(Silver)-Push, baby! Push!
Yorktown was predictably in great pain, trying to give birth to her first child, clutching at Silver and squeezing as hard as she could. He did not even flinch, her tight grip on his arm being nothing compared to what he felt as being his sacred fatherly duty. The way she was screaming would be disheartening for anyone not used to it, or without the guts to stomach it, but her fiancee was every bit as stout as she was. She fought on and two hours later, it was over, in a relatively short delivery. A beautiful baby girl was born. The doctors quickly took a sample of her DNA and sent it to the cloning laboratory, and the little girl was taken by the captain because her mother was uncouncious after the physically demanding delivery.
Yorktown's delivery was quite the event and lots of visitors came by. But the joy was shut down when a week later a battered task force came to the base for emergency repairs bearing news.
It was HMAS Canberra, escorted by Perth, Sydney and others after an attempt to rescue the Dragon Empery's navy, but were defeated and had to retreat. They had stories to tell...
A few days later, Canberra met with Illustrious and Unicorn for a cup of tea.
(Illustrious)-I apologize for not being present at your arrival. But regardless, well met old friend.
(Canberra)-No harm done and glad to see you again, ma'am. Frankly, I prefered solace to company. (Illustrious)-How come?
(Canberra)-We saw some things that I wish we wouldn't have had to. And it left a mark on us.
(Illustrious)-...in the war?
(Canberra)-...in the war.
(Illustrious)-That must have been hard, whatever it was.
(Canberra)-Yeah...
(Unicorn)-Forgive me, miss Canberra, but what did you see?
(Illustrious)-Maybe it's not a good thing to know certain things, my dear.
(Canberra)-Or maybe she should know what they...the Sakura do.
(Illustrious)-I think I am becoming way too curious mysellf.
Canberra stretched forward and handed her a few photos that she kept in her trench coat.
(Illustrious)-Oh God, this is horrifying!
(Unicorn)-Can I see, big sister?
(Illustrious)-I'm sorry, sweetheart. This is something you should not see.
(Unicorn)-But miss Canberra said...
(Illustrious)-What's in this picture is something very bad. Sakura did something very bad.
(Unicorn)-Oh...
(Illustrious)-And are you going to tell everyone about this?
(Canberra)-No doubt I will. Everyone needs to see what kind of monsters we are fighting against.
What was in those images? One showed Ping Hai's carcass being cooked over a bonfire. Another showed Yat Sen naked and with her breasts cut down. And another showed Ning Hai and the destroyers with numerous stab wounds, burns and concussions, as if they were tortured mercilessly.
And true to her word, she showed the incriminating pictures to many other girls, which subsequently talked until everyone knew about it. In less than three days since she first showed these to Illustrious, no less. Some started crying, some threw up, but one thing was clear: The revulsion to this was universal. And the attitude shift was guttural. The Sakura girls were no longer seen as adveraries.
Now they were the mortal enemies. And mercy was off the table.
But everyone was agitated, waiting for the commander to address himself on the issue. And one fine morning during the breakfast, the intercom spoke with the commander's voice.
(Mannerheim)-Dear fellow commanders, shipgirls, and auxilliary personnel. You have seen by now what our enemy is capable of. What lack of indignity or human empathy they posess. Do not delude yourselves. They will not hesitate to do this to you or your dear ones too if they get their hands on them. This is no longer a gentlemanly struggle between two respectable adversaries. Now it is a struggle between evil and justice, between knights and barbarians. Everyone was listening attentively, his words piercing into their very hearts.
(Mannerheim)-What is our duty then, ladies and gentlemen? That is a simple question. We will go on to the end, to wherever their hellhole lies, and we will fight and defeat them wherever they dare to face us. We will avenge those who suffered and protect those dear to us. I want you to fight knowing that should you fail, you and those dear to you will suffer dearly at the hands of criminals. And this is not too great of a burden for brave people like you. Because we will shoulder it together. The struggle, the despair, the terror, the pain, the sadness. And the victory and glory too, they belong to all of us. Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Iris Libre, Northern Parliament, and spirits of the Dragon Empery, for freedom, honour, peace and for the world's future, I order you to steel yourselves! Onwards to glory!
The base erupted in a fervent wave of applaue. It was as if a fire was now burning in everyone's hearts, when they realized why they were fighting this war.