"I can find my way from here, Commander. It's been a pleasure and nice to finally meet you. Don't make us wait around too long, I'm itching for a fight with this new gear."
"Something tells me the fight is coming to us whether we like it or not. Come to me if you have any issues, Maryland. You can also speak with Cleveland. She's set herself up as something of a dormitory manager for the Union building," Thorson advised as the two of them stood just outside his office.
"I'll keep that in mind. See you for dinner!" Maryland saluted and bade him farewell, leaving Thorson to turn and walk right into South Dakota's prominent bosom, clad in far too little black leather and laces. She had been lying in wait just inside his office.
"There are prisoners, warriors. You are unprotected. I could have killed you. They could kill you. You need a shield," she spoke succinctly and slowly, not seeming to mind in any way that he'd impacted her breasts and steadied himself by placing a hand on her hips. It unnerved Thorson. Pennsylvania, Arizona, or the Fusou sisters didn't mind incidental contact, but at least they acknowledged it, even welcomed it. South Dakota didn't even seem to understand it as he took a step back and looked her up and down. What he could not dispute was that her rigging was inherently defensive, a shield emblazoned with the state's seal on each hand and her turrets and hull positioned in such a way as to shelter her from incoming shells. In the middle of it all was her creamy, caramel skin and passive expression. She was a conundrum, accentuated by the fact that unlike Indianapolis, her skin color was not due to a tan.
"You're an Indian?" He asked curiously.
"Should I not be?" She replied equally. To her surprise Thorson smiled.
"That is a most curious question, isn't it? I'll admit I never would have expected the cubes to create an Eagle Union warrior in the mold of a native, but then again I shouldn't be surprised at this point. We've already got a negro on the base, might as well have one of your kind too."
"He is no shield…but his food was good," South Dakota replied, leading to a casual but awkward standoff where both of them looked one another over without much to say. Had it been December 1941, Thorson would have certainly asked why she felt the need to wear clothing that didn't even fully cover her areolae, but given the fact that Shiratsuyu and many others could change their outfits at will within certain parameters, he figured it was what she wanted. He opted for something a bit more tactful.
"Aren't you cold?"
"Isn't it warm?" She parried immediately. He grinned. Her face remained impassive.
"Did you need anything from me, South Dakota?"
"To be your shield."
"Are those your orders?" He wondered. If California and the others had been given any missive other than 'make it to the base alive', he'd not heard of it.
"I have no orders. I am a tool. I was thrown away in favor of carriers, but I am still me," South Dakota explained in a manner both direct and somehow roundabout. "Only in service is there value and only in value is there meaning. My cubes yearn for meaning."
Thorson took a moment to step out of the doorway and back into the sunshine, contemplating what South Dakota had told him. Her mentality, though concerning, would fit perfectly into his floating fortress tactics. It was also true that Jintsuu and Naka were still technically threats, women who had been trained in martial arts. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," he decided, extending his hand to her. "Welcome to the base, South Dakota. I think you'll fit in well with what I'm planning here."
"Thank you, Commander. When do we leave?"
"Leave?"
"To fight the enemy," she clarified, leading him to wonder if all of his new acquisitions were so eager to trade shells with the Sakura.
"I was hoping you would have been given orders to that effect," Thorson admitted, leaning against the concrete exterior of the radio bunker and motioning for South Dakota to be at ease. To his exasperation she moved to his side and stood rigidly, surveying the surrounding area. The awkward silence had just begun settling in again when it was broken by a jovial new addition to the base. California and Tennessee had just left the Union dormitories and, upon seeing him, proceeded down the cement walkway to join him.
"Hey Commander, just wanted to say thanks again for taking care of my big sis while I was gone! It's great to be here! Are we allowed down on the beach?" She asked rapidly in an unquenchable happiness that reminded him of Akashi, Portland, or Cleveland.
"So long as you don't have other duties to attend to I don't see why not," he agreed.
"Oh? What duties are those?" California wondered.
"Skinny dipping every night and keeping your rigging oiled," Tennessee remarked sarcastically.
"No one's saying you have to enjoy the onsen, Tennessee," Thorson replied easily.
"Unlike the rest of those buxom tarts with their tails and ears I actually need to let my muscles rest," Tennessee replied. "They're just there for your viewing pleasure."
"Tennessee, I haven't seen you this angry since yesterday," Thorson remarked with a smirk, causing California to practically fall over herself with laughter and surprise.
"You do like him, Tenn! Oh my God, this is great!"
"Caliiiii," Tennessee warned dangerously, glaring at the smile on Thorson's mug. "I'm sending you right back out to sea if you keep this up."
"I need all the firepower I can get Tennessee, even with your barrage ability. She's going to have to stay," Thorson shrugged as though it were beyond his power. Tennessee redirected her anger onto the only remaining target as her sister and Thorson both proved impervious and she didn't want to actually bloody either of them.
"And what the hell do you think you're doing, standing there like some sort of arm candy?" Tennessee demanded of South Dakota.
"I am his shield." South Dakota's reply had Tennessee's eyes glinting with malice and in a flash she lunged forward, striking out with a powerful right hook. South Dakota didn't flinch, procuring her rigging and blocking the strike with her left shield.
"Impudent little bitch. You dare claim the role of his protector when you just got here? When you've never traded fire with the enemy?!" She swung again, backing it up with a tandem blast from her own rigging as Thorson stepped back and pulled California along with him. She giggled and took the chance to lean against him.
"My big, strong Commander! You'd be right at home on one of my beaches," she insisted happily. "Thanks for getting me out of their way. Is she always like this here?"
"Comes and goes," he shrugged. "I'm from San Diego, by the way. Have you had a chance to visit?"
California's bright blue eyes lit up. "Yes! West Virginia and I both had a lot of time when our ships were undergoing repairs. My trip was pretty easy but she went all the way to the eastern Union! I think it was good for her though. Pearl Harbor was hard on everyone and she's got a new sense of purpose, if you don't mind my saying. For me it was good to see the beaches again, to see people playing and loving and just living their lives. We protect that and it's a wonderful thing. Oh dear, Tenn may be a bit outmatched. South Dakota is hot off the presses, new guns, new radar…"
"But your sister has old guts," Thorson assured California, watching as Tennessee staggered her fire and forced South Dakota to remain on the defensive. The native shipgirl only managed to turn the tables by backing over terrain until Tennessee stumbled on the walkway and both of them went down in a scrum of metal and limbs.
"Don't just fire, keep surveying your surroundings," South Dakota advised, enraging Tennessee so fully that she actually reared back and head-butted the newest addition to Thorson's fleet square between the eyes.
"SHUT UP!"
"Alright that's enough!" Thorson roared before anything could deteriorate further, striding forward and pulling Tennessee off of South Dakota by her rigging. The fire in her eyes refused to die even as he held them with his own steel blue gaze. "Save it for the enemy, Tennessee."
"She has no right!" The blonde veteran shouted furiously.
"She volunteered; something no one else has done yet despite the fact that I know you all take the safety of this base and your comrades very seriously. I saw no reason to deny her," he explained as Tennessee heaved heavy breaths and brushed her hair out of her eyes. South Dakota had regained her feet as well and wiped a small trickle of blood from her brow before the wound closed.
"That was thrilling. I would be honored if you would spar with me again," she requested. "Your fury is equal to a wolf pack."
"How would you know about wolf packs?" Tennessee scoffed.
"I have hunted with them in the spirit world."
"Uh...what?" Thorson requested, looking to California for guidance. She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders, her coattails fluttering in a breeze behind her toned legs. "Alright…spirit realms aside, Tennessee has a point."
"I do? I mean…of course," the flustered battleship agreed as Thorson turned to South Dakota.
"If you want combat experience South Dakota, Tennessee is the best you'll find anywhere. She's competent, merciless, and doesn't go easy on anyone. She's the one who got Downes to where she is today. Tennessee, consider these your new orders. The two of you will be sharing the front lines next time we go to battle."
"What about Downes, sir?" Tennessee demanded.
"I wasn't aware you were operating in a master-apprentice dynamic. I leave that decision to you. Not sure why you all can't train together."
"Yes sir. Next time I'll break those shields, South Dakota."
"I look forward to our training, Tennessee," she replied. Thorson couldn't tell how for the life of him, but somehow the hatchet seemed to be buried. Perhaps the fact that South Dakota was so eager to trade blows had endeared her to the combat veteran? He couldn't be sure but he was glad that there would hopefully be no further exchanges of gunfire outside of training sessions. Glancing to his left and finding about half his fleet watching from the safety of the two dorms in the distance, he was sure they felt the same.
"Feel free to enjoy the beach for today, California," Thorson advised before leaning a bit closer and lowering his voice. "And look after your sister, would you?"
"Aye aye, sir!" She whispered back jovially before bouncing over to Tennessee's side. "Sis, c'mon! You have to show me the beach! Ooh, do you have a swimsuit? I wanna see!"
To the Commander's pleasant surprise, Tennessee actually smiled thinly and huffed a breath at her sister's perpetually upbeat attitude. "Alright Cali, c'mon then. And no, I don't have one. PT gear works just fine. Commander…don't stop watching your back just because you have her," she warned in parting.
"Wasn't planning on it Tennessee. See you later," he affirmed, knowing he would see them at the mess hall later in the day. California was already insisting that Tennessee come up with a bikini for herself. Instead he turned to face South Dakota, who had brushed some dirt off her legs and was now standing at his side again. "You plan on sticking around for paperwork?"
"Does a shield have free will?" She wondered back at him as Shiranui floated up the stairs from the base, a thin stack of papers in her hands.
"Is that really all you believe you are?" He demanded. When South Dakota was not forthcoming with an answer he rubbed his chin and shrugged. "Alright, we'll work on it. Shiranui, good afternoon."
"Hello, idiot Shikikan. I have new estimates on our resource consumption with the addition of five more Union battleships," she reported, floating up to him and then through him again into his office. There was no doubt in his mind at that point that she was doing it on purpose.
"Thank you. I'll review it."
"And I also have a report from the chief mechanic. She's been on the inside of the Downes and Laffey, and reports that we will need to build new repair facilities specifically for these ships. They are not like anything in any known naval force."
"Understood," Thorson replied seriously. "I'll take a look at her request first."
"I believe it would be best if we went through it together," the ghost rabbit insisted, her face impassive as her spirit fire cast dancing shadows over the walls of the office. Thorson accepted the papers and regarded her a moment. South Dakota looked on impassively, sensing that she was not required in that moment.
"Fine by me," Thorson agreed, taking a seat as Shiranui floated a bit lower to remain at a similar height. "But wouldn't you rather be outside enjoying the day?"
"I would not worry about that, idiot Shikikan."
"You should not call him that. He is not an idiot, is he?" South Dakota interjected. The two ships looked impassively at one another for a long time.
"I do it so that he always remembers to strive, even in time of victory and…plenty," Shiranui explained, making no secret of the fact that she was staring at South Dakota's proudly displayed chest. "I will never understand Union apparel decisions."
"Maybe it's because they don't have cute ears and tails," Thorson suggested kindly before drawing attention away from the new shipgirl. "And why shouldn't I worry about you enjoying some sun and breeze?"
"Because it will not last, Shikikan. Now, the chief bulin believes we will need additional cranes and stores of rare alloys in these quantities. Supply lines with Australia will become a top priority…"
True to Shiranui's warning, the beautiful early spring day did not last as clouds rolled in after lunch and grew darker and darker throughout the day. By the time dinner had been served the docks were drenched in a torrential thunderstorm, as though the heavens sought to herald the changing of the seasons in a place that was tropical almost all year round. Sadly for Fredrick Miles and the kitchen staff, even the extra time spent cleaning up after the final meal of the day was not enough for the storm to abate, and by the time he saw Hatsuharu and her friends to their dormitory he was soaked to the bone. Even in the relatively warm climate he found himself shivering slightly. At least the portion of the walkway between the Sakura and Union dormitories was covered thanks to Akashi and her crew, constantly at work to care for the base. The motif was Japanese, even near the Union dorms, but no one begrudged her design choices. Standing under that shelter for a moment, Miles debated the merits of warming himself in the onsen. He did not begrudge Commander Thorson his seeming ease at existing around so many attractive weapons at once, but that didn't make things any easier for him. The glowing lanterns and playful voices from inside the Sakura dormitories called out to him, and eventually he decided to approach, leaving his shoes in the appropriate place, removing his soaked socks, and heading inside.
"Oh, good evening ma'am, ma'am" he stammered as he rounded a corner and found Ark Royal and Yamashiro in the hallway. Ark held a finger to her lips as she gently shut the wood frame door of a room on the right side of the building. With another motion they requested he turn back the way he came, speaking to him when they arrived at the entrance of the building.
"Sorry, Fredrick. We just managed to get the three little ones to sleep," Yamashiro explained with a flick of her tail. Ark nodded and addressed him.
"Didn't mean to trouble you. And there's no reason to refer to me that way. Ark will do just fine."
"I uh…I'll work on that ma'am. I mean uh, thank you," he replied.
"Don't sweat it, kid. You're doing fine. Thanks for dinner. See you around, Yamashiro."
"Goodnight, Ark-san. Stay dry!" The battleship saw her friend off as Miles remained at her side. "You are already so wet; why not just walk through the courtyard? It's not very long," she suggested.
"Probably best not to track water on the wood floors. Yeah, I'll do that. Have a good evening, ma'am."
"I'm not old! Please just call me Yamashiro," she affirmed with ears on alert, bowing politely before heading off down the other hallway to the left side of the dorm, perhaps to look after the prisoners. His course set, Miles walked barefoot into the rain again. The trip was short as Yamashiro had promised, to the point that he wondered why he simply didn't do it on normal days. Then he reminded himself that the well maintained courtyard was usually full of shipgirls enjoying the gardens and peaceful scenery. That night though, there was nothing but him and the stone lanterns, their homely glow accented by the silvery downpour. When he finally emerged into the onsen he found it much the same, with sheets of rain mingling with the steaming water and pouring off the roof of the bar and lounge area. The young man heaved a sigh of relief and proceeded several meters down the pool before casting a furtive glance over his shoulder, unwrapping his towel and entering the bath. He had just begun to feel the cold seep from his bones when laughter and voices came from the girl's bathroom.
"Let's go skinny dipping in the rain Ooshio, wan~!"
"Wait fer me, Yuudachi!"
"Last one in's a yuckykaze!"
"I'll have your tail for that, bakainu!"
"Don't slip and fall, you lot," Pennsylvania called after them as at least seven Sakura destroyers and Pennsylvania emerged into the onsen. Fredrick was already gone, gathering his towel and firearm and proceeding around the other side of the large rocky outcropping to the runoff pool. Without any manmade light in the area it was necessary for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. His heart almost stopped when a flash of lightning overhead illuminated the pool, the forests, and sea beyond for a brief moment. When the rolling thunder died down he was staring at a pair of radiant green eyes.
"If it weren't for the lightning I wouldn't have seen you there! That dark skin of yours must make it easy to sneak around on a night like this," Houston greeted him warmly, submerged from the neck down off to his left where she was allowing some of the water streaming down the rocks to massage her neck and shoulders as it splashed into the pool. "Hey, where are you going? It's not like I accused you of trying to peep on me or anything."
"No I just erm…Miss Houston I didn't," Fredrick tried, his feet rooted to the spot as she casually looked his way.
"They're pretty rambunctious, aren't they?" Houston continued, capable of faintly hearing Shigure, Yuudachi, and their friends even from their position. "I just wanted a little peace and quiet. Why don't you join me? As I said, it's not like I can really see you."
"You uh…don't mind, miss?" he wondered. Houston laughed kindly, resting her thin arms against the rocks behind her
"Why would I mind? You're not scared of me, are you? I know the rest are really powerful, but I'm still trying to get my strength back after Java. The water helps, you know? So does your food!"
"That's mighty kind of you to say, Miss Houston." She laughed anew at the honorific.
"Maybe I could get used to being called that. It has a certain ring to it! Fredrick, seriously…you can sit down. You must be cold."
"Ah…ok," he agreed, moving to the other side of the pool and sitting against the stones that formed the outermost barrier of the onsen. Those green eyes followed him closely and she shook her head as he sat down. To his abject terror she stood from where she was seated and began wading towards him, her alabaster body absolutely visible in the low light. A far off bolt of lightning gave him a full view of her tiny, perky chest, her shoulder length pink hair, and her toned midriff.
"You know," she began as she sat a respectful distance from him, a couple feet separating the two as Miles seriously contemplated throwing himself off the cliff just behind him. "For a man who claims not to be afraid of me, you look like you're afraid of me."
"It's just…it's not proper," Miles murmured. Houston barely heard him over the rain as the palms and bamboo swayed in the wind.
"What isn't?"
"Someone like me talking to a woman like you."
"What? Why not?!" Houston demanded.
"Well you're a white woman and…" Fredrick trailed off, keeping his hands in his lap to cover his privates. It was little comfort that she had no way of seeing what was beneath the water given the conditions.
"Fredrick, I'm not a white woman. I'm a Northampton class cruiser," she chuckled, scooching closer to him and grabbing his shoulder as he moved to maintain distance. "Is it that you like Hatsuharu?"
"Wha?! N-no! Hastuharu is just…well she's Japanese and she's very kind. But she's a fragile young lady. We cook and talk together. I wouldn't think of that."
"Yeah, I'll agree with you there. She's a tender soul," Houston agreed, stretching her hands above her head and wincing. "It's still there, heh. That dog hits hard! But it's good, isn't it? Yuudachi and her sister are in the fight while Hatsuharu and Shiratsuyu are away from the front. It's where they should be, don't you think?"
"I would say so, Miss Houston."
"That's one of Commander Thorson's strong points, I think. He lets us find what's best for us, and he lets us do it. I'm really glad he found me. I wouldn't be alive otherwise."
"That really puts things in perspective," Miles agreed soberly. "Makes bathing in a thunderstorm not seem so crazy. The Commander is…from what I can tell he's a good man. Only white man that ever handed me a gun, saw me as something other than a cook."
"Yep yep! So don't you think that maybe you'll find where you should be too?" Houston suggested.
"I already am," Fredrick insisted. "I'm fighting for my country now…if the enemy comes here I can shoot back. And bellies need to be filled. Might as well be me."
"Hehe," Houston tittered. "That's a good point, Fredrick. And as far as I'm concerned we're lucky to have you. That cute little snow fox girl with the eye charm, Kasumi? She checks on me every day to make sure I eat enough to recover from having my ship broken in half. Thanks to you, Shiratsuyu, and everyone else it's no problem! All I need is a cube or two and I'll be back in the fight for real!"
"I still can't believe they all joined us. To fight against their own nation…"
"Well I don't think that's really all there is to it," Houston insisted as the two of them relaxed a bit. She felt her cube humming nicely at the conversation with a man. It was pleasant and something new. Commander Thorson was an authority figure. Fredrick Miles was just another soldier. "We have another enemy to fight and they want to fight with us. I think it's actually more remarkable that you chose to fight for a country that wouldn't even let us talk together if I were a human woman."
"It's not…it's not all like that," Miles replied thoughtfully. "There are people like the Commander who don't just hate me for my skin. And it's my home, too. You think the Sakura would treat me better if they won? If they did half the things they're rumored to have done to other Orientals, what do you think they'd do to me? Fighting for the Union doesn't mean fighting for the white man…or any kind of man."
Houston took a moment of silence, feeling the rain cascade down her face and hair. She glanced to the side and found the young man looking very intently at the ripples on the dark water. A thrum of excitement passed through her as she contemplated moving closer to him. The two of them just wanted to relax away from the bustle of the base. She didn't see anything wrong with it. "I think that's a very noble sentiment, Fredrick. I'll do what I can to deliver that sort of victory for you, and for myself!"
"M-Miss Houston," he yelped as her thigh, emblazoned with a Union Navy tattoo, rested against his own beneath the water.
"What? You said that this isn't allowed back home right?" She reasoned, not making any further advance as Miles tried desperately to stop the southward flow of blood in his body. "Even if I'm not really a white woman, you can't blame me for wanting something someone else is missing out on, right? That's just…well, seems to me that's something shipgirls can feel too," she explained to him, smiling radiantly in the night. Fredrick took a voluminous breath and tried to steady his nerves.
"You sure it's alright? I mean you aren't worried I'll…" To his surprise, Houston began laughing boldly at him.
"I think if you're the type to ask the question, assuming you're asking what I think you're asking, that you aren't going to do it. Besides, I still have my rigging even if I lost my ship. The Commander talks to us all the time. He hugs and kisses and…well I think you know what else he gets up to with some of us," Houston giggled like a schoolgirl. "What's to say you and I shouldn't at least be able to chat a bit, be close, touch? I don't know how it feels having a heart like you do, but having a cube is pretty useful. Mine is enjoying this little conversation so I know it's probably a nice thing to do."
"Are you ever sad?" Fredrick blurted, taken aback by her ridiculously optimistic outlook.
"When I almost died. And when I learned that Exeter didn't make it," she replied simply. The gravity of that statement compelled him to seek out her hand underwater, and his heartrate about doubled when he found it waiting for him. They squeezed each other for a brief moment before Fredrick could take it no longer, retreating back to what was left of his personal space. He knew that with a lighter complexion he'd be blushing beet red. Houston seemed content to let him go. "So where are you from, Fredrick?"
"You probably wouldn't know the town, but a little place down in Texas."
"No wonder it feels nice to be chatting with you. We have the same home!" Houston concluded. "I've never been to Texas other than visiting my home city once. But the state is so big and has so many people! What's it like there?!"
"I uh…" Fredrick began uncertainly. No one had ever asked that sort of thing of him in the Navy. "I'm from a small town where everyone knows everyone else. It's mostly people like me…black folk. One church, one schoolhouse, didn't really know much about the rest of the world until the war got started and I began to read about it. Things are different there than in the rest of the nation I suppose; learned that when I got to California but…I think they're proud of me for going off to fight. We don't have much to give, other than our service."
"Well thank you, Fredrick. I'm glad you're with us. And thanks for keeping me company tonight. Sometimes I find it hard to keep up with everyone else."
"The…well, the pleasure is mine Miss Houston," he replied as the two of them finally fell into a comfortable silence and he worked up the courage to look into her eyes again. She smiled at him when he did.