Chapter 5

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The following months had something that was almost like routine. Wait for resupply, launch an invasion, pound the island into powder, repeat.

During that period, Craven's ankle finally reached a state Miller and the medics were comfortable with, and she got back to cheering. At that point, Lexington took the girl under her wing, to teach her the delicate art of boosting morale. It made Craven happy.

Unfortunately, because the universe apparently refused to keep things simple, another complication sprouted up.

Although if anyone would think nearly getting blown out of the water by a naval mine was fun, it was Downes. (Miller thanked his lucky stars for Vestal. Downes would have flipped if she had to be sent back home for repairs.) Of course, that wasn't the only injury that his girls suffered.

Miller remembered the first time he saw a strike. They were so occupied with Akagi and Kaga's ghostly, flaming planes that he scarcely noticed the planes launched from the island itself. At least, until one of them turned in air and dove, plummeting into one of the carriers with a ghastly howl.

Miller's shock only grew when similar attacks continued- all launched from land, undoubtedly piloted by men. Madness.

Unfortunately, Akagi and Kaga were more than willing to pull the same trick, and their phantom planes flowed from the sky in an infernal deluge, a vision from hell.

They weathered it though, although Miller found himself tending to many burns in the coming days.

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With their continued successes against their mundane enemy came Siren tricks. More of their planes, rockets which howled over the water and turned in air to chase their quarry, and those terrible, screaming guns...

Whatever Faustian bargain the Axis had made was paying dividends, but even then it couldn't support a war effort alone. There were too many moving parts.

Germany began to cleave under her own weight, starved of the material that let her war machine run. With beachheads established and fairly secure routes to Normandy and the Netherlands, another front was opened as Miller and company tried to avoid sickness in the tropical clime.

Of course, that was not to say the fight was won. The Baltic was, as far as Miller heard, no man's land, a playground for Sirens. Coastal cities had been ravaged, and cities far beyond that cursed sea trembled at the thought of Siren rockets, launched from a base at Peenemünde.

It almost made Miller glad to be on the far side of the world from that whole mess.

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Miller judged the range and his target's movement- slowly heading right- and predicted where'd they be before he loosed.

"Catch!"

The ball arced in the air, slowly heading in Kisaragi's direction, and the girl just barely managed to catch it.

"Good!" Kisaragi smiled upon hearing his praise. "Now throw it back."

Kisaragi clumsily threw the ball toward him, and Miller had to dive to catch it before it could hit the sand. Kisaragi eeped in shock.

Rising to his feet and dusting himself off- oh, Langley was going to be cross with him, to put it mildly- he tossed it back Kisaragi's way. She had gotten better at it, even if she was still a little jumpy.

Vaguely, he wondered if she'd stay like this forever. Nevada and Langley looked spry and young, after all, despite being very old ships... He supposed he wouldn't have to worry about kids growing up too fast if they didn't grow, but it seemed... weird. He wanted to see the person Kisaragi might grow to be.

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