Zhejiang and Enterprise (Book One)

Battle of Shanghai (P5)

Now that I'm back outside, I can clearly make out for myself what's going on. I'm standing aboard my carrier, having just said goodbye to the girls from the Sakura Empire. My little sister, armed with her rigging, is also standing beside me. She's been supporting our forces with her planes since the battle began and I must say, I'm impressed. She's done remarkably well for her first real battle in this world and yet I can't help but notice that no one has been sunk as yet. 

Unsure of whether to take that as a good or bad thing, I simply put it out of my mind for now before refocusing on the task at hand. Our forces have already pushed them away from our coasts. In fact, they aren't in our territorial waters anymore. As such, there is no further reason for us to pursue them. What's more, they could be leading us into a trap.

Me: [Everyone. That's enough. Withdraw.]

All: [Understood.]

As our girls disengage, I catch a glimpse of Enterprise. I'm surprised to see her fighting our forces and for a moment, I consider heading towards her to ask what's going on but as I contemplate what to do, I notice her helping her companions who've been hit and decide against it. It's likely that she'd put her own people before even me and I can't risk myself like that, especially when it was an Enterprise carrier that sunk me in the first place. Once is more than enough.

Jiangsu: Isn't that Miss Enterprise?

Me: Hmm? Oh...yeah.

Jiangsu: Aren't you going to say hi?

Looking down, I find Jiangsu standing before me, eyes beaming up at me. She looks so adorable right now and her innocence is refreshing. She's most likely already figured out that Enterprise and I are, or perhaps I should say were, in a relationship together. Still, this is war and such feelings will only cause pain in the end. That said, there is no need to expose Jiangsu to all that's wrong with the world just yet.

Me: Well, she's busy at the moment. Perhaps another time.

Jiangsu: But don't you love each other?

She really isn't going to let this go, is she? Let's see, how should I put this. I could always lie and say that we broke up with one another but though she may be young and innocent, I doubt she'd fall for such a blatant lie. Alternately I could go down a different route and say we're taking a break which I guess wouldn't be a complete lie since I did just up and leave without telling Enterprise. Now that I think about it, perhaps that's why she's attacking? I might have-

Jiangsu: [Hi Miss Enterprise!]

What? Reaching for Jiangsu, I try to tell her to stop but she doesn't listen, instead rebroadcasting her message on all frequencies. Horrified, I look up to see Enterprise looking straight at us. She seems confused at first but when she sees me, a gentle smile crosses her face. 

Enterprise: [How are you?]

Jiangsu: [I'm fine! Hehe. My big sister wants to see you.]

Oh, you little...

There's a break in the communication followed by an eerie silence. Then, as the world stands still, a soft whisper can be heard. It's so silent that I doubt anyone but Jiangsu and I could pick up the transmission and yet, we both hear it perfectly clear.

Enterprise: [I'd love that.]

Jiangsu all but jumps for joy but before she can respond, a radar ping alerts us to the presence of another ship beyond the Eagle Union's position. Seconds later, there are explosions amongst their midst followed by the arrival of missiles heralding from the heavens. As they burst through the clouds, Enterprise and her allies begin taking evasive action, all the while firing into the sky to try and shoot the missiles down but despite their best efforts, they're hit one by one.

Even from this distance, I definitely recognise the missiles. They are the same my own carrier has for its defence and since Jiangsu is here beside me then that can only be one person, Dalian. If that's the case, though, why am I detecting other ships alongside her?

Dalian: [So they were telling the truth after all. You filthy backstabbing parasites! How dare you attack us!]

She fires off another barrage as she continues to close in on their position at flank speed. As she does, I have 4 of my planes move into position for takeoff. I don't expect I'll need to join the fight but I should at the very least be prepared. Still, I'm not particularly interested in continuing to fight the Eagle Union's forces right now. Crushing their fleet would only serve to awaken their industrial capabilities and there's no doubt about it. The Dragon Empery in its current state would be unable to match the speed of their industrial might. On the other hand, if we allow them to escape then they might still think they have a chance against us with their current forces. Then, if we could wipe them all out in one go...

Me: [Dalian, let them go.]

Dalian: [But-]

Me: [It's fine. Just come back to me, okay?]

There's a hint of surprise in her voice but she relents and allows the Eagle Union fleet to resume their retreat. As I watch them leave, I can't help but notice that Enterprise keeps looking back in my general direction. Still, I have no idea what she's thinking. She's sending such confusing signals. On the one hand, she says she wants to see me and sounded sincere but on the other she attacked our forces. Ugh...I hate this.

Me: [Everyone, return to port if you're damaged so that you can get repaired. Those undamaged, maintain a general patrol for a while. Keep your guard up as they might attack again. Report if you spot anything unusual.]

All: [Understood.]

Me: [Baxian, follow their fleet but stay hidden. If they detect you, retreat at once-]

Baxian: [Understood. I'll let you know what they are up to!]

Good, now...the only thing left to do is meet up with Dalian and then prepare to meet with the Sakura Empire to finalise things. That said, I can't help but wonder...what is the Eagle Union thinking?

==========================================================

Ships (Dragon Empery): New + Original

Type 003-class Carrier: Zhejiang, Jiangsu
Tianjin-class Carrier: Tianjin, Fujian

Hubei-class Battleship: Hubei, Hunan

Luoxiao-class Heavy Cruiser: Luoxiao

Yat Sen-class Light Cruisers: Yat Sen
Chao Ho-class Light Cruisers: Chao Ho and Ying Swei
Ning Hai-class Light Cruisers: Ning Hai and Ping Hai

Anshan-class Destroyers: An Shan, Chang Chun, Fu Shun, Tai Yuan
Type 055-class Destroyer: Dalian
Ningbo-class Destroyer: Ningbo
Fuzhou-class Destroyer: Fuzhou, Taizhou
Hangzhou-class Destroyer: Hangzhou

Type 001-class Submarine: Baxian, Han Yu

Jiangwei-class Logistic Ship: Jiangwei