BSBxKc Chpt 14

==Blue Squadron (Battletech x KanColle(ish) crossover) - Chapter 14 -==
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===Catching up from the Events from a far===
Jay Mayen System, Deep Periphery
Brest lowered the book she had been reading and faced her returning comrades. Coming into view along Jan Mayen station and the two extra DropShips from behind the planet she was orbiting, the girl was obviously curious about their new addition, and was smiling excitedly.
 
Swift could tell the precise moment the brunette realized the state they were in, and her expression fell. Briefly roaming over each member individually and taking in the damage they had suffered, the Fox's concerned gaze came to rest on the flagship.
 
For her part, Swift was just glad to have made it back in one piece. Picking up her dropship on the way back had made three jumps necessary. And two of those had seen delays due to one malfunction or another with her hyperdrive, the woman admitted grudgingly.
 
"What happened?" Brest asked as soon as they were down to zero comms-lag within speaking-distance. Sitting next to Jan Mayen station, immobile as she was, the girl's wide eyes were glued to her flagship.
 
"An enemy cruiser happened." La Plata's reply would have sounded entirely innocuous to anyone else, yet to Swift it was just a tad clipped.
 
The woman was facing away from her, yet the Aegis got the meaning loud and clear. It was a light reprimand for taking what La Plata thought was an unnecessary risk. Somehow the Aegis knew that her old comrade would hold this one against her for a while.
 
Brest's expression became curious.
 
"Ambush." Amber Lotus added tersely. While navigating to park herself next to Brest she glanced at the station's other side. where the astronomy-vessel and light commodore Emmet's transport still sat.
"One that could have been avoided." This time La Plata was looking at Swift.
 
The cruiser in question merely sighed wearily. "Do we really need to go over this again?"
 
La Plata blinked, and a moment later her demeanor turned apologetic. "No. Sorry."
"Thanks." Turning herself around with a wince, Swift came to a halt, next in their line. She kept a watchful eye on Silver Merlin, in case there was trouble. She did not expect there to be any, though.
 
Brest's gaze had been following her flagship all the way, yet the Aegis could not tell for certain what the girl was thinking. What her expression meant.
 
When the stare went on for several moments more, Swift looked at her pointedly, eyebrow raised.
That got the girl to avert her eyes, expression awkward. "Sorry." She murmured. Though she quickly found another object of interest. Her curious gaze came to rest on Silver Merlin, who had parked herself next to La Plata and last in line.
 
The clan warrior did not shy away from the attention and held Brest's gaze unblinkingly while in the process of raising her Jumpsail.
 
"Has nobody taught you that staring is impolite?" La Plata pointedly questioned.
 
"Sorry. I'm just so curious."
 
Swift stifled a smile. She knew Brest was a good girl and did not mean any harm. Surprise and excitement just seemed to have gotten the better of the corvette.
 
"Why don't you introduce yourself?" La Plata suggested.
 
Realization lit up Brest's features. Straightening she saluted and locked eyes with Silver again. "My name is Brest. I belong to the Fox-class, AFFS Navy."
 
"Silver Merlin, Peregrine-class, Clan Jade Falcon." Her reply was curt. Yet, returning the salute, the green-haired girl took in Brest's battered and bruised form with a frown. "What happened to you?"
 
"Killer Whale missiles." Brest shrugged nonchalantly.
 
The corners of her mouth drawing downwards in distaste, Silver queried. "I have never seen your class before. You must be a new development, quiaff?"
 
"They're both fresh out of the shipyard." La Plata leaned her head in Amber direction.
 
Once more Swift was glad for La Plata's return. The woman being there to reliably take care of proceedings allowed the Aegis to turn her attention to other things. It brought a smile to her face while she tried to reach Zheng over the radio.
 
Silver's eyes narrowed. "You were built like..." She gestured at the two other corvettes' shapes. "This, quineg?"
 
"Of course not, nanodesu." Amber gave their newest addition a look as though she were stupid.
 
"Each of us appeared the same way you did." Swift joined the conversation, hails over the radio remaining unanswered. "And as i said, experienced the same oddities."
 
Accepting Swift's words with a barely audible hum, the clan warrior relaxed.
 
"That would be funny, actually. How would that work, though?" It seemed the thought of fleetmaidens, as Zheng sometimes referred to them, being built in shipyards like regular warships was entertaining to the squadron's Fox.
 
"Would probably involve a magician, nanodesu."
 
"I know you mean that as a joke, but considering our new state?" La Plata made a sweeping motion with an open hand.
 
"Wouldn't be surprised if those turned out to be real after all, nanodesu."
 
Brest paused in thought for a moment, amused expression turning thoughtful. "Curious you say that. The books I've been reading don't go that far, but i can understand how people would come to call something they don't understand magic." She hesitated again. "Now, with us in the picture though...?" She trailed off.
 
"What exactly have you been reading?" Swift sent her curious gaze over Amber head at Brest.
 
"There was nothing i didn't already know in the station's library, aside from what are effectively works on theology." She held up the book she was reading upon their arrival, so Swift could see its title.
 
"The Teachings of Jerome Blake?" La Plata read out the words, brow furrowed in incomprehension, while Swift could feel another headache coming on.
 
Nodding, the girl rambled on, unaware of the pressure her words caused in the flagship's skull. "It's actually interesting. It gives a perspective into how technology became quasi-mystical and an organization effectively turned into a religion over time."
 
"I would use other words than "interesting". Swift was using her two-finger technique again, massaging her temple in a circling motion to ease the tension in her head.
 
"Like?"
 
"Foolish. Purposely ignorant." The words were out of her mouth before Swift could stop herself. "I have seen the rise of that nonsense, and experienced what it has caused since. Back then i could only watch with concern." She paused briefly. "Now i can at least make my opinions on the matter heard."
 
Considering how the other members of her unit were looking at her, they realized that the subject was more touchy for Swift than they had thought.
 
After several moments of awkward silence Brest spoke up hesitantly. "Ahm, i better not mention the book, or its contents, again." She stuffed it back into her uniform's pocket.
 
Immediately Swift felt bad for her miniature rant, and went to reassure the girl. "It is not your fault, Brest. These irrational thoughts rear their heads every time the Word of Blake comes up."
 
Brest did not look convinced, wearing a guilty expression.
 
Swift scrambled mentally to find the right words, so the girl would not blame herself any more. She gave the brunette a look that was meant to convey her intent, expression kind.
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===Mystery of regeneration===
A moment later said expression turned into surprise. With a note of disbelief in her voice, the Aegis queried. "Brest? Aside from La Plata's Black Eagle, those are your dropships next to you, yes?" She pointed at the craft in question.
 
A brief glance at the dropships and the Fox returned her flagship's gaze. The girl was trying to keep a straight face, yet her blue eyes were all but dancing with merriment. "Yup."
 
"I count five." A meaningful pause.
 
"What?" Amber leaned around Swift's frame so she could see her fellow corvette, apparently doing the count herself.
"I saw your Intruder be destroyed by a missile-strike. Yet here it is again, undamaged." Eyes riveted to the dropship in question, Swift blinked several times to make sure she was seeing things right.
 
"How?" Amber voice mirrored how intrigued all fleetmaidens aside from Silver were.
 
A slight smile on Brest's lips gave away her excitement before she answered. "While i was sitting here, reading, i got hungry. Which seemed strange to me since, you know..." She gestured at her non-functional drives legs. "I hadn't used up any fuel or ammo. So i ate." A brief pause. "Then got hungry again a while later. After the third time, i was just reading, my Intruder returned."
 
"Returned how?" Silver was quickest with asking the question, peering at Brest as one would at a particularly odd specimen of xenofauna.
 
"It appeared, docked to its collar." Brest shrugged. "It was just there, from one moment to the next."
 
Silver's mouth was moving but no words were coming out, countenance entirely disbelieving.
 
Swift had to suppress a smile. She doubted the Peregrine would appreciate her amusement with the dumbfounded expression the corvette was wearing.
 
"I know. It makes as much sense as anything else about us." La Plata reached out and placed a hand on the green-haired girl's shoulder next to her. "You'll get used to it, Silver. Heck, you're part of the madness yourself now." The Dart added with an amused smile.
 
Remaining silent, the girl in question answered La Plata's smile with an odd look.
 
"That's good news, nanodesu."
 
Swift very much agreed. She had assumed their destroyed dropships would remain so. Having a way to recover losses made their strategic situation significantly better.
 
La Plata scrutinized Brest's dropships for a moment. "The rest of them aren't looking bad either."
 
"Yup! They're good as new." The brunette was happy to report her discovery.
 
"That is convenient." Swift cupped her chin in thought, mind in flagship-mode again. "Everyone. Once we resupply, pay attention to how long it takes for each of your dropships to be restored to their original state."
 
"Think that mass or size influence how long it takes for them to repair or reappear?" La Plata said what most of them were seemingly thinking as well.
 
"Possible. Like everything else about us, this is a question of cause and effect." Turning to the Fox-class, Swift added. "Brest, i want you to write a report on the observations you have made on the status of your dropships during downtime."
 
"Will do." The absent look the brunette got in her eyes gave away that she had turned her attention inwards, apparently getting onto that report right away.
 
"Who would've thought. Just eat a good meal and everything will be fine, apparently." Sporting a lopsided smile, La Plata shook her head.
 
"No. Not everything." Amber retorted. Her eyes were on the still Brest, jaw set. After several more moments she shifted her gaze to Swift, eyes roaming over the woman's worst damaged bruised and battered areas. "What really matters isn't fine, nanodesu."
 
The reminder made the many aches in Swift's frame flare up. Pushing the discomfort to the back of her mind, the Aegis reassured her young charge. "We will take what we can get. Our aerospace-assets are very important. Having those back to full strength will be worth a lot already."
 
"That means we'll sit here until our DropShips are restored?" La Plata deduced from Swift's words.
 
"I would like to claim that we have one more battle in us." One of the bad hits on the Aegis' back chose that moment to give her a painful twinge. Grimacing, the grey-haired woman continued. "But i would like to avoid that, for now."
 
There was a brief stretch of silence that saw La Plata's Black Eagle, which the woman had lent to Brest before their latest sortie, return to its mothership. Unexpectedly, the mostly quiet Silver Merlin spoke up.
 
"I am not quite sure what to think or if i believe what i just heard." She turned towards Swift, violet eyes serious. "This conversation just now seems like an elaborate joke. Not the first time i have thought that, but this one is extraordinarily ridiculous. Eat food and repair, or outright replace, dropships?" She shook her head, emerald hair swaying behind her.
 
"You mean more ridiculous than warships returning from the dead, in the shape of women? Or supernatural enemies straight out of a horror trivid?" La Plata was projecting patience for the benefit of their newest member, but Swift could see the merriment in the woman's eyes. The Dart was not only easing Silver along with accepting her new nature, but also enjoying it.
 
Brows furrowed, the Peregrine was the very picture of pensive for a moment.
 
"We'll do it like last time, and just show you." La Plata glanced over her shoulder, at their airlock, behind Swift.
 
A familiar crate was floating out of it. Amber, as the closest mobile fleetmaiden, was already in motion to retrieve it. Returning to her parking-spot she held out said box to Brest.
 
"Thanks. I don't need anything." The girl in question held up her hands.
 
"Suit yourself." Amber slid open the crate's lid. Having made her pick of food, she passed it on to the grey-haired flagship next to her.
 
"Is this the doing of our red-haired benefactor?" Swift queried, while she was making her picks. Having taken half a dozen sealed containers of food from the crate, she passed it on to La Plata.
 
Munching on a slice of pizza, Amber nodded in the affirmative. Brest responded at the same time, in a slightly more eloquent manner. "Yeah."
 
"We might need more than that to top up on everything." La Plata remarked while she claimed two of the remaining three meals from the crate.
 
"She's aware, and working on that at the moment. That's why she was gone again so quickly." Brest supplied."Didn't know there would be five of us to feed." Watching her fellow fleetmaidens eat, the Fox seemed to be content, smile upbeat.
 
"That's nice. Very considerate." Offering the one remaining sealed meal to Silver and leaving the now empty crate floating behind her, La Plata hedged. "See how much this does for you."
 
Accepting the plastic container with a thoughtful expression, Silver eventually opened it. Slowly and methodically she went about sampling what appeared to be some kind of noodle-dish.
 
A comfortable silence fell. Food was consumed, and Swift used the lull in conversation to attempt and contact Zheng again. He still did not answer. Which was fine, since there were no pressing matters for once. Sparing a glance at her newest charge, Swift noticed that Silver had gotten over her trepidation and seemed to be enjoying her noodles.
 
"Is the food up to standards, Silver Merlin?" Swift queried. In that moment she realized that she was comfortable speaking in her usual, formal manner with Silver. Other than the two inner-sphere corvettes, who sometimes seemed to think Swift was a little too rigid with how she spoke, the clan-warrior seemed to actually prefer that.
 
Chewing, expression pondering, the Peregrine nodded after a moment and swallowed. "It is good. Different from similar dishes I know, but good."
 
"Aha. She is a good cook." Brest piped up on her acquaintance's behalf and looked towards Amber for confirmation.
 
In the process of chewing her food, the Inazuma returned her friend's gaze with a smile and lifted the chopsticks she now had in her hand as a non-verbal answer.
 
"I thought she was only a courier." Swift took a healthy bite of her own food. To her it looked like something Lyrans would eat, considering the steamed buns. But for the life of her she could not put a name to the dish. Then something occurred to her. "Come to think of it, i do not even know that young woman's name."
 
Inazuma and Fox exchanged a look while La Plata was busy chewing, yet was paying keen attention to the conversation. As the one not in the process of having a meal, Brest answered.
 
"I'll introduce her to you. I got to spend time with her while you were on sortie. She is really ni..." Trailing off mid-sentence, Brest's head whipped around.
 
All other fleetmaidens had done so as well.
 
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===Then someone came to visit===
Too surprised to speak for a moment by what she had sensed, Swift's gaze was locked onto the system's nadir jump point. Someone else recovered faster than she did.
 
"That emergence signature..." Brest muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
 
"Is huge, nanodesu."
 
"Must have been one heck of a misjump. I don't think I've ever seen a signature this large." La Plata was squinting at the dot of light which had appeared at the nadir point.
 
"I would not count on that." Both cruisers raised their eyebrows at Silver's brash words, while Brest looked thoughtful and Amber seemed to project silent approval. The Peregrine elaborated. "You have told me we are at war, that there is an enemy after us. So chances are an unscheduled arrival is an attack instead of an exceedingly rare misjump." The girl had started lowering her jumpsail while she was speaking.
 
"If that contact is hostile, and did not suffer a misjump, then we are in a world of hurt." Swift's gaze was glued to the distant speck of light while their orbit took them behind the planet. She grudgingly admitted that Silver playing devil's advocate was justified.
 
"What are you talking about? No ship is that large or heavy." La Plata, frowning deeply, turned to her old friend. Her sentence had ended in a half question.
 
Silver regarding the dark-haired woman with an odd expression, head tilted to the side, made Swift realize something. She mentally admonished herself for her oversight.
 
Amber spoke up before she could. "There is, nanodesu."
 
The grey-haired woman cut the girl off to rectify her negligence, expression apologetic. "I am sorry La Plata, this is my fault. Being a single mind now makes mistakes more likely. I failed to supply you with information on current classes of warships."
 
"Okay. What are you saying?" The woman cautiously queried.
 
"The SLDF built more than two hundred McKenna-class battleships. Each masses close to two million tons." Swift gave the other woman a moment, since La Plata was looking dumbfounded. "So there are ships with such a large emergence-signature."
 
"And that is just one class. There are more." Silver had her gaze glued to the jump point still, obscured by the planet as it was.
 
Kind as usual, Brest reassured La Plata when the latter seemed entirely dumbfounded. "A lot has happened in half a millennium."
 
The five of them came around the planet again and all eyes were on the jump point.
 
"It is definitely coming our way." Silver finished folding her Jumpsail and turned, preparing to ignite her drives.
 
"Where are you going?" La Plata queried pointedly. She had recovered from her stupor, spurred into performing the role of Swift's right hand the woman seemed to have chosen.
 
"A major warship, presumably enemy, is heading in our direction." Turning back towards the other fleetmaidens, the green-haired girl continued. "There are only two choices. Intercept or flee."
 
"And fleeing is out of the question, nanodesu." Brest's pained expression next to her made Amber add. "Our drives will not be charged before it reaches us."
 
"Or do you want to fight it here, quineg?" Silver's questions and arguments were pointed. She may have looked like a girl, but obviously understood the situation and did not shy away from a confrontation with a superior enemy. One which she might well not survive.
 
Swift would ponder the dichotomy of her young, or not so young, charges at a later point. "I do not want to fight it at all. But if it comes to it we will intercept. Do it away from the station." They would do all they could to keep the monstrous enemy away from the station. Swift never wanted to hear screams like last time ever again.
 
La Plata was giving a Swift a meaningful look. "To buy time for the people on it?" She averted her gaze then, and glanced at the Jan Mayen installation for long moments.
 
"Yes." She tried to raise their liaison again, but still got no answer. She switched tactics and radio-channels. "Mr. Zheng, I hope your noteputer records this message. There is a large unknown contact inbound, presumably hostile capital ship. We will attempt to delay. Get the station's crew into those dropships."
 
"What then though?" Amber expression was tense. "They could outrun this warship for a while." Peering at the approaching contact, she gauged its acceleration. "But unless there's a JumpShip within a single jump from here they will not make it out."
 
"Should..." Brest trailed off for a moment. "Should one of us try to carry those dropships? Amber is much faster than that warship, it looks like." The brunette too spared a glance at the approaching point of light in the distance, before she turned a serious gaze on Swift. "She could put enough distance between herself and that battleship to finish charging her drive and escape with those two dropships."
 
"After what happened to that injured crewman in the escape pod I'd be very hesitant to try that." La Plata disliked the idea. Swift understood her well. "Besides tragic it would also be stupid if all these people escaped the horror of the enemy, only to disappear without a trace once they dock with one of us."
 
Considering for a moment, the Aegis nodded. "Agreed. We will keep that option in mind, but it will be a last resort of a measure."
 
"Why are you planning for defeat? There are five of us and just one of the enemy." Silver looked seriously annoyed.
 
"Under normal circumstances we'd maybe win. But in our state..." Brest trailed off, an expression of woe crossing her face. "A capital ship like that would probably destroy one or two of you on the first pass alone." The brunette was visibly pained by her inability to join battle and do her part.
 
Snorting derisively, Silver retorted. "Such defeatism is unbecoming of a warrior." The Peregrine argued vehemently, prominent frown on her face.
 
Stopping the argument with a raised hand Swift mediated, pale eyes fastened onto the growing dot of light in the distance. "This discussion is moot. We will soon see who is right. Prepare to head out. We will burn onto an intercept-vector with a gravity-assist from Jan Mayen the coming revolution.
 
The members of Blue Squadron prepared themselves. Courses were calculated and fighters fueled and equipped with ammunition.
 
"Here, take three of my dropships. The propulsion on yours doesn't look so good." Gone was the note of melancholy in Brest's voice. She was all business when she directed her aerospace assets into an escort-position around Silver.
 
Holding the Fox' gaze for several moments with an unreadable expression, Silver eventually gave a nod of gratitude. Muttering something about powless, she returned her attention inwards to her fighter-bays.
 
Splitting her remaining two dropships between Amber and Swift, Brest held the latter's gaze for long moments, a pleading look in her blue eyes. "Please be careful."
 
Swift beamed her best reassuring smile at the brunette and hoped it would calm her.
 
"We'll be fine, nanodesu."
 
Hoping that any hypothetical gods were listening to Amber words, Swift got down to business. "Is everyone good to go?"
 
Affirmatives all around, Swift gave the order to launch.
 
The formation of Swift Justice, La Plata, Amber Lotus and Silver Merlin, as well as most of their dropships, used Jan Mayen's gravity as a slingshot to catapult themselves onto an intercept-vector with the unknown contact.
 
Tension was palpable, and conversation was limited to minute corrections in course.
 
The dot of light gradually grew larger, and Swift had to admit that Silver's assessment was on point. There had not been a misjump. The ship in question was just this large. She dreaded facing it in combat, shot up as she was. Yet she could not afford to doubt her decisions. Her hand had been forced, after all.
 
Eventually the distance had shrunk enough for the first details to become discernible. The ship was truly massive, and it was accompanied by four DropShips. An itch of recognition took root at the back of Swift's mind.
 
"I'll be damned. That thing is huge." La Plata's expression was equal measures awe and trepidation.
 
Both corvettes had their eyes on the approaching contact unerringly, frowns so deep they had turned into scowls.
 
A moment later Swift's mind put the hull's features together, and she realized what their visitor was. "That is not a warship."
 
La Plata cast a questioning glance at Swift, then peered intently into the distance again. "I see guns on it though. Granted, fewer than i had expected on such a monster."
 
"Those are merely for defense." Reaching out, the Aegis placed a hand on her old friend's shoulder to get her attention. "That is a Newgrange-class Yardship." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Silver nodding.
"A yardship?" La Plata turned, expression questioning. "Curious."
 
"You can say that again." When the dark-haired woman merely returned her look in incomprehension Swift mentally facepalmed.
 
Luckily Amber came to her rescue again. "I don't know of any faction who has one of these. Not even Comstar or the clans, i think?" Swift and Silver both shook their heads, their attention on the unknown ship again, while Amber muttered. "Don't see any growths or anything else that doesn't belong on the hull."
 
"If nobody is on record for possessing one of these, what is it doing here then? And why is it a big deal?" La Plata's voice was rising in pitch and volume again, which Swift by now recognized as the dark-haired woman being annoyed.
 
"Because if that thing is fully stocked it may be carrying enough spare parts to assemble a destroyer." Swift's answer was as straightforward as it seemed to be mind-boggling to the other cruiser.
 
La Plata's eyebrows were attempting to crawl into her hairline.
 
"Two point three million tons." Amber helpfully supplied.
 
More weary than surprised now, La Plata questioned. "I thought two million tons was the limit the K-F drive could take?"
 
"Leave it to the Star League's scientists and engineers to bend the laws of physics." Amber shrugged, amusement in her dark eyes.
 
Listening to the exchange with a smile on her face, Swift was keeping track of their visitor. She was quickly coming to the conclusion that the ship was not hostile. "I think this is not an ene...."
 
"This is the Swift Justice Naval Star! To the unknown ship en route to Jan Mayen station! Identify yourself or be engaged in battle!" Silver's bellowed words were laced with just as much arrogance as one would expect from a cliché clan-warrior.
 
Both cruisers directed disapproving glances at the green-haired corvette. In La Plata's case she started subconsciously reaching for the girl, before she stopped herself.
 
"Please leave the talking to me." Swift's request was polite, yet the displeased undercurrent in her voice was very obvious.
 
Not acknowledging the reprimand beyond briefly glancing at Swift, Silver returned her attention to observing the ever growing hull of the Newgrange-class ahead of them.
 
"Wonder what this is about, nanodesu." Amber mused, more to herself than anything else. The dark-haired girl's eyes were glued to the massive vessel.
 
A stretch of silence passed, and Swift expected a less than pleased response to reach them any moment, while the comms delay kept shrinking.
 
Then she and, judging by the tension that coiled in their frames, the others made an important realization.
 
That same moment a feminine voice reached them over the radio.
 
//"Well hello dears."\\
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==Chapter Note==
*; Chapter Note from the Author : Took me a long time again to complete even part of chapter 15.I have no idea how writing can be such a struggle while i have so many ideas in my head. Oh well.
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