10:01 Greenwich Meridian Time, May 24, 2041
. . .
"This is Javelin from the investigation group, the sailing warship is raising an American flag at half staff. I repeat, it is raising an American flag at half staff." The destroyer reported professionally, though uncertainty was lingering in her voice.
Everyone back at Devonport were confused and getting more wary by the moment. An American sign of mourning, coming from a sailing ship that seemingly appeared out of nowhere?
The air was still, everyone tensed for anything new from the destroyer group sent to intercept the new arrival.
. . .
"Wait. . . N-No way. . .!" "She's back, after two, decades!" The investigating destroyer group would erupt into a chorus of disbelieving exclamations, further confusing the crowd back at the port
"Scout group, what's going on?" Belfast sternly inquired. "Th-This is Javelin. . . The sailing ship, it-it's Constitution! She's back! I repeat, the Constitution is back!"
"What!?" "How!?" "After twenty-one years, she suddenly appears now!?" Everyone around Queen Elizabeth suddenly exclaims and demands answers, her brows creasing in annoyance.
"SILENCE!" The battleship girl would shout across the radio, instantly settling down the rest of the clamoring Royal Navy. . .
"Scout group, escort the ship here to port and report anything more you find important. If she shows any hostility, use suppressive measures necessary, understood?" "Yes, Ma'am!" "Roger!" "Affirmative!"
. . .
Seconds ticked like minutes. . .
. . .
Minutes ticked like hours. . .
. . .
Everyone stood still in anticipation as the long-missing American legend approached the docks of Devonport. . .
When the Constitution was nearly halting, the Royal crowd fathomed at its gargantuan size. In modern standards against other ships, it was tiny, but up close, it was still huge!
But then as few of the frigate's sails that remained open furled by themselves and the anchor splashed into the water below, a gangplank slowly poked out further from amidships, making the crowd of women and girls whisper amongst themselves.
Creeeeeaaaaaak. . .
"I wonder who's up there sailing on her?" "How is she so pristine, after two decades of disappearance?" "The sails, nobody is furling them yet-"
THUD!
As the end of the gangplank dropped, everyone anticipated, some getting louder in curious glee, a few flinching from the distant yet sudden sound, others silencing as they kept wary.
Creeeeeaaaaaak. . .
Creak, creak, creak, creak-
Only the creaking frame of the sailing ship echoed in the still air, with small, slow creaking coming from the ship.
Creak, creak, creak, creak-
And then came forth, a blonde woman, carrying someone in her arms.
Creeeeeaaaaaak. . .
The more excitable girls amongst the Royal Navy, would gasp with the revelation, others even skipping with glee in place. The more wary stood their ground, some giving the newcomer hostile glares in an attempt to deter her. . .
"Your Majesty?" Belfast asked the queen girl. When the whitenette heard no response, she turned to see her holding a hand out to the side as she took a step forward. . .
Creeeeeaaaaaak. . .
A gesture to hold their ground. . .
"Queen Elizabeth is approaching. She wishes to go alone." The maid announced amongst the frequencies as the mentioned girl kept walking forth. "Wait, what?" "Affirmative." "We will keep guard then."
As Constitution took her final step off the gangplank, she turned to the massive crowd off to the distance. She felt shivers, having a multitude of eyes on her. . .
But the grave expression on her face stood fast and still, as she took slow, solemn steps towards the lone girl approaching her. . .
When they got closer, the American blonde saw her gasp, before taking towards her in a dash.
She sighed, slowly crouching down to gently lay Hood's body down on the concrete. As the girl got on her knees beside the cruiser's corpse, Constitution stood straight, hands tightly clasped in front of herself.
She noticed the tears from the girl drip onto Hood's dried right arm, cracked, charred flesh caked all over with dried blood tapped with salty water. She looked up at her with tear-glassed, yet scowling blue eyes, silently demanding to explain herself as she sobbed.
The frigate kept her stone face as she opened her mouth. "I, found her dead, under Denmark Strait's waters. It, it was a miracle for me, that I retrieved her undisturbed, and delivered her unharmed. . ."
The girl in front of her burst into loud wailing, weeping over for the dead in front of. The American noticed the sudden aura of alarm and instinctive anger blast from the crowd way further back, closing her eyes with a resigned sigh. . .
"Condolences."
12:37 Greenwich Meridian Time, May 24, 2041
And so, Constitution found herself sitting on the seat of honor of a long table that noon. But only three were present, herself included.
. . .
But there was no atmosphere of celebration. . .
. . .
The air hung heavy with grieving depression. . .
Her host, a girl smaller than she was, stared blankly at her large plate of fried, battered fish and numerous potato wedges. . .
The American glanced at the only other person in the dining hall; an endowed maid with flowing white hair that reached down to her rear. As composed as her expression was, she could feel bitter empathy radiate from her.
She then looked down to her own dish. . . Fish and chips too.
". . . Your Highness, your food will get cold." Constitution heard the maid softly remind the girl to her left, simply opting to eat whenever the queen would start. That, at the very least, she can do as respect for her loss.
Without even looking up to acknowledge the older women by her side, the girl despondently raised a hand to pluck a potato wedge off her plate, slowly eating the chips first, one by one.
The American guest took the cue, demurely grabbing the untouched fork beside her plate and softly piercing it into the center of her fried fish. She lifted it to her mouth and took a large yet composed bite, placing the fish back on her platter with the fork still lodged on it.
Constitution glanced around rapidly as she analyzed the taste, before closing her eyes as she nodded in appreciation. "Now I know the reason why the Britons love this meal. The perks of being human, I suppose."
She reached for the potato chips on her plate in a slow, collected manner, taking three at once and opening her mouth just enough to take them in. ". . . This saltiness, I suppose, balances the juiciness of the fish. Not bad."
The guest kept eating in a comfortable yet respectful pace, taking occasional glances at her seemingly younger host. The girl ate quite slower than she did. And the maid was gone too, likely having her own lunch, she reckoned.
". . . I wanted-" The American frigate glanced at her host with a quirked brow, halting her fingers that held a bunch of potato wedges and slowly lowering them back to her plate.
The younger girl was glancing off to the side with a curt clear of her throat, unsure of what to say. ". . . I wanted to thank you, Miss. . ." ". . . Constitution." She connected her own name to her sentence, to which she would glance back at her with surprise in her eyes.
"And mine is Queen Elizabeth." Where had Constitution heard that name again. . .? ". . . I apologize for my, lack of manners. . ." "No no, lass, it's fine. You've lost someone dear and grieving for her, and I should be the one apologizing for being a nuisance-" "No, Miss Constitution in fact. . ."
A pause as both of them collected themselves, the queen girl more so. "I want to, offer my deepest gratitude, for bringing Hood back. In this time of war, we do not have much time, to find and bury our own dead. . ." At the mention of war, the guest turned her head fully at her host.
The inquisitive look in her own eyes prompted Elizabeth to take a deep breath, before she let out a shaky sigh. "For her young look, she acts much like a mature adult. Even in sorrow, she's willing to tell me a story." Mused the frigate.
". . . It was, the year 2033. That year, an extraterrestrial threat called Sirens, pushed humanity out of the oceans. . . By day one, hundreds of million humans-" Constitution almost spat out the last morsels of fish in her mouth when she doubled over from the number mentioned. ''-both military and civilian. . . Died under their hands. . ."
Tears dripped from the girl's eyes as her unfinished platter remained untouched, growing cold. The matter-of-fact manner that she delivered the news made the American conclude that this isn't a sick joke. The atmosphere of deep grief shifted to one of heavy gravity.
"This is globalwide threat, this may possibly end humanity any second! But why-"
The guest's dire thoughts were cut off short as her British host continued to eat her own lunch. "The world's current weapons didn't stand a chance against them. But weeks later, us shipgirls appeared. Maidens of seafaring steel from the Second World War."
Constitution nodded in enlightenment as she glanced back down on her now-empty plate, now chewing the last chips from it. "That, explains a lot on why I can walk on water. And how I was able to somehow summon my past body."
"The world powers each gained their own fleets of ship maidens, all of which can fight toe-on-toe against what the Sirens fielded against us. A global alliance with a sole purpose to fight against the enemy was formed out of desperation. Azur Lane."
". . . Kinda reminds me of the League of Nations before the Second War. Or the United Nations after that." "We were able to push back the Sirens, but their threat remained imminent for the upcoming years, so us shipgirls remained in service to push back any minor enemy offensives on our lands."
The American noticed the girl gulp the last of her food bitterly, her dainty lips pursed into a thin line.
". . . That changed four years later. Us British and the Americans thought that to defeat the Sirens, we needed clever yet efficient tactics to outsmart and eliminate them. . . The Japanese, even more so the Germans. . ."
A sad sigh escaped Queen Elizabeth's mouth as she shook her head. Soft footsteps and squeaking wheels would make Constitution look up beside her to see a maid with bleached blonde, braided hair approach with a cart, taking their used plates and utensils.
The queen girl also looked up, smiling curtly with a nod as she softly thanked the servant. "Thank you, Sheffield." The woman nodded with a hum of acknowledgement, before taking two teacups from the cart.
"I, uhm, no thank you. I'll try tea, just, maybe another time." The frigate softly excused herself with a polite raise of her hand, Sheffield nodding as she returned one of the cups to the cart and continuing by pouring tea for the young host.
". . . As I was saying, the Germans and the Japanese, had different ideas. They say, humanity must defeat the Sirens by using their own technologies, against them. Us British and Americans, we disagreed with them."
A pause, Elizabeth taking a moment to breathe. . .
". . . 1938, they outright stopped communicating with us. Their internet connections, we couldn't access with ease as they started censoring those who questioned their movements. . . Their long-distance communication lines, cut off, so we couldn't talk to them at all."
"And then by 1939, the Germans started shitting on you Britons?" The short girl looked at Constitution with an incredulous stare, before letting out a sigh as she shook her head, confirming her guess. "So it's the 1940s all over again. Just about goddamn luck." The frigate scoffed as she glared at the ceiling.
"Yes, but also, not quite. . ." The queen girl clarified with a sideward glance, making the American look back down at her with a questioning gaze. "You see, Miss Constitution. . . Most forces that the Red Axis, the alliance between Germany and Japan, only fielded are ship maidens, harassing our supply convoys at sea, our navy, our naval ports."
"The Axis are back at it again." "Mhm, the Americans are currently only supplying us with war provisions, but they aren't actively participating in offensives against the Axis." "Hold on a moment." Elizabeth looked at Constitution, anticipating the older woman's words.
"What is the current date?" ". . . Twenty-sixth of May, 2041. You've been gone for two deca-"
BANG!
"Hold the bloody fuck up." The guest banged her palms on the dining table as she suddenly stood up, the legs of her wooden chair dragging on the floor with loud scrapes. The noises made the British girl flinch defensively at her sudden actions. The remaining tea in her cup splashed within it.
"Why then did I feel like I just got swallowed by the sea in my old body just three days prior?" The American questioned, making the queen look at her in disbelief like she's lost it. She stared wide-eyed at the table below her, her azure eyes rapidly darting around as she pieced everything together.
"Miss Constitution, are you okay?" Elizabeth asked when the frigate started breathing deep, fast, and sharp, also standing up out of concern.
"History is repeating itself. Two days ago from an exact century ago, Hood went down into the depths of Denmark Strait. Tomorrow from a century ago, Bismarck is scuttled. By the seventh of December a century ago, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japs. Something tells me that someone, something, likely those bloody Sirens, are manipulating current events to mirror history."
The gravity of the implication of the American's observation alarmed her host when it set into her.
"I'm going to stock up on food and supplies. I'm going to Pearl." Constitution ground out her words as she trudged off to the dining hall's grandiose, giant double doors.
The British girl wanted to speak out, but she stood silent as the implication kept dawning on her.
"The Atlantic ocean is not just filled with Siren patrols, but also of German Ironblood patrols that will sink you at sight! It's a miracle you somehow arrived here in Devonport without any injuries at all! No. Wait, if I gave her an entire fleet to escort you, not only does your chances of crossing the Atlantic go drastically higher, I could also send reinforcements to Hawaii."
Elizabeth strategized as she paced after her leaving guest, who just happened to be opening one of the hall's doors with a loud creak.
CREEEEEEAAAAAAAK!
That, most likely echoed across the headquarters. Not that it mattered much right now. "Yeah, lass? Continue." Constitution beckoned, to which the shorter girl would keep pacing until she was walking just beside the American.
"And so if by December 7 and the Japanese Sakura Empire do strike Pearl, we're already expecting them and we can launch an immediate counterattack! Azur Lane High Command will not be proud of these sudden plans, I do hope George understands where I'm going with this when the rest of the Home Fleet gets back from hunting Bismarck. . ."
". . . Who's George again?" "King George V, eldest of her class of battleships. Alongside myself, she runs operations here in the Royal Navy." After a few moments, the American halted in her tracks, before gesturing for Elizabeth to go ahead.
"Yeah, you go lead the way to, wherever your war briefing hall is." ". . . I had a feeling you'd say that." Constitution only chuckled lightly. "Who am I to say that I know this naval port like the back of my hand? I literally just woke up as a human two days ago, y'know."
". . . That is fair, I suppose. . .?"
[ author log ]
As my first ever fanfic, I wanted to revisit this story and give it another try in narration and detailing. Instead of making my chapters only around 1.5k words like when I started, I stick to up to around 3k words as is my current writing. Yes, including the author's notes.
Instead of being taken captive when she arrives at Devonport, she is not only revered for her status as an American legend that disappeared and returned unharmed, but also as a new comrade that helped find and return their fallen pride.
Instead of being a brash and irritable woman due to her excessive time spent wasting away as a museum ship, she's a reserved woman that takes her time with everything unless she really deems it unnecessary to spend time slowly.
Oh, and I'll be also listing out old ships that I'll possibly insert in the story if I keep on writing:
British — HMS Victory, HMS Levant, HMS Indefatigable, HMS Guerriere, HMS Java
American — HMS Cyane/USS Cyane, USS Merrimack/CSS Virginia, USS Monitor, CSS Alabama, USS Kearsarge
Pirate — Queen Anne's Revenge, Black Pearl (i highly doubt it)
With that, stay safe, stay fly. Signing off.
