Return of the Azur Lane

The next morning I woke up at my normal 0430 and went about my weekend chores and was back in time to help start breakfast.

"Chores all done?" Inga asked as I washed up.

"Yup. The early morning ones at least. Horses are fed and troughs are full." I replied. "Gonna take a ride and check the fences once the sun is up."

Inga nodded.

"So, had an interesting evening I take it?" She asked, attempting to sound innocent.

"You could say that." I replied.

"Wasn't aware that you had a date besides Ellie." She said, now smirking.

I sighed. I had expected to be confronted about it.

"She wasn't my date. Remember that girl in my year, Sunset?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, the 'Queen B' you called her." Inga replied after a thoughtful pause. "So what is she doing in your bed?"

"One, I slept on the cot I keep in there. Two, she had a really rough night, and she is homeless and orphaned, so I decided she needed someplace to crash so she could work through things." I replied, looking Inga in the eye.

Inga sighed. "I suppose that it will be okay for a little while. If she stays for too long she'll need to start earning her keep." She said finally.

I nodded. "I figured that would be an eventuality." I replied. "She, uh, well, I don't think she has a social." I added lamely.

Inga stared at me. "Why is that?" She asked flatly.

"Well, I think, and I am pretty sure I am right, but not one hundred percent, that she is the literal definition of an illegal 'alien'." I said, throwing up air quotes when I said 'alien'.

"And what makes you think that?" Mom asked as she walked around the corner.

"So, if I am understanding everything correctly, there is a magic portal in the statue in front of the school that leads to a world of sunshine and rainbows. Quite literally actually. Ask Ellie, they have an Orbital Friendship Cannon." I said.

Suddenly there was a crash from my room.

We all charged down the hallway, and I was able to get through the door first.

"Sunset? What's wrong?" I asked as I slowly approached the girl.

She was sitting up in the bed, back against the headboard, breathing fast and her eyes wild and darting, but she didn't respond.

I motioned for my Mom and Inga to wait as I slowly moved towards the foot of the bed and just as slowly sat down on the mattress.

"Sunset." I said gently. "It's okay, it's Niamh. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you."

I slowly inched my way closer to her and finally with exaggerated slowness, I rested my hand on hers.

Suddenly, Sunset took in a deep shuddering breath and blinked for the first time since we came into the room.

"You okay?" I asked gently.

"Nightmare." She responded in a whisper.

"I figured. I was hoping to be back from doing chores before you woke up in case this happened." I said softly. "Like I said, you're safe here. No one is going to hurt you."

Suddenly, I had a face full of red and gold hair as she latched onto me and began sobbing.

I turned to our audience and gave a half shrug and mouthed "I expected this."

Mom and Inga nodded and left me to comfort my new friend as she poured out her hurt.

I held onto Sunset as she sobbed her eyes out, letting out what was probably years of pent up anger, frustration, and sadness.

I was actually glad that she trusted me enough to be this damn vulnerable in front of me.

As I rubbed her back, giving her gentle encouragement to let it out, I noticed that I could feel her ribs and spine through her shirt.

'Poor girl probably hasn't been eating enough.' I thought. 'Welp, something to discuss with Mom and Inga. Might have to get Vestal to make a visit if she can come to town.'

Finally, Sunset started to calm.

"You feeling better hun?" I asked softly.

Sunset nodded into my shoulder. "Yeah, didn't realize how much I needed to just let it out." She said, her words hitching on occasion.

"Well, let's get you cleaned up and into some clean clothes." I said, helping her up and guiding her to my en suite bathroom. "After that, we can get you fed and then we can work on what to do next, okay?"

Sunset nodded shyly, which was kinda cute.

'Bad Niamh! Your friend just went through something that is way beyond what you could even imagine, but looked highly traumatic. Stop crushing on her!' I chided myself.

"I'll leave some stuff on the bed. Just come out to the kitchen once you're done." I said aloud, getting a quiet 'Thank you' as she shut the door.

After setting out some clothes for Sunset, I headed for the kitchen, ready to face the music.

"So, you gonna make a habit of bringing home cute strays?" Mom asked as I walked around the corner, making me splutter, causing her to laugh.

"It's okay Niamh. Would have liked a bit more warning, but we can make it work, at least temporarily." Inga said, smirking over her coffee cup, one that had an image of the old battleship BB-37, USS Oklahoma, on it.

"Well, biggest obstacle is getting her a legal identity without having her whisked away to some lab." I said as I moved to grab my own coffee cup, one with the words 'Majestically Lesbian' on a scroll around a unicorn on it.

What? I don't give a fuck who knows that I am queer as hell.

"I, I might know a girl." Mom said, hesitating slightly.

Inga looked at her. "You sure you wanna burn that favor for this?" She asked.

"Oh, no. Not her. Different girl. Eugen is my nuclear option. She could do it for sure, but who knows what else she would do. No, I'm talking about Helena." Mom said.

My eyes widened. My aunt Helena was a genius when it came to electronics and I always had a feeling she knew how to do some shady things, but I was a little surprised about the confirmation of those feelings.

"Well, at least she would get it done quietly." Inga said.

"True. I'll go make the call." Mom said, getting up to head to her office.

I sighed with relief. Though it hadn't been said during her breakdown, I knew that a lack of a legal identity was a worry Sunset had, especially now that her secret was out.

"So, think she could be a good ranch hand?" Inga asked me once we were alone.

"Probably, once she has been eating right. Girl is skin and bones." I replied, sitting down at the table. "Which is to be expected given how she has been living for the last few years. She has probably been running on the bare minimum of calories."

"Yeah, but I think we can get her to where she needs to be." Inga said.

I nodded. "I think we should give Vestal a call and see if she is going to be in the area anytime soon. Get her to give her a check up." I said.

Inga nodded. "Yeah,Vee would definitely get her set up right." She said. "But you get to make this call." She added with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and went to my room to get my phone, Sunset coming out just as I approached.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"Loads actually." Sunset replied with a small smile.

I smiled back. "Good. Now head to the kitchen, there is still some food in there. Eat what you can." I said gently. "I have a phone call to make."

She nodded and headed to the kitchen while I went into my room and grabbed my phone, and sent a quick text to Vestal to see if she could take a call. Getting a quick reply that she could, I called her.

"Niamh! How are you, hun?" Vestal asked after the call connected.

"Doing good Vee. Hey, are you going to be in our area anytime soon?" I inquired.

"Actually, yes. I will be in the area next week and planned to stop by and say hi.' She replied. "Why, what's up?"

I quickly explained what I could to her about Sunset.

"I see, well that is worrisome." She said after I finished. "I'll give her a check up and do what I can for her. In the meantime, encourage her to eat but not to over eat. That will be worse than the malnutrition she is probably suffering from."

"That was my thoughts." I replied. "She is staying here, probably in one of the cabins once we get it cleaned up and starting with light work around the ranch, so she has a roof over her head."

"Good, keep an eye on her, and if anything looks off, get her to an urgent care or emergency room if it is serious." Vestal said, her tone serious.

"Wilco Vestal. We'll do what we can." I replied. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Niamh. You've got a good heart and a good head. You will definitely make a good leader no matter what you do in life." Vestal said.

"That's what I hope." I said, thankful she couldn't see me blushing.

We said our goodbyes and I headed to the kitchen, grabbing my cube on the way.

"Vestal is going to be in town next week, she can give Sunset an exam then." I said when I entered the room.

"Vestal?" Sunset asked as she slowly ate some eggs and a single pancake.

"Friend of the family. She is a traveling doctor, licensed in all fifty states and a few countries as well. Mostly does work for the VA, but she does help out family when we need it and she is in the area." I replied as I headed to get a plate myself.

Mom walked back in as I sat down.

"Helena is going to get the process started, won't be able to get her an ID for us, but she will send all the paperwork required for her to get one." She said, before noticing Sunset.

"Hello hun, my name is Abitha. I'm Niamh's mom." She said with a smile.

Sunset went wide eyed, and her gaze went from her to me and back a few times.

"My dad had dark brown hair. Other than that and my eyes, I take after her." I said before devouring my pancakes and sausage.

Sunset emptied her mouth before replying. "It's nice to meet you Miss Abitha. Thank you for helping me out, even if it is temporary." She said quietly.

Mom laughed. "Temporary? Hell girl, I just had a friend make you a legal citizen, with all the proper paperwork." She said. "You're free to hang around as long as you want, but you gotta earn your keep. We'll cover room and board, but you gotta make it worth our time."

"We'll get you started on the easier stuff for now." I said. "The lighter jobs around here."

"We won't throw you in the deep end of wrangling cattle." Inga said, chuckling to herself.

Sunset got glassy eyed at that. "Thank you. I know you have probably heard some of what I did from Niamh…" she began.

"Oh, we know all about the 'Queen Bitch of Canterlot High', but like Niamh, we won't judge a person by their past if they honestly turn things around." Mom interrupted.

Sunset nodded. "I, I really do. Last night, when I got hit with that power, I realized just how badly I screwed up. I really want to turn things around and be a better po-person." She finished.

"Good." Inga replied. "That's all I need to hear."

With that, we finished breakfast and we all went to one of the closer cabins and began cleaning it up for Sunset to use.

Later that day

Abitha was in her office looking over the books for the ranch.

'Well, we're doing good this year.' She thought to herself as she ran over the numbers. 'Might even wind up with a healthy profit once we take a few of the girls to auction.'

Suddenly the phone rang.

She looked at her cellphone, confused for a moment before realizing it was her landline, which only a handful of people knew the number of.

Sighing, she made sure the door was closed and pushed a nondescript button that activated the room's SCIF mode.

"Hello?" She said, picking up the handset.

"Nevves, it's Sara." The caller said.

"What's up Sara?" Abitha asked, curious as to why she was calling on their secure line.

"We had an incursion." Sara replied, her tone deadly serious.

A chill went down Abitha's spine.

"Where and when?" She asked.

"Near the Marshalls, and early this morning." Sara replied. "Antietam and John Paul Jones were able to handle it. One destroyer and some ants."

Abitha sighed. 'Almost eighty years of silence and now they come back. Why?' She thought to herself.

"Good. You calling everyone?" She inquired.

"Yeah. Better safe than sorry, even if it was just a singular occurrence." Sara replied.

"Right. Thanks for the heads up Sara. I'll let Okie know." Abitha said, before hanging up the phone and deactivating the SCIF protections, sighing heavily as she did.