Azur Lane: Future Warp (Discontinued)

Chapter 44 - City on a Hill

--July 6, 2012 - 10:30 AM--

Richard, Helena, and their shipgirl companions; Enterprise, Laffey, and Javelin, have finally reached the city of Boston and they are approaching closer to the Fort Point Channel Tunnel ahead. To Enterprise and Javelin, they have mixed feelings with relief and excitement, but also anxiety. For one, they do not know what they will find of Belfast and Sheffield. The last time the two have ever seen or heard was during their training with Richard Ambrose by late June 2012, and they had wanted to find the two maids in Boston since seeing the two for the first time in the Boston Globe's newspaper clipping.

Richard insisted that they had to meet up with Nate, Sebastian and Elise at the South Station first as he had promised to meet them there when he last time spoke on the phone while escaping from New York City. The idea in his mind is that with more people, along with his sister that he's planning to move to her home for a while, would be enough to help Enterprise and her fellow shipgirls get to know more about his universe.

"So, this is Boston, right?" asked Javelin as she looked around while on the Interstate.

"That's right. The city itself may not look big, nor beautiful unlike New York... but it's one of the oldest municipalities in America, founded by Puritan settlers from the town in England that bears its same name in the mid-1600's. Today, it is the largest, and the capital city of the state of Massachusetts, and it is a center of culture and education, owing to a lot of college schools and universities situated here, " Richard replied. "I had known it much on the internet, but I also read the travel guide and a history book of this city when I visited my sister's once during New Year's Eve..."

"It was a site of significant key events of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States..." added Helena.

"Founding of the United States? Umm...what was that city known for?" asked Javelin.

"Boston massacre, Boston Tea Party, Battle of Bunker Hill, and the siege of Boston... a lot of stuff," Richard spoke. "Back then, America started out as the Thirteen Colonies, ruled by the British for a century and a half or so, until they declared independence in the year 1776. Though the revolutionary war between United States and Great Britain officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the year 1776 is the year commonly loved and known to every American, and it's how we celebrated the 4th of July," he explained.

"Come to think of it, when I sparred with Richard for the final time, I have heard and noticed so many fireworks exploding out in the air and lot of people cooking outdoors in the middle of the night..." thought Enterprise to herself. But hearing what Richard said earlier, she gasped, and exclaimed:

"Don't tell me, does that mean?"

"That's right... Us the people of the United States and the people of Great Britain, we were enemies against each other in our time..." sighed Richard.

"We were enemies?" Javelin didn't believe what she had heard.

"It's like Japan, we were once enemies before we became allies, but the Revolutionary War that led to the establishment of the United States, that was a very, very long time ago," Richard continued. "The reason Americans were at war with Britain was because of colonial opposition, tensions gone sour after the Seven Years' War that left the colonizer broke and they were just desperate, they needed money, and it's all about taxes, and that's what made our people angry..." he then sighed.

"Come to think about it, our nation's now 236 years old... We have had a happy time, for many people celebrating the 4th of July..." said Helena. "But now..."

Helena felt slightly sad, at the fact that the 4th of July celebration would become their last of their good times before tragedy already struck in a form of a Siren attack on the Eastern Seaboard. Richard could see her anxious and saddened face and places his palm on her left hand to try and comfort her.