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>>3374733
“Margaret-san, there’s been this thing I’ve meant to ask you.” I began, steeling my nerves to bring up something this direct “What am I in your eyes?”
For once, the carefree Valkyria was caught completely off guard. She stopped, placing her gaze firmly onto my eyes, and blinked twice as if she was trying to process what I just said.
“What do you mean?”
Margaret’s puzzling gaze reminded me that she was never too good at taking up implications. I need to be more direct with my approach.
“What do you think of me?”
“Hmmm… That’s a hard question.”
After a moment of contemplation, she came up with what I assume was her most straightforward conclusion possible:
“I know! Subaru-kun is like Brother Konstantin!”

“Eh?” I found myself taken aback by her response.
On a second thought, her assessment made perfect sense.
Yet, I'm... not sure how to take this. For Margaret, this attitude was a direct result of her extremely sheltered upbringing, her existence kept a secret from the world. As a result, the current patriarch of the Denisov Family was one of the only few role models Margaret had in her life. If how fondly she spoke of her brother were anything to go by, her words here were by no doubt meant as a compliment.

I, however, do not share the same sentiment.
I have my doubts when it comes to the character of that man. He was nothing short of illusive, and if Margaret’s testimonies were true, was some deviant who would manipulate his own sister into doing his biddings. The fact that he sent his sister on a mission as dangerous as ours with the Yamato made me doubt how much he really cared about her.
I, for one, would never want my sister to face any sort of danger, let alone send her to do so purposefully.

“I see.” Sighing under my breath, I picked up the towels Margaret had taken off earlier.
“D-did I say something wrong?”
The Valkyria, on the other hand, was immediately concerned by my lukewarm response, concerningly holding her hands over her chest. Gone was the joyful mood of receiving a new set of clothes, and in its place was the worried of a child who had unintentionally done something offensive.

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>>3374771

Of course, nothing she said was wrong. On the other hand, I finally understood where Yanagi’s frustration with her originated.

“No, I was just surprised by how highly you thought of me.” I gave her a half truth, before taking
one of the towels and draped it over Margaret’s shoulders.
“There, that’ll keep you warm.” I gently fixed the towel on the Valkyria’s shoulder to make it more like a scarf. “Sorry, we didn’t have anything fitting your size around.”

“Subaru-kun…” Margaret took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With a hand on the towel I placed on her shoulders, her expression gradually soften as she calmed down from the panic.
The next moment, I was wrapped within her warm embrace again.
“Thank you.” she whispered softly, her quaint response was reinforced by a hug tighter than any I had experienced from her before. With the only thing between us being a thin layer of fabric, I could tangibly feel her soft, delicate skin underneath, as well as her heartbeat pacing faster than usual. The circumstances instantly reminded of the time when we spent the night together, but this time it felt different.
This felt somewhat… familiar to my earlier experience with Tewi, filling me with warm nostalgia. I can’t say I did not enjoy it.

We stayed like this for a good while- myself firmly in Margaret’s embrace and her seemingly unwitting to let go, until the sound of the door sliding open broke this silence.
“Oops. Please carry on.” Tewi slid the door the split second she noticed the two of us.
…
…
“Ah, I’m sorry!” The Valkyria immediately lets go of her arms, realizing just how long she had held me in this position. She took a step back, and for the first time ever, was flushing red.
“It’s okay.” I reassured her calmly. By now I was quite accustomed to Margaret’s surprise bearhugs, even if this one was a bit different from ones before. More importantly, this little exchanged seems to have brought out a part of Margaret that I never seen before.
“T-thank you, Subaru-kun.” She uttered, sounding more timid than usual. “I- I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”
Upon finishing the last word, Margaret hurriedly stormed out of the room.
That’s surprisingly uncharacteristic of her.

“Hoo, way to go, nii-san!” My sister popped back in again. Going by how she came back mere seconds after Margaret left, the little devil was probably waiting around outside, possibly eavesdropping us too.
“Shut up.”
“See, I told you I have faith in you!” she walked by, laughing heartily and gave me a good heavy slap on the back. Tewi then opened one of the closets to my right, revealing stacks of spare bedsheets, mattresses, and pillows stacked on top on each other like oversized tofu in a delivery bin.

“Now come help me with the futons. These pillows and mattresses aren’t gonna carry themselves.”

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>>3374781
As per usual, I had to help my sister set up for the night. Since there was still a chance that the enemy could do a night bombing run, we got all the futons to the living room for everyone to spend the night there. We had a sleeping arrangement set as well, with Tewi and I laying in the outermost corner, and the guests sleeping elsewhere in the room. With this setup, Tewi and I would be sleeping closest to the underground bunker located at the corner of our garden. In the case of an emergency, we could lead the way while while the guests could easily follow through.

However, sleeping in this particular side of the room also had its downsides. I found myself laying right next to the sliding door, with the cold air constantly seeping through the cracks. Fortunately, as with my stay in the mainland, the futon was doing a good job in keeping my body warm.

“So, you’ve made up your mind?” My sister, in her futon next to me, whispered within the covers of total darkness.
"Oh my, you still have time for this?” I retorted quietly, rubbing both hands over my face. “Just sleep already.”
“There are people waiting for your answer, nii-san. You can’t just let them hang there forever.” Tewi chuckled, tugging me by my yukata. “Plus, you made quite some ground with Margaret-san today, right?”
“I’m not planning to let it hang forever.” I replied “It’s just...

>I’m more worried about you.
>Not exactly progress, but I believe she’s better off breaking away from her family.
>There are more things I need to make absolutely certain
>Write in

>>3374790
>I’m more worried about you.

>>3374790
>I’m more worried about you.

>>3374790
>I’m more worried about you.
We get to roll again?

>>3374790
>I’m more worried about you.

>>3374790
>I’m more worried about you.

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“I’m more worried about you.”
“This again?” She groaned. “Ok, so what exactly is your plan to take me along?”
“I can protect you-”
“Protect me? Nii-san, you are going on the most dangerous mission in the military history of Zipang. You’ll have the entire Khaganate navy on your ass.” She chided, slightly losing her temper. “You plate is full enough as is, and you think you’d have the leisure to take care of a non-combatant amidst all that?”

“Even so, I am your brother. It’s my duty to take care of you.”
“Then stay in Formosa with me!” My sister cried, finally losing her collected composure. “Just stay here and leave all of that behind!”
…
…
The living room fell silent once more, and through the dead silence of the night, Tewi’s sniffles between breaths were particularly clear in my ears. As much as it pained me to admit, she had a point.

By all means, I could stay here, participate in the defense of this island while Yamato departs. Sure, the Beiyang Admiral may find us once Formosa surrenders, but maybe, just maybe, she’ll decide we’re not worth her time and let us go. We would be able to return back to civilian life, and...
...I know for certain that’s not going to happen.

“Tewi, you know I can’t do that.”
“Exactly.” She affirmed my stance. “So worry about yourself, and don’t you worry about me. Now sleep, we’re waking up early tomorrow.”

In the end, our exchange left me with no choice but to close my eyes with a heavy heart.

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>>3379551
It felt only seconds after I closed my eyes when I felt a poke on the side of my abdomen.
“Rise and shine, nii-san.” I was greeted by my sister’s lustrous holler, her tone calm and collected as if the argument last night never happened. While we’re certainly quite fortunate the night was calm, I am already starting to miss having a good night’s sleep.

“Here’s your stuff,” Tewi continued her assault by hurling my uniform right in my face as I sat up from my futon. “Now get dressed and wait here. I’ve got something else for you later.”
I groaned and did as told, suiting up in my usual attire and made myself as presentable as possible. The guests were promptly preparing themselves too in the other rooms, leaving the living room practically empty for me to use.

“Here, some souvenirs before you go.”
While I woke myself up a bit, Tewi returned with a small cardboard box in her hands. Taking a seat beside me, she opened up the box to show me its contents- a bottle of sake, an omamori, and a small, framed photo of our family, taken many years ago.
“There’s no way you could bring the entire cellar, so I took the oldest one.” She explained, pointing at the sake, then at the omamori. “I made this omamori myself, with some of my old kimono. And this…”
My sister smiled nostalgically as she finally got to the last object within the box.
“This was taken on my seventh birthday, right here in our yard.”
“Yeah, I remember.” I looked out into the brightening garden where this picture was taken. “It was our first year in Formosa too.”

This picture brought me back to a day almost lost in memory. It was Tewi’s first birthday in Formosa, and after the little celebration, mother insisted on taking a family photo.
Tewi wore her new kimono, the gift mother picked for her, while I held my sister's hand. Mother stood behind us with her usual gleeful demeanor, and father who, in an extraordinarily rare occasion wore a smile.

As I grew older, I also grew less fond of taking photographs. I personally felt the process was long, tedious, and pointless. The pictures produced are then stored in an album, never to see a second viewing. Frankly, the time could be used for something else.

Now after all these years, I finally understood why she had insisted on taking the picture. It allowed us to keep those cherished memories alive, no matter how distant or how much they have faded in our minds.

Tewi sealed the box and placed it on my lap.
“You’ll have time to reminisce over them later.” She said, standing up. “I’ll go start the truck, and at the meantime see if there’s anything else in the house you want to take. Be quick though, we haven’t got all day.”

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>>3379555
In the end, there wasn’t really much for me to take aside from the box Tewi presented me with. Most of the really valuable items in our family were stored back in Zipang, and going back there now was pretty much impossible.
I found everyone already there when I stepped out of the front door with my box of memorabilia. Strangely enough, instead of taking seats in the truck, the four girls were standing in front of it, before a … wait, is that a camera?
“Ah, Subaru-kun! Just in time!”
“Smile!”
Like a cicada caught by a mantis, I was instantly dragged into the frame by Margaret’s powerful grasp, then immediately greeted by a blinding flash from the flashbulb.

“Jeez, at least give me a warning.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to recover from the disorienting flare that burned into my retina.
“Hey, at least you made it in time!” Yanagi quipped at me, glancing at Margaret as she received an instantly developed, polaroid photo from my sister.
“Tewi-chan wanted to give us a gift to remember.” Margaret continued as my sister handed out another to Amile. “What could be better than a photograph as a memento?”

Usually, a photo would take days or even weeks of development from its film. Fortunately, Tewi has gotten her hands on one of those instant cameras that can shorten that process into just mere minutes.
“Here, this one’s for you, Yanagi-nee, and here’s one for nii-san.” She came by to hand over our copies of the photo, then quickly picked up the camera to put it inside the house, before locking the door behind her.

After that little episode, it was finally time for us to depart.
As it turned out, our little emotional sibling quarrel yesterday didn’t escape the ears of our guests sleeping in our proximity. While Amile would usually opt to stick together with my sister, the Tengar princess voluntarily sat in the cargo hold. Yanagi and Margaret acted in a similar fashion, going as far as to actively urge me to sit at the front, which I had no reason to not comply.
After all, I did want to spend as much of my limited remaining time with my family.

The relative silence on our trip, however, made quite clear that both of us were holding back. Given the nature of the situation we’re in, I suppose both of us were unsure of what to say. With the clock ticking fast and the last remaining time I could spend with my sister slipping away, I garnered the courage to break the silence.

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>>3379563
“This feels awfully familiar, don’t you think?”
“What, me driving your stupid ass to go to war so you could toss yourself into danger again?” She retorted with a significant annoyance. It was the same two years ago when I willingly volunteered to participate in the conflict during the Khanganate’s invasion. Needless to say, my mention of the instance must have triggered some particularly bitter memories for my sister.

“Tewi, you know-”
“To be honest, nii-san, I don’t want you to go.” She confessed with a heavy sigh. “I don’t want you to go fight in another war, go kill people, get yourself in life-threatening situations, or go on a voyage where you might not return...”
Droplets of tears, large and shiny as pearls, dripped from the corner of her eye as her rant grew increasingly incomprehensible. Then, running out of breath, my sister’s emotional coaster came to a final dive.
“I...I just want you to be safe and happy, far away from all this death and carnage.” Tewi ended with a whimper and wiped the tears away with a sleeve.

“But I know you have to fight, for Zipang and for everyone’s future.” She sniffed and forced a smile back onto her face. “It’s just… how things are, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Tewi punted me lightly on the shoulder. “You’ve made it through so far, and got back in one piece. No reason you couldn’t pull it off a second time, right?”
“Right.”
As much as I hate to make Tewi sad, her words of encouragement did help me pull through some of my most desperate times.
“Thanks, Tewi. That meant a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome, nii-san.”

Despite the apparent rush, we arrived at the naval base a whole 30 minutes before our designated assembly time. As the vehicle pulled over before the naval headquarters gates, the four of us started disembarking from our seats.
“Go there first, I’ll catch up with you all later,” I told the three as I got off the truck. With a brief “See you there.” from Yanagi, I found myself alone with my sister again.

“So this is it huh?” Tewi sighed, sending the three off to the port. “I guess we’ll be separated for a while--”
“I’ll be back for you as soon as the operation is over.” I cut her off abruptly and grabbed her hand. “So please...”
“I know, I’ll stay safe.” She tugged me into a warm embrace.
A certain moisture began soaking into the front of my uniform as us siblings shared one last parting hug. That mattered not, since the same moisture threatened to flood out my eyes and clog my nose too.

“Take care of yourself, Nii-san. I love you.”
“I love you too, Tewi.”

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>>3379569
In a decision most painful, I disengaged from my sister’s embrace before it destroyed my determination. We shared one last moment holding each other’s hands, then departed with a nod. I turned and walked into the naval base, not sparing her another glance again. That was probably for the best, as I cannot allow this heartbreak to drag on any farther.

“Hey miss, can you ferry us to the city? Need to check on the damages.”
“Why sure.”
I overheard the conversation between Tewi and some soldiers as I walked into the front gates. Despite the distraught of parting ways with Tewi again, I was reminded of the fact that Amekou would need help in rebuilding too.
I smiled to myself.
My mission will be on the seas, and hers was here. We’ll just have to make sure we both give our best shot.

>Report directly to the Captain’s office, ask when the Yamato is going to sail
>Find Satoru and Akane, see what they got out of the prisoner
>Escort Amile and Margaret back onto the ship
>Check on how well Itaru and his band are faring

>>3379573
>Report directly to the Captain’s office, ask when the Yamato is going to sail

>>3379573
>Report directly to the Captain’s office, ask when the Yamato is going to sail
Damn, I hope Tewi didn't just raise one more death flag

>>3379573
>Report directly to the Captain’s office, ask when the Yamato is going to sail
That was fucking brutal, QM. I guess you really do already have her death prewritten somewhere.

>>3379664
Crossing my fingers on a big heroic rescue scene later on. Though that's more of something Jager from Merc's quest would pull off.

>>3379573
>Find Satoru and Akane, see what they got out of the prisoner

Is this railroading?

>>3379573
>Report directly to the Captain’s office, ask when the Yamato is going to sail.
>>3380715
Both
We failed the speech check to recruit our sister, so this is a reasonable outcome. But then QM also decided to fling a pineapple salad tier death flag right in our face. A shame because she's shares the most chemistry with the MC

>>3379573
>Report directly to the Captain’s office, ask when the Yamato is going to sail

>>3379664
>>3380800
How about we use Yamato as the lure?
Aiteng probably won't spare our sister that extra attention if we're dangling the carrot right in her face.

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Wasting no time, I made a beeline to the Captain’s office, just in case there was anything he would like to discuss before setting sail.
“Come in.” A rather casual, albeit deflated voice invited me into the office.
“Subaru Kurokawa reporting for duty, sir.”
“Ah, you’re early today, Kurokawa-kun.” Captain Suwabe lowered a newspaper, revealing his perpetually pale, and sickly demeanor. He looked slightly more energetic than usual, presumably attributed to the empty packets of painkillers on the far side of the table.

“I’d like to let you know,” He smiled, flipping the newspaper to the front page. “that we’ve made the headlines.” He pointed to the headlines on the paper, where the full Kanji covered almost a third of the page.
“BATTLESHIP HUASHAN HIJACKED BY TERRORISTS. WORST BLUNDER IN MODERN NAVAL HISTORY” He recited the title in the most upbeat tone I’ve heard from him in a while.

It’s… quite the sensationalist headline. Moreover, I surprisingly I noticed that the newspaper was in fact from the Khaganate. As a result of the demographics which made up the Tengar Khaganate, many of the printed media in circulation were still in the Yu dialect. While Zipangnese and the Yu dialect were phonetically very different, the two languages shared a very similar written script. I only noticed that the paper was from the Khaganate by how the ship’s name was called Huashan, instead of Yamato.

Considering their response to this incident, this headline was true in quite an ironic twist.

“The Khagan also reportedly kicked some foreign ambassadors in the face.” The captain continued, quite bemused by this little snippet.
I’m pretty sure that’s an exaggeration, but this was also the Tengar Khagan. Who can say for certain?

“We’ve… garnered ourselves quite some attention, didn’t we?.” I came to the conclusion from a glance at the contents. Some, like this publication, were known for takes that rival Edinburgh tabloids.

“Certainly,” He flipped to the next page, then lets out a grin “They mentioned some little accident in the Northern Seas too. Looks like an Admiral from the Empire got lost and stranded his whole task force in Tengar waters.”
“But...how?”
My eyes widened in disbelief. It’s not uncommon for individual vessels to be disoriented in open seas, but a whole fleet? This just reeked of irregularity, like some sort of a cover-up.

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>>3384012
“That means our allies are fulfilling their part of the deal.” The Captain leaned back on his chair. “This alone probably delayed Beiyang for quite a few days.”
“I see.”
As insane and nonsensical as that sounded, that outcome was very much possible. Every other enemy we’ve met ever since our departure from the mainland were from the Nanyang Fleet, with Beiyang’s forces nowhere in sight.
“Even the chief editor is just as confused as everyone else looking in from the outside. That’s how it should be.”

“But alas, our little stunt did propel us into the superstars of the world.” He concluded with a dry sense of achievement, eyes focused on the picture of a carrier. “Edinburgh just announced they will be holding their Far East naval review a whole month early in Longyamen. The Gallians have begun actively patrolling their colonial waters, and even Vinland has transferred two carrier groups into their Micronesia territory. There were also sightings of unidentified submersibles around Carolingian coasts. Quite the roster here, I’d say.”

>Captain, are you thinking of enlisting help from the Gallians?
>Have the Denisovs made any contact with us in the past two days?
>How likely is Vinland going to stick their nose in our affairs too?
>Unidentified submersibles?
>Write in

>>3384018
>Unidentified submersibles?

>>3384018
Btw submersibles would be our worst enemy. We need some kind of escort ASAP.

>>3384018
>Captain, are you thinking of enlisting help from the Gallians?
>Unidentified submersibles?
>>3384048
Could be our allies from the Empire. Though I think we should probably seek refuge in Gallian territory for now

>>3384277
These particular submersibles might not be hostile, but the Khaganate likely has some of its own.

>>3384018
>Have the Denisovs made any contact with us in the past two days?
>>3384277
Considering the sort of history Gallia had with the Empire I don't think they would be too keen to lend us a helping hand. We should just stick to our (known) allies for now.

>>3384018
>Unidentified submersibles?
>Captain, are you thinking of enlisting help from the Gallians?

Seeking them for aid solves alot of problems we might run into in the near future. We get escorts needed to combat submarines and there's no reason why they would turn down the offer when they're getting a Valkof for free. Not to mention Gallia is one of the few places where Darcsens aren't treated like trash.

>>3384018
>Captain, are you thinking of enlisting help from the Gallians?

>>3386147
Imagine Subary with his internalized Darcsenophobia in Gallia. Hilarity will likely ensue.

>>3386215
>We should have never came here
>I wish I was home eating canned tuna
>These tribal patterns are an eyesore
>Do these savages seriously take pride in not having a last name
>tfw that girl just gave me an ugly doll made from her underwear
>I am ashamed to be born in the same race as these people
>Akane please save me

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“Unidentified submersibles? Could they be from the Khaganate’s?”

“That may be the case, but there were other speculations.” Captain Suwabe replied, pointing out the article in question. “One of the more interesting theories is that those may belong to Gran Colombia.”

That was a surprising name to come up in this conversation.
Gran Colombia, or more precisely the Socialist Republics of Gran Colombia, is the dominant power in the Columbian continent, a landmass directly south to Vinland. Connecting the two continents is the Isthmus of Tik’al, a narrow strip of dense rainforest which also house of one of the greatest engineering achievements in human history - the Tikal Canal, a waterway that connected the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

When first proposed by the old Colombian Republic, this ambitious project was considered impossible by the Europan members of the Federation as well as the Empire, but subsequently caught the interest of the United States of Vinland.

After a decade of construction under Vinland’s supervision and technological support, a revolutionary maritime trade route, paralleled only by Edinburgh's Suways Canal in their Aegyptus dominion, was created. The Tikal canal, under Vinland’s control, became the shining pride of their technological and maritime prowess, its presence was enough to solidify Viland’s influence over the old Colombian Republic and the rest of the continent.

However, following the global economic downturn in the years following the First Europan War, the already unstable republic was pushed into upheaval by a popular uprising led by ambitions ideologues, ending in a bloody coup that eventually led to the birth of the current socialist state. The newly formed Gran Colombia, fueled by radical communist ideologies, expanded far beyond the borders of the old republic, taking over massive stretches of land from surrounding Federation colonies in an effort to expunge all Federation influence on the continent.

Vinland, of course, did not take kindly to the rapid expansion of the hostile newcomers, and war finally broke out when the Colombians threatened their canal on the isthmus. During the ensuing Vinland-Colombian War, the former constantly held the upper hand, but never managed to strike a decisive blow on the Colombians, despite the latter’s heavy losses in human lives.

After three years of costly, bogged down warfare, the conflict concluded with an armistice. Vinland went to support her allies in the Second Europan War, and Gran Colombia quietly tended her own wounds. The canal remained under Vinland’s control and a deep hatred was sewn between those two nations.

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>>3386976
However, the grudge between these two happened on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, which raised the question...
“What could Colombians be doing in these waters?”

“Kurokawa, have you heard of the partisan activity in Carolingia Indochine?” The Captain placed a hand under his chin. “They have been using tactics eerily similar to the Colombian communists in their sporadic insurrections. If that were the case, then we would just be half the reason why Vinland’s on high alert.”
“Captain. Do you think they’ll take interest in us too?”
“Likely.” He shrugged. “Though unlike the other powers in this part of the world, they have very limited influence here and have much greater business to worry about. But these are just speculations, after all. We should be more focused on ourselves first, notably where the Yamato could stop and resupply.”

The Empire is now far from our reach, while Edinburgh and Carolingia were part of the Federation, the sworn enemy of our ally. We have no confirmation as to which faction those submersibles belonged to, this left only one viable faction standing.
“Captain, are you thinking of enlisting help from the Gallians?”
“Not just thinking, Kurokawa.” He set the newspaper aside and looked up at me. “Your next destination will be the Gallian East Indies.”

“Don’t you mean ‘our’, Captain?” I asked, noticing the one little slip in wording.
Captain Suwabe did not give any answer as he sat up, locking his hands in a serious steepling as his expression deepened into a frown.

>Wait… Sir, are you sure?
>Are we certain the Gallians will aid our cause?
>Captain, is this related to your condition?
>Write in

>>3386983
>Captain, is this related to your condition?
>Are we certain the Gallians will aid our cause?
It's not like Gallia likes the Empire either.

>>3386983
>Captain, is this related to your condition?

>>3386983
>Are we certain the Gallians will aid our cause?
>Captain, is this related to your condition?

>>3386983
>Captain, is this related to your condition?

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“Captain.” I asked with my voice low “Is this related to your condition?”
He nodded with eyes closed. Despite the way he forced himself to act since arriving in Formosa, there was without a shadow of doubt that Captain Suwabe’s illness has been rapidly chipping away his body, like a colony of termites residing in a tree.
“I could barely feel my legs now, Kurokawa.” He replied with unwilling remorse. “Even if I go, I fear I’ll just be a candle faltering in the winds.”
“Please don’t say that…”
“Kurokawa, I know my own body better than anyone else.” He replied weakly. “This way, I could at least perish with pride, defending the last bastion of my homeland.”

I departed from my last family member just moments ago, and now I am witnessing Captain Suwabe using up the last bit of his strength to give me a send off. His health was something I had to keep a secret, and I’m fully aware this day has to come sooner or later. I just didn’t expect it to be... now.

I stayed silent, nodding quietly at his decision. My personal opinions on his decision aside, this was probably the best way to keep morale high through times like these.
“But before I do that, I have a few batons to pass.” He skids back in his seat, taking a deep breath. “The tamatebako contents were encrypted in a surprisingly complicated cipher, yet easily understandable with the key. I’m handing this key to you.”

He waved at me to come closer, to which I promptly did.
“Closer.” He waved his hand again, gesturing me to bend down slightly.
That apparently was not enough, and I ended up almost leaning into the table before he finally pulled me beside him and whispered in my ear.
“You do remember your iroha, do you not?”
“Ye..yes sir?” I replied nervously.

“Then that should be sufficient. And remember: under no circumstances is anyone to know this information.” He released me and I immediately snapped back upright. “Don’t forget, Kurokawa, words of wisdom, even in print, are worth more than solid gold.”
“I’ll make sure to take that to heart.”

“Good.” He nodded. “Is there anything else we should discuss, before your departure?”
…
“Actually, there is.” I started. “It concerns my sister. She said she will be staying in Formosa instead of coming with us.”
“Yes, I am aware.” The Captain went back to his steepling pose.
“Is there a way to guarantee her safety?”

“Kurokawa, your sister has proven herself more than capable of handling herself during our operation in Kure.” He smiled reassuringly. “ As long as no one can recognize her in person, she should be able to conceal her identity with no problems.”
“Thank you.”
“You can be rest assured.” He nodded, before our private conversation got interrupted by a knock at the door.

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“Seems like it’s time to get back to business. Come in!”
Following the Captain’s invitation, three people came into the office. Leading the way was Commander Yamazaki, along with what I assumed to be his aide close behind. Satoru came in last, looking more fatigued than usual.
With some exchanges of the usual pleasantries done, our meeting officially started.

“Aono, did our guest have anything to say?”
“Yes.” My friend replied, then took out a folded piece of paper out from his uniform pocket. Unwinding the piece, he deftly laid it open on the table for all to see.
“And this is?“
“Nanyang’s bombing plans, according to our ‘guest’.” He adjusted his glasses. “ Targets, schedule, scale, everything.”
True to what he said, the hand written list Satoru laid onto the detailed just that. The scope of Nanyang’s operation-to-be was significantly larger than their previous strike, targeting not just one specific part of Amekou, but instead aimed to completely maim the city’s functions. It wasn’t as huge compared to the bombing runs against Osaka, but it sure was a clear sign that the Khaganate has no intentions of holding back.

“This should make the defense of this island easier.” he concluded, “The next round of bombers would be taking off from the mainland approximate an hour from now, that’s enough time to…”
“Enough time for Yamato to set sail.” Captain Suwabe interjected, much to my friend’s surprise.
“Now, sir?”
“Yamato is now staffed with the best crew selected from the remainder of the fleet. She shall set sail while Amekou’s reserve forces hold off the Nanyang Fleet with everything it has.” Commander Yamazaki explained, his hands crossed before his chest. “This should allow the ship to be two steps ahead of our enemy.”

“I see, then we should…”

“No, Aono. I will stay here.” He announced, far more direct than earlier. “Together with Commander Yamazaki, we will command Amekou’s defenses.”
“Captain, are you serious!?”
It was quite rare to see Satoru lose his usual composure, but this was the reaction I expected him to have the moment he entered this room. I don’t think anyone else would have acted differently.
“Nagamasa and I are proud sailors of the Combined Fleet!” Commander Yamazaki spoke up in his thunderous voice. “We will not breath our last breaths in foreign waters.”

“Kurokawa.” Captain Suwabe called me by name.“I’m naming you the acting Captain of the Yamato for the rest of the operation.”
“And take him with you.” Commander Yamazaki pushed the quiet young man beside him forward “This lad’s Isao Nishihara, my right-hand man. He knows how to run a ship, and he’s good at it.”
However, the man known as Isao Nishihara was far from friendly.
“So you are Vice-Admiral Kurokawa’s son…” He observed coldly, throwing me nothing else other than a slight nod.

>>3394564
Beware for the name of Gallian General named Emilliana/Emille Aguinaldo. He/She is a snake and supports the Tengar Kahgnate.

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“Honored to meet you.”
Isao did not shower me with any more attention. Instead he more or less ignored it completely before turning towards the two senior officers to give a short salute.
“I shall return to my duties aboard the Yamato.”
Finishing the sentence, he quickly left the office without a second’s notice.
“Don’t worry, he’s always that stiff.” The old commander laughed as his first officer left the room.
“The Yamato is ready to set sail at this moment.” The Captain directed the conversation back on track. “You shall leave as soon as…”

I was never able to hear the last bit of Captain Suwabe’s orders, as his voice was suddenly interrupted by the sharp ringing of several sirens all booming out at once. The clear screech alerted the whole city, warning its inhabitants the maelstrom that’s to come.

“They’re here already!?” Satoru clicked his tongue, astounded by the alarms out of the blue in contrary to the attack plan he extracted.
“Get to the Yamato, now!” The Captain, on the other hand, wasted no time to direct us back on our mission.

>Set sail immediately
>Join the AA battery to assist taking down incoming aircrafts
>Escort the two senior officers to safety first.
>Write in

>>3394590
>Join the AA battery to assist taking down incoming aircrafts
If we set sail now and the mombers chase us we'll be in a tough spot. In port we have the ground AA to help.

>>3394590
>Set sail immediately
Yamato has more far more powerful AA and a barrier to boost as a Valkyrur artifact. The most important now is to leave our pursuers in the dust so they can't catch or surround us.

>>3394590
>Join the AA battery to assist taking down incoming aircrafts

>>3394590
Actually, I'll switch >>3394606 to
>Set sail immediately
I forgot that we'd be an immobile target in port.

>>3394590
>Set sail immediately
I have a feeling this isn't Nanyang's doing.

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“Yes, sir. We will board the Yamato and set sail immediately.” I complied to his command and sprung into action, and so did Satoru.
“Everything you’ll need for the operation is already aboard the ship, in the captain’s quarters. Here, take the keys.” The Captain strutted himself up from his seat to give me a final reminder before handing me the keys to his quarters aboard the Yamato. “Now, Commander Yamazaki, please help me to the command center.”
“Will do!” The Ryukuan Commander carried him over the shoulder. “Good luck on the sea, lads!”

Satoru and I bid the two senior officers farewell with one final salute amidst the blazing sirens
“Please stay safe, Captain.”
The sickly captain looked up at us with a grin and raised his free hand to return the salute. Even with his life flickering like a candle in the wind, his subsequent smile was no less lustrous and confident back at his prime. “May Yahata no Kami guide your path!”

The two of us rushed out of the main building and made a beeline to the pier where Yamato was docked. At the same time, a series of sharp, deafening wail, like the chirps of a million birds, screeched high above our head, making us instinctively look up.

“Those were not the planes we saw yesterday,” Satoru observed as two aircraft zipped above our heads on a steady dive in lightning speed. I barely caught a glimpse of them, and hence was unable to make out much detail, except for one thing: their shape. Contrary to the T-shaped fixed-wing propeller aircraft of Goguryeon design, now fielded by all branches of the Khaganate military since their conquest, these had a distinct inverse Y shape, giving the impression that they’re flying backward.

I have never seen aircraft of that shape fielded during the campaign back in the mainland, not to mention those things managed to travel at a speed like none we’ve witnessed before.
“What were those planes doing?”
“Scouting, I reckon.” Satoru made a reasonable guess. “We’ve got to hurry.”
Something’s not right. This was completely off from the plans that Satoru presented in the office earlier. These were not bombers at all, nor did they resemble any of the planes we witnessed yesterday.

Wasting no time, we boarded the familiar battleship and headed straight for the bridge.
Once we got there, we were greeted by the sight of the bridge manned by a crew much larger than before, of both familiar and new faces, all already in their designated positions, with Isao in the center taking command.
“What are the orders?” Isao’s stern voice reached my ears the second our eyes locked.

“We are to set sail immediately,” I answered, to which Isao responded with a nod.

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>>3397240
“Understood. Raise anchors!” Isao urgently passed down his command. “Connect to drive wheel and prepare to set sail, post-haste!”
Within mere seconds, the same sapphire light enveloped the massive battleship, glowing within the crevasses like veins flowing with energy. Yamato’s engines similarly roared into life like a beast that awakened from slumber.
“D-drive link to the engine is complete” Mori informed us with a stutter from the comms. “We’re ready to go...”

With Isao taking command over our undocking sequence, I switched my focus to the radio and immediately linked up with Amekou’s central command.
“This is Kurokawa aboard the Yamato. Captain Suwabe, can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, Kurokawa.” The Captain’s voice rang through the earpiece, much to my relief. “Captain, what were the damages in the base?”

“None, surprisingly.” His voice reverberated through the slight static. This answer came by quite unexpected, and the Captain sounded as puzzled as I am.
“The aircraft flew by, dropped a few canisters, and pulled back immediately. Our air wing has already been deployed to track them down, but right now our primary concern is the canisters.”
“Canisters, sir?”

“Yes, a few grey cylindrical canisters, roughly the size of 100-liter drums.” He explained calmly with a hint of anxiety. “None of them detonated upon impact, so I reckon they weren’t meant to. Question is, what purpose could they serve?”
“They might be delay fuse explosives, gas dispersion device, or a vast array of other possibilities from the Khaganate’s arsenal...” Satoru commented, using every ounce of his knowledge to lay out the possible weapons our attackers just dropped. However, if those were explosives, why only drop ‘a few’ of them? Why do so with fighters of all things, when there were much more efficient alternatives for ground attacks? None of these added up.

“Wait! Yamato’s radar is picking up something!” Yanagi exclaimed, cutting into our conversation “I- it’s a large cluster of... unidentified aerial objects! What are these things!?”
“Morishima, I want details!” Isao exclaimed, equally alerted by the turn of the lightning blitz.
“They’re way too fast and are flying too low to be bombers, but… ” Her eyes locked dumbfounded onto the screen, unable to identify the incoming threat. “They are approaching from our 9, fast!”

>Divert all energy to the turbines and sail out of port
>Fully charge the shields and brace for impact
>Use the Yamato’s weapon systems to intercept the incoming threat
>Write in

>>3397248
>Divert all energy to the turbines and sail out of port
It's missiles! At this point in time they shouldn't be controllable, so let's scram from the spot they're likely aimed for.

>>3397248
>Use the Yamato’s weapon systems to intercept the incoming threat
Let's put up a light show and leave with style.

>>3397248
>Use the Yamato’s weapon systems to intercept the incoming threat
Oh shit, they have V-1s?

>>3397248
>Use the Yamato’s weapon systems to intercept the incoming threat
>>3397699
A bit odd since planes weren't even a thing till the very end of the first game. But hey, if Artificial Valkyria space marines are a thing then so can a cluster of cruiser-launched not!V-1s

>>3397248
>Divert all energy to the turbines and sail out of port

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>>3397714
>>3397699
>>3397575
Alright, roll me a 3d10 for the targetting shot

Rolled 8, 8, 9 = 25 (3d10)

>>3397886

Rolled 9, 5, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>3397886

Rolled 7, 7, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>3397886

Rolled 1, 3, 5 = 9 (3d10)

>>3397886

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“What is their distance?” Isao questioned, in the brink of losing his composure. “I need their speed and trajectory, now!”
“Tw..Thirty kilometers right now.” Yanagi stuttered, eyes glued onto the radar. “I- 'm not sure about the speed, but they cleared 10 km in around a minute, and will reach our position in t-minus 3 minutes!”

“We’ll intercept them with our ship’s armaments!” The command rolled off my tongue surprisingly well, and despite the unknown incoming threat, I felt oddly confident in this position. “Our Valkov battery should be put to good use.”
“Be advised, we will have to divert energy from the engines,” Isao replied, raising a concerned brow. “Please confirm the order.”
“Affirmative.” I stood my ground confidently. “The Yamato's cannons are not just for show. Margaret-san, can you do it?”
“No problem!” Her voice rang high and clear through the comms. Though subtle, Margaret's upbeat, assuring attitude seemed to have lightened the tension on the bridge.
“Yanagi, send Akasaka-san the details she needs for targeting. We’ll take out as many as we can in one go.”
“Understood!”

While Yanagi relayed the information, I got to use the ship’s internal communication channel to contact the marines to set up air defense

“Shirataki-san, please get all marines to AA battle stations. We will be expecting aerial targets.”
“You heard him, boys! Time to shoot some birds!” Itaru’s group was just as highly motivated, as they always were under his command.
“Happy hunting.” I couldn’t help but crack a grin as I quipped back.

As the rest of the bridge focused intently on the incoming battle, we began to notice the sudden change in our immediate surroundings- notably a cyan glow that gradually increased in intensity.
“Drive output… 49%... 56%... 62%... T-this is spectacular!”
Suffice to say, Mori wasn’t the only one to witness the drastic burst of energy output. On the bridge, the lines of faint light that zigzagged along the floors and walls pulsated and flashed faster and brighter, as if the battleship’s living, beating heart is pacing.

“Energy transmission from drive to main battery ready, Valkov battery charged to 70%.” Akane’s calm, collected voice came through the static.
“Angle adjustment complete. Ready to fire”
“FIRE!”
In a split moment, our entire battleship trembled from bow to stern. From our Valkov cannon, a stream of blinding, sapphire flames burst into the sky like a comet, flying straight toward the swarm of unknown objects heading our way. The air around the stream of energy heated up and distorted as if cleaving out a path, ripping open the sky itself.

Upon contact, the energy beam decimated everything in its way, causing a massive explosion in a long straight line. The explosion of one cluster triggered a chain reaction, which caused, even more, to blow up in the distance, brightening the sky like a series of fireworks at the horizon

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>>3406597
The old crew of the ship cheered proudly, while the new members stared eyes wide and mouth agape at the Yamato’s glorious display of power.

For me, this shall be my last send off to Formosa, to the Captain, and my sister. While Yamato could not stay around and defend the island, she could at least give everyone a good headstart…
“Wait! There’s still a few more!” Yanagi yelled out of the blue, snapping everyone back to reality. “They’re closing in! Around 2000 meters!”
“Deploy the barrier, now!”
“T-Transmitting energy to the hull, it’s going to take at least 30 seconds.” Mori squeaked weakly through the comms.
“30 seconds? Those things would hit us by then!” Satoru hollered
“1000 meters!” Yanagi continued her countdown, the radar beeping with each second past as a distant buzzing noise began growing louder and louder.
“500!” Several loud, buzzing noises rang through the skies as the crew duck for cover.
“BRACE FOR IMPACT!”
…
…
A stunning, eardrum-shattering explosion erupted in our proximity. Yet, Yamato stood firm and tranquil.
I looked out, expecting the thin shine of the battleship’s barrier to be up and running, but it wasn’t.

“Um...negative?”
Despite all that commotion, nothing landed anywhere near us. The bridge went silent amongst this confusion, as Yanagi’s radar continued to beep through the stale air.
“Status report!” Isao stepped up, demanding some sort of assessment to the situation.
“It… flew right over us.” Yanagi answered quizzically. “It’s not even remotely close to…”

She was cut off abruptly another explosion in our proximity, not from the city, but from around the Naval base.
“The base has been attacked!?”
And indeed, a patch of black smoke arose from the port, similar fumes arose from three spots near the side of the hills surrounding the city, presumably from the same strike.

“Captain, is everything alright!?”
“We survived, thanks to the Yamato.” Hearing the Captain’s response made me let out a sigh of relief.
“Some craters in the airfield, and we lost contact with a few of our coastal artillery positions on the hills. But besides that, the command center is largely intact.” He answered my call between intermittent coughs. “Looks like our enemy has acquired some new toys – quite revolutionary ones, may I add.”

I can’t help but fret over the prospects of facing our enemies. Fighters and bombers were one thing, but flying explosives capable of self-directing towards their targets? Just thinking about it made my spine chill, not to mention those insane speeds they were traveling in. I couldn’t imagine the damage the base would have suffered, had the Yamato not intercepted those weapons.

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>>3406602
“Worry not, Kurokawa. The assault has stopped, now it’s the best time leave port.”
“Understood. Yamato, full speed ahead!”
In one final push, the battleship ferried us out of the harbor and into the open sea. Amekou’s visage drew farther and farther away as Yamato continued her journey into the azure horizon. Fleeting as it was, these past few days really brought me back during a time where everything was still considered normal.

Well, it might not have been 100% perfect, but it was as close as it could get. As the Yamato departed, so did the last vestiges and semblance of tranquility on the island. Everything from here onwards will be an uphill struggle, just like back when the Khaganate invaded Zipang.

“We’re heading south,” I ordered, remembering the directions Captain Suwabe gave me right before we left. “towards the Palawan Archipelago.”
I had my own doubts when it came to seeking help from Gallia, but it might as well be our best bet for now…

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“GOOOOOD MORNING~~FORMOSA!”
I nearly jumped out of my chair as a loud, overly energetic voice boomed out the comms. It was not just how unexpected and random it was, but rather how the speaker delivered this in a most deliberately ostentatious manner possible.

“Where’s this coming from!?” Isao demanded with a silver of annoyance and concern in his tone.
“It’s… from an emergency transmission,” Yanagi answered, looking just as confused as everyone else on the bridge. Meanwhile, the mystery broadcast continued on without impediment in the background.

“GREETINGS, FUCKHEADS! This is the Formosa radio, with your host, the one and only CHU FUXIANG!”
Chu Fuxiang!? What was she doing here?
If the Mad Dog of Palawan is here, then her owner most likely won’t be far away. This likely meant the flying bombardment earlier was the doing of the Beiyang Fleet, as well as explain why the attacks did not follow the Nanyang battleplans Satoru extracted.

The Beiyang Fleet is most certainly after us now, despite this part of Assuwa being out of their usual acting theatre.
“We’ve got a special program today, for you THIEVIN’ ISLAND MONKEYS WHO STOLE OUR GODDAMN SHIP!” The mad pirate played up a surprisingly well radio host persona. “A perfect way to start off the day. Don’t you think so, my cute, adorable island monkeys?”

“Shut it off,” Isao commanded. ”There’s no reason to entertain her.”
“But wait, we’ve got a special guest today!” The pirate grabbed our attention back. “A lively, lovely little Island Monkey who also happens to be a mutt blood Darcsen!

...Wait

For a moment, a clear sound of something slamming onto a steel platform was heard the broadcast.
“Now, would you like to say anything to your friennnnnds? MISS KUROKAWA?”

...No, this can’t be...

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>>3406616
“Aww, when my lads were trying to hitch a ride, I’d never expected them to run into such a familiar face.” Fuxiang taunted maliciously. “But seriously, your base security was quite lacking. Such shamefur dispray~” She followed her mocking Zipangnese accented delivery with a bone-chilling, high-pitched crackle, sending chills down my spine more than I’d like to admit.
“Don’t listen to her Subaru, that might not even be your sister,” Satoru yelled in an attempt to ease the situation.

“Oh? Looks like our guest here’s got a bit of stage fright!” The pirate hummed over the broadcast after a slightly prolonged silence. “THAT WON’T BE GOOD FOR THE RATINGS NOW WON’T IT!?”
Something slammed onto a steel platform again, and even with Satoru’s calming words earlier, I still found my head chained on tight ropes.

“Being in the spotlight is quite stressful, no? How about we loosen you up with a little massage” Her declaration was followed up by the sharp sound of fabric ripping apart. “My, my! Look at these big round puppies! Was your mom a cow or something? I never knew Island Monkeys fucked cows too-”
“FUCK YOU!”
My brain came to a halt, an with that, my ability to keep my composure. My heart sank to the bottom as I realized the voice, without a doubt, belonged to Tewi. Her defiant insult translated clear and resolute through the channel, casting a shadow over everyone’s face.

“That’s the spirit!” Fuxiang’s voice grew jubilant again as her prisoner’s response piqued her interest. “Don’t worry, we’re all gentlemen here. Everyone knows how to handle a cute, thieving island monkey with the care she rightfully deserves.”

“I know, I know, you won’t want your friends to worry about you, ESPECIALLY your precious brother.” She cooed softly, continuing to up her histrionics. “Oh, how sweet, how delicate… It’d be such a shame to bring harm to such a precious flower. What about we teach her the joys of being a woman instead? What do you say, lads?”
Fuxiang’s virulent language was accompanied by cheers of what I can only assume were her similarily uncouth hooligan followers.

“Ah~~, as much as I love the suspense, I’m not sure how much longer the lads can hold on to their weenies.” The villain chirped happily over the broadcast, enjoying every single second of this setup. “I know you’re listening, so what’s the choice? If you want her back, we always welcome call ins~”

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>>3406642
“Enemy warship detected, 19 km to our seven, approaching at 38 knots,” Yanagi informed us under this tight spot. “There are some smaller vessels surrounding it, and they’re spreading out as we speak. At this rate, they’ll catch up to us.”
“That bitch is trying to stall us and sway our morale while the rest of Beiyang encircles us.” Satoru bit down on his lip.
“We need to keep moving,” Isao concluded coldly with his arms crossed before his chest.

“Keep moving!? She’s got my sister!” I jumped out of the chair, fists clenched in rage at his suggestion.
“If we’re surrounded, all of us will be dead.” Isao howled back in my face “We have to get out of here, NOW!”
“Nishihara’s right.” Satoru concurred, to my utter dismay. “No matter how strong Yamato may be, there’s no way she can withstand a full assault from the Beiyang Fleet!”

This is a nightmare...It has to be.

“GET OUT OF HERE NOW!”
I lifted my head up as I heard the awfully familiar voice coming from the other side of the comms. The dread she must be experiencing was almost tangible to me through her desperate cries, yet even so she ordered us to carry on with our mission.
But I cannot comply.

I need to save her. I HAVE TO.

>”What do you want?”
>Locate and engage Fuxiang’s vessel, maybe distract her
>Full speed ahead, lure her away from the Beiyang main fleet.
>Write in

>>3406657
>"What do you want?"
Yamato can still function as a normal battleship without Margaret, right? We can drop her in to save Tewi while we pretend to negotiate over here.

>>3406657
>Full speed ahead, lure her away from the Beiyang main fleet.
Please tell me we get an option to skin this bitch alive.

>>3406616
Exactly as predicted. The rails were shining in the sunlight.

>>3406657
Supporting >>3406822
If Yamato can't move without Margaret though, we'll have to scram instead.

>>3406852
Just remember it was Aiteng who ordered this.
We have two bitches to skin.

>>3406657
Wait, I'm stupid. We have Amile.

>Tell Fuxiang that we have Amile.
>Ask her what will the Khan do to her once he finds out his daughter suffered because of her
>Try to sound as cold and psychopathic as possible.

>>3406822
This one leaves us open to aerial assault. Remember Beiyang has already deployed their air wing, even if their focus is bombarding the naval base, they can still turn right around and start hitting us instead.
>>3407048
This isn't the correct time to negotiate either since we risk encirclement by their forces.

The least risky option is to GTFO, join up with the Gallians as planned, and set up a proper prisoner exchange.

>>3408472
Fuxiang is a psycho. She WILL have our sister gang raped just for kicks.

>>3406657
Supporting >>3407048
And if that fails, then we make extra certain that she pays dearly.

>>3408475
Hence why I said it's not optimal for us to negotiate now. Out of all of Beiyang's leadership, Fuxiang is the one most likely to disregard Amile's safety and frame whatever happens to her on us in the form of mistreatment.
Aiteng might be cruel, but she can be reasoned with. Sure, our sister may have to suffer brutalities for the short term, but we won't be jeopardizing the operation in a highly risky attempt to rescue her while we already have our hands full.

>>3408624
We can transmit the negotiations to the Beiang fleet to put Fuxiang in front of witnesses.

Alright, time for a (((high-stake))) roll
Give me your best 3d10. Taking the average value of all attempts.

Rolled 6, 1, 3 = 10 (3d10)

>>3408668
RIP Tewi, murdered by bad rolls.

Rolled 4, 5, 2 = 11 (3d10)

>>3408668

Rolled 2, 3, 5 = 10 (3d10)

>>3408668

The average of 3d10 is 16.5.
The plot wants Tewi dead.

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“...Get me on the line.” I ordered as I picked up the comms earpiece, going against both Satoru and Isao’s advice.
I am fully aware that what I am doing now is dangerous and tactically unsound. I am doing exactly as Fuxiang wanted, using precious time to bargain from a weak position while giving her cronies the opportunity to approach and encircle us.

But how am I supposed to keep my composure when my sister was about to be violated by a group of animals, and broadcasted for all to hear?
If I turned my back on my sister when she needed me most, then what sort of brother am I?

“Now.”
Satoru and Isao both shared a doubtful glance, but ultimately complied to my wishes.
“Get him on the line.” Isao ordered the radio operator, before using the ship’s internal intercom to pass down further orders.
“Marines, assume anti-ship battle positions. Akasaka, lock onto the main enemy vessel. Should they attempt an assault, fire at will.”

While the others hurried to carry out their order, the radio operator patched me to the emergency broadcast channel in no time.

“Aha, looks like we’ve got our first call-in!!” Fuxiang’s upbeat, malicious voice entered my ears. Just hearing the pirate speak was enough to set off something in the back of my head. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on her.” I tried my absolute best to keep my anger from bubbling onto the surface.
“What a killjoy, we were just getting started!”
She taunted, faking lament.
“Getting all pissy and fiesty ay? I like your attitude, but how much are you willing to pay for this girl?”
“We’ll make a formal prisoner exchange.” I stated flatly. “The Khagan’s daughter for the girl. Lay another finger on her, and I’ll love to know what the Khagan would do knowing her daughter suffered because of your actions.”
…
…
“Pu...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
“What’s so funny!?”
In spite of this, the pirate responded with an unexpected, uncontrollable laughter.

“Ha..ha..” She barely managed to catch her breath. “Yo--You really think I give a rat’s ass about that dumb little damsel?”
Fuxiang was not fazed by the slightest bit by my mention of their supposed rescue target. Instead, she showed absolutely no concern for her well being.
“Go ahead, have your way with her. Hell, do your absolute worst, cuz at the end of the day, it’s none of my fucking business if the Khan decides to genocide all of you fucking island monkeys!”

…I was at the loss of words. But considering Fuxiang’s notorious background, loyalty to a sovereign most likely meant nothing to her.
“Now back to the program: unboxing a pair of Island Monkey udders!”
“Get off m--” My sister’s cries of resistance was quickly drowned in a muffled gargle, as if she had her mouth forcefully covered.
“Hmm, so plump and soft… Hey lads, wanna have a sample?”
The thought of this animal laying fingers on my sister made clouded my vision in red, let alone hearing her doing it

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>>3409025
“The smaller vessels are heading straight for us! They seem to be torpedo boats!” Yanagi alerted us from the side “At this rate, we’ll be within their attack range!”
Suddenly, I felt a tug from behind, my conversation with Fuxiang cut off abruptly as the earpiece fell to the ground.
“That’s it!” Isao grabs me into a hold from behind. “We need to head south, NOW.”
“NO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “I’M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT MY SISTER!”
I struggled to break free of Isao’s grasp as he looked down on me sternly. At the same time, I could feel my bucket of emotions boil over. Between the terrible things Fuxiang was about to do to Tewi and Isao’s obstruction, I was reaching my boiling point.
“Multiple torpedos inbound from our 7, 9 and 10.” Yanagi exclaimed in fear.
“Evasive Action!” Isao yanked me back forcefully. “Get out of this sector!”
“LET ME GO, I NEED TO SAVE MY-” I used every fibre of muscle in my body to break free, but to no avail.

Yet at this very moment, Satoru rushed up the platform, then yelled directly into the intercom
“AKASAKA, TAKE THE GODDAMN SHOT.”
“Roger. Firing for effect.”

No… NO!!!
When I finally broke free from Isao’s grasp, instinct screamed at me to take over the comms. I tackled my friend off the platform, momentarily regaining my access to the intercoms.
I have to stop this, I have to save my sister!
“ABORT ATTACK, AKASAKA! ABOR-”

But I was cut off as Yamato’s main battery roared into life, and the giant lance fired in a flash of iris-searing blue light. The blue flames soared above the waves like a fiery dragon, evaporating a chunk of seawater and striking its intended target.

“Tewi…”
I dropped to my knees, watching in horror as a grand explosion of flames and black smoke arose from the horizon. The explosion instantly put Fuxiang into radio silence, the channel going into static.
My mind went blank as I knelt on the ground, feeling as if the whole world just collapsed on me. As my senses began fading away, the voices echoing around me became more and more distant...

“Enemy main vessel has ceased movement, their torpedo boats are retreating…No further enemy activity detected.”
“Full speed ahead, southbound to Palawan.”
“Yes, sir!”
“...And someone get this man to sick bay.”

And that's the end of this thread! The Next thread will start with a side story.
Choices are as follow:
>The Palawan Deal
>The Eternal Edinburgh
>Stars and Stripes don't mix with Red

Once again, thanks for participating in this story.

>>3409072
I'm honestly too disheartened to care.

>>3409072
>The Eternal Edinburgh
Hopefully this ends the delusions of anons thinking there's an Aiteng Route.

>>3409082
>>3409125
The operation isn't over yet, we've got plenty of time to avenge our sister by ripping Beiyang apart one by one.

>>3409072
>The Eternal Edinburgh
Almost forgot

>>3409142
Vengeance won't bring her back.
Not a reason not to take vengeance, but it'll still be a poor comfort.

>>3409072
>The Palawan Deal

On the bright side, Amile would 100% be on our side now after this incident.

>>3409428
That's pretty useless though.

>>3409054
Oh Focus, you just can't rid yourself from that bad habit of fucking over the MC can't you?