According to Field Manual 6-30: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Observed Fire:
DANGER CLOSE is included in the method of engagement when the target is (rounds will impact) within 600 meters of friendly troops for mortar and artillery, 750 meters for naval guns 5-inch and smaller, and 1,000 meters for naval guns larger than 5-inch. For naval 16-inch ICM, danger close is 2,000 meters.
A puny little tin can like Haida (4.7" main guns) is considered to be a risk to friendly forces she's firing in support of at distance of over eight football fields. Admittedly part of that is to allow for inaccuracy of fire and shell dispersion in flight, not effect radius. But still.
(And yes, I did download a US Army field manual and read it as part of writing this fic, I believe in doing my homework. )
And it's not so much Vista shrinking people. The way it works in my head is that the ship is contained in a pocket of folded space, think Bag of Holding, with a girl-shaped opening into conventional spacetime that is selectively permeable to various physical attributes.
There's been a minor edit to the chapter; I've been informed by a reliable source that the M1028 can penetrate civilian concrete structures at a range of a hundred meters. So 'block' should really be 'blocks'
I wonder how this will factor into the recruitment attempts from the E88, it's one thing to know someone is a strong cape it's another thing entirely to see them reduce a multi-block radius chock full of zombies into an organic slurry. I imagine they'll make sure to take things extra slow, since the consequences for messing it up have made themselves abundantly clear, what with her having enough firepower to decimate literally their entire roster.
She's also in a position where she'll get into the least fights possible, with being in the wards. She's in the best possible position for them at the moment, least capable of putting away their capes and also pointed at their enemies. They're also not stupid, considering they've been a major contender in the bay for something like the past 20-30 years.
There's also of course the fallout for Uber & Leet in a more immediate sense, which should be interesting to see.
E88 is actually quite stupid as a whole, and as many, many individuals. Only high command is somewhat competent, and that's what really let them continue. Also, attempts of annoying, angering, recruiting and outright assassinating shipgirls by them historically ended in some spectacular failures. Like that one time when old Hooky unwisely annoyed Fletcher.
Also; is it me or does this fine piece of televised carnage call for a PHO interlude?
Also2; thankfully, there is only one battleshipgirl in Worm fanfiction and she's playing it very very carefully, though she's the Space Battleship Yamato. Fireworks await. The rest are no more than a destroyer afaik, but even that is a massive overkill in most situations.
Also2; thankfully, there is only one battleshipgirl in Worm fanfiction and she's playing it very very carefully, though she's the Space Battleship Yamato. Fireworks await. The rest are no more than a destroyer afaik, but even that is a massive overkill in most situations.
You are aware I trust the danger zone is primarily due to the large CEP of naval artillery? If you're using guided rounds the danger zone shrinks dramatically.
There's been a minor edit to the chapter; I've been informed by a reliable source that the M1028 can penetrate civilian concrete structures at a range of a hundred meters. So 'block' should really be 'blocks'
While an M1028 can penetrate a certain depth of concrete (for that matter a regular shotgun can penetrate a couple of inches unless it hits a rebar) there are several problems with this if you want to be realistic:
1)M1028 is a canister round, not fletchete. It fires a canister which will fly some distance and only then break open. The design target was for ranges of 200-500 meters, I would expect the canister to break open when it hit something, but even so the zombies close to Haida will be safe.
2) Even if the M1028 canister could penetrate a solid foot of concrete, and flesh is 100 times easier to penetrate than concrete (both statements I believe to be incorrect) you won't get them penetrating "several blocks" worth of packed bodies. F
3)You will get the buildings on either side of the street destroyed or at least badly damaged.
4)The M1028 is for smooth bore 120 mm guns, not rifles of any sort.
You are aware I trust the danger zone is primarily due to the large CEP of naval artillery? If you're using guided rounds the danger zone shrinks dramatically.
While an M1028 can penetrate a certain depth of concrete (for that matter a regular shotgun can penetrate a couple of inches unless it hits a rebar) there are several problems with this if you want to be realistic:
1)M1028 is a canister round, not fletchete. It fires a canister which will fly some distance and only then break open. The design target was for ranges of 200-500 meters, I would expect the canister to break open when it hit something, but even so the zombies close to Haida will be safe.
2) Even if the M1028 canister could penetrate a solid foot of concrete, and flesh is 100 times easier to penetrate than concrete (both statements I believe to be incorrect) you won't get them penetrating "several blocks" worth of packed bodies. F
3)You will get the buildings on either side of the street destroyed or at least badly damaged.
4)The M1028 is for smooth bore 120 mm guns, not rifles of any sort.
It does specifically say that these are modified M1028 rounds.
Also you have misunderstood what cannister shot is. The canister that the tungsten balls are contained in is designed to only last long enough to properly guide them to the end of the muzzle.
pics show that pellet spread occurs quite significantly while still in the muzzle blast.
Also; is it me or does this fine piece of televised carnage call for a PHO interlude?
Also2; thankfully, there is only one battleshipgirl in Worm fanfiction and she's playing it very very carefully, though she's the Space Battleship Yamato. Fireworks await. The rest are no more than a destroyer afaik, but even that is a massive overkill in most situations.
The Seas and Skies (Taylor as Kaga) Between the Devil and the Deep (Taylor as USS Barb, after being gutshot by Sophia) The Little Ship that Could (Taylor as USS Taylor; in two phases. 'Cape Taylor' is in the Worm 'verse, 'Shipgirl Taylor' has her summoned into a KC 'verse that diverges slightly from Belated Battleships)
Taylor as an Abyssal: First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth
(From the author's snippet thread; he hasn't spun it off into its own yet. And yes, it starts with Taylor getting shot by Sophia.)
Thanks. Note the concave nose of the shell, gap before the shot stack, and I'm not sure if the casing is pre-scored or that's just an artifact of that being a demonstration piece. Like a a sabot round, the casing of the M1028 is designed to maximize air resistance so that the casing blows apart as fast as possible as soon as it's not confined by the barrel of the gun.
The SBY fic should be Megiddo. That's the only SBY/Worm fic that comes to my mind. Can't rmb if the author posted it here on SV, but I last rmb reading it over at SB.
That said, I think the fallout of this (from Haida's perspective, or maybe the poor PR guys at the PRT) is going to be really interesting/amusing depending on the direction you take it.
My guess is that the soccer mom's are gonna freaaaak.
Megiddo (AltPower!Taylor, SBY 2199)
Here's a link to the Megiddo story that pan0ply talked about. Taylor as Space Battleship Yamato. Several other worm characters will also become shipgirls of SBY ships. Latest chapter has Lisa beginning to transform.
Rise of Leviathan (A KanColle/Halo crossover fic)
This is another shipgirl story. No Worm in this. Straight Kancolle verse with a Halo Marathon-class Cruiser manifesting on KC Earth. Just one little problem. She's an Abyssal. Luckily for humanity she wants to kill all Covie's instead of humans.
Leave Her Johnny [KanColle SI]
There's also this which is an SI that ends up as a paper battleship. Fairly decent. Haven't gotten around to reading much after chap 10 roughly so can't say much about it.
A Lion in Winter (Kancolle SI)
Another SI with a paper battleship. Well written with much attention paid to the character.
Crash Dive [KanColle]
Yet another SI but she's a submarine this time. Specifically a sub that got bombed in her slip at the end of the war and never got to fight. Explores the Abyssal politics well.
Also a general warning about the last four recs here. They all show abyssals and the body horror that comes along with it. It's not gore but if you think about the situations described they are not pleasant ones. I Must Scream And I Have No Mouth is just one trope invoked.
Also you have misunderstood what cannister shot is. The canister that the tungsten balls are contained in is designed to only last long enough to properly guide them to the end of the muzzle.
Wrong. Look at a slow motion video of the XM1028
The canister leaves the muzzle blast at 15 seconds, starts spreading pellets at about 20seconds but at 30 seconds into the slow motion video you can see the pattern is ~3 times the canister size.
Unless the M1028 was radically different than the XM1028 there's not going to be a significant spread initially, oh and keep in mind she'd be firing it at a lower charge than the standard M1028 since her guns wouldn't be able to handle the full charge.
No, those pics show significant dispersal after leaving the muzzle blast with the fading fireball from the muzzle blast in the background.
The range safety zone from a tank firing canister is a cone starting at the muzzle, but that includes the risk of case fragments going off at an angle, and considerable safety margins.
And PHO interludes, as I see them, are not there to exactly move the story forward. Yes, sure, some do, but generally it's about reactions (and just generally watching people lose their shit), same with PRT debriefs. It sets the stage atl large, defines pressures applied from the outside, both to MC and to various factions. They're also nice to decompress after action and to flesh out the world a little. Feel free to ignore that altogether, though - a number of great fics have never seen one of those. They're generally fun to read, but as I said, they're mostly optional.
A) I personally consider the Second Sino-Japanese War to be part of the Second World War. The US and Russia were providing aid to the Chinese; and would later get absorbed into 'Planetary Clusterfuck Part Deux: This Time it's Nuclear'. Dating from the Poland invasion is eurocentric (in my opinion) and it's dismissive of the monsterous casualties suffered (upwards of seventeen million Chinese).
By that logic you will have to include the Italian war in Abyssinia as well. And then you will have to at least consider the Italian "pacification" of Libya.
And the Soviet-Japanese fighting in the 1930s becomes a must include.
What about the Chinese civil wars then? Japan, USA, USSR etc were all involved in supporting various factions in the so called warlord era, and is essentially the origin of the 2nd Sino-Japanese war.
Both Germany and Italy sent sizeable forces to the Spanish civil war, and support from UK/US/Fr and others was noticeable if not nearly as official.
Then there's the US/Japanese invasion of USSR during the Russian civil war(along with the UK(etc) invasion in European Russia).
No, dating WWII from the invasion of Poland is realistic, it has very little to do with eurocentrism. Because otherwise you end up with a very slippery logic slope where you can eventually say that WWII started with the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. Which is just outright ridiculous and absurd.
The 2nd Sino-Japanese war has no direct connection to WWII, yes it was effectively a war between Japan and US/UK/NL due to the latter three's 1924 agreement to not allow Japan access to strategic raw materials or colonies, eventually formalised in 1934, and THAT DID cause Japan to start its side of WWII, but that makes it a "prologue" or part of the background of WWII, not part of it.
It's almost as bad as the sadly frequent idea that WWI and WWII was just a single war, despite the fact that that is horribly counterfactual and completely ignores the drastically different starting points and backgrounds.
I'd like to thank Five Finger Death Punch for helping me get in the right mindset for this one. "Wrong Side of Heaven" is softer on the Rock-Metal spectrum than I normally range; but this isn't an action chapter. Is it odd that I find it easier to write nazis than Youth Guard?
Dockworkers Union Compound
31Oct10, 2200 Lima
The only waterfront in good repair, with dredged slips and solid piers left in Brockton Bay belonged to the Dockworkers. Obviously, it's right there in the name. Armsmaster negotiated us past their security checkpoint with a simple "Medical Emergency." They waved us right through; though the fact that I was still picking viscera out of my hair may have had something to do with it. And I'd ruined another scarf, of course.
"I've never actually done this before; there's probably going to be a wave." I told Armsmaster, and he nodded, stopping his bike at the base of the pier and waving everyone back. I ran along the warf, judging the distances, and drew both my anchors since I didn't have enough time to get properly tied up. Once I was far enough out that I felt comfortable about clearances, I jumped down to the water surface, threw out my anchors, and
-=Changed=-
Imagine you're on a long plane ride. At first, it's a little uncomfortable, but soon enough you stop recognizing just how cramped your seat actually is. Until you stand up to use the lavatory. I'd been scrunched up in that tiny little slip of a human guise for more than six months now.
The gust of wind and rush of water in all directions as I shed the illusion and revealed my true self felt like being launched again. The brine lapping against my hull was delightfully cool; a comforting embrace from Neptune himself; welcoming me back to the element I truly belonged in. But now, like always, came first my duty to my comrades in arms and the ones I'd sworn to protect.
"Armsmaster, grapple aboard. Starboard bridge wing locker three you'll find a signaling kit. Let Glory Girl know to come to the flare. Shore party; lively there! Get some grapples o'er my stern rail before my aft starts drifting and make fast." I was the twenty five hundred ton gorilla; everyone did what I instructed promptly, and soon I had dockworkers aboard getting me properly moored. Before Armsmaster had the first flare in the air; I'd already warmed up my radios and started transmitting.
"Head towards the Dockworkers' yard; look for a ship that fires a flare." Amy clung to her phone as Armsmaster updated her. Carol had interrupted her daughters' homework to let them know the PRT was asking for help for a critically injured Ward.
Wasn't that nice of them? 'Asking'; like she could say no.
They hadn't bothered with costumes. As always, she hid her smile as Vicky cradled her in those strong arms and carried her bridal-style. At least she got away from calculus to go flying with her sister.
Victoria spotted the flare being launched from the deck of a huge navy-looking ship and descended towards the balcony that Armsmaster was waving from. As soon as she landed, she put Amy down. Her mousy sister grabbed the rail to steady herself and immediately got that glassy-eyed look whenever she touched someone with... unique injuries.
"D... Dani? You... ok... two, um, fractured ribs, you're bleeding...inwards? And a... sprained ankle, I think?" At Panacea's pronouncement, Armsmaster suddenly looked serious. Seriouser. This was Armsmaster after all.
A PA speaker beside the door crackled. "Amy, Victoria, welcome aboard. Clockblocker's got Vista frozen; she's the critical patient. Inside, take the hatch on your left, down the ladder." As they walked into the ship the young Wards' voice followed them on the PA. "But yes, I've two bent frames, some hull plating between them got dished in. Pumps are keeping ahead of the leak; I've got welding teams from the DWU working that and looking at the bearing seals of my port shaft."
The three heroes followed the ships' directions to the sickbay. Once they got close enough, it was a simple matter of following the streaks of blood on the pristine deck. The hatch stood open, letting Victoria see a partially disemboweled Vista on one of the beds. The young girls' face contorted in pain, one hand clinging desperately to her teammates'; frozen in a moment of agony. Dennis had his helmet off, revealing haggard expression blossoming into hope at Amy's arrival.
"Vicky?" The PA voice was soft; but still served to pull her attention away from the horribly mauled girl.
"Yeah?"
"I need you to do me a favor. There's something in the Captains' Quarters that I need; but I don't have hands."
"Uh... sure." The blond left her sister waiting for Dennis's power to wear off so she could get to work. "So, umm, what happened to Vista?" Victoria couldn't help but feel strange talking to the walls.
"Turn port here; that's your right. Hmm. Think... think how you'd feel if some random ganger managed to stab Amy. Uber and Leet crossed a line. You're a Brute, you know what it's like. To be surrounded by people who're little more than fragile glass figurines. One wrong sneeze and they shatter; so you constantly have to hold back, restrain yourself. Even in fights, pulling your punches; limiting to what others can take."
Vicky nodded, thinking of the time or two...ok, three. Maybe four, but that jerk had it coming. The occasions when her own strength had gotten away from her and Ames had to fix things up.
"So, when Vista got hurt, I... stopped holding back. Stopped playing cop, stopped playing superhero; and let myself be what I really am. A warship."
"How many people did you hurt?" Vicky paused with her hand on the door to the captains' quarters.
"What you're looking for is in the locker at the bottom of the closet; to the left of my bagpipes."
The ship evaded the question, so Vicky stepped inside, shifting a guitar case to the side in order to open the locker. Beside the worlds' most divisive musical instrument was a two-foot tall, snow-white teddy bear dressed in a replica of the fancy black uniforms hanging in the closet.
"That bear does not leave Vista's side until she's well enough to return it on her own." The girls' voice from the intercom on the wall carried the same commanding tones her mother used when she didn't want any back-talk.
"Yes ma'am." Vicky carefully lifted the bear and closed everything up behind herself. But back in the hallway, her curiosity got the better of her. "Umm... so... how many?"
"Forensics is going to have their work cut out for them trying to sort the remains. Probably have to use the video for an estimate. But I'd say around six
thousand fatalities? Vista and Clockblocker are OK though; that's what counts."
In one night, Brockton's newest Ward had killed more people than Lung probably had in his whole career; and she didn't even sound that upset by it. Victoria hugged the teddybear tight to her chest as she was led back to the others.
PRT HQ
01Nov10, 0630 Lima
*flip*
"Our top story this morning: Halloween Massacre in Brockton Bay-"
*flip*
"-disturbing footage shows one of the Bay's Wards indiscriminately slaughtering-"
*flip*
"-livetreamed by Uber & Leet; two new media performance artists-"
*flip*
"-osta-Brown has declined to comment at this time-"
*flip*
"- Vista, who'd been critically injured in an initial ambush and only survived long enough to make it to Panacea thanks to Haida's quick thinking and valiant defense. In sports: The Brockton Bay Buccaneers are at home tonight against-"
Emily shut off the TV in her office. As a grunt she'd mastered the art, as all grunts do, of sleeping through anything short of actual combat; a skill she'd retained even after Ellisburg forced her behind a desk. The couch in her office was actually a futon; and she kept a clean suit and an overnight bag for occasions just such as the category four shitstorm brewing on the news. Only the local channel was even mentioning the attack on Vista that had started the whole thing.
It hadn't been a good nights' sleep; between the thin mattress and the dreams; but it was better than nothing, and there was a promise of some really good coffee to come. Watching the swarm come pouring around, through, and over the buildings toward her cut-off patrol made her hand twitch towards her sidearm. She'd been there herself; as the horde poured in and the only thing holding them back was your teams' firepower. And then, just when it looked like the swarm was going to swamp her in bodies; she fired that double salvo of canister.
It was glorious. For the first time in... almost a decade, Emily felt envy for a parahuman. Not just because turning into a boat had made it difficult for the Ward to do any paperwork. And there was going to be paperwork.
So.
Much.
Paperwork.
A knock on her door interrupted her contemplation. Miss Militia, with Velocity behind her. "Transport's waiting, ma'am. Techs say they'll have the video link set up on time. I actually told them to have it done for quarter to; because something always goes wrong."
"Thank you Hannah." Emily Piggot stood, taking her sidearm from the desk-drawer safe and holstered it at the small of her back before pulling on her suit jacket.
DWU Piers
0655 Lima
Emily nodded to the two PRT troopers standing guard at the foot of the gangway, holding the handrail and silently cursing the steep climb highlighting how out of shape she'd gotten. Following the instructions Velocity had given in a strangely insistent tone, she stopped precisely at the top of the gangway. A set of external speakers played a twittering pipe as she saluted the conning tower; for lack of an officer of the deck. "Permission to come aboard?"
"Permission granted." As Emily's foot touched the deck, a bell rang, and her Wards' voice announced. "Director, Parahuman Response Team, East-Northeast Detachment, Arriving!" In a more conversational tone, she continued. "Welcome aboard ma'am. Miss Militia. Velocity. Armsmaster's supervising final set-up of the video conferencing equipment in the forward crews' mess. Sorry, my wardroom's just too cramped for all the gear."
Velocity nodded and lead the party as Haida kept speaking; switching from one PA speaker to the next while they walked. "Vista's sleeping in my XO's cabin, Clockblocker's resting as well. Both have clean costumes available. One of the DWU guys turned out to be a former navy cook; he's in the galley getting something more substantial than the snacks I normally share on patrol going. I... I've got a feeling this might be a long one."
"Danielle-" Emily began.
"I'm sorry ma'am; I know I'm in all sorts of trouble. I knew they were broadcasting, this has got to be a complete disaster-"
"Haida!" Emily snapped in command voice. Both Miss Militia and Velocity straightened up. "I want you to listen to me. I don't care what the news or PHO are saying; you defended your injured teammate. I said it last night, and I'll say it to the Chief Director later today in all likelihood. Nobody hurts MY Wards."
"Semper Fi." Velocity added, nodding.
That got Dani to chuckle. "Jarhead."
"Squid." The former marine shot back with a smile.
"Children, please." Emily sighed.
"The date is November first, two thousand ten; the time is seven fifteen AM, eastern standard time. This is a recording of the initial debrief of the Wards Haida and Clockblocker regarding their patrol the preceding night, October thirty first. Due to events of the patrol, questions of excessive use of force have been raised. Present are Director Emily Piggot, PRT East-northeast division, Armsmaster, Miss Militia, and Velocity of the Protectorate East-northeast team; as well as Haida and Clockblocker, Wards. Present via video conference: PRT Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown, and Glen Chambers, head of PRT public relations. Not present: Ward Vista, recovering from injuries sustained during the patrol in question; and Youth Guard Representative Harriet Sims, reason for absence unknown. Director?"
"Thank you Armsmaster. Haida, as this investigation primarily centers on your actions; please describe the events of last night in your own words. Clockblocker, feel free to provide relevant commentary when appropriate."
"On the night of October 31, I was assigned to a patrol with Clockblocker and Vista as patrol leader..."
"...and once my radio position-finding gear had a good triangulation of the signal source, I blew up the building it was coming from. Total ammunition expenditures were-"
A shrewish-looking woman stormed into the galley, glaring at everyone. "What is the meaning of this? Why's this meeting being held on some old wreck instead of at the PRT building? Why is there only one of the Wards present? And where's that little white-haired psycho you all have been giving machine guns to?"
It was Glen Chambers who recovered his aplomb first. "Mrs. Harriet Sims, I presume?"
"It's Miz, not Missus." The shrill woman snapped.
"My apologies, Miz Sims. I believe I have the copy of the memo regarding this meeting right here... yes, it does say that the meeting will be held with both Wards not currently recovering from wounds present. Beyond that, it does not, in fact, specify a location." Glenn managed to cover his smug quite well; as one would expect from a veteran spin-doctor.
"As for that 'little psycho' we've been giving machine guns to." Miss Militia glared over the top of her scarf, then glanced up at the ceiling as the ships' bell rang and bosun pipes played on the external speakers. "I recall, Miz Sims; that you were co-chair of a fundraising campaign to help promote Wards with physical differences; both conventional and power-related. The 'Diversity in Action' drive? Well, for your information, we didn't give Haida anything; her Changer power came with gun turrets."
"Gun mounts, not turrets." Haida spoke for the first time since Sims had stormed in.
"What's the difference?" Costa-Brown asked from the big screens.
"In Royal Navy terminology, a gun mount has a fixed ammunition handling system that the gun rotates independently of; whereas a gun turret's ammunition handling systems rotate with the gun. Mounts are lighter and take up less volume than turrets, but sacrifice rate of fire and maximum shell size." Armsmaster shrugged a little as everyone looked at him. "You did ask, Chief Director.
"Yes, well; where is this girl and why is she not here? For that matter, why is she not already under arrest for killing all those poor people?"
Clockblocker mimed clutching a string of pearls and wringing his hands, imitating the Youth Guard rep almost perfectly. "Won't someone think of the children?!" He snorted and shook his head. "You must have been watching one of the national newscasts; you didn't see the first one of those literally brainless zombies disembowel Vista right in front of us before Haida could smash it. You didn't see Haida doing first aid like a goddamned boss of a combat medic trying to buy my best friend another minute of life so we could gamble that an untested power interaction could keep her alive long enough to get help. You didn't have to spend hours holding the hand of a scared, agonized child while you used your power to make her death take as long as possible! Where is Haida? We're inside her you stupid cunt!"
Miz Sims looked shocked and offended. "Well I never. Of all the impudent-"
Haida cut her off in a deathly calm voice. "Ma'am, with what little respect you're due: You are currently trespassing on sovereign Canadian territory. Not only are you in a Ministry of Defense secure area without clearance; you have, in fact, boarded a vessel forcefully with neither permission nor invitation and are attempting to, by force or intimidation, dictate the actions of those aboard her. Acts of piracy are under the jurisdiction of any interested naval vessel. I would be totally within the law to have you summarily shot and your body dumped over the side. Do you fully understand how monumentally insignificant your offended feelings are to me at the moment?
"She's right you know." A new voice from the hatch made everyone turn. Standing at the mess deck hatch was a man in a black dress uniform, white hat tucked neatly under his left arm and a briefcase in his right hand.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, and Miz Sims; may I present Commander Douglas Jones, Royal Canadian Navy?" Haida's tone was half relieved, half smug. "Commander, welcome."
"Indeed, welcome Commander; to what do we owe the pleasure?" Chief Director Costa-Brown's expression was anything but pleased.
Commander Jones marched over to a table, setting down his briefcase and hat. "Ladies, Gentlemen, and Miz Sims, I presume?" Raising an eyebrow at the Youth Guard representative. "I'm with the Office of the Judge Advocate General. For the civilians present, that means I'm a military lawyer. I was, until very early this morning, assigned to liaison duty with the US Army's JAG Legal Center & School in Charlottesville. I was awoken by a senior NCO and handed three things. A tablet with a rather remarkable video queued up, orders instructing me to get here as fast as possible, and a copy of a message."
The commander opened his briefcase and extracted a sheet of paper, clearing his throat theatrically. "Operational Immediate. To Maritime Forces Command. From HMCS Haida Actual. Authentication Redacted. Have encountered enemy and decisively engaged. Opfor casualty estimates total. Allied KIA zero. Allied WIA one, critical. Have made port, Brockton Bay harbor, for medical evac of friendly WIA. Additional. Engagement probably broadcast live over internet. Expect allied LEO reaction strongly negative. Request JAG assist soonest. Message Repeats."
He slipped the message form back into his briefcase. "While en route, I received further information that the guided missile frigates HMCS Regina and HMCS Vancouver departed Halifax quote 'just as fast as the shore patrol could scrape up enough crew to make steam and stand watch' end quote and will be arriving as soon as they can to make a formal port visit in your fair city."
Armsmaster frowned. "May I ask why yourself and two of the Canadian Navy's most powerful modern ships were sent to Brockton Bay?"
Commander Jones smile, the face of a man who was finally getting to cross something off his list of life-long goals. "Armsmaster, how would you react if the Chief Director phoned you one day and said 'Alexandria just called me from Bolivia, she says she's in trouble: send lawyers, guns and money'? Anything else you want, Haida?"
"Do you think you could get the Ministry to scare up a therapist? Preferably one specializing in combat trauma, and who's seen the elephant themselves?"
Principal Blackwell looked at the note, then up at the plain clothed PRT trooper that had handed it to her, then back down at the note. "Please excuse Danielle from classes today, she's spending some time as a boat for legal reasons?"
The trooper shrugged helplessly. "Capes are weird."
So, this one got away from me. Over 3k words makes it the longest single chapter I've written so far; breaking the personal record I'd set with the last one. I can't promise that they'll stay this long. The next one(s) is looking like it's going to be a collection of fragments covering the villain response, the students' response at Winslow, and possibly Remembrance Day; though I feel that one deserves to stand on its own.
Quick note, a turn to port is a turn to the left, not the right. I just remember it by thinking 'left port'.
That was a goddamn awesome chapter. It was light enough to break the decided grimness of the previous chapter but still serious enough to avoid throwing off the plot.
Commander Jones smile, the face of a man who was finally getting to cross something off his list of life-long goals. "Armsmaster, how would you react if the Chief Director phoned you one day and said 'Alexandria just called me from Bolivia, she says she's in trouble: send lawyers, guns and money'? Anything else you want, Haida?"
Unsaid is that Haida would also ask for some proper maple syrup for emergency resupply.
Haida: "Seriously the 'syrup' these Yanks try to peddle should be outlawed."
Unsaid is that Haida would also ask for some proper maple syrup for emergency resupply.
Haida: "Seriously the 'syrup' these Yanks try to peddle should be outlawed."
Having been spoiled on real maple syrup for decades, I know exactly that feeling. That said, it's not impossible to find real syrup in the US, it's just much harder and relies on knowing where to find it.
"Armsmaster, how would you react if the Chief Director phoned you one day and said 'Alexandria just called me from Bolivia, she says she's in trouble: send lawyers, guns and money'? Anything else you want, Haida?"
I lost it at this point and doubled over giggling. Oh man that was an amazing end to a great chapter.
Quite the sticky wicket that our friendly shipgirl has herself in here. Sure they can mention later that the zombies weren't people and all that, but people have made there opinion. And know she is carrying all that Dakka. Legal quagmire ho!
I think Haida's in a pretty interesting situation. She's a Ward so she's under PRT jurisdiction but at the same time, she's also a Canadian warship so she's technically Canadian Navy as well. What happens if there's a conflict of interest?
Although what happened in the latest chapter isn't really a conflict of interest, it's still rather obvious that Haida contacted the RCN without the PRT's knowledge.
Is this going to become a problem or will it be dismissed as a one-off thing since Haida was in a ridiculously undesirable situation with the whole cyber-zombie apocalypse thing?
