> HMS Barbican at our earliest possible convenience, which, as you know, means
> "drop everything and hustle your ass" in the Imperial Navy.

For those of you who are confused, and might have googled HMS Barbican and found refferences to a WW2 'Boom Tender', Let me explain the concept of a 'Stone Frigate'. You see, throught the Brittish Comonweath, there are no 'shore stations', only ships. So the way they get around that is to 'comission' a shore instelation as a ship. Hence the term 'Stone Frigate'. So, given that to this point there have been no OBSERVED Neroi sea units, there would have been no need for a boom tender (IE A ship who's sole purpose is to open or close the booms from which anti submarine nets are hung) class. Ergo Barbican, which in OUR world was a boom tender, is available for asignment as a 'stone frigate's' name.

The concept of 'earliest possible convieniece' equalling FIVE (BLEEP'D) MINUTES AGO (BLEEP)WAD! has made the transition between national navies un-changed.

> "Didn't I tell you? Not even the Neuroi could kill Mamoru Satō."

Well... I guess that depends on how you define KIll. It IS, after all, pretty clear that MAMORU Sato effectivly died, only to be 'replaced on station' by Mogami Sato.

> "You were one of my best men! So to speak.

I'd have punctuated this differently, but I think that is personal preference. Still, it goes to show how time and again, Talent and determination can overide things like regulations.

> "Aha, you're that Hattori," said Nishimura. "The one they're calling the next Sakamoto."

*SNERK* Which just made it just that much more important for the IJN to commision her. Not that Hattori would EVER consider herself Mio's replacement!

> Making eye contact with Mogami, he grinned a slightly mischievous grin and said,
> "Your seagoing rig... will have eight of them."

And here is the payoff from that first teaser, oh so long ago. I would like to point out, to the detractors, that she is also a SHIP, as well as now a witch. And ships, because of their Displacement (akin to weight) can mount weapons AND USE THEM EFFECTIVELY, that no 'Tank Witch' could ever achieve.

> "And furthermore," Reimu went on as if he hadn't spoken, "that rather than slay it,
> he has chosen to cavort with it."

Totaly not fair Reimu. He is *MARYING* Her, not cavorting in the terms you are implying! :P :(

> But the way you've come up with to get around that is... foul. Unnatural. And the work of a
> man, to boot," she added

<baymax impersonation> Oh no. You are about to be befriended Nahona style for that declaration </impersonation>

> "OK, fine, let's do this," he said, beckoning to Reimu. "I haven't got all week."

Let the Nahona style befriending begin!

> "We fought, we drank, she made her ancestors proud."

Like I said. Nahona style Befriending!

> "Woo hoo, I get to be the big spoon for once," she added with glee. Her cat, who had stood
> by with a look of infinite patience on his face the whole time, jumped up and curled into a
> ball at their feet, sublimely ignoring the whole business.

Which just shows why cats believe they are superior to Homo Sapien.

> "Welp," Mogami mused, sitting on the edge of her bunk and prying off her boots, "I'm gonna
> wish I was sunk in the morning, I bet, but this was fun."

Spoken like a true sailor, Mogami.

> "That's a long story for another time," Gryphon replied cryptically.

Incluing how he is a DDP, a Detian, and can drink any... Ten(?) witches under the table, general.

> The Hakurei miko had challenged him and he had proven stronger; therefore, her interpretation
> of the situation had been wrong and his right, and she had adjusted her attitude accordingly.

Like I said! Nahona style befriending in action!

> "Some points need reinforcing," said Gryphon mischievously.
>
> The miko sighed. "I'm never going to live that remark down, am I?"

No, General, your not. Fortunatly for you, the only people above you who CAN tease you about it with impunity happens to be the Emperor himself!

> "Hattori, make a note," he said without lowering his binoculars.

Cause any running gag is worth keeping going till it falls over in exhasution!

> Not as much as she knew Lucchini was, of course. The sooner they were back in Alsace,
> the sooner she could get on with her urgent business.

Said urgent buisness, regardless of if Shirley knows or not, being Luchinni linking back up with her familiar. That Luchinni is so calm means she realizes that whatever that doc in NewKarlsand said was the most probable hiding place for her familiar is correct.

> "Not completely, but when has that ever stopped me?" Yoshika replied

And that, really, sums up Yoshika's personality in a single sentance, IMO.

> Yoshika Miyafuji took a moment to be amazed, as she had on the one prior occasion when she'd
> flown this new Striker Unit,

*facepalms* Sure you mentioned the desgination of this striker (which I am willing to bet was one of the aircraft under development in the late war that was never produced cause we A bombed them into friendship)

> On the outside, the Ki-201 Karyū

Add a second facepalm here, because it beats mashing my head into my Ikea desk?

> "That's not far from here," Mogami said. "We could be there faster than anything the Navy
> might send out of Barbican if we use *that*."
>
> "We're not even sure *that* works."
>
> "Besides, you've only got two guns," said Shizuka.
>
> "Two more than that liner's got," Mogami pointed out.

And THIS, in the end, is why Mogami is a shipgirl. Just won't say die, and like any other magically active warrior refuses to stand by and NOT do whatever she can.