The next morning, while helping Howe clean up some dusty store lockers, she received a ping indicating an incoming transmission. "It's coming from home, but it isn't an official frequency. D'you have an idea who it might be?"
"I might," I replied. "I'll head over. Afterward, I think I'll get back to finishing up some old reports. If you need me then, just knock on my quarters."
Howe smiled and nodded. "Alrighty!"
I hope it isn't about those overdue reports.
Thankfully, it wasn't anything like that. Initially picking up the call, I was nervous about whether it was Admiral Holland or Admiral Theodore having caught wind of my backlogs and choosing to send me a message personally. Preparing my explanation as the connection was established, I took a deep breath as we were patched through. "Hello?"
"James?" A familiar voice piped up. Albeit delayed, the video also came up to speed and flashed a face that, to say relieved me, would be an understatement.
"Oh! Hey, Rendall," I greeted. "Fancy seeing you. What's up?"
"What's up? I'm checking in on my little brother, that's what's up. How have you been doing? Have you run into trouble already," he started.
"No, no," I reassured with a chuckle. "We're all right so far. The trip's been really smooth, actually. Not to jinx anything, but the weather's been cooperative. And these people have been more than accommodating. I daresay I've already made a few friends and more than a few acquaintances out here."
My brother smiled approvingly. "Well, that's fantastic! And how about your…you know. The stress and such? Have you been handling it alright?"
I took a quick breath. "Yes, in no small part thanks to those friends and acquaintances."
"That's nice to hear. If you deem those girls trustworthy enough to confide in them, then I suppose you're with the right people," he said. "And when you're with the right people, you can get through most anything."
"Very true," I agreed thoughtfully. "And perhaps you're right. Truth be told, I haven't had a proper sitdown about my troubles, but one of them recently let her thoughts out on me. It was a gratifying experience, being able to at least encourage her through it."
"I can imagine," he said with a small smirk starting to crease his lips. "Do you think any of them have the prospects of becoming something beyond friends or acquaintances?"
I shook my head and snickered. "As if that would happen. I don't know what they'd have to be thinking to take that kind of interest in me."
"Pff," he scoffed. "What are you on about?"
"I mean," I hesitated. "Aren't I a tad bit bland? I don't have theatric stories to tell or ultra-valuable life lessons to impart. I have my wits, I guess. Plus, the look of someone trying to put themselves to sleep."
"There you go again with that drivel," Rendall waved aside. "Aren't you sick of hearing yourself say that? None of that matters quantitatively, trust me. It isn't like everyone has a rigid set of criteria with which to evaluate someone via an intrinsic scoring system," he drawled sarcastically. "Didn't you say one of them opened up to you willingly?"
"Yes, Prinz Eugen," I replied, the name slipping out.
"One of the Ironbloods, too," he said, his surprise very much apparent. "You see what I mean? Look, it doesn't mean you two will have that sort of romantic relationship, right? But that still means you're an engaging person who they're willing to engage in conversation with. Engagingly!"
I couldn't help a little laugh escaping me. "I guess so. Maybe this mission will end up changing more about me than I've yet realized."
"Maybe," he echoed. "What are you doing up there anyway? Are you allowed to tell me?"
"Given the nature of the brief and how no one else was really around to see us depart aside from controllers and directors," I began, "I would be inclined to say nay."
Rendall nodded with a contemplative look on his face, though there was no suspicion. "Well, whatever it is, I hope it goes for our collective benefit. And remember, when you start spiraling, talk about it. Don't keep it inside you."
Feelings left to toss & turn will eventually bubble up. "Right. Don't worry, I'll know when I can talk about it with one of them."
"If you don't mind me asking, who do you think that one of them will be right now? Just off the top of your head," he narrowed his eyes inquisitively.
"Probably my flagship," I replied simply. "Her name is Howe."
"Heard of her," he nodded. "Well, whoever it ends up being. If they hurt you when you let it out, you tell me. They might be ships, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to bring them up to speed on human interaction."
"I will," I chuckled.
"But don't hurt them, either. Don't take it out on those around you that way."
"I won't," I replied more seriously.
"Alright," he paused and looked around at the room beyond the camera. "I guess I'll call you back when you're–"
The transmission buzzed abruptly and the sound of an explosion in the distance cut him off. My eyes widened and the adrenaline of a confrontation began surging to the forefront of my psyche. A switch in my brain went off, and suddenly, I was in officer mode.
"What in my pre-dinner sherry was that?"
I began to think. There weren't any more rapidly successive explosions, meaning whatever went off was either some charge or a combustible of sorts. The muffled nature of the sound meant it was far enough away from the Howe so as not to cause us damage directly, but the volume also indicated that it was still definitely too close for comfort. I didn't hear any return fire from Howe or anything else resembling the familiar sound of a main gun's retaliation. Then, I had it. "We're being attacked by a U-Boat."
"What?" Just as Rendall flabbergasted his reply, another explosion similarly muffled went off in roughly the same direction.
"Yeah, sorry. I've got to go deal with this," I said hurriedly, wanting to wrap this up as quickly as we could. "You said you'd call me back?"
"Absolutely, you've got to go deal with that," he agreed with no argument. "And yeah, I'll call you back when I have time again, maybe a little into next week. Good luck with that boat, James. And remember what we talked about here."
"I will, Dall. Thanks."
He nodded. "See you soon."
"You, too."
The transmission was cut just as one more explosion went off. Still, I noted mentally, within the same vicinity as the previous two. With no other immediate obligations, I booked it for the bridge. So much for those reports. Here's one more.
When I got there, Howe was looking pensively out the viewport in the direction of the Charybdis and Javelin, the two ships apparently embroiled in anti-sub efforts. "Status?" I demanded as soon we were within earshot.
Without missing a beat, she replied, "One submarine, roughly around the Charybdis and Javelin, as you can see. They're working on it, and we're debating deploying rigging. We can't do that unless you give the order, though."
I thought quickly about what to do. "What are Z23 and Prinz Eugen doing right now?"
"On standby," she said. "Do remember they can't shoot back."
"I know. But they won't have to. Tell Z23 to start a frequency sweep. See if she can't reach the sub," I said.
"Smart," Howe nodded and worked the radio before repeating the order word for word into the microphone capsule. The reply was unintelligible from where I was standing, an issue exacerbated by the detonation of yet another depth charge from the Javelin. "She's working on it, Captain. Oh, wait–" I waited anticipatorily for her follow-up. "She's got a hailing beam lock, but whoever's down there isn't picking up. What now?"
"Tell her to trace her transmission vector and feed that as targeting information to Javelin and Charybdis. Ask Charybdis if she has a depth charge projector on her, too."
Howe's expression flashed a mix of curiosity and confusion for a split second but nodded dutifully nonetheless, transmitting the orders. "Aye, sir. Z23 is preparing the trace. Charybdis has projectors, but not a lot of experience using them."
"She doesn't need to worry too much about that, just be ready to drop. She'll know when. How's Z23's track coming along?" My heart began to beat a little harder than usual in its rib cage while my mind worked through the puzzle I was gradually piecing together.
"She says her reconfigured beam is having some trouble but should have it within the next seventy seconds," Howe reported. "She thinks latching onto a passive signal from the submarine ideal so as not to arouse suspicion."
Exactly what I wanted her to do. The bait was set. All that boat had to do now was to take it. "Good work." I walked over to another transmission console in the room. "Keep in contact with her and let me know as soon as that trace goes live. Also, update Prinz Eugen and tell her to remain on standby. I need her to do absolutely nothing. I'll patch myself to Javelin and Charybdis to give them my orders directly."
Howe nodded. "Copy that."
My hands flew across the buttons as the link was established. "Javelin, Charybdis, please come in."
"I'm here!" "Clear, master!"
I nodded and began to outline the contingencies in my head, ready to devise them depending on how this conversation would go. "Alright. Javelin, drop one more charge just to rattle them. Do you have a track on the boat with your sonar?"
"I do, sir, but unfortunately, it's quite murky," the destroyer said apologetically.
With that last bit of information, I completed my puzzle. "That's alright. We can't destroy that U-boat, only disable it. We'll accomplish that if you do exactly as I say. Vampire, can you come in?"
"I am here. What doth thou requireth of me?"
"Take position equidistant from Javelin and Charybdis in polygonal formation." Just as I finished issuing the order, the Vampire cruised its way across the waters to the designated location with speed and efficiency I still had to get used to. A very unique naval force. "Thank you. Howe, report from Z23?"
"Trace will go live in," she said, "three, two, one. She has a lock, Captain."
"Have her feed that data to our computers. Javelin, do that with your sonar, too. Let's see how accurately you can plot in three-dimensional space. Prepare to cross-reference Z23's trace with your sonar track," I said.
Javelin replied affirmative but there was some hesitation, perhaps indicating inexperience and her own adrenaline rush still coming to full effect despite having been closest to the initial contact.
On the center tactical of the Howe's bridge, a visual representation of the skirmish took shape. Our fleet above the water, a faded red radius marking Javelin's sonar track, and a more defined hot red dot within the radius marking Z23's tight beam track. "We have no idea how long we can keep that comm track up before the boat catches on. We need to take her down, now."
"We need to take her down, now," James said. "Hurry up, all of you, and tell me what you see."
In Howe's head, the words rang with an urgency that only now fully registered. He was right. Their window of opportunity was already slim from the beginning. So why had he gone through all that effort? The tried and tested ways of getting boats to surface would surely have worked equally as well. Why did he move the Vampire all the way into that position? Why the theatrics? It only took her a few more moments of pondering when she had it.
"There!" She butt in. James looked at her with an expectant look. "It just made a turn way too swift and sharp to have been just a regular boat. We're against a shipgirl."
"Not just a shipgirl," Z23 added, coming into the picture. "That much is obvious. The more crucial point is that they're also using rigging. Unfortunately, I couldn't identify it just from a comm signal alone. All the same, whether coming from a full-size transmitter or a compacted one."
"Which is wherefore thee did want me h're," Vampire surmised with enlightenment in her voice.
"Wait, wait," Charybdis said with a contrasting confusion to Vampire's understanding. "So we're against a rigging-deployed shipgirl. But why is Vampire here?"
"There's two of you out there, only one of whom has proper experience in ASW," Howe began. She could feel James's gaze on her as she continued explaining, "Having Vampire there means you now have a triangular enclosure. With Z23's and Javelin's combined tracking data, and the enticing prospect of buzzing three ships at point-blank range on a silver platter for the boat…"
James grinned in approval.
Vampire laughed as she quipped, "Not only art they brash, but art have no more brain than stone!"
Then, the U-boat made for a front-on torpedo maneuver. Such a maneuver was only possible with a shipgirl and her rigging, as Howe previously stipulated. And so, just as the timing favored the allied ships, the Javelin, Vampire, and Charybdis unloaded charges simultaneously in that triangular formation. The concussion from the detonations quickly brought the dot to a screeching halt on the tactical.
That seemed to shake it up enough, Howe thought grimly. The three nearest to the confrontation confirmed that the girl had surfaced and was waving the white flag, and the brief ambush's conclusion was reached. Crucially, with everyone having finally got to see just how quick James could be on his feet.
Are you always thinking like a tactician, Howe had egged me. I'd replied that it was something that played a large part in being able to make sense of the world. It also carried with it the advantage of being able to, well, be an effective tactician.
"Very good, all of you," I spoke into the mic. "Bring that individual onboard the Javelin and ready her for questioning. Have Z23 there to speak with her first. I'll join in fifteen minutes or whenever you report she's ready so I can have some words with her."
"Aye, aye!"
Keying the transmitter off, I slumped back in my seat and huffed out a relieved breath. When my eyes landed on Howe, I saw she was looking at me with some wonderment. "What?"
"James, that was…," she said. "How did you know to do any of that?"
"Well, for starters," I began, "I knew it was a shipgirl given the concentration and the vagueness Javelin reported regarding the speed her sonar was working at. That meant it couldn't have been a slow-moving mass. From there, it was simply a matter of finding them, tracking them, drawing them close, and then neutralizing them."
Howe shook her head still, clearly a little disbelieving. "Well, you say it like that, it sounds so simple."
"That's because it is," I replied simply.
"But why didn't you just tell us off the bat? Why ask us for 'what we were seeing?'"
"Well, I knew we wouldn't be in any real danger. The chances of a wolfpack being nearby aren't appreciable because of location, proximity, and circumstance. Though we haven't yet received an official statement from the Ironblood, I figured there would've been some directive to lessen the intensity of activities against Royal Navy forces in the region," I explained. "So, without the urgency of a more serious battle waiting on the sidelines, it was a good opportunity to hone your deduction skills. I want my forces to work out the plan on their own. It sounds counter-intuitive, but that enables them to follow it much more precisely."
When I was finished, Howe laughed and nodded with dry sarcasm. "But then why did this U-boat attack us if that Ironblood directive was out there?"
I shrugged. "Given the…observable nature of shipgirl destroyers and, by extension, submarines, there's a good chance that they misinterpreted or outright misread the standing orders. Though of course, that's not to generalize the whole category of ships. But given their average proclivity for being more childlike than others, that's the conclusion I'm most confident in."
Howe raised her brows and asked, "And why did you think to use Z23's tight beam as a tracker?"
"When Javelin said her sonar was being fuzzy, given the rather quaint system she currently has equipped, I knew it should've had no trouble detecting a submarine hull, but would have more difficulty with a single-person size profile," I said. "So, what does that mean?"
Howe's face lit up as she discerned the point. "Using a transmission line to trace isn't exactly new, but it was an extremely convenient tool because you could use it to enhance Javelin's targeting."
"And because Javelin, Charybdis, and Vampire were in a triad formation–?"
"All they needed to do was wait for Javelin's mark, drop the charges, and score surgical hits on the U-boat without either Charybdis or Vampire having to worry about inexperience," Howe finished. "Their positions even allowed them to make sure they didn't damage the boat beyond repair. Goodness me."
"There you go," I said. "You'll learn to connect things like that much faster in time."
Before she could make a reply, the radio next to her piped up with Javelin's voice. "Captain Leighway," the destroyer chirped.
"I'm here," I called to the mic from across the room.
"We're ready for you, sir," she said.
"Alright, I'm on my way," I replied before the connection cut. I looked at Howe with some confidence in my voice. "Shall we go see if I concluded correctly?"
"Absolutely," she said.
At least there are snacks, Howe noted approvingly in her mind as they walked into the 'interrogation room' that was really just the galley on board the Javelin. She then laid eyes on the first catch of their mission and couldn't help a little pang of guilt seeing that they'd bruised up such an innocent-looking girl. She had dark red hair done up into two sweeping twintails. Tying the tails in that way were two bows with silver accents. Her attire, being sparse, showed the magnitude of the hits she took, an unfortunate side effect of shooting at an 'enemy.' Correspondingly, there was some dirt and bruising across her person, and her expression was befittingly weary. At the very least, for what small consolation it may be giving her, it seemed Zed had given her a juice box to soothe some of the nerves.
Speaking of which, the short-haired destroyer was sitting next to her and running a hand calmingly up and down her comrade's back. She was muttering something into the submarine's ear when Howe and James took their seats opposite them at the table.
"Where's Javelin," James asked Z23.
One cue, Javelin burst into the room from the entrance, causing their gazes to dart in her direction. "I'm here, sorry! Just had to clean something up." She hurried up to the table and sat at the head. "I'll be quiet unless you need me, Captain."
"Sure," he grinned. Howe likewise sat in polite silence as she observed the proceedings. "Anyway, hello. What's your name?"
The submarine looked up at him uncertainly, her eyes giving more than a clear indication that she was not comfortable with what she'd gotten herself into. "U1206, s-sir."
"Alright, 1206. Why did you attack us?" He asked patiently, perhaps not wanting to scare her off.
Her gaze started darting back and forth between James then Howe, then back to James before some mist formed up in her eyes and a blush faded on her cheeks. "I-it was an honest mistake! I swear! I thought that Zed and Frau Eugen were–"
"–Captives?" James finished her sentence for her.
Howe and U1206 both looked at him with varying levels of surprise.
"Y-yes," the sub squeaked. "How did you know?"
"Well, you attacked a team consisting of a majority Royal Navy ships and two unreported accompanying Ironblood ships. It's the logical conclusion without further details. But you did have further details, didn't you?" James asked.
U1206 again nodded meekly. "Y-yes. They sent out a directive just yesterday, but I think I…" She trailed off, either too nervous or too embarrassed to admit.
Thankfully, to Howe's amazement, James had concluded correctly. "You misread the issuance?"
The submarine's blush intensified. "L-look, the penmanship was awful!"
"Surely it was typewritten," James frowned comically. Howe could hear his attempts to hold back a snicker and decided it was about time she step in to save the poor girl from mortification.
"Alright, I think we know enough about that now," Howe defused, putting a hand gently between James and U1206. "We don't blame you for any of it, don't worry. Right, Captain?"
Successfully reigning in his laugh, he nodded. "Yes, no worries. It's in the past. Would you like to join us on our mission instead? Unless you have other standing orders to take note of, of course."
Z23 stepped in for her friend this time. "We just went through the brief before you got here, Herr Kapitän. She's technically free to join us if she so wishes."
And so, all eyes seemed to fall on the submarine in question. U1206 looked at all of them, still with warm cheeks and great apprehension. "You're really not mad at me?"
"No," James reassured gently. "Like you said. It was an honest mistake."
"O-okay," she finally nodded. "I can join, then."
"Great!" James grinned. "I suppose we should prepare some good lunch for our new guest?" He faced Howe with a knowing look.
"Yes," Howe nodded. "Yes, we should."
As we went about making preparations, Howe had one more burning question about the skirmish. "There's something I still don't get. How come Z23's trace worked so well?"
I looked up from the utensils I was laying out and raised a brow at her. "What do you mean? I'm inclined to think she's had at least some experience with the procedure."
"No, no," Howe said as she continued stirring the contents of the pan leisurely. "How come U1206 didn't cut the transmission line, thereby taking away our ability to track her?"
"Well, she said it herself," I said. "She thought Zed and Eugen were hostages."
"Right," Howe said still evidently trying to figure it out.
Hone your deduction skills. "Think. When you come upon comrades you surmise to be captured and want to free them, then one of them reaches out to you with a tight beam frequency sweep, what would you get from it," I asked.
Howe hummed thoughtfully whilst still working the ladle. Then her face lit up. "Because she thought they were hostages, the tight beam might have looked like an attempt to signal her covertly. So, she let Z23 keep the connection there, even on a passive line, just in case the time came where they could communicate freely in the interests of speed."
"And since I let Z23 keep that line open…" I encouraged her patiently.
"…That reinforced the illusion of a captive situation!" Howe concluded triumphantly. "And it allowed us to track U-1206 cleanly without the need for guesstimating everything via Javelin's fuzzy sonar."
"See? You're learning," I said like a proud mentor.
"Well," she said defensively, "I can still teach you things! Get over here and watch the pan."
I laughed at the quip and subtle compliment. "Sure, just let me finish with the table."
As we had good fun finalizing our preparations, everyone was happy to see 1206 cleaned up and at least marginally comfier with the team. Putting the serving platters down on the tablecloth in a neat arrangement, they all took their seats and prepared to dig in.
"That was quite the show you put on out there, Kapitän," Eugen remarked as she swallowed a bite of food. "An impressive one, at that."
"Thanks, but it was just a few simple connecting dots," I said modestly. "If anything, be impressed by the three ships we had on the scene who caught on to the situation incredibly quickly and responded accordingly without destroying the target."
Charybdis, Javelin, and Vampire seemed to sit up just a little straighter in their seats, hints of pride showing on their faces.
"Pete's sake, just take the compliment," Howe snickered playfully, inciting similar reactions out of everyone else.
"Not to sayeth I mind the recognition, howev'r," Vampire pointed out.
"Of course," Howe replied. "Good job to all of us. But Captain James's directions really sealed the deal back there."
Eugen giggled. "Indeed. And Howe has a point, sir. Why do you seem like such a…robot? No offense, of course."
I sputtered some of my food. Howe looked at Eugen with wide eyes and a creasing smirk. Z23 looked a little shocked. Vampire and Javelin were snickering to themselves in their corner of the table while Charybdis simply took the comment in stride, waiting for my response. "Excuse me?" I asked, chuckling a little myself.
"I'll be honest though, sir," Howe chipped in for Eugen. "She's kind of right."
"What? You've seen me laugh! Can a robot laugh?" I retorted incredulously.
"If it's programmed into it, yes," Z23 added to the mixing pot.
"Oh, come on–"
"I did think it was kinda spooky how it felt like you knew everything about me," U-1206 chimed from beside Z23. "Not sure though, I've only been here an hour."
"Right. Vampire, Javelin? Would you two like to contribute to our truly fruitful discussion," I editorialized sarcastically, though making sure to put enough playfulness in my voice so they knew I wasn't taking this too seriously either.
"Nay, nay, I wilt concur with Howe. I've not even seen thee smileth with mine own two eyes ev'r since we embarked!" Vampire laughed.
And now, with Javelin left in the hot seat, she only looked around at the rest of us sheepishly before shrugging and relenting the point. "I mean…I don't know. Maybe you could smile more?"
I laughed and shook my head at their musings. "Here, I'm smiling," I leaned back in my seat and put my palms out for emphasis. "Does this work for all of you?"
"Yes, actually," Howe replied with playful enthusiasm. "Just do that more!"
"Right," I guffawed. "Look, simply because I don't show my emotions very much doesn't mean I don't feel them, alright? Come now," I said.
"Okay, okay," Eugen shrugged. "I was simply pointing out an observation."
I narrowed my eyes at her while sipping from my cup. "Of course."
"Anyway," Howe said. "Who was calling you earlier?"
At that, I furrowed my brow a little and decided to voice a minor curiosity. "Hang on, actually. This is your ship, right? Can't you listen in on transmissions that are being made to and from it regardless of where I'm transmitting from?"
"I could," she said. "But out of respect for you and the caller, I don't. Would you like me to append that policy," she coaxed cheekily.
"No, that's a great policy and I commend you for upholding it," I replied swiftly to her giggling. "And, for transparency's sake, it was my brother." All their gazes latched onto me simultaneously. "Yes, I have a brother. His name is Rendall."
"Is he also serving in the Royal Navy?" Z23 asked before anyone else could.
"He used to," I replied. "He finished…I think it was a couple of tours and decided there are better things to do. Now he works at a software company."
"He was just checking in on you, I presume?" Howe said.
"Yep. He was about to leave when the first depth charge went. Then we really had to go."
"I see," she nodded.
"I has't a plan!" Vampire suddenly declared. We all looked at her with raised brows. "We shall inquire of this Rendall wheth'r Captain Leighway wast at each moment in his early years so phlegmatic!"
Howe laughed at the proposition. "What, we unearth some embarrassing stories along the way?"
Oh, goodness.
"Precisely," Vampire said to everyone's snickering. "Our captain shall showeth his true col'rs yet!"
"Yeah, I don't know if I'm completely on board with this plan of yours," I protested comically.
"No matter," Howe said confidently.
"The rest of us are," Eugen pointed out.
Luckily, I'd finished my food by then and was technically all clear to depart. "Alright, d'you know what? I've been helping around the kitchen for the past three days. It's all your turn. Show our guest how we do things around here, too." Getting up, I took my plate with me and deposited it in the sink along with my utensils. "Tell me if something happens. I'm going to get back to my papers."
They all laughed and bade me farewell. Though I figured it was a nice and a keeping-with-the-mood way to excuse myself, an inward sense of sadness took hold.
I'd have loved to spend more time with all of them. I felt that I'd made good progress with relationships between Howe, Eugen, and Zed. But Javelin, Vampire, and Charybdis were still more acquaintances than friends.
I started to chastise myself for not getting work done on time. What kind of officer am I? I still hadn't filed my final account from my previous posting under Holland. I still had to work on the mission logs for the past three days which was proving to be more of a slog than I'd anticipated thanks to the completely alien layout of the paperwork. What happened to me? I used to be on top of everything when I started. Maybe it was burnout.
I sighed as I pushed the door into my quarters. Maybe it was just excuses. My scattered notes were still splayed about on the tabletop in front of the window. Flipping the laptop open, it returned the four panels displaying four separate document inputs that should have been filled ages ago. I hesitated to key for a fifth, the report that would account for today's skirmish. No, I said firmly to myself. Four of these forms were enough clutter, even though they were virtual. I'd start the fifth when I could finish these first.
Proverbially slapping myself in the face, I told myself today was the day I'd crack down and get that done. I'd finish my account. Then brute force as much of the mission logs as I could.
It had come to supper when I finally saved and uploaded the first document before slumping tiredly in my seat and falling asleep where I sat.
