The Hospital Ship of Azur Lane (Slow Updates)

Field Hospital part 2

After driving for about five minutes, the convoy arrives outside of the industrial zone. From what it looks like, it's nothing more than a green field with a small asphalt runway and a tiny single floor house, which is probably the air traffic control tower. It's not much of an empty field like Universal said, but it's big enough to set up his tents and unfold the mobile hospital trucks. For an airfield of this size, you'd think it wasn't made to accommodate any regular aircraft. The runway is so wide that even a B-52 can land on it. It might not be very obvious due to the grass and trees that have grown, but it seems like the runway must have been at least three thousand meters, and judging by the size of the collapsed hangars, this airfield was probably meant to accommodate aircraft like the Boeing 747SP and the MD-11. Well, he's definitely got more than enough space for his field hospital.

-'Here's the former airfield', says Universal. 'What you think? Is it big enough for your hospital?'.

-'More than big', replies DS in his regular low voice tone. 'It's enormous. I did expect the airfield to be big, but I never thought it would be that large'.

-'This used to be our main air base before the war', continues Universal. 'It served as the main airfield and refuelling station for our C-47 and FW-200 transport planes'.

-'May I ask the reason it was shut down?', asks DS again.

-'We ran out of spare parts and fuel for our planes', replies Universal again. 'When the war broke out, it was clear that we were unable to keep them in flying order. So we retired them and began using floatplanes for aerial trasnport. They're lighter and much cheaper than a C-47 and an FW-200 cost together'.

-'Not as cheap as a helicopter', says DS. 'It's a lot more cheap than any other aircaft, civilian or military'.

-'Helicopter?', asks Universal, sounding as confused as her sister.

-'I'll explain later at the weapons demonstration', says DS again. 'That is, if there will be one'.

-'I don't really see the reason', replies Universal. 'You said you're equipped with only two AA batteries. And seeing your ship, it doesn't seem to be heavily armed'.

-'You are underestimating me', says DS, trying to reason with Universal. 'I may be armed with two AA batteries, but there's more to those weapons. They're not just any AA batteries, they're much more powerful than you might think. So before you jump into any conclusions, allow me to at least show you what I'm capable of'.

-'Fine', sighs Universal. 'Tomorrow morining at 12 o'clock west of the island's coast'. The way she says it though, sounds more irritating. She doesn't doubt DS' capabilities, but a civilian vessel with only two AA batteries doesn't make much of a difference. If he was armed with more weapons than those two batteries, maybe it would be worth it to demonstrate what he is capable of, but since he insists, there's no point arguing about it. He wants to show off? So be it.

Just then, the air raid alarm rings throughout the base and the harbor's AA guns turn towards the east facing upwards. Not only that, DS' radar has picked up numerous aircraft heading towards the base. This time, the aircraft are identified as thirty Aichi D3A Val dive bombers, thirty Nakajima B5N Kate torpedo bombers, and five Aichi E13A Jake reconnaisance floatplanes. That can't be, all aircraft were destroyed during the war. No surviving aircraft should be airworthy, if there are any left. The only surviving aircraft are either replicas or American T-6 Texans that have been rebuilt or modified for airshows in Australia and New Zealand. Yet, the radar identified the aircraft as the former three models, using the same Nakajima engines and carrying the same 250 kg bombs and Type 97 torpedoes. This doesn't make any sense. Why would Australia use old Texans when they have brand new stealth aircraft in their arsenal? Unless the New Zealand air force has deployed its heritage squadrons, which would have made more sense. If New Zealand is so desperate to acquire its own air force, it wouldn't be a susprise if its entire squadrons came from every aviation museum across the nation. What doesn't make sense is why the would send their squadrons to attack this place. If Universals are a neutral faction, then why would New Zealand attack? Well, Universal and her sisters will have to do some explaining once this is over.

-'You might get that chance sooner than expected Princess', says DS while searching for his weapon in one of the Toyota ambulances. 'Leave the air defense to me. I'll prove to you what I am capable of'.

-'Fine', sighs again. 'But don't overdo it. I don't fancy the port getting blocked'.

-'Oh yeah?', replies DS sarcastically. 'Observe and learn'. After picking up his shotgun, he contacts the ambulances and fire trucks. 'All vehicles evacuate the area. I repeat all vehicles evacuate the area'.

With the ambulances and fire trucks rolling away, DS runs towards his ship, holding his shotgun at his right hand while also looking at his wristwatch. The enemy aircraft should be within range of his missiles in about ten minutes. Ten minutes is like an eternity for such old aircraft. Once in range, it'll be a piece of cake. Problem is that the missiles won't fire unless the aircraft fire first. That means he'll have to take the combat outside of the harbor if he wants to keep the place in one piece. Unfortunately, this means he cannot sail at his maximum speed as this might cause him to crash. If that happens, he'll be doing more harm than good. For that reason, he needs to stick to the rules until he's out of the area. Not that it bothers him since he can achieve a reasonable speed in no time, but the further away he is, the safest the naval base is. He's not willing to jeopardize the lives of three innocent shipgirls because of his recklesness. He failed once, and he's not going to fail again. If he can make up for the victims he lost in Austronesia, then this is the right time.

After checking his hazmat suit for cuts, he arms his shotgun and types a code in his wristwatch, transmitting it to the weapons of his ship. This time, all electronic devices and weapon systems have been completely restored. Unlike the previous time, everything will be done automatically once again. Once fired upon, there's no holding back the missiles. The New Zealanders can now expect a very heavy barrage of missiles and bullets raining upon them. The New Zealanders won't know what hit them. They want to challenge a neutral faction? They have to go through Doctor Solace first. Nobody disrespects the neutrality of a nation or a faction and gets away with. DS made this quite clear, but since there are still a few who are not willing to listen, he'll need to give them a piece of his own mind. He might not be a military vessel, but as long as he can protect others, he doesn't mind killing when it's necessary. Well, now it's probably time for him to test his own combat abilities.

(And that's all for today's chapter. Sorry for it being so short, but I left my lack of inspiration get the best of me. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to check out and subscribe to my Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@LiteratureDefenseForceTV) (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3NFEl7QVOGicwHf47sx2kA) and Dailymotion (https://www.dailymotion.com/dm_3d747a802541c2896c380556ac124866) channels. Until then, see you next time. Remember, your opinion is always important).