B-baka!
Frustrated Art
- Location
- Some town in the Philippines
I'm quite surprised no one has called her OP-E yet.
Belated Battleships (KanColle) [REHOST]
- Thread starter theJMPer
- Start date
- Location
- State of Denial
And Space-E was included in the intro for Star Trek: Enterprise, which I found amusing considering how she got her name.You forgot Space-E!
The best part is she was named for the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701, who was named for the WW2 CV.... which ended up on the wall of the NCC-1701-D:
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
I'm quite surprised no one has called her OP-E yet.
That's when we finish upgrading the naval air arm so it's not a shitload of planes older than you and me put together.
I said "ship" and that is most certainly a boat. Admittedly, a boat that does space things, but still a boat. Therefore invalid.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
Albie:
Well, if they wanted it to be a ship, they should have built it to do ship things. They made a boat, though, which means they should have named it after boat things. "Flying Fish" would have been good, or "Goldfish" or "Barbados"
That's when we got "Night of Living Enterprise", the only... Thing that Klingon outright fear from Federation.I'm quite surprised no one has called her OP-E yet.
- Location
- Nowhere
In the Shipgirl Rules fic Enterprise has her Grey Ghost side she used during the war. Even Allied Abyssals are terrified when she lets it out.
There was a reason I specified the girls in question. It's mentioned inside the spoiler.
Also, the island is waaaaay too far forward to be anything but a Forrestal-class carrier; moving the port elevator aft to clear the end of the flight deck forced them to also move the island aft to get another elevator forward.
Sorry, but the one on the wall there is clearly CVN-65, not CV-6.You forgot Space-E!
The best part is she was named for the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701, who was named for the WW2 CV.... which ended up on the wall of the NCC-1701-D:
Omake: An old cat
Skywalker_T-65
Writer with too many ideas.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- Plural/They/He/Her
Is it that time again? Yes it is. More Tiger!
A Cat's Family
Biting her lip, Amy Kirkpatrick paced in front of the docks. Behind several doors, the person she had wanted to see was resting. And it bugged her. A lot!
Amy had seen Tiger dragged into the docks. She had been waiting at her sister-in-all-but-blood's favorite pier. Had been every day since Tiger had left, to go on that foolish adventure. The arguments she had gotten into with her aunt over that had become legendary among the enlisted. Amy hardly cared. She had been deathly worried, from the moment Tiger had agreed to lead the offensive, that something would happen to the old battlecruiser. She was too idealistic for her own good!
Tiger...why? Why did you let that happen?
It was no exaggeration to say that the young teenager had nearly had a heart attack when Tiger had returned. Covered with blood and carried out of the water by an unusually solemn Australia and a silent Haruna. Amy had tried to get to her sister then. She had screamed Tiger's name, tears running down her face.
But she had been held back by Vampire, the little destroyer shaking her head sadly.
'She needs to go the docks. You have to let her rest.'
She knew that. It didn't matter. Amy had not once left this area outside the docks since Tiger had returned, days ago. Even when Haruna tried to get her to sleep in a proper bed, Amy refused to leave. Tiger was the only sister she had. And she wasn't going to let her be alone. She just...she just wished she could be there with the battlecruiser. Was that so much to ask?
"You know, kid, you're gonna get sore if you keep doing that. Or wear a hole in the floor."
Amy flinched, her shoulder-length black hair flying with the movement. Bright blue eyes turned to glare at an unrepentant battlecruiser, grinning at her cheekily.
"Australia! I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"
The redhead just shrugged, and pulled her bandanna a bit tighter around her short red hair. "Mate, a battleship could sneak up on ya right now. You look like death warmed over."
"I do not!" Even as she said that, Amy grimaced and turned pink. She knew her clothes were ruffled, her t-shirt sticking to her young body while her shorts were a mess. The less said about her hair, the better. And her freckles stuck out on her very pale and tired face. "I'm just..."
"Worried, yeah?" Australia walked up to the teenager, wrapping a lean arm around her shoulders. Squeezing gently, the battlecruiser let her grin be replaced by a soft smile. "Look, kiddo, Tiger's a tough old cat. She won't let something like this keep her down for long, you know that."
Amy sniffled, just a little, "She is, but she's alone in there. Why can't I just sit with her?"
Australia opened her mouth, probably to explain exactly why. Again.
Before promptly shutting it, and sighing heavily. Perhaps it was the real tears in Amy's blue eyes. Maybe it was the sad state the teenager was in. Whatever the reason, the battlecruiser let go of the girl and walked over to the dock entrance. A key flashed in her hand, as she reached down and unlocked it. The sound of a creaking door was enough to snap Amy's eyes over to her.
Wide eyes, while her mouth hung open. "Australia?"
"Mate, you look like a puppy that just got kicked. I can't just leave you like this...and honestly, I think you'll do Tiger some good anyway." Australia's lopsided grin showed how little care she had for the rules. "Now come on, before someone shows up. Don't wanta waste time, do we?"
Waving Amy forward, the battlecruiser was completely silent in shutting the door behind them. The dock's soft flooring was intended to make it easy to walk along it for injured ship girls. Right now, it served a different purpose...namely, keeping their footsteps completely silent. There was no sound beyond Amy's low breathing and the flowing water of the baths.
Tiger...are you going to be awake? Are you going to be better? God, what if you're still hurt...
Biting back a sniffle, the young girl walked into the dock-proper. At the moment, the baths were completely empty. This was the heavy-damage area, while the lighter-duty docks were in a different building. It had been her Aunt's idea, to try and keep a formal system. At the moment, it served only to make sure that Tiger was completely alone.
"Follow me, mate." Australia whispered by Amy's ear, gently tugging the girl forward.
Amy didn't protest at all, letting the battlecruiser drag her along towards the one occupied bath. Where a familiar form lay silent.
"Tiger..."
The teenager's voice didn't go above a pained whisper, when she saw her sister. Tiger lay back against the wall of her bath. Her body was completely uncovered, and her hair undone. Long brown locks floated in the water around her sleeping face, doing little to cover the bandages around her face. Stained red, these bandages did nothing to cover her scars--completely exposed for the first time. Pale, spidery white lines ran down from her neck to the soft curve of her breasts. And Amy knew she was only seeing the front. The back was worse.
If the bloody bandages were any indication, Tiger may yet have more scars to add. Especially if what was visible beneath the water scarred over.
"Bad, innit?" Australia, for perhaps the first time in her life, had no cheer in her voice. The old battlecruiser, older even than Tiger, seemed every bit her age. Even lines were visible beneath her dulled eyes. "I'll be honest, I'm amazed we got her back. She was awake when we found her but--well, you can see. She got shot up pretty bad back in the war, but nothing like this."
Amy couldn't say anything in response. She just walked over to Tiger, slowly and unsteadily, not once tearing her eyes away from the battlecruiser that had become her sister.
Why did this happen? I know I told Tiger that she could do anything if she put her mind to it. But I didn't mean doing something like this! She should have had help!
Despite the very real surge of anger that brought up, Amy didn't snap at Australia or- mentally -Haruna. She knew Tiger wouldn't have accepted the help, and she knew that both of the other ship girls would have offered it. There was no point in snapping at them.
"Hey, Tiger," Amy's voice cracked, as she fell to her bare knees next to the old cat. "Can you hear me, mate?"
As if her voice was a catalyst, one soft brown eye cracked open. A low groan- a strange mix of a boiler coming to life and a normal female voice -echoed over the water, as Tiger's body shifted slightly. That single eye blinking and looking for the source of the noise...until it settled on the sadly smiling teenager.
"Amy?" Tiger's voice, normally so gentle and confident in a quiet sort of way, was barely audible.
It was still enough to make the teenager more genuinely smile. "Yeah, it's me."
With another pained groan, Tiger shifted more in her bath. The battlecruiser didn't notice, or didn't care, that she was stark naked as the day she launched. She just stared, confusion radiating from her single open eye, at the girl next to her. Working her mouth to try and find the words to say.
"Why are you h--here?" The British woman winced with each word, clearly struggling to stay awake. "The Admiral---"
"Forget her!" Amy couldn't help the snap, even if she instantly regretted the look Tiger gave her. Looking down at her hands, Amy shifted uncomfortably. She wrung her hands together. "I--I couldn't leave you here. You're all alone, Tiger! I...we...we're all we have, aren't we? I thought we were sisters?"
Tiger was silent, breathing softly while she stared at the teenager. Whatever she was thinking was hidden behind her dull brown eye and the hair that fell in her face. Until a soft sigh came from her boilers and damaged turbines. A small, but genuine, smile on her face.
"You're right, we're sisters."
It was the first time that Tiger had vocalized that so confidently. Amy was surprised, her mouth opening in a shocked 'O' and her eyes widening. A flush crossing her face.
"Amy," Tiger continued, voice slightly slurred from the pain she was undoubtedly in. "A lot happened while I was out, okay? I'm still trying t--t---to adjust to it all. But I know, now, that you're my sister. Even if I'm a ship and you're not, you're my sister. Yeah?"
The teenager was crimson now, but a happy smile was on her face. "Yeah! And you're not going to get rid of me that easily mate! Even if I have to beg Australia to..."
As she was saying that, Amy turned around to look at the redhead. Only to blink, when she realized that the battlecruiser was gone. She and Tiger were the only ones in the dock.
"Ha," Tiger gave a weak laugh. A small smile crossing her bandaged face, "that wanker always did know how to sneak about."
Amy could only shake her head, "Yeah..."
But then, a smile was on her face too. She turned back to Tiger, determined to make the most of the time she had. Who knew when the battlecruiser would come out, and what she would look like when she did. The new, almost cat-like, tufts on her head were one new thing. No matter how Tiger came out though...
They were family. Blood be damned.
Amy had seen Tiger dragged into the docks. She had been waiting at her sister-in-all-but-blood's favorite pier. Had been every day since Tiger had left, to go on that foolish adventure. The arguments she had gotten into with her aunt over that had become legendary among the enlisted. Amy hardly cared. She had been deathly worried, from the moment Tiger had agreed to lead the offensive, that something would happen to the old battlecruiser. She was too idealistic for her own good!
Tiger...why? Why did you let that happen?
It was no exaggeration to say that the young teenager had nearly had a heart attack when Tiger had returned. Covered with blood and carried out of the water by an unusually solemn Australia and a silent Haruna. Amy had tried to get to her sister then. She had screamed Tiger's name, tears running down her face.
But she had been held back by Vampire, the little destroyer shaking her head sadly.
'She needs to go the docks. You have to let her rest.'
She knew that. It didn't matter. Amy had not once left this area outside the docks since Tiger had returned, days ago. Even when Haruna tried to get her to sleep in a proper bed, Amy refused to leave. Tiger was the only sister she had. And she wasn't going to let her be alone. She just...she just wished she could be there with the battlecruiser. Was that so much to ask?
"You know, kid, you're gonna get sore if you keep doing that. Or wear a hole in the floor."
Amy flinched, her shoulder-length black hair flying with the movement. Bright blue eyes turned to glare at an unrepentant battlecruiser, grinning at her cheekily.
"Australia! I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"
The redhead just shrugged, and pulled her bandanna a bit tighter around her short red hair. "Mate, a battleship could sneak up on ya right now. You look like death warmed over."
"I do not!" Even as she said that, Amy grimaced and turned pink. She knew her clothes were ruffled, her t-shirt sticking to her young body while her shorts were a mess. The less said about her hair, the better. And her freckles stuck out on her very pale and tired face. "I'm just..."
"Worried, yeah?" Australia walked up to the teenager, wrapping a lean arm around her shoulders. Squeezing gently, the battlecruiser let her grin be replaced by a soft smile. "Look, kiddo, Tiger's a tough old cat. She won't let something like this keep her down for long, you know that."
Amy sniffled, just a little, "She is, but she's alone in there. Why can't I just sit with her?"
Australia opened her mouth, probably to explain exactly why. Again.
Before promptly shutting it, and sighing heavily. Perhaps it was the real tears in Amy's blue eyes. Maybe it was the sad state the teenager was in. Whatever the reason, the battlecruiser let go of the girl and walked over to the dock entrance. A key flashed in her hand, as she reached down and unlocked it. The sound of a creaking door was enough to snap Amy's eyes over to her.
Wide eyes, while her mouth hung open. "Australia?"
"Mate, you look like a puppy that just got kicked. I can't just leave you like this...and honestly, I think you'll do Tiger some good anyway." Australia's lopsided grin showed how little care she had for the rules. "Now come on, before someone shows up. Don't wanta waste time, do we?"
Waving Amy forward, the battlecruiser was completely silent in shutting the door behind them. The dock's soft flooring was intended to make it easy to walk along it for injured ship girls. Right now, it served a different purpose...namely, keeping their footsteps completely silent. There was no sound beyond Amy's low breathing and the flowing water of the baths.
Tiger...are you going to be awake? Are you going to be better? God, what if you're still hurt...
Biting back a sniffle, the young girl walked into the dock-proper. At the moment, the baths were completely empty. This was the heavy-damage area, while the lighter-duty docks were in a different building. It had been her Aunt's idea, to try and keep a formal system. At the moment, it served only to make sure that Tiger was completely alone.
"Follow me, mate." Australia whispered by Amy's ear, gently tugging the girl forward.
Amy didn't protest at all, letting the battlecruiser drag her along towards the one occupied bath. Where a familiar form lay silent.
"Tiger..."
The teenager's voice didn't go above a pained whisper, when she saw her sister. Tiger lay back against the wall of her bath. Her body was completely uncovered, and her hair undone. Long brown locks floated in the water around her sleeping face, doing little to cover the bandages around her face. Stained red, these bandages did nothing to cover her scars--completely exposed for the first time. Pale, spidery white lines ran down from her neck to the soft curve of her breasts. And Amy knew she was only seeing the front. The back was worse.
If the bloody bandages were any indication, Tiger may yet have more scars to add. Especially if what was visible beneath the water scarred over.
"Bad, innit?" Australia, for perhaps the first time in her life, had no cheer in her voice. The old battlecruiser, older even than Tiger, seemed every bit her age. Even lines were visible beneath her dulled eyes. "I'll be honest, I'm amazed we got her back. She was awake when we found her but--well, you can see. She got shot up pretty bad back in the war, but nothing like this."
Amy couldn't say anything in response. She just walked over to Tiger, slowly and unsteadily, not once tearing her eyes away from the battlecruiser that had become her sister.
Why did this happen? I know I told Tiger that she could do anything if she put her mind to it. But I didn't mean doing something like this! She should have had help!
Despite the very real surge of anger that brought up, Amy didn't snap at Australia or- mentally -Haruna. She knew Tiger wouldn't have accepted the help, and she knew that both of the other ship girls would have offered it. There was no point in snapping at them.
"Hey, Tiger," Amy's voice cracked, as she fell to her bare knees next to the old cat. "Can you hear me, mate?"
As if her voice was a catalyst, one soft brown eye cracked open. A low groan- a strange mix of a boiler coming to life and a normal female voice -echoed over the water, as Tiger's body shifted slightly. That single eye blinking and looking for the source of the noise...until it settled on the sadly smiling teenager.
"Amy?" Tiger's voice, normally so gentle and confident in a quiet sort of way, was barely audible.
It was still enough to make the teenager more genuinely smile. "Yeah, it's me."
With another pained groan, Tiger shifted more in her bath. The battlecruiser didn't notice, or didn't care, that she was stark naked as the day she launched. She just stared, confusion radiating from her single open eye, at the girl next to her. Working her mouth to try and find the words to say.
"Why are you h--here?" The British woman winced with each word, clearly struggling to stay awake. "The Admiral---"
"Forget her!" Amy couldn't help the snap, even if she instantly regretted the look Tiger gave her. Looking down at her hands, Amy shifted uncomfortably. She wrung her hands together. "I--I couldn't leave you here. You're all alone, Tiger! I...we...we're all we have, aren't we? I thought we were sisters?"
Tiger was silent, breathing softly while she stared at the teenager. Whatever she was thinking was hidden behind her dull brown eye and the hair that fell in her face. Until a soft sigh came from her boilers and damaged turbines. A small, but genuine, smile on her face.
"You're right, we're sisters."
It was the first time that Tiger had vocalized that so confidently. Amy was surprised, her mouth opening in a shocked 'O' and her eyes widening. A flush crossing her face.
"Amy," Tiger continued, voice slightly slurred from the pain she was undoubtedly in. "A lot happened while I was out, okay? I'm still trying t--t---to adjust to it all. But I know, now, that you're my sister. Even if I'm a ship and you're not, you're my sister. Yeah?"
The teenager was crimson now, but a happy smile was on her face. "Yeah! And you're not going to get rid of me that easily mate! Even if I have to beg Australia to..."
As she was saying that, Amy turned around to look at the redhead. Only to blink, when she realized that the battlecruiser was gone. She and Tiger were the only ones in the dock.
"Ha," Tiger gave a weak laugh. A small smile crossing her bandaged face, "that wanker always did know how to sneak about."
Amy could only shake her head, "Yeah..."
But then, a smile was on her face too. She turned back to Tiger, determined to make the most of the time she had. Who knew when the battlecruiser would come out, and what she would look like when she did. The new, almost cat-like, tufts on her head were one new thing. No matter how Tiger came out though...
They were family. Blood be damned.
Burning Baron
This position needs more entrenching.
- Location
- In here, not out there.
It would appear that Sky-sensei, in revenge for becoming a literal trope, has begun to farm battlecruiser and children tears.
- Location
- Nowhere
Just give her a tuna fish sandwich. Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich.
- Location
- Sunny SoCal
@konnigvanmessen i'd like to give a truck load of likes for the Calvin and Hobbs reference, but alas i'm limited to one
- Location
- Canada
Guess Jersey had her hair done for the occasion.
Last edited:
Bouyancy
- Location
- 'Murica
It was well past sundown when aircraft carrier Akron pulled into New Orleans. Her patrol had been as boring as usual, but thankfully one of the techs back home had figured out a way to tie her ipod into her electrical system to the battery hadn't run down like last time. She was still happily listening to her latest pop-hits playlist—courtesy of the kitty-ear headphones Elly and the girls had gotten her last Christmas—when she lighted on the grassy courtyard.
The big carrier took a moment to steady herself. The breeze coming off the water was gentle and constant, but she always took a while to get her feet back under her after days in the sky. She yawned, her ears—both her the girlish ones on the sides of her head and the tabby kitty ones on top—popping as she acclimatized to the soupy sea-level air. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her pump arms, pulling her leather flying jacket taunt over her vast—but featherweight—bosom.
With a sigh, the airship smiled and idly pawed at her belly. Her appetite would never even approach the limitless gluttony of even the smaller surface ships—although she tended to be far more picky about what she put into her stomach then them—but she was still hungry. A quiet gurgle was all the urging she needed to set course for the mess hall.
Nobody disturbed her on her journey, which didn't surprise her. There were a few marines still up standing watch, but anyone who didn't have a job to do was probably asleep by now. Akron didn't mind, she was used to being all alone over the Gulf. The airship trimmed her buoyancy a bit, taking all but the last scrap of weight off her heels. Walking everywhere was such a chore, she never understood how the surface ships could tolerate it.
A few moments later, the big carrier glided silently into the mess hall. Even this time of night, there was a full buffet on display for any hungry shipgirl needing to indulge in a little gluttonous feasting. But Akron wasn't your average ship, and the the slop on offer—while unquestionably tasty—was so rich and fattening just looking at it turned the airship's delicate stomach.
With blushing apologies, Akron collected a plate and gingerly picked out the healthiest stuff she could find. After quite a lot of work, she'd assembled a mixed-greens salad with sliced tomatoes and an ice-cold coke. She was careful to make sure it was proper Coca-cola though, with real sugar. Her delicate aviation-engines couldn't tolerate corn-syrup like an oil-fired boiler.
At least she had her meal—meager though it was by shipgirl standards. The airship rolled onto her back, resting her plate on her belly as she lazily costed nowhere in particular. She was two bites into her dinner when she noticed someone else had gotten peckish i the night. She must've been too busy building her salad to notice the newcomer's arrival.
"Hello," Akron waved in the newcomer's general direction and set her rudders for an intercept course. The newcomer waved back with a kind smile. She was a surface ship, judging by her immense plate load of buttered toast and generally boat-shaped figure. An exceptionally busty one at that, although unlike Akron, this girl's breasts actually obeyed the laws of gravity, at least to some minor extent.
"Akron, I assume?" said the gentle-faced girl with a smile. A slim pair of reading glasses were perched on her equally slim nose, and her hair was done back in a lazy ponytail secured by a thick black scrunchy. She probably couldn't sleep, given that she was in her pajamas.
"Mmm," Akron nodded and placed her tray on the table. She liked to eat while floating, but she was usually eating alone. "I don't…" She squinted. "Sara?"
The former carrier nodded.
Akron's ears twitched questioningly. "Um… you look good."
Sara blushed and bit her lip. "You… could say. I'm a battlecruiser now."
"Oh," Akron nudged. "That explained the big rifles."
"No, I always had those."
Akron blinked.
Sara snickered to herself. "I'm sorry, it's late."
Akron shrugged and picked out a particularly tasty looking bit of kale. "Couldn't sleep?"
Sara made a show of inspecting her pajama-clad figure. "What gave it away?"
Akron giggled. "Can I ask why?" She said. "Is it boy trouble? Are you pregnant?"
Sara smiled and idly pushed a loose strand of hair behind her petite ear. "Of course you… wait… what?"
"You know, pregnant!" Akron giggled. "When a ship and her admiral love each other very much…" she trailed off. Partly because Sara was already turning beet red, but mostly because Akron didn't have a clue what happened next. Oh, she knew what would happen next if both parties involved were people, but when one of them was a warship… who knows. Storks could be involved.
"What makes you think that!" Demanded Sara, but the little smirk she was wearing couldn't quite be displaced.
"You and Stewart are so cute!" Said Akron, "All the girls back east are rooting for you."
"Well…" Sara blushed, clearly unable to come up with any reply to that.
"So," Akron peeked over her coke at the book Sara was writing. The airship considered herself quite adept at reading upside-down writing—mostly so she could still read during stiff breezes—but whatever Sara was reading was written in really tiny letters. Akron disliked small letters. "Whatcha reading?"
"Summoning Reports," Sara spread out a few folders, revealing that she actually had several of the finely-lettered documents to peruse. "Every ship that's come back has filed one."
"And?" Akron lazily sipped her drink.
"So far—if we abandon Texas as an obvious outlier—New Jerseys' has been the most explicit." The former carrier chuckled. "And I do mean explicit."
Akron chuckled. She'd read a few of Jersey's reports—and promptly sworn never to allow the destroyers to know of their existence.
"I'm trying to get some… context for what I remember," said Sara. "It's just… shadows, really. Not as vivid Jersey's, like everyone else." She sighed, idly chewing on the end of her pencil. "But… I can't shake the feeling that there was someone in command down there."
"Deep Six?" asked Akron. The mystical admiral of the deep had many names, but Akron liked that one the most.
"Mmm," Sara nodded. "Davy Jones, if you want to be poetic."
"Nah, those movies sucked." Akron would sometimes watch movies on her ipod while on patrol. She used to solicit recommendations, but them someone tricked her into bringing the second and third Pirates movies, the star wars prequels, Catwoman, and Battlefield Earth.
Sara blinked, but continued onward like nothing had happened. "Whatever you want to call him, he was in charge down there, and he let me go… as a battlecruiser."
"Yeah, what's up with that?" asked Akron.
"That's the thing… I…" Sara shook her head. "I don't remember any of this, but I know it, if that makes sense."
Akron nodded. She couldn't explain it either, and she doubted any human would ever be able to really understand how a shipgirl remembered her summoning, but she knew the utter certainty that Sara was talking about.
"Right," Sara nodded. "He let me come back as a battlecruiser because he couldn't let me be a carrier." She shook her head. "Not wouldn't, couldn't. It was like he wanted to, but… someone stayed his hand."
Akron screwed up her face. "That… that doesn't make any sense."
"I know," Sara sighed. "And the more I read… it just doesn't make sense."
"Maybe you should take a break?" the airship shrugged. "Let your mind wander for a bit, maybe you'll stumble on something you'd never have thought of."
"I…" Sara glanced at her pile of documents. "I guess that'll work."
Akron leaned over and slowly closed the manila folder, then flipped it over and put it out of sight. "Better?"
Sara took a long breath. "Better."
Akron smiled.
"Akron," Sara blushed. "Um… I've been wondering…"
"Hmm?"
"Your ears…"
Akron smiled and obligingly presented her head for petting. Sara didn't hesitate to start. Before long, the mess hall was filled with the sound of gentle airship purring.
The big carrier took a moment to steady herself. The breeze coming off the water was gentle and constant, but she always took a while to get her feet back under her after days in the sky. She yawned, her ears—both her the girlish ones on the sides of her head and the tabby kitty ones on top—popping as she acclimatized to the soupy sea-level air. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her pump arms, pulling her leather flying jacket taunt over her vast—but featherweight—bosom.
With a sigh, the airship smiled and idly pawed at her belly. Her appetite would never even approach the limitless gluttony of even the smaller surface ships—although she tended to be far more picky about what she put into her stomach then them—but she was still hungry. A quiet gurgle was all the urging she needed to set course for the mess hall.
Nobody disturbed her on her journey, which didn't surprise her. There were a few marines still up standing watch, but anyone who didn't have a job to do was probably asleep by now. Akron didn't mind, she was used to being all alone over the Gulf. The airship trimmed her buoyancy a bit, taking all but the last scrap of weight off her heels. Walking everywhere was such a chore, she never understood how the surface ships could tolerate it.
A few moments later, the big carrier glided silently into the mess hall. Even this time of night, there was a full buffet on display for any hungry shipgirl needing to indulge in a little gluttonous feasting. But Akron wasn't your average ship, and the the slop on offer—while unquestionably tasty—was so rich and fattening just looking at it turned the airship's delicate stomach.
With blushing apologies, Akron collected a plate and gingerly picked out the healthiest stuff she could find. After quite a lot of work, she'd assembled a mixed-greens salad with sliced tomatoes and an ice-cold coke. She was careful to make sure it was proper Coca-cola though, with real sugar. Her delicate aviation-engines couldn't tolerate corn-syrup like an oil-fired boiler.
At least she had her meal—meager though it was by shipgirl standards. The airship rolled onto her back, resting her plate on her belly as she lazily costed nowhere in particular. She was two bites into her dinner when she noticed someone else had gotten peckish i the night. She must've been too busy building her salad to notice the newcomer's arrival.
"Hello," Akron waved in the newcomer's general direction and set her rudders for an intercept course. The newcomer waved back with a kind smile. She was a surface ship, judging by her immense plate load of buttered toast and generally boat-shaped figure. An exceptionally busty one at that, although unlike Akron, this girl's breasts actually obeyed the laws of gravity, at least to some minor extent.
"Akron, I assume?" said the gentle-faced girl with a smile. A slim pair of reading glasses were perched on her equally slim nose, and her hair was done back in a lazy ponytail secured by a thick black scrunchy. She probably couldn't sleep, given that she was in her pajamas.
"Mmm," Akron nodded and placed her tray on the table. She liked to eat while floating, but she was usually eating alone. "I don't…" She squinted. "Sara?"
The former carrier nodded.
Akron's ears twitched questioningly. "Um… you look good."
Sara blushed and bit her lip. "You… could say. I'm a battlecruiser now."
"Oh," Akron nudged. "That explained the big rifles."
"No, I always had those."
Akron blinked.
Sara snickered to herself. "I'm sorry, it's late."
Akron shrugged and picked out a particularly tasty looking bit of kale. "Couldn't sleep?"
Sara made a show of inspecting her pajama-clad figure. "What gave it away?"
Akron giggled. "Can I ask why?" She said. "Is it boy trouble? Are you pregnant?"
Sara smiled and idly pushed a loose strand of hair behind her petite ear. "Of course you… wait… what?"
"You know, pregnant!" Akron giggled. "When a ship and her admiral love each other very much…" she trailed off. Partly because Sara was already turning beet red, but mostly because Akron didn't have a clue what happened next. Oh, she knew what would happen next if both parties involved were people, but when one of them was a warship… who knows. Storks could be involved.
"What makes you think that!" Demanded Sara, but the little smirk she was wearing couldn't quite be displaced.
"You and Stewart are so cute!" Said Akron, "All the girls back east are rooting for you."
"Well…" Sara blushed, clearly unable to come up with any reply to that.
"So," Akron peeked over her coke at the book Sara was writing. The airship considered herself quite adept at reading upside-down writing—mostly so she could still read during stiff breezes—but whatever Sara was reading was written in really tiny letters. Akron disliked small letters. "Whatcha reading?"
"Summoning Reports," Sara spread out a few folders, revealing that she actually had several of the finely-lettered documents to peruse. "Every ship that's come back has filed one."
"And?" Akron lazily sipped her drink.
"So far—if we abandon Texas as an obvious outlier—New Jerseys' has been the most explicit." The former carrier chuckled. "And I do mean explicit."
Akron chuckled. She'd read a few of Jersey's reports—and promptly sworn never to allow the destroyers to know of their existence.
"I'm trying to get some… context for what I remember," said Sara. "It's just… shadows, really. Not as vivid Jersey's, like everyone else." She sighed, idly chewing on the end of her pencil. "But… I can't shake the feeling that there was someone in command down there."
"Deep Six?" asked Akron. The mystical admiral of the deep had many names, but Akron liked that one the most.
"Mmm," Sara nodded. "Davy Jones, if you want to be poetic."
"Nah, those movies sucked." Akron would sometimes watch movies on her ipod while on patrol. She used to solicit recommendations, but them someone tricked her into bringing the second and third Pirates movies, the star wars prequels, Catwoman, and Battlefield Earth.
Sara blinked, but continued onward like nothing had happened. "Whatever you want to call him, he was in charge down there, and he let me go… as a battlecruiser."
"Yeah, what's up with that?" asked Akron.
"That's the thing… I…" Sara shook her head. "I don't remember any of this, but I know it, if that makes sense."
Akron nodded. She couldn't explain it either, and she doubted any human would ever be able to really understand how a shipgirl remembered her summoning, but she knew the utter certainty that Sara was talking about.
"Right," Sara nodded. "He let me come back as a battlecruiser because he couldn't let me be a carrier." She shook her head. "Not wouldn't, couldn't. It was like he wanted to, but… someone stayed his hand."
Akron screwed up her face. "That… that doesn't make any sense."
"I know," Sara sighed. "And the more I read… it just doesn't make sense."
"Maybe you should take a break?" the airship shrugged. "Let your mind wander for a bit, maybe you'll stumble on something you'd never have thought of."
"I…" Sara glanced at her pile of documents. "I guess that'll work."
Akron leaned over and slowly closed the manila folder, then flipped it over and put it out of sight. "Better?"
Sara took a long breath. "Better."
Akron smiled.
"Akron," Sara blushed. "Um… I've been wondering…"
"Hmm?"
"Your ears…"
Akron smiled and obligingly presented her head for petting. Sara didn't hesitate to start. Before long, the mess hall was filled with the sound of gentle airship purring.
Grounders10
Nine-Tailed Kitsune
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada, Mars
... Well that was... Meta. Dear god was that meta.
- Location
- Nowhere
What I wouldn't give to have my own personal cat girl to pet...
B-baka!
Frustrated Art
- Location
- Some town in the Philippines
ijnfleetadmiral
CinC Rengo Kanmusutai
- Location
- Admiral's Bridge, HIJMS Kongo
A sweet airship girl like Akron with cat ears? Yes.
B-baka!
Frustrated Art
- Location
- Some town in the Philippines
Pfft. Why not have both sisters?
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
typos
Plump? Or am I missing a design feature?
typo
Someone needs to spend Akron's next patrol dangling by their ankles from 100m of rope tied to her aft engines, because that was Evil. The only proper way to watch Battlefield Earth is drunk as Hell and MSTing the shit out of it. Catwoman is for torturing people who know where a bomb is.
At least Revenge of the Sith has an amazing opening sequence with the Republic and Separatist fleets slugging it out in orbit over Coruscant.typos
Plump? Or am I missing a design feature?
typo
Someone needs to spend Akron's next patrol dangling by their ankles from 100m of rope tied to her aft engines, because that was Evil. The only proper way to watch Battlefield Earth is drunk as Hell and MSTing the shit out of it. Catwoman is for torturing people who know where a bomb is.
Burning Baron
This position needs more entrenching.
- Location
- In here, not out there.
All you have to do to enjoy it is edit out the dialogue.
- Location
- 'Murica
Have you heard her singing? She deserved that.Someone needs to spend Akron's next patrol dangling by their ankles from 100m of rope tied to her aft engines, because that was Evil. The only proper way to watch Battlefield Earth is drunk as Hell and MSTing the shit out of it. Catwoman is for torturing people who know where a bomb is.