Changchun launched first—two missiles streaked away like blue-white needles—while the four carriers' squadrons still circled overhead. With all aircraft upgraded to six-star gear, the massed planes looked like a spinning, multicolored cloud.
Hestia tipped her head back and counted.
"Eighty-five, eighty-five, seventy-two, sixty-five… huh, that's a little short."
The Lexington sisters each carried 85 aircraft; Taihou was at 72; and Ranger was the smallest at 65. Ranger was making up the difference with her six-star special "tall-rack" bombs—about a 25% boost to bombing damage—roughly equivalent to an 80-plane load in practice.
Hestia squinted. "Total should be just over three hundred. I only see about two-eighty."
"Two or three dozen are out scouting," Changchun said, eyes still on the sky—with a trace of envy. "Wish my reach were that far."
Carriers have the longest "hands" on the sea; their strike range could touch the Abyssal core three to four hundred nautical miles away. Changchun's missiles could fly the distance, but her targeting couldn't: missiles need a lock first, whereas carrier wings can fan out, find, and then hit.
So her opening salvo wasn't for the faraway flagship cluster—it hammered the Abyssal vanguard a hundred miles out. Even then, her missiles cruised at over Mach 10 and crossed the gap in under a minute. The panda bot at her side swiveled its head; from the two black "eye rings" spat a pair of carrot-thin darts trailed by blue flame.
A heartbeat later, two golden-cored mushroom clouds blossomed on the horizon beneath the storm.
Above, the carrier wings formed up under the Aviation Tactics Vanguard skill from Lexington and Saratoga, and enjoyed the Full-Deck Assault battle plan buff from Changchun.
Saratoga marked her own aircraft with "Robin," granting them a 21% boost across all phases.
Ranger triggered "Ammunition Prep," swapping out torps entirely and loading her bombers with special ordnance—+25% bombing power in exchange for halved torpedo strength. (A non-issue when you bring zero torpedo planes.)
Buffs layered, Lexington glanced to Taihou. "Last step."
Taihou opened both arms and intoned like a cantor: "Shuttle Bombing!"
Shuttle bombing—a doctrine first devised by a Japanese carrier commander: launch from your carriers, strike, then divert to a land base for fuel and bombs before flying a second strike on the return leg to the fleet.
On paper it's elegant; in practice it lives or dies on pilot skill. Late-war, Japan's veteran flyers were gone. They had good birds like the Suisei, but too few pilots could land them back on deck without turning touchdowns into fireballs. In the end, dive bombers meant for precision were thrown as kamikaze spears: if you're going to crash, crash into the enemy.
Today, though, Lexington's group had the planes, the pilots, and the plan.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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