New chapter and the first battle is about to happen.
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Finally, the week is over and the admiral got his first fleet complete, all charged and ready to sail. He was thinking while still on his bed, he will soon try to fight his way into the sea, to those dangerous waters known to spawn abyssal beasts every day. Of course he will not send them away to those places now, they are only six destroyers… sending them right away would be like suicide and he is not crazy enough to do so.
The war has been a mix of strategy and development, all together with surprise offensives and loses on the human side. Humanity have lost many of their cities near the coasts, so many of them that became victims to that mysterious army, happening more often the first months of the war. As time went by the enemy started to change their behavior in order to fight against the different old ships and planes that used to be part the great nations armies.
"An enemy that evolves each day is truly a nightmare…" the man remembered those days when the news told about the losses suffered by the country. Even if at first it didn't appear to affect the world so much, soon the whole economy crashed, as all the trade between the nations suddenly halted, as many of the ships and planes were shot down by the abyssal. It went worse after the American navy lost many ships in the surprise attack launched at the different bases on the pacific.
It was worse on nations that didn't have warships. Even China and Russia suffered mayor loses and in the end they abandoned the first coalition that faced the depth army. It proved to be incredibly hard to fight small targets the size of people, that were as fast and powerful as their most advanced ships. Even worse was that even many of the American and Russian air force were useless, as the enemy developed their own planes, faster, smaller and deadlier...
"We are lucky they didn't nuke all the ocean…" Even if it sounds like the best solution to fight their enemies, the nuclear war was never really an option, as using that kind of weapons in the middle of the Pacific Ocean would mean the end of life as we know it. Nuclear waste would have traveled through the sea currents and quickly poison every single drop of water, as most of the rain came from the sea.
However, the real problem would be… would nuclear power could have proved enough to defeat the abyssal army? or could they somehow evolve and adapt the world´s most powerful weapon and use it against us…
Either way mankind could have change for the worst and possibly die if they chose the nuclear option.
"As of today only a bunch of nations fight the abyssal with their own ship girls…" Many of the world countries tried to find another way to win the conflict, but most of them retired when they found new routes to trade. Even if every nation is somehow at peace, there are still some conflicts in the same places, but that´s another story. Only the world power nations are involved fighting the abyssal army, yet all other nations send them support in any way they can.
Since Japan managed by a miracle to summon the first ship girl, all other countries have been trying to develop their own with some kind of success. However as many of the scientist tried to understand the nature of the so called "ship daughters" only small details have been found.
"I didn't believe it at first… and look at me now, I´m an admiral and I got my own fleet" He read some time ago notes about the famous girls. Describing their amazing feats and how their power is equally incredible, it´s hard to define them.
"They are the materialized souls of warships… While the fairies are the spirits of their armament" Somehow that was the most basic explanation about how they manifest in this world. To define the powerful fleet girls, you would need to remember the first one that appeared and saved Japan.
"The incredible story about the girl that single handled defeat a bunch of abyssal that tried to destroy Tokyo…" He remembered the famous story that happened years ago and started mankind´s counterattack.
The man imagined how incredible it could have been watching her in action.
-Well, time to get up, today is the first day I officially got a fleet- he stand up and get ready for the day. He was especially excited and wanted to think that today was the best possible. He steps out and walk to his office to ask for further instructions from Headquarters.
It was early in the morning, the sea was pretty as the sun started to rise and a dim light covered the large mass of blue.
-Good morning Admiral- he heard a voice coming from the stairs.
-Morning! It´s nice to see you early again Ooyodo- he answer full of joy, as today he will finaly set sail and prove himself worthy.
-I'm always this early admiral, it's my job to do my best to help the fleet- the girl with glasses always tried to give her best, no matter the time of day, if needed she would be there ready to help him.
-I know and I love it- He smiled at the now blushed girl, he really appreciated her effort, she might be a really important part of the fleet even if she is not a combatant now.
-…thanks- she felt quite happy as she was praised, not all the officers at the navy were as him, some were quite cold and tell her to remain silent a few times. She especially disliked those kind of people, being another reason she wanted to leave the main naval quarters.
-Ooyodo, I want to check if there are any reports from headquarters, can you check it please? – He told her as he went to his office. Today was the last day of his imposed restriction to leave the shore.
-Right away sir! – Ooyodo salute the admiral again and go to the communication room in order to contact and receive new missions from HQ.
Upon his desk there seems to be a folder and inside a pair of sketches of the communication device. In the picture appeared some specifications and the way it worked. It was a portable version that Akashi installed on every girl outfit. Even being something small it appears to have a really big range, so he will not have problems when they are far away.
-So this works sending signals directly into their ears and also use their voices… amazing how all this can be used within their outfit- He awe with the drawings, as it uses their own power to work without interfering with their radars. Even details like this continued to amaze the young admiral, he could not fully understand how these girls can use such devices and act as living weapons, even more surprising is that they are humans in every other sense and no one but them could use such outfits.
-Amazing isn't it? - Akashi talked to the admiral as she walked through the door smiling as usual.
-Of course you are, I can't believe you design this so fast- she admired the brilliant mind of Akashi, even more at how fast she can work.
-It's part of my skills admiral. I'm the best both repairing and redesigning new items for the fleet- she felt happy to finally have someone that praise her hard work, now days it was difficult to really show off her skills.
-I'm proud of having you in this base- the admiral said honestly, he somehow felt better knowing that someone with her abilities is around.
-It's not my entire work admiral, I just redesign the prototype into something every girl can carry. But I´m sure the one who created this would be happy to see that it works… I will send her a message and tell her to come here to watch it in action- She said excited as it was a job well done and its creator will be happy to be around the base.
-That should be great, I´m sure she will be glad to see it instead of reading a single report- the admiral didn't know who was the person that designed the prototype in the first place, but he was sure she is a great inventor.
-By the way admiral… I´m really happy being here- Akashi get close to where the admiral was and stand next to him.
-Thanks for your hard work- she lean down a bit and kiss him on the cheek, it was really unexpected so the man couldn't even blink his eyes.
-¡Akashi what are you doing! - Ooyodo appeared from the door and interrupted the scene, she was carrying some papers about the mission.
-Ummm… nothing! Akashi instantly step away from the man as if nothing ever happened.
-Admiral, that is unrelated to the headquarters' facilities. Please, do not interfere with the fleet's conduct! – she said very ashamed, she didn't want that this kind of distractions appeared in the admiral´s mind… at least not for now and of course not with Akashi.
-I didn't do anything I swear- the man tried to defend himself as he was surprised of the reaction of the pink haired girl.
-I'll be going to the factory admiral and don't worry, I will take care of it from now on- Akashi said being really happy and maybe a bit blushed.
-You mean my... – The admiral remembered the coat that he lends her the day before.
-Yes I will keep it safe in my room so it´s fine… well see you later! - She said again in a really good mood, after that she leave the office so happy that she almost fell off the stairs…
-Admiral… here is the Fleet command telegram, please read it carefully… and don't give your clothes to other girls, it can lead to wrong misinterpretations- Ooyodo said that las part with a bit of blush on her face. She already knew about it when she saw Akashi late in the night, just as she returned to her room.
-It will not happen again, or else I will need to give everyone a piece of cloth…- he didn't think that this would end this way, he lost a coat and there was no way he can ask for it or else he might look like a grumpy old man.
-Yes and that would be really expensive… however its fine if you want to praise us for doing a good job… but try something else- she think out loud her words, after all every person likes being praised for their work, especially when they do their best.
-I will think about it then…- that was his answer but for now he could not think of any good idea.
The admiral then took the telegram and realize a few things then.
First of all, the storm continued in the south but the supplies and protection were already in place so those bases can resist until the weather improves.
Second he was given permission to set sail and even got some coordinates to investigate first, as a few abyssal destroyers were detected a few hours ago.
Third his base will get more ships, supplies and they will provide a new route to get mundane stuff, like furniture, clothes and whatever he could ask and could afford with the base income. This was part of the trade agreement that the navy got with many countries, as both parts could benefit from this. His base like many others will have a monetary income for him and his fleet to get items from anywhere in the world, like English tea, Chinese food, or whatever was on the catalogue at the moment. This was one of the big benefits of being an Admiral in this times of war, and of course being side to side with the fleet girls. Even so many men have died because of this false illusion.
He was lucky back then, and was assigned to the explorer´s division and not the infamous defense division. Even if there are plenty of fleet girls now days, in the first year of war countless people died protecting their homelands, fighting with the old ships or planes. One can consider the defense division like an infantry unit, and like them, only few survive long enough to become admirals.
It was a joke within the recruits that, if more people keep dying before graduating, the navy will hijack kids and turn them into commanders, and if that does not suffice, they will train dogs or cats to act like admirals in the future.
Of course there is still people interested in becoming part of the new coalition fleet, but no one knows how long the war will be. Also there are a lot of rumors and terrible stories telling that the navy got many officers that have lost their minds and committed suicide, and how many marines can't take the pressure and end up doing terrible things.
-Fine… I´m sure you already know this but please be careful during sorties. Please try your best but don't be reckless- Ooyodo suddenly said with some melancholy in her words. Sadly, she has seen in the past how many people died, so she tried every day to prevent this from repeating.
-I will be calm and never rush things, I know that I can't end the war in one day- the admiral said trying to keep his cool.
-I will take care of you all! I don't want to lose any of you at any point. I will try the very best to fight our enemies back- He continued in a very brave manner, he was willing to give it all in order to create a real change in the world.
-I believe in you, admiral. The fleet is ready, all that is left is to choose a flagship- Ooyodo felt a little better watching his strong conviction and sense of duty.
-Oh right, the first fleet needs a flagship…- His newly fleet would be the first one, and perhaps later when the base increase in size, some more fleets could be stationed here.
-Ooyodo, call the fleet and tell them to meet me in the launching area- the man stands up and for a second he looks really manly as he adjusts his navy hat and leave the office.
-On my way- She salute him and then proceed send a message from the communication room, saying exactly what the admiral said.
-First Fleet, report to the launching pad and wait for the admiral to arrive! - Her voice could be hearing for the first time in the entire base.
At the moment every girl in the first fleet answer the call, all went to the factory first to get their outfits and travel through the water into launching area entering from the outside. At first all of them were surprised to see such a big space below the ground. It was a gigantic cave, lots of rails and chains hanging from the ceiling and underwater. They will always return into these place, so all of them should need to get used to this, even if none of them seen a place this big before.
They all reach the area before the admiral, so they got some time to explore the place, or at least the illuminated area. Even if they are used to the night, being inside a lonely launching area, with a lot of dark places, wasn't very nice.
-Reporting for duty- Murasame was the first to saw the admiral when he enters the place. All of them salute at the same time and waited for instructions.
-Six ships and only one can be the flagship for this sortie, you all now this... but I think there is a bit of friction between two of you… Hatsuharu, Shiratsuyu- He said with a serious attitude, he wanted to know which one could make it better.
-Sir! - Shiratsuyu give one step ahead and salute the man.
-Yes Commander! - Hatsuharu did the same.
-One of you will be the flagship today… so I want to know if there is any objection- the man wanted to prove an idea, he wasn't very sure exactly why Hatsuharu seem to hate Shiratsuyu, but perhaps this would improve this.
-Of course admiral, I'll go on ahead, I'm the first ship after all so I will be the flagship- Shiratsuyu immediately take the lead and wanted the position for her, she was very proud and also was a good leader, as three of her sisters were in the fleet too.
-Hell no! We shall not take orders from the likes of you- Hatsuharu rapidly answers, she couldn't stand the idea and reject it harshly.
-What do you say?... my leadership is the number one- Shiratsuyu felt the aggressive answer from the purple haired girl. She got mad and turn to face Hatsuharu.
-No you are not… we can do a better job in any kind of sortie- The first ship of the Hatsuharu class discarded her comment as if it was nothing, as she wouldn't believe her at all.
-Then you will be the flagship Hatsuharu- The admiral cut the discussion and named her the leader of the first sortie.
-What!... We can't teach this silly ship any good moves- She complained of his choice, she didn't want to be in charge of her.
-But I want to be the flagship admiral! - Shiratsuyu said almost crying, as she really to show her strength in battle.
-All of you will be flagships in the next sorties, but for now I think Hatsuharu can do a good job, but only if she can follow my orders, maintain formations and lead you all as a team- he said with high hopes on her, this was addressed to all the six girls, as he believe that every single one should be given the opportunity to shine at least once.
-But admiral… - Hatsuharu tried to complain again, but couldn't think of something.
-I believe that you can do it- The man said with a smile, he was proud of having all of them here, so he wanted to show them some confidence.
-Very well Commander… we shall be the flagship for this sortie- Hatsuharu felt his optimism and somehow couldn't let him down, especially knowing how cruel his punishments can be.
-Great! Now all of you got a mission, you need to scout an area and if possible destroy every enemy destroyer you see, there are only a few of them, I believe it's only a reconnaissance force, so you must not let them escape- The admiral give them the basic idea of this sortie, it was special indeed as this was the first time his fleet will sail.
-Go now! I will send you further instructions once you are at sea- the man salute the girls and retire to the main building.
-Yes sir! – All girls answer at the same time and run to the launching pad, they were all armed, so they speed up and leave the area starting by the flagship.
-Hatsuharu, casting off! – She open her fan and lead the formation as all increase their speed.
-Ok~ay, let's go all out! – Shiratsuyu followed her in the second place, even if she wasn't the leader this time, she wanted to do her best and became the flagship next time.
-Gu, Heading out! – Murakumo was in the third spot, even if she didn't want to be there in the first place, she trusted Hatsuharu so she didn't complain about her.
-Murasame going o~ut! – The girl follows the other in the fourth spot, she looks happy and excited to finally be out in a mission.
-Shigure, moving out- The calm black haired girl was in the fifth spot, she remained in silence but still got a smile on her face.
-Destroyer Yuudachi, now sortieing! - The blonde girl was on the last spot, this place was also an important one, being the one that watch their back and also the one with a better sight of the enemy, so she didn't mind at all.
All six girls were now going pretty fast, so the island was slowly getting smaller in the distance.
-Hello girls, can you hear me? - all of them hear the man´s voice inside their ears. He was in the communication room with Ooyodo at his side, both were watching the radar and already traced a route on the map.
-Loud and clear- Hatsuharu replied and waved her fan quite amazed.
-The abyssal destroyers were last seen north-east of your current position, so follow a straight line formation and engage them at sight- The admiral was happy to finally start his first test.
-We are going, move out- the flagship took her time watching if everyone was in place, the simplest formation was also the stronger one for engaging, but they will only need to find their enemies first. This was most of the time a problem, as their enemies lay below the surface making them hard to find and also quite dangerous since most of them relay on surprise attacks in order to win advantage.
In order to fight this problem every base receive special fairies that act as a compass that predict the enemy movements, the ones for island H get there together with the rainy sisters. These compass fairies were not always the best at their work, leading sometimes to wrong directions or making the fleet go in circles until they lost all their fuel…
Yes… they are quite hated by some officers but since they are the only "safe" way to find the abyssal army most people try to keep them really happy and well fed for them to do their best. However, the device need more than one to work, four fairies to be precise are needed to operate a base special compass: a sextant, an old navigation map, a navy telescope, and of course a compass.
Since all the fairies are the spirits of the ships armaments, all types of fairies exist. From the ones that pilot the Zero fighters to the ones that act like workers in the factory. All of them represent a different kind of object that were developed many years ago. However, as they were small in scale compared to ships and didn't get as many people operating them, they don't have a complete soul, so they became small spirits, so instead they materialize as tiny girls, all with different personalities and appearances.
But to some people that are not used to such strange concept in an era full of technology, ideas like souls and spirits are hard to understand. Even the commander of the base couldn't believe it, thinking it was impossible that girls suddenly appeared and claimed to be a long lost warship.
At first the concept of "materialization" or "summoning" are not very common, they have been in human history labeled as magic. In the ancient times people used this kind of miracles to make things that now days are unthinkable. But even now people haven't lost the ability to use this kind of magic, it´s only that everyone forgot how to use it.
Not related to any god of religion, fleet girls are more close to being humanity creation. Since people are able to share part of their vital energy or "soul" into every object they constantly use, mostly unconsciously, when enough of this energy is reunited, an inanimate object is able to share their experiences, ideals and ultimately life. Since humanity are the creators of these objects, they can easily channel their own soul into them, infusing them with this spiritual energy. But until an object with a soul "dies" it can then release their soul like every human when they die. It is only then, when a soul can initiate a process of reincarnation answering their creators wishes, materializing into this world.
An inanimate object that develop a soul got different names through history, in Japan they call them "tsukumogami" and they were seen as harmless beings, but in western culture they were called possessed or cursed objects, and mostly they were labeled as evil. Even today, is hard to tell if haunted houses, are not really a house with a strong soul, and the supposed paranormal activity are only the spirits of the objects that live there.
It was then that the compass turns around and showed a new path.
-Keep going north, they should be around- Ooyodo told the girls the direction they should follow, and they all obey trying to find their enemies.
-Destroyer found up ahead! - Murasame was the first to see the enemy, it was a monster the size of a medium size killer-whale, all perhaps seven meters long.
The enemy vessel felt the presence of the girls and immediately let out a loud metallic screech. As always those beasts warn others about their enemy before attacking. The first abyssal the fleet got to fight were the smaller in power. They were the first type to be seen and also the ones that cause the first incident at an American base. They are cataloged Destroyer type I-Class. These organic machines are like nothing ever encountered before by mankind, no one knows who made them or how they were created.
A few scouts from the abyssal army answered their comrade and soon two more joined it. So it appears to be a three against six, but even if the girls got the advantage these beasts are widely vicious so none can be safe until they are dealt with.
- Tally ho! Naval engagement, commencing! - Hatsuharu started the attack and all the fleet followed her. All locked on and objective and shoot with their cannons. Even if the enemy have a big size, the bullets that the girls use are special, since they all expand rapidly into the original size of the magazine and causing even more destruction than the original... however this also applies to the abyssal, that have evolved to mimic the fleet girl abilities.
The admiral starts to hear the noise through the communication device, all shots fired from both sides and the subsequent explosions, the water splashing and the orders from Hatsuharu. It would be hard for him to actually help them maneuver without watching exactly what was going on, so for now he got to wait until the battle was over.
Murakumo and Shigure shoot to the second enemy destroyer while it opened its mouth to attack so the damage was critical, bursting it open after a big explosion.
Only two enemies were left, but the girls still got some magazine and their specialty, the oxygen torpedoes.
Murasame and Yuudachi shoot a barrage of torpedoes all to their objective, but from those only three hit the target, letting the other escape. So it was then that Shiratsuyu tried to shoot it down with her main cannon, but the enemy was too fast.
-You have to wait until you can see it clearly- Hatsuharu then stand next to Shiratsuyu, and even if she didn't really like her, mostly because she wasn't her sister as she were originally planned to, so every time she remembered her class it made her quite sad, now that she only has one sister left, while all the rainy sisters are still around.
-We got to destroy it before it escapes! - Shiratsuyu send her torpedoes to the enemy, but they only graze it as it changes direction.
-Yes, we can see it- Hatsuharu waved her fan and point the enemy destroyer with it. At that time, four oxygen torpedoes were shot, as they travel in the water their speed increased, it was then when the abyssal tried again to evade them, but at the time it tried to turn all four hit it in the side, causing a blinding explosion that utterly destroy it.
-You see, you need to focus first... let´s to go back- she give Shiratsuyu a pat on the back, just like she used to give to her younger sisters.
-Very well I will try that next time, but I´m still number one- Shiratsuyu smiled at her without remorse and all of them withdraw.
-Mission accomplished admiral we are returning home- Hatsuharu said and all of them increase their speed to return faster.
-Congratulations on this first victory- The commander acknowledges their efforts.
-This triumph, it was not solely due to our efforts. Everyone did their part- Hatsuharu said proudly, as all of them were key parts of this battle.
-Indeed, everyone did their best without getting harmed, just perfect score. Return to the base and go to the docks, after that you can eat all that you want- The man offer them a special prize for winning, perhaps he can prepare with Mamiya´s help something different for them. It was then when all felt great as their morale raised since they prove their best. At that moment he took off the headphones and sit down, it was a great first victory.
-Congratulations on your first victory, Admiral. It was a great idea to name Hatsuharu as flagship- Ooyodo was impressed with the destroyer's performance, they sure prove themselves useful.
-Thanks, I didn't think it would work like this… I´m tired- The man gave Hatsuharu the leadership mostly to show her to work in teamwork, as they were supposed to do.
-Eat something, you didn't eat today. I´ll take care of reporting this success to headquarters- the girl wanted to keep working since the man haven't even tried to use the kitchen in the building.
-You are right… then let's go together, you didn't eat either- The man did notice that she did work all day too, so maybe she need a rest.
-Fine… I´ll report later- Ooyodo stand up and walk beside the admiral.
The admiral then extends his hand to the electronic device set on the table next to the map, and all four compass fairies climb up to his shoulder and go with him, they were also happy that her first mission was a success.
After that it was a greater day, all went to eat something and after waiting for a while all the first fleet returned especially excited, as if they were sparkling energy. So everyone got a special dish for this victory, even the admiral helped Mamiya cooking it. They were all having fun, recalling their battle and how all they were, even if it was a tiny advantage, they did their best, especially Hatsuharu. After that everyone split and all the destroyers wanted to improve by training for a while.
-Thank you for giving us the chance of being the flagship. This reminded us of the time we used to fight along our sisters, even if those days are not coming back, we are happy to remember that all fleet girls are sisters after all - those were the words that Hatsuharu told the admiral that night, right before he returned to his room.