The Flagship of my Heart, Chapter 2
Philosophical Questions
Yokosuka Bay,
Port Gate Control
Sea Wall
The air smelled of salt, and the sea breeze was just beginning its morning procession into the bay. The great sea wall, stretched on, over the horizon, and there was a fog vessel in the distance...
"Sir, are you seeing what I'm seeing.", he walked in side almost tripping on a girder. "Sir...sir outside."
"Sonar! What the hell is going on?",
"Surface Contact, relative bearing 090",
"Sound the alarm. Inform the government immediately.",
[=]
"It enrages me...", she placed a hand upon her brow trying to ward away the dull ache that had begun to take residence there.
"You look rather tired.", she said.
"Nagato, do you know the whereabouts of the Supreme Flagship?", she demanded of the Yukata wearing mental model. The mental model's visible eye had a wistful glint to it.
"If I did have such knowledge, for what reason would Kongou, former flagship of the second oriental fleet, wish it?", she leaned in, tapping her opium pipe onto the ashtray upon the tea table.
"BECAUSE IT IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO THE REOGRANIZATION OF THE SECOND FLEET.", she howled, the columns rattled, her tea lay, untouched, if only a few droplets out of place.
"Hm...Yamato was right. You are too wound up.", The second Nagato appeared beside her, a shoulder placed upon her shoulder. Kongou loosened her fists. She at back down.
"How am I to report to the supreme flagship, if I cannot find her.", she resumed her previous position, her hand resting once again, precariously upon her throbbing brow. "She doesn't appear on the Concept Comm System, all other methods of communication have failed me."
"Her escape from the flotilla is to be admired, but should not truly shock us. She is the supreme flagship, she likely escaped during the night, and locked the logs of the event upon her departure.", the other Nagato said, taking a seat across from Kongou.
"I have far too many questions, and not enough answers from the supreme flagship. It is high time she reveal what she hides behind her soft smiles and kind words.", she took a sip of the tea. While it did nothing to soothe her sub processor, it did help focus her processing power.
"She had the means to do so, no matter how you look at it, as to why she sneak away in the night...well...", Kongo knew this look, but was puzzled as to why it was here, worn by Nagato.
"What do you know.", she said evenly.
"Nothing that you do not.", Nagato teased.
"Spare me the games, please. I understand that you may think it amusing to test this new patience I have found, but I warn you that it wears very thin.", she warned.
"Before she disappeared, the last recorded log on the CCS, was the departure of the Destroyer, Yukikaze from the supreme flagship's fleet.", she finished, and walked towards a column, as though to view the flowers that lay beyond.
"Perhaps it is worth...looking into...:, Nagato smiled.
"Indeed.", the former flagship took a sip. "Perhaps I will..."
"As you know you are currently a rouge element of the fleet.-", Said Nagato
"-you aren't meant to know anything of the major operations outside, of official notices posted on the CCS.", Kongou, looked between them as they spoke.
"In other words-", she began
"I never told you anything.-", the other said.
"-and I was never here.", she finished.
Kongou gave them a sly grin, "As expected of one of the Big-7"
They were gone.
[=]
Kongou calmly sipped her tea. That is not to say that she was calm, or felt calm in any sort of way, nor did it mean that the tea it self was calm. In fact, she felt quite...concerned? A little. Worried, yes, but not quite. Where is Haruna when you need her? Puzzled, yes. That would be appropriate.
She checked the log again. At 1300hrs, Fleet of Fog Destroyer, Yukikaze, broke off from the main fleet. She left with the flagship's blessing and continued a heading, west. At 0600, the flotilla reported the disappearance of the Supreme Flagship on the Concept Comm System. This would prove interesting indeed.
[=]
The wind whistled through the guns, its lonely, solemn tune. It's been a day and a half now since she left the main fleet. By now the fleet has likely noticed her departure. That was likely for the best. Were it in her power, she would have maintained the ruse of staying with the main fleet, but there are some matters that demand a more subtle touch.
An ice berg caved and parted, as she casually rammed it into oblivion.
"This is becoming a nuisance.", she spoke aloud.
Six guns adjusted their bearings, zeroing in on the bow. With a click, they unfurled into four pronged pylons,-all six of them. They began to charge, a strong blue energy pulsating through the prongs, and then- they powered down.
"Calm down...its only ice...There isn't much of it left...Just...let it go...", she waved a hand, and the guns locked back into place, powered down, and buttoned up.
The arctic ice sheets, despite the global sea level rise, are still fairly concentrated at the tip of the Earth's axis. Though not as far reaching as they once were, the ice floes of the North Pole were not to be trifled with.
Steamed through without much regard for the further detriment of the global climate, most certainly, but NOT TRIFLED WITH.
She looked on, across the frozen wastes that stretched far into the horizon, and onto the sun, hung low in its long procession.
She sighed. The sea level rose half a centimeter that day.
[=]
This place was familiar to her. It was where they had kept her warehoused. Dry docked and inactive, she waited, and waited, and waited. Until her captain came to wake her, and she offered herself up to him.
Another vessel lay here now, in her old moorings, different but familiar.
"We called as soon as we docked her. She's been broadcasting the same demand since she showed up at 7the fortress gate.", the Lieutenant was panicked. She could detect high levels of adrenaline and perspiration on the man.
"You did well to contact us as soon as you could.", he took the tablet as the Lt. Saluted him. He returned the gesture, "I'm not an officer. You can relax."
"You are the captain of the I-401", he glanced at Iona. A curious gaze passed between them.
"If its all the same, I think I'll stick to the formalities.", Gunzhou nodded, and went about the message.
"Exactly how long has she been like this?", he asked.
"Since 0900 this morning.", he took out a tablet. Gunzou accepted it and read it quickly. The message itself was quite clear.
"I demand to speak to Commander Chihaya of the Blue Steel Fleet. Comply and you will be unharmed.", he turned to Iona.
"No communication requests were made to me over the Concept Comm.", she said.
"I take it she didn't respond well to your refusals.", he smiled faintly.
"Its more like she didn't even listen to them. We opened the gate after she set a collision course and accelerated to ramming speed. Permission to speak freely sir.", he said quickly, a reluctant smile on his face.
"I'm not an offic- Granted.",he said.
"She's got one scary face.", he blurted out.
"Not as scary as when you actually talk to her", he said. "Iona?"
"Her weapons are locked down.", the archaic blue sigils began to glow over her body. Iona tilted her head slightly. "Her message is urgent."
No sooner than she said so the sigils on Kongou's hull sprang to life, the bright lavender glow giving way to the hexagon's of wave force armor.
And then she presented herself. Clad in the most efficient dress materials could tailor, she descended the mast upon a panel of purple hexagons, her Edwardian garb trailing a lavender pool behind her.
Then the troops stormed in, guns loaded, and all aimed at her. Good.
"Gunzou?", Iona said.
"The army...", he replied.
"Bad business brings you, once again into my Port, Captain Gunzou", the low droll of his voice masks the malice behind it very poorly.
"Commander Ryokan.", he addressed the former admiral.
"Captain.", he almost spat.
"Commander Chihaya, I-401", the low droll of her voice masked very little her annoyance. Thankfully it sounded far more palpable, as it was not directed towards him. "You look well. You're mission was successful, I take it?"
"We successfully delivered the vibration warhead to the naval yards of San Francisco.", he stated with confidence.
"...I take it the child is well?", she prodded.
"Makie Osakabe wished to stay close to the warhead, so we left her in the care of the American forces.", he said, a familiar reluctant smile pased his features. "Kirishima and Haruna insisted on staying with her."
"When I asked, they said that it was for research purposes.", if there was hidden meaning behind that, Kongou choose not to explore it.
"Seeing as they haven't restored themselves to their proper ship bodies since you and that other ship sunk them, I suppose it is sufficient punishment.", she smiled. It is a small smile, while malicious at first glance, it conveyed far more warmth than smugness.
"Ahem-", the graying beard shook as he faux-caughed. "My time as a politician has taught me to be patient. However, I was never very good at it, nor has it taught me to tolerate being ignored."
Resounding clicks around the warehouse punctuated this particular trait.
"Do you intend to suppress us here as well?", Gunzou frowned.
"When I came to the dock only to be greeted by bags of silver sand, rather than your five corpses, I was quite...disappointed.", he glowered at him.
"I share the sentiment having my base ransacked by the army.", he countered, having just about reached his limit to the arrogance of the former admiral.
"Enough of this.", with a shimmer hexagons materialized beneath them. The suited guards were met quickly with Klien field sub units to the face.
In another motion they rose, slowly and approached the deck of the housed FoF battleship.
A large red aiming lazer, came to meet all who held weapons in warehouse 51.
"I would not recommend getting up.", said Iona as she passed the fallen guard., following the battleship with her own smaller blue hexagons at her feet.
Kita lay, trying to get up, on the bed of floating hexagons, a red laser dot painted onto his suit. They landed on the deck.
"Kongou, I can hack the docks to release you.", Iona said.
"Good, I was beginning to worry that our departure would have to be violent.", a minute grin on her face. Gunzou, while enjoying the very shocked expression of former admiral Kita, hunched over a railing, as the dry dock of warehosue 51 began to flood, was beginning to question the benefits of an emotionally stable and developing Kongou.
He walked to Former Admiral Kita, "I suggest holding your breath and holding on to something."
Iona grabbed his arm in a two handed lock. Without pondering the thought, Kita grabbed the other sleeve, and the waterline took them.
She rose from the waters gently, allowing the brine and seawater to roll off her deck in micro torrents.
"Thank you, Iona",he said, and she released her grip on him. "Commander Kita, you can let go now."
He did exactly that, grumbling as he rose to his feet.
"Kon-", the battleship shoved two towels into his hands.
"Rear deck, in 5 minutes.", she said as she stormed off.
She passed Iona, placing a paper bag in her arms, "You owe me tea.", and she kept walking.
[=]
She took a lengthy sip of tea, choosing not to remove her eyes from the person sitting across from her at the CCS tea table, smiling like a fiend. A very powerful, arguably omnipotent fiend.
"Yamato", she said. "To what do I owe this unexpected communique?"
"Hyuuga,", she smiled.
"I need your scans of Kongou's hull during her...tantrum.", she sipped her tea.
"Thank you for calming her by the way. She never did handle isolation well."
"You make it sound like we were doing your dirty work", she frowned
"Pish-posh, what's a little trickling down of responsibility between flagships?", she smiled.
Hyuuga eyed her superior, joining her fingers just below her nose, "For what purpose have you a need for those scans."
Yamato mirrored her pose, "for what other purpose can you imagine?", she smiled beneath her gloves. "I intend to upgrade myself." Hyuuga's eyes widened, she rose quickly, her chair falling.
"That form is heresy!", she almost spat. "Kongou was no longer a battleship at that point, consumed by her hate and grief she used her friend for spare parts!"
"Whatever technology spawned by such senseless hate should not be taken lightly", she warned. A time passed, Hyuga's mental model catching her breath from the spiel. Yamato joined her hands as she set them on the table, and kept smiling.
"You could take them from me by force.", Hyuuga noted.
"That would defeat the purpose of asking you, now wouldn't it.", she said.
Hyuuga sighed, an orange panel materialized before Yamato, before Yamato could accept the download a final warning was issued by Hyuuga.
"Those structures are not to be trifled with. As supreme flagship I-"
"Oh, hush. I'm only really interested in the engine readings", she pressed a finger into the panel, turning it a brilliant white, as lines of text began to roll down before her.
"Just the engine readings?!", she balked.
"Yes, of course, what else would I want?", she replied, pausing at a particular section of text.
"Ah...well...the thing...The wave-motion...cannon thing."
"Oh...you mean that toy Kongou thew together", she smiled. "Its quite cute..."
Hyuuga stared in quiet amazement, as her superior, the supreme flagship of the oriental fleet, call a dimension shattering Super Gravity Cannon, a 'cute toy'"
"Is something the matter". Yamato caught her staring.
"Like what you see?", she teased.
"Ahm, more like I'm slowly coming to terms with the type of person you are.", she said plainly. She took a moment to collect herself.
"Why did you ask me for the data?", she did her best to give her smiling superior a stern, serious look.
"A test of loyalty.", she did not pry her eyes from the data logs.
"Loyalty?", for the second time that day, Hyuuga was taken aback. "I am a rouge element of the fleet, even more so, just a mental model. I doubt my loyalty is worth much."
Yamato gripped the data panel with her dainty fingers and waved it before Hyuuga.
"Your face is flushed.", she smiled.
"I am aware of this.", yes she was.
"There are other reasons, of course.", she closed the panel, Hyuuga balked at the intensity of direct eye contact. "I actually like you, for one."
And her nano-matierals thought that they couldn't get redder. Ha.
"-and you've done well, helping him through the pacific.", Hyuuga snapped together quickly.
"I am still curious, about your relation to that man, or rather, the other Yamato's relation to that man.", she stated plainly. For once her smile was not at all present on her graceful features, but rather pressed into a very thin line.
"-but something tells me its none of my business to pry. I am happy where I am, for the moment, and I will keep doing what I do.", she began to walk towards the white nothingness at the edge of the CCN.
"If anything, I should be warning you. Keeping him in the dark will only serve to broaden the harm the revelation will cause him. He is a strong person, and perhaps, if you are lucky, you might do him a little good. He gambles far too much", Hyuuga was gone.
"That is what I love about him and the one thing that made us far too different from each other", the willingness to gamble it all.
[=]
A small tea table was present on the what traditionally was the float plane deck. As fog planes were no better than nano-material replicas of WWII planes, they were quickly done away with. However this deck was rather pleasant most of the time. When not at the top of the mast, or at the bow anchor hoists, she would find this particular spot, the most comfortable place on herself.
"You are late", she set down another glass, while Iona brought forth the tea kettle.
"I-401 and I were just catching up on things.", she smirked. "I take it that Hiei was less than obliging when you ran into her patrol fleet on the way back."
"Indeed, but nothing we couldn't handle with sufficient tact.", he drank, it was a very simple green tea, a little on the sweet side .
"However, perhaps that is a story for another time. What brings you to Yokosuka?", she set down her tea.
"At 0200. three days ago, the supreme flagship of the fleet of fog disappeared from her escort fleet", he balked at the prospect, as the information slowly set in.
"How did she disappear?", he demanded.
"Quietly. You already understand that the fleet is arranged like a hierarchy, much like your militaries. With one distinct difference. The supreme flagship is not all commanding. She is all controlling.-", her eyes darted to the side. "You are quite an annoying man."
"...", a third chair materialized by the tea table, and Kongou gestured he take it.
"For a member of the diet, you tend to have a heavy hand in the affairs of the navy.", she began.
"If you call the ships dry-docked underground, a fleet, then yes' I do have quite a heavy hand in keeping them in line.", he amended. "I am heavy handed in the affairs of I-401, that is a more accurate statement."
"So the snake has lost it's head?", she pressed her lips into a thin line.
"You make it sound as though we've become weaker.", she said.
"I'm no fool.", he said. "Leaderless or not, you remain a dangerous threat to humanity."
"-and you will do well to remember that.", she spat.
"Kongou of the fog, let us remain civil here. We are not your enemies.", Gunzou pleaded.
She regarded him coolly.
"I-401, you and the supreme flagship have a history do you not?", she regarded the idle mental model.
"I was once the head of Yamato's Guard.", she replied.
Gunzou kept his surprise in check. Since when was this?
"I was relived of my position in the fleet as of 0000, hours, on-", the humans present could not hide their surprise as the date was said aloud. The great naval battle of 17 years ago.
"Do you remember?", Kongou asked.
"No I do not.", Iona replied. "I am only aware of the discharge date, and the final order issued hence forth. To return to Yokosuka harbor and-", she paused abruptly, and turned to her captain.
"Wait.", she finished.
"Wait?", Kongou set down her tea.
"Wait, for a proper captain, and to obey them.", she answered.
"A proper captain", Gunzou and Kongou echoed.
"Your memory logs of those years are being tampered with.", Kongou said. "Most likely, the High Flagship's doing."
"Does your superior make it a point to be...", he searched for the word.
"Obnoxious?", she finished.
"Odd, I would say. Apparently, you are more familiar then I, with your superior's quirks.", the commander said.
"The fleet flagship is not the strangest of our kind, but she is one of the oldest mental models, and consequently the most versed in human relations.", she sipped her tea. "Which is why I came here. This departure of hers falls well outside the parameters of her usual deviations."
She considered them both sharply, taking note of their reactions. "The last time she disappeared without notice, she returned with her mental model."
"So...that was the start, of you dolls...pretending to be human.", malice lied heavy in the air.
"If she dispatched an envoy here, in the form of the destroyer Yukikaze, I will intercept her here, and demand to know what is going on.", she eyed the concerned look on the captain's face. "I will avoid fighting. It is not my intention to violate the code by causing damage to a mainland area."
She pushed the empty cup aside, "It is the decent thing to do after all."
[=]
Hawaii
1700
Honolulu
The dusk is hot and the humidity thinker than a wet blanket, wrapped around her like a suffocated vice.
She adjusted her sensory plug-ins accordingly, warding away the sticky feeling of her clothes clinging to her nano-materials.
It was annoying, having to wear human made clothing. Still it was quite an interesting set up. The threads of her white T-shirt had been woven with such simple patterns, but they held together much like her own nano-materials. The leather jacket she wore, while taken from the carcass of a dead animal, felt right, covering her arms. The denim jeans were thicker, as she soon learned, than the cotton of her shirt, but quite comfortable. However, for the sake of nostalgia, she tore off the left leg, leaving the milky skin exposed to the world.
However, her own body came at the expense of Haruna. More specifically, Haruna's coat, which she had a most difficult time swaying into sacrificing. Haruna now wore human made clothes as well, with her remaining spare nano-materials kept as a smaller coat. Her sister's processing power had dropped, but only back to normal, rather than the 200% she normally functioned at with the original coat on her person.
Salvation! The gentle hum of an AC unit, humming in some hidden corner of the bakery was a small one, and not too far from where the "Osakabe" sisters, were staying. Still it was a strange little store, not too far out from New Pearl Harbor, proper, and not too close to the sea side villa they stayed in.
"Welco-Oh, good afternoon .", a thin man stood behind the counter, greeted her.
"Just Kirishima, please", she said, inhaling the scent of fresh baked bread. "It smells wonderful today."
"Haha, you're too kind.", he said. "Would you like the usual?"
She approached the small display counter, curious to what the young baker had done with the flour that day.
She spotted a tray of melon bread, seemingly wafting heat from the oven.
"Could I add some melon bread, to the usual set?", she asked.
"You can have whatever you like", he smiled.
Thrumming quickly through the trays, he hefted the usual breads into their wax paper wrappings, and into a brown paper bag. Two fresh loaves, a baguette, two briquets of garlic, and a set of five melon breads.
"There you go", he hefted the paper bag onto the counter, and slid it towards her.
She was about to pull out her wallet when he held up a hand.
"You really should let me pay for these", she protested.
"You're little farm down by the water, already helps feed half the town.", he lectured. "If it weren't for you ladies farming the heck out of the delta, the rest of us would still be starving. We owe you. This is the least I can do."
"Still, I must repay you for your services.", she hesitated. "P-perhaps a meal...sometime?"
He flushed a little, "Ah...er-Perhaps! I mean yes!"
She hefted the bag onto an arm, and waved as she left the store. What did I just do.
She was greeted by two very questioning stares.
"Ah...Lets go home!", she turned and headed down the dirt path to the shore.
A few yards passed. "He's staring at us"
"I am well aware of that", and the particular regions he's staring at. The regions that were undulating gloriously, framed by her asymmetrical cut denim jeans that crested the curvature perfectly.
Her nano-materials reddened. CURSE YOU MAIDEN PLUGIN!
"Kirishima-nee! Do you like Mr. Jones?", Makie was tugging at the sleeve of her leather jacket
She made a mental note to crack the firewalls protecting the pigment parameters for this stupid plugin.
"Ahaha, well he's a nice person", she attempted evasive maneuvers. Surely a child can be swayed with such a vague answer!
"Is he your boyfriend?", AP shells, this kid is packing AP shells.
"Ah, today is Friday! Curry is a good meal for a Friday right? Lets have curry!", dropping the damn counter measures now!
"Curry would be a most excellent choice." said Haruna. "We should invite Mr. Jones next time."
"I don-It wou-", she felt something grab her leg. Makie was looking at her with those stupid, analytical puppy eyes. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-
"I'll...ask him next time", she patted Makie on the head, and continued down the road.
Makie turned to Haruna, who's passive expression had not changed a bit. She raised a thumbs up, and Haruna returned the gesture. ALL ACCORDING TO THEIR CALCULATIONS
[=]
The darkness was looming heavily over the horizon, the sun, an orange disk in the distance, glaring its final blaze of procession. This mundane sight had been observed countless times by all parties present, time and time again, yet it had not lost its majesty.
"We are not human.", she said. "Neiter are we mindless weapons."
"Then what are you?", the old man's tone was not of philosophizing, but a demanding one.
"We are-", She and Iona paused, and snapped their heads to the horizon. Kongou rose to her feet, silver sand sprang to her command, as she materialized a view scope emplacement at the edge of the desk. Peering into it she frowned.
"Those should not be there.", she said aloud.
"Iona?", Gunzou demanded of her.
"Radar contact, heading, West.", her blue histograms springing to life around her.
[=]
"Yamato?, the blue haired destroyer asked, as she searched for the elusive high flagship. "Supreme Flagship~?"
She rounded the front turret, "Ah, there you are, your eminence."
"Yuki, run a high frequency sonar scan", she demanded, gripping the railing tightly.. The sigils flared to life on her mental model, and yukikaze blinked as the scan went out. One Ping Only.
"Sonar contact, bearing 045, 899 M, depth 1332", she called out. "It has begun evasive maneuvers."
She could see it, from this far away she could see it all. The dark clouds shining brightly against the darkness. Yokosuka was burning, her town was burning, and her Gunzou, was fighting.
"Supreme flagship?"...the mental model asked.
"Yamato?"...Yukikaze stepped closer, her superior was trembling.
"Kotone?", the railing bent like putty beneath her fingertips.
She narrowed her eyes at the burning horizon. "Seek and destroy."
[=_=]...
AN:
Aaaaaahhhhh, yatchattaaaaaa. I am so tired. Okay to start the hate rant off: I feel like there's too much dialogue and not enough description. To be honest, I feel like I used to be able to pull off imagery great, and was poor at dialogue, now its the other way around. Second, I do apologize to you Youtaro fans out there who love Kiri-bear, but I personally am in love with Kirishima's mental model, and her gorgeous stern. I mean, look at the reinforced deck plating on that stern. The bow guns are perfect too.
To clarify, that part, Kirishima gained a limited mental model, by sacrificing much of Haruna's giant coat. According to source materials, the coat increases Haruna's processing power by 100%, however removing the coat causes a de-buff of -100% on her processor. So, by reducing the nano-material mass of the coat, I have effectively removed the 100% buff, but at the same time not applied the corresponding de-buff of complete removal. So, the downside is that Kirishima now has normal, manufactured clothes(Which now allows for the possibility of clothing damage), and Haruna works at normal, albeit, reduced processing power, but still has nano-material clothes.
Also, I'm sorry nothing substantial happen, I will however reward your reviews and patience with an epic night battle over the port of Yokosuka. Featuring lots of lasers, and drama, and GunzouXYamato action.
Also, if you've been keeping up with the Manga, Lexington has appeared as the first American vessel to be featured in the series. A scholarly ASSAULT AND SUPPRESSION VESSEL, with a fun teacher persona. If it hasn't become obvious, I am writing as the series evolves. Expect Lexington to be featured at the end of this introductory arc, or within the proceeding arcs.
As always, read and review, and feel free to check out the other fics.