Chapter Text
"Mmm, hoowaaaah~," MG42 yawned. "It's sooo boring."
The twin-tailed white-haired machine gun toting T-Doll was posted up in a trench with her namesake mounted on a barrier of sandbags, along with her four dummy links. Her sister was also next to her with her own set of dummies.
"Don't go to standby mode on me," MG34 chided. She brushed back a lock of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "Command says to keep watch in this sector for Sangvis Ferri, and I don't want to be the only one shooting back."
"You won't be the only one." 42 stuck her tongue out playfully. "You have your dummies with you, Dummkopf."
Bonk!
"Yowch!"
"You're the Dummkopf, Dummkopf." 34 huffed as she brought her fist back. "Besides, ten machine guns are better than five."
"Can you two please stop messing around?" Stg44's exasperated tone came over the Zener Network. "I don't want us to get caught with our slacks around our ankles."
"Ja, ja, sorry about that." "I'll try to keep my sister in line."
Stg44 grumbled quietly under her breath about "silly machine guns," adjusting her cap so her long hair wouldn't get in her face. She inspected her assault rifle for the umpteenth time, more out of boredom rather than necessity. She ejected the magazine, seeing if the rounds were seated in properly. She inserted it back in, pulling back the charging handle and doing a brass check. Stg44 didn't really need to do all that; the imprinting technology that all Griffin & Kryuger T-Dolls had ensured that the weapons they wielded would be an extension of their body. Whether it be a jam, mis-feed, overheating, or ammo count, a T-Doll would know exactly what was wrong with their firearm without having to disassemble it.
Stg44 was further down the trench to the left of the machine gun pair. Her own dummies were also with her, keeping an eye out for hostiles just as vigilantly as the original main frame. Don't ask how dummy linking works, because even T-Dolls can't explain to humans how it's like, other than they were still one consciousness but with multiple bodies. The human brain wouldn't be able to comprehend such a sensation so easily.
She was about run a self-diagnostic when she heard something on the Zener Network. Something that sounded like music.
"What in the world?" The T-Doll listened closely; it sounded like guitars. "Who the heck is playing music on the main frequency?"
"Ahh, sorry! I thought I muted myself." P38 apologized. The handgun Doll was next to MG42 to provide assistance. "I just felt like playing some music to pass the time."
"So you decided to blast your Sabaton playlist on the comms?" MG42 teased while drumming her fingers on her drum magazine.
"It's a good song at least." Gewehr 43 added, the rifle user further down on the right side of the machine guns.
"Well, it's distracting." Stg44 bit back.
"C'mon, if it was too quiet then it'd be like the Western Front, and that would be just gloomy." P38 complained.
"Technically, the Western Front was set in World War One," Kar98k chimed in from her watchtower, fiddling with the knobs on her sniper scope,"and we're all based on World War Two firearms instead. So shouldn't it be the Eastern Front?"
"Wehrmacht fighting on the Eastern Front, year 2062, colorized." C96 snickered at her own joke besides MG34.
Stg44 sighed and fought the urge to nurse a headache, or whatever the android equivalent of a headache was. "Please, that's enough. I don't want hear about you girls getting competitive with Mosin-Nagant and the others when we get back."
Into the Motherland the German army march!
"Mein Gott, Thirty-Eight, will you please at least turn that down?"
"Oh, fiiine."
Stg44 was about to chew her out when a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with MP40. The slightly shorter Doll smiled at her while offering a treat to calm her down. "Chocolate, Frau Sturmgewehr? It's straight from FNC's stash so you know it's good."
The assault rifle Doll accepted a small piece from the tomboy submachine gunner. "Danke, Forty. Sometimes I wonder how we get work done around here."
"Oh, don't be too harsh on them. They try their best, you know?" MP40 sat down in the trench with her back against the dirt wall. She fished around her pockets before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Besides, Forty-Four, we're not all Elites- well, maybe except for Frau Karabiner- so you shouldn't expect too much out of us. Gottverdammt, where is my light?"
Stg44 was already prepared with a zippo lighter, flicking it open to light her friend's cigarette. "I know, I know. Converted civilian dolls and all that. By the way, you should really quit smoking, it's bad for your filters."
MP40 took a long drag and blew it out, waving off the other's concern. "I'll be fine, we're not like humans with lungs."
"But you can still clog up your cooling systems."
"It hasn't happened yet. Besides, I can just replace them."
The taller blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever. The replacement costs are coming out of your pocket though."
"Of course, I al-" The shorter blonde's retort was suddenly interrupted; a portal opened up out of nowhere several feet above them.
"Ahhh! Scheiße!" A figure in a black uniform came tumbling out before landing butt first on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. "Was zur Hölle?"
"Hold your fire!" Stg44 called out as the Dolls instinctively drew on the unknown contact, surrounding them warily. "You there, identify yourself!"
From the dust, a person, a woman is standing tall. "Huh? Where... where am I?" Her face looked eerily similar to Stg44's, especially with her blonde hair. They could have easily been mistaken for sisters.
"Is it just me or does she look like Frau Sturmgewehr?" MG42 brought up the question that was on everyone's digi-mind. "Is she one of your dummies, then? Or perhaps a similar Doll model to you?"
"I..." Stg44 observed the unknown woman before them. "Nein, she's not even a Doll, she's organic. Yet her bio-readings are..." 'Different? Not exactly human? What's going on here? Ohh, what would Herr Kommandant do in this situation?'
"Wait, if she is human... isn't it like SUPER illegal to have a Doll modeled in the likeness of an already existing person?" C96 sounded worried. "Forty-Four, are you actually an illegal Doll? Oh, this could be bad..."
"Nein! Frau Helian and Herr Kryuger wouldn't have hired me in the first place!" Stg44 exclaimed back over the Zener Protocol. She didn't want to start screaming in front of the stranger.
The stranger was fairly tall, dressed in a black uniform comprised of a military jacket and skirt. A black cape was draped over her shoulders, contrasting with the white fur trim and the red color on the inverse side. She also wore black thigh-high leggings with white fur trim. The unknown woman was currently dusting off her military cap with white-gloved hands before setting it on her head, tucking some stray blonde hair out of her face. Despite having fallen flat on her ass earlier, she still posed an intimidating figure.
"Ah, you asked me a question just now, didn't you." She spoke with an authoritative voice. "Very well. My name is Bismarck, first of the Bismarck-class battleships of the Iron Blood. Now, if you could be so kind as to tell me where I am right now?"
'Bismarck? Battleship? What's going on?'
"Well, Frau Bismarck, you are currently in Griffin territory, Area S09 to be precise." Stg44 answered. "Normally civilians would never be this far out, but obviously these are not normal circumstances and your are no civilian." She was sure her systems weren't glitching out earlier; she knew for a fact that this 'Bismarck' fell from the sky without having to play back a visual recording.
"That is true." Bismarck studied the Dolls around her. "I can tell something is off here... how and why, I don't know exactly. Your weapons however, they seem very familiar to me."
"Hold on, did you say 'battleship' earlier?" P38 asked out loud. "As in, the battleship that fought and sunk at Denmark Strait about 120 years ago?"
"I did introduce myself as a Bismark-class battleship, yes." Bismarck blinked as she took in P38's words. "Wait a moment, did you just say '120 years ago?' When... no, what year is it?"
"2062."
"...what."
Stg44 fought the urge to question her doppelganger further; technically they were still in a combat zone and she didn't want to endanger a stranger's life if she could help it. "Miss, if you could please come my way so we can take you to back to command. We can sort out this mess there but this really isn't the time and place to-"
"I'm getting signals, eleven o'clock." Kar98k pinged out. "Sangvis Ferri are here. Forty-Four, get her to safety now!"
"Ah, crap. Miss, get over here and find cover!" Stg44 hopped out of her trench with two of her dummies to escort Bismarck before the bullets started flying. "You'll get caught in the crossfire!"
Bismarck snapped out of her stupor, looking around with alertness. "Ah, are we under enemy attack, then?" She made her way over to Stg44 cautiously, prompting the T-Doll and her dummies to surround the woman and cover her with their weapons. "I still have questions but I can help fight back, you know."
"Absolutely not," Stg44 protested, "you are in our jurisdiction now, so that puts you under our care. So please make haste to the trench over there."
"I am not some helpless damsel." The other blonde countered with a stern glare which shifted to an expression of curiosity. "Hmm, now that you're up close, you look quite familiar. And your uniforms and weapons... are you perhaps one of my people?" She poked one of the dummies. "And these look like... automatons of some sort?"
The T-Doll didn't have time to answer when warning signals went off in her head. "Get down!"
Energy blasts began to fly out from a treeline as the Sangvis drones got within firing range. The Griffin T-Dolls present answered in kind with their own firepower. Stg44 yanked grabbed the battleship girl by her arms and pulled her to the ground. One dummy threw herself over her to cover her while the other dummy took a knee to return fire.
"Hey, get off me so I can shoot back!" Bismarck shouted.
Stg44 didn't spare her a look as she fired her own weapon. "Are you crazy, do you want to die?! Just let us Dolls handle this!"
She could see now that Rippers and Vespids were advancing on them, shooting their energy weapons at the defenders. They weren't too difficult to deal with, especially without a Ringleader on the field to directly command them. It was just their numbers that made them problematic and even stray shots could get lucky.
A red warning signal flashed in Stg44's HUD when one of her dummies took a hit. It wasn't critical but it was enough to knock the dummy down temporarily, just enough for Bismarck to scramble out from underneath.
"Hey, what are you doing? Stay down!"
Bismarck huffed at her. "This won't be enough to hurt me. Watch."
Stg44 could only stare in horror as she watched an energy bolt fly through the air, its trajectory putting it on the path to Bismarck's torso. Her processors computed it in slow motion but she knew for a fact that a human wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Imagine her surprise when she realized Bismarck wasn't a regular human.
With a mighty cry Bismarck summoned her battle standard, the red and black flag waving elegantly as she planted the shaft firmly into the ground. Motes of blue light surrounded her before coalescing into a solid shape, forming what appeared to be artillery platforms that were secured to her person. Any energy bolts heading for her were either blocked by a translucent blue force field of sorts or left minor scorch marks on her rigging.
"Truth can only be found within our range!" All four turrets on Bismarck's rigging rotate then with a fierce roar of fire and smoke, the guns fired. "Feuer!"
BOOM!!
"Holy sh-!"
"What the fuck?!"
Firepower! Firefight! Battlestations, keep the targets steady in sight~
Stg44 didn't know what happened. One moment she was watching this blonde stranger stand up in the middle of a firefight like some crazy lady, then the next moment she was flat on her ass from a shockwave. It was so intense that her visual feed was interrupted by static for an instant and despite her hearing modules adjusting the volume, she swore she could still hear the deafening ring along with the vibrations that traveled through her Doll frame. Oh, and P38's playlist was still going on for some reason.
After a quick diagnostic, some rebooting, and shake of her head, Stg44 got up on a knee and surveyed the situation. What she saw made her jaw drop. The entire treeline was practically obliterated, along with whatever Sangvis Ferri forces happened to be in the area. Only bits and pieces of trees and scrap metal were left in Bismarck's wake, her onslaught warping the landscape with large craters. The closest thing Griffin had to this kind of firepower were their HOCs (Heavy Ordnance Corps) and even they paled in comparison to this level of destruction. Not to mention the HOCs were technically illegal but no one needed to know that. A quick scan from herself showed that all hostiles were terminated, further confirmed the subsequent green signals from the others.
"Now then," Bismarck began as if she didn't just annihilate mother nature, "I have an idea of what's going on. I seem to have been displaced in an alternate timeline or universe of some sort, so I believe the best course of action would be for you to take me to your commanding officer."
Stg44 was still trying to process what happened. Fortunately, Kar98k was there to take control. "That would be wise. Herr Kommandant probably- ahhh, who am I kidding, he wouldn't know what the hell to do in this situation, but it's better than nothing."
Bismarck looked around and dismissed her rigging. "I don't blame you for coming to that conclusion. Even I'm still befuddled on how this happened."
"Of course. Anyway, please come along. We shall escort you back to base and figure out this... mess." Kar98k tapped Stg44 on the shoulder. "Let's go, Sturmgewehr. MP40, rally the others."
"Jawohl! All right, everyone, gather all your gear and let's move out. Come on, chop chop!"
"Huh, wha?" Stg44 snapped out of her daze. "Ah, right. To base. Yes, let's go. Maybe we can find answers there. Or maybe we won't. I don't know, I think I need a drink..."
"Drinks will be on me when we get back, how's that sound, Sturmgewehr?" Kar98k attempted to calm her friend down.
"That would be nice, I guess. Guooh, just what is going on?"
"Shh, don't think about it. Come along, now."
"So you mean to say," the Commander said, "this woman somehow traveled through a portal and landed on our premises?"
"Yes, that is correct." Kar98k stood at attention along with MP40 and Stg44, who was still a little confused at the situation.
The three of them plus Bismarck were currently in the Commander's office. There was some commotion from the other Dolls on base about the stranger who looked like Stg44 but overall there was no trouble. The Commander was seated at his desk with his hands folded in front of his face and trying to maintain a cool and calm look.
The Commander then looked at the blonde newcomer. "And according to you and my subordinates, you are called Bismarck, correct?"
Bismarck nodded. "Yes, Commander."
"And that you are actually the personification of the battleship of the same name, correct?"
"That is correct."
The Commander sighed and removed his red beret to run a hand through his hair. "Well, your regalia looks legitimate. Okay, one more thing. Can you manifest your 'rigging' so I can confirm it? There should be enough room in here."
"Of course. If you three can give me some space, please?" Bismarck motioned for the T-Dolls to take a few steps back. She looked around herself to make sure there wasn't anything else in the way before closing her eyes and concentrating.
A flash of blue light enveloped the office, forcing the Commander to cover his eyes lest he be blinded. When he opened his eyes to get a clearer look, he saw Bismarck standing tall with her rigging around her like a protective shield. It resembled two mechanical sharkheads that were somehow connected to her, the metal clanking of their jaws echoing with the whirring and clicking of the guns atop their heads. Like the rest of her uniform, her rigging was painted predominantly in black and red, with some gray and white along the hull. From what the Commander remembered seeing in the old archives of the Second World War, her overall color scheme certainly resembled the battleship she was named after. Or the battleship she actually was. It's still a bit confusing for him.
"I see. It certainly matches with Colt's description." He mused as he opened a drawer to pull out a folder.
"Sir?" MP40 asked.
The Commander flipped through the report given to him months ago by a certain gunslinger. "Colt SAA went through something similar apparently. I originally chalked it up to an overactive imagination or a glitch in her neural cloud. She did mention finding a glitch during a combat simulation." He looked at the occupants in his office. "But as we all know, T-Dolls cannot dream. Which means whatever she remembered seeing was false date planted in her, or was something that she actually experienced."
The folder was offered to MP40 to read. "Nice beach, naval base, big ass guns...oh!" She pointed at a particular excerpt. "Shipgirl rigging, summoned near instantaneously on a whim, looks like miniaturized parts of a warship and its guns. Scaled down to human size for explosive results. That fits the description of Frau Bismarck."
"You mean a visitor from your world came to ours?" Bismarck's eyes widened in surprise. "I was not informed of this...no, wait. I remember there was an odd fellow around Azur Lane base back then, socializing with Georgia and Arizona. Could that have been her?"
MP40 skimmed through the reports again. "It appears so. Colt mentions the names Georgia, Arizona, and Missouri. Commander, why didn't you mention this to anyone?"
He raised his hands in surrender. "Like I said, I thought it was just a weird glitch in her memory. She was actually the one who wanted it kept quiet because it was so damn weird. But now it turns out it might be realer than I thought."
"Do we have any idea how to get her back to her own world?" Stg44 finally asked.
"No clue, Colt said it just happened after she got into a slight altercation with an enemy."
Bismarck nodded. "Hmm, now that you mention it, I do recall Missouri shooting down Purifier on that day. She had to file a report about it."
"Well, I'm not sure what we can do now. I'm not you're commander so I can't tell you what to do." The Commander drummed his fingers along the desk. "We can try to help you return home but where do we even start?"
The blonde battleship thought for a moment. Stg44 got curious and approached one the metal sharks, only to yelp as it snapped its jaws at her. Bismarck didn't notice or pretended not to, but everyone else looked at her with a "what the hell" expression.
"If it helps, I was in the research lab last I remember. I was experimenting with Siren tech and something must have happened." Bismarck spoke up.
"Siren tech?" The Commander asked. "I don't want to ask for more details and fry my brain, but do you think this tech is capable of transporting you through... space and time, or whatever this is?"
She nodded. "We may not know everything about them but they do have the ability to teleport individual units and mass fleets to a location. It takes a longer time the more they have to teleport, but it can be done. We suspect they're able to travel across dimensions as well."
"That sounds concerning. I wouldn't want them to come here while we're still fighting our own battles." Kar98k frowned at the thought.
"We'll deal with it when it happens, our pressing concern is returning Bismarck to her world." The Commander fiddled with a pen. "For now, you are our guest. Until we find a solution, you'll be staying with us for a while."
"Perhaps she can dorm with us?" MP40 suggested. "We have enough room and she'd fit right in with our squad since she already met us."
"Sounds good. Any complaints?"
Bismarck shook her head. "Nein, these terms are agreeable. Although," he stomach grumbled, "would you happen to have a cafeteria around here?"
"Ah right, of course." The Commander cleared his throat. "If you ladies could please show our guest the way?"
"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant." Stg44 snapped to attention before glancing at her not-so-human lookalike. "I guess you're sticking with us for now."
Bismarck rotated her turrets a bit, working out any possible kinks, taking care not to aim them at anyone. She briefly wondered if she should oil the moving parts later. "I am in your care, Frau Sturmgewehr. And should the need arise," she smirked at the Commander, "I'll be happy to provide my guns to assist you."
"That...is not actually a bad idea. I'll think about it." The Commander smiled back. He did like big guns and explosions after all.