A/N: Sorry about the delay uploading this chapter, I ran into multiple blocks of inspiration and could not figure out how to write things the way I wanted. Once again big shout out to CabooseHelpsU, who I accidentally discovered his true name during the writing of this chapter. Also a thanks to V-Trigger and darkwolf190 for being the first people to review, and a big thanks to all of you for reading. And without further ado, Enjoy.
Chapter Four
"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."
-George Washington-
For hundreds of years, humanity had been enraptured by the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. Even now, after several years of blockade under the Fog, the beaches of fine sand and exotic wildlife thrived. However, even more important was the strategic value; the one who controlled Hawaii could control the entire East Pacific….in theory at least. After all, there was only so much humanity could do against an enemy of superior weaponry, leading to Alexander's situation.
They had been cruising at 30 knots, the distance between Hawaii and Kraus' sunken fleet rapidly decreasing.
A short distance from the only entrance to the harbor, four Arleigh Burke's were anchored to greet them, the only remaining warships under the command of Hawaii. A wave of nostalgia hit Alexander at the sight of the aging guided missile ships. His thoughts strayed to the reason why they were the last that Hawaii had. 'If only I had not ordered for us to go to the edge of the Fog's patrol pattern. We knew exactly where their boundaries were, but I gave the order anyway.' Granted, he had also given the orders not to fire until fired upon, a task that someone had utterly failed to obey.
As they got closer, he heard footsteps approaching him from behind him. He did not need to turn around to know who it was; they were breathing, and therefore human. Makie, having retired to the inside of I-401 shortly after embarkation, was likely too tired to be up and about.
He said nothing, merely watching as personal on the human ships ran around. Most likely wondering why the Fog was approaching the island, when before they seemed more than happy to ignore the humans. He thought mirthlessly.
The local Fog's ignorance had even gone so far as to ignore the small ships running people and supplies between the various islands of the archipelago, so long as they didn't make for open waters.
As they continued to approach the awaiting vessels, he heard the human beside him spoke, "It will probably be for the best that we order the resupply fleet to hold position while we continue into the port." The voice belonged to Gunzou.
"That would be for the best, as the crew of the ships in front of us is already panicking at the sight of the fleet we have following us. But you will have to get one of the others to do it as I don't exactly want to tell all those back at Pearl of what happened to me in the entirety."
"Why not, I thought that you would want to explain things before they got out of hand and somebody found out the hard way?" Gunzou asked confused as to Alexander's motives for not telling people.
"Let's say that the mental models, while not hated, may not be entirely welcome outside of the research facilities and naval base and leave it at that. But on the bright side, we don't have to worry about supplies to much." Alexander said while looking at Gunzou from the corner of his eye, noticing that as usual, Iona was beside him with her rings open, most likely relaying what he just said to the rest of the fleet.
"Thank you for the warning. Should we have Koungou accompany us to the harbor itself or have her stay with resupply fleet?" Gunzou inquired. He knew that Alexander would be the best source for information while here at Hawaii.
"Personally, I say let her join us, as just in case something happens. It could be...useful, to have an operational Fast Battleship already in the harbor." Alexander turned to look at Kongou's hull as the resupply fleet slowed to a stop after taking up defensive positions around the entrance to the harbor.
"Gunzou, I'm receiving an incoming transmission from one of the ships. Should I answer?" Iona suddenly said as we came within half a nautical mile from the ships.
Gunzou didn't immediately reply, looking back towards the human ships, which were in surprisingly good shape for their age. "Go ahead and open the transmission."
Nodding, Iona turned back to her rings once more before nodding again to show that it was open. After a crackle of a radio, a loud female voice came through loud enough for them to hear but not too loud. "Unknown vessel, this is Commander Jessie Strauss of the USS John Paul Jones, identify yourself."
With a nod to Gunzou, Alexander spoke first. "This is Alexander Kraus, Captain of the now sunk USS Port Royal. I sail with Captain Chihaya Gunzou and the fleet of Blue Steel and her escorts and resupply ship."
There was a brief pause on the other side of the call before they hear Jessie say, "Tell the rest of the crew to man the railing, and contact the rest of Command; Captain Kraus has returned."
They hear faint 'aye aye ma'am's' come from the other before the crewmen of the John Paul Jones, followed shortly by the other ships started scrambling around the decks, but for a different reason this time.
"Sorry about that Alex, but we lost contact with your fleet and assumed the worst. What happened out there?" Gunzou and his crew gaped, shocked at Jessie's very informal address of her superior.
"I understand Jess. As to what happened... I'd rather not repeat the story more times than I have to, so you are invited to my debriefing, should the Admiral approve." Alexander said as he too dropped formality. The crew of I-401 was dropping their jaws to the floor, hard.
"Our current plan is for I-401 and Kongou to enter port while the resupply fleet holds their positions and wait for further orders. We can catch up when we are both out of these uniforms. Kraus out." Finished, he walked to the prow of the ship. He watched as the John Paul Jones began to turn about for escort detail, several whistle blows and signals going off as midshipmen rushed about the decks.
It was a long silence, with Kraus enjoying the breeze in parade rest, when Gunzou spoke. "Who was she, exactly?" Gunzou, along with his crew, looked very curious about the sudden informality from the stoic captain.
"We... are childhood friends; she lived with my father and I after her father and mother took part in the Great Naval Battle. As they never returned, she stayed with us, becoming the sister that I never had till then. We joined the naval academy together, where she was ranked just behind me." Alexander explained as he got to the prow of I-401, he went to attention as he watched all of the crewmen on the human ships do the same, giving him a sense of pride at being given one of the highest honors in the Navy.
"I see. Short of the sibling situation, I had a classmate in similar circumstances. I desperately wanted her to join me, but she was….unavailable." Gunzou said no more, but his expression was dark, far off. Kotono Amaha; the girl he had a crush on, whom he had carried out of the burning Facility #4. It was shortly after that he had met Iona.
Alexander said nothing as he continued to look out towards Pearl Harbor. Who was he to pry into these matters?
It took about another two minutes to reach the mouth of the harbor. Without missing a beat, Alexander turned to the starboard side; with practiced ease, he raised a crisp salute towards the monument of the Arizona and the dead who died during that dark day of 1941. Once past the tomb he released the salute but remained at attention, turning to face towards the bow once more.
All the while that this was going on, the rest of the members of Blue Steel and Kongou, who had jumped over to I-401, watched as Alexander slipped back into his natural habitat, the US Navy. Makie even made an adorable attempt to imitate Alexander, until Kirishima made her stop as it could be seen as an insult.
Tugboats started to approach the human vessels to put them safely into the dock while Iona slowed and headed for the spot decked out with banners, flags, and several staircases nearby.
As they approached the pier, Alexander noticed people pointing towards him. It would make an odd picture, leaving port with six ships, 1,633 men and returning alone on a different ship with none of the original six ships in sight. I-401 slowed to a stop as a staircase was brought the side of the vessel, to allow everyone off of the boat. With a gesture of his hand, Gunzou motioned for Alexander to disembark first. With an equally silent nod, he took point of the party and led them off the ship as Kongou's hull stopped behind Iona's. As Alexander put his foot on the first step of the stairs, he was greeted with cheers; probably for his survival and return, but also for Blue Steel's arrival.
As he continued to make his way down the stairs, he noticed that there was a more substantial marine presence than usual. Honestly, it was understandable with all that the Fleet of Fog has done to humanity. That, or they just wanted to feel important. Most likely to feel important. But as he reached the bottom of the stairs and following the carpet that was laid out in front of them, he saw a very familiar person standing at the end of it.
As he was about to take a step forward, he felt a tug on his pants leg. As he looked down, he saw that Makie was holding it while looking up at him with a little fear in her eyes. With a soft smile, he reached his left hand out for her to take. Giving a bright smile, she took his hand. He faintly heard some people 'aww' at the sight. As we approached the end of the carpet, there was some muttering going on, but Alexander couldn't understand all of them, but some of them consisted of things about mental models. Most likely trying to figure out who amongst the group following him weren't human. But Alexander did not care for he was a mental model now.
When he finally reached the end of the carpet, he let go of Makie's hand to go to attention and snap off a salute which was quickly returned by the man in front of him. Said man was standing at 6"3' and wore the standard US naval officers uniform for an admiral.
After a moment, the admiral opened his mouth and spoke in a deep baritone. "Captain Alexander Kraus, when you or anyone from your fleet failed to report three days ago, we feared the worst. I will be the first to admit; I almost lost hope that you would return. But I never gave up hope that you would come striding off a ship and give me your report. And so far I'm only half wrong. So where's my report?" Here there were a few chuckles. The Admiral extended his hand towards Alexander, who took it without hesitation only to pulled into a hug. "It is so good to have you back, my son."
"And it's good to be back father. How is uncle doing? Not overworking his heart is he, well then again, Aunt Oppal wouldn't let him do so." Alexander replied while pulling back from the hug slightly before letting go at the sound of a small cough from behind him, "Sorry. Father, this is Gunzou Chihaya Captain of the Fog submarine I-401, beside him is the mental model of the submarine, Iona." He continues introductions till at last, he gets to Makie, "and finally, the most adorable of the group, Makie Osakabe." He finished with a gesture towards Makie who had taken cover behind his leg. She shyly waved before tucking herself further behind his legs.
"I can see what you mean; she is quite cute. Don't tell me you are giving me a grandchild yet; I'm still too young to be a grandfather." He said with his voice taking on a slightly teasing tone.
Alexander looked a little scandalous at that before replying. "Old man, I know for a fact that we just celebrated your 56th birthday not even two weeks before I left, so if you're too young to be a grandfather, then I'm still a toddler." That response got some chuckles from the gathered crowd.
"Cheeky brat, I never understood why you had to get a combination of mine and your mother's humor," He half-heartedly mourned as he hung his head shaking it a little.
"Because if I didn't, you would never have any fun," Alexander snarked back with a smirk on his face. Not long after that, they turned when they heard the sound of running feet.
A man in a lab coat approached them and after slowing down and stopping shortly before his father and snapping off a salute and getting one in return. "Admiral James, they started showing signs of waking not too long ago," He said while out of breath as it seemed like he ran all the way from wherever he worked to report this to the Admiral.
Whatever it was that they were speaking of was shocking apparently as his father looked a little shocked at that. 'Who is waking up and why is this scientist telling my father?' Alexander thought as he watched the interaction attentively.
"...Understood, I will be over there when I finish up here," James said as he got a nod from the scientist. Turning to face the party in front of him he said, "Sorry about that, a large project that we have been studying has apparently become active. I will have someone escort you all to rooms should you wish to stay on the island instead of your ships."
Gunzou, being the only one who knew how to speak some English, replied, "If it's not to much trouble. After being on a ship for so long, especially a submarine, one tends to take any change of scenery that you can get."
"Gunzou, I'm starting to pick up low-level graviton readings from the other side of the island," Iona whispered, to which Gunzou's eyes widened.
Alexander chuckled inwardly as he knew that almost no one knew how to speak or understand Japanese here on the Hawaiian islands.
"I see, that is interesting. Thank you, Iona." Gunzou said back in Japanese while looking over at the two Kraus males. They both were turned to him with an identical expression on their faces, one eyebrow raised in a silent order for him to translate what was said, though Alexander had hidden mirth in his eyes.
Speaking in broken English once more Gunzou said, "Perhaps we could discuss this in a more... private area?"
Almost as soon both of them nodded they heard more running footsteps coming from down the pier. As they turned to the sound, Alexander got a face full of a female's upper chest with two sets of appendages wrapping around his body. The sudden force and weight of the body clinging to him caused him to wave his arms in an attempt to stay balanced, but in the end, it was for naught as he and the woman fell to the ground.
A familiar giggle floated to his ear, lilting and very beautiful to outside observers. He could only turn his head to the side before sighing. "Was that truly necessary, Jess?"
'Jess' nuzzled the top of his now hatless head, not unlike a pet finding it's owner. "I thought you died. So yes, this is necessary." He felt her hold on him tighten slightly, and he nodded.
"If I promise not to die nearly die again will you let me go?" Alexander asked hopefully.
"Perhaps, but I still want to hold you," Jessie replied. Her voice was shaking; she normally wouldn't show this much emotion, but he could guess what she had gone through the past few days. He moved to wrap his arms around her, only to find them stuck in her enormously strong embrace.
"Jess, I need you to let go of me so that I can get up. We can continue this in a more private area," Alexander remarked, still looking to the side as a crowd slowly shifted down the pier; some of them were pointing at the sight of the two officers on the ground.
Before she could reply, no doubt scolding him for being embarrassed, their father's rumbling contralto saved him. "I must agree with him, Jessie. This is best saved for a private area, not on a pier in front of most of the other naval personnel. So stand up."
She stiffened for a split second before quickly letting go and standing up, straightening out her uniform and looking for her hat. As she looked for it, the situation allowed the members of Blue Steel a chance to get a good look at the one Alexander called his sister. Upon that command, her whole demeanor had changed as she stood at attention, face more serious.
She towered at 6"3', long blonde hair that came down to her waist. Her icy blue eyes stood out against her pale skin, not unlike an ocean raging with intensity. If one looked lower- and someone did- they would be greeted with a generous bosom and wide hips. She wore the standard female naval commander uniform, a saber at her side matching Alexander's.
From the stares the crowd- and crew of I-401- was giving, his sister was deemed a looker in their eyes. 'It's a shame she can't join us to America,' Kyouhei whined, still ogling the "very fine example of the female species."
Fighting the urge to draw his saber and run someone through, Alexander started pulling her hair back into a low bun. Rather than commit murder, however satisfying it could be, he went for a light scolding.
"You should not have done that in public. We may be surrogate siblings, but we are also high ranking members of the navy. What they see us do reflects on not only us but also the navy as a whole." His hands worked with practiced ease as he finished while taking the offered hairpin from Jessie, who just stood still lest her hair got pulled.
She sighed as she listened to her brother. "I know that. I do, but… you disappeared for three days before returning with not a single ship or person that you were sent out with!"
"I understand that. I need to speak with you and father in private anyway," Alexander said as he looked over to his father, who gave him a nod then gestured an MP over.
"Take the members of Blue Steel to the guest quarters and get them settled in. I need to speak with Gunzou and my children," he told the Military Policeman. With a "yes sir" the MP motioned for the group to follow him to their temporary quarters. As James watched the group leave, he noticed that Makie was not walking with them.
Alexander did not notice that Makie didn't follow the group as he started looking for his hat when he felt a tug on his pants leg once more. As he looked down he saw Makie holding his hat while looking up at him and not letting go of his pants leg this time. With a sigh he knelt down to her level and asked, "Is everything alright, little one?"
She just shook her head and tightened her hold on the leg of his pants while still clutching on to the hat.
Sighing once more he stood up and called for Haruna. When she quickly approached he asked her, "Can you watch Makie for me till I can get out of this meeting?"
Getting a nod from her her knelt in front of Makie once more. "Makie, I would like for you to go with them. Once I am finished I will be over shortly after, okay." Alexander said as he put a hand on her head. She closed her eyes seemingly enjoying it. After a moment, Makie realised that she still had had his hat in her hand. Pulling back, she stood on her toes and lifted the hat up and placed it on Alexander's head, where he readjusted it with a small smile. As he stood once more he patted her head again before giving Haruna a nod before moving to his father, while hearing the footsteps of Iona and Gunzou following behind him.
As Alexander got closer to his father, he took up standard position for a member of the Navy following a superior. And absently noticed that Jessie was missing her hat with it most likely having of fallen off as she rushed over to him.
As the small group made their way to the Admiral's office, with the true officers returning all salutes sent their way. As they approached the building containing his father's office they heard a vehicle approaching quickly from the side causing the three Hawaiians to look in its direction only to see a Jeep with the US Army emblem emblazoned on the hood and doors. It screeched to a halt blocking the group from making any progress without stepping around the car.
"James!" The passenger door flung open and stepping out of the vehicle was a middle aged man wearing the uniform of an Army Brigadier General. The general roared as he stomped towards the admiral completely ignoring everything else, "Why was I not notified that there were Fog ships just outside the harbor!?"
The Admiral just raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know that I had to tell you anything about anything that doesn't happen on land. However, I can assure you that they will not attack us, at least without provocation. But why are you here bothering me when you could be bothering Martin instead, Andson?" Admiral Kraus spoke in slightly bored tone, but didn't bother holding back his disdain at 'Andson'.
The portly man, only at 5'9", furrowed his bushy eyebrows, probably trying to look intimidating. Before he could open his mouth, a voice was heard from inside the car. "What makes you think that he didn't?"
Out of the back passenger stepped a stern, grizzled 60 year old man dressed in the uniform of a Marine Lieutenant General, his balding head of hair and slight winkels on his face being the only indication of his age. That and the fact that they celebrated his birthday not even three weeks ago, and he was a close family friend. "He came and dragged me from my meal before I could even taste it."
Alexander couldn't help himself, "And an old man like yourself needs all the food he can get to keep up with us young folk." This had the effect of causing his father and Jessie to stifle their laughter, the army general to glare at him, and the guests to once more look at him in shock at his audacity to say something like that.
Martin just looked over at him and rose an eyebrow at him, "I thought that you were reported dead."
With a full blown grin, Alexander replied, "As you can see General, the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
The Marine general just threw his head back and laughed, "So it seems young Alex, so it seems. I would like to know how you survived when you have time to tell me." he said as he reached his hand out for Alexander to shake.
"I should be free tomorrow to regale you in the epic that is my survival," Alexander said as he took the marine's hand, "Of course you would most likely be welcome to the debrief I'm about to give."
Martin was about to speak when Andson, who was getting annoyed at being ignored, growled out, "You should learn to respect your betters boy and not speak till spoken to!"
This caused everyone in the area to look at him. James was the first to speak, "You are, indeed, correct. Everyone knows that your father is the only reason you weren't booted to E-1 a long time ago; it can be difficult to report someone like you when his daddy's rank is over their head. My son on the other hand, worked for his rank ever since OCS! Which, need I remind you, is only one rank lower, despite you being seven years older. So don't speak to me about respect! His voice had risen until it was nearly a roar, leaving the smaller man quivering.
Satisfied that his rant was up to Kraus Family standards, he nodded to Martin before looking to his children. "Let us continue in my office. And Martin, you are welcome to the debrief. Also... I was told a few minutes ago that they were waking up."
This caught Andson's attention, who attempted to puff out his chest in intimidation. "What are you talking about? As a General, I demand to know!" Andrew screeched, his face like an overripe tomato.
"Well Brigadier General Andson," Martin drawled, saying the man's rank with heavy sarcasm as he too stepped up to the shorter man. "The matter is not of any concern to the Army, which has repeatedly expressed interest in not meddling in Naval affairs. Now, with that settled…" He cleared his throat, drawing back to take a deep breath.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BOY? YOU ARE 40 YEARS TOO YOUNG TO DEMAND ANYTHING OF ME AND JAMES!" His voice thundered, shaking the windows of a nearby guard post like a 16" gun salvo. "Go run back to your father and whine about not getting your way, if you dare," He finished sharply, a bloodthirsty tint to his voice.
With his face burning red from both embarrassment and anger, Andson quickly stomped back to the Jeep before closing the door. They could still hear the muffled order for them to return to base. The Jeep roared to life before lurching forward and quickly making a u-turn, heading back the way it came. After a few moments it was out of sight after turning to head inland.
After a few moments James spoke, "Gunzou, neither you or your crew may leave the naval base without an escort. I wouldn't put it past that boy to arrest you all, or arrange for an… 'accident' to happen where no members of the Navy or Marines can stop them," As he was saying this he pulled out one of the few surviving cellphones on the islands and quickly typing a message before putting it away. "I just sent a message to my secretary to make a note for the notice boards in the barracks. This will alert all naval personnel of any trouble that the Army will should start."
Gunzou for his part just looked only slightly put off by what was going on around him. "I understand." He turned to Iona and gave her a nod causing her to open her rings and presumably to send a message to the others so that they could warn the humans.
Seeing the rings appear around Iona, Martin raised an eyebrow at the fact that she was a mental model but said nothing. After she closed her rings and gave Gunzou a nod. They continued on to James' office with no further unexpected interruptions. Upon reaching the office they noticed that the secretary was typing away on her computer. When she lifted her head she quickly stood up to give them a salute before reporting to James, "Admiral. I just finished the announcement, I went ahead and sent it to your computer to await your approval."
"I see, thank you Karin. Why don't you take the rest of the night off." James said as he walked towards the door that seperated the reception area from his actual office.
"Thank you sir. Also, I added a request for next weekend off for my wedding." Karin said as she made her way to the side of the door so as to be ready to leave as soon as the party made it inside.
"Approved. Now, you enjoy your night Karin." Once she left they entered his office where Iona quickly pulled up her rings and scanned the room for any bugs or hidden cameras.
After checking the room she spoke in smooth flawless English, "There are no hidden microphones or cameras in the room," This caused those who have not spent time alongside the fog to look at her in surprise. "All mental models have a translating program."
"Well, I guess that makes sense, what with the Fog being spread across the world." Martin said as he stroked his chin.
"It has been extremely helpful for when we get contracts from those who spoke other languages." Gunzou said as they finished entering the office and closed the door.
"I would imagine," James said to himself as he moved to stand behind his desk. "Now, I believe I should start with the two that you all have been hearing about."
Alexander was the first of those not in the know to speak, curious about who the two his father was speaking about were. "That would probably be for the best father as you are not one to keep secrets from me and Jess."
Martin, who had joined James behind the desk, shared a look with James before raising an eyebrow in a way of saying 'you do it', which caused the admiral to sigh. "The reason we didn't say anything about them before is that after they arrived, they just shut down. It seemed pointless to cause a panic for everyone over what seemed to be nothing. And for who they are, they are the Fog versions of the USS Missouri and USS Arizona."
The siblings were shocked to hear that the Fog variant of the two most famous ships to ever stay in the harbor where back on the island and being monitored. "Your telling us that, somewhere on the island hidden from the public, is the Fog counterpart to one of the most recognized symbols of American naval power of the second World War, and the most tragic loss of life that came from one battle on this side of the panama are here. Now I can see why there was no announcement made about this, half of the people would be calling for them to be used against the Fog while the others would want them set up as museums." Alexander said as he conceded his father's point of not telling anyone that didn't needed to know.
Seeing his son understanding his reasoning he nodded, "Which is why I made it confidential to all those not at least a seventh rank officers."
Alexander and Jessie started to stand up, "Well, that's the end of that and I should have your report done by 0700 hours tomorrow," Alexander said as he led the way to the door. "You have a nice night father."
"Rear Admiral Lower Half Alexander and Captain Jessie, where do you two think you're both going?" James said causing both to immediately halt and turn around in surprise. They looked at each other before turning back towards their father with an eyebrow raised in an nearly identical fashion.
"Could you give us an explanation of why you just called us by ranks immediately above what we currently have." Jessie said as Martin just laughed.
"Way to ruin the surprise James." Martin chuckled out as he shook his head.
"Well I would just wasting time if they left only for us to have to send someone to track them down only to bring them back. Besides, they needed to know that they were getting promoted anyway for reasons beyond favoritism," their father replied with a sigh before turning to look at the both of them, Gunzou and Iona temporarily forgotten. "The two of you are being promoted for different yet connected reasons. Alex, you were originally being awarded this post-mortem, but since you returned and still completed your mission technically of escorting Blue Steel here, despite everything that happened while you went dark, thus laying the case for your promotion. As for you Jessie, it's a simple case of we are down a Captain and you are the best candidate to fill the position."
Sighing once more, Alexander ran a hand through his hair as he thought over his choices quickly. This would probably be one of the last times he will have to talk to his father as he will be to busy with the whole 'harmony between man and Fog' problems, but the promotion was irrelevant as he was a member of the Fog now. Making up his mind he said, "There is something I must tell you three. By normal definitions, I am an undead."
There was a short silence before Jessie doubled over in laughter. After laughing for a moment she composed herself wiping away a tear that started to fall from the corner of her eye, "Oh, that's a good one Alex. What's next, you became a mental model?" She asked before dissolving into a fit of incoherent giggles.
With an expression of deadpan on his face he replied, "As a matter of fact, yes. Before someone so rudely interrupted me," He gave a pointed glare at her, "I was going to say that. I became one after being saved by the Admiralty Code, the supreme leader of the Fog." Hearing him say this caused her to cease her giggling, concern edging into her gaze. All she saw was his deadpan expression and the normal impassive faces of the two Japanese showing that he was, in fact, serious.
"I believe that you should start from the beginning, would you not agree Martin?" their father said as he took a seat as he knew that this would be a story that you had to be sitting down for.
"Most likely. I'm holding you accountable for my boredom if this is not an odyssey like you promised." The Marine General said as he pulled a chair to the other side of the desk across from Alexander.
"To begin; just over three days ago, our fleet anchored at the twenty nautical mile limit, just outside of known Fog patrol patterns. At 1830 hours, radar systems detected a small Fog warship closing to fifteen nautical miles. This is where things went wrong." Alexander gulped, forgetting that as a Mental Model, it was unnecessary. The others in the room watched, showing no judgment as his eyes glazed over.
"I had stressed the importance of not provoking the Fog, but it seemed the orders failed somewhere down the chain of command; at 1840 hours, Zumwalt attacked with it's rail cannon. This of course had little effect, and the Fog destroyer responded in full retaliation. Using conventional weapons only, our ships were destroyed one by one. By 1842 hours, Port Royal was the last ship remaining, with heavy damage to all sections."
He gave a long pause, during which James pulled out a flask of brandy and a shot glass. Pouring it, Alexander grunted in thanks.
Sipping, he continued. "Oddly enough, the Fog destroyer ceased fire for at least another minute before the second wave of attacks hit Port Royal. The force of an explosion, I'm guessing from the magazines, knocked me overboard, with secondary explosions all but vaporizing the ship. It...was no surprise when I came back to no remains."
He stopped, brandy tipping from the glass as his hands shook.
Truly, I've been repressing this for survival's sake, but now… His mind flashed through the faces of each crew member, and he mourned.
Shaking his head, he snapped from his stupor and continued, "Next thing I know, I'm waking up to the voice of a woman. And I was floating in water as she stood above me in the middle of the ocean."
"And let me guess, you made a terrible joke out of spite for everything," Jessie said as she intruded on his debriefing.
With a slight shake of his head Alexander said, "You know me too well, dear sister. Anyway, she told me who, or rather what, she is. The supreme leader of the Fleet of Fog, The Admiralty Code. She seemed very fond of me from what I could gather before I passed out once more."
He lightly swirled the brandy in his glass before downing the glass and giving a sigh. "Well great, seems I can't get drunk anymore," he lamented as he set the glass down for it to be cleaned and put away. He would have to ask Code about that; never get between an Officer and his form of stress relief.
Shaking his head once more he returned to his tale, "I awoke again to pain, a bed of satin, the Admiralty Code, and more pain. When I first saw her face, I truly believed I had died and met a goddess." He coughed, raising a fist to his mouth in an attempt to cover his embarrassment. Amazingly, the others still retained impassive expressions, although his sister had her mouth in a small 'o'.
"Long conversation short, she gave me the choice of becoming a mental model or having a quick death. My choice should be quite obvious. As the Admiralty Code is my only superior in the Fog, I am still able to maintain my oath as an Officer, and she would never ask me to go against humans without a very good reason. Erm...we kissed, probably to start forming my union core, and I passed out again."
"That happened a lot didn't it?" Jessie asked. It seemed she couldn't hold the teasing back anymore, and wasn't alone in that regard.
"The passing out, or the kissing? Or perhaps the latter causes the former, same as his old man, ha!" General Martin jabbed, not to be outdone by Jessie.
Both males of the Kraus family bristled, the Admiral only just holding back his retort as his son continued. "Only one time after that. Please don't mock me, waking up like that can be a very stressful experience. This next time, I awoke to the sound of approaching vessels, Kongou and the hybrid submarine I-401. You would know them as the Fleet of Blue Steel. After I told them of my current state, I got into a... small verbal scuffle with a wannabe princess."
Here, Gunzou quickly raised his arm not in a sling to his mouth where he quickly coughed something along the lines of "Kongou" before lowering it again. Simultaneously, everyone save Iona turned towards him before refocusing on Alexander, who cleared his throat.
"Yes. Now, after setting her in place, we set a course to find and hopefully rescue survivors of my fleet." Here, he took a harder tone, straightening his back. "Gentlemen, it pains me to report that there were none. Upon opening a message left for me by the Admiralty Code, my location was transmitted for the resupply fleet in order to rendezvous, as per Code's orders. That fleet is now outside of the harbor. In addition, the Admiralty Code ordered all members of the Fog there would be no attempts to kill me, under consequences of being marked as an enemy of all. But, to tell the truth, it should be difficult for anyone to harm me."
A wry grin donned on his face, he continued. "Theoretically, if any do face me - which they can, so long as they don't try to kill me - they face the second most powerful Fog ship in the world. Short of the Admiralty Code, I have the strongest processor and Klein Field in the entire Fleet of Fog. As a final gift, I received another message from the Code saying that the resupply ships were to act as my personal fleet, at least before my final hull is constructed."
"Hold on, what do you mean by final hull?" James raised an incredulous eyebrow as he took a sip from his glass of brandy. Jessie and Martin nodded in sync, matching sentiments.
Pouring yet another shot of brandy, he continued. "I meant just that; my final hull, the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, is currently unusable. My core is too new to be able to withstand the strain of launching multiple airwings on top of handling a super carrier. As of yet, the most extensive controlling of a ship that I've done was overriding Kongou, twice." He waved off the Hawaiians' curious faces he quickly said, "Unimportant at this time. Now, after another… confrontation with Kongou, we set out to meet my followers-"
Here James and Jessie put a hand over their faces while Martin choked on the brandy mid-sip, "Easy there Martin," James said, patting his old friend on the back, Jessie's poorly contained laughter mixing with the sickly coughs. Alex merely sat there, his trademark 'deadpan' displayed across his face.
"If you all are quite done, I am nearly finished," receiving nods from the naval officers and Marine General, who recovered from his coughing fit, he continued, "After meeting up with the main composition of the fleet that came here and confirming that there was no additional survivors, we made our way here. And that is all that happened while I was dark." Alexander said finally finishing his debrief.
"Well," Martin started after a few moments of silence filled the office, "I can say with certainty that your story was certainly an epic that rivals the Odyssey. And I am definitely not drunk enough to deal with this."
That broke the tension as one the Kraus family snorted before James said, "You are never drunk enough to deal with things my friend."