Battleships Frontline [KC x GFL]

[Muscovfefe]

The two destroyers sped through the apartment buildings, ducking their heads down to avoid smashing through the pillars close to the ceilings. The first in the formation raised her hand upward, her fist clenched. The other destroyer complied, slowing herself down to a halt. Unmoving, they were able to hear the sounds of aircraft above, the abyssal carrier's hounds circling the area for their presence.

The unrelenting monsoon that blanketed the area was as much of a boon for the shipgirls as it was a curse, with the reduced visibility and the waves covering their tracks. Minutes passed before the engine sounds grew fainter. The lead destroyer raised her assault rifle and cautiously peeked at the surroundings outside. The coast was clear for now.

"Ohio. Coast is clear."

Behind them, the massive riggings of the battleships emerged. They moved between the buildings with haste. Ohio slowed down to a full stop next to Gyatt.

"Thanks, Gyatt. Did you see where they were headed?"

The Gearing-class pointed in a northwest direction.

"Didn't peek out for too long, so I couldn't see anything else."

The flagship nodded, gently pushing herself away from the rubble and towards the open exit. She pulled out her binoculars and looked around the vicinity. Her first priority was to deal with the Abyssal carrier and her escorting fleet before any rendezvous with Montana could be on the cards. Once the fleet had regrouped, she could worry about taking on the Empress.

"Ohio. How are we looking?"

New Hampshire joined Ohio by her portside. She passed the binoculars over to the pink-haired battleship. Her eyes scanned the surroundings much like Ohio, until they settled on a building in the distance. With a non-functional, giant neon sign in the front of the entrance, it was clear the mall had seen better days.

She handed the binoculars back to Ohio.

"Building to the north, up ahead. Think we can lose them in there?"

Ohio lowered the binoculars and pulled out a map.

"If this is correct, yes. It should be large enough… and it's connected to another building to the north. We'll enter the point of interest and move on foot to the other end of the connected apartment, the swing around to the rendezvous from there. Understood?"

The two destroyers had been listening in behind Hampshire, and both nodded without any complaint.

"Check your ammo counts and compartments. We'll move out in five."

Ohio left the destroyers to their own devices, continuing her observation of the surrounding area with growing frustration. A frustration that her sister quickly managed to pick up on.

"Ohio. You alright?"

"Y-Yeah."

She turned to face Hampshire.

"Just… I don't think the call I made was right. Splitting the fleet into two…"

New Hampshire sighed.

"Ohio. Now's not the time for dawdling. The three of them will be relying on you - the last thing they need is someone that can't deliver."

New Hampshire made her displeasure known. Her words were tough, but sometimes a bitter hit was what was needed to slowly change someone, and it was better to be done here rather than in the thick of combat. Ohio looked away in shame momentarily. She took in a deep breath and turned back towards Hampshire.

"Alright. Let's get moving."

========x=======

Under the cover of the rain, they surged forward towards a walkway closest to the building they left.

They advanced in a single file under the ruined walkway of the former plaza, the height of the flooded walkway making it such that the Montanas had to kneel down everytime they had to advance under an arch. Teruzuki and Gyatt kept watch of their flanks as they slowly sailed towards their objective.

On the opposite side lay their objective. The mall entrance, with only a single doorway not blocked with rubble. She prepared to give the order to push ahead. That was, until she heard the sound of planes flying overhead once more. With a single motion of her free hand, she ordered a full stop.

The planes circled the area again and again, minutes flying by for the squad. By the time the sounds began to grow fainter, they had been waiting in the walkway for ten minutes.

"Now."

The four ships pushed to full speed, quickly leaving the sheltered walkway and headed towards the intact doorway. The two battleships entered first, rifles raised in anticipation of any enemy threat, followed behind by the two destroyers. The store was empty, the water having swept away whatever shelves and product that may have once been in here.

The first part of the plan was done. They now had to move through the mall itself. The squad proceeded in a northward direction, sailing through aisle after aisle in the ruined department store, slowing down to a halt when they came upon a large metal gate. Ohio guessed that it was the entrance.

"Alright, Hampshire. You do the honours.."

The flagship gave way for the pink-haired shipgirl. Without any significant difficulty, New Hampshire punched straight through the sheet metal, crumpling away to form a head-sized hole. She placed her two hands on the top of the hole and lifted the door up. A few hundred pounds of steel could not stop the horsepower a Montana could output.

The final obstruction to the interior of the mall was now gone. Four escalators around the interior, with a single pavilion in the middle.

"Maintain a perimeter here. I'll check if the upper floors are intact."

Ohio lifted one of her legs forward and onto the step. She dematerialized her rigging and moved up the inert escalator. Peeking from the final few steps of the escalator, to her relief, the majority of the floor was still intact. Aside from the ceiling being marred with the damage of time and water and the collapsed pillars scattered about, the place appeared to be stable enough.

She signaled to the others to make their way up.

Gyatt and Teruzuki dematerialized their own riggings and made their way up. New Hampshire was the last to go, standing guard over the escalator while the destroyers ascended the escalator. She dematerialized her rigging, one final look at their rear before turning around and running up the steps. The floor was entirely devoid of lighting, save for the hallway straight ahead.

"That must be our walkway. I'll take point."

"Understood."

The squad continued onwards, rifles raised in caution. Closer to the windows of the walkway, Ohio noticed that the relentless monsoon minutes ago had began letting up, the rain gradually settling into a light trickle.

"!"

The quiet yelp of surprise brought the squad to a halt.

"Sound off. What's going on?"

She turned around and watched Teruzuki pick up something from the floor. It was not an explosive trap left behind by the abyssals or survivors. Rather, it was a simple teddy bear. The plushie's leg had been cut off cleanly, the damp cotton stuffing inside exposed entirely.

"Did… that seriously scare you?"

Gyatt was on the edge of laughter, scarcely able to believe the experienced Japanese shipgirl was surprised by something so inert.

"Cut it out. Let's focus on getting ourselves out of this instead of this childish teasing."

New Hampshire ignored the Gearing's pout.

"I could've handled her myself, Hampshire-san. It's just, I couldn't help but think for a moment what happened to the people living here…."

She set the teddy bear down gently, like placing a memento near a grave and moved on. The battleship spared one look at the bear.

"Knowing the abyssals, I can only hope they were granted a quick one. This is just a reminder of what we're fighting."

Everyone could not contest her words. They moved on from the somber scene, now on the walkway itself. Ohio slowed down for a moment, her eyes focused on distant objects. A closer inspection revealed that they were the very same planes hunting for them previously.

She gave the order to quicken their pace. The squad sprinted across the walkway without delay, entering yet another dimly-lit structure.

The squad had made it into the buildings. The flagship found the nearest door on the left side of the hallway and barged in, breaking the knob without a second thought.

She laid the map down on the dusty, ruined bed and gathered everyone around.

"We've made it through the plaza and mall, which puts us…. here."

Her finger rested on a square in the right corner of the map.

"This… apartment, from what I can tell, is our last hurdle. Once we're clear, we'll be in the shophouse district. From there, we'll re-enable comms and get the signal out. Understood?"

The three of them nodded.

Ohio tucked the map away and made her way to the door. The squad executed a sharp right turn and advanced down the main corridor. The darkened hallway slowly gave way to a muted, overcast sky as they reached the middle of the complex.

New Hampshire leaned over to look below, the others still taking in the sight. Whatever beauty the common grounds below held was long gone, the place now home to a stale pool of water and pieces of rubble protruding from it like a sharp rock. Beyond that, it was a featureless ruin, left as such by the abyssals since the city's doom.

Her eyes moved upward, the sight of a stairway catching her attention. She looked at the opposite side. Sure enough, the stairs on the other end were completely gone which left only one option going forward.

New Hampshire lightly tapped Ohio's shoulder, grabbing her attention before she pointed her finger in the direction of the path ahead.

"Is… that the only intact one?"

"Other one's completely gone."

The flagship nodded. The squad moved off without a hitch through the corridor, quietly closing the ajar doors that blocked their path.

=======x=======

"Goddamn abbies…can't they at least make sure the elevators work in their conquered areas?"

Gyatt leaned on a wall at the end of the staircase, watching Teruzuki and New Hampshire catch up with her. The squad took a moment to reassess their situation again now that they were at the first floor. New Hampshire used the opportunity to check the time, rolling back her left sleeve to get a quick gauge of the time.

1700.

One more hour and it would soon be night. If there was something both sides in this war could agree on, it was the need to avoid fighting pitched nighttime battles. The battleship made her way towards Ohio, the woman seemingly staring blankly into the open sky above. It had better not be another of her indecisive episodes again…

"Ohio. What's the hold up?"

"It's the planes again. Except… they're getting louder."

Hampshire stopped herself from talking any further and listened. Ohio was right. It was getting louder and louder, like they had a target in mind. Without even realizing it, she had brought her DMR to the ready in anticipation.

"Get ready to deploy on the water. They may have found us…"

Before she could step on the water, they witnessed an unbelievable sight. The squadron of abyssal dive bombers entered the apartment complex through the open square, their formation tightening in the confined space. They flew towards the opposite end of the complex, seemingly unaware of the shipgirls' presence in the area.

That was until she could spot from the tip of her eye, the ghostly blue visages of abyssal warships emerging from the dark.

"Two enemy heavy cruisers!"

Ohio took to the water, the veritable floating fortress of guns materializing in under thirty seconds. She laid down a barrage of shells with her assault rifle at the bridge of the portside abyssal, keeping her busy while her guns trained themselves on the cruiser. New Hampshire followed suit, firing on the other heavy cruiser.

Her DMR proved more than enough for the second heavy cruiser. A clean three-shot burst drilled straight through the cruiser's leftmost turret. Before she could follow up, the turret burst into flames, followed by a large explosion that claimed her portside.

Teruzuki and Gyatt followed in their trail. With the area too cramped for proper maneuvers, they added their own main armaments to the battleship's unrelenting secondaries.

Ohio fired off her four main batteries.

Boom.

The sound of consecutive battleship shells rocked the entire building. Five bore through the heavy cruiser, the two simultaneous 16'' shells blowing the bridge clean off the heavy cruiser. The remaining barrage smashed into the vehicle corridor on the far end of the complex. Entire portions of the floor below crashed into the water, sealing the entrance to any sort of movement.

Through the smoke and dust of the rubble, a figure emerged from behind a ruined pillar. Her appearance did not match any of the known Princesses in this theater. What was clear was her capabilities - it was difficult to fault the four slender grey metal slabs with markings as anything other than carrier flight decks.

The dust cleared away to reveal that she had more than just a few flight decks. Six ominous, drone-like machines hovered around her in a perfect circular formation. The abyssal raised a conducting baton, the stick pointed straight at Ohio. In a single motion, their purpose was revealed. The floating machines began to fire their armaments.

The destroyers quickly fell in behind the two battleships to avoid the shells. With Ohio's main batteries still reloading, New Hampshire quickly reoriented her own, training two main batteries on the abyssal carrier.

Rifle after rifle from New Hampshire's batteries roared. Despite the carrier's attempts at avoiding a proper firing solution on her by way of moving in an erratic manner, the gun crews manage to nail her body and rigging with three shells. A testament to the strenuous naval drills Hampshire had put the "fairies" of her rigging through, and an inevitable reminder of how dangerous naval urban combat was.

"Clear!"

Gyatt and Teruzuki had taken advantage of the gun duel to verify the deaths of the two cruisers. With their flanks secure, the flagship approached the sinking abyssal carrier. The half-cut gas mask concealed the lower portion of her face. She did not need to see her mouth to read her emotions, for the Princess' eyes conveyed the feeling of hatred and contempt just as well.

"Talk about bagging a big one."

New Hampshire kept her rifle trained on the dying princess.

"What do we do with her, then?"

Ohio remained silent, her eyes remaining focused on the abyssal carrier. She flipped the abyssal carrier to the side that she noticed the explosives she had strapped to herself that were active. Four shells that would have been fired from a battlecruiser or something larger, with a singular detonator in the middle.

The carrier released her grip on the makeshift explosive and allowed it to float.

"Executioner… says… hello.."

"Move! MOVE!"

The four shipgirls quickly moved into reverse as fast as their rudders and engines could allow, trying to distance themselves as far as they could before it exploded.

Thirty seconds later, a bright flash enveloped the building.

New Hampshire pushed the collapsed pillar away from them as she emerged from cover, looking worse for wear but otherwise functional. She coughed, the dust in the air still heavy.

"E-Everyone? Report in!"

Ohio's order went unanswered for a moment, before eventually hearing the responses and seeing them emerge.

"Clear!"

"cough… Clear!"

"Clear!"

The squad had managed to make it out of the situation with minor damage. Ohio did not want to imagine what would happen had she not noticed or given the order too late…

She cleared her head. There were much more pressing issues to focus on now. Like the fact that the carrier had managed to relay their position and call for reinforcements before her martyrdom. Ohio quickly ordered everyone to fall in.

"First things first. I don't know who this Executioner is, but what is clear is that abyssal reinforcements are coming our way. We've cleared out the carrier - now we just need to deal with this fleet before we make our way to the coordinates and link up with Montana and Maine. Understood?"

The unanimous "Roger." was all she needed to hear.

"Alright. First things first, let's find a way out of here…."

Ohio scanned the now ruined building complex surrounded by debris, before setting her sights on a nearby ruined wall with rays of light piercing through.

"Time to get rough.."

=======x=======

Spoiler: Author Notes

Right. Where do I even start. First I start having doubts about the story's future, and then my laptop bricks itself and I need to get a new one, so apologies that it took way longer than usual. We're in the middle point of SH03, meaning we have two more ringleader- I mean, Princesses to go.

Hope you all enjoy!

 

[Muscovfefe]

"Where the hell are they…?"

Maine's exhausted whisper contained as much worry as it did annoyance. She had agreed to split from Montana and Jintsuu to find the destroyer squadron while they lured their pursuers away. Even then, that decision had been made in a rush.

Minutes of rounding corner after corner to find the shortstacks only to come up short was getting to her. The cannon fire that had been prevalent in the last hour had finally died down.

Maine knew better than to doubt the two shipgirls' combat experience and capabilities. They were still a scattered fleet stuck behind enemy territory, against an enemy that loved to give off the impression of being numberless.

Any second wasted is one they could be gathering for a second strike.

The battleship's focus turned back towards advancing through the city. She had come upon a crossroad yet again. The northern section had been sealed by way of collapsed building. Maine's index finger danced, the woman trying to determine which way to go.

She made her decision. Pointed to the starboard, she brought her rudders up to full speed. She turned around the corner…

And ran into the destroyer squadron.

The first in the squadron, a redhead with her hair tied into a messy ponytail, slowed down to a halt and stared at her, almost like she was dumbstruck. The second, blonde-haired destroyer did the same, her carbine raised to her torso but otherwise just as surprised as her sister. The third destroyer by their portside was less in shock. Black-hair with a short haircut, she looked to be waiting for the inevitable firefight.

The two sides continued their staring game for minutes, the tension building.

Maine eventually tired of the silence.

"THERE YOU ARE! I've been looking for you all over this blasted place!"

"Eeeep!" The redhead recoiled in terror, almost falling backwards onto the water, rigging first.

"Who the hell is she?"

"Four 16" batteries, all those dual mounts… she's a Montana!"

Maine's outburst did have the effect of scaring everyone out of their initial shock, at least. The second girl's identification of her rigging was immediately countermanded by the last destroyer.

"The Montanas weren't laid down at all!"

"She's one of those shipgirl volunteers, damnit! The last thing we need is some more paranoia!" The redhead shot back at the black-haired destroyer.

Maine watched the chaos unfold, bursting into a light giggle when they were finally done. It seemed that Gyatt and Kawakaze were not the exception. Rather, they were the norm. She holstered her assault rifle and approached the destroyer squadron.

"Never a boring day with destroyers around. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. The name's USS Maine, BB-69."

The redhead, who seemed to be the leader of the squadron, cleared her throat.

"Apologies for… earlier. I'm Fletcher, 445. The one beside me is Henley, and Capps is the one behind. Now, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing here? I don't think Command would send someone of your tonnage down to rescue a bunch of tin cans that just happened to wander into an abyssal stronghold, much less on such short notice."

Maine let out a grin.

"We're here to raze the place to the ground! Or at least, to just drive the abyssals out. My sisters are no fun like that."

"I… see."

She sailed past the destroyer squadron and pointed forward. From what she could see, a steady pillar of black smoke was streaming out into the atmosphere from that distant location. With the radio silence brought about by the Abyss still in effect, it was a worth a try finding the others there.

"An abyssal counterattack forced us to split, so now we're trying to regroup. I know you gals aren't here by choice, but we'd have a higher chance of survival if we're together."

Fletcher turned her head to look at Henley and Capps. The two slowly nodded their heads. She faced Maine and prepared her response.

"Alright."

Capps took notice of her unsure reply.

"Oh come on, Fletcher! Have some faith - it's your middle name after all!"

"Shut up, Capps."

It did not take long for the three destroyers to take their place in the formation behind Maine. With the battleship at the front, the destroyers occupied the port, starboard and stern, forming a tight diamond. Maine eagerly pushed ahead, Fletcher and Henley casting suspicious glances at the decaying houses around them.

The battleship kept her eyes forward for any threats. She could not blame the lead destroyer for her overt caution. Natural borns were raised in a time where open naval warfare was the norm and their experiences were as steel hulls, first and foremost. Having their own two feet and hands was an introduction to a new way of life.

And a reminder that the new forms of naval combat were unorthodox and required adaptation.

"So, Maine… you're a Lieutenant, right? Standard Navy policy to do so for most capital ships, but I'm not sure if it applies to you."

"That I am."

Fletcher paused for a moment, as if realizing she had been too casual in their previous encounter.

"Understood, ma'am. Sorry if I was too casual. If you don't mind me asking, who else is on this operation?"

"Aw, don't worry about that. You couldn't have identified it through all this armor. As for who… my four other sisters! And two destroyers, a light cruiser and a carrier."

Henley almost did a double take. "Four-! Did we just sail into an abyssal stronghold? Capps, you've gotten us into even bigger trouble now! We should've just taken on that cruiser squadron…"

"Sorry for trying to keep us alive, I guess." Capps' statement was loaded with both regret and sarcasm. The conversation was cut short by an explosion. One that was not distant at all. It was close to their location, and Maine could soon see the aftermath. The sounds of rifle fire began to get louder.

======x=======

It did not take much for the squadron to modify their route towards the ongoing battle. Maine made a sharp portside turn, her left hand on the water to stabilize herself. They drifted through a ruined storefront, the first in a row of shophouses.

Maine returned to a normal upright position and brought her assault rifle to the ready. 16'' rifles after rifles continued to fire, the explosions in the distance throwing up tons of dust and rubble into the sky. Montana, Ohio or New Hampshire, whoever it could be did not matter. One of her sisters was in trouble, and she had to move fast.

She pushed past the vehicle pileup in front of the road. As she approached the battleground, she began to hear what sounded like.. Screaming.

"Stop running, you hag!"

That did not sound like Ohio. Or anyone else in the fleet.

Maine grew more tense. Whoever they were facing was a new threat. Either the Empress was coming around to finish the job, or she had sent one of her Princess lackeys to do so. She pushed her rudders and engine as much as she could, building to a flank speed in seconds. Damage to her mobility be damned, she was not going to let whoever was being attacked be sunk.

At last, she spotted an intersection. Maine turned to the starboard. The four of them emerged into a scene of total chaos. The quaint, desolate shophouses that lined this section of the city had been decimated in just under a few minutes. Gun batteries of every caliber had made their mark known, tearing chunks of concrete out of buildings that they landed on.

And just ahead of them was the second of the Montana-class battleships, engaged in close combat with an abyssal warship they had never seen before. A deathly pale white contrasted with jet black hair, the Princess' red eyes and wolfish grin was unsettling, even for an abyssal. The alien, twisted rigging that mounted four twin barrel 18-inchers was nothing in comparison to the oversized sword that she seemed to hold.

Even through the constant outburst of weapons, she could hear the Princess' words.

"Black hair, skull bandana, appearance of an airhead." The ringleader shouted. "Let's see if you're worth anything without that hag elder sister of yours around to protect you!"

Ohio barely arrested the blade's descent with her rifle. The Princess lifted the blade away and sailed backwards, swinging her portside batteries to face Ohio. Three of the massive shells slammed into the abdomen of the flagship, leaving three gaping holes behind. The Princess charged forward, taking advantage of ohio's moment of weakness.

She sliced the barrels of Ohio's first battery off cleanly, before bringing the blade downward once more and into her left shoulder. The battleship let out a sharp cry of pain.

Maine was incensed at the sight. Without warning or mention, she charged onward into the crossfire. Burst after burst of 5-inch shells impacted on the bridge of the Abyssal Princess.
"Another distraction?!" The Princess pulled the blade out of the bloodied shipgirl and disengaged, holstering her sword in favor of an archaic pistol. She reversed as quickly as she could without care of what exactly was behind her. The Rippers covering the Princess began to lay a smokescreen, all the while blazing away with their SMGs.

She disappeared into the smokescreen, the barrage letting up for a singular moment. Maine breathed in and out deeply, the battleship only now realizing just how far she was pushing herself in the last hour.

"Fletcher! Keep us covered." Maine left the destroyers to conduct their maneuvers and turned to face Ohio. "Ohio! Sorry I could only make it to you now. Montana and Jintsuu split off to draw attention away from me. We'll find them later - the bigger question now is if you can still fight."

The blonde warship extended a hand to help the flagship up. Ohio accepted the help with her undamaged free hand.

"I'm still in the fight. I just.. I just need to seal this wound. Executioner will not let up with victory this close." Maine exchanged a questioning look at Ohio, the battleship busy opening the medical pouch buckled onto the side of her pants.

"How do you know her na-"

"It's a long story. We can debrief each other when the threat is gone." Ohio signalled to Maine for them to reverse toward the more intact shophouses to their southeast. Maine tilted her head to face the location for a moment, noticing the two destroyers sheltered behind a wall. New Hampshire had positioned herself in the front, taking the brunt of the fire.

She nodded, and called out to the destroyer squadron.

"Fletcher! Henley! Capps! We're heading southeast toward the shophouses that are still standing! I'll introduce you to Ohio here later, let's move!"

======x=======

An uneasy ceasefire had settled in ever since the abyssals deployed their smokescreen. Though the radars in their riggings could easily detect the other side, the accuracy, not to mention the presence of artificial cover in the form of large amounts of rubble made firing blind a risky proposition for either side.

It suited Ohio just fine. She continued on with her field repair, the blade wound that sliced through miniaturized steel, fiber and her armor belt alike now at least coated in a fast-acting gel. She grit her teeth before she began wrapping the bandage around the area. Maine turned away, leaving Ohio to continue the grisly business of damage control on her own.

"Hampy." Maine used the reprieve to catch up on all that had happened. "What's the situation?"

New Hampshire looked to be in better shape than the others, but not by much. Dozens of impact marks, whether it was blackened marks on her armor or the holes in her lower clothing created by fires, could be seen throughout her hull.

"Maine. First time I've ever been excited about seeing you." New Hampshire chuckled, the woman trying to ease the tensions. "It started when we ran into a Princess before Miss Executioner here. We had lucked out, given that we managed to ambush the carrier that was providing air cover for their operation. But not before she got a signal off."

"I see." The sheer happenstance of running into the two most dangerous abyssals in theater besides the Empress herself. The Lieutenant Commander had to be the unluckiest battleship in the world right now. Maine quickly pieced the remaining portions together. "The Carrier Princess is out of the picture, at least. What about this… Executioner?"

"The name's stuck on since that was the carrier's last words, too." Hampshire noted. "Battleship of a unknown class armed with 18"s. She's accompanied by a bunch of Rippers, a Ta-class and some new-model cruisers. I managed to bag a few of those unknown cruisers, but the Ta's still at large. Not to mention, the Princess herself…"

New Princesses, new standard models. Maine sighed, the usually optimistic battleship letting a slight hint of dour make it's way onto her face. There was no doubt the Abyssals were already developing counters to them. All the possible data whatever intelligence or group leading the Abyssals could gain from this engagement would be worth more than what the stronghold provided.

"We'll deal with her." Ohio sailed at a steady speed towards the two of them, the wound now fully sealed for the moment. She glanced over the ruined rubble wall New Hampshire leaned into for any hints of movement. "All of you.. Form up."

The destroyers crowded around the flagship.

"Destroyer Squadron… 13, am I correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. Fletcher, Henley and Capps, ma'am." The lead destroyer sounded off without any further comment.

"Understood. I apologize for having to drag the three of you into this, but our odds are better together." Ohio continued on. "Maine. You'll be the vanguard. I'm in no state to take further hits, and I need Hampshire to be ready to eliminate the Ta when she appears. Fletcher and the rest will eliminate the Rippers."

Maine let the pessimism and sourness wash away, the battleship returning to the gleeful state she was known for. "Not to worry, Ohio! That sword looks mighty fine for a prize, after all." Hampshire shook her head, before returning a simple nod. The others followed suit.

"Good. Let's begin."

The fleet moved out of the shophouse ruins in a steady line formation. New Hampshire broke away from the formation to their starboard, slowing to a halt. The others sailed forward, with Maine taking the lead. Every single battery and rifle was aimed forward, only waiting for the order to let loose. Her finger hovered over the trigger, the radar having identified an unknown to the front of her.

The smokescreen began to dissipate, minutes after it had been deployed.

"Weapons free."

Maine broke the ceasefire in a single blast. The dual 5-inchers and the assault rifle fired as one, shells splashing and crashing into the possible target in the front. Whatever was hiding in there was forced to maneuver out into the open, a move that was punished by the Fletchers. The unforgiving exchange of secondary fire began once more.

The battleship turned her assault rifle on the next closest target. With Ohio focused on the forward group of Rippers, she turned her attention to the surviving cruiser.

"Feeling cowardly now, are we?!" Maine roared out, the secondaries firing not long after. "Or do you need a bunch of destroyers as your crutch?!"

Every sentence dripped with poison, the battleship doing her best to bait her opponent out. If she was right, Executioner was the type that certainly would not deny the challenge of an equal.

The new-model cruiser emerged from the far end of a building, assault rifle firing first before her main guns followed in the wake of the splashes. Maine expressed her frustration, finally allowing one of her main batteries to turn and train their rifles on her.

Three shells fired in succession. A single one was enough to render the cruiser combat-inoperable.

From the glint of her eyes, she spotted her quarry. Executioner emerged once more, blade in tow. Maine prepared for the oncoming charge, her three other turrets facing their rifles forward. Before she could fire, the Princess changed directions, a quick portside turn that saw her smashing straight through a wall.

The Ta-class following behind Executioner would be the one Maine would have to face. The abyssal battleship struck first with a main battery salvo. One shell skids off Maine's second turret, leaving a wide gash on the top.

"Ohio-"

"I can handle her. Don't let the Ta provide support." The flagship changed direction and proceeded east, in an effort to intercept Executioner. Maine grimly acknowledged and opened up with her three main batteries.

========x=======

The Battleship Princess emerged into the fray through concrete and dust, having bust down yet another shophouse wall.

"Finally found a spine, didn't you?" Her words, dripping with malice, were drowned out by a rapid burst of an assault rifle. Executioner raised her hand towards her bridge, the gauntlet taking the brunt of the damage. Still, the crews were shaken by the close impacts, her vision dimmed as they struggled to regain control.

Executioner drifted into the closest concrete pile, the rudders creaking under the pressure of the extreme portside turn. The range was as much a boon to the two of them as it was a curse. Their main guns struggled to keep up with the tempo of the combat, a single slight movement requiring the guns to be retrained.

She readied her blade, gripping the dark black weapon with both of her hands. Executioner cursed herself for not following through her first strike properly. This time, she would finish the job.

She rounded the corner violently, her opponent already faced directly towards her. The flagship turned herself entirely to portside, the blade narrowly avoiding her torso. It embedded itself into the rigging, deep enough that more force than usual was required to pull it out.

Executioner pulled the blade out of the shipgirl's rigging in seconds, just in time to see a fist coming straight at her.

She reeled from the hit to the bridge, reversing to gain distance from Ohio.

"Finally. A fight." Her grin grew ever wider, the Princess charged at the flagship. She ordered the crews of the first turret to fire, aiming be damned. The monstrous turret answered the Princess' orders. The wild shells punched through the armor belt, the overpenetration ensuring they left her right thigh on the other side.

She prepared for her second swing. Kneeled down in pain, Ohio reached for the knife on her left thigh. With only milliseconds to spare, the small blade met the oversized weapon head on. Centimeters of STS compressed into a weapon not too dissimilar looking to a normal combat knife failed to defeat the abyssal blade, Executioner's prized weapon breaking it in half. Her attack left a wide gash on Ohio's left knee.

She raised the blade again, intent on delivering the final blow to the bridge.

Executioner brought the blade downward. In what could only be described to be unexpected, Ohio dropped her assault rifle. Her undamaged right hand reached for the blade.

Steel met steel, the blade cutting into the palm of her hand, but not through it. Ohio held the sword in place. The abyssal roared in frustration, the blade cutting further into her hand in an attempt of brute force. Too committed to the path of attack, she failed to see the shipgirl form her injured left hand into a fist.

Ohio smacked the blade with all the strength she could muster. With a single motion, the oversized blade that Executioner held was snapped into half. She collapsed into the water facefirst, the Montana taking advantage of the mistake by reversing away. Her still-operational turrets obtained a firing solution.

"Tsk… How…" Even on death's door, she retained her impulsive tone.

"My inexperience is no reason to be dismissive." She threw the other half of the blade at her feet, the piece of black metal slowly going under the water.

"Humph.. Whatever. At least, I know what you're capable of. I'll be seeing you again…"

The three main batteries silenced the Abyssal Princess. Her eyes remained locked on the dying abyssal, the pale battleship eventually disappearing under the black ichor and fire on the surface of the water.

"Damn, Ohio. You really can be something else." Maine's voice snapped her out of the trance. "I don't think I would've thought of that." The shipgirls converged on her location.

"Are all of them…gone?"

"Positive! Hampy and I fragged the Ta. The tin cans brought the others down."

The flagship finally let out a sigh of relief, turning her sight to the wound in her thigh.

"Understood. All of you… take a moment to heal and rearm. We advance to the rendezvous in twenty."

======x=======

Spoiler: Author Notes

Here we go. The fleet's second encounter with a Sangvis Fer- I mean, Abyssal, Princess. Executioner's largely the same, apart from the added conversion into an interwar IJN prototype battleship. I have one more part to go before we wrap up SH03 and it's the hardest, given I now have to figure out how to make Hunter fit in and her part in the story where she kidnaps AR-15 for a short while. After that, it'll be a few interludes given all the Montanas have just gone through.

Thanks to maes for helping look through some of the sections and giving feedback.

 

[Muscovfefe]

The earlier monsoon of the late afternoon was now replaced with a cold, light mist of the evening. Weather that was unusual for Southeast Asia was nonetheless welcomed by the beleaguered fleet. Given all that they went through, the silence and the weather was a change of pace.

New Hampshire formed the rearguard of the fleet, keeping her distance from the active destroyers in front of her. The Fletchers had crowded around Gyatt, the lone Gearing helpless against the three of them. Maine watched the destroyers mess around, silently giggling along. The lull in fighting allowed them to exchange some greetings, catch up on matters and mess around.

It was almost like home.

Straight ahead, Ohio led the fleet into the gutted remains of a tall structure. The visible foundation supports made it easy to tell that the building was collapsed by bombardment. Steel supports, concrete chunks that still hung on. It felt like sailing through a gutted tunnel.

A few more kilometers and they would finally be at the rendezvous.

The third Fletcher of the squadron, having remained out of the conversation her sisters were having, turned around to face the battleship.

"Hey, Miss Hampshire." The redhead greeted the battleship warmly.

"Henley, right? What's wrong?"

"Nothing much. We've been through situations like this before. A few battleships certainly make this much more bearable, so… thanks." She bowed her head after those words.

"No problem. It's my duty, after all." New Hampshire kept a straight face throughout, but inside, she felt otherwise. It was weird having someone besides her mamacita and her siblings praise her like this.

"You girls are just volunteers, right? I know the benefits… but it still sounds insane that someone can agree to… "become" a shipgirl given the job's hazards. Out of the pool, into the ocean sort of thing."

"I was a cripple before this, actually. This is pretty much a straight upgrade." In hindsight, Henley was right. Given her previous conditions and the circumstances, New Hampshire had already made up her mind about taking the jump. But for someone else? It was a decision they would have tossed and turned over. "There were risks involved given how experimental the program is, but if it made life easier for the rest of my siblings…"

"Oh." The realization hit Henley. "Oooh. I see. So, what about your sisters?"

"I'm not really that familiar with them. That's my only issue with how the fleet is, really. Ohio has a tendency to be indecisive owning to the inexperience, Maine's happy-go-lucky as usual, Montana's the only one that has some actual experience. I haven't interacted with Louisiana much to know her proper." The battleship paused for a moment. "Speaking of Montana. You're almost a dead ringer for her, if you bleached your hair and had an eyepatch on the right."

Henley could only stare at the battleship for a straight minute. She quickly regained her composure.

"Hope she doesn't mind having a little sister, then." She turned her head for a moment to observe their surroundings, noting that they were still sailing through the skeletonized skyscraper. Henley turned back to face New Hampshire. "It's good that you're talking to them, at least. Easiest way to put it is that we don't really have "lone wolves" in this profession. Operating alone's always ended in disaster for us."

No lone wolves in this profession. Henley didn't know it, but she was already implicating Montana from the get-go. It was going to take a while to defrost the lead ship.

"Speaking of which, how are you getting along with the natural borns?" The Fletcher's eyes were staring straight ahead at Gyatt, the Gearing roughing up Capps' hair in a teasing manner.

"Natural born?" New Hampshire inquired with a puzzled tone.

"Warships that followed the natural route - born in the 1900s, served in the war, then retired, scrapped or became a museum, all of the usual. Dunno who came up with it, all I know is the term was used more now that you volunteers are becoming public knowledge." The destroyer explained.

The shipgirls finally made their way out of the collapsed structure and back into the open space. A wide open area surrounded by structures on all sides indicated that it used to be a plaza before its destruction.

"Talk about passing time." New Hampshire observed the setting sun in the distance. "As for your question, Arizona's a good admiral. The others are… eccentric, but I've accepted that they're going to be like that in some ways."

Henley let out a hearty laugh. The battleship returned a muted smile. It was hard to believe she was making friends with some of the old dogs of the Navy.

The conversations within the fleet had soon dried up, the only focus now being to get out of the unnatural, dead city and back into a warm bed. New Hampshire kneeled down to avoid sailing into a strengthened steel beam.

"Ohio!" Maine's excited voice flooded the short-range communication channel. "How close are we to the rendezvous?"

"Six klicks out. Keep sharp. It's been-"

A slight wave of static flooded the channel for a moment, before it faded instantly. A warning of what was to come.

"..too quiet."

The destroyers fanned out into a standard formation around the battleships. Henley and Gearing advanced to Hampshire's side, the battleship conducting a sternward turn to cover their rear. Their speed slowed to a constant of ten knots in anticipation of the unseen threat.

She gripped the DMR, her eyes darting around the building corners in sight. No possible abyssal sightings. She continued to keep her eyes forward, her attention only diverted when she saw the shadow of a linkbridge.

New Hampshire looked upward.

Tied haphazardly all around the bridge, the explosives stood out like a sore thumb. Black and white all around, the abyssal paint scheme made it undeniable this was a trap set in advance. Before her words could even leave her mouth, the first shells detonated.

"Shit!" New Hampshire gripped the two destroyers in front of her by their smokestack. "Incoming! Go, go!" She exerted herself and pushed the destroyers clear, their rudders and lower legs straining under the newfound pressure.

It would hurt them, but at least they were clear of the explosion.

New Hampshire quickly accelerated. She cleared the first explosion-

And wandered into the second.

========x=======

Dizzying, blinding light. That was all New Hampshire could see for seconds. A shipgirl's eyes were accustomed to seeing bright lights, a necessity given the use of flashing signals for ship-to-ship communication at times. Deployed this closely, they were more than able to overwhelm her vision.

The bridge crew was also of no use in this situation. The explosion had most definitely rendered them disoriented.

The battleship stumbled around, shielding her eyes with one hand and speeding forward to clear the explosion. She regained her vision and began to take stock of the situation. Whoever had rigged the explosion had spared no expense. Much of the ordinance matched a battlecruiser's armaments.

New Hampshire noticed Henley lying face down on the water, the destroyer looking lightly damaged otherwise. She prepared to build up speed and advance her side.

"Don't move."

She felt two sharp stings to her gut, the shots fired from an extremely close range. The battleship dropped her rifle and fell forward. Behind her, she could feel the cold, slender touch of a hand, gripped tightly onto her rigging's superstructure. Whichever Princess this was, she was unusually quick to the punch.

"Do as I say, and you might live. Don't bother trying anything. You can rip me limb from limb right now, but it will not save you from the damage I can inflict before going down." To drive her point in, she rammed the large pistol into her exposed armor wound.

New Hampshire complied. The Princess recognized how double-edged this ordeal was. She decided it was best to string her along for now.

With a tug on both superstructure and body, the Princess motioned her to move in a portside direction. The battleship slowly brought up speed, catching a glimpse of Gyatt. The Gearing had been blown further into the building.

"Executioner… you dumbass." She caught the few words the Princess muttered under her breath. She turned away before the abyssal focused her attention on her, feigning pain.

"How fortunate. Your inexperienced band of greenhorns wiped out the others, so I am all that is left. Your precious destroyers will live for now."

The unknown survivor was bringing her elsewhere, leaving the two destroyers behind.

"I was expecting a true hunter, from what we could gather on you. Alas, I now know I have to tone my expectations down when it comes to humans." She taunted. "How disappointing."

"You're one to speak, with that leap in conclusion." Hampshire shot back. "Do you realize how insane your actions currently are?"

"I do. The payoff will be worth it, once I get my hands on my prey."

Prey…? This Princess was trying to continue the original objective of the Empress, before she was violently driven off. They wanted Ohio.

"Alright, "Hunter". What do you want.. with her?"

The Princess answered her question with a third shot through the wound. Unlike the previous two, the shot was aimed a little higher. She could feel the shell rip through her internals, coming dangerously close to her boilers. New Hampshire vomited out blood.

"That's not important… New Hampshire. Sometimes, you have to dangle a large bait for a larger catch."

Up ahead, she could begin to make out the area they were wandering into. Largely encircled with only one visible direction in and out, the location seemed to be the perfect place for a last stand. The two sailed into the middle of the area, the Princess signaling for the battleship to come to a full stop with her usual methods.

Hunter, as she had taken to calling the unknown Princess, released her grip on her superstructure. She used her hand to unholster something else from her own belt.

The abyssal raised the gun to the sky, and fired. A bright red streak shot upward, burning brightly like a star before it faded out.

A flare.

She was giving away their location.

"Time to pay for your impulsiveness." Hunter spit. "A true hunter would have learned to be more silent."

========x=======

Despite the size of the explosion, the damage they sustained was less grievous than what Ohio predicted. Maine had absorbed the brunt of the secondary explosion that had been hidden on one of the buildings to their starboard. One of her turrets and a large part of her superstructure had been shredded by the makeshift IED, but she was otherwise operational.

The bigger worry was the three shipgirls that were cut off. New Hampshire, Henley and Gyatt. The explosion did not just bring down the link bridge that connected the two buildings they were sailing under, it had brought the upper floors crashing down alongside it. Enough that they could not just push through the rubble.

"Hampshire! Gyatt!" Ohio shouted. "Respond!"

The silence on the comm channel unnerved her. It should not have been enough to knock a ship of her tonnage out. Their priority of reaching the rendezvous had to be discarded for the time being.

"We'll turn here!"

Ohio conducted a full portside turn, the battleship surging ahead of the others towards Hampshire's last known location. Rifle held at the ready, she prepared herself for the worst case scenario. The flagship rounded the corner of the building to a ghastly sight.

The two destroyers were present, though the blast had knocked them unconscious. Shrapnel embedded into rigging and body alike, they floated on the surface of the water. Worser perhaps, was the fact that the Montana-class battleship accompanying them a few minutes ago was nowhere to be seen. Ohio rushed to the side of the closest destroyer, the redhead she recognized to be Henley.

"Henley!" A second voice cried out. She dropped to her knees next to her wounded sister. Fletcher gripped the shoulders of the destroyer tightly. "Wake up!"

"Teruzuki! C..check on Gyatt!" Her attention returned to Henley. With some light application of her own horsepower, Ohio pulled the wounded destroyer into an upright sitting position. Minutes pass before Henley finally returns to consciousness, the destroyer throwing a coughing fit. Fletcher heaved a sigh of relief and brought her into a tight hug.

Ohio distanced herself from the destroyer, allowing her third sister to join them. With the Fletchers accounted for and able to attend to Henley, she made her way towards Gyatt. Teruzuki and Maine assessed the wounded Gearing, the two of them having started with some rudimentary repairs.

"Ughh… getting kamikaze'd would be a better experience." The destroyer groggily muttered.

"Gyatt. Don't worry. You're safe.." The flagship had wanted to assure her further, but a more pressing matter remained. "I know it's a large ask… but… could you recall what happened to Hampshire?"

Gyatt opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as she looked around the general vicinity.

"I.. I don't know. Didn't see anything during then." Gyatt tried her best to recall. "But… for a while, before I fell unconscious.. I heard a fourth person."

Fourth person? Her eyes darted around the waters nearby. She caught sight of something familiar, an object floating on the surface. Closer inspection revealed it to be none other than New Hampshire's DMR.

She could feel her heart clamping. Gyatt was right. There was an unknown abyssal tailing them.

And that unknown seemed to have Hampshire.

Ohio shouldered the rifle and proceeded back to the destroyer's side. Until she witnessed the sight of a flare lighting up the sky. Whoever had Hampshire had now rolled out a red carpet deliberately.

"She wants the rest. Maine… you're in command for now. Once the destroyers are healed up and ready to move again, head for the rendezvous. Don't follow me. I'll… I'll deal with this myself."

Maine prepared to speak, clearly in protest at this course of action. "Ohio. Whoever this abbie is, she's clearly gunning for you. I don't think you should…"

"You're too badly damaged yourself." She knew it was an exaggeration, but continued on nonetheless. "I will handle this. That's… that's an order."

Maine grudgingly accepted. She turned around and helped Gyatt up to her feet. The battleship spared one last look at the flagship. She turned around and signaled for the rest to follow.

Ohio turned around and looked in the general direction of the flare. Was this a failure on her part? Had she been more attentive, they could have avoided this. Another pile of doubts that would come to haunt her…

She shook off the thoughts. Rescuing New Hampshire was the priority. Introspection could come later. Ohio slowly accelerated to a steady speed and maneuvered towards the point. The last known coordinate where the flare was fired from was not too far from the ambush location. There was only a single intact entrance in.

No more doubts.

Ohio stormed the structure, weapons raised at the ready at each corner. Everywhere she turned, there was nothing. The unknown was probably holding them all in reserve deeper. The battleship cautiously moved forward, her eyes set on the lone pathway that fed into a larger room beyond.

Seconds later, she emerged into the massive room. The lined rows of chairs that were decayed beyond usefulness, all arrayed in an slight oval shape that faced towards a central stage in the front. This place used to be an auditorium. And as if a play was in motion, New Hampshire was in the middle. The unknown abyssal took position behind her, one pistol placed squarely on her body and the other aimed straight at her.

"Humph. You really did show up." The unknown leaned forward towards the light. Ohio could now make out more of her features. The natural, pale white Abyssal skin, and green eyes. Her rigging remained obscured behind Hampshire. "I have to commend the loyalty of the action, even if it has resulted in you wandering into the trap."

"Here's my deal. Drop your weapon, unload your main batteries and smaller guns. I'll let her go. In exchange for you."

The sheer audacity of what the Princess was proposing shocked Ohio for a moment.

"W..what makes you think I'll accept?" The flagship raised her rifle at the Abyssal. She did not realize it herself, but her hands were beginning to lightly shiver.

The Princess rubbed the pistol into Hampshire's wound, New Hampshire grimacing even while she tried to maintain her composure. "Everything about you screams about being at an disadvantage. You're here alone. You've never dealt with a situation like this. Most importantly… you're distraught."

"Goddamnit, Ohio! Don't listen to her-"

"I believe she's in no position to do anything." The Princess cut her off. "Your friends are either too far away, or are too damaged to properly fight. Make your choice soon, or I'll do it for you."

She continued to train all her weapons on the Abyssal. There was zero chance for her to take out the bridge before she could fire on Hampshire, given her superstructure may be reinforced enough. The alternative was to fire through her, something she was loathe and aghast at even doing.

The standoff lasted for minutes. The unknown Princess began to express her impatience openly.

"Are you this incapable? Do I need to display an example?" Her finger hovered over the trigger on the pistol. Such was her attention on Ohio that she failed to notice what was happening on New Hampshire's rigging. Taking advantage of the impasse, a few fairies had managed to sneak towards one of the many spotlights that lined the Montana's upper superstructure.

Her chance to pull the trigger was soon taken away. Not by Ohio, but by the very hostage she was holding. The spotlight roared to life, the intense light shining straight into her eye. The abyssal was disoriented by the surprise. In that momentary second, New Hampshire brought her right hand downward and pushed the pistol away from her body.

The large-caliber shell shot into the water beneath them.

Whatever advantage the Princess had now been completely lost. New Hampshire swiftly followed up the assault, her left hand pummeling the turrets on the Abyssal's rigging. She removed the other two on the starboard without much effort, lifting one straight out of the barbette and smashing it down into the other. The battleship moved on to crippling her remaining dangerous armament - her hands and their weapons. The Princess lifted her unfired pistol upward, only to be intercepted by New Hampshire, the warship gripping both of her hands tightly.

She utilized her horsepower and crushed the wrists. The abyssal let out a yelp, her pistols dropped into the water as her hands became listless and unresponsive. New Hampshire silenced her with a devastating hit to her bridge.

"What an unsightly defeat, Hunter."

Hunter spit out black ichor from her mouth. "H-how?"

The pink-haired battleship simply turned away. "You said it yourself. "A true hunter would have chosen to remain silent." Losing sight of what your prey is doing also played a part." New Hampshire warmed her engines up, and began to put distance between herself and Hunter.

Ohio had remained stupefied for much of the fight. She quickly regained her composure and pressed on the opportunity. Two main batteries fired. Given the distance and the Princess having been crippled, it was a foregone conclusion.

Hunter disappeared in a fiery conflagration.

It was over.

Ohio released the long breath that she had held in. This Princess - Hunter, had managed to not just hold a shipgirl hostage, a situation she had the unique honor of being the first to witness, but also to have thought about accepting. The flagship felt ashamed. Humiliated.

"Ohio." Her line of thought was snapped in half by the voice. New Hampshire stood in front of the shipgirl, her solemn and strict expression glaring straight into her.

"Ha… Hampshire. Glad you're okay." Ohio handed the DMR towards New Hampshire. The battleship accepted it without any delay.

"Ohio. If I didn't take advantage of her complacency, if this commotion had not happened… were you really going to trade yourself for me?"

The Lieutenant Commander had no proper answer for her subordinate. The disappointment present in her voice stung all the more. "I… I don't know."

"I know this situation was not something common enough to be prepared for. You're the flagship of the fleet, Ohio. Don't make stupid decisions next time."

"But I…."

"My responsibility is to ensure your safety. We each have our own, Ohio. Keep this in mind, because there'll definitely be another time where we don't have a choice." New Hampshire sighed. She tapped the flagship's shoulders lightly. "Let's go. We've still got a Montana to find."

========x========

Spoiler: Author Notes

Another doozy one. Figuring out how to do the Hunter and AR-15 portion was probably the hardest, and I'm hoping this does enough justice to it. This also finally brings the SH03 arc to an end. It'll be a few breather/interlude portions for now before we head into the next long arc.

Hope you enjoy!

 

[Muscovfefe]

If there was one favorable advantage of this place compared to her previous stations, it was the size. In addition to her own office, the adjacent empty room, largely without any purpose, had been quickly converted into a strategic planning center. Deep in the shipgirl section of the naval base, the place could be kept away from prying eyes.

Secrecy and knowledge was what exactly Arizona required now. The room, once devoid of anything, had been filled with haste at a moment's notice. A map that encompassed the entire Southeast Asia region was laid neatly on the large table. Bare walls now held blackboards, dozens of images and dossiers attached to them that held information on all known Abyssal combatants they had encountered so far.

It was a required necessity, given who and what they were going up against. While the Admiral observed the map, crossing out locations and circling points of interest, her secretary ship continued the mundane task of properly categorizing and assigning the remaining information.

Arizona gently stirred the coffee cup and took a slight sip. She reached out for a second cup on the table and placed it within San Francisco's reach.

"Thank you, ma'am." The cruiser drank deeply from the cup. "Everything has been filed away and accounted for."

"Thank you, Frisco."

The sound of a door gently opening signaled the arrival of the remaining two personnel for the meeting to commence. Jintsuu bowed slightly and walked further in, giving way for the tall battleship to enter. Ohio leaned downward slightly to fit under the doorway.

"Arizona-san. We're here." Jintsuu seated herself down and pulled out a pen and some paper. Ohio saluted Arizona, the two bandage wraps around her hands all too apparent.

"At ease. Let's get started. We have a long day ahead." Arizona began. The meeting was now underway, and they had dozens of variables to plan for.

She went over the map, the pointer placed squarely on the latest region they had recently fought at.

"The raid on the stronghold was a success. In addition to taking out an operating base for the enemy, we have managed to recover the intel that had been left behind. Ohio."

The woman's head shot up at the mention of her name, standing to attention in response to the Admiral.

"The Empress' presence was unexpected, and she was able to inflict some moderate casualties on the fleet. Despite that, you managed to get everyone out, alongside with the destroyer squadron that got lost. Keep it up." Arizona smiled. "Rest up and make sure everyone is in peak condition."

Ohio nodded, taking the words to heart.

"Firstly, an overview. In the months since our deployment, our combat operations have been steadily moving up in scope. The recent success at the so-called safe house demonstrates that quite nicely." She circled a large portion of Indonesia. "We have put the Abyssals on a backfoot thrice. I expect a heavy-handed response will be in the making, aimed at securing their remaining bases here."

"Ironbottom Sound…" The enclosed room ensured that San Francisco's whispers were more than audible.

"Our knowledge of the force compositions there is far more incomplete. Reconnaissance over the islands faces more resistance, and the Princess in our custody either does not have the knowledge, or is refusing to divulge." Arizona continued. "Given that the Abyssals now have a taste of what they are up against, their forces and tactics will be different."

Arizona's eyes peered into Ohio, the battleship acknowledging the admiral's words without complaint.

"Which now brings me to the force composition. In the first few naval battles, the abyssals fought were ones that we recognized, unchanged from the very first days of the war." Her eyes moved away from the map and to the board close to San Francisco. "That has changed in the past few weeks. Frisco."

The white-haired woman acknowledged the handover. "As Ari has mentioned, new abyssal vessel types have been spotted in our engagements with the Pacific remnants here in this region."

She tapped the first picture lightly with a small metal stick. "The Ripper, a destroyer-type abbie. Fully humanoid, unlike the previous shark-like destroyers. Four small caliber rifles and two five-tube torpedo launchers. Of interest are the two handheld SMGs of similar caliber to her rigging's guns."

The three quietly acknowledged the information with a nod. San Francisco moved on to the next picture, this time depicting the abyssal most recently encountered in the raid, a close-up image of her final moments courtesy of Maine.

"ONI has classed these as… Vespids. Cruiser-types, with six dual gun batteries." Frisco froze up for a moment, like she had stumbled over a bad memory. She shook herself out of it and continued. "New form of headgear with possible visual enhancements, and like the Ripper, their own handheld weapon. This time, an assault rifle, chambered at a smaller caliber than their main guns."

She moved on to the remaining three pictures, all of them the recently sunk combatants encountered in the operation. "That leaves us with the three new Princesses. The basic concept behind these Abyssals remains the same. What has changed is their armaments and possible specifications."

With her section done, the heavy cruiser stepped back.

"These variants of Abyssals have not been seen anywhere else in the world, up until now. Sporadic as it seems, the abbies here are still coordinating with, and receiving help, from the main thrust in Eurasia." Arizona stated. "Whatever command, or intelligence, behind the Abyssals is actively developing countermeasures against us. Our success today cannot be taken for granted."

The three of them nodded in agreement. The Abyssals were not blind to the world's advances in technology, even with their diminished controls of the seas and slow exhaustion. The presence of these new models of ringleaders was worrying in of itself, despite their poor performance when they went up against the fleet. Complacency was the last thing Arizona wanted, and she wanted that lesson to stick to the young Lieutenant Commander.

"Ohio."

The flagship responded in a heartbeat. "Ma'am?"

"I'll leave it to you to brief everyone else on all the developments mentioned here. It will be some time before we can embark on another operation. This assault has mercifully disrupted Abyssal combat capabilities for some time, so use this time to ensure full combat readiness and to conduct training. Understood?"

It was a strange feeling, putting on the same stern attitude from her days as a Lieutenant. Such an attitude was a necessity, given the key to a successful officer was knowing when to be tough and when to be gentle.

"Understood, ma'am." Ohio's brown eyes flashed with determination.

The Standard acknowledged her reply without any further comment. "In that case, this concludes the briefing. Jintsuu, I'll leave it to you to compile the notes into a tangible report. Ohio, you have your orders. Dismissed."

The two warships gently stood up from the chairs and made their way to the door. Ohio opened the door and lowered her head once again to leave. Jintsuu looked behind at the Admiral one last time and bowed, closing the door, leaving the battleship and her second-in-command to their devices.

Arizona sighed. The Abyssals were truly a mirror for humanity down to the little detail of being too stubborn to surrender at times when faced with overwhelming odds. How many more battles and months they would have to go through…

"Frisco." Arizona relaxed her voice. "What do you think they're after?"

The heavy cruiser took her eyes off of her own notes, trying to think of an answer.

"Short of the standard answer of "conquest"? They're searching for something located in this region, if the Empress' actions were anything to go by. Something from before the war, perhaps?"

Arizona nodded, having reached the same conclusion. Whatever they were searching for held the same importance to them as it did to Persica. And from Ohio's early report, they had a vested interest in her, specifically. It was one thing to focus all the efforts in knowing one's enemy, given how new the volunteer shipgirls as a whole were. But this went beyond understanding. It was closer to… obsession.

Behind her unchanging gaze, the Standard felt unease. She liked it better when her enemies could be seen as predictable automatons that only knew how to recreate a flawed facsimile of historical battles.

"That's enough for today." Arizona set down the pointer on the table. "We'll continue with the strategic planning tomorrow."

San Francisco acknowledged her order without any complaint. "Understood, ma'am."

The two of them swiftly made their way out of the room. Arizona closed the door and locked the door without further ado. Her grey eyes turned from the door and to the dorms in the distance. Two decades. That was how long this war had been going for. With the Abyss marching closer to defeat with each day, she had a growing suspicion that it was about to soon spiral into something different.

But those concerns were not for the present. Arizona stepped forward towards her office. For now, she had a mission of her own, something far more grounded. To make sure that Ohio and the others were ready for whatever was ahead.

=========x=========

Sat down on a low stool right next to the workshop crane that held aloft her rigging, the pink-haired woman contemplated how best to remove the various duds and other shrapnel embedded in the belt and deck armor. The injuries, especially to her lower chest, made going underneath the affixed rigging a difficult task for her. New Hampshire grumbled, and continued her tedious work.

With calipers in hand, she slowly measured the diameters of two holes left behind by failed penetrations. If patching the twisted and damaged metal was not good enough, she had to take special care to ensure the shell was inert before removing the little explosive package more than capable of turning the whole workshop she was into nothing more than a footnote.

Satisfied with the measurement, she placed the caliper back onto the toolbox and grabbed the tweezer-like tool. The next steps would require precise movement and force.

New Hampshire took a deep breath. She exhaled, and focused her eyes on the small opening. She gradually moved the tweezers into the hole, making sure to not touch the shell prematurely. With the tweezers now deep enough inside, she opened the tool with her hand and carefully pushed it further in.

Her actions were eventually met with resistance. The tweezers had reached the maximum possible distance. She gripped the tool with renewed force, tightening the grip on the shell.

New Hampshire pulled the shell out of the armor without fail and grabbed the tiny object with her free hand. That was the first one down.

A wave of relief and satisfaction washed over the battleship. Not bad for a first timer and someone completely new to this profession.

She moved on to the second shell. The process went the same as the first. Move the tweezers in slowly, ensure that it could grip the shell tightly and then pull it out. All of it had gone swimmingly well.

Right up until the part where her hand slipped. The tweezers released the shell it held on to. Her other hand would not be able to catch it in time.

At the last moment, before the tip of the shell could touch the ground, a hand to her portside, seemingly from out of nowhere, caught the object. Her eyes jumped from fear to confusion as she turned to look at her savior. With an eyepatch over her right eye and white hair, there was no doubt as to who she was.

Montana stood over her. The grizzled warship loosened her fist and picked up the shell with her other hand, before gently placing it into the small tray where she had deposited the other shell.

"Hampshire. How long have you been at this?" She kneeled down to her height, taking a closer observation of New Hampshire's rigging. She noted the non-penetrations and sighed. "There's no need for caution for these ones. The primer and trigger should be non-functional."

"An hour or more. I haven't been doing this for as long as you have, so cut me some slack for approaching this with caution." New Hampshire shot back. "What brings you here anyway?"

"Ohio's in a briefing with the admiral, Maine and Louisiana are off doing… something, as per usual and I was never one to be social with the old guard. I might as well check in with you, given that I can finish my rigging repairs tomorrow."

"So you can do something besides fighting and drinking." New Hampshire replied with a teasing lilt to her voice. Turning back to focus on her rigging, she failed to notice Montana rolling her eyes. Her eyes scanned the armor plating again. Most of the holes on the sides had been handled, their projectiles removed. All that was left were the shells on the lower parts.

It was going to be hell trying to get those out.

"Montana? Given that you're free… can you help out? I need someone to go underneath the rigging." Before the elder sister could say anything, she lifted up her hands, offering a full, unblocked view of the bandage wrapping around her lower torso. The words that formed in Montana's mouth faded away.

"Alright." She conceded. Montana kneeled down and slid under the rigging, taking care to not entangle her white braid on the corners and hooks.

New Hampshire handed her the tweezers. Without needing to say anything, Montana began the removal process. What was only two soon became six, and from there, a dozen, many shells of varying calibers. The battleship worked through the damage like a professional.

She watched Montana toss the thirteenth shell gently into the pan.

"Remember that destroyer squadron on the previous op? You saw her, didn't you?" Hampshire tried to break up the monotony with a conversation.

"If by her, you mean my supposed redhead "evil twin", then yes."

New Hampshire had to stifle herself from laughing.

"Don't worry. Had to do a double take myself when I first saw Henley." She added. "This does make me wonder, though. Did you make any friends with the natural borns? You should have at least been with one or two, even if you tried to keep everyone at arms' length."

"Natural born?" Montana questioned her with a hint of confusion.

"Just a term they came up with to differentiate between those that were actually built and those that weren't. Seriously, did you have any? I find it hard to believe you don't have a single one."
"Nope." Montana answered nonchalantly. "I did have some… history with the Admiral, but other than that? Everything was on a strictly professional basis." The battleship casually removed yet another shell even while the conversation was ongoing.

New Hampshire sighed at Montana's indifference. Still, what she mentioned with regards to Arizona caught her interest.

"You met Ari even before we got assigned under her?"

"Saved her, in fact. One of my first Pacific operations, a year before Aland."

That explained why the Admiral seemed to recognize Montana first, when they first arrived here for their deployment. And their apparent hostility.

"You… saved the Admiral?"

"Arizona was still a Captain back then. It was off somewhere called Kyodomari. She and another Japanese battleship ran into an abyssal raiding fleet that proved to be larger than reported. I was the closest ship at the time. What was supposed to be my last sea trial just happened to turn into a live mission, all due to a happy coincidence."

The big sister seemed to have truly done it all. It was no wonder that compared to Montana, New Hampshire, and by extension, her three other sisters' training regimens were faster and more efficient. All the combat and mission experience Montana had was definitely enough for them to identify how best to acclimatize people unfamiliar with naval operations as a whole.

"I… wow. You probably have more experience than some of the mainline ships at this point." New Hampshire mentioned with a hint of amazement.

"I wouldn't go that far. Part and parcel of operating as a battleship is the relentless tempo. The battlewagons were keen to drill that point in."

New Hampshire stood up and walked over to the other side to get a closer look. She had seen and heard enough for today. "That's enough for the shell removals. You're doing the armor repair tomorrow too, right?"

The other battleship pushed herself out from below the rigging and nodded.

"Let's call it a day."

It was something New Hampshire had desperately wanted, given how long she had been working on the rigging. While Montana proceeded to the nearest sink to clean her hands, she busied herself with cleaning up the tools.

Their business for the day done, they headed for the exit, emerging into the moonlit night.

"Hell of a day, ain't it." Hampshire stretched her hands upward. This had been her trial by fire, one of many, and despite her… injuries, she felt that she had weathered it well. Her eyes fell on Montana once again. Now that she had the time, New Hampshire noticed the apparent lack of injuries. Given their role as the vanguard of the fleet, minor damage there and then was expected. Short of a moderate wound in the left shoulder, however, she seemed… undamaged.

"Look at you. The three of us looked like we came out of a turkey shoot, and here you are, looking like you just came off the slipway."

Montana stared at New Hampshire for a moment. She half expected the big sister to return some calm remark. Instead, she nodded and acknowledged the apparent stroke of good luck. A hint of unsureness could be seen in her eyes.

"The abyssals weren't too enthusiastic about going after the bait." Montana stated, her voice wary. "I'll catch up with you later."

The two waved a simple goodbye.

New Hampshire found herself alone, with only the sounds of the night to accompany her. She neglected to mention it openly, but the battleship had caught the uncertainty in her eyes and her words during those moments. Their elder sister was already proving to be quite the enigma, and this recent operation was not helping matters.

The battleship leaned on the railing close to the repair shop. One sister bound by indecisiveness, the other wrapped in secrecy. It was a dysfunctional fleet to the core.

A long sigh filled the silence. Though they were not related by blood, New Hampshire could not see them as anything else but her sisters. The squad was going to need someone to straighten them out, and she was committed to playing that role.

=========x========

Spoiler: Author Notes

Finally, back to something a bit slower. IRL stuff in the form of something going on in NS has delayed this by quite a bit, so apologies for the wait.

 

[Muscovfefe]

"Betio Island is an uninteresting piece of land in the middle of nowhere. The airstrip that used to be here is long gone, the place isn't large enough to function as a supply throughput, and most importantly, the OFN has bypassed this place entirely in the Pacific thrust. Eighty years ago, it would be important enough to warrant a proper deployment of forces."

Clasped between her two hands, she finished reading aloud the intelligence briefing, the contempt in her voice dripping with venom. She closed the file and ungraciously tossed it to the side.

"So, pray tell, what exactly are we doing here?" Ulrich shot a frown at the light brown haired woman seated opposite to her.

"Some stones need to be turned. The main vanguard has bigger ones to worry about, which leaves us to do the job." The heavy cruiser casually replied, taking the battleship's displeasure in strides. "Are you worried that you won't get to show off your superb skills?"

"Like I'd care. I'm just worried that this wild goose chase is costing us. We're not exactly being paid in a normal manner, given our status."

Mainz sighed. Ever since they were assigned together, Ulrich von Hutten had been a… challenge to work with, to put it lightly. The woman did raise a good point. Their non-existence officially meant that they could not receive funding from the Federation proper apart from a few secret channels, and "Keep what you kill, within reasonable degree" was not enough to keep them afloat.

The degree of operational freedom afforded to them was a major positive, at least. In light of the safe house raid, there was a renewed need to keep the pressure on the Empress and the abyssals in the region.

Tarawa was now to be Fleet 404's new target as part of this effort. The destruction of the EW assets here would open up the surviving stronghold to further attack.

Mainz looked over to the two remaining seats on the helicopter. The twin-tailed woman was busy messing with the sleeping silver-haired girl, pulling at her cheeks much to her chagrin.

Her "sister". How she ended up with an ex-abyssal like her was a story in of itself.

"Weimar. Wake the sleepyhead up." Her "sister" nodded, and a light pull became a tight pinch. The destroyer lightly yelped in pain, her eyes darting around in confusion. Her panic subsided when she realized she was in the helicopter, surrounded by her teammates.

"Z60. How was your twelve-hour sleep?"

"Mmmh."

Mainz snorted, accepting the response. Four ships, all from varying backgrounds. Possibly the only reason why this arrangement existed was that the summoned shipgirls would be at their wits' end on how to handle them.

With everyone awake, her priorities turned to the objective ahead. She momentarily unbuckled and headed for the cockpit of the helicopter.

"How much longer before we're close to the target?"

"Ten mikes." There was a pause in the pilot's voice, his attention focused elsewhere. "The Marines have already started hitting the beaches. Will there be any changes?"

"Negative. We can easily play the part of shipgirl reinforcements." Satisfied with the update, Mainz thanked the pilot and headed back to the seats. Given the defenses on the island, landing close to it was out of the question.

"We're reaching in ten." Mainz picked up her SMG, checking the magazine before she loaded it back in. It was not long that they were now close to the waters of Tarawa. The amphibious ships and transports could be seen in the distance, their cargo of marines already enroute towards the island.

Ulrich von Hutten stood up from her seat and proceeded to the heavy cruiser's side. She opened the door and stared at the waters below.

"You first, my lady." Mainz motioned.

"Tsk."

Without further ado, Hutten was the first to disembark from the helicopter. She leapt down towards the waters. A giant splash of water filled the area, almost high enough to reach the helicopter. From that plume of water emerged the battleship, her rigging fully materialized and at the ready. She sailed forward at a few knots, giving space for the next deployment.

The destroyer was the next to go. Grumbling all the way, Z60 finally made the leap. The sounds of her yawn were drowned out by the splash of the water, confirming her landing. Mainz motioned for the final member of the squad.

"See you on the flip side, sis!" The heavy cruiser gave her a small smile and leapt.

Now the only occupant of the helicopter, she glanced out at the setting sun and the ominous island in the distance. She never imagined that she would be able to see sights like these, given her status. She wondered who was it that spared her all those years. Was it simply Montana's, or Ulrich's decision, to have her brought in? Or was it her sister, who sent her away deliberately so that she could be spared from the barrage?
Only one thing mattered now, and that was to solve the mystery the Baltic Empress discovered. Step by step, one battle after another. All in the name of the promise she made to her.

Mainz leapt from the helicopter and joined the others.

========x========

The approach towards the island consisted of a cautious advance on the beachhead through the cover of darkness. Mainz tapped the microphone without uttering a word, an action meant to get the attention of the rest of 404.

She went through the motion of lifting something up on her head and placing it at their eye level. All of them immediately understood the message, and readied their thermal vision goggles. The entire stretch of the island soon lit up like a christmas tree, the shipgirls now having a full view of the enemies scuttering below the foliage and concealment.

"Hutten. You have the large coastal gun in the middle. Weimar, we'll silence the bunkers. Most of them will have stocks of missiles underneath."

The H-class warship grimly acknowledged the order. The 16.5s of her first turret began to train themselves on the concealed position.

"As for you, Z60… you'll follow Hutten's lead. Cover her where necessary."

Mainz's order was acknowledged by a very sleepy "Ja.".

They continued their approach to the island, the tension continuing to build given both sides' reluctance to open fire. Mainz turned for a split second, taking note of where the Marines were. If she was right, they were going to fire in ten seconds.

The amphibious assault vehicles continued to lumber ever closer. At last, Mainz's prediction came true. The large coastal battery roared.

"They're committed. Weapons free."

Hutten was the first to oblige. The coastal batteries having expended their first round on the Marines in the distance, they were completely blindsided by the new contacts. The cliffside disappeared entirely, all traces of the coastal defense that once inhabited the area erased.

The two heavy cruisers followed up the first strike. The 8" rifles showered the length of the beachhead, leaving craters in their wake. She switched over to her SMG without delay, sending 3" shell after shell into the concealed positions she could see.

The surprise assault made way for a complete cacophony, the coastal defenses re-training their rifles to fire at the more immediate threat. The Abyssal counterattack began with the scattering of dozens of light projectiles. Star shell and flare alike coated the front of the beachhead, soon followed by the surviving coastal defenses opening fire on them.

Mainz watched a 8" shell smash into the water in front of her. She powered through the water plume and began raising one of her own batteries to meet it. Two HE shells soared towards the coastal battery. By pure luck, none connect with the gun and instead fly past it. Whatever crews behind it would receive a fiery death.

The continued gun duel on the coast was joined by an unexpected new weapon. From the concealed positions, anti-tank missile after missile roared forward, the twisted weapons being guided straight towards them.

The heavy cruiser reacted immediately, firing on the position ahead with her secondaries as she inserted a new magazine in her SMG. The first missile smashed into the water, the guidance system behind it now gone. The second was barely dodged, the missile arcing above her fourth turret by an inch.

"Mainz-sis! Bastards!" Weimar's curse was followed by the other missile position being erased entirely by concentrated secondary fire.

ATGMs were largely purpose built with one target in mind - any and all land vehicles. No sane military would employ them as an anti-ship solution. Even if the warhead could get through the armor, the sheer size and compartmentalization would ensure the damage dealt was minimal, unless it smashed into a critical area.

Of course, the abyssals were no sane military. Scoring a hit on a barrel, especially those of the main armament, with a missile would already be a success to them. It was a cruel efficiency that Mainz was all too familiar with.

"Z60! Two concealed launchers to the front!" Hutten's dead calm shouting could be heard even over the din of combat. Despite her sluggish appearance, the destroyer was just as reactive as the others. She led her fire with the assault rifle, allowing her rigging guns to finish off the position.

The fight was turning into a drawn out slugging match. Mainz was not one for winded battles, nor were the rest of them. 404 had always been a surgical formation specialized in smaller scale operations.

She needed to readjust their tactics.

"Alright, Hutten. You've gotten your wish. Keep the guns occupied - Weimar and I will land and take them out from within."

"Tch!" Hutten spat. "Can't understand why the abyssals couldn't have built you to be more resistant. Don't keep me waiting!"

"That, and you've got a desire to do something heroic, loathe as you are to admit it." Before she could hear the battleship's response, she cut the channel. Mainz focused her eyes on the beach in front. Move to flank speed, run aground slightly, then dematerialize the rigging. A tactic that was often repeated in the amphibious assault strategies.

It would be her first time carrying it out. She accelerated to 32 knots, the shoreline growing ever closer. In a matter of seconds, she could hear the rudders start to skid on the ground. Mainz dematerialized the rigging at that moment, hitting the beach on her two feet.

The heavy cruiser rushed forward towards the network of bunkers that were hidden away under the rock formations ahead. The second battery she had knocked out previously proved to be a godsend, for it was an intact ticket into the defenses. One slight ascent and she found herself in the gun battery. Taking care not to step on the dead, she moved into the bunker, only coming to a stop at the sight of a large reinforced door.

The slight sound of panting alerted her to her sister, Weimar leaning next to Mainz by the wall.

"Targets beyond the next door. Be ready for anything."

"Roger that, sis!"

========x=========

The armored door did not take much effort to open. It was not much of a surprise to Mainz, given how obvious the entryway was mostly to be used for transporting munitions to the guns quickly before being closed to prevent stray artillery from damaging the interior. A few enigmatic raiders crazy enough to climb in frontally was not something they expected.

Shells and ammunition stacked to the top littered the hallway. From what she saw outside, there was at least two more guns connected to this underground complex. They had silenced two of them outside and hopefully the complex would be connected to the others that lined the beachhead.

"Weimar." Mainz whispered. "Take the left."

She nodded, and took position on the left side of the hallway. The two of them began a methodical advance towards the next possible battery. The long, darkened corridors offered them nothing but silence as they continued. Passing two corridors, they eventually came upon another gun battery.

And a gun crew carrying their reloads.

The two of them fired away with their submachine guns without hesitation, the rapid firing of the 3'' shells in a closed environment beginning to rock the bunker. All four of them lay dead, the inhuman blood oozing out of their bodies. Mainz pushed past the cart, the ajar shell cart slamming into the wall behind. She stood in the narrow doorway and materialized her rigging.

One single barrage from one turret destroyed the coastal battery.

They emerged back into the hallway. Even through all the steel and concrete, she could hear a coastal battery being vaporized by a violent explosion in the distance. As difficult as she could be, Ulrich von Hutten knew how to play to her strengths.

"Three down on my end. You're slowing down, Mainz." The jamming, combined with the ground that surrounded the bunker interior, messed up the communication, but not enough for her to recognize who the voice was.

"If only you displayed this marksmanship hours ago." Mainz jested. She would let the woman have this round. "We're rushing towards the final pair. Be seeing you."

She cut the channel and turned to check on her sister. An eager little grin wide on her face. Without further ado, they rushed down the corridor. Save for a few stragglers, the route to the final batteries were clear. The doorway to the fifth battery was coming up. Mainz dropped the empty magazine and slammed a new one in quickly. The pair rounded the corner and doused the coastal battery, the loading mechanism completely ruined by the weapons.

One last gun. They continued forward with a renewed vigor. The familiar sight of the underground section soon came to an end, with a flight of steps visible ahead. They would have to emerge back into the dark of night to move onto the next battery. Mainz took point, with Weimar covering her from the rear. They stepped forward, Mainz taking note of the nearby environment. Freshly dug trenches that led in two different directions.

The night was now punctuated with gunfire. Mainz could see Hutten exchanging fire with the remaining battery, alongside some new Abyssal contacts in the form of two Ru-classes. Her secondaries were not firing at the Rus, but rather the coastal battery, illuminating the location of the battery with each failed hit. She had the mind to chime in and ask if the battleship was doing alright.

Movement from the far end of the treeline convinced her otherwise. Mainz and Weimar reacted in unison to the new contact.

Glowing blue eyes and pale white skin, taller than most cruisers but not to the length of a battleship. The abyssal standing before them was a Wo, the hat-like rigging she sported quickly dematerializing as she moved into a combat stance. Mainz dived into one of the trenches nearby without a care, avoiding the carrier's pistol shells.

"Weimar!" The cruiser called out, both into the microphone and to her earshot.

"Mainz-sis! I'm in the other trench." She could hear her sister's heightened breathing. "Caliber close to eight-inch. No idea on the rest of her armament." She did not need to ask Weimar for confirmation, the large hole in the wooden wall and the soil kicked up more than attesting to the force behind the weapon.

The initial shock subsided, the cruiser now feeling glad. After an hour of shooting at faceless creations created for the sole purpose of functioning as the ground soldiers of the Abyss, she now had a challenge to fight.

"Understood. Continue down the trench." She looked at the path ahead. The trench would elevate for a short moment before it went below once again. "I'll keep her occupied."

Mainz ran ahead, the elevation ensuring that her upper body was visible. The Abyssal carrier predictably tracked her, firing a few rounds aimed at her bridge. She returned fire in kind, the SMG shells aimed in a general suppression of the carrier rather than to do any lasting damage. The heavy cruiser disappeared into the trench once again.

The cover winded towards the right. Deploying her rigging for close quarter fires was too risky. The Wo could simploy outgun her, and at this range, she did not need to worry about accuracy. Mainz pulled a smoke grenade from her belt. She counted the heavy footsteps.

One.

Two.

Three.

Close enough. Mainz pulled the pin and threw the grenade upward. The smoke cloud would not last for long, and she knew the abyssal would be able to see through it instantly. But she only needed the few seconds it provided to get close. As the cloud began to dissipate, the heavy cruiser jumped over the trench and rushed the carrier.

She approached the Wo at breakneck speed, breaking into a slide that put her next to her starboard. Before the carrier could react, she unloaded the remainder of her magazine into the knee. Even with the additional armor worn by the abyssal, the delicate section was still unable to resist the stream of 3'' shells.

The Wo was brought down momentarily by the surge of pain. She remained undeterred, however, and rose up again. She discarded the pistol and pulled out something more fitting. The sword left her sheath and descended on the cruiser in an instant. Mainz rolled out of the way barely, letting the sling hold on to her SMG as she switched to the knife.

"Taking after the traditions of the old defenders here?" Mainz taunted.

The Wo remained silent. The deadlock continued as the two eyed each other, waiting for the other two strike. In the end, the choice fell down to another. Weimar used the chance to emerge from her end of the trench and opened fire. The abyssal carrier raised her arm to protect her head. Mainz charged forward at this moment.

The tentative stab forward was sidestepped by the carrier, her eyes free to focus on the immediate threat. The Wo brought a downward strike using the blade. Mainz caught the blade, the knife struggling against the moon white sword. She blocked it for just a moment further, before she withdrew the weapon and leapt to the side. The momentum and force brought the carrier forward, leaving her exposed.

Mainz plunged the knife into her, having aimed the weapon towards the boilers of the abyssal. She watched the carrier vomit out black ichor, wounded but still operational. Off the mark, she quickly pulled the knife out and prepared for a second blow, only noticing the Wo had retracted and readied the sword for a forward thrust.

"Shit!" The sword thrust forward, the split second movement by the cruiser only managing to soften the blow from one that would have penetrated the neck and severed the connection between the bridge and the rest of her self into a grievous upper torso wound.

The abyssal carrier had allowed Mainz to get in a hit. In a way, she had to respect the apparent intelligence some of these common types had.

"Mainz!" Weimar rushed forward, forgoing her SMG in favour of leaping on the abyssal. She attempted a chokehold on the carrier, pulling her head away from her sister. She utilized the opening the other cruiser had given her. She pulled the sword in, the injury growing in pain and plunged the knife a few centimeters away from the first wound.

The blow proved to be fatal. The carrier began to fall backward, Weimar releasing her chokehold and allowing the Wo to fall to the ground. Bereft of what passed as the heart of a warship, the carrier's breathing grew more labored until she eventually expired.

Weimar ignored the now still abyssal and rushed to her sister's side.

"Are you okay?" She examined the sword buried in her sister's torso. "I should've been faster. Goddamn me.."

"Not to worry, Weimar. I'm fine. Dier's just not going to like what he sees when we're done…" Mainz cracked. Her sister readied the medical supplies while she gripped the sword tightly with her two hands. With a single nod to Weimar, she pulled the blade out. The other cruiser immediately honed in on the wound with a sealing mixture, before wrapping the wound completely.

Mainz coughed lightly.

"I wouldn't want to imagine how I would've made it out without you."

"Don't say that. You'd do the same for me, sis."

The two sat around for a short moment. In the distance, the duel of the battleships continued, and so did the roar of the coastal battery.

"Come on. One more gun to silence, then it's time to go help the elite shipgirl…"

========x========

Spoiler: Author Notes

And I'm back with something a little different! Two things to go over. First, time to explore our supposed "mercenary" shipgirls. I'll be alternating to 404 for the next part before we go back to the Montanas while I figure out how best to continue the storyline.

The second thing will be a little harder to convey. In terms of readership, I feel like this story has started to lag behind and so my drive to continue really feels... sapped at times. I'll still be continuing this story, but expect the parts to take much longer. (It also isn't helped that I'm starting work on another new fic, so...)

 

[Muscovfefe]

Save for the distant sounds of surviving mortars firing their last rounds, an unnerving quiet began to settle on the bloodsoaked sands of Tarawa. The Marine AAVs steadily made landfall onto the scarred beaches, careful to navigate around the massive craters formed by allied warship bombardment and to avoid the traps set by the Abyssals. It was hard to imagine that eighty years later, US Marines would be storming this place once more.

Seated down on the insides of a bunker blasted apart by the allied force, Mainz watched the invasion force disembark. All that remained of the abyssal effort was the surviving machine gun nests and isolated troops that huddled deep in their holes, unscathed from the round the clock bombardment.

Weapon fire could be heard once more.

"They're still alive? Bone-headed bastards."

Ulrich von Hutten walked over to the heavy cruiser's side, the disdain in her face ever present. Save for a few concussions and lucky hits, the H-class battleship remained at full strength.

"Good work taking out that Ru. But it looks like your record was not so spotless, after all." Mainz chuckled.

"Save me the jest. Such a task is more suited to the likes of you, anyway." Ulrich von Hutten holstered her rifle and reached for the binoculars hanging near her neck. She scoped out the amphibious force. Among the mass of vehicles, she could see the shipgirls escorting them.

"Quads. The squarish type. Looks like it's mostly British shipgirls escorting them."

The battleship passed the binoculars over to the heavy cruiser. She wasted no time in observing the individual that Ulrich had identified. Her main armaments did indeed stand out, with two quad turrets with a single twin turret. Her blonde hair was done up in a neat short cut, the dark blue combat uniform visible underneath all the armor additions. The Royal Navy certainly knew how to do appearances.

"Good enough. Time to go have a chat. I'll be needing one of them for what's coming next, and it'd be nice if I can borrow her for a moment…" Mainz rose to her feet and turned towards the bunker entrance, the battleship joining her momentarily.

"Weimar!"

An enthusiastic voice quickly replied. "I'm here, Mainz-sis!" The heavy cruiser proceeded to drag something, or rather, someone out from behind the stack of crates. Their ever vigilant destroyer had apparently decided to take a vigil in a darkened corner of the bunker corridor, out of sight from everyone.

Ulrich von Hutten could not help but sigh. She walked over to Mainz and took over from her.
"Wake up, lazyhead. You'll get all the sleep you want when this op is over." What was previously a voice of exasperation and frustration had changed in tone, taking on a more soft, perhaps possibly motherly, quality. Ulrich von Hutten lightly tapped on the destroyer's cheeks.

And like clockwork, Z60 began to wake up, signaled by a loud yawn.

"You know, I think being a battleship was probably the wrong calling for you." Mainz mused with amusement. Given their attitudes towards each other, the former Abyssal always found it difficult to wrap her head around how kind Hutten could be at times.

The battleship waved her off. "Says the woman that had an Empress for a mother."

Mainz shook her head. Back to their usual mode of engagement.

The trek towards the beachhead was a brief one. One of the advantages of storming the network of bunkers was, after all, unfettered access to the very same hallways the Abyssals would use to move men and materiel throughout this section of the island. Besides the occasional stray that they mopped up without issue, the trek towards the invasion force was incident-free.

The four stopped short of the steps that led outward into the trench system, making sure to put on the proper identification. They had already been shot at by weapons of various calibers. The last thing they needed was friendly fire. Mainz tightened the blue armband around Z60, and turned around to verify that everyone else was ready.

"Alright. Weapons down, I'll do the talking."

The four shipgirls stepped back into the outside world, they walked down the rightward section of the trench, past the spent shells and the dead bodies of the defenders until they identified an opening. Mainz climbed upward first, greeted by the sight of a heavy cruiser, a destroyer and a whole squadron of Marines. Weapons raised to meet the sudden appearance of an unknown.

"Woah, woah! Friendlies." She raised her hands, making sure to emphasize the armband.

The tense standoff continued for a short while before the heavy cruiser spoke up.

"You gals the European reinforcements they mentioned?" She turned to look at the burned and wrecked coastal guns in the distance. "Well, thanks for the help." The blonde girl motioned to everyone else to lower their guns.

"Thanks. Not to worry, we'll be out of the way. No interference from us."

Ulrich von Hutten was the next to come out, followed by Weimar and lastly by Z60. The squad advanced past the weary troops, the Marines storming the trenches they had left moments ago. In a span of an hour, the bloodsoaked sand of the island was now filled with hovercraft and airlifted supplies, the beachhead now fully secured.

"Hutten, take sleepyhead here and Weimar and find a corner to sit tight. I'll find our battleship."

"Whatever you say." The two went their separate ways.

Finding their quarry did not take much effort. The olive green tent had been set up quickly, from what Mainz could tell, if the ramshackle appearance was any indication. Still, the place was already made operational and ready to receive casualties for treatment, if the people sitting outside with bandages were any indication. As Mainz approached, she could see the English battleship.

The woman had busied herself with treating the injuries of an injured shipgirl. The heavy cruiser watched her pour the disinfectant over the cannon wound on her hand and began to wrap the bandage around the hole rapidly. With the wound sealed, she loosened the tourniquet applied on the shoulder.

"There we go. Enough for the fight ahead, but I wouldn't push it. Just make sure you get home in one piece, Electra."

"Understood. Thanks, Wales."

The warship turned away, leaving her to rest and coming face to face with Mainz. With a questioning expression, she examined the heavy cruiser before her. "Uhh.. you don't seem too injured. How can I help? Better yet, who even are you? I don't remember seeing you following the initial wave."

"Not to worry. I can handle the wounds. As for the second question… we're the European reinforcements mentioned. Deployment by helicopter on the other side of the beachhead."

"I see." She replied, with weariness in her voice. "I'm Prince of Wales. Houston waved you through, I assume?"

So the shipgirl they saw back there was American. Mainz nodded.

The two of them walked further away from the medical tent, coming to a stop next to a idle AAV. Out of earshot from anyone else.

"So, what do you need?" Wales leaned back on the side of the AAV.

"I'm Mainz. We'll be pushing further into the island, ahead of everyone else. Such a task probably isn't enough for just four shipgirls, even if they are the best. Which is why I'm asking for your help." Mainz uttered. "Don't worry. It'll just be some forward reconnaissance."

Wales kept quiet. The heavy cruiser could tell that she was having a hard time trying to accept what she had just proposed, given how abrupt her entry was and her presence in the staging ground in the first place. It was time to switch gears in her negotiation tactic.

"We did help you back there with the guns. A favor for a favor?"

A sigh from the British battleship. "Fine. Just let me have a word with the others."

Mainz nodded and stepped back. After a minute, Wales proceeded to the heavy cruiser's side.

They set off to find the three others in Mainz's squad. In the distance, next to a bunch of tents stood a woman with long white hair that stood out in comparison to everyone else, a lazy expression on her face. Mainz signaled to Wales to quicken her pace.

"Sorry to make you wait, ladies. Meet the Princess of Wales."

=========x========

One quick introduction to everyone else later, the five of them set off into the jungles of Tarawa. They advanced through the thick foliage, stumbling into the usual defensive dugouts and bunkers on their way towards the center. Some of these were old enough that they could possibly be the Japanese defenses of WW2, while the others were certainly freshly dug.

Mainz brushed aside a large fern, putting her in sight of a large airfield. With how weathered the asphalt still remained, she could infer that the place was completely untouched, even after the conquest of the island.

Instead, some portions of the airfield had been set aside for some unknown purpose. There was only one reliable guess to where the jammer was, and it was right ahead.

The four took positions next to Mainz.

"Bollocks…" Wales uttered. "That's a full fleet guarding this place." The woman was right, too. From a rushed headcount, she could see a few of the humanoid destroyers and cruisers around, and one or two Ta-class battleships.

"And to think you wanted to miss out on this juicy intel."

It was now time for the second phase.

"We need what's inside that building." Mainz backed away from the vantage point and tapped Hutten and Weimar's shoulders. The two immediately understood what she needed, and followed the cruiser.

"As for you, Wales… look after our sleepy destroyer. I'll comms for you when you're required."

The British battleship stared at the three in a dumbstruck manner, only acknowledging Mainz with a bewildered positive reply. The heavy cruiser watched Wales slink back into cover, her eyes focused on Z60 with a look of confusion.

Like watching two different worlds collide.

They began to snake their way through the foliage, breaking into a sprint when they reached the asphalt. Barely avoiding the cold eyes of the abyssal sentries, the three took cover under the black walls. Just her luck that the section they chose seemed to be the secluded corner.

"Alright, my prankster Commander. Leaving the Brit with the sleepyhead was funny, but what exactly are you planning?" Hutten questioned Mainz without pulling any punches.

"You'll see soon enough." Her eyes began to scan the walls that protected the base. She stealthily moved next to the extended tower-like structure that the Tas stood on and lightly knocked, quiet enough that the abyssal would not hear it.

It was completely solid. They had essentially plopped down a solid brick of unknown material on the spot. No wonder the building did not fold under the pressure of the abyssal with the rigging deployed. Mainz frowned. Planting a few shells at the feet of the structure and sending them crashing down was not an option.

Mainz returned to the pair.

"The Tas are the main priority once we get in. Everyone else is secondary. Kill them if they're in the way, but we have to silence the battleships first." Mainz muttered. "Understood?"

Weimar and Hutten nodded.

"Over the wall. Hutten?"

Ulrich grumbled, but nevertheless obliged. Her two hands overlapped and formed a tight stepping stone. Mainz put her foot on the hands and placed her hands on the shoulders of the battleship. The German stood up and pushed with all her might, sending the heavy cruiser up.

She gripped onto the top of the wall and climbed over, placing herself on the edge. Weimar followed the same procedure, the sister grabbing onto the hand offered out by Mainz.

All that remained was the H-class battleship. The warship took ten long steps backward and ran towards the wall. One step off the smooth wall and she was able to push herself up, her left hand barely gripping onto the edge. Her other hand quickly latched onto the two heavy cruisers. With the strength they could muster, they pulled the battleship upward.

"Fatass." Mainz whispered into Hutten's ear once she was clear of the wall.

She ignored the cruiser's comment and dropped downward. The two sisters followed suit.

Mainz recovered in the blink of an eye and backed herself to the wall. A slight peek outward to look at the Ta that stood over the platform had now turned her head to look in the leftward direction. Any slower and they would have had to resort to the old fashioned option of forcing their way in. Mainz pointed at Weimar, before she directed her hand at the Ta further away.

Hutten responded by pointing at the Ta close to them, an indication of who her prey was.

They nodded and set off towards their targets.

The interior of the abyssal base was not what Mainz was expecting. Containers everywhere, skeletonized buildings. They were not streaming in, they were trying to get out. With Weimar on her heels, she darted across the road to the next set of crates before the Rippers turned around. Out of idle curiosity, she looked inside one of the containers with the doors ajar. A whole bunch of rounds for what seemed to be an anti-air weapon.

"Huh. Explains why we were able to get that close…" All the better they caught them at a time like this. Any later and the jammer they were after would be gone.

Her curiosity sated, she backed away from the crate and continued on. The third row of containers was in sight.

And so was the Ripper that had just wandered between the rows. Mainz stopped Weimar just in time, the two bumping into the nearby container. Mainz growled in frustration. Even if they found a way around, she had a direct line of sight at the Ta. They would have to remove her.

The heavy cruiser holstered her SMG and unsheathed her knife. In one swift motion, she rounded the corner and approached the destroyer in short, muffled leaps. One hand over the mouth of the abyssal, she plunged the knife into where the boilers were. Black ichor began to stream out steadily of the Ripper.

Weimar followed up without hesitation, approaching the destroyer from the front and snapping her neck in a swift motion. The Ripper's bridge fell forward limply. Weimar grabbed the legs of the abyssal, Mainz shifting to grab her by the shoulders. They quickly moved to the third row and set the body down.

"Thanks, Weimar."

"Anything for you, Mainz-sis."

How someone like Weimar ended up with her would be a mystery for the ages. Mainz brushed the thought aside and pushed on with the mission.

By now, they were at the foot of the tower, where the steps would lead up. She opened a channel to the battleship with her communicator.

"We're here. Are you ready?"

"Of course." Hutten replied. "I'd like to make one more change, if you're agreeable."

"Hmm?"

"Tell Wales to stand up and put herself in view. I'd like to use their guns against them."

Mainz was momentarily stunned into silence. The heavy cruiser quickly regained her composure.

"Feeling a little cocky, aren't we?" Mainz shot back. "Are you sure you can turn that abbie around in such a short time?"

"I outweigh her, and I have the horsepower to back it up. These are just Tas. Nothing more than just ersatz North Carolinas." The facts were stated plainly, without any hint of pride. She was serious about the addition, it seemed.

"Very well. Tell me when you're halfway up the stairs." She cut the channel and began to climb the stairs, each step taken with the utmost care. Half a minute passed before the communicator ringed once more.

"In position."

"Alright." She opened another link. "Wales?"

"I'm here. Been wondering what the three of you have been up to."

"We're inside. We need you to do something. Something really, really stupid."

A moment of silence. The channel flared back to life with a response.

"You told me this was just recon. It'd probably be smarter for me to just face a carrier group with minimal escorts, again. What is it?"

"Make a wild dash to your portside, guns blazing. We'll take care of the battleships."
She could hear the sounds of a gulp.

"I'm putting my life on the line, lass. Don't fuck up."

Wales closed the channel. Five seconds later, the sounds of rifle fire could be heard. Without waiting for confirmation, Mainz switched gears. No longer needing to pay attention to stealth, she rushed towards the battleship sentry above. The heavy cruiser reached the top, in time to see the alert Ta train her batteries on the intruder beyond the wall.

Mainz leapt onto the Ta, her legs placed in a lock around the head. She leaned backwards and brought the battleship to the ground with a loud thud. She began to fire down into the bridge, through the less armored top section. One entire magazine of three-inch shells was emptied in the span of nine seconds, the abyssal ceasing her struggle against the shipgirl as her hands lifelessly slid to the ground.

In the distance, she watched Ulrich von Hutten handle the Ta on her end. She grabbed the abyssal from behind, placing her in a deadlock and turning her to starboard with all her might. Her timing was impeccable, too, for the abyssal had already began the firing process for the guns. Nine shells meant for Wales, instead now flew towards the small contingent that had been busy arranging crates in the center of the base.

A grand explosion blossomed from the impact.

========x========

Mainz dived into the closest cover she could find. Not long after the removal of the sentries in spectacular fashion, the base had descended into chaos. Abyssal escort ships rushed around to form a defensive perimeter against the intruders that had made it in without a whisper.

"Weimar! Hang back and deploy your rigging. I'll cover you."

She glanced out momentarily and nailed a Ripper in the leg. Even with everything down her left thigh missing, the abyssal refused to stay down, turning herself over and raising her guns.

Rifle fire scythed upward from her body towards her bridge, finally putting her down.

The heavy cruiser watched Wales and Z60 slide into the crates next to her.

"First it's recon, then it's caretaking, then target practice, now we're just attacking them directly." The frustration was amplified by the English accent the battleship had. "Anything else you're hiding behind my back that I need to know?"

Mainz flashed a grin. "Nothing else beyond this point. We just need to destroy whatever equipment is in that building."

"It better be. One more thing. It's Prince of Wales, not Princess."

The sound of Weimar firing her 8" rifles cut their conversation. The three began to add their weapons to the mix, cutting down two Vespids that tried to reposition themselves. With the defenders desperately trying to reorganize, she only had one chance to scatter them here and now.

"Hutten. Wales. Roll over them."

The two received Mainz's order clearly and replied.

"Understood."

"Now you're speaking my language!"

Ulrich von Hutten emerged from the far end of the base, firing concentrated burst after burst of 5" shells into the abyssal escorts. Prince of Wales followed suit, the squadron of Rippers attempting to disengage from the battleships squeezing them in.

Mainz kept her distance from the two lumbering warships, following in their wake and supporting them with covering fire where possible.

A concentrated barrage of 6" shells land on the two advancing battleships. A single Vespid had managed to deploy rigging and return fire.

"Weimar. Four o'clock."

"Not to worry, Mainz-sis!" The sound of two batteries was followed by silence. "She's down!"

With no further interruptions, they continued on, the abyssals having been driven far enough that the building was the only place they held.

All that stood between them was a single abyssal.

One they had never seen before.

"Contact, straight ahead. Unknown-"

Covered by a opaque visor of sorts, the abyssal stood her ground with shield in one hand and pistol in another. In the blink of an eye, she materialized her rigging behind her. The singular pistol was now joined by four twin barreled turrets.

The first battery spewed it's hateful shells.

"-class!" Wales threw herself back onto the floor.

Hutten wasted no time pulling back, the second battery's shells missing her by meters. The shells fired from her assault rifle smashed against the shield, the projectiles harmlessly bouncing off.

"The shield's effective against small calibers!"

"Weimar! Pack it up. Don't let the thing nail you!" Mainz shouted into the communicator. Third and fourth batteries fired in unison, two towards where Weimar stood and two at Wales. The abyssal scored a single hit, the over penetrating shell drilling through a portion of Wales' cheek.

"Wales! Shit…" The heavy cruiser kept her emotions in check. She could worry about helping the shipgirl once they were safe. "Hutten. We've got a lull. I'll keep the pressure up, swing to her starboard and get your rigging ready."

Without waiting for a response from the German, Mainz raced into the open in the opposite direction. The abyssal raised the pistol and fired at her. Dirt and mud showered all over her, the result of the impact from the hefty pistol shells.

She stopped by the side of the container, emptying all that remained of her magazine before she retreated further in. The heavy cruiser slammed another fresh mag in, and ran ahead with all the horsepower she could muster.

Just in time to hear a pair of shells slam through the container and the explosion that followed.

Mainz fired away at the abyssal battleship once again, the rounds doing nothing to the seemingly impenetrable shield. Trying to hurt her was not the objective.

It was to allow Hutten the opportunity to set up close to her. The German battleship had cleared the last obstacle, and was now in a position with a clear line of fire. Her heels dug in, she materialized her own rigging.

The 16.5" batteries roared. One shell goes wide, the other punches in and out of the top left turret. The abyssal, realizing the greater threat, reoriented herself and the shield towards Hutten. She fired off her remaining batteries.

The shells punch clean through the shield and shred into the metal of the abyssal's hull and superstructure. Mainz watched the abyssal spit ichor out through her mouth. Despite the volley, however, she pushed through the pain. The abyssal returned fire, her scream of anger drowned out by the rifle fire.

One by the shoulder, one by the upper body. The shoulder round overpenetrated, while the upper body round pushed through the miniaturized armor plating of the vest, digging into the flesh that was her armor belt. Ulrich von Hutten dematerialized her rigging and made a tactical retreat.

The abyssal continued to train her guns on the H-class, vengeance burning in her eyes. The second battery raised and prepared to fire…

…before being silenced by the sounds of 14" cannons. The quadruple batteries are what finally laid the monster low, a near-perfect row of hits to the bridge. Prince of Wales unsteadily stood at the front, her left hand covering the open wound over her face.

The final defender collapsed to her knees. Rigging and woman alike fell on to the ground.

The bunker was theirs.

========x=======

Seated next to the wheels of an archaic abyssal vehicle, Wales gripped the sterile gauze she pulled out beforehand and tightly pressed it down on the wound.

Mainz joined the battleship by her side.

"Mainz. I trust that-" Wales stopped halfway, the searing pain making it difficult for her. "-this was worth the effort."

"Don't worry, Wales. It is. The girls over at Singapore will have an easier time now, and so will everyone here." The cruiser kneeled down and unfurled her first aid kit. "Let me have a look."

Slowly, she relieved the pressure on the penetrating wound. The sterile gauze fell away to reveal a gaping hole where the main portion of her cheek once was. Large enough to almost fit three fingers in to touch the tongue. For all the horror that she had witnessed in her abyssal and ex-abyssal days, the sight still made Mainz sick to the stomach.

Mainz immediately got to work. She disinfected the wide wound as best she could, spraying the gel-like sealing mix. The cruiser took caution in applying the new sterile pads, gently covering the mix and taping it up.

"That should last you till the next time you dip in the repair bath." Mainz stood up.

"I know this doesn't mean much, given what we dragged you into…" A new voice entered the conversation. The white-haired battleship stepped forward to face Wales. "But.. thank you. I should have done more."

Wales let out a pained chuckle.

"You're… better than the other… Kriegsmarine ships.. already."

Ulrich solemnly nodded. "If it makes you feel better, you won't be hearing from us ever again. Once we're done from the jammer, we'll be making our leave."

"Really? I… see."

The two stepped away, leaving the KGV to heal. Mainz glanced behind for a moment. Sure that they were far enough, she allowed herself the luxury of smiling.

"So there is a heart underneath that cold exterior of the elite shipgirl."

"Professional courtesy." Ulrich shot back, the heavy cruiser able to quickly tell how half-hearted it was. "Unlike a certain American bitch, I know when emotions are required and when they aren't."

"Sure, sure. Anything to keep your fantasy afloat."

Ulrich von Hutten could only grumble, much to Mainz's delight. They made their way to the entrance of the large bunker, where two figures stood by the sealed door.

"U..UUu… scared."

"Z60! You sat out that entire fight just now! There's no threat in there anymore!" Weimar shook the witless destroyer.

Mainz sighed.

"Ulrich… take the sleepyhead away. We'll destroy the jammer, then rendezvous at the point."

=========x=========

Spoiler: Author Notes

Wales? Fighting in the Pacific at Tarawa? Sounds familiar....

Anyway, after a month of putting off BFL to work on my other project(though most of it is over on SB while I format the parts for SV), I figured it was time to come back and finish up the mini-arc of Fleet 404. Their role in the story isn't at an end, though. They'll certainly be important to the Singapore fleet in the coming parts...