The winds were calm, there's barely even a single breeze, as the sun slowly crept up towards afternoon. It's humid and hot, fitting for a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean. Small creatures and birds hid themselves amongst the thick tropical forests, enjoying the cool shades. The beaches, normally crowded, were quiet today. It was a Sunday during the summer.
The island port, stationed towards the north side, was also silent. Disturbed only by the sounds of birds singing, its denizens contend themselves in enjoying the luxuries of air-conditioning within the vast buildings-especially the main recreation complex. The recreation building, tall and grand centered on modern glass and steel architectural design, is especially lively. Fleet girls relaxed themselves, enjoying fine drinks and playing games that avoided any extreme physical exertion. Ninety-five degrees is certainly not the kind of temperature to be running around.
Many fleet girls turned their attention to other forms of entertainment that would not require extreme physical exertion. 21st century technology offers many alternatives to outdoor play, mainly video games-something that many enjoy within this naval base. They could pop open their favorite soft drink brand while exerting minimal physical energy. It was perfect for them-especially for the young destroyers.
Not everyone, however, was enjoying their time. There were two people that stationed themselves away from the fun. Lounging on a bench not far from the greeting sector of the massive construction complex, the two did their own thing as they waited for a fleet girl. The left was the Rear Admiral, a tall, slender man with black hair, occupying himself by watching the calm blue sea. The right was a young girl, Inazuma, in her sailor uniform with her unique hairstyle scribbling away in her notepad, looking at her tablet now and then.
The secretary ship, Inazuma, was scribbling random notes that bear no meaning unless they were well-versed in "destroyer" language. At every ten seconds, she would sip her cool drink before refilling the spaces left by her extermination. She appeared to be focused on her work, but it was all a front as she took quick glances at the Rear Admiral and her tablet before smiling. Ten minutes left.
"Ano~ Rear Admiral? The ship will be done in ten minutes nanodesu, should we go to the greeting room?" Inazuma asked as she placed her pencil into her notebook before closing it.
The Rear Admiral didn't respond, his eyes narrowing slightly at the thought of going to the greeting room. His lips opened slightly before clamping down. He looked towards the building that housed the greeting room, his left leg beginning to tap rhythmically on the concrete floor.
"Wouldn't that bring bad luck Inazuma?" the Rear Admiral replied as he suddenly stretched himself, "wouldn't it be better to wait another five minutes? Lady Luck looks favorably upon those that are patient."
"Huh? It shouldn't sir! I-I mean, the ship's been decided already, it shouldn't matter if we go," Inazuma responded as she cocked her head to the right. It wouldn't matter now; the ship had already been decided.
The Rear Admiral shook his head, "It would matter! If we go in right now, Lady Luck would see us badly. We must show patience otherwise… we could end up with a carrier." He whispered the last part in dread, implying getting a carrier would be a nightmare.
"Wouldn't a carrier be better?" asked Inazuma, "we'll be able to achieve air superiority over the Abyssal and bomb their ships."
"That's too narrow-minded Inazuma; you must also consider other factors. Imagine the logistics of running a carrier like Akagi," the Rear Admiral replied, pointing out the flaw of having an aircraft carrier. "I don't believe we have the resources capable of maintaining her appetite."
"Sir, we're making nearly a thousand of each resource per day in profit, plus we aren't using the bauxite supply that often," Inazuma countered as she hopped onto her feet. Holding both her tablet and notebook close to her, she stood next to the Rear Admiral, waiting for him to get up.
"Hmmm…," the Rear Admiral nodded his head, "that is true, but still, there is another factor that is far more decisive in my decision in why I prefer having a battleship, especially Kongou than a carrier."
Raising her right eyebrow, Inazuma wondered to herself what the reason was exactly. Her young mind drew blanks, and that was when she decided to ask exactly why. "What's the reason Rear Admiral?" She asked adorably.
The Rear Admiral was about to reply, but he stopped himself. He needs to explain his thoughts carefully to the adorable destroyer. He can't just go and say that he's a lonely person that needs the touch of a woman in a very R-rated way. Nor can he explain it in such a fashion that'll make the naive destroyer think he needs comfort for a while. The other admirals already, falsely, believe he was a lolicon; he did not need the young destroyers snuggling with him due to misinterpretation and confirm their misguided belief.
Clearing his throat, the Rear Admiral slipped into his instructor mode. Adopting his signature famous poker face, he got up from the bench and began pacing around on the concrete floor. Adjusting his hat, he spoke like a wise elderly sage, "Inazuma, you see, a man is a lonely creature. As such," he raised his index finger," we, men, require the warmth that only a woman of proper age could give. With that kind of criteria, a battleship would be far better. They are strong-willed and of the proper age that many men desire, unlike the carriers where they are younger and would, naturally, lack the expertise of a battleship."
Try to imagine Kaga trying to be comforting, can you see it? The Rear Admiral cannot and no one else could probably.
"Ah! Does that mean Rear Admiral is a loser, nanodesu?" Inazuma questioned, cocking her head to the right.
The composition of the Rear Admiral cracked slightly, his face turned away from Inazuma. Clenching his left hand, he steeled himself against the pain he felt in his chest. It was true; he is a "loser." Even his adorable destroyer knew of that. How shameful of him to be a twenty-five year old virgin. Never having a girlfriend, never kissed before, can't converse with the opposite gender-the list just goes on and on. Oh, how he can cry right now of his failures.
Closing his eyes, the Rear Admiral responded, pain in his voice, "Yes, yes Inazuma, your commander is a loser. It's alright though; I still have five years to go."
Feeling the newly created negative emotions flowing from her commander, Inazuma knew she had to quickly change the subject before the Rear Admiral collapses mentally. Her mind on overdrive, Inazuma looked around, hoping to find something she could use as a subject starter. There were only empty blanks where she thought there was light.
Inazuma was panicking now as she watched dark tendrils extend from her commander. There were literally dark tendrils extending outworks, defying reality. The darkness, it now slowly began to corrupt the sunny atmosphere. An idea sprouted into her head, she could try talking about the weather, but that would work as well as convincing someone that cancer is a good thing. There was nothing she could think of. Nearly giving up, Inazuma checked her "Secretary Tablet" to find some sort of inspiration and there it was. A minute before the new ship would be done constructing. That would do, she thought to herself, it was perfect, no, it was brilliant!
"Eh… ummmm," Inazuma was unsure of how to break the silence, but she trudged onwards, like the little train that could. "So… ano~ sir… the ship's done and, um, maybe we should go… and greet her?"
"Ah, right! The new ship, we can't forget about her!" The Rear Admiral chuckled awkwardly, his right hand scratching the back of his neck as he checked his watch on his left arm. "Wow! Time just flew right past us. Alright, let's go!" The Rear Admiral started walking towards the building rather fast, trying to get away from the awkwardness.
Opening the door, the Rear Admiral entered the building and right into the greeting room and felt refreshed as the thick awkward atmosphere dissipated. Taking in the cool air as it breezed past him, he observed the room. The room was simple, there were four comfy looking sofas of a good quality, a drinking fountain perched a good few feet from the ground, and four fans blasting cool air as they slowly changed direction. It was a modest room if it wasn't for the left part of the room.
The greeting room's main purpose was to serve as an area where a newly constructed ship could converse with the commanding officer and his or her secretary. The room also served as a warm and simple welcome for the newly constructed ship. A commanding officer would enter the room and wait before choosing one of the four great metallic doors. It was a simple procedure to allow the new fleet girl to enter into their new world. If you chose dock one as the construction site the girl would be waiting for the officer to open door one, denoted by a giant white one, the other doors worked similarly.
Motioning for Inazuma to quickly follow him, he walked towards the door that was greenlit by an LED light. Dock 3 was the one he chose for the construction of what hopefully will be his new battleship. Tons upon tons of resources were poured into this project; it was the most massive undertaking the Rear Admiral participated in so far as the commander of this naval base. Taking in deep breaths, the Rear Admiral pressed the tip of his index finger on the "UNLOCK" button, feeling the cool surface. He was hesitant as he continued to apply pressure before feeling the button engage the unlocking process.
The doors began to open slowly as the gears began to split the door in half and drag the pieces into the darkness. Light slowly filtered through, illuminating the dark hallway. Silence reigned as the doors finished opening. There's absolutely nothing, not even when the hallway light's also turned on.
"Huh? Where's the ship girl nanodesu?" Inazuma wondered as she poked her head out from behind the Rear Admiral. Walking in front of the Rear Admiral, Inazuma peered in, "Rear Admiral, is this the right door?"
"It should be," the Rear Admiral replied with faltering confidence, "I told the fairies that I wanted the ship to be constructed at Dock 3. The fleet girl should be here, she should be…"
Inazuma checked her tablet, scrolling through the data. Reading each line carefully, Inazuma nodded, "you're right sir! Maybe she's just late."
"Right, you're right! She's late, yeah, she's late," the Rear Admiral replied, repeating to himself, "We'll just wait, she's just late, that's all."
Five minutes passed and the Rear Admiral was becoming more agitated. This was a very unusual case; most fleet girls usually arrive either three seconds late or they're already here. There had never been a five minute delay before in his career. Why isn't she here, the Rear Admiral thought to himself as he began tapping his left foot—a habitual trait of his when he is either agitated or nervous.
"Ano~ sir?" Inazuma spoke up suddenly, catching the attention of the Rear Admiral, "I hear footsteps. I think she's coming."
"That's good," the Rear Admiral replied feeling excited. Any minute now the fleet girl will come into view and he will have his battleship. Hearing the footsteps foretold by Inazuma now, the Rear Admiral watched the empty hallway intently, waiting.
The Rear Admiral's wait did not last long as a young woman walked into view as she turned a corner, her hands busy adjusting a blue beret. Her hands, adorning white gloves, moving in haste, correcting minute details that a naked eye could barely even tell. It was akin to a person prepping for a formal ball or party of some sorts. Rather entrancing.
"Bonjour commandant!" The young woman saluted as she stopped five feet away from the Rear Admiral. "My apologies for being late, but there were complications that delayed my arrival, I hope that you can forgive such rudeness." She smiled as her blue eyes cast down embarrassed.
"Ah, no-n, it's uhmmmm… ahhhh, so uhhhhhhhh…" stuttering and unable to form a coherent sentence, the Rear Admiral quickly nudged Inazuma to cover for him as he looked away from the woman.
"The Rear Admiral says it's not a problem and that complications that cause lateness do happen," Inazuma cut in for the Rear Admiral, saving him as he grew more nervous and embarrassed. She had forgotten about the fact the Rear Admiral couldn't converse with the opposite gender for more than thirty minutes of awkwardness.
The woman looked at the two oddly before smiling. "Merci commandant," the young woman replied as she brushed some stray blond hair away from her eyes, "I am Richelieu, lead ship of the Richelieu-battleships, I do hope to serve you well commandant in the upcoming months!"
Ruffling his own hair, the Rear Admiral nudged Inazuma, mumbling some incoherent words that only Inazuma could interpret. Doing odd signals via hands and nods and grunts, the Rear Admiral managed to send his message to Inazuma, whom filled in once more, "the Rear Admiral says he's delighted to have a battleship serving him."
"Uhhh.. yeah, n-nice to... meet… you," the Rear Admiral added in awkwardly.
"That's excellent to hear, and may I ask who you are?" Richelieu asked politely, addressing towards Inazuma.
"Hello, I'm Inazuma, secretary of the Rear Admiral and currently his translator," Inazuma replied, introducing herself, bowing. "And excuse me, but your name isn't Japanese nanodesu," Inazuma stated the obvious as she stared at Richelieu. She was certain that the name was not of Japanese origin. The pronunciation was far too different. Plus, the woman didn't even look the slightest bit Japanese.
"It is not, nor am I Japanese in any form," Richelieu confirmed, "I am Richelieu of the French navy. I do hope that is not of an issue."
Taking a quick glance at Richelieu, the Rear Admiral whispered to himself softly, repeating the word French. Slowly the fact dawned on him as he began to do random hand signals and whispering into Inazuma's ear.
"Uhhh, ummmm, the Rear Admiral…," Inazuma stopped herself, listening to the Rear Admiral as he rectified his message, before continuing, "w-wait, did you just say you're a French ship?"
Author's Note: The Rear Admiral's name is left blank intentionally and his name will probably not be disclosed in any shape or fashion. The reason for this isn't really major, it is just I feel like it should be left blank. I hope that is not an issue.
A brief history of Richelieu: FS Richelieu is a French battleship that was laid down prior to WW2 and was finished during WW2. It served France well until it was decommissioned in 1967. She and her sister, Jean Bart, were France's largest and last battleships known for speeds that are slighter faster than her European counterparts, capable of going 32 knots. The Richelieu's class were only beat in speed by the United State's fast battleships.
I picked Richelieu to be the "star" battleship of this short story for no reason except that I felt that French ships don't get enough light and I felt that using one of the Kongou sisters wasn't exactly original.
That is all, and I hope you liked reading this chapter as there will be more to come. Please leave constructive criticisms and reviews, though you don't have to.
Have a good day!