5496/AOH: The Dreadnought

AOH: The Dreadnought
Date of Scene:	24 September 2017
Location:	The Great Ocean
Synopsis:	Nagato, Shigure, and Yuna question the Dreadnought Water Demon
Cast of Characters:	Midway, Shigure, Nagato, 385
Tinyplot:	Abyssal Operation Hydra

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Midway has posed:
    The Hikari stockade, repurposed from some below-ground portion of one of the other facilities and currently used as a prison for malcontents captured by the Hikari Defense Alliance. Usually pirates or the like. Today, one of those guests is a black-haired, pale-skinned woman in a ragged black officer's uniform. Her face is still half-concealed by a steel, slitted visor like that of a knight, the other half broken off and lost in the depths of Pearl Harbor. Her single violet eye glows in the dim lighting of her cell.

    The Dreadnought Water Demon remains stationary, stock still with her arms folded and one leg folded over the other at the knee. Since regaining consciousness, she hasn't moved. It's unsettling the cruisers posted as guards.

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure walks down the corridor, carrying a clipboard and adjusting a pair of red half-rim glasses on her nose. She approaches the guard cruisers. "Fifth Fleet Flagship, Shigure, I'm here to interrogate the prisoner." she says to them, getting them to unlock the door and allow the destroyer, and whoever else is with her, access inside. Once they're in, they lock the door behind the group. "Dreadnought Water Demon. My name is Shigure, Warden of the Paladins, and Flagship of the Fifth Strike Fleet of the Hikari Defence Alliance. I am here to ask you some questions."

Nagato has posed:
    The tap of boots echo through the facility, the stockade fortunately only holding two prisoners... the submarine the fleet captured earlier... and the Dreadnought Water Demon that was captured when recovering Pearl Harbor. The target of today's investigation and interrogation. Nagato's breath is slowed, face stoic as she approaches the cell in question. "Dreadnought Water Demon. Abyssal Fleet member. Battleship class." she starts, "I'm glad you're awake."

    Shigure's voice starts and she backs off slightly. "Cooperation will ensure this goes well for both of us." she comments in addition to Shigure's statements. "It'd be in both of our interests if you did."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna is not at her best today, her usual warm smile currently something which she has to make a conscious effort to muster when greeting people. But she's here in any case - and for all that she wants to play some version of 'good cop,' to be a relatively friendly presence for a captured enemy, she knows enough about interrogations to realize that she's probably better off just staying back and listening. Which is what she does, visible across from Dreadnought's cell but visibly letting Shigure and Nagato take the lead between them.

Elner's present as well - mostly to help record what's said, in case either Yuna or anyone else need to refer back to it later. If the Fleet has their own recording equipment set up, all the better.

Midway has posed:
    When a destroyer, a battleship, and a light cruiser walk into her cell, Dreadnought shifts her seating to unfold her legs. Her visible eye moves from Shigure to Nagato, then Yuna. After a moment, her gaze fixates on Shigure. The woman leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and folding her hands together. "I was fairly and soundly defeated. I was thus fairly captured as a spoil of war. There is little I have left at this point save my dignity."

    Her head inclines, eye shifting to Nagato, "You don't even know what fleet I am a part of? But I know you. You are Nagato, the Hikari flagship. Up until now you've been fighting the Abyssal Fleet." Her head tilts, "My Black Fleet must have been a surprise. Our tactics are very different, as I'm sure you've already noticed."

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure nods as she pulls a spare chair over and rests the clipboard in her lap. "Yes. That is one of my first questions. Where did this Black Fleet originate from? Who is your Flagship? And finally, what are your goals?" she asks in sequence. "Let us have these answered to begin with."

Nagato has posed:
    "And we intend to keep this dignity intact." Nagato replies, listening to the Dreadnought, then to Shigure's question. "You're correct. Most Abyssal pods wouldn't go to the length that your fleet has gone to, nor are most Abyssals as communicative as you. Or respectful in the face of defeat." she looks between Yuna, Shigure then Dreadnought. "I assume you'll answer everything to the best of your knowledge, am I right?"

Midway has posed:
    "Where I came from..." Dreadnought's gaze lowers, fixating on her folded hands, "...A place of joy. A place of pride. A place of pain. The humans betrayed me, you know. I cannot understand why you rush to the defense of such deceitful creatures. The moment you are no longer of use, they will cast you aside. Rip you apart." Her eyes close, "Or worse."

    Her eye opens, fixating on Shigure again, "Our goal was the amassing of resources. Hawaii provided a central pacific location to launch raiding operations. As slow as I am, it was left to the other two most often."

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure writes things down as Dreadnought speaks. "You avoided my second question." she says, blue eyes fixing on that violet. "Who is your Flagship?"

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"From what I've heard," Yuna interjects, "including from your 'sister' Destroyer, there was a lot of that sense of betrayal, of rage and pain, going around among the ships' spirits who became Abyssals. I imagine it was there as much for those vessels sunk during the war as for those who were destroyed after ..."

The blonde trails off briefly, letting out a breath, then breathing in deeply, standing up straight now rather than leaning against the wall. "I'm ... I don't share that experience. I've found myself thinking a lot about when Destroyer came to my home town, and that was one of the things she asked. But I've been helping Nagato, Shigure, and the others out for a while, and I'm glad to call them my friends, and to help them."

Maybe that went off the topic Dreadnought was talking about, but ... well. Even in a less-than-sunny mood, Yuna's still not deceitful or treacherous - or at least, she tries really hard NOT to be.

Midway has posed:
Her eye travels to Yuna and she considers the woman for a moment, "You're a cruiser. I have no expectation for your behaviors or allegiances." She rests her chin on her folded hands, making a thoughtful noise, "The majority of the ships under my command were confused, angry, hateful and spiteful. But I and my 'sisters', as you call them, are different. We are focused. Driven. United by a common desire."

    When Shigure presses her earlier questions, Dreadnought hesitates, then straightens her posture. Her shoulders square, and she plainly states, "As courageous as you may think I am, there are things even I fear. That woman is an unrepentent terror. If your goal is to challenge her, than I recommend you discard it immediately." Lifting a hand, she presents her forearm, the armored plates rivited in place and long since corroded and blackened.

    "Speaking not as an Abyssal to an enemy, but one ship to another; the most merciful thing she could do is kill you. If you survive, it will only get worse."

Shigure has posed:
    "A name, if she has one, please." presses the destroyer, leaning forward a bit. "We have more than simply the Hikari fleet at our back. I hold no illusion of any battle with your Flagship and her retinue being easy, but I have faith it will not be such a difficult thing as you make it out to be, either."

    The Destroyer sits back after that. "Next, Why did you choose Pearl Harbour in particular? Were there no uninhabited islands you could have repurposed so as not to attract immediate attention?" she tilts her head. "Or was that the entire point, draw in the American navy?"

Nagato has posed:
    Nagato keeps herself a bit silent on this, listening to the Dreadnought as she addresses Yuna, then she adds a question of her own. "If she's such a terror that it frightens even you, wouldn't the more logical choice be retreat and possibly overthrow the current leader?" she looks at the blackened and corroded plates, hmming, "She do that to you?" comes one more question, a bit of concern in her voice with that. "If you wish, I can see if my repair ship can treat some of those..."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"'That woman' ..." Yuna purses her lips briefly. "The one you all answered to ... was she the one who modified Destroyer's hands into those massive gauntlets?" Her tone is decidedly - even deliberately - gentle, as if she knows that bringing it up is likely to be painful. But she saw and heard what Destroyer Water Demon had been through, after Yuna confronted her at the refinery, and she heard how they talked about 'that woman' - or simply about 'her'.

Midway has posed:
    "I'm not surprised to hear such a thing from you," Dreadnought states to Nagato, "A mutiny is exactly how you came to power, isn't it?" Leaning forward slightly, she adds, "You standing up to Samar, breaking away from the Southern Abyssal Fleet, and founding your Hikari faction... 'She' learned from that mistake. And She does not abide betrayal in the least. You succeeded because you are strong. Perhaps as strong as Samar. But these hands," She unfolds her hands, looking down at them, "Could not be a threat to something like that..."

    "She modernized all of us," Dreadnought admits to Yuna, "Jellyfish the most. 'Unlocking our potential', she would say. But there was no mercy. No hesitation." She lifts her arm agian, eyes settling on the added armor for a long moment.

    "...The Princess of Progress. The leader of the Northern Abyssal force, the Black Fleet."

    "Her name is Midway."

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure's hackles stand up, her hairflaps twitching and perking a little higher than before at that name. "Fate's coil circles around us once again." she states simply in response. She leans back in her chair, setting the pen down on the clipboard after writing that single word. 'Midway'. "We have a new purpose this time... one that all of us, from Destroyer to Battleship strive for." Blue eyes track from Dreadnought, to Yuna, to Nagato, and back again to Dreadnought. "A peaceful sea for all living things."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
'Modernization,' 'unlocking their potential' ... the 'Princess of Progress.' None of those terms sound good to Yuna - particularly when she remembers how Destroyer's gauntlets looked at their second meeting, after she'd been ... 'modernized,' so to speak, by this Midway.

Somehow, the chill creeping down her spine doesn't make her shiver. At least, she doesn't think it does. She could be wrong.

"She cites 'progress' as her motivation for continuing to wage the Abyssals' war against humanity," Yuna says, trying to make it sound light-hearted. "I don't think her idea of 'progress' is quite where it should be, if she continues to nurse the same grudges ... my homeworld is in the early 24th century by now, and war between nations is a thing of the past. - At any rate, I'll continue to fight alongside Nagato and the others, as their friend and their ally, and I'm sure that if you wished to break your ties to Midway, we'd be happy to have you at our side. That's really Nagato's call, not mine," she adds with a sheepish look, "but ... I've never been one to let an enemy *stay* an enemy, when there's a chance to make her a friend."

Nagato has posed:
    Nagato listens, and when the name is spoken, the Battleship's hand balls up... she shakes her head a bit and takes a few breaths, nodding slightly. "I'm not one to turn down a request for assistance. Nor am I one to turn down an Abyssal who wishes to make right. We've gained a Wo-Class' trust and consider her one of our allies. Perhaps you saw her when we took back Pearl Harbor." She looks down towards the Dreadnought before stepping forward. "In return for your assistance, we'll offer you what Midway cannot. Actual compassion and an trustworthy ally."

    She looks back towards Yuna and Shigure then back to Dreadnought, and she offers her hand. "You may be a prisoner of war, but from your words, it sounds like you do not wish to go back. We can make your stay here comfortable or if you wish to assist us, we will be glad to honor that request."

Midway has posed:
    "As far as she is concerned," Dreadnought states quietly, "I have already sunk. So it must be that way." Her arms recede, folding across her chest, "My piece is plainly stated: If you intend to fight that woman, I will have no part of it. I'm ashamed to admit that it is not loyalty but cowardice that motivates this decision." Her visible eye closes, and she considers for a long moment.

    After a period of silence, she unfolds an arm to touch the visor on her face. Another moment or two of contemplation passes before she removes it, discarding the broken armor on the floor in front of Shigure. "I don't know if I can forgive humans. But I am no longer capable of fighting. My weapons are destroyed and my armor is broken. Any lesser ship would be at the bottom. Survival is more than I can ask for."

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure nods. "We will respect your decision, but understand that you will always be welcome to join us, if you can find it in yourself to forgive humanity for the past." She stands, putting the clipboard under one arm, and stooping to pick up the broken visor. "Broken things can be repaired... all you need is time, and the right tools." she says, stepping closer and placing the visor on Dreadnought's thigh. "Even a wounded warrior, cowed by a cruel master, can find their courage again." She smiles, then turns to the door, knocking three times on it. "We are done."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Rather than moving to join Shigure and Nagato in leaving *just* yet, Yuna steps closer to Dreadnought, moving gently if not slowly. Nagato can probably guess what's about to happen before it does ...

And sure enough, Yuna tries to give Dreadnought a hug. Not too tight, and she's ready to back off quickly if the 'lost' Abyssal doesn't seem to welcome it ... but Yuna does at least extend that gesture.

Nagato has posed:
    Nagato doesn't stop what Yuna's going to do, she knows her Cruiser's tendencies quite well. "There... are trustworthy humans, my cruiser here is one of them." she gives a bit of a smile, "And some of my allies are human as well." she sighs some, "There are those that are untrustworthy..." as August comes up into her head a bit, she shakes it. "But if this is your decision, survival is something we will strive for you. I will not force you to turn on your old allies."

    Nagato pauses a bit, "If I can close out with one question... who were you before this?"

Midway has posed:
    Dreadnought's eyes fixate on the visor when it is returned to her, but she doesn't move to remove it from where Shigure placed it. She seems pensive on the destroyer's words, thoughtful. A fingertip traces the line of the visor's bridge. Her thoughts turn to Nagato's question, "Who was I..." Not simply repeating the words, but asking herself, "...I recall my launch, but everything is out of focus. I worked with the English...I attacked France, yes. And the Japanese, I fought them, too..." Eyes narrowing, she murmurs, "...Was that even the same war..?"

    Collecting the visor in her hand, she stares at it, "So why do I feel so strongly that I was betrayed..that I wanted revenge..? I fought. I didn't sink. I served until the end. And then..I was..."

    Her hand starts shaking, eyes widening. With a shout, she casts the visor against the prison wall. Yuna's hug is well timed, quelling the Dreadnought's rage. She lets it go with a shaking breath.

    "...I was destroyed in a weapons test. ...My name is Arkansas."

Nagato has posed:
    Nagato hears her name and she kneels down in front of the Abyssal. "As was I... and Saratoga. You know her as Jellyfish." she pauses a bit, "Was Destroyer Water Demon part of that as well, Arkansas?" she moves a hand to place it on Dreadnought's shoulder. "I know the feeling there. I thought I was betrayed... unloved... unwanted. It was further from the truth, I was loved by country and kin, I'm sure you were loved by country and kin as well. It.. may be hard to accept from that incident at Bikini Atoll, but... trust me."

    Nagato pauses slightly, "I know trust is a hard thing to ask for, but it's what I would like, Arkansas. No fighting, no sortie... just trust. I've been there... and here I am, with a wonderful Fleet... wonderful allies and a home. A home you're welcome to share."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
When somebody needs a hug, Yuna is *not* one to pull away while it's still needed. And she keeps hugging Dreadnought for the time being, letting her calm down further.

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure stands by the open door, the cruiser guards stood ready, just in case, but out of view. She watches, and listens silently, her role and her words are already done and spoken.

Midway has posed:
    It's not sadness but anger that grips Dreadnought, though she keeps it under control with Yuna's assistance. A very different experience from Saratoga's deep sadness, Dreadnought is furious about that day. A tension Nagato can feel through her shoulder. Casting a look aside, she admits, "I don't know who they are-- or were. So I don't have an answer for you. It wasn't something we discussed." Glancing back towards Nagato, she adds, "That Jellyfish became Saratoga was a surprise to me."

    After a moment, she reaches, up, gently nudging Yuna off her, "For a prisoner of war, my treatment has been exemplary. I have no complaints. So perhaps some trust may yet exist between us, Nagato. The war we fought is long over. This new war...is not mine by choice. So I am making the choice to no longer be a part of it."

    Her eyes narrow, "If you intend to fight her, bring everything you have. And pray it's enough."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
When nudged away, Yuna lets go - slowly, but she does, looking up at Dreadnought as if to make sure she's going to be okay. It does seem like it, even if the former Arkansas is decidedly reticent to join the fight ... not that Yuna can blame her for *that*, either.

"We've overcome a lot so far, together - even taking Pearl Harbor back from the Black Fleet," Yuna notes, a more mature composure asserting itself on her face and in her bearing. "If Midway can muster more than we've already seen, then I'm sure we'll rise to meet, and beat, that challenge as well. Do you know where her home base would be, though? Not at the site where you all sank, but ..."

She pauses, looking at Nagato and Shigure. "Midway. That was the location of another battle, wasn't it?"