The lesson of the sea

Last day among the living

-Enterprise watch out! - Vestal yelled towards me, just in time to evade a dive bomber.
The bomb landed just a few meters away from me, and I managed to getaway with some bruises from shrapnells.
-Thanks a bunch Vestal, that was too close!
-You call that too close? You were so focused on your attacs that you completely ignored your surroundings! Keep it up and you'll die! - Vestal screamed in my face, not with her usual caring and worried tone, she was angry.
-Sorry...
-Whatever, I'll deal with you later, now focus on bringing down the enemy carries, as long as their fighters are out there, our main forces can't advance!

Vestal moved further back into safety to take care of other injured kansens. Looking up in the sky the enemy Zeros circling in the air just further motivated me to keep pushing forward. If I can take the carriers down, we can win.
-If only we had more carriers here... Where is Essex when you need her?
I took a deep breath, bent myself forward, and started advancing with full speed. I couldn't waste more time, I had to get closer and find an opening, otherwise many more of my friends might get injured or worse...

-Enterprise! What do you think you're doing???- Vestal yelled in trough my radio
-I will take out the carriers, or even one if I can.
-Alone??? Are you out of your god damned mind? You will not make it! Wait for reinforcements and regroup! That's an order from the admiral!! - She sounded more worried this time, like before she wasn't expecting me do to something this... radical.
-No, Vestal. I will not turn back. You said yourself, if we don't take out their carriers, we will lose! We risk less if I'm the only one going.
-Turn back now! - a deep voice yelled from the radio, it was the Admiral.
-Admiral, I can't do that. I will not repeat it again what I just said to Vestal. Until I'm done, I will turn off my radio, wait for my signal to attack. Enterprise over and out.

I turned off my radio before I got any response, but I knew I could count on them. All I had to do now is signal them to attack at the right moment. I was closing in with full speed with my recons constanly looking out for my surroundings, I could find a submarine if I wanted to, let alone an enemy carrier. Nothing could surprise me. But I was wrong.

As I got closer and closer, I could feel that something was watching me, watching my every move. The feeling got stronger as I approached the enemy fleet, I had no idea what it was, but it got closer to me with every minute.
-Just a few more miles and I can see the enemy fleet... - or so I thought.

My focus was broken by the sound of explosions coming from above me. My recons were shot down.
-What the... - I had no time to think, as 4 Zeros appeared from behind the clouds, diving right to my direction.

Black points fell from their wings, while the fighters started leveling themselves. Bombs. I turned right to evade them, but it was too late. One of the bombs hit my rudder, making it stuck. I was continuously turning right. With no way to fix my rudder, safe to say I was in deep shit. But I still had my goal in front of me, the enemy carriers were in my sight, one of them in particular was especially irritating to see. The red castle of the ocean, the previous flagship of the enemy admiral Yamamoto, Akagi herself was leading the carrier group consisting of 5 ships. Interestingly, her sister, Kaga was not with her. Instead she had 2 other carriers, quite low to the water, probably Souryuu and Hiryuu, and 2 other escort carriers. But this is exactly what I needed. Most of their dive bombers wnd torpedo bombers are out attacking the main fleet, probably most of their fighters too. I  quicky sent out every available squadron i had, not missing the chance to sink the lead ship of the carrier group. Thirty. Thats how many dive and torpedo bombers I had. The enemy fighers attacked the second they got close enough to the carriers, my bombers fell one by one, as I lost hope of sinking just one of the carriers. I had to make a decision. Continue attacking the original target Akagi with a high chance of losing my bombers, or attack a closer target with high chance of dealing a fatal blow. The right thing to do was obvious. The closest carrier was Souryuu. I ordered my remaining bombers to cease attacking Akagi, and instead attack Souryuu. A few seconds have passed, and 4 explosions lighted up the horizon. Another few seconds later a huge explosion shook the air, I succeded. Souryuu was sinking, and the carrier group was most likely seriously damaged by that explosion, there's no way that wasn't the case.

My feeling of success has only lasted a few brief moments, until an explosion shook me. I turned my gaze behind me, and saw 2 white lines in the sea getting closer and closer. Torpedoes, most likely from an enemy submarine since there were no enemy torpedo bombers around me. I would've heard them closing on me. I had no way of evading those torpedoes, and if they hit, I will sink for sure. I grabbed my radio, not to ask for help, but to say goodbye to everyone.

-Enterprise here. The enemy carrier group is damaged and retreating, the main fleet can start advancing. My situation is desperate, my rudder is broken, I'm continuously turning to the right, 2 torpedoes are approaching and will detonate in 14 seconds. I can't be saved. Good luck, and be safe e.... - the torpedoes hit me, and the explosion destroyed my radio.

I started sinking. I always knew my recklessness is going to be my doom, I just hoped it won't come to me soon. Every battle I was hoping my luck would last trough the war, seems like I can't cheat death every time. I felt the sea slowly devouring me, slowly losing strength in my legs, completely submerging in the water. I tried reaching for the surface, it had no use. I kept sinking and sinking. I accepted my fate, that I would die there and then, so I closed my eyes, waiting for the end, when everything went silent, when everything turned dark.

-Feels too peaceful for a death... - I said to myself, my last words that nobody could hear.

I hit the sea floor and slowly started losing my conciousness. I tried to open my eyes and reach out for the surface for one last time, regardless of my situation, I didn't want to end it here. From all of a sudden a bright light hit me in the face... the light that only those at death's door can see? I knew it was too late at that point, and slowly lost my conciousness as I closed my eyes for the last time....