Thanks to everyone who's been following this story, with this chapter it has now been a year since chapter 1 was released.
(A/N So, quick pre word before the chapter starts. The older chapters are currently being re-edited to bring them up to the same quality the story it at now. its noting too big just some grammar and rewording, currently only chapter 1 has been done but the rest will be updated in due time.)
Chapter 22
I had no idea how long I had been out for when I finally came around, with my head pounding endlessly in my skull and my entire body feeling sore. I had woken up with heavy hangovers before but this was something else. I tried moving but everything felt sluggish and unresponsive.
"Dam, how much did I drink last night?" I asked myself. Even my throat and voice felt off.
"Well, this is new. Still doesn't explain much though." I heard a familiar voice speaking next to me.
"Warspite, is that you?" I tried to look at my surroundings, but everything just looked blue. I rubbed my eyes.
"James?" She sounded surprised. "Well, at least you're somewhat alright." Her voice sounded solemn and downbeat.
"What do you mean?" The memories of the battle started to come back. "Are you alright?" I felt my heart quicken as I sat up and looked over to where her voice had come from, somehow not noticing the streak of blonde hair moving into my vision, nor the unnatural weight on my back.
My sitting position made me tilt my head up to meet her gaze, to find her standing beside me, but something was off.
"Warspite" I coughed, trying to get rid of the strange feeling in my throat.
Even my mouth and teeth felt wrong, as if they were in the proper place but that position was not where they should normally be.
"Warspite." I repeated. "Why are you see-through?"
While I could still distinguish all of the separate colours of her clothes as well as her features, I could faintly see the ocean and sky through her.
She crossed her arms and nodded at me, "Well, I'm sure you're about to figure out the reason why."
"What's that supposed to..." My voice died off as my gaze fell upon my hands. White gloves covered them, and they didn't belong to me, as they were small, delicate and feminine, and it wasn't just them that were different. I finally noticed the long locks of blond hair at the sides of my vision, which my hands immediately grabbed as soon as they registered. Pulling affirmed it was connected to my head.
My heart started to thump in my ears as I came to realise why everything had been feeling so off. My vision travelled over the rest of my body to confirm it. My arms, shoulders, clavicle, torso, width, height, everything was off, because I was in Warspite's body. The long white scarf she always wore on her neck, the metal plate over her chest and the rest of her outfit being worn by me only further cemented the idea.
I sat upright, and my attention was drawn to the tails of Warspite's-I guess now my coat as they shifted slightly, revealing more of my now definitely paler and smoother, longer legs, way thinner than mine ever were. I had always found myself looking as Warspite walked around. Before I could even think more about it my hand was feeling along the smooth skin.
"So, are we going to figure out what's going on here or are you contempt with just feeling my body up?" Warspite spoke sternly, snapping me back to the matter at hand.
"Ah sorry, it's all just a little overwhelming." I shivered at the sound that came out of my mouth. Even my voice had changed to hers, and it was incredibly jarring. "Do you know how this happened?" I finally noticed we were both out in the open ocean. My body was just floating on the surface. A quick twist of my head showed Warspite's rigging attached and deployed to my back. "This really is something else." I said in bewilderment.
Warspite hummed in agreement. "You should try waking up beside your body and then seeing someone else control it."
"Well at least you know where your body is." I jokingly retorted. There was nothing but calm open ocean all around us. It was amazing I hadn't noticed the constant bobbing as we went over the small waves. "How did we get here?"
I put a hand to my head and tried to remember what had happened. "You had just hit the two carriers and we were coming under attack from the aircraft. You sent me back to the bridge where it was safe and then…" My brow furrowed as I hit a gap in my memory. "And then I woke up here."
"A bomb hit me amidships causing the ship to rock rather heavily." Warspite continued the flow of events. "I think that may have caused you to hit your head against a pipe and knock you unconscious."
"When I noticed…" I saw the starlings of a blush on her cheeks even though she was now transparent. She cleared her throat and continued. "I calmly went and tried to get you further into the safety of my bridge. When I was assessing the severity of your injury I came under heavy attack. So I…"
It was Warspite's turn to look confused, and I amusingly realised my face probably had the same expression. "I don't know what I did after that, everything just went white and then I was here."
"Well, sitting around isn't going to help us much." I put a hand against the water, and realised I could push against it with a considerable amount of force before it broke its surface tension and sank below the surface.
Standing up was remarkably easy, continuously keeping that position after wasn't. The water gave little to no grip and the rigging attached to my back kept putting me off balance.
"You look like a sailor after spending his entire month's wage on rum." Warspite giggled at my predicament. At least someone was finding this amusing.
"I have no idea how you girls move, let alone fight and jump around like this." I complained. After a few more minutes of playing this strange balancing act I finally managed to manage some measure of stability. Then I turned to Warspite's ghastly form.
"You know." She said thoughtfully, putting a hand to her chin. "It's almost like looking into a mirror, but something's ever so slightly off. And hearing my own voice talk back to me is also really strange."
"Well hopefully this won't last too long and we can both be back in our normal bodies. But it is nice to be able to talk to you without having to crane my neck down."
Warspite rolled her eyes and looked around. "Last thing I know, Hood and Javelin were flanking me. They wouldn't have left us here without good reason. Can you hear anything on the radio?"
"Huh?"
"Well, you're the one with the rigging." She gestured to the mass of metal attached to my back."You should be able to hear the radio if it's turned on."
"The only thing I hear is the ocean and you. And I have no idea how to use this stuff." I replied.
"It's not that difficult. The radio is probably just turned off." Warspite rocked on her heels as she pondered. "Try imagining turning it on like you do on my bridge."
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I imagined myself standing on Warspite's bridge, where I reached out to the radio unit and flicked the switch on.
Seconds ticked by as we stood in silence waiting for something to happen.
"Well, anything?"
"No, nothing." I replied in disappointment.
"Dam." Warspite ran a hand through her hair and tried to think more on it. "Look, just clear your head and concentrate. Using the radio should be trivial."
"For you maybe. I wasn't born with rigging, all this is alien to me." I huffed annoyedly. I was getting agitated; the shock of the situation was wearing off leaving the uncomfortable realisation of not being in my own body.
Warspite didn't respond, she just continued to stand there. Her shoulders sagged and her gaze slowly dropped down to look at the ocean. I mentally kicked myself for snapping at her.
"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."
"Apology accepted, James. This really is a strange situation." Warspite responded.
"That still is no reason for me to act like a prick."
Warspite gave a tiny smile. "True. But we won't gain anything from standing here throwing words at one another. We should focus our efforts in getting out of here."
"Right." I complied, though I still felt bad. "Any ideas?"
"I'm not sure. You're the only one who's not a ghost, at least." She shrugged.
"Hmm…"
With a deep breath to calm myself I closed my eyes again and focused. I slowly blocked out the world around me and put myself back on her bridge, this time picturing everything I could, from the compass to the helm. I even placed the small mug stains that had appeared atop the radar console.
My lips unconsciously curled up into a smile as I remembered Warspite had spent hours one night explaining to me how it all worked. I already knew how the radar worked but she seemed to be enjoying herself so I had let her carry on.
A sudden twinge in my head brought me back to reality. "Ah. What in the world was that?"
The feeling returned a few seconds later before disappearing again. Strangely it didn't seem to hurt or be overly uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" Warspite asked with growing concern.
I slowly reopened my eyes to see Warspite standing closer with a worried look on her face. "I keep feeling this pulsing sensation in my head, like something is pressing against it. There isn't any pain, it just shocked me."
"Pulsing..." Warspite stood back and thought. Her foot slightly tapped against the water's surface. "Ah! I know what it might be. Tell me, how often are you feeling this sensation?"
I waited for the feeling to hit again and counted out the seconds between them. "It's about once every three seconds."
"Oh, that's just my radar then." Her shoulders relaxed. "You're just picking something up. What's their distance, speed and heading?"
"How am I supposed to know that? All I can feel is this pulse in my head." This whole experience was teaching me the sheer gap between how humans and these girls perceive the world.
"Don't worry about it." Warspite took a look around. "Are you at least able to tell what direction the radar return is coming from?"
"Well, the pulse feels like it's coming from the right side of my head. So that way I guess." Turning my head to the right I felt the sensation move to the centre of my forehead.
Warspite clapped her hands together with a smile. "Great, that's probably the convoy fleet. Let's get moving and catch up with them."
She began to drift along as the girls usually did, and I noticed her movement didn't affect the water at all. It really drove home the fact I was in her body, and reminded me that I had no idea how they moved like that.
"Wait up!" I called before she got too far away. "How do you do the whole skating across the water thing?"
"Huh?" She stopped and turned back around. "Uh, I guess I just think about moving my propellers."
"Right." I knew there was no arguing the fact I didn't know how that worked either. Instead, I closed my eyes and began to focus on the mechanics of how a ship's propeller moved. If recalling how a radar works had somehow made me use it then maybe this would also work.
If there was one thing I knew, it was ship engines. Years of serving aboard the Endurance had seen me practically take the old ship's engine completely apart and also putting it back together several times. And after the time spent repairing the Warspite meant I had a rough idea of how her power systems worked. From the boilers to the turbines, leading to the driveshaft that would in part turn the…
"Hey, there you go. You're a natural." Warspite's voice brought me out of my concentration.
At some point I had started to move across the water's surface. However, I lost balance when I finally realised, as I naturally tried to correct that, not being used to moving without thinking.
"Careful now- Oh, yeah…" She reached out a hand to help only for it to go straight through me. She dejectedly let her arm drop back down as I slowly corrected myself, but she still tried giving some advice. "It's a bit different from walking, you seem to be subconsciously moving my rigging as a counterweight so just try and keep your weight centred. We're lucky the sea is nice and calm today."
I took her advice to heart and stood up straight while controlling my breathing.
I slowly figured out how to balance myself and found it rather enjoyable to just glide along the water's surface.
"I had originally thought that the way you girls moved was just like ice skating. I couldn't have been further from the truth." I said.
"Never done ice skating so I'll take your word on it."
"I will have to teach you if we ever find ourselves near a frozen lake." I said, looking over to her with a smile, but I was reminded of her current condition when I did. "First we need to see you getting back to your own body though."
I sometimes forget that these girls have only had human bodies for a few weeks at best. It made me want to spend more time giving them good experiences and less time running about in mortal peril.
"Yeah." She replied after a moment's hesitation.
We continued moving towards whatever was being picked up by the radar. I tried to figure out how to gather more information from the return, but all I could gather was that the distance between us was closing in.
"H-hey, James." Warspite broke the long silence between us.
"What is it?"
She bit her lip, trying to find the right words. "Just in case we can't. I want you to know that while I do have some reservations, I'm fine with you staying in my body."
"Warspite, don't be ridiculous. You only just got this body; we're going to find a solution to all of this and make everything right. Think of Elizabeth, how would she react if her sister now looked like a ghost and her commander had taken her body? Not to mention I have no idea how to fight like this."
"I know. It's just you..." Her mouth stayed open for a while before she closed it and looked away. "Never mind, it's nothing."
There was obviously something more than just our current situation troubling her, but I decided not to press her about it.
I tried changing the subject to something more light hearted. "I still don't know how you can dress like this, I can feel the wind all over my legs."
Her smile slowly returned. "It doesn't bother me. And let me tell you that Her Majesty did try and get me to at least wear a skirt, but I just found it too constricting."
"How could a skirt be constricting? Ah whatever, I'm starting to realise that little makes sense when it comes to you girls."
"We all have our reason for doing things that may seem strange to others. Speaking of." Her eyes moved to look behind me. She slowed her speed down and moved behind me. "I've always been curious."
She gave a loud whistle. "Ah so that's why your gaze drops whenever I walk away from you. I never could get a proper view, but I really do have a nice rear."
"Hey!" My hand subconsciously moved to cover myself. My face felt warm too.
Warspite returned to my side still laughing at my expense. "You call yourself a sailor and yet you can't handle a little joking around."
I was about to reply only to notice something on the horizon. I could see a large group of small dots slowly come into view. "Ah, looks like we caught up with the fleet."
Warspite ceased her laughter, following my gaze and nodding. "Seems like it. I do wonder why we were so far away though."
"You said the last thing you remember was fighting, maybe they had to manoeuvre away and couldn't see us in the chaos." I suggested.
"Possibly."
I realised how wrong I was as we got closer. The formation of ships continued to get wider and wider. Even the first row of ships was far larger than what the convoy had consisted of.
My theory of the girls having far better eyesight was confirmed as I was able to start picking out features on the lead ship of the strange fleet way before I ever normally would. I also noticed how oddly familiar the lead ship looked...
"You said you had five sisters right? I think we just stumbled upon one of them, along with the largest fleet I've ever seen." It was hard to comprehend the sheer number of warships I was seeing.
"No. It's not one of my sisters." Warspite looked at the lead ship rather intensely. I could tell something was wrong when she looked back at me. "Just as my sister and I look different, so do our ships, slight deviations due to our construction and whatnot. That ship, however," her hand pointed at it. "Is me."
"Oh." I said simply, focusing on it. "Today just keeps getting stranger."
We would need to get closer to the ship to really inspect it, but I also wanted to just turn around and get away. In the end, curiosity persisted and we continued towards it.
"Are those sailors?" I asked, noticing the tiny figures clad in white clothing moving about the ships.
"Seems so." Warspite agreed.
The people onboard the ship paid us no attention while I skated round the metal behemoth. Copying what I had seen the girls do and again letting this body act on its own, I aimed for the deck and jumped. There was a rush of wind in my ears as I went through the air before I landed on the deck rather ungracefully.
Warspite followed behind me, and I spotted a Sailor making his way towards us. I raised a hand in greeting. "Hi there. Sorry to intrude like this, could you please tell us wha-" The words disappeared from my throat as he walked straight through me and just continued his way down the deck. A glacial feeling washed over me as I turned on the sailor's direction, who continued his way unperturbed.
"Well, now you know how I feel." Warspite joked, trying to make light of the situation. "Though." She looked back towards the rear of the ship. There were rows upon rows of warships behind us. "I do have to say. This all feels oddly familiar."
"Familiar?" The word hung in my head, causing me to recall the night I had spent in Hood's room.
"Ah! How could I be so stupid. Now it all makes sense." I smacked my head with my palm. "This is all just some strange dream."
"A dream?" Warspite looked confused. "James, I don't think people tend to share dreams, nor do they feel this real."
"Naturally no, technically this is less of a dream and more a memory. It seems that sometimes when I sleep near one of you girls your history tends to leak into my head. Though, I've never been this lucid, nor have I been able to move around freely." There was a sense of relief at the realisation, as we both probably were still safely aboard the Warspite.
"A memory, eh?" Warspite surveyed the fleet around us. "It would have been rare for this many ships to be sailing with me. In fact, the only time I could think of is..." Warspite's face dropped and her voice went soft. "Oh. I know where we are, Of all the times. It had to be that one."
"What day is it?" I asked, but I already had an idea of what she meant.
"This." She swallowed a growing lump in her throat. "This is the day I sink."
"And not just me." She waved a hand around, indicating all the ships in the fleet. "By nightfall all these ships will be destroyed."
"Oh." I wanted to give Warspite some words of comfort, but I found myself unable to do so. I couldn't begin to fathom what she was feeling.
"Apart from the small number of ships coming in from Canada, this is the Royal Navy in its entirety." Warspite spoke with an objective tone. "That's Nelson over there. Then you have a few King George class battleships." She methodically listed out all the ships flanking this other Warspite. "To our rear are a bunch of Town class cruisers, and if you look past the Renown class you can just about see the J-class destroyer. That's one of Javelin's sisters, though I don't know which one."
"To the left of this formation would be the Iron Blood's fleet, and the Iris fleet is to the right. The remnants of the Sardegnian and Northern Parliament's fleets are holding the rearguard." Warspite finished before looking back to me
I looked at the mass gathering of ships all around us. There was one class of ship I couldn't seem to spot. "Where are the other Queen Elizabeth class ships?"
"They're all gone, by this point I was the last one left." She replied with a heavy sigh.
A second glance at the amassed ships made me notice that all of them had some form of battle damage, from missing sections of superstructure to hastily repaired hulls. There were even some ships that had entire barrels or turrets missing from their main armaments.
"Most of these ships don't even look seaworthy. Why are they all out on sortie?" I asked, trying to understand what was happening.
"Because this was our last hope." She leaned against the railing and stared up at the flags on the ship's mast. "About nine years ago from where we are now, Siren attacks started to ramp up after years of doing practically nothing. Ports were destroyed by raiding fleets and aircraft kept attacking further and further inland."
"We were hanging on by a thread; more and more ships were being sunk every week. A scouting fleet found a large gathering of Siren ships surrounding a strange structure in the middle of the Atlantic, and we assumed it to be where the Sirens came from. This fleet was assembled to head in and destroy it. The hope was that if we could destroy the Sirens at their source then the nightmare would end."
Warspite shook her head with a click of her tongue. "In hindsight, it's obvious the scouting fleet was only able to get that close to lure us in."
Bells started ringing, with sailors rushing about at them.
"What's happening?" I asked.
Warspite pointed up. "Do you see anything?"
I looked up at the clear sky. Apart from the smoke coming from the ships the sky was completely clear.
"There's nothing there."
"Exactly. The sky was supposed to be swarming with aircraft by now. All of the fleet's aircraft carriers were stationed miles behind the main fleet. The plan was to use the aircraft for detection and suppression. However they never turned up, probably sunk by Siren submarines."
"Why didn't the carriers radio for help?"
"No idea." Warspite shrugged. "The fleet was under radio silence to avoid detection but an attack should have broken protocol. Maybe they were jammed somehow."
More and more activity could be seen on the ships with sailors rushing to their posts, carrying all manner of munitions and equipment. "As you can see, the fleet is finally figuring it out."
Despite the obvious trap the ships were sailing into there was no indication of the fleet turning back. "Are they not going to abandon the sortie?"
Warspite looked ahead, her foot tapping against the deck. "I would like to say it's because of our indomitable spirit, but we had already passed the point of no return. The attack was a pincer manoeuvre. There's another fleet consisting of Eagle Union and some Royal Navy ships attacking from the West. With no way of communicating if either fleet was to turn back the other would be overwhelmed. Politics aside, nobody could live with themselves if they made that call."
"However it wouldn't matter anyway." A loud rumbling sound came from the sky and the air became heavier. "Here they come."
A thick cloud cover suddenly appeared, suffocating the sunlight.
The air ripped itself apart as hundreds of Siren ships came through deep purple portals, as if reality was coming undone. Their guns fired the moment they had a target, and dozens of ships were burning wrecks within seconds.
The human fleet responded in kind. The crews had spent years witnessing the horrors Sirens were capable of and weren't fazed in the slightest by their sudden appearance. Hundreds of barrels opened up, firing into the closest Siren ships. There were bright flashes of blue as the shells hit the Siren's shields.
For a moment I was back on the Endurance, my heart feeling like it was being pressed in a vice. The memory of watching my ship being destroyed unwillingly resurfaced from the corners of my mind.
However, unlike the small deck gun on the Endurance the Sirens were facing the wrath of hundreds of main calibre warship cannons. Their shields eventually buckled under the intense firepower and the ships were consumed in fire.
It had only taken Javelin a few salvos to take down multiple Siren ships, and destroying carriers had been child's play for Warspite. Yet here it took an overwhelming amount of ordinance to just bring down one ship, but the Sirens were starting to be driven back by sheer numbers alone.
"The fleet seems to be winning. How did this turn into a loss?" I questioned Warspite.
"This is just the Sirens playing with us." She continued staring out to sea. "The real battle is about to begin."
I focused my gaze in the same direction as Warspite, and spotted small humanoid figures moving about near the Siren ships. "Are those…?"
"Yep. Lower class humanoid Sirens." She grimaced. "The fleet is doomed."
The balance of power immediately shifted. Beams of light shot out from the new Siren's riggings, blasting through the air with a deafening roar and completely cutting through the warships like they were made of paper. The ship next to us was hit by one of the beams directly below her forward turret; the ammunition detonated and the ship was consumed by secondary explosions.
The Sirens moved too quickly for the main cannons to aim at them and the smaller guns did nothing. They quickly moved forward, putting themselves within the fleet's formation.
Another tear in reality appeared, this time it was high up in the air.
"And now they come, the upper-class Sirens." Warspite muttered hopelessly.
A laughter echoed out from the portal, and even though it was far away it sounded like it was coming from right next to me. The sound triggered some primal fear within my mind, my instinct screaming to get as far away as possible.
She finally came through. The Siren lazily flew through the sky, holding onto her large black rigging, her long silver hair flowing behind. Flashes of bright yellow light continuously fired from the rigging obliterating any ship they touched.
The laughter didn't stop.
By some miracle her attention seemed to be focused away from us and she slowly flew off, leaving a trail of burning wreckage in her wake.
"W-who was that?" I asked weakly, finally finding the will to speak.
"No idea. She had never appeared before, and from the looks of things, she never left any survivors."
A droning sound rang out behind me. I turned to see a mass of mechanical tentacles breach the water's surface and surround a capital ship. The tentacles slowly began to wrap around the ship, crushing its guns and superstructure. Even the deck started to buckle before the ship was simply pulled underwater. I could only imagine what the main body of the creature awaited in the cold darkness of the deep sea was like.
Warspite and I watched as the fleet was slowly and systematically obliterated. The Siren drone ships already outclassed the human warships in every capacity and the humanoid ones had completely tipped the balance.
Soon the sea was littered with burning debris. A thin film of spilt oil covered the surface, giving it a deep crimson shine as it reflected the fire.
The Warspite had taken several heavy hits. Most of its guns were destroyed and she had started to list when water began to flood the compartments. Only through sheer force of will had the crew kept her afloat.
I took a look around. "You. You were the last one left."
"I was always considered a survivor. Battle after battle I would take damage that would sink most ships, but I would always make it through and limp my way back to port." Warspite nodded slowly. "But today my luck would finally run dry."
To punctuate her point a figure appeared, hovering in the air just in front of the bow. She had the same silver hair and yellow eyes as the other humanoid Sirens, a trait I guessed they all shared. Her arms looked to be grafted to her rigging as it hovered above her. All together this Siren looked like one of the manta rays I had seen in a book when I was younger. Six large glowing barrels aimed at the Warspite.
"Final target. Warspite, Queen Elizabeth class Dreadnought." The Siren spoke mechanically. "Status... sin-"
In a final act of defiance one of the ship's barrels fired at the Siren. There was the slightest hint of surprise on her face as the shell impacted.
The smoke cleared; the Siren still hovered there, the shell doing nothing but slightly dirty her ashen skin. Her lips curled into a slight smile. One of her cannons fired, the beam going straight through the deck and into the engine of the ship. I felt a violent rumble as the secondary explosions started.
"Status: sinking." She said with an emotion that might have passed for joy.
Seeing the ship cross the point of no return, the Siren just turned and started flying away. Siren ships started combing through the feet, finishing off any stricken vessels and ensuring there were no survivors.
It was a complete extermination.
"And that was it." Warspite spoke as the other her, the obliterated Warspite listed even more. "It was interesting seeing it all from this perspective. All I ever had before was fragments and echoes of memories. Now." Her hands curled into fists. "Now I know the face of the Siren I'm going to drive my sword into and rip her black heart out as it still beats."
I tried to say something but the world had started to unnaturally brighten. In contrast with what she had just said, Warspite turned to me with a smile. "Ah, looks like this dream is about to end. Time to get back to my ship and get underway again."
"Yeah." I forced myself to smile back as even the light around Warspite started to brighten. "I'm looking forward to having my own body back too."
Everything went fully white and the ground below me seemed to fade away, giving me a sense of weightlessness.
A ship's horn rang out and my mind rolled with vertigo. Cold air bit at my legs as the world came back into focus. I had to correct myself as I fell forward. My hands were still small and gloved, I was still in Warspite's body.
"Guess this dream isn't quite done." The deck below me meant we were probably still onboard the Warspite. "Another one of your battles perhaps?"
"Uh, I'm not so sure about that." Her confused voice came.
I looked up, the ship was different. While there was some resemblance to the Warspite I knew, this ship looked far more modern than the old Dreadnought. "So, who's this? A newer class based on your design?"
"No. It's… still me, but different." Warspite looked puzzled. Her eyes darted all around this new ship, eyes sharpening at every nook and cranny with suspicion. "That tower, it's the Queen Anne's mansion design. They started using that design with the Nelson class, and while there was consideration to refit us older warships with them, it never came to fruition. And it's not just the tower, Newer high angle gun mounts, a singular funnel and modern fire control to boot." I could see her crack a smile in appreciation. "If I had these upgrades, I would be nigh unstoppable."
"But it begs the question." I looked around. "If you never had these upgrades, where the hell are we?"
The ship was slowly sailing through a fjord. Warspite took a look around. "We're in the north, my guess would be a Scandinavian country. But I never went anywhere near them so I can't be sure."
"Why would you need to go somewhere like this? Siren's rarely head inland." I noted.
Warspite scratched her chin in thought. "Well, the Norwegian fjords have strategic value if you wanted a fleet to sortie out into the northern Atlantic. But I would have no need to resupply or dock here. The royal navy could just use Scapa flow as a staging post. In fact the only reason why anyone would need a fleet here is if you wanted to attack the-"
She was cut off as the ship's alarm rang out again. We turned to see a burning ship slowly making its way past the Warspite. She sat low in the water and there was battle damage all over, the crew were rushing around the deck trying to fight the fires.
Warspite's eyes narrowed as she identified the ship. "Tribal class. They're Javelin's predecessors. I can't tell you which one though, I never really spent much time around them."
I watched the stricken destroyer slip by, noticing eight others trailing behind the Warspite.
Guns began to rotate as we approached a turning. Something just didn't feel right about the damage on that destroyer. Sirens weapons didn't usually leave behind bullet holes.
As the bow cleared the turning, I spotted a ship up ahead, which obviously wasn't a Siren, though its design strangely looked familiar. "Is that?"
"An Iron Blood destroyer. What is she do-" Warspite was silenced when the main cannons opened fire.
Four gigantic shells flew towards the small warship, with one splashing down harmlessly but the other three impacting the hull directly. The explosive shell detonated, ripping apart the ship from the inside. The ship attempted to return fire but its small guns could barely even scratch the steel behemoth.
The secondary guns opened up to finish the wounded foe, and following its demise the crew abandoned their stations and started jumping overboard as life rafts were deployed. I felt a sense of relief as the guns seemed to leave the small boats alone.
"What in the world is going on here?" I asked as the ship continued into the valley.
"I have no idea. Apart from the Great War, I never fought against Iron Blood ships, and that destroyer was far too modern to be from then."
Warspite looked further into the valley. "Look, there's more coming at us." The ship's main guns zeroed in on them.
Once again, the cannons opened fire, and the lead destroyer's bow was completely destroyed by the shell's impact.
"This isn't a battle." Warspite grimly remarked. "They don't have any capital ships to match me. Hell, they don't even have cruisers."
We both watched as the small ships were picked off one by one, hopelessly trying to hold off the incoming fleet. One even beached herself just to remain afloat and keep fighting.
Once the naval targets were dealt with, the Warspite began a shore bombardment on a small port. The sky slowly filled with smoke from the burning buildings.
"You know." Said Warspite. Breaking the silence between us. "A few weeks ago, I would have found this pleasing to watch. I had a deep hatred of the Iron Bloods, and wanted to see them at the bottom of the ocean." She turned her head to look at me. "But now all I can think about is of U-556 and Z23 and how I've slowly come to see them as my friends. I couldn't even imagine myself having to fight them."
"And you won't have to." I replied. "You girls are no longer inanimate weapons that have to act at the behest of your crew. You have free will and can choose your own destiny. Not to mention with the Sirens around I couldn't see the logic behind you fighting one another."
"And what if the sirens weren't around anymore?" She waved her hand at the surrounding battle. "Something within me knows this isn't just some mirage. No, I believe we are seeing what the world would be like if they had never appeared." Warspite returned to quietly watching the bombardment.
After a while the guns fell silent and returned to their forward position. The battle seemed to be over, the ship's bell rang and the crew cheered.
"Ah good, seems like it's over." Warspite sighed. The world started to brighten again. "I wonder what we're going to see this time."
This time my legs didn't land on a ship's deck but rather solid ground. I nearly fell over as the weight on my back from the rigging was gone. I thought for a moment I was back in my body, but my eyes slowly adjusted and I found that I wasn't so lucky.
"So where are we now?" I asked as I started to look around. We seemed to be at a rocky coast somewhere.
"No idea, but I think I have an idea as to why we're here. Look." She pointed towards the edge of a cliff; I could just faintly see a ship's mast poking up from behind it.
Walking up the steep cliff we could see her. It seemed to be the same Warspite as before, however this one looked far worse for wear. The paintwork was covered in grime and mismatched panels and decking indicating patchwork repair. All of the barrels and guns had been removed.
"She's beached. Look at how the ship is listing, probably stuck on some rocks in the shallows." Warspite pointed out.
"Can she be recovered?"
"Oh yeah easily." She pointed towards the hull. "The keel hasn't been damaged so it can still support its own weight. You would just need to either re-float the ship by pumping out the water and move away at high tide, or cut away the rocks holding it in place and use a tug to tow her out. It would be a long process and an expensive one, but it's still far cheaper than just building a new warship. The navy wouldn't just abandon a ship."
"What about the guns, why were they removed?" I asked.
Tilting her head, she tried to think of a good reason. "Could have been damaged in a recent battle and it was decided to give her a rehaul. Was probably on her way to a drydock, whoever was at the helm probably got a rather stern talking to."
We were cut from our discussion as a voice called out to me. "Hey miss! It's dangerous by the edge, you need to come back down from there."
Confused, I turned to see who had called out to me. A police man was hurryingly making his way up the cliff. "Can he see me?"
He came right next to me following his ascent. I had to look up quite a bit to meet his face. Now I know how the smaller girls feel when they talk to me.
"I need you to move away from here. It may not look like it but the water is incredibly shallow here." He spoke with laboured breaths, exhausted from the walk up the hill.
Warspite waved her hand in front of the guy's face, he didn't seem to react to it.
"Right, sorry." I took a few steps away from the cliff's edge, he seemed to visually relax as I moved away. "May I ask, where exactly are we? I was out hiking and I may have gotten a little lost." I lied trying to get some information.
"You're at Prussia cove, Kenneggy is just a quick walk back. Do you need me to help you get back?" He took off his hat and gave me a smile.
"No, that's fine, I can make my own way." I looked back to the stricken warship. "What happened to her?"
"Ran aground a few days ago, apparently the tow line snapped and she went adrift, ending up here. Some people from London are coming to take a look, in the meantime the entire beach is off limits."
"Under tow..." Warspite mused. "The engines must have been damaged. Explains why there aren't hundreds of sailors knocking about."
"Do you know how long it's going to take until she's underway again?"
Scratching his head, he hummed. "I don't think they will. She was on her way to the breakers, probably best just to scrap her here."
"What!" Warspite yelled, making me flinch at the sheer volume. "Ask him why!" I could hear the growing anger in her voice.
"Uh, why is she being scrapped? Surely it's best to repair this ship then pay for an entirely new battleship."
"Why would we need new battleships?" He looked at me as if I was stupid. "The war ended years ago and nobody is going to start anything now the yanks have that fancy bomb of theirs. From what I hear most of the fleet is being scrapped, it's all just a waste of money now if you ask me."
His words just created more questions. "The war? We beat the Sirens?"
"Sirens? Never heard of them, I'm talking about the war against the Germans, have you been living under a rock or something?" He questioned me, confused about my choice of words.
I decided to drop it, I would only start to make him suspicious if I kept asking questions. "No, I obviously know about that war. I just read about something in the papers about something called Sirens. Probably just a misprint." I tried to sound dismissive.
"Ah, fair enough." he pulled out a pocket watch. "I need to be on my way, if I leave you be, do you think you would be able to make it into the village?"
I noticed that Warspite had disappeared from my side and was now sitting further down the cliff watching the ship. "Eh yeah, I should be fine. Thanks for the directions."
Putting his hat back on he gave me a nod. "Have a good day, and please be careful." He turned and left.
Warspite was resting her head in her arms as I sat next to her.
"I thought sinking would be the worst fate imaginable. But to just be left and taken apart. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." She sniffled. I tried to put an arm over her shoulder, only for it to go straight through her.
"Is this…" She continued. "Is this how my story would have ended had the Sirens never appeared?"
"Warspite I…" I was once again stuck trying to find words of comfort. But I knew deep down she was probably right.
"Is this all just some sort of torture? A twisted Siren weapon that shows you memories and alternate realities? I just want to feel my ship again." A few tears dropped from her chin.
"I don't know what this is. But I can promise you one thing, you will never have this fate. Even if all the Sirens disappeared you would still be free to do what you chose with your life. And despite the situation we currently find ourselves in, remember, your ship belongs to you and you alone, nobody can take that away from you."
The faintest bit of a smile appeared on her lips. "And what about all those times when you've referred to us as your ships?"
I matched her smile and giggled slightly. "I don't think there's much I could do if you started ignoring my orders."
"I wouldn't be so certain of that. I am a woman of my word, and I will follow your orders even if I didn't agree with them. The only person who could circumvent your word is Her Majesty, but you already seem to have her wrapped around your finger." Warspite joked.
We shared a small laugh until something caught my eye. A pure white butterfly softly landed on my leg; the thing seemed to radiate a low blue light.
"Well, that isn't natural." I spoke in curiosity. "I wonder where it came from." I reached out to it, and the moment my finger touched it there was the sound of a small bell ringing in my ears. The world went pure white again.
The cold coastal wind was replaced with a summery warmth. The sound of dozens of people walking and talking filled my ears. As my eyes focused, I found myself standing at some sort of port, though, this wasn't anything like the ports I had spent my adult life around. Apart from some disused bunkers there didn't seem to be any defences whatsoever. A large slipway had been built running from the main road and into the sea, yet there weren't any tracks or cranes built into it to assist in a ship's launch. There was also just the sheer amount of colour everywhere. From brightly painted shops to row upon row of carefully maintained flowerbeds.
"Now where are we?" Warspite spoke in annoyance.
I didn't reply immediately. At first, I had thought it was a normal port, but then I realised everyone walking around was female, and they all seemed to share the same extravagant styles of clothing that Warspite and the other girls did. What was this?
"Woah. What's up with me?" Warspite pulled me away from my thoughts as she looked at me in surprise.
I looked down. All of my-Warspite's-clothes had changed, the jacket was now longer and had a more regal look to it. The undershirt now had a golden trim and golden buttons sewn across it. Even her woolly socks were replaced by fine silk tights.
My body also felt stronger, like there was even more energy within waiting to be released. I looked back up at Warspite, I was even slightly taller than her now.
"Yo 'Spite! Wait up a sec." A tomboyish voice called out to me.
I turned and saw her. Her pure white cape fluttered in the wind as she promptly made her way over. She wore a short grey skirt and socks littered with white stars.
She took a moment to catch her breath when she finally made it over. "Man, for a Dreadnought you sure do move quickly." She huffed and moved some of her bright blond hair away from her face. She spoke with a strange accent that I had never heard before.
"Uh, thanks." I replied, not sure who she was.
"If that's what a retrofit gets ya, I need to start bugging the Commander to get me one."
"She's a Yank." Warspite said in surprise. "And I think she may be a ship like me."
"Sorry for stopping ya, just wanted to say you absolutely smashed it leading us during the exercise today. Amagi didn't know what hit her. You'll have to show me how to shoot like that someday." She radiated positivity with every word she spoke.
"Y-Yeah, I'll show you what I can sometime." I played along, not wanting to rouse suspicion.
She gave a bright smile, even her red eyes seemed to shine. "Sweet, I'll owe you one."
A whistle caught both of our attention as a girl with red hair and a similar cape to the girl I was talking to waved over to us. "Cleveland! Monty and Denver are waiting, you said we were getting ice cream!"
"Ah!'' Who I assumed to be Cleveland put a hand to her forehead. "I completely forgot! Look 'Spite I gotta split. Big sister duties and all. Hang out sometime?" She didn't even wait for my reply. "Cool cool, see you on the flipside." She promptly ran over to the other girl and walked off together.
"You know. She was speaking English, but I had no idea what she was just saying." Warspite half joked.
I took another look at everyone in the port. Girls walked around everywhere. Some on their own but most in groups of three or four. There was a rainbow of hair colours, only surpassed by the range of clothing they wore. Some had the same regal dresses that the likes of Hood and Elizabeth wore and others wore military style uniforms along the same style of Z23 and U-556. There were even a few that wore styles of clothes I had never seen before.
"I think this entire place is filled with girls like you, Warspite. And from the looks of things, from multiple nations."
Warspite's curiosity peaked. "Yes, I think you might be right. Come let's go have a look around, we might be able to find out more about this whole retrofit stuff."
I nodded in agreement and made way further into the port.
The place was amazing to look at, all around girls were going about their day. Most gave me a smile and wave as I passed them. Everywhere I looked there was laughter and joy.
"Hey, is that..." Warspite noticed someone on a beach further down the road.
"Javelin. I would recognise that purple hair anywhere. And that must be Z23 with her, along with two other girls." My spirits started to lift after seeing a familiar face. "Come, let's go say hello."
I had only made it about halfway over when something moved from the shadows and into the corner of my vision. "My my. Looks like the small mutt is all alone and talking to herself. Whatever should we do, Kaga?"
A woman dressed in strange black clothes and a red skirt made herself known. To my surprise, multiple brown tails seemed to sway behind her. A twitch on her head then made me notice the fox-like ears above her hair.
She stepped closer, putting my head in line with her rather large chest. She noticed my gaze and grinned, the red makeup on her eyes accented the feeling of power she had over me. "Oh? Taken aback by my bosom? Jealous that you would never be able to please Shikikan-sama with your pitiful flat chest?"
I heard Warspite growl at the words. I knew it was a touchy subject for both her and Elizabeth.
"Come now, Akagi-nee-sama. We know it's an affliction that all of her class suffers from." A second girl spoke. This one was dressed in a similar attire to the other, though hers was blue and white, and while still showing off her large chest she obviously was a bit more modest than the first girl. Several white tails also slowly swayed behind her.
Akagi sighed and took a step back. "You're right, Kaga. I have no idea how much pain being so small must feel. However," A finger went to her chin as the devilish smile returned. "This one must be taught a lesson for being so foolish as to harm my dear Amagi-nee-sama."
"If that is what you wish, nee-sama." The other girl, Kaga I presumed agreed
I could sense the growing danger. I had no idea how to fight like one of the girls and from the deranged look in her eyes she wasn't just making idle threats. "L-look," I stuttered, taking a step back. "I'm sorry for whatever I did, there's no need to get violent. Can't we talk this through?"
"Oh, I'm afraid the time for words has already passed, little one. Kaga, I will let you go first. I know how much you've wanted to test your strength against her."
"Yes, nee-sama." Licking her lips, she took a step forward.
As I was deliberating whether to fight or fly, several of the strange white butterflies from before manifested around us. They surrounded the two fox girls, who grunted annoyedly.
"I'm afraid this one cannot permit you to harm her." Came a quiet, sheepish voice.
All four of us turned to see a woman slowly walking over. She wore a large complicated soft blue dress that resembled Akagi and Kaga's somewhat, only that the dress ran all the way down her legs unlike the skirts of the other two, though her cleavage and shoulders were as exposed as the other two. Her figure was also equally if not more voluptuous. Her long silver hair reached her knees, and had fox tails and ears to match. Some strange discs followed behind her, displaying what seemed to be the various phases of the moon. She carried herself elegantly, yet also with a languid pace, as reflected by her deep blue eyes, drooping ever so noticeably. I felt she saw right through me with them.
"Akagi, you mustn't let your love… be confused for hatred. This one… has seen you be destroyed by your own action's countless times over… because of it." Her expression was peaceful, if sleepy, and her words came as slowly as her disposition, yet they carried purpose and power nonetheless...
The two girls stepped back in surprise by her sudden appearance. "Sh-Shinano-sama. I, I..." Akagi mustered all the courage she could. "This doesn't concern you. Go back to your sleeping."
"Ah… I'm afraid it does. This one has sworn… to protect the peace of this port, and this one… has business with Warspite-sama that needs… to be attended to." Her eyes drifted to where Warspite was standing. Could she see her?
Akagi bit her lip and bawled her hand into a fist. "Nay! She has scorned Nee-sama's pride and must pay for it. If you are going to stand in my way, then so be it!" Red fire came to life from nothing at her side, forming into what looked like a strip of some kind… of runway, perhaps? I assumed it to be her rigging. Maybe a carrier?
Shinano's expression didn't change in the slightest. "If that is… what you desire. Then please, attack this one… with all you have."
"Why you!" Akagi raised her arm, producing several red pieces of paper that were cut like aircraft on her hand. They also began to burn with the same red flame.
Just as it seemed that the peace of the port was about to be destroyed, another person made herself known. It was only a tiny cough, like if they were sick, but that immediately got Akagi's attention. "Oh my! I hope my dear little sister hasn't been damaging the reputation of the Sakura Empire or threatening revered members of our fleet."
Akagi jumped, her rigging vanishing immediately as she looked behind her.
Yet one more woman with fox ears and tails was standing there holding a paper umbrella, her long brown hair gently swept by the summer breeze. At this point I assumed all of them were related somehow, with their similar attires and features. This newcomer wore the same kind of dress as Shinano, only a shade deeper of blue, with a red mantle draped over her shoulders. She also didn't seem to mind showing her cleavage, though she wore some kind of bodystocking underneath. She walked with elegance and her every movement carried purpose, but I could also note she seemed sickly, as her skin was a shade too pale, and she covered light coughs with her sleeve. Her eyes were a vibrant shade of purple that now scanned the scene with uncanny sagacity.
"A-Amagi-nee-sama! I was just..." Akagi struggled to find her words as this fourth fox woman walked closer.
"Just about to assault Warspite-san for beating me in a friendly naval exercise?" She spoke like a parent scolding her child " Shikikan-sama runs those exercises to deepen the bonds between us and improve our combat proficiency. He would be stricken to learn that they cause petty disputes like these. So stricken in fact he might cancel tomorrow's date. You know? That one you have been talking about nonstop for days now."
Akagi became a panicked mess. "Ah! P-please Amagi-nee-sama! Shikikan-sama doesn't need to know of this! I'll do anything."
"Anything?" Amagi smiled beautifully, though something about that smile was also unnerving. Not really in a bad way so much as feeling there was something much more cunning underneath this frail fox woman's exterior. "Then how about we shake hands and make friends with Warspite-san?"
Without waiting for her answer Amagi grabbed Akagi's hand and offered it to me. I reached out mine and grabbed it, trying my hardest not to smile at the growing embarrassment on Akagi's face.
Amagi started humming joyfully when Akagi didn't say anything. "I hear Taihou is free tomorrow evening, I wonder what she would do knowing Shikikan-sama suddenly has a free gap in his schedule?"
"E-eh?" The grip on my hand suddenly went tight. Akagi swallowed her pride and shook my hand. "I apologise for threatening you. It won't happen again." She spoke through gritted teeth before quickly pulling her hand away.
Amagi clapped her hands together and smiled. "There we are, now we are all friends again. However." She turned to Kaga who suddenly panicked.
With a sudden swing of her arm, Amagi brought her fist down on Kaga's head, forcing a yelp of pain from her. "How many times must I tell you to stop going along with Akagi's schemes? You can't just become stronger through fights alone."
"S-sorry, Amagi-sama." Kaga mumbled while rubbing her head.
"Quite so. Now come, I have yet to go over the action report from this morning's exercise and I could do with your input." Amagi reopened her umbrella and bowed to me and Shinano. "I bid both of you a good day."
The three girls then walked away, Akagi and Kaga did so with their heads held low.
"This one's heart cries… for the Akagis that are deprived of their sisters, those branches… are nothing but nightmares." Shinano turned to us. "Now, shall we see to… getting you two back… to your original timeline?"
"You can see me?" Warspite asked.
Shinano nodded slowly. "This one has… the ability to perceive things that most… cannot. Come, I will answer your questions as we walk."
We followed Shinano down the street. I took a fleeting glance back at Javelin and the girls she was with. I felt my heart warm as I watched them play in the shallow water without a worry in the world.
"What exactly is this place?" I asked.
"This is… the main Azur Lane base." Shinano took a quick look at my confused face. "I guess you don't know… what Azur Lane is?"
"Can't say I do." I replied.
"It is a combined fleet… consisting of all the world's Kansen." She gestured to herself and Warspite "Us ship girls in your language."
"We have united together to combat the Siren threat… This port acts as a safe haven for all us girls, where we can… live day to day lives in relative peace." She turned, walking towards a tree that sat in the middle of a field.
"So, is it just us girls here?" Warspite asked with curiosity.
Shinano glanced towards me. "Just us… and the Commander mostly. Humans do occasionally come by, either to discuss military strategy or partition for… convoy escort. We've found that while humans and Kansen can… get along, our actions tend to put humans in danger." Shinano's voice took a dark tone. "And this one has dreamed of worlds where humans have… mistreated Kansen, causing unimaginable disaster."
"You keep saying stuff about seeing other worlds and versions of things, what do you mean by that?"
Shinano took a moment to answer. She really looked like she could fall asleep at a drop's notice. The moons behind her changed, becoming clear like water, and arranged themselves one in front of another, with Shinano looking at us through them. "Time is… an infinite possibility of events; this one has the ability to partially… perceive other realities and timelines. You were fortunate to cross my notice… and be brought here." She grasped one of the transparent discs, bringing it between us. "The Sirens… aren't the only threat you should worry about. There are other beings that can… cross the branches leaving nothing but devastation in their wake. And one that can… corrupt your very being." The moon darkened for a moment before it returned to its original aqueous appearance. We then arrived at the tree, where Shinano sat down under the cool shade and gestured for us to join her.
"How did we end up jumping between them? And why did I end up in Warspite's body?" I asked as I sat down beside her. Warspite followed suit.
Shinano softly rocked her head in thought. I was worried she might doze off. "The wisdom cubes inside us are… incredibly powerful. The creation of Kansen is merely a fraction of their power. When that power becomes unstable it can… create tears in reality. Usually that power is blocked off by safeguards, but our emotions can… sometimes override them. As for why you ended up in her body, the human mind is a delicate thing; the travel between timelines may… cause it harm. Warspite probably brought your mind into hers in a… subconscious act to protect you."
"Can you send us back?" Warspite asked with hope in her voice. "And put us back in our original bodies?"
Shinano nodded. "It is child's play for this one. If you wish to return… just offer me your hand."
Warspite looked to me for approval, I gave her a nod and we both raised our hands.
"Good. I will have to send Warspite back first to… create an anchor." Seeing that we didn't have any objections, Shinano reached out and touched Warspite's hand. I heard a bell chime and Warspite slowly faded away.
I was then victim to a growing anxiety as I was now left alone. I waited for Shinano to touch my hand but she merely let it drop and rested on her side.
"I'm afraid this one needs to speak with you… for a while longer. Do not worry, I will send you home shortly. But for now," she patted a hand on her legs, "please rest your head, your mind needs to relax."
I laid my head down, seeing that I had no other options. I also found her lap to be incredibly soft. "So, what is it you wanted to say?"
"Whatever happened to cause your Warspite to tear a hole in reality… might have caught the attention of certain entities. Her failsafe must have kicked in and prevented… further damage to her wisdom cube, but you must make sure such an incident… doesn't happen again. Bad things happen to Kansen who… let their emotions overrun them."
"I will try." I felt her hand softly pat my head. Knowing I wouldn't have the chance to ask many more questions, I quickly thought of one to ask. "Regarding emotions, there's one thing that's been bugging me and I was wondering if you knew. I sometimes see shimmers of blue in the girls' eyes, do you know anything about that?"
Her hand stopped for a second and I heard her giggle softly. "If you are seeing that then you obviously… have a very close connection with your ships. Have you at all noticed them copying your… mannerisms?"
"Y-yeah, I have."
She giggled again. "Then you are building a strong bond with them, nurture that bond… and they will become stronger through it."
"Now, close your eyes and relax. It's time… for you to return to them."
I still wanted to ask her about so much, but my eyes seemed to close on their own. "Before I go, is there anything you can tell me? I just seem to keep screwing up."
Shinano looked at me with caring eyes, but shook her head gently. "This one can't say too much… without risking the ire of greater beings. Know that you are still early in your journey and… have much to learn, your ships will be forgiving if you make mistakes as long as… you are honest with yourself."
I felt my mind start to slip.
"This one can, however… leave you with these words that may bring you a solution one day: For some wounds… only death can let them heal." Shinano then began to hum a soft melody, and against my best efforts, I quickly slipped into a deep slumber.
I woke up to find myself lying on a soft bed, though the back of my head felt painful for some reason. I slowly moved my body, confirming I was back on my own body when normalcy greeted me. I looked around. I seemed to be inside a ship's sick bay.
"Morning, sleepyhead. Or afternoon I guess." Warspite spoke from my side. I saw her sitting on a chair beside the bed. She looked to be solid and not just a see-through ghost poured me a much needed glass of water.
"Please tell me I just had the strangest dream imaginable." I asked sardonically.
"Afraid not." Warspite shrugged. "That whole travelling through alternate times was the real deal."
"You seem rather chipper."
Warspite hugged herself. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm back in my own body and I can feel my ship again."
That was something I could agree with. "So, do we know what happened while we were out?"
"Well apparently there was a large flash of energy that knocked out all the Sirens. Three guesses what caused that." She winked. "I woke up about half an hour ago to all of the girls crowded around me. Apparently, we were found unconscious up on my bridge by Hood and she brought us down here. I sent them all away to sort out their ships while I brought my engine back up to full steam pressure."
"I can imagine how panicked they must have been. Going to be difficult coming up with an explanation for everything." I felt a twinge on the back of my head when I sat up. I reached a hand up and felt a bandage wrapped around it.
Warspite quickly pulled my hand away. "Careful, you had a rather nasty knock on the old noggin. Probably what put you out. And another reason why I sent the girls away was because I wanted to ask if we could keep all of what we saw between us. The girls already have enough to worry about, no need to tell them about other timelines."
I gave a smile and nodded. While I wanted to go over everything we had just been through, the fleet comes first. "Sure thing. Now shall we go and see how the fleet is doing? I'm worried that without my amazing leadership skills it's all going to hell out there."
Warspite laughed and offered a hand to help me up. She helped me to stand up slowly. "Don't get too full of yourself." Her head tilted up to match my gaze. "Yeah, it's better to look at you this way. Now come, I don't know about you but I'm famished."
Nodding, I started to follow her out of the sick bay slowly, with her offering some support. Even with the pain, it was great to be myself again. I put aside the thoughts of what we had seen and now focused on what I would cook for the girls instead. Maybe it was time to show them the wonders of French toast.
Shinano had continued to sit under the tree long after Warspite had woken back up, who had been rather confused at suddenly finding herself in the ethereal fox woman's lap. Shinano had explained that she had felt faint after the morning's exercise and she had brought her to some shade to rest.
After being told to drink more water and stay out of the sun, Warspite had given her thanks and promptly ran off to find her sisters. Shinano knew she would have visions of events she wouldn't understand for a few days but would just disregard them as nothing more than just dreams.
"There's nobody around. You can… come out now." Shinano spoke to the open air.
The shadows shifted and a figure walked out from them. "When Helena detected that much temporal energy, I wasn't expecting to just find the old marksman napping on your lap."
Shinano looked at Hiryuu, or rather another version of her. This one wasn't the one known to the port as the one whose only concerns were fighting and trying to copy her sister's femininity. This one was a veteran of thousands of battles; gone was the youthfulness in her, replaced with a cold hard exterior.
"A minor mix-up… in the timeline, it didn't take this one much effort in fixing it."
Hiryuu sheathed her sword and crossed her arms over her chest. "That may be but you still sent ripples across the branches. This world is developing far further ahead than most. If you had caught Richard's ire then all our work would be moot."
Shinano winced at the mention of that name. "They had to be sent back. This one… took a look into their time… and while deviating from the norm it… has potential."
"Potential, eh?" Hiryuu thought for a moment. "Might have to take a look at it myself, or send some of the others. Ark's not been up too much lately."
"It still is early days for them. They… don't need your lot poking around, why don't you stay around… for a while? Souryuu would… be more than welcoming to you." Shinano pleaded.
Hiryuu's face darkened. "My sister has been dead for a long time; she was consumed by the very energy that turned me into this. The one here is nothing but a hollow copy to me."
"And yet this one constantly senses you watching her… from the shadows. Your heart obviously hasn't been completely deadened by war."
Shinano had always been a nuisance to her and her companion's plans.
"Just keep an eye on her. This world's Hiryuu shouldn't have to go through the same pains I did." Hiryuu clicked her tongue and once again vanished into the shadows.
Shinano sighed and stood up. She had seen first-hand some of the things those girls had to go through. If they were just willing to lower their defences once again and allow others into their heart then the corruption eating away at them may be reversed.
With a look to the sky to guess the time Shinano realised she was long overdue for her mid-afternoon nap. "Mmm, maybe this one will have to try that new place Laffey… mentioned. It sounded rather alluring."
She walked with a smile to the dorms, Shikikan's bed being her destination.
A/N And there we have it, 1 Year of Azur waves. it's been a fun journey full of countless nights slowly typing away, I even worked out that I've averaged about 300 words per day for the full year so it's certainly been a large project.
I like to feel that I've somewhat improved in both my writing and editing skills. Though, seeing how much my editor still has to change shows I still have a long way to go.
Once again, I want to thank everyone who's taken their time to read through this story and I hope you continue to enjoy it as much as I do writing it.