View source for 1928/Shining and Blasting

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/31
|Location=Great Ocean - Western Loop
|Synopsis=A new Abyssal threat has emerged! Or maybe it's just more of the same? 
Whatever the case, a new class of Abyssal ship has been seen attacking shipping lanes in the Great Ocean. Someone should do something about that!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=385, 410, 637, 670, 685, 739, 740
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:739|Suzuya (739)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>All is quiet on the open seas, save for a few oil tankers cruising along one of the larger shipping lanes in the Great Ocean.<br /><br />Oh, and the cannonfire. There's that, too.<br /><br />Several plumes of water explode up on the port side of one of the tankers as some near-misses land in the water just shy of the ship. The source of the shells isn't hard to see, either: a pair of Abyssals skims over the surface of the ocean, launching attacks from cannons mounted on their thighs. The two look almost completely identical, save for one having light blue eyes and the other silvery-gray, , though in both cases they glow menacingly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kuma, along with the rest of the Fifth Force Recon fleet, were out on patrol when they got a call from an Oil Tanker fleet. They changed course and came up alongside them, skating in a formation. Chitose's seaplanes were on patrol, and the approach of the Abyssals was spotted just before they came into cannon range.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shigure and Nowaki peel off, crossing their paths in a zigzag as they attempt to close in on the approaching hostiles, firing potshots into their path as they go.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kuma herself follows along behind the Destroyers, her 14cm cannon firing a volley from range, while she attemps to get into torpedo range.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chitose signals in about the attack, while launching her Seaplanes to provide cover. "Fifth Force Recon Fleet, Chitose. We're on defense sortie! Requesting backup. Two Heavy Cruisers, unknown Class. Abyssal, Repeat, Abyssal!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:740|Elphelt Valentine (740)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Elphelt Valentine hadn't /actually/ been out doing any sort of military business. No, she'd simply heard rumors of a strangely dressed, dark-skinned woman on one of the islands not too far away. Not a very likely catch on her Sister, but El is pretty desperate by now. Having hitched a ride with a generic Union pilot in a long-range helicopter, the bridalbot has been sitting in the passenger seat sleeping away the long ride with cloth-ears flopping and generally being cute and sleepy. <br /><br /> Then the SOS comes in, and she springs awake! "Eliminate all redundancies without exception!" Arms comically in the air, the pilot looks back, then shakes his head. <br /><br /> Freaking weird Elites. <br /><br /> Then, her sleep protocols wearing off, she grabs her bouquet and unstraps herself. <br /><br /> "Pilot, bring us in please!" <br /><br /> The chopper slowly wheels around, trying to stay /just/ outside of the range of the guns of those two Abyssal ships! The big vehicle is meant more for long-range operations than combat, and has no weapons. But the armor's thick enough, and it has Elphelt on board. <br /><br /> Grabbing the long, pink, bow-tied rifle Miss Confire, El sticks out her tongue as she takes a knee and takes aim after loading it with a concussion shell. BLAM! <br /><br /> She's an absurdly accurate shot, even at a distance that shouldn't be possible for a human, and the round, though non-lethal in nature, would be enough to tip a tank over when hit. Like getting punched in the face by a train, really. <br /><br /> "HEYYYYY! STOP BEING SO MEAN TO THE SAILORS!" Yells out Elphelt towards the two Abyssals. The pilot just facepalms.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As luck would have it, Yuna was actually on one of the islands not very far from here when the distress call goes out; a quick mental 'whistle' for Elner and Marina results in her being able to transform and sortie in rapid time.<br /><br />A few moments after that, the mermaid-shaped armor of Yuna's Marine Form is cutting through the water, just beneath the surface; Elner is flitting about on high cover, providing Yuna with an indirect birds-eye view of the aquatic battlefield - and while the little robo-faerie is at it, Elner opens a channel between Yuna and the Fleet Daughters.<br /><br />"Hey, Kuma, everyone," Yuna transmits. "On my way in to assist ... want me to stick with submarine tactics?" She's already throwing in some evasive maneuvers, just in case any firepower is being directed her way.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason people are tied to the water, it's not a lie, it's not them just claiming they live on the water. They can actually feel it to a degree here. While she's not a spirit of a ship she's got a small one person craft from her home world, while she could sail on the water without a need for a craft? She'd tired out and then be stuck bobbing about, so for now she simply rides. <br /><br /> "By the Serpent's coils." <br /><br /> She hears the call from the oil tanker and falls in with the rest of the patrol as they make for the tanker. <br /><br /> Lyria also pulls her goggles down, because hey keeping water out of one's eyes is a good thing, right? She wonders just how crazy this fight's going to get, but something has to be done. Several small spider like things now pop up from the hull of Lyria's small craft, the spider bots seem to be ready to go. Still seeing an Abyssal? There's a mix of fear and pitty in her mind, fear of what it is, pitty for it having been the spirit of a ship. She picks up speed attempting to close.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Action Message from Squadron Commander, sir."<br /><br />The CIC of the RTS /Kingsford/ was subdued in blue light, bright enough to see around you, but dim enough so that the flat screens in front of the various controllers and sysops were easy to read, and the holoblock at the front glowed with a bright, 3D arrangement of the battlefield, icons pulsing from various sensor sources. A bright blue for certain Union assests, and a hazier, unsure red for the Abyssals that moved to threaten the green of those oil tankers heading forward. The Captain of the Triancian heavy cruiser turns his head toward the communications tech with a disposable data card, nodding and releving it from her with a flick, before placing it in the reader.<br /><br />&lt;&lt;KINGSFORD IN OPERATIONAL POSITION TO SUPPORT UNION ASSESTS PROTECTING FREEDOM OF TRADE. CAPTAIN SHALL SUPPORT WITH ANY AND ALL FORCE REQUIRED, AT HIS DISCRETION. BY DIRECTION, SC THOMPSON.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />"There are sometimes I wonder exactly how much of that girl's knowledge comes from what she looks up online at a given moment." He mutters to himself, before looking to another officer. "Targets are too small for engagement with cruise missiles. Close distance; we'll engage with EM and DE once in light of sight. Until then, provide sensor support to allied forces."<br /><br />Whatever ships and Elites have the ability to will receive a downlink request rather suddenly, coming from the two drones orbitting the area. It has what (little) sensor information the /Kingsford/ has, along with a message. &lt;&lt;RTS KINGSFORD, ARRIVING TO SUPPORT. ETA TO OPERATIONAL AREA, 340 SECONDS.&gt;&gt;<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:739|Suzuya (739)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Ha ha ha! Look at them run, look at them run!" calls the gray-eyed Abyssal. Despite the laughter, there doesn't seem to be any joy in the voice, and in fact, it's quite haunting and hollow. It probably doesn't help that her mouth is hidden, covered by a monstrous lower jaw that extends upward from her collar. Another round of shells is fired, again missing by a short distance.<br /><br />"You shouldn't tease them so, dear sister," chides the one with blue eyes. She points toward the nearest tanker, head tilting just so. "We should give them a swift end, it's only proper. Allow me t--" She pauses short and looks up, quickly pushing the other Abyssal away from her. The shove has enough force to send her skidding the opposite direction, just before a shell from the Fifth Recon fleet lands in the water where the two were just standing.<br /><br />"What is..." Gray eyes look up and narrow, focusing quickly on Kuma. "They've come. Our dear friends..." Panels on the sides of her leg cannons flip open, ejecting torpedoes into the water to speed toward the light cruiser.<br /><br />The blue-eyed Ne-class sweeps forward, a tentacle sprouting from the small of her back and striking forward. The end splits open like a monstrous mouth, and it snaps at the concussion shell. A muffled explosion sounds, but it seems to be just fine, and in fact sprouts three cannons from its snout to return fire toward the helicopter.<br /><br />"Good girl," calls the gray-eyed Abyssal, reaching forward to pat her sister's cannon. "My turn now." A pair of similar tentacles sprouts from he rown back, and all six barrels open fire, sending a volley toward the incoming ships.<br /><br />On the plus side, they're not attacking the tankers, anymore.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kuma turns sharply, then fires into the water to detonate those torpedoes before they pass by and strike the tankers. "Chitose! Cover the Tankers, kuma!" she transmits, then turns back to the Heavy Cruisers. "Don't you dare underestimate us, kuma!" she snarls defiantly, before her ankle racks traverse, and she drops a quartet of torpedoes of her own into the water at the Abyssals.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shigure unhooks her backpack, grabbing onto the trigger handles that extend and sweeps the large barrels around, firing bursts of shells at the silver-eyed cruiser, using her speed to circle around and attempt to flank.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nowaki breaks the opposite way, firing on the Blue-eyed enemy, while turning slightly to unload the four torpedoes in her hip rack to add to the barrage.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chitose meanwhile, splits her airforce in two. Half move in to drop dive bombs on the two cruisers, while the other half bank around, and fire machineguns into the water to detonate the remaining torpedoes. These then begin patroling around the tankers, ready to intercept more incoming fire.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:740|Elphelt Valentine (740)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> The cannon fire at first only grazes the chopper, the pilot desperately trying to pull up. Then a round hits right in the body of the craft, sending it in a brief spin that has poor Elphelt twirling around and around! Finally, the woman just tips over dizzily from the chopper, falling! <br /><br /> "PULL OUT, I'LL BE FINE!" Yells Elphelt to the pilot, who quickly pulls up to disengage, his craft already smoking. Flipping around, legs flailing and one hand trying to keep her dress from flopping over her head, she drops her bouquet and straddles it. <br /><br /> By the time she hits the water, the thing expands in a burst of pink magical light into a two-seater rocket. Pink contrails spew out the back of the Bridal Express, sending Elphelt blasting towards the two Abyssals head-on at a low skim. <br /><br /> "Oh, I really should've taken some boating lessons!" <br /><br /> Her pattern is jagged, and a little random, the vehicle clearly not meant to be used on the water. Still, the thing is fast, zooming towards the pair. <br /><br /> Then she's reaching to the side of the thing, and pulls out a massive rocket-launcher, festooned with ribbons and roses as she takes aim. <br /><br /> "GENOISE!" Fwoooooosh! Pulling the trigger, a large, bullet-shaped rocket goes flying towards the grey-eyed Abyssal, aimed right for the chest of the undead shipgirl. Hit or miss, the explosion is similarly more concussive and blunt than explosive, meant to daze and incapacitate rather than kill. <br /><br /> It likely won't feel good, however.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The /Kingsford/ is now within visual range, the speed currently in excess of 40 knots, clearly showing the technology needed to move a ship of that size at that speed without the entire thing shaking apart. It also provided an excellent defense... to ships that didn't have their weapons linked to thereselves.<br /><br />"Radar warning!" A sensor tech yells, hands moving quickly across the keys. At this range, there wasn't any time to get an order from command; it was just a matter of slamming a button and giving the computer control. When it does, the ship's side mounted DEAD mounts swivel into position, tracking the incoming shells and radiating large amounts of energy in a very short frame. Directed aganist a person, it would probably start to boil skin off the skeleton; here, it caused shells in the volley to detonate one by one.<br /><br />It wasn't perfect, though. The design was made as a complement to guided missile defense systems, a leg of a traid that included jamming/spoofing and longer ranger interceptors. Aganist explosive shells, it could have taken all of them out, but the rate of fire ensures that some get through, slamming aganist the hardened matertial of the deck, and hull.<br /><br />"Taking fire. Minor damage to hull, plunging fire near the aft VLS cells. Three injured in one of the corridors. Beacons out, SBAs enroute." Another tech reports. The Captain nods. "Keep casualities to a minimum. Join with what forces are protecting the tankers. We'll leave the targets to those used to dealing with them, and make our focus the protection of trade. Not that we won't get a shot in." He says, smiling mirthlessly.<br /><br />With the shells still coming in, the four rail guns of the heavy cruiser start to hum with energy, both of the double mounts fore and after quickly and smoothly swiveling toward the blue-eyed Abyssal, and firing with a /crack/ of projectiles moving at hypersonic speeds. What they lack in the explosive potential of older cannon, they hopefully make up for in sheer kinetic velocity.<br /><br />They'd certainly like to /hope/ that this was a quick battle, with each target taking out by a single volley of advanced guns. But they'd read the reports. When targets like this were about, caution was incredibly mandated.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The good news is they got the enemy off of the tankers, the bad news is now all those guns are aimed at them. Lyria now focuses her self as she's got to keep her own craftr moving, also she does not want to think about how those guns formed on that one Abyssal's back too much. It's quite disutrbing when you get down to it. She watches Kuma and listen to her orders. Okay so with that coverd she's going to go in, she doesn't pull her pistols, no she attemps to turn the waters on the silver haired Abyssal. <br /><br /> The spiders also leap off of her small craft and start skating now across the surface like a small group of water striders. Lyria's got a plan but if it will work? She's not certain, there's only one way to find out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The sound of the Abyssal artillery going off in concussive concert provokes a quiet "Eep!" from Yuna, and the Savior of Light quickly dives for deeper water while otherwise continuing her approach towards the Abyssals. Fortunately, she's much smaller than most actual ships, and has a somewhat more trim profile than even the Fleet Daughters, in addition to her underwater maneuverability; hopefully, that combination will be enough to help keep her safe.<br /><br />She's not ENTIRELY concerned with self-preservation, though; the 'pigtails' attached to her sealed helmet pivot forward, pointing towards the lead Abyssal, and a set of ten microtorpedoes shoots out from their ends, five per side. The microtorpedoes immediately get their target locks and begin accelerating through the water ... although even if Yuna weren't submerged, they could fly through air about as well. On the other hand, their explosions - while they do pack something of a punch - will also be comparably small. They ought to smack the Abyssal girls around pretty well, but the 'real' damage at this point is likely to have to come from her allies.<br /><br />At least, apart from the strong traces of light/holy power which can typically be found in Yuna's attacks.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:739|Suzuya (739)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Torpedoes in the water. The blue-eyed Abyssal's leg cannons pepper the sea with small fire, detonating three of the incoming torpedoes. The third manages to get through, and though there's no cry of pain, the explosion shoots up a large spray of water around her. "Nnn... not nearly enough." Her second tentacle sprouts, forming its own trio of cannons. The first tentacle quickly swings around, blocking the shots fired from Nowaki. A quick twirl on the waves brings her in front of her sister, and she crosses her arms in front of her body just as Shigure's shell strikes with another explosion. When the smoke from the explosion clears, her tattered neckscarf sizzles with the fire burning along its lower edge, though the Ne-class quickly swats it to put it out. "Do not worry, sister dear. I have your back!"<br /><br />The gray-eyed Abyssal glances toward the other, nodding once. "So many new friends they've brought. I hope we get to know all of them. We--" She's interrupted as Elphelt's rocket strikes home, sending her skidding backwards. She would have fallen over, except her tentacles dip back to provide leverage against the surface of the sea. "Humans..." Her expression suddenly darkens, and one of the tentacles sweeps up again to fire all three barrels toward Elphelt.<br /><br />The seas start getting rougher, but neither of the Abyssals seems to recognize the source, or Lyria's spiders. As they begin to look around, Yuna's torpedoes strike from underwater, sending water erupting all around them. Some of them hit, but the Abyssals are quite resilient, and both of them manage to stay on their feet. <br /><br />Then, as one, the two Abyssal cruisers look up. Twelve guns open fire into the air, trying to intercept those dive bombers before their bombs can land. And after that first volley, both Abyssals fix their eyes on Chitose and open fire, sending a concentrated rain of shells at the seaplane tender.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:740|Elphelt Valentine (740)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "You know you're outnumbered right? Why don't you just...give up or something and we can all go home!" Calls out Elphelt, as hopelessly naive (and in this case ignorant), as ever. Those two bunny-rabbit-cloth ears on her head perk up, just in time for the grey-eyed one to aim those tentacles at her! Explosive shells rain down towards her, and the Valentine lets out a shriek. Leaping a good ten feet in the air, she manages to dodge the initial volley, but soon has to contend with so many more guns being fired along those already in the air. Lesser shells plink and marr her battle-dress, before an explosive round sends her careening back towards the water only to land back atop the Bridal Express. <br /><br /> "Owwwww, that hurt!" Complains the woman, desperately trying to control her now swerving jet-rocket. <br /><br /> As she flails and tugs on the controls, she accidentally hits a button. The engine flares up, and with a renewed burst of pure pink and hearts burning out the back, the rocketship of love enters ramming speed right towards the grey-eyed Abyssal. Atop it, her extra bouquet being held upon and flailing wildy, vehicle and Elphelt alike are perfect projectiles to slam into the poor Abyssal with. <br /><br /> "IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAAAAAAAY!!!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chitose's eyes go wide as she sees those cannons leveling at her. She's not as maneuverable as her fleet mates and despite a good attempt, takes a shell directly to her backpack as she turns to get out of range. "Aah! Enough already, the fuel is leaking!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kuma looks back at her friend, tchs and comes about, moving to cover Chitose now. "Back off Chitose, kuma. I won't have anyone sinking today, kuma."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Shigure and Nowaki continue their high speed harrassment, small caliber shells peppering the area around the enemy cruisers. Shigure fires torpedoes while Nowaki's rack reloads, trying to keep the Abyssals off balance.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Below the water's surface, Yuna's expression hardens as Elner reports the concentration of fire on Chitose. Enough of this playing around.<br /><br />The Matrix Divider appears in her hands, and Yuna starts swimming straight upwards, focusing power into the Divider's blade/barrel as she ascends. The light shining from her main weapon is probably visible above the surface well before Yuna herself is - and when she breaks through the waves, she's got enough speed to leap into the air like a cavorting dolphin.<br /><br />And she has a full charge focused into the Matrix Divider. She's airborne long enough to take aim at the lead Abyssal, or (if they're perfectly side-by-side) the one on Yuna's right as she looks at them ... and a powerful bolt of concussive radiance is unleashed, splitting the air with a crack like muted thunder.<br /><br />Then she dives again, leaving her allies (and Elner) to get a better view of how effective that blast *is*.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A tiny object swoops down out of the sky, banking sharply into a roll and then, righting itself, banks away in a graceful arc. The yellow marking on the wings identify it as a Saiun recon plane.<br /> <br />MILES AWAY<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Found them~!" Zuihou declares, raising her free hand over her head. Bringing it down, she points, "Ten kilometers, that direction!"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Shall we, Flagship?" Akizuki turns slightly, casting a glance past Zuihou to the woman leading the formation.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hmm~hmm~..." Kongou's eyes are closed, cradling her chin in one hand, "That way, then! &lt;Okay!&gt;" Thrusting out her hand, suddenly, Kongou's eyes snap open and the radars on her headband adjust. Simultaneously, the guns on her turrets elevate, "'Suzu! 'Zuki! Advance to torpedo range. Zui, fighter cover, &lt;If You Please~!&gt;"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Right!" All three girls spring into action, Isuzu and Akizuki breaking off and accellerating while Zuihou moves up closer to Kongou, drawing an arrow from her quiver. As she nocks it, she closes her eyes with a smile, "Go on, Zero, fly in the sky to your heart's content~!" With a snapping sound, she looses the arrow, which splits off into four green-painted aircraft that ascend.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But a light cruiser, a destroyer, and airplanes won't reach the battle quickly enough to make an impact. But something else will. Kongou's hand remains extended. In a bright voice, she declares, "Long range locked~! Ready! Aim! &lt;FIYAH~!&gt;"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The resulting blast of smoke is visible on the horizon. A full 78 seconds later, a barrage of armor piercing shells descend on the twin Ne-class heavy cruisers. At long range, a battleship is at her strongest! ... But not her most accurate. That's why Kongou opted for a spread pattern much like a shotgun. The goal is that at least one might hit!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's a lot of naval fire power going about here, but hopefully Lyria can keep from getting deep sixed. She directs the drones to head for the Abyssals they start to spread out trying to encircle the pair. Once they pull this off the water about spiders is going to start o flash freeze. It will rapidly move towards the Abyssals even if they are not directly in the water this might cause them some problems. Lyria leaps off her craft and it vanishes in a burst of light. She now end up skating across the water heading for the pair and now has a pistol out. She opens fire on the pair spraying elemental rounds at both hoping to keep them off balance, maybe even knock them over, if her ice plan succeeds. <br /><br /> However this plan reveals she can mess with the water quite well, which pains a big darn bulls eye on her self. She also didn't think threw she might have just messed up allied torpedo attacks either. She is trying to hope and hopefully she'll make a good diversion for Kongu, Kuma and everyone else.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:739|Suzuya (739)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Scratch one carrier... or at least one carrier's involvement in the battle. Both of the Ne-class cruisers seem satisfied as the fleet's air cover is taken out of the picture, the gray-eyed one reaching back to give her tentacle cannon an affectionate pat on the head. <br /><br />The two Abyssals seem fairly well in synch as Yuna approaches, and neither of them really takes the lead over the other. The one on the right - the one with blue eyes - looks up just in time to get blasted right in the chest with that beam from Yuna. For a moment, she sinks a few inches, until the waves come up to her calves... but the gray-eyed Abyssal reaches out for her hand to yank her back up again. "So many of them... just for the two of us. How nice!" It seems that they don't seem to mind so much being outnumbered. <br /><br />"Now, shall we--" The gray-eyed Ne-class turns to draw her guns on Shigure, then her eyes widen as she instead finds herself rammed into by a flailing Elphelt and rocket bouquet. It might end up a fairly painful impact, considering just how solid the Abyssals are, but there's still enough force there to send her tumbling back end over end. She's not sunk yet, though, and slowly rises back up to her feet, gray eyes glowing brightly as she looks at Elphelt. "That was a mistake~" she singsongs as both tentacles pivot to point right at the woman. Just as she's about to open fire, she staggers forward, struck by Lyria's bullets. "What--?"<br /><br />Then the two Abyssals find their feet frozen in place. Both of them look down, perplexed, though the guns on their legs swivel downward to shoot out the ice around their feet.<br /><br />So busy are they dealing with the ice that they don't notice the incoming barrage of shells until too late.<br /><br />Explosions rain around the two Abyssals, and their forms are completely obscured in smoke and mist. Did they sink that easily?<br /><br />The answer comes when an absolutely enormous arm reaches out of the thinning mist, slamming down into the ice to shatter it. "No more games. Ne." The voice is dull, yet echoes eerily over the surface of the ocean. The other Abyssal soon rises as well, and the two Ne-class cruisers stand up to their full, monstrous heights in Leviathan form.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Owing to the speed of their ship classes, Isuzu is reasonably visible by the time the Ne class cruisers reveal their Leviathan forms, prompting the black haired girl to turn alongside rather than approach head on. Beside her, Akizuki turns the opposite direction, already surrounded by silvery light. This expands into an orb around her, which in turn grows until the full gunmetal gray hull of the lead Akizuki destroyer erupts into the water, cruising at a healthy 38 knots. The turrets on her deck are already swinging aside, long barrels raising. After a pause, they open fire, a steady staccato of gunfire as expected from anti-aircraft artillery.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Isuzu plants a foot, pushing off, skating. By the time she's pushed her second leg back, the same silver light surrounds her. Moments later, the larger cruiser bursts forth, crashing into the waves and accellerating while her triple-gun turrets transverse towards the colossal Ne twins.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Further out, Kongou's full figure bursts into existence, great cannons raising while she makes a turn to port to bare her broadside. Moments later, a flat-top appears. Zuihou turns sharply as well to keep Kongou between herself and the enemy, raising a new wing of aircraft onto her flight deck via the central elevator. Most tellingly, Zuihou's transformation also increases the sizes of the Zeroes she's already deployed, now circling above the Abyssal cruisers, accompanied by Kongou's observation floatplane.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Elner actually retreats further up into the air as the pair of Abyssals rise up from being staggered - and rise, and *rise*. Yuna, on the other hand, is already underwater again - and has to fight against the desire to dive as deep as she can to get away from the now-titanic Abyssals. To dive deep, and follow the ocean floor away from them until it's safe ...<br /><br />She grits her teeth. She's in this to help her friends, and she already knows far too well that the Abyssals would love nothing better than to 'kill' the Fleet Daughters - to bombard them, sink them to rise as additional Abyssals. She was there for the battle in which Kongou was 'rescued' from her Abyssal form; she doesn't want to see that happen to any of the other Daughters in the first place.<br /><br />So Yuna wrestles her fear away and ascends towards the Abyssals once more - holding her fire and plotting out how best to attack. Against enemies this size, her first thought is El-Line; however, she only has Marina and Elner with her, and no time for Erina or Jiina to come and help. The best she can do at this point is to try and hit the Abyssals in some weak points, maybe create a better opportnity for her allies with heavier firepower to strike the telling blows.<br /><br />With Elner's help from above the battle, Yuna finds a possibility ... and as soon as she gets into position, she launches another spread of microtorpedoes. Out of the ten, one is aimed for what would amount to the soles of each Abyssal's feet; the remaining six transition from water to air, flying up and hooking back to try and detonate against the backs of the Abyssals' knees - one squarely for each knee, and one between the knees to hopefully shake their stability further.<br /><br />And once that's done, Yuna goes deep again and swims back towards the Union's side of the battle. She's not sure how much more she can help at this scale; as she swims, she entrusts some of the navigational mind-work to Marina, and turns that share of her own attention to praying.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:740|Elphelt Valentine (740)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> WHAM! Elphelt lands upon the Ne-class cruiser in a tangle of limbs and general discontent with the situation, giving out a cry of pain as the mage-android impacts all that dead flesh and hard metal. Thankfully she's pretty tough herself with that dress of hers, and so comes away with it bruised and battered, but not concussed. She's in the perfect position to get shot right in the face, and brings up her un-transformed bouquet as she floats atop the water. Defenseless for the moment! <br /><br /> "...Why can't we all just be friends? I mean you look a little odd and you're a bit cold and clammy, but nothing a good tailor and a tan can't cure! C'mon, it'll be fun! Just think, the two of us going to the mall, visiting ALLL of the clothing stores, and getting nice and dressed in the newest fashion so that when we're walking back we'll pass by these cute guys and they'll say "Hey aren't they so cute and fashionable, let's go ask them out!" And then we'll both go on dates and to the park and go fishing with our hubbies and then they'll pop the question right on the boat and say "Will you Marry me?" and we'll say yes, tears in our eyes hugging each other as we becomes the bestest of bri..." <br /><br /> Her longwinded Love Rant doesn't get to finish, however, as soon there's a barrage of fire that Elphelt uses the opportunity to swam away from the rapidly growing bulk of the two shipgirls. <br /><br /> "Uhhh....whoa. You two are pretty big. There's nothing wrong with that though! You're both still beautiful!" Then, Elphelt frowns. <br /><br /> "Though I guess you're not just going to give up? Well that's okay!" <br /><br /> Then the woman lets off a blast of bouquet-powered magic, launching her into the air in a plume of pink! <br /><br /> "Because I'll show you that you're worthy of being loved, that there's someone out there who will care about you even /if/ you big all big and tentacle-y!" With that, she whips out a rose, and with a flick of a finger, a bullet with a heart-shape etched into it lands upon the flower. With a flourish in the air, the rose becomes a long rifle, nearly as tall as herself. Flipping it around and opening the breach, she loads the weapon, only to finally aim it at the apex of her leap right at the grey-eyed, massive Abyssal. <br /><br /> "Have a taste of love, right through the heart!" <br /><br /> Roses bloom all along the battlefield, floating in the water as magic crackles around herself as she finally pulls the trigger. She's as good as her word, firing the bullet right at the Abyssal's heart as the other shipgirls bombard the creature. The tiny bullet might as well be a gnat by size. <br /><br /> The magic in the bullet, however, is significant. Rather than explode, or even pierce, the bullet would disintigrate if it hits as it tries to turn the very heart of the one it strikes from all of that hatred and fury to love and happiness. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, it all draws back to El herself. <br /><br /> What could possibly go wrong?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason plan has worked more than she's hoped she's moving on the water rapidly and the spiders hold in place as she makes ready to make another attack upon them. Maybe they can stop this without much more trouble. Then the barrage comes she skates away from it and then something happens the two Abyssal become /huge/ the ice shatters into countless shards and the spiders are sent flying across the water, and will not be much help for some time. She's not alone thankfully and the actions of Kongou, buy her time to get her sea legs again so to speak. <br /><br /> Elphelt makes some very good points and Lyria does think she means it, she does think Elphelt means every word she said to them. <br /><br /> For now however the Abyssals do need to be stopped, right? SO she opens fire again as she skates about but well she's not sure how much of an impact her shots are going to be, given their size. So she's trying to find weak points, or thinks like weapon mounts to target.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:739|Suzuya (739)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Bigger forms might mean bigger targets, but they also mean bigger guns. It also means more stability on the seas, despite any old proverbs claiming things about size and power of unintentional descent.<br /><br />The torpedoes strike the pair's legs, though they don't stumble. Chunks of armor are blown off their boots, however, revealing more pasty white skin below. The one with blue eyes seems to take a bit more damage from this, and one of the cannons mounted on her thigh loses one of its barrels in the explosion. Likewise, the shots from Lyria's pistol may not seem to be doing a lot of damage at first, but the gray-eyed Ne-class stumbles forward momentarily. She manages to catch herself, but having so many things opening fire on her is making it harder to operate.<br /><br />The barrage from the destroyer manages to land a few shells on the Abyssals, one of them even exploding into the face of the gray-eyed cruiser and cracking one of those teeth covering the lower part of her face. Oddly enough, it's the heads on the tentacles that growl in reaction to that, not the girl herself. <br /><br />Planes. There are planes, and one tentacle from each of the Ne-class seems to operate on its own, pointing upward to unleash a barrage of anti-air gunfire. The carrier that launched those planes has more cover thn poor Chitose did, so she isn't the target of direct focused fire... though the blue-eyed Abyssal does begin to pick up speed. Guns firing as she skims over the surface of the water, she charges directly at the obstacle between herself and that carrier: Kongou. Unless the fast battleship is really fast, that Ne-class is going to ram right into her and try to grapple bodily with the large ship!<br /><br />The love rant confuses the gray-eyed Ne-class more than anything. She slowly blinks as she tries to figure out just what this human is talking about. After a moment, though, she decides it might not matter, and raises a hand to swipe at Elphelt.<br /><br />And then the tiny bullet of love strikes her chest. It gives her pause, and she slowly lowers her hand. "Lo...ve?"<br /><br />It's not a widely-known fact, but most Abyssals don't actually hate the Fleet Daughters they fight against. In fact, all they want is to bring their sisters back into the fold, to show them the error of their ways, and to ensure they'll be able to spend more time together. The Abyssals don't hate the Fleet Daughters; they love them.<br /><br />Which is why one of the tentacles from the gray-eyed Abyssal's back swings around suddenly, its mouth opening in a hissing roar as the three cannons on its snout open fire toward Elphelt.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:740|Elphelt Valentine (740)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> Still depressingly mid-air as her bullet takes effect, and that deadpan squeak of love comes, there's hope in Elphelt's eyes. Flowers from her bouquet go everywhere as she giggles. <br /><br /> "See? Embrace it! One day we'll all be frien..." <br /><br /> "AHHH YOU DON'T SHOW LOVE WITH CANNONS THAT'S TOTALLY MY JOB!" <br /><br /> All the poor mage-bot can do is whip out a pair of garishly pink pistols, firing with superhuman deftness at the incoming rounds. Those are /big/ rounds, and so it takes a good dozen bullets each even from her own ridiculously high-powered guns to have them explode. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a third arm, and that final shell hits her dead-on. With a massive KABOOM, the Valentine goes crashing into a heap, in a lovely floating angle towards Kongou! Can the ship-girl catch the much-smaller Elphelt? <br /><br /> But El isn't done, despite losing half of her dress, modesty only kept by underthings and far too many convenient pink sparkles, roses, and other sundries. A good ten large, round strawberries go flying for the grey-eyed Abyssal, aimed right for the mouths of one of those cannons. KABOOM! The anti-structure Pineberries blow up, force and pure explosive power trying to rip away at the Abyssal's armaments! Then El is in for a long fall, too-green eyes in a swirl.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The lack of any apparent effect from the microtorpedoes to the Abyssals' feet and legs is somewhat disheartening to Yuna. Granted, she's also not in a position to see the damage the explosions incur on the armored 'boots'. But the Ne-class cruisers don't even wobble.<br /><br />Still, there are a few places where precision can matter more than overall force, and Elphelt's suggestion is taken to heart. Yuna's armored 'pigtails' swing forward again, and a fresh set of torpedoes - not the full ten, but a good four - take flight ... and if they can actually fly into the mouths of those cannons, that's exactly where they go. Otherwise, Yuna's content to let them detonate against the outsides - hopefully at the right spots to throw the Abyssals' aim off before *they* fire.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The /Kingsford likely wasn't in range any longer. Her position had been to protect the oil tankers as they moved out of range as fast as their engines would allow, and most of it's systems would have been dedicated to defending the ships from attack. By the time the Ne-Class cruisers had risen from the water in their full, frightening forms, it was out of range of effective fire from everything but the anti-ship missiles she had on board. And that left too much chance that return fire directed at them would hit the civilian ships.<br /><br />Or maybe the heavy cruiser commander didn't consider it his fight, and didn't consider the fleet daughters and Elite's fighting worth the expenditure and risk to his ship. That probably wouldn't make it into his after action report. It might just be cruel speculation. But it was an option. Thankfully, buy the time those targets are larger enough for ASMs, he didn't have to fire them.<br /><br />The tearing burst of sound could have been heard in the gaps between fire and combat for the last few minutes. It might be mistake for an odd weather pattern out somewhere in the west. Burst of magical energies from one attack or another. The high-tech among them, though, might recognize the sound of pulse detonation engines just a few seconds before the surface hugging air-launched ASMs pop up from the water, eight of them flying in at glass-cracking speed in formation, with just enough time to aqquire targets before they made their way in to hopefully slam aganist the two abyssals.<br /><br />The aircraft that fired them roar over head a few seconds later, in a rather brazen, foolish, yet bold show of force, four aircraft in formation showing off Triancian roundels.<br /><br />From beyond the horizon, Jeannette Thompson takes the smallest swallow of good wine, before placing the glass lightly aganist the table next to her chair in the RTS /Resolve/'s operations center. "Remind me to have a word with /Kingsford/ when her evolution is up." She notes, before clearing her throat. &lt;&lt;Dreadfully sorry I'm late, ladies. Warp gates are quite the annoyance to naviagate through. I have another flight on the way to back up those aircraft already sent. Cheers.&gt;&gt;<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Zuihou's aircraft bank sharply, scattering from their formation as flak fire fills the air around them. One immediately catches fire, diving sharply. Just shy of the sea, the flames go out and it pulls out, turning back towards its mother carrier and leaving a trail of thick black smoke. The wing that launches off the carrier next are not Zeros, but rather a wing of red-marked Suisei dive bombers. The Ne Class that charges Kongou is their immediate target, jettisoning their bombs overhead and then banking sharply away.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Zuihou herself turns sharply away, accellerating to build distance--Carriers aren't good at close range. However, Kongou is much closer and has no intention of running anywhere.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"&lt;Come on! Come on!&gt;" the battleship's voice taunts from within her hull, firing her full broadside on the approaching heavy cruiser. Just when that cruiser gets closer, though, Kongou's hull suddenly sparkles with silver light. When Ne reaches down to lift the warship, it dissolves, and a human-sized Kongou skates out from the aftermath, right between Ne's legs, "&lt;Follow Me! Come On Now~!&gt;"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Akizuki and Isuzu meanwhile continue pouring fire on the second Ne-class, though their arsenals are relatively light compared to the Fourth Mobile's heavy hitter. Twin four-tube torpedo launchers swivel out from Isuzu's centerline, and she barks an order.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Akizuki! Torpedos! Seven degree spread!"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Understood!"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A total of twelve torpedoes are fired, eight from Isuzu, four from Akizuki, fired in spreads that overlap at the colossal Ne Class' feet while the cruiser is contending with aircraft and other fighters. The cruiser and destroyer don't sail straight, either, making themselves difficult targets.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's a lot going on the love rant, the heavy fire from everyone else and the Abyssals are still not down. Their endurance is no joke, and hte tentacles don't seem to make Lyria very happy either. She keeps saking about not wanting to see Elphelt get blown away? She acts her pistol is holstered and a cutlass is drawn, the blade vibrates rapidly and she makes the water below her fire up in a column, she then leaps trying to slice into one of the cannons blasting at Elpheltm before gravity takes hold of her once more.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:739|Suzuya (739)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Showing love with cannons should be everyone's job.<br /><br />On the plus side, once she's been shot away, the gray-eyed Abyssal doesn't seem to want to chase after Elphelt. She does lift a hand to the side of her head, though, shaking it slowly as if in pain. One of the tentacles swings around to nudge the other side of her head, and the Ne-class looks up blearily. No, she won't be confused. These were the enemy! She'll just sink them. "Don't think I'll let you get away with this... not after what you've all done!" The Abyssal spins around, only to let out a shriek of pain as torpedoes detonate inside the mouths of her tentacles. Smoke rises from the openings, and the Ne-class twists around to pat their snouts encouragingly. "I -said-..." But then more aircraft, from more than one direction. Even though the Suisei divebombers aren't going after her, she picks them up on radar, and her tentacles point in opposite directions to fire at both aircraft swarms. "Not... again."<br /><br />So busy is she at shooting the planes that she doesn't even notice the torpedoes until it's too late. Explosions surround her, driving her to her knees in the waves. Her tentacles' cannons still keep up their barrage, but Lyria's sword strikes one of them, damaging the gun... and causing an explosion as the next shell detonates in the barrel.<br /><br />The blue-eyed Ne-class closes in on Kongou, hands gripping tightly to... nothing? She turns her head as the human-sized battleship skates away, leg cannons immediately lifting up to fire several shots after her. That moment of split attention is enough for some of the Suiseis to get close enough to drop their bombs, and one of her tentacles is blown clean off by the explosion. She staggers, but doesn't fall... not yet. <br /><br />Then comes the scream. The gray-eyed Abyssal, driven to her knees, stares wide-eyed into the sky in a panic. With one heavily damaged tentacle, the other fires almost wildly into the skies, trying to fend off the incoming aircraft. The yell she gives off isn't one of anger, but one of pure terror, and both hands clutch at the sides of her head.<br /><br />"Sister!" The Ne-class with blue eyes sees the plight of her fellow Abyssal and abandons any thoughts of going after either Kongou or Zuihou. Damaged as she is, she turns to skate back toward the other cruiser.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:740|Elphelt Valentine (740)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> "You've really got the wrong person! I haven't even /been/ on a ship, you know? And I'm not even a human!" Protests Elphelt, before the combined fire has the Grey-eyed one flailing wildly with her guns. The random fire hits Elphelt straight in the chest, and sends her into a floating heap in the water. With her dress ruined, it's a horrid blow, and consciousness drifts in and out of her. <br /><br /> "S...Sis..." She mutters, firing off one wild pistol shot towards the Ne-class as she falls unconscious.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:670|Lyria Mason (670)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lyria Mason is able to land and avoids hitting the water the wrong way she uses her power to catch her self and she's got away from the blast, she g9ot lucky. However what comes next? That is not something she was expecting. She looked at one of the two hostiles. Wait is she starting to recall whom she is? She stares for a moment. She's at a loss for words other than the dawning understanding, did they just save that Abyssal?!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The aircraft overhead get intercepted with antiaircraft fire around them. THey're devilishly, /devilishly/ hard to track, radar just catching vague and maddening phantom glimpses aganist thier absorbant skin. Fast and hard to track meant less defenses aganist shells, unfortunatly, exploding around them and, sometimes plinking off their skin. None of them goes down, but one of them starts venting smoke from a thurst vectored engine, moving to break away from formation, and head back... straight back. If they weren't in a lucky mood, that might give them a reletive vector on the carrier they came from.<br /><br />It might not be enough, though, as another four fighters streak in the remaining three. But this one doesn't come in with a fullisade of ASM missiles. ANd the remaining fighters aren't attacking either. Just... orbiting.<br /><br />In the operations center, the image on the holoblock was a silent scream of terror from the Abyssal. "Now... this is new." Jeannette says, leaning forward, and causing the footage to replay back. "Keep the fighters orbiting. Countermeasures and protective attacks only. We need to see where this goes."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"&lt;Chase Me!&gt;" Kongou taunts, "&lt;Come On~!&gt;" She weaves through the splashing plumes of eight inch cannon fire, a tiny target for such large, slow-tracking weapons. When she turns to annoy the abyssal with her smaller (currently) battery, she finds the monstrous ship is dashing away, "Hmm~?" Eyes travel from the upright Abyssal to the crouching one, her radars adjusting. Is it truly fear? The battleship's head tilts and she brings up her hand, "Zui! Another run~!"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Understood!" Zuihou's voice echoes from within the light carrier, which is already lifting up a second wing of Suisei bombers. One by one, the sturdy aircraft launch off that distinctive flight deck and soar upward, joining their partners above the heads of the two cruisers. Another Zero spins down, out of control, and a fairy jumps out to float down on a parachute. Curiously, while the plane is large enough to hold a human pilot, the fairy pilot that ejects is small enough to fit in one's hand.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While another Suisei bursts into flames and breaks out of formation, the remaining wing all bank together, diving on the panicking Abyssal amidst anti-air fire. One by one, the bombers break away, dropping their remaining payloads and circling back towards Zuihou.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Akizuki breaks off the attack, circling around and showing the two heavy cruisers her fantail as she increases her range and readies to circle back around, perhaps to recover Elphelt. Isuzu, however, continues circling, transversing behind the Triancian warship.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kongou has skated to a stop, standing on the water, "Hmm~... Is it &lt;Sister&gt; like they always say, or something more~?" With a flash of silvery light, she quickly replaces herself with the body of her real self, the massive battleship Kongou slicing into the waves, her guns swivelling on the two Ne-class cruisers. "If they are sisters, they should go together! An expression of family bond!" The roar of her cannons is all but drowned out by Kongou's own booming war cry.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;"PLATONIC LOOOOVE~!&gt;"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:739|Suzuya (739)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>By this point, the anti-air fire is so erratic that it only rarely gets near any actual planes. Any shots that connect are more likely due to luck than aiming. But as more bombers fly overhead, the gray-eyed Ne-class just whimpers, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Not... not again. Not... alone. Don't... leave me..."<br /><br />The blue-eyed Ne-class picks up speed, ignoring the pain as bombs rain down on her. Her body is rocked by explosions, slowing her down... but she keeps going, extending a hand toward the other cruiser. "Here... Not alone... ne?" Her arm is shaky, one tentacle blown off and the other hanging limp and useless. The cannons on her legs damaged beyond use, and yet she seems to push on through sheer stubbornness. "Here... I am." The blue light in her eyes begins to fade as she collapses forward, finally grasping hold of the other Abyssal's hand. Instinctively, fingers twine and grip tightly, though neither of them has the strength to look up.<br /><br />The explosions from the final barrage sound out over the ocean, salt spray and smoke obscuring the enormous Abyssals.<br /><br />When the smoke clears, there are no more Leviathan bodies. There are only two very human-sized ones floating in the water unconscious, girls in tattered brown uniforms, tightly grasping hands together.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The /Resolve/ itself should have stayed far away from the fighting, over a hundred miles away, working off of what drones were in the area and the aircraft sent to direct fire from affair. But this world had a currency that ran beyond effectiveness in combat. Showing the flag was more important these days... esspecially now. The Strike Carrier steams forward, with Isuzu joining the formation, her fighters flying over the area that had just been supremely detonated by Kongou's guns and the buzzing of dive bombers. From the flight deck, a pair of small rotocraft, loaded with Royal Trancian Marines, take off, moving to the area of destruction, scanning the ocean along with the orbitting aircraft.<br /><br />&lt;&lt;No debries spotted, command.&gt;&gt; The voice sounds in the room; not audibly, but in the ears of all the personeel, all of them looking at sensor feeds. &lt;&lt;Lots of smoke... wait one, command. We have... two figures, floating in the ocean. Female, younger looking.... I want to say prisoners, command.&gt;&gt; He wants to say. But you don't sail the seas without a sense of spirits and supersititon, so he doesn't. Instead, the fighters start to return to the carrier, one by one, while the Rotocraft thump close to the unconscious figures, Marine divers moving into the sea to recover both of them. For return to the /Resolve/, or to the seaport Kongou hails from.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Zuihou turns again, though her speed lowers. After a moment, the carrier's course straightens and her aircraft, several damaged and trailing smoke, start circling over her. One by one, they descend to land on the flight deck, catching on the arresting cables and then being ferried down the elevators. One plane, a battered Suisei, rips in half spectacularly when the tail hook catches the cables, but is still pulled down the elevator.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Isuzu's ship shape adopts a glow and then disperses, depositing the girl on the water directly. She skates ahead of the Resolve, arms folding behind her back as she joins the recovery operation. Akizuki, however, keeps her shiply shape as she cruises into the sector where the two enormous cruisers had collapsed.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kongou, too, reduces back to her human shape to skate in among the ships searching for bodies.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Prisoners? No~!" The battleship's eyes close, her face filled with a bright smile, "&lt;Refugee&gt; would be a better word, no?" As Isuzu circles the unconscious girls in the water, Kongou looks up towards the hovercraft, "These are Kanmusu~! &lt;Fleet Daughter!&gt; Please take them to Hikari! The flagship will want to meet them!"<br> <br>


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