A Frellin' Messy Crossover pile of shi....

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo, Nippon: Hypocenter and Firestorm's Making of New Friends

Chapter 6: Re-turning and Once More Unto the Breach

"Re-class?" Hypocenter whispered, somewhat aghast at this development.

She frowned slightly. Re-class or not there had to be SOMETHING good going on here if she'd come, right? After all, having come in defiance of the Abyss Herself to be at her Princess's side? She'd at least give this new shipgirl . . .a wary chance.

Meanwhile, Both battleship shipgirls and Dr. Takahashi had noded an affirmation while Zuikaku and Re-13--the former Re-class's "name" which was actually the hull designation for which the Crane Princess had never bothered to go beyond for identification purpose--were too lost in each other in mother/daughter bonding to answer anything at the moment.

In their first life, Hypocenter and her sisters had been somewhat dismissive of the Re-class, having never really done surface combat until the Battle of Bikini. That and having a somewhat isolationist Princess, which had cut down on too much interaction with other Abyssal Fleets beyond the occasional escort mission had fostered that dismissive opinion. Now, after having talked with the Kanmusu Battleships who happened to actually had experience with surface combat; surface combat with a number of the Re-class? Well, while the sisters still thought that the Re shipgirls had been prone to preen under attention, at least their combat effectiveness wasn't an EMPTY brag if both Yamato and Musashi (who'd become fast friends with the former Abyssal shipgirls), were to be believed. Both Firestorm and Hypocenter respected the battleships' opinion on such matters . . .so, of course, were a touch leery of the former Re-class in their midst. Not because they feared that this unnamed former Re shipgirl (who looked disturbingly similar to Musashi for whatever reason) would turn traitor. Rather, they were leary because if anything else there had been ONE thing to be wary of the Re-class; they were nuttier than squirrel sh*t.

Not that the two sisters still knew what a squirrel happened to BE, but it gets the general idea across on how insane and unpredictable a Re-class shipgirls would usually behave.

Dr. Takahashi and the Battleship shipgirls not involved in hugging each other nod an affirmative, lost in the moment.

Yamato tries not to stare at the untypical behavior that the usually fiery aircraft carrier was displaying. Acting like a caring and even doting mother was something that Yamato never expected of Zuikaku. She had gone . . .full momboat here and there was no indication of when or IF she'd ever snap out of it fully. Oh, Yamato expected the aircraft carrier to be able to continue to do her duty, but . . .there was going to be the momboat factor here.

Re-13 was sure eating it up, almost starving for her mother's . . .

Oh, she realized she should have known from the very start! Did not her new friends Firestorm and Hypocenter say that Fodd . . .pardon! . . .Common Abyssals were made to Report to their Princess to LOVE and OBEY them? The battleship shipgirl was not certain if this was supposed to be something akin to the instinct for biological origins (in as far as Abyssals or shipgirls had such things) or if it . . .had been engraved into their very Souls by the Abyss to be that way; either option was disturbing for various reasons to Yamato. And that cast a whole new and disturbing light on Common Abyssal behavior which left a bad taste in her mouth, but what for it was there?!

But that said, this explained everything about Re-13's behavior! She had been starved for her Princess' love, always trying to obtain something that Zuikaku had revealed (with more than a bit of disgust at her former self) could never and WOULD never be capable of providing to her . . .daughters whilst the Crane Princess: love. No matter how hard they tried to gain it, it would never happen since she'd been narcissistic (amongst other things) to be capable of such. The Crane Princess had seen the Common Abyssals under her as mere assets, and this misconception had carried over into her new life as Zuikaku with how it had led to all sorts of confusion and misconceptions when a certain Abyssal from the Bikini Atoll (a "cruiser" which turned out to actually be a Wo-class aircraft carrier named Trinitite) had hijacked a fishing boat.

Houshou had briefed the aircraft carrier before Yamato and her sister had swung by to meet with Dr. Takahashi at the Summoning Pool. There had been a very tense air about the aircraft carrier, but she'd refused to discuss what had been revealed during her briefing nor her feelings about the matter. But being that both Yamato and her sister battleship had been "written into the program" of secrecy surrounding Dr. Takahashi and his connection to what had brought about the accidental Summoning of the former Abyssal aircraft carriers. About how Saratoga (who'd been Jellyfish when bringing both carriers to the land of the living) had summoned the two sisters forth after an upsetting phone call from some wayward daughter in the US called Trinitite. Not all details surrounding this affair were known to the battleships, but they DID know from THEIR briefing that the Admiral wished for Dr. Takahashi to attempt to recreate the conditions which had produced Firestorm and Hypocenter coming forth from their Summoning Pool. Since Saratoga was stuck in America for an unknown amount of time, apparently the option of using the only other former Abyssal Princess available: Zuikaku. Of course, Zuikaku was less than pleased with the idea since she'd thought common Abyssals as mere machines of hatred and destruction, not people (as it had so very much turned out with the former Abyssal sisters coming around).

Zuikaku was no longer that monster known as the Crane Princess and wished nothing to do with that dark past. She especially didn't want to think that those who'd she had sent to fight in her name whilst the Princess had been in effect her children, even IF she'd not been in her right mind at the time. But something changed between the time of pick up from Houshou's office to escort to the Summoning Pool; the aircraft carrier's angry muttering had been growing more and more something akin to denial touched with . . .something else. Regret. Longing maybe. Something had planted a seed within her heart for whatever reasons.

During the experiment where she was attempting to somehow reach forth and call one of her former fleet members back from the limbo they'd been sent when sunk, a single tear had fallen. A single whispered "please" and "love you, please!" had been heard by both battleships while Dr. Takahashi had been finishing up with recording readings from whatever gizmo he'd set up for this operation. Until then? It had pretty much looked like a flop.

Then? Things went . . .sideways. The initial "donation" corpse body for this Summoning had been that of an American destroyer known as Fletcher. She was a shipgirl who'd been sunk for a while now and as of yet . . .had not returned to be re-Summoned, mostly due to the bottleneck presented to the fall of Pearl. Dr. Takahashi's job at the Department he'd been shuffled away from the light of day for the LONGEST time had access to her (and so many MORE) corpses for R&D purposes. Of course, the doctor had stated that it mattered really NOT what the original ship class the former owner had been, this Summoning process had the potential to transmute the donor corpse into whatever ship class the new owner had been in their "first life". BUT most likely the result was to be a destroyer shipgirl, it should be stated. And that should make defeating or restraining the summoned shipgirl easier for two battleship shipgirls, in theory.

In reality? What had come practically JUMPING out of the Pool after the donor body had evaporated had NOT been a destroyer at all!

The aircraft carrier who'd summon this newcomer recognized her instantly, despite having no thoughts of her beforehand. The memory had just "bubbled up" from her time as the Crane Princess. They had Summoned a shipgirl who'd been a Re-class battleship, and one who'd been one of her inner circle/chief enforcers within her own fleet: if albeit a bit more on the wild (insane) side than comfortable at times. More on that in a bit, . As whatever power had hit the poor shipgirl had caused her to shriek so upon exiting the Pool, it had left definite changes from how she had appeared in her "first life", Indeed, the tail that had been graced with that signature toothy ship prow had shrunken and been absorbed into her body right before her emergence; marking the completion of her transformation into a Yamato class shipgirl, and what that meant for the former Re was not only the big turrets (and other big . . .large features that denoted a "healthy" shipgirl of her stature but also her skin tone had darkened and tanned rather to something just slightly paler to what Mushashi sported.

Now a Yamato-class battleship (with decidedly Abyssal stylings such as teeth like structures here and there in her rigging), the new shipgirl had looked up at the carrier shipgirl.

"Mommy?" the former Re whispered, before shouting in joy and tackle hugging the gobsmacked shipgirl in question. Then shuddering, she started to cry. "MOMMY! Mommy! Mommy!"

Wind knocked out of her, Zuikaku never the less reached out and returned the hug while feeling her heart . . .melt.

"Beloved," she whispered, beginning to cry herself despite herself.

The former Re-class had her Princess/Mother back AND had gained something that she'd been willing to DIE for to get: confirmation of her being loved; a universal story if albeit a somewhat tragic one for the fodder Abyssals for their Princess.

And for Zuikaku? Well, she found she had gained a daughter and her HEART wasn't going to let her do anything else but love being Mother (and Princess) for her newly regained daughter. Ever. Oh, it's not due to outside things forcing this love. It is due to how come the re-Summoning being able to call forth their old Fleet. Love would later prove to not be needed to summon a non-Fleet member to the side of a former Princess (or other Summoner later on). With the former Princess calling forth old Abyssal fleet members? Yep, It would not work unless they were sincere in their desires and their desires had to have love present..

. . .

How GOOD of mother the Summoner would turn out to be was a different story, especially for those with no initial emotional investment in the Summoned (which should be added including the "newly minted" former Abyssals of no prior Fleet). But those are other tales, some of which are rather tragic...

Ah, and if you should object? Well, it's kind of part and parcel of how Kanmusu ARE on a spiritual level. They are the personification of warships who've returned to protect humanity. To serve in their nation's Navy. There just were not any Kanmusu shipgirls out there who opted out of fighting in the Abyssal War, it was unthinkable to them to do otherwise. They COULD, but . . .their heart just wasn't in it to do anything else. IT just felt too . . . good.

So later, when everyone eventually gets themselves settled and sorted out. The former Re-class kept finding herself nodding off, rather tired from the process of her return. However, both former Wo-class Abyssal did have to admit . . .that Re-13 (the name that Zuikaku had been very fond in introducing her with to the sisters before admitting an actual NAME beyond a mere hull designation like that was coming soon since the poor dear deserved at least that much).... Well, Re-13 was much calmer and . . . .er . . . SANE than any other Re they'd ever met before.

Talking with Dr. Takahashi later about it in private had brought up issues with "bad wiring" in the bridge equipment of every Re-class the doctor had been the probable cause of their erratic behavior. That had left both former Wo-class shipgirls feeling a bit stupid, realizing that their fleetmate/sisters of the I-class had suffered under similar issues.

While somewhat less erratic and hyper-focused upon "defend the aircraft carrier sister!" with their Rigging summoned (as well as definitely appearing less "human" with Rigging engaged), the poor I-class shipgirls were . . .prone to erratic behavior which was a bit offputting at times back home off duty while at the Atoll.

So anyway, later in a side room where private (and proper "high security") discussions could be had near the Summoning Pool...

"Indeed," Zuikaku answered Re-13, stroking her hair as she laid her head in the aircraft carrier's lap. "You were so brave to come back to me despite that meany Abyss leaving warning signs and wards to block you! Now just close your eyes my brave battleship! You need your rest and we'll then discuss . . .other things like real names and getting your memory sorted out here really soon."

"Okay Mommy," whispered the former Re-class, closing her eyes. Soon, soft snoring could be heard from the battleship girl which made for an almost comical sight but not . . .really.

"Now," the aircraft carrier shipgirl said in a soft and gentle voice so as to not awaken the tuckered out battleship. "Back to what you asked about my child? You said you did not remember her from the very last time you saw . . . my former self, the Crane Princess visited your island? Simply put, I had not Summoned her at that time."

She frowned in consternation, remembering the Crane Princess only having been only slightly satisfied with her daughter's emergence from the Summoning Pool. She had practically begged the Abyss for other shipgirl types, mostly aircraft carriers. The Abyss instead kept giving her battleship after battleship. But at least with Re-13 the Crane Princess--her former self--had a battleship . . .that could launch planes due to being an "Abyssal Aviation Battleship". Not up to her taste as what an aircraft carrier shipgirl would have been, but better by far than a simple battleship. So instead of merely shuffling her to fight on the front lines without adequate training, she'd been provided . . .a mediocre training program instead.

But as things turned out, that alone had not been enough to prevent Re-13 from capturing her attention (and favor) later.

It had been yet another visit to some upstart Princess--the Armored Carrier Princess to be exact-- who'd snubbed participating in yet another "brilliant" plan to strike back at the humans and their "traitor" shipgirls. This time around during the visit, the bint had the audacity of actually TOSSING a depth charge into her face!

Yes! There is your example of who might have at least started rumor of Princesses tossing depth charges at those who'd annoyed them. But if nothing else, this particular bint had been nice enough to remove herself from the playing field by this rather idiotic act!

Not a single shipgirl of that upstart's fleet survived, but the honor for having SUNK that bint? Well . . .

"Ding-dong the B*tch is dead!~" sang Re-13, holding onto what was left of the Armored Carrier Princess' head by one of her remaining braids as what was left of the rest of her sank beneath the waves. "Ding-dong, the B*tch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked B*tch! Ding-dong, the wicked B*tch is dead! Wake up, you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed! Wake up, the wicked B*tch is dead!"

The Abyssal Crane Princess looked upon the work that her grievously injured daughter had accomplished despite the odds and smiled. Battleship or not, the Princess found her worthy so did not include her in the next batch of unwanted battleship girls to be traded with a Fleet with the shipgirls she wanted.

Instead, after having the Re-class visit the Repair Berth for healing, she was promoted to the Crane Princess's Elite Guard (for want of a better term). While shown favor, despite her tendency to rhyme her words for "added alliterative appeal" the Crane Princess . . .

"The poor dear tried to earn the very thing I only now gave her after she had sunk trying to protect her Princess," Zuikaku said softly, almost HISSING the last part with more than a bit of venom. "Only after coming back Re-Summoned could she . . . !"

The aircraft carrier stoppped a look of shame in her eyes.

"I . . .I came here to prove that my . . .children weren't . . .That I didn't love them," she whispered. "That I couldn't love them because they couldn't love."

Both Hypocenter and Firestorm refrain from mentioning anything about Zuikaku MUST have learned from Houshou about Trinitite since that last time the aircraft carrier shipgirl had been consulted. Which as it turned out, that would happen to have been back during the Pacific Lilly hijacking with that Abyssal "cruiser". Zuikaku had been out of the loop for a LONG time, as you might have guessed.

...

It took Firestorm a bit more effort to curb her tongue, by the way. But she had been able to manage it. Anything acerbic she would have said would be not only ill-advised but ill-earned on this target. Whoever Zuikaku was NOW, was not the Crane Princess that had darkened their old home back on the Atoll.

THIS person before them was a sihpgirl they'd be proud to call a friend. That and she was going to make a splendid Princess . . .for the rest of her life.

Ah, perhaps that sounded a bit sinister? More in that in a bit, but . . .nothing "sinister" is in play here.

. . .


"But here we are," the aircraft carrier shipgirl finished, looking slightly befuddled look at a certain battleship who was gently snoring. "I am . . .a Princess/Mother! But . . .I want more. I want all my daughters back."

Both Yamato and Mushashi glanced at each other in concern, and then at the aircraft carrier. That . . .was easier said than done. How much time had passed since the former Abyssal Crane Princess had been redeemed? How many of her daughters were still in that . . .Limbo wherever fodder Abyssals go before getting recalled back to service? How many were out in other Fleets, serving under new Princesses right now?!

How many would they have to fight and perhaps sink? Would those sunk be willing to answer their friend's call to be at her side in such a case?

And one really ODD question seemed to be going through both battleship shipgirl minds: if another Abyssal Princess gets redeemed, could they come looking for Zuikaku to claim paternity over reclaimed daughters? Would it result in dual parental custody or . . .

. . . .

No, both battleship sisters looked at each other and seemed to come to the same conclusion without speaking it aloud. Best to leave such matters for the future, for that was something they knew too little about right now to make such calls upon! Let the future take care of itself, right now the PRESENT was confusing enough as it stood!

"And what kind of mother am I going to be!?" she continues, looking a bit frantic as she looked around at all the other (awake) people in the room. That . . .was a good question. "I did not wake up this morning thinking this would happen! I don't know . . .how to be one."

"Ah . . .perhaps you could ask Houshou or our mother for tips?" Firestorm blurted out, after giving Hypocenter a quick glance. "Both are rather good at such things, I'd dare say."

"Especially Mother but Houshou is not unskilled," Hypocenter murmured, well being able to remember that . . .misunderstanding from earlier.

"That . . .might work," Zuikaku blinked, suddenly having a hopeful look on her face.

Later . . .

"Oh DEEP!" muttered Aki (the now properly named shipgirl). "Mommy, if I EVER think that doing rhyming . . .that 'added alliterative appeal' ALL the TIME is actually appealing and not just plain terrifying! . . .Pleas sink me because that'll mean I'm too stupid to live!"

The Deep Hypnosis session had done wonders for firming up Aki's memories (and stopped her from being as easily mislead), but some of the memories of her "first life" had been less than welcome.

The Abyss really hadn't done a good job with the Re-class in some regards. Emotional and psychological stability was being the top contender for LOWEST priority. It must have opted instead for firepower and raw fighting prowess by the look of things, looking back.

"Ah! No talk like that Aki," Zuikaku admonished. "It wasn't . . .too offputting. Just concentrate that talent of yours in regular poetry. You have a talent for it! You'll do great!"

Yeah, in some things the Japanese aircraft carrier had some old tastes in entertainment if that was not obvious; Not like there was a lot of more "modern" entertainment back at their old home base when she'd been stuck as the Crane Princess!

Oh, there had been that battery-powered DVD player with the DVD of "The Wizard of Oz" stuck inside. The one that Aki and the other Re-class shipgirls in their "first life" had found endlessly entertaining and had played repeatedly until the player had broke (much to their dismay)....

"Well. . . .I'll still just avoid it in regular speech," Aki shuddered. "Creepy."

Hugging and soon parting ways, the former Wo-class chatted away to the gunnery range to get their fairies up to snuff with their targeting. Then the aircrew had to learn how to properly fly their planes.

LOTS of things to get their runts back up to snuff before their Princess (a term that they all had agreed to only use while in a private setting to avoid . . .awkward questions for those not in the know) and Trinitite finally do manage to get back over here to Japan!

They were both coming over to Japan by jet, but not a jet fighter. After everything was said and done, both sisters could understand the lack of a rush for the Power that Be to bring their Mother back in a more swift manner.

Much later . . .

Years passed. The Abyssal War raged on, and three former Wo-class shipgirls (as well as the rest of the former Crossroad Fleet) quite a name for themselves in the news for their heroics. For their fierceness against the forces of the Abyss...

It was still a long and harsh war. One which demanded a lot, and one which demanded changes to keep ahead of the Enemy. Or to keep MOVING at all, near the end of it.

Ah, it has to do with the fact that "Peak Oil" had been reached and passed. . . . but certain strides in the production of energy (and miniaturization due to certain DARPA projects natch) led to this.

But it also leads to an enraged Abyss to escalate dangerously before the end . . .

"Okay . . .so you're an Abyssal Submarine Princess . . .by the name of Georgia?" Firestorm begins, looking at the smiling Ohio class submarine girl. "And the Abyss wanted you to use Tomahawks--which are nuclear-tipped I may add--to scorch the 'land apes' for their insolence?!"

"Hey!" the odd nuclear submarine protested waving her arms. "It isn't like any of us Ohios or the Typhoon class shipgirls were DOWN with that crazy shit!! But might I add. . ."

Not everyone had escaped the island that these Boomer submarines had been Summoned from, and there had been talking about "brainwashing" and "torture" to get the "uppity" ones onboard...

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land.

Author's Note: Okay! I freely admit that an Omake of an Omake is . . .odd, but I had an itch I just HAD to scratch! Anyway, some of this is taken directly from Jessetheswift's omake "40k Crossover VI: The Truth Revealed!"

Chapter 1: It's Deja Vu All Over Again!!

Not everyone had escaped the island that these Boomer submarines had been Summoned from, and there had been talking about "brainwashing" and "torture" to get the "uppity" ones onboard...

And when the name of the island where the Boomer subs are being imprisoned is mentioned, nobody was particularly HAPPY about it.

"Are you serious?" Firestorm blinked. "The Abyss has Her last trump card imprisoned . . ."

She just looks in askance at her sisters (not just the former Wo-class shipgirls) of the former Crossroad Fleet and shakes her head, stunned at the sick irony.

"What?" Georgia asked, perplexed. Yes, imprisoning nuclear submarine shipgirls on that place was ironic, but still! "I know that some nukes were tested there and around there in the '40s and '50s but. . . ."

"Operation Crossroads was conducted there," Saratoga said, shaking her head sadly. "At the Bikini Atoll, two atomic devices were tested. And while still a steel hull I sank there due to damage received from the second bomb. And returned as an Abyssal Princess, the Jellyfish. An Abyssal Princess who had been gifted the powers of the Abyss as a Princess, but had been so broken by what the Abyss had done to her mind and heart in the 'gifting' process that my former self . . .could never move on from where my steel hull had sunk. At least until a band of brave heroes came and brought me back to my senses, but that is a LONG and detailed story for later, dear."

"Ah my Gawd," Georgia blanches, reaching over and giving Saratoga a hug. "I-I didn't know! But it wasn't like I wanted . . . That's sick!"

Various muttered agreements and vile curses directed at the Abyss Itself could be heard by a distressed Georgia, what little humor she'd been harboring since escaping the Abyss's clutches drying up. At least for now, anyway.

Yes, the usually humorous sub felt that some tact was called for here, at least for now. Or at least she'd best be careful about the humor she uses with this group...

Not that she'd been in much of a joking mood, still rather PISSED at how she and her sister Ohio-class shipgirls --a feeling of sorority still surprising her in its intensity considering that she'd not even known her own name and had the oddest memories of being human before this--had been treated by this Abyss b*tch.

The eldritch monster had been almost beside itself due to the fact that whatever attempts of modification of mind and hearts beforehand on Georgia and the other Submarine Princesses had failed . . .miserably. Something about being a rush job on a style of shipgirl the Abyss hadn't done enough homework on beforehand or some such.

Georgia's heart bled for the Abyss!! Truly, a tragedy of the ages there, It's a failure!

The Russian Typhoons were even MORE livid if that was to be believed. The only reason why nobody had launched nukes at that island in spite of their escape had been because of the family left behind!

But anyway...

"The Abyss has a sick sense of humor," Saratoga sighed, shaking her head after reassuring Georgia that she understood that. "We all know that here in this Fleet especially for . . . Well, it's part of that long story we'll tell you later about."

Georgia and her family had been part of a major push towards bringing an END to this accursed Abyssal War. They had been combing the various islands found in the Marshal Island group but had been finding either empty bases . . .or traps.

"And we are heading back to the one island where our Princess and the rest of us least wanted to visit," Trinitite sighed. "But we'd best at least want to get on the horn and let Command know about this . . .development PDQ! And maybe Rear Admiral Zuikaku and her Fleet can give input on this as well."

Left unsaid was whether or not Admiral Zuikaku had found corroborating evidence to support the Ohio-class shipgirl's tale, or if the poor dear had been hoodwinked by the Abyss to lead them all into (yet) another deadly trap.

Traps, that had been getting old for a while now...

Later . . .or . . .earlier . . . Elsewhere/when

Trinitite just nodded woodenly, mortified that she'd mouthed off to a Princess.

"Ah, calm down you two, so, where did you say that you were staying?" Chitose asked.

"It's just down this road, on the right," the car slid into the apartment parking lot in silence, it wasn't until the Japanese woman had set the breaks that Georgia spoke up.

"So, she's cool, right?" The Submarine asked. Trinitite looked at the Seaplane Tender, who put her arm over her seat as she twisted around to look at her, they shared a long look into each other's eyes, and while she probably out-displaced the Japanese vessel by a fair margin, Tinitite felt like she was under the appraising eye of a Hime, deciding whether or not it was worth Jelly's anger and lack of services to sink her for some slight.

...

"Hmm, I think so, yes."

Trinitite sagged in relief.

"She's in Japan."

Trinitite un-sagged.

"WHAT!?"

Knock-Knock!

All the shipgirls jump slightly at the sound of somebody knocking on the side window of their car. The sight of some other shipgirl (an Essex-class) gives Trinitite the scare of her life, even IF some of that Rigging has some comforting and oddly familiar features. But when she gets a better view of the unexpected shipgirl's face as she steps into a better patch of light from a streetlight . . .

"Oh thank God!" Hypocenter muttered, looking at the gobsmacked shipgirls within the classicly styled retro-car (with realistic internal combustion exhaust from the decorative tailpipe). Those kinds of cars had been making a comeback with the nostalgic, but she'd never seen the appeal. "You're alive and you found Shortstack there!"

The shyer of the three shipgirl sisters of the former Jellyfish's Fleet thanked God that they'd survived that bloody battle there. With the Abyss Herself barging Its unwanted way into Earth's reality, Georgia had made the right call in launching a Mark48 ADCAP at the Summoning Pool, despite the damn thing being nuclear-tipped like EVERYTHING ELSE the poor submarine shipgirl had in her weapon's inventory!

The explosion hadn't been "nuclear" in nature, but something ELSE. Something decidedly . . .eldritch naturally. A green light/not light smelling of sulfur? A bitter taste of color pink? The sound of light? These and many MORE borked up senses the entire Fleet had felt before finding themselves HERE, somehow!

Thoughts as to why Trinitite had for whatever reason opted on going around in her "human camouflage" getup could wait. After they get the others on the Coms and a rendezvous point set up (somewhere in Seattle?!), then questions like that . . .

"Hypocenter!?" Trinitite whispered, shocked almost to mute silence before almost ripping off the door in her attempt to get out.

Questions as to why her sister should be looking like she does (like why she has light lavender hair and other decidedly NON- Abyssal features), THAT can wait!

Her sister was back!

"Hypocenter!" the Wo-class whispered, crying as she hugged the now slightly befuddled sister shipgirl. "You're back. You're back!!"

"What . . .is going on here?" Georgia blinked, not exactly sure what to make of this. She could be in SO much trouble right now! But . . .was not 'Hypocenter' the name of Trinitite's dead Wo-class sister back from the Atoll?

That meant that THIS couldn't be Hypocenter, since Fodder Abyssals . . . cannot be re-Summoned!

But that confusion for both Georgia and the others still inside the car increases when various OTHER shipgirls suddenly make the scene, crowding around the two aircraft carrier sisters hugging outside. Including . . .

"What the Hell?" USS Trinitite blinked, looking at a Wo-class shipgirl double in Hypocenter's arms, and then back at the USS Saratoga.

Artist: derryfebrian

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land-Young and Elder

Chapter 2: Young and Elder

Artist: derryfebrian

"What the Hell?" USS Trinitite blinked, looking at a Wo-class shipgirl double in Hypocenter's arms, and then back at the USS Saratoga.

The last thing she remembered was that battle back on what the Bikini Atoll . . .had become since last she had visited it. She had left it in shambles, and after learning what her Princess had happened to her because of the Abyss? After what she had learned what . . .

No, she'd never wanted to return there. And with the "redecorating" the Abyss's minions had been doing to the Atoll . . . .God! She never wanted to visit this place again, even in her nightmares! But there was a lot to witness, and to take in (even if she really had not wanted to do such).

Ah, and read? There WILL be a lot to take in here. Fair warning.

The prison was there. but there was this air of wrongness when you cast your eyes upon it, and according to satellite imagery, the d*mn thing wasn't even there! Satellites showed just an ordinary speck of land you'd come to expect from this particular Marshal Island known as the Bikini Atoll. But it was there, and the enemy fleet surrounding it had NOT been happy to greet them!

They'd fought through the Abyssal fleet, the disparity in weaponry and quality bolstered by pure blind fanatism that . . . just wasn't anything the former Crossroad Fleet (nor the fleet of the former Crane Princess) had ever seen before. It was mad. It was . . .fanatical, well beyond what one could and would ever see in Common Abyssals protecting their Princess.

These were fantics who were following the Orders from their Goddess! And something told the sisters that THIS is what the Abyss would have wanted all "fodder" Abyssal to have been from day one.

The Abyss's forces had pretty much receded, leaving only token outposts here and there with only scraps for resources. A long lull in new Abyssal shipgirls showing their faces, and now this? Yes, the Abyss seemed to finally gotten around to addressing the "free will" problem that She seemed to have found so vexing when both Firestorm and Hypocenter had defied her so long ago.

There was no direct proof, but...

Ah, but that all said it would appear that AGAIN the Abyss had moved on fixing this problem a little too little and a little too late. All these fanatical shipgirls in the service of the Abyss could do was die messily as they at best delayed both Fleets converging into the prison, the air thick with the exhaust from the Abyssal shipgirl's boilers. Its thickness would almost have made a viable gas weapon against any ordinary human forces. More than a few of those of the Saratoga's fleet had wondered if the Abyss had been Hoarding all the fossil fuel that her shipgirls still used....

Fossil fuels had grown rather scarce on the ground around the world due to this damnable war.

What, you haven't figured it out? Well, the thing here was simple enough. Since shipgirls on both sides usually ran on fossil fuels and a LOT of fossil fuel as the war waged on and on, the world's supply of fossil fuel got drained a LOT faster rate than pre-war. Pre-war, the figures had put reserves lasting around fifty years. Shipgirls sped up that consumption by an alarming rate (and pumping out a truly alarming amount of carbon)...

Steps had to be made, else human industry (indeed civilization) was going to come to a grinding halt. And let us not talk about things like climatic change!!

The solution for both tackle increasing temperature (and all the problems associated with it) from the carbon footprint turned out to be also the solution to the dire straights that the shipgirls were facing: starvation. And before you ask, no way were shipgirls going to be able to be sustained by things like wind or solar energy. Are you kidding me?!

Basically, it was due to the first breakthroughs in atomic energy through the creation of the first "regular" fusion atomic reactors (hot plasma and others of that type): HOT fusion

Then DARPA pulled a rabbit out of the hat: Muon-Catalyzed Fusion! Also known as cold fusion.



Basically, the mad lads at DARPA figured out not only how to stop Muons from getting "stuck" as quickly as they usually would do in normal circumstances They did . . .something that solved the problem of muons getting stuck by using several nanoscopic ridges that are shaped to increase the surface area as much as possible to free any muons that might get stuck and stop the fusion process.

Author's Note: that last part taken from "General Owl" by Jaune Pendragon. Giving credit where credit is due.

General OWL. (RWBY SI)

A story of a self insert with a power inspired by Tinker of fiction..

forums.sufficientvelocity.com

Between hot and cold fusion, humanity had enough energy to power machinery capable of removing the carbon from Earth's atmosphere in sufficient quantities to stop (too much) climatic change. What was done with the recapture carbon was an interesting tale involving various schemes (including a way of tackling world hunger but that is a tale for another day).

Zuikaku had been the first to have a miniaturized "cold fusion" reactor installed inside her, which . . .pretty much made her remaining boilers pretty much redundant (and unneeded). The trick had been doing it in such a way to make it small enough to fit within her, while just large enough to power her (but not to the point of overloading her).

Oh, and power "something" that was the answer for the "phsyics problem" using rigging weaponry on dry land caused. I think you know what I am talking about...

Yeah, basically what had happened was the former Crane Princess had become a nuclear-powered aircraft carreir! And with that, soon all Kanmusu-ized shipgirls and just plain Kanmusu shipgirls were nuclear powered, leaving the Abyssal Shipgirls to basically run out of fuel in increasing numbers. A really ugly way to go. . . not that the Abyss cared, of course. Just made her angrier and angrier as time went on, and corrupting "traditional" nuclear ships could only carry the Abyss's war efforts so far. She was still being outnumbered more and more as more and more fodder Abyssals were summoned to humanity's side...

Until what happened with Georgia and the other Boomers. If the Abyss couldn't win this war, then she could d*mn well make humanity lose!

Or something like that. Nobody, in the end, was sure why all the sacrifices had been about. What exactly the plans the Abyss had beyond it having something to do with Summoning Her there to Earth's plane of existence, but Her being on Earth would have been bad enough. Just looking at the B*tch had been a monstrous strain on the shipgirl's sanity. All that Non-Euclidean geometry! And considering how powerful Abyssal Princesses were, what kind of nightmare monster would the actual Abyss be in the eldritch flesh?!

Well, the world thankfully will never know the answer to that question due to actions taken by Georgia (who'd come along with Saratoga's fleet despite almost being orders NOT to come along). The sub shipgirl wasn't going to miss taking that Abyss B*tch down for what she'd done to her and her sisters!!

But now? What about the situation here with two Trinitites. Not aware of just HOW different the elder is to herself, the younger Trinitite is alarmed. Indeed, the sight of her twin almost makes the younger Trinitite summon her Rigging. However, upon seeing USS Saratoga?

...

"Mother?" Trinitite whispered, a surging feeling sweeping out of here and then BACK through her, nearly knocking her to her knees. As it was, it just staggered her a bit. And was unknowingly transformed, in a metaphysical way. "Reporting for duty, my Princess!"

Saratoga? Well, she felt something sweep through her and sweep BACK out at Trinitite the younger. Ah, but what exactly? What DID happen was this.

"My sweet brave Wo!" Saratoga whispered, rushing over and embracing the younger Trinitite, accepting her into the Fleet and family. As one of her own! And pretty quickly the younger Trinitite found herself being either hugged or otherwise welcomed into the Fleet by the rest of her sisters of the Fleet.

What would have happened if younger Trinitite--the one of THIS reality-- had actually met the Saratoga (of this reality)? Well, the very act would have been . . .interesting for the whole of Seattle (or whatever human city), this should occur within! While true enough that fodder Abyssals loved and obeyed their Hime and would die to protect her, there was a little twist that the Abyss of this realm added here. A failsafe. If a Princess should get freed of the Abyss's grip, but even ONE fodder Abyssal should survive? Of course, they'd seek their Hime out! Of course, they'd try to talk sense to them, hull to hull, to bring them back to their senses. To bring them back to being an Ayssal! But in this case? The mere act of seeing the younger Trinitite would have instantly transformed the (native) Saratoga back into Jellyfish!

A deliberate, hidden failsafe and pretty much a bad ending for a LOT of people in the end.

But here? USS Saratoga didn't have that "failsafe" engraved within her soul by the Abyss, thank goodness. Now? The younger Trinitite got transformed a bit, though she doesn't know that quite yet.

"Nani?!" Chitose blinked, finally managing to get a clearer view of just exactly who the Wo-class had been hugging and crying over. "What in the Hell are you doing here instead of teaching back in Japan, Saratoga? The aircraft carriers were really needing your expertise and you're here in the US?!"

The seaplane tender then pauses, noticing the rank that USS Saratoga was wearing: Admiral!

"That . . .was more than a decade and a half ago whoever you are," the aircraft carrier/fleet admiral mugs, giving the shipgirl an annoyed look for interrupting the moment. "By chance are you perhaps mistaking me for my sister, Lexington? She's on the roster over there in Japan for the latest in anti-Abyssal tactics, last I heard. Even IF the war pretty much is winding down to its end."

In Saratoga's defense, not much time really had passed since finding themselves suddenly here at their homeport: Seattle. Finding what they'd thought was their Georgia and a younger Trinitite had slowed down the truth revealing itself...

"Of course . . .that could have something to do with why I have an extra daughter," Saratoga added, looking over where the younger Trinitite and her elder are chatting away about something in excitement, along with some submarine sisters: Neutron and Reactor.

This wasn't some kind of Summoning Pool mishap where sometimes a clone got created?

Looking around, the town of Seattle kind of looked . . .less built up than last she remembered...

"Nani?" Chitose blinked.

Meanwhile, in Japan . . .

Saratoga staggers, looking around as if something . . .had changed. A sense of relief . . . and of loss sweeping in equal measures through here for no apparent reason. Shaking her head, she decided to continue the class and look into . . .whatever that was at a later time when she could.

"Uh . . .Sara?" Zuikaku called out to Saratoga, interrupting her class despite Saratoga's resolution. "We . . .may have a problem here?"

USS Aki smiled awkwardly as she and the rest of her fleet sisters stood back and Rear Admiral Zuikaku stepped forward to speak, pausing when seeing that the Admiral of the base seemed to have stepped away from this class for whatever reason...

"I . . .was hoping to speak with the Admiral here," the Japanese aircraft carrier/fleet admiral began. "I fear it is . . .urgent."

What?!

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land-Reach out and Touch Someone

Chapter 3: Reach out and Touch Someone

But meanwhile, back in America, Washington state, Seattle . . .

With Trinitite the Younger (aka Elizabeth) . . .

Smiling, young Trinitite and her sisters (including the new "big/twin sister") Trinitite are heading back to speak with Mother when Hypocenter waved for them to all stop and wait. It appeared that Mother was . . .discussing something about young Trin with her friend and the turncoat Kanmusu who was . . .a partner of some kind to Georgia.

Her Princess was not looking too happy with them...and several of her other sisters (who she felt so . . .much CLOSER to now than she'd ever done before) were standing by off to the side, tense. Like they're ready to jump into action.

....

Her friend and partner might be in a bit of trouble here, and she feared she knew why. Oh, she had questions right now but that would have to wait!

" . . .And you are telling me that you met my daughter 'Elizabeth' while playing Warhammer 40K," her Princess said, gesturing towards Georgia who nods quickly. Then continuing she turns towards Chitose, giving the Seaplane Tender a slight frown.

"And I heard something about you wishing to aid my daughter by helping her track 'me' down in Japan?" Saratoga continued, pulling out her issued cellphone and making an adjustment to it, and then tapping something in before turning it towards the two being interrogated. "Well . . .good thing that she at least told you about how easily I'm able to be tracked down by Google, else I would be OBLIGATED to report this gross breach of security."

Both Georgia and Chitose swear softly in both their native languages before young Trin's Mother turns and lets her see what is on the smartphone's screen and . . .the Wo-class found her jaw hanging open in shock at what she was reading.

In the search bar! In Google's search bar is the simple phrase "where is shipgirl Saratoga" and . . .it is showing young Trinitite's MOTHER's location in Japan?!

WHAT?!

"Heh, that brings back memories that look!" chuckles my elder twin softly. "I was MORE than stunned when I learned how LITTLE the Navy and other US organizations actually seemed to think about what could be found online by a 'simple' Abyssal."

"You mean I could have just looked it up on the library's. . .at any time?!" the young Trinitite sputtered while pointing at the online article that some Kanmusu had posted. While not as smooth and professional as some things she'd seen while using the computers in the library, it did have her Mother's name and the naval base in Japan listed.

No doubt, my sister apparently after having gotten OVER her shock (which I'm still having trouble handling right NOW), the young Wo-class thought fiercely to herself. She must have looked up the contact phone number for the base? Maybe even somehow managed to trick her way and gotten my . . .Her . . .UH . . .I mean OUR Princess's phone number to speak with her?

Is whatever conversation they had what lead to Trinitite . . .

. . .

Shaking her head, the younger Trin decides for now just call her elder sister Trinitite and herself "Elizabeth" for ease of conversation. Otherwise, this was going to get too confusing for the poor Wo-class!

What did Mother say that got Trinititie to join up with the Firebringers instead of the plan of getting Mother alone, hull to hull, and "bring her back to her senses"?

It had to be a VERY good reason because not only did Trinitite join the Kanmusu, but every OTHER member of the former Crossroad Fleet had as well!

. . . .

Could . . .she do that as well? YES! Elizabeth . . .she saw it was a "no brainer" in joining if that meant she could be with her Mother again. If . . .if the Firebringers hadn't compromised her free will of course . . .but . . .Mother seemed to be in her right mind.

Ah, and somehow even MORE vibrant and here?

"Yes dear," Saratoga smiled, cupping the Wo-class's chin fondly before turning back to the still stunned submarine Hime and the Seaplane Tender.

"And finding out who I was after being freed from being Jellyfish?" the Lexington-class aircraft carrier continued. "Depending on which websites you visited and the method you used, it would have been easily determined. God knows that there are enough conspiracy websites out there with their theories about how Abyssals and Kanmusu being two sides of the same coin!"

A quick typing session with Google again shows a somewhat blurred (but recognizable) image of her Princess as she'd appeared as Jellyfish. It was the Princess in all her pale glory with that beautiful dress of her and her long, white hair. And those spots that covered part of her face, including one of her eyes...

Elizabeth blinked, suddenly finding the image of how those marks made it look like her Mother had been burned in spots. It . . .was not a pleasant sight to her now.

"Amazing what lengths some fools will go to get pictures," Saratoga muttered to herself. "Got to wonder how they managed to get pictures before my former self evicted the human tourists back in the beginning at Bikini Atoll. They just had to take pictures instead of just running for their lives . . ."

"That IS how you found out and just passed along open source information?" Saratoga asked, giving the two shipgirls a meaningful stare. Both Abyssal and Kanmusu nod their heads in affirmation. Saratoga smiled, satisfied.

Something told Elizabeth that that WAS NOT how they had done things, but if her Mother wasn't going to pursue such awkward things then far be it for HER to gainsay her Princess! Not like she, a fugitive Abyssal, should tip off her hunters of such matters. Being that it had . . .or would have been . . .benefit to herself!

Saratoga, meanwhile has indeed opted (FOR NOW) at leaving this security issue alone. It had become clear to her when certain DATES were mentioned (and certain FACTS coming to light), that this wasn't the Seattle she and her Fleet left earlier.

The Abyssal War HERE was only something like into its second year. That and it appeared that not only had Pear Harbor NOT fallen yet, but world trade wasn't as (badly) disrupted by the Abyssals. At least not YET...

It would later account for just WHY "Elizabeth" was in a good financial position so much earlier than Trinitite had been comparatively speaking, timeline-wise. The "dollar" stores were still stocked, full of cheap imports from Asia, and that had left more money in Elizabeth's pocket. Enough to where she'd been able to take on hobbies early on...

"Okay you two, I need you to call somebody in your chain," Saratoga finally says, coming to a decision. "Tell them there is something that needs to be negotiated to bring MY daughter safely into the fold which does NOT include imprisonment or dissection. . . "

Later in a certain Navy Office in the Seattle area . . .

Nashville was closing up the office she'd been using, wondering if they'll be able to track down that damn Wo-class before the Abyssal somehow managed to repair itself enough to launch an air raid attack when her cellphone began to ring...

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land-Reach out and Touch Someone-Part 2


Author's Note: much shorter than usual but felt that what is to be written here and next was best served that way.

Chapter 4: Reach out and Touch Someone-Part 2



With USS Nashville...


Nashville was closing up the office she'd been using, wondering if they'd be able to track down that damn Wo-class before the Abyssal somehow managed to repair itself enough to laugh an air raid attack when her cellphone began to ring....


"USS Nashville speaking," the cruiser said after activating her cellphone and pushing a pile of folders into the inbox for review for tomorrow. Shaking her head slightly, she continued. "How may I help you?"

"Is your refrigerator running?" a young-sounding girl's voice asked from the other end, leaving the cruiser shipgrirl wondering just how she had the luck to get a bunch of kids doing crank calls.

"Or do you have Prince Albert in the can?" another voice asked, sounding perplexed (and familiar), causing Nashville to freeze in her tracks. It was Trinitite!! She recognized that voice from having heard it more than a few times back with the Pacific Lilly! A round of childish laughter is heard as the sound of shuffling is heard by the now VERY concerned Nashville.

How in God's name did that Abyssal get her number to crank call her?

And now she had Abyssal allies as well on land with herl?! That or hostages?! Oh, this is BAD!!

"Okay, I did it but who in the Deep is Prince Al-," Trinitite is heard asking in the background before -CLICK-!

"MURRAY!!" Nashville screamed, wanting the Commander right NOW.

Meanwhile, at an undisclosed DARPA facility . . .

"That'll teach that meany light cruiser for putting shells into Big Sister," grumbled the former I-class destroyer, glaring at the phone they'd used before passing it back to Big Sister Trin- Elizabeth. The Wo-class in question gagged as she consumed the 'burner phone' she'd bought earlier.

While the phone hadn't been intended as being used as a "burner phone", the stories that their newest Big Sister Trinitite had . . . .inspired the little pack of mischief. Groves especially had been almost beside herself in fury over having been "sunk" instead of by Elizabeth's side to protect the aircraft carrier as a Little Sister should! The newly (and accidentally re-Summoned) destroyer had to settle for rattling that cruiser instead of putting a few (dozen) shells into the shipgirl for that crime!

"Hey, has anyone seen? . . . . Oh there you are you little monkeys!!" another, somewhat similar but OLDER-sounding voice asks, stopping at the doorway to the office the gang had ducked into for some privacy while pranking. "What have you all been up to while poor Auntie Georgia was recovering from that side effect from summoning Robbin's sister from the Beyond?"

The little experiment that the egg heads had conducted when learning that Saratoga had the means to Summong Fodder Abyssals (as Kanmusu) had been . . . interesting. It worked for Georgia (who volunteered out of curiosity as well as a desire to kind of . . . make up for Robbin having lost her sister at the submarine's hands). But while the re-Summoned shipgirl had arrived and been non-hostile (much to the destroyers' relief doing overwatch duty), it had done weird things to Georgia!

The Abyssal Princess submarine had switched rapidly back and forth between Kanmusu and Abyssal (each shift being set off by her looking at her newly summoned daughter or her older "regular" Abyssal daughter). Her form had finally settled on her old Abyssal Princess form, but it had scared the bejeebers out of her family.

The scientists were concerned, but also ecstatic over the new data from the experiment. Even with the unexpected "hitchhikers" in the form of all the sunken I-class destroyers from "Elizabeth's" Crossroad Fleet!

After getting over the fact that they now had feet (!) and could walk around on dry land (!), the hyperactive destroyers had been something of a handful, wanting to experience anything and everything they'd missed out having been stuck only in their "monster ship" form. Something that the now more mature versions of the little shipgirls could well understand, if not share more than a bit of pity over what the little tykes had gone through being STUCK with their rigging on at ALL times.

The former I-class Destroyers from Trinitite's fleet had . . . issues back when Abyssal shipgirls, but at least they could shift into human form with the Rigging stowed. Not so much for their younger analogs, alas.

The Abyss here seemed to have been an even bigger B*tch than back home, it seemed.

"Oh nothing!" the younger Groves said innocently to her sister the Elder Groves.

"Uh-huh," the elder smirked, not buying it for a second. "Well, whatever! The site director has finally gotten permission to contact Elizabeth's hunters so they can be called off and all that! Wanna watch them squirm?"

Higher-ups in the food chain had already been contacted, and after the requisite swearing and cussing in surprise, a deal had been struck. A repeat of the "fat check" that Trinitite had gotten as a signing bonus had been won for Elizabeth, repeating history and satisfying Abyssal senses of honor over regarding debts owed. Just had to share that with Elizabeth first, soon enough.

But right now? Now it was time to share the . . . good news with Murray's group.

By blindsiding them. Groves just couldn't wait to see their faces!

Moments later . . .

"What?" Lt. Commander Dan Murray blinked, pretty much mirroring everyone else's thoughts on the matter here.

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land-Wham, Bam, Thank you, Ma'am!

Chapter 5: Wham, Bam, Thank you, Ma'am!

"What?" Lt. Commander Dan Murray blinked pretty much-mirroring everyone else's thoughts on the matter here.

"You heard correctly," the prim-looking researcher and head of a local DARPA project that Dan Murray hadn't even known had existed in the Seattle area said, looking slightly smug. "The Secretary of Defense himself has ordered you to stand down on the manhunt for the fugitive Wo-class Abyssal known formerly known as Trinitite--currently christened Elizabeth--and stand by for this upcoming briefing.

"Knowing some of what I know about it I dare say that it will be more than a bit shocking," the researcher continues, a trace of sympathy leaking into her tone.

As a long-time researcher and scientist, she had always had some disdain for the Military and other Government agencies . . .approach to certain things in life. However, in certain cases where she had to play her part in the "cloak and dagger" game with her research programs (and their results!) she could find some semblance of empathy for their plight.

After all, if only she and her team had been allowed to SHARE what they actually knew about Abyssal (both Princesses and Common type) then perhaps this "Absolute Railway" business would not have been quite the circus it had become until this point.

If nothing else, the hunters would have given their query more credit for her intelligence . . .but orders were orders if she wanted to be allowed to keep her funding and all that. Such as life.

"Ah, but here comes that briefing and so I'll step down and let them speak," the woman research finishes. Her image blinks out and was replaced by the now-familiar image of Admiral Matsumoto Keiko, of the JMSDF, Kanmusu Division was displayed along with TWO almost identical-looking shipgirls who Murray knew as the former Abyssal Crane Princess except ONE is in the uniform of a Japanese admiral!

"W-what the hell?" USS Nashville muttered softly, staring at the screen.

Murray found himself echoing the sentiment.

"Sorry for the lateness of this briefing but I fear that it could not be helped," the female admiral began. "But given the odd nature of one of my guests here and what she'll have to say I believe you'll understand why it took some amount of time to get it straightened out. But . . . I'll let Rear Admiral Zuikaku start first, and then we'll go from there."

"Thank you, Admiral Keiko," the Japanese aircraft carrier nods before stepping forward. And my, what an INTERESTING story she tells her audience. Tales of another Earth where the Abyssal War had lasted more than a decade! Where the world reserves of oil and other fossil fuels had been drained by the needs of both Abyssal and Kanmusu shipgirls, leading to widespread depletion and the rise of both actual "hot" and "cold" fusion.

The part about how the massive glut of now provided (green) available energy for use from THAT to combat the carbon dioxide greenhouse gas having been released by all the shipgirls during the war was almost overlooked. The part about how the "recaptured" carbon dioxide had been used in part to create carbohydrate-based food to fight world hunger WAS overlooked by all but a few, considering that a lot of minds had almost blue screened over how much fossil fuel thus far HAD been consumed by both sides during this war. What the overlooked but obvious consequences of it all meant for everyone...

If everything ELSE from this briefing turned out to be some kind of sick joke, the audience as a whole hoped that . . .

"I . . .am hoping that you'll be sharing the technology for fusion power?" Murray manages to ask, his concern for otherwise dark future ahead overshadowing his concerns about the unexpected turn with the wayward Wo-class he'd been chasing ever since the Pacific Lilly.

"We already have shared what I and my fellow ally are currently authorized to share," the offscreen voice of what Murray identifies as Saratoga, but from the sudden appearance of said shipgirl suddenly leaning in from the left to look in askance at the camera gives Dan the feeling . . . that the Saratoga who spoke is NOT the Saratoga on the screen presently.

"Ah 'Sister Sara'," the apparent unseen doppelganger of the gapping shipgirl onscreen chides. "While I am sure you're curious about this and the family matter concerning a certain Wo-class shipgirl, I may suggest you wait until Admiral Zuikaku is finished with her presentation at least before asking questions?"

"Uh . . . sorry Ma'am," the red-headed shipgirl sputters before ducking back out of the picture.

"Admiral Saratoga?" the Japanese shipgirl admiral blinks, smiling happily. "You're alive and well? Hopefully, your fleet is well also?"

"Yes old friend," the 'admiral' Saratoga answers from offscreen. "We all appeared back in Seattle for whatever reason, safe and sound despite some of my . . . shipgirls having suffered grievous injuries from that last battle. I assume that all of your Fleet arrived with you in Japan. I do hope they did so safe and sound?"

"Yes they all arrived, but more than a few of my fleet need either serious time in drydock for repairs or a round of repair bucket time," the Japanese admiral/aircraft carrier sighs, giving her analog at her side a glance before looking back through the screen to Admiral Saratoga (who is still off-screen). "As to exactly WHY we appeared back at this world's version of home ports remains to be determined, but as for everything else . . .?"

"I don't suppose that our submarine friend that tipped us off to what eventually led us to end up here showed up with you?" Admiral Zuikaku asked, giving a concerned look towards the screen. "I already informed the authorities over here on this side of the ocean, and nothing was uncovered. And of course, they are understandably concerned, considering what she happens to be carrying."

"Nothing beyond a rather interesting encounter with the native version of my daughter Trinitite and the analog of our friend I am afraid," the Lexington-class Admiral admitted. "And beyond being of similar character and . . . other issues, she only has a loadout for conventional-attack."

"She's talking about m̤̗͎̮̙̤͑ͫ͂̍͌ͥe̋ͫ?" a young-sounding girl's voice asked from somewhere off-screen. The Abyssal flang made more than a few people's hairs on their neck stand up on end over that. "Yeah, that's me that . . . Waitta minute, what's this shit about me having a 'loadout for conventional attack'? Does that mean that my͚͇ͬͣ ̆͒d͇̼͓̹̲o̜̮̼͙̣̹͈͆̓ͫͧ̏̍̈́p̯̤͈ͨ̈̊p͚̰̉̇lͭ͋̿e͖̙̤ͧ̐ͩ̚ͅg̱͍̳̮͙̔̃ͦ͂̈́̎ͅan͚̬̖g͖̞͔̩̩̤̔̊̐͗̔͑e̤̙̙̱̼̎̏͒ͪͮr ͈̤̭̥͔ͧ͋͐̅͌i͖̹̞̎̌̏ș̻ͬ̓ ͦ̓͂̽pakcing N̺̙͚̞̍ͪ́́Ủ̳̻͍̱͙͓̩̲̳̙͖̓͋̊͛͑̍ͦ͐̉͂K͞E̠̙̗̲̮͐ͮ̎͌̉͜͢͠S̛̞̳̠̞̗̬̮̞̯͝͡?̰̩̮͙͕̲͕̮ͪͩ̿ͩ͒̉͆ͦ͢!̓ͥ̔͑ͧ̃ͪ̿̚"

Of course more than a few concerned questions are asked (or more like shouted) from Murray's gang, which of course needs to be addressed before continuing.

"So . . .let me, get this straight?" Agent Brandon Ferguson managed to finally get out, almost ready to explode in consternation. "First, the reason why ordinary human Navies can now hit Abyssals now is due to what happened over in Vietnam awhile ago? Because of a rogue Abyssal Submarine Hime and her Fleet were at the heart of it? Who are guests here in the USA because they're our friends and allowed because of a letter of marque? And let us not forget that this Princess is an Ohio-class submarine whose tomahawk missiles are conventional warheads, but this mirror version of the USS Georgia has nuclear-tipped tomahawks AND nuclear-tipped torpedoes?! AND WE don't even have a FUCKING CLUE where she IS!?"

The Agent's face had an alarming shade of red, and many who saw him were worried that he was going to have a stroke here any moment.

"Yes Agent," Admiral Saratoga said, an eye roll evident to all despite her STILL not being on screen. "That is the exact thing we are saying. And before you ask, she is NOT going to just launch her missiles at any human targets."

"And how do you KNOW that?" Ferguson shouted.

"Because she and her Boomer sisters let us know where the Abyss's base was where It was trying to brainwash those who had NOT escaped their jail cell into launching their nukes at MY world's cities," the shipgirl said in a calm, but condescending tone of voice reserved usually for a mother talking to a slow, dim child. "If she was inclined to launch missiles because of being -- oh my goodness it's a MEAN and evil for the lolz Abyssal Princess--then MY world would have burned in the FIRE and I assure you we would NOT be having this MEETING!!"

"That'll be enough Agent Ferguson," another voice, a tired-sounding one that causes Ferguson's red face to go chalk white. "She has a valid point so stop making an even more of a fool of yourself and stand down."

As it turned out, that had been the Director (a man much higher on the totem pole than the Agent) who had been speaking (and hadn't been too impressed with the agent). As it turned out, the Director had known about the "native" USS Georgia and her Abyssal Fleet/ Family who had been kind enough to come to Seattle for a while for DARPA to run tests on them. The only reason why Ferguson hadn't been told? HE had no need to know, that was why. It wasn't concerning his hunt for Trinitite/Elizabeth, so why tell the peon about it?

Well, there could've been a good reason, but that would have been due to some kind of extreme case . . . Like the Abyssal Princess suddenly running amock or some such . . . But still . . . It had looked rather badly done how he'd acted there and at other points, and the Director was getting tired of Ferguson's shit. Had been making the hunt for Trinitite even harder than it should have been until now, really.

...


The agent slowly sits down and stays silent for the remainder of the briefing which basically boiled down to this: if the "other" Georgia is found, then POLITELY approach her and ask her to come with them into custody. Force was not only not going to work, but if anyone who was foolish enough to threaten the submarine girl enough . . .with nuclear missiles?!

No, politeness was called for here. That and some discretion! No need to cause needless panic amongst the civilians!

Of course, other places than Seattle will be checked (but Murray and the gang there are tasked to check around the city since they're already set up for hunting).

Oh, and of course a task force will be sent down to the Bikini Atoll on the off chance that the other USS Georgia should show up there since . . . well, since that was the last place Saratoga's fleet had been that was one place to look.

As it stands, there is a glowing RIFT there present, as well as some people and shipgirls who'd gone through to look for missing Fleets and such, but no Georgia. AND my aren't her Ohio sisters and her Russian Boomer friends wanting to find their comrade in adversity . . .

However . . .

At Pearl Harbor, at the Arizona Memorial . . .

A Battleship shipgirl sighs, looking at the grave of her own steel hull and wonders . . . if that push that had been done by the Abyssals hadn't collapsed due to Navy Forces being actually able to help the stationed shipgirls . . . would she had come back as she had? Or as some kind of Abyssal Princess?

USS Arizona had to wonder, really. Oh, after she had found herself Summoned it wasn't like she'd not been a bit . . .bitter over how she'd Sunk as a steel hull due to various forms of incompetence on the Navy's part, but . . . Then again, it wasn't something to hold against ALL of humanity (or the USA) for the failure of some idiots in Command back then.

"Heh . . .me as some kind of Abyssal Princess?" Arizona muttered, not seeing it unless the Abyssal invasion had gotten to the Summoning Pool and did something that made her come back . . .wrong? Was that even possible?

Still smiling slightly, she turned away only to pause as she saw a small pale girl slowly rise from a spot in her wreckage on . . .some kind of Abyssal rigging of a submarine?! And a rather modern-looking submarine of some kind, Postwar? Really banged up, though...

"Ouchie!" USS Georgia muttered, looking up at the sky and squinting blue glowing eyes. "Where the Hell am I?"

Of course, the human tourist see her. See the Abyssal Rigging and features.

Cue a lot of screaming....

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land-Smile, You're On TV. . .


Chapter 6: Smile, You're On TV. . .


Of course, the human tourists see her. See the Abyssal Rigging and features.


Cue a lot of screaming . . .


Meanwhile, back at the DARPA facility in Seatle . . .


The lower-ranked hunters had already been dispersed to begin their hunt for the missing Abyssal (Nuclear) Submarine Princess Georgia. Now that the more concerning business had been taken care of, there was the matter of what the hunters had been originally been tasked to find: Elizabeth (who had originally been known as Trinitite but had been re-christened to avoid confusion with her and USS Trinitite).


"So . . .lets get down to the elephant in the room," Admiral Saratoga begins, addressing the small group of shipgirls with her in Seattle and the others over in Japan. "The elephant of course being my newest daughter: Elizabeth. Who may I add still IS family for you, Sister Sara; ceded claims of motherhood to me or not."


The Lexington-class Admiral frowned a bit at that memory, it had left a bad taste in her mouth. After all, even IF Elizabeth had become the Admiral's newest daughter (and nothing was going to change that) it wasn't as if a "shared custody" could not be done. The idea that any and all claims of motherhood got annulled when Elizabeth had declared the Lexington-class Admiral as her Princess (not Hime); there was a thing that did not sit well with her. The thing? Young Saratoga seemed to feel that a TOTAL separation from family was the thing here. Okay, some kind of mysterious event HAD happened around that time that had annulled the younger Saratoga's claims on Elizabeth as Hime, but nothing about this had to mean the younger shipgirl should give up on being Elizabeth's mother! After all, Saratoga (Admiral or not) WAS the mother of all Essex-class aircraft carriers and Elizabeth WAS an Essex/Wo-class aircraft carrier. Houshou was viewed as the mother of ALL aircraft carriers (but seen as a grandmother in another case concerning Essex-classes we needn't rehash)...


The younger Saratoga and Elizabeth, meanwhile, share an uncomfortable glance before looking at the Admiral.


"I . . .would not be against having Saratoga over in Japan as an aunt," Elizabeth allowed, not against the other shipgirl being in the Family. Just not as her Mother. Definitely not as her Princess, since the elder Saratoga gained THAT right. When she had met her new Princess (not Hime!), she had been transformed into something new. She had become akin to her new elder sister. She had been reborn to report to her Princess, who she was to be loved and obeyed. "But Mother, I fear I . . .just cannot call her my mother anymore."


Not that I ever really was worthy to be called a proper Mother back when I was Jellyfish, thought young Saratoga to herself in shame. Even IF she had not been her right mind, it didn't much lessen the shame she felt on the shameful affair. Empty gestures of giving out ice cream and only pretending to care...


"And . . .I really shouldn't be called her Mother, in any case, consider that . . .I had lost all rights to be that," the younger Saratoga said softly, shame in her voice. "I didn't embrace my wayward Wo-class as you'd apparently had the bravery to do and . . ."


"Ah! About that," the elder Saratoga begins to confess, after giving Trinitite a look. "We haven't told you about how things played out in my world with MY daughter . . ."


Basically, while the younger Saratoga had gathered that the elder Saratoga and her daughter were from a similar world, it hadn't been clear as to how CLOSELY it resembled her own. Basically, besides a few details, the tale of her elder sister was the same as her own up to a certain point. In that other world, Trinitite had managed to contact her Princess by cellphone and all that, but the point here was that her elder hadn't been immediately ready to take Trinitite in as her daughter.


But she HAD chosen eventually, whereas the younger feared that she would have been foolish enough to turn her wayward Wo away in fear if she'd been allowed. The reportings of those at DARPA about what had happened with Georgia there had left her chilled.


To think that merely MEETING with her wayward Wo could have transformed her back into Jellyfish left her feeling ill. Something that her wayward Wo had also expressed feeling more than a bit ill about, considering what price being the Jellyfish Princess had actually entailed.


Elizabeth wanted to have brought her "back to her senses", not . . .that!


"Still . . .something got severed with you becoming her Princess," young Saratoga insisted. "And while I may be the mother of the Essex-class aircraft carriers and by that extension Trin-Elizabeth, you have the superior claim and right of Mother. But I am open to being an aunt since she's open to that idea..."


"I like that Auntie Saratoga," Elizabeth smiled at her former Hime. "And just as soon as the researchers say that it is safe for us to meet, I look forward to meeting you again in person. The Kanmusu-isation process should make that a reality, soon enough. The researchers want to do a few more experiments to compare me--an 'altered' Wo-class Abyssal--to the Wo-class Abyssals of Georgia's Fleet. See how I compare to them and such."


The Wo-class wanted to just get down and done with it, taking the last step and complete the process of severing her old life and stepping into her new life with her Princess and family. To join with the Fleet (and the US Navy of their world), when (and if) they returned to their homeworld. Honestly, their world sounded much more inviting than her world honestly. The Abyssal War was over and done over there, while it was still in full swing here. All desire to fight in it on the Abyssal's side of things had been killed right out after she had learned why her Princess had opted to serve under the Firebringers despite having used "the Fire" on her.


Trinitite and her elder Sisters had been very understanding with Elizabeth's shock when her Princess had revealed that human beings had been blind to the reality of ships having souls. Blind to them being more than mere tools. So the idea of testing "nuclear" devices on her and the other ships in Operation Crossroad made a certain amount of sense, otherwise, it would have been sheer lunacy...


Oh, and the added half-joke that Trinitite had made about having to worry about consumed cellphones coming back as Abyssals had been MOST disconcerting (considering SHE had consumed her burner phone back during that crank call earlier to avoid it being traced). . . .it had been hair raising disturbing.


. . .


"Well and good I suppose if it will keep you both from severing all family ties," Rear-Admiral Zuikaku smiled. While it would have been nice if the could have remained daughter/mother it fit into what had happened with her Fleet and the younger Zuikaku. There had been no "chemistry" between them and her Fleet, but both sides had been willing to at least entertain the idea of the younger Zuikaku being seen as an Aunt. "That said, any word yet on using the Summoning Pools to call forth more of this world's version of the Crossroad Fleet back from the Great Beyond?"


Admiral Zuikaku had been more than delighted with the accidental "extras" that had come along with the intended Summonings. Yes, young Zuikaku had been initially . . . hesitant in being part of it. Truth is that back in Admiral Zuikaku's world, the BEST summoners had always been former Abyssal Princesses like herself. While not as true HERE, Zuikaku had been tapped and . . .hesitant or not, the young Zuikaku had succeeded in Summoning. Oh, the Summoned shipgirl had been as Green as they come. That is, the shipgirl had been a new Summons (no prior experience or memories before the Summoning). But the shipgirl had been ironically enough an aircraft carrier (same class as Zuikaku) and . . .when Summoner and Summoned looked into each other eyes . . .


Yes, the young Zuikaku was going to make both a fine Mother and Princess, and Admiral Zuikaku expected young Zuikaku's Fleet to grow vastly here soon enough. Both willingly for the younger Japanese shipgirl AND the Japanese High Command, since more shipgirls to fight for the cause was good in Command's eyes and Zuikaku had a pretty good bead on the younger sister's heart in this matter.


The Admiral Zuikaku had been happy to welcome the new accidental Summons (analogs of various parts of her Fleet), and chuckled at the disconcertment the Japanese researched had over the extras to for the one intended Summoning they were trying for here. At this rate, all the analogs of her Fleet would be back amongst the living and joined with her family.


Yes, as a shipgirl she was used to a different idea of how large a "proper" family should be . . .and the more the merrier. She could handle it, easily. And High Command? Well, there were plans for shipgirls after the War, so more won't hurt that. . .


Mars exploration sounded like a splendid way to serve after everything. And maybe they could see if those Mars probes NASA sent over there had their own version of spirits. Be nice to show some respect then, if nothing else.


"Actually there is a LOT of noise about me doing a Summoning just to see how many can be brought back Over from the Beyond," Admiral Saratoga smiled. "Just hope they have the materials to feed the newly Re-Summoned else we'd better raid a few auto junkyards or such really quick to make up for the shortfall."


Georgia had made the most interesting suggestions in that regard. . .


The site head researcher comes rushing into the room, looking a bit rattled.


"Hey . . .you remember your version of Georgia the submarine that was misplaced?" the researcher begins.

Back at Pearl Harbor, Arizona Memorial . . .


A TV reporter had been at the Memorial doing a fluff piece when they'd spotted the Battleship shipgirl, Arizona. Sensing some kind of possible news piece beyond the fluff stuff she'd initially planned, she and the crew moved over to interview here, turning on the TV cameras when. . .


A group of Screaming civilians was the first clue, and then the Submarine Princess had surfaced, clutching her head at the noise.


"Oh my Gawd would you be quiet!!?" she screeched back at the civilians. "You're being loud enough to wake the DEAD!"


"Abyssal!" shouted Arizona, summoning her Rigging and aiming it at the Abyssal. This causes Georgia to jump back a bit and look at the Destroyer shipgirl in wide-eyed shock!


"Are you f*ckin '̟̝̱̳̻͕͙͖̲̊͂̊ͤ͆ͥ͊ͮ̂ ̠̟͖͚̬̣͕̲̹̘̪͙̻͈̄ͧ̽ͩ̃ͯ̍͊ͧͪ̋ͥͨͧn̗ͯu̢̡t̤̼̼̱̼͚̺͖̦͚̫s̻̪̬̗͓̦̠̭͎̃̓ͩ͊̋ͫ͐ͪ̃?!" Georgia shouts, pointing at the civilians who are still nearby. "You're too close to shoot those off for them to n̓o̷ţͭͧ g̓̒͐͑͗e̒́ͦ͆̆̚t͢ ͪ̓ͪ͂̋͒c̒́̀̓͢ǎuĝͭ͗̃hͧ͑͒̓ͩͨ̚t́͂͊ in the crossfire!"


"Then . . .surrender?" Arizona asked after a short pause of consternation (an Abyssal Princess worried about collateral damage?!), not exactly sure at the conversation turn here. As if an Abyssal Princess is actually concerned about harming innocent humans? Oh, she had a point since the Rigging summoning had been a pure reflex . . .


"How about parley?" Georgia countered, calming down. "That and maybe we can speak with Either Admiral Saratoga or Admiral Zuikaku."

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land-the End of the Beginning

Chapter 7: The End of the Beginning


With USS Arizona . . .

"How about parley?" Georgia countered, calming down. "That and maybe we can speak with Either Admiral Saratoga or Admiral Zuikaku."

"I know of shipgirls by that name . . .but last I hear they were hardly admirals," Arizona allowed, still holding the Abyssal Princess under the cover of her guns (despite knowing the submarine is way too close to avoid incurring damage to herself AND the submarine). Let us not mention the humans still present on the platform behind her.

"Whatever!" muttered the submarine princess, not wanting to argue about such things. She knew what she knew and d*mn did NOT want to argue over stupid things like the actual RANK of the people who rescued her and her sisters. "I guess there was some kind of . . .i don't know? A field promotion?!! Look, I do NOT want to go around killing anyone here but I DO want to get in contact with those two aircraft carrier shipgirls so I can get back with my sisters. From there, I'd kinda like to get some kind of life that doesn't involve going 'kill all humans' and shit like that. All I am asking for is to talk with them? By radio or telephone if you gotta?"

"Is that too much to ask?' the submarine (an Ohio-class, a post-War submarine Arizona noted with some trepidation) asked plaintively.

"I can . . .get with my superiors to see what we can arrange," Arizona allowed, which was good enough for the submarine.

And while Arizona--who's identity the female reporter provided--contacted her superiors with her cellphone, Georgia gives an impromptu interview while the now thoroughly confused tourist watch on ("Aren't Abyssals supposed to be hostile?" they ask themselves).

And while not as humorous as she could have been (what with her still in some pain from having fired her torpedo on land . . . remember the "physics problem" combat could be for shipgirls for USS Trinitite's world), it still is a very interesting interview! "Interesting" in the vein of being completely confusing to the reporter and the tourists.

Frankly, with dates and events mentioned happening that have not happened (yet) everyone seems to think the submarine is insane. But that insanity? Well, it seems to be playing in humanity's favor since the poor dear is NOT attacking everyone as a proper Abyssal should. But insanity or not, some people who learn that Georgia says that she's an Ohio-class submarine (aka a boomer) to be an alarming idea. Is this insane submarine princess a sign that Abyssals gaining nuclear bombs? Some who see the interview groan, knowing that the submarine's been spreading information which those in the Navy would rather not get out yet (the idea of another parallel world is out there and such).

. . .

However! Some out there in power saw this as an opportunity to . . .capitalise on a growing problem another submarine named Georgia had been causing them with her . . . antics. Oh, for the most part, the native Abyssal Submarine Princess.

Oh, those in the high towers of responsibility are . . . appreciative of the services that the submarine abyssal have done them and humanity as a whole. Truly, they are! But the headaches that she and the rest of the sub's family have been inadvertently causing them! The BS that had to be spread by that one youtube video alone where the native USS Georgia was drunkenly singing in that bar about one-eyed hookers and big squid monsters; it had been one thing after another for the intel community to cover up! Even IF the antics were of a (mostly) positive nature, people were talking. Rumors were going around and theories were being made; not yet by the mainstream but it was only a matter of time!

Maybe it was time to kill two birds with one stone! And it wasn't like they could put the genie back into the bottle with this doppelganger USS Georgia's existence! Her image and very existence upon US soil had gone nationwide before anything could have been DONE about it! But the d*mnable thing was, it turned out that . . .despite initial panic the public seemed to be . . . warming towards the submarine princess since she'd basically screamed at USS Arizona for endangering the civilian tourist with her Rigging. The submarine had almost BEGGED for her armaments to be removed, not wanting such destructive munitions within her hull. Regular tomahawks were dangerous. Torpedoes were made to be deadly, but nuclear types were a whole different level and this Georgia wanted no part of it (and that played VERY much against all prior views humanity had of Abyssals). The fact that this Georgia had mentioned things like "torture" and "brainwashing" from the Abyss (an entity leader that no humans until now had any real clues about) before having escaped from prison (her and her sisters). . .

Well, it put a whole new twist on things which . . .could be useful. . . .

But yep, as what had been said? Georgia and her antics back at the Arizona Memorial? Enough to make the evening news in every city of the USA! And that is pretty much what brought the head site researcher running to tell where the other Georgia is, right before a phonecall looking for Admiral Saratoga. Of course, that call is being made over ultra-secure ones. Of course, the submarine princess is still being under heavy "escort" ever since surfacing back at Pearl. Of Course, this conversation was being monitored and recorded....


Of course, Georgia knew of all of that (and Saratoga did as well). Par for the course...


"Hi, Saratoga!" Georgia said over the phone. "I . . .think there is something wrong here. Everyone here in Pearl Harbor seems to think I'm insane, telling me that the year I said everything happened in is in the future."


"It is not . . . quite like that," the voice of one of her escorts coughed slightly in embarrassment, too low to be overheard except for Georgia. At first, she--USS Arizona--had thought as much. Now? Well, the Abyssal Princess HAD that head injury when they had first met.

That and as it turned out not all of what the sub had said had been totally out there. Hey, turned out that her chain of command had even said that USS Saratoga had been an admiral. Something about it had made the officer sound a bit put off about that but what that was about had to wait until maybe after this call.


Georgia smiled and mouthed thanks towards the battleship.

Meanwhile, both Firestorm looked at her fellow Essex-class sisters and just shook her head slightly over the "insane" part. Having the initial meeting with her back in the Marshal islands had been a touch jarring, but the odd behavior had ultimately been due to finding allies after a harrowing escape more or less. That Georgia had been a bit eccentric. But with having met the atomic submarine named Georgia of this parallel world? Yeah, the sisters could see how the mistake could happen!



Saratoga--Lexington aircraft carrier and admiral--smiled slightly. She well knew the old saw about the thin margin between genius and madness. Georgia (hers and the native one) were more the former than latter. But d*MN if the sub shipgirl could be a touch quirky at times.

"Saying that . . .what's going on?" the Submarine Princess asked. "I mean what I did back there seemed to transport me and everyone else all over the world, but don't tell me we did time travel!"


"Not . . .so much as what you did with your torpedo sending all of us to an earlier time as in 'time travel, Are you familiar with M-theory?" Saratoga began, fiddling with the controls on her end of the communication. "Rather it was more like you accidentally sent us 'sideways' in time, as one British science fiction TV show I've come to like put it. As into a parallel world who happens to have been in only into the second year of the Abyssal War, my dear."

The screen flickered, finally showing an image of a bandaged Georgia staring out at Saratoga and her guests. Georgia looked at . . .Georgia and Georgia's family (including Chitose).

"You've been . . .making friend?" USS Georgia--a friend of Admiral Saratoga--blinks, giving some of the more Frankenstein-ish shipgirls of her counterpart's Fleet an odd look before grimacing at the poor word choice. "I mean! Uh, I guess you've got a story to tell!"

"I could say the same thing of you sister?" the native USS Georgia smirks, giving her analog a once over and noting the damage still present. "Any particular reason they have not fixed you up yet before plunkin' ya down to meet us?!"

"Heh, I wanted each and every instance of 'instant sunrise' and 'Openhiemer's light' OUT of me before anything else thanks!," the twin Georgia snarked back. "That Abyss b*tch can go fuck herself and all that and I don't want ANY reminder of that wacko's plans for ME and my sisters back HOME in MY hull, thank YOU!"

The nuclear reactor inside her for power was okay but beyond that? No, no, and H*LL no! That was a sentiment that her "hosts" were in agreement about and were glad to oblige her requests for removing every last atomic device for . . .safekeeping.

The fact that this communication call had happened before she could get fixed up afterward had been an unfortunate and unexpected event.

"Okay . . .I can see that," the native submarine princess said to the visitor. "Still, you gotta admit you scared the Hell out of everyone rising up unannounced at Pearl."

"Like she was expecting to be at Pearl Harbor instead of back at the Bikini Atoll short stack?" Firestorm laughed, shaking her head. "Between getting blasted to another world and getting BLASTED through all the way outside after that torpedo stunt she pulled on the Abyss that had to have been the last thing she'd expected."

"That and having been OUT like a light for more than a bit from being a FLYING submarine," muttered the doppelganger Georgia, wishing that aspirin would actually DO something for her lingering headache.

"Wait . . .what do you mean you went flying from using your Rigging to fire torpedoes?" native Georgia blinked. "What has being on land have anything to do with it sending a shipgirl flying?"

"Unlike you folks we shipgirls back from where we're from cannot use our rigging without it becoming a physics problem," USS Trinitite explained, remembering all too well tales from others who'd conducted land battles. "Give us enough water under us? We are fine, but that said it is why we have our 'land loadout: Directed Energy weapons."

Basically, they were plasma ejectors which were powered by cabling plugging directly into their muon-fusion reactors. While not without some recoil and of MUCH shorter range than their naval guns, the ejectors would hit as hard if not harder than their "more traditional" artillery. That and easily usable in the occasional land confrontation between themselves and Abyssal remainders....


"But conversely we don't have Abyssals who give off fields that make targeting them beyond iron sites impossible," Hypocenter added. "That is, at least until recently due to Shortstack here!"

"Stop calling me Shortstack!" native Georgia muttered, having already gotten tired of the nickname Saratoga's Fleet kept insisting on using, much to Chitose's amusement."

So it goes, old and new friends discuss where to go from here at least until if/when a way back to the visitor's homeworld could be found.

Meanwhile, Back at the Bikini Atoll . . .

Two shipgirls help a somewhat dazed Installation (installation-girl?) out from the Summoning Pool they'd used to secure this side of the Rift from anyone who'd . . .object.

Abyssals had been known to be rather annoying neighbors, and after having gone through the trouble of quelling/purifying any and all Abyssals which got captured one had to take steps to avoid a repeat of the Abyssal War back home.

The fact that the Abyssals were a going concern (and a dire one) on this world from what satellite and radio communications they could intercept was a worrisome thing!

Heck, Lt. Pacific Lily had been in a hurry to get the Kanmusu Installation up to speed so the Abyssals didn't think to give her world a visit through the Rift (and start Abyssal War 2)! This special Summoning ritual had been a hard-won thing that had VERY useful in helping END the first one. That and finding ways to make sure the fairies of Kanmusu-ized shipgirls retain their knowledge after being re-summoned . . .

Anyway, after this and a few other things then she and her team would be able to start in the next phase: searching for and rescuing the Fleets of both Admiral Saratoga and Rear Admiral Zuikaku. Pacific Lily, despite being more inclined to Support and Admin, had jumped at the chance to find her now dear friend: Trinitite!

To think, at one time she'd considered that Essex-class shipgirl a monster that she'd begged the Navy to get off of her. While she'd finally been brought around to trusting the Navy again through Trinitite (irony there), she'd was glad that the B*TCH who'd been roped into helping with this Summoning was going to bugger off on patrol here soon and AWAY from her!

Lily had not forgotten or forgiven the part that Nashville had played in that action which had not only endangered Trinitite's efforts to find her lost mother but her human crew as well!

Yeah, the fishing boat still held a grudge from that day. Thanks for asking!

"Wha? . . .Who?" the Installation--a young woman of one of the former native inhabitants of this now radioactive place--blinked, looking at her hands like they were alien things and then at herself. "How?!"

"Yes, about that?" Pacific Lilly begins, smiling gently at the still confused Installation Girl. "How about I tell you all about that here real quick. But mind if you're up to the idea of laying down some pain of some Abyssal SOBs?"

The young Installation-girl blinked, suddenly having stars in her eyes over the very idea. On one hand, the Firebringers (which the Navy had been allied with) had been the SOBs who'd used nuclear devices on her landmass. On those poor steel hulls! But . . .then on the other hand while the Bikini Atoll Installation had a soft spot for the Jellyfish Princess (before being redeemed as Saratoga), she'd had rather low opinions of other Abyssal Princesses who'd barged in like they were owed a life!

"I don't know, CAN I?!" she asked excitedly, almost vibrating in excitement.

Nodding to herself at the signs of a proper and GOOD summoning (not rebellious and prone to going Abyssal but well adjusted like a proper Kanmusu), Pacific Lilly began her story. After this, there were millions of things still to do before meeting the native people of this Earth. Oh, others were right now setting up to make radio contact to let friendly forces know they were here and not invaders, but that was THEIR job.

This was hers and she was going to do right by Bikini if she had anything to say on the matter!

And alas, this is where we'll end on this tale. But don't fret. Just consider it the end of the beginning and not the beginning of the end...

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Wo Wo Wo: Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land-Epilog

Chapter 8: Was I a Good Boy?

Author's Note: borrowed several ideas from CDRW's omake Squeaky Sara and jessetheswift's omake Grandma's Here.

With JS Aki

"Oooh!" my newest 'little' sister cooed, looking around the desert landscape. "So RED!"

I have to smile and nod slightly, agreeing with my younger sister. The surface of Mars does indeed happen to be rather red. That and it has a stark beauty that the simulations and movies just cannot convey. You have to experience it yourself to understand it fully.

My little sister Re-13 had not even waited long enough to be properly "rechristened" with something more than the mere hull designation that the Crane Princess of that mirror world we'd left a bit ago before jumping on the Program. Oh, we DID get her a proper name before my purple-eyed sister here could slip through the cracks and enter into the Training Program for the Mars Mission. Honestly, I think that JS Autumn was halfway hoping to have been able to make it all the way to Mars before getting properly named. She does have something of a mischievous streak that stands her apart from me at HER age.

Of course, the other thing had been that despite having excelled in combat whilst under her version of our Princess she had died not a moment after defeating that bint of a Princess who'd tossed a depth charge into her Hime's face...

Thus the purple eyes instead of red ones like I sport. Yes, my sister was sunk before I had back in our first/Abyssal life.

But unlike me, my sister did not have to set sail for the Abyssal War. Instead, we are now serving humanity in other ways. We and others like the former Crossroad Fleet are involved in various projects to build off-world colonies. Something that we as Kanmusu are better suited than humans in many ways. Of course, we may consume more food than what a standard human could (or should) per meal, but we have much in our favor. We are MUCH more resistant to radiation, not suffering from either short or long-term exposure. Trinitite's time on the Bikini Atoll is a good example of that fact. We also are much more resistant to microgravity to the point that some scientists speculate that it would take centuries before the first signs of degradation would occur in a Kanmusu (if even that). And perhaps the most important thing of all? We Kanmusu can operate MUCH longer between bouts of sleep, being able to work days (and weeks) at a time.

Meaning that a group of Kanmusu could throw up a working space colony much quicker than the same number of human beings could, which is the plan. Some Kanmusu had gone to the Moon to set up Lunar colonies. Some have set up in high orbit around Earth to make large long-term cylindrical (spinning) space stations. Some have even gone out to places like the Astroid Belt or even out to the moons like Titan (the moon of Saturn). As for what you've seen, my Princess chose to set up one of the initial ground side settlements on Mars; the former Abyssal Jellyfish Princess (and her fleet) is setting up the orbiting facilities and space colonies orbiting around Mars.

Ah, but while I totally agree with the sentiment that while Earth is our Cradle (for both Kanmusu and humanity as a whole) if we do not LEAVE Earth it will soon become our grave. The damage done to the environment from the Abyssal War on our Earth is being attended to here, but . . .yeah.

From what I am hoping that our sister Earth will have a shorter and much less costly war with the Abyss, but honestly, after having done one war already I and the other Resummoned do not wish to partake in another unless we have to here. We have helped with gifts of technology and such (and a limited form of trade through the narrow portal down in the Bikini Atoll), but enough is enough for me and my sisters thanks! Now is a time to create.

...

But that is not why I and my sister are out and about this section of Mars? Well, the thing is that Trinitite's young daughter--what a scamp! It started so early; back as an infant she nearly she drove her father and mother insane with that squeaky Jellyfish Princess toy Trin had bought before finally rejoining with Saratoga and had continued well until now! Now she wanted to swing on by where the Pathfinder prode was located before going silent back in 1997. She'd seen The Martian with us while in route to Mars, so . . .

What the Fu...?

Is that a little BOY crying over there? In THIS atmosphere without a spacesuit?!

Jumping off the rover and running up to the youngster, I and my sister pause when we notice . . .the boy is translucent as he stands over a pile of sand. A pile which is rather near the spot we'd been angling towards for a while now . . .

"Pathfinder?" Autumn ventures, guessing what we're actually SEEING here.

Some of the Kanmusu involved in a rescue mission back on that sister Earth had mentioned meeting a modern Chinese warship's spirit.

"Wha . . .you see me?" the young boy whispered, turning and staring at me and my sister in our spacesuits. "And . . .why do you look like humans and big warships?"

"Yes. . .yes we can," Autumn finally says after giving me a quick glance, as if asking if I am seeing the same thing as she was seeing.

Yes, Trinitite and Elizabeth had been in the belief that various space probes could have their own versions of ship spirits but I had . . .

. . . I had been wrong.

"We are what people call Kanmusu," I begin, bending down to be better able to look the young red-haired boy in his blue eyes. "And we're somewhat like what you are, to make a long story short. Would you like to hear about it while we bring you back home?"

" . . .Could I?" the young boy asked hesitantly. "I mean I must have done something wrong. What I don't know because I've been alone so long. What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong!" I say loudly, putting aside the fact that despite the fact that this boy should probably not be able to hear my voice through the thing Martian atmosphere. When has logic been a reason for what sometimes happens with shipgirls (and apparently space probe boys)? "We've just . . .got caught up with other things like war and other things we'll tell you all about. Sound good?"

"Okay," the young boy blinked, looking hopeful. "So it's time to go? Was I a good boy?"

Giving my sister a look, I smile softly.

"No, I was told you were the best." I smile, reaching for an extraction tool to dig out Pathfinder's body and take it with us back to base.

It was time for a return home.

 

[Annoyed Catholic]

Strange Shipgirls in a Strange Land

A Mixed Bag of Meta-fiction

Author's Note- Admittedly not totally satisfied with this latest omake. But I'm trying to keep in practice with writing. Breaking out of writer's block and all that after a hellacious few months of living in hotels while my place gets put back together after getting water damage due to a leak from the upstairs unit AND a drainage backup in the bathroom. Not fun!

Spoiler: Sorry...

ADDENDUM-I am going to somewhat apologize for changes to this and later omakes here AT this story thread. It is just . . . I cannot GET IT to work. Like herding cats?! More like add cats on meth!! So . . .changes because it WAS NOT going anywhere as it was before!!

Georgia

"Technically Robbin's sister who you brought back as a Kanmusu also could have children but that is by the by," Trinitite coughed before changing the subject. "What brings you here?"

"Well, it wasn't to discuss Octavia's love life!" I mutter to myself.

God! If it isn't one thing it is another with this freaking mirror world!

...

Sigh! Yes, I keep out of my daughters' personal lives like that. I have no qualms about some of my daughters not being interested in having relationships that are more "traditional" and "mainstream". We are all adults here. Octavia's in relation with another shipgirl back home and they make a cute couple!

It is not the like the relationship I have with Chitose, but then again . . . it's NONE OF YOUR D*MN BUSINESS!!

Hrmph, getting tired of being asked that by any ol' yahoo I meet. Like everyone's forgotten about such things as "privacy", thinking that they're entitled to know anything and everything about everyone...

ANYway! I should hope you know how children come about?

No?

Well, when two people love each other very much they . . .

Go ask your parents, I'm not here for biology lessons.

...

So! But of course . . .such relationships do not produce children. Trust me! It's true!! Honest. Not even with the spooky shipgirl nature we Abyssals and Kanmusu are capable of that! Even IF one of the partners in question just happens to have become a breed of Kanmusu of Trinitite's Earth; one that is genetically compatible with human men.

So since I never butted into Octavia's life and never even thought. . .

"Well!" I laugh what I hope doesn't sound TOO forced to cover my embarrassment. "Ya learn something new every day! But that said I came here at your admiral's request!"

"And while I am not exactly beholden to answer an admiral's every beck and call on either side of the Rift?" I add, pulling out the hardcopy of the summon request which had gotten me easy access through the Rift as well as a rocket ride here. "But given our past interactions and relationships between our Fleets? Well!"

Yeah, this baby got me places like you'd not believe! Better than a "get out of jail free" card, considering how many regulations I broke just to get myself and my friends here so quickly!! The summons was urgent, so haste was needed and I wasn't gonna let any paper-pushers get in my way!

...

Let us just hope that it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass as what almost happened with my interrupted plan with Sar. . . . With MY world's Saratoga. I mean it would have been a HELL of a thing to after having my family back in Japan "obtaining" Elizabeth's mother and smuggling her back to the USA by way of my old hull which I had salvaged earlier to. . . .get around port fees and tariff fees (to have an extra stream of income) for that damn booby-trapped curse the Abyss left on Elizabeth's mother!

Turning her back against her will into the Jellyfish Princess (who'd have that "kill all humans" thing going on), was NOT what I wanted at all! I wanted a family reunion! Not "Monsters Attack!", Seattle edition!!

Oh! I am sure that there had been a VERY good chance that the researchers who'd been tasked to do LOTS of research on me (an Abyssal Princess) and my family (various Common/"Fodder") Abyssals. Those nerds were VERY good at their job and should have . . .

Well, maybe they would have discovered that "curse" before I'd have gotten Elizabeth's mother back to Seattle. I'd like to think that, really.

Really, I . . . don't like almost playing the part of a patsy and unleashing Hell upon Seattle.

...

What's with that look that Saratoga is giving me? I mean the summons from her is legit. It has her actual signature and everything to make it so . . .what gives? I even pull out the thing and show it to her before she can say anything.

Saratoga

"I didn't give any summons like this," I say, looking at what appears to be what otherwise to be VERY legitimate paperwork. It even has a . . .passable version of my signature, but it is NOT mine. That and I NEVER made this thing. But whatever and whoever made this seems to have done a FINE and OUTSTANDING job if it got Georgia and her companions HERE all the way to Mars. "How did you get this and who faked it?"

Why in the Hell had not anyone contacted her to confirm things during Georgia's journey here? It isn't like such a trip from Earth to Mars was just like a quick jaunt to the corner grocery store! Nothing like what you'd see like some schlocky sci-fi movie after all!

Somebody has gotten into the system and used MY authority without as much as a "by your leave" and I got tired of this kind of nonsense.

...

And perhaps with my acceptance of Trinitite and my other daughters changed me in ways that might have been. . .disagreeable to some in authority? Well, whatever the case? I was going to be damned if I was going to just blindly follow orders like a good little puppet. I may not like my time as Jellyfish, but there were things to be learned from it. Ways to make connections. Network (even IF Jellyfish was mostly an isolationist). Power and authority gained through rank mean much better ways to protect my Fleet, you know.

And benefits to be able to better transition to other things when the Abyssal War finally wound down. After all, while we shipgirls are still praised to this day for having won the war it does not mean that we should or could rest on our laurels for the rest of our lives and live off of the government in "make do" work and such.

We shipgirls CAN live on regular foods and such, albeit much more than a regular human. However . . .shipgirls? We . . .don't feel right to just live "normal" lives. So! Joined Space Force and built up the outer space infrastructure. Colonies and such. Served humanity and satisfied our needs for more, shall we say. On OUR terms.

And somebody is trying to upset the apple cart with this stunt? They better HOPE this is merely just some kind of prank...

And that is of course when the other shoe drops and perhaps the person behind this false summons make their presence known and . . .

I am SO much making lies here!

I have no clue as to what is going on here!! How we just got here...

It's Earth in appearance, but there are lots of odd things and (with a few odd looking people) about here.

And why does the horizon look . . . IS THAT that in orbit above us?! Phobos and Demos?!

When and how did MARS get a breathable atmophere? So soon?! Terraforming projections put off THAT at centuries and...

Looking back down, I see . . .something ever MORE important and alarming. In a real sense since it is SO much more closer than moons in orbit AROUND MARS!!

What alarms me? Some new and more pressing concerns, thank you kindly!!

Not even the fact that there was somebody who looked alarmingly like the Abyssal Crane Princess (rigging and all) over to the side (albeit with a much . . .healthier bust that wouldn't look out of place on Mushashi). That and lack of horns on her forehead. OH! And let us not mention that she seems to be cooing over a box of what looks like infant WO-Class shipgirls!

Nor was the unconscious form of what appeared to be somebody looking amazingly like Zuikaku (albeit back in her Rigging from the early part of the Abyssal War), really alarming her. Or rather it did, but not enough to take eyes off of the real concern before them all!

What was with that f*cking huge golden TREE off in the distance there?!

What is with that modern looking city off in the distance? Over to the left?

Looks kinda like Kyoto?!

MORE CONCERNING however!!

And what is with these three strange towers? Like something out of medieval times?

And . . .what are those two dragon looking BIG lizards over there?!

"Blaidd!" scream all three triplets as they rush over to administer some kind of first aid!

OVER AT THAT KYOTO LOOKING "MODERN" CITY IN THE DISTANCE....

"And thus we managed to wrangle out the wish to teleport ALL to a world where they all could perish and prosper," an extremely tired (barely standing) young woman says, glaring at a twin tailed tsundere. "Managing the nearly impossible considering the CURSED nature of the Grail."

But if not it, what remained of those upon Earth would have been consumed in nuclear fire...

"And as for your apology . . .," Rei Takahashi snarls, remembering and NOT forgiving the insults done that made her youngest sister cry.

What did Rin expect? They were not Heroic Spirits!

Fight a war? Yes.

Fight a war inside a city and not cause noise and enough damage to leave clues to the "muggles" that something is going on?! It was a miracle that with the magics they use that . . .

Snarling at the stupidity of it all, Rei ends up giving an obscene jesture with two fingers AND not bothering to see Rin Toksaka, Rei turned and marched off into a blue box to gather up her advuring party and be DONE with this whole mess! She actually wants a pound of flesh from Rin, but instead . . .

Cut losses and call it a f*ckin' day!

Of course, that was before detecting a bunch of anomolies that should NOT have cropped up on what was to have been a dead world, ripe for the picking with a MASSIVE wish to make it habitable (and more)...

"Shit," Rei mutters, just shaking her head looking at the readings. The Grail JUST had to have the last laugh...