Tenryuu listened to Akio the human engineer as he took out and spread out the papers which were inside the classified folder, explaining to the two Tenryuu-Class light cruisers about what they had been up to in Engineering with the Fairies and Aoba.
"Well, you see, we've been researching and trying to come up with explanations for how a ship girl soul works.
Because in our little project, we intend to take advantage of a rare ship girl phenomenon in order to communicate with a ship girl soul, which we believe to be both sentient and sapient, and draw more power from it in order to power what we term 'New Wave' Anti-Abyssal weapons.
This project was named Project Psyche, since 'psyche' originally meant 'soul' in Greek."
Akio now pointed to a report which detailed the death, remodel and resurrection of a ship girl, and how this sequence of events always yielded the same phenomenon.
"Listen, here's a bit of a lesson about ship girl phenomena, and how we might only be scratching the surface of what really lies within the intangible power source within your bodies.
Have you heard of the phenomenon, 'Kyoka Suigetsu'?"
Tenryuu's face scrunched up as her mind threatened to blank out should the engineer start giving her a lecture about their inner workings in order to try and teach her something about ship girl physiology or whatever.
But Akio, being an engineer who studied up on this phenomenon in order to understand what they were dealing with before they even started on this project, leaned in with a patient look as he started from what almost every ship girl knew.
"Alright, let me start from the basics.
You see, when you die and get thrown into the docks to be resurrected and repaired, your consciousness still remains in your brain as we resurrect you.
So, um, Tatsuta, might I ask if you'd had the underwater dream?"
Tenryuu looked to Tatsuta as she looked away slightly, something which Tenryuu recognized as a sign that her sister was hiding something from her, but Tatsuta nodded slowly as she gave Tenryuu a meek aside glance before explaining herself.
"Well, you see, Tenryuu-chan.
When I was brought back to life but was still unconscious in bed, I was dreaming that I was immobile while at the bottom of a large lake.
And as I was raised from the bottom of the lake, I broke the surface of the water and woke up in bed.
Mamiya-san said it's a dream we all have a chance of experiencing when we first die."
Akio nodded, gesturing with his hands as he explained.
"Well, you see, your mind may subconsciously connect the death of your ship girl self with your experience of sinking and being back down on the seabed.
And as you're being brought back to life, your subconscious relates it to the experience of your mind being brought back up from the ocean as you're reborn as a ship girl, y'know what I'm saying?"
Tenryuu raised an eyebrow, understanding the basic logic behind this dream where their minds would relate their first time dying as a ship girl with the sinking of their warship selves back in the war, and waking up after being resurrected would feel like their sunk warship counterparts being 'reborn' as ship girls.
It'd make sense that in that same vein, their minds would recreate the scenario of being at the bottom of a lake in order to simulate being sunk, and swimming back up to the surface meant waking up as a ship girl.
However, their minds would quickly learn to distinguish and separate the present from the past, hence the reason why this dream only occurred once for most ship girls.
Akio continued with his lecture, a complicated expression clouding his face as he revealed the next part.
"Well, dying means that your consciousness stays up here in your mind for about two days, after which it's transferred to the soul to be stored for another four days."
And when Tenryuu gave the engineer a confused look as to how that was accomplished, Akio gestured with a 'It's the best explanation we have' expression on his face as he elaborated.
"Think of the soul as a backup server for your body to upload your consciousness into, it's a secondary function while its primary function is to serve as a power source.
This point is important, and we'll get back to it later.
You have to be resurrected within those six days, because the Fairies' technology can't keep your consciousness tethered to this world for any longer than that.
To be resurrected within these six days via docking would ensure a 100% chance of survival with no complications, but at the end of the sixth day, your chances of survival will drop steadily until the end of the seventh day.
After which…"
Akio sharply inhaled through clenched teeth as he cringed while looking at the two ship girls, and the two of them lowered their head as they understood the limits of the Fairies' advanced technology.
A six days' grace period was actually more than enough time for the ship girls to bring their teammates back to life, no matter where they were on Earth.
Even in foreign countries and isolated locations, there were several naval installations which were built and maintained regularly by the locals in order to cater to ship girls who were sent overseas in order to fend off Abyssals, allowing them to resupply and dock quickly while in the area.
But still…
Akio's eyebrows creased as he struggled to find a way to explain the next part in layman's terms, Tenryuu beginning to dread where this intellectual conversation was headed, where things got harder to conceptualize and understand, especially for a girl of action like her.
It wasn't that she was incapable of thinking so hard.
It was just so... boring.
"Well, from here on out, we move on to remodeling.
It's basically where the Fairies upgrade you, both inside and out.
When we remodel you, your brain has to be emptied in order to update and optimize everything up here…"
Pointing to his temple with his right index finger, referring to their minds as he explained to the light cruiser duo.
"So your consciousness has to be transferred from up here, into here."
Akio then shifted his right index finger to his heart, Tatsuta clarifying in order to make sure that they were on the same page.
"Inside the soul, right?"
Akio nodded, reiterating the fact that the soul was, in some sense, a server for them to temporarily store their consciousness in order to allow the Fairies to remodel their minds.
"Like I said before, the soul, other than powering your body, also acts like a computing server where we can transfer your consciousness into when we remodel you.
Remodeling your mental systems helps you think and react faster in combat, improves system efficiency and also helps to add some relevant modules up in here."
Akio looked down at the blueprints and the various thesis papers and reports about the ship girls, continuing his explanation.
"So for a live ship girl to be remodeled, her consciousness is transferred into the soul for the duration of the remodel, after which it's transferred back without a hitch, since it's in a controlled environment.
But when a ship girl dies and is remodeled, and if her consciousness is already inside their soul…"
"They then experience the phenomenon known as Kyoka Suigetsu."
Tenryuu and Akio both turned to look at the calm Tatsuta, who looked down as she tried to cobble together a working hypothesis from the information Akio had provided them with and various articles which she had read in the past.
"I read about this.
We get a glimpse of the world within our souls, and nearly pass on before being brought back to life.
A near-death experience, in some sense.
Am I right to believe that this is the closest and most accurate term we have in order to describe this phenomenon?"
Tatsuta finished the sentence for the bespectacled Engineer, whose eyes widened before narrowing as he nodded, lifting his eyebrows and making circular motions with his hands as he shrugged and admitted.
"Well, you're actually right in that regard.
Like I said, after two days, the consciousness is transferred into the soul, right?
If you're remodeled in those two days, nothing out of the ordinary happens.
You die, we remodel you within two days, you wake up from your deathly slumber in a perfectly healthy remodeled body.
But if you're remodeled in the four days after that, this phenomenon occurs where you appear in a dream world, theorized to be a sort of 'deeper consciousness' or something along those lines.
Because in those last four days, it's the closest you will ever be to passing on to the next life, and this near-death experience is what ties everything together."
Akio leaned in as the two Tenryuu-Class cruisers saw the seriousness in the engineer's eyes as they got to the crux of the issue at hand, and the entire reason why the Project was even conceived in the first place.
"This phenomenon was dubbed 'Kyoka Suigetsu' due to the same scene popping up every time, and will always occurs under the same circumstances, with any ship girl of any class or nationality.
It happens so often that we have long ceased to see it as a malfunction on the part of the ship girl, and a 'feature' of the ship girl soul, if we can even call it that.
And before you ask, 'Why remodel us when we're dead?', well, it allows us to dismantle you, take out all the damaged parts, and replace them before quickly bringing you back to life, and you'd be in tip-top shape without having to dock for repairs.
And replacing parts, for us, is far quicker than letting the nano-machines taking some time to repair you in the docks, you get me?"
Tenryuu, now looking intrigued, picked up the picture of a sketch which was made by some unknown ship girl as Akio gestured towards it, beautifully rendered as it depicted a calm ocean, with the full moon shining down upon the world while the pale satellite was resting on the backdrop that was the starless night sky and was reflected on the unnaturally-still ocean.
Dozens of flowers littered the ocean surface, Tenryuu eventually identifying them as the Indian Lotus due to their purplish-white tint, majestically blossoming as their petals unfurled, the beautiful flowers floating on the surface of the empty ocean.
Tenryuu commented to herself, understanding that she was stating the obvious, but was too wrapped up in trying to understand this phenomenon and how it occurred when one was on death's door.
"So, 'Mirror Flower, Water Moon', eh?
Well, we certainly got the flowers and the moon, and the ocean acts like a mirror as it reflects the moon.
Interesting.
But aren't lotus flowers supposed to grow in ponds or swamps, not oceans?"
Akio lifted his hands as he shrugged helplessly and responded with the best answer everyone had so far.
"Well, our best explanation is that it's a near-death experience, and much like a dream sequence, logic probably isn't something which can be applied here."
Humming in order to non-verbally accept Akio's admission of their limited knowledge about this ship girl phenomenon, Tenryuu continued.
"So what happens in this dream sequence?"
Tatsuta was silent as she, too, observed the picture since Tenryuu sat herself beside her sister ship, the both of them leaning in with the picture positioned in between them in order to be viewed, and Akio pointed at the picture in Tenryuu's hand as he narrated.
"You will appear on a large ocean in the middle of the night, where the shoreline will never be reached, no matter how far you sail in any direction, and none of your navigational equipment will work in this dream world.
No night stars, no 'magnetic north'.
One thing to note is the fact that the ocean will always be perfectly still in order to perfectly reflect the moon, and the moon itself will always be unnaturally close to Earth in order to shine down like a spotlight upon you.
Around you will be many Indian Lotus flowers which passively float on the surface of the ocean, and wherever you go, more will appear.
And since the ocean is calm, they don't move unless the wake of your boat slippers move them.
If you try scooping them up, they don't have plant stalks beneath them, but they can somehow still float on water.
Like I said, it's a dream sequence, so I suppose anything goes."
Stating the last point with a shrug, Akio shifted in his seat as he explained the sequence of events which would occur after a ship girl awoke on this mysterious ocean.
"When you appear on this ocean with only your boat slippers, you'll be alone in this little world, no matter how hard you look and no matter how far you sail, and the moon will somehow always shine upon you like a goddamn spotlight.
But you then look down at the ocean when you sense a disturbance right beneath your feet.
You look down at your moonlit reflection in the ocean, and for a while, you think that the slight shifting of your reflection is part of your imagination, or it may be the sea distorting your reflection with minute shifts on the ocean surface.
But it eventually warps into someone who looks very much like you, but wears white clothes which will likely differ from your default uniform.
And for destroyers, she may even morph to become an older version of you, returning your downwards gaze.
Shortly after this metamorphosis is complete, her hands will then materialize from the ocean in order to reach up and grab your feet."
The two Tenryuu-Class cruisers looked up upon hearing that, surprised that a mere reflection could make physical contact with them as Tatsuta noted.
"Interesting.
Judging by their white clothes and passing resemblance to us, can we assume that they are a reflection of ourselves, albeit as Abyssals?"
Akio shrugged, revealing that they had nothing more than theories at this point in time.
"Perhaps.
There's been some speculation that like a warped mirror, they may indeed be our souls reflecting our Abyssal halves who are trapped within us, since ship girls and Abyssals are theorized to be two sides of the same coin.
They'll attempt to, and succeed in dragging you into the ocean, no matter how strong you are as a light cruiser, or even a battleship.
But before they drag you down into the abyss with them, an unknown force, generally accepted to be our restorative efforts, will drag you back up to the ocean surface, and they'll eventually let go and look at you as you float back up to the surface of the ocean and wake up in the real world."
Tatsuta nodded as she looked down contemplatively, Tenryuu giving her an aside glance as she saw that her sister was now fully invested in this intellectual conversation about unknown forces at work within them.
"So if we are to assume that they are a representation of our souls who have taken on our appearance, if only a passing resemblance and in Abyssal forms, could we see this as the soul's attempt to help us pass on?
After all, it's generally accepted that we, the ship girls, likely reincarnate as Abyssals in our next lives."
Akio nodded as he shared one plausible explanation which theoreticians had produced in order to make sense of this phenomenon.
"One hypothesis states that since the soul appears to be the one constant in the cycle of reincarnation, it's possible that the soul, in trying to pass on, is likely attempting to assimilate the ship girl's consciousness in this dream world before leaving the ship girl body.
Although, as the outcome of the dream suggests, they fail in their endeavor since we manage to resurrect the ship girl in time."
Tenryuu, remembering that they were previously talking about Project Psyche, whose goal was to communicate with the soul and draw more power from it in order to power new Anti-Abyssal technology, now saw the puzzle pieces as they clicked together in her mind, asking Akio about what they were aiming to do.
"So when you talk about Project Psyche, my guess is that you want to somehow talk to this 'ghost' in our souls?
Get her to cough up some more power for us to use, right?"
Akio nodded, now explaining the details of their project.
"Look, we have enough reason to believe that the ship girl soul is a passive source of seemingly everlasting power.
Should this project succeed, it shouldn't shorten your lifespan in any way, so I don't think we have to worry about dropping dead in the near future, should we successfully draw more power from it."
Tenryuu cringed at that possibility, wondering about all the veteran ship girls who had fought in countless battles during the earliest stages of the war, and how they were all now happily retired after a maximum of 10 years of dutiful service, although others had retired before reaching that limit due to various personal reasons.
Several of them strangely chose to fight on, like Akashi of Yokosuka, who was far older than anyone in this base after living for 16 years and was now not only the resident 'centenarian' repair ship of a major naval base, but was also the flagship of the 8th Fleet.
None of them had died yet from their souls exhausting all of their energy, and the soul was supposed to 'be the one constant' in the reincarnation cycle, so Tenryuu could see Akio's point when he theorized that their souls wouldn't simply 'run out of energy' like a candle flame flickering out of existence after reaching the end of the candle wick.
Nodding grimly, Tenryuu noted something else as she put down the illustration of the dream world within their souls before asking the human engineer.
"But Kyoka Suigetsu only occurs when a ship girl is on death's door, and is close to passing on.
I think I understand your reason for choosing us because we're experienced enough to receive our Kai remodels, but I don't suppose you want us to kill ourselves before you chance it with a last minute resurrection, right?"
Tatsuta now gave Akio a saccharine smile, a shadow clouding her face as she closed her eyes peacefully and stretched out her smile before notifying.
"Ara, Akio-san.
You do realize that I recently died, and have no intention of dying again anytime soon, right?
I believe that as engineers, you should have at least found a more … tasteful way of invoking this phenomenon, am I right?"
Akio started sweating a little, coolly leaning back in his seat as he held out both his hands in a placating gesture before he smoothly replied, having already worked out the details as to how they were going to accomplish this.
"A-Alright, look at this blueprint here.
Like you said, here's our solution to activate Kyoka Suigetsu and meet this apparition in order to communicate with her, since we believe that she is the key to our success."
Their attention was now drawn to a blueprint of a dentist's chair with various contraptions on it in order to gain access to the soul of a ship girl in a non-invasive manner, Akio pointing at the blueprint as he explained.
"Aoba helped us out on this because she… y'know…"
Tenryuu's eyes narrowed as she remembered how Aoba had tried to gain access to the inner workings of her ship girl mind in order to alter whatever was inside, and it went terribly wrong as she was mentally crippled for life, forcing her to stay in her copper-shielded room.
"Well, whatever she previously worked on, we looked through her notes which delved into how her machine gained access to what's up here, the mind…"
Pointing to his temple before shifting his finger in order to point at his chest, Akio continued his explanation.
"But our machine requires us to gain access to what's in here, the soul.
In some sense, her research is related to what we're working on since as you know, the ship girl Trinity consists of the body, mind and soul and there exists links between these three aspects of a ship girl.
As as it suggests, there is a close link between the soul and mind, but we haven't fully understood what this link is."
"Yet."
Tenryuu raised an eyebrow as she added, and Akio broke out into a relieved smile as he looked thankful that the Tenryuu-Class light cruiser at least had some faith in them, Tenryuu scratching the back of her head as she asked.
"So I assume that this operation, since it deals with life-and-death matters, contains an element of danger and uncertainty.
Tell me, how bad is it?"
Akio's gaze lowered as he hastily added after giving Tenryuu her odds of surviving this procedure.
"You have a 30% chance of survival, although later ship girl testers will have improved odds.
We perfectly understand if you wish to turn down this offer due to your low odds of survival, since as a ship girl, you have the right to decline-"
"Alright, let's do it."
Both Tatsuta and Akio looked at Tenryuu funny as she folded her arms underneath her bosom, pulled back her shoulders and puffed out her chest in order to express her determination, stating with very little hesitation in her voice.
"I mean, we can go like, right now, right?"
Tatsuta leaned in as her smile was wiped from her face, asking gravely.
"Tenryuu.
You do realize that this is essentially a gamble with your life on the line, and you're capable of dying for real should your luck fail you-"
Tenryuu retorted, pointing out the obvious as Akio remained respectfully silent in order to allow the sisters to settle their differences in terms of opinions.
"What's a little risk of dying for the sake of more power in order to protect our comrades?
We're warships, and we've always known that we'd probably die sooner or later!
If we pass this up, we may never get another chance like this!
Don't tell me you never thought of how weak our class is compared to the Sendai or the Kuma-Class!"
Tatsuta blinked, and Tenryuu, perhaps letting her past grievances come to light, revealed a growing frustration which she always acknowledged in the back of her head, but never really had to address it until now, looking down at her lap as she did so.
"I always knew that our ship class was pretty mediocre, and I've always thought that improving our skills and physical condition were the only two options which were available to us.
But now that this path's now opened up in front of me…"
Tenryuu closed her eyes and sighed before opening them in order to give her sister ship a serious look as she expressed her honest opinion.
"I don't like phrasing it like this, but if I were to die, I probably wasn't fated to get that power-up.
But if I don't risk my life in order to gain this power-up, I'll always be haunted by the 'what-if's.
What other choice do I have if I want to become stronger?"
Tatsuta's eyes narrowed threateningly, but Tenryuu wasn't backing down this time as she locked eyes with her sister ship and expressed her determination through her fierce stare.
The two sisters engaged in an intense, silent stare-down for about thirty seconds, after which Tatsuta finally closed her eyes and sighed in order to admit her defeat, asking Akio in a resigned tone.
"I suppose you were planning to ask the both of us to sign up for this Project, which was why you looked a little relieved when you saw that the both of us were in the same room.
Right, Akio-san?"
Akio nodded as he made himself comfortable on his seat before answering honestly.
"Well, everyone knew that if we were to ask only one of you to sign up, the other would impale us all on her weapon like a Shish Kebab for risking her sister's life without her knowledge."
Tatsuta lazily lifted an eyebrow in agreement, continuing.
"Well then, when do we get started?"
Akio gave them a sheepish shrug as he admitted, previously hoping to interrupt their little stare-down in order to inform them about something.
"Well, I didn't want to interrupt your conversation and stare-down to tell you that even if you accept this offer, you'll need to wait for at least a week before we even start the trial runs.
We need this one week in order to make good on our promise that you have a 30% chance of survival."
Tenryuu sweat-dropped as she let out a disbelieving,
"Urk!"
Before recomposing herself as she replied in a slightly weary tone.
"If so, then why tell us now?!"
But Akio started collecting and arranging the various reports and blueprints in order to store them in the manila-colored folder, explaining himself in the process.
"Well, we believe that even if the both of you accept this offer and want to participate in this Project, we decided to grant the both of you some time off in order for the both of you to prepare yourselves for every eventuality.
I mean, it's 30%, and we don't want to just spring this on you without allowing you any time to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally, you know?
And like I said, during this one week, we're perfectly fine with it if you feel as if you wish to change your mind and back out.
Since, y'know, you do have a right to refuse."
The both of them nodded, and when Akio was about to slot the papers into the folder, Tatsuta, looking towards Akio contemplatively with a grave expression on her face, calmly gave the engineer her answer.
"If Tenryuu-chan were to participate in this Project, then I shall join her.
And I must thank you for giving us this one week, because I need some time to prepare myself should either of us … not make it."
Tenryuu lifted an eyebrow upon hearing that, her usual demeanor returning to her as she gave her sister ship a confident smile and remarked confidently, with nary a care in the world.
"Hey, Tatsuta, don't be like that!
You know what's worse than a 30% chance of survival?"
Tatsuta still looked a little solemn about the situation after taking their odds of survival into account, asking offhandedly.
"And what might that be?"
Tenryuu replied cheekily,
"A 29% chance of survival.
And would you like to know what's worse than that?"
Tatsuta's expression lightened up as she let out a chuckle, conceding the point as she admitted with a weary smile.
"Well, you're not exactly wrong there."
Akio, now getting up from his seat with file in hand, also got a chuckle out of Tenryuu's teasing words as he gave them a small bow, a gesture which the two Tenryuu-Class light cruisers reciprocated while seated.
Akio notified them about what the Admiral had in mind for them now that they both accepted the offer to be test subjects, and how they would be contacted after seven days.
"Admiral Mako told me to tell you that if you were to accept this offer, she'd arrange for you two to stay in for the entire week.
And if anyone asks, just tell them, 'Admiral's orders'.
Wouldn't want you to get hurt, or worse should your fleet sortie again.
And Admiral Mako will get a Coordinator to send a message for you two to report to Engineering when the week's over."
His expression then hardened in a 'stern-parent' look as he reiterated the need for secrecy by cocking his head towards the 'CLASSIFIED' stamp on the manila folder which was in his grasp.
"And we trust you two to keep this a secret from everyone.
Even your teammates."
Both Tenryuu-Class light cruisers nodded firmly with serious expressions on their faces, and Akio flashed the both of them a tired smile before turning to leave the room.
Tenryuu looked down as she felt slightly apprehensive, yet excited about this new development, thinking about how she was now putting her life on the line.
But she then reminded herself that this Project was probably the first of its kind, and a golden opportunity like this was probably never going to come again should she pass it up.
She knew of her own shortcomings in terms of her stats, and this Project offered her a way to make up for it.
Put her life on the line for a one-of-a-kind power which allowed her to become even stronger and would allow her to perform at a level which was far beyond what her other ship girl counterparts in this world were capable of.
For most ship girls, it was a no-brainer.
For her, even more so.
She could do this.
Ayanami was sitting beside Saratoga along with several of her Ayanami-Class sisters and her three Sendai-Class light cruiser seniors as they occupied the games room in the evening, today's date being the 28th of April.
They watched a man sing and dance on a large LED screen before them with what seemed to be two dozen extras, the singer in question possessing a handsome face and slicked-back hair as he wore a dark leather jacket, a striped shirt beneath it, form-fitting jeans and dark shoes.
Elvis Presley was on-screen as he performed 'Jailhouse Rock' while the CD player, a slim flat metal box, kept track of and displayed the amount of time which had passed on the disc as it played the black-and-white recording of the famous American singer.
Saratoga was seated amidst a pile of CDs and CD casings as the Lexington-Class carrier scratched her head with the eraser tip of the pencil which she held, looking down at the complied list of major American events and influential Americans post-World-War-2 as she confirmed with the ship girls surrounding her.
"Alright, so this this is Elvis Presley, and according to this list,"
Gesturing to the list with the pencil in her hand.
"He was a famous American singer, along with Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and the Beatles, amongst others, am I right?"
Ayanami, seated beside the American carrier, leaned towards her in order to inspect the list Saratoga held in her hand.
And although the list was extremely simplified, it was still a somewhat 'comprehensive' list of important Americans and various significant events which shaped American history and its culture.
'United Nations (League of Nations) formation
NATO (Also League of Nations) formation
Cold War (Soviets vs. Americans; no Hot War)
Cuban Missile Crisis
Neil Armstrong/ Buzz Aldrin on the moon
Korean War
Vietnam War
2008 Financial Crisis (Great Depression)
9/11 (Al Qaeda, Osama leader)
Afghanistan War
Iraq War/ War on Terror
Soviet Union collapse
Creation/ Destruction of Berlin Wall
Elvis Presley
The Beatles
Britney Spears/ Madonna/ Lady Gaga
Michael Jackson
Stevie Wonder
Star Wars/ Star Trek (Flash Gordon(?))
Black, Women, LGBT rights movement
Muhammad Ali
Michael Jordan
Rosa Parks
Steve Jobs (Apple)
Bill Gates (Microsoft/Windows(?))
Hippie counterculture
The internet
Disney (and that one weird mouse)
The Simpsons/ South Park/ Family Guy
Titanic (Film about Jack x Rose, not ship x iceberg)
Jurassic Park
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2001: A Space Odyssey (Not made in 2001)
JFK assassination
Martin Luther King Jr. speech and assassination
Malcolm X assassination
Charles Manson (Helter Skelter)
Jim Jones and Jones-town Massacre
Columbine Shooting
Clinton sex scandal
Nixon Watergate Scandal
Killing Osama bin Laden (Operation Neptune Spear)
Hurricane Sandy and Katrina
Black president Barack Obama'
Ushio nodded meekly, answering the carrier's question as she looked back at the TV screen.
"Yes, a-and I believe, with this, I think we've covered the basics.
I-I hope this helped ease your sense of loneliness and helped you learn a little more about your homeland…"
Naka gave the Lexington-Class carrier a radiant smile as she bopped her own head with her left fist and consoled the American.
"Don't worry, Saratoga-chan!
We, the Sendai-Class sisters, will keep you company should you require it!
I'll be there for you in the morning, and Jintsuu will replace me when I go for my afternoon idol training.
Sendai loves night battles, and since you're an American carrier with night battle capabilities, you will certainly get along well with her!"
Ayanami looked over her shoulder in order to observe Jintsuu, who was sitting in a respectful, albeit slightly relaxed seiza position, while Sendai was perfectly mimicking a corpse as her splayed, prone body occupied a significant portion of the room while she slept soundly, and they were all gathered here today in order to help Saratoga learn a little more about America in its post-war years.
The carrier had already learnt about the world's various technological developments, so the Japanese destroyers and light cruisers decided that today's focus would be more on America's social, cultural and and even political developments.
They had covered several historical events and had highlighted a few important people who had influenced America's post-war history, although everyone stressed that this was far from an extensive history lesson.
Saratoga turned before nodding towards everyone in order to acknowledge their help, looking around with a thankful look in her eyes as she addressed them all.
"Thank you.
All of you.
Even though I was entirely prepared to learn about these things on my own, I must thank everyone for the amount of additional information you all have supplied me with and the amount of guidance you all have provided me with."
Shikinami waved it off as she explained, noting how their world had radically changed and they had to change their views in order to keep up with the world, lest they be left behind.
"Eh, it's nothing.
We're now allies, and we shouldn't let history drive a wedge between us and isolate each other with our xenophobia and hatred, lest we be picked off by the Abyssals, country by country.
Xenophobia will mean a lot of bad blood between every country's ship girls, and that certainly doesn't help anyone win the Abyssal war, so I'm sure everyone's trying to keep an open mind about things."
Saratoga nodded as she commented,
"Yes, but things might get rough when I meet the Atago-Class heavy cruisers and Ryuujou-san, because I bombed the former while sinking the latter."
Ayanami raised an eyebrow as she commented on the personalities of the three ship girls in question, reassuring the Lexington-Class carrier that there really wasn't anything to be worried about.
"That's not really a cause for concern, because even though Takao-san may be a little cold towards you, Atago-san's warm personality will make up for it in spades.
They're the polar opposites of each other, and I think you will get along with them, so there's that.
Ryuujou-san may need a little time to get used to your presence, and your…"
Ayanami brought her hands up to her chest before pushing them out in a BOING motion while puffing out her cheeks in order to refer to Saratoga's generous bust before explaining.
"... Since Ryuujou's rather lacking in that department.
But in the end, I believe they will accept you since you're now a member of our base, and we've got more pressing issues to address.
Like, say, another war which is currently going on around us?"
Saratoga nodded mutely in response, and Jintsuu leaned in to place a silent, yet firm hand on the carrier's shoulder in order to help reassure her without saying a word.
Ayanami smiled upon seeing everyone do their best in order to help Saratoga and try to be friends with her, and was in the process of ejecting the stopped disc from the CD player when an announcement was made on the PA system and Admiral Mako's voice resounded throughout the games room, and by extension, the entire naval base as everyone looked up at the overhead speakers.
"Admiral Mako here.
Just a quick heads-up for the 1st Fleet.
The 1st Fleet is to assemble on the 14th of May in order to sortie.
Due to several complications and delays, the temporary fleet composition for the 1st Fleet will be Haruna, Naka, Jintsuu, Saratoga, Ayanami and Shigure until further notice.
A private message will be sent to you by the Coordinators before tonight as a reminder, and make use of this time to work on your teamwork, since we understand that some of you have not worked together before.
That is all."
Ayanami blinked in confusion, but Naka was the one to glomp Saratoga and Ayanami as she cheered about being in the same fleet as the both of them, squealing in glee.
"Alright!
Looks like the four of us are going to be in the same fleet for now!
Let's all do our best!"
While Jintsuu gave them a small smile, placing her palms on the floor and touching the tatami floor with her forehead, rising from her kowtow as she commented.
"I agree.
It is an honor to be a part of the 1st Fleet, and it will be interesting to witness the might of an American carrier in real time.
Let us do our best together."
Sendai was barely affected by the sudden announcement, only shifting on the floor in order to lie on her side as she muttered a satisfied,
"... Fishcakes…"
Saratoga looked down in order to contemplate the sudden announcement about the temporary roster update, as well as why she was being sent out into battle so soon.
"I heard that a large-scale battle was going to occur, and this was why everyone was doubling their training efforts.
And I think this may be why Admiral Jackson asked me to stay here in Yokosuka, so that I can help you all.
But to my knowledge, that's two-thirds of the 1st Fleet who've been replaced, and why are so many of them unavailable?"
Ushio brought up her legs to her sizable chest and looked down at her knees dejectedly, Shikinami doing her best to comfort her by giving her a back pat as she remarked fearfully.
"Uuu… I think it's because of the Flying Dutchman, Saratoga-san.
It destroyed Ayanami-nee's fleet at the Battle of Mikura Jima Island…"
Everyone's eyes turned to her, and Ayanami started to sweat as she did her best to try and reassure everyone.
Fortunately, it was a skill which came to her naturally since she was the name-ship of the Ayanami-Class, and was thus responsible for leading and helping several of her sister ships who were in this base.
"Now, now.
The Dutchman shouldn't be able to hurt us on land, so we have nothing to worry about right now.
It wouldn't dare to attack us where our strongest battleships and carriers are located.
It may be strong, but it's certainly not invincible."
"Strong enough to crush four fleets at once, though…"
Shikinami muttered darkly under her breath, and Ayanami's eyebrows creased in a disapproving, deadpan expression as she had told her sisters about what happened at Mikura Jima Island in confidence.
Shikinami looked away while raising her arms in mock-surrender while the Lexington-Class's eyes widened, and Saratoga's expression darkened as she leaned in to ask Ayanami for a favor.
"Ayanami-san, I'd like to review your memories of this Battle of Mikura Jima Island in order to discern the abilities of this new Abyssal enemy."
Ayanami nodded as she sent the Lexington-Class carrier the memory file in order to keep her updated and to sate her curiosity, although she was quick to tell her about another witness who could be of more use to her.
"Well, Shigure-san is a better witness, since unlike her, who was right next to the Abyssal aviation battleship as it rose from the depths, I was further away and couldn't see much.
But the destruction it can potentially cause is already evident from what I saw, so I believe I can at least help you in this regard."
Saratoga nodded grimly, and she looked down as she reviewed the memory file regarding the Battle of Mikura Jima Island while Naka placed a questioning finger on her cheek as she innocently asked.
"I understand if Tatsuta-san, Junyou-san and Hiei-san are unable to sortie so soon, but isn't Tenryuu-san training with Abukuma-san right now, and is perfectly capable of sortieing?"
But Jintsuu considered the question for some time before answering her sister with a plausible explanation.
"Well, perhaps it's because the Admiral didn't want to sortie one Tenryuu-Class cruiser without the other, since Tenryuu-san would probably be distracted with thoughts about Tatsuta-san's well being, and this might endanger her in battle."
Ayanami, after thinking about the two Tenryuu-Class cruisers, wasn't so sure about Jintsuu's theory and suspected that something might be up with the two light cruisers, but she believed that the Admiral herself was probably behind her two teammates' temporary absence from the battlefield and had a good reason for it.
So if the Tenryuu-Class cruisers were unable to answer her questions as to why they were grounded for the time being, she'd simply make sure that they were doing well before respecting their privacy.
Saratoga then looked up as she nodded grimly, now understanding how a submersible battleship came out of left field and caught them off-guard with the element of surprise, but the Lexington-Class carrier decided to try and put everything around her back in its rightful place before going for dinner, commenting.
"Well...
No point thinking about and discussing these matters on an empty stomach.
Let's put these CDs back where they belong, and let's get going."
Everyone nodded and agreed unanimously, and Ayanami helped to place the CDs back in their rightful covers before closing them and placing them back in the large drawer located inside the games room, hearing the Lexington-Class carrier address everyone with a question while they worked.
"And I'm still a little confused about this human body which we reincarnate into.
Why is everyone female?"
Surprisingly, Naka was the one who gave Saratoga an explanation which was cobbled together by various theoreticians over the years, explaining the quasi-philosophical concept behind the ship and how it related back to them being female.
"Oh, that's easy!
When you think about it, why did sailors in the past sometimes talk about their ships as though they were female?"
Saratoga considered the question as she picked up the few snack wrappers left on the floor, having brought some snacks in beforehand in order to feed herself should she get hungry, dropping them into the bin as Naka answered.
"Well, when you take away all our weapons and armor, as ships, we're ultimately vessels who ferry humans across the ocean as they eat, sleep and live within us.
In a sense, we act as incubators, sustaining the livelihood of our inhabitants with our resources and protecting them from the elements.
Unlike planes, which can only last a day at most without resupplying and for a tank, several days, ships can theoretically sail the seas for several months without resupplying at a port.
And don't quote me on this, but I think the Nimitz-Class super-carriers can stay on the ocean for 70 days without resupplying its food stocks, and 90 at the maximum.
Sustaining life within our hulls for extended periods of time while our armor, and even our cannons protect them, I suppose it translates into a feminine humanoid in the eyes of our makers."
Naka then shrugged as she continued packing up the games room, noting.
"At least, that's the accepted consensus, since even our supposed makers, the Fairies, believe this to be one of the most reasonable explanations.
We always joke that if a World War 2 tank were to be theoretically recreated as a human, it'd likely come out as a boy, since the tank guns would be represented by their, you know…"
Ayanami noted Saratoga nodding a little too vigorously as her cheeks colored, Naka continuing with her explanation.
"And if you wish to stretch things even further, I suppose you can say that even the ocean, deep and dangerous it may be, is where life was first created, and where it flourished before the first fish crawled onto land.
To create and sustain life is a sacred ability, and since we were created to sail the seven seas and are in our element when we step onto the ocean, perhaps it was meant to be poetic when we are created as female humanoids in order to embody this trait.
This is one theory which has weathered many criticisms and doubts throughout the entire course of the Abyssal War to become one of the most convincing explanations we have so far."
Saratoga nodded sagely before looking up from the small stack of papers which she was arranging, looking towards everyone as she asked.
"Oh, and I must ask.
Do we have any swimming lessons, since we now inhabit human bodies?
I don't wish to be caught off-guard on the off-chance that our boat slippers are blown off by torpedoes, and I can't even keep my head above the surface of the ocean."
Shikinami answered without thinking twice,
"Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about, since our bodies float while alive and sink when we die.
Besides, I don't think you have even less to worry about than we destroyers do."
Shikinami then jerked her left thumb behind her while giving Ushio a mischievous look as she eyed her sister's abnormally large breasts, commenting offhandedly.
"I mean, you have big boobs like Ushio-chan, and they're essentially your fuel tanks.
And last I checked, Ushio-chan had no problems floating on the surface of the pool since they also act as pseudo-flotation devices."
Ushio hugged her breasts while squeaking,
"Kya!"
And was slightly tearing up in the corner of her eyes, Ayanami noting all this out of the corner of her eye along with Saratoga's slight blush as she chided noncommittally.
"Shikinami, stop teasing Ushio and Saratoga-san and get back to work."
Shikinami raised her arms in mock surrender as she looked away, a small smirk plastered on her face as she remarked.
"Alright, alright…"
Ayanami looked to Saratoga as she explained the inner workings of a ship girl, and how learning to swim wasn't very high on their list of priorities.
"Saratoga-san, our bodies are capable of passively floating on the surface of the ocean, even though we wear boat slippers in order to help us sail and walk on the surface of the water.
And if you check, the ability to swim is already pre-programmed into our minds, even before we were brought back into this world through various means."
Saratoga nodded patiently before retorting politely.
"Yes, I understand that we all already know how to swim.
But I prefer to practice this skill for real in order to hone this skill when in a controlled environment, rather than call upon this ability for the first time in my life in a time of crisis."
Everyone then looked to each other, Jintsuu remarking about how it was probably wise to at least know how their pre-programmed skills worked in practice, instead of keeping it unused in their minds until a dire occasion called for its use.
"Well, Saratoga-san does have a point.
It seems rather asinine to passively store this skill in our minds until the occasion calls for it, and panicking while attempting to use it for the first time while in the heat of battle may cost us our lives."
Naka leaned in to ask Saratoga, looking strangely enthused about the notion of having everyone take a day off in order to get some swimming lessons, and recommended the next course of action to a slightly taken aback Saratoga.
"Oh!
You should go ahead and explain this to Admiral Mako, I'm sure she'd love to have swimming lessons with everyone!"
Ayanami lifted an eyebrow upon hearing that since she understood that their Admiral, upon realizing the chance to see her ship girls and girlfriends in swimsuits and bikinis, would likely get a nosebleed while immediately allowing this lesson to be carried out, possibly even taking advantage of her status as Admiral to make it mandatory for every ship girl in Yokosuka.
After explaining this to everyone, the Lexington-Class carrier flinched as she realized the possible implications, asking worriedly.
"But I don't have a swimsuit, Ayanami-san.
What happens then?"
Ushio suggested,
"Well, we can get Admiral Mako to place an order for a tailored carrier-sized school swimsuit, I suppose…"
But Shikinami waved the suggestion aside, preparing herself in order to perform an impression of the Admiral as she did so.
"Oh, puh-lease.
I think if you were to bring up this problem with Admiral Mako, I think her response would be…"
Clearing her throat, Shikinami made a slightly lewd expression and executed a passable impression of Admiral Mako's voice and mannerisms as she remarked.
"'Oh, you don't have a swimsuit?
Don't worry, my dear.
I know of this one shop in town where they sell these pretty little, and I mean little little bikinis for a well-endowed girl like you to wear.
And since I pretty much determined your three sizes by ogling your body when you weren't looking, you don't have to worry about measurements.
Oh, please ignore this spontaneous nosebleed I'm getting, ehehehehe…'"
Shikinami held her nose with her right fist as her impression of Admiral Mako's lust-filled giggle was hot and bothered, Saratoga blanching as she started to sweat upon realizing what she was going to have to contend with, looking around shiftily as she asked the various occupants of the games room for help.
"W-Well, I still want to participate in some swimming lessons…
Will someone please help accompany me to the nearby town in order to get a swimsuit, preferably something modest?"
Ayanami exhaled as she looked up at the pleading carrier, accepting Saratoga's request as she slid the drawer shut after storing the CD casings neatly inside and turning back to face the Lexington-Class carrier.
"Alright, I'll follow you, Saratoga-san.
But it'll be after the 14th, since I wouldn't want to rush things when we need to focus on our training and sortie."
Saratoga nodded in relief as she bowed towards Ayanami as a gesture of gratitude, Jintsuu and Naka looking interested about this trip to the nearby town as Jintsuu politely offered.
"If you don't mind, perhaps we might be of some assistance in this endeavor of yours if we were to accompany you on this trip."
To which Saratoga replied with the same amount of respect and formality.
"I shall take you up on your offer, Jintsuu-san.
And to take things even further, we might as well get everyone to join our little trip in order to unwind after our next sortie, no?"
Naka then piped up with another suggestion for the other three ship girls in the room who were now members of the 1st Fleet, since she had never worked with either Ayanami or Saratoga.
"Well, that's a fine idea for another day, to go on an outing with everyone after the sortie!
But Saratoga-san, Ayanami-san, Jintsuu-chan, like what Admiral Mako said over the PA system, would you all be interested in some training sessions with our newly formed temporary 1st Fleet?
There's no substitute for practice, and we need to make sure that our teamwork is up to par in order to get everyone home safely, hmm?"
Ayanami nodded, now feeling the pressure pile on again now that she was going to sortie again with two thirds of her original fleet taken out of action.
But then again, looking at Saratoga, Naka and Jintsuu, she felt that things might go a little smoother this time around.
Haruna was a respectably strong Kai fast battleship, Saratoga was an American carrier, Naka and Jintsuu were strong Kai light cruisers, and Shigure had gained more battle experience after participating in a battle against an Abyssal Princess.
They could do this.