"How long since you slept? It took Laffey and me well over forty hours to get here," Thorson asked worriedly, supporting Pennsylvania as the two of them slowly made their way down the stairs of the ship's tower. Her warm weight across his shoulders helped drive away the chill of the rain.
"I couldn't afford to sleep, Commander. These waters aren't safe anymore," Pennsylvania replied tiredly.
"And the last time you ate?" He pressed.
"I don't remember. Never got around to patching up the galley after the raid. The others needed what food was left more than I did," she insisted as Thorson groaned and brought a hand to his forehead.
"You're the strongest ship I have, Pennsylvania. I'd appreciate a little less martyrdom in the future."
"I don't recall ever consenting to be yours, Commander," she replied icily. He looked at her with slightly furrowed brows, their footprints echoing through the deserted steel corridors of the battleship.
"And yet in spite of your pride, here you are."
"Here I am…" she sighed. "Is that it, Commander? You intend to finally break my pride?" Pennsylvania asked with a defeated laugh. Thorson was about to respond as they came to the one room that seemed lit and inhabited, the crew quarters, and the other battleship he remembered stormed out into the hallway.
"Get your hands off of her! I thought you said we were going somewhere safe, Pennsylvania. What the hell is he doing here?" Tennessee demanded, her ice-blue eyes blazing with fury. Thorson held his tongue as Pennsylvania stood on her own power and allowed the other Union shipgirl to support her.
"What, Tennessee? You thought there was some shipgirl utopia somewhere in the war-torn Pacific where we could go and live happily ever after? You think there will be any escape from humanity until we sink?" Pennsylvania pressed. Tennessee glared at Thorson.
"But a Union Commander? The rest of them were ready to string us up for treason!"
"They what?!" Thorson yelled. Pennsylvania waved him off.
"Another time, Commander. We have wounded on board. I can explain what happened later."
"And how is trusting him going to help us?!" Tennessee tried again as a pair of ears poked out into the hallway.
"Commander, is there trouble? Laffey was saying hi to Downes and Cassin. They are missing arms and legs. Can they grow new ones like Laffey grew rigging?" Laffey's innocent question left Thorson floored and the battleships looking sadly at one another.
"What the hell is rigging?" Tennessee demanded as Thorson walked past her to pat Laffey on the shoulder.
"Not right now, Laffey. They've had a long journey. You can show them all your rigging later. Let's help the others now, alright? Maybe we can do just that," Thorson suggested, stepping into the room as Laffey followed behind him.
"That little destroyer certainly looked like she's been accused of treason and hates her commander," Pennsylvania whispered sarcastically, taking a moment to take internal pride at the status of 'Thorson's most powerful ship'.
"If you weren't in such bad shape I'd slug you, Penny," Tennessee ground out. "You'll see. He's just like the others. They all are."
"What do you think rigging is, Tenn?"
"Don't call me that."
"Don't call me Penny."
"Brooklyn calls you that."
"I like her more. You're a blonde bitch, Tennessee."
"And when it's all over I'll be the only one of us left."
"You don't even have a ship anymore."
Thorson tentatively looked around the sparsely lit crew quarters, holding Laffey's hand as he took in the scene. Two bunks had been pressed together, each of which sported a single shipgirl of similar size to Laffey, one with snow white hair, the other raven black. The latter was asleep, but her sister was watching him intently with her remaining good eye. Like Laffey's it was bright red, the other closed shut by an angry shrapnel wound. Her left arm was missing above the elbow and he could see a dull red stain about where her left knee would have been. She sported a bandage across her nose and wore a pair of standard issue Union dogtags. Standing at her bedside was a tall and elegant shipgirl with pale red eyes and long, flowing, silver-strawberry hair. Her uniform was provocative, a red, white, and blue top with a small opening that allowed Thorson to catch a glimpse of the underside of her breasts. Her long, tanned legs were adorned by black leggings that attached to what had to have been a garter belt, almost visible thanks to the wide opening of her top that showed off the curve of her hips and the black lace of her panties. In spite of her dress she presented herself conservatively, a caring and concerned look on her face as she rested a hand on the wounded girl's shoulder. Thorson noted the USS hull designation on her underbust: CL-40.
"Brooklyn, I presume? And would you be Cassin or Downes?" Thorson asked kindly, addressing the wounded destroyer girl. She smiled at him.
"I'm Downes. Any chance you have another Mahan-class destroyer laying around here, Commander? I seem to have lost mine," she reported easily, as though Mahan-class destroyers simply had a habit of disappearing on their own.
Thorson looked at Laffey with a grin. "I like her. My apologies, Brooklyn. I didn't mean to overlook you. Is she stable?"
"It is not a problem, Commander…"
"Thorson, Andrew Thorson."
"Commander Thorson, thank you," Brooklyn replied with professional courtesy. "I am no medic, Commander. She and her sister have held up as well as could be expected so far but they have not improved since the raid and continue to slowly loose blood. Vestal chose not to come with us. The current state of affairs is unsustainable."
"I agree. Let's not waste any more time then. Downes," Thorson moved to the girl's bedside and knelt to address her directly. "There is technology here that I think can save you and your sister. But it's unproven. I've never had to piece a shipgirl back together before. I know it's asking too much of you but-"
"You think I want to live life as a damn cripple without ever getting a chance to kill Sakura? I'm in, Commander," Downes replied immediately, her wounded face contorting into a warrior's smile. He wasn't sure what possessed Downes to be so trusting of him but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Commander nodded and pulled back the sheet covering her before scooping her gently into his arms. She weighed far too little for his liking.
"No time for delays then. Brooklyn, I would ask you to remain here with Cassin. I will notify you the moment we ascertain the effectiveness of the experiment I have planned. There is a galley here on the base that's well provisioned. I can ask Akashi or Shiranui to show you where it is or bring you something from it.
"Commander if I may interject?" Brooklyn requested nervously.
"Continue."
"Those are the names of Sakura Empire ships, are they not?" Brooklyn asked. Downes stilled in Thorson's arms and gave him an arch look. He looked around the room, making sure to include the remaining three shipgirls as well. He made a mental note to apologize to them later for ignoring them in favor of the wounded.
"Pennsylvania and Tennessee, this goes for you too if you're still out in the hallway!" Thorson yelled. "There are two Sakura shipgirls on this base, Shiranui and Akashi. They defected from the Sakura Empire following the decision to attack Pearl Harbor and ended up here. They have both proven loyal and instrumental in getting this base in working order, to say nothing of furthering my understanding of shipgirls and wisdom cubes. Without them we will not win this war against the Sirens. Make no mistake; the Sirens are real and they are the ones pulling the strings of the Sakura Empire's navy. I have no hard evidence to suggest this, but I don't think it's a stretch to conclude they are doing the same with the Ironbloods. They are our enemy. Any Sakura, Royal, or Ironblood willing to join our cause and fight them is to be considered a sister in arms. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir!" Laffey responded, promptly activating her rigging to accentuate the salute. Every girl in the room stared at her, mouths agape. After judging the looks on their faces Thorson was immediately pleased she'd disobeyed him. The three girls behind him had begun whispering urgently to one another and Brooklyn was scrutinizing him with a most peculiar gaze. Downes looked elated.
"I'm willing to offer you all power, purpose, and to the extent I can in wartime, the ability to live your own lives and forge your own identities. Consider it, would you? Downes, are you still with me?" Thorson asked, looking at the shipgirl in his arms. She rested the stump of her left arm against his shoulder, hoisting her torso upright as best she could. A small crimson stain began forming on Thorson's uniform.
"Do those armaments work?" She asked Laffey. The bunny girl nodded vigorously.
"Commander has made Laffey stronger. Commander makes Laffey very happy, makes drinking a happy time instead of a sad time."
"Thank you, Laffey," Thorson said quietly, feeling his chest tighten at the idea of helping her achieve some amount of peace in her life. Downes cleared her throat to get his attention, though her efforts quickly devolved into a coughing fit that had her breathing heavily and slumping back into his hold.
"I guess if they're defectors they can't be too bad. I'm still in, Commander. Think you can patch me up?"
"Can't make any promises, but let's give it a shot. Laffey, remain here and help with anything they need. It might be best if you help them with the food situation. Shiranui might still be preparing the dormitories. Eventually I hope to speak with you all individually and ascertain where you'd best fit in on this base. You all did well to make it here…I just hope my worst fears aren't true." With that Thorson turned and headed for the deck, passing the sleeping forms of Tennessee and Pennsylvania slumped against the wall of the hallway.
"She saved us all," Downes whispered. Thorson grunted in understanding, silently carrying the wounded shipgirl out of the belly of the battleship and into the rain.
"Commander, what are Akashi's orders? This Union girl is in bad shape, nyaa!" Akashi asked eagerly as Thorson entered the laboratory complex.
"Oh, did you figure that out all by yourself?" Downes demanded sarcastically.
"Of course, nyaa! You are missing an eye and two limbs! Akashi will go prepare wisdom shards for the Commander, unused of course," she declared, promptly ignoring her prior request for orders. Thorson shouted after her as she turned and ran for the conductive matrix.
"Grab a full cube, Akashi! I don't want there to be any chance of us not having enough power!"
"What's all this about?" Downes asked as they passed by a curious pair of bulins. "What's going on here, Commander?"
"Near as I can tell, Downes, wisdom cubes are objects that somehow allow a shipgirl to manifest her will into reality…at least to a certain extent. These little ones you see? They're an impressive squad of mechanics created from basic tools, wisdom shards, and Akashi's desire to have a bit of help around the base. I don't understand the mechanics of it, but I understand the results. I'm going to try the same with you. I want you to close your eyes and focus now. Envision yourself as you were before the attack. Think of your body, whole and complete," he advised, finally arriving at the matrix as Akashi stood on a small stool and deposited a single, unspoiled wisdom cube in the hopper between the two machines. Thorson crouched before one of the tubes, gently laying Downes in a sitting position inside it. "The tube is going to fill with water. Don't be afraid. As soon as it's full the machine will activate and you'll be able to breathe, alright?"
"You got it Commander. I'm not afraid of a bit of water; let's get this done."
"You're a brave little one, you know that?" Thorson asked appreciatively. Downes winked her one good eye at him.
"I want to blow things up, Commander. It's my one true calling in life. Pretty hard to do that as I am right now."
"You'll get your chance if the gods of war have any say in it. But first things first, Downes. Close your eyes and focus on yourself. Think of your body becoming whole again. Good luck." With a deep breath and a silent prayer Thorson closed the tube and activated the machine, watching nervously as Downes was quickly suspended in seawater before the matrix itself activated, delivering the wounded shipgirl into a peaceful, trance-like state. Thorson cursed himself yet again for not having a writing implement on him, watching with rapt attention with Akashi at his side. The mint green catgirl took his hand gently. He could feel hers shaking slightly. Whether it was from nervousness or excitement he couldn't be sure. He gave her a gentle squeeze. Even a couple of the bulins had gathered behind them, whispering to one another as they looked on.
"Look Commander! The Union girl is repairing herself, nyaa!" Akashi cried happily, watching as the angry wound over Downes' eye shrunk and eventually disappeared, leaving a small scar but nothing more. The bandages covering her decapitated limbs unraveled a fell away as bone, sinew, muscle, and eventually skin grew back in their wake. Lines that looked like the scars left by stitching were the only indication that Downes had ever been missing her limbs. Thorson wasn't sure if Downes herself had decided to keep the scarring as accents or if that was just how the process worked. No matter the reason, Thorson felt his jaw drop in amazement as Downes consumed the wisdom cube and returned herself to her prior state. He looked down at Akashi as the Union destroyer girl continued to float within the matrix with no appreciable changes.
"Don't you think it's been a while since she finished?" He asked nervously, wondering why Downes was still using the machine. In the past, Akashi had always naturally arrested the process the moment a bulin was complete. Downes had long ago restored her limbs and eye, but the machine still hummed as the cube in the hopper glowed fainter and fainter. "Where the hell is the rest of the cube going?"
"Akashi doesn't know any more than the Commander does, nyaa! Bulins, do you know?" Akashi tried, turning to her work crew. They looked at one another and scratched their heads.
"Buli? Machine is only connected to the pods and the dock outside, buli."
Gears turned and clicked in Thorson's mind. "No, there's no way…could she?" He muttered, taking off down the warehouse and shouting over his shoulder. "Keep an eye on her Akashi!" By the time he reached the door to the docks and threw them open he was panting with exertion and anticipation. One look was all it took to confirm his suspicions. "Mother of God…that girl…" Before him in the driving rain and the dead of night, a faint blue glow permeated the dry dock adjacent to the laboratory as a Mahan-class destroyer's partial hull was literally willed into existence before him. It had stalled about halfway to completion, but there was no doubt in his mind that with another cube or even a fraction of one Downes would be able to restore not only her body, but her ship as well. "She just gave me a fleet."
\-
The steady rain against Cassin's face brought her back to the waking world. That and the constant pain of her dead limbs, which had been with her since the Sakura bombed Pearl Harbor. The rain was new though, as was the unfamiliar face connected to the unfamiliar arms that were carrying her along an unfamiliar dock. She was set a bit at ease by a familiar shock of white hair walking beside them, but somehow the girl was walking on her own power.
"Downes…how?" She whispered, drawing the attention of the man holding her, and her sister.
"The new commander has some pretty sweet toys, sis. We're gonna fix you right up, alright!" Downes assured her with a wide grin and a thumbs up. Cassin could see her sister's new arm thanks to the flood lights all over the dock. There was an angry scar where it had been reattached, but the limb seemed fully functional. She looked to the man carrying her. He was gazing at her with concern.
"Another commander?" Cassin asked dejectedly. "What a hassle. I'd rather just sleep."
"I could toss you into the ocean and you'd sleep the long sleep," Thorson shot back as Downes looked at him with abject horror. "I don't have any room on this base for slackers, Cassin. Your sister is going to fight in this war. I'm offering you the chance to fight with her."
The two Mahan-class girls looked at him for a long moment, during which they approached the dry dock next to the labs. Thorson allowed himself a moment to look away from Cassin and at the newly minted USS Downes that graced the bay. The bulins were out in force, moving steel, scrap, electronics, instruments, and ammunition around the new ship. None of them seemed to mind the rain or the cold. One of them saw him and approached. She appeared to have been elected leader of the maintenance crew, as she sported a double chevron in her hair instead of a single. "Yes, what can I do for you?" Thorson asked. The bulin saluted with her wrench.
"Buli! Downes did too good a job in recreating her ship! There are plenty of leaky joints and weak plating, just like the original. Bulins are fixing now. In the future, perhaps think of optimal ship?" The bulin suggested, having watched Thorson give Downes instructions on how to bring herself back. She'd clearly taken that advice and extended it to her old ship. Downes looked back at Thorson sadly.
"I didn't know I could do that. If I had I'd have ditched my fifth turret for another torpedo deck at a minimum," Downes said.
"Does Miss Downes want a quad or quintuple torpedo configuration?" The bulin asked, treating the newest addition to the fleet as though she'd been there forever. Thorson smiled and nodded to both of them.
"It's your ship, Downes," he affirmed, looking at the rain-soaked girl who nevertheless was smiling with glee, her white Union navy shirt and stockings soaked through.
"My ship? Really?!"
"I sure as hell can't operate it on my own," Thorson replied jovially. Downes' face lit up.
"Give me another quintuple tube, 533mm configuration!"
"What do you say, Downes?" Thorson prompted. She turned to face him with a confused look.
"What? What do you mean?"
"They're working in the dark and the rain to get your ship seaworthy, spending materials and ammunition when this base doesn't even have a steady supply line yet," he told her.
"Shit, it's that bad?! Then get me on convoy raids tomorrow morning!"
"Downes, you'll sortie when I say you'll sortie. But that's not a bad idea. For now though…"
"Right, sorry. Thank you very much uh…Bulin?" Downes questioned. The bulin rendered another happy salute.
"Of course Miss Downes, happy to help!"
"Thanks to your sisters as well, can you take it from here?" Downes requested.
"Of course, buli! Go care for the other Mahan girl now. Just do not let her build a ship while we are still working, buli!" With that the bulin ran off to inform her sisters of the armament changes that would have to be made, leaving Thorson and the others behind.
"You have a very strange base, Commander," Downes told him. Thorson shrugged.
"Most of that is thanks to Akashi. She's quite the eccentric little money cat." As if summoned by Thorson's statement, the catgirl in question poked her head out of the labs.
"Commander, the matrix is ready for the other destroyer, nyaa!"
Thorson looked back at Cassin who had taken in all of the recent events more or less in stride. "So, what do you say?"
"I suppose…if I'm fighting with Downes it won't be so bad. I'd like to stay in my room otherwise," Cassin replied. Akashi laughed.
"You may think twice when you see the Union dorms, nyaa! Akashi is trying to build a nice dormitory but the rain keeps stopping her. And now there are ships to build, nyaa."
"All in due time, Akashi," Thorson reassured her. "How many shards are in the matrix?"
"As many as the first girl used before she started her ship."
"My name is Downes," the destroyer girl informed Akashi, a hint of offense in her voice.
"Oh, Akashi thought it was a direction, nyaa!"
Even Cassin managed a faint chuckle at Akashi's misunderstanding, though she quickly fell silent again as they approached the matrix.
"It'll be fine, sis," Downes reassured her. "The Commander told me to think about my body before the raid, about being whole. Envision that in your mind. The shards will reach out to you. They did the same to me, let me channel their energy. See, good as new!" Downes waved the fingers of her new left hand for her sister to inspect. Cassin nodded.
"Thank you."
With a silent nod Thorson set her gently inside and shut the door, watching as water again filled the tank and the machine activated. He looked over at Downes as Cassin's flesh slowly began to shift and knit itself back together. "I was just joking about throwing her in the ocean. I wouldn't kill her."
"I would have killed her if she didn't do anything to help this place. I can walk again, Commander. I can't wait to get back out there and hit some Sakura ships."
"Just give them a chance to surrender, nyaa!" Akashi implored. Thorson took a knee so he could be level with the Sakura girl. He shot a piercing look at Downes.
"Every ship we fight, if crewed by a shipgirl, will be given a chance to surrender. If they fight back we will destroy them and do our best to recover them before they end up dead or like Shiranui. Is that clear?"
"What happened to Shiranui?" Downes asked, looking over her shoulder to ensure Cassin was still well.
"She was killed by the leader of the Sakura fleets for protesting their decision to attack us. She's a ghost now, kept on this side by a need for revenge. I don't get it at all, but I literally shot her and it did nothing so that's where we are."
"Damn, that's quite the tale. Those cubes are something else. Guess the Sakura aren't all bad."
"No. The only reason you're walking is because of the Sakura," Thorson pressed, resting a reassuring hand on Akashi's shoulder. He could understand her trepidation at helping to make a Union fleet whose express mission would be fighting her sisters seaworthy.
"You've made your point, Commander. I don't have any objections. But I won't go easy on the ones that fight back. If you can repair my arm and leg I'm sure you can take care of some bruises," Downes declared, cracking her new knucles.
"That's all I ask, Downes. Thank you and welcome to Azur Lane."
"Akashi likes Shikikan very much. He is kind, nyaa." Without warning Akashi leaned in, taking advantage of Thorson's position to plant a long kiss squarely on his lips, her tiny hands holding his face in place as she purred contentedly. Both of Downes' eyes looked ready to jump out of their sockets, her old red one and her new one in yellow.
"Penny…where the hell did you take us?"