Today was another average day at the Yokosuka Naval Base. The birds flew by without a fuss. The fish comfortably swam near the piers. The sun shined brightly through the clouds that passed under it. Various personnel on the base walked around, some already attending their duties while a few were on leave. It seemed the base was completely calm and at peace despite the bloody war that had claimed many lives.
Docked at the piers was the American Carrier Strike Group Five, Seventh Fleet. The Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers, the Ticonderoga-Class Cruisers, and the USS George Washington, the Nimitz-Class Carrier that served as its flagship. The destroyers and cruisers had recently docked, after being sent on a sortie with a few of the Japanese Kanmusu. Some of the destroyers were peppered in small caliber holes, but one of them had lost their CIWS after an I-Class Destroyer got in a lucky hit. On the bow of that particular destroyer, the USS McCampbell, a petite young girl crouched low, her red eyes studying the piers. She wore a white and red Dress Blues uniform with a similarly-colored fedora adorning her head, a white rucksack hung by her left shoulder. She had neck-long white hair, which added to the symbolism of her colors. She hopped off the bow of the McCampbell and landed on the pier without uttering so much as cry, despite the distance from which she had jumped. A few of the base's personnel stared at the girl, bewildered at her jump. The girl didn't even stop when she jumped off, she simply rose up and gestured to the personnel to attend to the destroyer. After she had dealt with that, she walked past them and plastered a cheery smile on her face. She had left her post with the Destroyer Squadron 80 at Pearl Harbor, as the Brass had decided to send her to Yokosuka with Carrier Strike Group Five.
Judging by the colors of her uniform, it was no mistake she's a Coast Guard. A very young one, however. Which lead to some of the passersby thinking she was a Kanmusu. They weren't wrong about that, as she was indeed a Kanmusu. She is one of the famed (They were really only renowned among the Coast Guard currently, sadly...) Treasury-Class (High-Endurance) Cutters, and the only one of her class to serve in the Pacific in a dead war. She hefted up her rucksack and maneuvered her way past a few other Kanmusu, who looked at the cutter, not knowing there was a guest on the base.
The cutter approached the HQ of the base and dusted off her fedora and Dress Blues. No sense on walking in an improper uniform covered in dust.
She opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a well-cleaned hallway. She walked briskly to the "Admiral's" office. She sighed, as she had mulled over the Chain-Of-Command system that the JMSDF Kanmusu follow. It was most certainly an... interesting system. She passed by a few Officers, who glanced at the cutter before they returned to their duties. After a few minutes of a brisk walk within the hallways, she found her way to the door of the "Admiral's" Office.
The cutter opened the door and peaked her head in, she noted two individuals. One was at the desk, female, and wore a clean white Admiral suit similar to the clothing Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto wore. The other was female too, she held an orange-themed parasol and several cherry blossoms attached to her hair. The Coast Guard cutter entered in quietly and closed the door. The Admiral, the lady in the white uniform, had her once long black hair cut down to where the neck met with the head. The Admiral had blue eyes that held a cheery attitude and a positive personality.
The other lady, the Admiral's Secretary, held a rather large busty influence. Her amber eyes were quite surprised at the sight of the cutter. The same went for the Admiral.
"This is most unexpected..." the Admiral muttered in Japanese, she questioned the choice of the ship-type the USN chose. The cutter tilted her head to the left. She was perplexed, were they not informed that she was en-route? Perhaps it was the fact she didn't understand Japanese.
"I thought the USN would send over maybe a cruiser, but not a destroyer..." the Admiral's Secretary questioned in Japanese. The cutter sighed and hefted her rucksack again.
"Ahem, I'm sorry. We didn't expect the USN to send a one-man army destroyer to us. I am Admiral Asano (Truth be told, she was actually at a lower rank), the commanding officer of the Yokosuka Naval Base. This is my Secretary, Yamato," the Admiral introduced Yamato and herself. The cutter nodded in acknowledgement, she seemed not to quiver in fear in the presence of the powerful Japanese battleship.
"WHEC-37, Treasury-Class Cutter, United States of America Coast Guard," the cutter introduced herself. This surprised the two ladies up front even more. They had thought she was a destroyer, but a cutter? Coast Guard, too, which also surprised them further. Why did the USN send a Coast Guard cutter to Yokosuka?
"Er...can you actually tell us your actual name, not your numbers," Asano specified. WHEC-37 cleared her throat.
"USCGC Robert B. Taney, but was shortened to Taney. My motto is 'Semper Paratus', 'Always Ready.'" Taney introduced herself. Asano nodded.
"Welcome to Yokosuka Naval Base, Taney." Asano greeted her. She reached out for a handshake.
"Likewise, ma'am." Taney replied. Her free arm took the handshake with a firm grip. After Taney and Asano broke their handshake, the individuals got to business.
"I assume you were properly briefed?" Asano asked, her hands proceeded to form a tent.
"Yes, ma'am, I am currently waiting for my assignment." Taney answered. She stood straight and kept herself high on alert.
"Good, I had not decided a Desron and DesDiv for you, yet. Your arrival was quite sudden," Asano told her. "While I get the papers sorted, I will have Staff Sergeant Inui give you a tour around the base. And please don't go starting any fights."
"Yes, ma'am," Taney replied, "and don't worry, I'm also a mix of a MP, so I might be the one to be breaking fights, not causing them." With that, Taney pivoted and exited the room, the door silently closed by itself. Admiral Asano sighed and rubbed her temples.
"A Coast Guard cutter? What were they thinking at their Command..." Asano asked aloud, her hands automatically sifted through files and paperwork.
"Asano-chan, maybe you shouldn't fret over that. You still have to decide on the Desron and DesDiv," Yamato told Asano. She patted the Admiral on the back.
"Eugh...I wished I was a simple Captain or a Commander...I hate paperwork..."
Taney met the Staff Sergeant at the door. He wore a work uniform that fixed along the lines of the JGSDF. Inui was a tall veteran, his grizzly stubs showed his age. He had cropped black hair covered by a cap and had brown eyes. Taney nodded at the Staff Sergeant, and they went off on the tour without a word.
"So...you're a cutter?" Inui asked, his deep voice broke the silence. He spoke English, which didn't surprise Taney, but he spoke it fluently, and with only a slight hint of an accent.
"Yes," Taney answered, "so?"
"I honestly expected a battleship," Inui told Taney. Taney kept a scoff to herself.
"Our more powerful ships are currently busy with many Ops," Taney informed Inui. Inui hummed in response and noticed they had reached one of their destinations.
"Ah, we're at the Destroyer Dorms, and as the name says, the living quarters of the destroyers here," Inui informed her. Taney took a good look at the building, her face clearly showed surprise.
"Certainly...surprising..."
The dorm building was a simple, warm, brick-made apartment. It was the polar opposite of the complicated, cold, concrete-made barracks back at Pearl and any other USN Naval Base.
"Surprised? Eh, same went when we learned that was the DD dorms..." Inui muttered.
"I'm guessing the rest of the dorms for the others are more fancier?" Taney asked.
"You're right on the money, kid. The carrier dorms are a bit more simple, but better than what we've have to deal with," Inui answered. He lead the cutter to next set of buildings.
Inui had lead Taney back to the HQ Building, their tour had been completed.
"Well kid, hope you enjoy your stay, I got a post to get back to," Inui told Taney.
"Thank you, Staff Sergeant," Taney thanked the man. Taney entered the building and approached the Admiral's office. Taney knocked on the door, but she heard a few bumps and thumps inside the office. She raised an eyebrow, her hands still gripped on the knob. After the noises had subsided, Taney opened the door and entered inside. She found the Admiral at work while Yamato helped her with the papers.
She noticed there were a few things out of place, especially the rather how messy the Admiral's hair is. Even Yamato had a few of her cherry blossoms one
"Admiral." Taney spoke out. She strained from that word, as it was being misused. It was the way these Kanmusu worked, however.
"Ah, Taney, good." Asano said. She straightened a folder before she opened it.
"Any news on my transfer?" Taney asked.
"You'll be established under Destroyer Squadron 1, Destroyer Div 6," Asano informed Taney. She nodded. "Secretary Yamato will lead you to the DD Dorms," Asano further informed Taney.
"I wouldn't really require your Secretary to escort me to the dorms," Taney told Asano, "I'll be all fine and dandy, it'll give me a chance to work on learning my way around."
"I must insist-" Yamato tried to reason, but Asano waved her off.
"Taney will be fine, here are your papers, enjoy the rest of the day." Asano gave Taney her transfer papers. Taney left the office without a hitch. After a few seconds Taney left, Asano sighed.
"That was a close one..." Asano muttered. Yamato smiled at the Admiral, a ring on her right hand shined from the light.
Taney had found her way back to the DD Dorms easily. She was about to enter the dorm when the doors swung open. The heavy wooden doors knocked the poor cutter down to the ground. If it was not for her rucksack, she would have probably been knocked unconscious by the fall. Taney scrambled to her feet to intercept the person who took her down. She saw the person was a young girl. She had chestnut-colored hair with brown (It seemed to be golden...) eyes. She wore a serafuku with a noticeable anchor embed on her uniform's chest. She stared at Taney with horror and surprise.
"Kya! I'm so sorry, nanodesu!" the girl exclaimed aloud (Once again, she only spoke in Japanese). She helped Taney up and picked up her transfer papers. Taney coughed and coughed. She hoped her Japanese was good as her teachers said it was.
"Don't wor-" Taney manage to say before another person barged in.
"Inazuma-san!" another girl yelled out. She was similar to the first girl, but she had reddish-brown hair. She had the same eye color as her, too. She looked at Inazuma before she glanced at Taney.
"Eh? Inazuma-san, who is this?" the newcomer asked the girl known as Inazuma. Inazuma only shrugged and gave Taney her transfer papers.
"WHEC-37, USCGC Taney." Taney introduced herself. The two destroyers looked at her with pure surprise.
"An American Kanmusu!?" the reddish-brown haired girl exclaimed. Taney nodded.
"That's cool! What brings you here at our dorms?" the reddish-brown haired girl asked.
"I've been recently transferred to Desron 1, Destroyer Div 6." Taney told them, she held up the file that contained her transfer papers.
"Hey, that's us," Inazuma told Taney, "I'm Inazuma."
"And I'm DesDiv 6's onee-san, Ikazuchi!" Ikazuchi introduced herself loudly. Taney sighed, it was apparent that this girl was quite a lively fish.
"C'mon, Inazuma-san! We've got to bring Taney-san to the others!" Ikazuchi loudly told her sister and grabbed Taney by her right wrist. Taney was soon dragged by the Akatsuki-class Destroyer without a protest, her sister followed. Taney groaned in annoyance.
She didn't know which was worse, Ikazuchi or the damn Abyssals…
Special, and I mean very special thanks, to Omega Collaborative guys fro beta reading this doc! (It's interesting to have meet a group of Beta Readers working together.)
I really have to thank you guys for helping me out here! (Even if broke my morale down a bit...)