well, guess I just set my own new record for the longest time since an update
Chapter 12: Turmoil from deep below
Snow.
As the season transitioned into winter, new changes were also brought about to the scenery around the naval base. Under the grey cloudy sky, the snow continued to fall. Save for the facilities that are kept warm by internal heating system, soon it will be just snow as far as the eye can see.
"Everything is okay here, Ms Tirpitz."
"Got it. That should take care of every facility on the list, let's head back." With the snowfall showing no sign of ceasing soon, Tirpitz along with Z23 was in charge of checking the internal heating system, making sure that they are working properly. After the fuel station which was the last on the list, the duo left the building and returned to where the others were.
"Snow…It sure brings back memories although they aren't necessary the good kind." Looking up the sky as a snowflake landed in her palm, Tirpitz was reminded of her time in the far north. Strange, this time instead of the biting cold and solitude, she felt an unusual eagerness gazing at this white curtain of nature.
Just like them, as the snow kept piling higher and higher all available personnel in their winter uniform have been mobilized to clear off the snow along the passage and around the buildings. But, using that as an excuse some of the Ship Girls instead engaged in a friendly snowball fight. At first they were just fooling around but at some point Deutschland suddenly joined in and declared her the commander. It was also from this point onward that the snowball fight escalated from 'fooling around' to 'total chaos'.
"The blizzard biting into one's flesh, the echoes of grief and woe, the white death which buries everything under the snow, both allies and enemies alike…So this is the infamous Winter War that scarred even the North Union..." watching from the sideline while playing with a snowball in her hand, Z46 cited a poem describing the carnage before her.
"Hey, all of you! Just because you got the permission doesn't mean you can just go overboard!" the moment she got back and saw this mess, Z23 immediately tried to rein in this rowdy bunch to little avail, as per usual. Because the snow only come and stay for a few months, and no time like now to enjoy something, Commander Burai had deliberately turned a blind eye on his subordinates just wanting to have fun.
"That should do it for now." With his shovel stabbed into the ground, Commander Burai was feeling satisfied at the huge pile of snow that he had just cleared off the passage.
"Kommandant, should this be enough?" as he was about to continue, a girl with two giant mechanical arms called out from behind. Commander Burai turned around, and instead of a shovel the girl was pushing and carrying a giant pile of snow with those two mechanical arms.
"Ah, that should be enough, Graf Spee." Admiral Graf Spee, she was the newest addition to the KMS Grand Fleet, along with one other who is currently out on expedition.
Out of all Ship Girls of Ironblood, Graf Spee was sort of an odd case or so Commander Burai deened. Third ship of the Deutschland-class Heavy Cruiser, ever since deployment she had always sailed alone and her service record consisted of only merchant convoy raid duty. While logistic is of course an essential part of warfare, for one of the Deutschland-class, nicknamed 'pocket battleship' by the Royal Navy to be doing only convoy raid is such a waste of potential, he thought. Even during the decisive battle against the Iris Libre and Vichiya Dominion, she was not recalled.
Then about two weeks back, Central suddenly transferred her here along with one other. Most definitely because they felt the need to strengthen this base even more should something like Divergent Chessboard strike again. But the thing about Graf Spee that was of bigger concern to him, was her Rigs or more specifically, the tail.
A Rigs is formed by two main parts, the plethora of cannon turrets, anti-air stations and torpedo pods comprised the armament system, which are all connected to a single central module that housed the Rigs' onboard computer. When authorization is granted, a link will be established between a Ship Girl's Wisdom Cube and the onboard computer, granting them versatility that is limited only by their ingenuity. Also, through said link all information perceived by Ship Girl off-combat and data installed and stored inside the Rigs can be shared and brought up at any time, greatly increasing combat effectiveness.
Because their nation incorporated Siren technology heavily into their design, the Rigs of Ironblood's Ship Girls ended up resembling a Siren in some way with the giant maws and tail, or on the more extreme case, refer to Graf Zeppelin's Rigs. Even then, the Rigs are entirely separable whereas for Graf Spee, the tail is attached to her instead of a central module and beneath all that armor, the tail actually looks biological and not mechanical.
"So where should I put them, Kommandant?" as Commander Burai was somewhat deep in his own thought, Graf Spee asked which snapped him back to his sense.
"More snow should be piling up soon, so for now just put them-" then before he could finish his sentence, a snowball came flying, hitting him and knocked his hat down. From that scene alone, all Ship Girls both those that were taking part in the snowball fight and those that were clearing off the snow nearby, became dead silent like statues.
Without saying a word, Commander Burai picked up his hat and brushed the snow off. Then as he put it back on and did a 180 turn, his eyes seemed to give off a faint glow.
"What did we talk about not going overboard?!" with his shovel, he plowed into the air large masses of snow toward the rowdy bunch that was the root of all this. Well, they had what was coming, thought Z23 as she simply stepped aside and let Commander Burai mete out their punishment.
"Tactical retreat! Everyone, scatter!"
"Hahaha! You lowly animal finally decided you want to have a taste of my might, huh!" having invoked his wrath, the Ship Girls were frantically trying to run away while Deutschland was just being her usual self, prideful and arrogant or simply just too headstrong to accept backing down.
"None of you are getting away, get over here!"
"So…put the snow over where you are then, Kommandant?" because she still hasn't got her answer regarding where to put the snow pile in her hands yet, Graf Spee just went with that last bit from his shout and followed his example.
At that moment, the event which unfolded could only be described as an avalanche. With just a small movement of her wrist, the giant pile of snow was thrown up high, airborne for a few seconds before coming back down. During then, Commander Burai was somehow locked in a tussle of strength with Deutschland and by the time they looked up, it was already too late.
"Oh scheisse." Was all they could muttered, before being buried under said pile of snow.
"Just what the hell are you all doing? You're supposed to stop them, and look at you now." With an annoyed expression, Admiral Hipper dug out the two idiots that were buried underneath the snow while sighing constantly.
"Let this be a lesson for you two, next time I'll leave both of you to freeze to death, you hear?" And once again, Admiral Hipper was acting more superior-like than the actual superior himself. Standing not too far from there, Tirpitz could only pass all this off with a wry smile.
Since the last major conflict or any conflict at all in general, it's already been two months. Two whole months, and not even a single battle between the Azur Lane and the Red Axis save for the usual logistic and convoy raid. Two whole months, and not even a single Siren Emergence. The vast blue sea was shrouded in a terrifying kind of silence.
It could be that the Azur Lane is also in the same state as them, with the top brass still reviewing the combat reports and the troops recovering from the last battle, or preparing for something big that is known only among themselves. But if even the Sirens are showing no movement at all, then this is nothing short of a bad foreboding, a sight of omen.
Always keep your head cool and your wit about you, but this sudden truce is truly nerve-wrecking. It's easier to find those willing to throw themselves into the fray than those dare braving the pain and wait.
As Tirpitz was staring off into the distance, she caught sight of the fleet returning from expedition and quickly ran toward Commander Burai to inform him.
"Kommandant, the fleet on expedition has returned."
"Then let's go welcome them back then get inside. Staying out here under this snow won't do us any good."
Dockyard Caesar.
"Greeting, Kommandant! Ironblood Fleet participating in the joined mock battle with the Sakura Empire has returned! The result was nothing short of satisfactory, sir!" Flagship of the fleet, Scharnhorst stepped forward and gave her report with a salute.
"Excellent work. I await your report, Scharnhorst."
"Sir!" As the returned fleet proceeded inside, Commander Burai then walked toward the last and newest member to the KMS Grand Fleet who was drying her hair with a towel. Short pink hair adorned with two triangular hairclips, a strange single-sleeved hooded jacket over her one-piece blue swinsuit, written on the side of her right thigh was her designation 'U-81' and a Rigs which looks more like a Diver Propulsion Vehicle if anything.
Seeing her still drenched even after wiping with a towel, he quickly took off his coat. Resilient to extreme temperature the Ship Girls and Armada may be, as per his own words 'just because you can take it doesn't mean you should'.
"So, had your fill of fun?" he asked, putting the coat on for her.
"Yes and already craving for more, Kommandant! The folks at Sakura Empire sure know their stuff about submarine warfare but, I still gave them a hard time trying to find me." The girl, U-81 exclaimed with a wide grin, making a V sign with her hand.
"Really now? Must have been quite a frustration for them then!"
"Heheh, you bet it was!"
Submarine – a class of watercraft capable of operating independently underwater for extended period of time. Despite possessing the least amount out of all nations, the Ironblood is the most well-known for their use of Submarine. Their history of Submarine warfare dates back to the first World War, where they're used extensively. However, with the technology of back then the Submarines were much too fragile and slow, even a lightly armed merchant ship can outgun them.
Even then, Submarines remained and became a staple in Ironblood Navy, employing guerilla tactics on freighters, tankers and unexpected merchant ships. Then, during the interval of the two World Wars when the Wisdom Cube appeared, Submarine once again became a force to be reckoned with. One again, the sea rage with great tides and this time, from deep below.
"Oh? All done already? Right on time, then." When the group returned inside, an enticing smell immediately assaulted their nostrils as Prinz Eugen and Leipzig brought the hot cocoa.
"Oy Eugen, where were you the entire time we were shoveling snow?" Recalling the absence of her sister, Admiral Hipper shouted.
"Well, when it's cold I'm not really an outdoor type and since nothing beats a cup of hot cocoa in a day like this, I decided to stay inside. Even Leipzig is here with me." Admiral Hipper then glanced at Leipzig behind Eugen, who was slightly tearing up. With just a glance, she could tell that this girl was coerced into this by her sister.
"And please don't call me a slacker, for someone else here's already doing just that." Following the direction of where her index finger was pointing, Admiral Hipper's gaze stopped at Graf Zeppelin who was also absented and is nonchalantly sipping on her cup of hot cocoa.
"The snowflake slowly descending from the sky…the vantage-point-less flat ground…I hate them all."
"Who are you calling 'flat'!? What the hell is this fleet even?!" ignoring her sister overreaction, Prinz Eugen began pouring the hot cocoa out for everyone. As if the smell wasn't stimulating enough, with just a small sip they felt a new energy spreading to every fiber of their body. The bitterness of freshly brewed cocoa warding off the tiredness and the temperature warming their body up after cleaning the snow outside, everything simply compliments each other in the most natural way.
Enjoying their cocoa with a dash of whipped cream which accentuated the taste even more, the girls engaged in small conversations and chatters. Whereas Commander Burai could be seen occasionally glancing over Graf Spee direction for he was curious as to how she handles the daily live things like holding a cup with those two giant mechanical arms.
Much to his surprise, she's actually quite skilled at it. Exerting just enough force on her thumb and index finger, Graf Spee brought the cup to her mouth without any difficulty at all. She did mention that the mechanical arms are completely separable, it just became a habit of sort to constantly have them on because she used to sortie alone and a lot.
But it was what came next that surprised him the most. After drinking an entire cup of hot cocoa in one go, the foam of the whipped cream was left all over and formed a circle around Graf Spee's mouth. Seeing that, Deutschland immediately took out a handkerchief to wipe them off. Despite the constant grunting that she spouted, it was clear that Deutschland was being rather doting toward and taking care of Graf Spee. Quite a rare sight indeed considering her usual haughty and arrogant attitude.
"They are sister ships of the same class, but I guess it's different how each siblings express their affection toward each other." As Commander Burai was thinking about it, his thought was interrupted by the alarm going off. And not just any alarm, a Siren Emergence at that.
"Finally, some action!" the first cry came from Scharnhorst, full of enthusiasm. Following her example, the other Ship Girls also stood up in excitement as their gazes all focused on Commander Burai. Leaning his head back to finish whatever's left inside his cup, Commander Burai then slammed it down and gave the order.
"All ships, prepare to sortie! Heavy Cruisers and Zeppelin on me, we will go in fast to deliver the first blow and wrest the initiative from them. Light Cruisers and Destroyers, form two additional fleets and have one on standby, we shall not repeat the same mistake from back then. Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Tirpitz, I want anything and everything that is identified as enemy riddled with holes. U-81, until the firefight broke out stay hidden and strike when they least expected. Today we'll fight enough for two-month worth!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
The order had been issued, both commander and troopers alike are eager to finally be able to head into battle once again as they quickly proceeded to their stations. Be it after obtaining the form of human or forsaking one's own humanity to become something even more, one thing remains the same. That is, the only place and way for these soldiers to prove their worth for Father Land's sake is the battlefield, where they shall fan up the flame of destruction.
Just like usual, once Commander Burai had stepped onto the central platform, six container units emerged from under the floor, sprouted several mechanical limbs and began assembling his Rigs. But compared to two months ago, his Rigs had received a major, if not complete overhaul.
After the battle with Tester Beta, his Rigs, the Sieger was heavily damaged and most of the components were ejected on the way back. Per usual procedure, the Rigs were sent back to Central for major repair and improvement. But the one in charge of matters regarding Armada-class equipment, Chief Vicker already had something different in mind, namely the two memory chips which he obtained from Commander Burai. With the data and combat log with Tester Beta, he had rebuilt the Sieger from the ground up, a war machine that can triumph over even the monarch of the deep sea.
Armada-class Heavy Cruiser configuration, codename 'Kaiser'. Armament system:
+4 Triple 283mm SK C/28 turrets, two shoulder mounted, two hip mounted.
+6 Twin 37mm AA SK C/30.
+2 Anti-Torpedo Siren Claws, integrated with Anti-Cruiser blaster.
"Kommandant of Ironblood Navy, Burai Van Streiter, depart!"
From that day onward, the undisputed champion was no more.
Only a man who donned the mantle of King.
the new PR ships are just simply beautiful especially Georgia and Friedrich der Grosse. Beautiful I tell you what