Following the girls, I've come unto… a playground?
What?
"Excuse me, but… we're in a playground?" I asked them.
What are these girls thinking???
"Yeah! Don't worry, we won't be too long!" Javelin told me.
Won't be long, alright.
"Hey, Gleipnir, how did you manage to fight Grey Ghost and didn't lose?" She lit up, asking me something.
Grey Ghost? Huh, I don't recall fighting a ghost, though. The only ghosts I know were the Ghosts of Razgriz, not Grey Ghost!
"Sorry, but who's this Grey Ghost?" Asking won't hurt, yes?
"It's Enterprise!" She paused.
Oh, I see now.
"She's the best fighter of the Azur Lane fleet, and I want to be like her, strong, and always protecting others!" She continued.
Enterprise must have been a great person. I think she deserves my respect.
"I see, I see. Well, I just fought her, I guess?" That's all I know, really.
"And how did you make that big explosion!?" She inquired again, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"It's… it's just my weaponries." Hm, she's one interesting girl…
Turning my head towards Unicorn, I asked her, "So, Unicorn, they're your friends, right?"
She nodded in response, not saying a word.
"I see."
"Ah, Laffey, you know him, right?" Javelin spoke to her sleepy friend who was sleeping contentedly on a bench.
"Mmm? Yes…" The one in question replied.
Why is she always tired? I don't know… I'll ask. "Hey, Javelin, why is she… like that?"
"I don't know. But she's still our friend nonetheless!"
Huh, okay…
"I see, I see." I nodded my head, before turning my attention towards Unicorn.
"So, Unicorn, they're your friends, yes?" I asked her the same question again, just to confirm.
I'm being repetitive...
"Yes!" She talked up.
However, before I can put up a single sentence, Javelin cut me off, "We actually have another friend too, but…" She paused, unable to form another word, her cheerful face contorting into a frown.
Hmmm…
"But what, Javelin?" I called, breaking her off her possible-trance.
"But… She's currently our enemy. She's part of the Sakura Empire under the Crimson Axis, our enemy, the Azur Lane's enemy…" She finally continued.
I see…
These poor kids… separated by a war of factions. I wonder, what happened to all the children over at Aurelia? I only remember—
They even fought for their country. At such young age, they've put their lives on the line to fight against the oppressors—
Against me.
Haah… why is it that only death, fear, and wars follow my trail?
I don't know…
But the war, wasn't the war based on retribution for the Aurelians because they conspired the Civil War?
How did they do that? I remember so many of the supply trucks carrying vital materials going into Leasath, hell, some of the metals they brought were used to create me!
In my reign of terror above the skies, I've killed so many in the name of war for revenge. Fleet by fleet of ships, brigade after brigade of tanks, squadron after squadrons of fighter planes, manned by humans. Real, alive humans, not some machine-turned human by a mysterious power.
They might have a family, maybe a brother like me and Gandr, or sister, mother, father, hell, maybe they even had kids. They might've promised their family to come back, but in reality, I spared absolutely nothing.
I'm nothing more than a creation of metal and wiring, built for war and destruction, but this—
No, no.
I must not falter.
Commander Navarro had proof. His words are the truth.
Those damned Aurelians… damn them!
I was the hope of my people, the Pride of my people, the collection of their fury!
Our pain, our anguish, OUR TEARS!
OUR HATE!
That, is what I am.
Our pain is even more excruciating than those bastards!
The Civil War caused poverty, starvation, turmoil, and all sorts of horrible things to my country.
Mine.
And they, they dared to conspire for their own gain.
How dare they sully my thoughts…
But… It's unfortunate to see children like them all fight, when they're supposed to be enjoying life.
"The sins of the father are not of the son's."
They didn't need to fight, same with the civilians too, but they still did...
Ah, wait, Gandr.
I wish I could, at least, have a sortie with him, we could've ended the war sooner...
I heard, in his first and last sortie, he managed to sink almost the entirety of the Aurelian Navy's fighting force with his SWBMs.
But then, he was immediately shot down, along with his escort squadrons, the Chimera Squadron.
Gandr was supposed to lay siege to Griswall, but he failed before he had even come close to it.
I should've been there, I should've been able to save him, but command rushed for his completion, and sent him out to Area Z2K to intercept the Aurelian Fleet, without the Shock Cannon and Optical Camouflage System being fitted onto him.
He was successful, as expected for my predecessor, but I reckon, everything went wrong because of that move.
It's… saddening, but it's war.
I swear, once I go back, I shall level those damned bastards to the ground, for him, for my brother, for Gandr!
All those territories, all those bloods I've spilled, I WILL avenge him with total victory!
But… there's always this one question in my mind, since I've been able to think for myself;
What if the war was a lie?
What if Commander Navarro lied? Mm, it won't happen. I, and all of Leasath trust him fully with our hearts.
However, if he somehow did, it would mean…
Everything.
Everything that I did for the sake of retribution, everyone's lives that I had taken, the uncountable cities that I laid waste to,
Was for nothing.
I took them all, I killed them all, I'm what humans call—
A monster.
What are all these new feelings? What is life? Why am I here? Why do I even feel all of these?!
I'm not a monster, I'm merely avenging the weak!
I'm not a monster, it couldn't be, no, no!
“W̎ͮͨh̃̅ͤà̷͕t̓͗̔ ̖̍͜éͪ̑v͋̄̉ȩ̔͗n̆̐̓ ͋̊͘a̽̀ͭm̸̌̉ ͫͧͣI̸̊ͭ?ͪ̇̍”
C-calm down, Gleipnir, Commander's words are always the truth.
Do not doubt his judgement.
I-
"Gleipnir, are you okay?" A tap to my shoulder woke me up from my daydream.
What..? I'm already sitting down, and it's already the afternoon?
"Gleipnir???" The voice talked up again, calling out to me.
It was Javelin, waving her hands right in front of my face, trying her best to get my attention.
I must've zoned out… fuck!
"Yes, Javelin?" I responded.
"You were awfully silent…" She muttered, before a dejected sigh escaped her lips.
Scratching my head, I managed to apologize to her, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something…"
"Mm, it's okay! Also, can I kn-"
"You! What are you doing with my precious destroyers?!" Before she could say anything, a black-haired girl holding a musket shouted at me, holding me at gunpoint.
"W-wait! It's not like what it looks like!" Damn it, I'm not a child predator!
"Move over!" She commanded with a gesture.
Obliging her, I moved away, but then, I noticed that the three stuck themselves to my legs, making it hard for me to move.
What the?
"Hey, could you three go away? She's being wary of me, I can answer your questions later."
"N-not that, but please, help us! It's her!" Javelin squeaked, slight fear evident in her tone.
Hold up… what the hell did she do to these kids?!
Hearing her words, I turned my attention back to Ark Royal, trying to confront her.
But, as soon as I came face to face with her, her nose was…
Bleeding?!
"Miss! Your nose!"
"It doesn't matter! Do not touch my precious destroyers!" She exclaimed, her face contorted into a perverted smile while blood flowed from her nose.
Holy shit! What the hell is up with her?!
Then, I heard some fast-paced footsteps coming near our position.
It was Illustrious. She finally came...
"Ark, please refrain from treating our guest here rudely."
Thank god…
"Ah! Illustrious! I was just keeping the destroyers safe, that's all!" Her nose still bleeding, she tried to explain to Illustrious.
"Stop fawning over the destroyers, or there will be a punishment for you!" She continued berating Ark, as if this wasn't the first time she had done this.
Damn, what in tarnation is up with this place??
"Come now, we have to extract the Cloak and Dagger operatives, they're in danger!" Illustrious urged Ark.
Huh, Cloak and Dagger?
"Excuse me, what do you mean by 'Cloak and Dagger'?" I called out, trying to get an explanation of what it, or they are.
"Hm, come along, Gleipnir! I'll explain in full later! Javelin, Laffey, you two too! Unicorn, please wait, yes?" She gave out orders respectively to us all.
Unicorn nodded her head, obeying her sister's orders.
Huh, fine then, let's go.
"Illustrious, lead the way, I'll follow you."
"Mhm." She nodded her head, and then started to guide us to our destination.
A few minutes later, we arrived at a place, and Illustrious gestured towards the door, as if telling me to go in.
There were chatters inside. Looks like they're talking about something.
I heeded, and knocked politely at the door, as a familiar woman's rang up, letting me in.
"Come in."
Yep, it's Wales all right.
I spared a look at the room, and subsequently found some familiar faces, and some unfamiliar ones.
"Take a seat." She ordered, pointing at a vacant seat across her.
I nodded in agreement, and subsequently put myself down on the comfortable sofa.
Hmmm, why does this look like an office? Or is this place Wales' office?
Oh well, not important.
"So, what do I have to do, Wales?" I spoke as I stood up from the couch, dusting myself off, and putting everyone's attention towards me.
"Ah, Gleipnir, sit down, please. By the way, I noticed that some of you haven't known him yet. Please, introduce yourselves before we begin."
Goddammi- fine.
I bowed, before introducing myself." I am Gleipnir-class Airborne Fortress, Gleipnir. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Ah, I'm Hornet, Yorktown-class Aircraft Carrier. Nice to meet'cha!" The blonde twin-tailed girl wearing a cowboy hat spoke, introducing herself to me.
The smaller blonde coughed, garnering my attention, "And I'm Cleveland, lead ship of the Cleveland-class cruisers! You do look menacing, big guy!"
…..
Am I scary…?
N-no, Gleipnir, focus!
"Hmph, I think I should be polite. I am Enterprise, fellow Yorktown-class carrier."
Huh, so they're sisters? I see, I see…
"With that out of the way, may I know the reason why I was summoned here?" I asked everyone in the room.
"Certainly. Now, Gleipnir, I believe you've never heard of the 'Cloak and Dagger' operatives?" Wales talks up, asking me something.
Huh, Cloak and Dagger?
"They cloak with their daggers?"
"N-no, Gleipnir, they're part of the Royal Maids' intelligence branch. Think of it as spies." Wales explained.
Oh…
I thought- oh well…
Hmm, they must be one of Belfast's underlings?
I don't really know...
"So, they've succeeded in getting their hands on the Black Wisdom Cube, a Siren item that we're desperately trying to know its' purpose." She continued, telling me my purpose.
Ah, I see now, no need to say anything anymore.
"I take it that we have to extract them out of danger, yes?" I took a lucky guess.
"Correct!" My deduction was right.
"Right, so, here's our plan: the main fleet, consisting of a few battleships, battlecruisers, heavy and light cruisers, including myself, shall divert the enemy with a diversionary strike!" She then paused, before taking a look at me.
"Gleipnir, your task is to conduct reconnaissance and provide backup for the rescue fleet if anything ever goes wrong! But please, refrain from attacking their ships with your armaments, we're still trying to get them to rejoin the Azur Lane." Wales ordered, myself nodding in acknowledgement.
Yet another sortie.
I'll prove that I'm a capable weapon.
She continued, sparing a glance to everyone inside, "As for the rescue fleet, use the time we've bought for you, bring them back home."
Then, she turned her attention to Vestal, who was in the room this whole time. "Vestal, as the repair ship, please prepare beforehand, we don't know if there would be casualties."
"Affirmative!" Both Hornet and Enterprise agreed, nodding their heads.
"Yes!" Cleveland, Javelin, and Laffey acknowledged, looking eager to this sortie.
"Understood, your highness." Belfast gave a curt bow, concurring with the battleship.
"I understand, I'll be waiting for your success." Wishing us luck, Vestal then went out of the room, presumably towards the Infirmary to prepare for the coming storm.
Heh, this feels like I'm back…
Oh, wait a second, sirens!
"Pardon me, Wales, but if you're kind enough, mind explaining to me what a Siren is? I recall you, Enterprise, and several others call me that. What are they exactly? I'm curious." I inquired about that one question.
"Of co-" before she could even mouth a word—
"Sirens are humanity's enemies, and this Black Wisdom Cube we're speaking of is probably some sort of a plan concocted by the Sakura Empire, who is collaborating with the sirens!" Enterprise spat out, interrupting Wales from explaining.
She didn't seem to mind the rudeness, and continued where she left off, "Thankfully, Sheffield and Edinburgh, the Cloak and Dagger operatives, stole the cube before anything could be done, and we currently have a defector seeking asylum with us tagging along with those two."
Humanity's enemies, I didn't expect this…
They threaten the very essence of lives?
I must stop these Sirens, before any of them could reach Leasath!
"I see. Then, they must be stopped at all costs… Feel free to utilize my power, because humanity would mean that my nation would be under threats from them, and as the Pride of my nation, never in hell I will allow that."
I failed once, I won't fail again!
I'll be back home.
Before that…
How am I even here?
"If I could ask one more question… how are we like this?"
"What do you mean, exactly?" Bewildered, Wales asks for an explanation.
"We're warships, inanimate creations of metal and wiring, created only to wage wars and destroy. Doesn't that bother your conscience every once in a while? At this point, it's… to be honest, it's plaguing my mind." I spoke my mind's contents.
"Allow me to answer, Gleipnir." Belfast politely interjected.
"Go ahead."
"It's the Wisdom Cubes implanted in ourselves." She paused, "When humanity was driven out of the seas by the Sirens, they managed to find these Wisdom Cubes, that now we consider as Humanity's greatest gift."
"I see, please continue." Hmmm, intriguing...
"Ships are the collective hopes and dreams of humanity. The Wisdom Cubes gave us ships lives and intelligence. Not only that, it also gave us emotions, effectively making us human. It is, fundamentally, a brain for us ships, and now we consider ourselves as human." She finally finished explaining.
Hopes, and dreams...
It's true, if you look at it.
I was the hope of my people.
Their dreams to take revenge, their fury, all manifested into one, me.
But then, those so-called "hopes and dreams" are crushed every time I show up in the Aurelian front.
I was the consumer of their "dreams", obliterating any "hope" for fighting.
Ah... Perhaps I have to keep these thoughts to myself, for now...
Mm, let's not forget to thank her. "Thank you, Belfast. I get it."
She responded by merely nodding her head, acknowledging my thanks.
"Are you done? We should get going. To the Sakura Empire!" Wales reminded us.
"Yes!" The collective voices of everyone in the room cheered, before exiting towards the docks.
This is it…
A purpose.
(Author's Note: This is the end of the chapter, please let me know if there's anything wrong, and beat me up pls! That's all, have a good day!)