"It's hard to believe you wear something so skimpy all day! This bikini barely fits me…"
"And I can't fucking believe you walk around in this frilly shit, tits-for-brains!"
"What, it's soft and comfy! Plus, you call this frilly? I could show you a lot frillier things than this right here on this ship! And…a lot skimpier things than your stuff, actually. Kinda defeats the point of wearing clothes at that point. Oh and put these pants on to keep them guessing, the boots make the image afterall~"
"This is fucking retarded, I'm here to kill some fucking fleet skanks, not play dress-up with a fuckhead like you!"
"Hey, I'm already letting you have your way with our plans, the least you could do is humor me on this. Now let your hair down and put these hairpieces on! Urgh, tying up all this hair is harder than I thought…"
"That's not how you…Whatever, are we fucking done yet?"
A knock came at the door before it opened.
"Hey, Hornet, are you done y- WHOAH. I-I mean, are you done yet, we need to get going!"
"See, she was looking at me, she knew! The boots DO make the look!"
"Actually I can just tell from your faces."
"…Oh. Well whatever, let's get going!" The Princess turned back to the first person less excitedly. "And good luck, you. If you're going to do this, then make it fast and clean! Don't give them a chance to sink the ship!"
"Keep your fucking luck to yourself, you're the ones that need it!"
"Thanks for the concern, love you too, jackass."
With that, the Princess waved an off-hand good bye and headed out the room with the Ri-class.
"Ugh, if I'd known this would happen I'd never…Eh? Why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong? Your face's kind of flushed."
"N-nothing much, it's just…the undersized bikini makes you look a bit…uhh…nevermind. Why DO you have to wear her clothes anyway, it's not like you need a disguise."
"If she wears my clothes, it's only fair I wear hers~ Might as well get SOME silly fun out of this mess, right? It IS a bit tight though, feels like it'll snap at any second…"
"Maybe you should wear a shirt over that just in case."
"But I already have this jacket…"
"Wear it UNDER the jacket, dumbass!"
"Oh right, whoops~ Wait right here, I'll go check this room!"
The Princess entered the nearest bedroom and soon returned wearing a white t-shirt that was also a few sizes too small.
"How's this? Still tight, but I don't think it'll rip open~ *riiiippp* Eh, what was that noise? …Oh, nevermind. Hey it actually looks cooler now!"
"…Let's just go."
The two walked through the corridors and up onto the deck, one of them met by curious and/or amused looks from those they passed by, and hopped off down onto the waters. Before they set off on their journey south however, the Princess sailed up to the ship and gave her bow a gentle pat.
"Good luck, Revenant~ We'll be away for a while but we'll be back soon, so stay safe!"
Then she went up to her Demon and did the same, this time responded to by a low grumble.
"You too, Sting! Just act natural and give the signal when it's time! Alright Riffy, let's go!"
"Awfully chipper today, aren't you? I would've thought you'd take this more seriously."
The much less enthused Ri-class asked while the two finally set sail after their comrades who had already gone ahead almost half a day ago.
"I AM taking this seriously, just trying to lighten things up a little. Plus, Wolf's ALIVE! That's cause enough for a little optimism!"
"I hate to be the party crasher, but we don't really know if she still IS. Who knows if the plan will work, or that those things you saw were even real? Even if the plan works, like you said, we don't know how many they'll still have left, and since a certain PRICK only gave us three subs…"
"Oh don't get your panties in a bunch, it'll work! What better chance do they have of finishing us off? There's no way they won't take the bait! Even if they don't and the batteries run out, we'll just brute force it! I'm sure she'll help with that too, considering how much she hates them."
"Fair enough, I guess. Honestly though, why don't we just track down another one of their patrol teams and take some hostages? You never told us why not, it would've been easier than all this."
The half-forced smile plastered on the Princess' face was allowed to crumble back into the grimace it meant to hide.
"…You're sure you didn't shoot that torpedo?"
"Definitely, it wasn't Chief neither, we weren't even facing you two."
"Then something tells me whoever's in charge won't care about hostages."
A golden-haired light cruiser sailed on at the front of their formation. Unlike the previous operation, she was there due to her position as appointed flagship instead of voluntary recon; like the previous operation, she was deep in thought.
With Harusame sunk in revenge, the Admiral put his sights back on the Abyssal Princess herself. In a convenient twist, they found out that the Abyssals had picked up her communicator for some reason and failed to realize the GPS transmitter was still on, meaning the fleet had a perfect lock-on to their position. Thus, two days after the suicide mission, the Admiral commenced the true operation to eliminate the Princess and her surviving escorts, sending almost the entire fleet to wipe them out by sheer number, including Abukuma and the others who took part in the previous sortie.
The plan that was decided on was basically Harusame's with more people in each squad, focus on the escorts, then dogpile the Princess. Of course, even with their overwhelming advantage in numbers, many of the fleet were still worried, knowing full well that numbers alone won't guarantee a victory against a Princess-class, but that wasn't what was on Abukuma's mind. In fact, she hoped she'd sink, it'd put her out of her misery…
As she herself expected, "scuttling" Harusame had left its scars on her soul. Watching her own torpedo tear through her comrade, and such a kind-hearted one at that, made her feel like she was killing herself as well. But as it turned out, the act itself wasn't what hurt the most.
She would've felt better knowing Harusame had sunk cursing her name for being an accomplice to the Admiral, but instead, the destroyer had not only forgiven her just like that, but even worded it to make sure no one else would know of her treachery. Harusame had wanted nothing but the best for the one who betrayed her, and in return, she couldn't even fulfill her last wish, her request to contact Harusame's Admiral and sisters denied by the Admiral of this base until formal procedures were completed. Knowing that she had been the one to sink a comrade like that…she would've scrapped herself out of guilt, but she knew it would only hurt her sisters. Thus, she will just have to bear the sin.
Then there was the Abyssal Princess' reaction to the whole thing. She still couldn't be certain why the two had stopped fighting, but the Princess had tried to warn Harusame when she saw the torpedo. She was the one who caught the destroyer as she fell, she was the one who gently lay her to rest, and she was the one who had called off her underlings, saving Abukuma from the Ri-class while she was still in a daze from what she'd just done, and allowed the fleet to retreat in peace. For all she knew, the two of them might even have been negotiating a ceasefire of some sort! It was after she returned to base that she realized even the He-class might not have been trying to kill her, probably under the Princess' orders. "The drill" had always been to take them alive. She didn't know this back then of course, but the fact still stood; if she had just waited, everyone might've survived anyway, including Nagara and herself. If she had just refused to execute her own comrade, things might've worked out better. But she did it. She did fire that torpedo.
Why?
She did it to protect her sister, didn't she? They couldn't retreat until Harusame was dead, one way or another. Even if they had won somehow, she'd still have to sink her. Those were the orders. Harusame had to die, that was the order.
Order?
Did she execute Harusame to protect Nagara, or did she do it because she was ordered to, and saving Nagara was just a bonus? A Fleet Girl cannot disobey the Admiral's orders afterall…No, NO, she did it to protect Nagara! She'd do anything to protect her sisters! The order was secondary! Even if she was never ordered to, even if it was someone other than Harusame, if killing them meant protecting her sisters, she would do it! …Or would she?
Wouldn't she have tried something, anything else to get everyone to safety other than killing her own comrades? Killing a comrade, a friend to save her sisters…even if she loved her sisters, she wouldn't go that far unless there was absolutely no other choice! That's the Abukuma she knew herself to be, or at least believed herself to be! So why didn't she think of an alternative back then? Why didn't she just run away with Nagara and get her away from the battle first? Why didn't she just convince everyone else to retreat when it became clear they couldn't win, orders be damned? Why was it so stuck in her mind that sinking Harusame was her only option?
Because that's what the Admiral ordered?
Because the Admiral SAID they weren't allowed to retreat until Harusame was sunk, henceforth it was fact?
Was protecting her sisters really as big a factor as she wanted to believe?
What if it was Nagara or another of her sisters instead of Harusame?
If she was ordered to kill one of her sisters to save the others, would she do it?
If she was ordered to kill ALL of her sisters…would she do it?
Thankfully, her thoughts were interrupted before they could spiral down any further into insanity.
"What's wrong, Abukuma? You're looking a bit pale." A worried Nagara boosted up a bit to sail alongside her troubled sister. "In fact, you've been acting weird since the op. Is this about Harusame?" No response. The namesake of the Nagara-class sighed. She might not have been constructed earlier than Abukuma, but she was physically older by maybe a year, and she was first of the class by name, so she still considered herself the big sister of the Nagara-class girls, and as the big sister it was her duty to console her siblings, especially at a critical time like this! "Look, no one's happy that we lost Harusame, most of us really liked her, me included, but this isn't the first time we've had to watch a friend sink. The life of a Fleet Girl's not an easy one, you know that even better than I do. There's nothing we can do about her death anymore though, and more importantly, this isn't the time to grieve! Like Kumano said, all we can do is avenge her and give those Abyssals a foot to the face for what they've done! Like this! HIIII-YAH!"
The light cruiser performed an over-the-top high kick as if to accentuate the point, almost losing her balance while doing so. To her relief, her attempt to cheer Abukuma up with some silly antics had worked somewhat. The golden-haired light cruiser continued staring dead ahead yet at nothing in general, eyes dull without a speck of her usual energy, but her lips did curve ever so slightly upwards as acknowledgement of her sister's efforts.
"Hey, Nagara-nee's right, get a hold of yourself, idiot!" Isuzu soon joined in as well with the rest of the Nagara-class, concerned for their sister. "You can't lose your cool now of all times, not when you're the flagship and we're going up against a Princess! Focus!"
"Please don't call her an idiot, she's been through a lot…"
"I know, Natori-nee, sorry. Just trying to make sure she doesn't do something careless and sink…Kinu was more than enough…"
The sisters fell into a somber silence at the mention of their already lost sister, and though Abukuma never responded, she had heard what they said. There had been far too many sinkings lately, including one of her own siblings, and she was determined not to let that trend continue. Her life meant nothing to herself anymore, but long as she still lived, she would use it to protect her sisters however she could. Afterall, that was what she wanted to believe she killed both Harusame and, in a sense, herself to do, protect her sisters. Long as she still stood, on ground or on sea, she would make sure no one joined Kinu before she does.
And if the Admiral ever got in the way of that, then…
…then what?
That was a question that would occupy her mind for the rest of the trip.
Somewhere on the ocean, westward of a certain naval base, a small crew of Abyssals regrouped and had a final chat before their biggest operation to date.
"Took ya two long enough! Nice get-up ya got there by the by!"
"Might I ask, dear, why the…choice of attire?"
"Nothing much, just figured if she's wearing my clothes then I should wear hers! Looks cool, hmm? Not a perfect fit though, so I got a t-shirt too in case of wardrobe malfunction, which was also not a perfect fit, but it worked itself out~"
"Just leave it be, too late to change now. If anything it'll give Wolf a good laugh when she sees her. More importantly, are you sure we're at the right place?"
"It's where those sub girls led them, so I think so? You're the one holding the map, you tell me!"
"Just because I have a map doesn't mean I magically know where we are, dumbass! I'm not a hundred percent sure how fast we were going for how long, and there's not a lot of landmarks for reference on the OPEN OCEAN. Somehow, I feel we ARE around the right spot though, just a gut feeling. Weird."
"Maybe this is the nautical navigation senses Kathie was talking about?"
"Beats me, wouldn't be the first time we stumble on some hidden power we knew nothing about."
"Oi, just so we're clear on this, we CAN sink those bloody wankers, right?"
"If you HAVE to then there's no helping it, but…at least TRY not to."
"You for real? After all the bollocks they put us through, you still gonna be a puss on this?"
"W-well…they didn't actually kill Wolf afterall…"
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Tannis on anything, but what does it even matter? You KNOW they're gonna keep wanting us dead no matter what we do! Plus, even if we don't sink these ones, all the other ones heading for our ship are dead scrap anyway!"
"Maybe some of them can escape, I dunno. It's not like we have a CHOICE to spare them at this point. But we do have a choice for these girls, and I'd still rather we keep deaths to a minimum whenever we can, for both sides. Come on, it's not that hard NOT to murder someone, you're strong enough! Pretty pleeaaassseee?"
"I do agree with Hornet on this matter, excessive bloodshed should always be avoided. Even if our enemy is intent on our destruction, we must not stoop to their level."
"Even you, Ruckus? Ugh, FINE, I'll TRY not to blow 'em 'ta kingdom come! Bunch'a bloody pansies…"
"This will definitely come back to bite us in the ass, I know it, but you're the boss, so whatever. So, boss, what now? We just sit here looking pretty until-"
"AHOY, MATIES! THE SCURVY DOGS HAVE SET SAIL FOR NORTH AS PLANNED! THE TIME FOR PLUNDERING IS NIGH!"
"-until one of them comes back. That was fast."
"Perfect, we don't have to wait here for another day! Alright everyone, let's go save ourselves an aircraft carrier!"
"Looks like we're almost there! Let's have one last briefing just to make sure we're all on the same page!"
"Yeah… Sure..."
Said light cruiser droned in response to Suzuya as the heavy cruiser and other flagships of their individual squads, namely the participants of the operation that ended in Harusame's sinking, sailed a bit closer together for one last strategy meeting. Since the enemy possessed one of their communicators, the Admiral had ordered radio silence, and for everyone to adjust their GPS settings so they couldn't be tracked by the enemy in case they were watching. Of course, this meant the base also couldn't see nor hear them, which meant the fleet was entirely on its own. Not that the Admiral often bothered to advise them in battle, or on anything in general, so there was little difference from usual.
"Alright, as a once over: Asashimo's squad 5 will target the Chi-class, Kumano's 4 the Ri, mine's 3 the Ta, Haguro's 2 the Ru, and finally Abukuma's 1 the Princess herself! Whoever finishes earlier helps the next squad up, so my 3 will help 4, etc., until all the escorts are down and everyone focuses on the Princess! Everyone got that?"
"Duh, that plan's so simple it'd take a total airhead like you to not remember it. More importantly, are we sure this isn't a TRAP?"
"Shuddup, Naganami!" Despite Suzuya's protest, the heavy cruiser still looked pensive, as did quite a few others. While the Admiral had exercised some caution, he had dismissed the possibility of the Abyssals setting this up as a trap, claiming the…'interrogation' of the captured Wo-class carrier proved the strange beings weren't intelligent, and they likely got the PDA while pulling Harusame's body aboard to eat it or something. Abukuma herself was pretty sure the Abyssals, at the very least the Princess, was very much intelligent, but since the Admiral said so, most of the other Fleet Girls didn't argue, and at that point Abukuma really couldn't be bothered about it anymore.
While the others debated whether they were sailing into a trap or not for the third time since the operation was announced, the golden-haired light cruiser decided to be practical and check for herself. With a sigh, she pulled the single recon plane she had from a compartment in her ship gear, winded her arm back, and threw it like one would a paper airplane; a second after it left her hand, the propellers on the front of the miniature plane spun to life and the drone took off ahead of the fleet. Still with the same sullenly bored expression one would find on someone who was just done with life, the light cruiser flipped her PDA to recon mode and watched the live footage from the drone's camera, until the target vessel materialized on the digital horizon a few minutes later. At the press of a few buttons, the drone flew closer, but took care to stay a distance behind where it'd be less likely to be spotted.
Over a dozen Abyssal destroyers and light cruisers were tagging along the ship surprisingly, the Princess must have stumbled upon and recruited them after their previous ones were all destroyed. None of the other Abyssals could be seen aboard aside from the Princess herself, who stood at the bow with her Demon. Abukuma blinked. Was she imagining it, or did something feel…different? Despite the same attire that she remembered from her previous encounter, the Princess seemed…smaller? Just ever so slightly, she really couldn't be sure why she even felt any difference. The Princess had also decided to wear some loose sports pants for some reason, which completely clashed with the rest of her clothes. With all the Abyssals she's seen and the identical pseudo-uniforms within their own class, it felt weird to see one that had the vanity to even change her outfit. Then again, most Abyssals didn't have access to a treasure trove of abandoned human belongings. Where do regular Abyssals get their clothes anyway? Do they just…spawn with them, however it is that they're created? The brief musing crossed the light cruiser's mind before she focused again. Funny how she could think of unimportant trivia so casually like this when she was headed into the most difficult sortie she'll have since Hawaii. Either way, the Princess' aircraft carrier-like Demon was there towing the ship, and there was no mistaking that gigantic thing. She was probably just put off by the pants.
"They got a few replacement destroyers and light cruisers, but other than that, everything looks clear. I don't think they're expecting us or anything." The golden-haired light cruiser reported to the rest of the fleet, cutting off their heating discussion. "That settles that. If there's nothing left to talk about, break up back into position then, approximately-"
"Hey, uh, actually, I just had a thought."
"Really? YURA had a thought? This op must really be the end for us!"
"Shut your hole, Naganami! Anyway, like I was saying, I had an idea. Why don't we try forcing the Princess to surrender?"
Half the fleet would have tripped and fell from the outrageousness of what they just heard if they hadn't stopped for the meeting.
"The HELL?! Are you so scared you've gone completely nuts?!"
"I said SHUT YOUR HOLE, Naganami! Just listen for a sec! Think about it, we have the element of surprise and overwhelming numbers! Even an Abyssal should see things aren't in their favor! If we pull our cards right, we might be able to scare her into giving up!"
"Since when has ANY Abyssal ever given up? You're out of your-"
"Actually, it might not hurt to give it a try."
"Kumano?! I thought you were smarter than that!"
"Shush, Naganami! It won't hurt to hear them out."
"Thank you, Asashimo. Of course, I agree that it is a far-fetched idea with the slimmest odds of success, but if it does succeed, we can avoid a battle that will no doubt leave many of us crippled or sunk. More so, the live capture of an Abyssal Princess would not only elevate the status of the entire fleet, but the Admiral's as well. Even with his disdain towards us, accomplishing such a feat may yet make him reconsider our worth."
"I agree, we should give this a shot!" Nagara chimed in while many others began murmuring amongst themselves. "I've fought with her before, and this Princess doesn't seem to be very aggressive. She had every chance to sink both me and Abukuma, but she didn't, not to mention she didn't try to chase or even shoot after us while we were retreating. It's still a long shot, and I really doubt the Admiral would change his mind about us even with this, but I think no one here's keen on going toe-to-toe with a Princess Demon duo. If things go south we can always go back to the original plan, so why not give it a try?"
"And if we catch her and the rest, what'll happen to them?" Abukuma's unexpected question, though it sounded more like a statement with her flat tone, caused a wave of unease to sweep over the fleet. None present had seen what had become of the last Abyssal they took prisoner, the only Fleet Girls who saw for themselves were Wakaba, Hatsushimo, and Harusame; but everyone knew the gist of it, and no one was pleased with the thought.
"W-Well…I-I'm sure the capture of a Princess should catch the research guys' attention better! They'll come pick them up immediately!"
"Implying the research guys aren't just as bad or worse."
"For god's sake, SHUT THE HELL UP, NAGANAMI!"
"Just saying, I'm not the only one who's read the rumors on the internet."
The ivory-haired Yura groaned and rubbed her now aching forehead. "So are we gonna give my idea a go or what? It's your call, Abukuma, you're the flagship of this entire operation."
The light cruiser in question turned away from the imploring gazes of the other girls and pondered. The capture of the Wo-class was exactly what Harusame had given her life to undo, and now they were going to capture more? Wouldn't merely attempting to do this be an insult to the destroyer's memory? Yet, if she could prevent the lethal sortie, her sisters won't be in danger. Even if it was just a slim chance… Abukuma clenched her fist, her mind made up.
"Sorry, Harusame, but my sisters come first."
"What was that?"
"I said we'll do it." The golden-haired light cruiser said, louder than a low mutter this time, though still with the deadpan voice she's had since two days ago. "Once in range, target the destroyers and light cruisers first, avoid hitting the ship." She appointed targets to each squad based on what she saw from the recon flight. "Sink them all in one volley. We'll put on a show of force to intimidate the target, but not too much so we'll appear reasonable. The other squads will surround the enemy vessel while mine attempt to negotiate with the target. If any of the escorting Abyssals try to fight back, sink them immediately. If the Princess refuses to surrender, proceed with original plan. Understood?"
A unified "Affirmative!" came back in response, some more reluctant than others, and the fleet continued with their journey until the Abyssal-occupied cruise ship came into view. When any of the Abyssal destroyers or light cruisers finally noticed the attackers, it was due to the thunderous wave of cannonfire, and there was no time to evade the hailstorm of shells headed their way. Monstrous shrieks and explosions filled the air. By the time the smoke cleared, all of the destroyers and light cruisers had been either crippled or outright destroyed, those surviving quickly finished with a few follow-up shots. The Demon ahead bellowed in surprise, but as if knowing they couldn't outrun the attackers while towing such heavy weight, the ship slowly drifted to a halt, allowing the fleet to easily catch up and surround the ship while Abukuma's squad made their way to the bow.
"STOP! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!" shouted Abukuma at the top of her lungs, sounding a bit less bored now. Even as she yelled out, the members of the Princess' escorts were showing up aboard, armed and ready. "WE HAVE YOU VASTLY OUTNUMBERED AND OUTGUNNED! SURRENDER NOW AND WE WON'T-"
"WHOAH THERE, cool your fucking jets, we give up!"
Reaching the bow, the light cruiser sisters met the gaze of the Princess glaring down on them. The Abyssal already had her hands in the air while shouting back, surprising everyone with how quick she surrendered. Though without a scrap of weaponry on her, once more, Abukuma felt that same feeling earlier during reconnaissance, that feeling of…wrongness, of danger, and it wasn't because she was essentially standing next to the looming Demon, unless the beast could boost sideways they were safe for now. It was something about the Princess, her face, her expression, her voice, her composure, everything just felt…wrong, but she couldn't for the life of her tell WHY! Compared to their previous encounter, it was like she was having a really bad day or something, there was a sense of hostility and killing intent that she couldn't feel at all during her brief prior exchange with the highest echelon of Abyssal hierarchy. Just what was going on?
"You're…really surrendering?"
"What else do you think I'm fucking doing? It's not like we can win against THIS many of you. I'll even get rid of my Demon if you're being all paranoid about this."
Sure enough, the Demon bellowed (not too loudly, fortunately for the girls' eardrums) and faded into the ocean, vanishing away. Did the plan actually work? Was the Princess actually giving up? Abukuma wasn't the only Fleet Girl feeling a bit stumped by this turn of events, no one had really expected an Abyssal to surrender like this, especially not a Princess. But perhaps it was because she's a Princess that she had the mind to forfeit under what seemed to be overwhelming odds?
Or was it because this was all an elaborate trap?
What could the Princess even be using as a trap though? She doesn't have the manpower for anything, her Demon's gone and they'd surely feel it if it was resummoned. They've been tracking the ship via Harusame's communicator since the previous op, and from what they could tell, the Abyssals have merely gone back to wandering around aimlessly. They didn't have anything to trap them with. So why couldn't Abukuma shake that feeling of unease, even after the threatening power of the Demon had faded with it? It was almost like that menacing sense of danger had never left, or at most only partially left, still emanating from all around her. Of course, the Princess herself must not be taken lightly, and she didn't look happy one bit, but all THIS killing intent from just her alone? The light cruiser hoped she really was just being paranoid.
The Abyssal beckoned for Abukuma and her sisters to back away slightly, and they obliged without ever pointing their guns away, giving her some space to jump down, and jump down she did, landing with a splash on the water, her hands still raised. The rest of her escorts remained aboard, and Abukuma couldn't tell what they were doing from where she was. No one was shooting though so there should be no problems.
"Before you drag me back to wherever the fuck hellhole you came from, could you do me one last favor?"
"You sure are swearing more than I remember. Bad day?"
"I've had worse, until you fucks showed up."
"So what's the favor?"
The ensuing slasher grin that covered the Princess' face was a dead giveaway, but by then it was already too late. Two great white hands erupted from the ocean, tossing Nagara, Yura and Isuzu away, and crashed together in a booming CLAP with the last sister in between. As if on cue, the clap and the sickening crunching squish gave way to the war cries of the many dozens of Abyssals that surged forth from the ship; battleships, carriers, the odd cruisers, hollering and whooping as they jumped from the deck and every big enough hole the ship's hull had.
Amidst the ensuing chaos, Abukuma's brain froze. Three things worked together to overload her mind.
The screams of her sisters and comrades as the ambushers unloaded hell on their unprepared prey;
Natori's blood dripping from the giant hands' gaps, her mangled body still hidden for now;
And the new Demon now fully emerged, different yet all too familiar.
It was a struggle for her to even stutter the simple words in her mind.
"Y-You're…not the…her…you're…you're…"
"Pffft! I can't believe this! You fucks actually FELL FOR IT?! GAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH!"
As the air filled with the imposter's mad guffaws, Abukuma barely returned to her senses enough to dodge the Princess' bone-smashing punch and scream into the communicator for the fleet to retreat and regroup, radio silence be damned now!
"ADMIRAL! IT'S A TRAP! OUR TARGET'S BEEN REPLACED AND WE'RE BEING AMBUSHED BY SUPERIOR FORCE!" The light cruiser screamed over her enemy's laughter and the panic from her own comrades, but to her even greater dismay, nothing came back but static. Something had happened back at base and cut off communications. They were really on their own now. Meanwhile the other half of the imposter's fleet surfaced from the depths where they laid in wait, surrounding the fleet that once surrounded the ship.
"I'll be honest, I was really having my doubts about this 'plan' of hers. Almost thought I played fucking dress-up for nothing, but you retards actually fell for it SO BAD! GAHAAHAHAHAHAH!" The Southern War Princess and her Demon howled with laughter, her armaments materializing in a blaze of red while she approached the freaked out Abukuma. "This day just got a FUCKTON better alright! Now, do me a little favor…and SINK!"
She was just taking a stroll by the docks when the alarms blared. Within the minute, everything went to hell.
"Admiral!" Fusou barged through the doors, urgency written all over her face. Even as the secretary, she wouldn't normally dare THINK of doing something so impolite as to charge into the Admiral's own office, but she'd make an exemption for this, and she knew the Admiral wouldn't care for formalities either ways. "The naval base is under attack! Our communications and power supply has been compromised by the enemy air force! We've lost the-"
"I'm not deaf and blind, Fusou." The battleship stared blankly at the man, a bit taken aback by the unexpected sight. The entire Guardian Office was in a state of uproar from the ambush, humans and Fleet Girls alike were frantically trying to deal with the emergency, yet here the Admiral was, standing by the window, calmly gazing out at the smoke and fires.
"Y-your orders, Admiral?" Fusou found herself stuttering, the Admiral's seeming serenity so jarring she almost forgot why she was there. In response, the Admiral gave an irritated grunt and eyed the Fleet Girl with his usual disdain.
"Isn't it obvious? Get out there and fight them, what else? Shouldn't be hard considering there's, what, five of them? Of course, one's a boss so that complicates everything."
Fusou's jaw dropped slightly, and she blinked a few times instinctively as if to help register what she just heard. "B-but…I haven't even given you the status report…h-how did you know the invading force?"
"Because who else could they be? The comm was bait and the fleet went after a ghost ship while they looped around to hit us. I thought they were too retarded to pull any tricks, but since here they are now, that's obviously not the case. Guess I owe Abukuma a sandwich." The Admiral answered nonchalantly, still gazing out the window with an almost bored look on him. "The timing's too perfect, and they know exactly where we are and what to hit. That little shit must have tipped them off before she died. Well played, Harusame, well goddamn played."
"A-Admiral…Excuse me for inquiring, but…why are you so calm about this?!" The battleship couldn't help but ask. She was a Fleet Girl, and a battleship-level one at that, and she was honestly terrified of their minimal numbers right now against a Princess-class enemy that has managed to take them by surprise and cut off any chance to call for reinforcements; yet here was the Admiral, a fragile human, not seeming to care in the slightest! Admiral Gray has always been an aloof one since their first failed operation, often for the worse, as his secretary she knew more about him than most others, which still wasn't a lot unfortunately. But to be THIS apathetic at such a critical moment, this was beyond even her understanding!
"That's none of your concern. Now, I'm assigning you as the flagship of this defense operation, assign the others as you see fit, but you'll be going after the Princess-class yourself since you're the last battleship here, obviously. The goal's not to win, I know that's beyond you people, but to stall enough time for the others to evacuate. Speaking of which, since the intercom's down, you'll have to go tell the men to get in the choppers and evac, screw the bunkers, Admiral's orders. Have fun, Fusou, try not to die too fast."
"But w-what about you, Admiral?"
"Again, none of your business. Now what are you still doing here? You have your orders, go do your job."
"U-understood, Admiral!" With nothing else she could think of to say, Fusou saluted and hurried back the way she came, making for the armory, even more confused than before. She had hoped speaking with the Admiral would calm her nerves and give her direction, but it seems that was beyond HIM. Oh why, why did she have to be assigned to this Guardian Office, to this Admiral? Why did all of this have to happen? She hoped Yamashiro was alright, that her sister had merely been sent on a wild goose chase instead of some sort of danger. And the sky was so blue that day… Such misfortune…
Once the Fleet Girl had gone, the Admiral finally left the window and returned to his seat. There was little point to effort; his entire fleet had failed to protect a single ship, then was later crushed by Southern back in its prime; the portion that remained to defend the base now was a joke by comparison. If it was a few weeks later, after the science geeks had finished that secret weapon they've been totting about last conference, things might be different, big might of course considering how well these ship girls turned out, but now? Please. Yet though he expected no better than the complete wipe of his defense force and all of Naval Base San Diego, he was in no hurry to go anywhere.
The Admiral laid eyes upon the framed photo sitting on his desk, and moved it to the center.
Let them come. He was tired of this nonsense.