Day 114
Today was interesting; I visited Frostbite just as planned, my three Demons following right behind. I left Hydra behind though, to hold down the fort just in case. Not that I am so sure she even understood much of where we went. Still about on par with a smart dog, if less clingy.
Frostbite herself was not much of a hostess, but that applies human standards again. She waited for me when I came through at eight like we agreed on, flanked by her own Demons. She has three of them now, too; her surviving escorts from the original domain, two destroyers and a light cruiser. All three are veterans.
We exchanged greetings and everything, then she showed me around. I could definitely see the remains of a human airbase in some spots; Frostbite kept the foundations and built her own stuff on them, although the important structures are dug into the earth. I admit it took me a while to spot any of that, though; the constant cover of clouds and light drizzle distracted me a bit.
Being in another Princess's domain was educating, too. I could actually feel my own power over the weather for once, though more in the sense that I did not have any control here. There was no reason to try fighting Frostbite for it, but I could feel some sort of presence all around me. Is that how all Abyssals feel near a Princess? The Abyss says yes, though the effect is lessened to regular ships. Demons have a weaker aura of the same sort as well and can apparently exercise some limited control, but only if they are outside of a Princess's domain or get permission.
I asked some questions along the way, but Frostbite's base is pretty utilitarian; I do not want to call it spartan, mainly because I doubt the lack of furnishings and such is by choice. It will be if she keeps to it now, but that is up to time.
We met a number of Frostbite's ships as well, which was just weird. As in, I did not expect a whole flottilla of semi-recent destroyers to take a knee. Same for the two battleships that curtsied, or the one that bowed respectfully. That may have been the first time I actually felt prince-ly and not just like the one in charge. At least nobody was offended or confused when I told them they do not need to do that.
"Your actions are no secret," was what Frostbite told me about that after it happened a few times. I guess she noticed my discomfort? "My fleet knows well where the improvements that keep them alive stem from. Your Demons have saved a number of them by their presence also."
I did not really consider it from this angle before, but it does make sense. Then again, I also do not quite agree that I am to thank for what the girls do. Although I would take the blame for any misdemeanour, so maybe that is a fallacy? I need to mull this over some other time.
What I do know I am responsible for, at the least, is today's events. I already saw some hints of Sapphire's influence on the tour; some girls were skipping stones and better at it than I ever was. Others had squares drawn in the sand to play hopscotch. It was often half-hearted, but the interest and light sense of competition were there. I guess that it makes sense in retrospect; Abyssals do not have that same drive to win over each other, they have other priorities in their nature.
After looking around and meeting some of Frostbite's girls, I went and started playing Santa. It is a few months too early for Christmas, but whatever. I gave them chalk and tools, introduced the faster card games, and spread around a boatload of sandwiches. Not exactly in that order, the food came first. And it was a little funny, too. At first there were only a handful girls once I got to work, but within a few minutes the entire fleet showed up. Even Frostbite was surprised and then stumped by the food.
It is still sad that Abyssals normally do not get to enjoy any of these things. I held back on the sweets here just in case. Even accidental drug dealing is a big no-no for my sensibilities. Not that I really needed it, even just some basic sandwiches with synthesized butter and pillaged ham had them eat out of my hand. Metaphorically speaking, that is.
It took a while to convince Frostbite that I am still working on that 'technology'. Thinking back to that, I could swear she was pouting at least once. Maybe the adage is still true even for Abyssals; the fastest way to a woman's heart is through her stomach.
When I shared that one with Jeanne, she got confused and asked why I do not aim for the chest instead. Then I had to explain what that actually means to prevent any actual misunderstandings. I am not sure I like the thoughtful look she had afterward.
My own ships are well-respected here, too. Being Demons and supporters probably helps with that. I noticed that destroyers have a habit of gravitating toward battleships and carriers; submarines mainly stay among each other. Capital ships are more free in who they approach, though they seem to feel more comfortable with some escorts around.
I asked Jeanne and Ariel right before writing this entry if they want a proper escort as well; they told me yes. Which means I will make a Destroyer Demon after ascending the rest of my little fleet. But I digress.
I only had enough time to share some of the games I prepared; the playing cards already circulate among Frostbite's fleet, though. We agreed to meet up again tomorrow to continue; even the Princess herself took interest in playing UNO. I think I will definitely take a chessboard tomorrow. My reserves contain a solid mix of different games, some of which I shamelessly copied from the Internet. No Monopoly, though. We do not need an Abyssal civil war.
One other curious thing I just noticed: Ariel is on the computer again. It is pretty late already, but she has this faint smile on her face. Which reminds me she is the most introverted of my lot. I had a little conversation about her social battery and it turns out my hunch was right; she did get exhausted about interacting with others sometime around noon.
My own social battery is better than hers, but I definitely should have noticed earlier. So I told her in no unclear words that she is free to leave if she starts getting tired of being around people. Unless there is combat to be had, I will not scold her for wanting alone time. Then I gave her a little hug and left her be.
Speaking of hugs, Orion got one of those too; as big as I could make it without aggravating her injuries. Then I all but carried her back to Haven; she is now hanging around the local repair bath.
Day 115
Ariel approached me this morning and asked if she could stay behind. I let her, so it was only Jeanne and Sapphire coming with me to Frostbite's domain again.
Today I spread board games, introduced a few more card games, and tried to sell them on some more dishes. It is pretty hard to make something to feed a fleet without the majority of portions going cold. Maybe I should tech into those stasis fields to keep cooked food fresh. No matter how much the Abyss insists that is not what they are for.
Human ingenuity means using things in a way they were not designed for, after all. Most of the time it is dumb, but sometimes you get something entirely new and useful.
The second day of bringing enlightenment to the Abyssals convinced Frostbite some more, too. She seems more drawn to the complicated games, planning strategies and approaches ahead of time. Card games are nice enough to kill some time, but nothing for her to really sink her teeth into.
She actually thanked me today, for giving her and her fleet so much without asking for any recompense.
Sapphire and Jeanne were having a blast, too; it seems they easily integrated with some of the groups and played the various games.
Which brings me to another observation: Abyssals form social groups. It is the continuation of the thing with destroyers liking to crowd around capital ships; most of it seems to be instinctual, but some is also personal reasons. I did spot a couple of escorts and submarines staying on their lonesome. For tomorrow, I am printing them some books to read.
Likewise, most battleships seem to enjoy having destroyers and cruisers around. Ariel is a clear exception, but even Frostbite has a soft spot for the escorts. Light and heavy cruisers all like their own class the most, though they get along just as well with transport ships. The Mi-Class I introduced is integrating into this social setting, most comfortable with the transports but fine interacting with anyone. They seem more matter-of-fact than the other ship types as a rule, though. Then again, I have four of them in total to base that observation on. It can just be a coincidence.
I am happy with today's progress either way. Frostbite's fleet does not defer to me, but they accept me just like their Princess. I am not sure if they could reject me at all, come to think of it. After all this, they definitely seem to like me though.
Day 116
And there was the other shoe. I really should have known better.
Ariel stayed back home again, as did Hydra. I finished explaining games and fed a bunch of hungry mouths, nothing bad happened there. If anything, the loners were surprised when I approached them; Frostbite was also intrigued by the concept of books, but thankfully all Abyssals come out with the ability to read. It would have been a nightmare to teach them that.
The bad stuff started around noon. Actually a bit earlier, but I only found out when Ariel radio'd in that Haven was under attack. From my reconstruction, she never checked the scanners and forgot she could use radio due to surprise.
First a group of regular bombers laid waste to the island. My base was sturdy enough not to collapse from that, but the upper layer got caved in by the following bombardment. Ariel stayed inside, but Hydra was outside on the island.
By the time she reached out to me, the battle was already raging for a few minutes. Frostbite immediately stopped me from charging in and told her own fleet to ready for sortie. Sapphire and Jeanne were held back all the same, but they only stayed because Ariel kept sending updates. I know for a fact they would have run right through the teleporter if an SOS had come.
It was harrowing. Maybe if I ignored Frostbite and went right through, things could have been different.
When we did emerge at the back of two entire destroyer screens and a full complement of battleships, I could have cried. Even the lowest layer of my base had rubble everywhere. The highest layer collapsed outright, leaving only ruins of the few factories I had there. A handful of drones survived because they hunkered down inside.
My heart was beating heavier the longer it took to find Ariel. The sound of gunfire and screams at least told us she was still alive, calmly sending that she held the line when pinged. And that she did.
The repair bay and active spawn pool are halfway down my base, but some of the more delicate rooms are toward the top. Ariel guarded the only entrance with blazing guns, fighting off a group of landbound shipgirls and human strike teams; from what she explained later, the latter came first and the former followed when they realised there was an Abyssal inside.
I still almost had a heart attack when I saw her. If anything, Ariel looked worse than Orion; she took fire from everything attacking Haven, half her face and body melted to slag. She held the line anyway and started up a storm to stop the bombers from coming back. I took over from her once Frostbite told me to, meanwhile her forces streamed outside to take the fight. Jeanne's flight decks belched out more planes than I expected her to have, contesting the airspace with technological superiority.
The battle raged back and forth for the better part of an hour. Then Sapphire and her submarine friends finished sneaking through the floodgate entrance and behind the enemy. The flotilla was spotted once and had to retreat, but Sapphire remained undetected until she sank all three enemy carriers in rapid succession. Then she beat a hasty retreat, only to double back when the attackers' attention was rapidly taken by the other submarines nibbling at their trio of battleships. It was a duo soon after, then only one sounding the retreat once Frostbite and her Demons hammered into them.
We did not get all of them, but many. The rest of the day was spent taking stock of the damages.
The good news is that Ariel survived. She defended not just our home base from intrusion, she also saved her two defenseless sisters' lives. I stuffed her into the bath as soon as the guns fell silent, but the hug and thanks she got is nowhere near enough.
Hydra is gone, though. A couple of destroyers dragged her corpse back from where they found her, armour belt ruptured and ammunition cooked off. Going by the injuries on the corpses, my girl went down swinging; one of the sunk battleships and half a dozen escorts, both cruisers and destroyers, were torn apart by that super gun. With no other target in sight however, they just hammered past Hydra's defenses with brute force.
I was in a bit of a haze after the adrenaline wore off, or whatever equivalent Abyssals have. Frostbite helped me take stock. Her girls found all the wrecks and corpses, then helped my few surviving drones drag them back. I needed a while to get away from Hydra.
She tried to talk me into 'shaking it off' and things like that. Easy to say for an Abyssal who does not care for her subordinates. I told her to shut up... which may have been a little harsher than I wanted it to be. I am not going to apologise.
I had my drones dig a pit for the human corpses. After taking everything of interest, including their guns and whatever other paraphernalia they had on them, I poured gasoline over the mound of corpses and burned them all. Even if biological matter can be used to make something, I still do not want to go there.
The other thing is that I recognise some of these shipgirls. Even without the soldiers being Asians and Americans, I could recognise the battleship Kongou. One of the destroyers was Hibiki, too. Akatsuki was not among the dead, but I have no idea if she was just not here or retreated with the few ships that made it out.
I may still be in shock a little bit. At least I do not feel actually angry, just sad. Orion and Ionia almost died, Ariel almost died, and Hydra is gone.
All the remaining hulls are in storage for now; being what they are, it will take some time for them to even start decomposing. I need to decide on that soon, though. Frostbite left one of her Mi-Class girls here to help clean up; I think her name is Shallows, but I did not pay too much attention. My being bad with names does not really help there.
I think I start feeling that urge to wage war again. But right now it is hard to tell if that is me or the Abyss. Maybe both for once.
I told Akatsuki that I want to be left alone. A targeted attack on this island, with regular soldiers no less, means they knew without a shadow of doubt I was here. I cursed her earlier in my head, but I know it was not her fault; she did not make the decision to attack me. It just gets increasingly harder to separate the people who gave the order from those who followed it.
I need sleep.
Day 117
An idea came to me earlier today. I directed some of the drones myself and kept busy; Sapphire was out on patrol to spot whomever may come close. I also started animating the weather into a proper storm; with my cover broken, I may as well announce my presence. A third of the shipgirl corpses went to Frostbite as thanks for helping me without hesitation. She tried to reject them, but I insisted.
Which was around the time I had that idea.
"I'm probably going to keep relying on you to bring the firepower," is what I told her. "So making sure you're well-supplied is just good practice."
We had a bit of an argument then; Frostbite was not wrong that continuing to refuse building a fleet would get me killed. I still do not want to do that, though. Like I said, I had an idea; she was skeptical when I told her about it, or rather that I want to try something else first. Especially when I asked her to send girls around all nearby islands to grab whatever lizards they can find. Haven is devastated, so I will not find much in terms of flora or fauna here anymore.
She agreed, though. Which means I can return to my German roots, trying to drive the point home with shock and awe.
Once I have those lizards, I will make Godzilla.