Tirpitz opened her eyes some time later, thankfully feeling much less energy-deprived than before. Having not had any real perception of what time it had been when she'd nodded off, she had no real idea how long she'd slept. But it didn't take her long to figure out where she was by how well-furnished the room was. If it weren't for the gentle rocking of the sea, she'd almost think she was dreaming, thinking about her brief time at the Azur Lane base all that time ago. She didn't really want to move as she was comfortable, but the solitude was proving to be having an effect on her, causing lingering paranoia to start poking the back of her mind. She didn't want to be left alone in isolation again. Not after what happened before.
Eventually deciding to get up, she tried her best to clear her mind of the needless worry, walking around the room to find something to distract her. None of the books on the nearby shelf seemed to catch her interest, nor the old paintings hanging from the walls. Though what did catch her eye was the note left on the desk. Clearly by the woman who had saved her from her isolation, Jessica. She had even written it in her language for her, how sweet... though she probably would've been fine with it being written in English.
===
'Dear Tirpitz.I hope that by the time you read this that you're feeling better. Agent One and I will likely be waiting in the communications room waiting for word from our commanding officers. If we are not there, we are likely on the bridge keeping an eye on things. Feel free to look for us in either room.
~Jess.
P.S. I hope my German is OK, I never really focused that much on learning how to write it properly despite knowing how to read it.'
Tirpitz smiled, the German was atrocious but she appreciated the attempt all the same. Not really seeing much else to do, she briefly checked herself over in the mirror hanging from the wall, and headed out into the hallway to look for her new compatriots. 'Jess is a nice bit of shorthand for Jessica', she thought to herself, 'I should start calling her that, too. Maybe today I'll find out Agent One's name, as well'
Finding the bridge didn't yield anything in the way of results, save for Tirpitz making yet-another brief turn of the wheel to adjust course before heading to the navigation room. The sound of chatter meeting her ears as she got closer. Peeking inside, she saw Agent One chatting incessantly with someone on the radio. Jessica, meanwhile, was watching him from a table, idly writing on some rather important-looking documents, and since she was facing away from the door and the new arrival seemed to have gone unnoticed, the white-haired shipgirl elected to peek over her new friend's shoulder to read. It seemed to be a briefing, with some segments crossed out and new or updated parts written beneath them.
=== TOP SECRET DESTROY THESE DOCUMENTS IF AT RISK OF CAPTURE
'OSS/SOE Joint Operation 'Jack-knife'
To: Agent Two (SOE), to be read again when contact is made with Agent One (OSS) for security reasons.
-Contact made shortly after meeting with Norwegian Resistance.
1. Primary Objectives;
a) To investigate Ironblood Naval bases in captured Norwegian territory to determine the whereabouts of the remaining Ironblood Capital Ships.
-Only one base explored. Battleship Tirpitz found at port.
b) To reconnoitre Ironblood Naval Base(s) in area of operations to determine what their future plans might be. Rumors have indicated that multiple bases may be there, but recon has yet to provide any evidence of such.
-Seems rumors proved to be just that. Only one base found.
c) Intel in provided photograph seems to indicate Battleship Tirpitz to be in port, investigate if at all possible, Command does not want another repeat of Bismarck. Explosives should be acquired and used to cripple the ship if possible.
-Several explosives were found in the ship's armouries. But circumstances prevented the destruction of the ship.
d) Eagle Union Intelligence seems to indicate that the Iron Blood have been performing experiments on the shipgirls of their Navy, find this information if at all possible, the state of the shipgirls themselves, assuming they are even in the area, is secondary.
-No further information could be found. Command is now going through what documents the Eagle Union is willing to give us regarding this. Found Battleship Tirpitz locked in her own armoury.
INFORMATION
3. Enemy
a) Static defenses in area of operations.
Garrison at the photographed base that will be your first and hopefully only objective consists of at least 40 men, armed with assorted small arms (MP40, Kar98k) and at least three dozen light anti-aircraft guns, possibly 20mm or 88mm.
Garrison numbers seem smaller than expected, investigate if at all possible.
-Garrison numbers were small as recon showed. Reasons for this are unknown. But it seems like the port was low-priority despite having a battleship in dock.
b) State of alertness
With the Eagle Union joining in the war, seeing how the Ironblood respond to the increased number of ships being sent to the Northern Parliament will be vital to determine any future escort strength. Once the garrison forces are alerted, nearby towns at 025664, 022637 and 025619 will undoubtedly dispatch reinforcements in platoon to company strength. Norwegian Resistance forces will not aid you in any conflict that breaks out, discretion is strongly advised.
-I'd say they're pretty bloody well alerted now.
METHOD
4. Outline
a) Infiltration to be affected by parachute. DZ approx. one day overland from the base, as radar and AA coverage have increased in the immediate vicinity. Norwegian Resistance will meet you at DZ and direct you to objective area and may help smuggle you in if the situation permits it.
b) Primary exfiltration will consist of SBS forces on standby in a fjord as close to operation area as possible. If things escalate, the SBS will be forced to retreat to avoid discovery. In the event of such, exfiltrate by any means at your disposal."
-SBS forces bugged out when soldiers we neutralised were found and alarm raised. Escape was affected by, of all things, stealing the entirety of Battleship Tirpitz with the help of her shipgirl form. The Jerries will probably be sending something after us soon. You don't exactly just steal a battleship without notice.'
===
"So what's going on here?" Tirpitz asked, Jessica giving a startled yelp as she turned around, giving a sigh of relief as she realised who it was. Agent One continued talking.
"Ah, good to see you're up Tirpitz. Did you sleep well?"
She nodded "Indeed I did. I feel much better than I did before. Though I'm certainly not at a hundred percent, but I can actually hold myself up at least." Looking around, she grabbed a chair and sat herself down "So what's going on here in the comm's room?.
"Well Agent One has mostly just been discussing with Henhouse, our codename for our radio relay on the Royal Navy homeland, both what we should do next and what the Eagle Union has been able to find out about these so-called experiments that were mentioned. I would've asked you, but you seemed far too tired and weak to really be able to answer... assuming you knew in the first place."
Tirpitz shook her head "I'm afraid I didn't know anything. Ironblood forces were initially quite dismissive of me, and didn't seem to like me. At one point, they suddenly changed their tone and started acting nice right up until they sealed me into that room. I still don't know why. I don't know what happened to my fellow shipgirls either. I mean, if Bismarck was sunk, I doubt she was under the same experiment I was. If you can even call locking me in a room an 'experiment'..."
"Something we can't worry about at the moment." Came an urgent remark from Agent one as he set the equipment down and stood up from the equipment. "I've just been told that the Royal Navy has noticed the battleship on the move and has sent aircraft to intercept us, likely torpedo bombers. And for whatever reason, they can't get through to tell the carrier to call off the strike. Or rather, the carrier's crew seems to refuse the idea."
Jessica looked thoughtful for a moment, then gasped. "Wait, do you know which carrier it was?"
"HMS Victorious, I believe. Why?"
"I thought as much, Victorious's planes attempted to sink the Bismarck after the whole thing with Hood happened. Only got one ineffective hit amidships on the torpedo protection. Maybe her crew want to try again with Tirpitz?"
"Seems a bit petty, don't you think?"
"I mean, they're Royal Navy sailors, so it doesn't surprise me... though I don't want to consider the idea of killing my own countrymen trying to stop them from killing us... Not to mention that even if we survive their attack, the Ironbloods likely don't want us getting away with their super expensive battleship and will probably try to destroy it, too."
"That's... fair enough I suppose. Oh! That reminds me, at the mention of the shipgirl Tirpitz this time, I was able to get them to also tell me of one of the many old Azur Lane bases that were being operated in the 30s are in the area, too. We can probably head to one and hunker down there for a time. Though the nearest one is likely big enough to support a ship of Tirpitz's size, it's got nothing compared to the ones the Eagle Union and Sakura had in the Pacific."
Jessica couldn't help but let out a slight huff "What even is this Azur Lane thing you keep mentioning? I never thought that I'd be so left out of the loop as an SOE Operative."
"Right, sorry. Well to put it simply, it was a secret operation involving Wisdom Cubes, the strange objects the Sirens gave us way back when they first showed up a decade ago and basically just kinda dumped them in our laps then vanished. And the major powers have been trying to fiddle with them ever since, resulting in the shipgirls. Honestly that's all I really know. Given that I wasn't there when it happened and was mostly doing stuff for the OSS once the war got underway for the Eagle Union, I only really have the cliff notes version."
"Right... well while informative, all that explaining was likely a colossal waste of time that we should probably spend getting somewhere. Like, say, that island you mentioned?"
He nodded "Very well, I shall adjust course to the relevant island, you two see if you can't find a way to dissuade those planes from attacking us" With that, he was gone. Tirpitz glanced over to Jessica, looking a little confused.
"So... what do we do, then? You've already mentioned not wanting to shoot down your own countrymen, so what should we do? I'm just a shipgirl, a weapon, so you'd be better off telling me what our next move should be."
Jessica's face softened somewhat as she walked over and gently took Tirpitz's hand. "You're not just a weapon, Tirpitz. You're far more human than you realise. As for the planes... "She thought for a moment, before shrugging. "I guess just, perform evasive maneuvers and hope for the best? Maybe if you've got some ammunition stored for those anti-aircraft guns you've got on the deck, maybe we can disable the planes... or shoot down their ordinance?" Tirpitz's response was interrupted by the suddenly-increasingly-audible screaming of a siren. Jessica ran out into the hallway and out the door leading to one of the balconies of the battleship's superstructure, looking up in surprise, then horror. "Stukas! The Ironbloods intend to sink us with dive bombers!"
Shocked, Tirpitz found herself freezing up. She had no idea what to do. She'd barely had enough strength to get the ship to move earlier. There was no way a little nap would be able to give her enough energy to help dodge an air attack. Did she even have ammunition for her AA guns? Did she even know how to use them?! This was all just far too much. The screams of the jericho trumpets grew louder and louder, before suddenly peeling off. A series of loud whistles immediately followed, along with a number of loud explosions, but the ship seemed fine. Jessica, who had been looking out the doorway at the sky, finally faced inside, her voice shaking her from her panicked stupor "You're never gonna believe this, Tirpitz. But the Fairey Albacore dive and torpedo bombers from Victorious are here, and the Stukas have dumped all their ordinance to fight with them!"
Baffled, the shipgirl slowly walked towards the door, not wanting to believe something so miraculous yet tactically nonsensical. Sticking her head out and looking up at the grey sky above, she was surprised to find that it was true. The Stukas had dumped their bombs in the ocean and were now duking it out with the numerically superior but much slower Albacores, which had done the same. "What...?"
"I'm just as confused as you are...though it looks like those Stukas are going to win. You head down to the deck, try and find some rope or one of those mesh ladders and be ready to pick up any survivors. I'm gonna go tell Agent One to slow us down." With that, she was off. Tirpitz, not really having or knowing anything else she could be doing, made her way to the stairs and down to the deck.
Climbing her way down the rather dark stairway, she began to feel the creeping, crawling sensation of solitude that she'd felt in the armoury room she'd spent so much time in. She began to breathe faster, almost losing her step as she picked up her pace. "I don't want to be in here..." She started to say to herself as she saw the door at the bottom of the stairs leading out. "I don't want to be in the dark. I don't like the dark. I don't want to be alone again!" Her sudden wave of panic vanished in the sudden light of the day as she swung the door open, along with the icy blast of cold water hitting her face as a felled Albacore landed in the water nearby.
It took Tirpitz a second to regain her train of thought, realising the occupants of the now-likely-sinking Albacore would probably need help out of the water, she rushed over to one of the storage cabinets along the structure of the ship, thankfully finding a rope ladder. She didn't have time to be thankful about the lucky guess though as she fixed it in place and tossed it overboard. Amidst the rumbling of the battleship's engines and the splashes of spray against the hull, the rope ladder went taught as the exhausted cries of the downed pilots began to make their way up the side. Not really knowing what else to do, she rushed over to help up those who she could. While the nearest of the Royal Navy pilots hesitated for a moment, he was clearly too tired to really object as he took the hand. Only a few moments later would Jessica and Agent One appear from inside the ship with blankets to help those they could.
-
Half an hour later, the Stukas would fly off, having run out of ammunition after decimating what few of the Albacores had been hanging around and dogfighting instead of heading back to their ship. The Tirpitz Itself had thankfully remained unharmed, But her decks was now home to well over a dozen pilots and gunners from those shot down. Many more had not survived being shot down, including the crew from at least two of the Ironblood planes. Tirpitz kept her eyes out towards the ocean, to see if anyone else had survived to be brought aboard. Agent one and Jess darted about with several cases of medical supplies the two had fetched from the ship. Some were thankfully only minorly wounded. Others had been shot or impaled by bits of their own planes, or had broken limbs.
Not seeing anyone else amongst the disappearing wrecks of the Albacores, Tirpitz sighed and turned to face the others. "I don't see anyone else. We should probably get a move on before they send more Stukas after us." Agent One nodded, running off to the bridge. Tirpitz looked solemnly over the wounded men. Some of whom looked back at her with scowls and looks of confusion, enough that she was starting to feel uneasy, but a reassuring hand on her shoulder from Jess eased her worry.
She strode out in front of the group of wounded navy airmen as she took off her cap. "Gentlemen. I am Lieutenant Jessica Biscuit. I am working with one of the Royal Navy's various special operations units, for secrecy's sake, I cannot say which. My comrade here is the shipgirl of this mighty battleship you now all stand on. And with me, and currently steering the ship is an Eagle Union agent...whose name I do not actually know. Point is, as we are allies, I do not wish to keep you here longer than you need to be. We are going to contact Victorious, and find some nearby land to exchange you all back to her. We have limited provisions on this ship, so please try to resist the urge to take souvenirs."
The new arrivals didn't say anything, mostly just staring baffled at this woman dressed as an Ironblood officer telling them she was a secret agent, and a Lieutenant too. All the same, none really felt like arguing, and those who could nodded in confirmation. "Good. We'll have you moved below decks in a moment once we get underway. It's awfully windy out here."
-
Tirpitz sat in the galley, watching from one of the tables as the wounded chatted and groaned, a couple of the less wounded ones helping Jessica hand out what they could to make them more comfortable. She would continue to get the occasional sideward glance or angry glare from them, making her increasingly uncomfortable with even being there. But she didn't want to leave her alone with those that might assume she was lying.
"Hey Tirpitz!" Her voice suddenly caught her attention "Could you come over here and help me with this?" Eager to stop being stared at, the shipgirl stood from her seat and headed behind the serving counter to meet the woman, who was currently trying to open the locked door to the storage room. "I don't suppose you've got a key on you do you?" Tirpitz could only shake her head as she approached "No matter, I've shot out the lock anyways, but this door's seemingly jammed in place and I could use a hand opening it. There might be some actual food in here that isn't those damn old meat cans. Nodding and grabbing hold of the door's handle, the two grunted as they pulled as hard they could. There was a brief groan of rending metal before Tirpitz found herself on her back with Jessica on top of her, the now-open door swinging idly. "...Guess that worked. Let's see what we've got."
Minutes later they would be serving cups of poorly roasted -but still hot- coffee to the prisoners, as well as handing out chocolate. "It's not the best stuff I've ever made or eaten, given that I don't know how the equipment works," Jessica chuckled as she sipped from the mess tin she was using as a mug. "but it sure beats not having anything at all, right? ...Tirpitz?" She looked back at the shipgirl, who seemed oddly enamoured with the wrapped chocolate in her hands. "You alright?" She inspected the bar in question. Nothing out of the ordinary, save maybe for it being white chocolate. "Something up?"
She jumped slightly "Huh? Oh! No, Jess, nothing's wrong. I just... haven't had chocolate in a long time... haven't had white chocolate at all before. It's... interesting." She continued looking at the bar in fascination, before hearing a distinctive chuckle from her friend. She looked at her with a soft blush on her face.
"Heh, like a child in a sweet shop for the first time. Here, take a bit for yourself and continue handing it out."
"A-are you sure?"
"Tirpitz, this is literally your ship, there's no reason to ask me for permission" Another chuckle escaping her lips as she broke a chunk off and handed the rest to Jess, who promptly broke a chunk off for herself as well before handing the rest to the aircrew. Turning back to Tirpitz, she motioned to her mouth with the chocolate in her hand. Nodding, the shipgirl gingerly brought it to her mouth and took a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise, followed by Jess letting out a laugh as she immediately began wolfing it down. "Calm down, Tirpitz. It's not going anywhere, you'll just make yourself sick if you eat it all at once, haha!" receiving another embarrassed blush from the white-haired woman.
The door to the galley opened as Agent One stepped inside, holding a clipboard. He looked around for a moment before spotting his two allies. "Ah, I figured you two were down here. I've got a pretty rough idea where this old base is, but I can't really be sure. So I was looking through this old manifest of what was on board whenever the ship was last loaded." He smirked "So tell me, what do you two know about preparing catapult seaplanes?"
-
"Well, Agent Two, looks like that's the island that Henhouse told us about. It's no Pearl Harbor, all things considered, but it looks like the port should be big enough to dock the Tirpitz and several other capital ships." Agent One reported from his new vantage point high up in his plane.
"Roger that, Agent One" Jessica acknowledged from the Tirpitz's navigation room, the shipgirl standing behind her and idly chewing on another piece of dark chocolate "Though that reminds me, which I really should've asked about before; how do you know how to fly those things?"
"What, are you kidding me? This is the Arado Ar 196, the best damn seaplane in the world. I've always wanted to fly one of these. Besides, I'm an OSS agent, knowing how to fly aircraft is part of my job for if I'd ever have to steal some prototype aircraft from somewhere. Anyways, I see more buildings at the base, and what just might be an airfield. I'm going to check it out. Get the ship into port and I'll take a look around."
"You got it, Agent One. Tirpitz out." Jess switched off the transmitter for radio and got up, motioning for Tirpitz to follow her as she headed back to the bridge "Alright then, apparently the place is good to go, so we're going to...snrk!" She snorted as she turned to see Tirpitz watching her, holding the chocolate up to her mouth as she nibbled on it, like a small child likely would. Taking a moment to giggle at the now-blushing shipgirl's antics, as well as taking off her cap to pat the woman's white hair, she cleared her head and focused on steering.
Docking thankfully didn't take too long, the port having been both in a good state and open to access. With the ship finally coming to a stop and the anchor being weighed, they got the unused gangplanks ready. Jessica getting Tirpitz to help her with carrying the wounded onto the dock, the two occasionally glancing up at the seaplane flying around overhead.
With everyone safely disembarked, the two began to head towards the airfield to meet up with Agent One, who was positioning his plane for a landing. Three hangars sat along the far end alongside the collection of buildings of varying sizes and shapes. Living quarters and even a beach seemed to be in sight in the distance, too. Jessica huffed as she glanced up at the still-cloudy sky "You know, this would be a great base to live on... If we were in the Pacific. It just feels like someone decided to build a base here just because one good day would mean it'd look great on tourist photos"
Tirpitz glanced over, confused "Tourism? But isn't this a military base? Why would-?" Jessica held her hand up to cut her off, giving a soft chuckle and reassuringly patting the shipgirl on the shoulder.
"It was a joke, Tirpitz. Don't think too hard on it" She chuckled again as they approached the hangars, seeing Agent One's catapult aircraft touching down on the far end of the runway, slowing to a halt just short of the pair before he hopped out of the cockpit to join them.
"So what are we looking at here? Planes in the hangar?"
Jessica shrugged as they approached the door "Hopefully. Though chances are if there are any in here, they'll either be ruined by neglect or incredibly out of date..." They headed inside to reveal... nothing of note. There were some scattered tools, and a few cockpit frames and fuselage panels of various disassembled aircraft, but no completed pieces. "Not even enough in here to make a full aircraft" Jess muttered before turning and motioning the two out. "It'll make good storage at least. The others are likely just as empty, so let's check the buildings.
The first building was less one of any significance than it was more just a housing plant for a massive power generator, with a switchboard for all the light controls outside the door. Likely one meant to power the entire base, given its size. Agent One looked it over, noting a surprisingly large stockpile of fuel drums next to it. "Y'know, only stuff I've seen attached to this thing by cables is the buildings and the lights all around the base, but I reckon there's probably some heavy equipment around that requires this large a power source." There was a pause, with Tirpitz and Jessica glancing at one another. Was he supposed to say something else after tha- "buuut, I guess that can wait until we've gotten the rest of this place looked after. Thankfully this old thing seems to be in good enough condition from what I can see."
He flipped the massive switch marked 'on' and after a short series of chugging noises, the machine roared to life, small lights inside the room coming on, followed by distinct clicks of streetlamps and the like coming to life along the port. As the three left to better search the place, he briefly stopped at the switchboard to inspect it. "You guys go on ahead, I think I can make this thing a little more energy efficient with the right switch combinations.
"Err... right. Let's go, Tirpitz, I think that next building's a medical post or hospital, we can move the wounded there..."
A few hours later, with the base all set up and the wounded aircrew now recovering in a more suitable location, the three decided to set about waiting for Victorious to arrive, she was taking far longer than expected, having apparently decided to wait for escorts for security reasons. Which Jessica couldn't exactly fault. For all they knew, the three of them could've been part of some elaborate Ironblood ruse to lure the carrier in...to a base that no-one was operating.
Agent One waited by the edge of the dock, looking out to sea with a pair of binoculars. Tirpitz waited in the air traffic control tower by the airfield, since its radios were more suited for longer range communication. At some point or another, in all the boredom, Jessica had fallen asleep, and was leaning against Tirpitz in much the same way she had earlier. Not being anywhere near as confident in her strength as her friend was, the white-haired woman simply did her best to hold still. A small smile came to her face as she watched her sleep, interrupted only by the radio sets coming to life, a male voice coming through the static
"Zzzt- This is Royal Navy Carrier Victorious contacting Azur Lane base designation; 'ATAF002', Is anyone reading me? Over."
Tirpitz froze. She had no real idea how to operate the radio. She'd had a vague idea from memories of news radio in her past and watching the two agents at work, but didn't really know what to do.
"I repeat, this is Royal Navy Carrier Victorious. Over."
Not really wanting to potentially leave this new arrival unwelcomed, but also not really wanting to wake Jessica, Tirpitz panicked and grabbed the microphone. Pressing the transmit button with a thumb, she cleared her throat and spoke.
"Uh... erm... Hello?"
"Hello? Is this Azur Lane Base ATAF002?"
"I... think so? Who are you? You don't sound like a shipgirl"
A slightly annoyed sigh came through "No, I'm not a shipgirl, I'm the radioman operating from the radio room on board HMS Victorious. Who is this if you're not aware that that's how it works?"
"U-uh I-I'm T-Tirpitz, sir..."
"Tirpitz? You mean the shipgirl? Great, another woman to deal with, how fantastic" Tirpitz wasn't sure how to respond to that, but suddenly heard the sound of a woman's voice, followed by rapid footsteps and what she could only assume was the radio operator being pushed violently out of his seat "Gah!" the speaker went dead for a moment, before a new, feminine voice picked up.
"So, you're Tirpitz, right? I must say, I've never heard your voice before. I take it you'll be receiving us as we arrive to pick up our boys? You, my dear, sound like great fun~!"
"Uhh?"
"We're going to have so much fun together, I just know it~"
"What does-?"
"I'll even have an olive wreath prepared just for you~"
"But I-" Tirpitz's continued cavalcade of attempts to regain control of the conversation were stopped by a hand on her shoulder, to which she found the newly awakened Jessica giggling at her.
"Goodness she's loud. Let me take care of this, Tirpitz. How about you head to those dorm buildings we saw? See if you can't find one you like?" Eager for any escape from this verbal barrage from the Royal Navy woman on the other side of the line, she nodded and handed the intercom over before dashing for the stairs. Giggling, she took the transmitter and spoke up. "Alright, Victorious, This is Lieutenant Biscuit of SOE, reading you loud and clear"
"Biscuit? Now that's a funny name, I must admit. Which makes me wonder, how do you like your tea~?"
-
Agent One and a number of the able wounded aircrew watched from a distance, waving towards him as the two massive capital ships pulled into the port, the aircraft carrier Victorious followed close behind by the King George V-class battleship Duke of York. The lengthening shadows slowly drawing into darkness as the sun set in the distance, the lights in the port coming on as Jessica flipped the switch in the switchbox before walking over to join her fellow agent as he and the other men readied the gangplanks for the two massive warships.
Before long, the shipgirls of the respective vessels appeared and headed down their respective gangplanks.
Victorious stood out rather distinctly, with her blonde flowing hair and needlessly elegant white dress, as well as the wreath on her ears and the massive golden staff she carried around, the head of which was shaped like an ornate brown ship's wheel with a golden cross in the middle. She strode confidently down the plank to the dock, her gold-topped leggings and lack of any visible shoes made it clear just how much she liked showing off her legs. She gave an eloquent curtsey to the two agents and her lost pilots let out a cheer.
Duke of York, meanwhile, sported a somewhat more suitable getup in the form of a red dress uniform with golden trim, complete with golden epaulets and a long black cape. Though the most standout deviation from normal was that the uniform was open from the chest to the neck to show off her sizable chest, complete with a fair bit of the lace bra she wore beneath it. Cape, black skirt, and long pink hair flowing behind her in the evening breeze, she strode towards the group with a black-bladed sword in hand, the faint visage of long pointed ears and pair of fangs giving her a rather vampiric look, her heels blending in with her long stockings as they clicked against the concrete.
Victorious was the first of the two to speak up, addressing the survivors "Greetings once again, gents. It's good to have you all back. Get your fellow airmen ready for transport in the morning and we'll have you home in time for tea and medals~!" The wounded headed back for the hospital to get ready to move them on board, doctors from the Victorious disembarking to follow them. Victorious herself then turning to the two with excitement in her eyes. "So, where's this Tirpitz I've heard so much about~? I simply must meet her face to face~!"
"Ah, well you see, she only just started getting ready to head to sleep and-" Jessica started, before being almost blindsided by the woman passing her by.
"Say no more, I shall introduce myself at once~!" With that, she dashed off towards the dorm rooms. With Jessica chasing after her once she regained her balance
"No wait!"
That left Agent One with Duke of York, the Eagle Union agent turning to face the Royal Navy battleship. "So... How are those 14-inch guns working out for you?"
Somewhat perplexed by the attempts to give conversation, Duke of York didn't initially respond. "They art... adequate. I do wish I'd been able to be with my sister when she was attacked in the Pacific. But I'd have more than likely simply shared her fate. Big guns do not help against submarines, as she no-doubt hath found out..."
"I... see... So I guess the dorms are over there if you wish to stay here the night as opposed to on board the ship itself"
She frowned "Art thou implying mine ship is not worth a good night's rest?"
"Wait what? No, that's not what I said at all! I was just saying-" He stopped himself upon noticing that Duke of York's frown had been replaced with a fanged grin. She strode past him, idly tapping the tip of his nose with a gloved finger as she did so, heading for the dorms.
"Don't hurt thyself, yank." She chuckled, leaving the bewildered Agent One to watch after her as she approached the dorms.
"These shipgirls are all fucking weird."
Tirpitz, meanwhile, had just found a room in one of the two dorm buildings that she liked. Most of them were identical, but she liked the view from that particular one's windows, and had settled down by sitting on the double bed this room seemed to have. She certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to have more room when sleeping.
She was simply enjoying the view out the window when a blonde-haired woman suddenly burst through the door. She would've thought it'd be Jessica, but given how white and revealing her outfit was, it was clear that it was someone new. "Tirpitz~!" She shouted ecstatically "So nice to finally see you in person~! I must say that you've got an absolutely wonderful ship, not to mention your body looks great, too" She wrapped arms around the increasingly confused and flustered Tirpitz squeezing her tightly in an affectionate hug.
Upon release, Tirpitz attempted to get her to relax by grabbing her shoulders, only resulting in Victorious taking her cap from her head and placing it on top of her own "Oh now this thing is so cute~ Comfy, too~! Maybe I should hold onto it for a bit, have you come back and get it yourself" She winked, her teasing finally being stopped by Jessica's arrival as she plucked the white cap from the carrier's head.
"That's enough of that, I think. Leave the poor thing alone Victorious, she's clearly not enjoying what you're up to. Why not run along and find your own room for the night?"
"Oh poo, you're no fun, but very well, if I must~ Ta ta, Tirpitz~ I shall see you tomorrow~" With that, she exited down the hallway.
"Please don't leave me alone with her again, Jess. She's...intense" She said as she shuddered. Getting a giggle from her friend as she hung the hat off of a hook on the wall.
"Not to worry, dear. I'll keep the big bad carrier away. Heheh~" She chuckled again and got up to head for the door. "I'll let you get some rest. It's been a long day for the both of us." She reached for the door only for Tirpitz to call out.
"W-wait! D-don't go... I... I think I'm still afraid of the darkness. Could... could you stay here with me? J-just for tonight? Please?" Jessica looked at her, her hands clasped together in begging. After a minute, she sighed and smiled.
"Oh very well. Scoot yourself over, then." She chuckled as she flipped off the light. Idly tossing the cap from her uniform disguise to the side, she climbed into the bed on the opposite side of Tirpitz. "There, feel a bit better now that you're not-oof!" Her remark was cut short by the sudden weight of the other woman practically throwing herself at her in the dark, arms wrapped tightly around her back and burying her face into Jessica's chest, letting out a soft whine. "You alright?"
She shook her head and whimpered. "Even with you here, I still keep thinking about that room, and how long I spent trapped in there. It was so dark...and so quiet. I... I couldn't...I just..." Not really sure how to respond, Jessica wrapped one arm around Tirpitz's back, using the other to gently stroke her head. Slowly, the whimpering began to die down. "You... you found me on that ship, I was ready to just let myself starve. I'd had no idea how long I'd been in there. B-but the meals had stopped coming, and the sounds of chatter I could hear from beyond the food tray door had disappeared... I thought I was already dead... But y-you saved me... You saved my life and gave me purpose again. Even if it's just sticking with you, I don't ever want to be alone again... So thank you, Jessica. For everything."
"Well, I... I'm glad I could help, Tirpitz. Hopefully at some point before too long, we'll be able to get this old base running to a more suitable standard, then maybe we can find something for you to do." Another whine escaped her "There there, Tirpitz. It's going to be alright. You're not alone anymore~"