Changing Destiny (Kancolle)

Skywalker_T-65 · Jan 30, 2016

Well, here is the omake. Hopefully it turned out well.

Omake: Birth of a Legend

The most powerful battleship in our navy! Nay, in Europe! Bismarck!

You have a powerful destiny ahead of you.

Fighting the English, nothing they have can match the power of Bismarck.

She will become the most powerful battleship in the world.

A blonde haired woman sighed, as she stood on the newly complete deck of her hull. Her long hair was secured underneath a naval cap, her uniform tunic straining against her impressive chest. No skirt covered her legs, the tunic the only clothing beyond her underclothes that the woman wore. Such scandalous clothing would have attracted the attention of more than a few men. Were the men able to see her, in the first place. But no, they could only see the hull that was her body. Her spirit was invisible to all, as she walked along that hull.

Bismarck, newest battleship in Germany. Pride of the Kriegsmarine, in a way that her elder cousin Scharnhorst never was.

The blonde battleship looked out at the crowded harbor of Hamburg, Bismarck sighed again. So much was expected of her, in a way none of her contemporaries or older cousins had. She was the first true battleship built since the end of the Great War, and while she knew little about what had occured between those dates, her work crew had given her quite a bit of knowledge of the death of Imperial Germany. And the way the navy had stagnated, until her launch and the construction of her younger sister Tirpitz.

A weight she was unsure if she could bear.

"I am the pride of Germany, but I am untested. And the Royal Navy..."

That was something else that Bismarck knew quite well. The Royal Navy and their flagship HMS Hood. Her expected foe, and one that she was not confident she could best in a fight. But the battleship was not one to back down from a fight, inexperienced or not.

Too much was riding on her, even though she cared little for the politics involved. Even as she walked over the massive swastika, painted on her bow.

"Captain is nearly here!"

Bismarck turned, blue eyes watching one of her crew, as the man ran around spreading the news. A small smile crossed her face at that, as she moved to follow the young man. Bismarck had only now finished her fitting out, and this would be the first time she had a Captain aboard. Her Captain, for that matter. It was an exciting moment for sure, and had her excited in a way she was unused to.

"I wonder what my Captain will be like?" Bismarck mused, as she approached the gangway leading down to the port.

She could go no further, and had no desire to in any case. Her hull was her home, her body and her life. Bismarck would wait here, until her Captain arrived.

The question of who she would have commanding her did worry the battleship somewhat though. She knew little about the Kriegsmarine outside her own crew and those who had been working on her. But she did remember the man with the funny mustache. Her Fuhrer. Bismarck knew just as little about him, but what she did know was that Germany held a lot of faith in her. And that whomever commanded her likely followed the Fuhrer's beliefs. Such as that Germany was destined to win this war.

Bismarck hoped that, if her Captain believed that, he wouldn't put her needlessly in harms way. She was...attached to her crew. Bismarck would hate to see them die, for no good reason. She imagined any battleship would feel the same way.

"Captain on deck!"

Her musings were ended, as a man began to walk up the gangway to her hull. Bismarck joined her crew in saluting the man, even if she knew he couldn't see her. His sharp eyes scanned the crew however, looking over each and every man with a practiced ease. His aging features did nothing to hide a sharp intellect, as the man looked over his crew. Bismarck felt a bit of respect for that, glad to see her Captain as a man worthy of commanding the flagship of Germany.

"You have taken good care of Bismarck." The Captain spoke, turning to look at her bridge. "He is lucky to have such an efficient crew."

What?!

Bismarck was a battleship. A young one, who lacked experience. But she was most assuredly not a man!

"I am not a man!"

She even shouted as much, aware it wouldn't do anything. And it didn't...her Captain showed no signs he had heard her at all, continuing on his inspection. He didn't once look in her direction, even as he talked about what he would do to work with the crew. And tried to convince them that she was a he, because her hull was so powerful. Bismarck was honored that he felt she was so powerful, but showing it in that way was...

He doesn't know.

Sighing heavily, Bismarck forced her annoyance under a wave of Teutonic stoicism. Her Captain was showing his appreciation of her in his own way, and while it was frustrating to be called a man, it was not his fault. She could deal with it, in the interests of working well for her Captain. Besides, the rest of her crew were sending him odd looks anyway. It was probably just a quirk of his, in all honesty. And frankly, Bismarck could deal with that. If her Captain were a smart man who would lead her and her crew well, then that was all that mattered.

"Well, Captain," the battleship looked at the man. "I hope you know what you are doing."

There was no reply, of course. Her Captain merely turned, walking back to the gangway. Bismarck followed, curious why he would be doing so. It was almost like he was...planning on leaving? Surely he would not do so, so soon after boarding her in the first place. That would make no sense, though she would be the first to admit to not knowing better herself.

How could she? She was still young after all.

As it would turn out, her Captain was simply getting into position where he could overlook his entire crew once again. The man gestured out at the harbor, perhaps more specifically at a heavy cruiser floating in the distance. Bismarck followed the gesture curiously, before returning her attention to her Captain. Who, for his part, had lowered his hand and faced his crew more fully. A serious expression was on his lined face, as he looked out over the sea of young men. And one woman, but he couldn't see her, clearly.

"We will be beginning sea trials soon." His voice called out over the crew. "I expect each and every one of you to do the Fatherland proud. Bismarck is the pride of the Kriegsmarine, and I won't accept anything less than perfection!"

Once more gesturing at the cruiser, the Captain continued to speak.

"Moreover, we will be escorted by Blücher during our trials. Her Captain is a hero of the Navy, who will likely become an Admiral in command of our formation. We will not disappoint!"

Cheers rang through the crew, as Bismarck watched her Captain move back down to set to work. Her sea trials...well, she would have her chance to stretch her legs at least. And Blücher was good company, from what little she knew of the other girl. More importantly...once her trials were done, Bismarck would join active duty. And finally, finally, serve the purpose she was built for.

I can hardly wait, to serve. I can only hope I will do as well as I am expected.

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 2, 2016

Took longer than I thought it would...but glorious crack inbound:

Much as he enjoyed spending time with Sara, Admiral James Thompson could admit to enjoying being able to just get away from it all on occasion. Warm sunlight beat down on him, his uniform exchanged for civilian clothing, as he walked through Honolulu. He was off-duty for the first time in quite some time, and fully intended to take advantage of it. Getting a chance to just rest and not push towards helping the girls was a rarity, after all. James could take advantage of that every once in awhile!

...

Okay, he was only out here because Sara had practically tossed him overboard. Something about him 'needing to take a break before you killed yourself'. James could see her point, but his old friend could be pushy when she wanted to be. Oh well, time to relax was time he could spend. Maybe he could find a way to get some decent food in the city. If Navy chow had been bad in his time, it was infinitely worse in the past, peacetime or no. Maybe he could try getting another letter out to his 'brother' as well.

"Where would the post office be..."

Looking around, James tried to find the post office first. He could eat later, simply enough. Before he had even taken a handful of steps however...

"You!"

A female voice shouted at him, making the Admiral snap his head around. That voice...

"Pennsy?"

Stomping down the street, in full view of everyone, was the embodiment of USS Pennsylvania. Which should have been impossible, James' mind coming to a halt, making him miss the angry expression on her face.

How in the name of all that is holy...

"Admiral Thompson, what have you done to my sister?!" Pennsy shouted again, as she continued towards the Admiral.

"Pennsylvania!" Said sister came running into view behind the green-haired battleship, her own red hair flowing in the wind.

James opened and closed his mouth, uncaring of the looks people were sending him. Why wouldn't he be shocked? Those two should not have been here.

"How...I...what...?" The Admiral managed to get out.

"Explain, now!"

If Pennsylvania cared about the impossibility of her situation, she didn't show it. Instead she stomped right up to Thompson, and glared up at him. Ari had come to a halt some bit away, worry clear in her features. And for his part, James could only blink slowly. He had zero idea what was going on, in the slightest. Leaving aside how Pennsy even got over to him, why was she so angry? What had he done to Ari to get her sister angry with him? He couldn't think of anything...

That didn't change the glare being directed his way, of course.

"What are you talking about?" Thompson finally managed to ask a coherent question.

"You know what!" Pennsy's glare, if anything, grew in intensity. "My sister has done nothing but talk about you! What have you done to her?! She never stops talking about you!"

"I..."

"And not only does she not stop talking about you, she talks about how 'nice' it feels to touch you! Have you done something to control her? If you did anything to my sister, I don't care if you're an Admi..."

"Pennsy!"

Ari's angry shout cut her sister off, making both the elder battleship and the Admiral turn to look at her.

"Quiet Arizona," Pennsylvania's voice crew softer when looking at her sister. "Let your big sister handle this."

"You be quiet Pennsy!" Ari had a stubborn expression on her face, as she placed her hands on her hips. "You can't tell me who to care for! Who to lov..."

Seemingly realizing just what she had said, Ari's mouth clamped shut, as her face went redder than her hair. James' own face did much the same, as he coughed to try and get his flush under control. Which only served to get Pennsylvania's attention back on him. And the battleship had gone red as well...from anger.

"YOU CORRUPTED MY SISTER!"

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Admiral Thompson turned on his heel and started running for his life.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Lex?"

"Sara."

"...you don't care about...?"

Lexington smiled softly, as she watched Admiral Thompson running along the pier, dodging an irate super-dreadnought, "Of course not. You can choose what you feel, and who you feel that about. You're my sister, and I want you to be happy."

"Good." Sara smiled back, though there as a hint of worry in her green eyes, as Admiral Thompson ducked underneath a thrown barrel.

"Take responsibility!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Liar!"

The two carriers had been drawn by the noise of Pennsylvania's shouting, and taken up a position watching the ensuing chase across the port facilities. Several MPs had tried to come to the Admiral's rescue, only to be bowled over by the angry battleship. You did not stop 30,000 tons of angry warship unless you were larger. Which was unfortunate for Admiral Thompson, as he started to lose ground on Pennsylvania. Seemingly realizing this, the Admiral changed directions.

Sara winced at that, watching as her beloved Admiral took a flying leap into the harbor, banking on the fact that Pennsylvania would have to stay on the surface.

"...I should go help him." The carrier sighed.

Her sister wore a kindly smile on her face, "Most likely, yes."

"I'll be back, sis."

"Have fun~."

And so, Saratoga went to rescue her Admiral, as the man hid underneath the pier where the righteously angry battleship couldn't reach him.

Hilariously non-canon, clearly. But the idea amused me. And I can write stuff that isn't feels-city!

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 3, 2016

Chapter 9:

Sitting in his room, James looked over the results of the exercise. Allowing a moment to take a sip of coffee, the Admiral couldn't help but grimace at the taste. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it with the aid of the drink, he kept an eye on Sara out of the corner of his eye. The carrier had been unusually quiet and depressed ever since he had told her about Midway. Not that Thompson could really blame her for that reaction. It was just as hard on him, as it was for her in the long run. He hadn't expected it to be easy, but on the other hand, after seeing Yorktown's birds 'slaughtered'? And talking about Midway?

Well.

It was quite different reading about situations like this in a book. It was another thing entirely to be there in person. Reading 'forty planes were shot down' was one thing. It was just...a statistic. There was a disconnect, knowing that the men who had flown and died had done so decades before he was even born. James had always been more emotional about the ship girls, than the men who had served aboard them. But actually getting to know those men? Men like Thach? It was different. It was harder. The Admiral knew that a lot of these men would die, no matter what he did.

And it made it so much more difficult to continue planning what he was. Knowing he couldn't avert the war...it was far too late for that.

"Are you alright, Sara?" James set his papers down, turning to look at the carrier.

"What?" Sara looked up, green eyes showing her confusion.

"I asked if you were okay..."

"Oh." The carrier's face flushed slightly. "I'm alright, Admiral. Just...thinking."

"About Midway?"

Sara nodded sadly, "Midway. Pearl. Coral Sea. You've told me about all of these battles but I hadn't...hadn't realized until now, what it really meant."

Well, I guess we agree on something.

James smiled slightly, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Hit me too, when I looked at these results. We aren't ready for a war, and I don't know if we will be."

What was left unsaid, was that it wouldn't matter really. They could have all the time in the world to train up, and there would still be losses. War was war. No matter if you had foresight or not, people would die and ships would sink. That it was just now hitting them, was a miracle.

"That's what we're here for though." James pushed his mind from those thoughts, with some difficulty. "To make things as prepared as we can."

"Right!"

The two shared a smile, the smile they shared whenever they needed to cheer the other up. Something becoming more often, as the pressure mounted. But...at least they could smile. With that thought in mind, James turned away from the carrier and back to his reports. Yorktown had taken a 'beating' with two bomb hits, and if the torpedoes actually worked, several hits from those. Making a mental note to continue pushing to have all members of that family tested, the Admiral looked at the damage report again.

Somehow, he got the feeling Yorktown was going to be rather...unhappy. To say the least.

"Hey, Sara?" Turning back to his friend, the Admiral raised an eyebrow. "Can you get Yorktown on the line?"

Sara blinked, "Sir?"

"Want to know what she thinks about this."

His friend winced slightly, but did as asked. There was silence, before a voice came over the radio. A voice that was familiar to Admiral Thompson, if a bit younger sounding. And angrier than usual, as well. Though that was...rather to be expected, really. Yorktown had more than enough reason to be angry.

"Hello? Sara, I swear if this is to gloat..."

"Not at all, Yorktown." Sara spoke soothingly. "My Admiral wanted to talk with you."

"Oh? Does he want to gloat then? Make fun of the new girl?"

New Girl...?

Mouthing that question at Sara, and getting only a headshake in return, James instead focused on Yorktown, "I don't have any reason to gloat, Yorktown. I wanted to ask your opinion on the exercise, nothing else."

"...that all?"

"Yes?"

A loud sigh came over the radio, and James could easily imagine Yorktown massaging her scalp. Red hair, reaching mid-back, brushed out of blue eyes. Pale features, above a belly-baring variant of a USN uniform. The first of the Yorktown-class always had been a unique ship. James remembered a kind girl, who had a bit of a temper if anyone threatened her sisters. A girl who would keep going no matter what happened, and would only rest when forced to rest. He had always assumed that was a vestige of her history. After all, how many ships could come back from near-crippling damage in two days?

But...

Well, the girl he was hearing now sounded nothing like that. There was a hint of anger in her voice no matter what she said. Understandable, perhaps, but not like the kind girl he remembered. More importantly, where the Yorktown he remembered held a certain air of wisdom and age around her...this girl sounded like she was...well. Eager to prove herself, perhaps? She lacked the wisdom of the girl he knew. James could list any number of reasons why, but it wasn't his job to psychoanalyze the girl.

"Well, if you want my opinion..." Yorktown spoke again. "That was rigged! I didn't like losing to Sara the last time, but at least that was fair! You sent two carrier's worth of birds at me, and haven't even taught my pilots those new tactics. That was not fair Admiral."

James winced, but knew that being truthful was the best option, "It wasn't meant to be fair Yorktown. I'm sorry to say that, but we needed to prove how much more effective it is to work with multiple carriers together."

"And I was your test?"

Wincing again, Admiral Thompson nodded, "Exactly. That's why I need to know what your crew thought about the training. The more I know now, the better off we'll be later."

There was silence, before another sigh came from the carrier girl, "Yeah, I see your point. My crew aren't any happier about this than I am. We have a lot to prove, especially after we 'lost' to Sara last time. You've got the veterans over there, Admiral. I'm the new girl, along with E. We may be the best purpose designed carriers out there, but we don't have the experience Lex and Sara have."

Yorktown trailed off, and James could imagine the frown on her face.

"So, yes, they aren't happy. My CAG in particular, wants to go over and compare notes with Lieutenant Commander Thach on the tactics he used. Since it was hardly fair that we went into this with outdated tactics, while you had brand new ones. And such effective ones! That you need to tell me about."

"My Admiral isn't special just because he can hear us." Sara fielded that question, soft and fond smile on her face as she looked at James. "He is from the future, Yorktown. These tactics are so well thought out, because they were used in combat. For years."

"Future."

The dull deadpan tone in Yorktown's voice had Sara laughing softly, and James cracking a smile. It was certainly better than the anger, at the least.

"Yes, and no, I don't know how I ended up back here. Now, thank you for telling me that Yorktown. I can see about getting a meeting set up when we get back to Pearl. It's about time these tactics start filtering down anyway. The last thing I want is for any of you girls going into this without being the best prepared you can be."

"...going into what, Admiral?"

James cursed under his breath, "Right, I haven't told you yet. Yorktown, war is coming, and soon. A little over a year from now, to be more exact. That's why I'm pushing through so many new tactics and strategies. I want everyone to be as ready as we can. Too many people. Too many of you girls...fell in the war I know. I don't want that, and I am doing everything I can to limit those losses."

And wasn't that an understatement. Save for letters to his family, all the time James had was spent in improving the war situation. He couldn't be everywhere. He couldn't do everything. But he was doing what he could, and that was what mattered in the long run. No matter what else happened.

"My sisters. Do my sisters survive?"

Instead of asking about anything else though, the first words out of Yorktown's mouth were concern for her sisters. The girl James remembered shone through, the tone in her voice achingly familiar. Especially since, in what was becoming a recurring statement, he had to tell her what had happened. He never did like telling these girls what had happened to them, or their sisters.

But...it had to be done. She wouldn't take no for an answer. Not at all.

"You, Hornet, and Wasp all don't make it." James sighed softly. "Only Enterprise survived the war. She was a hero too...Enterprise vs. Japan, was a common statement back home."

"Little E? A hero?" Yorktown's voice shook, clearly doing her best not to think about anything else. "I...she isn't the type, Admiral."

"Really?"

"Yes. Have you not met her?"

"In this time, no."

And now James was wondering exactly what the downtime Enterprise was actually like...

Meanwhile, back in Pearl Harbor, USS Utah leaned against her hull. The tired old girl had been resting ever since she had returned the harbor, her crew and the dockyard doing what they could to repair her old boilers. She hadn't had a proper refit since '32, when she had been converted into a target ship. And her boilers hadn't properly been changed since 1925, when oil had replaced coal. It was little wonder, then, that she was tired. Repairs and retrofits could only do so much, for such old equipment. And as a target ship, her maintenance was hardly high-priority to begin with.

She didn't blame the Navy for that, but it did make it more difficult on her. Exerting herself was a lot harder, when her hull creaked and her boilers sputtered.

But still, she did so. The old girl had napped, more or less, while the repairs were performed. It had only been recently that she had dragged herself up. In time to see a pair of new arrivals to the harbor, at that. West Virginia- WeeVee, or just Virginia -and Enterprise, Little E as her sister called her. Utah only knew her daughter, unfamiliar with the carrier. But a small smile still crossed her face...the more ships that Admiral Thompson could talk to, the better in the long run.

"I need to keep working myself." Utah muttered to herself, as her eyes trailed over Arizona and California as well. "Where is my Captain...?"

Pushing herself away from her hull, Utah swayed slightly on her feet. Forcing her spinning vision to stabilize, the old girl smoothed down her dress and set off to find her commanding officer. Her new commander, at that. John had left a month ago, her efforts to communicate with him making the man request a reassignment.

My reputation precedes me now.

Utah allowed herself a small laugh at the thought. She had something of a reputation as a 'haunted ghost ship' now. Her efforts at communicating with her crew had lead to that, though she wished they hadn't.

"Utah?"

Before she could find her commander, Arizona's voice echoed in her head.

Smile widening slightly, Utah keyed her radio in to the other girl's frequency, "Yes, Arizona?"

"Ah, you're awake!" Arizona's voice was much more cheerful than it had been, and Utah could practically feel the grin on her daughter's face.

"Yes, I'm sorry if you tried to talk to me earlier." And she really was, as Utah felt a small flush cross her pale face. "Did you need me for something?"

"I'm not mad that you couldn't talk to me..." Arizona trailed off uncertainly. "I was just worried about you. Are you okay?"

A warm feeling ran through the old battleship at that question. She didn't know if her daughters felt the same way about her, that she felt about them. After all, they were not truly her daughters, in the strictest sense. But even so...the genuine worry and concern in Arizona's voice had her smiling wider. Utah liked to think they considered her someone they could trust, even if not a mother figure. So it was...most certainly nice, to hear her voice like this. Quite nice, in fact. Still...

There was work to be done. Utah could enjoy the feeling later, when she wasn't needing to find her Captain. And on that note...

"I'm perfectly fine, Arizona. Just tired, as I said before." Utah knew that was a lie, but she wasn't about to worry her daughter. "Now, have you talked with your Admiral?"

There was silence, before a nervous laugh came over the line, "I haven't. I tried, but he didn't act like I was there...not like Admiral Thompson."

The fondness in Arizona's voice when she spoke of the Admiral had Utah laugh lightly. Along with shaking her head fondly. She wondered if the younger battleship had any idea what she sounded like? Most likely not, in fact. And nor did Admiral Thompson, in all likelihood. Well, there was a time and a place for joking. And while the more motherly side of Utah was tempted to poke at her younger counterpart, that could wait.

"Yes, well, Admiral Thompson is a bit of an exception to the rule, is he not?" Utah gently reminded the younger battleship.

"I know! Still, I hoped it would go better."

"It won't be quick, or easy."

Utah knew that better than anyone. Her efforts...well, she could only keep trying.

"Right. Well, I'll try again! I want to be able to show some progress when Admiral Thompson gets back."

"Good luck."

With those parting words, Utah cut the line and sighed softly. Shaking legs carried her to where her Captain hopefully was, as the aging target ship brushed grey hair from her eyes. Time to find the man, and continue her attempts to communicate. She was close to a breakthrough. Utah knew she was extremely close. So close, she could almost feel it. But there was some barrier. Some problem, she had yet to figure out. She could touch her crew. She could make her voice heard, if nothing else, as a ghostly whisper. But proper communication still eluded her.

And Utah knew her time was limited. She was old and tired. Her time was coming to an end, she knew that better than anyone.

Even were she to survive Pearl Harbor, where would she then be? Utah was old, obsolete. She would soon be replaced, likely as not by Wyoming. Even her days as a target ship could only last so long...after war was declared. She knew that, even as it made the battleship wipe a stray tear. Her time with her daughters was coming to a close, yes.

I can't let that stop me.

But she still squared her shoulders, taking in a weary breath. Utah may be old. She may only have a few years left in her. But she was going to make her voice heard. If she could just make that final breakthrough, she could spread the word to her daughters. And from there, to the carriers. To the cruisers. To the little destroyers. They would all be able to make their voices heard, and then?

Well, then they would stand a much greater chance of surviving the war. For even if she knew her own time was coming to an end, Utah would be damned if she saw her daughters die before her.

Utah continues to be fun, at least to write.

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 7, 2016

Chapter 10:

"Welcome back to Pearl, eh?" James looked out at the crystal waters of the harbor, as his taskgroup pulled in.

"I feel like we spend more time here than at sea, Admiral." Sara smiled at him, green eyes dancing in the light reflected from the harbor.

"No argument there. Then again, at least we're making progress."

"Yes."

Nodding at his friend and confidant, Admiral Thompson looked back out at the harbor. Not much had changed, reasonably speaking. There was clear construction work underway, fortifying the harbor. He didn't know enough of how the defenses had originally developed to know if Admiral Richardson had pushed through more work or not, however. All he did know, was that more anti-aircraft batteries were springing up around Ford Island and the Naval Station. Nodding gratefully at that sight, James cast his eyes out at the ships in harbor next.

At the moment, that amounted to Utah- the old girl undergoing maintenance, last he knew -and a few battleships, cruisers and destroyers. Of those girls, three caught his eye in specific. The familiar form of Ari, that had a smile crawling across his face. It was always nice, to see Arizona after all. Moored in front of her, was West Virginia. And that caught his eye, as James had yet to talk to Virginia. Moored in a different position from the rest, was arguably the most famous of all these ships...at least to him.

USS Enterprise, CV-6.

Hmm. I do need to talk with her. I don't know, and neither did the Big E I remember, how much her survival came down to luck as opposed to skill.

A small chuckle came from the Admiral as he thought about that.

And I'm not sure it matters. I need to talk with her. A prepared Enterprise can work wonders.

Now wasn't that an understatement of the century.

"Sir?"

Turning his head, James noted that one of his crew had come up to him, "Yes?"

"Admiral Richardson sends his congratulations on a well-performed exercise, but requests you meet with him as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

As his subordinate went back to his post, James shrugged at the look on Sara's face.

"Admiral?"

Thompson merely shrugged again, "I know why he wants to see me. I took a risk putting in the need to test the Mk. 14 and 15 in the report."

A rather large risk, honestly. BuOrd were a force to be reckoned with, even for CinCUS. Admiral Richardson would be understandably wary of doing anything that may reflect badly on his command. The man was a stubborn old sea dog, but he was far from stupid. So James was well aware how big of a risk he was taking- and asking Richardson to take -by mentioning those two torpedoes. It was hard enough to get permission to live-test, what was needed, the Mk. 13. Testing the sub and destroyer launched variants was pushing things.

But it needed to be done. Fixing the Mk. 13 would be great, but a lot of subs didn't perform well because they didn't have good torps.

At any rate though, that was in the future. Right now, James turned to return to his room. If asked, it was to retrieve his report and notes thereof, to deliver in person. In actuality, he- knowing Sara was at his heel -planned on using the temporary privacy. It was time to contact Ari and the others.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Is everyone connected?"

"I'm here Admiral!" Ari's cheerful voice made a smile cross James' face.

"As am I." West Virginia's quiet and formal tone was quite unlike the older battleship. The Admiral could see her leaning against her hull, deep purple dress shifting in the wind, her long brown hair blowing around as well. Violet eyes would be looking at him, watching for any sign of him doing something wrong. Good 'ole WeeVee was quite the serious girl.

"Here." Yorktown, on the other hand, still sounded a little bitter.

The final one to reply was Enterprise, and she had James doing a double-take, even as Sara smiled in an almost motherly fashion.

"So am I! Yorktown told me all about you Admiral, and I can't wait to talk about those new tactics! I hope I can use them well!"

For the voice was...so unlike the quiet and reserved girl he knew, that it had him blinking in shock. It was similar to Ari in a way. But where Arizona was just cheerful and unusually eager to talk to him in particular, Enterprise sounded...like a younger sister. A younger sister who wanted to impress her siblings. If anything, the tone in her voice reminded him of the younger destroyers he remembered. Always eager to please, and trying to do their best to show they could fight. But why would Enterprise of all carriers have that tone in her voice?

Hadn't she...

No. Don't think that way, Thompson.

James shook his head, forcing himself to look at the situation from a different angle. Enterprise didn't have the experience that made her what he remembered. By all rights, she should be extremely different.

"Did I say something wrong sis?" That familiar-yet-unfamiliar voice spoke up again, worry in it as she asked Yorktown that question.

"No, not at all Little E." For her part, Yorktown had ill-hidden pain in her voice.

"Sis?"

"Tell you later."

Coughing slightly, Admiral Thompson tried to get the conversation back on topic, "Right. Ari, Yorktown and Sara already know what I'm going to talk about. But Virginia and Enterprise need to know this."

"Know what?" The battleship girl asked, curious tone to her soft voice.

"That I can only talk to you, because I am from a future where all you girls came back as...well, girls."

"Hm."

"Future? What happened?"

Still twitching slightly at the different Enterprise- it was, in a way, even more shocking than Ari or Sara -James sighed, "A lot of things, that would take more time to explain than I have. At any rate, what I need to explain, is that war is coming soon."

Virginia's voice changed, ever so slightly, "War?"

"Yes. War with Japan, more specifically. If you've noticed any new work at Pearl, that is because I am trying to improve the defenses here. I hope it works, but I can make no guarantees there. That is why I am talking to all you girls. And why Utah is trying to find a way for you all to talk with people other than me."

Now, James was very well aware of the risks inherent in what Utah was trying to do. But he knew better than to try stopping her, now. Roll with the punches, and do his best was all that could be done. If that took more work than he necessarily liked? So be it. And...if it came down to it, Utah's work may help in the long run. She was a smart girl, and he didn't worry that the old battleship would do anything wrong. Moreover, having the girls able to talk to other officers could prove beneficial to his goals. If nothing else, it would make it easier if he was ever ratted out.

Pushing that aside for the moment however...

"I would suggest talking with Utah about that however. What I need to tell you girls, is to be ready. As long as I'm the harbor, I will tell you- those I haven't told already -what to expect. And how to prepare for it."

"Thank you, Admiral." Virginia sounded genuinely thankful.

"...I..." Enterprise, by contrast, sounded completely floored by what she had heard.

James would have said something to comfort her, but rapid knocking on his door put paid to that idea. Nodding at Sara to cut the transmission- with apologies that only he could hear -the Admiral moved to open his door. Standing outside the hatch, was his Captain, the man as professional as ever.

"We have finished docking, Admiral."

"Thank you." James nodded back.

His Captain turned on his heel, returning to the bridge. For his part, James made sure he was alone, before turning back to Sara. The carrier smiled at him, already knowing what needed to be said. Not that James was particularly happy about cutting his little meeting off like that, but, well. Duty called, and all that.

"Time to see the other Admiral." He smiled at Sara, who simply laughed softly.

"Yes it is. Good luck, sir."

"Thanks Sara."

James had the feeling he would probably need that luck, in the long run.

At the other end of the meeting, however, one girl held a hand to her chest. Soft red eyes looked out at the shimmering harbor, her young features twisted with worry. Blonde hair fell around her face, framing it in the sunlight. Her hand clenched in the thin fabric of her top, as the girl shifted to lean against her hull. USS Enterprise bit her lip worriedly, as she looked over at the familiar form of her elder sister. Yorktown was moored relatively close by, this being perhaps the first time that all four of the major fleet carriers were in the same harbor like this.

Which should have been a happy occasion.

But...what Admiral Thompson had said, worried her. War? War with Japan? She didn't know much about the Japanese herself, but the idea of any war had her biting her lip. Not that Enterprise was worried about fighting, not at all! She wouldn't call herself eager to go to war, her own Admiral Halsey's doctrines aside. But she would fight to the best of her ability.

Even so...

"You okay, Little E?"

Enterprise smiled, hearing her beloved sister's voice, "I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

The fondness in her sister's voice had Enterprise flushing slightly. Yorktown had always been like that, a great sister. Ever since they were both fitted out in the same dockyard. Enterprise...she looked up to her sister so much. Her greatest desire was to have Yorktown be proud of her. That was why she didn't like the idea of going to war. What if she didn't measure up to her sister?

Or, even worse...what if her sister got hurt?

I...if anything happened to her...

"E?"

"Yes?"

Yorktown sounded uncharacteristically somber, as she continued, "Admiral Thompson told me something about that war. Do you want to know?"

Her sister would only say that if it was something she knew Enterprise wouldn't want to hear. The younger sister recognized that tone of voice, and it had her worriedly biting her lip once more. Did she want to know? Yorktown wouldn't ask that, without good reason. But...

"Tell me."

Enterprise had to step up, some time. If she wanted her sister to be proud of her, she couldn't hide in her skirts forever.

There was silence on the line, before Yorktown sighed heavily. Enterprise could imagine the somber expression on her sister's face, despite never seeing her up close. She just...knew...that her sister would have a little frown. Red hair falling in front of her eyes, as she looked down.

"Admiral Thompson told me what happened to all of us in the war. I...I..." Yorktown sucked in a shaky breath. "I didn't make it. Neither did Wasp or Hornet."

"You...sis..."

To say the least, Enterprise felt like someone had slapped her. She had just been worrying about the idea of her sister being hurt in the war. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind though, that Yorktown could die. It was impossible. Her strong, brave sister couldn't die. She just...she...couldn't. It wasn't possible. Yorktown was her rock, the one she looked up to. The one that Enterprise wanted to see proud of her. She couldn't even imagine her sister not being there for her. It was impossible to think about.

Not to mention...her own younger siblings? Little Wasp, who only the Yorktown sisters really considered their sister and not a one-off made just to get planes in the water? And Hornet, who hadn't even been launched yet? Enterprise couldn't imagine losing all of them. She didn't want to imagine losing all of them. It hurt too much to think of that. It hurt like someone had sent a torpedo into her flank, and twisted at the hole.

Wait...

"Yorktown...big sis..." Enterprise whispered.

"Yes, Little E?" Yorktown's own voice was shaking.

"Did I make it?"

Her sister hadn't mentioned her sinking.

"You did." A sigh came over the line, a weary sigh. "He said you were a hero, sis. Big E vs. Japan."

Enterprise shook her head. She didn't want to be a hero. She didn't want to be 'Big E'. Not if it meant her sisters weren't there. It was not an understatement to say that her sisters mattered more to her than anything else. Enterprise couldn't imagine surviving without them. Being a hero? Sure, she could enjoy that. But only if she had Yorktown there to be proud of her. Wasp and Hornet to support her, and look up to her. What was the point of being a hero, if all her sisters died? The answer was simple...there was no point.

All she wanted was her sisters to be proud of her. Enterprise didn't want to fight alone.

I would never want that. I would rather die myself, than be lucky enough to survive where they don't.

Times like this, she wished it were possible to leave her hull. Despite never feeling it herself, Enterprise wanted nothing more than to be hugging Yorktown. Be held in her sister's strong arms, and not think about what may come to pass. She would be perfectly fine, staying as Little E, if her sister was still there.

"Enterprise."

Yorktown's voice had her sister's head snapping up, "Yes?"

"That won't happen now, you know that? I don't care what I have to do. But you're my Little E, and I won't let you go through that again. I can't say that I wouldn't throw my own life away if it meant you would live." Yorktown's voice shook. "But believe me. I won't let that happen, if I can avoid it. I love you sis, and I don't want to you to have to fight alone."

"Sis..."

"Don't worry, Little E. Damn, if I have to fight until I fall apart, I will. They will not take us apart, not this time. Am I right?"

Enterprise smiled, "Yeah, you're right!"

"Of course I am."

Both sisters knew the false bravado in that statement. But still, Enterprise felt warmth in her chest, as she looked over at her sister. Still, her red eyes shifted from her sibling, to where the sleeker Lex and Sara lay. The Admiral who had told them this...Enterprise needed to talk to him. He knew a possible future for her. One that she didn't want to think about, but that may help. If he could tell her what she had done, to become 'Big E', then she could do it again. Except, this time, it would be in defense of her sisters.

Just as Yorktown would do everything she could to keep her alive, Enterprise would do the exact same for her sisters.

"I won't lose them, not again. No matter what I have to do."

For context on my version of (Little) E:

I feel that Enterprise, at the time, would be something of an untested girl who probably felt a bit inadequate in comparison to her contemporaries. Lex and Sara, the veterans who trained the entire American Naval Air Forces, more or less. At least for carrier operations. Yorktown, the new 'proper' fleet carrier, who was the most advanced in the world (in her mind). Who, also happens to be her elder sister, that she looks up to and really wants to prove herself to.

Thus, we have a somewhat insecure girl who wants her sister to be proud of her, more than anything else.

Which makes the tragedy of Big E, all the more poignant. Don't it?

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 15, 2016

Chapter 11:

Sitting in a briefing room with two other Admirals was not what James Thompson wished he was doing with his time. He had so many different reasons to want to be elsewhere, about as many as he did things needing done. But he was an Admiral. And he could understand the purpose for this meeting. He knew and understood that. It didn't mean he had to like the meeting, but, well...sometimes things needed to be done. Even if he didn't like them. With that in mind, he turned to focus on the men he was stuck with.

Admirals Richardson and Willson.

The former he could understand. Richardson had called this meeting after all. The latter confused him however. Admiral Willson was 'merely' commander of BB Division One. Arizona's division. An important post ,to be sure, but not the only ComBatDiv in the Pacific Fleet. With that in mind, the question was simple. Why was Willson here as well? Ari hadn't said anything about it, so it couldn't have been something to do with her. Right?

"Admiral." Richardson was the first to speak, looking over his glasses. "I've read your report."

"Sir?" James asked, doing his best to not look wary. "Is there anything in specific you wanted to know?"

Richardson sighed, "The torpedoes. Are you absolutely certain it was a flaw in their design?"

Yes.

"As certain as I can be." Thompson sighed himself. "They need more testing, to be certain. That's why I suggested we test the Mark 13 and 14 as well. They all come from the same family, and if something is faulty in one..."

"You believe it is the same in all." The higher-ranked Admiral cut James off. "Yes, I can see why you would believe that. But I can't authorize those tests."

That had been something that worried James. Not that it was unexpected, though.

"Why?" Still, he had to ask.

"The weapons were air-dropped. It is entirely possible that the impact on the water is what caused the issues." Richardson, to his credit, looked unhappy. "That is what BuOrd would tell me, if I tried to test all of the torpedoes. You will get your tests on the Mark 13, but nothing more."

"Yes sir."

Well, it wasn't like James could blame Richardson for not pushing the subject. It was pushing that forced him from this position, in the time James came from. While the backlash on Admiral Kimmel was, likely, overblown...it didn't change the fact that Thompson would far prefer Richardson stay in command for as long as possible. This was a man who had built his career on studying the Japanese, and knew better than anyone how exposed Hawaii truly was. The longer he remained in command, the more prepared they would be for the inevitable attack.

Though, they couldn't be too prepared...or they would lose the girls in open ocean.

I hate having to work in the shadows like this...

Sighing softly, James returned his attention to the other Admiral. Richardson was watching him like a hawk, while Willson looked...unhappy.

Why?

"The other portion of your report that interests me, is your report on carrier tactics." The senior Admiral continued.

"In what way?"

Richardson looked out of the corner of his eye, at Willson, "Your suggestions on having the carriers take up more responsibilities. I will readily admit that you have more experience in carrier tactics than I do. However..."

"You are pushing too hard." Willson had spoken, the moment Richardson sent him a nod.

And that is what I was worried about. Damn it.

Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't expected this.

"I see." James nodded, keeping his voice carefully level.

Willson frowned, "I'm not certain you do. Admiral Thompson, what you are proposing is such a radical departure from existing tactics, that it is hard to believe you are aware of it. I won't deny that your carriers have their uses, certainly. But to imply that battleships should be relegated to the sidelines?"

"My report shows..."

"It shows that two carriers operating in tandem are better than one operating alone." The older Admiral cut him off. "In addition, Yorktown's pilots were not trained in the new, and I daresay valuable, tactics you have been pushing for. That alone should be indicative of the fact that this exercise would need repeating."

On the one hand, he isn't dismissing the tactics. On the other...I knew that dealing with Battleship Admirals could be problematic. And I don't know enough about Admiral Willson to judge where he may fall on this subject.

Sighing softly, Thompson looked his counterpart in the eyes, "I am aware of that fact. But, on the other hand, my pilots mission-killed Yorktown, even with the torpedo failure. Carriers are capable of sinking other warships."

"You aren't Billy Mitchell, and I am not his Court Martial board." Willson replied, voice held to an even tone. "I am very aware, of how dangerous your pilots are. However, that does little to change the fact that my battleships are the core of any offensive action. The carriers are able to provide support, true. Your pilots may be the difference between life and death, if the Japs brought in their own carriers. And if they had anything worth worrying about."

Willson sighed himself, looking more his age.

"That is something I doubt, myself. Even so, I appreciate what you are trying to do, Admiral Thompson. But at the same time, you are wrong. Carriers are to support the battleships, not the other way around. I already intend to refit Arizona with better anti-air weaponry as soon as possible. But, and I am not sure you understand this, I need your fighters more than your bombers. Keep the battleships safe, and they can deal with anything that tries to get close."

Honestly, that was more thought out and logical that James might have expected. Perhaps it was from journalism after the war, but he had been lead to believe that the desire for battleships to be the 'decisive force' meant the carriers were considered secondary at best. Willson implied that while the dreadnoughts were still the main striking force, he knew at least that the carriers wereneeded. If only for defense and spoiling attacks. It wasn't quite an admittance that the carriers were the future, but at least it was better than the alternative.

"And, I should inform you..."

Head turning back to his counterpart, James frowned, "Yes?"

"You will not make friends, if you continue pushing." Willson was deadly serious, his eyes boring into Thompson. "I myself will push right back, if you try and relegate my boys to secondary roles. Believe me, you will make more enemies than friends among the battleship commanders. And in Washington."

And there it is.

"I see." James nodded. "Admiral Richardson? Was there anything else you needed me to report?"

Richardson had remained outside the discussion, merely watching his subordinates. James knew the man was forward-thinking for his time, but he knew little on his views of the carrier and battleship split.

"Just one." The higher-ranked man replied.

"Yes?"

"Are you aware of the reports that the new Talk Between Ships sets are being misused?"

Oh...shit.

Inwardly sweating, James nodded back, "I have heard, yes. My own crew has made a report on it, and I've been trying to uncover whoever it is using the set. My crew is large though, so I'm sure you can understand the difficulty, Admiral."

That was his one saving grace. Sara's crew numbered in the thousands. Finding one person, who didn't exist at that, in that many men? It would take time, to say the least. But James worried nonetheless. He had found out that the ships using their radios to communicate also registered as usage of the physical sets. He wasn't sure how, but it did. And his radio operators were eagle-eyed when it came to their precious equipment. He had been asked to investigate several times.

Well, rather, his Captain had been asked. It had been bumped up to him when other ships in the task group reported the same.

Regardless, it caused an issue for him. Passing off the attempts to communicate as ghosts worked to some extent. Granted, it spooked the hell out of already superstitious crews. But at least that was the extent of it. But if the use of the radio, something he couldn't stop doing if he wanted to coordinate actions with the other girls, was registered? As someone using the sets as a joke? It made things far harder. How could he deal with it, when it became apparent it wasn't the crews? Or if someone actually heard the girls? Heard him?

"I understand," Richardson's voice spoke up. "However, I have to ask you to put more effort in Admiral Thompson. I have had an investigation ongoing on the ships in harbor, but if it is happening outside harbor as well, it is important that we identify the issue. If that is operator error, I want to train our operators better. If that is an issue with the equipment, such as with the torpedoes, I need to get better equipment. If it is someone in a crew doing so, and they have members on every ship in the fleet..."

The Admiral trailed off, but the implied threat was real.

"I will do what I can, Admiral."

And what else could James do? Until Utah made a breakthrough, they would have to continue this hiding in the shadows. No matter the risk, or the fact he could personally interview every single member of his crew and not one of them would- or could -give an answer.

This is not going to go well.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This is a good day.

USS Arizona stood on the deck of her hull, looking out into the harbor. She could see the most carriers she had ever seen in one spot, for sure. Lex, Sara, Yorktown and Enterprise. It was an interesting experience in that regard alone. But of course, her attention was focused mostly on Sara in specific. She knew that Admiral Thompson wasn't aboard, from talking with Sara. He was meeting with Admiral Richardson and her own Admiral Willson. She wasn't quite sure what they were discussing. But it had to be important, if her own Admiral was participating.

Not that it was the first time. She still fondly remembered the last time those three Admirals had met. After all, it had been the last time she saw Admiral Thompson in person!

Even as a smile crossed her face from that memory, Arizona heard the sound of a motor. Turning from Sara's hull in the distance, she moved to her stern. Looking out at the harbor, Ari smiled widely. She recognized that launch. More importantly, she recognized the tall figure in the launch. Admiral Thompson. Moving to the very edge of her hull, she gave a little wave at the launch. She wasn't expecting a wave back, of course.

But it still made her smile warm her face, when she saw the Admiral nod back at her. She was fully capable of seeing the small smile on his own face, and it made her happy. Even though she couldn't talk to him, it was something.

"Admiral on deck!"

Something that was broken, as her own Admiral returned. Ari had made an attempt to talk to him recently, but it hadn't come to anything really. That said, Utah had told her it would help Admiral Thompson, so she would keep trying.

Even if the man looked rather...unhappy.

"At ease." Admiral Willson spoke, as he moved past his crew and towards his quarters. Arizona followed him, curiosity in her brown eyes.

Why is he unhappy?

It was only when he was in his cabin, that Arizona would get an answer. Admiral Willson sat down heavily, looking at reports on his desk.

"That man is going to be the death of me." The older man muttered, as he leafed through the reports.

"Admiral?" Ari tried, even though she knew nothing would come of it.

And nothing did, as the Admiral continued to leaf through the reports. Ari frowned, confusion clear in her features. Why was her Admiral upset? And was he talking about Admiral Thompson? She hadn't known there were any issues between the two men. At the least, she hadn't seen any such issues during their last meeting. She had been rather focused on the man she was so fond of though...

Shaking her head, the battleship looked back at her Admiral. The man was rubbing his forehead, as he wrote down in a journal. Arizona wasn't about to read what he wrote, of course. That would be improper of her. But she could see the lines of stress in his features, and it had her worried. What had happened, at that meeting? Admiral Thompson hadn't looked off...but then, would he? He had to deal with a lot, and probably hid most of what he felt.

"Battleships are still the core of the Navy. Carriers are for support, not leading the fight." Admiral Willson mused, as he continued writing things down. "That man is trying to upset the status quo far too much. He is a fool, but he has Richardson's ear..."

Ari felt a flash of indignation, at hearing that, "Admiral Thompson knows more than anyone!"

Of course, her own Admiral didn't hear her. Sighing, the battleship bounced back on her heels. She knew that battleships were supposed to be the core of the battleline, at the moment. But she had talked with Admiral Thompson and Sara enough times by now, to know it wouldn't last. It was hard for her to reconcile the idea that her guns were useless in the face of a concentrated air attack, but she saw little reason to doubt them.

And she knew that not everyone would be so accepting.

"The refit will need to be more extensive, than I thought." Admiral Willson continued, Ari realizing he was marking down changes to her hull. It was hard not to, when she saw him take out a sketch of her deck. "Still, I know that Richardson will support us in the end. The Carriers are support, not the heart of the fleet."

Even as a battleship, Ari felt herself shaking her head. But what could she do?

Talk with him. Make him understand.

A small laugh came from her, upon thinking that. Her mental voice sounded like Utah. Smiling at the thought of the elder battleship, she turned to her Admiral. Willson still made no sign of knowing she was there, but Ari didn't really expect him to.

"I will talk to you Admiral. I don't want everything Admiral Thompson is working towards, to be wasted!"

There was no response, but between her upcoming refit and what her Admiral had said? Arizona was determined to make herself heard, now. It was all she could do, to help the man she trusted so much. And if it was all she could do, she would do it to the best of her ability.

Well, it wasn't always going to be smooth sailing, now was it?

Expect more of the issues with BB Admirals to crop up later, once Sara is in refit. Which historically started in Jan '41, so only a handful of months in story time.

Insofar as Willson goes, Wiki is annoyingly unhelpful on his opinions/personality. So...improv for the win! I try to do my best to research things, but sometimes...yeah.

That said, he apparently had a son who was a naval aviator, so that's why he's willing to at least acknowledge carriers have uses.

Also:

Valentines Day fun, featuring Ari and Thompson. And Indylitz, but that's a different story entirely...

No pun intended, I swear.

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 22, 2016

Chapter 12:

"I will never get used to this..."

Wandering through Honolulu, listening to the bustle of people, was not something that James had expected to spend doing. But, well, it was necessary. He had been spending entirely too much time cooped up in his room. Not that he minded spending time talking with Sara and the others, mind you. He quite enjoyed it actually. But spending all his time doing that was asking for trouble. Especially now...now that he couldn't realistically risk just talking with the girls over the radio. He had known it would happen, from the moment the first reports came in. But it hardly made it any easier on him, really.

After all, he could only really relate to the girls. Everyone else he was around, reminded him of the time he had ended up in.

Not that wandering through the city itself didn't, of course. The Honolulu he remembered was absolutely nothing like the one he had found himself in. Granted, the city he remembered was a ghost town. Shattered buildings and all. Abyssal raids on Hawaii had been so common, the islands had been evacuated long ago. Honolulu had been gutted. Seeing it full of people, carefree and happy, was not something he was used to. Toss in the lack of glittering skyscrapers- burnt and damaged or otherwise -and it was...an odd experience. Very odd.

At least I know what I'm fighting for, seeing this.

With that in mind, he started looking around for something to do. Didn't take long either.

"Papers! Papers here!"

Considering his green eyes locked onto an honest to God paper boy. Shaking his head in amazement at the novelty of it all, James followed along with the small group moving towards the kid. A kid who looked up at him with clear awe that an officer was getting his paper. At least Thompson hadn't gone out with anything marking him as an Admiral.

"Five cents, sir."

"Here you are."

Handing over a nickel, and reminding himself that was a lot more than it was when he came from, the Admiral took his paper. Moving aside so others could do the same, he sat down on a nearby bench. Unfurling the paper, James looked at the date. September 24th, 1940.

Hmm...anything special happen today?

Nothing came to mind, as he looked to see how much the events meshed with his memories. There was the expected 'homefront' things. Sports and all that, nothing that really caught his interest. What did catch his interest was a certain foreign affairs event. One that had his hands clenching the paper, as he cursed under his breath. No one noticed, and the Admiral was thankful for that. He didn't want to explain his reaction.

He couldn't, reasonably.

"Embargo...it's just steel so far, but..." Thompson forced his hands to relax, taking in a deep breath. Calming himself in a way taught by...Akagi...the man sighed softly. "This is not good. I knew it was coming, but this is the first step."

The first step towards the attack he was trying to prepare for. Would Japan and America have come to blows anyway? Perhaps. But the embargoes speeded up the problem...without imports, Japan would crawl to a halt. Militarily and on the homefront. It was necessary of course, with what they did in China. But...

"Great. It's only a matter of time now..."

"Matter of time?"

James blinked, turning his head. A young Japanese-American man was staring at him curiously, not a hint of awe or fear at approaching an officer. He could give the man that at least.

"Nothing, just reading the paper." James put said paper under his arm, as he looked at the younger man. "Do I know you?"

The man shook his head, "No sir. Sorry for bothering you, I was just wondering since you looked...angry."

"Well, there is nothing to worry about Mr..."

"Iwata, Riku Iwata." The man, Iwata, bowed slightly. "It is a pleasure."

Nodding back, James smiled slightly, "Likewise. Names James Thompson, mind if I ask what you were doing?"

His new acquaintance smiled back, "As I said, I noticed you were angry and was curious about why. I myself am a fair bit upset at the embargo. I understand it, and as I was born here in Hawaii I can't say it impacts me as much as my parents, but..."

The Japanese-American civilian trailed off, perhaps realizing who he was talking to.

"My apologies, sir."

"No need for that," James waved his hand. "I understand what you mean. Sometimes we have to do things we don't like, and with what is happening in China..."

Both men winced at that thought. Frankly, if you weren't a militaristic nutjob what the Japanese got up to in China was deplorable. Even though James knew not everything was known about that yet,enough had come out, clearly. It was enough to remind him of why he did what he did, at least. Sometimes it was hard to think of Japan as the enemy. He had many Japanese friends, it came with spending so much time in Japan. But when even the Japanese-Americans knew that what Japan did in this day and age was wrong, well...it spoke much of the nation.

Pushing those thoughts away, James sighed. He didn't need to think of that right now. Right now, was time spent relaxing. He couldn't leave port until Admiral Richardson had the torpedo tests set up, so best to spend his time on something not related to the inevitable war.

In that line of thought...

"Enough about that though." The Admiral looked at the other man. "Do you mind showing me around town? I haven't spent much time off the ship, lately."

"Certainly." Iwata replied with a short nod of his head. "What ship, if you don't mind me asking?"

James may have been a bit trusting, but he was no fool. He shook his head, "Sorry, can't tell you that."

"Ah. Understandable, I suppose." Iwata didn't seem all that put out, as he started walking down the street. "Operation security?"

"Exactly. You have family in the military?"

A smile crossed the other man's face, "My cousin serves aboard one of Japan's carriers. I'm sure you understand why I can't say which one."

Oh, he has a sense of humor.

"And yes, we do keep in contact." The younger man continued, with his smile not fading. "Though his letters have been a bit sparse, as of late. With the war..."

"I can imagine." Thompson nodded back, "Still, I hope he's okay. We aren't enemies yet, and I hope we never are."

"As does my family. I...don't like the idea, of our family back home being an enemy."

That was the problem with war. And most especially this war. Loyalties...loyalties could tear families apart. Japanese-Americans were almost universally loyal to America, and that meant they would be in conflict with their homelands. With their families, back home. That was almost a uniquely American problem, as few other nations had such a varied immigrant population. And James couldn't say he understood it, having not lived through any proper war, beyond the Abyssals.

Still, moving past that...

"Well, I'm sure we all hope a war doesn't come." The Admiral nodded at the younger man by his side. "So, how about we keep that in mind?"

Iwata didn't dispute the point, "Quite. Now, here is the most popular restaurant in town. I would recommend it, if you haven't eaten yet."

As James' stomach chose that very moment to growl, he could hardly dispute the point. Iwata's lips twitched upwards, as the Japanese-American waved at the door. Thompson sent him a thankful look, to which the man responded with a small shrug. He left the Admiral at the door, likely off to do...whatever he had been doing. Watching him go, James sighed softly.

That had been...enlightening.

I need to remember, just how the war impacts everyone. I focus too much on my girls, I know that. I forget about the civilians. The ones who are hurt by the war, even if not directly. Lord, I wish I could stop it entirely.

Even as he sat down, his order taken by a waitress, James sighed again. He knew just as well that it was far too late to stop a war. Even if he had been shot back to 1938 or something, that would be true. The events leading to this war were already in place. Japan was going to invade China. They were going to be embargoed. And they were going to attack America. There...just wasn't anything he could do to stop that. It was why he focused so heavily on the attack coming to this city.

It was all he could do, to avoid thinking of the rest of the war.

"Here you are, sir."

Drawn from his thoughts, James smiled up at the young waitress, as she left to take another order. His appetite wasn't quite as strong, but he still dug into the food. Iwata had been right about one thing...this was good food. And it served to get his mind off what he had been thinking, as the Admiral looked around. He couldn't fail to notice there were no African-Americans in the building. Nor were there many women, outside the waitresses. Stifling a sigh, he acknowledged that it was to be expected, even if he didn't like it.

As such, Thompson continued to scan the room. At least, until he saw another officer enter. The younger man, blond hair cut short, locked onto the Admiral. He ignored the waitress, instead coming straight to the older officer. James frowned at that, as he made room for the officer. The man sent him a thankful look, even as he sat down. Even as he looked at the Admiral, question quite obvious.

"Yes?" Still, James asked first.

"Admiral Thompson, correct?"

"That's me. You are?"

If they were on duty, it wouldn't be anywhere near this informal. But formality had a time and place.

"Lieutenant Commander John Baxter, CAG off Enterprise." The younger man, Baxter, replied. "I was hoping to talk with you."

Well now. I would have expected Yorktown's CAG, if anyone.

"About what?" Thompson was curious now, as he looked at the younger officer.

Baxter smiled slightly, "The new tactics you've introduced. Lieutenant Commander Brown told me about them, and how badly your pilots mauled his. I would like to see exactly what you taught your boys, so I can do the same."

On the plus side, at least word was spreading. If this word got back to the States, Ranger, Wasp and- when she was complete -Hornet would benefit as well. That was his goal. Or, at least one of them. That thought in mind, James waved over the waitress. After paying for his lunch, inwardly amazed at the price once more, he nodded at Baxter. The other man nodded back, both officers walking back onto the streets of Honolulu. Once outside, James turned back to his younger counterpart, as both men moved towards the Harbor.

"So, you want to know more?"

"I do. It's in everyone's best interests that we are all as prepared as we can be." Baxter sighed, looking up at the sky. "Even if we don't end up fighting, better to be prepared. After the whacking you gave Yorktown, I'm not inclined to risk my boys. So I want to know anything you can teach us."

"That, I can do." James nodded seriously. "That I can do."

Baxter nodded back, "And thank you for that, Admiral. I don't know where you came up with these, but they'll be a big help. Anything else you have up your sleeve?"

Many things, that I can't tell you.

"Not right now, no."

The Lieutenant Commander smiled, as he shook his head, "Worth a shot. Well, hopefully you can get my boys in top shape. If we go against you in a fleet problem, I won't have them losing."

"Nor will I have mine lose."

Somehow, James got the feeling it was only because he was an Admiral that the other man didn't break out laughing at that statement. Rivalries between ships were the bread and butter of the Navy, after all.

Still, at least we are moving forward. I can take what I get, at this point...

"Can you all hear me?"

"Yes!"

"I can."

"Same here."

"Loud and clear!"

Saratoga smiled softly, as she looked down at her lap. She was acting on her own initiative again, her Admiral still on land. But...she was working to help him! In fact, that was the entire reason she was talking with the other capital ships. Arizona. Utah, if only for her wisdom. Yorktown. Enterprise. She hadn't contacted the other battleships, and her sister already knew the reason for this. But these four...they needed to know what she wanted to do. How they could all help her Admiral.

Sara knew. She knew that Admiral Thompson was running himself dry. She appreciated everything he was doing to help them all, but she worried all the same. This time ashore was going to do wonders for the man, but that didn't mean she couldn't do her best to make it easier on him anyway. She was loyal, and liked to think they were friends. And friends helped each other, even if the very notion of doing so was still very new to her.

So help him she would.

"Arizona, you mentioned that your Admiral is unhappy?" Sara began, focusing on what she knew.

"He...is not happy, at all." The normally cheerful battleship sounded more subdued than usual. "He doesn't like the idea that carriers should take over. I understand, but I don't think he does."

"I do not entirely understand myself." Utah chimed in.

"You don't?"

"No...I understand that Admiral Thompson knows far more, but it is hard to reconcile that with all the time I've served. Don't mind me, Arizona. I do agree with him."

Sara smiled, the byplay reminding her of talking with Langley, "At any rate, this is a problem. We need to prepare, my Admiral made that clear. How do we help him?"

"Talking with our crews is one way." Yorktown suggested.

"I have been trying that since the moment Admiral Thompson arrived. It has yet to work."

A soft hum came from Enterprise at that, "Have you tried everything yet? I'm sure you can think of something!"

Another smile came from Sara upon hearing the younger carrier. Little E always was one to talk like that. Give her a problem, and she'd do everything she could to win. She loved impressing her elders.

"That is one thing we can do. I would also suggest we talk about tactics. The more we think, the more we can help Admiral Thompson. Any ideas?"

I sound like the Admiral...

Stifling a giggle at the thought, Sara focused on the conversation. Each of the girls were bouncing ideas off the other, as they planned. Utah was invaluable, her experience and time as a training ship making her uniquely suited to this. She could take a suggestion and look it over, improving and discarding where needed. Ari's enthusiasm lead to many suggestions, though her own relative lack of experience meant they were discarded more often than not. But where the truly valuable suggestions came from?

Yorktown and Enterprise. The sisters spoke almost in unison at times, each of them making suggestions that sounded like they came from Admiral Thompson himself. The ideas had Sara making mental notes to tell her Admiral when he returned. Perhaps, as young carriers, they were able to adapt to the new reality better. Regardless, Sara valued what they had.

"I know!" Little E piped up.

"Yes?"

"What if we mix our formations? Have my fighters escort big sis' bombers? Or vice-versa?"

Sara nodded, "We tried that ourselves. Lieutenant Commander Thach did a very good job covering my sisters' planes."

"So it works?"

"It works, Little E."

"Great! Then we should try that. I want to see how well it works with Yorktown."

"So do I. Still want to pay you two back for beating me twice!" Yorktown, for her part, sounded just as competitive as ever.

Smiling, Sara shook her head in amusement, "Yes, well, I'm sure we can try that. I'll let my Admiral know."

Tuning out the resulting noise from the younger carriers, Sister Sara focused back on the battleships.

"Do you have any more ideas, Utah? Arizona?"

"Just one, really." Arizona replied. "We're slow, but you can put a lot of guns on us. Would refitting us as escorts work? At least for operations where we can keep up!"

"I'm not a combat ship, Arizona..." Utah pointed out.

"But..."

"I'm fine with training..."

Saratoga frowned, as the old battleship trailed off, "Utah?"

There was no response, as even the Yorktown sisters stopped talking. Sara bit her lip, worry taking over her previous good feelings. Why had Utah stopped talking? Had something happened? Shewas being refit, on some level. Maybe she had to conserve energy? That would make a certain amount of sense at least, and was better than the other options. Still...it worried her, that the battleship had gone silent. Sara was a worrier, at the best of times.

This was not the best of times.

"My apologies." Utah finally spoke up, getting a sigh of relief from the blue-haired carrier. "My radio operator has become quite good at noticing when we talk like this. As is my new Captain...I think he may hear me, more than my last one."

"Can you talk to him?"

"I am about to try. Do you need me for anything else?"

Sara shook her head, aware it couldn't be seen, "Of course not! If you think you can talk to him, please try. If we can talk to our Captains..."

"Everything will change."

Utah's line went silent, as the battleship went to try again. Sara sighed softly, as she continued to make plans with the remaining girls. If Utah could pull off the impossible...well, they would all be better off. She could only hope...hope that the old battleship could do it.

If she can, we have a way to truly help my Admiral.

Re: Enterprise's CAG

I try to use historical figures, where possible. This is one of the cases where I can't, at least with any level of justice given to the person in question. So OC time, at least for now.

Skywalker_T-65 · Feb 29, 2016

This chapter was...interesting...to work with. To say the least. Primarily because a certain Admiral is an interesting person to write. I know enough, but it's probable that I still mucked something up.

Chapter 13:

"Welcome aboard, Admiral."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander."

James felt distinctly...odd...walking aboard USS Enterprise. For all that this was not the girl who had become a legend, it was still the same ship. If boarding Arizona or Sara was odd, this was ten times more odd. It felt like he was walking on hallowed ground for the Navy. James managed to keep his reaction enough under wraps that it wasn't obvious, but he could feel eyes on his back. Then again, now wearing his Admiral pips, it was hardly surprising. It would hardly be a regular situation to have an Admiral from a different task force aboard Enterprise...not this early in her career.

And, of course, there was his reaction. Hesitation. Awe he did his utmost to conceal. Even if it were perfect, someone would have noticed. Thompson knew better than to think it was perfect. Not with this girl.

Still, nothing to worry about. No one will walk up and ask me. The rumor mill will be busy though.

Snorting softly at the thought of the aforementioned rumor mill, the Admiral followed Baxter as the man lead him through the halls of the carrier. Inside, Enterprise didnt' look all that different from Sara. The same steel walls greeted James. The same old light fixtures. Sara may have been older, but at this point? There was very little difference between the girls at this level. Well...other than the crew anyway. Enterprise's crew was not his, and he could tell. They weren't as familiar around him.

"Where exactly is your ready room?" James asked, as the pair of officers walked around crewmembers.

"Near the hangar. We'll be there soon enough, sir." To his credit, Baxter didn't make any comment on James asking about the ready room.

If anything, there was a bit of an impressed look in his eyes. Granted, it was probably rare that an officer his rank actually knew about the procedures...

"Hm." The Admiral didn't voice that, clearly. "I've never been aboard a Yorktown."

"Spent all your time on Sister Sara, sir?"

"Her and Arizona."

And now Baxter raised an eyebrow, "Arizona?"

"What can I say, have a soft spot for that old girl." James shrugged, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Not that it's important where I go to spend my time."

The Lieutenant Commander didn't outwardly react, beyond turning to face forward. And his shoulders tensing slightly. James didn't let his smirk fully form, not at all. Regardless, they were reaching the ready room anyway, so he would have to be more serious.

I almost wonder how they'll adapt.

Putting on his best 'Admiral' expression, Thompson strode in behind Baxter. The room in front of him was deathly silent, as the Admiral followed the Lieutenant Commander. A group of pilots were watching both men, quite intently watching them at that. Thompson didn't allow that to change his stride however. He had done the same thing with his own pilots, though they were his pilots. These men were Baxter's, and the CAG was showing a remarkable amount of trust in letting him do this. In asking him to do this.

Proven effectiveness of the tactics aside, of course.

"Hello," James stopped in front of the blackboard at the front of the room. "I am Admiral Thompson, Commander First Carrier Division. Lieutenant Commander Baxter has requested I teach you the same tactics my pilots use. To start..."

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It was quite a bit later when a, somewhat haggard, Admiral Thompson left the ready room. He could give Big E's pilots this much...they knew what questions to ask, and asked a lot of them. It almost made him wonder how much had spread from Yorktown or Lex, by this point. Sighing softly, James' face bore a bemused look. Did it really matter in the end? His goal was to spread these tactics as far and as quick as possible. If he co-opted the rumor mill for that, it worked in the long run, didn't it? And part of him did enjoy the teaching.

"Admiral?" Baxter came out of the room himself, the CAG looking significantly less ruffled.

"Yes?"

"I need you to see my Admiral, so that he knows we're done."

Right, his Admiral would know I was he...wait.

"Lead the way." James nodded, even as his brain kicked into high gear.

After all, he knew who was most likely in charge of Enterprise. And where the girl in question most likely was.

"Follow me, sir." Baxter didn't notice the internal conflict in the older man, as the Admiral followed the CAG.

Which was a good thing, since meeting the Admiral in charge of Enterprise had him sweating. Why wouldn't it? The man in question was arguably just as famous, or infamous depending on who one asked, as the ship herself. Meeting Admiral Kimmel or Kidd...or hell, even Admiral Nimitz...was one thing. Meeting Enterprise's officer? Well, that was another thing entirely. Presuming it was who he thought it was, of course.

Regardless, James followed Baxter. Followed him through the carrier, towards the island. Followed him up to the bridge, where men went about their jobs. Where a certain man stood. Square shouldered, greying hair. A man who slowly turned around, severe features that had helped earn his nickname looking at the younger Admiral.

Needless to say, Thompson snapped to attention on instinct.

"Admiral Thompson, requesting permission to enter the bridge."

"Granted," the older man grunted. "Admiral Halsey, though I don't see a need to stick on formalities. Call me Bill."

"..."

Halsey's expression didn't shift, even as the man snorted, "You, Admiral Thompson, have done more for the carriers than anyone I've ever met. Anyone in charge of one of these ships owes you. I see no reason to act formal, not after all that."

"Right," James managed to get his mouth working again, "James, then."

"Hm," Halsey waved the younger man to his side, "I have something I want to show you."

Walking forward, the Admiral blinked at what he saw. Halsey had his report spread out over the plotting table. James' heavily annotated report, filled with writing and markings presumably made by Halsey himself.

Well, on the one hand, I've gotten the notice of Admiral Bull Halsey himself. On the other hand...I have the interest of Bull Halsey...

"You've done a damn fine job, James." The man in question planted a hand on the plotting table. "Damn fine job. I almost want to know where you picked this up, because a lot of these tactics hadn't even occurred to me."

Thompson shrugged, doing his best to appear truthful as he said, "I've studied a lot Adm...Bill."

"Studied a lot." Halsey repeated slowly, his rugged features finally shifting slightly. Shifting into an amused half-smirk, to be precise.

"Yes?"

Halsey just shook his head, as he turned back to the chart. James almost followed, if he hadn't noticed someone else standing behind the Admiral. More specifically, someone female.

Enterprise?

The blonde carrier waved cheerfully, her youthful features quite different from what he remembered. Sure, James could see the girl he knew. The blonde hair, and red eyes. Her soft smile. But he also noted the differences. This Enterprise lacked the world weariness he remembered. She didn't have the pain hiding in her red eyes. Nor was her hair long, instead cut short around her shoulders. And of course...she had an aura of happiness around her, and not just at seeing him. The E he remembered was always sad, at some level or another.

It was enough that he missed Halsey tapping at the report, until Enterprise nodded at her Admiral.

Shaking his head, James turned his attention back to the other man. Halsey had made no acknowledgement of what James had done, or at least no vocal one. The Admiral's sharp eyes were focused on the younger man rather heavily, however.

"Regardless, I have one important note to make on these tactics." Halsey tapped a finger on the board. "These are almost all defensive."

"They are," Thompson could hardly deny that point. "I believe keeping our pilots alive is the most important thing we can do, so I have them training in tactics built to..."

"All well and good, but not what we need to learn." The older man cut him off. "Hit hard, hit fast, hit often. Carriers are offensive, and I noted you aren't focusing on that. Damn shame too, you've got a good head for carrier warfare."

Technically speaking, James had a good head for working with ship girls. Most of what he knew about carrier warfare was study, and Sara's influence.

"I know that. However, if our pilots are not surviving the attacks, it is not worth it."

"Damn right it isn't. Even so, I want to see what you can do with offensive tactics." Halsey's eyes sharpened, as he slapped his hand down on the board. "I want to get our boys to any enemy, hit them, and kill them. That is our duty, and the United States Navy will not fail."

All James could do was nod, "I'll do what I can."

"Excellent. Now, there is one other subject I want to talk to you about."

"Ad...Bill?"

Halsey didn't say anything, merely walking off the bridge. James followed, Enterprise following him, the three leaving the bridge behind.

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All three of them soon ended up in Halsey's personal cabin, the Admiral turning around to look at Thompson. Who, for his part, felt like he was being examined under a microscope. Why shouldn't he? All alone, save for Enterprise, with Bull Halsey? Certainly not a situation he had ever expected to be in. With nothing else to do though, James stood in front of the other Admiral's desk, waiting for the man to say whatever it was he needed to say.

Not that he had to wait long.

"Admiral Thompson," Halsey was back to using titles now. "There is something I need to know."

"What, exactly, do you need to know?"

"The radio."

And now James was back to sweating nervously, "Radio?"

"Don't play dumb with me, James. My TBS set has been acting up, and it has been far too regular to be a malfunction." Halsey's steely eyes narrowed. "This is a fleet wide problem, but it only began after Saratoga came back from the Fleet Problem. It started with her, and has spread."

James tried to avoid showing what he was feeling, "A coincidence, Bill. I've been working at finding who started this, but my crew is large and it takes..."

"Bullshit."

Wincing slightly, Thompson looked at Halsey. The Admiral in front of him clearly didn't believe him. Equally clearly, he had a no-nonsense look on his face. Well, that part of his reputation wasn't a lie...

"If it were just one or two sets, that would be a coincidence. It is every ship in the damn fleet, and it all started with Saratoga. Even Enterprise has the issue now and I just got to Pearl."

Here, Halsey's eyes narrowed further.

"And there was no issue until you returned."

This was...well, this was worrying. James shouldn't be surprised. Say what you would about Bull Halsey. There were numerous flaws with the man, and it was quite easy to point to those. But the man hadn't gotten as far as he did, or been as successful as he was, without a keen intellect. Now, it was entirely possible Richardson had made the same connection and just not called James out on it. That didn't really matter though. Not now.

What mattered now, was that Halsey had called Thompson out on the problem.

And James had no idea how to work around that. Halsey was a man who would rush ahead until he got his answer, and trying to mislead him was pointless. In fact, it would be a very bad idea. The man was tenacious and quick to anger. Right now, the last thing James wanted to do was make Halsey an enemy. He had enough issues with the battleship skippers. Having Halsey as an ally was something Thompson desperately needed.

"Don't worry Admiral."

James turned his head, noting Enterprise's wide smile.

"I'll work harder to talk to him! I'm sure I can convince him to let off you, if I can just get through to him." Enterprise looked at Halsey, an almost fond look on her face. "Admiral Halsey is like my father, almost. I know him well enough to convince him you aren't a threat."

"And then there's that."

Both Enterprise and Thompson snapped their heads around, as Halsey tapped his desk.

"Admiral?" James asked on instinct.

"Bill," Halsey corrected him, even as he stopped tapping. "And you heard me. Hear her I believe."

Enterprise's eyes went wide, as she walked past James, "You can hear me?"

"You can hear her?"

Both carrier and Admiral held back amused noises, though it was James who truly held back. He didn't even look in her direction, preferring to focus on Halsey. The man looked more annoyed than anything, really.

"And here I thought I was going crazy." Halsey frowned deeply. "I've been hearing a female voice for some time now. Thought I was hearing things, but Commander Jones over on Utah says the same. And so do you."

"I thought I was going crazy." Thompson replied, carefully schooling his features once more.

Halsey's frown didn't go away, as the man pulled himself to his feet, "Sailors are superstitious by nature. You know that as well as I do James. Now, we both know what that means."

"That if this gets out we'll be strung up?"

"Damn right." Halsey sent an appraising look at the other Admiral. "And I'm convinced this has something to do with the radios. So, I want you to help me."

Well, that was better than Halsey considering him insane. Though this was not what Thompson had expected in the least. He had expected Utah to be the first to make a breakthrough. That it was Enterprise and Halsey who were this close? On the one hand, that wasn't surprising. Enterprise had always had a soft spot for Halsey, despite everything. That she could connect with him so easily probably wasn't that big a surprise. That said, it was difficult as well. Halsey...he was amazed the man wasn't calling them both insane.

Why?

"Are you sure we aren't just hearing things?"

The other Admiral scowled, "You think I haven't thought of that? No, that was my first thought James. If it is more than just me hearing this, then the damn thing is either a mass hallucination or there is something more to it. And that is why I want you to look into it, and keep an eye out. Sooner we figure this out the better. I have too many projects to work on to deal with being haunted."

You'll always be 'haunted' though.

"I'll do what I can."

And, well, the best James could do was get back to Sara and contact Utah. Let her know whatever she was doing was working, and to push harder. If they could figure this out before he had to leave harbor...they would all be better off.

Skywalker_T-65 · Mar 3, 2016

Moving in a different different direction, if only because the idea wouldn't let me go, more Bismarck fun. It's surprisingly fun to work with, really. Guess a break from Thompson every once in a while is a good thing. And I did say I was working on another Bismarck omake.

That said, this omake takes place a bit ahead of the main story, since Bisko didn't start her gunnery trials until late November of 1940.

Omake: Trials

"She is quite a stable gunnery platform."

"Ja."

"An excellent result, he is indeed the most powerful battleship in Europe."

Twitching at the misgendering or not, Bismarck felt a flush of pride go through her body. Her trials were proceeding wonderfully, as her lean bow cut through the waves of the Baltic Sea. The young battleship had been out for some time now, as her new crew put her through her paces. Put her through her sea trials. The most important moment in the life of any warship, especially the first of a class. For it was when she would be truly put to the test, to see if her design worked or if she was a 'lame duck', so to speak.

Bismarck though, had done more than well. There was an issue with her using her propellers to turn, but save for that, she exceeded expectations. She was fast, stable, and quite powerful. Her mighty guns, the most powerful ever put to sea aboard a German warship, had served with no issues. In fact, as her Captain had noted, they were on, perhaps, the most stable gunnery platform ever put to sea.

And all this in the Baltic during Winter.

"Message from Blücher."

Turning her head, Bismarck was quite interested to hear what it was. After all, the other girl had been her escort through her trials, and messages from her were often quite enlightening.

I wonder. Her Captain is quite intelligent, so why was he not assigned to me?

"I see..." Captain Lindemann muttered softly, as his eyes roamed over the message.

"Herr Kapitän?" The man who delivered the message waited to send a reply.

Lindemann merely had his lips twitch ever so slightly upwards, "Blücher requests that we target our gunfire on a smaller area. They are planning to demonstrate."

That had Bismarck's attention, as she turned to look out at the heavy cruiser in the distance. Blücher's stacks belched smoke, as the cruiser turned to present her broadside. Each of her turrets, the 203-mm guns having last seen use in disabling the Norwegian Oscarsborg Fortress, rotated into position. The action that had, according to her own Captain, earned the cruiser's commander the Knight's Cross. Ever since, Blücher had gained a certain reputation for accurate gunfire.

It would be interesting, to see how much truth was in that reputation.

And so, Bismarck watched. She watched as the smaller cruiser finished her turn. Her turrets flashed slightly in the sunlight, as they aimed at an arbitrary point in the distance, selected as the target point. There was silence, save for the sound of her own turbines and the water rushing against the battleship's hull. Silence, until the muted- if only in comparison to her own rifles -roar of Blücher'srifles echoed over the water. Smoke flew from her turrets, as the shells arced out into the distance. They fell in a dispersed pattern, a quite tight one.

Not that Bismarck could claim to understand how accurate it was in comparison to the cruiser's sisters, or other nation's warships.

"Impressive," Captain Lindemann nodded, as Blücher turned back to her escort position. "We shall have to do better."

"Ja, Kapitän!"

The older man's lips twitched further upward, before he turned out to the slowly fading wake of Blücher's fire. "Target main battery on the same position Blücher fired upon. Fire when ready."

Bismarck wore a sharp smirk on her face, as she held a hand up. Sure, she couldn't actually fire her own guns. But she could still act out the motions.

"Fire!"

If Blücher's fire had been loud, Bismarck's was a deafening roar that had a couple of her crew wincing. It only made her smirk grow, as she watched her shells soar through the air. They splashed down in the water, in the exact same place as the cruiser's earlier fire. But the dispersion was greater. Perhaps, not by much. But it was certainly greater.

"Hm." The Captain hummed softly, looking at the more detailed numbers. "Better. I believe we can still improve however."

"We can," Bismarck agreed, even if the man couldn't hear her.

"Continue the testing," Lindemann looked at the rest of her bridge crew. "I want to make certain we are ready for combat as soon as possible."

Combat.

"I am ready."

While she said that, Bismarck wasn't quite sure, deep down. Her trials were going well. She was quickly coming into her potential, as the most advanced warship in European waters. But for all that, she was as yet untested against an enemy. The battleship was quite confident in her abilities, for certain. She was faster than anything the British or French had, save perhaps the battlecruisers of the former. And the only ship she considered truly capable of dueling her?

Hood.

But for all that confidence, she knew one thing. Until Bismarck actually saw combat, all her potential amounted to nothing.

I will be prepared as best I can, but I will need to see combat before I will know. Know for sure, how well I can fight.

"Moreover," her Captain continued, interrupting the battleship's train of thought, "I want to have a good record, when we are assigned our Flag Officer."

"Who do you expect to be our Admiral, sir?"

That question came from the XO, Hans Oels. The younger man looked quite curious, and Bismarck could hardly blame him. Her own curiosity was piqued by the statement.

Captain Lindemann merely shrugged minutely, "An interesting question, indeed. I have heard that it could be Admiral Lütjens, should he be reassigned away from Gneisenau. I have also heard it could be Admiral Kummetz, after his performance in Norway."

Bismarck was only marginally familiar with the latter Admiral. She knew he had been in overall command in the invasion of Norway, that Blücher had done so well in. In fact, he had flown his flag from the cruiser. But according to her Captain, he had since transferred to the older Admiral Hipper, while Blücher had moved to the command of her Captain for the duration of the...of her...sea trials. The Captain that...

Wait.

Did my Captain not mention that her Captain may become an Admiral?

"In my own opinion," Lindemann continued without pausing. "I believe it will be the Captain of Blücher who is our Admiral. He is the best tactician the Kriegsmarine has seen in some time, and I am not afraid to admit that."

"Even better than yourself, sir?"

The old Captain's lips twitched upwards, "Perhaps. I will admit my own experience is limited, in comparison. And, I love Bismarck. I would want the absolute best officer the Kriegsmarine can provide, to be in command."

Bismarck felt a flush run down her neck at those words, even though she knew her Captain meant it more like a son. Considering the fact he considered her male, and all. That aside...

She had more respect for him, now, than she had before. Captain Lindemann may have lacked experience in command, but he was genuinely respectful of his crew as they were of him. He cared for her and her crew, and wanted the best for them. He had shown that on several occasions, even going so far as to defend their honor against that of the already famous Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. She respected him for that, if nothing else.

That he was willing to admit his own failings? That gave her even more respect for the man, his misgendering aside.

"And right now, the best officer is Kapitän Schreiber."

Bismarck could only hope that he was correct, in placing his faith in the skill of Blücher's Captain.

Skywalker_T-65 · Mar 10, 2016

Chapter 14:

"What?"

"You heard me, Sara."

"No, I heard you Admiral. But...Little E? I thought it was..."

James sighed, holding up a hand wearily, "Utah, yeah. She's always been the closest, but E hadn't even tried before now, really. Sure, she'd talked around Halsey, but this?"

"It is interesting," Sara rubbed a lock of blue hair between her fingers, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I wonder why it was her...I hate to say this, but Little E isn't anything special, not yet."

"I know that, you know that, Yorktown knows that..." Thompson smiled, though it was more of a grimace. "I'm sure E knows that herself. There is something here, and we're missing what. Something that lets Enterprise get so close to Halsey, while Utah has to struggle."

And on that note, he wasn't looking forward to telling Utah about this. The woman- calling her a girl just didn't fit -wasn't one he would call jealous. Or easily annoyed. Utah was...Utah. She was a personality all her own, for sure. And it was a personality that James would normally not worry about. But this situation was far from normal. The battleship had been the first to try connecting with her crew. And the one who had been leading that effort, ever since the possibility occurred to her. Utah had done more than anyone, actually, in regards to making contact.

So...

To hell with it.

"Sara, I know it's risky right now, but get Utah on the line."

"Admiral?"

Thompson sighed again, "We need to talk to her, as soon as possible. No matter how risky it is."

"I'll call her then." Sara nodded, though confusion was still clear in her green eyes. "Why, though?"

"Because we need to coordinate. If we can figure out why E is so close, it might be what Utah needs to get through."

And then watch the fireworks. Damn, I can't believe I'm getting behind this.

It still struck him, sometimes, how risky what he was doing was. Halsey seemed unusually accepting of the situation, but James was not foolish enough to think everyone would be. And the other Admiral may not even be accepting once he knew what was really happening. It was quite a different situation between a 'haunted' ship, and a ship that had a soul. Understandably so, in fact. James could still remember when ship girls were first coming to the field. After all, he had lived through it...been assigned to work with them, right from the start. So he knew just how much of an adjustment that had been.

This situation?

Well, it was hardly wrong to say it was going to be infinitely worse. After all, this was a different time, with different morals. Barring a minuscule amount of people, most would be unable to cope at first, to the idea ships had souls. Not that it was much better, in the future. Moreover, Thompson knew that it would quickly come down on him once the truth got out. He could hardly lie to Admiral Halsey, and...well. He was going to be a very busy person, when the time came. And that was without telling anyone about his other secret.

One step at a time...

"Admiral?"

At least Utah was quick.

"Good to hear from you again, Utah. Any more progress?"

"Not as of yet, no. I'm almost there, I can feel that much. But there is something I'm missing. Why?" Utah's voice shifted towards the 'annoyed mother' tone that James was so familiar with at the end.

The Admiral couldn't quite hold back a soft snort at that. As much as things changed...

"Something came up."

"It should be something important, sir. We are taking a risk talking like this, when it is getting harder and harder to hide the use of the radio from my crew."

Thompson could only sigh, "Well. Enterprise has almost managed to get through that Admiral Halsey. He can hear her, if not the exact words."

There was silence over the radio, as the Admiral looked over at his carrier. His best friend, who just shook her head. It wasn't an issue in the connection...this was Utah stunned silent. Or deep in thought. One of the two, at any rate, and James wasn't sure which was worse.

"I see..." Utah finally spoke back up, her voice subdued. "Do we know how? I thought she had only learned of this..."

"Just now, yeah." James frowned.

The answer to that question eluded even him. Not to say he didn't have theories. But they were just that, nothing more than vague assumptions. James could say he was the closest thing to an expert they had on the subject, but he didn't know everything. Hell, he didn't know everything about how ship girls worked. This whole 'still around on their hull' thing was totally new to him, leave alone anyone else.

To say he didn't understand the mechanics of it all, would be an understatement of colossal proportions.

"I have an idea."

But then, he didn't have to rely entirely on himself, did he? Thompson turned to Sara, the carrier sending him a confident smile. One that he had grown to miss, as he adjusted to this...much less confident Sara.

"Yes?"

Sara just continued to smile, as she pointed at the Admiral, and then at herself, "Sir, what is different about you compared to anyone else?"

"That I'm from the future?" Thompson deadpanned.

That managed to get a soft giggle from the carrier, which the older man considered a victory. Still, there was a time to joke and this wasn't it. Sara sobered up quickly, as she shook her head at her Admiral.

"Yes, there is that. But what I meant, Admiral, was something else." Sara got to her feet, and walked over to James. The moment she reached the time-traveling man, the aircraft carrier placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "You're attached to us all. You want us to be alive."

"Well, of course. I already know you were..."

"But that's my point, sir."

Turning away, Sara sat back down, tapping her head once to make sure Utah was still listening in. Satisfied, she looked back at James with a light flush to her face.

"You care about us, deeply. More than any man ever would for his ship...save, perhaps..."

Thompson's eyes widened, "Bull Halsey. He loved Enterprise more than any man ever cared for their flagship. Well, other than Mitscher and Hornet maybe..."

At the blank look he received, the Admiral shook his head. Wasn't important...assuming Mitscher even ended up with Hornet again.

"Anyway, I think I see your point. You hear that Utah?"

There was silence again, save for the sound of a finger tapping against metal. That was clearly Utah thinking deeply about what she had heard. If she was thinking what he was thinking though, James knew what they might have been missing. And damn it, in hindsight it was almost obvious. Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Well, I know why.

The answer there was just as obvious, wasn't it? It hadn't occurred to him, because all his focus was on keeping the girls alive. Them communicating was always a secondary goal to him. Utah had been the one pushing, and he had just not hindered her. Utah, Ari...they were the ones focusing on talking, he was the one focusing on planning. And that made him miss things he might otherwise have seen.

Then again, Thompson would be the first to admit he didn't know everything and probably would have missed this anyway.

"I believe I know the issue now." Utah finally spoke up, her voice thoughtful in tone. "I have been trying to connect with someone who has no particular connection to me. Not one of my commanders, save my current one, has looked at me as anything but another posting. I am old, and tired. Why bother getting attached?"

"Utah..."

"But Enterprise...even I know how attached Admiral Halsey is to Enterprise. Perhaps, that is the key. Being attached to your ship, and willing to hear her." The old battleship sighed heavily, and James could just see her shoulders slump. "Maybe I never will be able to break through, then."

Thompson shook his head, even though he knew Utah couldn't see him. Sitting next to Sara, who sent him a worried look, James wished he had a radio he could take. In lieu of that, he just sat as close as he could to the carrier without outright leaning on her.

"Utah, don't think that way. You've gotten closer than anyone, regardless of anything else. You're the best expert we have on this, and I don't want you to give up."

"Ah, I thought you believed this too risky, Admiral?"

"Well...I did, yes. But at this point, it's going to happen anyway. I would rather it be on our terms." The Admiral leaned back, looking up at the steel ceiling above him, as Sara placed a hand on his shoulder. "So don't give up, that's an order."

Utah laughed softly, "You aren't in command of me, sir."

"Tough luck."

The line was quiet, before another soft sigh came from the old battleship turned target. "Thank you, Admiral. I suppose, if we are correct, that the fact I have made as much progress as I have is a good sign. Do you truly, honestly, believe I can get through?"

James nodded again, "Yes, I do. You wouldn't have gotten this close if it wasn't possible. I'll see if I can make up an excuse to come by...maybe that will help. Until then..."

"I'll keep trying. You should let Arizona know as well."

And with that, the line was cut. Sara leaned back, shaking her head slightly. For his part, Thompson could only fall back on his bed, energy bleeding out of him. They had a possible answer...but it wasn't one he liked. Utah...he could hear the strain in her. The old girl had devoted all her time and energy to this, and it may not even work for her. All that time. All that work. And what it if was all for nothing? What if her commander never could hear her? What if Utah would forever be stuck at just a little more?

The Admiral could hear that worry in her voice. And it had him worried as well. It was all fine and dandy if they could get through to Halsey. Having that man on his side in this was very good. But on the other hand, it would just be two men. Admirals or no...just two men. They had to figure out a way to make it more prolific. Beyond just the Captains and Admirals even. Much as he may have resisted the idea months ago, now...now James knew. They had to get a way to break the barrier, and get the girls visible.

Not just to Halsey. Not just to Utah's Commander, or Admiral Willson on Ari. To everyone.

"Oh Admiral, you put too much on your shoulders..." Sara whispered softly, as James shut his eyes, mind consumed by the possibilities.

"That's why I have you, to reign me in when I go too far."

"Of course, sir."

And he would need that help. When, not if, they figured out how to make the girls visible? His life was going to be turned upside down. Hell, the world was going to be turned upside down.

He almost longed for the days where it had just been as 'simple' as figuring out how to limit the damage on December 7th.

Things were far from simple for USS Enterprise either. The blonde carrier paced in her Admiral's office, as the man looked over Admiral Thompson's latest reports on the 'mysterious' radio traffic. Halsey's brows were furrowed tightly, as his gruff features looked over the paper. Sharp eyes scanned every little detail, an equally sharp mind committing it to memory. Sometimes, Little E wondered what she had done to get such a smart man as her Admiral. Then she just smiled, and set about watching him do his work.

Now?

Well, now she was pacing instead of watching. Admiral Halsey was different. More tense, less relaxed. Granted, the man was a ball of energy at the best of times. Always pushing his crew to do better and better. But the tenseness in him now was new. And she was the cause. It was enough to make her frown, as she stopped pacing, staring at the man who was the closest thing she had to a father.

I'm worried about him...this is because of me. I want to talk to him though!

It wasn't just to help Admiral Thompson now, either. She was the first one to get this close, and...it was the first time she was special. Yorktown was jealous, which was a novel experience for the young carrier. And Enterprise liked that feeling.

"I wonder what I have to do to make you hear me properly, Admiral." The carrier sighed softly, as Halsey twitched ever so slightly. "I know you can hear me. I just want to talk to you! There is so much we could talk about!."

"If you're going to talk to me, at least wait until I'm done working." Halsey just grunted, eyes not looking up from his papers. "Damn it woman."

And only Admiral Bull Halsey would be so...nonchalant...about things.

"Admiral, you are handling this better than I thought you would."

"Damn ghosts."

The Admiral reached up to massage his forehead, as he looked directly at where Enterprise stood. Or, through where she stood, as the case may be.

"If James didn't have the same thing happening, I'd think I'm going insane." Halsey scowled, the expression quite deep on his face. "Now, what I want to know is why this is happening now. And to me."

Now, Little E had heard from Sara. They thought it was because of how close her Admiral was to her, that he could hear her like he did. So...

"Because you care about me sir! You're like my father, actually. I want you to be able to hear that, someday."

Halsey didn't act like he heard the specific words, as he returned to his work, "For a ghost, you sound damn fond of me."

"I am!"

To say Enterprise was fond of her Admiral, would be understating things drastically. She cared about Admiral Halsey quite a lot actually...she didn't lie, when she thought of the man like a father. He cared for her, in a way none of her other commanders had. In a way that no other Admiral, save Thompson, did for any ship. It would have been far more surprising if she wasn't fond of Halsey, in the long run. After all, any ship cared for her Admiral. That Enterprise had one that cared for her in return, just deepened those feelings.

It was why she walked up to the Admiral, red eyes looking down on him.

I want you to hear me! I want to talk to you, so much Admiral. We have so much we could do, to work better together if we could just talk!

"We will talk, eventually, Admiral. I know what I have to do, I think. And it will work!"

"Work."

Enterprise felt her heart stop, her body hardly breathing. Halsey looked up, sharp eyes focused on where she was. She knew he couldn't see her...even Bull Halsey would have reacted to seeing a woman in his office. But...had he...?

"I heard work. Either I am going insane from all this work James has come up with, or I heard a word." Halsey frowned now, the expression quite fierce for someone who wasn't Enterprise. "Damn it, I need a drink."

"You heard me..."

"Two drinks."

Regardless of the man's reaction, Little E took that as a victory. He was hearing her more and more with every sentence. If she could just get trough enough to make him understand her better...there had to be something. And as her Admiral busied himself, Enterprise stepped back. Perhaps...

Well, she had some limited control of her hull. There might be something she could use there, to speed the process along...but what...?

Skywalker_T-65 · Mar 24, 2016

This is one I bounced back and forth on a lot. Hopefully the final product worked out well.

Also, for the Sara fans: Low-priority 'get out of my head' project that I needed to get up.

Chapter 15:

"Admiral!"

"Good to see you too, Ari."

Arizona smiled widely, as she hugged Admiral Thompson tightly. The older man didn't resist the motion, as they stood on her deck. Sunlight reflected off the awnings spread over her turrets, the light shade covering both Admiral and ship girl. Ari hardly cared for that though, as she squeezed Admiral Thompson around the waist. It had been far too long since she had seen him in person, and she had...well, she'd missed this. Her own Admiral was as far away from her as ever, but this man was not. She could hug him, and Ari would never turn that opportunity down.

Of course, it helped that Admiral Thompson returned the hug, his own arms wrapped gently around her. That made Arizona smile against his chest, content to stay where she was. She quite liked this position actually, able to relax against the Admiral. She didn't get to see him nearly enough. And as the one person who could talk to her, Ari missed seeing Admiral Thompson.

I like him a lot after all!

Smiling wider, Ari pulled away to look up at the Admiral. Her brown eyes stared into his green, as Thompson reached down to ruffle her red hair. Arizona didn't pull away from that, even if it didmess up her hair.

"How have you been, anyway?" Admiral Thompson asked, nothing but curiosity in his voice.

"Great!" Arizona replied, looking over at her hull. "I haven't been able to talk with my Admiral, but otherwise, I have had a good time. Being able to spend time talking with everyone else is nice too."

"Good." The Admiral nodded, a small smile on his own face. "I'm glad to see you girls happy."

"And I like to see you happy!"

Thompson's smile widened slightly, "That I can see."

"Why did you come here, Admiral?" Ari changed the subject, feeling her face flush.

The Admiral hummed, recognizing the topic change for what it was, "Just visiting. I wanted to see how you were doing."

That made Arizona's smile widen, as she leaned against Admiral Thompson's side. The Admiral wrapped an arm around her shoulder, as the pair walked underneath the awning. Ari had never been more thankful that her crew didn't have any members nearby, since it let her do that. Leaning against the Admiral...hearing his breathing...it was still a new experience for her. But one she wouldn't trade for anything.

After all, she liked this quite a bit.

"Well, I'm doing very well."

"And it's good to see."

Even as she felt a happy feeling lodge in her chest, Ari tilted her head in confusion, looking up at the Admiral, "You aren't going to ask if I've made progress?"

"You told me you haven't been able to talk with Admiral Willson, so..."

"But normally you at least ask how it's going, Admiral."

All Thompson did in reply was squeeze Ari again, "Hey, can't I just visit to say hi?"

Fighting down her flush, Arizona felt her confusion grow, "Wouldn't Admiral Willson be..."

"Don't worry about him. This is just us, right?"

"Well, yes...but..."

Confusion fully taking hold, Ari let Admiral Thompson guide her to sit down next to her turret. Once they were sitting down, though, she let her confusion be known. If only by pulling away, missing the warmth as she did so.

"Aren't we supposed to be working? And what if someone finds us?"

Even as she said that, the battleship looked around. It was almost odd that none of her crew had shown up. Actually, it was very odd. Shouldn't at least someone have come by now? She wasn't a large ship, not compared to Saratoga. And while only half of her crew was actually aboard, one would think at least one of them would have shown up by now. It was...odd. Not that she was going to complain about being alone with Admiral Thompson though, as his arm wrapped back around her shoulder. But as she leaned against him, her blue overcoat pooling between the two, she had to wonder where her crew was.

Those worries promptly fled though, when Ari felt his arm squeeze her tighter against his side.

Wha...?

Looking up at the Admiral, Arizona couldn't help the deep blush that crossed her face. Not that she could be blamed for that, considering she saw the Admiral looking down on her. She couldn't read the expression on his face, but the look in his green eyes had her shuffling uncomfortably. The feeling in her heart grew stronger, the beating almost going out of her chest. What was this...why did she...?

"Ari. I wanted to see you. Not anyone else. You." Admiral Thompson spoke softly, not once breaking eye contact. "I care about you a lot, you know that right?"

"Admiral...I..."

"And because I care about you, I want to see you. I don't care if anyone sees us. Hell, let them see us."

Arizona couldn't help it, her brown eyes widened, "Admiral?!"

"What? Is it so wrong to not care? You mean a lot to me Ari, and I don't give a damn if anyone notices."

Even as he said that, the Admiral leaned his face down, making Ari's heart beat even faster in her chest. She didn't realize that was possible, as his face came closer to her own.

Why is he...I...

"Arizona."

Utah?

"Wake up, Arizona."

Wake up?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Blinking slowly, Arizona shook her head. Admiral Thompson was gone, as was the bright sunlight. Muggy clouds were above her, a rare rainstorm pouring down on the Harbor. And she was leaning against the same turret as she had thought she was with the Admiral. Only now, she was alone. And the only voice in her head was that of a concerned Utah, the motherly battleship clearly worried about her.

Shaking her head again, Ari sighed softly.

"I was dreaming..."

She wasn't sure what she had felt for the Admiral. But there was still a hint of disappointment in her heart, as she focused on Utah.

"What did you need, Utah?"

"Are you alright Arizona? I heard you saying something in your sleep." Utah replied with a question of her own.

"I'm fine!" Ari was quick to reply, her face still warm. "I'm fine."

"If you are sure," it was clear the elder battleship didn't quite believe her, but Utah was never one to press the point like that. "In any case, I was asking if you had any further progress in talking with your Admiral?"

Arizona could only sigh, "None. I've tried, but he doesn't hear me at all. Not like Enterprise."

It had been over a week since they had found out how close Enterprise was to breaking through to Admiral Halsey. But Arizona, despite having good reason to keep trying harder, had yet to make any progress. If the theory was accurate, she had an idea why she hadn't made progress though. Her Admiral...he didn't have the same connection to her that Halsey did to Enterprise. And perhaps more importantly, she didn't have a connection to him. Arizona had seen several Admirals in her career. But none of them had...well.

None of them were important to her, like Admiral Thompson was. And, maybe, that hurt her efforts to make contact.

"I see." Utah sighed softly. "Neither have I. I can make him hear noises, but not...not my voice."

The tone of voice there had Arizona clenching her hand. She was as close to Utah as any battleship was, and she didn't like hearing the worry in the elder girl's tone. But what could she do to help? Her own attempts at contact had hardly worked after all. And Arizona was no expert on the situation, so...

"Wait..."

"Arizona?"

"Can we use something in our hulls to get a message out?"

There was silence at first, before Utah sighed softly, "Maybe. They can tell we use our Talk Between Ships sets, so...perhaps."

"Morse Code?"

"That..."

Silence came over the line again, and Ari couldn't help a small smile. She could almost see Utah placing her head in her hands, sighing heavily. She was almost inclined to do so herself. Using Morse...why hadn't it occurred to them before? Why hadn't it occurred to Admiral Thompson?

Of course, even as she wondered that, Ari did place her face in her hand. She knew that the Admiral she cared so much for was from the future. Who knew if they even still used Morse Code in his time. Admiral Thompson could be forgiven for not suggesting that, considering. But that didn't change the fact that she, or one of the other ships, should have suggested it.

Well, nothing for it.

"I think we should try that next." Utah paused, before sighing. "Actually, contact Enterprise. She should try it first."

Ari frowned lightly, "Why Enterprise? I thought you wanted to..."

"I want nothing more than to talk with my Commander." The older battleship sighed softly. "But I doubt that I will be able to. Would he have any reason to believe Morse? Or would he leave me like...like my last one?"

And now Arizona winced softly, "Utah..."

She had forgotten. But Utah's last Commander had requested reassignment, when he began feeling her. Refusing to serve on a 'haunted' ship. They had no way to say for sure, that her current one would not do the same. Especially with something as major as the ship's radio or Morse communicating in code. And Arizona could say the same of her own hull. She was confident that she couldinfluence it. But Admiral Willson couldn't hear her at all, so he had even less reason than Utah's commander. At least the latter man could hear her somewhat.

That in mind...

I can see her point. Still, I know she wants to help. And so do I!

But the fact remained, it was arguably better to let Enterprise have first shot at it. She...she at least had an Admiral who wouldn't dismiss something out of hand. Not when he could hear her so well.

"Enterprise...?"

Ari could only hope this worked. If it worked, she could at least say she came up with something to help Admiral Thompson!

"Morse Code?"

Blinking slowly, Enterprise looked down at the radio set in front of her. She had come down here, technically, because Admiral Halsey had. The man had taken to spending time in the room whenever he wasn't working on something or other. Mostly because it was the 'source' of the 'haunting' in his mind. And where he went, Enterprise followed. Within reason, of course.

Because if she was going to get through to her Admiral, it would require being close to him. She had found that out, when various words started getting through. Never more than one at a time, and not every time she talked did even that much happen. It was kind of hit and miss, to be completely honest. But it wasn't going to stop her from trying!

That said...Little E couldn't help the frown on her face.

"Are you sure that is going to work?"

"We think it will. Our crews can tell that we use our radios, so, they might see Morse as well."

"Hm."

While Enterprise hummed in thought, her radioman looked at his set, before turning to Admiral Halsey, "I don't know sir. I've checked, double checked, and triple checked. Everything should be in perfect operating order. I even sent for a technician from the base, and he said the same thing."

"Well, this doesn't look like it is in perfect order to me." Halsey grunted, looking at the set like it would bite him. Or glared at it, more accurately. "Even I can hear the static."

"Static that is in perfect order, which isn't possible if it were malfunctioning."

Enterprise could only smile, "Well, that's because it isn't malfunctioning!"

"..."

"You heard that?"

The question from Admiral Halsey wasn't directed at Enterprise, but at her radio operator. The young man flinched, and shook his head rapidly.

"I...no sir."

"Hm." Halsey scowled. "Keep an eye on it. If you find anything wrong with the set, report it immediately."

"Yes sir!"

Realizing her Admiral was about to leave the communications room, and knowing that she had to try Morse, Enterprise acted. She focused on her Morse set, and started tapping out dots and dashes. Both Admiral Halsey and the younger man turned their heads sharply at that, as the carrier used all the focus she had, and continued to tap away. She had to get her message through, but she couldn't move too quickly. This was her best chance, and she couldn't fail. She wouldn't fail.

Enterprise was nothing special, save for her ability to talk to her Admiral.

I have to make him hear me!

"You are listening to this, correct?" Halsey turned to the younger man, a single eyebrow raised. His eyes were stern, not quite glaring at the man as he flinched.

"I am!"

Quickly grabbing a pen and paper, the officer started to copy down what Enterprise was tapping. Copying it down, and translating at the same time.

"Can...you...hear...me...?"

A befuddled look crossed the man's face, as he turned to look at Admiral Halsey. The look didn't leave his face, despite the grunt from the Admiral. Halsey took the paper, and looked over it himself. While it was likely quite some time, Enterprise knew he would have learned Morse himself. The older man was going to be looking it over, to see for himself that everything was in order. And while she was practically vibrating with excitement, Enterprise refrained from tapping anything else out. She knew that rushing would do her no good.

And so, she waited.

"Who did this?" Admiral Halsey finally stopped reading, his sharp eyes scanning the room. "I expect an answer. That's an order."

Only Bull Halsey would order around an apparent ghost. Enterprise felt a wide smile cross her face though. He wasn't dismissing it out of hand. He was willing to look past the impossibility of what she had done, and focus on the action itself. After all, it wasn't like someone contacting her over the Morse set. That was the physical set moving on it's own...which couldn't be anything but a 'ghost'. Especially not in a legible communication.

"You know who I am." Enterprise replied, both vocally and with the Morse.

All she got was a raised eyebrow though, as Halsey read the message, "No I don't, damn ghost. I can't believe I'm...talking with a ghost."

"Sir?"

"Should be impossible." Halsey grunted, shaking his head. "Continue."

Enterprise was hardly one to deny a command from her Admiral, as she tapped out the most important answer she could give.

"I am USS Enterprise?"

Halsey leaned back, looking at the message in his hands. For her part, Enterprise wrung her hands. She...she didn't know what to expect. It would have been one thing to claim she was a ghost of one of her crew. That was at least believable to even someone who wouldn't believe in a spirit of a ship. But to claim that she was the ship they were standing in? Claim that she was USS Enterprise? While it was the truth, she didn't quite know what to expect her Admiral's reaction to be. Admiral Halsey was being remarkably accepting as it sat.

And she knew that was only because he looked at things from outside the box, so to speak. Given evidence that was indisputable- the Morse set moving on it's own and replying to his questions -it was clear that something was happening. But would he accept her last answer? That was something she didn't know, and it worried Enterprise more than she would necessarily like to admit.

"Bullshit."

Admiral?

"I don't give a damn if my girl is haunted," Halsey's eyes narrowed, as he looked at the Morse set. "But don't even think to claim you are her. No one can do that."

Enterprise felt her face flush, despite the pain of his words. Her Admiral...she knew he was protective of her. Attached to her. But to hear it like that?

"Admiral..."

Halsey's head snapped up, eyes looking in her direction.

"I heard that."

"I'm not lying to you!"

"And that."

The radio operator between the carrier and her Admiral looked more confused, and worried, than anything as he watched the two. Enterprise barely paid any mind to that, as she looked directly at Admiral Halsey. And he looked directly at her, though she could tell he couldn't quite see her.

"I am Enterprise. I know it's hard to believe, Admiral. But if you could just see me..."

The Admiral grunted again, "Radioman."

"Yes sir?"

"Log the messages, and continue your tasks."

The man didn't question the order, as he set to doing as told. For his part, Halsey walked out of the room, Enterprise trailing behind him. She bit her lip worriedly, wondering what his thoughts were. Would she have to figure out a way to make her Admiral see her, before he would believe her? Was talking alone not enough?

"If you are my girl, I expect proof. And I need to get James over here..." Halsey didn't turn his head, as he continued to his office. "I can't believe I'm even considering this. Might be going crazy."

I'm happy to get just this much!

And Enterprise truly was happy, that he was at least willing to believe this much. It was going to be difficult to convince him she wasn't just a ghost...but perhaps, she could at least be happy she had this much progress to show.

Changing Destiny (Kancolle)

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Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

Skywalker_T-65

Writer with too many ideas.

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