Author Notes:
Sorry for the late chapter, Mom is feeling under the weather so it took a bit to get things going. Have fun reading, and have a great day, everyone. If you want more, then you know where to find me, and the discount thingy.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I will go back to take care of my Mom. Peace~!
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https://discord.gg/cVZxJ29ruh
https://www.webnovel.com/book/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich_23809095505377305
https://www.webnovel.com/book/in-the-grimdark-sector-with-a-system_31596105108346205
https://www.webnovel.com/book/my-soul.-occupied-body---please-the-other-me...!_35377211308783905
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/2271569/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich/
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
OBOM Visual Guide:
https://postimg.cc/gallery/5fQs4Fv
Alaska-class CG: https://postimg.cc/8fFYW2NG
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The pitter-patter of raindrops against the floor-to-ceiling window attracts my attention, and I see trickles of water rolling down the glass, curving the light around them as they go. It's not the first time I have witnessed rainfall in Arcadia, nor is it the first time I see rain in Everlight, but it's indeed the first time that I watch it rain through the window of an observation deck. As the lighting systems across Everlight come to light, providing clarity in an otherwise darkened sky, the subsequent vista created by rolling curtains of rain, illuminated by the warm glow of technology, makes me crave listening to a vinyl record player with a smoking cigar between my fingers.
The mood is just right for that.
I really should see if I can make a record player in the future, if only to form a classical atmosphere either inside my private quarters or office. I am a sucker for warm, wooden colors, yellow lighting, and useful antiques with stories behind them.
Vi, who has been watching the rainfall like the others, suddenly pushes her chair away from the table and stands up, saying.
"Excuse me, everyone, but I need to go in person and check if my gals didn't forget to cover the diesel tanks after siphoning fuel from them."
Kokona turns away from the window, asking with a raised eyebrow. "You do realize Iris can take a peek and be done with it, right?"
"Hey, I was made to ensure ain't nothing that stupid will become a reality; let me earn my paycheck properly, Kokona." Vi rolls her eyes.
"Jokes on you, we don't even have a paycheck." Kokona smirks, sticking out her tongue at the Chief of Logistics' direction.
"Something future me will have to rectify." Vi continues. "It's not like me staying here can offer any viable input for the next part, anyway. We have already covered our logistical platforms. I am better off used elsewhere; make sure the girls don't try and race through the rain with the Rovers and whatnot."
I nod in Vi's direction as she reaches out and finishes her coffee cup. "My thanks for the efforts thus far and from here on out, Vi. If anything comes up, you know where to find us."
"Yes, ma'am." Vi nods, saluting in my direction with one hand still clutching the empty coffee cup. "Do hit me up if somehow you all end up design space supply hauler or something."
We all giggle, with me saying. "I reckon that will come around in due time. And before you go, make sure you wear something fitting for the rain outside. Don't let your... Augments? Parts? Cosmetics? I don't know what to call them, but they're too beautiful to be tarnished."
"I appreciate the flirt, Umbra, and I will keep these well-maintained for you, since that's your order." Vi lets a small grin appear as she winks at me before excusing herself from the deck. Our Chief of Logistics also brings out with her a couple of Dolls that are her aides.
Iris whistles as the sliding door is closed behind the departed Dolls. "Oh~! How shameless, Grand Admiral. You already have Reizen and even Aurea, yet you are starting to reach for the Dolls as well? What's next, me?"
Not to be outdone, I give her a knowing look. "If you're offering, then..."
Reizen, rolling her eyes at our antics, interjects with a hand placed on the table, leaning over it quite seriously. "Get a room if you two can't help yourselves, please."
Sighing, Reizen adds. "We're already dragging this meeting for days; let's not have too many wandering thoughts if we can help it."
While the remaining Dolls nod accordingly, with Aurea inside my head giving me a mental look of admonition, Iris and I giggle before getting our brains back into gear.
I start by suggesting something akin to a rough blueprint I made during the downtime we have had in this days-long discussion. Iris needs only a brief scan of the content before she can digitize it for all to see, with Reizen commenting.
"Alaska-class..."
"Cruiser!?" Kokona finishes it for Reizen. The pitch of her voice climbs a tad higher for an obvious reason. "You meant to tell me that something 500 tons shy of 35000 tons is actually a cruiser? Are you sure it's not a battlecruiser instead?"
Iris shrugs on my stead. "What are you surprised about? Given what's at stake and the prior precedents, you must have known by now that our ship classes need to be bigger than common sense dictates. I reckon a 34500 tons cruiser is perfectly reasonable, judging from what Umbra intends it to do. And 34500 tons is just an estimate. We may end up with something later at the end of the day."
Reizen chimes in from the side with obvious doubt. "You expecting me to believe that when there are 256 VLS cells all across the ship?"
Kokona nods repeatedly, adding. "And don't forget the 12-inch guns. Why do we need 12-inch guns anyway?"
"Because we need something to put down Kaijus, and properly, at that. A superheavy armor-piercing shell is a crude but effective means of doing so. I also believe none can argue the destructive power of a more than 400-kilogram high-capacity high-explosive shell in shore bombardment duty. Given that we will be building this thing from the ground up, I don't see why we can't give the 12-inch shells some... Technical love as well." I explain.
"... I believe that it will still somehow be cheaper than getting missiles, if that's what you are going for." Iris replies after careful consideration. "But then again, you're telling us to stock the whole 256 VLS cells full on top of the requirements for the six 12-inch guns plus four 5-inch dual-purpose. That's already a lot of firepower. Heck, the design, which you tentatively named Alaska-class, has firepower almost equal to that of a Block II Bismarck-class dreadnought from our timeline. This is not even mentioning the self-defense capability."
Iris stops for a bit before adding in half-disbelief, half-amazement. "Quite frankly, I am impressed at the ludicrousness of this proposal. And I can see why it can be feasible."
"Wait, this is realistic?" Kokona says in surprise.
I giggle. "Girl, we make a naval Thomas that can do pretty much anything you can think of, and this stumps you?"
"I mean," Kokona scratches her cheek with a wry grin. "That's that, and this is this? I'm pretty much a laywoman in all this naval stuff, and at risk of repeating myself, even I can see how this thing is way out of ballpark. Where do you even get the inspiration for this, anyway?"
I chuckle, gesturing at the holographic projection of my version of the Alaska-class.
"For inspiration, I took it from a 1944 cruiser class in my timeline, also known as the Alaska-class. The original Alaska-class was made too late for the war it was supposed to participate in. It's also lacking in firepower and underwater protection for the era that comes after the Second World War. So, although the original Alaska-class is competent enough, it's phased out by either cheaper or newer vessels with missiles. The lack of a decorated service history also forced the class' early retirement."
I smile. "But that's the old Alaska-class, classified as a, get this, large cruiser, or CB."
Iris has a puzzled look on her face. "Large cruiser? Why not a battlecruiser already?"
"Because politics? Because battlecruisers mean being capital ships according to the old naval doctrine? Large cruisers circumvented some nuances of that particular timeline." I shrug. "Who are we to comment on that part when I fully intend on calling the new Alaska-class a guided-missile cruiser?"
"... We need to lose that Alaska name; otherwise it's gonna be confusing. We don't exactly have a geographically identical Alaska lying around anywhere." Iris moves the topic along.
I smirk. "Simple enough, we name the whole island that is housing our capital as Alaska. Just treat this as a favor for me, wanting to show some love to the original ships that my proposal is based on."
Iris sighs with exasperation. "You're not gonna see any talk back from me... This ain't exactly the North according to Alaska's motto, but yeah, who cares. The weather and environment check out."
While the Dolls either nod or show their approval at my sudden naming of the capital landmass, Reizen gives me a soft look of indulgence.
"Alaska seems to go well with the name of our capital, Everlight. From the cultural classes I took as part of the RAVEN Program, Alaska comes from the Aleut word alaxsxaq, which means 'the mainland' or 'the great land'. Going by the latter meaning, it complements the idea behind Everlight well, and it describes this island perfectly."
I nod, happy to see Reizen agree to my on-the-spur decision. "
How poetic~! I guess that settles it then. Everlight is our capital. Alaska is the island our capital is situated on. Now we have a good reason to stick with the Alaska-class as a name!"
"... Feels odd to suddenly have to update our map while designing weapons, but who am I to say anything about it." Kokona comments with a shrug and an amused expression.
"It happens. Now, let's get back to the matter at hand before we get any more sidetracked." I smile in Kokona's direction. "I fully intend to have the new Alaska-class acting as an anti-surface and anti-air platform with fleet command capability. The original had a torturous design process, which gave it many faults that eventually made the two vessels of the entire class the White Elephants in the room. With Iris' help, we can ensure none of the original's faults appear on the new ships."
"Damn right, I am good like that." Iris juts out her chest confidently. "Though I can see that you have already done most of the foundation work for me, Umbra. Now, let's work my magic based on what's available..."
We then watch as Iris once again solo-conducts a blitz design process that only a true Smart AI can do in record time.
"Obviously, we will be using new technologies to build the Alaska-class... The original had three triple 12-inch gun turrets in a 2-A-1 setup. Umbra loses the B turret, and in the confines of that armored cavity, she installs 64 VLS cells and the associated machinery and piping to make them work well within the safety margin. Fair enough..."
"... Oh, now this is creative: removing the seaplane facility, reworking the engine layout by giving it new engines, newer superstructure that is essentially a revision of the Erika Hartmann-class destroyer, newer and lighter armor scheme, and all the love that cooler technologies can give it? Umbra earns the Alaska-class an additional 192 VLS cells alongside ample internal space for whatever things we can give it now and in the future. Neat..."
"...And what's this, a below-deck hangar for two helicopters? A smart design choice since you will want to utilize the X 12-inch turret. However, Vi will probably have something to say about a below-deck hangar being too complex for what it's worth. I also see that Umbra has opted to retain a pair of dual-purpose 5-inch turrets running down the centerline of the cruiser. The dual-gun turrets are positioned in front of the fore superstructure and behind the rear superstructure, respectively. And on the topic of 5-inch guns, I see that Umbra's proposal eliminated the wing-mounted turrets that are presented in the original design altogether..."
"... Integrated mast, streamlined superstructures and all that jazz..."
"... With all the available space on the port and starboard sides, Umbra ups the ante on the self-defense aspect by a lot. Each missing 5-inch turret will be replaced by a 57 mm autocannon turret with two pods for reloadable short-to-medium range missiles. Now, each of the remaining centerline 5-inch turrets will have a pair of 35 mm Millennium turrets covering their flanks, thus covering the rest of the cruiser. Additionally, two MPLSs are presented on the rear superstructure, capping off the CIWS defensive circle. Finally, if there's something else that manages to come close... Well, we can always default to either remote-controlled or manually operated .50 caliber machine guns and whatever else...
"...Technically, the Alaska-class can be a legit ASW vessel if need be; it's just that it will be a gross misallocation of resources. So I think it's more suitable that only a few VLS cells will be reserved for VL-ASROC..."
"... And on the topic of Kaiju-killing, two 12-inch triple-gun turrets, mounted fore and aft of the cruisers, are unironically the best possible weapons if we go for superheavy shells like Umbra suggested. I imagine it won't be hard to develop guided shells for the 12-inch guns as well..."
"... Why no RC-27 when all other classes thus far have it, you ask? The Alaska-class is already well-armed as is. Any more turrets and it will break through the safety margin I imposed and risk turning everything into a firework waiting to happen. Frankly speaking, with how valuable a single Alaska is, if it comes to the point that you need .50 cal and 27 mm to deal with whatever, then something, or someone, has fucked up the situation so badly you may as well sound the general retreat..."
"... That said, push comes to shove, the Alaska can use the two Knighthawks it carries for additional firepower, in a pinch, of course..."
"... Propulsion-wise, it can be propelled up to 33 knots. The ample displacement just shy of 35000 tons also gives it a massive operational range of 15000 nautical miles. This thing can get to point A and the far-off point B in record time, basically..."
"Now then, anything to add, or should this be the finalized version of the Alaska-class guided-missile cruiser, girls? Because I think this one is a beauty~!"