...
An elderly, ruffian man paces around in his office. Scarcely decorated, the simple window lets in the morning light, illuminating a stack of cardboard boxes. As he strokes his feeble, black beard, he lowers his head in thought, his other arm falling to his side. Boredom began to befall his gaze, and he glanced at his crisp, white officer's uniform and smoothed over any creases.
Soon afterward, somebody knocks on the door.
The man turns around to face the door and places his hands behind his back. "Come in," he orders.
A brief silence falls upon the room.
The door slowly opens and in peeks a young middle school girl. She was nothing out of the ordinary: long, black hair, a simple complexion, and a basic sailor-style school uniform. The man's face twitches into a forced smile and beckons her in. "You're Fubuki, right?"
"Yes..." came the reply. It was clear that Fubuki was having issues articulating the sounds in her mouth.
"Is English not your thing?"
"No..." she responded, followed by an apology in Japanese.
The man holds up his hands and shakes his head. "No need to apologize. Let's take a look around the base, shall we?"
Fubuki's face lit up. Yes, let's go, commander! she excitedly responded.
A warm smile faded onto the stressful expression the man previously had. He grabbed a notebook and a pen and left the office with the girl in tow.
Glancing at a sketch to jog his memory, he walked to the mess hall in the same building. Of course, it was closed since it was not mealtime, but he made a mental note for later.
Next was the communications room, where he found Ooyodo as well as a few navy technicians relaxing. After greeting them and introducing himself, Fubuki piped up and did the same. Everyone smiled at the utter cheerfulness that she exhibited. While she chatted with the technicians, who were amazed to find such a young girl on a military base, the commander discussed with Ooyodo what exactly to do next. She briefly picked up the phone and wrote some things down on a clipboard, which she then showed to the commander. After scribbling a note in his notebook, he briefly bid them farewell and told Fubuki to come with him.
This time, the duo headed directly to an industrial building. After cross-checking with some notes in the commander notebook, he pushed aside the large, heavy doors into a large, spacious room with the faint smell of machine oil. A group of mechanics look up and salute, which the commander returns. Fubuki glances around and returns a salute. "So this is the arsenal, huh?" comments the commander.
The commander orders the construction of a new ship and a new piece of equipment. The equipment materializes quickly thanks to a group of small beings mashing items together.
Fairies! Fubuki exclaims, trying to fiddle with them.
"No touching," glares the commander. Fubuki retracts and allows them to continue their work.
The construction comparatively took much longer. With the minimal resources that they were granted, though, it did not take much time to create the equipment for a new kanmusu.
In the meanwhile, a worker tracked down Fubuki's equipment, which she tried on for the first time. Her discomfort was apparent, but she was able to support the weight of all the equipment.
Quietly, a ragged girl was escorted into the arsenal and into a secluded area. After a few minutes, a completely different girl emerged. Even more energetic, and dressed in a black on white school uniform and ribbons on her twin-tailed head, she introduced herself as Kagerou. After donning her equipment with the same difficulty as Fubuki, the commander thanked the workers for their effort and left, with the two girls following him just behind him.
One more chat with Ooyodo and a phone call later, a small shipment of supplies rounded the corner. After rumbling down the only dirt road into the base, the drivers dropped off their load and left. The trio quickly carried it to be stored in the arsenal.
After that was taken care of, the commander lined up the two girls on the small dock.
"You'll have to step in the water, you know?" he commented.
"We will get wet, though..." hesitantly replied Fubuki.
"No, you won't. Your shoes will keep you afloat."
Kagerou poked Fubuki, who translated what the commander said to Japanese. The confusion on her face deepened further.
"There's no need to worry," reassured the commander. "if you fall backward, then I'm here to catch you."
After Fubuki reassured her, Kagerou gingerly took a step into the water. The shoes activated, and Kagerou stumbled backward in surprise. The commander caught her, and Fubuki mustered the resolve to try next.
Without holding back, she stepped out onto the water. The shoes activated, and Fubuki started to skate forward. She concentrated and was able to turn directions. Turning back to face Kagerou, she waved and shouted.
Not wanting to be left behind, Kagerou did the same. After cruising to Fubuki's side, they high-fived and turned back around.
The commander congratulated them and then pulled out his notebook briefly. He sketched them a quick map of a small operation they had to run to familiarize themselves with their equipment. After a briefing, he demonstrated how to operate the small guns they were given, gave them earpieces to be able to communicate with the base, and then sent them off.
He walked to the communications room, where Ooyodo was waiting. Yes, follow the archipelago, she instructed.
After hearing the rapid-fire Japanese going through communications, the commander sat down and shook his head slowly. He chuckled to himself, possibly thinking of how he got here in the first place.
One message came through the comms: "Fubuki here, we see enemies. What formation should we use?"
The commander sat forward in his seat. "Line Ahead."
The ensuing battle was a spectacular win, and it boosted everybody's morale. "They're getting used to their equipment now, aren't they?" mused the commander.
While Ooyodo handled navigation to the objective, the commander quietly talked with some technicians in the room.
"You only speak English? How did you end up here?"
"I honestly am clueless myself. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who speaks English here."
"It's somewhat common in Japan, you know?"
"You'd be surprised, then. I have nary seen a fluent speaker in ages here."
"Anyway, what would you like us to call you?"
"I would prefer the rank of admiral. Admiral Tachyon, if you have to."
"It's a pleasure to work with you, Admiral."
"Likewise. I'll be looking forward to your effort in the future."
Turning his attention back to the sortied fleet, Tachyon said, "Remember, once you reach the final location, your goal is to sink as many opposing ships as possible. Do you copy?"
Fubuki replied with a terse "yes" and translated the order to Japanese for Kagerou.
The final battle was a victory, although Fubuki did get damaged. Upon seeing this, Tachyon covered her with his overcoat and ordered her to the repair baths. "Don't forget to sign in," he reminded her.
"I do solemnly swear
On my heart and my soul
To bring peace to the seven seas,
With all my comrades.
We will triumph!"
The same old man rises out of bed.
"Dammit, was I talking in my sleep again?"
Soft laughter comes from around the corner. "Yes, yes you were. Reciting the Oath to the Sea?"
"Wai! Sara! How did you get inside?!" He springs to the door, where Saratoga was lying the whole morning. "How in the world did you know where I was living!? I thought I kept it a secret!"
"Oh, you see, I have sources." A thin smile crept up on her face. "I'm sure Aoba would love this information you were mumbling about in your sleep."
"Hey! Wait! There's military secrets in there!"
The utter commotion that Sara's eavesdropping stint caused made everyone aware of where the admiral lived. For an entire week, he would get unsolicited visits and mail until he moved to another apartment.
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