Work Text:
[Hamburg, Bismarck]
280/HPT
The young frigate swore and put the box down, making the steel screech slightly. She wiped the sweat from her face and looked at the many cables on the top of the hangar. A crewmen of hers was hanging on the ceiling, held by the climbing gear he wore. He had a wrench in his hand, a flashlight on his headgear lighting the area he was working on. He laughed and looked down, smirking.
“Don’t overwork yourself.“, he joked, then loosened the nut which held a cable down.
Hamburg sighed and nodded, tightening her ponytail. She was about to open the case as a faint knocking came from behind her. She frowned and turned around and saw that Bismarck looked at her, smirking.
“Well, seemingly I am bothering you.“, she said, walking towards her. Hamburg shook her head, pointing at the box on the ground.
“Nope, I am just lending a hand here. Since that box is so heavy that my crew can't move it without a forklift and that damn thing is broken, I have to carry it.“, she said, sitting on the edge. Bismarck nodded and grabbed one corner, lifting it up with no problem. Hamburg frowned and shook her head.
“I don’t think that you can lift this.“, she chuckled, stepping away. Bismarck glanced over to her, letting go off the edge.
“Don’t ever underestimate a shipgirl from the Ironblood. We look stronger than we are.“, she said, flexing her arms.
Hamburg could see some impressive muscles working under the baggy light blue fabric. Even though Bismarck didn’t look that muscular, she was probably stronger than most trained men of her crew.
“If you want, you can test your strength on the equipment of the crew. They have a small gym on the lower deck.“, Hamburg said, chuckling. Bismarck sighed and looked up to the men, pointing at him.
“And what the hell is he doing?“, she asked, glancing up.
“I am just hanging around.“, came the voice from the man then he lowered himself down onto the deck, laying his wrench down.
“We’re replacing some of the hydraulic lines used to steer the rocketpods aft, since we will get a replacement soon.“, he said, then scratched his head. Bismarck looked at Hamburg completely confused, then sighed.
“I guess that I don’t understand the Marine at all.“, she said. Hamburg chuckled.
“Well, it’s not that complicated. We just need more dakka.“, she laughed, then opened the box. Several small pipes were inside, ready to replace the old one which were installed on the ceiling.
“Can’t you do that in dock?“
“Like I said. Time is money. We do everything we can outside of the dock, at least if the weather is fair. We can’t replace a turret when it is raining.“, she said, then corrected herself.
“Well, it’s not really a turret. Just a small thing which keeps us alive if a jet comes barreling towards us.“, she said.
“And what exactly does that have to do with… dakka?“
“Nothing at all… nothing at all.“, Hamburg mumbled, then closed the box up. Now wasn’t exactly the time to introduce the former flagship to a certain fictional universe that was responsible for the plastic addiction of six of her crew members.
“Let’s get moving, we have a few things to do.“, she said, walking past the battleship. Bismarck frowned and followed her.
“What do we have to do? Have I missed something?“ Hamburg nodded and opened the door, then stepped onto the corridor which led towards the cabins in the front.
“Seemingly. I have left a letter on your table which explained everything. Haven’t you read it?“, she asked. Bismarck laid her head to the side, looking away.
“There is a slight problem.“
“And that would be?“
“I can’t read your modern fonts. It’s completely different for me.“, she said, looking at Hamburg embarrassed.
The frigate frowned, then nodded. Seemingly her own handwriting was too new for the battleship to be read, it was impossible for her to understand what she tried to tell her.
“Well, then I will tell it now.“, she said, then opened the door to her cabin. Bismarck followed her inside, then closed the door.
“Command told us that we will transit to the land of the former Eagle Union - now the United States of America. Enterprise has arranged a meeting with nearly all shipgirls who are currently alive, from all times and nations. I know that this will lead to some problems, but orders are orders. Anyways, you are invited as well, be it indirectly. Prinz Eugen was invited, but she suggested that I should take you with me. After all, I am the only one which is currently coupled to a modern ship fully, I am the first one which can help the situation.“, Hamburg said, opening the first few buttons of her shirt, exposing a white tank-top beneath. Bismarck frowned.
“And what do I have to do with all of this?“, she asked. Hamburg chuckled.
“You are the only one who once steered a battleship and has all of the techniques from the Ironblood in mind. Since you were able to couple shipgirls with other techniques, you could be really valuable to the world.“, she said, opening a drawer and pulling out a new, fresh shirt in the same blue. Bismarck nodded.
“And they know that I am coming?“, she asked. Hamburg shook her head and pulled off the name-tag from her old shirt, pressing it onto the new one.
“They don’t. But it will be no problem. Only thing that could worry you is that you will meet some people who died either in the war or after that, you might even meet people which you once fought against.“, she said, pulling off the old and sweaty shirt, throwing it into one corner.
“What do you mean with that? Who might I meet?“, Bismarck asked.
“I don’t know. To my knowledge Prince of Wales might be there, together with Kaga. But that is only an assumption.“
“I never fought against Kaga, I never even met her.“
“Didn’t you visit your allies?“
“Surely, but not on the other side of the world. We had our schedules. My ship was under construction when the war began, we had no time for diplomatic visits. Instead, I was visiting all the facilities.“, she said, tapping with her feet. Hamburg nodded and grabbed the new shirt, sorting her hair.
“That is understandable. But I have no worries that they might find you weird or so.“
“There will be resentment against me.“
“Why?“, Hamburg asked, closing the buttons of her new shirt, adjusting it so that it sat perfectly on her body.
“I didn’t simply sink a ship of the Royal Navy. I sunk their pride. Hood was their flagship, she was a mentor for many of them. That’s why the Prime Minister sent half of his fleet after me. Prince of Wales will hate me, I am sure of that.“, Bismarck asked, now insecure. Hamburg sighed and walked up to her, patting her shoulder.
“Trust me, they won't do anything. I have seen the reaction from Kaga and Enterprise.“, she said, seeing that Bismarck had no clue about what she was talking about.
“The two fought against each other too, the Sakura Empire sank both of Enterprise’s sisters. First Yorktown and then Hornet one year later whilst Enterprise took Kaga’s sister, Akagi, and two other carriers, Soryuu and Hiryuu. They both had a lot of animosity when they saw each other once more. One had been killed brutally by the Union, the other one had suffered for the rest of her life. I heard some rumours that there had been a good fight, but both agreed on letting the past rest. And since then, they are one of the best friends you could imagine. Both helped each other greatly, both are now holding close contact. I can't imagine that any shipgirl, of any nation, could hold a grudge against you.“, she said, trying to comfort the old shipgirl. Bismarck sighed and nodded, swallowing.
“But still I have the fear that it might happen.“
“Relax. There is nothing you could do. You were soldiers. You both fought for your countries. Hood and Wales knew what they were getting into when they opened fire on you. And even if she holds a grudge against you, now that our two nations are at peace, you can talk this through. “, Hamburg said, then walked over to her desk, still filled with papers. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a small box out of cardboard, wrapped in a bit of foil.
“Here. That got flown in this morning. Straight from Berlin.“, she said, giving it to Bismarck. The battleship frowned and took it, slowly unwrapping the foil. She fingered the box open and looked up in surprise, then took out one of the two things inside. In her hand was a small pin, used to be pinned on the collar or similar of a uniform. It sparkled in the light of the cabin, the blue and gold clearly visible. It was the coat of arms from her ship, only in smaller form. And it was designed to be worn on a uniform.
“What does that mean?“
“Since you will go to the USA with me as a representation of the Bundesmarine, you have to apply the standards of the uniform. And one of these standards is, that you have to wear a special sign if you are a shipgirl.“, Hamburg said, then opened her other hand. She had a miniature of the coat of arms from the city in her hand. It was the only thing which made her different from the crew regarding the uniform. Whenever she had to wear a formal uniform, the city of Hamburg was accompanying her.
Bismarck looked down and pulled out the next thing. It was a name-tag like Hamburg had, just blank. It had the Velcro on one side, allowing it to be attached to the uniform which was worn normally. Hamburg smiled.
“Well, we didn’t know if you wanted your current name or something else on it. So, we left it blank. We have a small machine here onboard which can stitch, so you have time to decide. But once we are underway, you need to have a name on that. Also regulation.“, she said. Bismarck remained silent and nodded, looking at the pin. It was a highly detailed miniature of the coat of arms which she had worn on her shoulder. The giant plate which had shown everyone that she was the flagship, that she was one of the most powerful shipgirls to ever be alive. It had accompanied her for so long. And now, she had a small pin of it.
She looked back at the frigate, seeing how she had already begun to pick up her old shirt and folded it in half, laying it onto a pile of even more dirty clothes. But that pin was really something special. Even though she had burned her former uniform to leave the past behind, she still missed something. Something from the depths of her heart. Her ship had been the only thing which had been connected to her, the only thing which she considered as a part of her body. And now, that pin was the only connection to it. She swallowed and clutched the pin in her fist, then looked back at Hamburg.
“When will we leave?“, she asked. Hamburg sighed and closed her eyes, visibly accessing the information stored on her ship.
“In two days. We will get a small transport with the help of the Luftwaffe. But if there is a possibility, we may have to fly with a normal plane.“
“A normal one?“
“A commercial one. But since the whole travelling is on the ground anyways, I think that we will get a whole plane just for us…“, Hamburg said, smiling. Bismarck frowned.
“And how long will the flight take? I mean, it surely takes a whole day.“, she said, calculating the numbers in her head. Hamburg shook her head.
“The flight itself will take only a few hours, maybe even under ten if we have wind in our backs.“, Hamburg said, sorting a few papers. Bismarck nodded and thought of the flights she had taken back in her days. Back when propellers had been the thing.
She would meet other shipgirls. Bismarck felt the pin in the palm of her head, giving her a feeling like security. She would face old enemies, she would show her face to the new world. Not hiding under a fake name or identity, but under her real name, under the coat of arms she once fought for.