Chapter Text
Laboratory
Location: ???
Exact location: ???
Inside a laboratory hidden and unknown to the general public, two scientists watched closely several women confined to hospital beds. They were all in a coma, immobilized by restraints on their bodies and confined within glass boxes.
The glass displayed a peculiar blue tint, while plates below the beds showed names like "Laffey," "Formidable," "Warspite," "Hornet," "Yorktown," and "Illustrious" – all names of famous ships. Each name corresponded to a woman in a coma.
The two scientists, one German and the other Italian, both wearing lab coats, headed to another area of the laboratory where more women were confined to hospital beds inside glass tubes.
This area, in contrast to the previous one, was spacious and slightly darker, with some clothes arranged around. The same scene repeated in the previous room, where women were contained in blue tubes, now with the addition of a mysterious aura around them. These women were also named after famous ships, such as "Graf Spee," "Graf Zeppelin," "Königsberg," and "Deutschland," with a woman named "Tirpitz" among them.
While observing the women in the tubes, the two scientists carried on a conversation between themselves.
The two scientists continued their conversation as they decided to leave that area of the laboratory and eventually exited the environment altogether.
After some time following their departure, unbeknownst to them, they inadvertently allowed a particular girl to awaken, long after their respective departures...
Point of View of ???
‘Have they already left?’ The young woman, appearing to be around 25 years old, questioned herself mentally, opening her eyes to find herself inside a red glass tube.
"Wo bin ich? (Where am I?)" She asked herself, noticing that her throat was extremely dry, as if she hadn't had water in centuries.
‘I need to get out of here…’ She thought, observing other girls seemingly in a coma due to some kind of serum around them, presumably present in the tubes.
Finding herself in a vast area with girls contained in red glass tubes, the young woman noticed that each one was identified by a name engraved below her tube.
As she tried to move, she realized she was trapped by restraints around her body, preventing any movement. Trying to loosen her arms, she could hear the sound of the restraints tightening around her body, seemingly made of sturdy material.
Persisting in her movements, hearing the noises of the restraints giving in to her strength, although she couldn't free herself completely, she considerably damaged the restraints.
She continued to sway until finally managing to exit the red glass tube, causing a sudden movement of the bed and the tube as a whole, accompanied by a crash as the glass shattered in all directions.
"Ugh… Was zum Teufel… Vielleicht hätte ich mich besser darauf vorbereiten sollen… (What the hell... Maybe I should have prepared myself better for this…)" She murmured while groaning in pain after falling heavily to the ground, among the glass and the bed.
As she realized the restraints were loose thanks to her own efforts to remove them, the young woman finally managed to free herself.
When she stood up, freed from the restraints that bound her from waist to feet, she could finally better examine the place where she was and try to unravel the meaning of this perplexing situation.
"Was ist das für ein Ort? Was ist das alles? (What is this place? What does it all mean?)" She wondered, still feeling the pain from the fall, as her eyes scanned the surroundings and glimpsed the other young women still unconscious, much like she had been just moments ago.
With effort, she shifted sideways and turned towards the tube that had kept her imprisoned, managing to decipher the name engraved on a metal plate lying a few inches away, after the crash of the deliberately caused fall.
"Tirpitz."
Upon encountering the name, a wave of recognition washed over her, as if a sudden insight illuminated her...
It was then that painful memories assaulted her mind, bringing to the surface her true identity: KMS Tirpitz, the second and last ship of the Bismarck class in that conflict. This was who she was.
"Meine Schwester…"
A battleship that had never experienced real fire, never having unleashed its cannons in combat against an enemy.
It was the second greatest pride of the Kriegsmarine, a pride that ended up relegated to oblivion in the waters off northern Norway until it was shot down by Royal Air Force Lancasters in 1944, a terrible and unworthy fate for a vessel intended to be grand.
Built and launched as the second exponent of German naval power after its sister, Bismarck. They were conceived to be unstoppable war machines, destined to dominate the seas and ruthlessly annihilate their adversaries.
At least, that's what they said when Bismarck was launched, she still remembered...
It was the second in command of the Kriegsmarine and consequently, the ultimate battleship at its disposal after the sinking of its sister in 1941.
When her sister sank on her first mission, she, Tirpitz, was upgraded to be much more than a mere steel fortress, unlike her predecessor, as was rumored before her departure for her first mission.
For three years, she was the flagship of the Kriegsmarine, only to be abandoned in Norway and prevented from fulfilling the role assigned to her by her title and lineage.
Only to, in the end, be relegated to oblivion and sink without ever having seen real combat, with more than two-thirds of her crew perishing in that attack... To die inside her own hull, without hope of rescue…
"Sie sind wütend… (They are furious…)" She could feel, perceive the anger of her crew and their convictions, feeling outraged and humiliated by the fate they and Tirpitz faced over the years of that conflict until 1944.
She, along with her vessel, embodied the pinnacle of German engineering, demonstrating its effectiveness by being repaired after suffering severe damage.
However, in the end, not even a tribute, not even a dignified outcome was granted to her and her crew.
"Lasst uns erstmal hier raus… (Let's find a way out first...)" She pronounced, fixing her gaze on the plaque for another moment before starting the search for an escape route. In her search, she spotted a military naval uniform in the room, along with other similar attire.
"Ahhh... Die schöne Admiralsuniform der Kriegsmarine... Eine schöne Auswahl an Kleidung… (Ahhh... The beautiful admiral's uniform of the Kriegsmarine... An enchanting selection of outfits…)" She murmured, contemplating the white uniform adorned with details like a small cape attached to the garment and a sword at her waist, accompanied by equally immaculate gloves.
"Ich ziehe mich besser schnell an... Ich will nicht länger an diesem Ort bleiben… (I'd better get dressed quickly... I don't want to stay here any longer…)" Stripping off the thin white robe that enveloped her, Tirpitz began the process of donning the admiral's uniform, whose name was inscribed just below the mannequin displaying it.
Upon completing the attire and securing the sword in its sheath at her waist, she cast one more glance around and headed for the exit, determined to free herself from that perplexing environment.
~•~
"Ein Strand… (A beach)" It took some time to find the right direction, but she finally reached a beach in an unknown location, which, to say the least, was desolate.
"Der Ozean… (The ocean…)" The sound of the serene waters at night brought Tirpitz a nostalgic feeling, evoking the serene and worry-free nights during her years in northern Norway.
They were long years in northern Norway, primarily spent waiting for the incessant attacks from the RAF to cease.
With all of that happening, all that was left for her was to listen to the calm waters of Norway, enjoying the rare occasions when the bombardments didn't disturb her, allowing her to savor a brief moment of peace in the icy waters of the North.
She and her crew spent years in this regime...
While immersed in these thoughts, Tirpitz ended up recalling a song that her crew created while stationed in Norway.
This was one of several songs that her crew composed during that period, but unlike the others, this one seemed to have stood out among them because they sang it more frequently than any other.
"From the northern waters of Norway emerges the silhouette of a ship...
The silence of the gods is about to end and turn into hell itself
This ship is the true power, it is the true symbol of strength
Everyone, flee far away!
This ship is setting sail to fulfill its mission!
It is the second greatest pride of a nation, much larger than a steel beast
A queen, an empress, a true and unstoppable leader made of the most powerful steel!
Tirpitz is underway, the absolute leader and empress of the oceans!
She was built to dominate all seas!
And she will not allow herself to be dominated by anyone!
Even if it's a God!
Built to command and lead the true war machine!
Tirpitz is the true commander who controls the waves and leader of the Kriegsmarine!
She is far above the devil and his knights of the apocalypse!
It is she who leads the seas!
It's Tirpitz!
The empress of the oceans and leader of the Kriegsmarine who will bring victory!
Two thousand and sixty-five thousand men and fifty-two thousand tons of steel set sail to fulfill their mission!
The Atlantic fears her arrival and the allies dare to pursue her and her crew
They will see what power is, the true definition of a cannon in action
All in combat! The enemy is right in sight!
In formation! The empress's hunt has begun!
They are all doomed, they all died due to the audacity of pursuing her and trying to kill her!
She dominates all seas with just one of her cannons!
Built to command and lead the true war machine!
Tirpitz is the true commander who controls the waves and leader of the Kriegsmarine!
She is far above the devil and his knights of the apocalypse!
It is she who leads the seas!
It's Tirpitz!
No one can stop her
Not even the abyss dares to take her to the depths
The underworld fears her and reveres her
The heavens embrace her and protect her, for the angels and God have accepted her as their absolute leader!
Any enemy who dares to stand in her way will feel the wrath of her cannons!
Cannons that not even God and the Devil dare to challenge
They felt the wrath of the absolute leader of the oceans and the great war machine!
She is the greatest pride of a nation, the absolute empress of the oceans!
Tirpitz is underway! The empress will drive the sinners out of her territory!
Built to command and lead the true war machine!
Tirpitz is the true commander who controls the waves and leader of the Kriegsmarine!
She is far above the devil and his knights of the apocalypse!
It is she who leads the seas!
It's Tirpitz!
She who will lead the oceans and everything she passes through!
This is Tirpitz! The empress and legendary flagship of the Kriegsmarine!
The great lady of the ocean and the abyss!
She is far above Bismarck!
She is the true definition of a leader and an empress and emperor!
She is Tirpitz! Supreme leader of the Kriegsmarine and empress of the oceans!"
(Sorry if this song turned out bad, but it's what I could think of.)
What nostalgia to sing this melody in front of the vast ocean ahead...
In the days of monotony, someone always sang this or another song to lift the crew's spirits or dispel boredom before and after the incessant attacks from the RAF, which so afflicted them.
However, this song echoed among them in moments of rest, when they were not exercising to maintain physical fitness.
Even the KzS participated in these activities with the crew, as there wasn't much else to do in those days. Attack suggestions were vetoed due to the severe restrictions imposed.
At times, it was more intriguing to observe the movements of the fish as they sheltered in the Norwegian waters than to pay attention to the global war. There were moments when she even forgot she was involved in the conflict until abruptly reminded by her own crew and the incessant bombardments from the RAF.
As she advanced along the beach, Tirpitz moved with slow steps toward the sea, listening to the subtle sound of her boots in the sand.
It was as if the ocean was calling her...
She could feel, discern the voice of the sea summoning her presence...
Calling her back to the place that rightfully belonged to her...
To the domain she should exercise and the demonstration of her sovereignty over that war and those seas...
Highlighting the fear that the Bismarck class still imposed, even after the sinking of her sister...
Towards the sea she advanced, feeling the waters begin to brush against her boots as she approached the blue horizon.
As Tirpitz moved toward the sea, preparing to enter the deeper parts while slowly closing her eyes, she was surprised by an unexpected sensation, instead of the water brushing against her shins.
Upon opening her eyes, her senses were sharpened by the sight of the four imposing twin-gun turrets of her ship, erected on individual decks, each adorned with metallic shark mouths. Furthermore, she spotted the robust 53.3 cm torpedo tubes lined on the sides.
Looking back, she encountered other sections of her vessel, including the majestic command tower and the formidable anti-aircraft weapons, distributed on the peculiar four decks. In her left hand, she held a mast displaying a flag evoking the colors of the German flag, and upon closer examination, she realized that the mast could be employed as a powerful spear.
"Meine Waffen…" She murmured, staring at the guns and the four metallic sharks that supported the main cannons of her ship.
As she gazed at the metallic sharks, Tirpitz noticed they seemed to be watching her back. She decided to lightly caress them, without fear, after all, they were her weapons, living beings, but still, weapons.
With the mast in one hand, she leaned it slightly on her shoulder to check the watch that accompanied it. Whoever had prepared that uniform for her was quite competent in including essential items like binoculars, a map, a compass, and a watch.
"In fünf Minuten ist es Mitternacht… (In five minutes it will be midnight…)" She murmured to herself, watching the time pass. Midnight would soon be upon her.
As she took the mast back into her hands, Tirpitz found herself faced with a dilemma.
Where should she head?
Although armed with a map, the question was to discover her current location. Initially, she considered being in icy regions near Norway, or perhaps in the Baltic Sea, or even in the Soviet Union. However, she realized she was not in any part of Europe. The quality of the ocean water was distinct, although she couldn't discern precisely how, she only knew she was not on European soil.
However, she was at least presumably in the vastness of the Atlantic. She wasn't sure, but could only conceive of two distant destinations in the Atlantic that fit the criteria of coldness: Iceland and Greenland, which made her route somewhat more complex.
She could inadvertently cross paths with British and American ships; since the mid-1942s, things had become harsh with the increasing American presence in the North Atlantic and later in the South. Tirpitz did not wish to encounter the American fleet; it would be suicide, as by the unfolding of 1943, the American navy rose as a colossus, with its ships being mass-produced.
"Wo gehe ich hin? (Where should I head?)" She sighed, using her free hand to scratch the back of her short white hair. If her conjectures were correct and she was in the vicinity of Iceland or Greenland, she would find herself in the heart of one of the Allied bases and could not simply navigate carelessly.
She had heard praises about Iceland during its construction in the 1930s, but later only heard curses when the war broke out and Iceland became an obstacle for Germany and the Kriegsmarine, as the British and Americans used it as a naval base. It was one of the Allied strongholds that the Kriegsmarine failed to penetrate between 1940 and 1942.
As her mind delved into deep reveries, suddenly, a strange text appeared to the right of her vision.
BERECHNETES ZIEL:
Marinestützpunkt [Unbekannt]
"Well, it seems to simplify things" Reflected Tirpitz as she spotted another screen with information appearing in another corner, this time showing the route she should follow.
"So here we go, it's not like I have another option..." Tirpitz murmured with a sigh at the end of the sentence, beginning her journey towards that mysterious base.
Following the indicated route, as she had no better alternatives across the vast Atlantic, she turned off her spotlight and any devices that could compromise her visually. She navigated her way through the waters, singing some naval military songs. If the calculations were correct, it would take at least 8 weeks to reach that unknown base at cruising speed.
It would be a rather long journey, but a welcome one for Tirpitz. This time, she wouldn't be confined in Norway with nothing to do.