Don't Shoot, We're Republican! - A Kantai Collection Quest

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X]Hi, I'm William D. Porter. We met when you came back? Listen I'm trying to get in touch with our admiral, and the bases internet is out right now. Do you mind us using your satellite link?
-[X] Fingers crossed
You summon up the courage to talk to Tulsa. She's your only hope to contact the Admiral, so you shouldn't let your wariness get in the way of what you need to do! After all, even though she's a whole different generation of ship, that doesn't mean that she's all that different from you!

"H-Hello, Tulsa," you speak up, catching her attention amidst the ruckus, "I'm William D. Porter, do you remember me?"

"Hm?" she stares at you for a second, before smiling cheerfully, "Ah, yes, Porter, you were there to greet me as I came back!"

She remembered you! Maybe she-!

"Don't shoot," she raises her hands in mock surrender, "I'm Republican."

"..." your eyelid twitches. Why.

"Hm..." Tulsa furrows her brow, mulling over something, "Maybe that saying doesn't work anymore... the political parties have kind of changed since then..."

"Tulsa," Mahan cuts in, "Porter was wondering if she could use your satellite uplink, we've been having trouble contacting the Admiral."

Tulsa beams happily, "Oh, of course, I'd be more than happy to do so!"

Suddenly she stands up, crossing her arms before sternly shouting, "All right, all of you, I'm cutting the internet in one minute! Switch networks!"

Shipgirls and humans alike frantically click and tap, switching over to the base's internet and scattering to get better reception.
After that comical display, Tulsa chuckles, pulling a tiny screen out of nowhere before plugging it into her headset, holding it up in front of you.

The screen flickers, finally displaying the Admiral.

"Porter, there you are!" worry is practically radiating from her, "Your connection cut out earlier! Is something wrong?"

"Er, that's what I was going to tell you," you answer as you put on the headset Tulsa offered you, "You see, there's something odd going on. The Japanese Admiral-"

"Go home."

Your eyes bug out as you see Hoppo totter up to Tulsa with a plastic spork, and proceeds to jab the LCS in the knee with it.

There's a moment of silence, before Tulsa slowly turns to Hoppo, a cold grin frozen onto her features.

"I was wondering how my weapons would perform, now that I'm like this...." she grinds out, "Do I have a volunteer?"

"Eep!" Hoppo squeaks in surprise, running away at top speed.

You sigh in relief, seeing as the connection is still intact.

"Was... that an Abyssal?" your Admiral asks with a bit of incredulity.

"Yes," you nod, "There's also something weirder than that happening here. You see, their Minister of-"

"Say no more," she shakes her head, "Well, I was going to have to pay a visit to Japan soon, might as well now."

"Admiral?" you blink, a visit? But you were just looking for advice!

"I'll be there in a few days," she informs you, "The USS Gerald R Ford will be making the trip soon anyways. I'll hitch a ride on that."

You should be worried for her, but the Enterprise will be escorting the Ford, so she's in safe hands.

"If you've got anything else to tell me, wait until I arrive," she finishes... but then adds, "Now, Porter, tell me...."

She lifts up a lovingly-detailed model of the Yamato, her fingers delicately tracing down the keel, her breath playfully flapping the little rising sun on the mast. Such a lewd display! You and Mahan instantly flush in embarrassment. How could she do such a thing right in front of you?! Is she going to show that to Yamato?! It would cause an international incident!!!

"Do you think I got her right?" your Admiral asks eagerly, "I spent a lot of time on her... I don't want to hand Yamato a flawed representation of her, you know!"

You open your mouth to speak, but Tulsa beats you to the punch.

"She's great, Admiral!" she answers encouragingly, "Yamato will love it!"

How... How could Tulsa say such a thing with a straight face?! She's a sexual deviant too, isn't she? You just knew it!!!

"Excellent," your Admiral smiles, setting the model down, "I'll be there in a few days. See you soon, Porter!"

And with that, the communication ends.

"Such detail," Tulsa nods appreciatively, "The Admiral has such skilled hands, don't you agree?"

{Options}​

[] Write in...

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Stare at Tulsa incredulously
You stare at Tulsa in sheer incredulity.
Perverts. Perverts, the lot of them.
You no longer feel safe around Tulsa.

[X] Hastily excuse yourself
"I've... I've got to go!" you scramble to leave, pulling off the headset as fast as you can.

"Oh, okay," Tulsa accepts the headset back with a smile, "Come by my quarters later, won't you, Porter? I just bought this little model from a local store and I was wondering if you wanted-"

"Yeah, sure, fine!" you nod quickly, "Okay, bye!"

[X] Go out. Get some air. See what Japan has to offer if it would do anything to elevate you from this madness before you went insane.
You run through the swinging doors, breathing in the fresh air of freedom! You couldn't get out of there sooner!
But now that you've properly reported to the Admiral, both of them... what now? You haven't been assigned any duties...
Well, what does Japan have to offer?

"Mahan," you turn to your fellow Destroyer, "Can we go off base?"

"I think so?" she thinks for a second, then nods, "Yeah, the trains connect to here."

"Ooh," you whistle, impressed, "That is very nice."

You have direct high speed train access to the rest of Japan! Sweet.
Mahan leads you to the station, which is brand sparkling new and modern alongside the rest of the base. The train isn't here yet, but it'd due in about several minutes. You can wait that long.

There are a few locations that greatly interest you... You think you want to go...

[] Tokyo
[] Akihabara
[] Nerima

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Chiyoda Ward
You kind of want to see Chiyoda City. Or Chiyoda Ward, as they call it here in Japan.
Armed with a tourist guide, a rudimentary translation book, and a phone with google translate, you board the train with Mahan. You leave your Rigging behind, because otherwise you fear the train would be unable to move, and not because you think that your torpedoes are actually possessed and thirst for the blood of important authority figures, haha!
Yeah, you doubt that firing any sort of ordinance at the Emperor or the Prime Minister will end well for you... or them.

Mahan reads the tourist guide with thinly-veiled excitement while you watch the the scenic Japanese skyline zip by. The train is awfully fast, and you're pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the interior, the soft chiming, and the soothing announcer voice.

Before you know it, you've disembarked near the Imperial Palace. Well, that big park-like area in the middle of the city, at any rate.

"Wow," you remark in wonder as you stare at all the green surrounded by gray city, "There's a lot of tourists here."

"Reminds me of New York," Mahan comments, looking up from the tourist guide, "What do you think we should do first, Porter?"

That's a good question, but in the end, you decide to just sightsee. Nothing can go wrong from just sightseeing!
Walking around, you can't help but be impressed at how serene everything is. The grounds are well-maintained and arranged in such a way that you can only revel in its majesty.

It's quite the relaxing experience. That is, until you ran into the pride of the Japanese Navy.

"Ah," a well-cultured and carefully enunciated voice greets you, "You must be USS Mahan and Porter. I am the IJ.... JDS Yamato. It is a pleasure to meet you."

A few seconds are spent shamelessly gaping at the Shipgirl who was, in her former life, the Super Battleship Yamato. Sure, she has the appearance of a young woman now, but she still carries the presence of a magnificent war machine. It may not be obvious to a regular Human, but it's clear as day for you and Mahan. You feel small, like a mere piece of flotsam about to be run over as she plows forward, unstoppable.

Of course, you know that she's not unstoppable. You've heard enough bragging from the Fast Carrier Attack Force to know that.
Still, the two of you, alone against her... you're glad World War 2 ended.

Mahan is the first of you two to get a grip.

"H-Hello!" she stutters, "It's nice to meet you too!"

You're still gaping at her. Yamato is wearing her signature outfit, much in the same way that all of Japan's Shipgirls wear distinctive outfits. Your uniform feels a bit... constricting in comparison.

"How are you enjoying Japan?" the Super Battleship asks cheerfully, "Despite the war, is it not still a nice place to be?"

"It is," you finally answer... and can't help but add, "You speak awfully good English, Yamato."

"Yes, I speak English well," she nods, "I had to take many lessons. I anticipated many joint operations with the United States Navy. I admit, I had almost given up hope until recently."

Really? Yamato is looking forward to working with you all? That's awfully flattering.

Maybe you can find some way to requisition a better fire control system for her if you're going to be working together.

Mahan starts to speak, but stops, listening. Everyone has stopped and the silence frames the slowly-growing drone of air raid sirens.

"A raid," Yamato frowns, "The Abyssals have been testing our air superiority around populated areas, sadly. Unfortunately... we do not always repel them successfully."

"Should we be worried?" you ask in concern, a moment away from summoning your rigging.

"Do not worry," she shakes her head sadly, "Our air defences around the Imperial Palace are more than adequate. We would only hinder their effectiveness."

Only hinder? Does Yamato think she's useless?
Regardless, the sirens eventually fade away, and everyone returns to their normal business.

"Our drones were able to intercept them, apparently," Yamato informs the two of you, "So, where were we? Are you two sightseeing?"

You nod. You kind of wanted to get away from the base.

"In that case," Yamato looks around sneakily, before leaning in and whispering, "I can show you two a... what do you Americans call it, a 'good time'? I know a few places I think you might enjoy in the city."

Really? Yamato is offering to you show you around Tokyo?
Hm... Not the way you would have worded it, but it's tempting.

[] Accept
[] Decline

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Accept
The Super Battleship Yamato is offering to show you around Tokyo? You'd be crazy to turn this down!

"Oh yes!" you gush excitedly, "We'd love it if you-!"

---

"How did we end up in a Maid Cafe?" you deadpan, not quite believing that the pride of the Japanese Navy took you to this establishment.

"Well, I thought that you should get a general experience of Japanese culture!" Yamato fidgets, somewhat nervous, "And this is part of the modern culture, so it would be negligent of me to pass this by!"

"You've never been here before, have you?" Mahan cuts straight to the point, "You just wanted an excuse to come."

Yamato recoils in shock and horror, but says nothing. You gape at your fellow Destroyer's insight. Who knew that Yamato wanted to go visit a Maid Cafe?!

She lunges across the table and covers Mahan's mouth, "Shh!" she hisses under her breath, "Don't tell anyone, please!"

Mahan mumbles a muffled affirmative, and Yamato sits back with a sigh. What could she possibly want from a Maid Cafe?

"Hello, Mistress!" one of the maids bows to the three of you, "Welcome! What would you like today?"

"Uh, um," Yamato begins, terribly flustered and not even looking at her menu, "I... I heard you had a... special service here."

What.

"Oh, so you want that, Mistress?" the maid's smile turns coy, "What kind?"

As Yamato whispers her order to the maid, you quickly convene with Mahan in hushed, panicked whispers.

"She's a sexual deviant too!" you grip Mahan in a panic, "We're not safe here, Mahan!"

"What do you mean, Porter?" she asks innocently. Oh poor, innocent Mahan.

"She asked for their special services," you repeat, "You know what that means!"

"...What does it mean?"

You look her straight in the eye, squeaking, "She's going to buy ship models from them!"

"No!" Mahan gasps, mortified, "In public?!"

You shake your head sadly, "I thought that the pride of the Japanese Navy was above such depravity, but clearly not! They're a fleet of sin and debauchery!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" the maid is back, and you turn to see her... but she's not in a maid outfit anymore.

She's wearing a cosplay outfit of... you don't recognize that Shipgirl. The rigging is unfamiliar-wait. That designation. CV-6?!

"Wh-What's going on here?!" you stammer, caught completely off guard. Why's this girl dressed up as Big E?! Enterprise hasn't even come back yet!

"Um, well," Yamato blushes deeply, "I've always wanted to meet my American counterpart. We're both famous ships, representing our nation, but Enterprise hasn't come back yet... and I heard this cafe offered cosplay and roleplay services, so... I thought, why not get some practice?"

Oh dear god.

You suffer through an hour's worth of bad roleplaying and overblown American stereotypes. Leaving is a relief.

Welp, at least that was the low point. Things can't get any worse from here on out.

---

YOU WERE WRONG
SWEET BABY JESUS SAVE YOU, YOU WERE WRONG
YOU RUN SCREAMING FROM THE HOBBY STORE BEFORE YAMATO CAN STEAL YOUR INNOCENCE

---

"Porter-san, I only went in th-there to get some paints!" Yamato shouts out as you stand on the edge of the roof.

"Don't come any closer!" you scream, teetering on the edge, "I won't let you steal my innocence, I'd rather sink first!"

"Porter, it was just a misunderstanding!" Mahan implores you, "Please, step back from the edge, it's alright!"

"No!" you scream in terror, trying to throw yourself off before the two of them leap forward and drag you back.

"Someone! Help! Military Police! I'm going to be violated! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"

---

Yamato took you to a cat cafe.
With a Maine Coon in your lap, a Munchkin on your head, and a white Persian in your hands, you feel a lot calmer.
You dunno, there's something about cats that you really like. All Shipgirls like cats. And dogs. Mostly cats though.

"Feel better?" Mahan asks you warily.

"Yeah... I'm fine," you hand the Persian to Mahan, "Sorry about freaking out... I guess I just assumed the worst."

"It's alright, Porter," Yamato smiles apologetically at you, "It's perfectly understandable to be afraid around people who place the bare hulls of our sisters on display. I can assure you that I am not one of those perverse individuals who finds such a thing appealing."

Oh good... Yamato isn't like Tulsa. You've finally found a somewhat sane individual.
Aside from her apparent crush on a Shipgirl she's never met.
....
You wonder what Enterprise would be like.

"I'm sorry, I've taken so much of your time," Yamato bows slightly in apology, "I can make it up to you. I know of a good massage place that specializes in Shipgirls."

A... A massage parlor for Shipgirls?!

[] Accept
[] Decline

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Accept
Ah, you'll accept. It can't be that bad, after all!

---

You find yourself in a very classy waiting room with a jazz version of "Anchors Aweigh" playing on the flashy jukebox in the corner. All over the walls are various memorabilia of the Navies of the world, mostly dating back to WW1 and WW2, although you do see a picture of some rather burly men posing next to a Zumwalt.

The decor of the place looks like someone took an early 1920s barbershop and slammed it together with some sort of Japanese teahouse.

You don't... you just... what?!

Yamato happily sits down on one of the many comfy chairs, cheerfully humming along to the music. Somewhat awkwardly, you sit down next to her with Mahan.

"Ah, I can't wait to take Enterprise here," Yamato sighs, "I'm sure she'll appreciate their skill."

Yeah, their skill, but certainly not their decor. You raise your eyebrow as the jukebox begins warbling a jazz cover of the Japanese Navy's "Gunkan March". It's kind of nice. More enjoyable if you didn't know the lyrics to it, haha.

You fidget nervously in your seat for a good five minutes before a man with a physique so cut and burly that his shirt merely adheres to his muscles walks out into the waiting room, clearing his throat as he looks to the three of you.

"Party of three, Yamato?" he asks in a deep, gruff voice, clearly aware of the answer already.

"Yes, that's us!" Yamato stands up excitedly, and the two of you meekly follow along.

You're led to a room with three soft, padded tables where you strip down to your underwear and lay down, Yamato clearly comfortable so there's no reason you shouldn't be, right?

"So... what now?" you ask as two other muscular men enter, about as swole as the men who assembled you in the shipyards.

"Now," the first man replies, picking up a buffer, giving it a rev, "We begin."

---

"Come again!" you hear as you exit the establishment in a daze. Oooh, you haven't felt this good since the day you were rolled into the water. Your hull, buffed to a perfect, spotless shine and lovingly coated with a fresh coat of paint... How were those men able to replicate the feeling? Sure, they said that they used to work in a shipyard, but... ooh, such magic hands, and that buffer was a nice touch. Oh, and when they brought out the welder, you could have just launched right then and there. Not even when you were a steel hull with your crew scrubbing you down did you feel so... clean.

"That place does really good work!" Yamato sighs, absolutely sparkling, "How did you two like it?"

"Oh..." Mahan lets out a long, wistful sigh, "That felt so good, Yamato-san. Thank you for taking us..."

"Well, when you see Enterprise," she beams at you, "Put in a good word for me, okay?"

Ah, so that was the ulterior motive. Oh well. You feel good, so you'll let it slide.

---

After that, Yamato took you to a hot spring.
To soak after such a nice massage... Oh, it was heaven. Just like sailing through tropical waters. Only better.
You're about to doze off in the warm, comforting waters when something splashes into the water next to you. You turn to look at-

"Go home."

{Options}​

[] Freak out
[] Write in...

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Quartermaster reporting that there are no damns or fucks left on board. Repeat, there are no damns or fucks left on board.
-[X] No, you.
A little tiny Abyssal is right next to you. She probably wants to tear you limb from limb, and is stopped only because she's been crippled.
Really, you should be terrified....

But unfortunately, according to your Quartermaster, there are no damns or fucks left on board. Repeat, there are no damns or fucks left on board.
At least, you're pretty sure that's what your Quartermaster said. Because the Fairy just stood on your shoulder and chanted "America!" for five seconds.

You stare down at Hoppo... and yawn in disinterest.

"No you."

Hoppo stares back for a good solid minute, before she begins to tear up.

"G-Go Home!" she sniffles, before running away from you.

Heh. Good.

But...

"Yamato?" you turn to the Battleship, who's soaking happily in the bath, "What was Hoppo doing here?"

"Nagato often comes into the city," Yamato explains, sighing, "Why?"

"Is... Nagato particularly attached to Hoppo?" you ask tentatively.

"Yes, why?" Yamato looks to you in concern.

"Um, uh," you pale, staring at Nagato as she stands in the entryway, cracking her knuckles while her hair writhes around her demonically, her face pure darkness with two glaring red murderous eyes, "No reason."

{Options}​

[] Run
[] Dive, Dive, Dive!
[] Apologize to Nagato
[] Apologize to Hoppo
[] Fight!

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Quartermaster repeats, Quartermaster repeats, no damns or fucks left on board, no damns or fucks left on board. Standing ground, repeat standing ground.
[X] Is there a problem, Nagato?
You try to get yourself to have a fuck, but your Fairy Quartermaster informs you that, sadly, none are left on board.

So you stoically meet the glare of the approaching Battleship without much fanfare.

"Is there a problem, Nagato?" you ask in a tone conveying that you are 420% done with shenanigans for today. You're so done that you want to do nothing more than give out weed to your crew and have them hotbox your hull. Yeah, that would be interesting. Or something.

Nagato immediately launches into a sternly spoken lecture... which you don't understand. Because you're not fluent in Japanese.

A Fairy standing on top of your head summarizes your feelings about this.

"Speak American!" it chirps, before doing a little dive into the water.

"Ah, Porter," Yamato moves over, looking concerned, "Forgive me for asking, but have you been bullying Hoppo-chan?"

"You mean the Abyssal?" you blink slowly, "No... if anything, she's been bullying me."

"I see," she nods, "Well, Nagato-san seems to be under the impression that you have been harassing Hoppo."

You look over to see Hoppo hiding behind Nagato's legs while the Battleship glares at you angrily.

"...That's another thing," you turn back to Yamato, "Whose idea was it to keep an Abyssal on your base?"

"It was Nagato's," Yamato informs you, "We originally captured her for research purposes, but when that did not turn out as expected, Nagato requested ownership. Since then, we have gleaned a few details on Abyssal behavior."

"I see," you sigh, sinking a bit deeper into the bath, "Well, Yamato, I really don't want to deal with Hoppo right now or her angry owner. That little Abyssal has made my day a bit of a headache, so.... yeah."

"Understood," Yamato turns to Nagato and begins talking to her.
...
You just want to rest.

You hear a tiny little splash, and you see Mahan setting some of her Fairies down in rowboats and launches.

"Come on, Porter!" she smiles, "Won't you join me?"

Your Fairies cheer from your shoulders. They want to join in! Even Yamato has perked up at the idea, and is placing her own Fairies in her boats. They're brandishing small foam swords while Mahan's Fairies wave about tiny foam dart guns.

The anger drains out of Nagato's face, and she sits down next to the bath to watch.

Huh. Looks kind of fun. Should you join in the war game?

{Options}​

[] Just watch.

[] Join in...
-[] As a third player!
-[] On Mahan's side.
-[] On Yamato's side.

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Join in...
-[X] As a third player!
-[X] Check that the chuckleheads you call a crew didn't bring real ammo to a play fight. Again.
Oh, yes, you'll join in, this looks like fun! But you'll join in as a third player, unaffiliated with either existing side!
Because you're a strong, independent destroyer who don't need no wolf pack.

"Alright boys," you begin placing your boats in the water as the Fairies on board cheer, "Give them hell!"

And as they wave around their little dart guns, you notice the glint of steel and grab a service pistol out of the crowd of waving hands.

"If I find out that one of you brought real ammo to this fight," you rumble, eyes blazing, "I'll show you just what it means to be keelhauled under a ship with screws."

Some grenades and rifles are thrown overboard. Good.

Your own Fairies are raring to go in their two boats. So are Mahan's. And Yamato has a... small fleet of boats.

Oh, this is going to be a massacre.

Your crew rows towards Yamato's mini fleet first, firing darts across the divide as they scream random patriotic phrases. On either side, the Fairies who are hit by darts pretend to keel over dead. One of your boats is entirely dead in the water with "dead" Fairies, while your other one is forcibly boarded by one of Yamato's.

"Banzai!" the little Fairies scream as they beat your crew with foam swords.

Triumphant, they stand on your own boats, having captured it.

"Banzai!" they chant, "Banzai!"

You look to see Mahan's boats having suffered the same fate.
Ah, guess there's really a crew difference here.

"All right, everyone," Yamato claps her hands, "Reset."

The "dead" come back to life, picking up their darts and foam swords, before rowing away.
Hm, perhaps this time you should-

{Options}​

[] Team up with Mahan.
[] Team up with Yamato.
[] Execute a daring plan! (Write in...)

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[X] Team up with Mahan, and Nagato if you can get her to play.
-[X] Again, check your crew. No live ammo or real swords, or there will be screws.
Yamato's crew is too much for you! You need backup!
Wading over to Mahan, you clasp her hands.

"Alliance," you stare her in the eyes, "For freedom and liberty."

Mahan grins evilly. With your powers combined, you'll be nearly unstoppable! Just one more asset...

"Nagato-!" you turn to invite the other Battleship to the fight... and see that she has joined, but is weighing in with Yamato.

Oh dear.
Welp, if Taffy 3 could fight alone and outgunned, so can you! But no real weapons, or you will follow through with your threat to keel-haul.
As such, you yank some kind of shiv out of the hands of one of your Fairies. Seriously!

With much cheering, your handful of boats joins with Mahans and charges Yamato and Nagato's little fleet. They've clustered close together, though, what are they doing?! They're just one big target!

The outlying boats fall first, and Yamato's boats begin boarding yours. They fight all the way to the center boat... and then her Fairies begin screaming and backing up. Wha-?

Everyone's eyes bulge in shock as you witness one Fairy standing atop his little boat's boiler, the engine having been... rigged somehow. And given how it's hissing and bulging, you think you know what it's been turned into.

"Give me liberty," the Fairy shouts as he raises a hammer, "or give me DEATH!"

And with that cry of patriotism, he brings his implement down onto the boiler.

The explosion is comparatively massive, although not really for you. Still, the shockwave capsizes every boat, tossing all the screaming Fairies into the water to tread waves.

The offending Fairy sails through the air, screaming, "God Bless the USAAAAaaaaaa~"

Before landing in Hoppo's hair. Hoppo seems not to notice.

"..." Yamato looks to you and Mahan, a bit frazzled, "Whose Fairy was that?"

You and Mahan share a look. Um, you don't know.

{Options}​

[] Write in...

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

[x] Continue looking at Mahan just long enough to establish comedic timing
-[x] Look back to Yamato
--[x] Simultaneously point at each other
---[x] Look innocent
You and Mahan stare at each other for a few moments, waiting for the other to fess up. When neither of you do, you look back to Yamato at exactly the same time as Mahan, and point at your fellow Destroyer as she points at you.
You are as innocent as a baby and no one can pin this on you.

Yamato looks back and forth between the two of you, and giggles in good humor. Nagato looks rather unamused, but isn't angry either.

Then, some high-pitched shouts draw your attention. In Hoppo's hair, the Fairy waves at you and Mahan, beckoning excitedly.
You share a glance with Mahan. You don't know what he wants... might as well check it out.

As it turns out-

---

"And you say your Fairy found this?" the Japanese Admiral asks, impressed, the lot of you circled around Hoppo in the Naval Base's R&D Lab.

"Yes, ma'am!" you beam proudly, glad that your Fairy was the one that discovered the entrance into Hoppo.

Turned out she had a tiny hatch hidden under her hair.
Who would have thought.

"Thank you for this discovery, my American friends," Yamato bows humbly to you and Mahan, "Now, it's my turn!"

Yamato's marines, a bunch of Fairy soldiers wielding Arisaka Rifles and Nambu pistols, all start getting psyched up as they prepare to explore the inside of an Abyssal ship. Although Hoppo's Rigging was scrapped, apparently she had more internal compartments. Which is kind of weird, since you Shipgirls don't have anything like that.

They line up and slip into the hatch, Hoppo staring straight ahead, not even acknowledging that this is happening.

"Mahan, what do you think is inside?" you whisper to the other DD, who shrugs.

"I dunno, Porter. Treasure?" Mahan speculates, "We'll just have to wait and-"

Yamato suddenly clutches her hands, becoming very distressed as she hears a report from her marines over the line running from them out the hatch, and into her comm equipment. You start to hear the sound of repeated gunfire from within Hoppo, along with bloodcurdling screams. After several tense minutes, during which Yamato mutters under her breath to her marines to pull out, one solitary Fairy manages to claw its way out the hatch. He's bleeding all over, and collapses next to the hatch. Little Fairy medics pick him up and carry him away, and as he's taken to get medical help, you hear him mutter, "B-Bakemono..."

That means "Monster".

As he is sped away, Hoppo repeats, "Go Home," and this time, even Nagato looks perturbed.

"Alright, we're putting this Abyssal under lock and key," the Admiral curses, flipping open her phone, "I'm going to call in some specialists. Maybe they can-"

At this, Hoppo suddenly leaps off the examination table, and before any of you can react, she jumps up and bodily crashes through a vent cover.

A faint, "Going Home," can be heard before she skitters off to parts unknown. Nagato looks positively horrified.

"Kusooo," the Admiral hisses through grit teeth as she pulls her radio off her belt, and begins shouting orders in Japanese. Sirens begin blaring all over the base as this unexpected emergency utterly shatters the peace.

"Porter! Mahan!" Yamato calls out to the two of you, "We need to search the base! Will you escort me?"

Escort Yamato? Escort a Super Battleship?
Fuck yeah.

"Roger!" you nod grimly as you manifest your Rigging. Mahan does the same. With the two of you, no harm can come to Yamato... actually, it's probably you two who need protecting, but you're not placing any bets.
Besides, you got better AA than Yamato in case planes attack. You remember that specific Abyssal used to have planes.

---

It's been an hour, and a thorough search has turned up nothing. Halfway through, they even called in the JSDF. Attack helicopters have been circling the base perimeter, and even dogs have been brought out to try and sniff the Abyssal out. Nagato has been fairly dazed in her searching, obviously reeling from betrayal and fear.

You, Mahan, and Yamato went to go search the Factory. It's dark. Materials to summon Shipgirls are all over the place. Magical Circles are drawn on the floor and a large pool of water dominates one side of the factory. You can't see the bottom.

The three of you wander from corner to corner, shining spotlights on the darkest of areas, but to no avail.

"Is she still even on base?" Mahan wonders as she checks what must be the twentieth box containing nothing but bauxite, "Maybe she escaped?"

"Probably not," Yamato replied as she turned over some bars of steel, inspecting underneath, "She has no Rigging, remember? Nowhere to go, and she wouldn't go farther inland. There are too many security checkpoints."

You sigh as you pass a Summoning Circle, still warm. You wonder what Shipgirl was summoned so recently? Whatever, you've got to find that Abyssal.

So... where to look next? Not like it'll be any different than the last place you searched.

{Options}​

[] Check the vents... again.
[] Maybe she's hiding in an oil barrel? You don't know.
[] Is she hiding with the steel bars?
[] Maybe she's in an ammo crate?
[] You see something beneath the water. It's massive.