Hi everyone! This is a Kantai Collection story I thought of.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kantai Collection, just the OC's I made up in it
When the Abyssals started to get bolder, the fleet calls in for support. America answers, sending in an impromptu squad...made up of men?! Unlike Fubuki and everyone else, these American sailors have a lot to prove! The Fleet Squad is on deck, and their unlike anyone ever before! Can these average sailors prove to be above standard? Or will they sink, down into the nightly depths where no one can hear a victim scream?
The Present
"Buddy's down!" Announced Fish. "Pick him up and move, then!" Roared back Skipper.
The sky was clammy and gray, the seas were dark and extremely choppy. It certainly didn't help that the squadron just lost half their air support. They had only one direction to go; forward. The Abyssals were picking them off, one by one.
Fish darted across the tossing sea, leaning over in order to snatch up his comrade before he could sink into the depths. Fish quickly examined the fallen sailor, "He's out cold, but kicking!" He exclaimed as he quickly got back into formation, with the unconscious Buddy over his shoulder. "How much farther?" Called Skipper. His question was met with a high-pitched Scottish voice, "Too long, Captain! We'd be in Davy Jones Locker before we make contact!" Cried Fergus. Skipper fell silent, confirming that the group's situation was, indeed, dire.
Abyssals were going to sink them at this rate. The only chance they had was to stick into a tight formation to prevent getting picked off individually. "Skip! If you're gonna use that new gizmo of yours at all, now's lookin' to be a mighty good chance!" Called Walter. Skipper look down in his arms, which carried a brand-new prototype Rail gun. "For the record..." Started Skipper, as he raised his weapon at an oncoming group of Abyssals.
"...Don't call me Skip!" He finished, firing the Rail gun at the water under the Abyssals. There was a momentary delay, as the water suddenly began to swell and expand like a balloon. The waters then exploded into a giant, white, watery column, obliterating the Abyssals Skipper targeted. Letting the raw power of his deed emphasize his point. His actions did little to inspire the rest of his squad, unfortunately.
The group was struggling to maintain efficiency, several of their teammates were in critical condition. Carrying the injured, keeping in formation while sailing across the raging waters, and the weight of their own bodies were tiring out the group.
They were out-numbered, out-gunned, and in desperate need of help.
All Skipper could do was recount the events leading up to now.
Then...
"Captain." Said the Admiral. Skipper gave a salute, standing at attention. "I'll get straight to it: You're being reassigned. Abyssal fleets have been increasing, one of Japan's Naval District has requested assistance. So, I'm sending you and your squadron. Any questions?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Why my squadron, and more importantly, I don't see how we can help them-."
"Your squad will be equipped with rigging, similar to those of the Naval Districts. Your squad has displayed some impressive records, even if you're a crack squad."
"How so?"
"Your team was assembled because of your outlying details. Specifically, you were put together because of the situation you confronted. But, since you seemed to exceed expectations, you were kept together in case of emergency." The Commander paused before saying, "This is one of those times. Captain, you are needed. Is there anything you want to say?"
"Just one more question, Ma'am. Isn't the rigging you're giving us meant for...Fleet Girls?"
"You had to ask sooner or later. Yes, they are. But, your rigging will be augmented to compensate for what you're lacking. Now that we've gotten through your questions, we'll brief you and your team as soon as possible."
In only a matter of 5 hours, the squad was assembled into the briefing room for their mission.
"Gentlemen," Said the Admiral, "You've been informed of the reason why you were called here, now we're going over the how. It's a long way from here to Japan. So, you'll be transported as far as possible by boat. If our luck prevails, you won't be forced to press on your own for the duration of the trip. We're need to drive a wedge into the Abyssal outer line of defense before they can realign their structure. But when you have to be cut loose, it'll become a touch-and-go operation until you reach your destination. To even your odds, you'll be provided with rigging augmented to your usage. To further enhance, you'll also be given prototype weaponry, things that the techs have been cooking up for a while now. Any questions?"
Fish raised his hand.
"Yes, Fish?"
"Ma'am, if we're trying to make it all the way to Japan, then why is the target zone not Japan directly?"
"Good question. Since it'd be a suicide mission otherwise, Japan will intercept and escort you the rest of the way. We can't protect you for the entire trip, an individual Abyssal has the power of an entire ship, if there were a fleet of them, you'd be destroyed with no chance of survival. So, you'll have to make a portion of the journey yourself. But you'll stand at a big disadvantage, since this will be your first time using rigging. Anything else?"
The squad was silent.
"Good, time is of the essence. We simply can't afford to properly do much, but everything's been prepared. Since our outgoing operations rely upon speed, you leave in 4 hours. If you're late, you're left." With her final remark, the Admiral left the squad to prepare for what they were in for.
She only hoped they could handle it.
Several hours later
The sky looked stormy, the waves seemed calm. The squad were piggybacking on a medium-class carrier. Currently, Skipper was looking over data regarding the rigging. Fish was sitting in a storage room, holding a pill bottle and zoning out. "Dreads" was calling his wife at home. Buddy was watching the horizon from the railing on the main deck. Scott was looking over maps, trying to get a sense of how far they would have to go when they would jump ship. The rest of the squad were trying to find activities to pass the time.
It wasn't long after when Buddy called it in.
"We got Abyssals! Ranging from 10 to 1 o'clock!" He called. A sailor rang the alarm, signaling the squad to get ready. Fish snapped out of his daze, stuffing his pill bottle into his pocket before getting up and making his way to wherever it was he needed to go. Instantly he got lost.
Perhaps he should've paid more attention to the ship layout...
The rest of the squad were already almost done getting suited up when he finally arrived. "What the hell, Fish?! Did you get lost again?! Dammit, hurry up!" Snapped Skipper. Fish raced to the remaining rig. The rig was load head-to-toe with an arsenal of artillery and weaponry. The footwear looked like a pair of water skis, he then picked up one of the new weapons they were given: A Grenade Launcher. It was designed like a sawed-off shotgun, with a break-open, and incredible launching power. Tucking his weapon away, Fish did his best to maneuver to his comrades.
"Everyone grab a gun or two and get ready to jump ship!" Ordered Skipper. The ship then began to rock violently from side to side. "That's our cue!" Called Dreads. "Alright boys, they're playing our song! Grab your partners and get ready to dance!" Declared Skipper. The squad all waddled their way to the nearest open deck.
"When we hit the water I want Fin, Ruggs, Connell, and Ralph to face backwards. We can't let anything get us from behind, so we keep a tight formation, is that clear?" Announced Skipper
"Sir yes Sir!" The rest all shouted.
They all leapt off the side of the ship, doing their best to withstand the shock of hitting the surface of the water. Thankfully, none of them sank. "Keep in formation, holler if you get to deep!" Shouted Skipper. The group quickly assembled messily as they got in formation.
"Great!" Whined Riptide, "We're marching into the jaws of perdition...backwards!"
The squad then began to onward to their destination, whichever direction they faced.
"It's a white-knuckle ride from here on out, several miles o' sudden death!" Called Fergus. His remark didn't help ease the tension, but instead made it worse. It didn't even take a minute before the squadron was met with enemy contact.
It'd only take mere seconds to tear the team apart.
A/N: Hi!
I had this draft for a while now, so I thought I might as well put it to some use.
Hope you enjoyed it! I'll come up with chapter 2 asap!
Leave a review, they're much appreciated and show that you care!