I patted the poor girl on the shoulder, still concerned.
"Sounds good but...don't push yourself too hard alright..?"
I wante to follow after Regina and Fir, and Mamie too but.....
Eskimo was....off. I moved closer tapping on her shoulder in concern with my palm.
"Hey sweetie? You doing okay?"
Dangit, everyone was...ugh not okay at all. And I don't even know what else to do just.....ask and then what? Like that would help....
Ugh.
Hearing someone nearby me, i feel my faculties start to return. The rushing feeling of blankness in my head retreats, and i realise that until now i'd had a massive blind spot caused by dizziness. I shiver slightly, standing up properly once more after my sudden leaning.
It must have been my new location on the water, and sudden entrance into a place that's extremely hot and sunny. I guess i was lucky that i hadn't fallen over.
"Thanks of the concern, but i should be fine as long as i get used to this place" I say with a more genuine smile, starting to become acclimatised to the situation. The ship girl was familiar, had i met her just now or was she new?
Stepping back i decide to test something, and summon my rigging through a path of thought that had always been present. It was easy, like talking again after waking up from a dream - Perfectly instinctual, but until then forgotten about.
With a flash of slight brightness my rigging materialises, minuscule weight appearing on my back, right shoulder and hip. Furthermore, i feel the reduced heft of a rifle by my side, and on further inspection it turns out to be an attractive, shiny brown lee-enfield. The grey-blue colour of my available systems contrasts nicely with my dark blue coat and new weapon, and i smile in appreciation.
To my right are two boxy turrets, which i instinctively know are my four main guns combined into a pair. They are much lighter than the surrounding infrastructure in colour, and both host twin linked cannon barrels - 4.7 inches wide barrels in fact, capable of reducing most things to rubble in an instant. Below them is the very front of my ship's prow, nicely integrated and displayed so as to give allusions to my original ship shape.
On my hip sits a clasp of four long torpedoes, and i instinctively brush my hand over them in appreciation. I'd caused a lot of damage with these beasts over the years, and i doubt that fact would change thanks to my new existence. And hey, it looks like i can swap them out for depth charges if i feel inclined to!
Finally, my large rifle is attached to me by a looping belt, able to rest at my side pretty comfortably when not in use. Wait a second, was an originally
single shot rifle now being leveraged as a replacement for anti air capabilities? Does that mean it's technically a full auto machine gun, on par with a mini-gun in rate of fire alone, and far more powerful per round?
So much dakka...
I know automatically that i can do damage in almost every form, and suddenly i feel every last ounce of weight that my new existence provides.
Holy shit that's a lot.
@Miho_Chan @pharaoh122 @Jhin Lemon @Tyrannops @Sketchy Lurker @TheFanficAddict @matthew badger
"Commander?"
Yoshika jumped slightly in surprise as a firm hand laid itself on her arm. She looked over her shoulder to see a sailor give her wan smile. "Here's the casualty list, ma'am," he said, handing over an extensive list over to her. It was quite a long list.
Swallowing her trepidation, Yoshika returned the wan smile with one of her own. "Thank you, corpsman." She took if off his hands. Impressively, she managed to take it with a steady hand and steely back. The men needed a sense of reassurance, after all. As one of the last high ranking officers to survive the sudden attack, she needed to project a confident air -- even if she didn't feel it herself. "That will all for the moment."
Nodding, the man exited the command tent, leaving Yoshika alone with her thoughts. Still, Yoshika could hear the moans of the wounded and the smell of blood wafting through the entrance flap. She could smell the ash, too. The Commander laid the list face-down on a nearby table as she grabbed a radio and set it to a broad-spectrum broadcast. There was time for that nasty business later. For now, she needed answers.
Yoshika cleared her throat, before activating the radio. "
Attention, unknown vessels. Attention. This is Commander Yoshika Hinanawi. I request that you come to the command tent at the center of Yokosuka base for an urgent debriefing." She paused. "
And a sincere thank you. A lot of people owe you their lives."
Suddenly, i jerk on the spot after receiving the call from high command. A need and anticipation shoots through me, an understanding of my position and the requirements i need to fulfil. As a warship of her majesty's navy, i should respond to the summons as an allied nation whilst in their harbour.
Snapping to attention, i heed the request and send off a message via the same com line i was contacted from. "This is HMS Eskimo reporting for duty in foreign waters, please send me your co-ordinates, over."
I hoped that it was the correct way of replying, but a lot of my memories from combat seemed to be somewhat distorted.
