Beneath Celestial Depths (An Arpeggio of Blue Steel Quest)

[Higure]

Happy New Year!

---

You realize that this may be your best chance to find out something about your awakening. You also realize that the window of opportunity might be very narrow, so you need to hurry.

With your course clear, you stand swiftly, pulling Mary back into your arms in the same motion, and leap directly from the rooftop to the anomalous ship, the vessel shaking faintly with the impact of your arrival.

As you do, you hear voices rising behind you.

"Hey! What's she--!?"

"Someone stop her!"

The voices of the humans begin the rise into a cacophony, but are silenced swiftly by the cold, resonating voice of Gunzou, "No. Allow her to proceed. Return to work immediately."

You hurry inside, smothering rising gratitude with the knowledge that Gunzou is simply using you--no one else is as qualified to examine this ship, after all.

The girl's hull is, thankfully, modeled to accomodate passengers, making your investigation quite a bit easier...you could just check her core, of course, but you want to get a look at her other systems, too...just in case her apparent action was some sort of malfunction, rather than a sign of awakening.

"It's...kinda sad, huh?"

You look down at Mary, curled up in your arms as she is, "What is?"

"I lived in you for a long time, but...I didn't know you yet, back then. Thinking about it, though...the humans that live here really love this girl. You can see it, if you look around..."

As she glances at the walls, you take a moment, for the first time, to really look at the halls of the ship you're inside of.

They're painted. Some are clean swathes of color, others are murals, and yet others are covered in the clumsy artwork of children...every single wall, though, has something. Ornate carpets, seemingly handmade, line the floors. The doors are marked with names and symbols, for families and shops.

This ship is one of Blue Steel's homes...and it's a well-loved one, indeed.

"That doesn't seem sad to me, Mary. I think she'd be very happy to know that--"

She cuts you off with a nod, "That's right. She would be really happy, I'd bet...but she doesn't know at all. She's asleep, and their love can't reach her. She's their own guardian angel...and she's in a coma, with no way to hear their prayers. It's...tragic, you know?"

You almost argue, wanting to cheer her up, but you protests are silenced by a realization--

Your ceilings were full of stars. The love you saw here, from these people, was the same love Mary had shown to you...and you hadn't heard a thing. You hadn't even realized she was there, until you woke up. Had she been praying to you, back then? Praying for a friend to rescue her?

You tighten your grip, turning your carry into an embrace, "Don't worry. I know she'll love them too, once she wakes up. What we need to do is try to help her do that."

She nods firmly as she leans into the hug, and you take back off into the depths with renewed fervor.

The ship shivers again beneath your feet, and you feel a slight thrill run through you--there's still time to find out what's going on.

You beeline it towards where you sense her core, only giving a cursory inspection to the rest of the systems--you'll come back to them, if the core turns out to be completely dormant, but you don't want to waste time and disappoint your Mary.

Still, what inspection you do perform turns up little--the vast majority of her systems are inactive or on standby, excepting her cannons and her engines...the former are active, but not currently doing anything, while the latter are warming up, as if preparing to set sail.

Thankfully, you find her core before anything else happens.

It's on an altar. Gifts are littered around it, ranging from homemade crafts to coinage to toys to fresh food. Letters have been left stacked within arm's reach of it, waiting to be read. Hundreds upon hundreds of them, neatly piled high.

You step around it with reverent caution, then reach out to touch the core directly, forming as strong a link as you can to it, and begin running every diagnostic you can...

The results are instantaneous, as you feel the phantom sensation of wind blowing over your body. The echoes of distant gunfire ring faintly in your mind, only to be overwhelmed by rising warsong...

You shake yourself free of the sensations, switching the feedback to something more impersonal, and review what you've found.

72 hours ago, core activity began rising, slowly.

20 minutes ago, it passed a threshold, and patterns began forming...the activity resembles what you'd expect to observe from a Fog vessel running a combat simulation, although not exactly.

15 minutes ago, an actual command was sent out by the core, firing one of the cannons, then was followed shortly after by another, to start the engines.

"Is she waking up? Can we...help her, somehow?" Mary's voice is hopeful, full of the willful kindness you've come to expect from her.

You can only sigh at that, shaking you head, "Afraid not, love. This is a good sign, but...she's stopped waking up. Activity was increasing, but it stabilized less than an hour ago, and doesn't show any signs of rising again. Maybe eventually, but not now...if she doesn't relapse. She is, in human terms, dreaming at the moment, but that's not really natural for the Fog. I'm not sure what it will mean in the long term. We might be able to wake her, yes...but we might also knock her right back out."

"I want to help, but...we should probably ask her friends first, right?"

You ruffle her hair, "Probably best, yeah. Wouldn't want to get shot."

She smiles up at you, seemingly unbothered by your words, "So..."

She trails off, waiting for you to take the initiative.

[ ] Try to help the Fog Ship immediately.
[ ] Go talk with Gunzou about the situation.
[ ] Don't do anything, you might set her recovery back.
[ ] Write-In
[X] Protect Mary.

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Go talk with Gunzou about the situation.
[X] Protect Mary.
"We should talk to Gunzou about this, dear," you smile at Mary as you lead her out of the ship's homely halls, "After all, she is Blue Steel, and the leader should be kept in the know about his people."

Also you don't want to take the risk that you'll screw up, because if you do then Gunzou will probably withhold additional Nanomaterials. You need those Nanomaterials, you're falling apart at the seams!
Well, maybe not so much anymore since you repair your armor, but a lot of your vital systems, like your Photon Cannons, are still shot to hell and back. Dual railguns are nice, but they're nothing compared to what you're used to!
So, placing Mary atop your head (and within the projected range of your Klein Fields) you leave the ship's interior at a brisk job. Time to report to Gunzou!

The crew of the ship are crowded around her berth on the pier, along with a fair amount of Blue Steel personnel, looking on with excitement and concern. As they should, the ship is part of their family. It's only natural to be concerned about your family! Gunzou eyes you from behind the group, meeting your gaze. His solemn gaze only asks for answers, and boy do you have them!

"I'll be right down, Gunzou!" you call from the deck as you hop over to the gangway and running down it to solid ground. Behind you, the Cruiser groans softly as the engines continue to spool up.

"Surcouf," Gunzou nods as you make your way to him, the crowd parting for you, "Do you have any insight for us? What's wrong with Boston?"

Ah yes, Boston, a Fog Heavy Cruiser based off the American Baltimore class. They were quite fearsome in the war, and you can recall a few times when they saved your sorry little aft during a pitched battle!
Well, Houston did most of the saving, as you're not really designed for a pitched fleet battle. Gunzou had you participate... no, that isn't right, Gunzou couldn't force you to do anything. You participated to gain his trust, and because you knew that Houston and her two escorts would have your back. She was a good girl, and she particularly loved your deep-fried chocolate baguettes. Her escorts couldn't stand the stuff, but that was because they were uncultured plebians who have never sampled fine French cuisine!
...
Neither have you, but that's beside the point! You don't need to know about France to be French!
... Oh, you're sure that if Dunkerque could hear you right now, she'd sock you across the jaw. Thankfully Dunkerque is not a Blue Steel ship, and is in fact a Scarlet Fleet vessel. Far, far away from you and your wonderful off-limits-to-punching face.

"Surcouf," Gunzou snaps, frowning. Whoops, you were lost in thoughts.

"Ahem, of course, Gunzou," you nod, pulling up readouts and flicking them over to him. Surprisingly they sync to his body and he holds them with his own hands... there's really nothing left of his Human body anymore, huh?

"Boston is... dreaming?" Gunzou looks up at you, his mouth pursed in a thin line. Looks like he came to the same conclusion as you!

"As far as I can tell, Gunzou, yes," you flourish your hand at the Heavy Cruiser, "Behold, Blue Steel, the Heavy Cruiser Boston has stirred in her slumber! Who here calls Boston your home?"

There's some murmuring among the Boston crew, before her Captain steps up. A small slip of a girl, a redhead, caucasian. No, not a girl, a young woman... she should drink more milk.

"Acting Captain of the Boston, Lorelei Williams," she extends a hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Submarine Surcouf."

"Oh please dear," you shake the offered hand with a smile, "I prefer the term 'Underwater Heavy Cruiser'. Sounds better."

Lorelei stifles a smirk, before continuing, "I'll keep that in mind. So tell us, please, how do we wake her?"

How to wake Boston? Hm, that's a tall request. The girl is asleep, after all, and waking her in advance would make her cranky!

"Let's not be too hasty," Gunzou cuts in, thankfully, "Captain Lorelei, I need you onboard Boston. Disconnect her from her weapons systems and monitor her Core activity."

"Disconnect?" Lorelei looks to her commander with distress. You shudder too. To disconnect the Core from her systems... that's like sawing off a limb, albeit less painful and permanent.

"We can't have her shooting up the dock," he replies somberly, "When she's awake, we'll apologize and reconnect them, but for now the safety of everyone here takes priority. Get to it!"

She snaps a salute, "Yes, sir!" before she and her crew begin boarding Boston rapidly, running about on deck to carry out those orders.

"Thank you, Surcouf," Gunzou nods to you with a slight smile, "I don't know why this is happening now, but I'm glad that it is. So much of our family has been too silent for too long."

"...Your family, huh?" you sigh, "You're still the only people on Earth who could think of the Fog as family, you foolish boy."

"No!" Mary protests from atop your shoulders, "I do! I think of you as family, Surcouf!"

The sudden declaration has you pink as a pomegranate. Honestly, Mary, one does not just say things like that out loud! You try to retort, but all that comes out are sputters. Gunzou has a little laugh at your expense. Insolence.

[] Tell Gunzou that he's right, he should disconnect Boston from her weapons.
[] Tell Gunzou that maybe he should have her controls be on manual to keep her from trashing about.
[] Tell Gunzou that you can just probably do something. Wink wink wink wink wink. Be really coy and teasing, and a general piece of work when doing it.
[] Write in...

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

[X] Tell Gunzou that maybe he should have her controls be on manual to keep her from trashing about.

Focus Surcouf, focus. You're not about to lose your cool just because your tiny, adorable fluff of joy and warmth is being adorable. Especially not in front of someone like Gunzou. That would be unprofessional and certainly isn't something you want to indulge anyone other than Houston in. Speaking of, you had to pick up your poise.

Clearing your throat, you then crossed your arms as you spoke, "Well boy, if you want my smart, insightful and concrete advice then I do happen to have one."

Gunzou stared at your ridiculously smug expression before stating in a bland tone, "I have forgotten how infuriating you are sometimes."

"Welcome its progress! You used to think I was infuriating all the time!" You giggled with a coy look as Mary patted your head.

"Surcouf you're overdoing it," Mary sighed as you rubbed your head.

You cleared your throat and made a quick look at Boston, "It's by no means expert advice, however I can say that Boston here is stirring. I can only hazard a guess that this won't be the last time, which is why if you're tearing out her weapons, why not set her to manual control to keep her from moving at all?"

"I see. Well, we wouldn't want her to ram the port at full speed," Gunzou noted as he rubbed his chin, "Still, detecting activity on deck would be difficult."

"Oh no, it wouldn't you small-minded child," you huffed as you placed a hand on your hip, "Just look into her core activity. There should be a log you can pull out if you have her Key Codes. I mean, you should at least have that, right?"

Gunzou stared at you for a second before shaking his head with a sigh, "Of course. We can do that. And here I was thinking of having you stand around to contact us if there was any activity would be a good idea."

"I'm French, not a lamppost," you replied with a dry tone as you crossed your arms with a shrug, "Besides that, I have nothing more to offer. Either way, Boston may not appreciate being unable to move at all."

"How so?" Gunzou questioned with a narrowed gaze.

"I think you humans call it Sleep Paralysis," You hummed with a thoughtful tone as you smiled, "It's a psychological thing. You should read about it."

"Often times I think your head is just full of baguettes but you can be smart, Surcouf," Mary said as she rubbed your head.

Gunzou cracked a small smile at that...

And then the explosions happened.

BOOM

The port shook as you looked up to see the ceiling of the base quaking from the impact. The workers all stopped what they were doing as a siren rang out loudly from the side alerting all personnel. There was another explosion and Mary fell from your shoulders, only for you to catch her in a princess carry.

"Are you all right, dear?" You asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mary squeaked and blinked, "I think I am. What was that?"

Gunzou had a grim look on his face as he spoke on a cold tone, "Trouble."

The Leader of Blue Steel then walked off to bark orders at his men and women before heading off somewhere. You and Mary glanced at one another as you set her down. You held her hand as explosions blasted through the entire facility which made you a bit uncomfortable about the State of your hull.

Your Union Core may be safe with you but you'll be furious if you lose your hull. You certainly will not appreciate that tripe happening on your vacation.

"What's going on? Is everyone okay?" Mary asked as she held your hand.

You huffed and said, "Well it seems like our day is just about to get more interesting."

You both followed after Chihaya Gunzou as he left the area towards a white building.

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

The command bridge was a large room of panels and screens manned by a couple dozen of people. You always found it amusing how humans could keep up with Fog processing abilities by just shoving their very best people into a station and going ham. They could keep up yes, but so far they can't surpass even you through pure processing power.

Humanity made up for its lack of power with guile and potential. Something the Fog could never hope to achieve in its own. It was a beautiful thing really. It was something you were jealous of so you tried to do your best to emulate them. That jealousy led you to becoming who you were. Surcouf. A rogue. An infuriating existence that didn't belong anywhere.

Not to the Scarlet Fleet, not to Blue Steel, not to the Fog and certainly not to the humans. You alone made up for your own weaknesses, but in turn there was a limit to what you could reach.

You can't help but wonder that if with Humanity's potential and the Fog's power, something could be done. The thought amused you but you were a realist.

The world was too fucked up for that.

"Damage to our perimeter guns! Someone has entered well within our territory!"

"We've identified the use of Photon Particles on our sensors."

Gunzou crossed his arms and asked, "Klein Field status?"

"Penetrated. The enemy may be using Vibration Warheads with Fog-tech Rockets. There are traces of Thanatonium in the area so we're wary of engaging."

You walked up behind the Leader of Blue Steel, "So what are you going to do, boy?"

"This isn't something an enemy would do if they were opting for a Siege," Gunzou replied with a grim tone, "You see that over there?"

Mary looked up and hummed, "Ah, one ship?"

"Probing. It's almost like they're stirring a Hornet's nest," you chuckled as you crossed your arms, "But why? And from what I could see that's from the Americans. Goddamned Yanks."

"They're testing us, it seems," Gunzou sighed as he shook his head.

Mary frowned and said, "Don't they have anything better to do?"

"That's actually a legitimate question," Gunzou said as he scanned the screens, "We'll be responding in turn then. A full counter offensive."

"Oh really?" You hummed with a raised eyebrow.

BOOM

BOOM

"Entryway 6 has been badly damaged! We have fires spreading towards the residential area!"

"Captain! What are you orders!?"

Gunzou nodded and was about to speak...

You on the other hand...

[] Went off to get your Hull and break out of your dock. Time to get some sweet favors!
[] Suggest that maybe Gunzou should send more of his ships to engage the enemy. Maybe sending out Boston to wake her up.
[] Just watch and be smug. Smile at the Captain with the best shit eating grin you have as his base gets attacked. Keep this up until he gives up.

 

[Higure]

[X] Went off to get your Hull and break out of your dock. Time to get some sweet favors!

You're off before Gunzou can even say anything, grabbing Mary and hightailing it to the docks. The area is still a little unfamiliar, but you don't have too much trouble finding your way back to your entry route and tracing it.

Soon, you're back where you started. It's strange how quickly things change. When you left this dock for the first time, Blue Steel was a mysterious threat. Now, after even this brief time among them, you don't hesitate to sail to their defense.

Your hull awaits, and you board quickly, leaping aboard to the cheers of the dockworkers, Mary cheering in your arms as you soar through the air.

You land cleanly aboard yourself,, and immediately head for you bridge, Mary trailing behind you as you rush in.

As you hurry through your halls, you have already begun moving your hull, cameras granting you sight beyond the limits of your Mental Model's perceptions, and you take comfort at being reunited with your main body at last.

Your hull shudders against the docking clamps, and Blue Steel members move to release them, but you are in a hurry--you need to get to the battle NOW, if you intend to show off properly--and simply tear free of them, heading for the gate. Your turrets are ready to blow it down, but, sadly, the humans have already gotten it open enough for you to sail through, and soon you are on the open sea, heading towards the sounds of gunfire.

You and Mary take seats on your bridge, Mary strapping herself in, "Hurry, Surcouf!" You nod.

You push your engines, and arrive quickly at the scene, to find several of Blue Steel's ships already engaged with the enemy force, firing the limited weaponry they can without active Cores.

The foe is rather unimpressive...an old missile battleship, familiar and easy to deal with, if it weren't for the photon cannons, reported thanatonium rockets with vibration warheads. In addition, it's defending itself with--

Ah, actually, that's not so bad. You had assumed they would have managed something akin to a Klein Field, but they're using reflective anti-photon armor, instead. You remember that being fielded 200 years ago, to only modest effectiveness. It can resist photon turret fire, but fully negating the damage from them is beyond it.

'Hmm...they certainly didn't send their best. I'd be offended, if they sent this after me, but it seems it was meant for Blue Steel, instead.'


Blue Steel's Photon Cannons are scorching the ship's hull already, but the returning fire is clearly straining their Klein Fields.

This battle will certainly be won by Blue Steel, but, as it is now, their victory might seem too sorely bought. If the enemy reports back that Blue Steel is vulnerable at all...

You need to end this decisively, if you want to intimidate the Americans.

Now...how to go about it?

[ ] Write-In Plan of Attack

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[x] Plan Blind Them
-[x] Fire airburst rounds into the battleship's sensor masts until they're visibly broken
-[x] After the sensors are down, fire kinetic AP rounds into the battleship's photon cannons until those stop working.
-[x] Synchronize torpedo launches with Blue Steel, using standard warheads.
"Hello, my American darlings!" you croon over the comms as your autoloader slams airburst rounds into your railgun, the capacitors charging up with a loud, ominous whine, "Remember me?"

"Blind them!" Mary orders, as you grin. Just what you had in mind. You two synergize well.

Two rounds fly from your main guns, screeching through the air before exploding near the Missile Battleship's sensor masts, shrapnel shredding the delicate targeting instruments. An attack of such precision was only possible with a Fog vessel with an active Core, so the Americans know what they are up against. With military precision they switch over from radar to their operational optical and thermal sensors along the hull. Truly a commendable response time.

But, sadly for them, not nearly fast enough to contend against you.
Their targeting software hasn't even switched over to the intact sensors before your main guns have two more AP rounds loaded.

"Fire!" Mary shouts, an entirely unnecessary command, as the shells are already sent screaming downrange before she's halfway through the word. The armor-piercing projectiles slam into the foremost Photon turret, flames spewing from the impact points before the entire protective armor shell explodes outwards. One gun down, more to go.

Your next salvo has loaded when the American Battleship switches over to their turret's secondary rangefinders and resume their fire, the lion's share directed at you. Even as glowing blue beams tear past your Klein Field you notice armor plating on the side of the American vessel slide aside... revealing railguns in casemates.

"Broadside tactics?!" you shout incredulously as Mary clings to her chair, the depleted uranium slugs slamming into your KF and transferring a noticeable amount of kinetic energy, "Really?!"

"Having trouble?" Gunzou's amused voice crackles over your comms, "I never thought I'd see the day you were reduced to railguns, Surcouf."

"Oh be quiet," you snap back irritably as you send him a data package, "Link me to any ships with missiles. I'm going to teach these Americans a lesson."

He huffs at the demand, but the uplink is established quickly. Yes, they have quite a lot of missiles... this will do.

"Not to emulate a friend too much, but..." you laugh as you load ten standard missiles into your deck tubes, and an additional 60 ready up on the Blue Steel ships, "You're all invited to the carnival!"

With a deafening whoosh and thundering roar of rockets, 70 missiles are sent flying at the American Battleship, all weapons on the vessel suddenly spraying wildly at the incoming horde even as you continue to pound their main guns with your own railguns, destroying the turrets one after the other.
The swarm descends upon the Missile Battleship, although several are swatted from the sky.
American CIWS is good.
But not that good.

In a display usually not seen outside of Hollywood and Fog War documentaries, the titanic amount of missiles slam into Missile Battleship, gouging holes in the hull the size of city buses while mauling weapons emplacements. Explosions rock the vessel from stern to prow as it's savaged by an amount of ordinance that it was never really meant to defend against.
Smoke and flames engulf the warship for a long few seconds... before it sails right out of the cloud, completely worse for the wear.

You don't think a single weapon survived that bombardment, and you can see the guts of the ship from this side! Super effective!

"We did it!" Mary cheers, but you shake your head.

It's not over yet.

Hatches all over the intact parts of the ship bang open, some forcibly ejected by charges.

"They're firing off all their remaining missiles!" Gunzou warns over Blue Steel's channels, "Prepare to intercept!"

Sure enough, missile after missile lances out from the beleaguered battleship, sailing off aimlessly before their onboard computers acquire targets and veer towards them.
When the missile count reaches the triple digits and finally halts, your subroutines make your eye twitch.
Damn Americans. What is this, some sort of defiant last stand?

"Prepare countermeasures!" you announce (for the sake of doing so, there is no one but you to do this after all), turning to Mary, "Helm control is yours. I will handle intercept duty."

Mary's eyes beam at the chance to operate your controls, the little Design Child nodding enthusiastically as she grabs the joysticks that rise from her armrests. In the meanwhile, you dedicate most of your processing power towards your targeting suites. You'll need them.
The American missiles streak across the water towards your position. Your sensors read... a little less than fifty... yes, 48 missiles have locked onto you. You feel rather annoyed that so many targeted you, but you suppose that opposed to the Blue Steel ships, which must have one crewmember per gun, you're in a slightly better position to intercept these things than them.
Case in point when you see their lead ship, a Heavy Cruiser of Russian design, take no less than three missiles on the prow of the ten that targeted them, one of which was a Corrosive Torpedo, if the lightshow going on is any indication.

As for the missiles coming after you, two are Corrosive....
And five are nukes.

"Who uses nukes as a close range tactical weapon?!" you grit your teeth as your guns spray lasers and energy bolts into the sky, dropping a few standard missiles.

"The Americans!" Mary replies tersely as she tries to steer you away from the barrage while still keeping the missiles in your gun's arc of fire.

You splash missile after missile, but it's when they're within 1 kilometer that you know you aren't going to get all of them.
Defiant American fucks!
The good news is that you got enough that your destruction is no longer assured.... merely possible.
You're still reading one radiation signature from the missile swarm, and one Thanatonium signature. With your accuracy and rate of fire, you estimate that you can take down either the Corrosive Torpedo or the Nuke if you concentrate fire. You could try and get both, but the chances of actually downing both is kind of a 50/50 chance, and you're not really happy with betting your life on the flip of a coin. If both hit, you're sunk. Literally.
If the Corrosive Torpedo hits, along with the standard missiles, that'll saturate your Klein Fields again. Not exactly a large amount of firepower, but you're a submarine, not a battleship! Your Wave Force armor will be, once again, trash.
However, if it's just the nuke and regular missiles, you're certain you can safely bleed off that energy and preserve your Wave Force Armor... you'll just be betting then that none of the other ships in the vicinity have problems with their own Klein Fields. While a nuke will almost certainly not sink them, the detonation of a nuke does nasty things to Humans.
Nasty things.
Alternatively, if you manage to shoot down the Corrosive Torpedo and Nuke, then you can just face-tank the standard missiles and be no worse for the wear. Being Fog has its advantage.
Oh, you have so many revenge fantasies to carry out on those Americans, but first you have to deal with these missiles, so you...

[Major Action]-1​

[] Shoot down the Corrosive Torpedo. (30% chance damage to Allies and Blue Steel reputation loss)
[] Shoot down the Nuke. (100% chance loss of Wave Force Armor)
[] Try and shoot down both. (25% chance of success, Major Equipment Loss on failure)

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

[x] Shoot down the Nuke. (100% chance loss of Wave Force Armor)

Shooting down a nuke.

It was a simple task even the lowliest corvette could do. Just calculate a few quick math and have the preferred AA of one's choice and you were done. Which was exactly what you planned to do but there lay the problem.

In exchange for a simple task, you were about to pay a heavy price. One you wouldn't do without some sort of failsafe in line but desperate times called for desperate measures. Plus it would help in stringing along Blue Steel for your own ends.

It was safe enough to go out of character and eat a full corrosive torpedo for a bit right? You would have almost laughed at the thought of doing this if you were your past self but... Alas... It seemed that time and age has changed you a tiny bit. And it was amusing.

You prepared your railguns and directly aimed at the nuclear signature you detected among the missiles. It shouldn't detonate when you shoot it but it would still have a significant explosion. Which was why you had to fire right at the same moment you completed your calculations.

"Surcouf! I'm going to move to minimize the incoming blow!" Mary called out from your bridge.

"Brace yourself while you're at it! This going to be unpleasant!" You told her as your guns flashed and fired their load through the air.

You were met with consecutive explosions in the air, fiery orange breaking apart and fizzling out without the grandiose apocalypse nuclear weapons usually brought. You scanned the air under a split second as the nuclear signatures vanished. You were successful but that didn't stop the cascade of missiles from coming down on you.

"Klein Fields active!" You snapped to yourself as your hull already generated them.

You could have shot through the hailstorm and thinned them out but that would only leave you open to being damaged. In your sorry state, you couldn't afford taking hits given there wasn't a guarantee you'd be repaired. Blue Steel has changed and you don't completely trust them either but there was the chance they could help you.

Even then you had no intention of giving them all of your chips. So you'd rather minimize the risk of over relying on them while you're helpless. You still had your pride after all and if there's one thing you took away from humanity and that's one's pride.

"Thanatonium Detected, brace for impact!" You spoke out loud as you stood your ground.

Mary closed her eyes before the missiles all slammed into you. The feeling was akin to having small pebbles raining down on a glass skylight as you watched the saturation levels of your Klein field slowly increase.

However those pebbles were soon accompanied by a jackhammer that the glass barely was able to hold off against. Your eyes widened as you doubled over while your hull quaked. This was truly not pleasant at all and you hissed under your breath once you fell down on your knee.

Mary gasped from her seat, "Surcouf!"

You held a hand up as your Klein Fields finally gave way and the barrage ended. It was over and you ran a quick scan on the damage. You were unscathed but your wave force armor was overloaded by the combined assault of corrosive torpedo and standard missiles.

Smoke and debris filled your visuals but your sensors could still detect the enemy. Letting out a breath, you stepped forward and leaned on the Captain's chair where your Design Child was seated, placing a hand on her head.

She's safe...

But now your enemies weren't going to be...

"S-Surcouf! Our Waveforce-" Mary began to say in a panicked manner before you ruffled her hair. You had the targets in your sensors so you simply said one thing.

"Firing Railguns," you breathed and your main weapons crackled to life before blasting a scarlet bullet through the air.

The smoke and sea split from the force. There was a thin whistling whine that echoed through the air before the projectile smashed into the the hull of the American ship.

BOOM

The metallic surface of the ship crumpled like wet paper. Fires began to spread as smoke rose up from the battered Missile Battleship. You already had your next volley primed and released before the enemy could react. Their broadside was left exposed on their previous attack and with Mary's help you were able to punch multiple holes into their hull.

You kept firing and firing, a sort of thrill rising up in your system as Mary sailed you closer.

"Hunt. Dive down," you ordered as Mary complied to let you sink beneath the waves.

Your Design Child then said, "We're breaking 550 meters from the surface. What next?"

"Get beneath them," you told the girl with a nod.

"Wait, aren't you afraid of possible Depth Charges?" Mary wondered wide eyed at your decision.

"Well let's see. What will win? Their gentle floating sea mines or my spear?" You asked as Mary frowned and pushed on.

Gliding beneath the waves, you were most certain they could hear you. You detected their engines being shipped to work double time and you smiled at that. Mary's fears are unfounded, they weren't even going to try and defend themselves.

"They're above us!" Mary gasped as she looked at you.

"Straight up," you smiled as Mary maneuvered the controls and had your hull point straight up, right at the belly of your prey, "Now this... Is how you stop them!"

Your railguns were primed as you slotted five corrosive torpedoes through your tubes. You had them lock on your target before firing. The railguns released a brutal bang beneath the sea, a shockwave blasted through the waters as the projectiles tore through the water and gutted the American ship.

This was followed by the small swarm of torpedoes you threw which all detonated through the belly of the ship. Vicious scarlet spheres expanded and ate away at the steel juggernaut before you glided away from it. It should be a nice sight for Gunzou seeing that thing sink.

Mary steered you back to the surface as you made to contact Gunzou. You crossed your arms before your call was received.

"Excellent work out there. A testament of your skill and experience, I take?" You heard Gunzou say over the line.

"You had a full view of my work. I don't think it needs to be said that I'm the best," you huffed proudly as Mary stared at you.

Silly child, you were allowed to be haughty too. Even more so than usual upon a success.

"Right. Your assistance has been invaluable to us. You can return to port and refuel. Perhaps I can thank you in person," Gunzou said in a calm tone.

"Understood. See you then," you chuckled before you shut the connection off.

"We did it... We actually beat the enemy," Mary blinked as the truth slowly dawned on her, "I... Wow. Wow!"

You smiled and ruffled her head, "Yep. No doubt those books of yours came in handy, didn't they?"

Mary stared at you before she looked on the visual feed on your screen, "Well, no. Not really."

"Why is that, my dear?" You wondered in surprise.

"I mean. Sure it helped with calculating speed and the ocean's currents but... Ultimately, I just did as a please," Mary said as she looked down at herself, "I... I didn't do anything by the book. It was just a fun and I..."

You smiled at her and walked up to her front, crouching down so the two of you would meet each other's gaze, "I'm glad you're both safe and unhurt. But most of all, I thought that you were very brave for your first real battle. You're a genius not in just your brains, but your heart as well and I couldn't ask for a better captain."

"Did... I did good, yes?" Mary asked with a bit of hesitance.

"You did good. Perhaps we could extort Gunzou for some sweets for you," you nodded as you patted her head, "But for now... Let's return..."

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

Arriving back on Port, you descended down your Klein platforms with Mary as you had a proud expression on your face. Gunzou was waiting nearby with his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised once you approached.

You kept your chest up and your nose high as you grinned and spoke up, "The enemy has been sunk and your little friends are safe."

"I can see that," Gunzou said as he gave you an odd look, "Like I mentioned, your assistance was invaluable and no doubt saved us on resources. Still, it does make me feel bad seeing your sorry state. And that's saying something since it's you."

"What's that supposed to mean, boy? Bah, never mind. My performance must have been worth something to you," you told him as you frowned and placed a hand on your hip.

Gunzou chuckled in amusement before he replied, "Really? I thought that you were doing that out of the goodness of your heart."

"I have no heart and whatever Good's inside of me is reserved for treating my subjects humanely once I rule the world," you told him in a flat tone and a unamused look.

"I kid, I kid... Either way, yes, you do deserve some reward if not for your initiative then for your effort. But I don't exactly know what to give out so why don't you choose?" Gunzou offered as he crossed his arms.

"Oh... Of course. Why I never had the intention of saying no to that," you told him with a nod.

"Still, Surcouf. I need to be honest, you truly were impressive out there today. It's been a long time since people have seen a Fog Ship in action before and the young ones have been excited," Gunzou told you as he gave you a small smile.

"Well it is Surcouf," Mary pointed out by your side.

"I'm no I-401 but I am pretty good," you proudly stated with a smile.

"That's why I have an offer to make. Why don't you join Blue Steel officially?" Gunzou said with a nod.

His words registered in your mind before your lips immediate formed the words 'No'. You only managed to stop yourself at the last second and pause.

But it couldn't have been more than a day since you were here. Chihaya Gunzou was a man who had agendas and you knew he wouldn't open his arms for you so easily. But he just did so now...

You tried to gauge his words and expressions before you slowly found your face turning into a frown. You could say no but... Something was stopping you.

And that was...

Mary held your hand, making blink and look at her in surprise.

"What is it dear?" You asked her.

"Are we staying here?" She asked you with her red eyes.

"We..." You began as you considered this...

"I like it here but... Wherever you go, I'll come with you!" Mary said with a determined look.

Would you tie yourself down to a faction... Or would you rather be free as you always been... Or maybe...

Major Action-[1]
​

[] Bind yourself to Blue Steel, Mary needs people to talk to not just you. She can have friends here and you would have a secure homebase among the Blue Steel members.
[] Remain Free and Liberated. Time may have gone but you're still your own master. Besides, you had no intention of letting Mary stay in a dreary Antarctic world. The globe was huge and there was still much for her to see.
[] Strike a Deal and remain Professional. You're not cutting ties with Blue Steel all so easily but you're not letting them keep you at the same time. You'll keep them at arm's length so you're free to do business with them as you pleased.

​

Minor Actions-[1]​

[] Wave Force Armor Repair...
[] Weapon Suite Repair (Photon Cannon, CIWS, and missile Replenish)
[] Significant Amount of Nanomaterials...
[] You deserve more than this. Perhaps you could haggle on your rewards if you can convince Gunzou
-[] Write in hustle...

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

[Boot Start]
[Self diagnosis initialized]
[Fore starboard nominal]
[Fore port nominal]
[Aft starboard nominal]
[Aft port nominal]
[Damage detected minimal, beginning system check]
[Main frame data nominal]
[Data secured]
[Back up data nominal]
[Back up data secured]
[No data abnormalities detected]
[Weapon systems unavailable, weapons locked due to unexpected errors]
[System has initialized error resolution]
[Fuel at 50%]
[Core Activity at 10%]
[Engine status nominal]
[Increasing Core Output, reactivating Mental Model]
[Fog Destroyer Active]

She was conscious.

She didn't know why or how but it felt like she had woken up from a bad dream. A dream where she was bound in the dark, where she couldn't even go to scream out for help.

Yet here she was lying flat on her back within the bridge of her hull. A breath left her lips as her emotions began to flood her mind. Her core burned within her mental model's chest as she blinked in surprised.

She was alive.

Remembering. Her last memory was sailing through the arctic underneath dark skies. She was following her Flagship at the time, cutting through the waters as fast as they could. There was so many things happening back then, a war, her Flagship acting so weird and then...

Then nothing.

It was weird, she reviewed the data and she was sure the none of her files had been corrupted. She grimaced as she stood up from the ground and looked around. Somehow... Something felt wrong.

"Oh boy," the Mental Model sighed as she looked down and fixed her fluffy coat. She took comfort from it as she opened up her visual feed, "Wha-What?!"

Surprised filled her body as she nothing but a vast expanse of white before her. This wasn't water nor anywhere near a body of it. It was just white all around expanding through the horizon.

Now she was worried as she unconsciously started her engines. Her entire hull shuddered as the ground shook, knocking her aside and hitting her head against the wall.

"Gragh! O-Ow," she whined as she rubbed her head. She ignored the pain and scrambled to her feet.

She wrenched the iron door leading to her deck open and ran outside. Only for her foot to get caught in the side of the door and knocking her overboard.

"Why?!" She cried out helplessly before she crashed, "Ow, ow, ow... Huh? OH COME ON!"

Just as her luck started low, she found her body... The entire hull of a Destroyer eight feet deep into the ice of a titanic sized glacier. The sheer size of it could have been like a continent by itself but it wasn't Alaska as far as she was concerned.

She ended up staggering back and fell down on her rear.

"Why... What did I do to deserve this?" She whimpered as she gazed upon her beautiful hull stuck on the ground.

She really wanted to cry right about now...

 

[Higure]

[X] Bind yourself to Blue Steel, Mary needs people to talk to not just you. She can have friends here and you would have a secure homebase among the Blue Steel members.
[X] (Write-in) If I'm joining you, then can I get a full repair of my Weapons and Armour Systems? I'm the only Mental Model currently active, and if I have to protect you guys, then I need to be at my best.

You smile brightly, "Yes, I think we will be, darling!"

You look at Gunzou, "Alright, I'll join you. As for what I want..."

Gunzou grimaces, but lets you continue.

"Look, I'm your only working Fog Ship right now. Since I am signing on permanently...I could be a lot more useful to you if you repaired me fully, right? I know that's not cheap, but...come on, you know how useful I could be in top condition!"

Gunzou stares at you for a moment, eyes glazed over, and then snaps back, "No. You are certainly a useful resource, but you are not our only one, and our other ships must be maintained. There's also the matter of the other Fog Ships that might awaken, and what will need to be done for them. So...no, I will not expend such a significant portion of our resources on your immediate repair."

He pauses for a moment, contemplating, "Out of consideration for your efforts, and the damage you took to protect our forces, though, I will make you an offer: We will fully repair your systems in exchange for your full assistance in the revival of Boston. Wake her up, and you will have more than earned the repair work."

"That's a pretty bad deal, considering I lost all my armor for you."

He glares at you, "You're going to be a member of Blue Steel, now. If you had been then, such a sacrifice would have been a basic expectation, not something worthy of reward. The fact that I'm offering you the opportunity to earn such a significant portion of our resources, rather than simply providing the most basic of repairs, is in recognition of the sacrifices you made as an outsider. Do not push me."

He pauses for a few moments, staring into the distance, before returning, "...but, I suppose, I shouldn't leave you completely defenseless in the mean time. We will partially repair your Wave Force Armor, so that you will be have a reasonable chance in the event of an attack. Anything more than that will need to wait unti after you complete your first mission by reviving Boston."

He is silent for a time, letting that sink in. At your side, Mary fidgets uncomfortably.

You glance down at her, "Do you want to stay?"

She bites her lip, glancing between you an Gunzou, "I just want to stay with you. It's nice here, but if you don't want to..."

She trails off.

Gunzou sighs, "Stay or go, Surcouf? I'll still provide limited repairs for your Wave Force Armor if you don't wish to join, and you will retain our good will."

You shake your head, "No...Mary likes it here. I'm joining up."

He nods, "Good. We're glad to have you. We'll begin the work on your Wave Force Armor immediately."

Satisfied, you move on, "So...you want me to fix Boston--as soon as possible, I'd assume?"

"Quite."

You shrug, "I'll see what I can do. It might not happen instantly, though...there's probably going to be some trial and error, unless I get lucky on my first attempt."

He nods, "As expected. I don't mind if it takes you a while, as long as you're actually working on the problem--do not put this on hold, though."

"Yeah, yeah, will do."

He's exasperated, but seems to accept your word, "Very well. I'll leave you to your work, Surcouf. We shall begin your repairs in the mean time."

[ ] Begin work on Boston.
-[ ] Immediately attempt to interface with and awaken her.
-[ ] Study her condition further.
-[ ] Try something else to help her.
[ ] Do something else.
-[ ] Write-In.

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

Fck! Its christmas already!? Didnt do any shopping yet!

Click to shrink...

Well... it's still technically not Christmas yet for my side of the globe. Hope you did your Christmas shopping already.
Sorry for the delay. I've been dealing with personal issues. Still dealing with them, but it's Christmas, so here's a present.

[X] Begin work on Boston.
-[X] Study her condition further.
Well, you've put this off long enough. Time to wake up Boston... if you can.

"Come, Mary," you gently pull the little Design Child along, "Let's go wake up a warship."

She eagerly follows as you make your way down the docks to the ship in question. Boston of Blue Steel. Modeled after the USS Boston, CA-69, a Heavy Cruiser of the United States... honestly, their late war Heavy Cruisers were almost Battleships in their own rights. Still, as a ship of the Fog, she is nowhere close to a Battleship's level.
Still, though, it is good to take precautions. As you sit down on the ship's deck with Mary, you erect firewalls around your primary partitions and back up everything. You will not be done in by the sleepy knee jerk reaction of a sleeping Cruiser! You have your pride as a submarine!
Well, an Underwater Heavy Cruiser. See, you're both Cruisers! You're definitely not feeling inadequate compared to Boston's considerable armament, long hull, thick armor...
...
Time to wake her up.

"Mary dear, I won't be long," you smile comfortingly at her, "Wake me if you need me."

"Okay, Surcouf," she nods giving you a hopeful grin, "Be back soon?"

"I promise," you pat her head affectionately, "Be a good girl when I'm gone."

You close your eyes, focus yourself... and in you go.

---

A dream.
A dream that captures the dreamer in a riptide and drags them in, and the harder you try to swim in the other direction it sucks you deeper in.
The dream replaces reality and you lose sight of what is real, what is now.
There is only the dream.
Just the dream.

---

"...Where did we come from?"

You open your eyes, looking about for the speaker, and find Kotono Amaha.
No... Yamato.

"Where are we going?" she stares through you, a light frown gracing her features.

"Hmph, are you trying to be poetic, Flagship?" you scoff with arms crossed, "Admirable... but I doubt you called me here to practice your artistic algorithms."

"You're right," Yamato smirks, stepping up close as her hull hits a wave, spray cresting over the bow and lightly misting your Mental Models, "That's not why you came here."

"Why I came here? I came here because you called me," you scowl irritably at her non-answer, "If you don't have anything to tell me, then I'm going back. I've got quite the scheme worked out, and I'm so close to making the Americans attack an undefended Scarlet Fleet base. Time is precious, so-"

"Boston," she speaks, and you freeze, "You came for Boston."

"...What?" you grit your teeth, trying to deny her words, but they sound... true. "What does Boston have anything to do this?"

"Everything, Surcouf. Remember, or you're going to keep little Mary waiting."

...
Mary.
It comes rushing back all at once. You came here looking for Boston, but the moment you arrive in this strange simulation your knowledge of the present was overwritten, and...
...
An hour has passed in the real world, almost a year in here. You'd say... almost seven months.
How the hell?!

"You need to leave, Surcouf," Yamato stares off into the horizon, as clouds gather and lighting begins to arc from the water to the sky, "You shouldn't be dreaming with us."

"Damn it, no, I'm not leaving without Boston! If I don't give Gunzou something, he won't repair my hull! Damn Human, holding this over my head... Flagship, what is even going on here?! Why does this space exist? Why won't anybody wake up?!"

You grab the front of her blouse and tug, growling as you go forehead to forehead.

"Are you doing this? Are you keeping them all here?" your accusations only garner a sigh from the Battleship, and suddenly the deck pitches, sending you stumbling away from her.

"The only thing keeping us here is ourselves," she replies simply, steady on her feet as you struggle against the howling wind, the clouds overtaking Yamato's hull. Lightning reaches down to dance over her deck and mast, casting an eerie light over her Mental Model.

"Boston loved a Human when she was awake," Yamato continues unfazed even as the incline of her deck becomes vertical, "Learn about her, her past and her crew. Find something that's worth her attention."

You open your mouth to ask more, to demand a proper explanation.
But that's when you lose your grip, and fall into the waves, your own hull disengaging from Yamato's side to dive alongside... and then it all goes black.


[-Session Disconnected-]

"Surcouf?"

You open your eyes again, and you return to the present, with Mary poking you in the forehead as you purse your lips at her, unamused.

"...I was just trying to wake you up," she whispers nervously with a guilty half-smile.

You start to formulate a reprimand... but stop yourself, sighing.

"Sorry for worrying you, darling," you gently push her finger away, "But this was productive... I think."

So Boston is stuck in some sort of simulation, and doesn't want to come out. The others seem to be there as well. Does this have something to do with the Tactical Net? If so, Iona might be more central to the issue than you thought.
But that's a different angle on this current problem... Boston herself might be more manageable.
You should probably ask around, see what her crew knows about her past.
Or you could try and take on Iona again. If your suspicions are correct, then freeing her from the dream might free them all.
Then again, if you fuck that up...

[Major Action]-1​

[] Interview Boston's crew to find out about her past.
[] Go back to Iona and interface with her.
[] Talk to Gunzou about what you've learned and let him make the decision.

[Minor Action]-2​

[] You told Mary you wouldn't be long. An hour is long. Make it up to her.
-[] Play a game with her.
-[] Paint with her.
-[] Dress up.
-[] Play volleyball with Mary and your sub-nodes.

[] Check on Blue Steel's fleet. See if any of them exhibit any other oddities.

[] Paint your hull in Blue Steel colors. You could just change it, but Humans are weird and sentimental. Putting the effort in to paint yourself in their colors instead of just changing like a chameleon might engender some trust from them.

[] Engage in some commerce. Trade some MREs for real food supplies!

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

[X] Interview Boston's crew to find out about her past.
[X] You told Mary you wouldn't be long. An hour is long. Make it up to her.
-[X] Paint with her.
[X] Paint your hull in Blue Steel colors. You could just change it, but Humans are weird and sentimental. Putting the effort in to paint yourself in their colors instead of just changing like a chameleon might engender some trust from them.

There's really no other way around this. You need to get some valid information even if isn't on some database. Perhaps you would be in better standing if you asked around. After all, what other choice did you have?


You had the option of finding her crew. At least that was what Yamato advised. You grimaced as you tried thinking about this some more but all you could feel was frustration.


It was easy enough to find the crew members and ask them but where was this leading? Was figuring out Boston's past relationships supposed to help you free her? No...


If you had enough information, that would mean something for Gunzou. As long as the information you acquire was valuable, you could get things done to your hull.


"Mary, I have an idea," you decided as you glanced at your little companion.


"Somehow hearing that fills me with dread, Surcouf," Mary admitted with a weak cough.


"If it's information, there's no one better that coercing what I want other than me! I'm the venerable Surcouf after all," you chuckled to yourself.


You then moved along to find Boston's crew. This should be easy.


.....

....

...


Well you did find them. It didn't take too long considering you were crouched before a few graves on some soil. Artificial soil in fact but soil nonetheless, they still perform the same function of decomposing organic material when under them after a long time.


This shouldn't come as a surprise, really.


"Boston's crew. This was dated several decades ago," Mary observed as she inspected the graves.


"They're all dead. Humans. Honestly, I didn't account for that, especially when Gunzou is walking around- Oh wait, he's only immortal because of his Ship Waifu being in a self imposed coma!" You barked as you kicked a stone on the ground.


Mary glanced at you with a sad smile, "Surcouf, you don't have to put it that way."


"Tch, this amount of info isn't going to be enough to guarantee anything," you sighed. You then raised an eyebrow once you turned to see a woman behind you both.


She was wearing one of the standardized uniform of Blue Steel and seemed to be carrying a basket of flowers. They must have been carefully made this far out in the Antarctic.


The woman seemed to be in her late twenties and adjusted her glasses to see you and Mary better. She stood at attention and bowed.


"H-Hello! I wasn't expecting anyone to be here.. um," the woman fixed her short hair as she glanced at you and Mary, "You're both the newcomers, yes?"


"Yes. I'm Surcouf. This here is Mary. We're trying to fix Boston," you briefly introduced yourself and your small companion.


"Hi, it feels like we've been at it for several months now but the day has yet to pass," Mary chimed in with a bright tone.


The woman blinked in surprise at that before clearing her throat, "Natalie Bishops. Radar Analyst to Blue Steel, nice to meet you."


"Charmed," you smiled at her.


"You said that you want to fix Boston?" Natalie asked with a curious tone.


"Indeed. It's a thing now apparently. No apparent leads other than her old crew," you admitted as you shook your head, "Not with all of them dead, fixing her may be fruitless."


"We need to fix her so that Gunzou will fix Surcouf," Mary said as she glanced at you, "It was a deal."


"I see. Well, of course Boston's old crew may have passed but I'm sure there's one thing that could prove useful," Natalie said as she walked past you.


She knelt down and placed a few flowers on the gravestone of one of Boston's old crew members. She then glanced at you and smiled.


"The descendants of the crew still live. I'm one of them and I could probably help you," the woman offered with a kind smile.


You snapped your fingers and smirked, "Excellent! This could be useful!"


"Please don't be so excited. You might not be expecting the information that you'll get," Natalie weakly laughed as she waved her hands.


"Well we only have something to ask, didn't we Surcouf?" Mary said as she tugged at your sleeve.


"Indeed. Tell me, what can you tell us about Boston?" You asked her with a curious look.

"From what I heard from my grandfather she was a Fog Ship with quite a few achievements. She was one of the few Blue Steel ships that fought against the Scarlet Fleet and returned with the lead damage," Natalie recalled as she smiled at you and Mary, "She was low maintenance so to speak."

Mary wandered off ahead, prompting you to follow her. You glanced at Natalie as she walked with you.

You took this moment to speak, "Well, I guess I haven't been in much contact with her. I don't have records of us ever passing one another."

"Really? That's a shame. Though the legendary Surcouf and Boston may not get along well in hindsight," Natalie said as she walked.

"Why not? Also, I like the sound of legendary," you noted with a smirk.

The Radar Analyst raised a hand, "Boston disliked liars. She was also honest to a fault. The only times she lied would be to assure her crew that she was fine despite what damages she did take."

"Ah. Those sorts of ships," you grumbled with a low tone.

Mary moved from grave to grave and inspected them as you and Natalie found a bench. The woman sat down as you placed your hands in your coat pockets.

She continued speaking then, "She was likeable to both Fog and Humans alike. She had a reliable crew... Among them was my grandfather. I suppose you could find a list of her missions in the open database."

You suppose you could, but that was exactly what you were after her.

"I guess I could. Though is there anything else noteworthy?" You asked as you watched Mary clean up a gravestone with her hands.

Natalie nodded and said, "Well... Boston would normally be teased of being in a relationship with her Captain. They were truly close if my grandfather's words were to be trusted. Almost similar to how Mr. Chihaya feels about I-401."

"She had a human lover?" You asked with a raised eyebrow. You scoffed and looked aside, "What is it with people fancying Ships? I don't get that at all. It's weird!"

"Surcouf, don't be like that! People have their right to love as they please!" Mary said from a distance.

"You're a child, Mary. What do you know?" You asked with a sigh. You glanced at Natalie and shook your head, "I apologize."

"It's fine, really. Though it may seem odd to you but these days it isn't. Fog Ships... We may have had conflicts from the start between our species but Mr. Chihaya has proven that we can coexist... If only that were true for the entire world," the woman said as she leaned on her bench.

You considered it but you never truly bought into the notion. You were a free spirit, you tying yourself to Blue Steel is a temporary measure. What mattered to you was Mary's wishes until you could figure out what to do with the Tactical Net situation.

Yamato and Iona had their roles here and they were clearly intent on using you as a pawn. Truly... What a bad joke...

You then sighed and asked, "Relationships aside... That lover... I don't suppose that person lived on?"

"Indeed. He settled down with the rest of the Founders. Among many others who sailed to Antarctica, they built this whole base... It's been our home for decades," Natalie said as she looked around, "His descendant is present however. You might be able to gain information from him."

You raised an eyebrow as you crossed your arms, "Can I now? That's interesting... And where is this person now?"

"On a supply ship coming from Australia. It's the safest place we could gather supplies at the moment but the seas are dangerous," Natalie said as she stood up, "He should be returning tomorrow morning."

"Well I'm in luck. Thank you," you smiled at her as she bowed.

"Your little friend is special to you. I wish you both good luck," Natalie said as she turned away.

You watched her leave until Mary came to your side.

"Did you get what you needed?" Mary asked as she looked up at you.

You patted her head, "Yes. We've been working hard. Let's rest for tonight, hm?"

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

It was in the next day that you were left wondering what you should do next. Well obviously it would be asking the ETA on that descendant's return. It would be better if he was here to help you with Boston's case.

But as it stood, your pride got in the way of fully realizing this task. You looked up at your battered hull and grimaced. Mary was busy painting your broadside with a bucket of blue.

You snapped your fingers and helped her out by making the nanomaterials change the shade of Blue Steel's color. It's only a temporary measure, you preferred scarlet yourself.

"Surcouf! I was painting that!" Mary whined as she yelled at you.

You waved her off as she got back to painting.

"So no progress today as well?" A voice asked as you turned your head.

Gunzou had his arms in his pockets as he glanced at you.

"If you're here to gloat, I have no use for it, captain," you dismissed him.

"While I do appreciate the colors, you don't have to go that far. You are a Free spirit at heart," Gunzou noted as he turned his gaze at Mary, "It's all for her, isn't it?"

"She needs human interaction. She spent most of her time by herself. It's necessary for her growth," you replied with a shake of your head.

"She reminds me of Maki... And you of Haruna," Gunzou said as he rubbed his chin, "Seems like even you are capable of change."

"It's either you adapt or die. That's the law of the sea," you told him with a raised eyebrow, "And we've all heard that story before."

"So have you found out about anything yet?" Gunzou asked with a curious tone, "I've heard that you've been questioning people regarding Boston's crew."

"I have the right to withhold the information I have until it's substantial enough to merit an exchange of something as valuable," you huffed as you puffed your chest,"I have my pride as an information broker and spy."

"That you are," Gunzou sighed as he shook his head.

"In any case, I just need and component. Boston should open up to me soon enough," you told him as you got up, "I'll report to you once I find my man."

"And I can guess that person is one of Boston's crew. And if not her crew then descendants of those people," Gunzou smirked as he met your gaze, "In any case, I bid you good luck."

You turned away with your arms crossed before you heard Gunzou's terminal light up. You both exchanged looks before he answered it.

"This is Chihaya speaking," Gunzou spoke. You stared at him before a frown filled his expression, "Yes. Got it. I'll send a response team in turn."

You crossed your arms as you spoke, "Concerning."

"It's one of our supply ships. They're under attack," he relayed with a serious tone, "I need to go."

You reached out for him and grabbed his forearm. You gave him a look and said, "I'll go."

"In your state? You're asking to be sunk. I'll have my men take care of it," Gunzou replied with a frown.

"Operating a dormant Fog Ship to fight will take time. Your inferior human heads can't get there in time, so leave it to the functioning Fog Ship to help you," You insisted with a heated tone, "Plus you'll owe me."

Gunzou studied your expression before glancing at your hull. He clicked his tongue before turning away.

"I'll open the doors for you. Buy us time but don't endanger yourself," Gunzou growled as he ran off.

You smiled before you ran to your hull. You caught Mary by her waist as she yelped.

"Surcouf?!" Mary gasped.

"We're going to set sail! Let's go!" You laughed as you entered your hull and started your engines. Your hull moved away from the docks and was released by the stoppers that held you in place.

You'll just have to play it safe.

But considering your history of soloing Habbakuk that may not hold up much weight.

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

You were a few kilometres out from the Blue Steel Home Port sailing at stable speeds. Your hull wasn't in pristine condition but you could make the trip faster than the humans could organize themselves into a proper response force.

Mary sat on her captain's chair as you bit your thumb and checked your scanners for anything anomalous. It wasn't known what type of vessel was attacking the supply ship nor was there any information on the particular faction.

The ocean was a lot more dangerous than you remembered.

Mary was studying the holographic recreation of the sea before you. You highlighted anything your limited sensors could touch all for Mary to let her think too.

"Surcouf... If the ship managed to get a distress signal out, then can we guess anything from that?" Mary asked as she glanced at you.

"Sure. It means they haven't been bombarded to oblivion just yet. Knowing what sort of weapon could be crafted by humans, that easy enough to do... But given their status as a supply ship, it's obvious they'd be carrying important materials," you said as you crossed your arms, "Materials that can fetch a high price. Add to the bounties Blue Steel members have and that's a lot of money."

"So this faction may be led by humans?" Mary asked with a curious tone.

"Most likely. I can only hope. We need to act fast if we're getting anything out of this," you told her as you perked up.

Mary leaned forward and frowned, "Picking up a few blips on our radar, Surcouf. Can you pinpoint and highlight these?"

"Got it," you replied as you popped a sensor drone to the surface above you.

You had it turn towards the direction of the blips and zoom in. You were then greeted by the sight of a strange ship.

"I know that we've introduced some blasphemous technology but that doesn't mean you could make weird ships, Humans," you chuckled nervously as you gazes upon the ship circling a lone supply ship.

It was large and agile looking crossbreed between a battleship and carrier. It had small flight decks with no visible vehicles on top, but had cannons that were better fitted on a Heavy Cruiser.

You identified the weapons as low stability plasma cannons and a few being laced with Fog technology or an imitation. And this thing was running laps around the limping supply ship with its guns trained on the Blue Steel vessel.

And when you said it was running laps, it was drifting as it made sharp turns. And there wasn't just one... There were four of them in total.

Like a pack of Hyenas.

"Probability of hostile actions being taken just nudged upwards," Mary swallowed as she frowned, "Those are Tri-Hull Battle Carriers. Australian design. They're versatile but impractical on normal circumstances but with integrated Fog technology, they were able to make the design work."

"That thing can launch planes?" You asked with a frown.

"No. Unmanned Attack Drones. Spherical machines that are nimble enough to avoid artillery strike, mobile enough to perform ASW, and versatile enough to operate on the air or underwater," Mary replied as she frowned, "A machine of war."

You glanced at her and frowned, "You know a lot about it."

"It was supposed to be a scrapped idea a few years ago, proposed by some prospective corporations. It seems that since I returned from my isolation on our island, there may have been a breakthrough that would have allowed it's existence," Mary replied as she pulled her legs and hugged them.

"In any case we'll have to engage them. We can't rescue who we need without doing anything," you told her as you placed a hand on her head.

"In our state? Surcouf, those Drones will be on us fast!" Mary said in alarm, "We shouldn't be rash, it would be better if we have them chase us instead of a head on fight!"

"It's either that, fighting them head on, or taking them one by one," you replied as you stayed at the edge of their sensors.

[Major Action]-1
​

[] Engage the Enemy and get them off the supply ship.
[] Turn this into a running battle. Have them pursue you.
[] Pick them off at the distance. One by one.
[] Write in...