Tenryuu stared out at the sparkling ocean, the late afternoon sun's rays sparkling off of its surface like a giant fluid mirror.

"This is ridiculous, where is he?"

"Where is who?

Tenryuu looked over to see Shimakaze standing beside her, hands behind her back as she bent forward to look at Tenryuu. "Our new Admiral of course, who'd you think?"

"Oh yeah, should we go out and look for him then? I could find in a blink of an eye!"

"You know we can't leave the base without orders from our admiral!"

"Our admiral who isn't here! We don't even know if it's a man or woman?" Shimakaze exclaimed as she sat down on the edge of the dock, tapping her heels against the stone. "So we just keep waiting then?"

"Yes we do! . . . . . Is that a speedboat?"

Shimakaze looked up to where Tenryuu was pointing to see a black object in the distance speeding towards them, growing larger and more obvious in its shape by the second. "Yes, yes I think it is. . . I could go faster though.

"Sure you could. Looks like he's going for the far dock to our right."

"Why would he go to the one furthest from us?"

"No idea, but let's go meet him."

"Right, I'll be first!" Shimakaze said as she got up and ran off to the dock with Tenryuu right behind her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Admiral Yin slid his boat to the edge of the dock and cut the power, letting the small waves beat against it lightly as he looked to his side. Beside him with a great smile on its face sat the little Wo-class that had crawled into his boat less than an hour before. Regardless of what he tried to say to it to get it to leave the little Wo-class refused to.

"Okay you followed me here. Now go back to where you came from."

The little Wo-class looked at him, its only reply being a tilt of its head.

"Good." Yin exclaimed as he climbed out of his boat and was met with a sight he been hoping for, finally meeting the first of his fleet. With a quick motion Yin stood at attention and saluted the two girls that stood before him. "My name is Yin Akimoto. I have been given command of this naval base as its Admiral. I look forward to working with you both."

"Heh, good to meet ya. Name's Tenryuu!" Tenryuu said as she mirrored Yins salute, and quickly noticed him staring at her sword on her waist. "Scared yet?"

Yin let out a light chuckle, "Sorry, I'm not that easy to scare," Yin said casually as he looked to Shimakaze, who took his gaze as a chance.

"I'm Shimakaze, fastest destroyer around. Why were you so late?"

Tenryuu wacked the back of Shimakaze's head, "You can't ask that!"

"It's no problem," Yin said as he stopped standing at attention. "It just took longer than I expected it to get here. How long were you waiting?"

"About an hour, why didn't you drive faster?" Shimakaze asked quickly.

"I had business to deal with. The two of you have been here at the base for a while, yes? Would you do me the honour of showing me around?"

Both Shimakaze and Tenryuu's faces lit up with brilliant smiles. "Sure! Follow us then!"

"Then I shall," Yin replied as the three of them walked toward the myriad of buildings away from the dock.

After a quick walk they arrived in a large building full of massive machinery with weapon racks along every wall, holding everything from torpedoes to AA rounds and everything in between. Tenryuu stepped forward and pointed to the various machines and racks as she spoke. "This is the factory and armory, all of our equipment is kept here, and this is where more of us are built when you have the resources."

"I see." Yin said as he looked at the massive stockpiles of ammunition. "Quite a bit of ammo."

"Yes, I'm glad you noticed. When Shimakaze and I arrived a few days ago we noticed that as well. Our ammo and fuel reserves are phenomenal, but our steel and bauxite are not so great."

Yin looked around, his face filling with bits of confusion as he did. "I can see the ammo and fuel, but where are the steel and bauxite kept then?"

"In the back rooms," Tenryuu said pointing to a large set of double sliding door in the middle of the back wall.

"I see. How much do we have?"

"I'm not sure about exact number, but enough to repair and rearm a number of times."

Yin looked at Tenryuu and Shimakaze then sighed to himself, looks like he would have to ask the question already, as much as it made him uncomfortable. "I hate to say this, but we'll need more people if we are to successfully support anyone that requests help, do we have enough for a battleship?"

"You have enough to build a cruiser, destroyer or submersible, but not enough for an aircraft carrier or a battleship!"

Yin looked around for the source of the new voice. "Who said that?"

Both Shimakaze and Tenryuu pointed up to Yins side, and as he looked he was almost shocked to see a little person, barely half a foot tall, floating beside him in full naval garb holding a tablet larger than she. "A fairy?" Yin asked quietly.

"A maintenance fairy." Shimakaze said quickly. "They maintain the bases machinery and facilities and help us repair when were in dock."

"Ah, I see." Yin replied as he looked at the fairy who bobbed up and down beside him. "Can I do something for you?"

"Yes sir, you are the bases new admiral, correct?" the maintenance fairy asked happily.

"I am."

"Then I need you to take this!" The fairy said as she waved the tablet about.

Yin took the tablet from her and was met with the image of a handprint upon it. "What is it?"

"It's your tablet. Through it you'll be able to check upon the bases status, and those of your ship girls, but you'll need to register yourself in it first, just place your hand on it!"

Yin did so and was quickly met with exact information on how much equipment they had, not enough for an aircraft carrier or battleship, but enough for anything else. "This will prove quite useful then, thank you."

"No problem sir!" The fair said as it flew toward the door, turning for one last comment before leaving. "Oh, and before you ask new ship girls that are made will automatically add to the bases systems, and the three ship girls here are already registered in it!"

Yin nodded and began looking through the information on the tablet, not noticing the looks of anger on Tenryuu and Shimakaze's faces. Shimakaze stepped forward until she was a mere foot from Yin and glared up at him. "What did she mean by three? Did you bring another ship girl and not tell us!"

Yin looked up at them both, only then realizing how pissed the two of them were. "Uh, no."

"Then why did the fairy say there were three of us in the bases systems?!"

"I don't know, I just-," Yin began as he sifted through the information on the tablet and stopped when it said there was an aircraft carrier in the system that was level zero. " . . . . What level are the two of you?"

Shimakaze backed up in shock at the question as Tenryuu answered." We're both level one, of course. We haven't had any combat so how could we be higher?"

"Then neither of you were level zero?"

"How the hell could that work, wouldn't that mean not having been built?" Shimakaze said angrily.

"Well it's just that-,"

"WO!"

Shimakaze and Tenryuu both tensed up as they heard the sound that had become all too familiar to Yin. Turning around all three of them saw, in the doorway to the factory, the little Wo-class looking at them with its big eyes. "It's a Wo-class, do we kill it?" Shimakaze whispered to yin with anticipation.

"Well, um I-,"

"Wo!" the little Wo-class called out as it ran over to the three of them and promptly latched onto Yins leg, cuddling it happily.

Shimakaze looked down at the Wo-class in shock before turning an enraged glare to yin. "You're an Admiral for them!?"

"No I am not! On my way here I stopped to take a quick break and it crawled into my boat. It completely ignored my threats and did this!" Yin explained as calmly as he could, given the situation.

"And now it followed you! What if it has friends!" Shimakaze roared!

"When it crawled on board my boat I checked the sonar, it didn't have anything on it for leagues." Yin explained.

"so that makes it better? That's an abyssal ship, our enemy!"

"I know that but-"

"But what? They try to kill all of us, we can't let them just waltz into the base!"

"Yes I know that, but this one seems to be innocent, it doesn't have a shred of anger and-."

"Innocent? They kill us, and we kill them, if we don't kill it who knows what it will do, Right Tenryuu! Tenryuu?" Shimakaze questioned as she looked to Tenryuu, an act that Yin did as well when Tenryuu did not answer.

Tenryuu stood still, not having moved even when the Wo-class came into the room, and stared at the little Wo-class for many moments, completely oblivious to Shimakaze trying to get her attention. Without warning she suddenly leapt forward and grabbed the little Wo-class from Yins leg and threw it into the air before catching it in a big hug that the little Wo-class attempted to awkwardly return. "It's soooooo cute!" Tenryuu yelled as she continued to hug the little Wo-class as it almost purred in her arms.

Shimakaze stood in shock at Tenryuu's action and looked to Yin who only shrugged. " Tenryuu, it's an abyssal ship. We need to kill it!"

Tenryuu looked from the little Wo-class to Shimakaze. "Buts she's so cute! And just look at her, she's so small she couldn't possibly be dangerous. Is she the third registered ship?" Tenryuu asked, turning her attention to Yin for a moment.

Yin flipped through the tablet until he nodded. "A level zero Wo-class aircraft carrier. How the heck did she pop into the system? I thought she left back into the sea when I docked."

"Well obviously she didn't!" screamed Shimakaze. "We need to kill her before she tries to kill us!"

"But she's so cute, can't we keep her?" Tenryuu asked Yin as the Wo-class let out a happy squeal from Tenryuu's hug.

"Keep it, we can't keep it! Shimakaze argued before both Shimakaze and Tenryuu looked to Yin.

Great I've got a serious decision already and I've yet to even see my office! Yin thought as he let out a sigh. "I'm on the fence here honestly. It is an abyssal ship and therefore our enemy, but on the other hand I know that it seems harmless, if over abundantly affectionate." Yin said as the Wo class nuzzled against Tenryuu's chest.

"If anyone finds out about it you'll be court-martialled for sure." Shimakaze said with a growl.

"Then nobody will find her!" Tenryuu countered as they both looked to Yin once more.

Yin let out yet another sigh. "I'm not entirely sure about what to do in this situation, and until I am we will keep it around, under constant surveillance!"

Both the girls looked at him as if requesting an explanation.

"We won't kill it!" upon saying this Shimakaze suddenly looked downtrodden. "But someone must watch it at all times in case it does try something."

"So, we're keeping her then?" Tenryuu asked

Yin nodded.

"Sweet! Thanks ,Admiral!" Tenryuu said as she hugged the little Wo-class again before holding her away from her. "Did you hear that, you get to stay with us!"

"Wo!" the little Wo-class said happily in reply.

"Ugh, I can't stand this, I'll be at the range!" Shimakaze called as she began walking for the door.

"Range?" Yin asked.

"Yeah, the shooting range, want to check it out?" Tenryuu replied as the little Wo-class climbed out of her arms and onto her shoulder.

"Won't we get in Shimakaze's way?"

"No, the range is pretty large. " Tenryuu said as she eyes the blade on Yins belt.

Yin smiled as he noticed Tenryuu doing this. "What, worried about my blade? Or about if I'm better than you?"

Tenryuu smiled, her competitive nature flowing out with significant force. "Maybe I want to make sure you can handle yourself!"

Yin grinned. "Alright, I can see the rest of the base later, too the firing range!"

"Wooo!" Wo said as she pointed at the door from Tenryuu's shoulder, acting as a little compass as they left the factory behind Shimakaze, who by now was likely already at the firing range.

Yin had thought he had understood what a firing range was. His main problem however, was that he forgot it was a firing range for ship girls and, as such, that it would be a very large outdoor pool. At the far end Yin could see Shimakaze and her three sentient turrets (that Tenryuu quickly explained were all called Rensouhou-chan) doing what looked to be maneuvering drills. Standing at the pools edge Yin could see Tenryuu telling Wo (when did he start not adding class to her name) to stay by the pools edge, an action that Wo happily ignored by jumping into the pool and swimming around the shallow end happily.

Tenryuu stood across from Yin at the pool's edge and drew her katana, its black blade shining in the bright now mid-afternoon light. "Going to draw your blade or are you surrendering already, Admiral?"

Yin smiled and drew his father's blade out of his sheath, surprising Tenryuu with its odd, almost jade green edge that showed far better now than when he had drawn it earlier in the day. "We'll see who surrenders yet."

Tenryuu smiled, not noticing Shimakaze skate across the water to their end, and put both hands on her blade. "Then before we begin, may I ask why your blade's edge is green? It's not made of copper is it?"

Yin shook his head. "This blade was my fathers, but first his fathers. We do not know what the blade is made of, but it is strong and light. Let's roll!"

With two steps each Tenryuu and Yin leapt toward the other. Tenryuu made the first move, swinging her blade down in a vertical strike. Yin dodged to the side and, with the blade in only one hand, swung it upwards, catching the pommel of Tenryuu's blade on the tip of his, causing Tenryuu's footing to falter. With a quick horizontal follow-up, Yin struck at Tenryuu, only to have Tenryuu use her momentum to roll forward and reposition herself. With a moment of silence between them Tenryuu and Yin leapt at each other, parrying and countering the other again, and again, and again, and again. By the time they both were panting heavily the ocean sun hung just above the water, preparing to go beneath the horizon.

"I have to say, Admiral." Tenryuu panted heavily, her blade digging into the ground giving her extra support. "I did not expect a human to be so skilled with a blade, especially against myself!"

Yin nodded as he let out a similar chain of heavy pants. " You as well Tenryuu, I can see that trusting you to use that blade in combat will not be a concern at all and that any spars we might have will be quite the workout."

"Why don't you two give it a rest before you kill yourselves?" Shimakaze commented as she sat on top of the water of the pools shallow end, Wo happily swimming small circles around her much to her disgust.

Yin and Tenryuu both nodded and sheathed their blades as Yin sat down and caught his breath, "That took far longer than I anticipated, suns almost down."

"Heh, sorry," Tenryuu said with slight embarrassment. "Once I get going it's hard to stop. I'm just surprised you kept blocking my blows as you kept up with me. You probably need a rest, huh?"

"I feel like I could sleep on the poolside." Yin admitted with a chuckle.

"Then do so, I'm going to my room. I'll see you both in the morning!" Shimakaze suddenly commented as she ran out of the firing range and toward the largest building in the base."

"Room?" Yin questioned.

"Yeah, everyone has their own room, including you, though yours is connected to your office, I think." Tenryuu said as she fished Wo out of the water and placed her on the pools edge with a smile."

"Ah I see. Sleep may be an idea then." Yin stated as he stood up and walked alongside Tenryuu out of the "firing range" and toward the large building.

"Yep, I'll watch Wo. Do you need to be shown your room and office?"

"I should be able to find it, though I should get my stuff from the boat."

"I'm pretty sure the maintenance fairies already have. I'll see you tomorrow, Admiral." Tenryuu said as she and Wo waked down a separate hallway.

"Yep, good night, see you tomorrow!"