MV Bulolo, a former armed merchant cruiser now cruise ship, is on her last voyage in 1968 to Taiwan for her fate with the shipbreakers. However, fate itself has other plans for the formerly great Australian ship as she is sunk in a storm prior to he...
Meanwhile back in Hiroshima, the Azur Lane girls and the shipgirls of the alternate world were finishing their first joint exercise. It had gone without hitch or arguments with either the alliance and their new allies and helped in them learning some new tactics against their foes of this world, the Abyssals. All the while, the Japanese were waiting on the Atlantic fleet to show up. Bulolo knew something was going on and she had to find out. It didn't take long as she found Nagato (KC) and her sister Mutsu (KC) looking over some mission plans.
Bulolo: Truk Lagoon. That's what we're hitting?
Nagato (KC): Kuso! (Shit!) Could have knocked.
Bulolo: My apologies.
Nagato (KC): What brings you here?
Bulolo: I've been wondering about this Atlantic fleet yous have been waiting for and what are yous planning?
Yamamoto: A few months back, we were forced to abandon Truk Lagoon to the Abyssals as they attacked with full force. We had our best fleet there but it was not enough to slow down the advance. Truk fell with the loss of eight brave girls and it's been a life-and-death battle for Japan to fend of Abyssals.
Nagato (KC): The day your girls appeared, we were sent to slow the advance from hitting Japan but we were outnumbered. That was until yous arrived. Kind of saved our hulls there.
Bulolo: Right. So the target is Truk Lagoon? It does seem a bit of a logistical challenge due to the distance as it is closer to Australia than Japan. We have any jumping off bases closer like Iwo Jima or the Marianas?
Yamamoto: The Mariana Islands were captured last year by the Abyssals while the last I heard, Iwo Jima is still under our control.
Nagato (KC): Are you suggesting something of an island-hopping campaign?
Bulolo: Could say that. The aim is to have a good enough forward base so which we can launch such an attack. Because of logistics right now, taking Truk now would be a bloody suicide mission.
Nagato (KC): I see what you're getting at.
Yamamoto: Like a true strategist, she's finding a way on reducing casualties. Your alliance must see plenty of worth with you.
Bulolo: I'm actually the main strategist for Azur Lane and I've been doing it for four years now, so I've been doing this for a long while.
All the while, there was an interruption from around the radio as Ooyodo had break some news.
Ooyodo: The Atlantic Fleet have broken radio silence. They're in trouble.
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Nagato (KC): Where are they?
Ooyodo: They're a few kilometers away from Okinawa.
Bulolo: I'll see if any of my girls are able to assist.
Ooyodo: I'll make the announcement. They'll need every bit of help they can get.
Bulolo ran out of the office to see if anyone of her girls could anyone on the base could offer assistance. That same time, the announcement went across the base and everyone heard it. Aquitania heard as she was aboard her ship after a refuelling of oil to the tanks. Without even a second thought, she was quick to react and get her boilers up to pressure as high pressure steam surged into her Parsons turbines. As she readied for departure with her ship's anchors up, she was quick to see four of this world's shipgirls head off, which were labelled "Destroyer Squadron 16". It was clear to her that they too were responding.
