- Location
- Maine, USA
There are quite a number internet sources for real Maine Maple syrup. (better than New Hampshire's, and don't let them tell you otherwise, they're just jealous.)
-
Going forward, links to content from Twitter (now X) will no longer be embedded. Pre-existing links should not be affected.
Northern Light (Worm/Misc Shipgirl)
- Thread starter Taliserian
- Start date
CBC News
Aeselon
Runs With Sentences
- Location
- UK
Holy. Shit.
This was everything I was looking for and more besides. I've re-read it four times that's how much I love this chapter.
Clockblocker's rant was amazing, Haida's piracy bit was fantastic. The RCN's response to Haida's Morse code was fucking terrific.
I'm not nationalistic in the least (proud of where I'm from, but not blind to the flaws), but good god damn it feels like I've got maple syrup flowing in my veins right now, and it's good. BRB, gonna go wrangle a moose. Eh.
Now I want a CBC interlude. With Peter Mansbridge. Because the man is a national treasure and I'm still gutted he retired.
Aaaaaaaand apologies to the author in advance, this got away form me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toronto, Canada.
21:00 Lima
An older balding man stands beside a large flat-screen television while looking into the camera with a serious expression upon his face.
When he speaks, his voice is smooth, confident and warm.
"Good evening, I'm Peter Mansbridge, and this is the National."
A logo featuring the name of the news programme replaces the newsroom while a brief tune plays before the view returns to the anchor.
"Our top story tonight; footage has been released on-line today that has rocked people across Canada and the United States. The incident occurred late yesterday evening in Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, familiar to many Canadians as the temporary assignment of the World War Two Royal Canadian Navy vessel, and former Vancouver Ward, HMCS Haida."
A picture of a young woman with white hair and a Canadian flag bandanna appears on the screen to his left. Beside this is an older photograph of a Second World War naval vessel with HMCS Haida stencilled near the bow.
"Late last night, what was, until then, a routine Halloween patrol for Haida and the local Wards turned deadly during an encounter with local villains Uber and L33t."
News headlines flash across the screen featuring phrases such as 'Halloween Hell,' 'Midnight Massacre,' and 'Ward Creates War-zone'.
He continues in a sombre tone, mild distress peaking through is professional mien,
"A thirteen year old local Ward, Vista, was gravely injured during an apparent re-enactment of the zombie survival video-game Left 4 Dead. She was attacked by what appears to be a young woman with elongated claws and sustained critical injuries."
Here, the screen changes to show a photograph of a smiling young blonde girl in a green, armoured dress wearing a visor over her eyes. Behind her is a view of the ocean from what appears to be a wooden boardwalk.
"While her team-mates were able to evacuate her safely and the PRT reports she is in stable, non life-threatening condition, the aftermath of the incident has sparked national, and international, concern in both the United States and Canada. This stems both from the injuries sustained by Vista and the actions of her team-mates during their escape."
If possible, Peter's face becomes even more grave as he continues,
"A warning for those with children in the room; the following footage is extremely violent, and viewer discretion is strongly advised."
After a moment the view changes to an aerial shot of three teens in costumes warily walking down a seemingly deserted street. Two of them are recognisable from the earlier photographs, the third appears to be a boy in a white, armoured bodysuit and full face mask with moving clock designs.
The video cuts to the scene of the youngest, Vista, moving towards a seemingly distressed woman on the ground.
At this point things begin happening rapidly. The figure on the ground leaps towards the Ward with outstretched hands, the 'woman' clawing at her surprised victim, a fountain of blood erupting from Vista's midsection. At this point Haida can be seen leaping into the fray, dispatching the assailant with brutal efficiency before turning to administer first-aide to her wounded comrade.
With the clock-themed cape and the wounded party seemingly disappearing, what follows can be likened to a scene from the D-Day landings as re-imagined by George A. Romero as 'zombies' begin converging on the white-haired hero's position before being met by an avalanche of sound and muzzle flashes from high-velocity naval guns.
The clip ends shortly after Haida's first salvo with the view returning to the newsroom and the still grave looking anchor.
"While we have limited information at this time, here's what we know for certain," he begins. "At roughly 9:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, the Brockton Bay Wards Vista, Clockblocker, and their latest addition, Haida, were conducting a patrol in the city's warehouse district when they encountered a trap set by the local villains Uber and L33T who, until this point, have conducted a number of video-game themed crimes which they record and upload to their website in order to generate revenue."
"This latest incident appears to have been the basis for a Halloween themed episode that spiralled rapidly out of control, and while local sources state it is unlikely this was the intended outcome, the video in many ways speaks for itself."
"Following the evacuation of her wounded colleague, sources in Ottawa have stated that the Department of National Defence Maritime Forces Command has dispatched a Navy lawyer and both the HMCS Regina and HMCS Vancouver to Brockton Bay in order to render aid."
Mansbridge walks to his left, the camera following him while panning out to show two people sitting at a table, one a genial looking redhead appearing in her late thirties or early forties and dressed in a black naval dress uniform, the other a somewhat younger man with sandy hair wearing a grey sport-coat with matching tie.
"In order to shed some light on the situation we have PRT spokesperson Andrew Reed joining us in the studio tonight, alongside Commander Michele Nicholson on behalf of the Royal Canadian Navy."
Addressing the man, he asks, "Andrew, we've had you on the programme before so welcome back, I wish it were under better circumstances. Could you begin by giving us the PRT's assessment so far? A Hero, a Ward especially, employing that level of violence has a number of people concerned in spite of the fact that she was acting in defence of her team-mate."
Reed clears his throat slightly before speaking, "Likewise, Peter. For the most part the investigation is ongoing, and as such I can't give many details, but what I can tell you is that, from analysis of video evidence and limited forensics, many of the victims Haida is alleged to have killed were non-human creations of the villainous Tinker, L33t. Whether that was the case for all of them, that remains to be seen."
"As for the level of force employed, that's still under official review, although no charges have been laid at this time." At this last the Commander's expression tightens but she refrains from comment.
"I'm sure that will come as a relief to many, Andrew, " turning slightly to address the naval officer Peter continues, "Commander Nicholson, welcome and thank you for joining us,"
She smiles slightly, "Thank you Peter, I'm happy to be here."
"For viewers at home who may not be familiar with Haida's situation, could you explain the Navy's stake in this and why two of Canada's most powerful warships as well as a..." he glances at his notes briefly, "Commander Douglas Jones were dispatched to a U.S. city to deal with what should surely be a matter for the consulate in Washington?"
The woman nods her head slightly, "Of course. If this were a purely civilian matter, Consular Affairs would be the ones to get involved, as is the case whenever a Canadian citizen gets into trouble involving local authorities abroad. However, this is not a civilian matter. HMCS Haida is, for those unaware, the ceremonial flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy. She remains on the rolls as a registered naval vessel, and until recently was maintained by Parks Canada as a floating museum. The vessel's amalgamation with a teen-aged parahuman during her trigger event, while complicating matters somewhat, has not changed any of that," Here she glares at the PRT spokesman.
The Commander's voice firms as she continues, "Haida is, and will remain, Royal Canadian Navy. She issued a distress call requesting JAG assistance following an encounter with and elimination of enemy forces in the field, and the subsequent medical evacuation of an injured ally. It is not, and never will be, Navy policy to leave our vessels in distress without rendering any and all possible aid."
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
So that was a thing... Apologies for hijacking your fic @Taliserian. Also, apologies it's so clunky, I don't write fiction (like, ever) and prose is way different from the formal academic writing I'm used to. And I spent too long on YouTube watching reruns of The National.
This was everything I was looking for and more besides. I've re-read it four times that's how much I love this chapter.
Clockblocker's rant was amazing, Haida's piracy bit was fantastic. The RCN's response to Haida's Morse code was fucking terrific.
I'm not nationalistic in the least (proud of where I'm from, but not blind to the flaws), but good god damn it feels like I've got maple syrup flowing in my veins right now, and it's good. BRB, gonna go wrangle a moose. Eh.
Now I want a CBC interlude. With Peter Mansbridge. Because the man is a national treasure and I'm still gutted he retired.
Aaaaaaaand apologies to the author in advance, this got away form me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toronto, Canada.
21:00 Lima
An older balding man stands beside a large flat-screen television while looking into the camera with a serious expression upon his face.
When he speaks, his voice is smooth, confident and warm.
"Good evening, I'm Peter Mansbridge, and this is the National."
A logo featuring the name of the news programme replaces the newsroom while a brief tune plays before the view returns to the anchor.
"Our top story tonight; footage has been released on-line today that has rocked people across Canada and the United States. The incident occurred late yesterday evening in Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, familiar to many Canadians as the temporary assignment of the World War Two Royal Canadian Navy vessel, and former Vancouver Ward, HMCS Haida."
A picture of a young woman with white hair and a Canadian flag bandanna appears on the screen to his left. Beside this is an older photograph of a Second World War naval vessel with HMCS Haida stencilled near the bow.
"Late last night, what was, until then, a routine Halloween patrol for Haida and the local Wards turned deadly during an encounter with local villains Uber and L33t."
News headlines flash across the screen featuring phrases such as 'Halloween Hell,' 'Midnight Massacre,' and 'Ward Creates War-zone'.
He continues in a sombre tone, mild distress peaking through is professional mien,
"A thirteen year old local Ward, Vista, was gravely injured during an apparent re-enactment of the zombie survival video-game Left 4 Dead. She was attacked by what appears to be a young woman with elongated claws and sustained critical injuries."
Here, the screen changes to show a photograph of a smiling young blonde girl in a green, armoured dress wearing a visor over her eyes. Behind her is a view of the ocean from what appears to be a wooden boardwalk.
"While her team-mates were able to evacuate her safely and the PRT reports she is in stable, non life-threatening condition, the aftermath of the incident has sparked national, and international, concern in both the United States and Canada. This stems both from the injuries sustained by Vista and the actions of her team-mates during their escape."
If possible, Peter's face becomes even more grave as he continues,
"A warning for those with children in the room; the following footage is extremely violent, and viewer discretion is strongly advised."
After a moment the view changes to an aerial shot of three teens in costumes warily walking down a seemingly deserted street. Two of them are recognisable from the earlier photographs, the third appears to be a boy in a white, armoured bodysuit and full face mask with moving clock designs.
The video cuts to the scene of the youngest, Vista, moving towards a seemingly distressed woman on the ground.
At this point things begin happening rapidly. The figure on the ground leaps towards the Ward with outstretched hands, the 'woman' clawing at her surprised victim, a fountain of blood erupting from Vista's midsection. At this point Haida can be seen leaping into the fray, dispatching the assailant with brutal efficiency before turning to administer first-aide to her wounded comrade.
With the clock-themed cape and the wounded party seemingly disappearing, what follows can be likened to a scene from the D-Day landings as re-imagined by George A. Romero as 'zombies' begin converging on the white-haired hero's position before being met by an avalanche of sound and muzzle flashes from high-velocity naval guns.
The clip ends shortly after Haida's first salvo with the view returning to the newsroom and the still grave looking anchor.
"While we have limited information at this time, here's what we know for certain," he begins. "At roughly 9:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, the Brockton Bay Wards Vista, Clockblocker, and their latest addition, Haida, were conducting a patrol in the city's warehouse district when they encountered a trap set by the local villains Uber and L33T who, until this point, have conducted a number of video-game themed crimes which they record and upload to their website in order to generate revenue."
"This latest incident appears to have been the basis for a Halloween themed episode that spiralled rapidly out of control, and while local sources state it is unlikely this was the intended outcome, the video in many ways speaks for itself."
"Following the evacuation of her wounded colleague, sources in Ottawa have stated that the Department of National Defence Maritime Forces Command has dispatched a Navy lawyer and both the HMCS Regina and HMCS Vancouver to Brockton Bay in order to render aid."
Mansbridge walks to his left, the camera following him while panning out to show two people sitting at a table, one a genial looking redhead appearing in her late thirties or early forties and dressed in a black naval dress uniform, the other a somewhat younger man with sandy hair wearing a grey sport-coat with matching tie.
"In order to shed some light on the situation we have PRT spokesperson Andrew Reed joining us in the studio tonight, alongside Commander Michele Nicholson on behalf of the Royal Canadian Navy."
Addressing the man, he asks, "Andrew, we've had you on the programme before so welcome back, I wish it were under better circumstances. Could you begin by giving us the PRT's assessment so far? A Hero, a Ward especially, employing that level of violence has a number of people concerned in spite of the fact that she was acting in defence of her team-mate."
Reed clears his throat slightly before speaking, "Likewise, Peter. For the most part the investigation is ongoing, and as such I can't give many details, but what I can tell you is that, from analysis of video evidence and limited forensics, many of the victims Haida is alleged to have killed were non-human creations of the villainous Tinker, L33t. Whether that was the case for all of them, that remains to be seen."
"As for the level of force employed, that's still under official review, although no charges have been laid at this time." At this last the Commander's expression tightens but she refrains from comment.
"I'm sure that will come as a relief to many, Andrew, " turning slightly to address the naval officer Peter continues, "Commander Nicholson, welcome and thank you for joining us,"
She smiles slightly, "Thank you Peter, I'm happy to be here."
"For viewers at home who may not be familiar with Haida's situation, could you explain the Navy's stake in this and why two of Canada's most powerful warships as well as a..." he glances at his notes briefly, "Commander Douglas Jones were dispatched to a U.S. city to deal with what should surely be a matter for the consulate in Washington?"
The woman nods her head slightly, "Of course. If this were a purely civilian matter, Consular Affairs would be the ones to get involved, as is the case whenever a Canadian citizen gets into trouble involving local authorities abroad. However, this is not a civilian matter. HMCS Haida is, for those unaware, the ceremonial flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy. She remains on the rolls as a registered naval vessel, and until recently was maintained by Parks Canada as a floating museum. The vessel's amalgamation with a teen-aged parahuman during her trigger event, while complicating matters somewhat, has not changed any of that," Here she glares at the PRT spokesman.
The Commander's voice firms as she continues, "Haida is, and will remain, Royal Canadian Navy. She issued a distress call requesting JAG assistance following an encounter with and elimination of enemy forces in the field, and the subsequent medical evacuation of an injured ally. It is not, and never will be, Navy policy to leave our vessels in distress without rendering any and all possible aid."
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
So that was a thing... Apologies for hijacking your fic @Taliserian. Also, apologies it's so clunky, I don't write fiction (like, ever) and prose is way different from the formal academic writing I'm used to. And I spent too long on YouTube watching reruns of The National.
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Taliserian
(Unverified Verifiable)
- Location
- ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The only thing more Canadian than Peter Mansbridge commentary would be Don and Ron.
"Now, pause it here? You see this Witch? She's got a good hit in on Vista, but she's got her head down..."
"And we all know what that means."
"BOOM, good clean hit from the Canadian. I love that kind of physicality. Not afraid to go to the boards."
"Now, pause it here? You see this Witch? She's got a good hit in on Vista, but she's got her head down..."
"And we all know what that means."
"BOOM, good clean hit from the Canadian. I love that kind of physicality. Not afraid to go to the boards."
Aeselon
Runs With Sentences
- Location
- UK
Ha! God yes.
I was gonna have a hand-wringing Youth Guard rep, but a) it was only supposed to be like, a paragraph or two, and 2) I didn't think I could do it as well as you did, and it wouldn't really add anything. I'd also prefer to read your version of their and the PRT's reaction to the fact that Haida is, as far as the Canadian government is concerned, still totally a warship, she's just girl-shaped most of the time now.
I had to resist the urge to cackle like a loon throughout most of the previous chapter because I was in public.
This, and the unasked-for omake are basically my way of saying I love everything about this fic (and I don't even watch(?) Kancolle).
- Location
- San Diego
suddenly, all i can think of is Haida meeting any varient of the SHIPGIRL!Taylor that exist out there. I am sure Fletcher will be glad to help upgrade Haida with bigger and better equipment. Or how about intelligence? Always important to keep abreast of the Upper Chain of Command's going ons after all. Never know when it could help you keep you away from the rotatong fan spewing much everywhere.
They haven't had the chance to get any autopsies/forensics to confirm this officially yet.
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So something that I have to wonder about is how the Regina and Vancouver plan to get past the wrecks in th harbour that block the shipping channel and are the whole reason that there is a boat graveyard at all.
I thought the boat graveyard was that the boats were sunk in the docks not the shipping channel itself.
People saw this and thought that thousands of real people were dressed as zombies and mindlessly charging real gunfire?
I mean that's a stretch in of itself, let alone the PRT who should have figured it out instantly and spun their PR story. It doesn't even matter if the PRT thinks it's true or not.
Alayne
The Reader
- Location
- Home of the Vikings
Problem is that the stream was live and the news agencies skipped showing Vista getting ganked and just showed the slaughter. You know, to create outrage which gets views.
I'm pretty sure two modern warships, with crew complement, can clear out a tanker. Even if that involves turning that tanker into tanker-sized scrap and then just rolling through the wreckage.
Bonus: once that's done, the graveyard itself will be much easier (and more economically viable) to clear out, since then you can just tow them all to dedicated wrecking yards. Hell, just take them out to sea and capsize them, though that loses you the scrap reclamation funds.
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Geography
Taliserian
(Unverified Verifiable)
- Location
- ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
- Pronouns
- They/Them
As I stated back in the initial authors' note, I'm using an east-west flipped Vancouver for my Brockton Bay. Wildbow mentions in a comment on Shell 4.5 that 'a lot of little details' were pulled from Vancouver. It seems that some of the bigger details were too. I've seen a lot of maps where the bay of Brockton is broad and shallow; but that just doesn't work with canon; it's too hard to block.
Welcome to one of the greatest natural harbors on the Best Coast; Burrard Inlet
Yes, it's ridiculous that the Inner Harbour is between the Outer and Central Harbours. No, we aren't going to fix it.
If we wreck a Capesize freighter broadside at First Narrows, pretty much every major ship is going to be stuck in the inlet. That's what creates the Boat Graveyard. It's not a bunch of shipwrecks, it's a bunch of rusted old hulks that couldn't leave. Convert an offshore drilling rig into the Protectorate HQ and plunk it in English Bay; and BB's Boardwalk runs from First Narrows around to False Creek. Port Moody (Terminus of the Trans-Continental Railway) would be the Trainyards. Incidentally, Danny Hebert's particular bugaboo, the Brockton Bay Ferry, would be the SeaBus. Skytrain is post-Scion; so... butterflies?
Regina and Vancouver have the entire Outer Harbor to play with for anchorage; probably leaning towards the north side for politics reasons; they just won't be able to get into the harbor proper and tie up alongside a pier.
- Location
- The States
Probably not without a lot of time and even then, you would need a truly exorbitant (to the point of being dangerous to the city around) amount of explosives and once that is done, you also need to remove all the steel from the inlet which takes a great deal of time and money. Modern warships are actually pretty thinly armored as far as I know and no captain is going to want to literally try to ram their way through another ship's hull. That's a good way to get stuck and an even better way to do serious damage to a very expensive warship. Really the way to do this would be to try and either refloat the ships if at all possible, and if not to cut the ship apart into smaller pieces to be carried away. Problem is that takes money and time that apparently no one in the Bay wants to invest. (Even though it probably wouldn't have been as expensive as the Rig... Isn't there some canonical reason for the stupidity of the Bay's Administration or do they just suffer from Flint, Michigan syndrome?)
Leafninja91
The man that makes the impossible real.
- Location
- The Great White North
A popular fanon reason is that the people who scuttled the tanker booby trapped it.
edit: that might be canon, I don't know.
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- Location
- Canada
My only issue with this that you used these two ships, both are based and operated out of CFB Esquimalt, which is on the West Coast while Brocton Bay is East Coast. A possible pair would be the HMCS Toronto and HMCS St. Johns which are operated out of CFB Halifax.
- Location
- Up there somewhere. (Im a bit lost)
An entire alternate universe if fanfic writers to be believed.
Physically? A few bits of pollen and some nectar.
Cruise 2.4
Taliserian
(Unverified Verifiable)
- Location
- ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
- Pronouns
- They/Them
A Meeting
02Nov10, 1900 Lima
It was a quiet pub; tucked away amidst a dozen other hole-in-the-wall businesses on a quiet street; far from any of the major gangs' central turfs. That particular nondescriptness was a nod in its favor; but not so much as the fact that it had been Marquis' favorite watering hole, and that worthy gentleman's civility and hospitality still lingered. By mutual agreement and inertia more than any particular favor shown by the new generation of villains, Somer's Rock remained neutral ground.
The minor players arrived first; the independents like Trainwreck and Circus. The Undersiders arrived and took a quiet booth off to one side, followed shortly by all three of the Merchants' capes. Squealer slumped into their booth to stare at the colors, while Mush wandered off to the corner and struck up an enthusiastic conversation with a potted plant. Coil took his seat while two bodyguards found a spot to watch the room from.
Kaiser arrived, making a show of strength by being accompanied by five Empire capes. Hookwolf, Krieg, Victor, and the Twins crammed into two booths while their armored overlord took his seat at the central table.
Lung, too made a show of strength: He arrived alone.
The young waitress did her rounds, getting everyone their beverage of choice, then the Dragon of Kyushu opened the conversation. "My sources within the District Attorney's office tell me that while Leet will not be receiving a Kill Order for his latest escapade; this has been listed as a Birdcage strike; subject to review should he produce replicating systems such as this again.
Kaiser nodded. "The medical examiner has been working alongside the fire department for cleanup. So far, every mostly-intact head they've found has had a small, but powerful computer system in place of the brain; controlled by a central server. Only two sets of DNA have been found. It seems that the 'zombie horde' really were just cloned puppets; as Leets' latest posts have claimed."
"They're reconsidering the childs' ratings as well; since her performance. She may be getting a bump to Blaster 10." Coil steepled his fingers. "Certain elements within the PRT and Protectorate; mostly those with combat experience, seem to be attempting to shelter this Ward from the public relations backlash. Given her demonstrated capabilities, the reasons for retaining her should be obvious."
"It's one fuckin punkass bitch; how hard can she be? She tries musclin my turf, I'll spank her ass 'til she calls me daddy."
"Skidmark, if she starts to push into your turf, she'll take it. If it weren't for her rules of engagement holding her back; she could kill you and everyone you know faster than you can tie your own shoes."
"No way snake-face, these bitches are velcro!"
Kaiser managed not to sigh as he looked around the room at the gathered villains. "Do any of you have something you'd like to add?" When the purple-clad Undersider cleared her throat, Kaiser gestured grandly.
"I've actually approached Haida in her civilian identity, such as it is, in order to gather some more information on her. She doesn't fall into the 'Cops and Robbers' mindset." Tattletale looked at the Nazi cape leader and his entourage. "She sees herself as a paladin. A knight in shining armor. She's also a zealot; a true believer. Push too far, cross a line in the sand like Leet did, and she will call down the wrath of god without hesitation."
"That sort of mindset can be useful if it could be steered in the right direction." Kaiser mused. "It's obvious she's not going to be challenged to reach her full potential by staying with the Wards."
Trainwreck's laugh was loud and long. "You gonna try and turn that Ward? You be fuckin loco, man. Too much time out in the sun with your helmet on?"
The major players rounded on the steampunk Case 53. "What, am I the only one here who's read a history book? Or even looked her up on wikipedia? It took the canucks less than a hundred days to wreck your shit the first time 'round. Then when you got all world-conquesty again they got the Aussies and the Kiwis and kicked your shit in a second time. Canadians are the shock troops of the british empire; hell, the krauts invented the term 'stormtrooper' to describe them.
"On a more personal note, the only reason Haida ain't top of the Trainbusters Club; somethin the Americans came up with in Korea, is 'cause she gave up kills to help other ships get on the scoreboard. She ain't adding my ass to her tally. Far as I'm concerned, she's got a free pass in my trainyards; and if any of your people look like they're gonna start shit with her there, I be comin in on her side just so she don't think I'm lettin ya."
"Surprisingly insightful, thank you Trainwreck." Coil nodded. "For my part; I'm adopting a similar approach. My men have been instructed not to provoke any of the Wards they encounter in a professional capacity."
"As have I." Lung rumbled. "I've told the unpowered members of my organization to simply surrender should they be caught in the act. They cannot fight the hurricane; it would be folly to try. As well, I'll pay a hundred thousand dollars to anyone who brings me Leet's head. Killing a child is an act of a beast, not a man; and only the kanmusu's quick thinking with her teammates powers saved Vista's life."
"I'll match that." Kaiser glowered beneath his helm at his asiatic rival; but it didn't reflect in his voice. If the slant-eyed mongrel wanted to play the honorable criminal, then the Empire leader couldn't be seen as acting less ethical. "Though my sources say he and his partner have already fled the city. I've already sent them anonymous gift baskets; but the corpse of Leet would make a nice present as well."
Krieg barely batted an eye; getting a courier to back-date some gift baskets would be easy, and he had some contacts that could get very nice swiss chocolate.
Squealer sat up abruptly, then swayed unsteadily. "Imma gonna buil a boat. 'S gonna be awesome; it'll have, like, spikes n' shit. Anna drill. Big ass drill right onna front; soz it can drill through the water. Rocket drill, yeah. Awesome." The drug-addled Tinker pulled out a pen from somewhere and started sketching on a napkin, crooning softly to herself. "Boaty boaty-boat booooooooooat..."
"Is there any other business we wish to discuss while we're gathered here?" Coil asked, glancing around the room.
"Yeah, since you asked." Hookwolf glared across the bar at Bitch...
DWU Pier 3
Meanwhile
Commander Jones followed the faint music out onto the open upper bridge; taking a deep breath of the onshore breeze carrying a salt tang, instead of the stench of urban decay. Wordlessly, he leaned against the rail to watch the sun set and listen to the ship sing.
"Look at all these islands;
All granite walls and sandstone.
See the mighty evergreens,
Standing by the shore.
And how those waves have pounded,
Down through the ages,
Somewhere through eternity
That's gone forever more.
And I can hear a heart beat
Somewhere on the ocean
Somewhere on the changing tide.
And I can hear the wind so wild,
Shouting cross the shore.
And I can hear an eagle
Screaming of an ego
Somewhere in the distant sky.
And I hear somebody crying,
Someone softly crying,
Somewhere on the island."
Doug recognized the song, and gave the rail a comforting pat; unsure if the mind behind it could feel the sensation but making the gesture anyways. When she didn't start into the next verse, he cleared his throat. "Homesick, Lieutenant?"
"Sorry, sir. Just having some second thoughts about volunteering for this deployment."
"Want to talk about it? I'm a lawyer, not a therapist; but I can listen."
"It's just..." The speaker played a frustrated sigh. "I don't understand the reaction. What did they expect me to do, just stand there and let myself get swarmed? The Tank that threw a car at me, at least, was a physical threat. I was attacked, I fought back. Why are people acting like that was wrong?"
"Haida... Danielle. It wasn't. It's never wrong to defend yourself. Nobody has a right to hurt you, ever. You were trapped and ambushed, you did what you had to to save your team. It's the most clear case of self defense I've ever heard of. I'd say it was textbook; but none of my lawschool books had anything this obvious in their examples. The problem isn't what you did; it's how they saw it."
He hesitated, then patted the rail again. "I've been told you've got... memories from... before?"
She couldn't nod, but he heard the affirmation in her voice. "When I triggered, I didn't just merge physically with the ship; it's like she had her own spirit that became part of me too. i know it sounds crazy-"
"Danielle, sailors have known their ships have souls since the first African plains ape tried paddling a log across a river, fell off, and blamed the log." He rubbed the rail slowly. "When we built you the world was in the midst of a terrible war. Apocalyptic. We set our brightest minds to the creation of our darkest weapons and we threw the wealth of empires and an entire generation at stopping an enemy so heinous, so vile, that to this day their name is a synonym for evil. And to stop that, we did great and terrible things ourselves, and were justified in doing them. That is what you were born for.
"Then Korea, and the seed was planted. Not a war of aggression and conquest, not a war for survival; but a war for peace. Just to keep the lines on the map. It didn't work very well. Did you know the Americans considered using nuclear weapons in Korea?"
"I was there." Haida responded dryly. "They weren't considered strategically justifiable."
"And for the first time, that African plains ape looked at his biggest, fanciest club and thought 'This too much whacking stick'. And of course you were at the Suez when we first got it right and people sat down to talk before we started having to build monuments to our dead because there were too many to mourn individually."
"You have a point around here somewhere, I'm sure."
"You're a veteran of the worst war in history; some part of you was literally built for combat. But people these days, civilians, anyways, have grown up in a time when talking works. There hasn't been a single major international conflict since December 13th, '92. That alone is the most unnatural thing since Scion showed up on our world. Civilians by and large cannot understand combat; they'll never understand the endorphin rush that comes from surviving it. You shocked them by showing them a part of themselves they thought we'd outgrown as a species. But other veterans do understand. Try talking with Director Piggot some time."
After a long minute, Haida responded. "Honestly; the person I'm most concerned about is Clockblocker. He was getting a little hysterical there before you butted in last night."
"If the PRT doesn't get a therapist assigned, call home again and we'll give 'em a polite nudge. What about Vista?"
"Vista's a badass. And she hasn't woken up yet, Panacea says she'll probably be out for a couple days.
Below, in the executive officer's stateroom, the young girl stirred slightly. She rolled over on her side, instinctively clutching the soft plush toy tightly to herself. The ship watched, saw she hadn't disturbed the IV or kicked her blankets off; and let her friend sleep.
02Nov10, 1900 Lima
It was a quiet pub; tucked away amidst a dozen other hole-in-the-wall businesses on a quiet street; far from any of the major gangs' central turfs. That particular nondescriptness was a nod in its favor; but not so much as the fact that it had been Marquis' favorite watering hole, and that worthy gentleman's civility and hospitality still lingered. By mutual agreement and inertia more than any particular favor shown by the new generation of villains, Somer's Rock remained neutral ground.
The minor players arrived first; the independents like Trainwreck and Circus. The Undersiders arrived and took a quiet booth off to one side, followed shortly by all three of the Merchants' capes. Squealer slumped into their booth to stare at the colors, while Mush wandered off to the corner and struck up an enthusiastic conversation with a potted plant. Coil took his seat while two bodyguards found a spot to watch the room from.
Kaiser arrived, making a show of strength by being accompanied by five Empire capes. Hookwolf, Krieg, Victor, and the Twins crammed into two booths while their armored overlord took his seat at the central table.
Lung, too made a show of strength: He arrived alone.
The young waitress did her rounds, getting everyone their beverage of choice, then the Dragon of Kyushu opened the conversation. "My sources within the District Attorney's office tell me that while Leet will not be receiving a Kill Order for his latest escapade; this has been listed as a Birdcage strike; subject to review should he produce replicating systems such as this again.
Kaiser nodded. "The medical examiner has been working alongside the fire department for cleanup. So far, every mostly-intact head they've found has had a small, but powerful computer system in place of the brain; controlled by a central server. Only two sets of DNA have been found. It seems that the 'zombie horde' really were just cloned puppets; as Leets' latest posts have claimed."
"They're reconsidering the childs' ratings as well; since her performance. She may be getting a bump to Blaster 10." Coil steepled his fingers. "Certain elements within the PRT and Protectorate; mostly those with combat experience, seem to be attempting to shelter this Ward from the public relations backlash. Given her demonstrated capabilities, the reasons for retaining her should be obvious."
"It's one fuckin punkass bitch; how hard can she be? She tries musclin my turf, I'll spank her ass 'til she calls me daddy."
"Skidmark, if she starts to push into your turf, she'll take it. If it weren't for her rules of engagement holding her back; she could kill you and everyone you know faster than you can tie your own shoes."
"No way snake-face, these bitches are velcro!"
Kaiser managed not to sigh as he looked around the room at the gathered villains. "Do any of you have something you'd like to add?" When the purple-clad Undersider cleared her throat, Kaiser gestured grandly.
"I've actually approached Haida in her civilian identity, such as it is, in order to gather some more information on her. She doesn't fall into the 'Cops and Robbers' mindset." Tattletale looked at the Nazi cape leader and his entourage. "She sees herself as a paladin. A knight in shining armor. She's also a zealot; a true believer. Push too far, cross a line in the sand like Leet did, and she will call down the wrath of god without hesitation."
"That sort of mindset can be useful if it could be steered in the right direction." Kaiser mused. "It's obvious she's not going to be challenged to reach her full potential by staying with the Wards."
Trainwreck's laugh was loud and long. "You gonna try and turn that Ward? You be fuckin loco, man. Too much time out in the sun with your helmet on?"
The major players rounded on the steampunk Case 53. "What, am I the only one here who's read a history book? Or even looked her up on wikipedia? It took the canucks less than a hundred days to wreck your shit the first time 'round. Then when you got all world-conquesty again they got the Aussies and the Kiwis and kicked your shit in a second time. Canadians are the shock troops of the british empire; hell, the krauts invented the term 'stormtrooper' to describe them.
"On a more personal note, the only reason Haida ain't top of the Trainbusters Club; somethin the Americans came up with in Korea, is 'cause she gave up kills to help other ships get on the scoreboard. She ain't adding my ass to her tally. Far as I'm concerned, she's got a free pass in my trainyards; and if any of your people look like they're gonna start shit with her there, I be comin in on her side just so she don't think I'm lettin ya."
"Surprisingly insightful, thank you Trainwreck." Coil nodded. "For my part; I'm adopting a similar approach. My men have been instructed not to provoke any of the Wards they encounter in a professional capacity."
"As have I." Lung rumbled. "I've told the unpowered members of my organization to simply surrender should they be caught in the act. They cannot fight the hurricane; it would be folly to try. As well, I'll pay a hundred thousand dollars to anyone who brings me Leet's head. Killing a child is an act of a beast, not a man; and only the kanmusu's quick thinking with her teammates powers saved Vista's life."
"I'll match that." Kaiser glowered beneath his helm at his asiatic rival; but it didn't reflect in his voice. If the slant-eyed mongrel wanted to play the honorable criminal, then the Empire leader couldn't be seen as acting less ethical. "Though my sources say he and his partner have already fled the city. I've already sent them anonymous gift baskets; but the corpse of Leet would make a nice present as well."
Krieg barely batted an eye; getting a courier to back-date some gift baskets would be easy, and he had some contacts that could get very nice swiss chocolate.
Squealer sat up abruptly, then swayed unsteadily. "Imma gonna buil a boat. 'S gonna be awesome; it'll have, like, spikes n' shit. Anna drill. Big ass drill right onna front; soz it can drill through the water. Rocket drill, yeah. Awesome." The drug-addled Tinker pulled out a pen from somewhere and started sketching on a napkin, crooning softly to herself. "Boaty boaty-boat booooooooooat..."
"Is there any other business we wish to discuss while we're gathered here?" Coil asked, glancing around the room.
"Yeah, since you asked." Hookwolf glared across the bar at Bitch...
DWU Pier 3
Meanwhile
Commander Jones followed the faint music out onto the open upper bridge; taking a deep breath of the onshore breeze carrying a salt tang, instead of the stench of urban decay. Wordlessly, he leaned against the rail to watch the sun set and listen to the ship sing.
"Look at all these islands;
All granite walls and sandstone.
See the mighty evergreens,
Standing by the shore.
And how those waves have pounded,
Down through the ages,
Somewhere through eternity
That's gone forever more.
And I can hear a heart beat
Somewhere on the ocean
Somewhere on the changing tide.
And I can hear the wind so wild,
Shouting cross the shore.
And I can hear an eagle
Screaming of an ego
Somewhere in the distant sky.
And I hear somebody crying,
Someone softly crying,
Somewhere on the island."
Doug recognized the song, and gave the rail a comforting pat; unsure if the mind behind it could feel the sensation but making the gesture anyways. When she didn't start into the next verse, he cleared his throat. "Homesick, Lieutenant?"
"Sorry, sir. Just having some second thoughts about volunteering for this deployment."
"Want to talk about it? I'm a lawyer, not a therapist; but I can listen."
"It's just..." The speaker played a frustrated sigh. "I don't understand the reaction. What did they expect me to do, just stand there and let myself get swarmed? The Tank that threw a car at me, at least, was a physical threat. I was attacked, I fought back. Why are people acting like that was wrong?"
"Haida... Danielle. It wasn't. It's never wrong to defend yourself. Nobody has a right to hurt you, ever. You were trapped and ambushed, you did what you had to to save your team. It's the most clear case of self defense I've ever heard of. I'd say it was textbook; but none of my lawschool books had anything this obvious in their examples. The problem isn't what you did; it's how they saw it."
He hesitated, then patted the rail again. "I've been told you've got... memories from... before?"
She couldn't nod, but he heard the affirmation in her voice. "When I triggered, I didn't just merge physically with the ship; it's like she had her own spirit that became part of me too. i know it sounds crazy-"
"Danielle, sailors have known their ships have souls since the first African plains ape tried paddling a log across a river, fell off, and blamed the log." He rubbed the rail slowly. "When we built you the world was in the midst of a terrible war. Apocalyptic. We set our brightest minds to the creation of our darkest weapons and we threw the wealth of empires and an entire generation at stopping an enemy so heinous, so vile, that to this day their name is a synonym for evil. And to stop that, we did great and terrible things ourselves, and were justified in doing them. That is what you were born for.
"Then Korea, and the seed was planted. Not a war of aggression and conquest, not a war for survival; but a war for peace. Just to keep the lines on the map. It didn't work very well. Did you know the Americans considered using nuclear weapons in Korea?"
"I was there." Haida responded dryly. "They weren't considered strategically justifiable."
"And for the first time, that African plains ape looked at his biggest, fanciest club and thought 'This too much whacking stick'. And of course you were at the Suez when we first got it right and people sat down to talk before we started having to build monuments to our dead because there were too many to mourn individually."
"You have a point around here somewhere, I'm sure."
"You're a veteran of the worst war in history; some part of you was literally built for combat. But people these days, civilians, anyways, have grown up in a time when talking works. There hasn't been a single major international conflict since December 13th, '92. That alone is the most unnatural thing since Scion showed up on our world. Civilians by and large cannot understand combat; they'll never understand the endorphin rush that comes from surviving it. You shocked them by showing them a part of themselves they thought we'd outgrown as a species. But other veterans do understand. Try talking with Director Piggot some time."
After a long minute, Haida responded. "Honestly; the person I'm most concerned about is Clockblocker. He was getting a little hysterical there before you butted in last night."
"If the PRT doesn't get a therapist assigned, call home again and we'll give 'em a polite nudge. What about Vista?"
"Vista's a badass. And she hasn't woken up yet, Panacea says she'll probably be out for a couple days.
Below, in the executive officer's stateroom, the young girl stirred slightly. She rolled over on her side, instinctively clutching the soft plush toy tightly to herself. The ship watched, saw she hadn't disturbed the IV or kicked her blankets off; and let her friend sleep.
So I write on a laptop. I usually take it to bed with me to read something so I can fall asleep. (I blame my mother for this trait) Thought to myself: Well, I don't really have any ideas yet, but I can start with a setting paragraph for Somer's Rock. Next thing I know it's Marquis' old gin joint and Squealer's tripping balls and Trainwreck has become a bad hispanic stereotype who actually reads history because of his amnesia and what's happening over here and oh my god it's two thirty in the morning and I've got another 2k words.
I don't know if the second part made any sense. I know what he's trying to say; I'm just not sure if he's saying it right. I should probably do an editing pass and send it past my much-neglected beta-reader (Sorry Auto) before I post it. But I'm on a roll and I've still gotta get Dani back to school before Remembrance Day, and maybe trying to figure out where this chapter's song is from will distract you all from arguing about misquoted Warren Zevon and vintages of distilled tree blood. We can't stop here, this is bat country.
Girlguide cookie to whoever recognizes the song without just googling the lyrics. But only a vanilla one, the chocolate are mine, all mine.
I don't know if the second part made any sense. I know what he's trying to say; I'm just not sure if he's saying it right. I should probably do an editing pass and send it past my much-neglected beta-reader (Sorry Auto) before I post it. But I'm on a roll and I've still gotta get Dani back to school before Remembrance Day, and maybe trying to figure out where this chapter's song is from will distract you all from arguing about misquoted Warren Zevon and vintages of distilled tree blood. We can't stop here, this is bat country.
Girlguide cookie to whoever recognizes the song without just googling the lyrics. But only a vanilla one, the chocolate are mine, all mine.
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Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
Wonderfully done. Keep up the good work.
Aeselon
Runs With Sentences
- Location
- UK
And I continue to love this. I was hoping to get more civilian reaction, but I'm loving the tension this adds.
Also, Trainwreck pointing out how pants on head stupid an attempt at recruiting a Canadian warship that fought Nazis is was great. I also like that he's the first person that Haida hasn't talked to that gets that she IS the ship. Trust the C53 to grok it.
Lung referring to her as the Hurricane is also fantastic. He's treating her like an equal.
Now I want more reactions. Especially how Glenn is gonna spin things.
Also, Trainwreck pointing out how pants on head stupid an attempt at recruiting a Canadian warship that fought Nazis is was great. I also like that he's the first person that Haida hasn't talked to that gets that she IS the ship. Trust the C53 to grok it.
Lung referring to her as the Hurricane is also fantastic. He's treating her like an equal.
Now I want more reactions. Especially how Glenn is gonna spin things.
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A shipgirl in Worm written reasonably and still played straight, this many chapters in.
Keep up the awesome work!
Keep up the awesome work!
I both hope for it and dread it. I hope for it because it'll be a very interesting perspective to read, but I dread it because I know it will probably make me very angry.
I've dealt with enough unreasonable civilians during my time in service to know that sometimes people just don't bloody understand why some of the things we do in the military are necessary.
Rogue Gemini
Wanderer without a Twin
- Location
- Here
You also should remember that Lung refers to Haida as a kanmusu. I'm sure he knows damn well the implications of that.