This is my first attempt at writing a narrative piece of fiction (quite a feat for me since most of the writing I've done involved numbers and more numbers), so please be kind and keep the flamethrowers :P Feedback will of course be greatly appreciated. I've been an avid fan of Blue Submarine no.6 since its release, and its amazing how enduring the story can be even after 10 years. A word of caution: Readers expecting stories on mushy romances and heart-fluttering courtships will be disappointed. Such themes are not my forte and will probably never be. And I'm terrible at pretending.

BS6: Tales of the Crew is, not surprisingly, aimed to be a collection of short stories detailing the various events experienced (during and after the anime segment) by the crewmembers of Blue Submarine no.6., based on my own warped imagination. The stories are meant to give certain characters a little more focus, and can be regarded in the way similar to a movie's 'deleted scenes'.

Disclaimer: Blue Submarine no.6 and its characters are not owned by me, nor am I trying to make money off these ideas, blah blah blah. Much respect to Mr. Range Murata for designing such memorable characters though.

Flesh, Heart and Metal

"Young brats. Navy selection standards are terrible these days" Iga lamented to himself. As one of the few surviving sub commanders of the original blue fleet, Iga's experiences were regarded as a valuable training tool for new junior officers and cadets. Despite this, the Captain would have gladly traded the mundane dialogue sessions for a 6-month patrol at sea with his trusty crew. Unfortunately for now, he would have to entertain two particularly energetic cadets eagerly pestering him for some war stories.

"So Iga old man, tell us about what happened in your battle against the Ghost Ship. Its gotta be some epic material!" said one cadet, who looked only slightly older than Kino. "Yeah man! Gilford would have been really green about it if she was still alive." Iga was offended by the (slightly drunk) second young officer's brashness in addressing him, but more so by the disrespectful remark about deceased fleet commander, who despite having a reputation for being overconfident and boastful, never hesitated to put her life on the line for a just cause. Commander Gilford fought to the very end, and its hard to say if these richboys would ever possess the fortitude to do the same.

"I'd rather not, thank you very much. Now will you excuse me..."

Despite verbally expressing the contrary, Iga's mind was involuntarily zoning back to that faithful day 2 years ago, when the fate of the world rested in the hands of the blue fleet. "Hey! You there man?" The cadet waved his hand in front of the Captain's eyes. But Iga was no longer there...

...

The high frequency beeping of the contact sonar filled the bridge. "My God. They're taking the bait!" Nakamura whispered enthusiastically. Captain Iga's tactic of hiding the sub on top of a Musuca's corpse was his final gamble, in the fight against an enemy he knew he could not win head on. And luck was finally on their side.

Yuri stood beside the Captain, looking intently at the screen with both arms bent and fists clenched. "They're directly under us now sir!"

Iga sprang to life. "Freeda, down trim 90 degrees. Thrusters full. NOW!"

"All tubes loaded and ready to fire on your mark Captain!" Gusuku followed up immediately with her characteristic high-pitched voice.

The battle-hardened captain unleashed a defiant roar. "GO TO HELL!"

It was almost like an aquatic rendition of David VS Goliath. One by one, the torpedoes of the whale-shaped war machine struck its larger adversary unopposed. Multiple explosions tore through the command tower and Umigumo launch bays, instantly killing many hybrids and sending countless more flying in all directions. In the deep ends of the hanger, chaos unfolded. Many of Mutio's sisters were impaled or crushed by falling debris before they could react. Mutio herself however was miraculously spared the same fate. Using her newfound freedom she swam swiftly towards the other survivors, who were now desperately trying to escape the crumbling structure and the cries of agony from within it. At the corner of her eye, she caught Verg clinging on to the bridge's railing like a lost child; trying to pull out a piece of shrapnel embedded deep inside his arm; screaming hysterically at his crew to fight back. The dog-faced navigators were yelling into their primitive pipe-like communication systems. "Point us up! Arm the turrets now! Return fi...". The commands never reached their intended recipients, as another series of explosions vaporized the hybrids and sent the tower into blackness.

A second wave of destruction was soon to come. Blue 3, having barely survived annihilation after acting as a decoy for Blue 6, had managed to turn around and was now facing the crippled dreadnought.

"Lets give them a present of our own. Arm tubes 2 through 6 with all remaining Enzyme torpedoes. Lock on to that whale shark". The French Captain grinned gleefully at the payback he was about to deliver."This one's for Blue 8. FIRE!"

Streams of metal poured out of the sub and accelerated towards their intended target.

Too weakened by the impact of Blue 6's volleys on its cargo, the gigantic beast could only muster a slow swerve in an attempt to avoid the approaching torpedoes. But it was too late. It gave out a deafening wail of pain as each missile struck its head and frontal body. Chunks of its flesh were blown off by the initial impact, and more of it started dissolving away as the warhead's corrosive acid began its work. With one final death cry that threatened to shatter every iceberg in the vicinity, the creature and the battleship it carried began sinking towards the ocean floor, engulfed by an ever-thickening cloud of crimson.

"We got em' Sir!" Yuri yelled in victory. Almost immediately, the crewmembers of both subs joined in, raising their hands and roaring in unison at their clutch victory. All except for Huang. Cradling her teddy bear with her eyes closed, the still-innocent girl was traumatised by the haunting sounds of death and suffering that flooded her ears. Sounds emitted by creatures who communicated in a way only she could understand.

It was a sad sight to behold as many of the Ghost Ship's surviving crew attempted a slow collective swim upwards towards the surface. Several Mutios, with a limb or two missing, could barely manage a few strokes before succumbing to their injuries. Others who were too badly wounded and coughing out blood were quickly sucked back in by the sinking ship's undertow. Genuine terror filled their eyes. The entire scene was being monitored by both subs, and it was a moment that would be engraved inside the minds of Iga and his crew forever.

An ever subtle Ookawa was the first to comment. "Thats right you freaks! Swim away and don't come back!"

"I could look at this over and over and still not get bored." His Korean rival quickly added to the humanity.

"Sushi!" "Payback's a bitch eh?" "Lets finish them off!" The anger-infused taunts continued.

Fortunately it wasn't all one-sided. "Umm call me a wuss guys but I kinda wished it could have ended in a better way" Cekeros said sadly as his eyes were transfixed on a frog-like hybrid, who was grieving over the dead comrade it was carrying. Iga was comforted by the fact that there were still at least some human beings on the bridge who could be...humane.

As the humans continued to indulge in their verbal orgy, Grampus 2, piloted by Estella and Zagalo, circled above the sinking wreck of the Ghost Ship, observing the growing swarm of hybrids swimming towards them. Grampus 5 (belonging to Blue 3) moved in the opposite direction, and together both subs looked like a pair of eagles about to feast on easy prey. "I'd rip them to shreds now Estella." Zagalo grunted as his thumb hovered around the trigger."But protocol's a pain. Radio the bridge for the green light!"

Too shell-shocked by their sudden, unexpected defeat and no longer possessing the will to fight, the children of Zorkdyke stopped their ascent after noticing the two ships. With needle-cannons and rocket clusters pointed at them, the survivors could only gaze sadly at the cold machines of their enemies, hoping for a swift, painless end. Many were still unable to fathom what had just transpired. The destruction of their enemy's undersea base, numerous coastal cities and many more human subs. It had always been one victory over another. Up till now, the ghost-ship had never been beaten.

Back on the bridge, the celebrations and commentary were still ongoing. But before anyone else could continue, Sidra's voice pierced through the chattering. "Captain! Grampus 2 and 5 are within firing range and requesting permission to mop up the remaining Chimera."

The bridge quickly grew silent. Iga paused for a minute and adjusted his cap before replying firmly.

"No."

The crew was taken aback, for different reasons. "Sir?"

"Its over for today people. They're the monsters remember?"

The surprise was quickly replaced by a few respectful nods for their Captain. "Yes Sir. Sidra, order all Grampuses to return to their subs." Yuri commanded. Iga sank back onto his seat and let out a sigh of relief. "Lets head back to Sub Zero". A much bigger decision would have to be made soon.

As the crumbling battleship came to a rest on the edge of an abyssal trench, both subs and their Grampuses promptly turned and departed for the nuclear submarine, leaving the surviving hybrids to themselves. The seas were quiet again...for now. To all of them, what they just witnessed drove them into a state of even greater emotional turmoil. Their hated human enemies having demonstrated something they had never expected from them, and which they were indoctrinated to never show - mercy.

All except, of course, for one hybrid, who only hours ago faced impending banishment by her own kind; brutally punished for reciprocating the mercy that was shown to her by a human pilot. A human who touched her and has haunted her mind ever since. She had come to understand mercy, and as she watched the human machines disappear along the waterline, Mutio smiled peacefully at the realization that there were other humans like..Hayami..who could show the same. For the second time, her life had been spared.

...

Iga was brought back to reality by a tap on his shoulder from Yuri. "Captain, the session is ending in awhile. Would you still like to speak to the cadets?"

A sudden urge to mentor came over Iga. "Hey you two!" he motioned towards the 2 cadets who were responsible for triggering his reminiscing. "First off, you will address me by my rank and name from now, or I'll have you on laundry duty for a few weeks. Got that kids?" The 2 officers acknowledged and swallowed nervously as they realized he meant business.

"Now, you wanted to know what it was like fighting the Ghost Ship? I'll start then." Iga suddenly realized just how important his position was. A respected war veteran whom junior officers idolized and aspired to be. Like it or not, these young shmucks were the future of the blue fleet, and perhaps humanity, he thought. Iga hoped to impart his values on these young officers, to teach them the pains that wars can inflict on both sides, and that compassion and mercy were not weaknesses that had no place in times of conflict, but characteristics of a true human being.

And as he narrated his story, Iga thought to himself. "They're young, and they might not learn. They might not even understand. But I have to try, because its the right thing to do".

END

Hope it was a decent read at least.

Perhaps my main motivation of writing this story came from the feeling I got after seeing how the battle between Blue 6 and the Ghost Ship ended. The animators did an excellent job in building up our dislike (and perhaps fear) towards Verg and his unstoppable battleship. But I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone in wishing that Verg's defeat was shown in more detail than a mere zoom-in scream. I wasn't looking for more gore and violence (yes I'm a guy however), just more content depth. It could have also been a great opportunity for some further character development. I felt that this was one of the few areas in an otherwise awesome anime that could have been done better, and thus I decided to write on what I would have liked to see happen during and after the battle.

Note: Estella and Zagalo (Zagelo?) are not original characters; they're featured in the BS6 Playstation game and were pilots assigned to the sub around the same time as Kino (I think). Its a great game with over 30 minutes of extra animation. A must for all die-hard BS6 fans :P