"So, any questions then?" Yin asked as he stood at the end of the mainly used table in the mess hall.

No one spoke up, the plan was simple, and no one seemed to have any problem with it. Attack the abyssal base at Hawaii, and gauge the strength of its forces. Now the only problem was who would go, and Yin could see that everyone present was waiting for that information.

"Um, who's going on this sortie then, Poi?" Yuudachi asked the anticipation in her voice plainly clear.

"Yeah, who's gonna go? Wo, Ru and Yuudachi got some action yesterday when they spotted the island, but our group got nothing." Zuikaku complained in an annoyed tone.

"It was a scouting mission, meeting the enemy is not what we wanted, Zuikaku," Kaga said calmly as she sipped some tea and placed the cup back on the table, never making eye contact with Zuikaku.

"Alright, alright, here is the fleet composition for this sortie." Yin said, causing everyone to stop and look to him, anticipating hearing their names in the list. "Because we are just gauging their strength, the fleet will be comprised of Musashi as the flagship, Zuikaku and Kaga as support, and Inazuma, IIazuchi and Imuya as well."

After a few moments of silence, everyone at the table exploded, surprised by the composition.

"Eeh? But, I wanted to beat them too, Poi!" Yuudachi pouted as Ru raised her hand up off the table and spoke up.

"While I don't share Yuudachi's sentiment, would it not be safer to have another battleship, or at least a cruiser to go as well?"

"We're testing their strength, which means we don't need to beat them." Tenryuu spoke up as she glanced to Wo and Ru, "and we need to keep our identities secret unless we can assure that we'd leave no survivors to tell the other abyssal about us."

"Ah, this Musashi understands. A second assault will be sent after we return then?" Musashi asked.

Yin nodded. "Yes, once we are sure of what forces they have, we'll send our real force in and retake that base from them. Musashi, your fleet leaves as soon as it's ready; everyone else is on standby for the rest of the day until Musashi's fleet returns."

Hearing Yins command Mushashi stood up and saluted, the rest of the fleet following her as she left.

" . . . . Are you worried about us sighting Airfield Hime yesterday?" Wo asked cautiously.

"In part. The armada you sighted worries me, but what worries me more, is that from what old information I was able to find in the database, I think that island used to be a submarine base. It wouldn't be large enough to field that many abyssal. But we do need to be ready for anything." Yin added to his words as if an afterthought.

"That makes sense. Want to do some practice at the firing pool, Yuudachi?" Ru asked, causing Yuudachi's ears to perk up.

"Okay!"

"You coming Wo, Tenryuu?" Ru asked, getting a quick shake of her head from Wo.

"No, I need to do some maintenance on my planes."

"And I need to go over some files with Yin," Tenryuu said right after Wo finished.

"Okay, you know where we'll be!" Ru said as she, Yuudachi, and a second later, Wo, left the mess hall, leaving Yin and Tenryuu alone.

"Well, I guess we'd better-," Yin began to say, but stopped as every light in the mess hall began flickering rapidly, then stopped as if it never happened. "That is beginning to drive me nuts."

"I can understand why." Tenryuu said as she and Yin booth stood up and walked out of the mess hall toward Yins office. "The lights flickering, and the kitchen equipment turning on and off at random, it's been going on for a few days now, and I haven't been able to find the cause."

"I know. I asked the maintenance fairies to look into it, but they haven't found anything either. It's, like our base has suddenly become haunted, and I wish it would stop." Yin complained as he opened the door to his office and stepped inside, walking around to his desk to drop himself into his chair with a heavy thump.

"Yes, it is quite a problem. Has the admiralty board sent anything about the attack on Iron Bottom Sound?" Tenryuu asked after a few moments of silence.

Yin shook his head and flicked his computer on, letting it hum calmly as it lit up. "Not really, a small update saying the initial scouting is going well and to keep gathering resources in preparation. Nothing really major or important. It's a long way away, so it will take a while longer, I think."

Tenryuu nodded in agreement and walked across the office to the printer table, gathering up some papers and sorting them on the table. "Um, what is this?" Tenryuu suddenly asked just as Yin was getting into some work on his computer.

"What is what?"

"This paper with this odd symbol on it." Tenryuu said as she walked over and placed the paper on Yin's desk.

Yin turned his head to look at it and was instantly surprised. The entire edge of the paper was black with ink, but the center had a strange five lined symbol in its centre, like a broken pentagram drawn by a five year old that just discovered a ruler.

Initially he could not make sense of where it came from, then he noticed small white markings in the black border and looked up toward the printer, " Is there a piece of paper that's literally a inked black block with strange white lines on it?"

Tenryuu looked over the papers she had grabbed and shook her head. "No, they're all just regular battle reports and naval newsletters.

Yin looked back at the page and scowled. Had that strange block from that odd email apparently from Admiral Kurokami somehow change what it was? If it somehow had that meant it was important, but what was it for then?

As if answering his question the door to his office slowly slipped open and a maintenance fairy peeked her head in. "Um, Admiral, if this a good time?"

"Its fine, is something wrong?"

"Well, sort of." The maintenance fairy said as he fluttering into the office and floating in the rooms center. "Something odd has happened in the factory."

"What do you mean weird?" Tenryuu asked calmly.

"Well, one of the walls has become strange, it's covered by a black square with dozens of long white indentations in it. It just appeared a few minutes ago.

Both Yin and Tenryuu looked to each other for a moment before Yin stood up out of his chair, clutching the paper firmly in his grip, "Show me!"

It only took a few minutes to reach the wall in the factory the fairy had mentioned, but once there Yin realized something was strange. Just as the fairy had said, the entire wall was covered by a black square, and on it were dozens of long indents, like slash marks on the concrete wall.

"This just appeared you said?

The fairy nodded and hovered in front of Yin and Tenryuu, "yes, the wall glowed for a moment, and when it stopped this was here. "

"What do you think it means?" Tenryuu asked as she looked over the wall, seeing no rhyme or reason to the indents on it.

Yin silently drew his blade and pressed the tip against one of the indentations. Following the lines on the page he gently scraped the tip of his blade along them, and as he finished the last line, the entire wall buckled and shifted, moving backwards into itself almost a full foot before sinking into the ground, revealing a dimly lit passage down. "I think it means someone is helping us. Let's find out how."

Tenryuu nodded and stood beside Yin, and they both walked though, slowly heading down the passageway.

The passage was made of dark grey concrete, and inset in its ceiling were small lights that just barely illuminated the passage itself. It had no stairs, and was like a shallow ramp downwards, and the further they went, the quicker they realized just how far this passageway went down.

After what felt like almost half an hour they came to the bottom, where a massive circular door blocked their way. On closer inspection they realized the door was more akin to a blast door. It was massive, and no hinges, deadbolts, or even a handle could be seen on it, only a small slot in its dead center.

"What is this thing, what's behind it?" Tenryuu asked out loud, not really expecting an answer.

Yin looked the door over and drew his attention to the slot. "I'm not sure, but does this slot, look, off to you?"

"What do you mean?"

Yin drew his blade once more and thrust it into the slot, a loud audible click being heard as he pulled it out, and seconds later the entire door started lowly spinning backwards, as if it was a giant screw. "My sword unlocked it. Something is strange here."

"I'll say. Let's see what behind it. Maybe it will give some answers." Tenryuu said as she door stopped spinning and slipped into the roof, revealing a short metal hallway with spiraling grooves all along it.

Stepping through the short, and slightly painful to walk through passage, Tenryuu and Yin found themselves in a moderate sized underground dome. On all sides of the dome were old style computers, power generators and instruments, but in the center of the room was what really grabbed their attention. Floating just above a large metal pedestal was a crystal. It was easily as large as Yin's torso, and was shaped like two ice cream cones atop each other with a sliver ring of metal in its center. The crystal glowed softly blue and red from the top and bottom, the colors moving and replacing each other as if they were liquids that flowed around inside it.

"What the hell is all this? It's almost like an old laboratory!" Tenryuu exclaimed as she walked around gazing at the old computers, all of them covered in thick layers of dust.

"It does look like that, doesn't it?" Yin said as he walked up to the crystal, admiring its size and scope, almost being entranced by its color and glow.

"Hey, I found something odd here, Yin!" Tenryuu called out, causing Yin to look around the crystal to find her at a small table at the domes backside.

Walking over to the table Tenryuu stepped aside and gestured toward the only thing on the table, a glass ball that seemed filled white white liquid. It was attached to a small machine behind it, and unlike everything else in the domed room, it looked out of place, new, like it had just been made days before.

Looking it over Yin could find nothing on it, no buttons, no levers, no wires, and no dust. It seemed to be entirely aesthetic, until he poked it lightly.

As soon as Yin touched it, it began glowing and every light in the dome shut off, leaving them in darkness illuminated only by the now glowing blue orb and the glowing crystal. A second later a green line appeared though it, and began moving in angles to the voice contained within.

"Hello Yin, this is Admiral Ryu Kurokami."

"What the,- Admiral Kurokami's voice?" Tenryuu said in surprise.

"I see. It's some sort of recording device then." Yin commented as he crossed his arms and waited for the device to continue.

"If you are hearing this message, then I undoubtedly have left the land of the living behind. But that does not mean I am done in this world. Whatever my will likely said, this message to you is of the greatest importance, and may change the entire course of the war depending on how you use it."

"That sounds ominous somehow." Tenryuu said quietly, prompting Yin to shush her so he could hear the message.

"As you are hearing this message, I shall assume that you know of your true biology as a half human half ship, and I shall also assume that you are doing your best as an admiral. I'm sure it would make your father proud.

Along with me and Admiral Azamanai, your father was one of the first three Admiral to field ship girls. He was also the one to find the crystal in the center of this room. We never truly found out what the crystal is, or what it does, but through researching it, we discovered many things. The ability to create better equipment for ship girls, upgrade them, and even remodel them with resources, all these things were found from researching that crystal. The three of us initially thought of it as a gift from the gods, but it is just as much a curse as a gift.

Late into the first fourth year of the war, we did a test with the crystal to try to enhance a ship girl beyond what we had previously done. She had volunteered due to all her sister ships having sunk in battle, and in hindsight using a ship girl full of vengeance was the least intelligent idea we ever made. She was turned into a monstrous creature that was like a squid had attached itself to an abyssal, and nearly destroyed the base.

That was the last time we used the crystal for anything. We sealed it away here on Kala island a year later, after your mother was sunk."

"Why, why is he bringing up your mother now of all times?" Tenryuu asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm guessing we'll find out in a moment.

"Your mother was the primary test subject for the crystal, and I still believe to this day it is how you came to be born as both a human and a ship instead of one or the other. Considering how much it helped us in the early years, and how its research still likely does, we could not destroy it. I am sure you can find a use for it now, or if you wish you can leave it here. If you have found it regardless, that means either I, or my secretary, had sent you the page with how to get here.

This is my last gift to you, the crystal that allowed us to brace ourselves against the abyssal tide, the Crystal of Evolution. Good luck."

A mere second after the message ended and the glass orb stopped glowing, it cracked and fell to pieces, and the lights all around the room turned back on as if they had never been off.

"Is, this thing really . . . .?" Tenryuu said, letting her words trail off as she and Yin walked over to the crystal and looked at it.

"I can't say for sure, but that was definitely Admiral Kurokami's voice. And back at the a Academy, I remember asking how we discovered modernization and how to remodel you girls, my question was never answered, and I was told not to ask it again.

"Wait, so it's never been explained?" Tenryuu asked causing Yin to look at her with an equally confused expression.

"Wait, so you don't understand it either?"

"I don't think anyone does, we just accepted it because remodels, and modernization make us stronger." Tenryuu explained.

"I see. Then this just might be the real deal."

"Wait, but if Kurokami knew it had been buried here, and he sent you to Kala island-"

"Then he planned this, the sly old geezer. Let's take a look around and find out what we can from here. We may have been given the most important item in the war's history!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"If you think it's such a serious matter why did you not report such a thing immediately, Kento?" Konda Yarimasa asked from behind his desk as his son stood in front of him, wearing an entirely annoyed and aggravated face.

"I told you, I had to be sure of what I thought when my people found Yayoi beaten up by the docks. She claimed she was attacked by an abyssal, but our radar never picked up anything, and she was not horribly damaged. I know that someone's fleet is spying on me!"

"And you think it's Admiral Akimoto?" Kento asked, knowing what his son's answer would be.

"Yes, it couldn't be anyone else but that cheating son of a failure!"

"And how do you know that? Do you have proof?" Konda asked his son, who kept his lips shut completely. "I thought so. Please return to your base, Kento. I am worried about what happened to your base, but I have a bigger problem to deal with right now."

"And what could be more important than one of our own admirals spying on another? If I may ask."

Konda looked his son squarely in the eyes and nodded. "Admiral Kurokami's secretary ship, Kirishima, was found dead yesterday. She committed suicide with her own cannons."

Kento's face suddenly filled with appalled surprise and worry. "What, but tha's-"

"Exactly, I'm trying to figure out why and what was done, or if it was murder and not suicide, so please leave me to my work. I'll have someone look into the spy as well."

Kento was silent for a moment before saluting and walking to the door, leaving without a word.

Waiting a few moments Konda sighed and leaned back in his chair, then glanced over to his office window. "It's rare for you to be so sloppy as to be seen by a destroyer."

Responding to Konda's words, Sendai climbed up and through the window into the office, making no sound as her completely black covert operations uniform fluttered about noiselessly. "Yeah, I goofed a bit, but your son's paranoia toward Admiral Akimoto works out in our favor at least." Sendai said as she walked over to Admiral Konda's computer and pulled out a USB and plugged it in.

"So, I didn't expect you back so early. Did you find something good, or are you back for some other reason?"

"Both . . . . Did Kirashima really . . . . . . ." Sendai asked not needing to finish her sentence.

Konda nodded. "Yes, she killed herself, and it's already been confirmed. There had been activity on Kurokami's computer on the day that the coroners figure she killed herself; his computer was wiped clean though."

". . . So she was doing something on her Admirals computer, then killed herself. Why?" Sendai asked calmly.

"I don't know and we have little way of finding out unfortunately. The incident is being covered up for now though. So what did you find at my son's base?"

"Two things, proof that he's gone completely crazy, and an audio file you need to listen too." Sendai said as she leaned over Konda and opened the USB, showing him the two files on it.

Tapping open the text file Konda looked it over and sighed to himself, his head dropping into this hands. "It's my fault. All those times where things came up and I had no excuses. It's my fault my son has become like this. All my fault."

"I know for a fact that you always have had good intentions, sir. It's not entirely your fault. It's your son's as well for allowing his ideas to become so hateful." Sendai said calmly, knowing she could do little to console her Admiral. She had to try though.

Konda looked up to Sendai and wiped his eyes," Thank you Sendai, you are right in a way. I can't change the past. I can only work on the future. You said this other file was an audio file?"

Sendai nodded. "Yes, and it's the really important thing."

Konda nodded and opened the file, and as he listened to it his face became pale with surprise and worry, worry over what it could mean. "You are sure about this? Do you know where my son got the audio from?"

Sendai nodded. "Yes, I did some checking on the background noise, I think he recorded it from one of the café's or restaurants here at the headquarters, I'm not sure which one though."

"You're sure it was here in the headquarters?"

"Yes, and from its time stamp it would have been on the day of the meeting, over a week ago.

"I see. . . . . I think I'll have to talk to Admiral Kyousuke and his sister then."

"Do you want me to deliver message then?" Sendai asked.

No, I have something else for you to do. I want you to do something else. I'm going to make up a temporary transfer notice for you. I want you to join Admiral Akimoto's fleet, and find what you can about it, and report it back to me at regular intervals if all possible.

Authors note: sorry, but those wo were expecting Daggertails first appearance with an actual description will have to wait one more chapter. On the other point though, I'm sure this chapter has brought up some interesting things for everyone. I hope you like it, the next few will be actin packed! (though probably about my usual length of 1.5 – 2k.)