Chapter 1: Admiral's Order

The silence that pervaded the auditorium only served to emphasize the gloomy atmosphere of the naval district.

Despite almost every ship girl gathered in one place, there was little to no conversation happening. Most of them were either fidgeting in their seats, or glancing at the door that led to the command center where Nagato was currently having a meeting with the Admiral. All were awaiting an explanation about this new and deadly foe Ooi had encountered.

Already, rumors were starting to spread. Some theorized it was a new class of Abyssal specifically created to hunt down and eat ship girls. Others thought it could actually be a new enemy that was not even related to the Abyssals, and the creature had emerged to conquer both Earth and where ever dimension Abyssal came from. Whatever the monster was, it had shaken up the whole district.

Speaking of the creature, not much was known about it. Ooi was too traumatized to even describe the monster properly. And since she had only seen the arms and part of the head, those information were not enough. Apparently though, the Admiral somehow knew what it was if his reaction to Ooi's description was anything to judge by.

For her part, Fubuki hoped everything would be alright. They were still recovering from Operation MI, and an enemy that could sink a torpedo cruiser in an instant did not bode well for them. They did not know what Abyssals were and where they came from. But a new kind of enemy? That was a bit too much.

"I wonder how goes the meeting? It's been almost an hour now."

Fubuki glanced at Mutsuki. The other destroyer had a forlorn expression, and the reason was quite obvious; Kisaragi's sinking was similar to how Kitakami sank today, so she could sympathized with Ooi. Both of them could.

"I don't know. Let's just wait for them to finish. I'm sure the commander has a plan."

"But they're taking too long!" Beside them, Yuudachi pouted. She yawned, then lay on her side, taking up the entire spaces of three empty chairs. Despite her remodeling, she still retained a part of that laid-back attitude of hers.

"It shouldn't be too long now," said Fubuki reassuringly despite her own concerns. It was not unusual for the Secretary Ship to spend a long time discussing important matters with the Admiral. However, this was different. As the minutes dragged on, Fubuki couldn't help but feel her anxiety rose. Just what was this new enemy that it was taking the Admiral an hour to tell Nagato about it?

They didn't have to wait long. Just as Fubuki felt herself drifting to sleep, the sound of footsteps echoed far ahead. She snapped into attention just as Nagato appeared with a serious expression, making her way to the podium. The battleship stopped, then placed her hands on either side of the board. The entire fleet immediately stood up and saluted.

For a moment, there was only silence. Though the destroyers were situated near the back, Fubuki could still see Nagata's face. And she didn't like how her eyes scanned them as if this would be the last time she would address the entire fleet.

"Attention to all ship girls. I have an important message from the Admiral."

This may be the last time she would see any of them.

That thought ran across Nagato's mind as she swept her gaze at the crowd. Her knees were still weak from her recent discovery, but she did not let that show. The last thing she needed was for the girls to see her in a vulnerable state. It would greatly affect their morale if one of the Big Seven displayed fear and despair, especially with their new enemies.

Kaijus. That was what the Admiral had called them. At first she thought he was joking; it sounded like a term from those 1950s monster films Mutsu loved to watch. But then he showed archived footages and photos, and her skeptism instantly vanished.

When the Admiral told her the history of these monsters, her legs almost turned to jellies. Giant beasts hundreds of feet tall capable of leveling cities and resistant, but not invulnerable, against nuclear weapons. They came from an alternate dimension as an extermination force to wipe out any threat on a planet, possessing a hive mentality so that every time one of them fell, their successors would have the information needed to adapt to whatever method their enemy used.

300 hundred years ago, Humanity had once waged war with these otherworldly beasts. And for a time, they were losing. But someone thought of a new weapon, and the tide quickly turned. The war lasted almost a decade until the threat was ultimately ended. Or at least, they thought they had ended it. Apparently, the Kaijus were back for revenge. When she had asked the Admiral about the weapons, however, the man didn't elaborate on the matter. Instead, he just gave her an order for the fleet.

Naturally, she had to comply. But that didn't mean she liked it; what the Admiral wanted for them to do seemed too cowardly for her.

Gripping the edges of the podium until her knuckles were almost white, Nagato began. "Attention to all ship girls. I have an important message from the Admiral." She paused briefly, making sure their eyes were on her. Many were worried, but some were curious. When their entire attention was focused on her, she continued. "Since most of you already know what happened this morning, I'll go straight to the point."

She took a deep breath then said, "The Admiral has ordered us… not to engage the monster when we see it."

The silence that followed was so deep she could hear the faint cries of a seagull from a mile away. Everyone was frozen on their seats, unmoving as a statue. Then in a heartbeat, almost as if someone had pressed the play button, the entire auditorium burst into chaos.

"That's stupid!"

"Do not engage? We are ship girls! We can take on a monster especially at night!"

"This is an insult to our pride! What is the Admiral thinking?!"

"An idol never retreats from a fight!"

"That's unfair, poi! We also want revenge for Kitakami!"

The bombardment of protests made Nagato sighed. Just as she had expected, they would not accept the Admiral's order very easily. She could understand them, and even she wanted to tell the commander how they should not flee like cowards but exert all possible efforts to overcome their foe. Sadly, his order was clear.

Amidst the clamor, she noticed that Fubuki was the one of the few not participating. To her amazement, the special type destroyer remained silent after her announcement, and her expression was one of quiet acceptance.

Nagato felt a little bit of her worry vanished. She had realized that the girl was not complaining because she trusted the Admiral. And there's no reason for them not to do the same thing. In all of their operations, the commander had not let them fail. What right did they have to doubt him in this kind of situation then?

Understanding crossing her face at last, the battleship took another deep breath and roared, "Silence!"

Everyone stopped shouting at once. Many seemed to had realized what they did and lowered their heads in shame. To question an admiral was widely considered as an insult, and a disgrace for a ship girl.

"Have you all forgotten who we are?" Nagato glowered, her voice magnified in the silence. "We are ship girls. We exist to take back the seas, and also to obey the Admiral's orders. If we cannot trust him, how are we suppose to trust ourselves to finish our mission?"

Her words carried the desired effect. Murmurs of apology swept through the crowd. Near the front seats, she saw Kongo wiping a few tears from her eyes. Aside from Fubuki, she also didn't protest at the commander's decision.

"Secretary, you cannot blame us for questioning the order." Zuikaku stood up wearing a fierce expression. "We never retreat from a fight unless we cannot win it. And we always do! We took down many Abyssals before even though we are outnumbered. Surely, a single sea monster won't be any different!"

"But it is different, Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku," countered Nagato. "I've talked with the Admiral and he said they can't be harmed by normal weaponry. One of the only few ways to kill them is to use a nuclear bomb." She paused to let that last sentence sink in.

It did. There were gasps from the crowd, and a few even turned pale at the revelation. Despite the incident had already happened almost 400 years ago, many still remembered the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"That's impossible! Secretary Nagato, if only a nuclear weapon could kill them then that means they are stronger than the Abyssals! Just what are they?" Zuikaku looked whiter than a ghost when she asked that.

The battleship was about to answer, but to her surprise, Kirishima beat her to it.

"Kaiju. That's the name, isn't it?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, but everyone heard her.

Nagato regarded her curiously. "How do you know this?"

Kirishima adjusted her eyeglasses then answered, "I've read about them in the library. Back then I thought they were just myths…"

"Apparently, they are not." Nagato scanned the crowd and addressed them once more. "Yes, we are dealing with a monster from the abyss. A creature that can't be killed by normal methods. Therefore, until we find a way, we must avoid direct confrontation. If you encounter it during missions, run. That is the commander's order, and we must follow it to the letter. Am I clear?"

The girls shifted uneasily on their feet, but nonetheless replied with an affirmative, "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. You're all dismissed."

With that, Nagato left the podium.

Admiral Yamamoto stared outside the window with a troubled expression, pondering over the recent events. Being near the sea, his office overlooked the vast expanse of water that stretched for miles. The gentle lap of the waves on the concrete pier usually calms his mind, but now it only reminded him of the death of another ship girl.

Kaiju. He had hoped he would never utter those word in his 48 years of existence. He had only heard stories of those monsters from his grandfather, who in turn had also heard it from his grandfather. Back then, he simply considered it as old tales meant to scare away children whenever they refuse to sleep. But now it seemed the story had became a reality.

Of course, he had long expected something like this to happen. Before he took command of his own naval district, and in fact before he was officially promoted to an admiral, he was briefed on theories and speculations regarding the origins of the Abyssals. One topic was often brought up, and that was the kaijus. There had been rumors way back in his thirties that since the monsters had failed, the Abyssal race was created to replace them.

He didn't bother paying attention to it at that time, and now his girls were paying the price. If only he had listen to the constant reminders of his colleagues, Kitakami would still be around. But he dismissed what he once thought were ramblings of old men, and now he couldn't bring back the past.

There was still a way to ensure history wouldn't repeat itself, however.

Yamamoto turned away from the window and looked at the telephone. He could still fix this. They still have a fighting chance. All he needed to do was make a call. If the letter he had received 2 months ago was right, Japan had finally recreated three of them.

His face set in a determined expression, the Admiral strode over to his desk and dialled a number. After a few rings, someone picked up and he said in an instant, "This is Admiral Yamamoto. I need to speak with the Marshall."