Author: One thing I could say for this country is the non stop raining is annoying which is opposite to Japan right now. Because of it, I can't even get out of my house since it just keeps raining all day.
In a future chapter, can't say if it's near, but someone is going to betray someone. It's going to be a shipgirl though. Also the two sisters are going to have a bit of a conflict...in the future too.
The bitter feelings from the past...
Raining and alone. I held my bleeding shoulder while I glare at the Abyssal looking down at me with sadistic eyes. It's because of the ambush the fleet got scattered...and I strayed a bit far.
"Hahahaha! You lasted long against me. I admire you, ship girl Tirpitz. You're resilient, but not as powerful as me"
Dreadnought Princess. A powerful Abyssal battleship who is known for her destructive firepower and heavy armor.
(Turret Dora and one of my torpedo tubes are disabled. I...can't win against someone like her...)
Even if I knew I could never win against someone like her, I still stood up. I mustered the little strength I have left and readied my cannon.
"Heh~ You're still going to fight me even if you can't win. You're brave, but stupid!"
"I am a battleship of the Kriegsmarine. And in my navy...we fight to the last shell!"
In the Kriegsmarine, it is instilled in our thoughts to fight to the last breath. I would always be told to die rather than surrender. I never questioned the ideology of my navy because...I am just a soldier.
"You chose to fight to the death. Amusing~"
"It's the fate of ship girls like me. To fight to the death in this war. It's a cruel fate given to us the moment we were born" I told her
"You know I find you interesting...too bad I have to sink you!"
She fired all her guns at once and I barely dodged them. My engines are already pushed to the limit.
(I never wanted to fight in this war. I never...wanted this fate!)
I screamed in my head as she kept raining shells at me. I'm running out of stamina.
"Hahaha! That's it! Fight to the death!" She laughed sadistically
"Damn it! Is this where I'm going to sink...?"
I couldn't escape her as my damages engines cut down my maximum speed. Still, I kept firing at her even if one of my turrets are torpedo tubes are knocked out.
"Good! That's it! Ahahahaha!" She took little damage after I landed several direct hits
Amidst the stormy rain, all I can hear is the exchange of our cannon fire. I continued to retaliate as I scream in this rainy battlefield.
"Ggh!" A shells directly hit me
I received heavy damage. One more direct hit and I'm definitely done for.
"Couldn't repair...damn it"
"Any last words, lonely Queen of the North!"
"I'm already tired...of this cruel fate..."
I couldn't ran away anymore. I just lost the strength to do so. I just hopelessly stood on my knees while I wait for my end. I can't do anything anymore. It will take a miracle for me to get out alive.
"Sis..."
As I feel the heavy rain dripping on me...I looked in surprise when shells exploded upon impact on Dreadnought Princess. More shells are fired at her.
"Just who..."
Even if my consciousness is beginning to fade, I turned to look at who opened fire.
"Ah. It's my sister..."
She opened fire at the Abyssal, screaming furiously.
"You will not sink my sister, Abyssal! Not while I'm still alive!" Sis yelled
"Stupid shipgirl!"
"It's Bismarck. I am Bismarck!"
Sis...looked amazing fighting, isn't she? Everyone admires her...because she had done so many things worth praising.
"You'll pay for interfering from killing this prey, stupid ship girl!"
"I said I am Bismarck and that prey is my little sister, bitch!"
As she keeps firing at Dreadnought Princess, more shells went flying at the Abyssal. The rest of the fleet arrived, huh. What a stupid miracle...
"Argh! Damn all of you!"
Before the other ship girls can get any closer, Dreadnought Princess fired all of her cannons erratically before fleeing.
"Why is it so dark...?" I asked myself
Ah. It's my mind starting to go blank. I think I'm going to pass out soon.
"Tirpitz!"
My sister rushed to me and grabbed both of my shoulders, shouting at me.
"Can you hear me? Say something!"
"Sis..." I couldn't see her clearly
"Are you alright...?"
"I'm...alright..."
I weakly answered. I'm losing strength to stay conscious. The rain feels so cold...
"Hey. Why does...it feel so cold...all of a sudden?"
My head and body feels lighter. I'm at my limit. Guess I'll pass out...here.
"Tirpitz! Tirpitz!"
Before I pass out, I can hear sis calling me out several times before my senses stopped feeling anything.
Curenly away from her base, Tirpitz visits a hospital to speak with an injured injured rear admiral, one of the many injured during the bombardment in the Saiki bay anchorage.
"Guten tag, rear admiral"
Tirpitz enters the hospital room and tipped off her cap, something she often do as a greeting.
"A-admiral Schwarze..."
Outside of her naval base, Tirpitz is referred by her name as an admiral- admiral Suveran Schwarze. It's used by people who doesn't know her real identity.
"How are you doing, rear admiral"
"I-I'm fine. The doctors said my injuries are almost healed. They said said it was unusual for my deep wounds to heal so fast he he he" The rear admiral scratched her cheek
"I see. It's good that you're recovering...after that"
Admiral Schwarze removed her cap and smiled towards the recovering patient.
"Rear admiral, if it's okay, may I ask about the incident the three days ago?"
"Yeah. Sure..." The woman nodded
Admiral Schwarze grabbed a nearby chair and grabbed it, sitting near the patient.
"Rear admiral Rikawa, what exactly happened at Saiki bay anchorage?"
"A monster..." The rear admiral lowered her head
"A monster?"
"It was an Abyssal. A Princess one at that!"
Rear admiral Rikawa clenched her fists, her eyes filled with horror and anger. Even if admiral Schwarze noticed this, the latter remained stoic.
"Is this the one?" Admiral Schwarze showed her a picture
"..." The rear admiral nodded
"This was taken by a the light carrier Ryuujou, one of the Sasebo girls that responded to the distress call"
In the photo is Fast battleship Princess, the Abyssal form of the admiral's twelve year dead friend...Scharnhorst.
"Fast battleship Princess. She...attacked the anchorage..."
The rear admiral shook, remembering the terror she learned that day. She couldn't forget how Fast battleship Princess destroyed the coastal defenses like it was made out of paper.
"Hu...mans..." The Abyssal groaned
Rear admiral Rikawa remembered how Fast battleship Princess bombarded the anchorage killing several men. With her own eyes, she saw the Abyssal walk on land.
"No...way...No way...an Abyssal..." She couldn't move, frozen by fear
An Abyssal, worse...a Princess class at that. Her glowing red eyes leered at the terrified rear admiral. Emotionless eyes looking down at the human...
"Your fault...argh...their fault..." Fast battleship Princess growled
"..." Rear admiral Rikawa couldn't say anything, suffocated by fear
"..."
Fast battleship Princess saw the terrified woman wearing a white naval uniform.
"That uniform..."
"...?!"
"Where is-"
As Fast battleship Princess stretched out her hand. Just as the tip of her fingers touched the rear admiral's cheek, she backed away as if she felt something.
"You...! What-"
Her words are cut off again when the Abyssal turned around. Carrier borne aircrafts flew on the sky. Realizing it belongs to ship girls, the Abyssal fled from the anchorage.
"It's like she's looking for something...or someone. She kept asking 'where', but I don't know"
"..."
"It was the first time I ever saw a Princess up close. It was...horrifying. Those human looking Abyssals...their power is far beyond normal Abyssals"
Admiral Schwarze saw horror in the young woman's eyes. Those eyes...they reminded her of how she felt when she first saw an Abyssal.
(Mom...dad...) She thought about the traumatic event of her childhood
The admiral isn't surprised why the admiral looks traumatized after seeing an Abyssal up close. Most people felt the same. The admiral knows since she saw many people break down.
"Admiral, if those admirals reach mainland, then we're all done for!"
Still shaken by fear, rear admiral Rikawa grabbed admiral Schwarze's hand. The moment rear admiral Rikawa touched the admiral's hand, it felt like she saw something inside the admiral's consciousness.
"...?!"
The rear admiral found herself standing in an inner world. The sky is and the water she's standing on are bathed in crimson and her surroundings are eternally dark. She's also surrounded by the silhouettes of eternally falling warships wrecks and debris.
"W-what...is that?!"
Wrapped and bound by chains a white figure with medium length wearing white and black uniform that partially resembles Tirpitz's uniform is in a fetal position and obviously in a deep slumber.
"Admiral Schwarze?"
Even if the being is deeply asleep beneath the surface of the water, she recognized the white being to closely resemble the admiral.
"Is that...the admiral?"
The pale figure is actually "the beast" peacefully and deeply asleep, but the rear admiral doesn't know that. All she knows is that there's a pale human like being there that closely resembles the admiral...
"She looks like the admiral..."
As her hand slowly reached out to the dormant Abyssal, she caught a brief glimpse of its thoughts. As she is about to call out its name, she felt a powerful force pulling her away.
"W-what the-!"
She doesn't know what it is, but something forced her out of the consciousness that isn't hers, like she's an unwelcome visitor being kicked out of some sort.
"Aaah!" She stood up
(That was strange...) Admiral Schwarze squeezed her hands
Still, she felt something...familiar the moment the rear admiral touched her. It's close to feeling a jolt of electricity. What she doesn't understand is why her instinct sensed danger.
"A...b-beast...?!"
"...?!"
"I-I'm sorry, admiral. I don't know why I said that. I'm also sorry for acting inappropriately!"
The rear admiral apologized while the admiral herself is a bit confused. She doesn't know what the rear admiral is apologizing for.
"It's just that I felt like you're someone else. It sounds stupid...but I saw a white monster that kind of looks like you"
"..." Admiral Schwarze lowered her head
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. Please forget what I said, admiral!"
"Don't worry. It seems you're still shocked after what happened. I'll speak to you again when you recover"
The admiral faked a smile and reassured her, something rear admiral Rikawa noticed.
"Now then. I'll be taking my leave. Get a good rest"
"Y-yes"
Admiral Schwarze then left the room. She then looked at her left hand, the hand the rear admiral touched and grabbed.
(Rear admiral Rikawa Isomi. That person...there's something unusual about her)
She suspected about rear admiral Rikawa, but doesn't seem to be very concerned about it. Sighing, she took her leave, still baffled about what happened earlier.
Maizuru naval district...
Still thinking about what happened at the hospital earlier, Tirpitz returned to her base thinking she needed time to relax.
"The past few days have been stressful for me"
Peace and quiet is the first thing on Tirpitz's mind. The naval base is lively as usual which is a relief for her. Back in her early days, when she would leave for a business trip, she would sometimes come back only to find the base in chaos.
"Same as ever..."
As Tirpitz is walking, she spots the submarine girls trying to pull I-58 away from the pole she is clinging into.
"I don't want to Orel anymore, dechi"
"Iku, Hachi, and Imuya are on a sortie. So it's our turn to Orel" I-400 reminded I-58
Even the combined effort of the I-400, I-401, I-13, and I-14 has a hard time pulling a persistent I-58. Laughing, Tirpitz let the submarine girls handle it while she heads for the office.
"...?"
In the wharf, Tirpitz finds Warspite sitting by and blankly gazing at the sky. Her long blonde hair, being gently blown by the passing breeze.
"Warspite..." She approached her
"Admiral?"
The Grand old Lady is occupied in her thoughts she didn't notice Tirpitz approaching her until she called out her name. Just by looking at Warspite, Tirpitz noticed a speck of sadness, something she sometimes sees in Warspite.
"How was your visit?" Warspite asked
"Unusual"
"Unusual? Why?"
"It's hard to explain..."
The thing Tirpitz views unusual in her visit is when the rear admiral touched her and she felt something...familiar. Yet this feeling can't be simply described by words alone. It's impossible to verbally describe the feeling of something 'invading' her thoughts.
"Admiral, may I ask you something?"
"Hmm?"
"Ever since the encounter with Dreadnought Princess, you've been acting a bit...different"
"Different?" Tirpitz doesn't know what Warspite means
"For the past few days...you've been quiet and distant. You're suppressing something, aren't you?"
When Warspite asked, Tirpitz looked away, refusing to answer that. Because of this, Warspite touched her cheeks and slowly make her face her and looked at her right in the eyes.
"This is just like your past self, admiral. What is it you're keeping inside your heart?"
"...bitter feelings"
Tirpitz honestly answered, knowing Warspite won't let her lie. Besides, the veteran battleship's eyes are urging her to speak honestly. Persuasion is something Warspite excels at.
"When I faced Dreadnought Princess, I felt...scared. I was scared to sink and become that monster again. I was scared to hurt my sister, the girls here...and innocent people...again"
"There's more to it, isn't it?"
"That Abyssal taunted me...the truth. It made me hate myself all over again"
Tirpitz clenched her fists, but Warspite calmed her down by putting her hands on top of Tirpitz's hands.
"It reminded me how everyone in the navy viewed me. They wanted me to be at the same level as my older sister...to be as strong as her, but I'm not like her. I could never be like her..."
"..."
"I feel bitter about it. Those people kept toying with my emotions...molding these bitter feelings inside me. It does hurt me to be living in the shadow of my older sister who is better than me"
Tirpitz could never forget how back in the Kriegsmarine, Bismarck is always viewed and respected with high regard. It's because of it, Tirpitz is always pressured with everyone's expectations. She also developed insecurity because of the people around her.
"To think I would feel insecure because of my sister. It's stupid isn't it?"
"..."
"Everyone would always compare me to her, but I don't pay attention to them. I don't want to hate my sister so I had to suppress my emotions most the time. Right before I knew it...I became cold and distant to others"
Warspite can understand how Tirpitz feels. Since Bismarck is the pride of the Kriegsmarine, there are people who expects the younger sister to be just like the older sister.
"I was able to somewhat overcome it because of Scharnhorst. She taught me how I should try being myself and not be like others. She taught me...I don't have anything to prove to anyone...because I should be proud of who I am"
Another unforgettable memory is back when Scharnhorst is Tirpitz's unusual source for guidance. She was a reliable friend to Tirpitz and a caring older sister to Gneisnau.
"...but now she's gone...and I'm still here. Her sinking made me blame myself for what happened. It made me think...what good of a ship girl am I if I can't even protect my best friend?"
"It's not your fault" Warspite reminded her
"I know that, but that dreadful battle still haunts me"
The dreadful battle Tirpitz is referring to was the battle of North cape in which a mistake caused the sinking of a dear friend of hers.
"Scharnhorst is out there...as an Abyssal. That's why...I'll save her...this time"
"Admiral..."
"Warspite, I don't want to lose anyone important to me anymore. I just can't best losing anyone...anymore"
Filled with emotions, Tirpitz embraced Warspite so she would cry. Even though Warspite feels a bit awkward, she comforts her.
"There, there. We all don't want to lose someone precious to us. I lost Valiant, I won't lost another"
"..."
"Your friend is right, you know. You don't have anything to prove because after the challenges you overcame...you grew into a wonderful person...kind of like Bismarck"
Warspite further comforted Tirpitz who isn't good with handling sadness, but have more control compared to Bismarck.
"Warspite, I-"
Tirpitz stopped when she heard a clicking sound. The two turned to look and saw a nervous Aoba who had just took a picture of them.
"Hehehe...sorry to ruin your moment?"
"..."
It's definitely obvious Aoba took a stolen shot for her 'story' as it's the heavy cruiser's habit.
"I'm not trying to get a scoop or anything if that's what your thinking, admiral. So I'll be on my way-"
"Aaaooobaaaa!"
Tirpitz stood up and glared at Aoba, seething with anger. Aoba ran as fast as she could with a furious German battleship pursuing her.
"Come back here, Aoba! I'l have you eat my main guns and torpedoes!"
"Eeeek!"
Aoba pushed her legs to the limit and tried to outran her furious admiral. The two swiftly ran past shipgirls such as the Sendai class and CarDiv 02.
EXTRA
In one of the four main naval base of the Japanese navy, a young woman in her early twenties is seen highly focused on the papers scattered on his desk. A familiar figure then entered the office.
"..."
"Admiral..."
The shipgirl Aquila looks worried for her admiral who's been silently staring at the files and picture for ten minutes now.
"I am so going to die ahahaha"
"...?" Aquila is confused
"No one can know about this. If Suveran finds out about this, I'm sure she'd be upset...no, really angry"
The pictures the admiral is looking at are pictures of both admiral Suveran Schwarze and her past pictures as Tirpitz.
"Where did these pictures come from, admiral?"
Aquila held two different pictures, one is from the present and one is from the past. One picture shows "the admiral side" and the other one shows "the shipgirl side".
"It came along with a...present. An anonymous person delivered and just left it this morning...along with a head of some dead foreigner"
"...?!"
"The sick bastard even sent pictures" The admiral showed a few pictures of how the man was slowly killed
While Aquila is shocked, her admiral only looks disturbed and unsettled, the mere thought remember seeing the head of a dead man delivered to her is really...disturbing. Not to mention about the pictures of his gruesome death.
"I had Sealion dispose of the head somewhere"
The female admiral shuddered while Aquila covered her mouth with her hands.
"According to the note attached to the package, that dead guy dug information about Suveran...but this mystery person killed him and stole the information"
"And sent it to you?" Aquila is confused
It's hard to believe, but she knows her admiral isn't lying. The admiral then handed the note that was attached to the horrible package to Aquila for her to read.
I would have sent it to "the other guy", but wolfpacks are hard to shake off so I'm sending it to you, another admiral.
The unfortunate guy who died a horrible death found something he shouldn't have found in the first place.
I can't afford for that admiral's secret to be known to them. It would ruin what I had planned and worked for.
This information is very sensitive, especially to that admiral, so I suggest you don't do something stupid by revealing them.
If you do happen to reveal them, you would suffer the same fate as that worthless Union agent.
I suggest you let "her" know someone out there is after her. It won't be long before the truth is unveiled.
Well I would do it myself, but I have other things to take care off...and I can't have them finding out a traitor like me.
Aquila returned the note, still confused. The sender's motives makes both of them questioned what would come out of this.
"I don't know what this person wants and why he or she sent it to me, but we can't let this be known by anyone"
The admiral referred to the documents detailing the reason behind the pictures. The pictures of both the ship girl "Tirpitz" and Maizuru naval district's admiral.
"Suveran will be in big trouble if anyone, specially in the navy finds out about this. And I don't want that to happen" The admiral begins to sweat
"That person is out there, playing us in a game...probably" Aquila gulped
"..."
"You don't look worried at all, admiral"
"Of course I'm worried. The head of a dead guy and these pictures successfully scarred me for life"
The admiral dryly laughed, barely hiding how she found such things a bit disturbing, but it didn't inflicted much terror in her compared to how most people would feel. She couldn't get the image of the severed head with a terrified face, refusing to imagine his horrible death...which will still scar her for life.
"What are you going to do, admiral?"
"What else? Have her know that someone out there wants to know who she really is"
The admiral returned the pictures and papers inside the envelope and hid it inside one of her desk's drawers.