Defection (MentalModel!Brothers and OC)

Chapter 24

"I have a reply, captain."

My attention was pulled from a screen full of text to a green audio channel opening nearby, looking away from the various unencrypted reports that Kara could pull before we left America, "Go ahead and send it through."

Another screen opened next to the one I was reading, 'I don't know if this is what you meant by 'sending a response', but may you have fair winds and following seas. Kick their ass!'

"What does that phrase mean? 'Fair winds and following seas'..." Kara leaned over my shoulder as he spoke, "I've seen a few other documents with that same wording."

"It's a phrase that the American Navy uses when they want to wish someone good luck. 'Fair winds' part comes from when humanity used to use sails but it always stuck through the change of technology, and 'following seas' is wished for so that the ship they're sailing in doesn't encounter rough waves. It's easier on the engine if a ship sails with the waves instead of against them."

"Are the seas that treacherous for humanity to be in?" He stood back up, raising an eyebrow in slight confusion.

Asks the Mental Model that was trapped in a ship graveyard, I couldn't resist rolling my eyes at the question with a smile, "Yeah, we're pretty fragile when faced with the raw power of nature."

Kara hummed in understanding, his hand lowering to one of the grips on the back of my wheelchair.

"Captain," Another audio channel opened nearby, the red coloration indicating which Mental Model wanted to talk, "The storm's about to break. Did you want Choro to slow down so we can catch up?"

"No. Choro, continue at speed while Kara and Oso accelerate. We should be able to catch up within the hour."

"Affirmative, captain," Choro responded through his channel.

"You've had us going full speed since we left America," Oso commented through a resigned sigh, "Are you certain that you're that willing to leave your home behind again?"

"Of course not, but we need to give the government some time to cool down before we can think of docking there for the time being. Instead of sulking around and sitting on my thumbs, I'm heading to where we can possibly get help," I caught his sigh after the thought was finished, "Am I pushing you too hard?"

"Not at all," Oso returned with a laugh, "We could keep this speed up until we die. I'm just thinking logistically about our fleet. Two battleships are able to easily outrun a submarine on the surface."

"Are you picking something up on your sonar that I should be worried about?" I tried to think of a reason he could have about possibly slowing down.

"...you're charging headlong into a barricade," The new voice appeared with a purple holographic screen, allowing only the audio to be heard.

Purple...?

"U-2511, is that you?"

The submarine remained silent.

"Yeah, it's him," Kara confirmed the identity as he moved to stand near the bridge windows, a sonar screen floating in front of him as he walked, "We received your reports before we left port, U-2511. Has there been any update?"

"I can confirm that Bismarck has divided her fleet into three parts," The submarine answered him immediately, "She is leading one of them north through the Arctic Circle while the remaining two are led by Admiral Hipper and Prinz Eugen. They have set up barricades in coordination with King George V and her fleet, including a splinter fleet led by Rodney."