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Best entertainment I've had since....Keep up the excellent work.

The wonder of books is imagination - I KNOW what the CPO and Capt look like - in my mind.

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish


The sea beyond them is clear of further ships, however. It would seem that the bulk of the Allied fleet is already drawing close to New Zealand. To the dismay of many aboard the ships the Japanese task forces are ordered to turn around.

The Japanese are, for the moment, the undisputed masters of the sea and air around New Caledonia. What they will do with this condition remains to be seen.

A question of great interest to we AAR readers. (I imagine the IJA back on New Caledonia has some choice comments about the lack of Naval Air support in their dealings with the American troops.[;)])

BTW, if my map is correct, New Zealand is due south, or even south-by-southeast from New Caledonia. Perhaps some of the Allied ships changed course and went towards Australia instead?

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

EDIT: I had a though that may be silly but I think is worth mentioning. Maybe among the fans of Small Ship, Big War there is a person who has as much talent as an artist as our host has as a writer. I, for one, would love to have some of the scenes of this AAR illustrated and would love even more if our beloved characters got faces to match their names.

To some extent I agree with Ol_Dog about this; I certainly have my own ideas about what the characters look like. But drawings of some of the scenes from the AAR might be a lot of fun. You won't get them from me, though - I have all the artistic skill of a nearsighted aardvark.

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

BTW, if my map is correct, New Zealand is due south, or even south-by-southeast from New Caledonia. Perhaps some of the Allied ships changed course and went towards Australia instead?

It is a distinct possibility. To be perfectly honest, for all the Japanese really know the Allied ships might have returned to a hidden rebel base on Tatooine. I'd unleash some Imperial Star Destroyers on them, but they'd just be shot down by Corsairs.

I'd unleash some Imperial Star Destroyers on them, but they'd just be shot down by Corsairs.

It's only fair. KB starts out with TIE fighters and gets to use 'em without fear for about three game years. There ought to finally be some sort of penalty when they enter the atmosphere.

ORIGINAL: mdiehl

It's only fair. KB starts out with TIE fighters and gets to use 'em without fear for about three game years.

I didn't know I could use my A6M2s fearlessly from December 1941 to December 1944 and expect to shoot down every allied plane I may put into my sights. Good, but you'll have to provide me with some version infos so I can update my WitP [&o]

[;)]

Great Great Stuff Fish, as usual. It looked so real, I googled the LaValette sailor just to be sure he wasn't by chance someone who really existed... But looks like you don't even need real-life models for your inspiration![X(]

Don't worry about diehl, Fishbed. He doesn't even play WitP anymore; it didn't agree with him...

October 6, 1943

Location: 60 miles southeast of Noumea
Course: North by northeast
Attached to: TF 4
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 274

Orders: Engage enemy fleet off New Caledonia

---

“I still think it was a mistake to stop when we did,” says Senior Petty Officer Aikawa. He and Taiki are debating strategy in the petty officer’s wardroom. “We had them running before us like yapping dogs. We should have conquered New Zealand, and Fiji too. Then we wouldn’t have have been stuck trying to defend New Caledonia.”

“No, we would have been stuck trying to defend New Zealand,” says Taiki. “And it’s a lot further away.”

“That isn’t the point,” says Aikawa. “If we had kept pushing them they would have surrendered. Now they think they can beat us, and we have to keep proving to them that they can’t.”

“Maybe,” says Taiki. “But how far would we have had to go before they gave up? Hawaii?”

“Not that far,” says Aikawa. “They probably would have given up before then. What do you think, Chief?” Shun is sitting nearby cleaning one of the ship’s rifles. He looks up.

“I don’t,” he says.

“You don’t think they would have surrendered?” Aikawa asks.

“I don’t think about it,” says Shun. “I think about whether the deck force is doing its job. I think about whether or not my socks have holes. I don’t think about what goes on outside this ship.”

“But we are in the middle of events that will decide the fate of Japan,” says Taiki. “How can you not ever think about what’s going on?”

“Long practice,” says Shun dryly.

“You joined the navy when, Chief?” asks Aikawa. “1922, right?”

“In 1921,” says Shun.

Taiki suppresses the impulse to mention that he was born only a year earlier. Instead he asks “Have you been in longer than anyone else on board, Chief?”

“The Captain has been in longer,” says Shun. “He entered the Naval Academy about two months before I enlisted.”

“Did you know him back then?” Aikawa asks.

“We’d met,” Shun says. He polishes the barrel of the rifle with a rag.

Aikawa leans back and regards Shun. There are some interesting stories about Shun in his younger days, but the Chief will rarely if ever speak of them.

“I enlisted because I was the fourth son and it seemed the best option open to me,” he says casually. “What about you, Chief?” Shun gives the rifle a critical look and then puts it down.

“It was…necessary,” he says.

Aikawa raises an eyebrow. “Were you in trouble with the law or something?” he asks.

Shun looks at him. “No,” he says, then says something in Chinese. He gives the other two petty officers a nod, then picks up the rifle and leaves. After he is gone Taiki and Aikawa exchange a look.

“Did you catch that?” Aikawa asks.

Taiki shakes his head. “No,” he says. “It sounded something like ‘ching bang’ to me.”

Aikawa shakes his head. “Just another mystery,” he says.

Now....you dont suppose that.....Shun and the Captain are related.....like through mariage.....nah, couldnt be. [&:]

With all these Star Wars analogies being bandied about, could it be that Shun feels a lifedebt for the incident with the pirates so long ago?

I think that Shun respects the skipper as a man in addition to the rank and that he is extremely loyal too.

I’ve been writing this thing for one year as of today. I don’t know what I expected when I started it, but it certainly isn’t that it would be as popular as it has turned out to be. Or that writing it would turn out to occupy so much of my time and thoughts.

I don’t talk much about the actual process of writing this. For one thing, I have a strong sense that I should keep my voice out of it as much as possible and just let the story happen. And for another thing I am my own harshest critic and am harder on myself than any of you are inclined to be.

But I thought I would make an exception today, mostly so I could say thanks to everyone. Doing any AAR takes a fair amount of time and effort, and doing an AAR like this even more so. But you guys have been great, and your enthusiasm has kept me at it and made me work to make it better. Although I think at this point I would plug on to the finish even if everyone stopped reading tomorrow. I want to find out what happens to Hibiki and her crew as much as anyone.

I think the biggest surprise about writing this is how real the characters have become for me. They don’t talk to me and tell me to do things – I still have a kind of shaky grip on sanity – but they are real enough that sometimes they do things that I hadn’t planned and don’t expect.

Riku would be a good example of this. I intended him to be a secondary character, a slacker and occasional comic relief. But he would not stay in that role, to the extent that I think a case could be made that he is the main character of the story.

Anyway, enough about that. You might get an earful about that sort of thing when it’s all over, but for now back to the story (tomorrow, that is – I’m pretty busy today).

Once again, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read “Small Ship”. And a special thanks to my opponent, wolffpack. He knew in advance that I was planning a “different” sort of AAR for this game, but he had no reason to expect that his first PBEM would turn out to have such a high profile. He has been great about it, though, and a class act as an opponent. Right now the game is at Dec. 24, 1943, so we are continuing to keep up a good pace.

With that let’s get back to the war, as Japan struggles to stand firm against a rising tide.

Well, thanks for your time and to the dedication of both of you (most of know what sort of dedication it takes to keep playing this game).  Keep it up.  This AAR has been my first stop in these forums for a long time now (to see if there's an update).

Thanks again,
-F-

Same here. Thanks for your skill and time Cuttlefish. [&o][&o][&o]

I, too, check for "Small Ship" updates whenever I log onto the internet as I've become a Hibiki junkie.

This AAR is the first thing I look for after checking to see if Brad has sent me a turn.

You have a style of writing that just makes one want to keep turning to the next page to make sure this ship and crew are still safe. The frustrating part is that I have to wait for each new page to appear.

My favorite character is CPO Shun. Mysterious, foreboding, deadly yet very much human... though he does try to hide it as best he can with his stoic exterior. He is not a man I would want to meet in a brightly lit alley let alone a dark one but he is someone I would want by my side when the bullets fly.

Keep up the good work and don't ever lower your standards to please us raggamuffins... just please yourself with your writing and to paraphrase Kevin Costner.... "we will come..."

Chez

I think the biggest surprise about writing this is how real the characters have become for me. They don’t talk to me and tell me to do things – I still have a kind of shaky grip on sanity – but they are real enough that sometimes they do things that I hadn’t planned and don’t expect.

Being a big fan of Stephen King - I know he's always saying the same thing about his characters. Except for one thing - they actually talk to him often

Comparing Hibiki to Stephen King, hm, let's go down that road shall we...?
 
CPO Shun dressed in a clown suit...
 
Capt. Ishii gets stranded on top Mt. Nitaka...
 
Riki gets stuck in on Yap trying to get passage to back to Hibiki...
 
Shoji and Shiro decide to enter a race over the Kokoda trail on their next shore leave...
 
[;)]
 
-F-

Cuttlefish you are a master.

This along with the general forum are the only two places I check on a daily basis.

I--too--would add my compliments for this achievement.  It is wonderful to read and you definately have a strong dramatic sense about you!  [:D]
 
Warm Thoughts to you and the crew of IJN Hibiki.