Forward: Came up with and wrote this idea on a whim to help get over a bunch of writers block i was having in june. i look foreard to fleshign the idea out, though it is not planned to be a supremely long story.
"This is the cell sir," A Naval Adjutant said as he stepped up to a door and looked at the information plaque that was stuck to the wall beside it. "Lewis Maxwell, Captain first class, charged with dereliction of duty, insubordination, as well as cowardice in the line of duty. Why would someone o your rank want to deal with scumbag like this sir?"
"That is not something you need to know," The man behind the Adjutant said simply as he stepped forward. "Thank you for leading me to this cell. Now, give me the key. I must speak with him."
"Ugh, are you sure you won't need someone with you or-"
"The key, now."
"Uh, right, sorry sir, Admiral, sir," the Adjutant said as he handed the man the key and stepped back " I'll uh, just be waiting outside then.
"You do that," the Admiral said as he slid the key into its lock and twisted, a heavy clank echoing out from the door and allowing him to open it and step inside. Directly inside the cell was an open area, maybe a meter and half wide, with a small chair, and past that bars, and the rest of the cell proper. It was little different than any other prison cell really. A simple bed bolted to the wall, a toilet, a small sink. This one even had a small table built into the wall at the foot of the bed. What was truly surprising however was the man in the cell doing handstand pushups against the back wall without a shirt on, his back muscles tensing in way that was extremely noticeable. As were the numerous scars.
"I see you are keeping yourself busy."
The man did not respond as he continued to do handstand pushups.
"Maxwell I-"
"what the hell do you want, Vice-Captain?" the man in the cell said abruptly, his tone very forceful and aggressive, though his body di not shift its actions.
"Actually its Admiral now."
"I know. It's a position you don't deserve, you fucking traitor."
"Lewis, you know I couldn't have-"
"Couldn't have what?" Lewis Maxwell said as he finished his handstand pressed and then rolled from the wall onto his feet, almost perfectly in front of the cell door, and in front of the Admiral. " couldn't have actually backed me up? Couldn't have pointed out the obvious that those Shithead admirals couldn't see? Couldn't think about someone other than yourself?"
" I was thinking of my family! Of my wife and child!
"And so was I Thomas! I was thinking of the families and lives of every man under my command, under our, command!" Lewis yelled in rage. "I was the one who made the call, I am the one who saved the royal navy from a major and unneeded loss of life and machinery and ships, I am the reason why so many were able to return to their families that day. And why the subsequent operation was even capable of being successful. Yet here I am, rotting in a cell for over two years while you have manage to cozy yourself up from a Vice-captain to an admiral. Those plush couches' must be comfortable. I wonder if they were worth it?"
Thomas was silent for a moment before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a four inch long plastic stick, blue, with a small red tip. "The Admiralty board would like to offer you amnesty in the form of a mission.
Lewis made a sound that was somewhere between a cough and utter disgust as he walked away from the cell bars and sat on the bed. "Heh, so the Admiralty board, the same one that decided that Cowardice would result in prison sentences, now is coming after me, who they sentenced for such a thing? So what brought this on? Lose a couple too many ships against our alien invaders? How many hands lost this time I wonder? Or have they finally realized that sailing headfirst into aliens with gods dammed laser beams is a bad idea?"
"Lewis this is serious. We may finally have a way to fight back against the Sirens!"
"Sirens?"
"Yes, that is what Azur Lane has decided to call the aliens."
"Unimaginative," Lewis said with a shake of his head. "and what in the Queen's perky ass is Azur Lane?"
"The alliance. We are all now allies officially since last year."
"With whom?"
"Everyone?"
". . .you mean with the krauts and the petal pushers?"
"The Ironblood and the Sakura Empire, yes. As well as Sardegna, and all the rest."
"And they decided to change their names when their war got interrupted huh? Needed to move away from the crimes that they committed as the third Reich, Typical,"
"That is not important right now Lewis. The Admiralty board is offering you amnesty. They have a mission for you, and it is important. More than you could possibly realize."
"If its so important they should give it to someone they didn't screw over an throw in jail.
"There isn't anyone," Thomas said darkly. "There isn't a anyone that can be given this mission, because if the mission goes bad, it's the end, and they don't want that being made public."
" . . . .So it's a mission of, do this or die, and die if you fail. Am I to suppose that I'll be made to disappear afterword's as well if it is successful?"
"Your actions and name themselves will not be made public, but you will not be made to disappear. The Admiralty board wants you specifically for this mission due to your tactical sense . . . and due to your current predicament."
"So they want someone who they know can get the job done but also who they can blackmail and force into servitude. How the mighty have fallen," Lewis said with a shake of his head.
"Lewis this is serious, we are finally showing progress against the sirens on land, and utilizing the same project we may be able to gain some progress against them on the sea. We might be able to fight back!"
"And why should I care!?" Lewis yelled as he got up from the bed and stormed over to the cell bars, grabbing them as if to tear them apart. "Or have you forgotten who is responsible for me being here? Have you? You and the Admiralty board that is who!"
"Lewis this is bigger than just you."
"Convenient how when it's all about me it's about everyone else, yet when I make a choice in regards to others lives, I am the one who suffers!"
"Dammit Lewis stop being difficult. You know I feel bad about all of it so-"
"Then why is this the first time I'm seeing you in two years?" Lewis demanded angrily. "To busy making your wife pop out children for the war effort? To busy climbing up the totem pole until you get a cushy job as a desk admiral? Too busy forgetting I even am here, suffering, while you get to live your life!?"
"Do you want to get out of here or not?" Thomas finally yelled back, looking like he was on the verge of crying. "Do you accept the mission, or not?"
"You haven't even told me what it is."
"I can't tell you that. It's classified."
Lewis turned around and sat back down on the bed without saying a word.
"Lewis just-"
"Get out."
Thomas stopped and blinked. "Lewis-"
"I said get out!" Lewis roared as he stood up and glared at Thomas, his eyes filled with absolute incoherent rage. "You think you can just come here after what you did to me, dangle a way out in front of me like a carrot, then tell me its classified and you can't tell me? Do you think I am dumb? Do you think I am some pushover you can just continue to screw like your deadbeat wife? Get out of my face you son of a bitch!"
Thomas said nothing as he turned around and left, the Cell door shutting behind him with a heavy clank.
Lewis shook his head a moment later. "Self-righteous bastard. Next thing will be him saying he named a kid after me and try to guilt trip me that way. Idiot needs a fucking reality check."
In the next second suddenly the sound of the door opening echoed out through the cell and Lewis looked to see Thomas step in and then throw a newspaper into the cell.
"What the hell is this?"
"Read it," Thomas said, in a tone that brooked no argument.
Unfortunately for him, Lewi didn't care. "Why should I?"
"Just read the newspaper."
"why should-"
"Read the fucking Newspaper Lewis!" Thomas roared suddenly.
Lewis glared at Thomas for a full minute before getting off the bed and moving to pick up the newspaper. Glaring at Thomas the entire time.
"By the kings name Lewis, stop being paranoid and read it. Who would use a newspaper to make someone look away to kill them?"
"I wouldn't put it past you considering what amount of backstabbing I've been through at your hands," Lewis stated as he sat back down and unfolded the Newspaper.
NEW MILITARY WEAPON BRINGS VICTORY IN SARDEGNAN LOWLANDS. CAN HUMANITY NOW FIGHT BACK?
Lewis blinked at the excessively large and bolded headline and unfolded the newspaper further, seeing the picture below the headline. It showed a number of army men, but they were not wielding normal rifles but instead looked to have pieces of undersized Tanks armor hanging off their clothing or stuck onto their legs, had small versions of tank tracks under their boots or attached to their ankles, and were holding what looked like almost full sized tank cannons in their hands.
"What the hell is this?"
"The ARSENAL System," Thomas said seriously. "We've managed to miniaturize tank weapon systems and allow infantry to equip them. A single man can now bring to bear the amour and firepower of a tank on their own. It also increase their survivability."
"You're trying to send me into the fucking army?"
"No. but the mission you are being offered is loosely connected to it," Thomas said.
"R&D is trying to make Boat armor for people?"
"Dammit, stop guessing clandestine operations," Thomas grumbled with a sigh. "Tried, more like. A whole ship condensed down doesn't seem to work, but a secondary project is showing fruit. Unfortunately, the project will need an overseer, someone to keep it under control on its first mission. They want you for that."
"Do you realize how absolutely insane you fucking sound? Ancient mythology makes more sense than the drivel you are spewing."
"Dammit Lewis I am trying to get you out of here, why are you making this difficult?!" Thomas yelled suddenly.
"Why? You know damn well why," Lewis responded coldly. "Because I have no fucking reason to trust you. Any of you. As far as I am concerned, the Royal Navy is a sham. Nothing but a gathering of arrogant fools who use the lives of the young as bargaining and betting tools. Not an organization that actually tires to protect a damn!"
"Then prove them wrong!" Thomas cried out in exasperation. "Take this mission, and prove to them that everything they did to you, was a lie, that is was nothing but them, and not you!"
"You seem to be forgetting that you are part of the reason I am in here," Lewis said darkly.
"Do you think I wanted you here? I never wanted any of this, but what could I have said? Anything I could have said would have gotten me incarcerated as well, and I wouldn't, couldn't do that to Gloria, or Candice!"
"So your brother in arms of more than twenty years loses to your wife of five."
"Dammit why do you think I am here now offering you this? I've spent years getting to where I am, and am finally of a rank I can do something to get you out of this! I have been arguing with other admirals for weeks to get you put forward as the one to lead this mission just to get you out of here dammit!"
". . . . . you have no way to prove that. You could have just suddenly remembered, 'oh yeah, he's there, let's use him,' for all I could know," Lewis said as he shifted himself on the bed and kicked the bars from it. "Either you tell me everything, right now, so I can make a proper informed decision, or get lost and never show your face to me again."
"That is classified information. I can only tell you if you agree."
"And who is going to know if I don't agree and you told me? I'm already in prison with no way out. It will not make any difference."
Thomas was silent for many moments before then letting out an aggravated noise. " You're right, and I hate that. Fine, I'll make it quick and simple. The eggheads wanted to do the same thing with the ARSENAL System for ships, but found that the strain of controlling such a massive vessel was too much for a human mind. They have however come up with another answer, using a new resource to instead of making a system for a human to interface with, to make a human out of the resource and the vessel itself. They are calling it Soul-forming, like creating the soul of a ship and its historic crew, or something odd like that. The admiralty is worried that a soul, or being or whatever born in this way from resources that are technically unknowns may not be loyal to Humanity though, so they want the first test case to have oversight when it is both created, and sent on its first few missions."
"So they want a supervisor for what could literally be a sentient ship like in those Sci-fi films."
"I . . . suppose that is not an inaccurate understanding. . . . . . . . . . . . .So?"
"So what?"
"Lewis you-"
"I am aware," Lewis said with a shit eating grin on his face. "I'll agree to this stupidity, if for no other reason than to stick it to those asshole admirals and you. But tell me this, does this ship I'll be captaining, with I'm assuming little more than a skeleton crew at best, have a name?"
"The project is using a recreation of an old ship, so it's sort of like its being re-launched," Thomas said as he slipped a key out of his pocket and began unlocking gthe inner cell door.
"Does it have a name or not?" Lewis pressed as he got up from the bed just as Thomas opened the cell.
"It does, but you'll never believe it."
"Try me."
"The grandmother of all Moderns battleships, the one that changed everything before the First World War broke out. HMS Dreadnought."