===
"So, what happened?" Tenryuu's voice comes from my lap, as she lies back on my outstretched legs. Both of us are lazing on a somewhat aged couch in the dimly lit lounge.
I... I was someplace empty. Kinda like one big piece of dark glass for a floor, and nothing else."
"Then after a while I got into... Well, I can't call it a fight."
"Oh?"
"I saw a blur and then got hit hard enough to send me flying. Got up, then... Then I saw it."
Tenryuu winces. "Saw what?"
"A person's silhouette, defined more by where it *wasn't* than where it was. Like if someone had punched a hole in the world."
When I don't hear a response, I continue. "It threw me across the ground and then... I-I I don't know. I couldn't look away. It stared into my eyes and..."
"It feels like it took something."
Tenryuu makes a worried noise. "That... I mean you sure you're not a real active dreamer, what with this bein your first time, uh, sleepin and all?"
"Maybe. I guess it's something I should keep a track on and only worry about if it keeps happening, but... Felt a little too realistic for my liking." I shrug.
"Hmm. I really hope so. Guess you should ask Akashi 'bout the weird spiritual shit if ya think it's anythin more, cause if is then..."
"Yeah, I'll try and find her later then."
'It... Probably was just a nightmare.'
We sit in silence for a bit before she shifts around a little. "Hey. Mind if I uh, talk about some shit on my mind too?"
I look down, finding a somber face staring up. "Go ahead. You did it for me, I do it for you, right?"
The cruiser gives me a thankful smile, before her eyes unfocus a little. "I used to have a lil group of destroyers followin me round everywhere."
Her eye gets a little misty, and a tear slowly forms at the corner. "I loved em like a sister, they loved me like one too. It felt good to lead em round, and I thought that'd be how it was until the day I sank. Then Red Wednesday happened, and suddenly the war turned 'round on us."
"...and your detachment didn't get off scot free?" Tenryuu shakes her head.
"About a week after Red Wednesday, Yokosuka ran a patrol in force. We-we stumbled into an Abyssal battle line, barely broke off."
"...how bad was it?"
"A fucking shitshow! They waited for us to get in good range, then popped from subsurface and hit us with a dozen capital ships. Destroyers backed em up, went through us like paper. I... I saw-I saw...!."
The cruiser chokes back a sob.
'...Okay, this is a good time for this. I think.' I gently pull her up into a hug, as she settles into my lap and onto my shoulder.
"I-I still remember, remember the feeling of a torpedo hitting and almost taking my stern off, felt..."
"I felt like I was gonna die, and I kinda wanted to. I-I..."
Gently, I try to find her words. It takes a few painful seconds of listening to her cry quietly. "...Couldn't stand the idea of living without them?"
She nods, and shuffles around until she faces me and can give me a proper hug.
"I-I try to do the same thing, every base I get to. Some of the destroyers got reassigned to other bases and told stories about me, so most of em know. But it's just not the same...!"
She squeezes on for dear life, raggedly sobbing as now the dam breaks.
I feel my shoulder slowly moisten, and... 'Well shit Rampart, now what?'
Gentle whispers filter into my head, of a hundred different comforts in mourning.
'...huh. Crew's actually got some decent suggestions.'
Taking some of the veterans' I say nothing, and gently pat her on the back.
It takes some time, as Tenryuu cries and sniffles, shaking in my arms.
I wait for her to start tapering off, before gently bringing her to look at me. "...you feel better?"
"Y-yeah, thanks... F-fuck... Ahaha... Ca-can you get me to the cruiser racks?"
'..no, crew, we did not have a date, that's absolutely fucked, i- okay maybe but still. Psychologist-patient relations are banned aren't they?'
"Sure. Here, take my shoulder." She wraps one arm around my shoulder and slowly I help her out. Eventually she stops me in front of a door marked 'Room 425 Cruiser Barracks B'
"Thanks, man. I-I can handle it from here." Tenryuu gently perks up and pads through the entrance. Some quiet music drifts out.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"Goodnight, sir." I give her a nod, tamping down the urge to snap a salute, and walk to... 'Fuck, where do I go? '
'Admin building, admin building...' I flag down a passing janitor and commit the instructions to memory.
'Take a left here, a right here, find Room 482 and then...' It takes about an hour before I manage to come across the administrative building which is thankfully still open.
Quickly checking in with the secretary, who seems either bored out of his skull or dead tired, possibly both, I get told to report to the DDG barracks, 344.
It takes me about an hour to find the stupid thing, at which point it's 12:00 and I'm about to fall over in the ground right there and take a nap.
The door quietly creaks open, and I find... Nobody. It's empty.
Oh well.
Room furthest from the door, settle in, and... Try to sleep.
...for some reason I've got a tingle playing up and down my spine.
It says I should be on watch right now, that I should be sitting at Xerxes and waiting to get my ass kicked by OpFor.
"Ngh. Just lemme stand down and sleep...!"
The feeling refuses to go away.
Shuffling into a sitting position, I turn on some running lights and fish for Shipborne Operations Manual 3.2.
It's good to keep on task, but it's also good for falling asleep. Sometimes you even remember some of it later!
I vaguely remember page 172, before the rest is a jumbled mess.
===
A quiet chimebrings me gently upwards. "Mmh... What time izzit?"
'Alright, 6:42? i... I can work with that.' I get up, feeling the gentle chatter of sailors getting about to their posts and everything starting up.
Bringing out a disposable cup of coff- slice!
"GENERAL QUARTers wait. Hey!"
'Oh, that's Tenryuu. Wait why is she here?' The cruiser flicks her actual literal fucking katana to get the coffee off and sheathes it.
"No coffee."
"Excuse me what."
"Destroyers can't have coffee. Too hyper, they do weird shit."
"But-"
"No buts. Sorry, it's just how it is. Remember the hallway?" Tenryuu turns, pausing as she goes out the door.
"Oh, one more thing, I gotta confiscate your coffee. And coffee machine."
A well trained navy line walks out of my mouth. "I assure you sir, I have nothing of the sort."
"..." The cruiser turns back, walks over to me, siffs a finger over my cheek, then licks it.
I flinch back, giving her a look. "What the-"
"This ain't instant coffee."
Oh it's on. "I'm from the future."
"Still bullshit."
"I could hand you some coffee right now and make it outta instant."
"We both know it wouldn't be the same. Quit your lyin and just gimmie the damn thing."
I arch an eyebrow and with some monumental force of will, lock my face in place. "I'll destroy the coffee machine before I let you have it. Also I'll promise to not use it without permission and supply you with a cup every day."
She sharply inhales.
"You are a dirty, dirty woman, Rampart. Alright, fine. Just gimmie some instant and I'll hand it in."
"We have a deal. Here." I shuffle around my pockets and produce a generic name brand coffee powder crate.
She takes it, then holds out another hand. A moment passes before my still waking brain catches up and hands her a foamed cup.
She grins.
"Fit for the gods." The cruiser gives me a grin and walks out happily.
Once again, I'm left in a room by myself, wondering what just happened as my brain catches up. 'That was.... Something.'
===
Cleaning myself and the bed up, mostly just sheets disposal among other things, and one exceptionally awkward conversation with the old German battleship at the laundry, I-
'Fuck did I accidentally distract Tenryuu from telling me important instructions?!'
WHERE DO I GO?!
Quickly asking around, I find out that I'm apparently supposed to report to the harbour.
Or the launch bay. Or possibly the repair bay??
'Maybe I should've just handcuffed myself to Tenryuu and gone along with her...'
The harbour is a dead no, I think. Lots of boats there and shipping, they wouldn't clean it out just for me. Probably.
Maybe whatever the launch bay is, though that sounds like a missile launcher battery than anything.
Repair bay... Probably comes second?
"..only one way to find out."