Author's Note – This story is the result of an expanded idea from some originally oneshot images I decided to draw. Not everything follows the official KanColle canon setting. If the series gets popular enough I might draw some illustrations for the story as well.

As this shall be my first written fiction, reviews are extremely welcome and appreciated. Now, let us begin!

20/7 Edit: Added extra info to notes section that I forgot to clarify.

Log Entry 1 – 2/4/20XX, Monday

This has been the first day since I've arrived at the Ironbottom Sound Naval Base and Research Centre. Things have been pretty chaotic already, and no doubt it's only going to get worse, so I'm doing as Marquis suggested and keeping a personal log to help keep track of everything. Not sure what the official policy on this is considering our operations are supposed to be hush and hush, but I'm keeping this to myself only anyway so no one besides Marquis and I should even know of these logs in the first place. Plus, if ever something were to happen to me and someone finds this logbook off my body at least my story may be passed on.

Even now as I sit in my new dorm writing this it's hard to believe I took the job in the first place. Sure I was out of a job for over a year, wife left with the kids for some wanker with a condo, at the rate things were going I wouldn't even be able to afford the rent in another month. But desperate enough to be working for the Abyssal Fleet? I used to consider myself a man of morals above the lures of fame and fortune, but it's funny how priorities change after you've just lost everything around you. Still, I might not have took the call seriously if Marquis wasn't the one on the other end. That man's always found himself in strange company for as long as I've met him, figured what's there left to lose in humoring him again? Sure beats sleeping on the streets.

Damn, I'm even more exhausted than I thought. I'll just get some shuteye now and continue this tomorrow, got a long day ahead of me.

Log Entry 2 – 7/4/20XX, Saturday

It's already the end of the week as I write this entry. Between familiarizing myself with my new workplace and catching up to the existing research info on the Abyssals and Fleet Girls, there wasn't really any time to write another log.

I suppose I should continue where I left off last time. Damn it felt like so long ago when I only started work for a week, that first day.

There were only two other blokes waiting with me at the harbor that night, some black-haired oriental girl who looked fresh out of high school, and some old muscled guy wearing a tattered admiral uniform. The little lady looked way too excited about going to work with hostile aliens, all fidgety and whatnot, looking at her watch every few seconds and grinning all the way as if she won a free trip to some tropical paradise and the plane was arriving; the old man was the complete opposite, just standing there at parade rest staring out into the dark ocean, one could mistake him for a statue if it wasn't for his coat and beard flowing in the ocean breeze. Meanwhile I'm just standing there shivering, from the cold or from the nervousness I don't know. I've seen what they were capable of, and the very thought of living so close to an entire armada of them set off all my danger senses. Still, the promise of adventure was quite enticing after rotting in an apartment for over a year sending resumes and surfing the internets, it almost gave me a sense of anticipation really. Almost.

It was about 2 am. Just when I started suspecting this was all some elaborate prank from Marquis and the long costly bus ride out here was for nothing, the submarine (non-living variety) surfaced from the murky waters. A sub trip in the dead of night, if that doesn't scream "THIS IS SOME REAL SHADY BUSINESS WE GOT HERE" I don't know what does. The hatch opened and we stood there for a bit, waiting. When it became clear no one was coming out to greet us, the girl just shrugged and hopped right in, followed by the old guy who finally moved to climb aboard. Welp, it's now or never, I thought as I climbed on and into the sub, but not before taking one last glance at the outside world before shutting the hatch behind me, wondering if I'll survive my 10 year contract.

Mere seconds after I closed the hatch the sub went under and began its journey back. Turns out the sub was completely automated, there was no crew, no people at all besides the three of us. Shows how much they care about our safety I suppose. We sat there on the metal benches within the single chamber of the sub in awkward silence…at least, awkward for me. The girl was still giddy as ever, either walking around the small chamber or poking at her phone; old man was just as calm as before, sitting there arms crossed opposite me. Our eyes never met, but I could clearly feel his silent judging. I wonder what he thought of me…probably "a spineless wanker who won't survive a month", heh. A few times I considered breaking the ice with them, but ultimately decided against it; one seemed like a man of few words, the other barely seems to notice I exist, and I was never quite the social butterfly anyway, so reading novels it was for the length of the trip.

Several hours passed without a single word spoken. Eventually, we heard the sound of the sub surfacing; just as Iorek and Iofur were finally about to duel too, go figure. Soon the hatch opened and we quickly climbed out to the early morning sky, in the same order we boarded with. The first thing I did was take a breath of fresh air; after being cooped in that stagnant little chamber for hours, the caress of the salty sea breeze was incredibly refreshing. Couple that with the soft sound of waves crashing against the beach and the cries of seabirds as they flew through the clear blue heavens, I almost forgot we were in alien territory and not on vacation for a second. A little beach on the south-east end of Savo Island was where we were at, with a small path leading inland to our destination. There were fresh tire tracks on the road, though we didn't have the privilege of another free ride.

Out of the blue the girl spoke, "Hey, race ya guys there! Oh and don't go off the path looking for shortcuts, wouldn't want to run into the security systems would ya?", and ran off laughing down the path; I swear that brat was leering at me specifically when she warned us. Meanwhile the old mute simply shook his head and strolled off after her, completely ignoring her challenge. I just tagged along after him, not in the mood for games. Once again I attempted conversing with him on our way to the base, but each attempt was met with nothing more than glances of disapproval. Did I really look like such a useless mongrel to them?

After about a half hour of walking we finally made it to the building, which looked less like an alien military and science facility and more like some millionaires island getaway. Which it was actually, it's legally owned by some fat cat, who's no doubt also financing part of this whole operation. It was of course much more than just a vacation home. The mansion was nothing more than the living quarters for the human staff and a disguise for the real base that lay underground and underwater. Even if the island was being observed somehow, we'd seem like nothing more than residents and visitors; a completely abandoned island would actually be far more suspicious and easier to investigate. Hiding in plain sight, I think they call this. Either way, it's a bloody mansion that we get to live in for FREE, so I ain't complaining.

The kid was waiting at the door, pouting. "Geez, you knuckleheads didn't even freaking try! What, would a little running kill ya?" I rolled my eyes and the old bloke walked right past her and hit the doorbell. The speaker underneath sparked to life: "Name, purpose?"

"Sakuri Smith, Charles invited me over to play some Zombie EVISCERATE!"

"Anton Kaiser, I came to see Abigail."

I cleared my throat and followed suit. "Harrison Wright, Mr. Kennedy requested my arrival. I even brought his favorite chocolate CHARLOTTE as a gift."

"Understood. Master Kennedy will be waiting for you in the guest room to the right. Welcome and enjoy your stay." With that the doors swung open. I felt Anton glance at me again as we passed through the doorway, not with disdain for once surprisingly, though I couldn't tell what it was instead.

The place looked as grandeur as I would imagine; golden chandeliers, gaudy-looking paintings, statues and exotic pottery, French maids in frilly dresses dusting stuff. The only thing that looked off was how pale the maids looked, though I figured it was probably just the lighting. We found the door to the guest room locked…and I could hear strange noises on the other end. Sakuri wasted no time knocking (or should I say pounding) on the door.

"Just a second, friends!" came from within the room. As we waited, the brat chuckled. "Abigail? Charlotte? Your code words were freakin' obvious y'know that?" She whispered just loud enough for us to hear. "You don't get to say that, Miss Eviscerate." I returned. "Shaddup, it could've easily been Zombie or Charles!" Anton just shook his head once again.

After definitely more than a second, the doors finally opened. Mr. Kennedy was waiting there on the posh silk sofa, another maid standing beside him. "Welcome, friends! Please, do take a seat. Our servants will provide you all with refreshments and show you around the premises, but in the meantime, let's get down to business."

We went over the basics there, nothing unexpected really. I was to be working with the other researchers on the site, though the actual contents of the project he didn't know. Sakuri's part of the engineering department (it appears she's smarter than she lets on), and Anton's the replacement admiral for Division 5, as the previous commander…disappeared due to mysterious circumstances. Nothing really stood out except for one thing: We were to never enter the 3 lowest floors.

After the briefing we received our ID cards, the maids served us the best bloody tarts I've ever tasted and we went on a tour of the mansion while sipping fruit punch. It turns out the entrance to the real facilities was the elevator, which required a special combination of key pressings (In case I ever forget, it's 5324514). After the maid pushed in the code, the lift started going down. A long way down, far beneath the surface of the Earth, took a full 3 minutes before it finally stopped, after which we had to take an underground tram ride back out into the ocean. Finally we had made it to the Abyssal military and research facility, one of the few bases of the aliens' operations around the planet, and it was….underwhelming, to say the least.

Besides the reinforced titanium walls and slightly futuristic-looking lights and doors, it looked like any other naval base. Though to be honest I'm not even sure what I expected. Some hive of evil made entirely out of that black alloy the Abyssal Destroyers are made of perhaps? Sakuri looked even more let down. Maybe this job won't be as crazy as I anticipated, I thought. It turned out we were in for a little more excitement during the tour than I first expected though.

As we walked towards the laboratories to drop me off, three Abyssals suddenly ambushed us from around a corner and blocked our way, two light carrier Nu-Classes and a Battleship Ta-Class in the middle. Three more He-Class Light Cruisers appeared behind us, trapping us in the hallway. All of them were fully armed too, I didn't have to be a genius to figure out what they wanted. Our maid guide yelled something at them in some weird language (it was at this point I realized all the maids were in fact Abyssals), to which the Ta-Class replied with something before she started glaring at the three of us.

"Well well, if it isn't the new meatbags?" She stood there arms crossed, head tilted to one side. Sakuri's leer made me want to pinch and pull at her cheek, but this punter's smug smile and voice made me want to stick a fist down her throat. "I don't know how feverish the others had to be to think hiring HUMANS to help would be a good idea, much less human ADMIRALS to command us, but the rest of us know better. We don't need you worthless scum to fight against those copycat Fleet Girls, the Princesses will deal with that! You're all only worthy to be fuel for their Demons!"

She blabbed more stuff about how they would make the other humans "know their place" by making an example out of us, but I was too busy formulating an escape plan to pay much attention. The He-Classes were obviously weaker targets compared to the three in front; looking at the way they moved it was clear they had slow reflexes, not to mention the Nu-Classes had no way to directly attack us except sending out their plane droids. If we turned around and rushed the Hes at the same time we may be able to gain an element of surprise. Anton looked physically able to take one down even without weapons, and I had my pocket knife, while Sakuri could probably just outrun everyone as soon as we take down part of the blockade. From there we can use the Hes as shields against Ta's cannons while we race back to the tram. Considering the tight spaces of the corridors, the Nus' planes should be easy to defend against as well.

Yet just as I was about to get the other two's attention, I instead heard a whisper: "Permission to kill?" "Maim." Replied our guide with a sigh. The cocky Ta was still waving her finger around in the air while lecturing about being the master race when two holes were blasted out of the Nus' thighs. Before either I or the Abyssals could understand what happened, Anton had already turned around and smashed the three Hes into the wall with a single punch. The flabbergasted Ta could only stand there with her mouth agape like some dumb wanker, clothes stained with the dark blue blood of her pals, a finger still held in the air as she stared into the smoking barrels of the two revolvers Sakuri was aiming straight at her eyes with. I couldn't exactly blame her neither, I probably had much the same expression on my face.

"Not so tough now, ARE ya chucklenuts?"

Bang.

Our guide called in some more Nu-Classes (non-crazy ones, thankfully) to carry the knocked out Abyssals to the docks. Thankfully for everyone our little gunslinger shot the Ta's legs instead of her head. Considering what they did to the Nus' thighs, I'd probably have nightmares for weeks if she took the headshot. Strangely it did do a lot less damage to the Ta in comparison despite both shots hitting what appeared to be flesh, she probably passed out from shock more than actual injury.

By then I had recovered from the surprise and we continued on without further incident. Our guide grumbled about how she had to fill in another report for this incident while Anton walked on as if nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. Sakuri just giddily simulated the "fight" to herself with finger guns repeatedly. Not another word was spoken between the four of us until we arrived at the science labs, where Marquis was waiting for me.

"The hell was that ruckus outside? Them crazy ladies causing trouble again brother?" He asked as we walked into the labs after the other three moved on. "If by trouble you mean getting their posteriors served back to them on a diamond encrusted platter before they were even done ordering, then yes."

I explained what just happened to him. He just laughed as if this happened every other day. "Well what did you expect brother? A warm welcoming with open arms? Well I do know a few Abyssal sisters here who are quite fond of us humans actually, but that don't mean there aren't any who'd like to rip yo balls off first chance they get! I mean, how would you feel if you were trying to move into some new house and the place was filled with rats who start tryin' ta give you orders? Won't matter if the real estate dude asks you nicely to get along with'em, will it? You'd still try to smash the little pests!"

"Quite frankly if rats were intelligent enough to communicate with us or if I could speak rat I would try to live with them in peace." He laughed some more. "Would you now? Still ever the pacifist eh, Harry!" I sidestepped before he could start clapping on my back again. "Oops, sorry brother, old habits die hard!" "It's fine, I know you mean well." I tried my best to hide my cringe from remembering when he did hit last time. Ouch.

He proceeded to introduce me to the rest of the research team, which consisted of 6 people total, including Marquis and I: Tall, blue-haired Victoria; her shy little brother Rick; well-mannered Noel; and the ever cheerful Trales. They all seemed like nice people, but if Sakuri and Anton were anything to go by I should be wary around them just in case. Looking back now I should have expected all this; regardless of any truce ordered by whoever commands the Abyssal Fleet, we're still amidst an army of alien cyborgs supposedly trying to take over the planet. One would require some…particular sets of skills in order to survive in a place like this.

The rest of the day went by without further incidents. We were to research new ship classes for the Abyssals to use against the Fleet Girls for now, though I needed to catch up to all the research info we currently had of both sides first. I'll be attaching the notes I've taken so far at the end of this log.

At last the day was at its end. Mentally exhausted, I returned to the mansion a little earlier than everyone else for a good night's rest. A package was waiting for me outside my new bedroom's door though.

"A little gift I prepared. You'll know how to use this. Welcome to the party brother!" read the note attached. A strange tool lay under the wrappings, looking like something right out of the Abyssal's arsenal. It took me a minute to realize it was a modified sledgehammer. Bloody hell, Marquis, just because I used a sledge that ONE time…still, it's undeniably better than the little knife I had. With a sigh I placed it by my drawer and nearly passed out on the bed right afterwards to a night of fitful slumber. Who knows when I'll need to use that gift.

Since that day I've spent the rest of the week studying up. Reminds me of my simpler days back in college really. Things have been going smoothly so far, and it looks like our little scuffle with Ta-Class and friends had quite the opposite effect from what she aimed for; the few Abyssals we encountered these days avert their eyes and were awfully polite about everything; even the grunts that can't talk salute and scurry away as soon as we pass by. However I just can't shake the feeling something big's going to happen soon, for better or worse. All the more reason to rest up now while I still can.

Research Notes

History of Abyssals and Fleet Girls

The Abyssals first showed up 5 years ago; sightings of large mechanical beasts with obsidian-like armor attacking ships grew more and more rampant over the course of months. Soon military from around the world attempted to combat the creatures, but nothing they had was effective; it's not that our weapons didn't do any harm, the beasts were resistant but by no means invulnerable; problem was that every time enough damage was dealt to sink one, it would resurface again within minutes completely repaired. Humanity's armies were pushed back without a means of taking down the beasts for good, until even coastal cities began to be assaulted.

Then the Faeries showed up, tiny humanoids only about a few cm tall. They called themselves aliens who were fighting the Abyssal creatures in some kind of interstellar war and offered to help us. Running out of options, the militaries were forced to trust the strange beings.

It turned out that only the Abyssal's own weapons could deal lasting damage to them, but only an Abyssal can control the weapons in the first place. However, using the nanobots provided by the faeries, it was possible to genetically rebuild certain humans (but only females) into half-Abyssals capable of controlling Abyssal technology. Thus the first Fleet Girls were created.

For a time the FGs successfully pushed the Abyssals back, but casualties were inevitable. Soon after the first few FGs were sunk in combat, sightings of humanoid Abyssals sprung up, ones far stronger than the regular beastly ones. It was later discovered that after death, the nanobots within the FGs take over, converting and reanimating them into full Abyssals. Possible cures for this "Abyssimilation" are still being researched.

Abyssal/FG Biology

For starters, all Abyssals can emit a special EM field capable of disrupting most human telecommunications and tracking technology; the stronger the Abyssal, the longer the range. It's like creating pocket Bermuda Triangles. The FGs navigate through the strong EM fields in Abyssal territories using special compasses created by the Faeries, though even that's not very reliable as it tracks the nearest Abyssal instead of pointing at a designated direction and has a short effective range. The FGs themselves can emit the field as well, though to a much weaker degree.

Unlike true Abyssals, FGs are still vulnerable to regular weaponry due to their half-blood nature. However, their bodies are still significantly more resilient than humans, ranging from being slightly tougher (Destroyers) to stronger than tanks (Battleships). Abyssals are even more resilient, and on top of that can quickly self-regenerate any damage from normal weapons. It seems the nanobots inside their bodies are responsible for their resistance and regeneration, though I feel the bots alone don't explain how tough some of the FGs and Abyssals can get. Both are significantly less resistant to Abyss tech, due to special properties within the Abyss Alloy used to make these weapons that seem to inhibit the nanobots' functions.

While Abyssals can't quickly regenerate from damage from the Abyss tech FGs use, it's still possible to heal them by submerging the wounds in concentrated nanobot paste, even if said Abyssal has taken lethal damage, long as there's enough of the body left. There are even submarine teams dedicated to salvaging as many sunk Abyssals as they can. FGs use the same method to heal wounds after sorties, though unlike Abyssals, lethal wounds are, well, lethal, and will result in Abyssimilation no matter what.

Both FGs and Abyssals no longer eat human food. Well they CAN, but it won't give them much energy. Instead, they seem to eat various metals, minerals and fuel instead.

Both FGs and Abyssals have the ability to glide on water surfaces, much like ice skating. Unlike FGs however, Abyssals can breathe underwater.

While a rare occurrence, Abyssals with "auras" during combat have been observed before. These Auraed (or "Elite") Abyssals are significantly stronger than their regular counterparts, and also appear to be more intelligent. It's still unknown what creates the aura, though it's theorized to have something to do with both combat experience and extreme emotional responses, hence why it's more commonly seen amongst FG Abyssals that are smarter and experience more emotions than creature Abyssals. Even those who have learned to freely reactivate the aura don't seem to truly understand how they're doing it.

Abyssal Technology

Abyss Tech namely refers to weapons made out of Abyss Alloy. While simple melee weapons such as blades and hammers can be wielded even by the average joe, more advanced armaments such as cannons and torpedoes can only be controlled by Abyssals or FGs. They simply don't trigger when a human uses them.

This actually begs the question, how did Sakuri use HER guns? They were clearly Abyss Tech, but she's not an FG…is she? I should remember to ask her at some point.

Abyssal Types

Destroyers: The most basic Abyssals. Fish-like monstrosities completely armored in that black alloy commonly used by all Abyssals. They're about the size of sailboats. Seems to be barely sentient beasts. The process to creating them isn't quite clear even to the Engineering team. All they know is they make regular ship components, hand them over to the Abyssals, and the components are converted and combined into living Abyssal Destroyers somewhere else, unlike with equipment which the team directly makes with the black Abyssal Alloy. There are 4 types of Destroyers, differing slightly by appearance and armaments: I, Ro, Ha, Ni.

Light Cruisers: Vaguely humanoid abominations. It's speculated they are the results of regular human corpses being crudely Abyssimilated. Incapable of speech both in our language and the aliens', though they seem to at least understand orders in the aliens' language. They have intelligence approximately equal to cavemen. 3 types: Ho, He, To. Or as I like to call them: Crawlers, Masks, Dinos.

Light Aircraft Carriers: About the same as LCs, though these also function as hives for Abyssal Planes, which resemble hand-sized droids with guns. The planes themselves seem to be alive and can move independently of a Carrier's control. I myself have seen a few of them fly around the base on their own like birds. Only the Nus belong to this category. They're often used as laborers due to their muscles, while the planes act as messengers.

Transport Ships: The Wa-Class. Strange and rather disturbing appearance, they act as living transport vessels for goods such as materials and sometimes salvaged Abyssals. Despite being vaguely humanoid like the LCs, the Was seem to be barely sentient.

Torpedo Cruisers: The Chi-Class, the weakest FG Abyssal type. In a way they resemble less mutated versions of Hes, considering they both have non-detachable masks, though Chis' are smaller, just covering the eyes. The larger cannon arm of the Hes became detachable aquatic "motorbikes" for the Chis. The bikes themselves are also alive, much like the planes, and seem capable of telepathic communication with the Chis. The Chis themselves have limited speech ability, though other than that they're as intelligent as the average school kid. Their naivety and curiosity are quite charming really when you get to know one.

Heavy Cruisers: The Ri-Class. If it wasn't for the cords attached to her back she'd probably pass as human. Well, that and the pale skin and glowing eyes. The cords can attach to arm cannons to power them. They're quite fluent speakers with intelligence that of the average teen, though they seem to be emotionally paralyzed. They even speak in monotone.

Submarines: Not quite as human as the other FG Abyssals, but not quite as monstrous as the LCs. While all Abyssals can breathe and move freely underwater, the subs are most adept at underwater stealth and speed, unlike other ship types that are more mobile on the surface. There are 3 classes of submarine: Ka, Yo, So.

Standard Aircraft Carriers: The Wo-Class. They look completely humanoid (and quite pretty actually), besides a monstrous jellyfish-like hat that they wear, which acts as a hive for the planes. They can take the hat off though, and can also "switch off" the glow in their eyes, after which one could barely tell her apart from a regular human…once again besides the skin. Much like Ris' motorbikes, the hats appear to be individually alive and can talk telepathically with the Wos. Perfect speech ability and adult human intelligence, though they seem to have a habit of referring to themselves in third person and have a low emotional range.

Battleships: The highest class of natural Abyssals besides the Demons and Princesses. Completely humanoid with incredible strength and durability even without their armaments. As displayed when Sakuri attacked during the incident, damage capable of completely ripping apart a Nu's flesh only gave the Ta a shallow bullet wound. The Battleships seem to differ greatly in personality between individuals, likely a result from their higher intelligence and emotional range. There are two classes of Battleships, the black-haired Ru and the white-haired Ta.

Demons and Princesses: The echelon of the Abyssal hierarchy, they are treated as royalty by the other Abyssals. Unlike the other Abyssals, each Demon and Princess is one-of-a-kind. The Demons are monstrous creatures of varying size and appearance, while the Princesses are humanoids similar to the Battleships. Each Princess controls a respective Demon; they can attach together into one entity, or separate and fight on their own. While with the Demons what you see is what you get when it comes to their power, the Princesses, much more so than even the Battleships, are inhumanly powerful despite their slender human bodies. It's still unknown to us how they're created; the other Abyssals probably know, but they're not telling. Interestingly, it seems even the Princesses answer to some higher authority, though who or what that is we have no idea. We currently have 7 sets of Demons and Princesses.

Aviation Battleship Re-Class

This was the most recently completed and most dangerous project by the research team here. The Re-Class, created using advanced genetic modification on recently sunk FGs still in the process of Abyssimilation, coupled with new equipment made by the engineering department. The result was a tailed FG Abyssal with power rivaling even the Demons and Princesses. Only 3 have been created so far, 2 of which have been sent to the other Abyssal bases around the globe, so we only have 1 right now.

Re's tail is a symbiotic creature similar to Wo's hive hat and Chi's motorbike, with the difference that the tail is biologically connected to Re and cannot be detached. Far stronger in terms of strength, speed and stamina than even the Battleships, combined with the high-end weaponry installed into her tail, she has all the power of a Demon or Princess with far more mobility. The backpack she carries around also acts as a container for the new Flying-Fish Dive Bomber planes created by the Engineering team, which are smaller yet more powerful than the regular planes, at the cost of being non-living machinery that must be controlled psychically by Re herself, though that also means a huge number can be packed together in tight spaces unlike regular Abyss planes.

From what I've seen from the Re we have (the science team nick-named her Recette), she seems to behave like a playful child around the base. Despite being very friendly and generally adorable, recorded footage from her first sortie against an FG patrol team reminded me of Sakuri all over again, except 10 times worse. Throughout the fight she displayed intelligence and ruthlessness far beyond her normal behavior, mercilessly and gleefully sinking 3 of the 6 members of the patrol team while nigh crippling everyone else all by herself. I could never quite enjoy her lab visits as much ever since watching that.