Legends

Chapter 33~ Arrival in England

So far the crossing had been uneventful but that didn't mean that South Dakota would let her guard down. She still remembered the last time she had done that. It had cost her two of her crew and nearly 50 more at Santa Cruz. The battleship used every one of her radars to scan the sea around them. She relied heavily on the escorting destroyers to let her know of any subsurface threat. Neunzer and Champlaign coordinated their divisions between SoDac and her sister, spread out in a ring around the two battleships with Portland and Atlanta taking a flanking position between them and the destroyers. Inward of South Dakota sat Lafayette. The converted flattop regularly sent up a CAP which was much appreciated. Even if Lafayette's skill with airplanes left much to be desired her efforts took some weight off SoDac's shoulders.

Currently, Lafayette possessed the far away look that all carriers had when they were managing their planes. As SoDac watched, Lafayette's look changed from focused to confused to slightly alarmed.

It was enough to rouse SoDac's attention. "Report!" She barked.

"I've got a contact. It's sharp, it's coming this way and it's moving fast." Lafayette replied.

"How fast?" SoDac asked.

"32 knots." was the reply but Lafayette didn't sound concerned.

"Is it Abyssal?" Indiana spoke up now.

"Negative. Definitely Kanmusu. It's long range, my planes can't get a positive ID. Too much cloud cover." Lafayette frowned, tilting her head skywards. "Macon, track southwest to Grid Charlie. Sharp contact for you to check out." She radioed.

"Acknowledged." Macon replied crisply. If South Dakota strained her eyes she could see the airship as she moved off her holding station directly above the task force, providing direct cover and allowing Lafayette to send her planes out far. Radar kept track of her mainly and South Dakota insured her guns were loaded and ready to point in the direction of the sharp radar contact that just popped up on her screen. She stared at it intently. Lafayette was right, it was big, it was fast and it had turned to head right for them. Despite her zig zag course and it took SoDac's experienced eyes only minutes to determine it was Course 8, she was making good time. At only 35 miles out she'd be in visual range soon, cloud cover and fog be damned.

Sure enough, the sight of a large figure on the horizon graced everyone's visual scopes in just under an hour. To her credit, the newcomer maintained her zig zag even after making visual contact. Next to South Dakota who had her guns now locked on the intruder lest she turn out to be a very human looking Abyssal, Atlanta pressed a hand to her ear. "I'm getting a radio signal. It's weak like she's whispering but it is on an open frequency. Maritime Channel 16."

South Dakota immediately tuned in herself and was instantly greeted with a shock. "This is the RMS Queen Elizabeth calling the American convoy. If you read me, please flash a Morse signal." At least the liner had the sense not to ask for a verbal reply. SoDac gave Atlanta a nod and the cruiser sent a quick "YES" message with her lamp.

It took another 30 minutes before Elizabeth was close enough to join the formation. South Dakota had her take up a position beside Lafayette who was equally surprised to see her. Lafayette had somewhat recognized the signature her planes were getting but she hadn't known Liz all that well and the events that transpired shortly after her departure from New York greatly overshadowed her few memories.

"Living out the American dream I see." Liz grinned.

"Absolutely. So, you running another blockade?" Lafayette asked.

Liz winced. "I'm just glad I found you here. Ark Royal's 50 miles ahead she'll give you the scope." She replied. She'd run into the carrier shortly after clearing the channel and while seeing British faces was a huge relief, it also underscored the urgency of her mission. Unable to sit still, she'd asked Ark for permission to scout ahead. Something the carrier had tentatively granted provided she remain blacked out and zig zagging.

"How bad is it over there Liz?" South Dakota spoke up now, her voice firm but not harsh.

"Cherbourg has fallen. Le Havre is hanging on but barely just. Dunquerke and Teste have abandoned the sea and are trying to get as many civilians inland as they can but it's a dogfight all the way to the Alps!" Liz replied.

"And England?" South Dakota pressed.

"It's bad there too. Ark Royal told me the Abyssals executed a perfectly timed and coordinated landing force against both sides of the channel. At the same instant Cherbourg got pounded so did Southampton, Plymouth, and Portsmouth." Liz replied, her cheeks red and breathless from her sprint. At the task force's current speed of 28 knots she could regain some of her wind before they met up with Ark Royal.

"Knocking out the naval bases and the main commercial port all at once. Clever." South Dakota said. "Here's what we've got. The bitch leading this op is the Lone Princess, an evil version of Olympic. With her is the Northern Atlantic Princess, who is best as we can figure is some creepy version of Bismarck."

"Shit." Liz managed, too shocked to watch her language not that it mattered. Her first few years of life were in war and here she was again, surrounded by warships. None of them said a word against.

Ark Royal's force came into view, a welcome sight for everyone even Liz who'd just come from there. HMS Curacoa as expected led the escorts. "Well it's about bloody time you Yanks showed up to save us, again." She grinned.

South Dakota, who was not really in the mood for banter but indulged the cruiser slightly replied "I could turn this task force around right now!" She growled.

"A maneuver we hope you will not seriously consider conducting." Ark Royal said as she steamed forward, effortlessly joining into the American formation as it continued east. Her own escorts followed suit. The shuffling was so well organized it was almost graceful but both fleets had lots of practice doing these maneuvers on the fly.

Lafayette greeted the senior carrier with a respectful incline of her head and a mumbled "Mademoiselle."

Ark Royal regarded her for a moment before turning to South Dakota. "All our bases along the channel are as good as lost. For the time being, you'll come with us to Liverpool. "I understand your orders were to detach Lafayette but we could use another flattop." She said.

South Dakota looked at the carrier. "Lafayette, you okay with that?" She asked.

Lafayette straightened, her bow in the perfect parade position at her shoulder. "I will do what is needed, Dakota." She replied.

"Aye. That you will." South Dakota smiled. "Ark Royal. My task force, is your task force." She said. Ark Royal gave the battleship a nod in reply.

The force continued on in full for another 2 days before arriving in Liverpool. The entire port was in an uproar. Not entirely surprising considering recent events and despite America's current lack of a wall of steel the sight of any fresh reinforcements was enough to lift many spirits.

Another bright spot was that Queen Mary had arrived fresh from Boston just a few days ahead of them. As soon as she spotted her sister, Liz broke formation after a quick word to Ark Royal and ran towards her.

Mary for her part had just finished unloading her most recent batch of soldiers and cargo. Don't ask her how it worked but for some reason, regular soldiers were somehow turned into ferries when they boarded her, then came out the other side perfectly fine and healthy. Well, other than the word "hey" entering their speech a little more often than was necessary.

"MARY!!" An eager shout got her attention and she turned towards the sound of whomever was calling her name, half curious half annoyed. The annoyance went away instantly as did the curiosity. Both replaced by joy!

"Liz?!" Mary took a flying leap off the dock, deploying her rigging at the last second and putting full power into her engines. Her turbines whirred as they strained against the sudden load but her shafts held and propelled her into the arms of her sister. The two ships colliding in a squealing, groaning 180,000 tons of steel and flesh.

Each sister took their turn lifting the other out of the water and twirling her, neither loosening their grip. Superstructure's developed significant dents, funnels cracked but neither took much notice. Mary managed to sum up the moment with her typical efficiency. "I've missed you." She said.

Liz let out a sound that was half laugh, half cry and Mary realized she too was crying, as she replied "Missed you too, sister."