It was early in the morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon, as Daimlon was gathering and organizing the information provided on UG Island with Regina.
"What's the range on our scout aircraft?" Daimlon asked, taking a sip of his morning tea.
Regina floated off his right shoulder, looking down on the papers on his desk. "About seven hundred kilometers." She said, adjusting her glasses.
Daimlon just scratched his freshly shaven face. The scout aircraft would be able to fly to UG Island, but they wouldn't be able to make it back with their fuel reserves. If Daimlon wanted more information on the base of UG, he would only have one option. "We could send Jintsuu or Sendai on a recon mission. Have them sail within three hundred kilometers of UG, launch their scouts, and wait for them to return. Other than that, I don't see any way of obtaining more information." Daimlon said, looking up at Regina with a serious face.
"We could use Yuu to get a look at the base." Regina said.
"No. The area is crawling with Destroyers, chances of them detecting her are too high. I'd rather use the risk free option of using scout aircraft." Daimlon said, looking back to the information at his disposal.
Regina thought for a few moments, scraping the barrel for ideas. "Sitting there for a couple hours waiting for aircraft to return seems a little risky to me." She said.
"Yeah. Why do our aircraft have such a short range? Most aircraft have a range reaching into at least a couple thousand kilometers." Daimlon asked, looking at her for a proper explanation.
"It's what we have to use until we can field better equipment. Once we obtain better aircraft, you can swap out our old aircraft for the new." Regina said, placing her hand on her hip.
"How do we get better aircraft?" He asked.
"By using a Workshop. It hasn't been constructed on this base yet, and it's not cheap at all. The Workshop makes improvements to the designs of our aircraft, guns, torpedoes, radar, sonar, depth charges, anti aircraft guns, engines, armor, and anything else I failed to mention. They even handle remodeling ship blueprints which can be used to upgrade them significantly. You tell them to research aircraft, and a week or two later they present a new design for you to use." Regina explained, removing her hand from her hip.
"So it's like an R&D lab. How much does it cost to make?" Daimlon asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ten thousand of each resource." Regina said simply.
Daimlon just took a deep breath and let his shoulders go limp. "I get the feeling that things get expensive quickly around here." Daimlon said.
"Let's not forget the upkeep cost of five hundred of each resource every day, which only goes up as it levels as well." Regina said, a slight smile creeping onto her face.
"I get it, we can't afford it." Daimlon said. He stared back at the papers on his desk.
Regina just looked at him for a few seconds. "So how do you want this recon mission done?" Regina asked, changing the subject.
"I'm thinking we should use a small force. Three ships aren't likely to be detected, so we'll use Sendai, and an escort of two Destroyers. Once they retrieve the scout plane from the recon mission, they'll immediately head back." Daimlon explained as he continued to think about the operation being set up.
"Which Destroyers are you going to send?" Regina asked.
Daimlon thought about it for a couple seconds. "Shigure and Maikaze will accompany Sendai. I've also decided how we're going to use the room downstairs." Daimlon said, looking at Regina.
"Oh?" Regina said, looking at Daimlon with curiosity.
"I want it to be turned into a briefing room. I want it equipped with several dozen chairs, a projector screen that can display a slideshow of maps and information, as well as a dry erase board on either side of the screen. I also want anything you think will be useful to be added as well. I'll leave the layout of the room to you, but I want it done before lunch." Daimlon said, looking at her with a serious face.
"You want me to start on that now?" Regina asked, adjusting her glasses.
Daimlon started writing the requirements he desired on a sticky note that he obtained from his drawer, and handed it to Regina. "If you would, please." He said.
Regina took the sticky note from Daimlon, which was almost as large as she was, and gave him a sharp nod. "Right away. I'll have it done sooner than you think." Regina said confidently.
"Thank you." Daimlon said, turning his attention to his computer. With that, Regina dissipated to begin her work. Daimlon clicked away until he found himself staring at the construction screen. They had enough resources for three construction projects identical to the previous ones. He clicked the 'Construct a ship' button, and the massive resource allocation screen appeared before him on top of his desk. He turned to look at it, and began adjusting the numbers. He bumped up each of the resources to three hundred of each, except for bauxite.
He didn't want to put more resources into small ships, but with the orders he was given, he would have to put upgrading the resource generators on the back burner for now. He decided to construct one more small ship, and save the rest for tomorrow where he would dump it into a, hopefully, larger ship to be used in the operation.
He placed his hand in the confirmation box, and received a six and a half hour timer, the lowest timer since Lilly. He shrugged it off and sat back down to continue organizing the information they had obtained. He started working on Jintsuu's test since it was almost finished. Just minutes after he began, there was a knock on the door.
As Daimlon was about to shout for them to enter, Sendai burst through the door. "Mornin' Admiral! What did you need me for?" Sendai said in a cheerful tone. She had a wide grin on her face, and immediately walked over to his desk.
"Please wait for me to tell you to enter before doing so." Daimlon said as he looked over at her. He swiveled his chair to face her.
"Why?" Sendai asked as she sat down in the seat in front of Daimlon's desk.
Daimlon just sighed. "If I'm having a confidential discussion with someone, I don't want anyone just inviting themselves in." Daimlon said, resting his chin in his hand.
Sendai just waved him off. "Oh, don't worry, I can keep secrets." She said with a large smile.
"I don't care, wait the extra couple seconds. I'm not asking too much." He said, placing his ankle on his leg, brushing his knee against the inside of the desk as he did. He really wanted to move away from the current topic.
"Alright, fine, fine." Sendai said, raising her hands apologetically for a brief moment. Silence fell between them for a moment or two. "Now what did you need?" Sendai asked.
"I'm giving you your first mission. It's going to be a simple scouting mission, but it's important that you do it well." Daimlon said, interlocking his fingers on his desk.
"Just tell me what you want me to do." Sendai said confidently.
Daimlon sat forward and pulled out the map of the area that contained UG Island, laying it out in front of her. She brought the chair closer to get a better look. "We've been tasked with bringing down a small Abyssal base, and we need more information. Tomorrow morning, you'll set sail under cover of darkness at 0400 and navigate to this point." Daimlon said, pointing his pen at a marked location on the map, three hundred kilometers away from UG. A smile crept onto Sendai's face when he said 'darkness'. "By the time you get there, it should be sunrise. I want you to launch your scout aircraft once you reach your destination. Have it navigate to UG Island, and by the time your aircraft arrives it should be bright enough to get a good view of the base. Have your aircraft gather as much information on UG as possible before it needs to return to refuel. Once it returns safely, you are to immediately head back and report your findings to me." Daimlon sat back in his chair as he finished.
"Anything in particular you're looking for?" Sendai asked, sitting back in her own seat as well.
Daimlon paused for a brief moment. "Anything that would prove detrimental to an attacking fleet. Ships, coastal batteries, airstrips, naval mines, or anything that could stop us from torching the place. I also want you to find the location of their supply stores, such as fuel tanks or munitions depots. Gather as much information as possible, anything you can learn will help greatly. Above all, I want a report on what kinds of ships you see, and if they are capable of putting up aircraft or not." Daimlon said, readjusting himself in his seat.
"Alright, should be simple enough. Anything you want me to do while the aircraft does it's thing?" Sendai asked.
"No, hold position until it returns. You will be escorted by Maikaze and Shigure. I'm assigning you as flagship on this mission, so when I'm not issuing orders, you're in charge. It's your responsibility to make sure the mission gets completed, and that Maikaze and Shigure are ready to go at 0400. I want to stress that if you're spotted by the enemy, you are to scrub the mission, ditch the plane, and return home immediately. However, the chances of detection are remote." Daimlon said, grabbing a piece of paper, and immediately began writing on it.
"Easy enough. Are Shigure and Maikaze aware of this yet?" She asked, crossing her legs.
"Not yet, if you have trouble convincing them that I tasked them to help you, show them this." Daimlon said, as he held up his sheet of paper. It listed all three names, and then detailed the mission they were tasked with. It listed the time of departure, estimated time of arrival at the point of aircraft launch, and what they were supposed to do in a detailed list. Daimlon signed it at the bottom neatly, ensuring that they knew it was, indeed, Daimlon's official order.
Sendai took the paper. She skimmed over it briefly and folded it three times, and tucked it inside her right arm sleeve. "Alright, I'll go tell them now." Sendai said as she stood up to head for the door.
"Hold it. I wanted to talk to you about something else." Daimlon said, stopping her in her tracks. Sendai just looked at him as she paused mid stride.
"About?" Sendai asked as she sat back down in her seat.
Daimlon paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I want you to tell me everything you know about Jintsuu." Daimlon said, looking at her with a serious face.
"...Why should I do that? Why do you need to know about Jintsuu?" Sendai asked with demanding eyes.
Daimlon just took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, leaning back in his chair as he thought. "What I'm about to tell you is confidential. It's not to be brought up with anyone else, if you can't keep it between us, let me know now." Daimlon said.
"I told you, I can keep secrets." Sendai said, crossing her legs again.
After a brief pause, Daimlon spoke to her for several minutes, informing her of Jintsuu's past dismissals, the order to scrap her if necessary, and how he wants to help her. He refrained from saying anything about the testing's true purpose, or any ongoing plans.
"So you just want to help her fit in?" Sendai asked, seeking clarification.
"I want to find out why she's being dismissed, and solve the issue that's causing her to be dismissed. Anything you can tell me would help both Jintsuu and myself." Daimlon said.
Sendai sat up in her seat excitedly. "I wanna help! I can do more than just tell you about her. I'm beside her most of the day anyway, I can feed you info on her all the time." She said firmly with a smile.
Daimlon thought for a few moments. "As long as you can keep Jintsuu in the dark about it, that's fine by me. Just let me know of anything that could hinder her ability to function as a member of a fleet." He said.
Sendai sat back in her seat and made herself comfy, and began talking slowly and clearly. "Well... She's always been incredibly reserved, keeping her thoughts and issues to herself, so if she's struggling with something she'll keep quiet about it. She's always had a minor confidence issue, and has always been shy because of it. But, her confidence issue seems much more severe than I was lead to believe. Jintsuu also seeks approval from those around her, especially from anyone above her, you in this case. Though she'll brush it off like it's nothing, receiving a compliment as a reward for her hard work is all it takes to make her day. Because she's so dependent on others' approval, if she doesn't get it, I could see it being an issue." Sendai held her finger up to her chin, looking around the room as she thought about anything that could be relevant.
"Do you have any insight into her combat abilities? So far she's been performing rather poorly in the tests, and I'm thinking that could be the primary cause." Daimlon said.
"Yeah, she's decent until she makes a couple mistakes. Once she's made a few mistakes her composure goes out the window, and once her composure is gone she's not very good at all. That's putting it generously, too." Sendai said as she continued to think.
"What about her interaction with others?" Daimlon asked.
"She's just about the nicest person you could meet. She doesn't speak up often or say much, but she never disrespects anyone." Sendai stated.
The two sat in silence as Daimlon continued to wait for Sendai to vent anything else she might have to say.
"Overall, I think the biggest problem might be that something in her past screwed up her confidence." Sendai said as she crossed her arms. "A mission gone horribly wrong, or she fucked up really bad and people died because of it. Maybe her poor combat performance has taken it's toll on her over the long run, and has worn her confidence down to nothing." Sendai said as she was still thinking.
"I agree with you that something happened to her, but when I asked her, she denied that anything happened. See if you can get her to open up about it." Daimlon said, placing his ankle on his knee.
Sendai just nodded at him slightly. "She builds thick walls around herself, and doesn't let anybody in. So, like I said, she'll deny it all day if something is bothering her. I don't think she'll even tell me, but I'll see if I can get her to talk." She said.
"Also, her confidence isn't totally shot. Not yet, at least." Daimlon stated as he started reaching into his drawer.
Sendai perked up curiously. Daimlon withdrew a sheet of paper, and handed it to Sendai. It was the question sheet Daimlon had Jintsuu answer before her first test. "What's this?" She asked.
"I asked her to fill in how well she thought she was going to do on each test, a test to see how confident she was going into the tests." Daimlon said, placing his ankle back on his knee as he watched Sendai skim over the sheet.
Under every test, she circled an eight or a nine all the way down. "Wow. So she thought she was actually going to do well. Maybe her confidence isn't as much of an issue as we were thinking." Sendai said, looking up from the sheet towards Daimlon.
"I'm attributing it to blind or naive confidence. Even so, however, it still shows that she does have confidence in herself to some extent." Daimlon said.
Sendai swapped which knee sat on top of the other. "It could also be why her confidence has dwindled so much. She sets her sights high, and consistently lets herself down." She said.
"Bingo, my thoughts exactly." Daimlon said with a slight smile.
"Anything else you can show me?" Sendai asked, returning the sheet of paper, which Daimlon stuffed back in it's drawer.
"Not at the moment. Besides, it's almost time for the expedition to set sail, so you need to get ready to go." Daimlon said, glancing at the time.
"Alright, is everyone going this time?" She asked as she stood from her seat.
Daimlon removed his ankle from his knee. "Everyone except Jintsuu is, yeah. Jintsuu is going to start her test shortly." He said.
"Can't you push her test back so she can go with us?" Sendai asked, stretching her arms.
He easily could, but he wanted her to be finished as soon as possible. It would give him more time to go over her test, grade it, and gather as much information on her as possible from it. "I could, but I won't." Daimlon said simplistically.
"C'mon, it'll give her a chance to stretch her legs, and you'll get more resources too." Sendai said with a smile.
Daimlon crossed his arms. "No, the sooner she finishes, the better." He said.
"Why not push the expedition itself back until Jintsuu finishes her test?" Sendai asked, still trying to get her way.
It was obvious to Daimlon that she just wanted Jintsuu's company for the several hour long expedition. "Sendai. I've made up my mind, if you wanted to convince me to do such a thing maybe you should've stopped by last night when I asked you to." He said firmly, making it clear he wasn't budging. "I need resources, and I'm going to try to fit in two expeditions today, and if that happens, Jintsuu will go along on the second one." He finished.
Sendai just groaned with a blank face. "Fiiine." She said, placing her hands behind her head as she headed for the door.
"Sendai." Daimlon said as she turned her back toward him.
She turned around and wordlessly looked at him, her arms still behind her head.
"I also want you to get to know someone other than Jintsuu." He said while he leaned back in his chair.
With that, Sendai turned around again and continued to walk toward the door, swinging it open. "Sure thing." She said simply, before stepping out and closing the door behind her.
Daimlon just sighed as he relaxed deeper in his chair. He stood to go get another cup of tea before he continued working on Jintsuu's test.
Roughly an hour later, Daimlon was finalizing Jintsuu's test, when Regina popped into the room. "The briefing room is finished." She stated pridefully.
Daimlon looked up at her "Already? That was pretty quick." He said as he sat back in his seat and gave Regina his undivided attention.
"I told you it would be sooner than you thought." Regina said with a smile. "Though, I have to say, we finished sooner than I thought as well." She said, her voice trailing off slightly.
Daimlon gave her a funny look. "Why's that?" He asked.
"Ever since Yuu started working in the Supply Depot, efficiency has spiked almost eighty percent." Regina said with a smile.
"Eighty percent? Really? What'd she do?" Daimlon said, completely surprised.
Regina just shrugged. "I don't know, ask her." She said, adjusting her glasses.
"I'll have to drop by sometime and discuss a couple things with her." Daimlon said, thinking aloud.
"I should as well. I could probably learn a thing or two from her." Regina remarked with a smile.
"Anyway, Jintsuu's test is ready. Go tell her to report here immediately. After that, you're dismissed. Thanks for your help with the Briefing Room." Daimlon said, half smiling at her as he finished.
Regina just nodded. "Right away." She said, before disappearing.
Daimlon immediately turned his focus back to Jintsuu's test. In recognition of how intelligent Jintsuu may be, he made the test rather difficult to see just how intelligent she was. He had faith in her to score moderately well despite it's difficulty. In fact Daimlon was expecting no less than a forty five percent from her. The test started off easy, but quickly became more difficult with each question. While he expected her to do okay, he made sure she wouldn't do good. He made the final quarter of the test almost impossible, effectively capping her total score at an eighty.
Daimlon skimmed through the test before Jintsuu's arrival to triple check everything was right. With four pages, fifty questions total, and more than half of the questions being written response, Daimlon expected the test to last at least an hour. He decided to put a time limit of two hours on the test to lay on some pressure. With everything triple checked, he eagerly awaited for Jintsuu to knock on the door. He stapled the four sheets together, and withdrew several blank pages from his drawer.
Just as he was growing impatient, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." He said loudly. He had his fingers interlocked on his desk and wore a serious face.
Jintsuu calmly stepped through the door. She walked over to the desk slowly, avoiding any eye contact. She didn't appear to be as nervous as she usually was when she entered his office. She stopped a few steps away from his desk. "You.. Called for me?" She asked in a slightly nervous tone.
"I did. Your test is ready, are you ready to take it?" Daimlon asked her with a cold stare.
She simply nodded. "Yes." She said calmly. She looked at him, and actually maintained eye contact for once. She shifted her weight to her right leg.
Daimlon grabbed the test and held it out to her. He flipped the front page back, revealing the second one, and pointed to it as he presented it to her. "Most of it is written response, but the second page is all multiple choice." He said, flipping the second page over. "The third page has some maps that you need to read, those ones will be multiple choice but everything else will be written response." He stated, flipping the first two pages back in front again. He extended his hand out to her, prompting her to take the test.
She took it, and immediately let it rest at her side, not even taking a peek. She looked at Daimlon with a determined look, the nervousness in her posture and eyes were gone. "You'll take the test in my room. Go through the door and take the test at the desk to your right. You have a two hour time limit, I'll set a timer and you'll be stopped when the time's up. Your time starts as soon as you walk through the door. Any questions?" Daimlon said powerfully, crossing his arms.
"Yeah. Where's my pen?" Jintsuu said, her voice was stern and unwavering. Daimlon was almost shocked, and had to fight the urge to crack a smile at hearing Jintsuu speak like that for the first time.
"Right, I forgot." He said. He immediately began scavenging for a spare pen, and once he had procured one, he handed it to Jintsuu. "Oh, some scrap paper as well." He said, handing her the blank sheets of paper.
Jintsuu smiled warmly at him after she took the pen and paper from him. "Thank you." She said calmly. She immediately started walking toward the door to Daimlon's room.
Daimlon couldn't hide the smirk this time, but thankfully Jintsuu wasn't looking. It was clear she wasn't lacking confidence when it came to her own intelligence. It was at this time he was thankful he made the test as difficult as he did, realizing it was probably her strongest point. 'If only she was like that all the time' He thought to himself. "Good luck." He said in a simple tone as Jintsuu neared the door.
"Thanks." She stated before opening the door in front of her. She stepped through, and closed the door behind her. Daimlon started the timer, setting it for two hours. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. 'I guess it's my job to guide her to that point.' He thought to himself. He sat there for a while, thinking about what may have caused so much damage to Jintsuu's self esteem.
Out on the ocean, the expedition crew was moving to the next location that they were given to scout for resources. The ocean was calm and clear, allowing you to see for miles. Asashio, named flagship for the expedition, was leading them to their destination. Maikaze, Sendai, Yuu, and Shigure were following close behind her.
"I suppose I enjoy dancing." Shigure said, looking over at Maikaze with a soft smile.
"Yes! I can teach you anything you wanna know!" Maikaze exclaimed, moving closer to Shigure.
Sendai moved in between them, and looked over at Maikaze. "Nonsense, she needs to learn practical skills." She said. Sendai looked over to Shigure on the other side. "I can teach you to night battle with the best of them!" Sendai said with a wide smile.
"Hey! Dancing is very practical!" Maikaze shouted, somewhat offended.
"N-No thank you. I.. I don't like night battles." Shigure said softly, looking down at the water in front of her.
"How is dancing at all practical?" Sendai asked, looking over at Maikaze, not even hearing Shigure's response.
Maikaze just moved in closer to Sendai, within arm's reach, and continued to glare at her. "Obviously it helps with evasion of all sorts! It helps with your agility, balance, and grace in combat!" Maikaze said, arguing her point in a solid voice.
"That's nothing compared to the ability to spot and hit enemies in the dead of night, the moon and stars your only light source!" Sendai snarled at her.
As the two of them continued to argue who had the more practical skill, Yuu was trailing the whole group by a solid twenty meters. She stood straight and tall, her hair flowing behind her in the breeze, dutifully scanning the horizon for anything unusual. She seemed completely unfazed by the commotion going on just ahead of her, almost as if it weren't even happening.
Asashio, at the head of the group, seemed unfazed by the argument as well. She was still discussing navigation issues with Marie. Suddenly, she stopped talking and turned around to the group behind her as the two voices droned on. "Quiet!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The whole group, including Yuu, stopped what they were doing immediately and just looked at Asashio. "Both of you have a practical skill set. Instead of arguing about which one is more practical, you should focus on combining them. Learning how to effectively dance your way around the battlefield in the dark sounds awfully useful to me. Now quit bickering." She lectured harshly, laying down the law. She faced forward again, and continued talking to Marie as if nothing had ever happened.
Yuu quickly returned to scanning around them with her blank face.
Sendai and Maikaze were left speechless for several moments. "...She's right, though." Shigure said with a warm smile, looking at the two girls to her right.
"Yeah.. She is." Maikaze admitted, with a half smile on her face.
"Eh.. Whatever." Sendai said, somewhat annoyed at her interference.
"You wanna do it, Sendai?" Maikaze asked.
Sendai just gave her a funny look. "Do what?" She asked.
"You know, combine our two skills." Maikaze said with a slight smile.
Sendai just looked away for a few seconds. "Maybe someday." She said in a simple tone, clearly uninterested.
There was nothing but silence for almost ten minutes, except for Asashio talking with Marie every so often, ensuring they were still on course.
"Heads up, we're approaching our destination. Keep your eyes out for supplies." Asashio instructed. They started to approach a small chain of islands, each island no larger than a kilometer either way. Upon reaching the islands, they hugged the coast and began to scan for any crates, drums, or anything that looked like a storage container. They came across a drum that was riding the waves against the beach. "Maikaze, Sendai, go check it out." Asashio said.
"Got it." Maikaze said before peeling off to go take a look. Sendai wordlessly followed her. The rest of the group cruised on to look for other containers. Once Maikaze and Sendai arrived at the drum, they began prying it open together.
"Come on, damn you.. Open!" Sendai said as she wrestled with the container. It jutted open, and Sendai was almost thrown back by her own released strength when it did. It contained a moderate amount of steel inside, which they dumped into the storage containers on their backs.
"Shigure, Yuu, Crate over by the beach to our left." Asashio said as she noted Sendai and Maikaze returning to the formation. "Find anything?" She asked them.
"Yeah, we found some steel." Sendai told her as she started scanning the area for more containers.
"Good." Asashio said simply as they slowly trawled forward.
"Alright Yuu, lets get this thing open." Shigure said as they approached the crate.
Yuu wordlessly approached, and took the storage container off her back. "Hold it. Make sure to keep it still." Yuu said in a simple tone. Shigure gripped it firmly, ensuring it didn't move while Yuu pried it open. However, Yuu had no intention of prying a crate open with her bare hands. She held the empty metal drum high above her head, and brought it down with all her might. With a loud crack, she smacked the crate squarely in the middle with the bottom edge of her drum.
Shigure flinched back, letting go immediately. She lost her balance, and soon found herself sitting on the water. Shigure watched wordlessly, completely shocked, as Yuu put the dented drum on her back again, and began to pry the broken pieces of wood off the top. "Are you hurt?" Yuu asked without looking at her or stopping what she was doing.
It took a few moments for her question to register. "Uhh. No, I just wasn't expecting you to smack it like that." Shigure said, still questioning if what she just saw really happened.
"It would have taken too much time and effort to open it by hand." Yuu said as she continued to pull apart the top as if she had done it thousands of times before.
"You have a point." Shigure said as she picked herself up, standing on her own two legs again. The back of her skirt, her legs, and her hands were all soaked from the direct contact of water after she picked herself up.
"Not bad." Yuu remarked in a low, simple tone. She had opened the crate, and reached inside. She withdrew a bucket, and looked directly at Shigure.
"Is that.. What I think it is?" Shigure asked her, pointing at the bucket in Yuu's hand.
"It is." Yuu said simply.
Shigure looked back over to the rest of the group. "Heeey! Look what we found!" She shouted at them. The group looked over to see Yuu holding the bucket up. Shigure and Yuu started making their way back to the rest of the group.
The group veered to head directly toward them. "Did you find it in the crate?" Asashio asked as soon as they were close enough to speak without shouting.
"Yep, right over there." Shigure said, pointing over to the crate with an open top, broken pieces of wood floating around it.
Sendai was honestly impressed. "You guys really went ape shit on that thing, didn't you?" Sendai asked with a smile, surprised by how many broken pieces of wood surrounded the crate.
"How'd you open it?" Asashio asked.
Yuu wordlessly pulled the drum off her back, and presented Asashio with the end that was slightly dented, staring at her with those cold expressionless eyes. Asashio returned her stare for a few moments, feeling a slight tingle run down her spine.
"So you just used your container as a hammer?" Maikaze asked with a smirk on her face.
Yuu simply nodded at her. It really bothered Asashio that Yuu was so willing to vandalize her own equipment like that. "Whatever works, I guess." Asashio said.
"I call next crate with Yuu!" Sendai said with a smile.
"Just.. Don't hurt yourselves." Asashio said in a low tone as she shoved off to continue their search. Unfortunately for Sendai, there were no more wooden crates waiting to be bashed open for the remainder of the expedition. The rest of the expedition was uneventful, with little talking outside of communication on the task at hand.
Jintsuu set her pen down and stretched her back, finally finished with her test. She double checked to make sure she wasn't missing anything, and once determining she wasn't, stood from her seat. She opened the door, Daimlon glancing up from the papers on his desk as she did. She wordlessly walked over to his desk. "Finished?" Daimlon asked her.
"Yes." She said, holding up her papers to him. Daimlon grabbed the papers from her, and flipped through her test briefly to make sure she didn't miss anything.
"Forty minutes to spare." Daimlon noted aloud. Silence fell between them for a few moments as Daimlon continued to scan through her test. "Alright. Any questions, concerns, or problems you want to talk about?" Daimlon asked, looking up at her. Jintsuu struggled to keep her eyes focused on his, fighting the urge to dart them away.
"No." She said as she shifted her weight to her left leg.
"Very well then, you're dismissed. I'll be along later today to inform you of your score." Daimlon said as he placed her test on the far side of his desk, shifting his attention back to the papers in front of him.
"Thank you." Jintsuu said as she turned away for the door. She walked out, closing the door behind her. Once the door was shut, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She put her hand on her chest. She could feel her heart pound away as if she had woken up from a nightmare. Despite feeling confident, she couldn't help but feel terrified at the same time.
She took another slow, deep breath to help calm herself. She slowly started making her way down the stairs, lightly gripping the railing. Much to her surprise, she ran into Lilly. Lilly was having a seat in one of the several dozen chairs in the briefing room, clearly bored out of her mind. Lilly looked over to see Jintsuu walking down the stairs, and instantly shot up. "Jintsuu!" She shouted as she sprinted over to her.
Jintsuu brushed as much anxiety aside as she could, and put on a half smile. "Hey, Lilly." She said. Lilly crashed right into her with her arms open, wrapping them around Jintsuu in a great big hug. Jintsuu knelt down to her level to return it. After a brief pause, Lilly withdrew from the hug and looked at Jintsuu with a puzzled look.
Without a word, Lilly placed an ear on Jintsuu's heart, which was still beating rather heavily. She pulled her head away and looked at Jintsuu. "Are.. You okay?" She asked with a concerned face.
Jintsuu hesitated a few moments. She gave Lilly another, slightly larger, smile. "Yes. I'm just a little nervous." She said, wanting to put her at ease.
"But why are you nervous?" Lilly asked.
"I'm nervous because I might be in a little bit of trouble soon." Jintsuu said as widened her smile.
"Why would you be in trouble? Did you do something wrong?" Lilly asked, wanting to know as much as she could.
Jintsuu understood that Lilly would continue to ask why until the sun went down. Instead of continuing her explanation, she gently pinched Lilly's nose with a large smile on her face. "That.. Is something you shouldn't be worried about." She said in a playful tone. Lilly immediately started grabbing at Jintsuu's hand, trying to get it off her nose.
"Hey, that's my nose!" Lilly said as she continued to try and remove Jintsuu's fingers from her nose.
Jintsuu gave a small laugh and let go of her, still wearing that large smile on her face.
Lilly rubbed her nose for a few seconds, and then peered right back into Jintsuu's eyes. "But wh-" Lilly began to ask before being cut off.
"Do you wanna play hide and seek?" Jintsuu asked brightly.
Lilly's face lit up with a gasp. "Of course I do!" She breathed excitedly. Hide and seek was one of her favorite games, and always wanted to play as much as possible.
"Alright then, do you want to hide first?" Jintsuu asked her, pleased that her distraction had worked perfectly.
"No, you hide!" She said excitedly.
Jintsuu stood up, still looking at Lilly. "Okay, but after a few games we're going to have lunch." She said.
"Okay!" Lilly said, eager to get started.
"Alright, stay here and count to ninety." Jintsuu instructed as she headed for the door.
Lilly immediately closed her eyes and started counting. Jintsuu hurried out the door and began thinking of places to hide. She then noticed that her nervousness had completely vanished, and she actually felt somewhat relaxed. A faint smile spread across her face as she started heading off toward the rest of the base.
It was early in the afternoon, and the expedition still hadn't returned. Daimlon was finished grading Jintsuu's test, but there was still more paperwork to be done. He took a moment to look at the time as he stretched his arms. It was actually just about time for the ship construction to be finished. He debated internally whether he wanted to take a break or not. He had been working at his desk nearly the entire day since he sat down after breakfast. He decided he had earned a little reprieve, as well as some lunch.
Daimlon leaned back in his chair as he gazed at the ceiling, taking a moment to just relax. He closed his eyes and eased his muscles as he slipped deeper into the comfort of his chair. He took a moment to appreciate where he was, an Admiral in command of his own base. He could never dream of taking even a moment like the one he was enjoying now while he was at the Academy, it was just years of constantly straining himself. He smiled as he recognized the amount of freedom he had with his new position, he was practically his own boss.
For the first time ever, Daimlon actually felt like the Admiral he was. Even during graduation it never truly sank in that he had accomplished what he had strove for since he was a child. Arriving at his own base was just another place to be, and issuing his first commands was just another day at the office. But the first time he sat back to relax at his desk, it finally hit him.
He could only think of one thing as a result of his realization - His father. He opened a small drawer in the upper left of his desk, and withdrew a small metal strongbox. Inside it was only a single item, a worn piece of paper folded up twice to fit neatly inside the box. It was an old letter from his father. He could remember receiving that letter like it was just a few hours ago.
It was late in the evening, and he had just gotten home from the Academy that resided fifteen minutes from his father's house. He knew that the house would be empty, as this was the day his father deployed once more for the Japanese Navy. He turned the light on and walked in, and found a letter sitting on the counter top of his father's kitchen.
Hey Donnie, I knew I wouldn't have time to say goodbye to you since you've been so busy with school, so I figured I'd leave this behind. I have some good news, My request for a shortened term was approved, so I'll be back in time for your ceremony and I can give you your first salute, just like we agreed when you first started. I'll be gone for a total of eight months, but It'll go by quickly. It feels like yesterday you started at that damned Academy. I just wanted to let you know that I'm incredibly proud of you. I've had many other officers ask me if I'm the father of the young Daimlon in the Academy, and I have the indomitable pleasure of saying 'Yes'. It brings a smile to my face whenever I think about how far you've come. I remember when we first moved when your mom and I divorced, you had it the hardest. You didn't know a lick of Japanese, or anything about the culture, but you decided to come with me anyway instead of staying in the states with your mother. Now here you are, about to graduate soon at the top of the entire Academy. Everyone knows that an officer's first salute is the most important one of their career, and I'm humbled that you've decided to let me have it. It means more to me as a father than you could ever imagine. You should be proud of yourself as well, it's all you've ever wanted for as long as I can remember. Still, who would've ever thought that you'd turn out to be the best student in years, making waves and blowing people away. Anyway, enough rambling, try to find yourself a decent woman by the time I get back, would ya? You have no idea how many of my fellow officers I serve with have daughters, and they make it a point to hint that they're around your age. If you don't find yourself someone by the time I get back, I'll be forced to take up one of their offers and arrange a marriage for you since you can't reel one in.
On a more serious note, take your time when it comes to women. Don't end up like me, divorced after the lust wore off with two kids at thirty. You'll end up in Hong Kong or some shit with one of your kids, wondering how the hell you got there. Find yourself someone perfect, that you want to spend the rest of your days with. Someone you couldn't imagine life without. Someone who would be willing to go to the ends of the earth to stay with you, and then slap a ring on her finger and claim her as yours. Never give her up, and never let go of her as long as you live. I know your standards have always been high, probably because of the divorce, so it might take you a while to find that perfect someone. That is perfectly okay, better to be happily married for the rest of your life at forty than divorced at thirty. All in all, it doesn't matter what I think or say, just find someone who makes you happy and go for her. No matter who she might be, you have my support. I have faith that you won't have any problems finding someone eventually, so be sure to make it count. That's my final piece of advice to you until I return. I made sure to leave more than enough money to pay for the bills for the next eight months, as well as extra for food and any emergencies that may arise. Keep your head in the game for a little longer, you're almost finished with the worst part of your career.
I couldn't be more proud of where you are, let alone where you're going. Keep it up.
Love, Dad.
It would end up being his father's final words of advice. About a month after his father was deployed, the first waves of Abyssals rose from the depths and began contesting the world's navies. Daimlon heard the ship his father served on was sunk in the first major counterattack, mounted by a massive American-Japanese fleet. Over ninety percent of the counterattack force was lost, including two Carriers. About a week after the first engagements, the first kanmusu ever arrived in Britain, where she instructed them how to construct and utilize kanmusu. Until the arrival of the kanmusu the Abyssals went uncontested. Two weeks after the first Abyssal sightings, the most powerful Navy in the world, America's, was completely decimated on all fronts. Save only for the few kanmusu that they possessed.
Shells lobbed by Destroyers bounced off even the lightest Abyssal ships. The Navy's air complements of F-18's and several other types of aircraft were swept from the sky effortlessly. Abyssal Battleships the size of a human adult could sink Destroyers with just a single salvo. The early Abyssal war was like a bunch of sailing Frigates from the 1800's engaging modern Cruisers. Once the kanmusu started being constructed in decent numbers, and the first battles against the Abyssals were won, all steel ships were withdrawn from the conflict permanently. Nobody really understood why these girls were able to do what nothing in Earth's arsenal could, but nobody really questioned the convenience of it all.
Daimlon didn't need a letter from the Navy to know he would never see his father again. Before he even heard his father's ship sank, as soon as the invincibility of the Abyssals became apparent, he knew better. Come graduation time, Daimlon refused to give anyone a salute. Instead, with tears rolling down his face, he saluted a picture of his father at home after the ceremony ended. Ever since then he's kept his father's last letter close, and encased it in a strongbox to keep it safe.
"Daimlon." A voice echoed. A few seconds more of silence. "Daimlon, wake up." The voice was now distinguishable. It belonged to Nonna. He broke his concentration away from the letter, and looked up to find Nonna floating above his desk. "Welcome back!" She said with a smile.
"Hey, construction's done?" He asked in a simple tone. He immediately folded the letter up again, placed it inside the box, and closed it.
"What was that? You seemed pretty far gone for a while." Nonna inquired, withholding the answer to his question.
Daimlon placed the strongbox back in his personal belongings drawer, and closed the drawer. "Don't worry about it, just answer the question." He said as he looked back up at her.
"You know what? No." Nonna stated as she crossed her arms. "You're going to tell me what's bothering you." She said.
Daimlon sighed. "Why should I tell you? It's none of your concern." He said.
"Oh but it is. When you're so deep in thought staring at a piece of paper that I can't even get through to you, it's a little bit of a problem. Now tell me so that I'm not worried." Nonna said, raising her voice slightly.
Daimlon couldn't argue with her on that front, she was right. "I told you not to worry about it, so don't." He said, trying to brush her off.
Nonna wasn't having it. "Too late, I'm already worried. The fact that you're trying to brush me off is only making me more concerned. Just tell me." She said, somewhat demandingly.
Daimlon sighed again. "Fine. It was a letter from my father. The last words he had to say to me before he died to the Abyssals were on that sheet of paper." He said in a dull tone.
Nonna was surprised she got an answer out of him so soon. She floated down closer to the desk, almost standing on it, as she moved closer to him. "Are you okay?" She asked in a concerned voice.
Daimlon just paused for a moment. "Yeah. It still bothers me sometimes, but I've healed for the most part." Daimlon said, trying to be as honest as possible.
"Well, just think about what you do have. I mean, you still have some family right? Your mother? Maybe a sibling or two?" She said encouragingly.
Daimlon just looked down and shook his head. "No. My father, my mother, and my sister. They were all killed by the Abyssals." he said, his voice trailed off at the tail end of his sentence.
Nonna felt like she had just stepped on a landmine. She tried to think of something to help. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." She said, unable to come up with something to ease the situation.
"I know, it's fine. Like I said, that wound is mostly healed." Daimlon said as he looked back up at her.
Nonna just continued to look at him. She wanted to know more about what happened, but she wouldn't dare ask directly. She already regretted pushing for an answer in the first place. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
"Not much to talk about, honestly." He said as he looked across the room, nowhere in particular.
There was an extended period of awkward silence.
"So. Construction's finished, right?" Daimlon asked, looking back at her.
"Yep, that's right." Nonna said, putting on a smile for him.
Daimlon stood from his seat. "Well, let's go." He said.
[five minutes later]
The massive door to the Construction Yard opened in it's usual fashion. Daimlon, with Nonna hovering over his shoulder, brushed aside the curtain and stepped into the large room.
After a short delay, the lights flickered on and revealed a girl that stood no taller than Maikaze.
She had short black hair styled into a ponytail. She had a white uniform top with blue at the ends of her sleeves and collar. Her skirt fell to mid-thigh level and was a matching shade of blue.
She stepped forward, walking over to Daimlon. Once she was close enough, she looked at him with strong eyes.
She brought up her hand in a solid salute, and spoke clearly. "Special-type Destroyer Fubuki, at your service."
Daimlon brought his hand up in a salute. "At ease, Fubuki." He said. They both promptly dropped their salutes.
"Wait, you mean the Fubuki? The name ship of the advanced design!?" Nonna asked excitedly.
Fubuki smiled widely. "That's right!" She said.
Daimlon just looked at Nonna. "What do you mean by advanced design?" He asked.
"Her design set the benchmark for all the Destroyers we have today. While maintaining her small size and incredible speed, she gained an armament that rivals early Light Cruisers. Girls like Asashio, Maikaze, and Shigure are all based off the girl before you right now. Of course, they're each slightly improved." Nonna said, trying her to best to contain her excitement.
"I may be slightly outdated by now, but I won't let you down!" Fubuki said confidently.
"Sounds impressive. Welcome to the fleet, Fubuki. I'm sure you'll fit right in." Daimlon said with a smile. A few moments of silence passed until Daimlon realized he had forgotten something basic. "My name is Daimlon, you can call me Don for short. This is our Construction Fairy, Nonna." He said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Fubuki said cheerfully, a smile plastered on her face.
"Alright, I guess I should show you around now." Daimlon said. His hunger pains were telling him where a good place to start might be. "You wouldn't happen to be hungry would you?" He asked Fubuki.
"I wouldn't mind something to eat." Fubuki said
"Good, because we're having lunch first. Let's go." Daimlon said, immediately turning around to head outside.
Nonna looked back at Fubuki with a grin, and then followed Daimlon. Fubuki trailed them shortly after. The three of them headed over to the Mess Hall, where Nonna broke off to continue working.
"First stop of the tour, the Mess Hall. Whenever you're hungry just stop by and grab what you want, there's no specified meal time." Daimlon said, the moment he finished he swung the door open and stepped inside. The Mess Hall was totally vacant except for two seats near the middle of the room, where Jintsuu and Lilly were eating their food.
Their attention was immediately drawn to Daimlon and Fubuki as they stepped through. As usual, Lilly's eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. Daimlon just smirked and walked over to them. "Donnie!" Lilly shouted with a mouth full of food.
"Don't shout with your mouth full." Daimlon heard Jintsuu say to Lilly in a low voice.
"Sorry." Lilly said, her mouth still full.
"Hey guys. Fubuki, this is Jintsuu and Lilly. Lilly and Jintsuu, this is Fubuki." Daimlon said, introducing them.
"Pleased to meet you." Fubuki said in a formal tone.
"Nice to meet you too." Jintsuu said calmly, giving Fubuki a slight smile.
"Come on, join us for lunch!" Lilly shouted, her mouth finally clear of food.
Fubuki just smiled at her. "Sure." She said.
"Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you." Daimlon said to Fubuki, urging her to grab her food first.
"Okay." Fubuki said, immediately walking toward the serving station.
Daimlon waited a while, just standing there with his arms crossed. "Jintsuu." Daimlon said.
"Y-Yes?" She asked nervously, almost like she knew she had done something wrong.
Daimlon looked right at her. Jintsuu dodged his eye contact, looking over at Fubuki instead. "I'm not going to say anything other than ninety-two. Good job." Daimlon said, keeping it as private as possible.
There was a slight pause. Jintsuu looked pleased at hearing the result. "Thank you." She said softly.
With that, Daimlon marched over to the serving station to get his own food.
"Ninety-two? Ninety-two what?" Lilly asked. "Jintsuu. What'd he mean?" Daimlon could hear Lilly continuing to probe for answers as her voice faded away.
Daimlon filled his tray with grub, and promptly made his way back to the table. He slapped his tray down and took a seat. It was actually the first time Daimlon had taken a moment to enjoy some food in the presence of others, a welcome change in his books.