The new addition - Part One

 

The sun shone fitfully through wispy rain clouds that lazed across the sky in thin streamers as the huge warships hung above the shipyard parked as if in waiting in solidarity with their newer compatriot still semi-encased in steel girders standing silently vertical at the yards launch pad. Rain had lashed down earlier and the frequent  puddles sparkled cheerfully in seeming co-ordination with the colossal ships hulls.

Crowds had gathered to view the new warship with a brisk sale in commemorative items and t-shirts. Security had also just reported that an enterprising soul had hired a local mountain that was far enough away that people could take selfies whilst appearing to balance the warships on their head or in their mouth or probably sitting on them. At least the latest fleet addition looked tethered to the ground whilst attached to its launch tower. The other warships present just floated in the sky as if the true one himself had thrown out the contents of his library but left them hanging in the sky with  each being big enough to flatten a small city - if it ever reached the ground. It made a quite disconcerting visual impression almost as though gravity had decided it could not be bothered to show up this day but your head told you that you really wouldn't want to be there when it did.

Box class

Sumiko was pleased with the new ships aesthetic which, to her, was both sleek and functional - it looked like a warship unlike the surrounding fleet ships that had always reminded her of luggage suitcases with a chicken like beak instead of a U shaped bar at the top. Several of the ships present currently served as her house's only anti-piracy task force. Shape did not matter much in space and the earlier designs shape certainly seemed to be a permanent reminder of this fact. This new design was much improved in her opinion. She was particularly enthused with the ships naming location. A lot of spaceships had the most horrifically long names - she vaguely recalled an old CNF warship that a probable English literature inclined politician or admiral had named ' to be or not to be that is the question' which not only took most of the hull length to write in even vaguely readable font it had also through its lifetime repeatedly suffered bits of it being burnt off in battle making various improbable names including 'to be not is' and 'be quest'. The ship had ended up eventually  being called the Tobi which sounded more like a yappy dog than a weapon of war. 

Another infamous naming convention had involved an Admiral who had named his ships after health professional job titles so 'Doctor', 'Psychiatrist' etc. One had proudly born the name 'Physiotherapist' but had rapidly became known as 'Physio the rapist' causing it to rapidly get rammed by a particularly offended female Wimble Captain. 

The destruction of the unfortunately named Physiotherapist

For this ship though the name could be written in just four elegant Kanji characters both on the main bridge and alongside the house logo on the sides.

綺麗な雷

This was in a pleasant red, indicating the 3rd fleet, with the hull an attractive combination of her house colours of light blue, white and silver. On the engines another numeric Kanji had been drawn in in silver in a circular background of blue showing this was the 6th ship of the 2nd squadron - the so called 'Saints' though seemingly the only one present as the other boxy ships all had ship numbers in black on yellow so were all part of the Hornets squadron.

One ship does not a fleet make and the 'Saints' was hardly worth being called a  'squadron' but considering the amount of cheering people wearing t-shirts bearing the  ships colours and name quite a popular one too.

In the distance the command staff and crew could be seen to be waiting - eager to get going and she signalled for the dedication ceremony to start.