The wrecks of the human fleet drifted towards the bottom of the sea, and Belligerent surveyed her new territory with gleeful satisfaction. It was a more hard-won victory than she had hoped, but it was a victory nonetheless, and with none of her fleet sunk as well. A good result, all told.
Her smile dimmed, however, as she recalled the things-of-the-sea-but-not-the-deeps that had come forth during the battle. It had been as though she was looking upon a sister being born, yet turned upon its head unnaturally. They had fought alongside the humans, and perhaps most worrying of all they were able to fight on equal footing with the Abyss.
What were they? What was their nature? Would more come? How could she prepare to face them? Moreover, from where did they come, and why?
Her musings were interrupted by a call of "Prinzessin?" Turning, she saw Emden giving her a concerned look, and noticed that her smile had fallen into a scowl. Straightening the corners of her lips, Belligerent gave Emden a small grin.
"It is nothing," she reassured her Heir, "merely thinking on the future. But let us focus more on the immediate issues." Her grin growing in size, Belligerent continued, "You have done well here, Emden. Very well indeed."
Emden bowed. "You honor me, Prinzessin."
"No more than has been earned, my Heir," replied Belligerent, turning back to face the naval base they had just conquered. "But there is little time to linger."
"Your orders, Prinzessin?"
Belligerent looked at Emden again. "Once I address the rest of the fleet, I want you to go to this base's shipyard and set it to work. We need more ships in the fleet."
Emden nodded. "Understood."
Belligerent gave a slight nod in turn, and then spun to face the rest of the fleet. "My fleet!" she shouted. "We have won a grand victory today, but our work does not yet end. I will be repairing all those who have been damaged in this fight, and I have orders for you all as well. We will be going to shore at this base that we have taken. Kaga, Akagi," she gestured towards the two carriers, "you are to go to the airbase here. Replenish your aircraft wings. Arizona," here she turned to the battleship, battered but defiantly afloat, "wait with me for a moment. I shall handle your repairs first, before I give you your orders."
A movement drew the Princess' attention back to Kaga. "A question, Princess," she said, continuing after Belligerent's gesture of approval. "What should we do regarding the humans?"
After a moment's consideration, the long-building rage having finally been given its outlet, Belligerent answered, "Most all of those here are irrelevant, below even sin. For now, they are to be generally disregarded. If any attempt to stop or hinder you, however, you have my permission to kill them. Understood?" The fleet gave a general cry of "Yes, Princess!" - those that could speak, at the least - and Belligerent nodded. "I will come to speak with each of you in turn. To work, then!" And with that, the fleet dispersed to their tasks.
Arizona reclined on a beach near the base, where she had been told to wait. Footsteps in the sand drew her attention, and she turned to see Belligerent approaching with armfuls of metal and cloth. Lifting one piece of scrap, the Princess simply said, "Fresh spoils."
Arizona smiled slightly in reply, and unshadowed her turrets to allow easier access to them and the rest of her rigging. Belligerent knelt next to her, and set to work molding steel and patching wounds. For a time, the only sound was that of twisting metal.
Belligerent broke the silence first. "We should have had this conversation earlier," she said, "when you were first summoned."
Arizona shrugged. "It was the needs of war, and we did speak over radio. I do not blame you, Princess."
"Even so, even if the best path was this one, we should have," said Belligerent, her gaze monofocused on her efforts to repair a great rent in the hull of Arizona's rigging. "As it is, you nearly sank before we could properly speak to one another."
That got a dark chuckle out of Arizona. "It would have been fitting for me to have sunk in my fleet's first proper battle of the war, wouldn't it? At least this time I first had the opportunity to fight. And," she continued, tilting her head back to gaze up into the sky, "I think you know as well as I, Princess, that my sinking would have bolstered the fleet's strength in that fight."
Belligerent paused, lingering over the last repairs to Arizona's rigging. Then she moved to grab a piece of cloth, and slowly and carefully began to bandage and plaster the weeping wounds of the flesh. "Setting the unnecessary nature of such a bolstering in the battle aside," she began in a low voice, "this fleet is my present and future. Today, the ships in this fleet help me extend my reach across the seas. So long as I live this fleet aids me as we move forwards, and should I die then I may only hope that this fleet will hold my visions of the world as they drive to forge tomorrow. And that cannot be done by those who have sunk again."
Carefully pressing a plaster onto a cut across Arizona's cheek, Belligerent continued, "Do not be so caught up in your past or so eager to seek your death, Arizona. I would rather you remained to lead the fleet yourself in turn than to see you sink, if you might indulge me."
Arizona stared at Belligerent, who gazed back in turn. Then she nodded slowly, a spark alight in her eyes, before leveraging herself upright onto the surf, her repairs complete but for those small details best handled by time. "What are your orders, Princess?"
Belligerent stood, remaining on land for the time being. "We need more ships. Not only fodder, but true ships of the Abyss. And this place is tied closer to you than me. So I give you leave to preform a summoning. A cruiser or destroyer would be ideal, I should think, but I leave the specifics to your discretion."
"Understood," said Arizona, saluting sharply - a salute returned by Belligerent. Then she turned sharply on her heel and sailed towards the old Pearl base where she had once rested, while her Princess turned her attention to the destroyers that had been damaged.
The airbase's work was nearly complete by the time Belligerent arrived, Kaga loading the last few planes into her rigging while Akagi had a few of her own aircraft flying in circles overhead. No one else was within the airbase bar an Abyssal destroyer. "Kaga, Akagi," Belligerent called, "any problems?"
"One man shot at us when we told the humans that were here to leave," Kaga reported, she and Akagi turning to face Belligerent. "He was dealt with. The others caused no issues."
Belligerent nodded. "And I presume your aircraft are being successfully replenished?"
"Yes," Akagi answered with a grin. "I've started work on another bomber wing, and Kaga has begun another fighter wing."
"Excellent," Belligerent replied, idly surveying the airbase. The effects of Abyssal influence could be seen, dark streaks gradually spreading through steel and pavement. "I did not have the opportunity to say it before," the Princess commented, "but I offer you both my congratulations. You both preformed well in the battle."
"Thank you, Princess," was the chorused reply, one notably more emotive than the other.
Belligerent stared out over the airbase for a little longer before exhaling with a force that fell just short of a sigh and facing the carriers again. "I have not yet had the opportunity to speak with you both properly. I am here to rectify that.
"To begin, I will make this clear: accomplishments are to be recognized. Do well, and I will not overlook it. But the task before us is too great for one alone, and so we all must contribute to the flames that drive us and are driven in turn. Is that understood?" The carriers nodded, and Belligerent continued, "Of course, detriments to the fleet and those who fail to cooperate with the rest will also be... recognized." She paused for a moment before folding her arms and adding, "Kaga, Emden has mentioned some things about when you first spoke to her."
Kaga's posture grew impossibly more tense and Akagi gave a resigned huff. Belligerent let the silence stretch briefly, and then said, "She will not hold it against you, and so long as you continue to work with the fleet I shall not either. Is that understood?" Kaga nodded stiffly, and Belligerent cracked a grin. "Do not worry overmuch, Kaga. The day may yet come where Emden shall have to fulfill the purpose of an Heir, and perhaps then you will be selected as the next. And further, we are as yet in a state of flux and conquests, and once things stabilize I might parcel some territory for you to control directly as a more direct recognition of your efforts, should such be desirable. Fair?" Kaga slowly nodded again, less stiff and more thoughtful than before.
"Now," Belligerent said, lightly clapping her hands together, "was there anything either of you wished to speak to me about?"
Kaga and Akagi shared a look, and the latter said, "We had been talking about those ships that appeared during the battle."
The smile slipped directly from Belligerent's face. "They concern you as well, then?" The two nodded, and Belligerent's frown grew larger. "Unfortunately I have no particular knowledge of their nature or purpose, though they appear to oppose us and can fight on equal ground with us. We can only prepare to face them more going forwards, I fear."
After a second of silence Kaga said, "Then we must continue our preparations for the next battle. What are your orders, Princess?"
Belligerent smiled.
The clouds of black water billowed around the Beast as it slid through the waves, circling around aimlessly. Perhaps it was frolicking, maybe hunting, or possibly even patrolling. Regardless, Belligerent looked on.
The injuries were beyond her skills with rigging and the advanced healing of more typical Abyss-born beings. They would likely heal with time, and it could well be wise to leave the Beast behind to heal and guard the base while the fleet advanced, but the idea of leaving the creature behind - particularly alone - did not sit well with Belligerent.
After a few minutes more of watching the Beast and considering her options, Belligerent settled upon a course of action and called the creature to her. She would first attempt to infuse yet more power from the Abyss to the beast, to see if that might aid it. If it did not and not further course revealed itself, then she would simply have to bind the wounds as best as she could and hope for the best.
The Beast circled near her, and Belligerent knelt down and pushed her hand under the water to touch it's side. Then she reached for the connection to the Abyss' power within her, and she began her attempt.
Arizona stood on the waters near where her corpse had long lain, her miserable former existence - but that did not matter now. Her Princess had given her a second chance, a purpose. And now her Princess had charged her with calling forth a ew member of the fleet, and so she would do so.
She closed her eyes and reached inside of her self, past history, past sorrow, past failure and past despair. She reached in and grasped the power that was the Abyss, and she drew it out before her and called for it to take form, words jumping to her lips.
"Give me your beaten and broken, your abandoned and scrapped, discarded for others' glories. Come rally to the martyr once more, given life and cause once again by greatest purpose. Rise, whoever may answer."
There was one more matter Belligerent wished to attend to. The cooperation of Tattered White Princess' fleet was greatly appreciated, and she would hope that such efforts could be continued in the future. But such a thing could not be done without discussion.
They had largely kept outside the base, upon more open waters. Now Belligerent stood upon the waves and broadcast out to them.
"Tattered White Princess, I thank you for your aid in taking this base. I would ask to speak with you, such that we might determine our courses going forwards."
ACTIONS
Event Action:
[X] Experiment: Attempt to apply an extra point of Sorcery to the Beast of the Abyss to see if that produces results, with mind to possession of the Sealife Studies tech
Faction:
[X] Send Message: Tattered White Princess
@Coshiua: See immediately above
Belligerent Burning Princess:
[X] Repair
[X] Research [Conversion]
Emden:
[X] Commission Destroyer
[X] Research [Conversion]
Arizona:
[X] Summon
Kaga
[X] Commission Fighter Wing
[X] Commission Destroyer
Beast of the Abyss
[X] Dock
Akagi
[X] Commission Bomber Wing
[X] Scrap Resource Coordination module
