USS Colorado
Naval Base San Diego, CA
Daytime
One morning, a young woman, a spirit of an attack submarine, could be seen walking around the base, taking in the sights and sounds around her. The sun, rising from behind the horizon. Thick white clouds dotting the sky. Sailors, clad in white and khaki, jogging about in groups. Large ships docked at harbor, some resembling carriers, and some with faceted, angled appearances. A helicopter taking off. The tough concrete below her feet. It's not everyday that she gets to just enjoy the view around her, after all.
Suddenly, the bugle music plays, and she could see the national flag being raised. Like the servicemen, she stands, faces the colors, and salutes, proud that she could actually serve and protect her nation this time... well, hopefully.
...
Refits-wise, she read about a stealthy, smarter successor to the Harpoon, referred to as Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, and would like to have those on her rigging. They would help in making her strikes more effective against Abyssals, and more resistant to anti-air defenses.
Refits done:
- Replaced Harpoons with LRASMs (smarter, stealthy anti-ship cruise missiles) along with compatibility upgrades for them
Sara Tan, USS Saratoga
Naval Base San Diego, CA
Daytime
I opt to push the crippled guided missile destroyer along, while holding the haze gray hull just enough to keep her afloat... I never thought I'd be doing something like this. Then again, I never thought I'd be a spirit of a ship in the first place. Under normal circumstances, that Arleigh Burke should be way too heavy for me, but this isn't normal circumstances, is it? Knowing that shipgirls are superhumanly strong is one thing, but having that strength now, and experiencing it for myself...
Most of the people in there are probably tending to their duties, but I also see a few who are looking downward towards me. In response, I give a small smile in greeting, not being able to wave my hand since I'm busy keeping the boat from sinking. Anyway, at least I now have some shade from the rather hot sun?
The thundering reports of explosions ring out from behind me as I continue to move to the southeast, away from Hawaii. Looking back after wincing from the sounds, I could see smoke, flames, blasts, and black shapes as they consume the island. My face adopts a downcast expression at seeing the destruction before me... We shall return. Eventually. Someday.
How am I able to hear them as if they are close by, though?
There are many ships with me, both steel hulls and living ones, as I continue the voyage. Due to the German battleship's injuries and the destroyer I'm pushing along, I have to slow down to around twelve knots instead of my usual thirty-four so as not to leave them behind. Not that I'm complaining, since I wouldn't want to charge ahead anyway.
My four jet fighter squadrons keep up a protective CAP around us while my Vikings check the surroundings for enemy submarines, dropping sonobuoys every now and then to detect them. Argus Two, another Hawkeye, relieves Argus One and takes over early warning duties, while Oracle One, one of my two ES-3A Shadows, takes off to complement Argus One's radar with signals and electronic intel. The rest of my planes, meanwhile, come in for a landing on my deck.
...It feels long, and harrowing, as our journey proceeds. Night falls, yet we're nowhere near the coastline of the mainland yet, though for some reason, I'm not feeling tired yet. The Abyssals do not leave us alone either, sending in aircraft and missiles after us. My patrolling fighters and defensive weapons, along with the efforts of the others, are able to fend them off for the most part, but a cruise missile nearly explodes on my face, only being stopped in time by bullets from my Phalanxes. It was so sudden, but I can't help but feel shaky afterwards from being so close to actually getting hit by one of those...
The moon rises and falls, and in turn, the sun rises and falls, yet we just keep on moving. Maybe it comes from being a ship, but I feel as if I could keep going, though other than attacks from Abyssals, the days feel rather monotonous, and very warm, being under the sun. I find myself taking cover under the Arleigh Burke's shadow. At least I'm somehow not getting sunburn?
Some of the girls sailing with me opt for small talk, and with nothing else to do, I just listen to them as they converse and tell stories. Oh dear, that one crewmember must have been really embarrassed when that incident happened...
Every now and then, I would find myself daydreaming, idle with my thoughts, and some of them end up being about previous cruises I did, mostly in the Medita- wait, I did those? Wasn't that Sara?
But then, I seem to be Sara right now, right? So... but...
As much as those are interesting experiences, I don't want to forget who I was, who I still am. Sure, I may be Sara right now, but at the same time, I'm not. Just because I'm in a different form with a different life story doesn't mean I would discard my life before all this.
...I miss home...
...
I'm not so sure of the count, but I think it's a week later when we finally see a coastline, one filled with buildings, and is that an aircraft carrier on display? That's USS Midway, isn't it? I guess we made it?
That's a huge naval base over there... Huh, I didn't know I could move on land with my rigging on. I thought I couldn't. Sounds useful.
I find myself in a room with the other shipgirls where there are US Navy admirals in uniform who ask us about what happened. I try my best to recount my perspective on the events that transpired ever since I found myself there. They then say that they'll give us a place in the base to stay in the meantime. That's nice of them.
...
Um, I'm pretty sure I'm not overweight. If anything, I look slimmer now than before, so why is the bench bent? Wait, what, I have a portion of my hull's displacement? What am I, a natural-born kanmusu or something whose body is still adjusting? Considering that I became Sara, as opposed to being her from the outset, maybe I am...
...
I have a habit of checking if my door is locked by trying to turn the knob open afterwards. Unfortunately, it's rendered moot when the doorknob detaches itself with a snapping sound. A sheepish expression crosses my face. Am I really that strong? This is worse than accidentally breaking a graduated cylinder that one time... I'm going to have to report it, don't I?
...I'll put the mattress on the floor later, so that I won't accidentally break my bed.
...
I find myself looking at my reflection in the mirror at my room. My red coat, worn like a cloak, reminds me of the huntress-in-training, Ruby Rose. Also, now that I'm not wearing a helmet, I notice that there are two triangular protrusions upon my head, matching my hair in color, like that of cat or wolf ears. They're just ornamentation from a hairband, right? I've seen a couple of those before. I feel the top of my head, and find no hairband at all. Still, they must be accessories, right? So I rub them to check.
I... I could feel that, and it feels good... I try gently pulling on one, and it feels like having my ear pulled... they're... they're real? I'm a faunus?
That's... new... at least this isn't Remnant... right?
It would explain why my hearing seems to be more sensitive. It would also explain why some were looking at me.
...
Loudspeakers (yeah, loud) blare out some sort of tune, one in the morning and one in the evening, but I do not recognize the music. Whenever they occur, I see people stop what they're doing, stand up, face the source of the sounds, and salute. Out of respect, I stand quietly, but not salute since I don't consider myself a US citizen. The fairies, however, they could be seen imitating the soldiers.
During one evening, I see the Stars and Stripes being lowered as the music plays. So it is a daily flag ceremony... for some reason, it makes me feel awkward. Maybe it's because I happen to be an American ship?
...
I'm in front of a computer at the library, looking up the Internet. According to my fairies, they could somehow install refits on my rigging by somehow reading a host country's schematics and building stuff from those. Sounds like magical sparkly shipgirl stuff, but okay?
While they'd handle the details, they asked me what I'd like, so I opted to look it up... after compiling a list and narrowing it down, I decide to replace most of my aircraft with newer ones, while retaining the Vikings, Shadows and Intruders since they have no direct replacements. While Super Hornets are capable multiroles and tankers, they don't have the Intruders' long range, and my helicopters can't substitute for the long range of the Vikings either, while the ELINT and SIGINT-capable Shadows fulfill a unique niche in my air group. As a bonus, my Vikings and Shadows can also serve as tankers alongside my KA-6D Intruders, so that's all the more reason to keep them.
...Some of what the fairies are showing me don't seem to be the kind of data that's open to the public. How did they come across those blueprints?
...
Okay, I know I have quite the appetite, but this is too much. It feels as if the hyperbole of eating a horse is not enough for me. Right now, I have a one-pound cheeseburger on my plate with fries, but I believe I have space for another of that. I've read before of shipgirls having increased appetites as a reflection of being entire ships onto themselves, complete with the needed supplies, but having a taste (hehe) of that is... different. Is this what Akagi feels every time she eats?
...
Once more, I'm at the library, but this time, I browse the books available, looking for one on modern naval and carrier tactics. I'm a bit familiar with WW2 stuff, but not so much with this sort of battlefield filled with high-speed aircraft, smart long-range missiles, and electronics shenanigans. Ace Combat may be a nice series of games, but that's not an accurate portrayal of modern-day warfare. My crew may be helpful on bringing me up to speed, but surely there's something here that could be good to know?
...
According to the news on TV, many countries have been overrun by Abyssals, including the Philippines. That's sad to hear... I'll... I'll do what I can to help... it's scary, but I can fight back now...
Refits done:
- Replaced Tomcats, Hornets, Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, Oceanhawks, Rescue Hawks, and Greyhounds with 48 F-35C Lightning IIs, 6 EA-18G Growlers, 6 E-2D Hawkeyes, 6 MH-60R Seahawks, 2 MH-60S Knighthawks, and 2 V-22 Ospreys
))