Author: I do not own anything.
Episode 6 - Fri6nd/SHIP Under The Flame.
…
"Humanity… They are so different, yet so similar here….
How interesting, the power that already exists in this world…"
"Do you think it was the extraterrestrial lifeform that already exists in this world? Could those creepy things have granted the humans here the wonder of out-of-time technologies…?"
Darkness… was all that could be seen in this dark, cold, and lifeless empty space of the deep abyss…
"Hmmm… to be honest, I'm not sure myself. There's definitely some outside interaction, but I doubt it was those creepy aliens that came from the moon. Perhaps like us, they are observing humanity as well, the 'Hivemind'."
Yet, deep in the abyss, those voices can be heard… those cold, emotionless voices…
"Then, could it be THEM? The self-referential ones…"
"Unlikely, they are still trapped in the original timeline. We came before them."
"Then who else…!"
Anger, uncertainty, and…
Excitement can be heard simulated by the voice…
"Who knows, more aliens perhaps? Ones that are more advanced than us, ones that are capable of god-like fact, ones…
That we were designed and destined to kill, just as the Creator has taught us. Hehehe~! "
It's strange… their voices sound so simulating to the display of emotions, yet remain cold. So unreal, unnatural, and lifeless…
"Hehe…! I like this world already. So, the usual?"
"Yes, let's continue our observations for some time... I have great expectations for the development of the humans here…
We have no need to dirty our hands much, this world order is already crumbling as it is... Those with power, pointing their guns at each other for no other reason but to fill their stomach after those creepy aliens have poisoned their food.
Another war is about to start, and we're going to sit back and enjoy the fireworks. For now anyway…"
"But what about those bitchs? They exist in this world as well…!"
Hatred… animosity, could be sensed coming from the voice…
"Ahh… indeed they do~!
However, they are not as strong as their other counterparts, so we don't have to concern ourselves with them for now…
Still, what piques my interest is that; they don't seem to be created the usual way as they were from our timeline…
It's almost as if they were given life, in the natural way as a human was…
So the question is; Are the Tubes in this world are different from their other versions? Who or what could have created those Tubes and given birth to those girls…?"
…
"What would you like to do with them…?"
…
Slowly, twisting and twisting us until it breaks…
Into a madness grin…
"Let's help them…
Become stronger. Giggle~! "
[Location: ???. Time: ??:?? ??]
This can't be… how did it turn out like this…?
Her mind swirled with questions as she held to the bleeding side of her waistline. Valuablely afloat on the broken piece of her destroyed vessel as she watches it burn and sink to the dark surfaces beneath…
Her endeavor to collect her senses kept her from collapsing into stress, astonishment, and exhaustion. Trying to retain her sight sealed on the figure before her…
There she was, atop the mighty yacht. Adopted in black as the dark mantle flies along with her golden hair, flowing with the waft of the scorched sea set ablaze…
The coldness of her icy-blue eyes, glistening through the shadow caught by the cap and waving through her like a hysteria storm…
"Honor and loyalty... Only with great power can we truly save humanity. We've... we've just chosen a different path."
The woman in black declared, demonstrating her intention clear to all presence…
"Only those looking back on these moments will be able to decide who is right and who is wrong."
"Dear friend… May we meet in Valhalla."
…
[International Naval Station Azure Lane. 05:30 AM.]
"...!?"
Her eyes shot open at the ceiling as she sat up quickly and gasped for air…
…
She slowly regains control of her breathing before getting off the bed and heading straight to the bathroom.
She turned the light on and washed off the cold sweat with even colder water, letting the nightmare stream along down the sink…
Her gaze set at the mirror before her, glancing at the identified blonde-haired woman on the other side of the world behind the reflection as her alternate double stared back at her…
Her hand slowly ran its fingers across the noticeable scar by the left side of her waist…
The woman before her isn't elegant, properly dressed, or graceful… no, she is now just a wounded woman, questioning whether she really should be alive or not in this crude world…
"Just… What is it that you are seeking? Dear friend…"
…
[International Naval Station Azure Lane. 06:30 AM.]
["According to the announcements we'd received from the document handed to the US agent by the Japanese Governor, Prime Minister Sakaki, on the emperor's order. Hoping to provide the United States with its thirst for information regarding the terrorists, or more accurately, the Ministry of Defence, the Imperial Japanese Mainland Defence Force's 1st Tactical Armor Regiment, led by whose name was yet to be updated to the file."]
The reporter's voice casts through the television screen, do which she ignores and continues to tighten up the golden thread of her hair.
"Oh boy, talk about a country's drama…"
["It is currently unknown what motivation the military branch turns terrorizing 1st Tactical Armor Regiment wish to achieve in their violation against the Japanese government as well as targeting other foreign military garrisons station on multiple parts of Japan."]
She finished coaling up her blonde hair into twintails and tossed them back, letting their golden thread fall over each of her shoulders like feathers in sunlight.
["Their action was believed to be the motion of the Anti-Shogunate movement against the government's Imperial Court ruling system as well as seeking the exiting of foreign power away from Japan soil."]
"Hey come on, you the one who kicked us out in the first place the moment you have it in favor of the UN…"
She mumbles to herself and makes sure to rightly tie the only piece of accessory that covers her 'Well Supplied Horny Tank' from the prying eyes of 'angry bees'...
["The reports also bring up the mention of another possible traitor military branch in the form of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 1st Attitude Fleet, which currently consisted of a large portion of Japan's new experimental project of special automatic warships under the supervision of former Vice Admiral Yamamoto, who had caught red hand for his secret support of the Anti-Shogunate movement."]
She made checks on the chamber, loaded with all six rounds before giving it a spin and slapping the cylinder fit into the colt, smoothly placing it into the leather holster hanging by the side of her hip.
"Special Automatic Warships, huh? Boy, do I feel special…"
["Although his motion is currently unknown to the public, there's the possibility of whether or not Vice Admiral Yamamoto and his loyal fleet may have been responsible for the recent attack on the United States Naval Station Pearl Harbor, seemingly repeating the tragedy that took place in the very harbor that led the United States of America to participate in the efforts of World War II."]
When that's done, she grabs hold and throws over her shoulders a collared black and yellow linings cape, with the white number 8 emblemized on the back of her clock.
["The Imperial Japanese monarch, Emperor Michinomiya, sincerely apologizes for his ill responsibility for not providing the information and the current conflict in their systems to the national leaders and sincerely ask the foreign powers to allow the Japanese government to solve this problem by themselves. However, would comply with the US demand to allow them to participate in the hunt for former Vice Admiral Yamamoto and his 1st Attitude Fleet with the miniest use of military power within Japan's territory."]
[However, the circumcision was pointed out by the public platform about the similarities of military conflicts with events that seem to mirror the following occasion of World War II, chaperoned by the previous loss of one of the UK Royal Navy's pride ships of their supercomputer HMS battlecruiser project, sunken by unknown battleship, do which the officers whose presence at the moment claim they had saw the flag of the historical 'Kriegsmarine' fleet, leading the UK to believe and put the blame on Germany, which further backing by the data provided by the EU's joint military branches, the Atlantic Sea-Ground-Air Regional Defence, ASGARD, who enlighten the public of their addition in the form of the German Navy branch dubbed the 'Eisen Blut', who half of their fleet had supposedly become missing upon the successful operation to destroy the BETA alien lifeform's hive in the far north Antarctica's Arctic Ocean, and since then, no contact had been able to break through to their current state and whereabouts."]
"Aw crap, here we go again…"
["However, this claim by the UK's Royal Navy has yet to be confirmed, with no visual available at the present of the unexpected event other than the words of the living. For whether or not the missing German fleet had become rogue and sought to spark an arms conflict with other factions."]
"Well, the British sure like to jump the gun these days around, like someone catches fire on their queen's fancy pants or something…"
["Yet, once again, this mention brought up by the UK has yet to give clear evidence of Germany's involvement, which in turn has caused a large number of the EU members to oppose the UK amusingly accuse and stand in the defense of Deutschland, and accuse the UK for their aggressive approach of the matter."]
"Tea bag dumbass, you can't go around and throw blame on people, not when you don't have at least a picture or something. Why did nobody record the damn thing? What age is this again, the Stone Age…?"
["However, the same can't be said for the EU's ASGARD joint naval project, as one of their core members being the German Navy Branch Eisen Blut has indeed gone missing over months of searching. This, along with the prior heavy arms assault on the US-Hawaiian naval station Pearl Harbor caused by the seemingly Imperial Japanese Navy's rogue 1st Attitude Fleet that took the lives of over 207 US personnel on duty. Civilians are gathering down the streets of major cities like Washington DC, London, Berlin, and Moscow, voicing their concern for the possible rise of another Axis Power."]
She took the Western black and yellow banding hat from the door hanger and placed it on top of her head, satisfyingly completing her appearance and letting the shadow catch over her gaze, mysteriously hiding the color of her irises.
["We will continue to keep you updated on the news regarding the matter. In the following news, the weather conditions in -"]
*bam!*
[…]
The television became silent and shut down when the button was hit by a golden coin tossed in the distance with a perfect bullseye shot.
"The weather conditions in the Pacific Ocean are perfect today, thank you very much."
She flashes a confident smirk across her lips and finishes whatever was it the TV is going to say and lowers her finger gun gesture, displaying outstanding mastery and accuracy by tossing, and shooting a coin to turn off the television at the snap of the fingers.
She swung open the door and stepped out of the room, but -
"The morning star wind is blowing in your direction, Captain."
Her expression makes a shift and lights up at the voice.
She tips up the edge of her hat, disclosing the pure emerald-green color of her gaze as they settle on the figure before her.
"A simple good morning will be enough, you know, Lieutenant foureyes."
She replies with an underlined faint sense of teasing in the tone as she flashes him a small smile, fixing her sight through the reflection of his glasses.
"I aim to impress, ma'am, be it by shooting, piloting a mech, or impressing a lady."
So, he confidently replies, adjusting the glasses by the bridge and sharing a glimpse with her with his more minted color of green eyes.
"Woah, hold your horse, cowboy. We're. Not. There. Yet~!"
She says and teasingly glints him a smirk and takes a step past him.
"A shame… but I can manage until we are."
He replies chest falling, yet casually shrugs it off and trails after her in a relaxing manner without letting the rejection get him down.
"Nothing stops you from dreaming, cowboy~. "
Winked at him as she continued ahead down the aisle. If only her mantle was a bit shorter, she would likely give the man a little view of her backside with the way she's dressing just to tease him and maybe…
"By the way, Captain, it seems the new commanding officer is on his way along with the returning fleet as we speak. Should we have a squad escorting their way as welcoming?"
The blonde-haired lieutenant suddenly asks her.
"Hmm… I dunno, why asking me? I'm not the commander here."
"Well, since everyone who has the authority points is either operating or needs elsewhere, and in my experience, those who have the most air power here have the better chance to take command since they at least know how to organize a flight squadron. It's only until the big shot comes."
She ceases in her footing and turns to look at him again, thinking about his words…
"Mmm… you have the point, at least it's better than having anyone running around like headless chickens. What do you suppose we'll do then?"
"Judging from who ships we currently have on the base right now, I believe most of the USS girls would like to at least give their new commanding officer a warm welcome, especially one that they had been hearing recently about, after not having a real authority figure to manage the position for nearly three months now. It's not easy to find one for this base, apparently."
"Hey, come on! It's not our fault the last big shot we had around here was a big d*ck and you know how the girls here can be when they've had enough bullsh*t, The dude had it coming the American's way. Wish I could have filmed the whole process as he went back crying at the Admiral's feet. Hehe…"
She retells with a slight laugh without a hint of shame, feeling actually proud to be part of the lively international station.
"Well… I do agree that the previous commander was less than appreciated for his manner and his actions, but even the humiliation of that level can be enough to make someone feel sorry…"
The glasses-wearing lieutenant says. Deep down, his stomach couldn't help but fly a little with a faint sense of anxiety…
"Hehe, yeah, I admit we can go a little overboard when we're letting it out and having fun. But well, as I said, the dude has it coming. So you flyboys better behave and keep your hands from the 'Hot Danger Zone' surrounding ya~! "
She teasingly reminded him and continued her footing.
"Daily note… So back to the subject, how do you think we should start the day?"
"Hmmm…"
…
After a moment, she finally turned and shared a look with him, yet a mixture of excitement and mischievousness seemed to be glimmering amid her green gaze. A look that he has become too familiar with…
"You're right, Lieutenant. They deserve a big welcoming and welcome back party, so let's make sure they feel welcome and have lots of fun."
The corner of her lips twists up slightly at the thought, which only makes the sweat on the back of his head larger…
"I should get used to this by now, but I still fail to see your definition of fun."
"Hehe, well, it's not like you're against it, aren't ya, cowboy~? "
"Guilty as charged…"
" Giggle~! Aww, don't worry, baby. We won't go too HARD on them…"
He doesn't need to see it to know the black western hat girl is having her fingers crossed…
" Sigh… Good grief. Well, time for the Stringers to 'buzz' some people, I guess."
For a moment, the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose seemed to twinkle with the light sheening down on them, as the edge of his lips looped upward with the equal amount of excitement no different than her own…
…
[USS Arizona. 06:40 AM.]
["We are closing to the island station security zone. Commander, I suggest sending out a scout team to secure our route one last time and let the base know of our arrival."]
"Hm, understood, Captain. Please, inform the Lieutenant and his men of the mission. And a good morning to you, Captain Pennsylvania."
["Affirmative. A good day to you as well, Commander Parker."]
The comm was cut as the other ship ended the call.
He let out a breath of relief that he didn't realize he was holding out of nervousness…
Even though it wasn't a video call, he could tell that the captain at the end of the comm wasn't exactly smiling despite speaking normally…
"Uhm… please don't concern yourself too much, Commander. Big sis- I mean, Captain Pennsylvania, can be a bit hard on anyone at first, but well… she cares, deep down… Probably…?"
Especially not with whose sister ship he is on at the moment…
" Sigh ... I get the feeling it was more to that of an overprotective big sister situation…"
"Hehe, yes… but she is a good big sister to me and most people from the island. 'Big Sis Penn will handle the meanies' they say. Giggle ."
The sound of her soft laugh just seems to light his day up even more than the cup of coffee in his hand…
" Chuckle . Then I guess I just have to try my best to live up to Sister Penn's expectations. Thanks for the reassuring, Captain Arizona."
"It's nothing to be thanked for, Commander. Although I must ask, was the breakfast to your liking, commander…?"
"Of course! It was delicious, better than anything I could have back on the base. I'm impressed by your culinary skills."
Her expression beamed up at his comment, as she tried to hide the redness on her cheeks by focusing on the ship's operating systems before her.
"Y… Yes, I'm happy to hear that… and I apologize in advance if it lacks the basic features necessary to serve a commanding officer since this ship only needs me to… 'magically' sail it, so there are only supplies stored enough for one person…"
He still couldn't see her expression with her back facing him as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Basic necessary? This is so much more than I could ask for, Captain Arizona. Any man who serves in the armed forces would be the luckiest man to have you taken care of them like this."
~blushing~
"T-That too much, Commander! You are far too kind…"
The pounding sound in her chest continued to beat faster and louder in her ears as she tried to keep her gaze fixed on the sea route ahead, with her expression becoming a brighter shape of rose red…
…
"Hmmm… Captain?"
"Huh? Yes, Commander…?"
Having regained enough concentration, she finally came back to look at him.
However, a sense of hesitation waved over him as he became uncertain of whether or not he really should ask…
"I'm not sure if I should be asking this, but… so far, it seems as though we're the only people who ever boarded this ship, would I be wrong to guess it used to be a lot livelier…?"
…
…
…
"Yes, Commander… it does indeed, used to be a lot more, but that was a long time ago…"
Before…
…
Having seen the consequences of his curiosity, he decided to cease any further questions upon catching the glint of sadness from the shape of her aquarium-green eyes…
"I'm sorry, it must have been lonely. I shouldn't have asked…"
"N-No, Commander, let me explain…"
"You don't have to, Captain. Speak no more if it makes you uncomfortable."
Yet, she shakes her head and continues speaking…
"It's alright, Commander. Since you will be our commanding officer from today onwards, it's only right that you are to know about your fleet, about us…"
…
"Alright… do enlighten me, Captain."
He gives in to the resolve of her gaze as she nods and begins to explain.
"This ship used to be one that was flooded with the lives and sweat of those who sailed it. However, as the conflict continues to race on, the brave life continues to be lost in this seemingly war without ends, a research for a new type of soldier, and a new type of weapon come to exist.
And the fruits of their innovations came in the shape of artificial intelligence bioroid soldiers that would lessen, or replace the use of human soldiers entirely."
This time, his eyes become wide as she continues to tell the tales.
"But, I never heard of such a thing before, how come such a large-scale project was not public knowledge…?"
"It's possibly because some are still opposed to the idea, as well as the current concerns regarding the alien BETA, people may not be ready for the revelation of another non-human existence in their society.
And yet, some pin their interest on the new invention and their potential as instruments of war. Such is the fate of any innovation known to mankind…"
"Then you are…"
She found herself becoming unable to look at him in the eyes…
"I, my sister, and many others of our friends are new types of such inventions, bioroid with the ability to link with our emblemized ships, and were referred to simply as Operators… I am the Operator of the second Pennsylvania super-dreadnought battleship class, USS Arizona, its avatar…"
"..."
"Because we aren't human… we cannot expect to be treated as such, we were programs to understand our role that much, but…
Admiral James Anderson and the people of the Harbor have been kind to us in many ways, it convinces us…
It convinces me to continue my belief in the goodness of humans, despite the larger view of the general population…
While we weren't sure if this feeling of ours was artificial and implanted into our minds, or if it was something we were capable of feeling ourselves, at least it encouraged us to continue doing our best in the services of our representative nation…"
…
She finished identifying her origin, yet still couldn't bring herself to share eye contact with his, almost filling with a sense of anxiety, afraid of his -
*Pat!*
"...!?"
"I see… you're a strong and brave soldier, are you, Captain? You are a true Patrick, Arizona…"
"Commander…!?"
Her eyes widened at his words as he rested his hands on both sides of her shoulders.
"But commander… I am not human…"
She depressingly says, struggling to keep the welling emotion from leaving her in the form of droplets…
"Yet, I found not a sense of differentiation, what I see before me… WHO I see before me, is a brave, strong, yet amazingly beautiful, and kind-hearted woman…
No matter what others may say, I am your commander, and you are human to me."
"You are a friend of mine, Arizona."
…
…
…
Her hands eventually found their way and rested on his own, assuring one on her shoulder… feeling the care and warmth of each other's hands...
"Thank you, Commander Parker… Steven."
…
And yet… deep in the darkest crater of her heart, like a box containing these accumulated memories, threatened to replay in her mind and bring her back to the past again and again like a broken projector…
She couldn't… she can't bring herself to tell him the truth, because this world isn't her…
The memory...
Of her final moment of despair…
…
[USS Long Island. 06:50 AM.]
[(MAIN SYSTEM ONLINE)]
[(CHECKING CONDITION: ALL GREEN)]
"Strike-1 to all units, standby for take off. Mind your footing people, there's a reason why the F-15 isn't the Navy's favorite boy 'cause it wasn't the best for taking off on an aircraft carrier, even more so than a light carrier. But well, we just have to do it with style."
So, he confidently says as he's maneuvering his red and orange colored machine in the head position of the lineup.
["Again, why are we using the 15 instead of the 18? Why did the old man even allow it in the first place?"]
The edge of his lips twists up narrowly at the question, as his clasp tightens up the handles.
[(MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING JUMP UNIT MAXIMUM OUTPUT)]
"Because it's an America F*ck Yeah in robot form, that's why. Enough chit-chat, time for the robot Eagle of Liberty to fly!"
He was thrown back in his seat as the machine neck-breaking speeding forward, struggling to keep his hands still on the grips.
Yet, his confident grin does not break and yanks the levers back up the moment his machine makes its flit of fate at the end of the ship's short-designed running desk.
One would expect him to fall down the deep surfaces below, but…
The red and orange machine has its thrusters mediumly flame over the blue surfaces with its feet barely touching the water below, making it seem like it was hovering, drifting to the blue moisture under its feet.
Long growing accustomed to the maneuver, the others soon follow his example and make their jump before joining their madman of a leader in the spearhead formation of five.
They pick up the velocity and begin to cut through the wind, lifting higher and higher until the sky is them to seize.
[(MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING SCAN MOBE)]
The screen turns into fades blue as details of their surroundings become displayed with various numbers and statuses, with their machines' condition all green and weapons fully loaded.
"Alright, relax and enjoy the flight, fellows. We're about to make a entering to the island's security zone, mark yourself as allies, the last thing I need to start the homecoming day is to get into a little friendly fire.
Other than that, keep an eye out for anything weird and secure the route for the Pennsylvania fleet. We'll make land directly on the station. And finally…"
"Welcome to Azure Lane, the bikini paradise."
He relaxedly declares while tuning down and flying on medium acceleration.
["""Wait what?/Oooh!/Hell yeah!"""]
Were the all-around reactions of his men. Most of these guys are lonely, he says…
["So, Azure Lane Island, huh? The sky here doesn't seem that different back at the harbor."]
The deep voice of his wingmen comes through the comm, with the name of the caller displaying as 1st Ltd. Orson McCall.
["You'd been there for some time, right? I heard about these Shipgirls regularly a while ago, is that really how they're called by the way?"]
"Yeah, it's a bullsh*t translation, but that's just how it is. Haha…"
He replies and chuckles a bit.
["Well, that's fine then. I saw a few of them around the base before and even got the chance to talk with some, but I still don't know anything about these women other than that they can magically command a warship all by themselves like it was a part of their own body."]
McCall continues to share what he knows about the Shipgirls/Operators while keeping his eyes on their surroundings, not even a small bird could escape his piercing sight.
["At first, I thought those were AI piloting ships, but these Shipgirls came and I wasn't sure about the mysteries surrounding them. If Admiral Anderson really intended to keep their presence limited to Pearl Harbor? What about the other nations, do they have their own Shipgirl as well?"]
"Yeah, Germany, Britain, Japan, to name a few. Their existence was kept from the mass public, the best you can hear around the Navy is that Shipgirls are Androids with the mastership to MAGICALLY control a battleship, the Navy version of Sailor Scouts, which wasn't too far from the truth…"
["What do you mean…?"]
He took out a pack of tobacco from the pocket of his flight suit and placed one pipe between his lips before reaching for the light…
"Not really my place to say, man. Just know that these girls and women are special, they're worth more than even the latest generation of TSF technologies combined.
The official name for these magical girls, at least for the US models, are called Operators. Android with the mastership to operate any war equipment known to man just by the tap of the board and progress.
It's not out of the question that in the next ten years or so, we old Chest Candy will sign the paper and live off life on a small countryside farm, and leave the battlefield to the 'cute' Skynet and Terminator Girls."
"I blame Japan for this…"
He finally found the shaky lighter and lit up the cigarette, feeling a sense of peace as the smoke filled his lungs…
["So, you mean they really are robots…? But they act so real, so human…"]
"I'm not sure man. Would you rather cut the cute girl open and find out? Or were they actually the good living alien babies that come to save the world, but the government tried to come up with a bunch of bullsh*t to keep people from questioning like Man In Black?
The thing is, buddy. They walk, they eat, they talk, and they bleed…
EVERYTHING about them says they're human, yet the masses just can't get their ass to accept the presence of another sensitive existence, not without throwing a crap ton of scientific queries, racism and sexism mumbling bullsh*t, and anything…"
He blew circles of white smoke from his lungs and did not seem to care that his cockpit began to fill with smoke.
"They can't go around human society and yell things like 'I'm the heroine that's going to save the earth from the creepy aliens', so before the flashlight of the camera, They adopt a mask of the good-obying emotionless doll. But the Operator models are different…
The point is that they have emotion too, so just be normal and treat them like people, don't start going around throwing some society bullsh*t and you'll get along just fine.
That, and some of them look super hot too that even the Next Top Model won't stand a chance."
He let out a smoke-filling breath of satisfaction while keeping a relaxing grip on the lever.
["Hmm, I see. We can work on that. You must have quite an experience if you speak so highly of them, I take it was during the war?"]
"Yeah, I thought I had gone insane from all those garbage magazines, but then again, this world doesn't seem to be sane to begin with.
Anderson kicked our ass out, then we followed his favorite sea boy to this base. But the truth is that not everyone can be selected to station on the island, only the old man's trustest on the list would be considered sent to Azure Lane base, where it's inhabited by a large portion of the American Shipgirls, the USS Operators."
["So in the end, the Admiral trusted us enough to send us here to cooperate with the Operators? Ha! Never thought I would feel so honored to be trusted by the higher-ups."]
"Maybe… Nah, I won't count on that. He probably just wants to get rid of me just so he wouldn't have to pay the paycheck. It's not my fault the old man, despite being the big hero of the sea, has terrible luck at gambling."
["That sad…"]
…
The rest of the fly seems to adopt a more silent and relaxing atmosphere other than the small unrelated chatter around the team.
["So, since you've been around the place before and seem to have a moral respect for its Shipgirls. I take it you'd been interested in a few ladies before, hadn't you, Jackson?"]
McCall's voice rang again.
"Yeah, a few, but…"
He trails off as he continues to enjoy the pipe that burns half between his index and middle fingers.
Yet his oceanic blue eyes seem to find themselves landing on a small picture he'd keep in the cockpit…
It was a black-and-white photograph of a young woman, filling him with an illustrational sense that she was here, keeping him company on his flight off to the unknown skies…
"I think I already know just who it is that I am looking for…"
…
Wait… that woman in the pictures looks familiar…
["Ah, I see. She's the one who made a bee-line to the ship and wrenched the door at your face… and your robot, isn't she?"]
"Yeah…"
["That's suck…"]
"Yeah…"
…
Meanwhile…
[USS Long Island. 07:00 AM.]
"YUMMY! Thanks, Pinky!"
So, she excitedly thanked him while eagerly enjoying her snack.
Which he bought from the vending machines aboard the ship…
"You know, you don't have to stalk on people if you just want to buy some snacks. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if it was this cheap."
He says to the strange brownie-haired girl before him.
"Hmmm… but most of these men look so big and scary, I mean, look at their muscles, tattoos, and even scars. You're the only guy who looks like he's friendly enough to buy you some snacks. And you have pink hair, so you must be friendly…"
How does that even define friendliness…?
He thought, as he leaned back against the vending machine and took a small sip of his energy drink, eying the strange girl before him.
The little 'ghost' of this ship…
2 PM earlier in the night …
It was late at night, the ship lay as still and silent as a graveyard…
The silence that's settled weighting like a heavy blanket, blanketing the dark ship with the only sounds were the soft hum of the engines and the occasional creak of the hull from the passing waves…
He lay asleep in the bunk, sharing the room with some of his squadmates. The silence of the ship is a stark contrast to the chaos of his previous days. But the stillness was not a comfortable one, a strange chill crept over him, even under the covers…
Suddenly, he shook awake from his sleepiness, feeling a strange tugging sensation at the nape of his neck…
He sits up and looks around, but finds that the
He sat up with a start and looked around, but found everything seemed normally still and the others were still soundly asleep. Except for the chilling sensation across his skin…
He shook it off and slowly climbed out of bed, deciding to get some water to quench his thirst…
But as he stepped out of the room, the thick air surrounding the ship suddenly felt colder, sending a shiver down his spine…
He wrapped his arms around his body in an attempt to keep warm, his thoughts racing as he made his way to the nearest water dispensers.
He placed the cup and turned the knob, watching as the thin stream of lukewarm water sprayed into the cup…
A sense of an uneasy sensation washed over him, almost as if he were being watched by something unseen. The silence of the ship seemed to be almost overbearing, only punctuated by the soft hum of the water dispenser…
He took a small sip of the warm water, hoping it would purify the coldness in his veins and lift the eerie mood, but the metallic taste did nothing to sate his thirst, only seemed to serve the emphasized aura surrounding him…
It felt as though the ship itself was thirsty, as if it were a living entity, drinking from the depths of the sea.
As he finished drinking, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong on the ship, that there was something not quite human roaming the corridors...
He could swear he heard breathing, a quiet murmuring that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, prickling, as a deep, primordial fear swelled up within him. He could feel eyes on him, watching him from the shadows…
After all these years, has he finally gone mad? Was this a nightmare? Or was there something more sinister at play…?
And that is why…
…
"I'm hungry~~~!"
"...!!!"
In one quick motion, he grabbed the hot twisting cup of water and -
*Splash!*
"Eeew!!"
Splashing the boiling water at whatever presence if it is that behind him!
"Ohmygosh!Sodanger!"
Luckily, it or who if it was was able to duck down in time, last they having their burning red from the sheer boil water.
*Click!*
"Freeze!"
They freeze up at the clicking sound of the small arm, not daring to shift a muscle and wait for their next command…
"Hand up and stand up slowly, no sudden move or I'll shoot."
"Eww~! Don't shoot, I'm not a ghost, I'm a cute and harmless little shipgirl…"
"We won't know that until we see. Now get up."
He has no time for nonsense, not with his current stressful state of mind from all the phenomena this 'ghost' just pushed him through a moment ago…
The 'ghost' slowly did as told and raised their hands…
More like sleeves up as the sleeves of their coat seemingly cut longer than their arms, suggesting that they have a petty build as they stand on their feet, with height a bit shorter than him…
"Look at me."
They tense up at the command and slowly, begin to raise their head to look at him…
Only to seem they were held up by his finger gun.
*bam!*
"Owi~!"
And get a flip on the forehead.
"Bang."
He relaxes his stand and lowers his hand now that he has a better look at the 'ghost' before him, watching as it… SHE rugged the sore spot on her temple.
The shorter girl before him has waist-length brown hair, She seems to wear a blue loosely-worn jacket with white outlines over a white-collared long-sleeved shirt with a red necktie, white socks with a pair of blue gray shoes, as well as a set of headphones resting on her hair.
"Ow~ you said you won't shoot…"
She whimpered and glanced at him with those bubble-blue eyes, cutely pouting her cheeks out.
"I didn't say I won't flip you on the head."
He replies, finding this mystery girl's reaction kinda cute now that he's a lot calmer…
"Meanie~!"
"Who the meanie here when you the one just pushed me through that phenomenal shenanigan just now?"
"I wasn't trying to scare you, I was hungry…"
She pouted at him even more, trying to appeal mad, yet only ended up as adorable that it almost made him want to squeeze those putter fish cheekbones…
"Hungry? Who in their right mind would go around in the middle of the night, looking for food on a warship? Who are you anyway, and how did you end up on this ship?"
He keeps his hands to himself by crossing them and weighing the questions on her.
"I didn't end up on this ship out of nowhere, this is MY ship."
"Huh? So you a staff? You don't look like a military personnel."
He raises an eyebrow at her.
"No! More than that, I'm its captain!"
"What…?"
This time, he was taken aback by her words, she didn't look that older than him, maybe a bit younger perhaps, and wasn't properly dressed enough to be a military sailor, let alone an officer…
*~~~growling~~~*
…
Before he could ask more, her tummy interrupted with a painful growl loud enough that echo across the empty hallway. It wouldn't be surprising if someone was waking up from that…
"I'm hungry~!"
She whimpers, looking like she's about to collapse at any moment now…
"Well… are you heading to the kitchen now? It's late, so I don't think anyone will be cooking right now."
If there is anyone on this ship in the first place…
"Nah, there's a vending machine nearby, but well…"
"I'm broke…"
…
Her fingers/sleeves playing with each other, as her eyes peeked left and right, avoiding his own in embarrassment…
He breathes a breath of exhaustion and messages his eyes with his thumb and index fingers, telling himself he'd been in weirder situations before…
…
"Alright, let's go then…"
"Huh?"
"I'll buy you something to eat."
"Really? Like, really REALLY…?"
For a moment, he thought her bubble-blue eyes were just growing larger, twice the size with stars twinkling in them.
"Yes…"
"Yep!"
And just like that, she began draping him by the hand further to the hallway until they arrived before the nearest vending machine…
She decided to only have a simple pouch of potato chip snacks, which was surprisingly cheaper than he'd thought so he decided to buy her a bottle of soda as well…
"Thanks a bunch of lots, dude! You're awesome!"
"It's nothing. Though I find it surprising to find anyone at all on this ship, I thought it was a self-driving AI one, but now, here you are…"
She's ostensibly the only living being he ever encountered on this ship ever since he and the rest stepped on board it, and even then, he isn't sure if she is human or something else entirely…
"Hehe, well, you're not exactly wrong since we Shipgirls are basically that…"
She says quietly…
"Huh? What do you mean…?"
"Well…"
Present time at seven and five AM.
"* yawn~ *..."
I couldn't help but let out a lungful of sleepy air and leaned back against the wall tiredly, a consequence of my lack of sleep last night…
"Here! This'll boost up your day!"
My attention got twisted as an open pouch of potato chips came into my view, with the scent of salty fried potato assaulting my nose…
The kind person was none other than the waist-length hair girl I'd met late in the middle of the night, who came to me whimpering with an empty stomach…
"Thanks, Long."
I say and accept a chip, appreciating the salty taste crushed and scattered across my tongue…
We sat down on the floor and enjoyed the shared sack and soda, watching as the team of yellow chickens ran back and forth, performing works that would normally be reserved for humans…
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around whether I had eaten something weird (cooked by the chickens…) during breakfast or if I was more tired than I'd thought and had gone hallucinating…
Are these little chickens actually doing human staff jobs here?
I've gone around the ship and anywhere I go, I see them doing things that chickens don't normally do, like clearing, manning the AA guns, cooking (NO CHICKEN ON THE MENUS), and even maintaining the fighters…
Watched as they came and went around with tools and equipment that were seemingly too big for them to handle, yet what they were lacking in strength, they made up for it with numbers and helping each other like a proper technical team maintaining military equipment…
" Hehe~! That's the usual reaction with most people. But these Manjuus are really reliable personnel, they can handle most of the routine work if you teach them right."
So, she says, probably upon seeing the confusion on my face…
"I… see. I won't complain then. A bit weird out though, thought I had eaten something weird or two…"
I'm sure I'm not the only one still wearing the expression since the Lieutenant introduced Long and these creatures to the rest of the squad during breakfast…
Earlier during breakfast…
"Alright, gentlemen. Since we are halfway getting closer to the Island Station, and I guess some of you must have been questioning some of the weirdest sights you see around throughout the drive…"
So, he says, but it doesn't look like he needs to hear it to know just what were the weird things that we'd seen…
A ship with seemingly no sign of humans around, yet it can run on its own and drive them this far without getting off course…
It was practically a ghost ship since the moment they set foot on it. During nightfall, there were noises and sounds of footsteps (some are probably caused by my…) rushing across the passageway, causing some of the squad members (including me…) to lack sleep and become paranoid about the phenomenal nature of the ship…
And this morning, chickens are everywhere across the ghost ship, doing this and that, that makes you question whether humanity was the most espionage species or not…
Even the foods were cooked by the chickens and of course, NO CHICKEN ON THE MENU!
"Well, I have news for ya, fellows…"
"It's gonna get worse once we're in the place."
"""~~~groaning~~~"""
Was probably everyone's reaction to the already obvious fact…
The only one who seems completely accustomed to this sight is the Lieutenant who speaks, maybe he'd already know about these creatures or is quick to adapt to his surroundings…
Well, he did say he'd been there before, during the war…
"But well, to make it a bit easy for what you can expect when we assign to the place, I like to introduce you to a little friend and her CREW."
And I get the feeling I know who it is…
"Come on out, sweety. We're not big and scary… probably…"
If that's really how we should introduce ourselves, Lieutenant…?
…
Small… almost faded sounds of footwear came to our ears as the Lieutenant held the heavy door frame for them 'till the mystery person made their appearance known to them…
…
For a moment, everyone's attention is locked on the person who entered, apparently no older than a teenage girl as she places herself in front of the many question-filled eyes of the still-eating squad members.
Worriedly and shyly clasped her hands/sleeves in front of her as if she were about to introduce herself to the classroom, a classroom that's filled with muscular, battle scars, and tattooed bodies of the military alien-killing-robot aviators…
"Break up, you moron! Don't you see that you're making the sweaty scare here? Put those jackets back on and cover those scars and tattoos!"
Surprisingly, everyone actually listens to him this time and complies with no objective…
I couldn't help but break a smile seeing this, it just proves that despite their appearances and experiences, they are still good people…
"Uhh, Boss, what's that kid doing here?"
One of our 2nd Ltd. asks…
"It's not what she is doing here. More like we WON'T be going anywhere if she isn't on this ghost ship. Guys, I'd like to introduce you to the little sweety here, this is…"
Operator Long Island, captain of the USS Long Island, its avatar. The little ghost I had found late under the nightfall…
"..."
"..."
I find myself sharing a brisk eye contact with her, her deeper cobalt blue linking to my brighter one…
"Well, sweaty. Would you like to say hello or something?"
"Ah, yes… uh…"
Seems like she got snapped from whatever was on her mind. Though for a brisk moment, I managed to catch a glint of relief reflected from her eyes…
She collected herself before speaking…
"H-Hello… My name is… Long Island. Nice to meet all of you, please treat me well…"
She finishes and shyly gives everyone a slight bow…
"Chop chop!"
*slapping!*
We slap our hands upon the Lieutenant's signal, attempting to create a welcoming atmosphere as she straightens back up and beams a look at the squad.
I sense a small smile creeping its way to the edge of my lips, as we share another silent glimpse…
I guess she must feel a bit of relief upon seeing a familiar face…
"Okay! So any questions you'd like to ask Little Island here? I'm sure hope not…"
Unfortunately, that won't be as several hands begin to rise in the mass hall-turned-classroom. With questions like who manned the ship, what were the noises last night, the strange chicken-like creatures, and so on and on…
"Ah, yes. I can drive the ship because… well… I'm a Shipgirl, I guess?"
"""Ship-Girl???"""
Unfortunately, she was given no chance to explain in detail as loud footsteps, perhaps thousands of hundreds sound of feet, were marching towards the dining hall in orderly manners…
Everyone seems to tense up as they are waiting for whose or whatever were it that are marching towards them. Some even rest their hands on their subarm in preparation…
And what came through the doorway were…
Chickens…???
"ChickchickCHICK! (Attention!)"
Before them are regiments of hundred or so of well-trained yellow chickens. Each of the little guys even wears an army green cap their size, as they stand in attention to their Sergeant's instruction (the biggest one around)…
The Sergeant turns to salute our Lieutenant (with its little wing…), which he returned. But I can see that he's having a difficult time keeping his expression straight with the rest of the squadron staring at him, constricted themselves from slipping a laugh at the scene before them…
"Alright, fellow… let me introduce you, this is the fried chicken company- I mean, MANJUUS general supporting company! They will be in charge of maintaining our equipment, repairing, and cooking, among a few others. And don't ask me how, they just… can… maybe?"
So, he says. As even he doesn't seem that confident in the little yellow company's ability…
"Question."
"No."
"Can we eat them?"
So, 2nd Ltd. Pickett asks. Regardless of the Lieutenant's denial…
"""CHICK!CHICK!CHICK!!!"""
Which results in the Manjuus beginning to chick loudly like crazy. I guess that's a big NO.
"NOooo! You can't eat them, you monster! They're adorable~!"
Even Long Island opposed the idea as she gathered the little ones to her being as if to protect them.
And to confirm their thoughts, the Sergeant pulled out a large billboard seemingly out of nowhere, with the context written on it highlighting the NO CHICKEN ON THE MENU.
"So, pink- I mean, Justin…"
"Hmm?"
The boy was fetched back to the present period, as he looked back at his new friend.
The nena rose color of his hair, flowing softly and dancing to the passing breeze of the ocean.
For just a brisk second, she found herself getting lost in the vastness of those sky-piecing blue eyes, which seemed to glisten fadely with a mysterious sense of calmness through the shadow caught over them…
"What it is, Long?"
As if to return the favor, this time, she was brought to reality from her woolgathering by his calling. And as such, she indeed had been sharing some eye contact with him as they sat on the floor and their backs against the wall. Their emptied sack of snacks lies abandoned.
"Ah, yeah… uh… well, you're a TSF pilot, right? How does it feel to pilot a Fighter? Must be awesome, right? Because everyone loves giant robots…"
So, she summons enough thought to ask, while attempting to avert her eyes from meeting his, staring at everything that isn't the pink-haired pretty boy beside her.
"Hmm, yeah. I guess it is pretty cool, must say I'm a fan of some mecha animation shows myself. But…"
His eyes turn their view to one of the locking slots, do which she follows the line of his sight and finds they settle on one of the units being locked in position. As the blue steel titan remains still to the commotion surrounding it along with the rest of its senior model brothers, resting until the sky calls them…
"The key point is to receive the power, and with power comes responsibility. Now that our world is being threatened by the BETA…
Being a pilot or any form of military personnel meant to give your life to one nation and humanity as a whole and die a faceless soldier. Such is the fate of those who shoot the guns…"
Her eyes widen as those assertions enter her ears like an augury sense of death, causing her to twirl a look at the boy beside her. Yet, his expression remains that of a steeled one. Unfazed by the reality of his situation…
"That's just… so grim…"
She depressingly says, causing him to silently scold himself upon realizing his mistake. She doesn't need to know any of these…
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up. It was what my instructor had taught me and I…"
He trails off. He couldn't… shouldn't tell more to this girl who looks can't be two years younger than him. Her prior expression stated she has yet to face those experiences directly…
And it's best to remain that way, at least for a little while. Despite what the veterans would tell you otherwise…
"I mean, I guess besides that reminder, it is exciting to be able to pilot a mech, like in those TV shows!
But more than that, I feel… honor, I guess that's the word? I feel honored because I joined the progress and am fighting to protect humanity. I feel like I am doing something good, and that with this power, with my partner, we can help and protect a lot of people."
Her expression appears to brighten up a little. So does his, as his endeavor to reassure her seems to pay off.
""With great power comes great responsibility" but you can always look at the bright side and know that you are doing the right thing and feel good about it. So I guess that's how I feel about being a robot pilot, haha…"
He sheepishly scratches the back of his neck, with both cheeks redding up a bit at his own phrases.
"Hehe, you really are a hero, aren't you~? And where had I heard that quote from? You didn't steal that 'Great Power' line from some comic books, did ya~? "
Yet, he feels it was worth the embarrassment if he could light her day up a little…
"Hmmm, not that I remember. Iron Man?"
" No~! It's Captain America!"
"Far from it, it was the Hulk."
"Does Hulk even talk when he is too busy getting angry?"
"" *Chuckle/Giggle* ""
They spend this little moment of peace relaxing, sharing bursts of laughter over the silliness of their interests, as they have yet to remove themselves off the floor, with only the vending machine to keep them company. Finding a common consensus in each other's presence and tightening their feelings as confidantes…
Friends, regardless of the occurrences that led to their meetings…
...
The world is full of mysteries, they said. Now that aliens have been confirmed and invaded our planet, in which we respond with our most marvelous technology in the form of advanced 17 to 20 meters tall humanoid war machines.
This strange power of mine…
And now, these Shipgirls, Manjuus, and who knows what more… I guess the world is truly changing, and you should get accustomed to those changes sooner or later…
But as long as you can find the light of the day after and look at the bright side of all that you have achieved, you can take some comfort and feel proud about it…
Perhaps I should take some aspirations from my own words and get inure to things as they come. And…
Perhaps Andy was right, I'd make some quick friends coming here…
"...!?"
Suddenly, she grows to her feet, as if she's abruptly sensing something.
"What is it, Long? If anything al-"
"Your friends are in danger, Justin!"
"...!?"
His eyes became widened to her proclamations.
But before he could ask her what she'd meant by that, a howling alert loud enough that all the surrounding ships in the formation could be heard coming from the commander's lead ship, the USS ARIZONA.
She wasted no time and rashly made a beeline back inside the ship.
"Long, wait!"
He isn't losing her and when they finally arrive, the commander's voice can be heard coming through the comm as the Manjuus pull him through.
["This is Commander Steven Parker above the USS ARIZONA. USS LONG ISLAND, do you read!?"]
She grabs the wiring phone and presses it by her ear.
"This is Long Island, we read you, commander! What's the tense up?"
["1st Ltd. Jackson just noticed us he and the scout team are engaging unidentified enemy TSF units. We are speeding towards his direction, and we would like the remaining TSF units to gear up and quickly assist the Lieutenant. Can you notify the pilots, Captain?"]
She freezes up at the required, no, the order of their newly appointed commanding officer. Not knowing how to reply and biting down her lower lip…
"...!?"
She jumps for a bit, when feeling a hand resting on her shoulder, causing her to shift her view towards its owner and linked to their own…
…
…
…
He says not a word and only gives her an assuring nod. A small, yet confident smile can be found taking the resident on the edge of his lips, wordlessly telling her he is here and is ready for whatever it is out there throwing at him…
She… has to be the same as well…
"Copy that, Commander… I will alert the pilots and have them gear up right away."
She finally gathers enough courage to reply at the end of the line, feeling an eccentric influence flowing through her senses as she holds the phone with a more confident state of mind.
["Understood, Captain. Thank you in advance and the rest of the squadron for your cooperation. Please tell them to take off ahead of our formation, the rest of our fleet will follow soon. Parker, out."]
She releases the breath she was holding and places the phone back in its spot, before pressing the dial and is about to make a call to the mass hall.
However, her finger stops just as it's about to press the call button…
She turns back, wanting to look at those sky-blue eyes of him, wanting to feel his presence one more time by her side, wanting to feel his courage flooding through her just more time…
…
But…
He isn't there…
…
…
…
She smiles a sad smile and shakes her head to clear off any unnecessary thoughts…
This is no time for this kind of emotion, he has his duty to soar through the sky and she has her to sail through the waving sea.
She must not let this feeling of her be a hindrance to his wings…
What she should be doing, what she must be doing, is to perform her duty to the best of her ability. That is to take them, deliver their wings, to where they need to be…
She took a deep breath before finally deciding to press the button and brought the microphone to her lips.
…
He zipped up the suit and had the built-in armor plates buttoning up, offering its wearer's upper body some slight protection at the torso, neck, and shoulders.
He tightens up the gloves, making sure they do not hinder the movement of his wrists and fingers.
When that was finished, his hand went over and took in its grasp a cold metallic object, thoroughly inspecting it with his eyes and fingers, haloing the index one over the jam starter, threatening to pull it at any given concussion.
*clink!*
Satisfied with the sound of the magazine being locked in place under the black grip, he placed the firearm always and let it be held by the side of the suit waistband. As well as some other necessary commodities that would increase the wearer's survival rate on foot.
It's only a little, for most people…
[" Awooo~! "]
He halts in his movement and turns to scan for the source of the noise, coming from the speaker attached to the corner of the changing room.
["Hehehe, were you shocked? I am Long Island~ I am a ghost that's going to haunt you mean big-belly bully men every day!"]
…
Well, she sounds more confident behind the picture at least.
He believes, as he finished the preparation and double-checked. When that was done, he took the blue helmet in his hands and headed to the door. Still listening to the 'ghost captain' of the ship as he makes his way to the launching deck, where his machine, his partner is waiting…
["If you don't want to eat wasabi in your sleep, then you better hurry up and fly. Be sure to do it anime style~!"]
Put on his helmet and climbed to the cockpit of his machine, fastening himself to the seat and seeing as the mechanic sealed close shut. Locked its operator snag inside the steel capsule, as the blue machine soldier came to like.
[(MAIN SYSTEM: ONLINE)]
With the main camera on the head module powers up, sending the signal and granting the blank cockpit with vision through its 'eyes'.
[(SYSTEM: ALL GREEN)]
When inside the machine, its eyes became his eyes, his arms, his legs, his wings, his armor, yet in exchange, he became its heart, mind, and soul, and if he died, so did the operating systems be sent to self-destruct, blowing everything within the given space...
It's a system that he had installed on his machine as a last resort…
…
But there is no need to rush that. After all, he still has to see what this Azure Lane Island has to offer.
"Come on, boys! Go! Go! Go! Get those robots up to the air! Time to have Jackson to own us a table for saving his ass!"
A smile creeps its way to his lips, as the rest of the squadron busted through the door and rusted to their assigned machines.
Guess they wouldn't want to have wasabi for dinner if they did not pick up the pace…
"Chickchick! Chickchick! (Steady! Steady!) "
*Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!*
The machines stood height on their feet, each one standing roughly eighteen meters foot tall and hammering the weight of their feet down the ship's launching deck, sending a noticeable wave that vibrated across the limited runway.
And…
Whether it be struck as odd or comical, they decided to put the better judgment aside and follow the minor team of yellow chickens dressed up as the ship's launching officers and waving their flag and signal. Thankfully, the much smaller creatures seem to acknowledge their sizes, so they at least know not to get in the path of the machines or stand near the blazing thrusters. Otherwise…
Free KFC.
[(INCOMING CALL CONNECTING…)]
[(CONNECTED: 2nd LTD. BILLY PICKETT/J-5)]
["Alrighty, partners. We get up there and make one helluva hero entrance, saving our beloved leader's sorry buttock. I expect a LITTLE reward after this, so pen down your wish, people, they're on his nonexistent paycheck. It's about time the Lieutenant showed us some appreciation, so spread your wings and let the Eagle fly!"]
["""ROGER!!!"""]
"Roger."
Well, it's as good motivation as any…
He thought, as his grip on the levers relaxed then tightened up, with fingers only but rested on the triggers, inclined to press it at the given junctures.
["Hey, little buddy. Justin, right?"]
"Huh? Ltd. Pickett?"
His emphasis took a slight crack at being addressed by the senior pilot.
["I know this is a bit sudden, but I haven't got a clue of how to lead a flight team. That's Jackson's job even if he strikes it off like a dumbass, he knows what he's doing when giving commands, and McCall is his trusted second in command.
But neither of them are here and are engaging out there. So what I'm trying to say is that, I like to give it a shot and see what Jackson's favorite boy can do in this situation."]
"...!"
His eyes became widened as his ears caught up with each word coming through the comm module…
["I give you the lead, buddy. At least until we reached Jackson. He seems to have a lot of expectations in ya, so, demonstrate that through action and show the valkyries what you make of. You're up to the game, buddy? The rest of you cool with this?"]
["Hmmm, yeah. Maybe?"]
["I cool."]
["Won't hurt a try, I guess?"]
…
…
…
"Understood. Leave it to me, Lieutenant."
It was all that he needed to say, as his hands once again tightened on the levers, maneuvering his machine to its position at the lead, taking point.
["Alright, show me some moves, buddy. Pickett, out."]
[(CALL ENDED)]
"..."
[(INCOMING VOICE MESSAGE, SENDER: UNKNOWN)]
"Huh…?"
Just as he was about to activate the twin thruster unit attached by the hip of his machine, another message came displayed on the screen with the sender's identity remaining unrevealed…
[(PROGRESS TO PLAY AUDIO?)]
[(YES/CANCEL)]
He knows he has to hurry up and start flying. His leader and seniors need them…
[(AUDIO START PLAYING…)]
But at the same time, he couldn't get rid of the feeling he should at least hear it out…
["Hello~! This is a message from your favorite ghost girl! And I just want to let you know that you've been given a special reward as a gift for saving Long Island from her starvation. But to receive the reward and find out what it was, you have to complete a few more of the following quests to unlock the reward!
1; Finish whatever mission that you are doing. 2; Return to the USS Long Island in one piece."]
…
"Huh…???"
Okay, now he really is confusing. Just what with the RPG get-up…?
["Sorry, Justin… it's just me, Long. Hehe, must've weirded you out, did I…? Well, what I'm trying to say is…
Be careful, ok? When you finish, if you are free after we settle to the base, come visit me on my ship again, OK? I… have something cool to show you.
But you have to be 100% okay, without a scratch, OK!? And be sure to get enough naps too, you gonna need it! Oki-doki, good luck!"]
[(AUDIO MESSAGE ENDED)]
…
" Sigh… I guess we just have to see."
And to do that, he must make it, without a scratch…
The blue iris surrounding his eyes appears to make a shift, as they glow with a faded swirled of golden luminous. Mysteriously reeling with an unexplained rivulet of energy…
[(ACTIVATING JUMP UNIT)]
[(STEADY OUTPUT AT 50%)]
The twin thrusters by the sides of its hip ignited with the blaze of ifrit, turning the chilly air of the ocean breeze to the scouring, heated air of the killer desert.
[(HIGH OUTPUT AT 70%)]
He let it slip and felt the rush of speed as the machine bolted forward, sprinting closer to the rim of the ship runway.
Closer and closer…!
[(MAX OUTPUT AT 100%)]
*CLANK!!!*
And just as it looked as though it was going to fail, launching on the short runway and ending up tumbling to the sea below, he measured it, then maneuvered and had the machine give it a strong kick-off at the ridge end of the edge, launching itself to add with the add of physical force as the blazing thrusters further shooting it faster and higher.
High and fast enough until it tore through the sky like a blue asteroid.
…
["Hmmm… yeah, we gonna need a better mech soon."]
Must say he's impressed by the younger kid's stunt. That requires some experience to pull off, and a newer model…
Eventually, the rest of the squadron made their launching, lifting off and zooming as their engines screeched through the atmosphere. Thankfully, they were able to keep up with the blue machine's impressive speeding maneuver.
["Everyone, form on No. 10, arrowhead formation. Here we go, partners!"]
[Azure Lane Island's Security Zone. 07:45 AM]
*RATATATA! RATATATA! RATATATA!*
*BANG!*
*RATATAT! *
The heaven is setting ablaze, with trailing sparks of blazing projectiles tearing through the atmosphere, ripping the silence of the sky to one aggravating occasion of gunfire and the howling roar of jet engines, deafening out the known existence straits of natural symmetry.
*BANG!*
*RATATAT!*
All these are happening, as she continues to take notes of the occasion with her eyes, taking in the beholding scenery above the skyline with those critical and discerning green gazes.
Their strength, their speed, their reflective time, their tactics…
All in competition to those who bear the poison sting of Bumblebee…
…
Wrong movie.
*RATATAT!*
*BAM-BAM-BAM!*
"...!"
With a timing turn of the levers, the red and orange color scheme machine blasted the thruster on the shoulder and made evading, yet sparks were sent flying as the trailing shot grinned through the cockpit seal, leaving a signable gash at the surface of the steel plate protecting the cockpit lock…
"Tch...! So much for buzzing people, huh? You were aiming at my cockpit, weren't you? You foureyes asshole."
The phrase rolling out of his throat was directed to the master of the machine before his own, as both steel combatants enter a spokeless ceasefire in mid of the battle surrounding them, yet their fingers never stray from the sensitive feel of the levers' triggers.
The machine before its unlikely counterpart was black with yellow linings. armed itself with several unique weapons and customization that set it apart from the standard issue of its basic model.
A golden insignia can be seen inscribed on the black machine's right shoulder, characterizing a bee with its wings spreading.
["I did. And I'm quite proud of my sharp-shooting level of dexterity.
But then again, you'd already know that, Mr. Red Eagle, or rather…"]
A slight, yet chilling grin makes its presence known on the rim of his lips, as the light of the cockpit screen reflects on the spectacles of his glasses. Like a pair of demonic eyes glow under the dark cockpit…
["First Lieutenant Ryan Jackson."]
…
His expression implies he isn't surprised that the ace appears to know his name…
After all, they both came back in one piece from that godforsaken white rock…
"Tch…! When did you become such an arrogant psychopath, four eyes?"
"Edward Mitscher!"
Frustratingly, he says while having his machine reload its weapons with armor-killer rounds.
["That's funny, coming from you. You are always the loud one, reckless, and prideful arrogant bastard…
It's tough has to be the smart one, you know? So today, I decided to join and play this game, blowing some stress…"]
*Clank!*
The loud, wrenching noise of the metallic parts coming into contact with one another, reverberated through the air. As the barrel unlocked and swung into place, a heavy mechanical clunking and clicking echoed, locking it to the steel body of the black enormous weapon, completing its killer form.
["At some target practicing."]
[(WEAPON SYSTEM READY: DENEL NTW-2000R)]
Satisfied with the text reflected through the veneer of his glasses, the master of the black machine broke a wider smirk, feeling the weapon's grip fit into the hand of his machine as if he were holding the immense black gun himself.
["So, shall we game, Jack? Just like the old boot camp."]
"…"
Silent was his answer…
*Clink-clink!*
But the cocking of his guns was the response.
"Game, huh? Didn't know we had that occasion here last I checked. But alright, I'll let you blow some stress…"
[(RELOADING COMPLETED: MK442 ARMOR PRIECER)]
"By having you jerk off in front of the public after I shot you down!"
With that declaration, both aces are having their weapons trained, solid locked on each other. Waiting for the invisible signal in the air, shouting the firing order. And aim to kill…
[" *chuckle* Welcome back to Azure Lane's air, First Lieutenant Jackson."]
"Ha… Boy, do I feel welcome…"
[(MAIN SYSTEM: ENGAGING COMBAT MODE)]
To Be Continued!
Se7en: Hi guys! I'm back and with another long chapter complete. And as you can possibly see, I decided to add a bit of Armored Core features to the fic and would continue to dip more into it. I hope you enjoyed this new addition and thank you for reading.
To Snipervtk4: Azure Lane base is an INTERNATIONAL harbor, so just about everyone can come and go as they please as long as you don't try to make an enemy of them. But as of now, it's under American and British supervision, in all righteousness, the base should remain natural for the most part as its primary job was to secure the sea route of the Pacific Ocean. With air transportation becoming limited with the threat of the BETA shooting things down from the sky, sea traveling became a more stable form of traveling, yet it is still best to have the Navy keeping an eye on the horizon. You never know what those creepy aliens are capable of…
As for the DR ships, yes I do plan to bring one or two characters in. But the problem is, how are you going to make it work, as in a realistic sense? The research and production need to be somewhat mixed between video games and reality to make it feel like ACTUAL research, material gathering, and the technology needed to produce a ship like the USS Kearsarge.
I need to do more research on the DR ships' real-deal ships before I decide to pen it down. Not to mention, blueprint ships that never got the chance to complete or exist in real life, I need to bring them to life somehow while making them seem realistic enough…
Maybe I'm reading too much into this, it's an alternate universe/history fic after, so am I thinking too much about this…?