BSBxKc Chpt 9

==Blue Squadron (Battletech x KanColle(ish) crossover) - Chapter 9 -==
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===Recovery and Next Actions===
System 1339, Deep Periphery
Consciousness gradually returned to the brunette girl. She first stirred, then groaned, eyeslids fluttering open.
 
Swift Justice breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at her young charge.
 
Brest looked up at the Aegis, head resting in the former's lap, bleary blue eyes finding grey.
 
The Fox' expression remained blank. When she did not say anything for several moments too long, concern filled the cruiser's mind. It was banished right after, when recognition lit up the corvette's eyes.
 
"Welcome back to the land of the living." Supporting the girl's back as she sat up with a grunt, the Aegis kept a close eye on her.
 
"Uuugh." Groaning pitifully, the brunette brought a hand to her head. "How long was I out?"
 
"Not all that long, considering." Amber Lotus was in a kneeling position, next to Brest, concern plain to see in her expression. "Are you alright, nanodesu?"
 
"I've been better." Holding a hand in front of her eyes, the Fox moved it back and forth a few times. Squinting, she blinked repeatedly, as if to clear her vision. "Can't see all that well, but if that's all?" The girl shrugged, then winced.
 
"That's not surprising, considering the hit to the command deck you took." La Palatawas wearing a contrite expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't get that last kamikaze. I just lack the weapons to defend against fighters."
 
"Don't worry about it." Gingerly, Brest got back on her feet. She ran a hand over her face, taking stock of the damage her singed eyebrows, fringe, as well as charred skin. Radiating irritation, the Fox noticed that her eyes were stuck in a slightly crossed position.
 
The girl's rasped words were a painful stab to Swift Justice. Acting on instinct, the grey-haired woman hovererd over her with extended arms, as though the Fox could fall down.
 
Before the brunette could straighten up fully, Amber had drawn her into an embrace. Holding on firmly, her face hidden in Brest's hair, the Inazuma lectured. "You need to be more carefully, nanodesu." The girl's voice was strained.
 
"Look who's talking, Ms. "I'll charge into an enemy formation unsupported."" Brestchuckled, with a broad smile. The corvette was apparently in good spirits, despite the beating she had taken.
 
It seemed Amber was too relieved to participate in the argument, good-natured as it was. Swift thought it was remarkable, considering that the draconian had seemed suspicious of Brest, not too long ago.
 
Looking away from the two corvettes, the flagship caught their new acquaintance looking at her.
 
"We have survived." La Plata's brief pause gave the first inkling that the woman felt lost. "What happens now, though?"
 
"Back to the Waystation." The flagship mused with a furrowed brow. Holding the other woman's gaze brought long-buried memories to the forefront of her mind, and Swift got the urge to say things. On reflex, the Aegis turned away. Cupping her chin instead, she regarded her young escorts thoughtfully.
 
"Yes, you should return there quickly." Brestwas in the process of extricating herself from Amber's embrace, yet had seemingly heard.
 
"Don't start with this again. We didn't fight this battle to leave you behind now, unable to maneuver and defenseless, nanodesu." Amber scolded the other corvette, before the flagship could even speak up, the draconian's tone brooking no argument.
 
"Without transit drives-" She pointed at her useless legs. "It'll take me years to reach a safe jump-distance. And even if i eventually make a successful jump. What then?" The girl hesitated, a brief look of sadness and resignation fleeting across her face, before she regained her composure. "I'm useless as a warship, and our adversaries won't be satisfied with taking out just me. A lot of people are still in danger."
 
"Exactly. That's why we need you." Amber went into her fellow's personal space again, and placed the girl's arm over her own shoulders.
 
"What are you doing?" There was irritation in the Fox's voice.
 
"Thinking outside the box." Swift Justice floated closer as well, glad for the opening, and claimed Brest's other arm. She glanced at Amber, giving her an approving smile. "Good idea."
 
"What idea?" Voice rising in pitch, the annoyance the brunette felt was obvious. Swift could not tell if the reason was being crowded, or because the girl could not follow what the other members of Blue Squadron were thinking.
 
"We will help you keep your orientation this way."
 
"Wait. I thought we'd effectively tow her like that?" The surprise in Amber's query was plain to hear. 
 
Shaking her head, the grey-haired woman responded carefully. "Even if Brest were undamaged, i would not dare place that kind of stress on her hull." For a moment she got a thoughtful look again. "Girls, what are your least damaged DropShips?"
 
Both corvettes took the non-sequitur in stride.
 
"My Union is good to go still, nanodesu."
 
"Aside from a few scratches, my Fortress is fine."
 
"Good. Now bear with me." Both corvettes' eyebrows hiked high onto their foreheads, as the Aegis explained her intent, while La Palata was staring at her like she had grown another head. At the end of it though, the girls were nodding, and went about putting the daring plan into action.
 
Amber and Brestwere both carefully directing their respective DropShip at the latter's rear feet. They were about to find out if what Swift Justice intended was possible.
"Almost there." Slowly, Brestwas steering her Fortress' front into one of her destroyed drives' thrusters. Lightly making contact with the DropShip's armored hull, she looked up. "Ready."
 
Exchanging nods, Swift encouraged. "Go for it."
 
Following up on the cruiser's words, Brest fired up the DropShip's powerful engines. They pushed the Fortress forward, into her thruster. After a few moments of bending steel, the forwards-motion stopped. The dropship cut its propulsion, firmly wedged against the ruined drive the sole of Brest's shoe.
 
"Seems to be working, for now." Surprise was plain to hear in the Fox's voice.
 
"Let's see if mine can survive as well, nanodesu." Her already tense expression becoming even more strained, the Inazuma carefully increased thrust on her Union.
 
Moments later it was done, and both DropShips were jammed in place.
 
"Now for the second part. I will give you a countdown, after which you two need to synchronize the thrust of your DropShips. Otherwise we will spin off-course." The grey-haired woman did not dare think of success before she had it in her grasp.
 
Blue Squadron's escorts exchanged a look, and turned to Swift expectantly.
 
"On three." Swift began to count.
 
When the time came to ignite the DropShips' engines, Amber and Swift had to grasp Brestfirmly. As was to be expected, the two corvettes first had to figure out how to achieve the same thrust with two different classes of Dropship. Eventually the two evened out, and no more torsion-forces tried to spin Brest off-course. She was gradually gaining velocity.
 
"It's actually working." Carefully optimistic, Brest lowered her head and chuckled.
 
Swift did as well, once she followed the girl's eyes. To her new senses it looked like Brest was wearing rocket-boots, the exhaust-flames from the DropShips' engines combining with the angle, to create the illusion.
 
"I don't even know what to say to that. Has the galaxy gone mad, or is it just me?" Breaking free of her stupor, La Palata found her voice again. Her expression was incredulous, to say the least.
 
"In our new forms, we are more than what we used to be. After a while it doesn't seem so strange any more." Brest lightly retorted. The girl was, with the assistance of Swift and Amber, carefully executing a turn.
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===A new Ally, Parting Company===
"Huh." Blinking a few times, the Dart-class visibly shifted mental gears. "Since we are not under attack by...whatever these are, any more." She pointed at the cloud of wreckage their battle had produced, as it continued on its orbit around the block of ice below them. "Would someone please be so kind, and explain to me what's going on?" Pointing at Brest, then Amber, she continued. "I know where you two hail from, but i don't know what classes you belong to." Her gaze came to rest on Swift. "While i know what class you are, i have never seen the markings you bear."
 
The woman's tone, and choice of words, was polite. Yet the Aegis could sense, and emphasis with, La Plata's need for answers.
 
"I think formal introductions are in order, nanodesu?" With most of the Inazuma's attention on Brest, Amber sounded a bit distracted.
 
"I'd appreciate that." Placing a hand over where a human's heart would be, the tanned woman took the first step. "I'm La Plata, of the Terran Alli... the Terran Hegemony Navy, Dart-class."
 
Swift noticed the sideways glances her charges gave her, when the cruiser mentioned her origin. Leaving it be for the moment, she also chose not to comment on it, or the woman's repeated misstep. Instead, she went about introducing the members of Blue Squadron.
 
"We are Blue Squadron, an international formation of warships. Our task, under Star League mandate, is to thwart the advance of an, as of yet, unknown enemy." With her hands occupied, the grey-haired woman tilted her head at the corvette next to her. "This is Brest, Federated Suns Navy."
 
Slipping her arm out of Amber's grasp, the girl in question gave a brief wave, and smiled politely. "I belong to the Fox-class."
 
"Next is Amber Lotus, DCMS Admiralty."
 
"Third of the Inazuma-class. Nice to meet you." The girl glanced to the side, connecting her eyes to La Plata's. Holding the woman's gaze briefly, the draconian returned her attention to her damaged friend.
 
"And lastly, plain old I. Swift Justice, ComGuards."
 
"That's a bunch of terms i haven't heard before." Searching the Aegis' eyes, La Palata matched the direction and speed of the other warships. Swift used the brief pause to think up a summary that would satisfy the woman. She wanted to put the Dart at ease, yet also knew the other woman would not like what she was about to say.
 
"We will answer your questions. It may just be that initially, those will cause more questions."
 
Regarding the Aegis with a piercing look, La Palata prompted. "I'm all ears."
 
Taking a deep breath, Swift started into a conversation she knew would be unpleasant. "I am afraid i cannot offer many answers about our changed state. We are new to this ourselves, and have been figuring things out as we go. You have basically seen what is going on already." Gesturing down at herself, the Aegis continued. "We are still ourselves, yet different. More than we were before. As for the why, i do not know. But." She made a sweeping motion towards the remains of the enemy. With growing distance, the wrecks were starting to become mere specks of light, which blended in with the background of distant stars. "I do know that we are the only ones capable of fighting this new foe."
 
"How so?"
 
"They somehow mess with people's heads, and electronics too, over huge distances." Brest took over for the moment. "I call it their fear-aura. You should have heard the screams." A shudder visibly ran through the girl's frame.
 
"Wha....that doesn't make any sense." A raised eyebrow made the Dart's skepticism plain to see.
 
"I said that too, nanodesu!"
 
Leaning forward to look past the other corvette's head, Swift gave Amber a disapproving glance.
 
"Yet it is something we have to deal with. And why we need to return to Waystation 135 as quickly as possible. The people there are undefended."
 
Briefly mulling things over in her mind, the Dart spoke again. "Mind if i tag along? Traveling in a group seems like a good idea, considering." She briefly glanced at the site of the battle again. "Assuming where you are headed takes me closer to home."
 
Both corvettes pointedly looked at Swift. The grey-haired woman had not been looking forward to this moment. She took a steadying breath and looked La Palatain the eye.
 
"I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But the home you knew is gone." And it pained Swift greatly. Somehow, saying the words out loud made it more real.
 
A frown settled on La Plata's features. "If this is supposed to be a joke, it's not funny."
 
The Aegis chuckled humorlessly. "I wish it were not true either, believe me. But the Hegemony is no more."
 
Her gaze was so intense, the dark-haired woman's eyes seemed to pierce through the other cruiser. "For almost two centuries I served, to protect the Hegemony. And now you want to tell me that it's gone?"
 
"Unfortunately, yes." Heaving a tired sigh, Swift's shoulders sagged, and her gaze dropped away from La Plata's. After all this time, it still hurt.
 
Several emotions fleeted across the tanned woman's features, before her green eyes hardened again. "I don't believe you."
 
"It's true." Brest pitched in, regarding the Dart with a sympathetic expression. Amber nodded in affirmation.
 
"I won't believe it until i see it for myself." Denial was plain to hear in the woman's voice, gaze going from Brest to Amber, then back.
 
"There are archives on Waystation 135. And you can send a message to whoever you like, and request confirmation."
 
After holding the Fox' gaze for a moment longer, La Palataexhaled. Her expression fell, and she hunched over slightly. "How?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
 
Swift pulled herself together and took the reigns again. She made a mental note to thank the girls for their support, later.
 
"As is so often the case. Corruption, ambition, jealousy, greed." She shook her head, expression melancholically resigned.
 
"You mentioned archives." Looking up again, the Dart queried. "I had guessed i had been out for a while. How long?"
 
"What is the last thing you can recall?" Usually, Swift would be excited to know, to either support or contradict her hypothesis on their origin. Not now, though.
 
"Going back to the shipyard, to be scrapped." She paused in recollection. "Before the dawn of the 26th century. I remember powering down my systems, going to sleep." Blinking, the woman returned to the present. "And the next moment i was here."
 
Astonishment was plain to see on both corvettes' faces. It made the dark-haired woman uncertain. "What is it?"
 
"Half a millennium has passed since then. They are too stunned to speak, because such a timespan is hard to imagine for them." Swift filled the silence, glancing at her escorts. "Both of them are merely a year old."
 
The revelation made La Plata's eyes go wide. She gazed past the other fleetmaidens, murmuring. "Five hundred years, gone by in the blink of an eye."
 
Lips pressed into a thin line, the Fox-class looked up to her flagship unhappily. The girl's instinctive urge to help was endearing, despite - or maybe because - she was in such bad shape. By far the worst of them all.
 
"What do i do now, then? What good for is a warship without a nation?" La Plata's voice was laced with despondence.
 
Swift was about to extend an invitation to her fellow cruiser, to join the ComGuards, when Brest beat her to the punch.
 
 "You could join the SLDF." The girl's tone was enthusiastic, intended to lift the lost woman's spirits.
 
"I don't even know what that is." La Plata's demeanor was one of exhaustion.
 
"Star League Defense Force. It would make sense." Amber Lotus unexpectedly pitched in. "To make a very long story short. The original Star League was ruled by House Cameron. It's not the same, of course, but today's SLDF is the closest thing to the Hegemony Navy you'll find, nanodesu."
 
"You do not need to decide now what to join, if anything at all." Swift added quickly. "You have enough weighing on you, without having pressure put on you. We will bring you up to speed, so you can make an informed decision."
 
Swift sent a reassuring smile at her fellow cruiser. She dearly wanted the woman to take their invitation, yet a small voice at the back of her mind cautioned the Aegis. It would not be right to try and influence La Palata in a state of vulnerability. "It will take a while though. You can imagine that a lot has happened in fifty decades."
 
Nodding, the Dart looked away, expression thoughtful.
 
Giving the other woman time to think, the flagship went into an operations-mindset again. She judged the distance they had covered, since having gotten Brest moving. An unhappy frown marred her features.
 
"Damage report. What is your status?" She was all business again.
 
The brunette girl, next to Swift, opened her mouth to answer. The Aegis preempted her with a smile. "Not you Brest. I can see your condition."
 
Pouting in mock annoyance, the corvette in question looked away with a huff.
 
Appreciative of Bresttrying to lift the mood with her theatralia, Swift Justice made a memo to herself, to reward the corvette somehow. In their new forms, morale was maybe more important than ever before.
 
"Moderate damage. I took a few big hits, lost two of my NACs, but my main weapons work. I am clear for action, nanodesu." Amber downplaying the damage she had taken was commendable, yet Swift could see through the white lie. The Inazuma's uniform sported even more tears and scorch-marks than before. Most significantly, there were three parallel rents in the fabric on the girl's back, the skin beneath it scratched and raw. The Quixote had gotten her with that whip-arm, after all. Even worse was the jagged hole in the draconian's shoulder. Courtesy of the Quixote's heavy guns, Swift winced when she realized she could actually see through it.
 
"How about you?" Brest, ever caring, turned the question around on Swift.
 
Deciding not to mince her words, the cruiser gave the short of it. "That ghost-woman shot at me a lot. I lost a number of guns, got my armor crumpled in a few places, but am mostly fine. Thank you for asking." Again, the grey-haired woman had to resist the urge to tussle the girl's brown locks, temptingly close as they were.
 
"I'm sorry. Some of that is my fault." Gaze fixated on Swift's side, where several holes were burned into the woman's uniform, Amber was wearing a contrite expression.
 
"Do not worry about it." Reaching down, the Aegis rubbed the spot in question. "That Dropship needed to go, before it could suicide into Brest." She paused a moment, then smiled brightly. "At least it was your Large Lasers instead of the PPCs."
 
Amber's expression became a tight smile. Apparently the girl did not find Swift's joke all that funny. After a moment more, something occurred to the draconian, though, and she turned to Brest. "Speaking of. What did you do to those things? Why were they so determined to give you the Tyra Miraborg treatment?"
 
"Don't know." A shrug. "I didn't insult their mothers, if that's what you mean."
 
"What ghost-woman?" La Plata's voice was almost too quiet to be heard.
 
"Pardon. Come again?"
 
"What ghost-woman?" The Dart repeated, voice getting stronger.
 
"Before you arrived, we faced a Quixote-class." Swift exhaled and continued. "The first enemy warship we encountered, it is responsible for Brest's damage. And..." Her expression turned sour. "She was like we are. A Warship, but also a woman. Though, she looked like a ghost, all pale as snow. Her expression never changed, and she did not say anything either, until the very end." The reminder of the frigate made the fleetmaidens uneasy.
 
"That's...peculiar."
 
"Mhmmm." Brest hummed in agreement.
 
"Where did she go? I'd like to see for myself."
 
"She's gone." La Plata's questioning look made Amber elaborate. "She chose certain death over being captured. Jumped away without a viable jump-point, but with a cracked-open K-F core, nanodesu."
 
Disbelievingly, the dark-haired woman whispered. "Madness."
 
"That describes our foes pretty well." Brestquipped.
 
Straightening up, the light cruiser locked eyes with Swift. "That decides it. I want to join up with you, if only to figure out the mystery of this unknown foe."
 
Smiling with relief, the Aegis released Brest's arm and extended her hand. La Palataclasped it without hesitation. "You will not regret your decision."
 
"Yes. If anything, you will become more certain, once i show you what we have seen on a space station these things attacked." Brestwas vocal in her approval, while Amber merely nodded.
 
"I do not know as what yet, we can decide that later. But La Plata, consider yourself provisionally commissioned." Swift released the woman's hand, after a last shake. "Welcome to Blue Squadron."
 
"Thanks for having me." The Dart turned forwards and fell silent again, her mind noticeably occupied.
 
Silence reigned for a while, during which the four travelled at the best speed the two dropships could push Brestthrough space. Eventually Swift spoke up again.
 
"La Plata, would you mind taking Amber's place?"
 
Getting a look from the corvette in question, the flagship elaborated. "We are not exactly fast, and our base of operations is undefended."
 
Realization lit up the draconian's eyes for a moment, then her expression became conflicted. It was obvious to Swift that, on the one hand, the girl wanted to keep the people on 135 safe. On the other, she did not want to leave her friend's side.
 
"I can do that." Confirming, the Dart floated closer to the clumped up fleetmaidens, and looked at Amber expectantly.
 
For her part, the Inazuma glanced at the girl next to her uncertainly. She did not relinquish her hold until the latter shooed her away, in a self-deprecating tone. "Go on, i'll be just as slow without you."
 
Wearing an exasperated smile, Amber shook her head slightly and turned, to dash off. She spun around when Swift placed a hand on her shoulder.
 
"Take this action report to Zheng as soon as you can." The cruiser handed the girl a noteputer. "And take my Union with you." Swift directed said DropShip to follow her escort.
 
"Both of my Black Eagles are in better condition." La Palata eyed Swift's dropship critically. "Do you want one of them instead?"
 
"No. Keep them where they are, in case we get more company."
 
"Alright, then I'm off." Amber crouched and looked like she was about to sprint away, when her flagship's chuckle made her look back again.
 
"Let me rephrase that. Take the action report to Zheng in a timely fashion. No need to sprint, i can see your propulsion is damaged. Go at a leisurely pace. It is still fast for most others." The grey-haired woman's expression growing serious, she added in a low voice. "In case there is an attack by a superior force, i want you to run. Do you understand?"
 
Wearing an unreadable expression, Amber returned her flagship's intense gaze for a moment. "Affirmative, nanodesu." With a last wave at Brest, which the brunette returned with a thumbs up, the Inazuma took off.
 
Swift just hoped the girl would heed her order, if it really came to it.
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*; Chapter Note from the Author : This chapter grew excessively - again - and i had to break it into two parts.
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