Haruna was standing amidst the members of the Combined Fleet as they stood at the harbor on the 14th of May at 7.30 a.m. in the morning, waiting for the Admiral to arrive and brief them on the specifics of their mission before sending them off.
Since this sortie was projected to last the entire day and night, they had gathered here shortly after eating a sumptuous early breakfast before this, and they were going to receive combat rations in order to feed them during the sortie.
Hiei and Junyou were present since they were members of the original 1st Fleet, and the two of them were understandably worried about the new 1st Fleet going on their first sortie to the edge of the Safety Zone.
She could see that off to the side were the bird carriers, Junyou, Saratoga and Chitose, talking to each other about what drinks they were going to indulge in after coming back from their sortie, Junyou having already warmed up to the former and was close to the latter through their drinking sessions.
Haruna was standing amidst the group of ship girls who were gathered around Shiranui as Kagerou tried her best to comfort her crestfallen sister, Haruna and Hiei listening on with a fair bit of mirth at what the name-ship of the Kagerou-Class was like to tease her sisters in such a way.
"Well, look, Nui-Nui. I'm sorry about telling everyone that you sniffed the Admiral's used clothes. When we come back from this sortie, I'll gather the Kagerou-Class destroyers and get them to put these rumors to rest once and for all, alright?"
Shiranui looked up at her sister, a light blush forming on her face as she admitted what Admiral Haru did last night, and how she was unsure of how to respond.
"A-Admiral Haru sent me her underwear in a pink, heart-shaped box with a note that said, To help you sleep at night. I took a look inside, and immediately closed it when I saw that it was the naughty kind of lingerie, with heart-shaped holes in the translucent fabric."
Everyone was silenced upon hearing this, and Kuroshio was the one to say that even as a rumor which was started as a somewhat-harmless joke, this was going a little too far and had to be stopped as soon as possible.
"Well, I think that it's certainly time to stop.
I think we all had a good laugh over this, but now it's now getting out of hand and has to stop before it goes any further than this."
Shigure nodded as she leaned in to speak her mind, being a ship girl who was smart enough to think things through and was wise beyond her years despite still possessing several childish traits belonging to someone of her age.
"Yes, although I do believe that the alternative could also be an option. Rumors like these come and go in a naval base full of females. If we were to go out and try to quash these rumors, it might cause the Streisand Effect and lead others to believe that in our blatant attempts to stop these rumors, there must be a kernel of truth in what Kagerou-san said about Shiranui-san and might instead take these rumors seriously. We need to see if this rumor will die off and be forgotten if left on its own before making a choice to step in and intervene. Since we all know that Shiranui-san isn't that kind of girl and that Kagerou may be the kind of ship girl to take things a little too far in her jokes despite meaning well, I don't believe that anyone would think much of this one particular rumor, no?"
But Kagerou scratched her head as she shared with everyone what she saw on that day and causing everyone to cringe at how transparent Kagerou could be with secrets.
"But it's hard to argue that case when I saw Nui-Nui being surrounded by Admiral Haru's clothes and was holding her blazer…"
But Kuroshio smacked Kagerou on the back of the head as she retorted dryly.
"Alright, keep this up in front of everyone, Kagerou-chan, an' Shiranui-chan'll have to either live like a fuckin' hikikomori or scuttle herself out of shame. She was searching the laundry room for her keys, right? It's our job as sisters to stick by her, proclaim her innocence and insist that it was a misunderstanding, no matter what.
You're not helping anyone by running your mouth in front of everyone."
Everyone nodded understandingly upon hearing that and seeing how embarrassed Shiranui looked about this entire debacle and just wanted it to be over with.
And although Haruna genuinely felt bad for the pink-haired destroyer's predicament, she was more interested in how Shigure went about the situation maturely and explained her side of the argument in a mature and adult-like manner.
Haruna had experienced her fair share of combat and loss during World War 2 and was thus empathetic to people's internal turmoils, and while she was glad that Shigure was opening up to everyone and wanted to know them better, she felt that the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer might have to face her past and come to terms with what happened to those around her.
It would be a difficult path to walk for the little girl, and would include opening several emotional scars and a lot of crying, but if her actions at Battle at Mikura Jima Island were anything to go by, she needed some sort of closure one way or another.
She was interrupted by Hiei speaking up in a subdued voice, and since they were standing on the fringe of the gathered Combined Fleet, they could hold a conversation and get some privacy since everyone's attention was diverted away from them.
"Are you thinking about something, Haruna?"
Haruna nodded, looking over at Hiei as her attention shifted onto the headstrong sister of the Kongou-Class battleships and shared her concerns about Hiei herself, since she knew that her sister had been through quite a lot in this past month.
"Well, I was worrying about Shigure-san and how her past might haunt her for the rest of her life unless she confronted it and got some form of closure. But now, I'm a little more concerned about you and what's been going on in your life thus far."
Hiei's eyes widened in surprise, but she lowered her head slightly as she looked away and allowed Haruna to express her concerns.
"You got destroyed at the Battle of Mikura Jima Island, and even though I'm glad that you've recovered, I can't help that part of the reason why you're sending us off today is because you're worried that we might be attacked by the Flying Dutchman again…"
Hiei nodded silently, and Haruna took that as a cue to continue on as she looked down and spoke her mind about another matter which had her concerned about Hiei.
Namely, her broken heart.
"And something else which I heard Kongou nee-san talk about was her talk with you, and her cordial rejection of your feelings. I may be poking my nose into things, but I'm worried that you might still be feeling the sting of the rejection of your unrequited love, even after having a heart-to-heart with Kongou nee-san and coming to terms with the outcome, from what I heard."
Hiei considered her sister's words before replying, looking rather understanding of why Haruna would worry about these things.
"Well, I'd like to settle the second matter first, because that's a little more personal and it's something which you would clearly be more worried about, since I know that you're the caring and motherly wallflower of the Kongou Sisters…"
Haruna hummed in agreement and nodded in order to concede the point, and Hiei continued on and reiterated the points which she had discussed with Kongou.
"Like I discussed with Onee-sama, I understand that these unresolved feelings may hold me back, especially since Onee-sama is now in a relationship with Admiral Haru and I may be distracted by thoughts of winning her affection back. Onee-sama said what she had to say in order to make our position as lovers clear, that it was never going to happen, but she still loved me as a sister anyway. There was no other way to say it, and I admit, I still feel rather sad about the outcome, but I know that Admiral Haru genuinely loves Onee-sama, and I am happy for them."
Haruna looked down at the floor, thinking about how understanding Hiei was about their sister's romantic relationship with the Admiral, her expression becoming rather morose as she asked quietly.
"B-But, can you truly bury those feelings for Kongou nee-san? I'm asking as a concerned sister who wants what's best for everyone, and although I know that Kongou nee-san will be happy with Admiral Haru, what about you, Hiei nee-san?"
Hiei shrugged as she looked up to the sky, contemplating their capacity to love and the sheer number of possible candidates for them to be attracted to.
"Well, we're created to be bisexual, so we can like a person of either gender. There's more than seven billion people on Earth, so I think there should be more than enough humans whom I can be attracted to, and Onee-sama is certainly not the only person whom I'm capable of loving romantically."
Haruna nodded in an accepting manner upon hearing her sister's train of logic, and Hiei moved onto Haruna's next concern as she looked out at the ocean and wondered about what was in store for them out there, waiting to ambush and sink them without a second thought.
"And regarding the first point about my concern regarding your first sortie, you're not wrong there. Everyone, especially the seniors in this base, can feel that things are sliding out of control, and the Flying Dutchman is just the first of many strange occurrences which point to something much larger behind the scenes.
The land assault training session which came out of nowhere, the Flying Dutchman, the strange occurrences around the world which has got everyone talking in hushed tones… Maybe I'm just paranoid, but when something as large as the Flying Dutchman can sail around without much interference and surface wherever it wishes in order to devastate whomever it has in its sights… I don't want you to go through any of that. I shudder to think what else lies out there in wait, waiting for some kind of signal from whoever commands them, before unleashing their might upon the entire world."
Haruna looked away, understanding that Hiei fought for her life at Mikura Jima Island, and had a rough understanding of just how intense the battle was, Haruna hearing everything from missiles to life-sized large-caliber cannons and spawning Abyssal hordes…
It was all horrifying, and Haruna understood that Hiei, as a protective sister who also wanted what was best for her, didn't want her to risk sinking in an engagement with some new Abyssal weapon or Beast, but…
Haruna inhaled deeply before looking at her sister, rebutting Hiei's point as she knew she had the right to do so, since she was a Kongou-Class battleship just like Hiei.
"I'd like to debate that point, Hiei nee-san.
While I understand that you're concerned about me as a sister, I am a Kongou-Class battleship just like you, and I am no pushover. I've been through my fair share of battles and experienced losses, so I like to believe that despite being, well, the 'caring and motherly wallflower' of the Kongou Sisters, I can hold my own in a fight. Despite my best attempts to not repeat this phrase too many times, I want to tell you that I, Haruna, will be alright."
Hiei looked a little surprised at how assertive Haruna could be when pushed, and Haruna wanted her sister to know that she, like every other ship girl, had been through one war and was fighting in another, and her soft and amiable personality did not translate to weakness on the battlefield.
Eventually, Hiei nodded as her expression relaxed into one of relief, and Haruna now saw how Hiei had grown as a ship girl and as a woman since these experiences, although they took their toll on her sister, helped Hiei to become stronger as the disastrous Battle at Mikura Jima Island only served to push her on to become stronger.
Kongou's rejection of Hiei's feelings helped to firmly establish their sisterly relationship with one another and allowed her to mature as she had Kongou help her deal with rejection by talking her through the process and why they couldn't be together.
Admiral Haru then chose to arrive on the scene, bringing Nagato with her as she hailed everyone and excused their bows in her direction before getting down to business with the Combined Fleet.
"Well, good day, girls. I suppose you all had your breakfast, because this sortie's going to take all day and night, which is why I had Mamiya and the supply Fairies prepare combat rations for you all to carry into battle. For this sortie, the Infiltration Fleet is going to search Aogashima Island, which has been quickly abandoned in the exodus early on in the Abyssal War, where we had to evacuate citizens who lived on isolated islands like Guam and Ogasawara Island."
Nagato stepped up to the plate as Admiral Haru handed over the role of explaining the situation to a ship girl who easily commanded their attention and was experienced in giving them briefings regarding their mission objective.
"We've received some photos via satellite surveillance which shows that they've been using it recently as a testing ground for some new weapons, which is likely the result of their Five-Year Plans. Even though we've scared them off the island with the South's last push into the Pacific several weeks ago, we're still certain that the Abyssals still have some valuable intel left on that island for when they come back to reclaim the island for their use. In case you're wondering why the Abyssals haven't immediately reclaimed the island, it lies in a no man's land of sorts between the Safety Zone and the Abyssal frontier, where any Abyssal activity on that island can be easily dispelled since fleets can be rerouted from the still-populated Hachijou Island and be within attacking distance of Aogashima Island. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the abandoned Ogasawara and Palau Islands as well as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, since they're located further into the Pacific Ocean and are currently untouchable. It's a new moon night coupled with good weather for these few days according to the weather forecast, so there shouldn't be any complications in your sortie."
Haruna nodded, understanding that the governments of the world were faced with a dilemma early on in the war where they had to either ignore the lives of the citizens who lived on islands located beyond the Safety Zone, or help them immigrate to either the mainland or an island located near the mainland in order to provide them protection, at the cost of maintaining complete secrecy regarding the existence of ship girls by any means , at least until the time was right.
Guam was a little tougher to vacate, since it was difficult for the Americans to transport more than a hundred thousand American civilians across the Pacific by "cruise ships" and transport aircraft runs over a period of several years, the former of which required the grudging assistance of Japanese ship girls to ensure the safety of their citizens across the perilous ocean.
Islands within the Safety Zone were protected since they could be reached in time, but for these outlying islands, it was an entirely different matter as disruptions to their livelihood would affect them adversely, and the world governments couldn't simply leave them to their fate as it would present a major PR problem later.
Hey, not the best reason to save people, but they did save hundreds of thousands of lives so that they didn't have to perform any massive cover-up or try to justify the deaths of these citizens when they revealed the ship girls to the world.
Hawaii and Okinawa were amongst the very few islands who were exempted, not just because of their population size, but because they were large enough to allow naval bases to be stationed there, being self-sustaining to the point where they only required the occasional supply ship to replenish their resources, and could hold off an assault long enough for reinforcements to arrive, as evidenced several times in the past.
Nagato continued, Haruna noting an incoming torrent request from the Nagato-Class battleship and accepting it to find a map of the Izu Islands on her HUD, several mapped-out paths to Aogashima Island as well as the recorded routes of Abyssal patrol fleets.
"Sailing to Aogashima Island is projected to take about twelve and a half hours, ten hours to Hachijou Island and another two and a half to Aogashima Island. But since we don't want to tip our hand too early and allow them to know our destination before we reach it, we're going to have to take several detours before reaching Aogashima Island in order to buy more time for the Infiltration Fleet. This way, the estimated time of arrival is increased to sixteen hours, and you'll reach Aogashima Island in the dead of night if you sortie at around 8."
Nodding, Admiral Haru looked every one of them in the eye as she explained the plan to them and how they planned to reach the island without having the entire Abyssal armada on their tail.
"Look, we've plotted out most of the Abyssal patrol routes, and they're marked out in red on your map. If you encounter them, you can either defeat or evade them, and you can update the map to see what other routes you can take to either engage or evade approaching Abyssal patrol fleets. When night comes, the 1st Fleet will patrol the area and distract the Abyssals with hit-and-run tactics while the Infiltration Fleet searches the island for intelligence."
Admiral Haru then shared with them another part of the plan which was an unexpected surprise to the Combined Fleet, but certainly not an unpleasant one.
"We'll do our best to send out another fleet in a few hours to back you up at night. They'll take the expressway towards Aogashima Island with no stops, so don't worry too much about backup since the Abyssals will be convinced that they're dealing with two fleets initially, then one fleet when the Infiltration Fleet goes on the island, and then boom! They find themselves facing three fleets all of a sudden. We did our best to try and predict where the Abyssal fleets would go when you engage more and more enemies, and we'll do our best to map a new course which will allow you to encounter as little Abyssals as possible while keeping your true destination vague. When the Infiltration Fleet's done, pack up, regroup with the backup fleet and run home."
Kuroshio raised her hand, curious about why they couldn't simply use planes to fly them over to Aogashima Island and make their job a lot easier.
"I'd like to ask. Why can't we be flown over the island in a transport plane and parachute down onto Aogashima Island in order to finish the mission sooner? It'd help us save on fuel and time taken to arrive at the destination, so what's stoppin' us from hopping on a Hercules transport aircraft and jumping out near the island?"
Admiral Haru considered the question, before lifting her hand and holding out her palm in order to answer bluntly regarding the loss of a certain airplane last year.
"I'll answer that question with another question. Do you think anyone dares to risk flying another plane over an open ocean after Flight MH370?"
Everyone's spirits sank after hearing that, and Admiral Haru tried to console the crestfallen Kuroshio while reminding everyone that the Abyssals were capable of anything.
"It's not a bad idea, Kuroshio. But you gotta understand, ever since the loss of that Malaysian airplane, everyone's been blaming the Abyssals for it and are hella paranoid about losing another plane over the oceans since then. And since the military can't guarantee that the Abyssals won't shoot their airplanes down while they fly over the Pacific Ocean, they won't sanction any flights beyond the Safety Zone, and even then, it's under very specific circumstances and if the odds look favorable."
Nagato intervened in order to speak up for Admiral Haru, and how they did their best to persuade the JASDF to help provide an airlift with little success, due to one particular enemy vessel which made one hell of an entrance.
"While we're on the topic, The Flying Dutchman is a wildcard whose capabilities we're not entirely certain of, since we believe it hasn't shown all of its tricks yet. Even though Admiral Haru argued that the Dutchman would be preparing for the Battle of Sagami-nada Sea and wouldn't be patrolling the seas to sink one measly airplane with its missiles, the JASDF were adamant about not risking it since we have no concrete evidence to back her guess up."
Reaching out in order to ruffle Kuroshio's hair, Admiral Haru commented on how she appreciated the Kagerou-Class destroyer thinking up of ideas to circumvent the enemy fleets entirely in order to keep everyone safe.
"Well, I personally don't think the big bad boat is going to come and terrorize you all; It's got better things to do than sail around aimlessly for fleets to terrorize, and don't think of that as an insult to your abilities, there're simply far more important battles it has to prepare for. Thanks for the suggestion though, I appreciate you looking out for everyone by exploring every possibility."
Admiral Haru then stood up straight in order to address them all as she said some parting words.
"Just be sure you watch out for each other and come back alive, because I'm not entirely sure if we can push our luck with these kinds of sorties. The thing is that if we haven't found much regarding their activities for the past ten years, I'm afraid they may lure us into a trap by making us think that we're on a roll as we learn more and more, and we may stumble into a trap when we try to stick our necks out too far out of curiosity. So be doubly cautious this time, and don't be afraid to retreat if things spiral out of control."
Everyone nodded grimly, understanding that this sortie was a big deal, and had to be handled with the utmost care while other fleets were out doing their own thing, and the Admiral wanted them all to come back alive in order to prepare for what came next.