Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Sure, she is trying to imitate the human-Kanmusu bond. While having a malfunctioning soul and zero human social skills. But everything else? It's like Simon said.
Belated Battleships (KanColle) [REHOST]
- Thread starter theJMPer
- Start date
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Working hypothesis:
Tosa was almost finished. She was almost a real ship with a crew and everything. Not quite, but almost.
So she has an ache somewhere in her inner nature, an empty spot, where "bond with humans/captain/crew/admiral" belongs. She just has nothing of humanity within herself to tell her how to go about filling it. So she gets it horribly horribly wrong.
Axslashel
I am a pessimist not a realist.
- Location
- Land of the Midnight Sun
Metaphorically or literally?
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Sounds like still metaphorically.
She seems to be at least as incompetent at "how to date" as Jersey is at "how to lesbian," only in a creepy way rather than a hilarious way.
She seems to be at least as incompetent at "how to date" as Jersey is at "how to lesbian," only in a creepy way rather than a hilarious way.
- Location
- San Diego
spend time with the one you like, eat food together, wear fancy clothes, its like the Princess is reading off the bare bones of how to date, but has no context for the Ways to Date. So she is becoming frustrated that her intentions are not bringing her Admiral closer to her. She is honestly doing everything correctly, so what could possibly be wrong? why doesnt her Admiral love her? I feel sad for her, honestly.
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
ack the fridge horror eesh.
Admiral_Corgi
The Admiral of the PT Boats
- Location
- The Strange land of Florida
You know Mo, for all you know, you probably did see sparks flying in Jersey's mouth.
I think I'm seeing a pattern here, maybe, but I do believe Jersey will slowly get a better grip with her emotions in time now that two of her sisters are back. Whether she'll eventually reach something that could be recognized as mostly emotionally stable... I'm not exactly sure. But I feel she'll be a lot better now that she has two of her sisters back and thus has most of her family back.
Mo, I wouldn't blame you for lying to your sister here in this moment. Poor girl is a mess and a half, and while she might be mad at ya later if she finds out the truth of the matter, right now she needs a rock and I think that rock is you.
Of course this does help paint the picture of how and why Jersey is probably having issues with her emotions. Not only does she have her own feelings to deal with, the memories/spirits of her past crews, she has to deal with the unbridled panic of the Civilians that were on her trying to summon her when she was sunk. Unlike her past crews who had Military training and combat experience and thus are able to put their fears in a locked box to go and do their jobs when general quarters is called. The ghosts of the Civilians on her... don't have that training. Now while it doesn't affect her in battle, but I wouldn't say that the last lingering moments of sheer terror and confusion that ran through their minds as they died has magnified the trouble Jersey has with dealing with her emotions outside of combat.
That many frightened ghosts will play utter havoc on someone's head. But that's my thought on the manner as far as that goes.
I agree with Mo, Wisky holding on long enough for every man on her to get off, That was a Miraculous, pure and simple. Because by all rights, she shouldn't had been able to keep it together to allow every man aboard to get off. Hell just the number of torpedo hits she took alone shoulda killed some of them outright. But it didn't, many got hurt, but no one died when more than a few of them should have. Of all the Iowa's I'll call and say Wisky has the strongest will of them all for being able to pull that off while she was a steel hull ship.
What this could mean for her as a ship girl... Well probably a few things actually, some serious, like being able to keep fighting even when she takes a truly herculean amount of punishment. Others not so serious (okay for others, it might be very serious for her because this is Wisky we're talking about here), like being able to have some of the anime tropes that we all know she'll want to experience like crash-into-hello or being bridal carried by the one she likes, occur without seriously hurting someone. I wouldn't doubt it, not in the slightest, we know not yet the power of the cheeseweeb to command her more magical aspects of her nature.
Okay back to what Mo and Jerjer were talking about, Jersey having the ghost of HMS Victory haunting her also doesn't help her situation in regards to her emotions any bit either... okay that's not totally fair to Victory, so I think its better to say that Victory does her dammed best to get Jersey to some level of normal with dealing with stuff outside of combat. Its just that some of the idea's Victory has may not good ones to go follow, or rather perhaps Jersey takes some of Victory's statements in a manner different than what the old man-o-war had intended.
The Weeb fest...
Even the badass Missouri can't help but be intrinsically annoyed by the Idol Traffic cone. The only one who is immune is Wisky, and that's because she's a weeb.
Jersey, you know that trying to keep Wisky from the Japanese is impossible. Completely impossible, its like asking a Navy base to Voluntarily go a day without coffee. It just won't happen.
You can't choose your family girls, all you can do is accept them to the best of your abilities. Also nice reference to SBY, lord know Wisky's gonna be humming that theme quite a bit in her free time or something.
Okay This section here. All of it, it was sweet and endearing. Seeing Shinna meet Sister Sara... I'm going to say this will help Shinna with a lot of her issues. Like Sara still has her memories of her original life as a carrier, and I bet she'll pass this all to Shinano. Now I won't say it'll be a cure all, I'm honestly not sure if there is anything that could ever completely cure Shinano of all her troubles and issues. But I will say that she'll become much better at it, and much better at being a carrier with Sara's help.
Hell it won't surprise me at all if Shinano ended adopting Saratoga as a Momboat. Won't surprise me at all.
The details regarding Hawaii warming up fast again is nice to see, though it doesn't surprise me that it's still chilly in the mornings. Though that one tiny detail does make me think that if/when other abyssal held regions are finally liberated. It'll take years, decades even for the longest occupied regions to return to the state they were once were pre-occupation.
All in all I look forward to seeing what all comes from Shinano being taught things by Saratoga.
Okay, now I must brace myself for this next part.
This image here, the mental picture being paint is disturbing in its own right. I have no doubt within my mind that the bracelets and Necklaces that are adorning here... what they're made of is for all intents and purposes. Her Trophies from the one's she's defeated before. The metal from the ships. The polished bone from the crews or even captains of the ships she's felled.
Again the mental image this makes is disturbing as disturbing can be. The fact that the only natural kind of movement Aaron's seeing is the demons fighting one another in Tosa's belly while the rest of her movements are stuttered as she's making an attempt to be appealing to him... it sends shudders up my spine. Like damn, this is starting to approach the level of disturbing I normally see in what my brother writes, and he's a horror writer!
All in all this part and the one before are just further cementing the humaniod abomination status that Tosa has gained recently.
Again, Aaron, you are the most unlucky son of a bitch in the universe. And I'm afraid that it's only going to get much, much worse for you. It will never get better unless something grants you the mercy of a quick death.
Yeah this part just reinforces the Humaniod Abomination aspect of Tosa. The very fact that her spit burned into Aaron's skin like super-heated steam is telling enough. I actually do wonder if it merely felt like that when it touched him or it actually leaves behind a physical burn on his face. I wouldn't be surprised if it did, but I'd be more surprised if it didn't. That's not to say that if the latter is the case that the pain Aaron felt wasn't real, not at all. But rather what was causing that pain wasn't something physical and more spiritual in nature.
The 'concern' Tosa displays though. Good god, its unnerving as hell.
This detail here lets me know more details about being a captive of the Abyss... than I honestly wanted to know at the moment. I'm not even going to try to theorize just what the hell it is Tosa thought was appropriate prison rations. I don't wanna know and I don't wanna think about it less I lose my lunch. But it does allow me to better visualize Aaron's current state, he's likely much thinner than is healthy. I probably wouldn't say skeletal because of the Interest Tosa has in him. But then again, it also wouldn't surprise me if Tosa had her guards force-feed Aaron a bit more than the others...
And then there's the urgh...milk... Tosa offered Aaron. I'll say it now, if Aaron ingests any of that, he'll start... undergoing some kind of horrid transmogrification, I don't think he'd consume it willingly but then again the absolute terror he's feeling might lead him to make that fatal (for his humanity) mistake.
For what i said above, I also probably wouldn't want that stuff touching yer skin. Even if the Admiral uniform you're wearing Aaron is taking the brunt of it, just having an evil ichor like that in contact with one's skin is probably gonna make ya sick and/or start doing...things to you. I can't fathom what it'd be, but all I know for certain is that having that touching you will start doing something to human. Something evil and horrifying.
and then her words to him... the movement of her eyes... *shudders* that's honestly disturbing. I think the only way it could have been more disturbing is if her eyes had stayed focused on his and gained a brief ember of life to them when they met his as she asked him that question. That's not to say that won't happen later... but that woulda been the cherry on top for this Sundae of unsettling horror.
Whatever it is that Interrupted Tosa's... 'date' with her Admiral is doomed. Completely utterly doomed because they're gonna have to content with the entirety of her fury. I can only hope that whatever made her rage like this, sinks her and maybe then Aaron might be able to escape the living hell he has found himself in before it consumes the humanity of his very soul.
Or better yet, whatever has made her rage, directly or unintentionally kills him. So he can possibly be free from the clutches of Tosa. However though I do believe that the guards are going to take 'Admiral' Aaron deep inside a very fortified and reinforced bunker. Possibly whatever the hell passes as Tosa's personal bed chamber... or god forbid, a recently constructed honeymoon suite... urgh, just typing that out made me feel nauseated.
Overall a good update, even though the last third give me like super mental whiplash. I figure You've got a reason for it, I just feel it in my bones.
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- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
...I'm just waiting for Missouri to say "Show me." An opportunity will surely arise.
Or has she already?
Or has she already?
- Location
- Somewhere
This points to the Abyssals not merely as evil and *wrong*, but also as fundamentally broken. She seems to be completely genuine in her intentions, but not really understanding any of why what she's doing is not right. The "cargo cult" analogy really seems to work well. "This is what shipgirls do with their admirals, right?"
Old Iron
Admiral Unfun
- Location
- The Southwestern Deadlands of America
* * * * *
Yamato set the mug of pitch black coffee down on Admiral Richardson's desk. Such an action was, if anything at all, more in the hands of a secretary. A yeoman at the absolute most. But she did not wish to spend another moment sitting about the house waiting for something to do.
She hadn't yet been cleared to use the range and she couldn't just sail around as she wished. Not to mention she had already cleaned or washed every conceivable item at the house already. And she could tell her hovering was beginning to grate on Mutsu's nerves. Not a great deal, but enough that she could see the growing spark of ire behind the cheery smiles and grateful words. Everyone needed a little space it seemed.
The idea of having a day off to relax was a horrific prospect to her. She had spent so much of her former life in idleness that just imagining doing nothing productive with her time sent shivers of dread down her keel.
She was beyond thankful her Admiral had decided to humor her request.
"Are you settling in alright?" he asked while picking up the mug, abandoning the attention he'd been placing on the dozens of papers adorning his workspace. At a glance it seemed like a jumbled mess of reports mixed with letters in angry Japanese script. Atop it all was a letter he'd been penning to someone who's name she didn't recognize.
"Yes, sir. In truth, far better than I could have imagined." She pressed her fingers together when he raised an eyebrow at her words. That probably didn't sound very nice now that she thought about it. "What I mean is. Ah. Well, I was not expecting such a warm welcome. Nor was I expecting to be granted residence at someone's home. I imagined it would be a dormitory or the barracks."
"Well, technically you're living in a dorm that's been remodeled like crazy."
"It... is?" It certainly didn't seem that way to her. She tilted her head slightly in mild confusion.
"Yep." Richardson took a long sip of the drink before nodding in approval. "Mmm. Good stuff. And it definitely is. With shipgirls showing up and the attrition on the steel fleets, housing was in a really strange place. We started moving people to dorms to save space only to have that space not be as much a premium as imagined."
"And that's how you and Jane ended up living in such a large place? By yourselves?" What a strange turn of events. She wasn't really certain if Richardson simply had good fortune or was far more shrewd than she realized. Both was also quite possible...
"Us and Hiei."
Yamato wanted to ask further about that clarification, but there was a look in his eyes that told her it was better not to. Or at least to do so far, far in the future. Certainly not now.
She shook her head and smiled warmly.
"But yes, I am settling in quite well." She paused and folded her hands in front of her. "Although I still find it a little unusual to be under your command. An American command, not you personally."
Her cheeks reddened when Richardson raised an eyebrow. The fact he did so while maintaining eye contact and sipping his drink was ever so slightly unsettling.
"It's... nothing unwanted or untoward. But I imagined that I would be serving under Admiral Goto when I was summoned." Perhaps had the situation been different, she might have. But the long and, frankly, irritating list of groups and people who would attempt to use her presence in the JMDSF as some sort of catalyst made that option nonviable. Supplies weren't as much of an issue thanks to the convoys run by their allies thankfully. Though she would definitely have to do something nice for Miss Ooyodo. The woman did not look well after she had announced herself.
She couldn't help having such an appetite. Not with the armament and capacity she had. At least if her boilers were a bit more efficient it might ease things a bit. Maybe.
"You might end up back there at some point. But for now you're stuck with us. We'll try not to corrupt you too much." Yamato tried to not roll her eyes at Richardson's words, but his amused chuckle made it fairly obvious she hadn't suceeded.
Before she could comment on that little taunt, he continued. His voice more even and lacking the good cheer from earlier.
"It wouldn't be an issue if you were one of the first battleships back and options were limited, or if you weren't a Yamato. But your name is too powerful. It's why your little sister was more well hidden than most state secrets until we had to haul her out to take down the Northern Princess." He tapped the side of his coffee mug. "Shinano managed to avoid it all by being a carrier and almost completely unknown to history."
Yamato felt her anger rise at that statement, but fought it down. It was the truth of things unfortunately. No matter how much she wanted to jump to her littlest sister's defense.
"You, however..."
Richardson sighed and for a moment, looked older than he was in her eyes.
"...I?"
"You are possibly the single most famous battleship in the history of mankind. Nagato may be Japan personified. But she might as well be a nobody next to you." He raised his mug and used it to gesture towards the gleaming chrysanthemum emblazoned on her steel collar. "No sane member of any government in this war would let you stay in reach of those delusional idiots. No one can afford it. Hell, even some of our worst rivals and enemies would agree on that."
Yamato shook her head. She was well aware of this. It was not much different than when she was a steel hull. Only back then, she could do absolutely nothing. Just sit there and look pretty, intimidating, and luxurious. A hotel with guns.
"No matter how much you may want to serve your homeland, you cannot under their command. Not now. And maybe not for a long while."
"I know, sir." The bitterness in her voice surprised even her. "And I apologize for forcing this upon you. It wasn't my intention to bring such discord with me."
She just wanted to be useful.
There was a long, painful silence as battleship and Admiral locked eyes.
"No. It's not your fault and I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I'm sorry for that." Richardson let out a heavy, drawn out sigh as he broke the silence. He palmed his face with his free hand and set the mug back down. "And why in blazes are you still standing there? I have chairs if you want to sit down."
The sharp turn in mood threw her off balance something fierce. And for the first time she wondered if stress was burning away the last of the rope keeping Admiral Richardson sane. He hadn't seemed particularly stressed in the admittedly short time she'd known him. He had seemed friendly, relatively easygoing, and a bit of a... grump, but not worn or strung out. It didn't stop her from answering with the first thought that came to mind however.
"I wanted to be ready in case you wanted another cup."
"You wanted to be ready in case I wanted another cup?" Richardson stared at her in disbelief and she nodded after a moment to confirm she actually had just admitted that.
"Yes, sir." She placed a finger to her lips in a contemplative manner. While true, perhaps a little bit of embellishment of her current state would help improve the mood. "You also did not give me permission to sit, nor did you specify where it would be appropriate to do so."
Yamato managed only a few seconds before her facade of innocence cracked and she began to giggle at Richardson's look of utter disbelief.
Giggles that intensified as he made a show of turning back to his desk and planting his forehead squarely on the hard surface. The loud, coconut sounding impact was accompanied by a long suffering grumble. Something about trolls and Mutsu being a corrupting influence on everyone. Hiei was mentioned in there somewhere, but it was hard to tell in what capacity.
"Has your mood improved?" she asked when he stopped his mumbling.
The sarcastic thumbs up brought a smile to her face.
"I'm glad."
"All right then." Richardson sat up and straightened his shirt. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, visibly trying to get himself back into some semblance of mental order. The disquiet finally seemed to leave his countenance and he turned his attention back to her. "Is there anything you need? You've been a great help around here and at home, but you haven't really asked for anything. And yes, you can sit down if you want."
Yamato decided not to play around on that thread any further and took a seat.
"Clearance for the range would be nice." Being useful was at the forefront of her mind. And being so around the house and around base went a long way to easing that deep seated desire of hers. But it paled in comparison to being useful where it mattered when the chips were down. If she couldn't pull her weight in the thick of battle, then what did it matter elsewhere? Sure she had combat experience. But it was slim to none when faced with almost every other warship out there right now.
"I don't know why that wasn't set when you got here, but I'll find out why you haven't been granted access. And if it's something stupid, then I am not going to be happy." She did not need to imagine that people did not like it when he genuinely wasn't happy. "But I mean anything else. You've got your purchase card and I know Jintsuu went over how that whole mess works."
Yamato tilted her head in thought. Was there anything she really needed right now? Or simply wanted? Well... perhaps one thing.
"...Actually, there is one thing sir."
She didn't quite meet his questioning eyes as he leaned forward a bit. It seemed silly in the grand scheme of things. But he was offering...
"I'd like to learn more about modern entertainment. Music, actually." She felt the excitement bubble up inside her. She'd always loved music. It was something she had been able to enjoy without reservation as a steel hull. But now some seventy years later, there had been so much more composed. Even Admiral Goto's ringtone had fascinated her. "I'm just not sure where to start. There are more songs out there than I could possibly have imagined in my time."
Richardson's eyebrows shot up.
"Music? Really?" He sounded surprised, but also a little happy. Maybe he also enjoyed it?
She nodded vigorously, her long hair bobbing up and down with the action.
"Well... I think I could point you in a few directions." He reached into a desk drawer and withdrew a small metallic device with some sort of headset wired into it. "Jane says I have awful taste in music, but maybe yo-"
"HieiiiI!"
"Shiro! Shiro!"
Out of seemingly nowhere, a miniature Hiei ran across the desk to seize the device. An endeavor aided by an equally tiny Yamashiro and Jintsuu.
Yamato's eyes widened in surprise. What was going on?
Her shock compounded when Richardson seemed to roll his eyes in resignation, as if this was a common occurrence.
"What? It's not bad music. And where did you come from?!"
"Tsuu!
As the banter between the chibis and Admiral escalated, Yamato felt something tug at her socks. She very nearly let out a gasp of shock when she looked down. For there at her feet was a miniature version of herself carrying a saucer with a cup of coffee on it. Aided by a tiny Arizona of all ships.
"H-hello?"
"Mato!"
"Zona."
...was she going to be okay here?
* * * * *
Yamato set the mug of pitch black coffee down on Admiral Richardson's desk. Such an action was, if anything at all, more in the hands of a secretary. A yeoman at the absolute most. But she did not wish to spend another moment sitting about the house waiting for something to do.
She hadn't yet been cleared to use the range and she couldn't just sail around as she wished. Not to mention she had already cleaned or washed every conceivable item at the house already. And she could tell her hovering was beginning to grate on Mutsu's nerves. Not a great deal, but enough that she could see the growing spark of ire behind the cheery smiles and grateful words. Everyone needed a little space it seemed.
The idea of having a day off to relax was a horrific prospect to her. She had spent so much of her former life in idleness that just imagining doing nothing productive with her time sent shivers of dread down her keel.
She was beyond thankful her Admiral had decided to humor her request.
"Are you settling in alright?" he asked while picking up the mug, abandoning the attention he'd been placing on the dozens of papers adorning his workspace. At a glance it seemed like a jumbled mess of reports mixed with letters in angry Japanese script. Atop it all was a letter he'd been penning to someone who's name she didn't recognize.
"Yes, sir. In truth, far better than I could have imagined." She pressed her fingers together when he raised an eyebrow at her words. That probably didn't sound very nice now that she thought about it. "What I mean is. Ah. Well, I was not expecting such a warm welcome. Nor was I expecting to be granted residence at someone's home. I imagined it would be a dormitory or the barracks."
"Well, technically you're living in a dorm that's been remodeled like crazy."
"It... is?" It certainly didn't seem that way to her. She tilted her head slightly in mild confusion.
"Yep." Richardson took a long sip of the drink before nodding in approval. "Mmm. Good stuff. And it definitely is. With shipgirls showing up and the attrition on the steel fleets, housing was in a really strange place. We started moving people to dorms to save space only to have that space not be as much a premium as imagined."
"And that's how you and Jane ended up living in such a large place? By yourselves?" What a strange turn of events. She wasn't really certain if Richardson simply had good fortune or was far more shrewd than she realized. Both was also quite possible...
"Us and Hiei."
Yamato wanted to ask further about that clarification, but there was a look in his eyes that told her it was better not to. Or at least to do so far, far in the future. Certainly not now.
She shook her head and smiled warmly.
"But yes, I am settling in quite well." She paused and folded her hands in front of her. "Although I still find it a little unusual to be under your command. An American command, not you personally."
Her cheeks reddened when Richardson raised an eyebrow. The fact he did so while maintaining eye contact and sipping his drink was ever so slightly unsettling.
"It's... nothing unwanted or untoward. But I imagined that I would be serving under Admiral Goto when I was summoned." Perhaps had the situation been different, she might have. But the long and, frankly, irritating list of groups and people who would attempt to use her presence in the JMDSF as some sort of catalyst made that option nonviable. Supplies weren't as much of an issue thanks to the convoys run by their allies thankfully. Though she would definitely have to do something nice for Miss Ooyodo. The woman did not look well after she had announced herself.
She couldn't help having such an appetite. Not with the armament and capacity she had. At least if her boilers were a bit more efficient it might ease things a bit. Maybe.
"You might end up back there at some point. But for now you're stuck with us. We'll try not to corrupt you too much." Yamato tried to not roll her eyes at Richardson's words, but his amused chuckle made it fairly obvious she hadn't suceeded.
Before she could comment on that little taunt, he continued. His voice more even and lacking the good cheer from earlier.
"It wouldn't be an issue if you were one of the first battleships back and options were limited, or if you weren't a Yamato. But your name is too powerful. It's why your little sister was more well hidden than most state secrets until we had to haul her out to take down the Northern Princess." He tapped the side of his coffee mug. "Shinano managed to avoid it all by being a carrier and almost completely unknown to history."
Yamato felt her anger rise at that statement, but fought it down. It was the truth of things unfortunately. No matter how much she wanted to jump to her littlest sister's defense.
"You, however..."
Richardson sighed and for a moment, looked older than he was in her eyes.
"...I?"
"You are possibly the single most famous battleship in the history of mankind. Nagato may be Japan personified. But she might as well be a nobody next to you." He raised his mug and used it to gesture towards the gleaming chrysanthemum emblazoned on her steel collar. "No sane member of any government in this war would let you stay in reach of those delusional idiots. No one can afford it. Hell, even some of our worst rivals and enemies would agree on that."
Yamato shook her head. She was well aware of this. It was not much different than when she was a steel hull. Only back then, she could do absolutely nothing. Just sit there and look pretty, intimidating, and luxurious. A hotel with guns.
"No matter how much you may want to serve your homeland, you cannot under their command. Not now. And maybe not for a long while."
"I know, sir." The bitterness in her voice surprised even her. "And I apologize for forcing this upon you. It wasn't my intention to bring such discord with me."
She just wanted to be useful.
There was a long, painful silence as battleship and Admiral locked eyes.
"No. It's not your fault and I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I'm sorry for that." Richardson let out a heavy, drawn out sigh as he broke the silence. He palmed his face with his free hand and set the mug back down. "And why in blazes are you still standing there? I have chairs if you want to sit down."
The sharp turn in mood threw her off balance something fierce. And for the first time she wondered if stress was burning away the last of the rope keeping Admiral Richardson sane. He hadn't seemed particularly stressed in the admittedly short time she'd known him. He had seemed friendly, relatively easygoing, and a bit of a... grump, but not worn or strung out. It didn't stop her from answering with the first thought that came to mind however.
"I wanted to be ready in case you wanted another cup."
"You wanted to be ready in case I wanted another cup?" Richardson stared at her in disbelief and she nodded after a moment to confirm she actually had just admitted that.
"Yes, sir." She placed a finger to her lips in a contemplative manner. While true, perhaps a little bit of embellishment of her current state would help improve the mood. "You also did not give me permission to sit, nor did you specify where it would be appropriate to do so."
Yamato managed only a few seconds before her facade of innocence cracked and she began to giggle at Richardson's look of utter disbelief.
Giggles that intensified as he made a show of turning back to his desk and planting his forehead squarely on the hard surface. The loud, coconut sounding impact was accompanied by a long suffering grumble. Something about trolls and Mutsu being a corrupting influence on everyone. Hiei was mentioned in there somewhere, but it was hard to tell in what capacity.
"Has your mood improved?" she asked when he stopped his mumbling.
The sarcastic thumbs up brought a smile to her face.
"I'm glad."
"All right then." Richardson sat up and straightened his shirt. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, visibly trying to get himself back into some semblance of mental order. The disquiet finally seemed to leave his countenance and he turned his attention back to her. "Is there anything you need? You've been a great help around here and at home, but you haven't really asked for anything. And yes, you can sit down if you want."
Yamato decided not to play around on that thread any further and took a seat.
"Clearance for the range would be nice." Being useful was at the forefront of her mind. And being so around the house and around base went a long way to easing that deep seated desire of hers. But it paled in comparison to being useful where it mattered when the chips were down. If she couldn't pull her weight in the thick of battle, then what did it matter elsewhere? Sure she had combat experience. But it was slim to none when faced with almost every other warship out there right now.
"I don't know why that wasn't set when you got here, but I'll find out why you haven't been granted access. And if it's something stupid, then I am not going to be happy." She did not need to imagine that people did not like it when he genuinely wasn't happy. "But I mean anything else. You've got your purchase card and I know Jintsuu went over how that whole mess works."
Yamato tilted her head in thought. Was there anything she really needed right now? Or simply wanted? Well... perhaps one thing.
"...Actually, there is one thing sir."
She didn't quite meet his questioning eyes as he leaned forward a bit. It seemed silly in the grand scheme of things. But he was offering...
"I'd like to learn more about modern entertainment. Music, actually." She felt the excitement bubble up inside her. She'd always loved music. It was something she had been able to enjoy without reservation as a steel hull. But now some seventy years later, there had been so much more composed. Even Admiral Goto's ringtone had fascinated her. "I'm just not sure where to start. There are more songs out there than I could possibly have imagined in my time."
Richardson's eyebrows shot up.
"Music? Really?" He sounded surprised, but also a little happy. Maybe he also enjoyed it?
She nodded vigorously, her long hair bobbing up and down with the action.
"Well... I think I could point you in a few directions." He reached into a desk drawer and withdrew a small metallic device with some sort of headset wired into it. "Jane says I have awful taste in music, but maybe yo-"
"HieiiiI!"
"Shiro! Shiro!"
Out of seemingly nowhere, a miniature Hiei ran across the desk to seize the device. An endeavor aided by an equally tiny Yamashiro and Jintsuu.
Yamato's eyes widened in surprise. What was going on?
Her shock compounded when Richardson seemed to roll his eyes in resignation, as if this was a common occurrence.
"What? It's not bad music. And where did you come from?!"
"Tsuu!
As the banter between the chibis and Admiral escalated, Yamato felt something tug at her socks. She very nearly let out a gasp of shock when she looked down. For there at her feet was a miniature version of herself carrying a saucer with a cup of coffee on it. Aided by a tiny Arizona of all ships.
"H-hello?"
"Mato!"
"Zona."
...was she going to be okay here?
* * * * *
Goddammit. Between that and the season, I'm picturing Iowa getting heavily damaged in an Abyssal bombardment of Long Beach--not sunk, but badly mangled--and then Mo and Iowa re-enacting this:
ijnfleetadmiral
CinC Rengo Kanmusutai
- Location
- Admiral's Bridge, HIJMS Kongo
Oh, I'll just bet!
What's the strength for a light cruiser-level prescription of Admiral Goto's medicine? Anyone know?
Old Iron
Admiral Unfun
- Location
- The Southwestern Deadlands of America
How do you know he doesn't already take that level?Oh, I'll just bet!
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
might want to up that to heavy cruiser strengthOh, I'll just bet!
Sandy River DL
(Verified Destroyer Leader)
- Location
- Lake Michigan
- Pronouns
- Her/She
How do you know he doesn't already take that level?
Wouldn't it be at battleship doses at this point?
baofengyu
moonfaced assassin of joy
- Location
- Pain Amplifier
Welp, now that Yams is back and tomorrow is THE DAY...and for some that DAY is today...I'll just leave this...
Omake- Here we go a-dremeling...
"SSSCCCRRREEEEEEEE-" The sound of grinding metal rolled the Destroyer Barracks, startling awake several Kanmusu who had just returned from a long patrol to the Philippines via Taiwan. Even the Watch Officer was startled, a fresh faced Ensign straight from the National Defense Academy.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
Heads poked out of dorm rooms, from a sleepy eyed Yuudachi to a confused Fubuki.
The sound was coming from the American rooms.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
Both Destroyer girls looked at eachg other before easing out and down the hallway, followed by the young naval officer.
"Hold still, we've almost got it," A muffled voice spoke. A light shown from a cracked door.
Curious, but mostly concerned, the trio peaked inside.
Johnston was sitting in an office chair, while Hoel and Heerman took turns shoving dremels into the said destroyer's mouth. They would switch out occasionally, replace the metal grinding bit, and dive back in.
Johnston's mouth would have done a Great White proud.
Littering the floor, among the piles of metal shavings, were calendars. Lots and lots of calendars. All of them were covered in red sharpie highlighting the date, Oct 25th.
...I can't remember if I posted this to SV or not...originally posted on SB
Omake- That time of the year...
Jersey looked up from the rather intense, yet polite knocking on her door. Setting aside the latest Jane's, she opened the door to a rather annoyed, if not amused, Yamato.
"I, Yamato, request that you rein in your destroyers," She said as dignified as possible.
Jersey look down, then started laughing. Hard.
Firmly affixed to Yamato were Johnston, Hoel, and Roberts.
By their teeth.
Every time Yamato moved set them growling and wriggling like lampreys.
Jersey laughed harder. "It's October 25th again?"
Omake- That time of the year...
Jersey looked up from the rather intense, yet polite knocking on her door. Setting aside the latest Jane's, she opened the door to a rather annoyed, if not amused, Yamato.
"I, Yamato, request that you rein in your destroyers," She said as dignified as possible.
Jersey look down, then started laughing. Hard.
Firmly affixed to Yamato were Johnston, Hoel, and Roberts.
By their teeth.
Every time Yamato moved set them growling and wriggling like lampreys.
Jersey laughed harder. "It's October 25th again?"
Omake- Here we go a-dremeling...
"SSSCCCRRREEEEEEEE-" The sound of grinding metal rolled the Destroyer Barracks, startling awake several Kanmusu who had just returned from a long patrol to the Philippines via Taiwan. Even the Watch Officer was startled, a fresh faced Ensign straight from the National Defense Academy.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
Heads poked out of dorm rooms, from a sleepy eyed Yuudachi to a confused Fubuki.
The sound was coming from the American rooms.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
Both Destroyer girls looked at eachg other before easing out and down the hallway, followed by the young naval officer.
"Hold still, we've almost got it," A muffled voice spoke. A light shown from a cracked door.
Curious, but mostly concerned, the trio peaked inside.
Johnston was sitting in an office chair, while Hoel and Heerman took turns shoving dremels into the said destroyer's mouth. They would switch out occasionally, replace the metal grinding bit, and dive back in.
Johnston's mouth would have done a Great White proud.
Littering the floor, among the piles of metal shavings, were calendars. Lots and lots of calendars. All of them were covered in red sharpie highlighting the date, Oct 25th.
- Location
- Minot, North Dakota
Welp, now that Yams is back and tomorrow is THE DAY...and for some that DAY is today...I'll just leave this...
...I can't remember if I posted this to SV or not...originally posted on SB
Omake- That time of the year...
Jersey looked up from the rather intense, yet polite knocking on her door. Setting aside the latest Jane's, she opened the door to a rather annoyed, if not amused, Yamato.
"I, Yamato, request that you rein in your destroyers," She said as dignified as possible.
Jersey look down, then started laughing. Hard.
Firmly affixed to Yamato were Johnston, Hoel, and Roberts.
By their teeth.
Every time Yamato moved set them growling and wriggling like lampreys.
Jersey laughed harder. "It's October 25th again?"
Omake- Here we go a-dremeling...
"SSSCCCRRREEEEEEEE-" The sound of grinding metal rolled the Destroyer Barracks, startling awake several Kanmusu who had just returned from a long patrol to the Philippines via Taiwan. Even the Watch Officer was startled, a fresh faced Ensign straight from the National Defense Academy.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
Heads poked out of dorm rooms, from a sleepy eyed Yuudachi to a confused Fubuki.
The sound was coming from the American rooms.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
Both Destroyer girls looked at eachg other before easing out and down the hallway, followed by the young naval officer.
"Hold still, we've almost got it," A muffled voice spoke. A light shown from a cracked door.
Curious, but mostly concerned, the trio peaked inside.
Johnston was sitting in an office chair, while Hoel and Heerman took turns shoving dremels into the said destroyer's mouth. They would switch out occasionally, replace the metal grinding bit, and dive back in.
Johnston's mouth would have done a Great White proud.
Littering the floor, among the piles of metal shavings, were calendars. Lots and lots of calendars. All of them were covered in red sharpie highlighting the date, Oct 25th.
Johnston: We've got you now, Yamato!
Sammy B: You can't escape this time!
Hoel: Stop moving! I can't get a good angle on your leg!
Nicholas
No longer teaching battlethings on a battleship
- Location
- Ashore again
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Location
- San Diego
Missouri, Whiskey, and New Jersey stared at the abosulte mess of their eldest sister. One of her turrets was just...gone. Another turret was inoperable. there was a 32 foot gash on her port side, armor ripped away exposing her insides. her smoke stakes were....scattered around, her Bridge was somewhere in that tangled mess of steel and plexiglass. Her Command and Controll systems where shot to shit. her screws were stripped down to bare metal. and still she floated. By the grace of Gods, or a Joke played by The Devil, Iowa was a complete and total write off. The sisters didnt know where to even start. It was a duanting task, but one they told the Admiralty they could fix. And they were given six months to acquire everything needed to make Iowa sea worthy again, or she would have to be scrapped, and Jersey would rather rip out her own boilers they allow that fate for her Beloved eldest sister.
She sat down, and leafed through the damn blueprints again, when she caught sight of a white business card, "FLETCHER REPAIR AND RESUPPLY" with an address that placed it squarly in San Francisco, and a number for "Expidited Orders". SHe called her sisters over and they all stared at it, and having no better option, dialed the number, it rang once, and a female voice answered; "You have reached Flecther's Repair and Resupply, where we have what you need. Your special order for IOWA Class armor, turrets, and ammo has already been filed, and is on route to your location in Pearl Harbor as we speak. Thank you for your trust in Fletcher Repair and Resupply. As an added bonus, 12 rounds of W23 ammo has been added at no extra charge. Payment for services rendered." and the line went dead.
There was a sudden comotion outside the Dry Dock, where a convoy of armored trucks and 18 wheelers, and a small fleet of surface ships lead by....Coast Guard Cutters of all things, all carrying equipment meant for a Battleship. A submarine of some kind, utterly silent in her movement pushed several clip-boards filled with paper to each Iowa Sister, demanding signatures, and then just as suddenly, she was gone, as were the Coast Guard cutters, and by the sounds of it, one very pissed off Admiral was screaming bloody murder at how SPARKLY MAGICAL SHIPGIRL BULLSHIT was such BULLSHIT! The Sisters could only Smile as they had already filed away their own W23 rounds, leaving three for Iowa herself upon completion of her rebuild.
Jersey smirked, "Come on girls. We got a Sister to rebuild."
Last edited:
Nicholas
No longer teaching battlethings on a battleship
- Location
- Ashore again
- Pronouns
- He/Him
We're in San Pedro. Long Beach is a different city entirely.
Gah, I knew I was screwing up somehow!
@BigBadBen Nice snippet. That said, I was picturing Mo and Iowa literally duplicating that scene, with Mo as Arnie and Iowa as Christine... (man I wish we had a devil-face smiley here...)
- Location
- Canada
Iowa is in dry dock. She wouldn't be floating if she was stripped for parts.
And considering what happened in 89 bringing Iowa back in service is a touchy subject.
And considering what happened in 89 bringing Iowa back in service is a touchy subject.
Last edited:
Omake: Hunt for Graf Spee
Lady Darkhound
Haha, tanks!
- Location
- My very own personal hell
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hunt for the Abyssal Graf Spee
Part 2
Exeter hated being late. Punctuality had always been one of her strong suits. But in this case, she had deemed it a worthy reason for her tardiness. Over the past week, she had been acting as poor Intrepid's caretaker. The destroyer had been traumatized by the Abyssal attack, and had latched onto Exeter as the first person she saw upon her return to Portsmouth.
Intrepid had been unwilling to stay with someone else for the duration of Exeter's upcoming mission, and with a lack of her I-class sisters, Exeter's next best idea had been Dreadnought. Though the battleship was more of a mother to the various capital ships of the RN than to everyone else, she had been willing to try and help the destroyer. Even then, Intrepid hadn't been willing to stay when Exeter left.
Now wasn't the time to reminisce, though. She was late to the mission's briefing. Exeter danced around sailors as she dashed towards the briefing room. Upon arriving at the designated room, the cruiser briefly checked her internal clock to discover that she was only a couple of minutes late.
A couple of heads turned as Exeter opened the door, and she winced under the harsh look that Admiral Stearns gave her.
"You're late." The admiral noted.
"Sorry sir, it won't happen again." Exeter apologized, quickly grabbing a seat between Renown and Norfolk.
The cruiser looked around the briefing room and was surprised at the number of ships present. Renown and Formidable were the only capital ships present, but a surprising amount of the RN's cruiser force at Portsmouth had gathered. Three heavy cruisers, and a half dozen light cruisers.
If she were a betting woman, Exeter would have put good money on this being about the Abyssal Graf Spee that Intrepid had encountered.
"Now that Exeter is here, I can begin. A week ago, a convoy loaded with food and oil supplies from America was sunk by a previously unknown surface raider. The only survivor was the destroyer HMS Intrepid. Intrepid reported that the raider was a Deutschland-class pocket battleship, presumed to be an Abyssal version of the Graf Spee. Yesterday, we lost contact with a second convoy on a similar path, presumed to be attacked by that same raider.
"Your mission is to find and sink the Abyssal Graf Spee." The admiral paused, letting the girls react. There was a murmur of surprise coming from the cluster of Leander-class girls, while Cumberland gave a heavy sigh into her hand. Renown let out a small gasp of surprise and she gave Stearns a questioning look, almost asking if this was the reason she had been pulled away from France.
Exeter just slumped down in her seat. She was not looking forward to the next couple of weeks, if it meant a renewal of her nightmares all over again. Feeling a hand on her back, Exeter looked over to see Norfolk giving her a soft smile. The County-class didn't say anything, but just rubbed soothing circles into Exeter's back.
After the varied reactions died down, Admiral Stearns continued his briefing. "With the Americans focused almost entirely on the Pacific right now, we cannot rely upon their assistance with heavy surface combatants. They can, however, provide their extensive reconnaissance airfleet to assist in searching for the Graf Spee. For the duration of this mission, you will all be operating under Force G. Cumberland will lead Ajax and Neptune as Cruiser Squadron 27. Exeter will lead Achilles and Leander as Cruiser Squadron 28. Norfolk, Orion, and Jamaica will be Cruiser Squadron 29, acting as an escort force for Renown and Formidable."
Clicking a button on a remote, Stearns brought a map of the North Atlantic up on the wall behind him, with the common trade routes illustrated as lines. "Squadrons 27 and 28 will be covering incoming and outgoing convoys from the Home Isles and North American coast respectively, while Renown's group will be operating out of Iceland as a fast reaction force. Do not engage the Graf Spee alone. If you encounter her, call for backup. Are there any questions?"
Leander raised a hand, and Stearns gestured to her. "Sir, where is Squadron 28 going to be based?"
Internally, Exeter hoped it was Halifax. The Canadians were still part of the Commonwealth and ther-
"You'll be based out of Norfolk." Stearns spoke, interrupting Exeter's internal plea. "You should have easier communication with the American recon force from there."
God dammit.
Exeter quickly muffled a groan of disappointment. Sure, she didn't have anything directly against the Yanks, but she had heard rumors from some of the girls on convoy duty. Smug blimp cats who lazily floated everywhere, excitable DEs (which shouldn't be surprising, destroyers and DEs everywhere were excitable), and annoyingly memetic aerial aircraft carriers. It was all eminently doable, but Exeter was glad she didn't have her boyfriend's disposition. He'd go crazy before the day was out if the rumors were to be believed.
A few more minutes passed, with the other girls asking clarifying questions about the minutiae of the mission. Eventually, everyone's answers had been answered to sufficient detail, and Stearns released the fleet. They were to head out on the mission as soon as possible, which meant that Exeter was going to have to convince Intrepid to stay with Dreadnought for the next few weeks. She wasn't sure the destroyer would be okay with that, given how difficult it had been to get her to stay with Dreadnought for the mission briefing…
Pondering this issue, Exeter was one of the last ones out the door. Admiral Stearns gave her a concerned look, but said nothing as the heavy cruiser shuffled out the door. Waiting outside the door was Achilles. The ginger light cruiser had her ever present smile on full beam.
"Hey Exeter!" Achilles' smile grew even wider as Exeter approached. "Isn't it awesome that we'll be able to work together again? I mean, we haven't really seen each other since River Plate, what with me going to New Zealand, and you sinking and all, so it's really nice to be able to see you again!"
Exeter just nodded softly as she set her course towards her dorm room. There'd be no stopping Achilles once she got going, so it was better to simply wait it out and hopefully escape into her dorm to pack the necessary clothes.
"Sorry to bring up your sinking and all, but it was something that happened. But that doesn't matter anymore because we're all back together now! Not only that, but we're back as cute girls! Isn't that weird though? It's just like one of those Japanese animes. We fought the war against them and won, obviously, and they somehow turned us into really cute girls!"
The heavy cruiser gave her excitable companion an aside glance as they walked, but said nothing.
"Have you seen any of those animes, Exeter? They're really awesome! I was watching this one that someone recommended to me while we were waiting for a convoy to load in America about people fighting in these really cool looking mechs that were suuuuuper tall and had weird faces on them. Not like faces where a normal person would have them, but like on their torso. That was kinda weird. And they fought with drills! Seems kinda dumb, because with drills you'd need a pretty direct hit to do any actual damage, but it was super cool anyway! There was this one scene where the super awesome big bro character died fighting this really cool bad guy, but then he came back to life! He was all like 'wham!' 'pow!' 'Can't a guy get a little sleep around here?' and then he totally kicked the bad guy's butt! And then they got this really cool ship mecha that couldn't actually float. How weird would that be? It'd be like Abyssals that got along with humans, or planes that could go underwater!"
Exeter let out a soft sigh as Achilles' ramblings spiraled further and further into a tangent.
"Actually, that last one doesn't sound weird, it sounds awesome! Imagine being able to fly around and then go underwater and look at all the pretty fishes! Oh, you have got to come visit New Zealand some day! I've heard that there's this really cool place to go diving off of Australia's coast where you can see tons of really cool fish! Diving to look at fish like that sounds awesome! Oh, wait, no that's not a good idea. We aren't subs, going underwater wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe we could go see an aquarium or something! Then we wouldn't have to go underwater to see the fish! Do you want to go see fishes sometime, Exeter? It'd be really cool!"
Achilles finally paused to take a breath, and looked expectantly at Exeter, awaiting an answer.
"I'm… indifferent to the idea right now. Perhaps when we're not rushing into a vital mission?" Exeter counter offered once she realized that Achilles was waiting for an answer.
"That's a really good point! But there's gotta be some other really cool things to do while we're in America! You know, when we aren't hunting down the evil amalgamation of what was probably the worst fight of either of our lives. Ooh! Maybe we could go visit the museums for some of the American battleships who haven't woken up yet! American battleships are just really cool, you know! Like, the KGVs are nice and all, but they're just so grumpy all the time. The Americans are pretty! Like, super pretty! Miss New Jersey had this really cute dress that she wore.
"Maybe if we have some time off we can go visit the Gulf of Mexico, and see the girls working out of New Orleans! Or we can see Salem if she's still around as a museum. I met Sally once, you know. She asked me to call her Sally, and said we were friends after we helped film a movie on River Plate. That was really cool! I was even playing myself!I wish you could have been there, though. That would have been nice. Sally played Graf Spee, and I was really scared for a bit there until I learned that we weren't actually fighting her. She's a super duper awesome heavy cruiser. She could probably have kicked all of our butts at River Plate, hands down. I still think you're cooler though. I mean, you jumped back into the fighting when things weren't looking great for me and Ajax. you probably saved our butts there, you know! Me and Ajax were all like 'Oh no, she's gonna kill us!' and you were like 'Not today, evildoer!' and rejoined the fighting with only one turret left!"
Exeter cupped her face in her hands for a moment before spotters noticed an inattentive sailor whom she had to quickly dance around.
"I bet you could totally kick this Abyssal Graf Spee's butt alone! I mean, me and Leander and pretty good, but you're awesome! We won't even need to call in Renown and Formidable's help! They're nice and all, but they won't be anywhere near close enough to help if we engage Graf. Even if we do find her, Graf will probably either slip away or sink by the time that the big guns show up. But you can take her alone, so with the three of us everything's gonna be fine! Super-duper even! We can go kick her butt, then do some cool things in America before coming home! But you'll want to come home as soon as possible, won't you…" Achilles' voice rapidly trailed off as she touched on an uncomfortable subject.
Exeter nearly sighed in relief as Achilles wound to a halt. They had reached her dorm room. "It's fine. Go get your bags ready, I'll come get you and Leander when I'm ready to go." The heavy cruiser said, looking at the door to her dorm room. It was slightly ajar, which was odd but not entirely unusual.
Intrepid should still be with Dreadnought though. Maybe Dreadnought had needed to grab something for the destroyer and forgotten to close the door all the way? Whatever it may be, Exeter didn't quite like it. She dreaded the prospect of having to be away from the destroyer who acted a lot like Exeter imagined a daughter would. Though she had only known Intrepid a week, the destroyer had latched onto her almost like a safety blanket, and Exeter didn't want to rip it away, no matter for how short a period.
"I… right! Packing my bags! See you later, Exeter!" Achilles said, her cheer returning full force. The excitable light cruiser ran off, leaving Exeter to her fate.
The heavy cruiser took a moment to breathe and clear her worried mind before pushing open the door and stepping inside her fairly spartan dorm. She flicked the light on, and was almost immediately tackled into a wall by a brown and blue form which wrapped a pair of small arms around her torso.
"...Intrepid?" Exeter asked the sobbing form.
Part 2
Exeter hated being late. Punctuality had always been one of her strong suits. But in this case, she had deemed it a worthy reason for her tardiness. Over the past week, she had been acting as poor Intrepid's caretaker. The destroyer had been traumatized by the Abyssal attack, and had latched onto Exeter as the first person she saw upon her return to Portsmouth.
Intrepid had been unwilling to stay with someone else for the duration of Exeter's upcoming mission, and with a lack of her I-class sisters, Exeter's next best idea had been Dreadnought. Though the battleship was more of a mother to the various capital ships of the RN than to everyone else, she had been willing to try and help the destroyer. Even then, Intrepid hadn't been willing to stay when Exeter left.
Now wasn't the time to reminisce, though. She was late to the mission's briefing. Exeter danced around sailors as she dashed towards the briefing room. Upon arriving at the designated room, the cruiser briefly checked her internal clock to discover that she was only a couple of minutes late.
A couple of heads turned as Exeter opened the door, and she winced under the harsh look that Admiral Stearns gave her.
"You're late." The admiral noted.
"Sorry sir, it won't happen again." Exeter apologized, quickly grabbing a seat between Renown and Norfolk.
The cruiser looked around the briefing room and was surprised at the number of ships present. Renown and Formidable were the only capital ships present, but a surprising amount of the RN's cruiser force at Portsmouth had gathered. Three heavy cruisers, and a half dozen light cruisers.
If she were a betting woman, Exeter would have put good money on this being about the Abyssal Graf Spee that Intrepid had encountered.
"Now that Exeter is here, I can begin. A week ago, a convoy loaded with food and oil supplies from America was sunk by a previously unknown surface raider. The only survivor was the destroyer HMS Intrepid. Intrepid reported that the raider was a Deutschland-class pocket battleship, presumed to be an Abyssal version of the Graf Spee. Yesterday, we lost contact with a second convoy on a similar path, presumed to be attacked by that same raider.
"Your mission is to find and sink the Abyssal Graf Spee." The admiral paused, letting the girls react. There was a murmur of surprise coming from the cluster of Leander-class girls, while Cumberland gave a heavy sigh into her hand. Renown let out a small gasp of surprise and she gave Stearns a questioning look, almost asking if this was the reason she had been pulled away from France.
Exeter just slumped down in her seat. She was not looking forward to the next couple of weeks, if it meant a renewal of her nightmares all over again. Feeling a hand on her back, Exeter looked over to see Norfolk giving her a soft smile. The County-class didn't say anything, but just rubbed soothing circles into Exeter's back.
After the varied reactions died down, Admiral Stearns continued his briefing. "With the Americans focused almost entirely on the Pacific right now, we cannot rely upon their assistance with heavy surface combatants. They can, however, provide their extensive reconnaissance airfleet to assist in searching for the Graf Spee. For the duration of this mission, you will all be operating under Force G. Cumberland will lead Ajax and Neptune as Cruiser Squadron 27. Exeter will lead Achilles and Leander as Cruiser Squadron 28. Norfolk, Orion, and Jamaica will be Cruiser Squadron 29, acting as an escort force for Renown and Formidable."
Clicking a button on a remote, Stearns brought a map of the North Atlantic up on the wall behind him, with the common trade routes illustrated as lines. "Squadrons 27 and 28 will be covering incoming and outgoing convoys from the Home Isles and North American coast respectively, while Renown's group will be operating out of Iceland as a fast reaction force. Do not engage the Graf Spee alone. If you encounter her, call for backup. Are there any questions?"
Leander raised a hand, and Stearns gestured to her. "Sir, where is Squadron 28 going to be based?"
Internally, Exeter hoped it was Halifax. The Canadians were still part of the Commonwealth and ther-
"You'll be based out of Norfolk." Stearns spoke, interrupting Exeter's internal plea. "You should have easier communication with the American recon force from there."
God dammit.
Exeter quickly muffled a groan of disappointment. Sure, she didn't have anything directly against the Yanks, but she had heard rumors from some of the girls on convoy duty. Smug blimp cats who lazily floated everywhere, excitable DEs (which shouldn't be surprising, destroyers and DEs everywhere were excitable), and annoyingly memetic aerial aircraft carriers. It was all eminently doable, but Exeter was glad she didn't have her boyfriend's disposition. He'd go crazy before the day was out if the rumors were to be believed.
A few more minutes passed, with the other girls asking clarifying questions about the minutiae of the mission. Eventually, everyone's answers had been answered to sufficient detail, and Stearns released the fleet. They were to head out on the mission as soon as possible, which meant that Exeter was going to have to convince Intrepid to stay with Dreadnought for the next few weeks. She wasn't sure the destroyer would be okay with that, given how difficult it had been to get her to stay with Dreadnought for the mission briefing…
Pondering this issue, Exeter was one of the last ones out the door. Admiral Stearns gave her a concerned look, but said nothing as the heavy cruiser shuffled out the door. Waiting outside the door was Achilles. The ginger light cruiser had her ever present smile on full beam.
"Hey Exeter!" Achilles' smile grew even wider as Exeter approached. "Isn't it awesome that we'll be able to work together again? I mean, we haven't really seen each other since River Plate, what with me going to New Zealand, and you sinking and all, so it's really nice to be able to see you again!"
Exeter just nodded softly as she set her course towards her dorm room. There'd be no stopping Achilles once she got going, so it was better to simply wait it out and hopefully escape into her dorm to pack the necessary clothes.
"Sorry to bring up your sinking and all, but it was something that happened. But that doesn't matter anymore because we're all back together now! Not only that, but we're back as cute girls! Isn't that weird though? It's just like one of those Japanese animes. We fought the war against them and won, obviously, and they somehow turned us into really cute girls!"
The heavy cruiser gave her excitable companion an aside glance as they walked, but said nothing.
"Have you seen any of those animes, Exeter? They're really awesome! I was watching this one that someone recommended to me while we were waiting for a convoy to load in America about people fighting in these really cool looking mechs that were suuuuuper tall and had weird faces on them. Not like faces where a normal person would have them, but like on their torso. That was kinda weird. And they fought with drills! Seems kinda dumb, because with drills you'd need a pretty direct hit to do any actual damage, but it was super cool anyway! There was this one scene where the super awesome big bro character died fighting this really cool bad guy, but then he came back to life! He was all like 'wham!' 'pow!' 'Can't a guy get a little sleep around here?' and then he totally kicked the bad guy's butt! And then they got this really cool ship mecha that couldn't actually float. How weird would that be? It'd be like Abyssals that got along with humans, or planes that could go underwater!"
Exeter let out a soft sigh as Achilles' ramblings spiraled further and further into a tangent.
"Actually, that last one doesn't sound weird, it sounds awesome! Imagine being able to fly around and then go underwater and look at all the pretty fishes! Oh, you have got to come visit New Zealand some day! I've heard that there's this really cool place to go diving off of Australia's coast where you can see tons of really cool fish! Diving to look at fish like that sounds awesome! Oh, wait, no that's not a good idea. We aren't subs, going underwater wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe we could go see an aquarium or something! Then we wouldn't have to go underwater to see the fish! Do you want to go see fishes sometime, Exeter? It'd be really cool!"
Achilles finally paused to take a breath, and looked expectantly at Exeter, awaiting an answer.
"I'm… indifferent to the idea right now. Perhaps when we're not rushing into a vital mission?" Exeter counter offered once she realized that Achilles was waiting for an answer.
"That's a really good point! But there's gotta be some other really cool things to do while we're in America! You know, when we aren't hunting down the evil amalgamation of what was probably the worst fight of either of our lives. Ooh! Maybe we could go visit the museums for some of the American battleships who haven't woken up yet! American battleships are just really cool, you know! Like, the KGVs are nice and all, but they're just so grumpy all the time. The Americans are pretty! Like, super pretty! Miss New Jersey had this really cute dress that she wore.
"Maybe if we have some time off we can go visit the Gulf of Mexico, and see the girls working out of New Orleans! Or we can see Salem if she's still around as a museum. I met Sally once, you know. She asked me to call her Sally, and said we were friends after we helped film a movie on River Plate. That was really cool! I was even playing myself!I wish you could have been there, though. That would have been nice. Sally played Graf Spee, and I was really scared for a bit there until I learned that we weren't actually fighting her. She's a super duper awesome heavy cruiser. She could probably have kicked all of our butts at River Plate, hands down. I still think you're cooler though. I mean, you jumped back into the fighting when things weren't looking great for me and Ajax. you probably saved our butts there, you know! Me and Ajax were all like 'Oh no, she's gonna kill us!' and you were like 'Not today, evildoer!' and rejoined the fighting with only one turret left!"
Exeter cupped her face in her hands for a moment before spotters noticed an inattentive sailor whom she had to quickly dance around.
"I bet you could totally kick this Abyssal Graf Spee's butt alone! I mean, me and Leander and pretty good, but you're awesome! We won't even need to call in Renown and Formidable's help! They're nice and all, but they won't be anywhere near close enough to help if we engage Graf. Even if we do find her, Graf will probably either slip away or sink by the time that the big guns show up. But you can take her alone, so with the three of us everything's gonna be fine! Super-duper even! We can go kick her butt, then do some cool things in America before coming home! But you'll want to come home as soon as possible, won't you…" Achilles' voice rapidly trailed off as she touched on an uncomfortable subject.
Exeter nearly sighed in relief as Achilles wound to a halt. They had reached her dorm room. "It's fine. Go get your bags ready, I'll come get you and Leander when I'm ready to go." The heavy cruiser said, looking at the door to her dorm room. It was slightly ajar, which was odd but not entirely unusual.
Intrepid should still be with Dreadnought though. Maybe Dreadnought had needed to grab something for the destroyer and forgotten to close the door all the way? Whatever it may be, Exeter didn't quite like it. She dreaded the prospect of having to be away from the destroyer who acted a lot like Exeter imagined a daughter would. Though she had only known Intrepid a week, the destroyer had latched onto her almost like a safety blanket, and Exeter didn't want to rip it away, no matter for how short a period.
"I… right! Packing my bags! See you later, Exeter!" Achilles said, her cheer returning full force. The excitable light cruiser ran off, leaving Exeter to her fate.
The heavy cruiser took a moment to breathe and clear her worried mind before pushing open the door and stepping inside her fairly spartan dorm. She flicked the light on, and was almost immediately tackled into a wall by a brown and blue form which wrapped a pair of small arms around her torso.
"...Intrepid?" Exeter asked the sobbing form.
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- Location
- State of Denial
Goodness, Intrepid needs all the hugs
Achilles certainly is a chatterbox. I like her. And it is unsurprising somehow that she was introduced to TTGL, heh.
Oh dear. She's probably terrified at this point of people leaving her sight/hearing radius never coming back again. Hugs and headpats indeed.
I like what you presented in this one.