K-21
The Abyssals rose up en masse as the opening shots of the war were fired. The naval forces of all the nations were decimated. Civilian shipping and coastal settlements followed soon after. Some smaller island nations were wiped off the map altogether.
In the northeastern reaches of Russia is a port city called Murmansk. While its population has been steadily decreasing, it is still the most populous city within the Arctic Circle by a significant margin. Home to a navy presence, it is under heavy guard by Naval Infantry. And they were joined by armor and infantry divisions, for Murmansk is little more than a hundred kilometres from Finnish and Norwegian Borders.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Colonel Viktor Ivanoff shouted into a phone, "The Northern Fleet was annihilated? Our refurbished Kirov – class battlecruiser and her Lider – class escorts? "
"Yes sir," the person on the other end replied, "we were sent to investigate a mysterious object that evaded active electronically scanning arrays and photonic radars. Our sonar found nothing, but when we returned, we just managed to catch footage of a giant monster leaving with escorts. And the Northern Fleet in ruins. We tried to look for survivors, but couldn't find any. They won't last in weather like this."
"Shit," Ivanoff cursed, "what about you?"
"We are heading back to Murmansk, ETA ten minutes. Our fuel supply should suffice."
"Acknowledged, Ruslan One," Ivanoff nodded, "ending communications."
The line went dead before the officer put down the phone. He sighed before looking at the other people in the room.
"So it is real," a Naval Infantry soldier asked, "the monsters that have been sinking our ships."
"They wiped out the Northern Fleet," Ivanoff replied, "and one of our surviving satellite showed that a Norwegian Fleet was obliterated as well."
"Have we no warships?" asked the soldier.
Ivanoff laughed bitterly and looked out the window, "We've lost contact with every single naval asset in our jurisdiction. That thing is our last hope."
Looking out after Ivanoff, the soldier sees what he is looking at. The Soviet submarine K-21. The World War Two era submarine was laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940. It is a K-class submarine which served in the Russian Northern Fleet under Nikolai Lunin. In 1982, K-21 was made into museum ship as was encased in concrete.
"If there is any good news," Ivanoff turned back to the soldier, "is that the Finnish and Norwegians aren't willing to cross the border after the initial clash between our air forces."
But the soldier was no longer listening. He continued staring in the direction of K-21.
"What's the matter, Sergeant?" asked Ivanoff, frowning.
The soldier pointed at the preserved ship shakily. Ivanoff turned around slowly before his eyes went wide as well.
A soldier walked by the preserved K-21 when he suddenly stopped. He back tracked his steps and looked in the direction of the submarine. A child walked along its hull regarding the submarine. He looked to be about ten years old, dressed in a sailor outfit. Just a sailor outfit, even though the air temperature was well into the negatives.
"Hey kid!" the soldier hollered, "What the hell are you doing?"
The child turned around and looked at the soldier, who can now see that he has curly, steel colored hair and grey eyes.
"Is something the matter?" the boy asked.
The soldier frowned. Something about the kid didn't seem right. Ignoring the color of his eyes and hair, he is wearing very little in the Murmansk Winter.
"We're in a war," the soldier said, "the Norwegians and Finns may cross the border and bomb this place any moment now. Where are your parents?"
"Parents?" the boy tilted his head.
"Don't play dumb," the soldier said sternly, "and how are you not cold?"
"Don't be silly," the boy said, "ships don't fear the cold."
"What?" the soldier was about to enquire when he was interrupted by a radio transmission.
"Hey kid," the soldier said, "I just received word that an unknown enemy has been observed in the Kola Bay, bombarding the shore. Apparently it is the same enemy that took out our Northern Fleet."
The sound of distant cannon fire reached their ears.
"Hear that?" the soldier said, "Now come on, this place might get really dangerous."
"Is that so?" the boy asked, "then it is time for me to get some action."
"Wait, what?" the soldier exclaimed.
The child ran up the side of the submarine and towards the conning tower.
"What the hell are you doing?" the soldier shouted as he climbed on after him, "Come back you little shit!"
However, there are two sides to every coin. And the opposite of the Abyssals came fast. For when the Abyssals struck coastal populations, a miracle occurred.
The sound of a diesel electric engine starting up suddenly filled his ears. Vibrations ran through the hull of the submarine.
"What the fuck!" the soldier shouted, "K-21 is starting up now? How?"
The submarine itself also began to change. Color spread across the submarine, until bluish color was completely replaced by a new color scheme. The ship became pitch black, though swirls and streaks of red and light blue interrupted the darkness of the hull. By now the child has climbed up the ladders. The soldier couldn't believe his eyes. Small chibi-like humanoids standing near the conning tower saluted the boy as he disappeared into a door.
"Wait!" the soldier exclaimed as he gave chase, "What are you doing?"
He managed to jump in just before one of the chibis closed the door.
"Oh my god," Ivanoff muttered, "first some mysterious enemy wrecks the Northern Fleet. Now this decades old submarine is coming alive and is giving itself a new paint job!"
"Ha, ha," the soldier laughed dryly, "I get it. World War Three and all this bullshit, it's all a wacky dream."
A burst of energy rippled from the submarine in a powerful shockwave, shattering the concrete block which encased the K-21. The submarine then slid forward into the icy water before continuing through the regions carved out by the icebreaker which passed before.
Old warships preserved as museums came alive. Breaking out of chains, bridges and even concrete blocks, they steamed into the ocean, challenging the Abyssal dominance.
Very little is known about the ships, except that they met the following criteria.
Only the warships commissioned before the end of World War Two and after 1900 were among those which reactivated. The ships are of destroyer size and up. They also adopted color schemes of their national flag, naval ensign or naval jack. Their crew are comprised of chibi humanoids. And finally, they are controlled by a "Kanmusu", a humanoid entity which often took the shape of an attractive young woman, her age approximately that of the length of her ship divided by ten.
The Naval Infantry solider moaned as he looked up. He was standing in front of a chibi, dressed in a uniform he recognized as Soviet in origin, dating back to the early days of the Soviet Navy, or the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet as it was known back then. He held a PPSh-41s, the juxtaposition of the comical beings and the dangerous weapon making a rather weird image in his mind. It would be something he won't forget.
"What the hell is this?" he asked.
"Hmm?" the boy returned, "Oh, you have come aboard for the sortie, eh?"
"Sortie?" the soldier asked, "What are you talking about? And seriously, who are you?"
"I am sortieing to the Barents Sea," the boy replied, "and as for who I am? I am K-21."
"How did a kid like you become a captain?" the soldier pressed on, "And that sa-"
"No, comrade," the kid interrupted, "you are mistaken. I am not the captain of the K-21. I am K-21 and K-21 is me. But enough chatter. All of you maggots, to battle stations!"
The chibis immediately returned to whatever they were supposed to be doing.
"What are they?" the soldier asked, "Fairies?"
"Hmm," the kid, who claimed to be 'K-21', "that is a good name. Yep, they're fairies."
"Huh," the soldier muttered, "so, uh, what are we doing?"
K-21 turned back to him and frowned, "Why, we go and fight th enemy, of course!"
"And how do you suppose you do that?" asked the soldier.
"What is your name, comrade?" K-21 asked.
"I am Corporal Vladimir Yakubov," the soldier replied.
"Well, Corporal Yakubov," K-21 said, "I am a submarine. So I will move to the ocean, get into a good position and then torpedo the crap out of anything that threatens the motherland. And what my torpedoes don't destroy, my guns will finish off."
K-21 sat down in front of a periscope, the bewildered soldier watching.
The submarine K-21 continued its trip on the surface at its top speed of 22.5 knots.
"So, err K-21," Corporal Yakubov said, "you said that you are K-21. But what are you?"
K-21 turned back to face the soldier, "Well, Corporal, tell me this. What is Vladimir Yakubov?"
"Eh?" the Corporal was confused, "I am Vladimir Yakubov."
"And who are 'you'?" asked K-21.
"I…" Corporal Yakubov struggled to find an answer while thinking, Just what kind of a kid can pull this kind of philosophical bullshit out of thin air?
"I'll give you time to think," K-21 said as he turned back to the front, "because soon, we're going to fight."
Yakubov watched as K-21 navigated through the waters, heading to the sea. K-21 looked through the targeting periscope while another fairy manned the navigation one.
"Alrighty," K-21 said, "we're going down to periscope depth."
The submarine slightly tipped forward before sliding beneath the waters, leaving only the periscopes pointed out. The speed was also reduced to 10 knots. A little while later the submarine entered open waters, his opponent visible in the distance.
"So the enemy has been spotted," K-21 said, to no-one in particular, "get into position."
"What is the enemy?" asked Yakubov.
"See for yourself," K-21 said.
The fairy at the navigation periscope moved away and Yakubov peered through it. In the distance, he could see three whale like creatures, the size of a World War Two destroyers. Pitch black, save for glowing green eyes, they were bombarding a coastal village. Another ship was visible, but it was very different. For starters, it actually resembled a warship, with a hull, gun turrets and superstructure. But the similarity ended there. At the prow of the ship, a large humanoid creature's upper body seemed to be jutting from it, like an ugly figurehead. It almost appeared to be coming out of the jaws of the ship, for it was surrounded by teeth at its base. The gun turrets were weird too. They were stacked on top of each other in a tower, instead of superfiring. Single guns also appeared in casemates on the side.
"The hell is that?" asked the soldier.
"Something nasty, of course," K-21 replied as Yakubov moved away and the fairy replaced him, "and we're going to wreck them. I mean, look at those dumb fucks. They are completely stationary. Maybe your weapons can't harm them, but I can. The forward tubes should be ready by now!"
The weapons fairy push the last torpedo into the tube and seal the hatch.
"Haw, haw, bitches," K-21 smirked, "fire tubes one and two!"
533mm torpedoes slide from the bow of K-21 and streak through the water, heading towards the lead Abyssal destroyer. Less than a minute later, two massive explosions erupt from the side. The monstrous creature floundered.
While advanced 21st century weapons couldn't even scratch the Abyssals, the supposedly obsolete artillery and torpedoes of the Kanmusus smashed through them.
"Excellent," K-21 said, "prepare three and four. Load seven and eight!"
Two Ha – class destroyers, a Ro – class destroyer and a Ho – class light cruiser were bombarding Polyarny. The small town of thirty thousand was expecting an attack and some army units were present. But their weapons were useless against the Abyssals.
It was an easy mission, a walk in the park. Until two underwater explosions rocked a Ha-class destroyer. The ship floundered before tilting to one side and sinking. Confusion spread throughout the minds of the Abyssals present. The Ho-class which led the fleet was shocked that the humans had weapons capable of passing their barriers. The explosions were underwater and the ships weren't moving. So the weapon must have been a torpedo. Since no surface ships were present, then there was either a land based torpedo tube or a submarine present.
The Ho – class ordered the fleet to start taking evasive maneuvers, but the other Ha – class was hit. There must have been a magazine detonation, because the Abyssal went up in a massive fireball. Burning fragments of it fell out of the sky. That was when the Ro – class destroyer reported that it spotted a periscope.
The Ho – class grinned internally. Whatever the submarine was, it certainly wasn't going to last much longer. Not with the power of a Ro – class and a Ho – class after it.
"We've been spotted," K-21 said, "enemy destroyer is turning to face us. Cruiser is maintaining broadside."
"We'll survive this, right?" Yakubov asked.
K-21 turned to face him, "I've survived World War Two with more than four thousand tons under my belt. A light cruiser and a destroyer won't stop me. Throw us into full speed reverse. Five and six should be loaded with torps. Load tubes one to four with EhPs."
"What are you doing?" asked Yakubov.
"Didn't you hear my commands?" asked K-21.
"Why are you reversing?" asked Yakubov, "You aren't back out of the fight, are you?"
"The Red Fleet never surrenders," K-21 smirked, "but it isn't above performing tactical retreats to even out the field a little."
"Kid," Yakubov said, "your plan better work."
K-21 frowned, "Oh please, give me another decade and I'll be celebrating my hundredth birthday. And you better get the cake, cuz it's gonna be one hell of a party."
"You sound like you have a plan," Yakubov laughed nervously.
"You'll see," K-21 replied as he turned back to his periscope, "ah, we're starting to move back now."
The submarine has gone from going ahead at full speed of ten knots and now reversed as three.
"Launch five and six!" K-21 ordered, "Followed by one and two!"
As two more torpedoes shot out from tubes five and six, several round, metallic objects slid out of the one and two. A heavy object fell from the main body of each, but remained connected by a chain. Seconds later, a volley of shells descended upon the K-21. Explosions rocked the ship.
"We're hit!" Yakubov exclaimed.
"Damage report!" K-21 shouted, never looking away from his periscope.
Nobody answered, but K-21 nodded before saying, "We're fine. The shells were slowed down by the water and hit us as small angles. No significant damage. Good thing the EhPs we dropped weren't detonated. We'd be seriously fucked if they did."
K-21 shuddered as another shell hit.
"These gunners aren't bad," K-21 said, "but we aren't either."
A two explosions erupt from amidships of the Ho – class. The ship tilted, but still fired its main battery. Smoke billowed out of its funnel now that it attempted to increase its speed. Meanwhile, the Ro – class advanced, the guns set inside its gaping, toothy jaws blazing. The distance between the vessels closed as the Ro – class steamed towards K-21 at full speed.
"Hey kid," Yakubov swallowed as the dark bloated hull of the destroyer became visible from the bridge, "not that I am underestimating you, but that ship is coming right at us and you aren't doing anything."
"What do you mean?" asked K-21.
"I mean that-" Yakubov began but was cut short by an explosion which lit up the water.
The submarine shook as the shockwave propagated through the water and slammed into it. The enemy destroyer's bow was separated from the rest of the ship. The ship sunk rapidly towards the bottom of the sea, literally nosediving as it was travelling at high speed.
"What was that?" asked Yakubov.
"EhPs," K-21 grinned, appearing childish at last, "moored contact mines designed for K – class submarines like me. Total mass of twenty three hundred pounds with six hundred and sixty of TNT."
He paused for a second, "Huh, the enemy cruiser is retreating, eh? Well, we are in no shape to chase it. This is it, gentlemen, the first sortie is over. Now take us to the surface."
"Phew," Yakubov exhaled, "I thought I was going to wake up just then."
"Wake up?" asked K-21, puzzled.
"You know," Yakubov explained, "World War Three has started because we thought those bastards were made by the yanks and the yanks thought we made them. Then we got news that the entire Northern Fleet was obliterated. I thought this was a bad dream, y'know?"
"It ain't so bad now," K-21 shrugged, "we won this."
He turned to the fairies, "Well done, men, you make me proud. Take us to the surface."
K-21 ascended through the water and broke through the surface. Yakubov climbs out, followed by K-21. They were greeted by the sight of Polyarny. Parts of it were hit quite severely by the bombardment.
"Hmm," K-21 mused, "we were late."
"So," asked Yakubov, "you never answered my question. What are you?"
K-21 turned to face Yakubov, "And you never told me exactly what Vladimir Yakubov is."
A Soviet Kanmusu, though Kanmusu is something of a misnomer because it translates to "Fleet Girl" and as you just read, K-21 is not a girl. And just so you know, if you put 69.081060, 33.433078 in Google Maps, you will find K-21, preserved in a block of asphalt. I think it is asphalt, from the photos of K-21, or concrete. I will be working on multiple countries at once.
The difference between this and my previous fictions (and the universe), is that the Kanmusu don't just summon miniaturized guns and torpedoes as their rigging. They summon the entire ship, which they can dissipate when not in use. The relation between the Kanmusu and ship is like that of a Mental Model and her ship.
Abyssals are different too. Those that look like fish (the destroyers) are simply scaled up to ship size. Those that look quasi human look like ships, with the human bits acting as a prow head. Abyssals which look human will be similar to the shipgirls. They summon entire warships (or monsters in the case of boss level ones, like the two headed monster of Battleship Water Demon).
That said, if any of you know Japanese, please be kind enough to throw me a word that is a male counterpart to kanmusu. It will be useful because sooner or later, the Russians are going to come into contact with the Japanese.