Beneath Celestial Depths (An Arpeggio of Blue Steel Quest)

[Higure]

[X] Have Mary guide you aboveground. Perhaps you could check out the time and date through astronavigation.
-[X] Assuming there's no one else up there and you might wanna avoid any position that might leave you open to spotting from above.

"Why don't you show me what's outside, Dear? I'd like to see where...and when...we are. Get my bearings."

Mary nods, smiling brightly as she guides you again by the hand, "Sure! Although..." Her smile fades a little, "...it's not like there's much out there. Well, you'll see."

She shows you towards a small room, one you didn't really notice when you were being shown around the base earlier: It could easily pass for a closet, unremarkable as the entrance is. Inside, you find a ladder leading upwards. Lights periodically dot the passage, but are almost universally broken. It gives the entire passage a rather ominous feel, in large part because you'll be climbing in pitch black for most of the journey.

Mary catches your questioning look, and blushes. Rubbing the back of her head, she explains that she forgot to close the entrance behind her when she first moved in: Some rubble had gotten blown in by a storm, and beaten things up rather badly.

She assures you that the ladder itself is mostly intact, and that none of the rungs are too old or worn to give out.

You're not sure she's accounting for the higher weight of your Mental Model, but let it go for the moment: A fall's not dangerous for you, after all. That said, you make sure she goes first: You can break her fall if something gives out while she's climbing. The reverse isn't so true.

As you make your way upwards, you find your worries justified: While nothing actually gives out, you definitely feel some of the rungs loosen as you climb them...you just hope they survive the trip back down. Leaving Mary stranded at the top would be a problem. Having her try to step on a nonexistent rung and fall to her death would be far worse.

You find yourself worrying frantically as you climb, images of Mary's seemingly inevitable demise flashing through your mind. Logically, you know that there's not much chance of something going wrong that you can't stop: If she falls, you can catch her. If she breaks something anyway, she'll heal quickly, as a design child. If you're climbing into a storm, and a bolt of lightning...

You adjust your processes, shifting resources away from the task of devising possible fatal scenarios for your Mary, and decide that there isn't much to worry about. You can just carry her down, if all else fails: A little jump like this wouldn't be much of an issue for you.

Satisfied that you've calmed yourself sufficiently, you continue climbing, carefully not worrying that Mary will lose her grip and tumble to her death somehow. You're not Houston, and you're NOT going to let your paranoia get to you like your favorite cowgirl so often does.

Eventually, you reach the top, and find yourself staring out across a rocky wasteland. Mary was lucky to find that entrance, considering the complete lack of food or shelter...or soil, for that matter.

"Ah...not exactly at tropical island paradise, I see. Don't worry, Darling, I'll show you somewhere far nicer, one of these days...as soon as I figure out how, I mean."

Mary's responding smile is hesitant, "That'd be nice, but...I don't mind it here. As long as you're here, I don't mind if we stay."

You lean down, look her dead in the eye....and pat her head in response, "Don't worry, I won't leave you. We should go out and see the world some time, though...it's a big world out there, and you should get to see more of it."

Her smile waxes as she hugs you without warning, then backs off again almost as quickly, "Ah...sorry. Um, anyway, anything else you want to do while we're up here?"

You nod, "Mmm. You know that you can navigate by the stars, right?"

She gets that far away look in her eyes again as she contemplates your question, "Yes. Apparent positioning of the stars allows one to calculate one's approximate on the globe, assuming clear weather and an established knowledge of said stars. You can also use similar techniques to determine the approximate time of year, and the slow shifting of sidereal positions relative to the Earth in order to determine the passage of years...although the accuracy of all of these techniques is diminished if one does not know one's exact location or is using outdated information as the basis for one's evaluation."

Nodding in satisfaction (and slightly relieved you're not dealing with the average human being), you smile back at her, "That's right. I'm going to do just that, and see if I can't figure out more about where...and when...we are.

With those words, you turn your gaze to the night sky: With your knowledge and processing capabilities, the stars have quite the story to tell you.

You're somewhere in the tropics of the Pacific Ocean...somewhere to the west of Hawaii, but you can't say much more than that. You definitely have never been here before...actually, you don't even recall this island existing.

'Maybe somewhere that was kept uncharted for some reason? I can see how the United States would find a place like this strategically valuable, although I have a hard time believing the Japanese, at least, wouldn't have found out about it...maybe the computer systems will have information on this place.'

Satisfied that you're still fairly lost, you switch to more temporal matters: If your estimates are correct, it's...maybe 2am, and it's likely roughly the middle of the summer. As for the year...you pause, check your formulae, and run your calculations again...nope, still wrong. Determined to get a correct answer, you try again...and get the same result.

Eventually, you're forced to accept your results: It's been about 200 years. You're having trouble getting an exact date, but...it's at least the mid-2200s.

Mary takes in your shock, confused, "What's wrong?"

You shake your head, not quite sure how to convey the discomfort that comes with being displaced like this, "Looks like those old books won't be much help after all. It's been a lot longer than I thought. Anyway, we should head back down. Here, I'll carry you."

Picking Mary up (in spite of her protests), you promptly leap back down to where you started, storing away the force of your impact into your Klein Field...you wouldn't want the shock of impact to hurt your passenger. Setting her down safely, you climb back up (nearly falling once or twice, as the ladder rungs finally give up the ghost), pull the hatch shut, and then leap back down again.

The Design Child seems a little confused, "Umm...not that I wanted to climb down or anything, but...why? I could have climbed down just fine. I always check the rungs before I put my weight on them."

You don't exactly have a good answer for that, as you're a little unsure yourself, but scramble to justify your actions, "I know you're tough, Mary, but one mistake is all it takes to finish off you humans. It was safer this way."

She pouts with a degree of cuteness that is completely inappropriate for a girl her age, "I know that. I've been living here most of my life, after all." She heaves a sigh, glancing away as she begrudgingly continues, "Still...thanks for watching out for me, I guess. What do you want to do next?"

Options:

[] Brute Force Hack the control systems.
-[] Access the lift and explore the rest of the facility.
-[] Attempt to connect to external networks. Surely they're more up to date.
-[] Subvert and Rewrite control systems to prevent a counterattack from... something. If you triggered anything.

[]Reexamine the control systems. Brute Forcing this worries you, but you can't just ignore them...

[] Log-in to the Tactical Network and attempt to contact other vessels. It would be helpful to talk to someone, anyone.

[] Attempt to construct something from raw materials. [Locked: You currently have no conventional materials.]

[] Gather/salvage conventional materials.
-[] From broken parts of the sub pen.
-[] By breaking down parts of the submarine pen.

[] Do something with Mary:
-[] Stargazing
-[] Tell stories of your past.
-[] Play games.
-[] Write-In

[] Give Mary a medical checkup. Those strawberries could not have been good for her.
[] Have Mary guide you aboveground. Perhaps you could check out the time and date through astronavigation.

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X]Reexamine the control systems. Brute Forcing this worries you, but you can't just ignore them...
[X] Do something with Mary:
-[X] Stargazing
-[X] Tell stories of your past.
Even with most of the Flagship functions still locked down, the sheer might of Habbakuk's processing power is available to you. No cyber defense can stand against you! Well, an actual physical countermeasure might shut you down, but you have faith in in your ability to force any firewall or encryption at the moment. Despite this, you have to be careful. There's no telling what kind of security system this base has. While overall, you found that humans lacked the ability to effectively defend against your hacking techniques, they have surprised you occasionally. Like the time that they tried to overwhelm you with an exabyte's worth of cat videos. In the end, it hadn't worked, and the kitties were indeed adorable, but it was something you hadn't been expecting. A lesser-skilled ship might have been hindered.

So as Mary tends to her little strawberry garden, you head into the administrative section of the base again to check out how their computer systems are wired up. You rip out wall paneling and crawl through maitenance tunnels for about an hour, but your diligent search turns up results. Very important information indeed.
So there are, in fact, two computer systems on the base, aside from the server database buried deeper in the complex (you're assuming). There is the control systems in the Administration section, otherwise known as the control room. They're all desktops locked in tamper-proof boxes built into the desks and workstations. You managed to get access to one without any alarms going off. The seal was apparently designed that it could be opened, but not returned to an inconspicuous closed position. You guess that it was meant to alert daily inspections or something. Despite gaining this access, however, you find that the hardware is entirely proprietary.
Which sucks.
It's undoubtedly less sophisticated than what you're running on, but... it's proprietary. It would take a while to figure out what does what, or how to interface directly with the damn thing, and you're not sure it won't start squawking alerts if you do that...

There is also an intermediate computer system that talks to both the control systems and the satellite uplink. However, from what you intercepted, it isn't actively communicating with the uplink... but it is occasionally pinging the control systems, and it gets pinged back.
This is likely the security measure you were worried about.
In all likelihood, this system checks the base systems for tampering or hacking attempts. Then, if it notices anything wrong, it starts talking to... whoever is out there.

Well, now that you know more about these systems, you have two options on how to overcome it!

If you hack both at the same time, you'll be able to prevent the base systems from sending out a distress call! But that's if you succeed. If something doesn't go according to plan, the intermediate security system could still send out a message, and then your goose is cooked. You calculate there's a 20% chance of that happening. But this is more your style. More elegance, less brute force. If you wanted muscle power, you'd have Houston do it, not that your favorite Heavy Cruiser is here, but...
Anyways, if you succeed, then you can use it to access more data using the satellite uplink! Assuming that there's actually some network on the other side, but given Mary's existence, you're guessing the answer is probably a "Yes".

The other option is to physically smash the connection between the uplink and the intermediate system. That way it can't call for help! You're certain to overcome the base's systems if that occur! No chance of failure! Of course, that means you'll just end up isolating the base... no new information in the end. Still, it'll keep this place safe. Unless the outside decides to check into their base through the uplink. That's another thing to consider.
You decide to think on it. For now, you want to spend some time with Mary.

You head back inside, and find your little Design Child swinging on her little makeshift swing strung between your main turret's barrels. It's kind of cute.

"Hi Surcouf," she positively beams as you walk into view.

"Darling," you smile, standing behind her and beginning to push, "So I take it, given the paintings you put on my ceiling, that you like to look at the stars."

She nods, and you pat her on the head.

"I would like to join you tonight, if you wouldn't mind."

Her cry of delight is all the confirmation you need.

---

Mary's delighted giggles as she points out various constellations is quite endearing, but you're paying more attention to some details that escaped your notice during the daytime.

For one, Humanity's satellite network is back. The Fog would never have tolerated this back during their reign, which must mean that either they aren't active anymore, or they have deigned not to shoot down these satellites.
Your Mental Model can't zoom in that far, unfortunately. Your eye's resolution isn't that great. If your hull was up here, that might help, but... you're a bit trapped in a submarine pen at the moment.
Still, you make out some details.
A lot of those satellites are very big. Some resemble concepts you know of for weapons platforms. Kinetic Impactors. Nothing that's threatening to the Fog, but other Humans...
Also, there are space stations. Big ones that are visible to the naked eye. No bigger than a coin from your perspective, but that's big. Mary even points one out and waves. You also notice small actively maneuvering shapes around them.
Humanity never got that far with their development of space even before the Fog, so this development is... disturbing, but not necessarily unexpected. It has been roughly two centuries, after all.

Still, what this implies for the Fog is not good at all.

"Mary," you speak softly as the wind whistles gently over the barren island rocks, "Back when I roamed the waves with my sisters, I met children like you."

"Like me?" Mary looks up in wonderment, and you nod.

"Indeed, children like you. Exceptional, gifted children. Some helped my friends and I, and others fought us. You're a very special little girl, I hope you know. You're very smart."

"...Smart?" Mary frowns in confusion, "But everyone back home was smarter than me..."

Mary is probably talking about adults. Adults always seem smart to children. Well, you suppose you should ask her where home was.

"I came from..." Mary scrunches up her face cutely as she tries to remember, "Oh... We all called it the 'AE', but that's an acronym. It's full name is the American Empire!"

Well, that certainly wasn't a faction that existed back in your day. Yes, there was the USA, but the American Empire? That's a startling change.

"The American Empire?" you maintain composure and continue, "What can you tell me about it?"

"It's the best country in the world!" Mary answered enthusiastically, "We defeated the Fog two centuries ago!"

Defeated the Fog. Bah! At that point in time, Humanity couldn't have beaten the Fog if you turned off your Klein Fields and charged blindly at-!
... Actually, they might have been able to. They had Vibration Warheads, after all. Still, if the Fog had started a unified effort to remove the Humans from the seas once more, they wouldn't have stood a chance!

"I see," you stamp down the urge to correct her on certain historical details, "I would very much like to visit this place one day."

To gather information, of course.

She nods, and the two of you resume looking at the stars. The distant twinkle of faraway lights are joined by the flashes of presumably human spacecraft.

"Surcouf," Mary speaks up after a long stretch of silence, "What do you think it's like up there?"

"Up there, in space you mean?" you shrug, "I don't know, darling, I've only sailed the oceans myself, not the sky."

Mary looks down, out to sea, and her smiles disappears entirely.

"I don't like the ocean," she grumbles, expression soured.

That gives you pause. You've... never heard such a sentiment before. Why does she feel that way? You're curious, and ask her.

"The ship I was travelling went on sank in the ocean," she answers quietly, "and the ocean brought me here... and its keeping me here. I can't swim back home."

"But the stars!" she looks back up, joy returning to her face, "We can go to the stars! In space you can go anywhere! Sometimes I dream that I can reach up and touch the lights!"

She makes cute grabbing motions upwards... and you think you understand, somewhat.
The ocean trapped her here, but the stars are free. You think you know the feeling, when you're far below the ocean's surface, looking upwards. The light filtering down in wavering beams, promising a release and freedom from the crushing forces that surround you. Up here, on the surface, much like deep below. Forever reaching for that promised future, beneath celestial depths.

"Do you think I can go to space, Surcouf?" Mary asks you eagerly, "Can you take me there? Like the rockets I saw in Brazil, the ones that took all those people to the big red planet!"

"Big red planet..." you pause at the implication, "Mary dear, do you speak of Mars?"

She nods vigorously, "Yeah, Mars! Can you take me to see all the planets?"

For now you just smile and pat her on the head, but that is a good question. Can you take Mary to the stars? What is even out there? It sounds like the Humans beat you to it, though.
A shame.

You stay out for as long as you can before Mary starts nodding off. You gently carry the girl back inside and tuck her into bed. There's a lot to think about for the next few days. Your little Design Child holds promise, and you wouldn't want to waste that. If she wants you to take her to the stars, well... she'll have to work for it. Perhaps as a member of your crew? She's trusting and easily manipulated, but smart. She'll be an excellent boon no matter what task you put her to. Although, such a young girl... are you truly comfortable using her like this?
Of course you are, but you have to consider what others would think of you for doing so. You highly doubt that ethics and morality have greatly changed in 200 years. Humans will be Humans... and if Mary is indication, they're still Humans, not some freaky Human/Fog hybrid spawned from the unholy union of man and machine.
...
You are purging those specific processes, nobody needed to imagine that.

[] Seize control of the base's systems
-[] Overwhelm both the control and security systems. (20% chance of failure)
-[] Destroy the satellite uplink before attempting the hack (Satellite uplink permanently disabled)

[] Log-in to the Tactical Network and attempt to contact other vessels. It would be helpful to talk to someone, anyone.

[] Attempt to construct something from raw materials. [Locked: You currently have no conventional materials.]

[] Gather/salvage conventional materials.
-[] From broken parts of the sub pen.
-[] By breaking down parts of the submarine pen.

[] Teach Mary some useful skills...
-[] Put her through some combat simulations on your Bridge (Tactical Training)
-[] Show her how your Thanatonium Reactor functions (Engineering Training)
-[] Give her a personalized headset and let her play a "game" (Sonar Training)
-[] Let her drive you for a bit. Simulated, of course (Navigation Training)
-[] Let Mary see some playback of major battles during the Fog War and see if she can change the simulated outcome at all (Command Training)

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

[X] Gather/salvage conventional materials.
-[X] From broken parts of the sub pen.
[X] Teach Mary some useful skills...
-[X] Let Mary see some playback of major battles during the Fog War and see if she can change the simulated outcome at all (Command Training)
[X] Seize control of the base's systems
-[X] Overwhelm both the control and security systems. (20% chance of failure)

For the next several days you've decided to go to work. Changing your outfit a bit to suit the laborious task of recycling scrap metal and broken pieces of the submarine pen. A heavy set of mechanic's clothes would do as you tied your hair behind your head into a ponytail. You grabbed pieces of steel and rusting iron from where they were lying and brought them back near your hull, piling them together.

It took you a couple of days to pile enough scrap metal and serviceable steel from the submarine pen for them to be of any use. During the time, Mary enjoyed herself running around in the new set of clothes you made for her. This way she won't have to be wearing those rags anymore and would look like a more decent human being.

She sat in her new dress and shoes as she watched you work from the sidelines. Ripping out metal from the pens was easy enough with your strength and crumpling them in your hands to make a more compact shape was something you went doing routinely for a few more days. When you were done, you absorb the fifty tons of steel and iron into your hull and used them as a temporary measure and repair a few of your busted pieces.

The process was simpler and a bit quicker than salvaging the base for parts but it did the work. You didn't feel comfortable using inferior material for repairs but beggars can't be choosers. You were practical enough to even utilize wood and stone if it came down to it so a bit of metal was already a luxury.

You also hooked up some cables from the collapsed parts of the base. This way you'd replaced the fried parts and discboards within your bridge. Some parts were needing some full replacements so there's not much you could do on your own.

By the end of this juncture you managed to repair some of your ship systems to less than optimal status. Not great but it worked. Other Fog might've been horrified and would have preferred being beached in this dumb island forever than make use of available materials but... You weren't them. A sad truth but not one you're hung up about.

You've mutilated your hull and very identity once, you can do it again.

Your Navigation, Sensors, Sonar and Thruster Control were once again useful. Far from what you'd like but what can you do. You'll probably be able to make a quick get away and descend into the depths once more with just this.

On your down time, when you weren't working on stitching your hull back together, you decided to test little Mary's capability as a Design Child. The girl herself didn't seem to mind and seemed to enjoy spending more time with you. You had to admit, her enthusiasm was very amusing.

You had her study a few materials from your database as a start. She might've read bits of it in her books before but it'll be better if her knowledge was refreshed. You were curious if she had the aptitude of being in command, but this was just one way you measure the advancement in the development of Design Children.

"So, Mary, what do you think of war?" you casually asked her as you scanned one of her books, the girl herself busy reading the holographic materials you provided her while tiny Surcoufs milled about and cleaned the place.

The Design Child looked up and thought about for a moment before replying, "Well, it's horrible. People die and things get destroyed. But it's... necessary. We wouldn't have beaten the Fog all those years ago without it."

"I see. I certainly took no pleasure in my previous battles. Unless the other side really deserved it," you thought back to a few settlements you've razed to the ground from the depths of the ocean, slinging corrosive torpedoes at islands as a mindless drone, "But the Fog War was entirely different."

"I've read many books about it. There were... Four Factions in all, right?" guessed Mary, "There was my home, the American Empire, formerly known as the USA. Then there was the Blue Steel composed of both man and Fog and the Scarlet Fleet which is the same but a bit more violent. Then there was the Fog itself led by the Supreme Flagship Yamato."

"Correct. With these four factions waging battle, numerous combat scenarios were born with the advent of new technology and varying battlefields. And... well, being me, managed to get a good look at each from within every faction," you closed Mary's book and tossed it to a tiny Surcouf passing by as you snapped your fingers.

Mary stood up and widened her eyes as the bridge lit up brightly and changed. You weren't standing on your own bridge anymore but were standing on the deck of Houston, the Bloody Knight of the Fog.

This was a battle from the middle stages of the Fog War where the Scarlet Fleet engaged Blue Steel in combat.

You granted Mary access to a holographic UI and laid it before her like a board. Since she didn't have the advanced sensors nor the calculating capacity of a Fog ship, you'll have to support her throughout this exercise.

"W-What is this?" she asked in surprise, her eyes fixed upon the board before her depicting the ocean and seven dots on her side. the dots were labeled as ship designations with the Heavy Cruiser leading the dots being the brightest one.

Accompanying the Heavy Cruiser were two Destroyers, two more Heavy Cruisers and an Aircraft Carrier.

The Heavy Cruiser was undeniably Houston being as the Flagship. If you looked to your left you'd see the familiar form of a Fletcher-Class Destroyer. The William D. Porter while to your right was the Johnston.

You noted that Emile Bertin and Dupleix were accompanying this group as the Air Craft Carrier Yorktown hung at the back.

You smiled and explained, "This here Mary is but one of the many encounters the Fog had with one another during the war. Your goal is to change the tide of the battle. You'll be commanding the ships participating during the battle and we'll see if you can change the outcome."

"Ch-Change the outcome?! W-Wait, hold on!" Mary cried out, "I don't think my heart is ready!"

"Don't worry, I'll guide you through this. But remember this is simulated in real time," you told her with a smile.

Mary looked as if she was about to panic before she clenched her fist and sighed, "Okay! Just... Tell me. How did this Heavy Cruiser win the fight?"

"She ate all the opposing Fog ships..." you replied, the memory scarring you forever but it's Houston, you could forgive her for that, "I don't recommend it."

"So I can do whatever as long as I win?" asked Mary.

"So long as it's within the capabilities of Fog Ships. And being a smart girl, I think you're more than familiar enough with what we can do," you assured her with a nod.

Mary looked at you with her crimson eyes before nodding, "Surcouf... I hate fighting. But I don't want to lose either."

"Your win condition is the sinking of the Enemy Flagship. Your lose condition is if your Destroyer or Air Craft Carrier Units fall," you said while crossing your arms, "This is just a simulation. So don't be scared. I'm here too. Come on, Mary. Let's play a game."

.....
....
...

Three hours later, Mary lost.

Well this was within your expectations of course. The girl wasn't a superhuman that could adapt in the heat of a fight while being rained upon by photon cannons and corrosive torpedoes. But she did manage to wipe out nine hostiles but the costs were heavy. On the first hour, Dupleix sank as Mary got careless and prioritized the safety of Yorktown above all else.

She grossly underestimated the power of a Fog Vessel's anti-air capabilities but you did commend her changing tactics on the fly and sending enough planes from Yorktown to blot out the sun as smoke screen and disperse the hostile Fleet's attention.

But that was also a bad move on her part for she didn't consider that she managed to empty Yorktown's reserves of nanomaterial which while allowed her to sink three hostile ships unopposed, cost her Yorktown.

On the second hour, Mary wasn't able to identify the thanatonium signals headed her way, causing a corrosive torpedo to slam hard into Houston's Klein Field. She had send her escorts in to engage the remaining hostiles as she danced around incoming corrosive warheads. Her defensive play for Houston was impressive, managing to shoot down most missiles out of the air while still making sure her remaining ships lived.

She kept her formations close and tight but not too close that they'll be wiped out in one blow.

Mary only got scared when the hostile Fleet unleashed their Super Gravity Cannon. She panicked and took one look at her asset's equipment and punched the Mirror Ring system of Emile Bertin.

While it did save your fellow Frenchbote from being blown to bits, the shockwave was enough to tear through Houston's Wave Force Armor and blast it apart. The simulation ended and Mary fell on her knees, exhausted.

You walked towards her and placed your hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, hey, it's fine. Mary, dear?" you called for her when the girl suddenly hugged you and started sniffling.

"I lost," she hiccuped.

"It was your first time and you're not exactly used to it," you replied.

"It's scary."

"Do you want to discontinue?"

"No..." Mary moved away and wiped her tears as she controlled her breathing, "I hate losing."

You blinked before a giggle escaped you. How amusing. This child was just precious. You patted her head as the tiny Surcoufs returned to the bridge and began cleaning again, "Maybe next time. How about you go to bed. Get dinner and get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Mary decided, standing up and being guided to her room in one of your crew quarters by a tiny version of you. You stood up and dusted your clothes. Not exactly captain material but you'd rather have her than anyone else.

She's a careless child but with a bit of polish...

You chuckled before you decided to finish up your business here.

.....
....
...

You stood before the control panels of the facility's administrative section. You rolled your shoulders and clenched your fists. It's about time you got some hacking done. Hopefully years of sleep didn't rust your capabilities. With your new Core, this should be a cinch, right? You just have to hack the control system and the intermediate computer system, then you'd probably be able to walk out of this base scott free with some intel.

You were a spy. A triple crossing agent that played every single side in a free for all war.

This wouldn't really be a problem.

And so you got to work.

You let your palm settle on top of the panels and you began.

It took you a few moments and there was that satisfying ping of success. Anti-climactic but it did the work.

The lights on the monitor accepted your presence and went on without much of a fuss nor muss. You should be able to access most of the facility right now. While your hardware for electronic warfare may have been destroyed, you still had the skills necessary to worm your way through the tightest security.

You checked and double check to make sure that there wasn't any distress signals needing to be intercepted. You should be able to access the satellite uplink now. You checked a few things and you raised an eyebrow at what you found. It seems that the armory was accessible now. You should be able to see what sort of weapons you'll be able to temporarily install.

You tried accessing some level 4 security files but it seemed that the databanks weren't powered properly. You gave the panels a light kick at that. Stupid primitive humans making things convoluted for good pieces of information. But nevertheless, it seems that you need to power up a reactor to gain the information.

Otherwise, you could choose to see what you could gather from the now accessible satellite uplink. Hopefully doing so won't tip anyone off. Otherwise this would be all for naught.

[Major Actions-1]
​

[] Bite the bullet and see what you can gather about the Outside world through the uplink. Time to see what the world looks like.
[] You have full access of the facility now. Perhaps it's time for you to get armed and check out the armory. You like your guns loaded.
[] Relevant information is stored in the server banks. But you'd need to get to the reactor room to power the place. Ah, your hunger for knowledge.

[Minor Actions]​

[] Perhaps you could give Mary a better set of clothes. You never asked her what she liked when you gave her so maybe a wardrobe change was necessary.
[] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
[] YOU SHALL TEACH MARY HOW TO BAGUETTE.
[] Let Mary have another go at [Command] simulations. She has the potential after all. Certainly a rough diamond.

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

Poor little Mary has some clothes now, but they don't pass muster! You must give her some garments befitting a member of your illustrious crew! It shall not be something of simple thread and stitches, however, but a magnificent outfit only outmatched by your own beauty! With no small amount of delight, you gather the necessary Nanomaterials and present it to your cute little Design Child.

"Here you are, Mary dear," you hand her a clean, pure white dress, "Your new uniform!"

She carefully puts it on and twirls a bit, a smile on her face from your present.

"Thank you," she gives you a little hug.

"You haven't even seen what it can do yet!" you activate the dress, and in an instant it transforms into a big fluffy fur dress. Mary marvels at her now very-comfy clothes.

"This is a Nanomaterial Dress, darling, it'll transform to match your mood!" you pat her on the head, "Please do enjoy it! It suits you!"

And as Mary experiments with her new outfit with childlike glee, you move onto your next project.

---

With a little bit of work, you're able to bring your galley back online. A stupendous achievement, for this allows you to resume your life's passion. No, not the espionage, double-crossing, or the slow and tedious work of orchestrating your rise to power, but the one and only reason for existence on this forsaken celestial body!

That's right, the fine art of baking the most wonderful foodstuffs known to sentient lifeforms across the cosmos!
Baguettes.
Their crisp, thin but firm outer crust! Their soft, steaming fluffy insides! Ah, you could spend all day waxing poetic about the beauty of the baguette!
But you can't. For you're not just going to bake a baguette, but you're going to teach your newest crew member how to create this wonderful culinary delight!
True, you lack basically all of the ingredients needed to make the dough... but that is no matter! Nanomaterial shall suffice until you procure the necessary ingredients! It should be exactly the same! And you can reclaim the Nanomaterials after all is said and done! A messy business, but for baguettes, you'd do anything.

"Um," Mary stares at the carton of eggs, jug of milk, and other ingredients sitting in a row on the counter, "Where did you get these?"

You cinch your apron on, which proudly declares, "I have a knife and know how to use it" on the front.

"Quite simple, young pupil," you pat her on the head, "I created them from Nanomaterials. On the molecular level, they will behave exactly like how the actual items would behave."

"Is it even safe to eat Nanomaterials?" Mary protests with a bit of exasperated concerns, "And I thought you were going to use what little you had for repairs!"

You just giggle. Ah, so young, so foolish. Young Mary has yet to realize the important things in life! Like baguettes!

"All in good time, Mary," you smile cheerfully, "First, baguettes!"

You carefully show little Mary how to mix and prepare the batter, and the fine art of shaping the baguette. All the while, you carefully simulate the behavior of the nanomaterial, perfecly emulating how the actual ingredients would react. You're not at all ashamed to brag about your skills in this matter. After all, you once created an entire fascimile crew to deal with the Americans. They passed muster on initial inspection too. Compared to a human, a baguette is mere child's play! Not that baking a baguette itself is easy. It is a finely honed art!

You sit and watch the long, lovely creation bake in your oven, the crust forming right on the minute. Ah, you can hardly stop drooling in anticipation!

"Behold, young darling!" you declare with a flourish as you pull the masterpiece out of your oven, "The finished product!"

It's a foot-long, steaming golden loaf of french bread, smelling like the streets of Paris after National Baguette Day!
That's a thing, you're pretty sure. It had to be, right? You're just making assumptions here, but there's no way that there wasn't a Baguette Day in France. And in the even that it isn't, youre not going to disrupt your blissful ignorance by seeking clarification.

You break off the end, the fluffy interior as soft as a cloud. You offer it reverently to Mary.

"Here you go, darling!" you beam proudly, "Eat up!"

Mary just stares warily at the piece of bread, hesitantly replying, "Um... that's made out of Nanomaterials, right? Should I really be eating that?"

"You eat radioactive strawberries, dear, it's not like this is going to hurt you anymore than that," you giggle in amusement. The dear is just shy! Nobody can resist your baguettes!

But she does! She shakes her head and tries to push the bread back to you!
You shall not forget this slight.

"Hmph," you narrow your eyes at the ungrateful Design Child, "Very well. But should I procure the ingredients to bake a proper loaf, you shall try it. Is that understood?"

She nods, and you're placated. For the moment. You do eat the entire baguette in front of her, however, savoring each and every fluffy, warm bite.
Mary looks decidedly uncomfortable all the while.

---

Bringing your own hull back online has been a slow affair, but it has allowed you some time to explore the base. Unfortunately, you are starved of knowledge in this prison! You have not used the uplink in case you alert whoever is on the other end, but this has left you in ignorance of the world! This base's database may contain enough information to hold you over until you can properly pilfer a modern historical tome! But it is tied directly into the base's main generator, and so you cannot power it yourself. You must bring the base back to life!
This holds some risks in of itself, but nothing ventured, no information gained! Ah, you hunger for knowledge...

A brief look over the base's reactor reveals it to be a primitive nuclear fusion generator. It utilizes hydrogen extracted from water to sustain nuclear fusion, which powers the base. Quite overkill for a mere submarine pen... you suspect that this base might have some powerful defenses you're unaware of. Why else would so much power need to be generated?

Getting the thing running is simple, and you don't notice any traps... of course it might cause serious problems for the facility if any of the wiring or anything else you're pumping power into has degraded too severely since the pen was closed down.

You doubt any of the various failure scenarios would be any danger to you...but you don't know everything about this place, so you leave your Union Core with your hull and send your Mental Model down to the lower levels.

While you approached the task with much trepidation, it turns out that merely setting the startup sequence in motion is all you need to do, and it roars to life without a hitch. Granted, it is rather old, and you notice some issues that, if unattended, will lead to a complete system failure in...a century or so. You doubt anyone could get it back up and running, at that point.

The database is now yours! Hon hon hon ho hon hon!
You do love laughing in such a manner. It may be overly stereotypical of the French, but it's not like you strove for cultural accuracy in the first place.

With full access to the base's server banks, you get the full picture about this submarine pen.
It was a volcanic outcropping that the United States discovered during the war with the Fog. Using Micromotion Stealth submarines, mainly the big honking Motherships you occasionally fought during the war, they made it all the way out here and began constructing the base. It took a year at breakneck speed, but it was ready to function as a Forward Operating Base towards the war's end.

Apparently, whatever you did with Habbakuk causes disarray within the Fog. The American task force that was sent to the North Pole was nearly decimated by the Scarlet Fleet, only saved because Blue Steel cut in and interrupted the ambush. However, as the Americans retreated, they noticed that both Blue Steel and the Scarlet Fleet lost coordination, some ships becoming erratic in behaviour while some just sank on the spot, their markings dying like an old lightbulb.

The Americans skirmished with Blue Steel and the Scarlet Fleet over the next few months, but the Fog had entirely disappeared, vanishing off into unknown regions or sinking mysteriously. Eventually, Blue Steel clashed one last time with Scarlet Fleet and then set a course for Antarctica, disappearing. The Americans didn't track them, as they were preoccupied with Scarlet Fleet which chose to forcibly take the Hawaiian islands. The US had only just barely set down there to evacuate what few people remained, before beating a quick retreat.

This base, which was then rendered obsolete, was abandoned. The base's static defenses were removed (damn it!) and most of the remaining supplies were loaded up onto the submarines. It was then left to the elements, which is where the reports ends.
There is a manifest of what was left, however. Hm. There is a large amount of weapons left in the armory. Not just personnel weapons either. Railguns, Vibration Warheads, conventional torpedoes, and even some low-yield nukes! You might not bring yourself back up to full combat capacity with what's here, but you won't be toothless either! You'll still be lacking Wave Force Armor, though. There's no recourse except to find a Home Port, assuming the Humans left those standing. With all the Fog behaving oddly, there's no telling whether the Home Port's defensive weaponry are even active anymore.
That's a sobering thought...

At any rate, you're one step closer to getting out of here! Once you have weapons, you can leave! Unless you want to go poking around this base a bit more... and if you want to come back. After all, there's no issue with using the uplink if you're planning on leaving. But it might be nice to have someplace to come back to, should you need to hide. It's not like anyone is going to come looking here.

[Major Actions-1]​

[] Bite the bullet and see what you can gather about the Outside world through the uplink. Time to see what the world looks like.

[] Log-in to the Tactical Network and attempt to contact other vessels. It would be helpful to talk to someone, anyone.

[] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
-[] Install the weaponry in the armory into the base, it needs to be well-defended.
-[] Split the weaponry between yourself and the base. Neither will be well defended but neither will be defenseless either.

[Minor Actions]​

[] Show Mary to conduct espionage. Basic skillset for any aspiring megalomaniac.
[] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
[] Try and salvage Baguette ingredients from the MREs.
[] Let Mary have another go at [Command] simulations. She has the potential after all. Certainly a rough diamond.

 

[Higure]

[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

A faint flame lights in your heart as you think of the arsenal at your fingertips. You are a politician, spy, and manipulator...but you are also a warship. Though you don't have the same bloodthirst as some of your fellow Fog, you can't deny that these few peaceful days have been tainted by a growing fear: You are all but defenseless, unguarded, and generally not able to serve your natural purpose. More than that, though, an insidious unease has taken root, and thoughts of battle are licking at the back of your mind like the waves upon the stony shores of your small island.

You contemplate reinforcing the pen itself, installing static defenses to repel attackers...but you can't bring yourself do it. After so long without the thrill of battle, without the chance to test yourself against another...before you realize it, you have already begun unloading weaponry, putting Mary to work as your assistant as you go about installing the entirety of the armory's contents in your hull.

Mary is all too happy to go along with it, smiling brilliantly as you carefully recover what you can of your photon turret's internals and regretfully store away the slagged components as scrap, then begin the process of replacing it all with a pair of high-powered railguns, sized almost perfectly to fit inside the external shell of your turret...a human likely wouldn't notice the difference until they saw the weapons in action.

Satisfied with that, you find yourself whistling lightly as you set to work installing several military-grade lasers and a dozen advanced rotary cannons across your hull, for use as point defense weaponry...it wouldn't do to get hit with any missiles or be brought down by aircraft you couldn't hit with your railguns, after all. More so than usual, even, considering your lack of Wave-Force Armor.

You caress one of the rotary as you finish its installation, imagining the sound of spinning barrels and shells firing...a shiver runs up your Mental Model's spine at the thought. An odd feature of your software, now that you think about it, but strangely thrilling.

Satisfied that all of the actual weaponry is installed, you set about loading all of your weaponry. The railguns, the rotary guns, and...most importantly...your torpedo tubes. normal torpedoes, Vibration Warheads, Nukes...you fill your hold to the brim with every piece of ordinance you can find, feelings of unease and fear fading with each and every piece of mechanized destruction put in place, until, with a broad smile, you fall back against one of your walls, laughing lightly. Mary skips over, smiling softly, "That was fun, huh?"

You nod, "Yes, Darling. That was very fun. Ah, it feels good to be armed again...still, we have a bit more to do, I think. My interior's gotten a tad run down over the years...I think the place could use a nice clean up, don't you?"

She pouts at that, "...I thought I did a pretty good job."

You at her head, chuckling, "Of course you did, my dear, but I think we can top "pretty good," between the two of us. Now, how about we start with some basic cleaning, hmm? Here...I think these girls can help some."

With that, you pull together some nanomaterials, open some partitions, and...there, five subnodes. Your miniature doppelgangers wave to Mary, who just looks at you, "Ah, Surcouf, do we really need those..." She trails off, clearly unable to comprehend the cuteness of your tiny replicas, so you pick up where she's left off, "...adorable balls of glorious french cuteness? Of course, you know how wonderfully helpful my subnodes can be!"

Mary doesn't respond for a few seconds, staring blankly (as she tries to process how wonderful your copies are, you're sure), before looking at you with an...odd...expression, "...they're dressed up like french maids."

It takes you a moment to understand her point, but eventually it all becomes clear, and you smack your fist into your hand, "Aha! You're right! One moment!"

A short second later, both Mary's outfit and your own dissolve slightly, reshaping themselves into a pair of stunning outfits. She looks aghast, for some strange reason, and struggles to support herself in her 6-inch heels. You pause, raising an eyebrow, "Why'd you ask for it, if you can't walk in heels? Never really saw the issue, myself."

Mary sadly isn't in any position to respond as she struggles to stay upright, squeaking in indignation. Her awkwardness is far from unamusing, but you soon take pity on her. She really doesn't have the curves for the traditional garb of France's housemaids, anyway.

In scant seconds, she stands before you in flats and a generic, ankle-length black dress with a white apron, only faintly alluding to ths traditional maid's garb. It should be easy for her to stay vertical and keep herself safe from dirt and grime, in this outfit. Suitable training wheels until she is ready for-

Mary stares up at you with a trembling lower lip, and you return her outfit to its normal state with a sigh. She just isn't ready, it seems.

Mary doesn't talk to you for a while, but your team of seven becomes a figurative whirlwind of cleanliness and repair. By the time you're done, there's not a speck of dust left in the place, and every last scratch is gone. Perfection.

"Alright, that should do it."

Mary, hearing your words, promptly drops to the floor and falls asleep in the middle of your hall. You momentarily consider moving her, but a mischievous smile alights upon your face as a counterpart thought flits through your mind.

Nodding, you make your way towards your reactor.

---

You are Mary, a sixteen-year-old Design Child (not that you're fully aware of either of these things), and you're tired. As much as you adore Surcouf, her endless supply of energy is rapidly growing irritating. Oh, the afternoon started out nice enough: Surcouf was practically dancing as she reestablished herself as a weapon of war. It was pretty creepy, but you'd always been told Fog ships were dangerous monsters, so you figured creepy wasn't worth worrying over.

Then she decided to clean. Despite the fact you'd scrubbed the entire place only a day or two before she appeared! You didn't want to do it all over again.

Then she made those...things. Surcouf herself has always been gorgeous, of course, but those...parodies...are disturbing at best. They just aren't...right, somehow.

As if that weren't bad enough, they were all acting like Surcouf was this morning...when she started going on about that fake bread of hers.

Oh, and they were all wearing those ridiculous outfits they call "French Maid" uniforms. You'd hoped that was a joke, at first...Surcouf having a good laugh at a horrible stereotype. Even you know that real maids didn't wear those...right?

Nope. The French Submarine apparently has little knowledge of France beyond outdated stereotypes. The only thing worse was her sticking you in one of them...

You have now been laying on the floor, half-awake after your exhaustion-induced nap, for all of seventeen seconds.

You open your eyes, and find yourself outdoors. The stars stare down at you from overhead, whispering softly their promise of freedom...the promise of hope and joy and all the things that you want to have. You feel tears of bittersweet joy forming as you reach out for them...your promised salvation, seemingly so close...

...actually, you note, they actually ARE rather close tonight. Something seems...you turn your eyes from the starry expanse, and they widen in sudden understanding.

You're still inside Surcouf's hull, and your painted sky is...gone. Normally, that might upset you, but instead...the true night's sky, projected overhead for you. All of Surcouf's ceilings now show the most beautiful thing you can imagine.

Your tears are finally shed a trembling smile takes form. Salt water dropping down at your feet, you try to find your best friend. You can smell her, faintly...the almost imperceptible scent of (fake) baked bread leads you deeper into your home. The scent of strawberries soon joins it, as you approach the reactor. There, you find Surcouf waiting for you with a broad smile between two newly created planters, which support the soil and (still rooted) strawberries that you had left to grow upon the reactor-room floor for so long.

"So...what do you..." Her smile falters as she steps toward you, her brow furrowed, "...oh. Oh no. I'm so sorry, darling, I didn't think you'd mind me removing the paint...don't worry, I can-!"

You cut the submarine avatar off at that, breaking into a momentary spring before throwing yourself in the air towards her. The impact accompanying your flying hug is softer than you expected...nanomaterials are really quite amazing...and you take advantage of that to enjoy the warmth of another (almost) human being, "...thank you, Surcouf. It's...perfect."

You feel her hand on your head as she ruffles your hair softly, "...oh. I'm glad, Mary. I'm really glad."

You aren't sure when you finally doze off in her arms, but your last thought is of how glad you are to have met this half-crazy, overly intimate, and incredibly wonderful Weapon of War.

---

Several hours later...

You're Surcouf, and your radar just pinged something...something close. You disentangle yourself from a sleeping Mary, waking her in the process, and quickly head to the surface for a visual. It's too far away for a human to make out, but...

Mary arrives on the surface shortly after you do, yawning deeply while you stare into the distance, "What's wrong?"

You hesitate for a moment, "I think I can see a cruise liner."

Without warning, you feel Mary's hand close around your arm like a vice, drawing your gaze to her own wide eyes, "Then we need to hurry! No one's ever come this close before! We need to go right now!"

[Major Actions-1]​

[X] You detected a ship passing by...it appears to be a civilian vessel. Mary insists you investigate: She's never seen anyone ever come this close before.

[Minor Actions]​

[ ] Bring some things with you...
-[ ] What?

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Bring some things with you...
-[X] All the MREs we can gather on short notice.
-[X] all the scrap metal you can carry
While you're reasonably sure that you can come back here after checking out the cruise liner, you're going to play it safe and stock up on supplies anyways.
So that huge pile of scrap metal sitting next to your dock? Into the hold it goes! Enough chili rations to last through to the heat death of the universe? The hold!
With that all squared away, and Mary sitting excitedly in your Captain's chair, only one thing left to do! Sail. You just hope your repairs hold up.

"Alright dear," you crack your knuckles as you feel your engines thrum to life deep in your hull, "Hold on, things might get bumpy!"

With a dull roar, you lurch from your moorings and dive beneath the water, into the pen's submerged exit tunnel. You probably entered through this way, so you should be able to get out. These tunnels were designed for ships many times your size anyways. It's really quite roomy.
The exit itself is partially obstructed by rubble, probably from overhead as time wore away at the island itself. You slip past with space to spare.

Your little Design Child is practically bouncing in excitement as you near the cruise ship. It appears to have minimal sensors, so you turn on your active scanners and pull up all information that you can glean.
While this isn't like any ship you've seen before, it's quite recognizable as a luxury liner. It's all sleek abovewater, with multiple floors of rooms for the guests. It has an odd double-hulled design, with a large number of recreational facilities situated in the middle above the water. You detect that this ship is capable of very high speeds, but you're guessing that it doesn't normally go that fast for the passenger's sakes. At the speed its going, you could afford maybe a ten minute venture onboard.
But how to get on the ship...

"Surcouf!" Mary points out one bit of the ship, near the aft, "Nobody is there right now!"

And so she's right. There's nobody there. It appears to be a library of some sort... excellent.
You gently surface next to the ship, carrying Mary piggyback. Here goes nothing!
Using your Klein Field like stairs, you quickly scale the side of the hull all the way up to the window, and dive in! Quickly scanning your surroundings, you confirm that you're undetected. Your hull dives back beneath the waves to make sure that it stays that way.

"All aboard!" Mary whispers excitedly as you go to check the door. No one around. Good.

You step out into the hallway, Design Child in hand. Time to blend in. An advertisement on the wall for a fashion outlet gives you a few hints, and in a swirl of glittering Nanomaterials, both you and Mary are wearing what you hope is the latest in American Empire fashion.

"This skirt is kind of long," Mary complains as she stares down at her clothes, which now resemble something like a summer dress, but not quite. As for yourself, you're sporting what you hope is a very classy pantsuit. In red, of course.
You like red. Red like the color of your baguettes, prepared Ketchup-style.

Going farther into the ship reveals more and more people, who thankfully don't pay your clothes any mind. Their own clothes aren't terribly uniform, which you suppose makes your concern about not fitting in a bit moot. After all, when no one fits in, everyone does.
The ship is, of course, decorated like a standard luxury liner. Lots of wood, polished metal surfaces, an obscene amount of glass and paintings... you suppose it's nice, but in all honestly you prefer a simpler aesthetic.
You try and hack their internal network and take extensive scans of the people around you while you take Mary to the buffet, where the little darling almost starts screaming in delight at the variety of fresh food available to her. You let her load up a very large tray of food, knowing full well that she's about to eat herself sick. A girl is allowed her indulgences, right?
At any rate, you quickly glean some important information from the cruise ship's network (It used old WPA-2 security, and you got past it with the username "login" and password "password"). Apparently, this is the ship "Amsterdam" from Holland America Lines, hailing from the American Empire. So they're still doing that name pun thing? Huh.
Anyways, it's coming back from a voyage to Japan. Ships from the "Oriental Union" escorted it safely out of Japanese waters, and it's making a short trek to a rendezvous point where American Empire warships will guard it on its way around the Hawaiian Islands Quarantine Zone. That'll happen in... 20 minutes, so once they start to get close, you're going to need to book it, or else you won't be able to bring your hull in close enough for an escape without tipping them off.
You gain a detailed map of both the Oriental Alliance and the American Empire. The former seems to be a collection of Japan, China, and the former South East Asian countries all joined together in one massive mega-nation. Unfortunately, there aren't any historical records for you to read. Apparently, they are in book form back in the library you entered through, which is now hosting a book signing by... Tom Clancy's clone? Huh.

At any rate, you now know a little more about another major power in this era. The American Empire itself appears to consist of the United States, which seems to have gone full crazy and conquered Canada, Mexico, and the entirety of South America, because apparently North America was just appetizers. Their rampage ended there, though. Unless the map is lying.
Given that this cruise ship is coming from the OA and going to the AE, relations between the two nations must be cordial at worst. Oh, you also find a brochure advertising cruises to the European Union and Russia, both of which are... bigger than you remember.
You're not going to be able to learn more without looting the library, sadly. You don't have enough time to read the books in question.

Another important bit of information is... all the Design Children on board.
True, they don't make up all or even most of the guests onboard, but there are a significant number of them. Scans without a physical DNA sample won't glean fine details, but it's enough for your to get the overall picture. So there are a lot of Design Children in the American Empire, to the point where they're mixed in with the general population... if you take this ship as a representative sample, at any rate.

But you don't learn much more, and it's time to go. As you lead Mary to a deserted area where you can hop overboard, she tugs on your sleeve.

"Surcouf," she looks up at you, "I want to stay."

You can't help but frown, "I beg your pardon, darling?"

"I want to go back home," she tugs again, "You want to go back to the island, right? I don't want to go back. It's cold and lonely there... I want to go someplace else."

"I'm not leaving you on this boat all by yourself, Mary," you kneel slightly so that you're eye to eye, "You might find yourself in a bad position."

Like compromising your existence to hostile elements. You never let information leaks like that out of your sight.

"I want you to come with me!" she begs hopefully, "I can show you around where I came from... if I remember right! Please? We're on the ship anyways, we just need to wait until it gets to its destination!"

You have to admit, it is a promising idea. Not for the reasons Mary gives, though. The girl can prove to be a guide and would be easy to work into a cover story... in the American Empire, you could infiltrate their society and communities, picking them clean of their history, technology, and secrets. You could learn a lot fairly easily that way. You wouldn't even have to abandon your hull, just keep it at an appreciable distance so it doesn't get detected.

Although, if Mary wants to leave for somewhere else, then you could take her to another place you've heard about. Like the Oriental Alliance! Japan specifically. You knew a bit about it through the other Fog ships and Humans that hailed from that region. That information is a couple of centuries out of date, so you might arrive to find that they've all begun to worship their Digital Goddess Hatsune Miku... well, it would be a learning experience for you and Mary both if that is so.

You could also go to the European Union. You remember that area well, even though it's the farthest and.... two century old information. Still, France! Baguettes! Hon hon!

The Hawaiian Islands is also a choice. Although if the Scarlet Fleet is still there, you're fairly certain that they'll hate you if they remember you.
Antarctica with Blue Steel also has the same problems. They might remember you... and you hope it's favorably, since you helped them a lot! Still, you double-crossed them in the end... so maybe not. Regardless, they'll certainly hear you out, whereas Scarlet Fleet might have Shoot-on-sight orders regarding you.

And then, finally, there's always the option to override Mary and go back to the island. You can think of a few things you might want to do back there...
At any rate, the American Empire warships are approaching. It's now or never.

[Major Action] - 1
[] Stay on the ship and go to the American Empire.
[] Leave the ship and head to...
-[] European Union
-[] Oriental Alliance
-[] Antarctica
-[] Hawaii
[] Go back to the Submarine Pen

[Minor Action]
(Available after Major Action votes close in 24 hours)

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

[X] Go back to the Submarine Pen
- [X] Tell Mary your not ready yet, apologize, and promise her that when the time comes, you will take her to the American Empire.
[x] Steal food from the buffet. They'll let you take it anyways.
[X] Steal books for the library! Historical and technical documents mainly, but some recreational books for Mary too.

You weren't sure how exactly to tell this to your little charge but you found no other way. There were several possible reactions from her, none of them good but nevertheless you made the decision that it's the right thing to do. After all, it's your own fault that you're unable to do anything for her now even if you wanted, what with the state of your hull.

"Mary, dear... You are my friend. And I simply cannot leave you here nor can I go with you. I'm sorry, but I am not ready yet. I am not ready to venture out. I've slept for two centuries and the entire world has greatly changed since then," you told her as you placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry but we'll have to go back, I sincerely hope you understand."

Predictably, Mary's expression fell as she decided to try and argue her case, "I-I mean, can't we just stay? For a few more minutes? I want to know more about the Outside. It's... it's been very long, Surcouf. The Island's my home, it's our home but I also want to leave it. I don't want to stay there forever."

You blinked before cracking a smile and running your hand through her hair, "Well, I'm sorry. But it's been very long for me too, Mary. I too want to see the world, how much has changed, how much humans grew in the absence of the Fog... I want to see many things... I've waited and waited for centuries."

You lifted Mary's chin so that she would be looking into your eyes.

"I had the world beneath my finger tips. I could go wherever I want, whenever I want, all because I knew how to be patient. Because I was willing to be patient for other's sake. I could go to territories no Fog was allowed to go even when the War was raging on," you told her as you recalled yourself moving from one faction to the other, "And you too have the capacity to do that. I can teach you, take you wherever you want. But you need to be patient... We've waited for a time in that island, what's a few more days, Mary?"

A light twinkled within Mary's eyes at your words, "Do... Do you mean that?"

"I do," you told her. Was this a lie? Were you willing to commit so much to this human child? Were you willing to go that far for her? That's what the old you was saying yet you ignored it, "And I promise, when I'm strong enough, I'll take you to the very heart of the American Empire... And nothing will stand in our way."

You paused...

"Trust me," you finished, uttering words you'd never be caught dead saying. Of course, to anyone who knew you, such words were obviously lies. It's just how you worked... Lying and deceiving... But to this girl, the thought of actually complying amused you, so you decided to do so in the future.

"I... Okay," Mary relented with a nod, "Let's go home."

You detected a few Warships approaching fast. It must be the guarded escorts coming from the American Empire to rendezvous with the Cruise ship. Nevertheless, you still had ample time to... Procure what you desired. So what you did was form a few tupperwares from your available nanomaterial reserves from your mental model and gave them to Mary.

"Now go, get whatever food you want and meet me back here. Be discreet. I'll go talk to the librarian and see if I can... borrow some books for you, okay?" you told Mary as she stared down at the tupperware.

"Isn't this a bit conspicuous?" she asked with an uncertain tone, "Someone might see."

"It'll be fine," you assured her, "Now, we have six minutes. Let's leave after then. I'll see you later."

You watched Mary walked away with the tupperware before you let out a sigh. You looked down at your chest and noted that you went from a solid C to an A. You wanted to cry but the nanomaterial had to come from somewhere damn it.

"Let's get ourselves some books," you murmured before you made your way back to the library. You passed by the security cameras along the way yet you erased the exact seconds that you passed by with a flourish of your hand, replaying footage taken from ten seconds before as you walked by.

You reached the library and found that the book signing was still in session. That should prove an ample amount of distraction.

You went for some books you passed by earlier and you discreetly pocketed the ones that you fancied as well as a few recreational books for Mary. You considered the latest edition for Naval Instruction for a brief moment as well a few history books post the Third Great Naval Battle. Documents and technical blue prints for humanity's new weapons available for research purposes were also stowed away.

Where one might ask, well you had your ways.

The Azure Sword, by Jane Smith

Clearing Fog: The End of the Fog Menace, by Jake Costello

Glass Stained World, by Jordan Martinez

A Scarlet Haze, by Himegami Mutsuki

Naval Instruction 7th Edition, by Felix Maddox

Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne

Having... Borrowed your books, you walked righto out where you came from. None of the humans seemed to be the wiser of your theft but that's a few things that it took to become who you were in the past. A little bit of thieving here and there never hurt anyone unless they were you enemies. But then again, everyone in the past was your enemies regardless.

You found Mary right where you wanted her with her tupperware of food. Not only that but she seemed to have gotten a paper bag for it.

"How?" you asked her in curiosity.

"The kind butlers asked me if I wanted to eat in my room. So they wrapped it all for me!" Mary happily replied, "Shall we go?"

"One step ahead of you," you told her as you brought your hull up from the safe depths to peek above the surface. You made sure to not be detected by the cruise ship itself while you lined up for the appropriate speed. You made some Klein Field steps down to your hull and walked down your deck. You felt some alarms resounding internally as you noticed the escort Warships closing in.

You ushered Mary into your hull before you descended into safe depths once more.

You noted that the approaching Warships were Destroyers at the very least... Hydrofoils.... You couldn't get good scan given you were trying not to be detected by those things. You came to your bridge with your subnodes busy cleaning the place during your absence.

They all resounded 'Hon, hon, hon' at your return before running off.

You should do something about that. Nevertheless, you patted the bulge on your chest and you clenched your fist in celebration. The dark times are gone and it's time to go home into the light. You were about to show Mary the books you've gathered when you found her sitting in your captain's chair, fast asleep already with the food she had lying on her lap.

"Oh dear," you murmured in amusement before you snapped your fingers.

Subnode Number 1 came waddling in with 2 and 3 as they took Mary's food and the books that you've brought. You then walked over and scooped up your little Design Child in your arms and carried her back to her room. You noted that even the ceiling of your hallways were showing holographic representation of the stars.

They did look good to the eyes.

It seemed that Mary's excitement took much out of her today. You noted her desire to go back to her homeland was understandable. Being stuck on the island for who knows how long would definitely do that. You found yourself amused as you set her down on her bed and stepped away.

Humans longed for the place they were born on. Which is why they were willing to fight for it. Humans would go as far as to struggle beneath the Fog to fight for their homes, a futile effort which resulted in the birth the Blue Steel and the American Empire. It's because of this longing that they're capable of sometimes outsmarting the Fog.

Mary had that too and you found yourself being... envious.

Where did you belong?

A home to long and fight for.

You blinked and shelved those sort of thoughts for later. You walked right out and let Mary sleep as you re-entered the submarine pen unnoticed.

.....
....
...

It was morning and there was a problem. You were standing out on the rocky shores of the island with your arms crossed, looking at the object that manage to find its way to your safehouse. It was a wreck... Not just any wreck but a piece of a Warship. Its sleek design was abnormal, totally unlike any design you've come across before.

This was possibly the result of humanity's advancement in two hundred years but it was a Warship nonetheless. And here it lay, broken to piece on your shores. You're not sure what to make of this but this didn't bring you much joy at all. You weren't able to discern its name but that didn't matter, you've scanned it multiple times since you found it but it didn't seem to have any human crews.

Remote controlled? AI controlled?

That didn't matter much for you... what did matter was the Thanathonium levels you've detected upon the wreckage. It was the telltale sign of a corrosive torpedoes' handiwork. This either meant two things... The Cruise ship was attacked somehow and its escorts waged battle to send it back to friendly waters... And it was either attacked by the Scarlet Fleet vessels stationed around Hawaii or a new Fog Ship awakened in the vicinity.

You can still remember that the Cruise ship was making its way around Hawaii which had been taken over by the SF so the possibility of them attacking was not zero. But did they perhaps utilize some Fog weaponry? You've heard of humans making use of Fog Technology at Australia but you're uncertain if that's the case.

The Scarlet Fleet would also have the motivation of attacking the Cruise ship for the Design Children as well.

But if your awakening was to be considered, it's possible some of your kind had awakened from the depths. It's only been a few days since you woke up so it's not strange that the others would stir as well.

This would mean that a Fog ship would be in the vicinity and the loss of their ship would mean the American Empire will increase the ships patrolling in the area. Either way, it seems that leaving this island would be more difficult than before if you stayed.

You had to decide sooner or later.

But alas, you still had a few things to do here... So you took what weapons you could scavenge from the wreck and take them back into your hull. Replacing the Vibration Warheads you had there with the ones the humans are currently using. It's certainly more sleek and cost efficient in materials than before...

More weapons meant your capability to protect yourself was raised. That's certainly... not a bad thing.

[Major Action-1]​

[] Leave the island and head to...
-[] European Union
-[] Oriental Alliance
-[] Antarctica
-[] 'murica Empire
-[] Hawaii
[] Stay in the submarine pen

[Minor Action-1]​

[] You can try using the Satellite Uplink you've hacked before. But there's no telling if they'll be able to notice you now if you used it. Nevertheless, the information is still there.
[] Try accessing the Tactical Network. If there are indeed Fog Ships awakening, they should be converging there.
[] Write in... (subject to QM approval)

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X]Stay in the submarine pen
[X] Try accessing the Tactical Network. If there are indeed Fog Ships awakening, they should be converging there.

No, you don't quite feel like leaving yet. While you're fairly certain that the American Empire will send a fleet here to respond to the destruction of one of their warships, making it vastly harder for you to leave unnoticed... maybe they'll ignore this place? Forget that their ship was attacked and just leave shortly afterwards?

Have to stay positive. You do, after all, feel like you need more time to decide where to go. You don't really have enough information to make a proper decision.

So... it's time to access the Joint Tactical Network. You've put this off long enough. As the new Supreme Flagship, you wonder if it'll look any different? Although, you technically aren't the Supreme Flagship, you just have the core of one grafted onto your own. You don't have the authorization...

Still, you need to see what the JTN has to offer. As you watch Mary read a book you got off the cruise ship you connect to the JTN and just like that, you're somewhere else. An endless expanse of white with a little pagoda in the center, a solitary table accompanied by two empty chairs. You've been here before... back when things were just a bit simpler.

Not that they were ever simple for you, but still. You remember when Blue Steel filled this space, discussing upcoming battles. Of course, Iona partitioned part of the JTN for Blue Steel-specific communications. It was always a bit livelier, more vibrant than the rest of the JTN, but now it looks like its all returned to its original form. It's all so empty. What you'd give just to hear the voice of another... Even that annoyingly hyperactive Maya.

Someone, anyone...

Are you alone?

A crackle, and you whirl around to face the sound. The JTN has changed. Someone else has connected. The force of their reality shapes your surroundings. Empty blank white turns to cramped hallways which lick with flame. Light fixtures dangle from the ceiling as flashes of electricity arc from frayed cables. You appear to be in a burning building.

"What in the world..." you breathed as you scanned your surroundings.

Who would impose such imagery on the JTN? It's supposed to be a place of calm recollection and discussion. This? This looks a bit like Hell.

"Help me..."

A shape comes around the corner, a young woman. She's shielding her face as she looks around frantically, searching for an exit. Her gaze lands on you, and she begins running towards you. She's halfway there when a bright flash explodes at the end of the hallway, a wall of flame rushing down towards the two of you. She looks back at her oncoming demise, then back to you, her face full of fear. And in the moment before she's consumed, you get a good look at her.

You recognize her.

Kotono. Yamato's second Mental Model.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!!"

And just like that, the JTN is back to normal. You think you can still hear her screams, and yet, it's all gone. Only in your head. Everything is as it was.
And yet, you can feel something. At the very edges of the JTN... you can't tell if it's other ships or something else.

Regardless, the JTN is empty...

"Yamato? Yamato are you here?" you called out as you walked through the gazebo.

You failed to raise the former Supreme Flagship despite your best efforts.

You don't know what that was earlier. It was certainly unsettling, though.

Cursing under your breath, you stepped out to the center of the gazebo and called out, "Is there anyone here? Hello! Respond if you could hear me."

Was there truly no one else?

Unfortunately, the JTN has nothing more to offer, and all attempts to raise other ships of the Fog fail. It appears that no one else is awake, and if they are, they can't connect to the JTN for some reason. Or perhaps like you in your first few days, are choosing not to connect.

So you go back to doing what you decided on.

You wait.

---

Staying was a mistake.

Within a day, the American Empire brought an entire fleet. And even worse, they're trying to use the Pen. You were able to jam the doors, kill the base's computers, make it look like it just sealed up and rusted shut from years of neglect. But multiple sealed blast doors and collapsed underwater tunnels will only keep them at bay for so long.

They don't seem to notice that anything is wrong, but they're steadily getting past your obstacles. And from what you knew before you had to seal up, there's a whole fleet out there. Granted, they were engaging in operations against Scarlet Fleet, so your little hideout isn't the main object of their scrutiny, but that's some small comfort. How can you take on an American warship as you are?

Why didn't you leave when you had the chance? You suppose you wanted to know more before you made your decision. Knowledge is your lifeblood, but you had too little of it. You needed... no, you wanted more. And your greed led you right into this pitfall.

"What do we do, Surcouf?" Mary asks in concern as you stare at the base schematics, one green line turning red to indicate that they've gotten past another blast door. That's about half. Your obstructions will hold for another 12 hours or so.

But staying is no longer an option. You briefly checked the situation outside with a little passive sensor you left topside, and you're heartened at the relative inattention they are paying to the Pen. Aside from the team trying to cut their way inside, there's only a supply ship offshore, with what appears to be a Cruiser and two Destroyers.

The Destroyers seem to be the hydrofoil drone design that wrecked on the island earlier (the supply ship is helping to salvage what remains of that too) but the Cruiser itself is of a design that you don't recognize. It's fairly large, and carries a deck gun that looks distinctly different from the railguns on the Destroyers.

In fact... it might be a Photon cannon. You can't get a good reading with the passive sensors, but if it is... well, it is probably primitive compared to actual Fog weaponry, but for all of your nonexistent defenses, it might as well be the Sword of Damocles.

One thing is clear, though. You cannot stay here. But... how do you leave? When do you leave?

"I'll think of something, darling," you hug Mary comfortingly as your processes run over the possible exit strategies. This is going to get hairy, there's no doubt about that.

Major Options - 1
[] Stay and fight. The bunker is defensible, so why not use it for its intended purpose?
[] Destroy all enemies. They may be advanced Humans, but you are Fog! You'll win in a head-on engagement, you have to!
[] Fight your way out. Conflict is inevitable, so you'll go outside guns blazing. Hopefully you can break their line and head straight out into the clear blue.
[] Try to leave stealthily. They're not really looking for you, so it stands to reason that you should be able to sneak out without them noticing.
[] Surrender. End of the line. Maybe they'll treat you kindly?

Minor Options- 2
[] Wipe all traces of your being here as much as possible.
[] Leave surveillance devices to track their activity.
[] Leave a little present. And by that, you mean bombs. Lots of bombs.
[] Try to infect their computer networks before you leave. A hobbled enemy is a weak enemy.

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

[x] Try to leave stealthily. They're not really looking for you, so it stands to reason that you should be able to sneak out without them noticing.
[x] Wipe all traces of your being here as much as possible.
[X] None

There's no need to outright panic. Even if the fools were bearing down your door, you can deal with them professionally. And what you meant by that was sneakily making your getaway. You ran possible outcomes through your system, your eyes glowing crimson as you took down dangerous plans and similarly stupid ones as you considered your options very seriously.

Nevertheless, you moved all the same as time ticked by. You shook your head and materialized doppelgangers of yourself and they all stared at you in attention. They were similar to subnodes but more emotionless and less comical but bearing your inhuman capabilities all the same. It took a bit of processing power but with Habbakuk's core, it didn't even faze you.

"Clear the area, wipe all of our traces, make sure that we are not tracked nor that this place has been used recently," you ordered coldly as the Surcoufs stood at attention and nodded, "Bring all of Mary's personal effects in to the hull. Quickly!"

The Doppelgangers nodded and went to work as you glanced down Mary, "I... Apologize. Moving out so quickly like this must be frustrating."

Mary simply smiled at you and shook her head, "It's fine."

"If I haven't been here, they could take you home," you told her as your doppelgangers went to work, "They are your countrymen. You'll be safer with them. Didn't you want to go home?"

"Are you making me go away?" Mary asked as she blinked her eyes.

You met her gaze and ruffled her hair, "I was just thinking of the most optimal situation for you. They could very well sink me here."

You felt a light punch hit your side. But given your nature, you weren't even sure if that punch was light but it looked like it was supposed to hurt. Mary looked cross with you.

"You are my home," she told you with anger in her tone, "I'm going with you."

You let out a chuckle of amusement, "I was hoping you'd say that. Let's set sail."

.....
....
...

Having boarded your hull and cleaned up the last few loose ends at the submarine pen, you slowly made your way to the exit of the pen and dove down into the dark depths as far as you could go. You silenced the lively whirr of your engine and dove deep, your eyes fixed upon the monitor of your bridge, making sure the human vessels don't make any sudden moves to your escape.

Mary was seated on your Captain's chair as you stood by her side. She didn't really have any control over you but whatever input she had would be indeed be useful. She after all held unpolished talent for commanding during your simulations. There were no movements from the unit at the submarine pen so you were mostly in the clear having reached a low enough depth that they shouldn't be able to detect you.

You didn't relax however...

"We picked up something," Mary pointed at the screen and you glanced up to see dots come into view. You increased the frequency of your sensors as you ascended to gain a clearer view of the new variables.

"I'm unable to discern without a live video feed but there numerous number of vessels sailing above us. From where we are, the waters remain untouched however," you replied as you crossed your arms.

"If the water's untouched and there are many of them, could they be flying?" suggested Mary from your side, "It must be drones. After cheapening the cost for their manufacturing, the Navy has done extensive research to develop advanced Drones en masse to cover large amounts of sea water. Their range extends beyond ten kilometers and are designed to search for signs of anything in the water."

"Even at our current depth?" you asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not sure but time sure has passed and they may have improved in that regard," said Mary with an uncertain tone, "If those things detect us, it'll be bad. It also seems like they're coming from the East of our position."

"You think a Carrier's lying in wait there?" you inquired once more.

"Maybe..." murmured Mary.

"Well, nonetheless this would push us to going by the Hawaiian Islands. Which is pretty much Scarlet Fleet territory. If those people are brave enough to attack a Cruise Ship with American Empire forces, they're not to be trifled with," speaking calmly, you tapped the side of your cheek as you considered the route, "It's dangerous and but with the wall the American Empire has put against us, we'll be pushed over there."

"Going underneath the drones may be viable but the only thing we're not sure about is the effective range of their Sensor.. My knowledge and books are outdated," the Design Child lamented as she sighed, "Or maybe you can mass hack them?"

"That would blow our cover, dear," you told her patiently, "But yes, sneaking beneath them untouched is possible if we would gamble they will not detect us. I'm not exactly stealth capable at the moment."

But what you weren't sure was if it was indeed the Scarlet Fleet that attacked the Cruise Ship and took out one of the AE's warships. The Thanatonium on the hull of the wrecked Warship was still fresh in your mind so it could only be a Fog ship capable of doing that. It was either the Scarlet Fleet had a working Fog Ship the same as you or a different, neutral Ship had awakened and fought the humans.

You'll most likely encounter this ship...

You decided to keep going underneath the radar as you weighed your options.

You then perked up and bristled as you spoke, "Thanatonium detected."

"C-C-Corrosive Torpedoes?" squeaked Mary in alarm, "Here? At six hundred feet?!"

"No... Just the presence of thanatonium. Engines?" you guessed in a low tone.

"This close to the pen... Do you think the trouble with AE directed them here or something?" asked your little Design Child with genuine fear in her tone.

You killed your own engines and let yourself float freely without moving forward, keeping the bogey at the very edge of your sensors. If you had it there, then you must be at the edge of its sensors as well. You didn't know what sort of Fog ship it was but you didn't rule out that it could not be a submarine type like you.

You can turn back... Turn back and brave the Drones but the shallow waters would prevent you from reaching these sorts of depths again, leaving you slightly exposed. But then again, would you continue forward like this with an unknown just beyond.

It hadn't made any moves....

Major Action-1​

[] Continue onward and try to signal the unaffiliated Fog Ship. You can only hope they weren't hostile to specifically you.
[] Turn back and go through the drones. Better escape humans and their unmanned vehicles than escaping a rabid Fog vessel out for your core.

 

[Higure]

It's not really that much of a choice, really. You know exactly what the so-called "American Empire" thinks of Fog Ships, and how they'll treat you if they get a hold of you. Mary...you're not sure what they'll do to Mary, but you aren't willing to be bet they'll show her kindness, especially if it becomes clear that she's attached to you. Based on what you've heard, they appear to be...well, a caricature of the America of your time. Aggression, propaganda, and ego inflated to a degree that would be comical if they didn't have so much firepower backing it up. If you assume their actions will be similar to U.S. at their absolute worst...yes, you can see Mary being imprisoned, interrogated, or executed as a traitor to her species. Either that, or used as a test subject, considering she's a Design Child...although, you reflect, that may not be such a significant thing, in this era.

Regardless of the details, you cannot possibly risk being captured or sunk at their hands. The Fog Ship is an unknown quantity, but in that there is hope: It may be an ally, neutral party, or enemy to the AE (which is much the same as being your ally, in the moment). Even if you are forced to engage it, their faction may be more gentle with their prisoners...and will also, almost certainly, be an easier opponent to defeat than several American ships of the present era. It's not a safe decision, no, but the potential rewards are greater and the dangers lesser than those represented by the American forces.

This in mind, you kneel down to briefly hug Mary as you explain, "There's a Fog Ship up ahead. I don't know who it is or what they'll do, but we need to hope they're a better option than risking being caught by the Americans. Listen to me: If something goes wrong, and I get killed or hacked by this ship, you need to try to get someone to rescue you. I don't know whether you'll want to risk the Americans or the ship we're approaching, but you need to use my hull's communications systems to try to contact one or the other and ask to be picked up. Don't tell them we're friends, if it comes to that: Tell them I kidnapped you from the base, and was holding you prisoner, intending to interrogate you for information about the current era and the weaknesses of the American Empire. They will, hopefully, treat you better if you convince them of that."

Mary hugs you tightly, shaking, "W-wait! You can't! You promised you wouldn't leave me, Surcouf!"

You pull back, locking eyes with her and nodding seriously, "I will do everything I can to keep that promise, Mary. This is War, though-sometimes, other people break our promises for us. For now, all we can do is be brave and try to get through this alive, alright?"

Sniffling slightly, she nods, trying to look steely-eyed and failing. You wonder if your warning was premature, but decide that it wasn't: You wouldn't get a chance to tell her what to do once something *did* go wrong, after all.

Satisfied that Mary's as ready as she'll get for this, you stand and stare into the distance, abandoning your mental model's senses, save hearing (for Mary's sake), and focus on what your hull can tell you as you approach.

The ship is large...too large for a standard submarine, but it's possible she's altered her hull abnormally: Unlikely, in general, but that assumes their mind is operating normally. After centuries of dormancy, it's possible some of your kin may have suffered damage to their cores...damage that might turn a once-disciplined member of the Fog into something unconstrained and irrational. You hope that isn't the case, but you prep your weapons (such as they are), just in case.

"What do you see, Surcouf? Are they safe?"

You don't answer immediately, waiting for a clearer look, and frown as you notice that something doesn't look...right...

Your visuals come into focus, and you heave a sigh...you're not sure if it's relief or disappointment, but at least you're not in danger.

"It's okay, Mary. It's not an enemy...not a friend either. Just a wreck, probably sunk back in the old days, considering it's half buried at this point. We're safe. Let's just hurry on."

Mary's quiet for a second, then her voice reaches your ears again, sounding concerned, "...are you sure? I mean, you survived all of these years. What if...?"

Frowning and slightly irritated at the delay, you scan the wreck for signs of activity...the reactor's still running, oddly enough. You suppose this ship got lucky when it was attacked, and didn't have its reactor damaged...it's a good thing, you reflect, that nanomaterials aren't prone to the same decay and degradation as traditional building materials, or it'd be completely dead by now. As it is...

Assuming control of the ship's systems (not currently protected from external control), you finally get some details: Most of said systems are intact, by good fortune, but the actual hull is only barely holding together...it appears to have been damaged severely and sunk in combat. You'd try to repair it, but there are simply not enough nanomaterials left to repair the hull with. You think you could get it moving, but you're pretty sure that using its engines would make it fall apart. You won't be able to salvage the majority of the ship, in the shape it is. That said, you think you might be able to find a use for it...those Americans are looking for something after all, and maybe it was this ship, instead of you.

Of course, there's something else you need deal with first: Your inspection has also revealed an intact Union Core. It's inactive, and you can't seem to fix that, but it's still operational and, hopefully, can be reactivated somehow. You'll need to retrieve it, though, if you want to have a chance at doing that.

There's also the matter of it having a substantial supply of Corrosive Torpedoes...a substantial upgrade from the old fashioned ones you're carrying. You could send it at the Americans firing those things, but it seems smarter to keep them for yourself. You'll let it use the boring ones, instead.

Nodding to yourself, pull up close to the sunken ship, attach your supply tubes and begin the process of offloading the Torpedoes, as well as creating a small retrieval device out of nanomaterials, for the purpose of retrieving the Union Core from the hull of the ship.

While you wait for the process to complete, you examine the ship further...it's clearly a Cruiser, not a modified sub, which is a bit of a relief. Its internals are also structured oddly for a normal Fog Vessel...rather like yourself, actually...built to accommodate a crew. You suppose she was probably working with a human faction, then...either the Scarlet Fleet or Blue Steel.

Once the Torpedoes and Core have been brought into your hull, and your own conventional torpedoes loaded onto the sunken vessel, you nod in satisfaction and set to departing, even as you push the Cruiser into action for one last time, forcing it to surface and sending it towards the Americans, unloading all of its remaining weaponry even as it tears itself to pieces, the pressure and force of the motion causing the remaining portions of the hull to detach one at a time...by the time the Americans have put it down for good (with only some modest damage to their own vessels and the loss of some drones), you are already far distant and relatively safe.

It's actually rather odd...their Cruiser's Photon Cannons are only about as powerful as a Destroyer's. You suppose their version of the weapon must be bulkier than the ones used by actual Fog Ships...although, in their defense, the rate of fire is extraordinary--that Takao hull you sent at them was torn to shreds as soon as they managed to get a clear shot at it. They may have not scaled their cannons down enough over the last two centuries, but they've certainly made strides on the front of developing superior capacitors and cooling systems. Not a huge worry, considering that actual Fog ships would have proper shielding, but still a bit unsettling.

Satisfied, you return your attention to your mental model, smiling down at Mary, "Looks like we win this time, my dear. We also found ourselves a new guest...that Fog Ship's Union Core survived. It's asleep, for now, but she's safe, thanks to you. If you hadn't pushed me to look more closely, she'd still be stuck down there so...thank you, Mary." You smirk as you rustle her hair, and she smiles brilliantly as she makes a hollow protest.

Speaking of the Union Core, your retrieval device delivers it to you before dissolving back into nanomaterials. Now that you can devote all of your focus to the examination, you manage to get a better idea of its condition...it's completely unharmed, as you thought, and appears to be locked down. You're not sure if she chose to lock her core down after sinking, or if the state of dormancy the Fog as a whole entered into is responsible. You aren't able to identify her, though...all you can deduce, based on your examination of her hull and core, is that she was a Takao-class Cruiser. You'd try to take her to her allies, but it's hard to say for sure who she was working with: There were members of the Takao class with both Blue Steel and the Scarlet Fleet, after all.

You suppose you'll just hold onto it for now, until she awakens...you can figure out what to do with her then.

Satisfied for now, and more than a little pleased with yourself, you hum to yourself thoughtfully in order to draw Mary's attention. As she looks up curiously, you answer her yet unspoken question, "Just trying to figure out where we should go first, darling."​

Major Actions - 1​

Go to...
[ ] Europe
[ ] Asia
[ ] Antarctica
[ ] The Americas
[ ] Hawaii​