Azur Lane: Konvergenz

Chapter 2: Familiar - Yet Foreign Contacts - Rewritten

Location: North Atlantic Ocean

Coordinates: [ERROR: SYNC FAILURE IN GPS RELAY]

Current time: 21:23 - Night [MANUAL DATA RE-CALIBRATION EXECUTED BY ADMIN: FGS Hessen - INACCURACIES EXPECTED]

Weather: Medium cloud coverage

Mission: Survive - Explore - Recover [MISSION PARAMETER CHANGE EXECUTED BY ADMIN: FGS Hessen]

Kansen active: FGS Hessen

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There is a saying in the military exclaiming "No plan survives first contact with the enemy", showing how many factors have influence in any given encounter. Whether it is bad weather, inaccurate intel, sudden accidents, sudden equipment failure - even the smallest possible mishap can change the course of an entire operation.

These exact sentences went through the head of Hessen when her engines gave out.

"No! No no no no, not now! I almost reached enough distance to disengage from the encounter!"
Hessen was rendered almost fully immobile, her speed continuously decreasing as her rigging malfunctioned. She began desperate attempts towards troubleshooting her own engines - while trying to keep calm and concentrate on the problem.

Damage control reports engine stalling due to lack of fuel - but there's an anomaly here. My fuel should have lasted for a few more hours at least - but it ran out much quicker...

She deduced from this that the problem may be present somewhere within the fuel lines themselves, rather than the engine. She was not happy that this was almost immediately confirmed afterwards.

Not good - excessive stress from my continuous constant maneuvers put a strain on the fuel line, which caused a fuel leak. My situation just got a risk of fire tacked on - but I'll take on the risk if it means escaping that Eagle Union fleet alive.

As she began her attempts at provisionally repairing the problem, the pursuing fleet began closing in - not in small part due to Hessen's focus having been forced away from holding her distance and more towards bringing her means of escape - her stalled engines - back running in the first place. Her pursuers certainly noticed this.

"She's slowing down - her speed is steadily decreasing. Do you think she's changed her mind about escaping..?"
The curious battleship New Jersey asked.

Enterprise shook her head, recognizing this familiar scene before her from her own experience.
"No, it doesn't look like it. I doubt that she slowed down willingly - either her engines stalled, were damaged, or she is preparing something else. Keep an eye out - we still don't know what she is truly capable of."

The submarine Archerfish, who was still stalking Hessen, radioed her observations in.
"Hehe, i can see it from this depth. She is quite a fast one - but she is leaving behind a trail of fuel, which makes it quite hard for her to escape my eyes."

"A trail of fuel?"
Hornet paid more attention to the ocean surface, and indeed - while quickly unnoticed on first glance, a faint reddish trail of diesel fuel was visible on the water. This could be often seen as a death sentence for a warship, since its position can be easily tracked by simply following it.
"Yes, we can see it too, now. That confirms her engine's busted - we should have a much easier time catching up with her."

And indeed, the distance between Hessen and the Eagle Union fleet was getting increasingly smaller and smaller. The closer they got, the more Hessen panicked - the faster she attempted her improvised repairs. This meant neglecting double and triple check-ups due to her seeing this as an emergency.
She was fully aware of the risks this entailed - but she was currently finding herself in a desperate situation. If she were too slow, the incoming fleet would sink her, guaranteeing her demise. If she hurried with the repairs, she would have at least a chance to escape -  but with the risk of a catastrophic accident constantly looming over her.