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>>46104715
The Captain then steps aside to let the projector do its work, cycling overhead images of Midway Island. What was once a beautiful, sandy oasis in the vast Pacific Ocean was not a ugly mass of obsidian steel and marble flesh. Even in the still images, the island appeared to pulse and throb as if it were alive, churning up your stomach in response.

"As expected, the beaches are heavily defended by coastal guns and ground combat form Abyssals." The Captain continues. "As well as areas we believe are airfields for launching defensive craft."

The pictures then cycle again, focusing on a cluster of small black blobs on the ocean surface.

"The primary Abyssal ships defending the island are mostly made up of the standard Destroyers, but we've also confirmed the presence of mulitple Wo, Ru, and Ta class ships as well." The Captain's eyes then turn to Iowa up at the front, who's still standing confident. "Iowa, you and your assault fleet will have to be careful on this one. I think you of all shipgirls should know that the humanoid types are far tougher."

"Of course!" Iowa chortles loudly. "Nothing we ain't faced before!"

(cont)

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>>46104727
"Actually." The Captain points to two large blobs, one white and one black, with bright red circles around them. "The Intel analysts discovered two profiles which don't match up with anything we've encountered before. Our best guess is that these are the 'unique' Abyssals we've been hearing about appearing in Asia."

"Unique, Captain?" Enterprise speaks up with concern. "How so?"

"It appears that there's only one instance of these type of Abyssals, and not mass produced copies that the destroyers or other humanoid forms appear to be." The Captain explains. "They are also significantly more powerful. According to the JMSDF's data, these two ships here are mostly likely the ones they've codenamed 'Tanager' and 'Geofons'. A battleship and carrier, respectively. I cannot stress enough that we know nothing about these ships, so if possible, avoid engaging them at all costs."

You then get a rough nudge from Portland sitting next to you, that knowing glare communicating, "You heard him, right?"

>They don't look so tough!
>Yeah yeah, I get it.
>Other

>>46104754
>>Yeah yeah, I get it.

>>46104754
>Yeah yeah, I get it.

>>46104754
>>Yeah yeah, I get it.

>>46104754
>>They don't look so tough!

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>>46104754
>>Yeah yeah, I get it.

Something something, HOT guys trying to woo the hearts of shipgirls.

>>46104754
>>Other
"Hey, sometimes those fuckers decide they're gonna engage ME instead of the other way around. Nothing I can do about that, right?"

>>46104754
>Yeah yeah, I get it.

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>>46104754
>Yeah yeah, I get it.

>>46104754
>>Yeah yeah, I get it.

>>46104754
>>Yeah yeah, I get it.

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>>46104754
You roll you eyes in a silent "Yeah yeah, I get it." At Portland. The suspicious look she gives you suggests she's still a bit skeptical, but she takes your word for it as she turns back to pay attention to the briefing.

"However, this does not change the overall plan." The Captain continues as the image behind him switches back to an overhead view of Midway. "While Iowa's assault forces draws out and engages the main Abyssal fleet elements, the Navy and Air Force will bombard the western shoreline to clear a beachhead for the Marines. They'll be making landfall in three waves, with the first being air assault, the second arriving via AAV, and the last wave bringing in heavy armor via LCAC. They'll then begin the work of systematically sweeping the Abyssal ground forces off of the island. Without a secure base of operations, it is believed that the Abyssals will withdraw, in which case the blocking force, assuming it is capable of doing so, can intercept them. Are there any questions?"

>No, sir!
>How are you so sure the Abyssals will pull back?
>Can we really trust the bombardment to clear a path for us?
>Well, what happens if it turns out we CAN'T take the island?
>Other

>>46105303
>How are you so sure the Abyssals will pull back?
>Can we really trust the bombardment to clear a path for us?

>>46105303
>>How are you so sure the Abyssals will pull back?

>>46105303
>>How are you so sure the Abyssals will pull back?

>>46105303
>>No, sir!

"Yo admiral are you sure this is gonna work" seems like neither a professional or very worthwhile question to ask.

>>46105303
>>Well, what happens if it turns out we CAN'T take the island?
Asking about the contingency plan for when (not if) shit goes south is *always* a good idea.

>>46105303
Buki

>>46105303
>Well, what happens if it turns out we CAN'T take the island?

>>46105303
>>Well, what happens if it turns out we CAN'T take the island?

>>46105303

>How are you so sure the Abyssals will pull back?

>>46104833
Never! Hoel belongs to __Anna___!

>>46105990

Who says they aren't sharing?

>>46106099
Because Anna still works, and hasn't turned into a pile of molten steel and flesh.

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>>46104833
>MFW Hoel beats the shit out of them for trying to pick her up.

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>>46105303
"Well uh, I kinda have a question or two." You say as you raise your hand.

"Go ahead, Hoel." The Captain nods.

"Well, er, how are you so sure the Abyssals will pull back?" You ask with a bit of uncertainty. "I mean, haven't they been fairly unpredictable so far?"

"The Abyssals have been nothing but pragmatic in the way they have been fighting. Like us, the Abyssals need to eat and repair themselves when damaged, albeit in their own ways." The Captain answers. "It's a calculated prediction, but a likely one. In the event that they don't, well, that just gives us an opportunity to destroy them all in one one fell swoop."

THAT seems to get some encouraging grins from some of the larger girls, particularly Iowa. You then as your followup question.

"And uh, what happens if it turns out that we CAN'T take the island?"

"Tactically, we'll have to pull back." The Captain explains. "Naturally, if the landings have already occurred, we'll try to evacuate as many of the landing forces as possible. Strategically, it would be disastrous as Japan is slowly losing its supply links to the outside world. If we cannot break through now, Japan WILL collapse."

That seems to make the room quiet. It was clear in the Captain's words. Failure was NOT an option here.

"If there are no more questions, then I shall let the Admiral take the stage." The Captain says as he backs off, making room for the Admiral himself. There were murmurs and a couple of gasps in the crowd. There were rumors that the Admiral had come to personally lead the battle, but nobody had actually seen him up until this point. Right behind him, you could see Sam, apparently having gotten better the last time you had seen her, or at least looking like it.

The Admiral stands at attention on the stage for what seems like an eternity as his eyes sweep across the room, as if trying to commit the face of every shipgirl present to memory.

(cont)

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>>46106136
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYe4dSunbs8

"Girls," He starts, not wavering for a second. "there is trouble in in the ocean. An American island and military base are currently in the hands of the enemy, so they called us. And we're going over there and bringing the most lethal killing machines ever devised. We're capable of launching more firepower than has ever been released in the history of war. For one purpose alone: Keep our country safe."

The Admiral pauses for a second to view the room, which is deathly silent, before continuing.

"What I am asking of you is not easy. I am asking you to do what has never been done before. I am asking all of you to voluntarily throw yourselves at the guns of the enemy, in order to seize back territory taken by the Abyssals."

There's a bit of an uncomfortable shift among the shipgirls as he talks about this point, but the Admiral presses on, his voice becoming louder and more confident.

"We constitute the front line and the last line of defense for the United States, no for the world. I expect and demand your very best. Anything less - you should've joined the Air Force."

Now THAT gets a few laughs among the crowd, including from yourself and succeeds in loosening up the mood a bit.

(cont)

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>>46106159

"This might be our Commander-in-Chief's Navy, but this is my fleet. And all I ask is that you you do your duty, and I will do all I can to make sure EVERYBODY comes home."

The Admiral stops, takes a deep breath, and then turns to the Captain.

"Captain, you may dismiss the girls now." He says calmly.

"Aye, aye sir." The Captain calmly replies back before step forward and shouting at the top of his lungs. "Girls, you are dismissed! Report to the well deck and prepare to deploy!'

"AYE AYE, SIR!" Every shipgirl in the room roars, causing the entire room, and possibly the entire ship, to vibrate from the combined sound. Klaxons whine as the collected shipgirls begin filing out, making their way to the Tarawa's well deck to head out.

>Talk to someone before you head out (Specify)
>Proceed to the well deck.
>Other

>>46106181
>>Proceed to the well deck.
Time to get ready.

>>46106181
>>Proceed to the well deck.

>>46106181
>Proceed to the well deck.

>>46106181
>Proceed to the well deck.

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>>46106181
>>Proceed to the well deck.

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>>46106181
>>Proceed to the well deck.

>>46106181
>Proceed to the well deck

>>46106181
>Proceed to the well deck.
You're not going to be able to talk to anyone over the 1MC alternating the General Alarm gong and "General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands, man your battle stations, up and forward on the starboard side, down and aft on the port side! Condition Zebra will be set in five minutes! All shipgirls and away combat teams to the Well Deck!".

>>46106181
>>Proceed to the well deck.

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>>46106181
You follow the press of shipgirls as they make their way to the Tarawa's well deck, where one by one, they jump into the water, summon their rigs, let Shen's techs and fairies give one last check before launching. You see Iowa launching out ahead of you. She turns, catches sight of, and gives you an encouraging wink and a thumbs up as she sails out.

"So your upgrades are in working order?" Portland asks as she lines up next to you.

"That's what Shen says." You shrug. "Still gotta get used to it, but I don't think it's gonna get in the way of my combat abilities."

"Good, good." Portland nods and turns to your sisters. "Johnston, Heerman, how about your upgrades?"

"A bit bulkier than I'd like, but it's all light as a feather!" Johnston grins.

"Everything's green here." Heerman assures the cruiser as she instinctively flexes her right arm.

"Next up!" You hear one of the Marines managing the shipgirl traffic bellow.

You and Portland jump down into the water, your Rigs materializing in the air as you do so. Shen's techs come over on a walkway and pore over the exterior of your Rigs, looking for any possible faults. Given the importance of this mission, nobody could afford a mechanical failure. The techs, apparently satisfied with what they see, give the thumbs up. One of your fairies, your chief engineer, pops out from a hidden hatch and confirms with a little thumbs up of its own. Satisfied, the Marine waves for you and Portland to sail out.

(cont)

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>>46106710

"Go go go! Form up with your fleet and stand by for further orders!" He barks as you sail out.

Immediately, you catch sight of a few of your fellow escort ships. Ontario, Haida, and Hornet were already deployed and in formation. Farther back, you could see the four amphibious assault ships Essex, Boxer, Iwo Jima, and Makin Island buzzing with activity as helicopters of all types on the flight deck start spinning up their rotors. AAVs and RHIBs laden with Marines also begin to deploy into the water.

Overhead, aircraft ranging from the small Super Hornets to the massive B-52 bombers pass as they head off to begin the opening bombing strikes on the island.

"Whooooaaaaaaa!" Hornet's eyes shine like stars as she looks up at a particularly large formation of a dozen B-52s. "GodDAMN I wanna be able to fly those off my ramp someday!"

>Aren't those a little too... big for you to handle?
>Aren't your B-24s enough?
>Other

>>46106728
>Aren't those a little too... big for you to handle?

I mean cripes the asses on those flyers are so fat I doubt they'd FIT on a carrier much less take off.

>>46106728
>>Aren't your B-24s enough?

"You're a maniac!"

>>46106728
>Aren't those a little too... big for you to handle?

B-52's are heavy bombers, not mediums.

>>46106728
>Aren't those a little too... big for you to handle?

>>46106728
>>Aren't your B-24s enough?

>>46106728
>Aren't your B-24s enough?
>"You're a maniac! I love it!"

>>46106728
>>Aren't your B-24s enough?

>>46106728
>>Aren't those a little too... big for you to handle?
Also, Hornet *never* used B-24s. The Doolittle Raid was done with B-25s. Big difference. Like, the B-24 was literally twice as much airplane.

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>>46106728
"Aren't your B-24s enough?" You raise an eyebrow.

"It's B-25s, get yer facts straight!" Hornet tuts.

"Still..." You ping the B-52 flight with your radar and frown when you get the measurements back. "Isn't something like that a little overkill?"

"Overkill is the BEST KIND of kill!" Hornet cackles. "A B-52 can carry like, THREE B-25s! Can you IMAGINE the bomb load something like that can drop?!"

You're starting to get the feeling that Hornet wasn't quite all there in the head.

"Lesse, B-24s, B-17s, B-29s, B-36s, B-1s, B-2s... and so much more! I wanna have at least one of each!" Hornet grins.

It's now that you finally get a good look at her Rig and her armament. Her actual Rig didn't look all that different from Enterprise's, which was understandable given that they were sister ships. However, unlike the guns and rifles most of the carriers were armed with, Hornet was armed with an M79 grenade launcher. And instead of spare magazines, she was instead carrying bandoliers and belt pouches full of 40mm grenades, each color coded for specific aircraft types.

"Well, I guess we all got something to strive for." You concede.

"Oh, Hornet, there you are!" Enterprise sighs in relief as she sails in.

"E? What the heck are you doing here?!" Hornet blinks in surprise. "Shouldn't you be with Iowa and the others?"

(cont)

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>>46107206

"Well, I just wanted to see you one last time, just to make double sure!" Enterprise explains with a smile, but you didn't need modern radar to detect the concern in her voice. "You know, no mechanical issues or anything, right?"

"No, E." Hornet sighs.

"And you've had a good breakfast?"

"Yeah, the one you FED me!"

"Well, just remember to keep a CAP up at all times, and.. and pay attention to your search radar!"

"Yes, E, I get it. You're worried about me operatin' on my own!" Hornet puts a hand on Enterprise's shoulder. "I can handle myself just fine! Trust me!"

"All right..." Enterprise bites her lip, still not clearly convinced.

"Don't worry, Enterprise, we've got a lot of escorts on this." Portland assures her.

"I... I see." Enterprise frowns and glances back at Hornet, who has quickly gotten distracted again by another flight of B-52s passing over. Enterprise quickly turns back to you two and whispers, "Portland, Hoel, I can count on you two to keep an eye on Hornet for me, right? We've always operated together and, well..."

>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.
>It looks like Hornet can take care of herself.
>Other

>>46107218
>>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.

Anyone wanna take bets?

>>46107218
>>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise

>>46107218
>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.

>>46107218
>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.

>>46107218
We kinda made our reputation putting our bodies between carriers and the enemy. If they want to hurt your sister, they'll have to get through us first - and we don't go down easy.

>>46107218
>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.

>>46107218
>>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.

>>46107218
>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.

The trauma of losing all her sisters in the first year of the war haunts Enterprise. Does she worry this much over Yorktown? Obviously she'd do it to Wasp.

>>46107218
>Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise.

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>>46107218
"Don't worry, we'll watch her. It's a promise!" You grin. "Me and my sisters have a bit of a reputation for putting ourselves between the carriers and the enemy, after all!"

"Ha, you're right!" Enterprise finally smiles as she clasps your hands in hers. "I'm leaving it to you then, Hoel!"

"Yo, E!" Iowa calls out. "We're movin' out! Don't get left behind!"

"Oh, coming!" Enterprise lets go of your hands and gives you a wink before sailing off, her fears somewhat allayed.

"Jeez, I love her like any sister should, but sometimes she's just a big ol' worrywart." Hornet sighs and pats you on the back. "If you say you're gonna watch my back, well, I'm gonna hold ya to it!"

At that point, your sisters, White Plains, San Diego, and the Fletchers link up with you, finally completing the escort force.

"Portland, get ready to move out!" Anna's voice buzzes over the radio. "The pre-invasion bombardment has concluded. Iowa's force is already moving in to engage the enemy! Gatecrasher will be launching in ten minutes!"

"Roger that, Anna." Portland nods. "All right, girls. The first wave, Gatecrasher, is going to move in soon. It's going to an all out air assault. Some of us are going to need to move ahead to make sure the beaches are clear of AA defenses while the rest remind behind as reserve. Any volunteers?"

>Volunteer to clear the beaches.
>Stay in reserve.
>Other

>>46107586
>Volunteer to clear the beaches.

>>46107586
>>Volunteer to clear the beaches.
Time to get our feet wet. Literally.

>>46107586
>>Volunteer to clear the beaches.

>>46107586
>>Volunteer to clear the beaches.

>>46107586
We just promised Enterprise that we'd cover Hornet...as much fun as storming the beach with a bat would be we ought to play AA and ASW picket like we promised.

>>46107586
>>Stay in reserve.

>>46107586
>>Stay in reserve.

I think it'd be a better use of our radar talents.

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>>46107586
"I'll go!" You volunteer. "Need to stretch out my shooting arm and all!"

"I'm sure you do." Portland rolls her eyes. "All right, anybody else who wants to go ahead?

>Your sisters. Gives you all a chance to use those new upgrades.
>The Fletchers. This seems like a relatively easy assignment they can get into.
>The Canadians. They seem to be the most experienced out of everybody here.
>Portland. Being the most armored ship in the force, she can definitely take hits and deal them back.

>>46107738
Yes, we must keep our promise!

>>46107586
>>Stay in reserve.

We didn't get the new guns, instead we got the new radar to better detect any incoming enemies. There are plenty of others who have more armor or guns, but we should stay back and protect Hornet like we said we would.

>>46107782
>The Fletchers. This seems like a relatively easy assignment they can get into.

>>46107782
>The Fletchers. This seems like a relatively easy assignment they can get into.

>>46107782
>>Portland. Being the most armored ship in the force, she can definitely take hits and deal them back.

Armed and Armored.

>>46107782
>>Your sisters. Gives you all a chance to use those new upgrades.

>>46107782
>Portland. Being the most armored ship in the force, she can definitely take hits and deal them back.

>>46107782
>>The Fletchers

>>46107782

>Portland. Being the most armored ship in the force, she can definitely take hits and deal them back.

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>>46107782
"We'll go! We'll go!" Luce, Wren and Daly chime as they wave their hands around rapidly.

"Are you sure about this? This is practically our second battle." Portland asks cautiously.

"Yep yep! Hoel taught us a lot!" Luce smiles wide.

"And we wanna learn more from her!" Wren adds in.

"Hey hey, you're starting to red there." Johnston giggles as she prods you with her elbow.

"Sh-shut up!" You hiss. However, you couldn't deny the praise the Fletchers were heaping on you.

"Hmmmm, I suppose Hoel does have a better idea of what you're capable of." Portland concedes. "All right, Hoel, you lead Luce, Wren, and Daly and clear the beaches. White Planes and Hornet will provide air support, so you don't have worry too much about air attack, All the same, keep an eye out. If you encounter any large Abyssal ships fall back or call us in, got it?"

"Crystal." You nod.

"All right, good luck." Portland nods back as she adjusts her glasses.

"All right girls, let's go!" You wave for them to follow you as you steam forward. Up above, you can hear the shriek of jet engines as again as the Super Hornets and F-35Cs return from their bombing runs, the once laden wing pylons now empty. In the opposite direction, swarms of Hellcats, Corsairs, Helldivers, and a few of Hornet's B-25s deployed from the carrier shipgirls head for Midway just on the horizon, now belching thick black smoke from numerous bomb hits and fires. To the south were more plumes of smoke and flashes of light as Iowa's fleet engaged the main Abyssal fleet. You could only imagine what was going on over there right now.

(cont)

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>>46108290
"Hey, Hoel, looks like the Navy boys missed a few guns." Hornet wars over the radio. "My bombers are taking flak! Not a lot, but it's messing up their bombing runs!"

Sure enough, you could see the signature black puffs of exploding flak in the sky above the beaches, as well as streams of tracers from smaller cannons. None of it was very accurate, not even being able to reliably hit the shipgirl planes swarming in the sky.

"That's weird, where are all the Abyssal planes?" Wren asks.

"Maybe they all got blown up in the bombing!" Daly suggests.

"That's a bit optimistic..." Luce observes. "Maybe they're all being sent against Iowa's fleet?"

"Hoel, this is Gatecrasher 1-1, we're ETA thirty seconds to shore." Your radio buzzes. "Is the beach clear to land?"

>There's sporadic cannon fire but it shouldn't be a problem.
>Wave off for now, something's not right.
>Other

>>46108310
>Wave off for now, something's not right.

>>46108310
>>Wave off for now, something's not right.

I got a bad feeling about this.

>>46108310
>>Wave off for now, something's not right.

Wait... I'll bet those planes that were held in reserve are going to come out any second now to counter-attack the landing forces.

>>46108310
>>Wave off for now, something's not right.

>>46108310
>Wave off for now, something's not right.

>>46108310
>Wave off for now, something's not right.

>"Maybe they're all being sent against Iowa's fleet?"
Shouldn't we have detected them if they were? It's not like we are coming at the island from different directions.

>>46108310
>>There's sporadic cannon fire but it shouldn't be a problem.

>>46108310
Battle: Los Angeles was a good movie. Maybe not the best, but it got alien invasions right.

>>46108310
>>Wave off for now, something's not right.

>>46108310

>Wave off for now, something's not right.

>>46108387

I like it mainly because it is like a last hurrah for Phrogs, as the squadron who provided them was shut down and switched to V-22's only a couple years after filming.

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>>46108310
"Gatecrasher, wave off for now! Something's not right!" You warn. "Just give us a few minutes to verify!"

"Roger that, Gatecrasher on hold."

"Hoel, I hope you've delayed the first wave for a good reason." The Captain grunts.

"The Abyssal aircraft are unaccounted for." You explain as you pulse your radar. "If this base is as big as it is, shouldn't they have a plane count at least equal to ours?"

"She does have a point." The Admiral's voice filters in now. "It can't hurt to give them just a few minutes to verify?"

"All right." The Captain grumbles. "But Menace will be in position to land in fifteen minutes. We CANNOT delay the landing any further than that."

"Got it." You nod. "That's more than we need."

"Wait, what are we gonna do?" Luce sails up next to you.

Well, you couldn't exactly just walk up on to the beach, and if the Abyssals weren't bringing out their aircraft to counter the allied fighters and bombers in the sky, that meant they were tucked away safely enough that the bombing wouldn't affect them. Maybe taking out a few of their facilities would convince them otherwise? Or maybe give them something worth sending their planes out for...

>We'll just shoot up their harbor until they send something out.
>We might need something juicy to draw them out...
>Other

>>46108499
>We might need something juicy to draw them out...


HEY YOU ABYSSAL ASSHATS, MY NAME IS HOEL AND I AM RIGHT HERE!

>>46108499
>>We'll just shoot up their harbor until they send something out.

Time for some Reconnaissance in Force!

>>46108499
>We might need something juicy to draw them out...

>>46108499
>>We'll just shoot up their harbor until they send something out.
breaking peoples shit tends to get some kind of response.

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Reminder Hoel is beautiful inside and out.

>>46108499
>We might need something juicy to draw them out...

>>46108499
>>We might need something juicy to draw them out...

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>>46108499
"I think we gotta get something a bit more 'high value' to draw them out..." You frown.

"You mean bait?" Luce tilts her head curiously.

"Now now, Luce, 'bait' is a VERY loaded term!" You tut. "But yes, I think we need something like that."

"Yeah, but what?" Wren sails along your opposite side. "If they're not gonna send anything out against four destroyers? What will get attention?"

You pause to think. Meanwhile, the sounds of cannon fire and the shriek of jet and piston engines fill the air. The battle all around you was still going on, and you were on the clock. Maybe one of the cruisers. Ontario or San Diego? But they were light cruisers. They'd be vulnerable to attack and the Abyssals might not consider them a serious threat. Portland could work, being a heavy cruiser. But what would certainly guarantee a response was a carrier like White Plains or Hornet. But that was REALLY risky...

>Portland
>One of the light cruisers
>One of the carriers
>Other

>>46108688
>One of the carriers

>>46108688
>Portland

She can take it!

>>46108688
>One of the carriers

>>46108688
>Portland

>>46108688
>>Portland

>>46108688
>>Portland

>>46108688
>Portland

>>46108688
>Portland

>>46108688
>Portland
She's a big girl.

>>46108688
>Portland

>>46108787
For You

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>>46108688
"Hey Sweet Pea..." You call out over the radio.

"You want me to draw out the Abyssal planes, don't you?" Portland sighs.

"Wow, it's like you read my mind!" You quip.

"Well, better me than the carriers." Portland grunts. "I'm moving into position. I'm counting on you four to keep me covered."

"Oh come on, I'll never let the Abyssals bully you, Sweet Pea, that's my job!" You reply cheerfully.

"Honestly." Portland grumbles.

Suddenly, their hairs on the back of your neck stand on end right as Anna yells through the radio.

"AWACS are picking up lots of movement!" Anna warns. "The Abyssals are scrambling fighters, and lots of them!"

Yep, it looked like the Abyssals finally flinched when they saw a full size cruiser shipgirl sailing in. Clouds of Abyssal fighters spurt from the ground. Hellcats and Corsairs on CAP immediately dive down to attack, and the sky is lit up with tracers, explosions, and smoke as the air battle begins in earnest.

(cont)

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>>46108984
And... and you can see the whole image clearly. Before, such a furball would just be a massive, indistinct blob on your radar, near impossible to pick anything out from the confusion. But now, with your new radar, you see it with a clarity you've never thought possible. You can clearly discern each and every fighter as your radar automatically tags each individual plane based on type, tacking on speed, altitude, and headings directly to your brain. It made it a WHOLE lot easier to target individual planes and avoid hitting allies. You've already downed 8 planes in the time it took for the Fletchers to take down just a couple, as they were hampered with having to rely on visual verification of their targets.

"W-wow!" Luce gasps as she watches you knock planes out of the sky with ruthless efficiency. "Hoel's so amazing!"

"I know..." Wren and Daly nod in agreement.

"If you've got time for hero worship, you've got time to shoot!" Portland tuts, her own secondary batteries firing in the air to ward off Abyssal bombers and torpedo planes trying to focus in on her.

"Meanie." Wren pouts.

"Super meanie." Daly adds.

"Mega meanie." Luce agrees.

"You're still broadcasting!" Portland grumbles.

And then your radar pings you as a fresh wave of torpedo bombers makes a beeline straight for Portland, far too many for her to handle on her own.

>Tell Portland to go full evasive.
>Warn Portland to combine her firepower with yours.
>Other

>>46108995
>>Tell Portland to go full evasive.

>>46108995
>Warn Portland to combine her firepower with yours.

>>46108995
>>Warn Portland to combine her firepower with yours.

>>46108995
>>Warn Portland to combine her firepower with yours.
Time for TEAMWORK.

>>46108995
>Tell Portland to go full evasive.

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>>46108995
DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA

>>46108995
>>Tell Portland to go full evasive.

>>46108995
>>Warn Portland to combine her firepower with yours.

>>46108995
>Warn Portland to combine her firepower with yours.

>>46108995
>Tell Portland to go full evasive.
She did her job, now she should get out of there.

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>>46109034

>>46108995
>>Warn Portland to combine her firepower with yours.

Gattai! More seriously, it's time to combine our capabilities by using our Radar and target-acquisition system with her fire power!

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Rolled 15, 1, 19 = 35 (3d20)

>>46108995
"Sweet Pea! Get all your guns pointed west and fire on that oncoming bomber wave!" You bark. "Between all of us, we should be able to take it out!"

"I'm trusting on you on this!" Portland grunts as she lowers speed and points her secondaries at the oncoming wave.

"Fire!" You yell.

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>46109266
INTENSIFY THE FORWARD FIREPOWER

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>46109266
DAKKA

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>46109266
>Nat 1
Hah!

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>46109266

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>>46109294
>Hah!
>>46109293
>Nat 1

WELL THANK FUCK YOU'RE LATE

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>46109266

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>>46109266
You, Luce, Daly, and Wren throw up as much AA fire as you can, drowning the sky in flak and 20mm tracers. The Abyssal bombers however, didn't even seem to care, flying straight over your position and aiming directly for Portland. They didn't care even if dozens of their planes were shot down or blown apart, all they needed was to get a few through the net.

Portland, to her credit, takes down a fair number of planes herself, accounting for six shoot downs, but it's still not enough. Torpedoes are dropped in the water, and with Portland having halted evasive maneuvers, there's not much she can do dodge them.

"Sweet Pea!" You yell as a pair of torpedoes explode on either side of her.

"Shit, it'll take more than that to stop me." Portland spits as the smoke and mist clear. Her Rig is charred and pitted with shrapnel damage, but otherwise looks intact. However, her left arm is hanging limp and covered in blood and oil. Her glasses were cracked and she was breathing hard.

"You DO NOT look all right!" You grunt as you're finally able to pick off the last of the bombers in revenge.

"It's just an arm. My Rig's still operational." Portland then glances to the left. "And we've got incoming surface contacts. You're going to need me around when Gatecrasher comes in."

Sure enough, your radar was picking up a swarm of destroyers, no doubt having slipped past Iowa's group. Their guns probably couldn't hurt Portland, but their torpedoes sure could...

>Tell Portland to fall back.
>Keep Portland here.
>Other

>>46109430
>>Tell Portland to fall back.

>>46109430
>Keep Portland here.

>>46109430
>>Tell Portland to fall back.

>>46109430
>>Tell Portland to fall back.

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>>46109430
>Tell Portland to fall back.

>pic
Heh, with that hat she looks like a darker version of Zara.

>>46109430
>>Keep Portland here.

one more run, cmon...

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>>46109430
"Sweet Pea, fall back, we'll handle these guys and make sure Gatecrasher lands safe!" You say. Good thing they were in helicopters and could just fly over the destroyers, provided you kept them busy enough.

No, you definitely were going to keep them busy.

"F-fine." Portland says reluctantly. "We'll be coming in with Menace, so DON'T get sunk!"

"I've got no intention of experiencing that again!" You chuckle as you turn towards the approaching destroyers.

"Hoel, this is Gatecrasher, looks like you might need some air support. I can send some of our gunships your way if you need them." Gatecrasher 1-1 offers.

You check your radar again. It was you four against what looked to be about 12 Abyssals. 3 to 1 isn't that big of a deal, right?

>Accept the support.
>Tell them to concentrate on the landing.
>Other

>>46109667
>>Accept the support.

>>46109667
>>Accept the support.

>>46109667
>Accept the support.

>>46109667
>Accept the support.

>>46109667
>>Accept the support.

>>46109667
>>Accept the support.

>>46109667
>>Accept the support.
Call down the Thunder!

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>>46109667
"Any help is welcome!" You say gladly as the Abyssal destroyers start to come into firing range.

"Roger that. Harpies 1 through 4 are coming in to assist. ETA fifteen seconds."

Meanwhile, the water begins to splash and explode around as the Abyssal destroyers try to range in their shots.

"Ha! Let's see how you like a good ol torpedo down your throat!" Wren grins as her launcher swivels into place.

>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.
>Fire torpedoes, you'll take them out faster that way.
>Other

>>46109855
>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.

>>46109855
>>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.

>>46109855
>Other
Do a mock torpedo run. We won't hit them anyways, but this at least will force them to turn and buy time.

>>46109855
>>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.
>>46109887
That sounds good.

>>46109855
>>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.

>>46109887
Supporting

>>46109855
>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.

They'll probably send bigger ships at the landing craft after the first wave lands.

>>46109855
>>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.

>>46109855
>>Guns only! Save the torpedoes.

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>>46109855
"Stick to guns!" You instruct. "Torps are only for the big fish! We can handle these squirts!"

"R-right!" Wren nods as she draws her 5 inch gun.

"Just like last time, let your radar do the work and pull the trigger." You instruct, but you're almost drowned out by the roar of helicopter rotors as a quartet of Cobras dive in, spitting Hellfires and rockets on the Abyssal formation, destroying four of them outright and scattering the rest. There's a long pause in their fire as well, as they try to decide whether to shoot at you or at these new aerial threats.

"Fire at will, girls!" You bellow as you pull your trigger.

Luce, Wren, and Daly contribute their fire to yours as they take out the destroyers with ruthless precision. Carapace armor is shattered and punched through by your shells and by hellfire missiles alike, making short work of the destroyer squadron.

"This is Harpy lead, no more targets in sight. We're heading back." The Cobras announce.

"Thanks for the help, Harpy!" You wave as the helicopters pass over you.

(cont)

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>>46110215
However, as you do so, you catch sight of the beach, where you can see the crashed hulks of several helicopters, some relatively intact while others were completely demolished. Damn, looks like that AA fire did do a number on them. However, you're a bit heartened to see Marines trying to push inland as they trade fire with the Crabs, as the foot soldiers tended to call their ground combat forms.

"This is Menace, we're inbound and should be making landfall in ten minutes." The second wave announces.

"Portland's getting some emergency repairs, so she'll be out of the battle for a bit." San Diego explains. "I'm in nominal command now."

"What can we do, SD?" You query. Now that a beachhead was established, you sector was pretty quiet all of a sudden.

"Hold on..." San Diego pauses. "Both the assault and blocking forces are getting pressed hard. Looks like Geofons appeared from the West and is in an aircraft duel with Midway. No sign of Tanager yet, but Iowa's pretty badly outnumbered. They can probably use some reinforcements, if possible. I think we can keep Menace protected in the meantime."

>Go assist the blocking force.
>Go assist the assault force.
>Stick with Menace until they can land.
>Other

>>46110225
>>Stick with Menace until they can land.

>>46110225
>>Stick with Menace until they can land.

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>>46110225
>>Go assist the assault force.
>>Stick with Menace until they can land.

>>46110225
>Stick with Menace until they can land.

>>46110225
Iowa needs help!

>>Go assist the assault force.

>>46110225
>Go assist the assault force.

>>46110267
Anon, the choices are mutually exclusive.

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>>46110225
"We'll hold the fort till Menace lands." You say. While you dearly wanted to go head into the thick of things, you knew that you had an important job to do, as well. Already, you could see the mass of AAVs lumbering through the water, black exhaust chugging from their engines. On their flanks, you could see Johnston, Heerman, Haida, and Ontario keeping watch. San Diego hangs in the rear of the formation with Hornet and White Plains. White Plains keeps her planes focused around the AAVs, forming a CAP flight for them while Hornet keeps sending her B-25s to the shore to support the Marines that have already landed, carpet bombing Crab formations before they can regroup and counterattack. You frown. With all of the other carrier planes preoccupied with their own missions, you could really use Hornet's help in patrolling the surrounding the waters. The Marines had plenty of air support in the form of Cobras and Venoms after all...

>Continue to let Hornet support the landed forces.
>Ask Hornet to provide more support to the AAVs.
>Other

>>46110225
>>Stick with Menace until they can land.

>>46110405
>>Continue to let Hornet support the landed forces.

>>46110405
>Continue to let Hornet support the landed forces.

>>46110405
>>Continue to let Hornet support the landed forces.

>>46110405
>>Continue to let Hornet support the landed forces.

>>46110405

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>>46110405
You decide to let Hornet continue doing her thing. As you observe, she happily whoops as she keeps launching grenades into the air with her M79, exploding brilliantly as flights of B-25s materialize to head off to attack their targets.

Meanwhile, the AAVs have gotten close enough that they now start contributing their own firepower to the fight, showering Abyssal positions on the beach with a combination of .50 cal and 40mm grenade fire.

https://youtu.be/hkUPZzheEW0?t=3m40s

But something wasn't right. Something wasn't right.

They wouldn't let the landings go this easily, would they?

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>46110568

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>46110568
DICE GODS!

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>46110568

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>46110568

>captcha asks for tea
That's all coffee. Don't let Kongou see that.

>>46110575
>>46110578
>>46110591
And we almost fucked up before getting saved.

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>>46110568
Acting on instinct, you activate your sonar and release a ping by stomping on the water with your foot. Like your radar, a wave of sound radiates through the ocean, giving you a rough visualization of the water around you. You could clearly see the bottoms of the AAVs, as well as the feet of your fellow shipgirls. However was... was the seafloor moving...?

No, no those were submarines! The goddamn Abyssals had subs hiding down there the whole time!

"SUBS SUBS SUBS!" You scream. "DIRECTLY UNDER US! TAKE THEM OUT!"

Almost immediately, every destroyer, including you, starts lobbing your depth charges into the water. Muffled explosions ripple through the water, and the shockwave begins forcing what appear to be extremely pale scuba divers to the surface.

Ka-class submarines. They don't fire right away, still stunned by the depth charge bombardment, but they littered all throughout Menace's formation. And what made things worse was that White Plains and Hornet were vulnerable, with San Diego being their only cover!

>Prioritize protecting Menace.
>Prioritize protecting your carriers.
>Other

>>46110653
>>Prioritize protecting Menace.

>>46110653
>Prioritize protecting your carriers.

>>46110653
>Prioritize protecting your carriers.

>>46110653
>>Prioritize protecting your carrier

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Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>46110653
Almost immediately, Menace's formation begins to splinter and fragment as individual AAVs try to gain distance from the now surfaced Kas. Their mounted turret weapons begin to swivel around to engage them as Johnston, Heerman, Haida, and Ontario go to work with their own guns.

"Follow me, girls!" You grunt as you speed past it all. You're sure Menace could handle themselves, but you weren't so sure that Hornet and White Plains could. You had to get there and fast!

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>46110778

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>46110778

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>46110778

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>>46110778
Up ahead, you could see San Diego immediately interposing herself between White Plains and Hornet, realizing that the carriers were more vital than she was. At the same time, however, her numerous five inch guns swivel around to simultaneously engage every enemy she can. Her 5 inchers were just as lethal as yours, and she starts dispatching Kas with lethal precision. Unfortunately, a few manage to dive back under the surface, reducing her ability to retaliate against them.

That's where you come in. You grab another depth charge from your rack and lob it at the nearest diving Ka like a fastball. The projectile explodes brilliantly, sending pieces of metal and flesh flying everywhere. The Fletchers follow suit, tossing more of their depth charges over your head and at the Ka formation. Without the element of surprise, the submarines are quickly mopped up, and the sea runs thick with black oilblood and body parts. You carefully kick away a severed arm that floated a bit too close to you for comfort.

Shit you still never quite got used that.

"That was a good catch, Hoel." San Diego pants as she wipes some sweat from her bow. "None of us thought to check for subs."

"Yeah, well, I was just being cautious." You say, thinking of how Portland would snort at those words.

At this point, Menace was just beginning to land, on the beach, the AAVs rumbling onto the sand and disgorging their troops before rolling forward to further support the first wave Gatecrasher troops. Slowly and steadily, the Abyssal forces are pushed further inland by a combination of conventional and fairy airstrikes.

"Hoel, watch out, you've got incoming!" Iowa warns through the radio. "A battleship just slipped through the net! It's headed straight for you!"

(cont)

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>>46110914
"Um, um, radar signature suggests it might be Tanager!" Anna whimpers. "Hoel, everybody, you need to get out of there!"

"Gatecrasher and Menace have already landed. We don't need you stay close to shore anymore." The Captain states. "Their own air support should be able to keep Tanager away from the coast. We believe it's headed to directly engage your task force."

"Wait, If I can get my bombers back, i can relaunch them in ship attack mode!" Hornet pleads. "Just a few minutes is all I need!"

Meanwhile, that MASSIVE contact on your radar kept getting closer...

>You need to fall back. None of you are equipped to fight that thing.
>Buy time for Hornet to recover and relaunch her bombers.
>Other

>>46110922
>Buy time for Hornet to recover and relaunch her bombers.

>>46110922
>>Buy time for Hornet to recover and relaunch her bombers.

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Hmmmm, looks like we've had a pretty slow night. So I guess we'll call things here and continue next week! Don't forget Infinite Stars on Saturday!

>>46110922
>>Buy time for Hornet to recover and relaunch her bombers.

That´s why we saved the torpedoes. Please let it be a stupid BB.

>>46110949
That image will never fail to get a giggle out of me.

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>>46110949
Also, it does appear to me that activity in the quest has been slowing down for the past couple of weeks or so. I'm just wondering if people were having some kind of problem with how things are going? I'd really like to know!

>>46110980
Maybe RL got in the way. I can only participate if i have a free weekend.

>>46110922
>You need to fall back. None of you are equipped to fight that thing.

>>46110980
I can't really participate that much, I am also not very confident at combat votes, so those take a bit of time.

>>46110980
I lurk but I'm here, post when I can.

>>46110980
Since i am in SEA, this quest started in workhour. Yes, i am working on Saturday.

If its a slow day i often participate, but this day is quite hectic so i can't participate much.

Also, usually by this time usually you already have wrapping up today session.

>>46110980
Nah, the quest is fine. I just had to go out and do real life stuff tonight so I couldn't participate.

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>>46110995
>>46111081
>>46111083
>>46111316
>>46111323
Hm, I guess that's understandable. I guess we'll just have to see next week.

>>46111380
Don't worry Merc, you write the best quests about cute girls shooting stuff.

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>>46111414
Well that's very much appreciated!

>>46112198
I had a long week, and was off to bed when the quest started. I've been reading the thread with my morning coffee. I love this quest, please keep it going!

>>46110980
>Update
I was reading other stuff and then passed out.

>>46110980

I'd love to stay the whole time, but being on the east coast, your threads usually start at 10pm, which makes it hard for me to stay longer than the first few choices, especially when I got work Saturday morning.

>>46110980
It has? The only reason I didn't vote for the later parts of the session was because I had to sleep, not everyone can stay up past 4 AM so easily after all.

>>46111380
It's probably too late for me to say this, but I'm on PST and I go to bed around midnight. As such, I tend to quit a few hours before the thread does.

That, and I usually lurk. I might have to change that.

>>46110980
Since Daylight savings these have gone from ending at 3-4am EST to 5-6am EST.

Only if I didn't need sleep.

It is a little difficult to stay up. I leave in EST time.

>>46110980
Like the other latefags, I'm on US time, CST specifically, so you run into super early AM my time.

>>46110980
I'm on a rotating schedule: 10 on, 10 off. Doesn't leave new much time for cute girls doing cute things.

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Really, if you want my criticism, the current setting isn't all that interesting.

I like Merc as a writer, but the abyssals are ocean locusts and there's little going on with the military's top secret experiments. I'm not asking for super sympathetic abyssals or super evil humans, but rather something going on with them.

If you want to have Ocean Locusts, have a Not!Kerrigan to give us someone to play off of. If you want Valhen to be doing evil experiments, have those evil experiments matter.

I can't really stay interested in day after day of "Hoel fights abyssals, Hoel wins" and little information gained about everything. I mostly just skim threads now. Before I could at least hope something was going on with Wo-chan or Hoel gets a hat, but now that's gone. I'm not asking for either to come back, but I need some ongoing revelations or this is just another run of the mill KanColle story.

>>46117639
Eh, it's a nice add on with KCQ

>>46117946
But compared to KCQ, it's generic. It shouldn't be exactly like KCQ, because frankly that's not Merc's style or what he's doing with abyssals, but there needs to be something more to the story -whether it's with the abyssals, human-ship relations, or Taffy 3 itself - in order to make the story worth following.

I basically have no reason to vote because ultimately nothing really happens.

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>>46117639
Hmmm, that's understandable. Some of that stuff is supposed to come into play more after Midway, so we'll see what happens then.

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>>46118257
I hope I'm not coming off as too much of a critic. I've been following your quests for a while and while I don't enjoy all of them I usually just accept what I don't like and don't follow them politely.

But this time I feel I should say something. Because there's been a clear drop in quality and interest since Wo-chan died. Whatever the Abyssals are, we were all hyped to find out, and now we're left without anything to be hyped about.

The problem is not a lack of abyssals being the way I want them to be, you do what you want with them, it's there being nothing to be hyped or concerned about. There needs to be more "GET EXCITED FOR THIS" like we were for trying on a hat or "BETTER GET SCARED WHEN THIS HAPPENS" like the Avatar Project gets more progress in XCOM 2.

This has every right to be a good quest, but there's too much focus on routine. A reader needs something to work towards or prevent in order to remain interested. This is something that needs to be done now, not later. Because I barely read any of the updates and just skim to make sure nothing terrible has happened, which it never does.

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>>46118358
Well, either way, it's very much appreciated. Midway is supposed to kick a lot of things into gear, nor will it be an easy fight!

>>46118546
oh character deaths?

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>>46119076
....maybe?

Hey Merc is here and so ifs the thread.

Might as well see if we can auto sage before the other Merc quest.

What was the underwear type the girls Cole saw with her radio.

Does she have it under control or is she seeing it now. Did she try it on enterprise?

die quest niggers

>>46118546
Screencapping this in case Merc fails to deliver