We managed to find the Ta-class a skirt, apparently the monks here accepted clothes donations to give out in charity, it fit the Ta well enough around the waist, but she was a tall girl at whopping 6"2 feet, and the full-length skirt only went down just past her knees. Hiding the connection where her white hull met the black Abyssal steel that went down to her pointed feet.
The girl took another surprisingly dainty gulp out of the gas tank of the Volvo, holding the ripped out part almost like a cup as she held the scrunched up muffler in her other hand. "? ﾝﾖﾔ... ?'? ? ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾘ? ﾝﾖﾎ?, ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ? ﾝﾖﾔ?'? ﾝﾖﾊ ? ﾝﾖﾍ? ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ? ﾝﾖﾍ? ﾝﾖﾙ ? ﾝﾖﾗ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ? ﾝﾖﾊ ? ﾝﾖﾔ ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾍ? ? ﾝﾖﾔ? ? ﾝﾖﾔ?"
"Well, not your body, that was made by someone else. Me and Chitose just started you up and made you... You, I guess." I was sat next to the Ta, looking up at the girls as she took a bite out of the car part. She'd demolished the Volvo, and had already eaten the truck besides, I half-wondered if we'd have to go junk-hunting again, "How's your crew summoning going, anyway?" She paused, thinking for a moment.
"? ﾝﾖﾙ'? ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾌ ? ﾝﾖﾋ?, ? ﾝﾖﾑ? ﾝﾖﾜ? ﾝﾖﾞ, ? ﾝﾖﾑ? ? ﾝﾖﾋ ? ﾝﾖﾞ ? ﾝﾖﾋ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾘ ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ? ﾝﾖﾕ? ﾝﾖﾈ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾙ? ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾉ? ﾝﾖﾉ ? ﾝﾖﾔ? ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾈ? ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ? ﾝﾖﾚ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ? ﾝﾖﾞ ? ﾝﾖﾔ? ﾝﾖﾑ? ﾝﾖﾗ? ? ﾝﾖﾗ? ? ﾝﾖﾚ? ﾝﾖﾒ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ﾝﾖﾉ, ? ﾝﾖﾔ? ? ﾝﾖﾙ ? ﾝﾖﾘ ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾞ ? ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾙ? ﾝﾖﾗ ? ﾝﾖﾋ ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾑ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ? ﾝﾖﾚ? ? ﾝﾖﾍ? ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾐ?, ? ﾝﾖﾘ ? ﾝﾖﾙ ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾊ." She said, "? ? ﾝﾖﾚ? ﾝﾖﾕ? ﾝﾖﾘ? ? ﾝﾖﾋ ? ﾝﾖﾔ? ? ﾝﾖﾗ? ﾝﾖﾑ? ? ﾝﾖﾗ? ? ﾝﾖﾞ ? ﾝﾖﾗ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾔ?... ?'? ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ? ﾝﾖﾔ? ﾝﾖﾗ ? ﾝﾖﾆ? ﾝﾖﾊ." She nodded her head to me.
"Awesome! Now we just have to figure out a name for you! Any ideas?" I directed the last to those around me, Chitose perked up.
"Well, she's a Queen Elizabeth class, that means she's most definitely based off of the Barham, She was a Battleship-Princess active in the Mediterranian four years ago, she was sunk by some of Germany's sub-girls off the coast of Egypt a few times before she simply stopped coming back. Or at least, that's what they said, That was about the time Ta-Class Battleships began appearing, if I remember correctly. if this Ta was reverse-engineered based off of her design..." Lao spoke up.
"...Then rumors of her continued death were likely greatly exaggerated." There was a pause at that, I scratched my cheek, thinking hard.
"So, back to the topic. What was Berham named after?" Lao was the one to speak up at that.
"Oh! I know that one! Yeah, she was named after a really famous English Admiral! Charles Middleton, he was the Baron of Berham, hence the name, there were like, 3 or 4 ships named after the guy, was even in a few books."
"Any family?"
"Yeah, he had a daughter I think... Hold on a minute, I need to think of the name..." While Lao massaged her head, I turned back to the Ta.
"Well, whoever that Berham ship was, you got one hell of a tune-u-"
"Diana!" I flinched, looking over to Lao who had suddenly shouted. "Diana Middleton! She was the 2nd Duchess of Berham after her dad! I think she made a bunch of churches or something, and was a big opponent of the slave trade." I smiled.
"Well, if that isn't a good name-sake, I dunno what is!" I turned to the Fast Battleship, "How does Diana sound?" The Ta paused mid-sip of her gas-tank, thinking.
"? ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾉ ? ﾝﾖﾞ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾋ ? ﾝﾖﾚ? ﾝﾖﾙ? ? ﾝﾖﾓ? ﾝﾖﾒ? ﾝﾖﾗ? ﾝﾖﾉ, ? ﾝﾖﾈ? ﾝﾖﾚ? ﾝﾖﾑ? ﾝﾖﾞ, ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾓ?... ? ﾝﾖﾊ?, ? ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾊ ? ﾝﾖﾙ!" The now-named Diana said.
"I'd find a champaign-bottle to smash over your head, but I'm fairly sure we drank 'em all last night," I said sheepishly.
"? ﾝﾖﾍ? ﾝﾖﾙ?"
"Ah, it's a long story-" Chitose began.
"-Got drunk, Christened Anne and Hakone, involved smashing champaign bottles over their bridges." I interrupted. Diane looked to an embarrassed Chitose.
"? ﾝﾖﾍ? ﾝﾖﾙ ? ﾝﾖﾎ? ﾝﾖﾓ'? ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾒ ? ﾝﾖﾊ? ﾝﾖﾞ ? ﾝﾖﾔ? ﾝﾖﾌ ? ﾝﾖﾙ ? ﾝﾖﾑ?!" She turned back to me as Chitose mumbled to herself.
"Now that I think of it, aren't you supposed to do it across the bow?"
"Dripped away easier off their heads, didn't wanna make their shirts wet, for obvious reasons." I cupped my non-existent breasts in a circular motion as the Ta tilted her head in slight confusion, Chitose got the joke, looked like she wished she didn't.
...
Diane finished off the last of the scraps as I spoke to the head guy Chanvatey. "So...Um, do you need anything done around the place as payment for the food? Or?" It wouldn't feel right to just leave. After having basically cleaned out their offerings for the next week.
"Oh its quite alright, white rice is one of the few foodstuffs I doubt we'll run out of any time soon for any appreciable amount of time. We'll simply have to use alternate food as 'Praet bait' for a while." He smiled, showing off a full set of healthy teeth. "Though if this experience says anything, we may have to start leaving bowls of oil and scrap metal instead!" We shared a chuckle at that. "In truth, the things we learned today are worth much more than any amount of food."
That was about the time Ha Si came in, flanked by a few unfamiliar PAVN men with Giang taking up the rear. He looked upset, he called out to Lao in Vietnamese. She answered, before turning to all of us.
"He said the other convoys finally showed up, excuse me a minute." The short Frigate jogged up to the men as I continued to talk to the monk. Anne and Hakone were talking with Diane, comparing and sharing experiences. Anne seemed to be sharing the techniques (with copious descriptive hand-gestures) she'd used to tear apart two Ne-Class heavy Cruisers, Diane was paying rapt attention even as she daintily finished off the last of the hub-cap she'd been eating like an oversized cookie.
One of the men next to Ha Si, looking askance at us, said something too low and too Vietnamese for me to understand. Lao gasped, and seemed to wilt in on herself as he took something out of his backpack.
It was an officer's cap.
Lao took it, before hugging it to her chest, a high pitched whine coming from her. "That doesn't look good," I said, the monk nodded, a concerned look on his face. We walked up to the men as Lao ran off, "Hey, umm, is she gonna be OK?" The other two stepped back a little bit from me, as Ha Si spoke to his son.
"Other two convoys was hit by aircraft while getting procedured at Châu Đốc, there was many killed." Oh. Giang listened to his father for another minute. "Hat belonged to a Captain she knew" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder the way Lao had fled. "He stayed at Long Xuyen, sent these guys ahead."
"Oh, man... Chitose! Get over here!" The Tender came over, a puzzled look on her face. "Tell her what you just told me," I told Giang. He repeated what he'd said for her benefit.
"Oh no... I have to find Pham!" And she was off. Running the same way the Frigate had torn-off to. I wanted to chase after them, but I doubted my presence would be all that reassuring right now, and I was never good at calming children, even back then...
"It appears we will be very busy tonight, chanting the suttas in memoriam for those lost," Chanvatey said after a moment of silence.
...
I finally got the guts to go after Chitose, and found that she hadn't made it very far, the Japanese Tender was hugging Commander Lao from behind, the smaller Frigate herself curled around the cap she'd been given. "Is she gonna be OK?" I said quietly, Chitose looked back, her chin resting on the top of Lao's head.
"We have to stop her, Georgia, we have to stop New Jersey. Things can't keep going on like this" I just nodded, meanwhile, Lao was crying.
"H-He said he w-was p-proud of me... That was the last thing he said. I should have known then the idiot would... That he'd..." She broke down again, reduced to sniffles. Chitose just hugged her harder, shooting me a look that I interpreted as 'You'd better leave'.
So I did.