Synopsis:

By some executive meddling by Yamato, Kotone Amhara has been sent to Gunzou's side to cure her "errors". OCC, AU, and non plot linear, ie composite plot bifurcation junction.

Prologue

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Salt was heavy in the air, and a gentle breeze whistled a light tune though the main guns. The weapons glistened in the faltering rays of the setting sun. By human calibers they were 460mm, but as a fleet of fog battleship, the operational output of her guns far surpassed those parameters by inhuman margins. Inhuman, an apt description of her current disposition.

Inhuman:

2 : of or suggesting a nonhuman class of beings

- in·hu·man·ly adverb

- in·hu·man·ness /-m&n-n&s/ noun

Mental models- an amalgamation of quantum computations running tactical information coroutines, emotion emulation subroutines, and human sensory plugins. A simple learning program; engineered to be used as a tool to understand and better overcome the enemy, by in essence mimicking the motions of the enemy, method acting in its most deadly form. They were never meant to feel-and yet, they do.

Loss, gain, joy, hate, pride, regret, small reactions filed away, emulated based on the study of digital images scattered on the remnants of a global network, refined based on experiences with humans. How much can a program "learn" before the line between mimicry and being blur into nothingness.

"My my, you're restless this evening." Yamato said.

Kotono continued to consider the horizon, "I have a lot on my mind."

"Indeed. Processing power has fallen consistently by 1% for the past hour.", she leaned on the rail beside the other Yamato. "What is bothering me today?"

"Don't you already know?", Kotone replied.

"Verbal protocols are much more useful when dealing with matters concerning humans."

"...Yes.", she sighed. "A recurring error in one of my plugins is causing a mild disturbance in the structure of my mental model.

"Efforts to suppress the error have proved...ineffectual."

"...", Yamato continued smiling at her. Waves splashed against the hull.

"I can't hide much from you can I?", she slouched in defeat.

"That would be quite the leap in mental model psychology- for a battleship to lie to herself.", her smile dropped briefly. "I won't broach subjects I'm not comfortable discussing with myself."

The gulls began their evening procession into the night. Following the red-orange disk in the distance, cawing as they went, until nothing but white outlines remained of them.

"There is a throbbing in my mental model.", she began. "I'm certain its the plugin causing the nanomaterial shift, but the diagnostics keep returning inconclusive."

"It would not be the first time.", Yamato smiled.

"I know I don't have a heart, but this throbbing hasn't ever really stopped. Now its registering as discomfort on my sensory plugins", she placed her hand on her chest where the cursed throbbing would not cease.

"Is this what humans would call heartache?"

Kotone nodded.

"Gunzou is out there, captaining his small flotilla.", she sighed.

"Without you?"

"Without us."

"Without I, would be more appropriate."

"The blurring of perspectives in our conversations is not lost on me.", she smiled wryly.

"He's called captain, but by the looks of things admiral would be a more appropriate term."

"-We should try and dissuade any further vendettas against his person." she said with general concern dripping into the flagship's vocal protocols. "He might assimilate the rest of the patrol fleet. "

"In less than a month he sunk two battleships, recruited a heavy cruiser, recruited the mental models of said two sunk battleships, and then proceeded to defeat a flagship in a heavily modified Submarine-Missile Cruiser Hybrid.", she listed off, without skipping a beat.

"He's very energetic for a young man.", Yamato nodded. "His goals coincide with us, so his actions can be excused."

"-and when his actions no longer coincide with our own?"

"...That is not for us to decide," smiled Yamato. "But we will cross that bridge when we get there."

"Your reassurances are comforting.", said the other Yamato. They laughed, small giggles in the wind.

"Would you like to be with him?", Yamato turned and gazed beyond the waters with half closed eyes.

"Is it wrong that I wish it so.", said Kotone, mimicking her sister's motions.

What defines desires in a machine? What defines want in a weapon? What is it to feel longing? Was she capable of such things now?

A time passed.

" Then it's decided! ", what?

" You are going to meet him! ", WHAT!

" Don't dawdle", Yamato wagged her finger. "You mustn't be late!"

Before she could protest further Yamato swung over the edge of the railing her dress fluttering as she went.

A pillar of water and nano material rose from the depths.

"Yukikaze...", she breathed in awe the fog destroyer gave a curt whistle. A gangway materialized itself.

"Come fair lady", said Yamato, sitting on the destroyer's con tower. "Your chariot awaits!"

Yukikaze's mental model appeared beside her. "Please do not refer to me as horse drawn carriage"

Processing... That...

Her vision shifted. The reddening sky, which now that she thought about it, was kind of nice.

"Hey!", she struggled against her mini duplicates',whom had hefted her up and were carrying her onto the gangway.

" I must protest-"

"-The battleship doth protest too much.", Yamato's form passed her. Casually walking back to her so body, the knowing smile plastered on her face.

Once on board the gangway disappeared, shimmering into silver sand.

" This is a good opportunity for you to catch up with old friends", Yamato smiled.

"What about the fleet?-", she called from Yukikaze.

"You need not worry. I'm here. ", replied the supreme flagship.

" Is half of me really fine?!"

"Oh stop with that worried look." , chided Yamato.

"You underestimate the processing power of the supreme flagship.", it was brief, but a dangerous glint crossed her twin's eyes. She continued smiling.

As far as the fog were concerned processing power was a measure of one's' strength. The strongest cores were those that could process the most information fastest.

Supreme battleships of unparalleled might. At most a destroyer had a proper union core. A cruiser and above could support mental models, and perhaps obtain a subprocessor if a fellow union core would support it. Battleships have very powerful cores that can support the utilization of flagship equipment.

As such, by order of the code, the fleet was to be organized by the hierarchy of ship rank. The highest rank belonged only to few such as Bismarck, Musashi, and herself.

The title of supreme flagship. Whose core could split processing between two mental models and still have plenty to spare.

Still it wasn't a good idea for splitting the two models. A quantum supercomputer has limits too.

She felt a tug at her sleeve.

" Mou, Yamato, there is no arguing with her. ", said the destroyer. " You can't win a fight against yourself. "

Kotone Amhara considered the destroyer's small mental model. Looking at her now she could distinctly feel her own work in place.

She had always wanted to meet a shrine maiden in her past life , now she had her own personal shrine maiden for a chauffeur, even if only temporarily.

She patted the destroyer's head, and ruffled her hair.

She turned to her twin and bade her a quiet farewell.

Yamato would be fine without her half of the processing power. She had always done her own thing, both as Yamato, and as Kotone. Perhaps it is time to play more as the latter than the former.

Fin ~