Polaris

[CV12Hornet]

Unicorn
Hello There
Island in the middle of nowhere

---

After making my way over to the location of the flare, I silently creep behind one Hornet,
"Hello there!" I say, before giggling softly

Click to shrink...

Unicorn gets a slight flinch, but that and an annoyed look are the only reaction she gets.

"Oh. It's you," she says, huffing. "I am conflicted..."

@shinkiro @Nervos Belli @SpacePrius @Xanith @CV12Hornet @Miho Chan @AlphaD @lelenoi @Expert Teaser @Omida

The sun has risen by now, painting the world in a pale, blue haze. If any of you still had doubts on your situation, this would certainly have shattered them.

But still, here you are: sworn enemies with mere feet of black sand between you. Yet you meet to discuss cooperation rather than inflict harm. Perhaps your return is more than an unattainable dream.

Then, forty minutes past dawn, your compasses snapped towards the mountain as the black sand you stood on leapt up your legs. Those of you with your Riggings out nearly stumbled under the unexpected force of the sand adhering to it.

What now, castaways?

Click to shrink...

The blue sunrise is gorgeous, that much Hornet will admit. It's also irrefutable evidence that they're stuck on another goddamn planet. Or dimension. Same difference, either way. Mentally, Hornet is already running through her depleted stores, and if hers are depleted then her destroyers must be running on empty. They need oil, top priority. They also need steel, because everyone is damaged. And both are products of an industrial economy. Well, if they can find some decent light sweet crude without too much sulfur, they could use that direct, but that doesn't seem likely.

The carrier glances at the Abyssals. And if they want to survive, they certainly can't do it without the Abyssals. They have a repair ship, and frankly, fighting them is a good way to see them all die. Whether immediately or later on. Hornet has her duty, but she also likes living.

Then the sand reaches up and grabs her rigging, and all other thought flees in favor of trying to get free.

Thankfully, she can move, but the sand sticks like glue so it's like slogging through lava. Yes, she knows what that's like. That was a long time in the docks afterwards... Regardless, at least the panic is gone, though her nav fairies are going nuts about the compass pointing towards the island's peak.

Yay. Navigational problems.

Arizona stumbles at the drastic change. True, she does not have nearly as much problems as those few with their riggings out, but the sudden movement of the sand (or, apparently, iron dust?) is enough to startle her. She leans on the tree trunk before righting herself and casting a glance at their surroundings again. The pale, blue light, the unnaturally dark bark of the trees, the beach composed of iron granules. If there was any doubt in her mind before, there is none now. Mjoll did cast them away into another world. Whether the crazy Demon planned at least part of this or if the entire situation was quite literal roll of a dice, Arizona did not know. She pushed that train of thought aside. Looking at the shipgirls, and at Kongou, barely restrained in her fuming, she sighs, puts the tree down and sits on it.

They are here now, wherever it is, stranded, without hope for resupply or promise of home. At least those are the problems that can be solved. Shelter can be build, supplies gained. But first, Arizona muses, they need to solidify this cease fire of theirs. No shooting each other is all nice and good. But they need something more tangible. A peace, however temporary, with clear terms, until they are secure enough. She crosser her arms, puts one leg over the other while trying to ignore the shifting of the 'sand' on her skin, and speaks.

"So. I realize that asking for mutual trust would be too much, given we have been trying to kill each other not two hours ago. But in this unknown world there will be no second chances, and aggravating our already existing injuries will change the equation of survival to spell certain doom. So how about it, shipgirls? Are you open to peace? I am not asking for cooperation, Darkness knows it would be impossible given temperaments involved. But can I have your word that not only will you not attack, but do your best to not hamper our own efforts? If you do, know that I shall offer the same terms in return."

Click to shrink...

"I can agree to those terms" Unicorn says, almost instantly in fact. "But I can't speak for the rest of my fleet."
She had also had issues with the magnitized sand, but had rather easily kept her balance.
"I seriously hate sand right now though..."

Click to shrink...

Reaching down, Hornet grabs the top of Unicorn's head, and squeezes lightly. "What's this about my fleet, squirt?" she emphasizes, before turning to Arizona. "Sure, I'll agree to those terms, and so will everyone else."

@shinkiro @AlphaD @SpacePrius
So saying, Hornet pins the other shipgirls present with a hard stare. "Right?"

 

[Miho Chan]

Unicorn
Hawawawawawa
Beach, Sandy

Unicorn gets a slight flinch, but that and an annoyed look are the only reaction she gets.

"Oh. It's you," she says, huffing. "I am conflicted..."


The blue sunrise is gorgeous, that much Hornet will admit. It's also irrefutable evidence that they're stuck on another goddamn planet. Or dimension. Same difference, either way. Mentally, Hornet is already running through her depleted stores, and if hers are depleted then her destroyers must be running on empty. They need oil, top priority. They also need steel, because everyone is damaged. And both are products of an industrial economy. Well, if they can find some decent light sweet crude without too much sulfur, they could use that direct, but that doesn't seem likely.

The carrier glances at the Abyssals. And if they want to survive, they certainly can't do it without the Abyssals. They have a repair ship, and frankly, fighting them is a good way to see them all die. Whether immediately or later on. Hornet has her duty, but she also likes living.

Then the sand reaches up and grabs her rigging, and all other thought flees in favor of trying to get free.

Thankfully, she can move, but the sand sticks like glue so it's like slogging through lava. Yes, she knows what that's like. That was a long time in the docks afterwards... Regardless, at least the panic is gone, though her nav fairies are going nuts about the compass pointing towards the island's peak.

Yay. Navigational problems.



Reaching down, Hornet grabs the top of Unicorn's head, and squeezes lightly. "What's this about my fleet, squirt?" she emphasizes, before turning to Arizona. "Sure, I'll agree to those terms, and so will everyone else."

@shinkiro @AlphaD @SpacePrius
So saying, Hornet pins the other shipgirls present with a hard stare. "Right?"

Click to shrink...

"Sorry!" Unicorn squeaks, not having intended on calling it her fleet. "I meant the fleet I'm part of Hornet! I never meant to question that you were the flag!" She says, shifting side to side nervously. Unicorn scowls briefly, before muttering, "I know that the compass is fucked right now Chief, now is not the time!"

 

[SpacePrius]

Reaching down, Hornet grabs the top of Unicorn's head, and squeezes lightly. "What's this about my fleet, squirt?" she emphasizes, before turning to Arizona. "Sure, I'll agree to those terms, and so will everyone else."

Click to shrink...

Even if Johnston had objections to the proposal (she didn't she helped negotiate it after all), it didn't look like she had much of a choice either way. The fleet carrier said they were agreeing, and Johnston, except under very specific circumstances wasn't one to flagrantly disobey them.

Johnston had already been formulating in her head ways of solving these problems. What she lacked in smarts she made up for in determination and experience. Her crew were among the best when she was still a ship, and some of that experience was luckily imparted on her in exchange.

The magnetic sand wasn't too much of a concern for her, she had been sitting on a large rock the whole time, and try as the sand might, their magnetic fields were not strong enough to climb the three feet up the rock. Johnston would remain atop it, she didn't have much of a reason to climb down and honestly, it was for the best if she didn't.

Johnston had also been thinking while she waited for the rest of the team to arrive. Discussions would be difficult, especially with the genocidal Dess-troyer on the other side. She had thought of a means to rectify this, and realized one rather quickly.

"If I can propose something. Given the dispositions of some of the ships present, I believe we all need an insurance policy in case the other side tries funny business. I believe I have come up with one. In the future, when we have group discussions, we can have a submarine or destroyer launch a torpedo, with the fuse disarmed, into the center of the discussion area. The torpedo will act as a means of Mutually Assured Destruction, as if the one side attempts to pull any funny business, the other side can just shoot a shell into the torpedo, assuring the instantaneous deaths of all present. Simple solution really."

Johnston was beaming, she had just come up with an actual good idea, atleast in her eyes. That was a rare accomplishment. She was a good fighter, but she left most of the thinking to the flagships. Hopefully it would actually be used.

She didn't have much time to worry about it though, because suddenly the rock she was sitting on became highly magnetized.

"EEP!" She shouted, her rigging sticking strongly to it.

She is suddenly stuck on her back, having whacked her head against the hard iron rock. She instincivley dismisses her rigging and hits her head again, this time cracking her head slightly, letting a little blood drip off the side of her head down the side of the rock. The iron in her blood causes it to pool on the side of the rock, ceasing flowing down, but it isn't too much blood at the end of the day.

Her eyes are crossed and her pupils dialted, anyone with any knowledge of medicine would know that she now has a concussion. She isn't in any mortal danger, but she is hurt pretty bad. She is mumbling incoherently about "Needing to help Taffy 3" A unit of ships that has not existed since 1944. She is going to be out of it for awhile.

The iron sand began to creep up the blood trail, it might be a good idea to remove her from the rock as soon as possible.

 

[Omida]

Even if Johnston had objections to the proposal (she didn't she helped negotiate it after all), it didn't look like she had much of a choice either way. The fleet carrier said they were agreeing, and Johnston, except under very specific circumstances wasn't one to flagrantly disobey them.

Johnston had already been formulating in her head ways of solving these problems. What she lacked in smarts she made up for in determination and experience. Her crew were among the best when she was still a ship, and some of that experience was luckily imparted on her in exchange.

The magnetic sand wasn't too much of a concern for her, she had been sitting on a large rock the whole time, and try as the sand might, their magnetic fields were not strong enough to climb the three feet up the rock. Johnston would remain atop it, she didn't have much of a reason to climb down and honestly, it was for the best if she didn't.

Johnston had also been thinking while she waited for the rest of the team to arrive. Discussions would be difficult, especially with the genocidal Dess-troyer on the other side. She had thought of a means to rectify this, and realized one rather quickly.

"If I can propose something. Given the dispositions of some of the ships present, I believe we all need an insurance policy in case the other side tries funny business. I believe I have come up with one. In the future, when we have group discussions, we can have a submarine or destroyer launch a torpedo, with the fuse disarmed, into the center of the discussion area. The torpedo will act as a means of Mutually Assured Destruction, as if the one side attempts to pull any funny business, the other side can just shoot a shell into the torpedo, assuring the instantaneous deaths of all present. Simple solution really."

Johnston was beaming, she had just come up with an actual good idea, atleast in her eyes. That was a rare accomplishment. She was a good fighter, but she left most of the thinking to the flagships. Hopefully it would actually be used.

Click to shrink...

Arizona stares at the crazy Fletcher. She allows herself to rise one of her eyebrows to show surprise at destroyer's... unique... approach to diplomacy. It is, of course, ridiculous proposal. Kongou is barely restrained as it is, if any shipgirl tried launching torpedo's in her presence, Arizona doubts the crazy battleship would be willing to put with diplomacy any longer. All of it just convinces her that all rumors were true and Fletchers are all barely restrained idiot savants, too recklessly stupid to fear death.

She opens her mouth to speak...

She didn't have much time to worry about it though, because suddenly the rock she was sitting on became highly magnetized.

"EEP!" She shouted, her rigging sticking strongly to it.

She is suddenly stuck on her back, having whacked her head against the hard iron rock. She instincivley dismisses her rigging and hits her head again, this time cracking her head slightly, letting a little blood drip off the side of her head down the side of the rock. The iron in her blood causes it to pool on the side of the rock, ceasing flowing down, but it isn't too much blood at the end of the day.

Her eyes are crossed and her pupils dialted, anyone with any knowledge of medicine would know that she now has a concussion. She isn't in any mortal danger, but she is hurt pretty bad. She is mumbling incoherently about "Needing to help Taffy 3" A unit of ships that has not existed since 1944. She is going to be out of it for awhile.

The iron sand began to creep up the blood trail, it might be a good idea to remove her from the rock as soon as possible.

Click to shrink...

... only to witness Johnston knock herself out with a rock. That she was sitting on. At least her incoherent blabbering finally jars Arizona's memory. Yes, Taffy 3. She has heard... things, about them. Both, as shipgirls and as ships back when she was studying what happened after she sunk. In light of that information, Fletcher's crazy proposal makes a bit more sense. Minimally. Thankfully, with the peace talks barely opened, she has no obligation to help. Still, it would do good to build some goodwill. Thus, without taking her eyes off the trail of iron sand slowly creeping up to the wound on destroyer's head, she addressees Hornet.

"I believe one of you should help your comrade. I am no expert, but I doubt getting all this sand inside her will help with her recovery."

 

[shinkiro]

@shinkiro @AlphaD @SpacePrius
So saying, Hornet pins the other shipgirls present with a hard stare. "Right?"

Click to shrink...

"My analysis suggests you are more likely to doom yourself through your own actions then a hostile altercation between our factions," Donnar states, observing Johnston knock herself, crossing her arms and wincing as she puts a bit too much weight on her lame leg. "I see no reason not to agree to a temporary pact of non-aggression until such a time as we rejoin our fleets. However, i would like to propose we each trade on shipgirl of equal value, as a means to dissuade any sudden betrayals via such betrayal putting said shipgirl in danger."

 

[CV12Hornet]

Unicorn
Hawawawawawa
Beach, Sandy

"Sorry!" Unicorn squeaks, not having intended on calling it her fleet. "I meant the fleet I'm part of Hornet! I never meant to question that you were the flag!" She says, shifting side to side nervously. Unicorn scowls briefly, before muttering, "I know that the compass is fucked right now Chief, now is not the time!"

Click to shrink...

"Hey, it's alright," Hornet says. "Surprise situation and all that. Just try to watch your words in the future, okay?"

Even if Johnston had objections to the proposal (she didn't she helped negotiate it after all), it didn't look like she had much of a choice either way. The fleet carrier said they were agreeing, and Johnston, except under very specific circumstances wasn't one to flagrantly disobey them.

Johnston had already been formulating in her head ways of solving these problems. What she lacked in smarts she made up for in determination and experience. Her crew were among the best when she was still a ship, and some of that experience was luckily imparted on her in exchange.

The magnetic sand wasn't too much of a concern for her, she had been sitting on a large rock the whole time, and try as the sand might, their magnetic fields were not strong enough to climb the three feet up the rock. Johnston would remain atop it, she didn't have much of a reason to climb down and honestly, it was for the best if she didn't.

Johnston had also been thinking while she waited for the rest of the team to arrive. Discussions would be difficult, especially with the genocidal Dess-troyer on the other side. She had thought of a means to rectify this, and realized one rather quickly.

"If I can propose something. Given the dispositions of some of the ships present, I believe we all need an insurance policy in case the other side tries funny business. I believe I have come up with one. In the future, when we have group discussions, we can have a submarine or destroyer launch a torpedo, with the fuse disarmed, into the center of the discussion area. The torpedo will act as a means of Mutually Assured Destruction, as if the one side attempts to pull any funny business, the other side can just shoot a shell into the torpedo, assuring the instantaneous deaths of all present. Simple solution really."

Click to shrink...

That's... Hornet doesn't respond at first, struck dumb by how... well, dumb Johnston's proposal was. Leaving aside any other problems - and there were many! - a single torpedo sitting in the water wasn't likely to even scratch their paint.

She opens her mouth to diplomatically say what a fucking stupid idea that is-

Johnston was beaming, she had just come up with an actual good idea, atleast in her eyes. That was a rare accomplishment. She was a good fighter, but she left most of the thinking to the flagships. Hopefully it would actually be used.

She didn't have much time to worry about it though, because suddenly the rock she was sitting on became highly magnetized.

"EEP!" She shouted, her rigging sticking strongly to it.

She is suddenly stuck on her back, having whacked her head against the hard iron rock. She instincivley dismisses her rigging and hits her head again, this time cracking her head slightly, letting a little blood drip off the side of her head down the side of the rock. The iron in her blood causes it to pool on the side of the rock, ceasing flowing down, but it isn't too much blood at the end of the day.

Her eyes are crossed and her pupils dialted, anyone with any knowledge of medicine would know that she now has a concussion. She isn't in any mortal danger, but she is hurt pretty bad. She is mumbling incoherently about "Needing to help Taffy 3" A unit of ships that has not existed since 1944. She is going to be out of it for awhile.

The iron sand began to creep up the blood trail, it might be a good idea to remove her from the rock as soon as possible.

Click to shrink...

And then Johnston slips on the rock and cracks her head open, iron sand creeping up the blood trail. It's probably not a good idea to let the sand into her bloodstream.

Still, the sheer surreality of the situation means it takes her a second to recalibrate her mental processes. This is the crazy Taffy 3 girl? Oy...

Arizona stares at the crazy Fletcher. She allows herself to rise one of her eyebrows to show surprise at destroyer's... unique... approach to diplomacy. It is, of course, ridiculous proposal. Kongou is barely restrained as it is, if any shipgirl tried launching torpedo's in her presence, Arizona doubts the crazy battleship would be willing to put with diplomacy any longer. All of it just convinces her that all rumors were true and Fletchers are all barely restrained idiot savants, too recklessly stupid to fear death.

She opens her mouth to speak...

... only to witness Johnston knock herself out with a rock. That she was sitting on. At least her incoherent blabbering finally jars Arizona's memory. Yes, Taffy 3. She has heard... things, about them. Both, as shipgirls and as ships back when she was studying what happened after she sunk. In light of that information, Fletcher's crazy proposal makes a bit more sense. Minimally. Thankfully, with the peace talks barely opened, she has no obligation to help. Still, it would do good to build some goodwill. Thus, without taking her eyes off the trail of iron sand slowly creeping up to the wound on destroyer's head, she addressees Hornet.

"I believe one of you should help your comrade. I am no expert, but I doubt getting all this sand inside her will help with her recovery."

Click to shrink...

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it, keep your damn shirt on," Hornet snaps, annoyed, though more at the situation than Arizona. Her marching is slowed by the need to break off iron sand - god, the stuff is every-goddamn-where on her rigging, gonna be a righteous pain to clear off - but the sand hasn't gotten to Johnston's head wound before Hornet gets there, hauls her off the rock (with some effort) and slings the insensate destroyer over her shoulder. That done, she starts walking towards the water. Time to get off this damn beach.

"My analysis suggests you are more likely to doom yourself through your own actions then a hostile altercation between our factions," Donnar states, observing Johnston knock herself, crossing her arms and wincing as she puts a bit too much weight on her lame leg. "I see no reason not to agree to a temporary pact of non-aggression until such a time as we rejoin our fleets. However, i would like to propose we each trade on shipgirl of equal value, as a means to dissuade any sudden betrayals via such betrayal putting said shipgirl in danger."

Click to shrink...

As much as Hornet wants to argue with Donner's first point... well, ready-made counterpart now slung over her shoulder. "You're not wrong," she hedges instead as she passes. "And the hostage idea is a good one, but..." Hornet stops and eyes the Abyssal fleet again. "Hey, Arizona, is there anyone you'd be willing to swap for a destroyer that's not your submarine there? Subs have too easy a time escaping for this."

 

[Xanith]

Doing a poor job at concealing how amused she was at the destroyer braining herself on a magnetic rock, Seiche barely stifles a snort. The layer of sand on her rigging was irritating, but destroyer slapstick helped to distract from that. She was just glad none of it had stuck onto her coat, even as she felt stray grains adhere to her skin.

At the mention of a hostage trade though, Seiche instantly does what she normally did when a chance of being 'volunteered' for something approached. Act completely and utterly normal and inconspicuous. Just the average, boring, Abyssal who would definitely never be picked for some excursion that might require quick thinking or some other quality Arizona might be looking for.

Sure, she felt like if it came down to it, she'd get picked, but Arizona was a relatively unknown quantity to her. The battleship seemed to be one of that small crop of stable capitals so far, but she was waiting patiently for the other shoe to drop on that front. And her only point of comparison here made it easy to view Arizona in a better light anyways.

 

[lelenoi]

Kongou had stalked towards the meeting place with the same fury that she had started with. She began cursing up a storm under her breath and imagined all the ways she would violently dismantle Arizona, piece by piece, and make her an example of what happens to cowards!

But the minutes passed as she walked, feet digging into this strange black sand, and her anger faded from a bonfire to merely smoldering. Her thoughts turned away from committing immediate violence and towards the shipgirls. How many were there? How wounded were they? Would there be any battleships she would have to face and carriers she would have to destroy?

And what of her fellow Abyssals? Would they all be damnable cowards like Arizona?

And this infernal wound in her side!

No, she could go into this fists swinging. She was an Abyssal battleship, and she still had a sense of decorum to maintain. Thus, as much as she wanted to throttle the living daylights out of Arizona, it would be undue and unwise to attack her directly. She would have to make this meeting fail and rouse the others into an attack, rout the shipgirls and hunt them down across this island!

Glory to them all and death to the coward Arizona!

When she arrived at the meeting place, she set herself down on the largest boulder nearby, a little distance from everyone else. She sat on its peak with legs crossed, and from her vantage point imperiously glared at everyone surrounding her.

And then the magnetism struck.

Instantly, her snake-like rigging clamped onto the boulder, causing her to lose balance and fall backward. The magnetism kept her from falling off and getting a head full of sand, but now she lay upside down, spread-eagle across the boulder.

Wonderful. Just absolutely, Abyss-damningly wonderful!

"So. I realize that asking for mutual trust would be too much, given we have been trying to kill each other not two hours ago. But in this unknown world there will be no second chances, and aggravating our already existing injuries will change the equation of survival to spell certain doom. So how about it, shipgirls? Are you open to peace? I am not asking for cooperation, Darkness knows it would be impossible given temperaments involved. But can I have your word that not only will you not attack, but do your best to not hamper our own efforts? If you do, know that I shall offer the same terms in return."

Click to shrink...

"My analysis suggests you are more likely to doom yourself through your own actions then a hostile altercation between our factions," Donnar states, observing Johnston knock herself, crossing her arms and wincing as she puts a bit too much weight on her lame leg. "I see no reason not to agree to a temporary pact of non-aggression until such a time as we rejoin our fleets. However, i would like to propose we each trade on shipgirl of equal value, as a means to dissuade any sudden betrayals via such betrayal putting said shipgirl in danger."

Click to shrink...

Kongou twists her head left and right, trying to get a view of anyone. "Arizona, don't you dare!" she shouts. "Are you really going to trust these disgusting meatbags to uphold their promises? Giving away one of our own to their 'mercy' is a death sentence!"

She strains to pull herself up, gritting her teeth while her rigging clings onto the rock, lashed like ropes. "And what in the Empress's name are you all doing!" she cries. "All the shipgirls are right here! DESS-stroy them now!"

 

[Miho Chan]

Unicorn
FFS
Beach in the middle of fucking nowhere

She strains to pull herself up, gritting her teeth while her rigging clings onto the rock, lashed like ropes. "And what in the Empress's name are you all doing!" she cries. "All the shipgirls are right here! DESS-stroy them now!"

Click to shrink...

"Kongou, are you okay?" Unicorn asks, backing away slowly from the possibly hot diplomatic meeting. "You seem to be suffering from the severe misconception that ANY of us are in any state to fight." By now, Unicorn is in the water, and she starts diving, thoroughly through with the moronic abyssal's shit. "And I'm not being a hostage! Not while that crazy girl is around!" Is her parting shot as she submerges

 

[Omida]

And then the magnetism struck.

Instantly, her snake-like rigging clamped onto the boulder, causing her to lose balance and fall backward. The magnetism kept her from falling off and getting a head full of sand, but now she lay upside down, spread-eagle across the boulder.

Wonderful. Just absolutely, Abyss-damningly wonderful!
[...]
Kongou twists her head left and right, trying to get a view of anyone. "Arizona, don't you dare!" she shouts. "Are you really going to trust these disgusting meatbags to uphold their promises? Giving away one of our own to their 'mercy' is a death sentence!"

She strains to pull herself up, gritting her teeth while her rigging clings onto the rock, lashed like ropes. "And what in the Empress's name are you all doing!" she cries. "All the shipgirls are right here! DESS-stroy them now!"

Click to shrink...

Kongou's outburst is easy to ignore. Arizona has ignored similar rants many, many times in the past. And then, dealt with those who decided to demonstrate their unhappiness with her methods in the most ruthless way possible. In a way, Kongou is just another link in a chain of the idiots too bloodthirsty to see bigger picture. And her current humiliation feels oh so sweet.

"My analysis suggests you are more likely to doom yourself through your own actions then a hostile altercation between our factions," Donnar states, observing Johnston knock herself, crossing her arms and wincing as she puts a bit too much weight on her lame leg. "I see no reason not to agree to a temporary pact of non-aggression until such a time as we rejoin our fleets. However, i would like to propose we each trade on shipgirl of equal value, as a means to dissuade any sudden betrayals via such betrayal putting said shipgirl in danger."

Click to shrink...

Arizona quirks her eyebrow at the proposition. It does make sense, she supposes. She did say that they were in battle against each other not too long ago, so obviously there was no more trust in each other's word than they could throw each other. The problem is, of course, that there extremely limited options. And as amusing as offering up Kongou would be, only an utterly insane would accept such a trade with battleship's murderous tendencies proudly and repeatedly announced.

At the mention of a hostage trade though, Seiche instantly does what she normally did when a chance of being 'volunteered' for something approached. Act completely and utterly normal and inconspicuous. Just the average, boring, Abyssal who would definitely never be picked for some excursion that might require quick thinking or some other quality Arizona might be looking for.

Click to shrink...

And in the midst of her musing, Seiche does this. Arizona is familiar with the many, many ways slackers will attempt to avoid being relegated to do something, and to carrier's credit, this one is quite effective. Except, that is, for the current circumstances. Arizona muses if she should tell Seiche that the method's effectiveness drops when you are the only one of your class around. Or indeed, the group you are in is as small as they are.

As much as Hornet wants to argue with Donner's first point... well, ready-made counterpart now slung over her shoulder. "You're not wrong," she hedges instead as she passes. "And the hostage idea is a good one, but..." Hornet stops and eyes the Abyssal fleet again. "Hey, Arizona, is there anyone you'd be willing to swap for a destroyer that's not your submarine there? Subs have too easy a time escaping for this."

Click to shrink...

In the end, the decision is made for her. Frankly, she is surprised by how obvious in her intent Essex is.

"Fufufufu...fuahahaha. Ah... That... That was good, Essex. For a minute, you lot got me thinking you were serious. Ah. Unfortunately, your greed betrays you. 'Subs have too easy time escaping'? Maybe I would believe you, were you not the one with two destroyers. We both know that if I were to agree, it would come down to two ships, compared to your four. And do not think I didn't notice just how hungrily you have been eyeing dear Medusa." She shakes her head. "No. I am afraid that unless you lot have another, more sensible, proposition, the negotiations end here. I hope that at least our currently agreed terms will be upheld."

 

[shinkiro]

In the end, the decision is made for her. Frankly, she is surprised by how obvious in her intent Essex is.

"Fufufufu...fuahahaha. Ah... That... That was good, Essex. For a minute, you lot got me thinking you were serious. Ah. Unfortunately, your greed betrays you. 'Subs have too easy time escaping'? Maybe I would believe you, were you not the one with two destroyers. We both know that if I were to agree, it would come down to two ships, compared to your four. And do not think I didn't notice just how hungrily you have been eyeing dear Medusa." She shakes her head. "No. I am afraid that unless you lot have another, more sensible, proposition, the negotiations end here. I hope that at least our currently agreed terms will be upheld."

Click to shrink...

At this point, Donnar steps forward. "I will volunteer myself. seeing as would mearly slow my allies down due to my current damage... And Ii will confess to a desire to examine Abyssal psychology." She admits, trying to salavage the situation.

 

[Omida]

At this point, Donnar steps forward. "I will volunteer myself. seeing as would mearly slow my allies down due to my current damage... And Ii will confess to a desire to examine Abyssal psychology." She admits, trying to salavage the situation.

Click to shrink...

Arizona tilts her head at the proposition.

"Unfortunately, I will have to refuse your proposition. Especially since your comrade's call for equivalency in this exchange, sensible as it is, would leave your side in... less then advantageous position. You would have to accept either Kongou, in which case I would doubt your mental faculties for accepting that raging berserker, or me, in which case you would die before day is over and our agreement becomes null and void simply on account of there being no one to keep Kongou in line." There is, however, an idea that springs to her head, one almost as audacious as Essex'. "However, it gladdens me to see that you take it seriously. Then, my counteroffer for this exchange. Essex will go with us, thus gaining repair ship she has been coveting so hard and keeping an eye for signs of betrayal. And I shall send Seiche, our carrier with you, thus pleasing your desire for knowledge as well as giving you a guarantee you have been so desiring. How is it?"

 

[Miho Chan]

Unicorn
FFS
Calming Underwater exploration

---

Unicorn shudders slightly at remembering Kongou's explosion. Girl has issues She muses, as she decends towards the depths near the island. She wasn't planning on goinig far, but she needed to see if anything was different underwater.
(Action: Unicorn looks for locations/items of interest underwater)

 

[Nervos Belli]

Medusa shuddered as the iron sand latched itself to her feet and legs. "As genial company you might be Hornet, I suspect any hostage trade involving myself would do the opposite of lowering tensions. Also I appear to be stuck. Would anyone with a functioning propulsion system be willing to lend me a hand?"

 

[CV12Hornet]

In the end, the decision is made for her. Frankly, she is surprised by how obvious in her intent Essex is.

"Fufufufu...fuahahaha. Ah... That... That was good, Essex. For a minute, you lot got me thinking you were serious. Ah. Unfortunately, your greed betrays you. 'Subs have too easy time escaping'? Maybe I would believe you, were you not the one with two destroyers. We both know that if I were to agree, it would come down to two ships, compared to your four. And do not think I didn't notice just how hungrily you have been eyeing dear Medusa." She shakes her head. "No. I am afraid that unless you lot have another, more sensible, proposition, the negotiations end here. I hope that at least our currently agreed terms will be upheld."

Click to shrink...

At this point, Donnar steps forward. "I will volunteer myself. seeing as would mearly slow my allies down due to my current damage... And Ii will confess to a desire to examine Abyssal psychology." She admits, trying to salavage the situation.

Click to shrink...

Arizona tilts her head at the proposition.

"Unfortunately, I will have to refuse your proposition. Especially since your comrade's call for equivalency in this exchange, sensible as it is, would leave your side in... less then advantageous position. You would have to accept either Kongou, in which case I would doubt your mental faculties for accepting that raging berserker, or me, in which case you would die before day is over and our agreement becomes null and void simply on account of there being no one to keep Kongou in line." There is, however, an idea that springs to her head, one almost as audacious as Essex'. "However, it gladdens me to see that you take it seriously. Then, my counteroffer for this exchange. Essex will go with us, thus gaining repair ship she has been coveting so hard and keeping an eye for signs of betrayal. And I shall send Seiche, our carrier with you, thus pleasing your desire for knowledge as well as giving you a guarantee you have been so desiring. How is it?"

Click to shrink...

Medusa shuddered as the iron sand latched itself to her feet and legs. "As genial company you might be Hornet, I suspect any hostage trade involving myself would do the opposite of lowering tensions. Also I appear to be stuck. Would anyone with a functioning propulsion system be willing to lend me a hand?"

Click to shrink...

That Hornet doesn't reply immediately is due to the fact that Arizona's original reply leaves her blinking in open-mouthed confusion. Confusion that dissolves into eye-twitching as Donner tries to salvage the situation, Arizona gives her counter-proposal, and Medusa throws in her two cents.

The urge to call Arizona a dingus almost overwhelms her. Almost. Kongo's ravings are an excellent bucket of cold water on that desire.

'Okay, think,' Hornet mentally says. 'Donner's proposal is right out. Arizona is a goddamn dingus who completely misunderstood my initial position, and her counteroffer is... tempting.' Hornet very pointedly does not look Medusa's way. 'Very tempting. But with Johnston concussed, Donner's the only one who might be able to lead and not let that Abyssal light carrier take over. And she thought swapping battleships would be a good idea.'

'Well, it's not like being the only one with a lick of leadership chops is a new thing for me. Okay, now what...'

With that plan off the table, there's only one thing to do. Mentally, Hornet groans.

'I suppose we were always going to have to put some trust in each other...'

"I'll have to decline your offer, Arizona," she finally says. "Sorry. We'll stick with our earlier agreement, though if you're amenable to it, we can make a further agreement to stay within line of sight with each other, so either of us can see any sudden yet inevitable betrayals coming."

Frowning, Hornet adds, "Also, your repair ship appears to be stuck to a rock. Might wanna do something about that."

 

[Firebird Zoom]

@Miho Chan

To Unicorn, the environment underwater looks otherworldly. (Oddly appropriate, considering her current situation.) Giant lily pad-like flowers lazily float on the surface, golden-orange sacs of fluid arranged around the spindly stems anchoring them to the ocean floor. Numerous fish swim about the shallow waters, some seemingly familiar, the majority entirely alien in their shape.

A small school of pink and black fish formed around Unicorn, seemingly mistaking her for one of their own.

Beneath her, massive scorpion-like creatures prowl along the ocean floor, some occasionally snapping a fish in their pincers and eating it, while others grouped together and seemingly patrolled a small area.

 

[Miho Chan]

Unicorn
Diving is relaxing, as always~
Unfamiliar World

To Unicorn, the environment underwater looks otherworldly. (Oddly appropriate, considering her current situation.) Giant lily pad-like flowers lazily float on the surface, golden-orange sacs of fluid arranged around the spindly stems anchoring them to the ocean floor. Numerous fish swim about the shallow waters, some seemingly familiar, the majority entirely alien in their shape.

A small school of pink and black fish formed around Unicorn, seemingly mistaking her for one of their own.

Beneath her, massive scorpion-like creatures prowl along the ocean floor, some occasionally snapping a fish in their pincers and eating it, while others grouped together and seemingly patrolled a small area.

Click to shrink...

It's another world, that's for sure Unicorn muses, staring the lily-like flowers. She giggles softly to herself as a school of a curious fish painted pink and black school around her. Her eyes never stop tracking the massive scorpion-like creatures That'd be one of the major predators, I think. I should probably report some of this to Hornet soon, but first, I'm goinig to go make a circuit of the island. Hopefully she'll appreciate the scouting report.
(OOC: Make a circuit of the island, making sure to surface ever so often to check navigation.)

 

[Xanith]

Medusa shuddered as the iron sand latched itself to her feet and legs. "As genial company you might be Hornet, I suspect any hostage trade involving myself would do the opposite of lowering tensions. Also I appear to be stuck. Would anyone with a functioning propulsion system be willing to lend me a hand?"

Click to shrink...

Seiche's assistance comes with little notice, as a pair of tentacles wrap around Medusa with a grumbled, "Try not to dislocate anything."

Hiding the actual amount of strain this was causing, with her body tensed and nails digging into her palms, underneath her oversized coat; Seiche works on lifting Medusa out of the sand. Most of her damage was internal, last she'd queried her crew, and it would be nice to not have to deal with a shipgirl being all overbearing because of any perceived weakness. Real or otherwise.

Sure, she definitely couldn't hit anything with her guns now, but it wasn't like she'd ever scored a hit before her directors were smoking wrecks. And it wasn't like any of the others knew that.

 

[AlphaD]

Le Terrible narrowed her eyes at Hornet's assertion but otherwise had said nothing to disrupt the course of their... well... diplomatic meeting. She supposed it was a far cry to hope that the two factions could set aside their differences in order to prioritise their survival, not that the French warship would trust any Abyssal as far as she could throw them and she was a destroyer for crying out loud.

But...

"I am amenable to a ceasefire but we need that repair ship, American... or at least a means of fixing our damages." The Le Fantasque destroyer muttered under her breath as she slipped past the Essex. Normally, she wouldn't be so brusque with her commanding officers but the damage their fleet was sporting was definitely a cause for concern... and if the Abyssals still held onto that repair ship... well...

It seemed... that co-operation would be the best path to survival. Then whatever it took...

I will survive.

Warily eyeing the battleship known as 'Dess', the albino-haired destroyer slowly trudged, more like shuffled really, towards the impaired repair ship while slowly raising her hands in the air. "... Ne tirez pas. Don't shoot. I am moving to assist."

The ironsand clung stubbornly to her legs with every step she took though she tried to ignore the sensation of the metallic substance sticking to her hull, it felt uncomfortable to her... like... ants crawling on your skin.

Le Terrible decided that it was not a pleasant feeling. She could only hope that the material would not reach the rent in her hull, that might've been disastrous...

"Quelle galère..." She mumbled under her breath as she reached the Abyssal repair ship known as 'Medusa' approaching cautiously. The French destroyer carefully placed her hands under the Abyssal's arms and began to lift, warily eyeing the tentacle that came from the Abyssal light carrier all the while.


@CV12Hornet
@Xanith
@Nervos Belli

 

[Firebird Zoom]

@Miho Chan

The sand stuck to her hull slows Unicorn down significantly, but she still makes decent progress as she goes around the island. The fish continue to follow her, playfully bumping into her as they school around the sub.

The first half-hour reveals nothing beyond more of what Unicorn had already seen: More scorpions, more flowers, more fish, even if they seemed to be of different varieties than the ones she first saw.

The next fifteen minutes yielded similar results, then, as Unicorn rounded an arm of the island, she saw it.

Colors might not mean as much under the strange, blue sun, but black was black. About forty kilometers ahead of the sub was a monolith of some sort of black metal with a dull, bronze sheen. It jutted out from the seafloor at about a sixty-degree angle to the horizontal; a quick look from the surface revealed that it continued skyward for a ways (without a good reference it was impossible to estimate how long it was) before terminating in a jagged, tangled mess, almost as if it had been rent off of something larger. Not much else could be discerned without getting closer.

Deciding to make certain she wasn't hallucinating, Unicorn keyed up her radar and dove once more.

The first ping scared off the fish, but didn't return anything, even the island behind her.

The second ping returned a large object roughly where she had seen the monolith. Faint sea-green lights flickered across the surface of the mass for a fraction of a second, too faint and too fast for Unicorn to even be certain she saw something.

The third gave an identical result to the one before. The hulk lit up again, this time the lights were brighter and remained lit longer–lasting almost a full second–before they dimmed again. A second pulse of sound hit Unicorn, so close behind her own sonar's return that the only reason she noticed it was because the return seemed to be half a second too long.

Something's off.

 

[Miho Chan]

The sand stuck to her hull slows Unicorn down significantly, but she still makes decent progress as she goes around the island. The fish continue to follow her, playfully bumping into her as they school around the sub.

The first half-hour reveals nothing beyond more of what Unicorn had already seen: More scorpions, more flowers, more fish, even if they seemed to be of different varieties than the ones she first saw.

The next fifteen minutes yielded similar results, then, as Unicorn rounded an arm of the island, she saw it.

Colors might not mean as much under the strange, blue sun, but black was black. About forty kilometers ahead of the sub was a monolith of some sort of black metal with a dull, bronze sheen. It jutted out from the seafloor at about a sixty-degree angle to the horizontal; a quick look from the surface revealed that it continued skyward for a ways (without a good reference it was impossible to estimate how long it was) before terminating in a jagged, tangled mess, almost as if it had been rent off of something larger. Not much else could be discerned without getting closer.

Deciding to make certain she wasn't hallucinating, Unicorn keyed up her radar and dove once more.

The first ping scared off the fish, but didn't return anything, even the island behind her.

The second ping returned a large object roughly where she had seen the monolith. Faint sea-green lights flickered across the surface of the mass for a fraction of a second, too faint and too fast for Unicorn to even be certain she saw something.

The third gave an identical result to the one before. The hulk lit up again, this time the lights were brighter and remained lit longer–lasting almost a full second–before they dimmed again. A second pulse of sound hit Unicorn, so close behind her own sonar's return that the only reason she noticed it was because the return seemed to be half a second too long.

Something's off.

Click to shrink...

Unicorn stiffens, and Gets the fuck out of the dodge. Surfacing, and making her way towards the beach, she runs towards the rest of the shipgirls.
"Hey! Guys! We have a underwater structure that lights up when you ping it with SONAR!"

 

[Expert Teaser]

"Hey! Guys! We have a underwater structure that lights up when you ping it with SONAR!"

Click to shrink...

"Oh, tell me more! Did you see it? How big was it? Was there any patterns in the construction? How much weathering was on it? . . ."

Sculpin rushed at the panicked submarine and grasped her hands while she unleashed the blunt of her thirst for knowledge, her eyes shining like predator eyeing an injured lamb.

 

[CV12Hornet]

Le Terrible narrowed her eyes at Hornet's assertion but otherwise had said nothing to disrupt the course of their... well... diplomatic meeting. She supposed it was a far cry to hope that the two factions could set aside their differences in order to prioritise their survival, not that the French warship would trust any Abyssal as far as she could throw them and she was a destroyer for crying out loud.

But...

"I am amenable to a ceasefire but we need that repair ship, American... or at least a means of fixing our damages." The Le Fantasque destroyer muttered under her breath as she slipped past the Essex. Normally, she wouldn't be so brusque with her commanding officers but the damage their fleet was sporting was definitely a cause for concern... and if the Abyssals still held onto that repair ship... well...

It seemed... that co-operation would be the best path to survival. Then whatever it took...

I will survive.

Warily eyeing the battleship known as 'Dess', the albino-haired destroyer slowly trudged, more like shuffled really, towards the impaired repair ship while slowly raising her hands in the air. "... Ne tirez pas. Don't shoot. I am moving to assist."

The ironsand clung stubbornly to her legs with every step she took though she tried to ignore the sensation of the metallic substance sticking to her hull, it felt uncomfortable to her... like... ants crawling on your skin.

Le Terrible decided that it was not a pleasant feeling. She could only hope that the material would not reach the rent in her hull, that might've been disastrous...

"Quelle galère..." She mumbled under her breath as she reached the Abyssal repair ship known as 'Medusa' approaching cautiously. The French destroyer carefully placed her hands under the Abyssal's arms and began to lift, warily eyeing the tentacle that came from the Abyssal light carrier all the while.

Click to shrink...

"Don't I know it..." Hornet mutters as Le Terrible passes. Her aching wounds and still-soggy lung/boiler room are constant reminders of that. For now, though, they'll just have to figure out workarounds.

As the destroyer assists the Abyssals in getting their repair ship unstuck, Hornet drifts some ways out to sea. Still within shouting range of the shore, of course, but it feels good to put some distance between herself and the Abyssals. Kind of a carrier thing.

At least the view is nice. Hornet hasn't had many chances to just breathe, take in the scenery. The blue sun lends the sea and sky a whole mess of new and interesting colors. And the lilypad-like flowers floating on the surface are fascinating. During one of the few, precious ceasefire periods in the war, Hornet had spent a couple months on the Monterey area; these pads reminded her of the kelp forests in the area.

On her shoulder, Johnston moans, and Hornet glares at the insensate destroyer, poking her in her ribs. "You're going to be fun to work with, I can just tell."

Regardless, for a moment, Hornet's worries melt away. Though the magnetic sand still stuck to her rigging is annoying as hell.

Unicorn stiffens, and Gets the fuck out of the dodge. Surfacing, and making her way towards the beach, she runs towards the rest of the shipgirls.
"Hey! Guys! We have a underwater structure that lights up when you ping it with SONAR!"

Click to shrink...

"Oh, tell me more! Did you see it? How big was it? Was there any patterns in the construction? How much weathering was on it? . . ."

Sculpin rushed at the panicked submarine and grasped her hands while she unleashed the blunt of her thirst for knowledge, her eyes shining like predator eyeing an injured lamb.

Click to shrink...

"Hey, hands off of Unicorn!" Hornet barks as she turns back towards the shore, where Unicorn is running up to their group. She does not like the look on that Abyssal submarine's face.

Reaching the two, she clamps her free hand on Sculpin's shoulder and squeezes, just enough for pressure.

"Unicorn, any more details?"

 

[Miho Chan]

Unicorn

"Oh, tell me more! Did you see it? How big was it? Was there any patterns in the construction? How much weathering was on it? . . ."

Sculpin rushed at the panicked submarine and grasped her hands while she unleashed the blunt of her thirst for knowledge, her eyes shining like predator eyeing an injured lamb.

Click to shrink...

"Meep!"

"Hey, hands off of Unicorn!" Hornet barks as she turns back towards the shore, where Unicorn is running up to their group. She does not like the look on that Abyssal submarine's face.

Reaching the two, she clamps her free hand on Sculpin's shoulder and squeezes, just enough for pressure.

"Unicorn, any more details?"

Click to shrink...

"It glowed. I don't remember much else since it pinged me on active, and I got the fuck out of the dodge Hornet." Unicorn says, hiding behind the Carrier.

 

[Omida]

"I'll have to decline your offer, Arizona," she finally says. "Sorry. We'll stick with our earlier agreement, though if you're amenable to it, we can make a further agreement to stay within line of sight with each other, so either of us can see any sudden yet inevitable betrayals coming."

Click to shrink...

"Cease fire it is. Very well. While the beach makes for a convenient meeting point, I feel in light of Kongou's... Kongou-ness, setting camps within sight of each other would be unwise. I cannot, after all, promise that she will not do something reckless. She is, much as I hate to admit, a flagship as well. We can always meet on the beach every day, if you worry we will renege."

With that, Arizona stands up and with deliberate slowness to account for the weight of the magnetic sand on her, walks over to fuming Kongou still displayed wide on a rock. Now, it did not escape her eyes how Kongou deliberately avoided straining her side when she walked to the meeting. Neither did Arizona harbor any delusions as to whether or not the crazy battleship would go with her threats. It was not her first time dealing with bloodthirsty discontent. She just needed to... adjust, her methods of dealing with such fools. Especially since Kongou was actually far stronger than her. Better to make sure she realized the situation before her wounds were tended to.

"Now Kongou, unless you wish to spend the rest of eternity married to that rock, you will not move." With that, Arizona bend over the other battleship and grabbed her with one of her hands by the head, while other grasped the injured side. Hard. Lowering her head, Arizona whispered her next words into Kongou's ear. "Did you really think I wouldn't know what you are planning for me? Be a good girl, and when we are back at full strength I will consider dealing with the shipgirls."

With that, she straightens her back and, digging her feet into the sand for stability, slowly peels Kongou off, not easing on her injured side even for a moment.