Chapter 25: In Memoriam
"...Did I hear that right, son? We took out all but a quarter of remaining Siren vessels?"
[That's right, it's confirmed by the Bakunawa itself...maybe 250 or so Siren ships remain active at this point in time.]
While the young man's words were exhausted and withdrawn to an alarming degree - if they had the time the Commander would have had him sit down with a psychiatrist long ago - the information was concise, promptly delivered and very promising. Something his two compatriots agreed with, if the way their eyes widened at the news was any indication.
"First good news we've gotten in a long time. Any further reports from survey drones and the like spread out over the oceans?"
Only silence met the Commander's inquiry, Admirals Harrison and Elias narrowing their eyes at the small communication device that was relaying the male Siren's words.
"Curtis."
The sharp reminder from the Commander seemed to snap Alexander out of his funk, the young man distantly responding, [Sorry, got distracted for a moment. I'm still replacing the drones that were destroyed during the course of the battle and spreading them out over the oceans, it's going to be at least four days before we have just the Pacific covered, nine to include the Atlantic as well. There's...a lot of repairs to be done and the Bakunawa is tasked to capacity.]
"Understood, son. We'll talk later."
[Mmm.]
The device powered down and all three older men shared meaningful looks, eyes bagged and demeanors exhausted as they had more or less been running on caffeine and meanness for the eight hours since the battle had ended, attempting to get a handle on the significant fallout and grievous losses they had suffered.
Losses that, to their pleasant surprise, has seemingly also affected their foe.
"Before this I feared that man would turn traitor. Now I fear he will become a mental liability."
Harrison's blunt words were agreed to by Elias with a simple nod, the Ironblood admiral frowning towards the distant outline of the ravaged Bakunawa, swarming with repair teams still trying to figure out just where to start.
"Under most circumstances I would agree - he isn't even a soldier but a turned civilian - but in this case I've got faith that he'll pull through."
A wry expression adorned the Commander's features.
"The shipgirls seem to have taken a bit of a shine to him, they'll keep him on an even keel."
Harrison appeared doubtful, running a hand through his thinning hair before stating, "And what of their mental states? Your shipgirls have suffered one of the most horrendous casualty rates of any military organization I've ever heard of, are they really combat ready?"
Not taking offense at the genuine inquiry the Commander calmly replied, "The eleven shipgirls that remain are some of the toughest soldiers I've ever had the rather unexpected pleasure of working with...if they haven't broken by now, they never will."
Simply sighing in response Elias rubbed his temples, grumbling, "How do we report what has happened here to the rest of the world? To our superiors? The news of San Francisco's defense has already raised morale, something of this magnitude will inspire hope that hasn't been had in almost a decade."
The Commander nodded, adding, "The question is, what happens next? The Sirens aren't finished - not even close to it - and I don't doubt that they have more tricks up their sleeves beyond simple numbers and a technological gap that's already well on its way to being closed."
Harrison grumbled, downing the dregs of a cold coffee before responding, "That's not how most of our superiors will see it. If they realize we can match the Sirens in tech and reduced their numbers so badly they'll start trying to repopulate the coasts and renew mercantile fleets and trade, regardless of how vulnerable such vessels would actually be."
The Ironblood raised his hand, palm upwards before musing, "The quandary, as always, is how much can we tell our leaders? How much can we omit in order to safeguard our people and at what point do we betray the oaths we took to serve in a command structure?"
He snorted, wryly commenting, "A pity so many in charge have a skewed view of reality, else we could just do our duties and not have to fight two wars."
The Commander swirled his own lukewarm drink, musing, "This conflict has given birth to as many heroes as it has villains...there are worthwhile leaders out there, gentlemen."
Harrison was immediately on guard, Elias narrowing his eyes as the Union admiral calmly stated, "We have been over this, Commander. A military coup like the kind you describe requires significant manpower and occupational forces, as well as a small army of support staff to ensure things keep running. None of which are readily available in the kind of subsistence economy and social structure we have."
"Who says we need new structures when the ones in existence already work sufficiently?"
Harrison shook his head.
"Not all possess admiration for you and yours, Commander. A fair few would quite happily see you dead and gone along with Azur Lane, no matter how badly a deathblow that would strike to humanity."
"All the more reason to depose them, wouldn't you agree? And even in my wildest dreams I do not expect unanimous support...just enough of it."
He slid the wary pair a manilla folder, letting them silently read through it.
"The Royal Navy and Sakura Empire are very much in support of Elizabeth and Nagato, viewing them as warrior queens and individuals of great moral strength, which they have displayed on countless occasions. If they were to return to a position of real, permanent rule almost none would argue against it...an opportunity we might have just bought with this victory."
He idly motioned with his hand, stating, "Enterprise and Prinz Eugen would back your efforts in the event of a takeover, lord knows the shipgirls got a bit of a sour opinion of Union presidents after Truman's whole stunt."
The pair grimaced, reading the significant dearth of information related to public opinion in each of the four factions and coming to the ominous conclusion that a coup could work, especially with their recent victory at Azur Lane and the organization garnering worldwide adoration, never mind the recluse nature of their current governmental leaders not endearing them to the public.
"Commander...was it not you who always said that the military was meant to save the world, not rule it?"
"I was. And if saving the world means I must be a hypocrite by ruling it, then so be it. I no longer have faith that our surviving governments have the best interests of the people they rule at heart, not anymore."
An awkward silence descended, neither of the admirals eager to broach the subject further. Instead Elias grumbled, "How did you even come by this information?"
Smirking, the Commander explained, "While their core membership has regrettably fallen during the war and Belfast spends much of her time at Elizabeth and Alexander's side, the humans of the maid corps are just as zealous in their duties as they have always been. As far as intelligence agencies in the current day and age go I would say they're second to none."
Huffing out simultaneous sighs of aggravation the Commander grinned, losing some of his humor a moment later while stating, "The matter can be tabled for now, it's still too early to enact anything even if that's a course of action we ultimately decide on. Instead...we need to bury our dead."
The mood in the room became far more somber, exhaustion once again becoming a prevalent feature of the assembled men as Elias knuckled his eyes, tiredly asking, "And how shall we do that? Matters are-"
"There are some advantages to having civilians of all stripes and nationalities stubbornly refuse to leave the base and ride out the battle one way or another. They've been organizing a little event that'll send off our fallen properly."
"Not too garish, I hope?"
The Commander merely smiled.
"Heartbreaking, I would describe it."
"The island doesn't look as nice as it once did."
"Indeed...but alas, such destruction proveth necessary for ultimate victory to find us."
"...Cleanup will take a long time."
"Guess we'll just count ourselves lucky that we're not part of janitorial services then, eh?"
I-13's comment was met with confirming nods, the sub fully healed from her injuries and in the company of Essex, Vampire and Kawakaze as they marched towards the docks, evening sky barely visible through the blanket of smoke and clouds that covered it.
And there was no shortage of truth to the observation that Azur lane didn't look as tropical as it once had. The detonation of the Shinsei had flooded quite a bit of the island's geography and left only the elevated docks afloat along the coastline, everything else filled to the brim with flotsam and debris. Metal walkways had been anchored by the hardworking bulins and drones so that people could travel to and fro without issue, leading to a workable but slightly cramped means of transport...not that that was an issue now, with everyone making their way towards aforementioned docks rather than away from them.
Funeral services had been announced with startling swiftness, with only a minimum of pomp and circumstance required. The shipgirls knew that was a big break from military tradition but strange times called for strange happenings, none of them bothering to change into anything more ostentatious or fancy than their usual attire.
"Hath anyone spotted Alexander since the battle's end? The man's presence remains...muted."
Unspoken worry arose from the shipgirls, knowing full well that silence from him meant nothing good, nothing pleasant...he'd been beating himself up over the outcome of the battle even before it had ended, after all.
But it wasn't as if they could just run off towards the Bakunawa and ignore the memorial services and for all their worry his emotions were still present...for the moment they put the matter out sight and mind, finally reaching where the rest of the crowd had gathered, hastily assembled benches and bleachers allowing everyone to see the proceedings without having to stand in the water that now covered the area.
It was quite the mix of attendees as well. Azur Lane personnel, civilians that had stayed behind, Union and Ironblood personnel from the reinforcing fleets and the rest of their sisters arrayed at the bottom of the assembled stands, all holding a quiet vigil over the area.
It was an immediately sobering sight.
The four wordlessly took up position beside their sisters, Vampire hesitating for a moment before tenderly taking Prinz Eugen's hand, the sole remaining Ironblood sending the destroyer a small smile of gratitude, expression drawn and tired.
They were all tired, all worn and all grieving...but this time their grief was...different?
Something about the battle, about the victory they had seized despite impossible odds and trials that had reared their heads made them stand tall, stand proud.
Maybe it was just the simple reassurance that their sister's lives hadn't been sacrificed in vain, hadn't been lost in a losing battle and actually been given for the hope of a brighter future, rather than some grim delaying action.
Hundreds of lives hadn't been lost for a nebulous purpose...they had died for a reason. A reason that they could look upon with pride and continue to fight for.
As one they looked over the coast of Azur Lane, at the various activity that had come to a halt in respect for the services that were soon to start. Drones and bulins had swarmed the waters, towing and organizing the debris of both allied and Siren ship alike into massive piles of scrap and usable components like swarming ants, clearing paths for vessels to come and go while simultaneously snuffing out any fires or other harmful effects from the various cracked and bleeding engines, guns or reactors.
The smoke was also an impressive sight, towering columns of it reaching high into the sky and blotting out most of what little light remained, mingling and often overwhelming the salty breeze that was so common to the island.
...The sight brought conflicting emotions to those who observed it, such a scene the mark of both triumph and loss in equal measure.
What little conversation or whispers there had been ceased as the Commander strode out onto the walkways, followed by his two admiral counterparts. With purposeful steps they ascended a small podium located at the head of the arena, Elizabeth and Nagato also joining them as the only noise that could be heard was the occasional whistle of passing wind, the Commander tapping a microphone before laying his hands on the podium, beginning with, "At the start of this latest offensive by the Sirens 128,800 comrades in arms had gathered together, united in purpose and goal...that of simple survival. By the time the battle concluded and we counted our dead 100,980 remained. Tens of thousands, gone."
The assembled gathering was silent, only the patter of slowly approaching rain audible.
"In the grand scheme of things a few thousand seems laughable. How does a paltry number compare to the millions upon millions thus far suffered? What's a few more tallies on the board?"
The Commander lowered his head, eyes shadowed by the encroaching darkness.
"If only it was that easy. If only those that see our brothers, sisters, lovers and comrades as mere numbers on paper could share that viewpoint with all of us."
His voice gained sudden strength, meeting the assembled crowd's gazes with a fiery expression.
"But that's not the reality of being human, now is it? We can no more ignore or forget our fallen than we can fly by flapping our arms. Each death is a scar that may only scab over as time moves on...sometimes they never quite stop bleeding. But today?"
The leader of Azur Lane gestured to the scarred waters of the venerable base, of the chaos that still remained.
"Today those cuts and lacerations counted. This was no rearguard action, no futile and bittersweet escort or desperate evacuation! Today the Sirens dedicated all of their unnatural might to crush us, sent their most dangerous ships and overwhelming numbers to grind this last bastion of humanity to dust...and we survived. We beat them are still here! This is the turning point, the turning point of history!"
The unbridled purpose in the man's voice infected all of them, inspired a burning fire as he forcefully announced, "27,820 lives. 27,820 brave men and women that paved the way for our future victory. And tonight, as we march towards the coming dawn...we remember. And they will not be forgotten."
He stepped down, the action a signal for a collection of individuals to approach the waterfront, carrying woven baskets with a collection of items within them while many more also bore Sakura sky lanterns, the shipgirls making their way towards the area as the Commander nodded at them, Elizabeth and Nagato joining their approach.
They felt their breath catch in their throats at what greeted them, pictures of each of their fallen sisters placed within the fourteen floating cradles alongside a collection of gifts suited to each of their deceased kin.
Various bottles of booze for Laffey, records and posters for Saratoga and Lexington, roses for Aurora, ornamental fans and swords for Zuikaku and Shoukaku, brushes and coloring pallets for Z23...the personalized items went on and on, Kawakaze turning to none other than Ichika as she whispered, "How did-"
"Your sisters meant much to us, Byakko...and Azur Lane remembers them as the slightly crazed ladies that they were, rather than mere designations and classes."
The man bowed to the eleven alongside those that had brought out the baskets, quietly intoning, "Hontoni arigato gozaimasu, senshi."
They departed and left the shipgirls alone to say goodbye, none of them really sure what to say or do.
"It...never becomes any easier, does it?"
(Greater Than Life - Atom Music Video)
Elizabeth's sudden murmur caused the rest to glance at her, the stalwart and prideful leader of the Royal Navy showcasing a rare moment of weakness as she crouched before Aurora and Javelin's memorials, hand hesitantly reaching out to the objects before pulling back, her small stature never more apparent as Belfast gently placed her hands on the battleship's shoulders, drawing her close while Warspite crouched before her deceased sisters with a tired expression on her noble features, Enterprise and Essex following suit as Nagato gathered Kawakaze, I-13 and Akashi to her side, Prinz surrounded by her sisters as the Ironblood desperately tried to keep her composure.
"Farewell, sisters...maybe we'll one day meet again."
As one they stepped back after Nagato's short but meaningful words, letting other Azur lane personnel come forward and begin paying their respects, the rest of the assembled crowd attending to the lanterns that would float high overhead and into the stormy sky.
The minutes passed in a haze of reverence and solemnity, well wishes and parting words shared aplenty as the heavens finally let loose in earnest, rain pouring down from high overhead as if they shared in their grief, crying for the fallen that had given their lives in defense of the island.
In what seemed like both a small slice of eternity and no time at all the ceremony was concluded, the crowds returning to their previous positions as the Commander strode forward, spending no more than a minute in front of the fourteen baskets that would travel across the waters before beginning the ceremony with a small push of each individual bit of weaving.
With a gentle and steady pace the fourteen began to drift further into the waters surrounding Azur Lane, small candles illuminating their path as the rest of the sky lanterns were lit and released into the shifting winds, chaotic currents and directions smoothing out perfectly as if in respect for ceremony taking place, thousands upon thousands of shimmering points of warmth escorting the fourteen on their last journey out among the waves, where their final resting place would be found.
Tears seamlessly intermixed with the rain, the Commander and his retinue snapping out a salute as everyone else followed suit in their own unique ways. Many Sakura bowed along with Nagato, some Union and Royal Navy clasped their hands in prayer or offered a military salute as the Ironblood reciprocated, raising their arms out straight or even adopting one of the other respectful mannerisms.
They stayed like that, heedless of the rain and cold as they paid their final respects, statues saying goodbye to those they had fought and bled with.
Alexander blankly stared at the drifting points of light that blanketed the sky above the fourteen intricately woven graves, emotions thrown into turmoil as he watched the proceedings from afar, the blasted and cratered deck of the Bakunawa a fitting observation post, both physically and metaphorically.
Sure, they'd won...but at a brutal cost. Or at least what he considered brutal.
"It should be me out there on the water, drifting through the clouds. Assuming they even bothered with a marker...not those that already gave up so much for so long."
He was aware that such thinking was self-destructive and would no doubt be immediately shot down by both the shipgirls and quite possibly a few others...but he couldn't help such thoughts, feeling like he should have done more and been better. He'd been made to be better, given a second chance to bring about humanities victory so that they didn't have to keep sacrificing more and more to an implacable foe.
"...And there I go again with the self-destruction. But what else am I supposed to believe? That I'll have to keep giving up more and more before this is all done?"
Releasing a trembling and frightened sigh Alexander forced away such grim thoughts, instead turning his gaze once more to the slowly vanishing wave of memorial lights, hesitating for a moment before sinking to his knees, clasping his hands in prayer to a god he'd never believed in.
It was a desperate, pitiful hope...but at the moment it was all he had, wishing for peace to maybe find those that had died.
He stayed that way, motionless, until at last the final light was snuffed.
Ngl, kinda cried a little bit when making this. More to do with the music selection than my writing talent, I feel.