Day 25
After a considerable delay, I finally created a logbook to track the passage of time. Surprisingly, the idea had not occurred to me until I asked Gneisenau for a monthly productivity report, and she was unable to provide one due to the lack of a proper timekeeping system.
The past week brought drastic changes. With the drones' improved organization, efficiency gains soared. Two battleships, nine cruisers, and a flotilla of escort destroyers were under construction, consuming an exorbitant amount of resources. The cost of producing ships rose sharply once I began replacing the outdated World War II internals with Cold War-era technology.
Despite having an economy surpassing some small countries, I could barely afford my current projects while continuing the island's expansion. ORE drone production held steady at 2,000 drones every thirty minutes. Content with this rate, I decided to scale back to creating five spawning pools per day, as the constant need to eat whenever my stamina depleted had become tiresome.
A smile tugged at my lips; things were improving for several reasons. An ORE construction drone floated by, its lazy spin through the air belying its purpose as it extended an appendage. A spark flared from the exposed paneling in the wall, a testament to the drone's ongoing work.
My new drone was an invention of my own design. I took the base blueprint of the ORE drone and removed the mining laser, replacing it with a wide array of tools including ratchets, screwdrivers, welding equipment, and other handy implements. The result was an omni-handyman, capable of construction, plumbing, electrical work, and more. All this equipment fit neatly into the drone's spatial storage, which previously held ore for internal processing. The amount of space freed up by removing the internal smelters was astonishing.
I strolled through my new room, fingers trailing along the smooth limestone walls. While not perfect, it marked a significant improvement over my previous accommodations. Excitement tingled down my spine as I surveyed the space. The room was relatively spartan, with only basic carpeting since my blueprints covered military vessels rather than civilian comforts. Likewise, my furniture selection was minimal, limited to the bedding found in various ships' captains quarters. This typically meant cotton sheets and a moderately comfortable mattress. A single dresser with a small lamp stood off to one side.
Dull gray paint coated the walls. I shrugged. "Better than nothing, I suppose."
In truth, I wasn't overly concerned. This was merely a temporary arrangement until I could reach civilization and acquire some proper creature comforts. An amusing thought flickered through my mind—the image of myself striding into a W-mart, purchasing silk sheets with a pouch of Spanish doubloons. Certified Spanish gold, personally salvaged from the ocean depths. I chuckled at the notion, making a mental note to attempt it someday, if only for the gram reels.
"Princess!" Enten burst into the room, her hair frazzled and eyes wide with panic. I whirled around, my own eyes widening as the interruption abruptly cut short my moment of levity.
"What's the matter?" A terrible drumming started in my head as I gulped. Enten wouldn't intrude like this if the situation wasn't dire. An enemy? ROB making its move?
"The humans! They found us!"
"Oh shi- wait, what?"
Enten stood in the doorway, awaiting my response while my mind blue screened. Humans? When had this happened?
"...Run that by me again."
"The enemy, Princess." She said it like that explained everything.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed before fixing her with a firm stare. "Explain why that is an emergency."
"Humans are enemies." The way she said it, it was like stating the sky was blue.
"I see...." Stepping back from my subordinate, the revelation ricocheted around my mind like a bullet in a steel box. This was bad, very bad. I paced the room, thoughts racing.
Enten's words were tentative confirmation that abyssals and humans considered each other hostile. If humans had come here, it meant nothing good for me. Was diplomacy even an option?
I had to try.
"How many?" The question left my lips, dread pooling in my gut as I awaited the answer.
"Four destroyers, two cruisers, and a battleship. They appear to be a scouting force, Princess."
I snapped into action. "Recall the two destroyers on patrol and get our scouts in the water. Gneisenau is in charge of base defense, so defer to her."
Enten nodded sharply. "Yes, Princess!"
As she hurried off to relay my orders, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. The drumming in my head intensified as I contemplated the potential confrontation looming on the horizon. I could only hope diplomacy was still on the table.
Enten snapped a sharp salute. "Yes, my Princess!"
Soon after, I stood on the southern beach of my island, Gneisenau at my side. My only two destroyers, nameless animal-like eldritch monstrosities, dutifully positioned themselves in front of us while Enten guarded my rear.
The fortress under construction towered behind us, a colossal black knife impaled into the earth by a giant's hand. Dark steel walls stretched twenty meters into the air, each one meter thick and capable of absorbing obscene amounts of firepower. Dark-gray artillery tubes poked out from holes in the walls, poised to rain death in the form of 16-inch shells. Thanks to my cold war era tech, their accuracy had improved to 27,000 meters from the prior 18,000. The ripple firing mechanism now allowed them to fire separately rather than all at once. Twenty such guns lined the southern walls of my fortress.
The approaching group of Kanmusu hovered just beyond visible range. As the moments ticked closer to our inevitable meeting, I tapped my foot on the ground, a staccato rhythm betraying my unease. Turning to my second in command, I barked an order. "Contact them! We need to know if they're hostile or not."
Gneisenau flashed me a thumbs up, then began speaking into her built-in radio - a concept I still grappled with as a former human.
"Hello? Please state your intentions for approaching this island," Gneisenau said into the radio.
A tense moment crawled by.
"Ja? Of course I am a Kanmusu." Gneisenau's brow furrowed as she listened to the response.
While Gneisenau conversed with the other Kanmusu, I turned to Enten, who fidgeted nervously at my side. Placing a comforting arm around her shoulder, I felt her startle. She gazed up at me, eyes wide as saucers.
"M-my Princess!" Enten's voice quavered, seemingly afraid she had made some mistake. She scrambled to apologize, but I silenced her with a gentle finger to her lips.
"Hey, hey. You need to have more faith in yourself. Never apologize for something you didn't do." I gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll weather this storm together. Stand tall and be proud."
Enten's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she nodded. "Thank you," she whispered, gripping my arm with delicate fingers.
As the Kanmusu crested the horizon, a chilling transformation overtook Enten. Her trembling ceased, replaced by an icy, lethal focus that almost made me do a double take. I know I told her to be confident, but this was too quick!
"Scheiße, how many times must I tell you I'm not a prisoner?! The abyssal princess is my friend!" Gneisenau shouted, before falling abruptly silent, her face slack with shock. "What do you mean I'm a TRAITOR?!"
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Grinding her teeth audibly, the sound reminiscent of two hydraulic presses in intimate embrace, Gneisenau shot me a look of irritation I knew wasn't meant for me. I stepped closer, offering my support.
"Rough time?" I asked, forcing a brittle smile.
Gneisenau groaned. "You don't know the half of it. These dummkopfs won't believe a friendly abyssal exists. They called me a traitor to humanity when I said we were friends."
The dark tone in her voice conveyed how she viewed traitors. I feared for my subordinates if she ever doubted their loyalty.
Anger swelled inside me. How was it fair to be judged for something beyond our control? Gneisenau couldn't betray what she never swore allegiance to. These Kanmusu were just assholes.
"What can we do?" I struggled to keep my voice level as frustration mounted and the situation unraveled. Why would they attack instead of talk? Were they programmed to hate us?
Gneisenau shrugged. "Fight."
I bit back a crass retort and stomped the sand. "Fine! I'll man the fortress and coordinate artillery. The rest is up to you."
She waved as I retreated. "Ja, wish me luck!"
Inside the fortress, which I really needed to name, I linked to the artillery guns. Over twenty came under my command. The sensation was like regaining feeling in your legs after sitting too long, magnified twentyfold.
I rotated and cycled the artillery, preparing for battle. They became extensions of my will as I partitioned my focus, using telescopic sights to track the distant enemy approach.
Radar confirmed the scouts' report - four destroyers, two cruisers, one battleship. Tiny dots bobbing two dozen miles offshore. Doubtlessly they assumed I was easy prey, being new to this world.
The fortress's guns, forged from the standard abyssal steel that seemed to make up my forces, blended seamlessly into the structure. The enemy likely wouldn't notice the artillery until they entered effective range, and by then, they would find themselves in a precarious situation.
However, the enemy Kanmusu were far from helpless. Their human size and agility granted them a significant advantage in mobility. They could evade my fortress's retaliatory volleys by performing evasive maneuvers, while my fortress remained an immobile target, vulnerable to their attacks.
Despite this, a stationary fortress held one major advantage over a mobile one: greater accuracy. The enemy had to contend with targeting me on choppy seas, while I had stable ground to center my guns. Only the tide of battle would reveal which side truly held the upper hand.
As I waited for the enemy's arrival, my anxiety simmered just beneath the surface. Forty minutes later, distant enemy fire began raining down upon the fortress. I returned fire, sending a barrage of 16-inch shells that exploded into plumes of water. Clenching my fists, I clicked my tongue in frustration. No direct hits.
The enemy forces, like seasoned veterans of war, evaded the incoming fire with fluid grace, slipping through my protective screen. My guns cycled at a limited rate, and the enemy capitalized on this weakness, closing in rapidly and returning fire with their own cannons.
The walls trembled as a thunderous fury assaulted the fortress, like a giant shaking a soda bottle. I stumbled and fell, cursing as I lost my balance. Meter-thick steel crumbled like tofu as a shell punctured sections of the walls. Amazement flickered across my face before I recalled the implications—these shells had the mass of 16-inch rounds compressed into the size of a .45 caliber.
Thicker walls were a necessity.
A deafening explosion filled the room. A shell overpenetrated the walls, nearly taking my head off. Wind whipped through my hair, the brush with death keenly felt as my heart leapt into my throat.
Gritting my teeth, I responded with a full salvo from all cannons, cycling the barrels recklessly. My defensive screen finally overwhelmed the enemy Kanmusu, forcing them to retreat.
I pushed the cannons beyond their limits. Barrels warped and overheated until one artillery piece exploded, ripping a gaping hole in the fortress wall and taking out another cannon nearby. The chain reaction of blasts obliterated the entire south-east section.
Yet this sacrifice bore fruit. Enten capitalized on an enemy destroyer's distraction as it frantically evaded my attacks. The battleship materialized behind the destroyer, blowing its head off at point-blank range.
Through my telescopic sights and link to my subordinates, I spectated the fighting as if personally present. The destroyer's final, haunting expression seared into my mind.
The radio crackled to life as a voice burst through an open channel. "YOU TRAITOR! I'll END YOU!"
Below, the fighting intensified as Gneisenau made her entrance. She ambushed a destroyer, landing a direct hit on its ammunition belt. The destroyer erupted in flames, its shattered pieces raining from the sky.
Gneisenau somersaulted, narrowly evading retaliatory fire from the cruiser. In a fluid motion, she dismissed the rigging around her feet and plunged into the ocean, a shot whizzing past where her torso had been a heartbeat before.
The cruiser's eyes widened. "What the hell?!"
Scanning the surrounding waves, she found only empty expanses of water.
Gneisenau's voice cut through the silence. "Surprise." She surfaced, a cold smirk on her face as she leveled a gray metal tube at the horrified cruiser.
Boom!
A rain of metal and faux flesh splattered across the battlefield.
Anguish tore from the battleship's throat. "Yankee!"
Soot streaked the battleship's dark hair, her American fatigues tattered and stained with leaking oil from her wounds. She directed a hateful glare towards my friend. I noted her two escort destroyers, locked in combat with our own forces, unable to come to her aid.
Gneisenau lifted her rifle, a victorious smirk playing on her lips as she interrupted the enemy's mourning. "This is how it ends. Give up and I'll make this quick."
"Kraut scum." The American battleship drew a revolver from her side holster and fired from the hip. At less than 45 meters, the shot found its mark before Gneisenau could react.
"Gneisenau!" I screamed into the comms, my voice cracking with desperation.
Metal and oil sprayed as the bullet tore through Gneisenau's left arm, rendering it limp. Her rifle plummeted into the churning waves below. Gneisenau collapsed to her knees, clutching the grievous wound.
Gneiss!
Icy tendrils of fear snaked through my heart as I watched my friend teeter on the brink of death. Instinct took over. I swung my artillery around and fired danger close, the thunderous report echoing across the battlefield.
I refused to let my friends die!
The enemy battleship lined up her next shot, finger tightening on the trigger, when an explosion erupted a mere nine meters away. The concussive blast threw her off balance, buying precious seconds.
Seizing the opening, Gneisenau snatched her sidearm and squeezed off a round. The bullet punched through the enemy's eye and exited the back of her skull in a gruesome spray of oil and shrapnel.
Deprived of leadership, the remaining destroyers fell quickly to the combined might of my artillery and Enten's ferocious assault.
I sagged against the wall, a shuddering exhale escaping my lips as relief crashed over me like a tidal wave. Exhaustion settled deep in my bones after an hour of intense combat. Our enemies lay dead, scattered across the unforgiving sea.
Victory was ours, the taste bittersweet on my tongue.
Day 26
In hindsight, we were fortunate to come out of yesterday's battle relatively unscathed. Gneisenau emerged from the healing sauna good as new after a few hours. The two destroyers sustained minor damage but remained operational. To my surprise, Enten escaped the fight without a scratch.
I sipped a cup of motor oil, a taste I had grown to enjoy, and turned to Gneisenau. "So why did they attack so recklessly?"
My blonde companion shrugged, leaning back in her chair as she nursed her own cup of oil. The beach stretched before us under clear blue skies, a perfect day to unwind. Yet the likelihood of the fallen Kanmusus' friends seeking vengeance loomed over us.
"Scheiße, I can only assume rage blinded them." Gneisenau's words echoed in my mind.
"Rage for what?" The thought nagged at me. What could drive people I'd never met to launch a suicidal assault on our fortified position?
She pointed out, "The battleship called me a traitor. It might have something to do with human-abyssal relations."
"Oh, fair point." I mulled over the implications, wondering about the wider world's political landscape. The Kanmusus' willingness to sacrifice themselves in a bid to take us out spoke volumes about the ugliness of the situation. Imagining what might have happened if they hadn't underestimated us, if they had waited for reinforcements instead, sent a chill down my spine.
Following our victory, I tasked my drones with scattering the Kanmusus' remains far from our shores, attaching a scavenged beacon to their belongings. With any luck, the currents would carry them away, making them someone else's problem.
I extended a hand to Gneisenau, and she met my gesture with a fist bump. Having a true friend by my side was a treasure beyond measure.
A mischievous glint appeared in her eye. "Want to hear a joke?"
I grinned. A good laugh was always welcome. "Try me."
As she launched into the joke, I leaned forward, listening intently. Her animated expressions and delivery soon had me chuckling. I countered with a witty joke of my own, and before long, we were trading quips and laughing together like old friends.
The sun traced its arc across the sky as the hours slipped by unnoticed, our laughter ringing out over the beach. Time lost all meaning, fading away as we reveled in each other's company.
"...and then the farmer said, 'That reminds me of the time I went missing!'" Gneisenau delivered the punchline with a sly wink.
Giggling, I flopped back in my chair and took a long sip of my drink, savoring the lighthearted moment. When I glanced over at Gneisenau, her eyes were twinkling with amusement and camaraderie. I couldn't help but notice how captivating they were, sparkling in the fading light.
Yes, despite the earlier battle and uncertain future, things were definitely looking up for us.