Monday, March 31st, 2014.
I found Yuudachi and Samidare underneath the covers with me in my bedroom when I woke up. For some reason, I wasn't surprised. I wonder why...
I guess I'm more surprised by the fact that they even managed to sneak underneath the covers with me without getting me to wake up or stir at all.
But Yuudachi woke up literally a minute after I did, and when she realized I was staring down right at her, she rolled over on her side to put her back to me. She told me she'd planned to get out of bed before I woke up - she was embarrassed out of her mind at having been caught sleeping next to me. Samidare also woke up from the commotion, but instead of acting all embarrassed and stuff, she just rolled with it and cuddled up closer next to me, telling Yuudachi to do the same on my other side. So we just laid there in bed, staring up at the ceiling, my arm around two of my own destroyers. If there was ever a time I could profess a sense of a pimp, this was it.
But seeing that admiralty is my line of work and not pimping out, I got out quickly to get ready for today's work. But before I did, I gave Yuudachi some quick head pats and face rubs to cheer her up, which worked. Sort of. She kept asking for more, and seeing what she's been through these last few days, I didn't have the heart to turn her down.
Rub a Poi today. Rub-a-dub dub.
Today, I focused on the light cruisers' training. The light cruisers of the Moebius Four Platoon are specialists - in other words, they are the single most versatile ship class in the Platoon. They can use the widest range of ship weaponry and have the greatest variety of combat styles and tactics, and if they so choose to focus all their efforts into one area of expertise, their maximum potential is almost always much higher than other ship types' max potentials in the same area. On top of this, there're Akashi and Ooyodo who have inherent properties and skills - it's no coincidence that they're both in the light cruiser category. For another example, both Ooi and Kitakami are torpedo light cruisers with their Kai upgrades - simply put, they excel in torpedo warfare. Combined, they make up roughly a whopping 25% of our fleets outgoing torpedo traffic in combat. You don't wanna know how much that percentage was before I got torpedo launchers for the destroyers.
Back to the topic, I assigned the light cruisers to multi-function roles that I thought would work well with the fleet in combat. Kitakami and Ooi would just focus on launching torpedoes at everyone like usual. However, instead of having Kiso run around in the front lines like she usually does, I ordered her to fight alongside her ship sisters to coordinate her Golden Eye abilities with Ooi's Shotgun Ordinance. This way, if the effects synergize like I want them to, when Ooi uses her augmentation's ability, Kiso's Golden Eye should give all eight of Ooi's torpedoes 100% accuracy and maximize the effectiveness of Ooi's torpedo output. Because prior to this, Ooi's Shotgun Ordinance was awesome and all, but it was only really good at having an enemy stay the fuck back at the threat of demolishing them with a huge barrage of eight torpedoes at once, or good at slaughtering an incapacitated enemy. (Like an Abyssal Locked down by Imuya's torpedoes, for example.) But with both of their augmentations' abilities combined, Ooi's Shotgun Ordinance can be used at any effective range with drastically decreased chance of missing.
There weren't many changes that I made, since there aren't a whole lot of light cruisers we have. Kiso was a bit disgruntled that she had to be slightly removed from the front lines, since that's where she feels she shines the most. After about two hours of this new light cruiser formation, I had the fleet review the destroyer changes and submarine training regimens again.
Kitakami did bring up the fact that most of the light cruisers weren't all that well equipped, to be frank. Even herself and Ooi, it's not like they were that heavily armed, either. Every single battle, they needed to pick their targets wisely and make sure that every single torpedo was a good hit, otherwise that's a precious torpedo wasted. Having 64 torpedoes each was nice and all, but if they just spammed those torpedoes away, they would be out of the fight within half an hour. Kitakami said that I should get them their original 14cm naval guns back, or some kind of main gun that would give them more enduring battle relevance. In addition, for my light cruiser strategies to work, she pointed out, they'd need to be better armed. Other than herself and her fellow ship sisters, everyone was just armed with the usual old 14cm guns. They wouldn't be able to do what I wanted them to do unless I got them some better gear. She has a good point - the only ones in the fleet who have anything more than their original stock equipment that they came with are the destroyers and those who've received Kai upgrades. Augmentations do help to a certain extent, but unless they're like another weapon entirely, like Kiyoshimo's Prototype Yamato Cannon or Yamato's Mk. I, it's not like the augmentations themselves are weapons, so they can only do so much for the girls.
In light of this, I told the fleet that I would strive to acquire the rest of the ship types additional equipment, weapons, and gear, much to their relief. I warned them that they couldn't expect to receive them quickly like the destroyers had, but I'd do my best anyhow.
It's been some time since we've last received reinforcements, so I'll see if I can get some more ship girls down here, too...
At lunch before sortie, I pulled Akashi aside to ask her what Ooyodo wanted for her birthday. (Launch day, whatever, same difference.) Akashi told me that Ooyodo was a simple and diligent girl - so diligent and reserved, in fact, that not even Akashi, who's closest to Ooyodo in the fleet, has an idea of what Ooyodo might want. A Kai upgrade? But then again, seeing what the Kai girls can do, it's not like there's anyone in the fleet who doesn't want to get upgraded. Ooyodo's been serving as my secretary ship girl since forever, too, except for that brief hiatus during which Takao held that position for a while.
Akashi did say, however, that she personally felt that Ooyodo was a bit of a dreamer...the kind of girl who would sit by a windowsill watching the waves for hours on end. To me, that sounds rather...romantic. And Akashi agreed. So I decided to go to town with one of the ladies at base after I sent the fleet off on their sortie for today to see if I could pick something up for Ooyodo. After all, she's done so goddamn much for me as the secretary ship girl. If we were in America, I'd've definitely given her at least a month's worth of paid leave. But I know Ooyodo'll just feel devastated instead of relieved if I told her that she ought to take a break from her position.
Today's satellite image photos didn't indicate anything out of the ordinary, which is rare. Then again, "ordinary" to us has just come to mean something bad's going on over at Sector B again, no big deal. So I just went with the most generic plan ever and instructed the fleet to attack Baker One, the Floating Fortress incubation fields again.
After sending them off, I asked Mamiya, Irako, and Houshou if they wanted to accompany me to the nearby town outside the base. Irako volunteered to go while Houshou and Mamiya held down the fort, so we left together to see if we could find something for Ooyodo.
Surprisingly, all throughout our trip to town, Irako and I kept a conversation going all the time. I didn't know Irako was this much of a lively girl. Admittedly, I don't really get to see her a whole lot when she's just relaxing or off-duty. She's usually in the kitchens with Mamiya or cleaning somewhere all the time. I always knew in the back of my head that she, Mamiya, and Houshou did all the cleaning and household chores, with some occasional help from the ship girls from time to time. So usually whenever I see her, she's always got a smile on and focuses on her work without saying much more than she needs to, but outside, she's just like the ship girls; she's just another ordinary girl outside the base. I'll be honest; normally, I don't really like talkative girls, seeing my experience with such girls during my schooling in America, but having known Irako for the last two or three months now, it was actually pretty fun talking with her, just relaxing and walking down the streets of the town. I guess if a girl works in the military, she tends to get less superfluous and more genuine. Just the nature of the lives we lead, I suppose.'
We talked about a lot of things...anything from Akagi's gluttony and antics of food stealing from the kitchens outside of meal hours to the most recent social phenomenon at base, which was Akatsuki's obsession with ladies and her catchphrase, "Treat me like a real lady!" which I've heard her say a few times. She's never said that to me yet, presumably because I like to treat everyone in the same manner, so I guess Akatsuki sees that favorably. Irako laughed about how she and Mamiya have recently been trying their hands at making Western-style bakeries and treats, and how their first few tries were hilariously unsuccessful.
Irako also asked me how I thought of my time so far here, if the fleet was treating me well. I told her that I wasn't so sure if the fleet was treating me "well". I reminded her of the times when my shoulders got dislocated simultaneously, how Akebono kept calling me Shitty Admiral, Hiei threw her spoon at me and nearly snapped my nose in half, and how Shigure nearly killed me the other day. Not to mention the actual attempt on my life...twice. That made Irako a bit uncomfortable, since that wasn't quite the answer she expected or wanted to hear.
So I added that despite all this, I still was enjoying my time here. As a straight guy, being able to live in a base full of gorgeous girls and being able to tell them what to do is like living the dream. But besides my own carnal desires, I'd been able to make friends here and make some memorable moments with everyone. If anything, it sure as hell beats pencil-pushing back in America.
Irako asked me if my experience here was better or worse than my experience in the American Navy. I said that my careers here in the Moebius Platoon and in Carrier Strike Group 10 were too different to be compared. I said that I would leave it at "They're different". Each had its advantages. But I wouldn't want to give up one or the either. They're both memories for me...the good and the bad. And the ugly, too, I suppose.
We ended up buying a little cute ring and some hair pins for Ooyodo. I also bought some expensive chocolates, catnip, and a plush doll of a cute crying penguin. I don't know why I wanted the doll. I guess I just did.
The fleet returned way earlier than I'd expected. Only a few ship girls were damaged, but they sustained some heavy damage. Sazanami, the flagship for this sortie, reported that when they arrived at Baker One, they met that little girl again. And this time around, she attacked.
This little Abyssal girl is fucking strong. That is all.
The fleet spent two and half hours alone trying to take this one little girl down. Yamato even fired a round from her Cannon at her, but the girl tanked the entire thing and survived it. The fleet had to pull back before Abyssal reinforcements could pinch the fleet and trap them in.
Okay, little girl. Who the fuck are you and why the hell are you so strong?