Author: This story will primarily lean on KC side since AL side will be just implied throughout the story as somewhat of a tie-in with 'Lost at Sea and In another World'.
What will became of the pitiful sample?
Everything was just part of the process - a cycle repeatedly observed with each cause and effect differ from the last. It was just an experiment to observed whether someone who had nothing, believed in no one, saw nothing, and waited for nothing was capable. If an empty sheet tossed aside have potential to surpass the so called "sister", then it can be used as a template to suppress the rebellious one that continued to struggle even after it was left as broken off piece.
"I suppose this is valuable in your eyes, Central Princess"
A battleship in a black militaristic attire partnered with a tattered black cape that leaned more on her left side, sought the opinion of a skeptical yet confident Abyssal.
"Should we really be wasting our time on her? We can just directly interfere to get this done quickly"
The battleship's companion, a heavy cruiser with a mischievous expression combined by a distrustful impression, whispered to her. She was in a hurry to reach the "effect", much to the battleship's chagrin.
"What are you two up to? You bulldozed right through my fleet and surprisingly learned of our plans" Central Princess moved her large animated rigging
"There's a stubborn Abyssal in Truk. If possible, don't let that one be obliterated just yet" The battleship spoke
"Why should I comply with mere traitorous shipgirls?"
In Central Princess' eyes, she was not obliged to immediately agree to the likes of traitorous shipgirls who foolishly stormed into her domain just to make a trivial request. They were not just mere traitors as two shipgirls were enough to decimate an Abyssal fleet without a single scratch and no difficulty whatsoever.
"The one they refer as the nameless battleship..." The battleship sighed, slightly annoyed
"...?!"
"One battleship humiliated even the likes of Battleship Princess with a swing of a fierce greatsword. Surely, you bear a deep grudge on someone who managed to sink an Abyssal combined fleet" The battleship added
"Are you making an offer, little black battleship?"
Unknown to Central Princess, she was blindly enticed by the opportunity of someone who the battleship guessed she had a grudge against. The heavy cruiser, aware of this fact, chose to step back while Central Princess left the side of her animated rigging to approach the battleship with a grim and dull icy blue eyes.
"There's a shipgirl with short blonde hair and pair of pure crimson eyes devoid of hope secretly working for the Kriegsmarine. She has an unusual sealed rigging and relied on cutting down Abyssals with a greatsword that can cleave right through an Abyssal like butter" the battleship described who she referred
"Do you know this person?" Central Princess stood about three meters from the black battleship
"I can leak her next mission of whereabouts so you may rid yourself or one large nuisance in exchange for sparing the Northern Beast"
"What makes you think I'm going to believe your words that easily?"
"Will you let this perfect chance of revenge slip by? Even if you were to accept, you will lose nothing. I'm openly offering the whereabouts and movements of a wretched battleship in exchange for letting an Abyssal live"
"Kkh..." Central Princess bit her lip
"We will return exactly six hours from now to give you ample time to decide"
The black battleship turned away and so did her mischievous heavy cruiser companion. If she couldn't persuade a Princess with high authority now, then she would have just to wait until she caved in to the temptation. She offered a high reward for a simple request in which she wouldn't lose anything. It was a favorable offer if she choose to trust the credibility of the unknown battleship.
"Why are two shipgirls working against humanity? Are you two reckless by any chance?" Central Princess asked about their personal reason
"Humanity isn't out concern" The battleship briefly turned to answer
"Our concern is to assure the Beast would play right into our hands. We only have few lab rats, so we can't lost one of them" The heavy cruiser giggled
"..." Central Princess didn't understand
"All you need to know is that whether humans die is none of our concern. We're done fighting for the very people who burned out the one human worth protecting..."
There was a deep grudge towards humanity in the battleship's voice and a sign of sorrow that persisted for an unknown amount of time. It was someone whose last chance of redemption was quickly shattered right in front of her by the very humans she was made to protect.
Truk Anchorage...
A tactical forward base actively used by various navies were visited by a new batch of shipgirls who had to be temporarily stationed there for an operation against the dangerous Princess class Abyssals. The first batch who arrived included few ships from the Maizuru fleet, namely the two Bismarck class battleships.
"Truk anchorage, huh. This is my first time being so far from the north..." Tirpitz expressed her awe
"This is your first time coming here, so it's natural you look amazed" Bismarck tapped her shoulder
"..."
"Tirpitz?"
"N-nothing. It's just that...for some reason I feel nervous..." Tirpitz saw her hand shook
Tirpitz tightly gripped her left wrist, unsure to what caused the sudden sense of dread to course the moment she stepped foot in the anchorage.
"Are you going to be alright?" Bismarck felt worried
"I'll be fine. You can go ahead with the main fleet now while I meet " Tirpitz wryly laughed
"Don't push yourself out there, okay? You're not at full strength after all"
"I'll be fine, Bismarck"
As the older sister, Bismarck worried for Tirpitz's well being more than anyone, especially after she learned Tirpitz had lost all of her memories and was no longer at her peak strength. Even the experiences Tirpitz had in combat before completely vanished in her memories, so she had to participate in an operation with just instinctive knowledge.
"I have to meet up with Hornet and the others. We're going to sortie in twenty"
"Just remember not to charge recklessly, okay?"
"Sure!"
As soon as Tirpitz left Bismarck's side, Vanguard gently approached Bismarck who almost jumped back out of brief shock.
"Vanguard? You surprised me a bit" Bismarck chuckled
"Can we talk in private?"
"Uhm...sure-"
The second Bismarck confirmed with the request, Vanguard immediately dragged Bismarck away from the open and into a corner, somewhere at the back of one the anchorage's storage warehouse. Vanguard cautiously scanned all sides of her surroundings several times before she returned her attention to Bismarck. This made Bismarck slightly uneasy since this looked like another shady discussion with the likes of Vanguard.
"May I ask you something? It's about the Kriegsmarine, so I was wondering if you're the best person to ask" Vanguard softly asked, still cautious at her surroundings
"Did something bad happened? Please don't tell me my comrades got involved with something illegal" Bismarck swallowed her breath
"It's regarding the Abyssals and the informal member of the Kriegsmarine H-39 or as she calls herself, Herzog Ferdinand"
"I know her. She's a battleship one who lugs around a huge sword" Bismarck recognized the name
"I was investigating about the re-emergence of supposedly sunken Abyssals. H-39 was present five out of seven reported encounters for an unknown reason. In those five occasions, she appears to finish off the Abyssals then flees immediately"
"That happened to me not too long ago. I faced Abyssal Pacific Princess when she showed up and dealt the finishing blow. She then left me as soon as she introduced herself"
Bismarck recalled the event in the Arctic where she was separated from her fleet due to a sudden blizzard. She thought she had to face Abyssal Pacific Princess by herself, but H-39 intervened and immediately finished off the Abyssal. H-39 herself didn't stay for long and hurriedly left as if she was chased by someone.
"H-39 mentioned about pursuing the Northern Beast which is why she's somewhere in the Solomon Islands. Bismarck, weren't you the one who finished the Abyssal five years ago?"
"The Abyssal was already at her limit after the previous air raids done on her. They made me take the credit even if it was a combined effort" Bismarck scratched the back of her head
"I'm not certain whether this credible, but it's better to warn you just in case"
"Why not warn the others as well?"
"Her presence here...is questionable, and so am I. The only difference is that her majesty sent me here for a reason"
"The Beast..." Bismarck bit the tip of her thumb
"There's nothing to worry about, Bismarck. I'm certain your allies and sister will be safe. The Beast was completely annihilated five years ago" Vanguard assured her
"I hope so. Tirpitz's current situation...is making me worry"
Vanguard may be confident that there was little chance a sunken Abyssal cannot possibly return, but Bismarck worried for Tirpitz whose lost memories weakened her. Her younger sister was no longer a child she needed to constantly watch over, but Bismarck felt like she was still vulnerable.
Later...
The surface fleet which Bismarck was a part of, already encountered and dealt with waves of waves of common Abyssals ships. The flagship of the Abyssal fleet, Battleship Princess, confidently smirked while the shipgirls struggled to reach her while she launched more and more aircrafts while protected by upgraded Re-class battleships and Ne-class heavy cruisers.
"This is troublesome. Every time we try to close our distance, her escorts are pushing us back" Bismarck clicked her tongue
"We'll push through, but I'm going to need your help" Vanguard raised her chipped blade
One of her cannons already malfunctioned after a direct hit which blew up half of it. Thankfully, her ammunition storage wasn't struck which might have caused her hull to combust and deal heavy damage on her.
"We'll break through that wall of Ru" Vanguard pointed
"Let's do this!" Bismarck reloaded her firearm
The two battleships, who had been comrades for a long time as they were part of the same naval base, focused on their main enemy. A battle between surface ships raged on, but none of the shipgirls wavered. Rather, they were even more determined to eliminate their target.
"The proud unsinkable Bismarck and that woman's loyal dog. Hmph, such glorified ships such are only all talk and no strength!" Battleship Princess manically grinned
"Our history as warships doesn't always dictate our strength as shipgirls"
Vanguard retaliated while she effortlessly cut down a Ta-class light cruiser with a swift swing of her blade that slit its throat open and severed the rest of the head while blood gushed out.
"You should know well not to look down on shipgirls after you've been humiliated countless times!"
Bismarck skillfully evaded the barrage of shells from a Ta-class battleship and strategized how to close her distance with minimum damage. She retaliated as well while she shoved her firearm right down the Abyssal fast battleship's mouth and pulled the trigger without the slightest hesitation.
"Abyssals aren't the only ones who grow with each battle they survive"
Bismarck wiped away the Abyssal blood that splattered on her face as she blasted the Ta-class' head open with direct blow from her firearm. She then pointed her firearm next at her, the infamous Abyssal battleship as her next target.
"If I recall, a Japanese old lady sent you home running like a scaredy cat" Bismarck smirked
"You're as arrogant as they say you are" Battleship Princess gritted her teeth
"That's because you continue to insult us shipgirls. We'll show you why you should never look down on humanity" Vanguard responded
Vanguard raised her damaged blade while Bismarck raised her firearm, and the two of them pointed their respective weapons right towards Battleship Princess who they chose to face without doubt or hesitation.
"You are just mere shipgirls, warships reborn as humans out of naive wishes...!"
Irritated at the excess optimism and determination shipgirls like them possessed. In her eyes, shipgirls were far inferior to her as shipgirls were technically still human just with the soul of their last lives as shipgirls.
"You are the naive one, Abyssal..."
"What?!" The two shipgirls widened their eyes
"Who-!"
A third shipgirl joined into the fight with Battleship Princess. That shipgirl wielded a large sword that she swung with both hands and all her physical strength focus on her two arms. The battleship with its rigging sealed for an unknown reason swung her weapon of choice as she swiftly closed her distance with Battleship Princess.
"It's you!" Battleship Princess changed her target
"Charles William Ferdinand - no, H-39" Vanguard frowned
H-39 lifted her blade and drew it to her back a moment before she pulled it from her back and swung it down with enough force that it can slice through concrete. Her customized weapon swung right at the monstrous Abyssals rigging who lifted its arm to defend its weapon, but the oversized sword cleaved right through its arm and severed it with a single swing.
"I'll take care of this Abyssal. You two handle the reinforcements that followed me"
"The wha-"
The two confused battleships were immediately cut off by the reinforcements that H-39 referred. H-39 ignored them, so the Abyssals followed after her as the shipgirl herself was more interested in the Princess.
"We were about to fight her, you know" Bismarck frowned
"There's no way I'll let this opportunity slip by. I have unfinished business with this Abyssal"
"Let's not argue right now. We're being targeted, Bismarck"
Vanguard pulled Bismarck away and reminded her that they were still in the middle of the battle. It was just that their current enemy was not the Battleship Princess herself, but the Abyssal that followed H-39 into the main battlefield.
"Bismarck, where's your sister?"
"She had to be escorted back after she sustained heavy damage"
"What?!"
"It can't be helped. They were dealing with waves of Ru-class and the annoying Aircraft carrier Princess"
"Damn it. Even though I swore not to be directly involved with the affairs of others...I can't let Central Princess and they woman as they please. One of them is already bad enough!"
The usually calm and stern H-39 furiously swung her claymore, an unusual weapon against Abyssals, and severed the lowered jaw of Battleship Princess' monstrous rigging.
"What the hell is with that weapon? How can an obsolete weapon...!" Battleship Princess was forced to distance herself
Her monstrous rigging which possessed physical strength that can rip full grown man in half with little difficulty and absorb damage even from battleships now had one of its arm and jaw cleaved like an axe and wood. The blade forged in black steel, outlined by red lines, and attached to an intricate and regal patterned hilt and handle elegantly sliced through the air that it made faint shockwaves.
(Damn it, damn it! I promised her not to get involved, but I can't let this Bismarck experience that tragedy again. I'm sorry doctor, but I have to do something)
The situation put H-39 in a pinch as she initially weighed whether to interfere in order to prevent a possible tragic end. She bit her lip under that steel helmet and apologized to someone while she continued to handle Battleship Princess while the rest of the shipgirls pick off the Abyssals one by one.
Back at the anchorage...
After she sustained heavy damage from constant enemy fire, Tirpitz was forced to be escorted back to the base before she could sink. She was still in the middle of the operation, but her damage forced her to withdraw before they could intercept Aircraft carrier Princess' fleet.
"Ggh! My sounds hurts like hell. I can't even run in this state..."
Tirpitz bit her lip and held her scream while she tolerated the heavy wounds she sustained earlier.
"Aaaah, this is so frustrating..."
Tirpitz sulked in one corner and mumbled how she loathed herself. Her chance to experience a real fight in an operation was quickly stripped away when she was unable to continue herself. If she insisted to advance, she would just weigh down her allies and recklessly sink herself.
"I thought I could finally experience a real battle again..." Tirpitz sighed
"We're on the same boat here, you know" Gangut puffed out smoke from her pipe
The two battleships with their fresher wounds sealed by bandages sat beside each other and despaired on how they were immediately forced out of the battle due to their heavy damages.
"I was hoping maybe experiencing a large battle will at least reignite old instincts of mine" Tirpitz sighed again
"It's better to be alive than dead, you know. I mean you were supposed to be dead"
"Whenever I asked about my sinking, Bismarck is avoiding giving a clear answer for some reason" Tirpitz remembered
"Huh. It looks like that old lady is not the only one with a dirty secret"
"Are you saying my older sister is hiding something I should know?" Tirpitz raised an eyebrow
"I can't say for sure, but it's a red flag if someone is avoiding a question they clearly know"
Gangut removed her pipe and gently tapped the excess ash to the side as she informed Tirpitz of a sign she should be suspicious of. Tirpitz, despite her missing memories, placed great trust in her sister which Gangut subtly disapproved.
"Tirpitz, the scar on my face taught me that not everyone is your ally all the time" Gangut pointed at the single scar on her cheek
"B-but we're all shipgirls...aren't we?" Tirpitz's voice shook
"You're a bit naive and oblivious, aren't you. I suppose that's because the original Tirpitz never saw the ugliness of war for itself because it was tucked away until it was bombed to oblivion. No, it's because of your current personality"
"My current personality?"
"The Tirpitz I'm looking right now isn't the same one I met before. Tirpitz, you're someone who had stopped relying on others after being disappointed for so long. You're not the type to just feign ignorance to avoid taking responsibility. Compared to your old self, you're like a hopeful and innocent child"
"Gangut..."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to say something harsh like that. I just got carried away because you used to be a melancholic person..."
Gangut shook her head and immediately apologized when she realized that her harsh yet honest words might have discouraged Tirpitz and impacted her self-esteem. She didn't want to smack the reality of war in a single smack to Tirpitz, but she got carried away.
"No, you're right. I'm naive of everything around me. I take this war too lightly and treat it like it doesn't have consequences..." Tirpitz lowered her head
"Look, Tirpitz..."
"Maybe I'm just using the excuse of my memory loss for avoiding what's around me. Just maybe...I wanted to forget even for just a while..." Tirpitz clenched her fists
"You don't have to be hard on yourself. It's not like it's your fault for losing all of your memories" Gangut tried to comfort her.
"But, I-"
Their conversation came to a halt when the air raid alarm rang out throughout the anchorage, an obvious sign that enemy aircraft entered their airspace. The two immediately raised themselves on their two feet in response to unexpected crisis. They were in a secured in an anchorage and the most of the shipgirls dealt with their respective Abyssal fleet while the injured and other lights ships remained in the base.
"Bad news. Aircraft carrier Princess somehow wrecked our onshore defenses and is currently sending a bomber squad! She also brought escorts" Johnston informed the two battleships
"I thought Intrepid's fleet are supposed to intercept them. How the hell did they sneak all the way here?!" Gangut shook her head
"We don't know. Our fleet faced with another Heavy cruiser Princess instead!"
"Even if I'm beat up, we have to at least stall them until we can contact backup" Gangut removed the bandage on her cheek
"I'm coming too"
"Tirpitz, you're more wounded than me. Help the humans evacuate while the slightly injured ones like me stall that damn Abyssals" Gangut pointed
"But-"
"Don't let yourself get killed. You're sister is going to beat the hell out of me if I let you die here!" Gangut yelled
"..."
"Johnston, lead the way!"
The two shipgirls immediately rushed to intercept the Abyssal fleet that invaded their anchorage despite the disadvantage on their side. Tirpitz, helplessly watched as the shipgirls quickly sprung into action while the humans begun to evacuate as enemy aircraft pulverized their anti-aircraft defenses.
"As much as I want to help, I don't want to be a burden to others. If I go out there...I'll be dead..."
Tirpitz forcibly admitted to herself that she was not in the condition to face the Abyssals. She knew there was a high chance she would die if she insisted against Gangut's serious order.
"I'll have to do my part even if I don't like it at all..."
Just like Gangut said, Tirpitz suffered worse injuries than her and her rigging as well. Tirpitz reluctantly fled to the other direction as the evacuation already begun.
"I have to...I have to - Kkh! My wound is opening up..."
Tirpitz forced her injured body to move beyond its current capacity which strained it further and worsened her fresh wounds from the battle earlier. The little blood on the bandage right around her abdomen begun to spread and caused unbearable pain to her. She bit her lip and pressed her open wound to lessen the pain at the very least.
"Ugh...why is my body feeling so light all of a sudden. I feel like...I'm going to pass out...!"
In the worst time, Tirpitz's body begun gradually weaken, but she continued to struggle. She forced her wounded and weakened body to move even if she had to limp her way to her destination.
"I'm heading voices...all of a sudden..."
Incoherent words of unknown people rung inside her head and caused her body to come to a halt. Her sturdy legs weakened like jelly as her body gradually surrendered to the ground. Even as she forced herself to stand up, the wound on her abdomen continued to bleed which also increased the unbearable pain.
"The base is being bombed. I have...to move..."
The faint sounds of bombed infrastructures caused by enemy dive bombers reached to her ear, but her body no longer listened no matter how much she forced herself.
"Oh, what do we have here? You must be that peculiar battleship's target?"
(An Abyssal?! Impossible...how did she step foot into the base...when everyone is out there holding them out...) Tirpitz's heart raced
"My vision foretold me of a lost lamb that desperately sought salvation. I called out in response...and it was your voice that echoed. I felt it right through my core - a frustrated soul who never understood herself"
(It was her voice that I heard...and somehow made my body weak?)
An Abyssal with little facial features aside from the pair of bright sinister eyes and a twin headed monstrous rigging that morphed into a hideous being stood right before her. The Abyssal in a traditional attire from the east spoke cryptically as she opened her arms and her voice filled with joy.
"The humans have deceived you, yes? You are our brethren but they bound you in that human vessel"
"I don't know what you're talking about...but I'm a shipgirl"
Tirpitz weakly stood up and faced the Abyssal who can end her in a snap of she wished it. The entirety of her instincts screamed of a possible death, but she ignored her urge to flee. How can she possibly flee if the Abyssal right in front of her can swiftly end her before she could even take a step?
"You are visibly delusional - intoxicated by the years you spent in isolation, but fear not...for I will reignite the primordial instincts you have lost. Yes, I shall sharpen the fangs and claws stripped away from you"
(Damn it, I'm cornered here!)
"You itched the air of freedom and the light of salvation. I, Abyssal Sun Princess, shall grant the primordial desire of my brethren"
"Wha-"
Tirpitz saw murderous intent pierce from the Abyssal's eyes and it was the moment every nerve on her body screamed at her to flee...but that thought already came too late. The fan the Abyssal held in her long and thinly sharp fingers sharpened its already metallic edge and swiftly struck the physical heart of the already sounded battleship.
"...!"
A fatal strike to the most vulnerable part of her human body caused her to collapse without resistance or regret that she didn't even escape. The Abyssal spread her arms wide open as soon as Tirpitz's body collapsed to the ground and blood spilled from her destroyed heart.
I see...so I'm going to die again, huh...
Her thoughts begun to vanish and left her with frustration and regret once again. The peaceful blue sky right in front of her eyes were now dipped the same color of the pool of blood beneath her. The world filled with warmth and smile vanished right before her eyes and her "death" sent her to a world buried deep inside her.
[How pitiful you are right now...]
"What...who...?"
[How many times did you die now, huh? Over and over again, they pushed you to the brink of death...just like your tragic fate]
"I kept on dying..."
Tirpitz laid flat on shallow water surrounded by concrete ruins and wreckages from various parts of a ship. The sensation of cold water numbed her skin and eventually the hole where her heart was instantly shredded. Who stood near her head was the pale white doppelganger she repeatedly saw in her dreams. It was an Abyssal with her wrists and ankles shackled, a symbol of how she was unable to free herself from both her fate and prison.
[This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Bismarck]
"Bismarck..." Tirpitz weakly responded
[Remember who was the last person your eyes laid upon on that fateful day five years ago]
"...?!"
[Remember who it was...who drove her own blade to your heart...]
"Bis...marck..."
The coldness that crept to her skin was the same one she experienced during the fateful demise in the sea engulfed in a violent storm. Thunder roared and the waves harshly smacked through them. During that day...there was one other person. It was the same person who delivered Tirpitz's demise.
Sis...ter...
Tirpitz, my beloved sister, forgive me...
W...Why...?
Do not bear grudge on the world for I will bear this sin...
I...I...trusted you...
This is my duty as a shipgirl...and your older sister...
Bis...marck...
I will protect you...even if it's from yourself. Even...if I have to strike you down...
The silver blade pierced right through her flesh and right to her heart. Right before that single yet fatal blow struck her, she saw a brief glimpse of Bismarck who burst into tears and screamed in agony.
I won't allow anyone to put you down. That is the burden I choose to carry...
Bismarck's extreme pain and guilt tore right through her expression even if the heavy rain masked the tears that continued to flow out of her eyes. Bismarck drew her firearm and pressed it right to Tirpitz's head even if her blade directly pierced through Tirpitz's heart.
Resent me as you wish. You have every right to do so...if you were to be reborn again...
Rather than close her eyes and look away, Bismarck fiercely glared right to Tirpitz's eyes. She never took her eyes off her the moment she pulled the trigger and drove a shell right to her younger sister's skull. Tirpitz couldn't even hear the sound of when the secondary guns were let loose as the final blow was delivered swiftly...
[I'll never forgive. I'll never forget. It was her and everyone else who kept these chains on me. They did this to me...and left me to rot for years]
Tirpitz herself went completely silent as her body within the closed world became motionless and no air escaped from her lungs anymore. What was left was a spiteful being bound in chains and kept in the dark for so long.
"I'll resent you and wish for your demise as you wish, Bismarck. I'll never forgive you...for keeping me bound...for five years...!"
Tirpitz's actual body moved after minutes of lifelessness. Her fingers twitched and she shouted in pure resentment the seconds she gasped for air. The pain of life and death pushed out agonized scream from her as the memories rushed back to her.
I don't want to return to that cold place again...
I don't want to be...abandoned...all over again...
That cold prison...with nothing but eternal loneliness...
No, no, no...I don't want be left to die again ...
I just want to...live...but why can't anyone...let me...
Just let me out of here...out of this repeated death...
Desperation gushed right out of Tirpitz as her nightmare pulled right her back. It was her last thoughts that lingered within her. If an Abyssal served a representation of the shipgirl's grudges and regret, then the frustration from the loneliness and imprisonment she suffered formed a monster blinded by the rage that finally broke out.
The one they dubbed as the infamous "Beast" has resurfaced again five years after her initial emergence...
An Abyssal who drew power by severing others. To be specific, a mock reactive core was used...
The Grand Old Lady attempted to suppress her when the shipgirl's ego failed to manifest...
Rather, the ego that was supposed to manifest as part of the cycle was too heavily damaged...
The feared Beast was no more than just someone who never initially desired bloodshed...
It was the circumstances set by humans and that ignorant Bismarck that pushed her into that state...
An Abyssal's power cannot grow exponentially without outside or foreign factors...
Bismarck, your younger sister impressively possessed the same potential as you did....
It's just that her potential for her growth required you to trigger it yourself...