Red Fleet Resurrected

The President's limousine and many other cars cruised along the road towards Ussuriysk. Kirov remained silent as he looked out the window. T-14-5 main battle tanks led and trailed the convoy, easily maintaining the 110km/h speed needed to keep up with it. Mil-40 tiltjet gunships maintained a defensive web overhead.

"Nice technology," Kirov remarked, "a lot has changed since my time."

"When was that?" asked President Mikoyan.

"I hung around until 1974," Kirov replied, "when I was sold for scrap."

"Huh," Mikoyan nodded, "that is quite a long time. So, tell me. What is it like to be in a human body? Is it different to being a ship?"

"For starters, I can control my own body," Kirov said, "which is a nice change. And I have feelings. Slaughtering those Abyssal ships felt awesome."

"You have fighting spirit," the President's secretary said, "you are going to need it."

"I thought I was going to Shanghai for a while," Kirov continued, "to fight alongside the Chinese."

"We were going to before, to learn the essentials of operating returned ships," Mikoyan said, "but we were informed that it was not necessary. The fairies born alongside a Primal can teach us that. At least that is what the Japanese told us."

Kirov looked up, "Do you trust them?"

"I believe them," Mikoyan said, "but I don't trust them. Regardless, I have a feeling that modern naval knowledge is going to be useless and that historians are going to make better shipgirl commander than modern navy commanders."

"So, what do we do after reaching Ussuriysk?" asked Kirov.

"We discuss the future," Mikoyan replied, "because it rests on you and any other ship that decides to return."

The President paused for a second, "Tell me what you think about the Chinese shipgirl."

Kirov snorted, "Yat Sen? She is small, weak and slow. Hardly capable of putting up a fight. I don't think she will have much use beyond propaganda. Designed and built in China? Given her embarrassingly weak state, it is hardly surprising. The Chinese has relied on the USSR for technology for a long time and barely shows any promise in designing their own."

"Well guess what?" said the secretary, "That has changed."

"How?" asked Kirov.

"You may not know," Mikoyan said, "but the Abyssals have wiped out the navies of the world and removed all human presence from the coastlines."

"I saw those wrecked cities," Kirov asked, "but of what relevance does this hold?"

"The Chinese still have two large cities by the coast," the secretary explained, "defended by a line of fortified gun emplacements and supported by the military. Having surviving coastal cities is something that even nations with shipgirls have struggled to achieve. Just a few days ago, the fortifications absolutely stomped large scale Abyssal attacks."

"In fact," Mikoyan said, "Japan sent two teams of shipgirls in return for the technology used in the fortifications. China isn't that poor and powerless nation that you knew. It is now a superpower, just like Russia and the US. Whereas other nations have pulled back from the seas, the Chinese still put up stiff resistance. They will only get stronger as more Chinese shipgirls join them."

"You can expect we Soviet ships to be much better," Kirov said, "so don't worry. We'll drive those Abyssals out of Russian waters."

The convoy continue drive towards the Ussuriysk.

After a long drive, including a detour around a destroyed bridge, the convoy arrive. The gunships and tanks continue on their journey to a nearby military base. As Kirov, the President and his secretary exited the limousine, more cameras flashed as the media tried to get the best footage of the returned Russian ship. Presidential Guards attempt to hold the civilians back, but even with their advanced power armour, they struggle.

Whereas Yat Sen received a somewhat cold reception and even some opposition when she returned to China, Kirov is given a hero's reception. It appeared that Kirov is a symbol of the glorious past when the USSR was a mighty opponent of the US. Yat Sen is a reminder of Chinese technological inferiority in the Sino-Japanese War, made even worse while she operates alongside the superior Japanese shipgirls.

The group are escorted into a government building, passing more journalists and soldiers. A short walk later, they arrive inside a meeting room. Navy officers and several civilians are already inside, waiting.

"Greetings, gentlemen," the President said, "today, Russia's first shipgirl has returned."

"Guy," Kirov said, "I prefer shipguy."

Laughter broke out through the room, before everyone calmed down.

"Well, sir," said a Navy captain, "I think you are the only ship that came back as a male."

"Regardless," Mikoyan said, "now that Kirov back, I think we can have a brief meeting regarding the future."

He looks to Kirov, "First of all, shipguys. I imagine that all the Soviet ships would be males because we called them he. Regardless, we need to establish a base. Should we build a base at Vladivostok? That place was once the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet."

"Isn't it too risky?" asked a civilian, "That place is right next to the sea."

"What would you do?" asked Kirov, "Build a naval base inland?"

"Besides," a navy officer interrupted, "we have two airfields. We have Vladivostok International airport and a military airfield. Calling in air support would be easy."

"Are we going to build fortifications like the Chinese?" asked another navy officer.

"We do have railguns of our own," an army officer replied, "just not as powerful as the Chinese ones. We also have lasers. But in my opinion, making fixed fortifications are not a smart move. The Citadel and Bastion are virtually Abyssal magnets."

"The Chinese have no choice but to hold onto the river mouths," Mikoyan said, "because once the Abyssals get into the rivers, they can basically wipe out China with hit and run attacks. The Chinese have the longest rivers in the world and they have the biggest canal linking them together. The Yangtze alone drains one fifth of China's land area and the river basin is home to a third of its population."

The Russians in the room paused to try and remember whether such a system of river existed in Russia. The northeast of Russia has an extensive system of rivers, but Abyssals never showed signs of invading them. They devastated coastal towns but didn't return if the humans didn't.

"But let us continue," Mikoyan said, "so far, we have the idea of building a naval base at Vladivostok and rebuilding the two nearby airfields."

"It would be effective," the first nodded, "because army and air force units can provide support. It won't take long to bring aircraft and artillery to the bases."

"Another issue," Mikoyan said, "what of diplomatic relations with the Japanese and Chinese? We have fought the Japanese in the early 1900s. Is it possible that there will be tension between us two. Or what about the Chinese? In the tie of the USSR, tension was also high between us."

"That shouldn't be a concern of me or any shipguy that follows," Kirov explained, "all I care about is making the Abyssals pay for their crimes against Russia and humanity in general. Leave the politics to the politicians, though I don't know much about diplomacy with Japan. I operated in the Baltic Sea, not the Pacific Ocean."

"Another issue is with ships," the second navy officer said, "more specifically Reshitelnyy, Retivyy and Rezkiy. After World War II ended, we sold them to the People's Liberation Army Navy as the Anshan-class. The question is, if they return like Kirov, do we keep them? Or do we send them to the Chinese?"

"Why would we do that?" asked Kirov, apparently offended by the idea, "They should stay and fight alongside their comrades."

"Because the Chinese paid for them and they were Chinese ships last," Mikoyan said, "likewise, we have been demanding the Japanese to send Hibiki to us as Verniy should she ever attain that form."

"Besides," the second naval officer continued, "I recall that they were given missiles in a modernization. Perhaps their Kai or Kai Ni forms will retain them. They may well catalyse the first step in equipping ships with modern weapons. But their Kai Ni forms are Chinese, because the Chinese were the ones who modified them."

"Maybe have them secretly send the data about the missiles back to us?" Kirov suggested.

"That could work," Mikoyan nodded, "I mean, we could just ask how they put modern weapons on ships if they succeed. Surely the Chinese wouldn't mind sharing such knowledge. We are fighting a common enemy after all. As for the construction of the base…I hear you have construction fairies?"

Kirov opens his hand. A light glows softly before transforming into a construction fairy.

"Fascinating," a civilian said, "but how long will it take to build a base?"

"That depends," the fairy spoke in Russian, "on how big a base you want."

"We want the smallest operational base possible," Kirov said, "but make it so that it can be expanded."

"The smallest can be done in a month," the fairy said, "because we only have so many fairies."

"Well until then," Mikoyan said, "we can't expect Kirov to fight without support."

"Actually," a navy officer asked, "I have an idea. Do you remember the Ekranoplan Carriers?"

"You can't be thinking…" Mikoyan trailed.

"A what?" asked Kirov.

"The Ekranoplan Carriers were a project revived in the early 2020's to counter US and Chinese aircraft carriers," the navy officer explained, "they are seaplanes which fly close to the surface using the ground effect. We can modify the prototype to act as mobile bases. Instead of building a whole base, the fairies can just make the components that we can't, like the docks. We install them onto the Carrier."

"A temporary mobile base we use while the fairies build a land based one," Mikoyan nodded, "very clever. Is there anything else?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Very well," Mikoyan said, "so our agenda is to finish the construction of the Ekranplan Carrier. We will use it until the land base is complete. Maybe even after that as a rapid insertion transport. Since there is nothing else, I'll be leaving for Moscow. Kirov, you can stay at Ussuriysk until the Carrier is complete. You will then be tasked with bringing back the vessels of the Red Fleet."

"It is my honour to serve again," Kirov said, "and it would be for any Soviet ship that returns."

That's right. An Ekranoplan carrier as a mobile base. Who could have imagined.