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I may not have taken into account finals and summer courses in the last chapter's claim. Nor my addiction to World of Warships playing, ironically, Hood.

This chapter also required far more research than I originally anticipated. If anyone wants to know random facts about the 1940's, I'm apparently your guy.

I dislike artificially inflating word counts by adding long author's notes, but add to your reviews for this chapter on whether y'all would like me to respond to reviews in future chapters.

Here's a bit of a longer chapter as an apology for the delay. Enjoy.

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Sailing on a boat that wasn't her own hull had been a decidedly unpleasant experience.

It rocked underfoot without her being able to predict it, the deck had felt cold and lifeless, and her stomach churned all the while. Any sort of a proper meal was difficult to keep down, to say the least. Despite the mosquitoes, passing through the Panama Canal was a sight to behold. It was a beautiful feat of human engineering.

After passing through the Canal, it had been a straight shot up to California for a layover at the Mares Island Naval Base. Finally, aboard the third ship since leaving London, it was another long trip toward the Hawaiian islands.

Within a few days, the islands of Hawaii were visible against the horizon.

The islands themselves were breathtaking from a distance. Hood had never seen mountains so massive, and the water beneath them grew ever clearer as they sailed along the coast of the largest island.

Stepping out of the bridge, Hood sighed into the soft sea air as it rolled by with the slowing speed of the passenger ship she was aboard.

"Enjoying the view, Miss Hood?"

"I honestly don't have words for this view, Captain Adams."

The captain laughed heartily. "You and everyone else, little miss. I'll give you that one, though. I still can't quite describe it either, and I've been sailing to these islands from California for a good twenty years."

"Twenty years? Why you don't look a day over thirty."

The captain laughed once more, this time running his hand through his graying beard. "All you Tommies know how to work an old man's ego."

"Tommy? Did you fight in the Great War?"

"Aye, I did fight, but there was nothing great in that war. Led a company of American Field Service volunteers into Verdun as their commanding officer. We didn't find soldiers there. We found corpses and corpses that hadn't died yet. They say a million shells were fired at Verdun, and I'd believe it after walking through that hellhole. All said, though, my men and I would see the occasional French citizen, waving their flag, praising us in French and broken English. Some would come right up and hug and kiss and put coins in our pockets. That would always give the men enough of a reason to press on. Honestly, the French women gave them the most reason to come back safe and into their arms." The captain leaned in toward Hood. "And their beds."

The captain laughed as Hood's face burned red. "Oh, you proper types are always easy to rile up. I'd go get your bag if I were you. We'll be cresting around Hawaii, the big island, soon. After that, it's just a skip and a jump to the civilian port in Oahu. You'll be able to walk or take a shuttle to Pearl from there."

Hood curtsied. "Thank you for a pleasant trip, Captain."

She nearly fell over when captain Adams slammed a heavy hand against her back and laughed. "Oh, hush! How you get anything done brown-nosing so much is beyond an old seadog like me.

Readjusting her hat, Hood smiled and looked away. "I suppose being polite is an oddity on this side of the Pond."

Adams made a so-so gesture with his hand. "It depends, if I'm honest. Most will rather you just get to the point rather than have their ego stroked. Especially now with the old war eagle sharpening its claws once more." He paused. "And wouldn't it be two ponds? We're in the Pacific now."

"I didn't take you as one for waxing metaphors, Captain Adams, though I did enjoy it."

Hood also paused, frowning. "I suppose it would be two ponds if a pond is an ocean. Hmm."

"Well, now ain't that a brain twister. Good to know an easy way to stump a Tommy. Be on your way, Miss Hood. I need to get the ship ready for docking."

Captain Adams tipped his hat and walked back into the enclosed bridge, leaving Hood out on the viewing deck. Taking one last glance at the slowly passing black sand beaches, she limped back down to her room to retrieve her sparse luggage.

On her way down to her temporary cabin, all the sailors that she passed gave her a nod and sloppy, palm-out salutes before continuing on with their duties for docking. As someone who currently held no rank in the Eagle Union's Navy, it was a pleasantly surprising and perhaps over the top kindness towards her. Their attempts at the English salute was what truly sold it for Hood, though. It was so similar to the American one, just a simple tilt of the hand, and yet the sailors attempting it would always mess it up slightly. The effort was heartwarming and appreciated, nonetheless.

Opening the door to her cabin, she noticed that she may not have left it in the best state over the past few days. Clothes were strewn everywhere, her pair of flats were haphazardly dropped near the door, and she could even see a pair of knickers on the lampshade. She blushed slightly at the last article, quickly stuffing it into her suitcase. Only her tea set remained relatively clean, with everything in place and together on the small table allotted to her cabin by Captain Adams.

She went to the mindless, but structured, task of rummaging around her cabin and finding her dispersed clothing like a Hood-themed Easter egg hunt, neatly folding each article as she found them and placing them with a modicum of organization into her luggage. As she hunted and folded, the docking horn blared, men joked outside her door as they passed, and the view of a lively dockyard slowly rolled by her porthole.

Hood sighed. These were all things she missed desperately after being out of commission and stuck on base for physical therapy. At least one good thing came out of the Royal Navy Admiralty thinking of them as military hardware: it was all paid for by the Royal Navy. Not that Hood had much money in the first place. She didn't receive a stipend or salary. All thirteen dollars and eighty-five cents in her pocket ‒ once pounds, but converted during her layover in California ‒ were gifts from Captain Kerr on the anniversaries of her commissioning, which he had decided upon as her birthday after learning that she didn't have one.

Putting away the last of her clothing, she crawled the short space and grabbed her shoes and tucked them under the folded clothes. Rising to her feet, she took her tea set from the table and gently placed it on the ground next to her suitcase. Taking each cup and saucer, she carefully wrapped them in cloth. Initially, she had thought to save space by just wrapping them in her clothing, but that left the suitcase too empty. Without a bit more filler, the contents moved too much for Hood's liking. In the end, she shelled out fifteen cents for some soft filler cloth to wrap her set in so that her bag was completely filled, all of the clothes and fabric providing fantastic protection for her prized possession. A sudden knock prompted her to quickly strap her suitcase shut and hobble to the door. Opening the door revealed a young man in a sailor's uniform.

The sailor quickly made an English salute. "We've docked, ma'am. We need to begin unloading, but we have orders to make sure you've disembarked first."

"Then you're just in time, I just finished gathering my belongings."

The sailor looked over Hood's shoulder at her cabin, noting the empty room and the unmade bed and raising an eyebrow. Hood had at least the grace to cough into her gloved hand and briefly look away from the sailor. "The scenery distracted me."

"It's alright, ma'am, I'll get to it once we've finished unloading before inspection." He stood to the side of the doorway and motioned with a hand to allow Hood to pass. She stepped forward without thought before turning, remembering her bag.

"Ah, I almost for- oh." The sailor had walked into the room, hefted the suitcase in one hand, and handed Hood her cane. "You didn't need to, but thank you for being a gentleman."

Adjusting the suitcase into both of his hands, he walked ahead of Hood, leading her through the hatches back above deck. "It's nothing, ma'am. My mother would have my head if I let a young dame carry her own luggage. Always told me that women should be treated with respect and need to be cared for by men."

Ah. He was so close to being charming. Little does he know that I can pick up him and my bag with one hand.

Glad that he wasn't looking back, Hood put on a thin smile. "Your mother sounds like a lovely lady."

"Oh, she's the best. I'm from Louisiana, see. So, the summer's get something awful hot. She ‒ 'Scuse me, passing through ‒ She makes the best iced tea that side of the Mississippi. Y'all like tea over there, yeah?"

"Of course. However, we tend to enjoy our tea on the warmer side of things."

The sailor nodded. "Eh, everyone likes somethin' different, I s'pose."

They passed down the gangplank, sailors milling around on the deck, saluting her with

her native signal and putting a gentle smile on her face. Once at the bottom, the sailor dropped Hood's bag on the ground, forcing a twitch in her remaining eye.

"Well, here we are. I hope the Union is everything you thought it'd be, ma'am."

Hood curtsied. "Thank you, sir. Bless your heart."

The sailor smiled and tipped his hat. By the time he realized what she had said and turned around, Hood was already hobbling quickly around the corner of a nearby building. Shaking his head, he made his way back up the gangplank.

Around the corner, Hood adjusted her hat and pressed down her dress with her cane in the crook of her arm. Satisfied that she looked well kept enough to meet with Naval Officials, she buttoned her cane to her suitcase and lifted it with her remaining arm. Hood was thankful for the physical therapy she'd undergone to allow her to put most of her weight on her left leg when needed. The remaining limp was still frustrating, however.

She wandered through the ports of Oahu until she found a road that led into the city.

"The Captain told me that Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii. According to the map he let me peruse, Pearl Harbor Naval Base should be just west of here."

As she slowly limped through the bustling streets of the picturesque city, the smells of cars, the sea, and most importantly to her stomach: the restaurants.

"I can get food from the mess at the Naval Base, I can't waste any money on eating lunch in the city."

Her stomach disagreed, however, and after barely being able to keep meals down during the trip, it demanded something fatty and unhealthy. She bit her lip, and the food shops with their open windows and outdoor seating mixed with the fresh sea breeze to taunt her with the smells of sizzling meats and fried doughs. Hood turned away from the shops and started toward the naval base when her stomach did its best impression of a whale mating call.

Oh, to Hell with it. I want to try a hamburger.

She turned back around and skimmed through the menus of a few places, but most of them sold seafood, being situated so close to the shore. As much as Hood enjoyed the occasional fish and chips, her stomach demanded the greasy goodness of a hamburger and a Coca-Cola. After a brief few minutes more of browsing the shops along Main Street, she finally came across a corner shop with a large 'Burgers! Ice Cream! Soda!' in bold, red letters scrawled along the sign.

The door to the shop was already propped open to let the cool midday air blow through the shop. The fans above rotated slowly enough that Hood wasn't sure if they were on or if the wind was blowing them in lazy circles.

"Hi, welcome to Matthew's! Why, aren't you just the cutest little thing, hun. How can I help you?"

Hood nearly jumped at the saccharine greeting from an older lady that popped out from behind a wooden hostess stand.

"Ah, hello. Might I get a seat for one, please?"

"Oh, hush. It's a bit past the lunch rush, hun, we can seat you and that suitcase of yours in a booth. Let's keep honest people honest, hm? Come along now."

She grabbed a napkin filled with silverware and led Hood to a booth against one of the large windows facing the street outside. Past the spaces between the buildings, she could see the ocean backdropped against a vast crescent beach. She placed her suitcase on the bench across from her while the waitress set the table.

"Now, I know we have great burgers here, but I would recommend the fish and chips. Fancy thing over from the British and the fish is caught right outside."

"As much as I love fish and chips, I was looking for something a bit more American now that I'm over here."

"Ohhhh, I can't believe I didn't notice! The accent, the polite speech- you even have a little Union Jack on your dress. Oh, by Lord Almighty, that is the cutest little thing I ever did see. Matthew!"

A voice from back in the restaurant past the kitchen window called back. "Yeah?"

"There's a darling little angel here from Britain with a flag on her dress."

"That sounds stupid."

"Oh, what do you know, you're a fat-head, Matthew."

"Love you, too, honey."

The woman turned back to Hood, and her frown melted back into a bright smile. "Oh, don't mind him, my old husband is a fuddy-duddy. Been married thirty years now, and I love the man to death, but cross my heart he is a right bum."

Shaking her head lightly, she pulled out a pad of paper. "Anyway, what would you like? The menu is up on the board to your right."

Hood couldn't even respond for a brief moment, still processing the conversation up until this point. Blinking a few times, she finally turned and narrowed her eye at the menu.

"May I have a hamburger with cheese and fries?"

"Of course you can, hun. And what to drink?"

"Do you have Coca-Cola here?"

"Is the sky blue? Of course we do. So a cheeseburger and fries with a cola to drink. Is that all?"

Hood nodded lightly. "Yes, thank you."

"If you need anything, just shout."

The woman ripped the page out of her notepad and shoved it on a metal clip above the kitchen window before going back to the hostess stand and welcoming a new couple. A burly hand took the order slip before dipping out of sight. Hood took off her hat and placed it on the seat next to her as she mindlessly watched the passersby and the sailboats bobbing in the harbor.

With nothing and no one to occupy her mind, it began to drift.

I wonder what my new Commander will be like. Will he be a prick like the First Sea Lord? Or will he be more like Commodore Buss? Oh, I wonder if he'll be funny and exciting like Bob Hope from those Cola adverts. Maybe smart like Sherlock Holmes in those delightful novels. There are so many possibilities!

Hood continued to flit through her wanton wishes of what she'd want in an officer, playing Build-a-Commander in her head.

He'd be older, but not too old. Just old enough to be wise and worldly, but not old enough to be all wrinkly and slow. And also he'd need to be gruff and disciplined, but be compassionate to his subordinates. Oh, and it'd be nice if he were also tall; above six feet at least. His clothes would need to be sharp, but still be relaxed and casual- with his collar and tie loose, perhaps. A beard is a must. Not enough to look disheveled ‒ just enough to be manly and gallant...

Before Hood could go any further into her fantasies, the waitress returned.

"Here you go, hun. One pipin' hot cheeseburger and freshly cooked fries with an ice-cold cola. Enjoy!" She placed the beautiful, greasy meal before Hood, who struggled not to drool.

"You can pay up at the hostess stand on your way out."

With that, Hood was left alone with her meal. She waited a few moments for the woman to address another table before taking a fry and popping it in her mouth.

"Erswmhvn."

That singular fry may have been the greatest thing that Hood had ever had the pleasure of eating. It may have just been the hunger talking. It may have just been that she hadn't been able to keep much food down the past few days. She didn't care.

No God could convince her that this wasn't ambrosia.

She struggled to pick up her burger with one hand, but the paper wrapper kept it together enough so that she could all but shove her face into it.

As Hood continued to shovel food into her mouth, she had only one thought.

I will happily die for the Eagle Union if they keep feeding me these.

Casting aside any pretenses of table manners or her 'carefully crafted image of a proper lady,' Hood couldn't even think properly. Her only train of thought was dedicated solely to the consumption of the food in front of her and nothing else. The next few minutes passed in a grease-filled blur. By the time Hood came back to, the only thing remaining on her plate was a balled-up, ketchup-stained, paper wrapper.

She let out a small hiccup, quickly putting a hand to her mouth, and looked about to make sure no one had heard her. She pulled the napkin from her lap and dabbed the corners of her mouth with the cloth before looking back and forth and wiping it harshly. She neatly roughly refolded the napkin as she had seen it before and placed it on the one clean portion of her plate.

Securing her hat back atop her head, Hood shuffled out of her booth and pulled her change out of her pocket.

Penny, penny, dime, penny, nickel… uh… yes! Another nickel. Exact change.

Picking up her suitcase and sliding it down to the crook of her arm, she tried her best 'proper walk' as she was taught after her show of a meal.

My limp is always going to be there, but I think I still pull it off.

She placed her twenty-three cents on the Hostess Stand, and the woman waved her off with a frown, allowing Hood to leave without another word.

I wonder why she looked a bit upset. I paid exactly as much as the menu stated. How strange. Still, she was a kind woman. She spoke a bit too much, though.

Hood stopped walking. "I never actually caught that woman's name."

After a moment, she shrugged. "Oh well. If I see her again, I'll be sure to ask."

With her head clear, Hood began her uneven march toward where Ford Island was on the map.

She got another twenty feet before stopping once again.

"I am not walking six miles to the naval base."

Turning around, she wandered back to where she saw a bus stop during her search for lunch. Sitting on the bench at the stop was a somewhat hungover looking young man. A mess of a naval uniform was hanging off of his lithe frame, and his hat was pulled down deep over his face. Making sure to sit as far away from the drunkard as she could, Hood pressed her dress down below her as she sat and placed her suitcase on her lap. Her hand was held loosely on the handle. She could handle a scrawny, hungover man if needed, even with an arm permanently tied behind her back.

With nothing to distract herself with aside from the lightly snoring, hungover man, Hood began to hum a pleasant melody she often heard as her hull was being built. She didn't know what song it was, or who had been singing it as she was built, but it never failed to raise her spirits and calm her nerves. She was about to be meeting her new Commander for the foreseeable future. At least until she retired, most likely.

Can we retire? We're technically owned by the State. Except for right now. The Royal Navy gave me the boot. The First Sea Lord was quite clear that the moment I stepped off of English soil, I was no longer his problem, but I've yet to enter the Eagle Union's custody. I suppose that means I'm a free woman for the next few minutes yet.

Hood giggled into her hand. "Who would've thought that the one thing the Mighty Hood would do whilst a free woman would be to stuff her face with American fast food."

With that amusing thought out of her head, Hood waited patiently for the bus to arrive. Not five minutes later, an unpainted silver bus pulled up to the bench that she and the hungover man were sharing. Despite the loud hissing of the bus' suspension, the hungover man still had yet to rise. Without thinking, Hood reached over and nudged the man's arm.

The man groaned unintelligibly before spasming and sliding off of the bench, landing ass-first on the concrete below.

"Who're, what, huh?"

Raising an eyebrow at his reaction to waking from his nap, Hood pursed her lips. "Um, hello, sir. The bus is here. You were waiting for it, were you not?"

The man blinked twice before looking between Hood and the bus. He picked up his hat from the ground and blearily trudged onto the bus without so much as a word spoken.

What a bizarre man.

Hood shook her head. She didn't want to miss the bus herself, after all. Quickly jumping aboard, she rummaged through her always-useful dress pocket and pulled out a nickel and dropped it into the farebox. The driver nodded back to her, and Hood took the seat nearly directly behind the stairs. It was easier for her to get off, and no one would bother her up here.

No one, except perhaps the hungover man who had a similar idea, sitting in the seat across the aisle from her. She couldn't even blame him. She had been the one to sit down second. The not-quite-as-hungover man across from her had gone back to attempting to steal a few more minutes of sleep. His hat was ‒ for the first time ‒ correctly on his head and allowed her a good look at his face, even if in profile. Nothing spectacular stood out, and Hood turned away to the window, finding more enjoyment out of the speeding scenery than picking apart the disheveled man's appearance.

Mindlessly watching the waves lazily move up and down the beachheads as the bus sped past was as relaxing as it was mesmerizing. The seafoam collected along the beach while the wind rolled it back toward the waves as it returned to the ocean, only to be pushed back up the beach with the next wave. Hood watched this endless process until the bus jerked to a stop. Coming back to the inside of the bus, the disheveled man was already standing with his hand gripping the top of the seat he was resting on a moment ago. The moment the bus doors swung open, he stumbled off.

Hood cleared her throat. "Excuse me, driver? Is this the stop for the Pearl Harbor Naval Base?"

Without turning to look, he said, "Yea, it's Pearl. Do be careful if you're goin' in. Everyone's been pretty high strung the past few weeks. Take care."

Nodding in appreciation, Hood took her suitcase and stepped off the bus. Once her feet touched the ground, the doors closed behind her, and the bus finished the round-about back toward the city of Honolulu.

After a moment to get her bearings, she noted the large security checkpoint along the road in front of her. The man from the bus had already stumbled to the checkpoint.

That man is doing his best to look sober and awake, and he's failing at both. Judging by how the gate guard is shaking his head, I believe he thinks so, too.

Despite the gate guard's obvious annoyance at the man for looking and acting the way he was, he waved him through without so much as breaking his stride.

Must be an officer of some kind.

Hood followed suit, but the gate guard stopped her a few feet out from the checkpoint.

"Halt. State your business."

Hood stood a little straighter. "I am here at the request of the Eagle Union Admiralty. I am to be a liaison and foster relations between the Eagle Union and the Royal Empire."

Nonplussed, the guard continued. "Name?"

"Hood."

An eyebrow raised. "Last name?"

Hood coughed lightly into her glove. "Ah, yes. My last name. The one after my given name."

"That is what a last name is, yes. Now, what is your full legal name?"

I can't believe this has never come up. What do I do?

The guard sighed. "Look, if you're having a bit of a blank, just hand over any identification you have, and we can go from there."

Hood smiled nervously. "I… don't have any?"

It was never an issue until now! I'm the Mighty Hood! My identification was a Pennant Number and a hull!

"Look, lady, if you're just going to waste my time…"

Hood waved her hand frantically. "No, no, no, I'm not trying to waste your time. I'm here on a political mission to the Pacific Fleet of the Eagle Union, and I'm supposed to report to an Admiral Halsey."

"Admiral Halsey isn't here today. Come back tomorrow." He paused. "And bring some ID, or I'm going to detain you."

Hood swallowed back a sigh. "Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to come back tomorrow." She curtsied. "Have a good rest of your day."

She picked up her suitcase and turned back to where the bus had left her. There was a bus stop marked with a blue sign, but unlike the one in Honolulu, there was no bench.

I suppose I'll just stand on the side of the road here like a cheap harlot.

After several minutes of standing, still admiring the scenery that the island of Oahu provided her, she desperately wanted to sit atop her suitcase and doze.

No, Hood, you can't sit on your suitcase. Bad. Your tea set might crack.

She unbuttoned the cane from her suitcase with a grumble. Able to now shift her weight from right foot to cane made waiting for the bus just slightly less painful on her feet. Slightly.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Unaware that she had zoned out, Hood jumped slightly and spun around to see the person addressing her. He was older ‒ a bit older than suited her tastes ‒ but not too old. His voice was gruff and gravely, but had a warmth to it. He was tall, standing a good head-and-a-half above her from what she could tell. His naval officer's uniform was crisp and ironed, but his collar was unbuttoned, and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. A five-o-clock shadow was beginning on his face, with just enough facial hair to see it.

Hood couldn't speak for a moment, in awe of the man.

He's perfect.

His voice brought her back to reality. "You wouldn't happen to be Hood, would you? First Sea Lord Pound said to look for a woman with a Union Jack on her dress and a missing arm."

"Ah, uh, yes! Yes. I am HMS Hood. May I ask who you are?"

"Name's William Halsey." He stuck out his hand. "You can just call me Bill."

This is Admiral Halsey? This is who I'm supposed to report to? Please, please, please be the Commander for the Azure Project. I will ask for nothing else, God.

Hood all but dropped her cane to shake his hand. It was a firm grip, even by her inhuman standards.

"Before we continue, I'd like to introduce you to Enterprise here. Enty, come and say hello to our new addition."

So enamoured with Halsey, Hood hadn't even noticed the even taller woman standing near the Admiral. If Halsey was a bit over six feet, this woman must have been almost six and a half. Hood nearly had to crane her neck to look her in the eye.

"Hello. My name is Enterprise. I look forward to seeing what you can do without a hull or rigging."

"Enterprise." Halsey scolded.

Enterprise frowned. "What? It was a genuine question."

Shaking his head, Halsey touched Enterprise's arm, and she took a step back next to the Admiral.

"I'm sorry for her lack of tact. For as good as she is at coordinating aircraft, she's not very good at understanding social cues."

Enterprise frowned again. "Yorktown said I'm a good conversationalist."

Halsey put a hand on her shoulder. "Yorktown would say that a mime is a good conversationalist if it made you happy. She lied."

Enterprise crossed her arms and huffed. Halsey laughed.

"Oh, don't be like that, Enty. I'll be sure to make sure there's extra ice cream mix on the inventory tonight."

Enterprise continued to grumble, but the corners of her mouth twitched up.

Turning back to Hood, Halsey cleared his throat. "Anyway, where were we…"

Hood spoke up. "We were about to discuss my position in the Eagle Union?"

"Ah, yes. Come along, I'll brief you while I show you to your temporary lodging. Of course, you'll be receiving a more permanent room once we get to the main headquarters for the new initiative. Until then, you'll be staying in an empty officer's room."

Nodding along, Hood followed as fast as her small frame allowed.

Stupid Enterprise and her stupid long legs.

Both the Admiral and the carrier had long strides that Hood would have had trouble matching even without her limp. With it, she was practically playing hopscotch trying to keep up, as Halsey explained.

"Despite being one of the five of the largest partners in the Azure Project made by the League of Nations, the Eagle Union didn't take full stock of its benefits at the time. Since we were not a member state of the League, we didn't feel like we needed to be truly invested in whatever projects they were running."

He gestured lazily with a hand toward the harbor. "I'm sure you can see where that got us a few weeks ago."

Before continuing, they reached the security checkpoint, and the guard from earlier made a sharp salute before allowing the Admiral to pass. He went to stop Hood, but Halsey waved him off.

"She's with me, lieutenant. Carry on."

"Sir, of course, sir."

He stepped aside and motioned them through before stepping back into position. Although he didn't look back, Hood stuck her tongue out at him behind his back.

Although Halsey hadn't noticed, Enterprise did, and she lightly shook her head while smiling. Having the good grace to act embarrassed at having been caught acting childish, Hood attempted to divert attention.

"If the Eagle Union didn't care for the Azure Project then, why attempt to remake it now? The First Sea Lord didn't seem too enthused with reviving it, and the Royal Navy was one of the other big five member countries."

Halsey cleared his throat again. "Nimitz and the rest of the Admiralty have agreed that the attack on this base was possible with standard aircraft and ships, due to our peacetime status and lack of mobilization. From the damage that our fleet sustained in one decisive attack, we may have declared the project a failure a bit too soon, but our hands were tied when the project began to splinter. No member nation wanted to share what they had learned with another. We were convinced everyone else would use what we learned against us, and so progress stalled until the project was halted entirely."

He paused for a moment before adding. "The Depression certainly didn't help anything. Didn't have the funding for what was deemed a 'frivolous exercise of naval research.'"

Hood took a moment after he had finished to let the information sink in before carefully wording her question. "If there were so many problems, why try again?"

Enterprise answered for Halsey. "That's just a slight rewording of your earlier question." She sighed. "To answer for the Admiral, though, it's because of me and my sisters. Aircraft carriers weren't considered main fleet ships until recently, and at the time of the original Azure Project, we were glossed over. The focus was on battleships and battlecruisers, both of which have computers and fire control, as you no doubt know. They tried to see if having us would make the use of fire control and range finding obsolete-"

"But we still needed the data from the fire control system to align shots." Hood finished for her.

Enterprise nodded. "At the end of the day, the benefits of having a personification of the ship itself controlling it was deemed not worth the effort and research when other fields were making leaps and bounds."

Halsey continued after Enterprise. "What do you do when a ship has run its course?"

Hood swallowed. "You scrap it."

He nodded. "You scrap it. A bit harder to scrap a ship when you have a personification of it running about. Tell me. How did it feel when your hull was destroyed?"

Hood raised an eyebrow. "Aside from being blown up? I suppose a sense of emptiness. Almost like a part of me is just missing."

Enterprise looked down at Hood's remaining arm.

Hood smacked her with her cane.

"Aside from the obvious. I mean a spiritual piece. Like someone I dearly loved just left without a word."

Halsey sighed. "Yeah, Missouri said the same thing. She was a test to see whether or not a ship could be personified before being completed. The Washington Naval Treaty prevented that from ever happening, however. Poor girl has a screw loose now. Just mutters about not being whole constantly. She's in the loony bin, and she's never getting better."

"This new Project Azure is using only ships that we already have at our disposal and are ready to be shipped out. Anything else will be up to the discretion of the Navy Board and the Commander of the Azure fleet."

Hood felt her heart drop. "Up to the Commander? Are you not the Admiral in charge of it? That was the information I was briefed with."

"Ah, yes. I originally was supposed to be the Commander for the Azure fleet, but two weeks ago, while you were still shipbound, the decision was reversed due to the more immediate need for more experienced officers for the conventional fleets. The safer and more reliable option as of now. I'm here today because Enty here is being filled back up with food stores and ammunition; I won't be here come noon tomorrow, most likely. Don't worry, I'll be sure to introduce you to the new Azure fleet Commander in the morning before Enterprise and I shove off."

Halsey tipped his hat with a shallow nod. "I'll leave Enterprise here to show you around the base. I have a meeting I'm about to be late to while we talked. It was my pleasure to meet you, Miss Hood."

Hood curtsied. "And mine, yours, Admiral Halsey."

He winked. "Just Bill."

With that, he left Hood alone with the tall carrier.

Enterprise started off toward the docks and waved her hand, beckoning Hood. "Come on, Halsey said to show you around, so let's walk and talk."

This time, Hood didn't need to play hopscotch, as Enterprise thankfully shortened her strides when she noticed that Hood was having difficulty keeping up. Hood didn't notice her small act of kindness, however, as a single thought dominated her mind.

If Admiral Halsey isn't my new Commander, then who?

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