It started early in the morning, he felt quite good, since the admiral got a few victories, he almost forgot that he was on a new base that only got a few ships. "Today is a great day" or so he thought at first when he woke up. After he got ready and went straight to the door it was when he saw her secretary ship waiting outside his room, all blushed and still quite nervous. Tenryuu never got the chance to show any of her potential to any other commander before, as they all cataloged her as a crazy girl with a bad attitude that can't follow rules.
Even if she was strong enough, she always stayed with resentment for this fact, especially after that "incident" years ago in the very same island. But now she got the chance to finally be recognized as the warrior she was, and indeed she could do anything she was asked for if needed, perhaps unconsciously she wanted to find some respect, but also forgiveness.
-H-H-he…llo…- Tenryuu immediately got flustered the first time she saw the admiral coming right up to his room, perhaps she waited outside a few hours because she couldn't sleep at all.
-Good morning Tenryuu- the man greets her quickly, realizing she was red as a tomato –It´s normal to feel like this on your first day… don't worry just be yourself- he could not hide his smile and laugh, it was a good idea if this whole being the secretary ship stop her from doing insane stunts again.
-O-Of Course Admiral!- she answers and salute the man, then sighs. –I´m at your command, please order me- Tenryuu recovered a bit now, but remains in the same position, all sorts of things pass through her head, also trying to talk properly as she was talking with her superior.
-Fine then… come with me, I want to talk with you for a while- The Admiral start his now used path to his office, and right behind Tenryuu followed his steps.
-Well Tenryuu, now that you are my secretary ship, I guess I can let you take some chores for me but also help me today- he start to think now what he will do these days, he will need to check out all the files, but also to set out different routes for resupply, both resources and safe ways to reach other bases, many call this sorties, "expeditions" as they send fleets for different purposes, yet the more common is to gather resources faster by bringing them along while scouting the ocean.
-Right away sir, just tell me what ya want and consider it done- she was really excited about her first assignment but she needs to remain cool as always.
-Alright, that sound more like you already- he find her answer satisfying, so he smiled thinking about his priorities.
-Well first of all, I want that you check on possible routes to the nearest supplies stations. It's not far away from here, but even with all the new automated system, the cargo can't be left alone or else it can be attacked, so you will need to track the safest routes around that station and then trace more routes that lead to this island- he explained, after all even if this place hasn't seen too much action, they have found abyssal fleets nearby.
-So ya want me to take care of expeditions…- She said a little disappointed at first, but then she remembers that this base was new after all, so her job now will remain for a long time as long as the ocean nearby doesn't get more enemies.
-Yes for now, even this large base don't have unlimited resources and we may need more someday, so establishing supply routes will be necessary, yet it may take a while for now and you will need the rest of the fleet later- he continued, the admiral was conscious that this will leave the base almost defenseless, yet it was the best time to do it.
-Alright! I´ll choose only the best routes around the base as fast as I can- Tenryuu nods and think of this as her first contribution to the base.
-Great! You can ask Ooyodo for help if you want to check on the current maps and routes. You see this base was avoided for some time and only two possible routes take it on account- he explain the current situation, even if perhaps she knew more of this than he could imagine.
-I know that, the old base here changed a lot of things around… even after this got blasted to bits still remained a pain in the ass…- She sigh and for that moment forgot about the rude language, so immediately tried to stop.
-I guess you didn't like this place so much… even if you used to be here before- his answer didn't mind those words, as he kind of understand that the place can bring back memories, both good and bad to some.
-You bet… this place was nasty as hell, with all da secrecy and shit they got here- Tenryuu felt that she could start trusting a bit his new admiral, so she started to complain about the place a bit, after all she got a good reason to do so.
-That´s one way to put it, but remember that many people died here- even if she didn't like the place, this base was a constant reminder of the destruction caused by the enemy.
-I´m sorry Admiral I will mind my words bout´em- she didn't mean that for all the people and ship girls that were stationed here at that time, but only focused about that one man.
-So… you knew the last admiral in charge, right?- He knew this was a good chance to find out a bit more about the mysterious person and maybe learn more about the things that were done here years ago.
-That asshole…- Tenryuu corrects her words and tried to be more respectful, even if she hated him so much -I meant, the late Marshal Admiral of the European fleet... was not a good man as he seemed to be. I stayed here for a while and I realized that after what he did to me...-she said those last words with a bit of pain, as she remembers what she got to endure from him, even now she still carries those scars.
-What happened back then?- he turn serious right then, as her eye was evasive. He heard about some abusive officers, that use their rank to do what they please, taking advantage of the ship girls, especially the ones that look like young girls… wonder how many have been judged guilty by the military police.
-He got no mercy…- Tenryuu remained in silence as it was really personal, what she got to endure by him and consequentially in the other bases she was transferred, over and over again.
-You know… I don't want to talk about that time…- She simply said, even if she tried to trust him with this, just thinking about it again erase her tough attitude.
-But…- The man tried to push her answer, but just by looking at her, he changed his mind.
-I don't want to remember, please-Tenryuu said again, this time her voice was accompanied with sadness and just by a second her beautiful eye almost dropped a tear.
-I´m sorry, I didn't want to pressure you- the man didn't think it was such a bad memory, so he saves his other questions for another time, when the chances are better and her trust in him grows a bit more.
-It´s just that… some things are too painful to tell you- The one-eye girl took a deep breath and returned to her usual self, trying to smile a bit, she is happy in this base now, don't want to ruin it remember those years.
-Fine… I will not ask about it again, but you can be sure that this time you will not have those bad experiences again- By saying this he mean it; he tries to be honest as he already thinks people need to trust each other in this times of need.
-Thanks Admiral, you are a good man… well I better get going, there´s a lot of things I need to do, this base changed a lot so I´ll need to get used to it too- She felt joy for the first time while talking with another officer, so she had an honest smile. So she salutes the man and left, leaving the man alone while she goes to the communication room to check out the new routes.
-Very well, I will be waiting for your report later- He smiled back as she left, what happened in this base will remain a mystery for longer time, perhaps. As the man enter the building he notices some empty boxes and some fairies fooling around the entrance, he was getting used to encounter them more. He goes up the stairs and enters his office to find someone already inside.
Here and there a lot of fairies were working… or at least trying their best to made some arrangements. The fairies are quite cute but also seemed to be making their effort in the base and as always being cordial to the man as he walked near them, stopping and salute him with respect. After that he continue to his office.
-Morning Admiral!- The pink haired girl was already in the room, reading out a few files.
-Good Morning Akashi, I see you have been busy here- He notices that a lot of the boxes around has been piled up together, perhaps she already looked inside many of them and took the most interesting files.
-Yeah maybe… well a bit-She laughs a bit and encourage the man to get near her.
-Found something interesting?- He goes next to her and took one of the open files, some pictures was the first thing he saw, along the lines were the words "project", "automated", "installation" and a lot more that describe the work of one in the research team years ago, A few photos of some unidentified place below ground, and some people around it.
-There´s crazy stuff in here! I can't believe how much of this was hidden to the public. It´s incredible how many things were developed here, advanced technology that no other base got before… but most incredible is that many of this developments may still be around- she speaks moving around files with different names, all with crucial information about the forgotten projects, a few may still be around while some others are already used at every base.
-Impressive… but I don't think it would be a wise idea to mess with technology we don't understand, you know what happened the other day at the lake- he wasn't very excited about looking around the base again, not unless he is pretty sure nothing will pop out and try to hurt them like those black mannequins.
-Yeah… but that was your bad move, there may be things around that can be useful for this base now. Admiral we can recover those lost facilities with some help and improve this place a lot- her voice was a bit pushy and excited, as she really wanted to find out about everything and didn't want to wait too longer. At first she didn't imagine this place was of any good, but right now she feels like being walking on a treasure island where a lot of precious things were buried.
-How can we do that? most were destroyed or locked away for good…- the admiral remembers his day exploring the base, and all those places sealed with no way to enter, as if they were holding something evil inside, it was not a good idea, simple.
-Locked away? You mean the underground facility?- She understood immediately, as she already heard about the place and that entrance, about the weapons, bullets and even the old type plane, if she wanted she can salvage the place and make great things, even make the combat planes be functional again…
-Yes, I imagined it would be something like that-He already knew her next words… but something about the place felt odd. A cold and eerie feeling accompanied him all the time inside the place, perhaps after being inside he started to reconsider the stories of those workers that arrive at the island right after its destruction.
-The papers mention them as research facilities, we don't know what we can find down there, but if we go together…- She took a single file and showed it to the admiral, in it some pictures depicting people in white lab coats with god knows what kind of bizarre machines. It was written about the different places and this file describe a special section of weapon development, and six ship girls showed in the next photo, three reddish haired, one black haired and two light blonde haired, all together smiling.
-No Akashi. That place is off limits for some reason, we don't know what's inside there, it may be dangerous- The admiral discarded the file without looking at it, he was not in the mood of exploring the mysterious place, at least not until he was really sure about what he can find down there.
-Fine…- she found a negative answer right in her face, but she can still try to get something out of it -But how about we took care of what´s on the surface? Like the lighthouse or the bauxite mine?- She put the discarded file with the rest, and explained then about the other installations that may or may not be functional, yet it could help a lot to the general base. The lighthouse is a must, as they will need that in the night or in possible storms in the future, and that lonely mine somewhere in the near forest may be the real cause of this base. Having their own bauxite mean that a lot of development can be done pretty fast, especially with carriers and planes.
-I guess we can take care of it, but only after we got more personnel around, clear?-The admiral understood that those two options were too good to leave them alone, but there's not enough people to use them and maintain them.
-Yes commander… so are you hungry?- Akashi smiled, she will be messing around the base in the near future, but now she will be busy with her new shop, a few more days and it will be open.
The Admiral and Akashi went off to the kitchen, just to find out Ooyodo already making some coffee, he insisted to help, even if both girls denied him the chance. The two of them agreed that the man should wait this time just eat what both prepared, and he did.
-Glad to see you, are you doing fine with Tenryuu- The admiral gladly said to the black haired girl, he knew that she would understand fast.
-Yes, she is already familiar with tracing routes so I left her with the fairies and maps- Ooyodo answer in a composed way and sit then taste her coffee.
-That´s not so like you, did you dislike her or something- Akashi didn't understand her reaction, she knew Ooyodo and she was more the type that remained in place to watch that everything is in order, so leaving Tenryuu alone wasn´t normal.
-E-Eh?- Ooyodo tried to hide her reaction -I mean no, she has proven herself to earn the place as secretary ship- she replied with the same voice, trying to not let her feelings mix with her logic.
-Oh… you are just jealous then- Akashi understand immediately and smiled, she could have imagined that any ship girl that is named secretary is near the admiral and is second in command, so even her is kind of envious of the new girl.
-O-of course not- Again Ooyodo tried to hide her ideas -I just don't know what to think about it. I´m sorry for my words, I know it was your decision admiral, but I think it was a bit too irresponsible, naming your secretary that fast, even more, her of all ships- she added now with a bitter voice, she was not happy that the man did such a hasty choice, as such thing is important, more now that there are few ship girls.
-I think it was a good option at the time, and I think that she will stop being so reckless if she is around taking care of other things instead of only battle, plus… she is not a bad girl- the Admiral was pleased with his decision, and was still too early to be called a failure. Most of all he wanted to have all girls in this base happy for they to do their best.
-Admiral… I checked with headquarters about her, and what they said was all but the opposite- the glasses beauty was not amused with that answer, she didn't like the idea of having such a crazy girl in charge.
-Ooyodo, you know it's not good to talk about others back, even more, mister Admiral is right beside you- Akashi tried to cool down the situation, as Ooyodo is also a girl that strikes with such honesty that brought her problems before and up until everyone have been fine around the base.
-Yes and I acknowledge that, but I need to tell you this Admiral… even if I get punished later- Ooyodo tried to remain calm, she knew that going against her admiral choices was not the best of the ideas, but she was the type of girl that felt responsible for the good of those around her.
-Alright, speak what you found- The admiral remained calm, he didn't got motives to be angry for such words, he took his coffee and started to drink it while he hears Ooyodo´s words.
-As I told you I call headquarters this morning before Tenryuu came here and asked about her. She was really reckless yesterday and I didn't want another incident like that to happen, at first I only wanted to ask for backup plan if another strong abyssal fleet gets near but they told me that there will be no backup if she is involved- Ooyodo started to explain the situation, she was really surprised when she heard it at first, but what they told her after was even worse.
-What! What do you mean they will not give us backup?- The man almost drop his cup, that was a serious matter, if another big abyssal appear nearby they would not be able to defeat it, even worse if they got attacked by a large enemy fleet they…
-Relax admiral! There must be a good explanation right Ooyodo?-Akashi ´s voice interrupted the man´s thoughts, she always tries to be cheerful, she knew there´s always a reason for it, maybe it was just a mistake or something.
-Yes there is, HQ will not send reinforcements if Tenryuu is in a fleet… because she is labeled as a traitor- She said those bitter words again, this time she was serious about it. Not every day the main base label someone, even more with the worst type, even know she doesn't understand how a traitor would be in any base at all.
-Traitor? No way!- The admiral didn't understand how something like that was possible, there was no way for that to be true.
-No ship girl can be a traitor, they must be wrong about it- Akashi immediately followed, there was no chance that any of them betrayed the people they wanted to protect, after all that´s their mission or she wanted to think of it like that.
-I´m sorry Admiral, but it seems that she did something horrible a long time ago, and was never forgiven for it. I mean… they don't tell me any details, just that we can't trust any of her words and better just leave her out of the main fleet- Ooyodo repeated the words she heard from HQ, those were hard and difficult to understand, but as the leaders of the navy they got to follow their command.
-So that's what she meant… - It was then that the man understand why Tenryuu was so reluctant to talk about her past, it would be terrible for anyone to remember their label as traitor and all she got to endure.
-Ooyodo forget about what you heard from headquarters, Tenryuu is not a traitor by any means- The admiral spoke and tried to correct her, he doesn't want any of those labels or problems in this base, he is convinced that every ship girl is only there to help humanity against the abyssal army, so he would deny any idea that try to change that fact, even if it came from his superiors.
-Yes admiral but…- Ooyodo tried to give some reasons against it, but she didn't believe anyone be labeled traitor in this era, she knew that headquarters made some weird and cruel choices now and then, so there´s some doubt in her mind about It, even if she is used to follow the rules without thinking.
-Let´s giver that chance, if she does anything wrong I´ll take care of it-The man in white tried to relax a bit, as he somehow knows that Tenryuu is not a traitor, but if by any chance she does something wrong, he would stop her.
-Alright admiral, I know headquarters can be wrong sometimes- Ooyodo smiled a bit now and then sighs a bit, she was better now. She is still concerned about everyone, but knowing that the man beside her can take care of problems too made her bit happier.
-You are a compassionate man, I´m happy that you are the leader here!- Akashi have not seen a man that defies words from their superiors in favor of a ship girl, perhaps she is lucky to be around such a person.
After that both girls prepared some breakfast with what they got in hand, some bread, a few eggs and some vegetables. But as they finished preparing it, an unexpected Tenryuu appeared from the door with a triumphant expression.
-Yo! Finished my first duty-Tenryuu salute the admiral as she entered the kitchen -Hello there, I´m Tenryuu, s-secretary ship- said that last with a little shame to those two, it was the first time she saw both girls at the same time, so she used this chance to proudly introduce herself.
-Nice to meet you Tenryuu- Ooyodo try to answer politely and forget the label.
-Hello again Tenryuu, glad to see that you get the job quickly- The admiral liked when things were done fast, and even more, with this new routes he will get more resources.
-Yeah! I´m not a big fan of expeditions but I kinda guess I´m used to it, even more ´couse I know these waters- she was pleased to say those words as finally was tracing the routes instead of just looking them around.
-Really? Then you saw the wonders that used to be around here right?- Akashi used this chance to know more about it and perhaps got a better opportunity if someday she repair those sections of the base.
-Wonders?... Ya mean what those guys in white did all day an´night?- Tenryuu heard people spoke marvelous things of the old base, but she never understand how many thing they actually made, even more, most things were secrets and she only saw was on the surface.
-Sorry but never gat the chance, you see only a few ship girls back then had access to the sub-base- She knew that the sub level was forbidden to anyone that tried to enter it and was also guarded at all times, even with so many entrances, just a few got real access.
-Why was that?...- The admiral was surprised but perhaps that explains why he could not enter the hangars and mysterious storehouses.
-So they really got dirty secrets here- Ooyodo didn't like the sound of that, she knew that the base got many secret projects, even when she came here, she did find it amazing and yet kind of unnerving, too perfect to be true some may say.
-Jeez ´bout that…. This place was terrible, people died a lot round here- Tenryuu knew about the place, in the time she was around she knew and saw some of those cases personally, and were not pretty.
-How?- The admiral was curious, as everyone said that people died in the past and yet no one is sure how exactly they died or how many.
-No one knew back then. People just disappeared out of thin air or were found… Well ya know…- The eye patched girl didn't want to remember how she find them or how many new people appeared every week, it was really creepy just to think about what caused it.
-But that´s impossible, a report with so many deaths would have reached headquarters immediately…- Ooyodo was not convinced at all, she heard the rumors about the deaths, but there was a protocol and even if there were no reports, someone at headquarters would know how many people were send and how many were missing.
-Save yer tears, no one cared or just acted as if nothing bad ever happened, all but one…- Tenryuu knew what she tried to imply, but at that time no one seemed to care or even think about it, only that other was the only one that try to do something, she owed her a lot.
-I guess that explains why this place is still thought as cursed- The admiral understand that not everything was easy to explain, but if a lot of people really disappeared here even before the attack, then something was really wrong.
-Tenryuu that just can´t be right, so many deaths, possible crimes or worse, in any of those cases with so many disappearances the military police would have been quickly dispatched and yet there are no records that they ever came to this base- Ooyodo insisted with it, she knew that headquarters would not remain silent with such problem, they would have immediately send troops to investigate the deaths and arrest the culprit.
-Oww… I heard a battalion was send here once… And just ended up like the rest-Tenryuu replied unfazed, she knew that story and even saw many militaries one day, but the next they were gone, it was long after when she realized what happened.
-That´s another of this island dark stories… About the battalion that the navy sent here that disappeared in a single night- The man knew that legend, it relates how hundreds of soldiers got to the island and were never heard of again, even more unnerving was the idea that no one found any evidence of them, nothing, as if they just turned into ghosts in an instant.
-What the hell happened here…- Ooyodo was not pleased hearing such things, more terrible acts that happened without official explanation…
-Such a gloomy atmosphere…- Akashi felt cold air around her -Hey Tenryuu did you know about the other facilities? Are they also cursed or something too- she tried to change the subject into another less scary, she was really interested in what she can repair and what not.
-What other facilities? there were a bunch back then- Tenryuu remembers the size of the base and how many buildings were around, all different with lots of thing to watch and do.
-Umm… like the mine and the lighthouse- Those were the first ones that imagined that are more needed right now, if she was able to recover them, it would mean a lot to the base.
-Never heard ´bout a mine here, but the lighthouse was always on, day ´n night, supposed to be automated system or something they called it, damn machines were never useful…- Tenryuu tried to remember something about those, but nothing appeared, only those weird things that took care of the installations and those damned automated sealing doors.
-…- It was an awkward answer but it was better than nothing -Guess that makes those two safe and candidates for repairing- she was convinced that those were her next objectives, when she got the time to do so of course.
After those words everyone returned to their scheduled tasks, it was not easy to talk about such things, the dark story of the island is hard to believe for everyone, some think of it as just a way to discredit the base´s greatest inventions or to made the people that lived once in it lost their reputation and achievements out of jealousy, but still many of those mysteries would remain unsolved.
Akashi returned to the entrance of the building and started remodeling it with the fairies help, Ooyodo felt silent and returned to the communication room where she spent the rest of the day alone, she was clearly concerned about Tenryuu words and wanted to know more, so she called someone special that remained in the headquarters and asked for a favor. While on the base all the destroyers went with Kiso to train again as in her own words "they were still too weak"
All that remained were Tenryuu and the admiral in his office, but it was a silent evening as they only exchange few words, mostly because the Admiral felt his secretary ship don't trust him enough and Tenryuu didn´t knew what to say, after all she was not used to talk at all, she tried to look tough but her social skills were not as developed as her combat ones.
The day went on fast, both admiral and secretary remained just cataloguing all the files that remained without label and in the end they finished late that night.
-So… that´s the last one, good job- The admiral took the last file and put it with the rest of its category, it was a hard job and most of the papers contents were still unknown, some other time he would have the time to check them again.
-Thank you Admiral but you did more than me… I kinda feel useless you know- she said embarrassed, it was the first time that she actually touched files and other stuff, she was only used to be at the sea or grounded in solitaire rooms.
-Don´t say that, you will get better at this- he wasn't used to this kind of work, so it took them a lot more time than expected, but still were done.
-I hope so, if not I can only be good at shootin´ abyssals- Tenryuu felt a bit warm inside, for the first time, she was treated well and well, respected for once doing something else than being abyssal bait.
Both then left the office and went to Mamiya to eat something, even if it didn't show up they spent a lot of time and were quite tired. So after they finished with their dinner Tenryuu followed the admiral to his room, as a secretary ship she need to be with him to help him with whatever she can.
-Well here we are, you don't need to be nervous Tenryuu, hope you can talk to me more- The admiral really meat those words, he wanted her to trust in him as she would be his right hand.
-Sorry ´bout that, I-I´m still not used to talk to you that m-much…- She replied a bit flushed, she got a hard time getting anyone around here, as most people just ignored her in every other base she was stationed before.
-You were of much help, well done in your first day- The admiral said with a smile, he was happy with the result of the first day.
-Thanks… is there something else I can do today Admiral?-The eye-patched beauty asked slowly, she was still nervous but tried her best to remain calm even at times like this.
-Well this is my room, so unless you want to come in and stay with me you can go to sleep… umm…- his words did sound different from what he tried to say, but it was too late to change them.
-I-I-I… can do that if ya want! Please take care of me!- Tenryuu was all blushed and heat was almost visible from her face, she didn't thought about it much, she knew her duty as secretary ship was to do anything the admiral asked and of course she remembered in this same base before, that special relationship that the marshal admiral got with the shipgirls… she hated him so much, and just remembering that gave her shivers and tears were about to flow from her eye.
-Wait wait! it was just a joke, I don´t mind but… what I´m trying to say is you is that I´m tired and don´t know what I´m saying, so do the same and go to sleep to your room!- The man realized that again his tongue slipped and now he would seemed terrible for saying such a thing, even worse just the first day they worked together.
-Eh?... I-I, Yeah! Hahaha you believe me… ya are really pervert for sayin´ that- Tenryuu tried to change her words after realizing what she just said, she got small tears that now was trying to disguise with her laugh, for a split second she was really really afraid of "completing" her job as secretary ship, but that was just her mind messing things around with the many times she imagined being beside an admiral and doing her best effort no matter the consequences.
-Yes, yes, just go Tenryuu, you are dismissed- he said with haste going inside, it would be extremely hard for his sanity to remain alone for too long, that´s why he wanted more people around, so his steady mind would not deviate and his purpose remain adamant.
-Fine, b-but as next time I may enter even if ya don't want! Good night Admiral!- Always trying to look tough but inside she almost faint, Tenryuu walked away as the man closed the door, she was now part of this base and will now enjoy it all she can.