Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki

[Cuttlefish]

June 8, 1942

Location: 300 miles west-northwest of Kwajalein
Course: West
Attached to: TF 87
Mission: Surface Combat
System Damage: 26
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 439

Orders: Return to Japan for repairs.

---

At dawn Hibiki exits Kwajalein lagoon via the south passage. Once clear of the atoll the destroyer turns west. The seas are calm as she accelerates to 24 knots. Her long wake trails behind her as she leaves behind the sand and palm trees of Kwajalein and begins the long solitary journey back to Japan.

[Cuttlefish]

June 9, 1942

Location: 95 miles north of Ponape
Course: North
Attached to: TF 87
Mission: Surface Combat
System Damage: 26
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 410

Orders: Return to Japan for repairs.

---

On the bridge of the Hibiki:

Lieutenant Miharu: Sir, you asked to be notified when we were north of Ponape. We are now 95 miles due north of the island.

Captain Ishii: Thank you, Exec. *raises voice slightly* Helm! Change course, due north. *again to the lieutenant* I’m not sure we needed to detour around the American submarine patrols anyway. Intelligence reports indicate that they are pulling their submarines away from the Marshalls and in towards Wake. Still, better safe than sorry.

Lieutenant Miharu: I think that is wise, sir. We don’t want to take a torpedo in our current condition.

Captain Ishii: I don’t want to take a torpedo under any conditions, Exec. Make sure the lookouts stay sharp. How does our hull patch seem to be holding up?

Lieutenant Miharu: We are taking a little water, but the pumps are handling it. Seas are fairly calm and the glass is rising, with no reports of heavy weather ahead.

Captain Ishii: Good, let’s hope it stays that way. It would be nice to have another ship with us in case we run into trouble, but that would have meant staying at Kwajalein for at least another week. I want to get back into this damned war.

Lieutenant Miharu: We will, sir. They can’t keep us out of action for long. As my grandmother always said, “fall down seven times, stand up eight.”

Captain Ishii: A wise woman, your grandmother. Yes, that’s us all right.

[Onime No Kyo]

I wonder if IJN Chiefs have goat lockers. [:D]

[Onime No Kyo]

Miharu's grandmother was Jewish? [X(][:D]

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

Miharu's grandmother was Jewish? [X(][:D]

Oy vay! No, his grandmother was a Japanese girl from a small village in the Nagano prefecture. "Nana korobi ya oki" or "fall down seven, get up eight" is a very old Japanese proverb.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

Goyim everywhere!

[Capt. Harlock]

Lieutenant Miharu doesn't seem to be worried about the secret police back in Japan. Is he putting on a brave front, or does he know something?

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

Lieutenant Miharu doesn't seem to be worried about the secret police back in Japan. Is he putting on a brave front, or does he know something?

We will get the lieutenant's thoughts on that before the Hibiki reaches Tokyo. He seems to be in the clear, however, even if he doesn't know it yet. Read on...

[Cuttlefish]

June 10, 1942

Location: 300 miles west-northwest of Eniwetok
Course: North
Attached to: TF 87
Mission: Surface Combat
System Damage: 26
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 382

Orders: Return to Japan for repairs.

---

The western sky is blotched with a bloody red sunset as Midshipman Izu stands on the pitching foredeck of the Hibiki. Coming straight at the destroyer is a large formation of Dauntless dive bombers. A klaxon is sounding and everywhere crewmen are scrambling to their posts. Black puffs of anti aircraft fire begin to appear around the bombers, but none are hit.

Hibiki does not change course but plows through the mountainous seas straight towards the bombers. The planes reach their tip over point overhead and one after another begin their dives. To Izu the bombs slung underneath the planes look huge, larger than the aircraft are designed to carry.

None are hit or hindered by the anti aircraft fire. Midshipman Izu attempts to draw his sidearm to fire at the diving planes. What he is wearing, however, is his kai-gunto, his officer’s short sword. He pulls it out and waves it at the oncoming lead plane, screaming defiance.

The first Dauntless releases its bomb. The lethal cylinder seems to hang in the air for a moment, then it begins to descend. It comes straight at Izu, growing in size until it fills all his vision. Izu stands transfixed, unable to run or move, until the world around him comes apart in noise and jagged bursts of light.

---

In the junior officer’s bunkroom Midshipman Izu’s eyes open wide. He stares up at the metal ceiling close overhead, breathing hoarsely. A single dim light casts shadows through the small room. Close by someone is snoring.

Izu closes his eyes tight and attempts to slow his breathing and control the pounding of his heart. His right hand clenches a twist of the coarse blanket he is lying on. This is the third time he has had the same dream since the attack on Hibiki off Wake.

For the next two hours, until he goes back on duty, he lies awake. He is afraid to go back to sleep, afraid to dream again. Afraid that the dreams will reveal once more that he is not fit to be an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Afraid that they will reveal that he is, instead, a coward.

[Cuttlefish]

June 11, 1942

Location: 400 miles northwest of Eniwetok
Course: North
Attached to: TF 87
Mission: Surface Combat
System Damage: 26
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 353

Orders: Return to Japan for repairs.

---

Lieutenant Umeda of the Tokeitai stops by the desk of a fellow officer before leaving for the Tokyo docks. He is on his way to board a transport bound for Bangkok as the first step of his journey to the Nicobar Islands.

“I hear the Hibiki is on the way back here,” he says. “Have you heard what action will be taken?” The other officer spreads his hands apologetically.

“None,” he says.

“What!” says Umeda. “None!”

“Rather than admit that you fell into the harbor, to save face we reported to the Tokko that the results of the interview were negative,” says the officer.

“I was thrown into the harbor!”

“That has not been proven. Witnesses say otherwise.” Umeda clenches his fists. “Hey,” continues the officer, “I have a question about Nicobar. I heard a story that no one who has gone to talk to the natives there has ever returned alive. Is that true?” Lieutenant Umeda stares at him for a moment in baffled rage, then picks up his duffel bag and stomps off. As he travels towards the docks he vows to himself that Captain Ishii has not heard the last of him, not by a long shot.

[ChezDaJez]

This is better than a good novel...

Great writing, Cuttlefish. I don't know what you do for a living but I think you may have missed your calling...


Chez

[marky]

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

This is better than a good novel...

Great writing, Cuttlefish. I don't know what you do for a living but I think you may have missed your calling...


Chez

agreed!

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

He writes nutritional information on cereal boxes or something like that I think, but I agree with you senior chief. His 'serial' is gripping - I get the DT's when he hasn't updated in a while.

[goodboyladdie]

I'll buy the book! [&o][&o][&o]

(but hold on a second - if he starts to invest all his time in a novel he'll not have time for WitP!)

[ny59giants]

We are seeing our own Tom Clancy in this AAR. [&o][&o] 

[goodboyladdie]

He's much better than Clancy!

[Cuttlefish]

Thanks to everyone for the positive comments and encouragement since I started this thing. I'm glad it's gone over so well. I gotta draw the line at comparisons to Clancy, though. Yeesh. It's appreciated, but that just sets the bar too high. If I had days to write and revise this stuff then it might approach a professional level, but as it is I have to work fast not to fall too far behind the game. Speaking of which, back to the Hibiki...

[Cuttlefish]

June 12, 1942

Location: 540 miles east of Saipan
Course: North
Attached to: TF 87
Mission: Surface Combat
System Damage: 26
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 318

Orders: Return to Japan for repairs.

---

"There's a single wake down there, 40 degrees to port," saids Warrant Officer Hachiro Konda's copilot, pointing. Kondo looked and saw the narrow trail in the sun-sparkled water. "Looks like it's headed north."

"Lets check it out," said Kondo. He banked the G4M1 bomber to the left and followed the wake north.

Kondo did not think this would prove to be anything other than a Japanese ship, not so far into waters controlled by the Empire of Japan. The wide ocean between Saipan, where Kondo's G2/4th Chutai was based, and Marcus Island was heavily traveled by Japanese ships shuttling back and forth between Japan and the Marshall Islands. Kondo's unit was based in Saipan to guard against the possibility of any American ships slipping west from Wake Island, but that possibility was very remote right now, with Wake virtually under siege.

Kondo liked the duty. He loved flying his plane, and while he was not likely to sink any enemy ships or earn a lot of glory on this assignment, he had the sky around him and the sea below him every day. And there were worse places to be based than Saipan.

After just a couple of moments a single small ship came into view. Kondo's copilot had the glasses on it.

"It's a destroyer," he said, "one of ours. Looks like one of the Special Types, a Fubuki or Akatsuki class."

"Ah," said Kondo. "That will be the Hibiki. She's supposed to be in the area. I heard she took a bomb at Wake and is headed back home for repairs."

Kondo brought the plane down from 9000 feet to 5000 feet as they flew over the destroyer. He was careful not to appear to be making an attack run. Accidents had been known to happen, and he would not blame the crew of a destroyer damaged in an air attack for being a little trigger happy. As he passed overhead he waggled his wings in salute. The destroyer was making decent speed, damaged or not, and looked trim and lethal in the sunshine.

Kondo banked the G4M1 back on course to the east. He wished the destroyer and its crew well, but he was glad he was up here and they were down there. Give him the sky any day. He brought the plane back up to 9000 feet and gave it a little more throttle. They had a lot more ocean to search before heading for home.

[Cuttlefish]

June 13, 1942

Location: 350 miles west-southwest of Marcus Island
Course: North
Attached to: TF 87
Mission: Surface Combat
System Damage: 26
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 282

Orders: Return to Japan for repairs.

---

Seaman Second Class Shiro Kuramata is off duty and sitting in the sunshine on the deck of the Hibiki, his back against the aft turret. Next to him is a small tray of five-sided wooden shogi pieces. Shiro is using a small knife to shape another piece, his hands working nimbly and quickly. Small shaving of cucumber wood fall to the deck.

A shadow suddenly falls over Shiro. He looks up, squinting against the sun, and sees the tall narrow shape of Lieutenant Miharu. Shiro drops his knife and piece of wood and starts to scramble to his feet.

"No, don't get up," says the lieutenant. "I hate to disturb a craftsman at work." Shiro relaxes. "May I see the pieces?"

"Yes sir, of course," says Shiro, surprised an officer would even bother to ask. Lieutenant Miharu picks up the tray and looks through the pieces. Some are polished and a few even have the laquer symbols painted on them. Others are still just rough pieces of wood.

"Very nice," says the lieutenant. "Do you play?"

"No sir, not really very well," admits Shiro. "But I like making the sets."

"Ah," says the officer. "Are you from Yamagato prefecture, Seaman Kuramata?"

"Yes sir," says Shiro. "Tendo. It's kind of in the blood, sir." Lieutenant Miharu smiles and looks around.

"Well, it's a nice day for it," he says. "Carry on, Kuramata."

"Yes sir," says Shiro. He resumes his work as Lieutenant Miharu departs. He wonders if the Lieutenant would like a set. But maybe that would be seen as trying to curry favor.

---

When he finally returns to his cabin Lieutenant Miharu pauses for a moment, then rummages around in a small chest. He sets aside a stack of books and then takes out a small bundle, one of the few personal possessions he has brought on board. He unwraps it, revealing a trophy in the form of an upright shogi piece. The plaque on the base proclaims him the Naval Academy shogi champion for 1928. Lieutenant Miharu looks at it for a moment.

He misses the game, but this is not a time for games. It is a time for war. He wraps up the trophy and puts it back in the chest.

[kaleun]

You know, apparently Tom Clancy doesn't even write his own stories anymore. So to compare you to him would be insulting, to you.
This is great work!