It's been a day since our little group returned to the surface and when I've put myself into drydock. The manjuu work crews worked very fast, having sprinted up and down my halls and compartments, and now as I sip my coffee I began reading the report passed to me by Foreman the manjuu.
"What does it say?" Highwind asked me with some anxiety, though her worries were mostly alleviated by now. She was seated next to me in her mess hall, the two of us having been eating breakfast prior to getting this report, so she didn't have much trouble reading the clipboard with her.
"Our manjuu friends are bringing out the Special Treated Steel plates still in storage to repair my hull, nice." Iowa took care to memorize the manjuu's note of the stock being limited, reminding herself to not get dinged up too much in future fights. "The damage to my boiler wasn't too bad, the problem is getting to the broken parts to fix them so it'll take some time. A week of carefully getting to them at minimum, then a few days of repairs then replacing whatever is disassembled just for my boilers."
"It says there you can't go above twenty eight knots because of it." Highwind remarked, taking a sip of her juice before speaking again. "That's still pretty fast for a ship like you, auntie."
Further details of ammunition replenishment were skimmed as there's still plenty in the reserves of the base. Replacement of her lost phalanx and two tomahawk launchers will be impossible, my secondaries will need replacing and my melted barrels will have to be cut out due to the mounting sections getting fused together. I wrote a note highlighting the repairs of my armaments will take priority, with armor replacement following behind. I can live with a slight reduction to my speed for a while, considering I'll need to escort Highwind to Vale soon. Cpt. Bernard had shared his worries of being too far behind schedule before I went into the underground of the base so we'll have to set sail in two days at the planned date.
Not enough time to get a few WW2-era AA guns mounted to compensate for the lost Phalanx. And losing those two tomahawk launchers seriously hurt my fighting capability, I'll have to see if there's any substitute for them in Remnant. Maybe a visit to Atlas in the future?
...Hmm. I don't think they'd sell military hardware to just about anybody...
As I finished signing off some permissions in the clipboard a thought came over me: a capital ship needs escorts. Escort ships have lots of AA. Escort ships can help me fight off threats from the air. I need a fleet. And I can build a fleet.
A burst of energy filled me at that thought, and as I gave Foreman the clipboard I asked him to relay a message to the manjuu elders. "I'm gonna be summoning a ship or two, and quickly. How can I do that?"
At "summon" Foreman's eyes were literally sparkling, and I barely finished speaking before he saluted with such sharpness the drill sergeants in my memories would be moved to manly tears and ran away like a bird(?) possessed. That left me with an unfinished breakfast and a very curious Highwind who started asking questions the moment I looked back at her.
An hour later, I was on a PT boat being driven towards shipyard section 4, one of the more intact ones on account of it being built into the cliffs. Other boats besides ours were also going the same way and back, small transport barges carrying ship building materials from what I can see. Seeing all the heightened activity was making me excited.
Highwind was on the same boat as I sitting next to her chief engineer Takeyo, the pair enraptured by the torpedoes clamped to the sides. The curious pair were being educated on its specs by a manjuu crewman with a portable whiteboard, Highwind looking spooked and the Mistralian more morbidly curious.
Past the other boats we sped past, between the massive gates and into the shipyard proper where I and the others beheld a veritable hive of activity performed by the highest number of manjuu we've seen yet. Transport ships formed orderly lines beneath cranes whose steel claws carefully unloaded their contents. Those contents are loaded onto trucks which bring them into warehouses or stack them into neat piles. An incredible variety of naval artillery can be seen gathered in several places, brought out from whatever storage the resourceful birds kept them in. From rows of smaller two-inchers, to a pair of fifteen-inch triple-barrel turrets carefully carried by cranes on the quay on our right, a sight which drew gasps from Highwind and her crew who came along.
And there, at the end of the waterway was our destination: a building that towered over all other construction in this shipyard. Painted white in a sharp contrast to everything else here that was in duller colors, built with smooth and curving lines going thinner upwards of five stories. On either side of it were four drydocks, where my future fleetmates will be made.
And so, after a long slumber, the beast that was the manjuu's shipbuilding industry has awoken. Thousands of tonnes of steel, aluminum, and fuel were taken from the little that was left of a stockpile and poured into shipyards were hundreds of manjuu worked to shape the steel, then place them together, and weld the pieces into one. In just a few hours the hulls of ships have been built in drydock slips, manjuu working at an unnatural pace on the scaffolding surrounding those metal giants.
Then in the following hours those hollow hulls were filled. The boilers which will be the ship's heart, the pipes which will be the veins and arteries, and the beams which are the bones which support everything in the hull. All under the invisible guidance of the Wisdom Cubes at the heart of each hull built around them, and whose manifested blueprints the manjuu followed. The process made for an awesome sight for the people of Remnant watching from the sides.
The construction of the ships would take over three days and a half, with the lighter ships finishing first...
"Guten tag, comma- eh? You're not the commander." Z23, Type 1936A destroyer built by Germany, stood at attention before faltering at the sight of the American battleship in front of her. It was strange, its usually a human who'll greet a ship and then command them in battle.
"Hello there! I'm Iowa, name ship of the Iowa-class battleships." The battleship girl greeted Z23 with a smile. "And with the absence of any qualified naval officers I've taken it upon myself to be your commander."
"I see..." She didn't, not really, but Z23 can get her answers later. Standing back to attention with proper discipline, the German destroyer continued her introduction. "Right then, I am Z23. Let's study hard- wait, what are you-?!"
Too late, she noticed the oncoming bottle of wine formerly hidden behind the bigger girl's back and was now falling towards her head.
Ksshkk! "Eek?!"
"Hello! I'm Denver, 4th Cleveland-class cruiser and Knight of the sea! One question though, where's the commander?"
The big Iowa battleship shook her head and said she's the commander. Denver was confused, though it didn't last long and she continued her introduction with a big smile and a confident poise. She is a Knight of the sea, after all!
"Huh? You're the commander? Weird, but alright. Hey, what's that bottle for? Wha-"
Ksshkk! "W-woah!"
"Oh? Young Iowa, is that you?"
The younger Iowa looked at Nevada, and the older battleship stared back. The more modern battleship looked at her in surprise, replaced by awe and then a deep guilt. It's pretty obvious to Nevada why that could be, her final moments being a rather unforgettable one. She doesn't blame the poor girl though, orders are orders after all, and she was getting on in years in the end. So she smiled at Iowa, a gentle one, as she continued.
"Well, you don't worry bout' me getting all angry at you." Nevada told her, then spread her arms out wide towards Iowa. "Come on, bring it in."
Young Iowa hesitated, before sniffling once and shaking her head. Nevada spies a grateful smile form on the young one's face before Iowa began walking up to her, though her right hand being behind her back was strange. She wondered why that could be?
Then Iowa brought the arm out and lo, a big wine bottle was held upwards by the neck. And it swung towards Nevada. Thankfully she managed to dodge it, though it was pretty close.
"Woah, put the bottle away, geez! It'll be a waste of good alcohol, young lady! How bout' we share a drink instead?"
And when everyone had finished construction, I now stand before my new fleetmates. A battleship and a heavy cruiser, two other capitals to beef up our battleline with their extra firepower. Two light cruisers and a destroyer for escorts, who with their appearance had silenced a little fearful voice in my mind that's been there since the beginning. Capital ships are never meant to operate alone and without an escort of lighter ships. They're the greatest defense we capitals have against torpedoes, those terribly dangerous things. I can handle other ships battering at my thick armored skin for a long time, but torpedoes? Just two, or even one, in the right places can blow holes that'll send me right down into the depths.
Anyway, I've gathered us six ships(plus Highwind, I can see her head poking out of some nearby crates) on the pier where my cruiser ship friend is moored. Her crew had gotten her ready to set off, all her passengers had boarded and extra supplies had been donated by the manjuu to fill up their hold. Today will be the day when Highwind will head back to Vale, on the other side of the continent, and I had promised to escort her on the way. And now that I've somehow landed a naval base and got myself a fleet my escort mission has gained a new objective: establishing a supply line. The base is in dire need of fixing, and with the good captain's promise of connections and the nature of a city I should have a decent chance of getting what I need.
"So, ladies." I started with a clap, my eyes roaming around my little fleet. Nevada, who's a saint for finding it in her to forgive me, was leaning against an empty crate to the side looking relaxed. The French heavy cruiser Algérie was standing demurely beside Nevada, gauntlet-clad hands resting on the handle of her scary looking mace. Then the lighter ships Z23, Denver and the Chinese light cruiser Chao Ho, the three girls standing rather close together. Looking at them was a reminder that I have to shape up, I'd made myself their commander after all, and it'll be better for us all if I learn to lead them sooner. For now I'll have to use what leadership experience I have from college group work and Iowa's experience during the war. "As I've promised Highwind and Cpt. Bernie I'll be escorting them around the northern coast of the continent towards Vale. Hopefully, once I'm there I can make use of the good captain's connections and his company's goodwill to gather up some materials and friendly acquaintances. We are rather lacking in actual supply lines..."
"You can't go out unescorted, Commander." Z23, or Nimi as she told us to call her by, spoke up. Denver and Chao Ho were nodding in support as she did. "You'll need us to go with you."
"And maybe one of us two as well, hm?" Nevada joined in with a grin, pointing her thumb at herself. "You could do with some extra firepower on the way, young Iowa. Even with how weak these... Grimm are."
I also made sure to brief them of the world of Remnant, especially the various threats that are around. Well, nobody took the grimm seriously when I talked about them...
"They're that weak? Seriously?! I really like my chances against them!"
"Hmph! These monsters are nothing!"
"We have nothing to worry about then commander, ufufufu.."
Nor did they worry much when I mentioned Hunters, Huntresses, and Aura...
Two people clashed, hand in hand, in a contest of strength on a steel box. On one side was Nandor, young apprentice of a (retired) Huntsman, his face a mask of intense focus and determination as he leveraged all his Aura-enhanced strength against his opponent. And as for the other player...
"Is this all you can do?" Z23 asked, bemused as she sits relaxed on her side of the table. Her rigging is currently deployed, the metal maw holding within her main gun hanging limp to her side. Her arm, despite all of Nandor's efforts, did not budge an inch from its position on the table. The apprentice didn't bother replying, too busy trying to push her arm to the table top.
To the side watched an audience made of Iowa, a fascinated Highwind, the latter's captain and some crew, Indigo who was shaking his head and then the other ships of the small fleet curiously watching.
The arm wrestle ended rather predictably, with Z23 quickly and effortlessly sending Nandor and his arm through the box. Though, the action had Z23 stuttering apologies as she helped a chuckling Nandor get out from the box.
Safe to say that my fleetmates did not take my warnings as seriously as I wanted them to. To be fair to them I also don't really consider them much of a threat, I'm a battleship for crying out loud, but I really hoped their confidence won't lead them to getting hurt. It took a Siren to poke holes through my armor and force me to re-mount WW2-era anti-air guns with the loss of a Phalanx.
"Don't worry girls, I have a plan." I told assured them, giving out a confident look. "I'll be bringing with me two light ships: Nimi and Denver."
While the two mentioned ships perked up Algérie chose that moment to speak up, cupping her cheek with a hand. "Are you sure Commander?"
"Don't you worry, Algérie!" Denver piped up, putting a fist on her puffed-up chest as she smiled towards the heavy cruiser. "This Knight of the sea won't let anything bad get close to Iowa!"
"I too, won't let any harm come to the commander." Nimi joined in, moving to stand much closer to my left.
While Algérie looked more at ease, Chao Ho in contrast didn't look happy with her puffed up cheeks and angry gaze. "And what about me, huh?! I'm just as good as them, Commander!" She finished with a stomp on the concrete pier that left a small crack.
...Riiight. Best nip this in the bud now! "Hey, calm down Chao Ho. You and the others have a job to do as well."
"And what's that, huh!?" Geez, this one has issues. I walked up to the smaller girl and placed my hands on my shoulders, giving her the most sincere look I could make.
"That job is to defend this naval base. Think about it, this place is the only home we have in Remnant. A safe port, where everything we need to keep ourselves going is here."
Chao Ho blinked in surprise, calming down immediately as my words sunk in. I gave her a smile, and a pat on the head, which got her blushing fast and backing off quickly.
"Hmph! I-I knew that!" She said, looking away in a huff. "S-Sorry."
"It's nothing, Chao Ho." I waved it away, having an inkling of her personality type from that exchange. Looking back at the pair of capital ships I continued. "I trust you three to keep this place and the manjuus safe, yeah?"
"You bet we will. Bring home some souvenirs when you get back." Nevada smirked my way, and Algérie smiled approvingly, a hand placed on her ample chest and a slight bow of her head.
"Alright!" I turned to Z23 (Nimi) and Denver, the girls straightening at my gaze. "Let's get to it. Follow me girls!"
And with that I about faced and hopped off the pier, landing on the water with a splash and quickly sailing forward. Two more splashes followed closely behind, and soon enough the two lighter ships had gone ahead of me on either side to assume screening formation. We slowed to a stop about a hundred meters out from the pier, where Highwind's hull began moving towards us. With my keen eyes I spotted Highwind getting her hair ruffled by Nevada. It was followed by an embarrassed Chao Ho getting a hug from her, then Algérie kissing Highwind on her brow before the little girl teleported back to her hull. Heh, it was inevitable that Highwind would win over the other kansen. She truly is a sweet girl.
*"Iowa, this is Cpt. Bernie, do you read me?"* I heard the captain's voice buzzing from my radio.
"This is Iowa, go ahead captain." I replied, ignoring the weirdness of different radio protocols. It'll still take a bit to get used to not having to say "over" in a radio talk.
*"Hello Iowa!"* Highwind's cheerful voice followed shortly, and I smiled at the girl's infectious positivity. "Hello to you too, Highwind!"
*"Haha, Highwind's a happy ship today as well! It's good to be back at sea. I trust you'll keep us safe this time as well Iowa?"*
"You can count on us, captain." I replied in the affirmative, Highwind coming to a distance behind me as we matched speed at a comfortable 16 knots gradually going up. We were heading out towards the mouth of the bay, where the open ocean awaits. I wonder what lies in store ahead of us...
A.N.
Yeah, hello, I'm back. Yes. Took a while, haha...
Well, I uh, lost my previous account. Lost all my progress. So I was Azur Depressed for a while...
But now I'm back. Hopefully, to stay, now that I'm resuming my journey. Hope to get New Jersey!
As for Iowa's new fleet, they're all from one of my recent 10 Builds. Except Z23/Nimi, she was my previous first-ship pick, and again for this new run. Also glad to have Nevada again, I got her formal dress before and Oathed her. :'( Hope to get her dress back in the future.
Reviews are appreciated. It's been a while.
