"It should be remembered that while the macho 'Saving Private Ryan' meme is strong is all military shows (and SG-1 is a military organization) because the 'Leave No Man Behind' ethic makes war seem noble and supports morale (and makes for great action adventure stories!) - the reality is that Mankind invented the concept of 'Acceptable Losses'. Not to mention 'War Of Attrition', 'Scorched Earth', and 'Suicide Mission'.
Humans talk big about the Ideal of every life - every soldier's life - mattering, but no matter how often the comforting lie is repeated, 'Cannon Fodder' is what soldiers truly are. That, and paid murderers. Kill the 'enemy', here's your paycheck, soldier! All soldiers, everywhere, throughout all of history fighting, killing, and taking cities for all armies. Not one, is the answer."-Unknown
The baths were large. with white-porcelain edges and support ladders for anyone to grasp onto. The walls were starting to fade to a shade of yellow, but most spots were still covered and maintained. Next to the bath sections were the lockers. for shipgirls or anyone to put their clothes or personal effects into. They were creaky and loud. but had not gave out under the assault of time and occasional wrestling matches. Here I was, after undergoing repairs and downing a few Tylenol capsules. having put my clothes in for laundry, I don't know if there are tailors or if it's another strange effect of shipgirls. but the answer could be either.
Steam was rising. fogging the air, not to the point of being impossible to see. but enough that it was hard to make out anyone masked in the fog. There were a couple of other girls here, Most of them look like destroyers. but I couldn't identify or tell exactly who they were. There was just too much steam and not enough information in my memories to recall.
I could feel their eyes slowly turning around to face me. making me suddenly feel self-conscious of myself and squirm. The aroma of noxious oxygen. ozone and abrasive metal still wafting from my body that even the other girls picked up on, I had never gotten close to welders or torches before. and the whiff of fumes was still a strong, and - to be honest - unpleasant. It was like gasoline exhaust and car air conditioning rolled together into one. sufficient to make my face look like I had looked at something crawl out of the sewer.
I picked a pool and quickly eased myself into it, letting the water rise up to shoulder-level. Already I felt my body starting to try and heal itself with hidden. subtle magic energy, knitting together new bonds and regeneratively restoring anything damaged back to their original condition like new. the irksome miasma of arc welding already diffusing. A hour was what it had took me after being personally fixed up by Vestal and then being verbally berated by Blake in his office for my callous decisions with using planes as kamikaze bombers. before i could go for a bath. Well, It was not as bad when I first showed up with Kent. so it had that going for it.
I wish that I did have my phone, but outside of IP68 rating. It would just be destroyed from the excessive humidity and water on the floor. besides. I didn't want to risk a migraine attack or a concussion-induced headache. Vestal's orders. and if one did happen in the midst of watching a video. then I could only let my mind run wild as to just how bad the pain truly might be. Just one tingle of pain was enough to disrupt my concentration for anything complex like my imagination or story ideas.
Sitting down defeated. I decided to relax and try taking a nap, I was supposed to be getting some rest after all to help ease symptoms. was it? I sank lower. spread my arms out on the sides before folding them in. splashing a handful of water over my face in the process, and let my head slowly fall back until I could find a comfortable position against the pool walls. I let my eyes close and my mind become drowsy just for extra insurance. We had fought a major battle that made the Solomon Seas look like a wooden boat compared to cannonballs of molten iron. and then I had gotten my entire unit safely back home, even through most Azur lane players in reality would never want to be commanders out of just how complicated and dangerous military life is.
Heavy cruiser, Battleship of not. Even shipgirls didn't want to be alone. I professed with disrelish. Unless you were a submarine or a scout. being alone was asking for a ambush in the middle of the night or being attacked by patrol aircraft. a ghastly fate for some. Slow death, unable to fight back. The thought made me shiver.
"Tired like I am?" My eyes opened in reaction to a voice I hadn't heard in a long time, and I turned to my left to spot a side ponytail of blodne hair in the pool next to me, with a distinctive body shape and yellow eyes that were again to let me know who she was.
How didn't I notice Maury in here with me? was I just so tired or tunnel-visioned?
"I-I'm." I figured that she wasn't in the sports mood to run a marathon or either a endurance course. Not a good idea if water is everywhere and making things slippy. aggarvated by the ceramic-like, porcelain tiles. my eyes drooped. trying to get back into the calm mood. "I... I thought about sleeping here since I can't do much otherwise."
There was a slight splash of water, I still felt Maury's eyes on me. even if I tried to look away. "Not a bad idea, It can get really dull."
"Can't run without slipping on water or... everything?" I had stuttered and almost got the word wrong. but again, my english carried me through. A slight. shy smile curled on my face. the destroyer sulking, well knowing she might have to stay in the baths for some time before she could leave and indulge in her favorite hobby.
"Yes, Ha ha. I hold the United states of Navy speed record with my speed! 42 knots!"
"F-Faster than shimakaze. I-If I remember." Most people who got their first experience of shipgirl moe from Kancolle might think of Shimakaze as the fastest destroyer ever. but if you had a basic sense of naval history, then there were some that were faster. Tashkent. The Le Fantasaques. Timmerman with forced circulation to name a few. but even in terms of capabilities they were inferior in some way, like being heavier or not as many torpedoes. Timmerman in that respect was superior. Although, Wehraboos who don't know much about actual history outside of games can't be blamed for that. seeing as I once had considered the Komets or the Type XXIs end-all bes before I became more balanced out with a dose of freeaboo. which was just as stupid at the same doses of wehrabooism that became blatant, especially with the KMS circle of Azur lane.
"Mmuhmm! and I'm proud to hold that record over a one-off ship!" Maury beamed with pride, probably thinking highly of herself for hearing a hypothetical battleship praise her. I don't blame her, the kiddos can be very much like their kancolle counterparts. myself included.
"Uh... i.. guess?" I suppressed the urge to chuckle and laugh at her. You don't pause like that if you're being genuine. You're trying to not infuriate a torpedo-bote here or cause a argument.
There was giggling off to the side. "I see you and Norfolk-chan are getting along well~!" Shropshire playfully pointed out from her bath on the other side of the room. So even the green-haired heavy cruiser was here as well to make things more socially challenging for me? For all the hate-mail she received for crowding the Event construction pools. she did actually have a fun personality beyond her issues of showing up so often, and having to be scrapped that way. That she had helped me in gunnery training as well and was the one to set up my celebration party had also made it hard for me to hold anything against her, if i had any.
Stratification of popularity in Azur lane was a much. much more worse problem than in Kancolle, where at least someone like Shirayuki had plenty of art. The phrase 'I made thousands of dollars from selling pictures of my boobs to other men' had never been so true in its morbid, saddening glory.
"Ah? Eh-! I..-I! Shroppp!" Maury's cheeks went red and I glanced to where she was just in time to see her hide further into the pool and let out a stammering sound. "Alrighttt! I was just chatting about what kind of class she was going to be. and I was wrong. okay!?" That earned a giggle from Shropshire and a mention of Maury being too quick to jump to conclusions when rumours started spreading that I was not 'born right'. The shipgirls on this base had let their imaginations run wild too much when I had been 'rescued' nearly a week ago of so and it turned out I was no heavy cruiser after my identity was confirmed. It must have been incomprehensible to them.
The sports girl is quite vulnerable to being flustered. How cute.
"Well, You would've been wrong in any c-case." I admitted with leaning back on my head into my arms. "B-But you couldn't have possibly known, no french battleship design ever had three triple turrets in a conventional layout other than one design. and..." I paused. deciding to confess to a little thing. "W-well. I don't really know how to use a sword l-like the Royals or the French girls do. Most of my knowledge is basic, wild slashes and not much. I-I can't actually fence. for the most part."
"That's-" Maury had been blindsided by the topic change. not expecting such a response. "I mean-... You really don't know how to use a sword?"
"N-Not outside of basic, wild and unrefined slashes."
"Then why borrow their swords or rapiers? You could have gotten Vestal to give you one or something else." What she didn't very much know was that my idea of sword combat came very much from the video games i played and what i watched, Playing Cataclysm Bright nights as Konpaku or Tenshi hinanawi. for starters. or Nepgear's gunblade and how I could do that with what amounted to a mass-reduced polesword with a completely sharp edge thanks to a energy saber coating mode. Outside of some impractical techniques and basically video game experience that had no place in real world duels. I was basically a greenhorn.
Granted, having what amounts to a energy blade grafted onto a stick made out of essentially swiss cheese soap and metal foamium gave me some degree of keep-away with my reach, But it also meant that my inexperience showed much more than it was. In the few times I actually summoned my weapon to practice with noone watching. Stiff. heavy vertical slashes followed by a diagonal cut were usually the norm for me. and that assured my target actually wasn't trying to parry or intercept each swing. What I was good in was magical artillery bombardment as performed by Mami, Homura or Nanoha. It was funny and I didn't know why. because the sight of seeing a spear-wielding magical girl trying to use a light-spear like a energy saber was just absurd and silly. Sure, You can have a giant. unwieldy pike. but if you can't stab something...
"H-hey, I didn't know at the time. I'm no royal or french princess. Mauryyy." That drew giggles from the other occupants of the baths. "I-I can stab someone with a knife. But then what?" I voiced my thoughts out loud, expressing my stubbornness and desire to stick with a sword. no hint of my secret abilities being the main reason why. "I'm going to k-keep using swords since I'm familiar with them."
The atmosphere became silent for several moments. I was balancing the act between voicing out my own real thoughts and trying not to blow my cover, and Maury was digesting what I'd just told her.
"Would you want to learn. Norfolk?"
That snapped me out of my mental debate.
I faced Maury, and her eyes were visible in all this wet steam that I could see the serious look on her face. Her yellow eyes locked onto my face with real authenticness in what she just blurted out. "I know many things about swords and fencing, It's part of sports."
I felt my voice catch in my chest, Should i? I didn't actually know any Eagle union girls that used swords. and the only ones that did were in the RN or the Sakura empire. and I doubted she would be close to any Ironblood kanmusus. But on the other hand, With real. actual techniques backed up by my already superhuman abilities at full power. I could become unstoppable in a close-range swordfight with Raising heart and even if de-transformed. still be extremely challenging with just a rapier.
"I-I might as well if I'm going to keep using them. D-do you really know?"
"I could teach you, Norfolk." Maury flashed a grin to butter me up on the offer. "I would still need something from you though."
And just like that the grin slowly went away. A blush started to light on her face as the destroyer looked away, I just arched a eyebrow in confusion. What is she thinking. surely? I know fencing does fall under sports enough to be considered part of... Olympics? But did she really know any actual sword skills? Swinging around a broadsword is very different compared to safe and supervised fencing or practice with wooden swords.
"Could you.. uhm... Could you..." Her voice was unsure and nervous, a heavy hint of embarrassment showing from the way she was fidgeting. Why does she need to be embarrassed over that? Holy hell. The chunni shyness is off the charts here!
"C-Could you be my running and swimming partner?"
Really?
Why? That's what got you all blushing and shy? Asking a nearly-fictional battleship out as a running mate? How does that embarrass anyone unless you have bad social skills...ah.
I mean, I should be a bit more surprised. but I didn't have any P.T. and if i did, I was no good runner. Unless I was having my zoomie moments, where I could run around to burn off energy. or simply sprint around the city block. And actually, That might be an issue considering that outside of zoomies or endurance running. I preferred to walk all the way to my destination instead. So having someone to teach me long-distance running skills might be a good idea just in case it's ever needed.
Still. me? Running partner? I might be alright for long distance if pressed, but I'm no road-runner. The difference between us with my past life memories is just too great here.
"Don't you have your s-sisters?" She had craven and gridley, or the Fletchers. so I'm not sure what the problem is here. I am very sure they'd be willing to go out with Maury and a bunch of other sporting shipgirls as well if they simply asked.
"No. I can't."
"Why?"
"Uhm... Because, Because... Last time... things went out of control." She admitted, water splashing as she lifted her arm to rub her forehead. "and... I don't know how to swim really good." Huh, that reminds me... Are the shipgirls here unable to swim? It's reasonable given a natural fear of water leaking into you. but... "And my sisters don't know how to swim either, and asking Enterprise is out of the question... If i can't swim, then I'm not really good at physical sports. right?"
"U-Uh, I'm pretty sure us girls are not supposed to be swimming.. Most of the other girls I've seen here can float fine and do bath. but that's it." I snorted, washing my face and then shaking the gobs of water off my eyes. "And if you're honest, then you and I'm the only girls who have some idea o-of how to swim and n-not being scared in deep pools."
"You may be right, but that still doesn't feel right." She looked away. head almost hanging down. "It shouldn't happen, even if we're ships and not submarines."
I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be going scuba diving without a supervisor and safety equipment. and asking someone like me to swim in non-shallow pools is asking too much. I can swim fine and with a float, but I need to rely on snorkels for anything deep-water. and without another person to hold on to. I could easily panic if i was unable to surface. It was one of the reasons I just stopped swimming at some point.
But maybe it could be worth icebreaking Maury and chatting with her.
"S-shouldn't we talk to the commander... admiral first?"
Maury's eyes snapped back to me. her cheeks still cherry red from soft embarrassment. "Why the commander?"
"Don't you think he might k-know something about a swimming class? S-shouldn't it make sense to rectify... this fleet-wide problem? Even teaching a c-class of two might open you up to fellow girls who share your interests. Maury."
Maury's eyes widened a little at the prospect. "So, wait... does that mean you can talk to-"
"I save a spot just for you if Blake s-says yes." I interrupted her. arms now submerged into the water. "And if he doesn't, then we c-can keep it a private thing."
Maury stared at me for a couple of moments. having almost stood up with her body half-mast out of the water before she sank back into the warm bath. "Thanks."
I only nodded back. letting myself enjoy the water. I could have continued swimming if i wanted to, but at that point in my life I was more interested in video games. and the beaches available were... not world-class. and I just found the sand too uncomfortable, and the vehicles too hard for a inexperienced boy to drive back then. The other options would have involved scary tubes and lots of people. or decontamination showers. and well.. the novelty for me was gone by that point. Same thing with running, I would be asked out sometimes. but usually i was too tired or too busy grinding.
Ships never liked to wander into the abyss alone.
Poincaré recurrence's theory stated that after a infinitely low. but possible probability in time. all systems would reset back to their original. past-like initial state. If one took a deck of cards and shuffled it, It would become chaotic and disorganized. but if shuffled enough. It would reset back to how it was at first. Similarly. if one flipped a pair of coins twenty times for only heads-tails or tail-heads. It would take a absurd amount of time, but eventually. there would be a streak of coins flipped that landed perfectly on nothing but head-tails. or tail-heads for twenty flips.
And just as it was possible in a infinitely long time period for particles to reverse to their original configuration, It was possible for Boltzmann brains to emerge out of this meta-physical seas of chaos. no matter the impossibility involved. out of the simple collective consciousness of sapient thoughts with the help of bizarre molecules operating on a entirely different set of physical constants. Blocks of hypothetical biochemistry able to manifest Humanity's defenders under a set of comprehensive, comprehensible directives.
Blake Lewis looked at the screen, seeing the face of numerous commanders and advisors alike from the Military committee. Although they weren't the only ones attending. Another lesser commanding officer was present, to pass information to the rest of UN Command on Norfolk's status and any recent developments. seeing as he had enough to deal with being in charge of the shipgirl naval base and then she had been verbally disciplined for ordering the carriers under her command to carry out such a wasteful kamikaze attack.
The exception to this was one of the many staff in the French AAE, an gentleman that NATO Military Committee had put in charge of Norfolk's case. as there was the possibility of especially classified french technology in her working. Personally. he felt it would only add more to the issues on the front. given the noise coming from both the British and the French. something to be addressed at the meeting regardless, though he hoped they wouldn't do anything too irrational.
"So, how well did your initial debriefing with Norfolk go?" One of the lesser USN admirals begun. looking over the rough report he and the others had recieved.
"Better than we expected, we weren't able to determine some of the more obscure parts of her story. as Kent's report doesn't hold any information on them. and she refused to talk about the events when we requested her to do so. However, we were able to find out a substantial deal of information about her circumstances. even if these details only result in more questions raised than we managed to answer." More nods and agreement followed.
The officer from Japan only nodded in response. looking over the rough report that was passed to him. he couldn't help but sigh. he had hoped for more in the report, but it was clear that more time was needed to go over everything and make sure nothing was left out.
"I'll be frank, the main part of the report was mostly dedicated to her background and the events she went through. the part that was interesting for me was her attacks on the enemy patrol divisions. mostly due to her uncharacteristic and easily-frightened nature that would not seem to fit her as one who participated in sinking Bismarck and then later helped to fight off Scharnhorst's attack at North Cape, but also due to her interactions with the girls and some of the Royal navy shipgirls on-base, and how quickly she is adapting to modern life. I won't deny that some of them lacked proper analysis, but on the other hand I had to keep the time frame to a bare minimum."
The USN officers looked at each other, some frowning at the admiral's words. They had expected him to... have full information available and laid out. despite the fact that he had been one of the first to deal with the whole situation. But answers didn't come in a instant.
His first was an interesting detail about Norfolk's ability to pick up easily on specific parts of the history lessons in her time training, specifically the IJN. and then the French when the European union was created. It seemed she had some form of unusual affinity for her middle-inbetween status and a interest in Cold war ships due to her french nature, possibly even the late date of when construction work was scheduled for the Alsace-class to begin and the technology she possessed coupled with her heavy interest in video game entertainment. The idea of some form of epigenetic memory. passed down from generation to generation was intriguing, although he couldn't say he was shocked. to some extent, french designs and technology often seemed to be a step above the rest of the world, with the possible exception of the UK. and he had heard the case of the Kongo sisters before.
"Can you elaborate? You did mention a few things that got my interest in the report, but some seem to lack full analysis. Given the time constraints you were under." The AAE gentleman spoke up, several nods showing that the frenchman was not alone in his thoughts.
"Hmm."
