This is a non-profit work of (fan-) fiction based on the Web-Game "Kantai Collection". - Please support the original work by Kodakawa Games (Publisher DMM). Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Oct 3rd 2023
USS Nimitz
Pacific Ocean, Midway
'This is the Commanding Officer of the USS Nimitz, to all remaining vessels. Abandon mission. I repeat Abandon mission. All aircraft is to cover our retreat and -'
'This is bullshit, Admiral! If we stay and fight we wi-' an officer interrupted him.
'The fuck it is Bradley. I'm not going to sink a nuclear carrier next to an inhabited island. We will fall back and regroup at Yokosuka.'
'With all due respect, Sir, we just have to wait for one of the other fleets to fall right into their backs and we will- '
'There are no other fleets, god dammit. They are all sunk - We are the last fleet good old Uncle Sam even has and I'm not going to sink half of it so you can go on bragging to your fiancé. Given that you can even survive on a carrier that can no longer launch planes. Now, if you feel like it, you are free to make them put me on trial when we are back in pearl but for now get the fuck of the CIC'
'This isn't over yet I -'
'Security, put that idiot into the brig'
12 Years later.
Dec 20th 2035,
United States, Newport Naval Shipyard
Suddenly Adm. Bruce Smith woke up. 'That dream again...' he grumbled bitterly.
More than 12 years ago, he abandoned his mission of protecting Guam and instead chose to evacuate everyone, who hasn't already fled at the notion of an Abyssal fleet attacking, and retreated his heavily damaged fleet back to Yokosuka. There he put himself in charge of the last ditch effort to keep the very Abyssals that followed him off Tokyo.
From that day on people branded him as the Hero of the Human-Abyssal war, although he considered himself to be everything but a hero.
Only few weeks after he returned to the US the first ship girls arrived just as mysteriously as the Abyssals a year before them.
Essentially those girls were the spirits of long sunken warships, though their exact nature and point of origin remains a mystery even today.
Unlike conventional warships these girls were way more efficient in killing Abyssals and so navies around the world became only shadows of their former selves with almost none of the lost ships being replaced.
Of all the world's navies the US was probably the one who still had the largest navy, although personnel became a real problem, due to the danger and people being suspicious of their saviors.
Things came as they had to - outside of sorties, the girls were pretty much confined to their respective naval districts, and almost no human outside the navy actually knew what they looked like, only that new laws basically let them do whatever they wanted. Oh and of course the amounts of food they needed while a good amount of the world's population was starving thanks to the Abyssals.
Due to that, Smith was promoted to Vice Admiral, and put in charge of the US first fleet girls. 'In honor of his duty to the United States and its allies' - which he thought was nothing but utter bullshit.
Sure the entire shitshow he pulled in Yokosuka certainly had to do with it, yet the main reasons in his eyes was that more than 80% of the US' admiralty was dead, no one really wanted to deal with the ship girls, and his step father wanting to promote himself via Smith.
Then two years after the first fleet girls appeared, the Abyssals bombed the Newport Naval construction yard and heavily damaged or even destroyed the ships in dry dock. - The USS Enterprise would never launch a single jet and the Admiral valiantly fought any plan to bring the Iowa Class back into service, due to the heavy impact their sinking would have on public morale.
In the following years the navies around the world have seen a rapid decline in both budget and personal.
People neither wanted to die on one of the few remaining ships nor having to deal with the fleet girls, so recruitment was not just going beyond bad, but the USN was no longer able to replace posts emerging from retirements and quittings.
Nowadays remaining personnel's job is to oversee the fleet girls and their operations, and only serve as a last line defense in case the Abyssals would break through one of the heavily fortified harbors.
Suddenly he was snapped out of his line of thought by a beautiful blonde right next to him.
'They'll be here in a few minutes, Admiral.' the tall blonde girl said softly.
'It is rude to watch other people sleeping.' he grumbled.
'Sorry sir, but you seemed so peaceful. It kind of reminded me of when we first met.'
'Anyway stop that shit and go greet them, Enterprise.'
'Yes, Sir!' the girl saluted and hurried outside of her s office, her rudder heels clonking on the floor.
'And close the fucking door', he muttered shortly before getting up and closed it himself and make himself comfortable in his chair again.
How can one girl be the perfect secretary in one moment and then forget to close a freaking door in another...
Another of the many things that have changed.
Due to the rapid decline in human personnel, posts such as his secretary where given to ship girls. - After his former secretary's death, Enterprise was the logical choice for it and a damn good one too.
Things around the base were running efficient and god was she good at paperwork and keeping the Iowas off him.
Smith looked at the clock - 15 minutes had already passed, and he was getting impatient.
They could have just flown them here with an SSTO, but no. - The Japanese thought it would be safer to let them sail here and have them sail through the Panama Canal instead of using a domestic flight from L.A.
In fact, he would have preferred meeting them at Pearl in a few days instead, but given some of those girls' history with his base he thought it would be better to just load them onto the ship and keep the press away from them until tomorrow.
Thus he just brought all the ship girls he wanted to take with him down to Newport and had the JMSDF girls meet up with him here.
His worst fear was that all of them were still locked in the past and sour for losing the war, although Fleet Admiral Bradford had assured him that they have been made aware of the current geopolitical situation, and that they will cooperate just as much as the rest of the JMSDF.
Still, he was almost certain that a lot of them, their Admirals included, will likely pick a fight with him or his men in one way or another. Even if it was just being resentful and condescending bitches.
After another 10 minutes Enterprise finally entered with one of the Japanese ship girls - A rather tall, slightly tanned woman with short-cut chestnut hair and green eyes, wearing an antenna as a headband.
'Pleased to meet you, Admiral. I am the 2nd Ship of the Nagato class battleships, Mutsu. Please don't play too much with fire, okay Admiral?' in a rather friendly flirtatious tone.
Smith grumbled in resignation.
The fuck is with that introduction? Is she trying to hit on me..? At least she speaks English.
'The pleasure is all mine. Where is your Admiral?' asked, ignoring her 'playing with fire' remark.
'Admiral Yamada will be waiting in Japan. Please don't be afraid to ask me should you need anything from us in the meantime. We've been instructed to follow your commands to the letter.' the girl said.
'Damn that guy, he is still the same ass as usual.'
'You know the Admiral?' Mutsu asked in surprise, completely ignoring the 'ass' part.
'Stop being mean, dad.' a voice suddenly came from behind Mutsu.
Admiral Smith frowned as a light brown haired girl of suddenly revealed herself from behind Mutsu who had completely obscured her before.
Smith glared towards Enterprise who just gave him an apologetic look.
'What the fuck are you doing here?!' Smith asked.
'Dad, language!' she said with both arms leaning on his desk.
This exchange continued for a while, while both of them have completely forgotten about the two ship girls standing there in the room watching the scene. One with bemusement, the other with her palm on her face.
'I'm sorry, Admiral, she must have somehow gotten away from Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. She was already down there when I arrived.' Enterprise cut in.
'Well then you better bring her back to this so called 'Fast battleship''. Carry her if you have to', he frowned.
'Aye sir!' Enterprise said, 'Come on or do I actually have to carry you?' Enterprise deadpanned.
'No, thank you!' the girl stomped out in front of Enterprise who followed.
'*Cough Cough* anyway, you girls must be tired from the long sortie. If anyone is damaged feel free to use the repair facilities. Feel free to ask one of the officers to show you there. Until then, get used to the ship, you will be on it for a few weeks.' Admiral Smith said after clearing his throat.
'I think someone already showed Shoukaku-san to the docks, the rest of us only got minor damage.' Mutsu said while reflecting, ' By the way what is her name?'
'Yuki. Her mother named her like that because there was a snowstorm when she was born or some reason like that.' Smith said while reflecting on the day with closed eyes.
'Oh, Yuki-chan already introduced herself earlier. I was talking about her.'
Mutsu gently hit her rudder-heels against the floor, indicating that she was talking about the ship.
Smith frowned. Why was everyone asking him that? Iowa and Wisconsin were annoying him for weeks and his officers reported that even the sailors kept bugging them the entire time.
Sadly for him, he couldn't give a girl he knew no ten minutes the same rude 'Wait until the christening like everyone else you goddamn bitch', he gave Wisconsin the other day, despite his annoyance over being asked the same question over and over.
'We are pulling her commissioning and christening together, so you will have to wait for tomorrow for that... That reminds me, I trust they at least gave you girls proper uniforms to wear during the ceremony?'
'Oh yes the Admiral said something like that. Still what is wrong with our uniforms?' Mutsu said while eying herself.
Smith wondered whether she was serious or joking. Going into her case specifically he'd start with her antenna, as it was the first thing people would notice. Going further down there was also that choker which he still wasn't sure what it was supposed to represent. Next her navel free shirt, which he was sure not only violated regular USN uniform regulations but also those of the JMSDF. Next was the metal belt, which he believed to represent her former hull's bow as you could clearly see the imperial chrysanthemum on it. Said belt held a skirt he doubted would be impossible to shorten any further. Also Metal shoes and rudder like heels. Not to mention her typical otherworldly ship-girl beauty.
No there was no way that anyone on earth would not be able to identify her as a ship girl the moment they saw her, which pretty much every country in this would want to avoid as not even navy personnel felt particularly comfortable around them.
Suddenly Mutsu stepped up to his desk and put both her hands on it, giving him the most gentle smile.
'If you want to inspect the ship closer please go ahead. But no smoking in the ammunition storage.' she giggled.
Having been totally startled by the ship girl's sudden approach smith nearly fell of his chair, barely managing to cling to his desk without hitting his chin.
'Goddamn it, stop hitting on me already.' he suddenly blurted out.
Mutsu couldn't hold it back anymore and busted into silent laughter while pounding her fist against the desk upon seeing his reaction.
That ass of a father-in-law sent this tease on purpose.
'Sorry, you are just too much like my sister,' she continued laughing without any sign of restraint but suddenly stopped, 'besides you got a really pleasant aura around you, Admiral, and don't seem to be outward resenting towards us either.
Suddenly she extended her hand towards him and said with an almost angelic smile: 'Anyhow. It will be a pleasure to work with you, Admiral. But please don't play around with fire.'
It was a cold and dark place. He couldn't see or hear anything around him.
Just complete and utter darkness.
He tried standing up but he couldn't. - He was apparently bound to the chair he sat on.
He calmed himself and recalled his last memory before he ended up here.
It was a sunny beach day, so he decided to have the beach locked down so his ship girls could have some fun in the summer heat.
Complete darkness.
When he woke up he didn't see a thing, nor could he move.
He calmed himself and tried to search for the closest memory in his mind.
He was on the beach, and looked up into the sun. He could hear the voices of his ship girls as they were playing around on the beach.
He closed his eyes for a while, and their voices became more distant, moving away further and further.
And then Darkness.
'Finally awake, I see.' an echoing female voice greeted him
'Where the fuck am I?!' he bellowed.
'I am the one asking the questions here.'
The voice was way closer now, and it didn't take long for Smith to see glowing red eyes appear in front of him. Slowly his eyes got used to the darkness until he could eventually see his captor.
His captor was a tall, woman with really fair skin in a short one piece black dress. Her deep black hair went all the way down to her ankles and highlighted. And even if one would ignore the glowing red demonic eyes and the two horns on her forehead, they would have to admit that the best way to describe her was 'beautiful'.
Of course she was a rose with many thorns. Even without the demonic abominations they usually carry around as equipment it was rather clear that the woman in front of him was an Abyssal warship.
He wasn't sure as most pictures of Abyssals were either wiggly rather wiggly due to the constant movement on the battlefield or full of water splashes, but he believed the woman in front of him was one of the Abyssal Princesses, although he couldn't tell which one as the only times he actually thought against one, or possibly several, was during Operation Golden Nightmare and the following siege of Tokyo.
'You are hot, but if you want a date you got to get in line, besides I'm not into bondage', he said with a straight face.
'Very amusing.' the princess said in her singing voice, 'Have it your way... I guess this is going to cost you a rib.'
Following were weeks of torture, healing ponds, and being the princesses overall plaything.
There weren't many at the place he was being held at.
Battleship, Airfield, Carrier, Armored Carrier and leading them Harbor princess.
Yet, what broke him wasn't the Abyssals. Vice Admiral Bruce Smith wasn't one to easily break.
One day while strolling through the Abyssal base he found a door.
Opening it was the worst mistake in his entire life.
He had seen much, during his two battles with the Abyssals. Decks full of blood and intestines, dying sailors that were cut apart by shrapnel or Abyssal equipment begging him for help. But behind that door, was something even more gruesome.
Although there were theories about the Abyssals eating humans, none of them proofed to be true.
And yet, what was behind that door, proofed not only that those rumors were wrong, but also that they were right.
While the princesses seemed to mainly eat food they raided off ships and civilians, their equipment and the less humanoid Abyssals were another matter. Seeing their equipment's teeth easily tear through recently captured marines hit him hard.
Not only recently captured, but also, going by teared up name tags, people he once knew. - Some of whom he played cards not even two weeks ago.
Then the Battleship Princess equipment turned its 'gaze' upon him.
Smith was frozen.
In all that time, he got tortured, played with and healed up just to repeat that process he never reached a point from which he couldn't recover - until now.
Eventually he was never eaten, due to the Harbor Princess coming in and easily pushing it away.
Yet he never fully recovered.
That day his mental castle has fallen.
From there on the princesses could easily drag him down into the abyss further and further until they were close to their goal - making the one human who spoiled their plans over and over their own...
'Damn that flirty Battleship', Admiral Smith exclaimed while kneeling down in front of the latrine.
Ever since Mutsu had left, he was trapped in the toilet, coughing up his lunch.
Obviously, the Abyssals never managed to reach their goal, and yet from the moment on he saw that gigantic abomination chewing on his men, some form PTSD was pre-programmed.
Even though he was saved, he could no longer work, and wanted to quit his job, while he was recovering.
But it wouldn't come to that.
The general sentiment of keeping the ship girls happy in order to ensure that they won't turn their cannons against humanity was the reason the navy wouldn't let him go, and he had to return after a few months of break and mental treatment.
Still, this episode of his life always came back when he came into direct physical contact with a ship girl, causing him to feel nauseous or even passing out.
His time with the Abyssals apparently made him far more sensitive to spirits than your everyday human being, to a point where even people who never say a ship girl before might have a good chance of taking their presence better than him.
The biggest difference however was that for Smith it never changed. No matter how much time passed, his condition wouldn't get better and he slowly distanced himself more and more from his fleet.
His two secretaries, Enterprise and Saratoga, were the closest to him since then, and even with them he made sure that neither would ever directly touch him as even a short graze on his skin would cause him to remember the horrors inside the Abyssals' base.
Once his stomach was finally empty he slowly walked over to his desk and let himself fall into his chair and closed his eyes, still panting heavily.
Next he picked up the receiver, while pressing a shortcut.
'Sickbay here', a female voice sounded through the intercom.
'Hey', he said weakly.
'Bruce? What is up you sound totally wasted
'Just an overly friendly ship girl.'
'What are you talking about?'
'Never mind that Shizuka. Can you come up here for a moment I feel horrible and I got a meeting in an hour.'
'Are you kidding me? You don't sound like you should be near anywhere, but one of the beds down here'
'Just come up here and bring me something against seasickness or something like that'
'Fine...', the woman on the other side of the intercom sighted in resignation.
'Why do you take a ship girls hand when you know exactly that you can't bear he feeling of touching a spirit?!', The dark haired Japanese asked in an annoyed tone while examining him.
'What was I supposed to do? Tell her turret was behaving oddly? Blame your father for that overly friendly ship.'
'For example.' she hissed back,' And believe me, once we are in Japan I'll give my father a piece of my mind.'
The slim black haired woman put her hands on her waist and leaned forward a bit with an angry look on her face.
'What?' he asked.
'You should stop leading them, you know? Or one day either of them is going to snap.'
'The fuck are you talking about?!'
'Stop treating them nicely when you don't want to interact with them. In fact if you want to quit, tell the president to go fuck himself. - You do it with your other superiors too. '
'Yeah because either of us would still work in the Navy if that would work.' he grunted back.
'I'm here because we are family...Nii-san', she teased.
'Stop that, Shizuka.'
'Fine... I need to go back anyway.'
With these words, the woman named Shizuka stood up and turned her heels towards the door, but suddenly stopped before closing the door and stuck her head back in.
'Oh by the by. - Unless you want them to think you are a rude ass, you better use honorifics with them, Nii~san.' she giggled and quickly left the room.
'That goddamn bitch.' Smith frowned, 'I'll make her stand at attention half the day tomorrow.'
A/N:
After several years I finally managed to publish this. When reading this a lot of people will probably wonder why it took so long, which brings me to the actual reason for this note: The rating.
A lot of you will probably wonder why I choose mature, when there are likely fan fictions with a lot more gore out there that still retain their T rating.
The answer is: Better safe than sorry. I also believe that some aspects of this story can be brought over better with a higher amount of freedom when writing. There is also the issue of me having watched horror movies in grade school (when my parents weren't looking) so better safe than sorry, I guess. ;) .
On the bright side, you also mustn't expect it getting too gory without prior notice at the begin of the chapter. - Sadly I can only take M rated computer games as a reference.