Both Akagi and Kaga sat inside their own shared meditation chamber, using it for it's intended purpose. With both of their riggings under refit, they spent their time strategically supporting other operations and simply enjoying some peace. They both knew that downtime, in efficient amounts, was important. They agreed on many things. After all, they were partners; sisters, even. Their duo was one feared for it's revolution of naval warfare, and they knew that full well. Despite their outside appearance as a pair that fought as one, they still had their differences.
A fall wind blew through the open windows and whisked through the room. It gently went through their ears and shook their tails like small trees. The pair were enjoying their homeland's air, which was a different kind of humidity than the kind found off the coast of the Union Pacific Northwest. It was a picture of serenity, but Kaga was quizzical. She broke the silence by asking, "Apologies, but I have a few questions of motive."
Akagi exhaled and said, "Our motives for what?"
"Azur Lane's… independence. I'm used to giving orders tactically, but strategically… it doesn't come naturally. I fail to understand why you feel we must break away from the admiralty and the theorists. They are the experts, are they not?"
Akagi briefly opened the gate to her usually unassailable wall of confidence. She hunched over a little from her meditative pose and said, "It's an unfortunate truth that most 'experts' gain their expertise through reports of events, and then create doctrine based upon their education. They haven't seen a second of true action, and yet, we still must answer to them."
"It's an unfortunate fact of life, but that still doesn't answer my question."
"Kaga, our navy, no, our entire military in the past was crippled to less than half of what it could've been because those 'experts' could not simply compromise. They were too proud to accept that they were creating a tsunami of failure until it was right upon them. I could only stand and watch as I was one of the first victims of their failure. It wasn't simply their strategies. My body itself reflected their failures that they refused to acknowledge, ones that only now are we rectifying. The same is true for you."
Akagi continued, "It infuriated me to no end. I lived and died furious not at my attackers, but my very creators. We are the first carrier division, which all others in our nation and some in the world, look up to. I take pride in that, but I can't let that pride blind me, as it blinded our leaders. Today, I see the weight of bureaucracy starting to press on Azur Lane and it is worryingly familiar. Back then, I could do nothing. Now, I can. I will not, and I mean not, have two separate orders coming toward me. If they contradict at all, I will do what I think is best. I will not have the bickering between the powers-that-be slay me again."
Kaga nodded in agreement. She asked, "Then, for the sake of clarity, how is Azur Lane different in your eyes?"
Akagi replied, "Because it doesn't stink of corruption or mediocrity. It's prominence was unique and unexpected, therefore it's origins are pure. Best of all, it's headed by one, just one, person. That one person delegates orders to other ships, who understand my perspective exactly. I suppose this is a little bit of revenge on those experts I mentioned. I truly hope they can see me now doing their duty so much better."
Kaga said, "Still, those experts are in the pocket of the zaibatsus, and their power has only grown, even over us. From what I gather, every nation has their national equivalent of them. We may very well be taking on the world."
"I would prefer it over fighting with one hand tied behind my back, or begging the sirens for aid and receiving trinkets. Now, I have no restrictions, and more in Azur Lane are agreeing with me. If the zaibatsus in my nation, or the corporations in the Union, or anyone anywhere else want to defy me, then I will be there shortly with a few squadrons and several thousand pounds of arguments."
"Hm. I suppose preparing for that inevitable conflict would be wise. I'm just relieved that they're installing some shock-absorption for my aviation fuel tanks. Same for you, I'd hope. The advances in modern polymers are astounding."
Akagi chuckled. "Yes, thank the gods. I'm also getting those useless cruiser guns in the front removed. I'm also replacing all of the Type 96's with Bofors. It will be like finally scratching an itch."
Kaga also laughed. "Fifteen rounds and then a reload. I know some infantry arms with more capacity. What were they thinking? I suppose that's a lesson in humility: Accepting others' products when they are obviously superior."
"That it is. Any other questions for me?"
"Just one. Since the subject was raised, I thought I would ask how shikikan and you are doing. How are things now?"
Akagi opened her eyes and said, "He runs less. At first there was the doubt he wasn't truly reciprocating and simply staving me off. I used to block out the feelings with my own passion. Now I know how he feels. He's… something."
"I believe the best word for it would be 'damaged', but I don't think it was you who scarred him."
"No, but I can think past myself long enough to recognize he sees similarities between me and Roon. I believe he is just now shaking it off. I'll be there for him, always. He means the world to me. Without him, everything I just said would be moot. I would still be rusting beneath the waves or enslaved to the sirens. I love him for that and for much more. What about you?"
"I admit I've been trying to pursue something as well, but nothing past some sake and second base."
"You are holding yourself back."
"Fair, but this is more of a preparation for January."
Akagi conceded, "I guess." She let that hang for a moment, and then she asked, "But why do you hold yourself? We're sisters, and yet…"
Kaga replied, "Siblings, even twins, can be extremely different people. I know you aren't much for consulting with others, but I've spoken for a long time with Ladies Nagato, Amagi, and Mikasa. Their ideas may be more antiquated, but they still bear merit."
"What could we as carriers gain from the advice of battleships?"
"I remind you that we almost were battleships."
"True. Still, why?"
Kaga thought for a moment, then said, "It's true they don't think like us. They're more ponderous, methodical, and simple. They think of things very differently than we do, but they've all taught me the virtue of patience. They also have told me that knowing when to do nothing is just as important as it's opposite."
Akagi asked, "And how does this apply to holding yourself back in front of shikikan?"
"Because I could do what you do. I could immediately go for what I wanted, and I'm confident he'd accept. However, I took their advice and thought for myself what I wanted in the long-term."
"And what is it you want?"
Kaga smiled slightly. "I want an equal."
Akagi smirked, "We are the most effective combat group in our nation and one of the best in the world. Even among our own kind, we stand at the peak. An equal would certainly be hard to come by."
"It can't be denied, but I have to agree with Prinz Eugen on what she said to me. It's very lonely at the top."
"And what would she know about that?"
"She knows some who are. Still, I'm not saying I want a competitor."
"But you want someone who can keep up with you?"
"Yes, exactly. I want someone who can stand with me. It's frustrating and depressing when all others would just break."
"But you're saying he hasn't."
"He's stepped up to my every challenge and I've more than noticed, whether he knows it or not. It's amusing coming from his position. I could kill him with a thought, and we both know this. He simply doesn't care, through bravery or intentional insanity. He had my attention at first, but now he has my focus. I want to make sure everything goes exactly as it needs to. For that, I need patience, which you know doesn't come naturally to me. I need to make sure he also sees me as something attainable, but…" She grinned here. "But also something he feels he never could possibly deserve."
"Are you going to, as the Unioners put it, 'wine and dine' him?"
Kaga showed a fanged smile. "I was thinking something more akin to 'tenderising the meat', but that works as well. Still, please try to not ruin it for me. The last thing I need is his paranoia that we're all out to kill each other and he's going to be collateral damage… again."
[===========]
Across the ocean, the cruiser London sat at her duty station. It was actually the logistics officer office, but "duty station" sounded much cooler. She twirled a red pen in her hand and stared through her glasses to Bulldog, who was trying to convince her of something.
"-just a night out with the mates. In and out. We'll be back by morning."
"I believe the correct term for it is 'pub crawl'. Who are these 'mates' of yours?"
"Just a few like U-110, Formidable, and Cassin. Downes and her crew might come, too."
London stopped her train of thought for a moment and said, "What about Amazon?"
"She's cool, but she'd just waggle her finger at us… and she wouldn't want to go, anyway."
'Right, right. There are several flaws in this that must be addressed."
"Okay."
"First of all, I'm not even the person to give time off, so I don't know why you're here. Second, as soon as you take two steps into the pub, they're going to throw you out." London looked up and down Bulldog's body.
Bulldog retorted, "That's more than a little rude. I'm just built different. For your information, I'm almost a century old."
"I know this, but do you think the bartender is going to? They're most certainly going to ask you for identification."
"It's literally painted on the side of my bow. Pendant number: H-91."
"That's not going to work."
"You mean my Royal Navy registration? Barkeep'll be practically at my knees when he reads my service history."
"No! They'll only accept a Union driver's license. Do you have one?"
"Why would I need to drive when I can sail anywhere I want in the world?"
London was nearly at her wit's end when Clevelad exploded through the door. The door itself didn't literally explode, but it's hinges cried out in pain and the doorstop held on for dear life as it took the brunt of the action. Clevelad exclaimed, "Do we have it?"
London's face returned to calmness and she retrieved a sheet of paper from inside her desk. She handed it to Clevelad and said, "Here's your planning and building permits."
Clevelad held the paper with the utmost delicacy and stared at it for a moment of incredulity. She puffed out her chest, yelled "Thanks!", and then ran out the door. It slammed behind her, and just outside it, Bulldog and London heard a muffled, "We got it!".
The screams of victory were deafening, even through the walls. Bulldog leaned over and asked, "Was that actually-" London closed her eyes and shook her head "No" with a smile. Bulldog also smiled, but then returned to haranguing.
[======================]
I sat in the outpatients' room and desperately attempted to find transportation from my phone. The clinic I was in was outside of the main city, but apparently the bombing had damaged a lot of critical infrastructure. The situation was looking more like walking by the minute. I tried to call someone, but realized any phone call would be impossible, since the room was packed with noisy people. I asked one of the employees if I could temporarily get a small room to myself to make the call. She agreed and led me to an empty employee break room.
I sat down on a folding chair and looked up taxi numbers to call. In the corner of my eye, I noticed people walking back and forth. They all ignored me, all but one. A familiar silver-blonde head of hair walked past, and glanced inside slightly longer than usual. She continued on her way. I acted on my suspicions, opened the door, and asked, "Nurse?"
She turned around and looked at me with her yellow eyes. I played the dumb patient and said, "I'm sorry. I think I've broken something. Can you help me?". The "nurse" said, "Of course." and walked in with me.
She closed the door behind her and said, "How can I help you?"
I said, "Hey Sheffy. What's up?"
If Sheffield was irked, she only let it show for a nanosecond. She asked, "How?"
I grinned and replied, "You looked at me for about half a second too long through the window. Also, your eyes are fairly unique."
Sheffield sighed and conceded failure for this round of our little game. It was like consentual stalking. She would attempt to record my movements and I would attempt to spot her. Obviously, she wouldn't tell me when she was doing this, so my eyes were always open. Indirectly, it made me much more aware of my surroundings, which I'm sure was her goal to begin with. It was Sheffield's weird way of caring for me.
With her cover broken, she relaxed. By that, I mean she stiffened her posture from the slouch of an overworked RN to the stillness of the maids. I sat down and asked, "Why here? I'm just getting a scan. You couldn't find friendlier territory."
Sheffy held up a finger and retorted, "Always vigilant, Master. That kind of mindset makes the worst disasters. That's why I'm here. Also, I only received news of your departure very shortly before you left, so there was no time to find eye contacts."
I pointed at her and grinned. "Always prepared, Sheff."
She flinched at her own logic being slung back at her. I continued, "I'm not going to ask how you got the uniform, but…" I laughed. "Does playing the part require you to wear underwear?"
Sheffield leaned forward and said, "I may be an infiltration adept, but I still have my principles." My lack of surprise was overwhelming. I asked, "Are you armed?"
Sheffield took this almost insultingly, "Always."
I reclined and said, "Welp, we've got a few minutes. How's life been for you?"
"Fine. Cleanup from the air raid has kept me quite busy. Otherwise, I've been watching the other ships, making sure they don't make trouble. I've also been watching you. You're quite difficult, and we certainly don't need a radiologist to tell you have brain damage."
"Uh huh. Knowing you're covering my back makes me feel a lot safer."
Sheffield asked, "You look parched, shall I fetch a drink?"
"Sure. Thank you very much. All that stress inside the tube has left me dry."
She did so a minute later with glasses of water. We enjoyed a few sips in silence, but then Sheffield said, "We really should be going back to the harbor soon. We have work to do and it's much safer there. I have a car ready."
I sighed and said, "Yeah, probably. I'd just like to sit and enjoy the lack of responsibility as long as I can. It's relaxing."
"There are plenty of places back at the harbor where you may relax. Beach scenes are very comforting. It may not be our old tropical base…"
"Which got glassed, if I recall."
"...but it is still calming."
"You know, after that whole ordeal, Akashi went absolutely nutty for a while. She said she'd found a new mineral or something. Turns out that "glass" is some kind of new material we've never seen before. Lechatelierite, I think she calls it. She keeps a chunk of it in her office."
"I should hope she scrubbed the radiation from it first."
"...Hopefully."
Sheffield then said, "But she shouldn't talk about these things too much. It's bad for you. How are things with everyone?"
"Fine, for the most part. I try to connect with the distant ones and try to keep distance between the ones who are too passionate about connecting."
Sheffield said, "...With mixed results. Sometimes when you do that, you forget the relationships right in front of you."
I looked up into her eyes and saw just the slightest shadow of doubt. Normally, Sheffield's deadpanned face was an impenetrable wall, but after knowing her for so long and with her opening up to me, I could tell some things. She was indirect, but impeccably to the point. I hung my head and said, "I can't… I don't have anything. I put on a confident and assertive face, when in reality, I have no idea if I'm genuinely helping them or they're just using me. I was never really a popular person, so… I just don't know how to say no. Never wanted to hurt anyone. I'm not… I'm not some kind of himbo am I?"
Sheffield sighed again and replied, "It would be hard convincing people otherwise, but no. I don't think so. Even still, I just have doubts. You may spread yourself too thin, and simply be a 'friend with benefits' to everyone who wants, and hurt people who want more. Like me."
"I hope… Have I hurt you? Please tell me."
"I don't know. I'm still thinking about it. You should rest now."
"Yeah, I really feel like I need some slee-", I said before slumping back in my chair.
Sheffield inhaled, and then left the room, returning with a gurney. She easily lifted my unconscious body onto it and wheeled it out of the room. A few stops and track-covering later, she opened the back door to the rented car. Getting my body into the backseat was somewhat of a hassle, but she eventually succeeded. With the door shut, nothing more could be seen behind the tinted windows. She put the gurney back into the clinic, went back to the car, climbed in, and drove away.
She was precisely on schedule, as usual. By the time she would reach the coastal port, the barge she would board would be five minutes from departure. The captain was sufficiently bribed/intimidated to not speak of anything. Her contact would change the clinic records to say that her commander left in a taxi. Naturally, the car would be picked up later by another "friend" and brought back to one of her many safehouses, the closest of which was twenty miles away. If things went south with an assasination attempt, she could just as easily fight or run. Everything was… covered.
To solidify this, Sheffield removed her nurse's cap and flung it into the back. It landed on my face with no reaction on my part. She then opened up the glove compartment, which exposed several unregistered firearms. She grabbed none of these, and instead went for her tertiary emergency maid hairpiece. Sheffield placed it upon her head and felt (at least somewhat) comfortable once more. As her instinctive driving autopilot kicked in and her commander slept away in the back, she allowed her mind to drift. The past few years of her life had been tumultuous.
Some things had stayed the same. She was always cleaning up others' messes. Convoy raiders? "Right away, your highness." Enemies hiding in the arctic? "I'll grab my coat." Carriers need screening? "Of course." Siren strategist making trouble and in need of assasination? "I'll get right on it." She merged onto a highway on-ramp, but decided to accelerate into a turn, rather than braking. Her commander slid across the backseat and bumped into the door. He mumbled something about his head, but remained asleep.
Such was the life of a Royal Navy fixer. It wasn't technically her title, but she was always fixing up others' messes and it sounded very cool. The constant busywork kept her occupied, and she took solace in her necessity to the fleet. True, they occasionally cocked things up and tried to torpedo her, but that was the trigger-happy RAF for you. Most of the attention went to the stubborn battleships or pretentious carriers. She was humble and prided herself in her independence.
That was until recently. This latest war certainly was different. She quite liked being a person, but being one came with other things. It came with vulnerabilities. It came with feelings. She briefly glanced in the mirror to the vehicle she'd aggressively passed. No doubt the person behind the wheel was miffed, but there was no excuse. Sheffield stood by her belief that driving five miles under the speed limit was punishable by flogging. She adjusted the mirror to look down at her commander in a state of comatose bliss. He looked like he was dreaming.
Sheffield felt a warm tightening form in her chest. She used to fight it, but now she embraced it. The warm and comforting feeling encompassed her entire body, and she felt irrationally happy. Emotionally depending on another was a still alien and scary concept to her. It went against everything she'd believed and trained for. He was in her capable and responsible hands. She'd never felt more content and in control. All was well, for now.
Still, the future was uncertain. Even she knew that understanding the sort of thing she desired didn't come naturally to her. That was going to be an uphill battle. She would have to be… attractive. She understood physical attractiveness was a race where not everyone started at the same point. Many ships, especially the heavier-armored ones, were being practically carried on this. Hood's advice of, "Be elegant, but also be yourself" seemed unrealistic as a "B" against a horde of "D"s. Regardless, looks weren't everything. Meeting her goal without using a crutch like the others would make her victory much sweeter. She wondered if she was attractive. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but she really didn't know where she stood, nor did she know how to correctly ask.
But that ultimately begged another question, "Was she winning?" Well? Was she? Sheffield knew what was going on. She always knew. She'd confessed, and her commander had accepted her feelings. They'd even gone on a few dates. Going out was mortifying, but felt right at the same time. Dressing in civvies was embarrassing. Still, the far more sensual members of the fleet weren't sitting around, either. They'd done… what didn't they do? And they'd done it all while she still hesitated. She considered it, but it just wasn't her right now. Everything she did, she always kept others at arm's reach and no closer. It could change later on, without a doubt. It was the end goal she undoubtedly desired, and she certainly was confident enough to push it. The thing giving Sheffield pause was that she didn't want to be like them. She instinctively avoided the vulnerability. She was also worried of breaking the delicate relationship she'd invested so much of herself into. Granted, she'd flashed her commander(and the rest of the fleet) on many occasions, but the next step seemed like a massive bottomless chasm that threatened to be underwhelming. Defiance of social norms was one thing, but this was another. It was all situational. She slapped herself around for being a little bit of a hypocrite. If she was unable to expose her vulnerabilities to her commander, why should she expect the same commitment from him? Too many thoughts. It overwhelmed her. However, she knew for a fact that she would do anything to keep this. She also knew that they all used to be a lot more aggressive until they nearly killed him. Now, everyone was a lot more touchy. That tentativeness was dropping, though.
Perhaps the espionage movies and books she enjoyed religiously could give some advice. The protagonists in those works easily found themselves the the bedrooms of the opposite sex. Maybe something could be gleaned from them. She looked back to her snoozing commander and wondered if he looked anything like Bond. He wasn't Lazenby. Absolutely not Niven. He also wasn't Connery, which was… unfortunate. Maybe Nelson? Perhaps with a little effort...
Suddenly interrupting her thoughts, her new jam-proof communicator came to life. Sheffield had to fiddle with it for a second, but then answered, "Hello?" While distracted, she took an exit at the last second. She heard a horn and a scream of rage behind her, but this barely registered.
"Good afternoon. This is HMS Illustrious. Is this Sheffield?"
"Yes."
"Oh, good. I'm still getting used to this new communicator Akashi handed me. It's quite confusing to operate, and I was worried I called someone else."
Sheffield noticed the traffic light a block away turn yellow and floored it. Her commander rolled over and pressed against the seats, still unconscious. "How may I help you?"
"Oh, right. Well, project Odin is nearing completion, and we'd like him to be present for our final PR ship project on the islands."
"Final? Why?"
"We'll still be making more like usual, but just off-base. Sometimes the new girls can get… confused at first. After the first few breaches and damage, it was decided to move the shipyard to a more dedicated location. This will be a good thing, I promise. Oh, speaking of, where is he?"
Sheffield blasted through the yellow light that just shifted as she hit the intersection. "He's in my care, sleeping in the back. We're in the car, returning home."
Illustrious heard some rumbling noises over the channel, but dismissed them. She wasn't used to the call's improved quality."Very good. We shall need you there at the awakening ceremony as well."
"Of course. Why?"
"As I said, there have been a few hiccups in the past. The port will be on alert until everything is safe. We may need you to help… restrain the girl in case it takes time to help her see reason. We have no idea what she may be like, after all."
Sheffield chuckled, "Am I just muscle?" She hit the brakes as someone pulled out into the road right in front of her. Her commander rolled forward and fell into the footwell. He made a mumbling noise, but continued slumbering. Sheffield made a mental note of the van's license plate and planned her revenge later.
Illustrious also laughed, "No, no. But, you are one of our best in close quarters and hand-to-hand; Certainly much better than me. Dexterity isn't my strong suit."
"I understand. Why is Odin our last project? She was in the third line, yet we've long since had more."
"My only explanation is bureaucracy, and she may be one of our more ambitious designs. As the Unioner's say, 'It is what it is.'. Will you be arriving on schedule?"
"Always. Commander should be awake soon after we dock."
"Excellent. See you soon! God save the queen."
"God save the queen."
Sheffield felt like she was the one needing saving. She wouldn't have to worry about explaining why she would be bringing her commander onboard in a fireman's carry, but being on the barge would be something else. She didn't like being onboard other underway ships. It made her uncomfortable.
[===================]
Speaking of the project, one of the supervisors of it, Tirpitz, calmly walked the Iron Blood dorm halls. She was calm and collected, but a little distracted. She needed to speak with Hipper, but finding her was easy. Just listen for the rumbles. She arrived at the correct room, which was "decorated" with stickers of various human bones, no trespassing and private property signs, a biohazard label, and crime scene tape. Considering the owner, Tirpitz thought the door was missing an "explosive contents" warning label. The door itself was shaking to the volume of the music being played behind it. Tirpitz knew for a fact that Hipper laminated the official noise complaints she'd received. Tirpitz wasn't one for metal, but understood taste was subjective. However, she didn't understand why the genre was only good when played at maximum volume. Despite her pounding on the door as hard as she could before damaging it, there was no response. She tried the doorknob and found it surprisingly unlocked. Tirpitz opened the door.
As the door opened into the room. The music was so loud it was eye-watering. Her first sight was Hipper standing in the middle of the room stomping on the floor with her guitar in her hands. Her hair was missing it's usual ties, but for good reason. Hipper was spinning it in a circle in front of her so quickly, it became a blur. Any faster, and Tirpitz wouldn't have been surprised if she suddenly took to the air.
There was another black and white blur of motion in the corner of Tirpitz's vision, which shot around a corner. There was an enormous thump, and then nothing. Hipper noticed a visitor in the room and suddenly looked up. She rolled her eyes and turned off the music. The silence was jarring. Hipper asked, "What?! Don't you know to knock before coming in?"
Tirpitz walked into the room and looked around. The place, to her, was a disorganized mess. The walls were covered in album cover artwork, as well as some of the ceiling. On one of the walls was a dartboard, with a printed-out picture of the infamous commander Kummetz placed on it. There were several sharp objects impaling him, including darts, cooking knives, and Sakuran kunai. The office desk had several electrical components and wire on it, possibly parts for the guitar and amplifier. The windowsill had several small pots with various flowers inside them. Tirpitz walked into the room and looked to the right around the corner toward the previous thumping noise. Judging by the indentations, someone had rather inelegantly scrambled over it. The only evidence to the other person's whereabouts were a pair of silent and motionless white-stockinged legs appearing over the side. The bottom half of a black and white dress could be seen, but the person wearing it was out of sight between the bed and the wall.
Tirpitz was not amused. She said, "I did knock, numerous times. If you don't enjoy how I act when my hand is forced, install a doorbell." The air chilled a little.
Hipper calmed down and leaned her heavily-decorated guitar on the desk. She said, "I'm sorry. I'll do that. How can I help you?"
"Our PR shipbuilding project is reaching it's final phases. Also, it's priority has been heightened. All docked ships may be asked to participate in security, and supervise the work. A schedule will be made soon."
"When am I on the schedule?"
"Now."
"Oh. Let me just… clean up a few things here and then I'll get on it. Right away."
"Good. You know the saying of idle hands. I shall be there and expect you to be soon after I arrive." Tirpitz walked out and shut the door behind her.
Hipper grumbled, "Making us work during breaks, the nerve. I may be in reserve right now, but downtime is critical. Absolutely can't be legal. I should complain."
The voice from behind the bed asked, "Is she gone?"
"Yeah, Formidable. I'll get you out. Give me a second."
"Thank you. I appear to be quite stuck."
After much failure, Hipper said, "I may have to move the bed. Wow, your ability to wedge yourself in places is amazing. Couldn't have done it better myself."
Formidable said, "You didn't have to say it like that. It's making me feel very self conscious."
"I'm not the one who's upside down with her legs spread into the air."
"This is very undignified! I came to enjoy some music and now I'm stuck here! The blood is rushing to my head and I'm getting very woozy! Please help me before I pass out and make this situation even more shameful!"
"Ugh, fine. If you're unconscious, there's no way in hell I'm getting you out."
[===============]
Tirpitz walked down the hall toward the drydock. She considered how she acted back in the dorm, and wondered if she'd done things correctly. She naturally had trouble empathizing with others, and was frequently described as "cold". The irony of that made her chuckle internally. Everyone needed a break from the seriousness, but Tirpitz tended to see that only after it was too late and she'd made a bad impression. She felt like she was missing something most of the others had. It was hard.
That internal debate left her legs to set a course for themselves. By the time she became aware of her surroundings, she found herself on Odin's main deck, toward the bow. The drydocked ship sported the traditional cannons as usual, but there were also a pair of guns that Tirpitz had never seen the likes of. They looked like they fired shells of a caliber befitting that of a battlecruiser, but that was where the similarities ended. Judging by what she'd been told, their armor penetration and range was almost unbelievable. Their armor was thick, which was justified since the armor protected very expensive and experimental weaponry. Even the barrels themselves caused confusion by being rectangular. Tirpitz couldn't recall any cruiser by the name of Odin in her memory of vessels in service or even in plans. She checked the records in the past, but only found a ship that served before and during the Great War. Like her guns, that was where the similarities also ended. As for the priority ships, she was the last(at least so far), and it appeared all of the scientists wanted to use her as a guinea pig for their less-tested ideas.
Tirpitz opened a service door and walked down belowdecks. Odin's interior was immediately unusual. Like other PR ships, she was built exclusively with the idea of killing sirens in mind. She was also one of the ships constructed with the idea of shipgirls in mind. Her layout was not designed to be livable, at least not for long periods of time. She made the bareness and naval lack of decorum look like a pleasure cruise ship. There were no showers, bunks, mess halls, mail rooms, or anything that sailors would require. There would be no sailors, so why construct them?
That space was replaced by redundant systems, armor, and electrical capacitors. There was an emphasis on capacitors. Where fuel would be stored was simply batteries. Her hull and bulkheads were also made from that new heat-resistant alloy. Protecting all of those electricals were faraday cages. Tirpitz walked down the dimly-lit hallway to the power plant control room. That was where the true mind-bending ideas were.
Odin wasn't supposed to be powered by petroleum. Tirpitz remembered Akashi mentioning thorium, which brought back memories. She remembered old times, when she heard of her old leaders hoarding materials like that and heavy water, and bringing them back to secret laboratories. She also remembered every single project involving those things did nothing but waste time and money.
Yet, here she was overseeing it's military application. Supposedly, it would be decades before she would have to refuel. The power plant's output numbers were ridiculous, and Tirpitz shuddered to think of steam at that pressure going through her systems. That steam ran the engines, and the rest went to electrical generation. Most of that went to the two guns on top.
However, all of this advanced technology came at a cost. Tirpitz was aware of the volatile nature of nuclear material and machinery. She certainly wasn't a scientist, but she believed that if the power plant was damaged, there would be much more than a fire. Since the plant also powered the engines and some of the main guns, they would go down as well if there was a failure. The backup diesel generators might be able to spin the propellers, but the electrical cannons on top were an impossibility. Of course, the armor band around the power plant was thick to a comical degree, but nothing was guaranteed. There were two generators, which were in separate compartments, so maybe that was something.
"Oh, but she has the best sensor package ever devised! She can even detect submarines! Imagine a battlecruiser doing that!", was what Tirpitz was told by the engineers. That was very interesting, but what could she do against the submarines if she found them? Questions and questions, but little answers. Tirpitz had heard these words many times over in the past. They were the promises and boastings of naval engineers who'd never tasted salt. Time would tell.
Tirptiz walked into the control room and nearly experienced sensory overload. The amount of buttons, dails, switches, and lights were uncountable. A cluster of engineers moved around inside, all seeming to be able to understand it all. Electrical panels were open in a few places, and a few of the engineers were up to their shoulders inside them.
She cleared her throat. They all immediately stopped what they were doing, stood up, and saluted. Tirpitz casually saluted. She asked, "Will one of you please update me?"
One of the engineers with a pair of prescription glasses and sideburns was chosen. He walked up to Tirpitz and said, "Well, the mechanical systems are ready. All electrical systems have been installed, and we're testing them. We aren't ready for the fuel to be loaded in yet, but that'll be soon. Very soon."
"Any damage from the raid?"
"No bombs hit us. It seems like the sirens decided to not hit us in the drydock! Maybe it was just dumb luck."
That would be a first in Iron Blood history.
"...but one of the bombs hit the transformer for the umbilical power cable connecting us. That caused a surge that, so far, we haven't found any damage from. If we've built her right, Odin should be able to survive a lot worse surges than that."
Tirpitz asked, "How worse? Out of curiosity."
"Well, we've got siren energy cells powering the railguns up top. First time directly using their tech back at them. We still haven't found their voltage limit yet!"
Tirpitz stared incredulously. The man continued, "You know, the purple things."
"I know what they are. I am just… concerned that siren tech is being used so directly on one of us."
"Yeah, I get what you mean, but we've got to use them for something other than glorified keys to open siren caches. And...and just in case something does go wrong, we've got an ejector system."
"I heard a little about this whole… nuclear thing some time ago. It never went anywhere where I was from."
That started the engineer into a little monologue. "Well, science has gone a long way since you last probably heard of nuclear programs. I'm very excited to be a part of it's first naval application!"
"What's so special about it?"
The man continued, "Well, the only disadvantage I can think of for thorium is it's extensive need for reprocessing, but if we get the infrastructure constructed, it won't be a problem. That's the end of the negatives, the positives are many! Cheap fuel, less nasty and less amounts of waste, they can't melt, and much-"
Tirpitz tuned out at this point. While she respected the man's passion, this was a subject way beyond her understanding. Still, perhaps this was a good thing. Maybe her pessimism was blinding her to the progress in front of her. Times changed, and it was important to change with them. She remembered the consequences of a stubborn old guard in command, who were stuck thinking in the past era. Maybe this was the future. Instead of trying to shoot it down, she should feel blessed to witness it happen firsthand. With her experience and their open eyes combined, maybe that was what made truly great navies. It was what made great militaries. In fact, as Tirptiz thought, that could make anything great.
