I
Ashigara

Putting on the rigging was never an easy task. Even destroyers were rarely able to suit up on their own, their 'lightweight' equipment already too cumbersome to allow freedom of movement or be comfortably carried around on dry land. For cruisers and heavier shipgirls, the process was simply impossible without external help. Armour, guns, torpedo launchers, radio equipment, plane catapults and many, many other modules had to be assembled quickly and precisely, often in places just out of their owner's reach.

Luckily, engineering fairies were always at the ready. Some shipgirls thought their help was not only necessary, but also carried a lot of symbolism; Tone once compared them to squires, who used to help medieval knights or samurai get ready for battle. Their hull, she liked to say, was no different to steel armour used by heroes of the past. Some had a more utilitarian approach, merely recognizing the necessity and not thinking much about it.

Regardless of interpretation, this was the only way for their equipment to be useable. And that's why Ashigara always made sure to share a plate of curry with the fairies each time she had kitchen duty.

"Ready!" a pink-haired pixie flew up in front of Ashigara's face, giving her a thumbs up.

The cruiser stepped out of the scaffold, dozens of kilograms in equipment weighing her down. Each step was a struggle against gravity, making the short walk to the slipway all but a pleasant one. Every time she was surprised the concrete beneath her boots didn't crack and crumble with each step.

A short slide later she splashed onto the water, joining Sazanami and Suzukaze. Propulsion boots sank in - and suddenly her body felt light again. Slowly propelling forward, she made room for the rest of the squadron to deploy. Nachi sled first, speeding up as soon as she touched the surface. Myokou joined next, her moves elegant and calm. Haguro turned up last, almost losing balance and tipping over. Ashigara acted on instinct to rush for help, but stopped midway, seeing her little sister quickly regain composure. Covering embarrassment with a nervous laughter, Haguro took her position at the formation's end.

Concrete walls and ceiling contrasted with brightly lit, azure sky outside. Ashigara extended her hand towards the picturesque seascape, mentally preparing for her favourite part of each launch. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath:

"All right then! Ashigara Victory Division, sortieing! Form on me, onwards to victory!"

Six shipgirls darted outside, tropical sun sparkling on calm waters. The squadron formed a double line, with Ashigara and Suzukaze leading the way. Foam sprayed behind them, lush slopes of Raiushima getting more and more distant with every second.

Other shipgirls watched their departure from breakwater's top, waving and cheering. Ashigara spun around to face them for a second, shouting on top of her lungs:

"We'll bring you victory! Don't you dare celebrate without us!"

Tales about the Sixth Destroyer Division's shenanigans were numerous, long and full of silly adventures - but one thing about the Akatsuki quartet was undeniable; intelligence collected by their expeditions was always on point. Just like today; the Abyssal convoy was exactly where Hibiki's reports indicated.

"Looks pretty serious" Myokou turned her gaze away from the formation and pinned her binoculars back to the rigging.

"Twelve transports, with cruiser and destroyer escort. Just as the girls' report said!" Ashigara's grin was just below the 'too predatory to feel comfortable around' level.

"Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you shall never suffer defeat" Nachi had a rare knack for making cheesy proverbs sound pretty inspiring. "The question is, how shall we use our knowledge now?"

"Barge in 'n blow 'em up to bits!" Suzukaze punched the air in front of her in a comically elaborate attempt at some martial choreography. Sazanami stood next to her, absent-mindedly browsing something on her phone.

"I-I think that might be too dangerous..."

"Indeed it might be, nee-chan," for a split of second Ashigara's expression softened as she send a reasurring smile to Haguro, "and that's why we need to strike hard and fast!"

Her expression returned to a bloodthirsty grin before she even finished the sentence, gaze turned back towards the tiny dots on the horizon.

"No time for subtleties, then" Nachi cracked her knuckles. "I like it"

"You two are always so worryingly restless..." Myokou shook her head in a mildly convincing attempt at disapproval.

"Oh you know me all too well, nee-san!" smirked Ashigara, devouring the convoy with her eyes.

"If not me, then who else should?"

"Excuse me, can we just start...?! Please...?!" Suzukaze was going wild, her dance around the cruisers getting more and more frantic with every passing second, as Sazanami closed the flap and hid the device in a waterproof pouch by her belt.

They managed to navigate the majority of the distance to the convoy undetected. Even a spotter plane launched by Myokou managed not to get noticed by the Abyssals. Adrenaline rushed in Ashigara's veins, her heart beat with excitement. The heat of battle was closing - and the scorching feeling burnt her soul. Fifteen kilometres. Fourteen. Thirteen. Eleven… Ten.

"Torpedoes, fire!" she commanded, making one last check with her rangefinder. She and Haguro turned right. Behind them, Myokou and Nachi swerved to the left, with each destroyer joining a different pair. Hip mounted launchers lowered to horizontal position, their payload dropping into water with a loud splash.

"Fire at will!"

The cruisers' guns roared into life. Using data relayed by Myokou, they adjusted their aim - and the second salvo hit its target. An Abyssal heavy cruiser jerked to the side, slowing down and breaking from the formation.

"Destroyers, flank them and launch a second salvo! Then you are free to engage any marauders as you please, but stay out of harm's way! Remember the raiding lessons!"

"Alrighty then!" Suzukaze turned sharply. With the corner of her eye, Ashigara saw Sazanami mirror the maneuver, heading to the convoy's opposite side.

In front of them the Abyssal cruisers made desperate attempts to regroup, but with synchronized salvos making keeping them at bay. the task became nigh-impossible. The transports accelerated, trying to make the most of the time bought by their escorts.

"Please hit!" Haguro yelled, firing a full broadside. One Abyssal cruiser suffered a direct hit, explosions engulfing its deformed frame.

"Lookin' good!" Ashigara licked her lips. The taste of naval battle - salt and gunpowder soot, spiced up by the sharp aroma of steel and oil - was almost as good as curry back home.

The battle got decided roughly around the moment torpedoes hit their mark.

A line of geysers erupted across the Abyssal convoy. The enemy did attempt zigzagging - but the sheer amount of fishes in water meant something was bound to hit one way or another. Suzukaze and Sazanami's second salvo came soon after, thinning out the transports even further. Their bloated bodies ripped like rotten gourds, spilling black ichor. The thick tallow mixed with oil and spilled into ocean's pristine waters. Shards of bauxite and ore fell all around them like a hail of rocks.

With hostile numerical superiority already neutralized by the element of surprise, what should have been a pitched battle turned into a slippery slope of carnage and destruction. Nachi and Myokou fought in silence, their moves synchronized and deadly precise. There was some poetry in their actions, some martial choreography hidden in each shot and every maneuver. Something Ashigara both admired and failed to understand at the same time. Her actions were feral, predatory; she saw an opportunity and used it, quickly finding another opening to bite. Behind her, Haguro followed, equally proficient and deadly, albeit in a more careful, conservative way. Around them the destroyers circled, making sure no stray Abyssal makes it out of the circle of doom.

It soon became apparent which opponent was the one in charge; a lone heavy cruiser stayed just outside the centre of the maelstrom, protected by two lighter ships. Her red eyes were the first thing Ashigara noticed. And the Hungry Wolf reacted to this deliciously bloody signal just as one would expect.

"Let's go, nee-chan!" she grabbed Haguro's wrist, pulling her towards the enemy flagship. The other cruiser yelped in surprise, but followed the lead. Blasting a lone destroyer aside, two shipgirls approached their new target.

The escorts tried standing in their way, their defiance barely capable of slowing down the charging cruisers. The red-eyed Abyssals did not try to run; instead, she kept her distance, glare fixated upon the shipgirls. The spark of intelligence in those eyes made her look far more fearsome than the rest; with the corner of her eye, Ashigara could have seen her little sister starting to tremble.

"Just follow me!"

They swerved to the side just as the flagship's guns came to life, triple turrets spitting out their payload. Haguro was just a second too late to dodge; she had to block a single shell with her rigging. The wrist-mounted turret's armour gave in, an explosion blossoming in front of the girl. Hearing her painful scream made Ashigara's blood boil.

"You dirty BASTARD!"

Her guns roared, loading mechanisms barely able to keep up with replacing the shells she fired. Her secondary guns also came to life, their shots pitiful against main artillery blasts, but still adding up to the punishment she extracted. Unable to resist the onslaught, the Abyssal took a step back, her rigging falling apart under the barrage.

She directed one turret a bit lower, blasting the Abyssal's shin into bits. The monstrous abomination screeched in agony, its whole body losing balance and falling to the water. Ichor spilled around, its black surface shimmering with all colours of rainbow in the bright sun.

Ashigara stopped just above her foe, not breaking contact with those red eyes. The light in them flickered in and out, the spark of life dimmed by pain, losing against the injuries sustained. But she saw no fear in those red wells. No regret. Not even hate. They were as blank and emotionless as control lights on some device's panel.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Haguro clutching the wounded hand. Her little sister gritted her teeth, unable to contain the pain. Her arms shook, sobs were muted and barely audible - but the suffering was more than obvious.

The Hungry Wolf looked down upon the fallen enemy, her face twisted with fury. All barrels followed her gaze, locking onto the pale visage below. The red light was about to go out forever, the flagship's body just barely afloat.

"Victory. Is. Mine." she hissed.

The final, triumphant salvo shook the waves before everything went silent.