With Chitose:

"An entire Battlegroup!? Are you kidding me?!" Lao exclaimed, a little frustratedly, oddly enough.

"What's the matter? I thought you would be glad?" I said. I'd thought she'd be ecstatic at the thought of the amount of help on the way.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, this is freaking fantastic! I'm quivering in my heels in excitement over the beatdown Jersey has coming. It's the timing that pisses me off."

"...I'm sorry, I don't understand," I said.

Lao looked at me, a little flustered as she spoke, "We've been dealing with Abyssals off the coast forsix years, the last two have had Jersey's assholes trying to wipe out the entire population wholesale. And only NOW, when you and Georgia get stuck in this clusterfuck with the rest of us, do the big-boys decide to send help. See where I'm coming from here?" She slumped back in her chair, "I mean, better late than never, but did it have to be so late?" She looked over at my confused and slightly saddened expression, "Ahhh... Forget I said anything, regardless of whatever asshole politicians held them back before, they are coming now. So, who is it?"

I told her who was coming, and the Frigate whistled appreciatively.

"Man, hope I catch a look at Iowa while she's here, It'll be good to see an Iowa-class that isn't trying to tear my boilers out for a change! I hope she's nice."

I could only nod to that, before speaking, "I remember I first saw her as a steel-hull briefly at Leyte Gulf, but she turned back before I got within range of her guns, thank goodness, other than that, I've seen her around occasionally in the guest quarters on base, she seems very... Energetic."

"Yeah? That's good." She shifted in her chair, "So what's all the papers about anyway?"

I smiled, a bit nervously, "W-Well since Georgia was discovered as a spy, we, that is, the Japanese Government, decided to bring her a bit more formally into the fold, these are letters of marque, so any ships under Georgia can-"

"You made them privateers?"

"-Yes. Yes, we did."

"So now they are legally allowed to drag ships underwater screaming?"

"...Maybe?" I shook myself, "There's a lot of conduct restrictions put in place in the letters! I even checked!"

Lao looked doubtful, "Did they?"

I turned to the Abyssal ships, who were finally stacking their completed forms on the table, "Did you girls remember to read through the terms and con-"

Where was Georgia?

Her Rigging floated there, still where the sub had parked them, and were busily nosing at Hakone's side for head-rubs, of the sub herself, there was no sign.

Lao suddenly jumped onto the desk, eyeing the floor with distrust.

With Georgia:

"This is a bad idea you know." My Captain said helpfully.

"I don't hear you saying I shouldn't have done it anyway," I replied.

"Oh hell no, frig forms, I'm just glad you were able to con Diane into doing the rest of it for us."

"She looked like she was enjoying herself," I shuddered, clearly the awakening process had messed with the Fast Battleship's mind more than I'd thought it would.

I'd snuck out of the room about the time Chitose started talking with Lao, no one seemed to pay me much mind as I kept within people's blindspots, luckily, none of the clerks in the building could see me over their desks.

From there I went out the back entrance and slipped past a bored-looking pair of Cambodian marines at the mouth of the alley by going up the fire-escape of a neighboring building.

It probably helped that they were looking more towards keeping people from coming in than keeping anyone from leaving.

From there on out I was clear, the world my oyster! Free from the evil-clutches of paperwork and bureaucracy!

...

"Now what?"

"I don't know, I honestly thought you'd have been stopped by now." My Captain admitted.

"Oh yee of little faith! There's no one that can detect the mighty Georgia!"

I waited a moment, holding my pose of triumph, before I slowly began to look around on the roof I was on.

"...What are you doing?"

"Usually this is the part where someone would see me and immediately prove me wrong."

"This isn't a cartoon you git."

I started towards the buildings rooftop access as I replied, "We're in SouthEast Asia, we'd be considered an 'Anime'."

"That would depend on the art style, wouldn't it? And I dunno about you but this seems pretty realistic for an Anime," she paused, "Your eyes aren't poking out of the side of your head like a tadpole, for one."

I descended the stairwell as I thought about it, "Yeah, you're right I guess... Oh! Unless this is a live adaptation! Like they did with that crappy DBZ movie!"

I donned my tattered rice hat, stuffing my long white hair into a messy bun under it, and changed out of my unmarked PAVN uniform, back into my tattered and drab mechanic's jumpsuit. I exited the building, walking out into the busy streets. A crowd had started to form near the barricade, full of curious onlookers, and I was able to blend in seamlessly underfoot, walking with the flow of people.

I didn't go far, obviously, eventually, Chitose would notice I was gone and call me over the radio, but until then I wanted to get a look at the city, see what I could see and maybe get the girls something using the money I'd swiped off-

"Oh my god," I stopped dead in my tracks, staring down the street. Big multicolored slides twisted around in circles, and as I watched a child came barrelling down one, screaming with his arms in the air before clamping down on his nose as he hit the pool at the bottom.

"They have an actual water-world here!?"

"You're a submarine, why is a water park exciting? Your underwater like, well not much lately but usually a lot." My Captain asked.

"Yeah, dirty, barnacle-infested, salty, probably-at-least-2%-whale-pee ocean water," I said, "This is actually chlorinated and filtered water! That's probably only like, 1% pee!"

"That's disgusting."

"Exactly!"

"No I mean- Yeah I'm not getting into this with you, nevermind."

I nodded smugly, happy to have won an argument with myself as I walked towards the front gate, there was even a little gift shop there! Oh, maybe I could find something for the girls there?

I opened the door, a little chime announcing my arrival. The store clerk looked my way, but she merely glanced in my direction briefly before going back to talk to the customer in front of her. I walked the shelves, looking at all the colorful floatation devices and toys for sale.

I snorted at a floaty that looked like a donut, before stopping at a white one that had funny little devil horns on it. "Hmmm..."

"You don't need it, you are literally a submarine."

I put the little box under my arm anyway as I continued down the aisle, there were pool noodles and foam swords, there was also a-

"Get it. Get it now," My Captain said, sounding rather excited for once.

I nodded in agreement, as I picked the foam pirate's hat off the shelf from where it sat.

"Think they have any eyepatches to go with it?"