Rule 2176: Yuubari, you are not allowed to create any more robotic versions of ship girls. Metal Shimakaze and the original are fighting it out right now. And yes, we know it is you, a few officers heard you shout "STRANGE, ISN'T IT?"
SMASH!
Ooyodo, despite still following Admiral Goto, sent a nervous glance over her shoulder, where Shimakaze and a shiny metal version of herself were going at it hammer and tongs, crashing through buildings, trees, and shipgirls. The two were trading punches so fast they seemed to have eight arms each, and she could only count her lucky stars that they hadn't tried to shoot each other yet.
"Uh, sir?" she queried. "I know catching the culprit is important and all, but... shouldn't we try to stop them?"
"No. And for two reasons," Goto replied. "First, there are enough spectators, including her sister, to stop us if we tried to stop them. And second..."
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH-!"
Man and shipgirl glanced up to see Mutsu flying over their heads, clearly not of her own volition.
"I don't think they'd let us."
Ooyodo nodded. "Point taken, Admiral."
The two continued on in silence until they reached the Yuubaris' labs. Admiral Goto wasted no time in pounding on the door. "Yuubari! Open up!" There was no answer, and after several seconds Goto flashed his secretary ship a vicious smirk. "Ooyodo... I want this door out of my sight."
"Yes, sir," Ooyodo replied, light glinting off her glasses as she adjusted them. Summoning her rigging, she pointed her six 6.1" main guns at the door. Sadly, she never got to fire, as Yuubari hastily threw the door open, waving a small white flag.
"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" she wailed.
"Then will you be letting us in?" Goto asked.
"Yes!"
Goto and Ooyodo strode into the as-usual-messy lab area, Yuubari trailing nervously beside them. The other Yuubari was busy making adjustments to a robot version of Yuudachi, and didn't notice them. Both officers stared at the construct, and the Yuubari next to them gained a proud smile.
"Impressive, isn't it?" she said. "And with the Shimakaze robot performing just about flawlessly, we can proceed with-"
"Shutting down and scrapping the lot?" Admiral Goto finished.
Both Yuubaris looked at him in horror. "Admiral!" the one working the Yuudach-bot said, appalled. "We've put way too much work into these things to shut down the program now!"
"A-And you can't just scrap them! That-That would be murder!"
"That too!"
"Are they sapient?"
The mad scientists whipped over to Ooyodo. "Eh?"
"Are. They. Sapient?" she repeated.
"Er, no?" Yuubari answered. "But that doesn't matter! They're living beings, and we can't just kill them!"
Both sides stared at each other, neither willing to budge. Goto and Ooyodo had the full weight of naval authority behind them, but the Yuubaris had simple concern for sapient life that, despite the militaristic turn the JSDF had had to take in this godforsaken war, the service still valued highly.
And then Shimakaze crashed through the roof, holding the severed, sparking head of her robotic counterpart, rendering the whole thing moot.
Standing on shaky legs, she spat, "Never again," before throwing the head at the Yuubaris' feet and stalking off.
Silence descended, and then Yuubari raised a finger and opened her mouth.
"Yes, they fought," Goto deadpanned.
That Yuubari closed her mouth, the other sighing. "Alright, we'll scrap the project."
