Shaping another C4 charge such that it wouldn't be immediately discovered before planting it on the generators, Shiranui had circled around to prepare for the worst all throughout the night, passing the time as Ma'am Jackie relocated herself so that she could cover Shiranui, and mission control could use this time to hack into the auxiliary terminal in order to continue the mission together.
Having climbed underneath combat vehicles to plant C4 underneath them while also scouting the area for possible entry routes and patrol patterns which were varied but ultimately predictable, she decided that scouting out the General Hospital would help her understand the terrain better and take in details which a map could never tell her.
She heard Aoba speak up,
"Shiranui, we've managed to hack into the auxiliary terminal to cover your tracks.
You're weapons-free, make sure the Abyssals don't discover the corpses you leave behind.
"Finally."
And Akashi spoke up regarding the detail about Woxanne's surprise presence in the General Hospital and what she was going to do about it.
"We've decided on our new course of action.
You'll still try to trace the mole through their servers, but try and spy on on Woxanne's interactions and activities in the terminals, and perhaps piggybacking off of her administrative access would make our jobs easier by being in the same room without her knowing it."
"No contact whatsoever?"
"Not yet, but I think the chance might come should you detonate the explosives and throw the entire area into chaos before chatting up Woxanne at gunpoint to interrogate her and buy our hackers more time.
Just an idea."
Ma'am Jackie's suggestion made sense, and Akashi's thoughts aligned with the senior light cruiser's sensible suggestion.
"I concur.
The ensuing chaos would give you a short window in which a distress signal sent by Woxanne likely wouldn't be heeded by many Abyssals until they bring the situation back under their control."
Shiranui crouched as she slipped past a Ri-Class cruiser who wielded an FN SCAR rifle, and she could mentally see that several patrol routes were uploaded into her HUD and helped her to predict where Abyssals were coming from, since even Ma'am Jackie's field of vision was limited.
The security here was heightened, crouching behind a corner to become one with the shadows as a Tsu-Class light cruiser noisily stepped on the gravel leading to the garden in the middle of the hospital while carrying an M4 Carbine, staring straight ahead and likely using her night vision to look into the darkness.
Just because she could kill anyone didn't mean she had to, and it meant one less body to hide.
Looking at what remained of the main entrance to one of the two main buildings, Shiranui saw that a gigantic hole had been carved into it thanks to an explosion enlarging the entrance for a construction truck-sized vehicle to enter, moonlight streaming through it as Shiranui noted the unmoving Wo-Class positioned at the second floor railing straddled by two frozen elevators, facing the enlarged entrance to watch over it with a Dragunov sniper rifle.
Another method of infiltration was a pole up the side of the building leading into the gift shop, Shiranui making a detour as she asked the Demon Instructor.
"Jackie.
Are there any snipers looking the Southeast corner of the building closer to the ocean?"
Nope, because I've already taken them all out.
Thank goodness you covered our tracks, my trigger finger was starting to atrophy."
"Arthritis is treatable in the 21st century, you know?"
"Grr, one more joke about my age and this next bullet's going through your skull."
Shiranui was struggling to maintain her neutral expression as she scaled the pipe leading up to the second floor, transferring her right hand from the steel pole to the concrete ledge before climbing in through the windows as she slowly shifted her weight onto the foot which tenderly stepped on broken glass, crackling glass particles barely betraying her presence as a Ri-Class cruiser rounded the corner to find nothing, Shiranui making use of the distraction to sneak behind the Abyssal guard investigating the disturbance.
The souvenir shop was unlit as shattered glass and wrecked merchandise littered the floor, funnels of light betraying the Abyssal presence as bullet holes pockmarked the walls and stands once lined with medical supplies which were looted by the retreating ship girls, leaving behind useless souvenirs which were trampled on by its current occupants.
Using her Five-seveN to jam the door sensor so that it couldn't slide the doors open to inadvertently betray her presence, she tiptoed out of the store to slip into the hall and minimized the time spent in the light, slipping into a Ta-Class's blind spot after ensuring she wouldn't be spotted.
Looking at the Ta-Class battleship who wielded a Negev NG-7 light machine-gun, she took note of the heightened security in this hospital as she consulted her map of the place and traversed the waiting hall for patients, with the doctors' consultation rooms to her left.
Slipping into the hospital's server room as shown in the blueprints, it was filled with the buzzing and whirring of computers crunching the numbers regarding the condition of their fleets and battalions, as well as the resources consumed in their operations, possible routes and probabilities regarding odds of victory in various engagements, the hospital's electricity still flowing into this room to illuminate the cupboard-sized terminals.
Woxanne sat at the end of the server room and faced away from the door Shiranui entered from, and she chose not to disturb the conversation between Woxanne and Yuubari while she slipped the thumb-drive into the relevant USB port for mission control to do their thing.
"Aoba, you getting this?"
"Clear as day.
We'll work on this information, plant the C4 on the servers around you but don't arm them yet.
Also listen in on Woxanne's conversation in the meantime, see what you can learn."
She was already working on it, shaping the C4 charge to be stuffed into the motherboards of the server which housed her server interface thumb-drive in order to eliminate all evidence, planting another C4 charge behind another server which was leaning against the wall to prevent it from being easily found, hearing Woxanne speak up while looking down at a monitor.
[ … proving far more tenacious and unyielding than we initially expected, as our last two battles showed.
Hurting Cynthia and Naka in the last battle was a major blow to our forces, and we might have to consider relocating some of our J.O.A.N. units from America to engage them in combat.]
[How long will they both take to repair?]
[Naka will require one week, and Cynthia, two and a half.]
Yuubari sounded contemplative, not yet reaching concerned, but slowly getting there as Shiranui felt quite proud that after putting up such a fierce fight and for all the suffering they had endured as they were put through the wringer, the Abyssals were starting to feel the thorn in their side in the form of resource depletion and mountains of Abyssal corpses.
[Swap me and Sakawa in once we make the push towards Tokyo.
I'll have some surprises prepared for the ship girls by then.
Amatsukaze has been sent over to your side since the Americans have been kiting us in America and we determined that the destroyer would be of more use on your front, and she'll be arriving on time to participate in the Battle of Tokyo Bay.]
Woxanne nodded obediently as Yuubari continued.
[We have been informed that the ship girls will be attempting a counterattack in the Kimitsukagihara Country Club, prepare our forces up North and South to surround them from all three directions along with our current Abyssal forces which are hot on their heels.
If this goes well, we might be able to force their hand earlier than expected and even get our hands on one of their New Wave units.]
Alright, that was all she needed to know.
Pressing the trigger in her hand to detonate the C-4 outside this room, distant explosions sounded out as confused cries were drowned out by the rumbling which slightly shook the foundation of the General Hospital while hurried footsteps were heard down the darkened hallways, the server room also plunged into darkness since the backup generators took some time to power up.
Pulling herself up to a cupboard-sized computer server and lying prone to avoid being seen while being sandwiched in between the computer server's roof and the ceiling, she heard the guards check on and confirm the situation with their superior officer.
[Woxanne, we appear to have an intruder on the premises!
We'll scout around, stay here until we've locked down the area and located the intruder!]
[Understood.]
The Ri-Class left the room urgently while cocking her M16 assault rifle to prepare for a shootout, and Shiranui unfurled to pull out her Five-seveN from her holster before landing on the ground to approach Woxanne, piping up to announce her presence.
"No need to look for the intruder, she's right here.
Hands up, and get up from your seat."
Woxanne was surprised by Shiranui's presence, Shiranui keeping her distance to prevent Woxanne from taking possession of her pistol as she eyed the seated Abyssal, wary of any weapons on her as she icily voiced.
"Take out any weapons on you and drop them.
I spot a weapon on you, I'm emptying this magazine in your head."
The arms slowly disappeared in her cape before displaying her fingers pinching the Walther P99 pistol's handle to drop it, getting up to display the upwards-pointing shark head shaped like an 'A' to symbolize being the spokesperson and lapdog of the Abyssal higher-ups, Woxanne raising her hands as Shiranui pushed away the chair Woxanne previously sat on.
Turning behind to look Shiranui in the eye, Shiranui had leveled her pistol at center mass as she started off the conversation on her terms,
"First question.
What was that about your plans for Kimitsukagihara Country Club and a counterattack?"
[So you heard?
We have received intelligence that you're attempting a counterattack, is it not natural for us to set a trap after realizing your plans?]
"My guess is that you know of this plan because of the mole in our base.
Who is she?"
[I don't know.
And let's not kid ourselves, did you think that I, a mere messenger and errand girl for my masters, was going to be in on the loop about this?]
Hm, as much as Shiranui wanted to deny it, what Woxanne said was reasonable, glowering as she watched Woxanne continue on.
[But…
With you as the New Wave ship girl specializing in stealth, you might be the one to uncover her identity sooner than we think…]
"How so?"
Cocking the hammer of her pistol despite knowing that Abyssals were unafraid of dying due to their utilitarian and impersonal nature, giving this Abyssal carrier some personality and individuality didn't change as it only got a nonplussed blink out of Woxanne before responding.
[You are one of Yokosuka's spies, and add what you already know about spy work to your New Wave power, which appears to grant you an adult body and a stealth suit along with it; not too great of a power - ]
"It helps me gets the job done, and that's all I need."
[Fair enough.
I suppose letting me see you was part of the plan?]
"I wouldn't be a very good spy if it wasn't, no?"
Woxanne lifted an eyebrow in agreement and was the most an Abyssal bothered to emote, Shiranui listening to Aoba speaking into her ear about where the leak was coming from.
"The leak's being bounced off of various communication relays in naval bases which are overrun by Abyssals, and these bases can't be infiltrated that easily even by you without the proper distractions and backup
Whatever stored records of their encrypted conversations on our servers prior to World War 3 have been 'conveniently' destroyed by the advancing Abyssals, both hiding her identity and delaying our attempts to trace her calls and decipher what they've been talking about.
We can tell that she's leaking information about our retreat into the Kimitsukagihara Country Club, and we're scrapping those plans and making arrangements to reposition our troops and get them beyond Tokyo Bay to prepare for the Tokyo Defense."
Woxanne was leaning in close as her eyes twinkled, appearing interested in the encrypted signal being emitted from Shiranui as she asked,
[You have comrades backing you up, hmm?]
"Of course.
Despite my stellar infiltration skills, I was definitely not going to come here alone.
Now then…"
Shiranui stepped in, her Five-seveN trained on Woxanne as she kicked aside the P99 pistol to minimize the odds of Woxanne picking it up, the thought of Amazon company's counterattack failing before it even started without her intervention clouding her judgement with justified fury as she swung her free fist in a hook towards Woxanne's head.
Woxanne deftly blocked her incoming hook, but Shiranui's right leg was brought up for brutal kick to Woxanne's abdomen as the Abyssal's back crashed into the interface panel, the handle of Shiranui's Five-seveN swinging down like an executioner's axe towards Woxanne's neck, stunning Woxanne as Shiranui holstered her Five-seveN and lifted up the crumpled Abyssal up by clamping the sides of her head.
Right before throwing Woxanne's head into the surface and following through the motions as though performing a slam dunk, warping the surface and shattering glass as they embed themselves into the carrier's face while fizzling sparks were thrown up, Woxanne's bloodied head rebounding as she curled into a fetal position while clutching at her bleeding face, helplessly slipping back down to the floor while Shiranui seethed and loomed over the Abyssal carrier with the promise of more violence should she fail to provide an adequate answer.
"The mole said that we were going to the Kimitsukagihara Country Club and revealed our hand to you before our preparations are even finished.
What else has she said about us?"
[ … Urgh…
You will have to try harder than that…]
And upon pushing herself off the floor while leaning on the side of the interface panel, Shiranui's left foot shot out in order to crush Woxanne's skull in between the sole of her boot and the panel's steel to dent it, Woxanne limbs spasming in a pseudo-epileptic fit as she crumpled lifelessly to the floor.
Rolling Woxanne over with her boot to check if the Abyssal was still breathing, blood poured from her mouth and nose as Shiranui manhandled Woxanne and threw her down onto the chair, Shiranui then changed tactics from force to reason and leaned in to play the ambiguous and potentially treacherous nature of a spy against the recovering Abyssal.
"Listen, how you know she hasn't turned against you Abyssals yet?
Before, we didn't even know of this spy's existence and we wouldn't be talking right now.
And yet, here we are, me beating the crap out of you simply because she was traced back here right when you were visiting and got in my cross-hairs."
Woxanne hardly winced as she fumbled while squeamishly pulling a glass shard out of her left cheek due to the slick shard surface and her blood stained gloves, the glass shard dropping to the ground while Woxanne lowered her gaze and remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"Me finding out that you Abyssals are going to thwart our counterattack at Kimitsukagihara Country Club means that an easy victory has been snatched from your grasp because of her.
She's definitely not working with us, which is why I'm here in the first place, but with us finding out about her existence, and now this, can you trust her not to compromise your side any more than she already has?
I understand that you want to protect your superiors, just give me enough information to start to pull her out of the spotlight and we can both go our separate ways."
There was certainly a light which was lit in Woxanne's eyes which belied the critical thinking on her part in order to consider her situation and make her own choices before acquiescing to her demands.
[I was telling the truth when I said I did not know who she was, but I do know this.
She knows that you would be working your way into Project Psyche and would become a New Wave ship girl sooner or later.]
Shiranui put two and two together, suspecting that the mole knowing of her bugging Admiral Mako's meeting while hanging out more often with Shigure was likely related to Shigure's flashy entrance with her H.A.L.O. suit to fight Simurgh, and it wasn't out of the question to think that Shiranui would receive her New Wave powers along with Shigure.
The question was: who was privy to that alliance?
There was Akashi who had the motive to betray the humans, but clearly hated Abyssals even more than she hated humans, and would never deign to work with them.
She heard Aoba speak up about their objective regarding the mole causing an intelligence leak as she kept her hand hovering over her holstered Five-seveN in order to discourage any rash movements from Woxanne.
"Shiranui, we've located the leak and patched it up, since it was part of the communication system which was created to coordinate movements on the ocean and land.
And since this requires a drastic expansion of the current communication and coordination system in Yokosuka to accommodate land units some time before World War 3, it'd stand to reason that some security loopholes would exist before being reviewed and patched.
Now, the mole can't leak any more information from the existing loopholes which we've uncovered without us noticing, so there's that for now."
Shiranui looked down at Woxanne, grabbing the Abyssal's hair and jerking her head closer to hers while angling her holster away from the Abyssal so as not to allow it to be taken out of her possession,
"Where else can I find leads on the mole?"
[The exposé on your human backers would be the best bet.
She told us a lot about what they had been up to, and she's certainly out for their blood more than you are and plans to bring them down on her own volition.]
Shiranui considered how the mole being emotionally invested in revealing Central's less scrupulous activities would mean that a slip-up was more likely, although she reminded herself that if the mole was skilled enough to not have anyone suspect her as a mole for so long, Shiranui had to actively pressure and corner her into making one even then.
Ma'am Jackie's voice then piped up over the radio with a warning regarding the situation which was developing outside the training room,
"Shiranui.
I'm seeing movement in the direction of your room, the Abyssals are likely headed there in order to breach the server room and kill you.
I can take some of them out, but get the hell out of there."
Unhanding Woxanne and casting a wary glance at the closed door which could come crashing down at any moment, Woxanne huffed as she struggled to get up from her chair and wiping the blood from her face, instead smearing it all over like war paint.
[We'll be prepared… for you next time.
Don't think you'll be able to do this in our future… installations.]
"I know you'll reinforce your security, but the reason why I'm even showing myself to you in the first place is the simple fact that I'm confident it won't matter.
I'm not so magnanimous as to let you even suspect that I'm even in the same city as you all in my future missions, and certainly not right behind you when you least expect it."
Shiranui reached back to grab a flash grenade and unpinned it as she heard hurried footsteps slow down behind the door, whipping out her Five-seveN as the door was punted off of its hinges while Shiranui lifted the pistol to jam the ceiling light before the flashbang grenade left Shiranui's hand in order to stun and blind the Abyssals rushing in, whipping out of the corner to have her superhuman reflexes complement her battle-hardened veteran abilities to unleash Hell.
Shooting the three Ri-Class cruisers in the eye where their armor was weak and hearing their dying hands squeeze the trigger to fire off several rounds around the room, Woxanne dived towards her P99 pistol while Shiranui was distracted with leaving the room, landing with her right shoulder sliding on the tiled floor to squeeze several shots off in Shiranui's direction as she ducked to allow projectiles to zip over her head and punch several cracked holes into existence on the walls.
Leaning against the wall near the room's only door, she observed a Tsu-Class cruiser in the reflection of a computer server's fragmented glass opposite her, the Abyssal hurling a fragmentation grenade which rebounded back towards Shiranui before diving away, the Kagerou-Class destroyer kicking it out of the room and sent it flying into an approaching Ne-Class cruiser, similarly throwing herself to the floor as the cooked grenade detonated at point-blank range.
"Keep down!"
Shiranui unquestioningly followed Ma'am Jackie's instruction as a bloody funnel was forcibly pierced through the wall which she leaned on, Shiranui slipping out to find the headless Tsu-Class who threw the grenade slide lifelessly to the ground as blood erupted copiously from her exposed neck, Shiranui whipping back as Woxanne emptied her P99's magazine in Shiranui's direction before hurling her empty pistol in her face.
Slapping away the thrown firearm while her body jerked from two bullets impacting her beneath her collarbone and hitting her kidney, she was tackled by the charging Woxanne as they leaned perilously over the windows to allow their centers of balance to shift over the ledge, Shiranui's heart stopping for a second as the ground entered her field of vision and spun around the both of them along with the night sky.
[Raaarrrgh!]
Everything became weightless and caused her insides to feel queasy, looking into Woxanne's face as they both flew out the window while whatever grains of glass fell along with them caught and reflected the pale moonlight to shine like starry diamonds in the night.
Slamming into the ground sent shockwaves throughout her body, and she was lucky enough to land on the Abyssal whom tackled her out of the window, the crash-landing likely attracting every Abyssal in a hundred meter radius as she shook off the pain and crawled back to her feet.
Another crack sounded out through the bustling alien-infested town, the searchlight which was trailing down the side of the main building towards her escaping figure inexplicably shut off and allowed her to slip back into the shadows as armed Abyssals stampeded in her direction.
And as the crowd of monochrome soldiers surrounded the miniscule crater while others faced outwards, she made a clean getaway with tons of help from Ma'am Jackie as she squatted behind a corner to hear Akashi speak into her mind.
"Time to make yourself scarce, Shiranui.
Blow up the main server room in order to wipe all physical traces of us hacking into their servers before proceeding to the designated extraction point in the forest and meeting up with Ma'am Jackie."
Doing just that with the second batch of C4 in the main server room, the wall which she leaned on shuddered as the explosion was felt throughout the building, the fireball temporarily illuminating the Abyssal figures as they tensed up and raised their rifles before the hail of smoking debris harmlessly pelted them, Shiranui using the distraction to outpace the Abyssals which warily spread out in pairs to find the intruder.
"Watch out.
I see you coming down the alley, hug the shadowed wall opposite you."
Doing so while an air-conditioner condenser unit shielded her figure, a Ri-Class carrier looked down her alley with an aside glance before moving on while carrying a FAMAS assault rifle, Shiranui released the breath she held before taking in another shaky breath before pausing to stomach a jolt of pain arising in her lower left rib cage, slipping out after successfully suppressing the pain.
Tiptoeing behind another Wo-Class who hurried along as Shiranui bid her time behind several crates while throwing back a look to see the beacon of howling flames erupting from the wrecked server room on the fifth level of the Kameda General Hospital, Shiranui then crept through the destroyed houses to make her way back towards the forest from whence she came.
She had sustained several cracked bones and ribs thanks to Woxanne throwing them both out of a window, was also shot a few times thanks to the Wo-Class carrier and was much worse off than if she were to just sneak away with the then available information.
But in return, she now bought enough time for mission control to figure out that their counterattack at the Kimitsukagihara Country Club was doomed to fail, and she beat the information out of Woxanne and now knew that their lead on Central was something personal to the mole which could be traced back to her if they played their cards right.
Slinking out of enemy territory as she jammed several artificial light sources in the area, Shiranui was glad to be out of that dreadful place after a successful first mission, not in terms of what could have gone better (there were plenty), but rather what they got out of the enemy's intelligence networks as well as Woxanne, retracing her steps back into the forest before eventually spotting Ma'am Jackie hiding close to the extraction point, waiting for her.
" … our intelligence networks uncovered the fact that our counterattack at the Kimitsukagihara Country Club would be doomed to fail prematurely, we'll push our schedule further ahead and secure Tokyo Bay before moving to the city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa.
From our location, most of us will be transported to the coastal cities by the bay via helicopter for us to hit the ocean in Tokyo Bay and rendezvous with your comrades from Yokosuka."
The makeshift meeting room which was crowded with ship girls responded with deafening silence which filled the air, and Tenryuu could understand the palpable exhaustion and weariness plaguing Amazon company.
A dozen ship girls had already died, and while none of them had failed to be brought back to life thanks to their portable docks, permanent casualties were long overdue if they were going to keep this pace of consecutive battles up for much longer, and the usual grieving process had considerably shortened from the hysterical sobbing and crying over the corpses of their comrades and sisters during their down time in between sorties to sullenly lowering their heads for about ten seconds before moving on.
Their old lives had died ever since World War 3 began, and Amazon company, like many other ship girl and human battalions out there, had to fight on and not grieve too long for the fallen, creating an air of surprisingly callous apathy which hung over them as if to say,
'Shit's already hit the fan and we're all stuck chest-high in a quicksand full of it, so what if it managed to miss a spot?'
Fortunately, a significant portion of them had the fire reignited in their eyes upon hearing that they'd see their sister ships and comrades again, and Ma'am Jackie thankfully saw that they were too tired to care about being shouted at for their lackluster response, continuing her briefing while addressing everyone in the room as equals who fought alongside her on the battlefield.
"We'll get some shut-eye on the ride to the prefecture of Futtsu near Tokyo Bay, and we'll meet up with the ship girls of Yokosuka who'll be sortieing from the West.
There'll also be jet fighters sortieing from the mainland and JMSDF vessels occupying the ocean, JGSDF forces fighting to the death for every block and street before we retreat into Tokyo.
After holding onto Tokyo for as long as feasibly possible, we'll probably be flown to the neighboring Shizuoka prefecture, where the Abyssals are moving up the Izu Peninsula and conquering the Amagi Mountain Range to take over Mount Fuji."
Of course, that was neither here nor there since it would still be some weeks away, and it was best for them to focus on Tokyo Bay and the subsequent Tokyo defense before worrying about the most famous mountain in Japan, but the scrapped plans for the counterattack at the Kimitsukagihara Country Club meant one less battle which wouldn't tax their stamina to the point of exhaustion.
"Rest up tonight, and we'll move out at 0800 hours tomorrow morning on the 26th of May to fight in the Battle of Tokyo Bay to buy enough time for a mass rerouting to Tokyo.
Dismissed."
The entire room was then occupied with the sound of reluctant movement, ship girls getting off their butts and stretching while others left to be alone with their thoughts, Tenryuu exiting the room while giving a aside glance to Tatsuta to subtly indicate that she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts, strolling around aimlessly until she found a corner in the building which wasn't populated by moping ship girls.
Right before sitting herself down to mope all by herself.
Sure, she was much more mature now, but this world war kept hanging over them like a Sword of Damocles, an ever present concern which they seemingly couldn't find any respite from no matter where they ran, like the occupants on a liferaft which tried their best to remain calm as they drifted without sight of land.
They'd slowly find themselves succumbing to a growing panic as the rationed food was slowly depleted, dangerous thoughts borne from a desperate and ravenous thirst for survival seeping into and poisoning their minds, which the impartial law would harshly judge back under the safe blanket of civilization.
"U-Um, Tenryuu-san?"
Tenryuu jerked her head back up and saw that Inazuma was standing next to her, and she had grown considerably to a point where she could look a Kagerou-Class destroyer in the eye while her other sister ships came up short since looked like they were still in kindergarten, hence the 'Tenryuu's Kindergarten' nickname.
The army uniform was an ill-suited fit to her still-childish body and pacifistic demeanor, her innocent face and tender body posture still resembling the default Inazuma in Tenryuu's mind as the destroyer leaned over with a concerned look in her wide eyes.
She wiped the surprise from her face as she patted the floor in between her spread legs in order to invite the Akatsuki-Class destroyer to sit with her.
"Come on, sit down, Inazuma.
I could use some company."
Inazuma graciously accepted the offer, Inazuma pressing her non-existent dress in before sitting out of habit and allowed the silence to linger between them, Tenryuu slowly finding the quiet air unbearable due to the stillness of death and loss associated with it as though basking in the aftermath of a pyrrhic victory, filling it with her anxieties regarding their friends and the wrong kind of attention they were attracting.
"I'm…
I'm afraid that because of me, Tatsuta and the rest of us, the Abyssals will keep sending stronger and stronger Abyssal boss units to kill us.
And while I'm still concerned about my own odds of survival, I'm more worried about our company's band of ship girls, who might get killed in the crossfire since they don't have… you know…"
Inazuma nodded understandingly, prompting the light cruiser to dare to confide more in her demure senior who was shorter than her as she asked,
"I don't know…
I'm afraid of dying, I can accept that and use it to push myself forward, but I'm just wondering…
What if our comrades get hurt because of us, because we were only strong enough to defend ourselves and weren't strong enough to protect everyone else?
I mean, all it takes is one time for someone to die on our watch…"
That thought left a sour taste in her mouth as she looked away, tearing away her eyepatch in order to complete the thousand-yard stare as her left eye squinted in response to the sudden influx of sunlight streaming into her optics, eventually hearing Inazuma responding with her own opinion.
"Well, think about it this way.
If they spend all their time plotting to attack and kill us, they won't be murdering ship girls from other companies or naval bases, many of whom are unfit to deal with them like we are since we have more ship girls and resources supplied by a larger naval base.
That's the best justification I can give, and it's what I'll stick with to the end since no other naval base has their own fleet of super-powered ship girls, right?"
Tenryuu halted her train of thoughts as she considered the extremely reasonable point which Inazuma made, and it made a lot of sense since the New Wave ship girls were all from one naval base, but while some might say that it put all their eggs in one basket, at least it didn't spread them out too thin when in battle.
Grimly chortling at the thought of her past self likely fantasizing about and role-playing the battles she recently survived with a romantic tint, she now knew that stories and reality were two entirely different worlds where the romanticized stories of valiant fights were really just desperate struggles for survival, and the romanticizing came later to censor the horrid details.
"Yeah, I guess you're right.
It's just, I know fighting a Beast was tough, but to see one put up such a vicious fight…
I'm just glad that I'm even alive at all, and I'm wondering just how we managed to last this long in the first place."
Inazuma nodded sagely along with Tenryuu's words, ruminating over them before giving her answer as a senior who had seen her fair share in both world wars.
"Tenryuu-san.
You didn't stand against the Beast and Princess alone, and neither did anyone who came before you as even experienced ship girls can lose when going up against Princesses, especially the installation types which possess far more health and firepower at the price of being stuck in one place.
Focusing on the objective and protecting your friends aren't mutually exclusive, but should the time come for you to focus on the objective or protecting your friends, it's understandable if you prioritized the objective over us.
After all, our objectives come from superiors who can hopefully see things much more clearly than we do, and hopefully your actions and choices would help us win World War 3, because remember, you're now fighting on a scale which needs you to fight for the greater good because of your superpowers."
"Yeah, that makes sense.
I have to learn to make hard choices and live with them, and I now miss those days where I just role-played the strong warrior which could kill Abyssals without having to consider the responsibilities and the fears which accompany it, especially once I have more people to protect.
Was this what Kiso warned me about?"
The Kuma-Class torpedo cruiser, in spite of achieving so many victories with her dreaded but effective 8th Fleet, always had that look of weariness when she thought Tenryuu wasn't looking, much like a war veteran enjoying the company of children even when watching them play war dredged up some dark memories, since going through so much would eventually take their toll on her psyche no matter how resilient she was against the wanton bloodshed and seemingly pointless loss of comrades.
It secretly registered on some level that she might end up like that someday, but damn, did it have to be this soon?
Inazuma understood where she was coming from, the Akatsuki-Class destroyer seemingly reading her mind to respond accordingly with another bit of life advice which came from the unlikeliest of sources.
"Tenryuu.
I know that you know you're not fighting alone, not with Tatsuta-san and others fighting alongside you.
But please, don't think that because more people are depending on you means that you have to be unyielding and willful all the time, it's alright to depend on us for comfort, reassurance and even for backup under the right circumstances.
And forgive the analogy, but the harder steel is, the more fragile it is, and the more stoic you try to be, the harder you'll break under a sudden traumatic experience as you epically fail to contain the surge of suppressed emotions."
Hmm, that made sense.
Being reserved like Shigure probably didn't work too well in certain situations like the Battle of Mikura Jima Island, where she broke down upon connecting the dots and seeing the similarities between that battle and the Battle of Surigao Strait.
Nodding in agreement as she hugged Inazuma like a security bolster as the destroyer exuded a calm form of, well, not self-confidence so much as self-assurance after having been through so much, and she always wanted to communicate with and understand this side of Inazuma which was shown most often to Hibiki, to Tatsuta on occasion, but hardly to Tenryuu aside from today.
"Hey, Inazuma…
How exactly do you remain so, well, sane even after so long and not end up like…
Like Akashi and the rest of the 8th Fleet, no offense to them?"
Inazuma nodded understandingly, the senior destroyer letting out a heavy breath which felt as if it was held for far too long after fighting in a war for about ten years before responding.
"Well, I had the benefit of not having a particularly angsty past, something which the 8th Fleet has admitted to on numerous occasions, even though I was the second-last ship girl in my class to sink behind Hibiki.
They've been through a lot which would have broken lesser ship girls even with the Admiral's support, and are arguably even weaker than me should they play within their statistical limits.
So, um, I must say that they're doing pretty well, all things considered."
That was debatable, but seeing how some ship girls ended up in the ship girl institute of mental health where Akashi once worked at, she supposed they did end up faring somewhat better than the ship girls who ended up there.
Not that it was much of an accomplishment, mind you, but an accomplishment nonetheless.
"Yes.
So, I suppose I've had Admiral Mako and other seniors to share my low points with while they chose to carry the burden of their experiences and pasts by themselves, warping them into becoming who they are today."
Inazuma then lowered her head to look at her boots, the both of them remaining silent for awhile and simply appreciated each other's presence as the sounds of muted activity in the building was more than enough to fill the void, Tenryuu reflecting on the times when Tenryuu's Kindergarten was still together and how they would play together away from the war, their pasts and the Abyssal War shielded by the bubble of civilization to help them grow as normal children.
Looking down at the Akatsuki-Class destroyer who was her senior and had been through scrapes of all varieties with Admiral Mako, Tenryuu regretted how she wasn't there for Inazuma back then, hugging the little girl seated in between her spread legs from behind and suddenly thinking about how Tenryuu couldn't be there for her when it mattered.
"You know, I've met several Inazumas from other naval bases, and while I admit that you possess your own charm as a ship girl who's earned her keep, I do miss the younger side of you and the 'nanodesu'.
And while I understand that this is really up to RNGesus, I wish that either I or Tatsuta could have been there for you in the base's early years, especially since we're both common spawns and crafts."
"Oh well, this is entirely based on luck, and we all know how unpredictable that is, so no point crying over the past.
I have my sister ships, you and Tatsuta-san now, and taking a page out of Shigure-san's book, 'there is no rain which wouldn't stop eventually'.
Things have gotten better since then, and I won't allow World War 3 to take away the fact that we have each other to depend on."
Tenryuu blinked at the stolen quote, but it made sense since Inazuma was one of the first few ship girls in Yokosuka and had to build the naval base which they knew and lived in from the ground up, Tenryuu suddenly voicing a thought which cropped up in her mind.
"Hey, Inazuma?"
"Yes?"
"Why did Admiral Mako throw you into Amazon company if you were her first ship girl?
I mean, the Admiral isn't so callous to treat you that way, so what's up with that?"
Tenryuu cracked her knuckles as a not-so-subtle indicator of her genuine desire to protect her charge, keep them happy and deal with anyone who made them upset, Inazuma's non-confrontational nature bleeding into her actions as she gently placed her palms over her clenched fists in order to pacify her as she assuaged Tenryuu's concerns.
"Hawawa…
Please, Tenryuu-san.
Admiral Mako treats me well, and it's not what you think.
I asked to be here, and she trusts me enough to take care of myself and the destroyers in Amazon company."
Tenryuu relaxed her muscles as she leaned down to look at Inazuma, the destroyer looking concerned that Tenryuu might get physical with the Admiral for her sake as a well-meaning but misguided attempt to right a nonexistent wrong.
"I… I understand that I'm not a very strong ship girl, and Admiral Mako was also skeptical about letting me enlist in the army, but I have to watch over Ikazuchi and the destroyers whom we are more closely associated with in this life despite being in different classes.
I'm not Admiral Mako's strongest ship girl due to my stats and is why I utilize my experience to carry me through battles, but Admiral Mako believes that my experience and emotional stability would be of more use on land, where the consecutive battles would demoralize us like Admiral Mako predicted."
"You…
You chose to be here?
I can't imagine anyone making that choice easily, to want to move from ocean to land and fight in a new environment which really takes its toll on our psyche."
"I-It's simple, really, Tenryuu-san.
For example, Ikazuchi hasn't been taking World War 3 very well, and me being here helps to smooth the transition over with a familiar face being with her all the way, lending a ear to listen to her sister's woes.
And now, I'm here for you too, nanodesu…"
"Yeah.
Thanks for that.
But that would mean that people rely on you heavily for emotional support, do you think you can handle the emotional stress?
I'm always here for you, as your friend and as, well, a junior who's willing to lend you a shoulder to lean on."
And to that, Inazuma finally took a break from being a child who was far too mature for her apparent age, her expression brightening the only way a child would as Inazuma turned to affectionately hug Tenryuu, surprising the Tenryuu-Class light cruiser but taking a weight off her shoulders and heart to see that Inazuma could still behave like this in a manner that doesn't feel forced.
"Thank you, Tenryuu-san.
I think growing into the dependable destroyer had always been out of necessity because I was the most senior destroyer, but I appreciate your help since it's tiring to carry everyone's emotional burdens with them, even if I have never regretted it for a second.
Please don't think you have to appear invincible all the time, Tenryuu-san, because we're smart enough to be able to recognize when you're pushing yourself too far, and I personally think that on some level, you showing some moments of weakness is preferable to us."
"Hm?
Why?"
Inazuma looked up from her hug as her face was pressed against Tenryuuu's bosom, looking genuinely confused about why Tenryuu would want to be that way.
"Well, don't you think that a stoic facade of invincibility suits an Abyssal more?
I would think that remaining relatable is also one responsibility of a hero, to inspire everyone else to do better in spite of their flaws?"
Tenryuu blinked, seeing where Inazuma was coming from since the Abyssals were supposed to be the stoic and emotionless ones.
And ship girls were admittedly weaker, there was no shame in being the underdogs who fought against superior foes and overwhelming odds, and appearing invincible would be nothing more than a pathetic farce in an attempt to look tough before breaking down eventually, either in public or in private.
Either outcome was equally unpleasant, the only difference being how many people would be privy to the initial fallout in a company as tight-knit as theirs.
"I… I suppose you're right."
Inazuma nodded, continuing her hug as she consoled the brooding light cruiser.
"I'm not going to say 'Please don't push yourself', Tenryuu-san, because that's who you are.
All I'm saying is that please, don't be afraid to lean back on us for support since we need each other now more than ever before."
"... Thank you."
"Ah!"
Hiei started as she awoke and caused to Haruna similarly flinch while remaining seated in her bedside chair, feeling the slight strain of the hospital clothes being quite stiff and coarse since it was likely new and hadn't been softened and smoothed from repeated wearing, undressing and washing, being worn by either the dead or dying who soiled it with blood to be discarded later.
Her death was violent as she pushed on in the face of buzzsaw-like gunfire, deafening bombardments and being surrounded by death reaping ally and foes alike, dying in a hail of gunfire which was numbed by her fading consciousness mercifully shutting down its internal systems in her final moments.
"Hiei, are you alright?
You were unconscious for a few days…"
Haruna sidled up to her as she took in the room they were in, the quasi-dilapidated state which was borne of destruction being covered up somewhat by the redecoration done to make it habitable at the very least, and the more hospitable rooms like this were reserved for the recovering ship girls, what with the minor cracks hidden behind the 'Get Well Soon' poster epitomizing that prioritization of their well-being.
The bedside desk was populated by 'Get Well Soon!' cards from the various ship girls, one of them having chibified 1st Fleet members drawn on them with Sharpie markers and signatures signed on them, beside which was a vase containing drooping flowers (an increasingly rare commodity) which were likely picked off the side of the road to convey their well wishes in a war.
Her HUD booted up and showed that it was the 26th May 2015, 2.42 a.m..
"T-The battle in the forest…
Naka's elephant Beast and the Aircraft Carrier Princess's flying Beast…"
"Don't worry, we won that battle.
We're now moving on from the cancelled country club battle to skip straight to the Battle of Tokyo Bay, even though the actual battle's more likely going to take place in the nearby Uraga Channel.
We'll be meeting with Kongou nee-san and Kirishima along with the rest of Yokosuka, so that's the silver lining in the form of the reprieve by meeting our sisters."
Steadying her breathing while doing her best to unwind after transitioning from a fiery and explosive death with a symphony of whizzing bullets, bone-shaking explosions and the howl of anguished ship girls still ringing in the back of her mind into a jarringly calm hospital ward with the deafening silence allowing the echoes of war to resonate in her mind, Haruna then pulled up her chair as she sat down beside Hiei with a reassuring hand being delicately placed on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Hiei.
The Abyssals won't get us here."
"In light of World War 3 doing everything it can to break us and our comrades, I find that rather hard to believe."
The chill dancing up her spine was not just because of dying, but dying while being forced to listen to the sounds of battle was what really got to her psychologically riled, feeling devastated about all her friends which she couldn't save before blacking out and lying on the hard dirt instead of sinking back into the pitch-black embrace of the ocean, which was not unlike a fish-out-of-water experience.
"Hiei."
Looking up into her younger sister's eyes, she could see that Haruna's sisterly concern was on display and was making her feel guilty of dying and making her worry about the very real possibility of dying for real, an occurrence which would become much more likely as the war kept draining their reserves and kept piling on the casualties.
"Hiei, you really had me worried when your name came up on the casualty list.
Do you feel anything that's out of place or didn't heal right?"
Watching her HUD display several diagnostic reports to give her the all-clear, she shook her head while still reeling from the fact that the pandemonium of battle inexplicably reached a conclusion which could be interpreted as something resembling a victory.
"I couldn't do much in that battle, I died.
Haruna, I'm sorry for making you worry about me.
I'll definitely do better next time!"
And to that, Haruna looked down ashamedly as she whispered, and while Hiei didn't manage to hear her the first time, she was left floored upon Haruna utter,
"I'd rather you didn't."
Pulling back to look at a dejected Haruna averting her gaze, she allowed the uncomfortable silence to pry the answers out of her sister, the tension worming its way into the fidgeting Haruna as her younger sister elaborated
"It's just…
You work so hard, but you -
I'm scared that all your hard work will be for naught when the Abyssals eventually overwhelm us with their intimidating force and numbers, as well as boss units which we've either only been able to fight to a draw or outright lose to in battle.
How else can I convince you to exercise some restraint and moderation by not jumping into harm's way?
Must you push yourself this hard to the point of death for everyone's sake?"
"I have to, everyone's doing the same for us.
How can I face our friends if I don't give my all?"
"Then how am I supposed to face Kongou and Kirishima nee-san, as well as myself if you die while 'giving your all'?!"
Hiei reeled back as her heart felt the blow from the stinging blow of that question, Haruna's dejected aura almost appearing to encompass the sadness Kongou and Kirishima would feel in their stead as a empathetic sister.
"I'm afraid, Hiei.
Sometimes, I cry when I'm alone and I think back about how we were all picked off one by one by the cruel hand of fate up above, only to be revived in order to do it all again.
I'm not alone in thinking that us being vessels of fuel and steel back then was actually a blessing in disguise since we went through hell without being conscious of our surroundings, God knows what I might have done to myself if I were to go through all that with the ability to perceive loss like we do now.
But while I've become stronger and can endure anything from the never-ending hordes of Abyssals to the eventuality of my own death and our loss, I just can't bear to lose you again, Hiei.
As you grew into your own and became independent, a part of me was proud, another fell in love with your strength of character, and the last part was horrified to think that you'd be repeating history."
"Oh, Haruna…"
Hiei clasped Haruna's limply hanging hands with her own, Haruna hanging her head and lowering her gaze such that she'd look down at the floor as she continued whilst beginning to sob, beads of budding tears starting to form on her watering eyes.
"Back then, I wanted to make my feelings known to nee-san, because I'm afraid.
I'm not the paragon of virtue everyone expected me to be, because while I understand that a good soldier must embody the concept of self-sacrifice for the greater good and for the sake of victory, I'm not so noble as to callously watch you run off to your death.
I dread facing the hopelessness and desperation in the wake of our loss without you, the one and only Hiei from Yokosuka whom I've bared my heart and body to, if you left me and became the straw which broke the camel's back that is my heart."
Dropping to her knees, Haruna looked up pleadingly at a shocked Hiei who was unable to comprehend the fact that Haruna was about to grovel at her feet.
"Please forgive my insolence, nee-san.
But no matter how immoral and selfish I must seem to you for valuing my sisters in front of me over the fate of the world, I beg of you.
Please, as impossible as it sounds, please don't risk your life in battle, I can't stand the thought of losing you again, especially not when I've fallen for you.
Even though I know how this conversation's going to end, please… please allow me to believe."
And even then, Hiei endured the sour taste in her mouth and the heart-wrenching agony of denying Haruna her wish, her palms clasping Haruna's moist cheeks in order to wipe away the tears which rolled down and stained them, remorsefully whispering loud enough for Haruna to hear as though having committed a sin by unwittingly trampling all over Haruna's feelings.
"I'm sorry, Haruna.
So… so sorry, but…"
"It's alright, Hiei.
Say it."
Hiei couldn't say she understood Haruna's fears since she was the first Kongou-Class and perhaps the first IJN battleship to sink in the Pacific War, and she also found herself to be rather selfish since Hiei demanded that Haruna accept her desire to fight harder and risk her life for the sake of others over herself, guiding her sniffling sister ship back into a standing position as she met Haruna's gaze and continued.
"I wish we could have been together earlier to iron the kinks out in our relationship.
But when it comes to you or my duty, I'd choose my duty every time, which is why I'll be participating in the Battle of Tokyo Bay in spite of all your concerns.
I can't fulfill your wish of always keeping myself out of harm's way because it's our duty as soldiers to fight on, and I can't get sidetracked by fear or hesitation.
And besides, I fight for both our sake and for a future where we'd be together."
That last line caused the junior battleship hesitated in the face of Hiei's headstrong conviction coming to an impasse with Haruna's motherly and even romantic concern, Haruna finally acquiescing in order to accept Hiei's unwavering and ultimately justified resolve.
"So is there nothing I can do to change that steadfast dutifulness of yours?"
" … No."
Haruna lowered her gaze in order to think about Hiei's words, finally coming to an uneasy compromise as a world-weary sigh escaped her lips.
"I guess I can't change that part of you after all, Hiei nee-san, and that's why I fell in love with you.
But all that armor must translate into a thick skull in your case, and if that's so…"
Looking up at Haruna, Hiei closed her eyes with puckered lips as body heat wastransmitted between the lips of a similarly blushing but boldly advancing Haruna and a blushing yet pleasantly surprised Hiei, the lip contact precipitating a jolt of pleasure which wasn't physically climatic but instead softly heartwarming and refreshing, like a fire being re-lit from within her body as it washed down the back of Hiei's mouth, slipping down her parched throat and diffusing into the organs throughout her body via her spine, intimately feeling Haruna's body tremble joyously from the contact.
Feeling their tongues intertwine in their groping as they felt each other out in their passionate kiss, Hiei eventually pulled back to allow the trail of saliva hanging from both their tongues to grow in a hanging arc before Hiei wiped it away with her sleeve, both battleships now huffing with tinged cheeks as every breathless gasp released more estrogen into the seemingly humid air between them, Hiei's expression softening upon seeing Haruna calm down after that heated exchange of bonds and duty, along with the inherent turmoil when it came to choosing one over the other.
"I love you, Hiei nee-san."
"I know.
But I can't do everything by myself, and I want you to be a part of my future.
Fight alongside me and help me end this war.
Will you be with me to the end?"
" … Always."
Hiei allowed Haruna to pull her in for a hug as her standing younger sister's bosom pressed into her face while she sat on the hospital bed, basking in her sister ship's motherly radiance, physical warmth and gentle embrace as she relaxed, allowing Haruna's familial-slash-romantic love to banish the stress as it threatened to propagate from the darkest corners of her mind, especially after fighting the taxing battles and surviving the defensive retreats.
Hiei was then laid back down to rest by Haruna and was the last thing she saw before nodding off, a final stab of doubt which rebelled at the thought of spurning Haruna's love in such trying times being brushed off by her undying resolve to fight on for everyone's sake, but she allowed herself to enjoy Haruna's company as their fingers intertwined and didn't let go.