October 7, 1942
Wednesday
2:00 PM
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U-505 slowly regains her consciousness as the constant beeping sound of a humming machine and the dazzling white lights hangs over her. The lighting fixed at the ceiling is she all to know, but the constant beeping and humming of machines besides her were all to unfamiliar and foreign.
She opened her eyes forcefully and she was quickly blinded by the celling light, she groans as she rubs her eyes form the sudden flash.
"Oh, you're a wake." A word nearby sounded.
U-505 recomposed her senses and quickly turns her attention at the one that spoke nearby her Hospital Bed. There she saw a Manjuu stood there with OT Dress and Clipboard in hand.
"Who are you? And why are you???" She asks confusingly as this is the first time she heard a Manjuu that talks.
"Yeah, I know... I know, seeing a talking Manjuu for the first time, right?" The Manjuu said scratching the back of his head.
U-505 nodded her head along, as she and the Manjuu were just confused as her.
"W-where am I, and what are these." She asks her whereabouts and the wires attached to her wrist and near her chest.
"Don't worry about those devices they were means for monitoring your health and heartbeat, it won't hurt you." He said in a reassuring tone like any normal Doctor to its Patients.
"About your whereabouts, you're inside of an infirmary at one of the US Navy Vessels."
U-505 looked around and saw various beeping equipment that were alien to her sight, the Heart Rate Monitoring Device, and others that beeps and flick some lights. At the corner of the infirmary room, she can see Manjuus equipped with devices she barely knew, but she can see Rifle slung into it.
She was being watched, the Manjuus was there as security for her not to take her chances of escaping in the room, and the rifle and equipment strapped into it means business. She gulped in understanding her situation.
"Am I a Prisoner?" She asks about her fate of being inside at one of the enemy Vessel.
"It depends... but for now you are my patient, so I wouldn't worry about it." The Medic Manjuu said with a shrug.
U-505 raised a hand asks to another question, but before she could open her mouth Doc spoke.
"No. There are no torture or anything else for you, I will add that to their Hospital bills if you get injured."
U-505 lowers her hand and guard, as she now knew there are no torture that is waiting for her.
"How did I get here?" She asks in a sad voice, as she only remember the approaching projectile hitting her Submarine Rigging.
"The second Seahawk rescued you, if you're asking who were they. They were the ones that open fire at you as a response to the distress call of one of the Seahawk you shoot down."
U-505 remembers as she shoot-down one of the hovering Aircraft with her AA-Gun fire before getting hit by another one.
"I-see... that's what happens." She said meekly head hanging low.
"Well, with the bad news stacking-up under your belt, you're still lucky, you ain't got obliterated by a single Hellfire. Some of those who face it got an immediate appointment with God. So... considered yourself as lucky then." The Doc said nonchalantly.
...
At the Frigate's Mid Deck
Lafeyette contemplated about the actions he took in order to capture one U-Boat. was the force was too much? Was he carless at exerting too much force at apprehending her?
He can't think of anything that ended up in conclusion that he may over used force on that U-Boat.
"Sir Lafeyette." Saint louis voice sounded as if faint of hope in his darkening senses, he turns to face her.
"Sire Lafayette what have you done there was merely following the orders that was given to you, please don't blame yourself... it was a success."
He nodded. "Yes, it was a success, at what cost." He said lamenting.
"Everyone was forced to do something drastic in certain times as the mission demanded. She's alive, the dame was minimal, only a hole on her hull can be seen as the only damage. There are no further rapturing of sensitive parts inside the U-Boat."
"But she's just a girl." He reasoned.
"So is everyone else here, your action saved them out of harm if you continued your hesitations."
Lafayette once again lowered his head, eyes fixated on the metal deck of his Ship. He can't still fathom his actions, then his pocket vibrates followed by a ringtone. He quickly grabbed the phone on his left short's pocket and placed it near his ear.
"Hello?" He said.
"Sir, the Patient seems to be gaining conscious. I think she's ready to take a chat, Sir." The voice behind the phone said.
"Copy that, I'm on my way there." He said.
...
Infirmary
U-505 glances all at the corners of the room as she eyed the various foreign equipment that placed inside the room. She asks about the use of such devices, to her relief the devices were all used for medical care and some devices, she thought used for tortures or sucking information to someone's head (According to her imagination).
The one that really caught her attention the most is the device that monitors her heartbeat in every single beat. She saw the line of graph rising and falling imitating the beating of her heart.
"Over here, Sir." Doc's voice boomed as to guide someone inside the Infirmary.
Her attention shifted at the location of Doc as he looks like guiding a Higher Rank into the room. She gathers her courage and put-up a tough face as she prepares herself in facing the Naval Officer coming-in to greet her. But she all knew that he or she was there to interrogate her with questions.
As she gathers her courage and put-up a tough face like any captured prisoner that showing defiance and bravery were all dropped in the floor as soon as she took a glance at the person she's expecting she meeting with.
She expected it to be a Naval Officer with high stature and scary demeanor, instead she saw a kid closer to her age and an Iris Libre Shipgirl.
"What.... the...." She uttered in surprise.
"You can leave us now." Lafayette said to Doc, as Doc gives a salute and leaves the two to have a private chat.
Saint Louis stayed inside in guard, she didn't leave as for the safety of Lafayette, nobody knew if the captured Shipgirl might attack him in spite.
Lafayette put-up a friendly face as he faces the confused U-505 who's expecting him to be a man of stature with scary demeanor attached at his rank.
"Good afternoon," He greets her with an extended hand. "My name is Lafayette... I am the Kansen of this Ship that you're currently in." He said in a friendly tone.
U-505 was left speechless and at her daze in confusion. She blinks for a moment as to asses to what just transpired.
"A-A... Ship-boy???" She said utterly confused.
Lafayette noticed her confusion, responded. "Yeah, I quite get that a lot. These world seems new to the concept of Ship-Boy."
U-505 nodded as she heard some debate about the Ship-Boy that beat U-556 and how he manages to spooked one Wolf-pack with a terrifying weapon.
"Are you the one that beat U-556?" She asks.
Lafayette recalls back his memories, if her remembers the name and some encounters. "I do remember the name... but...."
He paused as he now grasps who's she's referring to. "Are you talking about the U-Boat that sunk in an attempt ambush of the Strike Group at the Gulf of Mexico?"
"Yes." U-505 replies in a stern voice.
Lafayette notices her change of tone, and respond in kind. "I just did my duty of protecting the Strike Group before the 'Pack' can get near and endangered the Strike Group. I am obliged to intercept any underwater threat that might endanger the Group."
"How can you say that! she had friends back home!"
"It's my duty. I can't just endanger everyone in mercy of one aggressor."
U-505 Calm herself down after fuming her anger out. "So.... what are you going to do with me next? You'll never ever going to squeeze any information coming out from me."
She said as she grips the blanket and covers herself, as she shivers in the bed sheets, wild imagination of tortured played inside her head.
"I not going to do that." He said as he holds his put-up stoic face, but inside he's cracking like hell. He's not like the others who can switch persona in an instance unlike him, a rookie on that field.
"W-We already have what we want." He stated flatly, as he manages to hold-off his stoic façade.
"What???" U-505 is confused at his statement.
"There are no need for you to be squeezed for information, because we got what we wanted."
U-505 was utterly confused at him, but all the confusion washed away as she sees Saint Louis brought-out a Book. The Book she's looking at is not just an ordinary Book, but the Enigma Code Book she uses and is recently been issued.
Saint Louis began. "What you see is the that Book containing the new Enigma Codes. This is not an illusion but the reality." She said firmly.
"Nein.... Nein, nein!!!!!!!!"
She screamed in utter disbelief she held her head as it aches from the sudden revelation she witnesses. She now knew what is the reason why she was hunted, she was hunted because they were after the Enigma Code Book.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha. Nein! My U-Boat sunk along with its content.... Your lying, your lying.... That must be a fake to only broke my spirit." U-505 said as she finds herself an excuse, about the world around her falling apart.
Lafayette sighs as there are no way he can convince her about her U-Boat not going down the waves. "Right."
He stood-up from the chair grab the remote of the LCD Screen placed inside the Infirmary. He pushes a button for the LCD to power-on.
"As you can see... were currently towing it."
He said as the LCD Screen shows her U-Boat being towed by 3 Fletcher Class Destroyer at the waves. She couldn't deny the authenticity of the Submarine as the color and the noticeable Insignia at the conning tower. The only thing is deferent is the waving Stars and Stripes with its flying colors waving at the flag pole where the Iron Blood Flag is once placed.
U-505 loses her shit, as she saw her U-Boat being towed and it is all fixed, she all knew too well that her U-Boat goes down the waves after receiving a direct hit at the rear.
"Nein... Nein... Nein.... It can't be.... It can't be...." She whaled as the image that was shown at the LCD Screen.
"The video you were looking at is real.... We're towing your U-Boat at Eagle Union Mainland." He said like a nail to her coffin.
U-505 broke into tears as she can now see the downfall of Iron Blood as the small information she carries could be used against her friends and the people she knew. She uttered the word in repeat as to cope that this is all just a bad dream.
Lafayette cuts the fed of the video as things didn't go as planned for him. He wanted to show to her that escape and denial were impossible as he showed her the evidence and video, and what he got was a crying Girl.
"Sorry... I didn't mean to be mean to you." He uttered.
~Hallway~
"I think we gone too far with her, I didn't like seeing he crying like that." Lafayette said, letting out what he true feels about the U-Boat Kansen.
"I seem we did, but that doesn't mean you have to be pity with your enemy... it was a show a weakness and could be exploited." Saint Louis said.
"Well, that's a failed PR Stunt for you two." a voice boomed below, both glances down and saw Doc looking up at him with some intersected eye brows of disappointment.
"That's a Child, it is all hard for her to grasp all of that information for a young age, that she was captured." Doc said opposing the way of he treated his Patient.
Saint Louis reasoned. "I know.... We thought doing that might give her some idea of not resisting.... But- "
"I made it worse." Lafayette added dejectedly in his tone of voice.
"Your method might work on a hard-on Radicals, but not on a little girl like her. It be better to let me handle this situation, Sir."
Lafayette nodded at the Doc proposition.
"She may be a captured prisoner, but she's still my patient. If you excuse me, I still need to tend to her side."
Doc the left the two and headed back inside the Infirmary to tend at the recuperating U-505.
After watching Doc left, he walks through at the crammed corridors of his Ship. He headed outside of the Ship to breath some fresh air and for the cold air breeze to cool-off his throbbing head and aching heart.
Saint Louis return to her station at keeping an eye of everything at the Ship's CIC, she gave the little-man a space to breath with all the trouble swelling inside his head and heart.
...
Outside, amid of his ship, there at the starboard side of his Ship is Laffey-459 leaning at the railing as a bottle of Cola dangles at her right hand, waiting for him to come out of the cramped corridor of his Ship.
To his surprise she's gazing at him in her typical looks she always do. That eased him a bit, as he knows what she's going to say, it may be harsh, but it was direct enough to not let him off the line of thoughts.
"You made another Girl cry, didn't you?" She said like it was all normal of her criticizing him.
Lafayette let out a sigh as he knows she can read him like an open book, even though she had a face of drowsiness and nonchalant. "Yes."
"Figures."
Lafayette walks forward as to accompanied her. "Do you think what I did there is bad?" He asks in a sad undertone as he remembers Doc words.
"I don't know what you did there.... But still... you did your best." She said before chugging the Cola she held.
"Why is it easy for everyone, but not for me." He said while looking down at the waves splashing at the side of his Ship's Hull.
"Cause everyone didn't overthink that much, you overthink everything, even our own safety."
Lafayette looked at her, surprise that she knew words like that, and him overthinking everything as if it was a bigger world.
"I too don't want to fight them.... But in order to save my friends... I have to fight."
Lafayette again hang his head low. "I wish I could think as you... never think of everything." He said in a desperate defeated sigh.
...
Iron Blood Headquarters, Berlin
Bismarck relief herself from the mountain of paperwork's she's in back in her Office, sometime she even felt like her own Office feels like a cage trapping her in like a bird.
This refreshing time she manages is quite refreshing to say the least from her experiences. She stretches her body straight as she hums in a melodic tone. The solace in the air and silence felt like a vacation from the place she known as Office.
"Ah... nothing beats a calm day in the Monday afternoon." She said as she walks at the Garden walkways right next at the HQ.
The Garden is placed there as to provide some relaxation space for the tired HQ Staff who's stuck with all the paperwork's. The mixture of different Flowers covers the Garden as to provide the place with ambiance of refreshment to the tired Staff.
Bismarck crouch down at the level of the flowers in the Garden as she picks one and sniffs it. The fragrance is so refreshing and relaxing as she feels like she's in vacation.
But Bismarck's knew that reality is cruel and unforgiving, and her peaceful afternoon is about to get ruined as the moment she heard a familiar voice of a Flat-Board calling out her name from the distance.
Her sweet smiley face turns into a serious one as Hipper's exhausted and frantic voiced come near like harbinger of misfortune.
"Herr Bismarck, Herr Bismarck! We have a situation!"
Bismarck now knew her moment of silence and peace just got crushed by her mountains of duty. "Report." She said switching to her authoritative voice in a quick pace.
Hipper halted, stood in attention and give a report. "We received an urgent transmission from U-505." She said in frantic.
Bismarck furrowed her brows as the frantic tone of her voice ain't that new like it was a daily occurrence or normal to her as she gets used to it through-out the past month at her Office.
"According to her report, she's currently engaging a group of Submarine Hunters dispatched by Azur Lane, after that..."
"What happened next?" Bismarck asks as the tone of Hipper's voice seems urgent as she stutters a few words.
Hipper is hesitant for a bit to spill the truth in front of her, she knows she can't hide her the truth for long, because it will emerge sooner or later.
"Herr Bismarck... that's the last transmission we received from her, after that.... nothing. No more transmission coming back from her. we lost her Herr Bismarck."
Bismarck's expression darkens as one of the U-Boat she sent goes down the Abyss.
"Gather everyone for briefing, I need to know what goes down there, now!"
"Ja-Jawohl." Hipper gives a quick salute and sprinted back at the HQ to inform the rest for the urgent briefing.
As Hipper hits her speed, Bismarck is left in the Garden pondering as to what goes down there. She knows where she ordered U-505, she orders her to patrol the sea-routs that was used for their covert operation down at the Southern Atlantic.
'The timing of her sinking couldn't be just a coincidence like they were there waiting. Nein. Our sea rout was all that secret below that top-secret mark. How? How did they find-out one of our sea routs?'
She looks up in the azure sky as she knows the only one can know those sea routs existence. "Enterprise."
She uttered the name of CVN-80 Enterprise as she's the only one she could think off in the recent Azur Lane success.
"What are your scheme, and what do you want to achieve...?"
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Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia, Eagle Union
October 11, 1942
Sunday
9:00 AM
Lafayette ASW Group slowly and enters the Naval Base as Tugs helps the Ships maneuver through the Pier where all other Warships docked and moored. The towed U-Boat has been placed at one of the small Dry-Dock where it can fit without disrupting the other Warship docked for repair.
Lafayette at the deck of his Frigate watches the choreographic Tugs maneuvers his Ship at the Pier along with the others in his Group.
At the Pier Military Police and various Naval Officers along with Laffey-200 gathers and waited for Lafayette and the others to walk down at their Ships.
No. The Naval Officers and Military Police are not there to give Lafayette and Friends a warm welcome, but instead to escort the capture Shipgirl of Iron Blood.
Laffay-200 is the one there waiting for their return in a warm welcome, but something peculiar hiding behind her that had the same bunny ears like hers. Her identity will be a surprise for the others to see.
Lafayette walks down the gangway first behind him is U-505 hand cuffed and escorted by Security Manjuus with their M4A1s. Behind them is Laffey-459 acting as Rear Security if the Manjuus failed to apprehend her.
U-505 hangs her head low as she walks down the gangway, she accepted her fate as one of Prisoner of Eagle Union waited to be extorted with information regarding Iron Blood.
She raised her head as she reached the solid concrete pier, she saw Military Police and Naval Officers greeted them.
"Congratulations on your successful mission Sir Lafayette and your Team. Were really grateful that we placed our trust into you." Adm. Ernest King said with a salute that was followed by a handshake.
Lafayette return the salute sloppily and accepted the handshake. "It's an honor Admiral." He said like his not at it.
"Hah, it was all piece of cake." Hammann said in her typical smug attitude.
"It is all a Team effort." Unicorn said in her typical shyness.
"Yes... a Team effort." Lafayette said in an undertone of shame, as his head hangs low.
Everyone in his Group notices his odd behavior since they successfully captured U-505, they didn't know what happened to him and her. but they know his ashamed at his actions.
Adm. King didn't pay mind at Lafayette odd behavior as his attention is focused on U-505, the captured Iron Blood Shipgirl.
Military Police goes into action as they escorted U-505 at the Prisoner Transporter Vehicle or the Prisoner Bus. U-505 didn't utter any word as she was silent from being a Prisoner.
"Sir Lafayette, you and your friends are invited at the White House for photo ops with the President." Adm. King said as he gave him the papers containing the invitation letter from White House.
Lafayette took the paper and looked at him. "Why? what do we need for a photo op?" He asked confusingly.
"A PR stunt for the Public and various News Companies, the Government wanted to 'inform' the people that were taking Iron Blood seriously in this war. Besides, you got yourself your own fan club back in the Union."
"So that was it, huh? Just a PR stunt?" Lafayette said in dismay.
"Yes. The Public is hungry for more publicity and scoop about the operation and missions that the Modern Kansens are currently conducting. Many are demanding answer about the current war between Azur Lane and Crimson Axis." Adm. King said.
Lafayette already knew that, but there is something the Eagle Union Government is hiding at the ears of the Public. He had a suspicion that this PR stunt is just a cover-up to what really is going-on inside the White House itself. He will be their escape goat of diverting the public's attention out of the looming danger.
Adm. King notices Lafayette's face expressing some suspicion at his explanation. To be fair announcing the new Siren capability to the public would cause some panic and chaos that the Government doesn't want to happen in time of war. To cover that secret a PR stunt would do the job of keeping the attention out of the public ears and News Companies prying eyes.
"So, I will be a Poster Boy for the propaganda machine." Lafayette said.
Adm. King nods along. "Yes. We need to give the public about your story of success and victories."
Hammann frown and growl, as she watches at the corner. "Hmm.... He's making too much attention again."
Javelin with a plain expression spoke. "Great.... He's gonna be part of propaganda machine."
"I think that's enough.... Give him a time to think it through, it is hard for us back in our word to be a center mouthpiece for the Government. Unless you're a Capital Ship."
Laffey-200 chimed-in from behind as Lafayette couldn't make up his decision of accepting the invitation paper.
Everyone were all surprise to see her there waiting, they were surprise not because of her appearance but because of her earlier presence is not detected by them.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstand the situation." Adm. King apologize at his mistake of not all Modern Kansens are fond being a mouthpiece for the Government.
"You still have a week the think about it." Adm. King said before he and his entourage of Naval Officers leaves them be at the pier.
Laffey-200 returns her gaze at Lafayette and Friends with a heartening aura surrounding her.
"So... what's with the long face?" She asks Lafayette as she saw him having loom and gloom expression.
Lafayette lifts both of his hands and shrugs-off. "I don't know."
Laffey-200 didn't play with his lies, as she knew he's not good at lying. "You felt bad for that Iron Blood Girl?"
Lafayette bit his lower lip and clinches his fist as it was true. "Yes. I felt a guilt of doing that." He said meekly, as he held his emotion from leaking-out.
As Lafayette's head hangs low, he noticed another foot where Laffey-200 is standing at. He looked-up and saw another person hiding behind her, his eyes widen as he noticed the person behind her had the same hair color as her and bunny ears twitching.
"Wait... don't you dare tell me...." Lafayette stammered in surprise to know who's that person is.
"Oh... you noticed." She said motherly tone. She then gestures at her left as to introduce someone. From her back another carbon-copy of Laffey-459 got out from her hiding spot to introduce herself.
"Everyone... I want you to meet DD-729 USS Laffey."
Lafayette lose all the loom and gloom at his face and quickly replaced with terror, horror that his one problem goth double. Two Laffey is terrifying enough, now adding another one is gonna make his life more of torture. (According to him)
(Lafayette reaction)
Hammann furrowed her brows as her tsundere attitude pops-out. "Another one, huh."
"Yey, Another Laffey." Javelin said in joy as she jumps.
Laffey-459 walks toward her 'doppelgänger' and raised a hand like she's looking at the mirror. Laffey-729 did the same as she too were like looking at the mirror. Laffey-459 moves her right hand up and down, Laffey-729 did the same as she moves her left hand mimicking the movement of her hand like a reflection at the mirror.
Gridley took the photo as much as she can, as the two Laffey doing their thing. Flashes here and there as she never missed any angles of photography.
"Nice." Laffey-459 said in plain face.
"Nice" Laffey-729 said the same with a same plain face.
"You called that 'Nice' its creepy." Lafayette in reaction to what the two is doing.
"Don't be such a baby." Laffey-200 said with a curved-up smile. "She will be at your Division's care until Miss Enterprise finds another Division where she be placed in the near future."
"at my Division?!" Lafayette screamed in horror.
"Yes, currently her Ship was under construction. So I decided to Introduced her this early for you not to have a nearly heart attack, seems like your heart didn't skip any of the beats. Just like I expected." Laffey-200 said leaning towards him.
"Yes, my heat didn't skip a beat, but my Soul jumps-out of my body." He angrily said.
Laffey-200 only gives a chuckles, a lady like chuckles in reaction to the fuming Lafayette.
"Why are chuckling about! It almost did you know!" He yelled through his lungs.
Everyone laugh at that, they were all laughing at Lafayette's horrified reaction and nonsense shouting. They all fined amusement at his little misery, it's been some past days before they saw him not this loom and gloom, it was a refreshing sight to see him back to his self being comical.
Lafayette is at the ground couching down while holding his head, his head is filled with horror of hawing two Laffey hanging in his Team, as one is hard enough to handle making it two makes it even worse and nightmarish.
"You gotta be shitting me!" He shouted.
Laffey-729 with a plain expression that were all too familiar, inquired. "Is he always like that?"
"No. he's just being silly as always." Laffey-459 said with the same blank expression as her doppelganger.
"I'm letting the girls handle this, my head throbs on pain." Lafayette uttered in total dismay.
"My... you too young for a stroke." Laffey-200 quipped in playful mockery.
"If my life continues like this... yes, I'm having a stroke for sure." He mutters, hands on his pockets.
Laffey-200 chuckled. "Worry not... she might find a suitable Division, for now she's in your Division's care."
"Let's hope Miss Enterprise find one sooner, I can't stand the two having the same problems as it was before."