"Soon may the Wellerman come...'

*"To bring us sugar and tea and rum!"*

"One day when the tonguing is done..."

*"We'll take our leave... and... gooo!"*

"We'll take our leave... and... gooo!"

And with a final stroke of my guitar the song ended. The small crowd that gathered at the foredeck started clapping too, their show of appreciation very much appreciated by me and Highwind over on her bowsprit. I can see her from my spot waving back at them.

It's been more than six hours since I've started towing Highwind. We've made good time travelling at a faster speed of twenty two knots, three knots lesser than the younger ship's maximum speed. That was Cpt. Bernie's request to me, relayed by Highwind via our personal shipgirl radio. I think it was something to do with reducing stress on the damaged paddlewheel while going as fast as they could allow. Nowhere near my own maximum speed, but I could live with it.

Around the two hour mark though I've started getting board. So I brought out a guitar stored in my captain's quarters and started playing whatever comes to mind. Then Highwind came along an hour or two later, got curious, and asked me of any songs I know and if I could share them. I've asked her to share any songs she knows in return. That lead to us singing together whatever came to mind. Most popular were sea shanties.

"You have a good voice Highwind! You sing a lot?" I complimented her, genuinely amazed. Give her a few more years, and she might even rival Wisconsin in singing.

"Aww, thanks." She replied, blushing. "I get that a lot. But you're so good at the guitar too!"

"I may not be the best, but I do practice." I answered back while stowing my guitar back in my rigging. That skill was another that I inherited from Iowa. A surprise to be sure when I first tried it earlier, but a welcome one. Helped me pass the time. As we talked some more, I also thought back on our journey so far. Nothing much of interest happened. Just more sailing through the channel. Apart from that one pod of dolphins that swam with us for almost half an hour, a very curious member even swimming next to me making for an amazing experience. They left us eventually, but plenty of pictures from the people aboard Highwind will make sure none of us will easily forget it.

There was also the occasional swarm of Grimm flying around or swimming near the surface that I detected with my radar, but they avoided us for some reason. It's either that the people on Highwind were that relaxed, or they must be led by more wary alphas then, I remember that they get smarter as they age. Or maybe a few grimm from that earlier attack managed to get away. Oh well, I could always blast them apart if they come closer. There's just something about battles now that makes my blood pump with excitement. Although, the weather had taken a turn for the worse lately. The bright sunny skies with gentle breezes from yesterday and earlier this morning had gradually gotten more cloudy and windy, with the waves getting more choppy too. It's kind of worrying, but I remain confident I could pull us out in time.

Hmmm...you know what? I'll ask Cpt. Bernie if I could bring us closer to the coast. At least then I could more quickly find us a safe spot to anchor if a storm suddenly blows in.

*"...and then Takeyo stood back and scratched his oily hair, looking at my boilers like they've eaten his favorite food. Even he couldn't find the problem, so I went up to him and pointed-"*

"Hey Highwind." I interjected with my eyes on the dark clouds above. "Sorry, but I'll have to talk to the captain for a bit. This weather is not looking to be getting better any time soon."

*"Huh? Oh, you're right. Brrr, I hate storms. Alrighty, talk to you later!"* And then she disappeared from her spot on the bowsprit. With her gone I switched channels to one that looks to be connected the radio on the bridge and spoke.

"This is Iowa. Cpt.Bernie, are you there?"

I had to wait for a bit, before someone responded.

*"This is First Officer Maxim. Sorry Iowa, captain's on his break, so I have the conn. What do you need?"*

Isn't he the blonde guy manning the map console? I think I saw the Maxim name on his nametage. "Ah, right. The weather's not looking so good at the moment, so I thought to suggest that I bring us closer to the Sanus coast. Quicker to find safe harbor that way if it gets worse. What do you say?"

There was more silence on his end as he must be thinking on my idea, before he answered back. *"Alright go ahead. We don't see any problem with that. None of us up here want to see our girl tossed about in a storm. Do be mindful of underwater hazards though, pease?"*

"Roger that. Standby for course adjustments, First Officer."

*"Aye ma'am. Ready."*

"Turning to port..."


Ahh man, called it. I mentally pat myself in the back even as an invisible bow smashed through another wave taller than me up front, as if my hull form was deployed. Behind me Highwind was mostly spared from the rough waters thanks to my wake that, though smaller, is still sizeable enough to mostly shield her from the worst of the storm's efforts. Mercifully, the downpour of rain remains light enough to see in the distance the coastline of Sanus several kilometers out and closing. Oh, here comes an even bigger wave. Smaash~!

And once again the wave was forcefully parted by my invisible forward bow, the foamy spray going over and around me with a big splash. Plenty of water still landed on me, but by the power of shipgirl magic I remain mostly dry. I think my tie is a bit wet at the tip.

*"Uwaaah, that was a big wave Iowa!"* Piped up Highwind on our channel. *"If I was up front I would be slown down already. My bow's not really built for this weather..."*

"How do you deal with rough seas then, Highwind? I mean, we should have gotten a warning about this one like, a while ago." I asked her, though I still kept my attention around us and up front. Brewing storms have a way of instilling fear in even the most weathered of sailors. I would know, I've had a whole crew of said veterans mixed with the new guys still smelling of bootcamp. And grimm to fear are like moths to lamps.

*"We usually get storm warnings from weather stations, either before we leave port or while underway and then captain adjusts my route to avoid the worst of the bad weather. It's just that, the Sanus channel is filled with more pirates than usual so weather stations out here don't last long before they get taken over, until a team of huntsmen or coastguard take them back. That's what I heard from Flint when he talked of pirates to the security crew.."*

"And of course those stations are down when we're sailing this way." I grumbled out loud, meanwhile bemoaning our sorry luck and cursing said pirates who are responsible for all that. An early warning would have been very nice, and make it so I don't have to burn precious fuel towing another ship through increasingly rough waters.

*"Look on the bright side: there'll be no pirates around in this weather!"*

"Hah! True that." I chuckled in response to Highwind's positivity and kept going. Just seven more kilometers to go and we're safe. Then I could finally have my missed lunch once I get back aboard Highwind. Haah~ fried chicken how I miss you! Actually, that sparked a thought in my mind. Are Remnant's chickens the same as Earth's? Or have they developed differently? Because I felt like the chicken I ate sort of felt different, more stringy, when I chewed on it. Did the chicken pieces I ate bigger? But just while I was drooling about bigger buckets of chicken, the downpour of rain suddenly intensified and a laaarge wave rose up from the blue to crash down on me, much bigger than the previous one. I whistled, rather awed by the sight.

"You're a big bastard aren't you?" I spoke out before it crashed down, and again my bow smashed through it with ease. I was completely splashed all over, and it felt like I was back under those giant buckets water parks put on top of their water playgrounds. Still remained mostly dry thanks to shipgirl magic, which is a relief. My tie and the front of my shirt is definitley wet now though. Oh crap, I'm not wearing a bra! I'll have to close my coat when I get back aboard Highwind later, I may have less shame now but I'm not ok with that much exposure.

"Bridge, this is Iowa. I'm increasing speed to twenty eight knots." I relayed through radio, recieving a response immediately from Cpt.Bernie this time. He'd taken over since the storm got worse couple hours ago.

*"Copy that Iowa. It'll be faster than Highwind's ever gone before, but me and her crew will keep her in good shape. We're not letting her down."*

Hahah, what good crew my fellow shipgirl has got. I pushed my engines further, gradually of course to lessen the stress on Highwind's hull, and kept on going for the coast. There's gotta be a bay or harbour we could anchor in over there...


Within a concrete lookout hidden within a crag, a seasoned pair of eyes kept watch over the harbour entrance. It has been doing so for hours now, since it's shift began.

Chirp, chirp.

The little being has spent years now like this, like its predecessor did. And that predecessor's predecessor. And that predecessor's predecessor's predecessor. And so on, all the way back for... long time.

Chirrp.

Another storm has hit the region. Rain and wind pounded its bunker, lowering the temperature enough to necessitate spending some oil to keep the small heater on. The little being also has to wear a warm and waterproof ensemble to remain dry, for the lookout slits were made without glass windows for better visibility, but at the same time it let in freezing rain and water from rough weathers. A human or a faunus in the creature's place would have long since became miserable, the bad weather and small space containing only rations, a small heater and a radio set within the lookout making for a dreary few hours.

But for the veteran Manjuu its existence is purpose, and its purpose is to keep watch over the harbour in one of the few intact lookouts left. Awaiting the day they can return to their true purpose, as was promised to them long ago.

Chirp?

Through the thick rain it sees a smudge approaching the harbour entrance. It took up binoculars and looked closer. Zooming in...

...Chirp..? Chiiirp!

Could it be?... Yes, yes it is! A mighty battleship spirit approaches! At last, purpose!

Quickly the little Manjuu rushed to its radio set, pushing switches and channels faster than it has ever done before. It must alert the gatekeepers and tell them to shut off the underwater mines quickly, else they'll do the unthinkable and sink their long awaited charge!

And spread the news to the others! Oh, what a joyous day!

Chirp-chirp, chiiiirp!


"Finally!" I cried out after pushing past the towering cliffs into the harbour. "Took forever to get here. Highwind, how're you holding up?"

*"I really hate storms... there's some water leaking into my lower levels, but only a bit. My crew are on top of it."*

"Damn, looks like the grimm left some more damage on you after all." I grimaced at the thought of what more damage to her would have been like. I may have only met the much younger girl yesterday but somehow she'd wriggled her place into my heart reserved for very close ones, and the thought of seeing her get more damaged hurts me.

*"D-don't you worry about me auntie! I'm tough, no storm or swarm will stop me from getting my passengers and crew safe to a port!"* Bless her heart, even now despite being the injured one she still making a go on cheering me up. And it's working too, cause my mood immediately lightened and I had to let out a chuckle.

"I believe ya' Highwind." I told her, now navigating us forward into the harbour. The waters just after the entrance are already easier to sail in, something I took relief in now that I didn't have to burn more fuel to punch through choppy currents. "But rest and some time sealing those holes will go a long way in getting you to port faster and safer."

*"No arguments there!"* And with that we've fallen into an easy banter, interrupted occasionally by me relaying course and speed adjustments to Cpt.Bernie. We were all just winding down at that point, adrenaline lowering with the relief of safety.

Then my radar pinged a surface contact heading towards us, ahead, half a kilometer out and closing. Immediately I've gone into a state of focus, cutting off my talk mid-sentence with Highwind as I swiveled my guns forward.

"Contact, ahead, one thousand one hundred meters and closing fast." I announced both to Highwind and Cpt.Bernie, the former going quite and the latter quickly responding back.

*"Can you determine what type of ship it is Iowa?"*

I shook my head despite him being unable to see it as I answered back. "No captain. The rain is interfering with my radar, but I can determine that its around hafl the length of Highwind."

*"Well now. All we can do now is hope they're not pirates. I'll have the crew standby on high alert, but it's up to you if you'll engage them first or not Iowa."*

"Understood." The trust in me certainly boosted was certainly nice, though it added a pressure on me to not make any mistakes. I kept my eyes peeled ahead even as I tracked the vessel approach with radar, wary of whatever it could be.

I thought it could be a fishing vessel, but no-one sane will be going out for fish at this weather. Said fish will be hiding amongst the coral deep on the seafloor during such rough weather, so that was out. Grimm, maybe but I would have detected other surface contacts around the big one too. I sure detected those razorsharls from yesterday. So that leaves either Vale's coastguard from a nearby station, or more likely pirates.

Now when it comes to killing grimm I hadn't hesitated when I blew that dwarm out of the water. They're literally a large scale threat to civilization as a whole, attracted to negative emotion and will not hesitate to rip me to shreds. But humans? Well, I have Iowa's memories mixed with mine now and her experiences during the wars she'd fought in, sinking ships and bombarding coastal defenses. I'm sure that when it comes to it I wouldn't hesitate much and afterwards I'll be fine because technically I have already killed before. Huh, isn't that a weird thought.

Less than five hundred meters out now. I should be able to see the vessel by now, even through the intense downpour. Any time now... there, a shape is coming up. Weapons still locked, I hailed the ship through radio.

"Unknown vessel this is Iowa, halt and identify yourself!" I demanded, a part of me still hoping for a peaceful meeting even as a larger part of me is eager for a fight. It took a moment before I recieved a reply, a moment where the tension of the wait was slowly gnawing on my nerves before I finally received a reply.

*"Chirp-chirp, chirp chirp chiiirp!"*

...And I was thoroughly confused. Like, of all responses I'll get I never expected to hear back from a bird. Sounded cute though, but still, I was nearly shocked out my state of alertness and thought I was imagining it. Maybe it was interference?

Then the ship finally got into visual range. Looked like a small tugboat, predominantly white with a dark blue or black hull on the waterline. No visible weapons on it, and looked pretty normal for a civilian vessel. But its crew were anything but normal. Big and bright yellow birds aren't usually found crewing a ship, wearing raincoats and hats and waving flags enthusiastically in my direcrion.

Then a memory clicked in, and I remember what they are now. They're those cute baby chicken looking things that helped around in the naval base and drive suicide boats, the Manjuus.

Huh. Then does that mean there's an actual naval base at the end of this harbour? Wow.


A.N. - Sorry bout' that. I did promise to post it today earlier on. I just didn't expect to be posting it at nearly 2 am.

THOMASPENZHORN11 - Though somewhat hard to read you made some good points. I'll definitely remember them. And yep I'm not planning to replace her standard main gun ammunition with dust shells. With the secondaries or phalanxes I could implement some special ammo types but full on replacing the old trusty ones? Not happening.

Lorenzo Ferrari - My, so demanding~! Here you go.

MidKnightMoonglow99 - I felt like some of older ships Highwind had known and grown up around since she'd gained awareness would be more deserving of the title of mom. Iowa may have made her visible and finally interact with her crew, something every shipgirl in Remnant wanted deep in their hearts, but they'd only known each other for a day.

And for the transcended thing... I may have not thought things through enough on that one, hahahah... I may need your ok input again on the PM.

And finally, for those planning to drop my story. Just unfollow and leave. Although I very much accept valid criticism, just saying cringe AF and that you're dropping is... a waste. You don't have to clutter up the review section with your very much irrelevant words.