USS Halsey

Captain Robert Jeffery knew damn well he was taking risks he couldn't afford.

The ships of his squadron had been once more ordered into harm's way. Sent to meet the enemy, and push them back. A desperate move given the situation, but one that had to be made. To surrender the initiative to the Abyssals was the same thing as just letting them run rampant through the oceans. Admit to the world that the monsters now owned the seas.

Captain Jeffery should have remained in Pearl, where it was safe. He should have stayed in the rear and lead his ships from a position of safety, not sailed with them on some sort of idealistic crusade. But, as he had learned long ago, there were times when caution and safety were prized above all else, but there were also times when a commander needed to stand with his men as they marched towards the sound of the guns.

Deep down he knew that wasn't exactly true. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. Letting his hatred towards the Abyssals influence his decisions, but Robert Jeffery had decided several weeks ago that he no longer cared. The monsters had wounded him deeply. They had ripped out the one thing he cherished above all else when they took his daughter, and now they were going to pay. If he had to sell his life for that goal, then so be it. No one was going to accuse him of being overzealous in his battle against this enemy.

They had been at sea for nearly a week now. Making good time in their dash towards the contested sea lanes. The mission, as it had been explained, was part reconnaissance patrol, and part blockade run. The Navy needed to know what sort of forces the Abyssals deployed along the major trade routes. What their strengths were, their numbers, and if they could be beaten. There was supposedly another task force from 7th Fleet making the same run in the opposite direction, but no one could be certain of that. Jeffery laid out his battle plans with the idea that his ships would be all by themselves whenever the Abyssals finally appeared.

No one knew exactly where they were, or why no trace of them had been detected for the last several days. It hit home just how little they knew about the enemy. What were their doctrines, where did they base, and did they even need to resupply? Jeffery had pulled up just about every scrap of intelligence that he could lay his hands on, and was slowly reading through the documents that had accumulated on his computer. If he was going to come up with a plan to fight them, then he had to first know how they fought.

Jeffery rubbed at his eyes unconsciously. He had been staring at the monitor for almost three hours now, and the harsh light was beginning to take its toll. No matter what he read, the reports were making it painfully clear the sum total of their knowledge about the Abyssals was that they made no sense. They shouldn't be able to appear undetected, they shouldn't be able to confuse the hell out of the radar, and they damn sure shouldn't be able to shrug off modern weapons like they were nothing. Their uncanny ability to make expensive missiles go haywire was far too well known, but no one had a clue as how to circumvent it. Not yet at least.

So far the best idea that Jeffery had was to overwhelm them with numbers. He had possessed just enough foresight to offload the majority of his ship's anti-air missiles, and take on every anti-ship missile that they would let him have. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.

Jeffery unconsciously reached for the mug perched next to his computer, then groaned with annoyance when his discovered that it was empty. With a loud grunt, Jeffery pushed himself back from the desk. He had spent far too long folded into that chair and it was well past time for a break. He threw on his jacket and walked towards the wardroom.

The officers mess was empty when Jeffery walked in. That was understandable, it was well after midnight. He walked over to the carafe bolted to the aft bulkhead and refilled his mug. Jeffery took another look around the space and discovered it wasn't as empty as he had first thought. Sitting at the back of the space, her head lying on a table, was Charlie Ausburne. The destroyer was fast asleep on the table, utterly dead to the world. She looked so young lying like that, so innocent.

The single good thing to emerge from this whole scenario was the ship girls. It was as if the universe had decided after springing the Abyssals on the world, it was going to create a counter. Jeffery couldn't help but feel torn whenever he thought of the ship girls. The rational part of him explained that they were the only chance of beating back the monsters, and the only way they could do that was by fighting. But the emotional part of him screamed these girls had to be protected. They had to be sent as far away from the battlefield as possible and allowed to live a normal life. It was a conflict that had been raging inside him for weeks now, and it was something that would probably never fade away.

On impulse, Jeffery grabbed a second mug off the serving table and filled it from the carafe. He placed it on the table next to Charlie, then eased himself down across from her. "You know, if you lay like that, you're going to cramp something awful."

Charlie looked up in surprise, blinking rapidly against the harsh light.

"Not a morning person I see," Jeffery quipped. With a look of surprise, Charlie pushed her chair back, but stopped when Jeffery raised a hand. "You don't have to do that."

Charlie eased herself back down into the chair, but didn't relax. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Jeffery made a dismissive wave. "You've been on patrol for something like twelve hours now. The fact that you made it this far into the ship before collapsing amazes me." Charlie began to protest, but Jeffery cut her off. "I've been in the service long enough to know how it feels to pull a long watch." He looked her over for a few seconds before changing the subject. "So, how's shipboard life treating you?"

She leaned back, relaxing slightly, then took a pull from her coffee. "It's not what I remembered."

"Some things will probably never change," Jeffery said with a nod. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Well, Spence got seasick in that squall we went through yesterday." A grin split Charlie's face as she spoke, "How a ship can get seasick is beyond me, but she did. Claxton took $200 off your senior NCOs in a poker game before we left port, and they've been trying to get it back. Dyson's been quiet. I think she's been lost in a book."

"Sounds like you girls have been having fun," Jeffery said with a grin. He fell silent, slowly sipping at his coffee as Charlie went on. He was having trouble convincing himself that she wasn't just a normal girl. Right now, Charlie Ausburne wasn't a ship. She wasn't the spirit of a destroyer given human form. She was a girl trying to make the most out of a situation she didn't understand. Jeffery tried his best to conceal the sudden storm of emotions that roared within, to keep his face emotionless, but his efforts were less than successful.

Charlie trailed off, stopping in the middle of a story about Claxton's poker prowess. She took a deep breath, then asked, "There something wrong, Captain?"

Jeffery looked at her for a long moment, then slowly set his coffee mug down. "You've faced the Abyssals. You've fought the Abyssals. I need to know everything there is to know about them if I'm going to make plans, and all the official reports are worthless."

Charlie stared at the aft bulkhead for a long moment, and when her eyes swiveled back to Jeffery, her happy look was gone. It was replaced by something far darker. "When I look at an Abyssal, the one thing I think is it's just wrong. It's not something that should be real. Captain they're strong, they're ruthless, and they don't stop."

Jeffery placed his arms over the table and leaned in. "So, how do we beat them?"

"You pound them until there is nothing left but floating scrap," Charlie replied, slamming an open palm down on the table.

Jeffery knew that she was trying to be serious and put on a determined look, but all he could think about was how much she looked like his daughter. She had the same drive. The same spirit to push as hard as possible, and it broke Robert Jeffery's heart. He closed his eyes as the latest wave of sadness washed over him.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Jeffery looked up at the destroyer. "You know," he said, voice soft, "You don't have to fight the Abyssals. You girls could walk away if you wanted and no one would think less of you."

Charlie looked stunned, as if she was having trouble processing what Jeffery had just said. When she spoke her voice was calm and collected, but it was clear there was a fire burning behind her slate gray eyes. "Sir, I was built to do one thing, to protect my country. I may not be made of rivets and steel anymore, but I still plan to do that job, and the rest of us feel the same way." The look she gave Jeffery was one that bordered on contempt. As if she couldn't understand why he had insulted her honor.

"I expected as much," Jeffery said with a sigh, "But it was worth the question."

"Sir, if we're talking about the Abyssals, there was something I wanted to bring up," Charlie said.

Jeffery raised an eyebrow at the sudden subject change, then gestured for her to continue.

"When I was on patrol, I kept getting these faint radar returns at damn near max range," Charlie said, sheepishly, "I couldn't firm anything up though."

"Ships?" Jeffery asked, leaning forward.

"No, that's just the thing, they were air contacts, but the Abyssals don't have planes. Do they?" Charlie's face grew confused as she remembered the details.

"Not to my knowledge," Jeffery replied, "But as I said earlier, we know jack squat about them. They could have planes for all we know." Jeffery closed his eyes and sucked in a long breath, "I knew it was far to quiet. Charlie, I'm going to step up your patrol rotation. Tell your sisters to report anything, and I mean anything, they deem noteworthy. I will not be caught with my pants down."

"Aye sir," Charlie replied, nodding her understanding. "You got anything else for me?"

Jeffery pushed himself to his feet. He had wasted enough time as it was, and it was only getting later. "Carry on, Charlie, I'll let you know in the morning. Right now I think we both could use some rest."

A sly grin spread itself across Charlie's face. "I'll see you later then, Kapitan."

Jeffery merely nodded in reply, then walked out of the mess. His mind was racing as he moved towards his stateroom. Ship girls who were far more than they appeared, Abyssal surprises, and new plans. He wasn't going to get a wink of sleep tonight, and he damn well knew it.