Arpeggio of Blue Steel: The Ghosts of Pacific

Episode 1: The Grey Ghost of the Fleet of Fog

This fanfic is fan made. I don't own the anime and manga of Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio (Arpeggio of Blue Steel) Please enjoy the story.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: The Ghosts of Pacific

It is 2046, occurred after Global Warming causes the sea level to rise, sinking the small islands to the bottom of the sea. Aside from the rising sea levels, a new threat to humanity appears. They were old WW2 warships but with different glowing designs around the ships, different to the old warships of the Second World War. They appeared out of nowhere and began to attack our ships without warning, even attacking the fleeing ships, mercilessly. That's what I've been told. I thought the enemies we need to face are the Fleet of Fog. We were wrong. There are enemies far worse than the Fleet of Fog...

It is our own people...

I'll tell you what happened during that day.

December 20, 2046- 10:32 P.M.

I was an executive officer who supervised the training of the Philippine National Navy back then, in command of the Philippine Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel Gregorio Del Pilar. We are the only fleet left to defend not just our nation, but the entire South East Asia. India, Korea, Japan, and other ASEAN nations hide their naval fleets after their massive warships sunk in the last great battle between humanity and Fleet of Fog. We were only able to destroy enemy Fog patrol boats and intercept enemy missiles for months, but everything will change when large cruisers and battleships arrived. All allied ships are now in hiding to their naval ports nearby. Some are lucky to return safely, some are not lucky enough to return as they were intercepted by the Fleet of Fog, annihilating them completely, according to our officers.

While we are going to head home from ASEAN Sea to Manila Bay, the captain of the ship realizes that the food supply is empty, might caused us of not reaching Manila alive. So the captain chooses the most evil thing we can ever imagine. He and his handful number of loyal crew starts killing those he thinks are useless and go full cannibalism by eating the dead bodies. I tried to stop him, wherein I grab an M4A1 Carbine and Colt M1911 pistol from an armory and aims at him. In the end, I am unable to save some. I got shot in my left eye by him with his small revolver, falling down. All I can lastly remember is that they threw me and the corpses of my crew at the ocean along with our things with the thought that they can erase evidence on what they've done to us.

After that, they flee... leaving me and the rest of my fallen crew at the ocean.

"Sorry, mom... Sorry, dad... I might... not be able... to come home." I said as I look at the dark sky.

I thought that this is the end of my life, but a miracle happened. One of the planes of the Fleet of Fog saw me. After that, a large aircraft carrier appears first followed by other group of aircraft carriers, battleships, light & heavy cruisers, naval destroyers, and submarines in front of me. I thought that they're going to kill me, but they didn't. Instead, the aircraft carrier saves me, grabs the bodies of my fallen crew, and grabs our things. I was saved by the enemy who we've thought are ones who shows no mercy to all humans. Now we know that some are evil, some are not. They helped me on removing the bullet from my left eye, and helped me recover for several months until the injury heals.

February 12, 2047- 12:20 P.M.

As I woke up, I was in a sick bay from a different ship. All I can remember is that I was shot by my own captain. I tried to touch the left eye. It was tied, covers the injury. At my side, there was a wooden table. At the table, I saw my ironed navy officer uniform, my firearms, my bag, and a new black eye patch. After doing stretches, I started wearing my navy uniform and my eye patch, and started on grabbing the firearms. My M4A1 Carbine is hanging at my right shoulder with its sling while my M1911 is in my pistol holster on my left side.

I went outside of the ship to see a familiar base. I'm nearby Kagitingan Artificial Island in ASEAN Sea. When I go to the bow of the ship to see what ship is this, I was shocked when I realized on where I am at. I am onboard the Fog version of legendary aircraft carrier of the US Navy, the USS Enterprise, CV-6, known as "The Grey Ghost". The entire ship was colored with grey with white designs glowing.

As I look the surroundings, I saw several US Fog ships anchored nearby the artificial island, including the Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Iowa class battleships, Cleveland, Atlanta, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Portland class cruisers, Benson, Allen M. Sumner, and Fletcher class destroyers, and Yorktown, Lexington, and Essex class aircraft carriers. While I watch the ships from the flight deck, a woman walks towards me and said –

"I see that you're now awake, sir." She said.

I turned around and saw a lady in her 20s, with silver long hair, blue eyes, red lips, and pinkish white skin, dressed in a dark grey gown, adding a black WW2 US Navy Admiral's Suit as her jacket and a WW2 USN Admiral hat that she wears on her head. I am surprised at first to see a beautiful woman in this place. I answered to her –

"Yeah, I just woke up early. I want to ask something, if I may." I asked her.

"Sure, you can ask me." She said.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You're at the base of our Fog Fleet. This is the main headquarters of the US Fog Fleet." She answered.

"Who are you, by the way?" I asked again.

"My name is Enterprise, the flagship of the entire US Fog Fleet." She replies.

"Enterprise? Isn't this ship called as Enterprise as well?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm just a mental model of this ship, a human form of the ship." Enterprise answers.

"Why am I here and why did you save me?" I asked.

"You are here because I choose you as our commander, as our admiral. I saw your effort on trying to stop that evil being, even if you're standing alone to fight them, even in the moment that death tries to grab you when he shoots you. Your action is worthy for you to be our commander. Your courage didn't fade away even in the face of death."

"Where are my fallen men?" I asked her.

"They're at their graves, sir. We've buried their remains." Enterprise answered.

"May I see my men one last time? I want to pay some respect for them before I go." I asked.

"Yes sir. I'll go with you to lead the way towards them." She answered.

"Thank you." I said.

Enterprise leads the way towards a small graveyard nearby the island's headquarters. From the ship, she uses her powers to make a pathway towards the shore. The pathway was color grey, such a beautiful color to see. We went down the ship and went to shore. We walked for several minutes. While walking, I saw that the island becomes active once again since the surrender of Chinese forces, abandoning the islands after their defeat during the Third World War. When I reached the graves of my crew, I cried when I saw the losses. About 32 of my loyal crew died because of an evil and selfish captain. I kneeled as I saw how many died just because of the evil captain's act. As I stood up, I clenched my fists and made a promise...

A promise to avenge their deaths...

A promise to seek justice and vengeance...

The name Leandro Ian Estrella is no more, forgotten by time and by the people who thought I'm dead.

I'm now a man seeking for vengeance and justice for my fallen crew. My name is now "Zero", the commander of the U.S. Fog Fleet, who will lead this massive fleet to victory. It's time to hunt those traitors.

End of Episode 1