Disclaimer: Kantai Collection (Kancolle), all of its characters, and musics belongs to their respected owner. The only things I own here is my OCs. This fanfict may or may not be canon. Besides that, I've got nothing else to say. So with that, please take a seat, grab your drink, pick your snack, and have a pleasant cruise (or read).
Chapter 7 "New Water"
"This is Patrol Fleet 1, come in HQ."
"This is HQ, any report?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing we encountered was a false signal long ago. It was nothing but floating debris."
"Acknowledged. Anything else?"
"At the moment, there is nothing else. If for the next round we don't found anything, we will regroup and return to the base."
"Acknowledged. HQ over and out."
After that last reply, the girl that initiated the connection let down her finger from her earpiece and let out a heavy sigh. She scanned the dark and silent sea. Her brown eyes focused on the spot where her search light shone upon, trying her best to not miss a single thing. After confirming that nothing was out of the ordinary, she relaxed slightly.
"I've found nothing. How about you, Kuroshio?"
"Nope, nothin here too, Kagerou-chan."
She then turned to her fellow fleet girl after she gave her report. The girl near her fashioned the same uniform as hers, a white shirt under a grey vest and grey pleated skirt for the bottom. One could also see the bike short under their skirt. The main difference is their hair color. While Kagerou had medium-length brown hair that was tied into a short twintails, Kuroshio let her short black hair just as it is with only a hairclip as its decoration.
"Ah..I see…"
"What is it, Kagerou-chan? Ya don't sound happy at all."
"Hmm…that's good and all. But…" Kagerou wore a frown after hearing her teammate's report. "It's quiet….Too quiet."
"Ya know, as cool as dat sound, I don't like that phrase here."
"K-Kuroshio, I'm being serious here!"
"I'm the same." After saying that, the one called Kuroshio scanned the sea again with her search light. "Ya say ominous stuff der."
"…I know that, but it is the truth, right? I just hope that–UWAAAHHH!"
"W-W-What!? E-Enemy!?"
"N-No, i-it's just the radio." With a flustered face, Kagerou said to her teammate while pointing to her own ear. Due to the tense atmosphere, the sudden buzz that came from her earpiece startled her to the point that she screamed. "S-Sorry about that."
"Sheesh…Ya scared me half to death, ya'know?" A clanking sound could be heard as Kuroshio lowered her turret.
"Sorry about that. Let me take this call first. Kuroshio here."
"Shiranui here. We've got sighting nearby. Hatsukaze and Shiranui are still in standby."
"S-Sighting?" The crack in Kagerou voice was evident enough how nervous she was. "Where are you and where is the sighting?"
"Shiranui is south-southwest from your position. The sighting is from probably about 8 miles from our current position."
"South-southwest from us then…Kuroshio! Look at our west and tell me what you see!"
"H-Huh? West is it?" Kuroshio raised her binocular then scanned the direction that was mentioned. "...Uhm…there's no–…wait! I see it! Oh…no…" Her voice then turned low and that made Kagerou felt anything but calm.
"What is it?"
"A-Abyssal! About…three…four…seven of them!"
"S-S-Seven!?"
"Yes, there are about seven of them. They are going your way."
"Ugh! This is bad! Regroup immediately to my position! Turned off your search light! We are under radio silence until we regroup or until I say so!"
"Roger that. Over and out."
"What's the order, Kagerou-chan?" asked Kuroshio while still looking through the binocular. She also has turned off her search light
"We are outnumbered. Furthermore, we don't know the composition of the enemy. The best action would be to retreat and warn the HQ. But we can't contact the HQ because they might hack into our communication line."
"So we have to get back first and then let HQ get into red alert." Kuroshio then clicked her tongue after saying that, lowering her binocular, readying herself to return with bad news. "Thing gonna get rowdy."
"Like we have other choice."
"Then we should get back as–Wait! Was dat explosion sound?"
"What?" The two looked at each other while trying to listen for any further sound. Seconds after that, another sound could be heard. Unlike before, it was also accompanied by several sound of gunshot. That made the two fleet girls immediately put on their binocular and then looked at the direction of the sound. The sight immediately baffled them.
"There's…some other fleet? Hah? The abyssal are fightin someone else!"
"What!? It can't be!…There is! There is someone else there!" Just Kuroshio said there was someone–or something– fighting against the abyssal fleet.
From their binocular they could see some silhouettes riding on the sea around the abyssal. They also realized that the number of the abyssal has been reduced by 4. That was more than a half of their initial force. What remains of the 4 sunk abyssal were smoldering and smoking pile of wreckage, floating freely on the water.
"Kuroshio, can you see the other force?"
"Uhm…hate to say, but nope. Ain't got a single clue to who those fellows are. But one thing I'm sure off." Kuroshio then put down her binocular slightly, looking at Kagerou who has also put down hers. "They are mighty strong."
"That is obvious. But…"Kagerou put on her binocular again and tried to analyze the battle.
From her view, all she could see was the remaining abyssal, which has decreased yet again in such a short amount of time, fighting a losing battle against the shadowy figures. If the dark night was not enough to make it difficult for them to see the real identity of the mysterious force, the sheer smokes that erupted from the sunk abyssal surely made it impossible for them to see any of it. The only time they could see the figures was when a gunshot was made.
Then all of a sudden, a flash came from the battlefield and two abyssal had been sunk. But unlike before, not a single gunshot could be heard. As both Kagerou and Kuroshio watched the strange figure move, they realized that the strange figure pulled out something from the sunk abyssal. It slightly glistened thanks to the meager amount of light from the moon. But after that short moment, the shine disappeared. Together with that, the mysterious figure also disappeared into the darkness and the veil of smoke, leaving only smoldering wreckages.
"D-Did you see that?" Kagerou looked at Kuroshio with expression of disbelief. "T-They just…t-they just!"
"They beat the living daylight of the abyssal. And in melee combat as well." The same tone of disbelief came out of the black haired fleet girl as she lowered down her binocular. " Ain't that what'cha call crazy?"
"Crazy is a serious understatement. Who were they?" The only answer that came for her question was a head shake from her fellow fleet girl. "I just can't believe what we just see."
"Ain't that the truth? If I didn't saw it myself, ain't no way I'm going to believe that."
"…How do I report this to the Admiral?"
"…No idea. Yer call for that, Kagerou-chan." A shrug accompanied her comment. "My head's full enough trying to cram that sight into my own mind."
"Sheesh. Thank a lot, Kuroshio. You are really helpful, you know?"
"Only the best for ya, Kagerou-chan." Hearing that comment and also seeing her grin made Kagerou had the urge to bonk her friend's head at least once. But that was stopped immediately by a sudden buzz in her ear.
"This is Kagerou."
"This is Hatsukaze. Sorry for revoking the radio silence, but I have to confirm the situation."
"Yeah, we saw that. From start to finish."
"…So it's not an illusion. I request permission to investigate the scene."
"Rejected. It's too dangerous. As long as we and the HQ is safe and the threat is eliminated, that is all that matter."
"…Understood."
"Sail into my location and then we will return to the base. Do you read me?"
"Roger. Hatzukaze over and out."
"Judging from yer tone, that was Hatsukaze-chan, ain't it?"
"…Yes." The brunet fleet girl looked at her partner and then let out another sigh. "Let's just get back. I need to give my report. Fast."
"…Did all of you saw the same thing?"
"We did, Admiral."
"All four of you?" Each and every one of the fleet girls in front of him nodded while saying 'yes, sir' at the same time. "Then…this is a situation that can't be ignored." He tapped his desk as he processed the report his subordinates just submitted. The report itself was laid in front of him, containing every little detail they could remember. As millions of thought swam inside his mind, he glanced to his side to see the other member of his fleet. "What do you think, Maya? Choukai?"
"I think that it is safe to say that whoever they are, the fact that they fought the abyssal means that they are in our side. That will give us a bit of relief, but…," the glasses wearing girl readjusted her glasses before continuing, "The fact that we don't know their identity is a bit worrying."
"I'm with Choukai there, Admiral." The girl next to her, wearing the same sailor dress as the previous one which consisted of a blue sleeveless shirt for the top and a white pleated skirt for the bottom, pointed her gloved thumb toward the one called Choukai. "As long as they are not against us, I'm cool with that."
"As Maya-nee said, as long as they are not against us, we shouldn't worry ourselves too much. But it is recommended that we can contact them any way possible so that we can work together in fighting the abyssal. Their impressive power is a very welcome addition to our force."
"Hmm…I see…" The Admiral leaned forward while supporting his chin with his hand. "That is true. We shouldn't, or should I say we couldn't, worry about it since we already have more than enough problems at the moment." After letting out that comment, a sigh came out of his mouth. "Well…their identity aside, I am quite curious at this." He tapped his finger at one of the line in the report. "That they attacked the abyssal in CQC, close quarter combat. Is that true, girls?"
"It is, Admiral." As the one acting as their leader, Kagerou answered for her team. "All four of us saw the same thing. From what we see, they use some kind of sword when fighting them."
"…Any other clue?"
"…No, there is none, Admiral." She shook her head. "At that time, I issued a radio silence and also to turn off our search light in fear of being found out by the Abyssal. Together with the already dark surrounding, the smoke from the sunk abyssal also lowered the visibility."
"…Hmm, that is a very logical and correct move." He then gave a nod. "Yes, your order was indeed correct. Although we can't have any more useful information, the fact that we have no casualty at all is more than I can hope for." A smile then garnered his face after saying that.
A breath of relief came from the destroyers as they heard that. Just as they expected, their admiral really care about his own subordinate. It was that mindset of his that made the fleet girls always gave their best no matter the circumstance.
It is also because of that a slight disappointment started to well up inside the destroyers' mind that they weren't able to collect more information that their superior could use to identify the mysterious fleet. Although making contact and receiving their assistance is their last goal, knowing their identity is the first move they should do before anything. And unfortunately, they couldn't even achieve that at the moment due to their lack of information.
"For now, let's put that aside as we have a much more urgent things to attend to. Choukai." The glasses wearing fleet girl gave a nod and then gave her admiral a folder, which he opened right away. "Just as you know, we are going to receive some reinforcement from some base. It seems that they will arrive here today. At least two groups will join us. Is that right, Choukai?"
"Yes, Commander. One group will consists of two battleships and a heavy cruiser while the other one will consist of two light cruisers and one destroyer. And…"
"What is it, Choukai?" Hearing her trailed off like that, the Admiral asked while looking at the slightly confused heavy cruiser.
"Uhm…the last one is supposed to be coming two days ago, but we still have no news from them."
"…Is that so?" Hearing that news the air became heavy as they all feared the worst had happened to the supposed to be reinforcement. They all realized that that the abyssal have been acting out of pattern and the news of them being able to carried out an ambush to the extent of masquerading as an attacked vessel made it even worse. "…Where is their home base?"
"It is from the base under the command of Admiral Yoko Miyamoto."
"Oh, from Miyamoto-senpai?" Suddenly, the Admiral's face darkened. "Urgh, she will kill me if she found out something bad happened to her fleet. She really loved them like her own daughters." He then shook his head at the thought of being the target of his senpai's wrath. "Let's search the surrounding after we regroup with the reinforcements. With our…minimal force, carrying out search mission is not recommended. And...," he paused for a bit to look at his wrist watch, "I believe they will be here shortly. Let's get to the helipad to greet them."
"Sir, yes, sir!"
At the farther side of the base, the Admiral stood with his six fleet girls nearby. He looked at his wristwatch to check the time. He then let out a slight sigh after that.
"They're late." He said with a slightly worried tone. "I hope there's nothing wrong happening."
"Calm down a bit there, Admiral." A tap on his shoulder made him glanced to his side to found a grin on the brunet haired heavy cruiser. "Just wait patiently there. Like me!" Her grin went wider as she said that with tone of confident.
"…No, thank you. I don't want to be like you that lacked sense of urgency, Maya."
"The hell!?" Hearing her superior teased her, a pout formed on her face. "And here I was helping you! Damn you!"
"Hahaha!" A laugh escaped his mouth. "Well, I guess that worked nicely, Maya. I felt slightly better. Teasing her is fun, isn't that right, Choukai?"
"It is, Commander."
"The hell!?" Not expecting her sister ship to join, she was flustered. "Not you too, Choukai!?"
"Ah, while we're waiting, can I discuss with you about the supply, Commander?"
"Hmm? What is it, Choukai?"
"It's like this…"
"H-Hey! Don't ignore me like that!"
Seeing the three bickered with each other, the group of four destroyers that were standing behind them just gave a shrug and shook their head. It was a common scene in their base and they felt at home whenever they witness the three comedic routine. As always, Maya is the one being the one end up with the short end of the stick due to her overconfident and loud personality while the combination of their usually calm and cool-headed admiral and the composed Choukai will be in charge of delivering remark after remark.
As one of the oldest member of the fleet, Kagerou always felt at home whenever she saw that kind of exchange between the heavy cruisers and her admiral. It was the thing that reminded her that she was indeed at her home base. Although sometimes they were annoying, Kagerou couldn't even imagine the thought of never hearing their interesting remark any longer.
"Kagerou."
"Huh?" Stopping her melancholic moments, she turned to her side and saw a pair of blue eyes looking at her. "What is it, Shiranui?"
"Look there." She gestured toward a place where the other two, Hatsukaze and Kuroshio, were standing with their attention directed outside of the fences that lead to the sea below them. The two turned around and gestured her to come with them to descend the stair.
"What is it, girls?" As she approached them, Kuroshio pointed her finger downward. "Huh? What?"
"Just look for yerself." Hearing that, she couldn't help but raised one of her eyebrows. But as she realized that the only way to get some answer is to see it by herself, she walked toward the fence and leaned forward slightly while holding on to the railing.
"…What's that?"
"So ya have no idea too?" She shook her head at the question. "Then that made four of us then."
Hearing that, Kagerou felt slightly concerned. She then let her gaze fell onto the objects in question again.
The objects they all saw from their position are square looking objects floating on top of the water near the edge of their base. From what the saw, the objects, probably about five in number, were strapped together with some kind of cord or cable. The cord-like object itself was secured onto one of the supporting pillars that support the whole base.
"What should we do, Kagerou?" The pink haired destroyer, Shiranui, asked with her usual calm tone. "It could be dangerous if left alone."
"It could be a bomb or some sort." Hatsukaze, the last of the four, chimed in. "If it is, the fact that it is places near of the supporting pillar will be disastrous."
"What if they detonate the bomb when we get close?" Kuroshio also spoke. "I know that I'm not one of being careful, but I don't want to blow myself, ya'know?"
"Hmm…" Hearing their words, Kagerou knew very well that they should be careful and asking for her admiral decision might be too late. "Okay, this is the order. Kuroshio and Hatsukaze will look at it at close and try to look for any danger. Shiranui will stay here and be our lookout. Inform immediately if you see any suspicious activity. I will ask the Admiral for further instruction." She paused for a bit, trying to gauge everyone's reaction. Since no one reacted, she asked them. "You got that?" They all nod at her question. "Then move out. Be careful."
Both Kuroshio and Hatsukaze immediately descended the stair that led to the armory to get their gear while Shiranui moved onto the watch tower, the highest point of the base, as to gain a better view. Kagerou then also didn't waste time and ran toward the stair to give the report.
"Admiral." The moment she was a few feet away from them, she called him, making not only him, but also the other two turned around to face her. "We have…a situation."
"What kind of situation, Kagerou?" Noticing the urgency in her tone, the Admiral looked at her with a slight worry.
"There are unknown objects floating near our base. They are secured by a cord or some sort to one of our supporting pillars." The three's worried expression worsened as they heard that information. "I have sent Kuroshio and Hatsukaze to investigate with utmost cautions. I have also sent Shiranui to scout out in case the radar failed to detect anything else. I will also join the two to investigate the objects."
"…Very well. Be careful out there. We don't know what might happen." He looked at her again, clearly worried about their safety. "Keep us inform of anything."
"Understood, Admiral." Kagerou gave a nod and then looked at Choukai. "I will give update as soon as I get to the object with the others. I will also ask Shiranui to inform you." Choukai nodded and put her hand on the destroyer's shoulder.
"Be careful, Kagerou. Don't rush and be careful out there."
"Yes, Choukai-san." After that, she turned around and descended the stair onto the armory, joining her sister ship.
The Admiral let out a heavy sigh after Kagerou was out of his sight. He then glanced to his two heavy cruisers.
"Commander, I think–"
"No." Choukai clamped her mouth shut immediately. "I'm sorry. I know that you want to assist the destroyers, but we need to have a reserve force in case something bad happen."
"…Understood, Commander." She bowed her head a bit at him. "I'm sorry, Commander."
"Don't." He shook his head. "I know that you are only concern for their safety. But…with our minimal amount of force, we should be wise in dividing our strength." He then let out a heavy sigh. "It's just…"He couldn't say anything else, as if the words were stuck at his throat. Seeing that their superior looking very worried, the heavy cruisers exchanged look with each other. Maya then grabbed his hand, startling him.
"Easy there, Admiral." Maya looked at her admiral with a smile on her face. "Getting riled up just because of that is not what you need."
"That's right, Commander." He then felt his other hand being held. "We know it is hard to send those girls alone and I'm sorry that I made you felt guiltier by my previous request. But we also know that your judgment is correct."
"Relied on us a bit more, why don'tcha?" A grin appeared on Maya's face. "Don'tcha worry about it. Those girls are strong and smart enough to handle that. You know that yerself."
"I agree with what Maya-nee said. As startling as it may sound to hear that coming from Maya-nee, what she said is correct, Commander."
"W-W-What?!" Maya widened her eyes as she didn't expect her to be teased by her ship sister at that moment. "H-Hey Choukai! I'm bein serious here!"
"I know. The fact that I'm startled by that is also serious."
"The hell!?"
A soft laughter came from the Admiral, stopping Maya from saying anything else. The two exchanged looks again and smile at the sight of their admiral being like that. After calming down, the Admiral looked at the two girls beside him.
"I really have to rely on you girls more. Can I ask that of you?"
"You betcha!"
"With pleasure, Commander."
"…Thanks, girls. Ah, look, there they are!" The other two looked at the direction of the propeller sound and found a big transport helicopter heading toward them. "Uhm…girls?"
"Huh? O-Oh!"
"S-Sorry, Commander."
The two released their grip on his hands, both with blushing face. While Maya scratched her cheek with a shy grin, Choukai averted her eyes from either of them while fidgeting slightly. Seeing that, their admiral smiled.
"Let's do our work first, okay?"
"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to our humble base!" The Admiral said as he gave a salute with his heavy cruiser stood next to him, also saluting them. "We are very pleased that you can make it here safely as the sea around here tends to be…volatile."
"It is our honor to be here, Admiral Rokurou Akiyama." The man that descended the helicopter returned their salute with one of his own. Behind him stood three girls already equipped with their gear. "I am Ensign Ken Kobayashi. The girls will introduce themselves." He then took a step aside to made way for the three girls behind him.
"I'm the heavy cruiser Mogami-class nameship, Mogami. It is nice to meet you."
The first girl in line said with a rather energetic tone. Her black hair was cut short and has a swept bang in the front. Her outfit that consisted of brown serafuku with shorts and black kneehighs and also a pair of boots made her looked tomboyish.
"The second of the Fusou-class battleships, Yamashiro. An honor to be here."
"The first of the Fusou-class battleships, Fusou. We will be under your care."
The second and third girls gave their introduction giving the same salute as the first, but with a slightly calmer voice. They both wore a miko-like outfit with detached sleeves, a hair ornament resembling a massive pagoda mast. While both girls have black hair and red eyes, the one called Fusou fashioned her in a neat short cut while Yamashiro left her long hair flows freely onto her back. Another similarity that the two girls also share is their rather tall stature and the big ordnance they have on their back.
After that set of introduction, another man gave a salute and started his introduction.
"I'm Ensign Saburou Sato. It is an honor to be here, Admiral Akiyama. And behind me are our fleet girls." Just like the first man, he also took a step aside to make way for the fleet girls behind him.
"I'm a destroyer, Michishio."
The first to introduce herself was the smallest of the whole six girls. She has a blonde hair tied into a short twintails and also a pair of hair buns for the base of the twintails. Her yellow eyes complimented her green ascot that she wore as an accessory for her white shirt and grey pleated skirt which also have a pair of suspender on it. Her face and tone showed that she was somewhat cranky.
"I'm the third ship of the Nagara-class Light Cruiser, Natori. I'll do my best, sir!"
The next girls, slightly taller than the last one and fashioned a short brown hair with a hairband, wears a Miko-like sleeveless serafuku with shide-like ornaments under the armpits, a maroon collar, a black scarf, a short red pleated skirt and detached sleeves. Her weapon that form has similarity with a bullpup assault rifle was kept slung on her shoulder. Her brown eyes were kept straight, looking at the direction of the heavy cruisers and their admiral, and emanating a slightly nervous feeling.
"I'm the fourth ship of the Nagara-class Light Cruisers, Yura. Pleased to make your acquaintance!"
The first thing that made her stuck out from the other girls was the fact that she has a very long pink hair in a ponytail that is wrapped with black ribbon and secured by an array of gun-like ornament. On her head, one could also see a pair of hair flaps too. Her outfit consisted of a green and white serafuku with large black buttons and also a pair of black knee boots.
"It is a pleasure to have all of you here. I'm Admiral Rokurou Akiyama, the one in charge of this offshore base. The one next to me is Maya and Choukai of the Takao-Class Heavy Cruiser." The Admiral said to them as he gestured to his left and right. "There are also four other girls in the base. They are Kagerou-Class Destroyer Kagerou, Kuroshio, Shiranui, and Hatsukaze. But they are currently on a mission." The two heavy cruisers glanced to their admiral slightly at the mention of 'mission' and thought that he had chosen an appropriate word for the occasion.
"Oh, I understand, Admiral." Ensign Ken said with a nod.
"Since I would like all of the girls to be available for the first briefing, I think it is better for all of you to take a slight rest at the dormitory. I apologize as the dormitory is still half-done due to the rush order from the HQ. But I assure you, it is still livable even at that stage." The Admiral paused for a bit, looking at each and every girl in front of him. "If there is no question, I will let Maya here to lead you onto your place."
"Very well then, we will do just that." Ensign Saburou gave a nod to the commanding admiral's suggestion. "Then let's mo–"
"Attention base, we have foreign object on the move toward the base. I repeat, we have foreign object on the move toward the base."
"..Not good." Hearing that announcement, the Admiral muttered that under his breath. Just as he expected, the sudden announcement made everyone tensed up and not a single ounce of the relaxed atmosphere from previously remains. He looked at the girls next to him and they all gave him a short nod. "I apologize but it seems that you all have to sortie as soon as you arrive. I will have Maya lead you to the launching area instead. Ensign Kobayashi and Ensign Sato will come with me to the command tower. All of you can communicate with Choukai there. I will also send the destroyers to meet up with you. Move out!"
"Sir, yes, Sir!" They all gave a salute and then move out of the landing pad with Maya leading them. The Admiral could see that she immediately gave them some instruction along the way.
"Then gentlemen, we also need to move immediately. " The two nodded. "Choukai, keep in contact with the other."
"Yes, Commander. I will cont–Huh?" Just after she replied her admiral, her face shown a slight frown. "C-Commander, we have urgent report from Kagerou's team."
"Relay it."
"Understood." She then put her finger on her earpiece and started relaying the message. "We have made contact with a vessel that is said to come from Admiral…Yoko Miyamoto's base."
"Admiral Miyamoto's base?"
"They request permission to dock in the base, Commander."
"…I see." Although he couldn't feel absolute relief, the fact that he doesn't have to commission a search mission for their whereabouts made it a slight burden off his shoulder. "Make sure of its identity again. If it is indeed them, tell Kagerou to escort them to our base and told the other girls to meet us in the pier. We will get there as soon as possible."
"Understood, Commander."
A vessel, black in color, approached the pier located on the lower part of the base. Behind it were the foreign objects the Kagerou-Class destroyers found, connected to the vessel with the same cord. On it, a group of people stood as their attention was fully directed at the incoming vessel. The group consists of the three officers and nine girls that had already put on their gear.
After the vessel dropped anchor, a stair came out of its side and connected onto the pier. As the crowd await, sound of heavy footsteps came from the inside of the vessel and a figure came out if it.
"Apology for the lateness." The man, wearing a grey Trenchcoat and a flat top hat, said to the crowd as he landed on the pier. "Is Admiral Rokurou Akiyama here?"
"That would be me." The Admiral stepped out of the crowd and approached the mysterious man. "And you are?"
"I am Major Jurou Wakahisa. I came as a representative from Admiral Yoko Miyamoto's naval base." He then gave a firm salute. "It is nice to meet you, Admiral."
"Likewise, Major Wakahisa." He returned his salute. As he replied, he scanned the strange man that he had never heard of. Although the two ensigns were also new to him, but to not hear someone so high ranked like him? Very unlikely. "And the gleet girls?"
"They are with us, Admiral." A sound from the other side of the pier came. That made everyone switched attention toward the new voice. They found the Kagerou-class destroyers were walking in front of a group of three slightly tattered looking fleet girls. Although their clothes and equipment look slightly worn out, their eyes still contained a sense of sharpness and alertness. As soon as they were near them, one of the girls shouted.
"S-S-Shigure!?"
"Eh?" The black haired destroyer widened her eyes as she followed the one that called her name. She immediately recognized the caller and spoke her name. "Yamashiro-nee?"
"I-It really is Shigure!" The battleship rushed onto her with her sister ship and the black haired heavy cruiser behind them. "What happened to you!?"
"Are you okay, Shigure-chan?"
"Shigure-chan, what happened to you?"
"I-It's fine, Yamashiro-nee. Really!" Being barraged by question by a group of three worried looking fleet girls, Shigure waved her hand frantically, trying her best to calm them down.
"Oh, it's Yura-nee-poi!"
"Yudachi? It really is Yuudachi-chan?" Hearing her name, the fleet girl with the long ponytail ran toward the blonde destroyer who was waving her hand cheerfully, complete with the flapping of her hair flaps.
"Yura-nee! Yura-nee!" Yuudachi ran pass the group of battleships and heavy cruiser that crowded around Shigure, leaving her alone with them. "How are you-poi?" A toothy grin decorated her face as she greeted the girl.
"I'm fine, but you don't! Are you hurt, Yuudachi-chan?"
"Nope-poi!" Her hair flaps moved even more rapidly as she was only a few feet away from her. "Yuudachi is totally fine-poi!"
As the last of the destroyer, the white haired Hibiki looked at the remaining girls and spotted someone she knew.
"Natori-san." Her calm voice came out of her mouth as she waved at her. The other girl noticed that and returned her smile as she began to walk toward her. But before she did that, she patted the girl next to her, Michishio.
"Go on." The destroyer looked at her with a slight pout. "You worry about her too, right?" The girl just stayed in silence. "Go. You don't want to be left alone, right?" After hearing that last part, the girl just mouthed a silence 'thanks' and then walked toward the group that crowded Shigure. Natori just smiled as she walked toward Hibiki.
And just like that, the girls have walked slightly away from their superior and engrossed in their 'reunion' with their fellow fleet girls. Since they are still near their superiors, they all tried their best to keep their voices down, although loud voices erupted from them from time to time. The Admiral his fellow officers just looked at them with a slight smile on their face.
While the girls seemed to have formed a few groups by themselves, the Kagerou-Class destroyer approached their admiral that was still standing near the Major.
"Admiral, we have returned." She gave a salute, followed by Kuroshio and Hatsukaze.
"Good work there." He nodded. "So, the foreign object is not dangerous, I assume?" He asked that seeing that the objects in question were towed behind the vessel.
"Uhm, for that…" Kagerou turned her gaze to the Trenchcoat wearing man beside him. "I think it is better to ask The Major, Admiral."
"The Major?" He then turned toward him. The two ensigns near him also looked at him. Previously as they descended the stair toward the pier, the Admiral had told them about the mission his destroyers were on at the moment. So to hear that the one that might have answer regarding those strange objects is the newly arrived man has truly come out unexpected for them. "Do you have any knowledge about it, Major Wakahisa?"
"I do, Admiral. They are actually connected to the things that cause our late arrival."
"Yo, Shiranui."
"Maya-san. What is it?" Being left alone from her group, Shiranui looked at the three new destroyers that came into their base with tattered appearance. She felt something was wrong with them. Since she was busy thinking about them, she didn't realize that Maya have walked closer to her.
"Ya have been starin at them pretty intensely? Something's the matter there?"
"It is nothing important in particular. But…," she paused for a while and gazed at them again, scanning them from head to toe, "it just felt that something is wrong."
"Hmm?" Maya then lowered her head slightly to reach the destroyer's ear. "Do you maybe think they were too weak?"
"Huh? Too weak?"
"I mean, look at them." Maya pointed her gloved finger onto the group of fleet girls. "The first one sent two battleships and a heavy cruiser. The second sent two light cruisers and one destroyer. But they sent three destroyers. They were also as worn out as they could, ya'know?"
"Shiranui didn't really think that way. But…that might be not so far from the case."
"It is, right? It's like they don't frickin know the danger in this area." Maya then put her hand behind her head. "I might don't know their real situation, see? But ya might think that it might be better than to just send a stronger force here. Get what I say?"
"Shiranui felt that Maya-san is just a bit too conceited."
"Huh?"
"Shiranui never said that they were weak. But something is not right with them. It was like they didn't seem right with their…something."
"Ya don't make any sense there, Shiranui."
"What a sharp deduction from just a short meeting." A sudden voice entered their hushed conversation. This made them felt slightly alarmed. As they turned around, they saw that The Major was standing with The Admiral near him with the later one has a slightly conflicted expression on his face. That made them felt even more uncomfortable since they didn't know the reason behind their superior's expression.
"P-Please excuse me, sir!" Maya felt the need of apologizing after realizing that she was blathering things that might angered him.
"Ah, don't worry. I'm not mad or anything. In fact, your admiral has put out the same matter to me just now." He said that with a smile on his face. "Hmm, you are Shiranui, yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"I have to compliment you for being able to see, hmm, no. Sense it right away."
"Sir?"
"Let us observe them at the moment, shall we?" The Major said to them as he pointed at them. "Among those girls, the destroyers from our base looked the weakest, no?" The two didn't know what to say at his question. "Tattered clothes, worn out equipment, surely that is a logical thing to say."
"Uhm, Major, I–"
"Oh, no, no. There's no need to feel guilty. I agree with you wholeheartedly. But, you see…" He paused for a while and looked at the two. A sudden chill invaded their mind as they looked at his eyes. It was such a strange and unexplainable things to experiences since the man didn't do anything strange. "Just as the phrase looks is deceiving, they have managed to deceive the two of you here quite marvelously."
"So what you say, Shiranui opinion on them is wrong?" Refusing to submit to his strange gaze, the pink haired destroyer tried to argue.
"Well, yes." The Major once again smile. "How about this. I believe a small demonstration is in order. But first, do you agree that a fleet girl weakest moment is when fighting in land?"
"Huh?" Hearing a strange question, Maya let out a confused sound. "Well, that's the norm, right? I mean, we fleet girl excel in sea combat and we are more mobile on the sea."
"I see, I see." He nodded several times after hearing her answer. "Then how about the fact that fleet girl is strongest when fighting with their usual long range weaponry? Shiranui-san?"
"Shiranui thinks that is also the case. Although we can fight in close quarter, we are more accustomed to fight in range."
"Good, good." He nodded several times again. "Then may I presume that their weakest in when they are in land and forced to fight in close combat, right? Or at least, it might be one of the more difficult positions."
"Hmm…ya can say that. Yeah." Maya gave her opinion with a slightly confused look, not knowing the direction of the conversation.
"Shiranui-san too?" Shiranui nodded at his question. "Then it's settled. Let's give the demonstration to the two of you." He then took a step back.
"Huh?" Hearing that, Maya opened her mouth and let out a baffle sound.
"Girls." The Major said that and he snapped his finger once.
"Yes, Major." Three separate voices came from three different places, startling the group of girls that crowded over the speakers. After hearing the sentence, all the girls could hear was a slight sound of wind moving very fast. The next they heard was the crisp sound of metal ringing on the air and slight stomps on the pier.
"W-What?!"
"T-The hell?!"
They then heard Maya's and Shiranui's voice of full of surprise. They turned to look at them and they also let out the same sound of surprise. Not a single one of them expected the scene in front of them.
Hibiki, in a short time, had jumped in front of Shiranui. She wielded a darkish purple bladed weapon with its blade placed dangerously near Shiranui's neck. If it moved forward even an inch, it will surely injure the pink haired destroyer gravely, if not killing her in the spot.
Next to her, Maya was in a similar situation. But instead of a single blade, she was facing two of them, courtesy of Shigure and Yuudachi. Both of them had also jumped from their previous location straight onto the front of the heavy cruiser. They have placed the same blade inches away from her neck. Since they did it together, their blade has crossed each other and made an 'x' shape with the middle of it was dangerously close to her neck.
The three that held their weapon showed a similar cold and merciless gaze, unlike what they displayed moments ago. It was completely different and unsettling. There was no calm yet caring gaze that Hibiki showed toward Natori. There was gaze full of happiness that Shigure showed toward her the Fusou sister, Mogami, and Michishio. There was also no cheerful-filled gaze Yuudachi wore when she conversed happily with Yura. All that was left there was the gaze of a trained assassin, as cold as ice and as dark as night.
The sight made everyone tensed up. No one was spared from its terrifying effect. The girls was the most affected ones as they never suspected that the three worn out looking destroyers will be able to move so fast unnoticeably like that. The two officers and the Admiral widened their eyes at the sight of three girls what were able to wield the blade so precisely. All of them were surprised beyond comprehension and their mind shut down completely, not knowing what to do next.
While the onlookers were surprised, a different feeling welled up inside Maya and Shiranui. Being the subject of the 'demonstration', they felt pure fear that they have only feel whenever they are in a dangerous battle with the abyssal. It was the feeling of being confronted with an overpowering force. They could feel cold sweat started to pour out of their skin while their whole body stiffened. They both looked at the one in front of them and noticed that their eyes have seemingly showed a dangerous murderous glint. It froze their body and mind.
"Enough." The sound of finger snapped sounded in the area and the three destroyers retracted their weapon while jumping onto the position near The Major, lining up perfectly. With a single swift motion, they sheathed their weapon completely and their expression loosened up almost instantly. It was as it their previous act was nothing but an illusion.
Together with that, the tense atmosphere dissipated and sound of the girls breathed out a breath of relieve could be heard. But they still looked at the three destroyers with a slight fear and worry, not knowing what they will do next.
"M-Maya-nee!" Maya's body fell backward slightly. But she was unable to take a firm footing and almost fell. Thankfully, Choukai who was near her was able to caught her and support her body to a standing position.
"E-Eh. A-Ah, thanks, Choukai." Obviously shaken by what have happened, Maya's voice was out of place. She could feel her heartbeats went slightly faster and felt her body trembled slightly. "I'm fine, Choukai."
"Just…don't push yourself."
"T-That sword…"At the sudden words, both Maya and Choukai looked at Shiranui. "Y-You're the one…that fight the abyssal last night?"
"Ah, you were there?" A carefree respond came from the Major. "Yes, we are the one."
"Y-Ya the one that was fighting the abyssal patrol fleet in close quarter? And also being outnumbered seven to three!?" A gasp escaped everyone's mouth as they heard the revelation from Maya. "That was the three of you?!"
"Oh, yes, that was us. Isn't that right, girls?" The Major glanced at his subordinates.
"Yes, it is."
"It was us."
"Poi!"
Although their expression differed one from another, they all gave their confirmation about that fact.
"S-Shigure-chan, so you were fighting an abyssal patrol fleet?"
"Uhm,…that is…"
"It was not one-poi!" Yuudachi's cheerful voice felt unfit against everyone's worried expression. "It was…uhm…how many-poi?"
"It was five fleets, Yuudachi-chan."
"Oh, yeah! Five fleets-poi! Hehehe…"
"…What?" Maya couldn't help but let her mouth gapping open at her answer. "F-Five fleets? Ya joking, right?"
"Oh, no we weren't, Maya-san." Shigure voice was calm as she gave her answer. "We were fighting five fleets yesterday and four fleets the other day."
"W-W-Wait a minute!"
"Yes?" They all looked at the source of the voice and it apparently came from Michishio.
"The three of you fought….uhm…nine fleets in total for two straight days?" The three nodded. "You're joking! There's no way that is possible!"
"Oh, but is, Michishio-san." This time, the one that answer her was The Major. "In fact, we brought the proof here."
"The proof?"
"Yuudachi."
"Poi!" After that short reply, Yuudachi ran to the vessel. After few moments, she exited the vessel carrying a big crate, almost as half as her height. "H-Heavy-poi!" She then dropped it onto the floor, making a slight thumping sound. Yuudachi then pulled out her machete and slashed the crate. But the crate still remains intact. After that, a click sound came when she tapped the crate and the slashed crate slid open. Metallic parts spilled out if, making a loud sound as it hit the floor.
"W-W-What?!"
"They brought the crates that contained resources the abyssal fleets were carrying." The Admiral entered the conversation, giving explanation to the confused audience. "It seems that their reason for being late was that they were busy clearing the abyssal patrol fleet and abyssal supply fleet around our area for two consecutive days. They also feared that if they made contact with us carelessly, they might attack this place."
"…Unbelievable." Mogami spoke out her amazement at their feat.
"That is…crazy…" Natori also voiced similar remarks.
"So everyone, I've discuss with Major Wakahisa and he volunteered his fleet to do the first few night patrols to sweep remaining threat since they are already accustomed to their pattern. They have also offered that they will be happy to camp out until the dormitory has more room for them since it will be easier for them to move in and out of their operation. Their only request is for ammunition and for the girls to use the docking facility." The Admiral then looked at the group of girls that showed nothing but amazement and confusion at the current situation. He let out a silent sigh as he expected that from all of them. "Then for now, all of you can get to the dorm first. We will call you when we have determined the best action for the combined fleet. I will let Kuroshio lead you to the place. That is all. Choukai." The admiral turned around to face the glasses wearing heavy cruiser. "Could you please accompany these girls to the warehouse? They will place the acquired resource there."
"Yes, Commander." She then walked toward the three girls after glancing worriedly at her sister ship.
"Kagerou."
"Y-Yes, Admiral?"
"Together with Hatsukaze, please help them with the ones on the rubber boats. I will be with the ensigns and the Major. We have much to discuss. For Maya and Shiranui…take some rest." He then walked toward the direction of the control room with the two ensigns and The Major followed closely behind.
The girls looked at each other briefly and then proceeded to follow The Admiral's instruction, leaving Maya and Shiranui alone.
"ARGH!" After the area cleared up, Maya let out a shout. "What in frickin way was that!? Crazy!...Sheesh…" She then glanced at the pink haired girl. "Ya know, Shiranui. Ain't you a bit too calm at this?"
"…Who's calm?" Her reply confused the heavy cruiser as she looked very calm indeed. "As shameful as it might sound, Shiranui was… very shocked."
"Hah? Really now?"
"So…Maya-san. Can you…please hit my neck or something? Shiranui can't seem to move at all."
"…You're kidding…"
"Afraid not. That's the truth."
*In an unknown part of the world
N: Set that up, check. Set the light, check. Connection…
C: Check! We're all set up, sir!
N: Ah, finally! We've been trying to set all of these from morning! And why are we the only people in this big ship!?
C: Uhm, from what I read, it is an automated ship, sir. Able to do the job of an entire crew by itself.
N: Got to hand it to the management for giving this to us, isn't that right, Camera-kun?
C: Yes, sir! And have you take the whole tour, sir? The ship is like a sci-fi wonder!
N: Woah, easy there, Camera-kun. You might blow a blood vessel there.
C: Hehehe, you know I'm all about that technology stuff, sir.
N: Hmm, maybe you can give me the tour next time. Okay! Let's start with it since our guest is already here….Right?
C: Uhm, I'll check, sir.
N: Sheesh. Well, let's do a little last check. Okay, so–
C: She's here, sir!
N: That was fast! Okay, let's not waste any more time! Light! Camera!
C: Action!
N: Greetings to all of you out there! Welcome in our lovely little corner at the end of the show! And as usual, we have my trusty assistant, Camera-kun, here with me!
C: Howdy!
N: And as everyone know, we are in a new location! We're not in a submarine, but in an AI controlled vessel! Isn't that cool? Did I pronounced it right?
C: Right, sir!
N: Thanks. Okay, let's invite our guest for today. Let's give her a round of applause!
?: WAAAAA!
N: And…she dropped from the ceiling onto the couch. Why?
C: Beats me, sir. I just directed her to sit at the waiting room and press this button that says 'call guest'. I thought it will just ring her to come here.
N: …Let's forget about that. For now, welcome to our show! And…are you okay?
?: I'm s-still feeling rather confused.
N: Aren't we all! Okay, calm down miss, and please introduce yourself.
?: O-Oh, y-yes. I'm the heavy cruiser Mogami-class nameship, Mogami.
N: Oh, nice to meet you, Mogami-san. I'm N-san and this is Camera-kun. We are the one running the little corner at the end show.
M: A-Ah, yes. I've been informed by Choukai-san about it. But…I don't know what I have to do here, N-san.
N: Oh, no need to be worried, Mogami-san. We are here to talk about your latest experience in the base. And, rest assured, we will stay away from information you all deemed to be sensitive for the public or confidential. We'll ask the question, but you can say no to the question. We will not force you.
M: Oh, okay, okay. I think I can do that. I hope I can.
N: Then let's start right away! Have you meet with The Major and the three destroyers?
M: Ah, yes, yes. I've met him and those three.
N: Then tell me, first impression. What do you think?
M: Uhm, for The Major, uhm, you can say that…he is quite scary. And rather mysterious.
N: Oh, care to explain?
M: He can talk so smoothly, seemingly nice at first glance. But then…he can act like a ruthless soldier in a split second. That actually scares me.
N: Oh, many have said the same things. So, how about the destroyers?
M: Uhm, Hibiki-chan looked kind of cool and the silent type. Yuudachi-chan is a happy go lucky girl that I might get along with. And Shigure-chan…I guess she still the emotional type. I mean, she looks happy but I can still see she is easy to worry about something.
N: Hmm, I see, I see. Oh, you are quite close with Shigure-san, right?
M: Indeed I am. We go way back, with Fusou-san, Yamashiro-san, and Michishio-chan too. But…the three also scares me a bit.
N: How so?
M: Just like The Major, their character turned as soon as he flicked his finger. It was as if, they are trained thoroughly. The things that confused are that…both the happy and carefree side of them and the scary side of them felt real. None of them felt fake for me.
N: Oh, Mogami-san is quite sharp. I guess that is true. Maybe you will find the story behind it after yo asked them, right?
M: I guess…I'm curious at it, since Shigure-chan never showed that kind of side of her in front of us. But at the same time, I'm also scared. But I still want to know since it involves Shigure-chan.
N: You are also a caring girl too! Wonderful! I hope you can get close to her and help her in case she needs it.
M: I hope so too, N-san.
N: Well, I guess our time is nearing the end of the show. And so, it is letter reading time! Camera-kun!
C: Okay! Uhm…I guess it is…this button?
N: O-Oh! A screen came from the ceiling!?
M: Cool!
N: It is, right? Well let's start the first one! Camera-kun! Ah, there it is! From Jedii! Thank you for following the show! And it says 'Badass but at the same time caring'.
M: Does that refer to The Major?
N: Probably.
M: Oh, it is still hard for me to see him as a caring person. But…I guess that might be his real personality.
N: True, true. Well, next please! From hfdt123! Thank you for following the show! And it is about the latest kidnapping.
M: W-W-Wait, how did you know that? I thought that was classified information! And what is this story it talked about!?
N: Hohoho, you underestimated my source, Mogami-san. And calm down.
M: T-This is news for me. Does the public know that too?
N: Relax. All Mogami-san needs to know is that everything is under control. No need to worry about it. We have..how do I say? Ways for controlling it.
M:…This is pretty suspicious. I will report this to the HQ.
N: Too late! They already know! Well…they are the one that told me. So there.
M: What…So you have connection with the HQ?
N:If not, how could I possess this kind of ship, Mogami-san? Really, calm down now.
M: I guess…well that kidnapping is a rather shocking news for all of us. I'm sorry for freaking out like that, N-san.
N: Don't mention it. Well, I guess this is the end of today's show. So I want to thank you, Mogami-san, fr coming here. We will see you again next time.
M: I will be honored to do so. Can I ask someone to go with me next time? I mean, to kept me a bit calmer next time.
N: That will be a good thing! We will arrange it immediately!
M: Thank you, N-san.
N: Don't mention it! Well, this is goodbye for now! Don't forget to send us your comment (aka Review). Thank you for watching, have a nice day, and stay healthy and out of danger, everyone! Bye!
