Kanmusu Naval Base, Tokyo.

Katori opened the door for DesDiv 6 and 30, the little Destroyers piling out of the schoolhouse with the glee of children everywhere hearing a school bell at the end of the day. Katori called after them;

"Now remember you girls! Just because you're on Sortie doesn't mean you get out of your studies! The next test is on nautical navigation and you'll have plenty of opportunity to practice while you're on your mission!" The little boats carried on, and Katori doubted any of them had bothered to listen. She turned to her fellow Light Cruisers, Tenryuu and Yuubari, who had arrived to collect their respective Destroyer Divisions. "Try and make sure they keep up on their work? Please?"

Tenryuu laughed, "Yosha! Sure thing Katori, I'll make sure the little squirts get their schooling done, navigations important! Don't wanna end up like poor Houston over there, right?" The Northhampton cruiser, just having come out of the barracks used by visiting Kanmusu, gave a somewhat crooked grin.

"I swear, people will never let it go that I blundered into the invasion fleet on the Sunda Strait, will they?" Tenryuu just shrugged.

"Hey, I admire ya for that ya know, you went down hard and you went down swinging, 'specially considering Mogami told me you'd had some of your turrets mangled beforehand. Would have loved to 1v1 you back then, woulda been glorious!" The Northhampton mumbled, not honestly sure how to take the praise, as Katori quickly tried to change the subject.

"So you'll be accompanying the Strikeforce? I'd heard that it would be a joint venture between our fleet and the Americans, but I wasn't really told the specifics." Houston nodded.

"Yes, I'll be leading DesRon 22, they... Are under disciplinary action right now." Tenryuu quirked a brow.

"What your little devils do this time?"

"They slipped away from Gambier Bay yesterday, after we found her crying about being 'bullied' by the Destroyers we went out to look for them, it was 3 hours before we found them, drunk, in a local tavern." Tenryuu and Yuubari gasped.

"DRINKING? At their age!? If they were my squadron I'd never let 'em leave the base again!" Houston nodded.

"Well, Iowa was the one who found them, she decided the best punishment was putting them on sortie, well, that and taking away their ice-cream rations." Tenryuu and Yuubari gasped again, "For the next two months," They gasped LOUDER.

"W-Well, that's a pretty fitting punishment! I know I'd have a riot on my hands if I took away my ship's candy bars." Meanwhile, Katori had frozen in place.

"I-Iowa is here?" Houston looked over, seeing the look on the training Cruiser's face.

"Yeah, she should be with Gambier right now, making sure DesRon 22 is re-"

"Hmpf! it seems that I've kept you waiting ... Nameship of the Iowa-class battleships, Iowa, has arrived!" The door behind Houston was kicked open, revealing the absolutely gargantuan American Battleship. She stepped out of the doorframe and struck a pose, "...So how was my Musashi impression?" Houston sighed at her flagships antics, before grinning.

"I'm just surprised you got all the Japanese words right, to be honest, your improving." Meanwhile, Katori had frozen solid, Iowa, of course, noticed this. Katori finally began to react, stumbling backward as Iowa struck a different pose;

"Your next line is: Oh no it's you!"

Katori finished flinching, before pointing her finger at the Battleship. "Oh no it's- Haa?!"

Iowa started laughing as the rest of the American ships filed out, The blond Casablanca Carrier, Gambier Bay, nervously shuffling behind DesRon 22, who looked as though they'd seen better days. USS Tayor grabbed her head as she went out into the light of day.

"Ooooow, my head... WHY O'Bannon? Why did we have to drink so much!" The red-headed Destroyer simply answered with a groan of her own as Bay tried to prod them forward.

"C'mon girls, we have a sortie to go-"

"-Ah shut it Bay, Me 'ead is killin' right now an' ta last 'ting I need is your 'arse tellin me what ta do!" O'Bannon griped, Irish accent slipping through in her daze. Gambier practicallywilted under the words, beginning to sniffle.

"Ah Jesus Bannon, don't make Bay cry, Iowa'll punish us worse than what we have been already!" USS Strong said, nursing her own headache. O'Bannon sighed, before squinting at Gambier.

"Sorry I'm short 'wit yeh today Gamby, not feelin' me'self." Meanwhile, Yuubari nudged Tenryuu.

"C'mon, we have to catch up with the Destroyers before they cause too much of a mess." The one-eyed Light Cruiser nodded, and the pair trudged off, quickly followed by the Americans, Katori, meanwhile, had darted back into the schoolhouse, peeking around the corner at Iowa, who waved. She ducked back around the corner completely.

"She's never gonna let me sinking her go, is she?" Iowa sighed, running a hand through her luxurious blond hair. Houston shrugged.

"She'll probably let it go the same time you let Willie live that torpedo incident down." the Battleship huffed, crossing her arms under her massive...prow.

"You may have a point, but I honestly wouldn't even care if the Star's Damned PRESIDENT hadn't been in me at the time! And I swear if you make a 'Haha inside me' joke I'll give you such a pounding!" Iowa shook her fist at Houston, who's face struggled to not form a grin.

"I wouldn't do that, too obvious. So we're getting pretty heavy Carrier support huh? I heard the Chiyoda, Akagi AND Kaga will be coming, looks like Bay'll have some girls to talk shop with, at least." Iowa nodded.

"We're also getting some Submarines and a Support Carrier. Sheenewnew or something like that. I think she was the third Yamato hull or something? she'll be carrying some spare supplies for the trip, so if you want extra rations you'll be nice to her OK?" She directed the last behind her towards DesRon 22, who quickly nodded, before going back to clutching at their heads. Gambier Bay spoke up.

"Ah, Umm, t-there's gonna be a Yamato t-there? Shes.. I'm g-gonna have to talk to her?" Iowa nodded cheerfully, not noticing the Casablanca shrink in on herself.

"Yep! You'll also have to turn over some of your FM-2's to her, she's gonna take a look and see if she can reverse-engineer some for spares for you!" Gambier gasped.

"S-She can do that?"

"Yep! Now stow it, girls, we're here!"

The American fleet came into the dock-yard, where a gaggle of Carriers and Battleships waited. The Japanese secretary-ship, Houshou, was talking to the Carriers, handing out Bentos.

"Now Akagi, I know you get very hungry out there, so I packed a little extra into your box." The petite woman said. She turned to Kaga, "And I put some of that tuna that you like in with your onigiri, try and eat it before the rice dries out, OK?" The significantly taller Carrier nodded demurely, taking the box from Houshou's hands as Chiyoda opened hers, taking a bite out of her provided candy bar before closing it up again.

"Alright girls! Fall in with your formations!" Iowa said, herself starting towards the two Battleships, Kongou and Nagato. Houston corralled DesRon 22 towards the forming madhouse that was the other Japanese Destroyer Divisions. Gambier bay stood alone now, looking on towards the Carriers with a look of dread.

"OK, you can do this Gambier! T-they arent hostile, they are friendly and totally not going to sinkmeohmygodI cant do this!" She turned around to run, only to smack into a brick wall.

Well not actually, if it had been she'd have gone straight through.

As she bounced off the torso of what had to be a Kanmusu, Gambier Bay looked up, frantic apology on her lips.

"I'm sorry! I waaaaaa..." She petered off, looking up, up, up, into the eyes of what was clearly a MASSIVE Japanese ship-girl. She blinked.

"EEP!/AHH!" They both screamed, and sprinted away from one another as fast as they could.