The sun cast its warm glow over Pearl Harbor as Georgia reclined on a sturdy wooden bench outside the dry dock, her eyes fixed on her battered hull. Manju Crews bustled about, welding sparks and the occasional cng of metal filling the air. The sight of her ship—its advanced tech and yet eerily simir silhouette dominating the dock—felt oddly humbling. She wasn’t used to being out of commission, hell she had been running full steam at all times except when under retrofit in Brockton. Yet today, she had no choice.

  Enterprise stood nearby, her arms crossed as her silver eyes scanned the work being done. Beside her, Clevend leaned casually against a railing, spinning her rigging’s guns zily. Vestal, clipboard in hand, was actively scolding a group of engineers who had paused to gawk at Georgia’s design instead of completing their assigned tasks.

  “If you’re done marveling at the technological anomaly, maybe you could actually fix her?” Vestal’s sharp tone cut through the air, causing the crew to scramble back to work. She shook her head and muttered under her breath before turning back to Georgia. “You’re lucky your core systems were intact. That wave-motion drive of yours is a nightmare to calibrate, and the backup reactors aren’t much better.”

  Georgia chuckled, though the movement sent a twinge of pain through her body. “Hey, it’s not like I asked to be thrown into the 1940s with experimental tech. I’ll cut you a deal, Doc. You fix me up, and I’ll try not to break anything too expensive next time. Although give the engineers a break—after all, it's not like they have all the technical documents… Actually, I should probably print those. ”

  “You have the technical documentation for all of this!” Vestal shouts back, though there was a dangerous glimmer in her eyes. “Print those and then you need to stay out of combat until repairs are finished.”

  “Hey Hey, You have to submit a REI to get a TEI, which might become an LES. There are steps to this. I’ll try,” Georgia said, grinning, though the mischief in her tone didn’t inspire confidence.

  Enterprise and Clevnd looked at one another before walking away from the dry dock area.

  Enterprise sighed, her arms still crossed as she exchanged a gnce with Clevend. “You hear that? ‘Try,’” she muttered, her tone dry. “That’s as close to a guarantee as we’re going to get.”

  Clevend ughed, her easygoing demeanor a stark contrast to Enterprise’s sternness. “Hey, give her some credit. Georgia took down the Kido Butai. Forced them to retreat.”

  Enterprise didn’t seem convinced, her silver eyes narrowing as she turned back toward Georgia. “How long until reinforcements arrive?”

  Clevend’s expression sobered, her voice losing some of its usual levity. “New Jersey had to be diverted to keep the lonely queen of the north occupied, and the Royal Navy’s got their hands full in the Mediterranean. The situation’s stretched thin.” She hesitated before adding, “Although your sister’s on her way, along with Pennsylvania. Guess I can’t bme her—her own sister nearly got sunk out there.”

  Enterprise’s expression softened slightly at the mention of Hornet. “She’s bringing Pennsylvania? That’s… unexpected. Thought Pennsylvania was sticking closer to the West Coast.”

  “Yeah, well, the attack on Pearl shook everyone up. I guess she figured it’s better to be where the action is.” Clevend shrugged, spinning one of her rigging guns idly. “Either way, it’s good to know we’ve got some heavy hitters inbound. Just wish they’d get here faster. What happened to Arizona?”

  Enterprise’s voice was careful, but the weight of her question was unmistakable.

  Clevend stopped spinning her guns, her casual demeanor evaporating. She gnced at Enterprise, then turned her gaze toward the rgest ship in the dry docks, where engineers were meticulously working on repairs. Her shoulders slumped slightly. “She got an emergency message... telling her to flood her magazines,” Clevend said quietly.

  Enterprise froze, her hands gripping the railing in front of her. Her sharp, silver eyes widened in disbelief. “Flood her magazines? That’s—”

  “—a death sentence,” Clevend finished her voice barely above a whisper. She shifted uncomfortably, her usual energy repced by a somber gravity. “She did it. Followed the order without hesitation. It saved a lot of lives, but...”

  “She paid the price,” Enterprise muttered, the sorrow in her voice cutting through the ambient noise of the dry dock.

  Clevend shook her head, Enterprise blinked, the tension in her body barely easing as she processed Clevend’s response. “She lived?” Her voice wavered between disbelief and relief.

  Clevend nodded, though her expression remained grim. “Yeah, but barely. That bomb punched straight through her deck like it was nothing. If she hadn’t flooded the magazines when she did…” Clevend trailed off, and the unspoken outcome was clear.

  Enterprise exhaled slowly, “Well when Hornet gets here orders from on high up state we need to strike Tokyo.”

  Clevend’s eyes widened at Enterprise’s statement, the weight of those words settling heavily in the air. “Tokyo?” she repeated, her voice a mix of surprise and concern. “We’re pushing that hard already?”

  Enterprise nodded, her silver eyes steady and resolute. “Command’s decided it’s time to hit them where it hurts. They think a attack might throw them off bance. And with Hornet bringing Pennsylvania, we might just have the firepower to pull it off.”

  Clevend frowned, leaning back against the railing as she considered the implications. “That’s a hell of a mission, Enty. Tokyo will not exactly roll over for us, and the Sirens could rear their ugly heads at any time.”

  “I know,” Enterprise admitted, her gaze hard and unyielding. “But it’s what needs to be done. We can’t let them think Pearl was the end of the story. We’ve got to show them we’re not backing down, Sirens or no Sirens.”

  Georgia, having overheard the conversation, let out a low whistle. “Ambitious. You’re pying with fire heading straight for their home turf. You sure you’re ready for that kind of fight?”

  Enterprise gnced back at Georgia, her expression firm. “We don’t have a choice. Every day we wait, they gain ground. We need to take the fight to them.”

  “Right, right. I pn on heading to the Coral Sea as soon as I am sea-worthy. Hopefully I make it in time.” Georgia states