Chapter 10: The Abyssal Hero

It was a warm afternoon, peaceful, the birds were chirping, and the citizens of Hosu went about their day like it was any other. For a lack of a better term it was… normal. Or as normal as you could get living in the superhuman society that defined modern day Japan. Again, peaceful.

"Out of the way!" And suddenly a car came barreling down the street, swerving in and out of traffic. The passenger leaned out of the window and fired an assault rifle in the air. Nearby civilians screamed and ran for cover, but on a crowded street in the shopping district there was little. Police cruisers followed close behind but they couldn't get close, as they'd risk getting shot.

The passenger climbed back through the window and laughed maniacally. "You should've seen the face on that bank clerk! She'll be traumatized for life! Ha!"

His friend in the driver's seat wasn't as amused. "You idiot! Everything was going fine until you killed that guard! Why did I even bring you?!"

"Loosen up! You're always too serious." The passenger leaned back out the window and fired a burst at one of the cruisers, catching the tire and causing it to spin and tumble. "Ha!"

"You're insane!" The driver swerved around a car before taking a hard right around a corner. "If we get out of this we're finished!"

"Then you'd better stop bitching and start driving!~" The passenger fired another burst, this time at a civilian, barely missing.

High above them a squadron of three jet-black F6F Hellcats circled the running criminals, radioing in the chase. [Runaway bank robbers. Two suspects, armed. Police in pursuit.]

[Cleared gun run. Target the engine block, limit collateral damage.]

Immediately the three fighters broke their circle and dove in a line formation. The air was filled with the whine of their engines, breaking over the sirens and the assault rifle. Barely two seconds later the air was filled with the loud CRACK! of gunfire. Tracers erupted from the leading Hellcat, goring the engine block and bracketing the concrete around it; popping the two front tires. The effect was immediate as smoke billowed from the engine and the car swerved out of control before rolling and coming to a stop. The fighters climbed back into the sky.

[Target immobilized. Orders?]

[RTB. I'll finish it.]

[WILCO] All three Hellcats swerved to the right and dove again, disappearing behind the buildings.

The driver clambered out of the overturned car, coughing. "W-What the hell? Cops get planes or something?" The police sirens grew louder. "Hey, come on! They're coming!"

The passenger side door budged once, twice, and on the third it finally opened, falling off. The passenger crawled out, grabbing his rifle and wobbling to his feet. "What the hell'd you go and crash for?!"

The driver gawked. "You're blaming me!?"

"Yes!" He yelled.

"Well sor-ry, I didn't expect that we'd get shot by fucking planes!" The driver rounded on his supposed friend.

"Are you two done?" Came a third, distinctly different voice from their own. Both robbers spun around and went pale.

Standing about ten feet away from them was a woman dressed in black jeans with knee-pads and combat boots, and a fur-lined bomber jacket unzipped and revealing a white undershirt. Said undershirt had a blue circle across the chest with an uneven and crooked 'U' shape opening up to the top left. She had pale-practically white skin with electric blue eyes covered by black rimmed reading glasses. She wore a pair of headphones, and had a long ponytail wrapped around her neck like a scarf. The two would-be criminals had crashed right in front of a Hero…

"Yeah, and so are you!" The gunman got into an unsteady firing position and let loose, not bothering to fire in bursts.

The Hero sidestepped and raised her right arm. In a flash of light a massive gauntlet materialized, covering her and sparking as the bullets impacted. Nearly faster than he could blink she just… moved! There was a spray of dust from where she had been, and suddenly she was crouched next to the driver's friend, sweeping his legs out from under him. She caught the gun and… The driver's eyes widened as she just squeezed, and crumpled the barrel in her left hand.

"Forget this!" He turned to run but the second he did there was a loud BANG! He stumbled and collapsed, and for a split second he thought he had just been shot. But he was breathing, so how did he fall?

"Concrete rounds, courtesy of Gang Orca. Glad I got to try them out!" Looking down he saw that his leg was encased in a glob of concrete, sticking him to the ground.

"Fuck…"

I lowered my gauntlet, the 5in shore battery still smoking from the singular shot it had fired. Criminal #1, the gunman, had been knocked out in the fall, and after a brief check to make sure he wasn't bleeding from the head I walked over to Criminal #2. "Ya know, I get it that times can get tough, but robbing banks has a failure rate of over 90% nowadays." I frowned and shattered the concrete with a single punch. Either from how quickly he had been captured, or from the sheer display of strength he had just witnessed, he didn't try to run away. "Come on, police are this way."

I grabbed Criminal #2 by the shoulder and hauled #1 over my shoulder as I made my way to the police cruisers that had just arrived.

The lead officer approached me with a grateful smile on his face. "Mariana! Glad you were in the area when this all went down. Those the only two suspects?" He gestured at the two I had with me.

"Yes sir," I responded, gently handing them over to some other officers, watching as they were shoved in the back of a cruiser.

"And the money?"

"Still in the car," I replied.

"Great. Solid work, by the way. If you wouldn't mind giving a statement while we get the rest of this cleared up?" He pulled out a notebook as the rest of the police moved to secure the area around us. I put my hands on my hips and lazily kept an eye on everything with my radar.

"Approximately ten minutes ago my patrol fighters caught the chase and began circling. When the patrol car spun out I ordered a gun run on the car, immobilizing it and causing it to lose control. Civilians were scarce so I figured a low pass would be fine." The officer nodded as he jotted everything down. By now a small crowd had gathered, watching and taking pictures. "After they got out I neutralized the gunman and destroyed the weapon before nabbing the driver."

"Detailed as always, Mariana. Though if I may ask, could you radio in before ordering any attacks from your… aircraft?" I nodded and gave my affirmation. "Good. And thanks again, we couldn't get close."

"I'd suggest investing in an armored vehicle of some kind. They're expensive but in cases like this they pay off." I wouldn't have had to step in at all if that had been the case.

"I'll run it by the higher ups, hopefully they'll see the reasoning." The officer put away his notebook before smiling. "I won't take any more of your time then. Good luck on your patrol!" I smiled and thanked him as he walked back to his colleagues.

Turning back around I was met with some whistles and cheers from the assorted crowd. Even now, six months after officially becoming a hero, the sight of civilians cheering for me of all people was still a novelty. Seeing people smile at me, cheering me on, being genuinely excited to see me, an Abyssal, was strange even if it was appreciated. I clapped my boots crisply together and stood up straight, bringing my right arm into a crisp salute towards the crowd. My smile grew as the cheers increased in volume and I dropped it, letting my posture loosen and putting my hands in the pockets of my jacket.

"I see you have things handled here?"

I looked to my right as Best Jeanist walked over to me. If people were cheering for me, they practically screamed when he showed up. He gave the crowd a dainty wave before we continued on our patrol.

"Yep. As soon as you left to investigate your issue my patrol fighters picked up a chase in progress. When it was clear the police couldn't handle it I… intervened. Speaking of which." I checked my hangers, VP-2 was refueled and ready for takeoff. They'd take up where VP-1 had left off after their attack run. Jeanist stopped and stood off to my side as I brought up my left gauntlet. Laying my hand flat, palm up, I watched as another squadron of three Hellcats took off and climbed into the sky. "Air patrol's back up."

"Tell them that I wish them luck."

"You bet," I relayed the well wishes and we continued on our way again. "Lucky that I stayed behind when you left. I might've been too far away to catch this."

"The threads of fate are strange indeed. Again, excellent work. You noted that the area was mostly clear of civilians before you ordered an attack, and when you did you limited collateral damage to a minimum. Both suspects were apprehended cleanly with no serious injuries or damage to the surrounding area." He looked at me as he spoke. "You're thinking and acting as a pro would." I couldn't stop the smile that split across my face, and even though his face was covered I could tell he was smiling too. "Are you hungry?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I've got plenty of reserves. My generators haven't been running high at all today. But we can stop if you want to." Even though we were making idle conversation I never missed anything. I watched my radar diligently for any sign of activity, and other than the usual hustle and bustle it was clear.

"We'll continue on. But remember; without consistent care even the strongest fiber can run ragged."

I chuckled lightly. At first his constant references to fabric or clothing was weird. After three months it was annoying. But now it just made me more amused more than anything. It really was weird how quickly I had made a friend in the Denim Hero. Six months ago I was in the darkest place I'd ever been, but he had been a guiding light when most others had gone out.

We both stopped when he received a call. He stepped away for a few minutes and I focused my vision through the eyes of my pilots. They were more than capable enough on their own, but sometimes I just enjoyed the view. I also took a moment to do an inventory check. I had more than enough ammo to last, both lethal and nonlethal. Food and fuel stores were fine, and my reactors were all green. Each system that I checked came back that way, though my medical supplies had taken a hit. Before the car chase there had been a pretty bad pile up and I gave our first aid like I was giving out candy.

It was surprisingly easy to adjust my stores to life as a hero. Back during the war when I went on sorties my stores would be full of fuel, oil, ammunition, spare parts, and everything else I'd need to sustain my fleet for extreme periods of time. Now I'd gotten rid of most of my ammo, all of the parts, all of my oil not necessary for myself, and every spare part needed to maintain a fleet. Instead I carried medical supplies like bandages, splints, stitches, and anesthetics. I also carried more food than I knew what to do with, and I was even outfitted with an ice cream machine to improve the morale of anyone affected by a villain attack or a disaster.

Probably the biggest change was the disaster relief equipment. I had stretchers, flares, cables, reinforcements for unstable buildings, power tools, satellite phones, radios, flashlights… Basically instead of sustaining a fleet, I was able to single handedly supply an entire disaster relief crew. Hell, I had even gotten word that I was getting a CH-53 Sea Stallion courtesy of the US Navy for my "good conduct." Paired with the cables, stretchers, and flares I could evacuate injured civilians on my own. A lot had changed…

I heard Best Jeanist end the call as he walked back over to me. "New plan, we're to make our way to Gang Orca's agency as soon as possible."

I tilted my head. "Gang Orca? What does the Top 20th hero in Japan want with us?" I thought he still had a grudge against me because I fought him all those months ago…

"Not us, you."

"What?"

"He specifically mentioned that he wanted you for this operation. I'm coming as well as your senior, but you're the one he wants."

"Why? That doesn't make any sense. I've heard my name mentioned by the media a few times but to be on the 20th's radar?" And what was this operation?

"He was very tight-lipped. He said we'd learn more later."

So it wasn't an option. Well, ok then!

"I guess we're heading to Gang Orca's agency then." I said incredulously.

A lot really had changed since then. As we began making our way towards the harbor my mind began to wander.

6 months ago

"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught that?"

"I asked you if you had considered being a hero?"

I sat across from the Denim Hero in complete bewilderment. The morning after my talk with Dione I decided to call the number on the card I had received from Best Jeanist. After a short conversation I suddenly had a meeting scheduled a few hours later. That conversation had been fun; asking the admiral for a driver to the agency of one of the most successful Heroes in Japan. But after telling her about a supposed "offer" and the meeting I had scheduled she relented, on the grounds that I took an escort with me. She didn't have a reason to distrust me, but I could easily see why it was weird for me to suddenly receive an invitation so soon after the trial. Of all the situations I had considered, none of them were even close to this.

"I… I hadn't considered it. Though I haven't exactly had the time to consider it, with everything that's been going on…" Me? A hero? Was that something that was even possible?

"A fair point. Things have been rather hectic for you, as of late. Though it was through no fault of your own. Was there ever a point before recent events?" Jeanist asked, folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

Honestly? "I can't say that there was," I said softly, "I was so focused on getting my fleet through the war I had never considered a future outside of it. For a significant period of time I thought it wasn't ever going to end."

The hero gave a hum before speaking again. "If I may be so bold, there were a number of moments throughout the war where you aided humanity. Darwin, the Marshall Islands. In my understanding, that was an offense punishable by death. Why take the risk?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly. Why the sudden interest in my past? Or was his interest sudden at all? "At a certain point it all just seemed… pointless… The war had been going on for generations, centuries. Humanity changed, the people we were brought here to punish were all dead. It's just… Why punish the children for the sins of their ancestors?" I shrugged.

"Hm. If that's the case you could have just played a more passive role, but you went out of your way to help. No one prompted you to do so. Why?"

I was silent for a few minutes. The only sound in the room was the ticking of an old clock. "Darwin didn't have any strategic value… If we wanted to deliver a strike to their navy we could have attacked Sydney. It was purely an act of terror, the only target was the people. Not infrastructure, not the harbor. People." I closed my eyes, memories from that day playing back like a reel. "Looking back, I went to see if anyone was alive, and I helped if they were. Now when I look back I wanted to help from the very beginning. I wanted to save them. I wanted to reach out, give them a glimmer of hope that things were going to be ok…"

I opened my eyes again. "And the Marshalls? It was a fluke that they had survived as long as they did. I knew that if I put my claim on that island, put a presence there, other fleets wouldn't come poking their noses. After a while they just… became part of my fleet. Family. I couldn't differentiate them from my own girls, even if they were human. If they were attacked I probably would've protected them with my life. It was just a need to keep them from harm. Back then I masked that desire by claiming that it was another point of strategic importance."

"Why the interest in my past?" I fixed Jeanist with a hard stare.

"… If I'm being honest I've been wanting to talk to you for some time. Ever since you delivered the nuclear weapons to Nabu Island you were a curiosity. When you signed the Peace Treaty, I learned your story, that curiosity developed into something more." He leaned back in his seat. "You may not have ever considered it, but it is clear to me that you have the heart of a Hero. Your story has been woven through hardship and pain, and yet you still reached out a hand to those in need." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You didn't need to give shelter to the Marshalls, you didn't need to save the people at Darwin, you didn't need to give up a tactical nuclear advantage. You could have fought to the bitter end with your people, closing your tapestry with a fiery end, and yet you chose the option to save as many people as possible at your expense."

I was utterly dumbfounded. Out of anything I had expected, this was so far beyond anything I had predicted. I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. "I…"

But he wasn't finished, it seemed. "And then we shamed you, wrongfully punishing you to satisfy petty vengeances, tossing you away like a ragged cloth. And yet you've taken it with grace and dignity."

"I… wouldn't call their vengeance petty…" I mumbled.

"You should have been hailed as a hero for ending the war, your actions proved that you wanted nothing but peace. Any sane person would realize that." I lowered my head slightly.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm offering you an opportunity."

I looked back up in confusion, "what?"

Best Jeanist fixed me with the most intense look he'd given me yet and I tried my best not to fidget. It felt like I was in the presence of the Pacific Princess, and that was an accomplishment.

"I said earlier that you had the heart of a hero. I refuse to let it be stamped out without giving it the chance to burn brighter. Abyssal Princess Wake Island, do you want to be a hero?"

The words echoed in my head like a volley from my cannons. Was this conversation seriously happening? It all felt like a weird dream, one that I'd wake up from at any moment. But as the seconds ticked by I didn't wake up, it was real. I even pinched my thigh, hard, but nothing happened.

"How… would that even work?" I finally asked. "I'm assuming there are regulations, laws! I'm not a Japanese citizen, hell I'm not even human!"

"Shipgirls, because of their natural experience and powers, can act with the authority of a hero in disasters and extreme situations. It wouldn't be difficult for you to apply for this same privilege. This 'license' would give you almost the same range of authority as a provisional hero's license. Not only this, but during the Second Generation of heroes a law was put into effect; so should they desire, a shipgirl can shadow a pro hero. If, after a period of one year, the pro hero believes they have the knowledge and discipline required of a hero, the shipgirl will be given a Pro Hero License."

My eyes widened in shock. "Has anyone taken that option? That doesn't seem like something a shipgirl would do in lieu of military service."

"Once, but when there was a resurgence in Abyssal activity she went back to her fleet. No one has taken this option since," he took a breath before continuing, "To be honest I believe that the law has been forgotten entirely, like old clothing in the bottom of a drawer… I don't expect an answer immediately, decisions like this aren't to be taken lightly. In fact—"

"When people think about my kind they do so with fear, disgust, and hatred. This has been allowed to fester for centuries. Our legacy will be one of darkness and evil… I refuse to let that happen." I looked up and met the hero's eyes, " I'll be straight with you, my reason for being a hero won't be out of a desire to be a good person. If my penance, my fate, is to remain on this island for the rest of my days, then I will do so by proving that an Abyssal is capable of doing good. Our redemption starts right now, in this room." I reached out a hand, a newfound determination welling inside of me.

"I'll do it, Best Jeanist, I'll be a Hero."

And once again, history was made.

"There's a lot of big names here. X-Less, Crust, Death Arms, hell that's Fourth Kind." We were in a conference room dressed up to look like the ready room of a warship. For a lot of people it may have been off-putting, but I was right at home. Two long tables were perpendicular to the entrance, with the far wall being dominated by a massive screen and projector. There were about thirty people in the room; lots of small-time heroes that I didn't know, but a few big names too and their sidekicks. Some of them were shooting confused looks at me which made sense, but at this point it was part of life. "What kind of operation is this?" Why was I specifically requested to be here?

"Looks like we're about to find out." I gave my senior a confused look but at that moment Gang Orca himself walked into the room. It had been awhile, but the large Killer Whale human hybrid was still the same as he had been, albeit now he was wearing a white suit and a red tie. He walked to the front of the room and looked over everyone in attendance, pausing for a few moments when his eyes met mine. I expected there to be some kind of animosity, but if there was he was doing an excellent job at hiding it.

His deep voice echoed through the room when he spoke. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. There are some of you who know this, but for those who do not I'll give a rundown of the current situation. For the past several months ships have been entering and leaving a series of small harbors all across the country. We assumed this to be a normal drug smuggling circuit, but when we raided one of the ships we discovered something… else." The projector flashed and put an image on the screen. The picture was taken from the deck of a ship, apparently right after the raid had concluded. Boxes covered the deck, all open and filled to the brim with weapons. Every single one was military grade; assault rifles, light machine guns, submachine guns, rpg's, explosives, the whole nine yards. There were enough guns to supply a small army! And of course there were boxes full of all kinds of ammunition as well.

"We've discovered that these weapons were going to be delivered to known terrorist groups and Yakuza gangs across the country. What we don't know is why. But that's not the important part. A local shipgirl patrol picked up three sonar contacts leaving the harbor the moment the raid began. Sonar signatures confirmed them as Yo-Class Abyssal Submarines. All attempts to contact failed and mere moments after the signatures were picked up they disappeared again" Immediately the whispering began.

"I thought the war was over?"

"Are they being ordered? Is this an attack?

"Was she behind this?"

"Don't they know they're risking another war?

"I knew we couldn't trust those monsters!"

But through all of this my mind was on something else. Yo-Classes? "You're absolutely positive they were Yo-Class? Not Ka or So?" The whispering lessened as all eyes focused on me.

Gang Orca met my eyes with curiosity. "They were double and triple checked."

"… That doesn't make any sense." I said, more to myself than anyone else.

"I understand that you don't want it to be true, but if what we believe is true, Abyssal forces are smuggling weapons to criminal organizations in Japan. You—"

I cut him off, "No, it doesn't make any sense because there wasn't a single Yo-Class in the entire Pacific Fleet. We never operated them. Ka-Classes are American designs, So-Classes are Japanese. Yo-Classes are…" I shook my head, but it lined up. The ability to sneak around completely undetected, disappearing so soon after being detected, Yo-Class submarines. "On the boxes, were there any symbols? If not then were there any symbols on any manifests? Operational orders?"

Gang Orca was quiet for a moment before he nodded. "There were, this picture was taken on the bridge. The captain tried destroying this but he was detained before he was able to." The image changed again, and my body went cold. It was a telegram. At first I ignored most of it, because my worst fear was realized. There, at the bottom in the middle of the paper, was what I was looking for.

A snarling wolf, with its head being pierced by a barbed trident.

Apparently I had made an expression, because Gang Orca spoke to me again. "I assume you recognize this?"

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Those were Abyssal submarines, but I was also right. Yo-Classes were only ever operated by one Princess. Those shipgirls are lucky to be alive, because they just had an encounter with a wolfpack. Yo-Classes are U-Boats operated by the Atlantic Fleet. In the beginning of the war they did exactly what you'd expect. They completely cut off Europe from America, but as time went on they began executing terrorist attacks on the European mainland. No wonder they've been doing this undetected. This is what they excel at."

"Do you have any idea why they're here?"

I shook my head. "No, I really wish I did. Communications between the Pacific and Atlantic Abyssal Fleets broke down well before the war ended, and the Submarine Princess went rogue. Last we heard she was attacking indiscriminately all over Europe, half of the terror attacks today are due to her fleet."

"And the telegram itself?" The Orca Hybrid asked me.

"All in German, which I can read, but it's in code. Because of how uncommon it is, the Submarine Princess uses an Enigma Machine. Gave us all hell when she tried to communicate with us. Before you ask; I can't break it, all of our Turing Machines were destroyed when the Deep was attacked. I'd contact America or Britain, send a copy of this over to them."

I leaned back in my seat and dug through ancient files in my command center. "If you want I can forward you any relevant information I have. Past attacks, formations, known strategies."

Gang Orca nodded, "that would be appreciated. Now, even with this new information we still don't know their motives. We do know that in one week they are going to be delivering another shipment to Mon-Caela harbor in Sendai. The operation will be two-staged…"

He went on to describe the operation in detail. In short, there would be three teams. Team Tiger would consist of Crust, X-Less, and a bunch of heroes I didn't know, and they would be after the criminal group there to pick up the weapon shipment. Team Hammerhead would consist of Best Jeanist, Death Arms, and more heroes that would be raiding the ship itself. Team Mako would consist of Gang Orca, his sidekicks, and Me, and we would be going after the U-Boats with the intention of capturing them for information. Gang Orca would be able to give me their exact positions and I would flush them out using depth charges. Hopefully between the two of us and his sidekicks they wouldn't be a problem, but Yo-Classes; especially these ones, had all kinds of nasty tricks. I wouldn't count on them going easy on me either…

I left that building full of questions and concerns. Why was the Submarine Princess making moves in Japan, why now? Well… I'd find out in a week.

The Abyssal Hero, Mariana!

After the Peace Treaty that ended the Abyssal War, the Supply Depot Princess shocked not only Japan, but the entire world when she came out and announced publicly her desire to become a Hero. What was even more shocking was that the up and coming Denim Hero, Best Jeanist, was the one to sponsor her journey. Ever since that announcement the Abyssal Hero has surprised us time and time again, taking to her new role with a gusto rarely seen in the hero community. The new hero has proven to be exceptionally well gifted, boasting stellar combat skills as well as a shocking situational awareness that would put most pros to shame! Her ability to keep cool under fire and the way she treats victims have given her more than a few popularity points. She even gives out ice cream to children affected by these horrible events. Ice Cream!

But where she really shines is in Rescue and Disaster Relief. Recently there was an accident in Musutafu where a power plant went up in flames, and the ensuing explosion devastated the surrounding area for miles. When EMT's and Rescue personnel were pushed to their absolute limit, Mariana came in clutch! Apparently her title as the Supply Depot Princess wasn't just a fancy moniker, as she almost single handedly supplied the relief personnel with enough medical supplies to treat every patient and victim rescued. Not only that, but through the clever use of her fighters the Abyssal Hero dropped flares near survivors that led heroes and police right to them! Without her there the relief operation would have taken days, rather than the two it actually took. Casualty estimates were almost 70% lower than what they were originally predicted to be.

Her phenomenal fighting skill and ability combined with her unmatched disaster relief abilities has her as a massive contender for the title of this year's "Most Versatile Hero Award." I can say for certain that all of Japan will be watching her career very closely!

—Hero News Weekly Japan; 'New Stars on the Block'

I missed my anniversary by a few hours, but I have a good excuse! I was playing Deep Rock Galactic! No? Ah well…

Has it really been a whole year? Time sure flies, doesn't it? Honestly though, the fact that I've only gotten 10 chapters out in an entire year is absolutely pathetic. Once again my promise to all of you is that I will do better. Being sick had a part, but still. You guys can expect a lot more than just 10 chapters in the whole of 2023!

Would you guys believe me if I told you that I made the choice between Best Jeanist or Gang Orca… By a coin flip?

I enjoy writing Best Jeanist, he has a very serious personality that's interrupted by silly clothing or fabric references. It was a lot harder than I thought incorporating those jokes, but I made sure to do it! And how many of you expected that this was how her Hero Career was going to start? I enjoyed writing that meeting, and I really enjoyed toying with the ideas for how a Shipgirl could possibly become a hero in the world of MHA. If you think about it, it would make sense for them to have a certain amount of authority in disaster situations. The forgotten law was off the top of my head, but I thought it made sense.

Also what's with the Atlantic Abyssals poking their noses in Japan? What trouble will this cause? Will the new peace be threatened? Find out next time during the brand new WerWolf Arc! Brownie Points to anyone who recognizes that without looking it up online~

Now, with a new tradition in my other story, I'm going to be responding to reviews every 5 chapters. A lot of people may say the same thing or something similar, so I put them all in one response.

To everyone who does say the same thing, thank you all for the kind words and reviews! You don't understand how happy it makes me that you not only take the time out of your day to read my silly little stories, but you actually enjoy them as well! You guys are the reason why I keep updating!

To everyone who wished me well when I was sick, thank you! It honestly brought tears to my eyes reading your messages!

ultima-owner: Taking out the Deep was a gutsy move, but it was certainly something crazy and drastic enough that it put Mariana in a position to end the war. Also, the thing with the HPSC, the shipgirls, and quirks will be explored later on, so look forward to that!

Redpo12: I did! I've been subscribed to him for quite a long time now!

BlackSands144: I'm glad you enjoyed this enough to binge it! I endeavor to make my stories as realistic and true to the lore as possible, so a story where only one side had consequences didn't make sense to me. I think I've done more historical naval research for this story alone than I have in my entire life. Hell, I read through the Treaty of Versailles to get an idea of how to form and write an Armistice! And in regards to the HPSC, they're going to have a huge part to play later down the line, just as corrupt as you know them to be~

DragonANGL: I almost tried to combine the two endings. It was certainly an experience trying to find ways for the Abyssals to pay war reparations, since they have no real money or anything to pay with. I tried to make the peace treaty neutral, while having undertones of punishments for the Abyssals, as while it was an Armistice and not a conditional surrender, they Abyssals were still the ones to start the entire conflict in the first place.

And done for now! I hope you enjoyed my little Debut for Mariana, and I hope you enjoy the redesign I gave her! I'm considering paying for an artist to do a rendition of her in her hero outfit, but it's not something I'm positive on yet. Anyways, big plans as always! Check out my other stories if you haven't already!~

Next story in the rotation: Absolute Radiance

For now, thanks again for reading! I'll see you all soon~