Author's Note:
So begins the closest thing to a slice of life adventure as can be written for Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio (Arpeggio of Blue Steel). This will follow the adventures of the members of the 2nd American Fleet of the Fog, specifically the Eastern Patrol and Hawaiian Interdiction squadrons. It focuses on Fleet Detachment Flagship Arizona (Az) and Battlecruiser Alaska (Aska). This particular chapter is not lighthearted.
Disclaimer: I do not own Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio or any of its characters.
Honoring a Namesake
Cast – Arizona, Amanda Kincaid
A fairly gray and solemn morning in Honolulu heralded an incoming storm. Warm and humid, as was typical of Oahu and all of Hawaii, it seemed fitting for visiting what the brochure called memorials. She knew the dictionary definition of the word, but she was curious as to what the humans would make of it in practice.
It seemed best to visit this kind of thing now, with Alaska otherwise occupied. Aska had expressed an interest in the human activity of 'surfing', so while it held no special interest for her; after all, if she wished to ride waves she had a hull for that, she did encourage the battlecruiser to indulge.
Her curiosity found her on a launch bound for the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. This was the ship she was named for, though Az herself did not really know where they came from or why she and this old warship shared a name. She felt compelled to visit this site, and perhaps she would find out why by doing so.
She had picked up a ticket at the visitor's center, which she got for free by saying she was a student. Which was not a lie; she was officially alumni for the Lexington Fog University.
She had also received a lei of local flowers. The garland was a little out of place with her normal attire of blue and white sailor style school uniform, though hers was a button-up shirt with a small tie and small Fog fleet symbols on the collar. She had small shoulder epaulettes that held a wide gold stripe each along with fog fleet symbols above it and a single braided gold shoulder cord on her right. Her blue skirt was fairly long and the same blue color as her leggings. Breaking the look a little, she wore white tennis shoes. Her little wren hat also held a fog symbol and sat among her red hair. The girl had a single loose ponytail which reached about waist length.
Leaning on the rail of the launch, she and a small collection of school age children and a few adults steadily moved closer to the solemn white building that straddled the wreck of the old battleship.
"So, you come here often?" A rather average looking specimen of human masculinity inquired of her.
Az shifted her pale green eyes in his direction in a sideways glance, but did not dignify his attempt with a response.
Unphased, the man continued, "So are you some kind of navy officer or something?"
She raised an eyebrow and flatly replied, "Something like that."
Encouraged by a response he continued, "Yeah, you like an admiral or something, you got a single bar instead of individual stripes."
"More like a Commodore, I suppose, I am a fleet detachment flagship." She offhandedly replied.
She's a flagship? What exactly does that mean? He quirked an eyebrow as he continued, "So you manage to get here from the mainland? You don't seem to have gotten much sun."
Az's mental model was rather pale skinned with a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks, thought they were very faint. She merely shrugged, "I just formed this way."
The man made to reply before shaking his head, "you know what, never mind. Have a nice day."
She did not reply as they had arrived at the dock and she made her way to the memorial behind the small group of people. Inside the structure she cast her gaze over the entirety of the white hall. The replica of the ship as she had originally looked was a striking image of her own hull, though it lacked their advanced systems or her own bright red sigils.
Walking about for a bit, she reaches the center of the memorial and leans against railing gazing over the edge at the ship below, to her it is not much more than a shell. Her thoughts drift to battles she has fought, to that one battle against all of the naval power of the humans and all the smaller skirmishes since.
While lost in her internal processes, a young girl approaches her. Tugging on Arizona's sleeve, she smiles up at the mental model, "Hi, I'm Amanda. My school is taking a field trip. Do you work here? So what do you think of the monument, huh?"
Az sighs, "I'm not sure. It is just a wreck, but it seems to hold a special place for you all. It just isn't something I know how to classify. As a weapon, if I were to be sunk, that would be it. I fulfilled my duty. I also think you shouldn't talk to strangers."
Amanda waved her off, "it's okay, you are a sailor, and they protect people from bad guys in their ships."
"What if I was one of those bad guys?" She asked quietly.
Amanda looked at her with a serious expression before smiling, "you seem like a good person, I don't think you are bad."
Az showed Amanda the smallest of smiles before looking back out at the bay and the wreck beneath them, "so what do you think of all of this?"
Amanda thought for a moment before smiling and grabbing Az's hand and pulling her to the end of the hall. There before both of them was the memorial wall upon which all the names of those Navy and Marines that had died with the Arizona.
Amanda gestured to the wall, "this is a memorial, everyone who gave their lives on this ship are written here."
Arizona regards the wall before replying, "I see the names, I understand the definition of the word, but I don't understand why humans feel the need to do this."
"It's about remembering. Remembering the sacrifices, remember the cost. We can't forget this, this is part of what made us who we are now." The girl paused, "wouldn't you be sad if no one remembered you?"
Az considered for a moment before looking up at the memorial, "I… I, don't know. If I ceased being, my hull sunk and my core destroyed, I would just cease to be. I would have fulfilled my purpose as a weapon. What else could there be?"
Amanda looks up at Az with her brown eyes questioning, a very interesting expression for a child, "what about family and friends?"
Arizona considers this briefly, visions of Alaska, Missouri, Saratoga, and Helena flash to her mind, but she shakes her head, "I don't know."
Somewhere further back near the entrance a young woman calls out, "Amanda!"
Amanda calls out, waving, "ms. Ambrose I'm over here." Turning to Az she smiles and shakes her hand, "I've got to get back to school. Bye bye!"
Az waves briefly at the running girl, "good bye."
Az now alone, except for a few scattered patrons, thinks about her discussion with Amanda. She touches the wall briefly and carefully removes her lei, placing it at the floor of the memorial.
Scanning the wall, recording every name, she whispers to herself, "I'll remember. Please rest easy."
Reading between the lines:
Amanda is amazingly insightful and knowledgeable eh?
Arizona is already a bit influenced by humans at this point. It is worth noting that the PACOM is aware of the mental models entering Honolulu and partaking of things found there. As you will find out, they are under observation.
Story notes:
This is still based off an anime/manga, however unlike their depictions of Lexington, this is not American ships filtered through Japanese writers. This is still anime/manga derived work so hairstyles, design aesthetics, and situations will be geared towards such things.
Arizona and her fellow squadron mates have been in Hawaii for at least a few weeks at this point and this is set before New Jersey and Lexington take their fleet elements towards the situation in Japan. Likely things will not be impacted much by the manga, though I've only read up to where Lexington meets U-2501.
