Chapter 77: Renewal (Part 2)
"Okay, don't throw up, it's fine, you faced down Siren armadas, future machine terminators and have thus far managed a harem of incredibly deadly women with miniaturized battleship armaments for spines without undue friction. It's fine."
"Will repeating it thusly make it so?"
Belfast's familiar and entirely unwanted tone graced Curtis' ears as he wore a groove in the waiting room floor, the Aloadae glaring at the Cruiser as she approached with a glass of water that he downed in less than a second, pleading, "And just why, again, can't I wear a helmet?"
"Because having a masked and unidentifiable giant appear before the masses on the eve of what is meant to be a grand establishment of a new world order based on trust, transparency and cooperation would send the wrong message."
"So should I tell them the part where I was the one who blew most of the previous world leader's to smithereens?"
The maid merely smiled at his dry comment, primly replying, "Our version of transparency, that is."
"The joys of lying to thousands of faces without an ounce of shame."
"...Are you-"
"Kidding, Belfast. Just scared shitless, is all. The most public speaking I ever did was after a round of drinks with the work crew and no one is critiquing your grammar or literary cohesion during that."
The maid nodded in sympathy, halting the pacing male with a hand upon his chest as she calmly stated, "You will do fine, Alexander. True, we did not insist that you make any grand speeches when fighting alongside us but you have proven perfectly capable of being charismatic in your own way."
"Remind me when that was?"
"When you convinced the majority of my sisters to enter into a polyamorous relationship with you, for one."
"I feel like that was more a result of me having the benefit of a direct mental connection than any innate suaveness."
A smug grin adorned the maid's lips.
"We can then say you were speaking directly from the heart."
"Hah hah."
Smoothing down the front of his uniform - a blindingly white monstrosity with the Azur Lane emblem sewn onto its breast with gold epaulets - he took what was probably his twentieth deep, soothing breath…and promptly grumbled, "I should be running experiments on those Wisdom Cubes, not telling people what someone else could do just fine."
"Now you're just being petulant."
"I'd like to think I'm allowed that."
"You are allowed a great many things. Now earn that privilege."
The maid gave Alexander a gentle yet insistent shove towards the door as a distant, amplified voice gave its final remarks, applause and polite cheers filling the air as the man's palms instantly turned clammy.
"Oh fuck this is going to go awful."
But despite every instinct telling him to run and hide the Aloadae forced himself to stride forward onto the stage, eyes roving over the gathered masses without actually seeing them, of the assembled flags, military vessels and innumerable recording devices.
The initial construction of the new Azur Lane had begun three weeks prior and already significant progress could be seen around the islands, warehouses and temporary power generation scattered like pebbles around the landscape while the skeletons and initial infrastructure of larger buildings loomed overhead like the carcasses of decomposed beasts, makeshift but fully functional airstrips and docks loaded down with planes and ships alike as banners from every conceivable nation and people hung from both civilian, military and Shipgirl hull alike, Alexander forcing himself to finally start meeting gazes as his throat went dry.
Off to the side were the more bearable eyes, those of Admirals Harrison, Kirill and Elias alongside a few dozen other officers and high-ranking military officials. Elsewhere, in much larger and far more intimidating qualities, was literally fucking everyone.
The Shipgirls - headed by Nagato and Elizabeth in ornate chairs - were front and center, Richelieu clearly feeling undeserving of a more important arrangement despite her high status as she was with the rest of her sisters, all of them surrounded by the rest of the Marines and other soldiers that had taken part in the assault on the Old Siren facility alongside countless lesser dignitaries and civilian representatives, the occasion momentous enough that everyone who was anyone had shown up.
Taking his place at the podium Alexander took a deep breath, forced himself to keep his expression neutral…and blanked.
"What the fuck was my speech about again?"
[Here are the notes, Master.]
TB came in like the savior she was, clips of text flashing across his vision…and Alexander frantically asked, "Where's the complete package?!"
[It does not exist, Master. You were so nervous about this moment that you neglected to save it electronically, instead keeping it on the slip of paper within your breast pocket. Perhaps you should pull it out and read it verbatim in front of everyone?]
"OH REAL FUNNY."
Sensing the Shipgirls growing increasingly worried, exasperated and amused in equal measure the Aloadae thickly swallowed, TB more calmly stating, [Speak from the heart, Master.]
"Worst advice ever. And I don't have a choice, go figure."
Squaring himself he began to speak, voice amplified to giant-like proportions as every face in the crowd stared his way, enhanced eyesight able to pick out a variety of expressions ranging from awe to curiosity to thankfully rare suspicion or disgust, thousands more indistinguishable at a sufficient distance.
"Less than a year ago I was nobody remotely special, not even close. A run of the mill young man who - just like so many others - had lost his family to the Sirens and was now in a world that had become much smaller and much more terrifying, turning to the military as a means of both revenge and survival."
The lie that he had been a military man rather than a dockworker still felt sour in his mouth but it was a lie with good intent, a much better alternative to revealing that they had been deceiving everyone from the start.
"That world became even more harsh and uncaring when my body was crippled and made invalid by the same machines that had turned me and countless others into an orphan, when it robbed me of what little initiative and free will I had left. And yet again I was nobody special, even as Azur Lane offered me the chance to do what nobody else could, to become something more than Human."
He let a humorless smile adorn his lips, even as dead silence filled the venue.
"Why was I nobody special? Even as I stand before you, with the skin of our enemy, with their metal placed around my body and possessing a height and strength only held by the most curious outliers of our species, with the largest vessel ever seen under my control?"
"Because I prefer to still consider myself Human and for more than a decade Humanity has become something truly unique. Amidst the many stars that light our sky this beautiful planet was chosen out of uncountable others to bear the full brunt of an invasion courtesy of things far, far beyond our meager understanding, things that for whatever unfathomable reason desired our extinction. And what did we do? Fold over and die, overwhelmed by an almost laughable technology and numbers disparity?"
He allowed the borrowed courage from the Shipgirls to bleed into his voice.
"No. No, we fought back no matter how lopsided or horrific our losses were, how crushing our defeats or how inexorable extinction seemed. Humanity did what so many others that came before failed in and persevered, surviving and learning as we took our enemy's strengths as our own, fighting them in air, sea and land."
"That is what makes Humanity special. Our unwillingness to give up, our willingness to fight. And I stand before you today, asking you once more to keep fighting."
The mood of the crowd was impossible to judge, an oppressive silence bearing down on the man as he continued onwards, praying that he would be listened to.
"I wish I could tell you that the Starfall was the last, desperate gasp of our enemy. That we've shut the gates and that they'll never come after us again."
A deep, pointed sigh that wasn't intended to be theatrical but came across as such anyway.
"I'd be lying. The gates are shut and the walls are repaired but the siege continues. And it won't stop until one side is broken and defeated, this is an enemy that doesn't know anything other than to keep going until it can go no further. I also wish I could tell you when they'll be back, that there was one, singular day we could dedicate our efforts to. That too, is a lie."
Only an errant breeze was audible, the distant crashing of waves and creak of metal drowned out by the weight of his speech. A weight he tried to cast aside by drawing himself upright, loudly proclaiming, "But that's no future worth working towards, is it? What use or purpose is there in telling you that we may be forced into a fight for survival once more, when it could be in as little as one day from this very second or one century into the future? It's either the proclamation of an amateur despot, crying and warning of a nebulous danger or a concept so vague and distant that there's little urgency or tangible consequence to it."
Alexander let his eyes drift closed, mildly intoning, "It's not something that future generations should look up to. Not something they should have to endure. But we can't just close our eyes to what's coming, no matter how uncertain and invisible it might be. And to that end…"
"And here we go…"
"The Commander envisioned Azur Lane as a place of refuge for the Shipgirls, free from the stigma that for so long had defined the relationship between our various nations and allow them to foster bonds that would ensure Humanity's prosperity. In the latter years of the war he'd hoped this would serve as a beacon of hope and progress for people the world over, something he'd envisioned even up until his death."
"It was and still is a worthy goal…but my presence changed things, to put it somewhat lightly. Azur Lane became the focal point of the majority of our advancements and research, our hotbed of understanding and comprehension. In short, a concentration of power."
Alexander hardened his expression, forcefully announcing, "That can no longer be the case moving forward. Nor can we pretend that the Sirens will simply leave us alone. To that end the current structure of Azur Lane is changing effective immediately. No longer is it a special branch of what remained of the League of Nations, an ad hoc collection of military, research, industrial and other assorted personnel and resources. The Azur Lane of today is the brain of Humanity, the ultimate authority and arbitrator of what course our species will plot moving forward."
"Azur Lane will additionally do away with its previous enrollment and personnel assignments, where disparate military units or branches would be rotated in and out. We cannot tell Humanity to give up its future based solely on our words, so we will ask you to. The military, research and industrial sectors of the future Azur Lane will be comprised entirely of volunteer forces, men and women who are willing to give up their lives and personal desires in the pursuit of our safety and prosperity."
He folded his arms behind his back - mostly to conceal the nervous shaking - and proclaimed, "If Azur Lane is to be the deciding power that guides us into the future, then its balancing force will be the people that want to serve and further its goals. The organization will always be reliant on those that give of themselves the time and effort to carry out its policies."
"Now for my closing statement…uhh, shit, what do I say?"
"We've endured uncountable trials and tribulations to finally have earned a moment of peace for ourselves, a peace that is tragically all too fragile…but what the Sirens have failed to realize is that this lull is a two way street, that for every day they hide away and ready themselves to return we grow stronger. A strength that will exponentially grow until we stand tall enough to crush them underfoot. Because if we could beat them when we were weak and they were powerful…"
He let a fearsome grin adorn his lips.
"Think of what we'll do when the battlefield is even. An Azur Lane united under one banner, with ranks comprised of those that choose to fight. The Sirens may have started this war, but we'll be the ones to finish it, to visit upon them the same grief and loss we've suffered since the start of this conflict."
In a layered callback to The Commander's words Alexander gravely reminded, "They will not be forgotten," before turning to the collection of Admirals and other Officers, snapping off a salute to signify the end of his speech, an invisible tension gripping the stage as the Aloadae began to worry he'd phoned it in-
-and almost staggered as an unadulterated ROAR of approval that dwarfed any gun he'd heard emanated from the gathered crowds, clapping hands, wild cheers, shouts of approval…all of it in a whirlwind cacophony of different languages, tones, cadences and volumes as Alexander blankly stared in shock, not expecting anything close to this level of raw enthusiasm that seemed poised to collapse newly installed infrastructure.
It took Harrison physically clapping him on the shoulder to snap him out of his funk, the older man smirking as he motioned for the Aloadae to scram, Curtis only too happy to do so as he forced himself to professionally and calmly walk away rather than sprint, reaching the sanctuary of the waiting room and a smirking Belfast.
"I see you forgot to properly record your speech, Master Alexander."
"That I did."
They stared each other down for a second, Belfast's expression swiftly morphing into one of genuine care as she bowed, softly stating, "Speaking from the heart, Master? I dare say you moved a great many by doing so."
"Alright, alright, enough of the mushy stuff, you're gonna make me feel weirder than I already do. Do you have the goods?"
"But of course."
"Thanks, you're my favorite maid ever."
"Considering how often you lay with my sisters I suspect you might find yourself enjoying the company of Sirius, Dido or perhaps even Scylla more than you do my humble self."
"True, but they've yet to give a gift as great as this one."
He reverently accepted the trash can offered by the maid, sweat beginning to bead his brow-
"That was so fucking terrifying. Cheers."
-and promptly began voiding his guts into the basket, Belfast watching the fiasco with a bemused yet undeniably fond air.
"To think the savior of the world is still a silly child in so many ways…"
The maid paused, a sudden thought occurring that she had best begin planning for.
"Many of my sisters were…intense. If Master Alexander truly does bring them back the maid corps might need a security detail specifically dedicated to ensuring they do not devour him."
A particularly wet retch drew Belfast's attention, shaking her head in amusement as she seamlessly handed the man a second bin she'd brought along.
Just in case.
Final chapter is written and in the final phases of proper edits, hence the sprint towards the finish line. Also I should have clarified that it's not the end of the story for good, just the main plotline and what follows afterwards are short stories and stand alones that will be updated at irregular intervals.
That aside anyone oathed Champagne yet? Because I know I did. I was always at a three way tie with Z23, New Jersey and Minneapolis as my personal favorite oath skin but goddamn even a jaded and sourpuss gacha gamer like myself can appreciate the aesthetic. Make that a four way tie and not even a gun to my head could help me pick.