Yin pulled his motor boat up to the edge of his base's dock and let out a sigh. The sun had almost set on the horizon, and as soon as it did, night would fully set in. He was completely exhausted from the meeting at the Nava headquarters, and infuriated.
Admiral Kurokami's actions were being overruled without a thought, and it pissed him off. He understood that these things happened, but it did not make him feel any better about it.
"So, are we going to tell everyone about the eventual attack on Iron Bottom Sound?" Tenryuu asked as she walked over to the boats edge and leapt up onto the dock before turning around and lowering a hand to help Yin up.
Yin's expression became slightly dark as he looked down at the boat's deck. The chance to strike a serious blow to the abyssal was indeed important, but something about it felt . . . off. To say nothing about how he felt about Admiral Konda keeping a Abyssal prisoner, or torturing her for information.
Taking Tenryuu's hand he nodded shallowly and motioned for her to follow him.
"Gather everyone in the mess hall. We'll tell them the whole situation, and then hear what they think about it." Yin said coolly.
"Their thoughts about it?" Tenryuu asked as she walked beside Yin toward the Buildings.
"Yeah. Do you feel that something is wrong about the whole situation, Tenryuu?" Yin asked after a few moments of silence, stopping just shy of the building's door.
Tenryuu nodded after a few seconds of silence, her tone become full of worry as she spoke. "Yeah, it seems too perfect. An abyssal captive right after Admiral Kurokami passed away, that new admiralty board head being related to the one who captured it. It's too perfect."
"Yeah," Yin agreed as he stepped forward and opened the door, heading down the halls as he spoke. "That's why I want to explain the situation and get everyone's thoughts. I also want everyone's thoughts on one other thing as well."
"Airfield Hime, you mean?" Tenryuu asked as the two of them entered into the nearly empty mess hall where Yuudachi and Ikazuchi appeared to be playing a game of Shogi.
"Yeah."
"Admiral, how was it!" Ikazuchi asked as she and Yuudachi turned in their chairs to face Yin and Tenryuu.
"It brought up a situation, so we need everyone here ASAP. Can you two go get everyone?" Yin asked with a smile.
"Totally, Poi! We'll go grab everybody!" Yuudachi called as she ran out of the mess hall far faster than Ikazuchi could keep up.
Less than ten minutes later every ship girl under Yin's command was present, sitting patiently for him and Tenryuu to explain the situation.
Ikazuchi, and Yuudachi sat at the nearest table, simultaneously paying attention while trying to continue their game of Shogi, much to Inazuma's dismay as she tried to stop them as quietly as possible.
Ru, Musashi and Wo, sat at the far end of the table with Zuikaku and Kaga near them, but across from each other, and I-168 sat close to them lying her head on the table, moistening the area around her, she had apparently been at the firing pool.
With a clap of her hands Tenryuu silenced the room and sat down beside Yuudachi, allowing Yin to speak up to everyone. "Okay, here's the deal then. Ryu Kurokami, the previous head of the Admiralty board, and the one responsible for our fleet's designation that has allowed us to operate as we have been, has passed away."
"Hmm, that is unfortunate. He seemed a respectable and honorable man." Musashi said as everyone else sighed in acceptance and sadness. They all had known him by name, and most had met him in the few times he had come to visit Yin.
"Yes, it is," Yin said solemnly, before shaking his head and continuing. "This may have created a problem for us though. The new head of the Admiralty board is Admiral Kento Yaramisa. During the meeting Admiral Kurokami's will was read, and it explained that he believed that the Abyssals are holed up at iron Bottom Sound, just like we also thought. It has been declared that all naval bases will begin preparing for a long campaign against Iron Bottom Sound."
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad. We've got lots of resources stockpiled after all!" Zuikaku exclaimed with a smile.
"There's a problem though." Tenryuu suddenly said, halting the start of everyone agreeing with Zuikaku.
"What kind of problem? Ru asked calmly, as if prompting Yin to continue.
"The son of the new Admiralty Board head, Konda Yaramisa, explained that his fleet had captured Airfield Hime. He also almost explicitly stated he had been torturing her for information on how to get to their base, though he called it interrogating."
The mess hall was quiet for many moment as everyone looked to each other, their faces covered with either confusion of worry.
"This Musashi was under the impression that Admiral Kurokami had decreed we would get all captured abyssals, for the official reason to study them." Musashi said carefully, seeming to be the only one who was immediately able to speak.
Yin nodded. "He did. The reason was so that we could try to learn from them, but the new head has completely overruled that previous order, stating that his son is to continue interrogating her for information until a route to their base if found. I'd like to know your thoughts about this before I explain what we will be doing."
The room was quiet as everyone thought. It was a situation that most ship girls would not give a second thought about, the Abyssals where normally their enemies after all. But this was different. They had two ships that were part abyssal, and Tenryuu was as well, having been sunk and turned once already. They all knew that abyssal could be good as well as bad, and the idea of torture . . .
"Torture huh, I don't like it. Even if she's against humanity and ship girls, both as an Abyssal ship, a ship girl and a hybrid, I don't like it." Ru said calmly, gaining many nods of agreement from those in the room.
"I don't like it either. Torture is disgusting, and we should go save her!" Wo added loudly, voicing a thought that many people seemed to agree with, though quietly.
Yin looked around and nodded. "So we're all in agreement about the idea of maybe trying to do something about it?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, their faces telling Yin that they more than just agreed that something had to be done.
"Alright, I'll need some time to decide things. Like we discussed yesterday, tomorrow Yuudachi, Inazuma, Ikazuchi and Imuya will go on an expedition in area sixteen, and everyone else except Tenryuu will be heading on a patrol. Dismissed!"
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Kirishima stood in the darkness of her old admiral's office, his computer being the only thing that lit her face, and the small tears that were at the corners of her eyes, up. Scanning through his files she opened the last file she had yet to go through and read what it contained, her tears sliding down her face as she did.
"Yes, Admiral. I'll do this for you. I swore to you I would, and I will not break my promise." Kirishima said as she quickly wrote an email and sent it out, just before going into the computer's system and reformatting everything, wiping away all details of his old work or her having touched it.
