1210/Shakedown Cruise

Shakedown Cruise
Date of Scene:	25 December 2014
Location:	Great Ocean - Western Loop
Synopsis:	Kongou comes across someone else with experience against the Abyssal Navy
Cast of Characters:	281, 637

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Kongou (637) has posed:
    During the savage combat at the Factory, Kongou had taken considerable damage and necessitated significant repairs. After a long and arduous repair process and resupply, the battleship has taken to the sea to check for leaks and ensure the work will hold up to the rigors of what she is likely to do to herself.

    And this is why, in the middle of the sea, there is a sleek gunmetal gray warship that appears to have no crew on board, cruising at a comfortable 20 knots. Dark smoke billows from the central stack, indicating the fires in her boilers. The guns are still and silent at rest, but most eerie of all is the complete lack of any crew. Even the windows of the bridge, where one would expect to see the captain and helmsman, are completely devoid of any human life.

    Then again, Kongou is just on her shakedown cruise, it's not like she offered to take anyone for a ride just in case there were problems.

Rider (281) has posed:
"Ahhhhh~ Nothing like Christmas spirits to get you in the Christmas spirit." In what appears to be a small sailboat in the middle of the ocean, Rider holds up a half-empty bottle of what is almost definitely something very strong. She did promise a certain someone not to get drunk nearby, so a short trip off on her own was a good excuse to bring along a few bottles.

"Hmm? What's this now?" In such a big ocean, it's not uncommon to go days without seeing another ship, but this... this one seems to be rather huge. Keeping the bottle in one hand, Rider grabs onto the rigging and yanks the sail, directing her small boat closer to the battleship. "Ahoy!" Pirate she may be, but perhaps she's in too good a mood to attempt any hijacking today.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    The sailboat was noted long ago via surface radar, though this section of the ocean is fairly tame of piracy. Kongou keeps her readiness up, but also given the size and construction of the vessel, does not feel the main battery is needed. Even the secondaries, the 15.2cm guns, remain idle in their casemates. It's only the machine gun batteries that even move, though they stay more or less aimed upward. Just cautionary for an approaching, unidentified surface vessel.

    The 'Ahoy' is returned, but not by words. Instead, it's returned by a short, resounding blast from the gunship's foghorn.

Rider (281) has posed:
The blaring foghorn is met with a squint from Rider. "Guess they don't have any megaphones up there." She takes another swig from her bottle before setting it down on the deck of her boat. "Ah well, whatever." The Servant cups both hands over her mouth and calls out, "Permission to come aboard! A spirit bringing Christmas spirits!"

Rider doesn't wait, though. She taps her foot twice on the deck of her boat, and the waves still for just a moment... before a large waterspout launches it up to the level of the battleship's deck. Rider easily steps over, holding an unopened bottle in her hand. "Right now, wh--"

Pause. Blinkblink. "Shouldn't there be more crew on a ship this big? Or any crew?"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Hmm~..." an echo-backed voice murmurs in a thoughtful tone. And before there's any proper answer, Rider just out and lets herself in, so to speak. The very first thing she'll notice once those boots touch the deck is that the vessel will not respond to her commands in the least. Something actively resists her usual control over watercraft.

    "Well!" The girl's voice echoes from the megaphones, "I suppose you couldn't wait for an <Answer!>" However, the frontal AA batteries all swing around, "But please, introductions! We wouldn't want to be <Rude!>"

Rider (281) has posed:
A few moments after she's on deck, the waterspout stops, and the sailboat drops back to the waves. It manages to keep alongside the battleship, despite there being nobody else aboard. "Ha! Sorry, not in me to be patient. But my intentions here today are honorable. Mostly." Can't be completely honorable when she's carrying alcohol. Rider pauses for a moment and glances toward the megaphones. "Japanese and English, huh. Been a while..."

As the AA guns swivel around, Rider holds up a hand. "Whoah, now, let's just..." She glances down at the deck. "Hm." Well, she -was- going to try to force them back again, but perhaps the captain of this vessel has a strong will. It's harder for her to take control of a vessel with a good captain.

"Right! Introductions! Where are you, anyway?" The Servant glances in the general direction of the ship's bridge. "Don't tell me you're the only one on this ship. Or is all your crew somewhere I can't see?" Rider pauses again, lifting up a finger. "Right, ahead of myself. Name's Rider. Well.. not my name, but it's what you can call me. Now where are you so I can give you a proper greeting and not just talk at the deck?"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Ah ha~!" the voice booms, "But you <Stand> on me!"

    Those gun swing upwards, but remain more or less angled towards the boarder even after she's introduced herself. The ship, in turn, provides the same courtesy, "Lead ship of the Kongou class fast battleships, I'm the English-born returnee, Kongou~!"

    As if to punctuate her line, the 35.5cm guns on the turret closest to Rider elevate, then lower again. The turret itself does not, however, rotate. Not as if those great guns could threaten someone already on deck anyway.

    "So by talking to the deck, you are talking to me~. I have no crew for you to meet. It's a little <Lonely> sometimes, but I can always rely on Admiral and my friends back in port."

Rider (281) has posed:
"I do?" Rider looks confused for a moment, peering toward the bridge, then at the guns. After a moment, she waves her hand vaguely. "Don't go pointing those things, it looks silly." She nods once. "Kongou, is it? And you're British? Explains the English, at any rate."

Those bobbing guns draw Rider's attention, and she pointedly looks toward them. "...did you just nod at me with guns? So you're the ship? Awful cute voice you have for a battleship." The Servant crouches down and pokes at the deck with a finger. "You can feel that and everything?"

Rider stands up again and frowns. "All alone on a day like today, huh. Well, then it's fate!" She lifts the bottle up high. "Nobody sohuld have to be alone on a day like today!"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "That's what I said, isn't it?" Kongou points out, "Built in Vickers, 1912!" The poking gets a "<Nope!> It takes a lot to damage me. I'm as sturdy as a mountain." As for that last bit, the ship's guns swivel back to their resting positions, "Hmm~. I'm not really alone. And Christmas isn't until tomorrow. So~. This is just a <Shake Down Cruise> following recent repairs~."

    "If you think it's fate, that's on you, but in the sea you're bound to meet a ship sooner or later, <Yes?>"

Rider (281) has posed:
"1912," Rider repeats, then shakes her head. "Well after my time. But still." She taps her foot a few times as Kongou boasts about her sturdiness. "Well then," and Rider switches to speaking in English. A bit outdated in accent, but surprisingly proper. "Close enough to tomorrow now, don't you think? Besides, I hear they all celebrate Christmas Eve all day long nowadays too."

Rider points in the general direction of the bridge. "You know what I meant. So! Does a ship like you drink? 'Cause this stuff is better if you share." She paces in a slow circle. "Though where you'd drink, I have no idea..."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Hmmm~..." Kongou's voice lulls thoughtfully for a few moments, "Well. The engines, usually~! When that happens, they produce a little more <Horse Power> than usual. But~. I can't taste it like that, can I~?" After a moment, she states, "But~! I think I've completed all of my checks. So~..." The deck beneath Rider's boots flickers and gains a silvery glow which spreads across every visible surface of the battleship.

    Quite suddenly, the deck is not there. There's a burst of light and a brunette girl drops down to the water, landing neatly on it as if the sea itself were solid ground. Of course it's Kongou's Land Fit-Out, complete with the ship fitting mounted to her hips with heavy clamps, "This is better~!"

Rider (281) has posed:
"Mmm. Suppose not, without a tongue! And much as I like sharing this stuff, not sure how much there'd be for someone so big." But then the deck begins to glow, and Rider tilts her head curiously. "Wha--?"

Said deck is... no longer there, and Rider falls, somewhat less gracefully than Kongou. She manages to recover partway down, though, after some very undignified flailing, and lands down on her sailboat, rocking the vessel with her impact. At least she landed on her feet. "I'd say you shoulda warned me but I guess it's fair enough, given I boarded you first. Ha!" She seems in high spirits, at least.

"...huh. Knew the voice was pretty cute for a ship! You're one of them ship girls then, huh? An actual ship?" No need to make the same mistake she did with the Fleet Maidens. "Well... come over, have a seat! Unless you've got the same mass, this little boat should be able to hold up!"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "I have my <Pride!>" Kongou states, folding her arms behind her back. Kicking off like a roller skater, she glides across the water and comes up alongside. She does not, in fact, board the sailboat. "A battleship riding around on a sailboat would be unbearable for me. You understand, right?" Accellerating, she rounds the front of the sailboat and comes back down the opposite side, then rounds astern to return to where she was, "But~ as you can see, I am a fast battleship. Keeping up with this <Dingy> shouldn't be a problem~."

Rider (281) has posed:
"Mm... suppose so. It was mostly for a place to sit!" Rider glances over the side at the battleship skimming around on the water. "You do seem pretty quick, though." She lets out a laugh as Kongou calls her boat a dingy, slapping her leg with a hand. "Ha! You do have your pride indeed!"

Reaching to open the bottle in her hand, Rider holds it up toward the battleship in a toast. "To us meeting then, Kongou!" The Servant tilts the bottle toward Kongou, offering it should the ship want to have a drink. "So you've got an admiral waiting for you back in port then? Didn't know there were many admirals around and active these days. Least not navy ones."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Matching pace with the sailboat, Kongou reaches out once the bottle is offered. However she doesn't drink straight from it. Rather, she reaches into one of her sleeves and produces a teacup to pour the wine into. The bottle is handed back, "It's only natural, a battleship riding a tiny boat like that would just be <Silly.>"

    There's a little laugh, but she raises her teacup to return the toast, "To a <New Face!>" And then she gives the drink the tiniest of prim and proper sips. A shift in her weight places the majority of her mass on one foot, shifting easily from one to the other just like a skater would, "Mmhmm~. He's not a skilled naval Admiral, but he is a good leader and helped me when I really needed it. So~ I will repay him!" Glancing upward, she hums, "I've also met a few other Admirals, though I don't answer directly under any of them."

Rider (281) has posed:
The idea of wine being poured into a teacup brings a curious look to Rider's face, but she doesn't complain. "Mmm... suppose it would be silly, like an admiral picking up and carrying a ship." She lifts the bottle again once she has it back and tips it back, taking a much longer and less proper drink right from the bottle.

"Oh? Well, pity then. For me, anyway. Glad for you though, a ship should be under an admiral." She gives Kongou a grin and sets her bottle down. "So you're the same sorta shipgirl as those Abyssals? I've had a run-in or two with them, too. Breaks my heart as a captain to see ships so angry like that."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    The teacup was because she didn't have anything else to hold a drink in. Naturally. Kongou does laugh at the joke about an admiral picking up a ship, though, "Like this, it might be a little easier~!"

    The subject changes to the Abyssal Navy and, quite quickly, Kongou's levity drops. She grows quite thoughtful, swirling the wine in her cup for a moment before she speaks up, "...They've forgotten. That's what it is. They were forgotten, and in turn, they have forgotten something very <Important> to them." Her eyes close and she lifts the cup to her lips, "...And that makes them very, very angry, hurt, and sad. All at once."

Rider (281) has posed:
The Servant looks thoughtful for a moment. "...Yeah, I probably could." She makes no move to attempt to do so, though. "Maybe if I had somewhere better to stand." Like a real ship and not a small sailboat.

"Mmm... I see." She tips her bottle back again and makes a thoughtful noise. "Sounds like you know a good bit about them. You know any way to get through to 'em? I ask because, well... first time I ran into them, I made myself captain of one, just for a moment. She was trying to kill some friends, see, so there wasn't much time to ask... and I didn't know they were much more than monsters." She gestures toward Kongou. "'Bout the same build as you, wearing half as much. Cute, but real angry."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Oh,they are," Kongou closes her eyes, shifting her weight to the other leg again, "They are ships, the same as me. In pain and sorrow and anger, but ships." Glancing aside, she pushes out a smile that is just shy of being forced, "I think the best way to reach them is to remind them of what they've forgotten."

    "<Love,>" the shipgirl tucks her cup away into her sleeve, then folds her arms behind herself once more, "What they've forgotten is <Love.> They shared it with their crew, their captain, their Admiral and their country. Without it, they will only hate."

Rider (281) has posed:
Even as the cup disappears, Rider inclines the bottle once more. Another offer, should Kongou want any more. "Remind them of love, huh? That's easier said than done, Kongou. But you know that, hm?" The Servant kicks a leg up, boot resting on the railings of the boat. "Pretty sure I could help, but the question is how. You know their names at all?"

Rider tilts her head, peering over at Kongou. "The one that reminded me a little of you. She's the one I had contact with. Maybe I could get through to her." The Servant gives a short laugh. "Listen to me, sank so many ships in my lifetime and I'm thinking of saving 'em now. What sort of villain am I? Must be the booze talking."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    There's a thoughtful glance upward as Kongou considers the questions, "I know it won't be easy, but if I can cause even one of them to remember and return to herself, isn't that <Victory> enough?" There's a little shrug, her weight shifting again, "As for names... I don't know any of them, no. I feel like that would be part of the <Solution~.>"

    Kongou glances skyward, her radars adjusting, "Mmm~. It's natural to want to save someone who's lost like that. Just because I want to <Save> them doesn't mean I won't sink them, too." A glance towards Rider, "Hee hee~, after all they're trying to sink me, too!"

Rider (281) has posed:
"Wish I could find their names. A ship's name is important to them, right? It's their identity, proof they had someone that cared about 'em." Rider taps her fingers slowly against the seat. "Well, I'll work with what I've got, then." She glances at the battleship. "One would be nice. More would be great. They seem like good ships."

Rider lifts a hand to scratch at her cheek. "Feels a waste to sink them, though. But if that's the only option..." She looks back at Kongou and smirks. "I like how you think, though. You may already have an admiral, but tell you what. You ever want to be a pirate ship for a day, look me up, yeah? Seems nowadays all I really captain are little boats like this or dead ships. Not that even the dead ones don't have a lot of vitality in 'em still."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Lifting a hand, Kongou rubs her chin thoughtfully. With that same hand, she gestures towards Rider like a gun, thumb cocked, "<I'll Think About It!>" Weight shifting, she drops back slightly, then accellerates again, "Mmm~. But sinking them does no good, they'll come back eventually so we can <Try Again.>"

    That same hand clasps over her chest, the shipgirl's eyes closing, "Our name is precious to us, yes. It's our identity. Everything we are comes from that. If you find her name, you'll find her." The somber expression gives way to a smile, though, and she shrugs, "Finding it's the <Hard Part> though~!"

    Again, Kongou accellerates, this time also peeling away from the sailboat. She raises a hand to wave, twisted at the waist, "It's time I returned! <Good Bye!>"

    And then she is surrounded by shimmering silver-white light. From the orb erupts the massive shape of the battleship's true form, crashing into the waves. Smoke belches from the stacks as the vessel veers to port and away from the sailboat. The foghorn lets out two short blasts, even as the warship accellerates to her full thirty knot speed. Well beyond what a sailboat is capable of.

Rider (281) has posed:
That reaction gets a brief laugh out of Rider. "You do that!" She crosses her arms and glances back to the ship thoughtfully. "Names are pretty important. And pretty powerful. Part of why I gotta go by my Class, not my real name." She raps her fingers against her arm. "Well, maybe one day I'll find out."

But as the battleship acceelerates and grows, Rider lifts a hand. "Nice talking to you, Kongou. Have a happy Christmas tomorrow!" She doesn't even try to pursue, instead leaning back and looking down at the half-empty bottle. "Ah well, was nice to talk for a while. I wonder if Master'll mind me coming back with this on my breath."