Date: 03/28/2016
Time: 0610 hours (GMT+10)
Location: 21° 23' 03.2" N, 157° 53' 57.8" W O'ahu, Hawaii
As the morning sun rose over O'ahu, Hawaii, the various residents of the island began getting up to start their day. Various institutions and businesses prepared to open their services for the day while workers and clients prepared to head out. However, some had already started their day, although only with self-serving pleasure in mind.
The motorcycle sped across the road at almost illegal speeds. A woman on her trusty red and black motorcycle zoomed along Interstate H3 at max speed. Her long silver hair flowed in the wind since not all of it could fit under the helmet. She'd prefer to ride without one to feel the cool morning winds run across her face, but she didn't want to get in trouble with the police… again.
Despite that, she still took risks, riding at high speeds and conquering the tight bends of the highway that ran along the mountain. She also probably pissed off some drivers who were also using the highway that early. Speaking of which, she's about to piss off one more person who she was going to zoom past in the next three seconds.
"Wha— WHOA!" Cleveland shrieked as a superbike zoomed past her quickly and loudly, causing her almost to lose control of her scooter and pissing her off quite a bit, making her yell in irritation. "SCREW YOU, ENTERPRISE!"
"Hahaha!" Enterprise laughed underneath her helmet as she watched the figure of Cleveland get smaller and smaller in her rearview mirror.
After the last deployment and other responsibilities, Enterprise thought to blow off some steam. And that meant taking her 1985 Kawasaki Ninja GPZ900R out for a joyride. She saw it on sale online a couple of months ago and thought it was fate. So she bought it and immediately fell in love with it. Yorktown wasn't very happy where the expenses went and was even more displeased at her recklessness. But she definitely was.
A few minutes later, Enterprise had to slow down when she finally arrived at the front gates of Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay. She pulled up to the little parking lot beside the guard house so she could take a breather. She took off her helmet to reveal a bright smile on her beautiful face as she inhaled the cool morning air. Her top speed today was 150 miles per hour which enabled her to reach Kaneohe in only seven minutes. She could probably do better, but she wasn't so insane as to completely forget safety.
After drinking some water, she prepared to leave again. It was now time for the journey back. She waved at the Marine guards who were eyeing her up as usual before putting her helmet back on and driving away. She heard that H3 was a pretty controversial project since it didn't connect any other state despite being called an 'Interstate.' But, at least adrenaline junkies like her have a nice little playground.
When she got back home, she was greeted by the sight of Ryan who was working on his car on the property next door to hers. The hood was up and he was bent over while reaching for something in the engine compartment. A moment later he straightened back up and wiped his hands on a rag before turning to Enterprise as she was parking her bike.
"Morning, Commander!" She greeted. "What are you up to?"
"Morning, Enterprise. I'm just doing some routine maintenance, not much though," He replied.
"Ah yeah, gotta do that sometimes. I think I should set dates to check up my bike too," She said. "By the way, you've got a nice ride, sir."
"Thanks. I've wanted a car like this since I was a kid. Speaking of which, you've got a nice ride yourself," He said, pointing at her motorcycle.
"Thanks, I've always loved bikes. So when I saw this on sale, I just had to get it," She replied, tracing a hand across her bike.
"I imagine. You strike me as that kind of type," He remarked.
"I could say the same about you and your choice of car."
"I'll take that as a compliment," He chuckled. "By the way, what are you doing today?"
"We're taking Wasp out later to get her clothes and a phone. We're also stocking up on groceries since 'cause of the plus one."
"Alright, have fun," He said before returning to working on his car.
"Want to join us for breakfast later? It's Yorktown's turn making today," She offered.
"No thanks. Belfast is making for me again today, and I've got some errands to run afterward too," He declined. "Speaking of which, CINCPAC wants to talk to us later tonight. You got anything then?"
"No, I'm free."
"Cool. I'll catch you later then," He smiled.
"Okay. You too, Commander," She winked.
Both went their separate ways afterward. Enterprise entered the home she shared with her sisters, intending to get a shower and a change of clothes.
"Welcome back, Enty!" A voice greeted from the kitchen.
"Hey, Yorktown, morning," Enterprise greeted back; taking her shoes off and walking to the kitchen where she saw her older sister with an apron on while working the stove.
"Where'd you go?" Yorktown asked as she flipped a pancake.
"Just took the bike out for a spin. Not much more than that."
Yorktown promptly stopped cooking for a moment to face her sister. "And you stayed under the speed limit, right?"
She smiled innocently. "Of course!"
Yorktown raised an eyebrow but didn't question it further as she got back to cooking. "Anyway, get cleaned up and get changed. Breakfast will be ready in a bit."
"Alright."
Enterprise then left and headed upstairs to her room to pick up some stuff before heading to the bathroom. On her way, she came across Hornet who was heading downstairs, and Wasp who was just coming out of the bathroom.
"Morning Hornet, Wasp," She greeted.
"Morning, Enty," They both greeted back.
Enterprise quickly got what she needed and headed into the shower next. She finished twenty minutes later and headed back to her room to throw some clothes on before heading downstairs to join her sisters for breakfast. They had the typical pancakes with butter and maple syrup, crispy fried bacon, and sunny-side up eggs, all washed down with orange juice. It was quite ordinary but very good. Afterward, they washed their plates and prepared to head to town.
"All set?" Yorktown asked.
"Yeah," They replied.
"Alright, let's go."
All four girls dressed for the occasion. Nothing fancy and only casual, but it was still stylish. Yorktown was wearing a white shirt and a blue tiered floral midi skirt with woven sandals and a white purse. Enterprise wore an azure crepe print cami dress under a denim jacket with a pair of wedges on her feet and a black shoulder bag. Hornet wore a black tank top under a yellow long-sleeve button-down shirt that was open, white short shorts, and black and white sneakers. And Wasp wore a white tank top, orange shorts, and sandals; they were clothes she borrowed from Hornet until she could get some of her own.
They headed out, entering the car they owned and buckling in with Yorktown taking the driver's seat, Enterprise in the passenger seat, and Hornet and Wasp at the back. It was a dark blue 2015 Ford Expedition that they got for a relatively decent price from a local dealership. If they were in for the long haul, might as well get some transportation.
The SUV started up and rolled out of the driveway, down the roads around Ford Island, across Admiral Clarey Bridge, and onto H-201 which will take them to downtown Honolulu. The three sisters also pointed out all the new things on the island to their half-sister who was quite amazed. Honolulu started as a marshland, a far cry from the white sands tourist destination it was now, so it was very nice to see how far things have come. And after twenty minutes, they arrived at their destination which was the Ala Moana Shopping Center, the largest mall in Hawaii. They found a place to park and headed right in.
The first order of business was a phone for Wasp. After a visit to the Apple Store and an hour later to set things up, Wasp now has a brand new gold, 64GB iPhone 6s Plus like her sisters. And next up was the fun part, clothes for Wasp. They spent a little over three hours jumping from store to store, trying all sorts of clothes that they thought looked cute or appealing. Of course, the other three ended up trying on outfits themselves and getting stuck on what looked good and what to get. Afterward, they were spent.
"Ah, I'm beat. That was something," Wasp sighed as she carried six shopping bags in her arms. "We sure took our time, huh?"
"That's cuz you took ten minutes trying on every outfit!" Hornet pointed.
"Look who's talking! You bought more shit than me!" Wasp retorted.
"You know, you didn't have to go all out. We could've just come back another day," Enterprise said, only carrying four bags.
"Yeah, but there were just too many cute things! I couldn't resist," Wasp said.
"Maybe we should ask the G-man what he thinks?" Hornet suggested.
Glancing over her shoulder for a moment, she saw two guys in plain clothes some distance away. To anyone else, they were simply other mallgoers like them, but if you looked very closely, you'd notice they kept their gaze locked onto the four girls quite often while maintaining a constant distance from them. That's because they weren't other mallgoers, they were undercover FBI agents tasked with keeping an eye on the Kansens while they were around civilians.
After keeping them locked within the base for a few months, it was decided that they could be allowed to head into the city to de-stress and relax as long as they had an escort. They trusted the girls (well, most of them) to behave themselves, but they couldn't risk the chance of some random, drunk, perverted asshole appearing out of nowhere and doing something unbelievably stupid which would cause the girls to rip his limbs off. This was Hawaii after all, running into someone having a little too much fun is a guarantee. And they were very beautiful, so they were going to attract attention. Therefore, the local FBI office was dispatched to act as shadows that'll quickly bail them out in case they get into some trouble. And for the sake of convenience and secrecy, they'll keep their distance so the girls can still move freely.
It's not 100% effective though. There were a few close calls. And there was that one time when a creep got too close to Tennessee at a bar which ended with the guy in the hospital with a broken arm and an angry Kansen. It was a good thing California was also there to hold her back, especially since there was nothing a pair of tasers and 9 mils could do against a battleship. And that was already the best-case scenario. However, as long as they lay low, they should be just fine.
"Don't look at them. It's called undercover for a reason," Enterprise reminded.
"It's just a glance," Hornet said as she quickly turned back. "I'm kinda hungry."
"Yeah, me too kinda," Yorktown agreed. She was also carrying quite many bags, and all the moving around depleted some of her fuel. "What do you guys want to eat?"
"I want pizza!" Hornet and Wasp answered.
"Pasta," Enterprise added.
"Italian it is. Follow me," Yorktown gestured.
They'd find themselves in an Olive Garden a couple of minutes later. They'd grab a seat near the back and promptly make their orders. Yorktown got a Lasagna Al Forno, Enterprise got Spaghetti Bolognese, Hornet got Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Wasp got Cheese Ravioli. They also got a Pepperoni Pizza and a bowl of salad, with a pitcher of cranberry iced tea to wash it all down. And all of their orders were the largest servings.
"So, what's going on around here?" Wasp asked.
"Oh, a lot of things. I've been wanting to talk about this," Hornet answered excitedly.
"What kind of things?"
"Well, I heard Vestal was getting cozy with one of the Seabees assigned to us," Hornet smirked.
"Get outta here, Vestal? Really?" Wasp raised an eyebrow. "Isn't she super uptight with her job?"
"I mean, it's just a rumor, but bein' back here is insanely therapeutic. Lots of us are changing. She probably found someone nice."
"They're men and we're attractive women. What comes next is natural," Yorktown added.
"That's a pretty bland way of putting it, don't you think?" Wasp said.
"I'm just interpreting it from another perspective," Yorktown said before biting on a breadstick.
They didn't add more to that. Yorktown… doesn't have the best experience with romance. That's all there is to say about it. Or at least what they can say without seriously pissing her off. She's not rude about it, but some of the things she says aren't exactly flowery either. So, they just leave it alone. Yorktown will come around eventually.
"Anyway, she's not the only one who's changed drastically," Hornet smirked.
Enterprise narrowed her eyes at her sister who was giving her a look she didn't quite like.
"Uh, yeah, you said being back here was therapeutic. That's bound to make things change, right?" She said.
"Yeah, but what I meant to say is that you're pretty comfortable now. Especially now that you're the Secretary Ship," Hornet clarified.
"What, really?! You're the Secretary Ship?!" Wasp exclaimed a bit too loudly, causing some of the other patrons to turn to her which forced her to duck down in embarrassment.
"Keep it down, damnit!" Enterprise scolded and sighed. "Yeah, I am. I told him about it and offered me the position out of the blue. I thought why not and accepted."
"Holy shit," Waps murmured while still ducked down.
"So, what's it like? Spit it out," Hornet said as she turned all her attention to Enterprise.
"I'm kinda curious too," Yorktown added and Wasp nodded.
"Uh, it's normal. All I've done so far is help him with paperwork and accompany him in meetings," She answered before taking a sip of iced tea. "Speaking of which, Admiral Thorson wants to talk to us later, so I'll probably speed through dinner."
Hornet and Wasp drowned a bit since they found that answer rather lame. Maybe there really was nothing going on. However, Yorktown suddenly remembered something and brought it up.
"You declined the Secretary Ship position from the other Commander before, though," Yorktown said, causing the three of them to turn to her.
"I was busy and had issues," Enterprise quickly answered. She was once again reminded of those dark times of hers.
"But, you declined it five times. Even when you were already better," Yorktown added.
She froze. Uh oh…
"Huh, come to think of it, you did do that," Hornet mused.
They've got her there.
"Yeah," Wasp agreed.
Damnit, she could sense the gears turning in their heads as their lips slowly curved. Crap, she's got exactly 0.02 seconds to find an alibi or they'll hound her over this for the next few days. So, she acted.
"Hey! I see where this going, and I'm gonna stop you right there," She interrupted. "The relationship I have with Commander Ryan is friendly and casual, but otherwise, professional. He said he didn't want to create a suffocating atmosphere, so he decided to go with a more relaxed vibe."
Hornet blinked. "Talk about a pre-programmed response."
"Hey," Enterprise narrowed her eyes.
Hornet laughed. "You're always so funny, sis. Relax, I believe ya."
"I kinda expected a bit more though," Wasp said. "I heard that the Enterprise is his favorite warship."
"The Enterprise is everybody's favorite warship," She said. They had to speak cryptically since they were in public. In addition to that, it felt weird saying that specific thing. But it also felt kinda good too.
"Now she's gloating," Hornet said with a flat look.
"Boooo," Wasp made a thumbs down.
"This is what 20 battle stars do to a boat," Hornet added.
"What do you want me to say?!" She exclaimed in a low voice to not attract attention. She can't keep people from admiring her combat record. Not that she'd try to.
"Okay, knock it off. That stuff is out of her control," Yorktown ordered.
"Thanks, sis," Enterprise said, sipping some iced tea.
"Nothing's going on with the both of you, huh?" Wasp said.
"No!" Enterprise exclaimed as she was starting to get annoyed.
"Alright," Hornet said, defeated.
"Finally," Enterprise muttered.
"But, if something does happen, you'll tell us, right?" Wasp added with a wink.
"Give me a break!"
They'd finish thirty later and after grilling Enterprise some more, much to her annoyance. They'd return to their car to unload their stuff before heading to the grocery store to get food and other supplies next. On their way, they ran into the Brooklyn-class who were also taking their sister, Nashville, out for some shopping. They'd also bump into a few more Kansen who were also enjoying their day. Today, they are simply people and not warships with a mission. They needed to have fun sometimes.
"What's that over there?" Wasp pointed.
"Hmm?"
There was a crowd of people gathering around a specific spot within the mall. Moving closer, they saw they these people were gathered around a car. And not just any car…
"Wow," Yorktown whispered.
"Aloha, Honolulu!" A man in a suit greeted the crowd. "Good day to you all from Dodge!"
"Dodge, huh?" Wasp said.
"Looks like they're showing off a new car," Enterprise added.
"Today, we'll be showing off one of our newest products, specifically from the Challenger series, the Hellcat!" He gestured to the bright red muscle car next to him. "This baby features an 800 horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine. She can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 200 miles per hour!"
Hornet whistled. "Damn."
"And to commemorate the launching of this new variant here in Hawaii, our branch has decided to give away this very vehicle in front of you in a raffle today!" He proclaimed. "Please simply take a raffle number and wait for the results."
There was a little booth at the side set up for the raffle and people immediately began falling in line to sign up for it. Meanwhile, the four sisters only watched.
"That's pretty cool," Hornet said. "Any of you gonna sign up?"
"Nah, I won't betray my bike," Enterprise said.
"I don't have a license," Wasp said.
"And we already have a car," Yorktown said. "Besides, these things are rigged and only serve to advertise the product."
"But the excitement of hoping to win is fun, isn't it?" Hornet asked. "Besides, today might just be your lucky day."
"Come one, come all! This raffle is completely free! Just write your name, grab a number, and wait for the results!" The man announced as if adding to Hornet's words.
Leave it to her youngest sister to be always so positive. This wasn't the first Yorktown's seen something like this. It's a common marketing tactic used in this world and the other, and she had fallen for it multiple times before only to be left disappointed. Still, Hornet had a point. And the car does look nice…
"Fine, it's free anyway," Yorktown relented before lining up.
"Nice!" Hornet smiled.
A couple of minutes later it was Yorktown's turn to sign up. She took a raffle card and wrote down her name, address, and contact number. Her raffle number was 017, which was funny since it called back to her former Task Force. After filling in the necessary information, she ripped off the removable part of the card. But before she put it in the box, she brought it to the side after getting an idea.
"Blow," Yorktown ordered.
Enterprise raised an eyebrow. "What is this, roulette?"
"Come on, we're holding up the line here," The eldest said, referring to the still-long line behind them.
The second sister rolled her eyes before complying and blew on the card. "There."
Yorktown smiled before finally putting it in the box. "Now come on. We still have groceries to get."
They left the area shortly after to get their groceries. They headed to Foodland Farms which was the supermarket within Ala Moana. It was one of the original tenants when the place opened in 1959. It had just reopened after relocating from another place it had relocated to before. Food was fresh, came in all sorts of varieties, and was well arranged. So, shopping was easy and they were done after an hour.
Afterward, it was time to head back home. There was still stuff that needed fixing back at the house, especially since Wasp's room was still pretty bare. However, on the way back…
"Alright, we will now be announcing the winner of the raffle!" The man announced.
"That was quick," Enterprise remarked.
"It's probably rigged like that to further reduce the likelihood of someone winning," Yorktown said. "But since we're here, let's hear 'em out."
The tickets were spun around in a hand-cranked raffle drum for a couple of minutes before the announcer withdrew a single ticket. Many people held their cards in anticipation in the hopes they would win, even if their chances were slim to none. Maybe this was all a waste of time after all—
"And the winner is number 017!" The announcer exclaimed.
Many people collectively sighed in disappointment that it was rather loud. The Yorktowns also sighed in disappointment but weren't so seriously affected since they already knew the outcome.
"Welp, better luck next time," Hornet said. "Come on, I still have to—"
She was cut off when there was a sudden crashing noise, prompting them to turn to see that Yorktown had dropped the paper bag full of groceries she was carrying. Now there was a pool of milk and broken eggs forming at her feet.
"Sis?! What the hell—" Enterprise began but cut herself off when she noticed that her sister was staring intensely at a little card she was holding while beginning to shake.
Moving closer to investigate what made her like that, they took a peek at the card she was holding. And then, their eyes widened.
"No way."
"Oh my God."
"You have got to be shitting me."
On her part, Yorktown was failing to keep her composure. She was shaking so much and her breathing was erratic. Any moment now she would—
"AAAAAAAHHHH" She suddenly screamed before it morphed into laughter. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA! ENTY! HORNET! WASP! I WON! I WON! I FUCKING WON! HAHAHA!"
Yorktown then proceeded to skip around in glee while the surrounding people congratulated her. She'd be invited to the front where she was personally congratulated by the Dodge representative and given the keys. She also threw her hands on the car as if hugging it. She was definitely embarrassing herself, but she couldn't care less about that at the moment. Because she had a free Hellcat and they didn't.
Meanwhile, her sisters remained anchored to their initial positions with wide eyes and mouths open. The moment was just so shocking they couldn't believe it. Hell, their accompanying FBI agents were worse off. A new sort of problem just dropped on them but this was all so shocking they were still trying to process it. So, both human and Kansen opted to say three simple words to express their shock.
"What. The. Fuck."
Back at the base, Ryan was also busy running his own errands. One of the things on today's itinerary was a visit to Akashi's shop. There were a few things he needed to discuss with her and buy from her store. But, despite the sign saying open and him waiting for ten minutes, she wouldn't show up. She was probably busy at the moment and he was being an idiot by standing still.
"Guess she's busy," He muttered as looked around before his eyes landed on the 36cm shell in the corner. "Should I buy that and put it on the front lawn?"
Before he could walk over to it, the door to the back office and out came a blob of green hair that strode to the cash register. It was Akashi alright but she was preoccupied with talking on the phone with a slightly annoyed expression on her face. But that wasn't the strangest part.
"... What do you mean there's a delay? Your truck's got a flat tire again?" She demanded, her tone mature and refined, unlike the cutesy voice she had before. Then she closed her eyes and sighed. "You know what, whatever. Just get my stuff here by the 5 o'clock. And this better not happen one more time. If you can't get me my merchandise, then I'll find someone who will!"
She put her phone down and muttered what might be curses in Japanese under her breath before exhaling. Then she looked up and realized he was there and her expression did a 180 in an instant.
"Ah, Shikikan, irasshaimase! What can I do for you?" She asked sweetly.
"What was that just now?" He asked.
"One of the companies that supply me is gonna be late with a delivery again. This time I kinda got frustrated and snapped at them," She answered. "It got really annoying. This is the, uh… actually, I forgot how many times it's happened."
"Right, I understand. But what I meant was this. What happened to the
"Oh, that? It's a gimmick I put on for marketing. This is how I actually speak," She answered, pointing to her mouth.
"It's, kind of strange," He said.
"It's supposed to be. The weirdness of it will make people curious and come to me, and I can convince them to buy my stuff," She explained with a grin.
"That makes sense. Can't argue with that."
"And the nya-nya impression isn't the only thing I can do. I have a bunch of impressions I can use depending on the customer or situation!" She said proudly. "I also heard you can speak Russian. How does 'Tovarisch Komandir' sound?"
"Just 'Commander' or really what you're most comfortable with is fine as long as it's not offensive or anything," He said. "Well, if it works it works. As long as it's legal, feel free to make use of any business practice."
"I got it. So, will this be all, Shikikan?" She asked, pointing at the stuff on the counter.
"Uh, I also wanted to ask about the Wisdom Cube experiments you were conducting. But before that, I just had a thought. What do you have for the security of this place?" He asked.
"Well, this is a military base, there are armed guards everywhere, that's one. If someone gets a little too touchy with me or my stuff, I have them on speed dial. But if the problem needs to be solved quickly…" She trailed off as she crouched down and pulled out a double-barrel shotgun from under the counter. "I have this!"
"Oh hell!" His eyes widened as she showed her the firearm. The barrel was pointed away and gun safety was being observed. "Where'd you get that?"
"I've got a very diverse inventory," She winked. "I asked what I should do for security and they said that aside from security cameras, I should get a gun."
"Oh, okay," He said. Americans are chill with guns. "You should probably get something better in the future though."
"Oh, I know. This is only temporary," She replied. "Now, about those experiments."
A moment later, they loaded up in Akashi's kei truck, with the AR behind the wheel, and drove the the same building before. They passed by various personnel and Kansen along the way doing their tasks or just milling about. They also passed the baseball field and tennis courts which also had some of the girls in them with active games on going.
About eight minutes later, they'd find themselves in the same building the Kansens had occupied to store their logistics. There were a few more changes since he last visited, the most notable of which was the increase in human personnel working alongside the Bulins to speed things up. Another thing he noted was the two figures standing next to the workbench having a discussion; specifically a guy in an Airman Battle Uniform and a certain destroyer.
"Ah, hello, Shikikan," Shiranui greeted.
"Oh, good afternoon, Commander," The airman greeted.
"Good afternoon, Shiranui and…" Ryan trailed off for a moment. He was about to ask for his name before recognizing the face behind the glasses. "... Wait, are you Lieutenant Connoly?"
He nodded stiffly. "Yes, I am, sir," 2nd Lieutenant Jeremiah Connoly USAF replied.
"Huh, I thought I recognized those glasses," He chuckled. "So, what are you doing here, I thought you were in charge of early warning?"
"Well, uh, since more staff to work with ARGUS, Admiral Fischer saw it fit to put me on a new project. R&D is still very understaffed but the Admiral said something about the Pentagon wanting results quickly. So, here I am," He explained.
"I see. So, what are you doing here then?"
"We're testing the capabilities of the Workbench. We want to know what else it can make other than Kansen equipment," Shiranui answered.
"I see. So, we're already at that stage huh?" Ryan muttered. Anybody would've seen this coming. Why wouldn't the United States Military be interested in the fancy tech?
"It doesn't blow anything up, but the ability to basically 3D print almost anything would be very useful," Connolly said.
"Mhmm, I imagine the guys at Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics would be hounding this the moment they can," Ryan remarked.
"Y-Yeah. I have some friends who work in those companies. They don't know yet since it's still ultra-classified, but once they find out, the girls should expect business deals coming their way," Connolly said.
"If they're willing to pay well, then we'd be willing to do business," Shiranui added matter-of-factly.
"Spoken like a true tycoon," Ryan said. "Anyway, what's happened so far?"
"We've only just begun, Commander, so not much. So far the only thing we could get it to make were toasters. Speaking of which, do you need a new toaster, Commander? We accidentally made fifty of them, so you can take as many as you want," Connolly said, gesturing to the pile of toasters on the ground near them.
"Uh, not now, but I'll be sure to drop by if mine somehow breaks," Ryan replied. "Anyway, this is all I wanted to see here. Keep up the good work and I want a report on this on my desk ASAP."
"I've already sent one to you, sir. And I'll make sure that you'll be one of the first to know if something happens," Connolly said.
"I will follow up on that, Shikikan," Shiranui said.
And with that, he left the warehouse to attend to other tasks. He met up next with the unit of Seabees that were dispatched to them as support. Specifically, they worked under Vestal who supervised ship repair. Vestal was phenomenal at her job, but she still couldn't do everything, so the extra hands helped a lot. Speaking of her, she's currently busy tending to another ship that has gotten into some trouble…
Missouri paced in circles as she warmed herself up for what she needed to do while under the shadow of her own body. After hearing from Jersey about gaining memories from a piece of her hull, she wanted to try the same thing. However, no one knew what would happen in her case. Jersey only touched a tiny door latch, but what if she had touched her whole hull? That was the question Mo wanted answers to, but the unpredictability of the situation unnerved her.
So a simple plan was devised. Mo touches her hul and if anything happens there is a support group made up of other Kansens and navy personnel who will bail her out. For now, she was simply warming, but after ten minutes she was ready… ish.
"Okay, let's get this done!" She growled with a deep breath before chugging down a glass filled with Jack Daniels and striding to her ship. "I am not afraid of you! YAAARGH!"
She ran up the gangway and onto the deck then fearlessly smacked her hand flat onto a barbette. But the moment she did—
"Ack!"
All the air was seemingly sucked out of her lungs while her eyes rolled back, showing white. Then, she began to unconsciously step backward as her body tried and failed to maintain balance. Then, she tumbled over the railings and fell into the water.
"Oh, fuck— GRAB HER NOW!" Ryan ordered and the support immediately scrambled to assist.
They pulled Mo out of the water and checked her up. She was alive and breathing and no visible injuries were noted but she was completely unconscious. She was brought in and remained unconscious for the whole day, but nothing else was wrong with her. But when she woke up, she had to deal with excruciating headaches as her brain processed the new memories.
Missouri was grounded after that…
All ships in the fleet were accounted for. Ryan was glad. During his rounds, he took the time to talk to the new girls. Speaking of which, some of those girls had to be temporarily checked in the Navy Gateway Inns while they looked for better places for them. They were all doing fine, and after a few more days, they'd get their fake identities and would be allowed to roam the city if they pleased. And that gave him another thought…
"Wait a second," Ryan trailed off as he remembered something. "I don't mean to be rude, but how do you expect to blend in when you have, uh…"
"Oh these?" Akagi pointed toward her fluffy ears and tails. "Like this."
The moment she placed her hands back on her lap, her ears and tails suddenly shrunk and disappeared as if they retracted into her. The sudden action caught Ryan off guard and made him jump in his seat. What the hell was that?! She didn't even move!
"Um— What?!" He stuttered.
She put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Those of us who have 'odd' features also can conceal them," She explained, moving a hand around the top of her head to show that there was indeed nothing there anymore. "I think whoever made us in whatever dimension was thoughtful enough to give us options in case we'd like to avoid attention amongst common people. And I appreciate that from them."
"I see. I guess I'll just list it off as another one of your quirks," He said.
"We can conceal these features as long as our riggings are not deployed. And for other features like our hair and eye color, we can easily say it's makeup and personal preference," She added.
"Right," He said. "Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you're doing well so far. Once you get your fake identities, feel free to explore the rest of Hawaii in your downtime. Just please don't cause trouble."
She smiled before extending her ears and tails out again. "Of course, Shikikan-sama."
With that errand done, and him slightly disturbed, he talked to the rest of the girls who just arrived and was pleased to hear that they were all doing just fine. Some of them were already looking for non-combat work they could do. Arizona was especially eyeing up the volunteer work for her memorial.
Then it was just simple paperwork in his office for the next few hours. With Enterprise absent it took a bit longer to complete but it wasn't anything difficult. Although, a small part of him did wish for her company. Other than being his favorite warship of all time, he found her very pleasing to simply have around. Yes, the fact she was smoking hot was a big part of that, but he also liked talking to her. Fortunately, he'll see her again later once they have their meeting with Thorson tonight.
He still had some time after work so he took a short break by watching some TV before cleaning up again and eating dinner. Then, it was finally time to talk to the CINCPAC. Putting on his service and stepping outside, he walked over to the Yorktowns' place to fetch Enterprise before leaving. He had already sent her a text but decided to come over as well. But as he stood before the front door and raised his hand to knock on it, he heard a commotion going on inside.
"JUST DO IT!"
"NO!"
"IT WILL LITERALLY TAKE ONLY TWO SECONDS! DON'T TELL ME YOU CAN'T DO IT!"
"I WILL SERIOUSLY PUNCH YOU IF YOU DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Suddenly, the door swung open revealing a silver-haired aircraft carrier trying to push away a blonde one who was holding a piece of paper in her hand. They struggled for a couple of moments more before they realized Ryan was standing just over there and straightened up.
"Howdy, Commander!" Hornet greeted with a smile and wave.
"Good evening, Commander. Sorry for the trouble, let's go," Enterprise said curtly as stepped outside and away from her sister.
"Okay, what's going on?" Ryan demanded.
"Sir, Enty's a magician!" Hornet answered.
"I AM NOT!" She yelled back.
"What makes you say that?" He asked.
"Yorktown entered a raffle this morning and won a new car. The thing is Enty blew on the raffle like dice in roulette. Enty's always been lucky, but this time I want to try and exploit it," Hornet explained.
"I'm not some damn good luck charm! Leave me alone!" Enterprise yelled.
"Does it work?"
"Commander?!"
"Wasp and I bought ten bucks worth of scratch cards. We had Enty work her magic on some but she won't do the rest. As of now, there are no results."
"There are no results because it doesn't work, damnit! It was just a stupid coincidence!"
"Speaking of which, where's Yorktown and Wasp?" Ryan asked.
"Yorktown's still filling out papers and getting insurance for her new ride. Wasp is inside still working the scratch cards," Enterprise answered.
"I see," Ryan said. "Well, sorry, but Enterprise and I have got some work to do right now. You can continue this later."
"Of course, sir."
"Anyway—"
"GUYS!"
A loud voice interrupted him, prompting them to all turn to the source from within the house. A moment later, Wasp came running out then stopping before all of them.
"Guys! I— Oh, hey, Commander! Good evening!" She greeted.
"Good evening, Wasp. So, uh, what's up?" Ryan asked.
"I just finished the scratch cards. We bought ten 1-dollar cards that go up to 50 grand in prizes. And…" She trailed off.
They raised their eyebrows. "And?"
Wasp smirk as a glint shined in her eyes as she pulled out the ten cards from her pocket to show them to them.
"All of them were winning tickets!"
There were a few seconds of stunned before— "WHAT?!"
"I ain't kidding!" She emphasized with a grin. "We're now 95 grand richer!"
"Holy shit!" Hornet exclaimed as she smacked a hand on her head. "Well, there's the proof, Commander. Enty's officially magic! I recommend we cut her open for further research."
"Do you even hear how ridiculous this sounds?!" Enterprise exclaims.
"I mean, the evidence is right before us," Ryan pointed.
"Seriously?!"
"But, going by my knowledge of luck, I'm pretty sure this is a finite resource that must used wisely. So as your Commander, I'm gonna have to declare Enterprise's luck as combat equipment, and will only be used during sorties and operations," He declared.
"Aww, alright, Commander," Hornet replied, slightly dejected while Wasp went along.
"No come on, let's not keep the CINCPAC waiting any longer."
They parted shortly after with Ryan leading Enterprise to his car. Like a gentleman, he opened the passenger door for her, pleasing the carrier, before he quickly got in himself.
"Are you seriously going to use my luck as battlefield equipment, Eric?" She asked.
"Well, combat's unpredictable as hell. It's suboptimal, but a part of me believes we'll need luck in the future," He answered.
"In that case, I'll do my best," She grinned.
"I believe in you. You're not called 'Lucky E' for nothing," He added with an equally wide grin. "By the way, I've got some scratch cards I'm testing for research purposes, so—"
"I'm quitting," She replied before reaching to undo her seatbelt.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" He quickly said with a chuckle as he started the car. "You're no fun."
"You were the one who said to save my luck for important situations, right? I'm only following your orders," She smugly replied.
"Well, as the Commander I can do pretty much whatever I want," He said
"The agreement stated that we can refuse an order if we're not comfortable with it. So, sorry; you're outta luck," She crossed her arms.
"I mean…" He trailed off before sighing. "Ah, whatever. Nevermind."
"But…" She smirked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "If you asked nicer, I might just think about it."
He smiled too as he drove away. "I'll keep that in mind."
Yeah, Ryan really liked Enterprise. In more ways than one.
The ride to COMPACFLT was short and uneventful that they barely noticed they'd even arrived. They met up with Admiral Thorson within the building and the debriefing began shortly after. They summarized the events of USNKC's first deployment from the moment he left this very room to the moment they stepped off of Port Royal. It was normal so far, but the Commander got a strange feeling in his gut that told him a surprise awaited him.
"So, that concludes your first deployment, Commander. Well done," Thorson said. "But please get that kid under control. Honestly, I don't know how he's not dead."
"I know, sir," Ryan said.
"Although," Thorson trailed off. "As a naval aviator myself, I understand his reasonings. And I definitely would've done the same thing as him. For that, we can sweep this under the rug. But we can't allow this to happen again, understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"And Miss Enterprise?" Thorson turned to her. "I trust you can teach him well, yes? Because if he dies, you'll be sharing the blame."
"I'm confident in mine and his abilities, Admiral," She stated firmly.
"Very good," He nodded. "Now, that that's done, there's something we have to show you."
Thorson turned his attention to his laptop which was connected to the projector. From there, he pulled up a PowerPoint presentation with the first slide showing a map of the world.
"I assume you're curious about that Russian boat that you stumbled upon, right?" Thorson asked.
"Yes, sir. I've been wondering about it since I saw it. It simply doesn't make sense why it would be there," Ryan answered.
"No, it does not, Ryan," Thorson said. "I think we know what's going on."
The presentation finally began, showing points marked by red dots around the map. It didn't take him long to realize these were locations of the various dimensional breaches detected by ARGUS. However, it wasn't just around the area of the Marshal Islands where breaches were detected; there were also some—
His eyes widened. "Oh my God."
Thorson nodded. "At around 1305 hours, just as you were arriving at your dropzones, ARGUS detected another breach here."
The presentation switched to another slide showing a zoom-in of a place on the map that Thorson pointed at. Specifically the Barents Sea.
"75° 06' 15.5" North, 44° 01' 02.7" East, in the middle of the Barents Sea. It's approximately 482 miles north-northeast of Murmansk and 211 miles west of Severny Island."
It switched to another slide showing arrows pointing outward from the Russian mainland going north to where the breach was.
"And just ten minutes after that, we detected a sudden increase in activity by Russian Military elements in their Northern Military District. And it was a big increase," He emphasized. "And right after that, the Russian Embassy told us that their Northern Forces were conducting a 'Surprise Military Excercise' to condition their troops and that there was no need to be alarmed. And those were also their exact words, I am not kidding."
The slide then switched to another which showed photos of two different air bases and shipyards.
"Because of the scale of this event, we, all of NATO, were alarmed anyway," Thorson stated. "First the first hour and a half, we detected multiple squadrons of aircraft taking off from key bases. We counted 20 Backfires launching from Olenya Air Base, 20 Fulcrum-Ds from Severomorsk-1, and 40 Flanker-Hs from Severemorsk-3.
"At the same time, we also detected activity across the Northern Fleet bases. Over the next couple of hours, we counted 10 ships leaving Severomorsk, among them were major combatants such as the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, the battlecruiser Peter the Great, and the cruiser Marshal Ustinov. We also think that about 12 submarines left port that day.
"And all those units were headed straight for the site of the breach. In addition to those elements, multiple coastal units were alerted and mobilized along with most of the Northern Military District. But their movements indicate that they were expecting something coming from the north, specifically, from the sea.
"Unfortunately, thick cloud cover kept satellites from taking a peek and we didn't have any units in the area. However, there was a Norwegian submarine that just so happened to be near enough to listen in. And they reported hearing a lot of explosions, both above and below water. They also reported hearing screw signatures that doesn't match anything anybody had. They remained submerged the whole time and left immediately after detecting air patrols headed their way. But there was definitely something there."
Thorson stopped there for a moment to drink some water and to allow the two to process the information. Ryan gulped at this. The cat was definitely out of the bag now.
"Can we prove anything?" He asked.
"Not exactly. But the clues are all there," He answered. "This was definitely a major sortie against something. We just don't exactly know what that something is."
"Unless we use our imagination," Ryan said.
"Precisely," Thorson said. "Which brings me to another interesting tidbit."
The slide then switched to a map of the Pacific area. Specifically, the area they had operated in.
"You know that Russian boat, the Admiral Tributs? Well, she was on her way to Indonesia for a goodwill visit when she was suddenly diverted toward your location. Of course, she never reached your position because she eventually turned around. But, have you ever if that was it?"
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What did we miss, Admiral?"
"SOSUS was tracking a submarine, the Kashalot. She kept coming on and off of sensors but you can make an educated guess where she was going if you draw a line across the recorded signatures."
The slide switched to another showing the same map but with different points on it that were labeled with dates and times. There were three categories of points colored in red, black, and blue. He recognized the blue points as his fleet, the red ones were the Tributs, and the black ones were the Kashalot. It didn't take him long to realize these were positional data.
"Kashalot was detected moving eastward for a couple of days before she started turning south until, well…" He trailed off as he allowed Ryan to figure out the rest.
The Commander followed the dots until the latest detected signature which was… right next to where his fleet was.
"Aw, you have got to be shitting me," He sighed.
"SOSUS says that they think it changed depths too. So that probably means they took a picture of you," Thorson added.
"Goddamnit!"
"What's so bad about this?" Enterprise asked. "I'm aware that the United States and Russia aren't exactly on the best of terms right now, but if they do know about the Sirens, then they must also know that they're the reason for our concern, right? Isn't this supposed to be a good thing?"
"It is a good thing. That means the Russians will leave us alone, as shown by their getting close to us and only taking a picture. However, the Russians do not have the same naval capabilities as us. They can fight a war of attrition on land, but not so much on water. They'll do whatever they can to protect their ports, but they'll quickly run out of ammo. So, they'll turn to nuclear weapons. Yes, it's Sirens they're shooting at, but the resulting fallout makes nukes suboptimal. There's also the proverbial screaming match if we set one off. That's why we're not about to use nukes ourselves, at least not in this dimension," Ryan explained. "It's just the Russian way of thinking is 'if it gets the job done, make it happen.' They're not afraid to turn to messy tactics, and they don't have to care what we think about it either. And taking into account how much they suffered during the last big war, they're not letting another invading force touch their country."
"There's also the possible geopolitical mess to deal with. The world's gonna be pissed at the both of us while we point fingers at everything. And if they're thinking what we're thinking, they'll try their hand at Wisdom Cube technology once they get their hands on it. I mean we're already doing that too. So, another possible arms race," Thorson sighed. "Even in the end of the world, human nature will make us hate each other."
"I see," Enterprise frowned. "The Northern Parliament girls I know, they're a bit strange sometimes, but they're all very level-headed when the situation calls for it."
"It's just pros and cons. The Russians are pretty smart when they want to be. I mean if you turn the situation around, they'll probably be thinking the same things as we are right now."
"Yeah, but that's the question," Thorson sighed. "It makes me wonder, just what are our best friends from the polar north up to right now? What are they thinking?"
There was no way to answer that question. There were only speculations as they stared at the lone, pulsing, red dot placed in the middle of the Barents Sea…
Date: UNKNOWN
Time: UNKNOWN
Location: UNKNOWN
"So, you have no concrete idea how you ended up here?" He asked.
A woman with long silver hair and blood-red eyes wearing a long white coat nodded as she took a sip of the tea she was given. Currently, it was her and another guy in a room while she was asked some questions.
"Correct. It was a simple escort commission when we had to pass through a rather rough patch of seas. The storm became more violent, there was a flash of light, and we ended up here. That's all I can tell you, I don't know much else."
"Mhmm, can you tell me what you are again?"
"I am a ship girl; KANSEN being another term for it. It's as it implies, I am a ship given a human form, made up of the warship I am and the experiences and memories of my crew. Although I am a special case; my keel was laid down but I was never completed and launched. I even know some girls who never even left the drawing board. I don't understand how it works, to be honest. All I know is that I am alive, and I am to fight and destroy the Sirens for all of mankind," She explained.
"Mhmm. Now, what are these 'Sirens' you speak of?"
"Real actual aliens is the best description I can give. They suddenly appeared in our world one day, assaulting commerce lanes, ravaging coastal cities, pushing humanity out of the seas, and nearly driving it to the brink. But, that changed when we showed up."
"Hmm, is there more? Please tell us all you know, because we take potential threats to our country very seriously and we want to be able to act accordingly."
"I understand, but what we all is quite limited. We don't even know what they want from us since all they do is destroy while leaving anything, including precious resources, behind. Although, during our encounters with them, they'd start spouting about experiments and whatnot. What kind of experiments? That's what we don't know," She chuckled a bit. "A part of me thinks that us ending up here is one of their so-called experiments, probably."
"Mhmm. How do you deal with these Sirens, what are their weaknesses?"
"Various conventional weaponry is still effective; the lower class Sirens are vulnerable to small arms fire if shot at specific areas, however, KANSEN should deal with them, especially the elites. But of course, the best way to deal with them is by hitting them as hard as we can during each encounter and blowing them to bits with heavy weaponry. They're powerful and difficult opponents, but they are very much beatable."
"Is there more you can tell about how they operate?"
"Aside from hitting anything that's on the ocean, seas, and coastlines, they seem to have no interest in anything else. And like I said, they only destroy but have a sort of motive with their so-called 'experiments', whatever that may be, and they also make use of portals from time to time to transport equipment from wherever they came from to their target location."
"Have you ever tried to find out if they have a headquarters or base of operations? Surely, waiting to be engaged before acting only drains resources."
"They have set up bases in our world multiple times, but analysis shows that they were nothing more than Forward Operating Bases, nothing more. As for their main base, we've tried locating it but always came out empty. That would very likely mean their main base of operations is in some other dimension, and we can't transit to that wherever that is as of yet."
"Okay. Now, how is your technology in your world, how would it compare to here?"
She took a moment to think. "Based on what I've seen so far, we are inferior, superior, and on par with certain things. For example, we have our own version of the internet, but it's not as reliable as yours. Our computer systems are also not as advanced. We have the Wisdom Cubes, but we still haven't fully grasped its full potential, we know there's still more to it. And our spaceflight capabilities are also very inadequate compared to yours, but we do have a few small satellites in orbit," She explained before taking a sip of more tea. "One of the reasons why humanity was pushed back so quickly was because of their inferior technology compared to the Sirens."
I wonder how these 'Sirens' will fare against a couple of Moskits thrown at their faces, The man thought to himself. "I see. Last question, how do you and your fellow uh… ship girls operate normally?"
"The countries that possess ship girls have their own methods and styles, but recently, we have joined under a single organization called Azur Lane. As one force, we can efficiently and effectively act against the Sirens. Some girls are still kept within their respective country's borders to serve as immediate deterrence, but most of us are within Azur Lane. And though we're still bound to our home countries, we take most of our orders from our Commander," She explained. "Personally, I like it since we get significantly more action than those back home, and I like being able to interact with the other factions because it lets me see them in a new light, especially after we foolishly drove ourselves into war."
The man cocked an eyebrow in interest. "War?"
"A different war, a skirmish between Azur Lane and a breakaway faction called Crimson Axis. It only lasted nine months, but in that time we basically did the Sirens' jobs for them," She explained somberly.
"Miss, although I said what I said, you don't have to share with me anything too personal."
She shook her head. "It's okay, details were part of the deal anyway. Besides, no KANSEN were killed, but some scars were left behind. Relations are still a bit shaky, but all of the most pressing things have been resolved. Now we've vowed to never lift our arms against each other again, especially when the threat of the Sirens is still real… Although, there are small pockets of resistance in some places, absolutely brainless people that won't put aside the past for the future. Their grief may or may not be justified, but they threaten the bits of peace we've sacrificed for," She explained, stating the last part distastefully.
"Well, humans have naturally been great at murdering each other since time immemorial, so don't feel too bad about it, especially when it's not your fault. But if this means anything to you, times change for good or for bad, you just have to hope and work that it becomes the former."
She nodded. "Yeah, right."
He smiled. "Well, that's all the questions I have for you. I'll compile all of this and present it to our superiors. Then we'll figure out how to handle you. You and your friends can relax, Miss Sovetskaya Rossiya, we'll take care of you."
"And what happens then? I hope you won't lock us up and start experimenting on us like we're aliens like in those movies… Well, we kind of are aliens, but you get the point," Sovetskaya Rossiya asked in jest.
He chuckled. "We will have to perform some tests at some point, but none of them should harm you in any way. However, if we think such a test would make you feel even just a pinch of discomfort, we will at least inform you and you will be given the choice to accept or decline."
She smiled. "Spasibo, it's great to find help even when stuck in another world."
"How are you feeling, by the way?"
Rossiya smiled. "I'm strangely happy, especially now that I can serve the Motherland. Although, I'm a bit worried about what the future may bring."
He smiled warmly. "We are the Russian Federation. As long as you help us, we will help you. Don't worry about anything, you're all in safe hands. I promise."
AN: Hello and Merry Christmas, everyone!
Sorry, this chapter took some time and that it's a little late for Christmas, hehe. In addition to some irl issues, I got sidetracked by my imagination going wild and forcing me to write two new fanfics in addition to the ones I already have, lmao. I get a little scatterbrained sometimes. But, since my holiday break began, I've been putting in more effort. Aside from this, I've two ongoing stories I need to update and two more where I still have to finalize the first chapter. I hope I can get the next chapters of the two ongoing ones before the end of the year and just put up the new two next year.
And there you have it, Player 2 has joined the game! The Bear has entered the playing field along with the Eagle!
Look, I know that Russia is not in a favorable position irl right now, but this has been my plan since the beginning. In the future, there will be an international naval alliance similar to Azur Lane. However, there will be the top two players that will likely hog the screen time. And those two would be the United States of America and the Russian Federation. Russia because they still have one of the largest navies in terms of tonnage and they have some of the coolest looking ships to ever be designed. Just think of this as an alternate timeline. Because it is. As the years go by, some irl events will change to fit the plot.
Anyway, that's about it for now. Thank you very much for reading and supporting my story! Please tell me what you think about it, or share with me any ideas you have in the review section. That means a lot to me!
And once again, may you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I'll see you all in the next one! Peace out!