Astrum Chapter 11, an azur lane/碧蓝航线 fanfic

Fallout

It'd been almost a month since me and Illustrious had sex in the spa, almost a month of me trying to get on Unicorn's good side. For such a sweet girl, I was starting to doubt she had a good side, still, I had to try, I could tell this was weighing Illustrious down. On the upside, I'd been accepted by Formidable, over a shared love of rock music, Victorious seemed to be getting something out of me, and Illustrious, and Indomitable, well, so long as I supplied her with baked goods, all was good.

Walking into my office, rubbing the back of my head I groan, "If I could just figure out how to get a crack in the armor with Unicorn."

From behind her desk, Javelin pipes up, "She doesn't hate you, she's just scared, Illustrious is her entire world and she doesn't know how to process the fact that Illustrious is…" Javelin stops there, covering her mouth.

"Illustrious is?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

Javelin gets out from behind her desk, moving to the kitchenette to bring out a to-go cup of tea, "Tea?"

Taking the cup from her and sipping I ask, again, "Illustrious is?"

Javelin shifts from one foot to the other before starting to push me towards my office as she says, "Illustrious."

"That doesn't even make any sense, Javelin. That's like saying Javelin is Javelin." I state with confusion in my voice.

"Exactly." She tells me, shoving me into my office and closing the door behind me.

Spinning around I yell at the door, "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

No answer came.

Snorting and sipping my tea, I go to sit behind my desk and start my day, two emails were at the top of my inbox, both marked urgent and confidential. Tilting my head to the side I open the first one and see that I have to input my access code to even see the contents, so this is a big, big deal. Reading through the first email sent a chill down my spine as well as a pit starting to form in my guts. This was direct from the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, and one line jumped out at me:

After many rounds of ethical testing, it appears that kansen will be capable to birth offspring. It is recommended that base commanders do not engage in unprotected intercourse with kansen, to prevent a loss of equipment capabilities.

Oh no.

But at the same time, would it be so bad? I mean I really like Illustrious, maybe even starting to fall for her.

Shaking my head from side to side, I go to the next email, repeating the process of inputting my access code to see the contents, this one seems to be directly from the First Sea Lord, so giving it an in-depth read, I let out the breath I had been holding. The high lords finally figured out what to do with the kansen, in combination with the report out of the RNSSC, they are going to be recognized as people, not hardware, meaning they will have the same rights and freedoms as any UK citizen, and be encouraged to start families to help rebuild our shattered numbers.

Reading more, I see that I should be on the lookout for a shipment that will contain new government-issued identification for the girls on my base that will have all relevant data on them, a photo of what they look like as people as well as an image of their hull and the pennate number they sail under.

This is good, very good. And since the girls are not actually in my chain of command, I'm not breaking any actual rules with them either.

Pushing this off to the side, I start going through the rest of the work ahead of me for the day.

XXXX

Late into the day, there was a knock on my door, without looking up, I call out, "Enter."

My door opens then shuts shortly after, getting me to look away from the screen I see Javelin standing with her back against the door, she's looking off to the side and she whispers, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" I ask with a head tilt, when she doesn't look up I add, "Javelin? What is it, this isn't like you to be so quiet."

"I did a bad thing." She whispers and starts to fidget with her hands, "But I don't feel bad about doing it."

Feeling my mouth starts to go dry, that pit in my stomach getting bigger, I ask, "Javelin, what did you do?"

Javelin flinches and whispers again, "Is it true?"

"What did you do, Javelin?" I ask again.

She stamps her foot, looks up and I see tears in her eyes, she leans forward and shouts, "Is it true? I read both of those emails!"

My jaw gets tight a cold sensation runs down my spine and I ask, "How?"

"I used your access code!" she stamps her foot again, asking, "Is it true?"

"How did you get that?" I ask getting up from behind my desk.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't know it by now? With everything I do, how could I not know it? Is it true?" she shouts.

I sit back down and look off to the side, "I don't know from firsthand experience or anything with regards to the finding from the RNSSC, but I have no reason to doubt it. As for the second, I've got no reason to doubt the First Sea Lord."

That seemed to take the wind out of her sails, then it hits her, "Wait, when you and Implacable…"

"Always used protection." I finish for her and avoid telling her about Illustrious.

She nods, then rubs her right arm with her left, "Well, good then."

Getting out from behind my desk, I walk over to Javelin and hug her, to my surprise she wraps her arms around my back and whispers, "Maybe you knocked up Illustrious."

"What?" I ask in a low tone.

Javelin hops back and winks, "What, you think I didn't know about that? The whole base knows you and Illustrious got frisky in the spa. Why else do you think I made sure you drained it before I asked to use it?"

I gulp, "Wh… who?"

Javelin slips out of my office door, leaning around it to wink and laugh, "Victorious, our resident gossip."

Oh hell.

Before I can ask anything else, she shut the door, leaving me with unsettled thoughts and a whirling mind. With nothing better to do, I head back to my desk to try and finish out my day.

XXXX

I was just about to touch my door so I could leave for the day, when another knock came, sighing to myself, I move to my couch and stated, "Enter."

The door opened and to my surprise, rather than Javelin, it was Unicorn standing there, clutching that robotic unicorn she always had with her, she kind of reminded me of the first time I saw her, standing and looking worried. Maybe this will give me a chance to find a chink in the armor, I smile warmly at her and reach over to pat the chair, and ask in a warm tone, "What can I do for you, Unicorn?"

She lifts her unicorn close to her face, giving it another squeeze before putting it down. It kind of unnerved me a little to see it walk around on its own, but well, not I've got women all around me that can stand on water and summon ship parts around them, so what's a robotic unicorn?

Unicorn closes the door behind her but keeps looking down and she places her hands on her belly. Her eyebrows are furrowed, her lips pursed, and she comes to a stop halfway to the chair before asking me, "Do you like Big Sister?"

I nod, "I do."

Those two words make her rock a little, her hands rubbing up and down on her belly, "Why? Is it because she's got big boobies?"

I mean they help.

"No, that's not why I like Illustrious, Unicorn." I smile at her and again gesture to the chair.

"Then why?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Well, I like listening to her speak, I like the way she uses contractions only when flustered or in the heat of the moment. I like the sound of her laugh, and not the giggle, no, I mean the honest belly laugh I've heard a couple of times." I pause and smile while looking out my window, "I like that I feel like I don't have to put up an act around her. I l…"

Unicorn looks up at me and takes another step forward, "You like?"

Shaking my head, the revelation hitting me as I continue, "A word I'm not ready to say to her yet, but it is a very strong form of like, it means a lot to me, how she made me feel safe when I needed it the most, how she protected me when I needed protection." I pause and turn my attention to Unicorn, "I think I'm falling for her."

Unicorn nods and whispers, "Big Sister said the same about you, and that was why she did grown-up things with you."

Oh.

"I see." I whisper, looking down at my hands.

"S...so," Unicorn stammers and fidgets, "I… I'll try to be a good Unicorn and not be mad anymore. I want Big Sister to be happy."

I get off my couch and walk over to Unicorn, kneeling in front of her and open my arms as I smile, "I never thought you were bad, Unicorn, I always thought you were a good girl."

Her head snaps up, she latches on to me around my neck and starts to sob, "Really?"

I wrap my arms around her and just hold her, "Always."

Her hold gets tighter around me and she whispers, "Can I call you Big Brother?"

I squeeze her a little tighter, "Of course."

She lets go of me, and leans back to ask, "Can we go get something to eat?"

With a hearty chuckle, I let go of Unicorn and stand up, extending my hand to her as I say, "Well, I'm done for the day, let's go."

XXXX

Walking hand in hand with Unicorn, both of us licking ice cream cones after an admittedly light dinner, but she wasn't angry, so win.

Up ahead of us on the way back to the Illustrious dorm, I see Illustrious sitting on a bench, looking out over the sea, and looking very far away, her large white hat blowing in the light breeze. Unicorn lets go of my hand and runs over to Illustrious, calling out, "Big Sister!"

Illustrious blinks a few times, her head shaking a little before she sets her blue eyes on Unicorn and smiles at the smaller kansen. The smile is quickly replaced by a soft giggle as she chides, "Oh my, you have become quite the mess." Illustrious tucks a hand into her bust and takes out a handkerchief and kneels to start rubbing chocolate ice cream off Unicorn's face.

"Nugh, I'm not done yet." Unicorn pouts and protests.

Illustrious stops cleaning her face, only now processing the fact that Unicorn had ice cream still as she sighed, "I am sorry, it would seem my mind is elsewhere at the moment, Unicorn."

"Did something happen when you were in the," Unicorn started to ask when Illustrious blushed brightly and took the ice cream and all but shoved it into Unicorn's mouth.

With a nervous laugh, Illustrious stuttered, "N… now off with you."

Unicorn looked confused but seemed to take it in stride, skipping off towards the dorm. I watch as Illustrious stands, her hands going to her hips, and something falls out of her right hand, it bounces a couple of times before landing between the two of us. Looking down at the white stick, my head tilts to the side, I'd seen them before in drug stores and I ask, "Where did you get that?"

Illustrious looked panicked, bending quickly, and losing her balance with a squeak as she grabbed it and said, "I traded an Eagle Union ship for one, they tend to keep them on board."

"Is it what I think it is?" I ask with a dry mouth.

Illustrious sits up on her rear and looks up at me, her cheeks are bright red and she looks off to the side while nodding and mumbling, "I thought something was strange when I did not have a… monthly event."

My heart was pounding and I kneel in front of her, reaching over to touch her hands as I ask, "And?"

She slowly takes her hand away to show me the results, I can hear the fear in her voice, "A positive result, Merlin."

In an instant, I felt both fear and joy, something I have wanted for so long, with the woman I know is right for me. Looking into her blue eyes I can see the worry in them, I know she's worried about how I am going to react to this news. I reach over and cup face with both hands and kiss her, deeply, passionately.

"Mmph." She sighs into the kiss, kissing back instantly.

When it breaks, I say those words I thought I wasn't ready to say, but knowing everything I know now, what is there to fear? Stroking her cheeks, I smile at her, "I love you."

Those words seem to hit her like a truck, tears welling up in her eyes, starting to roll free as she smiles and makes a slightly choked sobbing laugh, "I love you too."

XXXX