Aster had always believed that teaching somebody how to operate naval rigging would be an enjoyable experience.
In her imagination, there had been a great many satisfying moments.
She would demonstrate a maneuver.
Her students would watch in admiration.
They would attempt to reproduce it, perhaps make one or two understandable mistakes, and gradually improve beneath her patient instruction.
Eventually, they would thank her for imparting such valuable knowledge.
Possibly someone would call her an excellent teacher.
Possibly someone would write that down.
She hadn't decided whether to insist upon a certificate.
What she had not imagined was standing in the shallows of Horizon Atoll's training lagoon while a Yamato-class battleship girl shouted at her own legs.
"WHY WON'T YOU TURN?"
Aster closed her eyes.
Behind her, a seagull cried.
It sounded judgmental.
She opened her eyes again.
"Riko."
"WHAT?"
"Your legs aren't the problem!"
"THEN WHAT IS?"
"You're trying to turn the entire rigging assembly like it's a bicycle!"
Riko Minase looked down.
Heavy battleship equipment surrounded her body.
Her Yamato-class rigging had been fitted and adjusted to accommodate her real-world proportions, which were rather less imposing than the tall character design she had originally created.
The resulting machinery was substantial.
Very substantial.
Armored support structures were secured around her waist and upper body. Large naval gun mounts rose behind her shoulders on mechanically supported frames, while reinforced buoyancy and propulsion assemblies extended along either side of her legs.
The equipment was heavy enough that proper balance mattered.
When she moved, the machinery moved with her.
When she turned, its mass had to follow.
And when she attempted to change direction with all the enthusiasm of somebody steering a shopping trolley through a crowded supermarket, the water had some extremely pointed objections.
Riko tried again.
She leaned left.
The rigging began turning.
Then she shifted her weight too aggressively.
One of the enormous support frames swung outward.
Her balance changed.
Her feet slid across the surface.
She windmilled her arms.
"Oh, no."
Aster watched.
Riko looked toward her.
"Aster?"
Aster sighed.
"Yes?"
"I have made a mistake."
"Yes."
"A considerable one."
"Yes."
"Can you help?"
Aster looked toward the enormous battleship girl tilting sideways.
Then toward her own comparatively modest Fletcher-class rigging.
She considered several options.
None seemed especially attractive.
Finally, she raised her radio.
"Training Control, this is Aster. Requesting the safety launch move closer to the southern marker."
A voice answered through her headset.
"Copy, Aster. Is there a problem?"
Aster watched Riko continue tilting.
"Nothing catastrophic."
Riko made a wounded sound.
"YET!"
Aster sighed.
"Possible balance assistance required."
"Understood. Safety launch moving."
Riko looked toward the approaching utility boat.
Then toward Aster.
"I don't need a boat."
"Wonderful."
"I can fix it."
"Excellent."
Riko shifted again.
Her rigging groaned.
Aster raised one hand.
"Riko."
"What?"
"Stop moving."
Riko froze.
For a moment, she appeared to be considering whether she could simply refuse gravity through force of personality.
Then the rigging settled.
The support structures stabilized.
She slowly straightened.
There was a long silence.
Aster looked at her.
Riko looked back.
Then Aster smiled.
"See?"
Riko exhaled.
"...Yes."
"Was that difficult?"
"Extremely."
"Good."
"GOOD?"
Aster grinned.
"Now you know what not to do."
Riko stared.
Then closed her eyes.
"I hate this lesson."
"You're learning so much!"
"Mostly about suffering!"
"That's education!"
A familiar laugh sounded from the other side of the training markers.
Both girls turned.
Yuna stood several dozen meters away, her Illustrious-class carrier rigging resting comfortably against the water.
She had been watching the entire exchange.
And enjoying it.
Considerably.
"Sorry," Yuna said.
Riko pointed toward her.
"YOU'RE NOT SORRY!"
Yuna smiled.
"No."
Aster nodded solemnly.
"At least she's honest."
Riko stared at both of them.
Then sighed.
"I should have picked a destroyer."
Aster's grin widened.
"Oh, you'd love that."
Riko narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
"Because then you'd have absolutely no excuse when you crashed into something."
Yuna started laughing again.
Riko looked toward the sky.
The seagull cried.
She slowly raised one hand.
"I'm beginning to understand why battleships have anti-aircraft guns."
Aster gasped.
"Riko!"
"What?"
"Leave the bird alone!"
"It's mocking me!"
"Everyone's mocking you!"
"THAT DOESN'T HELP!"
The safety launch slowed beside the training marker.
Its operator leaned out of the cabin.
"Everything all right?"
Riko turned toward him.
"Perfectly!"
Aster nodded.
"Very educational morning."
The operator looked at the enormous battleship rigging.
Then at the three girls.
Then toward the nearest pier.
He considered asking what had happened.
Instead, he sighed.
"Try not to sink anything."
Riko looked offended.
Aster gave him a thumbs-up.
"No promises!"
The operator closed his eyes.
The seagull cried again.
And the first formal morning of Keelborn maneuvering instruction at Horizon Atoll continued exactly as professionally as everyone had feared.
The training lagoon had been chosen carefully.
That was something Aster genuinely appreciated.
Horizon Atoll possessed plenty of open water, but much of it was unsuitable for inexperienced Keelborn. Some approaches were shallow, others were cluttered with abandoned infrastructure, and several old maintenance channels had not been properly surveyed in years.
Nobody wanted a Yamato-class battleship girl discovering an underwater obstruction by putting several hundred tons' worth of equivalent naval machinery against it.
Especially not before lunch.
The station's harbor personnel had therefore designated a sheltered section of the inner lagoon for initial maneuvering exercises. The area had been checked for navigational hazards, a temporary safety perimeter had been established, and the participating Keelborn were required to undergo equipment inspections before entering the water.
No live ammunition was permitted.
All torpedoes remained in storage.
Main-gun firing mechanisms were secured.
The training focused entirely on movement, balance, propulsion control, communications, and emergency procedures.
It was not exciting by the standards of a naval combat trailer.
Aster thought it was wonderful.
Because, unlike Riko, Aster possessed enough beta experience to understand just how embarrassing it could be to lose control of one's equipment in front of twenty people.
She had spent weeks learning those lessons.
Now she had the opportunity to pass them on.
Preferably without repeating them.
She stood near the center of the training area, her Fletcher-class rigging fitted securely around her waist and back.
The familiar red ribbon sat atop her natural dark hair, fluttering in the breeze.
Her uniform retained the short skirt she had chosen during character creation. She had considered changing it after the Crisis, particularly once she'd discovered that ocean spray was colder and more uncomfortable than any simulated sensation had suggested.
Unfortunately, she liked the outfit.
It was hers.
She had designed it.
And she was not going to let a little inconvenience dictate her entire wardrobe.
Besides, the skirt worked well enough with her rigging's support structures.
Most of the Keelborn she'd met wore skirts of one sort or another.
Some short.
Some longer.
Some paired with fitted shorts or additional protective layers.
Some with armored overskirts integrated into the rigging.
There were practical differences depending on the equipment and personal preference, but skirts were extremely common among naval girls.
Aster hadn't given that much thought during the beta.
After the Crisis, she had begun giving it considerably more thought.
Especially after reading certain Blackwake hazard advisories.
She decided not to dwell on those at the moment.
There were more immediate problems.
Like Riko.
"All right," Aster announced. "Let's try something easier."
Riko folded her arms.
"Thank goodness."
"Straight-line acceleration."
Riko blinked.
"That's easier?"
"Yes!"
Yuna approached from the northern marker.
Her Illustrious-class rigging was considerably different from Riko's battleship equipment. The carrier possessed broad flight-deck structures supported by reinforced frames, aviation machinery integrated into the assembly, and buoyancy systems designed around the weight and operational demands of her naval class.
Aster had asked Yuna to leave her aircraft secured.
There would be plenty of time to test aviation operations once they had completed the basic movement evaluations.
For now, moving safely was a sufficiently ambitious goal.
Yuna smiled.
"How far?"
Aster pointed toward a pair of floating markers.
"From here to those buoys. Controlled acceleration, steady course, then reduce speed before the turning marker."
Riko looked toward the course.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"No complicated maneuvers?"
"Not yet."
"No sudden turns?"
"Definitely not."
Riko brightened.
"Excellent."
Aster raised one finger.
"But!"
Riko sighed.
"Of course there's a but."
"You need to understand how quickly your equipment responds."
She pointed toward Riko's enormous rigging.
"Your acceleration isn't going to feel like mine. Your stopping distance isn't going to be the same either."
Riko nodded.
"Right."
"And your turning circle is going to be much larger."
"Yes."
"And if you try to reverse direction by throwing your whole body sideways again, I'm going to personally ask the repair department to install training wheels."
Riko stared.
Yuna burst out laughing.
Aster grinned.
"Understood?"
Riko raised one finger.
"Question."
"Yes?"
"Can battleships actually have training wheels?"
Aster opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
She considered it.
Yuna covered her face.
Finally, Aster answered.
"Don't give Hana ideas."
Riko nodded solemnly.
"Fair."
The three girls moved toward the starting markers.
Yuna went first.
She adjusted her equipment carefully, following the procedure they'd rehearsed ashore.
Her carrier rigging responded with a low mechanical hum.
The buoyancy structures settled.
Then she began moving.
Slowly.
Smoothly.
Without unnecessary corrections.
Aster watched with interest.
"Good."
Yuna kept her eyes ahead.
"Thank you."
"Hold that speed."
"All right."
"Now increase slightly."
Yuna complied.
Her wake broadened.
The equipment accelerated.
She remained balanced.
Aster nodded.
"Very good."
Yuna approached the first marker.
Then reduced power.
The carrier equipment slowed.
She made a wide, controlled turn.
Completed the maneuver.
And returned along the marked course.
Aster smiled.
"Excellent!"
Yuna looked pleased.
"Really?"
"Yes."
She glanced toward Riko.
"See? That's how you do it."
Riko stared.
Then folded her arms.
"She's cheating."
Aster blinked.
"How?"
"She's naturally graceful."
Yuna laughed.
"That's not cheating."
"It should be."
Aster sighed.
"Riko."
"What?"
"Your turn."
The Yamato-class girl straightened.
"Right."
She moved toward the starting marker.
Her enormous rigging followed with a low metallic rumble.
The support structures settled into their proper positions.
The machinery hummed.
Riko took a breath.
Then looked toward Aster.
"Ready."
Aster nodded.
"All right. Bring the propulsion up gradually."
Riko complied.
The battleship began moving.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Then the propulsion response increased.
Her wake broadened.
The equipment settled into a steady forward movement.
Riko's eyes widened.
"Oh!"
Aster smiled.
"Good."
Riko glanced down.
Then forward.
"I'm doing it!"
"Yes!"
"I'm actually doing it!"
"Yes!"
Yuna clapped.
"Well done!"
Riko grinned.
The enormous battleship rigging moved along the marked course.
For a moment, everything was perfect.
Then Riko remembered that she was supposed to reduce speed before the turning marker.
Unfortunately, she remembered rather late.
"Oh."
Aster's smile disappeared.
"Riko."
The battleship girl looked toward the approaching buoy.
"...Oh."
"Reduce power."
"I AM!"
"Gradually!"
"WHAT DOES GRADUALLY MEAN WHEN THE BUOY IS RIGHT THERE?"
Aster closed her eyes.
Yuna pressed a hand against her mouth.
Riko's equipment began slowing.
The huge support structures resisted the change.
Her forward momentum continued carrying her toward the marker.
She leaned backward.
Aster raised both hands.
"Don't fight the rigging!"
"I'M NOT!"
"You're fighting it!"
"IT STARTED!"
The Yamato-class girl swept past the buoy.
The marker rocked violently in her wake.
Riko finally stopped several meters beyond it.
There was a long silence.
Aster stared.
Yuna stared.
Riko looked over her shoulder.
The buoy was still floating.
Intact.
Completely unharmed.
She exhaled.
"Ha."
Aster raised an eyebrow.
"Ha?"
Riko smiled.
"Didn't hit it."
Yuna began laughing.
Aster slowly lowered her head.
"Oh, no."
Riko folded her arms proudly.
"Perfect maneuver."
"That was not a perfect maneuver!"
"Did I hit the buoy?"
"No."
"Then I see no problem."
Aster looked toward the safety launch.
The operator had lowered his binoculars.
He was staring at them with the exhausted expression of somebody witnessing the early stages of a very long career.
Aster raised one hand.
"Everything's fine!"
The operator slowly shook his head.
Riko grinned.
Yuna laughed.
And the lesson continued.
By late morning, Riko had improved.
Considerably.
She could now accelerate without unexpectedly discovering the limits of her own balance.
She had learned to begin slowing before reaching a marker instead of after passing it.
She could maintain a steady course without making unnecessary corrections.
Her turns remained wide.
Very wide.
But they were increasingly controlled.
Aster considered that genuine progress.
Yuna, meanwhile, had developed a talent for maintaining formation.
She could follow a designated course, adjust her speed, and hold a reasonable separation without constantly staring at her instruments.
Her carrier equipment was still new to her, and its aviation systems remained untested in the water, but basic handling was becoming less frightening.
Aster was pleased.
Very pleased.
She was so pleased, in fact, that she made a serious mistake.
She began feeling confident.
"All right!" she announced. "Next lesson!"
Riko looked suspicious.
"What?"
"Following a lead ship."
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Yuna smiled.
"Formation movement?"
"Exactly."
Riko folded her arms.
"Sounds simple."
Aster grinned.
"It can be."
Yuna raised an eyebrow.
"Or?"
"Or you discover that the person in front of you is an idiot."
Riko immediately turned.
"ASTER!"
Aster laughed.
"I'm not talking about you!"
"YOU WERE LOOKING AT ME!"
"Coincidence!"
Yuna giggled.
Aster adjusted her radio.
"Training Control, Aster. Beginning low-speed formation exercise. Three Keelborn participating."
The controller answered.
"Copy. Safety launch remains on station. Keep inside the marked training perimeter."
"Understood."
She lowered the handset.
Then turned toward her friends.
"Right. I'll lead. Yuna follows me. Riko follows Yuna."
Riko looked offended.
"Why am I last?"
Aster smiled.
"Because you're a battleship."
"And?"
"And if you forget to stop, I'd rather you weren't directly behind me."
Yuna burst out laughing.
Riko stared.
Then slowly pointed at Aster.
"That was mean."
"Educational."
"Mean."
"Very educational."
Riko sighed.
"Fine."
The three moved into position.
Aster accelerated first.
Her Fletcher-class rigging responded quickly, its relatively compact machinery allowing her to make small adjustments without the enormous inertia of Riko's battleship equipment.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Yuna followed at a comfortable distance.
Riko moved behind her.
The formation wasn't perfect.
But it was recognizable.
Aster smiled.
"Good. Hold spacing."
Yuna nodded.
"All right."
Riko raised her radio.
"How much spacing?"
Aster heard her through the receiver.
"Enough that you can stop without turning Yuna into a decorative harbor feature."
There was a pause.
Then Riko answered.
"That's very specific."
"Important detail."
"I feel attacked."
Yuna's voice joined the channel.
"Please don't attack me with a battleship."
Aster laughed.
"See? Excellent communication."
Riko sighed over the radio.
"I hate both of you."
They continued moving.
The lagoon was beautiful.
Sunlight glittered across the water.
The inner reefs formed pale turquoise patches beneath the surface.
Beyond the training markers, the old coastal batteries stood among palm trees, their concrete structures slowly being inspected and restored by the station's engineers.
The western loading district was busy.
Senko's equipment remained on its maintenance platform.
Breakwater stood at anchor beyond the deep-water berths.
A few small boats crossed between the piers.
Everything looked peaceful.
Aster smiled.
For several minutes, she guided the formation through gentle course changes.
Yuna followed smoothly.
Riko managed the turns with only a few complaints.
Then Aster demonstrated a controlled reduction in speed.
The formation slowed.
She adjusted her propulsion.
Looked toward Yuna.
"Good!"
Yuna smiled.
"Thanks!"
Then Aster began explaining the next maneuver.
"All right. Now, the important thing about reversing direction is—"
A metallic clunk sounded beneath her right-side rigging.
Aster stopped speaking.
Her equipment jolted.
Not violently.
Only enough to send an unpleasant vibration through the attached support frame.
Something had struck the underside of her starboard buoyancy assembly.
Aster blinked.
She looked down.
For one extraordinary second, her mind supplied the most obvious explanation.
Oh, for the love of—
She slowly closed her eyes.
Please don't be a bollard.
It was an absurd hope.
They were in open water.
There were no pier bollards anywhere nearby.
The nearest one was several hundred meters away.
But Aster had developed an unfortunate relationship with stationary maritime objects, and she was no longer willing to trust geography.
She looked down.
The water was clear enough to reveal part of a dark shape beneath the surface.
Round.
Metallic.
Partially covered in weed.
Aster frowned.
"That's not a bollard."
Yuna heard her.
"What?"
Aster leaned slightly.
The shape rolled beneath the disturbed water.
A short metal horn protruded from its side.
Another was bent.
The outer casing was dark, pitted, and covered in a slick material that looked disturbingly unlike ordinary marine growth.
For a moment, Aster didn't understand what she was seeing.
Then she noticed the seams.
The circular plates.
The small holes around the lower casing.
And something beneath the weed that resembled a tightly coiled length of black rubber.
Her blood turned cold.
"...Oh."
Yuna's smile disappeared.
"Aster?"
Aster didn't answer.
She stared down at the object.
A shape she'd seen in beta briefings.
A shape she'd seen in screenshots.
A shape she remembered from Blackwake hazard reports.
A mine.
Not an ordinary naval mine.
A Blackwake mine.
And she'd just hit it.
Aster did not move.
That was the first sensible thing she'd done in several seconds.
Her hands remained exactly where they were, resting against her rigging's control grips. The starboard propulsion assembly hummed softly beneath her.
The object floated just below the surface.
Black.
Round.
Wrong.
Aster stared at the small openings around its lower half.
Nothing emerged.
The seams remained closed.
The bent horn moved gently with the current.
A few bubbles drifted past.
Her mouth went dry.
"Aster?"
Yuna's voice came from behind her.
Aster raised one hand.
Very slowly.
"Don't move closer."
Yuna stopped immediately.
Riko, farther back, looked confused.
"What?"
Aster kept her eyes on the mine.
"Nobody move closer."
The cheerfulness in her voice had disappeared completely.
Yuna noticed.
So did Riko.
The battleship girl looked toward the dark shape beneath Aster.
Her expression changed.
"...Is that what I think it is?"
Aster swallowed.
"Yes."
Yuna's face drained of color.
"A mine?"
Aster nodded.
"Blackwake."
There was a terrible silence.
The waves moved around them.
A seagull cried overhead.
Aster hated the bird for choosing that particular moment to remain cheerful.
She looked toward the mine again.
Still nothing.
That was good.
Probably.
It was also deeply suspicious.
She remembered the hazard descriptions.
Blackwake naval mines did not always behave like the simple explosive obstacles used by ordinary fleets. Some incorporated organic structures, movement-sensitive mechanisms, and grasping appendages that could seize passing vessels or Keelborn before detonating.
The particularly unpleasant examples had earned names that Aster considered unsuitable for civilized conversation.
She remembered a beta recording in which a destroyer girl had been dragged halfway beneath the surface after a set of black tendrils wrapped around her rigging.
The girl had eventually escaped.
Her equipment had been damaged.
Her uniform had required replacement.
And the recording had circulated among players who apparently possessed far too much free time and remarkably poor judgment.
Aster had not enjoyed watching it then.
She enjoyed remembering it considerably less now.
Especially because the game had become real.
She looked down at her own skirt.
Then toward the mine.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
She had no intention of discovering what those things felt like.
Her hands tightened slightly.
The mine remained still.
Aster drew a slow breath.
Then raised her radio.
"Training Control, Aster."
A burst of static answered.
"Go ahead."
"Stop all movement in the southern training sector."
A pause.
"Aster, confirm?"
"Possible Blackwake naval mine. Partially submerged. Contact with my starboard rigging."
The answer came immediately.
"Understood. All training units, halt exercises and stand clear of the southern markers. Safety launch, hold position pending instructions."
Aster looked toward Yuna.
"Back away."
Yuna nodded.
"How far?"
"Past the northern marker. Slowly."
Riko glanced toward the safety launch.
"What about you?"
Aster looked down.
The mine still hadn't moved.
"I'm getting away from it."
Riko's expression tightened.
"Aster—"
"Riko."
The battleship girl stopped.
Aster looked over her shoulder.
"Do not come over here."
There was no joke in her voice.
Riko swallowed.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
Yuna adjusted her propulsion first.
The carrier began withdrawing along the course they'd just completed.
Riko followed, taking particular care not to make any abrupt movements.
For once, the Yamato-class girl had no complaints about being told to proceed slowly.
Aster watched them for a moment.
Then looked down again.
The mine was still there.
Nothing had emerged.
No tentacles.
No movement.
No signs of life.
Perhaps it really was defunct.
Perhaps the organic components had died.
Perhaps it had been sitting beneath the lagoon for years.
Aster didn't know.
She didn't intend to find out by poking it.
She reduced her propulsion to the lowest practical setting.
Then began moving backward.
Very slowly.
The first few centimeters were agonizing.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Every tiny change in the water seemed too loud.
Every vibration through the rigging made her shoulders tighten.
She kept watching the mine.
Waiting.
Expecting something to move.
A seam to open.
A black tendril to uncoil.
A sudden tightening around her leg.
Nothing happened.
She moved another half meter.
Then another.
The mine remained beneath the surface.
Still.
Silent.
Aster felt a little hope stir.
Maybe it's dead.
She continued withdrawing.
A meter.
Two.
Three.
Her starboard propulsion assembly cleared the object entirely.
The distance widened.
She finally began breathing normally again.
"Okay."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Okay..."
The mine stayed where it was.
She kept moving.
Farther.
Farther.
Then Yuna's voice came over the radio.
"Aster, we're clear of the northern marker. Where are you?"
Aster raised the handset.
"Backing away. Mine hasn't reacted."
"Can you see it?"
"Yes."
"Is it moving?"
"No."
A pause.
Then:
"Please be careful."
Aster swallowed.
"I am."
She looked down once more.
The dark sphere remained beneath the water.
No tentacles.
No glow.
No movement.
The casing looked ancient.
Corroded.
Almost lifeless.
Aster was beginning to believe it had been abandoned long enough to stop functioning.
She continued moving.
Then stopped well away from it.
Her rigging settled.
The water calmed.
She raised the radio again.
"Training Control, Aster. I've withdrawn from the contact. Mine remains stationary. No visible activity."
The controller answered.
"Copy. Continue moving toward the designated safe area. Do not reapproach the object. Harbor Security is responding."
"Understood."
Aster looked toward the northern marker.
Yuna and Riko were waiting beyond it.
The safety launch had moved farther away.
Everyone was clear.
Aster exhaled.
"Right."
She began turning toward her friends.
Then heard something.
A faint metallic sound.
Behind her.
Not a clunk.
Not a splash.
Something sharper.
A sound like metal bending beneath pressure.
Aster froze.
She looked over her shoulder.
The water above the mine was beginning to bubble.
A pale-blue light flickered beneath the surface.
Her stomach dropped.
"...Oh, fuck."
The mine detonated.
The explosion rose from the lagoon in an enormous white column.
For an instant, Aster saw nothing but water and light.
A deep concussion struck her rigging.
The shock passed through the equipment with enough force to make her stumble.
She cried out and threw one arm over her face.
A wall of spray surged outward.
Her Fletcher-class support frames shuddered.
Several warning indicators flashed across her equipment's local displays.
Then the water hit.
Cold.
Heavy.
Violent.
Aster staggered backward.
Her propulsion units struggled against the passing wave.
She bent her knees, held her stance, and waited for the disturbed water to settle.
For several seconds, all she could hear was the ringing in her ears.
Then voices began returning.
Yuna was shouting.
Riko was shouting too.
The safety launch's engine had accelerated.
A radio was crackling near her shoulder.
Aster lowered her arm.
The mine was gone.
In its place, a wide patch of violently disturbed water spread across the lagoon.
Fragments of dark material floated within it.
A cloud of debris drifted below the surface.
The explosion had been substantial.
Not enough to devastate the training area.
Not enough to damage the distant harbor.
But more than enough to remind everyone what would have happened if Aster had still been standing directly above the mine when it detonated.
She stared.
Her heartbeat hammered against her ribs.
The radio crackled.
"Aster! Respond!"
She blinked.
Yuna.
Aster raised the handset.
"I'm here."
"Are you hurt?"
She looked down at herself.
Her rigging remained attached.
One warning light was blinking.
The armor was wet.
Her skirt was soaked.
Her legs were shaking.
She could feel a dull ache along her right side where the shock had passed through the equipment.
But nothing appeared broken.
"Mostly fine."
There was a pause.
Then Riko's voice burst through the channel.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MOSTLY?"
Aster winced.
"Please don't shout."
"ASTER!"
"Riko!"
"YOU JUST EXPLODED!"
Aster blinked.
Then, despite everything, a ridiculous laugh escaped her.
"No, the mine exploded."
There was silence.
Then Yuna spoke.
"Aster."
"Yes?"
"Please come back."
The laughter disappeared.
Aster looked toward the northern marker.
Yuna was waiting beyond it.
Riko stood beside her.
The two girls were motionless on the water, staring toward her with expressions that had nothing amusing about them.
Aster swallowed.
"Yeah."
She looked down at the disturbed water.
Then back toward her friends.
"Coming."
She adjusted her propulsion.
The equipment responded.
A small wave formed behind her.
Then she moved.
Carefully.
No sudden acceleration.
No sharp turn.
Just a steady withdrawal toward the safety markers.
She didn't look back again until the mine's former position was well behind her.
By then, the water had begun settling.
A few dark fragments remained floating near the surface.
Aster watched them.
And shuddered.
Not because the mine could have killed her.
That possibility existed, of course. She wasn't foolish enough to pretend otherwise.
But it wasn't the thought making her skin crawl.
It was the openings.
The little circular seams around the lower casing.
The black, coiled shape she'd seen beneath the weed.
The possibility that, if the mine's living mechanisms had still been functioning, the first thing she'd felt would not have been an explosion.
It would have been something wrapping around her legs.
Something grabbing her rigging.
Something pulling.
Aster looked down at her skirt again.
Then toward the place where the mine had been.
Her entire body shuddered.
"...Nope."
She accelerated a little.
"Absolutely not."
She had escaped.
The mine was gone.
And she was never, ever going to trust a suspicious round object in the ocean again.
Especially one that had holes in it.
The safety launch reached them three minutes later.
Its operator looked as though he had aged considerably since breakfast.
Aster suspected she was responsible.
Again.
The launch slowed near the northern training marker.
A uniformed safety officer leaned over the railing.
"All three of you, remain where you are."
Riko immediately raised one hand.
"She's hurt!"
Aster looked offended.
"I'm not hurt!"
Yuna turned toward her.
"Aster."
"What?"
"You were just caught in an explosion."
"Near an explosion."
"That is not the reassuring distinction you think it is."
Aster opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
"...Fair."
The officer examined her rigging.
"Any leaks?"
Aster checked the local indicators.
"Nothing confirmed."
"Propulsion?"
"Operational."
"Steering?"
"Operational."
"Pain?"
She hesitated.
The officer narrowed his eyes.
"Aster."
"...A little."
"Where?"
"Right side. Where the shock hit."
He nodded.
"All right. We'll have maintenance and medical inspect you when we reach the pier."
Aster sighed.
"Understood."
Riko approached.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Her Yamato-class equipment moved with a degree of control that would have impressed Aster considerably more if she weren't currently trying to ignore the fact that she'd nearly been blown up.
Yuna followed.
Both stopped beside her.
Riko examined the wet Fletcher-class rigging.
Then Aster herself.
Then the rigging again.
"You're an idiot."
Aster blinked.
"Excuse me?"
Riko folded her arms.
"An idiot."
"That's rather harsh."
"You hit a mine!"
"I didn't do it deliberately!"
"You hit a Blackwake mine!"
"I KNOW!"
Riko stared at her.
Then her expression crumpled.
For one moment, Aster thought the battleship girl was about to shout again.
Instead, Riko reached forward and hugged her.
Or attempted to.
The Yamato-class equipment made that considerably more complicated than it should have been.
Aster found herself being held between two armored support frames while Riko carefully maneuvered around a gun mounting that was absolutely not designed for affectionate reunions.
It was awkward.
Extremely awkward.
But Riko held her anyway.
"Don't do that again."
Aster blinked.
Then her expression softened.
"...I'll try."
Riko tightened her arms slightly.
"You scared me."
The words were quiet.
Aster stopped smiling.
She could feel Riko shaking.
Just a little.
The great Yamato-class machinery remained perfectly stable around them.
But the girl wearing it wasn't.
Aster swallowed.
Then carefully returned the hug.
"Sorry."
Riko didn't answer immediately.
Finally, she sighed.
"Stupid destroyer."
Aster smiled weakly.
"Stupid battleship."
"You're shorter than me."
"Not an achievement. Everybody's shorter than your original avatar."
Riko pulled away just far enough to glare.
"That was unnecessary."
Aster grinned.
"Educational."
Yuna approached.
Her expression was much calmer than Riko's.
Which was not to say that she was calm.
Aster noticed the way her hands shook when she reached toward the damaged Fletcher rigging.
"Aster."
"Yeah?"
"Don't move."
Aster blinked.
"What?"
Yuna leaned closer.
She examined the damaged outer support.
Then looked toward Aster's right side.
"That looks bruised."
Aster glanced down.
A faint discoloration was beginning to develop where the equipment's shock had transferred into her body.
She made a face.
"Oh."
Yuna looked up.
"That hurts, doesn't it?"
Aster hesitated.
Then nodded.
"A little."
Yuna closed her eyes.
For a moment, she appeared to be collecting herself.
Then she reached forward and hugged Aster too.
Much more carefully than Riko.
Aster stood still.
Yuna's arms tightened.
"Please don't frighten us like that."
Aster swallowed.
"...Sorry."
Yuna nodded against her shoulder.
Then stepped back.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
The ocean moved gently around them.
Beyond the safety perimeter, Harbor Security vessels were approaching the site of the explosion.
Aster looked toward the disturbed water.
A cold sensation returned to her stomach.
Then Riko followed her gaze.
"Hey."
Aster turned.
"What?"
Riko frowned.
"What exactly was that thing?"
Aster hesitated.
"A Blackwake mine."
"We know that."
Yuna looked toward her.
"But why didn't it explode when you touched it?"
Aster considered the question.
"I don't know."
Riko glanced toward the water.
"Delayed fuse?"
"Maybe."
"Was it damaged?"
"Possibly."
"Was it alive?"
Aster's expression changed.
Yuna noticed immediately.
"Aster?"
The destroyer girl looked toward the water.
Then down at her own skirt.
Her face became complicated.
"...I really, really hope not."
Riko blinked.
"Why?"
Aster looked toward her.
Then toward Yuna.
Then back at Riko.
There was a pause.
A very long pause.
Finally, Aster spoke.
"Have either of you read the Blackwake mine hazard reports?"
Riko frowned.
"Some of them."
Yuna nodded.
"A little."
Aster swallowed.
"Specifically the ones about the organic mines?"
Both girls looked at her.
Riko's expression slowly changed.
"Oh."
Yuna blinked.
Then her face turned pale.
"Oh."
Aster nodded.
"Exactly."
Riko looked toward the water.
Then toward Aster's legs.
Then back at the water.
"...Tentacles?"
Aster closed her eyes.
"Yes."
Yuna's hand moved toward the hem of her own skirt.
"Those?"
"Those."
There was a terrible silence.
Riko stared at the location of the explosion.
Then very slowly began moving farther away.
Aster looked toward her.
"Riko?"
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"Leaving."
Aster blinked.
"Where?"
"Somewhere without tentacles."
Yuna nodded immediately.
"That sounds sensible."
Aster sighed.
"See? That's what I was thinking!"
Riko looked toward the safety launch.
Then at the water.
Then back at Aster.
"Why didn't you say something?"
Aster stared.
"Because I was standing directly over the thing!"
"Right."
"And I didn't particularly want to find out whether it could reach me!"
"Also right."
"And—"
She stopped.
Yuna raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
Aster looked down at her skirt.
Then at the two girls.
Then she sighed.
"Look."
She gestured vaguely toward her lower half.
"I like the uniform."
Riko blinked.
"Okay?"
"I designed it."
"Yes?"
"And most of us wear skirts."
Yuna nodded.
Aster's face reddened.
"So you'll forgive me for not being enthusiastic about some horrible Blackwake sea-thing grabbing me around the legs!"
Riko stared.
Then her eyes widened.
"Oh."
Yuna covered her mouth.
Aster pointed toward the mine's former position.
"Exactly!"
Riko looked down at her own naval uniform.
Then toward the water.
Her expression became deeply offended.
"That's disgusting."
"YES!"
Yuna nodded emphatically.
"Very."
Aster threw her hands into the air.
"THANK YOU!"
For a moment, the three girls stood together in complete agreement.
Then Riko slowly raised one finger.
"Question."
Aster sighed.
"What?"
"Could we just wear trousers?"
There was a pause.
Aster considered the question.
Then looked down at her skirt.
Then back at Riko.
"...We could."
Yuna smiled.
Riko folded her arms.
"Then why don't we?"
Aster thought about her carefully customized uniform.
The ribbon.
The skirt.
The boots.
The dark trim.
All the little details she'd spent hours designing during the beta.
Then she looked toward the water.
The mine was gone.
Probably.
But the memory remained.
She sighed.
"Because I like the outfit."
Riko stared.
Then nodded.
"Fair."
Yuna laughed.
Aster smiled weakly.
"It just means I'm adding a new rule."
Riko raised an eyebrow.
"What rule?"
Aster pointed toward the sea.
"Absolutely no unauthorized tentacles."
Riko considered that.
Then nodded solemnly.
"Seconded."
Yuna smiled.
"Unanimously approved."
The safety officer on the launch slowly lowered his binoculars.
He had heard enough.
He decided not to ask.
Some things, he believed, were better left to naval personnel who understood the relevant equipment.
Especially when the equipment involved Blackwake mines.
And skirts.
And conversations he absolutely did not want to include in his incident report.
The first inappropriate comment occurred after they reached the pier.
It was brief.
Unnecessary.
And, in Aster's opinion, spectacularly stupid.
The three Keelborn had been escorted back to the training district, where medical staff and technicians were preparing to inspect Aster's equipment.
Several sailors from Breakwater were helping with the temporary safety cordon.
Most were doing exactly what they should have been doing.
One was carrying additional warning markers.
Another was checking a radio connection.
A third was helping move a medical trolley into position.
Aster appreciated that.
Then a young man near the loading platform overheard Riko explaining why Aster had been particularly concerned about the mine.
"...And apparently those things can grab you with tentacles!"
The sailor looked up.
"Tentacles?"
Riko nodded.
"Blackwake ones."
The man's expression changed.
Not toward concern.
Toward the sort of amusement Aster immediately recognized from far too many online conversations.
"Oh."
He glanced toward the girls' uniforms.
Then smiled.
"Well, that sounds like—"
Aster slowly turned toward him.
"Finish that sentence."
The sailor stopped.
She smiled.
It was not a friendly smile.
"Go on."
He blinked.
"I was just—"
"Go on."
Yuna folded her arms.
Riko's eyes narrowed.
The sailor looked between them.
Then apparently decided that his intended joke might not have been a good idea.
"...Never mind."
Aster nodded.
"Excellent decision."
Another Breakwater sailor, who had been securing the safety markers, looked toward his companion.
"Mate."
The younger man glanced at him.
"What?"
"Read the room."
There was a silence.
Then the older sailor shook his head.
"Seriously."
The younger man's ears reddened.
"Right."
He turned back toward his work.
Aster watched him for a moment.
Then sighed.
Yuna leaned closer.
"Are you all right?"
Aster looked toward her.
"Yes."
Riko folded her arms.
"Some people are idiots."
Aster nodded.
"Yes."
Then she glanced toward the enormous Yamato-class rigging.
"Speaking of which, are you still planning to put four twin twenty-inch turrets on that thing?"
Riko brightened immediately.
"Of course!"
Aster closed her eyes.
"There it is."
Yuna started laughing.
Riko looked offended.
"WHAT?"
Aster raised one hand.
"Nothing."
"You're making fun of me!"
"Never."
"ASTER!"
The nearby sailors watched the exchange.
One smiled.
Another shook his head.
The younger man who had made the inappropriate remark wisely decided to remain silent.
And the training district slowly returned to its usual state of mild confusion.
Kade arrived twenty minutes later.
He had been reviewing the station's restoration schedule when Harbor Control informed him that a Blackwake explosive device had detonated inside the training lagoon.
His first response had been to ask whether anyone was injured.
His second had been to order the training sector closed.
His third had involved a very long silence.
Chief Fenwick had looked at him.
He had looked back.
Then he'd said:
"Of course."
Now he stood beside the temporary medical station, examining the incident report while Aster sat on a folding chair with a blanket around her shoulders.
Her damaged rigging had been removed and secured on a maintenance cradle.
The equipment looked considerably less cheerful than it had that morning.
One external plate was bent.
Several fittings required inspection.
The starboard support assembly bore signs of contact damage.
And the technicians had placed a large orange warning tag beside the affected section.
DO NOT OPERATE UNTIL CLEARED.
Aster regarded the tag with profound dissatisfaction.
Kade examined it.
Then looked toward her.
"Well."
She lowered her eyes.
"Commander."
He nodded.
"Aster."
There was a silence.
Then she sighed.
"I know."
Kade raised an eyebrow.
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"What do you know?"
"That I hit something."
He glanced toward the report.
"An extraordinary understatement."
She winced.
"Yes."
He looked toward the damaged rigging.
"Blackwake mine."
"Yes."
"Inside our training area."
"Yes."
"And it exploded after you withdrew."
Aster nodded.
Kade remained quiet.
Then he looked toward the medical officer.
"How is she?"
The woman consulted her notes.
"Minor bruising and superficial injuries. No evidence of serious trauma, though we're maintaining observation for symptoms related to the blast."
He nodded.
"Good."
"Her equipment requires more extensive inspection."
"Expected."
The medical officer looked toward Aster.
"No further training today."
Aster sighed.
"Understood."
Kade closed the report.
Then sat on a nearby crate.
Aster looked at him.
He looked back.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, she asked:
"Are you angry?"
Kade considered the question.
"About the mine?"
She nodded.
He looked toward the lagoon.
Harbor Security boats were moving around the closed training sector.
A small survey team had begun preparing additional equipment for inspecting the area.
The station's limited mine-countermeasure capability would complicate the work.
They couldn't simply declare the entire lagoon clear because one explosive device had been destroyed.
There might be another.
Or there might not.
They didn't know.
That was the problem.
Kade looked back at Aster.
"I'm unhappy that an explosive device ended up inside an area we thought was safe."
She lowered her eyes.
"Right."
"And I'm unhappy that you found it with your rigging."
Her shoulders tightened.
He continued.
"But you stopped the exercise, warned everyone, withdrew, and reported the hazard."
Aster looked up.
Kade met her eyes.
"Those were the right things to do."
She blinked.
"...Really?"
"Yes."
"But I hit it."
"Apparently."
"And it exploded."
"Yes."
"And now the training area is closed."
He nodded.
"Also true."
She looked down.
"Sorry."
Kade considered that.
Then sighed.
"Aster."
She glanced up.
"We'll investigate how it got there and whether the survey missed anything."
She nodded.
"And we'll inspect the rest of the designated areas before we resume training."
"Right."
"And your rigging needs checking."
"Yes."
He looked toward her.
"But I'd rather have a delayed training schedule than three dead girls."
Aster stopped breathing for a second.
Then looked down at her hands.
The words settled into the quiet space between them.
Riko stood several meters away.
Yuna beside her.
Neither spoke.
Kade waited.
Eventually, Aster nodded.
"...Yeah."
He looked toward the medical officer.
"Anything else she needs?"
"Rest, continued observation, and a follow-up examination."
He nodded.
"Good."
Then he stood.
Aster looked toward him.
"Commander?"
He glanced back.
"Hm?"
She hesitated.
Then asked:
"Does this mean I'm not teaching anymore?"
Kade considered that.
Then looked toward Riko.
The Yamato-class girl was standing near a safety marker, her enormous rigging resting on its maintenance supports while a technician completed the post-exercise inspection.
She looked toward him.
Yuna stood beside her.
Both had been frightened.
Both had responded appropriately.
And both had managed to withdraw safely when Aster gave the warning.
He looked back at the destroyer girl.
"Depends."
Aster's expression fell.
"On what?"
"Whether you can learn from this."
She blinked.
Then nodded.
"I can."
"Good."
He gestured toward the closed lagoon.
"Then when the area is cleared, we can continue."
Her eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yes."
She smiled.
A little.
Then Kade added:
"Although I may insist on adding hazard recognition to your lesson plan."
Aster winced.
"That's fair."
"Very fair."
He glanced toward the damaged rigging.
"And we'll see about getting you equipment that doesn't mistake mines for navigational markers."
She slowly narrowed her eyes.
"Commander."
He smiled faintly.
"What?"
"That was unnecessary."
"Educational."
Riko burst out laughing.
Yuna covered her mouth.
Aster closed her eyes.
"Oh, no."
Kade nodded.
"Exactly."
Then he turned toward the harbor security officer approaching with the survey reports.
The humor faded.
There was still work to do.
A live explosive had appeared in an area designated safe.
The cause was unknown.
The full extent of the hazard was unknown.
And the station's training activities could not resume until those questions had been addressed.
Horizon Atoll might have been improving.
But the ocean was still dangerous.
Even inside the breakwater.
The mine investigation produced more questions than answers.
This was not a particularly satisfying result.
Harbor Security had recovered fragments from the explosion site, including sections of dark casing, corroded internal fittings, and several components that did not resemble anything used in conventional naval mines.
The recovered material was unmistakably Blackwake in origin.
Beyond that, the technicians were reluctant to make claims.
Some of the fragments appeared inert.
Others were being handled under strict containment procedures until the station's specialists could determine whether they retained any dangerous biological or mechanical properties.
Nobody wanted to discover the answer through another explosion.
Chief Fenwick found the entire affair deeply irritating.
She stood beside Kade in the operations room, examining the updated harbor chart.
The southern training sector had been marked in red.
A much larger surrounding area was shaded amber.
Several approach channels remained available, but recreational movement and nonessential exercises in the affected waters had been suspended.
Kade studied the map.
"How many mines?"
Chief Fenwick shook her head.
"Only one confirmed."
"Any others detected?"
"Not yet."
"Can we guarantee there aren't any?"
"No."
He nodded.
"Then the area stays closed."
She agreed immediately.
"We've already issued the restriction."
Kade glanced toward the available survey equipment.
It wasn't much.
The station possessed a handful of patrol boats, some underwater inspection gear, and a few older detection systems whose maintenance records contained considerably more warnings than he would have liked.
A proper mine-countermeasure operation would require specialized personnel and equipment.
They had requested support.
Whether it would arrive quickly was another question.
Kade looked toward the chief.
"How soon can the harbor teams inspect the remaining training areas?"
"They're beginning with the places most frequently used by personnel. The entire lagoon will take much longer."
He sighed.
"Naturally."
Mara studied him.
"Commander."
"Hm?"
"Are you planning to cancel the training program?"
He looked toward the red section of the chart.
Then shook his head.
"No."
She raised an eyebrow.
"We'll relocate the non-water exercises ashore," he continued. "Communications, equipment familiarization, damage-control instruction, emergency procedures. Anything that can be practiced safely without sailing into an area we haven't checked."
The chief nodded.
"And the water exercises?"
"When we've got properly surveyed water."
"Good."
He glanced toward the restricted area.
"Preferably water that doesn't contain anything with teeth."
Mara blinked.
"Teeth?"
Kade considered the Blackwake mine.
Then smiled faintly.
"Or tentacles."
The chief stared.
For a moment, she looked as though she might ask for clarification.
Then she looked toward the incident report.
The recovered casing included descriptions of organic structures.
Several hazard advisories referenced grasping appendages.
Mara slowly closed the folder.
"...Ah."
Kade nodded.
"Exactly."
She looked toward the harbor.
Then sighed.
"Wonderful."
He raised an eyebrow.
"That's my line."
The chief laughed.
Only briefly.
Then they returned to the map.
Because the mine was not funny.
The girls had survived.
That was fortunate.
Very fortunate.
But the fact remained that Horizon Atoll had discovered another weakness in its defenses.
Its surveys were incomplete.
Its old security systems needed maintenance.
And the Blackwake's weapons could remain dangerous long after anyone expected to encounter them.
The station had gained supplies.
It had gained personnel.
It had begun restoring infrastructure.
Now it had gained another entry on the list of things that needed fixing.
Kade regarded the chart.
Then sighed.
"Chief."
"Yes?"
"Add mine-countermeasure equipment to the supply priorities."
She nodded.
"Already done."
He glanced toward her.
"Of course you have."
Mara smiled.
"Occasionally, Commander, I do know what I'm doing."
Kade considered that.
Then nodded solemnly.
"Terrifying."
She laughed.
And outside the operations building, the training lagoon remained closed while Horizon Atoll's sailors prepared to find out whether the mine had truly been alone.
Aster spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting beneath the awning beside the repair yard.
Her rigging was being inspected.
Her bruises had been treated.
She was under strict instructions not to attempt anything strenuous.
Naturally, she was bored.
Extremely bored.
She had exhausted the entertainment value of watching technicians inspect her equipment approximately seventeen minutes earlier.
Now she sat with her legs stretched out, wearing a fresh uniform and a particularly disgruntled expression.
Her red ribbon had been retied.
Her skirt was dry.
She had acquired a cup of tea.
And she was still thinking about the mine.
Every few minutes, she remembered the dark shape beneath the water.
The bent horns.
The little openings.
The coiled black structure.
Her skin crawled.
She tried thinking about something else.
It didn't help.
Then Riko arrived carrying a paper bag.
Yuna followed beside her.
Aster looked up.
"Oh."
Riko stopped.
"What?"
"You brought food."
"Yes."
Aster brightened.
"Excellent."
Riko sat beside her.
Yuna took the chair opposite.
The bag contained pastries from the station bakery.
Not particularly enormous ones.
Not the turret-shaped pastries Riko had demanded during the game's premiere.
But fresh.
Warm.
And covered in enough sugar to make Aster immediately reconsider her opinion of the entire day.
She accepted one.
Then took a bite.
Her expression softened.
"Oh, that's good."
Yuna smiled.
"Thought you'd like it."
Riko folded her arms.
"Consider it a reward."
Aster blinked.
"For what?"
"Not dying."
There was a silence.
Then Aster looked toward her.
Riko looked back.
Neither smiled immediately.
Finally, Aster lowered the pastry.
"...Thanks."
Riko nodded.
"You're welcome."
Yuna watched them.
Then smiled faintly.
For a while, the three ate in silence.
The repair yard hummed around them.
A crane moved a piece of equipment toward a maintenance platform.
A pair of technicians discussed a damaged coupling.
Somewhere inside the workshops, a power tool started.
Then stopped.
Then started again.
Aster looked toward the sound.
"Hana's still busy?"
Yuna nodded.
"Extremely."
Riko sighed.
"She said something about a pump."
Aster raised an eyebrow.
"A pump?"
"Yes."
"Which pump?"
Riko stared.
"Aster."
"What?"
"I have no idea."
Yuna laughed.
Riko continued.
"She used approximately fourteen technical expressions and then told us not to touch anything."
Aster nodded.
"Sounds like Hana."
"She's very happy."
"Also sounds like Hana."
Yuna smiled.
"The new supplies are helping."
Aster looked toward the western loading district.
Senko's cargo modules were still being repaired.
The station's maintenance crews remained busy distributing the materials she'd brought.
Beyond them, Breakwater stood at anchor.
Calla and June were helping review the station's anti-aircraft training arrangements.
Elsa's damaged cruiser rigging was being inspected.
Nadya had apparently become friends with Marina and spent much of the afternoon discussing old coastal artillery.
The base was changing.
Slowly.
Awkwardly.
But changing.
Aster considered that.
Then looked toward Riko.
"Hey."
Riko glanced up.
"Hm?"
"You were doing better today."
The battleship girl blinked.
"What?"
"With your rigging."
Riko hesitated.
Then smiled.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Aster pointed toward the harbor.
"Your turns were better. You stopped fighting the equipment. Your spacing improved."
Riko's smile widened.
Yuna nodded.
"It's true."
Riko looked between them.
Then sat a little straighter.
"Well."
Aster grinned.
"Don't get too excited."
"Why?"
"You still need to learn how to stop before reaching a buoy."
Riko stared.
Then sighed.
"Of course."
Yuna laughed.
Aster took another bite of her pastry.
For a moment, she felt almost normal.
Then Riko glanced toward the lagoon.
Her expression softened.
"Aster?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask something?"
"Sure."
Riko hesitated.
Then looked toward the destroyer girl's legs.
Aster followed her gaze.
Her eyes narrowed.
"...What?"
Riko looked up.
"The mine."
Aster groaned.
"Oh, no."
"I was just wondering."
"That sentence never ends well."
Yuna covered her mouth.
Riko continued.
"If those tentacles had actually come out..."
Aster raised one hand.
"No."
"But—"
"No."
"Would your rigging have protected you?"
Aster stopped.
That was a more sensible question than she'd expected.
She considered it.
Then looked toward the repair yard.
Some of the Fletcher-class equipment could provide physical protection.
Armor plates.
Support structures.
Mounting frames.
But there were gaps.
There had to be.
She still needed to move.
To bend.
To steer.
To operate machinery.
And the organic Blackwake mines described in the hazard reports were specifically dangerous because their appendages could reach places ordinary weapons might not.
Aster looked back at Riko.
"Maybe some of it."
Riko frowned.
"That doesn't sound good."
"It isn't."
Yuna looked thoughtful.
"Could we add protective covers?"
Aster blinked.
Then looked toward her.
"To the rigging?"
Yuna nodded.
"Or adjust the uniform. Something to reduce the risk of getting caught."
Aster considered the suggestion.
For several seconds, she was quiet.
Then she slowly smiled.
"Actually..."
Riko raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"That's not a terrible idea."
Yuna smiled.
"Thank you."
Aster looked down at her skirt.
Then toward the maintenance building.
"I might ask Hana about adding some protective material around the lower supports."
Riko nodded.
"Good."
"And maybe adjusting how the skirt fastens around the equipment."
Yuna looked pleased.
"That sounds sensible."
Aster considered it.
Then smiled wider.
"Without ruining the outfit."
Riko laughed.
"Naturally."
"Important detail."
"Of course."
Yuna shook her head.
Aster sat back.
For the first time since the explosion, the thought of the mine no longer made her feel completely helpless.
There might be things she could do.
Not to make the ocean harmless.
That would be impossible.
But to make herself a little safer.
Better rigging protection.
Better hazard recognition.
Better training.
The sort of improvements that didn't look particularly impressive in a promotional trailer.
The sort that might save someone's life.
Aster looked toward the closed lagoon.
Then at her friends.
"Well."
Riko raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
She smiled.
"I suppose tomorrow's lesson is going to be a little different."
Yuna laughed.
"Probably."
Riko folded her arms.
"Does it involve actual battleship movement?"
Aster considered that.
"Eventually."
Riko sighed.
"Wonderful."
Aster grinned.
"But first..."
She leaned forward.
Her expression became wonderfully serious.
"We're learning how to recognize things we absolutely should not hit."
Riko stared.
Yuna covered her mouth.
Aster raised one finger.
"Especially mysterious round objects."
Riko closed her eyes.
"Oh, no."
"And suspicious underwater shapes."
Yuna began laughing.
"And—"
Riko raised both hands.
"ASTER!"
The destroyer girl grinned.
"Yes?"
"Don't."
Aster leaned back.
Then smiled sweetly.
"Fine."
There was a brief silence.
Then she added:
"And bollards."
Riko threw the empty pastry bag at her.
Yuna burst out laughing.
Aster caught the bag.
Then started laughing too.
For several minutes, the three young women sounded exactly as they had before the Crisis.
Not because nothing had changed.
Everything had changed.
But because they were still themselves.
And, for the moment, being themselves was something they could hold on to.
The evening settled gently over Horizon Atoll.
The mine-survey teams continued their work.
The training lagoon remained restricted.
Aster's damaged Fletcher-class rigging was placed under a temporary maintenance hold.
The medical department completed its follow-up examination and confirmed that her injuries were minor.
Hana continued working with the station engineers.
Senko's cargo-support repairs proceeded.
Breakwater's crew attended to the battleship's remaining damage.
And the administrative staff began preparing the next day's work assignments.
Nobody had defeated the Blackwake.
Nobody had solved the Crisis.
Nobody had discovered why a whole population of players had awakened inside a world that no longer behaved like a game.
The ocean remained dangerous.
The institutions surrounding them remained complicated.
The girls were still learning how to operate machinery powerful enough to kill them if mishandled.
And Horizon Atoll's defenses still required considerable work.
Yet the day had not been wasted.
Riko had learned to move her Yamato-class equipment more safely.
Yuna had begun mastering the handling of her carrier rigging.
Aster had taught them useful lessons.
Then learned one herself.
A very loud lesson.
One involving an explosion.
And an entirely unreasonable amount of anxiety about tentacles.
At the western end of the harbor, the navigation beacon continued turning.
Its light swept across the channel.
Breakwater rested beyond the piers.
The old drydock remained dark.
But more workshops were operating than before.
More equipment was being repaired.
More supplies were arriving.
And more people were beginning to find their places within the station.
Kade stood on the command building's upper balcony that evening, reviewing the latest reports.
The mine incident occupied several pages.
The training schedule had been revised.
The station's hazard maps were being updated.
Several additional supply requests were waiting for approval.
He read them.
Then looked toward the harbor.
Aster, Riko, and Yuna were walking back from the repair district.
The destroyer girl was gesturing enthusiastically.
Riko appeared to be arguing.
Yuna was laughing.
Kade watched them.
Then slowly smiled.
For all the day's problems, the three had survived.
They had learned.
They had helped each other.
And they were still finding reasons to laugh.
He glanced toward the incident report.
BLACKWAKE MINE — TRAINING SECTOR CONTACT.
He sighed.
"Of course."
Chief Fenwick stepped onto the balcony.
"Commander?"
Kade looked toward her.
"Chief."
"Everything all right?"
He considered the question.
Then looked toward the girls again.
"Mostly."
Mara followed his gaze.
Aster was apparently explaining something about underwater hazards.
Riko looked horrified.
Yuna was trying not to laugh.
The chief raised an eyebrow.
"What are they discussing?"
Kade glanced toward the report.
Then toward the girls.
Then back at Mara.
For a moment, he considered explaining.
He thought better of it.
"Naval safety."
Mara nodded.
"Good."
"Very important."
"Of course."
He looked toward Aster.
The destroyer girl raised both hands in an exaggerated gesture.
Riko shouted something.
Yuna burst out laughing again.
Kade smiled faintly.
Then added:
"Possibly uniform design."
Mara blinked.
"Uniform design?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Kade considered the question.
Then slowly lowered his report.
"Chief."
"Yes?"
"Have you ever regretted asking a question?"
Mara stared at him.
Then looked toward the girls.
Then back.
A small smile appeared.
"Frequently."
Kade nodded solemnly.
"Wise woman."
She laughed.
Together, they watched the last light of evening settle over the harbor.
Horizon Atoll remained a difficult place.
Its drydock was still broken.
Its infrastructure remained incomplete.
Its fleet was inexperienced.
And somewhere beyond the protective reef, the Blackwake waited.
But the base had something now that it had lacked for a very long time.
People who intended to stay.
People willing to work.
People willing to learn.
And, perhaps most importantly, people who were beginning to understand that surviving this strange new world would require more than powerful weapons and ambitious plans.
It would require trust.
Patience.
Preparation.
And occasionally the good sense to back away from something before it exploded.
Kade watched Aster disappear around the corner of the repair building.
Then sighed.
"Chief."
"Yes, Commander?"
"One more thing."
She looked toward him.
"What?"
He held up the incident report.
"Can we make sure tomorrow's training area doesn't contain any unexploded surprises?"
Mara smiled.
"We'll do our best."
Kade considered that.
Then nodded.
"Good."
He looked toward the darkening sea.
"Because I don't think my paperwork can survive another Aster."
The chief burst out laughing.
Far below, as though she'd somehow heard him, Aster stopped walking.
She looked toward the command building.
Then shouted:
"COMMANDER! I DIDN'T HIT A BOLLARD!"
Kade slowly closed his eyes.
Mara laughed harder.
Yuna bent over, helpless with laughter.
Riko nearly dropped the notebook she was carrying.
Aster stood in the middle of the harbor road, looking thoroughly offended by everyone.
Kade opened his eyes again.
Then called back:
"I KNOW!"
Aster blinked.
He continued.
"THIS TIME IT HIT BACK!"
For one magnificent second, the entire harbor seemed to go silent.
Then Riko collapsed against a railing.
Yuna covered her face.
Chief Fenwick was laughing so hard she had to grip the balcony.
And Aster slowly raised both hands toward the sky.
"WHY IS EVERYONE LIKE THIS?!"
Kade smiled.
The wind moved through the palms.
The harbor lights came on.
And Horizon Atoll, broken and stubborn and very much alive, settled into another evening.
Tomorrow would bring more repairs.
More training.
More questions.
Perhaps more trouble.
Almost certainly more paperwork.
But tonight, beneath the warm lights of the naval station, its newest inhabitants had something they hadn't possessed when they first arrived.
A beginning.
And somewhere beyond the breakwater line, the Pacific waited.