Akitsu Maru climbed up onto the docks of the warehouse district, happy to finally be back on land, a strange thought for a ship girl to have under most circumstances. Despite her worries, Battleship Symbiotic Hime had done exactly as she said she would and had brought her out of their base, and even led her back to the very sandbar where Airfield Hime had found her. Before disappearing she said she would be welcome to come again, but it was an invitation Akitsu Maru had no plan on following through with, she had her job, and her job was supply. This single mission was just that, a single mission that would slowly leave her mind as time went on, at least she hoped.
Crossing the dockyards, she headed towards her own warehouse to drop off her equipment before bringing the shells to R&D. The last time she wore her equipment inside her truck, she accidently blew the entire front off of it, and didn't want to repeat that again; ship weapons hardly belonged inside of a land vehicle after all.
Walking though the warehouse she saw no one, likely because most everyone was out doing deliveries. It was almost noon though. She needed to drop off her equipment, change into a cleaner and tidier uniform, and then deliver the experimental shells. Once that was done she could get back to her normal life. At least, that's what she though until she found the R&D department head, Leo Yomi, sitting at her desk with a folder in his hands. The folder was deep brown in color and had a small brown corner on it, meaning it was a R&D folder, not a supply folder. In the grand scheme it didn't matter if someone else saw her supply orders, but she didn't like people seeing them anyway.
"Admiral Yomi, I did not expect to see you waiting for me!" Akitsu Maru stated as she quickly tried to tidy her uniform and saluted the Admiral.
Admiral Yomi did not move for a moment, then abruptly closed the folder in his hand and looked to Akitsu Maru. "And I did not expect such a simple mission to take longer than the day. When you did not return last night I began to wonder if you had encountered Abyssal ships. Did you find the shells?"
Akitsu Maru nodded slowly, understanding from Admiral Yomi's tone that his comment about meeting abyssal was a façade. He didn't care what problems she had encountered, only that she had finished or failed the mission. "Yes, they're right here." Akitsu Maru replied stoically as she stepped forward and placed the case of shells on her desk in front of Admiral Yomi.
Admiral Yomi looked at the case, his face never changing as his eyes scanned every inch of it before he looked out the corner of his eyes toward Akitsu Maru. "You brought a watertight case with you when you went searching for them?"
Akitsu Maru inwardly panicked. She had forgotten that the shells had been dropped on their own; they hadn't been in a case to begin with. She could just admit that abyssal ships gave her the case. That would put into question the truth of anything she said, and would sound utterly ridiculous, she needed a reasonable excuse, one that made sense. "Y-yes, I figured that if they had been left on a sandbar or in the water I should take appropriate action to ensure they would not become more damaged." Akitsu Maru said, sure that her lie was sound.
Admiral Yomi looked back at the case and said nothing as he set it on its side and clicked open the clasps. Opening the case he picked up one of the shells in his hands and looked it over, glancing at Akitsu Maru again from the corner of his eye. "And you cleaned them as well then I would gather?"
Akitsu Maru nodded. "If I had put them in the case as is, with seawater and sand on them, they could have become damaged."
"Yes, because naval equipment is so weak it would become damaged by a bit of seawater!" Admiral Yomi said sarcastically as he put the shell in the case and closed it. "Very well, the mission is complete and as a reward, I shall have a lump sum of reward money sent to you within the day." Admiral Yomi said as he stood up from Akitsu Maru's desk with the case and began to walk past her.
"Ah, that isn't really necessary, Sir. I have no need for a reward so-.."
"It is necessary, or the financial department would scream. You can do whatever you want with it. Distribute it out to your fellow supply people if you wish, it does not matter to me. You may return to your usual work." Yomi said sternly as he walked away, disappearing from Akitsu Maru's view seconds after he finished speaking, leaving her alone in her corner of the warehouse. It was over, she could now return to her normal life.
With a sigh of relief Akitsu Maru took off her equipment and placed in its case beside her desk, then climbed up the nearby ladder to the loft that was her personal space and sleeping area. Her loft was a small area with only enough room for a single futon and a chest that she used to keep her personal effects and clothes in. Many people would consider it too small to be comfortable, but being that she was almost always on the road delivering supplies, she used it only for sleeping, and it worked for her fine. She liked it.
Stepping up to her chest and opening it, Akitsu Maru pulled out a neatly folded and ironed uniform and placed it on the futon, then proceeded to take off her now far too wrinkled uniform.
"Hey Maru, you up there? I heard you were back and figured you'd like an order to do!" the supervisor's voice called, right from the direction of the ladder up to her loft.
Akitsu Maru was about to answer when the sound of boots on the ladder caused her to freeze and look down at her body. The supervisor was climbing the ladder because she hadn't answered fast enough, and she was in the middle of changing, naked from the waist up, "Yes I'm here. Don't come up or I'll be dropping equipment onto your head!" Akitsu Maru said quickly, noticing that she could see the supervisor's hair at the top of the ladder for just a second before it disappeared; she had just barely made it.
"Alright, alright. I wasn't sure if you were back or not so I figured I'd check if you were sleeping. If you were I was just going to leave your orders beside your futon.
"Just- just leave it on my desk!" Akitsu Maru said, her voice telling how flustered she was.
"Yeah yeah," the supervisor said as the telling sound of paper landing on her desk signified his actions, and then nothing was heard but the usual sounds of the warehouse.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Akitsu Maru finished changing into the clean uniform and slid down the ladder, landing beside her desk. Sitting down she flipped open the folder and looked inside, finding only one order sheet inside. Normally that would be strange, but this order sheet was different, the order was huge. One hundred thousand pieces of steel, fuel, Bauxite and ammunition, as well as a request for one hundred development materials and three hundred buckets; it was a gigantic order, the kind that only appeared once in a blue moon. Either the base ordering it was seriously low on materials, or they were planning something really big!
Grabbing her summoning scroll and the folder Akitsu Maru got up from her desk and walked through the warehouse until she exited it through the main set of double doors. Her truck was in its usual spot, so she didn't have to move it, meaning she could just begin loading it up with the order. Pulling out her scroll she dropped some small cross shaped pieces of paper on it, and in moments they transformed into her primary plane, the Ka type Observation Autogyro. Like a cross between a biplane and a helicopter, the Autogyros were extremely maneuverable, but slower than even some bombers. In battle she used them as spotters for other ships, but when on land and doing her work, they had a far simpler and more useful role. Simply put, they would fly throughout the warehouse and pick out the equipment and resources she needed to deliver, it was the exact reason why she was so fast at prepping orders and delivering them, because she could send out a very large number of Autogyros to grab the orders for her and have her truck full long before anyone else.
After sending out dozens of autogyros and making sure they were organizing the truck's hold intelligently, Akitsu Maru leaned against the truck's side and pulled out the folder again, looking over the order one more time. The order was for a base near the south of the main island, meaning it'd take about a half day to get there, meaning she'd get there around dusk. She had two choices after finishing the order, sleeping at that base overnight, or driving in the dark of night. Driving at night came with its own set of problems, chief among them being that if she was driving on the coast she couldn't have her lights on, night attacks by abyssal. But under normal circumstance she hated sleeping at other bases, mainly because of the various admirals attempts to woo her into their beds, though they failed. This base was different though, not one of those bases, its Admiral was a woman.
It was clear what the safest option would be, and with a nod Akitsu Maru walked over to the driver door and opening it, threw the folder onto the passenger seat before walking back to check on the orders completeness. Her planes were not the fastest, but they did their jobs well, and despite the size of the order it was almost finished being loaded into the truck. Within a matter of minutes the truck was full and her planes returned to her, returning to paper crosses that she slid into a pocket of her jacket.
The country side was the same as it always was, not good but not bad; the scars of the war against the abyssal clear to see in some places, yet unnoticed in others. The Abyssals. Thinking about the amount of damage and loss of life their forces had caused Japan was staggering; but when Akitsu Maru remembered the calm, almost warm reception she got from the Himes, it made it hard to believe the two were connected.
Shaking her head Akitsu Maru tried to push away such thoughts, that mission was behind her and she had absolutely no reason to remember it, especially when the sun was setting and the base she was heading to was just on the horizon. She would make it before the sun fully set, but just barely.
The base itself was a moderate sized one with a large carrier practice area, and dorms that were split according to ship class, not what fleet the different ship girls were in. it was a move that some admirals made to make their ship girls feel safer and calmer, though Akitsu Maru often heard other admirals complain about such ideas, saying that it made them slower to deploy, they were not always on alert and battle ready. She felt seriously sorry for ship girls under admirals like that.
"Hey, Akitsu Maru!" Akitsu Maru heard her name called as she climbed out of her truck in front of the bases supply warehouse.
Turning, she found the Admiral of the base, a young, but very strong willed and beautiful woman with long black shimmering hair. Akitsu Maru had met this admiral before quite a few times; she was a caring person who always wanted the best for those under her command and did not send them into battle if even one of them was unsure of their skills. She was only respected by a few other admirals, but Akitsu Maru liked her, and respected her greatly. "Ah, Admiral!"
"Thanks for delivering my order, and sorry for it being so big. We're preparing for a major operation, so I wanted to make sure everyone was good and at their best." The admiral explained warmly as numerous fairies began pouring out of the nearby storehouse and grabbing pieces of equipment from the truck.
"It's no problem. I had just gotten back from a, very long special mission, so I'm fine with doing this for you. Can you just sign here, please?" Akitsu Maru asked as she grabbed the folder and handed the order sheet to the admiral, along with a pen.
The admiral took them both and quickly signed the paper, handing it back to Akitsu Maru as she spoke. "You're not going to try to drive back to the capitol, are you? We've got rooms you could crash in, and I'm sure none of the carrier girls would mind."
Akitsu Maru nodded and took the paper from the Admiral, "Thank you, I believe I will take you up on that offer. Driving at night may not be difficult, but I dislike ruining my sleep cycle."
The admiral smiled, her smile seeming to warm Akitsu Maru from within. "Good, dinner has already been served though, so I doubt anything would be ready in the kitchen for you to nab."
Akitsu Maru shook her head. "It's fine. Waiting a little before meals would hardly be abnormal for me, sleep is the one thing I dislike putting off."
"Then I won't keep you from it. You know where the carrier dorms are so you can go right on ahead. Oh, just to warn you though, as it's a Sunday they're probably all drinking right now." The admiral said, her voice saying that she didn't mind the carriers drinking at all.
"Alright. Would it be too much if I joined you all for breakfast tomorrow?" Akitsu Maru asked calmly. She knew the answer, but it was still only polite to ask, especially if something would mean that the answer wasn't what she would expect.
"Oh it's no problem. Stay as long as you'd like, Akitsu Maru. Ah, I forgot, I have to run and finish some paperwork, so I'll see you tomorrow morning then, goodnight!" the admiral said before running back towards the base's main building. Whenever Akitsu Maru met her she always seemed to have forgotten something, perhaps that was the reason why everyone she commanded loved her, she wasn't infallible.
Walking up to the building that was the carrier dorms Akitsu Maru could not help but smile at it. Unlike the other buildings on the base the carrier dorms had a very old feel to them, the building itself was entirely made of wood and had very little glass and stone in its construction. Perhaps it was related to the fact that many carriers had an older world feel to them, or perhaps it was just because it was the building they had chosen, but it made Akitsu Maru feel warm somehow.
A quick rap on the door was replied to by the awkward shuffling of feet, and then a crash, and then more shuffling. A moment later the door slid open carefully, and one of the oldest looking Carriers in any base regardless of their actual age, Houshou, stood in the doorway. "Oh my, good evening, Akitsu Maru, how are you?"
"I am fine, thank you. May I come in?"
Houshou looked at Akitsu Maru for a moment and stepped back, allowing her to step though the doorway, "Do you need to see someone to deliver something? I had heard a rumor that some supply places were broadening their orders but . . ."
Akitsu Maru shook her head as she slipped off her shoes, "No, I just finished bringing an order here actually, but as the sun has set and with the limits to using lights on the road at night, the admiral said I could crash here tonight with all of you."
"Oh, ah, I'm so sorry, I did not realize, how horrible of me. Please come in, please, I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you. I'm so sorry." Houshou said, her voice telling how embarrassed she was over the predicament.
"It's alright. I hear you're all drinking tonight?" Akitsu Maru said, knowing that changing the subject would help curb Houshou's worry and embarrassment.
"Oh yes, you can join us if you wish. I'm sure everyone would love to have you," Houshou said warmly as she led Akitsu Maru down the hallway from the door. Stepping up to a large sliding door Akitsu Maru could hear the telling sound of merry drinking behind it, and before she could give Houshou an answer, she opened the door and stepped through revealing the Carrier dorms main gathering room. It was a very large room and Akitsu Maru couldn't tell how many tatami mats made up the floor, but she did figure it was probably at least ten meters long and about half as wide with a long Kotatsu down its center. The Kotatsu was surrounded by every class of carrier in the IJN, and was covered in numerous bottles, cans and glasses of wines, beers and other alcoholic drinks, as well as snacks of all kinds.
No one seemed to notice at first, until the resident drunk of almost every base turned and saw both Houshou and Akitsu Maru standing in the doorway. "Oh, Houshou, you're back. Eh, Akitsu Maru, want to join us for a drink?"
"Jun'you, you need to hold back a bit, or there won't be any for Akitsu Maru to drink," Houshou said as she walked up to the table and sat down between Junyou and the nearby souryuu, leaving enough space for Akitu Maru to sit down between her and Jun'you.
"Ah it's alright. This much is no problem," Jun'you said with a laugh as a full bottle of sake rolled across the table toward her, she picked it up without hesitation and began to drink straight from the bottle.
"You can ignore her and Houshou, and if you'd like to converse more than drink, there a spot down further with me and Akagi." A Kaga stated as she walked past Akitsu Maru, walking around the table to the far side with a stoic, yet inviting smile.
Looking over to where Houshou sat, Akitsu Maru could see almost a dozen large empty cans of beer sitting in front of her, and another in her hands being quickly emptied. Between her and Jun'you, the amount of alcohol being consumed likely rivaled Akitsu Maru's own body weight, and having a hangover in the morning when she had work was far from ideal. Playing it safe would be the best thing to do, so Akitsu Maru walked around the table and sat down in the spot beside Kaga, knowing that while both she and Akagi could eat a lot, they both were more restrained when it came to alcohol.
"You came to deliver the Admirals order, yes?" Kaga asked in her usual almost emotionless tone. It was sometimes thought of as cold, but Akitsu Maru had met enough Kaga's to know that all of them did care about those around them.
Akitsu Maru nodded, "Yes, it was quite an order though. Are you all preparing for a large scale operation?"
Kaga nodded and leaned slightly over to Akitsu Maru, using a hushed tone, "Yes, a battlegroup of Hime's and Oni's appeared yesterday near our current area of operations, the admiral wanted to be ready for anything."
"Ah, that makes sense. . . . You said a group of Hime's and Oni's, so multiple, right? I know it's not my place to ask or know but . . . "
"It's alright," Kaga said calmly. "Five of them, Isolated island Oni, Midway Hime, Airfield Hime, Northern Ocean Hime and Aircraft Carrier Water Oni, were sighted at the edge of our current AO. From the reports we've gotten, they've seem to be moving between ours, and almost a dozen other Area of Operations. The firepower present with the five of them is staggering."
Akitsu Maru could not believe what she was hearing, the exact Hime and Oni that had been at that base and that had left just before her, where now going around as a battlegroup. And they had all seemed so nice. "That's a lot of danger. Have they attacked anyone yet?" Akitsu Maru asked carefully.
Kaga shook her head, "They have engaged any fleets that have neared them, but strangely they have not sunk any fleet. It is almost like they are avoiding doing so." Kaga admitted as she took a sip from her glass.
Before Akitsu Maru could say anything a sudden burst of noise from the doorway caught her attention, and she looked to find another carrier enter the room, playfully angry at another.
"Geez, I thought I asked you to wait till I was back from dock, Shoukaku!" the Zuikaku who had entered the room cried as she stepped over to her sister ship and sat down.
Akitsu Maru didn't hear the rest of the Zuikaku' or Shoukaku's conversation, she was too surprised by the Zuikaku's appearance, "Kaga is that . . . . I had thought that I had heard a report that . . ."
Kaga nodded as she placed down her cup. "Yes, in the joint operation last year we had lost Zuikaku. She was a strong and good girl. But her loss was hard on her sister. A few months ago the Admiral decided to try a construction for Zuikaku, and it was successful. Since then she has become just as strong as her previous self. . . . . . And I believe she will play a role in our upcoming operations."
Akitsu Maru couldn't respond. The Zuikaku she had met in the Abyssals base, could have been the one that this base had lost, and now she may have been replaced by another Zuikaku. Akitsu Maru knew this kind of thing happened on some bases, but she had never witnessed it herself. LSC Ships like herself were singulars, one of kinds that could not be recreated until the first had been utterly destroyed, and in that way she was different than other ship girls and she knew it. She knew that regular non LSC ship girls could exist in multiples, and she had even been to a base that had them, but this . . . . She wasn't sure how to react knowing that this bases first Zuikaku could have been replaced so easily, despite still possibly existing!
Authors notes: aarrghh, this frikkin event! I want katsuragi dammit!
But enough of that I've been dropping hints of this for the past few chapters In the way people have been talked about, but it feels good to finally state it explicitly, the fact that dozens of each girls can exist at any base and in the same place will come into play Lter, as will the fact that LSD ships don't exist in multiples, but we'll find out more of that later now wont we.
I hope everyone has enjoys the chapter, and while I know I said this before, but I'll say it again. as a personal favor to me, if anyone would be kind enough to read my friend nanashi wanderers kancolle story ' sky's the limit' it would Make him really happy (especially reviews, he is kind of sad he's getting few intelligent ones). I myself am reading and greatly e joy it, and I'm sure you all will too. thank you as always!