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Graf Zeppelin      It qas time.

     The day of the operation had come.

     After spending pretty much the entire week cursing people out and not believing it was happening, Akebono was out here at sea, with her specifically chosen squad. Thankfully, despite all of her grumbling, the girl did prepare for this day, mentally anyway. She didn't just pace around doing nothing.

     And today, as if to denote the markedly strange occurence happening, the violet haired girl was wearing a blue cardigan over her usual uniform. It wouldn't last.

     Probably.

     "Okay, for this mission, we're adopting a double line formation. Nagato, Musashi, and I will lead." She started, giving out orders as the fleet skated across the water. "Kiso, Shigure, form up at the back sides, and Yuna, stay in the middle back."

     For once, she wasn't spewing out vitriol and filthy language right off the bat. Maybe she was taking this seriously. "Nagato, Musashi, you see anything odd, light it up. Shigure, keep your eyes peeled for anything below the water. Kiso, send out recon planes. And Yuna, keep your eyes on the sky. If we've got aerial opposition, we'll cover you so you've got enough time to change and then light up the sky."

     She doesn't look at anyone. Her eyes are squarely ahead. "We've got word that abyssal destroyers are headed out this way. We're going to disrupt their operation and root through the wreckage after. No questions asked. Ar we clear?"

     ...Despite the girl's firm, commanding tone, she was trembling. ...Just a little. ...Okay more than a little, but she was fine!

     She was fine.

     Yeah.
Shigure     A favour for her Big Sister. Look after the little ones, bring back presents from the surface dwellers that help the rest of the Abyss. An easy task.

    Chi-class's single golden eye is locked forwards, her right arm grasping the 'crest' of the biomechanical horror that replaced her legs, and growled with its own gaping maw, the chattering jaws of her torpedo armament jibbering away, desperate to be unleashed. She glances at the others in her formation... the He-class she felt so close to, and the group of I-class. The shared link all abyssals have is a buzzing chatter of incoherance. These were not aware enough to know what they were doing. That's why she was here. A shepherd... why did she feel like she would fail?
Nagato     Nagato and Musashi are following along, looking between each other with this knowing look. It was a week ago that Nagato, herself, gave Akebono the order to be Flagship for this strange expedition. Why, one would ask? Many reasons... Musashi and Nagato nod at each other before following in line. "Understood, Flagship." comes the combined voice from the two command ships. Nagato looks behind her at the others, pulling in close towards Akebono. She gives this accepting nod before facing forward.

    "We're clear, Akebono." comes Musashi as both Battleship's cannons turn forward. "Double LIne formation is understood, falling into line." Nagato takes the left of Akebono, Musashi on the right. Nagato looks down towards Akebono, "Good orders, Akebono." giving a few compliments here this way and that, the trembling is noticed as well and Nagato's head turns forward. Ryuujou was like this. It has to be her first Flagship position.

    Maybe this might not have been a good idea...
Shigure     Shigure falls into formation, and nods towards Akebono. "Sonar is sounding, Flagship. Air Radar showing clear so far." she looks to Yuna as if seeking confirmation. "Depth charges primed, and cannons loaded." she adds. The trembling is noticed by the elder destroyer too, and she says soft but firm. "Everything will definitely be alright." to the force flagship.
Kongou     Finally swinging into formation, the last of the six-ship group, is a figure wreathed in a billowing black cape shot through with irregular white stripes. One gloved hand tucks Kiso's cap down, obscuring her single eye, and she lets out a little 'Heh' sort of noise. "Kiso in formation as ordered, Flagship Akebono."

    She leans slightly, drawing closer to Shigure. A hand reaches out, mussing the destroyer girl's hair, "Looks like we're on rear guard together. I'll be relyin' on your air cover. Most'a my AA got knocked off during one crazy night at the Reubens." Grinning, she leans the other way, putting a safe distance between herself and the lucky destroyer. Raising her voice, she sounds off, "I'll announce when I'm droppin' torpedoes, don't worry 'bout that."
Wo The He-class, a light cruiser not too distant in appearance and capability as the Chi-class leading the group, is a reassuring sort of presence. Perhaps they had known one another, in their past existence, or even been distantly related. Regardless of that, however, she isn't quite able to ponder those kinds of advanced topics, and the destroyers they have been tasked with leading certainly aren't. They appear to be the Abyssal standard, except for the one sailing closest to their two grown-up cruiser sisters. That one has stubby, pale grey prongs for 'legs', projecting from the bottom of its hull, which give it a bit of an edge on moving across the water over its limbless, but otherwise identical, sisters. The fleet daughter database would peg it as, or at least, what became known to their intelligence office, a late model.

    All of the destroyers, perhaps taking a cue from tactics they had seen the fleet daughters execute, have equipped themselves with what look like oversized dog harnesses, and outfitted them with extra drums to serve as cargo containers. It's their very own rat transport system; since they have no arms to hold canisters with, they had to improvise a little. For a small while, the chatter gives way as the destroyers begin to sing an underway song. To human ears, it would be almost indistinguishable as such, besides the slight harmonic quality to the normal buzzing and gargling. But the He-class light cruiser knows it well enough. "--they seem...happy." She strains out. "...would be nice...if this continues." Barely being 'elite', by Abyssal standards, she used up most of her power for conversation with even that. Yet, behind her own mask, she's smiling. There was something familiar about this kind of mission.

    While the Chi-class had that ominous feeling, she and the destroyers felt no dread. This part of the sea was expected to be clear. It's good training and exercise. They're not even bothering to try and hide their presence from sonar or radar.
Yuna Kagurazaka "Roger that, Akebono," Kagurazaka replies as she shifts into her ordered slot, Kiso to one side, Shigure to the other. She's keeping the bulk of her attention skywards, scanning all directions as best she can even as her radar sweeps the sky for other signs of hostile air forces. What portion of Kagurazaka's gaze isn't on the sky is on the sea ahead of her, partly to watch the others and keep to her desingated position. "Air radar remains clear, aye," she adds in reply to Shigure.

Atypically, though, Elner is accompanying Yuna this trip. Normally the little robo-faerie would stay out of the operations zone, and Elner might withdraw - just a quick teleport to safety - if too much firepower is getting thrown around. But after Yuna's foot got impaled in the last sortie of Operation Rei-Go, it seems like Elner is perhaps being more protective than normal ...

Not that Yuna minds, really. But still, she's not in her Light Suit this time out, and she doesn't expect to need its unique defenses or weaponry. A light cruiser's armaments and equipment *should* be all she needs to help take down a fleet of Abyssals.
Graf Zeppelin      "......"

     Akebono closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then steeled herself, forging on ahead with the plan. The fleet strode across the water at high speed, keeping eyes, and sensors out for anything out of the ordinary. So far, there was nothing. Nothing, nothing, and nothing.

     ...The flagship sighed and hung her head a little. Sheesh. Here she was getting all worked up and the seas were completely clear. This went on for quite some time, Akebono unable to really make conversation with how focused she was on simply not screwing up. She didn't ask for this, but she didn't want to just blow it either. It was a pride thing!

     Eventually, the destroyer thought to check in, and gglanced back at Shigure and Yuna. "You have anything on radar yet?"
Shigure     Shigure looks to Yuna. "Air radar is clear, Sonar is picking up surface contacts bearing 1-2-7. Sound markers indicate two mid-size craft and four small craft... I'd guess two cruisers and four destroyers... perhaps a supply transport fleet?"
Nagato     A supply fleet. They're trying to rebuild after what happened at Rei Go, huh... Well, Nagato's not having any of that, nor is Musashi. Guns are aimed. "Bearing One Two Seven... angle..." comes the combined voice of the two capital ships. "Range?" Musashi asks... the two ships allowing the four others to handle radar. Though, something gets into Musashi's head... Two Cruisers and Four Destroyers, huh... "Perhaps that's... the girls." Musashi speaks softly, attempting to instill hope in the group.

    "Flagship. Orders?" comes Nagato, that firm voice of hers is ready to take over at a moments notice but for now, Akebono seems to be handling it like a champ. "We can start shelling as soon as we have range."
Yuna Kagurazaka Kagurazaka closes her eyes briefly, pursing her lips as she concentrates on 'seeing' the radar screen. "Skies remain clear on my sweeps, Akebono," she says after a moment. "If the Abyssals are out here, they don't have planes within our range."

She reopens her eyes and takes a long look across the sky, turning to peer towards the horizon particularly in the direction that Shigure reported contacts on her sonar. She can't see anything clearly enough to identify it, though, and she shifts some of her attention back to radar, even as Musashi speculates about who might be there. Familiar faces, thought lost ...

Kagurazaka takes a deep breath and focuses on the mission again, though. As much as she wants to see those familiar faces in kanmusu uniforms again, thinking too far ahead could leave her distracted and vulnerable.
Shigure     Chi-class turns to regard He-class. "It... feels good... being with others..." replies the flagship-class Abyssal... and then she gets proven right with that ominous feeling. "Sonar contact... we have been... noticed." she says slowly, turning a baleful golden eye toward the source of the contact.

    She calls it in to the rest of the Abyssals through that shared link. <We have been spotted. Large surface returns on sonar.>
Kongou     "Eh?" Kiso's single eye closes and she bobs her head from side to side. She slows down as well, pulling in behind Shigure at the absolute tail of the formation, rather than staying beside the destroyer. After a moment, that eye opens and her leg launchers swivel on their mounts. The launcher on her backpack rigging also swings down. However, none of her ordnance is launched.

    "Seems like they're close enough for my Type 93s. Give the word, Flagship."
Wo It's not quite panic from the He-class, though she does pull up on her ride armor slightly, as though mirroring the human emotion of sudden hesitation. As the news of having been spotted flows down the presumed chain of command, the destroyers' singing ceases, replaced with uncertain buzzes and hisses. The trailing I-class, with an additional drum fastened to its tail flukes, pivots slightly to glance back at it, nervously. What should they do, upperclassman Chi-class? The extra weight might be a burden, but they would get scolded if they returned without the supplies! They anxiously await the radio response from their headquarters.

    That response comes in short order. It's the familiar Wo-class aircraft carrier that is on the radio today. Despite her usual monotone, she still lets slip a slight sound of annoyance. The fleet daughters apparently weren't satisfied with their victory in the last major engagement -- now they're coming even for their more routine supply lanes? "Un-derstood, Chi." She didn't recognize the individual, but each 'tier' of Abyssals had a similar enough tone for her to perceive at least that much. "--hold, as long as...you can. I will dis-patch support. Abandon, the car-go, only as - a last re-sort."

    With that, she switches over to more usual channels, this time including more mercenary systems such as any publically-accessible Syndicate frequencies. "To any, in the a-rea. A tran-sport fleet of ours, re-quires immediate assistance. Payment, as necessary, ne-gotiable. Coord-inates, to be sent, after agreement accepted." The process is otherwise fairly automated and streamlined, thanks to the multiverse relying on such systems. It wouldn't be difficult for interested parties to sign on!
Graf Zeppelin      Akebono nods at Shigure and Yuna, then to the rest, Nagato, Musashi, and Kiso.

     She looked on ahead, and took a deep breath.

     Then she thrust her arm out. "Fire at will!"

     With that said, she didn't actually fire herself yet, deciding to keep tabs on all angles of the situation as much as she could without distracting herself. Oh man, she was so nervous. They didn't have planes in the air though, so her fleet choices weren't a dud after all. It could have been 50/50 either way.

     "Don't let a single enemy get away! Blow them all to bits!"
Nagato     'Don't let a single enemy get away' huh? Musashi and Nagato give a knowing nod and break formation just a bit, mainly so Kiso's torpedoes can go through without issue. "All turrets, angle up... range found. Standard shells loaded." and with a nod, the combined voice of Musashi and Nagato yell out "FIRE!" sending a long range rapport of twenty explosive shells towards the small transport group. "Reloading. Sending Type Zero Scout into the air." comes Nagato...

    As a small launch rail opens up from the back of her armor, a plane flies out rapidly and shoots into the air, puttering itself towards the enemy combat group, reporting the signature and looks... at least, it will when it gets there...
Shigure     Shigure nns softly. "Type 93 loaded. Firing spread. Timing... Kiso, angle 5 degrees, stagger 2 second launch. On my mark." she says, rattling off the sequence, as her leg launchers swivel into place. "Three." clank clunk. "Two." fweeeeeee. "One." hiss. "Mark." FWOOSH. "Fish in the water, check, my vector."
Stygian Mirror     Mirror likes to keep tabs on the Syndicate band; it's been, by far, the most convenient way to learn things about people so far. She doesn't need money-- her Deathlord provides the funds she needs. Information though! That's never unwanted. She watches, listens, collects. Maybe one day it'll be useful.

    When the call comes out and she manages to use a GPS to locate the source, she's immediatly quirking a brow at the fact it's out in the ocean. Luckily, close to a Warp Gate... hm...

    A glance to the side.

    A sign reads 'AKBAR'S DISCOUNT BOAT RENTALS (NOT OUT OF FUEL)'.

    Eventually, a small motorboat appears on the radars of both fighting parties. It's going moderately fast, but using a periscope or binoculars to look reveals that there's no engine on the motorboat anymore. Instead, black chains have been used to hook two large sharks painfully, and they're the ones dragging the boat to its location.

    Mirror is frowning, motor grease still on her gloves from throwing the useless block of metal off the boat after it ran out of fuel in five minutes. She hails on radio, on an open frequency: "Mirror here, sorry, I ran into trouble getting here. That job offer still valid? Just tell me who to sink."
Kongou     "Total annihilation, eh?" Kiso grins, "Let me soften 'em up a bit for ya, then." Having already broken formation to prepare, by placing herself at the far back, Kiso's launchers eject her long-range torpedoes with hisses and puffs of smoke, firing in clusters of five from either leg and from either end of her backpack's swingarm launcher. Compared to Shigure's 3-tube launchers, Kiso's spreads are both wider and much more dense, disappearing into the waves with nary a trace. The stealth of the famed Type 93.

    Her payload deployed, Kiso swings back into her position in the Double Line while her launchers swing back into reloading position. Her single gun turret swivels, but doesn't fire-- being out of range for a simple 15.2cm gun. Instead, she bides her time, left hand resting on the hilt of her sheathed sword, "Now we jus' let the big girls an' those fish do the talkin' 'til we're closer... Eh?" Head canting, she glances the opposite way towards an approaching speedboat, "--Or we'll be escort screenin'. Head on a swivel, Shigure, Flagship."
Taro     From whatever his location was a few minutes ago, Taro acknowledges Wo's distress call. They are allies, after all, and even if it is an interruption for him, it is only proper to respond. Besides, he has a concern to address.
    His location now is announced by the darkened flash of a transserver teleport. At the coordinates he was provided, albeit several hundred feet above, and he extends his contergrav wings to keep him aloft.
    He has no overly large and cumbersome weapon with him this time - a lesson learned there, and a mistake to not be repeated. As an adjunct to that, in his first moments here he makes a scan of the area, specifically for aether/mana energy. Someone felled him with a weapon imbued with magical energy the last time he crossed paths with the Fleet Maidens. If they are learning the craft...
Shigure     Chi-class looks at her group. Not again... she won't let them sink... not agai-- wait, what is this memory? Later... incoming fire now. "Evade, as best... as you can... only dump, if absolutely... necessary." she says to her charges. "Maintain... formation. Return fire." comes her order next, as she lifts her left arm, and fires a salvo in return for the battleship's heavy shells. They splash amongst the formation, rocking the lighter ships and disrupting their cohesion a bit... and then a Long Lance comes leaping out of the water, aimed right for the Chi-class. "I-Impossible..."
Wo Through basic heroic mathematics, it is clear that this smaller and more lightly armed party, the Abyssal transport fleet, is being aggressed by this terrible empire of tyrants, that are bringing battleships down on their heads. It's like bringing a missile launcher to a gun fight. Well, two of them do look mostly humanoid, though half-encased in an armored watercraft of sorts. The He-class, in particular, looks even more entombed in steel than does the significantly more free-bodied Chi-class. The destroyers are completely non-human, for their part, but they're just so cute with their huge, toothed maws and mutedly glowing eyes.

    Just in case it wasn't clear, though, by way of live coordinate, the Wo-class' voice from earlier speaks in response to Mirror, in somewhat broken monotone. "That would - be us. The Abyssal fleet." If any kind of computer, or similar device of the multiverse, since magic works just as well in some universes, is available, she would send data that would paint the Chi, He and I-class vessels as their own. "Pro-tect our ships, and - the equipment, they are carrying." If only every mission's parameters were that black and white. But, well, Abyss.

    Things have become a bit chaotic for them, in light of the fact that they're already being fired upon, and there are spreads of torpedoes in the water. It's only the calming influence of their seniors, as well as that more distant radio contact, that keeps them from dropping their extra weight immediately. The late model I-class pivots to begin firing, but notices a particular stream of frothing ocean that is on a collision course with the flagship. "Eerrrgh--grrrh!" It does its best to vocalize a warning to her, but even if it did break formation, it wouldn't have the speed to try and absorb the hit for her.

    As mentioned, the shells begin splashing down around them. They remain as resolute as they can -- this isn't their first time being shelled, unlike true greenhorns. They return fire in kind, the mouths of the I-class hinging open to reveal the opening of a to-scale, 5 inch type gun within each of them, which they fire with. The He-class drops her own torpedoes, while trying to help coordinate the formations. While the I-class, even loaded down, are able to minimize their target profiles, she has considerably more bulk, and isn't as successful. While bracing against the spray, and concussive force, of one of the battleship shells that comes crashing down closeby, her course strays directly into one of those opening torpedoes.

    When the dust from the resulting explosion clears, it's not quite a fatal blow, but large pieces of her armor are damaged. As well as fractures across the one-eyed mask all of her sort wear. Was this going to be the end of them? It was such a nice day...
Yuna Kagurazaka 'Don't let a single enemy get away! Blow them all to bits!'

Kagurazaka can't help but wince at the vehemence in Akebono's order - even though she knows full well that a sunken Abyssal tends to resurface as her kanmusu self, freed from what Nagato and the other kanmusu have called the grudges and grief of old battles, lost long ago and haunting the girls who inherited that weight. (Granted, the Abyssals seem to hold an opposing view, that their Abyssal identities are their true selves and that the kanmusu are somehow bound against what would be their free will.)

The point being, sinking an Abyssal doesn't annihilate her. It's possible that some weaponry would accomplish that - but that's part of why Kagurazaka deploys in her light-cruiser loadout, not in her Light Suit, when helping fight the Abyssals. But even with that knowledge, the order makes her cringe a little bit before she recovers herself and picks up some speed. She's not breaking formation yet, but she wants to be sure she's within range before she starts shooting anything, be it shells or torpedoes ...

And suddenly the sky isn't empty. "We have air contacts!" she calls out, perhaps unnecessarily. "At least one, NOT an Abyssal signature ... shall I engage?"

And at the same time, Elner picks up what Kagurazaka's radar didn't - that rental boat with a very different type of 'Abyssal' on board ... but one which is no less familiar.
Stygian Mirror     "Abyssal... fleet?" A puzzled look settles on Mirror's face, the fox-eared, white-haired woman raising those bright red eyes on black scleras towards the battle. Those girls in black with all the teeth... yeah that looks a bit like Necrotech, she guesses? But they're so fast, there's no way those can be just that. Necrotech is... well, it works, but it works as well as things patched out of body parts and bones can be expected to. Not very long unless you take care of it, and not as well as this besides.

    "I think you're going to have to explain this Abyssal thing to me when we're done, if that's no trouble," she finally says, no longer gawking at the battle.

    Battlefield conditions aren't exactly in her favor. She thinks she sees missiles in the water, there's artillery raining down. Water isn't her best element. If she runs and doesn't stop she can probably keep on top of it, but she's not getting out of this dry. Wet tails feel awful, she's already unhappy about the idea.

    The motorboat speeds towards the Abyssal side of the conflict; meanwhile, Mirror grabs her Soulsteel sword off her waist, the jagged longsword clicking as Essence pours into it. It separates down the middle, horizontally.

    The woman swings the sword in the air, towards nobody in particular. The top half of the blade launches, trailing behind a purple and black tether of magic. The blade makes a wild trajectory in the air, attempting to very awkwardly intercept shells and salvo raining down on the Abyssals, while making herself a visible target.

    "Come on now, shoot at me, I can't do this with just a sword..."
Graf Zeppelin      Akebono took a deep breath, and then gave out orders as quickly as she could, without compromising time to think about it.

     Once everyone had something they were going to do, the flagship turned her eyes toward the abyssal fleet at large. The others would handle the multiversals, so it she'd provide artillery support against the main targets.

     Main guns were angled into the air, her eyes narrowing as she took the Chi-Class into her sights. "...Here goes nothing-!" BLAM! She fired her shells into the air, angling for that particular unit. It looked like one of the leaders in any case.

     Take down the flagship, scatter enemy morale. So they say anyway.
Nagato     Akebono's order isn't nothing new for the Daughters, in fact, Nagato has given the same orders before. Though, when Elner comes in to confirm the secondary contact, Nagato gives a slight nod. "I'll be engaging the secondary target. Musashi, engage with Akebono and the rest." And with that, Nagato splits herself off of the main fleet, sailing away to meet the new radar contact... and with the type three shells ready, she aims and FIRES! Sending a rapport of eight shells into the air that break and rain magnesium and shrapnel down onto a hopefully unexpecting Stygian.

    Musashi however, gives a slight nod and moves to fall into formation with Akebono again and with the triple 46's on her... she aims up slightly... "You're doing well, Akebono." she compliments the Destroyer before letting those shells fire.. Twelve total high explosive shells launch into an arc towards the Destroyer and Cruiser class enemy ships since Nagato's got one and Yuna's got another, she'll assist Akebono and co.
Taro     His scan complete and results stored for later analysis (whatever those may be), the Bishop Engineer shifts tacks as he moves to intercept the attacking Fleet. It's not a straight course that he sets, keeping his altitude high to avoid the worst of the artillery being exchanged, jinking and weaving and generally make himself a more difficult target for anyone who may notice his approach. It's also not a conventional strafing run that he's planning from his point above the general fray - he fires a number of volleys of superheated plasma at the fleet formation, settling on noparticular target just yet. No, his aim is to distract and unsettle rather than cause direct damage, to give the Abyssals a chance to regroup.
Shigure     Chi-class shifts her weight, throwing herself out of the way of that torpedo. It sails past, and off into the distance behind her. She turns back with a growl of frustration. "Why can't you... just leave... us... alone?" she snarls, leveling her gun-arm, and with a roar of frustration, fires off something the Daughters would recognize. A Hate Beam, carrying all the frustration and despair the Cruiser is feeling. It's not nearly as powerful as a Capital Ship's beam, but it might be surprising coming from such a low-tier Abyssal.

    The Cruiser doesn't escape unscathed though, as the second volley of shells angle in, one comes crashing down right in front of the Chi-class, shrapnel and concussive force shredding away at her 'ride armor' lower half... and then the smaller shells from Akebono's own cannons nail her directly, making her cry out in pain and fear. "N-Not yet... I can't... sink yet..." Her mask is cracked, enough that half of it falls away, showing the humanoid head underneath... that glowing golden eye exposed and a flowing mess of jet black hair with an unmistakable ahoge springing from its prison.
Yuna Kagurazaka By this point, Kagurazaka is splitting off from the fleet as well, angling to intercept the flying Confederate. She doesn't recognize Taro, but between sensor readings and limited visual, Elner comes up with a tentative match from Union files ... and then the robo-faerie teleports out of the engagement zone, as a precaution.

The Confederate 'bishop-engineer' opens fire, and Kagurazaka veers further to starboard, then to port, zig-zagging to be as difficult a target as possible. "Come on," she murmurs. "Get a little closer --"

Then she veers HARDER to port, hissing as a plasma bolt flash-boils the water so close to her feet that she's almost 'skating' on steam rather than sea; it takes some scrambling to avoid completely losing her balance, and she pops out her starboard torpedoes as a precaution in case the sudden heat destabilized them into exploding. That was the WRONG KIND of 'closer,' thank you very much.

She has to agree with Taro's choice of tactics, truth be told; it's more or less what *she'd* do if their positions were reversed. Take advantage of aerial superiority and superior firepower, snipe from outside of the target's range to respond. But appreciating his tactics doesn't solve the immediate problem.

.... so, change the parameters, she realizes. "Taro, right?" Kagurazaka calls out as she comes back onto an even keel and continues onwards, still throwing evasive maneuvers even when she doesn't have incoming fire to dodge. "What's your title again? 'Maintenance Deacon' or something?"

Presumably she actually knows his title better than THAT ...
Stygian Mirror     There we go, attention! From a... battleship. Alright, she didn't think that one all the way through. That's a lot of cannons. Big cannons. Welp.

    Fire and smoke envelops the shitty motorboat the woman had used to get here. One of the two sharks hooked to it is obliterated by the incoming fire, while the other disappears into the depths with the chain still on it. The boat isn't exactly a boat anymore. It's more like a few dozen pieces of boat, floating on the water.

    Mirror sticks her head out of the water, shaking it to get the water out of her hair and fox ears. There's some blood in the water too-- not shark blood, either. Shrapnel has pierced through her armor in places, and it looks pretty unpleasant. Made worse by the sea water.

    On the bright side now she won't have to try to swordfight ships.

    The blood oozing from her wounds gathers up; Mirror hops out of the water, managing for a brief few seconds to stand on it. It gathers near oen of her arms, and then forms a single massive barrel. Luckily for her, the weapon doesn't sport the entire length of the barrel, but it's still about two meters long. It clamps onto Mirror's arm awkwardly, weightless but poorly balanced, the cannon made entirely of blood and pulsing black Essence.

    "Alright then, my turn! I uh... think... how do you... this is really awkward. Why couldn't it be my size instead? Point and shoot, how hard can it--"

    WHOOMF.

    SPLASH.

    Though Mirror manages to fire a shot towards Nagato, a black burst of explosive and corrosive Essence rather than magnesium and artillery rounds, the recoil of the battleship's cannon immediatly sends her right back into the water, after a few not-so-elegant bounces. She might have just broken an arm, or come close to, too.
Wo No other words are exchanged with that slightly more articulate voice, at least for now. It was better to not distract the operatives in the field when they're already actively engaged in battle, unless the situation drastically changes, that is. The late model I-class, the one with stubby, fleshy little legs, does take notice of something, though. The help has arrived! Err...in what looks like a well-used and unusual boat. It flinches slightly, at first, but seems to take notice of both her relative lack of mobility and the effort she is expending, all the same, as well as the suffering and anger of its comrades. Then their assistant's boat gets taken out. The shark dolphin makes a decision...

    With a light hiss and zip, small charges blast the straps securing its drums free from its body, causing them to fall to the water. Drums are useful here, since they still remain floating to be retrieved later, if possible. It breaks formation and comes up to around what remains of Mirror's boat, gazing with its search lights and then turning to present its relatively broad back. Is it offering a ride? It doesn't look like it'd be much harder to manage than a surfboard, anyway. As if a surfboard is actually easy. Regardless of having a passenger, though, it has made its choice. It's better to go out fighting than weighed down under barrels, if that's the way it's going to be! Pulling away, it speeds toward the fleet daughter lines, opening its mouth and firing more 5 inch shells, while also releasing a spread of torpedoes. It seems that mouth's gape is a multi-functional weapon, for this kind of Abyssal. All the while its tiny legs act as hydrovanes to grant it even more speed and maneuverability, as it swerves on approach.

    The He-class and I-classes that remain at the Chi-class' position aren't having a great time. The shells are drawing closer with every volley that comes their way. They're close enough now that even the explosions of near-misses could cause significant damage. The destroyers are trying to hold it together, but as the He-class light cruiser begins mentally breaking down from the strain of the sustained shelling, they also begin to lose a bit of cohesion. The Chi-class is quickly becoming their crutch. "Scared," the He-class says, her mask not yet broken, but a curious fluid diluting the same pitch black 'blood' that the Chi-class now displays. Tears? "I'm -- scared..." It's half an expression of her state by the He-class, and also manages to simultaneously disbelieving, as if that kind of feeling should be beyond her. It would certainly explain how ineffective she is being, at the moment. If anything, she's quickly become a liability to their getting away from this.

    The incoming high explosive shells -- one goes off, directly behind the He-class' position. The destroyers all recoil, both in reflex and from the sheer force of it, as the He-class cruiser gives out a scream of pain, being drawn into and enveloped in the flash of light and heat. "No--!! Aaah!"
Kongou     "I'll remain on support for now," Kiso remarks, "Torpedo launchers are reloading an' my artillery hasn't been so great since that dash through the Marinaras." Her over-the-shoulder turret swingarm rotates, however, until it's leading the distant, damaged He class that ate one of her torpedoes. However, she averts her weapon when Musashi's barrage comes down around the enemy.

    "Jeez, ones like that kinda make me feel shitty for sinkin' 'em," Eye closing, she rubs the back of her head with one hand, while the other draws her sword in one smooth motion. Over her shoulder, that single 15.2cm gun has found a new target, a single shell hurling downrange amidst the destroyers that have not yet broken formation.
Graf Zeppelin      Akebono glances aside at Musashi and just woodenly nods. "...R-Right..." Damn it, stop being nervous, girl! No one's dead yet! Just focus on-"WHA-!" Plasma bolts, courtesy of Taro come searing in, blazing past the flagship, who veers left and right to avoid direct damage as much as she can.

     "Damn it! Yuna do something about that asshole up there!" The destroyer yells, right before a HATE BEAM from the Chi class punches right into her side. "Augh!" She cries as cloth is torn away, and blood begins to soak in. "Tch-!" She hisses, one hand grasping the wound tightly before glaring ahead at the Chi-Class and He-Class, as well as the I-Classes.

     "......" Kiso's words are heard, and Akebono is silent for a few seconds, but then she shakes her head. "You know what happens to most of them when they sink. The emotional ones are probably...probably one of us!" ...Not like she cared or anything. ...Well, maybe a little. ...A bit. ...Somewhat.

     "Anyway, we're doing them a damn favor!" She narrows her eyes and grits her teeth, and she angles her torpedo tubes forward. "You can grumble at us later! Now do me a fucking favor and sink!" Roaring angrily, Akebono fired her torpedoes into the water, sending them barreling right for the Chi-Class and He-Class.
Taro     Taro has had a long and....perhaps it'd be best to leave it at 'long'...history with the Confederacy, and so finding a reference file on him shouldn't be all that difficult.
    He casts a glance to either side at the end of his run, and finds he's picked up a tail. A conversive one at that. Whether Yuna can see it or not, he makes a scoffing face and a snort at the incorrect title. "I was ordained before I became a General," he answers her, "though you'll excuse me if I don't show you my collar."
    Assuming that Yuna is in fact giving chase after him, he'll speed away from the Fleet Daughters formation in an attempt to draw her away from them as well. Divide and conquer, or at least move her away from where she can easily attack the Abyssals. "you'd be the idol singer, yes?" Question for question seems fair enough, though that he doesn't wait for her answer before suddenly dropping and flipping around to strafe her with plasma is decidedly less so.
Nagato     Nagato closes her eyes, letting her radar do all the sight seeing and the little scout plane too. Target eliminated. At least, that's what she sees until that fox eared woman gets up out of water... and holds a copy of her own gun... or at least one of the barrels. It's not a type three shell, but damn does it hurt like one when that shell hits, more so when the corrosive substance that was launched at her causes her number three turret to explode violently.

    Communications are disrupted slightly, only to get them back soon after she recovers... and 'speeds' off, skating at high speeds as another compartment opens in her rigging, dropping her axe into her hands.. Above Stygian, there's a small little green plane piloted by a fairy just hovering around, doing 'absolutely nothing (TM)' and reporting the position to the Battleship. "I got you you little worm..." and with another loud rapport, six shells are fired this time, high explosive type shells too!
Yuna Kagurazaka As much as Kagurazaka wants to stick closer to the fleet, Taro *is* the main source of hostile aerial firepower - and let's face it, none of the other kanmusu are going to fare any better against plasma-based ranged weaponry than she will herself. She lets Taro lead her away, then, but in return she's going to make sure to deny *him* any chance to double back and strafe the others. Anti-air is her *job*, she's going to do it - and not just 'to the best of her ability,' either; she WILL protect her allies from flying enemies, be they Abyssal aircraft or full-blown flight-capable Confederate Elites.

She's staying on the evasive, though; the upside of recognizing Taro's tactics is that she can think of what she'd do in that position, and she doesn't want to give him any openings. "Not much point to denying it," Kagurazaka admits in reply to the idol singer question -

And there's the next barrage of plasma.

Her four waist-mounted turrets were all pointing forward already, and they go off in unison: it's partially an attempt to use the explosive shells as cover against the incoming plasma blasts, not so much 'shoot the missiles down' as a deliberate use of the opposite. Any plasma bolt which slams into one of her shells is a bolt which isn't going to continue on its way to hit HER, after all; if the full force isn't expended on the impact, then the explosion should at least disrupt what's left of a given bolt to the point where she has less damage to worry about. It may not be 'none,' but Kagurazaka needs every advantage she can get. On the plus side, any shells which DON'T slam into a bolt of plasma will continue their flight and might well catch Taro while he's flying that low.

It is, admittedly, a gamble. But so is engaging in combat in the first place, a fact with which Yuna has been acquainted ever since the night she first met Elner.

"So if you know me as an idol," Kagurazaka adds once she's in less immediate danger of getting roasted, "does that mean you're one of my fans? I can't sign any autographs while you're trying to blow me or my friends up, but if you promise to leave the battle area right away and not send anyone to fill your space, maybe I could sign something for you ..."
Shigure     The Chi-class can feel the panic coming from the others... they won't last, and this will have all been for nothing... The He-class is consumed in an explosion, and the remaining cruiser makes a decision.

    "Take the... supplies... and run... I will cover... for you." she says, turning and gritting her teeth as Akebono calls her out. "You will not... take them..." she returns, and the gaping maw on her 'ride armor' hinges open, spitting a veritable /SWARM/ of chattering, jaw jibbering torpedoes into the water, aimed at Akebono, Kiso, Musashi... effectively everyone currently directly threatening the rest of her fleet.
Stygian Mirror     It takes Mirror an unfortunately long few seconds to recover from sinking several meters into the water due to the cannon's recoil, and then another few to understand the I-class is offering her a ride. Not bothered by the 'shark' and its appearance, the woman climbs onto it, balancing herself as able. The replica of one of Nagato's massive cannons still hangs onto her arm, which with a loud crack she sets back into her shoulder socket correctly.

    "Battle on the high seas, never thought it'd be so different from fighting on land. I've clearly been missing out!" On what, she isn't sure, but she clearly has been.

    In her idle hand, Mirror's Soulsteel sword splits down the middle again; this investure of Essence causes a black mark to appear on her forehead, a circle with eight sunrays around it. It bleeds, very lightly.

    The woman swings her blade again, the upper half launching. It zips through the air, the sword-whip cutting the incoming explosive shells-- but not without suffering backlash for it. Shrapnel and flames still reach Mirror and the I-Class, but nowhere near as threatening as if the impact had been direct. A few cuts, bruises and scorches are better than a missing limb.

    "I've got a really stupid idea but I need you to get me closer," she tells the I-Class.

    Presumably, this is where the two make a beeline for Nagato. A few more shots are taken with the battleship cannon-- miraculously the recoil doesn't knock her off the I-Class, using Essence to steel her body against it, but it still looks extremely unpleasant for her arm and shoulder.

    This time the shots fired smaller spheres of black Essence; they explode before impact, shotgunning smaller corrosive shrapnels and trying to spray Nagato's entire cannon battery. This thinned out, though, it probably can't disable all of it.
Nagato     Meanwhile back at the main Fleet. Musashi keeps her shelling going, high explosive shells coming in hot, landing around the Chi-Class and others. "We have them, Akebono. Just a little longer and they should fall." Musashi smiles at the Destroyer, though if she actually means that smile or if she's trying to inflate the Destroyer's ego, it's unsure. At least... until Kiso mentions the two dangerous words. 'Torpedo Cruiser'. Now, those are good if they're on her side, but since it's an Abyssal Torpedo Cruiser... and there's fish in the water... And Shigure's behind her. Well, there's only one thing to do. "SHIGURE! Watch out!" shoving the Destroyer out of the way, the torpedoes land into Musashi, exploding quite nicely against the heavily armored battleship. And during the water splash, more shells are fired from those triple barreled cannons! "I'm not going to let a TORPEDO get me!"

    Back at Nagato, and with that Type Three shell being thrown back at her, she pulls her hands up close to try and block some of those corrosive shrapnels from that shell, wincing and smoking from the acid like burning... well, this is going to get interesting... the I-Class AND that person with her cannon is coming close.

    Nagato's axe gets raised and as soon as the two cross paths, the axe is swung to try and cleave Stygian in half while secondaries start spewing out a rapid fire barrage of high explosive, small caliber ammunition! "You want to get close to one of the Big Seven!? Please... just SINK!"
Wo Once the explosion around the He-class fades, she's still visible, but riding very low in the water. Her momentum is absolutely killed, her propulsion system likely knocked out. Her own mask has splintered by now, revealing a familial resemblance to Isuzu and Nagara, despite the ghostly pale flesh. There's even a wrought iron semblance of a hair band set into her hair, only now visible. Despite the sustained fire coming in, two of the Abyssal destroyers open hatches along their otherwise sleek, black bodies, seeming to be ready to fire tow cables to try and drag their disabled older sister to safety. But she has enough consciousness to wave them off, with a shake of her head. The Chi-class' order was the correct one. The supply should have the priority, she's finished. Yet...she somehow doesn't feel regret, or even particularly angry at the ones that reduced her to this state. Why was she feeling this way? Her consciousness begins to lapse, as an oil slick pools around her.

    The I-class destroyers, 3 of them, that still remain in formation are under nearly constant bombardment. The orders are understandable, even if they didn't want to leave their two elders to this. They gurgle uncertainly, and perhaps regretfully, but they close up their mouths and cease firing for the time being, focusing instead on grasping the tethers to some of those jettisoned drums in their jaws and beginning to swim away, trying to both outrange the incoming fire and just get the hell away from here. One is sprayed with debris and shrapnel as, by pure chance, one of the drums containing ammunition is struck glancingly by a 15.2 cm shell. It's like an entire magazine went off nearby, and as it sails away at reduced speed, it can be seen to be leaking more of that congealed oil from that side, as the exploded remnants of the drum are discarded and adrift.

    The I-class proves a surprisingly stable platform. It was still a ship in another life, long ago, after all. It's also apparently made of sterner stuff than the non-late models were, not slowing down even while enduring peppering by what remains of the incoming explosive shell, though a closer look would reveal its slick, black skin still suffers pockmarks from being struck. It gurgles, not able to vocalize in any words that the translation effect can render, calling into doubt it's a proper language at all -- but the tone gets the point across. It seems to be ready for anything, and with a splash of its tail fluke, it starts surging forward, its mouth as wide as it will hinge as it gives a screech of a war cry. The hull of the destroyer is almost out of the water by this point, skating along on those tiny legs, more akin to a hovercraft. The good news for Mirror is that having a proper 'ship' to perch on would likely make firing a large cannon easier. At least, from a momentum point of view.
Kongou     While her only artillery piece reloads, Kiso hesitates, squinting at the distant Abyssals and their actions. It looks like the flagship is-- "Oh, right," Kiso closes her eye, scratching her cheek lightly, "Chi class. /Torpedo/ cruiser." Smoke suddenly belches from her rigging as she accellerates, weaving through the formation, "So she's like me. An' if she's like me, she's thinkin' like me. An' if she's thinkin' like me, the first thing I'd fire torpedoes at is..."

    With a leap, Kiso thrusts her legs forward and lands on the ocean surface with a skidding motion, twisting herself around in the same process. At that exact instance, there's an explosion in the water as a fanged Abyssal torpedo slams into her and detonates.

    There's a glorious spray of seawater, shards of metal, smoke, and oil hurled behind her, but the torpedo cruiser's action has prevented that torpedo from striking a far more vulnerable target-- the destroyer, Akebono, scant meters behind her.

    Rising up to a standing position, Kiso swings her sword down at an angle, her cape in tatters, her rigging smoking, one of her leg torpedo launchers is completely gone, where the enemy torpedo had struck. There's a faint snap when a string breaks and her eyepatch drops, landing in the sea. Her head turns just enough to acknowledge Akebono, a curt question, "You alright?" before she returns her attention to the enemy.

    "Nice shot, sis," Kiso mutters. Her eyes snap open-- the left is a dead silver color, shot through with a jagged scar from brow to cheekbone, "--But you're only makin' me look cooler!"
Taro     Taro's plasma bolts and Yuna's shells mostly annihilate each other in the space between them, though one of hers does manage to slip through the mutual destruction. He's thus forced to take evasive action by firing at the shell while dropping further still to where his boots are skimming the ocean's surface. The shell is destroyed before it can hit him, but even so he's caught up in the shockwave and cascade of seawater from the explosion.
    When the air clears, she'll find him still flying, albeit with cracks in his amor and a countergrav wingslat or two missing.
    "I'm afraid my tastes run more towards opera," the android answers, not quite able to hide the twinge in his voice. Though a pain to him, he's managed to separate her from the others, and he plans to keep things that way. He fires again at her, it's in part a distraction while he changes course in an attempt to circle back around her.
Graf Zeppelin      "...Aw, crap-"

     That was Akebono's muttered statement just moments before there is a flash of movement, and then Kiso comes standing right in her way, like an unyielding wall. "Huh!?" The Destroyer sputters, before she tries to object. "Hey wai-ARGH!" But it's too late. Impact is made, and Akebono shields herself with an arm, the other stil grasping her wounded side.

     Once the water spray and metal debris clears, she opens her eyes, looking right ahead at Kiso, whose eyepatch had fallen away. She looked much worse for the wear, but...she was still standing. "......Fucking hell..." The flagship grumbles, clenching her good fist at her side.

     "...Don't fucking play with me! If you sink, then what the hell's the point of people leading this whole goddamn mission! I can handle myself! So you keep your shitty ass self afloat!" It looks like she has more to say, but... she bites her tongue. "Kh-!" And then she looks away. ".....Thanks." Is her muttered word of gratitude. "...And don't do that again!"

     She takes a deep breath, and then calls out. "All units! The main fleet is on the ropes! Unload whatever else you've got and put them down! But don't overextend yourself!" She orders, veering aside and angling her turrets juuuuust right. "...Go!" And then with one shouted cry, her guns fire, aiding in the counter bombardment of the remaining abyssals.
Yuna Kagurazaka Kagurazaka is too busy dodging the un-countered plasma bolts to take much delight in landing a hit on Taro - and truth be told, even if she HAD seen it, she wouldn't exactly be rejoicing in landing a hit. Taro's not an Abyssal, after all; if she knocks him out of the air, he's NOT going to float back to the surface ready to possibly work with the Union ... and that's assuming he would float back to the surface in the first place. True, he's an Elite in his own right, he's wearing powered armor which would take most of the actual force of her shells, and -

Her brain stops, backs up a pace, and considers ... and then Kagurazaka allows herself to smile.

She doesn't HAVE to take him out. She does have to keep him away from the kanmusu, much as he's keeping her from coming to their aid - but more to the point? If Taro's armor gets damaged too badly, he'll have to retreat - and there should be a margin in between 'bad enough to withdraw' and 'disabled and sinking' that she can force him into. It's not going to be easy, and it's likely to hurt (which she still isn't happy about), but ...

Her smile vanishes abruptly as she remembers ANOTHER Confederate Elite, deliberately 'disabled' but not killed outright.

Well. She'll just have to encourage Taro to vacate the field before he loses any limbs, apparently.

Kagurazaka's turrets were reloading, but as she comes to a decision, the equipment faeries change the shells out, including in the fifth 'turret' - the one she carries in her hand like a rifle. While she's waiting for those, Kagurazaka finally picks up speed as if she's going after Taro himself; her anti-aircraft machineguns come to life as she closes into what *should* be firing range. He can fly higher than she can shoot, but there's a difference between machinegun range and cannon range, so ... maybe she can pull this off.

"Nothing wrong with opera," Kagurazaka notes as her machineguns spin up and start spitting miniature lead at the Bishop-Engineer. "I know a couple of violinists and a cellist, probably among others!"
Stygian Mirror     "Closer-- bit closer!" Mirror tells the I-Class.

    A momentary lapse in attention is interrupted by Nagato's axe, clipping one of Mirror's shoulders as she ducks and passes by the admiral, suddenly saying instead: "NOT THAT CLOSE, NOT THAT CLOSE!"

    Blood trickles down her shoulder, the axe having cut right through her tunic. Funny thing is, it didn't feel like a tunic. It felt like a solid steel wall. Maybe the clothes have some sort of armor spell on them?

    Mirror U-Turns, at any rate, and suddenly angles the battleship cannon straight ahead. It rotates, the tip of the barrel now pointed back. "Alright, this'll do! Circle around and catch me when I faceplant into the water!"

    With a lound WHOOMF again, the cannon fires, backwards. It breaks her arm again, but it also propulses Mirror into the air, while the battleship cannon disappears, dismissed. The mark on Mirror's forehead starts glowing a dull black, red and purple, bleeding more profusedly.

    "Big Seven? Sorry, I'm not from around here. Explain!"

    She comes down, swinging her sword towards Nagato with the momentum the cannon provided. The sword flickers with black sparks of Essence, augmented to inflict crippling blows. The flurry of sword strikes, enhanced by Artful Maiming Onslaught, if it can land solid hits at all, inflicts crippling injuries-- crushed joints, cut nerves, broken bones. And if Nagato isn't careful, amputation of whatever's in the way, probably her arms. There's no skill behind the slashes, it's pure supernatural maiming power.
Shigure     Chi-class's mask falls away fully now, showing the familiar face of a certain other cruiser. Black oil-blood oozes from breaches in her armour, and gashes along her sides from the damage she's sustained. She's riding low in the water now, glowing gold eyes locked onto the other cruiser that just blocked her killing shot.

    Something strikes her then... a stab of memory, "Khhnn... S-Sis-ter..?" she asks, 'staggering' a little. "... chief?" she then asks, eyes unfocussing and losing that glow, as she looks at something in the middle distance. She's left completely vulnerable and undefended now... who'll take the killshot?
Taro     Being airborne in naval combat has some great advantages but great drawbacks as well. He is swifter then the Abyssals and the Fleet Daughters, but there's a death of safe landing spots should he find himself unable to fly. As Yuna presses her attack, that's becoming a distinct possibility.
    He enters her targeting sights when he tries to speed past her on his way higher into the sky, catching a chest full of bullets for his trouble. The chestplates of his armor crack as they should to mitigate the damage to him, but while it doesn't really show in his expression, there's a twitch that suggests that a few rounds did find their way through.
    He remains stubbornly in the air, though not with the speed or grace he showed before she left her marks on him. He fires at her again, not exactly toying with the woman but not exactly aiming for a killing blow either. "A conversation better held elsewhere.".
Nagato     Nagato smirks, the blood stains her axe just a bit as the Battleship skids around, creating a small wave to face Stygian again. "You ready?" she watches the cannon fire and dissapear... she knows that trick too. The last time that she fought a flying enemy...w as back when she faced Kirito at the WMAT. Nagato /barely/ won but it was a testament to how she can't really deal with them. At least, those with melee weapons.

    In addition, back then... she din't have a melee weapon. "You'll just have to find out!" Nagato lifts her axe and uses her radar to find the best point... and swings! She's going to either cleave Stygian Mirror in half... or miss. It's then that her secondaries light up again and pepper the air with a multitude of small caliber shots in an effort to wound the incoming 'dive bomber'.

    Then here comes those enhanced sword strikes... the blade hits... and cleaves off half of her rigging, much to the surprise of the Admiral (and annoyance to Akashi...) and a good slice hits her side, creating an oozing wound of what looks to be like oil. She's been compromised! Inside the rigging, however, shows a scared looking equipment fairy as well, clutching onto another fairy that has a very... very stern face on it, holding a drill and a wrench. Nagato's personal Repair Goddess.

    "Heh... ehehe... you're good... you're real good... but I bet you can't swim!" and with that, the remaining turret swings around... to help with one last maneuver if she can help it...
Wo As her vision fades, the He-class is left alone with her thoughts. The voices of the Abyss also are slowly drowned out by the local sounds of gunfire reports, the chattering and howls. Yet, this leaves her alone with her own thoughts, for the first time in several weeks. Images that had been confusing flickers seem to fall into place, in a not identical but similar manner as is likely happening for the Chi-class now. She opens her eyes that allow only haze to really be seen; though they're not glowing and burning now, instead they seem almost human, as she reaches out a hand. "I...think I'm, ready," she says softly, though it's unlikely anyone can truly hear it. It's actually a destroyer's shell, perhaps even Akebono's, that is the final straw. "I don't feel afraid...anymore," she further utters, as she finally vanishes from sight, once again into the deep. Though, with a different feeling from last time. ...last time?

    The late model would gladly explain the significance of the Big Seven, which were created under treaty. It unfortunately lacks the means, or can spare the time, to do so at this very moment, however, seeing as it's weaving around Nagato and trying to maneuver Mirror into position to do what she intends to. Though as it feels the slick of blood dripping onto its body, it does, for a moment, give a confused an concerned sort of grumble. It never actually stops moving, though. This close, once you stop, you're DEAD. Just look at the oil puddle where the He-class used to be!

    This also continues to be the case once Mirror is blown clear by the force of her own ridiculous weapon. The I-class circles around Nagato, using its speed advantage as its best advantage. Not only that, when it opens its mouth again, it begins to belch out a thick cloud of smoke and soot, which begins spreading around and behind it. A smoke screen, to further confuse and confound any attempts at retribution, as it speeds back in, looping back around to try and catch its passenger on her landing. A good thing, since some of those secondary shots go wide, and happen to graze the top of its hull from the close call. Regardless, it's sticking around as long as needed, before it joins the other destroyers aiming to make their getaway. They'll just have to leave these last few drums floating where they are.
Yuna Kagurazaka Kagurazaka is STILL evading everything that she can conceivably dodge; if Taro made a concerted effort to box her in with a bracketing salvo, he probably could blow her out of the water - and she doesn't have the protection that her Light Suit would afford her, so she's even more focused on 'not getting hit' than a full kanmusu destroyer would be in her place.

That said, she's not about to make this easy for Taro - not even to just wait her out, really. Besides, if it's a matter of a waiting game, Taro's more likely to get that lucky hit he's presumably chasing after, and as previously noted, the balance of firepower favors him by a significant margin.

And as if to underscore that point, another plasma blast drills into the water practically right in front of Kagurazaka, and a panicked yelp rises through the ensuing cloud of steam; there's more fire from her anti-aircraft cannons, but it seems panicky and is demonstrably ineffective - he could have been PERFECTLY STILL at that moment and the bullets wouldn't have gotten anywhere near him.

The hole in the water closes back up, and as the steam dissipates, a distinctly shaky-looking Kagurazaka becomes visible, slewing back and forth like she's having trouble remembering what a straight line is, still launching fitful barrages with the relatively tiny anti-air guns ...
Stygian Mirror     Between the axe and the secondary cannons, Mirror is wounded again-- and more importantly, all those individual bullets are pretty nasty for her armor. To draw you a picture: each time Mirror's tunic blocks an attack, it consumes Essence to act like heavy armor instead. That's a lot of bullets. A lot of attacks.

    The axe digs into her waist, cutting through and drawing blood. The bullets cause a lot less damage, but still wound her here and there. Mirror does seem to be healing quickly, but not instantly.

    She splashes into the water, afterwards.

    Surfacing again, she frowns, staring at Nagato. "That's stupid. You're stupid. Of course I can swim. And you didn't explain what a Big Seven is! Tch."

    Mirror, annoyed, suddenly bursts with a terrible, engulfing black glow. The Caste Mark on her forehead, the black sun, bleeds on her face like an open wound, while shining a dark gray and black. The water around Mirror darkens like oil, seeming bottomless all of a sudden. The spirits of the fallen moan and wail in the depths.

    The display of Essence, the Anima Flare, even causes the sky to darken, light snuffed out. Mirror seems taller, more imposing than before. An unnatural aura of fear bleeds out, not difficult to resist, but there. Most jarring is what is directly superimposed on top of Mirror. Nagato sees herself-- rusted, abandoned, broken down. A ship that's rotten away and stands like a haunting corpse, with a murderous expression. A killing machine, not even an Abyssal, just a vengeful spirit worn down by god knows how many years.

    This doesn't last, because the I-Class drops a smoke screen. Mirror would, normally, push on despite her injuries and attack Nagato, renewed by her Anima. The I-Class seems to be implying a retreat though, and that's fine too.

    In the confusion of the smoke screen, Mirror hops onto the I-Class, cracking her arm back into its socket for the third time with a grimace. As she and the I-Class withdraw, the effect of her Anima diminishes, disappearing with her in the distance.
Taro     It seems that his actions, while keeping the ambush from being worse that it was, was not enough to turn the battle in their side's favor.
    Taro regards Yuna for a moment, but it's difficult to say whether his brow is furrowing at her, at their dogfight, or at something else entirely.
    Then, without immediate explanation, he stays his hand, and rather than continuing he merely deeply nods to her. "A conversation to be finished later."
    And with that, he disappears in the flash of a teleport.
    He'll reappear closer to the retreating fleet to help cover the remaining Abyssals, but he's decided that continuing the fight with Yuna would be inefficient.
Yuna Kagurazaka And then Taro teleports out of the fight.

Kagurazaka keeps 'wobbling' when he initially vanishes, but she starts getting back towards an even keel after a couple of moments, when it's cleaer he's not about to return. She's staying wary, but for now, Kagurazaka maneuvers back towards the rest of the Hikari fleet, checking via radio and by eye to see that everyone else is okay.

She's also hoping to see whether the mission behind this deployment was accomplished: not so much intercepting the transports, but 'sinking' a specific couple of Abyssals - to bring back the Kanmusu whom they should be.
Graf Zeppelin      "Tch..." Akebono narrows at eyes at the Chi-class, having taken the fall to allow her allies to escape. It was commendable, but...

     The Destroyer leveled all of her working turrets directly at her opponent. "...Time for you to wake up." She grumbled, before letting lose one last burst right towards the Abyssal. ...Man, it was still disheartening, when they acted like that. Kiso was right, but...

     She was still going to do this. In that state, she was an enemy. And enemies needed to be defeated.
Nagato     Nagato clutches her bleeding side, depositing oil into the water as she slowly backs... "Look it up in your history books..." she scoffs back as she holds fast through the assail of name calling. At least, for just a few moments. That black glow that engulfs the woman has the Admiral's eyes go wide... "What is... what is this...?" she questions, skating backwards in the water... and then... she sees that.

    Herself.. broken, mangled, abandoned looking. Her gear looks rusted and broken... and Nagato backs up some more, as if she saw a ghost... of something terrible. The aura of fear bleeds out and Nagato starts to shake, clutching that axe of hers tightly, "no... this isn't me... that look isn't me..." she whispers out, looking at the murderous expression on that ghost's face..

    Thankfully, that I-Class helps block out the sight with that smoke screen... and the battleship turns around to head back to the fleet, visibly shaken and worse for wear. Was that... one of those things that Karal is?
Shigure     Chi-class reaches her non-gun arm forwards... as if trying to reach for someone, or something unseen. "Chii---" she vocalizes, before Akebono's shells rain down on her, shattering the remains of her armour. As the smoke clears, all that remains is a slick of that black oil-blood, and the shattered remains of the arm-cannon, sheared off at the elbow where flesh meets metal. It lingers for a few moments, before it too, slips beneath the waves.