It was nearing 8 AM when the first rays of dawn finally managed to pierce the canopy above, casting the forest leaves in a multitude of orange and pink shades. The rays of light slowly panned closer to the sleeping vessels, before an errant sway in the trees above let a spot of light through directly on Lao's head.
The Frigate's face scrunched up cutely, as she grumbled at the sudden brightness. She moved to try and swat the light away, still mostly asleep.
She couldn't move her arm.
Lao slowly opened her eyes a crack, and blinking away the dazzle, looked to see what was keeping her right arm-
Georgia's upside-down face took up Lao's view, as the Submarine leaned over from her seated position behind Lao.
"Morning sleepy-head!" Georgia said, not moving from her seated position, lap acting as a pillow for the Frigate, who had latched onto her leg like a barnacle in her sleep, "you were flailing around in your sleep, so I thought I'd help you out!"
...
Lao did a full-bodied lurch, somehow managing to extricate her arm out from under Georgia as she hopped forward in an uncontrolled motion to simply get away, before tripping on her heels and faceplanting into the firepit, which, thankfully, had burned down to ashes long ago. "KYAAAAAAAHPFFF!"
The scream woke the others with a jerk, Chitose mindlessly lurching for her nearby catapults in a half-dazed scramble before pausing to take in the scrabbling Frigate blearily, "LaoooOOOowe!" She said, turning Lao's name into a yawn mid-sentence, "ah, what are you doing?"
The girls, meanwhile, had also mostly startled awake, though not nearly as violently as the two Kanmusu. Though the Captured Battleship made some odd gestures with her arm as she came-to, before frowning blearily as she looked down at her empty turret-mounts.
Hakone woke far more gently, though truthfully, she couldn't have escaped Anne's embrace if she tried, the large ship still sleeping like the dead. She wriggled a bit, helpless, as her arms were pinned to her body by Anne's bear-hug, "Uhm, girls? Little help? Please?" She wriggled again, like a worm caught in the beak of a sparrow, her black boots flailing.
Georgia just laughed, still seated, as Diane was caught between trying to help pry the wiggling Cruiser loose or helping a sputtering Lao out of the pit.
"Hahahahaaa... oh, I love you girls." she eventually said.
With Georgia:
Lao (Who now had her entire front blackened by charcoal) was at the nearby stream, cursing as she splashed water over herself, it was surprisingly effective on getting the black stains out of her clothes, though really, it was technically a part of her hull, so I could see how it might behave differently to regular cloth.
"I said I was sorry! It's not my fault you decided to jump in the friggen fire-pit!" I called out, in response to a particularly loud curse.
"I got ash in my freakin' mouth!" Lao called back, as birds chirped in the background, "it tastes horrible!"
"Can't you eat raw steel?"
...
"...Shut up," Was her clever reply. I snorted, amused, as I left the girl to her cleaning.
I walked up to Scooter, rubbing its... nose? As I passed, it growled contentedly, turning with me, hovering in-place as I passed to come up to the captured...
Ok, I really needed this girl's name.
"Hey, you, with the face," I said, startling the Ta as she whirled to face me, apparently having finally worked out enough kinks in her repairs to stand on her own, "I don't think I ever got your actual name."
The Battleship bowed her head in a subservient manner, "Ta-01, Ma'am."
"Yeah yeah, but I mean like, your actual name."
"T-That is it?" She said, a tad confusedly, "It is all I have ever gone by, it is my hull-number, you see."
The Battleship twisted around, and pointed down her back, "The letters are usually stenciled onto our aft." She said.
"Uhm... it's... well..." I poked my index fingers together, "It says Ru-08 there now, aft was replaced, remember?"
...
"Oh."
"...So, does it mean you were the first Ta ever made? Or...?" I asked, eager to change the subject.
She shook her head at my question, "N-No, Hime-Georgia," she looked up as she explained, "I was commissioned by Jersey as part of a bulk-order from the Supply-Depot Princess, when she sends large shipments, she labels the blank hulks in the order they were finished, this is the same for any order she fulfills, so if the Hime Jersey were to, for instance, commission more of my class in a separate order, there would be another Ta-01, as the first made in that series."
I grunted, "That sounds like it could be confusing."
The Ta made a half-nod, giving me the point, "It can be, but generally only among the Destroyers and some Cruiser classes, as they are replaced the most. Destroyers are generally referred to by squadron, regardless, and Cruisers are usually too spread out among her territories for it to truly be an issue."
"Or they could just re-name you," I said, climbing into Scooter as she dipped down for me.
"Or that, yes, Jersey does not feel the need to, but some of her subordinate Hime have the habit of doing so."
"So am I, to be honest." I said, "I'd rather not keep referring to you as Ta-01, bit of a mouthful."
"I... am your ship now, Hime-Georgia, if it pleases you, you may rename me."
I quirked a brow at the subservient tone, "Bit quick to agree, don't ya think? How about I run 'em by you first, and if you hear one you like, we can go for it?"
The Ta seemed unsure now, "I, suppose?"
I leaned forwards in my seat, resting my head in my propped-up arms, "Hmmm, HEY Chitose!"
The Tender looked over, from where she was fussing with something on Anne's front, as the Cessex bore the attention silently, "Yes?"
"You're a geography-nerd, right?" I asked.
Chitose gave me a flat look before replying, "I have navigational maps, yes. Why?"
"What mountains are in England?"
Chitose quirked a brow at the odd question, before putting a finger to her chin in thought. She gained a distant look, as if she was looking at something that wasn't quite there as she replied, "Scafell Pike is the tallest."
I looked at the Ta, appraisingly, "...Nah, I don't think you look like a 'Pike' OR a 'Scafwell'."
"Its Scafell, Georgia," Chitose corrected, before looking at our booty-ship, "Are you... trying to come up with a name?"
"Yeah, apparently most of Jersey's gals only have hull-numbers, any other mountains?" I asked.
"I... just hold on a minute." Chitose said, before eventually continuing, "Well, there's Skiddaw, Great Gable, The Old Man of Coniston..."
I snorted, "Ha! DEFINATELY not that one."
"...Hmm, Helvellyn?"
"...That's English?" I asked, a bit dubious.
The Japanese woman squinted, "No, it's... Celtic, I think."
"Hmmm... any others?" I asked.
"Robinson?"
"Well, we could shorten it to just 'Robin', what do you think?" I said, turning to the possible Robin.
"It is not... terrible." She said cautiously.
"It's not even all that bad as far as ships go, the US has a Jhonson, so you don't even really have to shorten it," Chitose said.
"You sure you're ok with it? You're not just saying it?" I asked the Battleship, who nodded.
I clapped my hands together, "Alright! Robin it is then!"
I was going to be able to make SO many 'Men in Tights' jokes!
We had mostly packed up and made ready to leave, once Lao had finished scrubbing herself off and we'd kicked dirt over the fire pit.
Bit of a silly precaution, what with all the explosions and burning ships from last night, but if we hadn't started a major forest fire yet, I wasn't about to do it by not properly taking care of a campfire, even if there wasn't even any smoke.
Only WE could prevent forest fires, after all.
"So..." I said, casting a glance back, before looking at the rest of the fleet, "What are we gonna do with Robin's turrets?"
Lao shrugged, "Leave 'em?"
"That seems like such a waste though!" I whined, gesturing at the small pile of guns just laying around, there was a large number of 6" secondaries, as well as a bunch of light AA guns. The largest were, of course, the 15" main guns, "You could arm a flotilla of Cruisers with that many turrets!"
Chitose looked at Robin, before shaking her head, "It's not like we can give them back, Georgia, she can give her word if she wants, but I'm still not comfortable re-arming a captive vessel, especially a Battleship!"
Lao let out a breath, "Thank god, I thought I was the only sane person here."
I huffed, crossing my arms, "Well OBVIOUSLY not! How stupid do you think I am!" I looked over to the Battleship, who was trying not to meet anyone's gaze, "I still don't wanna have Anne or Diane try to lug the freakin things though..."
"So again... leave 'em behind?"
I waved away Lao's suggestion, deep in thought, "Hey, Chitose, what are those gun-plugs I've seen you wearing sometimes called?" I'd only ever seen them when it was raining.
"Ah, Tampions?"
"Yeah, can we just screw those on her guns so she can't use 'em?"
"Oh! No, they are just made of rubber, Georgia, designed to be shot-through in emergencies, they are only really to keep the guns from corroding," The Tender said.
"I... have them, but as the Kanmusu said, they wouldn't keep the guns from firing," Robin said haltingly, probably not all that motivated to provide me with reason to leave her guns behind.
I rubbed my chin, mind racing, "I think I have an idea," I hovered closer to the newly-named Robin, I held out my hand "gimmie one of your 15" powder bags."
"I... all right?" She handed me a little white cylinder full of pre-mixed explosive, it was about the size and color of a marshmallow. I stuffed it down my shirt, where my crew could get at it.
"...I'm almost afraid to ask," Lao said, looking at me queerly.
"I'm getting some extra padding wrapped around it," I said, letting my fairies do the work while I hovered over to the gun pile.
I reached for the nearest 15" Gunbarrel as Chitose asked the obvious, "Why...?"
I pulled out the newly expanded powder bag, made thicker with what I suspected was wrapped up bedsheets, before stuffing it down the muzzle of the barrel. It didn't fit at first, so I applied a bit more force, and eventually, managed to stuff it in so it was just below the muzzle, "There!" I turned to the fleet with a wide smile, "Now we put the tampons in over it-"
"TAMPIONS, Georgia, TAMPIONS."
"-And if the gun tries to fire, the barrel will explode!"
Robin looked at the turret barrel in my hand, before gulping, "I am not certain I want my turrets anymo-"
"Perfect! I'll help stuff the barrels!" Lao said, coming over, some of her crew already coming out with their own spare bedding.
Robin made a small whine in the back of her throat.