Author: I'm still busy. I won't have much free time until mid-September since my current situation is stressful since there is something I really need to take care of first. It makes me wonder if I would be able to participate in the Early Fall event.
I will replace Chapter 08's EXTRA when I have spare time.
There's a reason why you aren't dead yet...
Floating. Drifting. And so forth. For almost a week, Tirpitz stayed in the hospital, in order to recover from the gunshot wounds she suffered. She is both thankful and fortunate Nagato had kept the base in order during her absence.
"Admiral..."
Nagato enters and finds her admiral longingly look at what seems to be an album of old pictures. She didn't see it much as Tirpitz closed it before Nagato could clarify.
"It looked like you did handle the base very well while I was gone" She looks up to speak to Nagato
Tirpitz returned to duty as soon as she got discharged from the hospital. She had just returned and felt like she's been away for a couple of weeks.
"It's only been a few days. Besides I'm used to this kind of things, remember?"
"Me being sent to the hospital?" Tirpitz jokingly asks
"You being away from the base for days"
Tirpitz laughed and Nagato noticed how her admiral isn't bothered by what happened to her.
"I'm surprised you're laughing even if you got shot a few times. You even lost a lot of blood and almost died"
"Well I suppose it's terrifying in a way. I was thankful I didn't die...or history would have repeated..."
She admitted she feared dying, but there are things she is more afraid of.
(At that time. Was it just my dream?)
Tirpitz recollects what she believes to be an odd dream when she was rushed to the hospital. As she lays motionless and barely alive while the doctors around her desperately stop her from dying, her consciousness wakes up in a closed world.
"It's you..."
She comes face to face with her Abyssal self, who stood there emotionlessly gazing at a confused Tirpitz.
We're back here again, but this isn't the right time, Tirpitz...
"I'm back here again..."
You won't die here. I know...because I am you and vice versa
"What?"
Doing something as reckless as confronting...that abomination. Really now...
The beast didn't laugh or joked about it. Rather she looked up to the crimson sky for a moment before switching her attention back to Tirpitz.
You're not going to die here...yet...
"That's...comforting, I suppose?"
There's something I wish to tell you...but it seems it's time for you to wake up, ja?
Tirpitz sighs, upset how she never got to know what her Abyssal self wishes to tell her before she regained consciousness. The beast knows more truth about the war than Tirpitz herself and everything she says has a significant meaning.
"Admiral?" Nagato waves her hand in front of the admiral's face
"Ah. Sorry. I was thinking about a dream I had"
"No time to be daydreaming, admiral. There's work to do"
Nagato places a folder thickened with paperworks in front of the admiral. She insisted on returning to duty so she isn't surprised at the paperwork that awaited her.
"Nagato..."
"Yes?"
"About the battle at Genki sea the other day..."
Tirpitz's voice turned solemn, deepening the atmosphere around them. It didn't needed an explanation to know why Tirpitz mentioned in.
"You fought against Battleship Water Demon and Dreadnought Princess. Knowing how powerful those two are, your fleet managed to return without casualty"
"I'm sure you're already aware it was because Fast battleship Princess intervened, admiral"
"It will be a problem if they knew an Abyssal helped you. Not to mention, you let said Abyssal escaped"
Tirpitz reads a copy of the report Nagato submitted to the Japanese navy headquarters.
"We were overwhelmed by the sheer firepower of Battleship Water Demon and Dreadnought Princess" Nagato recalls the battle
"Last time I saw them together, they tried to kill each other" Tirpitz referred to the last time she 'went out'
"One of them was already bad enough, both of them made it worse"
"At the very least, casualties were prevented when Fast battleship Princess intervened. I suppose we can call it sheer coincidence"
Tirpitz exhales deeply, still reading the copy of Nagato's report.
"Right now, I need to focus on the next mission. A raid on the enemy anchorage. I just hopes we could get more useful information"
While Tirpitz talks about the next battle which she knows is important, Nagato clenches her fists, mustering courage to speak something personal with her admiral.
"Admiral"
"Hmm?"
"...Ah. I forgot what I was about to say"
Instead of asking about Tirpitz's about Fast battleship Princess, she decided not to continue and made up an excuse instead.
Meanwhile...
Gangut and Tashkent sits by the wharf, enjoying the peaceful afternoon with no worries for the day.
"It looks like the KGB's attention had shifted to America. Good thing they changed their priorities so they won't be going to try anything drastic here in Japan"
Tashkent laughs while Gangut continues to smoke her pipe, showing little interest in the topic.
"You've been found out you're traitor. How do you know that? Also why they aren't going after you when you stole and leak information"
Gangut is curious to how Tashkent is aware of the KGB's current acitivites when she severed her connection to the organization.
"A certain comrade of mine who knows I'm a double agent to begin with informed me"
"This time is America. Those bastards will kill anyone who stands in their way"
"While I don't know exactly what's going on in USA right now, let's just say the two super countries aren't on friendly terms right now"
"Conflicting interests between Russia and America aren't our concern. Unless it involves Abyssals..."
"Look at this way, the KGB are out of hair now since a bigger obstacle emerged. Still I'm not dropping my guard since Arkhangelsk is still here"
When Tashkent mentions Arkhangelsk, Gangut reacted, but Tashkent already expected she would.
"Arkhangelsk is obviously not above killing. She has her own intentions and only works for the KGB to fulfill her endgame"
"Huh?" Gangut is confused
"It means she's up to something. That's why she deliberately didn't kill me or the admiral"
"Do you think it's a part of her plan?"
"I can't say for certain. That's why we have to assume for the worst, comrade Gangut..."
Gangut swallows her breath, feeling her heart racing. It's almost like she can hear her own every heartbeat.
"By the way, while I think it was necessary, I'm still worried about Bismarck"
"Bismarck? Why?"
"The admiral needed blood transfusion when she was hospitalized, right?"
"Yeah?" Gangut raises an eyebrow
"What if someone discovers the admiral and Bismarck are biologically related, to be specific - sisters"
Gangut scratches her head, unable to understand why Tashkent would speculate such thing.
"More importantly, what if someone discovers she is Tirpitz, a Kriegsmarine shipgirl who supposedly sunk at Norway eleven years ago"
"..."
"Comrade Gangut, I fear it would endanger the admiral. She'd probably be accused of abandoning her duties as shipgirl and using a false identity"
"If that happens..." Gangut clenches her fist
"They'll execute her for those things. The Beast will sure burn down everything and kill everyone, even us"
Tashkent laughed for some reason even if what she said is highly confer ing so Gangut smack her on the back of her head.
"I was just saying. It's not like I want the admiral to be arrested and possibly sentenced to death"
Tashkent pouts as she gently rubs the back of her head where Gangut hit her.
Office...
While drinking her usual afternoon tea, Warspite listens to what Tirpitz has to say.
"I don't understand what she's up to, but Arkhangelsk proved she's not completely lying"
Warspite stopped drinking tea and reads the papers Tirpitz is flipping through.
"So you believe someone from the Kriegsmarine is a traitor?"
"I suspect...for now. Still...there are many possibilities"
Tirpitz places several pictures on top of the desk in a lined up pattern. Each of the men in the picture are wearing navy uniforms.
"I hate to admit it, but my old admiral is one of the primary suspect"
Tirpitz picks up the picture of a man in his mid thirties, referring his identity.
"Your old admiral? Why?" Warspite stands beside Tirpitz
"He was the one who issued the order to have Scharnhorst and I continue the operation despite the bad weather. Not to mention, He went AWOL after my sinking"
Tirpitz's expression grew darker, losing her usual calm and relaxed composure.
"He abandoned his duties and disappeared without a trace. Most probably, he went hiding"
"So you want to find your old admiral?"
"If he's still alive that is..."
Warspite places her hand on top of Tirpitz's shoulders, clearly concerned at her emotional state. She's worried Tirpitz's personal emotions and desire for revenge will impair her ability to make rational decisions.
"It's alright, Warspite. This won't get bloody in future...unless it's necessary"
"There's thin line between justice and revenge. I do hope you don't forget that"
"I know revenge too well. It's terrifying when it consumes you. It slowly strips you of sanity until it will tear you apart...until there's nothing left"
Tirpitz closes her eyes, refreshing the feelings she possessed when she was an Abyssal. There were no warm emotions, only chaotic and burning ones. She could never forget how it made her feel that it was humanity's fault for her fate and suffering, so she desired revenge.
"A mind is terrible thing to lose..."
A bit slightly surprised, Warspite briefly reacted when Tirpitz places her hand on top of hers.
The next day...
Of course before starting her daily work, Tirpitz never forgets to eat breakfast. Today, Commandant Teste had prepared breakfast for her. She asked the seaplane tender to join her for breakfast. A bit shy, she agreed to the request.
"It seems a lot of things are bothering you, amiral"
"What makes you think of that?"
"It's easy to notice when your mood changes. Even if you don't express much emotions"
Tirpitz takes a bite, looking away from Commandant Teste. She knows the admiral doesn't want anyone to notice her feelings.
"So what is it? What is clouding your thoughts lately, ma amiral?"
"...It's about an old friend of mine. She...died a long time ago" Tirpitz reluctantly replied
Commandant Teste knew who Tirpitz is referring to even if she doesn't specify who it is. Another thing is that Commandant Teste is keeping her "awareness" a secret from the admiral herself.
"I feel guilty for what happened to her. She was my friend, but there was nothing I can do to save her"
"..."
"I want to know the truth to why she died. She didn't deserve to die, Teste"
Again, Tirpitz didn't speak much details about Scharnhorst and briefly summarized her thoughts.
"Life is something we treasure the most, but sometimes it's unrightfully taken from us. It pains me, you know" Commandant Teste grabbed Tirpitz's hand
"Teste..."
"We do what it takes to treasure and make the most of our lives because we can die like everyone else. Because we're still humans..."
Tirpitz felt as if Commandant Teste is speaking with her outmost feelings, digging from personal thoughts and feelings.
"My friend, Scharnhorst, I think she was satisfied with her life even at the moment of her death"
Tirpitz recalled the memory when Scharnhorst forced her to leave, she smiled at her and even gave a thumbs up.
No regrets...
That was Scharnhorst's final words to Tirpitz as she faces her inevitable death. Scharnhorst stood on her last moments, knowing she carried no regrets up until to the end.
"Not just Scharnhorst, but Yuki too - those two faced death with a satisfied smile on their faces"
"Even if they had already died, they left this world with no regrets, right?"
"Ja..."
"Then ma amiral shouldn't burden herself with regrets in this world. Even if your friends died with no regrets, that means you have to live with no regrets. I'm sure that's what they died so they were able to smile at their last moments"
Commandant Teste's words gave comfort to the admiral, carving a smile on her lips. It soothed her pain, learning a piece of advice from one of her shipgirls.
"Danke...for always giving me a reason to smile"
"Ma amiral..."
"...even after you rejected my proposal a few months ago"
The sweet moment turned somewhat awkward when Tirpitz mentioned something about a "rejection". This made Commandant Teste somewhat blush.
The next day...
A torpedo squadron lead by Sendai goes ahead of the main fleet to scout the enemies.
"It would be nice if we sortied at night instead. Because that's where I truly shine"
"Says the idiot who got heavily damaged at the last night battle" Kasumi reminded Sendai
"We were forced to retreat because you went head on and got yourself wrecked by a Ru class" Michishio added
The words of the two "tsunderes" struck deeply at Sendai, feeling ashamed of how the last night battle mission failed because of her excitement.
"Our flagship Sendai-san may be a night battle idiot who doesn't know what being careful means, but she's still one of ships most skilled in night battle. It just happens Sendai-san acted foolishly the other night"
Asashio didn't help either as if also hurt Sendai's "pride" as a shipgirl who dominates over night battle.
"You destroyers are just mean..."
Just as Sendai wallows in shame, her radars detected the presence of enemy ships.
"Alright, everyone! Prepare for surface battle!"
A few kilometers ahead of them, an enemy fleet patrolling around the Abyssal anchorage detected them.
"We've been spotted already, huh. It can't be helped"
While early detection had already been expected, Sendai hoped for a battle with little to no trouble. The two fleets intercepted each other near the boundary of the Abyssal territory.
"Fire!"
Sendai's torpedo squadron engaged the Abyssal torpedo squadron.
"First objective accomplished. Time to radio the main fleet!"
Sendai radios the main fleet to which the flagship nodded after receiving the message from the scouting fleet.
"Eat these torpedoes, Abyssal!"
Sendai slides to the side, launching torpedoes and successfully sinks a damaged Ho class light cruiser.
"...?!"
Sendai isn't able react in time as shells went flying towards her at high speed. She managed to barely dodge all of it due to the wide dispersion shot from a long range.
"What a nuisance. All of you...are nuisances!" Dreadnought Princess screams
Her monstrous "familiar" lets out a loud roar, almost deafening to everyone.
"Grr! Why do they to come now! Of all times..."
Dreadnought Princess is in no full condition to fight as she currently suffers from a headache. She can't fully concentrate in the battle with her current mental state.
Are you...alright...?
A vision of someone reaching out her hand clouded her thoughts. She couldn't make clear of the identity of the unknown person.
The truth is...I'm afraid to be attached to other people...
She shakes her head and regains control of her senses. She snaps out of the distraction and aims her main guns at the the Kagerou class destroyers Kagerou and Shiranui.
"Sink - What?"
She evades at the last seconds when several shells rained down on her. Due to her lack of focus, the shells are able to pierce right through her barrier.
"To think she would make a territory in this area. Ah what a bother" Bismarck smirked
"You're smiling as if you have already won. Don't get too confident...sis" Tirpitz felt the opposite way
Tirpitz turns out to be the one leading the main fleet. Seeing the two Bismarck class battleships, Dreadnought Princess felt a wide range of emotions.
"I've been waiting to face you again, Tirpitz! This time you will not escape me!"
A chaotic battle begun when shipgirls and Abyssals exchanged with one another, creating splashes and explosions everywhere.
"Kuhahahaha! Sink, sink, sink!"
Dreadnought Princess sets her sight on Tirpitz alone and no one else. It's almost like she's obsessed to sink her no matter what.
"You really want to sink me that badly, huh. Just because you weren't able to sink me back in Norway"
"It annoys me when a prey of mine escapes just like that. I don't let any of my prey escape...ever!"
(Talk about being dead set. Reminds me of someone...)
Tirpitz continues to dodge the shells as she always did. The fight had just started yet she notices how Dreadnought Princess performance is different from before.
(She's not fully concentrated. Her mind is not in full condition for an all out battle)
She takes this opportunity to score direct hits against Dreadnought Princess who's senses have weakened due to her confused mental and emotional state.
"Damn you!"
"No! Damn you!" Bismarck fires at her
Dreadnought Princess deflects the shell and just seeing how the two Bismarck class battleships takes her on directly fuels her rage.
"I will sink both of you! Mark my words!"
Despite how she shows her anger towards her enemies, the more she looks at Tirpitz, the more her emotions forces itself to sway on a different direction.
(Why? Why do I feel this way?!)
It started ever since Tirpitz managed to escape from her more than a week ago. Just trying to think about her...surfaces emotions she had long forgotten. It's because of that encounter she started having visions and dreams she could not make sense of.
"It's because of you...It's because of you I can't think straight!"
"What did you do to her?" Bismarck asked Tirpitz
"How the hell should I know?" Tirpitz grunted
It's rare for Tirpitz to see an Abyssal be filled with such intense emotions. That's when she thought the reason why Dreadnought Princess can't fight at full power now is because her emotional state had grown unstable.
"Ggh! Why now?!"
Both of them fight off the Abyssal forces shooting at them while Dreadnought Princess could barely focus on the battle. She gritted her teeth, seeing how her current condition is disabling her from engaging the two German battleships.
"My head hurts. Tirpitz...Tirpitz..." Dreandought Princess' voice changed
"...?" This made Tirpitz pause for a moment
"Tirpitz...it's me..."
"That voice..."
Tirpitz sensed Dreadnought Princess' change of voice belonged to someone she used to know. The way she speak and her exact voice...it's undeniably familiar.
"Argh! I hate this!"
Realizing she won't be to fight in her current condition if this continues, Dreadnought Princess retreats again, but for a different reason.
"Come back here, damn it!" Maya fumes with anger
The fleet couldn't pursue after Dreadnought Princess as the Abyssal fleet blocked them, keeping them locked in the battle, allowing the enemy flagship to escape.
"That voice..."
Tirpitz ignores her wounds and thought about how familiar Dreadnought Princess' voice is. On the other hand, Bismarck just observes Tirpitz staring at the direction the Abyssal had escaped.
"Admiral, shall we still pursue" Choukai called out the admiral's attention
"Negative. The enemy flagship have already escaped so advancing is impossible. All ships, return to the base"
Tirpitz issued the order in her usual serious tone, but still...she couldn't stop thinking about Dreadnought Princess
"Are you okay?" Bismarck tapped her shoulder
"Ja. Es geht mir gut"
She nods, setting aside her worries for now. Bismarck takes a deep breath, knowing Tirpitz isn't fine.
(Her voice. I feel like I heard it before)
Tirpitz takes a deep sigh as she takes the lead while heading back to the naval base. Bismarck continues to observe her, but doesn't ask her about it.
EXTRA
With no one else around inside the bar, Gangut emptily stares at her glass with much ice and little vodka left. She doesn't let out a word as she just slowly spins her glass, with the sound of the ice clinking filling the mood with sound. Just then, Montana enters the bar and sits beside Gangut.
"Just a Manhattan"
She orders one from the bar's current bartender, Nowaki. The destroyer nodded and after a minute or so, she places the alcohol just as ordered.
"You're that Montana" Gangut takes a sip
Gangut ordered a refill with a gesture and looks at Montana with little interest for a conversation.
"I heard what happened with Tirpitz. I also heard it was done by one of your own. A battleship called Arkhangelsk:
"That monster is not one of our own"
Gangut clenches the vodka glass, but showed restrained in order not to crack and break it.
"This person, Arkhangelsk, was the one who almost killed her, right?" Montana's voice deepened a bit
"She shot Tirpitz a few times and left her to die. I'm just thankful I was able to rush her to the hospital in time"
"Then do you know where she is and what she's planning?"
The Russian battleship refused to respond as she takes a sip from her newly refilled glass.
"Tell me what you know, Gangut..."
"Why?"
"...Because I'm going after her"
Hearing Montana's response, Gangut expressed a bit of surprise as she puts down her glass. She turned her body to face Montana and looked at her right in the eyes and saw how she's dead serious about it.
"I can't let you go after Arkhangelsk" Gangut shook her head
"Why?" Montana is slightly surprised
"It's because I'm the one who's going after that monster!"
Gangut hits the counter while Nowaki discreetly listens and observes their conversation while she thoroughly wipes each glass.
"I'm not going to let Arkhangelsk run freely after what she did. If she thinks she can mess with anyone and get away with it...she's dead wrong"
"You're not the only who thinks that way, Gangut. Tirpitz is a good friend of mine. I'm not just going to just sit here and let that shipgirl go unpunished"
Montana showed how she has a personal vendetta against Arkhangelsk ever since learning about the incident.
" If you're going after then so am I! That's why you have to tell me what you know, Gangut"
"You Americans are so persistent"
The situation grew quiet. Gangut stopped midway before taking another sip, putting down the partially filled glass. She leaned her chin on her hand, taking yet another deep sigh.
In an unknown location...
Soft and gentle blew passed the surrounding area wrecked by a fierce fight. Splattered blood mixed the cracked and partially destroyer surroundings, making the scene into a brutal form of art.
"I have to admit, I underestimated you. Who could have known a weak aircraft carrier possesses this much strength"
Arkhangelsk laughs, completely ignoring on how her abdomen and left forearm had been impaled through, pinning her on the wall. She made little struggle in pulling out the metal twisting her flesh with every move.
"I can already see through you, Arkhangelsk. It's time to dropped that facade"
The aircraft carrier Aquila steps forwards, closing her distance with the impaled Arkhangelsk. She felt no emotion even if blood slowly spills out of the battleship's torn abdomen and the blood on the side of her lips.
"Huh. So you saw through me. I suppose I have to say you impress me"
Arkhangelsk dropped her insane facade and faintly smiled, revealing her true nature to the shipgirl who caught her off guard. She further reveals her composed yet sinister side which she had to conceal most of the time.
"This whole time you were faking it. Even the KGB" Aquila wants to confirm
"Yeah. I had to work for the KGB since I still have use for them. Of course I had to play the role of an insane killer so they won't find my actions suspicious" Arkhangelsk confirms it
"I want to clarify one thing. Why didn't you kill Maizuru's admiral? I know you deliberately missed her heart so she wouldn't die"
Aquila became more serious, but Arkhangelsk pays no mind to it. In fact she likes shipgirls with sharp glares in their eyes.
"I have no reason to tell you, but I can tell you I have my personal goals. It's the reason why I had to make everyone believe I'm just a psychotic killer"
"..."
"The KGB is occupied with the CIA hot on their tracks. I suppose I'm thankful I can do anything without the KGB keeping an eye on me"
Arkhangelsk's hand tightly clutches the metallic rod keeping her impaled. To Aquila's surprise, Arkhangelsk pulls out the metal both from her arm and abdomen.
"You're quite smart; That I have to admit. You know what I have become so you didn't hesitate to impale me that could have instantly killed anyone"
Arkhangelsk wipes off the blood from her mouth and let her wounds regenerate right before Aquila's eyes. Faint smoke created a steaming sound as the open wound heals and repaired the damaged flesh as if she was never injured.
"...?!"
With a swift motion, Arkhangelsk charges at the speed that far surpasses human limitation and slammed Aquila against the wall, grabbing her by the throat
"You know I'm not a shipgirl when you read through my records. You're a curious one. While I have taken an interest in you, I just't can't let you off that easily"
Arkhangelsk lifts Aquila inches off the ground, showing her superior strength. As the clouds reveals the moon, the light faintly shines and reveals Arkhangelsk's glowing red eyes.
"You...kkh...won't succeed that easily. Sooner or later...there will be someone...that will go after you..." Aquila couldn't properly breathe
"..."
"You can try all you want...but only destruction awaits you...!"
"That's fine..."
Arkhangelsk responds to Aquila, summarizing it in a few words on how she's ready to face the consequences and doesn't care what will happen to her.
"I sincerely apologize for what I'm going to do to you. I take no pleasure in this. I truly don't"
"Y-you...!"
"Nothing personal. Really..."
In a matter of seconds, everything went silent as the winds howls in this hour. Arkhangelsk loosens her grip, letting Aquila motionlessly lie on the ground. She expresses little emotion while looking down at the unconscious aircraft carrier.
"I know my actions doesn't justify anything...but I still hope you can forgive me one day..."
She turns away from Aquila and brings out the necklace concealed in her jacket and seemingly spoke to it, as if a representation of someone. She then walks away, knowing to herself she takes no pleasure in the things she had done...but views it as a necessity.
...Warspite