Hello, and thanks for reading. I first started playing Kancolle a few months ago since I've always been interested in war history and stuff like that, and that eventually caused me to start this story as well. For me, writing has been a good way to practice my literary skills, and it also serves as a good outlet for ideas, so once I get really interested in something, I usually write about it... I can't say for how long that interest will hold, but for now and the foreseeable future, this is a topic I'd like to explore further. Anyway, the summary is a decent enough introduction for this story, so that's really all I have to say. Thanks again for reading, and now, onto the story:
A sudden, intense explosion rang out, filling the air with fire, debris, and the screams of the shocked and wounded. Commander Richard Maximilian Drake lifted an arm to shield himself from the blast as he simultaneously snapped his head up towards the bridge of the USS Freedom's Sacrifice in an effort to locate the source of the blast. The heat from the explosion hit him, and shards of metal crashed down around the disoriented officer, falling down onto the metal deck with a clang. Drake's brown eyes widened with horror as he saw that the bridge of the battleship had been completely annihilated, leaving only a burning husk where the command center had previously been.
"Shit! The Captain was in there!" a nearby ensign called out as he cringed at the sight. He then turned to Drake. "Commander! What should we -"
The sailor's sentence was cut short as another blast tore open the air. Before either man knew what was happening, a shard of steel came hurtling down and ripped the ensign almost in half, his torso barely hanging onto his hips by a couple thin cords of flesh. The corpse hit the deck, dark blood flowing freely from the nearly-bisected sailor and slowing to a creep as it pooled around him.
Drake gaped at the scene, fear and panic overriding his senses. He immediately rushed for cover as he sprinted back towards one of the doorways which led to the interior of the ship. More flying metal shards and other debris crashed down around him, and all he could do was keep running forward, knowing that at any moment, a stray piece of the bridge or an Abyssal shell or bomber could put an end to his life. A splash of water sounded from the water around the ship, and he quickly spared a glance over the deck to see a terrifying figure emerging from the depths. A creature with long, wet hair and one glowing blue eye creeped out from the ocean, wearing some sort of strange gas mask. Drake grit his teeth as the Abyssal turned its back turret towards the ship and outstretched a pale, sickly arm towards him. Luckily, however, the monster was forced back underwater as a blast shot from a nearby destroyer landed close to it, spraying a column of seawater into the air.
Drake continued running, and eventually, he made it to the doorway and entered the interior of the ship, back to relative safety. As he stood with his back against the wall, his hands on his knees and gasping for air, a pair of sailors approached him. The commander looked up, his expression strained.
The sailors looked frayed as well, but they managed to give Drake a shaky salute nonetheless. "Commander! All officers on the bridge have been k-killed!"
It was just as Drake had feared. "... What happened?"
"A flurry of Abyssal bombers bypassed our anti-air guns and managed to drop their payload on the bridge," the sailor explained. "A second strike hit soon after."
"All right. Who is in command now?"
The sailors looked at each other nervously. "No one, sir. It's possible that you may be the highest-ranking officer left alive…"
"Fine," Drake said gruffly, straightening himself. This was no time to be scared; if he did not take control of the situation now, he would die. "I will take command for now. You two, follow me to the situation room."
The commander began making his way towards the situation room, the two sailors trailing closely behind. Drake's pace was rushed and frantic, a perfect reflection of his inner thoughts. He had never been given command of a vessel as significant as a battleship before, and though he had gone through extensive training, nothing could have prepared him for this moment.
The trio arrived at the situation room, and Drake immediately rushed towards the large windows to observe the battle outside. He grimaced as he watched the destroyers' futile attempts at shooting the black Abyssals that popped up from the ocean, and he could see the horrifying forms of the bigger Abyssals a bit further off. With their twisted limbs and skin the color of dead flesh, the Abyssals truly were the stuff of nightmares. The sick buzzing noise of the small abyssal aircraft was constant, and among the cacophony, explosions and the booming of cannons could be heard as well. Numerous ships were up in flames, filling the sky with smoke. The dark ocean was slick with oil and other liquids, and metal debris bobbed up and down among the tumultuous waters.
"W-we're losing…" one of the sailors stated plainly, his face pale as he too looked out the window. "We're really losing…"
"This is it, isn't it?" the other asked, despair painted plainly in his eyes.
Drake's mouth contorted into a snarl, his heart pounding in his chest as he ran a hand through his messy black hair. "No… It isn't over yet… It can't be!"
"They're slaughtering us!" the first sailor cried out, his tone becoming hysterical. "What can we do against those… those things!"
Though Drake tried to think of an answer, his thoughts were derailed as he watched a destroyer take a savage blow from the cannons of one of the deformed creatures.
As the ship went up in flames, sailors dove from the decks, jumping into the Abyssal-infested waters to avoid being burned alive. The Abyssal who had destroyed the ship sailed over to the burning vessel. The creature took the appearance of a beautiful, pale woman with a short black dress and glowing red eyes and horns, and her 'rigging' consisted of a literal monster with muscular arms and a gaping mouth filled with jagged teeth that were dripping with drool. Six massive cannons were attached to the monster's back, and they were smoking after just having punched a hole through the destroyer. The three sailors in the situation room watched helplessly as the Abyssal's monster rigging grabbed two overboard sailors with its gray arms and shoved one of them into its mouth, tearing off the sailor's head from his neck with ease. Blood rained down over the creature and its master, and the monster used its other arm to hold up the remaining sailor for the abyssal herself to eat. As the abyssal tore some flesh out of the sailor's stomach area with her mouth, the sailor screamed in agony, his mouth twisting and his body writhing even as the sound of his pain was lost over the din of the battlefield.
"S-sir?" one of the sailors in the situation room asked after witnessing the brutal scene.
In the midst of her feast, the Abyssal's haunting red eyes suddenly shot towards Drake, locking eyes with the commander. A sharp chill went up Drake's spine.
"Order a retreat!" Drake shouted, whirling around, his eyes wide and desperate. He glanced at the name tag of the second sailor. "You! Byron! Tell navigations to head towards the Moroccan coast. We're sailing to Tangier's port."
The sailor saluted and rushed out of the room, and Drake moved over to the loudspeaker that would allow him to communicate with the whole ship.
"All hands, this is Commander Richard Drake! Prepare for a tactical retreat towards the port city of Tangier! Perform evasive maneuvers, and order anyone and everyone in the vicinity to follow if they want to live!"
Drake then got off the speaker, taking a steadying breath. Even if he fled from the battlefield, there was a high chance that the Abyssals would sink his ship as it turned around to run. At any moment, this stretch of sea could become his watery grave.
"We can't go towards the coast!" the remaining sailor protested. "If we go there, we'll be trapped between the Abyssals and the city!"
"Coleridge, is it?" Drake began, reading the sailor's tag. "Retreating towards the city is the best option. Tangier has anti-Abyssal guns installed on its shore, which will provide covering fire for us. It will also be easier to make a defensive stand there rather than just sit around on the open ocean and leave ourselves wide open to attacks from all directions by the extremely mobile Abyssals."
There's also the fact that the Abyssals may divert some of their firepower to attack the city instead of us, the commander thought grimly. If that happens, it will take some of the pressure off us, but it will also result in heavy civilian casualties… It can't be helped. It's us or them at this point.
Drake felt the ship begin to turn, and soon enough, they were on a fast-track towards the coast. As they sailed at top speed towards Tangier, Abyssal shells whistled past them and crashed throughout the ocean, sending up geysers of seawater around the battleship. Abyssal aircraft also flew dangerously close to the ship, and every time the anti-air guns went off, Drake prepared himself for the very real possibility that the ship would sink. The ship was actually hit by a bomb one of those times, and Drake's heart nearly stopped beating before he realized that the ship was still going strong and therefore the strike must have been a non-fatal one.
As the sun started to set and began reflecting its orange rays off the shimmering sea, Freedom's Sacrifice and a small group of destroyers came within sight of the coast. A small squadron of ships from what looked to be the Italian fleet was also there, apparently having had the same idea as Drake.
So the Abyssals didn't put all their effort into chasing us down if we made it this far. The bulk of their strength must have remained behind to finish off the ships that couldn't retreat with us. Essentially, Drake had left his own comrades as bait to cover his retreat. Though he thought it unfortunate, it was the best plan he could come up with on the spot.
The ships turned and made their final stand at the coast, their backs to the Moroccan city of Tangier. Drake stared out the window of the situation room, his eyes unblinking and strained. His heart pounded, and his breathing was rapid and unsteady. In the distance, black figures emerged from the ocean, their silhouettes clearly visible against the setting sun. The smaller Abyssals leapt through the ocean like demonic dolphins, and the bigger ones stayed back and fired their cannons from afar. The more moderately-sized Abyssals also made their way towards the remaining ships, gliding through the ocean as they moved to finish their prey.
So they've come... Drake thought as his ships opened fire. The boom of Tangier's anti-Abyssal guns also sounded, though truth be told, the guns on the beach were too far away to accurately hit the advancing Abyssals.
A zooming noise cut through the sky as Abyssal aircraft rushed towards the fleet. Drake braced himself, expecting his ship to be hit at any moment now. However, the aircraft sailed over the fleet entirely, heading towards the city instead.
So the Abyssals are going for the most vulnerable target first. Drake felt morbidly satisfied that the Abyssals were sparing his ship from their full aerial onslaught, though this would mean that the civilians in the city would suffer. Luckily, reinforcements from the US Liberation Navy and the Regia Marina would be arriving soon, and since the transmission for reinforcements hadn't been encoded, the Abyssals likely intercepted it and knew that as well. Therefore, it would make sense for them to focus on inflicting the most damage both physically and psychologically before retreating, and destroying an entire city would do just that.
The commander stood in the situation room, his muscles tense. Now all that remained was a waiting game: would reinforcements arrive in time, or would the Abyssals destroy the entire fleet and the city first? The whining of the shells descending towards the sea filled the air with a symphony of death, and each projectile had the potential to seriously cripple the battleship depending on where it hit. Another explosion sounded, and Drake frowned as he watched a destroyer catch fire after being hit with an Abyssal shell. There goes our last screening vessel.
Suddenly, the Freedom's Sacrifice shook violently, nearly throwing the commander off his feet. Sirens began blaring, and Drake ran out of the situation room in order to see what had happened. Fearing the worst, he sprinted towards the deck before throwing the door open. Outside, the sounds of the battle were much louder and fiercer, and the noise of things blowing up added to the horrifying orchestra of whistling shells and bursting seawater.
A few other sailors had also rushed outside to assess the damage, and Drake noticed that one of them was Coleridge, the sailor who had been with him earlier.
"What the hell just happened?" Drake demanded.
"I think we took a hit!" the sailor said, stating the obvious. "A bad one! We might sink!"
"Damn it! Where exactly did -"
The commander was interrupted by a hail of gunfire from above, and he ducked back inside the ship, reflexively shutting the steel door as he tried to avoid the airstrike. However, Coleridge had remained outside, unable to get to cover due to the commander having shut the door in his panic. Through the steel wall, Drake heard the sound of bullets piercing metal, and when the noise subsided, he gingerly opened the door again.
Propped up against the steel door was Coleridge, his face half blown off and his white uniform stained crimson. His lower jaw had been torn off, and the left side of his face had caved in. Bits of brain and skull fragments lay scattered around him, and the metallic smell of blood was strong.
Drake slammed the door shut again and tried to catch his breath. The ship lurched again, and this time the commander really did lose his balance. He fell to the ground, his face hitting the hard, cold, steel floor. Another explosion sounded, and the battleship shook.
The commander lay on the ground, still dazed from his fall. Even as his vision swam, the sinister figures of the Abyssals were ever present in his mind, and he knew that they were waiting for him at the bottom of the unforgiving sea. His stomach churned as he recalled the scene of the Abyssal picking up sailors and violently tearing into them, their blood and guts spilling from their slowly-dying bodies and contaminating the ocean. Her red eyes bored into his mind as the sirens continued to blare, and the panicked sound of boots on steel and shouting began overtaking the ship.
Is… Is this the end?
Captain Richard Maximilian Drake stood in front of the heavy steel door, taking a moment to prepare himself before knocking three times. The sound of his gloved fist banging on the metal frame resounded through the empty hallway, and after a moment, the door opened to reveal a tall blonde woman with a bubbly smile.
The captain blinked in surprise. He had been called to a private meeting with Admiral Cassius, so he did not expect anyone else to be here. The woman stepped to the side and gestured for Drake to enter, and when he did, he saw the admiral seated at his large wooden desk. Drake stood to attention, giving his superior a stiff salute.
"Good afternoon, Captain," Admiral Cassius greeted, his voice tired. "Please have a seat."
Drake obliged, and he noticed the woman had moved over to stand beside the admiral, her mischievous blue eyes studying the captain. She wore the standard white uniform of the US Liberation Navy, but Drake could not recall ever seeing her before. Her appearance was also a bit strange; her long, blonde hair and her chest that struggled to burst out of her shirt clashed with her professional uniform, and her eyes looked like they had stars in them. He wondered if she was wearing some sort of contact lenses as a fashion statement, but that would go against military regulations…
"You are being reassigned, Captain," the admiral began, getting straight to the point. "We have decided to send you to Japan."
Drake's dark brown eyes narrowed slightly as his mouth hardened into a thin line. The military usually kept its best officers close to the continental states, especially in times of conflict. A reassignment to a US base away from the combat theatre was usually seen as a demotion.
"This isn't a punishment," Admiral Cassius continued, as if he had read Drake's mind. "We need someone we can trust over there, and we have settled on you. Tell me, have you heard of the Kancolle Program?"
"... I have. Only rumors, sir."
The admiral nodded. "I see. Well, that isn't surprising considering the secrecy surrounding the program up until now. However, now that the Abyssal threat has essentially spiraled out of control, we have no choice but to throw our lot in with these 'ship girls.' Recent deployments have confirmed that they are far more effective at combating Abyssals than regular ships and planes."
Drake tried to process what the admiral had said. So not only are the ship girls real, but they have actually been fighting Abyssals as well? He had many questions.
"So… What are they, exactly?" the captain asked. "Some say that they are advanced androids, while others say that they are humans reincarnated with the soul of past warships. The latter can't possibly be true, but I wasn't aware that we had the technology to develop the former."
The admiral shook his head. "I don't know how to answer that, Captain. If I had to say, they are probably a mix of both. I'm no scientist, but according to reports I've read, they have the mind of humans, but their bodies are reinforced with steel and bauxite and they run on fuel like regular ships. However, they also contain human organs and blood in their bodies, so many of their functions are also human-like. Other than that, there isn't much I can tell you. Nobody, not even the girls themselves, knows where they came from, or how it is that they came into being. They are like the Abyssals in that regard. All I know, and all I need to know, is that they are the key to defeating those damn things."
"I see," Drake said, though in truth, he did not understand much at all. "So the rumors which say they are like actual girls are more or less true?"
"I suppose so. Do you find that hard to believe?"
Drake was silent, unsure of how to answer. The admiral then spoke again.
"What if I told you that this woman beside me is a ship girl?"
The captain's eyes immediately shot to the blonde standing behind the admiral, and she grinned at him.
"E-excuse me, sir?"
"She's a ship girl," the admiral repeated. He then turned to the woman. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"
"I'm the USS Iowa!" she declared proudly, her voice cheery. "Laid down in 1940 and a veteran of World War II and the Korean War! Nice to meet you, Captain!"
Drake stared dumbly, unsure of whether or not this was all some sort of joke. "But… But she just looks like a regular woman!"
"Yes," the admiral replied, frowning. "As I said, they have the appearance and mannerisms of humans. It is their combat ability that truly makes them special. Certainly you remember what happened at Tangier?"
Drake nodded slowly as he recalled his first up-close encounter with the creatures known as the Abyssals. The Disaster at Tangier was an intense naval conflict where a small Abyssal fleet laid waste to a combined force of Spanish, Italian, and American ships near the Strait of Gibraltar. Though there had been contact with the Abyssals prior to this battle, they had mostly been small-scale firefights where the Abyssals retreated after only doing some minor damage. However, Tangier was different. The battle started when an Abyssal fleet surrounded and sunk a pair of Italian trade ships around the area, causing Italy and Spain to deploy their own fleets to get rid of the blockage. A nearby US squadron, which Drake had been a part of, was also sent to assist their NATO allies.
However, none of the three nations expected the sort of resistance that the Abyssals put up. This time, the strange creatures were determined to fight, and instead of running away, they utterly smashed the combined fleet. The fleet's three carriers were targeted first, completely eliminating the humans' air power. Battleships and even the destroyers were far too slow to hit the fast-moving Abyssals, and the demons from the deep ran circles around the NATO fleet. Though the Abyssals were smaller than traditional bombers and warships, their guns did just as much, if not more, damage than regular weapons, and their combined mobility and firepower easily sunk two-thirds of the fleet in less than an hour.
With a huge portion of the fleet destroyed, Drake had somehow managed to hold off the Abyssals until reinforcements from the US Liberation Navy and the Regia Marina arrived, at which point the Abyssals retreated. Though the Battle at Tangier had been an absolute disaster, hence its name, it was the battle that got Drake promoted to captain and the one which essentially made his career in the Navy. Even though he had survived the fight, the sights, sounds, and smells of Tangier never left his mind. Worse still was when Drake went into the city itself after the battle to assess the damage, as it had been his strategy that had resulted in Tangier being bombed. The result was mortifying: men, women, and children had been indiscriminately slaughtered, the lucky ones having been instantly been blown to pieces by Abyssal bombers while the more unfortunate suffered painful deaths after being crushed by rubble or torn apart by shrapnel. Though he always considered himself mentally strong, the sights at Tangier had left Drake unable to sleep for days.
"Did you ever wonder why the Abyssals retreated when we arrived?" Admiral Cassius asked, referring to the relief force that he led towards the end of the battle. "It doesn't matter how many ships we brought. The Abyssals could have destroyed us either way. The reason why they left was because we made them leave. Or, I should say, the ship girls made them leave."
Iowa grinned at this and nodded, crossing her arms under her ample chest.
"It's understandable that you didn't see them," the admiral continued. "They aren't as big as traditional warships, and you had your own problems to deal with. But even so, they are the only reason why we were able to defeat the Abyssals at Tangier so quickly. If not for them, things could have been much worse."
Drake sat silently. This was all new information to him, but thinking back on it, it made sense.
"That is why the Kancolle Program is so important. They are far more effective than any sort of conventional weapon, and we don't stand a chance against the Abyssals without them. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. Though I do have one question… How many ship girls do we have? Or is one enough to beat back an entire Abyssal fleet?"
"No, one is not nearly enough," Admiral Cassius answered. "I believe we had four between the Italians and us back at Tangier, and that was just against a small Abyssal fleet. When we encounter a fleet of decent size, that number won't cut it. As it stands right now, the the Free Republic of the Unites States has only been able to 'find' two of them, including Iowa. Therefore, our only options are to wait until we can get more ship girls, which is unpredictable and unreliable at best, or to borrow some from other countries."
"So other countries have more than we do?"
"Depends on which country. Most nations have none whatsoever, while others have quite a lot. Japan has the most by far, which is why we are sending you there. We don't know why they have the most, but our best guess is that the importance the Japanese fleet held to the Japanese people during World War II is what caused a greater resonance between them and whatever dimension the ship girls come from. But that's not important. What matters is that with the full implementation of the Kancolle Program, the US and allied nations will form an international pact which states that we will pool together our resources, including the ship girls, in order to protect the world from the Abyssal threat."
"But if we've already entered into this treaty, then what's the purpose of having me go to Japan? Shouldn't this international pact already allow the US to share Japan's fleet?"
"Yes and no. Despite the vast influence we have over Japan's military, the emergence of the ship girls has tipped the balance of power so much so that even the United States cannot just force Japan to give us more ships. The new Japanese Empress has also gained quite a bit of influence thanks to the Great Unrest of 2018, so that just makes it even more difficult for us to exert our influence. That's why we need you to go there and operate as the US representative from the inside. Even if you can't send over more ship girls to the mainland, you can at least further US interests while you're there."
The captain nodded, his brown eyes thoughtful. "But will I have the authority to do anything significant? If Japan won't listen to pressure from Washington, then what can I do?"
"We haven't lost complete control of Japan," Admiral Cassius made sure to point out. "In fact, the base you're being sent to is actually supplied and sustained by the US, so it's in their best interest as well to accommodate you."
"Understood. Will anyone else be going with me, or will I be in charge of the whole base?"
"Well, first let me just say that there are two main Japanese bases in the Kancolle Program," the admiral replied. "The Tokyo Bay Base in Yokosuka, which is the base you are being sent to, is one of them, but the other one is the Imperial Naval Base at Sasebo, and it's also the only one that has seen real combat with the Abyssals. The Japanese ship girls are split among the two bases, so we couldn't convince them to allow an American to take control of half of their fleet even if we are the ones keeping that base running. The best we could do was get you to share command of the Tokyo Bay with two Japanese officers. We tried to get a similar arrangement at Sasebo as well, but they shot us down. The most they will allow us is joint control over the secondary base."
Drake nodded slowly, taking in the information. So why was I chosen for this? Surely I can't be the most qualified person in the entire Liberation Navy...
"You must be wondering why we chose you," the admiral suddenly said, again speaking as if he knew exactly what Drake was thinking. "Your grades in the NROTC program and your performance reports from your previous superiors have been stellar, and you speak Japanese, which is a plus, but we both know that your actual experience in the Navy is lacking. You've what, served aboard a heavy cruiser and a battleship? Other than those two tours, both of which were very short, you've done nothing… Even so, I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out why we chose you anyway."
"... Tangier," the captain answered.
"Yes. You are one of the precious few officers who fought against the Abyssals and lived. It was also an impressive feat to survive for so long against them while you waited for reinforcements, so it couldn't have just been luck. Truth be told, the Navy is sorely lacking in anyone with experience against these creatures. That is why we are placing so much responsibility on the shoulders of someone so young. You're very lucky, or unlucky, to have been stationed near Tangier when the attack happened."
The admiral paused briefly before continuing. "One more thing: though you aren't being sent to the main base, the Tokyo Bay Base is still very important considering how close it is to Japan's capital. Because of this, there's likely to be a good number of powerful ship girls there. It is imperative that you be able to gain influence at this base when we inevitably have use for them in the near future."
"I understand. I will not fail, in that case."
Admiral Cassius nodded. "You'll also be pleased to know that high command has decided to promote you to Rear Admiral. I've been promoted to the position of Fleet Admiral as well, so I guess the one good thing about this conflict is that it allows for a ridiculously fast track upwards."
Rear Admiral…
Before the Abyssals appeared, Drake had never even thought of attaining such a rank. He figured that after a few years in the navy, he would retire and then go back to a civilian career. He had intended his time in the navy to be some sort of short character-building experience, but he realized now that this was one of those crucial periods in history that could completely alter the course of civilization. His decision to join the Navy, his aptitude for military tactics, his miraculous survival at Tangier; perhaps this was his destiny all along.
Three days after his meeting with Admiral Cassius, Drake had been flown to Tokyo in order to begin work as soon as possible. On the plane ride there, he was given a large stack of files to read about the Kancolle Program, so he was a great deal more knowledgeable about his new position than he was when he was first appointed. After arriving at the airport, he was greeted by a pair of IJN officers who chauffeured him over to the base at Yokosuka.
The base itself was fairly large, and it was located in Tokyo Bay, as its name suggested. The cerulean ocean swayed peacefully in the distance, and surrounding the sea in a crescent shape were the various buildings of the base. As the car exited the main road and turned into the base itself after passing through a checkpoint, Drake took a moment to look out the window again before the car descended towards the base. He could make out a large, ornate building in the center of the complex which he assumed to be the command center, and the bustling repair docks with its large cranes and steel beams also caught his eye.
As the car continued down the base's main road, Drake noticed groups IJN sailors milling about. He didn't see anyone who looked like she might be a ship girl, but then again, he didn't really know what he was looking for. The only ship girl he had seen so far was Iowa, an American, so he had no idea if the others looked similar or completely different.
Eventually, the car came to a stop in front of the command center. The large sign on the front of the building read "Administration," and standing outside the edifice was a man dressed in a similar uniform to the one Drake himself wore. However, in addition to a standard naval uniform, the man also had a long, billowing cape and a samurai sword strapped to his side, marking him as a fleet admiral in the IJN. Drake got out of the car after thanking the officers, and he was greeted by the admiral awaiting him.
"Ah, you must be Rear Admiral Richard Drake," the admiral said with a brief salute, his voice gentle and unsure. He spoke in English, and though he had a bit of an accent, his speech was quite good otherwise.
Drake returned the salute. "Yes. Are you the commanding officer here?"
"Yes. I am Fleet Admiral Miiro," he answered quickly. "I am the one in charge of this base. So, ah, welcome."
The American admiral nodded as he looked over the IJN commander. Admiral Miiro had kind eyes and a nervous disposition, and his tan face looked relatively young. Drake guessed that the Japanese admiral was probably somewhere in his early forties or late thirties.
"So then, if you will follow me, I will show you to the administrative building and our offices," Miiro continued, moving towards the building behind him.
As the pair entered the building, the salty sea breeze decided to accompany them as the automatic doors of the building slid open. The lobby was well-lit and spacious, and a pair of receptionists smiled at Drake when he entered. A small cafe sat in the corner of the lobby, its aroma wafting throughout the room.
The two admirals then headed into the elevator, and Admiral Miiro pushed the button for the fifth floor, which was apparently the top floor of the building. After a few seconds, the elevator doors opened into a hallway, and the two continued down it for a bit before Admiral Miiro stopped in front of a large room. He pushed opened the doors, and Drake found himself in what could only be the main administrative office of the Tokyo Bay Base.
The room itself was big, and in the back center of the room was a large mahogany desk which Drake assumed belonged to Fleet Admiral Miiro. However, there were multiple other desks and workstations scattered throughout the space, and there were other occupants as well.
The one who drew Drake's attention first was an exceptionally tall woman with long, silky black hair and piercing red eyes. She was dressed in a short skirt, some sort of red thigh-high leggings, and a tight top which revealed her toned stomach, but what Drake found the most strange was the antennae-like headgear that she wore.
She must be a ship girl, the rear admiral quickly realized. No normal sailor would wear that kind of uniform or have eyes that color.
Seated on a desk nearby the ship girl was another woman dressed in the same kind of outfit, though she had short brown hair and green eyes. She smiled cordially at Drake, and he figured she was also another ship girl.
The third occupant of the room was seated at a desk closer to the entrance, and she turned around from her computer and her large stack of papers to take a look at the new admiral. She had black hair and glasses, and though her uniform was different from that of the other two ship girls, Drake was still fairly certain that she was also one of them.
Finally, the last person in the room was seated at a desk in the right corner of the office, and he glanced up when Miiro and Drake entered. His uniform was mostly the same as Admiral Miiro's, save for the cape and sword, but unlike the IJN fleet admiral, his gaze was cold and harsh. He scowled at Drake, and his eyes were fixed in an unforgiving glare even as he stood and saluted.
"Everyone, this is Rear Admiral Richard Drake, the one the Americans sent over," Miiro informed them. "Please introduce yourselves."
The woman with the red eyes and black hair went first, shooting the new admiral a sharp salute. "I am Nagato, name ship of the Nagato-class battleships and the Secretary Ship of this naval base. I look forward to working with you, sir."
Her voice was strong and professional, but what surprised Drake the most was that she spoke in perfect English. Though she confirmed his suspicions about her being a Japanese ship girl, she seemed to have no trouble communicating in plain English, and unlike Admiral Miiro, she didn't even have any sort of accent.
"And I am Mutsu, sister ship of Nagato and another member of the Nagato-class battleships," the brown-haired woman with green eyes said cheerily. "Nice to meet you, Admiral!"
The woman with glasses stood up and saluted as well. "My name is Ooyodo, and I am an Ooyodo-class light cruiser. I handle most of the communications duties at the base, so I hope I can be of service."
The last introduction was the remaining admiral, who Drake assumed was the third person in charge of the base along with Fleet Admiral Miiro and himself.
"I am Rear Admiral Genji. Nice to meet you."
Despite his words, the IJN rear admiral's tone was as harsh as expected. He also spoke in English, and he barely had any sort of accent as well.
"Right… Nice to meet you, everyone," Drake greeted, also in English. Everyone here is speaking English… What was the point of sending someone who knows Japanese again?
"Over there is your desk," Miiro said, pointing towards the left corner of the room as everyone else got back to work. "This room is spacious enough to allow for all of us to work together here, which is good because this office serves as a centralized command center. You also have your own private office down the hall just in case, but as you can see, your desk here is fully furnished with a computer, notebooks, and any other sort of office materials you may need."
"I see… So what about my fleet? I assume that I will be given command of a few ships," Drake said, getting straight to the point. He needed to make sure that he wasn't just shoved to the side.
"Of course," Admiral Miiro replied. "The Americans have made it clear that you are to be given joint command of this base, so we do have a fleet prepared for you. Normally we would each command two fleets, so a total of twelve ships, but at the moment, we are bit shorthanded since some of our strength had to be lent to the Sasebo base for a major operation."
Drake nodded. "And what types of ships do you have here? I know Nagato and Mutsu are battleships, but since this isn't the main base, I was worried that we may be lacking in firepower."
"Oh, not at all!" Miiro said. "Though the Tokyo Bay Base does not have as many resources or conventional military equipment as Sasebo, we are not short of ship girls. In total, we possess six battleships, seven carriers, and four light carriers. We also have many heavy cruisers, light cruisers, and destroyers available, though not all of them are part of a fleet since some of them are less experienced."
The Japanese fleet admiral then gestured towards Drake's new desk.
"On your desk should be a file containing the names of the ships under your command, and I have instructed them to wait at the docks so that you can meet them yourself whenever you are ready. I assume you have already been briefed on the basics of the Kancolle Program, but if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Once you are done here, you can go to the docks where your fleet is assembled in order to introduce yourself."
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral," Drake said before moving over to his desk and picking up the folder.
He flipped it open and was greeted with the sight of twelve pages, each one detailing the equipment, specs, and backstories of the ships that would be under his command. There was a note which stated that his second fleet was currently at Sasebo and therefore unavailable for now, but all the members of his first fleet were still present at the Tokyo Branch. He also noticed that they only gave him one battleship, which was a bit disappointing, but he had a total of four carriers to work with, so the raw strength was made up by extra airpower.
The American admiral flipped through the pages with interest. He already knew a lot about the IJN in World War II, but it was still an amazing thing to see these historical ships reincarnated as girls who were more or less human. As he looked over their images, which were also attached to the files, he noticed that their appearances ranged from adult women to younger teenagers, something that was also explained to him in the documents he read earlier. Apparently, the smaller ships such as destroyers took the appearance of younger girls while the larger ships, like Iowa, looked like adults.
They were all also exceedingly beautiful, though there wasn't a set explanation for why that was. He assumed it was because the meticulous craftsmanship that was put into the original construction of the ships in WWII somehow reflected upon their appearance as humans, but that was just a theory. In truth, there were many things that were still unknown about the ship girls and the small creatures that accompanied them to this world, known simply as 'Fairies.' Though he and many other researchers would have loved to learn more about them, humanity faced the very real threat of complete destruction at any moment, so there were more important things to focus on.
On that note, I should probably get started as soon as possible, Drake decided. I already know how these ship girls train and operate, so I should begin by meeting my fleet and then go from there. I'm still new to this base, so I probably won't be expected to sortie my fleet immediately, but Abyssal attacks have been growing more frequent as of late…
The admiral thought about the possibility of another massive Abyssal attack as he exited the administrative building and made his way towards the docks. The battle at Tangier was likely a test. The Abyssals wanted to see how they would fare in a large-scale battle against the humans. They must now know that they would easily defeat a fleet of traditional ships, but the ship girls do pose a problem to them… Even so, it's been almost a year since Tangier, and so they must have gathered enough data on the Kancolle Program by now. Another battle like the one at Tangier is imminent.
Soon enough, the silver docks and the vast blue ocean came into view. The dim sound of cranes in operation buzzed in the background, and the calls of the seagulls and the gentle rock of the ocean added to the soundtrack. Drake walked around for a bit, trying to locate where his fleet was since Fleet Admiral Miiro didn't tell him exactly where to find them. He passed by a few dock workers, all of them dressed in a dark blue uniform and wearing yellow hard hats. Since the workers all wore the same uniform, Drake was able to pick out the uniquely-dressed ship girls as soon as he saw them.
He walked over and saluted as he approached, and the six girls straightened up and ceased talking among themselves when they noticed him.
"Good afternoon," he greeted in Japanese, unsure of whether all the ship girls could speak English or if it was just those in the administrative office. "I am Rear Admiral Richard Drake, and I will be your new commander. Nice to meet you."
"... You're the American admiral?" a ship with dark brown hair tied up in a short side ponytail asked, her expression serious and devoid of emotion. Drake recognized her as Kaga, one of the IJN's famous carriers.
"You speak Japanese?" the girl next to her noticed, and though she wore a similar uniform to Kaga, she seemed much more expressive than her counterpart, her golden eyes glimmering with excitement. She was Akagi, another aircraft carrier.
"What? So I spent all that time practicing my English for nothing?" another one of the ship girls complained. She had long, silver hair and wore a strange-looking uniform, and according to the file Drake had read, he figured she was Amatsukaze, a destroyer.
"Oh? You all speak English too?" Drake asked, curious about the language capabilities of the ship girls.
"We were required to learn it in order to communicate with foreigners," Kaga answered. "We simply use Japanese more often since this base is located in Japan, and we are Japanese ships."
"That makes sense, I guess. So, would you prefer me to speak in English or Japanese?"
"It doesn't matter to me," came the stoic carrier's simple answer.
"Okay, then… I guess whatever you're each more comfortable with individually will be fine," Drake said, not sure of how to respond to her indifference.
"N-nice to meet you, Admiral," the tallest ship present then spoke up in English. She had long, ash-gray hair and a gentle, beautiful face. She also wore an ornate golden hair band, which easily identified her as Haruna of the Kongou-class battleships. "My name is Haruna... Is my English all right?"
"You speak it very well," Drake complemented, causing the battleship to blush slightly. "It always takes me years to learn a language, so the fact that you all know so much already is impressive. Aside from that, I already know who all of you are, so you don't need to introduce yourselves. Though our two countries may have been enemies in World War II, I hope we can move past that and join together to fight the Abyssal threat. Agreed?"
Haruna and the other destroyer, Fubuki, gave him a nervous smile and a nod. Akagi tried to smile as well, but it came out fairly strained and looked more like a grimace. Kaga stared blankly, her face betraying no emotion. Amatsukaze and the sixth member of the fleet, the light cruiser Sendai, just stood there, and Drake doubted they were even paying close attention to what he had said.
Looks like this might be more difficult than I thought… The Japanese officers had no doubt explained to the ship girls that the US and Japan were now allies and had been for decades, but to someone who killed and was killed by Americans, simple words were probably not enough to completely convince them. It also probably didn't help that Drake came off as cold and unfriendly to most people, and he had been told by many people that it looked as if his brown eyes were fixed in a permanent glare.
"Admiral! Let's sortie tonight!" Sendai called out enthusiastically, ignoring any of the tension in the air. "I haven't had a night battle in a while now!"
"Well, I think we're going to take it easy today since I just got here," Drake replied. "But we will start training tomorrow, so be ready for that. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Other than that, you're dismissed for now."
The fleet then dispersed slowly, and Drake wondered if those girls would really be able to stand up to the monsters he saw at Tangier. The ship girls certainly didn't look threatening, especially without their weapons on them. Like Iowa, they simply seemed like normal women, and they definitely didn't look like the deadly warships they were supposed to be. Even so, he had no choice but to trust them to be able to defeat the Abyssals. Humanity had no real hope aside from the Kancolle Program, so he had to make sure that he trained them well and came up with an effective strategy to combat the Abyssals.
Drake looked out at the ocean, his dark eyes reflecting the shimmering seas. Images of the death and devastation at the Disaster of Tangier flooded through his mind, and the sea's gentle waving seemed to transform into an angry churning, as if it were filled with the rage and sorrow of all those who were sunk that day.
I wonder… When I face the Abyssals again, will I be able to stand and fight, or will the horrors of that day immobilize and drown me?
The rear admiral sighed as he adjusted his hat and turned away from the sea and the cold reminder of events past.
I guess time will tell.
A/N: If it wasn't obvious already, this story takes place in a sort of alternate timeline in the near future, so things like why the the Japanese Navy is called the IJN will be explained later on.
