What makes a woman a woman?
Age-old question, one that many think they have the answer to but none have figured it out yet. In truth, the answer is probably "it depends on the woman." but that isn't very satisfying is it?
I am Admiral Hipper. Heavy cruiser Rig of Ironblood. I am a woman, not born like a human, but made from the cubes of an alien species known as the Sirens.
And my breasts are small.
Now, this might not have been a big deal normally, it shouldn't be, right? After all: Plenty of human women do not have large breasts, despite being of adult age. I did not grow up, I was created in this form, the perfect encapsulation of the ship I was based on. I am perfect, I was made perfect.
But my sister, one of my sisters, Prince Eugen, has much larger breasts than mine. And she knows this. She struts them around, her own standard battle dress doing nothing to cover the sides of them. And every other thing she wears accentuates them to others. And she knows this!
Again, this would normally not be a problem. Who cares if my younger sibling has larger breasts? Age has nothing to do with it, not with humans and certainly not with Rigs.
But Eugen notices it.
Eugen is a, to be frank, brat. A spoiled, careless and lazy heavy cruiser that, if I am being honest with myself, I would not deign to speak with if she wasn't my sibling. In fact, I would have had her demoted, sent to a penal fleet, and stripped of all Rig privileges and rights! The sheer amount of plans, missions, and schemes of mine that have been sabotaged, leaked, or otherwise co-opted by her have been nothing short of embarrassing. For God's sake, I am the first of the mighty class of heavy cruisers that are named after me! I deserve more respect, I demand more respect.
But back to breasts. During our first few months together, there was no bringing up the issue, no comparison. But over time, she began bringing them up more and more. Asking how mine feel, telling me how hers feel, making lewd jokes about them, then telling me I wouldn't get it when I asked for an explanation why she uses such tasteless humor. Comparing them, grabbing mine, and worse of all: Doing it all in front of our subordinates, peers, and superiors!
I shouldn't be surprised really, Eugen is a…special creature. She has always been loose, I dare say. Within months of life, she was exploring her body openly in our quarters and made no shame about her love of masturbation. Then came her advances on our fellow Rigs, feeling them up, even when they were clearly uncomfortable. Look, I have no compunctions about the use of slaves and Untermenschen POWs' in that capacity as it is fitting for such inferior and beaten creatures to please their betters, but openly harassing and making advances on comrades of all ranks is disgraceful in the extreme.
Of course, next came the humans. Before long, many a Kriegsmarine sailor and officer could boast of being in between my sister's legs. She even began dating civilians, both men and women, although she kept the woman part well hidden as it is officially against Ironblood law, Rig's excepted.
I have confronted her about this many times, and all I have gotten in return is crude remarks and accusations of jealousy. Me? Jealous of her!? Preposterous! I merely am concerned for the reputation of Ironblood. She has a grave responsibility to the fleet and our class's reputation, the fact that she thinks she can just go around and act like a harlot is a disgrace and reflects a lack of discipline and self-control.
But does she listen? No… All I get nowadays is jokes and gossip from her. It is utterly useless to talk except to relay orders. It is all so tiring…
Our half-sister Mainz is a much better company and example. Although when I first met her, I admit I was weary. After all, she was set to replace my class in the Kriegsmarine, but now that my rank has long since been secure I have let my guard down and been rewarded greatly. She is an exemplary soldier. Follows orders, is always on time, and is respectful of my position and achievements. She also gets along with Eugen, which is surprising. Although she has expressed concern over Eugen's lax ways, she overall is much more accommodating to the brat. Privately she says that my sister is a lost cause and I am inclined to agree.
Still, I don't want to give up hope. I was thinking maybe a grand display of worry would move the girl, where mere scoldings do not. It is about time I get back to my guitar practice and songwriting, I have been falling behind on it of late. I am not a skilled vocalist and I admit that the thought of singing is nerve-racking. Much more my style to be a solid backup in the band rather than the face. Perhaps I will make it private, just Eugen and myself. I will play and sing about my worry and what she should do to improve herself to our class's standards. Yes, I think I shall do that…
Admiral Hipper was stunned.
As the blonde Rig watched her younger sister leave her quarters, a complicated mix of shame, rage, and helplessness washed over her. What was she thinking? Of course, this wasn't going to work. Eugen had never cared for her complaints before, why would she do so now? In fact, now that it was all said and done, Hipper saw that it could not have ended any other way. It was pathetic. Making a song about her sister's embarrassing ways and singing it to her?! How could Eugen not find that hilarious and worthy of scorn? Hipper's only saving grace was that she hadn't sung it in public as she had originally planned to...
She put down her guitar, her precious red and black electric explorer on her bed. She paced back and forth, her thoughts a jumbled mess of put-down talk and harsh words she wanted to throw at her sister. Maybe she would do even worse. Oh, how she wanted to do so much worse...
Before she did anything rash, Mainz knocked on the still open door. The silver-haired light cruiser was wearing her uniform, prized Sabor at her hip. Hipper's expression immediately softened and she nodded her permission at her half-sibling. Mainz entered and cleared her throat, worry and discomfort etched on her beautiful features.
"Eugen told me what you did. And.." She blushed, looking away. "I listened in from outside the room, no one else did though." She added quickly. Relief flooded Hipper but the worry was still there. What if Eugen told everyone? She would be the laughing stock of the base! Already many of the Rigs and other personnel talked behind her back, calling her the names Eugen did and making similar insulting comments.
Mainz sighed when Hipper stayed silent and walked up to her elder, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"What you did was...unadvisable and to be frank, I think it reflects on your personal inability to move on from this issue."
"But what else was I supposed to do!" Hipper exploded, unable to hide her frustrations any longer. "The admiralty adores her and she has slept and teased her way into an unlodgable spot in the Kriegsmarine. And even I'll admit, she is a fearless warrior…" Hipper looked away in shame and anger. Some even whispered that Eugen surpassed her elder sister in sheer killing power and a dark, hidden part of Hipper suspected they might be right.
Mainz was silent for a few moments, looking deep into Hipper's eyes, which began to tear up just a bit. Then; in a completely unexpected move, she hugged her superior. Hipper stood still, caught utterly off guard. Mainz's hug was, as far as the very (when it came to hugs) inexperienced heavy cruiser could tell, clumsily and stiff, but still, it was kind of nice…
Gradually, Hipper returned the hug and both women stood like that for some time before parting. Mainz coughed into her hand and blushed, Hipper doing the same. The silver-haired cruiser was the first to break the silence.
"Admiral Hipper. You are diligent, effective, and worthy of the Rig you carry. I am honored every time I go into battle with you. No matter what Prinz Eugen or anyone else might say about you, I know you are worthy of the Ironblood." And then she saluted with a smile on her face.
Hipper didn't know quite what to do. She was touched. No one in a private setting had shown this much respect and admiration for her. The tears that had been building all this time finally came out, although Hipper did her best to try and wipe them away. But she couldn't even be embarrassed by her emotional display, after all; it was Mainz seeing it and she had proved herself more of a sister to Hipper than Eugen ever had.
When the crying stopped, Hipper embraced Mainz once more and asserted her determination to rise above Eugen's petty games and continue the honor of the Admiral Hipper class.
The next few days went about how I expected them to. Eugen was not shy in sharing the song I had performed for her in my quarters and the other Rigs were similarly not shy in their amusement and gossiping. The Humans got in on it too, which really got on my nerves, although none of them dared to say it to my face. Mainz did her best to defend my honor in public and eventually, the worst of the taunting subsided. But the memory was always there and Eugen went on to do what she had always done, play around, make a mess of things and be a deadly hurricane on the battlefield.
But so what? I am Admiral Hipper! I am a Heavy cruiser of the Ironblood, the greatest nation in the world! I will rise above these petty insults on my honor. I may not have my sister's assets nor her easy-going temperament, but I don't need them to succeed. I am a first-rate warrior. I am a Rig and no ship can stand against me on the seas!
Let them laugh at my appearance and mannerisms. I have the skill, power, and guns to be the greatest Rig in the Kriegsmarine, nein, of all the fleets of the world. Will see who is laughing then dear younger sister. One day, I may even take Bismarck's place as a flagship! And dear Maniz will be by my side through it all. A true leader supports and protects those underneath them and Mainz has proven herself a perfect subordinate and, dare I say, sister than Eugen ever has.
So what makes a woman? For this woman, it isn't her breasts or any other physical attribute, that is the concern of mere girls. It's the power, the skill, and the attitude that makes a real woman. To take command of destiny and steer it in your direction. Eugen is just a girl and I am a true Ironblood woman!
Heil Ironblood!
Hello readers! Been a long time since I have uploaded a fic. Lots going on in life and one of the things I have wanted to do is get back to writing fanfiction. It's a great way to expend all that creative energy that stays trapped in my brain day after day. Hopefully, this fic will be one of many more to come!
Anyway, I have been getting back into Azur lane these past few weeks(watching clips of the anime and reading lore, not really into the game itself ;) and I saw the interesting relationship between Hipper and Eugen. A running joke is that Hipper is insecure about her breasts in comparison to her younger sister Eugen. While this joke is cute and all, it does have the potential to be a bit deeper. Hopefully, I provided a bit more depth to the whole thing and Hipper can from here on out be a happier ship.
Notes*
- Ironblood is based on Nazi Germany. I won't sugar coat that, hence the mention of "Untermensch" and anti-homosexual laws.
- Rigs are the official term for the shipgirls.