"Sir, I've managed to compile the report you requested," one of the officers slipped in through the door, carrying a large stack of folders in his hands.
"Put it down son," Admiral Jeffery rubbed his fingers against his temple. He wouldn't describe today as a disaster, but he was certainly going to have to deal with more paperwork than he would have cared for.
With Kathrine's awakening, Jeffery and the rest of the admiralty knew that it was only a matter of time before other Conneticuts were summoned. But he hadn't expected it to be this soon! He'd hoped that Kathrine's retrofit had already been completed and in the shakedown phase before any of her sisters showed up.
Instead, Vestal had only just scarcely submitted her design, and they hadn't begun to procure resources yet. With Kathrine, they had a few months for resources to build up until summer. They had to wait until summer anyway, given how this would be one of the most extensive refits ever to be performed. She already had to transfer schools, so they couldn't simply just pull Kathrine out of class for more than a week.
But Louisiana? She changed things. Considerably so, if they could acquire everything they needed for the retrofit before summer. An unlikely possibility, but worth keeping in mind.
However, there was a reason why Jeffery hoped that any other Coneticuts would only show up after Kathrine's retrofit had been completed. He'd heard about it, time and time again, especially with major retrofits like this. Doubly so for the experimental or new retrofits. It was that sort of drama Jeffery had hoped, no, prayed, to avoid. Given how the two had only just been recently reunited, having them fight over who would partake in the retrofit first was not something Jeffery wanted.
Both would want to keep the other safe, something he couldn't blame either of them for.
On that front, at the moment, all Jeffery could do was hope that cooler heads prevailed.
Reluctantly, he picked up the folder and began to read. The finds, well, they didn't exactly surprise him. Materials were needed to summon most shipgirls, at the end of the day, and no matter the strength of the bond between two sister ships, it wouldn't be enough for one to manifest without the cost being paid.
So it had simply been a matter of finding out how much was missing. Both so he could order more resources, but also to give a benchmark of how much a summoned Connecticut would need. For both his future reference and for other admirals as well.
But that still could overlook the several issues brought forth by the summon. The materials had been kept out of what had been thought to have been the range of consumption. At this point, Jeffery was beginning to suspect that the maximum distance might not even be quantifiable. Rather, it was something subjective, or at least, not reasonably measurable. Maybe even variable, from vessel to vessel.
It certainly wouldn't be what people wanted to hear, but it was the most likely explanation. Meaning there wasn't a fix to the issue of accidental summons, other than putting resources off base, which wouldn't practical in case of an emergency or other issue. They'd been dealing with accidental summons since the start of the war. They'd be a thing well until after the war, maybe even beyond.
Simply put, accidental summonings were common enough, and there was more than plenty of experience in dealing with them. While a solution would be nice, it wasn't like the issue was crippling the war effort, either. It wasn't an 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it situation', but by now, it was close enough.
Still, Jeffery had to wonder how well Kathrine's family was taking the surprise. He chuckled to himself. Jeffery had seen more than his fair share of families pick up new members out of the blue like this. Most responses were generally positive, though he'd heard of a few cases where things went bad. But if Lucas and his family were anything to go by, then the rest of Kathrine's relatives were likely good people as well. Louisiana would be in good hands.
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Lucas
-Congratulations to Aunt Jessica for your new daughter!
Natalie
-Congratulations!
-Wait, since when were you pregnant?
Jessica
-I haven't been pregnant for the last fifteen years!
-Lucas, what are you going on about?
Lucas
-[Image]
-This.
Jessica
-I see Kathrine, but who's that other girl she's hugging?
Lucas
-Louisiana.
-You know, the second in class of the Connecticut class Battleships?
-Kathrine's older sister?
Jessica
-...
-Honey, how long will it take you to get us an airplane ticket and book a hotel in San Deigo?
Jacob
-Dear, we just spent how much money again on our trip to Disney?
Jessica
-Didn't we get most of that money back due to 'extenuating circumstances?
-Alongside just about everything else?
Jacob
-We still used up vacation time.
-And I bought either of our workplaces are willing to give us more, even with the good reason of a spontaneously generating daughter.
Jessica
-:( [https://forums.spacebattles.com/styles/sbforums/smilies/frown.gif]
Jacob
-Plus, we can't just pull Joseph out of class.
Joseph
-I'd be completely okay with that.
Lucas
-Education is important, Cousin.
Nathen
-*redacted*
Lucas
-Really? Bob, get your kid under control.
Cassie
-Congrats!
-We got a new cousin!
-Should be enough to replace the useless step-sibling Kathrine is to flatten when you guys come visit us next!
Natalie
-I'll wash out his mouth with soap in a minute.
-Can someone get what he said removed before Kathrine finds it?
Lucas
-Already done.
-Kathrine's likely busy with Lousinia right now, so she probably won't be able to notice.
Nathen
-*redacted*
Natalie
-Consider yourself grounded buster!
Joseph
-WTH?
-What is wrong with you?
-Check his internet history!
-That's some 4-chan level crap he's spewing.
Natalie
-4-chan?
Cassie
-Darkweb internet site.
-Goes into borderline criminal stuff.
-No moderation means you can get away with doing and saying anything.
Lucas
-^
-Tends to attract the worst people as a result.
Jacob
-I'm a bit curious though.
-Do shipgirl genetics work like regular people?
Joseph
-Looks at a picture of Portland.
-Looks at a picture of Indianapolis.
-Do you really need me to answer that question?
Cassie
-Looks at a picture of Yamoto.
-Looks at a picture of Mushashi.
-Do you really need me to answer that question?
Joseph
-Jinx, you owe me a soda!
Cassie
-Jinx,
-Darn it.
Jacob
-Point proven.
Natalie
-Back.
-Say, doesn't Lousinia's dress remind of those old dresses mom used to wear?
Jessica
-Honestly?
-I can see a resemblance, but it looks older than that.
-I could be wrong though.
Cassie
-Oh, no, it's a few decades older than Grandma is.
-Kathrine's dress looks like a 1920's flapper dress with some navy uniform elements mixed in.
-That alone is older than anything Grandma likely would have worn, given how she was born around the '40s.
-Louisiana's dress is played a lot more straightforward in terms of design compared to Kathrine's.
-My guess on its time frame would be during the 1900s.
-Late 1910's at most.
Lucas
-Okay, miss future fashion designer, calm yourself.
-No need to get burn marks on your keypad for typing so fast.
Jessica
-What are we going to do about her birthday, though?
-Is it one year from today, or is there something else?
Lucas
-Most shipgirls celebrate their launch days.
-It's the equivalent to a birthday party in all the ways that matter, though.
-Louisiana's is August 27th, in case anyone was wondering.
Jessica
-That's good.
-It's not too far from Kathrine's birthday, and it gives us some time to find gifts.
-I'll text Kathrine, see if she has any ideas what Louisiana might want.
Lucas
-Don't get your hopes too high just yet.
-Louisiana was just summoned.
-Odds of Kathrine knowing anything are pretty small.
Jacob
-On a different note, how exactly are your kids handling not just having one, but two house guests?
Lucas
-Louisiana needs a bit of time before she's cleared for off-base activities.
-Remember when Kathrine had to learn how to control her weight?
-Imagine that expect with a person who's always displaced more than sixteen thousand tons.
-But once Lousinia is cleared, they'll probably enjoy it.
Jessica
-Do you need us to send you any food?
-Or even money to buy food?
-You already have two growing kids at your house.
-I'd hate to see what two battleships do to one's food budget.
Lucas
-Don't worry.
-The navy is more than willing to provide for stuff like this.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
-I don't know if Louisiana will be going with Kathrine to school though.
-Kathrine at least packs her own lunches, which relieves a lot of pressure on the school.
-Louisiana might just be a bit too much, even with the navy help covering the cost of the other awakened shipgirl there.
Natalie
-What exactly are they going to do with Louisiana's education, anyway?
-Or just shipgirl education in general?
-You don't hear much about things like that on the news.
Lucas
-Oh, that's its own complicated mess I can't fully go into.
-Not really my department, honestly, so I don't know much.
-Kathrine will probably do a decent job of catching her up to current events.
-Though missing about 90 or so years is going to be startling to just about anyone, not to mention a bit strange.
Joseph
-I can only imagine what it would be like for a lot older ships.
-Those around before electricity was invented would be in a for a real, shock.
Cassie
-I will hurt you for that pun I swear to god!
-That was terrible and you should feel ashamed of yourself for even thinking that up!
Jacob
-Come on, it wasn't that bad.
-I got a chuckle out of it.
Cassie
-Uncle Jacob, I love you, but more than half your humor consists of dad jokes.
-Your sense of humor has already been compromised.
Jessica
-Ouch.
Jacob
-Are you really going to only say ouch?
-Come to my defense here!
Joseph
-It's not like she's wrong.
-You're where I got my sense of humor from, after all.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Is there something wrong, ma soeur? Your pocket seems to be, vibrating," Louisiana cocked her head to the side. An expression of curiosity on her face almost looked refined, noble, even.
"It's fine," I quickly grasped into my pocket, setting the device to silent. Though I wasn't sure why my phone was bouncing around every second, I had more pressing matters to contend with. Placing it face up on the bedside table, leaving it there so if someone needed to get in touch with me, I'd be able to see it.
"That is an interesting device, ma soeur," Louisiana hummed, legs swinging back and forth off the side of her bed, springs creaking as she moved. "What does it do?"
"It's a cell phone," I paused for a moment. A cell phone was a cell phone. They'd been a thing pretty much since I was born. Even mobile phones had started to take off pretty early into my childhood. How exactly do I explain something like that to a person who's never seen or heard of such a device? It's like, a. A.
"It's kind of like a phone that functions like a radio, that also doubles as a personal telegraph," did I need to explain more? In terms I think she would understand, that was about as close as I could get. "We can get you one when you've been cleared for off-base activities."
"Thank you, ma soeur," Louisiana clapped her hands together, a soft grin growing across her face. Not exactly too wide, nor showing any teeth. I'd almost describe the look on her face as prime and proper. The very definition of what was likely considered lady-like for the time. "It's such a curious device. All this advancement and it hasn't been a century yet?"
I almost wanted to show her what modern warships looked like. They certainly didn't look armed, at least compared to our day. How would she react to carriers being the rulers of the sea, when back then planes had only just begun to take to the sky. That even the dreadnaughts had been removed from their thrones as the ocean's top dog.
There was almost an irony in that.
"I'll be sure to return the favor, petite soeur," again, her grin was present but kept her teeth concealed. I shot Louisiana a confused glance. Return the favor? What exactly did she mean by that?
Louisiana chuckled as if sensing my confusion. "I'm talking about your clothes, ma soeur. They're so, unelegant. It simply cannot do."
"They're practical," I retorted, though I couldn't stop a slight twitch of my lips. Despite being yet another person who wanted to shove me into a dress, it was good to talk like this.
"The pockets?" Louisiana raised her hand, covering her chuckling face. "They are unnecessary, ma soeur. We are ships, are we not? We can simply carry what we need in our hulls."
I didn't exactly have a counterargument for that. Hadn't even thought about anything like that in the first place, either. Louisiana's logic made sense. And explained why I hadn't seen any shipgirls carrying purses around.
"Still, they're comfortable and easy to wear," I shrugged. That was the primary draw of them, in my mind. Plus, you didn't have to deal with people trying to pull stupid stuff like trying to peak up one's skirt. Sure, there was the trick of wearing pants underneath, but that just defeated the purpose in my eyes.
Louisiana let out another chuckle, hand lowering just enough to catch a glimpse of her now much wider grin. "It's amazing how quickly you adapted to this strange new world, petite soeur. You're making me feel so old."
There were sparks of amazement in her warm brown eyes, yes, but part of her statement made me pause. Adapted? Wait. Did she think? I was summoned?
Oh. Right. I knew Lucas managed to snag a picture of the two of us. But I don't think introduced them to one another. That may have saved me an awkward conversation. How could I have forgotten something so simple? I must have been so excited that I completely forgot to tell him!
"Well, I've been here for quite a while, so," my legs moved back and forth awkwardly as I gazed down at them, a slight flush of embarrassment in my checks.
"Really? I heard a few hushed whispers that you recently woke up, so it can't be that long," Louisiana had gone back to what I could only assume was her trademark slight grin. "Right?"
"They aren't, entirely wrong about that, just not in the way you think," Louisiana's eyebrow raised just a tick as if signaling me to continue. Dammit, why did talking about this feel so awkward?
"I woke up recently because I was born as a human," the whole twice part would be carried to the grave with me. There was a pregnant pause, a silence in the air, almost like a blanket.
"I see, petite soeur," Louisiana finally spoke. "It seems peculiar, yet, sensical. If my form is presently that of a human, it would be reasonable that ships could be reborn as humans."
"Saying it aloud, though," Louisiana chuckled again, still remaining to sound almost polite. "It almost seems quite ridiculous, don't you think?"
I let out a snicker, making no move to cover my mouth. She wasn't exactly wrong. Saying it out loud did seem to make appear more strange than it was.
"Sis, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that reality has never been under any obligations to make logical sense," I released a snort of laughter, mostly at my dumb statement. It was so dumb, yet so true. Louisiana caught on, though her laughter scarcely reached the pitch of more than a snicker.
"Well said, ma souer!" she grinned, partially covering her mouth once again.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It came to me at some point, as we talked away the wee hours of the night.
I was so getting her a fan for her launch day celebrations.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It was sad, watching her souer go. It was a necessity, she understood. Education was important for one to become prim and proper. But that didn't stop the pain in her heart as Kansas stepped onto the bus and was taken away. Kansas would return, her souer promised that much, and that she would introduce Louisiana to her cousin upon her arrival.
Cousin. Such a strange word. She knew what it meant, of course. What type of lady would Louisiana be, if she did not know the meaning of things? A poor one, most certainly.
But it was one of foreign context. Kansas was her sister. And her sister had once been human. Louisiana had her souer's, but besides their comrades in arms?
Family beyond that was almost, foreign, raising questions that Louisiana, though she would never admit it, wasn't sure how to ask. Was her souer's family, her family?
Louisiana tilted her head, enough to loosen the grip of these thoughts upon her mind. She had other things to worry about. Her souer, her sweet little souer, had told Louisiana how exactly she had been woken up. Kansas, her sweet little Kansas, was very much content to let bygones be bygones. Tuning the other check.
A ladylike behavior to be sure, but out of her souer, it was almost surprising. Louisiana felt the edges of her mouth twitch, despite herself. Kansas may have been willing to let the sleeping dogs lay.
But her? Louisiana would sooner drop her dignified looks and simply throttle the unwashed barbarian for hurting her souer. But the man had likely been stripped of his status, nor could her arms reach the other ocean. Such a pity.
Even if that hadn't been the case, Louisiana knew it wouldn't have changed what was coming. There was her scrapping, alongside the scrapping of the rest of her souer's, that needed to be addressed.
After all, a lady couldn't be expected to stand around and look pretty all day. That would be boring, and Louisiana would sooner make her own fun.