A volley of gunfire lashes out on the island as the Sakura Empire's ships rain hell down upon the landing grounds for their troops. Atago seems to be taking a great amount of joy in finally being able to test her might against the enemy who was only now beginning to respond.
The onshore weapons had been supplied by the Eagle Union and consisted of several large and smaller caliber guns. However large they were, they were not very accurate as a shell lands far behind the Atago. The heavy cruiser next to her returns fire on the defensive positions and left no remnants of the onshore battery.
"Atta girl! Save some for me!" Atago shouts out to no one since they were still ordered to maintain radio silence. Atago's response to her Kansen friend was to fire her own volley at an AA battery that had been terrorizing Ryūjō's fragile planes. Atago demolishes the AA battery in a second, hardly giving the operators time to respond to the salvo.
"Nice job Atago. You see that cave entrance over there?" My eyes had been scanning the shore for secret locations that the Eagle Union may have set traps for our troops. My binoculars pinpointed a suspicious looking cave that potentially could have been detrimental to the men in the transports waiting for the bombardment to end.
"Waiting for your command, commander." She said passionately. Who knows how many I would kill by saying these words. To be honest, I didn't seem to care. This was war. Only the strong will survive.
"Fire!" Her weapons crack across the water and slam directly into the cave with pinpoint accuracy. The ground above the cave jumps and explodes in a passionate detonation that sends shockwaves across the water. Keeping their weapon ammunition in such an exposed location was rule #1 of what not to do in a defensive position.
The water falls silent as each ship waits for something to move on the island. They wait. And wait. And wait. Atago lets out a cute yawn and places her head in her hand. The winds changed slightly towards the South West, this slight adjustment gave the go ahead to end radio silence.
Many voices, both Kansen and officers, flood the headphones at once congratulating each other and barking orders at the same time. Eventually, all the voices were worked out until only the fleet admiral remained.
"All heavy cruisers remain at your positions. Destroyers and light cruisers move in to provide support for our troops transports as they land. I repeat-" I set the headphones down and turn to Atago.
"They're ordering us to stay behind while the lighter ships move in." I explain to her. She seems to be focused on the air.
"Up there, Ryūjō's scouting planes." I take a suprised turn and point my binoculars up at the sky, only seeing clouds.
"Where?"
"75 degree angle and to your right sir." Atago states, stating exactly where they were in the sky. Sure enough, when I point my binoculars up at the position are a flight of scout planes sent by Ryūjō.
"Wow, that's impressive Atago."
"Thank you commander~"
Atago and I watch what the planes do as they fly over the island. Each one spread out to search for both Naval reinforcements and troop reinforcements. The air was silent except for the humming of their engines. Atago's ear flickers.
"Oh no, they need to get out of there!" Atago seems to sound alarmed.
"What's wrong?!" I ask her desperately. Before she could answer, the lead plane turned around and started heading back towards Ryūjō. "Attention! This is Ryūjō speaking! We have incoming! All hands prepare to man your Aircraft mounts!" The feminine voice alerts the entire fleet.
Atago aims her guns towards the sky in a desperate move to save the troop transports. Suddenly, my human ears could finally hear what Atago was so alarmed about.
"Allinson engines." I manage to make it out just before a hail of bullets destroy one of the troop transports.
Out of the clouds came an entire squadron of P-40 fighters screaming towards the troop transports. All anti-aircraft weaponry activated in an instant and set the fighters ablaze in a never ending hail of machine gun fire.
The P-40s brave the hail and are rewarded for their efforts. The fighters ignited two more troop transports and had only 5 fighters shot down. The first wave retreats back into the cloud bank.
Thousands of men lay in the waters with bullet wounds and limbs removed from their bodies. Atago gasps as she sees desperate men in the waters trying to swim to their closest friendly destroyer only to have her lit up with fighter machine gun fire as well. The destroyer only suffered minor damage but it killed a few people on her bridge.
Another wave of fighters are all but shot down raising their total to 18 shot down planes. However, those 18 planes did not make up for the thousands of men we had just lost when the transports slipped beneath the waves. The sounds of engines stop as the fighters retreat back to their airport.
The passionate Atago now lay silent as rescue efforts continued to yield less and less results. I could feel the turbines driving her start to move to aid the survivors but I grab her shoulder.
"We have orders to remain here, Atago."
"I-I know. But we can't just let them…"
"This is war Atago. We cannot jeopardize the mission by sailing up and helping them. We may get beached, or worse, we could run right over survivors. It's best to let the destroyers handle it…" I tell her not so sure if we shouldn't go help myself.
Atago whimpers and her ears droop at the sight. Though I had spent months with her before this battle, this was the first time I had seen her ears droop. I grab her hand as we watch the saving process commence from just outside the bridge room.
Her hands are warm and soft. Completely opposite to the situation which unfurled around them.
"Hey, Tsuyoshi?" She called me by my name.
I turn to face her. She looks up at me with her beautiful golden eyes. She then shies her gaze away before walking back into the bridge room. "I think I'm going to sleep early tonight."
I watch her disappear into the bridge room, leaving myself alone to watch.
"Atago?" She had left her door unlocked. To be polite, I still knocked anyway.
When no answer came I slowly opened the door as not to make any sudden movements. Atago lay in an ensign bed which she claimed as her own.
"Hey, I just want to say I'm sorry. For everything."
"It's not your fault commander, please don't blame this on you." She pleads.
"That is not what I was talking about. I mean about making you fight. I wished for a more gentle way to transition you into war but I guess that's just how war is sometimes." I began to recognize Kansen emotions other than Atago's playful nature. Deep down, they really were just girls.
"Commander, I was only built for that one purpose. If I can't even do that then…"
"Tell me, which did you enjoy more, the peaceful port or this chaotic battleground."
Atago stays silent for a small moment. "The peaceful port." I sigh and kneel to reach and pat her head. She takes her head and moves it closer to my hand as I begin to streak my hand through her black hair.
"Then it would only make sense for this to be upsetting to you. This is your first taste of real war and I'm sorry that you had to be introduced this way. To be honest with you, all my naval training couldn't have prepared me for a real fight. Too many things don't go according to plan and even if you try your best, sometimes your enemy is too good. War changes you, and not always for the better. Everyone on those transports knew that one way or another they would eventually die for the Empire. Just as you and I know someday we may have to die for it as well. They knew and yet they chose to be there, just as I am choosing to be here with you."
I give the insides of her ears a light brush as she lays contently on her bed. A very slight sigh escapes her lips as she tries to keep something more sensual down.
"We all stand strong in the face of adversity. Even if we need someone to do it with us. You are my ship and I am your commander. I believe in your ability just as much as you believe in mine. I can't promise we won't see anymore of what we did today, but I can promise that when we do, I will be right here just as you will be right there for me."
Atago sniffs trying to hold back something from swelling. She sits up in her bed and takes a deep breath in and a deep breath out. "Thank you, Hiroto."
I blush but if she's feeling well enough to tease then she must be well enough to move. I smile at her when she calls my name and stand up.
"This is where you sleep? In an ensign compartment?" I ask trying to lighten the mood.
Atago sniffs, laughs, and moves some liquid falling from her eye away with her hand. "I didn't want to impose on your quarters."
"Come with me, I bet we can find you a better place to take a quick nap. You deserve it."
"Thank you, commander. You're being awfully sweet~"
"Just trying to do my job." I tease.
She gets up, stumbles clumsily a little, then walks with me to the main deck.
...
"You want me to sleep in your room?" Atago asks me once we arrive.
"You can use my bed to rest up and I'll allow you to use it whenever you want afterwards." I say. She seems to happily make her way into my room.
"But…"
She turns around waiting for my ultimatum.
"There is a strict no shoe policy so hand over your heels." I hold out my hand.
"But commander-"
"No buts. Even I take off my shoes before entering." Atago sighs and struggles to take off her heels. She hands them to me with a smile on her face before running and planting herself face first into my bed.
I shake my head amused and shut the door, leaving her heels on the ground outside. I turn to look out over at the mess outside. One of the transports was a burning wreck and the rest had sunk below water. Without the sounds of the engine, you could really hear the roar of the flames even from the back line.
I turn to look back towards my cabin doors and sigh as I climb back up to the bridge.
There would be two more days before we were able to ammase enough troops to attempt another landing. Hopefully, this landing would be more successful than the first one.
The transports assume the formation from two days ago while we are given the order to wait for enemy planes or counter attacks. Fortunately for us, we wouldn't get one and the landings were allowed to precede.
News came from the East that their transports were under attack by B-17s and to watch out for anymore Eagle Union aircraft. Atago kept her eyes and ears open for any sign of the bombers. With her watchful eyes and Ryūjō's fighters patrolling the skies, they felt confident about the landing.
The transports encounter no interference and slowly let all of the landing troops out onto the beach. The troops continued to push their luck by moving up into the edge of the forest. Atago silently watched with only the flicking of her ears giving away her true emotions.
I grab her hand tightly and she begins to relax. However this does not last long as her ears stand at attention.
"I'm picking something up on Hydroacoustics." She says alarmed.
I rush to check the sonar map and sure enough, there was a blip on the map.
I grab my microphone and push the emergency frequency button to alert all ships.
"Attention! Enemy submarine detected! Evasive Maneuvers!" Atago's engines immediately begin generating thrust as the sound of a torpedo echoes throughout the water.
The torpedo comes close but misses the Atago by a wide margin. Other ships begin to move erratically as they too try and dodge their own torpedoes.
"Atago, maneuver yourself over the target and prepare to launch depth charges." "Aye aye commander!" Atago moves herself to the dot on the map and begins jettisoning depth charges into the water. Explosions erupt around us as the charges go off, scoring no direct hits but it was enough to scare the submarine off as its dot becomes smaller and smaller on the screen.
Atago and I collectively hear a breath of relief across the entire navy. We look at each other and laugh.
While this was happening, the ground force had been forced back to the beach by heavy resistance. It was clear that this battle was only beginning.
We were given orders to fire upon the forest while the Sakura troops held out in defensive positions. The heavy cruisers, Atago included opened up first, sending their larger shells straight into the heart of the forest. The smaller cruisers and destroyers then fired a constant hail of shells while the heavy ships reloaded. Ryūjō provided vital information from above as well as constantly bombarding the enemy with aerial ordinance. I saw the future of warfare right before my eyes and it was terrifying.
After endless pounding for hours, the troops once again decided to push and were once again met with little to no resistance to their occupation. They seized prisoners and continued on through until they were out of sight from all except Ryūjō.
"Well done Atago. We successfully completed our first mission." I say, bearing a smile on my face and giving her a pat on the back.
"Thank you, commander. I could not have done it without you." She gives me a polite bow. I return the bow and the two of us rise at the same time.
"So what do we do now?" She asks, preparing to set a course.
"Now, we return to the nearest port to rearm and refuel. I highly doubt we will be out of the action long though." He muses.
"That just means we will be spending more time together." She teases.
I blush and silently damn the code on Kansen relationships.
"I guess it does. But from now on, you'll be sleeping in my quarters and I'll be sleeping on the bridge."
"I couldn't possibly take your quarters from you, commander. I will sleep where I always have."
"Nonsense, you will do no such thing. I can see how sore you are after a battle, you need rest." I demand.
"C-commander, it is not the battle that is making my back sore." She blushes and hides her uniformed breasts from view.
I blush and immediately try to defend myself.
"Nonono, I didn't mean it like that! They're very beautifu- I mean they're very large- I mean they're-"
In the end, we just decided to share my quarters. The bed was big enough for the both of us but I still decided to sleep on a futon while she took the bed. She was not happy about it but it was the least I could have done for her.
Atago sleeps so silently I had almost forgotten that she was there. As I nod off, I try to push the rising thoughts of her in my mind away once again. It was becoming harder and harder to continue this routine.
"Now I knew what the Emperor meant." I say outloud to myself before tucking in and falling asleep.
Palau was a beautiful and tiny island out in the very farthest west reaches of the Sakura Empire. The officers stationed there said it was like being on vacation all day everyday they were there. The beaches were clear and the sand was as fine and white as bleach. When we arrived we could see just how right those statements were. Even the port looked like it was made for a vacation as our task force parked to rearm and refuel.
"Amazing! Even in winter it's hot! I can finally wear my swimsuit again!" Before I can interject, Atago runs and changes into her swimsuit before we can even dock.
She returns, flashing me a quick peek at her bust as she pretends to fix a part of her skirt. She returns back up with a wink and walks past me out onto the bridge deck outside of the door.
I try to calm myself as she jumps off the bridge and onto the water, gracefully skating on the water. This was something I learned they could do in school as it allowed for more close and personal fights with the enemy if the situation arose for such an engagement.
I watch in mesmerization as she expertly skates across the water and onto the beach, feeling the sand beneath her toes. I guide the Atago by her wheel into port and stop her just before I hit the dock. I climb off of the Atago and congratulate a few of my commanding officers personally before heading to see Atago at the beach.
The beach was immaculate, too perfect almost. And it was hot. Hot enough to think swimming may still be a good idea in winter. Atago wasn't the only Kansen with the idea of going for a swim. Others I didn't recognize also seemed to want to take their few days off at the beach.
One common trait I began to notice among other Kansen was that their size was typically dependent on their class. Destroyers tended to be littler while cruisers and heavy cruisers tended to be much larger in more than one department. Something clearly obvious in Atago. I began wondering if her sisters were much the same as her.
"Commander Tsuyoshi, that was some great work out there." A smaller girl came up to me. My first thoughts were that she were a destroyer Kansen but I was quickly proven wrong.
"Don't assume me a destroyer based on my size. I am the Aircraft Carrier Ryūjō."
"I thought I recognized your voice. You were pretty spectacular yourself out there. I would love to have a tour of your ship sometime, I've never been on an aircraft carrier before."
"I can arrange that. It's the least I could do for saving me from a Torpedo attack." She responded.
"If you want to thank anyone, thank Atago. She's the one that detected the, before I could."
"Perhaps I may."
A wet and cold arm slithers around mine as a cold and wet body wraps herself around my right arm.
"Commander, was this aircraft carrier bothering you? Maybe I need to punish the little ones for getting in the way between me and Commander."
"Hello Atago, be careful who you call little ones. Do not forget, I am still an Aircraft carrier despite my destroyer-like body. I was not trying to steal him from you, merely congratulating him on a job well done. I should not need to remind you of the rule that states that there be no romantical relationships between you and your commander."
"This isn't romantic, right commander~" She squeezes her body and breasts into me as I try to keep a clear head.
"Y-yes. Nothing going on here. No-siree." Ryūjō does not look convinced by shrugs anyways. "If they find out, it's not me who will be responsible. Though I suppose I must thank you, Atago. Your ears saved me and many others from being at the bottom of the ocean."
"Commander~ Did you tell them about that? Gosh, you're making me blush."
'Coming from the one who is rubbing her womanly charm all over me' I think to myself but I must continue to try and keep thinking straight.
"Anyways, I'll see what I can do about that tour commander. But for now, enjoy your little beach day. They won't last long!" Ryūjō walks away to talk with her own commander, giggling when he makes a joke with her.
A splash of water forces me to pay attention to the heavy cruiser in front of me with her feet in the water. The splash gets my uniform slightly damp and throws my cap off which flies off into the wind only to land a couple of feet away from me.
I take the top of my uniform off and leave it on the ground to dry in the sun. I scoop up a handful of water and throw it at Atago as she giggles. Landing square in her face, my attack seems to be super effective as she begins chasing me around the water with splashes of water.
"You can't outrun me, Commander~" She says as she splashes me with water. I turn around and splash her just as she was turning away, catching her hair in the process. Atago retaliates by getting my hair wet as well as the two of us descend into water themed chaos.
"That was great Commander~" Atago moans as her body cries out.
"I didn't know you could go for so long." I pant in return.
"You were able to hold your own far longer than I thought you could."
'What can I say, I got it from my father."
We both lay down on the fine sand after almost three hours of playing in the water. My pants had been completely ruined and I couldn't even stand up after chasing Atago around the entire day. The sun was setting on the serene evening as we both tried to catch our breath.
We both chuckle at the situation we found ourselves in. It was becoming colder and we both knew the water and the cold didn't make for a very good combination, but we were both too tired to get up and move inside. Despite our predicament, it was quite relaxing to lay next to each other as the sun went down on the horizon. If any of the officers saw us, we would be reported immediately and I would lose not only my ship but my honor as well. I could not allow either of those to happen. However, it was more tempting to just lie and let the sun melt away on the horizon.
"Why can't everyday be like today." Atago sighs.
"Because I don't think my body can take this everyday." I joke. She laughs as I turn to face her.
"Between you and me. If I could, I would end this war right now. The Emperor wants so too but he is being forced by the military to keep going. Right now we can only eat or be eaten."
Atago sits up as she asks a question.
"What happens to me when the war is over? Do you think I'll be able to come back here and see this place again?"
I cannot form an immediate response for I don't know what would happen to her and the other Kansen. They aren't mass produced ships that can be scrapped and they aren't exactly women either.
"Knowing humanity, I'd say they'd either keep you around and integrate you into their society, or toss you and leave you to defend for yourself."
"I like one of those options better than the other."
"It's also the lesser of the likely options to happen." I say bluntly. Atago seems to have acknowledged this fact and come to terms with it as all she does is let out a sigh.
"What about you commander, what will you do after the war?" I lay in the sand and look up at the stars that were continuing to form in the night sky.
"I'm not sure. But there is still plenty of time in this war so I can wait to figure it out. It's not like I'm in some rush either."
"The future is what we're fighting for isn't it? I think it would be good to have a goal in mind." Atago rolls onto her stomach because that was getting cold, leaving her exposed back and hips for me to blush at. Atago smirks at me as she notices my color change.
"It's getting quite cold. We should get back to the ship." Atago says playfully.
"Fine, fine. Just let me get all the sand out of my clothes." Which I found out the hard way was easier said than done.
"Maybe I'll let you play with my breasts when we get back if you're so infatuated with them." Atago smirks at me.
"I-I can't help it okay. Could I even be called a man if I didn't find you attractive?" I say with each word out of my mouth making my face redder and redder.
"Then you don't need to hold yourself back, commander~" Her fingers dance up from my stomach to my chest. I can slowly feel myself losing control of both my body and mind as she gets closer to me and I get closer to her.
In typical Atago teasing fashion, she picks up my cap and places it back on my head with a giggle.
She gets up and brushes herself off.
"Come on commander, before you catch a cold!" She taunts at me playfully.
I blush hard but behind that I'm smiling at the playful fox. The Emperor was more than right, he's a prophet.
"Newh Ordersh Ataga" I say as I brush my teeth in the mirror while reading a letter assigned to me.
"Without your mouth full of toothpaste next time." Atago teases.
I spit out the toothpaste and hand her the letter. "New orders."
Atago begins reading the letter out loud. "Wonderful performance the other day in the Philippines. Thanks to you our operation was a success. As a reward, you will be the flagship for your next mission!" She reads the last four words in a more excited tone. "That's amazing!" She exclaims.
"Keep reading." I state with a smirk.
She looks back down at the letter. "Your next mission will happen immediately after receiving this letter, you are given full permission to travel around the Dutch East Indies and do whatever you deem necessary to take control of them! Commander this is huge!"
"Keep reading!" I laugh in embarrassment from her genuine praise.
"As for your request, I am happy to report that 2 of Takao class heavy cruisers will be joining you in this mission!" Atago leaps at me with tears in her eyes.
"Th-thank you so much Hiroto! I-I-I really can't- sniff Hiroto I-"
She only stops her tears when I take her into a hug and pet her hair. She half laughs half sobs into my shoulder as wrap her in my arms. The smell of Sakura cherries takes me back to a repressed memory of a girl. One I could not remember the face of but it hardly mattered at this moment in time.
"You don't want to look like that when your sisters arrive, do you?" I tease her. She laughs through her tears and playfully hits my chest with her fist a couple of times in embarrassment.
We remain in an embrace for a little while long before she eventually breaks away with a deep sigh.
"Sorry, it's just been so long since I've seen them." She says drying up her tears with her hand. "I wonder which ones they are. Honestly, I don't care which, they're all my sisters just the same."
She quickly puts on her heels and races to the port leaving me behind. I chuckle at the letter that now had tear stains over specific areas of the letter. I myself put my cap on and walk out the door and put my shoes on to the greeting of two new ships in harbor.
They distinctly resembled Atago's hull and seemed the same in every aspect of weaponry. Down below on the beach, Atago hugs two other similarly sized cruisers, one with black hairs similar to Atago's and one with white hair and a bit shorter. The two new additions are accompanied by their own commanders, both of which I recognized from my years at the academy.
I step off of the decks of the Atago and walk towards the beach where Atago was still seen hugging her sisters who had obviously already had their share of hugs.
"Alright Atago, let's not strain your sisters." I say as I pull her off of them. Now that I'm up close, I could obviously tell the one with black hair had the exact same body type as Atago while the white one seemed to be the runt of the litter. Both of them seemed super serious even in the face of their sister.
"You're right. I was just so happy to hear that you came to visit me." She dries her eyes again.
"Calm down sister, you're going to pull a muscle with that much strength." The black haired one says.
"I agree with Takao, sister. We love you just as much but you're going to hurt yourself worrying like that."
"Right, sorry I can't help it. Oh where are my manners, Commander this is Takao and Maya. Two of my sisters."
"It's a pleasure to meet you two." I bow deeply two the two heavy cruisers.
"And you as well, Commander. I trust Atago hasn't caused too much trouble."
"Taakaao~"
"You can be a handful sometimes Atago, sister" Maya responds.
"You two are so mean." She playfully crosses her arms.
I let the cruisers talk out what families do and walk up to the officers I recognized from the Academy.
"Well look what the wind brought in." The one on the left calls out.
"It's been a while hasn't it, Commander Tsuyoshi?"
"It has my friends, how do the cruisers fare?"
"Like a dream my friend. I've never had a ship respond so quickly to my orders and so accurately too."
"Maya is quite the great ship as well, her anti-aircraft has gotten me out of many sticky situations."
"Alright, We get it, you got the one with the AA." I joke around.
"How is Atago?"
"I'm sure she handles a lot like Takao. Her personality is just a bit… different is all."
"I'll say. It must be hard keeping the code in place with her around."
"You have no idea. Though it seems like we'll be sortieing in this next campaign across the East Indies."
"Indeed, and you'll be our flagship. Just like old times."
"Just like old times."
"We should probably get going." The one on the left states.
"You're right. But who's gonna break them up?" I ask.
We all stare at each other and sigh. There was no way we were getting that to happen any time soon…