Mutsu yawned as the fleet found themselves within sight of the mouth to Tokyo Bay. It had been an exhausting trip back, and all around exhausting deployment in general. They had been gone for almost three weeks. But now, they were finally within the home stretch of their own beds once again. And their charge not to worse for wear.

Mutsu turned to look at the Missouri, the battleship steaming along proudly behind the fleet, her four destroyer's following along. Thanks to the Abyssal Warships that had so evidently lent them their support for the trip, the Missouri barely had a scratch on her. Nor did most of the girls.

Because of the Snow rooting the Abyss on the second day, not much Abyssal activity had been seen since while on their sortie. No, at this point, the thing bothering most of the girls was lack of adequate sleep. Time in the docks wouldn't do that little problem that much good. That could only be fixed by their nice warm beds that were waiting anxiously for them.

Shaking her head, she casted the thoughts aside. She needed to focus. There were things to do and people to see. Namely, the Admirals. Bring them up to speed on what had transpired during their time out at sea.

As they neared the mouth to the Bay, the fleet couldn't help but have a sense of accomplishment. They had preformed a Sortie far more difficult than most and almost none were returning back damaged. That was a win in of itself. But the fact their charges were ok as well only strengthened that feeling.

"Can not wait to lay in my own bed again..." Juneau sighed. Her sisters nodded as did some other members of the fleet.

"Yeah. That's gonna be the best thing about all of this finally coming to an end." San Diego said.

"Hey! Thanksgiving is in a few days too!" Cabot yelled. The American ship girls nodded as Zuikaku chuckled.

"Ahh yes. The American Holdiay of stuffing yourself with as much food as you can possibly get ahold of. Such a magnificent tradition." Zuikaku deadpanned. San Diego scowled at the carrier as the three American Battleships apart of the fleet chuckled.

"Hey! Don't go dissing our Holidays! Pretty sure there's more than a few Japanese holidays that we could poke fun at." Diego replied.

"Which we aren't going to do, mind you." Oklahoma said. "Zuikaku was just speaking her mind because the subject was brought up. That's no reason to put their entire culture under a magnifying glass with a pinch of salt thrown in." Oklahoma replied, looking at the light cruiser. Atlanta nodded at that.

"Yeah. No need to pick fights now, especially with Thanksgiving rolling around. I can't wait to settle back in and see what girls come through next." She said. Arizona nodded at that, looking to Atlanta.

"Did I forget to mention that two more girls came through the day we left?" She asked, looking at the cruiser. The Atlanta sisters, and quite a few more members of the fleet snapped their gaze to Arizona.

"WHAT!?" San Diego demanded. "Of course you did? Why are we just hearing about this now?!" The light Anti-Air cruiser demanded, hands find their ways to her hips. Arizona only nodded at that, chuckling somewhat.

"Pensacola and Salt Lake City, the Pensacola class of Heavy Cruiser's. Came through maybe five-six hours after we left." She said. Juneau rolled her eyes.

"Tier seven pieces of crap is what they are. No armor. Get torn to shreds with one well placed salvo." She muttered. Oklahoma sighed.

"Please don't compare our fellow American Ship Girls to their Wargaming counterparts.... those do them no justice." She huffed. The Anti-Air cruiser shrugged at that before turning her attention to the horizon.

"Although it's not a bad thing that we got more Heavy Cruisers." Chicago said. "Before those two, it was up to me and Frisc to keep that title up and running." She said. Takao and Atago nodded to that.

"More heavy cruisers are never a bad thing." Takao agreed. Chicago nodded at that, nodding to Takao as the fleet continued on. But as they did so, Musashi gestured to the Missouri.

"So when are we going to discuss what happened with the Missouri's bridge during the fight? The whole crew being kicked out by a lone woman and she seizing control of the Missouri by herself? And she just up and vanished afterwards? Isn't that a little bit strange?" She asked. Maryland nodded.

"A whole hell lot more than just a little. But they counted the crew five times afterwards and searched the ship from top to bottom when they could. She was just gone."

"And she didn't leave the ship. We were back in our normal fleet positions, so there's no way she got off the ship without one of us noticing that she did. And, we would've heard something like that." Franklin added. Midway shook her head.

"If she timed it right, there was more or less a good chance that she could've escaped without us hearing nor seeing her. The Missouri is not exactly quiet in her old age." She said. Franklin shrugged at that as Yamato looked up at the Missouri.

"It is a wonder to think that this Ship fought in the same war so many of us were sunk in the time of. Not only that, but here she is, eighty years later, serving her country just as valiantly as she did back then." Yamato said in a refined fashion.

"Your country too this time around." Arizona said. "She's not being sent to Japan just for some relaxation. She's here to help. And so are the destroyers with her, something that Japan didn't get in such a friendly way last time." The battleship replied. Yamato nodded.

"Even then, she and her sisters were the closest thing built to Musashi's and my own specifications. If we had ever met on the water in such a way..."

"There'd be a movie about it, no doubt. No matter who won or lost, it'd be a story told for decades." Atlanta chuckled. "The age old question of Iowa Vs Yamato would finally be answered and those internet trolls would finally shut up." She decided. "Besides, i'd pay good money to see a battle like that. It'd be badass, no doubt." She said. San Diego laughed.

"Ten outta ten, would watch again." She snorted, laughing at the idea. Juneau only rolled her eyes at her sister's, but held a certain sense of her own amusement.

Shaking her head at the shenanigans that are keeping everyone in high spirits, Oklahoma turns to look to Arizona and Nagato.

"So have we had an contact with Admiral Johnson and Admiral Ishigara?" She asked. The two shook their heads.

"No. Last we tried, Nagato contacted Ishigara. But when we finally got a hold of him to report, he told us that there were more pressing matters that he was dealing with at the time. He said he and Admiral Johnson were glad we were safe, but he had to go." Arizona replied. Nagato nodded as she looked to the battleship.

"It is unlike Ishigara to willingly tear himself away from finding out if the fleet is alright. If something is more pressing, it has to concern a Kanmusu that he has direct contact with. Perhaps someone within another fleet did not return in the best shape." The battleship offered. Oklahoma nodded at that.

"If that is the case though, then what fleet would require such immediate attention?" Oklahoma asked.

"Based on when and where we were deployed to." Yuubari answered. "That fleet returning before us would be the Submarine Fleet. And given we never really Sortie to the southern parts of the Pacific, given where they were deployed, it could be that they ran into something more than fit of dealing with them effectively." The light cruiser answered.

"What? You think they ran into some new Sub killer Abyssal or something? I don't think that's a thing." Tenryuu answered her fellow cruiser. Yuubari arched a brow as she looked to the woman.

"And Abyssalized World War Two Warships are?" She asked.

"Fair point." Tenryuu answered, nodding in acceptance. Yuubari only chuckled at that before shivering slightly.

"The only bad thing about November...." she sighed. "The cold...." she huffed. Some of the other fleet shrugged.

"It's supposed to snow in a few days. Don't know why you're surprised in the slightest. Just another reason to love having our beds again." Zuihou shrugged. Mutsu only chuckled.

"As opposed to being stationed in Hawaii during the winter..." The battleship offered. Zuihou blinked at that before wheeling around only to be caught by the collar with the grasp of Shouhou.

"Don't even think about it." She sighed. Her younger sister gave only a huff before once again resuming her normal pace alongside her sister. Shaking her head, Shouhou looked back to the fleet.

"So... were up to what? Ninety Two Kanmusu?" She asked for clarification. Arizona nodded at that.

"With the two new sisters, it does." She answered. Ryuujou nodded at that as she gestured to the battleship next to the fleet.

"So when can we expect Missouri to come through then?" She asked. Some of the other girls shook their heads at that.

"I can't see that happening. To this day, there have been no actively serving girls with their hulls to come through summoned. And I doubt that rule will change just for an Iowa." Yuubari said. "But the time she was laid down for construction may change that..." she said, rubbing her head. "This whole thing is confusing." She sighed. Nagato nodded at that.

"Indeed. For now however, let's not concern ourselves with such topics about this. We need only focus on completing our Sortie before we let our minds wander." Nagato said in a sharp tone. Yuubari rolled her eyes as Arizona shrugged.

"We're almost there. I think they can allow their minds to wander a little at most." She said. Nagato nodded somewhat at that as the fleet continued on their path towards the mouth of Tokyo Bay.

As they did so, the Air Patrols they had deployed were starting to come in for landings with their carrier's. including Midway's patrol she had up when she was incapacitated the first time. Shokaku had had the six Corsairs among her Air Wings. And as they returned to their original carrier, a sense of normalcy seemed to return to the fleet for once in the last two weeks.

The normalcy fled when they neared the mouth of Tokyo Bay.

The first thing to register to their vision was the destroyer Kongo sitting there, flanked by her four sisters as they guarded the entrance to the Bay.

A second later, a voice came over the radios.

"This is Captain Tanaka of the JDS Kongo." Came the accented English answer. "Identify yourselves or be fired upon." The Captain demanded. The fleet collectively blinked before Gailer came to the rescue, being the first to respond on a moment's notice.

"This is Captain Lindsey Gailer of the U.S.S. Missouri. We come from Pearl, along with the four destroyers and the Kanmusu fleet, our escorts." She replied. What sounded like a sigh of relief sounded over the radio as tensions seemed to physically fade from both sides.

"I apologize. Things have been... interesting since you've left..." Captain Tanaka replied. Some of the fleet arched some brows at that as Gailer questioned what she meant.

"And how would that be?" Gailer asked over the fleet wide Radio so everyone could hear the conversation.

"Well, two days ago, the Kanmusu Submarine fleet returned. Well as they did so, there was a Sub Killer waiting for them at the mouth, submerged and dormant so they wouldn't be detected. Well, after they had passed, the Sub killer engaged. It nearly sunk three of them before we and more Kanmusu from Yokosuka began to engage. It was around this time that a full scale battle erupted in the Bay." She answered. Some of the fleet's eyes went wide as Nagato pushed on.

"This is JDS Nagato. You wouldn't happen to know which subs were injured would you?" She asked. Tanaka nodded.

"Didn't a real chance to look at it, sorry to say. But the injures were mainly confined to two Gato Class Subs and we think Iku." She replied. Nagato nodded at that as some of the American girl's apart of the fleet collectively held their breath at the news.

Atlanta sighed. "With their luck, my guess is Harder and Pargo." She answered. Some nodded as Gailer nodded.

"Well... thank you for letting us know. Are we clear to proceed?" She asked. Tanaka answered soon after.

"Affirmative. Give us a moment and we'll get out of your way." Tanaka answered before dropping the call. Soon enough, the four destroyers began to reorganize themselves so that Convoy could pass by without any crashes. Nodding, Gailer gave the order for the Missouri to continue on it's way, followed by the fleet and flanked by the four destroyers.

As they passed by the four destroyers, the sight of more destroyers sailing to and from across the Bay registered to their vision. Watching them a moment, Gailer came over the Radio.

"Well... here we are. I'd love to extend more thanks to you all, but it sounds like you ladies have friends to check up on. I'll thank you all in person when you come to tour the Missouri." Gailer said, using a tone the fleet had not once heard her use during the seven day trip over to Japan. Arizona blinked at that.

"Tour the Missouri...? Why? What's the reasoning?" She asked. Gailer shrugged.

"Couldn't tell you. But it came from Admiral Hayfield to expect some of you to come visiting the Missouri in the next few days. So I couldn't tell you." She replied. Arizona nodded at that.

"Fair enough." Arizona said before the combination dropped, and the Fleet began to peel away from the Missouri and heading towards Yokosuka. So did the Missouri, but the battleship and her escorts were headed towards the non-Kanmusu section of the base.

Eventually, the fleet caught sight of the home port, a sight they hadn't seen in about three weeks. And just like always, there were figures waiting for them on the pier. Except it wasn't their Admirals like the norm had been for so long. No, the two women now having spotted them, were wearing the summoning outfits of the American Kanmusu. And Arizona couldn't say for sure that they were Pensacola and Salt.

"Who...." Maryland trailed off as they neared the two.

"Battleships. No doubt." Tenryuu chuckled. The rest of the fleet only nodded at that as they watched the two standing to greet them presumably.

As Arizona stopped in front of the pier, causing the rest of the fleet to do the same as they peered up at the two. "So... who might you two be? And where is the Admiral?" Oklahoma asked finally. The front one of the two nodded, looking at the woman.

"I am Battleship Fifty Five, The Former USS North Carolina. Behind me is my sister, Battleship Washington. We are here to greet you in the Admirals and Captain's steed as they are otherwise occupied with seeing to our Submarines." North answered. Arizona nodded slowly at that as Musashi looked at the two.

"Did you come through with Pensacola and Salt Lake City?" She asked. North nodded at that.

"That we did. As well as two others, but that has been requested we do not tell by the Admiral. If you will though, head over to the launching chambers and we can talk on solid ground." She answered before promptly turning and walking away, Washington only giving a wave before she followed.

Arizona only shrugged before she lead the fleet towards the specified building.

Soon enough, the Battleships of the fleet were exiting the launching Chambers. And as they stepped out into the cool air under the Japanese sun, they found North and Wash waiting for them.

"So.... North Carolina and Washington..." Arizona chuckled. "That gateway has some sort of obsession with the battleships of our Country's past..." Arizona said. Maryland and Oklahoma nodded at that as North titled her head.

"Oh? How so?" She asked. Arizona nodded.

"Every group of our girls that has come through has included at least one battleship. First, it was me. Then, it was Mary, Oak, Missy, and Indy. And now, it's the two of you." She explained. North nodded at that as she thought about it.

"Yes... I do suppose that makes some sense. So.... how was the Sortie?" She asked. Arizona nodded.

"Went well enough. But if you don't mind me saying, I'd rather debrief with the Admiral. Is she in her office?" She asked. The two Battleship's shook their heads.

"No. Admiral Johnson, Admiral Ishigara, and Captain Algerona are all currently to be found within the docks. It's where they've spent much of their time in the last three days, caring for the Subs. Their battle was.... grueling...." Washington answered, somewhat scowling as if thinking back to the memory. Arizona nodded as Mutsu answered.

"As we were informed it was. But dare I ask... why do the subs need assistance? Are they not capable of dealing with their injuries on their own?" She asked as the Carrier's exited the structure behind them, now focusing fully on the ongoing conversation. North Carolina nodded somewhat.

"The subs are certainly capable of helping themselves... it just seems that these wounds left more prominent damage than most sorties have in the past. It's left Pargo and Snook reeling as their fairies are trying to figure out a way to best repair the girl's. Its been a long process..." she said. Some of the Battleships nodded at that.

"Well, if you don't mind, would it be alright if a couple of us headed that way? There's no rules about it right now is there?" Arizona asked. The two sisters nodded.

"While there are no official rules currently placed upon visitors to the docks, it would be nice for those affected to be able to attain a sense of peace at all times. This will perhaps be better explained when you see their actual injures..." Washington interjected. Arizona nodded at that as the cruiser's and destroyers left the building, now completing the fleet as they focused on the two.

"Well.. in that case, we'll send a small group over there. Maybe six at most. Who wants to go see the subs and see how they're doing?" She asked, turning to the fleet.

Arizona of course, raised her hand. Oklahoma was the next to do so, her hand joining Arizona's. And because of Arizona raising her hand, Haruna did as well. After the battleship, the next to raise their hands were Yuudachi, Shigure, and Harusame. Arizona nodded at that. Washington nodded as well.

"At that, may we ask that Atlanta and her sisters accompany as well? The Admiral has requested that you come to her." She said. Atlanta blinked a moment before nodding, joining the group along with Juneau and Sandy. Watching the three a moment, Arizona nodded before looking to the battleships that had greeted them.

"Shall we?" Arizona asked. North and Wash nodded, promptly turning and starting their trip back to the docks, this time with visitors in tow. And as they did so, the freshly returned nine Kanmusu apart of the group couldn't help but feel giddy at the feeling of Yokosuka being under their feet. Even if it wasn't their home country.

"Oh it feels so good to be back at base..." San Diego breathed. The others nodded at that, needing to say nothing to express the same feeling. But as they walked on, Arizona looked to North.

"So besides the subs, no one else was hurt to badly? Like Indy or Missy?" She asked. North Carolina shook her head, walking along as her hips swayed.

"No. Besides the Submarine fleet, no other fleets returned with injuries that weren't treated within a few hours to a day." She answered. "So far, the subs have had the worst problems. And it doesn't seem to be that your fleet will change that fact." She said. Arizona nodded at that.

"Surprisingly enough..." she answered after a moment. North only nodded at that as she and her sister lead the nine to the docks.

"So. The two of you liking Yokosuka well enough? You came through the day we left, right?" Oklahoma asked. The two nodded.

"Yes, at first it was rather quiet. Since, at the time, the base had less than fifteen Ship Girls present. But then, Indiana's fleet arrived. And then Mississippi's fleet did as well. So... we've had some time to adjust. And... I never could have that thought that we'd have a chance to meet those we faced in combat like we did so long ago..." North said. Arizona nodded at that.

"Any of them that you've focused on?" She asked, looking at the two as they walked on.
North arched a brow as she looked back at Ari.

"You mean like how Enterprise and Akagi ended up together?" North Carolina asked. Some of those present blinked at that before Atlanta chuckled.

"Knew it." She laughed. Arizona only rolled her eyes as she shrugged to North. "Sort of, but not really what I meant. I meant have you made any close friends yet?" She asked. The two nodded slowly at that as Washington looked to the battleship.

"I've made some connections with the Japanese Battleship Kirishima..... after what I did to her in the war though... I find myself somewhat surprised..." Washington said after a moment. Arizona nodded in understanding at that.

"To be fair, none of this whole scenario really makes sense. But we're here. So it's up to us to make the most of it." Arizona answered. Washington nodded somewhat at that.

As she did so, North Carolina watched as they neared the dock building, no movement being seen in the changing room. But as they neared, the found who looked like Harder.

"Harder? That you?" Oklahoma called. Turning her head, the Submarine registered who it was calling out to her before nodding, waving at the group before she gestured to them to come in.

"Yeah, it's me." Harder answered in an unusual tone for the submarine. Instead of the tough and gritty sounding voice that the Gato class usually resorted to, her voice was tired with the smallest lining undertones of pain and hurt. It was the first sign that things had really been as bad as they had said. But none of the incoming girls commented on the change. For Harder's sake. As they watched Harder turn back to watch what she had been when they spotted her, the group walked into the changing room of the docks.

There, they found themselves somewhat surprised.

The room had been rearranged some to fit what was going on.

Sitting along the wall on what looked a like a few stacked blankets, was Pargo and Snook, happily chewing on what looked like sandwiches. Sitting with blankets over their legs, they seemed to be chatting amongst themselves and two women sitting with them, the two seemingly dressed in what looked like shorts and bikini tops. Never having seen the two, the group cast that aside for the moment as they continued to analyze the situation.

Spread out on the blankets seemed to be what looked like various snack foods and the like, the four women seeming to be having a picnic with one another in the changing rooms of the docks.

Ishigara was seated off to the side, as it keeping an eye on the activity to make sure all was ok.

From the looks of it, Pargo and Snook didn't look injured at all. It seemed like everything had been exaggerated. From what the newly returned group could see, the two subs didn't have a mark on them. It would seem that something's had been stressed when they hadn't needed to be.

But before that could be thought on much longer, Arizona found her attention wading to the two women seated across from the subs. Dressed pretty lax, the blonde and brunette women seemed to be keeping the two subs company. But that made no sense. Why would the Admiral-

Wait.

"Admiral...?" Arizona suddenly spoke. The blonde woman whipped around at the voice, immediately staring up at the battleship. And sure enough, it was her Admiral, dressed in only shorts and a bikini top. Smiling, the woman began to stand as she turned to greet the group. At the sight of Haruna and the Shiratsuyu sisters, Ishigara did as well.

"Well hello there." Anya greeted with a small wave. "Wasn't expecting you ladies for a few more hours at least...glad you finally returned though. So tell us. How did the mission go?" She asked, hands on her hips as she looked at the nine. But for all nine of the Kanmusu present, not one had seen her in something other than her uniform. Something that they were obligated to point out to the woman.

"Why... are you wearing that?" San Diego asked after a moment. Anya blinked before looking down at her outfit.

"Wha...? I'm not sure what the problem is..." she said after a moment, furrowing her brow as she gazed down at herself. Atlanta chuckled.

"Sandy doesn't mean anything bad by it. It's just... we've never seen you in anything besides your uniform. And since when have you been so... muscle-ly... that's a word right?" The light cruiser asked, poking at her Admiral's unexplained toned stomach. Anya only chuckled, playfully swatting Atlanta's hand away as she looked up at the girl's again.

"Well.. I don't workout for no reason. And besides, I've spent a collective of thirty hours of the last two days here at the docks. Gotta dress somewhat comfortably. Don't you think?" She asked. That seemed hit a sour note with some of the girls, especially the American girls.

"Admiral... that's a little much, don't you think. What about sleep?" Arizona asked, her tone going serious. Anya only chuckled.

"Don't worry. I've been getting the sleep I need. And the base is still running fine. The Captain and Ishigara have kept up their duties. Ishigara was just checking in on these two since Iku's repairs finished some time ago." She answered. "I promise, I'm making sure to take care of myself while I can." She said, mostly to Arizona more than anybody else. Ishigara nodded at that as he looked to the nine as North and Wash walked around the two, seating themselves next to the subs as they greeted the two.

"But the Captain is right there..." Arizona said, gesturing to the brunette woman still seated on the blanket. In response, the woman turned and offered a wave, revealing it to be Liz instead.

"Nope. Not this time." She chuckled, her English accent a clear distinction among those of the Americans. "Had to bring these three something to eat." She laughed before turning back to the two subs and their battleship friends. Arizona only blinked before looking back to the two Admirals greeting them. Anya smiled.

"See? Everything's good at the moment. Or... as good as they can be. So, how did the Sortie go? Everyone return ok?" She asked. Arizona nodded.

"For the most part. There are some who plan to visit the docks later today just to make sure everything is ok, but for the most part, the fleet returned without serious damage." Arizona reported. Anya nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.

"And the Missouri? How'd she fare?" She asked. Oklahoma nodded this time round, looking to her Admiral.

"The Missouri suffered a few hits, but most were shrugged off in a sense. Her crew is all accounted for and they should be docking now." She answered. Anya nodded.

"Good. Good...." she said before Shigure spoke up.

"Admiral Johnson, if you do not mind me saying so, what is the point of risking a battleship such as the Missouri to move it to Japan? What is the reasoning behind such an order?" She asked. Anya nodded at that.

"I can see why you'd be curious about that, but give it a few days. I'll become clear soon enough." She said. After she had done so, she was immediately surrounded by the three Atlanta sisters.

"So why were we requested, Admiral?" Juneau asked. "North said that you had wanted to see us. What for?" She inquired. Anya nodded at that as well.

"That will be explained in a while as well." She said before turning to look back at the subs, the two now starting to finish up their sandwiches as Harder helped them clean up the mess. Liz began to help as well as Anya neared the two presumably wounded ship girls.

"So...." she began, crouching down to the two ship girls. "Who wants to go first?" She asked, looking between the two. Pargo and Snook traded a glance before shrugging.

"I got to enter first last time. So Pargo can go this time." Snook said. Anya nodded as she looked to the fore mentioned Sub.

"That alright with you?" She asked. Pargo nodded as she looked at her Admiral.

"That's fine Admiral." She said before holding her arms up in the air. Anya nodded as she stood and carefully walked over to the Sub before grabbing the girl by the armpits and lifting, pulling Pargo up into her own hold. Making sure to get the girl comfortable, Anya focused on that while the newly returned focused on what wasn't there.

They knew that the two subs had been declared as injured, but when they had just been sitting down, it was impossible to see. Everything had looked normal. But normal had ended when Anya picked up the Gato class.

Pargo was missing her legs.

As Anya made sure she had a firm grip on Pargo, the submarine clung to Anya as the Admiral carefully carried the girl into the docks as the group then looked down at Snook in shock. The Submarine only shrugged in response as she slowly peeled away the blanket from her legs as well, only to reveal that she had lost the limbs as well.

"The Sub Killer.... did that...?" Atlanta asked after a moment. Snook and Harder nodded.

"Pargo took the first torpedo. We were on the surface and it hit her from directly below. She did a couple of forwards before she slammed into the water in a bloody mess. After that, Snook got the same treatment for trying to help Pargo." Harder answered before she looked at her sister. "That's when the Japanese subs dove, trying to find exactly what was using us for target practice. That gave me the chance to send out a call for help." Harder answered. Ishigara nodded at that.

"We scrambled a small fleet from base, but by that time, the destroyers you met at the mouth of the Bay were well already on their way to assisting. Good thing too, since the killer popped up above the surface a few minutes later." The Admiral explained. "Took about ten, twenty minutes to kill the thing. But it finally took the killing blow. But not after the damage had been done." He said, crossing his arms. Harder nodded.

"They lost their legs on impact. The torpedoes that were used were some kind of higher than normal capacity explosives. Maybe a modified type 93, which if that's the case, we've all gotta be a lot more alert. But maybe not. Considering the fact that we're only subs, the effect may not hold true for a battleship." Harder replied, arms crossed as she did so. Arizona nodded.

"And we're sure the thing was killed?" She asked. Ishigara nodded.

"One of the destroyers lugged the thing onboard. They're gonna see if some scientists can't make heads or tails of their armor composition. If we can learn that, maybe we can develop weapons that work far better than what we have now." He replied. Arizona nodded at that as she watched Anya renter the room, looking to Snook.

"You ready?" She asked. Snook nodded as she raised her arms, Anya taking the chance to lift the Sub, revealing that she wasn't much better off than her sister. In place of her legs were stumps as well. Having scars and what looked to be old open wounds, the Submarine carried her wounds better than thought possible. Anya gestured for the girl's to follow her and Snook before vanishing into the docks.

"Jesus..." Atlanta muttered, leading the way into the docks. Following their Admiral, they watched as the woman stepped down into the dock slot next to Pargo's, carefully lowering Snook into the water, being thanked by the fairies lining the sides. Now the choice of odd apparel made a whole lot more sense as they watched the water lap up against the Admiral's legs, soaking the edges of her shorts.

Stepping back up to the walkway of the docks, Anya sighed. "Forget the battleships. Forget the carrier's. Forget the cruiser's. You know what I would do for a way to give you girls back your legs right now?" She asked. The two subs only chuckled as they watched the Admiral.

"So you've said more than a few times." Snook chuckled. Anya only nodded at that, chuckling somewhat as she stretched her arms for a moment.

"And so I have..." she said after a moment. But as she stretched her arms, she had put her hand in perfect sight of the three Shiratsuyu sisters tagging along.

"Uhhh... Admiral Johnson...?" Harusame said after a moment. The blonde American looked at the pinkette, brows arched as she looked to her.

"Yeah Harusame?" She asked. The destroyer tapped at her finger.

"Your ring." The girl replied. Anya's face gave an expression of surprise as she looked at her hand. And sure enough, the ring that Anya had come to associate with a new girl was glowing. But for the first time when it came to this subject, Anya looked conflicted about the idea of leaving her two subs.

"So it is...." she said after a moment. The girl's present watched the woman, the subs looking guilty for something beyond their control, before Ishigara spoke up.

"Admiral Johnson, if you wish to remain here with Pargo and Snook, I can go and see who has come through for your Navy." He suggested. Anya snapped her vision to the man in surprise before chuckling.

"That... would be greatly appreciated." She said, looking to the man before to Arizona and Oklahoma. "If the two of you would accompany him, I don't want to hear about anyone else being seriously injured today." She said. The two battleships nodded as they let Ishigara leave the docks first before bringing up the rear behind him, the three leaving the building.

"That was... rather kind of you, Admiral." Oklahoma said. Ishigara nodded as the three made their way over to the summoning chambers.

"Indeed. She's yet to tear herself away from those two because of anything else so far. I had guessed that even this wouldn't be strong enough. And not only that, but who knows who will show up this time for your country." He said. The two battleships nodded at that as they walked on.

"I do... feel somewhat bad about you going to receive one of our girls though..." Oklahoma said after a moment. Ishigara merely shook his head at the sentence however, looking to the battleship.

"If you're referring to the fact that I am going to receive American Ship Girls in the place of those of Japan's own, do not mind it. At current rate, I would much rather be receding Americans. If I am to receive those of my own country, then that means that I have failed more so than I already have. It means that I have lost more."

"Fusou and Yamashiro..." Arizona said after a moment. Ishigara nodded at that.

"Yes... after we lost them, it was rather hard to compel myself to walk back to the summoning chamber when it came time to bring through the next ones to replace them, who ended up being Harusame and Zuikaku." The Admiral said. The two Battleships nodded at that.

"I can see the reasoning..." Arizona said after a moment. Ishigara nodded, still walking towards the summoning chamber before they were suddenly stopped as someone hopped onto Arizona's back, taking the dreadnaught by surprise.

"Banzai!" The perpetrator of the attack yelled, making Oklahoma jump in the process while Ishigara sighed, but also held an amused hand to his face. Followed along with that was an annoyed sigh from presumably a fifth party.

"Ise.... get off of Arizona." Hyuga said as she watched her sister try to scale the woman to seat herself upon the dreadnaught's soldiers. Ise rolled her eyes as she let go of Arizona, dropping to the ground as Arizona wheeled around to face the woman, looking to demand an explanation. Ise only grinned as she shrugged as her sister looked to the Admiral.

"You three are quite the odd grouping. What's going on?" Hyuga asked. Ishigara nodded as he gestured in the general direction of the summoning chamber.

"New American ship girls to bring through. And with Admiral Johnson confined to a ten foot proximity of Snook and Pargo like a protective mother and Captain Algerona seeing to keeping things going smoothly, the task has fallen to me and these two." He said before gesturing to the two American Battleships. The Ise sisters nodded at that as they looked to the three.

"Mind if we tag along?" Ise asked, rather bluntly. Ishigara thought about it a moment before crossing his arms, shrugging at the idea as he looked to Arizona and Oklahoma.

"What do the two of you think?" He asked. The two shrugged.

"Quicker they learn that we have American and Japanese girls on base, the better." She reasoned. Oklahoma nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. Faster we get over that curveball, the better. Especially with a summon who may have a grudge. I can see both of our older sisters coming back with mixed feelings." Oklahoma mused. Arizona nodded.

"Indeed... watching your younger sisters suffer would bring anyone great duress. But, give the older sisters a strength of a battleship and we may have a problem." She said. Ise chuckled.

"They're just standards. If anything, we just have Musashi sit on them until they're ready to behave." She suggested. Ishigara stifled a chuckle as Arizona an Oklahoma shrugged. But Hyuga had seemed to be focused on something as she watched Ishigara carefully.

Pursing her lips a moment, she finally spoke up as the five began to walk forwards again.

"Admiral... we're going for American Ship Girls, yes?" She asked, looking to the man in charge. Ishigara nodded as he looked back at the battleship.

"Yes... why do you ask, Hyuga?" Came the response. Ise reached over and grabbed his arm, tapping his ring.

"Then why is your ring glowing instead?" She asked, looking to the Admiral. This seemed to halt all motion as Arizona and Oklahoma whipped their heads around to focus on the man as the Admiral took a look at his ring for good measure. And sure enough, the gem of the ring that had remained the solemn dark blue for so long before, was shining with the light blue that the Americans had been hoping for of their own.

What.

The Admiral and four ship girls only stared at the ring for a moment before Oklahoma was the one to shake the group from their surprise.

"We need to go. If American and Japanese ships are summoned at the same time with no idea of what's going on.... do I need to explain further?" She asked, looking between the members of the group. The four nodded as they began to hightail it for the summoning chambers, none of the five even daring to speak should they jinx in.

Soon enough, time found them in front of the doors to the summoning chamber. Letting the Admiral lead the way, the four battleships watched as Ishigara pulled the door open, giving listen to the relative silence of the room.

Silence only by choice.

Poking his head inside, he immediately spotted six various figures, split off into two groups. And to this continually growing surprise, sure enough, three of them were dressed in the summoning reds and whites of the Japanese Ship Girls. Something that he hadn't expected he'd see for a long time.

The other group, standing a ways located away from the first group was dressed in the Navy Blue outfits of the Americans. So, the total summoning seemed to be six in all. Nothing that couldn't be sorted out and handled. But as the Admiral walked in step by step, something else appeared to his vision. Standing to either side of the Gateway, seeming to be out of the way, were two more girls. One on either side of the room. The one closest to the Japanese was dressed in a combination of red and blue.

The one standing near the American group was dressed in what looked to be a dark gray and red. Blinking, Ishigara looked to the four battleships tailing him, as if silently discussing the situation. The four shrugged as they brought up the rear as the five walked into the room.

Nearing them, the group of eight ship girls hadn't noticed them. The two groups of three were too busy having conversations of their own. The one dressed in gray seemed to be looking over the Gateway with high interest. And the one in red and blue seemed to be playing with her fingers, her nerves looking to be sidelining the girl. Poor thing.

Taking a final moment, Ishigara finally got the ball rolling.

"Excuse me? If I could have everyone's attention?" He asked loudly enough, the acoustics of the room doing the rest for him, carrying his voice. Some of the eight jumped slightly at the new voice before snapping to face him, varying expressions now settling on him. Nodding, he continued.

"I am Admiral Takeo Ishigara of the JMSDF. Behind me are the Japanese Battleships Ise and Hyuga. And the American Battleships Arizona and Oklahoma. If the eight of you could step forward, we can get some names." He said. As if living up to some stereotype about no fear, the American group stepped up first, the three looking to the man expectantly. Well, two were. One was scowling at him more than he thought possible. Chuckling, he looked back at the girl.

"How about you then. Care to introduce yourself or are you going to keep up the American glare." He asked. The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Don't need to tell you anything you damn Jap. What you do need to tell me however is why the hell you've got two of our battleships following you for some godamn reason." She snapped, crossing her arms. Ishigara only arched a brow as Arizona and Oklahoma glared at the unknown girl. This only seemed to amuse the girl. "Oh, they're glaring at me. What? Afraid you'll break down before you can catch me? Trash standards, that's what the two of you are." She chuckled, looking at the two in an amused fashion. Her black hair fell just past her shoulders as her green eyes watched the two carefully. Ishigara surmised that it wouldn't be a hard stretch to say that her physical age resembled something of Yuudachi or Shigure. She stood at around 5"1.

The two battleships only watched the girl with wide eyes however. They would not give into the senseless teasing. Or worse. But luckily, someone stepped in to handle the girl before they had to, the newcomer slapping the still unknown girl upside the head.

"Watch your tone." Came a grizzled voice. "When they break you, I'm not gonna repair you, you stupid tin can." She threatened, her voice sounding tired and annoyed.The girl in question only rubbed the back of her head as she rolled her eyes but said mother further on the subject.

Shaking her head, the woman that had stepped in looked to the five. The first interesting thing about her was the presence of her silver hair. But unlike E's, this one's hair didn't have a certain gleam to it. Old blue eyes watched the five as she did so. Looking only to be about seventeen in appearance, her personality and voice said something far different.

"But there had better be a damn good reason for two of our battle wagons to be following one of their Admirals. There is... isn't there?" She asked. Arizona and Oklahoma nodded.

"How about we get a name from you then? You look like maybe a cruiser or something." Arizona said. The woman laughed at that, shaking her head.

"Not a chance. AR-21. Repair Ship Dionysus at your service. I'm assuming we have an Admiral of our own somewhere on base?" She asked. "Oh, and the runt with the big mouth is DD-533. USS Hoel." She answered. The five nodded.

"A repair ship and a Fletcher. Not just any Fletcher either..." Arizona mused. Hoel rolled her eyes.

"You want the hero talk, stow it for Johnny or Sammy." She stopped a moment before sighing. "They.... aren't here are they...?" She asked slowly. Arizona shook her head.

"You're the first American destroyer on base that isn't a Gleaves. And Sammy hasn't shown yet." Arizona answered. The destroyer nodded at that as she and Dionysus stepped off to the side, giving space to the last of the three American Kanmusu.

"And you? What might your name be?" Ishigara asked. The woman nodded.

"AKA-93. Attack Cargo Ship Yancey ready to serve... just.. maybe not as a combat vessel." She chuckled as she crossed her arms. Bright blonde hair fell to her collar bone as her green eyes studied the women in front of her. Ishigara supposed that he could see some of Mamiya within the woman. But maybe he was just basing that off of type similarities rather than actual present ones.

Watching as the woman stepped off to the side with the other two, Ishigara cast his gaze forwards again. This time, landing on the sight he still couldn't fathom fully. In front of him stood three newly summoned Japanese Kanmusu. Something that should have been impossible. But instead... they were standing right in front of him.

"You alright there?" One asked, hands on her hips as she looked the Admiral over. "You're not gonna faint on us are you? Someone has to keep the yanks in line..." she said.

"Hey!" Came the call of defiance from Hoel. Shaking his head, Ishigara chuckled as he looked back at the woman that had addressed him.

"No.... I can't that I'm going to faint. But I will say that it is quite the surprise to meet you three... I thought our time of pulling new girls through was over sometime ago, but it would appear that I was wrong." He said, looking between the three. The one that had spoken to him nodded.

"Well... I'm sure there's a lot to figure out, like Dionysus said, why two Yank Battleships are following you, Arizona especially. But that's to figure out later. Name's Irako, Japanese Food Ship. Ready to serve to the best of my ability." She said. Ishigara nodded at that.

"Mamiya is already on base. I think she'll enjoy having another Ship of your likeness as company. The same goes for you as well Yancey." He said, looking back to the cargo ship. The woman nodded at the man before Ishigara turned back to look to the two other girls dressed in the red and white.

One had a bright pink color for hair and the other seemed to have a mint green tint for her hair. The two seemed to watch Ishigara with curiosity as he seemed to try and figure out which of the two he wanted to speak to more. Eventually, he made a choice, looking to the girl with the green hair, nodding for her to step forward. Somewhat hesitantly, she nodded as she did just that.

"Uhhh... destroyer Yamakaze, Shiratsuyu class reporting for Service Admiral.... are.. any of my sisters here yet?" She asked. Ishigara smiled as he nodded.

"Yes. Shigure, Yuudachi, and Harusame have been patiently awaiting the arrival of another of their sisters. And I think you'll fit that bill quite nicely." He replied. The destroyer nodded, somewhat timidly, as she stepped over with Irako so that Ishigara could focus on the last of the three. "And who might you be?" He asked.

The woman nodded, looking at Ishigara with a kind smile. "Japanese Repair Ship Akashi, reporting for duty sir... although it seems that I'm not the only repair ship present.." she said, glancing at Dionysus. Ishigara shook his head.

"No. It seems you're not. Not anymore. But, we appreciate all the help we can get." He said in return. Akashi nodded at that, giving a slight bow before joining the other two Japanese Kanmusu. With the three Americans and three Japanese figured out and named, that left only the two other presumable ship girls present.

Finally making a decision, Ishigara nodded to the two, gesturing for them to approach. Hesitating a moment, the two nodded a second later, walking for the Admiral. But their eyes never left one another, watching each other like a hawk watching it's newest prey. Looking between the two, trying to guess what their reasonings were, Ishigara finally shrugged.

Studying the two, he couldn't figure out what was more odd. The fact that they were dressed in different colors, or the fact that they seemed to resemble no one on base.

The woman in the grey outfit accented in red had short blonde hair. Coming down to about her jaw, she watched the other girl with the bluest eyes the man had ever seen.

As for the other, she had dark black hair. Deep brown eyes watched her supposed opponent in what seemed to be a pent up rage. There was something between the two that he couldn't for the life of him figure it out.

Both of them were clearly battleships. But none of the Japanese Classes had members missing. And the two of them didn't resemble any of the Americans on base. But Ishigara didn't have to think to much longer. That's when Ise spoke up.

"Is that.... a German flag...?" She asked. The other four, along with the six new summons looked to the battleship in surprise. Following her gaze, she was inspecting the Gateway. And on the left side, under the American flag and their Kanmusu count, sat the flag of the Kriegsmarine, the Iron Cross easy to be seen. As if sensing their confusion, the one dressed in grey took one look before nodding.

"Ja. That is the flag of my home country, is it not?" She chuckled, a German accent filling the air as she put her hands on her hips. "And if I am not mistaken, the one below belongs to the... six-weeker if I am correct?" She asked. The woman dressed in blue and red put on a scathing glare as she looked at the woman with hatred burning in her eyes.

"So the boche has some nerve, does she? Zat's rich, coming from the Snow Queen of all people. What is the matter? Icicle got your tongue?" She snapped back. The now presumably German woman prepared to say something back when the two found Arizona in the middle of them.

"Enough." She said. "German or French apparently, I don't care. Right now, we need to figure why the two of you were summoned without Admiral's from your nations. So... can we get some names before the two of you get into a knock down drag out fight?" She asked, looking between the two.

Two in question watched Arizona for a moment before the one dressed in grey sighed, nodding.

"I... apologize for my actions. They do not reflect well on mein führer..." she sighed before putting on somewhat of a smile. "Guten tag. German Battleship Tirpitz, second of the Bismarck Class, reporting and ready to fight." She said. Arizona sighed to herself as the other four looked at the girl for a moment before Ise threw her hands up in the air.

"Since when did today become crazy day? Are there no rules?" She demanded to the heavens. Tirpitz blinked, watching the battleship confused as Arizona looked to the woman on her right.

"And you are? I am assuming French..." she said. The woman nodded at that, smiling to Arizona.

"Indeed. Bonjour. French Battleship Strasbourg, reporting and ready. Give me something to shoot at. Preferably, the pezky fly we find ourselves in the presence of." She scoffed. Tirpitz rolled her eyes as she looked to the Frenchwoman, prepared to respond before Arizona glared at her.

"I said cut it out. You two fighting isn't going to help anything. I may not bigger guns than the two of you, but I've got more than enough American armor to knock some sense into the both of you. Now quiet." Arizona snapped, looking between the two, still partly trying to overcome the surprise of encountering two Ship Girls that were neither American nor Japanese.

Tirpitz only gave a dry chuckle, crossing her arms as she went back to inspecting the Gateway.

Strasbourg rolled her eyes, huffing as she crossed her arms, looking away from the American.

Sighing, Arizona looked back to her group of Ishigara and the three battleships. As she did so, Oklahoma pointed to the other side of the Gateway.

"It looks like it decided to reorganize itself. From the looks of it, we have a wrench, three crates, and a dice..." she said. "I think the Gateway decided to sort itself out better than it had been. So what? Supply, Repair, Random?" She asked. Hyuuga nodded.

"From what we've seen, it makes sense. And if it added a supply section." She noted, looking at the symbol of three crates. Under said symbol was 3/5. "Then it probably resorted Mamiya. If she's no longer counted against the combat ships of the Japanese, then that's why Yamakaze was able to come through." She surmised. The other four nodded somewhat.

"That makes... some sense. My guess with that is that the Gateway figured to add the repair sections and random sections as well." Arizona said, noting to both icons that had 2/5 under them. "Ergo, why Tirpitz and Strasbourg were able to come through without Admirals of their own present." She said. The four nodded as Ishigara looked to the group.

"For right now, let's stow this conversation. We still have much to discuss with the new summons." He said. The four nodded as Ishigara got their attention once again.

"Alright. So here's how things are. Today's date is November 25th, 2022. You've been called back, some more for sure than others, because Humanity has come under attack." He said. Tirpitz arched a brow at that as Hoel spoke.

"Humanity? You mean like Japan or America?" She asked, crossing her arms, scowling as she did so. Ishigara shook his head.

"No. I mean Humanity. The countries represented here? Japan? The U.S.? Germany? France? They're all under attack from a race known as the Abyssals." He said. Some of the eight watched man explaining as Strasbourg spoke next.

"Ze Abyssals? If you do not mind me saying so, zey do not sound like something we should be familiar with. I've never heard of these beings." She said. Ishigara shook his head.

"They first showed up in the year 2018, started off by attacking the U.S. Coasts. From there, they slowly spread out, doing further damage across the globe. And we don't have a clue why." Tirpitz nodded.

"But they continue to do so anyways. Hence the reason old hulls like us are being called from our slumbers. Because you need a more effective way of fighting them." She said. Ishigara nodded.

"Yes, and with that, the old war. The war you girls knew, is over. It's not Axis and Allies anymore. It's not which country is shooting at who. It's who can help each other the most so that we can all survive this new threat." He said, still looking to the eight. "But as for right now, we need to get the eight of you settled into base." He said. "And we'll have to see what your Navies want to do since no one was really expecting a early summoning." He said, looking to Tirpitz and Strasbourg. The two nodded, still firmly bent as they glared at each other.

As they did so, Ise looked to Arizona.

"It is odd that we got such a group right after Pargo and Snook lost their legs though..." she said. Arizona nodded before the two battleships suddenly realized they were under the piercing combined gaze of Akashi and Dionysus.

"There are injured?" Akashi asked. "Show us the way immediately." She spoke in a simplistic demand. Arizona blinked, before nodding. Gesturing to follow her, she began to lead the two repair ships back towards the docks, with the rest of the group following behind, some trying to process what had just happened.