Grassy hills and farmland provided a pleasant scenery to the train ride as Bismarck silently stared out the window. Instead of her usual uniform, she wore the standard gray coat issued to all officers of the Fourth Reich. It reminded her of the uniform that she used to see SS officers wearing, though there were no swastika pins or medals this time around.
As her blue eyes took in the German landscape, she sighed quietly to herself. I have always wanted to see Germany like this… And yet, now that I'm actually doing it, it doesn't feel as good as I thought it would be.
"We will be arriving at Lubeck in approximately fifteen minutes," the train loudspeaker announced.
For the coming months, Bismarck would be posted in the town of Lubeck, Germany. When she had first returned from Japan, she had been looking forward to seeing Prinz and all her comrades, but she only got to spend a week with them before they were all ordered to different locations within the country. Apparently it had been decided that it was better to deploy the few ship girls that Germany had to different parts of the coast so that the Abyssals could be stopped no matter where they appeared. Of course, one ship girl by herself would have no chance of stopping an actual Abyssal attack, so it seemed that the Kriegsmarine was hoping that the Abyssals would only send out minor raiding parties instead of just using full force on their first attack.
Bismarck's two admirals, Vice Admirals Ehrhard and Bremerhaven, were currently in Berlin, so she had basically been assigned to Lubeck by herself… Well, that wasn't entirely true. An officer named Captain Handel had been sent along with Bismarck. Handel was about the same height as she was, and he had slightly curly hair and a well-maintained beard. Though he was part of the Kriegsmarine and had a German surname, his tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes made him seem closer to someone like Admiral Drake in appearance than Bismarck herself.
Regardless, he seemed to have a strong dislike for Bismarck, most likely due to her history as a Nazi battleship. This was no surprise to her, and she kind of expected that there would be those who really loved her and those who absolutely hated her in modern Germany. Unfortunately Captain Handel was part of the latter group, and though he was fast asleep right now, if he were awake he would probably just be ignoring Bismarck or glaring at her.
The train entered the city of Lubeck. Now Bismarck was a bit more interested, and she looked out the window with wonder at the town around her. Lubeck seemed like a rather old town, and many of the buildings were built in a Gothic style. Nevertheless, the town was alive with the sound of people, and for a place designated as the Abyssal defense station for northern Germany, it looked rather carefree.
Once at the station, the train came to a stop, and Captain Handel slowly awoke with a grumble. The civilians on the train grabbed their belongings and began heading out, and Bismarck also grabbed her own luggage. She didn't bring much with her, but there were still a few items that she needed.
She followed Captain Handel out of the train, and the officer shoved his hands in his coat pockets as he looked around. Summer was ending and fall was beginning, and up here in the northern part of the country, it could get rather chilly at times.
"Where's the damn military car…" Bismarck heard Handel mutter.
Shortly afterwards, a car did indeed arrive for them. The driver stepped out and saluted, and he opened the doors for Bismarck and Handel as he stowed their suitcases in the trunk.
According to her orders, Bismarck would not be stationed at the newly-renovated naval base and would instead live at Reichspolizei headquarters in old town. The Reichspolizei were a new organization created by the kaiser which functioned as a sort of military police combined with an intelligence agency. In Bismarck's opinion, the Reichspolizei just seemed like a reskinned version of the Nazi SS, but she knew that it probably wouldn't be good to voice that out loud.
As the car drove through Lubeck, Bismarck again couldn't help but marvel at the streets and the buildings that they passed by. She had seen a cities before in London and briefly at Los Angeles, but it was different now that she was in Germany.
This is my homeland. This is what I have been fighting for, she thought to herself. But still…
Soon enough, they made it to the Reichspolizei headquarters. The building was large and imposing and looked as if it were made of white stone. Red banners depicting the Iron Cross hung down and covered the front of the building.
Bismarck and Captain Handel went inside to the lobby, where they waited to be received. The lobby was quite spacious and was tiled with marble, and lavish chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Once again, red banners lined the walls, and on the front wall of the room was a huge banner with the Prussian eagle emblazoned on it.
A man dressed in an officer's uniform approached the pair. He looked to be in his forties and gray hair could be seen from underneath his hat, but his eyes were a crisp blue and his face held a sort of youthful enthusiasm.
"Hello," the older officer saluted. "You two must be Captain Handel and the battleship Bismarck. I am Obergruppenfuhrer Thomas Mann. A pleasure to meet you, and welcome to Lubeck."
Handel and Bismarck saluted back.
"Thank you, Captain Handel. I can take it from here," Mann said.
Handel nodded and eagerly made his exit, heading off somewhere else in the building with his suitcase.
"How was the trip? Not too bad, I hope?" Mann asked.
"It was very pleasant, sir," Bismarck answered.
"Good, good. Is this your first time stationed outside of a naval base?"
"Yes, sir."
"You came to the right city," Mann smiled. "Lubeck is very beautiful, and it has a rich and storied history as well. You won't be on duty all the time here, so you will have time to explore the city if you like."
"Then I will look forward to it," Bismarck replied. She had to admit, the prospect of being able to walk through the streets of Germany for the first time did excite her.
"Yes, you should! But first, unfortunately, we do have some paperwork to take care of, so if you will follow me, please."
Mann whistled, and another Reichspolizei officer immediately came over and took Bismarck's luggage. Mann then began walking at a brisk pace, and Bismarck hurriedly followed.
"Did you know, Bismarck," Mann started, turning a bit as he walked and giving her a strange smile, "that right here in the Bay of Lubeck, a Royal Air Force Squadron sunk three of our ships during World War II? But what's more, those ships were not even carrying German troops, but concentration camp prisoners! The British killed around 7,000 of them. What fools, those pilots, hahaha!"
Bismarck did not know what to say to that, so she just offered an uncomfortable smile as Mann chuckled at the grim tale. Perhaps this officer isn't as harmless as he looks after all…
"This is my office," Mann announced as they arrived in a room with two heavy-looking oaken doors. The Reichspolizei officers guarding either side of the room were strapped with submachine guns, and they dutifully opened the doors as Mann approached.
Bismarck had to admit that the inside of the office was very pretty. The floor was covered in a royal red rug, and another expensive chandelier hung from the ceiling, though currently there was enough light coming in from the large windows that overlooked the old town. A large German flag flanked the well-polished mahogany desk on one side, and on the other side was a banner marked with the Iron Cross. Mann sat down at the desk and gestured for Bismarck to sit on one of the chairs across from him.
Even the chairs here are nice, Bismarck thought as she sat down on the plush, velvety seat. I suppose this department was given a large budget.
"Excuse me for a bit, I just have some paperwork to fill out," Mann said as he began writing some things down. "Aside from that, have you been told what you will be doing here?"
"Yes, sir. I am to guard the northern waters in case of an Abyssal attack," Bismarck stated.
Mann gave her that strange smile again. "Yes, of course. But up here in the northern part of Germany, up near Scandinavia - it seems like an out-of-the-way place for the Abyssals to go, does it not?"
"Er…"
"Well, no matter," Mann waved her off cheerily. "You do have it right; that is your role here, for the most part. However, if you want my personal opinion, the probability of an Abyssal attack up here is a slim. If they were going to attack anywhere, I would guess that they would strike at the western part of the country where the other ship girls are stationed, though even that has a very low chance of happening."
Bismarck was confused. "Then why was I assigned here, sir?"
"Like I said, the Abyssals are the nominal reason why you were assigned here," Mann simply said as he continued writing. "However, since you are here and the probability of an Abyssal attack is low, surely you wouldn't object to helping out with other matters of state, no?"
"Such as what?" Bismarck asked apprehensively.
Mann shook his head. "Nothing much. There are just a few things here and there that our organization could use assistance with, so if something comes up, I hope we can count on your help."
Bismarck still didn't know what he was talking about, but it's not as if it mattered anyway. She couldn't disobey orders. "Yes, sir."
"Good," Mann smiled brightly. "Then that is all for today. If you will give your name to the front desk, they will provide you to the key to your room in this building, where your suitcase has already been taken. Other than that, you are free to go where you please, just so long as you report back here at seven tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."
The battleship stood up and saluted. As she headed back down to the main lobby, she mulled over her new assignment. It seems easy enough right now. I don't know what they're going to ask me to do, but if the probability of an Abyssal attack is low, then that is good, at least.
She received the key from the reception desk and then followed the signs to the housing wing. It sort of reminded her of the hotel that she stayed at with the fleet in Los Angeles, and the room itself was rather similar as well, though a bit smaller.
There's a nice view of the city from here, she smiled as she looked out the window, her blue eyes twinkling with wonder. Obergruppenfuhrer Mann said I could go out into the city… Let's do it!
Moving quickly with excitement, Bismarck left her room and the Reichspolizei headquarters and walked out onto the streets of Lubeck. The sun was already beginning to set here in northern Germany, but the streets were still bustling with people. Bismarck watched with fascination as the citizens went about their daily lives.
It's less busy than London, she observed. Another big difference from London was that instead of that annoying English accent everywhere, she could hear the harsh sweetness of the German language being spoken all around her.
Yes. I'm finally home, Bismarck realized, unable to keep the grin from her face.
However, a sudden and sharp pang of regret then struck her. Her smile slowly faded, and her shining, clear eyes betrayed a hint of sadness.
I wonder how everyone back in Japan is doing… Will I ever see them again? That was the fleet she had spent the most time with and shed the most blood with. There's no way that she could just forget about them so easily.
And on top of that, she felt something else missing. Ever since she had left the Tokyo Bay Base in Yokosuka, she felt a cold, empty space begin to tear open in her heart. This feeling of loss... It felt like she had been huddling in a dark cave with only a candle to warm her, and now that candle had been put out.
Of course, she knew what the cause of it was: Admiral Drake. All throughout her time in Japan, he had always been there with her as a fellow foreigner, and even if they sometimes fought, they always made up in the end. But this time, they had parted without ever reconciling. She was in Germany now, and he was back in America. They were back to their home countries, exactly where they should be. And yet, why did it feel so wrong?
Bismarck remembered how she had shouted at her admiral before she left for Germany. She clutched the iron cross that hung from her collar as she looked at the ground, her blonde lashes dusting over her sapphire eyes. It shouldn't have ended like that…
Even if she did one day get the chance to go back to Japan, it's unlikely that Admiral Drake would be there too. He was gone now, and in all likelihood, their parting at the base was the last time she would see him. They were both far from the place they had first met, and far from each other too.
If only I hadn't been so angry back then. If only I had thought about what was going to happen! Bismarck clenched her fists in frustration. A small part of her was disgusted at herself for getting so worked up about this, but she didn't care. She felt like she had failed an important test back in Japan, and now there was no way to make up for it.
And the Admiral… Will he be all right?
She remembered how she had taken on the role of helping her admiral recover from the events of the Battle of Okinawa. She was no Kaga, but at the very least, she thought that she could provide some respite for her forlorn superior. But instead of doing that, she had gotten into an argument with him and then left him. Kaga had sacrificed her life so that Bismarck could live, and this was how she repaid her?
Her good mood had been ruined, and she hung her head in silence. Bismarck went back inside.
A long line of people marched onwards towards a sleek, futuristic-looking black building which had been built on the edge of the beach. They were chained together with black irons, and they moved slowly but steadily, their faces dejected and their eyes dim with defeat.
The Battleship Princess watched over the line, her expression neutral. There were numerous other Abyssals of lower classes marching along with the humans, though they served as jailers and often prodded at the humans who weren't moving quickly enough. In one instance, a Wo-class pulled a woman from the line and calmly beat the woman to death with her staff. The other humans tried to avert their gazes as they continued marching past the grisly scene, lest they be chosen for execution next.
They look broken, the Battleship Princess noted to herself. If only they knew what would happen to them once they entered the Stomach. Perhaps we should begin broadcasting our torture methods to the prisoners just to inform them of their eventual fates? Would that produce a better outcome, or would surprising them once they actually get inside the facility be better?
As she pondered this dilemma, Battleship Princess idly swept her crimson eyes over the rest of the Okinawan shore line. Periodically in the far-off distance another Stomach could be seen on the beach, and another line of humans would be trailing into it. The Stomach was a facility that the Abyssals used to 'purify' their resources. The Abyssals used fuel, ammo, steel, and bauxite like the ship girls did (which is why Battleship Princess also had groups of humans mining for them), but they needed them in lower quantities. Instead, the Abyssals amplified their resources through a 'purification' process. As the Battleship Princess had told the ship girls, the Abyssals ran on hate and negative energy, either sourcing it from within themselves or sucking it out from others, whether those others be ship girls or humans.
That is where the Stomachs come in. Within those buildings, the Abyssals would beat, torture, kill, and eat humans, all in an attempt to draw out the most negative feelings from those humans. Families would be purposely tortured and killed in front of each other, and no one, not even infants, would be spared. The intense anger, fear, and sadness that these actions produced would be the fuel for the Abyssals, and an Abyssal who had her negative energy replenished by watching or partaking in such acts could fight twice as hard as one who had not. That's why the Battleship Princess set up a rotation for all ships, making it mandatory for each of them to spend some time in a Stomach while they had access to the humans on Okinawa. It was a sort of morale system that would ensure each ship could fight at her best.
But truth be told, Battleship Princess did not like this system at all. She felt that it went against the entire purpose of the Abyssals, and that it should be stopped as soon as possible. The reason why she hated humanity in the first place was because of the horrors and suffering that humanity had produced throughout their entire history, and with the Stomach system, the Abyssals were just copying humans and therefore becoming what they hated the most. However, it was still necessary. Abyssals needed that negative energy, and since Abyssals were created from the darkness of war and war crimes in the first place, the Stomach system increased the chances of new ships manifesting that could be added to the Abyssal force. Even so, the Battleship Princess did not like it at all.
She had to admit that torturing humans and ship girls felt good, of course. The incredible rush from dominating and overcoming an enemy combatant; there was nothing else like it in the world. Her wounds from her fight with the battleship Yamato still throbbed painfully, but every time they did, it made the Battleship Princess smile. The look in Yamato's eyes when she knew she had lost was something that the Battleship Princess could never forget, and she thought about those eyes often. Killing and torturing humans, though not as interesting as her battle with Yamato, was also a source of pleasure for her.
But it was like a drug. There more you take, the more you lose sight of your ultimate goal. In the end, she wanted to make sure that all humans were exterminated and that no more suffering would ever occur. But the more you kill, the more you enjoy it, and then your purpose simply becomes an animalistic desire to inflict as much pain as possible. If that happens, you are no worse than the humans you decry.
Of course, not all the Abyssals took this to heart, and just like any drug, there are those who get addicted and enjoy the violence too much. These addicts would be needed in order to defeat the ship girls and humans for good, but there was no place for them in the future.
Well. It's not as if there is a place for any of us, Battleship Princess mused, looking up at the cloudy sky.
Once all the humans and ship girls were exterminated, the source of the Abyssals' hate would be gone. They would have no one to direct their anger and suffering at, and they would have no way to produce more negative feelings to keep on living. Shortly after the humans and ship girls disappear, the Abyssals would go extinct as well.
But we're fine with that, Battleship Princess decided. If we can end the cycle of hatred forever, then we are willing to become devils. We are willing to be hated, cursed. We are willing to drown ourselves in blood for the good of the future.
Sometimes, Battleship Princess wished that she had never been born. She knew what her existence was, and she knew that she was a creature created out of pure hatred, and if that hatred had not existed in the first place, she would never have manifested in this world. And if she could have a world without hate, she would be perfectly content even if she couldn't be alive to enjoy it.
Yet here I am. I am alive. Her red eyes burned. And since I am alive, I will do everything in my power to make sure that no one like me ever walks this earth again.
Fleet Admiral Wei let out a deep sigh as he fixed his hat back on his head and stood up from the bench he had been resting on. With a lazy flick, he tossed his burger wrapper into a nearby trash can, then straightened out his military uniform as he began walking in the direction of his destination.
It was a warm, pleasant day in Washington D.C., not too hot and not too cold, which was surprising for summertime on the East Coast. The city was busy as always, and many office workers, political interns, and tourists rushed by on the streets. Wei, however, strolled about in his usual unhurried manner despite the fact that he was scheduled to speak in front of a congressional committee in a few minutes. After the devastating defeat at Okinawa, it was only natural that Congress take interest in the department of the military that was receiving the most funds and yet not achieving the best results. Therefore, they had scheduled a hearing in order to 'get to the bottom' of what happened that day.
Of course, Wei knew that nothing good or insightful would ever come out of a hearing like this, and the politicians were most likely just looking for someone to vent their anger at. Unfortunately that someone turned out to be him, a role he was forced into because the other fleet admirals dumped it off on the youngest one there.
Well, I guess someone's gotta do it, Wei sighed to himself again as he made his way up the long white steps of the Capitol Building.
When he entered and found the room he was supposed to be in, he was greeted with the sight of numerous men and women in formal attire waiting for him, their positions elevated so that they were looking down on him when he entered. The rest of the room was occupied by reporters from various news outlets, but Wei didn't really mind them.
"You took your time, Fleet Admiral," Congressman Pollock, a portly man with a bushy moustache, started.
"Sorry, I guess I got lost on the road of life," Wei apologized with a smile.
After the Great Churning, the US Congress, much like the executive branch, had been shuffled up, with all incumbents being forcibly removed from power. Though this would normally have caused quite the ruckus among the population, the people were mainly focused on the emerging Abyssal threat and so did not complain about their representatives being removed, especially since the new governing Citizens' Council immediately announced dates for new elections to fill the House and Senate seats. Those elections went surprisingly smoothly, though no party really stood out in terms of the number of seats gained. However, the one thing that all the new politicians had in common was that they were all in support of a strong stance against the Abyssals and promised to increase military spending to keep America safe. Because of this, there were some rumors that went around saying that the Citizens' Council meddled with the elections in order to put more warhawks in power. Many others (Wei included) thought that the warhawks won simply because the people were deathly afraid of the Abyssals, though… As they should be.
"No matter," Pollock continued, "let us begin. Are you prepared to give your report, Fleet Admiral?"
"Yes. I will start with a brief summary of the Battle of Okinawa, though I am sure you are familiar with the events," Wei began. "In short, strategic mistakes resulted in a heavy loss of covering airpower for the International Fleet at the beginning of the battle, forcing us to rely on our heavy weapons and ships. It quickly became clear that we had underestimated the enemy, and we took major losses as we retreated. As such, Okinawa fell into the hands of the Abyssals, and the remnants of the International Fleet returned to safer waters. But I know you have all read the reports, and so I assume you have more specific questions for me."
Congressman Rockwell, an African-American man from New York, nodded. "Straight to the point, I see. Then I'll just get right to it as well. Tell me, Fleet Admiral, how is it that 'strategic mistakes' are occurring despite all the money we are pouring into the navy?"
"Yes," Congresswoman O'Keeffe broke in, "How are we going to explain this to the people? We campaigned on the promise that we would defeat the Abyssals and save humanity, and yet here we are, having failed in our biggest battle yet. How did this happen?"
Wei resisted the urge to sigh again. Great, this is exactly how I thought it would go. They're asking me big, general questions that I can't possibly answer without making myself look bad.
"First let me just say that the funding for the navy has helped tremendously, and that we would have been beaten even harder if we did not have that money," Wei replied. "As for the strategic mistakes… I am sorry, but I can't give you a firm answer. Our battles with the Abyssals have been few and far between, and we have definitely never seen something of this scale before. We're fighting a completely new enemy, and we have to account for a learning curve."
"'Learning curve'? Try telling that to the family members of those who died in the battle who keep calling my office all day!" Congressman Metcalf of Massachusetts rebutted.
"This is war. People will die," Wei refused to back down. "With all due respect, it is your job as a politician to convince the people that their sacrifices will be worth it in the end. Don't pin that on me."
Before Metcalf could retort, Pollock took back the reins. "That's all well and good, Fleet Admiral, but in order for us to convince the people, you must convince us first. Why should we keep spending so much money on the navy when you can't get us victories when it matters most?"
"Then let me ask you, what else would you be spending that money on?" Wei frowned. "Do you not realize that if the Abyssals win, we will all be killed? America will cease to exist. Whatever else you plan to spend those funds on will not exist. Nothing will exist. It all ends if we fail."
The room fell into silence for a good twenty seconds before Congresswoman Cassatt spoke up.
"You must understand that not everyone is so forward-thinking," she said. "Even if what you say is true, many people will refuse to accept it. All they care about is the present, and in the present, we are losing the war and losing money while we are at it. We must have something we can show the people to prove that we can win, or else we risk descending into chaos and lawlessness."
Tch. This is a pain, Wei lamented internally.
"Rest assured that a defeat like this won't happen again," Wei simply said. "This was our first major, all-out battle against the Abyssals and we have learned from it. We won't make the same mistakes twice, so you can go and tell your constituents that."
Wei's tone of finality signaled that he wouldn't budge on this issue, and the politicians looked uncomfortable and unsatisfied at the fleet admiral's answer. Regardless, they did not push the questions much further, and they instead switched to asking about more specific matters. Wei dutifully answered those as well, though some of the questions made him cringe at how little the congressmen actually knew about military tactics and operations.
About an hour later, the hearing ended, and Wei was finally allowed to leave.
As I thought, nothing important came out of that meeting, the fleet admiral mused as he exited the Capitol Building. I guess it confirmed that the government wasn't happy with our last performance, though.
Wei took a seat on the same bench he had been sitting on before the hearing. Despite the futility of it, the hearing had tired him out, and he wanted to take a moment to rest. He stretched out his arms and yawned, enjoying the pleasantness of the afternoon. He would be returning to the West Coast soon, and he wondered if he could spend some time sightseeing in D.C. before he left the nation's capital.
As he closed his eyes and basked in the sunlight, he felt someone take seat next to him. He slowly opened one eye out of curiosity, but then quickly opened the other as his calm expression changed to one of bewilderment.
He stood up immediately and saluted the man. "Chairman Frost! Good afternoon, sir!"
The man chuckled. He was a middle-aged and dressed in a trim brown suit, and he had gray hair and pale blue eyes. He had a smile on his face, but somehow, it looked out of place.
"No need for all the formalities, citizen. I'm simply out here enjoying the weather just like you are."
"R-Right," Wei said, hurriedly sitting down again. Despite the chairman's words, Wei doubted that the head of the Citizens' Council would just take a seat beside him for no reason.
"I heard you had a congressional hearing today," Chairman Frost said after a moment of silence.
"Yes, sir. I just finished."
"And don't you look refreshed," Frost noted with his strange smile.
"Ah, well, I guess it just takes a lot out of you," Wei replied, slightly embarrassed now.
"Indeed. They must have asked you all sorts of infuriating questions," Frost nodded. "Sometimes people just fail to grasp what is truly important. Even our nation's leaders are fallible, and I believe some of those congressmen are more concerned with trivial matters than the state of the war itself. You have done well to bear with it."
"T-Thank you, sir."
"Hm… Tell me, Admiral Wei, do you know why I got into politics?" Frost then asked.
"No, sir."
To tell the truth, Wei didn't know much about Chairman Frost's life before he became the chairman of the Citizens' Council. Most of the Council members' backgrounds were relatively unknown.
"I suppose the details aren't important," Frost continued. "The main reason why I took this position was because this country needed to be rallied and strengthened for the coming conflict. The Abyssals are like no enemy America has ever faced before. The same can be said for every other country. New problems require new solutions, but it is hard to get people to change their old ways. While we are fighting and squabbling among ourselves, the enemy will eliminate us."
"I agree. Unfortunately, it's difficult to convince others of that," Wei admitted.
"Yes. That is why some things must simply be done. The convincing can come afterwards."
Chairman Frost stood up and smiled at Wei. "Fleet Admiral. What has started cannot be stopped now."
The chairman walked off, leaving Wei scratching his head in confusion.
What was that all about? Either way, he's not like the congressmen I talked to. He probably knows more than he lets on. Maybe he even knows more than I do…
"Nah… Not possible, right?" Wei said to himself breezily, though his dark eyes remained fixed on the chairman's retreating back.
"Wow! Look at all the lights!" Iowa shouted, her cerulean eyes sparkling in wonder as she energetically bounced around Times Square.
Saratoga watched with worry as Iowa absently muscled past a few pedestrians with her battleship strength, causing them to give her dirty looks. "Would you please be more careful of your surroundings, Iowa?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry," she grinned sheepishly as she finally stopped rushing around. "But isn't this place amazing, Sara? Look at it!"
"Yes. America has definitely evolved since the war." Saratoga couldn't help but smile at her surroundings as well. "But surely this shouldn't be surprising to you? You were around in your ship form until just recently."
Iowa gave her comrade a flat look. "Yeah, but I was a ship. I've never been in the center of a city like this! Never!"
"That's true, I suppose," Saratoga admitted. "I hear Times Square is even better at night. Imagine how nice these signs would look in the dark…"
"Yeah, you're totally right!" Iowa realized with intense excitement. "Then we should come back here tonight!"
"We can't. Don't tell me you forgot that we have to receive Rear Admiral Drake at the airport this evening?" Saratoga reminded her.
"Well… He can wait for a few hours, right?"
Saratoga's disapproving expression was the answer to Iowa's question.
"Jeez, all right. We'll save that for next time," Iowa sighed in defeat. "I know! Since it's Captain Drake's fault that we're missing out, he can take us! Maybe treat us to a nice dinner while he's at it."
"He is your superior, not your boyfriend," Saratoga said in exasperation. "In all honesty, it might be better if we left for the airport now. We wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
"Eeeh? He's not going to show up for another three hours! Come on!" Iowa whined. "Hey, we should visit the Intrepid next! Get a picture of me standing on top of her and then we can show it to Intrepid herself when we get back to base!"
"I… Don't think Intrepid would take well to that," Saratoga replied. "If we do have time to spare, how about we go to Central Park instead? I read a lot about how people consider it marvelous that such a wonderful sanctuary of nature is right in the center of a sprawling -"
"A park? Bo-ring!" Iowa interrupted. "Maybe Brooklyn would be nice to visit since I haven't been there in a while…"
She's always like this, Saratoga thought, resigning herself to her fate of being led around New York by the blonde battleship.
Iowa then began wandering off in a random direction, something else evidently having caught her eye. With no choice but to follow, Saratoga reluctantly went after her. Both ship girls were dressed in casual military wear, and they had on brown leather aviation jackets, form-fitting khaki pants, and black boots, the same sort of outfit they usually wore when outside of the base but still on official duty. Iowa's regular outfit would definitely attract too much attention if she wore it in public, so the navy just made them both were these uniforms instead.
As they walked through the streets of New York City, Saratoga continued to be amazed by how busy it was. This was also the first time she was walking around in a large city, so like Iowa, she too was captivated by it, though she could at least show some restraint.
There are signs, advertisements, and stores everywhere. What a lively place, the aircraft carrier thought. And there are so many people with so many different clothes and appearances… America is so diverse nowadays…
"Hey! That lady's naked!" Iowa exclaimed, pointing to a topless woman in bodypaint who was walking around. "And there's somebody over there dressed like the Statue of Liberty!"
And there are all sorts of strange people as well, Saratoga learned after looking in the direction Iowa was pointing.
"I wonder why they're dressed like that. Are they collecting money?" Saratoga asked aloud, but then she realized that Iowa was no longer next to her. "Of course…"
Saratoga went after Iowa, who had walked up to the topless woman out of curiosity.
"Iowa, maybe we shouldn't hang around these people," Saratoga tried to whisper to Iowa, but the din of the crowd drowned that out. Saratoga was also surprised at how many people were just walking past the strangely-dressed figures as if they were completely normal. Maybe Iowa could have worn her regular outfit after all.
"Woah, you're tall," the bare woman said as Iowa approached. "Nice eyes. Are those contacts?"
"Contacts?" Iowa repeated. "Anyway, why are you naked?"
"The better question is why aren't you naked?" the woman retorted. "You've got a nice body, I'm sure you could pull it off. Those tits are huge. I'm kind of jealous."
"Really?" Iowa said, grabbing her breasts and squeezing them, wondering if they really were that special.
"Definitely. Can I touch them? I'll let you feel mine," the woman smiled seductively at Iowa.
"Eh!?" Iowa blushed.
Saratoga stepped in and pulled Iowa away. "Okay, that's enough. Sorry for bothering you, miss!"
The brown-haired ship girl dragged Iowa back into the crowd. "Iowa… Please don't involve yourself with eccentric people…"
"S-Sorry," Iowa chuckled. "Anyway, where do you want to go next? Can we go see a Broadway show?"
"Hm, let's see… I think I want to go to the airport next," Saratoga answered.
"That's not an option, obviously!" Iowa frowned.
Saratoga returned her frown with one of her own. "We're on duty. We can't be going through the city and fooling around with random people."
Iowa's eyes grew serious. "Sara. How many opportunities like this have we gotten? How many will we get? Remember that we're still warships. If we sink in battle, then it's over. We'll never get to walk the streets of any city ever again, so cherish it while you can."
"Don't be so negative," Saratoga said, a bit surprised by Iowa's shift in tone. "No one's saying that we're going to sink, right? Maybe we'll have plenty more opportunities…"
"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe not," Iowa replied firmly. "Look… Yamato was Japan's strongest battleship, and I hate to admit it, but she may have been the most powerful ship girl too. Now she's dead. Even Captain Drake's secretary ship sunk in battle. I don't want to say this, Sara, but we could easily end up sinking in our next battle. We won't know how short our lives are until it's too late."
The bustle of the city buzzed on as the two ship girls stood there silently.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think of it that way," Saratoga finally said. "We'll go back to the airport later. We still have time to wander through the city if you want."
Iowa shook her head. "It's all right…"
Saratoga looked at the blonde's gloomy expression and immediately felt terrible for squashing Iowa's excitement.
"Don't be like that. How about we visit that clothing store we saw? I think some of the window items would look good on you," Saratoga said, gently putting her arm around Iowa's shoulder.
"... You think so?" Iowa softly asked. "I don't know, I don't have many clothes outside of the ones the navy issued us…"
"All the more reason to buy some more, right? I think that gray dress in particular would make you look sophisticated."
"Really? I liked the blue one more."
The two ship girls walked close together as Iowa regained her smile, and they disappeared into the lively streets of Times Square.