Author: Due to my mistake, I uploaded the chapter a bit earlier. Well, there's no undoing this mistake. "Her fate" is still unpolished so it will be majorly changed, but the outcome will remain the same.
Anyhow, Chapter 21 (the epilpgue) will be as long as a normal chapter rather than the usual short one. It will take place two months after this chapter and will foreshadow what the last story will be about.
I don't know if I should make the last part if my schedule allows it. What do you guys think? Is a third and last story necessary? Or I'll just leave the not-so-true ending as it is?
P.S.
I'm also thinking of an "alternate take" on the story of 'Battlefield Angel' and 'Memories of the North'. I'm thinking of making a rework, with changes in the story, but the characters are still the same.
This time...my goodbye is forever...
Right after breakfast, Tirpitz enjoyed the sight of the shipgirls running around the naval base. She watch various shipgirls doing their everyday routines free of worries.
"Tirpitz...you once said I'm not alone because we have each other..."
Northern Beast Princess, as Tirpitz, folded the uniform that once belonged to her shipgirl self. Before putting in the cap inside the box along with the uniform, she dusted it off first. "Tirpitz" reminded herself of the time when she made peace with her shipgirl self. All she wanted is to destroy humanity, blaming them for her fate, but it was the shipgirl Tirpitz who reminded her how she will never be alone as long as they're together.
"With you gone...I truly am alone now..."
THe beast thought she's incapable of crying, a human's response to heart aching sadness. She couldn't stop the tears from bursting and streaming down her cheeks.
"You didn't deserve to disappear. You didn't deserve...to be gone..."
It hurts her whenever she would remember the last time she ever saw her shipgirl self. As her shipgirl self slowly faded into particles of light, she embraced her until she could no longer feel her warmth and hear her voice.
"I want to hate this world...but you wouldn't want me to do that..."
She felt the same hatred she once felt for humanity, but her hatred is held back upon reminding herself how her shipgirl self wouldn't want her to feel like that. She possessed her other half's memories, but not her emotions.
"I'm tired of this war. The old you, the real Tirpitz was tired as well"
At the very beginning, Tirpitz's real self is way different than her current self. She can be described as someone whose heart is closed and is emotionally detached to anyone, even to her own sister.
"I'm tired of this pointless fighting. It has gone too long after all..."
She left the room and strolled by the corridor only to be greeted by Kongou who pounced on her.
"Admiral, I'm back from the sortie! I even got MVP!"
"Good work, Kongou. You're always doing your best" She gave her a head pat
"Of course! I had to be number one in admiral's heart so I'm always doing my best!"
Kongou snuggled on her admiral, treating her like a prized teddy bear. Hiei felt rather jealous that Kongou just physically show how she loves her admiral while Haruna is supportive in her oldest sister's "Burning Love".
"Kongou-neesama, we have to resupply and have our equipment repaired first" Kirishima got in between the moment
"You're such a mood killer, Kirishima" Kongou pouted
"Haruna thinks we need to resupply and take a bath first" Haruna agreed with Kirishima
Kongou further pouted, but Tirpitz slowly pulled Kongou away and gently smiled at her, charming the tea loving Japanese battleship. Well, she's always charmed at even the little gesture she makes. She's just greatly infatuated with her.
"Listen to your sisters, Kongou. Your well being is important to me, you know"
"I'm important?! If the admiral says so then let's go, desu!"
She grabbed Hiei and rushed to resupply and repair without wasting a second. Haruna followed as well and Kirishima, but without bowing down before leaving first.
"You have such wonderful shipgirls in your base. I wish I would get to know them..."
As she thinks about how lively the shipgirls in the naval base is, she stopped in one spot upon remembering something.
"I almost forgot about that..."
Tirpitz breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she still has time to spare before she leaves for her appointment in the district headquarters. She turned around, heading towards to her office where she removed the picture of "her" and Bismarck back in the old days.
"We all can't smile the same way as we did in the past"
She gently placed the old photo near her as she sat grabbing a clean piece of paper and a pen. She felt rather bitter looking the happiness that was felt in the past can't be felt again in the present. It's just not the same no matter how much one tries.
"...?"
Before her pen could make contact with the paper, she stopped when Warspite entered the office, visibly upset.
"Are you really going through with this?" Warspite expressed her concern
"Yeah"
"You do know what will happen, right?"
"Yeah"
Unlike Warspite, Tirpitz cares very little to what will happen to her and how it will affect her surroundings. Her shipgirl self would disapprove of this method, but a certain someone caused her to accept it.
"You just don't really care at all, do you...beast of the north?"
"I suppose I don't really care. I have what you call the negative aspects of the original Tirpitz. The one only you got to met"
Tirpitz started writing on her paper and didn't even both to look at Warspite, showing how she really doesn't care...which upsets Warspite the most. Her hand is itching to hit Tirpitz in the face, but she's not that kind of person. She has control of her emotions...most of the time.
"You're just going to break Bismarck's heart even more..."
"You act as if I'm still the Tirpitz you know, when I'm not. Do you really expect me to care for the feelings of someone who caused Tirpitz's pain more than anyone?!"
"It pains you, doesn't it? It's why you're acting as if you don't care. You're distancing your emotions so it would hurt less"
Warspite knew the look in Tirpitz's eyes all too well. The old Tirpitz, the real one, had the same look in the eyes. Except the real Tirpitz was almost devoid of emotions and emotionally detached herself from anyone.
"I'm not as nice or considerate as Tirpitz. If I am, I wouldn't be here pretending to be someone who's already dead!"
With her fury triggered, she slammed the desk and yelled Warspite. She then realized being in the naval base had caused her to slowly develop the human emotions she detested the most.
"I'm just an Abyssal. A monster born from the negative aspects of the original..."
"..."
"That's why don't treat me as if I'm the same as Tirpitz. We may be the same being, but I am not her"
She made it clear despite being the same being as Tirpitz, there are aspects that sets her part from her shipgirl self. Her personality and perspective of the world is very much different from her counterpart.
"Besides...I'm tired of living in this miserable world"
"Aren't we all...?"
To a degree, Warspite had felt the same thing, but she still hasn't fully given up on the world and at her own life. Like the beast said, she is completely different from her shipgirl self.
"I'm going to leave the rest to you...Warspite"
"You truly are a horrible...beast"
It isn't the first time Warspite told her how she is a terrible person. The first time she did so is when she saw Tirpitz's eyes changed to a bright red Abyssal one, thus discovering she's an Abyssal. Warspite use those words when she felt disappointed and furious at her...before smacking her face with full force.
Meanwhile...
Bismarck, along with her fellow Kriegsmarine shipgirls in the naval base visited the giant anchor monument located just near the cape where the view is much stunning during sunset. They all removed their caps, as per tradition when paying respects to a fallen comrade.
"It's all over, Scharnhorst. You got the rest you needed...after ten years" Bismarck smiled
"I'm sure Gneisenau would feel the same if she only knew" Prinz Eugen added
"Tirpitz fulfilled her promise to you. It's been a long wait, but she fulfilled it" Graf Zeppelin too
The U-boat U-511 approached the monument and laid down lilies, a type flower suited for mourning to those who have passed away. Like the others, she, too, removed her cap and lowered it to her chest level.
"Scharnhorst, when you come back and when we meet again, we'll have a one hell of a drink. All of us..." Bismarck looked at the others
"We're still underage though..." Z3 softly muttered to herself
They exchanged a few more words, letting what they wanted to tell to Scharnhorst be known by everyone present.
"We'll wait for your return one day" Graf Zeppelin puts her cap back on
"Ja. We'll surely wait" Prinz Eugen nodded cheerfully
"Tirpitz will surely wait for you too"
They hopefully do so with smiles on their faces, knowing she will come back one day, not as an Abyssal anymore...but as one of them. When she does come back and they meet her again, they will welcome her back with open arms and tell her..."welcome home".
Mamiya's cafe...
Commandant Teste slid down her chin on the table, sighing as if she failed in something. She feels rather frustrated about it, but Richelieu simply giggled at her unpleasant mood.
"I had the chance with the admiral, but I messed it up..."
"You had the perfect opportunity. You were there to emotionally comfort her, but you just couldn't say it" Richelieu smiler, albeit slyly
"That's because I thought...what if she feels different now"
"Well, you did rejected her when she offered the ring"
Commandant Teste got hit in the nerve upon being reminded how she rejected the admiral months ago. She felt rather guilty, thinking what she did is a huge mistake. It's a moment she wished to undo more than anything right now.
"You're just being too nice, Teste. Even if there's no need to..."
"I don't deserve to be the admiral's partner. There's someone else who's meant to be with her by her side" Commandant Teste raised her head
"You set aside your own feelings for her own happiness. That's really like you" Richelieu pointed at her
She then poked the depressed seaplane tender's cheeks, making fun of her current mood.
"I mean you didn't even tell her you retained your old memories" Richelieu revealed
"It's better to start all over again than pick up where we last left off"
"Now this is...true love"
Commandant Teste shyly blushed and covered her face with her beret while Richelieu continued to tease her and giggle softly. While the French battleship teased her fellow French, the Sendai class light cruisers walked in.
"Aaaaah! Finally time for some dessert!" Sendai is filled with excitement
"Even if it's day, you're still so loud" Naka complained
"Other than night battles, Mamiya-san's parfait is what nee-san gets excited about" Jintsuu is already used to it
"That's because Mamiya-san's sweets is the best. I just can't get enough of it...like night battles!"
Sendai grinned and proudly tells them how much she loves the desserts Mamiya makes for everyone in the base just about everyday.
"Besides, nothing beats desserts after a good meal"
"Speaking of that, you shouldn't be running around after eating lunch. That's not good for your body" Jintsuu reminded her
"I know, I know, but I need to move around to burn all these energy!"
"It's impossible to burn all of it when you have an unlimited amount of it. Specially at night" Naka doesn't like Sendai's night antics for sure
The three light cruisers sat down and ordered Mamiya's special parfait. While waiting to do so, they turned her head and wondered what's going on with the two French shipgirls. Right now, Commandant Teste is crying while Richelieu sat beside her and pats her back for comfort.
Training grounds...
Standing proudly with her sword on her shoulder, Tenryuu, who couldn't stop being happy about her second remodel even after months of getting it, shouts at the destroyers she is going to teach today in today's exercise.
"Alright runts, with me, Tenryuu-sama as the flagship, I'll put some spines in your wobbly backs!"
Tenryuu laughed, boasting and feeling very confident at herself. While the destroyers looked somewhat annoyed, Tatsuta just claps, supporting whatever Tenryuu wants to do with her life.
"For today's lesson, it's evasive maneuvers. Since you pipsqueaks are destroyers, you have the most advantage because of your size and speed. As drawback, you shrimps can be blown up by a torpedo or two"
The destroyers who looked rather annoyed are Makigumo, Shiratsuyu, Yamakaze, Kagerou...and pretty much everyone else except Shiranui. She would always have that stoic and stiff expression in her face to the point where she doesn't even smile anymore.
"Tenryuu-san, didn't you get sent to the dock after getting hit by a single torpedo?" Fumizuki raised her hand
"That's because I got caught off guard! If I wasn't, the torpedo wouldn't even scratch me" Tenryuu could barely maintain a proud posture
"Right..."
The destroyers aren't so convinced with her excuse. While the destroyers continued to doubt Tenryuu, Tatsuts giggled at how Tenryuu broke off from her cool and confident self after being reminded of a fact.
"When I hear torpedoes, I have this itchy feeling, nano" I-19 wiggled her hips
There you go thinking of lewd things again, dechi" I-58 looked displeased
"Iku probably got hit by a depth charge or two again" Even I-168
"Thick and hard torpedoes that explode upon impact is just the best feeling, nano~"
I-19 continued to imagine things beyond the comprehension of her two fellow submarines. I-400, seeing this situation, recommended a solution.
"How about bombing her with a Seiran. It might just do the trick" I-400 proudly showed her favorite seaplane bomber
"No, that will makes things even more worse. Besides, you can't use Seiran to fix everything" I-401 made her lower the Seiran
Feeling disappointed, I-401 sighed in despair and sat beside I-14 who's alcohol has been taken away by her twin sister I-13. One loves using her Seirans while the other loves drinking alcohol. With those two two forbidden, the two submarines who loved those things wallowed in despair.
Later...
Tirpitz, reporting to a naval facility also serving as an anchorage for anti submarine vessels as Admiral Suveran Schwarze, fixed her unruly necktie. She left in a hurry without properly wearing her uniform when she had to deal with each of the shipgirls who all rushed to her for assistance. Unable to deny those girls, Tirpitz agreed despite her rush.
"Admiral..."
The admiral grunted at how she couldn't properly knot her tie until Warspite volunteered to fix it for her. Her gentle hands twisted and knotted the tie until she tightened it to form a proper a necktie shape.
"You're good at this, huh. Are you sure you're not married?"
The admiral jokingly responded to Warspite's skill in things a housewife can do.
"I was set to marry a man I have no love for. Of course when I learned I'm a shipgirl from the Admiralty, I quickly accepted the navy's invitation and joined in the front lines"
Warspite reminisces the time where she first learned she is the human incarnation of a warship from the old war. She is the "shipgirl" of the battleship Warspite. Coldly, she didn't hesitate to accept the invitation and begin her duty as a shipgirl for the Royal navy.
"So you left you're old life without hesitation. In my case..."
The admiral laughed, stopping herself from reminiscing the past.
"Anyway, I'll be heading Warspite. I'm leaving the rest to you"
Before the admiral heads to the building, she leaves a last reminder on Warspite's palm.
"Bismarck and the others will follow later on to report after their sortie"
"They can take their time"
"You just don't care anymore, do you?" Warspite sighs
"I just want to spend this day feeling a bit free, no?"
The admiral faintly smiles, relieved at the slight sense of freedom. She wanted to enjoy her day without interference. Warspite knew this was a false sense of relief.
"Warspite..."
The admiral gently grabs Warspite's wrist and placed her soft and gentle hand against her chest.
"A heartbeat..."
"I am alive, yet I am not. Strange, isn't it?"
"No...no it's not" Warspite shook her head
"To live the life that wasn't given to me. That's my only wish..."
"You wish to be free from this conflict?"
"I'm not really sure what I want. I'm still looking for it"
The admiral gently lets go of Warspite's hand, letting it rest back to the lady's side. She longingly gazed up the bright sky, knowing well she will miss the comforting warmth.
"Is that your reason?"
"Everyone wondered at some point to what they really wanted. I do hope I could find the answer soon"
"I see. So that's what you have chosen"
The admiral faintly smiled, taking Warspite by surprise by petting her in the head. Warspite blushed, but she is neither pleased nor furious at the sudden action. The admiral waved her hand as she walked away, parting ways with the Grand old lady herself.
"I suppose this is farewell, huh..."
Tashkent stepped forward, stopping just right beside Warspite whose shoulders dropped watching the admiral go further and further.
"She is only waiting for my command"
"Bismarck and the others will be here soon"
"There's no need for you to interfere. Everything will proceed as planned" Warspite is confident
"I trust your word on that..."
Tashkent walks away after their short conversation, prepared to act her part in the plan. Warspite does the same, but not before one last glance at the anchorage's main building.
"This is...far from over"
She swept her hair gently blown by the wind while Tashkent sighs and shakes her head after sneaking a brief glance at the Grand old lady.
"Five years later and you've done s pretty good job, admiral"
A longtime navy official congratulated the admiral who is not as pleased as him.
"When you first came here, I was worried you'd be another troublemaker like admiral Chandler"
The admiral the old man is referring to is the French admiral and someone Tirpitz dislikes due to how flirty he is.
"Also, I thought Germans are scary and angry"
"That's just a stereotype" The admiral giggled
"Hahahaha. It's just made me think how the world dropped their fighting to fight against a common enemy"
As harsh the war may be, the navy veteran looked at the positive outcome it brought. Different nations made amends and worked together to retake the seas they all share.
"Those Abyssals suddenly showed up one day and took the seas as their own. Damn freaks of nature"
The admiral has no lobe for the Abyssals, but she felt offended at how the officer continued to express his hatred on the Abyssals. The admiral lowered her head, restraining herself from emotionally reacting.
"Yes. They're monsters indeed" She falsely agreed
"I know, right? Good thing the shipgirls are sending those fuckers to the bottom of the ocean"
"It will make no difference with the cycle binding us. We will just return over and over again until the frustration of rebirth sinks our mind to the abyss where we were born"
"A-admiral?"
"Something I read in a book" That was her excuse
"Kind of cryptic, but it sounded deep though"
The officer laughed while the admiral returned with a faint and meaningless smile. While she handles the paperwork, Arkhangelsk marches through a restricted room and caught the maintenance personnel's attention when she tossed a fellow personnel beaten to the brink of death.
"How are we doing...comrade?"
She smiled sinisterly, changing to her Abyssal form. Two rigged demonic horns sprouted from both sides of her head and both her skin and hair painted to a pure white scheme. When those two bright red eyes yearned for violence, the man's mouth is covered before he could let out the weakest scream.
"Nothing personal, kid..."
With barely an effort, she lifted the man with her hand gripped on his face and mercilessly bashed his head against the nearest concrete wall repeatedly.
"Nothing personal. Really..."
She turned her attention on the machinery and the contained combustible gas which she will utilize for her current goal.
"Do your thing and I do mine. I already did my part so it's your turn"
Rather, she turned away from the restricted area and left it in someone else's "care" to complete the job.
Meanwhile...
Bismarck, Gangut, Prinz Eugen, and Graf Zeppelin had just arrived to the anchorage after their latest sortie, both to resupply and report.
"Tashkent isn't with you?" Gangut looked everywhere
"Uhm...well...she ran off somewhere" Warspite has no proper excuse
"Let's find your speedy comrade later. Tirpitz said she'd treat us after she finishes her business her" Bismarck is excited
"You're excited because you've been insisting on a full course Japanese buffet from Tirpitz" Graf Zeppelin shakes her head
"Gangut said she wanted some good food and Tirpitz just happened to know a good place to eat"
"Don't involve me...even though I've been looking forward to some Japanese cuisine"
Even if Gangut already tasted Japanese food from her everyday meals in the naval base, the one she always eat is common food for military personnel SL she wished to eat Japanese meals from good restaurants.
"...?"
While Gangut and Bismarck argues in a friendly manner, Graf Zeppelin notices rushing personnel. She then realized the cause for their panic is smoke forming from one of the offices.
"Hey, look!"
She yelled, causing the others to turn their heads and act as shocked as the German aircraft carrier. Seconds later and the smoke thickened, indicating a fire has formed in that area.
"Fire?! Wait...Tirpitz is in there, isn't she?"
"Easy there. Let's not rush. I'm sure they'd have the fire under control soon"
"R-right" Bismarck sighs, calming herself down
For a moment, she panicked at the presence of fire. This reminded her of a dark moment in her childhood which she wished to never be repeated.
Office...
Upon the order of an evacuation, the admiral remained inside the office...just by herself. Due to the panic at an imminent fire and possible gas leak explosion, no one batted an eye as Arkhangelsk casually walks in the office, her attire stained drops of blood.
"I see. So this is how it is, huh. I have to admit...this has taken me by surprise" The admiral crossed her legs
"Warspite figured it a surprise death would be better. To make it more realistic"
Arkhangelsk sat on the chair across the admiral and chose to spend the last few minutes before the planned gas leak explosion to converse with her.
"Are you upset?"
"No...just surprised. I'm sure Queen Elizabeth isn't going to be too happy once she realizes what you have done...again"
"I'm sure most will be forgiven since it's Warspite's idea" Arkhangelsk giggled
"Forgiven, huh. That's a funny to mention"
"Don't get too emotional now. It doesn't suit you...lonely Beast"
"I always have emotions. I just never understood them..."
The admiral shrugged her shoulders while Arkhangelsk is unsatisfied with the response.
"Still, to fake your own death while Bismarck and the others wouldn't know"
"It's for the best...probably. I don't get to dictate which is which"
"He he. So you've really become like her. Fate has a sick sense of humor, huh. To us monsters..."
Even if she is still labelled as a shipgirl, Arkhangelsk knew she could never call herself human or shipgirl.
Outside...
The freed combustible is ignited by an outside source of heat and caused a powerful explosion in the main building where Tirpitz is. While most personnel and crews have evacuated, Bismarck's heart raced when Tirpitz is nowhere to be found.
"Bismarck, you can't go in there!" Gangut grabbed her arm
"I have to find Tirpitz. She's still in there!"
"Are you out of your mind?! Didn't you see the explosion? You'd get yourself killed"
Bismarck insisted she wanted to go, but Gangut knew it's suicidal to go in the main building where the fire rages on after the explosion.
"...?"
Prinz Eugen caught a glance of a figure the stood out from the rest of the running officers. She witnessed Tashkent, limping away from the scene, her clothes slightly burned and her shoulder wounded.
"...?!"
A secondary explosion followed after, stronger than the first one and demolished a large area inside.
"Tirpitz!" Bismarck yelled
Walking out of the building still swallowed by flames, Arkhangelsk dragged her slightly burned self out of the infernal incident.
"Arkhangelsk, you-!"
Bismarck saw Arkhangelsk, but the latter quickly fled the crime scene when Bismarck attempted to pursue the possible involved person in the incident. Her fury returned to grief when the blazing flames shattered the windows and caused damaged parts to crumble and fall.
"Tirpitz...no...no..."
Bismarck's legs surrendered to the ground, her eyes unable to hold back her tears. She howled in pain, mourning to the inevitable loss of her sister who had failed to leave the building prior to the explosion.
"..."
While Gangut comforts a grieving Bismarck, Graf Zeppelin kept her eye on Warspite when she had no reaction at the incident.
The next day...
Nagato received the report about the bombing at one of the Japanese navy's offices. The media didn't reported the incident to the public yet with little information still available. She looked at the report Ooyodo handed over, regarding the investigation of the sight.
"They already confirmed it, huh. The admiral's death I mean..." Nagato's voice sounded solemn
"Yes. The admiral is confirmed dead along with eight others even if her body was never found" Ooyodo nodded
"..."
"By the next week, HQ will send Admiral Minato Saki to replace the admiral as the commander of the Maizuru naval district"
"I see..."
After Ooyodo left, Nagato looked at the only item recovered right where Tirpitz is said to have died even if no body was recovered. Nagato looked at what was once a charred Iron cross. She did her best to maintain the item's shape as it belonged to Tirpitz, obvious by the name engraved on the back.
"Just when everything was okay...and this happened. Fate really is cruel...right, admiral?"
Nagato clenched her fist and bit her lip, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing out. Her heart ached and she let it so without everyone seeing. Meanwhile, Bismarck stood on the edge of the cape, blankly staring at the horizon.
"I lost you again...and I couldn't do anything about it. I just stood there and watched it all happen..."
Bismarck couldn't stop herself from crying, her heart filled with grief and longing. In an instant, Bismarck stood there as the explosion that killed her sister happened.
"Why are you always the one to suffer like this? Why can't they...take me instead? Tirpitz didn't deserve this!"
Bismarck wished she was the one who had died instead as Tirpitz had enough of dying...more than once. She felt angry at the world for being so unfair, for taking her sister away again.
"This isn't just fair!"
Bismarck yelled at the nothingness, expressing how furious she is that not everyone can be happy. By the sadistic hands of fate, Tirpitz dies a death she didn't deserve. That's what Bismarck thought as felt bitter at how her life turned out.
"Should we do something?" Prinz Eugen worried
"Leave her be for now. Bismarck's heart needs time to heal" Graf Zeppelin sighed
"That's right. Bismarck needs time to grieve" Z3 nodded
"She took it the hardest among everyone. She watched as her sister die in that explosion" Z1 softly muttered
Nothing they say can ever lessen the pain in Bismarck's heart. It's just too much for her too handle. They know the pain will heal, but she will need time to accept what happened so they left her alone to give her space.
"That's right. Bismarck is the one who's in pain among everyone in this base"
Ark Royal walked in, joining in with the Kriegsmarine sympathizing with Bismarck. Tirpitz may be their comrade, but she is Bismarck's one and only sister...so she's the one who's hurt the most. While Bismarck yells out her frustration, Gangut drowned her grief in vodka.
"You're drinking too much, comrade" Tashkent took her bottle away
"So what...?"
"I know you're grieving too, but not like this. This is just...pathetic of you"
"..."
"I know you're angry at what Arkhangelsk did, but killing her isn't the solution"
"That son of a bitch killed Tirpitz! Of course I want to kill her"
"There are lines that you shouldn't cross, comrade. What would Tirpitz think of you if you were to become no different from Arkhangelsk...a killer?"
Tashkent turned away and before she left, she somewhat warned Gangut and reminded her.
"You better stop drinking or I'm going bash that vodka bottle in your head, comrade"
Tashkent slightly moved her cap as if she's tipping it off. The Russian destroyer left, but Gangut still felt the same. While she sunk in her own depression, she blankly caresses a small badge that Tirpitz gave to her a long time ago.
"I hope you're in peace whether you are...partner"
The naval base isn't what it usually is. There's barely any noise or liveliness everywhere. Everyone went silent for the day to grieve for the sudden loss of their admiral. Other than Tashkent, Warspite is the other person who isn't grieving at all.
"It's ironic how everyone is grieving for someone who has been dead for quite some time now. Well it's not like they know the truth anyway"
Warspite opened the box where Tirpitz kept her uniform as a shipgirl. Without anyone's knowledge, Warspite had discreetly taken it as soon as Tirpitz's death is announced in the naval base.
"I wonder what game are you playing...Beast of the north"
She lifted the peaked cap from it's container, inspecting the cap that once belonged to the German battleship Tirpitz before her sinking almost a month ago. What made it worse is that no one knew the truth. No one knew the shipgirl they knew is already dead before the explosion.
Even until the end, you still truly are a horrible person...
Tightly bound and isolated from everyone else, Arkhangelsk is currently held in a prison meant to hold and contain the likes of her. She isn't in a normal prison, she's in a prison made by the navy to prevent an abomination like her from breaking free. She is unexpectedly visited by a woman who made sure she can talk to Arkhangelsk with no one else hearing the conversation.
"I've never seen you before...but from the likes of it, you're an admiral..."
Tirpitz inspected the woman with long black hair and icy blue eyes. That woman is the outgoing admiral of the Sasebo naval district due to an incident one of her shipgirls caused and she is held responsible for such actions. With the death of Maizuru naval district's admiral, it's been decided to have her transfer and occupy that vacant position while she is replaced in her former naval base.
"I'm the admiral who's going to replace the one you killed"
Minato Saki looked down at the battleship bounded by metallic cuffs and restrained in a chair. From the looks of it, the navy surely doesn't want to have her breaking free and escaping because of the countless murders she had committed for the past ten years.
"As far I know, no connections to the incident were found on me. So by technicality, I didn't do anything"
"Oh yeah? Then why are you here locked up like an animal?"
"For other crimes I have committed in the past. Also, I punched a hole in some asshole's chest"
Arkhangelsk sighs, faintly smiling to show how she truly doesn't feel regret for killing Tirpitz and the countless humans who died a horrible death in her hands.
You caused the gas leak explosion. The navy thinks there was no foul play, but I know better "
"Then you don't know anything at all" Arkhangelsk tried to shrug her shoulders
"You're the type of person who doesn't feel remorse"
"I don't blame you if you think that way. You don't even know the truth..."
She tapped her finger on the arm rest rhythmically, softly humming to fill the silence of the isolated room. She hates being cooped up inside the four corners with little to no interaction. Arkhangelsk admits it is annoying her rather than driving her mad. The Russians did something worse to her many years ago.
"What are you talking about?"
"Since you're going to be Tirpitz's replacement, I'm going to tell you"
Arkhangelsk wouldn't just tell the truth to some random human she never met personally, but she made an exception as this is the human that's going to replace Tirpitz. Besides, Arkhangelsk actually knew about her from Tirpitz.
"Something like that couldn't possibly kill her. The only thing that can effectively kill an Abyssal is a shipgirl. You need a ship to kill another ship"
She tried to raise her finger even with the difficulty of doing so because both of her wrists are cuffed in one place.
"Are you saying she isn't dead?"
"Maybe. An explosion like that isn't enough to kill the Beast of the north. Sure it will hurt, but the damage is not enough to kill a Princess class"
"The Beast...of the north? Don't tell me-"
"The person that died the other day isn't a shipgirl...but a monster. The Tirpitz everyone knew has been dead for quite some time now. It's funny how no one found out except for those three"
"You set up the explosion knowing it wouldn't kill her...but why?"
"It's because I had to. Besides it just so happens it's the day she fatefully sunk so I grabbed the opportunity"
Arkhangelsk tilted her head, further showing how she felt little remorse to what she did to Tirpitz and the other humans caught in the bombing as well.
"Then where's admiral Schwarze now?"
"I can't tell you that. She rather not want anyone going after her. After all, she is the Lonely beast of the North"
"..."
"I told you the truth. That's as far as I can tell you, admiral-san"
"Then I'm not going to force you to tell me anything. It'd be a waste of time for both of us"
Saki quickly ended their conversation seeing how Arkhangelsk refuses to tell anything else other than the truth about what happened.
"Good luck, admiral. You're going to need it..."
Saki paused for a moment, but she didn't turn to face Arhangelsk. She walked away, one of the people upset at what happened and what Arkhangelsk did even if she knows now that Tirpitz isn't truly dead. She wanted to know her whereabouts, but Arkhangelsk would never reveal anything regarding that.