Ship Counselor Shenanigans

by ErnestTBass

Boats with feelings, what do?

16. To Be Alive is to Know Death

"Hey, Vestal. Are you open for therapy sessions?"

"For the last time, I am a general practitioner, and know very little in psychology. Also, between repairs, reconstruction, and the Odin project, I have very little to spare. What have you done this time?"

"Akagi."

Vestal firmly grasped her clipboard with both hands and repeatedly slammed it against her forehead for a solid ten seconds. Her cap disheveled, she painfully asked, "Why?"

I answered flatly, "Akagi."

"What possible benefit beyond satisfying simple carnal desires was there? Do you not have any sense of self-preservation, or sense at all? What removed that?"

I smiled, stared off into space, and said, "She cut little chunks of fruit and put it in my cereal."

Vestal audibly facepalmed. She deeply inhaled, slowly exhaled, then said, "Later."

Conversations like this went on for a while as I was stuck inside the medical ward. Vestal promised to set me free after I'd passed her battery of neurological tests to make sure I didn't hurt myself while walking around. I spent my day trying to learn the outside situation through people who stopped by to visit me. It warmed my heart quite a bit when many of them did so.

The first was Enterprise. Naturally, she brought her bird with her. I said, "Hey Enterprise." I turned to her shoulder and said, "Hey Grimmy."

The eagle stared at me in the eyes. It'd been years, but I feel his disposition to me had finally risen to merely neutral. This meant while he didn't have any contingency plans in case of my betrayal, one eye was always on me. I was just happy the open hostility times were over, but that was how he treated mostly everybody.

Enterprise said, "Hello. How are you?" Grim naturally said nothing, but dilated his pupil.

I sat down in a folding chair and said, "Vestal has me locked in here and doing exercises whenever she gets the chance."

Enterprise stood in the doorway. "She means well, you must know that. She's just making sure returning to duty won't cause you any more harm."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm just complaining. How are things?"

"They're… fine. Barges are arriving and leaving every day. They bring materials and equipment and leave with debris. There's so much garbage that it just lines the road, well, at least when the road doesn't have a crater in it. A lot of the plant life has been damaged as well. Siren energy weapons set on fire what they don't destroy. It looks like a typhoon went through here."

"I'll see if we can get some trees donated. I heard the Sakura barracks are completely gone."

"Unsalvageable. We're still working on housing for them. As for personal effects… we'll see what we can find in the rubble."

I hung my head. Enterprise continued, "But we will come back. This is not our first air raid, nor our last. We survived Pearl. Well, no. We were the first to raid, so I guess this is their Doolittle. Oh well. At least Sakura know what it feels like."

I asked, "What do you think of Sakura? You personally."

She was silent.

"Do you hate them?"

She said quietly, "A little."

"Why?"

"They committed so many terrible acts once, and even when given a second chance, they did the exact same thing again. They even befriended the very same sirens that just bombed our homes. Of course, time has passed, and few humans today have actually experienced what they did before they had a siren face to hide behind. Still, I feel they all have gotten away with some terrible acts. Iron Blood got most of the attention, which they deserve, but I feel people have forgotten the cruelty of their ally."

"I understand. I know it hurts your sense of justice, but you know why I can't punish them now."

"I know."

"It's a pendulum I can't put into motion. It's the same reason I don't hate Bismarck for what happened."

"Speaking of her…"

"Yes?"

"May I give some criticism?"

"Always."

"I personally don't think creating that new position is necessary. In fact, I believe the strategic council already fills that role. I think you are creating a rank that already exists, and would cause more confusion than good. Bismarck is the unofficial "leader" of the Iron Blood, same as Akagi is of the Sakura, and I am of the Union. It already creates some confusion to the other ships. They're not sure who to look to, the most respected of their nation, or their chosen representative."

"I see. Okay, I agree. Not every idea that comes out of my head is a good one. I'll talk about it later. Thank you."

"Of course. I'm not very good at insight, but I think she needs time to herself. I actually came here for another reason."

"What's that?"

"Well, it's been two weeks."

"Why… oh yeah! It's been more than that. We're late. Since you proposed it, do you want to go first?"

"Okay. I've decided to take up the saxophone."

"Really? That's pretty cool."

Enterprise looked smug. "Helena taught me how to order things through electronic mail, and it should be delivered in a few weeks."

"That's amazing. I certainly didn't think of that."

"I also have decided to learn how to grill. I've even practiced."

"You, grilling? When was this?"

"While you were gone. I have this picture."

She presented to me a printed out poor quality image. It depicted an idyllic partly cloudy day with a few of the ships running about on the grass. In the foreground was Enterprise in front of a grill with a spatula in hand and wearing an apron that said, "I just want to grill, for God's sake!" Everything around her was a scene of chaos, but she was perfectly focused on her craft.

I asked, "What'd they think of your hot dogs?"

"The reaction was… mixed."

Just then, Downes entered the room. She held a foam dart gun and immediately shot me in the forehead with it. She said, "Sup commander?"

Random objects being thrown my way was just a part of my life now. The foam projectile didn't even faze me and I said, "Nothing much. How are you?"

"I'm on my break for cleaning up, and figured I'd stop by."

"How's your maintenance crew?"

"We're… two down right now. Siren gunship attack hurt us pretty bad."

"Oh, are they fine?"

"Fine like they're not here anymore." Her eyes glazed over a little. "Can't put people back together like me. Can't come back from just *poof*, gone."

I was wordless. Enterprise removed her hat and stoically said, "My condolences. Sometimes I forget how fragile the people we fight for are."

Downes' voice shook. "It's not fair. They stood right next to me just like anybody else from the fleet. Gunship opened up overhead and we all returned fire. It's autocannon hurt me; They all do, but when I looked next to me, they just disappeared. Poof. Why'd they do that? Why aren't they like me? Why'm I not like them? Didn't they know the difference between them and me?"

I said, "I think they knew."

Downes kept going. "I feel like I should be happy for 'em, and I'm usually pretty happy. Staying positive is my thing. I can't right now, though. Doesn't happen."

Enterprise asked, "Where is the rest of the crew?"

"They're on the docks, drinkin'."

I said, "I'm happy you came to see me, but maybe you need to be with them. I think they can help your confusion."

"Yeah… yeah I'll go do that. See ya."

Downes left through the door.

The entire thing entirely ruined both my and Enterprise's mood. She sat down on a folding chair for a while in silence. I sat back and pondered on the shipgirls' perspective to mortals like myself. I guessed they had little concept of the permanence of death. Well, they did, but people can't be replaced or rebuilt. That's the risk of befriending something or someone more frail than themselves. The humans tended to die first.

Enterprise inhaled and asked me, "What did you decide?"

"What?"

"I know you intend to win the war and drive the Sirens away from the world, but what's your second goal? The thing you'll do once we win, I mean."

I chuckled. "You seem so confident we will."

"The opposite is unthinkable. What will you do?"

"Well, I'm gonna win with you guys, but that's the first goal. I think I'll finally rest when all of you learn to be… people. Kinda similar to children, they have to learn and be taught."

"Do you see us like children?"

"Absolutely not, but it's the same idea. I know all of you closely watch me, so I try to be the best role model I can. I don't think I'm very good at it, but I try. Ultimately, I want all of you to be capable of enjoying yourselves in the civilization and society you protect. That, I think, is when the curtain'll fall and we can all go home."

"What's home?"

"Home's where you say it is."

Enterprise smiled. "Here for now for me, but I'll think about where I'd like to change that to."

"The internet's a wonderful thing. Look, as soon as Vestal lets me out(Today, hopefully), I'm going to head to the mainland to pick up the little ships. If you could accompany me, I'd appreciate it."

"Absolutely."

Meanwhile outside, Taihou and Shinano assisted their fellow countryships(?) clean up the rubble that was their homes here. They weren't assigned to any duties, so they absentmindedly picked through, looking for intact items. Taihou, however, seemed quizzical.

"I'm a little confused."

Shinano raised an eyebrow.

Taihou continued, "How did you know the harbor was being raided? The sirens jammed communications, as they always do. I've asked a few questions, and the only reason we knew of the raid is the little ships' using a civilian telephone to directly call Shikikan outside of their range. Ayanami and Sims say they knew because you told them. How did you know?"

Shinano silently stared.

"You… you knew it was going to happen long before, didn't you? So your sight isn't some gimmick isn't it? If you knew, why didn't you inform us? With that kind of foreknowledge, Shikikan could've led us and routed the sirens before they even struck!"

Shinano frowned and shook her head.

"Then why did you stop him? Why do I have to dig through this pile of trash?"

Shinano finally spoke. "Faith."

Taihou teetered between incredulous and outraged. "In what?"

"Others need faith in us. We need faith in ourselves. Only we can break the sirens' chains from this world. The less chains we put on ourselves, the better."

"What chains are we putting on ourselves that we need to- Are you talking about the… thing?"

Shinano nodded affirmatively. She said, "The harbor never received any support from the mainland. They chose the city over us. Understandable, from their part, but that fact is in everyone's minds now and it still hurts all the same. The gap between us and high command widens."

"I don't recall anyone telling you about that."

Shinano softly smiled again.

Taihou scoffed, "Oh, of course. You just knew. Tell me, sage, why don't you use your magic powers to see how many timelines we win?"

A look of dread went across Shinano's face. For the first time, Taihou saw her mellow comrade show fear. Shinano said, "Not many."

Taihou cleared her throat. "Ah, I see. Well, I was never one to trust in fickle magic, anyway. We'll see if things turn out how you foresee, soothsayer. No amount of clairvoyance is going to get us out of picking through this garbage."

Shinano said, "Not me, but you have a meeting to prepare for." She then pointed behind Taihou's shoulder.

Taihou turned and saw Ooshio running toward her with a clipboard and paper. The destroyer came to a panting halt and said, "T-taihou! Since Akagi-sama is away for refit, you've *gasp* been picked to take 'er place in the strategic council 'til she takes back- I mean comes back! *pant* That's today. Y'all'll be meetin' in the cafeteria since the second floor meetin' room is now kinda in the first floor."

Taihou put a death grip on the clipboard and locked her gaze onto Shinano. The soothsayer cheerily said, "Better start reading."

Hours passed, and I'd finally passed Vestal's battery of exams. She deemed me fit for autonomy, but not intense command. I took what I could get and reminded myself she was out for my health. The brain scan was in a few days. After my freedom, I took a look around the cluster of islands.

It was a mixture of emotions. This was our home, and it'd been partially ruined. That garnered anger from all of us. After that, I noticed the missing pieces here and there; the personal touches. Small gardens were damaged or missing entirely. Trees were toppled over or split in half. The nine foot anatomically-correct stone statue of me outside the officer's mess that nobody had the time to remove had been reduced to gravel. I never really figured out who made it or how they managed to set it up in one night. It was moot at this point I supposed. Regardless, these were decorations that made this harbor ours. Many were gone, and depression hit me in waves.

Some buildings were damaged as well, and these would be a headache for a long time. No doubt critical offices and storage rooms were unusable, which made everything harder. It would be like choosing which sense to restore first: Sight, sound, or touch. I had a little bit of time before I rode on the next transport ship out to the mainland. I spent it walking around more and saw a group of men sitting around. I realized they must be the human maintenance crew that transferred to Downes. I walked up to them.

The three of them stood up at attention and saluted me. The most noncom of the group said, "Admiral, sir." I replied, "Sergeant. Grafis?"

"That's me, sir."

"At ease, man. It's tense enough already around here."

The man stood in silence. I asked, "Everything doing fine? How'd your lot fare in the raid?"

"Lost two, sir. O'Brian and West."

"I heard. I came to offer condolences."

"It happens, sir. Just gotta move on."

"Yeah, that's true, but they were people all the same, and they should be remembered. Truth be told, another human hasn't set foot on this island for a long time."

Another marine asked, "Ain't the girls around here human, sir?"

Grafis replied, "They fuckin' aint human, that's for sure."

I said, "I've got to agree with your sergeant here. I think they're a little bit more."

"Then… then what are they, sir?"

I shrugged, "Some super-secret navy project? Why don't you go and ask them?"

"They keep saying they's boats."

I leaned forward. "Then maybe they are."

"I… kinda don't get it."

I clapped my hands and said, "Okay. Did you ever name your car?"

"Yessir I did. Named her Ophelia."

"Did you believe she had a personality?"

"Yeah, kinda. She had her way of doing things."

"Did you take care of her?"

"Yeah, fixed her myself."

"Did you believe if you took care of her, she'd take care of you?"

"She did, sir. I walked away from a t-bone wreck with nothin' but a sprain."

"Okay, take that. Now, imagine Ophelia's not just in your head. She *is* the car and not just your view of the car."

"Huh? You mean like magic, sir?"

I smiled. "That's where the super-secret navy project part comes in and I can't say any more. That's my theory anyway. Gotta go. Enjoy your break."

"Oh, okay."

I walked away to meet Enterprise at the dock for the barge headed to the mainland. She was there before me, of course. I said, "Let's go grab the little ones." Enterprise said, "Let's." We did so.

The ride over was very tranquil if the constant rumbling of the engine could be removed. Despite this being a barge, there were absolutely no gulls, or any birds for that matter. Grimmy viewed all other birds in the same way as a lion sees a housecat. In this case, the birds were smarter than me. I was used to the constant instinctual fight-or-flight I experienced when near Grim, but the big bird still radiated an aura of paranoia and barely-concealed malice. Naturally, Big Ents took no notice of this and happily scratched under his beak.

I asked, "You know, I almost forgot. What was the mainland's reaction to the raid?"

Enterprise scowled, "The sirens also bombed Seattle, and the mainland air force protected that. Nobody sent anything our way."

"Bullshit. You mean we received no aid?"

"None, sea or air."

"Okay then. They picked a major city over us. Kinda makes sense, but…" I drifted off, feeling more than a little betrayed. I asked again, "How's Grimmy been handling this?"

Enterprise smiled and said, "Oh, he's been a little on edge. It was a while since he saw combat, but I think the little refresher was good for him." She rubbed his head and spoke like she was talking with a housepet. "You always go for the face, don't you? Yes you do! Yes you do! That's why Akagi doesn't like you."

Grimmy eyed me like he'd just stolen my girl.

I asked, "Who does he like, then?"

"My sisters and Vestal. That's about it. He's very picky. I think he's warming up to you now."

Yes, I agreed that our relationship finally hit room temperature. I said, "Yup."

The barge arrived and we disembarked. I noticed that Seattle had it far worse than we did. Many buildings had imploded on themselves, and many more had tipped over onto others, ruining both. The place was littered with holes and chunks of asphalt and cement were everywhere conceivable. This was a mess that would take weeks to get cleaned up, and months to return to the way it was before. We made our way to the police station to pick up Wichita and her group. I spoke to the lieutenant about their release. She said, "I'll be honest, sir. That wound's nasty enough that she should get a doctor to look at it. It's not infected, but she refused any help other than bandaging. She also refuses to leave the kids."

I said, "Yeah, Wichita's like that. A trip to the dockyard and she'll be back to normal in no time."

"The dockyard?"

I hesitated for a moment. "...That's where our clinic is. Don't worry, it's all been figured out. We'll be bringing them back with us."

"Okay then. They're in the second room to the left."

I thanked the woman and stepped inside the room she pointed me to. My eyes first laid on Wichita lying down on a cot. Half of her face was covered in gauze. At first, her look was hostile and I assumed she readied a tirade at yet another officer barging into her room and seeing her in weakness. Then, she exhaled and smiled in relief. The little ships turned, yelled, and all charged at me. All except for one. They said things so quickly, I couldn't comprehend any of them. The emotional outpouring was too much for them, and eventually, it just devolved into crying that lasted a few minutes.

Bel was the first to recover. I asked if she was fine. She answered, "Y-yes. I'm quite all right. I… I thought I was going to die. I really did. Nobody was around to tell me what to do. The sirens just started bombing everything and it's our fault, and-"

I interrupted, "Hold up. What makes you think this was your fault?"

Lena's voice shook and cracked. "We… we called you. I knew we shouldn't have! But… I was scared and didn't know what to do! The sirens can hear us over anything, but Wichita was hurt and we didn't know what to do! I… I heard people talk about your phone number, so I told them. We called you and they came, just like… *sniff* just like everyone told me they would."

I bent over and put my hand on Lena's head and said, "Hey, you… no, all of you. You did fine. In fact, you did more than fine. You were lost, scared, confused, and under attack by a force much more powerful than you were. Even when your superior was out of action, you retreated with her to friendly territory and then defended it. That… I'm really, really proud of all of you. You did far more than anyone could have ever expected of you. In the end, and I really want you to remember this: You did nothing wrong. I read and heard about what happened to all of you. The sirens were going to bomb the city because they don't just go after us in Azur Lane. They go after everybody."

Little Illustrious wailed, "But half my deck is broken! They hurt me! They hurt Wichita's face! Everybody here is damaged! I don't like being hurt! That's why we can't fight them!"

I said, "That's why we have to fight them. Illustrious, there are… there are some people who don't want peace. They don't want to talk, and they want even less to listen. Every time you place down the talking table, they'll just throw it away. There are also some actions that can't and shouldn't be forgiven. Learning that is a painful part of growing up. I think all of you have done a lot of growing these past few days. I feel like I have, too."

They were all quiet and mulled it over. I asked, "Do you wanna go home?" They all answered yes. I continued, "Follow miss Enterprise here and I'll meet you in the parking lot. Maybe if we've got time, I'll see if we can get some ice cream. You've earned at least that." I turned and gestured to Enterprise.

When I saw me, I had to stop for a moment. A picture was a thousand words, and an expression can be an entire book. Enterprise's face was almost indescribable. She looked in awe, in longing, in rumination, in sadness, and in hope, all simultaneously. I couldn't process how to react. As the little ones filed out of the room, I stared at her and she seemed unable to speak. After a few seconds, she said, "You don't talk down to them."

I said, "Never." Ents walked out and pondered that.

I held up my hand and said, "Akagi-chan, stay here for a moment, please." She did so and the rest of her group filed out the door, which shut with the last person. She asked, "What does the puppet want?"

I squatted, so we were face to face, and I said, "He wants to tell you something. He wants to tell you that he also heard about what you did."

Akagi-chan frowned, "And what about it?"

"He believes that, while everyone did far more than expected, you went not only above, but also beyond. He learned that you took charge when your leader was wounded. Then, he also learned how you kept the group together and guided them while inside unknown territory, and then protected more civilians than anyone could count during an air raid. Wichita also told him about how you helped her out of a panic and led her to safety, learning to listen to the ships as he has, but in much less time."

"Then what's that make me? Why are you squatting?"

I smiled. "That makes you a hero, Akagi-chan. All of those people you've read about in books? You're one of them now. Congratulations. And this puppet is squatting because you stand just as high as him right now. You deserve it. In fact, you should be higher, but he's not very flexible."

Akagi-chan shook. She said, "I… I don't need… I'm not…"

"I know it's not the title you want. Everyone's gone, so you can do whatever you want right now. It's just me and Wichita."

Her mouth quivered. "I'm a warship. Warship's don't-"

I interrupted her. "Yes they do. We all do at some point or another."

Akagi-chan, bottling up her emotions for days, finally wept. She wasn't loud at all like the others. She quietly soaked my shoulder while I rubbed her head. I concluded this was a good thing. It's never healthy to keep things forced inside the self. Finally, with no perceived loss of credibility or fear of mockery, she dropped her guard and released her burden.

While I poorly viewed Akashi's experiment which brought forth the little ships, I feel like understanding Akagi-chan helped me understand Akagi herself. I really think Akagi believed herself to be noble. She spent all the time doing everything for her nation, and I really felt that she wanted to be their savior. I say that in the past tense, because I believed that, in her pursuit of power to become a hero, she lost the meaning of it. Her actions made a lot more sense. It still didn't excuse her of anything, but at least I saw the perspective. Now I felt Akagi-chan had a chance of being technically the same person, but with a much different path.

Akagi-chan was done in a few minutes. When she was, I said, "Good now?"

"I'm…" She breathed in and out. "I'm okay."

"Great. I know I've already said this to everyone, but I need to say it to you: I am indescribably proud of you. You may be an obnoxious little goblin most of the time, but you've shown you've got it when it counts."

"Th-thank you… shikikan."

"That'll do. I'll be out there in a minute."

When she exited, I turned to Wichita. Her assertive drill instructor voice was missing. Instead, it was very subdued and tired. She said, "I have to agree with the squirt here. Being like this is embarrassing. I hate it."

I replied, "Yeah, I bet. Look, you did well, too. You were the only one out there with any combat experience."

Wichita moaned, "Too bad I took a bomber to the face right in the beginning."

I shrugged. "It happens. Are you well enough to travel?"

"Oh yeah, I'd like to get back to home, dump my rigging off for the bulins and manjuus to fix, and take a very long nap."

"Yeah, I think we can do that."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Akagi fiddled with a small piece of equipment. She managed to activate it, and it made a beeping noise. The air pressure briefly changed, affecting her sensitive ears, but that was one of the milder possible side effects Akashi mentioned. The call went through and someone on the other side picked it up.

"Hallo? KMS Gneisenau."

"Hello! This is Akagi."

"Ah… good to speak with you. Why are you calling me?"

"Well, I was just testing out the new communication devices. I'm sure shikikan will show them to you the next time you meet."

"I doubt the scheming fox Akagi would call me just to test her fancy new phone."

"The cold and calculating Gneisenau is right as always! You see, one of the other abilities of this 'phone' is that it can't be overheard. Very convenient because I wanted to speak with you about something."

"I'm listening."

"Well, it's come to my attention that, after that little memo circulated(I'm sure you know the one I'm speaking of), Iron Blood decided to form a group to make sure everyone in Azur Lane didn't suddenly turn their weapons on each other selfishly. I also heard you head it."

"Yes and yes."

"Well, are you aware about the growing concern that the mainland powers might not have their hearts in the right place and they don't respect Azur Lane as they properly should?"

Gneisenau paused, then said, "Yes. I kept my opinions to myself, but the recent air raid raised some… concerns within me."

"I felt the same! No aid at all until after the fighting stopped. I noticed a disorganized group formed to determine if the rest of the world has our best interests at heart. Naturally, I decided to take the reins. I'm calling you because I feel our groups have the same goals and want what's best for our coalition. We're both making sure everyone stays united. In fact, I feel we should merge the two together."

"I suppose our goals are similar. I would agree to this, but I feel the ships from more individualistic nations would disapprove."

"Oh, we'll just repackage it and they'll gullibly eat it up. That won't be a problem. Combine my nation's tactics with your nation's skills in policing, and we'll stay on the right track. It'll be like old times."

"I do not miss those times. Fine, then. I can't discuss this now, but we can contemplate the details later. I will call you."

"I'm free at any time. Keep time zones in mind, however."

"Goodbye."

[=============]

We were unable to find a stand open, but we stopped by an undamaged grocery store and bought ice cream sandwiches. After that, we hitched a ride on the next barge to our islands. As we disembarked onto home territory, I dismissed the little ships to rest in rooms and beds they knew(except for the Sakura girls). I sighed, looked at Enterprise, and said, "There. Everyone's settled. No rest for the weary, because it's time to start some other things."

Enterprise said, "I'll take my leave then and organize cleanup and repairs."

I made my way to the cafeteria since the usual conference room was destroyed. It was strange sitting down in seats usually meant for eating and more lighthearted conversation. Other than me, the room was empty and quiet. However, the strategic council trickled in over time.

The usual individuals sat down, with many exceptions. Like usual, Zara had to return to the Mediterrean, and Yat Sen was absent. It was also Yorktown's turn to work with the Sakuran empire, as per agreements, so she was replaced by Hornet. Taihou replaced Akagi.

I began with, "I hope everyone's fine. A lot of you aren't used to sitting in these seats." I looked over toward Hornet. "Some of you would probably like to be somewhere else. However, this is really important to discuss."

"First off, good news! Akashi has refined the technology to finally produce communications devices that can pierce through the siren's mirror seas. Even better, she claims that sirens can't overhear our conversations with them. Every member of Azur Lane will have one installed."

Everyone whooped and cheered at that. I continued, "Speaking of, Taihou has something to talk about."

She cleared her through and spoke. "Some time ago, my country performed a ritual where we dove into the past in search of a certain ship. We found her. However, with her, we learned of new powers and ideas. I… don't understand it much myself, but it has to do with mirror seas."

Hornet asked, "Why didn't y'all say anything about it?"

Taihou replied, "Because there was nothing to say, until now. We believe we can negate their mirror seas, even while inside. They are chants, which… according to what I've been told, change reality itself. We've named them 'Mantras'."

Hornet turned to me and asked, "Is she playing-"

I nodded negative. Taihou continued, "We performed a few tests on some Iron Blood tech, which was the closest we believe to actual mirror seas made by the sirens. We've yet to try it on the real ones, though."

Saint Louis said, "I disapprove of the use of 'magic', if that is what you believe yourself to be using. I also think using the enemy's own weapon will eventually turn us into the enemy."

Taihou fumbled, "Well, it's not really theirs. It's kind of… exactly what they do, but from a different approach. I… I really wish Shinano was here. Mirror seas force those in an area to a parallel… errr…"

I checked my notecard sent by Akashi and replied, "Pocket dimension."

"Yes! And then they can do whatever they wish while we and they are inside it."

Gneisenau spun the pencil over her notepad and asked, "And what if you perform this… chant inside a mirror sea? If it ceases to exist, does everything inside as well? Are all individuals just dropped back where they were? Do we create this hole of nothingness? Are all inside placed in between the two places and have the metaphorical door slammed on them? You can understand I have many questions about this."

Taihou stammered, clearly out of rehearsed material. "W-well, I'm not qualified to say. Akashi and Shinano are the two I know who have a clear idea. Akagi and Kaga might. I can certainly ask them."

I stepped in to save her. "However, she does come with something to work on."

Taihou recomposed and said, "Yes! These chants, while still unknown, can be learned and used by anyone. We have a plan for Akashi, Shinano, and myself to teach everyone in the harbor(and eventually Azur Lane) how to use them."

North Carolina asked, "Then why don't we just use them? The central Atlantic wasteland would be a nice place to clean up."

I said, "That would tip our hand. This could be big, and we want the element of surprise. Naturally, this topic mustn't be discussed in wireless communication." Everyone nodded at that. It appeared the list of things that could only be discussed in writing or in person was growing by the day. I continued, "While the possibility of destroying the siren's ability to control reality itself is large, we've encountered a problem, which leads into our next topic."

Everyone looked at me and I continued, "The sirens, even to this day, are still alien to us. We understand extremely little of who and what they are, and how they work. Their technology is still barely understood and undoubtedly way ahead of us. The only thing we know about them is what they present to us in our world. Therefore, I've determined our efforts need to go toward an additional project, which will aid all others. We need a siren captured."

The room was silent. Eugen eventually said, "It's impossible." Prince of Wales added, "Sirens' technology is so great, death to them is far different than it is to us. Judging by their demeanor, I believe they removed the fear of it a long time ago. They just disappear into dust. We may have been killing the same siren all these years, or an endless number of clones. If any attempt at apprehension is tried, they just self-destruct with a smile."

Hornet said, "Aw, hell. We don't even know that. The siren's tech is so wacky, they might just as well be a thoughtform or something. How are we supposed to capture that? How can you slam an idea in a box?"

Souryuu mused, "Now that… is a difficult question. You can't kill an idea, but contain it? That's tricky. I feel this is something that can't be solved with a bomb or a gun. Unfortunately, that's something in which most of us specialize."

Then I had an idea. An awful idea. It was a nauseatingly evil and psychopathic idea that came from an evil and psychopathic mind. It wasn't mine, but the fact that was the only practical one that I could think of made my stomach hurt. I almost felt like I could hear her cackling in the distance. I let the group bicker for a bit and desperately thought of another option that didn't make me hate myself. There were none, and instead, Roon's laughter just increased in volume inside my head.

In the corner of my vision appeared a stationary humanoid blur with blonde hair and black clothes. The blur said, "Oh come on, dear commander! Surely you knew the first fact of leadership is that some decisions are hard. What's wrong? Scared?"

I replied in my head, "Fuck off. You're not going to get to me."

The vision of Roon cackled. "I don't need to! You'll do it for me! This is the only path and you'll have to do what you must to win! Make compromises with yourself if that makes you feel better. Ultimately, it's not the one event that gets to people, it's the constant small shavings to sanity. One piece at a time, one incident after another, one questionable move in succession, and suddenly you're very different from where you started. You do it because you must, and then you must, and then you must, and pretty soon you don't even notice anymore. Then one day… you just realize you're free. You'll be happy to know that you're closer than you think. Close, close, close!"

I snapped, "And what's the cost? Do you not even understand what's lost?"

The vision of Roon floated closer, coming into focus more. She laughed again. "Nothing worth keeping! I've never cared what others thought of me, and neither should you! You are who you are, and if they really love you, then they'll already know and accept it. I have. There are no morals. There are no restraints. You are the only thing stopping you. If you want to get ahead, you do everything you can. If not, you'll be struck down by people who have. The sirens don't worry about it. If you want to beat them, you'll have to prove how determined you really are."

I asked, "And why would you want me to be this way? It's not like you ever cared about winning, only your killcount."

She said, "Because then I wouldn't be alone. Come, join the fun."

I said shakily, "We're better than the sirens. They're just a race that's consumed by materialism and information. They don't care anything about living."

Roon scoffed, "Don't give me that. Saint Louis constantly spouts that drivel. It makes me nauseous. Remember the saying, 'War doesn't determine who's right. Only who's left.'? The universe doesn't care if you think you're better. You'll be beaten and broken all the same. Just look at your fellow humans in history. Everybody's values fall away when they start losing, because there's only one thing that matters(guess what it is). Just look at my own country's history with the Volkssturm. This is survival. Besides, you said it yourself. There are some out there who won't stop until you're dead. I have a little fact for you: self-defense is still murder. Blood still spills. Only difference is that you can get away with it, and you can justify it to yourself… most of the time."

Suddenly, the vision went into focus, and the hallucination took over more of my senses. I felt Roon's warm breath on my cheek and could smell her hair. I didn't dare move and just stared out. She got so close that I could only see one eye and could hear her breathing. She whispered, "But I have a little request. If you finally do introduce the idea of mortality to a siren… I would like to be there to see it. I want to see it's face. It would make me so happy."

I was silent. She replied, "Well, at least think about it. I'll make it worth your while."

She disappeared.

The sounds of argument returned to me. All of them were philosophically bickering with one another. I stared out at the table, trying to put the words together.

"Theory: It may be possible to locate the self-destruct mechanism, but internal examination would be required. Error: Paradox detected. Recollection: Targeting the siren's power core is impossible, as conventional weaponry triggers detonation."

"Right, but what if we destroyed the power core instantly and entirely before it had a chance to blow?"

"Commentary: Siren armor distribution around the power generator area prevents any standard ordinance from destroying it in it's entirety at once. Our weaponry does not contain the explosive concentration required to penetrate it without destroying any siren unit in it's entirety."

Eventually, I stammered, "I…"

They all became quiet and turned to me.

"I have an idea; A bad one."

They were still quiet.

"It's one I hate. What if… what if we could somehow return to them the fear of death? What if we could somehow make them not want to die? Self-preservation will make them surrender."

Chapayev said, "Might as well be teaching a monkey to type! It's not as simple as reminding them what fear is. We don't even know if they're just flesh or machines. Probably both! I don't think they feel the same stuff we do."

Taihou had her hand on her chin. She added, "Maybe, but I like where shikikan is going. If the emotion is locked away, maybe we can make a key. If it's removed, maybe we can replace it."

Hornet replied to her, "Assumin' they even felt it in the first place. What about somethin' electronic? I'm afraid I don't know much about that. Chapayev just said they're part robot, and that last raid we did showed we can plug into their stuff with Iron Blood's tech."

Eugen opened one eye from her leaning position and said, "Not all their stuff. Some of the things we have, we barely understand."

Hornet shrugged, "Worth a shot."

I said, "Well, who do we have that's skilled in electronics? Helena, Gascogne, Edinburgh(sort of), Akashi… that's all I can think of."

Prince of Wales said, "Roon can, quite well in fact. Rodney still must do her firing arc calculations by hand."

I flinched and said, "She doesn't make code. She makes curses."

Taihou brightened. "A curse is exactly what we're looking for! Use that to break down their defenses, and then put those… codes inside them to make them fear us."

Gneisenau argued, "But how could you possibly define fear with words alone, and then make someone feel it who has never felt it before?"

Everyone was quiet. Edinburgh clutched her head in confusion and stared at her notebook. Eugen looked bored out of her mind. North Carolina realized she was way over her wisdom weight class long ago and resorted to drinking her tea. When that ran out she stared at the ice, waiting for it to melt. None of us here were really equipped to discuss this. It was tabled.

I said, "Other than that, one more thing. We're piecing together a task force for deployment into Central American waters. The Panama government reported that the sirens have set up a listening post in the Pearl Islands in the gulf of Panama. Normally, such a small threat would be dealt with by local forces, but the canal cannot, and I mean cannot, be threatened. The sirens know it's a critical area too, and that's why we're involved. Taihou and Hornet have been selected. Both of you are experienced in green water operations. You're permitted to pick a team, but make it as small as you can. In an emergency, Kinu and Brooklyn will replace your seats here, but Hornet, I'm not gonna force you to be here if you really don't want to. "

"Hai." "Aye, sir."

The meeting ended and everyone went their separate ways. Taihou and Hornet left to make plans and read a more detailed briefing. I stopped by Akashi's lab complex. I found her lounging on top of a filing cabinet in her office. Papers were everywhere, to the point where I couldn't see the surface of her desk. She opened one eye and said, "Ooooo… Commander! What brings you here?"

I told her about our little problem. She thought for a moment, leapt down from her perch and rummaged through one of her numerous piles. She retrieved a paper airplane and threw it at my forehead. I caught, unfolded, and then read the title of the paper. I looked up and said, "Summary of the Odin project power generator and armament?"

Akashi nodded and said, "Guns with no powder and engines with no smoke. Read up, nya. Siren composite plating is tough, but I think this'll solve our little penetration problem." I gave incredulous thanks and left the room.

As the day came to a close, cruiser Roon gazed out the balcony of her room and enjoyed the sunset. She was somewhat disappointed that a siren bomb hadn't struck it. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door and rose out of her chair. As she walked up to the door, she noticed a notecard had been slipped under it. She picked it up and read it. It said, "Define the fear of death." Roon smiled and went to find a pen.

Nelson stood on the other side of the door with her arms crossed. A surprisingly short amount of time after she put the note under the door, it slipped out again. She picked it up and read the list written in flawless cursive.

Requisition:

1x Laptop equipped with word processing

1x USB Flash drive (Empty)

1x Visit from dear Commander