"Halt."
Everyone was unsure of how to respond to this situation, since the Abyssal clearly wasn't armed, and Akashi, the leader of this operation, told them not to fire upon this strange Abyssal who was passively sailing towards them.
Shigure explained the situation to everyone, but gave Akashi a questioning look to ask for her consent before doing so, which she allowed with a small nod.
"This Abyssal visited the 1st Fleet during our sortie, and in our 'friendly' little conversation, she said that Yokosuka was in the Abyssals' cross-hairs, and hinted at how we, the 1st Fleet would be 'the first to witness the dawn of a new age of warfare.'
That was probably hinting at the Flying Dutchman and how it destroyed us at Mikura Jima Island, and she's like a spokesperson for the Abyssal high command."
Akashi nodded as she flicked her wrists and summoned her scalpels in order to wield them like claws as she explained what they were going to do.
"We're going to listen to what she has to say, but if she feels as if she wants to hold out on us…"
Holding up her bloody scalpels to indicate how serious she was about learning more about the Abyssals at all costs, she threatened.
"I know of ways to convince her to cooperate."
Shivering at the implications of torture being used to extract information from a non-combatant, Shigure turned back to the nearing Wo-Class who was less than ten meters away now, visibly observing their injuries and their bloody uniforms, noting the amount of bloodshed and the toll it took on her teammates.
Unryuu had lost her entire left arm and was still bleeding a little as it bloodied her white-green uniform and rigging, and an unconscious Hatsuzuki was missing her left leg and was carried by Hyuga, who wasn't looking too good with her smoking rigging and bloody miko uniform.
Ise was clearly suffering from internal injuries as her uniform was even bloodier than Hyuga's after taking three 16 Inch shells to the torso, and Akitsu Maru, Akashi and Kiso were drenched in the Abyssals' blood and might as well have red paint poured all over their bodies and riggings, and Maya suffered from a broken right arm and several shattered bones and ribs.
Hatsuharu's hair was drenched and was weighing her down, and her right mechanical arm was cleanly sheared off at its joint, Shigure noting the shiny steel that was exposed at the affected cross-section, while Kawakaze and Hayasui looked the least affected by the battle just like her, and they could easily take this Abyssal down even after defeating the Southern War Princess which had taken a lot out of them, especially since Woxanne was unarmed.
The Abyssal was now within speaking distance for them to communicate with each other and be heard, Akitsu Maru brandishing her Anti-Abyssal Benelli M3 Super 90 shotgun as she called out.
"What the hell are you doing here ... Woxanne?"
The silent Abyssal lowered her hands as she leaned in and responded dryly, noting the animosity in their postures and keeping a safe distance in case she had to make a quick getaway.
[I was sent here to determine the status of the Southern War Princess and her Elites.
And even after getting into contact with what remained of the Elites, I had to personally check up on the Princess's status and how she was doing against the dreaded 8th Fleet.
Well, my job's almost done now, since my last objective was to get in touch with you all and learn what she revealed about us.]
"And why should we tell you what we know?"
Shigure could hear Kiso coolly replying, trying to protect the intelligence that they obtained and making sure that their victory wouldn't be compromised, since the Abyssals might prepare countermeasures to stop them should they share with Woxanne what the Southern War Princess revealed before dying.
But Woxanne shrugged as she hypothesized about what the Southern War Princess told them, shifting a little under the number of cannons, firearms and weapons pointed at her as she spoke.
[Hmm, an excellent point.
But still, I suppose you asked about Apocalypse in order to confirm about it being a land assault campaign.
And perhaps asking about why she acted the way she did by forcing Abyssals into her fleet, only to end up facing you and dying anyway.
Quite the asinine action, in my opinion.]
Everyone shifted and gave each other aside glances, and this was what helped Woxanne confirm her suspicions, looking at each and every one of them as she explained.
[There seems a slight misconception about the situation at hand.
You believe that learning about all this, and more, will give you an advantage over us, but please understand this is us giving you all a sporting chance.
As much as we Abyssals wish to wipe out all of mankind for the greater good of Earth, we understand that you ship girls do not deserve to get steamrolled if we were to simply attack everywhere all at once…]
Looking wistful and expressing a lot more emotion than what a rank-and-file Abyssal Wo-Class normally would, Woxanne looked towards them as she continued.
[That's why I will say this, courtesy of my superiors who sent me.
World War 3 will happen, whether you want to or not.
Like how the sun will always rise from the East, nothing you do will prevent this war from coming to fruition.
It'll happen by the year's end, and from there on, the Apocalypse will be fulfilled.
The war will never end unless we Abyssals are either victorious or dead, and should it be the former, we shall usher in the end of an age for all of mankind.]
Ise, wearing a tense smile on her face which looked like a false expression worn in times of stress, was anything but relaxed and was actually itching to reach for her katana, asking nervously in order to learn more about their plans.
"How're you going to do that, hmm?
Last I checked, we have 7 billion humans living on this Earth.
You can't possibly kill them all."
A small chuckle escaped the Abyssal's twitching lips, Woxanne trying her best not to smile as she raised a gloved hand to her sensual lips as she retorted.
[Hm, like you said…
'And why should we tell you what we know?']
Everyone blinked at that, but Woxanne awkwardly waved her hand to comfort them as she behaved a little like an alien being granted human emotions and was experimenting with human behavior as she relented, especially since she was staring down several cannon and gun barrels pointed her way, deadpanning.
[Just joking.
My superiors, Superstar and Brainiac…]
Akashi growled at that as her eyes narrowed, holding her scalpels a little tighter as Woxanne's eyes also narrowed, now knowing that the Southern War Princess revealed their identities since Akashi likely had history with them, and the reason why she would react so negatively to the name-dropping was if she knew who they really were.
[They told me that this was a declassified topic, so I suppose what I'm feeling right now is magnanimity…]
The barest hints of a smug smile graced Woxanne's expression, looking a little unsure of how human expressions worked as she lightly mocked.
[Yes, I feel magnanimous enough to share this information with you all.]
Kiso pulled out a 14 Cm Single Gun cannon as she threatened.
"Hmm, seems like being the spokesperson for the Abyssal high-command seems to have granted you quite the attitude and a sense of humor.
Let's see how they hold up with a 14 Cm shell through your head."
[Die Endlösung.]
Everyone's breath stopped, Shigure suddenly feeling disgusted upon hearing those words even though she hadn't yet downloaded the German language module available to all ship girls in order to learn how to speak German in a split second.
But those words…
Somehow, she had an inkling of what they truly meant, and if that was what the Abyssals were really trying to reenact on all of humanity...
Woxanne lowered her head as her fringe cast a shadow over her eyes, the slight luminosity of her emerald eyes giving her an eerie appearance of a specter as Maya shouted.
"Hey!
Did this bitch say they wanted to reenact 'The Final Solution' on everyone?!"
Shigure felt her heart drop as her worst fears were realized, and since no one answered her question, Maya's breathing increasing in intensity and her expression contorting with hatred as she took action against the Abyssal messenger.
"Fuck this!
Fuck you!"
Rushing forwards, Maya was faster than anyone had predicted after taking the amount of damage she had sustained into account as she used her working left arm to give Woxanne a nasty left hook, standing over the crumpled form of Woxanne as her expression darkened and she roared.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL PLANNING?!
TELL US!"
Akitsu Maru chipped in as she kicked the Wo-Class in the diaphragm, looking equally pissed off as she pointed her Benelli M3 Super 90 shotgun in Woxanne's face and cocked it while threatening through gritted teeth.
"Talk, or else."
But Akashi ordered them to step away from the coughing Wo-Class, pointing out the obvious concerning their interrogation techniques.
"Step away, the both of you.
She said that she was going to tell you anyway, and kicking her in the stomach and making her cough incessantly isn't going to help things!"
Wincing and lowering their heads as though they were kids who were ordered to do something against their will, the two incensed ship girls grudgingly backed away from the still-coughing Woxanne who was sprawled on the ocean surface, asking.
"Well, I assume that your superior 'Brainiac', AKA Yuubari is the one who planned it, right?"
Nodding as she cleared her throat, Shigure saw that she was a lot more expressive about the pain that she felt as she pushed herself up with her arms, gasping as she did so while Shigure noted the bruised cheek and the chest wound which thankfully didn't hinder her ability to speak.
[Yes, although you humans had a hand in helping us come up with an early draft and demonstration during the Nazi occupation of Europe from 1941 to 1945.
We improved upon the efficiency of the extermination process and the theoretical speed in which we 'process' humans…]
Using air quotes to get her point across, Shigure now noted that everyone now really wanted to make Woxanne suffer after learning that they improved upon one of mankind's greatest tragedies and planned to execute it on a global scale.
Admittedly, it almost seemed inevitable, with how the Abyssals seemed to behave like machines and never wasted any time on things like sentiment or emotions, likely prioritizing efficiency over everything else as the Abyssal war machine plowed on relentlessly, with no hints of stopping.
It'd stand to reason that they preferred a method of genocide that would be fast yet clean, since a mountain of bullets would be wasted on just one country's inhabitants if they went with mass executions via firing squad.
Woxanne felt their overwhelming animosity, and finished her sentence quickly so as not to piss them off even more with her words.
[... and this will be what awaits all of mankind when we kill the last ship girls.]
Shigure asked, morbidly curious about how fast they could wipe out all of mankind on paper as she piped up with a question.
"How long before you wipe out every single human on Earth?
I mean, if we were to lose?"
Everyone turned to face her, from her fleet-mates as Ise, Kawakaze, Maya, Hatsuharu and Hyuga gave her the 'What the hell?' face, and the 8th Fleet either raised their eyebrows or or gave her the 'Dude, not the time!' look.
But Woxanne looked down, seemingly noting Shigure's meek presence amidst strong ship girls who overshadowed her as she seemed genuinely curious about her, and her question.
[Interesting.
Shigure of Yokosuka, member of the 1st Fleet, here in a battle against an Abyssal Princess.
Perhaps to get stronger in preparation for what comes next, hmm?
Well, as to your question…]
Woxanne stroked her chin with her gloved hand as she considered the question, before answering with a rough estimate.
[Based on the latest meetings that I had the honor of attending, the usage of hydrogen bombs to make our jobs easier and taking into account the theoretical amount of casualties in World War 3 should reduce it to anywhere from 30 to 50 years.]
Everyone recoiled at that, never expecting the Abyssals to have refined the killing process to such an extent, and also using hydrogen bombs which utilized a fusion reaction to produce a explosion that far outclassed the yield of any atomic bomb with very little radiation in the fallout of the explosion, the Japanese being terribly acquainted with such things after having two nukes dropped on them.
Woxanne picked up the ends of her cape as she brought them out, bending her knees a little in a curtsy as she started sailing in reverse and ended the conversation with her next line.
[The next time we meet, we'll do so as enemies on the battlefield.
Good luck for the Battle of Sagami-nada Sea, Yuubari-sama wishes to commend your use of submarines to lay naval mines as an excellent countermeasure.]
Akashi didn't seem fazed by the line about them realizing what the submarines of Yokosuka were up to, but instead asked a question of her own to sate her personal curiosity.
"If Yuubari is still like anything I remember her to be, she'll want to have a talk with me after this.
Where is she?"
Turning back to proudly display the stylized Abyssal 'A' shark-symbol on her back as she considered the question while stopping in her tracks, Woxanne eventually faced her and responded with an enigmatic answer.
[Yuubari-sama indeed wishes to speak with you.
But Yuubari-sama is a important person in the Abyssal hierarchy, and she is busy with the final preparations for the Battle of Sagami-nada Sea and World War 3 later down the road.
But she personally swears that she'll find some time to talk to you after the Battle of Sagami-nada Sea, where she'll have finished almost everything on her agenda.]
Akashi said nothing in reply, but gave an almost imperceptible nod in response which satisfied Woxanne, turning as she raised her right hand to give them a wave while she sailed away, everyone staying silent as they kept their weapons trained on her while she sank back into the ocean.
And finally, after Woxanne's hair disappeared beneath the surface of the ocean, everyone collectively exhaled as they sheathed their weapons and Kawakaze gave Shigure a lazy aside glance as she commented on Shigure's curiosity.
"Maa, Shigure-Aneki.
I know that you're curious and want to learn about a lot of things, but I think that there're some questions that you really shouldn't ask, especially asking about Abyssals and their 'Final Solution' plan."
Shigure shrugged as she holstered her 12 Cm Single Gun cannon as she responded, trying not to look embarrassed at how everyone was giving her strange looks and looked tired after fighting the Southern War Princess and confronting Woxanne, learning even more about the the Abyssals' plans and their intention to wipe out all of mankind with the most inhumane, yet efficient method of mass extermination.
"W-Well, I was just interested in just how advanced their technology was, and how advanced it was compared to our current technology..."
Unryuu huffed as she lowered her conducting staff, remarking how it was logical for them to use everything at their disposal to make the extermination of mankind as efficient and swift as possible.
"Hmm, it certainly makes sense if they were to use hydrogen bombs before they started the extermination process, since they would have increased its potency while decreasing the amount of radioactive fallout it would leave behind.
After all, they often made distinctions between wiping out mankind and destroying Earth itself, it would make sense for them to try and accomplish the former without causing the latter.
Akashi sighed, now looking very tired as she sheathed her operating equipment and simply ordered, wanting to go home and get some rest before working on healing the injured.
"Time to go home.
I don't want to waste any more time here, we can do the thinking at home."
Shigure nodded tiredly and felt the fatigue setting in while the adrenaline in her body wore off, and since she was an unremodeled ship girl who hadn't gotten enough physical conditioning compared to Kai Ni ship girls and Kawakaze and Maya, she was feeling rather tired even though she was a support ship.
Everyone relaxed after hearing that, their taut expressions relaxing as they started up their boat slippers while sheathing their weapons and deciding to call it a day, Shigure's HUD displaying,
'18th April 2015
2.27 a.m.'
Akitsu Maru grunted as she holstered her Benelli M3 shotgun while agreeing with her flagship.
"Amen to that."
Having sailed in the direction of Yokosuka Naval Base for a while, Shigure was pretty much sleepwalking as her body was on autopilot, her mind on 'Sleep' mode while she was standing up on the ocean and her boat slippers were propelling her forwards, trying to take a quick nap so as not to wear herself out after her second night operation, the first being the disastrous battle of Mikura Jima Island.
These operations interfered with her sleep cycle, and she really didn't want to suffer from fatigue after going on two night operations in a row.
But everyone else here were experienced ship girls and knew how to stay awake to make sure that they weren't ambushed on the way back home, understanding that out here on the ocean, despite being in the Safety Zone, there was still an element of danger and uncertainty that should never be overlooked, and the last thing they needed was to sail into another Abyssal patrol fleet in their weakened state, and it was wiser for them to evade said Abyssal fleets in their current condition.
But a hand on Shigure's shoulder gently shook her awake, Kawakaze whispering into her ear in order to warn the sleepy Shigure as she awoke with a start.
"Shigure-Aneki.
We've got company."
Waking up and immediately swiveling her head around to scan for threats, Shigure blanched as she instinctively reached for her 12 Cm cannon, asking worriedly.
"A-Are we going to have to fight more Abyssals…?"
Shaking her head, Kawakaze jutted her thumb out towards Unryuu, the carrier who possessed the radar with the longest range, and explained the situation to her sister.
"Nope.
We believe it's another drop after a battle with the Abyssals."
A blank stare was what Kawakaze received, and she tried to explain a very unusual mechanic of their world, where the death of Abyssals could potentially spawn a fellow ship girl, likely as a reward for their efforts.
"Sometimes, when we defeat some Abyssal fleets, a ship girl is spawned on the ocean as a 'reward', you see.
We ship girls and humans theorize that this 'reward spawning' system is connected to the 'Abyssal/ship girl reincarnation' theory and how life and death is closely intertwined such that the deaths of Abyssals could result in a ship spawning in order to balance the scales.
It's mostly luck-based, certain ship girls can only be found in certain locations, and most of the time, they only spawn if we score a decisive victory against the Abyssals, like our battle against the Southern War Princess.
And Unryuu-san detected that another ship girl's been following us for a while now."
Nodding along with Kawakaze's explanation, Shigure asked about how this system worked, and how it was somewhat karmic, in a sense.
"Interesting.
Much like how a sunk ship girl who possesses regrets can be corrupted into being an Abyssal, can we theoretically say that the death of Abyssals would help them pass on, and they can potentially be reborn as ship girls who then spawn on the ocean?"
Unryuu sailed up to them in order to discuss about the subject at hand, having regained her humanity as her voice was no longer empty and focused, and her expression was a neutral bored look which was preferable to her heartless and utilitarian expression which prioritized efficiency and stoicism over everything else.
"Well, this is all theory since we have no concrete way of proving that the 'reincarnation theory' is true, but people see ship girls and Abyssals as essentially two sides of the same coin.
If you wish to get philosophical, should a ship girl sink, she slips into the darkness of the ocean and is reincarnated as an Abyssal, and if a Abyssal were to be reborn as a ship girl, she rises from the darkness and floats towards the surface, towards the light.
Comparisons have been made to the lotus flower, which rises from the mud before blossoming, unstained and untouched.
The Abyssals may thrive in the dark, but death, to them, is the catalyst which helps them to pass on, be reborn and rise from the dark ocean to be reborn as ship girls again."
Shigure turned to her, remembering the fact that Unryuu also spawned from the bottom of the ocean, after a hard-fought battle which claimed the life of Taihou and allowed Unryuu to enter this world.
"Unryuu-san, you were also spawned as a reward after a battle, right?"
Kawakaze elbowed her in the side, but it was too late as Unryuu blinked after hearing that sentence and was reminded of her past, looking away as her expression darkened and she nodded in agreement while continuing her explanation.
"Yes.
For us, life and death are intertwined in a cycle.
And in a sense, I suppose killing an Abyssal is to cleanse them of their hatred and pain, and a ship girl spawning may be seen as the one positive thing that may come out of all the bloodshed and death."
Kawakaze nodded sagely, asking about the new ship girl who had risen from the depths and was to be brought back to their base as a comrade.
"Hate to cut this philosophical session short, but who's the ship girl on your radar, Unryuu-san?
Heavy cruiser?
Destroyer?"
Unryuu shook her head as she corrected her concerning the mysterious signature.
"It's actually a carrier."
Kawakaze raised an eyebrow, whistling in an impressed tone and idly remarking.
"Looks like we got lucky today, eh?"
Before letting her sister in on just how rare a carrier drop was when compared to a rank-and-file destroyer or cruiser drop,
"Carriers, like battleships and certain light cruisers, are extremely rare drops, since they're either categorized as large or rare ships.
Nagato-san, Kaga-san and Zuikaku-san, amongst others, are sorted into the former while Akitsu Maru-san and Yahagi-san are in the latter.
They require a lot more resources and time to craft and are thus considered a very lucky drop since we can bypass the construction phrase to immediately get an operational carrier or battleship."
"Or amphibious assault ship."
Akitsu Maru took this as the chance to attempt to get a word in edgewise in order to insert herself into the conversation, and got three blank looks in return.
She lowered her bloody gloved finger as she commented meekly,
"You don't care.
I got it.
I'll shut up."
And proceeded to walk over to where a bloody Kiso was and pretended to cry on her shoulder and used her cape as a tissue, unknowingly earning her the stink eye from the cranky torpedo cruiser who was tired of her theatrics so early in the morning.
Unryuu also rolled her eyes after seeing her friend react so dramatically to their lack of reaction, Shigure sweat-dropping as she realized that close to each other the 8th Fleet may be, perhaps their annoyance with each other's antics 24/7 was also an integral part of their fleet dynamic.
But Unryuu revealed something else which seemed to put everyone on edge, simply due to how unexpected it was.
"There's something else I should add.
The carrier signature…
It's American."
Everyone went silent and gave Unryuu aside glances, Shigure feeling the tension rise again as she asked.
"U-Um…
We're friendly with the Americans, right?
So why's everyone so on edge?"
Kawakaze tilted her head, jaw muscles taut as she nervously replied.
"Maa, Shigure-Aneki.
It ain't about the friendliness thing, we don't have any beef with the Yanks.
It's just that we might expect some resistance in getting her to come with us."
Shigure blinked, before connecting the dots in her mind as she physically tensed up as well, following in her teammates' lead in keeping a hand close to her holstered 12 Cm Single Gun cannon.
A ship girl who was spawned in her own country's waters while only retaining memories of her World War 2 days would be easily convinced into coming back to the mainland with the fleet and would then be brought up to date on recent events.
However, a ship girl who spawned in 'enemy waters' while retaining her memories of World War 2 would likely resist should ship girls whom she immediately designates 'the enemy' try to 'capture' her, regardless of how they tried to convince otherwise.
Akashi slowed down, turning and performing a 180 as she coolly ordered.
"Everyone.
Get the American carrier to come back with us.
Non-lethal force only.
That's an order."
Akitsu Maru unsheathed her katana as she had a gleeful grin on her face, ready for another fight as she remarked.
"But we can threaten her with lethal force, right?"
Akashi scoffed as she broke out into a run, her fleet following behind as she commented on how she couldn't care less.
"I don't care.
Disarm her, and she'll be harmless enough.
We won't hurt her, but she doesn't need to know that."
Shigure could only express a disapproving,
"Akashi-san!"
Before everyone rushed towards where Unryuu was headed, Shigure gawking at how they were going to threaten the American into following them back to Yokosuka.
But deep down, she knew that if they didn't force her to come with them, she'd probably put up a fight and refuse to be captured, and since she would have to sail across the Pacific while not knowing about the Abyssal threat, it was essentially a death wish if they left her out here alone.
Straining her bionic eyes in order to see who it was, she heard Kawakaze shout behind her in order to let her know who it was.
"It's Saratoga!
CV-3!"
Saratoga was a tall woman with brown hair tied up in a ponytail, and her hair reached down to shoulder length.
She wore a red ribbon with white and yellow highlights around her neck and was dressed in a white, short-sleeved long dress, her rigging secured around her waist like most of the Japanese light carriers Shigure knew and had two Anti-Air cannons to protect herself, the words 'S A R A' printed on it in large white fonts.
She had bountiful breasts that were barely hidden away by her uniform, and her red-black belt was secured her dress to her waist while her red stockings were held up by what Shigure assumed was a garter belt, several extra drum magazines hidden within the insides of her skirt as it barely flared up due to the wind, and several straight magazines strapped to her thighs as she, much like Japanese battleships, had rudders as the heels in her boat slippers.
She was wearing her smoke stack as a beret or a lopsided hat of sorts as it had the 'E' symbol stamped on it, and in her left hand was a Thompson submachine gun with her flight deck positioned horizontally above said submachine gun, with a straight magazine to feed 'ammunition' into the firearm in order to launch warplanes from her flight deck with drum magazines available for larger capacity.
The American carrier seemed shocked upon being found out and seeing several bloody Japanese ship girls sprinting towards her, something Shigure could understand since she had also suffered from the same misconception before, and at one point didn't think that being reincarnated into human bodies meant that they could use their legs and boat slippers to sprint and jump and spin and…
Well, you got the idea.
Saratoga looked panicked as she stopped before trying to put her boat slippers into reverse, speaking concernedly into her wireless radio in order to send a distress signal in English.
{...Does anyone read me?
This is CV-3, Saratoga!
I'm stranded in Japanese waters, and I require assistance!
I'm outnumbered, mayday, mayday!}
She raised her Thompson submachine gun in order to try and send out some planes in order to stave off the inevitable as she fumbled with the weapon, but Kiso was already in the air as she performed a Flying Thunder God with surgical precision, splitting the firearm horizontally in a spinning splash before landing on the ocean.
Kiso and Saratoga's gaze met, the carrier sensing the faux-killing intent which was left over from her battle with the Southern War Princess, cutting her losses as she scrambled away from the torpedo cruiser before she got hurt by a torpedo or cannon shell.
Akitsu Maru brandished her katana Kagutsuchi, and let loose a streak of flames as she slashed downwards while making sure to deliberately miss the Lexington-Class carrier, Saratoga stumbling out of the path of the flames before they could scorch her, not that the amphibious assault ship was aiming to kill her anyway.
Everyone was panting as they caught up to the duo, surrounding the American carrier as they brandished their weapons, Kiso picking up the cleanly sheared-off portion of Saratoga's submachine gun, Akashi raising an eyebrow as she looked at the destroyed weapon.
"Well, when I said 'disarm her', that's one way of going about things…"
"Well, did you want me to 'disarm' her entire bloody arm from her body?"
Kiso cheekily stuck out a tongue while giving Akashi the middle finger with her left hand which was still holding her cutlass with the flight deck cradled underneath her right arm, Akashi chuckling before addressing Saratoga seriously in English, Shigure feeling extremely confused all the while since she was unable to understand a single word of it.
{Well, now…
You're outnumbered, and your homeland is an entire ocean away.
Trust me when we say this, you do not want to be out here in the dead of night.}
Saratoga looked rather surprised upon seeing an IJN ship girl speak English, but recovered and asked warily.
{... And am I right in assuming that you want me to come back to your base as a prisoner of war?}
{Well, the war's already over, so we don't really have any beef with you Yanks.
We just want you to come quietly with us.
But if you want to resist our peaceful attempts to convince you to come with us, know that you're missing a submachine gun, and despite being weakened, we're fully capable of taking you down.}
Kiso explained the situation to Saratoga, and despite knowing she was outnumbered, Saratoga dared to ask about why an amphibious assault ship, a repair ship and a fleet oiler was on the front lines, the backup fleet being a far more logical choice to be placed up front and center.
{If I may ask, why are auxiliary ships out here?
You're weaker than traditional warships, and you're never meant for front-line combat, so do you all look as though you've been through Hell's Highway?}
The 8th Fleet looked at each other, sighing collectively as Akashi explained the basics of being a ship girl and how it differed from being a conventional warship.
{You see, we're no longer just warships, we're ship girls, y'know, ships taking the form of human girls?
We have these now?}
Using both her arms to cup her breasts as she pushed them up, and only now was a slightly embarrassed Saratoga made aware of the fact that she was a woman instead of a ship, taking a second to study her arms and her body while Akashi leaned in to explain to an extremely lost Shigure.
"I told her that she was a ship girl, and that she now has a body of a human.
This is the first thing you should tell them upon meeting a ship girl after they've been spawned, since they'll mostly act on instinct and may sail for a while without realizing that they've been reincarnated into human bodies.
Because as a warship, 'common sense' would dictate that you sail while staying still, so why would you ever realize what your new body feels and acts like until it's time to use it in battle?"
Shigure's eyes lit up in understanding, realizing that this was why Saratoga hesitated in using a human firearm to send her planes out, since despite being created with an innate knowledge about how a Thompson submachine gun worked in order to use it in battle, the 'future shock' from having to use to a human hand and a human firearm to send her planes out was too much for her, causing her to fumble with her submachine gun and allowed Kiso the chance to 'disarm' her.
Turning back to address the Lexington-Class carrier in English, she gave the Saratoga an ultimatum as she flicked her scalpels out of her wrists in order to threaten her with what Shigure knew were idle threats, but like she said, Saratoga didn't need to know that.
{Allow me to put this in simpler terms.
We don't want to fight you, but we just got back from one hell of a battle.
So forgive us if we aren't in the mood for diplomacy.
When I said that you're coming quietly with us, whether it's as a prisoner of war or as a corpse, we don't care either way.
I'm a repair ship, so I can resuscitate you with the medical equipment back in our base.
Your choice.}
Brandishing her Anti-Abyssal scalpels that were sticking out through the webs of her fingers like claws, Akashi's demeanor hardened as she explained.
{And despite being a 'weak repair ship', these scalpels were created to easily pierce the armor of a battleship in order to allow me to operate on them.
So would you like to see how your armor holds up against these blades?}
Blanching at Akashi's threat with her sharp medical scalpels, Saratoga looked around and noted that Kiso sliced through her weapon with ease, and could easily do the same to her.
She was a fast-speed carrier, but she no longer possessed her submachine gun and the flight deck attachment that came with it, the remnants of her weapon in Kiso's hands as she silently contemplated the situation.
And finally, everyone exhaled a little as she raised her hands in surrender, clearly expecting the worst as the life went out of her body as she probably expected them to treat her cruelly, like what IJA soldiers did in World War 2.
Fortunately for her, the IJN ship girls of this day and age wanted nothing to do with their old shame, Akashi, Akitsu Maru and Kiso sheathing their weapons as they turned away and continued sailing back to Yokosuka, Maya gruffly ordering her as she looked as if she was trying not to let the pain of her broken bones escape her tough demeanor.
{Move.
We should be able to make it back to Yokosuka by morning if we go at full speed.}
Everyone was quiet as they began shifting their boat slippers to full speed and began sailing back home, Saratoga in the middle of the formation both as a means of making sure she didn't break formation and try to escape, and to protect her against any potential Abyssal threats that may see her as an easy target should she be placed at the flank or the rear of the formation.
Shigure heard Kawakaze try to get her attention, whispering to her in a hushed tone as she tried to get her to talk to the new ship girl.
"Yo, Shigure-Aneki.
I think we should try and talk to Saratoga-san to try and know her better, I can't deal with this awkward silence for the entirety of the damn journey.
And to be honest, I don't want to be the only one to talk to her, since I'm not sure if I have much to talk to her about."
Shigure considered the notion, before nodding in acceptance, noticing Saratoga glancing in their direction after they mentioned her name, and Shigure was pretty sure that a newly spawned ship girl really wouldn't want to speak with someone who was drenched in the blood of her enemies, which eliminated about 80% of the ship girls present.
Shigure asked Kawakaze about how she was going to talk to Saratoga when she didn't speak English, and Saratoga didn't speak Japanese.
"Um, I don't speak English, and Saratoga-san doesn't speak Japanese, so how're we going to communicate with each other?"
Kawakaze gave her a generous grin upon hearing that, Shigure noting a torrent request pop up on her HUD as her sister ship explained.
"Well, don't worry about that, Shigure-Aneki!
As ship girls, we can learn entire languages in mere seconds, and all we have to do is to torrent our language modules with each other and extract the files within to learn the language instantly!"
Accepting the request, Kawakaze turned to a genuinely curious Saratoga as Shigure felt her mind get flooded with knowledge of the English language, hearing how the English words which came out of Kawakaze's mouth went from 'undecipherable language' to comprehensible sentences in her mind.
{Yo, Saratoga-san!
How would… learn the … language in several seconds?"
Saratoga seemed a little apprehensive upon hearing that, a little skeptical about such advanced technology existing as she responded doubtfully in English, and Shigure could now understand her words.
"Um, I'm not sure if such advanced technology exists.
I mean-"
She was interrupted by Shigure attempting to speak English for the first time, articulating the English words with a Japanese accent.
"Um, Saratoga-san…
We… are created with advanced technology… far beyond… anything we can ever hope to imagine.
So for us… it's… not impossible."
Saratoga looked surprised upon hearing that, wondering out loud.
"Hmm?
I was certain that you looked absolutely lost when we were using English to communicate with each other, so how?"
Kawakaze likely sent Saratoga a torrent request, because the Lexington-Class carrier suddenly looked rather surprised at the request popping up in her vision as she waved her hand around in order to try and manually press the 'Accept' button, Kawakaze and Shigure raising their arms to try and calm the American carrier down while Kawakaze explained.
"U-Um, Saratoga-san?!
You don't have to press the 'Accept' button with your hands, you just need to allow it into your mind!"
And eventually, Saratoga winced as the knowledge of the Japanese language seeped into her mind, and she attempted to speak in Japanese for the first time.
"A-Am I speaking Japanese….correctly?"
Shigure visibly relaxed as she comforted the carrier, and used her native language to try and get Saratoga acquainted with the Japanese language, since she was likely going to be speaking it for the entirety of her time in Yokosuka.
"Yes, yes you are.
My name is Shigure, and this is my sister ship Kawakaze."
Saratoga blinked, likely remembering something from her memory archives as she confirmed with the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer.
"So you're Shigure of Sasebo, am I right?"
Shigure nodded, Kawakaze puffing her cheeks out as she remarked.
"Hey!
What am I then, chopped liver?"
Saratoga looked a little bemused at Kawakaze pretending to throw a tantrum, but was still rather hesitant to open up to them as she cautiously asked.
"Um, if it's not too much to ask, what date is it?
I would like to synchronize my clock since my clock's stuck at..."
Saratoga's expression darkened as she lowered her head, and Shigure dared to lightly pull on the hem of her skirt to get her to focus on the present, asking meekly.
"Since when, Saratoga-san?
U-Um, if you don't mind me asking…"
But Saratoga gave her a weak smile as she grasped the two halves of her Thompson submachine gun as she revealed.
"It's alright.
If I'm not mistaken, you and I aren't supposed to be enemies in this day and age since the war's already over, so there's no need to keep things from each other.
My clock's stopped on the 25th of July, 1946."
Shigure mentally ran through the history books she had read thus far, and finally remembered that the stated date was the date of the Baker Test, during Operation Crossroads.
The same thing happened to her when she was summoned, and her clock had stopped on the 24th of January, 1945, which was the day she sank in battle, before she recalibrated her calendar and clock to display the right time and date.
She had read up on this, and most theoreticians compared this extremely common phenomena to a plane crash, and how the watches that were retrieved from the crash site all displayed the same time to show the same date and time immediately before impact.
A warship's last recorded date would hypothetically be the date of her sinking during or after the war, and every incarnation in the present age would have their clocks stopped at the exact date and time when they sank.
Kawakaze nodded understandingly before giving her the information needed.
"Well, today's date is the 18th April 2015.
The time right now is 2.49 a.m."
Saratoga nodded, taking note as she looked down at the Fairies manning her rigging.
And Shigure was surprised to see that the American Fairies had painted on a banner and hung it on the outside of Saratoga's rigging to keep Japanese Fairies out, although it wasn't so much out of genuine malice and more 'little boys keeping girls out because of cooties', the banner crudely displaying.
WARNING!
}:-(
NO JAPZ ALLOWED!
While Kawakaze's Fairies were visibly booing and held up signs that said,
'Learn to spell!', and
'HAHA OWNED!'
Amongst others.
Saratoga was interested in these little technicians as she studied them at a distance, watching them maintain her rigging and going about their business, asking.
"These little critters…
What are they, to be able to function while possessing such deformed limbs and such small bodies?"
Kawakaze shrugged as she simply commented.
"No one really knows where they came from, despite our studies and attempts to understand their origins.
Just know that we can understand each other, and are integral in keeping our weapons, riggings and bodies in working order."
Nodding in acceptance, Saratoga looked down at Shigure as she asked about what had occurred after her sinking in order to catch up on recent events.
"I'd like to ask.
What happened between World War 2 and the modern age?"
Shigure wracked her mind to try and simplify almost 70 years of history into the span of a few minutes, before Kawakaze raised her hand to calm Shigure down as her face started to feel hot and her mind start to overload after going through all the historical events of the world.
"Maa, we can do the history lesson when we're back at Yokosuka, where we can get in touch with the Americans to get you up to date on recent events."
Shigure exhaled as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, Kawakaze raising a finger as she sent her a torrent request and showing her their most recent battle.
And after Saratoga reviewed Kawakaze's experiences in the battle against the Elites and the Abyssal Princess in the span of fifteen seconds, all she could muster was a creeped out,
"Who… or what, was that?
Those pale beings..."
Kawakaze shrugged as she shared with Saratoga what she knew about their sworn enemies.
"They're what you call the Abyssals, and we fight to defend mankind from them, and you can think of us as two sides of the same coin.
They don't differ too much from us other than our appearance, humanity and our prime directives, since like what you saw, they look...different.
Unlike us ship girls who possess feelings and a working personality, the Abyssals don't bother too much with these things and are mostly machine-like and efficient.
And unlike us, who want to protect mankind, they want to wipe everyone out, and when I say 'everyone', I mean all seven billion of us."
Saratoga blinked, and took a second to take in the fact that there were so many humans that depended on them, wondering out loud.
"Seven billion…
Has it been that long, I wonder?"
"Of course."
Akashi slowed down to meet their pace, looking towards Saratoga as she introduced herself and explained to her what she was supposed to do for her.
"My name's Akashi, the repair ship of Yokosuka.
As the one who's responsible for the well-being of everyone in my base, I want to have a talk with you after this.
Because right now I'm…"
Gesturing to her bloody uniform, headband and rigging, Saratoga nodded meekly as Akashi continued on.
"Look, I feel like apologizing for our blunt attitude back there…"
But Saratoga was quick to respond, shaking her head as she reassured the repair ship.
"No, I understand.
I got the memory file from Shigure here about the enemies that you fought, and that one Abyssal with the two weapon stacks…"
Shivering in dread upon recalling the Southern War Princess's murderous aura, Shigure waited for her to calm down before continuing.
"And you engaged them in the dead of night, so I understand if you might be cranky-"
"No."
Akashi politely interrupted Saratoga's speech, stating things from her point of view.
"You're right, I'm tired, weakened, and my day's been ruined in more ways than one.
But I shouldn't have allowed that to influence my judgement and make me resort to threats to get you to come with us at the end of the day.
Although I explicitly ordered that nobody was to use lethal force on you, I didn't say a thing about threats, and I think that as a repair ship, I should have handled that situation better by forbidding that too."
Meeting Saratoga's gaze, Akashi deadpanned as she was serious about apologizing to her so as not to start their relationship on the wrong foot, especially since she needed to check up on Saratoga.
"You'll eventually learn that I don't say this very often because I don't make a lot of mistakes, but I'll say it now.
I'm sorry."
Saratoga blinked, before lowering her eyes and nodding in acceptance, Shigure silently listening as Akashi continued.
"Anyway, I need to have several sessions with you, primarily because you weren't supposed to spawn here.
And before you ask…"
Raising a hand, Shigure patiently waited for Akashi to explain herself instead of interrupting her with a question.
"The battle we fought with was with an Abyssal who was supposed to be anywhere but here.
She moved from Savo Island, and formed an armada on the way here which we wiped out before engaging her.
The thing is, moving from her designated location likely screwed up the spawn system, and us winning the battle must've screwed up the spawn system enough to drop you here instead of some random IJN ship girl.
So you're an error drop, since you were a foreign ship which wasn't supposed to be dropped here."
Shigure quietly asked her red-haired sister a question, asking about foreign ship girls in their base and how they came about.
"What about Z1 and Bismarck?
They're also foreign ships, but I heard that they can be constructed or obtained under special circumstances…"
Kawakaze answered her question since she was the senior sister here, and thus knew more about Yokosuka's ship girls and their histories.
"Oh, Z1 and Bismarck came from Germany, after Bismarck survived the disastrous Battle of the Indian Ocean in 2004, and Germany sent Lebe to inform Bismarck that she was reassigned to Yokosuka as they both made their way here.
You're right about the 'constructed or obtained under special circumstances', and in this case, it's the latter since Z1 was obtained after our ships completed a special mission for the Germans in order to obtain Z1, and Bismarck was sent as the cherry on top."
Furrowing her brows, Shigure asked how a battleship would be considered the 'cherry on top' in a overseas transfer of ship girls when compared to a destroyer.
But the answer was part intriguing and heartbreaking, Kawakaze answering her with a hushed tone so as not to interrupt Saratoga and Akashi's conversation.
"Oh, it's quite sad, really.
She was from the Bremerhaven Naval Base in Germany, but she's known for being an omen of death, despite not having a history as colorful as, well...you, Shigure-Aneki.
She caused the death of HMS Hood, French cruiser Montcalm, Z3, an entire armada's worth of ship girls in '04, and recently Z1.
Her being sent here indefinitely is the same as her homeland exiling her and getting rid of her for good, especially since I last heard that they crafted another Bismarck in Bremerhaven in order to replace her.
Practically sent her over for free, like they wanted nothing to do with her."
Shigure nodded solemnly as she noted Akashi discussing several matters with a serious and attentive Saratoga concerning what she wanted to discuss with her in the near future.
"Well, several topics that most summoned or spawned Saratoga need to talk about is their past war experiences and Operation Crossroads, because we want to make sure that you've properly come to terms with your past and are comfortable with sharing it with others.
Something else which we might have to help you get used to is the fact that you're the first American ship girl in Yokosuka, and we need to help you get used to the possible loneliness that might arise as a result."
Kawakaze nodded as she tried to counter-argue against that last point.
"Well, we're Sara-chan's first friends, so I don't think she's really alone in that sense, you know?"
But Shigure pointed something out that an American being stuck in Japan certainly isolated her in more ways than one.
"Um, Kawakaze?
I think that while being stuck in another country certainly means that you need to make some friends in order to survive, it can never help you get over the homesickness and longing for your friends, and I'm certain that Saratoga-san would want to see her sister, Lexington…"
Giving the American carrier a look, Saratoga nodded sadly as Shigure continued.
"...and her friends, Enterprise and Iowa, amongst many others.
I'm certain that she doesn't dislike us unlike other, more emotional American ship girls, but she would certainly come under fire from a few ship girls whom she attacked or sank in the war, possibly resulting in tensions rising in the base.
And polite she may be, I do believe that our Japanese culture may clash with her American traits, and it may result in a culture clash which would, in turn-"
Akashi raised a hand to stop her just as Kawakaze and Saratoga lowered their heads, their spirits dropping as they were being given one harsh reality check, the repair ship interrupting Shigure brusquely.
"Alright, alright.
As much as I understand that you like to be quite a Debbie Downer with your observations and reality checks, understand that these are ultimately predictions.
We should try to make sure that these predictions don't come true, since this is a new age, and as much as it makes me cringe to say this, frien-"
Akashi's face scrunched up in an undecipherable expression as it almost seemed as if it took a physical toll on her to say the following sentence due to how cheesy it was, and how it hurt to hear it from the most cynical ship girl present.
"Friendship… will help us overcome all obstacles ohmyfuckinggod I never want to say that cancerous shit ever again."
Saratoga sweatdropped as Akashi turned away, heaving as she pretended to hurl while her fleet teased her for using such a word in their bleak, blood-stained world.
Akitsu Maru formed a 'L' with her gloved right hand, holding it up to her forehead as she stuck her tongue out at Akashi and mocked.
"So that's it, huh?
We're some kind of Mane Six?"
Kiso raised her hand to stop Akitsu Maru, her expression deadpan as she remarked.
"I really don't like the sound of that, you know?
Sounds like the one-liner line to a short-lived meme that everyone's gonna overuse and kill prematurely.
But if you wanna make that comparison..."
Raising an eyebrow in her flagship's direction, Kiso didn't even bother masking her smile as she commented.
"I guess Akashi's gotta be Pinkie Pie, huh?
I mean, everyone knows she's the most fabulous one amongst us, what with her lovely pink hair and oh-so-endearing personality…"
Akashi got up as she used both hands to flip the both of them off while giving them the widest and most sarcastic smile she could muster, Hayasui snickering and snorting out the beer that she was drinking on her blazer while Maya and Ise couldn't contain their grins upon hearing the 8th Fleet's banter, Shigure sighing as she really wanted to get back home and hit the hay.
"So, how'd this happen?"
Admiral Mako was up and about, circling the American carrier and was ogling her impressive three sizes while Nagato was pinching the bridge of her nose while seating herself in the Admiral's seat.
Shigure shrugged, really wanting to be anywhere but here as everyone left her with the responsibility of reporting their results to Admiral Mako and the Coordinators in order to update their fleet roster, several ship girls docking after sustaining injuries while others were occupied with other matters.
She was the one ship girl who was completely uninjured, and it was up to her to report the results of their sortie to Admiral Mako, and she assumed that Akashi would discuss the classified revelations with the Admiral some time later.
On the way here, she could feel everyone's eyes on her and Saratoga while they made their way across the base, Shigure taking the time to point out the basic layout of the base to the silent Saratoga while they tried to ignore the amount of attention they were attracting along the way.
Entering the Administration Building and meeting the power couple Admiral Mako and Nagato, Shigure hailed them and greeted them with a courteous bow which Saratoga mimicked before Shigure introduced the two parties.
"Saratoga-san, this is Admiral Mako and Nagato-san.
Admiral, Nagato-san, this is Saratoga-san, an American carrier who spawned after our battle with the Southern War Princess."
Admiral Mako's eyes and expression lit up with unbridled desire while Nagato's face blanched after connecting two with two and remembering the American as a participant of Operation Crossroads, making for quite a dichotomy between the duo as they made their way up towards the Admiral's Office.
And here they were.
No doubt everyone was going to gossip about her being with an American ship girl, and how Saratoga's presence would create waves throughout Yokosuka as a result.
And she hadn't even gotten breakfast or a good's night sleep to be anywhere near focused enough to deal with this.
She exhaled through her nose and conveyed Akashi's theorized explanation, fighting back the urge to yawn as she rubbed the eye bags underneath her eyes.
"Akashi-san theorized that the Southern War Princess's erratic movements had thrown the spawn system into disarray, and dropped Saratoga as a result.
A possibility was that they intended to drop a carrier, but instead of an IJN carrier, the system made a mistake and gave us an USN carrier instead.
She sent out an SOS signal when we engaged her, but through the 8th Fleet's efforts, we've 'convinced' her to come with us."
Nodding downwards at Saratoga's destroyed submachine gun.
Admiral Mako hummed, clearly liking what she saw as she asked Nagato.
"Hmm, Nagato, how about getting in contact with the San Francisco Naval Base and tell them that we've got a USN ship girl here?
Just to, y'know, let them know that Sara-chan's SOS signal was a false alarm as well as to help her get in touch with her American sisters and friends."
Nagato lowered her hand as she responded dryly.
"Already did.
I understand if she wishes to talk to her USN comrades on the other side of the Pacific."
Saratoga perked up upon hearing the possibility of getting in touch with other American girls, asking hopefully.
"Oh, can we send a radio signal across the entire Pacific Ocean to send a message to them?
Technology is more advanced than I thought!"
Everyone gave her the look, in which she drew back a little from the ensuing silence as she asked politely.
"U-Um…
Are we not using radio waves to communicate with them?
Mail, perhaps?"
Nagato hit a few buttons on her keyboard in order to get the Americans online, answering simply.
"Well, technology has improved to the point where we can instantaneously get in touch with them, and we can see them on this little contraption here.
Although you need to keep in mind that it's in real time, so there's a time zone difference..."
Turning the laptop to make it face Shigure, Admiral Mako and Saratoga, they were greeted with the sight of an Admiral who wore the Admiral peaked cap and trousers with a white singlet on the other end of the line, looking to be in his late thirties, was lean and well-built for his age and possessed short auburn hair, blue eyes and sharp cheeks as he leaned back in his recliner couch on the screen.
Beside him were two females, both equally tall and towering over the seated Admiral as Shigure extrapolated from environmental cues, shadows cast on the background and the estimated height of the American Admiral to assume that the blonde was about Yamato's height, while the dark-haired girl was close to Nagato's height.
The blonde's hair was long was silky, and her blue eyes had yellow stars in her irises. Her leggings were styled after the American flag where her right leg had red-and-white vertical stripes, while her left leg was blue-and-white.
Her radar display was on the crown of her head as a cap of sorts, with long silver long gloves with dark blue fingerless hand-gloves at the end, with white stripes adorning her cuffs.
Her corset was a similarly-colored steel with the numbers '61' printed on it in white fonts while her shoulderless upperwear exposed her ample chest and was tied in a knot beneath them, and her thick belt held up her blue-and-white mini-mini-skirt.
Her collar, like much of the battleships on this side of the Pacific, was made of steel and was styled to make sure that she had enough room to turn her head.
The other ship girl was dressed rather conservatively, although this did nothing to diminish her beauty or cover up her curvaceous figure, a long royal purple dress hugging her sleeves and legs and unfortunately (or in Admiral Mako's case, fortunately) highlighting her hourglass figure which was further accentuated by the metal corset that she wore.
Her collar and the cuffs of her long-dress were white with a purple stripe adorning it, and she had a blue neck ribbon holding her collar together.
She had short black hair much like Haguro, and sported a white headband to hold it in place.
The Admiral on-screen waved to the two of them, brusquely introducing them in accented Japanese, something which briefly surprised Shigure before she immediately learnt to roll with it.
"Hey, Sara.
I'm Admiral Jackson of the San Francisco Naval Base, and this here's Maryland and Iowa.
Sorry we couldn't get your sister Lexington, she's out on a mission right now."
Shigure could feel Saratoga deflate a little at that revelation, but she chipped in to console the American.
"U-Um, Sara-san?
To my knowledge, you American carriers are capable of going on night operations, so it's not out of the question for Lexington-san to be out on a sortie at this time of night.
Besides, there's the possibility that she might be asleep at this time of night even if she wasn't out on a sortie."
Saratoga turned to give her a thankful, tired and a tired nod, but before she could say anything, Admiral Jackson did a double take and rested his gaze on Shigure as he commented.
"Yo, Mako, I ain't stalking your base or anything, but I was sure that you didn't say anything about a Shigure being in your base here.
Is she a newcomer, too?"
Everyone's gaze shifted onto her, Shigure freezing up before stepping forward to give Admiral Jackson a respectful bow as she introduced herself to the American trio.
"I-I'm Shigure, a destroyer of the Shiratsuyu-Class!
It's an honor to meet you!"
She raised her head to find Nagato giving a small nod of approval, while Admiral Jackson was smiling warmly as Maryland also bowed towards her, her palms on her laps as she leaned forwards and greeted in fluent Japanese.
"Greetings, Shigure-san.
I am Maryland, a battleship of the Colorado-Class."
Iowa freely waved a hand as she casually greeted in a mix of Japanese and English.
"Yo, Shigure-chan!
Iowa here, of the famed Iowa-Class battleships!
Pleased to meet ya!"
Stepping back to continue the conversation, Admiral Mako told the Americans about the false alarm concerning Saratoga's SOS signal.
"Before my 8th Fleet brought her in, Saratoga sent out a distress signal, which was ultimately a false alarm.
Part of why I'm calling is to let you know that it's a false alarm."
Admiral Jackson simply nodded in response while adding.
"Yeah, we caught it on the satellites, but noted that the USN signature it came from was surrounded by IJN signatures, so I wasn't too concerned.
Although now that you mentioned that it was your 8th Fleet bringing her in, I can't help but think her SOS signal was somewhat justified..."
Admiral Mako could only cock her head in order to concede the point, before Saratoga asked in a concerned voice.
"Please, I need to know.
Are we being treated well over there?
I mean…"
But Admiral Jackson interjected to let Saratoga know that as ship girls who had served their countries well in times of war, they were granted rights as sentient and sapient beings who were capable of comprehending their own existence and making choices for themselves.
"Well, since y'all served in a war before this, we certainly treat you all with the respect you deserve and is one big reason why most of us don't run our bases like normal naval bases.
We know that you're experienced enough as soldiers to know what lines not to cross and we trust you all to behave yourselves.
Besides, you ship girls have like, a Declaration of Independence drawn up to officially state the rights that you deserve, not just as weapons of war, but also as tested and verified humans with comparable, if not superior intelligence to us humans."
Saratoga exhaled and nodded upon hearing that, Admiral Mako leaning in to notify both parties that they were going to let Saratoga into the viewing theater to get her up to speed on the Abyssal War.
"We're gonna get Saratoga up to date in the viewing theater, and I think that we may need to fill her in on the American variations, if she sees that her sister looks nothing like her."
Both Saratoga and Shigure looked confused upon hearing that, and Iowa leaned in to explain the American ship girl phenomena which was discovered about a year ago, pressing a few buttons on the laptop on her end as she did so.
"Yo, Sara.
I'm a Mark ll Iowa, a variation of the Mark l Iowa that America has been accustomed to.
The picture of the Mark l Iowa should come up on your screen right about...now."
The screen was then partially covered up by a portrait of a dark-haired woman whose hair reached down to her hips, partially covered by a white sunhat with a black ribbon tied around it.
Her uniform was a navy blue, reaching down to her thighs with white frills underneath the hem of her skirt along with white stripes reaching around her dress.
Her puffed sleeves were short, and revealed slender arms which carried a similarly-colored umbrella in one hand, and she was wearing white, laced thigh-high stockings and some sort of cross between a sandal and high heel.
Her expression was demure and meek in contrast to the bubbly and radiant Iowa before them, and Iowa explained.
"This here's the Mark l Iowa who was built in good ol' America while I'm the Mark ll Iowa who spawned near Guam and was in Japan before being sent here, and I swear, the difference between us in terms of personality is like Heaven and Earth.
But in terms of performance, there's virtually no difference between our stats, and despite all our engineers and Fairies trying to understand how this phenomenon came about, possibly as a form of Abyssal interference or error within our software, almost all of us have thrown our hands up high and admitted,
'We don't know.'"
Maryland nodded as she leaned in to join the conversation, explaining the situation.
"This phenomenon was discovered after the Japanese found the first Mark ll Iowa in Japanese waters and sent her over to America to be studied…"
Saratoga narrowed her eyes as she cocked her head back, slightly suspicious of the term 'studying' in this context, and Maryland raised both her arms to placate Saratoga as she added hastily.
"A-All non-invasive, and done by the Fairies, of course.
They were scanned extensively in terms of hardware and software, and were cleared of possible Abyssal interference or were potential Abyssal spy units, and were simply a variation in personality to achieve the same ends.
It's a newly discovered phenomenon in the course of our twenty-year war, where overseas American drops like you, Saratoga, are all exclusively Mark ll variants, and this phenomenon has yet to happen in America where we all receive Mark l drops.
But the difference in personality does nothing to affect the performance of the ship girl, which is what we're ultimately concerned with.
But Saratoga, even if Lexington may not share your uniform and your looks, please understand that your sister still loves you very much…"
"I understand."
Saratoga waved her hand to politely interrupt the Colorado-Class battleship, remarking about the bond she had with her sister ship and how a mere difference in looks wasn't going to change that.
"The love I have for my sister ship and my American comrades is beyond skin-deep, and even if we look a little different, it matters not.
All I need to know is that my comrades and sisters are with me in the present, and that's enough."
Admiral Mako inquired, offering the carrier a chance to see what her sister ship Lexington looked like as a ship girl.
"You wanna see a portrait of what your sister looks like?
Might help tide over that feeling of nostalgia…"
But Saratoga shook her head, content to leave things as they are right now as she commented.
"No.
Simply knowing that she's alive right now is more than enough for me.
Thank you, Admiral Mako, Nagato-san and Shigure-san.
I was greatly mistaken about you lot, and to allow me a chance to get in touch with my comrades and countrymen is the most that I dare to ask of you right now."
Admiral Mako nodded her head as Maryland and Iowa smiled while Shigure heard Admiral Jackson respond warmly.
"Saratoga, the Japanese are nothing like their old selves, and I can personally vouch for Admiral Mako's trustworthiness and ability to lead."
But his expression hardened as he leaned in towards Saratoga, and asked her for a very important favor as his two battleships remained silent in the face of his serious demeanor.
"But I need you to listen to me, Sara, and don't say anything until after I'm done.
I need you to stay in Yokosuka.
I can't say when we can bring you over to America anytime soon seeing how things are turning out, so you may have to stay in Japan indefinitely until there's a lull in the war.
The girls in Yokosuka need all the air-power and firepower for the battles that lie ahead, and they need a good ol' fashioned American bird carrier to help them out.
Can I task you with the responsibility with following Admiral Mako's leadership and helping out the Japanese ship girls to the best of your ability?"
Shigure looked back to see an ashen-faced Saratoga standing at attention, but she was looking down silently and was grimly considering the possibility of never knowing when she was going to sail back to USA, if ever.
Nagato chipped in with a suggestion to help her out.
"You don't have to feel like you're pressured into accepting this, Saratoga-san.
We can charter a Lockheed C-130 Hercules to fly you over to America-"
"No."
Saratoga's face relaxed as she nodded in response to Admiral Jackson's request, giving Nagato a polite smile as she explained herself.
"If my superiors deem that I can be of more use to everyone here, I'll gladly accept the task and the responsibilities it entails in order to protect my newfound friends here."
Looking down at a slightly surprised Shigure and giving her a warm smile, Saratoga continued on.
"After seeing what the Abyssals are like through your eyes, Shigure-san, I understand how they are a global threat.
It's understandable that I wouldn't be able to go home immediately, and I'm prepared to stay here and help you all."
Admiral Mako and Jackson nodded while Maryland and Iowa exhaled in relief, but Shigure could see that there was an attempt by the carrier to conceal the sadness within her, not knowing when she could go home and forced to eat, sleep, live and fight with IJN ship girls, her past enemies who likely harbored a few grudges against her.
She had to deal with all this while her people and comrades were an halfway across the world and she was the only American here, and was told that things were going to go from bad to worse here and that despite their best efforts, they couldn't send her back to America where she truly belonged.
But a knock on the door was what interrupted the transoceanic conversation, Admiral Mako opening the door to find Hiei, who was wearing two hospital gowns, one that left her back and bum exposed and the second split down the front to covered her exposed rear and was a coat of sorts.
Hiei was no longer wearing her headdress to prevent complications in the ER, and a fretting Haruna followed behind while Hiei rushed in to hug a tired Shigure, crying out.
"Shigure!
You're alright!"
While Haruna explained to her Admiral whilst bowing apologetically.
"My apologies, Admiral Mako, but Haruna was unable stop Hiei nee-sama from leaving the hospital.
She wanted to find Shigure-san after the night operation so badly…"
Shigure returned Hiei's hug with all the strength she could muster, but the two Kongou-Class battleships must've noticed a conspicuous presence in the room, Hiei looking up ask innocently.
"Nagato-san, who's this?"
Shigure could hear Nagato's patient and authoritative voice boom behind her as she released herself from Hiei's hands, seeing the looks on both Haruna and Hiei's face turn from questioning to slightly afraid.
"This is American carrier CV-3, Saratoga."
Silenced ensued.
Eventually, Hiei tried to recover as best she could by greeting the American.
"Ah, w-welcome.
I'm Hiei, and this is Haruna, my sister ship.
We're both from the Kongou-Class of battleships, and it's great to have you here."
Haruna eventually gave Saratoga a warm smile and performed a proper Japanese bow to welcome the carrier to Yokosuka.
"We welcome you to Yokosuka, Saratoga-san."
Admiral Mako took this as the time to vacate the room, Shigure noting that Admiral Mako gave Nagato the tiniest of nods and a look, which Nagato understood and nodded back in understanding, ushering them out by clapping her hands and gesturing.
"Come on now, Admiral Mako's got a busy day.
We'll all go to the viewing theater to get Saratoga-san up to date on the Abyssal War."
Shigure, Haruna, Hiei and Saratoga were silently ushered out of the room, and the last thing Shigure could see behind her was Maryland and Iowa leaving Admiral Jackson behind to allow them to talk confidentially.
The door clicked shut behind Admiral Mako, and Admiral Jackson took off his Admiral hat to toss it somewhere as he sighed and asked.
"Alright, Mako.
What's up?"
Admiral Mako turned the laptop back to face her seat as she seated herself on her own seat, feeling herself sink into the cushion after Nagato, Musashi, Mutsu and various other ships had sat down on it in the past, flattening the cushions and weakening the springs.
Perhaps she should get it replaced one day.
"Well, not much.
Other than a large-scale battle that requires five or more navies from Kanagawa, Chiba and Eastern Shizuoka combined to win, discovering the plans for the next Abyssal land assault which will lead to a full-on World War 3, and discovering the secret origins of the ship girls and unraveling the mysteries of this universe, nothing much."
Admiral Jackson let out a low whistle as he leaned back in his recliner couch, resting his legs on the armrest as he commented.
"You know, I genuinely can't tell if you're kidding or not with the last two, but I heard reports of an abnormal amount of Abyssals gathering around your area, so I believe about a third of your words since the first one's likely true."
Admiral Mako sighed as she removed her peaked cap and tossed it onto her desk, sighing as she rubbed her eyes and commented.
"You know about the Flying Dutchman and how it wrecked my ship girls?"
"Yeah, if I'm not wrong, that's why Hiei was in a hospital gown, right?"
Nodding, Admiral Mako revealed as she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially into the laptop.
"That was a sneak first look at 'Apocalypse', a plan they've got to start World War 3.
Don't worry about intel leaking out; I got Nagato to set up a secure connection because I knew that I was going to have this conversation with you anyway.
Saratoga's appearance only added a conversation topic and Hiei's intervention provided me a lucky exit, so there."
Admiral Jackson lifted an eyebrow as he commented.
"So what do we know?"
Admiral Mako leaned in as she typed on the keyboard, sending an encrypted email to his inbox which he received, lazily getting up as he extracted the contents within and scrolled through the contents, eyes narrowing the further he got down the list of pictures as he finally asked.
"When?"
Shrugging, Admiral Mako leaned back as she admitted the limits of her knowledge.
"From what Akashi told me before she went to tend to the injured, it'll happen by the end of this year."
Scowling, Admiral Jackson counted on his fingers, before noting harshly at how unfair this was.
"That's too soon; we won't have enough time to prepare for a full-scale war when they've already got their army on our doorstep."
"And that's why they're 'giving us a sporting chance',"
Admiral Mako returned the scowl as she looked away at nothing in particular, grumbling.
"It's because they want the ship girls to have a fair chance of winning, because the Abyssal high-command treats this like a game.
And where's the fun in a game if you steamroll your opponents and dominate the match?"
Cue a sharp inhale from Jackson, who closed his eyes as he cussed.
"Fuck, man, that's messed up.
They're simply playing with their food at this point."
And a slow, methodical exhale to calm himself down, considering the situation in the confines of his office before asking his good friend.
"What do you need?"
"Guns."
Mako replied, meeting Jackson's gaze as she stated bluntly.
"We need all the Anti-Abyssal firearms we can get our hands on, and who better to make them than good ol' Uncle Sam?"
Nodding, Jackson added as he predicted how the conversation was heading towards.
"Let me guess, you want me to dig up the mothballed 'Mud-skipper' plans to prepare for the incoming invasion?
But they were drawn up half a decade ago, they'll be pretty outdated against an up-to-date Abyssal invasion."
"I don't care.
Outdated plans are better than no plans."
"What'll you do about this, in the meantime?"
Looking out her window at the morning sun, the sight of the Yokosuka Naval Base and the frontier that was the ocean before them, Mako only responded.
"Gather more intel about 'Apocalypse'.
Otherwise, I'll either prepare for the upcoming large-scale battle or help forward Project Psyche."
Now raising one eyebrow, Jackson leaned back on his recliner couch, causing him to sink into the furniture likely because capital ships often used his room much like Admiral Mako's secretary ships did.
He sounded interested in this new development, noting as she scratched the tip of his sharp nose while crossing one leg over the other to make himself comfortable.
"Well, I assume Project Psyche's part of 'discovering the secrets of the ship girls' thing, right?"
"Yep.
I plan to explore and study the soul of a ship girl and try to draw more power from it in order to power new Anti-Abyssal technology."
Jackson shook his head, smirking as he commented on the Project.
"Jeez, Mako.
I know that there're less invasive ways to worm your way into a ship girl's heart, right?
I mean, you've done it like, what, eight times already?"
This caused Mako to smirk in turn as she retorted.
"Nine, really."
Sighing, Jackson fell onto the reclining couch in a supine position as he bemoaned.
"Aw, man!
Here you are, in a polyamorous relationship with nine ship girls, and I'm here, struggling to confess to both Hornets.
Even my parents are pushing for me to get together with them already!"
"Yeah, that's why you should transfer your frank and beans to me, because I obviously have more use for it than you do, fucking workaholic pussy."
The both of them now had genuine smiles on their faces, Jackson giving Mako the middle finger as he tried to hide his smirk and tried to steer their conversation back on track.
"Look, my assumption is that this one-of-a-kind procedure is dangerous, and it's the 'perma-death' kind of dangerous.
So how're we going to find a ship girl's who going to survive the procedure?"
Admiral Mako shrugged as she got on her laptop to scroll through the list of her ship girls in another computer window as she commented.
"Well, my engineers Akio and Kousuke said it was better for a ship girl who had a strong will, so that narrows it down… somewhat.
The odds of survival aren't pretty, although it's not entirely hopeless, so it's best that I select an expandable ship girl."
Jackson lifted an eyebrow as he grimly agreed with Mako's thinking.
"Cold, but it's practical.
Can't have a capital ship dying on us if Project Psyche goes south now, right?"
Mako sighed as she nodded, silently scrolling through the list of ship girls as she forced herself to look at her own girls with a cold, utilitarian mind to determine which ship girl had the best odds of succeeding, yet wouldn't affect them too much in terms of manpower and firepower should they die in the process.
And eventually, some of the life came back into her eyes as she found two possible candidates for the Project as she commented.
"I'm not 100% certain, but I think I've got my candidates."
Her computer window was resting on the portraits of Tenryuu and Tatsuta.