation and communications.

This feature was the primary reason that Vice-Admiral Nobutake Kondo had made Atago his fleet flagship.

Earlier in the day, he'd received word from the battleship Hiei that she and the rest of the reinforcements were nearing Papua New Guinea.

Thus, he'd set off aboard Atago for the rendezvous point at Watom Island, which was located about 15 kilometers northwest of Rabaul.

As a safety precaution, the destroyers Tanikaze and Urakaze (both belonging to the Kagero-Class) accompanied the large heavy cruiser as escort.

Currently, Kondo was perusing both a map of the Solomon Islands and intel reports on the American warships near Guadalcanal.

Suddenly, the 'General Quarters' alarm started blaring, quickly followed by an announcement over the heavy cruiser's PA system: "All hands, man your battle stations! All hands, man your battle stations!"

Kondo immediately rose from the table and quickly made his way up a level to the bridge.

He was immediately greeted with Atago's CO, Captain Matsuji Ijuin, shouting: "Vice-Admiral on deck!"

Kondo hastily returned the salutes before ordering: "At ease. Talk to me, Ijuin."

"Urakaze just reported a sonar contact off her port bow. High probability that it's an American sub."

"You're certain?" questioned Kondo, though he found his answer when one of the lookouts shouted: "Torpedoes, off the port bow!"

The Japanese Vice-Admiral rushed to one of the many lookout stations on Atago's bridge, and the sight he was greeted with confirmed Ijuin's suspicions.

Six torpedoes were knifing through the water towards the three ships from the northwest.

Unlike their IJN counterparts, American torpedoes left an easily-noticeable trail in their wake, making it easier to avoid them.

Behind him, he heard Ijuin barking out orders: "Engines full astern! Rudder hard to port!"

Kondo gripped the railing in front of him as the heavy cruiser lurched to port, her top-heaviness causing her to heel just slightly.

Then, a series of explosions, three to be precise, was heard.

Kondo glanced towards Urakaze. There was no way she could still be afloat after taking three direct hits.

Instead, he saw three columns of water rising into the air, indicating premature detonations.

As for Urakaze, she of course remained undamaged.

Meanwhile, Ijuin's evasive maneuvering had saved Atago from two of the remaining torpedoes, both of which in turn missed Tanikaze.

One, however, continued on a collision course with the heavy cruiser's port side.

Kondo and the rest of Atago's crew would witness firsthand the destructive capability of.

KLONK!

Or not...

Three premature detonations and a dud. What luck! thought the Japanese Vice-Admiral to himself.

He then heard a series of splashes, indicating that Urakaze was dropping her depth charges.

As the exploding depth charges sent up geysers of water, Tanikaze cut across Atago to join her sister in hunting down the American submarine.

"Sir!" called out a voice from behind Kondo, causing him to turn to a young Ensign who handed him a message slip. "Our Forward Air Controller asked me to give you this."

The message slip said:

Three flying boats 5 kilometers SE of our position. Permission to vector them in?

"Tell him he has my permission. And notify the destroyers of the danger," ordered Kondo.

The Ensign saluted and ran back inside.

Forward air control was a technique whereby ground troops (and by extension, naval vessels) would communicate with strike aircraft via an officer (designated as the Forward Air Controller or FAC) to effectively coordinate attacks against ground or air targets.

The technique had been borrowed from the German Kriegsmarine, who had used it to deadly effect seven months earlier against the British during the infamous Channel Dash.

Within a few minutes, Kondo's ears detected the rumble of airplane engines. He turned his eyes skyward to see a trio of H8K1 Model 11 flying boats approaching from the direction of Rabaul. A closer glance with his binoculars showed each aircraft was equipped with four depth bombs.

The two destroyers promptly moved away from the drop zone to lessen the likelihood of damage.

With the three ships spectating, the flying boats each made a pass over the enemy submarine's location and released their deadly payload.

Twelve depth bombs went into the sea, twelve geysers rose up.

Having expended their payloads, the three aircraft then turned for Rabaul.

"Sir!" shouted a lookout, presumably to Ijuin. "Tanikaze and Urakaze are reporting they have lost sonar contact!"

As if further confirmation was needed, Kondo noticed a thick film of oil on the water-a grave marker.

Their work done, the three ships continued on, their crews jubilant at the day's victory.

(A few kilometers off of Watom Island, 0925 Hours)

By now, the reinforcements were just coming within the sights of Atago's lookouts.

The heavy cruiser and her two smaller escorts lay anchored in the waters off the island, waiting for the temporary fleet to assemble.

At the bridge, Kondo gazed at the approaching ships through his binoculars.

He first distinguished a pair of Kongo-Class Battleships. At first glance, they looked identical. But as they got closer, however, he recognized the experimental tower bridge (a prototype of that on Yamato) that had been fitted to Hiei during her reconstruction. Kirishima, on the other hand, retained her traditional pagoda mast, which was bristling with searchlights and gun directors.

The two battleships steamed past Atago's bow and made to lay anchor.

They were soon followed by the heavy cruisers: Myoko, Nachi and Haguro (the three of them belonged to the Myoko-Class) of Cruiser Division 5, and Kumano and Suzuya (the two of them made up the Suzuya-Subclass of the Mogami-Class) of Cruiser Division 7.

Seeing these battle-hardened veterans of the Dutch East Indies Campaign made Kondo swell with confidence. The ships of Cruiser Division 5, in particular, were all veterans of the Battle of the Java Sea, with Haguro and Nachi delivering the coup de grace to both the Dutch flagship HNLMS De Ruyter (the only light cruiser of her class) and the British heavy cruiser HMS Exeter (belonging to the York-Class).

After them came the destroyers, which were traveling in a long column.

According to Kondo's report, the destroyer detachment consisted of five vessels of the Kagero-Class, along with an additional three of the newer Yugumo-Class, which were essentially modified Kageros with a redesigned bridge and had four of the brand-new 40mm Type 2 Autocannons in two twin-mounts instead of the four 25mm Type 96 Autocannons in two twin-mounts that the Kagero-Class uses.

As he glanced at the column of ships, however, Kondo noticed something off: There weren't eight destroyers. Rather, there were nine.

Moreover, the Agano-Class Light Cruiser that was supposed to be leading the detachment wasn't there.

In its place was an extra destroyer which, at first glance, resembled a Yugumo.

To Kondo's mild surprise, this lead destroyer broke formation and steamed towards Atago, traveling at a speed rather fast for her size, while the other vessels continued on to the temporary anchorage.

As the new ship pulled up along the port side of Atago, the other men on her bridge voiced their own surprise and disbelief to each other:

"Where did that destroyer come from?"

"Did you see how fast it was going?"

"Look at those torpedo tubes!"

Whilst they continued murmuring amongst themselves, Kondo walked back to the lookout station he'd stood at earlier, this time to take a gander for himself at this new destroyer. He found that while she resembled a Yugumo, there were significant differences. For one thing, she was longer and the shape of her bow had more flare to it. Second, while the Yugumos mounted two Type 92 Torpedo Launchers amidships, this destroyer mounted three. And it wasn't just the number of torpedo launchers that differed greatly. Further examination showed that each torpedo launcher had five individual tubes, allowing this destroyer to fire FIFTEEN torpedoes with one salvo.

That's enough to scupper an entire flotilla with one well-aimed spread, thought Kondo to himself. For the sake of identifying this ship, he checked the white hiragana inscription on her hull: Shimakaze

Why hadn't he heard of this destroyer? None of the reports he'd read had mentioned her.

Suddenly, one of Shimakaze's signal lamps began flashing a message: Atago...Stand by to receive launch...

Eager to further understand the situation, Kondo meandered his way down the ladders to the main deck and walked to one of the hoists used to lift launches and lifeboats up to the deck. The launch's passengers, of which there were two, had disembarked by the time he arrived. They promptly turned to face him.

"Vice-Admiral Kondo," said the man on the left as he greeted him with a salute, which Kondo returned.

He immediately recognized this man as the CO of Destroyer Squadron Three, Rear-Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto.

"At ease, Hashimoto," ordered Kondo before turning to the man standing next to the Rear-Admiral. "And you are?"

"Commander Hiromu Hirose, skipper of the destroyer Shimakaze," he answered as he saluted the Vice-Admiral.

Kondo returned Hirose's salute before turning his attention back to Hashimoto. "I had no idea that you had changed flagships."

The Rear-Admiral nodded in confirmation. "That's correct, sir. Apparently, Agano was suffering engine trouble and is undergoing temporary repairs back at Truk. Personally, I think it's going to take a trip back to Kure to get her fixed. Anyways, I needed a replacement and Hirose's destroyer was available."

"I was also unaware that we had a new destroyer," said Kondo, who emphasized his query with a glance towards Hirose.

"Well, we came off the slipway at Maizuru about six months ago. Our construction schedule had been expedited in order to make room for additional Yugumos, Matsus and the newer Akizukis."

"Yet the reports I've received show no record of your presence."

Hirose shrugged. "Perhaps it was in the interest of secrecy, or the reports are simply outdated."

Kondo bristled. Why would the IJN keep secrets from its own men? But he shrugged it off. The apparent secrecy was only a trivial matter. "Very well. Order your destroyers to follow the rest of the ships back to Rabaul."

"Understood, sir."

Both Hashimoto and Hirose bowed and turned to make their way back to the launch.

After glancing once more towards Shimakaze, Kondo turned to make his way back to the bridge. For some reason, his thoughts kept straying to the new super-destroyer and how she could prove to be an invaluable asset in the battle to come.

(Admiral's Cabin, IJN Yamato, Simpson Harbor, 1725 Hours)

Yamamoto had never been fond of his flagship, having been one of the most vociferous opponents against her construction and argued that the materials used to build both Yamato and her sister ships could be better spent on aircraft carriers. But his advice had gone unheeded, and Yamato and Musashi took their places in the Combined Fleet's 1st Battleship Division.

Yamamoto hadn't completely lost the fight, however. In the wake of Pearl Harbor and the Destruction of Force Z, the Naval General Staff, apparently having realized the merits of carrier-based aircraft, had made the decision to convert the third and unfinished Yamato-Class Battleship, Shinano, into a large aircraft carrier.

Additionally, the work on two of the proposed A-150-Class Battleship had been stopped and the materials destined for them were recycled into building a new class of fleet-size aircraft carriers.

The first such carrier, Taiho, had been launched the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. According to her designers, she was the first Japanese aircraft carrier to incorporate a hurricane bow, along with an armored flight deck that had been designed to withstand 1,100-pound bombs with minimal damage and two hangars. She was able to carry a large air group of 75 aircraft, which was three planes more than a single Shokaku-Class Aircraft Carrier can carry.

According to the reports from Kobe's shipyards, Taiho would be ready for service within the end of the month.

After the Battle of Midway, Yamamoto had pulled the majority of the Kido Butai's best combat pilots and sailors out of action and had them assigned to teaching posts back in the Home Islands to train newer pilots and sailors.

The IJN had also realized after Coral Sea that it was time to replace their older AA guns and fire-control systems on their ships with more modern ones for future battles. The Type 94 and Type 95 Fire-Directors were unable to track and engage fast moving targets, like dive-bombers, and had to be replaced with the newer Type 96 and Type 97 which were both capable of tracking and engaging said targets.

Akagi had all twelve of her 120mm Type 10 DP Guns (which were in six twin-mounts) removed due to their slow rate of fire and inferior elevation. They were replaced with twelve of the newer 127mm Type 89 Heavy AA Guns in six dual-mounts.

The 25mm Type 96 Autocannon, which served as the last-ditch weapon aboard Japanese ships, also couldn't handle high-speed targets because it couldn't be trained or elevated fast enough by either hand or power and its sights were inadequate for fast moving targets. It also demonstrated excessive vibration and muzzle blast which affected accuracy, and an inability to maintain high rates of fire because of the need constantly to change magazines.

Even when the Type 96 did managed to hit its target, its small weight of shell (which was only 6-pounds) lacked the stopping power against the rugged American aircraft.

They were replaced with the newer 40mm Type 2 Autocannon, which was a much better weapon than the Type 96. Right now, the Yugumos, Akizukis and Taiho were the only ones currently-equipped with the Type 2 so far.

Perhaps there was hope for the IJN after all.

With a smile, Yamamoto sat himself back down at the table, its only other occupant being none other than Iroh.

A tea set rested between the two men, with a cup filled for each of them.

Yamamoto took a sip from his cup. "Jasmine tea. Why am I not surprised?"

Iroh smiled as he set his own cup down. "I find it to be a rather calming drink. It helps alleviate any stress that I might be having."

Another sip.

"I've been trying to get my nephew to drink it as well. He's been seeming rather stressed as of late."

"Perhaps the pressures of being a destroyer captain are getting to him," offered Yamamoto. "It's entirely understandable given the action his division has seen."

Iroh shrugged. "Perhaps. Though it helps that his men look up to him."

"Indeed it does. However, I'm sure you haven't come all this way from Nagato simply to discuss tea or your nephew's well-being."

In response, Iroh's brow furrowed as he frowned contemplatively. "I'm afraid not, old friend."

"Well than, what is it that you want to speak to me about, Iroh?"

"I thought we could..." trailed off Iroh.

"We could what?" urged Yamamoto.

"We could reassess our strategy for Guadalcanal."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that instead of continuing to carry out piecemeal skirmishes, we go for an all-out attack. We rally together all the ships we have and hit the American fleet with overwhelming force."

"But that would force us to delay our current schedule even further," reasoned Yamamoto. "We can't waste more time gathering that kind of strength."

"I understand your hesitance, Isoroku," responded Iroh placatingly. "After all, it does go against the Combined Fleet's doctrine. But consider this, we've already called in some of our reinforcements, right?"

Yamamoto nodded tersely.

"What if the Americans do the same? What if they bring in additional warships in the time it takes us to sail to Guadalcanal?"

"We would be ensuring that by waiting to gather additional ships of our own!"

"Perhaps. But we will have a better chance of actually finishing them off instead of giving them the opportunity to recuperate."

Of course he would reference the Battle of Savo Island and the failure to capitalize on Mikawa's stunning victory.

With that, Yamamoto conceded. "What would you have me do, Iroh?"

"Gather together every operational warship in the vicinity of Rabaul. Inform their commanding officers to link up with our fleet."

Yamamoto nodded and walked over to the cabinet where he kept all of the operational reports sent to him. He procured the most recent files, along with a map, and returned to the table. He then passed the documents to Iroh, who began perusing them, and laid the map out on the table.

"It looks like we have several ships at anchor in Kavieng," said Iroh as he pointed to the harbor located in New Ireland, north of Rabaul.

"Read them off."

"There's the light carriers Ryujo and Shoho, the fleet carrier Junyo, the battleships Ise and Hyuga, the heavy cruiser Chokai, plus the four heavy cruisers of the 6th Cruiser Division, the light cruiser Oyodo, and twelve destroyers of the 15th, 24th and 61st Divisions."

Chokai currently served as the flagship for the 8th Fleet, consisting of both herself and Cruiser Division 6. The fleet was under the command of the victor of the Battle of Savo Island himself: Vice-Admiral Gunichi Mikawa.

"Inform Mikawa that he's to assume overall command of all the ships there and to prepare to sail to a rendezvous point on my command."

"Where should the rendezvous point be at?"

"Bougainville Island," answered Yamamoto as he pointed to the landmark at the northern end of the Solomon Islands. "Our fleet can link up with Mikawa's ships there, and the land-based naval aircraft accompanying us can use the three airfields there to refuel if necessary."

Iroh began writing the appropriate message.

"What about Truk?" asked Yamamoto.

"Hmmm," mused Iroh as he checked the appropriate report. "It seems Musashi is anchored there and is currently on standby."

"We can move her to Kavieng at once. She can give Mikawa additional firepower and, should he desire, a new flagship."

Iroh nodded in approval before appending the order to the message he had already started on.

"And Port Moresby?"

"According to a report from Vice-Admiral Nagumo," Yamamoto's eyes narrowed slightly when Iroh mentioned the man's name, "the aircraft carriers Soryu and Hiryu are anchored there."

"That's it?"

"I'm afraid so. From what he says, Kaga is conducting raids on Australian shipping and Akagi is undergoing repairs at Surabaya."

Yamamoto paused, remembering that he'd authorized the raids himself, with Nagumo having been particularly vehement in his opposition. "What happened to Akagi?"

"Apparently, she was hit by a torpedo from an American sub."

"No matter," replied Yamamoto dismissively. "We'll just have to make do with what he has. Any other ships there?"

"The battleships Haruna and Kongo, the heavy cruisers Ashigara, Maya, Tone and Chikuma, the light cruisers Noshiro and Sendai, and ten destroyers of the 11th, 19th and 31st Divisions. There's also nine minesweepers."

"You still have that message?" Iroh nodded in response. "Add another one for Nagumo and the ship commanders there. They are to also make for Bougainville Island."

Yamamoto took a red pen and began marking the map. "From there, we can split our forces and attack the Americans in a pincer. The main body, comprising the ships that we currently have, can steam to Guadalcanal down the Slot. Mikawa's and Nagumo's ships can go through the Solomon Sea further south."

"An interesting approach," commented Iroh. "But it could use some refinements. May I?"

Yamamoto nodded and handed him the pen.

The two naval officers continued to plan out their all-out assault. About 15 minutes later, they had a fully-realized plan for executing the pincer attack. Although he didn't dare to say out loud, Yamamoto was impressed with Iroh's strategy. It made him wonder why the man had continue to stubbornly refused a promotion to a more administrative position.

"Any more advice?" asked the Commander-in-Chief of the IJN as he leaned back into his chair.

"Until we're ready to make our move on Guadalcanal, I would advise having both the 25th Air Flotilla and the R-Area Air Force halt all of their raids on Henderson Field and the American warships in the area."

"Why would you suggest that?"

"Because they're depleting the number of serviceable aircraft and the combat-ready pilots that we have at our disposal," answered Iroh. "In case you have forgotten, we don't have the luxurious industrial capacity that the Americans do, and therefore can't replace our losses as easily."

"You're right. How stupid of me to forget," muttered Yamamoto solemnly. "What else?"

"If we need to make more of those transport runs down 'The Slot', it would probably be best to do so at night. It'll help the ships avoid attacks from the air and from those PT boats."

Yamamoto said nothing, merely nodding.

His friend seemed to hesitate before firmly gripping his left shoulder. "I know you don't like breaking tradition, Isoroku. But when faced with uncertainty, patience is always the best option."

He looked up at Iroh with a smirk. "Unbelievable. Me, Commander-in-Chief of the entire IJN, heeding the advice of a mere battleship captain? I'll never hear the end of it."

Iroh chuckled. "At least I'm more reliable than those harping fools in the IJA."

"That's not saying much," retorted Yamamoto with an amused huff. "You're implying that those hotheads can actually provide reliable information."

Both men shared a laugh.

"I have to ask, though," questioned Yamamoto once the two of them had calmed down. "What made you come and speak to me about this?"

"I must be getting back to Nagato. The destroyer skippers are gonna run a mock torpedo attack, and both the Amagi and my ship are to be the targets."

"I see. Well, off with you."

Iroh rose from his seat. "You can keep the tea set. I have plenty more aboard Nagato."

"Of course you do," remarked Yamamoto with a chuckle. "You're practically addicted to that stuff."

The two laughed again before Iroh bowed and bade farewell. "Until next time, old friend."

Hopefully, there will be a next time, thought Yamamoto to himself as Iroh left the cabin.

The C-in-C looked down at the map and sighed. While Iroh's plan was excellent, it still required sending a rather large portion of the Combined Fleet's operational ships, including eleven of its thirteen battleships, into combat. Such a maneuver would surely raise eyebrows among the Naval General Staff, who would then wonder why Yamamoto wasn't conserving the ships for the 'decisive battle' against the entirety of the American Pacific Fleet.

But if his old friend's reasoning was correct, this would be the decisive battle.

If Japan lost Guadalcanal, then any hope she had of regaining the offensive would be gone. And even if the island, along with nearby Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo, were retaken, if the IJN lost too many ships in the process, it would be unable to maintain parity with that of the United States.

Yamamoto downed the cup of tea in front of him, letting the warm liquid and its blissful aroma smother his worries for the time being.

Perhaps he would ask Iroh to bring more of this stuff. He would most certainly need it.

Chapter Text

(Captain's Cabin, IJN Musashi, Truk Lagoon, September 16th, 1942)

Captain Kaoru Arima awoke from his nap to a knocking on his door. "Come in!"

The door opened and a young Ensign stepped in with a piece of paper in his right hand. "Urgent message from Admiral Yamamoto, sir."

Arima took the message from the Ensign and dismissed him. Once he was alone again, the 42-year-old battleship skipper read the message:

Sail to Kavieng ASAP and await further orders.

-Yamamoto

This was unexpected, to say the least. While Musashi had been on standby for almost twenty-four hours, Arima hadn't taken the order entirely seriously.

Unlike her older sister, which had participated in both the sinking of the carrier Hornet and the invasion of Midway Atoll, Musashi had yet to see any significant action, leading to a generally lax attitude towards crew readiness at all levels.

Which was why every sailor aboard the super-battleship, enlisted man and officer alike, was dumbstruck either by the sight of their commanding officer racing from his cabin all the way up to the bridge, barking commands from the top of his lungs, or by the order to make ready for immediate departure from Truk.

Nevertheless, about two hours later, Musashi, escorted by the experimental light cruiser Yubari and a ragtag flotilla of destroyers, which had only just arrived, steamed out of Truk Lagoon on course for Kavieng Harbor in Papua New Guinea.

Everyone aboard the ships were thinking the same thing:

What the hell is going on?!

(Bridge, IJN Chokai, Bismarck Sea, a few kilometers west of Kavieng, New Ireland)

Assume overall command of all warships anchored at Kavieng.

Musashi is heading there from Truk and should arrive within the next day. Transfer your flag if necessary.

Make preparations to sail on my command. Destination will be sent in the accompanying message.

-Yamamoto.

While the Commander-in-Chief of the IJN hadn't specified where they would be going, Mikawa had his suspicions.

Guadalcanal.

He felt positively eager to get underway. At last, he would be able to finish what he had started two months earlier off of Savo Island and destroy the American naval presence in the region once and for all.

But for now, he contented himself with watching the battleships Ise and Hyuga (both of them made up the Ise-Class) conduct gunnery exercises, while his mind began to formulate what he hoped was a sound plan of attack for the coming confrontation.

(Bridge, IJN Soryu, waters off of Port Moresby)

The men on the bridge watched as flights of B5N2 Model 3 carrier attack planes from both their carrier and Hiryu made a practice torpedo attack on the Myoko-Class Heavy Cruiser, Ashigara.

Among those present was the commanding officer of the 1st Air Fleet, more colloquially known as the Kido Butai, himself: Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo.

"Sir!" said a voice from behind him.

Nagumo turned to face one of his junior staff officers. The young man saluted and handed him a telegram. "Message from the Commander-in-Chief."

As soon as he'd heard the phrase 'Commander-in-Chief', the Vice-Admiral felt a swoop of anger in his gut.