Zhejiang and Enterprise (Book One)

Battle of Carriers

N.B. ->  Shaanxi Y-11 will be referred to as Y-11 during dialogue. The same naming scheme can be applied to other aircraft mentioned. 

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Me: [Fire at will! Prioritize any and all carriers. All squadrons, launch!]

Even from on top of the cliff, I can hear the alarm blare from my carrier beckoning a shift to maximum readiness. I watch as the Su-57s launch three at a time. It's good that they are launching first because they'll be able to reach the enemy much faster than my J-16s and thus provide support for the two that are already on site. 

 As the last two depart alongside 1 Shaanxi Y-11 (AWAC & Electronic Warfare aircraft) I halt the launches and summon my ship. I know what I am about to do is a dumb idea but it's the only chance I have of slowing down the enemy in time so they don't shell the base. So, I jump off the cliff. 

BOOM

At the same time, my ship explodes into a million cubes which all rush to me at breakneck speed. I hit the water. The minute I hit the water, I feel the effects of my transformation completing and summon all my strength to push away from the cliffs. By the time I surface, I am miles out to sea. Correcting my course, I blast off at top speed. 

Me: [Launch all remaining aircraft.]

To my knowledge, the enemy is still out of range of the Azur Lane's base so there isn't a threat to the base just yet. Still, it is possible that this will also lead to Azur Lane not knowing that the enemy is approaching until it's far too late. Whatever the case, my girls are there as well and if me acting on my own will give them enough time to prepare then that's good enough for me. 

Su-57: [Arriving on scene.]

Me: [Prioritize destroying any and all carriers.]

Y-11: [Warning. Multiple Kansen detected.]

I wonder if they are allies or enemies. I'm still far away but even if I use my planes to see the enemy, I don't know all the girls of Azur Lane. On any other day, I'd have bombed their base and thought nothing of it until Yat-Sen or one of the other girls mentioned that they were friends. 

Me: [Are they being attacked by the siren?]

Y-11: [Negative.]

Me: [Do they look like prisoners?]

Y-11: [Negative. Possible command vessels.]

Me: [Then they are high priority targets. Disable but try not to sink them.]

They must be girls from Crimson Axis. I heard they had declared war on us shortly before I arrived but given I had virtually no contact with them before now I figured this was more of a Cold War type situation where neither nation really attacks one another and instead just plays a rather expensive game of cat and mouse. 

Either way, it doesn't take long before the last J-16s leave my flight deck and I begin plans for my own defence. While I do have anti-ship and antiair weaponry I almost certainly cannot withstand an overwhelming direct strike. This is the world war 2 era after all and the pilots from this era are infamous for swarming like bees and maximising the use of the kamikaze strategy. With my planes all engaging the enemy at close range, they won't be able to directly assist. Still, that doesn't mean I can't take precautions. Launching my other Shaanxi Y-11 aircraft, I position them around me flying in a wide rotation so as to provide early warning of impending enemy attacks. 

To combat possible submarines and stray surface vessels, I also outfit my Harbin Z-9s (Helicopters) with anti-sub and anti-ship armament and order them to begin a rotational shift. Since I have four in total, I have two escort me while two remain on standby to take their place as they return for refuelling.