Construction in progress - 09

After being hugged for a while, I started thinking about opening the designer app again. Boredom was creeping in, and I needed something to focus on but as I about to start Alya walk in.

Alya was the first to arrive at the barracks. "Commander," she said with a nod. I willed the nanoswarm to begin upgrading her to the newest Support Model. Amy was still hugging me from behind, while Pama and Helena were lounging nearby in the barracks.

To be fair, the construction speed of Engineer units was super slow compared to what I could achieve. And I wasn't even a proper MCV unit! Now that the Support Model had double the speed of the Engineers, this upgrade was definitely a step forward.

A few seconds later, Alya's upgrade was complete. Her body looked the same, but her standard military uniform was replaced by default clothing—an oversized hoodie and short pants.

"Those are just the default clothes. You can design your own casual wear and combat uniform," I said, watching her as she took in her new appearance. Before the retrofit, all Engineering units wore standard military uniforms, so this was quite a change.

"Affirmative," Alya replied, her voice steady. Without missing a beat, she started recreating her uniform from scratch. Dark navy blue as the primary color, neon blue trim, black as the secondary color. The result? A striking military coat paired with long pants, combat boots, and a beret. The double-gear symbol beneath a wave adorned the beret—our faction's emblem.

"Cool," I muttered, admiring her handiwork. Alya had designed a proper military uniform on the spot. I copied the design for myself, making a mental note to edit it to my size later. Of course, Alya had been an Engineer unit before this, so designing things quickly was second nature to her. Now that she was a Support Model, her capabilities were doubled. Still, I wouldn't have minded seeing her default look for a little longer.

At that moment, Terra and Tessa arrived simultaneously. I instructed the barracks' nanoswarm to upgrade them both to T-doll Support Models, just like Alya.

"So, you have around 200,000 nanobots from the twin mini deployers, plus 12,000 more from the dummy clothes. That should speed up construction significantly," I said, turning to Alya.

She nodded. "I will proceed with my previously assigned task," she responded in a formal tone before bowing slightly and leaving the barracks. Alya was heading back to work on the defensive structures surrounding the base. She was so focused—goal-driven. Honestly, she reminded me a lot of myself just with different drive.

The upgrades for Terra and Tessa finished shortly after. Their oversized hoodies contrasted with their taller frames—both standing at 190 cm. It made me feel even shorter at 150 cm. Not to mention, the Combat Models around us were also taller at 175 cm. Still, I loved seeing my girls in comfy clothes, even if the moment didn't last long.

Terra immediately switched to a military uniform similar to Alya's design. "Thank you for the upgrade, Commander," she said in her usual monotone voice.

"You're welcome," I replied. Meanwhile, Tessa remained in her default outfit, spinning around playfully to test out her oversized hoodie. Cute.

"T-Thank you, A-Aqua-chan," Tessa stammered, a bit shy.

"No problem," I said with a smile.

"Where's Tama? She's the last one to arrive," I asked, looking around.

Before anyone could answer, a yell came from outside. "I'm here!" Tama's voice rang out as she dashed into the barracks, sliding across the floor using a nanoswarm-created frictionless surface.

Pama sighed and intercepted Tama before she could crash into the wall. Pama's newly upgraded Combat Model reflexes allowed her to catch Tama in time, though. "S-Sorry, I overslept..." Tama said, visibly embarrassed.

"Then, Commander, I'll excuse myself to continue the underwater shipyard construction," Terra said, bowing politely. Tessa hurriedly bowed after her before following Terra out of the barracks. Tessa had also switched to her military uniform in an instant.

I sighed as Amy began rubbing my forehead. The motion was soothing, helping me relax. While I willed the nanoswarm to start upgrading Tama, I sent a portion of my own swarm to assist with the oversized underwater shipyard construction.

As I worked, I remembered something Terra had said earlier. I assuming the six research boxes were complete or else Terra won't just start underwater shipyard project. I quickly interfaced with them and began assigning research topics.

"First thing's first—greenery. I want to eat real food too," I muttered softly as I typed in the commands.

[Research topic 'Vertical farm' selected]

[Listing all existing tech, complete..]

[Creating simulator, progressing..]

[Calculating estimate time to finish: 16 hours]

"Sixteen hours? That's not bad. It's definitely faster than brute-forcing it with my own processing power, that gonna cost a few days" I murmured.

Tama's upgrade finished, and she looked at her new outfit. Pama nudged her toward me.

"I-I'm sorry for being late, A-Aqua," Tama said shyly.

"That's not a problem," I assured her.

"I'm going to sit in the cafeteria... or maybe create a park nearby so I can lie down and talk. All the combat units are idle for now anyway," I said, checking the progress of the infantry-scale graviton laser research: 25 minutes left. Yep, 25 minutes to go.

("Terra, can you send me a few park blueprints you design earlier?") I requested over the voice chat.

As I walked out of the barracks, Amy released me from her hug. Helena trailed behind us.

"Aqua-chan, I'll head out with Tama to guard the perimeter," Pama said, waving as she and Tama left in the direction of the submarine gate.

I received the blueprints from Terra and selected one with centralized benches, a gazebo, and walkways. Perfect. I willed my nanoswarm to start constructing the park opposite the residential building. It would be a comfortable spot for a nap once greenery research was complete.

Within moments, the park was ready: dirt paths, benches, a small gazebo, and even outdoor beds. I walked to the gazebo and lay down on one of the beds. Amy and Helena followed, sitting nearby.

"Comfy," I muttered, relaxing. Then I will my nanoswarm to go back to work on oversized shipyard as I began assigning topics to the remaining research boxes...

[Research topic ''wisdom cube production" selected]

[Listing all existing tech, complete..]

[Creating simulator, progressing..]

[Calculating estimate time to finish: 2 days]

"That's... quite a while," I muttered with a sigh, letting my frustration show as I laid face-down on the bed. Two days felt like an eternity especially when I need to wait for 1 full day for one Kansen. Still, there was no helping it. I decided to keep going and add more topics to the queue. Next up: the super laser.

[Research topic ''Super Graviton Laser" selected]

[Listing all existing tech, complete..]

[Creating simulator, progressing..]

[Calculating estimate time to finish: 1 day]

"One day for something Fog ships come pre-equipped with? Are you kidding me?" I grumbled under my breath, irritation bubbling up. Suddenly, I felt a gentle hand patting my head. My frustration began to melt away as I glanced up from my prone position to see who was responsible for the comforting gesture.

It was Amy.

Her soothing presence and the rhythmic head pats made it difficult to hold onto my annoyance. Fine, no more angry thoughts for now. I focused again and moved on to the next research topic: shield optimization. If I was going to bring Fleet of Fog-level shields to life, I needed them pre-nerf. No half-baked designs that I responsible for it.

[Research topic ''Wave Front Armor" selected]

[Listing all existing tech, complete..]

[Creating simulator, progressing..]

[Calculating estimate time to finish: 1 week]

"...I really messed up somewhere, didn't I?" I murmured, feeling a pang of regret. Amy continued to pat my head as if to reassure me. Maybe I wasn't a total failure after all. Still, I had to keep moving forward.

The last two topics on my list were inspired by Azur Lane and Kancolle. Specifically, they revolved around aircraft—or rather, their futuristic replacements. In Arpeggio of Blue Steel, planes were swapped out for missiles, but with strike witches on our side, I could bring aircraft back in a more creative way. My idea was to combine catapult tech with something straight out of Gundam.

[Research topic ''Railgun Slingshot" selected]

[Listing all existing tech, complete..]

[Creating simulator, progressing..]

[Calculating estimate time to finish: 6 hours]

The concept was simple, at least in theory: a launch system based on railgun technology. Much like Enterprise's bow that transformed arrows into aircraft, my design would use railgun catapults to instantly deploy strike witches at range. Sure, there were concerns about G-forces, but strike witches weren't exactly normal humans. They could handle it.

[Research topic ''Knowledge package" selected]

[Listing all existing tech, complete..]

[Creating simulator, progressing..]

[Calculating estimate time to finish: 30 minutes]

This last one was less flashy but just as critical. The knowledge package would enhance data storage, allowing T-dolls to seamlessly switch loadouts and automatically know how to use them. Structures could also benefit, becoming manned or optimized for specific tasks as needed.

"And... that's done," I said with a satisfied sigh, shutting my eyes briefly. I glanced at the progress bar for the underground shipyard. 90%.

"That's faster than I thought it'd be," I mused. I had expected it to take twice as long as the Wisdom Cube factory. My gaze shifted to Helena, who was dozing off on a nearby bench. Drool trailed from her mouth, and I couldn't help but wonder if T-dolls could even dream. If Kansen could, why not T-dolls?

Amy, meanwhile, was engrossed in her holographic map while still patting my head. How long had I been here?

"Hey, Amy, how long have I been lying here?" I asked softly, careful not to wake Helena.

"About 30 minutes," she replied, glancing back at me with a smile.

"Only 30? It felt like longer," I muttered, surprised.

"Maybe you should rest properly. Sorry for waking you up so early today," Amy suggested, her hand still gently resting on my head. That didn't sound like a bad idea. I let my eyes close and let myself sink into the softness of the bed.

"Wake me up when the shipyard's done," I said, my voice already trailing off as sleep began to take hold.

5 minutes later..

Nope, I can't fall asleep. For some reason, my mind feels too restless. If I had to guess, it's probably because of that progress bar slowly creeping toward 100%. Right now, it's stuck at 99%, but I'm helping it along with my nanoswarm. I shake my head, deciding there's no point in lying down anymore. Time to get moving.

"I'm going to the shipyard," I say, standing up. Amy nods with a cheerful smile, immediately following behind me.

I glance at Helena, still dozing on the bench nearby. A thin trail of saliva dribbles from the corner of her mouth, and I can't help but smirk. As I head toward the now-completed shipyard, my nanoswarm pinging me to let me know construction is finished.

Finally. Time to build my first Kansen.

I bring up the shipyard's interface and immediately queue up the construction of a Hestia-class MCV. This one's vital—she'll be the cornerstone of my expansion efforts. I can't be everywhere at once, after all. Alongside her, I schedule two Shark-class submarines, but those can wait. Right now, I want all ten of my nanoswarm deployers focused on building the Hestia.

[Hestia Class Submarine MCV - Kansen - Wargirl] 

Cost: $30,000 

Speed: 3 

Hitpoints: 4000 

Armor Class: Heavy

Prerequisite: Wargirl's Wisdom Cube factory + Wargirl's Underwater Shipyard 

Purpose: Base Construction 

Weapons: 2x Graviton PD turrets / 16x Nanoswarm deployers

Range: 4 / 4

Additional Information: Building and Repair structures, Vehicles and T-doll. Cannot be hijacked. Immune to abduction, omni-crush, mind control, and confusion rays. Driver cannot be killed. Automatically repairs itself.]

Huh. I suddenly remember she's… tiny. Only 45 meters long. She's even smaller than an Epsilon-class mini-sub. Sure, she's well-equipped with 16 nanoswarm deployers—compared to my measly one—but something about her size bothers me.

"She's way too small compared to the Shark-class," I mutter, halting production for adjustments. Time to fix this.

I tweak her design, doubling her size and adding another pair of Graviton PD turrets. I also double the nanoswarm deployers. After some adjustments, the Hestia ends up 80 meters long, 20 meters wide, and 15 meters tall. Much better. She looks a little taller than the Shark-class now, which is acceptable. Her design retains its sleek, submarine aesthetic, and her black hair matches her standard swimsuit-like uniform. As for clothing, she can create her own, so I'm not too concerned.

I finalize the changes and hit "Update."

[Hestia Class Submarine MCV - Kansen - Wargirl] 

Cost: $35,000 

Speed: 3 

Hitpoints: 5000 

Armor Class: Heavy

Prerequisite: Wargirl's Wisdom Cube factory + Wargirl's Underwater Shipyard 

Purpose: Base Construction 

Weapons: 4x Graviton PD turrets / 32x Nanoswarm deployers

Range: 4 / 4

Additional Information: Building and Repair structures, Vehicles and T-doll. Cannot be hijacked. Immune to abduction, omni-crush, mind control, and confusion rays. Driver cannot be killed. Automatically repairs itself.]

"Perfect," I say, satisfied, as I send the updated build order to the shipyard. One of the docks immediately swarms with nanoswarms from the shipyard itself, and the submarine begins taking shape. Despite her upgrades, she's still a submarine at heart, her hull forming into a familiar streamlined design.

Now, I just need to wait for the Wisdom Cube to finish production so I can install it into the Hestia-class hull and awaken her.

[Estimated Build Time: 5 Minutes]

"Five minutes?" I mutter, surprised. "That's faster than expected. Although, I'll still need to wait a few more hours for the first Wisdom Cube to be ready…" I sigh as we reach the dock where the Hestia is under construction. Terra and Tessa join us not long after, both of them looking pleased.

"Good work, you two," I say, and they both nod with smiles.

"So, this is the new girl?" Amy asks from behind me.

"Yeah, she'll be the first Kansen. Once the Wisdom Cube is installed, she'll wake up. Unfortunately, that's going to take another 18 to 20 hours," I reply with another sigh, pulling up my designer app. "I'm going out to speed up base defenses. After that, we'll rest."

"Yes, Commander," Tessa replies dutifully.

"Affirmative," Terra adds.

I glance back at Amy. "Will you come with us?"

"Obviously. Who else is going to guard Aqua-chan?" she says innocently, her smile radiant.

"You know you don't have any wea—" I begin, but stop short as Amy summons her old harpoon railgun out of nowhere, crafting it from her clothing nanoswarm.

"Sure, you deleted the template, but I still remember how to make one," Amy says smugly, watching as the nanoswarm disassembles the weapon and stores the resources.

"Wait… where are you storing those resources?" I ask, confused.

"Underneath the clothing layer," she replies with a giggle. "It's not enough for major construction, but it's plenty for weapons."

Huh. I hadn't thought of that. Come to think of it, having extra resources stored like that probably helps with defense, too, acting as an additional layer of protection.

"Nice," I murmur absently as I step into the water and summon my submarine rigging. Settling onto the bike-like structure, I grip the handlebars as Terra and Tessa touch the rigging, vanishing inside. Amy follows suit, joining us without hesitation.

I will the rigging forward, the propellers spinning up as I exit the submarine gate. Outside, I see two supply depots and a pair of missile turrets near the gate. The defensive layout is about half-finished. Time to speed things up.

Angling the submarine toward an empty spot designated for a supply depot, I begin construction. Terra, Tessa, and Amy disembark to work on the remaining missiles turrets and Avalon Graviton laser turrets...