The man didn't sleep well mostly because he was severely lectured by Ooyodo on the importance of being a responsible officer. She was indeed not pleased by yesterday incident, where two girls were injured by an unknown training device, but more importantly she was not happy that the admiral didn't research before how that device works or what their real effects would be. Akashi was in the same room, as she didn't like the idea of repairing something she didn't understand at all, and mostly that appear to be programmed with such an aggressive behavior as it would prove to be dangerous to get close to such unstable machine.
The admiral stands outside his room early in the morning, the sun was starting to appear just barely in the distance, so most of the light were still on. He thought all night about the incident and he didn't want to repeat it, so this day he would search all information about the previous base.
He knew that there would be some archives somewhere, maybe hidden in one of the many supplies storages around the base… the problem is where. He remembers the base´s map and in his mind he already marked the places he already visited. It's a big base if one wants to find something, especially if you don´t know where to start.
This is why he get up so early, he wanted to search off every possible place in the base to find information.
-Admiral?- A voice suddenly call for him as he was leaving.
-Mamiya! Good morning- The man look back and saw the beautiful girl walking quietly at this hour.
-Are you alright?... Akashi told me about yesterday´s incident- She walk near the admiral, she was concerned about what happened the day before. She didn't actually saw what happen, but when everyone but the admiral came to eat in the evening, she could overhear a thing or two, later in the night Akashi explained her the incident with more detail.
-She did?... well I guess I was bit hasty- The man was regretful about what happened.
-Good things come to those who wait for them… Take your time and don´t rush things commander- Mamiya tried to comfort him, she didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially at the base because of some accident.
-You´re right… I guess I have to keep my head cool if I want to do my job well- He sure need to research things before taking a choice, so perhaps this incident was more likely an experience he could learn by.
-That's right… by the way commander, what are you doing this early? – The girl asked now that the man seem more relaxed.
-I was about to look for some files, the problem is I don't know where…- He answered trying to imagine where he could start, even if the base was small in terms of functional installations, it was not in terms of size or actual number of buildings… that's why the base look at first like a supply one.
-Finding files around this base can't be so hard, I have searched some storages when I ran out of rice vinegar the other day, perhaps I can help you look around the ones I didn't check before- Mamiya explained her point of view, she indeed was perhaps the person who has explored most of the base, her lonely search for the rice vinegar was like an adventure, and she did find a lot of weird things hidden inside some of those storages, but most of them were wooden boxes, metal pipes, old ammunition and many bizarre looking machine pieces which functionality she couldn't imagine at all.
-We can start with one nearby… I think I didn't check out that one- She said as she remembered the places she visited, then she stands next to him to show the way.
-Thanks for coming with me- The man think of this as a good luck sign, he could have need to search around most of the base, but with Mamiya´s help, the number of places to visit were sharply reduced.
-There´s no need to thank me admiral, I'm glad I can help- She took the admiral arm and walk beside him, just like the day she arrived.
Both search around the base, first in a near building. The place got nothing special, it was painted white and got nothing but a number "8" placed next to the door. The inside was big enough, but for now it was completely empty.
The next place to go search was not far away, he didn't imagined that so many storages were around, most of them got numbers, but this one was different. This building was a bit taller than the rest and it got some dark green strips in his right side, instead of being white or light brown like the others. A distinctly name was next to the locked door, "-AX397-" was written on it. The admiral took out a pair of keys to open the place, but as he tried to put them in, the keys didn't fit at all, even if the man did tried to force the door it was of no use, because it was a big and heavy door that almost felt like steel. The building got no windows nor backdoors, so there was no way to enter it.
He didn't got lucky the next place he tried too, this time it looked like all other storages, but it got nothing written next to the door, it was a nameless building, however even if the door was just like all the others and it got a steel curtain to take or storage large packages, There were no keyhole at all… there was no way to enter unless somehow it could be opened from the inside, but that's impossible after all...
Maybe Akashi would be able to open both doors, but it would take time and there was no need to look at was inside at the moment, yet it was pretty strange to get sealed buildings in this base.
However, at first this was weird, it proved that a lot more of those storages, were just sealed off, as if the door was just a decoration and not an actual functional one. Maybe this base got indeed more secrets than he could imagine at first.
So far at least ten buildings were locked or sealed, so the admiral was getting quite annoyed by this fact, so much he would report this anomaly to the navy headquarters about this.
Both Mamiya and the admiral were looking around near the end of the base, where the lake and the nearby rocky mountain marked the last place, yet another weird looking building appear. It was hardly painted and looked a lot whole different, it was larger than any other, it got a semicircular roof, it also appears to have an enormous gate that was not sealed off, as it appears to have been weld only half of it. Its structure didn't match any other seen before in the island.
-This looks like…- The man look around for an entrance, but it got a rear one instead. It didn't have a keyhole as it was not an ordinary door. This instead was a security steel door armed with numerical panel, all the place look reinforced and for some reason it feels like this structure somehow continued below the ground…
This would have been a completely lost but as the admiral got close he could saw that something was actually blocking the door from. In any other circumstance, he could have just leave it alone, but when he pushes the security door something falls to the ground… It was a black thing… a strange material he could not identify, but the shape and the color was exactly like those of those mannequins of the training device at the lake, a black dummy arm.
It was then when the admiral saw the interior of the building and the step back, he was shocked and immediately look around at the ground below, he move around the dust and dirt from years, he couldn't believe what he saw, but until he found some blurred marks, in front of the big pair of half sealed doors he understand it.
-What happened Admiral?- Mamiya couldn't understand his sudden change.
-This is an old hangar…- He said and returned to the now opened security door. He didn't dare to touch the black arm so instead he opened the steel door until it pressed against the wall and hoped it would not close on its own.
-This place is big- Mamiya went inside with the admiral, this place was completely different from all the others, it was dark, as only a few lights were on inside.
-Admiral… is that an old plane?- Mamiya was amazed when she look at the wings of an old fighter, not likely any she saw before.
-Yes, this is a hangar after all, and not only one but many… but I don't think they work at all- They all look like modern planes, fighters and bombers, or at least parts of them. Most were dismantled, some looks like were broken on purpose. The models vary from American, Russian, Chinese, all in one place right in this island in the middle of nowhere...
All around were guns, assault rifles, bullets boxes, large caliber ammunition, even some missile and bombs…
There were many other things around, lots of burned and broken furniture, hundreds of pipes, screws, nuts, a wide range of tools, scrap pieces and even some large wooden boxes that look like coffins. This building seems to store so many things that maybe it was used as a trash container, even if half the thins here are still useful and the ammunition is likely still active.
This place got an eerie aura, and Mamiya didn't like it at all, so she was right next to the man, who was more curious at these findings than the condition of the place itself.
Also inside this place were a pair of offices, an elevator and some stairs, one of it was filled with cabinets that contained both military uniforms and guns. The other got filling cabinets everywhere, so it was perhaps this was his best bet in finding those files…
-These are all old files, some are from twenty years ago or more- The admiral started looking around the place, even with the dim light he could understand pretty clearly most of the documents. All of this files were detailed programs, reports, research and many other matters.
-What does this mean? - Mamiya got a bad feeling about the place, as if they were being watched. Even if the building was completely empty she could hear noises, as if something was moving around the trash.
-That this place was a military base from before the war with the abyssal- The admiral understand now why this base got this many military equipment. Still this base codename still remained "H" with no further explanations or affiliations with any of the power nations.
-A base from before the war? I wonder…- Mamiya couldn't understand most of it, perhaps she remembered the time of her service and imagined this place was something like that.
It took almost an hour minutes to find the files he was looking for, but as many of the other documents were interesting enough he could perhaps return here for them and read them one by one, in order to understand what this place was all about.
-Found them… It seems that this includes all about the installations and devices of the island- He read so many things but when then he found the detailed descriptions of every installation in the island, or at least the ones that were here before it was almost destroyed.
-Can we leave now please?- Mamiya couldn't stand being inside that hangar for longer, even if she was a calm person, she couldn't understand her own fear.
-Yes, let´s go- He grabbed the files and leave the place, however he pushed a big piece of burned wood, maybe it was part of a desk, and leave it in the middle of the door, with this it would not close and maybe he can return another day to keep on searching the place and whatever it may have in lower levels.
-Well admiral, if that's all… I´ll be going to work, you can come eat something if you want- Mamiya was about to go, it took a few hours to search every place and find the files, so the time she wanted to save by waking up early was used.
-Sure I'll take these files so I can read them while I'm at it- After being sure the door would not close both leave.
As Mamiya started to work on making breakfast for everyone some fairies were already waiting for her. The admiral then started to read about the different facilities and why they were locked. It appears that some of the facilities housed some experimental "devices" from before the war, so instead of just leave them around, they reinforce the outside structure without messing with the inside and leave them as a safe for a future use, however whatever is inside remain as classified, and these files don't cover them. It seems however that the sealed buildings were not destroyed because of this reinforced structure, so they were only repainted when the base got repaired.
There is an electric facility at one side of the lake, is fully operational and because of the distance with the main base, only received little damage when the base was attacked... The same thing is said about the lighthouse, however this one is not working right now… maybe another day the admiral will take care of it.
Most of the base old structures remained as classified, but it appears that the base got a large underground level, this could be seen in the launching area, where it got different levels, also explained why it was so big, as it was designed for the old ships and submarines, and somehow was modified for the ship girl's needs.
As the man continued to read the files, he noted a list of different facilities that appeared to have been of scientifically purpose, also this contained a group of names of those researchers that used to operate them, some included photographs. It appears that a large building of this characteristics was in the same place as the destroyer´s room building. He could see then a map of the old base and how big it really was, it appear to had more interesting places other than supplies storages.
At that moment Mamiya came with two plates of eggs and smoked salmon on top of crispy bread. She sit next to him, and both started to eat, it was almost seven o´clock, so maybe they´ll have some time until another girl came by. Both eat in silence as the admiral continued reading.
He noticed that some "classified" buildings were modified and turned into "research facilities" right after the war with the abyssal started, so probably this was one of the first bases to be occupied by the coalition. Surprisingly enough was that it appears that a pair of this facilities were south of the island, right in the middle of the forest and another on one side of the mountain, right at the opposite direction of the base, but their names as most of the base buildings got only numbers and letters.
Many of this facilities and storages were also modified when the ship girls first arrived to this island, as if they had already expected them. Also he could realize that the majority of this base modifications were made by a single person, a name that appears constantly, the admiral who was in charge of the base before the attack.
-Marshal Admiral Johann Sternenhimmel...- He read the name out loud and continue wondering how that person could have been or how he looked like, Shigure met him once and also Ooyodo visited this place.
-I can´t believe such a high ranked officer was stationed here, most of them are old guys that rule over the navy and the coalition- The man speak his mind, he didn't knew many of the people at the highest ranks, even some of the workers at headquarters haven't actually see them at all.
-Admiral, don't be disrespectful of your superiors- Mamiya didn't like the words of the admiral, even if they were true. She only knew a few of them as she first received orders directly from them, she later was reassigned a few times, so she never got the chance to knew more about them.
-You are right, I´m sorry- he realize his mistake, even if they were far away, those people at the top of the chain were his bosses, and the ones that give the orders to all the navy and fleet coalition.
The admiral took a bunch of different files ad pile them all together, so he got to put them in order after reading everyone in detail. In one paragraph the lake was mentioned, it seems that strangely enough the lake got fresh water, mostly came from subterranean rivers that came down from the mountain, somehow this island also got more rain and snow than those nearby to get this quantity of clean water.
It also mentions that the lake was indeed a lot deeper than it actually looks like, maybe is because this is probably an island that appear because of volcanic activities, this is why the base can have docks and hot springs, like all of the others. It says it has an irregular surface area of forty five square miles and a depth of at least a thousand feet, making the lake more like a pit full of water…
At that moment a pair of destroyers enter the improvised cafeteria, it was Murakumo and Hatsuharu, both salute the admiral and Mamiya stand up in order to give them their plates, it was fine because she finished her part some time ago.
It seems that as this base was labeled in the research tab, so most of this place was full of innovations, like the automated electric system, the water pumping pipes, the sanitary services, even the autonomous lights on the streets in the base, all were fully automated by an unknown machine in the electrical facility. Also many of the advances in fleet girl technology seems to have been developed here… like their advanced outfits, their synchronization improvement system, even the way they got instantly repaired and recovered, the infamous green buckets, seems to have been researched here at one point.
On another page it is mentioned that the training device that is located in the middle of the lake is actually built on side of the lake, instead of the background of the lake itself. It gives details on its functionality and the way it improves the experience of those involved, and the black dummies are mentioned as "Operational Imitations made for training simulations of close combat scenarios"…
It is explained then that those mannequins are actual artificial copies of ship girls, made of different durable materials, manufactured in pieces, filled with electronic components and moved by an internal device chained to the main pipe… this could explain why those dummies got their chains and why they could move so fast, as they were actually moved by something below the surface… but still they got some strange malice he couldn't discard.
-This is insane…- The device is explained in further detail, and some pictures show it working, but those in the pictures are actual girls, wrapped in black plastic suits, their faces are covered by a hard mask of the same color and they remain dormant floating inside the lake.
-No way this can be real…- He kept on watching these horrendous descriptions, as it appears that this base actually manufactured those mannequins right here, in one of the many buildings around the place.
Mentioned as follows:
"The project IMITATION seeks out ways to replenish our lost armies, those girls who fall in battle would return with the help of an imitation. It is known that the abyssal has the ability to adapt to any situation given, and evolve against their enemies, they are gathering both more strength and intelligence each day. With this new innovation, the navy can create copies of actual ship girls, copying their personality and abilities in order to keep on fighting, no matter if they sink, they can return by creating a replica of the fallen one."
There are some photos of how the process was made, the manufacture of the girls, their interior and exterior appearance was all made with the help of bioorganic gel, so their skin and hair would look natural, even if their joints are quite visible. They look like lifeless dolls, with wires attached to their heads, spine and heart.
"This is an experimental project and the first prototypes are already in test against the real ones. Even if their physical abilities are like the original, their compatibly with their real souls are still in need of development, none can use outfits or armament for now, because the fairies fear them, so none want to cooperate with the project. In the near future the IMITATION can improve a lot, especially if the project got green light in –live body prototype testing-…"
It appear that this was only a annex to the training device description. So no further details are shown, but the single idea of having copies of the same girl was not a good one. The nickname "fleet girls" came from the fact that they are the souls of warships, but they are still humans, even if they did appear not long ago, they are still girls in the outside and inside, no matter how you look at it, having imitations of them running around would be bizarre. Even if this idea is a good solution to the war, as many copies of the same girl could be distributed or manufactured at any base, because with each copy made, the quality would diminish even to the point they would not be on the same ground as the original in actual combat as the enemy would learn how to defeat them, because imitations don't have learning capabilities.
Unless this imitation develops an advanced artificial intelligence…
The idea was not comfortable, as he couldn't help to think of the ship girls as actual girls, not living weapons. By having imitations running at every base, they would be like turn into disposable clones that are only useful to kill themselves at the hands of the enemy.
-Hey Admiral! Ready for today? I think about yesterday and maybe it would be interesting to repair that device at the lake- a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, it was Akashi lively as always, accompanied by Ooyodo, who look quite serious today, perhaps she is still mad because of the incident.
-Akashi!- The man almost jump in his place because of her words.
-Hmph… Actually Akashi I don't want that you repair the lake training device… we´ll stick with the one near the shore- The admiral clear his throat and organize the files, he don't want any of the girls to actually know about this finding, perhaps it would demoralize them. So instead he would bury this information in his office and keep on as if nothing was ever found.
-Very well… I will install everything needed today- she was surprised by his reaction, but she knew it would be a problem if she went to the lake, not knowing how the device was or how it works. Both girls sit in front of the admiral.
-It seems that you are more cautious today, Admiral- Ooyodo sit next to him, and immediately noticed the files in his hands. She didn't ask about it, but she did recognize the navy stamp used on them, knowing that those papers where actually important official files.
-Yes… I got a lot to read today, so I will start to take care of my choices regarding this base. It seems that this place got some off-limits places, so I will give you a map of marked locations, and I want that you notify everyone in the base- the man said to Ooyodo and covered the files with his hands.
-Alright Admiral!- the black-haired girl heard him and smiled, somehow she notice a change in his attitude, perhaps for the best.
It was right then when all the rainy sisters joined the cafeteria, accompanied by Kiso, who was discussing with Shiratsuyu. They all salute the admiral and they all sit in the table next to the man.
-By the way Ooyodo, you said you came to this base once… - The admiral need to ask something important.
-Yes I did, I told you I came here to deliver some classified information- she answered in the same way she did days ago. She came just once to this place, when the base was quite different.
-I remember that part… but I didn't asked about the man in charge before me, you knew Marshal Admiral Johann Sternenhimmel?- He did ask about the man, he did never hear of that name at all, as if he was indeed one of the famous ghost of this base.
-…- She stay in silence for a moment and think about the words she was about to say. In the next table Shigure turn her attention just by hearing his name again.
-He was a polite man… indeed a mysterious person that got an impeccable reputation in headquarters. It appears that he was already in the military before becoming admiral, so his exploits were quite amazing. However some officers didn't want to have any kind of relation with him- she answered trying to be honest, there was nothing to hide about him, after all she only speak to him directly once, but that time she got a good first impression, however in the main headquarters his sole name brought many conflicting opinions.
-Really? That explains why I didn't hear his name before even if he was a top officer, not even after this place was attacked- he answered as the base was quite famous but not the one in charge.
-Yes, it was indeed a hard hit to the navy. But for some reason the other high ranked officers didn't mind his lost, Its quite rude of me to say, but I felt as if they actually felt relief of his death- She replied again, as she was that day, when no ship nor help was allowed to sail. Even if she later questioned her superiors, they answered with sarcasm and indifference.
-That's quite… disturbing- The man couldn't believe that attitude of the top officers.
-Of course admiral! why do you think all kind of rumors started to appear?– Akashi add right after, she also heard some weird conspiration theories, but all of those were rapidly discarded by an official announcement.
-That day we suffered a big defeat and yet most of the people left in charge didn't care at all… some say he was betrayed right before the attack- Ooyodo replied again, she indeed didn't want to believe in her own words, but she was that day when the officers denied the chance of rescue, as if they wanted that the base to be destroyed.
-Yeah! The cursed island legend! I love the story even if this base has no ghosts at all. This admiral y´all talking about was supposed ta be a big fish you see? He was up to something incredible, so I overheard some sailors that came here to clean up, once said that this marshal admiral was tracked down by a monster and that it ripped of his head making quite a mess when he found him…- Kiso started to laugh when she tell the story, one of the many that are still spoken in the navy, as many of the people that came here right after the attack didn't like what they saw...
-It´s not polite to talk about that! The Marshall Admiral was a good person, my sister admired him! She felt really bad because of his demise, so please stop talking ill of the dead- Shigure interrupted by hitting the table, she stand up and saw both Kiso and the admiral with her sad blue eyes. She did knew the man, and all those rumors were nothing like the man he speak with. Her sister Harusame felt really safe at this base, especially when she was around the man, so when she returned that tragic day, she cried for days…
-Sorry- Kiso felt bad for once, just by looking at Shigure she could appreciate that she was deadly serious, even if her eyes were filled with tears.
-Sorry to bring his name again Shigure, I didn't want to offend you- The man apologize and both Ooyodo and Akashi did the same.
-Just please, don't bad-mouth the ones that have fallen in the war- Shigure returned to her seat, and her sisters tried to comfort her, Murasame saw the admiral and smiled, as if she tried to say "Don't worry, everything will be fine just don't repeat this okay?~ "
After the incident all girls eat and the day went by normally, Akashi installed some of the training devices with the destroyer´s help, Ooyodo stayed the rest of the day with the admiral and help him organize this new files, she didn´t ask much of it, maybe another day she could ask about his findings and what to expect as the base was no longer a research facility.