I'm going to remember to put the same notes here as I do on reddit now...
So remember last time when I told you guys that I was like one more story away before I starting writing the party arc... I didn't realize I had more to do, so here we are. While it is subject to change I think this and three more are necessary before we can move on. Regardless, hopefully they are good enough that they make up for the wait.
There are also likely historical/cultural inaccuracies here, if you want to point them out feel free to. I'm doing my best to improve.
Hope you enjoy. Onwards and upwards.
The Commander perked up as he heard the distinct jangling of metal tools coming down the hall. He saw a set of green cat ears just poking over the window of the office door.
"Come in!" he said before Akashi could knock.
Akashi came in, not bothering to shut the door. "Good day Commander. I have a proposal for you!"
"If it's to sell me more plushies then no, I'm already satisfied with the ones I got," The Commander said.
"Nyo! This is big! Laboratory stuff, I knyow you'll like it," Akashi put her… hands? (more like tool fingers) on the desk, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Very well, let's hear it," The Commander put down his pen.
"Nyes! The laboratory and myself have developed a plan for furthering increasing the power of our Priority kansen. The method is called "Fate Simulation" and it requires a bit of context to fully explain. As you know, us kansen are a result of the collective ideals and perceptions of warships and our history, that is what gives us our thoughts, abilities, and power. Our Priority kansen have no such history to draw off of, so we had to make special mental cubes from scratch for them nyah?"
The Commander put his hand up, "Hold on, why haven't I been notified of this project until now?"
"Uhh, I think I should have started with the part where I said it was formulated at West Pacific Operations, but we didn't have the tools and equipment to pull it off there," Akashi partially hid her face behind her oversized sleeves.
"Ok, go on," The Commander said.
"We already gave them a fabricated set of ideals to give them their form, but this "Fate Simulation" process is a way to simulate history for them. Since our histories give us regular kansen strength, it seems likely giving Priority kansens history will do the same. We just need either Ibuki or Saint Louis as our first subject."
"Mainz isn't a suitable subject?" The Commander asked.
"These are tailored to each kansen, we haven't completed one for Mainz yet," Akashi shook her head.
"Well Saint Louis is out at the moment so that puts Ibuki up front. I'll ask if she is interested, but first-"
"Nyah! Excellent, I'll be in the laboratory looking everything over, just come to me with Ibuki when she's ready. I'll be in the lab," Akashi then ran out of the room.
"Hey we don't know if she's going to accept!" The Commander shouted. Akashi must not have heard him because she kept running.
After retrieving Ibuki and relaying the brief explanation to her, the two walked into the room to see a huge array of equipment spread out around what looked like a dentist's chair. Akashi turned to them with a big smile.
"Nyah! Welcome, so I see you decided to go through with it," Akashi said.
"Hold on Akashi, why don't you explain to us what exactly is going on here," The Commander said.
"Ah yes. Ibuki, you are a priority kansen, a ship never created. You don't have history like I do, but with all this right here we can fix that," Akashi said, waving her arms at all the devices. "All we have to do is hook you up to it, let you sleep a little, and you'll wake up with new powers!"
The Commander looked at it all with worry, "I don't know. If I were a kansen I wouldn't be super eager to jump into something like this. Ibuki, what are your thoughts?"
"You think it's safe, Akashi?" Ibuki asked.
"Most certainly, the worst that could happen is that you wake up from it like a bad dream," Akashi said.
"If that is the case, then I will accept," Ibuki said.
"Excellent! Just hop in this chair and we can get started right away," Akashi said.
"W-wait, now?" The Commander asked.
"Nyah! It's easy to operate, all the difficult work was done beforehand," Akashi guided Ibuki into the chair and started sticking lots of little probes to her skin. "Oh, and miss Ibuki, could you please put your mental cube here."
"Akashi, these are sensitive things you're dealing with. A mental cube is a kansen's second brain, some would argue it's their primary actually," The Commander said.
"Nyot to worry, Commander. We've tested this in virtual models, it's only dangerous if we do a lot in a short amount of time," Akashi said.
"And you're about to inject a ton of memories directly into her cube," The Commander said.
"Not so much inject as create but that is the plan."
"So you've formulated the memories for her?"
"Well, not really, it's…"
"So you can't give us a warning on what she's going to experience?" The Commander asked. The more and more Akashi failed to explain this the less comfortable he got.
"These aren't hard coded scenarios Commander! The mental cube will be forming its own memories! Nyehhh, stop asking questions it's only going to make things harder!" Akashi shouted.
The Commander looked at Ibuki with all the probes stuck to her. She seemed equally as uncertain about this but he couldn't tell if it was about the procedure itself or she just couldn't handle him and Akashi that well in a social context.
"Fine, Ibuki are you ready?" The Commander asked.
Ibuki nodded, "Yes milord."
"Akashi, get this rolling," The Commander said.
Akashi went silent. She pressed a bunch of buttons, turned a few dials, stared at a display screen, all things that The Commander could understand individually but couldn't put together.
Ibuki closed her eyes and her breathing became steady again. The Commander leaned in to look at her closer. She fell asleep.
"And now, we wait," Akashi said.
"How long?" The Commander asked.
"Not too long, maybe a minute, maybe three," Akashi shrugged.
So they sat in silence as the machine worked away. The Commander's eyes kept bouncing back and forth between Ibuki and her mental cube placed only two feet away from her, held by some weird claw device.
Then, Ibuki's eyes flashed open like someone dumped water on her. "Ahh! I, wow umm… Oh, milord I… apologize for my outburst."
Akashi fumbled with her equipment, pulling out a microphone. "Ibuki! Could you please tell us what you saw in your fate simulation? Or write it down," Akashi then handed her a pen and notepad.
Ibuki looked at the pen. "I'd prefer to write it down."
"Nyokay, be as accurate as possible!" Akashi said.
Ibuki started writing but kept taking glances at Akashi and The Commander. At some point she stopped entirely. "Umm, could you please stop staring at me." She hid what she wrote against her chest.
"Right, sorry Ibuki. Akashi why don't we give her a bit of privacy," The Commander said.
"Nyokay, call us back in when you are done," Akashi said.
The two left the room and waited for her to finish logging her experience. The Commander glanced through the window to see Ibuki writing away. Her pen moved down the line faster than he could ever hope to match. He looked back at Akashi.
"So you're putting them through war. War changes people, do you think she'll come out alright?" he asked.
"Hmm, she should be fine. I mean, look at all the kansen around us, we manage to move on and make good lives for ourselves," Akashi said.
"I guess so, let's hope it's the same for her," The Commander gestured to the door, right as it opened.
"Milord, I have completed logging my experience. I wrote it in Japanese so I could do it quickly without loss of memory, but I can translate it into English too if you like," Ibuki said.
"That would be appreciated, I think we'll want logs for Central and West Pacific labs," he glanced at Akashi.
"Yep! I'll scan them and send them to Yuubari," Akashi said.
As they all walked back into the room to wrap up the session The Commander couldn't take his eyes off Ibuki. She seemed to notice as she had a hard time making eye contact with him.
"Milord, you're staring," Ibuki said.
"Hmm? Oh sorry, I… are you ok Ibuki?" The Commander asked.
"I'm fine, really," Ibuki said.
"Could you tell me what happened?" The Commander asked, he picked up the notebook and flipped it open. He didn't know why, despite Akagi's best efforts he never really learned how to speak Japanese, so reading and writing was out of the question.
"Very well, I shall explain the Ibuki's story to you thus far," Ibuki said.
The sessions over the next few days started the same as the first, but endings were different. Ibuki would wake up sad on the second day, describing the heavy losses the Sakura Empire suffered. She described word for word the events of Midway. The third day she seemed rather happy, boasting about the volatile torpedo strikes she and her battle group accomplished. For a moment the shy and reserved Ibuki disappeared as she explained her numerous victories, even cracking a bright smile and a satisfied giggle at the end of her storytelling. The Commander didn't think she would be proud of something like that.
On day four The Commander wondered when she would sink, or if. He hoped that she would survive to the end of the war simply for her comfort, but her fate simulation seemed to be following history, and even after the war, scrapping was inevitable, though of course that was the most pleasant death a ship could experience
"So how many of these sessions do we have left?" The Commander asked.
"Mhmm, the projected amount is five or six, so this is probably the third or second to last, it depends on how active she is in the war," Akashi said.
"If her career continues like we've been reading she'll make it all the way to six sessions," The Commander said.
"She's under good leadership and lots of experience. It's kinda neat looking at all the other shipgirls she's worked with," Akashi flipped through the detailed report Ibuki wrote down.
"Well, whatever happens, let's hope it's worth it, war changes people," The Commander said
As they discussed, they heard a knock on the door and a small voice come through.
"May I come in?" Ibuki asked.
"Yep, we're all set and ready for you, just have a seat and we'll take you on a journey," The Commander gestured to the chair. The Commander noticed that she had to reset her resolve. He knew that these memories and events were intense but he couldn't quite put himself in her shoes in terms of the emotions. He just hoped this wouldn't be too scarring.
Once again, Akashi attached the monitors, Ibuki settled in, fell asleep, and the memories formed.
"What's going to happen when she sinks?" The Commander asked.
"Uhh, I don't know. Let's hope that doesn't happen," Akashi said.
"I don't like hope Akashi," The Commander said. He didn't look at her but his eyes narrowed and his voice lowered to an intense degree.
Akashi flattened her ears and recoiled away from him. "M-maybe next time we'll have some comfort items on standby, like if you want I can offer you…" Akashi stopped herself.
The first few seconds came with startling results. The Commander and Akashi's eyes went wide when Ibuki's body started arcing with electricity. They stepped back so as not to get shocked.
"She's going to fry my equipment!" Akashi said.
"Pull her out!" The Commander said.
"Wehh!" Akashi reached to unplug the main power line but she stopped when Ibuki stopped sparking. Her eyes shot open, but they were nearly engulfed by flying sparks. Ibuki screamed and leapt from the chair, nearly pulling some of the equipment onto the floor.
"Nyahh! Careful!" Akashi said.
"Ibuki what's wrong, what did you see?" The Commander asked.
Ibuki started ripping the sensors and probes off of her, "Where is she? I need to find her."
"She?" The Commander asked.
Ibuki ran towards the door and out the room, "Noshiro!"
"Wait! We need the post session report!" Akashi said. The Commander and Akashi were left in silence, staring at each other in confusion. Akashi grumbled, "Well, I guess we'll take a look at the raw data while she's gone."
"Fine, did you have anything there that measured amperage or voltage? I have a feeling she could make use of those in combat," The Commander said.
Ibuki sprinted across the base towards the Sakura Empire dorms. She pushed past people that got in her way, much to their surprise. Some even commented something about her eyes but Ibuki didn't pay attention to them. She skidded to a halt in front of an apartment door, knocking with such vigor the door rattled in its frame.
Noshiro opened the door. "Hello? Why are-OOF"
Ibuki tackle hugged Noshiro, nearly sending them both to the ground.
"W-what's this about. Ibuki is everything alright?" Noshiro patted her on the back, glancing down the hall and wondering if anyone saw them.
"I needed to make sure you're still here," Ibuki said.
"I'm well, but…" Noshiro looked into Ibuki's eyes, then her expression turned soft and curious. "Ibuki. Your eyes are sparking."
"Hmm?" Ibuki put a finger near her eye. "I don't feel anything."
"Hold on," Noshiro went to her room and came back with a pocket mirror. She held it up for Ibuki to see. "The effect is subsiding but sparks are flying from the corner of your eyes. And…" Noshiro reached to wipe a tear from Ibuki's cheek. "Why are you upset?"
"May we sit down for this? I have a lot to say," Ibuki said.
"I'm going through my fate simulation right now. It's to simulate what I would have gone through if I was part of the war. Akashi says it is to make me stronger," Ibuki said.
"How long will this procedure take?" Noshiro walked over with a pot of hot water and various teas.
"Only a few days, I think we're approaching the end but… today was the most painful so far," Ibuki said.
"What happened? If I may ask?" Noshiro said.
"Well, you and I, but not us as kansen, our ships in the war, sortied together frequently. It was so often that our crews knew each other well, often knowing each other's names. Some even met when docked to talk about who they were before the war," Ibuki said.
"Really? Fascinating, what am I like in this simulated world?" Noshiro asked. She poured out the water and handed Ibuki a tea bag.
"You are much the same as you are now in the real world. Calm, stoic, unflinching, supportive… I got so used to seeing you whenever I turned around, and we made an excellent team. Our kills were numerous and we even developed a reputation among the Eagle Union sailors. They aren't typically ones to mystify but we were called the Lightning Storm, we led torpedo squadrons into night battles.
"One night though I was severely damaged. I was able to escape and be escorted home to a safe port for repairs but you still were functional and had to go assist the front," Ibuki sniffled.
Noshiro put the tea cup down, keeping a close eye on her.
"Of course, when you are without me for the first time… the one time I'm not there to protect you, you are sunk by an Eagle Union heavy cruiser," Ibuki broke into tears, putting her face in her hands. Ibuki took a sharp breath, "My crew was devastated, we were each other's good luck charms, the storm was incomplete, they said. Clouds do not form without the sea's winds, and therefore no lightning would strike."
"I… Ibuki, I am here with you, please do not cry," Noshiro reached to grab Ibuki's hand. She noticed there were sparks in her eyes again, this time far more brilliant.
"My ship's spirit was hollowed, my reason to fight was present, but there would be no joy at the end of it," Ibuki squeezed Noshiro's hand.
"Did you make it to the end of the war?" Noshiro asked.
"We do not know yet, there is still time in the simulation world. Noshiro, I sometimes fear that… I will not wake up from the simulation, and it will become my reality. I don't want to be in that reality, not without you," Ibuki said.
"This is your reality, here with me, and everyone else on this base in a tropical island paradise. You are here on this Earth," Noshiro said. Again, the sparks in Ibuki's eyes subsided, a handy little tell. "Do you know why your eyes are sparking like this?"
"I think it is the result of my fate simulation. Akashi said it is supposed to make me stronger," Ibuki said.
"It seems it is already taking effect. Do you feel stronger?" Noshiro asked.
"I don't think so, but I would need combat and perhaps meditation to be sure, I-" Ibuki stopped when she noticed her sword was missing. "My sword, I must have left it in the laboratory. I need to go back for the post session logging too," Ibuki sighed.
"Would it help if I came with you?" Noshiro asked.
"Could you?" Ibuki asked.
Noshiro nodded, "Of course."
"We should go now. I am supposed to be writing it all down immediately after the session. Akashi and The Commander are likely upset that I ran away," Ibuki said.
Noshiro hugged Ibuki. "Then let's get going, I'll be with you as much as I can."
"Where did she go?" Akashi grumbled.
"She said she was finding Noshiro. I'm actually not sure if she's on base at the moment, I'd have to check the schedule. If she doesn't come back soon I'll go looking for her," The Commander said.
Right on time, Ibuki walked back in with Noshiro in tow. She gave a bow, "I apologize milord, I am here to log my experience in my fate simulation now."
"The log book is on the chair, Akashi and I are going through the data we collected on you during the process. Ibuki, you're going through some big changes," The Commander said.
Ibuki grabbed the book and sat down to write. Noshiro walked over to The Commander and Akashi, "Ibuki has told me of her experiences in this simulated world, they seem quite distressing." Noshiro had a frown on her face and her arms crossed.
"This is actually the first day she's experienced anything this dramatic," The Commander said.
"Nyah! She was doing fine previously," Akashi said.
Noshiro took a side eyed glance at Ibuki for a moment, who was writing away without care for her surroundings. The Commander seemed to notice.
"Hmm, usually she asks us to leave, oh well, doesn't matter," The Commander said.
"She tells me this will give her more power, but in what respect?" Noshiro asks.
The Commander turns to Akashi, "Akashi, how is this supposed to end?"
Akashi fidgeted with her tools. "Well uhh… you see, with the theory crafted plans we laid out at West Pacific Operations we hypothesized that under the right conditions and applications of artificial memory to a PR ship's mental cube there is a high likelihood that by the end of the whole process…"
"Conclusion, Akashi," The Commander said firmly.
"We don't know…" Akashi said.
The Commander and Noshiro had an eyebrow raised.
"So you didn't know what powers she would gain/So you didn't predict that electrical effect?" Noshiro and The Commander said.
"Wehh, I…" Akashi backed up to the cart holding all her equipment, nearly knocking it over.
"And you, Commander. Why would you approve this when you weren't certain of the results?" Noshiro asked.
"Noshiro, I don't appreciate the tone, but any chance we can get to better our fleet, I'm going to take," The Commander said.
"Ehem, I have concluded my report," Ibuki said.
Everyone snapped their attention to her, causing her to shrink and clutch the book over her chest.
"That was quick. Thank you Ibuki, you may leave now," The Commander said.
"Come on Ibuki, it's about time for lunch, let's go," Noshiro said. The two oni girls walked out of the room, leaving a perturbed commander and an on edge merchant cat.
"Did you see that Akashi?" The Commander said.
"See what?" Akashi asked.
"She was crying, and that's probably why Noshiro was so upset. She's very protective of her," The Commander said. Akashi didn't respond so he got up and walked towards the door. He put his hand on the handle but stopped for a second. "When she hits the sea floor, I hope you're prepared to deal with the fallout." He then opened the door, walked through, and let it fall shut.
Day five, Akashi, The Commander, and Noshiro sat near Ibuki, preparing for what might be the final phase. Right as they were about to start Noshiro reached out to grab Ibuki's hand but The Commander put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a harsh squeeze.
"She got quite sparky last time, I'd keep your hands off," The Commander said.
Noshiro seemed disappointed, but she nodded, putting her hands back in her lap. Akashi flipped some switches, turned some dials, all the same as before. Ibuki fell asleep, and everybody watched with their breath held.
Noshiro felt the passage of time slow. Her vision filled with only Ibuki laying there. She wondered what she was seeing in that very moment, what war was transpiring in her head. They waited there for an hour, though in reality the clock only said two minutes.
Everyone jumped as electricity suddenly arced across Ibuki's body, this time it lasted far longer than before and Akashi got nervous.
"Nyah! I'm pulling the plug!" she screamed.
"No! I think this is it," The Commander said.
Everyone backed up further. One final flare and the room went dark. The lights went out, and all of Akashi's equipment turned off.
"Ahh crap, did she just blow out the whole building? No wait, that isn't possible," The Commander said. He wandered over to the emergency flashlight storage, careful not to hit anything too hard. He opened it and snatched a flashlight out, only for the lights to turn right back on again. Akashi's equipment also booted back up.
Akashi gasped, "Nyes! Everything is still there!"
"What happened, is she ok?" Noshiro asked.
"I am fine Noshiro," Ibuki sat up. Everyone stared at her, waiting for something abnormal, but she had her typical blank expression.
"What happened? What was your fate?" The Commander asked.
Ibuki took a deep inhale, "I made it through the war."
"You did?" The Commander asked, astonished.
"I did, and… I had the best end I possibly could," Ibuki grabbed the log book, flipped it open and started writing. "Not only did I survive to the end of the war, I survived past the war. I was confiscated by the Eagle Union for study. Years later, it was decided that I could be returned to the Sakura Empire, as a museum ship, just like Mikasa," Ibuki said.
"That's incredible," The Commander said.
"Ibuki, that's wonderful," Noshiro said.
"So it worked! It all worked!" Akashi cheered.
"I am certain it did. Now… I need to get to the training waters," Ibuki held her sword up, showing electricity arcing along its length. "I think I have new abilities to test."
"You two go ahead, I want to talk with Akashi some more," The Commander said. He waited for the two girls to leave the room before turning back to Akashi. He smiled. "Akashi I think I owe you an apology."
"An apology? For what?" she asked.
"I didn't think this was going to work, I thought you were just going to leave her with painful memories and nothing more," he said.
"And you didn't believe me, nyah, trust me more commander, I know how to do these things!" Akashi said.
"Tell you what, I'll give you a bit extra for this, and Saint Louis's too," The Commander said.
You could see the dollar signs in Akashi's pupils. "Really?"
"Yep, get to work on Mainz as well. Saint Louis is going to be home in a bit, I'll try to convince her to go through with this, and once I do, I'll notify you," The Commander said.
"Nyah! Alrighty Commander, Akashi is on the case!" Akashi saluted.
The Commander strode to the door. "You've done good work here Akashi, thank you for that."
When the door closed shut, Akashi immediately went back to work. There were lots of priority kansen in Azur Lane, and the three at Central Pacific were just the start.