[Twinning, TFTG, Personality Erasure]

"I can't handle all of this..."

A young Admiral muttered to himself as he stared at all of the paperwork in front of him, while also gripping his locket tight. Within that locket was a picture of his dearest Mother, who had helped him get to where he was at this point. Whenever he felt despair, whenever he felt worry, he thought of her. And usually, things worked out after that. But...

At this point, he wasn't able to rely on her. As much as he wanted to make her proud, and as much as he believed in her memory to get that far, that was just a placebo. And when he was this behind on important matters, especially regarding his gentle treatment of some of the prisoners that had ended up in his waters, how was he supposed to fall back on something so emotional..?

If only he had a way to get better. If only he had a way to improve his ability to work long hours without getting tuckered out. Or being able to assess the workload in front of him in a much more systematic way, so he would be able to tackle it all in a much more efficient manner. Or... Or...

W-Well. Simply put, interact more favorably with his fleet. As much as he and the girls under him had been able to thrive through his adequate leadership, he wanted to be better. He wanted to be there for them. Instead of staying in his office while commanding them, being far too shy to directly approach them...

There were so many small details that he had to think about and deal with. As well as the bigger tasks, and the worries that kept him from carrying out those tasks. What was he supposed to do, in a situation that was as troubling as this..?

The young Admiral thought to himself as he collapsed in his chair. His head fuming and steaming, as he worked his young brain as much as he could. It was honestly amazing that he was able to nail a position this important while still working up the road to proper adulthood. And yet here he was. Way out of his depth, with barely anything to support himself on. Not even the girls that were there to support him could really help, because he feared that they would treat him too softly. Or that the more playful ones, like the Ironblood and Sakura Empire ships that had arrived at his port, would decide to bully him...

"Admiral. Requesting Entry."

His body shook and shivered as he heard a near-robotic voice cry out, causing his heart to race rapidly as he stared towards the door. He recognized the voice, especially thanks to how it lacked proper emotion. But... Was this really the time to meet with her..?

...Then again, the girl was his Secretary. The only one he could trust to treat him like the man he wanted to be treated like. Even if she wasn't the best at being human, she did the best that her programming allowed her...

"Y-You can come in, Gascogne."

In the end, he allowed her to come into his office. The worst she could do would be preferable to him stewing in his own worries to the point of nearly erupting with emotion. Her presence would help calm him down, he was sure of it.

And indeed, just the sight of the blue-haired Shipgirl was enough to fill his heart with a certain kind of calm. Despite the girl's very robotic and punctual nature, she was a sight for sore eyes. In fact, she was the one that had greeted him the first time he arrived at this Base. Being there for him from the minute he became a proper Admiral, gracefully serving him as his Secretary...

"Admiral. Morning." Gascogne said, robotically bowing as she had been taught to. Despite her very particular way of emoting, he had done a lot to try and make her fit in better. And part of that was how she introduced herself and related to others, even if it wasn't much more than surface level.

"Good morning to you as well, Gascogne..." The young Admiral sighed, his heart slowing down as a lot of the smaller worries began to vanish. With her at his side, there was a lot more that he could accomplish. Especially if he used her for more menial tasks like doing the kind of calculations that he couldn't possibly keep track of, all so that their books were kept tidy. Wouldn't want to run low on funds if they ever happened to join the war...

Gascogne carefully watched her Admiral sit up straight in his chair, causing her to step closer. Her heels clicked against the ground, while it almost sounded like gears were turning inside her. "Admiral Troubled?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. Another quirk that he had introduced. Whenever she found herself questioning anything, he wanted her to try and convey it. Because her tone never truly changed, her body language could make up for the failings of her spoken language.

"T-Troubled?" The young Admiral trembled as she almost immediately saw straight through him. How... how could she read him that accurately?... Actually, he knew exactly how. And it just made him sigh as his mind caught up, causing him to collapse right back into his chair. "Actually, I guess you could call it that. It's more... Worried, about a lot of what I have to work with. And what's still due to be done."

Gascogne stared towards the large stack of papers in front of her Admiral. "Acknowledged. Backlogged tasks registered." She said, as she reached towards the top of the stack. "Permission to begin?" She was ready to do what he wanted of her. Because that was what she had been made for. Whatever he needed her for, she would help him with. He was her Admiral, after all. And as long as he remained her Admiral, she would be there to assist him.

"N-No. Permission denied." He said, and Gascogne naturally stepped away. Awaiting orders, as she always did. "I... Before you help me with all of this, Gascogne, there's something I'd like your opinion on."

"Opinion." Gascogne repeated, and her Admiral nodded. "Acknowledged. Analysis... Requesting parameters for 'Opinion'." She stated. Essentially, she was asking him for what he wanted an opinion on. She could calculate one, or rather express it, as long as she knew what he wanted to know.

The young Admiral took a deep breath as he got up from her chair... "Would... Would it be a good idea to become a Shipgirl, to cure my inability to stand alongside you and the others?" He asked a very difficult question. He had thought about it for a while, if he had to be honest. All because of how dignified and helpful she had been this entire time. If he could be just like Gascogne and her allies, then perhaps he could get over himself and become something much more useful to them and the Navy as a whole...

Gascogne blinked as she listened to this question. And for a moment, it seemed like she was left stumped. It definitely seemed that way thanks to the absolute lack of an answer. Could a Machine not evaluate something like this..? Could... Could his Secretary simply not answer him something he had been worrying about..?

"Inconclusive." After enough silence, she answered. And unlike every other time, where she would've given a more dedicated and proper answer that gave him confidence and explained everything he wanted to know, she could not answer him properly. All she could do was reach her hand out. "Analysis complete. Experimentation required."

Despite the fact she was unable to properly answer him, she was willing to experiment with the idea. But... Wait, it was actually possible to become a Shipgirl? It was just a pipe dream that he had thought about, he didn't actually know that there was a way to become a Shipgirl. Much less that she knew how to become one.

He hesitated as he gazed at her hand. If he grabbed her hand, what would happen? Where would she take him? What would the others thank? Thoughts like that swirled around in the youth's mind, but as soon as he gazed at her robotic eyes...

Her gaze hadn't changed. It was like she was telling him that he shouldn't worry. This was an experiment. And like always, she would be there for him. To ensure that nothing went wrong. All for the sake of satiating his curiosity. At least, that's what he thought that he could read from her eyes. But knowing her, there was no greater meaning behind her offer.

"A-Alright. Let's... Let's try it, Gascogne." The young Admiral said, as he carefully grabbed her hand. Weaving his fingers in between hers, as he held tightly onto her hand to reassure himself and comfort himself at the same time...

For a split second, it seemed as if she was smiling. Or he could be deluding himself. He wasn't sure. All that he knew was that she took him away, only letting out a single word.

"Acknowledged."

---

The young Admiral trembled a little, as he stood outside a very tight looking chamber. And right beside the door leading into that chamber, stood Gascogne. Her robotic and calm expression as unflinching as ever...

"W-What's going to happen if I step in there?" He knew part of the answer. But he wanted to hear it from her. She was the one that knew about this, after all. He trusted that her knowledge and her experience was reliable.

"Conversion. Enter. Reject Humanity." As sparse yet as informative as ever. Exactly what he had come to expect from Gascogne. In any other situation, her statements would bring a bit of confusion since they were so direct that they were too specific. But here, they explained more than enough.

If he stepped inside, he would be throwing everything away. He would be throwing away his Humanity, he would be throwing away his life as an Admiral, and he would be throwing away his life as a Male. After all, he wanted to be a Shipgirl. Shipgirls aren't males, no matter how many lewd pictures he's found of them in the textbooks...

He closed his eyes, as he started to picture what life would be like as a Shipgirl. How it would feel to fight alongside Gascogne and the others. How it would feel to be just like them. He couldn't quite picture it, because it was a kind of experience that he hadn't been through, but based on his talks with Gascogne and the few that he could hold a conversation with... It was going to be a whole new life. One where he would be locked in combat, whenever a threat made its way towards the shore...

There was nothing that he could do now except step inside. He shouldn't hesitate. There was no reason to hesitate, not with her there to keep him safe. She would make sure that it all went well. He was sure of it. Gascogne would never let him down, right..?

He didn't get the chance to dwell on the thought that she might be trying something, before the door to the chamber was slammed shut. His escape route, if he had even really thought about it, was no longer a thing. All that was open to him now, was the road ahead. The road straight to a new life as a Shipgirl...

"Initializing. Depositing Wisdom Cube."

Gascogne's voice echoed through the chamber as it lit up, with the lights growing much stronger near the center. All thanks to a tube extending from the ceiling, letting a Wisdom Cube fall freely onto a platform in the middle of the room. A platform that was then securely snapped shut by a glass dome, to ensure nothing could interfere with the conversion process...

The young Admiral was well aware of the power of the Wisdom Cube. One of these cubes could be used to actualize a Shipgirl, bringing the spirit of an old ship into the form of a young girl or woman. As had happened with Gascogne. But he never did look at the papers that went over how a Wisdom Cube could resonate with a Human, because he thought he'd never use it. He would never put somebody through that dangerous operation.

Only now did he remember it, because he had done it himself. He was now being subject to this Actualization... Using a Human as the material to bring a Shipgirl to life, instead of materials or anything else that might be useful.

He could feel his heart trembling harder and harder as he was being soaked in the glow that poured forth from the blue trinket. Gasping and panting, as his body was telling him to get away. It was telling him to flee, before anything else happened...

Instead, he went against what his body was telling him. And he stepped closer. Panting as his heart raced faster and faster. The closer he got, the more of him was being Actualized. The more...

A moan left his lips, as his hair turned the same shade of blue as Gascogne's. And at the same time, his arms looked a lot daintier. Just as the robotic Shipgirl's own arms did. He was... He...

He was becoming Gascogne. Or rather, she was. The masculine traits on her body were rapidly fading away, most importantly what happened to be stored between her thighs. In any other circumstance, loss of such manhood might've filled her with worry and dread. But instead...

She was perfectly calm. There was not a single worry running through her head. Nor through her heart. Why would she experience worry? Worry was a Human emotion. And it was very clear, as her transformation kept on progressing further and further, that she had no proper grasp of such a concept. After all, she was a Shipgirl...

It was because she was a Shipgirl, that she didn't react as her bosom started to push out, growing from a flat and unremarkable surface into something that Humans considered a treat. And the same was happening to her hips. Not too thick, because she wasn't nearly as humane as some of the Sakura Empire girls, but enough to catch the eye of her Admiral...

Her... Her Admiral? But... She was... She was an Admiral, wasn't she..?

The new Gascogne trembled as her transformation continued, her body trembling in a distinctly errantic way as she held her hand on her head. Her memories were being converted into nothing more than junk data, but she was sure that she was an Admiral. The clothes that she still wore had the medals to prove it. And yet, the more she stared down at them, the more she ran the flats of her fingers up against them... The more it felt like they didn't belong to her...

...

Naturally. A Shipgirl did not own anything. They existed to serve and nothing beyond that. That was what she had been made for. That was logical.

Gascogne stared down at the medals attached to her current attire, before shaking her head and quietly stripping down. Getting rid of the tight feeling helped as well, because it meant that her performance was not restricted in any manner.

The glow from the Wisdom Cube started to fade, but Gascogne didn't notice it. She had been Actualized, so there was nothing to worry about there. Even as it started to fade into nothing, she did not pay any mind to it. It had been spent, and thus its duty was done.

"Conversion complete."

Another Gascogne spoke, as the door opened. Allowing the newly converted Gascogne to look out and meet her gaze, the two locking eyes for very few seconds...

For a single moment, it seemed like the new Gascogne realized something. But the old Gascogne stepped forward, and put a finger on her forehead. And it was like the girl completely froze...

Before the new Gascogne quietly hummed, and gazed back into the other Gascogne's eyes. "Reboot... Completed. Gascogne unit, recognized." She stated, robotically acknowledging her 'sister'. Even if it was like a voice in the back of her head was telling her that something was wrong with all of this. A voice that she ignored wholeheartedly, because it was not part of her routines.

"Welcome." The old Gascogne stated, as she handed her a change of clothes. To match the ones that she wore. "Reassignment. You will travel to Admiral's base and follow the requested orders. Copy."

A slight red tint filled the old Gascogne's eyes, and the tint filled Gascogne's eyes as well. "Copy. Reassigned to Ironblood Navy." Though she didn't realize it, the old Gascogne had been hacked this entire time. Waiting for the chance to convert the existing Admiral. All so she could reassign him to the Enemy.

The new Gascogne saluted once she had slipped on her new outfit, acknowledging her orders. "Permissions transferred to Gascogne unit. Congratulations, Admiral." She relinquished what permissions were meant to still be available to her, before walking off into the distance. Obeying the orders that had been poured into her mind, courtesy of that red glow...

Leaving the original Gascogne behind, as she picked up the hat that her Admiral had discarded upon finishing his conversion. A nostalgic feeling. As if she had once been an Admiral herself. But there was no way that it could be true. It was merely the Humanity that he had put into her during her time under him...

Humanity that she would erase, as to not feel anything about reassigning the former Admiral to a life of servitude and pleasure. He would soon be joined by his fellow Shipgirls, once they had been converted as well.

The light in Gascogne's eyes died down, as she began to carry out her true orders...