"Wait, what?!" Aggy exclaimed as the suddenly recognized what the ship-girl before her was claiming. That she was her mother.
"You are my daughter Aginco-" Warspite started to say again happily, not noticing how confused, and quickly angry Aggy was becoming.
"I heard what you said, now get off me and stop saying something so stupid!" Aggy yelled as she pushed against warspite, finding her grip very strong, and then instead squirmed and wiggled out of her grip, falling on her butt to the ground before getting up and glaring at the Ship-girl, who now looked somewhat hurt.
"It is not stupid, you are my daughter and-" Warspite tried to speak up, only for Aggy to interrupt her.
"It is stupid! My mother is long dead, that's the only reason why my father would never talk about her. And besides, you are a ship-girl, and I am human, therefore it is impossible for me to be even remotely related to a ship-girl!"
"No, you are, your father and I believed it would safer if you went with him that is all. If you just ask him,-"
"Just ask him, oh yes, that is a great idea, how did I never think about that in the first fifteen years of my life!" Aggy snapped angrily. "Yes, I'll just ask him about my mother who he always says nothing about or puts it off when asked. That's a great idea, I guess I'll just call him up out of the grave and try asking him again!"
"What, what do you mean by that?" Warpsite asked, still looking hurt, but now looking horrified.
"I mean my father is dead! Both of my parents are dead! My father died from wounds he got in the Siren war, and my mother clearly had died even earlier because she was never talked about!" Aggy shrieked as she turned around began walking away.
"Aggy, wait, let's just-
"No, I'm not dealing with this," She yelled back. "If this is some sort of sick Hazing ritual I will personally harass HR till this base is under the islands foundation!" she added as she continued to storm off down the docks and around a building out of sight.
As soon as she was out of sight Warpsite tried to move to follow, but was stopped as the commander put an arm out in front of her. "Don't warspite."
"She is my daughter!" Warspite said seriously, looking like she herself was on the verge of crying herself. "I need to see her, I- I need to help her."
"Warpsite, I may not have children of my own, but I have two brothers and three sisters, two of them who are younger than me. There is nothing you can say to her right now that will help how she feels," the commander said before his expression became stony. "Besides, we have something more important to discuss. Like how you are stating you have a daughter who is a human, and that this was not known."
". . . It was hidden."
"Clearly. Who knows?"
"Five people . . Four now I suppose,"
"Anyone on this base?"
"Yes, why?"
"Call them and explain the situation, if they know, they can go look for her, because right now we are going to have a very long and informative chat about this whole situation."
"But commander she-"
"Will be safe on the base," The Commander interrupted seriously as he let out a light sigh. "I thought this was simply a situation of some historical theft coming to light, not a realization that could have dire ramification upon all of Azur Lane, if not the whole world. You will explain the whole situation to me from the beginning, or by my power as the commander of Azur Lane, you will never set foot off this island again, am I clear?"
Warpsite was quiet for many moments as he simply stood there, looking at the cement underfoot. Then, she finally nodded slowly and put a hand to an ear and waited a moment. "Yes hello . . . . . . Um, she's here. . . . . My daughter I mean, she is on the island. Can you help, please?"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aggy stormed across the base, going as fast as her legs would take her without running in any particular direction as long as it was away from the docks. After what felt like hours she finally found herself in an area of tree's by some buildings, a fountain visible between them a short distance away.
She then proceeded to collapse onto her knee's. "Dammit, Dammit I thought, I thought I was over- over it, over this and I, I just, Bloody Hell!" Aggy cried out as she leaned over, allowing her tears to fall down onto the grass. "Why, why does it still hurt after so long? Why do I have to deal with this, why am I being toyed with like this!?"
"You are not being toyed with, you are simply confused. First meetings can be like that."
Aggy looked up to see a woman standing between the trees's ahead of her. She was wearing a prim looking blue dress with a caplet of the union jack around her shoulders while she looked at her softly with caring blue eyes framed by short and somewhat curly blonde hair. "Who, who are you? What do you want?" Aggy demanded as she swiped an arm across her face.
"I am HMS Hood, Battlecruiser of the Royal Navy," Hood said with a respectful bow. She then took out a folded piece of white cloth and took a step forward, offering it to Aggy.
Aggy looked at it and then realized it was a handkerchief and felt more confused. "What do you want?"
"You look like you could use someone to speak to, or perhaps a shoulder to cry on, yes?"
"Answer my question!" Aggy nearly shrieked as she got up to her feet, ready to bolt away. "What do you want with me!?"
Hood simply nodded, as if acquiescing to the demand. "Warspite asked me to come and find and speak to you."
"Oh, so you are part of this sick joke too then? Screw this bullshit!" Aggy yelled as she turned to walk away.
"December 4th 1962 at 4:13 AM, London," Hood said, causing Aggy to freeze up.
"What, what is-"
"The time you were born, correct?" Hood asked.
"Well, the date, but the time is . . . how do you- ?"
"Because I was there when you were born, and acted as your mother's midwife," Hood said as she took out a small wallet and slid a small picture out, holding it out to Aggy.
Aggy gingerly stepped forward and took the photo, looking it over and staring in shock at the black and white photo of a baby being held in the arms of the very Ship-girl she had met with the commander. What was terrifying though was that she recognized the photo, as her father had one similar, but was cut off, showing only the image of her as a baby in someone's arms, the upper section of the photo she knew gone and not showing her mother at all. "That, that's impossible, I-I'm human I – this is, if, if she was alive she- I,-"
In that moment Hood took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Aggy, just tight enough to be comfortable. "I know it's hard, I know you don't understand and it doesn't make sense to you. I know you are having trouble with this and have so much you want to say or ask, even just to understand the situation. So let it out. Let it all out."
Aggy tried to say something, to argue and say something, but being told it was fine seemed to be the final straw as the damn broke and she began sobbing nonstop about everything and nothing all at once.
Hood held her and gently knelt down, allowing Aggy to just lean against her shoulder and sob, letting out what seemed to be far too much stress and sadness a girl of her age should have dealt with. She looked down, catching a glimpse of Aggy's pendant pulsing with dim light and then held her closer, silently telling her it was fine to let it all out.
It was almost an hour later when Aggy had finally stopped crying her heart out, then merely sobbing out a question. "Why?"
". . . Because you needed it," Hood said simply. "Everyone needs release, and sometimes appropriate contact can be essential."
". . . How did you notice?"
"You were crying to begin with."
"That- that isn't what I meant," Aggy sniffled.
"I know," Hood said as she looked up to the sky. "It was a worry that proved true."
"What, does that mean?" Aggy questioned as she leaned a bit off of Hood, and then realizing how compromising the situations could be if seen.
"That is. . . . Not something to speak of here," Hood said simply. Before Aggy could speak up against her words though, she continued. "The academy cafeteria is nearby, why don't we get some tea and speak over a cup. Your voice is rather hoarse from the crying, and you look as if you would do well with some simply tidying up."
Aggy pulled away from Hood and let a hand drift up to her face, feeling how moist her skin was from the crying she had been doing. Her eyes and face were probably very red and likely looked bad. "Fine. But I want answers."
"I will not keep them from you, but this is not the place for them," Hood stated as she stood up and brushed herself off. She then held out a hand to Aggy. "Shall we?"
Aggy said nothing as she took Hood's hand and was helped up. She then led her out of the tree's into an area that seem like a courtyard with a large fountain in the center and quickly into one of the buildings that, as soon as they entered did appear to be a cafeteria, albeit a very well decorated one that looked much nicer than any school cafeteria Aggy had ever been in before. There were a couple of people in the cafeteria, Ship-girls by the looks of their eclectic clothing, but as they Saw Hood they seemed to go back to what they were doing.
Except Aggy could tell very clear they were staring at her while trying to look like they were not.
"Now then, what would you like to drink?" Hood asked as she sat down at a nearby table by the window, gesturing for Aggy to sit across from her.
"Just water," Aggy sat down with a huff. "I want answers, not a fancy drink."
Hood let out a sigh as she shook her head. "Wanting answers is not bad, but there is no reason to be brutish about it. Would you like me start at the beginning, or perhaps start with some irrefutable proof?"
"And how are you going to show me proof?" Aggy scowled. "It's not like there's a boat I can just snap into existence."
"True, that would require the remaining pieces of your pendant," Hood stated as he pulled out a small box and placed it on the table.
" . . What is that?"
"When you were born, a wisdom Cube manifested nearby you mere moments afterword's. It was unanimously decided that it was likely what would be able to form your vessel, but as you were half human, you were born as simply a baby, as humans are. It was decided by those of us who were aware of the situation that your cube would be carefully broken into pieces for protection. So that it could not form a vessel and be controlled by a toddler who did not know what they were doing," Hood explained as she opened the case to reveal it was holding a shard of blue gemstone that looked shockingly similar to the one embedded in Aggy's pendant.
"The commander mentioned something about Wisdom cubes being unable to be destroyed though," Aggy said while looking at the shard. It was strange, as if it drew her attention to it naturally.
"They are, normally. Yours was just formed and seemed, incomplete I suppose is a way to explain it. I do not know how, but Warpsite and your father managed to break it into five pieces. Each of us who were aware of you was given a piece to help keep them safe, but also apart from each other to stop any sudden surprises from occurring."
"That still doesn't answer anything!" Aggy declared as he hit the table. THz sudden shift of motion caused the case to shake, and in that same instant the shard of gemstone was jostled and shot out of the case and flew through the air until it smacked against Aggy's pendant as if pulled by a magnetic force. "What the hell?" Aggy exclaimed as she reached down and grabbed the shard, trying to pull it away from her pendant to no effect. "It's, the damn things is, stuck."
"Take a deep breath. Calm yourself and imagine pulling it away, and then do so."
"What?"
"Imagine pulling it away. Calmly."
Aggy looked at Hood before taking a deep breath in and closing her eyes before letting it out and pulling on the shard. A second later it came loose, leading to her holding it in the air, staring at it in confusion. "But, it wouldn't even budge before."
"Normally wisdom cubes reside inside of a Ship-girls body and their vessel, this is what allows them to manipulate their vessel with mere thoughts and convert it into their rigging."
" . . . you are adamant about the idea I'm a Ship-girl," Aggy scowled. "This still doesn't give me any answers!"
"It would if you were not so adamant in ignoring what is shown before you," Hood stated as she took the shard from Aggy's fingers and put it back in the case before closing it. "As I was saying, the shards of your wisdom cube were split among us that knew of you to protect you, and for a time things were fine. Your father being sent to the front against Siren land forces however changed that. He was wounded by a siren plasma weapon. His skin healed fine, but the burns in his one lung made it so he would not be able to continue to fight on the battlefield and the army decided he would be relieved. He and Warspite then decided that he would take you with him back to the union so that you were away from the front line and safe. They planned to meet up when the war was over and each had a specialized radio so they could talk to one another," Hood explained before her expression turned a bit sullen. "However, after a few years, just before the end of the war, Warspite's radio stopped working and they could not contact each other anymore. She did not know why and it drove her mad for a time considering the possibilities."
". . . Wait, did it look like a normal radio from the war? Old and bulky? Kind of grey instead of green?"
"I believe so, yes."
" . . I, may have apparently broken it when I was younger, about seven or so if what my father said was correct," Aggy stated in a clearly conflicted tone.
"That was a possibility that was considered, with the other options being death, accidents, or a siren attack," Hood explained with a light sigh. "Either way Warpsite wanted to go to the union to investigate, but when the war ended the situation for us Ship-girls became, stained in some nations as situations regarding our sentience and rights arose. None of us from the royal navy were able to leave royal navy waters until roughly six years ago, and that was to help Azur Lane hunt down the siren remnants."
"But that doesn't even-" Aggy began to say.
Right before there was, very suddenly and without a hint of noise, a woman dressed as a maid standing beside the table with a tray in hand. "Your drinks."
"Ah, thank you Sheffield," Hood said with a nod as the maid, now named, lowered the tray and gracefully put a small pot of tea and a glass in front of hood and began pouring what looked like black tea into it.
"Where, where inn bloody hell did you come from!?" Aggy demanded, finding her heart was beating a little faster than she would have liked from the sudden and unexpected appearance of the woman.
"From the kitchen whilst I was making tea," Sheffield responded simply, her tone and gaze feeling unemotional as she took a glass bottle and placed it down in front of Aggy. "Your drink."
"Uh, we never ordered from anyone," Aggy responded nervously. Had this maid been spying on them or something? And why was there a maid on a military base in the first place?
"Thank you Sheffield, please return to your other duties," Hood suddenly said.
The maid nodded and walked off, her feet making no sound on the tile floor of the cafeteria before she was gone as quickly as she had appeared.
"Um-"
"Sheffield is part of the Royal Navies Maid corps. They act as both servants for those of us in the Royal Navy who hold the highest positions, as well as a sort of, Secret service as well. Sheffield is one of the best, and if it was not for her assistance I would not have found you as quickly as I had."
" . . . .Wait, so the royal navy has a group of assassin maids?" Aggy asked in confusion.
"I suppose it does, yes,"
"So, I was being watched? You never went looking for me in the first place, you just went to where I was being watched?!" Aggy exclaimed angrily.
"No, I simply asked them if anyone had seen someone that looked like your mother, and Sheffield informed me she had," Hood said simply as she took a drink of tea, seeming to revel in its taste.
" . . . why should I believe any of this?" Aggy asked.
"Because it is the truth," Hood said surely.
"Prove it."
"The Wisdom cube shards acting as they did was not enough proof?"
"It could easily have been a ruse. Some kind of trick with magnets, or fishing line," Aggy argued.
"Have you not experienced situations that seem impossible or unlikely, yet you did them anyway?" Hood asked next before glancing down. "Also your drink is going to get warm if you do not drink it," she added as she finished off her cup.
"I didn't order whatever this is, I just wanted water."
"I understand that, but I believe you will like it. Why not give it a chance?"
"Why don't you just tell me why I should believe any of this?" Aggy countered. "You have spun a tale, but aside from a couple minor details, there is no proof to any of it!"
Hood let out an exasperated sigh and let a hand drift up to her temple and massage it for a second. "Just take a drink, and then everything will make sense."
Aggy opened her mouth to argue more, to demand some actual answers, but as she looked at Hood's face she suddenly had the feeling that dong so would be detrimental to her health. "F-fine, I don't see how this will give me any concrete answers though," Aggy complained as she picked up the bottle and looked in it, seeing that the contents appeared carbonated. With a look of disgust, that only lasted a second as she recalled the admittedly terrifying way that Hood had looked at her, Aggy lifted up the bottle and tilted it to take a sip.
And was pleasantly surprised. Normally she hated carbonated drinks, they were too sweet, and the carbonation often burned her throat, yet this drink was sweet but still flavorful, and its carbonation did not burn but strangely tickled in an almost pleasant way as it went down. Not allowing herself to get drawn in by it though, she moved it away from her mouth and placed it down, doing her best to hide that it was actually good.
"Well, it was okay, I guess. What exactly does that prove though?"
"It proves that you are indeed a ship-girl, at least in part," Hood began to say as she smiled and pointed at the bottle. "Because that is Oxy-cola."
Aggy froze, her gaze locked squarely on Hood, and then shifting down at the bottle as she recalled what the base commander had said about Oxy-cola. That is was like a drink mixed with industrial derivatives, and could only be drunk by Ship-girls, and that humans could need serious medical attention from drinking it. "How- how long until my stomach starts cramping and I start spilling my guts out?"
"That description is both inelegant and unneeded," Hood said with a sigh. "Humans react near instantly if they drink it, and according to what some humans I've heard say, Oxy-cola tastes like raw oil, gasoline, and sometimes molten plastic to them."
"How would anyone know what those taste like?"
"I do not know, but that is how some humans describe it. Either way, the effects upon a human body manifest fast, often so quick that they barely drink a single gulp before realizing their mistake."
". . . So I need to go to the infirmary as fast as possible before I fall over in unfathomable pain?" Aggy asked in a strangely hopeful tone.
"No, you will not need to go to the infirmary," Hood asked in exasperation. "Why are you so against finding out you are part Ship-girl?"
"I am not against the idea it's just ridiculous, it's just," Aggy stopped and looked down at a small drop of water on the table below her. A single finger moved up and rubbed her eyes, finding them tearing up. "You, can't possibly understand. I've - I've my life without a mother, and my father was loving, but he avoided any subject about her. When he died, all I had left was by uncle. For my entire life I have assumed my mother was dead, what else was I supposed to think? How can I just accept someone claiming they are my mother just like that? How can I accept something that changes everything I knew and makes my entire life a Fucking lie!?"
Hood looked at Aggy, who was now hyperventilating with her eyes wide staring back at her, and found herself not immediately able to respond to her question. When Warspite had asked her to find her, she had expected some confusion and sadness, not an existential crisis. "Your life had not been a lie."
"How hasn't it been?" Aggy shouted as she abruptly stood up, causing her chair to fall backwards to the floor with a clatter. Her prior yelling had gotten a lot of attention before, but now the few sets of eyes in the cafeteria were completely locked onto her. "I figured after finishing high school I'd get a job, and I did, I got a civilian job with Azur Lane, maybe thinking I could learn a bit about my mother, even if it was just a name. But now I've got people telling me that I've been lied to for my entire life, that I've been living a lie, thinking I was human and telling me I'm a Fucking Ship-girl of all things! Just how has my life not been a lie when I am being told to believe such a thing!? And- and what is to happen next if I even do believe this huh? Am I to be drafted? Forced into combat without a lick of training just because of what I'm being told I am? Because I'm being told I'm the daughter of a Ship-girl that is known the world over for her accolades and skills? Do I even get a say in my life whatsoever now if I even slightly agree to this madness?!"
Hood let out a breath as she realized the problem. Agincourt was both sad and confused about how she felt about her mother being alive and never knowing her, never knowing if she was loved or how she felt about it, and terrified about the prospect of being a ship-girl and having to do what they were known for. "Listen to me, your life has not been a lie; you just did not know some things. Your mother loves you and always has, I promise you that, and while I cannot say for certain as to what the future will hold, I am sure the commander would not be unfair about anything especially considering your situation," Hood said clear and strong.
"You can't prove it, any of it!" Aggy yelled, nearly hysterical as tears came out of her eye. "Everything, all of this, why am I having to deal with this shit!" She screamed as she turned and took a step away from the table.
Only for Hood to at that moment stand up and wrap her fingers around one of Aggy's wrists, her grip like a vice that did not give an inch. "You do not have to deal with it alone, Agincourt. I know it hard but-"
"Don't call me that!" Aggy screamed as she tried to pull away from Hood's grip.
"Think for a moment about Warspite," Hood stated seriously. "Just imagine for a moment that I am not lying, that she is not lying, and that you are her daughter. Just imagine for a second how hard it has been for her to let you go, to have you so far away from her. Just think for a moment how hard it has been for her to not know what our life has been like, to not know anything about you, or the man she loves. I know this is hard for you, I know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and I know it hurts, but think for one second just how much it hurts for Warpsite as well. You both are feeling this, just in different ways."
Aggy held back a couple sobs as she spoke, looking explicitly away from Hood. "I- I can't do it. I can't just, admit everything is a lie. All I can think of is, is how I always wondered if my mother even cared.
"No one has said you have to admit anything is a lie," Hood said calmly. "It will be hard, I won't lie, but why don't you give Warspite a chance to talk to you? To show you how much you mean to her and hear everything from her side of it all? To prove to you that she does indeed care."
Aggy sobbed lightly as her free hand drifted up to the pendant, gripping it tightly as her entire body seemed to tense. "I- I know you're not, might not, be lying. But, but if I accept it, too much changes. Everything changes and i- I can't deal with that."
"You may not have a choice anymore," Hood said carefully. "But you do not have to deal with it alone."
Aggy was quiet for many moments before finally nodding her head shallowly. "I- I'm not ready for this, but- but I need to do something, about these feelings."
"And we can, but it will mean you will need to talk to her."
Aggy simply nodded.
"Are you alright with that?"
Aggy shook her head.
"Will you come with me to see her anyway?"
A Pause, then Aggy nodded her head slowly.
Hood then let go of Aggy's wrist and held a hand out to her, a silent show of requesting her to come with by her own volition. She gently took it, allowing Hood to slowly begin leading Aggy out of the cafeteria.
AS they left Sheffield, who had been watching from the rooms opposite side, put a hand to an ear. "Master, Hood is coming your way with the one who looks somewhat similar to Warspite."
"Thank you For the Report Sheffield," Came the commander's voice over her radio.
"Master, may I request information about the girl in question? Some, rather curious thing were overheard,"
"No, not yet. Once I know everything, then the information may be given out, until then you, and anyone who may have overheard anything in regards to her is to be kept strictly under wraps. Understood?"
"Yes master. There is one other thing."
"And that is?"
"The Maid Corps has discovered a single person submersible. The base has been infiltrated."
Xxxx
Authors note: Emotions are hard. Anger is secondary to other emotions, and fear and confusion are prominent things in the mind, so I'm really hoping I got the emotion in this chapter down well. Originally I was figuring this chapter would be half Aggy, half Warspite and the commander talking, but it got a bit big for that, so Warpsite and the commanders talk with Aggy joining in later will be the next one it seems. Hope you liked the chapter!