AN:

Chapter 11:

Sitting in a briefing room with two other Admirals was not what James Thompson wished he was doing with his time. He had so many different reasons to want to be elsewhere, about as many as he did things needing done. But he was an Admiral. And he could understand the purpose for this meeting. He knew and understood that. It didn't mean he had to like the meeting, but, well...sometimes things needed to be done. Even if he didn't like them. With that in mind, he turned to focus on the men he was stuck with.

Admirals Richardson and Willson.

The former he could understand. Richardson had called this meeting after all. The latter confused him however. Admiral Willson was 'merely' commander of BB Division One. Arizona's division. An important post ,to be sure, but not the only ComBatDiv in the Pacific Fleet. With that in mind, the question was simple. Why was Willson here as well? Ari hadn't said anything about it, so it couldn't have been something to do with her. Right?

"Admiral." Richardson was the first to speak, looking over his glasses. "I've read your report."

"Sir?" James asked, doing his best to not look wary. "Is there anything in specific you wanted to know?"

Richardson sighed, "The torpedoes. Are you absolutely certain it was a flaw in their design?"

Yes.

"As certain as I can be." Thompson sighed himself. "They need more testing, to be certain. That's why I suggested we test the Mark 13 and 14 as well. They all come from the same family, and if something is faulty in one..."

"You believe it is the same in all." The higher-ranked Admiral cut James off. "Yes, I can see why you would believe that. But I can't authorize those tests."

That had been something that worried James. Not that it was unexpected, though.

"Why?" Still, he had to ask.

"The weapons were air-dropped. It is entirely possible that the impact on the water is what caused the issues." Richardson, to his credit, looked unhappy. "That is what BuOrd would tell me, if I tried to test all of the torpedoes. You will get your tests on the Mark 13, but nothing more."

"Yes sir."

Well, it wasn't like James could blame Richardson for not pushing the subject. It was pushing that forced him from this position, in the time James came from. While the backlash on Admiral Kimmel was, likely, overblown...it didn't change the fact that Thompson would far prefer Richardson stay in command for as long as possible. This was a man who had built his career on studying the Japanese, and knew better than anyone how exposed Hawaii truly was. The longer he remained in command, the more prepared they would be for the inevitable attack.

Though, they couldn't be too prepared...or they would lose the girls in open ocean.

I hate having to work in the shadows like this...

Sighing softly, James returned his attention to the other Admiral. Richardson was watching him like a hawk, while Willson looked...unhappy.

Why?

"The other portion of your report that interests me, is your report on carrier tactics." The senior Admiral continued.

"In what way?"

Richardson looked out of the corner of his eye, at Willson, "Your suggestions on having the carriers take up more responsibilities. I will readily admit that you have more experience in carrier tactics than I do. However..."

"You are pushing too hard." Willson had spoken, the moment Richardson sent him a nod.

And that is what I was worried about. Damn it.

Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't expected this.

"I see." James nodded, keeping his voice carefully level.

Willson frowned, "I'm not certain you do. Admiral Thompson, what you are proposing is such a radical departure from existing tactics, that it is hard to believe you are aware of it. I won't deny that your carriers have their uses, certainly. But to imply that battleships should be relegated to the sidelines?"

"My report shows..."

"It shows that two carriers operating in tandem are better than one operating alone." The older Admiral cut him off. "In addition, Yorktown's pilots were not trained in the new, and I daresay valuable, tactics you have been pushing for. That alone should be indicative of the fact that this exercise would need repeating."

On the one hand, he isn't dismissing the tactics. On the other...I knew that dealing with Battleship Admirals could be problematic. And I don't know enough about Admiral Willson to judge where he may fall on this subject.

Sighing softly, Thompson looked his counterpart in the eyes, "I am aware of that fact. But, on the other hand, my pilots mission-killed Yorktown, even with the torpedo failure. Carriers are capable of sinking other warships."

"You aren't Billy Mitchell, and I am not his Court Martial board." Willson replied, voice held to an even tone. "I am very aware, of how dangerous your pilots are. However, that does little to change the fact that my battleships are the core of any offensive action. The carriers are able to provide support, true. Your pilots may be the difference between life and death, if the Japs brought in their own carriers. And if they had anything worth worrying about."

Willson sighed himself, looking more his age.

"That is something I doubt, myself. Even so, I appreciate what you are trying to do, Admiral Thompson. But at the same time, you are wrong. Carriers are to support the battleships, not the other way around. I already intend to refit Arizona with better anti-air weaponry as soon as possible. But, and I am not sure you understand this, I need your fighters more than your bombers. Keep the battleships safe, and they can deal with anything that tries to get close."

Honestly, that was more thought out and logical that James might have expected. Perhaps it was from journalism after the war, but he had been lead to believe that the desire for battleships to be the 'decisive force' meant the carriers were considered secondary at best. Willson implied that while the dreadnoughts were still the main striking force, he knew at least that the carriers wereneeded. If only for defense and spoiling attacks. It wasn't quite an admittance that the carriers were the future, but at least it was better than the alternative.

"And, I should inform you..."

Head turning back to his counterpart, James frowned, "Yes?"

"You will not make friends, if you continue pushing." Willson was deadly serious, his eyes boring into Thompson. "I myself will push right back, if you try and relegate my boys to secondary roles. Believe me, you will make more enemies than friends among the battleship commanders. And in Washington."

And there it is.

"I see." James nodded. "Admiral Richardson? Was there anything else you needed me to report?"

Richardson had remained outside the discussion, merely watching his subordinates. James knew the man was forward-thinking for his time, but he knew little on his views of the carrier and battleship split.

"Just one." The higher-ranked man replied.

"Yes?"

"Are you aware of the reports that the new Talk Between Ships sets are being misused?"

Oh...shit.

Inwardly sweating, James nodded back, "I have heard, yes. My own crew has made a report on it, and I've been trying to uncover whoever it is using the set. My crew is large though, so I'm sure you can understand the difficulty, Admiral."

That was his one saving grace. Sara's crew numbered in the thousands. Finding one person, who didn't exist at that, in that many men? It would take time, to say the least. But James worried nonetheless. He had found out that the ships using their radios to communicate also registered as usage of the physical sets. He wasn't sure how, but it did. And his radio operators were eagle-eyed when it came to their precious equipment. He had been asked to investigate several times.

Well, rather, his Captain had been asked. It had been bumped up to him when other ships in the task group reported the same.

Regardless, it caused an issue for him. Passing off the attempts to communicate as ghosts worked to some extent. Granted, it spooked the hell out of already superstitious crews. But at least that was the extent of it. But if the use of the radio, something he couldn't stop doing if he wanted to coordinate actions with the other girls, was registered? As someone using the sets as a joke? It made things far harder. How could he deal with it, when it became apparent it wasn'tthe crews? Or if someone actually heard the girls? Heard him?

"I understand," Richardson's voice spoke up. "However, I have to ask you to put more effort in Admiral Thompson. I have had an investigation ongoing on the ships in harbor, but if it is happening outside harbor as well, it is important that we identify the issue. If that is operator error, I want to train our operators better. If that is an issue with the equipment, such as with the torpedoes, I need to get better equipment. If it is someone in a crew doing so, and they have members on every ship in the fleet..."

The Admiral trailed off, but the implied threat was real.

"I will do what I can, Admiral."

And what else could James do? Until Utah made a breakthrough, they would have to continue this hiding in the shadows. No matter the risk, or the fact he could personally interview every single member of his crew and not one of them would- or could -give an answer.

This is not going to go well.

This is a good day.

USS Arizona stood on the deck of her hull, looking out into the harbor. She could see the most carriers she had ever seen in one spot, for sure. Lex, Sara, Yorktown and Enterprise. It was an interesting experience in that regard alone. But of course, her attention was focused mostly on Sara in specific. She knew that Admiral Thompson wasn't aboard, from talking with Sara. He was meeting with Admiral Richardson and her own Admiral Willson. She wasn't quite sure what they were discussing. But it had to be important, if her own Admiral was participating.

Not that it was the first time. She still fondly remembered the last time those three Admirals had met. After all, it had been the last time she saw Admiral Thompson in person!

Even as a smile crossed her face from that memory, Arizona heard the sound of a motor. Turning from Sara's hull in the distance, she moved to her stern. Looking out at the harbor, Ari smiled widely. She recognized that launch. More importantly, she recognized the tall figure in the launch. Admiral Thompson. Moving to the very edge of her hull, she gave a little wave at the launch. She wasn't expecting a wave back, of course.

But it still made her smile warm her face, when she saw the Admiral nod back at her. She was fully capable of seeing the small smile on his own face, and it made her happy. Even though she couldn't talk to him, it was something.

"Admiral on deck!"

Something that was broken, as her own Admiral returned. Ari had made an attempt to talk to him recently, but it hadn't come to anything really. That said, Utah had told her it would help Admiral Thompson, so she would keep trying.

Even if the man looked rather...unhappy.

"At ease." Admiral Willson spoke, as he moved past his crew and towards his quarters. Arizona followed him, curiosity in her brown eyes.

Why is he unhappy?

It was only when he was in his cabin, that Arizona would get an answer. Admiral Willson sat down heavily, looking at reports on his desk.

"That man is going to be the death of me." The older man muttered, as he leafed through the reports.

"Admiral?" Ari tried, even though she knew nothing would come of it.

And nothing did, as the Admiral continued to leaf through the reports. Ari frowned, confusion clear in her features. Why was her Admiral upset? And was he talking about Admiral Thompson? She hadn't known there were any issues between the two men. At the least, she hadn't seen any such issues during their last meeting. She had been rather focused on the man she was so fond of though...

Shaking her head, the battleship looked back at her Admiral. The man was rubbing his forehead, as he wrote down in a journal. Arizona wasn't about to readwhat he wrote, of course. That would be improper of her. But she could see the lines of stress in his features, and it had her worried. What had happened, at that meeting? Admiral Thompson hadn't looked off...but then, would he? He had to deal with a lot, and probably hid most of what he felt.

"Battleships are still the core of the Navy. Carriers are for support, not leading the fight." Admiral Willson mused, as he continued writing things down. "That man is trying to upset the status quo far too much. He is a fool, but he has Richardson's ear..."

Ari felt a flash of indignation, at hearing that, "Admiral Thompson knows more than anyone!"

Of course, her own Admiral didn't hear her. Sighing, the battleship bounced back on her heels. She knew that battleships were supposed to be the core of the battleline, at the moment. But she had talked with Admiral Thompson and Sara enough times by now, to know it wouldn't last. It was hard for her to reconcile the idea that her guns were useless in the face of a concentrated air attack, but she saw little reason to doubt them.

And she knew that not everyone would be so accepting.

"The refit will need to be more extensive, than I thought." Admiral Willson continued, Ari realizing he was marking down changes to her hull. It was hard not to, when she saw him take out a sketch of her deck. "Still, I know that Richardson will support us in the end. The Carriers are support, not the heart of the fleet."

Even as a battleship, Ari felt herself shaking her head. But what could she do?

Talk with him. Make him understand.

A small laugh came from her, upon thinking that. Her mental voice sounded like Utah. Smiling at the thought of the elder battleship, she turned to her Admiral. Willson still made no sign of knowing she was there, but Ari didn't really expect him to.

"I will talk to you Admiral. I don't want everything Admiral Thompson is working towards, to be wasted!"

There was no response, but between her upcoming refit and what her Admiral had said? Arizona was determined to make herself heard, now. It was all she could do, to help the man she trusted so much. And if it was all she could do, she would do it to the best of her ability.