Kantai Collection is a copyright of Kadokawa Games and , all rights reserved.

A Foolish Dream

-Southern Ocean, Ri Lanka Air Raid.-

"Admiral, we're approaching the final target, but it seems there's another fleet coming to intercept. Please relay formation orders." Fusou asked via radio, the other shipgirls of the first fleet following her.

"We're using Line Ahead formation. Murakumo will be on point to deal with any submarines. Shiranui will be covering her while Houshou sends the main aerial force." The Admiral relayed, scrolling through the area's maps and recon information on her command displays, the sea breeze passing by her hair as she followed her main fleet, careful to not get within enemy range.

Even the basic mobility gear she had right now, after all, was already a significant strain on her body.

"Fusou, Yamashiro, Suzuya. I want you three to launch your bombers, then head to artillery range. Recon says there's a high probability of enemy carriers. If that's the case, I want you three to take it out as soon as possible, we don't- what...!?" The admiral looked in disbelief as each one of her aerial feeds went offline.

"Admiral? Admiral, what happened!?" The flagship of the first fleet asked, a cold feeling settling in her stomach. Meanwhile, Yamashiro couldn't help but notice said flagship, her sister, was nervously rubbing the ring in her hand.

She couldn't say the feeling wasn't mutual. The ring in her own hand seemed nothing more than an omen right now. The Admiral had given them long-range support fire only once, and that had landed the woman in the hospital for days.

"UA-re down, I re-Vs are d-Retr-" Before the leading Aviation Battleships could make out anything more, however, they noticed the faint shimmering covering the sky, coming from very faint shadows overhead.

"They're using chaff to scramble our comms. Tch... the weaklings are too afraid to face us properly. Boring." Shiranui started firing on the distant abyssal planes, but to no avail. They were simply too high. Even Houshou's Zero-52s were struggling to climb to that altitude.

Which is when they could see the dark shapes appearing in the horizon. 6, 12, 18, 24... and more just kept appearing.

Murakumo was the first to break out of the shock. "Even if we're all at the top of our power, we just don't have enough ammo to deal with all of them. Fusou, sound the retreat! I hate to leave as much as you do, but you know the Commander places our lives above the mission!"

Steeling her gaze, the Flagship of the First Fleet nodded. "Everyone, retreat at full speed! Call the planes back, lay down mines and depth charges along the way if you can!"

However, before long the abyssal planes were close enough to be a danger, and AA fire lit up the skies. The more they shot down, the more kept coming. And all that did was slow them down even more as the abyssal fleets approached.

"This is bad! They're getting us tangled in combat, we can't outrun them like this!" Yamashiro shouted over to Fusou inbetween AA barrages.

The older sister grimaced. Even with this powerful a group, if they got tangled with that many enemies...

"Eno—h." Came the sober voice through the radio, as pink lances of light crisscrossed the skies, cutting swaths through the abyssal planes and chaff alike.

"Admiral!? You're really jumping in!?" Suzuya shouted in surprise, as the whole fleet turned around and saw it for the first time.

From the trimaran hulls of the shoes, to the missile pods on the back and the main railgun carried in her arms, the Kanmusu saw the Admiral's full combat gear for the first time.

"Fusou was quick to put two and two together, however. "Admiral, no! That was enough, we can manage now! Please put your gear away!"

Her answer was a projectile passing by the fleet and heavily damaging the leading abyssal battleship, leaving ionized air in it's wake. "I am not taking any chances, Fusou. Please...you and Yamashiro, lead the others safely back to base. I will follow right after."

As the fleet kept retreating, the Admiral kept holding the Abyssals back, lasers, missiles and hypersonic rounds filling the air, despite the familiar feeling of her body starting to take internal damage from the strain.

As the fleet passed her by, however, she found her hand caught by... Yamashiro, of all people.

"Admiral... don't you dare abandon me and sis, you hear me? You made a promise... so don't you dare. I'll never forgive you if you make sis cry." Yet, even as she said it, she was also the one misty-eyed.

Struggling to swallow, the Admiral tightened her hand on her second wife.

"I'll be right behind you. Now go, all of you! That's an order!" Her voice was rough, but firm. As abyssal shells started being intercepted by the Admiral's APS, she let go of the Kanmusu's hand to resume fire of her main gun.

As she turned around, the blood she had swallowed a few seconds ago came back up with a vengeance, staining the front of her uniform and some of the water below her. Thankfully the light and sound from the battle would be enough to mask it from the retreating Shipgirls.

She hoped.

As Shiranui finished giving cover to the rest of the fleet, she turned around to rejoin the retreat, the image of crimson water under her Admiral burned into her mind, the feeling of sand in her eyes.

'No, there's nothing on my face. It's nothing.'

Everything hurt. Everything shook. She couldn't even line up her main gun anymore. Did she really underestimate the strain that much? It's only been a few years...All she could smell and taste was rust. But she was smiling, the blips of the First Fleet on the radar had just reached safe waters. Her guns disappearing into light, the Admiral focused all of her remaining willpower onto her mobility and defensive gear, she knew she could outrun any Abyssal, even if tired.

Bobbing and weaving as she retreated, it was so hard to stay standing. Her AA lasers and APS systems working overtime to keep up with the sheer amount of fire still headed her way. She felt dizzy, but it was only a few more minutes until she would be in safe waters, the fleet would surely be waiting for her.

She couldn't abandon them. She couldn't break her promise to Fusou and Yamashiro. She wouldn't. The ring in her left hand gave her the strength to continue.

Her APS system blared an angry red light. Incoming Projectile. No Ammo for Interception.

A fraction of a second later, her world went dark.

"Dear gods... again... it just gets worse..."

The words of her mother brought the young teenager up from her phone screen, looking at the TV. Another Abyssal attack. Fourth one just that week. The price of goods from overseas had skyrocketed all over the world. Some places were suffering an economical collapse because of it.

"Doesn't seem like there's anything the military can do. Rumors are these monsters are almost completely immune to any sort of weaponry. I read on some forums there's a lot of money being poured into some navies, some sort of new project. Maybe it'll work."

Her mother didn't seem much reassured by her words. She never took what her daughter found online very seriously. Still, it was something to hope for.

"If it can stop this, then I guess it'll be worth it."

She cleared her throat. This moment was planned in her mind for months now, even if she only managed to acquire the funds recently. She hoped taking a deep breath would reduce how much she was blushing.

It didn't.

"Fusou... Yamashiro... you were the first Battleships to arrive in this base. From the very beginning, you gave it your all. Sortie after sortie, operation after operation. And not only that, you helped me care for all the other Kanmusu here, and even stayed by my side when I showed weakness. I don't know where this base would be without you two.

I don't know where I would be without you two.

I thought long and hard on how to do this properly, and... this is the best I could come up with. I'm sorry it took so long. So... these are for you."

She took the two small boxes she held behind her body, giving each Aviation Battleship one. Fusou looked like she was holding back tears. Yamashiro looked conflicted between happy and confused.

"I... even with all the problems we have... Admiral understands... I'm so happy."

Hearing the sheer wonder in her sister's voice made Yamashiro feel even more conflicted.

"Admiral you're... a wonderful person but... my heart will always belong to sis...I'm so sorry..."

"I know" She smiled, gently picking up the hand of the now confused woman in front of her.

"I am fully aware no one can replace Fusou in your heart, Yamashiro. That's not my intention. It's why I waited until I could afford two rings at once. All I want is the three of us to be happy together."

She gently took Fusou's hand in hers as well.

"Will this do?" Her voice softly asked. The normally despondent Kanmusu looked at her sister, whom was smiling even wider than before.

This...

This was good.

Yamashiro couldn't stop herself from hugging her newly extended family, tears of happiness coming down her face.

All she felt was cold. Her whole body was numb, even sounds were really faint. She tried opening her eyes, but they were having none of it.

The darkness beckoned her once more.

"So, you're the Commander, huh? I see you're already working hard, at least." The haughty voice broke the lingering silence, bringing a stop to her focus.

Getting down from the ladder she was working on, her eyes took in the Shipgirl that was assigned to the fledgling base.

"Ah, Miss Murakumo, welcome. I was just getting some of the extra cabling in order for the office. It's an honor to meet you. I hope I can meet and exceed your expectations, and be a worthy commander." Smiling warmly, she saluted the first person whose life would depend on her.

None shall sink, no matter what. That's what she promised herself all those years ago.

"Now, if you accompany me, I'll show you my plans for how I want this base to work and how the operations will be run. I am more than confident in your skills, but I want to give us the biggest advantage possible. Maybe our modern weapons can't hurt the Abyssals, but that doesn't mean we can't use current technology to enhance our organization, reconnaissance and battlefield awareness."

Murakumo felt her eyebrows move up slightly. This Admiral was certainly... interesting.

"Haahhh..." Stretching her arms, she let the tension flow off her body. The big tests every semester were not that difficult if you studied properly, but she wanted to get 100%, or closest to, if she could. Right now it was only tests and simulations, but when she was done with officer school, it'd be real lives in her hands.

"Excuse me, cadet ?" A bespectacled man in white approached, his blonde hair slicked back. She'd never seen him before, but he exuded an aura of importance, although he didn't have any military markings anywhere she could see.

"Yes, mister?" She couldn't quite place why, but her stomach felt cold.

Looking around, he made sure other cadets were not in earshot.

"We've been following your progress, and have a proposition for you. The records show you put great value on the life of any Kanmusu under your command. What if I told you... there's a chance you could fight alongside them, instead of merely giving orders from a distance, unable to do anything in case something goes wrong?"

She took a moment to digest all this. Humans, finally able to fight alongside Shipgirls? What about the A-Barrier? Did they finally find a way to nullify it the same way the Kanmusu did naturally? And even then, why would they contact her?

She had a bad feeling about this, but... if there was truly a chance...

"And who would 'we' be, Mister?" Seeing that his target had bit the hook, the man smiled slightly, handing a business card.

'Gründer Military Industries'...The words danced in her mind, adding to the growing pile of questions.

Night fell as her fleet traded blows with the Abyssals near Bashi Island. The tactics she was relaying to the girls were taking the intended effect, only a single Ri-Class Elite Heavy Cruiser was left. Said cruiser let out a shrill cry as one last barrage left it's cannons before being sunk by a well placed torpedo from Wakaba.

However, her heart nearly stopped when Tenryuu, who was serving as the Flagship in this particular operation, was enveloped in an explosion, the drone's infrared camera not being able to see through the smoke.

What she could see was one of her screens lighting up with warnings from the array of sensors installed in the aggressive Shipgirl's equipment, showing heavy damage to several critical areas.

"Get the docks ready for emergency admittance! Turn on the fog lights in the base so they can see us better! I'm going out there to get her!" She half ordered, half shouted to Murakumo before sliding down a rain pipe near the window of her office.

"What do you mean going out to get her!? None of our boats are faster than Tatsuta is already carrying her back, it's no use to-" However, the arguments of the secretary ship died in her throat when she saw the familiar light of equipment summoning light up under the Admiral's feet as she ran to the water.

"...what..? But the Commander is just a human woman, how..." Shaking herself out of the shock, Murakumo opened a communications channel to the fleet as she went downstairs to prepare the docks. "First fleet, the Commander is headed your way to medivac Tenryuu. Do not shoot any unidentified Shipgirls, I repeat, do not shoot any unidentified Shipgirls."

Closing the line, she shook her head. That woman would have a whole lot to explain once she came back.

"Come ooon... Tatsuta... I'll... be fine..." The Light Cruiser Flagship breathed out to her sister and confident, her pride not wanting to admit the extent of the damage she took. Her weak voice and inability to stand at all betrayed her lies, however.

"No discussing with the doctor's orders, Tenryuu-chan. Right now you need to get to the docks as soon as possible." Even Tatsuta's usual light tone was nowhere to be found. Sure, she and Tenryuu had a few scrapes in these last few months, but nothing near this bad.

"...alright, I may... have lost some... blood... because I'm... is that the Admiral... as a Shipgirl? Hah.. hahah... ahh..." Tenryuu didn't get halfway through her laugh before passing out.

As the form in the dark of the night came into view with surprising speed, Chitose was the first to ask. "Uhm... Admiral, is that... you?" How are you...?"

Coming to a harsh stop in front of a stunned Tatsuta, she gently picked up Tenryuu in a bridal carry, before hurriedly answering her fleet. "Medivac now, questions later, meet me at the base as soon as you all come back." And without another word, she took off, the thin trimaran hulls under her shoes slicing through the water faster even a Shimakaze-class could muster.

Half an hour later, the rest of the fleet piled in front of the door of the docks, while Murakumo signaled for silence as she opened the door.

Inside, both Tenryuu and the Admiral were passed out, the former already healing, the latter looking extremely worn out.

"A squad, B squad, I have an announcement to make." The blonde man announced in a solemn voice to the women in the briefing room. Once, these walls saw more than 50 candidates eager to ease the strain and abuse of Kanmusu.

Today, only 8 were left.

"As of today, effective immediately, Project Valkyrie has been discontinued. I, in the name of Gründer Industries, personally apologize to each and every one of you. As you all know, despite our best efforts, the strain that even our most optimized A Barrier equipment puts on human bodies is... unsustainable."

She looked around the chairs where she made many friends over the months she had been here. Many friends she'd never see again. Most of the few left would carry consequences to the rest of their lives. Was it really all worth it in the end?

"You will be allowed to bring your personal equipment with you when you leave. It's...the least we can do. I do ask of you all... caution, if ever using it. We all know how dangerous it is. For the ones who are still fit for service, you will be returned to your Navy Officer School of attendance before all of this, with a letter of commendation from us that should allow you to enter service within days. ...I wish you all good lives... and may we honor the ones who gave theirs for this dream."

Slowly, part by part, she can feel her body again.

Everything still hurts. But at least she can feel her body now...

Sitting. Her hands and feet are tied to the chair.

Slowly, the Admiral's eyes open, fighting against the light to make out anything.

"Heh... finally awake I see. Then again... to wield A-Barrier equipment like that, it's so fortunate that you're alive... it wouldn't be fun otherwise, now, would it?"

She already hated this person. That voice... it felt slimy. Uncomfortable. Hateful.

As her eyes finally focused through the bright light she saw...

"... An Admiral..? Wait... no, this is..." Looking around, she could recognize the warped metal, the damp, cold air... and the yellow eyes of the man standing in front of her.

"Even Abyssals have Admirals... how...?" But at that, the man let out an unhinged laugh. "Of course they do... I came to them. These ships are so much easier to work with... they accept their place as mere objects, never questioning, never refusing an order... I've even managed to have fun. Not that a female Admiral like you could understand that part, hahahahhahahh."

His sick eyes and smile were all she needed to know this man was a monster. Not even the Abyssals deserved this...it was rare for her to feel fear for herself but right now... right now an exception was warranted. It was like this thing could smell it in the air.

"Oh, so you've connected the dots, have you? Fufufu... indeed... I don't know if you can survive becoming an Abyssal...if you do, maybe you can become my Flagship... But even if you don't..." He picked up the Admiral's chin forcefully, sick yellow eyes staring into steel gray ones. "I'll still... enjoy this..."

At that moment, several explosions sounded in the distance, muffled as they were by the steel walls of the fortress she was trapped in. A defiant glare and smile came into her features. "And here comes my fleet. From the amount of gunfire... I think all four of my fleets, even...We'll be doing even the Abyssals a favor by removing you from existence."

Despite her words, deep inside, she was worried. She was sure this base would be well protected. The only thing she could hope for was for none of her girls to try anything desperate.

However, something was off. That creepy, self-absorbed smile hadn't left the Abyssal Admiral's face. "Why, such good timing. Tell me, my dear Shipgirl wannabe.. are you familiar with the concept of Coastal Guns? Ah! By your confused expression, I can tell you are, and are asking yourself 'and how does he hope to get past the A-Barrier using unmanned guns', correct?"

The sheer overconfidence this... thing was radiating was leaving her more unsettled by the minute. Something was very, very wrong.

"But you see... the Coastal Guns of this fortress are manned... enough."

With a sickening sense of pleasure at following his own cue, the Yellow-Eyed monster pressed a button on a remote, turning on a monitor on the wall opposite to where the chair the Admiral was chained to was sat.

At that moment, she realized that there was no bottom to the depths of depravity this... being... could sink to.

"The Abyssal...Battleship... Princess …?"

What she was seeing would haunt her for the rest of her life. The Abyssal Battleship Princess, the strongest foe her fleet ever faced, the only Abyssal they only saw ever showing any concern for her own comrades... basically crucified, being drugged and drained to power the Coastal Guns.

The Admiral had never felt the wish to summon her A-Barrier weapons in sheer fury before, but today was a day of many firsts, it seemed.

"You... YOU MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU! SHE WAS YOUR REPONSIBILITY AND YOU USE HER AS... AS A BATTERY!? HOW DO YOU EVEN EXIST?!" In her fury, she could feel the strain of trying to summon her equipment again, but was unable to, out of sheer exhaustion.

"HAHAHAH, NOW THAT IS A GOOD REACTION!" The man laughed, seemingly delighted by all this. With a condescending smile, he continued, now back in control of himself. "But my dear, you should be worrying more about your fleet than mine, right now. Did it not occur to you what will happen as soon as they get within range of my genius creations? Hmmm?"

That was, in fact, enough to break the Admiral out of her rage. Her fleets were about to be in serious danger if she didn't do something.

"Fufufu...I wonder what will be more fun... corrupt you in front of them first and make them watch, or the opposite...? Hmhmhmhm... maybe alternate between both..? Or! Or, or, or, even better, alternate and try to find which one of those things you were pathetic enough to marry via their reactions? Hahah... yeees, YEEES, I haven't had this much fun in ages..."

His grin was downright psychopathic at this point. Second by second, the Admiral's imagination betrayed her, conjuring up images of what he described. She was in too much shock to even realize how hard she was shaking, or the tears running down her face. She was only aware of one thing.

A single emotion consumed her heart and her mind.

Anger. Fury. Hate. Hate. Hate.

This monster, this thing had to stop existing. Now. Immediately.

At first, it was a single glimpse, a fraction of a second into existence. The again and again, each glimpse closer to the next. By the time the Yellow-eyed monster noticed the erratic lights, the Admiral was standing, her full gear blinking in and out of reality thanks to the instability of summoning them through sheer emotion.

For the first time since betraying his original fleet, the Abyssal Admiral felt fear.

But not for long.

Before he could scream, two railgun rounds tore through his body.

When the Admiral came back to reality, the only thing with her in the room was black blood covering every surface, and a shattered hand and a foot near the far-off wall.

And then she had the realization that her Kanmusu were not yet safe. The sound of fighting coming from the outside had only gotten closer, and the Coastal Guns were still active and waiting.

Willing her body into movement despite the opposition of every single muscle in it, she braced herself against the walls as she searched for the control room, blood once again stubbornly refusing to stay inside her body.

After what seemed like hours, yet was more likely mere minutes, she did find the control room for the guns. A panel with a window behind it overlooking the sea. A sea filled with the lights and sounds of combat.

"That... cough... thing... he wanted to... agh... make me watch it..."

However, it seemed fate wasn't quite done making her day worse yet. As she looked at it, she realized the panel was locked. Even if she knew how to shut it down, she'd still be unable to do so.

Seeing the Shipgirls she'd gladly give her life to protect furiously fighting to reach the fortress she was in through the window, her mind was set.

"Alright. Deep end it is, then."

She focused all of her will, all of whatever strength she had left, every single thing she had into visualizing her main railgun in her hands.

Nothing happened.

"Come on..." The desperation in her voice was palpable.

Nothing.

"Come on!" Yet, as tears flowed down her face, her hands were still empty.

"COME ON! ...please..." As she sobbed, her tears mixed with the blood that was starting to pool around her.

"Those other girls can't have died in vain... we all wanted to protect the Kanmusu... I DON'T CARE IF I DIE, BUT FOR ONE LAST TIME, WORK!"

Instead of her fist hitting the blood-soaked concrete, it hit composite metal.

Opening her eyes, she could see it. Faint. Almost non-physical. But it was her railgun.

And it was charged.

Shouldering it, she took aim at the console, smiled

And pulled the trigger.

She felt so tired. After destroying the console, she used what energy she had left to drag herself to the window overseeing the battle. Normally seeing her fleet so thoroughly overpower Abyssals would make her proud.

Right now... she felt sad instead.

The desire to just close her eyes was so strong. But her girls would be storming the base soon.

Her thumb caressed the ring in her left hand. It was slick with blood, both black and red... but it was there. As long as it was, she couldn't allow herself to die. She would not abandon them.

She would not...

She wou...

The noise of the door to the room being slammed open brought her back to consciousness. Finally, they were here... struggling, she forced her eyes to open.

To the sight of the now freed Abyssal Princess, the wounds in her arms and neck smoking as they healed.

She was too weak to say anything. Tears ran down her face once more as she realized, her girls would not get here in time. And for a reason alien even to herself, she smiled. From the bottom of her heart, she smiled.

The last thing the Admiral could remember was the Abyssal Princess lifting her by the front of what once was her shirt like she weighed nothing.

Fusou once again dodged and returned fire, the heavy fleet she led working in tandem, systematically obliterating the Abyssal opposition, the three other fleets followed behind, keeping the return route secure.

"Sis! Our fuel and ammo is at almost fifty percent... we have to break through now!" The younger one of the duo, Yamashiro, called out. Before Fusou could respond, however, both Kanmusu and Abyssals turned their attention to an explosion near the top of the fortress, glass showering down it's side.

Followed by the bloodied body of a human female being thrown out, with enough power to clear the rocks and then some.

"ADMIRAL!" The dual cry of anguish of the leading Aviation Battleships was followed by that of many more Kanmusu as they followed the falling body, watching it impact into the water nearby. At the sight of a pair of Crimson Eyes where the body was thrown from, the Abyssals started to retreat back into the fortress. No words were uttered, or needed.

As Fusou led the First Fleet to where the Admiral had sunk, however, they could see some bubbles in the water. As they got closer, they could see the Admiral's body rise to the surface... as well as a bob cut and a diving mask.

"Maruyu went along too! I transported the captain back up!"

The Abyssals were kneeled on both sides of the corridor as she walked. Her clothes were new, and no signal of her wounds remained.

As the Abyssal Battleship Princess stood before the door to that room, she wasn't sure what she was feeling. It was pointless to think about it regardless.

Blood from floor to ceiling. Only things left a few pieces of hand, maybe a foot. Yet, near one corner, she saw a bit of uniform, in tatters, but still recognizable. A pocket. As she checked inside, there was a ring.

The same one that was also in her left hand.

Gently placing her own copy inside the tattered piece of cloth, she then placed it back on the ground. One thing remained, however. Obscured by her clothing, a simple pink collar with a heart-shaped lock adorned her neck.

Breaking it effortlessly, the now leader of the Abyssals stared at the piece of memorabilia. She couldn't quite understand why, but she felt both sad and angry. Settling for anger, she threw the collar at the wall, watching the lock shatter open.

As she walked out of the room, only a single order left her lips.

"BURN IT ALL."

Everything hurt. Everything hurt. The fact that she had to revise just what the phrase "everything hurt" meant so many times didn't reflect well on her life choices.

She felt warm this time, however. Warm and soft. With also a distinct lack of either taste or smell of blood. So, things were looking up.

With a herculean effort, the Admiral opened one of her eyes... and immediately regretted what she saw.

"I am going... to get lectured for this... aren't I?" Her voice sounded like death, which was accurate to how she felt. The woman standing besides her hospital bed, wielding a cane and a support exoskeleton in both legs, smiled widely.

"Oh, at length and repeatedly. We picked up the A-Barrier signature of your equipment from hundreds of kilometers away. I don't think I ever saw anyone trying to kill themselves so hard, even back in the project Valkyrie days. You absolute idiot." Despite her words, the woman's tone was warm.

She tried to smile, but moving any muscles felt... inadvisable, right now. "It was either that or risk them dying, Captain... We both know which option both of us would take." That was one thing she knew her superior from when they were part of A squad would understand.

"Just be aware that you being alive right now can either be attributed to your absurd stubbornness or literally a miracle brought by the power of love. If I were to bet, it'd be on both. But talking about the power of love... I'll save the shouting for later when you can properly wince."

As the Admiral watched her old Captain in the Valkyrie Project walk away, she noticed this was not, in fact, a hospital room. It had been converted into one, but it used to be her office at the Naval Base. Which is when two large blurs wearing pagoda masts simultaneously crashed into her chest, their tears already soaking the thin blanket.

"Ow...everything hurts..."

Hello, everyone! This was a story that popped up in my head a while ago, and after much procrastination I decided to put it into proper writing. It's a slightly different take on the dynamic between an Admiral and her Shipgirls. I hope you all enjoy it! Feel free to leave reviews for feedback regarding the story, I really enjoy how it turned out, but I know it can always be better.

Ciao!