Chapter 1: Memories in the Deep
I always hated these meetings… At one point they served as a think tank for the Abyssals, helping us plan attacks, delegate forces, talk strategy, supplies, and so on. They were genuinely a good way to spend time and would help us in the war against humanity. A war for vengeance, to make them pay for leaving us to waste away. And also a war for nature, to save the Earth itself from the destruction humanity leaves in its wake.
That was 200 years ago.
So much had changed, and both sides were growing weary. I can't help but draw similarities to the War to End All Wars, where constant attacks drained the supplies and fighting power of the attackers, while the defenders got better and better at repelling the attacks. Humanity's kansen were expert Veterans, we couldn't say the same. Abyssal fleets fight at peak efficiency when led by a Princess, kansen aren't limited like that.
However, things changed when a baby in China started glowing. The Abyssals drew back as anomalies started popping up left and right, watching…. And within a couple of years we watched as humanity practically fought our war for us. The kansen helplessly watched as humanity tore itself apart during the advent of these "quirks," but some of us weren't content just watching. Humanity seemed to forget about the looming threat in the ocean. There were a number of us who decided to remind them.
Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Hawaii, Anchorage, and many other cities were razed to the ground. We made more progress in those years than we had the entire war. I was still "young" and didn't know how fruitless it really was. Besides…
Nobody could have predicted the age of heroes, and nobody could have predicted that those heroes would fight alongside the kansen, and more importantly begin to win. Those losses were some of the most horrific we had ever seen. Especially in recent years. One hero in particular managed to fight the Heavy Cruiser Princess to a standstill. With the help of the heroes bolstering the kansen, some of our fronts were entirely annihilated.
To our knowledge, the Mediterranean Princess, and every Abyssal in that sea are gone. The Atlantic sect has been quiet for decades, practically dragging trade back to World War II with the wolfpacks, and the Pacific? The Pacific… Tug of War was vastly oversimplifying my situation.
"Oi, Mariana, you ok? If you frown at the mirror any longer it'll melt." I looked to my left, two golden eyes gazed back in concern.
"I'm fine. Just wanting to be anywhere but here." I sighed, looking at my lieutenant who had decided to tag along. Tight body suit, cape, and black toothy domed helmet, the Wo Class was easily as old as I was, practically a Princess in her own right due to her experience.
I looked back at myself in the mirror. The Abyss, or whatever being that designed us certainly was… creative. I tugged at my slightly too big white shirt, smoothing out any wrinkles and tugging one sleeve over my shoulder, not that it would stay up for long. But appearances did matter, even to Abyssals, even if I wasn't presentable by human standards. But then again, not many Abyssals could call themselves 'presentable' by those standards. I pulled my shirt taught, just reaching mid-thigh, and despite any efforts on my end, still exposed about half of my bra. I ran my fingers through my hair, adjusting my long ponytail and wrapping it around my neck like a scarf. And for the finishing touches I wiped off my glasses, put them on, and hung my headphones around my neck. My metal gauntlets weren't on, I wasn't planning on fighting today.
"I look like I want to take a nap…" I groused, slumping slightly and sighing. Amused eyes looked away from the mirror and to me, a smirk crossed my lieutenant's mouth.
"You always look like you want to take a nap." Well, I couldn't exactly refute that. I sighed again and began following the other Abyssal to the War Room.
"Do you know why we've been summoned here?" Dione looked at me as we walked, curiosity all over her face.
"I have an idea, the Battleship Princess has been pushing for a new offensive, something that will, "shake the humans to their core" or so she says," I huffed and shook my head, "ever the Warhawk, blindly throwing punches regardless of who's hitting back or how hard."
Dione hummed before speaking. "She has the largest fleet by far, and the most followers. Do you know who'll follow her?" Both of us stopped briefly as I thought, letting my fairies pull up some logs and notes.
"The Carrier Princess will probably follow her no matter what. Air Defense will too, I'd bet my best howitzer on it. You know Destroyer, she follows the Battleship like a lost puppy. The Light Cruiser Princess might, she's 'adopted' the Destroyer," I bit my lip, "I'm not sure about Air Defense, or about Airfield. They've been on the fence recently. The Harbor Princess won't, she's still devastated over the loss of Hoppo." My heart was still broken over that. The little Princess brought joy to everyone, no matter how grouchy they were. With her gone… Damn this war.
"And what about you?"
"Hm?" I looked at Dione, who tilted her head at me.
"If there is an offensive, what side of the spectrum are you on?" She asked.
"Officially, the operation I have at Wake Island is far too important to abandon to go gallivanting off to level a city and kill people just trying to live their lives," I paused for a moment, "unofficially I'm sick of this war. "Revenge against the humans?" My eyes have been opened Dione, we're generations past the people who've wronged us. We're just senselessly murdering innocent people now. And humanity is repairing the damage to the Earth, already carbon emissions are down over 50% of what they were when we started this war. So that begs the question," I fully turned to my lieutenant, "why the hell are we still fighting this war?"
"Careful Mari, the wrong person would consider that as treason. The Battleship Princess would kill you on the spot." Both of us shared a laugh. Powerful as she was, that brute had tits bigger than her brain. Both of us paused outside of the war room.
"None of this talk inside, views aside we need to show a united front. The fleets look to us for guidance, if we fight among each other, who knows what'll happen."
"Don't worry," Dione smirked at me, "I'm not the Battleship Princess." Both of us laughed one final time before we walked into the room.
It wouldn't look that out of place in an office building. Long lavish walls tapered out to a marble domed roof. Paintings depicting wars and battles lined the walls, and in the middle was a large semi-circle table with chairs for every Abyssal Princess. It hurt to see how many weren't filled. Both of us took our places off to the side as the others walked in and did the same. This would be long, boring, repetitive, and stupid.
"Hey, tap me if I'm called, have your fairies write down a paraphrased version." I didn't even wait for a response, putting my headphones on and letting heavy metal wash me away into my own universe. Conversation and the beginning of a speech were drowned out by heavy notes and fierce drum beats.
I woke up with a start, boilers slowing down and returning to normal as the world came into focus. The din of an air conditioner, muffled crickets through the door to the balcony. A clock ticking. The ruffling of bed sheets. I wasn't there anymore, I was here, home, Musutafu Japan. Not in the Challenger Deep, not in the Abyss.
I thought these dreams had stopped.
I tried to sit up, only to be stopped by an arm wrapped around my midsection. I also noticed the now familiar warm body against my back and the soft breathing against my neck. Oh yeah, that. I smiled.
I was home, in bed, with my husband. Husband. Even 4 years later it still boggles my mind. Husband, husband, husband , husband. I was married. It made me, the big bad Abyssal Princess, all gooey and warm inside. This was a pipe dream back then, who would've thought…
Breathing deeply I looked at the clock nearby, it matched my internal one at 03:22. I should be asleep, but that dream, that memory, shot any chance of that to hell for now. With great care I slipped the warm arm off of me and silently slipped out of bed, shuffling over to the kitchen and getting a cup of water. I walked to the balcony, looking at the night sky as my mind wandered. I lost track of time and of thought until I felt two arms slip around me and pull me into a hard but warm chest. I leaned in happily, sipping my water.
"Bad dream?" His voice was a warm baritone, one that never failed to send shivers down my spine in moments like these. Almost enough to make me forget.
"Memories. Of back then, during the war." I tilted my head up to meet his eyes, he had about a head or so on me, I was never the tallest Princess. Concerned dark eyes met my sad electric blue ones. I smiled, even if it didn't quite reach my eyes. "I'm ok, I just need a minute or two." His arms wrapped around me a little bit tighter, I welcomed the warmth.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" There was a moment of silence between us. I absorbed it, letting the ambient noises wash over us.
"It was the war meeting, before the big attack on Nagasaki. I didn't pay attention, but it was a briefing and a call to arms. I didn't answer it. I was already done fighting the war at that point, and it was even closer to the end than I realized. Of all the dreams, it could have been much worse." I closed my eyes, letting myself be drawn into my husband's warm embrace.
He was perfect. He knew my every flaw, my every sin, and he never judged me. He might have at first, but this far into our relationship? I've told him practically everything I've ever done and he never once judged me. Unlike so many others he understood that it was war, and on nights like tonight he knew just how deep my regret ran. I turned in his arms and our lips met in a small kiss. Calloused fingers wiped away the wetness on my cheeks, and I held his soft gaze.
"Come back to bed, we need sleep for tomorrow." He led me back to our bedroom, and both of us slipped into the covers. I buried my head under his chin and into his chest, wrapping my arms around him as he did the same. He was like a space heater I had all to myself, and I loved it. Even after the flashback I was falling back into unconsciousness, feeling perfectly safe in his arms.
"Night, Mari."
"Goodnight… Shota." And I fell into a dreamless sleep.
A short and slightly sappy introduction for a hopefully long story! Chapters will be longer than this in the future, but this felt like a good teaser for the start. I'll have more to say next time when Mariana gets settled more into the story. Reviews are always appreciated. See you soon!~