"You want to start from the beginning, Laffey?" Thorson encouraged, watching sadly as the shipgirl stared into space, swaying back and forth slightly with the subtlest motions of the sea outside.
"Laffey would like her bourbon first," she pleaded with him.
"Laffey, I don't want to treat you like other Eagle Union commanders have. Right or wrong, the truth is that we've had extraordinarily powerful weapons at our fingertips for a decade and never figured out how to use them. That or we've never had the will to. At least that's what I've gathered in the last twelve hours. All that being said," he qualified, moving the bottle to his left hand as Laffey reached for it and fell into his lap unceremoniously. "I can't let a child have alcohol, Laffey."
"Laffey is not a child!" She insisted. "Laffey is not a demon either. Laffey is just Laffey."
"Demon? Who called you a demon?"
"Laffey was going to tell the Commander since Laffey doesn't want him to get hurt. When the other commanders order Laffey to fight, Laffey tries. It's fun to fight sometimes. It's fun to sail like this now. But when Laffey fights, her crew does things they shouldn't, moves things in ways Laffey doesn't expect, make Laffey feel weird inside. Laffey blocks it out and fights because that's what she likes and is what she's ordered to do, but then Laffey comes back. Sometimes Laffey hurts crew. Laffey doesn't mean to, but it happens. They call Laffey a demon. Commanders call Laffey useless. Laffey hopes Commander will not be hurt when we fight together."
"Is that why you drink?" Thorson asked softly, of half a mind to relinquish the bottle to her.
"No. Laffey drinks to forget being alone. Laffey drinks because she misses her friends," the shipgirl whispered, reaching a hand for the bottle and holding it there, giving Thorson a sad pout. "Laffey understands adult things. Laffey just felt this form was best."
Gears began turning in Thorson's mind, wondering if Laffey's statement applied to all shipgirls. Had Tennessee chosen to be a tanned bombshell? Had Pennsylvania chosen her cool, unflagging demeanor? What had Arizona been like? She seemed so gentle, Thorson thought. "Who were your friends, Laffey? Maybe we can arrange for them to be transferred to the facility with us?" He offered.
"That won't happen. Laffey asked already," the shipgirl told him, pushing herself up onto her hands and knees and extending for the bottle again. Thorson pushed her gently off of him and looked her in the eyes.
"Laffey, who are they? Maybe I can help? If you have friends you like maybe you would be able to fight better?"
"Ayaya, Javey, and Zed," came Laffey's defeated response.
"Who? Are they other ships?" Thorson asked, most confused at the nicknames.
"Yes. Laffey was born with them. We never fought together but Laffey thinks that would be very fun. Ayanami is from the Sakura. She's quiet but was always willing to nap with Laffey. Javelin is in the Royal Navy. She is very energetic and happy. Laffey always had a hard time hitting her in training."
"And Zed?" Thorson continued cautiously, sensing a pattern that led to Ironblood.
"Z23 was very nice to all of us. Always defended us from the commanders when we would all go play. She was very smart and a strong fighter. Zed was a good friend to Laffey."
Thorson felt a hole open in the pit of his stomach as he recalled what he'd seen of the Ironblood research into shipgirls. Sensory deprivation. They tried to break her mind? Was it because of her defiance, because she was strong? Was it just for kicks? Was she like Laffey? Thorson wondered, his mind conjuring images of an innocent girl trapped in the darkness without light or sound, not knowing time or when she'd be freed, only that she was being experimented on by her own country. Laffey broke into his reverie as he stared into space.
"Does Commander know Zed? Laffey didn't say she was Ironblood because Commander might not like her then, but Commander looks sad, not angry. Did Laffey say something bad?" Thorson shook his head immediately, wondering exactly how much he could or should tell the destroyer. He'd no indication of the security clearance enjoyed by a shipgirl, if they had any at all. What he did know is that in the Eagle Union they had been neglected and left to stagnate without purpose. In the Ironblood Empire they'd become objects of experimentation. From what he knew of the Royal Navy their own shipgirls had been allowed to form their own sort of hierarchy of royalty on par with the royal family, though they enjoyed no real power. He knew nothing of the Sakura, but the evidence was clear enough that whatever they had done before, the Sirens were likely in control at the present time. What Thorson did know is that not once had anyone seemed to have treated living, breathing entities as equals on the battlefield. He had been ordered to obtain results, to somehow do something different than everyone else who had tried for a decade. He decided to take the risk.
"I…know Zed," Thorson whispered. "At least, I know what happened to her. Here," he unscrewed the cap and offered the harsh-smelling bourbon to Laffey. "You're not a child, right?"
"No," Laffey affirmed, accepting the bottle with both hands and taking a swig like it was nothing. "Laffey is a shipgirl. Where is Zed?"
"I don't know," he admitted, finding it suddenly hard to continue. Laffey made a noise and cocked her head at him before offering the bottle.
"What happened to Zed, Commander?" Laffey asked, her sleepy gaze somehow intense and piercing. He took the bottle from her and swallowed a gulp. The burning felt good, reminded him that somehow he'd survived the day.
"Nothing gets by you, does it?"
"Laffey doesn't know about that, but Laffey thinks she knows the Commander."
"Already?"
"Hmm…so so. What happened to Zed?" She repeated. Thorson took another swig and bolstered his courage.
"The Ironblood Empire began experimenting on their own shipgirls after the dissolution of Azur Lane. For what I've seen today it sounds like that experimentation quickly crossed the line into torture. Z23 was…one of the subjects. They left her isolated for long periods of time, tested her mind. I don't know what happened to her. I'll keep looking though. There's a lot I don't know. There's a lot I'm not sure if I want to know." Thorson felt an insistent tugging on the right sleeve of his uniform. Laffey had grabbed the fabric with both hands and looked to be trying her best to hold back tears.
"Is…is Commander going to torture Laffey?" She asked pitifully. His heart felt like it was straining against itself. His promise to treat her like a solider cracked further.
"No, no I'm not."
"Can Commander save Zed?" Laffey wiped a tear on his sleeve. Thorson took a third swig and offered her the bottle. When she took it and began to sip heavily, he used the freedom of motion to wrap his arm around her and hold her petite, warm body to his side. It was all he could think to do.
"I don't know, Laffey. Right now we have nothing. All we can do is get stronger, together. Learn more about you and your sisters, find this base and get it up and running again, secure supply lines and research if we can, and possibly re-establish contact with the Eagle Union. Though it might actually benefit both of us if we don't open formal lines of communication, keep the Sakura guessing. The fact that the Ironbloods did this to their own ships is a highly classified secret. You must keep it a secret, Laffey."
"But…but Laffey wants to help Zed."
"I do too but you said it yourself. You can't defeat the Sirens. Right now we can't defeat the Sakura or the Ironbloods either. For all we know we might end up being forced to fight against Z23 for our lives. After what happened at Pearl Harbor there's no doubt that the Eagle Union will declare open war on the Sakura, and soon. The Ironblood will no doubt respond with a declaration of their own against us. We're just two people…well…more like one person and one Eagle Union destroyer. If we die no one will be able to help Zed. We need to survive first, and then we can help her." Laffey had sobbed quietly into his side throughout his speech, but as he finished she dried her eyes and looked up at him.
"Laffey will keep the secret. Laffey will survive. Laffey likes the Commander. He's warm. Laffey wants to believe in him. Laffey doesn't want to be alone anymore." At those words Thorson slowly coaxed the bottle from Laffey's hands and closed it, tilting her chin up with a finger so that she was looking at him. He wanted her to understand he was serious about rewarding her faith in him, however small. She was the first person he'd every commanded, and she'd even volunteered.
"Thank you, Laffey. Let's win this war-" Any further inspiring words were cut short as his stomach rumbled, now doubly upset at him for drinking on an empty tank. Laffey even giggled a bit. Thorson shrugged. "Let's head to the galley then, shall we? Can't win a war on an empty stomach."
"Laffey likes pasta."
"I will try to find us some pasta."
After a simple meal of what amounted to army noodles and ketchup, made a bit tastier by their booze-fueled hunger, Laffey and Thorson found themselves on the bridge again as the sun continued its mid-afternoon descent towards the western horizon.
"Do you know these coordinates?" Thorson asked, showing Laffey what he'd discovered earlier that day and pointing out their rough destination for her on the map of the Pacific. The bunny-eared shipgirl didn't respond, instead closing her eyes as the ship shifted beneath him and adjusted to a new heading far faster than he would have ever thought possible. He clung onto the table he'd been working on, thankful it was bolted to the deck. Laffey opened her eyes and looked at him.
"If Commander wanted Laffey to go home, Commander should have just asked," Laffey informed him happily as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. The combination of booze, a meal, and being able to control her own vessel without interference seemed to have lightened her spirits following the news about Z23's fate. Thorson's eyebrows rose high on his forehead.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Home. Those coordinates are where Laffey was born," she told him. Thorson paused to consider as he idly scanned the horizon around them. He'd been doing so almost reflexively since they'd come back to the bridge, hoping not to see anything remotely resembling a follow up Sakura attack force. The seas had been calm and empty so far.
"So you and your friends were all born at this facility?"
"Yep. The facility used to have many, many shipgirls. There were dormitories, and a cafeteria, and a school. Laffey never liked school. Classes were boring. Military talk is boring."
"I'll be happy if a third of that is still operational or usable," Thorson muttered, happy that at least Laffey seemed to know exactly where to go despite the facility not appearing on any maps he could find. "Hey Laffey, can I ask you something?"
"Commander is nice to ask."
"You said that people ended up getting hurt when you were in combat. What happened to them?" At the Commander's question Laffey looked down at her shoes and rocked back and forth. "You don't need to be embarrassed, Laffey. I just want to know so I don't end up getting hurt too."
"Laffey moves too fast. Sometimes people get hurt."
"Sounds beneficial to me. I'll just strap in," Thorson reasoned. He'd wondered why the command chair on the bridge had a seatbelt. Now he knew. Laffey nodded briefly before walking to the windows and looking out at the ocean.
"Laffey feels lost, Commander," she confided, looking out at the distant horizon.
"Do you need the coordinates again?"
"Not like that. Laffey didn't know what she was for, but that didn't matter to Laffey. She had her friends and then the other shipgirls. She had orders and commanders and crew. Now Laffey has nothing…but Laffey has a purpose. Laffey said she would follow the Commander. The Commander says he will fight the Sirens and the Sakura and the Ironbloods. Commander even offers to help the other ships of the Union if they make their commanders mad. Laffey must do all of this too. Laffey is lost." Thorson moved to stand beside her, binoculars in hand.
"One step at a time. Let's just get to your home first," he advised. "I'll learn everything I can about you and your kind, get my sea legs so to speak. Then we'll see what's left for us there and what we can use, alright? There's no need to win the war today. Just think about tomorrow."
"Laffey wants to save Zed."
"I know. For now just keep an eye out for Sakura ships. That's what we need to do. Would this help?" He offered the binoculars to her.
"Laffey would prefer SG radar."
"The Commander doesn't have SG radar in his duffel bag."
"Laffey accepts this gift. Thank you," she replied with a small smile, turning and looking out to sea. He helped her adjust the width of the device and showed her the various dials. She picked it up quickly. "This is better. Laffey likes being able to see far. Radar is less fun."
"Well just make sure to keep an eye out while you enjoy yourself. I'm going to review the rest of the materials that Admiral Hawkins left me." With a final pat on the shoulder Thorson left her side and returned to his table, passing by the Ironblood folder he'd reviewed and proceeding with the rest of the research. By the time the sun had set and Laffey requested something for dinner, Thorson had come to the conclusion that the Eagle Union had never taken the idea of the shipgirls seriously. The other factions, perhaps wisely, had shared less and less of their research over time. It had begun with the Ironbloods. He'd seen nothing else from them. The information he reviewed from the Sakura was also woefully incomplete, not including the first few reports from the Pacific facility. There was more from the Royal Navy, but it told him very little. The battleship Queen Elizabeth had apparently set herself up as some sort of monarch among the others, but the resulting hierarchy told him nothing about how to interact with the ships of the Union who, like their 'countrymen', probably spurred the idea of being ruled over. In hindsight it all made perfect sense to Thorson.
Why bother sharing anything with someone you think will be your future enemy. Hell, maybe some of that later information is forged. I can't really imagine a bunch of cruisers running around in maid outfits. Maybe it's code for something? He considered while trying to throw together something decent with stock Navy rations while Laffey flitted about the galley, constantly looking over his shoulder and attempting to incorporate her bourbon into his cooking. He found himself smiling by the end.
"Will you be alright when you're asleep? Do you want me to keep watch?" Thorson asked as he tucked Laffey into a cot, spurred on by some odd combination of phantom paternal instinct and the desire to reverse some of the poor treatment that Laffey had received at the hands of the Eagle Union. Laffey shifted slightly under the thin cover, grasping the hem with her hands and dragging it up to cover her mouth.
"Laffey doesn't need to stop. Trust Laffey, Commander. Laffey trusts you," she said more sleepily than usual. Thorson uttered a silent prayer that all the shipgirls he'd inevitably meet would be as straightforward as Laffey. He nodded and placed his hand on her head.
"So much for treating you like a soldier. Alright then Laffey, I trust you. Wake me if you need anything. I'll be in one of the bunks next door. We're up at 0600."
"Aww…alright Commander. Goodnight," Laffey bid him farewell, turning away from him and quickly steadying her breathing as she began to nod off. Thorson gave her one last look before retreating to his own bunk, sitting at the foot of the bed and retrieving Arizona's wisdom cubes from their resting place in his bag. He couldn't understand the urge to check on them but he couldn't deny it either. The deep purple glow was almost soothing, helping to banish some of the memories of that morning, of screaming men and death. He didn't know how long he'd been gazing at them when he finally shook his head and returned them to his bag, turning in for a much needed rest. Sleep took him almost immediately.
"Hmm…Laffey doesn't understand," she murmured to herself, finding sleep elusive for the first time in her short life. "Maybe…" Mind made up, she threw her blanket off and stepped onto the cold, metal deck. Leaving her shoes and jacket behind, she softly padded out into the hall and into the next room.