We thirst for the seven wailings.

We bear the koan of Jericho.

My eyes opened to the gentle rocking of the train, the low rumbling of the wheels gliding over steel, and the fading light of the sunset filtered by the blue ocean water outside the windows. I blinked as I took in my surroundings, before my eye focused on the blurry shape of the only other passenger of the train sitting across from me.

It was all my fault.

The voice was soft, solemn, and ironclad.

My decisions, and everything they caused.

Memories came, flitting through my mind's eyes. Places I had not yet been, people I had not yet met, and events that had not yet come to pass. A devastated ruin of a city. A single wolf-eared girl in black with cold eyes leveling her pistol at me. A tablet shattered by three neat bullet holes.

It had to come to this for me to finally realize that you were right all along.

Light filled the train as it breached the surface of the sea and I finally saw the other rider. She was a girl younger than I, dressed in a smart white uniform marked with symbols of her station. A curious white halo marked by a blue star floated above her head. Despite our strange circumstances, she sat with perfect polite poise. It did little to disguise the wounds on her hands and face, and seemed to only serve to hide the blood soaking into the side of her uniform. But even in this twilight between worlds, even with the wounds, she carried about her the air of a leader.

I didn't have to look down at myself to know I was hardly in better shape. The cloying stench of ash and fire that clung to me, the lack of sight from my right eye, and the way I only felt liquid dripping off where my right elbow should have begun. We were two dying souls, slowly but inevitably on the way down. The smallest trace of a sad smile on the girl's face confirmed I looked as bad to her as she did to me.

So forgive me for being so bold, but I must ask for your help.

Was I in a position to help? Should I be a position to help? Even if the reasons slipped through my hands, I knew without a doubt that I could never be trusted. No, that I should never be trusted. That it was a mist-

**** Sensei,

The questions and objections I had died on my tongue as the nameshe called me choked out my thoughts. She continued, either unnoticing or uncaring of the effects the name had on me.

You'll forget these words. But it won't matter. Even without your memories, you'll probably make the same decision in the same situation. Therefore, I believe what matters most are the choices we make, not the experiences we have.

There are choices only you can make.

More thoughts flickered into consciousness. A shining vibrant city which had not yet known the cruelties of the future. Haloed girls with myriad features cheerfully going about their day, armed as they were. A hand reaching out to receive a clean, smart tablet.

I've spoken of responsibility before. I didn't understand it then, but now I do. Adulthood, responsibility, obligation... and the choices you make that extend beyond those ideals.

I even understand their implications.

Heavy was the soul the wore the crown, that felt the chains of command drag upon their wrist, and weighed the lives of those who trusted them. To carry the hope of those around you was a terrible burden, one that struck a longing regret within me. I understood now that, perhaps, what I was remembering were not my memories. They were what she... no, what WE had to lose. The things that would be at stake in this deal between those who are to depart.

Therefore, Sensei…

She was taking more and more pauses. I didn't need to be a surgeon to know there wasn't much time left. The colour was draining from her face, and I felt what few undamaged structures I had left buckling and failing.

… you are the only one I can trust. Only you can free us from this twisted, distorted fate… and find the choices that will lead us to a new reality.

I coughed, the sharp wet noise interrupting her as I felt fluid filling my good lung. I rallied what strength I had left and spoke; my voice a raspy rattle that echoed throughout the train.

You… think better of me… than myself… Are… you sure?

The edges of my sight were beginning to fade already. It looks like I would be the first to go. But not before I saw the corners of the girl's lips twitch up. It was the best smile either of us could muster in this situation. In the murky black of unconsciousness, I heard her voice clear as day.

I'm sure. So, Sensei, Please…

I shot awake with a gasp. My breaths came in gulping breaths as I shook off the fading echoes of the… nightmare? That I woke up from. I tried to remember what it was, but I couldn't remember any of it. I pulled myself up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes when I came to a new, equally significant problem.

Which was that I had hands. And eyes. And given that my breathing was picking up again, I certainly had lungs too! Despite everything I literally felt and the shock that was gripping my thoughts, I knew one fact: I should not be a person. I was a ship. Something made of steel, oil, and wood. Not just any ship, a battleship! The greatest naval artillery ever to be put to sea! I was…

The name slipped through my grasp, the mental fog playing havoc on my mind. I sat up straight and took deep slow breaths, fighting for control of my reactions. It took a few minutes but as I calmed down, I remembered it. My name was… Nelson. Yes, that was it. His Majesty's Ship Nelson. Name ship of my class and proud member of the Big Seven. I served in the greatest war my country had ever seen before I was put off to reserves. After that? Nothingness, until waking up in this place.

"Speaking of…" I muttered, taking note of my voice. A bit higher pitched but with an underlying weight to it. Even if I had never spoken before, it felt right to my ears.

But more importantly, where was I? Now that my faculties and nerves weren't flapping about, I could take in and examine my surroundings. An office with tastefully simply wood furniture and accents. A large desk faced the only entrance into the room, atop which sat a tablet computer. A chair behind the desk and a chair in front for visitors. Bookshelves and cabinets dominated both sides of the wall. The only other furniture seemed to be the sofa I was on, placed against the wall next to the door and paired with a small coffee table. Aside from that, the only notable feature was the large window that made up the wall behind the desk.

All in all, a fairly standard office. The quality of the furniture and its location suggested an office for someone of importance. Perhaps an executive or political officer? Whispered memories from my crew agreed that this would be the most reasonable conclusion.

Wait. Hold that thought. My Crew? Was I haunted? I felt a stirring in response. Memories, thoughts, and feelings from people long passed which implied I was just recalling what they once knew. But the fact that this only happened after I asked a question didn't quite fill me with confidence.

I put that thought aside. There would be plenty of time to consider the existential questions posed by me possessing the memories of my former crew. There was one thing that I didn't see when I looked about the office: A mirror. But I did have options. It wasn't perfect, but a well-polished window like the one in the back of the office would work as an ad-hoc mirror.

I stood up, noting how I could see over the top of the furniture around me, and crossed the room in a few long confident strides. Drawing closer, I finally got a good look at myself.

I was tall. That was my first impression of myself as I examined my reflection. An extremely tall woman with a diamond-shaped face looked back at me, blue eyes glinting with curiosity. I had to be what, almost 195 centimeters tall with my boots on? I noticed a black hairband keeping my bangs out of my face. I hadn't even felt that.

My gaze moved down to look at the rest of my outfit. I wore a double-breasted jacket in 507C Grey, a rather short skirt in 507A Grey, and stockings in 507B grey. My shoes, however, were the strangest thing thus far. High heeled ankle boots fashioned entirely from metal. In fact, based on the coloration, they made for more than a passing resemblance for my bow. The only things breaking up my outfit's tones were the splashes of red on the soles of my boot, my red neckerchief tied into a rose, and my ship's badge pinned to my lapel.

Reaching behind my shoulder, I pulled my hair into view. Long voluminous blonde strands met my hands. It was long, almost down to my waist. While most of it was straight, it seemed to curl messily at the ends. I didn't need the memories from my crew to know it would be a pain to clean and dry, but the way the hair moved and felt was enrapturing to me.

Overall, I had to admit: I looked… good. Attractive, if the standards of my crew were anything to go by. Long toned legs, a more than generous bust, and a confident smile. Yet there was something distinctly off about how I looked. Perhaps it was just the fact I was a ship, in human form. It would take a while, but I was certain that I'd get used to it.

It was only then that the sight outside of the window caught up to me. The cityscape stretching into the horizon didn't match anything in my crew's memories. Countless clean white and blue skyscrapers lined the streets as far as I could see and stretched out to the horizon. I spotted some sort of sigil in the sky above, floating without origin.

"Where is this…?" I asked aloud, the shock stilling all other thoughts. Wherever this was, it wasn't the United Kingdom of my time. But there was nothing else in the room that answered my questions. If that was the case, then there was only one option. Find something or someone that had answers for me. Afterall, I couldn't be the only one in this building.

Or at least that was the plan, until I got to the door. I gave the doorknob a twist and, to my displeasure, felt nothing engage. I tried again, this time pulling at the same time. Still nothing. It seems it was locked, and reinforced as well. It tracks with what I assumed from this room, but it did mean I was stuck here.

Unless…

I looked down at my right arm and flexed, opening and closing my hand as I gauged my strength. I could tell from instincts that if I really wanted to, I could quite easily demolish the door. But that would put the entire building on alert at best, or mark me as a hostile threat at worst. Neither would be conducive to getting answers.

Well, if I wasn't going anywhere soon, I might as well make myself comfortable. I plopped myself back on the sofa that started this whole mess, the cloth and wood furniture groaning in protest. Someone would come in eventually. Then I would get my answers. But, while I was waiting, I might as well help myself to a drink.

There didn't seem to be anything for guests in the room though, and I didn't have anyth—I paused as something keyed in my mind. I didn't have anything on me, right? A whispered feeling told me I did. I concentrated on that thread and saw something form in my mind's eye. It was… an inventory report of everything I had in my stores. Which implied I still had access to my stores. I chased the feeling deeper, knowing there was more to this report than just inventory. I concentrated on something familiar, past the various drinkware listed in the report. Something I knew well. A rum glass and accompanying coaster.

My eyes almost popped out of my head when the feeling connected to its destination and the exact rum glass and coaster I was thinking of simply appeared in my hands. But was I limited to retrieving them or could I store it back as well? With another concentrated twist of my will, the phantasmal cutlery vanished as if they were never there. Another twist and there they were again.

Well. That was decided the weirdest thing myself or my crew have seen. Still, at least I could have a drink without going through this room's owners own stores. I paged through the inventory, trying to find an appropriate drin-

"What do you mean I have no alcohol!" I cried out in dismay as I reached the end of the report's section on drinks. The only thing I had on board was water, milk, tea, and iced coffee. I resolved to fix this injustice as soon as I was able to. For now, I watched on in disturbed fascination as the iced drink slowly filled up my glass.

I sighed, rubbing my temple as I fought off the forming headache. "I do hope my host is having a better day than I am."

Naganami Rin, Chief Administrative Officer and Vice President of the General Student Council, was not having a good day. No, scratch that. She was not having a good week. The President had suddenly disappeared without warning or notice. The Sanctum Tower was beyond their reach withher absence. With it out of reach, so too was the ability to keep the city running. The GSC was powerless, left to wait and flounder until the President's return. There was hope in the first few days that she was just out of contact and would return soon. Now though, as the one-week mark came and went, the reality of what was happening finally sunk in: They were on their own.

She was trying her best but the fact was that the President, for all her quirkiness, was incredibly capable. She kept everything running smoothly with an ease Rin had never really appreciated before. Now that she was gone, the GSC were left to pick up the pieces for a puzzle they had never even seen before. A task which they had to complete, lest the city collapse entirely. A task they were failing.

Rin rubbed the exhaustion out of her eyes as the elevator reached her office's floor, stepping out with the boxes of paperwork in hand. The GSC was barely hanging on but she had one hope. The President had left her a set of contingency letters with instructions on what to do in this event. True, they all hinged on a single individual. An individual they had no way of contacting, no knowledge of their time table, or any real information. The only thing they had was a name, a basic description, and a damaged dossier.

… Perhaps she was putting too much stock on her friend. The President had a strange humor and she couldn't quite write this off as a poorly timed joke sent before she vanished. She wanted to believe that the President would know better than to joke about such things but the thought lingered on her mind.

With that foreboding sense of dread, Rin unlocked the door to her office and moved to open the door. It was a struggle to use the doorknob with her hands full, but fortunately somebody was already on hand to help pull it open. She managed a brief "Thank You" before absentmindedly crossing the open sunlit office and depositing the mountain of documents onto her desktop. She stepped back, frowning as she gazed past the physical memorial of her troubles out to the cityscape behind, where she saw the occasional signs of active combat. The only thing to break the monotony of her thoughts was the quiet clinking of ice against glass.

She wasn't alone.

The realization struck Rin like a bolt of lightning. She was on one of the highest and, accordingly, most secure floors of the GSC Building. Her office was further reinforced with the best technology available to prevent intrusion. She didn't have an assistant to help her, never mind one that would be left unsupervised in her office.

Instincts built from training kicked in and she spun around. She drew her handgun at the same time, the weapon smoothly coming up into a two-handed grip. Her eyes scanned the area for the intruder but it was impossible to miss them casually sitting on the sofa with a glass in their hand.

"Who are you?" Rin asked, voice sharp as her mind ran down the possibilities, "How did you get in here?"

With her eyes staring down the sights, Rin finally had a good look at the Intruder. It was an Adult(!) woman without a halo, their long messy sandy blonde hair almost reaching their waist. They wore a uniform coloured in shades of grey and white, none of which matched any academy Rin knew of. A single red necktie folded in the shape of a rose, a black ribbon hairband, and a pin badge on her lapel were the only decorations she saw. However, what caught her the most was the Intruder's eyes. Despite the casual smile on their lips, the Intruder's grey-blue eyes were carefully tracking Rin's handgun.

There was something achingly familiar about this Intruder. Even as Rin tried to recall where she had seen them before, the Intruder gave her a cheerful wave.

"My apologies Miss," The Intruder said, their voice crisp and proud, booming with the confidence of a seasoned orator, "I did not intend to frighten you like that."

"You aren't answering my questions." Rin immediately shot back, thumb clicking the safety of her gun.

If the Intruder recognized the acerbic tone in her voice, they didn't show it. Rin watched as they slowly returned the glass in their hand back to the coaster on the table between them. With the glass back in its proper place, the Intruder turned their attention back to Rin.

"Of course, where are my manners. If I may stand?"

Rin paused for a moment before nodding. She had enough evidence to believe this Intruder wasn't actively hostile. If they were some sort of assassin, there would be a lot less polite dialogue and a lot more shooting. But that still didn't answer who exactly they were.

The Int-Stranger beamed at her before standing up. And up. And up. Rin managed to keep her expression neutral and free of shock as she watched them stand to their full height, towering over her and even most of the furniture. They stretched, their arcing back straining the buttons on their clasped jacket. Then, in a sudden burst, they brought their heels together with a loud metallic "CLINK". At the same time, their right arm came up with mechanical precision into an angled salute.
"We are His Majesty's Ship Nelson, 1st Ship of the Nelson-class Battleships! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

With Nelson's name given, it all clicked into place. The dossiers provided by the President for her described the Adult as a tall foreign officer with long blonde hair. The name scribbled into the paperwork had simply provided the name "Nelson". Finally, now that Nelson was standing, she saw the same lion symbol sketched in the paperwork on the lapel pin.

There was no denying it. The person before her was the Adult that the President had summoned to be the Sensei for Kivitos. They certainly had the bearing of an officer of sorts with the salute speaking to well-practiced training.

But then the rest of the introduction set in. Despite the beaming expression Nelson was directing her, despite the gun in her grip, and despite the ongoing crisis in the city; Rin couldn't help but bring her head into her hands and let loose a long-suffering groan. It seems her gut was right. Even in a time of crisis, the President managed one last practical joke.

I watched as the girl seemed to momentarily lapse into despair, even as I smiled at her with a confidence I didn't quite feel. I didn't know who I was expecting to cross the doorway, but I was expecting someone human. Or, well, closer to my crew and the people in their memories.

The girl that walked in looked mostly the part. But the three starred halo, the hair that was blue on the inside, and the elf ears distinctly marked her as not being human. Or at least, not the same type as the ones I was more familiar with. Her sense of dress was quite familiar though, even if the embellishments were a higher quality than what I was used to for civil servants.

But beleaguered bureaucrats were the same everywhere, and this girl was one. The way her arms were too loaded down with documents, the bags under her eyes, and the defeated air about her. She seemed younger than I expected from someone with this office, but this was a strange new world.

It had been more than a moment now, and the girl still had her face in her hands. Surely, she'd recover soon? But when the moment stretched to almost a minute and the air began to grow awkward, I decided to take back the initiative. First, offer a way out.

"Miss? Are you feeling unwell?" I asked, dropping my salute as I relaxed my poise and expression.

The girl kept her head buried in her hands before taking a deep breath, seeming to collect and calm herself. Then she pulled herself up, holstered her pistol, and fixed me with a perfectly neutral expression.

"Pardon me, I'm sorry you had to see that." The girl said with a bow of her head. "It's been a difficult week and your arrival was… unexpected."

I chuckled, letting more of the upper lip fall to the wayside. "I could see as much. You certainly seemed to be distracted when I let you in, Miss…?"

Second, steer the conversation back to your goal. That, in this case, being to get more information.

The girl blushed slightly, seeming to realize her mistake, before she answered. "Nanagami Rin, Chief Administrative Officer and Vice President of the General Student Council."

That was a Japanese name, so Surname followed by Given Name. The fact I recognized the naming convention raised a few more questions, but I just added them to The List. There were other things to consider for now.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nanagami." I said, stepping closer and offering my hand. Rin, for her part, didn't hesitate before clasping my hand with her own. A firm solid grip, that still felt more than a bit soft in the palm. "I must admit, my arrival at this office was quite unexpected. I was hoping you could help me with some questions I had."

I watched Rin's expressions flip through several complex expressions before she settled on a restrained smile. She walked over sat herself behind her desk before answering me. "Of course. I have a few questions of my own that I would like to ask as well."

"It would be my pleasure. May I take the seat?"

"Please."

I sat in the offered chair and we both flinched slightly at the sound of it groaning. When we were both sure it was nowhere close to collapsing, Rin took out a manilla folder from one of the desk's drawers and flipped it open. She examined it closely before turning her attention back to me. "I was informed of your arrival but, unfortunately, the President didn't leave me with much information. I have to ask; how exactly did you get in here?"

I frowned as I tried to figure out how to explain 'I woke up on your sofa with no memories beyond being a ship' in a way that didn't sound crazy. The silence must have given Rin an answer of some sort, and I could see the stiff smile fade.

"You have no idea, do you."

There was no question to her tone, just a statement of fact. No sense in drawing it out. "I must admit, I simply found myself in this room."

"Were you told anything about your job here at Kivotos? Your role as a teacher?"

"None whatsoever."

"Do you know anything about the President?"

"I doubt the president I know is the one being referenced."

With every answer I gave her, Rin's smile faded more and more and now the girl looked as tired as when she walked into the room. I felt a bit of guilty. The girl was clearly overworked as was, and here I was giving her more to stress about.

"But you can tell me more about yourself, correct?"

"Of course! My service record and history are the one thing I can recall with certainty." I replied, nodding with a proud smile. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was myself.

"Including…" Rin started, hesitating for a moment before forcing her point forward, "your claims about being a ship?"

I nodded, motioning with my hand for her to continue. She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before she turned on the tablet computer next to her. Bringing forward her keyboard, she looked back to me and asked, "Then how about this? We shall take turns asking questions. I will attempt to explain the situation you are in, and you can help me fill out your profile."

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Would you like to begin?"

Rin shook her head. "No, I believe you likely have more questions. Please feel free to start."

"Well in that case," I leaned in, letting the confusion gnawing at me finally show in my expression, "where exactly am I?"

AN: You know, I've been around for quite a lot of the "X gets summoned into Y setting" fanfics. From Fate/Stay Night, to Zero no Tsukaima, and to the Fate/Grand Order. I've never been quite inspired to join in but, for some reason, the idea of a Blue Archive fanfic bit me and didn't quite let go. I will be trying to fit game dialogue where it makes sense as a signpost to canon, but diverging canons means this will obviously fade or alter as things go.

First time actually posting stuff so I apologize in advance for any quality issues but I would enjoy feedback. I do write in batches/advance, so the changes might not appear for a chapter or two so as to keep a good pace.