Sunlight trickled into the Shiratsuyu-class bedroom through the window panes, the salty sea breeze that filled the room a result of the open window at the end of the room, complemented by the soft buzz of the HUD alarm as Shigure yawned and slowly pried open her heavy eyelids.
Sleeping through the night had helped her process the food from last night's dinner, and was uninterrupted by her sisters who likely didn't want to wake her up.
A mental command that was sent through her mind seemed to stop the alarm clock in her mind that read,
29 March 2015
8.30 a.m.
And was the final cue for Shigure's brain to kick in and slowly take stock of her situation.
She slowly clenched her hand and savored the soft and plump texture of the pillow she laid on instead of cold, hard bed-rock that she last remembered before slipping into an eternal slumber, the texture of the fabric alien to a ship girl who had previously only known the cold, heavy edge of steel in her hands.
An android.
That was what they called her as they welcomed her into existence. To her knowledge, they were human-like robots, who could think and feel like any regular Poi off the streets.
That had also meant that they could feel pain, and were also prone to emotional outbursts. In the quick tour around Kure, it was said that among the upsides to being an android was that if they were ever injured, they could take a steel patch, the human equivalent of Band-Aids, and plaster the affected area with the appropriate number of layers.
The injury would then heal in a time that was generously estimated to be proportional to the severity of the injury.
The docks, heated baths pumped with nano-machines specializing in restorative medical surgery, were an alternative along with the damage control Fairies that can be carried into battles, with the fastest option in the base being the quick-repair bucket, granting a fast recovery for a recovering ship girl.
Or a dying one.
Shigure squeezed the pillow in her slightly quivering left hand, tears threatening to escape her watering eyes, wondering how unlucky she was to have been summoned to fight again.
The last time she fought, she was the lone survivor who always managed to be the last man standing when the battle ended.
She wasn't kidding when she told Hibiki yesterday that she'd train to be stronger this time around. She wanted to become stronger to slowly find her way around this world and make peace with herself.
And when she was strong enough, seek out her friends and be reunited with them, and beg them for forgiveness.
But this was a new life, and with it came new opportunities to get stronger alongside new comrades and protect her friends and family, a goal that she was going to make sure she accomplished no matter what this time round.
Meeting up with Hiei after a filling breakfast was the first order in the morning. The thrill of having a new ship girl arriving had mostly worn off, especially since she was a new destroyer, but a few curious ship girls approached her in the morning to welcome her.
Since she woke up relatively early in the morning, she didn't look around the Shiratsuyu-class bedroom to see which of her sisters was in this base to rendezvous with the Kongou-Class battleship first thing in the morning. Hiei chaperoned her around the base as she listed a few Fleet compositions during and after breakfast.
"Our Base has eight fleets, one of the largest in the world. Due to the leadership of the Admiral, who's been commanding the Yokosuka Naval Base for the entirety of its ten years as a ship girl base, we're often the vanguard when it comes to any sort of major naval battle. I won't go into too much detail of any of the fleets, but we have a few fleets and line-ups to address different situations and needs. The current Fast Response Fleet that can be sent out at a moment's notice is made up of Flag Ship Sendai, with Yuudachi, Furutaka, Hatsushimo, Shimakaze and Ryuujou. And please sit down, Shigure. Yes, your sister is in this base, also a product of a recent construction effort. Hey, are you choking on your food there? You don't look so good…"
"Whew, thank God for the Heimlich Maneuver, just because we're ship girls doesn't mean we can't be affected by everyday stuff, so watch out! Hm, the 3rd Fleet is the Backup to our fleets in the base. Ashigara leads the team that consists of Haguro, Nagato, Yukikaze, Abukuma and Amagi. We had to really go all-out for that last girl! Hey cheer up! At least no one sank, and she's insistent on pulling her own weight around here."
"The 4th Fleet is rather flexible, taking on all roles and comers! They are also sent out on expeditions, in case the supply lines are strained under enemy fire. Not that we can't do expeditions, it's just that being at the forefront of the war has its perks, like getting a larger bulk of supplies sent in from the mainland and from our supply lines, as well as being able to send out many smaller fleets to gather resources! Myoukou, Nachi, Shiranui, Goya, Hiryuu and Kagerou of The 4th Fleet!"
"The 5th Fleet specializes in Scouting, led by Chikuma. Developers say her blueprint Kai Ni allows her to have one of the highest Line-of-Sight amongst all ship girls! Mutsuki, Jintsuu, Shoukaku, Zuikaku, and Akatsuki are in the team. Imagine being able to see your enemies coming from over the horizon, and preparing for whatever formation they're in! That's what they do!"
"The 6th Fleet brings forth the thunder, as Akagi, Soryuu, Chitose and Kisaragi are led by Kaga. The payload they deliver can drop entire Abyssal Fleets in their opening strike! Ahh, but they are mostly relegated to bombardment duty, since their follow-up is rather weak…"
"The 7th Fleet is the true backbone of our firepower, as the greatest battleship to ever exist, Yamato, leads the 7th Fleet!
My Onee-sama, Kongou is in there too, with Atago, Shouhou, Hibiki, and the German Battleship Bismarck, sent here on an extended overseas exchange program!"
"The 8th Fleet is the Specialization Fleet, full of quirky ship girls who specialize in a particular field! Hayasui, Kiso, Hatsuzuki, Akitsu Maru, and Unryuu, are all led by Akashi the repair girl!"
"Among the girls on this base are ship girls who are bench-warmers, and they are often called on to replace injured, or preoccupied ship girls on missions! I won't name them all, but you have a general idea of how large we are as a Base! So, Shigure, did you get all that?"
A blank-faced Shigure instantly replied to the enthusiastic Hiei,
"Not really."
Causing Hiei to trip over herself and kiss the ground.
Looking up to Shigure with a bruised forehead atop a dumbstruck expression that contrasted with Shigure's innocent, and frankly quite amused expression, Hiei exclaimed.
"HHIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! You really didn't get any of that?! Despite your ship girl functions likely helping you record this conversation?"
Shigure started to feel a giggle coming on as she watched her senior's expressive range of emotions, and tried to keep a straight face as she pacified Hiei.
"No Hiei, I know all of those ship girls. I participated in the war, remember?
It's just that, I prefer to meet them in person to get a feel of how they are now, since we were all ships in our previous lives. The ones I really paid attention to were the big-shots like Nagato, Yamato, Kongou, Kaga-san, and my sister, Yuudachi."
Then smiling, added. "And you too, of course. You're the Emperor's Battleship, after all."
A blushing recovery hastily made to cover up her transparent happiness, Hiei was as happy as a lark as she pushed off the floor to pull herself back up to her full height.
Not a lot of people had looked up to her before!
Most had certainly looked up to either Kirishima or Kongou, leaving Hiei and Haruna content to simply stand back and admire the respective brains and brawn of their Four-girl band. But every so often, someone like Shigure would come up and say something along the lines of,
"Wow! You're the Emperor's Battleship! You must be strong! I wanna be like you someday!"
It made her chest swell to know that she had a few admirers out there.
Dusting herself off to make her way to their destination, Hiei stuttered.
"W-Well, lip service isn't going to make me treat you any differently compared to anyone else!
A lesson one learns around here is to put your money where your mouth is, so you'd better do your best not to slow me down, got it?"
Shigure, nonplussed, pointed out.
"But you're the one who stopped to face plant the floor."
Causing Hiei to miss a step and reunite her face with the floorboard of the barracks.