Note: This was taken directly from Word of God (i.e. the author herself)
- "It was like watching a black hole. Whatever fleet elements we sent in simply disappeared, never to return."Cmdr. Cole Davis, June 26, 1950.
When It All Began. The Korean War.
The abyssal fleet first made its move on June 25, 1950.Appearing off the coasts of the Korean penisula, confusion reigned for the first eleven hours of the incursion as the abyssal destroyer devoured Korean and American troops alike. The US 7th Fleet, hampered by intermittent radio interferece and a complete lack of knowledge to the nature of this enemy, hurriedly sent a task force to engage this new enemy. It was met with predictable results, and the USS Leyte would become the first capital ship victim of the abyssal fleet.
Initially thinking that the abyssal might have been a secret Soviet weapon, the USN quickly learned that whatever enemy they were dealing with was a foe far unlike anything they've ever encountered before. Technology simply seems to fail in its presence. Conventional bombs and missiles seemed to do little damage to its outer carapace. Moving with a predatory agility that should by all means be physically impossible for its size, this terrifying foe had an ability to induce terror and helplessness in its opponents by simple virtue of its existence.
By the time Iowa, the first awakened ship girl, arrive on scene, the lone abyssal scout had devoured over eight thousand men and grew to colossal size. With her intervention, the battle ended as abruptly as it had begun. As the body of the abyssal destroyer slowly dissipated, Iowa turned to face the gathered U.S. officers and offered them a choice.
"Choose to forget, and you'll have peace. At least for a little while."
From her previous experiences, a direct encounter with the abyssal fleet often left a permanent psychological impression on the individuals. Nightmares will begin to haunt their dreams, malicious whispers will begin to appear in their minds. Over time, most are driven insane, and even the strongest of human wills eventually fade, becoming only a husk of their former selves.
"Or, you could choose to remember. The knowledge you retain will be a boon to the rest of humanity at the cost to your personal well-being. It's a sacrifice that few would wish to make."
The abyssal fleet is coming. Iowa didn't know whether or not they could even be beaten, and to her knowledge, humanity has never survived an abyssal incursion for long. But the option of organized resistance was there - a choice that humanity was free to make.
To Iowa's surprise, the USN officers present unanimously demanded that their memories of the event be retained.
"If I forget now those brave boys would have all died for nothing. And what will I gain other than guilt unending? No, ma'am. You clearly know about these things. You teach us how we could beat it."
- Commodore Wallace, June 26, 1950.
And so, June 26, 1950. Amidst the fires of the Korean War, the precursor to the modern day USN ship girl service was born.
1951 - the founding of STEC
While the U.S. armed forces were busy dealing with the Korean crisis, the officers of the 7th fleet, along with other high-ranking USN officials, brought Iowa to meet Truman and his staff. Eighteen hours later, it was decided. America will rise to the occasion and fight.
The USN was authorized to create STEC (Special Task and Evaluation Command). Its mission: to support America's ship girls in whatever capacity it can. Recruiting the finest minds and bodies America could find at the time, STEC formally begun its operations in 1952.While Iowa patrolled America's seas tirelessly, STEC researchers begun their first set of research projects. While each ship girl was biologically human, the equipment that they operated - and the dazzling array of powers they displayed - were anything but ordinary.
- Ship girl equipment appears to operate off of a previously undetectable "force" similar to a fundamental force of physics. For all intent and purposes, portions of STEC staff treat it like magic. Others, however, point to the systematic and predictable nature of the force, and suggest it could be studied.
- Ship girl equipment appears to possess a degree of "intelligence," and appear capable of converting ordinary matter into a form that is amenable for their use.
- This particular matter type appears to be lethal to the abyssal fleet, but equally powerful as a conventional weapon of war. Theories abound for why ship girl equipment works, none of which can be conclusively tested at this time.
1954. There Is Another
1954. The US was dealing with the aftermath of the Korean War. With the full support of president Eisenhower, STEC would begin its difficult task of piecing together something that might defend America from the abyssal threat. However, it too, was dealing with an aftermath of a different sort.As the few survivors of the first abyssal incursion first begin to exhibit signs of instability, STEC researchers were racing against the clock in an attempt to discover a cure. A breakthrough would come through in December 7th, 1954, where STEC researchers found an elegantly dressed young woman sitting outside the heavily secure STEC research compound.
-New Jersey (Jer) became the second ship girl to join STEC's ranks. Her presence was a godsend to STEC officers and Iowa alike.
-Adequate R&R for Iowa, strategic initiatives in preparation for the abyssal arrival, and advanced ship girl battle tactics were no longer a distant dream but a reality, and the sheer practicality of having a second ship girl present was a huge boon to the research arm of STEC.The speed of numerous STEC research projects skyrocketed, and within two years, STEC made a number of instrumental breakthroughs that would have a lasting impact for the world.
- Through personal interactions, a ship girl can be "anchored" to a person, or persons, of her choosing. Close, positive personal interactions strengths a ship girl through unknown mechanisms.
- As ship girls themselves are immune to the psychological attacks of the abyssal fleet, the "anchoring" of a ship girl results in an area-wide immune zone to the abyssal fleet's traumatizing presence, allowing humanity a fighting chance in areas with ship girls.
- The physical presence of a ship girl allows for this immunity to be passed onto any ordinary human who wishes to fight the abyssal fleet. The immunity appears to be triggered based on an individual's mental state, and the immunity cannot be lost once an individual has decided to stand against the abyssal fleet.
1959- The Founding of RN-STEC
-From a diplomatic perspective, the US made contact with the major world’s powers. The UK was the most receptive to the Abyssal Threat, creating their own shipgirl program in response.
-Eisenhower and Churchill’s final meeting.
-At the time, France and the USSR largely ignored the warning, but at this point, the highest echelons of government are aware of what is going on.
