"So, what do you think of the new admiral?" Amatsukaze asked as she took a seat beside Fubuki in the spacious mess hall of the base.
Fubuki was unsure of how to answer. "I don't know… We've only met him once."
"Not even a first impression?"
"Eh? I don't know," Fubuki repeated, trying to concentrate on her breakfast.
The two destroyers then looked up as Kaga and Akagi approached their table.
"The Admiral wants us at the training ground at eight," Kaga informed them. "Don't be late."
"Y-yes!" Fubuki said hurriedly, shooting a quick glance at Akagi at the same time.
The carriers then moved on, and Amatsukaze pouted as she watched them leave.
"Who put her in charge? The Admiral hasn't chosen a flagship yet!"
"Well, someone has to do it, I guess," Fubuki pointed out.
"Exactly!" a new voice sounded out from behind them, and the pair turned to see Sendai, the light cruiser in their fleet, standing proudly. "And it should be me!"
"No way!" Amatsukaze fiercely replied, getting up from her seat. "I think I should be the flagship! I'm the fastest, after all."
"The flagship position has nothing to do with speed!" Sendai countered. "It should be decided based on whoever is the best at night battles!"
"Guys, we shouldn't be fighting so early in the morning," Fubuki interrupted, trying to get her teammates to calm down. "As a newly-formed fleet, shouldn't we be trying to get along and show the Admiral we know how to work together? He's not going to choose someone who can't even cooperate with the ships in her own fleet as the flagship, right?"
Amatsukaze and Sendai frowned, but they both quieted down after realizing she was right.
"Fine. I'm going to go ahead to the training grounds and impress the Admiral by starting early," Sendai said. "You two can show up whenever."
Amatsukaze glared at the night battle-enthusiast as she left the mess hall, and Fubuki sighed.
"Do you really have to challenge her like that, Amatsukaze?"
"It's not my fault! Everyone underestimates us and treats us like we're weak just because we're destroyers!"
"Well, it is true that we're the weakest type of ship."
"B-but -"
"But destroyers have their uses too. We provide important cover for the larger ships, and they would be unprotected without us drawing some of the fire and shooting back," Fubuki finished. "We just need to show our worth on the battlefield, then everyone will know that we're useful."
"Right!" Amatsukaze agreed as she stood up once more, her fist clenched in determination. "I'm going ahead to the training grounds too! Hurry up and finish!"
Fubuki sighed again as she watched her fellow destroyer run off. She looked down at her soup, then got up to throw out her trash, along with Amatsukaze's. If she was going to get an early start on training, then she better eat lightly beforehand.
The brown-haired destroyer exited the mess hall and began walking towards the training ground, where she would put on her equipment and warm up for the day. She normally just followed the standard training regimen that Nagato developed since she didn't really go on any missions aside from expeditions, but now that she had a new admiral and was actually a part of an active fleet, she figured it would be different, and that her admiral would institute his own training program. As she strolled down one of the roads of the base that led towards the training ground near the sea, she noticed a tall figure approaching.
"Bucky!" Kongou called out, waving at the destroyer cheerfully. "Good morning!"
"Good morning, Kongou."
Kongou patted the shorter destroyer on the head as she grinned and walked beside her. "So, I heard you got a new admiral, desu! An American! Does he speak English?"
"Well, he's American, so yes," Fubuki replied. "He also speaks Japanese, though. He speaks it pretty well, too."
"Oh! Interesting! You'll have to introduce me! Are you going to meet him now?"
"Yes," Fubuki said, somewhat hesitantly. "But shouldn't you be with your own fleet? I'm sure Admiral Genji wouldn't want you to be dropping in on other fleets' training session when you should be at your own."
"Nooooo!" Kongou whined. "My admiral is so sour, desu! I want to see the American!"
"Okay, but -"
"No buts, Bucky! Hurry up and let's go, desu!"
Fubuki sighed for the third time this morning as she continued on towards the beach, reluctantly allowing Kongou to accompany her. When she got there, she saw that the two carriers, along with Sendai and Amatsukaze were already out on the ocean. Amatsukaze and Sendai appeared to be competing in some sort of race, while Akagi and Kaga started on target practice.
"Oh, so this is your fleet?" Kongou said casually as she observed the group. "Haruna was nervous about forming a separate fleet away from me, but you all seem lively!"
"Right… I'm not sure if 'lively' is a good thing, though," Fubuki said, watching nervously as Amatsukaze and Sendai began arguing about something.
"Your admiral isn't here yet?" Kongou asked as she looked around. "Neither is Haruna…"
"I think we're early," Fubuki replied. "You probably don't need to wait around here, Kongou. I'm sure you can see the Admiral another day."
"Nonsense! I'll train with you guys, desu!"
Fubuki couldn't really stop the battleship, so she resigned herself to go along with it. The two then headed towards the large semi-submerged building on the beach which housed the equipment of the ship girls. Each ship had a specific rigging, and there were two pairs of each rigging on the base in case one of them was destroyed and the ship needed to deploy again in a hurry. One set was held in this building, which was reinforced to protect its contents in case of an Abyssal airstrike. The riggings in here were what the girls usually used, and the ship girls usually deployed right from the building itself. If the ship girls needed to be deployed from the sea instead of the base, then the riggings could easily be transferred to another ship or the cargo hold of a plane. The second set of riggings was contained underground, held there in case of a catastrophic attack or accident which destroyed the surface of the base.
Fubuki entered the building and walked into the storage area which held her equipment. The room was dimly lit, but the opposite end of it opened out into the sea, allowing for sunlight to flow in naturally. Engineers and IJN sailors with the proper clearance milled about, paying the ship girls no mind as they entered. Fubuki made her way over to her station, and she stood on top of a platform on the water and pressed a button beside her. She then pushed a second button, letting the machine know that she was going for training rather than an actual sortie. This way, she wouldn't be given live ammunition and could train with the watered-down practice rounds.
The machine whirred to life, taking a moment to scan the destroyer and confirm her identity and that she was in position. A second later, the steel arms of the contraption began rapidly attaching the rigging to Fubuki. An engine, radio, ammunition, and a couple other features were contained in the metal box strapped to her back, and torpedo satchels were strapped to her thighs. Special shoes that allowed her to sail on the surface of the ocean were attached to her feet, and the machine held out her 12 cm gun for her to grasp. She took hold of it and then began sailing off into the sea and towards the training grounds, Kongou following closely behind. The whole process had taken less than ten seconds.
As the two warships neared the area where Fubuki's fleet was training, Amatsukaze noticed them and waved.
"Fubuki! You brought Kongou too?"
"I didn't bring her…" the brown-haired destroyer corrected, recalling how the battleship essentially forced her way into the training session.
"I came to see the American Admiral, desu!" Kongou exclaimed.
Sendai sailed up to the trio, wondering what they were talking about. "Kongou's here…? Are you also part of our fleet? Are you replacing your sister?"
"No! I'm just here to see your admiral!" Kongou repeated, annoyed that everyone was asking her the same thing. "I was born in England, after all, and so was the country of America, right? The Admiral and I share a connection!"
"Huh?" Sendai asked, confused. Her brown eyes then darted past Kongou as she noticed a bit of commotion farther down the beach. "Hey, isn't that your fleet, Kongou?"
The battleship whirled around, then pouted as she realized that her fleet was indeed preparing for its morning training.
"Shit! Admiral Genji is going to lose it if I show up late again! Sorry, Bucky, but I'll have to see your admiral another day!" she then sailed off to join her own fleet, calling out one last thing before she left. "Say hi to your admiral for me, desu! And make sure you say it in English!"
Rear Admiral Richard Maximilian Drake yawned as he arrived at the portion of the beach that was designated as his fleet's training yard. He had driven there in some sort of golf cart that the base gave him in order to get around, but in all honesty, he preferred to walk places, so he doubted he would be using it much. As the brisk sea breeze shook the sleep from him, Drake got out of the cart and took in the beach. The golden sand glimmered in the bright sunlight, and the ocean shone majestically behind it. The Admiral noticed that most of the members of his fleet were already out on the ocean.
Do they always start this early? They're hard workers…
Footsteps sounded behind him, and Drake turned to see Haruna, the final member of his fleet. She smiled nervously at him, but her expression soon warped to one of mortification as she noticed that everyone else had already started training.
"Oh no, am I late? I'm sorry!"
"You're not late. It looks like they just started early," Drake said.
"I see," Haruna replied with relief in her tone, but she still appeared to be slightly disappointed that they all started without her. "I should go and get my equipment. Excuse me."
As Haruna left to equip herself in her training gear, Drake noticed Kaga and Akagi sailing towards his position. The Rear Admiral walked onto the sandy shore as he moved to meet them, taking great care not to get sand in his shoes. The other ship girls in his fleet also noticed his arrival, and they began following the carriers towards the shore.
Akagi and Kaga sailed onto the beach, stepping out of the water and onto the sand. Their movements were clunky and slow with their gear equipped, but it appeared that they could move around on land if necessary.
"Admiral," Kaga greeted flatly.
"Good morning," Drake said, nodding at the carriers. "You're all here pretty early."
"Better to be early than late," the stoic carrier replied in a business-like manner. "What are your orders for today's training session?"
"Admiral!" Sendai interrupted before Drake could answer, waving as she sailed over with Fubuki and Amatsukaze in tow. "Who are you choosing as your Secretary Ship?"
"... Secretary Ship?"
"The Secretary Ship is essentially your flagship," Kaga provided. "However, since we are no longer inanimate metal ships and now possess human bodies, the Secretary Ship also helps her admiral with his paperwork and other administrative duties. Nagato serves as the Secretary Ship for Fleet Admiral Miiro, and Kongou is supposed to be the Secretary for Rear Admiral Genji's fleets, though it is questionable whether or not she actually does her job."
Drake nodded. "A Secretary Ship sounds really helpful, actually… I wonder who I should choose…"
"I'll do it!" Sendai volunteered, grinning excitedly. "We'll go on night battles all the time with me in charge!"
Amatsukaze frowned. "And what makes you so special! The most qualified ship should get the position!"
"Well, that certainly wouldn't be you if that's the case," the light cruiser countered with a smirk.
"Maybe Kaga should do it for now," Drake interjected, interrupting their argument. He then turned to the carrier. "If you're willing, that is."
She gave him a nod. "If that is your command."
"All right, then. Now that that's out of the way, we'll start the exercises for today when Haruna gets here," the Rear Admiral said, looking past Sendai's frowning face and Amatsukaze's disappointed expression to see the battleship sailing towards them.
"See what you've done? Your whining cost both of us the chance at secretary ship!" Sendai said to Amatsukaze.
"No, it's because you were being annoying about your stupid night battles again!"
Drake watched as the two argued and Fubuki attempted to break them up. He briefly wondered if he should intervene as well, but since Kaga and Akagi did not seem to be paying them much mind and Fubuki was already doing a decent job at separating them, he figured that this was a relatively normal occurrence. Hopefully they would straighten up on a real battlefield.
It seems like being appointed Secretary Ship is a high honor, the American thought as he watched the argument simmer down. Though you certainly wouldn't be able to tell from Kaga's expression when I gave her the position.
Haruna finally arrived, apologizing profusely once again for showing up 'late' to their early practice. Drake tried to assure her that it was fine, but the battleship still seemed to be a bit angry at herself for missing out.
"All right," Drake began once they were all assembled. "I already know how you all normally train from the reports I've read, but we're going to do things differently from now on. First of all, how many of you have seen actual combat with the Abyssals?"
The ship girls glanced at each other, and nobody said anything until Kaga spoke up.
"This base is relatively new, so we haven't had much experience. We have seen videos of the Sasebo Base's Abyssal encounters and we have seen them up close a couple times, but they always fled before we could fire off more than a few shots."
Drake frowned. I knew this base wasn't that experienced, but I didn't expect to be the most veteran one here…
"Okay then… Looks like we really are starting from zero. Luckily for you, I myself have fought the Abyssals and survived, and I've spent the past year studying their movements, their abilities, and their tactics, so you'll be prepared once I'm done with you… But for now, let's just start with some laps around the base's perimeter."
Kaga nodded. "Understood. Should we leave our rigging here on the beach?"
"No."
"W-what? Are we running with our equipment on?" Haruna asked, clearly not very thrilled at the prospect of lugging her huge guns around on land.
"All of it except for your water skis," Drake replied with a smirk. "I never said this training would be easy. Haruna, you run only three laps since you have the heaviest equipment. Kaga and Akagi, you two run four. Destroyers and light cruiser, since you have the lightest equipment you're running five.. Now get moving."
The ship girls reluctantly began taking off the attachments on their feet which allowed them to float on the water, clumsily bending over and detaching the metal straps. Once that was done, they began lightly jogging away from the beach and towards the road which wrapped around the entire naval base, Akagi and Kaga in the lead and Haruna lagging behind.
"Be quick about it! This is only the first exercise for today," Drake called out after them. "Also, I'll be following behind you in that cart, so don't even think about slacking off!"
The early afternoon sun shone brightly overhead, and Rear Admiral Richard Drake stood on the beach in front of his fleet, his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
"That was quite a poor showing," he said, watching as the six ship girls panted as they lay on the beach, empty water bottles strewn out around them.
The run around the base hadn't gone very well. Haruna had tripped and fallen at the end of the second lap, and she didn't have the strength to get up after running so much, forcing Drake to have to unstrap her rigging and allow her to rest. Kaga and Akagi had managed three laps, but they looked as if their bodies would completely give out if they ran any farther, so Drake just told them to stop at that. Sendai, Fubuki, and Amatsukaze had made it four laps before they all collapsed and refused to move.
"M-my legs feel like jelly," Amatsukaze complained she lay on the sand, sweat streaming down her face and sticking her silver hair to her face.
Akagi groaned. "I feel like I'm about to throw up… Urgh…"
Drake sighed. "Your endurance needs to be incredibly good if you want to fight the Abyssals. What if you get caught in a day-long battle against a huge enemy fleet? What if it bleeds into the night? Now that you're all in more or less human bodies, you can feel fatigue. You aren't ships of steel anymore, so you can't just go on fighting all day and night without getting tired."
The Rear Admiral was met with only panting and groans of discomfort as he finished speaking, causing him to shut his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I'll let you rest for fifteen more minutes. After that, put your equipment on and get back on the ocean. We're doing close quarters combat next."
"Why… Why do we need that? Our ranged weapons are our main defense against the Abyssals," Kaga asked between breaths.
"And what happens if you're reloading? What if you can't maneuver your weapons around to hit the enemy because they're too close?" Drake pointed out. He then suppressed a shudder as he recalled the Abyssal with the huge-armed monster he saw at Tangier. "The Abyssals possess formidable close quarters capabilities themselves. It's possible that they may try and engage you in CQC."
The group then stopped complaining, evidently having recognized that such a thing was a definite possibility. Fifteen minutes passed by quickly, and soon enough, Drake's fleet was back to training, though they were moving much more sluggishly than before.
To start off, Drake gathered them on the beach and had them take off their equipment.
"First, we're going to go through some basic moves on the ground so you can learn them before practicing them out on the ocean. Though the Liberation Navy just taught me some of the CQC basics, I think that will be enough for now. Since you're all warships, you have an innate sense for combat, so your instincts will also help you a lot when in CQC once you have the foundation down… Kaga, since you're the Secretary Ship, I'll use you as a demonstration. Please come up here."
The carrier complied, though her blank expression betrayed a hint of uncertainty. She stood across from her admiral, unsure of what she was supposed to do.
"I'll show you all the basics of the American Military's close combat," Drake said, as he squared up his shoulders and lifted his arms in a grappling position. "Prepare yourself, Kaga… Just try not to kill me or anything."
Kaga nodded, raising her fists awkwardly. She felt strange having to fight her own commanding officer on the first day of training with her entire fleet watching, but she decided to give the Admiral the benefit of the doubt and assumed that this would eventually end up helping them.
She was snapped out of her thoughts as Drake closed the distance, and before she could react, she felt herself being lifted into the air. A second later, she was slammed onto the sand, the grains flying up into her face and hair and scattering on top of her clothes.
Drake backed away as he allowed the carrier to get to her feet. Damn, that was easier than I thought… I was never really that skilled at CQC, but I guess even I'm more effective than someone with no training whatsoever.
"That was just a simple throw," he explained to the group. "The goal is to get your opponent off-balance before you throw her. You can achieve this by kicking out her legs beforehand, or ducking under her reach and using your upward momentum and body weight to lift her like I just did."
The five spectators looked a bit shocked that their new admiral had just smashed one of his subordinates against the ground, but they paid attention nonetheless and tried to learn from the display.
Kaga finally got back up, and other than the disheveled state of her uniform and the sand in her hair, she looked to be undamaged by the move.
"This fighting style ultimately revolves around getting in close to your opponent and preventing her from counterattacking," Drake explained. "It was developed by the US Liberation Military for that purpose, since like you, regular soldiers fight with guns from afar and are rarely in situations where we have to use CQC. However, if we ever do have to use it, we want it to be effective."
He then paused for a bit as Kaga raised her fists again, evidently ready to get back at it.
"Your stance is too rigid," the Rear Admiral told the carrier, causing her to blink in confusion. Drake dropped back into his own stance. "Look at my stance. My arms are slightly outstretched, and none of my joints are locked. This is all so I can engage and disengage at any time with fluidity. If you're using this style, you'll want to be more flexible since it relies primarily on grappling and getting in close to your opponent."
Kaga frowned as she tried to copy Drake's stance, and the American nodded. "That's… Better, I guess. Well, this is just an initial demonstration, so you'll have plenty of time to perfect it later. Right now, try and block my attacks."
Before Kaga could respond, Drake closed the distance again, ducking under the carrier's sloppy, hurried punch and coming right up against her body before rocketing his fist upward and knocking her onto the sand again.
The stoic carrier grit her teeth as she got up and rubbed her chin. Though her skeleton was reinforced with steel and was much more durable than those of humans, her pain receptors did not receive such a big enhancement. Her frowned deepened as she returned to the stance Drake used, refusing to be sent to the ground again.
He has been dictating the flow of the battle thus far, Kaga thought to herself, and I know from past experience that it is never wise to allow your opponent to do that. This time, I will be the one who rushes in and strikes first, just as the Kido Butai has always done!
With a determined glare, Kaga went on the offensive, and she allowed herself a small smirk as surprise flashed in Drake's eyes. However, in her rush to be the one to attack first this time, she failed to put any effort into defense, and so she found herself on the sand for the third time as the American Admiral's leg came up and kicked her in the side of the head with a roundhouse kick. She hit the ground face-first, coarse grains of sand flying up into her open mouth.
"Your legs have a longer reach than your arms," Drake told the spectators as they stared wide-eyed at Kaga on the ground. "So if you ever find yourself being rushed by the enemy and you can't aim your guns in time, distance them with a kick. Just make sure that you don't throw off your balance while doing so."
Kaga stood up again, though this time Drake could detect a tinge of anger in her brown eyes. Deciding that she had taken enough punishment for today, Drake told the carrier to return to the audience before she actually decided to get serious and beat the shit out of him.
"All right, now that you've all seen a basic demonstration, who wants to go next?"
To nobody's surprise, there were no volunteers. Drake was forced to choose a ship at random, and Fubuki was the unfortunate girl picked. The Rear Admiral again demonstrated the basic techniques, adding a few more pointers and moves for the audience as he thrashed the destroyer. He felt a bit bad about beating up a girl who looked to be no older than a teenager, but he knew their bodies could take it and that they would face much worse against an actual Abyssal. After Fubuki's turn, all the remaining ships in Drake's fleet got their very own beating. With the six ship thoroughly trashed and humiliated, Drake sent them off for an hour-long lunch break with orders to return to the training beach afterwards for aquatic training.
As he watched them leave, the officer sighed. They probably hate me now… But they will learn that it's for the best. Drake knew just how horrible the Abyssals were, and he would be consider himself a failure if he didn't prepare his fleet for the hell they were about to enter. Besides, being given command of this fleet… This is my chance for revenge. I will make the Abyssals suffer for what they have done.
His thoughts then shifted to how easy it had been to defeat the ship girls in CQC, especially since he wasn't very good at it in the first place and the girls were supposed to be mankind's greatest weapon against the Abyssals. He guessed that it was just a lack of experience that caused them to fall so easily, especially since they barely ever trained in anything outside of their traditional regimen. It was also obvious that they were holding back, especially in terms of strength. Though he was a lot more muscular and stronger than the average person, Drake knew that a battleship like Haruna could easily kill him with one punch if she hit him in the right place.
After lunch we'll be doing the more 'regular' drills, so they should be more at home there… Though I do have some ways to make them a bit harder, he thought sadistically. If he was being completely honest, he did glean a little pleasure from bossing them around, just as he had been in his own training in the NROTC and in the Navy itself.
Drake then realized he should probably use this opportunity to eat lunch himself. He briefly wondered where he should go, though there weren't that many places to eat on the base anyway. There was the mess hall, which was the primary place where the sailors and ship girls ate since it was by far the cheapest. However, he hated being in crowded places, so he decided to forgo that option. There was also Mamiya's Shop, which was a sort of restaurant run by the food supply ship girl called Mamiya. The curry there was supposed to be excellent, so it too was a very popular location. Houshou, another ship girl, ran a restaurant as well, though hers was more of a bar or pub based on the description he had read. Finally, there were a few 'regular' stores as well, such as a McDonald's, a Starbucks, and a couple other coffee shops scattered throughout the base and its various buildings.
In the end, Drake decided to try Mamiya's, and he headed in the general direction where he recalled seeing the shop. After a few minutes of walking, he made it to the store. The restaurant was pretty big, and it was divided into two parts. The main section appeared to be just a regular dining area found in most restaurants. Red bricks lined the walls of the establishment, and wooden tables were set up throughout the large atrium. Small trees and plants in pots stood throughout the shop as decorations, and stunning paintings and photographs of the sea and the naval base hung on the brick walls. The space was lit by warm lamps lining the walls, and overall, the restaurant had a cozy, comforting feel to it. Past the main dining area was an open space which connected to the outside, and it was modeled after more traditional Japanese cafes.
Drake briefly wondered if it would be better to sit out there instead of inside, but he quickly changed his mind once he saw Kaga and Akagi seated at one of the tables, the latter with a ridiculously huge amount of curry in front of her. The two were busy conversing among themselves, so luckily they didn't see him.
That would have been awkward, he thought as he took a seat at one of the empty tables in the main area, which was occupied by various IJN sailors and a few other ship girls whom he didn't recognize.
Drake flipped through the menu, and a few moments later, a waiter came to take his order, so he selected a simple chicken curry and browsed the web and various apps on his phone as he waited.
However, he was interrupted when a harsh voice asked him a question:
"You've seen them, haven't you?"
Drake looked up to find Rear Admiral Genji standing beside his table, his cold, dark eyes boring into him.
"... What?"
"The Abyssals. You've seen them."
"Yeah… You know about that?" Drake asked, a bit surprised even though it made sense that the two other admirals were told about his past deployments. It was the main reason why he had been appointed to this position, after all.
"Every high-ranking officer in the every navy in the world knows about Tangier," Genji replied bluntly. "There were less than a hundred men who survived that battle. You were one of them."
"I was. And…?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to confirm it," Genji said, pulling his cap down a bit further. "I have also fought the Abyssals before, but my experience with them wasn't as large-scale or as bad as what happened at Tangier. Still, those things… Your survival must have either been a stroke of luck or a stroke of genius."
Drake leaned back. "Probably a bit of both… But if you saw them, then I assume you know how dangerous they are. And they're coming for us, and they're coming soon."
Genji nodded. "Yes. We commanders in the Kancolle Program are the first and last line of defense for humanity. That is why I hope that you can live up to your hype, Rear Admiral Richard Drake."
Drake smiled mirthlessly. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. This enemy is still relatively unknown, as are the capabilities of the ship girls."
"Then it is up to the commanders to see through the fog of war and defeat the enemy regardless," Genji responded, his tone unforgiving. "I don't give a shit that you are an American and not part of the IJN. If you are as good as I think you are, then it's possible this base actually has a chance. Our Fleet Admiral certainly isn't going to help in that regard."
"Oh? You don't like him?" Miiro seemed like a nice guy, and if he was a fleet admiral, Drake figured that he had to be fairly skilled.
"No. He obtained his post solely due to the fact that his family is close to the Empress," Genji explained. "He has never seen the Abyssals up close, and I doubt his tactical abilities."
"Is that so…" That was news to Drake. Fleet Admiral Miiro did seem a bit on the softer side, but that did not necessarily mean he was actually weak. However, Genji seemed to be suggesting that he was.
"Anyway, that is all I wanted to say," Genji finished. "Good luck with your training."
Drake's lunch then arrived, and as he ate, he contemplated the IJN rear admiral's visit. Strange. He's a lot more cordial than I thought he would be when I first looked at him, though it's clear that he has no respect for those who haven't proven themselves… It appears the command structure of this base isn't as strong as it appears on the surface.
After lunch, Drake headed back towards the beach, though since he had some time left, he spent a while wandering throughout the base and thinking about things. His conversation with Rear Admiral Genji only solidified his resolve to train these ship girls with everything he had, or there could be a repeat incident of Tangier. The thought made Drake shudder as he recalled the horrors he saw that day, as well as the carnage he experienced after walking through the destroyed city afterwards.
No… I can never let that happen again…
When he finally arrived back on the beach, he saw that his fleet was already there. They were putting their equipment back on in order to get on the water, though they looked a lot more haggard than they had this morning, even after their hour-long lunch break.
"All right, as I said earlier, now it's back to the kind of training you're more used to," he began. "For the first couple hours, you'll just be doing the same kind of things you always do, meaning target practice and obstacle sailing. After that, we're working on formations. That means that we're going to practice drilling with a set fleet structure, movements, and objectives. I'll explain in more detail once we get to that point, so for now, just do what you always do… Kaga, before you go, I need to speak with you."
As the rest of the fleet prepared to sail, Kaga walked up to her admiral. "What is it?"
"Since I can't be out on the ocean unless I get on a boat or something, I can't micromanage your training out there. Since you're the flagship, I'm giving you that responsibility instead. From now on, you're in charge of this portion of training. Make sure no one slacks off."
Kaga nodded, then headed out onto the water to join the rest of the fleet. Drake didn't see the need to preside too closely over this part of the training session, as it was mostly supposed to be for the ship girls to improve their skills individually. The more important part of the ocean practice would be the fleet maneuvers, so for now, he just wanted to ensure that everyone was taking their practice seriously and not half-assing it. He doubted anyone would, considering how most of them were actually practicing early this morning, but it never hurt to make sure. Based on the way she carried herself, Kaga seemed to be fairly mature and level-headed, so Drake knew he could trust her with this much.
The two hours went by surprisingly quickly. Drake mainly spent that time sitting on the beach or a nearby portion of the docks, watching the ship girls go through their training. He initially thought it would be boring to just sit there and watch them go through drills, but he found himself strangely captivated by them. Though he had spent hours reading about the Kancolle Program, it was still amazing how these girls were actually the embodiment of the famous warships that fought in possibly the greatest war in human history. With that in mind, he couldn't help but marvel at them.
Eventually, the fleet finished with their individual drillings and returned to the shore. They all looked extremely worn out, which was to be expected considering what they went through this morning. Still, not one of them complained (not to his face, at least). Drake figured that though these girls had never faced the Abyssals in direct combat before, even they realized the danger their opponents presented, which is why they sucked it up and continued onwards. After all, they had already fought in one war, so they were hardened soldiers by now, even if they didn't look like it.
"Okay, last thing for today's training is fleet formations and maneuvers," the Rear Admiral said once everyone had a chance to catch her breath. "I'll start off by explaining the various formations we use since they're probably different from the standard 'line ahead' or whatever that the fleets usually use. I formulated these after my battle with the Abyssals and after reading every report I could get on them, so they should be effective. We'll start off with the most simple one, which I just call 'Standard Formation' because I'm not very good with coming up with names. Basically, this is where the carriers sit in the back and launch their planes while the destroyers, light cruisers, and heavy cruisers engage the enemy in surface action. Battleships play a hybrid role, as they can either shell from afar or rush in and attack, depending on what the situation calls for."
Drake drew the basic formation in the sand with his shoe as he spoke in order to illustrate the general outline.
"Pretty simple, right? We'll try going out with this formation and attacking the moving targets out on the training sea. If there's something wrong, I'll call you back, fix the problem, and then keep going until we get it right."
The rest of the day went by relatively smoothly, and the fleet found the various formations Drake developed to be fairly easy to execute, though they did move a little slowly. He excused their lack of speed since it was their first time learning these maneuvers and they already had a hard day of training beforehand, so all in all, the fleet formation training was a success. Of course, they were only fighting against moving targets fashioned in the shape of Abyssals, so Drake would truly know how good his formations were when they were tested in the crucible of battle.
At around six thirty, Drake dismissed his fleet for the day, their training having concluded. He had the same sort of schedule planned for tomorrow as well, something he was sure his fleet was looking forward to.
Oh, well, they'll get used to it, he reasoned as he walked away from the training beach and pondered where he should eat dinner.
So far, his fleet looked promising, and though they didn't perform perfectly, he was sure that -
"Admiral," Kaga's voice called out, breaking him from his thoughts. "You never told me what time you would like me to report to your office for tonight."
Drake turned to face her, his expression evidently one of confusion because Kaga decided to further explain herself.
"As the Secretary Ship, I am required to assist you with your administrative duties."
"Ah, right…"
The American Admiral cursed to himself. He had forgotten all about his 'administrative duties,' and considering that he was new at the base, there was probably a ton of paperwork that needed to be filled out to get things in order. If he were smarter, he would have started on it while the ships were doing their individual training, or he should have done it in the morning before training even started.
But I just had to sleep in… Years of early reveille back in the US has made me greedy for those extra hours of rest.
Drake briefly thought about just telling her to forget about it for today, but he quickly realized that for someone as serious as Kaga, she would probably take that as an insult rather than be relieved.
"I'll probably start in about an hour," he said, and the carrier nodded before walking off with Akagi.
The Rear Admiral sighed as he resumed his walk, his mood having deflated a bit. He had planned on checking out the base's gym tonight, but considering the paperwork that was backlogged, that was most likely not an option anymore.
Ah, whatever. I'll just start extra early tomorrow… Hopefully.