Chapter 1: Determination

"No matter how many times I have to suffer, I will go through for you, my love."

A busy day at the hospital in New Jersey, because of the special circumstanes. You see, a famous person was hospitalized here for years, kept on life support, and today, at her relatives insistences, she was to be humanely relieved from her suffering. The hall was choke-full of officials and ship-girls, and the only ones allowed inside the ward were me and my daughters.

My wife was in agony. Emaciated by lack of nutrition, weakened by the emaciation, and unable to eat because of her weakness, she fought every day to live. Me and my daughters fought alongside her, but I guess the Heavens need a hero. With whatever strength she had left, she begged us to let her rest.

The day had come. The doctors were ready. Me and our thirteen girls, dressed in bright and joyful colors(at her request) were there too.

But most importantly, SHE was ready. For days, she gathered her strength to be able to leave my sweet girls her life-long wisdom.

With a pained voice, tearing a hole in my heart with every word, she held her last speech:

-Thank you for coming. It is very sad for me to have to go, but if I do, I want my family, and no one else, to hold my hand. I am not going to be gentle about it, today is the day I die. Can I say I die without regrets? No, I have had many achievements and many failures in my life. But two of my achievements are you all. Keeping such an incredible man on my side for so long despite how unfeminine and bland I was, and raising so many wonderful daughters.

Her comment on our marriage put a smile next to my tears.

-You were not unfeminine at all, you senile old hag.

I had the best sex of my life with you after all.

Two of the older girls lightened up too. Essex and Yorktown were touched by our ageless, sincere love. The others were probably too young to understand.

-I do not think you will ever understand how or why I had the resolve to raise you all, so I will tell you about it. You've heard of the war, you know your mother took many lives.

Our youngest daughters looked confused and in disbelief.

-Yes, I did, and no, I am not proud of it. I took the lives of many young and virtuous girls. All of them would have found loving husbands, all of them would have raised and loved wonderful daughters. I feel guilty for this. All my life I did. I hoped that, if I raise you, if I love you enough, it will make up for the blood on my hands. I believed the Lord will forgive me for at least trying. Did my crimes make any difference? Yes, but not as fast as I hoped. I could not save my mother from death, I could not save my aunt, and worst of all, I could not save my sisters. I could only honour them through you, my biggest achievements.

Three of our daughters were named "Yorktown", "Hornet" and "Wasp", in honour of her fallen sisters. Also, "Lexington" was named in honour of her mother.

Essex spoke up:

-Mom, you've been a great mother. I know I had my steep moments with you, but now I can say I hope I can be half the woman you are.

Suddenly, Ticonderoga started sobbing, and went forward to give her mother a hug.

But her mother could not give it back. She could not move her arms.

The sadness of her, a strong woman, being reduced to a state in which she cannot even give her daughters one last embrace, was too much. I saw my wife tearing up for the first time in years, while trying to hide it behind a smiling face.

Despite years of being dehumanized by the military, and years of being accustomed to death during what was the bloodiest war ever, I too was in tears. For the first time in years.

Because you can take my youth away if it makes me stronger, you can take away my subordinates if you have to, but you can't take away my wife.

Speaking of desensitivisation, one of the doctors was acting like a jerkass, and trying to fast-forward his procedure.

-Do you wish to agree to your organs being used to save other lives?

Not even a nice choice of words or context at least. I just want to choke his ass right now.

-...yes. It is my wish to use every bit of my being in order to defend those who cannot stand for themselves. Do this too if it helps.

-Any objections from the relatives?

-I consider her decision ho have been made under a clear mind. If that is her desire, I consent to it.

None of my daughters seemed like having any intention to object, either.

Regardless, the bastard backed off a bit and let us say our goodbyes to our beloved Enterprise in peace. Those were the most bitter kisses she's ever recieved.

Days later, the burial service was even more depressing, the thought of her being alive not long ago looming over us. Thankfully, the fact that important dignitaries attended somehow served me to believe her service had at least been cherished, in life and in death.

I could not stop looking at her face. She was as beautiful in death as she was in life. Mesmerizing me with her serene expression, of a saint headed towards his hall of fame. She made me forget the passage of time, up until the moment of her laying down.

I kept gazing at her tombstone long after, way after everyone left, and after I sent my daughters home to recover from their pain.

However, I was not alone. Someone was watching me, making no attempt to hide himself.

-I have come to offer my condolences.

-Gladly accepted. Who might you be, however?

-Someone who came to tell you something important.

-What is it? Can't you see that I am grieving?

-If you could bring back your wife, would you?

The comeback flat out shocked me.

-What are you talking about?

-There is a way for you to bring back your wife and her sisters. Probably her whole family too.

-What exactly would that be?

-Going back in time to fight the war again. You've come a long way since you led them before, and by the end of the war, you lost none of your daughters. You've gained a lot of experience.

-I would say you're taking me for a fool. But you look serious.

-I am. I can take you back in time. I just need your consent.

-Seems too convenient to be true.

-No. It is not. I have loved Yorktown. Her death shattered my heart. You have the skill to save her and your wife, I have the means. It's capitalism.

-Fine, how do we do that?

-You say that you accept. I take you back before the strike on Pearl Harbor. There, you take the position of your former self.

-Won't there be two of me?

-The moment you go there, your former self will be destroyed. And in this timeline, you will be replaced by a version of you that lived the time travel.

-Seems believable. But if this is true, why did you not come earlier?

-I did. You failed a lot of times, and I wiped your memory each time, resetting you to the main strand of the past. The reason you get more and more successful each time is because I have knowledge of the Japanese retroactive intentions and actions.

-So, we'll do it until I succeed?

-Yes. As long as you don't suddenly decide you don't want your wife back.

-Don't be silly. Let's go, nameless one. Take me back to my wife.

-You're one to talk! No-one knows yet that your name is Mannerheim. As for me, call me Silver.