Chronicles of the Siren War: Chapter 46 (Patreon)

"I was unsure if I would ever see you again. It's been far too long, Langley."

"It has, hasn't it Warspite? All these young girls running around  looking tall and buxom and far too voluptuous to be warriors…oh listen  to me. I sound even older than I am."

"You look well, even better than I last saw you in fact! The riding  crop really rounds out the outfit. You may be a head and a half shorter  than the Knight Commander, but I daresay you'll command the whole room!"

"Stick to marksmanship, Lady Warspite. Your puns leave something to be desired…"

Silence prevailed on the bridge of the Langley as Warspite and the  Union carrier stared one another down. Slowly their mouths curled into  thin smiles and the laughter broke through. The two Great War veterans  embraced one another. "How did you find us all the way out here?"

"When word reached us that Denpassar had fallen to the Sakura we  prepared for the worst," Langley explained. "Phoenix is a fine warrior,  along with her crew, but we would have been no match for their airforce.  When no attack came, we made a break for it…we saw the smoke from  Surabaya."

"I see," Warspite replied seriously. "Perhaps we did enough damage  they could not pursue you immediately. Either way, this is good. Very  good."

"Phoenix is there now, speaking with this Commander Thorson. Would  you mind explaining to me why I'm sharing fleet formations with a Sakura  battleship and two destroyers?" Langley demanded, walking with Warspite  up onto the flight deck as another tropical night fell around Thorson's  retreating force.

"They are our comrades in arms. Some defected, others were captured, a  few are here because they have nowhere else to go," the royal  explained. "You'll see when you meet the Knight Commander. He is playing  a long game, one targeting the sirens and their malicious intent."

"Where are we headed?"

"Back to our base. It has well stocked repair facilities and some  cube based technology. I'm sure you'll be welcomed if you choose to  stay, Langley. In the meantime, I was hoping I might make a request."

"You may make it. I am not beholden to agree," the Union carrier replied. 

"Oh don't worry, Langley. You're still a teacher, right?"

"Many of the pilots on the Lexington and Saratoga are pupils of  mine," she confirmed. "Some have even graduated to serve with  Enterprise."

"Good. I want you to teach Ark Royal." Warspite laid it out. "Have you ever seen a carrier form her own aircraft before?"

"I…you must be pulling my leg!" Langley replied hotly, slapping her riding crop into her palm. "I do not appreciate it."

"I'm serious, Langley. How do you think one Sakura trashed all of us? These planes you're carrying, the P-40, yes?"

"Yes, and they require far too much runway for a carrier to use them," Langley insisted with authority.

"That remains to be seen," Warspite countered, her coattails  fluttering gently in the breeze as they looked off the deck at ocean and  distant islands. "Have you seen a woman try to fight zeroes with scout  aircraft and some torpedo bombers that are a decade old?"

"No, no I have not." The conversation was interrupted briefly as Sir  Raleigh hopped up onto deck with a loud chirp and began bouncing over to  Warspite. He'd come from the direction of what used to be the Langley's  pigeon coops and had another manjuu in tow.

"Welcome back, Sir Raleigh. Did you have a nice time with your  friends?" Warspite asked, taking the little thing into her hands and  setting him atop her hair where he quickly nestled in betwixt her ears.  The other manjuu perched itself on Langley's shoulder with her help.

"This is Erasmus. He's my favorite of the lot. Maybe when we get back  to your base they'll finally want to leave. Once they took up residence  they refused to be moved," Langley lamented. "In any case, what do you  want me to do for your carrier, Warspite. I will do what I can but she's  not a pilot."

"No, Langley. She's the pilot. Give her one of your planes, please.  Help her understand it, nose to tail. The Knight Commander believes all  carriers can project their own aircraft if their minds are sharp and  wills are strong. Imagine the advantage she could possess if she were  taught a fighter that no normal carrier could launch!" Warspite pleaded.  Langley crossed her arms over her chest, her exposed midriff caressed  by the salt breeze.

"How long until we reach your base?"

"At least ten days at this rate, possibly two weeks?" The royal guessed.

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do, and it's  preferable to being at the bottom of the ocean. What do you say,  Erasmus? Shall we take on a new pupil?"

"Juuu!"

"Juuuuuu~" Sir Raleigh replied animatedly. The two shipgirls, experienced far beyond their appearances, chuckled quietly.

"Can I offer you tea aboard the Warspite? Your crew can carry on, yes?"

"Of course. Can Ark Royal travel here?"

"She can," Warspite confirmed. "I keep forgetting most of the Union still has no rigging."

Langley stared at her contemplatively. "We never needed it…until it was too late."

"He's fixing that problem."

"Your faith in such a youngster is surprising, Warspite." 

"He has earned it, for now. Loss shows you the character of a man. His is youthful but resilient," she related. 

"I see. I'm sure I will speak with him at some point. For now tea  sounds wonderful, and perhaps you can introduce me to Ark. If she is to  be my pupil I believe it would be best for us to become casually  acquainted."

"Always prim and proper, aren't you Langley? Belfast's invitation still stands you know."

"I will die before wearing one of those silly maid outfits. Keep your  rigging, my friend. Come Erasmus! We have been invited to tea by a  royal knight."

"Juuu~"

-----

The next morning, Langley and her new pupil met on her flight deck.

"Good morning, Ark. You didn't have any trouble on your way?" Langley  asked, awaiting her student with a stern look on her face. She had to  tilt her head up to meet Ark's gaze, but she was used to that. The royal  carrier shrugged and rested a hand on her pistol.

"Nothing a hard glare and my rigging couldn't handle. Rowdy bunch, your crew."

"I think you'll find that's rather universal in the Union. But I'm  glad you used a firm hand with them. In any case, let them remain  beneath deck. This is your classroom now," Langley insisted, gesturing  to a large tarp behind her on the flight deck. A toolbox rested just to  the side. "Our captains have spoken on the matter. Before we begin  though, I must admit I am curious…"

Ark Royal held out a hand with a knowing smirk on her lips. A tiny  Fulmar rested there, taking off to make a couple circuits around  Langley's head before returning to her and dissolving. Langley's eyes  were wide and excited. "Now I understand why Warspite was so insistent  that I bring one of these out of storage. If you aren't limited by the  length of a runway…oh yes, that should work. But you'll have to be  taught the maneuvers as well."

"Perhaps we should not get ahead of ourselves? I've never even seen a  P-40 before," Ark suggested. Erasmus the manjuu was not happy at his  master getting cut off.

"Juu!" 

"Now now, Erasmus. She has a point," Langley gently scolded him. "Why don't you go play with all your friends?"

"Ju," came the steadfast refusal.

"My constant companion," Langley sighed affectionately. "Let's get  started then!" She grabbed the tarp and pulled, revealing a fixed wing  fighter complete with six .50 caliber machine guns, a 500 pound bomb,  and the most dashing paint job Ark had ever seen. The body of the plane  was bold, Union green. The propeller cap was bright red, and the front  of the body featured a vicious looking mouth full of sharp teeth,  perhaps a shark or tiger. Ark breathed out a 'wow' and approached it,  running her fingers gently along the metal, warm from the tropical sun.  Langley remained at her side as they made a circuit around the aircraft.

"It's not got the maneuverability of the zero, but it's durable,  reliable, well-armed, and versatile. If you can somehow devise a way to  reliably kill those mosquitos, Sakura bombers won't stand a chance."

"It'll be difficult getting one of these things off the ground given  my flight deck, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make it happen. Just  need to add some momentum," Ark mused. "I was a bit nervous, to be  honest. Swordfish and Fulmars are all I've ever known…but now?"

"The cubes want what they want," Langley agreed, coming hauntingly  close to echoing sentiments that Vampire had shared with Ark a couple  days before. She was brought back to reality by a swat of Langley's crop  on the back of her palm. She didn't jump or cry out. "Hey, are you  paying attention?"

"Yes of course, sorry," Ark murmured. "Where should we start?"

"I hope you've got a good launderer on your ship or a spare coat.  Let's tackle the engine first. The days will go by before you know it!" 

"Yes ma'am," Ark agreed, knowing that Langley was, despite her  stature, an elder and experienced carrier. The mint haired Union girl  smiled back.

"Hmm, very good. Now let's open this baby up!" Ark shed her jacket  and plucked through the toolbox while Langley began discussing the P-40.

"This aircraft has seen combat since June of last year, primarily  against the Ironblood. It lacks a two speed supercharger, so don't  expect it to perform at high altitudes. Down here though, in the  Pacific, it can be a workhorse."

"Maybe I'll add one of those in someday," Ark suggested flippantly, beginning on the first of many bolts and rivets.

"Why don't you learn the shear force necessary to tear a wing off  first before you go about supercharging the engines," Langley suggested,  grabbing a handful of tools herself and aiding Ark in her manual labor.  

"You do realize that if I can do this, even without a supercharged  engine I can probably out-turn a zero, right?" Ark suggested,  considering her most recent battle against Kaga.

"I think the sun or the tea might be getting to you," Langley replied as Ark got her first glimpse of an Allison V-1710 engine.

"No seriously!" Ark insisted. "What you said about shear forces got  me thinking. Kaga was exceptional at using multiple fighter groups to  cover one another, but the zero is still a zero, right? Unless she's  fortified the wings somehow…"

"If you believe you can modify the engine, it stands to reason she  could do the same," Langley said seriously, pointing out the fuel  injection.

"Yes, but to do that I'd need to understand how that new engine would  work. If Kaga fortified her zeroes the plane would be heavier. She'd  lose speed and maneuverability at the expense of higher speed turns as  long as she doesn't know how to completely rebuild the plane with  different material from the ground up."

"So what you're saying is that you intend to use this aircraft to  engage in dogfights at speeds that would tear a zero apart…and you have  no human pilots?"

"Just me," Ark nodded with pride. Langley took a step off the ladder  she was using to achieve an appropriate height for their lesson.

"I see. Perhaps if I make it back to the fleet I will speak with  Enterprise about this. Many of my aces are now with her, Lexington, or  Saratoga. I love them all dearly but they are only men. To consider the  plane without the pilot…hmmm." Erasmus joined her in thought.

"Juuuuu…"

-----

"We'll be off then Shikikan, enjoy your lunch!" Michishio and  Shiratsuyu bade him farewell, dancing out to sea with the meals for the  rest of the shipgirl fleet. With Yuudachi in the fleet and another cook  to share the burden of the kitchen, Shiratsuyu had never looked better.  Even her characteristic clumsiness seemed to be abating to an extent. 

It was the fourth day since he'd secured one P-40 for Ark Royal, and  in that time he'd noticed a peculiar trend. It began when Michishio had  been dispatched to the Langley to deliver lunch to the two hard working  carriers. She had returned from the boat with a manjuu companion. The  little thing chirped and sang at most every opportunity, and Michishio  could not have been happier to have a partner for duets. The next day  Shiratsuyu had delivered lunch, and she too returned from the Langley  with a feathered companion as bubbly as she. 

The birds didn't seem to make much of a mess or fuss, and they were  drawn to his shipgirls. Most of them didn't give him the time of day.  Thorson shrugged and bit into his sandwich. As far as he was concerned  they were a way to prevent boredom and give the members of his fleet  something other than their battle to focus on. Jintsuu remained in her  bed for the majority of the day, but she had joined Naka and the rest at  meals. She never said a word and almost always earned glares from Ares  and Tennessee. He didn't know what to do about her. 

Arashio and Asashio had caved, perhaps inevitably. Between Ooshio and  Michishio integrating seamlessly into the fleet and Kasumi making fast  friends with Houston and many of the other Union ships, the pressure to  not be left out any longer was too great. They had received rigging as  their thanks, with marks of 'Stormy' and 'Morning' gracing their necks.  To Thorson's great surprise, Asashio had hugged him briefly. It was  stiff, but she'd thanked him for taking in Kasumi and treating her other  sisters well. It was enough and he'd let them go without further  incident. His musings regarding Jintsuu were interrupted by those same  kittens, along with Portland.

"Commander, hey Commander!" Portland called happily, sailing up onto  deck and dragging the two destroyers with her on her rigging. There was  plenty of room. 

"Good afternoon, Shikikan," Asashio and Arashio said politely.

"Girls, good afternoon," he replied casually. "What can I do for you?"

"It's Indy, Commander!" Portland wailed.

"What's wrong with Indy!" Thorson jumped to his feet. Arashio and Asashio tugged at his sleeves.

"Please, Shikikan. She…exaggerates."

"I'm not exaggerating! Indy is sad, Commander!" Portland insisted.

"Why is she sad?" Thorson requested, not having seen anything outward at dinners or other interactions. Portland explained.

"She wants a manjuu, Commander. She sees everyone getting them and  she's a little shy. They're all on the Langley right now and I think  she's a bit scared about the other sailors and the idea of just taking  one. But I see her looking at Tennessee's, and Ooshio's, and Warspite's,  not to mention Ark and a few others have them now. Can you believe she  named hers Albatross? What a silly name," Portland judged, not slowing  down a moment. "Anyway Commander, my dear little sister Indy would like a  manjuu very much and I don't think she is bold enough to just go take  one. Can you help?" 

Thorson considered the question before him, eventually smiling and  resting a hand on Portland's head. Her ahoge proved completely resistant  to his touch, bouncing back onto its heart shape the moment he stopped  praising her. "You're a good sister, Portland. How about you lot, feel  like going to the manjuu shelter?"

"I would not mind," Asashio informed him.

"Very good. Let's go visit Penny and use her radio."

-----

After a quick call to Langley and Indianapolis, Thorson found himself  seated atop the demon loli cruiser's rigging as they proceeded to the  Langley. She and Ark could be seen from a distance, small bodies on the  top deck taking a lunch break surrounded by aircraft parts and  munitions.

"I enjoy this much more," Thorson said, getting a moment to chat with the usually reserved Indianapolis.

"Is that because Penny carries you in her arms?" She asked with a small smile.

"Yes. Being able to sit down like this feels much more…manly."

"You are manly, Commander. I wouldn't worry so much," Indy told him.

"Still feels odd," he insisted. She giggled.

"Yeah, I can understand that. Is this really alright, Commander? I don't want anyone being inconvenienced for me."

"From my understanding, Indianapolis, these manjuu have completely  taken over the commander's quarters on the Langley. She says it used to  be a pigeon coop, from back when we still used courier pigeons in  wartime."

"That's rather cool, but I can see the problem. It's nice having my  ship to myself, but it gets lonely sometimes. And there's only one of  you…"

"I…sorry," Thorson replied.

"It's ok. That's the reason we all like you. There's only one of you. Do you think any of the manjuu will like me?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Thorson requested. 

"You'll see…"

True to Indy's concern, the moment they entered the manjuu sanctuary  on the Langley and she activated her rigging, many of the little birds  cheeped and chirped in alarm, hopping back and generally regarding her  with suspicion. Thorson was about to reach out in comfort when one brave  manjuu approached her where she sat patiently on her large bomb. Indy's  mismatched eyes suddenly lit with hope and she lowered her face mask  while cupping the hands of her rigging. The manjuu contemplated the  gesture a moment before hopping into her rigging. Indy cooed with  delight and brought it closer, offering her own hands out to it as the  bird's fellows began to relax and examine Portland and the two Sakura.

"Hello there, little one," Indy said kindly as the manjuu hopped into  her hands. She stroked it gently with a finger. "Do you need a name?"

"Juu."

"How about…Oppenheimer? I don't know why, but it seems to suit you."

"Juuu!"

"You want to come with me?"

"Ju!"

"Just be careful with the Pandora weapon then, alright?"

"Juuu~" Oppenheimer replied, hopping up to perch on one of Indy's  horns. In the time it had taken for her to make friends, Arashio and  Asashio had both found manjuu of their own, while Portland's rigging was  absolutely covered in the birds. They seemed drawn to her upbeat  personality and she was over the moon at having her rigging literally  surrounded by perching manjuu. The busty cruiser threw herself at  Thorson, squishing her chest into his flank.

"Thank you, Commander!"

"Anytime, Portland. Indy?" He asked, finding the cruiser was not  listening. Instead she was deep in conversation with her manjuu.

"Yes, that's my sister. She's very kind."

"Juu?"

"No don't worry, I just need you. You're very fluffy."

"Juu!"

"Would you like to go for a walk on the water?"

"Juuuuu~"

"Commander, I'll be going now. Thank you for this opportunity," Indy  said politely. Oppenheimer chirped politely in agreement with his new  owner and the two exited the room. Thorson looked at Portland.

"All's well that ends well? We appear to have solved Langley's problem as well."

"Yeah, that's my dear sister Indy for you!"

-----

"Heya Belle, what's shakin'?" Downes asked, walking along the  foredeck of the Tennessee. The shipgirl in question was engaged in a  morning workout on the twelfth day of their journey back home. The fleet  was about to leave Southeast Asia behind them. Tennessee did not reply,  instead focusing on her pullups. She was using one of her main  batteries, pulling herself up high enough to stare down into the black  of the chamber before repeating the exercise. Ares could be found atop  the barrel, chirping at her with each rep. Downes laughed with a shrug,  dropping to the deck for some one-armed push-ups while she waited. A few  minutes later Tennessee was finished and she and Downes stripped their  jackets and tops off, laying on them on the deck to cushion them as they  got some sun. 

"You know Commander Thorson would be walking funny if he could see  you right now, yeah?" Downes asked with a snicker, unabashedly looking  over at her mentor's tan, sweat-slicked skin. Her six-pack was plenty  visible. "Jintsuu is lucky you didn't break her in half."

"I still have half a mind to. That fucking fox, still going on about  how powerful Akagi and Kaga are and the true path to power and all that  shit. At least the one you beat is polite."

"She's one of their lieutenants, Belle, of course she's gonna hate  us," Downes reasoned, lifting her torso enough to remove her simple  black bra.

"Seriously?"

"What? Don't you think it would be fun if Andrew was peeping from  Penny's bridge?" Downes asked, looking at the material. "I really need  to design something better for working out. Maybe I'll ask Akashi about  it when we get back."

"Not a bad idea, actually. She comes up with anything, lemme know.  It's almost like men make this shit, men who have no intention of  letting women do anything."

"Turn it down from eleven to ten, but sure thing Belle. Lord knows  you need it more than me. Oh come on, do you really want tan lines?  Don't tell me you're self-conscious about Fusou's rack. Yours is plenty  big."

"Fine, fine! Why the hell are you so obsessed with my chest anyway?"  Tennessee scoffed, baring her upper body fully to the sun and wind.

"Uh…if you have to ask you deserve to be alone," Downes replied with exaggerated concern in her voice.

"Shut it, short stack."

"Hey, I'm plenty tall now!" The destroyer protested. Tennessee acknowledged the point.

"Yeah, I guess you are. Don't need me anymore," she said glumly.

"Yo what's that all about, Belle? You taught me everything I know  other than torpedoes and I still need a lot more sparring practice! Do  you have any idea how excited I am to try that barrage thing you  explained the other day?"

"Your ship says otherwise."

"Belle…" Downes whispered. "I didn't ask for that. All I wanted was  to win. I don't know why it happened to me." Ares was looking sternly at  his master.

"Oh come off it, Ares…alright fine. Yeah I know you didn't, Downes. Maybe I was just getting used to things. Shouldn't have."

Downes looked over at Tennessee, thinking on how she'd changed since  Pearl Harbor. "You know you can be friendly and angry, right?"

"Don't need to hear that from you."

"Belle, come on," Downes insisted, rolling over and laying atop her.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Tennessee flailed, caught most off guard.

"I'm being close to you cause I want to, now shut up. My back needs sun."

"You're blocking my light, twerp."

"And you need to understand that I'm not going anywhere just because of my retrofit."

"People will talk."

"Let them talk, it's not like I'm fucking you or you're fucking me."

"Thanks for that image. No thanks. I've already seen what you've got going on down there," Tennessee recalled.

"See? No problem!"

"It's a problem, Downes."

"Not from where I'm standing…well, laying," she insisted, grinning  wickedly as Tennessee's gloved hand came to rest on the naked small of  her back. "But…I actually did want to talk to you about that."

"I'm interested in Thorson's cock, not your puffy pussy," Tennessee replied flippantly.

"Holy shit, Belle! You're a foul mouth when you want to be!" Downes  exclaimed, feeling herself blush a tad regarding her anatomy.

"What? You're one to talk, motor mouth. If you tell anyone I'll beat  you within an inch of your life, and you were probably thinking it  anyway. If I had to lay with a man, it would be him. I still hate him  though."

"Belle, you've got some serious issues," the destroyer declared,  rolling back off her now that she'd assured her mentor she wasn't too  big for her britches.

"Yeah well, you came to talk about yours right? Spill!"

"It's Ooshio."

"That chubby cat? She's passed out on my deck somewhere. Felt it  happen right about when we stripped down. Guessing that has something to  do with it?"

"I…probably," Downes admitted. "Sounds like something she'd do. It's  more like I feel as though she's latched onto me and I don't understand  why or how to handle it. She's not even needy about it, she just…she's  always looking my way with this dejected look on her face. She hangs out  with me and Naka and some of the others a lot, can't help but notice."

"So she's into you and knows you like guys. What's the big deal?" Tennessee demanded.

"Belle, I just got used to the idea of being a woman with an  explosion fetish. Dealing with…everything about being around Thorson is  bad enough, but then she comes along and starts eyeing me the way I know  I'm eyeing him? And then being all sad about it and petting that bird  of hers?"

"Juu!"

"You're a good guy, Ares. Anyway, I just don't know what to do, Belle."

"And you think I do? It's not natural, Downes. There's no getting  around how difficult it's gonna be for her if she lusts after other  women. Maybe it's her cubes? We're all a little fucked on the inside."

"Yeah, like Penny and Cleveland!" Downes let out a bawdy laugh at her own joke.

"And Arizona," Tennessee added with a smirk.

"No!" Downes exclaimed, flailing her arms about. "NOOOO!"

"Oh yes," the battleship whispered.

"When?! Where? What the hell, Belle! Why didn't you tell me?!" Downes demanded.

"Because even I know that Arizona saved our asses and deserves some  privacy…that was until she and the Commander got frisky on the dining  table. Kinky little girl under that innocent exterior."

"She didn't!"

"Oh she did, Downes. I was wandering around trying to figure out whether it was worth my time talking to Jintsuu again."

"Hey, it's working with Naka. Keep it up."

"Yeah yeah, I'll try. That sister's much easier going. Anyway, so  they think they're being quiet or something after everyone's left, but  let's just say 'Oh Andrew, be gentle with me,' has a certain ring to  it," Tennessee smirked viscously.

"No fucking way. What did you do?!"

"What do you think I did?" Tennessee asked roughly.

"Stayed and listened to the whole thing like some sort of self-flagellation?"

"I hate you sometimes, short stuff."

"Love you too, Belle. So what was it like?"

Tennessee let out a long breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.  "They really are in love. You don't…you don't make sounds like that if  you're just fucking; least I don't think you do. It was…he calls her his  angel. The way she said his name when he…fucking hell, I didn't even  know a woman could sound that way, all breathy and keening. Made me feel  like my chest was going to implode."

"Shit…angel and Valkyrie," Downes whistled, feeling her own chest  growing hot at the idea of Thorson between Arizona's legs. In her mind  she imagined the battleship in nothing but her ivory leggings and bra,  her thighs holding him in. "Ok yeah, I think that's enough of that for  today. Is Penny alright with it?"

"Penny knew the moment it happened. Her ship and all," Tennessee  reasoned. "Far as I can tell she's happy about it actually, relieved  almost. She and her sister are even again. How fucked is that?"

"Pretty fucked, just like this fleet going up against Kaga."

"Now listen here you little shit-" Tennessee was cut off as the roar  of a P-40 could be heard overhead, Ark's first attempt at conjuring one  soaring out to sea before plunging into the waves and vanishing. They  looked at one another.

"Well, it's a start!" Downes stated hopefully. Tennessee nodded.

"When are you making your move, young woman?"

"You first, Belle."

"Then you'll be a virgin until you die," Tennessee insisted, remembering the night in the gym. "If it happens…it happens."

"He's really changed you, Belle."

"Take a look in the mirror, ass."

"Didn't mean it in a bad way."

"You've got a kitten tagging after you every day now on account of that body."

"And it's well worth it. Look just…thanks Belle, alright. You need to  talk; you know where to find me. And if Jintsuu ever tries to pull  something I'll be there to help you end her."

Tennessee remained silent for a long while, feeling the sun on her  skin and reflecting on her time in Thorson's fleet. Many hatreds still  burned in her heart, but now they shared space with Downes, Ares, Penny,  and the curious, specific hatred she felt for Andrew Thorson, the only  man she'd follow to hell and back. "Thanks short stuff. The black looks  good on you by the way, better than red."

"Anytime, Belle."